November 6, 2009
Compare and Contrast | # |
When the Revolution Comes — J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder @ 9:18 pm
Flu jabs for children and the sick
Flu jabs for Wall Street workers:
(from Democracy Now)
CDC Criticized for Distributing Scarce Flu Vaccines to Wall St. Firms
And calls are growing for an investigation into why health officials have handed out swine flu vaccines to some of Wall Street’s leading financial firms while they’re unavailable to most Americans. More than a dozen companies were given the vaccines, including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. The Center for Disease Control says the companies met several criteria, including having a large number of employees and their own medical staff. But critics say the CDC has violated its own calls to distribute the vaccine only to those at highest risk. In a statement, Melanie Sloan of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said, “Although CREW has been unable to uncover the demographic makeup of [these companies], it seems safe to assume the vast majority of their employees are not pregnant women, infants and children, young adults up to 24 years old, and healthcare workers.”
Interesting, no?
September 4, 2009
THIS is funny, in an unintentional way. Are people really so clueless that they don’t understand they are writing themselves into the punchline of a joke?
"I don’t send my child to school to be indoctrinated."
Uhhhhhhhh….
I’d feel better if this were just the local idiots, but I hear this is taking place across the country. Weren’t these the same troglodytes screaming "treason" at people for criticising President Bush because he was "Commander and chief during wartime."
Quick, someone try to red bait me in the comment section!
August 3, 2009
Radical Labour Leaders | # |
Dannypants, When the Revolution Comes — J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder @ 1:03 pm
It was time for Curious George on television, so Danny sat down to get ready for the programme. PBS was finishing up a special on radical labour leaders and Danny asked what that means.
"Great", I thought, "Here’s the opportunity I’ve been waiting for!"
I tried to explain the basics of union organising in a way a four year old could grasp, and how collective bargaining works. Danny quietly listened, nodding now and then. I was explaining how capitalism exploits workers when Danny politely interrupted:
"Mama? That’s very interesting, but I really want to watch George."
Ouch. Who knew four year olds could be so condescending?
June 23, 2009
Hey You Starving Kids, Get a Job! | # |
When the Revolution Comes — J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder @ 1:46 am
I wish I were making THIS up.
April 30, 2009
Pastimes Of The Late Capitalist Middling Classes | # |
When the Revolution Comes, Fake Science — J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder @ 8:33 pm
Sometimes, people just get fat from eating more than they should. It happens quite a bit. Really, look around. I saw a cartoon years ago where a character was reminiscing something to the effect of:
"You’re born, you go on a few diets, and you die."
I’d call that fairly accurate.
Reading THIS advice column today, I was struck not by the shallowness of the letter writers, but by the curious need people have to turn every fault into a psychological "problem." Gaining forty pounds is grounds for hauling someone off to counseling, and nagging them to work out? No wonder the poor chap in the first letter is depressed, if in fact he is. Living in that sort of an environment being micro-managed by your partner would be well… depressing The way doctors hand out anti-depressants, and slap diagnosis’ on people without much thought, he might do well to seek another opinion. I wonder at who’s urging he sought the diagnosis in the first place? Wonder, wonder, wonder. Worse, it seems to be commonly accepted that so long as one argues their actions are for the good of the other, any and all behaviour is excusable. She’s repulsed by her fat husband…but it is because he’s sick and needs "help." I reckon if he lost forty pounds there would suddenly be some other failing in need of "help."
People being people, they are going to want to control others. I get that. What I don’t understand is how it became socially acceptable to do so. It is the normalest thing in the world to fuck something up, and want to blame it on someone else. We all think that way at some point. We don’t however all act on those urges. At least, we didn’t used to.
People get fat, they leave their socks on the floor, they drink too much. Human beings-oh man, are we ever irritating. So incredibly irritating. That doesn’t make us sick, or in need of therapy-for our own good. Imagine the arrogance of telling your parter what they need to do…for their own good. Rather like reducing them to the role of a small child. Incredible, really. Why would anyone want to be in a relationship like that?
