Bonne Année...

a Paris c'est 2009.





elle est sept heures avant nous a Chicago.

j'ai visité Paris pour la fête en 1975 avec mon amie, April. nous avon eu une bonne temps. a diner dans un restaurante locale et une excursion de la Ville des Lumières.

superbe! je manque Paris. il y a trois année depuis j'ai visité ma favori espace des vacances...

eh, bien, peut-être l'année prochaine.

happy new year and thank you...

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have very little chance of recovery.






I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.







I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking ones nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).






Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans-fats I have consumed over the years.






I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.

I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.





ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason,







I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.







I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.







I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.






I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.







I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.






AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. where ever the hell they are...






I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.






AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!







I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.






If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 pm. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in- law's second husband's cousin's beautician.


so...






Oh, by the way.....


A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.

Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

monday morning mayhem...

desk clerk



...so I booked into a hotel and said to the receptionist, "I hope the porn channel in my room is disabled."

"No," she said, "It's regular porn, you sick bastard."



New Competition for Virgin Airlines:







NEW YORK — A new airline has entered the highly competitive travel industry this week. Super Luxury Utopian Transport or SLUT airlines as it's referred to in the company brochures, is offering a unique service to the weary traveller.

A spokesman said the fledgling airline will be offering many amenities that the other airlines do not offer. "Take check-in for example - Instead of all those impersonal x-ray machines and waving wands, all our customers will be personally hand searched by a bevy of beautiful models, and all our seats transform into private beds where our world class beautiful stewardesses will be offering memberships in our special ‘Mile High Club’."

The company motto is: "Why fly a Virgin, when you can take a ride on a Slut?"


this IS the truth...






oh well, it is another 3-4 day week again... don't let work get you down, and don't look in the mirror unless you have to do it!

weekender...

the gift you didn't get but wished you had...







the rest of us are glad you didn't...

will we ever be able to say...

The War Is Over
by John Lennon

will we?

i won't give up hope
because...

when hope is gone, life is over....
Hopi Native-American belief

The Night Before Christmas...

from the
Disney Vault
1933

why Santa didn't answer your letter...

ummmmm..., i don't know what to say.


yes, i do sh*t! i'm never gonna get what i want.

what do i want?


i wrapped all the gifts today. i hate wrapping gifts. i prefer bags, but i didn't want to go out with this silly flu. as usual, i played with the kids' presents before i wrapped them. they never know...

the holidays always bring out the best...

the northern half of the U.S., as if there weren't enough problems for the economy and the state of the country, has been having a good old-fashioned winter. lots of snow. lots of ice. AND lots of cold. the last lots is making the electric and gas utility companies happy i'm sure. and it's all happening at the beginning of the joyous holiday season.

joyous! right.

i had my own retail store for a period in the 80's and it showed me the true joyousness the holidays could bring. everyone in retail will know of what i'm speaking. it really brings out the worst in people.

transportation and travel this season is, to understate, a disaster. people who were planning on traveling home for the holidays are rethinking their plans. some people who have already begun their voyages are stranded. this is the part i love.

interviewing a man in Seattle who was stranded because his bus couldn't go anywhere, a reporter was blasted by the man because the bus company stranded him in a place with no alternate plans. he has to be in a station he doesn't know. he might not make it to his destination AND he said that he doesn't even know where he is! [quelle vache!]

it's the bus company's fault.

yes, it must be. they have direct control over the prevailing weather patterns; they have the ability to stop the snow and ice from falling; and they have sole proprietorship of the National Weather Service.

wait, what about the airlines? Amtrack? the auto makers? they must be part of the conspiracy against this man and the others who are so inconvenienced by their utter lack of feeling for him and others who believe just as he does.

if he's from California, maybe he can get some sort of proposition passed to stop the transportation industry from doing these bad things?

just asking...

"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" - a new twist...

instead of talking through a designated representative, Benedict opens his own mouth and shows that he is not christian:

VATICAN CITY, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict said on Monday that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction.

"(The Church) should also protect man from the destruction of himself. A sort of ecology of man is needed," the pontiff said in a holiday address to the Curia, the Vatican's central administration.

"The tropical forests do deserve our protection. But man, as a creature, does not deserve any less."

