Angst for the memories...

It is four in the morning in NYC. Paper bundles are being delivered. The bakeries are running full bore so they can deliver by 6 am.
I can smell the fresh coffee. I can smell the baked Italian bread. I can hear the gentle drizzling rain as it lightly glistens the sidewalk and streets in the spring, in the city.
Of course this scene is all in my mind.
In reality, I've got the AC running (more for air quality than coolness), I'm taking five at my desk in my office. Now this is not a downside, as I've made my relocation back to Bangalore in India after a several year absence. So much has changed, but the character seems to have survived nicely.
After two weeks, I am still not settled in domestically, and my business life is still learning on a curve as I've got to marry up to the new client database. Lots of new names and faces to learn. But it has been wonderful to see the old faces again.
See you at Cafe' Coffee Day.

Onus Envy

"Well, mine is..."


So long Dan. Onus Probandi was not on your side. In short - You were a tool.

I'm Just Sayin...

Schadenfreude

While I was driving home to Florida, after securing my visa, I heard the good news.
The number one shitstain in Iraq (I will not include the bastard's name) was no more.
He was dead, deceased, kaput, no longer living, deprived of life, inanimate, no longer current, put out, extinguished, defunct, sterile, inoperative, shuffled off this mortal coil. It was suicide by ordnance - a pair of non-improvised explosive devices.
This good news was followed by Iraq's final cabinet positions being filled. Surely, there couldn't be more.
Today there was.
He did not go peaceably into the night. He suffered. He had witnesses.
I have shamat. I have Schadenfreude.

Chale Chalo

Had my run at the Indian embassy this past week in D.C. In fact, I need to make another go of it this coming Tuesday to pick up my visa.
The downside is having to drive from Florida north, back to Florida and now all over again.
I'll own up to a feeling of impending dread about it. I'm waiting to hear that something is amiss and the visa isn't ready. It isn't like I can call up and ask about the status over the phone. They never answer any of the multiple lines they have; nor do they respond to the recorded messages that you leave.
And so I drive...
The process itself wasn't bad. The line moved fairly quickly. It helped that a American-Punjabi girl sat next to me and kept me company while we waited. She was absolutely adorable. We chatted about Bollywood films and who our favorite actors were. She was big on Kajol while I favor Rani. We mutually agreed on the Big B.
Then my turn came up and I was out the door within 10 minutes. The only issue remaining was the pickup on Tuesday.
Once I retreive the damned thing, I have to head south and finish everything else I need to do quickly. I'll have four days befor my departure.

Stop that! You'll go blind

It seems that the US Senate is oh so very pleased with itself over its "comprehensive" immigration bill. One of the major concerns was about "Criminalizing" illegals.
I said that right - "Criminalizing" illegals.
If someone is cited with the preface "illegal," wouldn't you presume that criminal activity was already a given?
They want to make it illegal to dig a tunnel under the border controls. Excuse me. Isn't that already against the law? How about robbing a 7-11? Want to criminalize that?
I've known for a long time that the American standard of English was under assault by tremendously lazy users in a grander society. Not that my grasp of the language is profound, but it may be better than some. However, this dumbing down pushed along by political correctness and popular culture now seems to be affecting legal language.
Remember "Ban Intolerance?"
The Senate has just taken part in this grandiose masturbatory exercise that is amazingly called reform. It is a painful selection of words proudly proclaiming amnesty for illegal migrants, impotent border enforcement, larger criminal presence in our society, greater drain on our "safety net," and general disrespect for our laws in general. Bravo!
If the identity theft, social security fraud and $20 billion dollars funnelled out of the country annually doesn't disturb you, what will? Perhaps a foreign head of state coming here to criticize the use of our own military in our own country, our immigration policies and ...oh. Fox was here yesterday.
Mexico does not want to reform its culture of corruption. It wants to unduly influence our domestic policies and agenda. It is (without doubt) dangling an oil coated carrot and stick in out face while whispering the name "Chavez" in certain circles. All the while, it is getting rid of hundreds of thousands of its underclass by printing up brochures telling them how and where to cross into sovereign US territory.
If they die...damn you George Bush!
Were it not for the US government's complicitness in the matter, their behavior could be deemed hostile. The list of affronts is very long and very troubling.
Now with Fox soon to be out of office, the US has a lot more to be concerned about. Who will take the helm - leftists or the right-wing. Neither will be of any real service to its northern neighbor. For some reason, when nationalists take over a country, there is cause for celebration, unless the Americans act nationalistic. That is arrogance.
Remember boys and girls, Mexico is our friend. Just don't drink the Kool-Aid.
So when the US Congesss proclaims the 12-17 million illegals in this country to be legal, remember that they can then petition to have x-number of their family members to come in as well. What are we talking here? An extra 30 million? This will be all legal. Not that that seems to matter to anybody.
So have a smoke America and don't forget to wipe the headboard.

