By now most everyone is aware of the recent claim that Glenn Beck made regarding President Obama on the Fox News Channel. Needless to say, I found this rather outlandish considering Obama's maternal family, the people in his administration, and his success in drawing significant support from voters of all ethnicities when he won the election. My first thought (and probably second, third and fourth thoughts as well) was that the Fox News executives should demand that he apologize for his incredulous statement under threat of dismissal. The fact that he apparently not only hasn't apologized but hasn't even been suspended is rather telling and shocking to me.
But then I remembered what Kanye West said about George Bush following Hurricane Katrina. I have to admit that at the time I wondered whether there was more than a kernel of truth to that accusation, conveniently ignoring the prominent positions that Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice each held in the Bush administration. In retrospect, I believe that Bush was not a racist but perhaps a classist. But getting back to Kanye, I wouldn't have been surprised if he suffered a Dixie-Chicks style backlash which would have effectively ended his career. Instead, these days you can't go more than ten minutes on a pop station, let alone an R&B/hip-hop station, without hearing Kanye on a track. Even I must admit that I have enjoyed some of his songs over the last few years.
So it appears that Glenn and Kanye, despite their inflammatory accusations of Presidential-sponsored racism, will each continue to have successful careers due to the support of fans who ignored if not even believed these falsehoods. And that, I believe, truly makes for a sad state of affairs here in America.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Playing Catch-Up
Hello to everyone out there in Bloggerville!
I just realized that it has been exactly three months since I posted my last blog. Of course, my most loyal readers (ha!) already know behind the scenes that I had quite a busy time preparing for, enjoying, then recovering from a rather busy summer season. But now that I have the time and wherewithall, I wanted to share a few thoughts before what could potentially be a busy fall on the local front. I'll be touching on a number of things, some of which I may expound on later.
First: the Summer of Love tour. That's what Cathy and I called our 37-day, 6550-mile cross-country trip with a not-so-subtle nod to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. One big difference between that event and ours is the only time we got "high" was in the mountains of the "four corners" states. We even managed to survive both of our family reunions located on opposite ends of the country, hers being in Jackson, MS, mine being in Los Angeles. The logistics of attending those events as well as the Vegas BBW Bash spurred us to hit the road instead of the runway. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to spending that amount of time traveling through 27 states. While I figure that we'll be making pilgrimages to visit family in Dallas - or at least as far as Jackson - I don't think we'll be planning anything that extravagant again in the foreseeable future. I especially won't need to relive spending two weeks in Vegas. I'm grateful to Cathy for letting me indulge in my sightseeing for the first few days while she mostly enjoyed having her feet up and off the brake and pedal. I still think I'll need to leave the Bash property every so often, but I think I'm more likely to repeat my favorite things to see and do in Vegas than to find anything new there. I do suspect that we will be expanding our social circle which I feel would be a plus.
Wow... is 2009 The Year of the Grim Reaper or what? They say "death comes in threes" but this year, it's more like the dozens! Some of the more poignant passings for me include: Farrah Fawcett, with whom Cathy shared a common bond of an unfortunate illness; John Hughes, the "Judd Apatow" of my teenage years; and, Michael Jackson, if only for the surreal coincidence of staying in a hotel in Hollywood on the night before his memorial service. And of course, my most loyal readers would think me remiss if I didn't mention the loss of two members of the Kennedy clan.
The domestic agenda of President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress seems to be mixed in public opinion if not also in its effectiveness. As much as I dislike the idea of corporate welfare, I believe that simply letting the banks and auto makers fail would have had a ripple effect of millions in job losses that would have cost taxpayers more in the end than the stimulus package. And while necessity may well be the mother of invention, not everyone has the entrepreneurial skill and spirit to rely on themselves instead of an employer.
Regarding health care, I consider it to be the right of every American citizen and legal resident. I believe the status quo is not working, unless you're either an upper-income employee who is happy with their coverage... or the insurance company CEO who is happy with their bonus. While I think a government-funded "public option" should be in the mix, I'm not opposed to state health co-ops as a compromise, despite the unflinching views of both staunch Republicans and Democrats in Congress. I do think that GOP proposals like capping doctor malpractice judgments and opening up insurer competition to all fifty states would have potentially detrimental results for most citizens. One of the best models to build on, ironically, would the one that Republican Mitt Romney implemented while Governor of Massachusetts; it makes sense that everyone should pay into it, just as long as everyone is covered. I am surprised he hasn't received more news coverage these days. Or if he has, it must be on news media that I don't frequent.
Peace.
