May 07, 2005
once again, Doug. No one else seemed to want to get their geek on. Hmmph.
Anyway, congratulations, again, go out to Doug. The rest of you should know that he did miss one, so if you had bothered to enter your answers, you could have conceivably run away with it.
Answers are after the jump more...
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Rosie Stamp, 32, a freelance video producer, made the journey hours after arriving in New York when she phoned home and heard year-old Betsy crying in hunger."I had no choice. She just wouldn't take the bottle," explained Stamp, who had expressed breast milk before leaving on the planned five-day trip for a crucial business appointment.
She said Betsy was in the habit of drinking water from bottles, so she and her partner, therapist Nicholas Bolton, 49, assumed the baby would take the expressed milk.
But "she of course knew breast was best," said Stamp, a strong believer in breastfeeding until babies are 2. The trip was the first time she had left her baby, who is now 16 months old.
{...}The incident occurred in January, but Stamp - now pregnant with her second child - began a battle with British Airways and her travel insurers for a refund for her emergency flight.
She had paid $760 for her first round-trip ticket and had to fork over $800 for the early flight home. She then paid another $900 for her second trip to New York. She also spent almost $600 on international cell-phone calls.
"For months I've been trying to get BA to have compassion," said Stamp, who argued that Betsy's need to breastfeed was a medical emergency.{...}
Yes. That's right. It's British Airways responsibility, according to this woman, to pay for her airfare because the baby wouldn't drink pumped milk. Because she's a mother. Her child was HUNGRY and SHE was the only one who could stop her baby from starving to death! It apparently never occurred to this mother that since she was going out of town for an extended period of time, and the baby was a year old, that perhaps, just perhaps, this would have been a good time to wean the kid.
Never mind that a pediatrician probably could have told the father how to solve the problem at minimal expense.
British Airways needs to have compassion. Because this was a medical emergency.
I can only hope that BA holds firm and says GO TO HELL in a resounding voice. I can't imagine why they would cave. This isn't about discriminating against mothers who breastfeed. This is about not picking up the tab that resulted from a woman's irresponsible behavior, who then, doing nothing to help her own credibility, decided to climb up on the cross of breastfeeding martyrdom to get her ticket paid for. That's bullshit.
And no, of course, I have never breastfed a baby. I haven't had kids, hence I haven't lactated yet. Duh. But I know plenty of people who have, and believe you me it never would have occurred to them to cross a fucking ocean because their baby was being picky in their eating habits. What's the matter with that father that after ten hours, he demanded she come home instead of calling the doctor or his mother or someone who knew what they were doing?
This is ridiculous. Far be it from me to point out that this woman is making things harder for the average woman when she tries to feed her child and some puritan takes offense a a tit hanging out in---gasp!---public.
Oy.
{Hat Tip: Michele, who also has some worthwhile things to say about this.}
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May 06, 2005
It seems as if the guy who plays Dr. House is a talented gentleman.
I finally was able to lay my hands on a copy through the library and I have to say, it's just a wonderful read. It is, truly, something very special, or maybe I just feel that way because it's right up my alley. Who knows? Anyway, I finished it last night and I'll be purchasing a copy when I finally have some spare coin for such things. I was curious about some of the reviews, however, because they seemed to think this book was a "spoof" or a "satire" on the spy-novel genre. I don't think so. It's a thriller with a sense of humor and to imply that Laurie was simply spoofing the genre really doesn't give him the credit he deserves.
Ah, anyway...there was one part of the book that had me chuckling more than usual and appreciating the author's cleverness, so I had to share it with you. If you're interested read on after the jump. more...
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/claimtofamemomentover 
Don't do that again!
That's very cool that you've met him. He seems like he'd be a decent guy to know. I can only think that meeting Stephen Fry would be intimidating as all hell. Probably a nice enough guy, but he seems to have one heck of a brain on him. People who are that smart scare me
Eric Hoplin will be on Fox News this afternoon with Neil Cavuto discussing the importance of reforming social security.Your World with Neil Cavuto starts at 3:00 PM CT and is replayed at
midnight.Also, Eric's wife Nicole has written a great letter regarding Ann Coulter's recent visit to the University of St. Thomas that has been posted on the Power Line blog.{...}
Since I have NO idea who these people are, Doug was good enough to inform me that Eibensteiner and Hoplin are the Minnesota State Republican Party Chair and Vice Chair respectively.
