Month: August 2007

  • I Scream, You Scream We All Scream, Deep Fried in the Heart of Texas

    I wasn’t feeling great today, so I decided to skip the museum, but we still went out for ice cream with the kids. 

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    I also, luckily, missed this barbecue my Dad went to in, yes, you guessed it, Texas.  Land of the Deep Fried Buffalo Wings or as they call them, Hot Wings.  I personally have never liked them, and had no idea how they were made until now.  Apparently the process involves boiling oil in a fryer.  You have to pay attention though, because if the oil gets too hot, and bubbles over the side, you’ll have a fire that can literally burn days.  If this happens, all you can do is call the fire department.  In this case, the Volunteer Fire Department got the call first.  Apparently not having time to change into a more appropriate fire fighting apparel, this genius (with the embarrassingly tight shorts, white socks and moccasins showed up. (Can you wear white socks and moccasins before Labor Day???) .  Luckily he brought his oven mit to try and cover the flame, but to now avail.  They had to call in the big guns to spray the flames with some chemical foam. After that they stood around postulating what could have possibly gone wrong, and what they could do to prevent this in the future.  Answer???  Quit deep frying hot wings!!!!  Ugh.  Thanks to my Dad for grabbing his camera and documenting how the other half lives.

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    Song of the day

     

  • Happy Birthday Eva

     
    Happy Birthday Eva!!
     
     
     
    Since there are very few bad pictures of taken of you in the past 10 years, I put together this slide show to the tune of our group song.  There are a few semi embarrassing ones in here, but mostly you’re still the most photogenic of our far flung group of friends.  Though if I had to pick two of my favorite pictures of you that show your true personality, they would have to be these:
     
     
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    And since I can’t really embarrass you, I have to embarrass myself!   Happy Birthday!!  xo

     

  • Stood Up By An iPhone

     

    Since my entry yesterday has stirred some controversy, I’ll try to keep it a bit lighter today.  

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    Bassam and I were supposed to have dinner tonight, but he canceled!  How dare he.  Just because he flew here all the way from Jordan for this stupid conference, he felt he had to “shmooze” with the conference attendees, before leaving tomorrow.  I knew the real reason though!  He just wanted to spend more time with his new iPhone.  You know what?  I don’t care!  The only reason I wanted to see him anyway was to see his damn iPhone, so it’s mutual.   

    Now that he’s blown me off, this is what I plan on doing to his precious iPhone the next time I see him.  (Kids don’t try this at home!)

     

    Video of the Day (thanks to Jin for the inspiration!)

     

    ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
    “Today, Chinese officials recalled one million tons of lead because it may contain toys.” – Jay Leno

     

  • “Lesbos and Niggers”, Godless Sodomites and the Paradox of the Christian Right


    Update:  This post has been updated and some corrections have been made.  You can read the update here:  http://weblog.xanga.com/CareyGLY/681939491/a-fresh-coat-of-hate—faggots-niggers–the-paradox-of-the-christian-right.html

    rent

    Several months ago I wrote a post called “Perceptions” about a woman I know whose father didn’t let her listen to Diana Ross & the Supremes when she was little, because he said it was “nigger music”.  As a child she did not perceive this as a racist remark.  Similarly, my older relatives who lived through World War II have very different perceptions of Germans and Japanese people than I do.  No one is born with perceptions.  They come from our upbringing and our life’s experiences, and I believe the older you get, the harder they are to change.  That’s why a large majority of younger voters vote the political party of their parents (see graph).  Since just roughly 60% of Americans live in the same state they were born, it stands to reason that voting patterns remain consistent in states throughout the years.  (Indeed the 40% who move away, typically move to more traditionally liberal and urban areas.)  So perceptions may not be as easily changed as one might think.

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    I read a book recently entitled “Talking Right – How Conservatives Turned Liberalism Into A Tax Raising, Latte Drinking, Sushi Eating, Volvo Driving, New York Times Reading, Body Piercing, Hollywood Loving, Left Wing Freakshow.

