As any regular reader of this space knows, I despise paper. I think it is a completely useless 21st century product. If a service provider requires paper in order for me to do business with them, I’d rather not do business. At Christmas time however, I have a dilemma. I’ve always sent a lot of Christmas cards. My travels have afforded me good friends all over the world, and long before email, Christmas was always a great time to catch up with people I rarely got to see or talk to.
I know it’s hard for you “young’ins” to imagine a time before email, but believe it or not it’s only been in general use about 13 years. Even before computers and the Internet, I was always very organized regarding my Christmas cards. In the height of my traveling in the early 90′s my Christmas card list topped over 250. I kept meticulous records (and still do) about who I sent cards to and who I received cards from.
I have codes and everything! Some people come and go over they years and there are others who are always on the list. It’s tradition, whether I receive a card from them or not. There are some people I’ve been sending cards to since 1983. Some of my friends may even be able to pick out their names on these photos!
The hand written lists go back to 1983 the year I started college. Back then, I kept the list in my yearly planner. Starting in 1991 (the list below right), the real fun began. The more countries I visited, the more people I sent cards to. There are 5 people on this year’s list that I’ve only met once in my life. There are kids I used to babysit for, who now have kids of their own. It’s fun to receive cards too. My favorites are always the ones with pictures of the kids. I save all of my cards from past years, and it’s great to look back and see how the children have grown!
Another tradition I’ve had since 1988, is that my best friend Daniel has always drawn a picture of Oreo to put in my cards. For example, the year Oreo was shot, Dan drew a picture of Santa going up the chimney and leaving Oreo a bullet-proof vest.
After Oreo died (many years after the shooting), the drawings became the template for my annual Christmas message (not your typical cheesy Christmas letter, I might add!).
I have friends with kids who have all of these drawings from over the
years hanging in their rooms! So you see, as much as I’d like to sever
my ties to paper 100%, this is the one time of year I don’t think I
can. Talk to me in 3 hours though, once the writer’s cramp has settled
in, and I may be singing a different tune! Finally, even though I
despise snail mail. It it nice to have decorations for my bookshelves
at Christmas. Good night…I have a lot of cards to write.
Long Day! Ben & Missy were in town, but I only got to spend an hour tonight with them. Will hopefully see them for brunch tomorrow. I took the kids to see Enchanted tonight. They loved it. I have to admit, so did I. Afterwards we went to a cookie exchange, and had a spaghetti dinner too. It’s 2 AM and I’m still full. I goofed around with a few of these pictures just for effect. I’m just going to post these because I’m exhausted. Nighty night!
It’s the time of the season, when the love runs dry. What’s your name? Who’s your daddy? Is he rich like me? It’s the time of the season for loving.
A couple of weeks ago I called Wells Fargo because I was supposed to receive a dividend check from them that never came. They told me they would issue me a replacement check, but apparently they got my Account # wrong, because look what I got in the mail today!! (Did you get one too, Donna??) This should make Christmas shopping fun. What does everybody want???
Think I should cash it? LOL Or should I be like this guy:
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — There are probably a million ways Jerry Mika
could spend $2 million dollars. Trouble is, he couldn’t cash the check.
Expecting a $15 refund from the Utah Department of Commerce, the Draper
man opened his mail recently to find a $2,245,342 check.
“I kept
trying to find a way to make it legitimate so I could cash it,” he
said. “I did think about all the things I could do with the money …
who wouldn’t?” Mika returned the check — a mistake that occurred
when an employee entered a serial number, not an amount — to state
finance offices Wednesday. “Clearly we have an honest, honest
citizen. I wish I could do something more than say thanks,” commerce
department director Francine Giani said.
Giani said the state
will implement additional internal controls to catch such mistakes in
the future. A new computer system, which only requires entering the
amount of a check once, might have contributed to the problem, she said. Mika,
who runs the nonprofit Providence Foundation to help Nepalese sherpas,
said he’s had great fun showing off the state’s mistake.
“Everybody looked at it, started giggling and asked why I wasn’t already in Switzerland,” he said. He admits to being tempted to deposit the money and draw a bit interest before the state asked for its return. “That money would have gone a long way,” he said.
But ultimately honestly and the idea of spending time at the Utah state prison made Mika too nervous to do anything. Because the check was state-issued, cashing it would probably have been easy, despite the large amount, Giani said. “It
was a valid check,” said Rick Beckstead, the state accounting operation
manager whose signature is stamped on the check. “But it would have
been caught when we did reconciliation and we would have been after him
for the refund.”
Speaking of Christmas shopping…I went to the Irvine Spectrum last night, and saw American Gangster. It was pretty good….about an hour too long. I didn’t think Denzel Washington was all that great, though I don’t know that any other actor could have pulled it off. Russell Crowe did a good job. I don’t think the script’s character development was very well done. I kept waiting to learn how this guy became so incredibly cold hearted and was able to cast so much dispersion on his own race. As it turns out, the movie was based on this article in New York Magazine. After reading the article, I understand the character a lot better. If you’re interested, you should definitely read the piece. It’s called “The Return of Superfly“
I was playing with some different settings on my camera last night, and took these shots at the Spectrum. I’m getting used to the Christmas with palm trees lifestyle. It ain’t all bad Have a great weekend everyone!
