Monday, March 06, 2006

‘New act of terrorism in New York,’ my ass!!!

I just got this email, and although I didn’t take the infected bait, I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who do.  After all, who can resist breaking news of a “New act of terrorism in New York,” that looks like it’s coming from the BBC?

To: OB
Subject: New act of terrorism in New York
From: “New York BBC News”
Date: Sun, 05 Mar 2006 16:34:36 -0600

Today the FBI has informed new act of terrorism in New York.
Look details in an applied file.

Well… it’s immediately apparent that the person who wrote the above message is either a.) a child, b.) a moron, or more probably c.) a non-English speaker.

I, however, am none of those things. So, on top of the fact that I know better than to open *zip files (or ANY attachments) coming from people I don’t know, I’m quite sure that this did not come from the BBC.  They wouldn’t butcher English so thoroughly as this piece of shit, virus-peddling douchebag has in this abortion of a scam email.  I’m not sure whether they should be punished more severely for the virus or the murder of my beloved language.

The attached file is called “main.zip” and is 34k of some sort of shit that’d probably turn my computer into a zombie and start spamming beasty porn or ads for C1@L!S… so I hit the Delete button while shouting a hearty “Fuck Off!”

Who is it that buys into such a badly worded email claiming to be a “news story,” which not only isn’t spelled out IN the email, but requires opening a separate file?  Are there really still people out in the world that are THAT naive?  I have a difficult time believing it… or perhaps I’m just in denial.

Jesus.  Stupidity should be painful.

Monday, February 20, 2006

Marguerite Perrin vs. Jeanne D’Amico Flisher

Trading Spouses: Psycho Fundy / Neo-Pagans

I don’t watch much reality television as a rule… that is, other than home improvement shows (and this season, Beauty and the Geek).  Of course, I make exceptions for those shows where religion is an issue, such as the Wife Swap episode where one of the families was that of the Infidel Guy, and of course, the Trading Spouses episode (rerun this past weekend) that introduced the world to Jeanne D’Amico, a kind and lovely woman with an open mind… as well as the horror show known as “The God Warrior,” Marguerite Perrin.  The Fundy From Hell.

Within hours of the first airing of the show, the Internet was abuzz about the God Warrior - there was even a fucking bobble-head of this crazy woman on eBay, which apparently sold for over $800, and was presented to Marguerite on Jay Leno (I didn’t see it, mind you… I’m just reporting what I’ve read).  I went to the official Trading Spouses boards after seeing the episode, because that’s what we board whores do after seeing a show that creates a strong reaction of whatever sort and have to rant. To my horror, there were more than a few people who actually defended this woman’s looney religious fervor that had her talking to God, rebuking a psychic, fearing gargoyle statues, and having a full-blown psychotic tantrum when she returned home.  Now, I know damned well much of the show is the result of editing, but you’ve got to have raw footage to start with, and this broad is a certifiable nut with a deadly addiction to Jesus.

There were actually people (women, mostly) who cited Jeanne’s HAIR as clear proof that she was “ungodly” or “dark-sided.” Of course I had to chime in and let them know that that is just Dago girl hair, and they were just jealous because Jeanne was very sweet and pretty, while Marg was more like a crazed warthog!

So of course, it’s the lunatic Jesus freak that gets all the press, puts up a website and is selling a CD… while talking shit about the freethinking NICE mom and her family.  Meanwhile Jeanne just has a little blog, where she tries to set things straight as she continues to deal with the changes in HER life.  It’s bad enough her family had to be subjected for a whole week to a crazy Christian woman whose OWN family cowers in fear during her tirades and “spirit-filled” rantings, while she gave Marguerite’s family what was probably the best week of their lives; now she’s got to have this crazy bitch posting gossip about her, and going behind her back to talk to her (now) ex-husband, Chris Flisher?  Jeanne’s left to pick up the pieces of her life, while Marguerite’s flying back and forth to media events capitalizing on her extended 15 minutes of fame, simply because she went psycho for God on national television?

America has gone stark, raving mad.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Justices in the Amaani Lyle vs. Warner Bros. Case Agree with ME!

In May 2004, I wrote about the ridiculous sexual harassment lawsuit brought against Warner Bros. and “Friends” by Amaani Lyle, a writer’s assistant who felt her 4-month stint exposed her to a hostile work environment because of the writers’ crass language and overly sexual comments while brainstorming.

Here’s what I said:

The fact of the matter is that in spite of the strides made by women in the workplace, it’s still a man’s world and boys will be boys… especially in the entertainment industry where eternal Peter Pans keep the machine going by giving the people what they want - the idea that whatever’s in front of them will somehow get them laid.  Sex sells, and the entertainment industry sexualizes anything and everything.  Any woman who expects to be treated with kid gloves in the business is woefully naive and deserves to be run off if she’s too easily offended AND can’t bring herself to tell the boys when they need to shut the fuck up already.  When you’re playing with the boys, you’d best have balls enough to stand up for yourself once in awhile or you’ll get chewed up and spit out in short order.  Hooray for Hollywood.

