The Shark Not Only Jumped, It Missed

Well, if some of PETA’s past concepts hadn’t already jumped the shark, it’s latest one has. They’ve asked the rock group Phish to change its name to Sea Kitten.

“In this way, people might come to view fish the way they see cats and dogs, as smart and sensitive animals worthy of care and protection, said Ashley Byrne, a PETA senior campaigner.


If this is successful, PETA has its work cut out. They’ll also have to get in touch with A Flock of Seagulls, Adam Ant, the Animals, Beatles, Beastie Boys, Black Crowes, Blue Oyster Cult, Boomtown Rats, Buffalo Springfield, Byrds, Country Joe & the Fish, Crazy Horse, Buddy Holly & the Crickets, Def Leppard, Eagles, Echo & the Bunnymen, Fishbone, Hootie & the Blowfish, Howlin’ Wolf, Iron Butterfly, Los Lobos, Monkees, Pet Shop Boys, Psychedelic Furs, Ratt, Scorpions, Snoop Dogg, Steppenwolf, Stray Cats, T. Rex, Three Dog Night, Turtles, Whitesnake, Wolfmother, and, of course, the Yardbirds.

At what point will PETA realize that they are simply fodder for jokes?

But I am all for truth in advertising, which is why I have asked The Dead Kennedys to change their name to Not Quite There, But Soon.

Cat Fight

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton have converged on Michael Jackson's family since the King of Pop's sudden death last Thursday, acting as semi-official spokesmen and advisers.

Now the two preachers — who have spent decades jockeying for the unofficial title of America's leading black activist — appear to be auditioning for a role in Michael Jackson's final act: his funeral.

The two have gone on television separately to speak for the family, but neither has yet been invited to preside over Michael's funeral, a coveted moment in the spotlight that both have sought and secured for years at several memorial services.

I say the family throws everyone for a loop and asks the Rev. Jeremiah Wright to preside. Don't rule him out. And Rosey Grier is a minister, too.

Oh, what the hell - let 'em all speechify!

Where's There's a Will, There's a Way

Let the circus begin. So what if the body is not even in the ground yet.

A will drafted by Michael Jackson in 2002 which divides the singer's estate among his mother, three children and one or more charities could play a central role in determining how his tangled financial relationships will be unwound.

Several people close to the late Jackson said that a lawyer for the pop singer could submit the will, believed to be his last, to Los Angeles Superior Court as soon as Thursday. That filing would cap a tense period in which relatives and advisers of the late singer debated what document, if any, was valid.

One or two other earlier wills have emerged since Jackson's death last Thursday, according to people familiar with the situation. The Associated Press reported that Jackson's parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson, said in a Monday court filing that they believed the singer had died without a valid will. Joseph Jackson isn't believed to be included in the most recent will.

Oh look, that nice Rev. Al Sharpton once again is taking the time to be with his very dear friend and champion of Black rights, Joe Jackson. Because the Rev. Al Sharpton only associates with those who are his very dear friend and champion for the Black community. I don't think he's had the time yet to go to the White House, or maybe it's just that he hasn't had the invitation.

The Jacsons are going to make vultures look like canaries. And they have to realize, whatever is there is subject to creditors first and presumably there is a lot of debt. I just hope that anything left for the children was placed in a trust with a non-family member named as trustee - only then could those kids hope to see anything at their majority.

The worst is that with Michael's passing, the family has lost something more than a son and brother, they have lost media relevance. And that hurts more.

Unless Janet has another wardrobe malfunction.

Or worse, Old Man Joe does . . .

He Must Be Sincere, He Bought Them Dinner

"I want you to know: You have our support," Obama told members of the core Democratic constituency as he and first lady Michelle Obama hosted a cocktail-and-appetizer reception in the East Room for gay pride month.

It's been some four decades since the police raid on New York City's gay Stonewall Inn that spurred gay rights activism across the country.

As activists work to change minds and change laws, Obama added: "I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an ally and a champion and a president who fights with you and for you."

By the time he leaves office pulls out, the president said, "I think you guys will have pretty good feelings about the Obama administration."

Oh, okay, I changed that last line. By the way, on Sunday the President - through Gibbs - also announced that it will "leave open" the option to increase taxes on people earning less than $250,000. I thought I remembered a campaign promise that those who fell in that category would not see an increase in taxes, but maybe that was Palin just being silly and inarticulate again . . .

I Love a Good Cry

After plugging his record company, Michael Jackson's father Joe said in a press conference outside his home Monday that the family was planning a large public funeral for the deceased singer.

I am so there. What shall I wear? And it was nice of Senior Jackson to mention it after promoting his record company. And I think it is nice of the Rev. Al Sharpton to take time off his busy schedule and to be there with him.

Sympathy Fail

Former Army reservist Lynndie England hasn't landed a job in numerous tries: When one restaurant manager considered hiring her, other employees threatened to quit.

She's tried dyeing her dark brown hair, wearing sunglasses and ball caps. She even thought about changing her name. But "it's my face that's always recognized," she says, "and I can't really change that."

England hopes a biography released this month and a book tour starting in July will help rehabilitate an image indelibly associated with the plight of the mistreated prisoners.

"We were just pawns," said England, who's appealing her conviction and has her next hearing in July. "People were just playing us."

Meh . . . after the book tour she can go on Dancing With the Stars . . .

Life is Alright in Amereeeka!

The Supreme Court has ruled that white firefighters in New Haven, Conn., were unfairly denied promotions because of their race, reversing a decision that high court nominee Sonia Sotomayor endorsed as an appeals court judge.

There is nothing like knowing you have the confidence of potential colleagues before getting hired.

Ai, mami!

Even Billy Mays Couldn't Sell This

Oral, underarm or rectal use

Absorbent and yellow and porous is he!

There's gonna be some kids needing therapy for a long time . . .

Dem Bones, Dem Bones

Benedict said archaeologists recently unearthed and opened the white marble sarcophagus located under the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls in Rome, which for some 2,000 years has been believed by the faithful to be the tomb of St. Paul.

Benedict said scientists had conducted carbon dating tests on bone fragments found inside the sarcophagus and confirmed that they date from the first or second century.

