29 September, 2008
Quote of the Day
From this AP story (bold mine):
"How could this have happened? Is there such a disconnect on Capitol Hill? This becomes a problem because Wall Street is very uncomfortable with uncertainty," said Gordon Charlop, managing director with Rosenblatt Securities. "The bailout not going through sends a signal that Congress isn't willing to do their part."
Wha-wha-WHAT? Look, pumpkin, you and your lot are gamblers. The finance industry took a HUGE gamble on very shaky mortgages and guess what? Y'all lost! Big! Do you really expect the American people to believe, for even a nanosecond, that, had your gamble continued to pay off, that money would be put to the good of the American people? Because the last time I checked, the banking and finance industry were lobbying congress pretty hard to make it damn-near impossible for the average American to file for bankruptcy and you've fought regulation tooth and nail (both endeavors costing, no doubt, millions of dollars). Bank charges for the average customer are outrageously exorbitant and financial institutions are allowed to play shell games with people's money so that they incur hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars in bank charges--and they've done that with impunity. And yet, you damn consumers as "irresponsible".
I'll agree with you that there is--and has been--a disconnect on Capitol Hill, but only in that the Representatives have consistently failed the very people who voted to put them in office in favor of industry lobbyists who shower Congressional Representatives with gifts for doing their bidding. Every time the opportunity to help Americans in financial difficulty has arisen, the banking and finance industry rebelled and insisted that the free market is the only solution to the problem. "Those people were irresponsible enough with their money that they're in financial trouble: Let 'em twist in the wind," y'all said. "They should have known better."
But now...NOW you've decided that socialism is a Good Thing? You've Free Marketed yourselves into a deep, deep hole and now you want me and my fellow Americans--too many of whom have to decide between paying the mortgage/rent or buying food or gas or paying the electric bill--to bail your stupid, irresponsible, overpaid asses out?
Oh HELL no!
(p.s. I'd like to give props to my Representative, Pete Stark, who voted No on the bail out. When the Revolution comes, he'll be spared.)
Labels: in the news, ITMFA, JesusBloodyChrist, politics, ranting
~~ victoria on 2:22 PM ~~ 0 comments
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22 September, 2008
Tough AND Conditional Love
You know, there is the ever-so-slight chance that I might possibly consider going along with the $700 billion bailout (I refuse to call it a "rescue") of the financial industry with these conditions (just for a start; I'm sure I'll have more):
* That there is SOME oversight over how this bailout money is allocated (let's call this "No, Mr. CEO, You Do Not Get Rewarded With A Blank Check For Fucking Up");
* To help pay for this bailout, the executives of these financial institutions who got rich off of the subprime mortgage scams must get taxed at a rate of 90% on their salaries, bonuses and any stock they sold for a profit while their institutions traded in these subprime mortgages (let's call this "You Sailed The Ship Into The Storm, Now Buy Your Own Damn Pail");
* If these executives don't have the money to pay their taxes on their ill-gotten booty, they get to spend a year in prison for every million dollars they personally profited from trading in subprime mortgages. (let's call this "Actions Have Consequences, Bitchez");
* Two words: Credit Counseling. These financial institutions don't get one goddamned dime until they go through credit counseling. (While we're at it, we don't release a stinkin' penny until everyone in this administration AND in congress goes through credit counseling, too.) Let's make it as difficult for them to be released from their debts as they've made it for consumers. (We can call this one "Walk A Mile In My Shoes Then Give Them Back Because I Have To Sell Them So I Can Buy Groceries This Week".)
Like I said, this is only the beginning of my list of things I need to see in that three-page "plan" before I will even think of supporting a bailout of the financial industry. A lot of tequila might loosen me up a bit on this, too.
What's on your list?
Labels: ITMFA, JesusBloodyChrist, personal responsibility, politics, ranting
~~ victoria on 8:29 PM ~~ 0 comments
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23 April, 2008
I Totally Am Not Surprised By HuffPo's Mass Suicide
Seriously, if the Democrats are so godsdamned weak that having a competitive race up to the convention is going to OH NOES! DESTROY! the party then they should just pack the fuck up and go home now.
The Democrats' problem is not Hillary Clinton. The Democrats' problem is that they can't seem to multi-task to save their souls. The party needs to be working to make sure the Republicans are defeated soundly in November while letting Obama and Clinton play the nomination process out. Because there are still a few primaries to go yet and the voters in those states deserve a chance to have their votes count.
edited for clarity and to add proper paragraph tags
~~ victoria on 7:28 AM ~~ 0 comments
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04 March, 2008
Poor Me!
I'm sick. I tried for a couple of days to pass of the fatigue and really sore throat as the neighborhood tom cat yowling all night and allergies. Last night (and today), there was no more denial: I'm sick. I packed myself off to Kaiser this morning because there's been some nasty, nasty bugs going 'round the office and I want to be sure it wasn't that or strep throat. I wasn't running a fever when I went to the doctor, but all day long, as warm as it was here, I was freezing my arse off. Drinking tea and water is challenging because that requires being upright--and my body does NOT want to be upright. I made a pot of veggie and wild rice soup and am now pretty much too worn out now to eat a bowl of it.
