Greetings Gentle Readers!
I was reading an article about how visually impaired children were able to get up close and touch an anesthetized tiger. At first, I thought how nice for the children, but then started to think about the tiger......he was not "anesthetized" specifically so that the children could touch him......he was "put out" for a "physical exam" and while out, the kiddies got to stroke his tongue, mess with his fur, etc.....Gentle Readers, imagine if you were anesthetized for surgery and found weird, unfamiliar smells or stuff on your tongue?? Or someone else's perfume on your body?? ...coming out of surgery and discovering yourself having been sprayed with an overwhelming dose of Chanel no. 5??? I think this is an invasion of the tiger's privacy to the point of abuse....I'm sorry that visually impaired children can't get up close and personal with a tiger under better conditions....but tigers are not designed so that humans can get up close and personal and those that try, end up being dinner or "road kill" to the tiger. Damn it!! Give the tiger some respect.
While this riles me, it isn't as bad, IMHO, as when a SF zoo gorilla was dying of heart failure, and instead of letting him die of natural causes, or "putting him to sleep"....a policy I don't agree with.....the zoo allowed cardiac surgeons from UCSF to operate on him.......this sounds just fine and lovely with roses to be given to the MDs for trying to save him from death......EXCEPT....in big capital letters.....the surgeons had no, zero, zip, nil, nada gorilla blood for transfusions....ANY operation on the heart, most operations on anything, require blood for transfusion in case of a problem......as the surgeons had no gorilla blood for transfusions, nothing they did could HELP that gorilla live a longer life. They were just having a fun time playing doctor with a strange "to them" species.
I believe in respect for all living things (except maybe mosquitos and crab grass...and maybe cock roaches..) . I am not a member of PETA, and do see reasons why animals are used in scientific experiments where the results might help mankind or other living kind, and I am a carnivore. But this use of zoo animals as toys for human amusement reminds me of the bad old days of the circuses .....Let's stop this nonsense!!!! Respect our fellow creatures!! Don't use zoo animals as nothing but "things".
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
The Trayvon Martin trial....some thoughts
Greetings Gentle Readers!
I have been thinking about the Trayvon Martin murder and the Zimmerman trial for a while and have a few thoughts that were too many to put on Facebook....
First thought is that is a tragedy for all involved......no one benefitted from Trayvon's murder, except for the media and political extremists who use this "event" to pursue their own political agendas.....notable, in using this tragedy for their own agenda, is of course, our prez....who added fuel to the anti-Zimmerman fire with his comment about if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon.....notice he didn't add...."act like Trayvon"!!!!
But Trayvon is dead and for no other reason than being the wrong color in the wrong place at the wrong time.....So the natural reaction of all of us......somebody is responsible for his death and they must be punished!!! He was SHOT and died from being shot!!! Let's get the SOB who did this.......
But nothing is simple, Gentle Readers.....nothing from who was responsible for starting a war, who was responsible for the death of JC, is it ok for "our" government to spy on us to keep us "safe" from terrorists??? I suspect that even "Billy the Kid" had reasons for murdering the 21 (I think that number is correct) people in his 21 years.
I was not in the courtroom where Zimmerman was tried. I did not hear the evidence. I do know that originally, Zimmerman was not going to be charged with a crime until enough political pressure made it so and then, the jury came back with the same result as did the local DA's office that Zimmerman was not guilty of murder......he was guilty of doing something that was not acceptable politically, but not guilty of murder.......manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter.....maybe.....
I am not trying to defend Zimmerman who looks like a brain dead moron, or as the prosecution claimed, a "wannabe" cop.....but just that.......this was a horrible tragedy I wish hadn't happened.
Now the NAACP wants the Justice Department to charge Zimmerman with depriving Trayvon of his civil rights.....Zimmerman did so!!! Trayvon is now deprived forever of his civil rights!! But Zimmerman has been tried and found "not guilty"....not innocent!! but not guilty. I think it is time to say enough and get on with things. I'm sorry Trayvon will not become an adult, will not become a father....that he is dead. But the more I think of this, the more I consider it a tragedy.....in every sense of the word that tragedy means....I wish it hadn't happened......and don't know of anyway to make the tragedy mean something. Zimmerman has been brought to trial.....Zimmerman's life is ruined as well and he must take care of his own safety lest some militant kill him....a tragedy.