The Catholic Church teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are. It opposes gay marriage and, in October, a leading Vatican official called homosexuality "a deviation, an irregularity, a wound".

i would have more hope for Rick Warren than i would for this human, and i hesitate calling him a human.

the stands of this pope and his church over the last several months with its refusal to support the two U.N. resolutions, the one on disability because it says nothing about abortion and one other on decriminalizing LGBTQ in the world, speak to the inhumanity and the belief that all men are not created equal.

the panzerpope refuses to enter the 21st century and is ensuring the eventual death of his own belief system.

i've always found that the louder someone screams against something it is to hide their own fear that they will be found out.

do i think Benedict is queer? you bet. just like Saul of Tarsus...

Rick Warren controversy...

my first comment on this entire thing:

I think that Obama made a mistake and it wasn't calculated. I would bet that he, the transition team and inauguration committee are in surprise. They have been making logical statements about the reaction from the base and Obama has been stammering, if you listen closely, more than usual when he talks about it.

One of the more accurate commentaries I've heard about the controversy is this:

To understand how angry and disappointed many Democrats are that Barack Obama has invited evangelical preacher Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inaugural, imagine if a President-elect John McCain had offered this unique honor to the Rev. Al Sharpton -- or the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. I know, it's hard to picture: John McCain would never do that in a million years. Republicans respect their base even when, as in McCain's case, it doesn't really return the favor.

Only Democrats, it seems, reward their most loyal supporters -- feminists, gays, liberals, opponents of the war, members of the reality-based community -- by elbowing them aside to embrace their opponents instead.

So... try to guess who, among the punditry, news shows, politicians made this comment.


Mike Huckabee, former Republican presidential candidate, former Governor of Arkansas, & fundamentalist minister speaking with Greta Vas Susteren on Fox![ Greta Von Susteren Asks Huckabee About Rick Warren's Role At Obama Inauguration]

what's is wrong with this picture?

just asking...


a thank you to Crooks and Liars for the heads-up.

monday morning mayhem...

my mayhem started last night about 10 pm, having a violent affair with the john...

got the stomach flu...

so the usual mayhem is late and it is brief, but funny...


Hillbilly Mirror

After living in the remote wilderness of Kentucky all his life, an old hillbilly decided it was time to visit the big city .

In one of the stores he picks up a mirror and looks in it. Not ever having seen one before, he remarked at the image staring back at him, 'How about that! Here's a picture of my daddy.'

He bought the mirror thinking it was a picture of his daddy, but on the way home he remembered his wife didn't like his father, so he hung it in the barn, and every morning before leaving for the fields, he would go there and look at it.

His wife began to get suspicious of these many trips to the barn. One day after her husband left, she searched the barn and found the mirror.

As she looked into the glass, she fumed, 'So that's the ugly bitch he's runnin' around with.'

weekender...

if you haven't finished your holiday shopping - or even started - here's something to help get you in the mood to get it all done this weekend...




It's a romantic full moon, when Pedro said, "Hey, mamacita, let's do Weeweechu."

Oh no, not now, let's look at the moon!" said Rosita.

Oh, c'mon baby, let's you and I do Weeweechu. I love you and it's the perfect time," Pedro begged.

"But I wanna just hold your hand and watch the moon." replied Rosita.

Please, corazoncita, just once, do Weeweechu with me."

Rosita looked at Pedro and said, "OK, one time, we'll do Weeweechu."

Pedro grabbed his guitar and they both sang.....

"Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,
Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,
Weeweechu a Merry Christmas,
and a Happy New Jear."


i'm sorry, i couldn't resist. when you wake up at 4:30 in the morning and this is the first email from a friend, you just totally loose it...

presidential press conferences...

is it my imagination or does it seem like we've had more press conferences from President-elect Barack Obama since November 4th than we have in the entire eight years of the Tsar's regime?

just asking...

this is priceless, or maybe Payless...

I'm not going to insult you by including the now (in)famous shoe tossing video. It's been played to death and the clueless smile on the Tsar's face when it was happening was priceless.

BUT, Rude Pundit has a great idea as a followthrow...

This morning, the Rude Pundit decided to honor the efforts of Muntader al-Zaidi, the Iraqi shoe-tosser, by taking out a raggedy old pair of sneakers, putting them in a Priority Mail shipping box, helpfully provided by the United States Post Office, and shipping them to President George W. Bush at the White House. He included a note that read, "This is a farewell kiss from the American people, you dog."

Now there have been many actions suggested over the years on sending messages to the current regime in Washington, but this is not only unique it could possibly help some homeless people in the D.C. area, if the White House realizes that they could do something good for the first, errrr last, weeks in office!

you can get all of the information at the link to Rude Pundit.

thanks to Crooks and Liars for the heads-up...

monday morning mayhem...

mistaken identity...

