what has Obama's election wrought?

i realize it's been quite a while since i've done any serious posting. other things have been on the agenda. like, i'm supposed to be in Honduras right now working with some of the schools. needless to say, we've had to reschedule because of the political unrest down there. we're now going at the end of the month. [fingers crossed]

that's part of what actually prompted this question about Obama.

i've been watching the upheaval in Honduras very closely, monitoring the newspapers and radio down there daily.

next, we've seen the ongoing drama in Iran. today, the battling has begun again on the streets. violence has erupted again.

then, the Chinese are cracking down on the Uighars and are fighting daily.

and, in Malaysia the people are up in arms because the government wants to put a ban on teaching math and science in English. they believe that will put them behind the rest of the world.


there are a few underlying signs in Venezuela with the mayor of Caracas on a hunger strike against Chavez and he has threatened to close down over 240 radio stations because of their content.

i can't even get into things going on in the U.S., but there does seem to be an underlying tension and a lot of it is not just the economic situation. that is just appearing to be a symptom.

the country appears to be undergoing a crisis in its anima. many people are questioning what has happened, how we got here and what comes next. some of us are even asking, "is it worth it?"

other areas of unrest in the world keep popping up too.

from what i've been observing, there is one thing that they all have in common. the unrest is coming from the people of each country.

is there something in the recent election of Obama that is in some way working on the conscience of the world?

it's something to think about.

and i'm just asking...

litany against fear...

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

Litany against fear
Bene Gesserit incantation
from Dune by Frank Herbert

i thought of this when i was posting a comment on Pam's House Blend to an article about the right wingers being all aflutter about the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill about which i have previously posted.

one of the things i have always observed is that the louder people oppose or deride something, the more it seems that they are running from something that they fear.

fear underlies so much of the ills and problems we see all around us, and rather than embracing it we run away and avoid it. what we are missing are the lessons that we could learn from facing it.

i always end my emails with a little saying i used when i was working with kids -

there is nothing wrong, only things that are missing...

i would quite often hear adults say that a kid had issues or was just bad or was slow. there were a myriad of prognostications i would hear. all of them made it seem that there was something wrong with the kid.

what i always discovered is that there was some piece of information that we didn't know; something that happened in the past of which we weren't aware; or a story that was made up and the child learned to believe it.

i would also find this to be true in almost all of the management situations i was in with adults. their reluctance was never defined, their doubt was never uttered, or their insecurity revolving aroung change never was stated. it was the same thing. there was always something that was missing; something i didn't know; or something i could not quite put my finger on.

when i found out what it was that was missing, i would always go, "ohhhhhhhh!" and everything was suddenly crystal clear. the missing piece made everything fall into place.

so i always looked for that thing that was missing. i still do.

behind all of it i always found fear. it is debilitating and i still fall into it myself. it is my/our nature.

it explains a lot and leaves a lot unanswered. but remember - there is always something missing...

brush up your Shakespeare...

Mayor Richard J. Daley has announced that this Thursday, April 23, 2009, is 'Talk Like Shakespeare Day' in Chicago.

April 20, 2009 (CHICAGO) -- In honor of William Shakespeare's upcoming birthday, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley has proclaimed "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" in the city.

Although Shakespeare's actual birth date is not known, many scholars believe it to have been on April 23, 1564, since the poet and playwright is known to have been baptized three days later.

This year, April 23 is Thursday.

In his recent proclamation, Daley urged Chicagoans to celebrate the occasion by bringing the spoken words of Shakespeare into their daily lives.

ABC7 Chicago News via the AP

so what's the big deal?

i tried to find a video of how Da Mayor normally speaks, but couldn't. he speaks soutside. that's not a typo. there is no /sh/ sound in soutside English. i should know; i speak it fluently.

well, not on a regular basis. with education you learn to speak differently, but i can slip right into it when i'm with friends or family. as a matter of fact, i just got of the phone with my cousin. "i's speakin' soutside wid'im" the entire time.

so, for Mayor Daley to proclaim this Thursday "Talk Like Shakespeare Day" is wonnerfull.

actually, it's also in conjunction with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater that is one of the greatest in the country. it won a national Tony Award a number of years ago for top regional theater. i've seen many incredible performances there over the years.

so, thou may speaketh on Thursday yon as if thy were with the Bard


but you may need to "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" first...






this may help also...





crossposted at macarthur park

the best lawn tractor...

Yep, it's a Porsche!

Found it over on Autoblog.com (one, if not the, favorite blogs i peruse daily) and instantly thought of my friend, Ed. He just retired from teaching high school, lives in one of the top suburbs in Chicagoland, and has at least an acre of land.