It would appear that the California Supreme Court Justices hearing the case on Tuesday are inclined to agree, according to this article on Law.com yesterday, Crass or Creative? Harassment Case Involving ‘Friends’ Sitcom Reaches Calif. Justices:

Joey Tribbiani would be thrilled.

On Tuesday, the justices of the California Supreme Court seemed inclined to keep their fingers—and jurors’ second-guessing—out of the creative process that helped breathe life into his sex-obsessed character, and others, on the sitcom “Friends.”

The court, in a case televised live by the California Channel, had been asked to rule that writers’ sexually crude comments and simulations while hashing out TV scripts could constitute sexual harassment serious enough to cause a hostile work environment, especially for women and minorities.

But the six justices on hand for oral arguments appeared uncomfortable with the thought of forcing writers to curb their thoughts, words and actions even if they often push the boundaries of sexual harassment.

“This case is unique, is it not, in that it arises in the context of this creative environment,” Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar said.

Justice Ming Chin, recovering from surgery, was absent, but will participate by reviewing tapes of the arguments.

Tuesday’s case was filed by Amaani Lyle, a former writer’s assistant for “Friends,” who claimed that the vulgar language and graphic antics used by the show’s male writers during her four-month employment in 1999 subjected her to a hostile work environment. She argued that constant talk about anal sex, blow jobs, “schlongs” and degrading descriptions of women as “bitches” and “cunts” had nothing to do with the show—which was much tamer on air—and was simply lewd, frat-boy entertainment for the writers.

The writers and Warner Brothers Television Productions, which produced “Friends,” responded by claiming that dirty talk and lewd actions—such as simulating masturbation—were part of the free-rolling, creative process that made “Friends” one of the most popular shows ever on TV.
[Whoa, deja vu!—OB]

“It was one of the tools of the trade,” Adam Levin, a partner at Los Angeles’ Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp who represented the writers and Warner Brothers, told the justices Tuesday.

[snip]

On Tuesday, the high court seemed to be in Levin’s corner, with more than one justice noting that Lyle had been warned before she took the job that she would be exposed to foul language of a sexual content.

“If she’s told there’s going to be sexual banter back and forth—and that happens—where’s the alteration to conditions of employment?” Chief Justice Ronald George asked Scott Cummings, a Los Angeles lawyer who represented Lyle.

George was referring to provisions of the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act that prohibit harassment so pervasive that it alters some condition of an employee’s job.

Levin had earlier argued that Lyle faced no change in employment conditions because exposure to sexually charged speech was part and parcel to her work.

Even so, Justices Werdegar and Carlos Moreno played the devil’s advocate by asking whether writers had absolute immunity from harassment claims or if there were limits on what could be said in writers’ meetings.

Levin said there “are limits, no question about it,” such as not being able to direct racial epithets at minority employees. He also said that writers for the movie “Finding Nemo” or the TV series “Sesame Street” likely wouldn’t engage in such banter.

Amaani should have stayed at Nickelodeon if she’s so goddamned sensitive to crude humor and the sort of sexual banter that goes on between adults, especially in an environment where a “sexy” show is being written.

Stupid fuckin’ cunt, heh.

I’m glad the Justices seem to be aware of the chilling effect ruling in favor of Ms. Lyle would have on the creative process, and that making an exception due to the “intensity” of some of the comments she’d “endured” simply because of her sex would be unfair.  According to the statute, harassment must be “because of a person’s gender”, and there’s “no indication that the writers’ comments and actions were based on sex.” So tough titties to you, Amaani!

Get used to the frat-boy humor and sex jokes, babe, or you’ll never make it in this town!

(Found via the Free Speech X-Press Newsletter)

Thursday, December 29, 2005

“There will be consequences…” EPILOGUE

That goddamned Harry Potter did me in… once again I fucked up because I was pressured into putting something live after hours, and I forgot to send one last email with the live link to be tested.  Of course, something was broken… which wasn’t discovered until almost two weeks later.  It didn’t matter that the code that was fucked up came from a template that worked just FINE in the other language I built the day before, or that it would appear that no one ELSE - the project manager, the Legal Dept., the client - cared enough about this CRUCIAL site to thoroughly test it THEMSELVES.  You’d think since it was so fucking important that it was worth violating the staging policy over (not to mention jeopardizing someone’s JOB), that one of these major stakeholders would take the time to give it the fine-tooth-comb treatment.  But no one did; and since I was the one to stage it live, the last link in the chain, I was left holding the bag. 

So I got the ol’ proverbial heave-ho on the 12th; and after 6 years on the job, I find myself looking for another gig.  That I lasted that long is pretty much a friggin’ miracle in itself, as I’ve never lasted more than 3 years at any one job without going batshit from boredom and having to move on.

