This Made Me Think

Mostly that I'm glad I don't fall into either category of the new trends this article writes about. However, since I have so much stuff to get done I'll leave others to come up with clever opinions on the matter of Food is the new Sex.
via Hot Air

Mysteries

I never, for the life of me, understand why anyone (esp. women) like decorative pillows on their beds. I find kind of ugly to look at (all piled up on the bed) and extremely cumbersome. If I'm going to make my bed in the morning I want the process to be as quick as possible. I just don't get it. Am I alone in this?

Funny Word of the Day

Advisors vs. Advisers

Interestingly (or not) both words mean the same thing and both spellings are correct. Weird.

Throwing Money Away

Part of the "stimulus" package, $900 million to be exact, is being allotted for rebuilding Gaza. Don't worry the money isn't going to go to Hamas since the UN is going to distribute it for the US. Okay I can't even type that with a straight face.

Stimulus package: because throwing away other people's money is fun!

The United States plans to pledge more than $900 million to help rebuild Gaza after Israel's offensive against Hamas and strengthen the Palestinian Authority, a U.S. official said on Monday.

The money will be channeled through UN and other bodies and will not be distributed via the militant group Hamas, which rules Gaza, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton plans to make the announcement next week at a Gaza donors conference in Egypt.

Update: Because funny/smart comments shouldn't languish in the comment section -
$1 billion to Hamas? I wonder how much firepower that buys? I guess we'll find out. - Yaron

Your WTF Moment of the Week

via Insty of all people



I actually kind of like it. Might have to buy the Tinted Window's album in April.

For Arrested Development Fans

I didn't know how official the Oscars red carpet comment by Ron Howard, but I guess official enough to report that the movie is getting a green light. Very excited about this.

Hmmmmm

So are sure Palin was the dumb one? Just remember "nobody messes with Joe" or some nonsense that I didn't listen to from Obama.

Sleepy Rebels

This song has been stuck in my head from the Oscars JcPenney commercial. "Unbelievable (i am jen remix)" it has that dreamy quality to it that I love. Sort of makes you fall in love with life or some nonsense like that.

Controversial Wilders

It seems there is more to Gert Wilders than meets the eye, besides calling for the First amendment for European Union, he seems to want to bad the Koran. Now if he seems to just want to ban it as "hate speech" to draw Europe's attention at a) double standards it applies to say Nazi versus rhetoric extreme Islams use and b) to show that it's dangerous and stupid to outlaw any kind of speech. However, he stills wants it to be outlawed even after the ammendment he is pushing for, which confuses me.

Wilders' case has drawn comparisons to another Dutch opponent of Islamic extremism: Ayaan Hirsi Ali, who served in the Dutch parliament before being removed in 2006 over inaccuracies in her asylum application from Somalia. She has lived with constant threats on her life ever since she wrote a short feminist film critical of religious subjugation of women in Islam. The film's director, Theo Van Gogh, was brutally murdered by a Muslim zealot over the film, sparking an international debate over assimilation and free speech in Europe. I called Hirsi Ali to ask her what she thought of Wilders' politics.

“I think that’s ridiculous, and I've been very hard on him for that,” Hirsi Ali said when asked about Wilders' call for a ban on the Koran and mass deportations. “He and I are not friends at all.”

Hirsi Ali nonetheless said she was glad Wilders was bringing attention to Europe's poor record of assimilation. She opposes Britain's decision to bar him.

“It's only going to win him more popularity,” she said. “He is hounded, he's demonized, he's prosecuted—what people are trying to say is he's the problem, not that Islam is the problem. I was treated pretty much the same way...along with anybody who goes against the establishment creed that the problems of assimilation have nothing to do with cultural factors and only socioeconomic factors.”

I'm still going to try to go hear him, I'll just be a bit weary of his whole message.

via Hot Air

All Is Distant and Beautiful

You know when you blow your knows so much the end result is light headiness? That just occurred, I'm seeing lots of pretty little lights going off in front of me. Probably going to work this morning was not a great idea.

Don't Forget!

Today is National Pancake Day! More importantly IHOP is giving away free pancakes. According to Foodimentry Tweet today is Shrove Tuesday, which is where IHOP gets it's Pancake Day! This post is also an excuse to post a Jim Gaffigan bit about cake vs. pancakes.
Enjoy:


Petitedov all about free stuff, esoteric holiday knowledge, and Jim Gaffigan.

P.S. Around 4:03 Jim also does a shtick about IHOP's name. "Never feel like hopping after going in there."

