Month: August 2010

Adrastos, Television12 Comments

Mad Men Thread: It’s a motorcycle with doors

Peter Adrastos Athas

What an eventful episode. I don’t know where to begin. Actually, I do but it will just be a few random comments because I remain busier than a frakking bee. Buzz, buzz, buzz. Roger had been on the periphery this season until Pete brought in some Honda big shots. Pacific theatre veteran Roger pitched several epic fits and the one in front of the Honda-men was super cringeworthy even for a show that specializes in cringeworthiness. Is that a word? If not, it oughta be. The other partners were NOT pleased with Roger’s kamikaze act but at least he’s a … Continue reading Mad Men Thread: It’s a motorcycle with doors

Athenae, Faith, Stupid Republican Tricks11 Comments

Kill the Blind Squirrel! Kill It Now!

Tribune commenters don’t take kindly to Steve Chapman’s location of a nut in opining that once upon a time Republicans thought being horrible bigoted assholes would be a BAD THING: You “liberals” are the saddest bunch of all. This is not an issue about the constitutional right to religion, this is the propriety of rubbing salt into the wounds of so many. Reid, who is usually wrong about so much, so-much as said so himself and he is certainly not a conservative (though usually he has his head up his liberal hole). No one said that the muslim religion can’t … Continue reading Kill the Blind Squirrel! Kill It Now!

Adrastos1 Comment

Confessions Of A Slacker Blogger

Peter Adrastos Athas

The Rising Tide conference is eating my week alive. I’m the programming Poohbah and I’ve had some brush fires to extinguish as well as details to attend to. In short, posting from me will be lighter than usual this week since I also gotta work as well as read one of my pieces at theHowling In The Wires book launch. Don’t celebrate prematurely: I’m hoping to write aMad Men post tomorrow for y’all to fire spitballs at but I may turn into the invisible blogger this week. Of course, like Claude Rains in theInvisible Man, I may unroll my bandages … Continue reading Confessions Of A Slacker Blogger

Athenae, Food and Drink17 Comments

Fuck Your Organic Grass-Fed Food, You Hippie

So the other day Mr. A and I bought some bacon. We’d gotten a gift certificate thing for a local market that sells wine and cheese and other yummy things that pass forbreakfast dinner around here, our diet of late has been light on protein in general and fatty protein in specific, and so one of the things we picked up was a packet of bacon. This bacon was hormone-free, antibiotic-free meat that had been gotten from happy pigs living in freedom all their lives on some farm about 10 blocks away before being humanely killed. The cheesemonger dude behind … Continue reading Fuck Your Organic Grass-Fed Food, You Hippie

Athenae, Terrorism14 Comments

The 9/12 Project and National Unity

This photo, from theDaily Southtown, was taken in Bridgeview, Illinois, during a rally for America that turned into a march on the region’s largest Islamic center. It was taken on September 12, 2001. Does it look familiar? Here, watch this: How about now? Now does it look familiar? When Glenn Beck and his teatard followers first jumped on this idea of returning to the America we were on 9/12/01, all I could think of was that photo up there. Because that’s who we were, a lot of us, on 9/12/01 — assholes, painting our chests red, white and blue and … Continue reading The 9/12 Project and National Unity

Athenae, So Called Liberal Media1 Comment

Kids Prevent Me From Entirely Killing Journalism

Meddling kids: It is tough to know what to make of these students. They are, in part, throwbacks — devotees of a medium that most of their schoolmates rarely use other than an occasional Sudoku during a tiresome lecture. The Collegian’s staffers love the look, feel and even the smell of the newspapers for which their laptop-browsing friends mock them for skipping classes to produce. They’re idealists — believers, still, in the power of the press to change the world. And they’re risk-takers — opting out of steadier careers in sciences or finance, say, because they want to report the … Continue reading Kids Prevent Me From Entirely Killing Journalism

Stupid Republican Tricks, Tommy T6 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Monday’s Multiple Mendacious Marching Morons edition