It’s cold comfort, but the manager who fired me and the HR rep who held his hand through it both seemed really unhappy to have to do it.  I did a LOT of shit each and every day even BEFORE they laid off a third of the Interface Developers back in November; and once those folks were gone I inherited even more to do.  But I did my best to get it all done; staying late, doing “favors” and going above and beyond the call of duty to keep everyone happy and things moving along.  All of that simply didn’t matter… what DID was the violation of a rule and a circumnavigation of the Process.  In the eyes of the soulless entity known as a Corporation, punishments are many and rewards are few.  Despite my flexibility (5 title changes in 6 years, being given duties I wasn’t really qualified to do and learning how to fulfill them, living up to my work obligations no matter HOW shitty I felt, putting off doctor’s appointments so as not to miss too much work) I never had a single promotion, nor was I ever officially recognized for all of the things I received thanks and praise for from my colleagues and superiors.

The road to the Unemployment Line is paved with good intentions.  In reality, though, I have no one to blame but myself, for turning a blind eye to what I’ve always known to be true: any loyalty between an employee and her company is a one-way street, and it ain’t the company feeling any obligation, that’s for sure.

Well, fuck ‘em.  I had a great time for my 10th wedding anniversary, and a fabulous holiday in spite of those Scrooges!

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

Why Be Born Again When You Can Just Grow Up?

While wandering the web I came across this interesting post, with links to recent studies and data, posing the question:  Is Christian Morality Harmonious?

Can there be a harmonious Christian society? Even the United States can hardly be called harmonious, at least compared to the average. There is a certain level of disharmony to be expected, by virtue of human nature. So the question becomes - does Christianity improve on this, or regress ? Christians would say the former, but the data shows the latter.

I know I’ve ranted about my take on Francois’ next bits… like here

Now let’s look at the issue from the perspective of moral development. As I’ve proven before, Christianity is an order-based morality - a morality adapted for babies and little children - imposed on adults. So you necessarily have a tension there. What you get, is a society full of repressed children, grown adults who hoot and holler at sexuality and bodily functions as if they were schoolchildren, like a lot of Americans. People who are morally retarded in this fashion cannot truly appreciate the finer things of life. This tension results in the fight against alternative lifestyles, alternative worldviews, censorship, and the breakdown of responsibility and civility (for example, people dealing with each other by lawsuits and public recrimination).

What’s more, such moral retards often pose a DANGER to themselves and to the rest of us due to their ignorance and/or shame about their own bodies.  The pervasiveness of this attitude that everything between your navel and your knees is something secret and shameful often makes it quite difficult for many people with conditions like Crohn’s Disease to seek treatment until they’re in rather dire straits.  After all, one’s bowel habits or butt pains aren’t to be discussed… that’s dirty! 

The second tension is between order-based morality and natural morality. As adults, Christians still have the brain development, the instincts, the desires that all adults have. But on the other hand, their order-based morality directly contradicts all of these elements, in fact attacks these elements as being of “the world”, “anti-Christian”.and “sinful”. So we end up with a situation where people are conflicted and feel tremendous guilt about their own mind and their own actions. This is not the recipe for a healthy society, but rather the recipe for an oppressive society. We see the results of this tension in high teen pregnancy, high rates of adultery and divorce, high rates of obesity and preponderence of violent crimes born out of insecurity and frustration.

And I wonder how many of today’s “good Christians” caught something nasty during their coked-up days in the 80s or 90s before they got hooked on Jesus, and think they’re safe now because their naughty bits haven’t seen the light of day (never mind any thorough self- or outside exams) for such a long, long time… their shameful behavior is forgiven, being from their “old” life and all… until they give it to their new spouse?

How the hell are we supposed to not be “of the world” when this is where we friggin’ LIVE?  Disconnecting from reality is NOT the way to go… educating people to deal with today’s realities IS.  That includes the children—because otherwise they’ll be freakin’ children FOREVER.  We all have to grow up, which really sucks ass most of the time.

The third moral tension is between Christianity in general and Western civilization. This civilization of ours, regardless of its many faults, was founded on the tearing-down of authority, on the progress brought about by reason and science, on trade and material progress, on the freedom of being (through “human rights"), belief and lifestyle. Although we may have strayed from these ideals in the past century, we can still identify living Western values, such as material gain, romantic love and sexuality, equality, tolerance and respect, the importance of life – as well as our most noble and venerable institutions – the discovery and application of scientific principles, peaceful trading and commercialism, as well as acting and being judged based on one’s values.

[all emphasis mine]

We’ve been straying farther from those ideals in the past 25 years than I’m comfortable with, and it’s no coincidence that in that same 25 years the fundie Christians have been finding more and more devious ways to subject all Americans to their order-based morality with the support of government.  Why wouldn’t the sort of people who make up our government be on board with that?  What could be better than ruling over a nation of children… ignorant, fearful and easily led?  Big Brother, Heavenly Father… someone to save them from the demons and monsters… it’s all good.

We rational people, the actual grown-ups, know who the real monsters are.  They are those who warp children’s minds with tales of vengeful gods, heavenly rewards; with myths and lies about sex, drugs, people unlike themeselves in whatever way and the realities of everyday life in our own country and the world over.  They are those who aim to create a world FULL of children by limiting what we learn, know and speak of to those things appropriate only for children.

Children who giggle and snicker and blush when discussing anything that happens below the waist.