"This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul," Benedict said, announcing the findings at a service in the basilica to mark the end of the Vatican's Paoline year, in honor of the apostle.

On Saturday, the Vatican newspaper announced that a round fresco edged in gold featuring the emaciated face of St. Paul had been discovered in excavations of the tombs of St. Tecla in Rome. It was believed to have been dated from the end of the fourth century, making it the oldest known icon of St. Paul, meaning it was an image designed for prayer, not just art, L'Osservatore Romano said.

I find the piece of news about the icon to be most significant, because it shows that the early Church sought the intercession of those who had died. All too often, other Christians attack Catholics for "worshipping" saints becuase we "pray to them." I, literallt, "pray" to the Court whenever I file a pleading and theya re confused as to the difference between prayer to a saint and prayer to God. But the discovery of this icon shows that it was not a "popish" tradition but one practiced in the first few centuries.

Home Alone

I started reading this editorial by Michele Madigan Somerville in the New York Times.

About a decade ago, moved by a convergence of my longstanding fascination with religion and a time of great personal loss, I embarked on a search for a church and wound up a born-again Catholic. It was not a straight or untroubled path, guided as it was by both my attraction to and enmity for the Roman Catholic Church into which I was born and baptized.

Okay, I thought, so far I can see her viewpoint. The "enmity" for many a cradle Cathlic stems from the habit of youth, I believe, to go through a period of rebellion, and since the rebellion is usually aimed against institutions that try to provide structure to the their lives, the Catholic Church is often an easy target.

But then things started getting fuzzy . . .

But a radical nun was the first person to teach me anything sophisticated about poetry.

Huh?

While I consider the brutality of the papacy, now and throughout history, a source of shame, Roman Catholic art, often commissioned by those very same bad popes is a source of pride, and comprises a tradition in which I, as a poet, often work.

The papacy has been tarnished throuhg history by bad men, which I argue is a testament to the Holy Spirit that we are still here some 2000+ years later. But I am at a loss to figure out why the current Pope is "brutal." Unless . . .

I liked parishes that were racially and socio-economically diverse, houses of worship that were beautiful, the presence of women priests when I was lucky enough to encounter it. I had zero tolerance for folk masses, anti-abortion diatribes, ecclesiastical greed, rote reciters of scripture and congregants who refused to sing. (After all, as St. Augustine said, “singing is twice praying.”) When people in the pews were unkind to my generally well-mannered children, I crossed their church off my list. I preferred my homilists witty, lyrical and learned. A brilliant theologian and Dante maven who used to celebrate mass a few mornings a week in my neighborhood helped hook and reel me in. Most of all it was another — a lyrical priest I successfully hectored and charmed into serving as my de facto guru — who presided over my rebirth a s Catholic. And so I began to regularly attend Roman Catholic mass.

Ah, I see . . . the Catholic Church that Michele "came home" to is the one she wants - and not the one established by Jesus, with both its inordinate beauty and its warts. What a selfish and narrow-minded person. She has "zero tolerance" in judging congregants who refuse to sing (so please, no sore throats in her church - gargle at home and be prepared to make a joyful noise) while "crossing off" the churches where people were "unkind" to her "generally well-mannered children" - perhaps the "unkindness was aimed more at her as she ignored the mischief of her children, caught up in the rapture, as she was, of "witty, lyrical and learned" homilists. And those homilists who might be muttering a mea culpa as he delivered a less-than-inspired homily because that week the Bishop wanted his parish's profit and loss statement and he had sat up the night before with a family whose 16-year-old was gunned down . . . sorry, dude, you don't make the cut and "Born Again" here is writing you off her list.

I am also struck by Michele's ignorance with her statement about women priests. Does she realize the Church does not ordain women? So, it is not a question of being "lucky enough" - sweetie, if a woman is playing Mass, it's not a Catholic Church.

Once I accepted that being Roman Catholic did not require that I be a papist — once I understood that it was possible to be simultaneously outraged by and in love with the Church — I saw the obstacles to being a practicing Catholic in a new way.

Oh Lordy - darling, you did not come home. I do not know what house you are in, but wherever it is, you are home alone, in the Church of Michele Madigan Somerville.

Pray for her and respond at the Times.

It Was 40 Years Ago Today, Darling . . .

Tree recalled the days of disturbance that followed the late night raid at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village - which became a defining moment of the gay rights movement - as hundreds of revelers poured in and out of the Inn.

"A lot of gay people don't realize how it all started," said Hector Cruz, 38, who stopped by the bar for a drink Saturday afternoon. "This year is more exciting, I think, because of the anniversary. People are finally talking and learning about what happened."

"Being younger, we do take for granted where we are now and how far we've come," said 23- year-old Chris Brown, who spent Saturday with his boyfriend Joseph Bayer, 25.

"I'm glad I can walk down the street holding by boyfriend's hand," said Bayer as they went into the bar.

I have vague memories of the Stonewall Riots - I was an 8-year-old girl in the Bronx, what did I know about such things? - but recall my parents reaction, not that there were homosexuals in society but they were astonished that they actually rioted and were open about their orientation. Polite people did not talk about what they did in the bedroom.

But Mr. Cruz' statement above does touch upon a point. A lot of people, especially those of us who are not a part of the gay community, do not realize how the gay pride movement all began with a police raid on a bar in Greenwich Village 40 years ago and the patrons fighting back.

I have walked by the Stonewall Inn on numerous occasions, when I was a student at NYU. Next time in New York I'll go by to photograph it.

After All, So Many Claim to Read It Just For the Stories

Look, I'm all about being ADA compliant, but is this really practical?

Mourning the King

Mourning the King, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

No, not that one . . . the original King. This is Elvis' gravesite at Graceland in Memphis.

I want to buy Neverland Ranch and Michael Jackson's body. I see the opportunity to create a West Coast version of Graceland. I see tourists coming from far and wide. Self-guided tours on iPods available in ten languages. Ample parking for busses. School and camp discounts! Holiday specials and special sound and light spectacles to mark the anniversaries of Michael's birth and death.

The revenue from the gift shop alone would be staggering . . .