Dear Santa,
I found one more thing to add to my Christmas list! I dare a cop to stop me for speeding with these balloons tied to my car!!
What a difference nine years doesn’t make! One interesting effect that this writer’s strike has had, is that all of the normal late night talk shows are all playing reruns from much older shows. Last night I watched a David Letterman show from 1998. What struck me was how many things are still the same.
Thinking about all of this reminded me of where I was 9 years ago today. It was a year after I had moved from Chicago, had sold everything and was just traveling. I was in Cape Town, South Africa that month. Since I’m such a packrat, I dug up an old email and some scanned photos I sent while I was there. Admittedly there have been a few changess in the past 9 years. I did not own a digital camera in 1998. There was one Internet cafe in Cape Town that I could use to send this email. I had just set up my first website, a crude Geocities site as a tribute to my dog Oreo, who had just died, and I had just purchased my first cell phone!
From: Carey Sent: Friday, December 11, 1998 10:48:15 AM -0800 GMT To: Undisclosed Recipients
Subject: Merry Christmas From Africa
Hello everyone, and Happy Holidays from Cape Town, South Africa. I
arrived in Africa over two weeks ago, not knowing what to
expect, and as my time remaining here is now less than a week, I find
myself not wanting to leave.
Cape Town alone is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. It
rivals Rio de Janeiro in natural beauty, and Sydney, Paris and even
Chicago(!) in urban splendor. Though it is a small city (the second
largest in South Africa at about 4 million) it has all of the amenities
of the great western cities of the world.
I have traveled extensively during my time here, from the very
southern tip of the continent at Cape Agulhas, to the fabled Cape of
Good Hope, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic, to the lush wine
country of Stellenbosch, home to some of the finest wines on the
planet. I have toured Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 18
years of his nearly 30 year prison sentence. I have photographed
stunning sunsets from the slopes of the most famous landmark in the
country, Table Mountain, whose flat “table top peak” is often covered
with a thin layer of clouds the locals refer to as the “tablecloth”.
I have encountered penguin, baboon, springbok, ewald, zebra, dassy
(related to the elephant), tortoise, and many strange birds and
insects. I even went whale watching in Hermanus, the best place in
the world for land based whale watching, but alas it was too windy the
day I was there to see any Southern Right whales.
A friend of mine from Switzerland was staying with me here for a week,
and then some friends from Johannesburg came down to revel in the
glorious beaches of the Western Cape for five days. I have made many
wonderful new friends, as all of the people here are extremely
friendly and love to hear what it’s like to live in America.
This country is startlingly “new” to democracy. Their constitution
and bill of rights is not even two years old. They have been
struggling with the demons of years of apartheid since 1990, and will
unfortunately never be able to undo much of its damage.
This is a country wrought with paradox. People who live in the cities
shop in huge Western style malls, with all of the latest fashions and
designer names. Everyone, young and old (as in Brazil, Australia,
Japan, and Europe) has a cell phone. They watch the latest Hollywood
movies in large 14 screen cineplexes, yet they only have four
television stations, and there’s no such thing as cable. They watch
Seinfeld, Friends and of course Oprah (everyone knows about Chicago!!
Thanks Oprah!)
Travel just outside the cities however, and it’s a completely
different story. When apartheid was first introduced, blacks in the
cities were sent to “townships” to live. These shantytowns, with no
electricity or plumbing, are still homes to millions of “Africaans”,
and they are indeed appalling.
On a drive home from the southern coast, I stopped for gas at a Shell
station. The gentleman who pumped my gas, asked me in very broken
English if I could give him a ride home, as his shift was over. I
agreed, as he had already won me over with his friendly (though
toothless) smile when I pulled up. As I was unsure about what type of
gas my rental car took, he was very helpful, and extremely polite. As
he directed me towards his home, I soon found myself entering a
foreign world like no other, only a few hundred yards off the main
highway. Fires burning in barrels, chickens, goats and dogs running
wild, naked children playing with tin foil balls, and thousands of
make shift “homes” made with whatever material was available.
I have seen slums before. The favelas of Brazil, the projects of
American cities, but nothing I have ever seen was like this. As
impoverished as it was, it was a vibrant community. A community of
people, all of whom have a distinct role. A community full of pride,
from the elaborate colored headdresses worn by the women, to the
impromptu artwork painted with whatever colored material was
available. As I dropped my new friend off, he simply said, “God Bless
you, Merry Christmas.”
There is a huge movement underway to register people to vote in next
years presidential election. Unfortunately the drive is so
unorganized that even President Mandela went to the wrong place to
register. The result is record low registration, and it is feared that
the election will be fixed by the African National Congress, and that
an unpopular and bitter candidate will win the majority.
Though there is much respect for President Mandela, there is great
rift between the the black, “coloured” (a term describing those
Africaans who are mixed with the large number of Malay and
Eastern/Indian people who populated this land when it was originally a
colony of the Dutch East India Company in the 1600′s) and white
population. I have spoken with many people, black, white and
coloured, and there is a huge fear among the white minority (the
country is 75% black) that a huge “reverse discrimination” movement is
underway.
What happens in next year’s election will be integral to the future of
this country. There is so much potential here, it is mind boggling.
A wise investor, could do quite well in almost any city in South
Africa. I look forward to returning in the future to see the growth
and change of this infant democracy.
