April Fools

A Fuhhh-neeeee

While the FCC decides to go after cable programming for pushing the boundaries of art and comedy (which always goes against popular taste), we can remember that sometimes the best comic spectacles are the most obvious:

and

Nothing says "April Fools" like a Situationalist Stunt like a good ol' fashioned pie in the face (or salad dressing dousing) of Conservative pundits.

Signified Vegatables

Signified Vegatables

Terry Shiavo, who now get's more google action than anyone alive or dead, will be forgotten in one week. Meanwhile - the right-wing circus roars it's hilarious spectacle like a Fellini like circus (recalling the virgin sighting in La Dolce Vita). The meaning that the churchies brainstormed in under a month's time has no historical relevance - according to a Jesuit scholar, "Sanctity of Life" is a recent term, and one that's being used for this particular agenda (and not one for say - repealing the death penalty in Texas or ending the war in Iraq?)... Yes, I fall victim to the same partialism if I say I support human rights and Amnesty international, but have my logic is reduced to the obvious: These are living people. I also concede that you can draw lines and conclusions as you want, this isn't our business. The "Sanctity of Life" as applied to the personal choices of a family are as rhetorically hollow as the Jesse Jackson media op (and what happened here?). But, the rabid angry fan-base for "SOL" arguments, like Rosanne Barr once said of her middle-american detractors, "Well, at least that's one less person forming the human-fence around the abortion clinic." Unfortunately, they won't go elsewhere.

History Teaches Us Nothing

History Teaches Us Nothing

This week's Stranger Cover story features a report on the Micah Painter gay bashing incident last summer (since the trial is occuring at this very moment). The outrage felt last July over this easily resurfaces when you read Eli Sander's peice. It's a very telling analysis - much like the way "Sorrow and Pity" outed the secret hatred Parisians still had for Jews generations later. In this case - it's emigres from small towns and immigrants from other lands, and ironically, both victim and criminals are of the near-same faith. It makes you sick with fear that if three incredibly stupid, hateful people can be consumed by bigotry and intolerance, what's the slippery slope for more than just those three?
Ironically - I always felt safe walking home from the Rebar, 24hourFitness and Timberline (the area in the denny regrade where the incident occured). Capitol Hill seemed to take care of it's own the minute I arrived (gangs of Q-patrol people like a 2nd-rate Guardian Angels troupe walked the streets, but it seemed unneccessary - everyone had your back). Yet you read the way it went down and you realize it could be you. Bigots stupid with self-hate and alcohol infused anger arrive to sack civilization at every turn. While the war on terror rages - these are the real barbarians at our gates - and no, being from out of the country has nil to do w/this. These barbarians are cut in every corner of the world. We don't need to give them years of historical oppression, or tribal anguish fueled by machete-wielding violence of teenage juantus - you just need hate and a passage from the bible to reason your hate.
The peice was published before the verdict -which was returned with a Guilty Verdict that it was a hate crime. There is no justice in this however as they got off with lesser degrees of assault. The fact that the bottle was used as a weapon should have made this attempted murder at the very least. And what about the victim? Life pretty much ruined, and wanting to possibly leave this tolerant city. Nothing has been gained from this - we can have all the awareness we want, but no-one's reinforcing the gates (or so it seems). Maybe the Q-patrol should be brought back in force. And it becomes a community effort (everyone - gay, straight, black, white, old, young) are required to walk around and make sure everyone's safe at every possible hour. And perhaps we'll have big gates and a fortress wall?

Page Six Gossip

A Page Six-style Shoutout

Ok a bit late in coming (I blame blogger servers!! Waaah!)
Which Hanson-obsessed, former-Seattle, Ex-zonian, Spice-Grrl not only gets all the cool celeb sightings, but also got the righteous privledge of meeting and escorting a certain Man-who-fell-to-earth around her workplace?
Not sayin... But dang, she gets to meet all the cool people...

Ok - this one was a no-brainer...

Ok this one was a no brainer

I probably shoulda’ waited until I got my tax-returns, but since I was in the vicinity of the local Mac store – I kinda caved a bit early and bought one. Oh mama – this one is sooo nice too! Quick, easy and takes up virtually no space. Transferring information from my ailing G4 was incredibly simple too. It only took one hour for initial set up and I was off (Looks like Mac has learned some lessons about this from the last time I bought this in 2000 and had to install OSX myself. Ugh. That took all night!)... It works like a dream so far, and I’m just luvin the extra’s I got (some extra ram and the new iPod mini which I am listening too right now). Easy goal to meet for a compulsive shopper.

See more progress on: buy an Apple iMac G5 Desktop

Welcome to my 43 Memes

Welcome to My 43 Meme's

Ok – so I decided to expand my to-do list (which has more do’s than dones at this point) and one of them is to not let the blog languish. I need to get back on the wagon and keep this regular and ready for action. Luckily, 43things.com has this handy new feature which lets me upload progress on all 43 goals to this blog. Booyeah. So – now my viewing public (of 3 or 4 people?) can watch my proactive procrastination working against me and all the other self-fufilling media nodes as we culturally implode ala Gawker style…

See more progress on: blog more

Jackopolitik

Jackopolotik:

This post by Momus and ensuing thread is the most interesting I've read to date on the whole Michael Jackson affair. If you step back from the creepiness and lurid details, you do see the ultimate post-modern sense of urgency to have him "normalized" in any sense (guilty or not guilty - american's can't deal w/any ambiguity).

What's even more compelling (although a no brainer) is the parallel one of the posters makes to Matthew Barney's Cremaster series. Apparently at a talk, Barney himself said that in the "Cremaster series, Michael Jackson is fully actualized"... Of course! That makes sense - the literal testicular drop hasn't happened for him - he's the castrati-freak of the hour, between sexes, race, and even age.

Unfortunately, consequences of creating a monster you get everyone becoming more monstrous in the hunt for the monster itself... Or maybe the Frankenstien reference is too bold, but it could wind up as a cautionary story for people who try to step outside of race, age, gender through money and plastic surgery. Kate Bornstien rallied behind the idea of a multiplicity of genders - this idea might come under attack...

Still - I guess the antagonism lends itself to such fun pastimes as "Escape from Neverland".