Peace Takes Courage...

A 15 year old girl in Alabama, of all places, has been producing anti-war videos for her website, peacetakescourage.com

Predicatably enough, the "backwash" (as Stephen Colbertt calls them) are upset over this, and sending her all manner of vulgar emails, including death threats, which I feel certain is something Jesus wouldn't approve of.

Anyway, check her out. The girls got some balls - especially coming from hicksville.

Actually, I do have some nostaliga...

I wrote a couple of weeks ago that I had no nostalgia for the 1950's, despite my obsesssive collection of furnishings and china. But after listening to a conservative drone on this morning about "the good old days" I do have some nostaliga for that decade. The things I wish we still had are:

* A strong manufacturing base and union membership
* An innovative, forward-looking design movement
* A fiscally responsible Republican party
* A morally responsible Democratic party (and I mean that in the true sense of morals, not the fakey fundie sense of morals)
* A Strong, well-financed public schools and university system
* Responsible corporate governance
* A "Middle-class" friendly tax code
* Affordable housing

These were the things that made our country strong, and our middle class the force that is was when I was growing up - Not the sexism, racism, and rigid conformity the conservatives miss, but as I've pointed out before, Conservatives are none too bright. If they were, they wouldn't be conservatives.

Center Mall Break!

Since the Crossroads Mall posting was so well-received by our readership (which is climbing into the dozens! Do you think we should have an IPO?) I've decided to do a featurette on the Center Shopping Center in Omaha.

The Center was an odd duck. This was my mom's prefered mall, because it had lots of parking, was close to home, and had a Kilpatrick's, which was her favorite store. It also had a bowling alley on the top floor, a grocery store on the bottom floor, and a dime store (McCrory's?) on a middle floor.

Kilpatrick's was the "nice" department store in Omaha. It had quality housewares, fine china and silver, and even emporia couture! The original downtown location was quite elegant, and this had been their first foray into suburban shopping. It was smallish, compared to the downtown store, but still had most of the nice merchandise. Unfortunately, it was heavily damaged in a fire in the early 70's, and while they were remodelling it, Kilpatrick's was purchased by Des Moines based Younkers, who closed the downtown store, and renamed everything Younker-Kilpatricks. When the Center store reopened, it was a showcase of bad 70's decor. Lot's of lime-green in the women's departments, and dark wood in the men's departments. The rest of the store had lots of lemon yellow.

The toy department was ran by a remarkably disagreeable woman who hated children and looked like the wicked witch of the west. But it also had a great selection of board games and remarkably cool die-cast toys.

Directly across the street was the Veteran's Hospital, which was set back from the street by a wide, immaculately groomed lawn. It was a very handsome building, but it creeped me out because my Mom, with what was undoubtedly patriotic intentions, had told me that it was "full" of guys from wars who were so severely damaged that they had never been outside the walls of the hospital. She also said that some of them had been there since World War One. Since World War One seemed like something from the 12th century, it was very disturbing. As usual, instead of taking the intended message to heart (these men sacrificed for our freedoms) I took it that is was a sinister place, full of crazy old cripples and undoubtedly evil nurses. That's terribly unfair, of course, and I've since learned better, but you know how weird children are.

But back to the Center: Kilpatrick's is now a telemarketing center (telemarketing is one of the "growth industries" in Omaha, which tells you what a grim place it is) and most of the other retail space is now closed. The Center survives, but no one is sure why.

Here's a picture of the Center, undoubtedly taken from the lawn of the VA.

All about Doors.....

One of the interesting things about life here at Chez Vel-DuRay is that we have a slight slant to the east. At one point in the past, one of our frequent earthquakes (we think it was 1965) made the front of the house sag slightly, and caused the foundation to crack in several locations. The good thing about that is that is seems to have settled itself - in the last big earthquake, the only thing that happened to this house was a TV fell over, while the people next door had their front porch separate and their chimney fall off. The bad news is that the front door took that 1965 earthquake rather badly and is pretty much stuck in the closed position.

While the previous owners accepted this as their fate and just didn't use the door, us Vel-DuRays are a proactive bunch, and have decided to replace the whole kit 'n kaboodle.