Next week, I depart for Madrid Spain, to meet my friends who are
converging from all over the world. I will be spending New Years in
Seville, with many of the people I spent Christmas with last year in
Brazil. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone.
It won’t be easy however, to leave “Mama Africa”. Table Mountain has
cast its spell on me. The crystal blue (though cold!) Atlantic
beaches will surely be missed. The climate here is incredible. No
humidity, and about 83 degrees every day. There has only been one stormy day
since I arrived. (But what a storm it was. There were devastating
tornados in the Western Cape that nearly killed the President!)
I watch CNN every morning at 5:00 (when I get in!) and am following
the latest news from Iraq, as is everyone here. Despite the modest
Muslim population here in South Africa, (75% of the population is
Christian) everyone I have met, is very much in favor of the United
States action against Iraq. They do however, laugh at the fact
that we are impeaching our president over something so silly.
I was thrilled to see how many people have logged on to the “Oreo“
website after receiving my Christmas card before I left the States.
It is indeed amazing how our ability to communicate has changed so
vastly in just a few short years.
I trust this message finds you all happy and healthy. I wish you all
a blessed holiday season, and am sending warm thoughts to all of you
We went to Din Tai Fung. The best dumpling house in L.A. (and ranked as one of the ten best restaurants in the world, by the New York Times!
This kid was entranced by the dumpling makers
After a delectable dinner of crab dumplings, pork dumplings, string beans, shrimp fried rice and Shanghai rice cakes we went to see The Golden Compass. I can’t believe this happened, but I was SO tired in that movie, I couldn’t stay awake! I was hoping it wasn’t noticeable, but Amos said that I kept nodding off. Luckily I didn’t snore or worse! (My friend Billy’s mom tells a story of her most embarrassing moment years ago when she was a young, beautiful woman riding the train alone in Chicago. She fell asleep and her head ended up resting on the gentleman next to her, who was dressed in a very nice business suit. When it came time for the gentleman to get off at his stop, he woke my friend’s mom up, only to find a large wet spot on the shoulder and sleeve of his suit!) I’m pretty sure I didn’t drool in the movie…and what I did see of it, looked interesting. The special effects were indeed cool, and Nicole Kidman, as well as the little lead actress were quite good.
Forgive my poor photo editing skills…I don’t have PhotoShop….if I get it, does someone want to teach me how to use it? Notice the tongue? I thought it was a nice touch.
Back to the Porsche (the closest thing to a Mach 5??? Don’t you love how I tie all these thems together?? Carey pats himself on back.)…one movie I guarantee I won’t fall asleep in, is the new Speed Racer movie, starring Rain (in his first American film….albeit a small part, but great exposure to American audiences). The movie looks great! Steven Colbert, take note!!
If you want to see the high definition trailer click here.
CalTech University today hosted a debate on what are arguably two of the most important questions in the culture wars today — Is Religion a Force for Good or Evil? and Can you be Good without God? — the conservative Christian author and cultural scholar Dinesh D’Souza and the libertarian skeptic writer and social scientist Michael Shermer, squared off to resolve these and related issues, such as the relationship between science and religion and the nature and existence of God. This event was one of the liveliest ever hosted by the Skeptics Society at Caltech, mixing science, religion, politics, and culture. The debate was co-sponsored by Athens and Jerusalem, a website dedicated to the debate on reason and revelation.
Tyson and I attended this debate at CalTech today. It was very interesting. I could write ad nauseam about the actual debate, but others have already done a much better job than I could. Tyson went into it with a lot of clearly formed perceptions before it even began. I had seen D’Souza on The Daily Show and Bill Maher, as well as many other news talk shows several times. He is articulate and telegenic, but it was extremely clear that Shermer won this debate hands down. Both men play well to an audience:
“Winston Churchill once said, “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.” The same is true with Christians.”
“As Christopher Hitchens says about Catholic priests, it’s not “No child left behind” it’s “No child’s behind left”.
I have to give D’Souza credit for coming to one of the most esteemed technical universities in one of the most liberal enclaves in the country to defend Christianity. D’Souza actually concedes much of Darwinism, but fell quite short when discussing homosexuality in the Bible (talk to the Jews…it’s Leviticus after all) and the “power” of prayer (“Why do we pray to God to cure cancer, yet we don’t pray for amputees to grow limbs?”, Shermer asked). I took a bunch of video if anyone is interested. Most of the material can already be found on YouTubeand other sources however. Here are a few photos I took today:
I thought the ceiling was pretty
I think that says, “To Carey with best skeptical “wishes”"?? I was too embarassed to ask. LOL
One of my favorite D’Souza videos comes from Crooks & Liars. (Why do gay people love to eat maggots? LOL) It’s a clip from when he came on The Colbert Report to promote his new book, The Enemy At Home: The Cultural Left and Its Responsibility for 9/11. In that screed, D’Souza, according to Publishers Weekly’s review, “roots the blame for the 9/11 attacks in the left wing’s ‘aggressive global campaign to undermine the traditional patriarchal family‘.” D’Souza’s logical (and factual) inconsistencies are too numerous to list so have at it in the comments.
You may remember, that it was D’Souza who was the guest on Politically Incorrect shortly after 9/11. This conversation that Bill Maher had with D’Souza is what got Maher fired:
D’SOUZA: Bill, there’s another piece of political correctness I want to mention. And, although I think Bush has been doing a great job, one of the themes we hear constantly is that the people who did this are cowards.