Good morning, gentle people! Monday’s upon us again, so let’s go into the secure area and pry the lids off a few assorted drums of Free Republic “opinion”, shall we? And whose idea was it to let Scout(the brown pelican, not the blogger) in here? Maple Street – can you shoo him toward the entrance? We didn’t get him rescued and all cleaned up just to get Freeper toxic sludge all over him. Ok – here we go! First up – No Mosque Rat Love! Commission Clears Way for Ground Zero Mosque Wall Street Journal ^ | 8/3/2010 | MICHAEL … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Monday’s Multiple Mendacious Marching Morons edition

Current Affairs, Doc8 Comments

Stupid is as stupid does: Electricity Edition

Over the years, I’ve learned that if a bad idea exists somewhere, eventually, it’ll show up at your doorstep. This is especially true in education where “six-step” theories or acronym-based rubrics often are applied because the superintendent went to a conference and it was the keynote speaker’s pet project. Somewhere during the summer (which is when most bad educational ideas occur, because administrators have too much time on their hands and teachers are less likely to pay attention to work), Mom got an email from the district. In an attempt to stem the tide of electricity costs, all personal electronics … Continue reading Stupid is as stupid does: Electricity Edition

Adrastos, Music6 Comments

Oh Lord, I’m Stuck In Lodi Again

Peter Adrastos Athas

Lodi was one of the first songs I ever learned how to play; not as well as John and his band but I was game. It belongs to an oddball sub-species of the road song: the breakdown tune. The narrator of the song ran out of gas and got stuck in the hick town of Lodi, California. Oh Lord… My friend Bruce was once stuck in West Jesus, Texas for almost a week back in the ’70’s. Why? He had one of them furrin cars ats a time when few Americans did and they had to order parts for his … Continue reading Oh Lord, I’m Stuck In Lodi Again

Athenae, BP Oil Spill, Do Something16 Comments

Our Pelicans Have Landed!

So there was a mix-up at theInternational Bird Rescue Research Center, andour pelicans couldn’t be found. Turned out they had holed up in the back of the pelican pen and were discussing the world’s affairs over merlot and M&Ms, hitting F5 on the crack van and one of them might or might not have started a dice game with some finches. When asked about it, he muttered something about “punch3 kitten chainsaw” and flapped off. Kids today. In any case, the birds we adopted as a blog, way back in the early days of the BP Oil Spill, were located, … Continue reading Our Pelicans Have Landed!

Athenae, Economy, Immoral Values15 Comments

‘Emerging Adulthood’

Just fucking shoot me: The 20s are a black box, and there is a lot of churning in there. One-third of people in their 20s move to a new residence every year. Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once. They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20s, more job changes than in any other stretch. Two-thirds spend at least some time living with a romantic partner without being married. And marriage occurs later than ever. The median age at first marriage in the early 1970s, when the baby boomers were young, was 21 … Continue reading ‘Emerging Adulthood’

Jude, Stupid Republican Tricks8 Comments

A Welcome Addition To The Unemployment Problem

Too hard for Laura Schlessinger. Somehow, Laura Schlessinger is in the news again. A few days ago, on her radio show (which, mercifully, I haven’t heard for almost a decade now) she wasdiscussing racism with a Black caller–if, of course, by “discussing” you mean “insulting the living shit out of African-Americans.” Well, shequit her job recently over the flap that resulted. Why did she quit? You see, when she offended said living shit out of said African-Americans (and anybody else with an ounce of decency), people did a horrible thing–they called her sponsors and asked why the sponsors were supporting … Continue reading A Welcome Addition To The Unemployment Problem

Adrastos, Books, Current Affairs, Music, Of Interest16 Comments

Space Oddity

Peter Adrastos Athas

Ground control to Ray Bradbury. Is it just me or does anyone else think the world is weirder than usual right now? Here’s something else that supports my theory: the author of one of my youthful favorites, Fahrenheit 451 is sounding downright cranky and teabaggerish over the US and A’s failure to<drum roll> colonize the moon.I shit you not: p style=”margin-top: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt;”> From theLos Angeles Times: Ray Bradbury is mad at President Obama, but it’s not about the economy, the war or the plan to a construct a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City. “He should … Continue reading Space Oddity

