Mad Cow & The DNC

Now there's a marriage. God, I love Boston Legal!

The Wrongs of Wright

I've been living like an ostrich for a number of days so I've been out of the loop. Hopefully my lapse in commentary can be overlooked. Sometimes I just need to turn off and ignore the world.

Missing the Moyers/Rev. Wright interview on the tele the other night I caught it on youtube in its entirety. I've also seen a few other pieces, including 10 minutes of the now famous sermon where Wright urges God to damn America. While some of what he said is factual, even damnable, it would be appropriate to offer the context (since we're criticizing for looping sound bites and taking HIS statements out of context.) I don't know what kind of a man Wright is but I would assert that he is angry with a reckless agenda. At minimum his statements are divisive, destructive and wrong. The government spread Aids to kill black people? The government is capable and culpable of a lot of things but loony statements like that propagate any racial angst that exists. I am not a church goer but shouldn't the pulpit be a place to spread the word of God which embodies messages of love and peace and forgiveness? People go to church to have their spirit fed therefore, in my view, it's the responsibility of learned religious scholars to inspire unity and humility. Garbage rots, after all.

I think Wright felt slighted by Obama last month when he was trying to distance himself from Wright's heinous views of the world. Who knows whether or not Wright is deliberately trying to sabotage Obama but my belief is that he is just doing what he does best; driving a wedge & muddling truth with fiction.

6' under

Well, maybe 3. Just found and buried poor Maggie. She did not appear to have been mauled or molested in any way. More than likely she ate something she shouldn't have. We're still very sad but at least her remains are with us. We'll plant something in her honor over her gravesite.

R.I.P. 2008-2008

In her fearless fashion, Maggie, (approx. 2 months old) wandered off into the concrete jungle; curiously, unwisely. Survived by her stupid caretakers.

Meet Maggie

I'd like to introduce Madge. She's the latest addition to our menagerie. I know, I'm a whackadoo. I don't know what is the matter with me. It appears as though I may be having baby pangs, although I know for certain I do not want the lifelong responsibility of rearing decent and contributing people. So I collect animals instead. Actually, I really want to be living in the wilderness or on a farm so I'm trying to emulate such an environment in my urban digs.

Damon and I are planning to get a hen for fresh eggs. We spent this last weekend in Big Bear with friends and passed by a feed store that had baby chicks for sale. We stopped in to see the birds and inquire about maintenance, building a coop, etc. I scanned the bunny pen and thought 'hum, how cute'. Keeping rabbits as pets has never ever been on my radar screen - not even as a child. But when the staff suggested that they make great coop companions for chickens there was little apprehension (on my part anyway).

MAYDAY! MAYDAY!

Heed the warning! NOT a good idea to purchase a pet on impulse; worse yet to get one that you're unprepared for. Maggie is fearless & adorable plus she's made fast friends with her "siblings". She is also a bloomin' gum ball machine, if you get my drift. Like I said, the plan is to keep her with the hen (which we don't have) in the coop (which we haven't built) in the back yard. In the meanwhile, she lives in a box in our house and plays outside as we have time to supervise her. Suffice it to say, I'm sick of bleaching the floor. Especially since I just did it last week after a surprise awakening to Ratatouille - or should I say Marie Antoinette, if you get my drift.

Thus, my life becomes even more absurd. And restricted. And full of complete and utter joy. I realize that I am most happy when I'm interacting with God's creatures.

Farewell...

.... to the BOTTOM of the barrel. So long Priscilla, we'll miss you.

VillaraiGROSSa, et al.

After the abominable State of the City address by head buffoon, Mayor V., I wanted to get some insight and background on the imbeciles running City Hall. This lead me to poke around on the LA City website. I found that the city council meets every Tu,Thur, & Fri at 10am and broadcasts the open session from council chambers. After listening to these guys pontificate, self-congratulate and stammer all over themselves to shirk responsibility it is no wonder our city is near bankrupt - financially and morally. The gratuitous haranguing must cease if we are to thrive. If you ever want to know where your trash fee rate increases are actually going I encourage you to listen in. They say in order for us to hire the cops needed to properly police the city and combat gang infiltration homeowners need to kick in more for city services. Wasn't that the pretext of the last hike or the reason for measure S, approved not 3 months ago? But if you get a chance I suggest you eavesdrop on the inane things they are spending our money on. It's staggering. And it ain't cops. If council members bother even to show up to the meeting they are late and frequently have to be asked by public attendants to be respectful of the speaker since they carry on side conversations while matters of public importance are debated. It's a joke. Throw the bums out!