An honest man was being tailgated by a stressed-out woman on a busy boulevard. Suddenly, the traffic light turned yellow just in front of him.

The man did the right thing stopping at the crosswalk even though he could have beaten the red light by accelerating through the intersection. The tailgating woman hit the roof - and the horn - screaming in frustration as she missed her chance to get through the intersection.

As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and looked up into the face of a very serious police officer. The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands in the air.

He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger printed, photographed and placed in a holding cell. After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and opened the door.

She was escorted back to the booking desk where the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.

He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake. You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn, flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak at him. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk.

"Naturally, I assumed you had stolen the car."


oh, my! must have happened in southern Virginia...


do you really feel safe?





something tells me this wasn't from a Mack Sennett Keystone Kops movie...


ummmm, the circumcision...


A teacher noticed that a little boy at the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch, and not paying attention.

She went back to find out what was going on.

He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy.

The teacher told him to go down to the principal's office. He was to telephone his mother and ask her what he should do about it. He did and returned to his class.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room.

She went back to investigate only to find him sitting at his desk with his 'private part' hanging out.

'I thought I told you to call your mom!' she said.

'I did,' he said, 'And she told me that if I could stick it out till noon, she'd come and pick me up from school.


and people say that kids don't listen...


and finally...

a work related thought to help the week go faster:

The difference between the Pope and your boss?

The Pope only expects you to kiss his ring.

let's see... this week, and then next week should be a three or four day week for most of you.

hold that thought...

wow! i went to TWO movies this weekend...

my friends tease me because i hardly ever go to see a movie at the theatre. i usually wait to see in on cable or DVD.

the problem i have is i always end up with the people who jabber on the cellphone during the movie or some other rude thing.

when i went to see the Bourne Ultimatum, there was a couple who had brought there 2-3 year old with them. first it was inappropriate for her to be there because of the type of movie and second they let her crawl around on the floor under the seats! obviously, they had not gone to any parenting classes. BUT giving her a flashlight was the last straw for me, as well as others. before i could get up, someone had already made it to an usher or manager who was right there telling them to either control her or leave. like i said, it was inappropriate for her to be at this film anyway.

so you can see why i don't like going to the theatre. it's just my luck.

i do, however, go to see movies with special effects that would be much better seen on the wide screen than the small. this sent me this Friday to see The Day the Earth Stood Still, that plus a curiosity to compare if with the classic original.

neither the updated story nor the special effects disappointed me. i loved it.

the special effects in the first 10-15 minutes are some of the most spectacular i've ever seen. they were so because they were both subtle and understated. they didn't stop there, but continued through the entire film. in addition, the story updating was believable for today's world, and contrary to others, i think that Keanu Reeves played Klaatu the only way possible, and the robot would scare the s*** out of me.

if you want pure escapist fare, i recommend it. if you're a sci-fi aficionado, don't miss it.



i just came home from the second movie - Milk.

what can i say?

as a piece of history, it is believable; as a reflection of what it is to fight for yourself, it is insightful; as a piece of art, it is incredible; and as a journey of a man and a movement, it is beyond important.

could i identify with all of it? absolutely, positively yes.

did i emotionally loose it at any point? yes, but i won't tell the part unless you've seen the movie. i did get a little teary-eyed at the end, but it was so well done and so dramatically understated to make a point, that it brought the entire project full-circle.

i went with straight friends. they were totally impressed. Sharon said that Sean Penn's performance was one of the most realistic and the best she's ever seen, and she can see 4-5 movies a week, if she can. my other friends said it was one of the best movies they've ever seen also.

i have to tell you that i hesitate referring to them as friends. we have known each other for 40 years and we are more family than friend. we go on vacations together; we celebrate holidays together; and we do lots and lots of things together. the one thing that we are is totally supportive and loving of each other.

since we are friends/family we have a relationship that is such that we talk just about everything. well, sex is probably the one thing we don't talk about, but it's because it's nobody's business. well, i can't really say we never talk about it, but it's not something that is, like, tabletalk during a card game.

my orientation is never discussed either. it is my choice and they understand that. my sexuality is only a part, and a very small part, of who i am. it does not define me; though it adds to my definition.

though the argument in Milk is "let everyone know you're gay because when they know one of us, they know us all" is powerful, but it also tells the story of how we are all alike, and that is the point of demanding and what underscores everyone deserving equal rights. the other thing that is unique about the movie is that it is a love story with a wonderful telling of Harvey and Scott's relationship. a relationship that was just like everyone else's - straight or gay.

if i came away from the movie with anything, it is that everything i've believed, everything for which i have stood, everything that i have done, i have done as a human being. i left the theatre with everything reinforced, everything intact, and everything having more importance.

to use a cliche with which i identify -

The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity.
And the ways our differences combine
to create meaning and beauty.

too serious today...

how about an off-scheduled funny?