The Thing That Wouldn't Leave

I remember a Saturday Night Live skit from the original series. John Belushi shows up at someone's house, invites himself in and just takes over the place, ignoring all efforts to show him the door. He sat on the middle of the couch, ate sloppy food, asked for more beer, played the telivision too loud, etc. Disregarding his hosts protestations, he overstayed his welcome. He greedily continued to take advantage of his hosts hertofore generous offerings. Seemigly, without end.
Pretty damned funny, right?
Now I have lived and worked a great deal of my life on foreign soil. I am, in fact, in the middle of doing so yet again. I know I shall have certain limitations on my sovereign rights because they differ every time the flag changes. So I have played by the rules in the past and shall do so again.
It has never been an issue really. I appear to have taken a lesson from my childhood, in that, I would go to a friend's house and the rules, language and so forth would be different from my own home. The reason being is that a good half of my friends were immigrants or 1st generation Americans. It was eye-opening.
The lesson in game parlance: the house deals.
Anyway, I learned a vital lesson then. Whenever I go to a foreign land, I am obviously a big, white, English speaking American, but I respect the house that I am in. I find out as much as I can beforehand and try to apply whatever is appropriate, when appropriate.
I am always (and will always remain) the outsider. No problem. I take it as an honorific. I am the guest. As such, I give respect to the house (country) by observing the rules that apply (often only to foreigners). It is the price of admission.
By learning what I am allowed and what I am not, I am perceived as paying respect to them and their hospitality (singular, local or national). I must admit that I, at times, have been given special dispensations due to being the "gora," "farang," "gui lao" or "gringo." However, once cautioned, I was expected to comply as best as I could. And so I did.
In this, I learn something new every single day. I learn about myself, what it means to be an American and about the place and people that host me. In this, I become better. In this, perhaps, they understand Americans a little better. In this is the seed for greater understanding.
Now comes the reality check. These migrant bastards (so many of them here illegally) that protested May 1st, waving foreign flags on my soil need to go. They do not respect my house. That house is an American house with American rules and they showed up uninvited. Then they take advantage of American generosity.
Those here legally are welcome at my table.
Those folks that claim ancestral rights (LMFAO!) better have their family tree pretty well laid out because many of them are claiming continental sovereignity. There was no monolithic nation here prior to the Europeans arriving. Their ancestral rights might be more applicable to present-day Honduras, Peru, or Chiapas (that is, if they are 100% native). It can also be claimed that the decendants of the American Southwest pretty much still live in the American Southwest.
Some of these folks may indeed have the proper lineage, but why then were so many carrying signs written in the language of the barbarian, genocidal invaders (clue: not English)? Hmmm. Should they all go back to Costa del Sol? Please. These claims of "Our Land Was Stolen" need to change to what this is really about - "You got yours. I want mine (and yours)."
When you invite someone into your house, you expect certain things. First, you expect only those invited to show up. You expect them to accept only what you offer. You expect them to be courteous. You expect them to do nothing to upset you - you know - have appropriate manners. You expect them to offer help in cleaning up (you'll decline but appreciate the offer nontheless). Then you expect them to leave (without the silverware).
Of course, you continue to invite people into your home. You continue to be a gracious host.
Some bring beer, wine or dip. Others bring flowers. What you do not expect is an invasion of parasites proclaiming squatter's rights. Make no mistake about it. This is squatter's rights.
A bunch of people arrived in America's living room May 1st, took a steaming dump, laughed and said "You can't do a damned thing about it?"
More to follow later, I have to go or I'll gnaw off my own arm.

Pass the chutney please

I like to listen to online radio while I work. This allows for me to listen to my New York City local radio (which I very much miss while driving) as well as the BBC Asian Network which is somewhat of an addiction.
I have, this past year, developed a fancy for the Sonia Deol program. I have, as the slogan goes, "Switched to Sonia." She has a chat program that combines a nice bit of news, Indo-Brit pop and general chatter which is a great diversion from an otherwise bleak assortment of vanilla formulaic programming.
It isn't that other programs stink. Hardly. It is just that sometimes I need a bit of masala with my brain food. Sonia, so the bio goes, is a Birmingham girl from a South Asian family background (get it? Asian network.) ergo, a bit of the subject matter covered is South Asian oriented. Her cohorts, Sohail and Sonal, make for great banter and the humor can get near to wicked.
For those of you who find a woman's tone to be important, let me say one word - delicious. Having recently put a face to the voice - wow. She just happens to be a doll too. This just adds to my overall listening pleasure.
Well you can see for yourself: http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/sonia_deol/?focuswin
There are several shows on the network that I'll listen to but Sonia's efforts bring me the greatest rewards.

Squatters Rights

We can now look back with hindsight on the events of May 1st. For myself, looking back is to revisit seething anger. Betwixt the American and Mexican flags were the "This is our land" and "This Land Was Stolen" ad infinitum posters.

This declarative begs a question or two. The land was stolen by whom, when, and it it belonged to which group (not those on the streets of Chicago or LA).
If we were to follow this particular vein of thinking, pray tell, where would these people be sneaking into then - not Canada, because that particular piece of geography was stolen from the Mohawks, Aleuts, etc.

Wait! Which groups came from the southwest US? Perhaps those claiming aboriginal rights did not hail from there in the first place. For instance, perhaps those coming from Ecuador should be invading Peru?
Then there is the whole percentage bit. How much Spaniard blood is acceptable? Listening to the rhetoric of boycott organizer Javier Rodriguez, the United States and Europeans committed genocide and have been parasites. Hmmm.
This is an extension of "We Are America?"

We cannot forget all of the sympathetic "Hate Bush" crowd. No protest is complete without them
Mixed messages? Not at all. I got the message loud and clear.

