Month: November 2013

Current Affairs, Doc, Economy4 Comments

Black Friday Staffer Blues

docphd

(I’m filing this missive from the North Woods, where we’re recovering from a day of turkey, sleeping and listening to “Is mommy up yet? Can we wake her up so we can have pie?” Even more, I somehow managed to strain something directly across the middle of my back, an oddity even for my spine, and thus I can’t breathe without feeling like I’m being stepped on with golf shoes… God bless us everyone…) The kids in my intro writing class were finishing up their articles and filing out one by one on Tuesday. I was attempting to be the … Continue reading Black Friday Staffer Blues

Athenae, Economy, Immoral Values6 Comments

Black Friday Shaming

Allison Hantschel

I’m just off an 8-hour flight and I am incapable of bullshit right now. What the fuck. Every year, stores advertise deals designed to encourage irresponsible behavior, people behave predictably horribly, and then there’s a whole round of OH MY GOD THIS IS WHY AMERICA SUCKS and all this other crap. I’m just so done. Shop, don’t shop, but don’t let’s act like this is some kind of horrific surprise and nobody could have predicted, etc. And once and for fucking all can we please stop acting like this is not preventable? Like everybody just has to act like this … Continue reading Black Friday Shaming

Current Affairs, Doc, Economy4 Comments

Black Friday Staffer Blues

(I’m filing this missive from the North Woods, where we’re recovering from a day of turkey, sleeping and listening to “Is mommy up yet? Can we wake her up so we can have pie?” Even more, I somehow managed to strain something directly across the middle of my back, an oddity even for my spine, and thus I can’t breathe without feeling like I’m being stepped on with golf shoes… God bless us everyone…) The kids in my intro writing class were finishing up their articles and filing out one by one on Tuesday. I was attempting to be the … Continue reading Black Friday Staffer Blues

Athenae, Economy, Immoral Values6 Comments

Black Friday Shaming

I’m just off an 8-hour flight and I am incapable of bullshit right now. What the fuck. Every year, stores advertise deals designed to encourage irresponsible behavior, people behave predictably horribly, and then there’s a whole round of OH MY GOD THIS IS WHY AMERICA SUCKS and all this other crap. I’m just so done. Shop, don’t shop, but don’t let’s act like this is some kind of horrific surprise and nobody could have predicted, etc. And once and for fucking all can we please stop acting like this is not preventable? Like everybody just has to act like this … Continue reading Black Friday Shaming

Adrastos, Fuck The Mommy Wars, Political Crack, So Called Liberal Media2 Comments

Cottle Call

Peter Adrastos Athas

The trolls over at Politico are hard at it. A piece by Michelle Cottle about FLOTUS and feminismhas lots of folks riled up. It claims that Michelle O (remember Jackie O?) is feminism’s worst nightmare because of the issues she’s chosen to emphasize. Lots of pundits have risen to the bait and denounced Ms. Cottle as a varmint, rustler, and all around pain in the ass. I’m not going to do that because Politico is a gossip sheet (that’s why Charlie Pierce calls it Tiger Beat on the Potomac) that is written by and for trolls. I do, however, have … Continue reading Cottle Call

Adrastos, Epic Blogger Win, Political Crack, So Called Liberal Media, Television1 Comment

Paragraph Of The Day: TBogg Edition

Peter Adrastos Athas

TBogg is back and as funny as ever. In fact, the title of the quoted post would be a solid choice as headline of the week if I were picking one:How The Bashir Stole Christmas: As you may have heard last week, Martin Bashir, who is a teevee guy on the ObaMSNBCa network, said that someone should poop and pee in shit-talkin’ word-manglin’ half-term governorin’ Sarah Palin’s mouth which is NOT A NICE THING TO SAY unless you are talking about David Vitter (R-Pampers) who will actually pay you to do that to him because he is a job creator … Continue reading Paragraph Of The Day: TBogg Edition

Uncategorized3 Comments

Being mindful and thankful

hobbular

Among the people TIME interviewed for their piece on what public figures are thankful for is Chelsea Manning: I’m usually hesitant to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. After all, the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony systematically terrorized and slaughtered the very same Pequot tribe that assisted the first English refugees to arrive at Plymouth Rock. So, perhaps ironically, I’m thankful that I know that, and I’m also thankful that there are people who seek out, and usually find, such truths. I’m thankful for people who, even surrounded by millions of Americans eating turkey during regularly scheduled commercial breaks in the Green … Continue reading Being mindful and thankful

Uncategorized3 Comments

Being mindful and thankful

Among the people TIME interviewed for their piece on what public figures are thankful for isChelsea Manning: I’m usually hesitant to celebrate Thanksgiving Day. After all, the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony systematically terrorized and slaughtered the very same Pequot tribe that assisted the first English refugees to arrive at Plymouth Rock. So, perhaps ironically, I’m thankful that I know that, and I’m also thankful that there are people who seek out, and usually find, such truths. I’m thankful for people who, even surrounded by millions of Americans eating turkey during regularly scheduled commercial breaks in the Green Bay … Continue reading Being mindful and thankful

Adrastos, Fuck The Mommy Wars, Political Crack, So Called Liberal Media2 Comments

