Saturday, January 27, 2007
Bingo hooligans
This letter appeared in the Myrtle Beach Sun News the other day. Isn't it sad?
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This letter appeared in the Myrtle Beach Sun News the other day. Isn't it sad?
This is my fourth and final visit to Myrtle Beach. The drivers here, people staying at hotels and bingo players are rude and inconsiderate. The bingo players laughed at me and talked about me behind my back because I didn't know how to play bingo their way. They think they own their places at the bingo hall because they are regulars.
One man threw his garbage at me, told me not to sit in a certain spot and told me to sit in the smoking section. I told him I was allergic to smoke and tobacco and take allergy pills. He got mad and moved to another table. I reported him to the manager and she did nothing about the situation.
Bye bye, Myrtle Beach.
D. M.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
The victim
I think this is taking the whole victimhood thing a little too far:
Apparently "the victim" decided not to chase the perp further.
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I think this is taking the whole victimhood thing a little too far:
Police are looking for a man witnesses say gave passers-by an eyeful when he exposed himself and committed a lewd act Thursday night in the parking lot of the Coastal Grand Mall, a report shows.
According to an incident report, the victim, an off-duty Horry County police officer, told Myrtle Beach police that he and his wife saw the suspect driving a white sport-utility vehicle at an unsafe speed and nearly hitting other vehicles near Pine Island Road and Grissom Parkway about 8 p.m.
The victim told police he followed the man at a safe distance and watched him get out of the SUV in the Dillard's department store parking lot and expose himself to motorists in the area. The "suspect did the lewd act for at least one minute," the report states.
The man who exposed himself then got back into the SUV and fled the scene in an unknown direction . . .
Apparently "the victim" decided not to chase the perp further.
Zal and Denny, workin' for a penny
Some years ago, when Myrtle Beach was a modestly tacky little beach town, not the monstrously tacky nightmare it has become, I was tending bar in a small restaurant up at the beach. One quiet evening a middle-aged, slightly paunchy, fast-talking little man with a big mustache came into my bar. After I'd served him a couple of drinks he asked me if I'd heard of the Mamas and the Papas. Of course I had. Then he asked me if I could name all the Mamas and Papas. Well, sure. There was John, Michelle, Mama Cass . . . and . . . uh . . . well, I drew a blank on the last one.
The man said, "I'm the other one. I'm Denny!"
Although I had vague mental images of Michelle, Cass, and John, of course I had no idea what the other guy looked like. So I had no idea whether he was shining me on or what. But he seemed harmless enough, so I played along.
Denny, or "Denny" as the case may be, came into my bar every night for a week or so after that first evening. He did that "name all the Mamas and the Papas" routine on just about everyone who came in the bar; no one could name the other Papa. No one disputed that Denny, or "Denny," was not in the fact the other Papa, and he was a big hit. He got tons of drinks bought for him, even from people who were sure he wasn't really one of the Mamas and Papas. Especially from those people, in fact. Then he just stopped showing up.
If it was a scam it seemed like a harmless one; as far as I know Denny ("Denny") never tried to scam anyone out of more than the cost of a cocktail. I was pretty sure "Denny" wasn't the real Denny, but couldn't say for sure that he wasn't. If you were going to pick an ex-celebrity to impersonate, you couldn't do worse than pretending to be the other Papa.
The real Denny Doherty died a few days ago. I looked at the pictures accompanying the stories of his death and tried to remember what "Denny" from the bar looked like. I still can't tell if he was the real Denny.
Anyway - RIP, other Papa.
UPDATE: Post title corrected - it's "Zal," as in Zal Yanofsky, not "Sol" as I originally had it.
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Some years ago, when Myrtle Beach was a modestly tacky little beach town, not the monstrously tacky nightmare it has become, I was tending bar in a small restaurant up at the beach. One quiet evening a middle-aged, slightly paunchy, fast-talking little man with a big mustache came into my bar. After I'd served him a couple of drinks he asked me if I'd heard of the Mamas and the Papas. Of course I had. Then he asked me if I could name all the Mamas and Papas. Well, sure. There was John, Michelle, Mama Cass . . . and . . . uh . . . well, I drew a blank on the last one.
