Would you help someone that was dying in the street? Or would you let them die?
If you take the healthcare debate from the realms of rhetoric and place it into a real life palpable situation, it becomes easier to figure out what side of the fence you should be standing on.
At the simplest level of compassion, I’d like to believe that no one would wander by a fellow human being in need of medical attention. Imagine seeing someone walk by a bleeding man? What would you think of them?
Out of sight out of mind
It’s become a case of ‘out of sight out of mind.’ Since the people affected by the failings of privatized healthcare aren’t in our line of sight, we assume that it’s nothing to do with us. That somehow it isn't our responsibility. The debate of ‘healthcare freeloaders’ aside, which is despicable to say the least, there are some people out there that for one reason or another have fallen on hard times. I for one, don’t believe that they should die because of it. When you put a price on the life of a human...you trivialize that life.
Fundamental right to live
At this stage in our society the right to live should be a fundamental right for EVERYONE, and that right should never be subject to the profit margins of private health insurance companies. Simply put, when you put a profit margin against someone’s health it makes their live an investment opportunity. Which means if someone else can’t make money off that life, it’s not worth saving. That is the travesty of a greed culture.
Anything less than free universal healthcare for all, and we will have to drastically re-think our definition of a civilized society. And I would go so far as to say, that we could no longer call ourselves a civilized species.
Money is new alpha in a dog eat dog Darwinian world, which a capitalistic health care system enshrines. Until the right for a person to live a healthy life is totally and completely split from the cash in their wallets, we as humans, are no better than the wild animals we call 'uncivilized.'
This is capitalism/socialism debate. This is an uncivilized/civilized debate. This is a debate about choosing to become better, as a species, or slip back down the ladder into the world of the pack mentality primates.
Today I read a story of a woman from Karachi in Pakistan. Strangely enough depending on which version of events you read, she is either 32 or 42 years old, though when you kill and cook your husband i'm not convinced that it matters how old you are.
Yeah, so that’s what Zainab Bibi did, allegedly that is. Police in Karachi had arrested the lady after neighbours complained that there was a particularly nasty smell coming from the house.
The story according to the police is that Zainab Bibi and her 22yr old nephew Zaheer Ahmed killed her husband by (again depending on what news source you read) either by stabbing him to death or by poisoning him then strangling him.
Both news sources say that Zainab and Zaheer cut Ahmad Abbas into pieces and hard started to boil him up for cooking.
Of course, like most people they have a reason for murder (in their own heads at least) Zainab’s excuse was that Ahmad wanted to begin a physical relationship with his daughter who may or may not be 17 year old.
The only pieces of information that are the same between the various news sources is that is that Zainab Bibi did not regret her actions.
When I decided to write about this I didn’t realise the different variations of the same and to be quite honest I’m not sure which one is right and which one is wrong, so I’ve given you both stories so you can make up your own mind.
Seriously though, I don’t really approve of murder as way a stop someone doing something, it’s a bit of overkill really, especially if it’s over a parking space or something like that. But this murder happened because a woman was trying to protect another one from incestuous rape.
It’s a lot more of a valid reason than some I’ve read or heard about and you get many lesser reasons for manslaughter on ‘Criminal Minds’ and more horrible murders on ‘American Horror Story’. Not sure how Derek Morgan or Dr Reid would profile Zainab though, I suppose it depends on what she has been through herself.
But still if I ever find out the correct story, ill let you all know.
20 years ago today Freddie Mercury died. I remember it clearly, well not his death as I wasn’t actually there, but the announcement I heard on the radio as I travelled to University. Farrokh Bulsara had died of bronchial pneumonia as a result of AIDS, he was the first major rock star to have died as a result of the virus.
There are so many people today that are classed as ‘celebrities’ however I am not convinced that 20 years after their death we will all still be interested in them, however Freddie is different.
What makes Farrokh Bulsara so very special and important then and now 20 years after his death? We know that he sang in a band with a couple of other folk and how they all wrote and sung on the records too. But there was something very very different about Queen.
Queen was one of the ultimate bands; it had something for everyone from every age and background. Nothing beats singing along to Queen in the car at a volume loud enough to hide your vocals, but loud enough to embarrass your child!
If you aren’t convinced by singing along to ‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ or ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ then try a bit of ‘Killer Queen’. Play nearly any Queen track and it doesn’t sound dated; it may sound classic, but not dated.
I could go on about how super Queen are as a band, but this about the 20th anniversary of the death of Freddie Mercury.
It is hard to describe Freddie Mercury without saying ‘flamboyant’, ‘charismatic’, and ‘iconic’, ‘theatrical or ‘hedonistic’. As a result Freddie taught us all that its OK to be what you want and its perfectly fine to be yourself in a do what you will, harm none type theory. After all, where would Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, Madonna and the like be without Freddie’s guiding hand?
