Tag: bush

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it’s the little things that kill

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On Bush’s Little Things, which hails from their debut album Sixteen Stone (which came out when I was in high school… many mooons ago!), Gavin Rossdale sings, “it’s the little things that kill, tearing at my brain[s] again”. Sometimes, I feel like that song lyric really applies to me, because I do just that more often than I would like; I tend to let the little things get to me, and tear at my brain, bringing me down.

I think I am a pretty easy-going person for the most part, but there are a lot of times when it’s the little things that kill, and get me worked up, and it’s hard to come back down. This occus in more aspects of my life than I would like, but I’ve always been like this, for as long as I can recall.

Today, on my mind, I specifically refer to work for instance; when I am seeing a patient who has (from my perspective) a lack of a discernible stake in their own health care, it really bothers me. It always did when I was a nurse, and it continues to do so now that I am a nurse practitioner. It frustrates me when patients with serious medical conditions have a seemingly lackadaisical attitude about compliance and management of their illness. Sure, I get it, life happens, and I get that you are “busy and cannot come in so often”, but you have a serious chronic condition that if left unchecked, can literally be the death of you. Surely that responsibility is impressed upon most, right? I like to think that it is, but there are many patients that don’t seem bothered by the fact that they ran out of medication weeks ago, and never thought to call the office and see if we could help them in any way. Perhaps it is, in some part, a coping mechanism, fear, or simply ignorance, but when it is a patient that I have seen multiple times, it really tears at my brain how they just don’t seem to have a care in the world, and this “little thing” doesn’t seem like anything important to them. Then, when I am seeing them for their appointment, I get frustrated, and start lecturing them about possible side effects, complications, and all of that, and they just look at me like I’m being mean to them. Then, I get more frustrated. I get that old adage of you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink; but that means being really angry at the horse sometimes.

I know it is my job to educate, and I have learned in the past year of providing care for multiple patients daily, that I will, and continue to, encounter tons of patients that have real medical issues that they don’t want to, or refuse to take ownership of, and deal with, but it really bugs me, because I sincerely want the best for every patient I care for, and their lack of ownership and action on their own behalf stands in the way of that many, many times.

It continues to frustrate me, and while these are little things, and should be more of slight annoyances and things I should just let go, sometimes, I really brings me down, and can make my day less than a happy one. I hope that through my career I learn how to better walk the line between over-caring and complete ambivalence, because the gray area between the two can make even the most compassionate and patient person very frustrated to say the least. Anyone else work in health care feel this same way? I’d be surprised if I’m the only one, because this job can be very trying at times.

Here’s to going forward and trying to not let the little things kill; and hopefully not ruin my day, either.

five song friday, listen up!, mixed media, music musings, music suggestion

5SF: january 25

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Guess what today is, kids!! It’s mothafucking Friday, and time to bring on the jams! What!?! Yeah, I am in a weirdly good mood today, but I have chosen to go with it, so I think that you should too. Let’s get to the music before things get out of hand.

Adele – Chasing Pavements
You may be thinking, Adele? Again? and you know what, you would be right. Adele is infectious. She is amazing. She is true talent, and her CD comes out this Tuesday in the UK, so I felt compelled to bring her to the forefront again. I have been enjoying my time listening to Adele this month, and I have to say, with each listen, I love her more. Fuck the haters that are bashing her (seriously, people are giving her shit for only debuting at number 2 on the singles chart… give me a break), this girl has a voice that is stunning, and weaves these amazing songs that capture your attention and leave you wanting more. This song, Chasing Pavements, is one of those songs that I just cannot let go of, and after a listen, it just stays with me all day. This is truly a wonderful song, and a reminder to pay attention to Adele; I have a feeling we are going to be hearing a lot more from her once the CD hits shelves on Tuesday. Also, this video is quite weird, but I like the quirkiness of it.

Bush – Swallowed
After posting two of my high school favorites (Elastica and Blur) last week, I got to thinking that it might be fun to feature at least one song every now and then, that I randomly heard recently, and was reminded of how much I loved it in the past. This week, Swallowed came on the radio, and I was all “holy shit I love this effing song, and I can’t believe I haven’t heard it in forever!”, and so, here it is. Whatever happened to Bush? Their first and second CDs were dynamite albums, and then I pretty much stopped paying attention. Oh well, at least we have the memories, right?

