Weather

Oh weather.  Why must thee torment me?  I love the summer heat, I worship the fall, winter, and spring coolness, and yet every time you decide to change a little, someone in this house gets sick.   I don’t complain about you, can you please try to be a little kinder to us?

Usually we have had major asthma attacks from one or both of the boys.  Isabel and Luke have had their fair share of skin issues related to weather.  And yet this time around, I find myself the one curled in a ball wondering why weather has to affect our health.

**complaining about to commence**

My eyes are runny.  My nose is runny.  There is some mystery substance continually running down my throat.  My throat itches, my skin itches.  My eyes are puffy.  My nose is red and raw.  My head hurts.  Sneezing hurts.   Excuse me while I wipe my nose for the 387 time today.

It stinks to be under the weather.  At least I assume so, I can not seem to smell.

Muslim Congressional Staffers Host Iftar Event on Capitol Hill

The Islamic dawah and infiltration by stealth Islamists is non-stop. The sheer number of events, many on government property at taxpayer expense, and elected officials meeting with groups with known terrorist ties is astonishing.  Here’s another one from the Muslim Link.

The Congressional Muslim Staffers Association (CMSA) held their annual iftar in the Rayburn Building on Capitol Hill on September 9, 2009, attracting about 1,000 guests from the Muslim community.

Founded in 2006 by Jameel-Aalim Johnson, former chief of staff to Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the organization has made the annual iftar a major networking event for Muslim community and political activists. Congressional representatives as well as officials from embassies from the Muslim world attend.

Minnesota Muslim Representative Keith Ellison and Indiana Muslim Representative Andre Carson hosted the pre-dinner reception.

John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) spoke early and at length on the history and value of hate crime legislation.

At the Capitol Hill reception, Pandith lauded the Muslim congressional staffers.

“I came to Washington in the 1990s, and the idea that there would be this many Muslim congressional staffers on [Capitol Hill] blows my mind. What you are doing for our country is so profound,” she said.

Other diplomats in attendance included Pakistan Deputy Chief Of Mission Muhammad Aslam Khan, Qatar’s Ambassador Ali Bin Fahad Al-Hajri, Senegal’s Ambassador Amadou Lamine Ba, and other dignitaries and embassy staff.

Around a dozen members of congress attended the hour long reception including representatives Barbra Lee (D-CA), Mike Honda (D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Nita Lowey (D-NY), addressing the gathering for a few minutes each. Lowey is a powerful member of the House Appropriations Committee and a key advocate of the massive annual U.S. aid package to Israel.

Michael McMahon (D-NY13) said he is proud his district has the second fasted growing Muslim population in the nation, and added he has two Muslims on his staff.

Muslim representative Andre Carson  (D-IN) asked the Muslim attendees to take note of the members of Congress who attended.

“Though I’m not a religious man, seeing these members of congress showing their support is so wonderful … we should abstain from those [politicians] who only want to deal with [the Muslim community] when its expedient for them. They want to get our votes and our [financial] support, but when the cameras are on, they distance themselves from us,” he said to applause.

Before the call to prayer, Al-Huda School fourth grader Eimaan Miyian recited Surah Qadr and read its translation. Dates were passed around as a congressional staffer made the call to prayer, and then Imam Naqvi of the Idara-e-Jafria center offered a brief reminder on the importance of Ramadhan. ADAMS Imam Muhammad Magid led maghrib prayer and about 200 reception attendees joined several hundred more Muslims in the House of Representatives cafeteria for a buffet dinner.

Muslim activists present included representatives from area masajid, national Muslim organizations, relief organizations, advocacy groups and political organizations.

Read it all via Congressional Staffers Host Annual Iftar Networking Event.

If Andre Carson is not a religious person, then he is a political Muslim or an Islamist, and his agenda should be obvious, as noted by his comments above.