Sent it to him, but I haven't gotten a response yet. I did send a copy to his son, and this was his reply:

Dad i see a good retirement gift for yourself. The wheel might not fall off every other year.

oops!

it's not a Bugatti, but Ed's tastes are much simpler than mine...

another reason we're lagging so far behind...

I posted about US commercials and how ridiculous and neanderthal they can be. They're obsessed with sex, pharmaceuticals and body odor prevention.

Andy Towle over at Towleroad posted this example of a TV commercial airing on British stations for Heinz mayo. It's cute; it's refreshing; it's non-assuming; and it's fun.

enjoy, and think about the day when everyone can be commonplace in our world...

Straight home from work, Sweet Cheeks.

current tv commercials...

are driving me crazy...

the blue guy with the natural men's enhancement supplement is back.

cialys, viagra, levitra and ED are really nobody's business.

the new toilet paper commercial with the bears picking little pieces of toilet paper off their a**** is rude. bears with toilet paper are not cute.

the guy using his wireless in the middle of a cow herd needs to be stampeded.

and if that's not bad enough, as i've posted before, the stations - cable and mainstream - are timing their commercials so that when you surf, all you get are - commercials on every channel! [it's unAmerican, if you ask me.]

if you're a fan of commercials from other parts of the world, as i am, you find that they not only have a no holds-barred laissez-faire state of mind, but they actually entertain you without droning on and one with words.

the commercial below is from Australia and is for men's underwear. there is no Michael Jordan, Charlie Sheen, Cuba Gooding or the ferret who steals the entire ad. it's just fun...





now, there is one strange thing about it that i do not understand. it is a guy jumping & flying in the air with great smiles to a really great song. it's called the pillow biter ad. that'a the part i don't understand.

i mean, i understand it, but i don't know why they would call it that.

i didn't see him bite the pillow...

ever wonder...

how other countries and cultures view U.S. politics?

Well, the German's have a clear vision of our Democratic Primary race.

The picture below is from one of their Rosa Monday parades that are the highlight of the Carnival season before the start of Lent.

A lot of people don't think the German people have a sense of humor. (of course, they say that about the British also.) one visit to Germany will convince you that it is not true.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...






i was bitten in the ass by a German Shepard when I was a child. it really hurts. i had the bite marks to prove it...

busy week(s)...

Posting is kind of limited for me the past and current week. I'm working a couple of days. [I love working only 4-5 days a month!] There are also a lot of social type engagements planned.

Last Friday I went to what probably is the second best opera performance/production I've ever seen - Handel's Giulio Cesare. Great, great, great! You can read the reviews here, here and here.

On Sunday I went to a discussion with David Daniels, the star of the opera and spoke briefly with him at the reception after. Fascinating. The #1 countertenor in the world, highly sought after by all the big opera houses, considered one of the biggest opera stars of the day, and totally out as a proud gay man.

Last night, friends took me to see "Jersey Boys". Great music. I didn't know much about the history of the group. If what they presented is true, it wasn't very pretty. The second act was heartbreaking.

Thursday I'm going to the opening night gala and screening of the movie "Shelter" at

The Chicago Gay and Lesbian International Film Festival is in its 26th year. I've read a lot about Shelter and can't wait to see it. It sounds great. Actor Brad Rowe from the movie is going to be there.

The week ends with dinner at friends' home on Saturday that is always a great meal.




i gotta tell ya. i highly recommend this retirement thing to everyone. i'm glad i didn't wait until i would be too old and feeble to enjoy it and took early retirement. anyone who worries about not knowing what they'll do if they retire has nothing to worry about. i'm always busy, even if i'm not doing anything! that sounds weird, but it's true!

one thing i know for sure - i'll need next week to recuperate. fat chance! next week there's another opera, more films at the festival, and on and on and on...

here's a video of the Tony Awards show with a medley from the Broadway cast of Jersey Boys. enjoy...

does anyone know...

is their anything in the Qu'ran or from Imams that it is not okay for Muslim men, or women, to dye their beards or hair? It would logically seem with all of the other religious restrictions this would be the case. I mean, he believes along with the Taliban that men must have beards.



If so, does it mean that O.B. Laden gets no virgins or can enter the garden?

I don't think he did it so he couldn't be identified going through the TSA metal detectors...

or maybe he's adding a wife to his harem...

i wonder if he uses L'Oreal or Clairol or Grecian Formula 5...?