Kate Miller-Heidke – Mama
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_125_katemillerheidke-mama.mp3]
I heard about Kate on one of those many, many “ones to watch out for” lists that I randomly found on the internets, and after checking her out, I can see why she made that list; this girl is great! She reminds me a little of Regina Specktor, but with more spunk and panache to her sound (also, without that unnecessary double scoop of goody-two-shoes bubblegum flavoring). I chose this song, not because it is the catchiest from her record, but because it totally captivates me every time I hear it. I am drawn in by her desire to please her mother, which totally translates beautifully in this song, by the brash guitars and the shrill vocals. Love this song, and love her!

Georgie James – Cake Parade
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_125_georgiejames-cakeparade.mp3]
So, I heard about Georgie James from a flickr friend, who recommended it in the Monday music suggestion group, and I must admit, that I was instantly enamored with this song. It is so playful and enjoyable, that it really reminds me of the fun I have listening to artists like MIKA and Fountains of Wayne. Also, the guy in the group totally sounds like the guy from Fountains of Wayne, so that probably has something to do with it reminding me of them. Either way, definitely a fun group with a great “throw back” almost vaudeville-ish sound, that I am totally into. A great suggestion from my friend, that I am pleased to pass on to you!

Number One Gun – The Best of You and Me
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/fsf_125_numberonegun-thebestofyouandme.mp3]
This is one of those songs that I heard of randomly, and was instantly all about. I saw Number One Gun mentioned somewhere, and I liked the cover of the album, so I went to their myspace, and The Best Of You and Me was the song that started playing. I instantly downloaded the album, and have been really grooving to this electro-rock piece. It has a mellow feel, but powerful male vocals really make it a great pop song.

Well, there we have another five song Friday in the books, and some good songs to listen to this afternoon. I hope that everyone is having a kick ass day, and I hope that your weekend is even better. As always, let me know what you are jamming to, and we can make this music suggestion thing a two way street, cool?

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some wins, a major worry, and a lack of perspective (yet again)

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I want to high-five Dennis Kucinich; it does take balls to put forward something like the impeachment of Cheney (especially when we have been calling for it for so long). While it may not actually happen (boo!), I hope that it does; and I won’t forget that Dennis is the guy that got the issue actually going, which is a welcome sign that there are some balls somewhere in the house of Dem.

ENDA passed; which is a great step forward in the protection against being fired simply for being gay or lesbian. I hope that this signals more good things in store for the equalization of rights for all of us. No one should be able to be fired because their boss is a bigot, and now, it seems like they are a little safer. Bravo.

I blogged about it before, but please, don’t forget that there is a gay youth in serious danger of being hanged for being gay in Iran. This cannot happen. I am glad to see that the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission is at least paying some attention now. This is a chilling reminder that gays and lesbians are NOT free in this world, and if one of us is at risk of being murdered because of who we are, we are all at risk. It cannot be allowed to happen, and Iran must not be allowed to conduct serious acts of murder and violence against any human. I certainly feel for this boy and his family. By keeping this topic in the news, we are keeping Iran under the microscope, and hopefully, it will lead to a stay of execution indefinitely.

Finally, I was amused when I read that this is what Bush had to say about the veto override the Senate exercised in the funding of projects to rebuild the areas affected by hurricane Katrina:

“American taxpayers should not be asked to support a pork-barrel system of federal authorization and funding where a project’s merit is an afterthought,” he said.

Wait, WHAT? All of a sudden, Mr. Bush is concerned what WE taxpayers are concerned with when it comes to government spending? Uh, Mr. Bush, you can’t have a blank check for your war on the middle east, and then get all pissy when we want money to rebuild parts of our own nation; it just shows how out of touch with the real situation he really is. Someone, please get this man a large does of perspective; stat. I love how it was “an afterthought”… uh, someone really needs to get him up to speed as to what is going on in the world right now; the man clearly has no idea.

Other than that… I am sure that there is a lot more SHIT going on in the world that is scary and evil, but it almost seems too overwhelming to deal with it all, doesn’t it? I mean, just look at the CRAPPER that the economy is in… we are seriously inching towards being TOTALLY fucked instead of just being fucked. When will the great America turn things around for herself? I just hope that we can.