RICOH Suave

Today is the day of the Great American Boycott, Nothing Gringo Day and "A Day Without an Immigrant."
Mierda del toro!
First off. This smacks of the same intellectual dishonesty as in the film "A Day Without a Mexican." This was a funny movie. Perhaps not so intentionally. The film put forth the notion that everyone with a Spanish background disappeared and California was in tatters. The end result being that the day ended and even the Border Patrol was putting out the welcome mat. This celluliod detritus implied that all the folks named Gomez are Mexican.
*Insert the aforementioned by-product del toro here.*
Now fast forward to today - May 1st 2006. What we have to clear up here is semantic. This is not "A Day Without Immigrants." To be proper, it is "A Day Without Illegal Migrants." You see, the argument about these people being "undocumented" is fallacious. This would equte with the Minutemen in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and California being "undocumented Border Patrol agents." They are also not to be confused with immigrants because a large amount of them only want to make as much money as they can and go home to live off their dollars.
Even the new fangled Especial Anthem ends with "Somos Latinos." Those signs that were handed out for weeks state "We are America!" None of them said "We are Americans."
However, I will not stand by and allow myself to be labeled anti-immigrant. I was raised in a city that was majority immigrant. My first love was a foreign born refugee. More than half of my closest friends and definately the women I've had relationships with in my life (that adds up to a lot of ... years) were born on foreign soil. I have two sisters-in-law who are foreign born. My sisters' husband is foreign born. All arrived here legally.

And isn't it a damned shame that this spate of name calling mandates that arguments begin with "some of my best friends are..."
It is a shill game.
America is great because of the influx of "others." However, this is not France and mobs do not make the law. Congress makes the law. Mobs seemingly break those laws. At the very least, mobs defy those laws.
Ergo, they act illegally. Cogito they are criminals.
Let us take a quick look without moral equivalence or emotional sleight-of-hand.
Fact: The migrants are here illegally.
Fact: They do not all pay taxes.
Fact: Those that do using false identification, social security numbers and so forth, are committing a form of identity theft.
Fact: Money earned here is being funnelled back to Mexico - the largest source of revenue second only to the Mexican oil industry.
Fact: The most properous country in the world has a porous border with a corrupt third world nation that encourages people to leave.
Mexico wants these people to keep going to the US as sort of a pressure release. What loss is 300 thousand highschool dropouts to El Fox? It keeps that government from having to make radical reforms.
My own notions regarding the dispute: 1) Stop the hemorrhaging at the border by shutting it down "like an Iron Curtain." Build a very large wall from the Gulf of Mexico to Imperial Beach. This would provide a lot of jobs in areas of the US with high unemployment rates. We could add irony to insult by using some of those unemployed former East Germans who made the other "Wall." Perhaps some H-1 Visa Israeli engineering students could intern there.
2) Consider using the RICOH laws to punish business owners who encourage illegality by hiring these criminals in "solidarity." It is conspiricy, is it not? To show we are not without heart, we should promise to put them in the same prisons.
3) Promote more rallies. Hire more deputies to round up illegals at said rallies and process them for deportation. Use shuttered military bases if you run of of room.
4) Change the 14th Amendment so as to end "Birth Tourism."
5) Fine and/or impeach politicians who promote voting by non-citizens. RICOH Suave!
6) Now that the border is secure. Promote the hell out of legal immigration.
All in all, I do not want the rally to be a one day thing. I am for making "A Day Without Illegal Migrants" an everyday thing.
This is a subject I shall return to. In the interim, pass the chimichangas.
Somos Latinos? Well, some are; somos not

Far Too Easy

You may have seen this (or something similar) and wondered what the fuss was about.
Allrighty then. I'll share.
Find Michael Jackson in the photo.
I'll give you a clue - He is not the visibly black individual with the hooded children.
That is right - He is the one dressed like an Arab woman.
You cannot condemn a man for being unusual. You cannot even condemn a man for being bizarre. You can, however, condemn a man for inflicting his torturous behavior onto "his" children.

A Nation of Mutts

I've been away from this blog for more than three weeks. Anybody notice? Anybody care? Hello!
Yeah, I fell off the planet. It isn't because there is a lack of things to write about. It isn't because I am no longer pissed off enough to vent my spleen online any longer. It isn't even because I am in a tempestuous relationship which commands my attention (well..sort of).
I will own up to being in the final throes of an existential-level move.
Huh?!?
Well, I shall be back in India in a few weeks and I am basically shutting down (for now) my U.S. domestic life. I'm keeping my home and such, but I am selling (or sold) vehicles, giving away clothes et. al. because I shant be here. I'll be in Bangalore eating dosa to my heart's content.
Why the move? Well, simply put, I fell in love with India a few years back.
I've lived in and worked around the Asia Pacific region on and off over (dare I say it?) the past 20 years. The passion has its roots in my childhood. It is a great region to live and work in. However, I was not prepared for India held in store for me. What initially brought me there and what I found is a long, albeit interiesting, story for another time. Suffice to say that India is like nothing else I've encountered.
Having said that, I shall be updating my profile and so on. I shall be addressing the 800 lb. gorilla - outsourcing (which I support wholeheartedly), the US-India marriage and...well, let us just say I shall be dealing with my geography more.
Being the nationalistic sort, I'll admit that I believe the direction that the US and India are pursuing is going to benefit both countries well into the 21st Century. The arranged marriage between the world's oldest democracy and the world's largest is going to be of historical significance as the global paradigm shifts beneath our feet. We are witnessing, if you care to see beyond the length or your nose, these two secular giants push the global democracy and cooperation agenda forward.
As an American, I am proud. I am profoundly happy to feel as if I have even a clue as to what direction the world is heading. The synergistic energy which propelled the US into the preeminent position it finds itself in today is based on global knowledge which asserted itself on American shores. That knowledge comes from Americans, hyphenated and homegrown, with global DNA who use their different backgrounds to solve puzzles and meet challenges here in this nation of mutts. THAT is synergy.
The world has already begun to, as Thomas Friedman put it, "flatten." The US needs to address the source. We need to be more proactive. We need to reach out to find a global partner that is simpatico. And we did. India. Go down the list.
So I may be a bit spotty over the next month. I'll try to keep it as a personal goal. we shall see.

