Utterly Meaningless » 2012 » March
  • CAN’T SAY I’LL BE PRAYING FOR THEM

    Filed on March 24, 2012 at 1:25 pm under by dcobranchi

    But I’m sure my fellow travelers meeting in DC today would be A-OK with that.

    THOSE SAFE CHURCHES

    Filed on at 8:15 am under by dcobranchi

    Every adult involved in this fiasco deserves to go to federal prison for a very long time. I figure they’ve admitted to kidnapping and false imprisonment.

    PITTSBURGH—A southeastern Pennsylvania church subjected members of a youth group to a mock kidnapping and interrogations without telling them it was staged, and the outraged mother of one 14-year-old girl has filed a complaint with police.

    The pastor of the Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown said the church is “so saddened” that the girl was traumatized at the Wednesday evening youth meeting.

    But the pastor, John Lanza, said Friday there have been emails of support from other students at the church, about 10 miles southeast of Harrisburg, because the intent was to prepare them for what they might encounter as missionaries. He didn’t disclose the names of those involved but said the mock kidnappers included an off-duty police officer and a retired Army captain.

    “It was a youth event, to illustrate what others have encountered on a regular basis,” he said, adding that the focus of the lesson was “the persecuted church” in other countries.

    Lanza said there were about 17 students at the meeting and the mock kidnappers covered the students’ heads, put them in a van and interrogated them. Neither the students nor their parents were told about the raid beforehand, he said, though it was discussed with the parents of one youth who might have health issues.

    At the very least, the off-duty cop should be fired immediately. He’s way too stupid to be trusted with a gun.

    BOO FUCKING HOO

    Filed on March 21, 2012 at 4:11 pm under by dcobranchi

    OMG! He’s a 2nd-rate quarterback. He is NOT the 2nd coming of Jesus. He’s not even the 2nd coming of John Elway.

    Denver Christians mourn Tebow’s departure, say they’ll root from afar

    I’M NOT AN IRISHMAN

    Filed on March 17, 2012 at 5:21 pm under by dcobranchi

    But I eat like one on teevee. Steel cut oats for breakfast. Corned beef and cabbage for supper, washed down with a couple of Sam Adams Irish Reds.

    Happy St. Pat’s Day to all you real Irishmen and women.

    OLD SCHOOL UPDATES

    Filed on March 16, 2012 at 8:04 am under by dcobranchi

    I’m still sticking with the old-style shaving. I’ve probably a dozen old razors now and just last night purchased one made in the 2nd quarter of 1962. (That’s far from my oldest which was made in 1920.) But the Gillette Slim will be 50 years old sometime between April and June of this year. And, so will I. On May 13th, to be precise. So, it’s a “birth quarter” razor. I don’t really know why I find that utterly cool (and geeky).

    In addition to the razors, I’ve recently re-acquired an old “vice.” I’ve picked up a couple of fountain pens. I hadn’t used them since college, and mine from back then are looooong gone. But eBay is a great source. Jinhao makes some beautiful pens at ridiculous prices. I bought an X450 and an X750 for something like $14 shipped.

    WORD OF THE DAY

    Filed on March 15, 2012 at 5:46 pm under by dcobranchi

    Or, rather, Dog of the Day.

    I was on the AKC website and saw that there was a new breed recognized in 2011, the Xoloitzcuintli. Yeah, I can’t pronounce it, either.

    HOMESCHOOL MADRASSAS

    Filed on at 9:21 am under by dcobranchi

    For lots of fundy homeschoolers, Maher is correct. They really do want to make sure their kids aren’t “infected” with impure ideas like evolution and global climate change. And Santorum’s whine about a double standard is just plain crap. Sandra Fluke was a private citizen who was called a slut by the (unofficial) leader of the Republican party. Santorum is a politician running for POTUS who was called out by a comedian. Slightly different situation.

    And Little Ricky really should keep his mouth shut about homeschooling lest he remind voters how he sent the bill for enrolling his kids in a cyber charter to PA taxpayers while they were living in Virginia.

    CAN WE GIVE ARIZONA BACK TO MEXICO?

    Filed on March 14, 2012 at 5:03 pm under by dcobranchi

    Do you think Mexico would accept it?

    A proposed new law in Arizona would give employers the power to request that women being prescribed birth control pills provide proof that they’re using it for non-sexual reasons. And because Arizona’s an at-will employment state, that means that bosses critical of their female employees’ sex lives could fire them as a result. If we could harness the power of the crappy ideas coming out of the state of Arizona, we could probably power a rocket ship to the moon, where there are no Mexicans or fertile wombs and everyone can be free to be as mean a cranky asshole as they want at all times! Arizona Heaven!

    Yesterday, a Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed Republican Debbie Lesko’s HB2625 by a vote of 6-2, which would allow an employer to request proof that a woman using insurance to buy birth control was being prescribed the birth control for reasons other than not wanting to get pregnant. It’s all about freedom, she said, echoing everyone who thinks there’s nothing ironic about claiming that a country that’s “free” allows people’s bosses to dictate what medical care is available to them through insurance.

    I am boycotting that state. In fact, I’m boycotting everything and anything that has to do with that state. Arizona Tea? Boycotted. Arizona Diamondbacks? I’d watch a Red Sox doubleheader before I sat through a single inning of the Dbacks. The Grand Canyon? Fill it in. I will not spend a nickel in that godforsaken haven for morons and misogynists.

    WHERE ARE THE BOYS?

    Filed on March 10, 2012 at 8:55 am under by dcobranchi

    I attended the other evening an induction ceremony for Phi Theta Kappa honor society. It’s basically the junior college equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa. The main academic requirement for membership is carrying a 3.50 GPA, so these students are all doing very well. Interestingly (and disconcertingly) of the 100 or so inductees, about 80 of them were female. That’s not anywhere close to the demographics for the school overall. There’s no doubt that the girls are crushing the boys in terms of grades. I’m not sure what to make of it, but it can’t be a good thing.

    The other thing I noticed is that I live in a depressingly lily white region. There was one minority student inducted (an Indian based on appearance and last name). No Asians. No African-Americans. 99 and 44/100% white like Ivory Soap. It made we wonder about the diversity of the faculty. I think I might do some digging.

    SOMETIMES THE UNIVERSE CONSPIRES AGAINST YOU

    Filed on March 4, 2012 at 6:39 am under by dcobranchi

    I had an ear worm all day Friday and into Saturday morning. I had listened to Pink Floyd’s “The Final Cut” online and was surprised that they had added a song to it. The fourth song is now the very haunting “when the tigers broke free.” If you’ve ever seen the movie version of “The Wall,” it’s played at the start. Well, that song got stuck in my head. Badly. By yesterday evening I had finally escaped. And then flipping channels last night, guess what movie was on VH1 Classic. Right, “The Wall.” And guess what song started the second I tuned in. Right, “when the tigers broke free.”

    It starts at 8:55.

    BUY AN ARCHIE COMIC

    Filed on March 2, 2012 at 5:24 am under by dcobranchi

    and make a million bigots cry.