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just a few thoughts and observations: wednesday edition

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I watched Knocked Up last night (well, most of it), and I must say that Seth Rogen is totally cute. Totally. I don’t really have an opinion on the movie yet, as I didn’t finish it, and was focused on Seth’s cuteness.

I watched the season premiere of The Unit, and they totally brought it in a way I wasn’t expecting. This show definitely wins over House, hands down. Also, I watched the series premiere of Reaper, and it was fantastic!!! Well written, witty, and cute! I am definitely adding a season pass for this one. So far, one new show has definitely impressed me! I was also glad to see Tyler Labine in the show, because I liked him in Invasion, and well, I think that he is really cute. Also, the lead guy, Bret Harrison, is totally cute too! I love good shows with cute boys. That is a double hell YES!

Side note: OMG, I just looked at the IMDB entry for Reaper, and I had NO IDEA that it was Kevin Smith’s project! No wonder I liked it so much! YAY!

Is anyone else just completely embarrassed by our president? I mean, that speech yesterday was just a complete hypocritical slap in the face of the rest of the world; not to mention a complete “out of left field moment” at times (BURMA? REALLY? WTF?!). It is becoming more and more obvious that America has turned into that total bitch from high school who everyone hates and talks shit about behind her back, but she still walks around shoving her finger in people’s faces, and acting like her shit doesn’t stink; all the while, creating more people that hate her. Hello Regina George!!! But in all seriousness, it is no wonder (to anyone with a progressive bone in their body) that more and more people are expressing hatred over America. At this point, I think the best thing we can do is distance ourselves from this man, and show the rest of the planet that he does not represent what all of us think. Gah. Also, it would be REALLY NICE if we could actually practice all of the “human rights standards” that we are constantly calling the rest of the world out on.

If probability is such a simple concept as “it happens x number of times out of the possible number of times”, then why in the FUCK do they have to try as hard as possible to turn it into this amazingly difficult concept to grasp? I will never get statistics and why people try so hard to make it more difficult than it has to be. Taking a simple concept and turning it into something that is almost impossible to understand is beyond me.

Finally, as some of you know, James made a purchase. A big purchase. And I honestly don’t know how I feel about it. It stresses me out that he constantly puts his needs before mine, and sometimes, doesn’t even consider mine at all. Money has always been an issue between us, and no matter how I try to make it a non-issue, he really forces it. The worst part of it, is that I know where it comes from, have talked with him about it, have taken him to therapy and talked about it, and yet, it still permeates every part of our relationship. It isn’t something that I would leave him over, but it is definitely something that I have to vent about from time to time, in order to prevent lashing out at him about not having $10 to buy food, when it is clear that these are self imposed limits that serve to meet his needs and not ours. Ugh. Relationships are definitely a lot of work, and thank god I am willing to work at this one. I am still a little angry about the purchase, but I am sure that I will eventually let it go… I just wish that he could learn WHY it upset me. We’ll see.

Hope everyone is having a great hump day…. this was my 2 cents.

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thanks and thoughts

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I wanted to say thanks to everyone that sent well wishes and stuff the other day; I was just in a weird spot, and I honestly was thinking too much for my own good. I have this incredible ability to let something minuscule turn into a huge festering thing in my mind, all because I focus too much on it. I am working on that, but it is part of what I learned in how to deal with people when I was growing up. Some of that stuff never goes away, and you just have to deal with it; perhaps that is why I find that I do get let down when I expect too much from people. My parents were good at letting me down, and yet, I naively always believed that the next time, they wouldn’t; which unfortunately, almost always ended in disappointment. I am working on getting out of that, but for now, I can only go at this pace. Thanks for listening, understanding, and being here.

Sydney is doing better, although he is very lethargic and doesn’t want to move around much. I am hoping that by the end of the weekend, he is back to his normal, energetic self. I don’t like seeing him in any pain, because he really is my “baby”, and I love him so much. I am just glad that his tests came back normal, and it appears to just be a case of upset tummy. Thanks to everyone for their thoughts about him, as well.