Michael's Legacy

No offense, but if it weren't for Michael Jackson and MTV, people in the 80's would not have been inspired to create this:

New blood on Falcon ground - you're gonna look like cooked spaghetti!

Bad boys wear purple. Hey, tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots!

Whining Geek

Look I like the show Mythbusters, but I think one of its co-hosts, Adam Savage (the normal looking one) is whining.

Seems he went to Canada and spent several hours surfing the Internet on his phone for which he has an AT&T service plan that evidently charges more for international coverage, just like yours and mine. And so he got a bill for $11,000.

Yeah, I know, I have heard a comedy routine where comic Kathleen Madigan complains about the same thing, having gone to Canada and used her cell phone and gotten a big bill, because - oh mah Gawd! - they discover it is NOT the United States.

Tough titties (and since Canada is officially bilingual, mammaries durs). If you were in Hong Kong, you'd be cognizant of the fact that you are in a foreign country and watch the cell phone use, or find some equivalent. And if you have a popular cable TV show, maybe they was some reasearch you were doing while texting and write the damn bill off.

Gay Googling

Want to do a fun project this weekend? Actually, you can do it right this second!

Go to Google.

Type "straight" and hit Google Search.

You will get the standard Google result page.

Go back to Google and now type "gay" and hit Google Search.

Notice the difference?

Cap and Trade and Bull

At the heart of the legislation is a cap-and-trade system that sets a limit on overall emissions of heat-trapping gases while allowing utilities, manufacturers and other emitters to trade pollution permits, or allowances, among themselves. The cap would grow tighter over the years, pushing up the price of emissions and presumably driving industry to find cleaner ways of making energy.

I think using unproven science to force regulation on the market is a swell idea. I can hardly wait for the "end-of-month" blackouts when my local utility has run out of emissions and cannot find any other utility to "trade" with, that after I have paid a huge monthly bill.

Now if Obama could just institute famine across the land, we'd be . . . North Korea.

But there is hope . . . if Obama wants to be more like the Europeans, then we have to embrace a historical bogeyman that drives many a liberal bat shit crazy . . . NUCLEAR POWER. Yeah, baby! People look at me like I got a second head when I suggest every household with a small generator in the basement or in our cars. But let me ask you - how long have we had nuclear-powered submarines in our naval force without significant incident? I don't see any of those sailors walking around with a tail.

Happy Birthday, Dolly Girl!

12 years ago today, my daughter Katherine was born at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California. My firstborn. Hard back labor, as I recall. But worth every moment.

This picture was taken in August 2001, when Kate was 3. Standing next to her is our late Weimaraner, Ralph, who loved his little mistress.

She's growing up way too damn fast . . .

God and Guns

Ken Pagano, the pastor of the New Bethel Church here, is passionate about gun rights. He shoots regularly at the local firing range, and his sermon two weeks ago was on “God, Guns, Gospel and Geometry.” And on Saturday night, he is inviting his congregation of 150 and others to wear or carry their firearms into the sanctuary to “celebrate our rights as Americans!” as a promotional flier for the “open carry celebration” puts it.

“I don’t see any contradiction in this. Not every Christian denomination is pacifist.”

I never saw the "turn-the-other-cheek" doctrine as advocating that one should become a human door mat. Rather, I think it stands for the philosophy that if your enemy attacks you in an unreasonable fashion, you do not do likewise . . . but exert reasonable force to defend yourself.

And this is found in law, with a good example being the use of deadly force. You cannot use it to defend property - sorry, no shooting skateboarders on church grounds, 'mkay? - but it is justified in the defense of human life.

I believe we do have a right to carry firearms as Americans. History has shown that when a regime wishes to come to power by force, the first thing they do is strip the private citizen of that right, so as to limit resistance. I wonder how the Iranians feel about that?

C'mon, I'm Making Fun of David Caruso, Not Michael

I am anticipating a Princess Di-style funeral for Michael Jackson and plan to attend to photograph the mass hysteria.

Obscure Music Friday

Song: I'll Be There

Artist: The Jackson 5

Why I Am Posting It: At one time, Michael Jackson was just a sweet, young boy whose falsetto voice charmed us. He had not become the circus sideshow act of his later years. I want to remember him as the former.

Did He Make the Cut?

I guess as a lapsed Jehovah's Witness, Michael didn't make the 144,000.

Is There a Reward For Turning Him In?

Si, se puede!

Felony charges have been filed and an arrest warrant issued for a well-known Orange County political activist suspected of committing election and voter registration fraud, the California secretary of State's office announced Wednesday.

Investigators in the agency's election-fraud unit said Nativo V. Lopez, 57, of Santa Ana leased office space in Boyle Heights and registered to vote using that address although he lived with his family in Orange County. They also say Lopez, president of the Mexican American Political Assn., cast an illegal ballot in L.A. in the 2008 presidential primary.

There are a few more veteranos who they should investigate, si, Alfredo?

Rest in Peace, Farah Fawcett

Actress Farah Fawcett has died at the age of 62 in Los Angeles. Fortunately, she seemingly received the grace of a happy death:

According to ABC News reports, a Catholic priest has given actress Farrah Fawcett her Last Rites. Fawcett's health is worsening and has sadly taken a very serious turn, resulting in the summoning of a Catholic priest to give her the Last Rites.

ABC reports that Farrah Fawcett is a devout Catholic Christian. A close friend has described her being "fearless" at the moment thanks to her faith. The Catholic priest reportly administered her the Last Rites in a Los Angeles Hospital.

Eternal rest grant her, oh Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace through the mercy of God. Amen. (+)

Grim Reaper

President Obama suggested at a town hall event Wednesday night that one way to shave medical costs is to stop expensive and ultimately futile procedures performed on people who are about to die and don't stand to gain from the extra care.

He added: "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller."

Or the cyanide, right? Of course, you could further reduce costs by withholding the painkillers and simply killing them. I mean, if they're "terminally" ill . . .

I am curious to know who makes the final call on whether a person "stands to gain from the extra care." I could be cynical but I remind people this is coming from the man who voted against legislation that would mandate medical care to a baby who survives an abortion and is born alive.