The influence that Queen and Freddie Mercury had over the world cannot be measured in my opinion, there are so many people who still play the songs (on cd or mp3 now, not vinyl sadly) sing along, watch the DVDs of Queen playing live in order to experience the great band themselves.
Does Freddie Mercury still have a place in today’s society? Yeah I think so. To me it’s a bit like arguing why ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is still important in today’s society when it was written circa 1593 and we all know it is still relevant and has been copied many times.
Queen is dead, long live Queen. RIP Freddie Mercury, the world is a better place for having known you.
If you are looking for more Freddie facts, www.queenarethechampions.blogpot.com/
At the weekend I watched a TV programme called ‘The Kennedy Detail’ it was on the Discovery Channel and based on the book written by one of the special agents that had been assigned to the Kennedy family, Jerry Blaine.
Usually at this point when I’m writing I would give a bit of background information about my subject matter. Though even after a short bit of research I couldn’t find anyone at work that had not heard of the Kennedy’s, America’s answer to the royal family.
The Kennedy Detail was a fascinating insight into the lives of the men who put themselves in the line of fire. Some of these guys were ex-servicemen who had fought in the Korean War, others came from an intelligence background and one was even an expert marksman so they were used to tactical fighting, combat situations and all familiar with how detached they would have to be in order to be professional.
I could write for decades on the subject of JFK, his wife Jackie, the Kennedy clan and all sorts of controversies and conspiracies that goes along with the subject but that is not what this blog is about. It is about the President’s men and how close they became to the Kennedy family.
In 1963 when John F Kennedy was assassinated there were only 34 agents responsible for his protection and as a result the documentary was based around the stories of eight of them. Some were assigned to the President, some to Jackie and some to the kids, but the purpose of the job was the same.
It became evident throughout the documentary that these guys had become emotionally invested in the Kennedy clan. These hardened and trained professionals were so upset when re-living the stories of death of Patrick Kennedy in the August of 1963 at 2 days old that by the time it came round to sharing the events of Kennedy’s assassination in November of the same year you could tell how much they thought they had failed the family.
It is widely accepted that the world changed when Walter Kronkite announced From Dallas, Texas, the flash apparently official: President Kennedy died at one p.m. Central Standard Time, two o’clock Eastern Standard Time, some thirty-eight minutes ago.
America went from having and living the dream to living the nightmare, like a loss of innocence.
There isn’t a person I spoke to who was alive at the time of Kennedy’s death that can’t tell you where they were or what they were doing at the time when they heard.
This documentary was about the men who still to this day consider themselves to blame for America’s fall from grace.
That’s a bit harsh in my opinion but to be honest if I give you my reasoning for that then you’ll never attempt to read the book of watch the documentary and I really think you should.
Over the past couple of days I have read so many news articles/stories and columnists writing about how Demi Moore should never have expected her marriage to Ashton Kutcher to last any length of time because of the age difference.
The Daily Mail has Amanda Platell as a columnist sometimes I think she has overdosed on the smugness pills from the bathroom cabinet. The basis of her column article regarding the separation of Demi and Ashton is ‘told you so’.
Amanda then goes on to say Demi Moore had plastic surgery to keep her younger lover happy. I’m not sure that I remember reading THAT particular interview with Demi, so if anyone else can find it, please let me know.
Anyway even if Demi did get plastic surgery to keep Ashton happy, should we not be supporting her in a tree-hugging-hippy way, reassuring her that she needn’t have bothered because she is beautiful anyway?
The rumour mill is working overtime on this particular divorce though, not only has Ashton has been shagging other people, Demi is bi-sexual and into threesomes and they have an open marriage according to Chelsea Handler.
Whatever has caused the breakdown of their marriage is it really our business? I know that I sure as hell wouldn’t want people to keep guessing at which party is to blame for what.
I do agree with Amanda Platell on one part of her article and that is successful marriages do come from having a shared history complete with joys and hardship. Hinting that Demi and Ashton don’t have a shared history because of an age difference is a lot of crap, it is still possible.
I mean, when it comes to history you have got to start somewhere!
Lets be honest, their marriage has lasted much much longer than Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries……
I vaguely remember when I was young, a story about an actress who had drowned while drinking on a yacht. It only sticks in my mind because she was as stunningly beautiful as my mum with her dark hair and classic looks.
As a 10yr old my mind was fixed on horses, dogs and riding my bike so it is a bit strange that I can recall the death of Natalie Wood.
Yup, Natalie was petite, gorgeous and talented. She had been a child star and survived into adulthood, starred in some of the most celebrated movies ever including ‘Rebel Without a Cause’, ‘Miracle on 34th Street’, ‘West side Story’ and ‘From Here to Eternity’ and had dated some of the most sought after men too.