Subject: sex Life!

Two good old southern Bubba's are drinking in a bar.

One says, "Did you know that a moose has sex 10 to 15 times a night?"

"Ah shit," says the other, "and I just joined the Elks!"

"THE" Newsweek article...

i finally read the article in Newsweek - Gay Marriage: Our Mutual Joy - published Dec 6, 2008. if you've missed it, i recommend that you click on the link to read it.

the article, if you are not familiar, uses the Bible, just as the anti-gay marriage people do, as a means of supporting same-sex marriage. it's interesting and i've been familiar with most references in the article. the main points are 1) that there is no direct reference to homosexuality in the either the New or the Old Testament and 2) the message of Jesus was inclusion of all people in the love and joys of his father.

the more interesting part of the article is the comments following it from readers. [Note: Newsweek has had to suspend people from making additional comments because the server couldn't handle it. interesting!]

the comments have the usual mix of arguments that have been going around for the last number of years. there are people who say that the Good Book cannot be wrong; there are others who say that the book was written for the specific times it makes rules for and a lot is lost in translation; some comments are very well thought out and written and others are, well, ridiculously blind.

i was especially struck by the latter. the people who have their blind faith with no question or thought are especially rancorous. it is almost as if they are threatened that their entire world will end if same-sex marriage becomes widely accepted. of course, the article and the comments also point out this similarity to slavery, but it makes no difference to them.

personally, after reading both the article and its comments, i more firmly believe something that i've thought for a long time:

if Jesus were alive today, there is one thing he would not want to be - a christian!

blasephemy? afraid not. i'm no longer a believer in the mythology. only in its inherent message of brotherly love and equality of all.

the vatican's stance on in-vitro fertilization...

seems off their message concerning marriage.

The Vatican issued its most authoritative and sweeping document on bioethical issues in more than 20 years on Friday, taking into account recent developments in biomedical technology and reinforcing the church’s opposition to in vitro fertilization, human cloning, genetic testing on embryos before implantation and embryonic stem cell research.

Vatican Issues Instruction on Bioethics, New York Times, Dec 13, 2008

Given the church's stance on marriage is for procreation and is only allowed in opposite-sex partnerships, doesn't this rule go against a core belief? if a couple marries to have children and discovers that it is impossible in the normal way [normal according to the RC] why is it wrong for them to use any means to bring more members into the church? It is a life in their definition.

The article in the NYT cites the “Dignitas Personae” that has just been released by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The document is much broader than just in-vitro. It includes stands on abortion, birth control, stem cell research and other bioethical issues, as they define them.

One should understand that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is made up of a bunch of old men, clergy, who are not supposed to have sex and are responsible only to the pope and two-thousand years of mythology. Their stand not only applies to the faithful but to all medical and scientific persons who would administer or research no matter what their faith.

A representative from a U.S. organization of catholic medical members explained in-vitro this way:

Kathleen M. Raviele, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Georgia who is president of the Catholic Medical Association, said she tells her patients: “God creates through an act of love, and that’s not what’s happening in the laboratory. It’s the technician who’s creating. What in vitro does, is it separates the creation of a child from the marital act.”

Why would concieving a child in-vitro not be considered a marital act of love? If a couple wants to have a child and they are incapable themselves, why not use in-vitro and, I'd assume, in some cases, a surrogate mother? A life is a life.

Of course, I'm sure there are other considerations behind this "The Dignity of the Person" document, icluding the timing of its release - same-sex marriage, Obama's defense of stem cell research, birth control use in the U.S., etc.

I long ago left the RC of my own volition first, because I couldn't handle the hypocrisy and second, because I no longer could believe in the mythology. There is an issue with faith and believing but, in its present two-thousand year old formulaic incarnation, it declines the one thing that is the basis of that faith and belief - free will.