Casseur ibn DeGaulle

Well, my postings regarding the riots in France earlier this year needs an additional comment or two. In light of the recent activity by French students, the earlier problematic behavior by disenchanted Muslim youth proves to be rather French indeed. Perhaps they are adjusting to the French lifestyle after all.
After reading several news stories and commentaries, I had to sit back and shake my head. I don't get it.
A recent article by the BBC stated that "Hundreds of thousands of people - mostly students - have taken to the streets in France for a second week of protests against the controversial new employment contracts."
Their plight? The government won't tuck them in anymore. They want a powerful government to give them everything or they will shit on everything for everybody else. Very French.
“All it could take is one careless spark for this howl of existential anxiety to explode,” went the article.
I do not mean to relish in the woes of the French...but part of me does. It has to do with their inferiority complex. Right. Inferiority, not superiority. I mean that in the sense of "Me thinks thou doth protest too much." The French complain about everything and blame the Anglo-American hegemony for it all while they are at it. They claim to be so civilized while they burn shit to the ground.
If you remember, they offerred to buy back New Orleans because they have a more tolerant society. What a yuck that was. Of course there are still issues in the States. People are people. However, the overt racism in Europe makes the US look like we are all sitting around a campfire together. NIMBY? Please!
I guess I would not revel in it so much if their juvenile petulance was not equal to their determination to block anything put forth by the States. Jesus wept! Their general lack of gratitude is nothing new. The iconic DeGaulle was an egotistical douche bag. He could have screwed up a wet dream. Forget war plans. The post-WWII France? Can we say "Anti-American agenda" any louder?
Yet, I'll admit that I like France. However, to paraphrase a buddy of mine "But there are too many French people there." I have French friends and we agree to disagree on a plethora of issues. We get along fine. I would even enjoy living there, I'm sure. I like the wine, language and cafe' society for sure.
Unfortunately, the thing that that stands out from my last sojourn there was a petite, young American girl being knocked down by a 20-ish Frenchman running around a corner, then her being ignored by him as he sped off after being momentarily inconvienenced.
Yes. All those ill-mannered, ungrateful Muslims rioting in the Paris suburbs. Seems to me that matches the French notion of liberty and fraternity all too well. After all, the seed for the Islamic Revolution in Iran was germinated there. So was the Bolshevik one for that matter.
As Caroline Wyatt sublimely stated in her BBC story "To the barricades, they went, these revolutionaries, to fight for their rights - to pensions, mortgages and a steady job. Such odd revolutionaries. No heartfelt cry to change the world, but a plea for everything to stay the same. For France to remain in its glorious past: a time of full employment and jobs for life - a paternalistic state to take care of them from cradle to grave."
I guess I just don't get it. If a government is powerful enough to give you everything, they sure as hell are strong enough to take all you've got. I guess that is why some things in the US are "self evident."

Absence makes the heart what exactly?

Been absent for two weeks. Took some time off on the Gulf side of Florida - Tampa-St. Pete. Saw an old friend and some family - sis and mother. It felt nice to be back on the road (for what it was).
I like new terrain. I like the feeling of not having been on a road before; not knowing what lies beyond the next bend, light, corner or hill.
I look forward to the next time.
It did, however, leave me with a sort of liberation hangover. I returned to my humble abode spent. I had nothing to give. I guess it has been a form of depression.
You see, I am on the verge of a great (as in substantial) move. It is a move of distance and duration and it has me in a bind. Time is speeding by at breakneck speed and I have so much left to do. This pace is in no way matched by my deeds and the drag it produces brings me way down. I want it all cleared away so I can begin this next chapter quickly but ...

Crow Chutney

Must begin with what I believe is grounds for a retraction on my previous posting. I was all over the Bush in South Asia program. I read many of the online papers and gobbled up tons of images that poured from the event. Yes, even the "Kill Bush" image.
This is the point I sought to retract. At least, I shall judge this in need of retraction with the same faith I had put into the source's veracity. It was a news feed. Simply that. An image along with many others that accompanied the US president in India - protests that were taking place all across India.
This is where today's venting comes from. The image was cropped so that "Kill Bush" was clearly evident. Checking out the hundreds of others showed none of the same. They did, however, show countless images of "Killer Bush." That, my friend, is merely free speech - an expression of inference, not expression of intent.
The protests were anti-US, anti-Bush, anti-globalization and anti-capitalism. What they weren't were calls for execution (albeit there were burnings in effigy). They were not incitements to riot (albeit violence did occur). They were still, clearly, filled to the brim with intolerance. But, you know what? Free speech is kinda like that - all messy and pointed and putting people on edge sometimes.
I feel much better about India today.