The man said, "I'm the other one. I'm Denny!"
Although I had vague mental images of Michelle, Cass, and John, of course I had no idea what the other guy looked like. So I had no idea whether he was shining me on or what. But he seemed harmless enough, so I played along.
Denny, or "Denny" as the case may be, came into my bar every night for a week or so after that first evening. He did that "name all the Mamas and the Papas" routine on just about everyone who came in the bar; no one could name the other Papa. No one disputed that Denny, or "Denny," was not in the fact the other Papa, and he was a big hit. He got tons of drinks bought for him, even from people who were sure he wasn't really one of the Mamas and Papas. Especially from those people, in fact. Then he just stopped showing up.
If it was a scam it seemed like a harmless one; as far as I know Denny ("Denny") never tried to scam anyone out of more than the cost of a cocktail. I was pretty sure "Denny" wasn't the real Denny, but couldn't say for sure that he wasn't. If you were going to pick an ex-celebrity to impersonate, you couldn't do worse than pretending to be the other Papa.
The real Denny Doherty died a few days ago. I looked at the pictures accompanying the stories of his death and tried to remember what "Denny" from the bar looked like. I still can't tell if he was the real Denny.
Anyway - RIP, other Papa.
UPDATE: Post title corrected - it's "Zal," as in Zal Yanofsky, not "Sol" as I originally had it.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
|Tuesday, January 16, 2007
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'Scuse me for not being right enough
I thought the Iraq invasion was a bad idea from the start, based as much on the obvious bad faith and lying and overselling by the administration as anything else. But as Megan McArdle points out (via tbogg - McArdle pissily blocked traffic from tbogg so to hell with linking to her), I am guilty of not predicting every single way in which the administration would fuck this up.
For example, I failed to oppose the invasion on the grounds that we would completely fail to secure the capital and protect the infrastructure and deploy sufficient manpower to get the electricity back on and prevent looting of Iraq's treasures.
I didn't figure we'd create a Coalition Provisional Authority and stock it with snot-nosed junior idealogues whose only qualifications were their daddy's name and their adherence to Bushie idealogy.
I never suspected Bush would put on a fighter pilot costume and pretend to land a fighter jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier and get out and strut around without loosening the parachute harness straps and then stand in front of a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" and announce "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," long before major combat operations ended.
I didn't figure that when that particular publicity stunt backfired, Bush would blame the troops.
Abu Ghraib? I confess: I didn't see that coming.
The whole unleashing of Islamic fundamentalists bit? I sorta was afraid of that. And of this. But I figured the administration's big shot foreign policy experts surely knew more than I did, and that I must be worrying too much. So, again, I was wrong in assuming that anyone in the Bush administration knew his ass from a hole in the ground.
Saddam Hussein's lengthy trial for only some of the crimes he committed, with the verdict's being suddenly announced just in time for the US midterms and the hasty execution conducted by a gang of Shia thugs chanting the name of an Islamic fundamentalist cleric? And that execution being videotaped and put on the Internet for all to see? You got me. I totally failed to anticipate that.
So in short, although Megan McArdle was completely totally wrong, I myself am guilty of not being right enough.
Mea fucking culpa!
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I thought the Iraq invasion was a bad idea from the start, based as much on the obvious bad faith and lying and overselling by the administration as anything else. But as Megan McArdle points out (via tbogg - McArdle pissily blocked traffic from tbogg so to hell with linking to her), I am guilty of not predicting every single way in which the administration would fuck this up.
For example, I failed to oppose the invasion on the grounds that we would completely fail to secure the capital and protect the infrastructure and deploy sufficient manpower to get the electricity back on and prevent looting of Iraq's treasures.
I didn't figure we'd create a Coalition Provisional Authority and stock it with snot-nosed junior idealogues whose only qualifications were their daddy's name and their adherence to Bushie idealogy.
I never suspected Bush would put on a fighter pilot costume and pretend to land a fighter jet on the deck of an aircraft carrier and get out and strut around without loosening the parachute harness straps and then stand in front of a banner proclaiming "Mission Accomplished" and announce "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended," long before major combat operations ended.
I didn't figure that when that particular publicity stunt backfired, Bush would blame the troops.
