Thursday, February 03, 2005

Ghettoized

Some memorial…

The word ghetto has a couple of major, both negative, connotations.  The etymology of the word stems, at least according to Merriam-Webster, from the Italians, specifically the Venetians, who coined the word as a name for an island where they isolated the Jews.  The more familiar vernacular use of the word is, typically, associated with a run down area, at least in my experience, and has been used for years as a term for areas where the poorer Blacks have resided.  Basically it’s a negative word.

Be that as it may, it is the first word that came into my mind this evening when I read the following.

"The memorial where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. is buried needs $11.6 million in repairs, according to a National Park Service report."

The second thing I thought, after reading the above, was judas frickin priest you could build a fine new building for that amount of dough.  But where is that dough to come from?

"Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., who fought for civil rights alongside King in the 1960s, told the newspaper in Thursday’s editions that he would be willing to seek federal assistance for the center."

Coerced from the pockets of Americans.  Is that a fitting tribute to King, a man who would have encouraged individuals to stand on their own?  And who will be bold enough to take a stand against this, and suffer the recriminations and charges of racism for pointing out that the center is a non-profit, and has over 650,000 visitors streaming through it each year, and should stand or fail on its own?

It won’t be Denny’s, Denny’s has already been roped and hog tied as an advertiser at The King Center website, which is quite possibly part of their penance for alleged past discriminatory deeds at their restaurants.

And how did the center arrive at such a state?  It seems that the superintendent doesn’t have a clue.

"I was surprised at the extent of the problems,” said Frank Catroppa, superintendent of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site."

One last question.  I wonder whose pockets are lined with all the donated dollars that have come to the Center?

“Memorial to MLK Jr. needs repairs"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/03 at 05:25 PM
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We Are The State, You'll Do It Our Way

Let’s make it more expensive…

Whenever the State shoves it nose into where it doesn’t belong, the cost of whatever the State is interfering with increases exponentially.  Daycare will be no exception.  The reasoning behind the State of Michigan’s interfering in daycare.

"Michigan parents and those everywhere have become more and more dependent on child care,” Jim Sinnamon, director of the Division of Day Care Licensing, said Tuesday. “Our plan is to improve quality and care through these new regulations We can’t just be satisfied with making sure a place has a roof and calling it a child care center."

The State, pricing you out of the market.

“State proposes new rules for day care"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/03 at 05:09 AM
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Brilliant, Just Brilliant

The U.N. has spoken, it must be so…

The following headline was taken from USA Today.

“U.N.: Tsunami worst-ever tourism catastrophe"

I wonder how much the U.N. spent in crafting that pronouncement?

Posted by John Venlet on 02/03 at 04:41 AM
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A New Political Term?

Maximalism…

In an op-ed, in The New York Times, Stephen Sestanovich waxes on regarding Condoleezza Rice’s upcoming swing through the European continent.  Purportedly, the tete-a-tetes with various European heads of state will be to “mend fences,” but if the term, “maximalism,” referenced above, is part of the so called fence mending process, the Europeans may find the fence mended so well, they’ll end up stepping on each others’ toes as they jostle to suck up to Secretary of State Rice and beg for access to the gate.

“Not Much Kinder and Gentler"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/03 at 04:29 AM
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Wednesday, February 02, 2005

We'll Just Keep It

Three monkeys checking your pockets, they’re not empty say the monkeys…

Check this headline.

“Parks get biggest cut of $1 million surplus"

Now read the following.

"A three-person committee studying the general fund surplus recommended not reducing the tax rate.

Township Supervisor Bradley Slagh said the current fiscal year was already under way and a better time to consider a millage reduction would be in July when township officials begin working on next year’s budget.

Slagh said the extra money was accumulated during a 10-year period, with most of the savings happening in the past four years.

“We’re really good at saving money and spending less than we take in,” Slagh said.”...

..."We feel good that this is in the best interest of the township,” he said.

Tell me again why legalized theft is a good thing.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/02 at 05:29 PM
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No Respect

She should have kicked his ass out a long time ago…

When I read the story about the 24 year old punk who killed his mom because she flushed his pot down the pot, it brought back an old memory.

When I was 18, I awoke early one afternoon; I worked a graveyard shift at that time; to head to the beach and make some deliveries.  You see I was moving some product of the type the deceased mom flushed down the toilet, but when I headed out to my 73 Javelin, and reached underneath the front seat, the product was gone.  I immediately went back in my parents’ home and confronted my Mum, as I was aware that she had used my car because her car was in for repairs.

Initially, my Mum denied absconding with my property, but as I pressed the issue, informing her that not ALL the product was mine, she told me she had flushed it down the toilet.  I was livid.  I berated her, and threatened her, but I did not lay a finger on her because I knew she was within her rights to do as she told me she had done, as I had been warned to not bring the product around because I had four younger brothers my parents did not want exposed to my vices.

