With the Beatles‘ recent popularity with generations who weren’t even around the first time around, you’d think that love is all you need. However, we live in times where even that sentiment, as lovely as it is, is not enough to counter the malaise of this recession. One of the feature stories in this month’s Atlantic Monthly, “How a New Jobless Era Will Transform America,” paints a grim future for the American job market in the next few years. The New York Times, not to be beat, is doing a series about “The New Poor” (coming off an era with the new rich) with a similar article: ” Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs.” The Atlantic Monthly makes predictions about the cultural changes to come while the NY Times takes a closer look at the systems in place to deal with unemployment and how they’re ill-prepared for this crisis. With the grimness pointed out by both sources, why not laugh at the futility of paying off credit cards on Cracked.Com.
current events
20
Feb 10
The Doctor, Amazon.Com, Healthcare FAIL, etc
The new trailer for the upcoming Dr. Who with the newly regenerated 11th Doctor and new companion Amy Pond.
With the Christmas and New Year Specials giving David Tennant’s 10th Doctor a proper send-off and effectively ending the Russell T Davies’ era of Doctor Who, this trailer helps whet our appetites for the coming season with Matt Smith’s 11th Doctor and Steven Moffat, who wrote some brilliant episodes in the past such as “The Girl in the Fireplace” and “Blink” among others, taking the helm as executive producer. The trailer above, recently posted to BBC America‘s Doctor Who site, definitely promises the season to be a good one. The previous trailer gives more of a dramatic sense with actual scenes, whereas this one simply sells it. Best Doctor Who teaser since Christopher Eccleston’s offer of a “trip of a lifetime.”
12
Jul 09
Frightening about IOU’s
Earlier this week, Arnold Schwarzenegger, like another great California governor* two decades before him, decided to issue IOU’s to to state employees and vendors. This time around, several major banks chose not to honor the promissory notes, as seen on the screen of a Wells Fargo ATM. Now, California state employees will very well experience what much of the working poor do with ghetto taxes, especially going to check-cashing places.** That means hefty charges. Hopefully, they won’t get caught up in cash advances. Too scary to think about, not something I’d wish on anyone, not even the employees of EDD.
If I worked at SDSU as part of my adjunct professorhood, or if I were still a grad student doing TA work, I’d have major nightmares right now, mainly because their paychecks are issues by the State Controller’s Office. I definitely feel for friends, former professors, and others who work for the State of California right now.
* 
Not a fan of the former governor Pete Wilson.
** Credit unions are another option.
11
Sep 08
Remembering 9/11
Today is the seventh anniversary of 9/11, which is one of those days anyone can remember where they heard the news. I certainly can remember. It was a dark day for sure, wherever one was
I’m taking an online moment to remember those who died on the flights, those who were killed in the World Trade Center and the section of the Pentagon, and the firefighters and other rescuers.
All those deaths were regrettable, but what followed was worse. It was easy to see that 9/11 would lead to war after war. It was the boost a lazy president needed when his first year was going downhill. The talk of action and the “war on terror” and the pursuit of “terrorism,” whatever those terms meant, would define Bush and company and become the excuse they needed to infringe upon our civil liberties, such as the PATRIOT Act. That the Bush administration exploited 9/11 with such finesse is a definite atrocity, resulting in prolonged military actions and occupations, costing more lives and resources.
To the memory of those who died. Also, to their loved ones and those who survived the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks and the firefighters and volunteer workers who assisted in the aftermath.
Here, Keith Oberman blasts the GOP about 9/11™. Vid from Andrew, who also posted about the 7th anniversary of 9/11.
19
Apr 07
Cho’s Plays: One Young Writer’s Mein Kampf?
I just read the two Cho Seung-Hui plays that are posted on AOL. While not the most violent works I’ve ever read, the perspective of his protagonists is very disturbing.
In “Richard McBeef,” John has a great deal of contempt for his stepfather and goes out of his way to impugn his character, despite titular character’s attempt to reach out to him. John, in turn, spits profanities at his stepfather, accuses his him of killing his father to marry his mother, and claims he is trying to molest him. After stirring up things between his mother and “Richard McBeef,” John is tragically killed by a lethal blow from his enemy.
The teenagers think nothing of beating down their high school math teacher in “Mr. Brownstone,” and they all describe him in very unsavory terms before the incident. While they don’t get away with murder, they assault Mr. Brownstone and try to take his winnings ticket after illegally entering a casino. Security intervenes and the teenagers feel they have been dealt another raw deal.
One common thread in the titles is that the works are named after the enemy or the object of the main character’s hatred. The protagonists are self-centered, contemptuous of adults, and think nothing of lying or carrying out physical violence against them. They have very little sympathy for others, and hate their targets for truly inexplicable reasons. The feeling that others somehow owe them something is present in these works. They bear a hint of the rage that was barely articulated until a few days ago.
19
Apr 07
Simon Says
The Time quote of the day at the time of this posting was attributed to Simon. Here’s a video of him rolling his eyes.
18
Apr 07
F’d Up English Major
Joshua Minton’s blog entry “Why You Shouldn’t Fuck With English Students” got me thinking of the killer of the Virginia Tech shootings. In recent years, we’ve had our series of tragedies with the proverbial bad apples as the perpetrators: the Oklahoma bombers, the Columbine shooters, members of al-Quaeda, and now a lonely, anti-social misfit of an English major.