Cheaper Than Buying A Hybrid And Putting Republican Bumper Sticker

I found it hilarious. Especially since I've railed against these kind of bags once or twice. I actually think it's a good idea to bring reusable bags, I just hate the stupid "green" messages that usually accompany them.

via Miss Kelly

Mark Your Calendars (in the Boston Area)

This Wednesday, February 25 at 6:30pm – 7:30pm Dutch lawmaker and filmmaker Geert Wilders (yes that Geert Wilders) is speaking at Ahavath Torah Congregation in Stoughton, MA. I'm planning on attending. I really admire him and it really saddens me what has become of Winston Churchill's country.

Here is the description of the event:
Controversial Dutch lawmaker and filmmaker Geert Wilders, banned last week from setting foot on British soil, Mr. Wilders, a current member of the Dutch Parliament, is currently facing prosecution in his homeland for his outspoken criticism of radical Islam. For anyone who is interested in discussing the defense of Western Civilization, freedom of speech and the free exchange of ideas and liberty, Mr. Wilders' case should provoke serious thought and attention. Mr Wilders will present his film Fitna which he describes as "a call to shake off the creeping tyranny of Islamization". Following the viewing of the film (approximately 15 minutes) Mr Wilders will conduct an open dialogue with the audience.
The practice of Islamist Law Fare (also known as Legal Jihad) is equally as dangerous to our liberty and freedom as a hijacked airplane or a suicide bomber, according to Mr. Wilders. Islamists are increasin gly using this method of predatory lawsuits to silence free speech around the globe. Though often inconspicuous in media coverage, the results are clear and powerful examples of chilling 1st Amendment rights and bankrupting defendants. Free speech is either allowed to live, or it is stifled one ruling and one country at a time. Mr. Wilders' visit to Ahavath Torah Congregation is sponsored by the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Middle East Forum's Legal Project which is currently raising funds for Mr. Wilders' legal defense. Admission is free and open to the public. Donations are welcome. Such checks may be made payable to the Middle East Forum and will be collected during the event.

Oh And Speaking of Wine

All day I've been stuffed up to the point where my nose is resembling Rudolph's. So of course my favorite great aunt called with the best medicine. Take red wine, heat it up, add cinnamon - and voila you have the best decongestant. Not only is tasty, it really works, but also the buzz is quite delightful. You're welcome.

Wine on My Mind

I'm hardly an expert in wines - often I get lost in a liquor store, overwhelmed by the selection, often drawn to a low price and a cute animal on the bottle rather than knowledge of good tasting product. Peter is a beer guy, so I can't rely on him for wine selection, and my one friend who is pretty good at wine selection lives too far away to rely on her expertise.

I don't want to be an expert, but I want to have more than just one wine I go to all the time. Especially if that wine is mostly a dessert wine and sold at Trader Joe's and I can't find it half the time. Last year, while in my favorite Italian restaurant, I fell in love with Montepulciano d'Abruzzo wine, however finding the right maker of wine has been hit or miss. If you like Cabernet, you will like this wine, the ones I come to love have a hint of cherry - without being overpowering or sweet. (The article linked suggests The Masciarelli winery). I wish I was savvy enough to write down the brands I like, however this has not occurred in the past. So now, I'm going to try to keep track of wines I like and that are in my budget.

This morning, waking up with a stuffed up nose, a deep throat cough, and a mild temperature - the laptop was a natural distraction, so I found myself on the WSJ site - watching their Food & Drink video section. Apparently having a bad cold makes it impossible for me to read anything. This video caught my eye about the "trading down" phenomena in the wine industries, but other videos from Dorothy Gaiter and John Breche - give good suggestions.

The "polka dotted" wine in the video is Monte Oton Garnacha Borsao Campo de Borja.
If you have any suggestions of your own, please let me know, especially the bottle is under $20.

Quote of the Day

Now that those of us who have been making steady, on-time payments on our mortgages for years will be paying off others’ mortgages through our taxes, can we claim a tax-deduction for our neighbors’ mortgage interest too?

— Edward G. Stafford, responding to “Dukes of Moral Hazard.”

via Instapundit

Long Distance Relationship Explained In A Photo

Russian Justice: A Complete Joke

Where is the Russian condemnation over the disgusting decision to let the "accomplices," responsible for the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, go free?

A Russian military court has acquitted three men accused of aiding the murder of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya in October 2006.

