Easing Into Pain

I didn't start feeling the tragedy in Tucson until last night. I don't know why it took me so long, but it did. And it took other people's words to do it.  Maybe I'm so used to hearing about it; so terribly used to only just getting emotionally past a national tragedy when another happens, that I'm numb.  According to The Toilet Paper (my most reliable source of interesting information), there were seventy-nine mass shootings (defined as four or more victims) in the United States between 2007 and 2009. Seventy-nine mass shootings in two years, in one stable, first world country.  That is so much bad news to take in, so often.  It's no wonder I'm desensitized to the plight of my countrymen.

I pride myself in being an overly sensitive person.  I can count on my hand the number of times I've killed bugs that weren't actively attacking me.  I don't hurt things or people, and when things or people are hurt, even if I don't know them, my heart breaks afresh every time.  Or it used to.  I would like to think it still does, because I feel it now. I feel the loss of those poor people in the Safeway parking lot, and for their families.  For the husbands who jumped in front of their wives, for the parents of that little girl at an age that I remember so well, for the fiancee of the young man, who can't even claim the badge of widow-hood.

It took others' words to do this to me, though. I was fully prepared to flit through the headlines like it was just another tragedy, as if something like that exists. Every tragedy is a complete and utter tragedy, and I almost forgot that, in the midst of my busy, fairly self-involved life.

First I read an account from one of my bloggers that I read regularly, Becca, and then I read our President's words in Tucson today.  Both shook me out of my indifference; one of them made me cry.  There is nothing I can do for these strangers in Tucson except feel their loss, and do all I can to send more love into the world, into the collective unconscious, and into my own daily life.  So I guess that is what I will do. And encourage you to read the same words I read, and do the same.

Gentleman in Residence - Jess: All The News That's Fit to China

See Jess' first Gentleman in Residence post here.

You know how, when you get a new car, all of a sudden you start seeing the same car everywhere? It's as if suddenly everyone in your town decided they also desperately needed a silver Saturn SL1.

I've noticed something similar happening with China in the news since I got here. I'm positive it's just that I never really paid attention to articles about China before it suddenly because relevant to my life, but U.S. news sources suddenly seem to be paying a lot of attention to what's going on here. And most of it seems to be really bad.

Now, I'll give you that the past couple weeks have been kind of exceptional, with the news that the imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize (Not to mention the Chinese government's subsequent crackdown on celebrations) and Tim Geithner attacking Chinese currency policy, the House of Representatives passing a bill trying to prevent trade imbalances due to Chinese currency manipulations and the news that U.S. candidates have apparently decided that the catchphrase of the day is "Blame China!"

Still, I've also seen articles about Chinese vacation policy, the differences between education in China and America, and the question of whether or not there is free speech in China (short answer: no, unless you're a foreigner, or rich), news that China is fighting a report alleging that Chinese ammunition and weapons have been sold to Darfur, and the Obama administration launching an investigation into Chinese clean-energy subsidies.

I can't claim that my month and a half living here has imparted some great wisdom about the Chinese people. But I do think that, left to the western media's devices, you're never going to hear anything but bad news about China. So, interested in reading about something other than how evil Beijing is? Here's a couple blogs I follow to get news about what's going on in everyday China:

China Geeks takes a lot of Chinese media sources, translates their stories and then provides analysis. China Geeks also has an awesome blogroll if you want to find more things to read.

China Smack, a gossip site similar to Jezebel, only without the feminist bent.

This Ridiculous World, an expat blog that is usually hysterical.

My Laowai, another really funny blog. Laowai is a word that literally means foreigner, but can be used as a very negative name to call obnoxious non-Chinese.

A Few Articles For Your Sunday

It seems like a while since I last did a roundup of Sunday Morning paper reading.

First up, the master of the Olde Timey-ness - M. Ward

Second, far less painful than reading one of his books, an upbeat column from Thomas Friedman on green energy

And in the WaPost a little reminder of the effects of the recession from those hardest hit.

Also, another green article, this one a bit more realistic and a bit more glib, but hey that's the Post for ya, right?

In Defense of Rush Limbaugh

As I struggle with writer's block, brought on largely by my anxiety about making my personal statement for Law School as perfect as possible, I would like to thank CNN for giving me the material to pursue my gentlemanly endeavors.

Recently on their website, CNN advertised an article in which they had audio of conservative comedian Rush Limbaugh stating "I hope he fails." This is, of course, in reference to Barack Obama's Presidency. The fat man wasted no time in criticizing our 44th President, perhaps hoping he could hearken back to the "America Held Hostage" routine which popularized his act in the early 90s.

