U.S. and U.N. - Partners in Hypocrisy

It's always heartening to hear your leaders talk about spreading goodwill and justice into the world. And then you find out it's a lie.

Genocide is taking place, has been taking place in Sudan's Darfur region for some time now. Women are being raped continuously. Men, women, and children are being killed.

In 1998, President Clinton declared "never again" in response to the tragedy in Rwanda.

As if he didn't know what was going on and sat back and did nothing.

Worse than that....here we are...letting it happen again. OH, we throw around a lot of bravado when it comes to our "God given right" or "mandate" to clean up the world and spread democracy.....we as a nation and we as a world have a lot to say when it comes to helping tsunami victims. But, when it comes to helping prevent the deaths of thousands of black people in Africa...we could care less. If Rwanda or Darfur were happening in Europe you bet your bippy the U.S. and every other industrialized country would be running over there, guns in hand. But we're talking about Africa. Not only does the "civilized world" still regard Africa's inhabitants as a bunch of dark-skinned savages, it also recognizes that there isn't an economic payoff to helping these people. No oil, no trade privileges, no strategic power alliances...NOTHING!

Except maybe the saving of human life.

It's sad to come to this epiphany. That your leaders...your country..isn't the powerhouse of morality and justice you thought it was...

If you want to lead me on issues of morality, then you'd better be prepared to pay up! Otherwise, I won't believe a damn word you say...I don't care if you're hugging a bible and a pro-life sign.

A Real Hero

Truck driver rushed to aid train wreck victims
"LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Most of the people who rushed toward the derailed train were backing off, too afraid of the flames and the spilled diesel to try to save the pleading man trapped in the tangled wreckage.
Dean Jaeschke, though, jumped in to help."

This guy is a real hero. He deserves a medal. More people should be like him.

Another one of those days...

Again, I'm completely frustrated. They say good things come to those who wait, but that seems like a load of donkey crap from where I'm sitting.

Today I found a decent job opportunity, but it's not in the area I want my career path to go. So...if I take this opportunity I won't have time to pursue volunteer opportunities that may take me where I do want to go.

I feel like I'm in limbo and I'm not making any progress. I just want to get going on something. I need to feel productive again.

Sometimes I want to give up because I can't find what I need or want. It's not really an option, but the whole thing is enough to ruin my motivation and that's something I can't afford to lose. Sometimes it's barely there to begin with...

The Academy Awards SUCK!!!

The Academy Awards is full of crap! I've never heard of most of these movies, much less seen them. They always pick some obscure movie that has only been seen by a buncha stuffy suits at the Sundance Film Festival. Never mind that some of these movies never made any money because no one wanted to see them.

BlaaEOeooOoOey!

In Rememberance...

This week, which marks the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, let's remember the over 6 million who were killed in the Holocaust.

http://www.yadvashem.org/

Headed for Iran???

Ahhh...this headline was sooo special it deserved its own post.

Tilting toward Tehran
In new term, a new focus of Bush administration wrath
By Kari Huus
Reporter
MSNBC
Updated: 10:37 a.m. ET Dec. 20, 2004
Foreign policy heavyweights warn of it. European allies scramble to avert it. Economists say the United States can’t afford it. Common sense seems to dictate against it. And yet, the Bush administration is heading for it – confrontation with Tehran.

*I have to say...What tha F*cK????

Us: We can't get Iraq under control, we still have to deal with Afghanistan, our military force is already spread too thin, and we have no money.

Them: "Iran is well-armed and large -- with area and population several times that of neighboring Iraq."(cited from above article)

I am so flabbergasted at the idiocy of this possibility that I am at a loss for words. Let's hope Bush isn't stupid enough to go for this boondoggle. And, let's hope that if he is, we'll all ban together to impeach him immediately.

Why can't Bush find his own little desolate island and found his own country? Then he can wage war on the entire world for all I care.

Today's News

Country store becomes shootout site
ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- When two men walked into a popular country store outside Atlanta, announced a holdup and fired a shot, owners Bobby and Gloria Doster never hesitated. The pair pulled out their own pistols and opened fire. The armed suspect and his partner were killed. The Dosters won't be charged, according to local officials, because they were acting in self-defense.
"I just started shooting," said Gloria Doster, 56. "I was trying to blow his brains out is what I was trying to do."