I just realized that it has been exactly three months since I posted my last blog. Of course, my most loyal readers (ha!) already know behind the scenes that I had quite a busy time preparing for, enjoying, then recovering from a rather busy summer season. But now that I have the time and wherewithall, I wanted to share a few thoughts before what could potentially be a busy fall on the local front. I'll be touching on a number of things, some of which I may expound on later.
First: the Summer of Love tour. That's what Cathy and I called our 37-day, 6550-mile cross-country trip with a not-so-subtle nod to the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. One big difference between that event and ours is the only time we got "high" was in the mountains of the "four corners" states. We even managed to survive both of our family reunions located on opposite ends of the country, hers being in Jackson, MS, mine being in Los Angeles. The logistics of attending those events as well as the Vegas BBW Bash spurred us to hit the road instead of the runway. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be able to spending that amount of time traveling through 27 states. While I figure that we'll be making pilgrimages to visit family in Dallas - or at least as far as Jackson - I don't think we'll be planning anything that extravagant again in the foreseeable future. I especially won't need to relive spending two weeks in Vegas. I'm grateful to Cathy for letting me indulge in my sightseeing for the first few days while she mostly enjoyed having her feet up and off the brake and pedal. I still think I'll need to leave the Bash property every so often, but I think I'm more likely to repeat my favorite things to see and do in Vegas than to find anything new there. I do suspect that we will be expanding our social circle which I feel would be a plus.
Wow... is 2009 The Year of the Grim Reaper or what? They say "death comes in threes" but this year, it's more like the dozens! Some of the more poignant passings for me include: Farrah Fawcett, with whom Cathy shared a common bond of an unfortunate illness; John Hughes, the "Judd Apatow" of my teenage years; and, Michael Jackson, if only for the surreal coincidence of staying in a hotel in Hollywood on the night before his memorial service. And of course, my most loyal readers would think me remiss if I didn't mention the loss of two members of the Kennedy clan.
The domestic agenda of President Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress seems to be mixed in public opinion if not also in its effectiveness. As much as I dislike the idea of corporate welfare, I believe that simply letting the banks and auto makers fail would have had a ripple effect of millions in job losses that would have cost taxpayers more in the end than the stimulus package. And while necessity may well be the mother of invention, not everyone has the entrepreneurial skill and spirit to rely on themselves instead of an employer.
Regarding health care, I consider it to be the right of every American citizen and legal resident. I believe the status quo is not working, unless you're either an upper-income employee who is happy with their coverage... or the insurance company CEO who is happy with their bonus. While I think a government-funded "public option" should be in the mix, I'm not opposed to state health co-ops as a compromise, despite the unflinching views of both staunch Republicans and Democrats in Congress. I do think that GOP proposals like capping doctor malpractice judgments and opening up insurer competition to all fifty states would have potentially detrimental results for most citizens. One of the best models to build on, ironically, would the one that Republican Mitt Romney implemented while Governor of Massachusetts; it makes sense that everyone should pay into it, just as long as everyone is covered. I am surprised he hasn't received more news coverage these days. Or if he has, it must be on news media that I don't frequent.
Peace.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Those Who Do Not Learn From (Recent) History....
A lot has been happening in the political world that I've wanted to write about. Unfortunately, a lot has been happening in my life that I haven't had the time to get in detail about my thoughts. Suffice it to say, as I predicted six months ago. black has become white... or rather, red has become blue. Democrats and Republicans look at each other in the Congress and Senate and see their own reflection just over five months ago. There are so many parallels, it's almost as if we're experience a repeat of 2001-2007. And that concerns me. Because as I said six months ago, it's hard to be smug when there's a chance that the Democrats will overreach just as the Republicans did.
I don't support corporate welfare so I haven't been a fan of the banking and auto industry bailouts. Regarding the failing banks, I would have supported their assets - and, ideally, most of their employees - being absorbed by smaller, healthier financial institutions. However, dealing with the more tangible goods of the auto industry is something different. Granted, I would have preferred that the least profitable makes and models were allowed to be spun off or closed down. As it is, allowing the companies to simply shut down would have created a dramatic ripple effect that may have had more consequences than the bailouts. However, I do think that we've reached the point that enough is enough. Nonetheless, it looks like we're all going to own a piece of General Motors. I hope that we can all at least get a new car out of the deal...