Bugatti Veyron Targa
W16 engine
1000 horsepower
Top speed 217 mph
0 - 60 in 2.8 seconds
0 - 100 in 9.9 seconds
100 - 0 in 10 seconds
80 to be produced
All hand-made
$1,500,000+

I told my trainer during our last session at the gym Wednesday that if I saw one of these in person, I'd probably pee in my pants - and not BP!

And, yes, you read that right. It has a W-shaped 16 cylinder engine!

I can dream, can't I?

wanna bet that the yacht in the background doesn't cost as much? i won't take your bet...

it struck me...

while reading a post over at Andrew Sullivan from a WorldNetDaily reader posted on FrontPageMag.com regarding her upset with a column by Dennis Prager [History Will Harshly Judge Those for Iraq Withdrawal]

the similarities between the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives [aka Karl Rove] with the Ministry for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda [aka Joseph Goebbels].

Yes, that is quite a notated first paragraph, and I did it on purpose because it is just the sort of thing that both offices would put out. Very logical, very precise and filled with sources to prove their points. It's called propaganda.

"Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist." Garth S. Jowett and Victoria O'Donnell, Propaganda And Persuasion

So what struck me in not finding a difference between the two is just what is the difference between propaganda and information?

We get information from the news, from television, from radio, from the internet and many other places. How exactly do we tell the difference? What makes me believe one source over another? My personal feeling? My agreement with one point over another? If that's the case, what came first my agreement itself or my agreement after reading/hearing the information from a source(s)?

One thing that came up interesting while reading the comments after the letter on FrontPageMag.com was this one posting:

Hi Zin. I'll tell you this, whoever wrote this anonymous diatribe that SQ posted, didn't have the guts to own it. I'm sick of comparison's with Hitler, and dictatorships, and such. This is full of hate, and accusations of collusion, etc.

I know that most here at FPM are anonymous, and I understand, especially if they might be recognizable to us were we to know their real names. However, when one speaks of our President and his administration in the terms presented in SQ's post, then anonymity is cowardly in my opinion.

I have no idea why SQ thought this was meaningful is beyond me. We hear this crap every day from the left, and this is just more of the same. Can you imagine, comparing the Jews during WWII to the Muslims of today?

This person came away after reading it with the same connection I did. The difference is that person wails about the inequity of making the comparison. I question how people decide on interpretations. This kind of answers some of my questions.

The person in the original letter thought one way and then changed her mind after watching and listening to what was going on with the Iraq debate. The second person, obviously, had the same thoughts but has not changed them. Why not? She has to have been hearing the same things. Or has she?

propaganda or information...

back...

poorer, but back. What stays in Las Vegas is your money. If you go there realizing that it's what happens, you'll have fun. and we did.

My friends and I finished off my month-long birthday/retirement festival with a little jaunt to Las Vegas and it was great. We all had a ball.

The start was a little auspicious for me: couldn't find the laptop power cord, found it but forgot the computer (hence, no posts for the entire week!); forgot about rush hour traffic; barely made the flight (5 minutes); the luggage didn't make the flight (it got there 2½ hours later); forgot the iPod's earbuds; forgot my book to read on the plane; sat between one guy who hacked and coughed all the way there and another one who spilled a full cup of coffee everywhere; and I had to take the most enormous dump of my life and couldn't do anything about it until we reached 36,000 feet. It was 78℉ when we left Chicago at 7:30 am. When we got to Las Vegas at 9:40 am, it was 43℉ and very windy! The descent was really rough because of the wind.

It was a real adventure.

We stayed at New York New York. It's a fun hotel/casino. The slot machines are a ripoff though. We didn't see anyone win any big jackpots the entire time.

They taught me a new compulsive game - three-card poker. It's more addictive than the roulette wheel.

The Wynn is an experience. It's beautiful and very welcoming. I noticed that the dealers and the pit-bosses aren't really like those at other casinos. They're actually friendly and helpful. When they were teaching me three-card even the pit-boss was helping. She looked at my second hand and said, "Ohhh. The curse of the queen-nine!" She then proceeded to explain the game in more detail and what things to look for while playing. The other places are poker-face [pun intended] and give no reaction. They'll even tell you that they'll get into trouble if they don't follow the rules exactly. The Wynn will be the next place we stay, I'm sure.

The best part of the trip was the new Cirque du Soleil's The Beatle's "LOVE". Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and the Octopus's Garden were my favorite parts. I forgot how great their druggie, druggie music really is.

I've seen a number of their productions, and though each one seems to outdo the previous, this one is by far the best one! Here's a little video I found on youtube.



If you're going to go to Las Vegas, I highly recommend LOVE.