Dosa Intolerance

Well today I received a bit if a jolt. I was caught off-guard I suppose. It was something I did not expect to see. I was checking the news from Bangalore and caught some of the country-wide anti-bush protests. Yes, there it was - a banner that included "Kill Bush."
How original.
What an Einstein it must have taken to come up with that catchy slogan. All that was needed was a slightly off construction and spelling of a sentence utilizing a variation on the word fuck. Ha! The week is young.
I know I should not be so put off by this. This is, after all, the world's largest democracy. I know protest is protest, but this level of intolerance is enough to make me cry.
I know the anti-Bush protest across the country engaged a lot of the communist/socialist and Islamist-types. I'm sure there were moderate mozzies and plenty of others in the mix too. However, when I see "Kill (fill in the blank)," I have to hang my head whether it is in shame or sad resignation. This takes a special kind of social retardation. Maybe they grew up in a room of peeling lead paint?
India is a lot like the US in this matter. We produce a Lincoln. We killed him. India produces a Mahatma Gandhi. They kill him. Hell, lots of folks named Gandhi were murdered. Not to be outdone, the US produced some Kennedys to kill.
The two countries have given its citizens just enough liberties with which to off themselves (others too). Some elect to take up the gauntlet, yelling "everyone is free to choose but my group will choose for everybody."
Ignorant bastards. They're everywhere.

CoulterGeist

I cannot claim originality regarting the title here. I had Googled "Coulter" yesterday in order to find a certain item I had seen in the past which lampooned Ann Coulter and caught "CoulterGeist" as a tagline. Hadda go there.
Coulter is quite the polarizing figure. I happen to fall on the side of those who absolutely love her. She has a rapier wit and a fearlessness which must be witnessed (and admired). I have always loved smart, assertive women (even if I disagree with them). Damn you Emma Peel!
She also seems to love all of the negative (visceral) responses she leaves in her wake. I have to laugh as well, especially when I see all of the men, suppossedly in touch with the feminine, when confronted by such a woman. How dare she be smarter, better looking and funnier than some of the harpies and (girlie)men that jump through hoops in a vein attempt to put her down.
Her books sit (read) on my bookcase. Her columns arrive (and get read) in my email account. Her appearances in various media are eagerly awaited and tremendously enjoyed. I know I'll get to laugh at her (often outraegeous) jibes and enjoy the view.
Love her or hate her. She make the intelligent think, laugh and get outraged. She makes the reactionary earn their monikers. She makes the insipid left sit in their own fetid juices and stew.
I'm just sayin...

Guess Who

When I first saw this image in the news a question hit me soundly -


Is this the new Hamas Prime Minister or is it George Clooney leaving the BAFTA Awards?

Glamour - Then and Now

Yes. Grace Kelly was amazing. As far as the notion of screen glamour/icon goes, I will have to
admit that the list of choices is quite deep. As mentioned, this question pops up on occassion and guys usually go directly toward the Jolie et al direction. Women's choices, on the other hand, are as varied as their moods. There is no consensus here (in my very own unscientific resource).

I noticed that my selections tend to come from earlier incarnations of screen beauty (with few exceptions). One of the top contenders, for me, is Myrna Loy. She forever changed the screen notion of the wife as cufflink to the more important dominant partner. Her intelligent sass on screen showed men why they needed to go home after work - Dessert was waiting.

No list is complete without Audrey Hepburn. Her simply stated natural elegance was matched only by the way in which she lived - beautifully. Every time I watch her on screen, I fall in love all over again.

On the more contemporary front. I need to include two Indian actresses - one, Rani Mukerjee, is from the Bollywood camp. Her eyes to look at, her voice (oh my lord, that voice)...sheerly delightful to watch. Her recent performance in "Black" is not to be missed.

The other Indian actress is of the American flavor - Native American actress Irene Bedard gains my nod for one of, if not the most beautiful actress on the American screen today. It is a shame we do not see more of her.

Any questions? That why God invented the Google search.

What all of these women share goes beyond mere beauty. They possess an understated luxury in their performances. They all do with a glance what others work very hard at emoting. If this were merely about beauty, the list would be endless as women across the world grace us poor voyeuristic testerone-laden slobs with their presence and inherant charms. This juvenile list is about the celebration of the feminine, the distaff propensity for elegance. Like silk across bare flesh, these women remind men, on a daily basis, why we love being men.

This woman is for the birds

I was asked recently who I thought was the most beautiful woman to ever grace the silver screen. Now thousands upon thousands of discussions begin with this very question. Answers all vary - depending on mood as much as anything else.

I've cited many over the course of years and one or two of them actually pushed me directly into puberty (see Senta Berger). But I have to go back to Tippi Hedren.

This woman is perennial. Gorgeous every day of her existence.

Hit me with your (bird)shot

Hey, I know Dick Cheney is all over the news regarding his shotgun malfunction. Dumbass response to be sure. But what the hell is wrong with the press and their sheer inability to cover something that may not be as sexy, but has a helluva lot more teeth?
What am I talking about? - Al Gore eviscerating America once more, but this time to a Saudi Arabian audience in the Saudi kingdom itself.
What in bloody hell is wrong with that weasely worm? He isn't stupid. Albeit, he did flunk out of divinity school (how do you flunk God?). Going to SA and giving a big mea culpa to an audience that pretty much believes he was the former VP from the United States of Satan.
All I can say is Damn him! His hatred for W and his anger over his loss has taken control of his senses again. Take some Viagra for you self worth and move on. Grow another beard and go away. Why do we have to suffer for his shortcoming once again?
He apologizes for the US in the nation that essentially gave birth to this global conflagration in the first place and he and his cronies will sit back with glee as they try to gain traction over a hunting mishap with a single casualty. I have more than 3,000 reasons to find fault with his apology and his analogy.