*Bravo!!! Good job Mr. and Mrs. Doster. I hope this is a lesson to all those a-holes out there who are thinking of robbing a store.

Deadliest day for U.S. in Iraq war
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Thirty-one Marines were killed in a helicopter crash near Iraq's border with Jordan, bringing the number of U.S. troops killed Wednesday to 36 -- the deadliest day for U.S. forces since the start of the war in Iraq.

*Very, very sad. I'm so sick of this crap. When is it going to be over?

Boys arrested for stick figure drawings
OCALA, Florida (AP) -- Two boys were arrested for making pencil-and-crayon stick figure drawings depicting a 10-year-old classmate being stabbed and hung, police said. The children, charged with a felony, were taken from school in handcuffs.

*What the hell? What's wrong with these kids? Who's raising them? When I was 10 years old I was playing Chinese jump rope and carrying a lunchbox (sadly with my name on the front of it. My mom's brilliant idea). Kids have got to be raised right and society has to change its priorities. Which brings me to the next headline.


Money, is it overrated?
Economic research focuses on what makes people happy
By Martin Wolk

One study by Blanchflower and an associate, based on interviews of 100,000 people over three decades, concludes that despite sharp improvements in living standards “the USA has, in aggregate, apparently become more miserable over the last quarter of a century.”

* No shit Sherlock! The more you have to do and the more responsibility = the more stress. Even technology has ruined everything. Oh, so we don't have to do dishes now, we have the dishwasher...we have computers, cell phones, e-mail, blah blah... So we should have a lot of extra free time, right? I mean, all these gadgets are doing things for us and cutting our work time. WRONG! Now we have more free time to do more work because now we have higher expectations. Now we have e-mail and cell phones so there's no escape from employers or annoying people. Now we have to take less vacation time because we need to get more, more, more, more work done. A lot of European countries and Australia get 6 weeks paid vacation MINIMUM! Can you even fathom the concept? I can't. Sure, you can argue that they're not as wealthy as us or have as many opportunities, but they're more laid back and maybe...happier?! Maybe marriages are in disarray (divorce rate skyrocketing) and kids are going insane and commiting crimes, because we're all too busy trying to make enough money to survive. Our parents' generation only needed one bread winner to keep up the lifestyle that two people today can barely keep up. Anyways, gimme a hut on a tropical island where I sell coconut juice all day to tourists and I'll be...

H-A-P-P-Y!!!

Gonna Throw Up!

I just had some nachos and salsa with cheese. The nacho cheese was finished, so I was going to wash out the glass container for recycling....when I noticed....MOLD!!!!!!!!!! MOLD ON THE TOP SIDE OF THE CONTAINER!! I didn't see any in the cheese I used, but the sight of the mold makes me wanna throw up. That is soo friggin gross! I hope I don't get sick or something.

DAMMIT!

Is it just me or is it absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to switch to a totally different career? First of all, if you want a job in a different field, then you have to take a menial, boot-lickin position with no pay. But, that's if you get lucky. Most of the time you can't even find a job like that, because they want someone with experience. Well, how do you get experience if you can't get experience? THEN, there's always the education route. YAH RIGHT! So, I'm lookin up the info on this Masters to Ph.D. route and every school I look up requires 3 letters of recommendation and a 15-20 page academic essay/paper/thesis. Ok, so I could get my letters of recommendation from my past employers, but (1) they're not in the field I want to get into, DUH..because I'm switching fields (2) they're not academic references, which I, of course, do not have since I graduated from college a little over 5 years ago!!!! "Melissa who????" Which brings me to the problem of the academic paper. Where am I going to get a 15-20 page academic paper?????????? I don't even know if I still own any of those! That was 5 years ago for Godssake!!!!! Besides, I was a journalism major. Journalism majors NEVER write a paper that long. The concept defies the definition of journalism...brief, concise and "to-the-point" writing! Where am I going to get a 20 page paper????????????

So, I've come to the conclusion that life is, in most respects, just like the DMV. A lotta red tape and a lotta long lines with no hope of a happy or speedy resolution.

Sledding

I LOVE snow...on weekends!