The founder of the Muslim Congressional Staffers – Jameel-Aalim Johnson, former chief of staff to Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) – has been involved in inviting terror-linked individuals to speak on Capitol Hill in the past – as we told you about here.

And the ADAMS Center mentioned – is the All Dulles Area Muslim Society – which has been raided for terrorist activity.

Magid, who was born and educated in the Sudan, is the Director of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS). ADAMS has numerous close affiliations with the main targets of “Operation Green Quest,” “the largest U.S. terror finance investigation anywhere in the world.” In March 2002, federal agents raided ADAMS’s facility in Herndon, Virginia, as part of an investigation into financial support for terrorism. Federal affidavits state that the “Grove Street addresses” (500 and 555 Grove St. in Herndon) housed more than 100 interlocking Muslim organizations, most headed by Jamal Barzinji, and these groups gave material aid to terrorists. Among those raided were several major ADAMS associates, including its chairman. Magid himself was present when federal agents raided the Herndon offices of ADAMS in March 2002.  MIM

We told you about the Muslim Congressional Staffers conquering of Capitol Hill many times from turning a room into a mosque, attempting to fill 8,000 open positions through Keith Ellison, getting resumes of Muslims delivered directly to Obama, and meeting with terror-linked CAIR. See those posts here.

Rantables #47 - Gimmick Pay-Per-Views

I think it’s been long enough since I actually wrote something here.  Let’s go straight into a subject that’s been brewing over the past few weeks (and, for those of you who watch TNA, for years).

The gimmick Pay-Per-View is a very controversial subject indeed.  The wrestling community, be it the IWC, the regular fans, and even the writers backstage, are all at odds when it comes to this particular type of show.  For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, a gimmick PPV is a show where at least a few matches are all contested under one specific set of rules that deviate from the standard one-fall match.  If you want to get technical, the first ever gimmick PPV was Survivor Series.  I feel that, because it’s been around for over 20 years, that this PPV should be grandfathered in.  And besides, Survivor Series hasn’t focused on the elimination matches in years, so it really doesn’t even apply to this discussion.  TNA has one main gimmick PPV on its schedule, that being Lockdown, where every match is contested inside TNA’s answer to the steel cage, the Six Sides of Steel.  It has been maligned over the years for having every match be inside a cage, creating unrealistic expectations for the wrestlers to perform inside.  They are forced to take more punishment than usual just because the PPV has a gimmick attached.  On the plus side, the TNA cage matches are very rare, so Lockdown is a once-a-year affair.

WWE, on the other hand, has been getting very gimmick-heavy with its PPV shake-up over the past year.  There’s been Survivor Series, but I’ve already discussed that.  They’ve had One Night Stand for the past few years, which is now called Extreme Rules, where every match is some form of no-DQ, no-count-out match, usually with more stipulations like Last Man Standing or I Quit or Ladder Match.  You could even go so far as to say that Night of Champions is a gimmick PPV, with every match being a championship match (honestly, every PPV should contain only championship matches, and leave the other feuds for television).  But now we’re getting even more PPVs with these specific gimmicks attached, and it’s causing the importance of these gimmicks to lessen.  Three weeks ago was Breaking Point, where, as WWE puts it, “every main event match is a submission match.”  First off, stop trying to be like MMA.  You’re never going to be held on the same ridiculous plateau that MMA is on.  MMA fans will likely never accept pro wrestling as a legitimate sport, and pro wrestling fans (your typical fan, anyway) will not enjoy MMA, finding it too violent and bland, without flash or bang.  They might watch MMA to see Brock Lesnar or Bobby Lashley, but beyond that, your typical wrestling fan won’t enjoy MMA.  Second, if you’re going to advertise the PPV as “Submissions only,” then why not make every match a submission match and just get it over with?  When they say “every main event match,” they mean “the matches with the biggest draws.”  Which is why the only matches that will be subjected to this gimmick stipulation will be the two world championship matches and anything involving DX.  Which is exactly what we got at Breaking Point, and it’s going to be exactly what we get at Hell in a Cell, the next gimmick PPV coming up this Sunday.