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    “It tells the story of a subtle linguistic campaign whose architects – from Spiro Agnew to Karl Rove, have altered the meaning of our everyday political vocabulary. ‘Values’ has strayed far from its dictionary meaning to become the exclusive property of the right; liberal has become a designation for people whose taste in cars, cheese, and coffee puts them “out of touch” with real Americans; the “ownership society” has become a pretext for apportioning wealth to the haves and have-mores”

    After reading the book I had a better understanding of the divide, and how it happened.  I understood the whole “red state/blue state” thing much better.  What I still couldn’t put my finger on however, was how the perception of love could be so different between groups of Americans.  The divide in America between right and left is growing, and it’s evangelical Christians that are leading the way. (People like Peter Singer, the so called ”Blue State Philosopher are rarely in the media, perhaps for good reason.)  From gay marriage to racism, I could write pages about how the Christian Right’s positions (perceptions) on so many of these issues is patently “un-Christian” and hardly reflects the “Love Thy Neighbor” dictum.

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    So how, you may ask, does this relate to “Rent” and the title of this post?  Well, anyone who knows me knows that seeing the musical “Rent” in 1996 was a fairly seminal event in my life.  It became more of a philosophy for the way I live my life, and I went on to see it more than 10 times in 7 countries.  The story is an old one, 156 years old to be exact.  1851 was the year that Henri Murger published the book Scènes de la Vie de Bohème a story about his friends; so called “Bohemians” or “starving artists” living in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the mid 1800′s.  His friends had the same names as the central characters in “Rent” (with American updates; Rodolpho became Roger, Marcel became Mark, etc.).  50 years after the book was published, Puccini turned it into the famous opera La Boheme, which in turn, 100 years later became the musical “Rent“.  The central themes of all three were the same.  Wikipedia presents this chart:

    Character in La bohème Character in Rent
    Mimi, a seamstress with tuberculosis Mimi Marquez, an S&M dancer with AIDS
    Rodolfo, a poet Roger Davis, a musician with HIV
    Marcello, a painter Mark Cohen, a filmmaker
    Musetta, a singer Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist
    Schaunard, a musician Angel Dumott Schunard, a gay cross-dressing drummer with AIDS
    Colline, a philosopher Tom Collins, a gay computer whiz and Anarchist philosopher with AIDS
    Alcindoro, a state councillor Joanne Jefferson, a lesbian lawyer
    Benoit, a landlord Benjamin ‘Benny’ Coffin III, also a landlord

    “Other examples of parallels between Larson’s and Puccini’s work include Larson’s song “Light My Candle”, which is nearly identical to the first scene between Mimi and Rodolfo in La bohème, “Musetta’s Waltz”, a melody taken directly from Puccini’s opera, and “Goodbye Love”, a long, painful piece that reflects a confrontation and parting between characters in both Puccini’s and Larson’s work.[12] The song “Quando M’en Vo’ Soletta” from La bohème is also referenced in the first verse of “Take Me or Leave Me,” when Maureen describes the way people stare when she walks in the street. “Musetta’s Waltz” is also directly referred to in Rent.”

    No matter how hard the characters try to fight it, they all come to the realization that love is the strongest force we know.  Stronger than heroin, stronger even than death.  Be it the “starving artists” in the Latin Quarter of 19th Century Paris, the American Bohemians like Jack Kerouac in the 50′s or the drug addled, AIDS victims in Jonathan Larson’s masterpiece; they all knew this “fact”, and they lived their lives accordingly.  Today, whether you’re “Emo” or geeky, in this age of Facebook and MySpace and a truly wired global technosphere; it’s good to be reminded that we all connected by the powerful force of love, and that a broken heart univerally hurts.

    So, come full circle to today.  This afternoon I had a conversation with the same woman I spoke of in the first paragraph (she’s an evangelical Christian).  She told me that I would be proud of her, because she finally watched the movie, based on the musical “Rent”.  (Though my review of the movie was much less stellar than the play, and my written review resulted in a personal email from Roger Ebert, I’ll save that story for another day.)  I asked her how she liked it, and she basically thought it was “disgusting”.  At first I was taken aback by her response.  I know the movie wasn’t nearly as good as the play, but in was unfathomable to me how anyone could find these ageless, central themes anything but life affirming and beautiful.  She admittedly shed tears at the sad parts, but implied that all of the tragedy and sadness of the movie was a result of the characters (“Lesbos” was one of the words she used), not seeking the love of God.  They were seeking love in the wrong place.  Their addictions, (heroin) and diseases, (AIDS) were there own doing.  I fail to see the Christ-like thinking in this sentiment and told her so.  It’s like the Pope’s recent proclamation that only Catholics can go to heaven.  Excuse me?