Yesterday was gorgeous! We went outside, dug out the car, and made a snow angel. My angel ended up with a lopsided, broken wing. =(

Christian Right Goes After New Menace...

This was just pointed out to me:
Christians issue gay warning on SpongeBob video
LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Conservative Christian groups accuse the makers of a video starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney and a host of other cartoon characters of promoting homosexuality to children.

"...The video is a remake of the 1979 hit song "We Are Family" using the voices and images of SpongeBob, Barney, Winnie the Pooh, Bob the Builder, the Rugrats and other TV cartoon characters. It was made by a foundation set up by songwriter Nile Rodgers after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in an effort to promote healing.
Christian groups however have taken exception to the tolerance pledge on the foundation's Web site, which asks people to respect the sexual identity of others along with their abilities, beliefs, culture and race."

Talk about a buncha people with nothing better to do...
How bout taking that Christian goodwill and focusing on vicitms of the California mudslides or families whose loved ones are in Iraq? How bout a food and coat drive to take care of our nation's homeless during this very cold winter season? How about setting up groups to tutor disadvantaged children in our inner cities and rural towns?

If you wanna do something good for our country, then why don't you try doing something that'll actually help people, instead of spewing hate and tackling fictitious cartoon characters?

Some people just don't get it and never will.

"I didn't know sponges could love let alone love other "same sex" sponges..." - Ray Khuo

When I Die...

So, I was browsing a friend's blog and came across this:

http://www.lifegem.com/

"The LifeGem is a certified, high quality diamond created from the carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique and wonderful life."

Creepy, huh? Coool!! I've been toying around with the idea that all my loved ones should carry my ashes in a tiny vial on a necklace and now I have this other cool option. I mean, you don't even have to know they're my ashes! Or maybe that loses the whole point. What an interesting conversation piece my necklace would be...

"Excuse me, but what is that vial hanging around your neck?"

"Oh, that's just my grandmother."

hahahhahahahhhahaha

Now you're wondering if I'm joking or not.

Haven't decided yet...

Too Cold to Get Outta Bed

It's 18 degrees outside. It hit a balmy high of 28 yesterday. My horseback riding lesson was at 4pm yesterday. My instructor was drinking a bottle of tea when after 20 minutes her tea was half turned to ice. I guess this is another boring "I'm Cold" bitch session, but it's all I'm thinking about at the moment. The forecast predicts some amount of snow each day starting tonight and ending next Wednesday. I wonder if that means I'll be able to step outside from my second story balcony? Or is it just another case of a weatherperson that needs to be severely flogged?

And That's the News...

"JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Westerners are under fresh threats of terrorist attacks in Indonesia according to the British Foreign Office, wire services report."

What the hell is wrong with these people? Their fellow countrymen have just suffered a huge tragedy because of the tsunami, which left death and destruction everywhere. They should be focusing on that and helping their people. AND, the entire international community, including all of us evil, dirty Westerners, have sent money and aid to help the victims out and what do we get in return from Indonesia???? Renewed terrorist attacks! I know that these terrorists do not represent an entire population, but sometimes I wonder why we even bother to help others. God knows we Westerners have done a lot of screwed up things, but right now in Indonesia we are trying to help, so why are they punishing us? Even from a logical point of view it doesn't make sense. You don't bite the hand that feeds you! We're giving them something they desperately need right now (money and aid), so they should take advantage of that.

AND, I know we're one of the richest countries in the world, BUT wouldn't it have been nice if the other countries of the world had at least sent their regards about the tragic mudslides in California? I'm not asking for money or supplies or any of that....how bout just a..

"We'd like to send our sympathies to you on your most recent tragedy."

I'm the first to stand up for the little guy and point out American audacity and greed, but we really don't deserve it this time.

Pootie-Poot???

Yes, ladies and gentleman...."Pootie-Poot" is President Bush's nickname for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

I wonder if Putin realizes he's being called a piece o'crap?

I wonder what Bush calls Jacques Chirac?

Ode to Washington, D.C.

There are NO good jobs around here. It's driving me nuts. I don't want to work in the friggin Pharmaceutical industry. BLECH! BARF! Completely ironic now that I am able to chose a job I like that I can't find an opportunity. All the good jobs are back in the D.C. area. Ohhh..ode to D.C.