Now, let’s talk about the PPV in and of itself.  The first time I heard that this was going to replace No Mercy, I thought it might be fun.  Every match inside Hell in a Cell.  Sure, HIAC isn’t all that it’s hyped up to be, but at least it usually provides an end to various feuds.  But there’s a big problem with having a PPV dedicated to it.  Matches like Hell in a Cell, TLC, I Quit, and the like, are special attractions.  There should never be more than maybe one or two matches a year of these types.  Why?  For business reasons and health reasons.  First, having one or two of these matches a year will heighten the anticipation for these matches and cause more people to consider purchasing the PPV, either live or on DVD when it’s released.  You’re also going to get a higher chance of selling out the arena you’re working at by putting a marquee match like Hell in a Cell at the top of the card, so more people are going to come to your show from further away just so they can experience this match first-hand.  Second, having these matches less frequently is going to keep your wrestlers healthier for a longer period of time.  If you have one HIAC match a year, yes, it’s going to headline the show, and the competitors are going to put on a hell of a show.  But they’re going to be hurting a hell of a lot, and might be at a greater risk for injury.  If you have three of these matches a year, that’s three times as many wrestlers put at risk for injury.  With WWE’s rosters stretched thin already, they should be avoiding any unnecessary high-risk matches that they can.  But now, with the Hell in a Cell PPV less than a week away, you’re putting eight mens’ careers in danger by putting them inside a giant cage, weapons-a-plenty under the ring, and the chance to fall 20 feet onto an announce table (okay, so nobody’s going to purposefully do what Mick Foley did, but the possibility is always there).  You’ve got three men in their forties, who, even though they’ve been in a large number of these matches before, are at greater risk for injury then their younger competitors.  You’ve got young guys who could potentially cut their careers short with one botched bump.  It would benefit WWE to limit matches like HIAC and TLC to once or twice a year, simply for health reasons more than anything.  Nobody wants to see Shawn Michaels or John Cena have to leave the arena with a broken leg or a fractured spine because they took a bad bump off the cage.  I honestly don’t want to see anybody hurt in the ring and have to end their career years early.  Putting so many peoples’ careers at risk is a dangerous idea, and it should be done as few times as possible.

Another problem with having entire PPVs based around a specific gimmick is that the match itself tends to lose the mystique and importance that usually surrounds it.  A Hell in a Cell match is an event by itself.  You don’t need three of them in one night.  It’s going to get bland.  You’re just going to watch an hour of cage matches in a row.  That’s not necessarily entertaining.  The point of a Hell in a Cell match is to watch two guys do things they don’t normally do inside a ring for 20 minutes, and end a feud that has been going on for months.  Hell in a Cell is the final nail in the coffin of a feud.  Or, at least, it should be.  By putting THREE HIAC matches on one card, you’re diminishing the importance of the match itself.  It will mean that the next time a HIAC match rolls around, people won’t care as much, because you’re obviously going to have them more often over each year.  Pretty soon nobody will care if a match is contested inside a steel cage or on the roof of the arena, because the match will become the norm.  And that is something nobody wants.