Let's get something out in the open right away. Whether you're a conservative or a liberal, Rush Limbaugh is still a moron. He's a jackal, a hypocrite, a liar, a pill popper, a distorter of facts, and by most accounts, not a practitioner of proper hygiene. Possible-Senator Al Franken summed it up with his 1996 book "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot (And Other Observations)." The man is also unpleasant to look at, which is always unfortunate to say of another human being.

Despite all his failings, Rush Limbaugh is also one other thing. He's an American. As an American, he is entitled to freedom of speech, and entitled to not having his words thrown into a blender by the media.

The beginning of Rush Limbaugh's quote was an example of what he espouses to believe will happen under an Obama Presidency. He referenced the expansion of government, and how it will encroach the automotive industry, the banks, and other areas of the private sector at unprecedented levels. That is what he was referencing when he made his quote. He has a comedy routine built around pretending to be a conservative radio host, and in the midst of his act he brought up a perfectly valid and well-documented concern of the right; the expansion of government. In regards to this, he stated "I hope he fails." The conservative viewpoint does not line up with Obama's policies, or at least what many believe will be his course of action. To show concern that your President is going to act in ways you do not think are in your best interest is completely legitimate.

Some of you might say that this is just Limbaugh getting what's coming to him. He makes an outrageous comment and has it turned back around on him, like so many other times he's twisted the words of others to fit his own exceedingly narrow viewpoint. I say; why perpetuate the cycle at all? Why even bring undue attention to the man? He's been trying to make it big for nearly two decades, and his act still has yet to nail him a single movie, sitcom, or even HBO special. He's just not funny. The sooner we accept he's not deserving of our attention and move on, the better. Taking cheap shots at him and using a distortion of his words as the basis only stoops to his pedestrian level. Real broadcasters, especially an organization like CNN, should be above that. Limbaugh shouldn't even be a blip on their radar.

There's nothing I can say about Rush Limbaugh that hasn't been said already. Except for that he begins every morning by staring at himself naked in the mirror, sweating profusely, and sobbing as he jiggles his gut and calls himself a pig over and over again. A fat, sloppy hog not even fit for bacon. He then cuts himself until he can't feel his hands, and then showers, suits up, and faces the day. I don't think anyone has said that yet.

About CNN, however, I say shame. You are a major news organizaton that trumpets about your claim of "keeping the Presidency honest" during the first 100 days coverage. Yet you can't even keep your own reporters from distorting the facts, or attacking a man for exercising his first amendment rights? Leave Rush Limbaugh alone. He plays to the audience that wants to hear him, no one else. Whatever outlandish statements he makes are best left with them, you only make it worse by putting it on your broadcast, and worse yet by using Limbaugh's own tactics when reporting it. If Limbaugh hopes that Obama fails to pass a largely liberal agenda and expansion of government, he's far from alone. He just worded it in his typically idiotic way.

And now, the non-sequiter conclusion to my post.

"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around. When yellow can be mellow. When the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what's right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen."
"Amen!"
"Say Amen."
"Amen!"
"Amen."

Ten Things I Learned This Weekend

1. Season 4 of The Office was everything I hoped it would be and more. Jackie and I watched the last three disks this weekend. Watching the writers being interviewed at the convention was a nice treat afterwards. I didn't think the thing with Holly had much traction for me to get interested in how it will develop in season 5. The thing with Phyllis will definitely be exciting to watch play out. Will she tell Andy? Crazy!

2. Waiting for the full version of GarageBand to download is a bitch, and the end result is a let down. The horn and string sections are lame. The synth textures have a wide variety, but you'll need to make your own adjustments. Only try a whole note of Mykonos Movements if you have time to kill. You'll know what I mean.

3. Nori, a sushi place in Columbia Heights, serves the best steak I've ever had at a restaurant. Try the Hong Kong Steak, medium, and dodge the bay leaves.

4. I am big brother. I just got the NBC 4 Traffic Cam app on my phone, and now I can pull up any DOT camera in the area. If someone gets the app and does one of those image loops by putting their phone in front of a DOT camera, I will "owe you one."

5. Bush 41 wants Jeb Bush to become president someday, according to the Associated Press. An interview with Senior reveals a wish that has the possibility of coming true. Jeb is a hugely popular former Governor from an important swing state, Connecticut. Er, Texas. Wait, Florida? That's right, he's from Florida. Born and raised I can only assume. Does anyone know if he has a Cuban accent?

6. The central heating in my house hums at B flat. And at a tempo of 1.5 bpm.

7. Israel has unmanned aircraft technology. Apparently so does Hezbollah. And I'm guessing a few sponsored paint ball teams as well.

