Could someone please tell me why this is a necessary item for one's life?

No. Really. I want to know.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:19 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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So, you might have heard that Maureen Stapleton, 80, died over the weekend of chronic pulmonary disease.

You might have also heard that Dana Reeve, 44, died last week of lung cancer.

Most of the obituaries about the former have gone out of their way to point out that she smoked, one even went so far as to call her a "legendary smoker," while all of the obituaries about the latter have also gone out of their way to point out that she'd never smoked.

My question is this: why is it anybody's business whether they smoked or not?

Because you know what the implication is, don't you? Maureen Stapleton, because she smoked, brought on her own death. Dana Reeve, however, did not---and boy did her PR people ever make sure EVERYONE and their brother knew she hadn't gotten her lung cancer because she'd fired up a Marlboro once upon a time.

The first time I ever read the phrase a "heirarchy of grief" was in an article in the New York Times a few months after 9/11. I vaguely remember the article being about division of all of the donations received and how this "heirarchy of grief" was making itself known because it was suggested that the families of firefighters and police officers should receive more money than the families of civilians who had died in the attacks because they'd raced into the buildings, while the others had run out. While the government had to eventually bring in someone to decide who got how much the phrase has always stuck with me because while one would assume that death would be the universal leveller, it's really not.

It seems like a small thing that someone smoked during their life. It's not that big of a deal, really. It's just a habit, after all. And it's one you can have and people might never know about it. (Believe me, it's possible.) Yet, here we have two obituaries and both of them mention the smoking or non-smoking habits of the deceased. It's nobody's business---in either case. It seems to me that the media is, yet again, inserting bias into their work. After all, the obituaries seem the perfect place for---once again---hammering home the point that smoking kills. They're attempting to create the same sort of heirarchy of grief with announcing someone was a smoker---or in Dana Reeve's case making sure people feel badly for her by announcing the tragedy of lung cancer without smoking to blame it on.

I do not enjoy the idea that some obituary writer gets to slap on the morality police badge and shape the reader's image of the deceased by listing out their non pc individual habits. It's no one's business that Maureen Stapleton smoked. Really and truly. Conversely, it's no one's business that Dana Reeve didn't.

After all, they're both dead. What does it matter?

Posted by: Kathy at 03:40 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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When Kathy and I talked about doing the Big TWELVE series of posts, I joked about wanting to get a llamalanche. Mission accomplished.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 02:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Do you really need more evidence that blocking the ports deal was a bad idea?

How's about this: "Arab Central Banks Move Assets Out of Dollar"

{...} Middle Eastern anger over the decision by the US to block a Dubai company from buying five of its ports hit the dollar yesterday as a number of central banks said they were considering switching reserves into euros.

The United Arab Emirates, which includes Dubai, said it was looking to move one-tenth of its dollar reserves into euros, while the governor of the Saudi Arabian central bank condemned the US move as "discrimination".

Separately, Syria responded to US sanctions against two of its banks by confirming plans to use euros instead of dollars for its external transactions.

The remarks combined to knock the dollar, which fell against the euro, pound and yen yesterday as analysts warned other central banks might follow suit.{...}

Oh well done, Congress. You should be proud of yourselves.

Here's my question to all you eager beaver Congresspeople: you blocked the ports deal---and Republicans in particular betrayed their President---for cheap electoral gains. Are you brilliant Congresspeople ready to face an electoral wrath if the dollar tanks, and inflation booms?

Because the President is safe from that sort of scrutiny this time around.

You brilliant Congresspeople, however, aren't.

{Hat tip: Martini Boy, who has further thoughts, as do his commenters.}

Posted by: Kathy at 01:57 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Issac Hayes---the voice of Chef---is quitting South Park.

Over religion.

NEW YORK -Isaac Hayes has quit "South Park," where he voices Chef, saying he can no longer stomach its take on religion.

Hayes, who has played the ladies' man/school cook in the animated Comedy Central satire since 1997, said in a statement Monday that he feels a line has been crossed.

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins," the 63-year-old soul singer and outspoken Scientologist said.

"Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored," he continued. "As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."{...}

Mmmhmmm. Couldn't be that they made serious fun of Scientology, could it?

I mean, I don't remember Isaac having issues when they lampooned the Catholic Church. Or when they made fun of the Mormons. Or when Jesus went up against the Devil in a boxing match. Or even when Satan just wanted to be cuddled by Saddam.