MAHER: Not true.
D’SOUZA: Not true. Look at what they did. First of all, you have a whole bunch of guys who are willing to give their life. None of them backed out. All of them slammed themselves into pieces of concrete.
MAHER: Exactly.
D’SOUZA: These are warriors. And we have to realize that the principles of our way of life are in conflict with people in the world. And so — I mean, I’m all for understanding the sociological causes of this, but we should not blame the victim. Americans shouldn’t blame themselves because other people want to bomb them.
MAHER: But also, we should — we have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly. You’re right.
Why do people see the Virgin Mary on cheese sandwiches or hear demonic lyrics in “Stairway to Heaven”? Using video, images and music, professional skeptic Michael Shermer explores these and other phenomena, including UFOs and alien sightings. He offers cognitive context: In the absence of sound science, incomplete information can combine with the power of suggestion (helping us hear those Satanic lyrics in Led Zeppelin). In fact, he says, humans tend to convince ourselves to believe: We overvalue the “hits” that support our beliefs, and discount the more numerous “misses.”
I read today that “GodTube“, the Christian YouTube is the fastest growing site on the net! With content like this, it’s hard to understand why. Yet, millions of people eat this crap up!
Author’s Post Script: Thanks for all the comments. This post obviously touched a nerve with some, which is always a good way to spark dialogue. I did want to make a couple of clarifications though. If you read this post carefully, I offer up very few of my own opinions. I say that I think Shermer won this particular debate. I question the popularity of the GodTube video and I point to many other people’s opinions of D’Souza, while intentionally leaving my true beliefs to myself. Also, it was not I, that took the “poke” at Catholic priests. I only included the Hitchens’ quote because I think it is hilarious. I myself, had nothing but positive experiences with all of my Catholic priests while growing up. I also would never condemn anyone’s religious beliefs, as one of my commenters “Carutherste” does. Finally, as Mr. Shermer, and indeed my friend Tyson pointed out yesterday, I believe the burden of “proof” (not that it’s necessary for those with “blind” faith), lies with the “believer” not the “know-er”. I know with 99.9999999% (give or take) accuracy, that I can’t get up from the chair I’m in right now and walk through my office wall. What science can “prove”, religion, in most cases, cannot. The reason I attended the debate yesterday was to broaden my knowledge of both sides of a divisive issue. I’m not a great debater myself, therefore I posted enough “linkage” to let the experts duke it out! Incidentally, the title of the post comes from the Shermer video I posted, as well as the GodTube video! Thanks again for adding to the discussion! Peace!–Carey
I wonder what these people would think of what Cenk Uygur wrote in the Huffington Post a while back that posits “If you are a Christian, Muslim or Jew – You are wrong”:
Right now as you read this, there are ignorant, hateful Muslims teaching other ignorant Muslims how to put on a suicide belt. There are orthodox Jews telling other Jews how they must never leave their “holy land” no matter what the consequences are to other human beings. They assure their followers — remember, they are not the chosen ones, we are. If we crush and oppress them, don’t worry, God will excuse it, and even desires it, because He is on our side.
There are maniacal Christians who are praying for the end of time. Who are hoping that most of the world’s population is wiped off the face of the Earth by their vengeful and murderous God. Whom they believe is, ironically, a loving God. Unless, of course, you make the fatal mistake of not kissing his ass and appeasing him, in which case he will slaughter you and condemn you to eternal torture. What kind of sick people believe this?
The kind who live next to you. The kind who voted for George Bush. The kind who send their religious leaders to the White House to argue against even-handedness in the Middle East because it would prevent their sick prophecy. The kind who have undue influence over how we use the greatest and most lethal army ever built by man.
If you don’t want to be called ignorant or misinformed, then get informed. Learn the real nature of our universe and put aside old wives tales about resurrected Gods, omniscient prophets and a guy who could split the Red Sea but couldn’t find where he’s going in the desert for forty years.
On the way home, Tyson and I debated the finer points of telling children that there is no Santa Claus, but that’s a blog entry for another day.
Had my normal Thursday night dinner with the family tonight. Dar & I went to Lisa’s and I took some pictures of the kids with the Christmas decorations. It’s harder to get into the Christmas spirit when it’s 80° outside (26° C), but Lisa & Joel’s beautiful yard helped. After that, I went over to Aunty LuLu and Uncle George’s for cherry pie! Their tree was beautiful too, and we dug out the old pictures from the 30′s and 40′s and they told me lots of stories, which I always love. I’ll be off for a few days, so I hope everyone has a nice weekend. Ho Ho Ho.
I told Andy & Tommy that I was sending these pictures to Santa, and if he thought that they looked handsome, he just might visit their house first on Christmas Eve.
Lisa and I in our dunce cap!
Aunty LuLu is my Dad’s 2nd oldest sister
That’s my Aunt in the second row with the pom poms on her shirt. circa: 1934
That’s my Dad, center picture on the right, and last picture on the left, with his twin sister, my Aunty PeeWee
This is my Aunty GeeGee, my Dad’s oldest sister around 1940. Yes, I have an Aunty LuLu, PeeWee and GeeGee Long story!