    She quoted Matthew 6:33 

    6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

    So, that’s the paradox.  The older I get, the more this kind of thinking is what roils me about organized religion.  Be it movies like “Jesus Camp” or websites like www.lovegodsway.org or www.GodHatesFags.com

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    I rest my case.

    Song of the day: “Seasons of Love” from RENT

    Update:  Since I first wrote this entry, my friend “M” who made the statements I referred to here, has responded.  I have included her reponses and my reactions below.

    Ok, Carey, I read your blog and my quotes, which I really don’t remember using the word “disgusting” but rather the word “sad” in regards to RENT.  Anyway, read your own blog and tell me what is wrong with this picture?  Compare the characters of the two casts.
     
     
    Today, it is…
    Dancer with AIDS
    Musician with HIV
    Bisexual artist
    Cross-dresser with AIDS
    Gay computer whiz with AIDS
    Lesbian lawyer
     
    What does this cast say about the state of the world today?  How messed up are we?  Oh, but I’m sure that all those that march in the Gay Pride parades will be happy when all of society looks like this, and there are no healthy heterosexual people left.  Hey, come to think of it, Africa is starting to look a lot like this today.
     
    But of course, it’s not their fault, and they are only seeking love and feeling good, whether that comes from drugs or a readily available sexual partner, no matter the cost, because the cost is not worth giving up the pleasure.  Hey, I understand.  I felt the same way.  No way was I going to give my heart to Jesus because I just knew it meant I was going to have to give up the good times.  But I realized that there was only heartache at the end of those good times – a hangover, infection or unwanted pregnancy, lung cancer.  A lot of wonderful things to give up, and still I hung on – you know that, Carey.  I still do not want to give up some of those “fun times,” but now I find myself having more fun in seeking a different kind of joy, so it is not “giving up” but “desiring” something else more.
     
    By the way, your blog only tells half the story & I resent that you present me & my perceptions being handed down and totally accepted by what my parents said.  Just because my father called our music “nigger” music and told us not to hang out with those niggers at church and that we couldn’t even be in the same house as my cousin that married an African, didn’t mean that we didn’t recognize these as unfair racist beliefs, and believe me we didn’t stop playing our music, hanging out with the colored kids, or visiting my cousin.  You have to remember Martin Luther King Jr. was a hero of ours also, because he stood up for what was right and fair and did so without violence.  Those perceptions were part of my environment too.
     
    And, let me say this about what you call “un-Christian” attitude and not showing love to our poor “it’s not my fault” homosexuals.  I have not, nor have I ever not cared for a friend or family member (yes I have them in my family too) because they were homosexual.  God’s Word tells us to speak out against sin, but never the sinner.  You know, we don’t have Christian Right parades.  We don’t have “all white” colleges.  We don’t have Heterosexual Pride parades.  But somehow we should accept what is an abomination to God as ok, and before long MANBLA (or whatever that organization of men with little boys is called) will be trying to convince you that the little boys “like” what is happening to them, that they “want” done to them what these men are doing & they will convince the little boys too.  If God says fornication when not married, with the same sex, or with animals is wrong, forgive me, but I cannot say that God is wrong, and I only have to look at the way we were beautifully and wonderfully made for our own species to realize He cannot be wrong.
     
    Sorry, I went on too long, but you know I love you, little brother..
     
    – M
     
     
    Thanks M,
     
    I’m going to try to reproduce in writing what you and I talked about on the phone after you sent this email.  As I explained, I didn’t say you “said” Rent was disgusting, I said you “thought” it was disgusting.  That is what I gleaned from the contempt in your voice when we discussed it.  That contempt was what initially took me aback. Much of what you say boils down to the fact that you think being gay is a choice.  I do not believe this is true, and since we have talked about this many times, I won’t rehash it here.
     