We looked at the home improvement stores but, as usual, the pickings were slim for the tastefully minded. I don't know what they are teaching in the design schools these days, but they need to knock it off. Not all of us want to surround ourselves with shoddy products whos inspiration was evidentially a third-rate tijuanna bordello. As we looked at door after door full of Kraftsman "details" and Kountry "charm", we became more and more depressed, and by the time we hit on the Victorian section I nearly had to be carried out of the store (Your coorospondent was raised in a place that is packed with Victorian "charm" - you can't turn around there without being confronted by some hideous old structure that should have been bulldozed in 1920 or so. As such, he is very sensitive to this "look" and the mere sight of secular stained glass can put him over the edge). As a palliative measure, the Colonel decided that we needed to go to Second Use Building Materials - a lovely store here in Seattle that sells stuff salvaged from what are doubtless appalling remodel jobs.

There we found a nice HEAVY wooden door with four vertical windows with lovely beveled edges and not a leaded glass flower, heart, or other quaintsy design in site - and the whole thing, including the frame - was only $45!!! You can guess what got loaded into the Volvo that day!

Sure, it needs to have the paint stripped off the inside side (which is white exterior latex), and painted over on the outside side (which is an appalling country blue-ish shade) but that's a day's work for the Colonel. The tricky part will be finding a carpenter who can competently deal with installing a new door in that somewhat skewed opening. But Rome, as they say, was not built in a day.

We also saw a DARLING medicine cabinet that we are going to have to go back and nab today, but more on that later. Anyway, without further ado, here is the new door. A diamond in the rough for sure, but still a diamond.

Again, I feel the need to state the obvious.

Our president is an idiot. Plain and simple. Hiring Tony Snow as his new spokesliar isn't going to help matters.

But at least there are people out there willing to protect us from the spectre of Boobie Bakeries

Seattle and Strippers

One of the quirky things about Seattle and Washington State is our weirdness when it comes to issues of morality. On the one hand, we're pretty accepting of "alternative lifestyles" (indeed, many of our most promininent ministers are rather skilled at bathroom cruising, as their police blotter attests) but it all comes to a screeching halt when it comes to the combination of boobies and booze.

Seattle, a city founded by grafters and supported by tax revenue from hookers for many, many years, is very priggish when it comes to strippers: There is a moratorium on strip clubs, and the existing strip clubs cannot serve alcohol. Also, the dancers must maintain a 4' distance from the patrons at all times. Evidentially, any alcohol service or closer proximity would drive a man to savage behaviour of the most outrageous kind.

Now the question you are undoubtedly asking is why I, an arbitrater of taste and a person not generally known for having an interest in seeing boobies, even cares? Two reasons: Naked ladies aren't the only ones who take off their clothes (and I am, after all, on schedule for becoming a dirty old man. Who says I never think about my retirement years?) and the latest proposal by the City Fathers to address this eternal issue is just dumb. They propose a "strip club zone" in the tidelands south of the stadiums, in what is otherwise an industrial area.

I've also noticed that this is something that gets some otherwise normal-sounding liberals all shrill, but in FAVOR of the ban. They had a call in show on the local NPR station a few months back (and everyone knows that only pointy-headed liberals listen to NPR) and this really strange woman called in. After stating her liberal creds (how many protests she's marched in, pronouncing Nicaragua the way Nicaraguans do, etc), She proceeded to scold the host for suggesting that this was all a non-issue. Before her voice reached the point where it could only heard by dogs, she suggested that the radio host (and by extension the entire station, and perhaps even NPR in its entirety) was anti-feminist, pro-porn, and all in favor of oppressing girls by allowing stip clubs in commerical areas. She ended the diatribe by stating that there was "no way" she could walk her daughter down Lake City Way (a Major Arterial/state highway that no on in their right mind would walk a child down anyway) because there was a strip club on it.

Now that's just silly: In boring, tacky old Council Bluffs, where your coorospondent did his time before escaping to Seattle, we had strip clubs. We had porn theatres. We had adult bookstores. Those aforementioned stip clubs served boooze, and nobody cared. We had all of this because Nebraska (just across the river) was concerned about pornography and wanted to maintain its image as a wholesome city (even though it's a dump) Iowa, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as uptight and figured if you are gonna see some boobies you might as well have a drink. And guess what: Girls grew up and became lawyers, pharmacists, doctors - all manners of professionals on the non-entertainment variety (although some of them undoubtedly became strippers also, and good for them). In fact, the girls from my class in high school are, by and large, more successful than the guys. Which just goes to show you that boobies and booze can't hold a good woman down.