A bunch of old men, in their infinite wisdom, set out the rules in the guise of guiding the faithful to act as they should but take away the one right they possess - the right to chose.

ironic or hypocritical? i'm not certain into which it falls. maybe both...

The bailout, a different perspective...

Back in 1990, the US Government seized the Mustang Ranch brothel in Nevada for tax evasion and, as required by law, tried to run it. They failed and it closed.

Now we are trusting the economy of our country to a pack of nit-wits who couldn't make money running a whore house and selling booze?


maybe the automakers are better off with the Senate failure?

just asking...

weekender...

here's something to do to make your weekend fun.

but... think really, really hard before you do it...







i don't think i want to join this Polar Bear Club...

there is one other thing everybody in Chicago is saying...

I'm sick of hearing about this s***.

the national media is having a field day...

and everyone with whom i'm talking here in Chicago is amused.

we shrug our shoulders because the idea of corruption in the city goes back well over a hundred years. the history of the city around the turn of the 19th to the 20th centuries makes fascinating reading in books like The Devil in the White City and Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul, two of the more unique stories.

truthfully, Chicago can be blamed for the ascension of religion into politics that has had the country in a mess for the last 20-30 years. the stage was set right here. if you're familiar with the second book i mentioned, Sex in the Second City, you will discover just how that is the truth.

our biggest amazement is just how stupid Gov. Blago has been. real stupid! one local politician told one of the local TV stations that he is learning sign language to talk with colleagues because "You have to believe that everyone you're talking is wearing a wire." sad, but true.

Rachel Maddow last night pointed out that the media in Chicago was not focusing on what Blago did but on the possibility that he might just be loco. she seemed surprised with it. there are stories popping up about his delusions and behaviours all over the Chicago media. Check out this story in today's Chicago Sun-Times: Hairbrained? Is Blago's hair a sign of sickness?

or the Chicago Tribune: By Chicago standards, Blagojevich isn't crazy.

Illinois' Attorney General, Lisa Madigan [who i wouldn't trust as far as i can spit either] is talking about going to the Illinois Supreme Court to declare Blago unfit: What's next for Blagojevich? Removal?



Obama at his new conference this morning was asked what's wrong with politics in Illinois. he has two views of people involved in government, first as service to others and second as a business; a business that says, "What's in it for me?" he went on to say that there is a great history of Illinois politicians who have been of the former view, but you also have people with bad habits and a culture of politics as a means of self-aggrandizement. that has to change. the latter is the far end of the spectrum, but there are elements that are more subtle in the middle. he mentioned other governments even the federal that do things for political reasons. he hopes his campaign modeled and hi administration will model it. [the previous are more or less my notes while listening to Obama this morning.]

i would add another element - enriching your friends. Bush is using his pen and pencil to do all kinds of orders that Mr. Obama can't do anything about for at least a year. today he doomed polar bears by an order allowing more exploration for oil, gas, etc. and he is about ready to destroy the Utah Redrock wilderness for the same thing.

of course, this is the same thing as Blago did, but Tsar George was willing to wait the eight years to get all the money after he leaves the White House. Blago wanted the money now. it's all a matter of degree.

to paraphrase an old adage:

politicians - you can't live with them...
and you can't kill them.

[for those of you unfamiliar with the original, the word politician was family.]

one of the sadder parts to the Blago business is...

...the Illinois state legislature was getting ready to vote on a bill giving civil union rights to same-sex partners. Blago was a supporter and said he would sign the bill if it came to his desk. his sister-in-law, Debbie Mell, was just elected to the Illinois House of Representatives as openly lesbian/gay, ironically to Blago's own old state seat in the House.

now, that's all on hold. [i'm sure Peter LaBarbera is down on his knees thanking his god for that right now.] it may not even be possible for the new legislature taking office in January to deal with it.

with the pressing matter of this folly and the dire straits of the state budget, it's going to be tabled. it was the closest to passage from years past. Chicago and most of Illinois is quite accepting of LGBTQ citizens. there are detractors, like LaBarbera, but most go with a live and let live outlook.

big mistake in Illinois?

living in Chicagoland all my life, none of the Governor Blago stuff is surprising. [we can't spell the governor's name so we just call him Blago] it's politics as usual. it's tit for tat. it's the way things are and always have been.