Again, I could care less about the individuals penning off these letters for advice-rather I find it fascinating that it has become completely acceptable to impose one’s nonsense on another person. Maybe it started with the horrendous practise of "interventions." Anyone can become a "therapist." Really, they don’t screen for being personally fucked-up. Just pay the tuition and you too can have a diploma-mill certificate qualifying you to offer helpful advice based on something you saw on daytime television. Here, have some Kool-Aid.
I’d really prefer a world where people could just be honest enough to admit they don’t like their parter any longer, rather than try to justify the dislike by pathologizing everyday life. Trying to impose a bogus psychological label on another human being seems a whole hell of a lot more shallow than saying you’re not attracted to fat people. But then, you wouldn’t get points for being such a good martyr, and suffering because they won’t get "help."
I cannot imagine how exhausting it must be to have that sort of a relationship. All that time and energy put into finding faults and agonising over them, and newspaper columns, television shows and the like making it seem respectable to do so. People are sleeping in the streets, eating from dumpsters and dying of treatable illnesses…and the middling classes (or what’s left anyway) are consumed with rubbish like this? Late Capitalism-fun, fun, fun.
March 12, 2009
Easy Being Green-Not! | # |
When the Revolution Comes — J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder @ 2:09 am
Hot off the Paris runways. I know I’ll be sporting a Kermit cardigan this fall.
February 27, 2009
Marketing works on boys too.
Anyone shocked? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
February 12, 2009
Just when I thought I was beyond outrage-except it isn’t exactly outrage, this is more a sense of "If I don’t pop someone in the mouth I’m going to feel like I missed a justifiable opportunity." Of course, this is going to have to be a virtual fat-lip because I don’t frequent Whole Foods. Oh. My. God. I just want to punch someone in the face. Right now.
Here’s what has me all itchy to take a swing. Go ahead, click the link, I can wait.
See what I mean? Oh. My. God. You want to punch someone too-admit it. The Whole Foods Budget Recipe Challenge. Really, just go fuck off, will you? I’m really articulate when I’m annoyed, eh? Yeah, that’s just swell-I’ll send along the recipes to people I know that are eating out of garbage dumpsters.
What is this supposed to accomplish? Show the public how you can save money and still buy their overpriced, pretentious food? I mean, for fuck’s sake how oblivious can people be? Talk about missing the point of "budget" meals. Who is this aimed at-the wealthy who are trying to be fashionably frugal?
So just what sort of cost-saving recipes are we talking about? Well, THIS sounds like an abomination. And at about three bucks a serving, I wouldn’t call it "budget" particularly because you’ll need a sandwich to go with the meal. I’m sorry, that is a side dish. Three dollars a person is a bit steep and no one really likes Farro. Stop lying, you do not. You want brown rice. That’s OK, I won’t tell anyone. At least she used Swiss Chard, not some revolting ornamental landscaping vegetation like kale.
But wait, it gets worse! Thank God the chives are optional, but you still need to buy a brick of miso which ain’t exactly cheap and it tatses like fermented salt. Mmmm, salt.
Honestly, the per-serving price is deceptive because you can’t simply buy a few tablespoons of olive oil or exotic spices. If you’re like me and have most of this stuff in your larder, then sure, it can be tossed together cheaply, but if you need to head over to Whole Foods, you’ll go broke just buying the lemon for the grated zest.
No one is suggesting you need to eat potted meat to survive the economic downturn depression (mostly because it is too expensive) but you also don’t need to resort to bulgar, farro and miso-unless the goal is to feel a sort of acute deprivation. But you knew that already. Besides, if you’re seriously hell-bent on eating farro and miso (please God, not together) they can be found at local health food co-ops and other places that don’t drive out the competition and cater to people you’d like to pop in the mouth for no other reason than the way they pronounce endive, "On-deeve."