A Digi Movie Review: Transformers 2

I had heard before going to see this movie last night that some critics panned it for not having a good enough plot. I think those critics fail to realize that the target audience doesn't need a plot. Instead, this is one of the most Y-chromosome oriented movies I have seen in a long time and something like plot takes a necessary second place to action.

I suppose now you might be expecting to see the words "spoiler alert" - why? The Autobots win. What, you thought they would let the Decepticons kill off Optimus Prime and his gang and the highly lucrative franchise that goes with it? Ha, ha, you funny guy.

I attended the viewing with an expert as to all things Transformers - my 8-year-old son. Very fortunate, as in the midst of a fight I could not distinguish Megatron from Starscream, but he kept score for me. I also got a kick out of hearing his occasional outbursts - oh my God . . . Scorponok? - but for the most part he was quiet and staring intently at the screen. At one point he tapped my arm and simply said, "Mom, this movie is awesome."

And not just for kids. On the other side of my son sat my friend, the Right Reverend John Moneypenny, who for the two hours the movie took, seemingly dropped 30 of his 39 years to be a boy again and watch the action. Pretty much the audience was big boys and little boys. In fact, I was standing alone on line for seats in the hallway outside the theater, before they let us in, while the guys went a got the industrial vat o' popcorn. A fellow and his teenage son got in line behind me. As I chatted with the guy in front of me, there was a lull, and the fellow behind me asked, "Why are you here?" I assured him I had male accompaniment and he apologized, explaining he just couldn't understand why a woman would come alone to a movie like this.

Here is my take:

• Action! There is a lot of EXPLOSIONS and FIGHTING and SCREAMING FIGHTER JETS and ARMY GUNS WITH GUNS BLAZING and MORE EXPLOSIONS and MORE FIGHTING!!!
• Megan Fox has one job in this movie - to stand there and look sexy. Which she does very well.
• Language was, at times, surprisingly rough, which I thought would not be so as they want the kids to come to this movie and then immediately proceed to Target and buy the toys. On the other hand, when a guy is acting like a pussy, maybe he deserves to be called that.
• EXPLOSIONS and FIGHTING and MORE EXPLOSIONS and MORE FIGHTING!!!
• When one robot is talking about his parents, I thought, how do they reproduce? A scrotum shot of a Decepticon later in the movie helped answer that question, in part.
• A touch of "mushy" stuff to appease any romantics in the crowd, but not to long with that so we could all get back to the EXPLOSIONS and SCREAMING FIGHTER JETS and FIGHTING!
• Careful - hot sexy girls at college are not always what they appear to be. And why couldn't Bumble Bee figure that out when she got in the car? Dumbass.
• Those four words are heard that send a thrill up the leg of any Y-chromosome carrying giy: It is your destiny. Have some super cool leader tell that to the hero and every guy automatically thinks he's being addressed personally.
• Did I mention there was EXPLOSIONS and FIGHTING and GUYS SHOOTING MACHINE GUNS AND YELLING INTO WALKIE TALKIES and PARIS, FRANCE GETTING PRETTY MUCH DESTROYED and EGYPT PRETTY MUCH GETTING TOTALLY DESTROYED and PRETTY GIRLS RUNNING IN SLO-MO and MORE EXPLOSIONS and MORE FIGHTING?
• And as an added treat . . . subtle slam on Obama! Oooh, snap!

Bottom line . . . is it worth your $10. Yup. Go and see.

Update: I thought so - scenes were shot at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. It's a wicked cool place to visit.

Didn't He Go Missing in 2004?

From that expert at humor, John Kerry:

The Bay State senator was telling a group of business and civic leaders in town at his invitation about the “bizarre’’ tale of how South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford had “disappeared for four days’’ and claimed to be hiking along the Appalachian Trail, but no one was really certain of his whereabouts.

“Too bad,’’ Kerry said, “if a governor had to go missing it couldn’t have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin.’’

Dickhead, it's not funny if you have to add something after your punchline to explain it, unless you are telling it to a gathering of dim-witted 'tards.

The Democratic-centric crowd laughed.

Oh, that explains it.

So There!

Now Iran will know we mean business!

The White House announced Wednesday that it has rescinded the invitations made to Iranian diplomats who may want to barbecue and watch fireworks to celebrate Independence Day.

U can haz no cheezburger!

ICE Dreams

Tuesday's crowd at the Teamsters Local 952 Hall in Orange cheered and others cried when a Santa Ana College student by the name of Abraham gave something of a testimonial in rap-song form.

"I still have a dream," said Abraham who only gave his first name. But right now, "We are doctors, teachers and lawyers, living in terror from ICE."

Illegal aliens who are in college want passage of law that would "allow undocumented students to apply for legal permanent resident status, protect them from deportation and make them eligible for student loans and federal work study programs."

Paulina, a 22-year-old from Santa Ana, said her undocumented status has left her struggling, despite having just graduated magna cum laude two weeks ago from UCI, with degrees in psychology and social behavior.

"It's really bittersweet," said Paulina, who wouldn't give her last name for fear of deportation. "I graduated at the top of my class, yet I really don't know what to do."

Maybe because even if you weren't here illegally, there isn't much you can do with degrees in psychology and "social behavior."

Don't they need "doctors, teachers, and lawyers" in Mexico? And why is it always "doctors, teachers, and lawyers" with a smattering of "engineers" thrown in? Isn't someone destined for middle management in auto insurance? Boy, for as many "best and brightest" coming here illegally from mexico, you have to wonder why it's a third-world country. Maybe those kids should go home and help out.

Souvenir of Graceland

Souvenir of Graceland, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Angus and Maura from the Isle of Orkney, had scrimped and saved to go on this pilgrimage. When they got to the Promised Land, they weren't disappointed. Maura said she could feel his presence and received a great healing of her own anxiety from that. Angus liked the ribs at The Rendevous!

Be Alert!

Fast fingers sink ships.

It's The End of the Word As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

North Korea threatened Wednesday to wipe the United States off the map as Washington and its allies watched for signs the regime will launch a series of missiles in the coming days.

I must be getting jaded. My first thought when I read this was I felt like Charlie the Unicorn - "Of cooooourse . . . everyone blows up in the end . . ."