Back Atcha

#1.) Okay. Giving way to juvenile behavior, I posted Bill Clinton with a puppy-stool mustache. Granted, a Great Dane might have been more appropriate given our sensitive political climate.
It was merely a jab at the PC in chief after a long series of tirades aimed at the current CINC. Every citizen has a right to speak. However, there has been a long tradition held by classier folks that a former POTUS (i.e. Clinton and Carter) make no contrary US foreign policy statements against the standing individual. As an example, see GHW Bush. He is a class act and stayed out of Clinton's way. I'll give Clinton points, however, for his uncanny ability to speak on the fly. Man, that boy is amazing to watch.

#2.) Found this: http://jewswhereareyou.blogspot.com/
My only response is: ?????

#3.) My third little piece pertains to the political kidnapping of Islam. Sure, there are the hysterically funny writings of an Ann Coulter who berates Islam (liberals, democrats et al). Then there is an organizarion like CAIR (ad infinitum) which makes excuses and provides succor to those violent individuals, thus encouraging more violence.
This is not the Islam that Leila Ahmed writes about.
This is an Islam that not only prohibits behavior by its adherants, it expects a dhimmi-like global experience. All should bow down at the altar of "submission." If we cannot show depictions of the Prophet (which has been done countless times in Muslim countries without incident), does that mean we cannot hit the gridiron with a "pigskin?" Is is possible that the International House of Pancakes will suffer the consequences of providing delicious, crispy bacon and pork sausage to the average consumer. Lord help Latin America if this happens! The amount of pork consumed by the Latin apostate...it makes me shudder.
If we bow down, we lose. This is THE slippery slope we've all heard about. There is a courageous imam in Denmark who stated flatly that more depictions, not less, should be the rule. He cites a simple fact that the very freedoms which the west reveres are at stake if we allow them to be taken hostage by intolerant savages.
I inserted the term "intolerant savages" because intolerance is the message we're getting. It describes the level of demand "at the point of a gun" mentality we are witnessing. Mao would be so proud.
And make no mistake about it, this is politics at its finest. It is "rally round the flag" syndrome gone beserk. While the info was readily available months ago when it was first published in a free country, how can these things take place in dictatorial countries where speech is limited and information controlled. These folks got the message because their governments wanted it out there. Then it steamrolled.
As far as the "We are not terrorists. You should be beheaded" stuff, local embellishment is an artistic addition, I think.
This is politics. This is not Islam.
Escuse me. I'm off to Denny's for a Meat-Lovers Slam breakfast.

Just B'cuz

Sometimes you just can't add anything more...

A Picture is Worth...

Islamic Response? Really?
Politics is the more likely culprit.















How dare you accuse Muslims of being violent!
I have been sorta (pardon the pun) shell-shocked by the images coming out of the mideast over the satirical cartoons printed in the European press. The burning embassies, flags and so on cannot be justified. Yet, there are those on the talking head shows who proclaim the cartoons to be provative, ergo the actions are understandable.














We are exercising our rights in a free society, so pardon the "Ban Intolerance" kinda thingy.
I applaud the defiant defense of the free press that comes from the continent. My applause for anything remotely EU is rare. Were the cartoons objectionable? To some. Are violent responses to cartoons reasonable? The question here is rhetorical.

So say us all!
But just as I defend these rights in the press, I also see these rights being utilized by the public in the press. What follows are some images of Muslims in London exercising their right to protest in public.

This is, of course, my favorite flavor of piety. Isn't this the poster child for peace and tolerance? Won't Mama be proud?

What I want to know is this - since these people are nothing like the Muslims I know, where the hell do these people come from? What the hell is wrong with these folks? C'mon. We all know that there is something seriously wrong with their brains. What possible outlook could justify this call to barbarism?

Yeah, Yeah. I know... "Gott Mit Uns."

Desire...

It is a beautiful January morning in Florida. The temps will reach toward the upper 70s today and the sun will be shining bright. I cannot stop thinking about "Elsewhere."
I seem to live "Elsewhere." Just where is that? Well, in fact, it is quite a few places.
Of late, my mind tends to wander to India. That is no surprise considering I have been planning on moving back there for several years. It is also no surprise that the constant appearances make me a tad anxious - I am due back there in less than 60 days and I have a billion things left undone. My meandering daydreams come with great insistence - "YOU ARE NOT HAPPY HERE IN (fill in the geographical blank)!!!"
Well no shit.
I dream of going back to Japan, Malaysia or Singapore. I yearn to stroll the city streets of Melbourne and enjoy a sidewalk cafe's morning indulgence. I want to experience living in Prague or Vienna.
I want. I want. I want.
And yet, I want nothing except this cup of coffee.

Guess Who?

Yeah...
Is this a devout Muslim woman, an escapee from a leper colony or the main reason child protection agencies exist in the US?
I just feel bad for the kid. Being a freak of nature is one thing, but raising another freak is something else. This is absolute abuse. What the hell is this kid gonna turn out to be? Perhaps one of the characters from the "Thriller" video.
Cannot say much more without shedding real tears.

"A pig is more so."