Grrrrrrr. Rant ahead. Consider yourselves warned.
To: All Minnesota Politicos
From: Me
RE: Promotional Emails
To Whom It May Concern:
I have officially HAD IT with you people sending me emails, looking for cheap PR.
Please read this, and then this.
I cannot tell you how badly this frustrates me.
I do not care about your world, AKA the inbred world of Minnesota Politics. I don't care about what issue you're plugging today that you think signals the sky is going to fall down hard on all of us. I don't care about how you think same-sex marriage is truly going to bring Armageddon on us. I do not care about how Ann Coulter was "abused" at St. Thomas. I do not have a shrine to Sarah Janacek set up in the Cake Eater Pad. Most importantly, I DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU OR YOUR PISSANT LITTLE AGENDAS. They bore me to tears. They always HAVE bored me to tears, hence I don't write about them. Did you get that or SHOULD I REPEAT MYSELF ONCE MORE? I'll repeat myself. I DO NOT WRITE ABOUT MINNESOTA POLITICS! IT BORES ME. Since this is MY blog, and not YOUR free PR outlet, I shall declare what is worthy subject matter and NOT YOU! Did you get it this time? I would hope so, or I'm really going to reconsider voting for your party next time around.
Furthermore, it would behoove you to learn which blogs do care about such things. There are PLENTY of them out there. Trust me on this one. There are many, many bloggers who would love to receive your promotional emails. That you haven't figured this out yet just signals to me that you have absolutely no clue as to what the blogosphere is all about. If you actually read the blogs you are so interested in courting favor with you would---A-freakin-HEM---already know that you will gain no purchase here.
Consider yourselves warned. The next time I get an email from ANY Minnesota politico, I will mock it. And believe me, you don't want that. If you think this post is harsh, just you wait.
Go elsewhere with your crap. Reading Powerline does not mean you are well-informed on how the blogosphere works. It just means you are, like Jane, an ignorant slut.
/rant
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She's also working on one question that is requiring a bit of research to answer, so I will update when she does.
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The reason I ask is because he really, really needs one of these. Badly.
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Woot!
If you need the rule or are wondering what the heck this is all about, go here and be enlightened!
- What slimy, green-faced, trunk-nosed alien makes a one minute appearance in Star Wars: A New Hope before being blasted?
- What color was Darth Vader's lightsaber blade?
- Which film in the trilogy features Admiral Ackbar?
- What substance is mined on Cloud City?
- Whose periscope is the only thing seen above the sand after his leap from the upper deck of Jabba's sail barge?
- What sound effect was produced by tapping on a radio tower's guide-wire?
Have at 'em. As always, you can either throw your answers in the comments or you can email them to me.
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...Doug. (Once again. C'mon people, he's running away with this thing.) With a very honorable mention going to the Wiz, who got five out of the six correct.
Congratulations to you both for having some fun!
Answers can be found after the jump. more...
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Spooooooky. I was just chatting with Jonathan about this the other day. His preference is for Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire. (He doesn't think he'll ever be tapped for it. I think he will.) Mine is for this one. How handy is it that it suddenly appeared, eh?
1. What is your favorite word?
onomatopoeia
2. What is your least favorite word?
c**t (I *HATE* that word. And if you don't know which word I'm referring to, well, know that the Brits use it quite a bit, but we American women hate it. That should give you a clue.)
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally?
conversation, reading, simply paying attention to the little things, debate, friendship, love
4. What turns you off?
selfishness, endless rationalization, addiction, looking down one's nose at other people for no good reason.
5. What is your favorite curse word?
m*therf**ker (I don't use it very often, but it is just so good in its nastiness)
6. What sound or noise do you love?
an orchestra tuning their instruments and warming up
7. What sound or noise do you hate?
a lawnmower at seven a.m. on a Sunday morning
8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
Something where I'd be well-paid but wouldn't have to work a lot. Hmmmm. I know! I'll be an actor!
9. What profession would you not like to do?
garbage person, mortician
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Oh, good you're here. You look somewhat surprised. You were expecting, perhaps, something different? Well, I know, but you're such a lively person, we couldn't have you spending all that time in Purgatory, so come on in and put your feet up. You've earned it!