January 6, 2009
$25. Video Teaches Kids How To Get Beat-Up At School | # |
When the Revolution Comes — J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder @ 3:49 am
It is supposed to be an anti-bullying video (doll sold separately. Doll’s many, many outfits and accessories, sold separately as well) from the ghastly American Girls line of products, but it reads more like a how-to guide for getting bullied worse.
Interesting, the article does not have an author, or source. This leads me to think it was a release sent by the company, which is even more evil-free advertising disguised as "news." Swell.
A few years ago the wonderful Anne Elizabeth Moore (Man, I miss Punk Planet, I could just cry that it is gone) infiltrated the American Girl Place in Chicago. You can read about it HERE.
Bespoke? | # |
When the Revolution Comes — J.S. (not the Watergate felon) Magruder @ 2:04 am
You know what I hate? I hate it when my hoodie has pockets that are too high up for me to comfortably conceal a weapon in. I hate that. Then, there’s the whole issue of the zipper-how the hell am I supposed to cut a terrifying figure when my double zippered hoodie is coming undone at the bottom. You know, I really hate that. What’s more, fleece lining is so 2008. Don’t even get me started on the cheap linings that bunch up funny, or worse, hang below the waistband our out the cuffs. Sheesh, I can’t wear that.
Yeah sure, that’s amusing until you click over here and see that there’s a company making custom hooded sweatshirts with silk linings and expert tailoring. "Bespoke hoodies?" They’d better be with prices starting at 170 pounds. Fucking capitalism. I thought Britain was broke. Northern Rock, and all that?
Yeah, yeah, insert my standard line about a special place in hell here___________________."
Bespoke hoodies. Oh, please.
December 20, 2008
Sometimes, I find myself hoping the recession will be really bad so that people who spend $200.00 on a molecular gastronomy kit that contains ten bucks worth of food grade additives and a plastic syringe will have to just cook their four year old’s vegetables like the rest of us. I wish I could find something more charitable to say about THIS, but the woman is a freaking idiot. It does appear however, that her child is exhibiting some semblance of brains in his refusal to eat it.
"Opprobrious?" Really, she used opprobrious in a sentence. Yikes, she must be like, really really smart. I’ll bet she has a shiny new dictionary.
The tomato "orbs" actually did get me thinking of a nice tomato aspic for the holidays, but I’ve already committed to making a Nesselrode pudding and you know what a fucking chore that it. I wonder how well spherification would work on a Nesselrode pudding? Look lady, your kid wants Jell-O, not carrot foam. You can mould vegetables into it-anyone remember the green thing people used to make in the 60’s with the cucumber, lettuce and Green Goddess dressing mixed with lime Jell-O? It was fucking awesome. I still can’t believe she plunked down Two Hundred Bucks for agar-agar. Moron.
Yeah, I know this sounds harsh. The part of the article that just kind of blew my mind into itsy-bitsy little molecular orbs of grey matter was where she describes serving the child vegetables at each meal although they are left uneaten. That’s standard parenting advice? Seriously? From whom? People that can drop $200.00 on a molecular gastronomy kit? At the end of the article she mentions the child tossing eggplant on the ground as though it were charming. I’m sitting here trying to imagine what my mother’s reaction might have been if I’d pulled a stunt like that. I doubt she’d have found it cute. I have a four year old and I can assure you, there’s no throwing, tossing or disposing of food going on at our table. If they are old enough to use flatware, they’re old enough to sit there politely and eat their food. Does her kid think it’s the Middle Ages and he’s some sort of nobility? Gah, I really hate criticizing other people’s parenting, but if they are going to publish accounts of it expecting to get a pat on the back for their suffering and creativity-I’m sorry, I have to call you an idiot. You idiot.
I’m all for indulging your kids (I spent ten days putting together a birthday cake for Danny-pictures later) within reason, but they have to eat what’s given them. Once you start making a game of it, the kids know they’ve got you. Let junior go to bed hungry a few times and he’ll be clamouring for the formerly opprobrious (hey look everybody, I used opprobrious in a sentence-whoo hoo, I can write for Slate!) green beans.
I wonder what super-genius would pay me for some bicarb and cream of tartar?