I tend to cruise blogs. On a daily basis, I look to see if I have mail, scope the headlines, read some news and, of course, I check my own blog to see if I need to vent my spleen again.
Then I do what I usually do...hit the hyperlink for "next blog." I like to read opinions. Editorial writers and opion makers make for some interesting and tasty mind-granola.
Here is something I noticed (in an ever-increasing volume): Liberal(leaning) bloggers love to quote George Orwell. I was reading one (of many) today that focused on terrorism. The old "WAR IS PEACE, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH" newspeak was there in bold. This out of context bullshit gets quite old. You see, 1984 and Animal Farm were aimed at communism/socialism. Newspeak is the forerunner of political correctness. I could go deeper into this but that is another, longer conversatio to have at a later date.
Why (I would like to know) do these so-called liberals have to seem so hateful. The anti-Bush b.s. is getting hard to digest and takes away from a meaningful intellectual exchange. I don't love the guy but there are things that he does that I fully support. Yipee-ki-yay!
There are other things of major importance that need serious attention and, I believe, rethinking. This is also for another venting session.
There seems to be a high level of America bashing. If the US did it. It must be fucked up. There must be some conspiracy afoot. Yikes people! The hyperlinks usually are a giveaway. The Michael Moore is a genius effluence is a bit much for me. Mr. Moore(on) cannot find his dick, let alone the truth of any situation. The documentary which claims that US troops were mass-murderers Panama and put bodies in mass graves is a perennial favorite. The more updated "documentary" tells how "Iraqi Journalist Captures the Horrors of the U.S. Siege."
Then there appears a diatribe against the evils of Nationalism - equating nationalism with "National Socialists," a.k.a. Nazis. First off, forget the fact that they were socialists. Then you need to know what nationalism is. Are you discussing ethnic or civic nationalism? To given an example - "I love Canada" is civic nationalism. "I love Quebec" is ethnic nationalism. One is based on a modern construct - the state. The other is based on an ethnic and/or linguistic root.
One is inclusive. The latter reeks of exclusivity.
I am the former.
I love the United States - a state which has no one face, color, religion or ethnicity. It does not have a national language but does have a de-facto one. But it has been argued that the 21stcentury has one too (at least the front end of it).
My ethnicity is not American. My nationality is American. There is no such thing really, unless you considered North American natives who claim their own ethnicity within the native American umbrella. My ethnicity is a blend of two European extracts.
My extended family is a blending of colors, languages and multiple points of origin. (Almost)All are American. I love that. All of the cultures of the world are woven into the civic American fabric. This is a major factor as to how the United States became a global power. Global Synchronicity within national borders.
Civic Nationalism is not bad. Love of country does not mean hatred of other countries.
I also love India. This is another country that is a blending of "nations" into a modern civic construct. There are countless languages, colors, written scripts and religions. It has a Sikh PM, a muslim president, an Italian-born female as head of the ruling political party and a billion-plus population which is majority (3/4) Hindu.
I remember a joke I was told by a friend in Bangalore:
Q. What is the largest minority in India?
A. Indians! Everybody is a Tamil, a Punjabi, a Gujurati...
All countries have problems. All make mistakes. All have major things that one can embrace. Being hateful, destructive and/or self-loathing is not an answer. It is contributing to the problem. All you can do is cite your source knowing that there will always be somebody else that can and will spin it the other way.
The best you can hope for is to cite it correctly and in the proper time-sequence - for example: pre- and post-9/11 Dennis Miller. Or for that matter, George Orwell.

Sukh Sagar

Here is something funny. I was having a conversation with someone regarding my upcoming return to India. I was asked, once again, if I spoke "Indian." I replied in the affirmative. Then I was asked to say something. In "Indian."
So I replied with "what would you like me to say?"
"Say anything."
I said "I just did."
English is one of two national languages, along with whatever local language(s) are spoken on top of that. Chances are good that the folks that I hear people complain about in "outsourced" customer service call centers across India have, not only a greater command of the English language, but an MBA to boot. These are highly sought and well paid positions in India.
Let us imagine, for a moment, a conversation between someone with a thick NYC-area dialect and the same dialect enhancement, but from, say, Lafayette, Louisiana. Which sounds more foreign? And to whom?
But I digress.
I wanted to share something I wrote to Territory Ahead - the clothing catalogue folks. They asked for a suggestion for places they could focus on for an upcoming catalogue. I replied in an email that they should consider India. They contacted me to ask why.
Here is my response to them: First off, this is the land of Kipling, Orwell, et al. If you, as you say, are looking for "great, exciting, and unknown places," then India should be at the top of the list (as it already is in the imaginations of countless millions).
I do not mean to be a mere cheerleader, but having spent an abundance of my career in Asia/Pacific Rim, I finally found an area which I can claim as a second home. I learn something new every single day. The history is alive and meshs seamlessly with the present and future. Simply amazing.
I have taken advantage of Territory Ahead for at least 10 years. As with the early Banana Republic and J. Peterman (catalogues), I look forward, not only to the product, but the vignettes enclosed within.
India provides the Himalaya Range, the deserts of Rajastan, the tropical beauty of Kerala where the Europenas first set foot in the 15th century. There are cool hill stations and steamy urban centers with cathedrals, temples and enough oddities to make Ripley stammer. Colonial chic meets world culture, all in a one billion-plus populace.
India has stories, imagery and wonder. It should not work, but does so nonetheless. It is not just one thing or just anything. It is a flavor worth savoring...slowly...over the course of a lifetime. I hope this little pep rally was helpful and not so over the top. Oh, by the way, Mark Twain...yeah, that guy, was equally over the top. If nothing else, I stand in good company.
Do not get me wrong. The place is seriously flawed. It isn't a fairy tale country.
But it kinda is.
I guess it all depends on what trips your trigger.
Now give me a cheese masala dosa. Chutney jaasti!