So it's time for Seattle to grow up, get over our boobie shame and just let people strip for other people. Within reason, of course: Just make it so that any area zoned for bars can have a strip club, and let the strip club serve drinks. Believe it or not, not ever bar will become a strip club (Seattle doesn't even have that many strippers in it, and not everybody wants to see a stripper) and life will go on.

Crossroads Break

Below is a picture of the Crossroads Mall in Omaha, as it appeared when I was a kid. It was the first "real" mall in Omaha, and quite fabulous at the time. It had two anchor stores: Sears (still there) and Brandeis (Long gone) It also had Amusement Park rides in the center of the mall, which was quite amazing to us simple country folk.

Other stores included Woolworth's (always fun), Nebraska Clothing (very glamourous, for the menfolk) Goldstein-Chapman's (glamour for the ladyfolk) and Haney's shoes, which had a funhouse mirror in the front and an actual old fire truck in the children's department. But the best thing was the cocktail lounge: A dark, sinister place with lots of turquoise. Of course, I was drawn to it. There was also a place called THE SPOT where the Teens went for hotdogs and colas.

Brandeis had an Atrium (ooo! Futuristic!) between the escalators with a very mod sculpture, and a restaurant called The Chuck Wagon (I think) with a covered wagon theme. Sears had a doorbell department, a tent department, and a refrigerator department that I simply adored.



Those eagle-eyed individuals among us will note that this picture was taken from the roof of the "Lawn and Garden" center. That's where the riding lawn mowers were, and that was almost as exciting as tents or doorbells, and much more exciting than refrigerators.

Crossroads looks nothing like this anymore. But it did then.

I long to hear that "All Aboard".....

Since you have all been CLAMORING to know what my summer travel plans are, I thought I'd tell you about my upcoming train trip!

I am flying to Chicago in May, and taking the "Lakeshore Limited" to New York City. After a few days there, I will be Acela-ing to Boston, and then down to DC, where I will return to Chicago via the "Capitol Limited" and flying back to Seattle.

Yes, I know - flying is dreadful and tacky, but I just didn't have the extra time, and I thought I should try the eastern trains for a change. Besides, the Colonel and I are considering a trip down to Yosemite later this summer, and we would be taking the "Coast Starlight" and the "San Joaquins" to get there (NOBODY whos ANYBODY takes a car to a National Park anymore)

It should be an interesting trip for several reasons, not the least of which is to observere how the totally inept, non-fiscally responsible, Republican Congress-mandated "simplified Dining Service" is working. In GOP land, it is considered sound business to micro-manage a miniscule public program that people actually use, and that pays actual living wages, rather than the money they are pouring down the twin ratholes of Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as (I fear soon) Iran.

Anyway, enough of the Republican bashing (except to add one more time that they suck, and the people who vote for them are idiots, and that Bush should be impeached). Suffice to say, I'll let you know how the trip went.

Updated links for you.....

Threw some new stuff on the links page to see if it sticks.

When the going gets tough, the tough buy samovars

Day two of Jury Duty went by with a new twist: Today I got added to a jury.

As you doubtless know, I can't talk about it until it's over, so I won't. But there were certain elements of it that I found very sad, so to cheer me up, I went out to the Pioneer Square Antique Mall and bought me a new (to me) Samovar.

It was designed by Ben Siebel for Iroquis China Company in the "Blue Diamond" informal pattern. It is really rather deluxe, and make a nice contrast to the other Ben Siebel Samover I bought (known around these parts as the "Reno Samovar")

Anyway, here it is. Mull over it for a while while I go back to deliberating.

Alleluia! He is Risen!

Well, Easter came and went without blog entries from your coorospondent, but one got so caught up in the weekend, that one just lost track of time.

