Whiskey Fire

This Last Ghastly Year

So the holidays have been grim. I mean, MollyI&I have tried hard because of kids and so forth, but it's been labored.

MollyI's dad was about as amazing as my mom was. What my mom did with the city poor, my dad-in-law did with the rural poor, at Nazareth Farm, and St. Francis Farm.

We are at a loss, MollyI&I.

As this awful year dies, if you care about actual giving that helps actual people, donate to Calvary Hospital here.

Give to Nazareth Farm here. St. Francis Farm here.

Slainte.

 

2013 Photo Roundup

More 2013 picture posts here

January: D.C. Metrobus


February: M-O-O-N and Dead Raccoon


March: GREY post title goes here


April: Leaves and Dogs


May: Happy Furry Puppy Time with Lola and Rory


June: Concrete Results, Butterflies


July: Columbus Clouds and Duckling Update


August: Who's Afraid of West Virginia Wolf Spider?


September: As God Is My Witness


October: The Power of Cheese Compels You


November: BirdsDogsMoon


December: Carolina Wren and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker


P.S. Here's my 2012 pic review. HAPPY NEW YEAR, PEOPLE!

Posted by ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© and cross-posted at my place. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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How to Be a Horrible Scabby Asshole in Just One Quoted Word

This is some impressive assholery.

 

Here are some other fun quotes from that NYT article that provide some entertaining perspective. And show that John J. Miller is not merely an asshole --

An emergency federal program that acts as a lifeline for 1.3 million jobless workers will end on Saturday, drastically curtailing government support for the long-term unemployed....

The program, in place since the recession started in 2008, provides up to 47 weeks of supplemental unemployment insurance payments to jobless people looking for work. Its expiration is expected to have far-reaching ramifications for the economy, cutting job growth by about 300,000 positions next year and pushing hundreds of thousands of households below the poverty line....

-- but a total asshole --

The loss of benefits is expected to drain billions in consumer spending from the economy next year. People losing their federal benefits — often benefits they expected to continue to receive for weeks or months into 2014 — described cutting back on Christmas, driving less, turning off the heat, draining retirement accounts, applying for food stamps, readying to move in with relatives and missing mortgage payments....

-- indeed, a scabby, bleeding asshole --

Since her federal benefits expired, Jamie Young, a library scientist living in Portland, Ore., has accepted a part-time job, taking a large reduction in her income. “It’s embarrassing for me,” she said. “I dread going to parties or social functions and having people ask me what I do.”

-- because, get a load of this, what Ms. Young has turned to doing to get by:

Her unemployment has also spurred her to donate her eggs for $6,000 in compensation.

Maybe the rest of the unemployed can sell their internal organs to rich people in exchange for food stamps.

Also, Miller is, surprise, dishonest! Why will the unelpoyment rate drop 5%, exactly?

But the unemployment rate will primarily drop as workers, especially older workers, drop out of the labor force. Those receiving unemployment benefits are required to demonstrate that they are actively looking and applying for jobs. Without those benefits, and requirements, economists said, many might give up.

And perhaps die. And perhaps be mulched to fertilize the lawns of the obscenely rich.

Because, what else is there?

Analysts also believe the end of the federal program will lead to an increase in poverty. Already, cuts to unemployment insurance payments and reductions in the weeks of benefits have meant that the program has lifted fewer people out of poverty: 1.7 million Americans in 2012, down from 2.3 million in 2011 and 3.2 million in 2010.

John J. Miller is an absolutely representative member of his class: a class of an absolute assholes.

Good Grief

Or maybe, more simply, the evolutionary psych explanation for why women come is transparent bullshit?

Men have orgasms when hooking up. Why do some women complain that they do not?

Because they didn't have an orgasm? Not having an orgasm when one was hoping for one often makes one a mite cranky?

Tom Wolfe pointed out in his book, Hooking Up, that it was not only boys who used to hook up with girls to “score” sexually, but that thirteen- and fourteen-year old girls were willingly and easily going down on boys in school corridors and stairwells during the two-minute break between classes.

Tom Wolfe? TOM WOLFE? Fuck you.

It gets worse:

One adolescent patient of mine liked a boy in school, so she filmed herself masturbating and sent it to him electronically. It was supposed to make him like her. It backfired terribly. In hours, there she was online, masturbating for all the world to see. She made a serious suicide attempt and had to be hospitalized. She did not understand what had happened. It was not fair, she told me.