And finally, Sonia Sotomayor. We all know that she is going to pass the nomination process (save the irony of a Republican filibuster against an Democratic call for an up-and-down vote). And we all know "the quote" about the judge's quote about being a "wise Latina woman" that does look admittedly prejudiced, at least without knowing the context. What I would want to know is what is "that life" that she refers to that would allegedly not be known by a white male. Is it the life of an minority and/or female? If so, then I would understand where she's coming from, albeit in the way that Chris Rock understands O.J. Simpson. If my theory is indeed correct, she would certainly be walking a fine line between the stereotype and reality of white males' relative socioeconomic status and the ability to relate to others outside it. But again, I'm making assumptions, as many of us are, without the total context of the quote. So I'm reserving judgement in the hope that we will see all of that information soon.
I don't support corporate welfare so I haven't been a fan of the banking and auto industry bailouts. Regarding the failing banks, I would have supported their assets - and, ideally, most of their employees - being absorbed by smaller, healthier financial institutions. However, dealing with the more tangible goods of the auto industry is something different. Granted, I would have preferred that the least profitable makes and models were allowed to be spun off or closed down. As it is, allowing the companies to simply shut down would have created a dramatic ripple effect that may have had more consequences than the bailouts. However, I do think that we've reached the point that enough is enough. Nonetheless, it looks like we're all going to own a piece of General Motors. I hope that we can all at least get a new car out of the deal...
And finally, Sonia Sotomayor. We all know that she is going to pass the nomination process (save the irony of a Republican filibuster against an Democratic call for an up-and-down vote). And we all know "the quote" about the judge's quote about being a "wise Latina woman" that does look admittedly prejudiced, at least without knowing the context. What I would want to know is what is "that life" that she refers to that would allegedly not be known by a white male. Is it the life of an minority and/or female? If so, then I would understand where she's coming from, albeit in the way that Chris Rock understands O.J. Simpson. If my theory is indeed correct, she would certainly be walking a fine line between the stereotype and reality of white males' relative socioeconomic status and the ability to relate to others outside it. But again, I'm making assumptions, as many of us are, without the total context of the quote. So I'm reserving judgement in the hope that we will see all of that information soon.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Breaking The Law - Part Two
Not that anyone keeping up with this blog has been waiting with baited breath... but I apologize for not staying more current. Mt latest gig, also located in DC, has taken a lot of the slack out of my evening time so that if I do get online, I don't have the concentration to put together a couple interesting, let alone coherent paragraphs.
If you haven't guessed by now, my client company is involved in the legal profession (hence the title) which just absolutely warms the cockles of Cathy's heart. In the interest of company privacy, I can only say that some dishonesty by a prior employee resulted in a massive cash loss. So my main duty is to help clean up that situation in preparation for an upcoming annual audit.
My boss has instilled a lot of faith in my abilities which in turn has given me a lot more confidence in my decision making and ideas. Also, having to create accurate results from spotty if not also intentionally misleading information went from being from a frustrating endeavor to a growing experience. So I feel like I've gotten a lot out of the experience already.
Both my boss and recruiter have each said to me separately that the company would probably want to hire me if not for the lack of available funds. I'd say that I wouldn't mind either... but after my previous rush to judgment at the wind joint, I'm hesitant to make a similar declaration of enthusiasm. I do know that I intend to make more of an effort to find something permanent when I return from the Summer of Love tour. While I'd like to go further in my transition to other careers, the reality is that I need to make a decent living, especially if I'm going to invest in further education to accomplish those career goals.
If you haven't guessed by now, my client company is involved in the legal profession (hence the title) which just absolutely warms the cockles of Cathy's heart. In the interest of company privacy, I can only say that some dishonesty by a prior employee resulted in a massive cash loss. So my main duty is to help clean up that situation in preparation for an upcoming annual audit.
My boss has instilled a lot of faith in my abilities which in turn has given me a lot more confidence in my decision making and ideas. Also, having to create accurate results from spotty if not also intentionally misleading information went from being from a frustrating endeavor to a growing experience. So I feel like I've gotten a lot out of the experience already.
Both my boss and recruiter have each said to me separately that the company would probably want to hire me if not for the lack of available funds. I'd say that I wouldn't mind either... but after my previous rush to judgment at the wind joint, I'm hesitant to make a similar declaration of enthusiasm. I do know that I intend to make more of an effort to find something permanent when I return from the Summer of Love tour. While I'd like to go further in my transition to other careers, the reality is that I need to make a decent living, especially if I'm going to invest in further education to accomplish those career goals.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
George Will:Fashionista
(Channeling Larry The Cable Guy...)
I don't care what you say, that's funny right 'dere!
I don't care what you say, that's funny right 'dere!
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Off The Hook
Progressives and Northern/West Coast states who wanted to move or secede to Canada after the 2004 elections are officially off the hook.
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D97J48IO2.html
Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up an anti-tax "tea party" Wednesday with his stance against the federal government and for states' rights as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, "Secede!"