Then on 29th November 1981 Natalie drowned. The cause of death is without a doubt, but the grey area appears to be whether husband Robert Wagner (Hart to Hart fame), co-star Christopher Walken (scary actor from Fatboy Slim’s video ‘Weapon of Choice’) or Dennis Davern the Captain of the yacht had anything to do with the drowning.
I’m not suggesting for one moment that any/all/some of the guys mentioned knocked her about a bit then shoved Natalie overboard.
But, come one, I’m no one special and I sure as hell wouldn’t go ashore wearing a long nightgown, socks and a down jacket?
What puzzles me is why has extra information from Captain Davern appeared now? He co-wrote a book ‘Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour’ in 2009 where he said that he thought Natalie had died as a result of her argument with her husband. So this piece of tasty gossip isn’t new.
Then in 2010, Davern said to CNN that he believed the whole investigation was ‘incompetent’ and ‘regrets misleading investigators by keeping quiet at Wagner's request.’
It’s all a bit bizarre really as far as I’m concerned, but the case is being re-opened and Robert Wagner is not a suspect according to LA County Sheriff’s Department. However the LA Times says that ‘A law enforcement source added that the department recently received a letter from an unidentified "third party" who said the captain had "new recollections" about the case. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity because the case was ongoing.’
Wonder if it is Marilyn Wayne who reported hearing a woman call for help on that fateful night? Ok she also said that she could hear others shouting ‘we’re coming to get you’. But what disturbs me is that Wayne and her unidentified friend didn’t attempt to rescue the troubled voice, they just listened to it for 25 minutes. Surely if a rescue attempt hasn’t worked in that space of time someone somewhere possibly needs back-up, support a coast guard maybe?
I’ve watched too many episodes of Criminal Minds to know that people don’t just surrender information because 30 years later they have suddenly remembered it. It is usually for a reason.
After the BlackBerry Blackout of October I fell out with by beloved BB. I was disgusted, how very dare BB have a fault with their network which meant that I had lost touch with the world.
I had no email, no twitter and no facebook for 3 days; I mean really, how would anyone expect a woman to get through the day?
I am fully aware that there are many things wrong with that statement, like for one; do I not have a life? Or do I only have one that revolves around interaction via the written word?
Secondly, it’s not really as if it was a major hassle, I mean my poor BB got called some not very nice names, indeed the sort of words that would make a squaddie blush. It was only 3 days service missed from email, twitter and facebook in the time Ive had the phone, which is approximately 18 months or so. My little curve has been dunked in Cola, dropped in snow, kicked accidentally across a room and succumbed to the powers of a demolition expert of a 7yr old.
It is still in one piece, but I still felt let down and betrayed RIM.
As it is now approaching phone upgrade time Ive got the big decision to make, should I keep a hold of a phone that I like or go for the unknown iPhone contender?
I think the Blackberry RIM v iPhone rivalry is along the same lines as Ferrari v McLaren, Senna v Prost, you have to be in one camp or the other, you can’t (and won’t) dare have a foot in each camp. It just isn’t the done thing.
So I asked peoples opinions, iPhone 4S or BlackBerry Torch? It was that simple. I called Orange my network provider (see, I can be posh sometimes) and discussed it all with a lovely lady called Alison.
In short, FBF’s (facebook friends) say iPhone is the one to go for where as my twitfam (Twitter followers) are much more divided. Alison from Orange suggested that I try the iPhone and if I don’t like it I can easily return it within 14 days.
So, I’m finally buying into the whole ‘I’ thing, they have sold me a lifestyle choice full of hopes, dreams and aspirations and I’ve been reeled right in, all willingly.
Pfft, next Ill be owning an Audi……..oops got that.
The provocateur of the current fiscal change embargo.
Phil McCarron has the same thought on his mine as most Americans do...who the f*ck is Grover Norquist?
I could easily answer this question with various and colorful four letter words. However, that wouldn't fitting for a man of his stature. No, he deserves a full, in depth, decimation, well within reason. Writing a full report on the preposterous Grover Norquist would take me 70 years to complete. And by that point arthritis would be the sole reason I couldn't continue, as it would make it psychically impossible to finish my report on the political enigma who's lobbying group is holding elected lawmakers hostage...with a piece of paper.
So what is this all about?
In 1985 Norquist founded a lobbying group called 'Americans For Tax Reform' with operates under the mantra of, ''oppose ALL tax increases as a matter of principle." Sparing you all the mundane details of the entire history of this particular lobbying group, I'll cut right to the explain it's most prominent talking point.
The Pledge.
The Grover Norquist pledge is a document that is presneted to members of congress to sign that states, unequivocally, that they will NEVER, I repeat, NEVER consider any legislative bill that includes a raise in taxes. At this time it should be prudent to note that in Grover Norquist's entire span of life on this planet, he has never been elected to political office. He has never been entrusted by a group of American citizens, through the process of a general election, to hold any measure of lawmaking power on Capitol Hill. For some strange reason however, he holds a vast number Republican legislators in his narrow sighted, insanely biased, and ethically questionable grip.