Other than that, there isn’t really much going on in the way of “stuff” right now. I am still in a little bit of a weird place, as it was pointed out to me that I was being a little snippy at lunch with James. I was constantly on his case about his driving, because, well, he is a very easily distracted person anyway, and I really didn’t want anything to happen to him or his car. I guess sometimes, good intentions come out bitchy. Oh well… perhaps it is the rain today? Who knows… I just know I am glad that it is Friday.

Finally, a few links with some scattered thoughts:
— Surprise! A negative review of “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” from a gay website. While I don’t really care one way or another about the movie getting good or bad reviews, it always makes me wonder about people who watch movies and criticize them, when it is clear to everyone else that the movie is going to contain the very elements that the critic negatively goes on and on about. Obviously, this movie is going to use borderline or outright negative gay stereotypes and bad humor to poke fun at what most American men see to be an uncomfortable situation; a simulated homosexual relationship between two straight men. While it may be distasteful and possibly a negative reinforcement (but probably not, since GLAAD gave it a thumbs up), if you don’t want to hear the negative gay jokes, don’t go see this movie; problem solved. I do have to say though, that I think Kevin James is absolutely adorable, and I don’t think that his part in this dumb movie will change any of that feeling from me.
— Cheney will be in charge while Bush goes under for a routine colonoscopy. I would really have loved it if the news outlets had gotten creative, and came up with creatively disgusting titles to supplement this story. However, I for one don’t know how they are actually going to get in there, with that big stick shoved up his ass, and all.
— I saw this clip of Tammy Faye when she was recently on the Larry King show, and it honestly just breaks my heart to see someone so sweet and genuinely wonderful suffering like that. Hell, I don’t like seeing anyone suffer, but Tammy Faye is good, and she totally has had our backs for a long time, showing the world what a true Christian should be like. Additionally, her son has turned out to be accepting and loving as well; not to mention, kind of hot. I love you Tammy Faye, and I hope that you are not suffering, and that your final days are peaceful and happy. You have been there for the gays, and we definitely thank you for your love, kindness, and support. If only there were more like you, Tammy Faye.

I hope everyone has a great weekend, and I am going to do my best to relax, finish the paintings I am working on, and spend time with my family (James, little Sydney, and some friends if they are interesting in hanging out). Now, I’m off to get some damn wine… I have been Cabernet-ing it up this week; I see no reason to slow up now!

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monday ramblings…

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Not much going on today, other than slowly trying to get into the week, after a delightful weekend. We hung out with friends on Friday and Saturday, and had dinner with a lovely couple last night, one of which was someone that James met this summer. They were quite nice, and I look forward to hanging out with them again. We don’t know very many long term gay couples, so it is good to meet one more.

I went shopping at Garden Ridge yesterday, and got a lot of awesome decorator things… I think that the decorating bug has bitten me a little harder than I expected. I will be posting some pictures of the new decorations when things are all put together and posh like I like them.

Other than that, there isn’t much to say, but I do have a few thoughts on a few things. Check these out:
Iraq’s Prime Minister says we can leave anytime; they don’t need our help. He also agrees with me, that our presence is driving more people to join up with al Qaeda. Do we still think that our presence is in their best interests? It’s becoming clearer and clearer each day that we are there to take something that we want; which is sickening. Come on America, when are we going to actually be decent people, and act like the “example” of “democracy” that we are shoving down the throats of every oppressive government in the world? We have got to practice what we preach before we will get anywhere that we could ever consider a positive place.

To sort of piggy back on that thought, I guess it is true that diplomacy is actually a viable option, one that should be explored before war. Apparently, since we came to an agreement that we were both comfortable with, North Korea decided to shut down their nuclear reactor. No more threat of nuclear weapons for N. Korea? It is probably not that simple, but it is a good step; one that we came to with agreement, and more importantly, peace. Why don’t we try something like that with Iran? I mean, a lot of the reason they are so angry with us, is because of our presence in Iraq, so perhaps we should start listening to what is going on in that region. Perhaps if we stopped talking long enough to listen, we could get somewhere… peacefully. Here’s hoping.

