torturing the elderly January 28, 2009
This story just has me haunted. A 93-year-old Michigan man froze to death in his house. He owed $1,000 to the electric company. Apparently without talking to him face-to-face or phoning him, they installed a “limiter” on his meter, which allowed him to have electricity up to a certain point and then cut it off. He could have gone outside and tripped the switch to turn it back on, but he either didn’t know that or was too senile to do it. The next four nights after the electricity went off, it was -5 degrees in the house. He had relatives and neighbors, but he didn’t call anyone for help. Neighbors found him on the fourth day.
I can’t believe you can turn off someone’s heat in Michigan in January. It just seems Orwellian to install a device that turns it off, but you can still go out and turn it back on. Why not just leave it on for the winter months in freakin’ Michigan?
Does Entergy turn off old people’s electricity here in August? That’s not quite as deadly, but still not very nice. Anyone who makes it to 93 should get the courtesy of a personal phone call, at least, before getting disconnected.
for four years and older January 23, 2009
I love Playmobil toys. I bought them for years for my kids and now I buy them for my grandson. I’ve always thought they were kind of peculiar, which was part of the reason why I like them. They are also like little stage sets with costumes and tiny props.
Now, they have come out with a Playmobil Security Checkpoint, with a metal detector, conveyor belt, passenger and two TSA officers. To me, it’s not surprising, because they have made jails and other things that are slightly weird, like a doctor that comes with an incubator with a baby in it.
I read about this on Corrente and then I looked at the toy on Amazon. You have to read the customer comments, they’re hilarious.
the failed obama presidency
OK, people. Barack Obama has been president for four days now. He’s repealed torture, affirmed his support for women’s reproductive freedom and got a do-over for the oath of office. Yet, I am disappointed.
Where. Is. The. Puppy?
for the first time in my adult life, i have a crush on the president. January 22, 2009
Great pictures of the Obama Inauguration.
I also thought this was an interesting article in the NY Times about Barack and Michelle Obama’s family trees.
I hadn’t thought about it before, but Barack Obama, unlike his wife and (I guess) most African-Americans, is not descended from slaves. I don’t know what it signifies, if anything, but I just think it’s interesting that, although America has elected its first black president, we have still never had a president whose ancestors were brought to this country in chains.
Perhaps that milestone will be passed by America’s first black female president, Sasha Obama.
not in my back yard!
You know, this used to be a good neighborhood. People generally keep their grass cut, pick up after their dogs, and refrain from repairing cars in the front yard. Property values are high, noise is low, and we’ve even had celebrities move in. Life for us here in Country Club Gardens has been pretty sweet, except during the Late Unpleasantness of 2005.
Well, all that’s about to change. The paranormal element is moving in, right up the street.
The Paraplex, the World’s First Interactive Paranormal Complex, is opening up in the former funeral home at 4800 Canal Street, right near the cemeteries. The Paraplex is going to have a paranormal observatory, Psychic Testing Stations, Supernatural Art Exhibits, and all manner of superstitious carrying on. It’s downright unchristian-like.
The most alarming information is that the building itself is “actively haunted” by “nine ISPR-identified resident earth-bound Entities.” “ISPR” is the International Society for Paranormal Research.
Well, that’s news to me! Why hasn’t the Picayune investigated this? Personally, I would like to see the legislature pass a law that requires earth-bound Entities to register and notify the neighbors when they move in. Do we have to wait until we have zombies going through our garbage?
Is it proper city planning to allow a psychic free-for-all to take place in such close proximity to the final resting places of thousands of former New Orleanians? I’ve always said that the cemeteries are great neighbors. They make no trouble. They are quiet, they are beautiful, and they are the last place anyone is going to bulldoze and replace with a strip mall. It never occurred to me that anyone would come into town and literally try to wake the dead. These people are playing with spiritual fire and it will come to a bad end, you mark my words. It’s like they have never seen a horror movie before.
But who you gonna call? The New Orleans Paranormal Department? Geaustbusters? Should I start a Poltergeist Petition? I’ve never felt so much like moving to Metairie. Those freaks better not leave any ectoplasm on my yard.
the curious case of forrest gump
Here is a funny take on Benjamin Button. The thought occurred to me when I saw the movie that Benjamin Button was an awful lot like Forrest Gump. I was not a fan of Forrest Gump. The message of that movie seemed to be that if you just remain passive throughout your life, never expressing a preference or coming into any conflict, then you’ll be happy and everything will turn out like it’s supposed to. Tell that to Anne Frank. I’d like to see you tell that to Rosa Parks.
1/20/09 January 20, 2009
Jeez, I thought this day would never get here! President Obama, yada yada yada, but I can’t wait to see what Michelle is wearing to the Ball.
I loved the enormous crowd. Everyone looked like they were freezing. Lincoln’s Bible was very tiny. It took a lot of devotion to read your good book back in those days. For two constitutional law scholars, Roberts and Obama sure managed to screw up the oath of office.
Here is a very interesting story that tells you how the White House staff pulls off a complete switcheroo while everyone is at the parade.
Tonight, Turner Classic Movies is running “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” Hah!
obama’s cocoanut January 15, 2009
Obama is getting a specially designed Zulu cocoanut! That lucky dawg. I hope he understands what a big deal this is.
kunstler explains it all for you
I was talking with an old friend who is going through the break-up of a long relationship. He asked me what I thought was wrong with him. I think he’s a great guy and there is not much wrong with him at all, but I offered, “well, you do tend to take up with people who are kind of childish.”
“I know! What’s that all about?”
I told him about James Howard Kunstler’s opinion that Americans in general are infantilized and that the clothing popularly worn by men is symbolic of it. Kunstler has noted that the oversized shirts, long shorts and baseball caps commonly worn by grown men are similar to the way you would dress a baby. Even the gigantic, overstuffed athletic shoes resemble corrective shoes that you would put on a bowlegged toddler.
Women don’t seem to be able to get away with infant-wear, because it sends quite a specific message when a grown woman is dressed in a baby-doll mini dress with ruffled panties showing (assuming it’s not Mardi Gras).
My friend, who wears oversized shirts and long shorts, asked, “well, what does a grown man wear?”
I said, “honestly, grown men wear long pants and a belt, usually with their shirts tucked in unless they are at the beach or something.”
insurance costs more than shelter January 14, 2009
I had dinner with some friends last night and one guy had a horror story to share. He has psoriasis, which is a chronic, very uncomfortable condition for which there is no cure. He has to take medication for it every day. A new medication came on the market which controlls the psoriasis better than the old medication, but which is more expensive.
Immediately after his doctor prescribed the new medication, his health insurance premiums doubled. He is now paying 12% of his income for health insurance. The monthly amount is more than his house note. He can’t get a better deal because he has a pre-existing condition. He tried calling the insurance company and was told that higher-ups had made this decision. He asked for the higher-ups’ phone number and was told, “they don’t have a phone.”
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