Saturday, we sent the Greek off on the Empire Builder for her regular trip. She's rather concerned because the Congress, who is terribly concerned about "waste" at Amtrak (so they don't have to be worried about the 8 BILLION or so that is just plain missing in Iraq) is cutting dining car service to the bare bone. Not on the Empire Builder, because it is such a popular and well-patronized train, but things are being cut everywhere else, which means she could be bumped by a more senior waitress. Keep your fingers crossed for the poor dear, and be sure to vote for anything not Republican in November. (Actually, vote Democrat next November. Don't throw your vote away on the Greens or Socialists or Vegetarians or whatever. )

After disposing with the Greek, the Colonel and I were the guests of the lovely Miss Campbell in her Gracious Woodinville Home. It was a VERY festive evening, and even the Colonel unbent a little and had some Vodka. Miss Campbell is an excellent cook, and the party was tres delightful, so really nothing got done until Easter Sunday Morning.

Easter Sunday Morning (there it is again) was a blur of cleaning, cooking, high-fashion outfits, etc, and before you know it, The doorbell was heralding the arrival of Miss Sylvia and her lovely companion. They were followed in Quick succession by Rita, Miss Craig, Miss Ennis and - once again - the Lovely Miss Campbell.

The menu was simple: Leg of lamb, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus and a superior Desert, all washed down with some really top drawer wines and sparking conversation. All in all, it was another smashing success. But we had to be to bed early: The colonel had to chaperone some passengers to Vancouver, BC (via BUS, as they are doing trackwork up north) and I had to get my be-hind down to the courthouse for Jury Duty.

Tonight is more hecticness, as Miss Williams and Mrs. Falk are joining the Colonel and I for dinner tomorrow night at the fabulous Baja Cafe, where we will be celebrating yet another year on This Mortal Coil. They're meeting here first, so I thought a little California Dip and chips might be a nice nibbly. It just never ends, I tell ya.

condoms4life.org

You will notice the banner ad on the right column that says "Good Catholics Use Condoms". It's from a group called ."Catholics for a Free Choice" which is trying to get the church Heirarchy to be a little reality-based in it's view towards family planning and STD prevention by lifting the ban on condom use, and being a bit more humane to rape victims.

While I was raised a Catholic, I left it behind long ago, and only go to church when absolutely forced to (I.E. My dad's funeral, etc) but I support any message to the US conference of Catholic Bishops that is a positive one, especially when it's from "the faithful". Like it or not, these guys operate a lot of social service agencies in the US, and have a lot of clout in Rome. Every little bit, as they say, helps, so I will cede a portion of the real estate on The Good Taste Chronicles and danlangdon.com so that dozens of eyes will see their message.

Plus, I think the tagline ("Abstinence has a high failure rate") is cute. And their ads have straightforward message, including - GASP - GAY COUPLES - that doesn't kowtow to the Bishops

Part One: The china and silver

I really think for my Easter Dinner that I should stick with the Metlox Navajo. Since Easter is a joyous celebration (The resurection of Our Lord Jesus Christ In Heaven) it needs to be a "happy" pattern. While all of my china patterns are intrinsicaly "happy", Navajo is also the most Easter Eggy, and you can't underestimate Easter Eggi-ness on Easter.



Of course, I could go with the Metlox California Contempora, but it just doesn't say "resurection" to me, although it might be appropriate for Good Friday:



"What about the Starburst?", you are undoubtedly screaming frantically. Well, I'm afraid Starburst has become a bit too common for me. Once something shows up on a Cherrio's commercial, it's a bit cliched, don't you think?



But I must admit, I had a moment there (but just a moment) when I considered the Salem North Star. But, considering the religious nature of the holiday, I didn't want people confusing the design with a cross. I don't approve of christian-themed dinnerware.



Linens? Don't make me laugh! This is Easter, not Thanksgiving. Besides, the Gangso Dining table needs no linens

But one thing is for sure: We'll be breaking out the silver. Oneida "First Frost" to be exact. A timeless pattern that just SCREAMS taste and breeding.



Next step: The Menu.....

The Alma Mater got twisterized!

Iowa City, where I spent several wonderfully dissapative years, got hit by a tornado! The campus is fine, and the bars are all intact, but it's just a mess.

