I take it back

My last blog, look, I was tired. New job. New responsibilities. etc.
The last thing I need is sympathy or whatever for doing my job.
And the really last thing I need is pity.

Moving on.

Sadgrrl 13

She's been missing for more than two weeks now. I was so sure she'd be found after a week. That we would know one way or another. But...

I'm losing sleep over this story, I don't know why. So I'm netflixing like mad. Hence the Asian horror movie fascination. I think I'm averaging about four hours of sleep a night.

I've tried to explain it to my colleagues at work, but the only thing people really believe in is ratings. Ratings are quantifiable so I talk about ratings. And ratings are up.

But Sadgrrl isn't quantifiable. I think about myself at that age, how badly I wanted my life to start. How vulnerable that made me. How easy it was, how easy it would've been for someone to take advantage of that hope.

I was one of the lucky ones.

Anyway, I'm getting too personal. Again, no sleep.

I don't think anyone reads these things anyway.

I hope she knows how hard we're looking for her.

A hit on the NY stage

I was watching Lifetime (ok, shoot me now!) and this movie was playing. I certainly never saw it in the movie theaters and I guess it was some theater hit in NY in the 80s. (What they get away with in theater is beyond me!) I only caught the end, but maybe I'll have to netflix it. You've GOTTA watch to the end of the clip- it's the best part.

It's Time

I'm not sure how anyone can really combat the kind of attack that happened in Tokyo. A man posted warnings on the internet saying that he would ram a truck into people at the Akihabara shopping center and then start in on them with a knife. After posting, "It's time," he promptly followed through, killing 7 people.

It does seem like we're damned if we do, damned if we don't. If we police the internet and crack down on people who post violent ideas, then we're censoring thought. If we don't, people die.

Also, in the New York Times article, there's some interesting chit-chat trying to "understand" the perpetrator. (Although I guess it's a Reuters reporter empathizing.) I say, stop empathizing, start locking up violent, crazy people. Maybe the culture in Japan is what's influencing people to do these things.

Then again, I watch all those Japanese horror movies myself and *I'm* not a violent person.

A happy ending

Now that Hillary's conceded I can get back to business at hand- abducted teens. Now, there's some people at this office who think that amber alerts are a "waste of time." I think this story proves otherwise.

The system works. Get over it.

Yahoo!

Not because I seek out their articles, but because I'm sucked into them whenever I try to get email from account #x. So here's more insightful Hillaranalysis from the AP.
The gist? If Hillary had defined herself more as a woman and less as a presidential candidate - more an anomaly and less a contender - she would have won the democratic nomination. Oh, really? Because the demographic she missed was feminist women? Because those women weren't aware of the historical impact of this vote? Because they weren't aware that she is, in fact, female? If we're that stupid, we probably don't deserve to be in office. This also assumes that women vote based on gender and opportunity, rather than issues. I don't remember NOW sending spring bouquets to Phyllis Schlafly.

I apologize, I'm obsessed

But here's an article saying that Hillary did not lose because she's a woman. No, she lost because she ran on "toughness" rather than on "change."

Huh, why do you think she had to run on "toughness"? Why would anyone run on "toughness"?

Oh, that's right, because they're a WOMAN?

Look, Obama ran on "change" not because he has particulary revolutionary ideas, but, yes, at least partially because he will be the first African American presidential nominee. Good for him. But yes, his race had something to do with his message. Obviously, her gender had something to do with hers.

Battle Royale

I don't know what is wrong with me lately but I just want to watch violent Japanese movies lately.

This is a scene from Battle Royale, about a futuristic law that sends high school students to an island to battle to the death. I should warn you, it's pretty bloody.



I don't know about you but that looks like a typical day at high school to me.

Idiot in the family?

So this guy climbed the New York Times building, causing the over-worked police to manage crowds, put up barricades and in general, waste their day on this idiot.

Is it just me or does her look like Iggy Pop's unattractive older brother?

The Assassination of Hillary

This artist's "performance art piece" was just closed down in NY.

Of course, if you look at the websites, the Hillary one is extensive and multi-faceted. The Barak one is just offensive and one-note but not actually about how the press has assassinated him.

Why, you ask?

Oh, that's right. Because the press didn't.
It's not that people in this country don't regularly practice the kind of racism that made Jesse Helms ... well, that made him one of the longest serving senators in our history, but in the press racism is frowned upon (sorry, Don Imus), unless, of course it brings in the big bucks (welcome back, Don Imus). Sexism, however, is alive and well and largely perpetuated by women themselves. The idea that women are genetically programmed to shop, fail at math, cling desperately to men, and "play nice" is continually reinforced on talk shows, in sitcoms, and in insipid book clubs across the country.

Don't know much about history...

I was a little bored at work- one of my underlings was yapping about journalistic ethics and the death of journalism...blah, blah, blah...(joke!) so I thought I'd venture to the back of the stacks and look at this whole blogging thing, old school.

This is a Wired article about blogging from 2002 by Andrew "What Am I Today?" Sullivan.

It's interesting how hopeful he is- the new democracy etc.
Marxist, even.

Isn't he a libertarian/conservative?
Are libertarians usually pro-Marxist?

Ah, so contradictory, Andy is.

I did it...I'm not proud.

I went to Sex in the City: The Movie.

55.7 million the first weekend.

Not bad.