Abu Ghraib? I confess: I didn't see that coming.
The whole unleashing of Islamic fundamentalists bit? I sorta was afraid of that. And of this. But I figured the administration's big shot foreign policy experts surely knew more than I did, and that I must be worrying too much. So, again, I was wrong in assuming that anyone in the Bush administration knew his ass from a hole in the ground.
Saddam Hussein's lengthy trial for only some of the crimes he committed, with the verdict's being suddenly announced just in time for the US midterms and the hasty execution conducted by a gang of Shia thugs chanting the name of an Islamic fundamentalist cleric? And that execution being videotaped and put on the Internet for all to see? You got me. I totally failed to anticipate that.
So in short, although Megan McArdle was completely totally wrong, I myself am guilty of not being right enough.
Mea fucking culpa!
Send good thoughts Jane Hamsher's way
I suspect that if anyone can kick cancer's ass, it's Jane Hamsher.
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I suspect that if anyone can kick cancer's ass, it's Jane Hamsher.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Jesus wept
Digby has a post about an anti-Keith Ellison chain email now making the rounds.
You read it, and you think, THEY call US moonbats?
I remember when Clinton was president, and I really wasn't paying all that much attention to politics. An acquaintance put me on his email list, and I started receiving, on a regular basis, forwarded emails that enumerated in loony, conspiracy-theorist detail all the innocent people Bill and Hillary murdered in their ruthless rise to power, and the nefarious ways in which Bill and Hill offed their victims.
So help me, when I first started getting those emails, I would read them and laugh. I would occasionally respond to my acquaintance with an offhand, self-deprecating joke. Making fun of myself for voting for Clinton, and also lightly making fun of the loony-tunes mentality that spawned those emails. Because, you see, I thought he was in on the joke, and he was forwarding them to me because he too thought the insane conspiracy theories were funny.
And then I learned that he BELIEVED that shit. He actually BELIEVED that Bill and Hillary Clinton had 40-plus people murdered. So help me God, he believed it. And so apparently did the thousands of other fucking idiots who received those chain emails.
These batshit-crazy fools are still out there, and they're gunning for Keith Ellison now. One wonders why - after all, Ellison is just a freshman Congressman.
Maybe they're just getting warmed up for the Democrat who will be elected President in '08.
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Digby has a post about an anti-Keith Ellison chain email now making the rounds.
You read it, and you think, THEY call US moonbats?
I remember when Clinton was president, and I really wasn't paying all that much attention to politics. An acquaintance put me on his email list, and I started receiving, on a regular basis, forwarded emails that enumerated in loony, conspiracy-theorist detail all the innocent people Bill and Hillary murdered in their ruthless rise to power, and the nefarious ways in which Bill and Hill offed their victims.
So help me, when I first started getting those emails, I would read them and laugh. I would occasionally respond to my acquaintance with an offhand, self-deprecating joke. Making fun of myself for voting for Clinton, and also lightly making fun of the loony-tunes mentality that spawned those emails. Because, you see, I thought he was in on the joke, and he was forwarding them to me because he too thought the insane conspiracy theories were funny.
And then I learned that he BELIEVED that shit. He actually BELIEVED that Bill and Hillary Clinton had 40-plus people murdered. So help me God, he believed it. And so apparently did the thousands of other fucking idiots who received those chain emails.
These batshit-crazy fools are still out there, and they're gunning for Keith Ellison now. One wonders why - after all, Ellison is just a freshman Congressman.
Maybe they're just getting warmed up for the Democrat who will be elected President in '08.
Sad news
Poor fourslegsgood had to make the wrenching decision to put down Lionkitty Maxx, the indescribably majestic beast shown in these beautiful pictures. Please go over to Plush Life and give 4lg a big cyber-hug.
Also, Kevin Drum's cute kitty Jasmine died suddenly on January 4. Not to minimize Kevin's loss, but in a way I think he was luckier than 4lg. I can say that because my most excellent first cat died much the same way Jasmine did. I didn't see it - I found his body shortly after it happened - but it looked like he just dropped dead, basically. I mean, it didn't look like he suffered. He had been diagnosed with a heart murmur a few years before, but he seemed perfectly healthy and happy. He was a cool cat, the coolest. The most suave.