I know this shall pass and Simon and Billie are taking good care of me, but gaaaaaah! Even my hair hurts right now!
I'm going back to bed.
~~ victoria on 7:25 PM ~~ 0 comments
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10 September, 2007
Two Things
1: Enough with all the talk about Britney Spears' "paunch" already! Maybe her performance at the MTV VMA left much to be desired, but, seriously, how many of you people ripping her for having a tummy would look ripped after having TWO BABIES?
(UPDATE: OK I've finally seen the photos from the VMAs. SHE'S NOT FAT!!! Anyone who says she is really needs to get therapy.)
2: Regarding Kyla Ebbert, the young woman who was just about booted off of a Southwest Airlines flight for looking a little to hawt: WHAT THE FUCK DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE THAT SHE WORKS AT HOOTERS? Would it be as important if she worked at, say, Denny's? Or in some office somewhere?
For Frack's Sake!
Labels: gah, in the news, ranting, whatever
~~ victoria on 8:39 PM ~~ 0 comments
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01 August, 2007
I Should NOT Even Have to Say This
But, when you feel like phoning someone FINISH YOUR DAMN LUNCH FIRST SO THE PERSON AT THE OTHER END OF THE LINE DOESN'T HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOU CHEW YOUR FOOD!
Groooossss!
Labels: impatience is my virtue, ranting
~~ victoria on 6:59 PM ~~ 0 comments
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21 July, 2007
Not That I'm About To Go THERMONUCLEAR Or Anything...
but the Harry Potter book has been available in my time zone for thirteen hours and twenty-one minutes and the UPS dude STILL HAS NOT DELIVERED MY COPY!!!
I really have bad luck getting timely UPS deliveries.
Labels: impatience is my virtue, ranting
~~ victoria on 1:21 PM ~~ 0 comments
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17 July, 2007
Some Days I Don't Like My Commute So Much
Seagull Chick #1: 17 July, 2007 (Fasten your seatbelts, there's a rant coming...)
Originally uploaded by Planet Vicster.
Here's one of the chicks near the Alameda ferry dock. I almost didn't recognize them, they're looking so much like seagulls and less like big fuzzballs now!
I grabbed my camera and switched to my 70-300mm lens and started shooting and then noticed this guy was hopping rather oddly. I trained my lens on the chick and noticed it's foot is caught in some sort of fishing line (or something man-made) and that its other foot seems to also be injured. I tried to think of anything I could do to help the bird, but even if I COULD get down there, I had nothing to try to cut the wire off with and, as big as this guy is, it looked like a two-person job (or one person with a towel or a net). So I phoned the Alameda Police dispatch to get an animal control officer out and waited...unfortunately, I had to get on the ferry before Animal Control showed up, so I phoned the dispatch again to pinpoint exactly where I was standing, so hopefully the officer found the bird and was able to help (the tide was high this afternoon so I couldn't see where the chicks were).
It broke my heart to see this bird tangled in this fishing line! One of the parents brought food for the chicks, but this poor guy couldn't hop over to where the food was and went hungry! That this bird suffered for EVEN ONE MINUTE due to the carelessness of humans makes me so angry I can barely see!
And no, the irony is not lost on me that the adult and the other chick appear to have been eating a discarded sandwich...
Labels: ferry commuting, ranting, seagull chick
~~ victoria on 7:21 PM ~~ 0 comments
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01 May, 2007
Confidential to ass hats* at the Morrissey show last Tuesday
Screeching "Mooooorrrissey!" at the end of every song the opening act plays is so assy. If you can't shut up and listen to the band (who knows? You might actually enjoy their music and want to hear more!) then at least be polite enough to leave the theatre. Go enjoy a drink or two in the lobby, visit the loo, talk on your cell phone. Your idiocy is not only an insult to the band on stage, but also an insult to the other people in the theatre and to Morrissey, since I'm guessing he has Kristeen Young opening for him because HE LIKES HER MUSIC.
Yeesh!
*Is it ass hats or asshats? Or ass-hats? **shrug**
Labels: Morrissey, ranting, whatever
~~ victoria on 11:51 PM ~~ 0 comments
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23 April, 2007
What a friggin' nightmare
Itchmo reports that a second company has imported tainted rice protein from China. The FDA, in their infinite stupidity, refuse to name the companies that either import or use (tainted) imported rice and wheat protein from China. Nor have they banned all rice/corn/wheat protein imports from China.
Funny, when they suspected mad cow from a Canadian cow, they stopped the import of Canadian beef fast enough. Shows how much power the cattle lobby and the import lobby wield in government.
Maybe it's time for us parents of furry children to raise some serious hell and demand that our representatives MAKE the FDA hold businesses accountable for the poison they're putting in our pets' food (and, no doubt, in our food).
Labels: food poisoning, furkids, ranting
~~ victoria on 9:24 PM ~~ 0 comments
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22 March, 2007
WTF? It's not even EASTER yet!!!