Fortunately, though I don’t know why she did not, my Mum had not flushed my product down the john.  In fact, she returned it to me, after much cajoling and fast talking on my part.  But when I came home the following morning, after working my 8:30 P.M. to 6:30 A.M. shift, all my possessions were sitting outside waiting for me, and my key no longer allowed me access to my parents’ home.

I was estranged from my family for about a year after that incident, but I still tell my Mum that she would’ve been within her rights to have actually flushed my product down the toilet, though it would’ve taken at least a dozen flushes, I bet.  I love you, Mum.

“Police: Man Kills Mother After She Flushes Marijuana Down Toilet"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/02 at 04:59 PM
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Reality Always Trumps Aspirations

I are a college student…

USA Today has an article available titled “Reality weighs down dreams of college," with this atrocious line.

"But new research also reveals a huge gap between aspirations and reality,..."

Tell me something I don’t know.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/02 at 05:30 AM
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Yes It Does, No It Doesn't, Yes It Does, No It Doesn't

Up and down and up and down and…

Does the sun cause skin cancer?

Yes it does.

No it doesn’t.

Via Samizdata.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/02 at 05:06 AM
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Just Great

Convoluted justifications for spamming…

So, I recently spent a little dough getting this site updated so I could be protected from spammers.  The upgrade is working, quite well, in regards to comments, at least at this time, but the bastards have been exploiting a weakness in Trackbacks, here, and evidently at a number of other blogs as evidenced here.

If you’re interested in reading the convoluted logic of these devil spawned spammers, and in a shallow review of their methods, read this article/interview.

Via Billy Beck.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/02 at 04:56 AM
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Coffee, Mug

All image, no substance…

This morning I read that some no name model/actor has pocketed $15.6 million from Taster’s Choice for their unauthorized use of his mug on their packaging over the years.

The model, Russell Christoff, noted the unauthorized use of his mug in this way.

"While shopping for Bloody Mary mix at a drug store in 2002,..."

Times must have been tough for Russell if he was shopping for Bloody Mary mix at a drug store.

But it was the following comment, uttered by Russell and noted in the article, that actually caught my eye this morning.

"Our image is our product, whether it’s our face or our talent, and they took it improperly,” he said."

Just another pretty face winning the lawsuit lottery.  All image, no substance, just like every other model/actor.

“Model gets $15.6 million award from Nestle"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/02 at 04:25 AM
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Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Interesting To Note

What in the world?...

From what I know about bats, I never expected to see one fluttering around this evening.  Sure, it got up to thirty-six (36) or thirty-seven (37) degrees today, but it was only thirty point six (30.6) degrees when I went for my walk this evening.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/01 at 06:14 PM
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They'll Be Fortunate, If This Is Accurate

Rotting away…

One can only hope that this may be true.

"In interviews for this article over many months, western policymakers, Chinese experts, North Korean exiles and human rights activists built up a picture of a tightly knit clan leadership in Pyongyang that is on the verge of collapse."

“Dear Leader�, Kim Jong-il; and his ilk; just another piece of decaying shit.

“Chairman Kim’s dissolving kingdom"

Posted by John Venlet on 02/01 at 05:57 PM
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Money Walks, Bull Shit Talks

Pleased I didn’t donate…

Andrew Sullivan’s use of your blegged dollars.  Two hundred thousand of them ($200,000.00) since 2002.

"After much hemming and hawing, I’ve decided to put the blog as you’ve known it on hiatus for a few months."

Why is Andrew doing this?

"The simple answer is that I want to take a breather, to write a long-overdue book, to read some more, travel to Europe and the Middle East, and work on some longer projects. Much as I would like to do everything, I’ve been unable to give the blog my full attention and make any progress on a book (and I’m two years behind) ..."

Via Billy Beck, via Tim Blair.

Posted by John Venlet on 02/01 at 05:08 PM
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Step Two

Smokers, and fat people, need not apply…

The other day, in a post titled "Too Intrusive," I noted that Weyco, Co., a Michigan firm, is refusing to employ smokers, and those that are employed can be subjected to a random urinalysis.  Today, I note that Weyco, Co. also is working on being rid of the overweight.

In the article noting this new development, titled “Lose weight or lose your job," Weyco Co. president, Howard Weyers, had this to say.

"If you don’t want to take the test, you can leave,” Weyers told Reuters. “I’m not controlling their lives; they have a choice whether they want to work here."

Though I noted Weyers’ smoking proclamanation with a bit of disdain, I have to respect Weyers’ reasoning.  You have a choice.

The last sentence of the "Lose weight or lose your job" article.

"So far no legal challenges have been made to Weyco’s policies."
Posted by John Venlet on 02/01 at 04:42 PM
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