ABC World News interviewed people in Chicago and made a point of saying that no one they spoke to here really saw it as a big deal. there was no real reaction to speak, well except from other places around the country that aren't used to the way we do things here. remember, we are The City That Works, and there are reasons for that.

at the least, it sells newspapers and that's something that the Chicago Tribune can use right now.

however, did U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald get pushed into something that will not hold up in court? is there a political agenda for which he has fallen? was he made to jump the gun before he had a solid case? think about it.


what exactly did Blago do that is illegal? Pat Buchanan brought this up on the Cris Matthews' show tonight. Blago is taped saying some things he could do, some things he could ask for, and some things that had naughty words in it. does saying things that might or could happen constitute illegal behaviour?

did he accept any bribe? did he coerce any one to do anything illegal? did he break any ethics laws? these are all questions that will have to be answered in a court of law.

now, they are reporting that Rahm Emanuel was the one who alerted Fitzgerald. possibly because Blago would not name the person that Obama and Rahm wanted to replace Obama in the Senate? like i said in the first paragraph - politics as usual, and Emanuel is an expert at it, even more than Blago.

i may have used this metaphor in previous posts, but it bears repeating. in Chicago we have da Bears, da Bulls, da Cubs, da Sox, and da Blackhawks but the favorite sport in the city [county and state for that matter] is politics.

now the rest of the country gets to be part of the team playing, fan rooting, unquestioning supporting, cross-town fighting...

enjoy...


oh, and if i may add my 2¢, i think Governor Blago should go ahead and name Obama's replacement, that is totally within his legal right as governor, but i think that he should screw them all by naming his arch-enemy's daughter to the post - Lisa Madigan! her father, Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Michael Madigan, has been doing everything in his power to undermine everything that not just Blago but all other Democrats and Republicans in Illinois have been trying to do. IMHO, only for getting her elected governor. Madigan has refused to even meet with Blago for years.

i'd love to see some corruption stuff on them. everything they've done is under the (dis)guise of making her governor.

it would also make for greater sport...

Torchwood withdrawal...

i'm suffering from a severe case of Torchwood withdrawal. it seems like it's been forever since the show's last season, and there are all kinds of strange things being said about major changes not only to the cast but to the number of episodes, when they may air, etc.

in the mean time, i found these video of bloopers from seasons 1 & 2. they're funny [and dirty too...]









if you're interested in the latest updates on Torchwood you can click on Torchwood.tv

i miss Captain Jack...


scaramouche, scaramouche...

monday morning mayhem...

why it's so difficult to potty train...


this is what little kids really see when you start...







i don't remember it, but i'm sure it was true.
that or a rat coming up and biting me on the ass...
remember all those scary stories?



if you work in retail this holiday season...

you'll love this one.


Two businessmen in Florida were sitting down for a break in their soon-to-be new store. As yet, the store wasn't ready, with only a few shelves set up.

One said to the other, 'I bet any minute now some idiot is going to walk by, put his face to the window, and ask what we're selling.'

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when, sure enough, a curious senior walked to the window, had a peek, and in a soft accent asked 'What are you sellin' here?'

One of the men replied sarcastically, 'We're selling ass-holes.'

Without skipping a beat, the old timer said, 'You're doing well. Only two left.'


new drug for work problems...





maybe it'll help with the economic problems, too?

automaker "bailout" - my take...

i've been watching this as closely as everyone else, listening to the cries of poor us from the CEO's and hearing the tales of woe on how bad it would be for the economy, and i've decided, in my opinion, it would be best to not give them what they want.

the government has given so much funny money away to the banks, mortgage countries, etc and they can't even tell where it's gone. we're supposed to technically own their assets because it's collateral. i don't think we own anything but pieces of paper.

one of the things that is built into our government is bankruptcy laws. they are there for a reason. they allow companies to take a specific task of reforming themselves into new, more streamlined entities or closing down because it's impossible to make them profitable.

the big three automakers are saying that a bankruptcy scenario would be disastrous. why? disastrous for whom? the economy? how much worse could it get?

the reason i believe they are not interested in going the bankruptcy route is very simple. bankruptcy laws demand court supervision while the restructuring is happening.

we already are aware of some of the waste these companies have incurred. what else would pop-up if the courts were to get involved using outside agents that would scrutinize every aspect of the companies?

the Big Three CEO's are promising to reinvent, revise and restructure a model they say is no longer working. can they actually do that? personally, i don't think so.

well, actually they can, but they have too many expenses put on them that foreign companies do not. number 1 - health insurance. all foreign car makes do not have this as an expense because their companies are in countries with universal healthcare. subsidized by the government? of course, but what is so wrong with that?