Cottle Call

The trolls over at Politico are hard at it. A piece byMichelle Cottle about FLOTUS and feminismhas lots of folks riled up. It claims that Michelle O (remember Jackie O?) is feminism’s worst nightmare because of the issues she’s chosen to emphasize. Lots of pundits have risen to the bait and denounced Ms. Cottle as a varmint, rustler, and all around pain in the ass. I’m not going to do that because Politico is a gossip sheet (that’s why Charlie Pierce calls it Tiger Beat on the Potomac) that is written by and for trolls. I do, however, have one … Continue reading Cottle Call

Adrastos, Congress, Malakatude, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks6 Comments

Malaka Of The Week: John Cornyn

Peter Adrastos Athas

John Cornyn looks like a Senator from central casting. He also looks a bit like the late Texas Governor John Connally who shared a bad time and a bullet with Jack Kennedy in 1963. Of course, Connally was an intelligent man whereas John Cornyn is a malaka who I like to call Senator Cornhole. Btw, many on the Kennedy White House staff called LBJ, Rufus Cornpone, which was unfair. Cornhole is not unfair to Cornyn… I’m surprised it took me so long to anoint Senator Cornhole as malaka of the week, he’s more than qualified. His imbecilic comments on the … Continue reading Malaka Of The Week: John Cornyn

Adrastos, Current Affairs, Law/Justice3 Comments

Empty Words From Best Buy

Peter Adrastos Athas

Here’s a heart warming” story for the holidays as reported by WWL-TV in New Orleans: Last September, Louisiana Army National Guard Spc. Sherman Crandle volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan for a year. When the call came, he had been working customer services at Best Buy in Covington for five days, but he says he was told a job would be waiting for him when he returned. Crandle said that was not the case when he stepped back on American soil two months ago. “In those 10 days, I called Best Buy checking if I still had my job,” said Crandle, … Continue reading Empty Words From Best Buy

Uncategorized

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Words Having Context

You’ve probably seen this by now, but if you haven’t, go read it: A few summers ago one of my best friends invited me up to what he affectionately called his “white-trash cabin” in the Adirondacks. This was not how I described the outing to my family. Two of my Jewish acquaintances once joked that I’d “make a good Jew.” My retort was not, “Yeah, I certainly am good with money.” Gay men sometimes laughingly refer to one another as “faggots.” My wife and her friends sometimes, when having a good time, will refer to one another with the word … Continue reading Ta-Nehisi Coates on Words Having Context

Uncategorized

Ta-Nehisi Coates on Words Having Context

hobbular

You’ve probably seen this by now, but if you haven’t, go read it: A few summers ago one of my best friends invited me up to what he affectionately called his “white-trash cabin” in the Adirondacks. This was not how I described the outing to my family. Two of my Jewish acquaintances once joked that I’d “make a good Jew.” My retort was not, “Yeah, I certainly am good with money.” Gay men sometimes laughingly refer to one another as “faggots.” My wife and her friends sometimes, when having a good time, will refer to one another with the word … Continue reading Ta-Nehisi Coates on Words Having Context

Adrastos, Political Crack, Stupid Republican Tricks

Quote Of The Day: Deadline Poet Edition

Peter Adrastos Athas

I know I said I didn’t give a rat’s ass about the Cheney sisters public hair pulling, but this holiday ditty from the great Calvin Trillin was too good to ignore: Yes, Liz and Mary now are fighting. Thanksgiving there should be exciting. On Turkey Day, we may get word On who was first to flip the bird. Continue reading Quote Of The Day: Deadline Poet Edition

Adrastos, Current Affairs, Law/Justice3 Comments

Empty Words From Best Buy

Here’s a heart warming” story for the holidays as reported by WWL-TV in New Orleans: Last September, Louisiana Army National Guard Spc. Sherman Crandle volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan for a year. When the call came, he had been working customer services at Best Buy in Covington for five days, but he says he was told a job would be waiting for him when he returned. Crandle said that was not the case when he stepped back on American soil two months ago. “In those 10 days, I called Best Buy checking if I still had my job,” said Crandle, … Continue reading Empty Words From Best Buy

Stupid Republican Tricks, Tommy T6 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Robot Zimmerman edition

tommyfd

Egads! Every time I turn to unload some older stuff because there’s not much interesting going on at Freeperville, a brand new drum of piping hot stupidity gets turned over on the loading dock. And what could that possibly be? Seminole deputies arrest George ZimmermanOrlando Sentinel ^| 18 Nov 2013 | Rene Stutzman and Arelis Hernandez Posted on Monday, November 18, 2013 1:22:40 PM by Alissa George Zimmerman has been arrested and was en route to the Seminole County Jail, according to Sheriff Don Eslinger. It’s not clear what happened or what crime he’s accused of committing, but just before … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Robot Zimmerman edition

Stupid Republican Tricks, Tommy T4 Comments

Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Robot Zimmerman edition

Egads! Every time I turn to unload some older stuff because there’s not much interesting going on at Freeperville, a brand new drum of piping hot stupidity gets turned over on the loading dock. And what could that possibly be? Seminole deputies arrest George Zimmerman Orlando Sentinel ^| 18 Nov 2013 | Rene Stutzman and Arelis Hernandez Posted on Monday, November 18, 2013 1:22:40 PM byAlissa George Zimmerman has been arrested and was en route to the Seminole County Jail, according to Sheriff Don Eslinger. It’s not clear what happened or what crime he’s accused of committing, but just before … Continue reading Today on Tommy T’s Obsession with the Freeperati – Robot Zimmerman edition