The court in Moscow handed down "not guilty" verdicts on ex-police officer Sergei Khadzhikurbanov and brothers Dzhabrail and Ibragim Makhmudov.

A third brother, Rustam, is accused of the actual murder and remains at large.

The head of Russian journalists' union said he was "ashamed" by the verdicts. Prosecutors said they would appeal.

Ms Politkovskaya, who gained prominence by exposing human rights abuses by the Russian army in Chechnya, was shot in her apartment building in Moscow.
The brutal murder of the reporter, who worked for the small-circulation Novaya Gazeta newspaper, highlighted the risks run by journalists in Russia.

She was the 13th journalist to be killed in a contract-style killing in Russia during Vladimir Putin's period as president, according to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

While her death shocked the international community, correspondents say it did not register widely in Russia.

Mini Movie Reviews By Me

Abbey Road Reenactment and Reenactment and Reenactment

My boyfriend is no cliche, I thought he would like this video and it would make him smile. It happens to be his birthday today - so this blog post is a birthday gift of sorts. I don't believe in greeting cards, so this post is a sign of my love. I'm sweet aren't I?
In all seriousness, Happy Birthday Peter!

Massachusetts Taking Steps Towards 1984

That's my state Senator, Scott Brown, doing a so-so job explaining why this program would. Suck. Even if the chip tracks only mileage - it has the capability to track so much more - plus what happens when I drive into any other state - do I still need to pay a tax on that?

Cupcakes used for propaganda!

on your tax dollars.

O'hara

I'm back in Manhattan and it's already has been a great day. In moments like these, where I fall in love with the city I want to hear/read good poetry (bad just won't do). I've written about O'hara before, his poetry is completely infused with the love for the city and city life - all the modern wonders and sorrows. I really like him, so when I feel hopeful in New York I turn to his writing. Today this poem caught my fancy.

SONG (I am stuck in traffic in a taxicab )

I am stuck in traffic in a taxicab
which is typical
and not just of modern life

mud chambers up the trellis of my nerves
must lovers of Eros end up with Venus
muss es sein? es muss nicht sein, I tell you

how I hate disease, it’s like worrying
that comes true
and it simply must not be able to happen

in a world where you are possible
my love
nothing can go wrong for us, tell me


I also love hearing poets read their work, here's some poems read by Frank O'hara himself.

Perfume for People Who Don't Like Perfume

I want to smell all of these and buy half of them! It sounds like a little poem in a bottle.

It's Good To Point

My parents always said/taught us otherwise.

They say those who convey more meanings with gestures at 14 months have larger vocabularies at four-and-a-half years and are better prepared for school.

Parents and teachers could help children learn to speak by encouraging the use of gestures, say psychologists from the University of Chicago.

Their study, in Science journal, was announced at the AAAS conference.

Inglorious Bastards

I actually want to see Inglorious Bastards the new Quentin Tarantino film, but I'm afraid, like all Tarantino movies of the past, the violence will be cartoonish - somehow it doesn't seem congruous with the image of WWII. Somehow, it seems like he is making light of the tragedy. However, I tend to enjoy his movies (I likes Kill Bill & enjoyed "Death Proof" even though I liked "Planet Terror" more) - so this looks like a fun flick. I never thought I would write that about a WW2 movie, so that's where the reservations come in.The film is about eight Jewish American soldiers killing Nazis. It's kind of nice to see Jews kicking ass without apologizing for it. I know that NAZIS are the ultimate bad guys and there is something still very nice where you don't have see "shades of gray" when it comes to eradicating evil. So I guess I'm on the fence on this one.

Update: Seems like the New York Magazine liked the script and calls it "Awesome".

The script is 165 pages long and follows a squad of American soldiers called the Bastards — a guerrillalike force who travel behind German lines in 1944, striking terror into the hearts of Nazi soldiers. The Bastards are headed by Lieutenant Aldo Raine — the role we'd imagine Tarantino is hoping to land Brad Pitt for — described by the script as a "hillbilly from the mountains of Tennessee," who has around his neck a scar from where he survived a lynching. ("The scar will never once be mentioned," Tarantino writes.) In a parallel story, Inglorious Bastards follows a French Jewish teenager named Shosanna who survives the massacre of her family and flees to Paris, where she winds up running a movie house during the Nazi occupation.

The Bastards' and Shosanna's stories intersect when a gala premiere of a Goebbels-produced propaganda film is put on in Shosanna's theater, with Hitler and most of the German High Command scheduled to attend. Both the Bastards and Shosanna launch plots intending to end the war a little earlier than anyone expected.

