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Forgot My Anniversary Again

Schadenfreude — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:12:44 +0000

In case anyone was wondering why the weather in Toronto is so chilly…

Fourteenth year in a row.

It’s July 5th, by the way. So, mark it in your calendars for next year. I’m counting on you.

Further Proof That God Hates Me

Schadenfreude — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:31:18 +0000

My wife and younger son are away this week. Spending a little time at our condo in Myrtle Beach. Nice.

Leaving me and the 14 year old. Looking forward to a full week of sports and bimbos in widescreen HD - once again exhibiting those strong parenting skills that have made me Father of the Year for 14 years running (in our house).

But the morning - the very morning - of The Blessed Departure, the TV goes pfffft, click, hummmm…

No picture. No big screen bimbos. No jiggle at all.

No sound.

Nothing.

Desperate calls to an “authorized” “technician” (whatever happened to TV repairman?). He comes out, takes my forty bucks, scratches his head and throws a blanket over it.

Today, I wear black.

Feminism, Communism, Atheism

Schadenfreude — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 21:49:18 +0000

It’s been a while since I wrote a post in praise of another blog, but I couldn’t resist this one.

The Apostate is a feminist, communist, atheist blog, written by a very smart, very articulate young woman. She’s attractive, too - not that there’s anything wrong with that.

She strikes me as being brave. Not the usual brave-on-the-internet brave that is commonplace and easy. Brave in the live the life you want and fuck the consequences way that requires actual courage - maybe even physical courage.

Before this devolves into drooling idol worship, let me point out that she does have a fucking cat picture on her blog. That, I can never truly respect. In this case, though, I guess I’m willing to live with it.

Good-bye General Motors, Hello American Leyland

Schadenfreude — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:39:53 +0000

Anybody who remembers the UK government’s foray into the car biz must be cringing at the thought of the American government running General Motors. So, I was going to write about that, but then I discovered that just about everybody had beaten me to it.

Which sucks.

Let’s just say I hate the idea.

Moving on…

My wife has floated the idea that this latest economic crisis is really the final death throes of the 20th century economy, and I’m having a hard time disagreeing with her. An economy depending on ever-expanding population, readily available natural resources and cheap labour is dead.

Survival will depend on recognizing that fact, and making plans to do something completely different. Propping up the old system is the path to disaster. The planet can barely sustain the present population and probably can’t even do that for very long. The future economy will have to be built around a slowly shrinking population (my target would be a billion worldwide), fewer natural resources and much tighter environmental laws.

Revival

Schadenfreude — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 16:39:05 +0000

I think it’s time to revive this blog. I’ve been rereading some of the old posts. A few of them were actually pretty good - to my surprise.

Main Stream Media

Schadenfreude — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 14:44:37 +0000

The problem with the media is not just that they suck, not just that they pander to the lowest common denominator, and not just they prize a pretty face above all other attributes.

The real problem is that they are proudly and aggressively stupid. Witness this exchange with Dennis Kucinich:

[Video no longer available, but it was pretty damned stupid]

Now, Kucinich is not exactly my cup of tea, but he is a more or less serious candidate for the position of Most Powerful Human On Earth. Shouldn’t an interviewer at least listen to the man’s answers? There she was, listening to a man talking about peace in the world, and she thinks she has a gotcha?

I really fear for democracy in such an atmosphere. Where’s Walter Cronkite when you really need him?

An Addition to the Blogroll

Schadenfreude — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:04:38 +0000

I know I’ve been pretty lax in my blogging for the last few months, but I just have to point out this addition to my blogroll:

God: FAQ

I’m sure this means that I’m destined for eternal hellfire, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take in a good cause.

Anyone Wondering What’s Happened To Me

Schadenfreude — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 20:07:53 +0000

You need look no further than here. At Quiblit Magazine, I am the Publisher, Managing Editor, Webmaster, Forum Moderator, Recruiter, Designer…oh, yeah - I do the crossword puzzles, too. And…loving it. Luckily, I am blessed with people with far more talent than me to do the writing (whew) - anyone who hasn’t read it yet should really go over there and take a look.

Of course, the magazine isn’t the problem. It’s a major time sink, but an extremely enjoyable one. The real problem is the job. Don’t get me wrong, I haven’t done any actual work there for nearly three years. It’s the fact that they insist that I keep showing up or they will stop paying me. Horribly inefficient, but they refuse to listen to reason.

Oh, well…I soldier on…

[And a shout-out to Bob Harris for the plug]

Election Day Today

Schadenfreude — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 15:50:15 +0000

I find myself unable to vote.

Choices:

Liberal (incompetent promise-breakers)
Conservative (hijacked by evangelicals)
NDP (socialist weinies)
Green (also socialist weinies, but with added evangelical fervour)

Bleh.

Happy Birthday, Sputnik

Schadenfreude — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:48:28 +0000

You crazy, shiny, beeping ball, you. Fifty years young today.

It was supposed to herald the dawn of the new Space Age. But, it didn’t. That one is still a few generations down the road, if it’s ever coming at all. What it heralded was the Communications Age, when information became instantaneously available around the globe. Within minutes, the actions of Burmese monks and the counteractions of their military oppressors can be seen by hundreds of millions of people virtually anywhere on earth.

Somehow, I don’t really think that was what Khruschev had in mind.