Adrastos, Music

Another Road Song: Tampa To Tulsa

Peter Adrastos Athas

I realized earlier today that the last several tunes I’ve posted have been road songs so I decided to make it official. It’s road song week in my little corner of First Draft. The news has been so idiotic of late that a road trip sounds like an excellent idea. Unfortunately, I have a small business to run and aconference to help plan so I’m stuck here. Of course, once you get past the outdoor steam bath effect, New Orleans is not a bad place to be stuck. So, I guess I’m taking a virtual road trip and inviting y’all … Continue reading Another Road Song: Tampa To Tulsa

Athenae, Faith8 Comments

Hallowed

There’s a word being thrown around a lot with regard to the Cordoba House location. Hallowed. WASHINGTON — A place is made sacred by a widespread belief that it was visited by the miraculous or the transcendent (Lourdes, the Temple Mount), by the presence there once of great nobility and sacrifice (Gettysburg), or by the blood of martyrs and the indescribable suffering of the innocent (Auschwitz). When we speak of Ground Zero as hallowed ground, what we mean is that it belongs to those who suffered and died there — and that such ownership obliges us, the living, to preserve … Continue reading Hallowed

Adrastos, Television12 Comments

Mad Men Thread: Did you get pears?

Peter Adrastos Athas

Mad Men went back to the office in episode-4, The Rejected.That’s how I like it: even the personal stories spun off from the workplace. Here are a few rambling and discursive observations: The focus group scenes went on a bit too long for my taste. They were only interesting for what they eventually revealed about how Don’s now ex-secretary, Allison viewed Peggy. Allison was under the impression that Peggy had slept her way to her job as a copywriter. That led Peggy to heatedly say: “My problem is NOT your problem.” Hey, at least Allison didn’t throw a paper weight … Continue reading Mad Men Thread: Did you get pears?

Athenae, Immoral Values, So Called Liberal Media5 Comments

Richard Cohen Asks a Question

Here: If it is not false analogies that pollute this debate, it is false populism. The people are opposed. John Boehner, the House minority leader, says so, and so does Rep. Peter King, the Long Island Loud Mouth who is clearly running for something. They are right — but so what? Would they have liked Lincoln to have deferred to popular sentiment in the South regarding slavery? Would they have liked Truman to have polled the Army about desegregation? YES ACTUALLY THEY WOULD HAVE. I know this offends your cocktail parties sensitivities, Richie, but these are the assholes who actually … Continue reading Richard Cohen Asks a Question

Athenae, Faith, So Called Liberal Media13 Comments

Liz Sidoti: Mosque Is An Election-Year Hurdle — For Democrats

Of course it is. It wouldn’t be an election-year hurdle for Republicans, though you could write that story just as easily.Here, I’ll do it for you: WASHINGTON – Add another election-year hurdle forDemocrats Republicans: President Barack Obama’s forceful defense of the right of Muslims to build a mosque near the World Trade Center site. His comments are givingRepublicans Democrats a campaign-year cudgel and forcing Democrats Republicans to address a divisive issue within weeks of midterm contests that will decide the balance of power in Washington.SenateMajorityLeaderHarryReid, in a competitive re-election fight, was the highest profile Democrat to move away from Obama … Continue reading Liz Sidoti: Mosque Is An Election-Year Hurdle — For Democrats

Adrastos, Music1 Comment

Circle Back

Peter Adrastos Athas

We’re having the damnedest weather here in Debrisville. Remember that semi-tropical system last week? The sucker has returned; circling back from Georgia to South Louisiana. The John Hiatt tuneCircle Backhas bupkis to do with the weather: it’s about John taking his kid to college. But who among us doesn’t like seeing the flying fingers of Sonny Landreth moving up and down the fretboard like spider monkeys? p align=”center” class=”asset asset-video” style=”display: block; margin: 0pt auto;”> Continue reading Circle Back