"South Park" co-creator Matt Stone responded sharply in an interview with The Associated Press Monday, saying, "This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem — and he's cashed plenty of checks — with our show making fun of Christians."

{...}Stone told The AP he and co-creator Trey Parker "never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."

{my emphasis}

Can I get an 'amen'?

Posted by: Kathy at 09:55 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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As some of you, my devoted Cake Eater readers may vaguely remember, we're big fans of the Financial Times around here. I don't bother with the paper most of the week, but on Saturdays, well, you can't keep me away from it. As the wise RP once wrote, "I heart the weekend section." I wholeheartedly agree. The FT's weekend section is quite wonderful and when I'm done reading it, I do try to give the polymath---it's a crossword with a weird name---a good whack every week, but usually I don't have too much luck.

This week, however, I'm four away from finishing the damn thing--a first---and I need your help, my devoted Cake Eater readers to do so.

If you know any of these throw the answers in the comments. The numbers in parentheses are how many letters are in each word. I'll also list out what letters I do have in each word, too.

28 Across: Department of northern France, created in 1790 and abolished in 1968. (5-2-4)

S_ _ _E_T_I_E

31 Across: Symbiosis (9)

M_ _ _A_I_M

10 Down: In Ancient Greece a male citizen from 18-20 years of age. (6)

_P_E_E

(I think it's some sort of variant of 'Spartan' but I can't figure it out for the life of me!)

18 Down:A name applied by German students to anyone not connected to the university (9)

P_I_ _ _ _ _R

I thank you in advance, my devoted Cake Eater brain trust. I'm sure you have the answers hiding in the recesses of your brain. Please share, so I can retire this puzzle.

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone who helped me fill in the pieces of the puzzle! IT'S FINISHED! Woohoo! I'm so excited! And, yes, I realize it's pretty silly to be excited at finishing a crossword puzzle, but, hey, my life is actually pretty boring so maybe you should give me this one, ok?

Posted by: Kathy at 01:46 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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I should have known: it was fifty degrees the other day; it's March in Minnesota; the other shoe was bound to drop, ending all that joy.

The local weatherguy says we've got somewhere between four and eight inches of heavy, wet snow, but it's not like I can look out the window and eyeball it. No sirreee. Because all the screens are covered with snow. I'm just glad we have satellite because for a time last night we didn't. Usually this is the kind of snow that knocks that bad boy right out.

Anyway, it looks like Mr. Tinkles got out of cat prison and went nuts with the flocking machine again.

They actually cancelled school here, which---stop the presses---is not something that happens every day. The husband turned on the news, saw footage of many sideways buses and decided to take a snow day.

Here's the view from one of two snow-free windows, which, conveniently, happen to be right next to my desk.

It was a good thing that I took this picture when I did. I had the window open and was aiming for the next shot when....

...that same bough broke.

I can't get a clear shot of the fallen bough from here, because the snow is blocking the screen, but suffice it to say that it was a very clear and loud 'crack.' The husband, quite rightly, berated me for missing the action shot.

Posted by: Kathy at 09:33 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Apparently, mu nu is holding onto my posts and putting them up at inconceivable times. Friday night's post wasn't there on Saturday morning, so I assumed that it was eaten by the machine and wrote a new one. Then my post from this morning hasn't shown up on the main page yet. Is this domain run by Big 12 officials, or are the llamas doing a "Duck Amuck" on me?

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 09:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I've earned my first "this article does not reflect the opinions of our site" disclaimer for my article on ISU's loss to Okie State in the tournament and the general situation of basketball in the Big 12. I wrote seven articles for them last year, and one this year, and this is the first time they've felt the need to distance themselves from my remarks. That's cool, because I did mention in my email to the head reporter accompanying the article that I would understand if they decided not to publish this piece (they recently published a letter from the owner of the site calling out two members of the athletic department for their unwillingness to cooperate with the website's efforts to cover ISU sporting events). Let's see if they decide to publish my next article, covering specific instances of how screwed up things were in Dallas and comparing & contrasting three of Dallas' gentleman's clubs. Hmmm, come to think of it, Kathy might feel the need to slap a disclaimer on some of these posts when she realizes there's nary a literary or cultural reference in the whole bunch.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 03:21 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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We made it home last night, the worst thing that happened (that anyone can remember) is that Hogfarmer got kicked out of Gilley's. Why? Who knows? He wandered off from the rest of us in the bar, so we weren't around to witness the event, and his memory isn't clear on the issue. Three of us went with him to another bar, and the others finished the night at Gilley's. There was a cool country-rock band playing last night (Jason "someone" and the Stragglers). They had a sortof Steve Earle thing going on, and it was a pretty good concert while it lasted.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 11:20 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I'm back in the room safely, with no scars, bruises, major debts, or warrants attached to my person or name. We managed to make the tour of Dallas' club scene, but we got thrown out of Gilley's. Let me make this clear. Our drunk companion managed to behave in bars where women take most of their clothes off, but he got thrown out of a country-western dance bar. I was finishing my last beer when Maximum came over and told us "Hogfarmer's getting thrown out. We've gotta go now." He couldn't remember why they threw him out, but apparently it must have been fairly benign, since they passed on the chance to do the nightstick boogie on him. Hopefully, this is the closest we're going to come to jail this weekend.