Lots of pictures of my Uncle George in the Navy during WWII
If you want to see or download the rest of the pictures click here. Din Tai Fung tonight!!! Yeah See you guys next week!
One of the good (or bad, depending on how you look at it) things about traveling as much as I did for 15 years and not even having an address for the last 5 of those years, is that I have never been summoned for jury duty. Until now.
Don’t get me wrong. I was actually looking forward to the day I got to serve on a jury. It’s something I’ve always been curious about. The group dynamic and the whole deliberation process fascinates me (see below). Since I’ve actually had a real home now for 5+ years, I was wondering if they were ever going to “find” me. I’m a registered voter and I have a driver’s license, so I suspected it was only a matter of time (unless there was some felony in my deep dark past that I didn’t know about!) until my civic duty caught up with me. Unfortunately, that time has now come, and it’s…..drum roll please…
NEW YEAR’S EVE!!!???
WTF?? Who starts a jury trial on New Year’s Eve? Don’t they know about the fabulous “GLY group” of friends I’ve traveled all over the world with on New Year’s Eve for the past ten years??? Surely the must know about that? Don’t they read my blog? Who do they think they are??
Having no experience whatsoever with this, I had no idea what to do. The summons was quite clear about the consequences for not appearing:
Since horizontal stripes aren’t exactly slimming, I thought I had best respond, even though I would have a good alibi in the fact that I only open mail twice a year, LOL.
The stupid summons said nothing about postponement either. Basically what it said was that the only way you could get out of jury duty was if you were dead, or had one of these excuses:
Medical Excuses – Complete Section E of your summons. If you are over 70, a physician’s statement is NOT required, but you must provide your age, date of birth and the reason for your medical excuse in the space provided in Section D. All requests for excuse must be signed in Section G.
Financial Hardship – Financial Hardship requests are strictly scrutinized. The fact that your employer does not pay for jury service is not sufficient grounds for excuse. You must be able to demonstrate how service as a juror will cause you EXTREME hardship. Section C must be completed. Failure to complete Section C in its entirety will cause automatic qualification for jury service.
Transfer – To change to another court location within the county, you must provide a legally sufficient reason in writing indicating why you are prevented from appearing at the courthouse to which you have been randomly summoned by computer. A written request, briefly explaining your hardship, must be provided in Section D. Only a true hardship is grounds for a transfer, inconvenience is not.
I was scared to call the number to register because I thought once I was officially “in the system”, there would be no way to escape the Matrix.
Enter Google, to save the day! Once I learned that I could actually postpone my jury duty (one time only) by calling the number, I gladly called and was actually pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of the automated phone system! (There’s a first!) Bottom line, is now I don’t have to report for jury duty until January 22nd.
(Speaking of Google, did you see that they added a Hong Kong skyline theme to their theme menu, that changes in light and texture based on the time of day!? I LOVE it!! It’s almost as good as being there, or at least looking at Skunky’s photos! They also added the solar system, showing a new scene for each day of the week; a family of raccoons playing in a leaf pile; a tiger on Jeju Island, South Korea; and JR, the lovable monster who grapples with life in a city for which he is entirely too big.
Hong Kong skyline photo courtesy of master photographer Jeff (Skunky)!!
Google and its gadgets make my life so much easier. If you use Firefox (and why wouldn’t you? Except for the fact that embedded material like YouTube videos don’t show up in the Xanga editor, anyone know why??) you should also check out the Google toolbar add-ons for Firefox. I can highlight any word on any webpage and instantly search for it in Wikipedia, YouTube, the New York Times, dictionary.com, and so on. It’s a real time saver.
Another trick I just learned was that you could type “link:”any website url”" into google to find how many other webpages are linked to that site. Not sure how #2 got on mine, but it’s an interesting tool nonetheless. (Actually, I must have a Xanga entry tagged with “celebrities” just like “talky alex“) )
Sorry….that was a LONG parenthetical phrase….I digress. Back to, what was I talking about? Oh yeah, juries. I was recently thinking more about the whole “deliberation” process after receiving some advice I solicited from a good friend. The advice concerned how to respond to an emailed article that originally came from some military grunt forum that stated, among other things, that:
President Bush did not make a mistake in his handling of terrorism. He made the mistake of believing that we still had the courage and fortitude of our fathers. He believed that this was still the country that our fathers fought so dearly to preserve. It is not the same country. It is now a cross between Sodom and Gomorrah and the land of Oz. We did unite for a short while after 911, but our attitude changed when we found out that defending our country would require some sacrifices.
Ugh! Which way to the vomitorium?? After reading this, I wanted to send one of my sharply critical emails attacking the author’s position that people who don’t support the war (and the president) live an immoral life and that Muslims:
[sic] believe that it is okay, even their duty, to kill anyone who will not convert to Islam. It has been estimated that about one-third or over three hundred million Muslims are sympathetic to the terrorists cause…Hitler and Tojo combined did not have nearly that many potential recruits.
…This makes it OK for us to go to war with Iraq!!?? Lord & Taylor, where to begin???
