Category Archives: THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What’s PC

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I can’t keep up with the latest PC terminology.  “Intersex” was the new word for hermaprodite for ten years before someone told me that I needed to get with the times. 

Also, there are apparently six genders.  I can only count two — you could be one or the other, transitioning from one to the other or have both gender markers.  Still, only TWO unless you count points in the journey from one to the other.  Clearly, I am so backward and uncool that being a lesbian mom doesn’t even give me cover.

Therefore, in an effort to regain my “cool”, I am going to make up a new phrase that should be PC.  And I thought of it on the subway as I tried to squeeze between two full-sized individuals. 

No one likes the words “large,” “overweight,” “heavy” or “obese”.  Societal stigmas attach to the words like an octopus to a  [please, someone, fill in this blank — especially if you read about the crazy octopus as predictor of the World Cup winner].  (If I were Jacques Cousteau, I would be able to fill in that blank.  But, you get my point.)  

So, I think that we should use the terms “high volume” or “high density” instead.   Better connotations.  What do you think?

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Thought for July 31 through date CNN stops talking about MJ

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Of all the pictures of MJ that could be on the Campbell Brown/AC 360 background wall, why do they choose one in which Michael Jackson looks like Diana Ross? They don’t use that picture when they want an up-close picture — usually they use the ones in which he has the progressively scarier noses.

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Thought for today, July 30, 2009

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Of course Obama’s ratings are going down.  The real issues facing our nation are complicated and the choices are hard.  And good compromise means no person or constituency gets everything he or it wanted.   Including the President and the Republicans.

The debate should be about facts.  Not scare tactics.  Glenn Beck called President Obama a racist.  Why, because he had a visceral reaction to an incident involving Professor Gates?  Glenn Beck had a visceral reaction to President Obama’s statement.  Let’s look at this:  Obama’s reaction caused him to say that police acted “stupidly”.  Glenn Beck’s reaction is to call Obama a racist. Who over-reacted?  Hmmmmm.

But all this did was divert attention from the issues. We don’t have time for this nonsense.  But at least Glenn Beck’s reaction shows that the right can’t counter President Obama’s plans and policies on the facts.

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Another thought of the day, July 29, 2009

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I guess it is cool that scientists are mapping the human genome for clues to diseases and male pattern baldness.  But somewhere in the human genome there is some combination of molecules (or whatever) that causes children never to want to go to sleep at bedtime and whine, “are we there yet?” within 5 minutes of starting a journey.  Because children are born knowing how to do these things, I want the scientists to find these traits on the map of the human genome.

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Thought for today July 26, 2009: Why newspapers must survive

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The 24 hour news REcycle needs information to feed the machine it created.  If there is no news, then the machine requires that the hosts “dig deeper” to create news or to raise ancillary issues to the level of important news.  Michael Jackson and Jon and Kate are not as important as (although they are very important to those who love them) news items as are the recent North Korean alleged shipment of arms to Myanmar, the election issues in Iran, the health care bill, the economy and about ten other issues that have fallen into the news black hole.

True, the newspapers are not necessarily heroic purveyors of important information  — they were complacent about the Iraq war.

But the pressures of a 24-hour newsday does not encourage in-depth journalism.  Just because a headline ran over cable the night before doesn’t mean that the news is stale the next day.  Headlines do not contain all of the information one needs to know.  News is not like an iPod or a Nintendo game — good until the next version comes out.  A news story evolves as people and movements weigh in and complicate the issues.

I prefer newspapers.  I prefer articles that have taken a week in creation.  They are more informative, more textured and better considered than the regurgitation of the same pat phrases heard on television journalism. But they are not gospel.  So, one needs to read many sources, including some representing the opposite side of one’s general political leanings.

If independent newspapers become obsolete, the free flow of information will be drastically curtailed in our society and that is a threat to our freedoms and liberty.  And if it happens, I will get my news from Jon Stewart.

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Thought for tomorrow July 24th (because I will be pondering this tomorrow, too)

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There were more than 40 arrests in NJ today on any number of federal crimes. Many of the arrested were orthodox Jews, and RABBIS at that. Here are my two thoughts on this:

Religious people doing criminal things always makes me wonder how they think they’re closer to G-d.

Jews leave the corners of the cemeteries to bury thieves and prostitutes. I bet the cost of those graves in NJ sky-rocketed today.

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