"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when created them" - Ben Franklin

Serenity in the City

LA is full of many little surprises if you're willing to follow your curiosity and abandon your car. Life whizzes by so fast and even more so when you spend your life on the freeway that it's nice to just stop and smell the flowers once in a while - literally. I came upon a lovely farmers market on the grounds of the Veteran's Hospital in West LA. What an oasis! It's snuggled amongst towering, fragrant Eucalyptus trees and gardens of every sort dot the landscape; herbs, flowers & veggies galore. Enhancing the noon hour experience is a folk band to entertain you and local restauranteurs offering anti run-of-the-mill meals every Thursday afternoon. The highlight, though, is the parrot sanctuary at Serenity Park. This is a treat not to be missed. The birds are extraordinary. Macaws, Cockatoos, and other exotic birds liven the aviaries with song, imitation and downright rambunctiousness. What makes this place even more special is that these amazing birds are lovingly cared for by the wonderful men and women who lovingly cared for us and our freedom by their service in the armed forces.

Made in America

I just heard. There is a program that airs on The Travel Channel hosted by John Ratzenberger (Cliff Claven, Cheers, circa. 1985) called Made in America. I haven't yet seen the show but it sounds like he traverses the country paying homage to American companies and American-made products. At a time when many of our manufacturing jobs are being outsourced and it's difficult to find goods made right here on our soil by our craftsmen it's worth a look - even if for no other reason than curiosity about how things are made. Cliff (endearingly) also started the Nuts & Bolts Foundation to teach kids how to work with their hands. After all, not everyone will or should attend college. It's important that we have qualified tradesmen equipped with the critical skill set necessary to build our infrastructure and propel us into the future.

Overcommitted

I can't keep up the pace of publishing everyday. I just don't have that much to say. Actually, I do but sometimes I just don't feel like sharing.

A matter of Rs

What's it going to take to get people to respect themselves, each other and our planet? Maybe this sounds a bit new-agey but I believe that we are all connected - like one with the universe, man. In all seriousness, I wish people would think about the things they consume and what happens to it at the end of its useful life cycle. I wish people would be willing to sacrifice just a little convenience for the good of the future. And most of all I wish people could understand that we humans are more alike than not and are all ultimately seeking happiness - subjective, yes, but a commodity nonetheless whereby there's enough to go around and one that doesn't have to be obtained at the expense of someone else's. Now if only a genie would grant my three wishes...
In my purview, disrespect is rampant. It is non-discriminate knowing no generation, stratification or boundary. I witness some form of disrespect every day as I meander through life- be it littering, cell phones, driving habits, and infinite other discourtesies, rudeness and lack of etiquette. Please be a model citizen, teach your children to be model citizens and assure that respect is restored.

Remember: Respect, Responsibility, Reuse, Reclaim, Recycle
(I think I have fetish for R words)

Problem solved

I am a neurotic housekeeper. That is until until I got animals. I still love a clean house but I love my furry friends more so. You can watch the hair fly off Jackson as he walks, not to mention the innumerable belly rubs he gets. It is a total misnomer that short haired dogs do not shed. The tradeoff is incessant hair tufts left all over the place. It would be necessary to sweep at least twice a day to keep a fur-free household. Truthfully, it only gets done twice a week. But, to my elation there is a way to recycle that hair. Squint a little so you can see the sub-title. Now if we could only find a way to turn it into fuel (snaps for Jacks) we'll be good to go.

Rioting for peace

I find the chatter about boycotting the upcoming Olympic Games or having Heads of States avoid the opening ceremonies in protest to the outrageous human rights violations China perpetrates against its citizens quite simply pander. This is just one more in a slew of despicable contradictions and double-speak that has become commonplace. Just in case you've forgotten China is a nation not that far removed from Maoism (worse than communism), an ideology that inherently oppresses its' citizens. Remember the Tiananmen Square massacre? While China is making strides it is far from democratic and certainly not transparent. There is still widespread censorship and police rule. I find it totally unacceptable that as much as 80% of the Chinese economy comes from US imports, money that enables the above said repressive authoritarian regime, yet we have the audacity to be ostensibly angry about Tibet, Taiwan or its Sudanese relations. I propose we boycott Walmart and The 99 Cent Store and let the games begin!

"If you want to dine with the devil you'd better bring a long spoon." - Machiavelli

TSA (twits, sycophants, a-holes)

Actually, TSA is an acronym for Transportation Security Administration. As air travel has become increasingly impossible since the advent of this agency some of the anecdotes are priceless. The latest is the woman with inconspicuous body piercings. She cleared the metal detector OK but for some reason she was subjected to a wand sweep. When passing over her chest the alarm sounded. She informed the agent that she had nipple piercings and she would be happy to show them to her in private. The female agent refused calling over a male colleague who demanded she remove the rings before she could clear security and board her flight. Humiliated, she filed a formal complaint. Enter Gloria Allred, obnoxious defender of women's (primarily) civil rights and media hog, who said, "the last time that I checked a nipple was not a dangerous weapon." While that is a matter of opinion, the rule of law prevails and the TSA has both apologized and changed their policies to accommodate wearers of body jewelry all the while maintaining the goal of keeping the skies safe and friendly for all.