Happy New Year
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Sonic Youth
- Tenured Laureate
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- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 8:35 pm
- Location: USA
I think maybe we've reached the saturation point and it's time to put "Butt Nugget" to rest. So much repetition has made the term annoyingly feel like such other overworked mantras as ""Don't tase me bro" and "If we don't fight them there . . . "
"Y'know, that's one of the things I like about Mitt Romney. He's been consistent since he changed his mind." -- Christine O'Donnell
I did not shut that down. I am merely objecting to all the stupid teenage talk about butt nuggets, etc. We all can do better than *that*.Steph2 wrote:I was really enjoying the intelligent and thought provoking discussion/disagreement on American education between Aakash, Johnny Guitar, Italiano and Sonic Youth. But then you guys shot that down too.
And its really getting monotonous, don't you think? On every thread?
With all due respect cam, I think you're being really unfair. A number of us, myself included, have engaged in silly sex talk and giggle fits from time to time. It's all meant in good fun and if you don't like it, you don't have to participate or comment. But it's unfair to lay this all on Aakash who hasn't done anything "more" or "worse" than any of us. It's not like he hasn't had thoughtful posts on other subjects in almost every thread.
For example, I was really enjoying the intelligent and thought provoking discussion/disagreement on American education between Aakash, Johnny Guitar, Italiano and Sonic Youth. But then you guys shot that down too.
For example, I was really enjoying the intelligent and thought provoking discussion/disagreement on American education between Aakash, Johnny Guitar, Italiano and Sonic Youth. But then you guys shot that down too.
This thread has truly branched out on a tangent. It started as "Happy New Year". In fact, just now I checked the other sites highlighted, and found that off-the-topic discussion abound. eg: Top Stars Of 2007 has a butt-nugget confab at the moment.
Lord knows, I am not a prude, but if I want to read about all this I could go on a site that specializes in it. Akash, I am afraid it mostly you wandering off with some inappropriate sex-talk that seems to me to be very teenage in content. Maybe we could stick to the topics during this time? There is a lot going to happen. I for one, don't want to have to wade through converations that should be far more private , to see what serious discussion is going on about the topic. The guys here are all very bright and quick, with great writing talents. I want to hear more of them and less of this trash.
We do not want to initiate another Christmas Eve Massacre.
Edited By cam on 1199416441
Lord knows, I am not a prude, but if I want to read about all this I could go on a site that specializes in it. Akash, I am afraid it mostly you wandering off with some inappropriate sex-talk that seems to me to be very teenage in content. Maybe we could stick to the topics during this time? There is a lot going to happen. I for one, don't want to have to wade through converations that should be far more private , to see what serious discussion is going on about the topic. The guys here are all very bright and quick, with great writing talents. I want to hear more of them and less of this trash.
We do not want to initiate another Christmas Eve Massacre.
Edited By cam on 1199416441
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Big Magilla
- Site Admin
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- Joined: Wed Jan 01, 2003 3:22 pm
- Location: Jersey Shore
Brian, thanks for the weigh-in, thoughtful as always, and keep up the good work. The world needs more selfless people like you.rain Bard wrote:I don't know Jena but much of her story reminds me of those of a great many men and women I encounter from my association with this group. Intelligent but perhaps in one way or another somewhat prickly people; when faced with homelessness they discovered that they had fewer true friends than they previously had thought. On the other hand most people in San Francisco who aren't fabulously wealthy are already living in somewhat tight quarters (perhaps with roommates or boarders already, perhaps with grown kids or their own parents) and it may be asking a lot to have someone sleep on your couch indefinitely. I know a number of people who have spent time living in garages, or in cars, or in illegal squats or other similarly shady situations, in order to avoid sleeping in the shelters or on the pavement.
The age math works fine. The "30 years younger" line doesn't have put Jena at age 50; she probably means 30 years younger than her ex, and he could could be older than Jena as well.