The good news is that I don't think they have the capability.

the bad news? It doesn't mean they ain't gonna try.

It's What For Breakfast

where else can you go and get pancakes adorned with dwight schrute in confectionary sugar?

This is from a cool blog I discovered called cellular obscura - photography using a cell phone camera. Which proves my point that it's not the equipment, it's the technique. And to develop technique - shoot, shoot, shoot. In the digiworld, you're not wasting film.

Mourning Neda

The Iranian authorities have ordered the family of a student shot dead in Tehran to take down mourning posters as they struggle to stop her becoming the rallying point for protests against the presidential election.

Neda Salehi Agha Soltan, 26, was killed as she watched a pro-democracy protest, and mobile phone footage of her last moments have become a worldwide symbol of Iran's turmoil.

The authorities had already banned a public funeral or wake and have prevented gatherings in her name while the state-controlled media has not mentioned Miss Soltan's death.

Today it was reported that they had also told her family to take down the black mourning banners outside their home in the Tehran suburbs to prevent it becoming a place of pilgrimage. They were also told they could not hold a memorial service at a mosque.

I posted here the horrific story of her death with a link to the video that showed her at the moment God called her home.

Ahmadinejad doesn't want her mourned? Too bad - this is my blog. Let's hear about Neda.

-- She was 26

-- She was engaged to be married.

-- She studied Islamic philosophy.

-- She loved to travel and wanted to work in tourism.

-- She loved Persian pop, took piano lessons, and was a talented singer.

Denied a public funeral, the mourners travelled in minivans to Behesht Zahra cemetery where Neda was laid to rest on Sunday afternoon. It was a muted affair, as they were - to their fury - under official orders not to sing her praises loudly or to mourn her loss.

Réquiem ætérnam dona ei Dómine; et lux perpétua lúceat ei.

Requiéscat in pace.

Amen.

I encourage all bloggers to post a picture of Neda and give public recognition of her death.

Rub Some Salt Into That Wound

The family, clad in black, stood at the curb of the road sobbing. A middle-aged mother slapped her cheeks, letting out piercing wails. The father, a frail man who worked as a doorman at a clinic in central Tehran, wept quietly with his head bowed.

Minutes before, an ambulance had arrived from Tehran's morgue carrying the body of their only son, 19-year-old Kaveh Alipour.

On Saturday, amid the most violent clashes between security forces and protesters, Mr. Alipour was shot in the head as he stood at an intersection in downtown Tehran. He was returning from acting class and a week shy of becoming a groom, his family said.

It's horrific enough losing your child to violence, especially when it seems he was a bystander caught in cross-fire. But imagine this . . .

Upon learning of his son's death, the elder Mr. Alipour was told the family had to pay an equivalent of $3,000 as a "bullet fee"—a fee for the bullet used by security forces—before taking the body back, relatives said.

Mr. Alipour told officials that his entire possessions wouldn't amount to $3,000, arguing they should waive the fee because he is a veteran of the Iran-Iraq war. According to relatives, morgue officials finally agreed, but demanded that the family do no funeral or burial in Tehran. Kaveh Alipour's body was quietly transported to the city of Rasht, where there is family.

And I thought ammo was getting expensive here in America.

Please excuse my black humor. I made the mistake of looking over the pages of mainstream media this morning and learning that important front page news is the breakup of Jon and Kate.

While We Were Sleeping

A Republican lawmaker accused House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and congressional Democrats of "shutting down the process" in the House of Representatives to block his effort to investigate the national community organizing group ACORN.

Rep. Steve King, Iowa Republican, said in an interview on The Washington Times' morning radio show "America's Morning News" that Mrs. Pelosi and the Democratic majority had recently authorized an unprecedented change in House rules to curb the right of the minority to offer amendments to appropriations spending bills.

Democrats say the restrictions are needed to ensure Congress has the time to pass a dozen individual spending bills in the next few months to fund the government, while lawmakers also deal with health care and energy reform.

The advantage of a one-party system is that things get done. As an example, Italian trains ran on time while Mussolini was in office. Because efficiency when dealing with spending bills is the most important factor.

Thanks to DougM for bringing this to light.

RIP, Ed McMahon

Does this mean I'm not getting my check?

Ghost Girl

Ghost Girl, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Day 62/365.

It is said, that if you stroll down Riverside Drive in Santa Ana, California on a moonless night, and you whistle, "Jimmy Crack Corn (And I Don't Care)," the Ghost Girl will appear . . .

A La Mode

"The burka is not a sign of religion, it is a sign of subservience. It will not be welcome on the territory of the French republic," the French president said.

Huh, whaddaya know - the French, long held as the benchmark of liberalism by the Left in America, come out against "multiculturalism."

Mais, il a raison . . . and I don't have anything against the hijab, the head scarf. If covering your head is a form of modesty, there is no issue. But for those who claim that the burka protects the woman from men who might compromise her safety and innocence - how about we ask those guys to behave?

Deliveries in the Rear

And Rome Burned While Nero Fiddled . . . or Just the Burgers

The United States said Monday its invitations were still standing for Iranian diplomats to attend July 4 celebrations at US embassies despite the crackdown on opposition supporters.

President Barack Obama's administration said earlier this month it would invite Iran to US embassy barbecues for the national holiday for the first time since the two nations severed relations following the 1979 Islamic revolution.

"There's no thought to rescinding the invitations to Iranian diplomats," State Department spokesman Ian Kelly told reporters.

But we could forego the Olympics when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan. But then, Carter wasn't a Russky . . .

Tell the World

The Basij are killing the youth of Iran. And we are to "dialogue" with them? I offer my prayers. I truly find this disturbing.

Warning: graphic content.

You may ask, why would I post this? Because I want you to notice, that as the wounded are brought away from the gunfire, the proliferation of camera phones. This is how the news is getting out, this is how we know what is going on.

St. Thomas More

Brother Thomas, you knew what it meant to be a practicing lawyer, and not just some canon lawyer. You had clients, you had to worry about billing, you spent nights writing briefs, you made appearances and argued your cases before a bench. Today, on your feast day, pray for me that I may emulate your ethics and bravery, as I go before a court of law in representation of a client. Let me not be brash or cynical but straightforward and true.