exactly what are we getting for the taxes we now pay? i mean directly get?

roads and schools are falling apart. bridges are collapsing. sewer and water conveyance systems are inadequate and too old. energy sources are quickly being used up. the air we breath is slowly killing us. i don't think i need to go on.

the purpose of man establishing a government or organizing a community is to support the overall progress and well-being of himself and the community. instead we are closing in on spending $600 billion in Iraq that in no way really has anything to do with making my quality of life any better. nor yours.

priorities certainly have gone askew.

so, in my opinion, it would be best to let the automakers file bankruptcy, go through court supervised restructuring, and either come out of it better or go the way of the 1948 Tucker Torpedo or the Ford Edsel.

their are too many car models as it is...

weekender...

Back in the 1929 financial crash, it was said that some Wall Street stockbrokers and bankers JUMPED from their office windows and committed suicide when confronted with the news of their firms and clients financial ruin. Many people were said to almost feel a little sorry for them . . .



In 2008 the attitude has changed somewhat with the crooks who have put our economy in such turmoil:





might be the only way out of this mess... start from scratch.


might create some new street maintenance jobs too...

"Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?"

Henry II referring to Thomas Becket who was once his closest adviser and became his greatest enemy when he took the side of the church. [that would be the Roman Catholic church.]

We are faced again with meddlesome priests who want to destroy people's rights, control people's lives, and threaten them with eternal damnation if they don't support the things they want them to.

Today, Archbishop George Niederauer of San Fransisco has compared the people who supported Prop 8 in California to abolitionists and civil rights marchers [Queerty: SF Catholic Archbishop Compares Prop. 8 Supporters to Abolitionists & Civil Rights Marchers. So, now they are the victims. They have the sole responsibility of deciding who is worthy of equal rights. This man was the person who brought the Mormans into the fight in California though only 2% of Californians are Morman, along with $20 million. Oh, would it also surprise you that Niederauer was the R.C. bishop of Salt Lake City, Utah before going to S.F. Don't say collusion to me...

Two days ago, December 3, 2008, the Vatican and its man in red decided to enter the fray in another way: The Pope's Christmas Gift: A Tough Line on Church Doctrine Times.com.

s, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, has announced that the Vatican will oppose a proposed U.N. declaration calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals.

Why? Because some religious are against LGBT and no one should interfere with their beliefs. Huh? That's real christian of them.

Oh, wait. On the same day Benedict, aka God's Rottweiler, the Panzercardinal, as he has been called in the past, also sent this little message to the United Nations: Holy See refused to sign a UN document on the rights of the disabled because it did not condemn abortion.

Following the Vatican's controversial opposition this week to a UN declaration calling for an end to discrimination against homosexuals, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican envoy to the UN, has confirmed that the Holy See also refused to sign a UN document last May on the rights of the disabled because it did not condemn abortion or assert the rights of foetuses with birth defects....

...the Vatican supported the rights of the disabled, but could not accept a clause in the UN declaration affirming a right to "sexual health and reproduction" because "in some countries such rights include the right to abortion".

you read that correctly.

It's all right to discriminate against all kinds of people if they don't agree with your isms. It's all right to allow at-risk people to suffer and hurt because some people do not agree with your dogma.

real christian, don't you think?

just asking...


again, though i in no way advocate violence of any kind, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?

rather than priest, i would replace it with the word religion. i think religion has outlived its usefulness and the likes of Benedict, Dobson, Falwell, Bush and all the others know and fear just that. they will lose their power. they will lose their influence, and, most important, they will lose their money.

life should be a musical...

Andy over at Towleroad put this up on his site today - NEIL PATRICK HARRIS AND JACK BLACK IN PROP 8: THE MUSICAL

i've always thought that the world could be a better place if it was a musical. just think about it.

feeling down? - break into song! really happy? - break into song! feel discriminated against? - break into song!

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

of course, they may lock you up if you break into song. they may say you're a little bit off. oh, and they'd probably say you are blasphemous also...

personally? i'd rather have a good time.

what's wrong with this picture?

It is a photo of one of the terrorists at the Mumbai train station, and the only one captured alive.

And Gulf News has an interview with Sebastian D’Souza, the Mumbai Mirror photographer who took the chilling photographs of Mr. Qasab [also identified as Azam Amir Kasav] in the train station. Mr. D’Souza jumped from train to train on the platform, evading gunfire, in order to get the photographs, which show Mr. Qasab advancing, wearing cargo pants, a Versace T-shirt and black sneakers, with an assault rifle in hand.