Anyway. As heartbroken as I was when he died, I remember that even then I realized I was lucky that I knew what happened to him, and I knew he didn't suffer. And I was never faced with the sad decision of having to put him down due to illness. My heart truly goes out to fourlegsgood.
Do go to 4lg's blog and admire Maxx's pictures - what a magnificent creature. Not to gush, but just look at that face. You can tell he had personality to burn.
On a happier note, the prognosis for Anntichrist's beloved Biddy looks good, so please keep your fingers crossed for her.
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Poor fourslegsgood had to make the wrenching decision to put down Lionkitty Maxx, the indescribably majestic beast shown in these beautiful pictures. Please go over to Plush Life and give 4lg a big cyber-hug.
Also, Kevin Drum's cute kitty Jasmine died suddenly on January 4. Not to minimize Kevin's loss, but in a way I think he was luckier than 4lg. I can say that because my most excellent first cat died much the same way Jasmine did. I didn't see it - I found his body shortly after it happened - but it looked like he just dropped dead, basically. I mean, it didn't look like he suffered. He had been diagnosed with a heart murmur a few years before, but he seemed perfectly healthy and happy. He was a cool cat, the coolest. The most suave.
Anyway. As heartbroken as I was when he died, I remember that even then I realized I was lucky that I knew what happened to him, and I knew he didn't suffer. And I was never faced with the sad decision of having to put him down due to illness. My heart truly goes out to fourlegsgood.
Do go to 4lg's blog and admire Maxx's pictures - what a magnificent creature. Not to gush, but just look at that face. You can tell he had personality to burn.
On a happier note, the prognosis for Anntichrist's beloved Biddy looks good, so please keep your fingers crossed for her.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Fuck all y'all!
Ya know, it's not easy being a liberal-ish Democrat living in South Carolina, amongst mostly really right-wing Republicans, but you won't catch me WHINING about it, the way some righties whine about how tough it is to be liberal in California or Tennessee (Tennessee? What-the-fuck-EVER).
But it DOES rankle me a bit when people like Digby, whom I respect, hell worship, say things like this:
Oh yeah? Well kiss my cracker ASS!
Plus - I hate to break it to Y'ALL - but plenty of African-Americans live in SC. And Alabama. So, rather than insulting their choice of domicile, Democrats ought to be spending time pointing out why Democratic policies are better for everyone than Republican policies.
Digby's SUCH a good egg, I forgive him (or her, as the case may be) for that intemperate remark, which was I bet written in a moment of sheer disgust at the nonstop nastiness coming from the GOP. I've felt that same disgust myself many times, but I really, REALLY don't think it's ever EVER a good political strategy to demonize an entire state or region (well, it's OK for bloggers to do it, in the spirit of snark, but I'd really hate to see legions of left-leaning pundits resorting to it in their TV appearances). Plus, it's just WRONG.
It always struck me as repugnant when Bush made his sneering references to the fine state of Massachusetts, and the constant contemptuous references by Republicans and their pundits to "San Francisco values" make me SICK. But it seems to me the appropriate response is not for lefties to sneer at Alabama (at least not serious-type lefties - leave the sneering-at-Alabama to the likes of me).
Rather, I think the next time some Republican ASSHAT, or Chris Matthews, or whoever, snickers about "San Francisco values" on TV, the appropriate response from the token lefty or semi-lefty guest would be to adopt a grave expression, and say sorrowfully, "You know, San Francisco is a great American city, full of fine AMERICANS and American patriots who vote, pay taxes, and contribute to our great American society. If you want to trash an entire American city, I suppose that's your right. But when you trash San Francisco, an American city, you're insulting millions of Americans. And I for one will not stand for it. Gentlemen!"
And then get up and stalk out off the set while the crew softly hums "America the Beautiful."
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Ya know, it's not easy being a liberal-ish Democrat living in South Carolina, amongst mostly really right-wing Republicans, but you won't catch me WHINING about it, the way some righties whine about how tough it is to be liberal in California or Tennessee (Tennessee? What-the-fuck-EVER).