Not that I really needed another reason to think of him as completely despicable, and completely devoid of the ability to consider the real needs of American citizens, Bush is promising to veto a bill that would increase funding for providing uninsured children with health coverage. Interestingly enough, this will come at no expense to anyone other than smokers, many of whom, in my opinion, owe a bunch of these kids health care anyway; I know my parents smoked right in my face my whole childhood, and I am not at all in doubt that this is at least somehow linked to my bad allergies. I can almost guarantee that there are kids out there that are affected even more negatively by smoking parents; who would be paying for the uninsured kids out there that aren’t lucky enough to have parents wealthy enough to pay for health care.

If, by adding a tax to cigarettes, more children can have access to health care, can you please explain to me HOW is this a bad thing? Seriously, if you can give me one viable reason as to why this is bad in any way, let me know. (Just so you know, “more people will take advantage of the system” is a BS answer, before you try to shove that one down my throat again; there are regulations, standards, and qualification requirements on this program, which should eliminate MOST of the “free loaders”. That kind of mentality (which is apparently where the Bush camp is coming from) really makes me wonder why people don’t have more faith in those that are less fortunate in this country. Just because someone is poor doesn’t automatically make them a crook, a freeloader, or someone looking for a free ride or a handout. Have a little faith in people!). I for one, hope that he considers that these children are in this uninsured situation because of the way our economy works against the working class, and the poor; but I am sure that some one will be quick to step up and call them lazy assholes, rather than acknowledge that situations and circumstances are different for everyone, and not every homeless person is too lazy to get a job.

What has happened to our country, that we have lost all faith in people’s ability to be good? Do we live in such a culture of fear and hate that we will always blame, rather than consider the circumstances? Perhaps that is part of our problem in Iraq… and unfortunately, people all over the world see that we are being like that; whether we want to acknowledge it or not. I just wish things could be better; because I know we are capable of it.

Ugh… I guess that is a lot of thought for a Monday, but alas, there it is. Hope your day is going well!

hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, politics, venting, well?, wtf?!

so let me get this straight…

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Despite failing benchmarks, and continued violence escalation in Iraq, our president has said that “a precipitous withdrawal would embolden al-Qaeda” (source), yet, it appears that our occupation of Iraq is THE CAUSE of their escalation and emboldening strategy. According to what is being reported, al-Qaeda wasn’t in Iraq before we went to Iraq.

Since our presence, they have done nothing but grow in number, and in power.

Wouldn’t that make you think that the connection between their growth and power may be at least somehow intrinsically linked to our attempted occupation of Iraq? Even the overarching al Qaeda terrorist network that exists outside of Iraq (which operates practically autonomously from Iraq’s al Qaeda network), is focused on combating American occupation of Iraq, and are threatening escalation as a result of our presence in Iraq (as well as telling other Muslims to go to Iraq and kill us there).

Additionally, intelligence is saying that just because we stop the small arm of al Qaeda in Iraq (which was not connected to Sept. 11, but IS connected to our 2003 invasion of Iraq), which, keep in mind, is what our troops are there and are supposed to be doing, we will still be posed with the threat of the Qaeda terrorist network, which exists (and is growing) outside of Iraq altogether.

So, the president is saying that if we pull out, things will get worse. What is happening, is that by us being there, they are upping their forces to combat us.

The president is telling us that the overall al Qaeda network (which did attack us on Sept. 11) is connected to the Iraq arm of al Qaeda (albeit only in shared belief and value, the Iraq al Qaeda operates autonomously, and are a response to our presence). He is saying, that al Qaeda (the big one, not the on in Iraq) poses a current threat of attack to us in the US; yet, since we are only focusing on Iraq, it is clear that we are not focusing our forces on stopping them. Again, it is being said that even if we get the bad guys in Iraq, we still have the big dogs to worry about, and our presence is pissing both of them off, more and more each day.

With the al Qaeda network growth being a direct response to our forces being in Iraq, it sounds like our exit isn’t what they want either; because our presence is bringing more people over to support them, which is strengthening their network overall. We are making the small network of forces that are dangerous in Iraq stronger because of our presence. That sounds like a BAD thing to me, but what about to you?