So, instead of fixing their foolish mistake, WWE is now introducing TWO MORE new PPV events for the end of the year.  The next PPV is Bragging Rights, which will be taking the place of Cyber Sunday, though apparently it’s going to retain the audience participation aspect.  Instead of just a bunch of matches with various fan voting deals, it’s going to be a kind of Raw vs. Smackdown show.  I’m guessing that they’re doing this solely to promote the Smackdown vs. Raw video game.  More marketing bullshit.  There’s no point to having a Raw vs. Smackdown PPV.  Sure, there are matches that some of us would enjoy watching (Miz vs. Morrison anyone?), but that can happen basically anytime, since the whole Draft issue and brand split is paper-thin at best.  I don’t think it’s necessary, and it’s definitely not going to have many championship matches.  Then, after Survivor Series, we’re getting a TLC PPV.  Haven’t we already had two or three of these matches already this year?  And several more ladder matches?  A PPV dedicated to this stipulation is unnecessary.  TLC is, I think, the most potentially dangerous match in WWE.  When you’ve got guys falling 15 feet off a ladder through ANOTHER ladder and down to the floor, the chance of serious injury is very, very high.  And since most of the people taking these ridiculous bumps are usually your most over guys (Edge, formerly Jeff Hardy, Mysterio, etc), you’re setting yourselves up for even more problems down the road.  Sure, 2/3 of the men I just mentioned aren’t going to compete in TLC, but you’re risking getting your currently over wrestlers (Punk, Taker, Cena, Orton, HHH, MVP, etc.) badly injured, and unless you can come up with some more guys to bring up from FCW, you’re setting up yourselves for failure.  If you put those six guys on the shelf right now, what happens?  Who moves up?  Do you bring guys from ECW over, and bring up guys from FCW who aren’t ready for the big arenas and TV time?  Do the guys who’ve been toiling in mid-card hell move up immediately, or do they get passed over for other guys who aren’t ready for the big time?  It puts WWE’s balls in a vicegrip, and every major injury tightens that vice just a little bit more.  Frankly, I hope these gimmick PPVs don’t last long, because WWE is putting their talented men and women at serious risk, and as a result, putting the company at risk of losing even more money.

Bottom line: keep the big gimmick matches to once a year, MAYBE twice, and keep the health and safety of your wrestlers your top priority.

I’ve got a couple more tidbits to talk about, and since I don’t think another column is required, I’ll put them here.

First, I’m getting really tired of John Cena’s miracle comebacks.  Can’t he for once just be left in a crumpled heap, loomed over by his competitors, unable to move for fear that he’ll get his chest stomped in?  Why does he always turn into fucking Superman after he’s gotten his back broken?  It’s ridiculous.  I know he’s the face of the company, and I genuinely like the guy, but the miracle comebacks have got to stop happening every week, and he really needs to focus one one character.  I’d prefer he either stick with funny Cena or determined, angry Cena instead of switching back and forth every week.  Stick to one persona.  If you’re going with Funny Cena, fine.  But remember, you don’t need to really focus on that, because we’ve got Santino Marella for comedy.  (Side note: Santino is really coming into his own as a great comedy wrestler.  I love his attempts at breaking the Masterlock, only to pass out a few seconds after that final angry push.)

I’ll admit I watched Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader just to watch Miz and Morrison compete.  I think WWE dropped the ball when it came to those two.  They had one of the most successful tag team runs in recent memory, and after their break-up, nothing.  Those two could have gone on feuding for a few weeks, ending in one of them banishing the other to a different brand or something.  Still, they were both entertaining on the game show.  I thought Miz’s energy was fantastic, and he was quite gregarious at times.  I actually enjoyed his segment.  Morrison was much more low-key, but still fun to watch.  Good for them for doing this.

Last thing: for those of you who watched ECW (or for those of you who don’t mind spoilers), how surprising was it that Yoshi Tatsu got the pinfall victory, over William Regal no less?  This has got to be a sign that Creative approves of Tatsu’s work and they’re getting ready to push him soon.  I won’t say he’s green by any measure.  But he’s still got a little work to do.  He’s a bit sloppy, and I have to imagine that the language barrier will limit him to a point.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching the guy compete.  He brings some crazy energy to the ring, and he’s using a bunch of indy moves, which should make the IWC happy.  Hearing Matt Striker yell out, “LARIATO!” and “Whoa, Roaring Elbow!” probably makes the smarks pee with happiness.  But he’s got a ton of talent.  Let’s hope he works on his delivery and smoothes out the rough edges, and he’ll be fighting for the ECW Title in no time.