To explain the impact his pledge has had, the following occurred at a GOP straw poll a few months ago.
The 8 GOP nominees were asked by the moderator if they would reject a 10:1 ratio of spending cuts to tax raises (favoring the cuts.) All 8 replied with a definitive ‘yes.’
If there is no compromise, there is no democracy. And the petulant members of the Republican Party residing in Norquist's pocket that prohibits raising taxes under any circumstances, should be considered undemocratic.
But the obvious question is yet to be asked.
Hundreds of Republican lawmakers at both the state and federal level have signed this pledge, some of which are now, for various reasons, wishing that they hadn't. Yesterday in an ironic twist, Republican Senator Pat Toomey suggested a loophole in Norquist's pledge that would allow for Republicans that have signed the pledge to, in fact, raise taxes.
In short, the reason this is possible is because the current tax code (referred to as the Bush Tax Cuts) has an expiration date of early next year. Since they are technically temporary measures, the actual rates as they sit under permanent law are at Clinton era levels. Effectively, this means that the rates can be raised as long as they don't surpass the ones that have been undercut by the temporary Bush Tax Cuts.
Good news right?
I suppose it could be considered that. However, I would be more concerned with the obvious solution that evaded the Republican party for so long, aside from the fact that they should have signed it in the first place.
Here it is...the simplest solution. Are you ready?
F*ck Grover Norquist and f*ck his idiotic pledge! As Speaker of the House John Boehner said in a news conference a few weeks ago in response to a question about Norquist, he responded "It's not often that I get asked a question about a random guy."
I find it incredibly perplexing that the most powerful individuals in the country, the people that have been elected to look out for the interests of 300 million Americans, have been held hostage for so long by just a 'random guy.' It simply defies logic! There was no need to find a loophole in his pledge, all that was needed was to call Norquist up and say "your pledge is undemocratic, and you're an idiot."
This wasn't a lawful contract, this wasn't a constitutional amendment, this wasn't a condition of employment that had to be met before the oath of office could be taken, this was a random guy with a piece of paper and a pen that has HALTED the entire US debate on fixing the deficit.
In short, the lunacy of elected Republican's to keep a promise (an ill advised and undemocratic promise) to ONE man is derogatory to the other 300 million Americans that elected these men and women to look out for the collective interests, not the warped ideology and fiscal irresponsibility of ONE man by the name of Grover Bloody Norquist.
Norquist advocates a 'Starve the Beast' fiscal strategy. Sounds like a fun bit of word play. However, it might be prudent to know that after a while a starved beast gets vicious and hostile due to mistreatment. So I'd watch out for the Republican handlers of this beast, as they may end up getting bitten.
Figuratively of course.
The Bottom Line
If everyone had the mystical power that Grover Norquist, a random guy, has to press their own beliefs on tax reform upon members of congress...then we would have a democracy. It isn't, and should never be about the sole opinion of one, but the general consensus of many. That's what democracy is. Not undermining 300 million Americans by holding the entire legislative branch hostage with an egregious pledge.
When I think of Justin Timberlake I think of a talented ex-Mickey Mouse Club brat who hasn’t had a childhood for being a performer. A guy who has never really had it hard in his life, he could fall in a puddle of horse shit and come out smelling of roses.
Then I read that Justin Timberlake had accepted an offer made by Corporal Kelsey DeSantis to attend The Basic School Instructor Battalion 236th Marine Corps birthday Ball in Washington.
The first thought I had was that Justin Timberlake had won a publicity gold medal, not only had a gorgeous 23yr old marine asked him out but the chance for a someone like to him to raise his celebrity profile and status in the world would be priceless.
What better story for the media, gorgeous film star/singer takes Marine on a date.
I read the Daily Mail’s story about it, which predictably made it sound that Justin T was on a massive PR coup to make himself look like a national hero.
Being the type of blogger that I am, I always like to read what other people have said about it. I like to hear and read different opinions in order that I can form my own.
The best thing to do in this case was to hear it from the horse’s mouth. I read Justin Timberlake’s own account of the story.
It became evident that for Justin, the night wasn’t about him; it was about and all the men and women who keep America being the land of the free and home of the brave.
‘What I didn't know was how moved I would be by the whole experience,’ is what Justin said on his website and what I was beginning to suspect as I read his account of the night.
So much so, that I cant actually think of a way to describe what I was learning about the ‘In Time’ actor. I had gone from thinking it was an intelligent PR Stunt based on Mila Kunis’ invitation to realising that if half of what he said was true, the guy felt truly honoured and in awe of the company he was keeping.
There could be another explanation for my opinion reversal.