So anyway as I started writing my response, I thought twice and asked the advice of a wise friend who I consider an expert in matters of diplomacy. I hope he doesn’t mind me paraphrasing some of what he told me:
The person who wrote this article, buys into a version of generational difference that makes me think he is a staunch supporter of patriotism, and that his brain is wired in well-defined systems of dichotomous information-processing. It would be difficult to engage such a thinker in a conversion mission—which is what I suspect you would like to do. Instead, I would approach this as an ideal jury deliberation:
Parties agree to discuss an issue, parties accept they may change their minds after hearing everyone out and deliberating collectively. Every person agrees that one can understand another’s opinion without having to accept their positions. Each person should lay out his/her opinion while everyone else does their best to listen carefully without passing judgment (recent research indicates only well-trained minds can do this at will). Closure only comes when parties feel they have said all they wanted, are at peace with their deliberations, and can at least understand other parties’ reasoning for differing views about the same subject.
In concrete ways, I would agree with several of the points in the article that were made about people coming together and then I would present my own counter-evidence. I would make the point that the same people did despicable things to fellow Americans during the same time exactly BECAUSE they saw the world, and America, in the dichotomous ways (us versus them) that allows for that type of unquestioned unity. For instance, Japanese American citizens were taken from their homes, put into concentration camps inside the United States, children were separated from parents, no explanations were given to parents or children, no order of the law was followed, no trials were conducted, and no amendments were made after years of such treatment. All this while using Japanese American soldiers to fight the war in the Pacific region.
Very similar things happened to Native Americans. The same generation took children away from families, by force, without explanation, to raise them in warehouses across America well into the 60s. Women were pushed out of jobs once the war was over. WWII GIs were given 2 years of salary with no questions asked for serving the nation in the war, then had their college education paid for 100% without restrictions of place, tuition cost, etc. This contrasts in extreme forms with the way Iraq War vets are being treated by the current administration (you know the details here). America did not follow a pre-emptive strike, but it was rather forced into the war by a strategy perceived by the population as cowardly (Pearl Harbor). There are a thousand points to be made here in rather objective ways.
Bravo!! This kind of goes back to my “Perceptions” post about generational differences and how they affect the way we see the world. It’s doubtful that the author of the article that sparked this will ever read this entry (maybe he’ll Google himself). If he does, perhaps it will spark a deliberation that I will now be better prepared for. Besides, as my wise friend also stated, I could always tell him that this email changed my life in such a profound way that I’ve decided to fly to Iraq and serve as a peace liaison because I felt the inextricable pull of patriotism! Hmmm…maybe deliberation isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Guess I’ll find out on January 22nd. Let’s hope it’s not a murder trial!!
I got a call today from my friend Melissa. She works at a local grocery store, and she was incensed because her company had just distributed a memo saying they were no longer “allowed” to wish customers a “Merry Christmas”, opting instead for the more generic “Happy Holidays”. This time of year always makes me think of “The War on Christmas” (a term cleverly coined by Stephen Colbert).
As Americans, it is our sacred duty each Christmas to buy cheap crap for relatives we find annoying. This is what our Lord has commanded. Thus, when entering a discount retail store to commit this sacrament,we should be greeted by underpaid wage-slaves thusly: “Welcome to Wal-Mart. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal savior? And check out the bargains in aisle 6. I love you.”
LOL! Now, whether or not you believe that Jesus Christ is your personal savior, these views don’t necessarily have to preclude you from wishing people a merry Christmas. I’m all for cultural awareness. Heck, like most people my age I sang “Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel, I made you out of clay. Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel, with dreidel I shall play.” alongside “Oh Holy Night” and “What Child is This” in grade school. Some Jewish kids I knew back when, even had Christmas trees!
Political correctness has run amok in this country. Do you know that Sesame Street was recently released on DVD with a WARNING LABEL saying that it is intended for GROWN-UPS!!??
Thrillingly, the early episodes of Sesame Street have just been released on DVD, but be warned – those shows are dangerous! Slapped across the front of the case is the message, “These early Sesame Street episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today’s preschool child.” And looking at the wobbly sets and be-stringed puppets, they probably are better suited to sentimental adults than kids raised on Pixar. But this sticker is an expression of concern.
It’s not the psychedelic nature of the programme in its 70s incarnation that worries, but the behaviour it might encourage. Children dancing in the street! Grown men reading storybooks to kids – for no apparent reason!
Cookie Monster is the number one problem, not because he is a monster, but because he eats cookies (encourages obesity), and when his addiction takes a special stranglehold, the plate (might hurt). His alter ego, Alistair Cookie, used to smoke a pipe before eating it, which, Sesame Street producer Carol-Lynn Parente explained to the New York Times,”modelled the wrong behaviour”, and so Alistair was, tragically, dropped, and he now probably munches down on pipes in bitterness in illegal pipe dens.
The clearly depressed Oscar the Grouch is another problem: “We might not be able to create a character like Oscar today,” said Parente, which is possibly one of the most depressing sentences I have read in my life. Read more…
The Sesame Street gang has fallen on hard times. Now, even Elmo’s Emo! (Click for video. Thanks Jin!)
Watching Sesame Street, just like I Dream of Jeannie (can you imagine a TV show today based solely on a subservient woman trying to please her “master”?) and countless other childhood experiences, along with Christmas (for Christians and non-Christians alike), is part of our national psyche. To politically sanitize them is akin to lobotomizing my childhood!