Now, I have to decide what my life is going to be like from here on out. Well, at least for the immediate future. Time for me is #1 on the agenda for at least 6 months...

whattaya think...?

monday morning mayhem...

because we just need to start the week in a positive way - laughing.

1. The High School Guy

Have you ever been guilty of looking at others your own age and thinking, "Surely I can't look that old?" Well... you'll love this one!

I was sitting in the waiting room for my first appointment with a new dentist.

I noticed his DDS diploma, which bore his full name. Suddenly, I remembered that a tall, handsome, dark-haired boy with the same name had been in my high school class some 40-odd years ago. Could he be the same guy that I had a secret crush on, way back then?

Upon seeing him, however, I quickly discarded any such thought. This balding, gray-haired man with the deeply lined face was way too old to have been my class mate. or could he?

After he examined my teeth, I asked him if he had attended Morgan Park High School.

"Yes! Yes, I did! I'm a mustang," he gleamed with pride.

"When did you graduate?" I asked.

He answered, "In 1959. Why do you ask?"

"You were in my class!" I exclaimed.

He looked at me closely. Then, that ugly, old, wrinkled, bald, fat, gray, decrepit son-of-a-xxxx asked, ....................

"What did you teach?"

2. please listen carefully. Our menu has recently changed...

Click To Play

3. scam artist alert

Watch out for this scam.

There is a slick routine aimed at stealing from unwary persons. They say that the gang usually comprises three or four members. While the three younger ones, all appearing to be cute and innocent, divert their "mark" (or intended target) with a show of friendliness and fun, the fourth - the eldest of this gang of criminals - sneaks in from behind the person's back to expertly rifle undetected through pockets and bags for any valuables being carried.

The picture below, taken from CTV operating in the inner city, shows the Gang in operation.

4. Three Old Ladies at the Ball Game

This is a detective story so pay close attention!!!

Three elderly ladies are excited about seeing their first Cubs baseball game. They smuggle a bottle of Jack Daniel's into the ballpark. The game is real exciting and they are enjoying themselves immensely, while mixing the Jack Daniel's with soft drinks. Soon they realize that the bottle is almost gone and the game has a lot of innings to go.

Based on the given information, what inning is it and how many players are on base?






Think!








Think some more!!









You're gonna love it...








Answer: It's the bottom of the fifth and the bags are loaded........

that reminds me of the joke that allegedly helped get Dick Biondi kicked off the radio in Chicago during the 60's...

So, I took my girlfriend to the Sox game. I made a deal with her that I would kiss her on the strikes and she would kiss me on the balls.

We sure have come a long way. Think of Howard Stern

reality...

Can we be seeing the result of all those faux-reality shows playing a part in western culture?

WHEN confronted with the prickly question of whether to disclose their illnesses, Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy divined a simple strategy, historians say. They dissembled. They lied. They covered up or simply kept their mouths shut to keep Americans in the dark. Revealing All Before Anyone Else Can, New York Times, March 25, 2007

Thrity-five years ago, Sen. Thomas Eagleton, then Democratic vice-presidential candidate, admitted that he had been treated for depression. He was forced to withdraw his candidacy.

Now, Sen. John Edwards and his wife call a press conference to announce that her cancer is back and is malignant. They are going to continue with his campaign for president.

V. P. Al Gore talks about his bouts with depression and no one really bats an eye. Hell, with the tragic death of his son and the stupid loss of the presidency in 2001, who wouldn't be depressed.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy goes into rehab. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announces that his father committed suicide and he had to deal with it for many years. The top three Republican presidential candidates have been married 8 times between them and if Newt decides to run it will be more - not to mention the adultery going along with it. So what's with the change in Americans' acceptance?

As much as I prefer him over the yahoo in the office now, I think that Bill Clinton directly had a lot to do with this phenomenon, rather than those reality shows. Bill Clinton had excapades in a little closet off of the Oval Office and the Republicans impeached him. It was no-holds barred in the news coverage because the right wing-nut christianists delighted in their hatred of the man and used every opportunity to impugn him. To this day, I am not really certain where their hatred comes from and it is stealthly being transferred to his wife and her bid for the office, in addition to the reasons they have to hate Hillary herself. Real or imagined.

I think that most everyone, at least those with any common sense, has come to the awareness that the reality shows they are bombarded with are, in fact, orchestrated and scripted. I don't watch American Idol, but I have seen Sanjaya's last performance on Olbermann and the internet and I can't imagine [what am I saying? Yes, I can] a worse onslaught to my ears. Sadly, I can hear perfect pitch and he was worse than, than... Andrea Bocelli could ever be. [Now, that statement can cause me a lot of trouble.]