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May 05, 2005
*and by that I don't really mean ironic in the true sense of the word, which would be "unexpected," but am rather slagging off and mean it's "moronic" instead. Because I'm hip with the ways and means of language that way.
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Okeydokey. Here's today's batch. As always, either throw your answers in the comments or send them to me via email.
- Who bravely assumed full responsibility for losing track of the Falcon, and then apologized to Lord Vader?
- How many engines does an X-wing fighter boast?
- Who was the first Rebel pilot to die during the first Death Star battle?
- What color is Hoth as seen from space?
- What character was referred to as "the Critter," during early story meetings for The Empire Strikes Back?
- What two pilots were Luke's wingmates during his Death Star trench run?
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...with The Wiz of Down For Repairs coming in second in what ultimately turned out to be a photo-finish.
I actually had to judge this one. Woooh. Work was involved, you should be proud of me. Anyhoo...Kevin had all the answers correct, but the Wiz failed to list a crucial element in one of his answers, hence Kevin takes the marbles. Mazeltov, congratulations, etc.
You can find the answers after the jump. more...
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My glaring faults with timeliness aside, Michelle Malkin's outraged, OUTRAGED, I tell 'ya, about Laura Bush's comedy success at the White House Correspondent's Dinner on Saturday night. She even got some time on O'Reilly last night, which I didn't bother watching because I had to see what happened to Locke on Lost.
From her blog:
{...}Most of Mrs. Bush's humor at the correspondents' dinner was just right: Edgy but not over the edge. But I think the stripper and horse jokes were totally beneath her.Just put it to the other-shoe test: If it were Teresa Heinz Kerry standing up on the dais telling the same jokes, the conservative commentariat would be buzzing for the rest of the year about what a tasteless skank she is.
"Lighten up?" How about cleaning up? The First Lady resorting to cheap horse masturbation jokes is not much better than Whoopi Goldberg trafficking in dumb puns on the Bush family name. Unlike many Beltway and Manhattan commentators, I do not think the Wonkette-ization of the White House is a good thing. {...}
From her column:
{...}The First Lady resorting to horse masturbation jokes is not much better than Whoopi Goldberg trafficking in dumb puns on the Bush family name. It was wholly unnecessary.Self-censorship is a conservative value. In a brilliant commencement speech at Hillsdale College last year Heritage Foundation president Ed Feulner called on his audience to resist the coarsened rhetoric of our time: "If we are to prevail as a free, self-governing people, we must first govern our tongues and our pens. Restoring civility to public discourse is not an option. It is a necessity."
Lighten up, you say? No thanks. I'd rather be a G-rated conservative who can only make my kids giggle than a South Park/Desperate Housewives conservative whose goal is getting Richard Gere and Jane Fonda to snicker. Giving the Hollyweird Left the last laugh is not my idea of success.
Yeah, I'll say lighten up, but first off, I tell Ms. Malkin, to get a freakin' clue.
First off, it wasn't a horse masturbation joke: it was a joke that honed directly at the fact that W. didn't grow up on a farm, despite his "Ranch Owner" props, hence, didn't he know which animal to milk. Any horse masturbation that *might* have occurred was strictly accidental, hence the joke. Hahahahaha. That's funny, right? Not according to Ms. Malkin, who seems to think Mrs. Bush's comedy routine is now on par with the regular ass-f***ing commentary at Wonkette.
But, just in case this hyperbole didn't push you into the Downward Facing Dog position, Malkin decides to make some sort of wild leap into the "what this all means for Conservatives" realm. She claims that "self-censorship is a conservative value." To back up this point, she quotes from a speech the president of the Heritage Foundation gave at Hillsdale College. Yeah. That's right. Hillsdale. That bastion of Cutting-Edge Conservative Thought (TM) where the founder had a nineteen-year long adulterous affair with his daughter-in-law, who then committed suicide. You see, if I was Malkin, I could easily make the leap that because Feulner was speaking at Hillsdale his declaration that we must keep our tongues and pens in check was a way of saying that the scandale at Hillsdale never happened. Furthermore we can extrapolate from Feulner's commentary that this scandale means NOTHING about the state of Conservatism in America, let alone taint all the good work they've done at Hillsdale. That "self-censorship" and keeping it civil means to sweep the non-conservative actions of the president of a conservative college---actions some might be justified in lumping into the hypocrisy category---under the carpet and simply hoping the lump under said carpet doesn't become too noticeable.