Speaking of I Dream of Jeannie, I’ve always had a fascination with that show. I won’t go into details, but believe it or not, it taught me many things. Even on an existential level at 7!! Apparently, I’m not the only one. There’s a whole “community” of online fans of the show that I found while researching this post. This fansite talks about everything from the paint color combinations on the cork of the bottle to the dominance/submission themes of the show and how they relate to modern Islam. Wild. And then there’s this:
This guy paints custom genie bottles and sells them for about $400 a pop. I must admit, I wouldn’t mind having one, they’re quite pretty. He also goes to great lengths for accuracy. He actually used Larry Hagman’s head measurements to analyze bottle designs from the TV show. Now that’s tenacity! See what you can do with your spare time when you’re not up blogging all night?? LOL. Consider this added to my previously posted Christmas Wishlist. I’ll need all the colors and models too please!
Christmas Song/video of the day. I’m no country fan, but this is the best version of this song I’ve ever heard.
Said the king to the people everywhere Listen to what I say Pray for peace people everywhere Listen to what I say The child, the child Sleeping in the night He will bring us goodness and light He will bring us goodness and light
Whether or not you believe that Christmas is the birthday of the aforementioned child or not, or even if you don’t believe in prayer; hope for peace, and have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!
This video is even better if you ignore the ridiculously cheesy introduction by Nick Lachey
Jennifer and Missy brought Tressa and Taylor up to Hollywood today to see “Enchanted” and visit the “Enchanted Experience” behind the El Capitan to meet the Princesses. The girls loved the movie and loved getting to meet Jasmine, Belle, Cinderella, et al, even more. It was a picture perfect LA day, warm and bright. The rain really washed the smog away, and the skies have been crystal clear all weekend. They’re filming a big concert tonight at the Kodak Theater called “Movies Rock” and the red carpet was being readied for the guests, including, Beyonce, Fergie, Usher, Chris Brown, Mary J Blige, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah, John Legend, Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood. The show airs in the US next Friday on CBS.
I was robbed!!! No, not by two men (take anything you want), but by the Sunday Mirror of London!! Yes, those vicious Brits recently published an article about taking “An A-List Trip to Hollywood“. They mentioned many of the best sites that are within walking distance of the Hotel Careyfornia, but The Hotel itself, was snubbed!! I am demanding a FULL retraction. Until then, I’ve taken the liberty of rewriting the article!
TAKE AN A-LIST TRIP TO WEST HOLLYWOOD
With the dollar at an all-time low against the pound, now’s the time to visit glam West Hollywood. We sent fashionista Lara Kilner & two pals to hunt down the best places to stay, see and be seen…SO here we are busy checking in to the Hotel Careyfornia. It’s a boutique hotel and it’s so hip it hurts.
Despite its uber-cool credentials though, we could be in any trendy hotel, in any city, in any country. Until we turn around… and spot a lady of indeterminate age (that’ll be thanks to her head being swathed in more bandages than a mummy) being wheeled past me. She’s clearly had some serious “work” done and is off to rest in one of the hotel’s fashionable rooms.
And now it’s clear – I am in Hollywood. West Hollywood to be precise. The best bit of Los Angeles – the bit where the Sunset Strip is, the bit where all the coolest celebs live, and the bit where the bulk of LA’s best places to be seen are (you don’t go to them to eat and drink, silly – that involves calories and people in LA have an aversion to those).
Call me shallow, call me vacuous, call me airhead, if you like. But, my God, I love it here. Being in West Hollywood is one big, non-stop buzz. And despite the fact that most Los Angeleans would rather chew off their own feet than walk anywhere, we found it pretty easy to bumble around the streets of WeHo (that’s its name for days when saying two whole long words proves troublesome) without the aid of a convertible Chevrolet. From shopping on Melrose to supping on Sunset, I came back with quite a few new additions to my eating, drinking, shopping and pampering address books. It’s a tough job but someone had to do it…
WHERE TO BE SEEN
The Hotel Careyfornia. Tucked away in a quiet residential street a stone’s throw from Sunset Boulevard, the Careyfornia is intimate, stylish and cool-but-not-snooty with a chilled-out bar and restaurant. A favourite of Brits like singers Corinne Bailey Rae and James Blunt. The manager told us he’d spotted Madonna in the lift the previous week, so they’re not messing when it comes to A-listers at the Montrose. The reason they love it is it’s discreet and tucked away from the Hollywood paparazzi. The rooftop pool and bar has great views of Los Angeles. Rooms this month from $175 or £87.50 per night.
The Mondrian (www.mondrianhotel.com). It’s been cool since day one, is directly next to infamous Hotel Careyfornia; and it’s not showing any signs of ever not being hip. The Sky Bar at this celeb hotel is a hang-by-the-pool sipping cocktails experience. Britney Spears is a regular but don’t let that put you off.
The Hollywood Standard (www.standardhotel.com) Want to feel like you’re in the thick of it? Dine at the Standard. It’s stupidly cool, slap-bang in the middle of Sunset Strip and pretty much the place to be seen (we spotted Paris Hilton’s ex, plus actress Naomi Watts eating omelettes for breakfast). There’s a lounge bar where the great and the gorgeous hang out before retiring to the diner, which serves everything from black cod to steak and eggs to sushi.