One thing that gives me pause: One of the sororities had one of it's walls ripped out. While that normally wouldn't concern me (what kind of perv do you think I am?) I think it might be the fabulous 60's sorority - it had a HUGE spiral staircase and the most fabulous light fixture you have ever seen.

My former place of employment, the Iowa Memorial Union, is intact and housing the displaced, as befits the gracious nature of the facility.

For more information, check out The Daily Iowan

In other news, I'm hosting an Easter Dinner on Sunday. There's still room at the table if there's anyone out there who finds themselves with a space in their social calendar. Adults and well-sedated children are welcome (I stock Ritalin if you find yourself short. If you're opposed to that sort of thing, you can sit with the little darlings at the card table in the basement.) I'll be posting my usual details (china and menu information) and other hints and tricks that make one of My Gracious Dinners the Special Events they always are.

Finally! A non-political post. Just boring and nostalgic

While I am a somewhat nostalgic person, I do not long for an earlier era. My nostalgia is tempered by the realization that many aspects of “The Good Old Days” were not that good. Particularly if you were a minority, a woman, a homo, or a guy of draft age.

With said, there are some things about Seattle I miss. Some things I experienced first hand, other things I have only heard about. But they all were cool, and that’s why I bring them to you, my dear readers.

So, without further ado, I bring you…..

THE LIST
1. Frederick & Nelson: Seattle’s Late, Great department store, it had EVERYTHING. Books, Candy, Wine, Vacuum Cleaners, Toys, Stamps – you name it. It also had a fabulous “Tea Room” and a cafeteria. And it just felt classy. You don't see that much anymore.

2. I. Magnin: A very “old money” women’s clothing store. Its severe looking exterior of white marble was exceeded only by it’s post-war styling on the inside. It had the most amazing HVAC vents. They were bronze and quite heroic, as well as some handsome chandeliers. It’s an Old Navy now, and not at all the same.

3. The Coliseum Theatre: Actually, this theatre was a dump. I don’t really miss it (and it’s not really gone, it’s a Banana Republic store now) but I do miss its marquee, which was a massive neon affair that rotated. I keep trying to find a picture for you, my dear readers, but so far I have been unsuccessful.

4. The Doghouse: Everyone misses the Doghouse, and it’s really quite pedestrian to miss the Doghouse, but miss it I do. From its crusty lounge to its skanky food, it was a 24-hour Seattle institution.

5. Rocket to Mars: This was a sad, tacky “thrill” ride at the Seattle Center Fun Forest. Most of its effects didn’t work, and sometimes it just broke down, requiring you to walk out in the dark. But it was fun.

6. The old Monorail station: I first moved to Seattle just as the old Monorail station was closing in preparation for the construction of Westlake Park and Westlake Center (which is a scar on Our Fair City) Sure, it was full of homeless and smelled like urine, but so did the rest of Seattle at the time. What can I say? Ronald Reagan brought out the urine in all of us.

7. The Orpheum Theatre: This was torn down in the late 60’s to build the Washington Plaza Hotel (later the south tower of the current Westin Hotel) I actually would simply have built the Washington Plaza Hotel one block to the east, as it is actually kind of cool, in a 1960’s hotel sort of way.

8. Trader Vic’s: This was in the Washington Plaza/Westin Hotel (another reason why I would still have the hotel built) It was a truly epic place, and was closed to make room for a tacky sushi bar that is now gone as well.

9. Ben Franklin Hotel/The Outrigger: The Benjamin Franklin Hotel was on the site of the current north tower of the Westin Hotel. Unremarkable by itself, it featured “The Outrigger” – an early incarnation of Trader Vic’s. Taken together with the Orpheum Theatre, you can see why it would have been better to build the Westin on another lot, so we could have both an Outrigger AND a Trader Vic’s!

10. Sick’s Stadium: This was right by my house, and is now a Lowes Home Improvement thing. It was quite fabulous, and the home of the Seattle Pilots (or was it the Seattle Rainiers?) a minor league baseball team. I know this sounds old and crotchety of me, but I would much rather have a minor league team that is affordable and fun to go to than that overpriced “funplex” mall known as Safeco Field.