You see, I am a total sap. I never used to be, I was as hard as the proverbial bunch of nails, so much so that I’m sure I could’ve been an assassin if I didn’t suffer from asthma, have bad eyesight and have the throwing arm of a blind badger.
Not only would having to stop in the middle of a chase to get my breath back and my lack of aiming ability lose all my cool points but I physically I wouldn’t have been about to threaten Jason Bourne with his job.
OK, so I was never likely to be an assassin, but the point is, I used be a lot harder emotionally than I am now.
So much so, that my darling brother will make fun of me when he reads this. In fact, I might even make fun of myself when I read it.
So when Justin Timberlake said ‘Thank you Corporal Kelsey DeSantis. Thank you for inviting me. And, thank you for being my hero.’ I had a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye.
Lennox is a 6 year old black boy who was taken from his home by an official illegally; he has no contact with his family since 19th May 2010. He has also suffered from some unexplained injuries while he has been held against everyone’s wishes on a bed of sawdust.
Disgusted yet?
This hasn’t happened in a far off country, this has happened in Belfast.
On 11/11/11 when some people are celebrating the weirdness of the date, 12 year old Brooke will be wondering if her best friend will die.
Disgusted yet?
Is this enough prejudice for you?
Ill give you some more then. Think about this for a bit then will you? Lennox is being held because of what he looks like, not what he is.
Lennox had his legs and nose measured with a run-off-the-mill dressmaking tape measure and there the decision was taken to remove him from the house.
Lennox was seized under the Dangerous Dogs (NI) Order 1991. The measurements were used as proof that Lennox is a banned Pit Bull Terrier; incidentally, those measurements could also condemn a Labrador….
When Lennox was a baby, his very responsible owners had him neutered, licensed, insured, DNA registered, Pet Safe registered and micro chipped. Lennox is actually a Labrador crossed with and American Bull dog and as a point of interest, when Lennox’s brother was adopted his paperwork shows him to be a Lab cross.
Not just one suffering
Caroline Barnes is not only concerned about the health and welfare of her beloved dog, but her daughter Brooke’s health also. Brooke who is registered disabled has lost her best friend and is so distraught that even her specialist Doctor and Belfast
Royal Hospital for Sick Children said how Lennox being away was having a negative affect on her well-being.
I’ve signed the petition at http://www.savelennox.co.uk/ because I care. Not just about a girl I’ve never met in a country I’ve never been too or a dog I’ve never had a slobby kiss from, but because it’s right to make a stand.
At the beginning, when the thought crossed that I was talking about a child, how politically motivated did you feel? Do you think dogs don’t have feelings?
Lennox has not bitten, attacked or put a paw out of place in all of this. It is very easy to rectify the situation but no government official seems to have the balls to be the fairy godmother and right this wrong.
From the perspective of a neutral viewer, today's GOP debate in Michigan showed much calmer and more collective field of presidential hopefuls.
In primaries of the past, the candidates for the GOP nomination, more often than not, resorted to a verbal slug-fest with their counterparts what amounted to nothing more than tirades of defamation, slander and the proverbial mud slinging.
Today we saw a different face to the GOP nominees, a face of civility. They were all well mannered and avoided spiraling into rhetoric and accusations, they kept to the spirit of the debate and kept their answers concise. Even in the face of some tough questions, most notably when Governor Mitt Romney was asked to comment, indirectly of course, on the accusations of sexual harassment regarding Herman Cain, he refused to answer as it wasn't relevant. In debates of past, this opportunity to stick to a fellow candidate would have been jumped upon with no qualms.
Another memorable note of the night included Governor Rick Perry's failure to recall three areas of government he would abolish if he ascended to the White House in next years coming election. Although I understand that everyone has their moments of forgetfulness, it ultimately will make him look extremely inept.
Arguably though, the most prominent and, in my opinion, wisest moment of the debate was when Speaker Of The House Newt Gingrich alluded to the moderator that it was almost impossible to voice his solution on the issue of healthcare in 30 seconds. He did so in a very civil manner and I applaud him for that.
The truth is that if any politician offers a 'simple' plan to something, chances are that it will be, at best, a grave misrepresentation of their actual intent, and at worst, showing a complete lack of understanding of the world we live in.
Whether it be a new tax code, healthcare, education, social security, or economic proposal, there is no way that it will ever be simple, or can ever be explained in full in 30 seconds. We live in such a diverse world that these issues need to be resolved in the interest of everyone. They require a tremendous understanding of whichever area they intent to change and must take into account a plethora of variables.
All in all, the debate was coherent. Though I don't agree with many conservative policies, I admired the way they put fourth their arguments at tonight's debate. The cornerstone of any democracy is the principle that at some point we all must compromise for the over all benefit of all, I just hope that the future of politics becomes less of the bi-party rhetoric and condemnation, and more of coming together as people and solving the problems all of us face.