Hmmm?
I find I must resort to the linguistic follies of the Wayan Brothers to respond to both---Malkin's and mine---leaps of the imagination.
Ahem.
Homey don't play that.
But then again, "In Living Color" wasn't G-Rated so she probably won't get that.
I digress, but it's obvious that Malkin just doesn't get is that "self-censorship" should, indeed, be a thing unto oneself. As in, if someone's language offends you, you should probably go elsewhere, not moan and caterwaul about what it means for Conservatism that a Conservative First Lady cracked a joke about going to Chippendales. When it comes to language and the topics it is employed to describe, you can be broad minded and skip over what you find offensive because someone else might find it funny. There is a choice involved, in other words. And that choice resides with the listener, not the speaker. It does not mean you should censor yourself to the point where you don't offend even the most purehearted of listeners. Furthermore, to blindly dictate that "self-censorship" is such an important part of Conservatism smacks of the politically correct movement of the left.
To quote protein wisdom himself:
{...}let me just note that the measure of one’s conservatism is NOT tied to one’s vocabulary so much as it is to one’s political philosophy. And in many ways social conservatism—with its desire to dictate “proper” or “decorous” speech—is simply dressing the PC-sensibilities of the left in the starched, high-collared clothing of neo-Victorian morality.{...}
To claim that "self-censorship is a Conservative value" offends me. Malkin, will, undoubtedly, blow my offense off because, of course, her offense is greater than mine and, of course, has more serious ramifications attached to it, or so I suspect she would argue. Where exactly is the fairness in that action, I ask you, my devoted Cake Eater Readers? Is not my offense at her puritanical attitude worth the same in this marketplace of ideas? Am I not worth as much as Malkin is, intellectually speaking, because I drop the occasional f-bomb into my writings? Well, golly gosh! I'm mightily ticked off! I might just have to write a post about it...
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Regarding their motivations:
{..}What are their shadowy motives? I was dumbfounded at first, but with the discovery of this photo, I'm pretty sure that they are here to crash parties, get drunk and annoy girls.
I, Kath the Cake Eater, hearby swear that I have confirmation of Gordon's story.
You see, this is the Americanized version the Llamas would like to present to you, the average American Joe.
But as you can see from this next image, all is not as it seems with the Llamas.
Yes. That's right. Someone photoshopped the tequila and the sombrero out of the image. They AMERICANIZED it. Someone has some explainin' to do Lucy! Or should I say, {insert pointed finger here} STEPHANOESTEBAN?
The fact that Roberto's not wearing a sombero only confirms the fact that no matter where he might be---Mexico or Dee Cee---he's the type of Llama who's too fastidious with the hair gel to wear a hat. StephanoEsteban, well, honestly. The sombero, now that you can see it in all of its glory, well, suits. The fact that "Yip! Yip! Yip!" works as well in Spanish as it does in English tells the discriminating viewer that they're clever that way and are all about saving themselves some work!
Of course, none of this goes into the fact that they're hanging out with Susan-freakin'-Sarandon.
But this should be enough for the WaPo to start a full-blown MSM Woodward-Bernstein-ish smackdown.
I'm sure Sadie, Jose Cuervo's lover, can pick up where Gordon and I left off.
UPDATE: Dork-a-thon?
Ahem.
Hi, my name is Pot. You must be the kettle. I hate to tell you this, but just on the off chance that you don't know, well...YOU'RE BLACK!
Three words, I believe, will suffice in this situation: BRING IT, ELI!
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May 04, 2005
If you're new to all this bewildering contest stuff, go here for the rules to the game. You may either put your answers in the comments or you can email them to me. There's a definite theme to today's questions. Have fun with it.
- Who called the Millenium Falcon a "bucket of bolts?"
- How many lasers are on each of the Millenium Falcon's turret cannons?
- Who owned the Millenium Falcon before Han Solo?
- What was the Falcon inside of when it lost its topside radar dish?
