Friday 8 August 2008

Stop the Stupid! It's Friday!!

I awoke this morning very early. While this is not really out of the norm, I feel a bit out of sorts on this grey and rainy (shockingly predictable weather this summer!) day. Knowing that today is 08/08/08, I clicked on the TV to catch the over-hyped and over-spent opening ceremonies live from Beijing. While stunningly beautiful, colourful and uniquely Chinese I am sure, they are as boring as watching paint dry! I think that at one point, there was actually a segment where I did witness paint drying. As I am composing this post, the athletes are making their way into the stadium, alphabetically (Chinese alphabet, so for us Westerners there is no understandable order!)--all 205 countries! This could take a while. I thought that I would catch up on my stop the stupids while I wait for Canada's appearance!

1. Since the current occupant of the Oval Office is visiting the land of Olympics this week, he has been rather quiet and thus his off-hand remarks have been sparse. I imagine that every word he utters while in China this week has been vetted thoroughly so as not to insult his hosts into starting WWIII! (Or is it IV?) I did find some stupidity in his trip. It seems that the White House press corps plane was detained on the tarmac at the Beijing airport for upwards of three hours. They had expected to be ushered through to the VIP terminal, but were instead directed to the normal international gate. Apparently, these flights are usually given "custom of the port" clearance which means that the reporters, technicians and all of their equipment and luggage get off of the plane and immediately go to their hotels or offices, while the US State Department takes care of their clearances and security. Not so in Beijing. Chinese officials insisted on inspecting every piece of luggage, equipment and passport and screened every single person on the plane. Veteran White House reporters could not remember a delay like this and were slightly miffed. Well, get in line friends! Welcome to the real world of air travel! You guys have lived in a bubble for way too long and it is time you found out how the rest of us live!! Even the prez couldn't help them out and many of them missed his first official appearance in the Chinese capital! Even when it isn't his doing, the Chief comes out looking a bit stupid!!

2. With W out of the country, he left it to his would-be successors to take up the stupid mantle and Johnny Mac didn't disappoint! This week saw the presumptive Republican nominee try and get closer to his "peeps" as he attended a biker rally in Sturgis South Dakota. As the L.A Times reported it was an occasions filled with leather, tattoos and Harleys! One of the highlights of the event is the Miss Buffalo Chip pageant, a topless and sometimes bottomless display of female biker flesh!! In his typically stupid and incoherently misogynistic ways, Mr. Mac offered up his wife Cindy as a competitor! “I was looking at the Sturgis schedule and noticed that you have a beauty pageant and so I encouraged Cindy to compete. I told her, with a little luck, she could be the only woman ever to serve as both the First Lady and Miss Buffalo Chip!” To which the crowd responded with the uproarious chant of "Wet T-shirt"!!!! How can any smart, strong and independent woman vote for this guy? He may be a decent guy, but he is so stupidly out of touch with women and their issues! Beware Ms. America!!

3. The Canadians just entered the stadium wearing some ugly outfit of red and white emesis! I know that I have said it before, but we should be ashamed of the designs our unfortunate athletes need to endure. But, what is truly stupid is listening to the CBC's Ron McClean trying in vain to contact one of the Canadian athletes in the parade by cell phone. He sounds like a pilot engaging in a WWII battle!! "Sylvie, this is Ron McCLean. Come in Sylvie!! Sylvie come in, do you read me?" SHE CAN'T HEAR YOU!!! Moron! It is either too loud, to f@#$#d up or the Chinese are blocking the signal! Take your pick, dimwit! This is a live broadcast and you sound like dillweed!

4. In the wake of the tragic and gruesome story of the man beheaded on the Greyhound bus near Winnipeg, comes word that PETA, always the bastion of good taste, will launch an ad campaign in the Portage Daily Graphic newspaper. This ad will draw comparisons between the gruesomeness of the murder and the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses. From PETA's own media centre comes this quote.
PETA's ad, which refers to the "ignored cries" and "cut-off head" of a victim, is meant to spur people to think about the terror and pain experienced by animals who are raised and killed for food. The group aims to demonstrate that animals--just like humans--are made of flesh, blood, and bone and deserves protection from needless killing. In this day and age, food choices are rich and plentiful, and a vegetarian diet helps prevent premature death from killer diseases like cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and strokes.
This is so disgusting that stupid is a kind word for this behaviour. Where do these people come from and where is their sense of decency?

5. Finally, an update to my boys travel experience this week and their delay in ChiTown. As previously reported, they ended up staying in an airport hotel overnight as a result of a flight cancellation and poor weather in the Windy City. The cost of this adventure was outrageous when factoring in the cost of the room, food and the roaming charges for all of the cell phone calls. What really added to the stupidity was when Older Son attempted to connect his computer in the room and discovered that the internet charges were $6.95 for every three minutes. This is supposed to be a hotel that caters to business travel and they don't even offer free internet access? The Days Inn and Motel 6 offer free internet access!!! STUPID!!!

Shabbat Shalom to all who observe and let's hope for a bit of decent weather. Enough with the rain!

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