Well, it WASN'T fair. The boy who uploaded it should have been arrested. And this idiot of a fucking therapist had better be making this up, or else WHAT THE FUCK. Do you know what "ethics" fucking even REFERS TO VAGUELY?

Women who complain that their hookup partner did not care enough to bring her to orgasm should understand that they can’t have it both ways.

Anyone of any orientation or gender who has a selfish, shitty sex partner is entitled to bitch about it to their friends the next day. This is known.

Blame it on evolution.

Fuck you, no.

Evolutionary theory tells us that nature is more concerned about the continuation of the species, which requires that a woman feel sufficiently cared for by her partner to have and raise children with him and also requires that men provide enough women with sperm to insure the survival of the species. While it may seem unfair, women really should not expect to have it both ways, casual sex and sex with a partner who cares enough to bring her to orgasm.

Proponents of "evolutionary theory" fascinate in that they often rush so fast to justify men acting like assholes that they forget their stupid premises.

There is no sensible "evolutionary" purpose for the female orgasm whatsoever in this crackpot explanation, since it doesn't at all explain why a male should remotely care if a woman has an orgasm. Men are here like lawn sprinklers, basically; twirl around, squirt out semen, and hope it lands on a fertile seed. Women desperately want to take one of these lawn sprinklers home and turn it into a pulsating shower attachment. Then, babies! But the motivation for the lawn sprinklers to stop sprinking and hook their male attachment up to a female bathtub faucet connection remains fucking cloudy even in terms of extended implausible anthropomophic home-plumbing metaphors.

Grownup humans express respect for each other, even, especially, when hooking up. Young humans on their way to becoming grownups often fuck this sort of thing up, but as part of a process called "growing up," they get better at it, or else they become "assholes," and sex is usually only a part of their overall problem.

This post dissected above gives us a peculiar and rather nauseating view of human sexual relationships as experienced by healthy adults, and so of course, Glenn Reynolds links it, with added saliva.

Coming into Town with the Giggling

In 2003, Feminism... failed.

Perhaps you missed this. Anyway, Townhall Dot Com has the details.

This may make anyone want to distance themselves with the modern version of feminism. Here is just an abbreviated list of the moments when feminists were less than classy this year.

You could read the whole thing, if you like, though you are of course under no obligation to do anything of the sort. You're not missing anything, I assure you.

But what fascinates myself as a scientist is that only someone extremely charitable -- meaning, someone not me -- would be able to connect anything in this List of Epic Fails to anything remotely like a failure of public policy affecting the lives of women. Neither does it have either Jack or Shit to do with issues regarding the systematic representation of women in popular culture.

It's all about how women who are feminists are yucky with their sexy.

Which kind of suggests, gasp, horrors, that the big problem our Right-Wing Pals have with feminism is the idea that women may... have... a sexuality.

Shudders.

The smokes! They are holy!

10. Feminists storm SlutwalkDC with vulgar posters, promiscuous clothing and self-righteous attitudes.

I suppose it is indeed a problem for anyone if their clothing turns out to be promiscuous, as that rather implies that one's clothing has attained some degree of sentience and mobility. But I don't judge. If my gym socks are out fucking when I'm asleep or something, that's cool, as long as they launder themselves before my heel gets all squishy on the treadmill. I could slip! Safety first, sweat socks.

Anyway the TownHall person is mostly mad about posters like this:

Wacky; the poster is presented as a self-evident "feminist fail."

Color me confused. "You're not allowed to rape anyone" is kind of a simple rule to follow.

I will confess: I am a married, monogamous, heterosexual male. But I quite enjoy being in situations where there are lots of women around who are out to act their best. Heterosexual women, as I am given to understand, also often enjoy social occasions where men are trying hard to appeal to women.

You just can't rape anybody. And you should try hard not to be a jerk. Flirty is fun! Grownups know this! But there are still rapists! Let's try to stop rape!

Kinda not seeing the Feminism Fail, but we are only at openers. Surely it improves --

9. A Planned Parenthood representative can’t answer the question, “If a baby is born on a table as a result of a botched abortion, what would Planned Parenthood want to have happen to that child that is struggling for life?”

Such situations would never occur if we had a European model pro-choice regime. So let's have that.

8. Miley Cyrus, who says she’s “one of the biggest feminists in the world,” twerks live onstage at the MTV VMA awards, causing parents everywhere to shield their children’s eyes.