New York Times, Tuesday, December 2, 2008

wearing cargo pants, a Versace T-shirt and black sneakers?

something tells me that this is not something bin Laden, Muhammed, or any of the Islamic fundamentalists would approve.

Versace!

so how are we to take them seriously? they throw down denunciations of everything western and American and they wear Versace clothing to kill people.

that is how we are to take them seriously - as hypocrites, just like everyone else.

think about it. bin Laden himself is a multimillionaire from Saudi Arabia. they use all types of funding from sales of drugs, arms and contraband. they are just like every other organization that is into power and domination. they don't do things for their god. they do things for themselves.

the sad thing? i think that we are in for a very long period of these terrorist hypocrites. their egos have become huge. their dementia has taken on gigantic proportions. their need to use others to fulfill their needs by causing death of innocents as well as the believers they've duped to do their nasty deeds surpasses any legitimate reasons they give.


just another thing to multiply the funk i've been in for the last couple of weeks.

monday morning mayhem...

read the signs carefully. very, very carefully...

Toilet out of Order -

PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW

In a Laundromat -

AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES:
PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT

In a London department store -

BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS

In an office -

WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN

In an office -

AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT
AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD

Outside a secondhand shop -

WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?

Notice in health food shop window -

CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS

Seen during a conference -

FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR

Notice in a farmer's field -

THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES.

Message on a leaflet -

IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS

On a repair shop door -

WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING.
(PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR -
THE BELL DOESN'T WORK)

Northampton Hospital -

BIRTH CONTROL ADVICE - PLEASE USE REAR ENTRANCE

don't loose your head...





neat trick...


so..., you thought you ate a lot this past holiday?





it's just 24 days until Christmas...


i know. i know. one day at a time. just make it through the week... but think of all the fun.

World AIDS Day...

Today, December 1st.

It's the 20th Anniversary of the World AIDS Day.

this is another thing that has had me kind of down for the last week. it's another thing that there doesn't seem to be a lot of forward movement on doing something.

it's also been 18 years since RT died and he's been on my mind a lot for the last week. i even went to the cemetery on Thanksgiving day [it was his birthday also] and i haven't been there in a couple of years.

i actually was in shock. there were flowers, a balloon and a holiday wreath on his grave. i have never seen this before. i thought that i was the only one who usually did this when i went there. i guess it was his family, but i don't know them to do things like this. they denied what happened. they refused to accept how he died. they blamed others for his death. the family basically fell apart when he died. he was the one who kept them together. i kept in touch with them for a few years, but it got to be too difficult. the only person i have contact with is his aunt, who is our age, and she has nothing to do with the family either anymore.

you see, this is one of the things that this ugly, terrible disease does. it destroys families not only by death but by stigma. it's devastated the continent of Africa. it has left millions of children orphans or sick themselves. it has brought inhuman behaviour by many because of it's ignominy.

it's viewed as a gay disease, when the largest proportion of people infected are straight. sadly, most all are African and can be forgotten because of that. the civilized world can dismiss them because they are on the dark continent.

in this country, because it is seen as a gay disease it can be dismissed because LGBT deserve it. it's our punishment for being..., well, you can insert any epithet you've heard over the years.

the idea behind all of the denial or misdirection or gated-community mindset keeps a lot of people immune from the problem. they are part of the problem.

what can i do? what can you do?

the theme for this years observation of World AIDS Day is LEADERSHIP.





from the World AIDS Day site:

The theme for World AIDS Day 2007 and 2008 is “leadership”. This theme will continue to be promoted with the campaigning slogan, “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.”

Leadership was selected as the theme for World AIDS Day to encourage leaders at all levels to stop AIDS. Building on the 2006 theme of accountability, leadership highlights the discrepancy between the commitments that have been made to halt the spread of AIDS, and actions taken to follow them through. The theme empowers everyone from individuals to organisations to governments to lead in the response to AIDS.

One of the greatest promises that I see for the U.S. is an end to the ridiculous sanctions that the Bush Administration placed on helping the world fight AIDS by restricting how organizations could wage war against the spread of the disease in order to get the money. In my mind, it was immoral and against every christian belief that he and his minions held.

what can you do to help? click on the links above or Google World AIDS Day