McVeigh’s crimes drew scant attention to domestic terrorists, while the aftermath of the Columbine shooters made the lives of school children miserable as security was increased and black as a fashion color was looked upon with suspicion by lily white parents. A big part of the Middle East was punished for 9/11 and airline travelers have had to endure more hassles ever since. Now, will there be a backlash against English majors?
I hope not. The crime is simply heinous. The kid was greatly fucked up. I have to applaud the creative writing teacher who tried to get him to see a counselor. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to get help and she couldn’t force him. Talk about a horse that wouldn’t drink after being led to water.
Here’s my attempt at damage control for the rest of us English majors.
Some really cool English majors include:
Emma Thompson
Dave Barry
Reese Witherspoon
Sting
me and some of my friends
Update: AOL has copies of two of his disturbing works.
8
Apr 07
Colbert Nominates James Dobson as Protestant Pope
I’ve always found Stephen Colbert funny on Strangers With Candy as the uptight, closeted history teacher. On the Colbert Report, he makes the leap to uptight, closeted right wing pundit, and in this clip, he endorses James Dobson to make things right in American evangelical WASP’dom, especially when it comes to restoring America’s Christians to being enviromentally irresponsible and being distracted with homophobia.
7
Apr 07
This Man Wants To Cure Your Homosexuality
Fred Phelps and the Westborough Baptist Church don’t really care what others think of them. In any media appearance (such as the BBC documentary and an interview with Sean Hannity) they show themselves and their views as the bile it really is. Their committed hatred towards homosexuals (and anyone sympathetic or linked to them) doesn’t earn any returns for them except hatred from their targets, and they are perfectly content with that. Winning people over isn’t their objective of their harsh public campaigns. They are overjoyed that “fags” are going to hell and they’re not interested in stopping it.
Among mainstream fundamentalists, there are those who wish to save the souls of the GLBT community. Unlike the Phelps, they try to show compassion and that God loves gays and lesbians as he does everyone else. The catch? They can get “saved,” but according to these self professed counselors and success stories, same-sex attraction is a psychological condition that must be addressed (ignoring that the APA removed homosexuality from the list in 1973). The ex-gay movement, while it is often religiously based such as Exodus, has attempted in the past decade or so to legitimize itself in a secular context through the “scientific” NARTH and by sending their emissaries to the talk show circuit.
One such emissary is Richard Cohen, NARTH’s leading bitch boy up to a certain point. I remember catching the interview on Jimmy Kimmel where George Foreman was extremely uncomfortable to sit on the same couch with Cohen, who tried to get a little too touchy feely with the gourmet boxer. Since he is on a mission to promote his skewed message, he’s such a good media whore, he’ll make a TV appearance anywhere. However, he should have thought about whose shows he should appear on, as his appearance on the Daily Show should be lesson enough for any other hack:
note: The Comedy Channel’s video for the mentioned segment of the Daily Show expired. Here is the Jimmy Kimmel segment where he embarasses himself.
Lesson: If you’re a nutjob, prepare to be skewered. This is Jon Stewart’s show, after all.
I don’t think Cohen really needed Stewart’s help at all. He does it all himself.
In this segment, the ex-gay take on homosexuality is spoofed in this segment. Wayne Besen is presented as the hopeless gay man who’s been eluded by a cure, and guess who has it? Could this Woody Allen-ish dweeb of man hold the answers?
note: The Comedy Channel’s video for the mentioned segment of the Daily Show expired. Here is the CNN segment where he demonstrates the cuddle therapy. I don’t think he demonstrates the childish hand gestures here..
What a piece of work Cohen is. This man isn’t a licensed therapist or psychiatrist, yet he calls himself a counselor. In a Three’s Company episode, Jack dates a therapist, and Janet overreacts when she reads the business card and screams “The Rapist.” Perhaps Janet’s malapropism is an appropriate description for a man who is duping others into thinking their gayness can be cured. His childish hand gestures for why heterosexuality is according to natural law are absurd. The first one could easily apply to anal or oral sex, while the second one looks like a lot of fun as well. Apparently, he’s never heard of frottage. Or has he?
It seems he has found a way to practice it fully clothed (sans genital contact). Cuddling other men as therapy on the couch is the only way he’s going to get his jollies for a long time. When he demonstrates his holding technique with Jason Jones, he ignores Jones’ safe word request or he just doesn’t get the reference at all.
It’s hilarious that Cohen thinks demonstrating masculinity is belching and shaking out his crotch. There is nothing manly about belching – it’s a simple biological function. Releasing gas is all it is. Since he engages in infantile acts such as screaming and punching pillows, he may burp himself because there is no one to do it for him. As far as shaking his schlong, I have to wonder where he learned this from. When it comes to dealing with pent up anger and aggression, wouldn’t a punching bag be more practical? Sparring may also help, but it’s much more fun to watch hot guys beat the crap out of each other.
Ted Haggard’s intensive three week therapy session is an anomaly in the ex-gay world. His therapists were definitely part of some PR campaign to clear Haggard of being gay (advice to Haggard: fire your publicist). Cohen, like most of ex-gay professionals, has a vested interest in the snake oil he sells. He sells a cure, but it will take an indefinite number of counseling sessions to get there. Cohen and his ilk are despicable for exploiting the insecurities of their clients and promising them something harder to find than the Holy Grail.
The best part of the segment is that all this therapy only leads to Wayne making out with another guy, and perhaps Jones needs to guard himself against this display.
Wayne Besen has some very interesting entries on his blog regarding Cohen:
Besen also has a number of entries on the ex-gay ministries in general.