The Gawker link is special. Anyway, feminists are totally responsible for everything Miley Cyrus does, because something something vaginas.

7. Actress Lena Dunham goes “fangirl” for Bill Clinton at the Golden Globe Awards. Because ya know, Bill Clinton is such a champion of women’s rights.

Unlike Mitt Romney?

Bored, bored...

Here we go:

4. “Comedian Sarah Silverman sticks a napkin down her pants, calls it a “vag napkin” and tries to pawn it off as charity at a pro-choice Texas women’s marathon to raise funds for abortion.

Ha! Comedian does comedy! Feminists lose!

3. Abortion supporters chant “Hail Satan” at the Texas capitol.

Ha! Funny happens! Feminists lose!

2. In the protest that kept on giving, pro-choice activists stormed the Texas capitol with bags of feces, tampons and bricks intended to throw at pro-life advocates. (This is listed as the number one “success” on Repro justice site.)

Can’t wait to see what they plan to throw at us next year.

Well, this was an obvious lie from the get-go, wasn't it?

Yes. It was always a total lie.

Well shucks. I guess then we shouldn't go all out for anyone like Texas's Wendy Davis! Because she just ain't worrying the shitbags!

I mean, going by this list, women are Bad when they enjoy sex, and are in charge of their bodies and their clothing and dancing choices, and don't always have to feel fucking ashamed of themselves for being people. 

All right.

Mean-Spirited Vituperation to Come!

Festivus Animals and Motivational Poster

Err, Day AFTER Festivus Animals:




I've prepared this pic instructional poster due to popular confusion regarding the Red-bellied Woodpecker's nomenclature. Sure, its red head is quite noticeable...but is it more so than that of the Red-headed Woodpecker? I'd call it the "Fancy Zebra Jacketed Woodpecker", but the Golden-fronted Woodpecker has one, too. So here we are:

 

Posted by ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© and cross-posted at my place. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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The Pagliad

(Of the nature of the overall Pagliad, the art and conduct of this poem hath indeed been informed by this Molly Ivins essay, so don't go linkingeth it in the comments like you are the first fuckingeth one to read it, forsoothface.)

 

A POEM. In a Certain Meter.

Entitled, "Camille Paglia answers a call from Time magazine."

 

As I meditate, writing my memoirs,

I consult my cat, old wise Dr. Paws:

"And then we rocked out to the Rolling Stones...

Some Dionysius shit... GO GET THE PHONE!"

 

Holy smokes, I guess this gal ain't lost it --

I have canned crap that I can deposit

ON TIME MAGAZINE HA HA HA (cough fit)

 

Great news brands, magazines and newspapers,

Oft innovate like clueless Don Drapers:

"Oh this was cutting edge in 1970,

So kids today will dig it, like, virally. "

But who ought puzzle over the dimwit clot

At Time magazine -- just GIVE ME a spot!

Camille Paglia! Why, MY tired rap

Makes Madonna sigh, "like I give a crap."

 

So I open with a striking keenness:

A tycoon once surely had a great big penis.

Capitalism gave chicks labor-saving machines:

After a day at the factory, you LIVED your dreams!

 

Work, scrub, toil, clean! bear a child by 17!

It's no fratboy's fault if you're made unclean!

 

Screw all the buzzkill "feminist" sex prudes,

Who invented "date rape" to bum out dudes!

The worst thing ever to hinder knowledge

Is for girls to not get raped in college --

Wait... I think I just got myself confused --

Could you send the check now? Uh... Egyptian Nudes...?

Sarah Palin! Hillary! Apollo! Strings!

Please go read those distracting things!

 

Kindly note, though: I'm no complete moron.

Otherwise, how could I ever satisfy Salon?

 

Duh.

 

(In 2014, WHISKEY FIRE will increasingly be composed in verse.)

Treetops and Wrens

Carmi's Thematic Photographic 272 is Treetops . We had snow in the treetops(again) Saturday evening.


A bit lower than the treetops:


Way above:


At least one of the local Carolina Wrens* has started visiting the suet feeder:




* Thanks to JohnR for correctly identifying the moth-eater in this post as a Winter Wren.

Posted by ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© and cross-posted at my place. Mouse over pics for captions, and click them for larger versions.
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It's Xmas Time in the City ...

... where we love livin'.

— M. Bouffant (From a series of two [unless I find more] I'm going to get around to at my web-log some time before Santa shows. Honest.)