As with all things, I ask this through our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. (+)

The Digital Reading Club: Gangstas!

It's summertime, and that means family vacations! When you hit the road with kids, sometimes diversions are needed for long car drives or plane flights . . . why not a coloring book? And noted "author" - Aye Jay - offers Gangsta Rap Coloring Book, with a foreword by J-Zone! J-Zone!

Listen to what people are saying about this!

Buy this book, leave it right out on the coffee table during a party or visitors, and watch the hilarious reactions. The conversation over the great pages of rappers usually turns into a lively debate on who was the greatest rapper of all time. They are all in here: Biggie, Pac, KRS One, Cube, 50 Cent... about 40 in all. Just be sure to hide it sometime during the party, or you'll wake up the next day and find someone has colored-in your DMX. GREAT BOOK!

I got the idea for this coloring book from a friend who had it sitting on her coffee table. I bought three for little Christmas gifts and everyone loved them! Well, I had to keep one for myself. Nothing like a coloring book with Crayon Bullets to brighten any holiday!

This Color Book is a disgrace to every African American. As a Homicide Investigator who has worked many murders of young Black teenager males this coloring book doesn't help to stop the problem on "Black on Black Murders" involving juvenile males. I am outrage by the images of weaponry and killing and prison and thing of that nature. I don't see this coloring book to be a fitting image for our young people. Maybe the Author of this coloring book should come and spend a day with me during an autopsy of a 15 year Black male who was killed by gang violence.

Yo, G. - don't be a h8r.

She Shells Sea Sells . . . What, oh Crap . . .

Just in time for the solstice: UCSC Summer Sustainability Institute Seminar Series!

Now say that fast 10 times.

Route the Bastards

Some heartening video for a Sunday afternoon - Basij militia forced to turn tail and run. It is worth watching this video to the end.

Scientology Exposed

Prove your devotion, Miscavige told them, by winning at musical chairs. Everyone else — losers, all of you — will be banished to Scientology outposts around the world. If families are split up, too bad.

To the music of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody they played through the night, parading around a conference room in their Navy-style uniforms, grown men and women wrestling over chairs.

The St. Petersburg Times is starting today a 3-part series on Scientology and its leader, David Miscavige, who took over after the death of L. Ron Hubbard.

A few high-palced persons have defected and are telling their story. Good. This is no more a religion than my belief in Santa Claus. Worse, hwoever, it is a dangerous cult that have cost people's lives.

The Church, of course, calls them liars. But I find this interesting - the Times wanted to interview Miscavige, who told them that he would not be available until July. So they went forward with is piece rather than wait for him to meet. Miscavige sent the Times an angry email:

I have been advised that you have decided to move forward with your story without my interview. This, despite the fact confirmed more than three weeks ago that I would make myself available on a date certain (6 July), after you spoke to other relevant Church personnel and toured Church facilities, and that I would provide information annihilating the credibility of your sources including the fundamental crimes against the Scientology religion that were the reasons for their removal from post. You were advised that information would include addressing the extraordinary "admissions" of one of your sources regarding a long-settled legal matter.

My bullshit-o-meter is registering high on this. "Annihilating?" They certainly came forward with "credible" witnesses against the defectors:

The parade started with ex-wives of the three male defectors. All three are Scientologists still. Each praised Miscavige's visionary leadership and said their ex-husbands can't be trusted.

If this can help take down Scientology, I am all for it.

Interesting . . . I did not know that Great Van Susteren is a Scientologist. That just destroyed her credibility in my book.

Oh, and if any Scientologists read this and take offense . . . tough shit.

Happy First Day of Summer

Happy First Day of Summer, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Summer time, and the living's easy . . .

Academics Fail

I noticed this over at Zomblog and I cannot decide whether to be amused or pissed off at this story.

Berkeley is so left-wing…

…that when 7th- and 8th-graders at an expensive prestigious private school are asked to design their own tiles for a permanently displayed mosaic, they draw a big hammer-and-sickle and declare as their message to the world, “Capitalism will fail.”

The story goes on to describe this mosaic that is on an outside public wall of this private school, so that the world can see how progressive it is and how its students are ever so smart, which is to say, they ape and mimic the rhetoric of the faculty and parents.

And do you want to hear the kicker in all this? Tuition at this tony institution is $17,100 for a ten-month session.

On Saturday night, I attended a fundraiser for Project Success, a non-profit whose goal is to ensure that the four Catholic schools in Santa Ana - St. Joseph, St. Anne, St. Barbara, and School of Our Lady - remain open and able to extend assistance to families in need so they can get a decent education for their kids. Santa Ana has the highest population of Hispanic immigrants in Southern California and many family incomes are low. Santa Ana Unified School District also happens to one of the worst nationally. So to these families, one of the Catholic schools offers more than a place for their kids to learn the faith - it's a place for their kids to have a chance at a future.

At the fundraiser, one of the parents got up and spoke. I know her daughter - she's in the same class as mine. This little girl is smart, smart, smart. Her mother spoke, in very broken English, that she and her husband will probably lose their house. But they have decided to go that route, if all else fails, and move into a small apartment because the tuition for their two kids takes priority. It was heartbreaking to hear her story, but it needed to be told because this is why tuition assistance makes a difference. This is not about a handout . . . it is an investment.

But meanwhile privileged Berkeley kids trot off to their private school and raise their fists high and shout, "Power to the people!" and draw a hammer and sickle without understanding the bloody history behind it. Or maybe they have been told but figured the Soviets, the Chinese, the Vietnamese, the Cubans, they all got it wrong and Communism just needs the right model.

BTW, if you are so inclined and wish to help Catholic school students, here is the website for Project Success.

Dad

Koretzky-Martin-Florida1956-008, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Happy Father's Day, Dad. I wish you were here on Earth so I could spend it with you, but I only have to look at my own children's faces and see that Irish in them. I love you. I miss you.

This is a picture of my Dad, taken in 1959 in Florida while he was on his honeymoon (yes, with my Mom).

Happy Father's Day

Vantage Point, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

On Dad's shoulders, you're on top of the world!