Phil McCarron on why Herman's 'Cane' could have made his nomination campaign flaccid.
Today the political sex scandal that has been hampering Herman Cain’s campaign for the last few weeks has begun to gain some actual substance. This scandal has become the first major road block in Herman Cain’s ambition to capture the Republican nomination for next year’s presidential election.
If you haven’t heard the news, two weeks ago the online political blog Politico dropped the story that in Cain’s past as the head of the lobbying group NRA (National Restaurant Association,) two women were paid a settlement on allegations of sexual harassment stemming from Cain’s behavior at certain conventions.
Cain will give you a job if you give Cain’s cane a job
A third women has come out today with fresh accusations of sexual harassment from Herman Cain in regards to his time as head of the NRA. Sharon Bialek has been the first women to go public with allegations of sexual harassment. Her story, in short, revolves around Cain pressuring her for oral sex in return for getting her find employment after losing her job at a subsidiary of the NRA.
Cain’s statements on the allegations of sexual harassment have been illogical at best, and extremely bizarre and erratic at worst. It doesn’t take a professional psychologist to realize that Herman Cain is not telling the entire story.
Since nothing has been proven in a court of law, these all remain allegations. However, the court of public opinion is a completely different process altogether.
Sexual skeletons in the closet
All it takes is for one person to come forward that will inspire more women that may have suffered the same proposition to regain their vocal chords. The bravery of Sharon Bialek has opened the door for more skeletons in Cain’s sex stained closet to come tumbling out.
Double ended…standards?
When Democrat Anthony Weiner was embroiled in a sex scandal earlier in the year, the Republican politicians were vying for his head. They were adamant that he stand down from his campaign to run for political office.
If Herman Cain remains in the race, it reinforces the view point that Republicans firmly believe that they are above the court of public opinion, and that they are immune to the same bile they cast upon anyone that isn’t Republican.
It would be wise to note that these are all alleged cases of sexual harassment. However, I know people that have lived their entire life without ever being accused of sexual harassment, so for Herman Cain to have two cases settled and a third accuser just coming out, makes the average follower of this story believe that there might just be some weight behind the allegation that Cain is a habitual sexual harasser…and belief is what a politician is elected on.
There are only a few series that I actually follow, namely True Blood, Criminal Minds (though not in any order at all, which sometimes leaves me confused) and The Walking Dead.
Tonight I’m going to give another TV show a try. It’s called ‘American Horror Story’ and begins on FX: UK tonight at 10pm.
Now, its not just Dylan McDermott who attracted me to the idea of ‘American Horror Story’, honestly, but every so often a good creepy drama appears that is worth its weight in gold. I’m thinking along the lines of ‘Millennium’ with Lance Henriksen as an FBI profiler or indeed ‘American Gothic’ with the very scary Gary Cole as Sheriff Lucas Black. All completely brilliant thrillers that if you haven’t seen or heard of, I recommend that you watch.
Bear in mind that the creators of this drama are none other than Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk who are better known as being the writer/producer team behind Nip/Tuck and Glee. Interested a bit more now?
American Horror Story appears to feature the ubiquitous haunted house, you know the sort, old, dusty, in need of repair but very gorgeous to look at. So much so, that even if I hadn’t spilt the proverbial beans you would still just know that it was creepy as hell and even Yvette Fielding wouldn’t want to spend the night there.
Queue family suffering from lots of tension, emotional problems and trying to work them all out. Now you can see this is a recipe for disaster……
We have betrayal, Ben Harmon (husband) has had an affair, death and grief comes in the shape of Vivien Harmon (wife) who has had a still-birth then as if there isn’t anything to feel remotely positive about, Murphy and Falchuk throw a depressive daughter, Violet, into the mix.
To have all the cheesy traditional horror ingredients thrown into the mix and still be given a second series ‘American Horror Story’ must be doing something right.
So, Ill be tuning in tonight, even if it’s just to shout at the TV ‘Oh no!! Don’t go in there!’
As consumer culture has bed its roots into society, the standard of self-reliance has plummeted. We are steadily forgetting where the things we use in our lives come from, and more importantly, how to make them.
By hand, from scratch, with love
I remember spending time at my grandparent’s house when I was younger and it was filled with wonderful things that they’d built by hand, from scratch, with love. Things like pieces of furniture carved by my grandfather’s hands, and curtains stitched and embroidered by my grandmothers nimble fingers. But my grandfather wasn’t a master carpenter and my grandmother wasn’t a seamstress, yet they still had the basic knowledge and drive to create the things that make a house a home.
Buy instead of make?
The realization that we now buy instead of making hit me as I was contemplating building my own electric guitar from scratch, and I discovered that I have no idea how to use any woodworking tools, nor wire electrics. Had this been 40 years ago, my grandfather would have had no problems cutting the wood to spec, molding it together, painting and lacquering it, and even installing the electrics. We live in a different time now, a time where we buy instead of make, and I think that is costing our culture dearly as the majority of us helplessly dependent on the few that learn these basics homegrown skills.