    I do apologize if my words implied that you agreed with what your father said, or did not recognize it as racist.  I simply meant to imply (through my examples), that most people form their initial perceptions of things from their parents, and many children grow up not knowing any other way.  Though I don’t consider you or I racists, I’m sure that there are people who would, simply because of some of our beliefs (just like one of the comments already posted here, called me a “nigger lover”).  Your point about Martin Luther King is well taken.  I wonder how you would feel if there was an equivalent leader fighting for the rights of gays?
     
    I think you’re such a good person M, and I know you think the same of me.  You’ve never tried to strongly impose your beliefs on me as others have, and I enjoy our debates.  I know that neither of us know all the answers, and I’d like to think we’re both living our lives the best we can.  As I grow older and start to lose my religion, I take solace in the fact that there are people like you that help bring another perspective to the matter.  I’m also comforted by the fact that there are other things in this world besides religion that help people to understand we’re all connected by common bonds.  Be it simply a musical that teaches us to live for today and that love does indeed conquer all, or a global event that unites all humans as one (the tsunami for example).
     
    I know that we both agree that the websites and videos referenced above, represent evil and the worst kind of hate; and whether or not you believe in God, no one deserves such vitriolic rage directed at them.  I’ll end the way I began.  There’s a song from Rent that talks about this “Bohemian” life which some find so repulsive, called “La Vie Boheme” (The Bohemian Life):
     
    To sodomy
    It’s between God and me.
    To faggots, lezzies, dykes, cross dressers too.
    To me….To you….
    To people living with….not dying from disease.
    Let he among us without sin,
    Be the first to condemn.
    La Vie Boheme.
    Anyone out of the mainstream.
    Is anyone in the mainstream?
    Anyone alive with a sex drive.
    Tear down the wall.
    Aren’t we all?
    The opposite of war isn’t peace.
    It’s creation.
    La Vie Boheme.
    Viva La Vie Boheme.
     

  • Things Aren’t Always As “Neutral” As They Seem & The Big Dick Fairy

    Ha Ha, made you look!

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      Carey Anthony <carey@gmail.com>
    immigration laws
    6 messages
    From: Bine Mon, Aug 6, 2007 at 6:21 AM
    To: Carey and Friends
    Alan has just sent me this picture from Lucerne, Switzerland. This is a bill board poster, of which there are several placed around Luzern. It is an advert for some hysterical propaganda from the far-right SVP party, which is quite big in Central Switzerland. Anyway Sicherheit schaffen means establish security. And not only are three white sheep kicking out one black sheep (and yes, it is referring to race) but also the German alliteration, well its abbreviation is SS and I doubt that this is a coincidence.

    Former bill boards from this party showed a swiss passports and hands grabbing it. The darker colored hands couldn’t get close to it but the white hands were able to reach it…so it is not the first time.

    Another thing that just blows my mind. A poster like this in Germany, the world community would be all over us and they should. But NO media coverage whatsoever about Switzerland.

    Bine

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    From: Carey Mon, Aug 6, 2007 at 10:23 AM
    To: Bine

    Unbelievable!!!
    (and blogworthy :)

    – Carey –
    From: Bine Mon, Aug 6, 2007 at 12:11 PM
    To: Carey

    yes, please spread the word. You will be the first journalist to write about it. It is about time that the world sees the true Switzerland :)))

    bine



    From: Eva
    		 Mon, Aug 6, 2007 at 4:23 PM
    To: Bine
     
    yeah.  wish i could be as shocked and angry as you sound.  just sounds like home to me.  thanks for the reminder to be outraged.
    eva
    From: Marcelo Mon, Aug 6, 2007 at 4:52 PM
    To: Bine

    Oi todo mundo!

    I realize that our lovely EMO lives in Santa Barbara, CA, which is not a bastion of multiculturalism in America.   But I can’t imagine a billboard like that anywhere in the America I live!  (Other than in some people’s minds, of course).