The "$5 an hour" line is a bit fishy, as San Francisco's official minimum wage is nearly double that. But perhaps Jena is not referring to "official" jobs- she could be doing under-the-table work. Or perhaps she's just using that line as a shorthand for low-paying jobs she's had in the past; it wasn't THAT long ago that it would have been accurate. I don't think it serves much purpose to analyze this bit too much though; suffice to say that there is no "easy street" in the world of work in this town, at least not for people who lack a business-culture demeanor and the right connections.
She may not be taking full advantage of welfare and other aid options available to her (and note that a revamped free city healthcare system was implemented since that piece was published); I don't have a lot of knowledge of how all that works, though my brother, who works for this organization full-time, has had a lot of direct experience helping guide people through what sounds like a pretty complicated bureaucratic morass at times, so he might have something to say on her case even from just the few details she shared in the article. One thing to keep in mind is that mayor Gavin Newsom's heralded Care Not Cash program was no cure-all for a lot of people, especially those who, for various reasons, many quite legitimate, don't want to rely on shelters for their housing.
Another story this one reminds me of is the recent news item about the six year old girl who won tickets to the Hannah Montana kids' TV program by writing an essay beginning with "my daddy was killed in Iraq this year" when in fact her father was alive and not in the military. If Jena's story is true, then it is indeed sad, but using the homeless to get a item of fiction published is just as bad in my estimation as that little girl's mother telling her daughter to trade on the death of a serviceman.
As for the age thing, she did say her mother was in her 90s and that her children were grown with kids of their own, so it is likely she is around 60 whether or not the husband dumped her for someone 30 years younger than her and/or himself. In additoin to welfare, if she's 62 she can apply for social security and if she's 65 she can apply for Medicaid. It just really rings false.
I do have experience putting up friends between housing situations. It can be a trying experience. Fortunately they all managed to get back on their feet and on with their lives before it got to the point where I wanted to kick them out. I have had friends, though, who actually did their give long staying guests ultimatums. In every situation that I am personally aware of the evicted houseguest found a place they could afford. I wish it could be so for everyone who finds themselves in that kind of a situation.
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Big Magilla
- Site Admin
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- Location: Jersey Shore
I'm not a prude. Grumpy old man, maybe, but not a prude.Akash wrote:Big Magilla wrote:Not only nonsensical, but offesnive, especially this:
They also jerk off in coffins. I'm serious, this is what they do. They lie in coffins, talk about their past relationships and sexual histories and jerk off while doing it. Just think, George Bush had to do this. Thrown up your dinner yet?
Do your research Big Magilla. This is ACTUALLY something they do in the Skull and Bones secret society. It's been part of their tradition since the society began and even though women are now allowed in it, the men still continue this stupid practice. I wasn't trying to be offensive. It's been well documented, and having known people inducted into the society, I can assure you it is all true.
But you're a prude, so I get it.
I'm not not much up on the activities of the Skulls and Bones, but in 37 years of banking I can tell you I've met many generous, kind-hearted people in the industry and damn few many mean-spririted money grubbing skinflints. Most banks will work with people struggling to pay their debts including forgiving a good portion of the debt if the circumstances warrant. My forgiveness authority was $100,000 and anything over that that I had to refer higher was always approved. And no one ever asked about the politics of the person in debt. If there is a grand conspiracy to keep the radical left in debt no one ever clued me in about it.
Happy New Year everyone!
As a volunteer for a non-profit in San Francisco's Tenderloin that tries to break down separations between the homed and homeless (among other volunteer activities I run a monthly DVD projection and discussion group; recent discussions have been on THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Cocteau's ORPHEUS, SLAM, THE BURMESE HARP, THE SEVENTH SEAL, a documentary on train-hopping called CATCHING OUT, and this month I'll be showing Bill Jersey's terrific "direct cinema" piece A TIME FOR BURNING) I feel compelled to weigh in here.
I don't know Jena but much of her story reminds me of those of a great many men and women I encounter from my association with this group. Intelligent but perhaps in one way or another somewhat prickly people; when faced with homelessness they discovered that they had fewer true friends than they previously had thought. On the other hand most people in San Francisco who aren't fabulously wealthy are already living in somewhat tight quarters (perhaps with roommates or boarders already, perhaps with grown kids or their own parents) and it may be asking a lot to have someone sleep on your couch indefinitely. I know a number of people who have spent time living in garages, or in cars, or in illegal squats or other similarly shady situations, in order to avoid sleeping in the shelters or on the pavement.