8. Bill Richardson is bowing out as the Secretary of Commerce nominee. There's some drama going on about some New Mexico business deal, according to CNN.com, which would have delayed his nomination and, arguably, the rebound of the US economy. So Bill, thanks for getting out of the way, and I sincerely hope you're not another on the laundry list of recently exposed corrupt public officials.

9. Slumdog Millionare is pretty good, even three rows from the screen. I was surprised to see that the younger actors were expressive and believable. Plus, it's refreshing to have an ending that is unpredictably predictable.

10. Christmas trees are survivors. But sadly I have to put mine out tomorrow night. We can all learn lessons from the life of a Christmas tree. Balance is important. Fakes are lame. Drink plenty of water. And always remember, every dog has his day.

The State of Journalism

Bill O'Reilly. Keith Olbermann. Rachel Maddow. Hannity & Colmes.


Throwing those names out at the start, you may suspect where this is going. A condemnation of the aforementioned and their biased, one-sided reporting. Strong words in their direction demanding that they cease and desist tearing apart the fabric of the truth for their ratings. A harsh and brutal series of insults insisting Edward R. Murrow would be disgusted with what was on the air today. At least one quote along the lines of "how dare you" directed at Mr. Olbermann for ending his program with Murrow's trademark "Good night, and good luck."


But Murrow's rest goes on undisturbed. The problem is not the people reporting the news. It's the people watching it.


The journalists we see on television are not journalists at all. They are pundits, talking heads, dedicated towards pleasing a particular audience. Their reports are geared towards reaching a particular demographic. The stories they twist, the quotes taken out of context, the events they blow out of proportion or ignore completely, they're all done without compromising any kind of integrity. It's understood that these people are not real reporters, not in the purest sense. They're simply there to entertain while discussing current events. Like Jon Stewart, only not as blatant in what they do. The only power they have to be considered real and valid news reporters is the power we give them. Unfortunately, we give them quite a bit.


Somewhere along the line, news stopped being about being unbiased and impartial. People want to hear reporters tell them what to think. We seem to have lost interest in what's going on in the rest of the world. The local interest and human interest story has taken precedent over keeping people informed about current affairs. News agencies stay in business based on their ratings. No ratings, no advertisers, no money, no show. I can't blame them for showing what they do. It comes down to the people who watch - or don't watch - based on how entertained they'll be by what they see. Our news reporting agencies shouldn't be a part of the cycle of bread and circuses, and they would not be. Except for the fact that we demand they be.


The reporting we get is the reporting we want, whether we admit it or not. It's no mistake that we only get bad news. History has proven that's the news that most draws in an audience. People watch news that tells them what to be afraid of. The majority isn't interested in being broadly informed and thinking about information for themselves. They want to be guided. The news is not a tool to tell us how to act. It is there to inform so we can draw our own opinions with a little more insight and information than we would have had previously.

This is one of those situations where change starts at home. The only way to get decent reporting is to demand it in a way networks understand; watch the shows that are actually about the news. Don't sit on the edge of your seat waiting for the next clever thing Keith Olbermann says. Don't eagerly await Bill O'Reilly's next skewed appraisal of events. Sit down and watch a news anchor tell you without offering opinion the events of the world today. Watch the international news CNN is kind enough to provide on most cable providers. Watch for hard-hitting interviews and make it a point to tune in. Watch C-SPAN. Do something to be more than a parrot for a pundit. If you demand it, the networks will be more than happy to oblige, as long as you're watching.

Imagine if the majority of Americans willingly elected to be well-informed about current events and the way their government worked.

Wouldn't THAT be newsworthy?

Well At Least We Made Out Alright, I Guess

Damo sent me this link yesterday - it's a news story called "The Kiss of Deaf" about a woman who's boyfriend actually ruptured her eardrum during what I have to assume was a pretty hardcore makeout session.

Here's the article -

BEIJING (Reuters) - A young woman in southern China has partially lost her hearing after her boyfriend ruptured her eardrum during an excessively passionate kiss, local media reported Monday.

The 20-something girl from Zhuhai, in southern Guangdong province, went to hospital completely deaf in her left ear, the China Daily said, citing a report in a local newspaper.

"The kiss reduced pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear," the paper quoted a doctor surnamed Li from the hospital as saying.

The woman's hearing would likely return to normal after about two months, Li said.

"While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution," the paper said.

But ear damage isn't the only little known danger of the twilight tongue attack. So as a public service announcement to all you lovers young and old who may be planning some necking later on - a word of caution. Maybe think twice. The danger may be greater than you make it out to be. (get it?)