Comments always welcomed.
I have been thinking about the Trayvon Martin murder and the Zimmerman trial for a while and have a few thoughts that were too many to put on Facebook....
First thought is that is a tragedy for all involved......no one benefitted from Trayvon's murder, except for the media and political extremists who use this "event" to pursue their own political agendas.....notable, in using this tragedy for their own agenda, is of course, our prez....who added fuel to the anti-Zimmerman fire with his comment about if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon.....notice he didn't add...."act like Trayvon"!!!!
But Trayvon is dead and for no other reason than being the wrong color in the wrong place at the wrong time.....So the natural reaction of all of us......somebody is responsible for his death and they must be punished!!! He was SHOT and died from being shot!!! Let's get the SOB who did this.......
But nothing is simple, Gentle Readers.....nothing from who was responsible for starting a war, who was responsible for the death of JC, is it ok for "our" government to spy on us to keep us "safe" from terrorists??? I suspect that even "Billy the Kid" had reasons for murdering the 21 (I think that number is correct) people in his 21 years.
I was not in the courtroom where Zimmerman was tried. I did not hear the evidence. I do know that originally, Zimmerman was not going to be charged with a crime until enough political pressure made it so and then, the jury came back with the same result as did the local DA's office that Zimmerman was not guilty of murder......he was guilty of doing something that was not acceptable politically, but not guilty of murder.......manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter.....maybe.....
I am not trying to defend Zimmerman who looks like a brain dead moron, or as the prosecution claimed, a "wannabe" cop.....but just that.......this was a horrible tragedy I wish hadn't happened.
Now the NAACP wants the Justice Department to charge Zimmerman with depriving Trayvon of his civil rights.....Zimmerman did so!!! Trayvon is now deprived forever of his civil rights!! But Zimmerman has been tried and found "not guilty"....not innocent!! but not guilty. I think it is time to say enough and get on with things. I'm sorry Trayvon will not become an adult, will not become a father....that he is dead. But the more I think of this, the more I consider it a tragedy.....in every sense of the word that tragedy means....I wish it hadn't happened......and don't know of anyway to make the tragedy mean something. Zimmerman has been brought to trial.....Zimmerman's life is ruined as well and he must take care of his own safety lest some militant kill him....a tragedy.
Comments always welcomed.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Suspended disbelieve and Jesus in the Opera
Greetings Gentle Readers!!
No time, no blogs.....but I have been inspired tonight to write because I spend a lot of money on a not very good opera, "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" and wanted explain why it annoyed me....If of all the music was bad enough that 2 of my friends left the opera at intermission, the first time they have EVER done so because they disliked the music.....my gripe was less about the music than the plot.
When seeing a film, opera, play, etc., the spectator is supposed to have "suspended disbelief" which means that although you know that Superman doesn't exist and if so, couldn't fly, you turn off that part of your brain that tells you and enter the fantasy world where he exists and does fly. Or when watching a play, you turn off that part of your brain that says, this isn't real, it is on a stage.....I am not good at that and am always trying to figure out how the fake leaves are coming out of the fake trees....or looking for the wires that let people fly on stage....or wondering about plot inconsistencies and what happened to grandpa who now is appearing on stage as someone else.....to get me into a state of suspended disbelief, you have to do a very good job of....everything.
Which brings me back to the opera, "Mary Magdalene"......In the very beginning Jesus is married to Tamar (some slut with lots of exes, both husbands and boyfriends)...Tamar gets upset when Jesus gets up close and too personal with Mary and wants to have them both stoned....they weren't. Tamar, JC's wife exits the stage never to be seen again....and then JC falls in love with Mary, they consummate their relationship and eventually married and the disciples are horrified that she would commit a sin of the flesh, conveniently forgetting about Tamar, but they marry anyway....Mary is a super big factor in his life, consuls him, is one of his main advisors, etc....when JC decides to go to Jerusalem where he will die, Mary throws a hissy fit but JC goes anyway.
