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Question of the Day
What are the last films that made you laugh and made you cry? Or the last film that did both.
The last film that made me laugh was Fast Five. I mean, the film isn't supposed to be funny, at least not in the way I was finding it funny, but it was hilarious. Especially because I was watching it with Iain and Kenny Blogginz for Bad Movie Night, and we were being all kinds of silly MST3K-ing the fuck outta that garbage.
The last film that made me cry was Hachi: A Dog's Tale, and ohhhhh it was an ugly cry big time. I cried so hard I was sure I had broken my eyeballs. Through great heaving sobs, I said to Iain, "This is the saddest fucking thing I've ever seen!" and tried to laugh, but just cried even harder, lol.
Anything with animals. Forget about it.
Bonus Cute
Zelly, as I have mentioned, does not like having her nails clipped. Wait—let me rephrase. Zelly is the Everest of grooming, who has more maneuvers to remove her paw from a human grasp than are conceivable by mere mortals.
Yesterday, my friend Ms. A, who is a talented and patient groomer, stopped by in her Official Capacity (as opposed to her usual capacity as lovely friend) to try to clip Zelly's nails. No go. No go on clipping, no go on filing, no go on grinding, no go on not freaking the fuck out and piddling on the floor and jumping off the grooming table and hyperventilating like we were trying to murder her.
Ms. A managed to clip a single nail.
Well, that's one more than was clipped before! Progress.
After her terrible ordeal that was definitely the worst thing to happen in the history of dogkind, Zelly went to the water bowl to get a drink. Dudley stood guard over her for a change.
Besties. (With Ms. A.)
Quote of the Day
[Content Note: Reproductive rights.]
"I'm surprised that supporters of abortion would think this is a good move. They are lessening the medical requirements for someone who can do an abortion. That does nothing to promote safety or to protect women's health."—Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life [sic] Committee, bitterly complaining in the hyperbolic fashion typical to anti-choice assholes about legislation introduced in California that seeks to expand "who would be able to perform the procedure in the state. Under a bill that passed its first committee hearing Tuesday, nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and physician assistants would be able to perform what is known as an 'aspiration' abortion, which is the most common abortion procedure and takes place in the first trimester of a pregnancy."
Tobias' contention that creating more abortion providers "does nothing to promote safety or to protect women's health" is, of course, based on the erroneous assertion that there are not women who need abortions for reasons of health (physical and/or psychological) and personal safety. There are.
It's fun to watch the indignation at pro-choicers chipping back, isn't it?
[Via Digby.]
Samsara
I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS! Below is the trailer for Samsara, Ron Fricke's follow-up to 1992's Baraka, which is one of my favorite films. Samsara opens this August.
Video Description: Scenes from around the world, set to powerful instrumental music. People, places, things. Monuments and natural landscapes. Art, industry, incarceration, dance. I would try to describe every scene individually, but I'm honestly not even sure what some of them are. Text onscreen notes that the film was shot entirely on 70mm, in 25 countries over five years.
Taking a Break
So, I need to take some time off.
My chondritis has taken a serious turn for the worse, and it's gone into my hands and feet for the first time. Last night, my right hand ached so much I could barely grip a fork to eat dinner. (Insert all the fat jokes here!) Typing has become excruciating. (Whooooooooops I type for a living!)
In an act of very subtle encouragement, lol, Iain took off work starting tomorrow through next week. So I'm going to take it off with him, and try to relax, and just get my body out of routine and into different positions, interspersed with lots of rest, which helps.
While I'm away, there will be daily Open Threads, but otherwise no content (unless there's a huge news story that I return to cover), so I can really be away and not be advising if/when a thread gets troublesome.
(It's not that the other contributors/mods can't handle it; it's just that I'm ultimately accountable for everything that happens, so I need to be involved. And they need breaks, too!)
I'm sorry for the interruption. It's not easy for me to make the decision to take time off, but it's something I really need to do.
I'll be here through the rest of today, and then will be off until Monday, May 7.
[Note: While well-wishing is appreciated, please do not feel obliged. This isn't intended to be a solicitation for sympathy, but an informational post for the community.]
We Have "Nothing To Fear" From Love
You may remember that Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Player George Carey recently claimed that Christians are being persecuted in Europe today, specifically citing gay civil rights as an alleged affront to his religion.
The Church of England has "nothing to fear" from the introduction of gay marriage, according to a group of senior bishops and clergymen.
The influential Anglicans said the prospect of same-sex marriage should be a "cause for rejoicing" and argued the perception that the majority of the Christian Church opposed legalising it was wrong.... Arguing that "God's grace" is at work in same-sex partnerships, the letter adds: "The Church calls marriage holy or sacramental because the covenant relationship of committed, faithful love between the couple reflects the covenanted love and commitment between God and his church.
"Growing in this kind of love means we are growing in the image of God. That there are same-sex couples who want to embrace marriage should be a cause for rejoicing in the Christian Church
That there are different opinions within the Anglican communion about gay marriage (and women priests and gay priests and a variety of other social justice issues) is not news. Still, it is important that those pro-justice voices speak out.