In high school I had a friend who happened to be tongue tied. Now, I don't mean that she was shy or didn't know her way around a turn of phrase. She actually had the medical condition colloquially known as being "tongue tied" - when extra webbing is present under the tongue and connects it to the bottom of the mouth, keeping the tongue from being able to extend fully. She couldn't actually stick her tongue out of her mouth. As far as I'm aware, there's no real negative health affects to being tongue tied - she was able to speak normally and with clarity, eating wasn't an issue - I certainly wouldn't have known if she hadn't told me.

It is uncommon though, and different than most people, and so an elective surgery is available to snip the webbing and allow full tongue range of motion.

Well one night she was making out with her boyfriend, and he must have a mouth like a hoover vacuum because he sucked so hard on her tongue that he actually ripped the webbing himself and loosened her tongue from it's tied position.

Yes, there was blood.

But for all intents and purposes, he elected to have the surgery for her because to the best of my knowledge she is tongue tied no more.

Blood, hearing loss, detached tongual webbing -
And you thought sex was the scary part.

Sunday Papers

A few amusing things in the Sunday Papers:

First - Daptone Records!

Second - Writers should write books, Joe the Plumber should not. I agree 100%!

Third - We're not the dumbest generation!



Also, I am going to begin a running list of things not needed during the recession. To begin with:

#1 Lexuses for Christmas
#2 Cadillacs ever. (It amazes me that despite the disgusting smugness of bud light commercials the Cadillac ads are even more smug. The cocky dude from the Escalade Hybrid commercials is so smug he literally makes me nauseous just watching the commercial)
#3 Special edition box sets of mediocre summer blockbusters.
#4 Blue ray versions of movies shot before 2005. Theses movies were not in high def to begin with, stop lying to yourself.

To be continued...

Fun with Closed Captioning (Part 2)

Today, while doing a story on Obama speaking to the US governors, Fox News Closed Captioning reported that the President-Elect said any economic plan had to "help both Austria and Main Street."

It took me a good 30 seconds to realize they meant "Wall Street and Main Street."

But I bet some people in Austria are still pretty stoked right now.

Also - Things You Don't Want To Hear Said By An Old Man On The JCC Fitness Floor:

"Well, I don't have a choice here. If I had my choice, I'd just wear my thong."

Just remember kids - sometimes the rules are there to help you.

Fun with Closed Captioning

This morning on the news they were talking about Plaxico Burress turning himself into the police. I got a chance to read he turned himself over "after he shot himself in the eye" before being hastily changed to "shot himself in the thigh."

Slight difference, there.

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy (Part 2)

Today's front page headlines in The Washington Post -

"Players Gamble on Honesty, Security of Internet Betting"
"Ruthless Attackers, Desperate Victims"
"U.S. 'Not Getting What We Pay For"
"Joint Chiefs Chairman 'Very Positive' After Meeting With Obama"
and finally -
"Acorn Watchers Wonder What Happened to Crop"

Really?

So in addition to the fact that a story about internet gambling (which is very well written) gets full on, above-the-fold priority and at least twice as much page length as an article full of first person accounts of being held hostage at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai - the acorn watchers are front page news? I'm not saying it's not interesting, or a human interest story (or really a squirrel interest story) but skimming over the article the points that keep being presented are "We don't know why, and really, not a big deal." The two actual points of fact - less acorns this year, squirrels feeling the shortage. Well, aren't we all?

Other articles that didn't make the front page:
- A profile on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal who some are already calling 'The Republican Obama.' (Given his position being anti-abortion without exception, anti stem-cell research, and pro limited creationism being taught in public schools, lets really hope not.)
- An article on how Japan's population has shrunk for 27 consecutive years and that soon crime commited by those over the age of 65 will outnumber all other age brackets.
- The increasing risk of all out war between Pakistan and India should India move on it's accusations of Pakistani influence and involvement in the Mumbai attacks.

But hey, there's a really cute picture of a squirrel, that's gotta count for something.

Who was asleep at that wheel?

I Read the News Today, Oh Boy

I was watching the news at work on Friday morning. They were reporting on the situation in Mumbai, and at the time were just confirming the deaths of everyone in the Chabad center, and the man from Virginia and his 13 year old daughter. A death toll of over 150 (and probably a good deal more) lost to a wave of indiscriminate bullets and grenades; people being held hostage in places and symbols of refuge like hotels, train stations, and community centers.

And then the very next story was about a woman being trampled to death here in America at a Black Friday sale.

And you mean to tell me that while people a world away are being callously and viciously murdered by terrorists filled with fear, hate, and an active disregard for human life, here at home people are still dying on that same day because we can't stand in a fucking line?