The age math works fine. The "30 years younger" line doesn't have put Jena at age 50; she probably means 30 years younger than her ex, and he could could be older than Jena as well.
The "$5 an hour" line is a bit fishy, as San Francisco's official minimum wage is nearly double that. But perhaps Jena is not referring to "official" jobs- she could be doing under-the-table work. Or perhaps she's just using that line as a shorthand for low-paying jobs she's had in the past; it wasn't THAT long ago that it would have been accurate. I don't think it serves much purpose to analyze this bit too much though; suffice to say that there is no "easy street" in the world of work in this town, at least not for people who lack a business-culture demeanor and the right connections.
She may not be taking full advantage of welfare and other aid options available to her (and note that a revamped free city healthcare system was implemented since that piece was published); I don't have a lot of knowledge of how all that works, though my brother, who works for this organization full-time, has had a lot of direct experience helping guide people through what sounds like a pretty complicated bureaucratic morass at times, so he might have something to say on her case even from just the few details she shared in the article. One thing to keep in mind is that mayor Gavin Newsom's heralded Care Not Cash program was no cure-all for a lot of people, especially those who, for various reasons, many quite legitimate, don't want to rely on shelters for their housing.
I don't have much to add to the student loan conversation. I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have any from college, but I'll admit that the idea of incurring them has been a factor in my postponing my post-graduate education.
As a volunteer for a non-profit in San Francisco's Tenderloin that tries to break down separations between the homed and homeless (among other volunteer activities I run a monthly DVD projection and discussion group; recent discussions have been on THE DAY I BECAME A WOMAN, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, Cocteau's ORPHEUS, SLAM, THE BURMESE HARP, THE SEVENTH SEAL, a documentary on train-hopping called CATCHING OUT, and this month I'll be showing Bill Jersey's terrific "direct cinema" piece A TIME FOR BURNING) I feel compelled to weigh in here.
I don't know Jena but much of her story reminds me of those of a great many men and women I encounter from my association with this group. Intelligent but perhaps in one way or another somewhat prickly people; when faced with homelessness they discovered that they had fewer true friends than they previously had thought. On the other hand most people in San Francisco who aren't fabulously wealthy are already living in somewhat tight quarters (perhaps with roommates or boarders already, perhaps with grown kids or their own parents) and it may be asking a lot to have someone sleep on your couch indefinitely. I know a number of people who have spent time living in garages, or in cars, or in illegal squats or other similarly shady situations, in order to avoid sleeping in the shelters or on the pavement.
The age math works fine. The "30 years younger" line doesn't have put Jena at age 50; she probably means 30 years younger than her ex, and he could could be older than Jena as well.
The "$5 an hour" line is a bit fishy, as San Francisco's official minimum wage is nearly double that. But perhaps Jena is not referring to "official" jobs- she could be doing under-the-table work. Or perhaps she's just using that line as a shorthand for low-paying jobs she's had in the past; it wasn't THAT long ago that it would have been accurate. I don't think it serves much purpose to analyze this bit too much though; suffice to say that there is no "easy street" in the world of work in this town, at least not for people who lack a business-culture demeanor and the right connections.
She may not be taking full advantage of welfare and other aid options available to her (and note that a revamped free city healthcare system was implemented since that piece was published); I don't have a lot of knowledge of how all that works, though my brother, who works for this organization full-time, has had a lot of direct experience helping guide people through what sounds like a pretty complicated bureaucratic morass at times, so he might have something to say on her case even from just the few details she shared in the article. One thing to keep in mind is that mayor Gavin Newsom's heralded Care Not Cash program was no cure-all for a lot of people, especially those who, for various reasons, many quite legitimate, don't want to rely on shelters for their housing.
I don't have much to add to the student loan conversation. I'm one of the lucky ones who doesn't have any from college, but I'll admit that the idea of incurring them has been a factor in my postponing my post-graduate education.