Bizarro World

Imagine this headline: Michael Jackson Seeks Job in Bahrain...
Now what? Okay, sure. LMFAO of course. Then what? Shake my head. Check my eyes. See if my coffee was spiked. Well, I ain't kidding.
http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/ap/20060116/113745324000.html
It seems the gloved one (so as not to leave prints on Prince) took a gig as a consultant in Bahrain. He will advise on luring (he is good at that) folks to amusement and resort sites. Sorta like children to neverland, I guess.
He is also finalizing his Hurricane Katrina relief song which features rapper/pornographer Snoop Dogg and that other humanitarian and protector of children - R. Kelly. A report suggested that the title of the song shall be "I Have This Dream."
I'm not kidding. This comes out on the day honoring Dr. King.
Remember what he said about judging a man by the content of his character? Judge for yourselves whether these are bad people. It just seems to me that they go about their business in an evil, predatory way.
Today's news has been like that.
It seems the Iranians are upset by news as well. They said CNN misquoted the Iranian president regarding nuclear weapons. He did not say, as quoted, he thought Iran had a right to nuclear weapons. He said it had a right to nuclear energy.
CNN has since apologized on all outlets on-air, to the Iranian government as well as Iran's ambassador to the United Nations and anybody else within earshot.. Iran's Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry, welcomed CNN's apology and were quick to ban CNN from the country anyway. Their return would "depend on an assessment of the broadcaster's future coverage of the Islamic state." Hmmm.
I guess it is true what they say - "No news is good news."
It was said that professional ethics were violated. Yeah, that is an important thing to note. It should be discussed again when Iran holds a news conferance regarding their position on the state of Israel. Well, they said ethics, not tolerance.
The list goes on gloriously every single day. I simply scan the headlines, making sure to have swallowed all of my coffee first so-as not to spit it all over my keyboard and screen. There I will get the charge I need. I do not even need to check the "weird" category. I just scan... then it appears... Domesticallt, it may be Pat Robertson or Howard Dean, Al Gore, Cynthia McKinney, ad infinitum, who opened their mouths allowing effleunce to spew forth.
I could swear that on certain days, these idiots are channeling Kafka.
The news is proof that recreational drugs are passe' and quite unnecessary.
Bizarro World is now.

Navel Gazing

yeah well...
it has come to my attention that few are truly who they appear to be. it is also true that deception is the rule, not the exception. while we can quibble over the severity of the deception, perhaps even the intent, the end result is the same. that is to say that people lie to your face and take advantage more often than not.
this far too often includes some you may have considered quite near and dear.
i have been blessed with a good circle of individuals that i include in the friend category. one has recently taken advantage of that to quite a severe degree. it truly shakes my faith in people in general. i guess you may have garnered that from my thesis statement.
SYMPTOMS: a large sum of monies owed. a large amount of promises unkept. deception. avoidance. (extremely) petty larceny. tales of woe (is me). blame others while continuing to take. general inconsideration of others. not being very clean (and not caring about it). hidden agenda. resentment.
wow. i guess i am pissed. this is flowing like the niagra.
there is a bit of bile here but if you know of the film "a bronx tale," perhaps you can guess where this particular episode is leading.
i have been far too laissez faire about this. i thought, in error, that there would be a moment of satori and "doing the right thing" would enter the equation. that notion of propriety has yet to rear its head in this case. when it come to decency, you either are or you are not.
so in the interim, i have decided not to wait and move forward with my plans (which i'll detail in a future blathering). much to do. not a lot of time.
the questions that now remain are: Which is the offending limb? What do i give away? Which do i leave behind? How much do i let on? Who should know?
Pretty ponderous, no?
As i collect and count the proverbial lint, i ask you, is it true that it all don't mean shit to a tree?

Who is John Galt?

Allright already...2006. Cool.
It is a new year once more and I am more or less where I was last year...thinking about being somewhere else. Granted, last year at this time, I was freezing my ass off in the northeast. Today blistering cold made it down to 80 degrees outside. Yeah, I'm living amongst the palm trees and still thinking about being elsewhere.
Is it the grass is greener bullshit or is it just the old Irish curse about not being happy if you stand still too long?
I do not have the answer. Perhaps I do not even possess a clue. I have a nice house, the vehicles, ad infinitum, but something always seems to be missing. Somebody ancient and Greek - fill in the blank if you know, cuz I do not remember - said, "the nature of man is to be discontent." Give that man a cigar (and a gyro).
(pause for a Marlboro and effect...)
I pose the following question: Can a liberal be a follower of Ayn Rand?
Now I do not suppose you must adhere to Objectivist doctrine to be a Rand fan. You may indeed be appreciative of her novels alone and still be not quite down with her philosophy.
I make this query due to the fact that I have a friend who proclaims unbridled passion for her writings yet also espouses extremely left of center views. This is a contradiction.
I also have a liberal friend who proclaims that the evils of political correctness came from the right wingers of the country. Yikes.
Personally, I am not a good fit at either end. I would make a lousy fascist or communist equally. It is kinda like what Groucho said: "I wouldn't belong to any organization that would have me."