- How many holomonsters are visible on the Millenium Falcon's holoboardgame
- What's Chewbacca's position aboard the Millenium Falcon?
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...Ith!
Woohoo! Way to have some fun, girl! (Maybe this will make up for the whole House thing)
Answers are after the jump. more...
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NONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONONO'effinNO! on the whole House/Cameron dating thing.
Come on. Asking for a date as your one condition to return to work? How freakin' contrived is that? Bleech. That's something straight out of a Nora Roberts novel. Honestly, I thought the writers on this show were better than that.
While I will, undoubtedly, enjoy watching this train-wreck-in-the-making, Cameron just bugs me. And she is so not the girl for him. I don't know that there even is a girl for House, or that there ever could be a suitable mate for that man. It's like trying to pair Sherlock Holmes up with someone. Irene Adler may have, ultimately, been the love of Sherlock's life, but he didn't exactly wind up with her, ya dig?
If you're interested, there's a poll up over at the House site on this topic. I voted "Neither." I think you should as well.
If you know what's good for you.
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Anyway, those wacky llamas picked up on a topic that's been traveling around: movies that are aimed at your gender, but that you may not like; movies aimed at the other gender, that you do like, etc.
Ahem.
Guy movies that I, a woman, love
- Highlander (
Is it really wrong of me to think that Clancy Brown as the Kurgen was kinda sexy in a perverted sort of way?See the comments. He totally stole that movie.) - Die Hard (The original. Number II sucks. Number III ain't bad when compared to number II, but is a pale imitator of the original. I have my brother, David, to thank for hooking me on this one. I know all the lines.)
- All the James Bond movies (Excepting, of course, those with Roger Moore. Won't watch them and you can't make me.)
- Enter The Dragon (I have the husband to thank for my Kung Fu movie habit)
- The Matrix Series (Yes. I like all three. If you don't, you just didn't get it. I pity you.)
- Band of Brothers. (Not a movie, but rather a miniseries, I know, but this is one that if someone bought it for me (hint, hint) I would be eternally happy.)
Chick Flicks that I, a chick, do not like
- Beaches (How do I hate this move? Let me count the ways...)
- Titanic
- How to Make An American Quilt
- To Gillian on Her Thirty-Seventh Birthday
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- City of Angels (Colm Feore was the only redeeming thing about that movie. Well, that and the soundtrack.)
- Ghost
- An Officer and a Gentleman
- Dirty Dancing (Go ahead and put Baby in a corner. I won't stop you. I don't give a rat's ass. Really. I don't.)
- It Could Happen To You
- Bridget Jones' Diary (It slays me to admit this one because my adoration of Colin Firth is well-documented. Really, I love the book. I just hate this adaptation. It got it all wrong.)
Movies that I, as a hardened, cynical, unfeeling, soulless person tend to break down in tears watching.
- Steel Magnolias (Every single time. I can't help myself.)
- The English Patient
- Terms of Endearment (Give my daughter her medicine!)
- Love Story
- Hope Floats
- An Affair To Remember(If it had to happen to one of us, why couldn't it have been me?)
- Schindler's List
- Saving Private Ryan
- Philadelphia
Discuss at will.
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I agree with Puff's sentiment that someone had way too much time on their hands.
The husband, however, when shown this marvelous bit of animation, declared it to be cool. He said there are two choices Geeks have whenever they wake up. Should they continue to have fun today?Or is today the day they decide to subject the world to their dominance?
I have no idea what this person was thinking, but I suspect it was the former.
At least I hope it was. Because if he was shooting for the latter, well, he/she/it fell way short of world domination.
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May 03, 2005
I'm not going to insert a reminder about the rules. If you're new to this, go read this post and be enlightened.
- What two characters did Luke order Jabba to release into his custody?
- What vehicle did Luke Skywalker take down with a harpoon gun and a land mine?
- How does a cantina patron translate the remark of a drunken alien who tells Luke, "Negola dewaghi wooldugger"?
- What planet's system contains a great deal of meteor activity?
- What short furry creatures are revered for being master builders and artisans? {Ed. If you don't get this one, I'm going to doubt your intelligence because it's a FREAKIN' gimme!}
- Who created the unique sound effects used in the movie trilogy?
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