Taken yesterday at a neighborhood function .

Suburban Mom

Suburban Mom, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Upscale suburban mothers scare me. I don't know why. But they do.

Gotta Finish by Today

Gotta Finish by Today, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Day 60/365.

Actually, my friend Connie Linnert is not under the gun, but just relating something she needed to talk to me about while I was sitting in the back room of her bridal shop, Ferndale's. I just like the image of her surrounded by all of her work in progress.

BTW, for your bridal and formal needs . . . Ferndale's in Orange, California. Connie and Tom Linnert are professional and classy people.

Leo

ScholarshipDinner_16, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

With all the rotten stuff going on in the world, I think I need to post a picture of a friendly face. Leo Gonzalez from my parish fits that bill, I believe.

Never to Old to Learn

ScholarshipDinner_1, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

I love the people at my parish. This is Ed Thaete, our sacristan extraordinaire, at last night's scholarship dinner. WWII vet, Ed is about 85 years old, but a trivial fact like that won't stop him from embracing new technology, like his digital camera. Ed sets a great example for us all!

Cheers

Cheers, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Day 59/365.

Something sweet . . . last night was the annual Sr. Michelle Scholarship Dinner to help benefit our school kids. In attendance was Gerry Moore, one of the parishioners from St. Joseph, my church. He told me that my dress was lovely, and then added, "But that's because you make it lovely, my dear." Young men can take lessons from the older gentlemen on how to compliment a woman . . .

This Is What We're Watching

In Washington, President Obama called the government’s reaction “violent and unjust,” and, quoting Martin Luther King Jr., warned again that the world was watching what happened in Tehran.

Then watch, because the Iranians getting these images out want the world to see. Warning: extremely graphic. It is a video of a young girl dying after being shot by one of the regime's Basij militia. The person who posted it wrote:

Original source - Facebook: Basij shoots to death a young woman in Tehran's Saturday June 20th protests At 19:05 June 20th Place: Karekar Ave., at the corner crossing Khosravi St. and Salehi st. A young woman who was standing aside with her father watching the protests was shot by a basij member hiding on the rooftop of a civilian house. He had clear shot at the girl and could not miss her. However, he aimed straight her heart. I am a doctor, so I rushed to try to save her. But the impact of the gunshot was so fierce that the bullet had blasted inside the victim's chest, and she died in less than 2 minutes. The protests were going on about 1 kilometers away in the main street and some of the protesting crowd were running from tear gass used among them, towards Salehi St. The film is shot by my friend who was standing beside me. Please let the world know.

At the end of the clip, you hear a man yelling, "Bemoon! Bemoon!" I am told that means "Stay! Stay!" in Farsi. Perhaps it is her father, begging her not to die.

Pray for that girl's soul. Pray for the Iranians.

The Opposite Sex Explained

A little gem from Denmark (with English subtitles).

Take Aim

What’s important to grasp here is that this madness has nothing to do with hunting, which the politicians always claim to be defending, and everything to do with the use of firearms to resist policies and lawful government actions that some gun owners don’t like.

A new book by Dennis Henigan, a vice president at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, goes into detail on this point. In “Lethal Logic: Exploding the Myths That Paralyze American Gun Policy,” Mr. Henigan refers to a Harvard Law Journal article written by an N.R.A. lawyer titled, “The Second Amendment Ain’t About Hunting.” In the article, the lawyer makes it clear that for the N.R.A., the right to bear arms is “directed at maintaining an armed citizenry. ... to protect against the tyranny of our own government.”

I love it when liberals make this point as if they have single-handedly uncovered this deep, dark secret that gun owners have been trying to keep under wraps. But here, let me say it:

YES, GUN OWNERSHIP IS LESS ABOUT HUNTING AND MORE ABOUT PROTECTION.

And since many gun owners - that is, the responsible ones - are also students of history, we have seen numerous examples in the past where fascist or oppressive regimes start their grasp of power by removing guns and the acces to firearms from private citizens.

And we are not so stupid to think it cannot happen here. In fact, your editorial scares me when you say:

Gun craziness of all kinds, including the passage of local laws making it easier to own and conceal weapons, is on the rise. Hate-filled Web sites are calling attention to the fact that the U.S. has a black president and that his chief of staff is Jewish.

It might be wise to pay closer attention than we’ve been paying. The first step should be to bring additional gun control back into the policy mix.

Because that tells me that the liberals are incapable of distinguishing between nut jobs that David Koresh and people like myself who wish to carry a concealed weapon because I do not live in a tony enclave in Georgetown and I cannot rely on a quick response to 9-1-1 because of cutbacks in services. And furthermore, these same liberals immediately suspect the person like myself who owns a gun and doesn't agree with the policies of the current adminsitration.

That's really the issue, isn't it? It is not about "gun craziness" or a fear of hate crimes. Hate crimes? Go into the ghetto if you want to see racial homicide that the gangs perpetuate against their own kind. That is just the old canard of the liberals that anyone wanting a concealed weapon permit must be up to no good. This is really a fear of people who do not wish to abdicate their constitutional rights to a federal power. And that is precisely the point the founding fathers were making with the Second Amendment. Did I say the Second Amendment? It's more than that - the purpose of the Constitution was to limit the power of centralized government so as to maintain a republic.

And they realized private ownership of guns was a necessary part of that.

What Did Mao Say About Political Power?

In his most critical comments to date of the Obama administration's policies, former President George Bush Wednesday warned against the nationalization of healthcare, government overreach in the country's financial system, and the potential effects of closing the terrorist detention center at Guantanamo Bay.

"Government does not create wealth. The major role for the government is to create an environment where people take risks to expand the job rate in the United States," he also said in the closed-door speech, according to the paper.

And now for the current Administration's response:

Asked about Bush's remarks during Thursday's press briefing Gibbs had a simple response. "We won," Gibbs told reporters.

Poilitical power comes from the barrel of a hired gun.

Cat Ladies

God help me if I am a widow in my latter years. I'll have 15 corgis. I'll be Tasha Friggin' Tudor.

Charm School Didn't Work

She may be a lady and a senator, but don't expect an apology from Barbara Boxer for making the distinction to an Army brigadier general this week.