I miss your towering monuments reminiscent of Roman ruins,
I miss the culture, the diversity, and Moby Dick Kebobs...
I miss Asian-promoted parties and Persian dance music,
I miss the Smithsonian, the Spy Museum, FBI headquarters...
I miss biking along and canoeing in the Potomac,
I miss the cherry blossoms in late March,
I miss embassy row, Five Guys burgers, and Korean groceries...
I miss my alma mater with its gorgeous rolling lawns and columned buildings...
Go Terps!
I miss good friends and good memories,
I miss city life and pretty suburbs,
I miss whitewater tubing at Harper's Ferry,
I miss the president driving by my office and waving from his limo,
I hope to live it all again one day...
Oh, ode to D.C.

Nerd Test - Loser Test

I think this could be a bad thing, rather than a good thing.



Being a loser is never good.

Just Elope!

I had no idea wedding planning would be this hard. It's one of the worst things I've ever had to do. Not only is it taxing on the individual, it's taxing on the couple. We end up arguing about stupid stuff like whether or not a photographer sucks or the way a vendor sets up fee schedules. You sit there bickering at each other, mostly because other people are stressing you out, and you end up wondering why you would undertake a feat that strains your relationship in order to celebrate your relationship. Sounds ridiculous, huh? And, you'd think your wedding is for the two of you, but it's not. It's really for everyone else, but the two of you. It's about making everyone else happy. Sounds ludicrous to me. My man recently said that he doesn't like to dance, but he'll be expected to dance up a storm at the wedding just to please everyone. I said SCREW THAT!!! "It's OUR wedding and if you don't want to dance too much, then you don't have to." Then someone told me we won't even be able to eat our dinner at the wedding because we won't have the time. We'll be too busy going around and thanking everyone. SCREW THAT!!! We paid a pretty penny for our location and the catering, so we're eating our damn food! I don't care what anyone says.

And, whoever thought up party favors was a nimrod. You're giving us a gift and in return you get a free meal and entertainment. We're even-steven! Besides, most people throw away their party favor after the wedding, because it's usually some ugly figurine of a couple and a heart with a date on it. But, I'll bet that "ugly figurine" cost the lovely newlyweds a fortune.

And, then there's that STUPID STUPID STUPID CAKE! C'mon everybody...let's be honest. The cake always tastes like crap, right? It's usually some regular, dry yellow cake with some white icing on top that ends up half-eaten and rotting on expensive linens after the music stops. And how much does that cost??? Oh, maybe $3,000 to $5,000. My advice is to go into the bakery and say you're having a birthday party and need a cake to feed 250. I guarantee you it'll cost 50% less than if you'd asked for a wedding cake to feed 250.

Well, I'll admit it. I've always wanted the fairytale wedding, but once you go through even a quarter of the planning all you want in the end is a simple, barefoot ceremony on a beach with 10 guests.

YAY!

I fixed that damn sidebar problem! wOOodooodOoo!

argh!

Well, my stupid sidebar is STILL at the bottom of my page. I'm going to fiddle with it and see what happens.

On a darker note, I tried to book our hotel in Vegas for my bachelorette party and I found out a curious policy. Seems that most hotels in Vegas do NOT guarantee your room preference. Therefore, if you want 2 beds in your room intead of 1, you may be shit outta luck. (yes, I know it's proper to spell out numbers less than 10, but I think they stand out better this way.) So, I called the hotel and told them I'm going to have more than 2 people in my room, so I have to have 2 beds in there. The lady said it's STILL NOT GUARANTEED AND there's an additional charge of $35 per extra person per night.

I asked, "Well, what if I pay the extra charges for the extra people? Then do I get 2 beds?"

She said, "No. It's not guaranteed, BUT we'll give you priority if you pay the extra fees."

WHAT THA F'N HELL????????????????????????????????? You want me to pay $35 per person per night and still give me 1 bed in my friggin room???? What the hell is wrong with you lady?!? Do you think I'm so stupid that I would pay extra for nothing? What?!? I'm gonna fit 5 people on 1 damn bed?