Like I said, even if we get the guys in Iraq, we still haven’t begun to focus on the actual terrorist network that attacked us on 9/11; even though Bush is saying that they are one in the same, yet they are not. If we get the al Qaeda in Iraq, we still have not stopped al Qaeda, who he is telling us is our direct threat. Sounds contradictory to me; to want to take out al Qaeda, yet we focus on cutting off its hand, rather than going for the throat.

To be completely honest, the whole thing frustrates me. It just sounds like people are using what facts they want to justify the actions that they want to take, all the while, mixing in some scare tactics by making claims that can’t be backed up with intelligence (and in many instances, are being proven inconsistent with the intelligence that is being collected).

I say go after the guys that attacked us 9/11 if they are the threat, as Mr. Bush said they were again this week (and has been increasingly stressing over the past several weeks). If they are a threat, then what are we doing in Iraq fighting with their little cousin (who is growing every day into a bigger and bigger bully)? Additionally, if our presence is what is motivating them to fight us, wouldn’t it make sense to stop giving them a reason to mobilize more forces? If we did that, we could go after the terrorist network that existed before our occupation (not the one we are fighting, which was, again, created because of our occupation), and seriously focus on the actual threats that Mr. Bush continues to refer to. It sounds like the president lacks focus on the real issue, and instead, is manipulating facts like he did at the beginning of the war (Saddam connection with Iraq = not true, unlike he said it was).

Well, if you ask me, it sounds more likely that there is something in Iraq that we need to have in our hands, rather than in the hands of the Iraqis(specifically the al Qaeda Iraqis), and we don’t really care about the outside (more dangerous) al Qaeda network, other than to use the outside to get an opportunity to stay in Iraq. I wonder why we can’t go after the entire network, rather than staying in Iraq until we secure that thing? Perhaps “that thing” is the real reason we are in Iraq anyway, and the al Qaeda forces in Iraq are trying to stop us from having it… Hmm…. I wonder what “that thing” is… maybe it is oil?

Regardless of our real reason for occupying Iraq, and the real effect it is having there, it just sounds like there is a serious gap between what is actually happening, and what we are being told is happening from the mouth of Bush.

While I don’t agree with a direct pull out with no plan, it seems pretty clear that our occupation is making it worse, and the longer we are there, the worse it is going to get; at least there in Iraq. Hopefully, the outside al Qaeda network won’t continue to grow and get pissed off (like our intelligence says they are), because we are currently caught up in Iraq. What is needed, is a serious look into a different plan or strategy, which at least sounds like a better place to start (rather than the ultra liberal take of “LEAVE TODAY!”), if we are truly serious about protecting ourselves; more serious, that is, than securing the oilregion of Iraq. If we can’t get out of there, we have to do something different; because what we are doing is NOT working in our benefit. And Condi, 4 more months isn’t going to change that; this has been 6 years strong, babe.
(another source)

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some scattered links and thoughts

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I have seen some interesting things today, so I thought to myself, “hey, that should be my post!”. So, here are some links to interesting things, and my thoughts on them. I will try not to let this go on too long, but this stuff is quite interesting folks; check it out and feel free to share your opinions as well.