This story lines makes no sense to me from what I have read from the Bible and even more so, from what I have read about the role of women in ancient times. The idea that a woman would have such an important role in what was a Jewish movement at the time (JC was a Jew and was trying to convert Jews and Christianity only became a big movement when Paul went around converting Gentiles...) but this goes beyond my "suspended disbelief." What goes further is that this opera portrays JC as a loving husband, a good guy, a nice guy, who was being badgered by Peter....think about this Gentle Readers....normal, nice kind married folk don't go around wrecking temples, preaching to elders, etc...it takes a fanatic to do this and most fanatics are not nice, kind, well adjusted people....the JC I picture lived a relatively calm life until he went on his ministry and raised hell for a couple of years until the Romans, after having been prodded by the Jew aristocracy, killed him.
The Gnostic gospels don't think JC was half Devine, and I'm ok with this, more than ok with this!! But Joe the carpenter, the guy next door, no.
The playbill said that drama is supposed to stimulate thought and not necessarily be accurate....this opera stimulated MY thoughts but mostly as to why the composer was a moron with no concept of history.
Comments always welcomed.
No time, no blogs.....but I have been inspired tonight to write because I spend a lot of money on a not very good opera, "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene" and wanted explain why it annoyed me....If of all the music was bad enough that 2 of my friends left the opera at intermission, the first time they have EVER done so because they disliked the music.....my gripe was less about the music than the plot.
When seeing a film, opera, play, etc., the spectator is supposed to have "suspended disbelief" which means that although you know that Superman doesn't exist and if so, couldn't fly, you turn off that part of your brain that tells you and enter the fantasy world where he exists and does fly. Or when watching a play, you turn off that part of your brain that says, this isn't real, it is on a stage.....I am not good at that and am always trying to figure out how the fake leaves are coming out of the fake trees....or looking for the wires that let people fly on stage....or wondering about plot inconsistencies and what happened to grandpa who now is appearing on stage as someone else.....to get me into a state of suspended disbelief, you have to do a very good job of....everything.
Which brings me back to the opera, "Mary Magdalene"......In the very beginning Jesus is married to Tamar (some slut with lots of exes, both husbands and boyfriends)...Tamar gets upset when Jesus gets up close and too personal with Mary and wants to have them both stoned....they weren't. Tamar, JC's wife exits the stage never to be seen again....and then JC falls in love with Mary, they consummate their relationship and eventually married and the disciples are horrified that she would commit a sin of the flesh, conveniently forgetting about Tamar, but they marry anyway....Mary is a super big factor in his life, consuls him, is one of his main advisors, etc....when JC decides to go to Jerusalem where he will die, Mary throws a hissy fit but JC goes anyway.
This story lines makes no sense to me from what I have read from the Bible and even more so, from what I have read about the role of women in ancient times. The idea that a woman would have such an important role in what was a Jewish movement at the time (JC was a Jew and was trying to convert Jews and Christianity only became a big movement when Paul went around converting Gentiles...) but this goes beyond my "suspended disbelief." What goes further is that this opera portrays JC as a loving husband, a good guy, a nice guy, who was being badgered by Peter....think about this Gentle Readers....normal, nice kind married folk don't go around wrecking temples, preaching to elders, etc...it takes a fanatic to do this and most fanatics are not nice, kind, well adjusted people....the JC I picture lived a relatively calm life until he went on his ministry and raised hell for a couple of years until the Romans, after having been prodded by the Jew aristocracy, killed him.
The Gnostic gospels don't think JC was half Devine, and I'm ok with this, more than ok with this!! But Joe the carpenter, the guy next door, no.
The playbill said that drama is supposed to stimulate thought and not necessarily be accurate....this opera stimulated MY thoughts but mostly as to why the composer was a moron with no concept of history.