Gawd! I really HATE stupid people.

Yet Another Friggin Test

Your Dominant Intelligence is Linguistic Intelligence

You are excellent with words and language. You explain yourself well. An elegant speaker, you can converse well with anyone on the fly. You are also good at remembering information and convicing someone of your point of view. A master of creative phrasing and unique words, you enjoy expanding your vocabulary. You would make a fantastic poet, journalist, writer, teacher, lawyer, politician, or translator.

What Kind of Intelligence Do You Have?

Man! According to these tests I'm coooooool as hell!!! Perhaps I should add these to my resume.

What is Wrong with My Blog???

Can someone please tell me why the hell my blog has become misshapen? My stupid profile and archives have somehow sunk to the bottom of my blog.

*clueless*

Oh, the Irony of it All...

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

This makes total sense! (As long as you overlook my previous entry regarding public executions.)

How bout Public Hangings?

"YEADON, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A man was charged Wednesday with raping and killing an aspiring teenage model, then cutting up her body, putting it in a steel drum and burning it with help from an acquaintance."

The girl was only 15 years old.

I'll tell ya what's wrong with people today:

• Bad parenting
• Poor educational system
• Inept criminal system w/ inadequate punishment

Unfortunately, there's little society can do about bad parenting. We can't stop dumb people from making babies nor can we provide an environment where parents don't have to work 24/7 instead of focusing on their families. It's a sad, money greedy little world we have here that forces us to work endlessly just to survive, while sacrificing any meaning in our lives. But, I digress...

However, points 1 and 2 on my list can certainly be tweaked.

Yes, ladies and gentleman...our educational system is a piece o' crap to put it lightly. Mostly this is due to underfunding and low teacher salaries. Then, we have higher education. Tuition is rising so rapidly that it's pushing lower income students either out of the pool or into 5 jobs to pay for it. Then, in the face of these exorbitant tuition fees, our wonderful government decided to cut Pell Grants leaving many potential students with little options. See the following articles:

Congress curbs Pell Grants
Spending bill increases funding but could cut or even eliminate eligibility for college aid to as many as 1 million students.
By Emma Schwartz / Los Angeles Times
http://www.detnews.com/2004/schools/0411/24/A05-15081.htm


College costs spike again
Tuition climbs fastest at public schools, while aid helps lower-income students less, study finds.October 19, 2004: 10:58 AM EDT By Jeanne Sahadi, CNN/Money senior writer
http://money.cnn.com/2004/10/18/pf/college/college_costs/


That's real smart America. Let's dumb everyone down, so that in the next 20 to 50 years there won't be anyone to run the country. Good plan!


Now, let's tackle the doozy...

Our criminal system needs an overhaul. Something's very wrong with a society that severely punishes tax evasionists and money launderers with 50 years to life, while child molesters, rapists and murders get six months probation and a slap on the wrist.

Now, if we ever get things straightened out to the point where the harshest crimes actually do get the harshest punishments (haha..yah right!), then we need to change the harshest punishment itself. This lethal injection thing just isn't cuttin it. We need to go back to public hangings. It's the only way to set an example. HA! Surely I jest? HELL NO! Do you think threatening criminals with 10 years of watching TV, exercising, eating 3 meals a day, earning money through a prison work program and getting an education is a good way of dissuading them from committing a crime??? If you do, then I'm sure there's a nice cushy job for you in our criminal justice system.

And The Biggest Loser of the month is...

a Cleveland man who became so disgusted watching a Fear Factor episode that he vomited and then ran hysterically into a doorway ramming his head.

What a friggin MORON!!!! As a good friend of mine exclaimed, "It's the UP CHANNEL button you MORON if you can't stand what you're watching!"

Well, I guess Mr. Cleveland was in such a state of mortification he was unable to utilize his remote to change the channel. I'd hate to see this guy try to handle a real life serious situation. Maybe they should give him his own reality show and we can laugh at him as he vomits, runs in circles, and rams body parts into objects when shown "freaky" pictures over a monitor.

GROW SOME BALLS MAN!

If you'd like to read more, the article is pasted below.

BTW, I will be posting "The Biggest Loser of the Month" awards each month and NO I don't mean the people who lose the most weight.