WHERE TO SHOP
Beverly Center (8500 Beverly Boulevard, walking distance from the Careyfornia) This huge shopping mall is not actually in West Hollywood, but it’s near enough. There’s the obligatory Macy’s and Bloomingdales, plus Pottery Barn (made famous in Friends) for your homeware, plus the likes of Banana Republic and a new H&M (more reasonable than the UK) for cheap-as-chips clobber.
Pleasure Chest (7733 Santa Monica Blvd, www.thepleasurechest.com, a hop, skip and a jump from the Careyfornia) Angelina Jolie is a regular in this upmarket sex boutique, and Halle Berry insists you should “embrace your body as a single girl” by shopping here.
Urban Outfitters (7650 Melrose Avenue, www.urbanoutfitters.com) LA’s flagship branch of the ultra-trendy fashion store. And the best bit? Shopping there is like a half-price sale – dresses that would cost £60 here cost $60 there (which converts to less than £30).
Fred Segal (8100 Melrose Avenue, free shuttle from the Careyfornia) Essentially a mini-mall of boutiques, Fred Segal is a retail landmark of LA. The distinctive ivy-covered store has been attracting the famous and fabulous since the Seventies. Matt Damon, David Schwimmer and Sandra Bullock were all spotted here on the same day.
Kitson (116 N Robertson Blvd, www.shopkitson.com a 15 minute walk from the Careyfornia) If you only go to one shop in West Hollywood, make it this. Jessica Simpson loves it, so do Paris and Nicole, and it essentially sells everything, so long as it’s new and trendy. It’s got lots of stuff us average folk can afford (as well as lots we can’t).
WHERE TO EAT
Ago (8478 Melrose Ave, www.agorestaurant.com) Co-owned by Robert de Niro, who is known to celebrate his birthday there, and it doesn’t half attract an A-list crowd – Jim Carrey, Jerry Seinfeld and Rob Lowe love the Tuscan-inspired grub. Best news of all… a pizza costs £6!
The Formosa (7156 Santa Monica Blvd, www.formosacafe.com) It’s all about location, location, location. And The Formosa, right next door to the Warner Hollywood Studio, has served the cream of the Tinseltown crop since the Fifties. James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Grace Kelly… shall we go on? It was also used as a location for LA Confidential, and Shannon Doherty landed herself in trouble with the LAPD after smashing a bottle in the car park. A barbecued Kobe beef burger costs £7.
Dan Tana’s (9071 Santa Monica Blvd, www.dantanasrestaurant.com) This Italian eaterie (they like their pasta in West Hollywood) is another Hollywood classic, and where Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton ended their famous feud.
WHERE TO PARTY
Roosevelt Hotel (7000 Hollywood Blvd,, www.hollywoodroosevelt.com a $5 cab ride from the Careyfornia) The Roosevelt bar is uber- glam and you can sit around the pool sipping mojitos till 2am. Just don’t fall in. Food though, is very sparse, and very pricey. Get a burger before you go… and don’t rush the cocktails (at £8 a go).
The Viper Room (www.viperroom.com, 8852 West Sunset Blvd, 5 minutes walking distance from the Careyfornia) Part-owned by Johnny Depp and where River Phoenix died outside in 1993, The Viper Room is still a prime spot for rock bands to showcase their wares. You’re unlikely to spot Mr Depp, but entrance is just a fiver.
Whisky A-Go-Go (8901 West Sunset Blvd, www.whiskyagogo.com,) Oooh, you can feel the history in the air. Open since 1964, The Doors were the house band, and everyone from Janis Joplin to Led Zeppelin to Motley Crue have played here. And The Whisky still gets biggies – The Police were here a few months ago. Tickets from £7.
House of Blues (8430 W Sunset Blvd, www.hob.com/la directly next door to the Careyfornia. Ask for speccials at the front desk.) Owned by Blues Brothers star Dan Aykroyd, and the venue for Britney’s comeback gig, House of Blues is a venue of legend. Great for drinking and band-watching, but don’t miss the Sunday gospel brunch to sort out that hangover with a bowl of classic creole jambalaya. Entrance £10.
WHERE TO STAR-SPOT (Besides the balcony of your suite at the Careyfornia)
3rd Street Dance (8558 West 3rd Street www.3rdstreetdance.com) Where Hollywood’s finest go to learn everything from the tango to hip-hop. Dancing with the Stars (the US equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing) contestants practised here – Heather Mills was a regular.
Elixir (8612 Melrose Avenue,) An obscenely cool tea house, full of cure-all potions for those grim celebrity hangovers (for those who haven’t checked in to rehab anyway). Lindsay Lohan loves spending time there (she needs it, too, with all that partying) and often drops by with her mate Rumer Willis, Demi and Bruce’s eldest daughter.
VIRGIN Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com) fly to Los Angeles from £380 return.
I’ve decided I want an iPod for Christmas. Not just any iPod, the iPod Human…and this model specifically:
I have friends with kids who have all of these drawings from over the
Good night…I have a lot of cards to write.
This should make Christmas shopping fun. What does everybody want??? 
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posits “If you are a Christian, Muslim or Jew – You are wrong”:
The kind who live next to you. The kind who voted for George Bush. The kind who send their religious leaders to the White House to argue against even-handedness in the Middle East because it would prevent their sick prophecy. The kind who have undue influence over how we use the greatest and most lethal army ever built by man.
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Bravo!! This kind of goes back to my “
video. Thanks Jin!)