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 02:44 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Damn.

ATASCADERO, Calif. - A retired salesman alleged a stripper and her friend beat and robbed him in his home. John Skinner, 54, said he was on his way to Bible study on Jan. 23 when exotic dancer Maureen Murphy, 25, knocked on his door and offered him a free strip-o-gram.

Murphy said a friend had already paid for the show, police said.

When Skinner agreed to let her perform, knife wielding Richard Adam, 23, allegedly forced his way inside and told Skinner he owed Murphy, owner of Bikini Assassins, and another woman money for earlier services.

Skinner said he owed Talbert money for sex one time but not for a previous time when he said she fell asleep before they could have sex.{...}

And all of this happened as he was on his way to bible study, too!

Posted by: Kathy at 01:08 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Ken emails me this link and tells me it's quite funny.

Well, I don't really think so, but then again, I rarely watch ESPN---and when I do it's to watch sports, not SportsCenter.

All I noticed is how absolutely helpless they all are when their teleprompter doesn't work.

You might think otherwise because you watch SportsCenter all the time or whatever.

The Cake Eater Chronicles: We're All About Pleasing the Masses.

Posted by: Kathy at 12:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I say 'idiot' who's more interested in reelection, power grabbing and making a name for oneself instead of doing what you're supposed to be doing as the Chairman of the Committee for Homeland Security, which is to keep the country safe.

Which, just for the record, he didn't do. He actually made us more vulnerable.

Thanks for that, asshole!

Posted by: Kathy at 12:27 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The husband and I just finished watching the Battlestar Galactica season finale and I'm a wee bit pissed off.

I will leave a discussion of the plot for another time, lest I spoil it for the west coasters/Tivo viewers, but I will simply say this: if they could have shoehorned one more commercial into an hour and a half program, they would have. This fracked fucked with the telling of the story. The episode never gained any momentum and what would ordinarily have been a quite dramatic storyline was a joke by the time we got to the end.

I'm glad the show is successful and that the SciFi Channel is making a goodly amount of money on it, but they got greedy with this episode and it was a detriment to the telling of the actual story. Which, believe it or not, I was convinced, up until this point, was something they cared about.

Posted by: Kathy at 10:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Our last man finally showed up this afternoon, and this might be my last post. He finished a bottle of Captain Morgan while I was cleaning up in the shower. That was about an hour ago, and he's gone downhill fast. more...

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 03:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Iowa State just lost to Oklahoma State in the first round of the tournament. This could get interesting. Some of the best stories we've got about tournament antics occured during years when we lost early. We're here until Sunday, and we're either going to sit in the room and play quarters all day, or go barhopping. Gilley's is on the menu for tomorrow night, and Saturday night might require another trip to Gilley's, since Asleep At The Wheel is playing there and I've never seen them live.

Want details? Take the jump. more...

Posted by: Russ from Winterset at 11:26 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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As in the kid has some choice words about sapphic experimentation in sorority houses.* more...

Posted by: Kathy at 05:57 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Phin Jr. has made his appearance into the world!

Go on over and wish them glad tidings!

UPDATE: WE'VE GOT PICTURES!

Posted by: Kathy at 09:56 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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See also: Agent Bedhead

Posted by: Kathy at 10:11 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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1 That's my Bride. http://cakeeaterchronicles.mu.nu/archives/151410.php

Posted by: MRN aka "The Husband" at March 09, 2006 08:55 AM (zgB3S)

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