Tuesday, August 29, 2006

In the News Today . . .

My day always starts off with reading the newspaper. I read our local paper, then I get on the computer and get the headlines from the NY Times and the Scotsman through email. There are days that all I do is scan headlines and head straight to the comics and crossword puzzle, but it's been an interesting day today.

Charges have been dropped against John Karr. You all probably know this by now because it was on the news last night, too. In the immortal words of Monty Python, "He's a looney!" His lawyers say they are all "deeply distressed" about how poor Johnny was dragged out of Thailand. I'm sorry, didn't he want to be dragged out so he wouldn't have to be in a Thailand jail? Didn't he have a nice, comfy flight back to the US? Didn't he confess? And can't they do DNA testing a little closer to Thailand so that they would have known this before they cost the Colorado taxpayers a small fortune?

There are lots of pictures of Bush at the gulf coast with his sleeves rolled up. Guess he means business! Brown (former FEMA scapegoat) was on the Today show this morning making his case and plugging his book. Side note here, does anyone else think that Matt Lauer gets a nasty, high-pitch whine to his voice when he's asking the "hard questions"? Anyway, so Bush the Re-builder is touring on the anniversary and trying to play down what a fiasco it all was. And I'm still amazed at the people I know who still say we should just abandon New Orleans because "it was a cess pool anyway."

Seems that three years ago, then-Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage confessed to the FBI that he was the guy that started it all by dropping Valerie Plame's name in a "chit-chat" with Robert Novak. Oh, but he wasn't trying to underuct Plame because her husband was criticizing Bush; he didn't even know Plame was covert. Uh-huh. Isn't it amazing how the people in this administration just don't know anything?

Not finding what you want at the job center? Well, go to JobCentrePlus in Scotland! They're advertising for lap dancers, pole dancers, and other "entertainers." Surprisingly, women's groups don't like this, saying it is sending out a message that objectifying women is OK. In 2003, a woman who owns a chain of sex toy stores won a case to advertise for help at job centers because it was discrimination not to let her. This left an opening for clubs who need entertainers to advertise there, too. The women's groups say, "pole dancing is far removed from working behind a counter in a high-street shop." Would a sex toys shop be a high-street shop? We've come a long way, baby!

And one more thing. Here's an article about the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Attending this is on my list of things I want to do before I die. It's a short article, but there are links to more informaiton.

7 comments:

Betty said...

Great post, Kell. And, I agree about Karr. What a freak. And, about those "sex shops", if they're legal, they should be able to go to job centers, yes??

Newt said...

The hubster and I think we might retire overseas. We had planned on New Zealand but now we are looking at other options. I'm up for the UK or Italy. Maybe if I can swing a job now as a pole dancer it will be easier to get into the country to live there. Hmmm this is something I need to ponder.........

Newt said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Who needs Book Festivals when we have all this real life drama going on in the world???

Jay said...

"There are lots of pictures of Bush at the gulf coast with his sleeves rolled up. Guess he means business!"

HA! That's hilarious. I seem to recall that when all of Michael Brown's emails were released to the public there was one from the White House reminding Brown to roll his sleeves up on his shirt when he meets with Bush the next day. Morons.

You know that Karr is just reveling in all this attention. And, as usual the media is right there, ready to report anything and everything as "breaking news". The whole thing is sick. It was obvious from day one that he didn't do it. I mean look at him! Is it even remotely possilbe that THAT man could murder a little girl, scrub the crime scene, get away quietly and cleanly and then keep his mouth shut about it for a decade? No. Freakin'. Way.

Pole dancers and lap dancers in Scotland? I see no problem with that at all.

I'm rambling again, so I'll leave now.

Kell said...

Mom--yeah, they should be able to advertise, that's only fair.

Newt--When politics gets too much for me to handle, I always say I'm going to move to New Zealand and raise sheep. But I'd go to the UK, too.

Saz--that poem was great!

Susan--We have to escape the drama!

Jay--I remember you telling me about those emails, that's what made me think of that when I saw the pics of Bush. It's all over NPR and other news stories that Bush is taking blame for the mess. But the government won't fail them again! How many times do we need to hear that. It's kind of like, "Honey, I swear I won't screw around any more." You know they're gonna do it if they think they can get away with it.

Now I'm rambling.

Peggy said...

There is a chain of stores on many high streets called Ann Summers and they sell the sort of lingerie that rarely looks good on most women. Bras and panties with important bits missing, things with maribou feathers, that sort of thing. There is also a range of "marital aids" on the shelves in the back. Before you ask, yes I went into one and no, I didn't get anything.