Most people of my generation are the same, they know where to buy furniture but have no idea where to begin to make a simple chair. It would seem that our knowledge for making the most basic things in life is becoming extinct, and we only focus on learning things that advance our careers and skip the basics of self-reliance.
My friends used to make fun of me for darning holes in socks when I was poor, but when one needed his trousers hemmed up, he was amazed at my needle and thread work. Thanks grandma.
I’m still completely confused by the marriage of Courtney Stodden and Doug Hutchison. OK, I know that realistically it’s none of my business but the media seem to totally be pushing it in my face.
In the last week alone we have seen the odd couple frolicking in a pumpkin patch. Courtney is there looking like a mildly frustrated stripper and her husband Doug like a proud father….ooooh ick did I say father?
Unfortunately, yes I did.
At the start of the week, Courtney who is now 17 years old was pictured proudly strutting her stuff wearing not much, delighting dads, scaring children and horrifying mothers while picking pumpkins. Doug meanwhile appears super happy and after having what could only be suggested as a massive mid life crisis.
No Cankles Here!
To further add to my case of Doug having a mid life crisis, he was pictured Trick or Treating with his young bride. I don’t think that adults dressing up for Halloween or indeed any other occasion. It’s just, you see the pictures of Doug and Courtney dressed up like a pair of girlies heading to the town for a night out and that ick feeling comes back up again.
I don’t know whether it’s because Doug has shapelier ankles than me or whether Trick or Treating when you have no kids with you (apart from your wife) is a shade on the dodgy side.
The day after the trick or treating we have pictures of the gorgeous Courtney nipping out for coffee wearing hot pants, a cropped top and stripper platforms. How many things are wrong with that?
Courtney is actually a gorgeous girl, some of the pictures taken when she was younger show just how lovely she is. However, being a mother I’m not sure that I would be totally happy with such sexualised pictures of my daughter being taken when she was about 12-14ish.
So what should we finish up the week with?
That’s easy, what about if we get a doctor to tell everyone that Courtney does not have breast implants! Well, that’s what Doug and Courtney did. Just for the record, she doesn’t have implants.
Can’t wait to see what this week will bring in the exciting saga of Doug and Courtney……
I read to today that Liz Jones ‘stole’ her husband’s sperm from a condom and tried to get herself pregnant with it.
There you go; I’ve got that bit out now. Phew!
Not the Police Mug Shot
Anyway, who the hell is Liz Jones?
Well, she’s a journalist who used to write for various fashion magazines who now writes diary type things and comments on stuff. Ooooh a bit like me then! Except Liz Jones has an actual qualification in what she does.
Back to the Sperm Thief
I must admit to being quite horrified by Jones’ admission on sperm stealing. I mean really, men all over the UK who have heard/read about this will now be absolutely bricking themselves in case it’s given their ‘secretly wanting a child’ partners ideas.
Certainly, I know of women friends who have wanted children and their partner hasn’t, only to agree to keep the peace then secretly not take their contraceptive pill etc. Though I will say that on the other hand, I know some men who want children and their partners have told them it will not be happening anytime soon.
You what????
Is it a good piece of writing because she has gotten people talking about how things change in relationships or horrific because she has somehow managed to make it seem all very cheap by saying ‘Because he wouldn’t give me what I wanted, I decided to steal it from him. I resolved to steal his sperm from him in the middle of the night. I thought it was my right, given that he was living with me and I had bought him many, many M&S ready meals.’
That makes it OK then Liz doesn’t it. You’ve bought him dinner, kept him so therefore you own him? People would be outraged if a man had said that.
Liz may consider herself to be a feminist which kind of begs the question what she sees as being a feminist? Equal opportunities for women or the excuse to get what you want and abuse another human being’s trust?
I see Yasmin Alibhai-Brown as a feminist but also a humanist who speaks common sense. All too often common sense goes out the window today with people being too concerned about being politically correct.
Maybe Liz Jones should read some of Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s writing. Just sayin’ Liz.
Generations ago, a homemade meal was a three times a day affair. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were all made in kitchen with fresh ingredients, from scratch. In today’s rat race of life, time is our most precious commodity, and good food was the first thing up on the time-shaving chopping block.
It’s homemade, from the freezer
Instead of spending the time to prepare and cook a homemade meal, we reach into the freezer for something to fill our stomachs, or even worse, we stop by a ‘fat-food’ place on the way home. The assumption is that since it’s already cooked and only needs a blast in the oven, then precious time will be saved. However, if you figure 30 minutes to cook a frozen piece of chicken, then you could have already made two fresh meals by the time the oven goes ‘ding.’
15 minutes, done.