Okay, I lied.  Speaking of lariats, this past weekend was the final ROH match for Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness.  I think they have a couple more indy matches left, but this means that they’re moving to WWE very soon.  I truly hope that they both get on the main roster immediately (or, at leat for McGuinness, time to heal his arms before jumping to the roster).  I am looking forward to the first Jawbreaker Lariat we get from Nigel, and hopefully we’ll get some Cattle Mutilation or a Triangle Choke or three from Danielson.  I also pray that WWE doesn’t give them alternate personas.  I hope they keep them who they are, much like they did with CM Punk and, to some degree, Evan Bourne.  Nobody wants a repeat of Scotty Goldman (though I did find him hilarious for the few short weeks he was employed) or Braden Walker.  Let them be who they are, not someone you think they should be.  Put Dragon in a feud with Regal, and watch the sparks fly.

So that’s it for now.  I’ll put up picks for Hell in a Cell once the final card is set.  Most of the matches should be good.  I’m just not keen on the gimmick itself.  We’ll see how it turns out on Sunday.  Until then…

...Put A Ring On IT!

I seem to be indulging in a plethora of posts when I ought to be finishing a book. Argh!

 

Anyway…

 

Latest obsession is versions of Beyonce’s totally awesome track. Here’s the original:

 

 

Here’s JT’s take on it (I love this, totally totally cracks me up every time–sorry about the quality on this one:)

 

 

 

Here’s the cutest:

 

 

 

And here’s the Glee version:

 

 

I LOVE ‘EM ALL! Go on, tell me you’re not smiling!

Tebow, OH NO, not TEBOW!

Gator Nation was rocked on Saturday. Tears were falling in Gatorville. Tebow got hurt!???!? How does that happen. I really thought he was indestructible. I have pretty much awarded the Gators the National Championship this year. The only thing that is still a question is whom will they beat in the 2010 National Championship game. Until Tebow got a free trip to the hospital. I haven’t heard if it is a concussion or not, but a fragile Tebow means a week Florida team. Who do they play this week? LSU. Les Miles will have the Tigers ready for a brawl. They will be targeting Tebow’s pretty head. This might be ugly. But I guess that if anyone can come back from a hit like that it will be Tebow. I am no Gator fan, but Tebow is truly a man amongst boys. He is a freak. I have to figure that Tebow playing college football is what it would have been like if LeBron James had gone to college. To think along with the rushing TD’s Tebow has consecutive seasons of 30 plus passing tds, and for anyone to argue that he isn’t the best college football player in history is crazy. Plus on the surface he seems like a great guy. He is nice. He is smart. He’s a Christian. Wow, I have a man crush. Is it inappropriate for me to have a man crush on a guy that is so much my junior? It’s alright when he is 30, I will be 38, making more acceptable. I am embarrassed!

Looks vs. Personality

Looks or Personality?

This type of choice is a problem in the lives of many people, especially those who are dating. The sad truth is, most of us have a bad habit of buying into stereotypes. When you see a beautiful woman, you begin to wonder how solid her personality is. contrariwise, when you see a woman who isn’t as attractive, you think she must have a good personality! Of course, some people are not like this, but it’s safe to say that the majority of people are.

So where does the line get drawn? There are countless people out there who are both attractive and have good personalities, however finding a personality that you like may be an entirely different challenge.

I, like many people, would like to say that looks don’t matter and that I would love someone solely for their wonderful personality and the person they are on the inside. I would be a liar, though. I don’t think I could be with someone I found unattractive, no matter how much I loved their personality. Without some level of attraction, there’s no relationship.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, I could never be with anyone who was absolutely gorgeous but was a horrible person. Yes, I’d be attracted to him, lust after him, and never want to leave his side; the illusion of true love. When it boiled down to who he was, however, I would likely find myself hating how he acted or being turned off by his attitude.