Comments always welcomed.
Friday, June 14, 2013
Greetings Gentle Readers from a new Blog Site.....MySpace, where I have posted blogs for years has created "New MySpace" and no longer has room for blogs or games, the only 2 reasons I was a member of that antiquated "social networking site" so now I am here.
But to attend to the subject at hand, being a potential juror on a murder case with the two suspects being members of MS-13, one of the most vicious gangs in the USA...Salvadorans, Central American in ancestry and without any sort of morals, empathy, sympathy, to anyone other than their fellow gang members. I followed closely the case of Edwin? Eduardo? Edmundo? Edgar? Ramos, a lovely guy who killed a father and his son coming home from a baseball game and mistaking them for members of a rival gang.....Ramos smiled throughout his trial and his lawyer explained that this was a "nervous habit" of his......I don't think so, the guy was a sociopath, psychopath, nutso-fruitcake and belonged behind bars for the rest of his natural life.
So I am a prospective juror in the case of the people against Rivera and Aguilera....I didn't look up the story online until AFTER I was excused from the jury but here is the case: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/
The two defendants, who committed the crime as juveniles and who are now adults, were a piece of work....both with long greasy ponytails, wearing shirts given them by their lawyers.....Rivera made a "reasonable" presentation, but Aguilera, when asked by his lawyer to say "hello" to the jury pool, made a minimum effort to turn his head and that was it.....He was a scary looking guy for someone who appeared to be 5 feet tall and 90 pounds.....I guess that's why those little guys stick together to get strength in numbers.
When I filled out my questionnaire for the lawyers, I wrote about the Ramos trial and I wrote that I think members of MS-13 belong behind bars, etc.....but to my surprise, my questionnaire was not as negative as some people's......the defense attorney said, "I see in your questionnaire that you call all gang members "scum bags".....".
If you read the article about this crime, Gentle Readers, you will read about two young men who belong either deported back to Central American where they can pursue their activities, or in jail here, for the rest of their natural lives after being castrated or at least, being forced to have a vasectomy, to prevent their reproducing their kind.....
scumbags, disgusting scumbags.
Comments welcomed.
But to attend to the subject at hand, being a potential juror on a murder case with the two suspects being members of MS-13, one of the most vicious gangs in the USA...Salvadorans, Central American in ancestry and without any sort of morals, empathy, sympathy, to anyone other than their fellow gang members. I followed closely the case of Edwin? Eduardo? Edmundo? Edgar? Ramos, a lovely guy who killed a father and his son coming home from a baseball game and mistaking them for members of a rival gang.....Ramos smiled throughout his trial and his lawyer explained that this was a "nervous habit" of his......I don't think so, the guy was a sociopath, psychopath, nutso-fruitcake and belonged behind bars for the rest of his natural life.
So I am a prospective juror in the case of the people against Rivera and Aguilera....I didn't look up the story online until AFTER I was excused from the jury but here is the case: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/
The two defendants, who committed the crime as juveniles and who are now adults, were a piece of work....both with long greasy ponytails, wearing shirts given them by their lawyers.....Rivera made a "reasonable" presentation, but Aguilera, when asked by his lawyer to say "hello" to the jury pool, made a minimum effort to turn his head and that was it.....He was a scary looking guy for someone who appeared to be 5 feet tall and 90 pounds.....I guess that's why those little guys stick together to get strength in numbers.
When I filled out my questionnaire for the lawyers, I wrote about the Ramos trial and I wrote that I think members of MS-13 belong behind bars, etc.....but to my surprise, my questionnaire was not as negative as some people's......the defense attorney said, "I see in your questionnaire that you call all gang members "scum bags".....".
If you read the article about this crime, Gentle Readers, you will read about two young men who belong either deported back to Central American where they can pursue their activities, or in jail here, for the rest of their natural lives after being castrated or at least, being forced to have a vasectomy, to prevent their reproducing their kind.....
scumbags, disgusting scumbags.
Comments welcomed.
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