WTF? It's not even EASTER yet!!!
Originally uploaded by Planet Vicster.
It's bad enough that people leave their Christmas crap up well into the new year (I once had a neighbour who kept the tree up into JUNE, the lights would come off when the tree became a fire hazard, then ornaments as the branches snapped off. By June, it was just the trunk of the tree standing in the window. shudder). And it's bad enough that we get bombarded with Christmas BEFORE HALLOWEEN.
Putting up Christmas decorations BEFORE IT'S EVEN FRIGGIN EASTER goes way beyond the pale.
Bah! Humbug!
Labels: ranting, San Francisco
~~ victoria on 11:03 PM ~~ 0 comments
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12 March, 2007
I'm thinking...
I might be slightly less bitter about the idiocy that is Daylight Saving Time if we were to Spring Forward at, oh let's say 3:00p.m. on Monday instead of having an hour ripped out of MY weekend.
Bastards!
~~ victoria on 9:39 PM ~~ 2 comments
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23 January, 2007
Hoping it's not indicative of the year to come, but...
January pretty much SUCKS.
The short list:
* My work, academic and artistic "careers" are in a death spiral;
* A former co-worker was murdered in his home (only to have the local cops declare him a druggie and/or a dealer which is just so fucking NOT TRUE);
* My friend's cat just died a horrible, tragic death;
* And I'm sick of scraping ice off my windshield every morning. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area for crying out loud, NOT MINNESOTA!
I really, REALLY must stop here.
~~ victoria on 9:00 PM ~~ 0 comments
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11 January, 2007
So. Not. Amused.
Neighbours have a doggie visiting them. Yay! Neighbours have gone away and left the doggie guest at their apartment. With the window open. Doggie guest misses the humans and has been shriek-barking, virtually non-stop, for about an hour now.
Bad Humans! Bad!
Labels: ranting
~~ victoria on 10:09 PM ~~ 0 comments
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03 January, 2007
Airing of Grievances: The Landscaper Edition
You know how the curb is painted all red and stuff and it says "No Parking"? That's because you're not supposed to park your big-ass truck with the big-ass trailer there! Not that you let a little bit like that stop you, forcing me to park my car out on the street (the street where no car is safe from the idiotic drivers along the 8th/Central/Westline corridor). If anything happens to my car while it's out there, I'm holding your crew responsible.
And the fact that you've ruined the back yard by tearing out our Goddess Tree (poor Simon still looks for it, wondering where she's hiding) and replaced it with...mud. Oh, yeah, and a nice trench just off of my back stairs where you've laid the pipes for the sprinkler system. You know, that trench that's been there for NEARLY A MONTH; the one where one missed step and it's several weeks in a leg cast? Yeah, that's the one! Cover the damn thing up, already!
Lastly, can I tell you just how much I appreciate having the quiet of my morning shattered by the droning of your gas-powered mowers and blowers? No, actually, I cannot tell you that because I DON'T APPRECITATE IT AT ALL! Nor do I appreciate you blowing dirt all over my car (no matter where the poor thing is parked). Thank goodness the cold prevented me from gagging on the exhaust from your equipment.
Oooh! One more thing: Thank you so much for waiting until I was about to lie down to try and sleep off this damn cold before you started...what the hell is it you're doing out there, throwing chain-link fencing around? That's. Really. SWELL.
Labels: ranting
~~ victoria on 10:54 AM ~~ 0 comments
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27 December, 2006
Dear UPS
When someone requests a package be sent 2nd Day Air, that is a pretty good indication that that person is in a freaking hurry to get said package. Therefore, hanging onto that package until the end of the business day is a REALLY BAD IDEA. Especially when the recipient has had only 2.5 hours of sleep, has dragged herself to the office after riding a ferry that was tossed around on San Francisco Bay like a piece of driftwood and the only reason she dragged her sleep-deprived, slightly seasick body in today was because her package would come...and she remembered they usually get deliveries in the morning. And, lo! There was one delivery from UPS to the office this morning THAT WASN'T HER FUCKING PACKAGE!!!
At 2:30 p.m., the recipient is now quite sorry she resisted the urge to break into the UPS truck in the alley way and rifle through the packages to see if one of them might be HERS. After 6-1/2 hours of waiting, the recipient would just as soon cock-punch your driver as sign for her package.
That is all (for now).
Sincerely,
Vicster
Labels: impatience is my virtue, ranting
~~ victoria on 2:31 PM ~~ 0 comments
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22 November, 2006
A Person I'd Like to Meet
The sadistic bitch--or bastard--who came up with duvet covers! It is just simply not possible to get the damn comforter spread out evenly in the cover. The hilarity and hijinks don't end! Try shaking the cover/comforter ensemble out, only to realize that it is so damn heavy because THE CAT SLIPPED INSIDE THE DAMN COVER!
Gah!
Labels: cats, domesticity, furkids, gah, ranting, Simon
~~ victoria on 10:35 PM ~~ 0 comments
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