Despite Lord Carey's claims of Christianity being driven underground in Britain(!) the Church of England retains enormous structural privilege within the country. And religious belief is still enormously privileged over non-belief in much of the world, with Christianity in all its variants being specifically privileged in many places. And about the only legitimate use for unearned privilege that I can think of is to use it to critique and tear down privilege and oppression.
I don't know for certain what practical good this response to Carey's bigoted remarks will achieve. But the more voices we hear affirming same-sex love as simply that -- love, in all its wonder and grace -- then the more hope I have that the world is beginning to believe it.
Tweet of the Day
I'm beginning to think Dick Morris is not what most people would call "ethical" mediamatters.org/blog/201204250…
— Ben Dimiero (@bendimiero) April 25, 2012
LOL FOREVER!
Maybe this isn't all that funny if you aren't 100 years old like me and haven't been following politics for 200 years (math!), throughout the entirety of which Dick Morris has been WILDLY unethical and yet continues to have a very successful political career despite (because of) his cavernous void of ethics, in which case let me just assure you that's some funny-ass shit.
Btw, if you're not following Ben on Twitter, you totes should be. He is: 1. Smart; 2. Witty; and 3. A Parks and Rec fan—and if that doesn't sell him to you then I am a terrible seller of great people you should definitely be following on Twitter!
BushQuotes!
Chapter 3, page 27: "I don't wait well. I have been fairly accused of being impatient."
Like, for example, this one time, I wanted to go bomb the fuck out of another country, and there wasn't a reason to do it, and I wasn't just going to WAIT AROUND for one, so I had my people make one up! That's just the good presidenting of an impatient decider, right there.
What a joy he is, in every way.
[From George Bush's A Charge to Keep, gifted to me by Deeky, because he hates me. In the US, all people who plan to run for president write a shitty book. (Some are less shitty than others, by which I mean the Democrats' books.) A Charge to Keep was George W. Bush's shitty I-wanna-be-president book, published in 1999. I am blogging one random quote per page every day until I have either made my way through the book or lost it behind a couch.]
Wednesday Blogaround
This blogaround brought to you by tweezers.
Recommended reading:
Fannie: Elaine Donnelly's Take on the DOD Sexual Assault Report [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion of sexual violence, rape apologia, and homophobia.]
Adrienne: Johnny Depp as Tonto: I'm Still Not Feeling "Honored"
Andy: Colorado State Considers Civil Unions Bill
Ragen: What if My Fat is My Fault? [Content Note: The post at this link contains discussion of fat hatred, dieting, and eating.]
scATX: This is the Ultimate Result of Stuff Like "Save the Tatas" [Content Note: The post at this link includes discussion and imagery of breast cancer awareness that objectifies women.]
Renee: Dining Out and Racism
Sean: What Particle Are You?
Leave your links and recommendations in comments...
Primarily Garbage
Congratulations! You are the least barfiest!
Mitt Romney still-not-officially wrapped up the Republican nomination last night, winning all five primaries in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island yesterday. YAY, MITT ROMNEY! Everyone hates you the least! GOOD FOR YOU!
*confetti*
Mitt Romney managed to set a neat record last night, too: "Over the last 40 years there have been nearly 80 contests in which the presumptive Republican nominees played out the string after their last credible challenger exited the race. In every one of these contests, the GOP frontrunner won at least 60 percent of the vote, even when ex- and long-shot candidates remained on the ballot. But on Tuesday, Romney won only 56 percent of the vote in Delaware and 58 percent in Pennsylvania, home to Rick Santorum who dropped out on April 10th. While Romney avoided the embarrassment of winning with a mere plurality, never has a presumptive nominee won a primary contest with such a low level of support at this stage of the race with his chief challenger no longer actively campaigning."
Good job, Mitt Romney! That is such a cool record!
According to one of my many top secret sources, Mitt Romney also set another cool record last night: Most barf bags being barfed into by Republican primary voters while exiting polling stations! Romney's 77% barf rating edged out McCain's 72% barf rating from '08.
Pessimists call that "Republican enthusiasm being at an all-time low," but I call it "Republican barf being at an all-time HIGH!" The glass is half-full, my friends. And it's full of BARF!
^ This guy could be your next President. FYI.
According to Ezra Klein, he could also be a "transformational president," if he gets elected with a Republican Congress. In that scenario, "transformational president" translates to "conservative nightmare."
See also: George W. Bush.
Yeah. Remember that guy?
In other news...
Newt Gingrich will endorse Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is thrilled, I'm sure. I bet he was real worried Newt Gingrich might not endorse him. Tragedy averted!
Religiousness a Key Factor for Romney and Obama Support. I am shocked—SHOCKED I TELL YOU!—to find out that religion plays a ridiculously important role in US politics. I never would have guessed!
And finally! President Obama is talking about having humble beginnings, which obviously means that the Republicans are accusing him of class warfare. Ha ha well what else should they do—NOT nominate someone who has no capacity to relate to the lives and experiences of average USians?! DON'T BE RIDICULOUS!
Talk about these things! Or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Life is short.