The script's divided into five chapters:

Chapter One: Once Upon a Time … Nazi Occupied France
Chapter Two: Inglorious Basterds
Chapter Three: German Night in Paris
Chapter Four: Operation Kino
Chapter Five: Revenge of the Giant Face

The first chapter, set in 1941, introduces Shosanna and the film's antagonist, a Nazi officer named Landa who's known as the "Jew Hunter." The second chapter introduces the Bastards and their tactics: They kill Nazis on sight, take their scalps, and — when they let one go — carve a swastika into his forehead. The third chapter, set in 1944, reintroduces Shosanna in Paris ("This whole Chapter will be filmed in French New Wave Black and White"). The fourth sets up the Bastards' attack on the theater. And it all comes together in Chapter Five, which plays fast and loose with history, to say the least.

PG Pron

I found the idea of PG Pron (if you like everything about p0rn, except the sex)quite cute.

James Gunn's PG Porn | | SPIKE.com

Another episode has my favorite Nathan Fillion as a construction worker!

Progress

I'm slowly getting into the swing of things. Very, very, very slowly. I've been meaning to go to the gym for a week now, although I still haven't made it. Partly this is do the fact that work has been rather tiring of late and partly, although some people would say otherwise, I'm not a morning person. I did get up yesterday in gym clothes at 6am, only to promptly go back to bed. However, I did take a brisk one hour walk in the momentary hiccup of the weather, it was around sixty degrees, sunny, and just beautiful all around. I was tired but incredibly refreshed, the whole time it felt like I was re-introducing myself to my body and what it can do.

For the first time in a while I felt blessed to be alive and not in just some "I have to thankful I'm not dying way." It felt good to be alive, period. Saying all that, I still feel like a weirdo. I haven't looked like a proper girl in ages, if it was just the hair I think I could deal - I actually always wanted to shave my head once in my life - but it's so much more than that. With the chemo I had a regiment, one week on, one week off. It's how I orientated myself, this week I will feel like I want to die and this week I will anticipate that feeling: there was order and a system, it was horrible but it gave me a way to exist and know "where I was". Now post-chemo, when everyone is cheering that the cancer is gone and I look "good" things seem to be incredibly disorienting. I should be happy that this thing is almost over and done with, but I'm not. I'm still tired, I'm incredibly vain - the extra pounds bother me a lot, the hair is growing slowly, the eyelashes are still paltry, - I look ugly. The stress of being away from my boyfriend, of starting a job search in the overly expensive NYC, of leaving my mother, is slightly getting to me. Everything is in my hands, I know that, but it seems like Herculean task at the moment, putting my life back in order.

One of Many Reasons The "Stimulus" Bill Sucks

Mickey Kaus points to how the stimulus crap sadwich is going undermine the welfare reform of Clinton years:

Under the welfare reform regime established in 1996, states were basically required to engage 50% of their caseload--mainly single mothers--in some kind of "work activity" (workfare, job search, training, etc.). But there was a problem with this half-the-caseload requirement: What about would-be recipients who got off the rolls entirely when the states found jobs for them--or who were diverted into jobs before they ever signed up for welfare? Shouldn't states be able to count these "successes" toward the 50% requirement? You wouldn't want to give states an incentive to somehow keep these people on welfare in order to count them. Thus was born the "caseload reduction credit," which let states count the net decline in their caseloads against the 50% work requirement.

Fair enough. But because caseloads declined dramatically after 1996--they've gone down by two-thirds--the "caseload reduction credit" effectively absolved many states of the requirement to get half of their caseloads working. When Congress reauthorized welfare reform it updated the baseline to 2005. States could still take the credit for any reductions after that date. Many did so, as caseloads continued to fall.

Now, though, Congressional Democrats want to encourage states to expand their caseloads, offering billions of federal dollars in the "stimulus" package as an incentive to do so. But wait, if states expand their welfare caseloads as the Dems want, they'd lose the "caseload reduction credit," since their caseloads would not, in fact, have been reduced. They might then have to start enforcing the "work activity" requirements on those caseloads. Can't have that! That might discourage states from expanding welfare, for one thing, since enforcing work requirements costs money, and states have no money. And Congressional Money Liberals** never liked work requirements much in the first place. The last thing they want to do is increase them. (Their whole theory is that the many single-mom recipients are "hard-to-employ" types with "multiple problems" who basically need to be supported on the dole.) What's a good Money Liberal to do?