Aside from a briefly worded statement about a "friendly" conversation she had with Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh after dressing him down for calling her "ma'am," Boxer remained silent Friday in the face of growing calls for her to apologize.

Grow up, Barbara. Your mama is probably spinning in her grave.

And it's a far cry to try to start this article with, "She may be a lady . . ."

Dante

Dante, originally uploaded by Stephanie Richer.

Day 57/365.

For all the Schnauzer lovers out there.

Lean Like a Chola

One woman was described as being Hispanic, about 23 years old, 5 feet 8 inches tall, about 235 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. The other woman is Hispanic, between 20 and 23 years old, 5 feet to 5 feet 3 inches tall, about 140 to 160 pounds with blonde hair, Franks said.

That last woman . . . I think it's a dye job . . . I know!

iTunes Is the Dollar Store of Internet Music

A federal jury ruled Thursday that Jammie Thomas-Rasset willfully violated the copyrights on 24 songs, and awarded recording companies $1.92 million, or $80,000 per song.

Her attorney, Kiwi Camara, said he was surprised by the size of the judgment. He said it suggested that jurors didn't believe Thomas-Rasset's denials of illegal file-sharing, and that they were angry with her.

First of all, maybe it's not always a good idea to hire an attorney named after a fruit. But then again, maybe it fits when your own name is Jammie.

As for his claim that jurors didn't believe his client . . .

In testimony this week, Thomas-Rasset denied she shared any songs. On Wednesday, the self-described "huge music fan" raised the possibility for the first time in the long-running case that her children or ex-husband might have done it. The defense did not provide any evidence, though, that any of them had shared the files.

Obscure Music Friday

Song: Superfly

Artist: Curtis Mayfield

Why It Is Posted This Week: This one is going out to you, Barry Obama! Show them who's the mo-fo man . . . SWAT!

(And if my neighbor who called me a racist on the neighborhood Yahoo group reads this, yes, I know it's from a 70's blackploitation film, and no, it has nothing to do with the fact that we have a mixed race president, but earlier this week there was this fly, and . . . oh, never mind . . .)

Vacation

Don't you love those souvenir photographs that venues like museums and Graceland take for you, just in case you left your camera at home? Who doesn't?!

I think Lourdes or Fatima should market these . . .

Holy Cow, What Happened to Bowling or Sumthin'?

One in four South African men questioned in a survey said they had raped someone, and nearly half admitted having attacked more than one victim.

It said practices such as gang rape were common because they were considered a form of male bonding.

The study found that one in 10 men said they had been raped by other men.

I dunno, I'm thinking . . . saltpeter in the water system, maybe? That statistic is absolutely shocking. But I see some plan on fighting back.

A South African inventor unveiled a new anti-rape female condom on Wednesday that hooks onto an attacker’s penis and aims to cut one of the highest rates of sexual assault in the world.

Classy, Pixar . . . Thank You

From the minute Colby saw the previews to the Disney-Pixar movie Up, she was desperate to see it. Colby had been diagnosed with vascular cancer about three years ago, said her mother, Lisa Curtin, and at the beginning of this month it became apparent that she would die soon and was too ill to be moved to a theater to see the film.

After a family friend made frantic calls to Pixar to help grant Colby her dying wish, Pixar came to the rescue.

The company flew an employee with a DVD of Up, which is only in theaters, to the Curtins’ Huntington Beach home on June 10 for a private viewing of the movie.

Colby died about seven hours after seeing the film.

I think Pixar deserves a round of applause for doing this. A great movie with a lot of heart evidently comes from a company with the same.

Colby was 10 years old. A funeral Mass will take place at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Newport Beach.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

I Got a Title for You, Babs

Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was testifying on the Louisiana coastal restoration process in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He began to answer one of Boxer's questions with "ma'am" when Boxer immediately cut him off.

"You know, do me a favor," an irritated Boxer said. "Could say 'senator' instead of 'ma'am?'"

"Yes, ma'am," Walsh interjected.

"It's just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I'd appreciate it, yes, thank you," she said.

"Yes, senator," he responded.

What a maroon. In the military, we were trained to use the terms "ma'am" and "sir" without thought. What a complete lack of class on the part of Barbara Boxer.

No Free Lunch

I am probably going to raise some ire here.

The family of a U.S. Marine is outraged after a Michigan amusement park insisted on charging the veteran admission to enter the park — despite his being a quadriplegic -- according to a newspaper report.

But even after she explained that Hoffman had been paralyzed in 2007 by a sniper's bullet in Iraq and is unable to speak, let alone go on rides, the park insisted both Hoffman and his nurse could not join her in the park without paying, Lovell told the Press.

Look, Ithink the park was short-sighted for not giving free admission or discounted admission to a man who is paralyzed because of his service to the country.

That being said, however, I do not think - on a general basis - that handicapped should be given free admission to such venues on the argument, "Well, they're not going to go on the rides!" Just as a person's presence in a municipality requires that the city budgets certain amount of services - whether it be water, waste removal, etc. - so to does a person's presence in a park require that the amusement park be prepared to offer similar services. The story reports that he was "meeting up" with his fiancee, who was at the park chaperoning a kids outing. Why didn't he meet her outside the park? Oh, because he and his nurse wanted to enjoy the atmosphere while waiting for the fiancee to finish her work? Well, who pays the gardeners and maintenance staff to make sure it is a pleasant place to sit and relax?

Is this fellow going to bring his own food? He may not go on a ride, but if he purchases a hot dog, then the park still pays the wages to the eprson who cooked the hot dog, the person who served the hot dog, and the person who empties the trash where he threw his used napkin.

It is good PR to accommodate people with special needs, whether with discount prices or, as with Disneyland, the ability to enjoy many of the rides - many a time I have been on the Haunted Mansion ride when it has been stopped to allow the boarding or disembarking of a handicapped visitor.

But I do not think it's fair to expect a free ride. I am not singling out this guy - and I thnak him for his service and, had I been there, I would have popped for his admission - but I have also seen people "abuse" their handicapped status to extremes. Many public venues are required by law to expend extra monies to provide accessibility to the handicapped . . . and that comes at a price, that we should all share in.