In truth, the best person is usually a combination of good looks and a winning personality. I’ve been curious, though… if put into a situation where can speak to one of the two following girls/boys who would you choose;

Girl A; More attractive than girl B. She has signs of high maintenance such as manicured nails and designer shoes. Her makeup is flawless due to the fact she is fixing it in her compact right now. If you do speak to her, she doesn’t seem to have many of the same interests as you and doesn’t have that good of a sense of humor.
Boy A; He’s more attractive than boy B. He obviously spends time on his looks; well maintained hair, flattering/fitted clothing, obviously works out. He has a habit of checking his hair in anything that has a reflection; mirrors, glass, metal, etc… If you talk to him, he doesn’t have that much in common with you and comes off as shallow.

Girl B; She’s not bad looking, but she isn’t as attractive as girl A. She looks plain compared to girl A. Her hair and makeup are fine even though she doesn’t look like she spends as much time or money on her looks as girl A. Her clothing is average, not designer. If you do speak to her, she has a wonderful sense of humor and a lot of interests that you do.
Boy B; He’s not as attractive as boy A, looking like your average joe in comparison. His hair and face isn’t as well maintained as boy A but he isn’t ugly. It’s hard to tell if he works out. His clothing isn’t fitted or fashionable but more average. If you talk to him, he has a lot of common interests with you and has a wonderful sense of humor.

When it comes down to it… I’d like to say I’d choose the personality… but I guess I can’t say that unless I was there. Oh, and for the record, I’m not single. I have a wonderful boyfriend, I’m just saying all this hypothetically.

So I’d love to hear from you! Which would you choose?

There's Probably A Reason I Shouldn't Take Public Transportation

These are the composites of text messages I sent to my brother and friend P on the way to Boston on Thursday. I took the Bolt and I’m usually very good at getting a seat by myself. I have the “don’t sit by me look” down and it tends to work unless the bus is completely full. That’s what happened on Thursday, which is why these messages came about.

2:08 PM: I have the creepiest guy sitting beside me, ever. His computer background is an image naked butt. A very upclose image of a naked butt.

3:18 PM: Cute boy across from me just got the most intense facebook message from an ex-girlfriend and proceeded to call her and it’s just awkward as hell.

3:32 PM: They’re discussing their breakup, how she has him blocked on her phone, some hookup, and the angry fb message.

3:34 PM: Ok. Well now he’s calling someone else. Oh no, ex-girlfriend again!

3:40 PM: Or maybe current girlfriend because it ended in “I love you… Cara? Cara?” End of call.

3:45 PM: Oh shit, Cara cheated on this kid with his friend Daniel’s roommate. It’s like a soap opera here!

3:47 PM: They haven’t broken up. Just fighting. Mike and Lucy are going through the same thing.

3:50 PM: Oh I wonder if he cheated too? He has to show her everything on facebook. Dun dun dun.

3:52 PM: Ok, call’s over. He’ll call her off his home phone number tonight, once she unblocks his number.

3:55 PM: Now he and his friend on the bus are discussing the facebook message from a girl who MAY NOT BE CARA and may in fact be the OTHER WOMAN. Or it could be Cara. I don’t know. It’s positively riveting though.

4:03 PM: Andddd we’re backkk. He’s going back to NYC with Cara. Yay. But now he’s not allowed to talk to his friends because she hates them. God almighty.

4:07 PM: He’s going home with Cara on Monday. This shit’s dramatic.

4:08 PM: Uh oh… who’s Jamie?

4:09 PM: Okay, so another guy also hearts Cara and Bus Boy wants to kick his ass because he’s a “scumbag”. This term is repeated multiple times. This is deep stuff for a bus.

4:11 PM: I’m giving up on these kids. There’s someone else named Luke involved and even they’re confused.

Just for the record, I’m not a total creeper. This boy was literally shouting and the entire bus was listening. It was impossible to ignore him, especially when he was on the phone with Cara. Oh, and because I’m not a completely terrible person, I’ve also gone through and changed the names. You’re welcome, nameless Bus Boy.