Answer: Rewrite the law, in the stimulus package, to let states expand their caseloads but pretend, for "caseload reduction credit" purposes, that the caseloads have declined. Specifically, the revision would allow states take the credit they would have gotten based on their caseloads in 2007 or 2008 even if their caseloads soar (as the Dems would like) in 2009 and 2010.

In other words, they can expand their caseloads but still use the now-fictitious "reduction credit" to avoid the law's work requirements.

Lots of new people on welfare. Lower work obligations. The best of both worlds for welfare-unreforming Dems.

So basically it's another way for Democrats to buy their voters! I mean it's going to stimulate the economy so much by giving people an incentive to stay home and pop out babies - and not contribute to a work force at all. Maybe I should just become pregnant and quit my job! I mean the government will pay for it right?!

Poor Rich Men

This kind of stuff frightens me about moving to NYC: "...in New York, where a new study from the Center for an Urban Future, a nonprofit research group in Manhattan, estimates it takes $123,322 to enjoy the same middle-class life as someone earning $50,000 in Houston, extricating oneself from steep bills can be difficult."

On a separate note...the article chronicles how 500k doesn't get you far in NYC if you are used to earning in the millions. I for one think Obama's proposal of capping executive salaries is ridiculous, unnecessary, and harmful. However, I really don't need to the nyt to make me sorry for them and their delirious lifestyle.

Why Do Mondays Feel Like...

someone steamrolled over me? Ugh. Need to find a new job. Pronto.

Hey Ya Toots!

Toots is one of my favorite nicknames...there is something endearing and old fashioned about it. I also very much like the girl in the glass image of the sign.

Foods To Avoid

Just kidding, here is a neat little chart of food that is "good" for you. I really don't buy into this kinds of lists, although I love eating my fruits and veggies.

Drugs+Kid = Hilarity

via DS

It's Been That Kind of Morning...

I love "In the Death Car," it's a bit peverted, but it actually makes me nostalgic for more innocent times. Also Iggy Pop is awesome and Goran Bregovic makes beautiful songs.


I love when he says "I don't turn on the radio, 'cause they play shit like... you know." The video is also kind of funny.

I Would Be Offended By The Pepsi Commercial....

basically presenting Will.i.am as the Bob Dylan of our generation. But Bob Dylan had to actually give Pepsi the permission to use his music and likeness, so that's that. All of them are idiots.


BTW, in full disclosure mode, when I first saw this I got really upset. Peter pointed it out to me that I was basically screaming at the tv, I think my boyfriend thinks I have "anger issues" which I don't. Now looking at the commercial I realize it's silly to get worked up over the stupidity of commercials. They are commercials - they are supposed to be stupid and memorable.

Life Observation

It is important to everyone to feel wanted and important to others. We can't help it. I distrust people who will tell me otherwise.

I Really Hope Gregg Doesn't Fold

I heard this first on Friday from a gleeful and hopeful NPR reporter, it's nice to see a politician who might put the interest of his ideals over lust for power. Also, it's a pretty shrewd political move by Obama, except it's incredibly transparent. As Ed points out, even if Gregg get an assurance from the Governor of NH to appoint a Republican in his name, there is no legal obligation to so - it's a dangerous game to step into.

Photography Monday

Since it's Monday, the busiest day at my work, I can't be bothered to come up with anything quite coherent. So instead I present some images I found this morning. First is a link to some Ukrainian playing cards. As a kid my father was very adamant about forbidding my sister and me from playing cards. For some reason he saw the amusement of playing such games as "durak" (aka idiot/jerk in Russian), as potentially corruptible activity. Never mind that he himself liked to play cards, but like coffee, it was something that was reserved for the adult world. Good thing my grandparents let me play cards, and to some extent I still very much enjoy card games and wish I played/knew more games to play. The forbidden fruit always tastes sweeter I guess.

Which brings to the cards themselves, the playing deck of cards we had in Russia was very beautiful. They were mini works of art, I liked looking at the beautiful "damas" aka queens, elaborately dressed and with gorgeous faces, even the back of the cards had a beautiful design. It's not the same kind of cards you get at your local CVS for $2. Unfortunately, the card deck from my childhood has been depleted of half the cards, mysteriously some cards have gotten lost - I've looked into purchasing similar cards but the price has put me off (more than twenty dollars strikes me as a tad overpriced). So it was nice to see a collection of Ukrainian cards that reminded my of my family's deck. This one was my favorite:

This one was pretty neat too, although not as glamorous:

I also found this photo amusing for Monday morning, (from the same website):