But it DOES rankle me a bit when people like Digby, whom I respect, hell worship, say things like this:
I had originally rejected Tom Schaller's idea that Democrats should demonize South Carolina or Alabama the way the Republicans (with the help of alleged liberals like Ana Marie) have demonized San Francisco and Massachusetts. But I'm beginning to see that it may actually be a necessary thing.
Oh yeah? Well kiss my cracker ASS!
Plus - I hate to break it to Y'ALL - but plenty of African-Americans live in SC. And Alabama. So, rather than insulting their choice of domicile, Democrats ought to be spending time pointing out why Democratic policies are better for everyone than Republican policies.
Digby's SUCH a good egg, I forgive him (or her, as the case may be) for that intemperate remark, which was I bet written in a moment of sheer disgust at the nonstop nastiness coming from the GOP. I've felt that same disgust myself many times, but I really, REALLY don't think it's ever EVER a good political strategy to demonize an entire state or region (well, it's OK for bloggers to do it, in the spirit of snark, but I'd really hate to see legions of left-leaning pundits resorting to it in their TV appearances). Plus, it's just WRONG.
It always struck me as repugnant when Bush made his sneering references to the fine state of Massachusetts, and the constant contemptuous references by Republicans and their pundits to "San Francisco values" make me SICK. But it seems to me the appropriate response is not for lefties to sneer at Alabama (at least not serious-type lefties - leave the sneering-at-Alabama to the likes of me).
Rather, I think the next time some Republican ASSHAT, or Chris Matthews, or whoever, snickers about "San Francisco values" on TV, the appropriate response from the token lefty or semi-lefty guest would be to adopt a grave expression, and say sorrowfully, "You know, San Francisco is a great American city, full of fine AMERICANS and American patriots who vote, pay taxes, and contribute to our great American society. If you want to trash an entire American city, I suppose that's your right. But when you trash San Francisco, an American city, you're insulting millions of Americans. And I for one will not stand for it. Gentlemen!"
And then get up and stalk out off the set while the crew softly hums "America the Beautiful."
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
No Duck Left Behind
Republican Karen Floyd was one of the few South Carolina Republican candidates to have lost in the last election; she ran for Superintendent of Education, and was defeated in a state where having an "R" beside one's name generally ensures victory.
Anyway, NotVeryBright has a shot of her family Christmas card here.
Yeah, Santa - send her some more ammo.
At least she didn't shoot anybody in the face.
(I'm not anti-hunting, by the way. Just anti-shooting-way-the-hell-more-than-you-can-eat)
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Republican Karen Floyd was one of the few South Carolina Republican candidates to have lost in the last election; she ran for Superintendent of Education, and was defeated in a state where having an "R" beside one's name generally ensures victory.
Anyway, NotVeryBright has a shot of her family Christmas card here.
Yeah, Santa - send her some more ammo.
At least she didn't shoot anybody in the face.
(I'm not anti-hunting, by the way. Just anti-shooting-way-the-hell-more-than-you-can-eat)
I can not-blog on more than blog!
The lovely Diane (fka Desi) of Mia Culpa has invited yours truly to be one of her guest bloggers while she's moving. Go check out my first feeble effort. And check the bonus bear-blogging by Diane while you're there.
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The lovely Diane (fka Desi) of Mia Culpa has invited yours truly to be one of her guest bloggers while she's moving. Go check out my first feeble effort. And check the bonus bear-blogging by Diane while you're there.
For Biddy
One of Anntichrist's kitties, Biddy, is having some feline trouble. The poor baby. If you know anything about this, drop Annti a line or leave a comment here.
[waves to MMG]
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One of Anntichrist's kitties, Biddy, is having some feline trouble. The poor baby. If you know anything about this, drop Annti a line or leave a comment here.
[waves to MMG]
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
I suck.
Look at this place. Deserted for weeks on end. The wind whistles; an occasional cyber-tumbleweed blows by. What a desolate, godforsaken blogscape.
As soon as I digest these black-eyed peas and collards, I'll blog more. I SWEAR TO THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER.
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Look at this place. Deserted for weeks on end. The wind whistles; an occasional cyber-tumbleweed blows by. What a desolate, godforsaken blogscape.
As soon as I digest these black-eyed peas and collards, I'll blog more. I SWEAR TO THE FLYING SPAGHETTI MONSTER.