So, maybe what is happening is a blurring of what reality actually is. I think that Robin Williams in one of his best bits said it best...

reality. what a concept...

if today is your birthday...

The Chicago Sun-Times carries two, count 'em, two astrologers - Georgia Nicols and Holiday Mathis (no relation to Johnnie). Besides the daily horoscope for each sun sign they also do a thing called IF MARCH 8 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY and it is, mine that is. Birthday...

Here are the two in the paper today:

Georgia Nichols

Hockey player Larry Murphy (1961) shares your birthday today. You're a traditionalist, yet you insist on doing things your own way. Because you have a great zest for life, you're not afraid to take on major (sometimes daunting) projects. Others easily like you. You often choose a role in life and play it to the hilt. In the year ahead, you will focus on your closest partnerships and friendships.

Holiday Mathis

Once you set your intention, nothing stands in your way. Or, things do stand in your way, but you're flying over them on the wings of your determination. What happens in March lights a fire in you. Projects in May are the springboard for your next adventure. Your connections with Scorpio and Cancer people are fun and games. Lucky numbers are 30, 6, 11, 32 and 14.

Now, I do read the horoscopes every day. It's a habit. It's harmless. It's really not anything different than saying prayers or meditating or playing the lotto. They're all equally spiritual in nature and sources of amusement and become habits - good or bad.

Any way, as far as the two IF MARCH 8 IS YOUR BIRTHDAY entries today, sometimes horoscopes can not just be amusing but also scarily semi-accurate. Not the prediction parts, but the descriptors. I do have a zest for life (if I didn't I'd be dead!); I am fairly traditional (coming from an Italian family you can't help it); I do absolutely insist on doing things my way (though I compromise diplomatically very often.) ; I took on a major project beginning today - retirement; everybody likes me (for the life of me I don't know why!); I am more than determined - I can be down-right obstinate once I set my mind to something (I can drive even me nuts most of the time) ; and I don't know who the hell Larry Murphy is! (I would rather they say that I share the same birthday as Lynn Redgrave, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, or even that Millard Fillmore died on March 8, 1874.)

Oh, well. I realize that the statements that are made in horoscopes are very generic. You probably have the same characteristics and you may have been born on December 26th!

As I said, though, horoscopes are fun. Just like anything else, you take in what is meaningful and throw out the rest. One thing I've been meaning to do is to reread them at the end of the day to see if anything came true, but I'm always too tired to remember and would it even make a difference?

do you know where your stars are today?

just asking...

blogged to death...

from QT at the Chicago Sun-Times

News Item: Man in northern China slumps over and dies at his computer after seven days nonstop on the Internet

He was warned to stay away from the Drudge Report.

it possibly also grows hair on your palms or crosses your eyes or lessens sperm count...

the Drudge Report causes brain cancer. i'm almost certain of that. i know it raises blood pressure. don't believe me? go ahead. read drudge with a sphygmometer on your arm. it's a fact. i blocked him a long time ago. and what's with that hat? does anyone really wear a hat anymore?

do you think that anyone's done a study of the effects of extended time on the Internet? this could be an entirely new business enterprise that one could make lots of money doing.

i mean the study not the internet...

Savage, er, sage advice...

If you're not familiar with Dan Savage's sex advice column, Savage Love, in the Stranger: Seattle's Only Newspaper, you're missing a treat, great advice and splendid entertainment. He deals on straight forward & uncensored sex topics with wild abandon, explicit commentary and humor.

It's not for the timid by any means. He recently finished an entire series of question-answering and advice on cuckolding and people who love to watch their spouse/partner having sex with other people.

Here's an example of the kind of off-the-cuff sensible advice he gives:

What's the biggest difference between a gay and a straight marriage?

Straight Boy Wants To Know

The only significant difference is the likelihood of any given husband hearing these 11 magic words: "Honey, it's been way too long since we had a three-way."

in olden days a glimpse of stocking
was looked on as something shocking,
now heaven knows, anything goes...

maybe, we know too much?

what happened to mystery? to discovery? to naivete and innocence?
have we been depraved on account of we're deprived?

just asking...

keep reminding me...

a friend sent me this in an email. the old saying that history repeats itself may be old-hat, but it surely can be true. however, it don't think that history does repeat itself. i believe that humans don't learn from the past. the present and the future always seem to be a reinvention of the wheel. humanity keeps doing the same things over and over again.

do you think we'll ever learn?



here is wiley's page: wiley where you can find other cartoons by him.