  • We say that we want to rebuild Iraq, stabilize the country, and make it better for the citizens of Iraq, right? Well, why, then, are they suffering from a 60-70% unemployment rate, when our contractors are steadily filling jobs that the citizens themselves could do? If an engineer can’t find a job, there’s a problem. But, we have their best interests at heart, right? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
  • Hey intelligent design fanatics, can you please explain the presence of vestigiality, and how it fits within your non-evolutionary explanation of how we got here? mkthxsbbye. Methinks the evolutions are reals, y’all!
  • I have written about global warming before, and one of the biggest arguments presented as evidence that we were not the cause of our current warming trend was the so-called warming of the sun, and its effects on our atmosphere. Turns out, that is wrong, wrong, wrong. Apparently, the sun is actually not warming at all, and temperatures are currently lower because of the sun being in a period of low activity. Interesting. Methinks the humans are causing the global warmings, y’all! Dude, science is fucking awesome, isn’t it!? 😉
  • Apparently, and according to our president, when you get sick, or the fact that you are uninsured, it is your fault. Shame on you for purposefully breaking your arm by falling out of that tree, little Jimmy! You are such a twat, because now it is mommy’s fault that you can’t go to the hospital to get it fixed! Fucking people and their getting sick on purpose. It’s so weird, Mr. president, how we actually do have government medical programs like Medicare and Medicaid that actually work, and could provide those “sick-doers” some coverage; but I guess it is easier to blame people for their problems than it is to actually help them.
  • To piggyback on the last thought, if you really think that there isn’t a problem with the current health care situation, and that the government shouldn’t (or couldn’t) do something about it, be glad that you aren’t this guy; because if you were, you would be in debt up to your eye balls. But then again, I guess it was your fault, right? Ugh. I hate living in this country some times, because people really love to point the finger and place blame without thinking about those that suffer.
  • And finally, this (not sure if it is credible or true, but one can hope) is pretty awesome news: Drinking not only doesn’t kill brain cells, but it may actually be good for you!! Holy shit! Moderate drinking promotes good health! I’m in heaven!!! Who wants to come over and drink some wine?! Woo hoo! *glug glug glug… ah!*
  • UPDATE: I almost forgot to mention it; Sara Bareilles will be performing on Craig Ferguson tonight!! Make sure to catch this performance of this amazing artist! I know I keep going on an on about her, but she is amazing, and there is NO REASON that you should continue to ignore me, and go one more day without hearing her beautiful music, and experiencing her massive talent. Also, don’t forget to get her CD, Little Voice, which is not only MAGNIFICENT, it is out now!!

Well, I tried to keep it short. There it is kids, soak in up, take it in, swish it around a bit, and let me know what YOU think about it. Interesting stuff in the news, I tell ya!

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hopeful of change for Iraq, and some other interesting things

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So, the surge, you know, the one that I said wouldn’t work (because the many before it didn’t either), apparently isn’t working. Oops… I mean, we should have known better right? Wait… WE DID! Well, you would think at this point we would have gained a better perspective on things, especially regarding foreign policingpolicy, but alas, we aren’t making the changes we need to. But if you want to continue to believe that we are not causing any problems, and that genocide of Iraq and Iran is the answer, please, bury your head back in the sand, and let those of us that know the truth, strategize in peace.

However this goes, I have ultimate hope that this is true (that picture makes me want to vomit): apparently, given the dissension of his cronies, Bush might actually give in and compromise on a pull out strategy for Iraq. It is becoming clearer and clearer each and every day that we are doing way more harm than good by being in Iraq, and it is good to see more people coming over the that truth; even if it has taken this long. (Apparently, even though they aren’t doing what they need to do to get better, the Iraqis don’t agree that a pull out is good… hmmm, aren’t they already in a full blown civil war? Yeah, so stop using the “threat” of that as an excuse.).

This whole issue is like beating a dead horse, and we really just need to go ahead and bury the corpse already; it has gone beyond stinking. Stop the war, stop the killing, and stop trying to steal oil from another country. Let’s focus on us… that would be a good place to start.

Also, I don’t know how I feel about this, other than to say it pisses me off that people can generalize things so ridiculously. So let’s see, since SOME people get prescribed anti-depressants who are not depressed, it must mean that everyone is just seeking a “freebie” or an “easy out”? Fuck you. Seriously, fuck you. I know for my depression, I was in therapy a good 3 months before I ever even brought up the word medication, and I didn’t want to go on it, because I was not sure I needed it. I sought help for my depression, and as a result, have gotten a lot better. If I would have kept going down the road I was on, who knows what would have happened. I have said it before, and I will say it again, this sort of turning a blind eye on the need for mental health (as one sane doctor in the article calls for more of) is dangerous and just plain wrong. I hope that people continue to seek help if they need it; because even with the drugs, it isn’t an “easy fix”. Getting over depression is a daily struggle, and those drugs don’t take care of that for you. Shame on the people that are lumping and splitting all people on these medications in that way.

I also found this an interesting read. It seems pretty compelling that there is enough of a case to believe that perhaps Kurt Cobain didn’t kill himself. That really gets me thinking, especially because I remember when it was reported that he died. It really hit a lot of people hard, and it did seem a little out of place. Hmm… perhaps something will come of this? Either way, it was interesting to read, so I thought I would share.

That’s enough for today, I guess. Stay cool… it’s hot as fuck out there.