I did predict something like this would happen... (See Bush, Part One.)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D97J48IO2.html
Texas Gov. Rick Perry fired up an anti-tax "tea party" Wednesday with his stance against the federal government and for states' rights as some in his U.S. flag-waving audience shouted, "Secede!"
I did predict something like this would happen... (See Bush, Part One.)
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Breaking The Law - Part One
The first day on the new gig was cool... but I wouldn't be me if something strange didn't happen. At least it wasn't my fault this time.
I got there at 10:00am as requested only to find out that my lady manager J had called out due to a sudden asthma attack. Since she would be the one to train me, I wouldn't be needed until tomorrow. My future female cube-mate V said that left a message with the agency. I would have probably been underground by then, anyway. Still, I was perhaps a touch miffed that my recruiter hadn't at least attempted to leave a message with me. But when I called him to see about getting compensated for some of my time, he said he had not heard anything about the situation. But he apologized profusely and offered to pay me two hours' travel time at my assignment rate.
I then thought it might be a good idea to go pick up a timesheet from the agency and meet my recruiter. (I was referred to him by another branch office where I had already registered.) He suggested that I take the train for what would be a eight-minute ride. Instead, I decided to take advantage of a rare mild and sunny day and instead chose to walk. After a leisurely half-hour stroll, I entered the office only to have my recruiter tell me that my manager made it in after all and that I was welcome to come in today if I wanted.
Oh what the heck, I didn't have anything else planned so why not! :)
As it was now 11:30, I did ask for some time to eat my lunch before starting back up there which was granted without a problem. Unfortunately I ended up eating the "brown-bagger" on a windy bench as there was no park near enough and my legs, having also spent a half-hour on the recumbent bike this morning, were saying no mas. After some recovery time, I hopped on the Metro and finally started my workday.
The manager J was definitely happy to see me. It was a nice change of pace from Bipolar who, in retrospect, didn't even greet me with a smile when we first met. Apparently quite a mess was created by the person who previously held her position, so I was there to help her clean it up before the arrival of the auditors in two weeks. One of my biggest selling points reportedly was my experience on their accounting software which I had used for three years at my last permanent gig. J said that her knowledge of that software was pretty limited. Although it took me a few moments to get back to speed, I started paying dividends already when I showed J an easier way to find certain information without printing out extraneous amounts of paper. She was very happy about that. I also was able to point out some odd items on the bank account I was reconciling. So all in all, it was a good day. I managed a "three-fer": got some exercise, saw some sights and did some work... getting paid for it all the while! :)
I got there at 10:00am as requested only to find out that my lady manager J had called out due to a sudden asthma attack. Since she would be the one to train me, I wouldn't be needed until tomorrow. My future female cube-mate V said that left a message with the agency. I would have probably been underground by then, anyway. Still, I was perhaps a touch miffed that my recruiter hadn't at least attempted to leave a message with me. But when I called him to see about getting compensated for some of my time, he said he had not heard anything about the situation. But he apologized profusely and offered to pay me two hours' travel time at my assignment rate.
I then thought it might be a good idea to go pick up a timesheet from the agency and meet my recruiter. (I was referred to him by another branch office where I had already registered.) He suggested that I take the train for what would be a eight-minute ride. Instead, I decided to take advantage of a rare mild and sunny day and instead chose to walk. After a leisurely half-hour stroll, I entered the office only to have my recruiter tell me that my manager made it in after all and that I was welcome to come in today if I wanted.
Oh what the heck, I didn't have anything else planned so why not! :)
As it was now 11:30, I did ask for some time to eat my lunch before starting back up there which was granted without a problem. Unfortunately I ended up eating the "brown-bagger" on a windy bench as there was no park near enough and my legs, having also spent a half-hour on the recumbent bike this morning, were saying no mas. After some recovery time, I hopped on the Metro and finally started my workday.
The manager J was definitely happy to see me. It was a nice change of pace from Bipolar who, in retrospect, didn't even greet me with a smile when we first met. Apparently quite a mess was created by the person who previously held her position, so I was there to help her clean it up before the arrival of the auditors in two weeks. One of my biggest selling points reportedly was my experience on their accounting software which I had used for three years at my last permanent gig. J said that her knowledge of that software was pretty limited. Although it took me a few moments to get back to speed, I started paying dividends already when I showed J an easier way to find certain information without printing out extraneous amounts of paper. She was very happy about that. I also was able to point out some odd items on the bank account I was reconciling. So all in all, it was a good day. I managed a "three-fer": got some exercise, saw some sights and did some work... getting paid for it all the while! :)
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