    The black sheep notion has been around since the beginning of times (whenever that was).  Today I am counting my blessings.  It’s inspiring that some of my favorite humans find it outrageous :)

    Baah!!!

    marcelo
    From: Eva Mon, Aug 6, 2007 at 5:08 PM
    To: Marcelo

    I agree.  It’s much cuter.  Just reminds me a bit of the MinuteMen propaganda and other campaigns blaming immigrants for the country’s economic situation.
    But mostly, we do all love our black sheep. :)

    In Neutral Switzerland, A Rising Radicalism

    Islamic Extremists Newly Seen as Threat

    By Craig Whitlock

    Washington Post Foreign Service
    Thursday, July 20, 2006; Page A14

    BERN, Switzerland — For centuries, this Alpine nation has successfully relied on a strict policy of political neutrality to insulate it from the wars, invasions and revolutions that have raged outside its borders. These days, a new threat has emerged: one from within.

    As they have elsewhere in Europe, Islamic radicals are making inroads in Switzerland. Last month, Swiss officials announced the arrests of a dozen suspects who allegedly conspired to shoot down an Israeli airliner flying from Geneva to Tel Aviv. In a related case, a North African man has been charged with organizing a plot from Swiss soil to blow up the Spanish supreme court in Madrid.

    For years, even after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States, Swiss officials assumed that their country was one of the last places Islamic radicals would look to attack. Long considered a slice of neutral territory in a world full of conflicts, Switzerland trades on its status as home to the International Committee of the Red Cross and other diplomatic institutions.  Read more…

    SPAM OF THE DAY:

    Carey Anthony<careygly@gmail.com>

    Let the big dick fairy bless you
    1 message

    David<john@yahoo.com> Wed, Aug 1, 2007 at 9:54 PM
    To: Multiple Recipients
    Make your dick huge this summer.
    Stop blaming your lack of getting laid on everything under the sun.
    You’d be surprised how feeling satisfied with the size of your manhood can
    effect how women see you.
    http://geocities.yahoo.com.br/ (rest of URL removed for your protection

    Happy Birthday to my brother David!

    kissbrubby

  • Designer Sperm, Toilet Dining, Self Gifting & Rental Goats

     

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    After work I met Joel, Lisa, Tommy, Andy, Jenn, Tressa & Dar at B.J.’s for dinner.  After that I went back to Dar’s to work on her computer until about midnight.  Then I drove home to find a package in the mail from “California Cryobank“.  The name intrigued me, and before I looked at who it was addressed to (my neighbor), I opened it (oops!).  It turns out the company is a sperm bank!  I found the literature they sent out fascinating.  They’re basically selling designer sperm, for quite a bit of money from what I can tell.

    There’s even more information on their website, where you can literally search by race, ethnicity, height, weight, religion, “nordic” donors, donors with “some” Jewish blood, facial features, attractiveness of baby photos, temperament tests, voice and more.  The website even allows you to print a Donor Essay, a Staff Assessment and a Short Profile. 

    So the question is, would you do it??  And how the hell do I give this to my neighbor without embarrassing her, or me for that matter, especially after I opened it?  Doh!!

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    For my Taiwanese friends, a new restaurant to check out in Taipei!!

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     This is going to be my early birthday present to myself.  I’m buying it tomorrow, so if anyone has any suggestions/changes, speak now or forever hold your peace.  Also, I’m searching online for Dell coupon codes, but am so far coming up flat.  Any ideas?  I like the built in webcam, and I’ve always liked Dell computers.  I used them for years at my old job.  I actually went to Best Buy tonight to buy that HP that’s been on sale for $499 all week, but they were sold out, as was every single Best Buy in Southern California. 

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    Sven sent this today.  He moved to Central California about a year ago.  Talk about a different world!

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    Song of the day.  LOL

     

  • Snippets

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    Click on the word “Snippets” above…to read this entry.  I’m trying out this feature to see if it eases the speed in which my page loads.  I just wish the snippets could be a bit longer, more enticing, juicier

    So today’s entry is just that; juicy snippets of information.  Just some interesting things I’ve been meaning to blog about but haven’t gotten the chance to these last few weeks.

    New NASA Layer- On July 18th Google Earth added a new Featured Content layer from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The new layer has three components: 

    1. Astronaut Photography of Earth – These placemarks showcase some of the best photos from the