NBC's 'Fear Factor' Sued for Rat-Eating Episode
Jan 6, 1:51 PM (ET)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Watching contestants eat dead rats on NBC's gross-out stunt show "Fear Factor" so disgusted a Cleveland man that he has sued NBC for $2.5 million, saying he could not stomach what he saw.
In a handwritten four-page lawsuit filed in federal court in Cleveland on Tuesday, paralegal Austin Aitken said, "To have the individuals on the show eat (yes) and drink dead rats was crazy and from a viewer's point of view made me throw-up as well an another in the house at the same time."
His suit added, "NBC is sending the wrong message to its TV watchers that cash can make or have people do just about anything beyond reasoning (sic) and in most cases against their will."
He said the show caused his blood pressure to rise so high that he became dizzy and light-headed, and when he ran away to his room, he bumped his head into the doorway.
In a brief telephone interview with Reuters, Aitken said, "I am not at liberty to discuss the complaint unless it is a paid-interview situation."
A spokesman for "Fear Factor" said the show would have no comment until it sees a copy of the complaint. The spokesman said the program did feature a rat-eating scene in New York's Times Square on Nov. 8.
Over the years, contestants on the program have eaten some weird things, including ground-up spiders and live worms.

DAMMIT!

Today S-U-C-K-S!!!!!!!!! I hate this weather! Yet another gloomy, rainy, crap day in southeastern PA!!! I'm surprised the whole northern U.S. doesn't kill itself for lack of vitamin D!

And why can't anything ever run smoothly..go easily...

I say "Piss Off"!!!!

Excellent Smithers...

Check out my friend's January 5th political entry regarding Bush's donation to the Tsunami victims. Couldn't have said so better myself.

http://www.xanga.com/skin.asp?user=jw1976

It's HERE!!!

My Wedding Gown!!!! (Yes, it deserves a capitalized title!) The bridal boutique called me today to tell me that they just received my Wedding Gown. It's supposed to take 6 months to make, so it's back a month early. YAY!!! I can't wait to go try it on.

I'm Back!

Well, right now I feel like my head is going to explode because of my allergies. I don't even feel like doing anything, except crawling into bed and sleeping for 24 hours.

Well, let's recap the past weekend.

Went to NYC for New Year's Eve. Ate and danced at a restaurant party there. It was goin pretty well, except I'm beginning to realize the "club" scene, or whatever you want to call it, is now, sadly, a part of my past. I can't drink more than two glasses of alcohol without feeling tired and yucky. I have no desire to drink my former favorites -- appletini, cosmopolitan, vodka & redbull, etc. The only things I want to drink nowadays are strawberry shortcakes, mudslides, and any other drinks, which are ultimately desserts with only a touch of alcohol. I've also learned that I can no longer dance endlessly while wearing three inch high stilettos. My feet were killing me two hours into the night. Fortunately, I no longer get drunk to the point of dancing on tabletops or screaming at crowds of people that they "don't know anything about anything..." Unfortunately, one of our guests that night is not at that point and, therefore, mostly all I remember of New Years are some angry people, some incoherent ramblings, several embarassed people, and a narrowly missed drunken suicide attempt to flag down a cab. Nine years ago this all would have been pretty blasé, but now it's just exhausting and irritating. Guess I really am old now, huh?

Thanks to a soon-to-be-sister-in-law and her fiance, Saturday we watched Bombay Dreams on Broadway. Although it was no Les Mis or Miss Saigon, I thought it was cute. I really liked Akaash and Sweetie.

On Sunday, thanks to my cutey patootey honey, I/we saw the Nutcracker ballet back in Philly. I liked it alot. I love dance and the music score is terrific. Although, now I'd like to see some ballet where the dancers are doing mid-air pirouettes a la Baryshnikov.

Unfortunately, Sunday didn't end on a good note. I found out that one of my best friends has a heart condition. I couldn't even pick up the phone and call her for 2 hours after I had found out because I was so upset. Apparently, the condition can be controlled with medication, but that makes it no less upsetting. I'm not used to facing health problems. Isn't that something that affects old people??? When did we get old?

Something really special happened today, but I'll save it for my next post. It doesn't seem right to talk about something happy right after something so horrible.