Most people’s idea of home cooking paints an image of Thanksgiving dinner in their minds, 20 different plates of food that take two days to cook. Yet many meals can be done in 15 minutes! It’s all about knowing how, and anyone that says ‘I don’t know how to cook’…zip it!
Culinary Internet Master Chef
You used to have to work as a commi chef for 5 years in a Michelin starred restaurant to learn the tricks of the trade, but with the all powerful internet being a learning tool, becoming a master chef is just a few google searches away. Just search for 15 minute meals and away you go. Take back your kitchen, take back your diet, and take back the satisfaction of a home cooked meal.
Living rooms are designed around televisions for a reason, and that reason is that television is our window into the world. We live vicariously through everything from dramas and comedies to documentaries and, dare I say it, reality TV. But now that there are hundreds of channels, it’s becoming harder and harder to find quality, awe inspiring programming.
Free channels, terrible concepts.
The viewing content of free channels and standard cable has declined over the last 10 years or into terrible concepts, poor acting, and did I mention terrible concepts? It’s a continuous stream of raw sewage being pumped onto our screens every day. That being said, it’s a bit like the old dumpster diving adage, occasionally if you search enough seas of garbage you might pull out a gold watch. But at the end of the day, it’s a lot of shit surfing for one good show.
HBO have the golden goose.
However there is a network that has kept its dedication to stellar shows. HBO is, and has been at the forefront of fantastic television. Amazing concepts, stunning characters and Emmy winning performances all make the premium cable network well worth the investment. They have the golden goose when it comes to quality TV shows and if you haven’t had the HBO experience, you have been missing out for years as their back catalogue of original programming is quite impressive.
OZ, Arliss, The Larry Sanders Show, Sex & The City, The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, The Wire, Entourage, True Blood, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones…to name but a few…and that’s a stellar resume for any TV Network.
Much to my delight, ‘The Walking Dead’ has returned to FX. I enjoyed the special effects, the storyline and even Andrew Lincoln’s accent change to American.
I was a bit apprehensive when I found out that there had been an array of staff changes behind the scenes to the point where I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the new series.
Would I get the same level of gore? Would the storyline still be reasonably exciting? Would there be anything quite as rank and revolting as seeing a horse being eaten by the undead?
Well, yeah there was, to all of the above questions.
We got up close and friendly with several zombies, including a spectacular view of rotting gums and teeth. So close you could almost smell the decomposition.
There was a good bit of drama in the opening episode too…. I won’t say too much in case you haven’t watched it, but when Bambi appears trust your gut instinct. Just sayin’
Blade the Horse didnt get his contract renewed
Much to my warped sense of joy, there was the ‘gore-fest, disgusting, make me look away in horror, boak inducing’ scene too. All I can say is I'm so very glad that smell-a-vision doesn’t exist.
Yup, come Friday night, Ill be tuning in to see more zombies. Feeling a bit of an expert now after all these zombie books, TV shows and films I’ve been watching, I’m not sure I ever really want to be in the position to draw on that knowledge though.
I like a bit of ‘Keeping up with the Kardashians’ on E! It’s a bit like my little dirty secret that I try not to let anyone know.
I will admit that I lay along the couch with my cup of coffee and watched Kim’s fairytale wedding to Kris Humphries. That was for all the back-to-back shows leading up to and including the wedding.
There were a few things that I noticed when watching the series, the first was how shockingly tall Kris Humphries is (6ft 9in). That is one tall guy and quite a height difference with Kim who is supposedly around 5ft 2ish.
I’m not suggesting for one moment that height difference is the cause of a marriage break up as I am sure there must be more to it than that, or at least I sincerely hope so!
Anyway, I realised, while watching the episodes leading up to the wedding that I was really feeling sorry for Kris Humphries. He seems a nice guy, kind, generous and one who was beginning to crack under the Kardashian pressure.
Marriage means different things to different people but to me it means that you have someone there to support, love and care for you no matter what. But realistically what place does Kris Humphries have when the Kardashian Klan are providing that already?
Unfortunately I don’t think Kris Humphries had a snowballs chance in hell against the rest of the family. Maybe if they had all sat down and had a chat with fellow reality celebs Kendra and Hank Baskett they may have got on a bit better.
Kendra & Hank 'keepin it real
Yesterday Kimmy K said "After careful consideration, I have decided to end my marriage. I hope everyone understands this was not an easy decision. I had hoped this marriage was forever but sometimes things don't work out as planned. We remain friends and wish each other the best."
Then Kris H had to issue a statement which said "I love my wife and am devastated to learn she filed for divorce," take it she didn’t actually speak to him about it then?
Sorry Kris you obviously don’t fit in with their lifestyle and aren’t photogenic enough so you’ve been written out of the next series.
There ends the marriage of Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian, to think, I’ve had fruit last longer in the fridge……