11. The Downtown Sears: Actually, this is still in operation (the oldest operating Sears store in the nation!) but has had its coolness rather severely curtailed in recent years. From it’s fantastic candy counter to it’s turquoise clad front with Sears spelled out in three story high neon cursive script, it was quite a place.

12. The Marine Room: This was in the Olympic Hotel, and featured walls full of aquariums. It was also one of Seattle’s most exclusive haunts for the closet queen set. I never saw the Marine Room, but when I worked at the Olympic, there were quite a few old hands who had interesting stories about it.

13. Rainier Brewery: Ah, the Rainier Brewery. Rainier Beer was nothing to write home about, but the brewery tour was an awful lot of fun, in a lame sort of way. And the after-tour tasting was held in a fabulous room. It’s part of the Tully’s roasting operation now, and you can rent it for parties, but it’s just not the same.

14. Woolworth’s: Who didn’t love Woolworth’s? But most of the Woolworth’s I knew were 50’s era mall Woolworth’s (Not that there’s anything wrong with THAT!) but the downtown Woolworth’s was a fabulous Art Deco Terra Cotta Birthday Cake of a store, and the inside was as glam as a Woolworth’s gets. It’s a Ross Dress For Less now, which is nowhere near as cool as its predecessor.

15. The 611 Tavern: This was a tacky, nasty, scary, gay bar down off of Pioneer Square. I was there once, and a woman who was getting thrown out for being drunk (and you really had to be DRUNK to get thrown out of the 611) said she was coming back with her gun to kill us all. Fun times!

16. Spin’s Friendly Tavern: The straight version of the 611, and as such, much more genuinely terrifying.

So that’s it. That’s all I would have kept. I love Seattle as it is, but it would have been neat if these things had survived to today.

A Magnificent Vulgarian

You know how I am both fascinated and repelled by Ann Coulter. I can't figure out what she is, on so many levels: Is she a transsexual? Is she for real, or just some bizare performance artist? What would it be like to go bowling with her?

I think part of my fascination stems from the very human instinct to stare at the freak. In that respect, she's like Tammy Faye Baker, but at least Tammy is a nice person. Anne doesn't seem to be that, at least not from where I stand.

How can anyone be so relentlessly, boringly, tediously nasty, all the time? I can expect that of a certain sort of middle-aged man (Bill O'Reilly) but woman are usually not overt assholes. Is she really that unpleasant, or is it all an act? If it is an act, why? If it's not an act, what's wrong with her?

pass the delusional please.....

Our true blue Cowboy Dear Leader has convinced some business types in Midland Texas that there's gold in them there museums

Never mind that he only lived there for about four years, after having been born with the proverbial silver spoon in the bad old Liberal Northeast. Forget that he soon left Midland for exclusive private boarding schools and Yale. HE'S A GOOD OL' TEXAS BOY, GODDAMMITT!

It's like GLASS, I tells ya! GLASS!

So Saturday I'm rattling around the house, wondering what to do with myself, and I decided to tackle this kitchen floor thing that has been hanging over my head like a veritable sword of damacles.

As you regular readers know, the Colonel and I peeled back all of the remarkably ugly press-on tiles in our kitchen and found a lovely formica pattern underneath it. We were waiting for the carpenters to finish up before we could start the deep cleaning, and since they are finally all done, I decided to just dive in there and make a big mess while the Colonel was at work. I find that's really the best way to start a project (Thanks, Mrs Cryer, for the tip).

So I locked up the dogs, got out my buckets, mops and Oxi-Clean (which isn't just a gimmick!)and stripped the floor down, getting rid of most of the old glue marks (having to be very careful about the little colored rectangles getting smeared.) Working in small areas, on my hands and knees, I was able to get most of it done by the time the Colonel got home. In fact, the Colonel was so impressed with my progress that he joined in (which was my hidden agenda) and by 10pm we had finished with the Oxi-Clean, stripped the floor of any remaining wax, and put the first coat of Future Floor Wax on it. (Did you know that Future was developed in the 1950's specifically for linoleum floors, and has only had its formula altered once (to add fragrance)? It's true!)

Yesterday was spent applying coat after coat of Future. We went through six bottles, and by the time it was done, the floor was as shiny as the day is long. So shiny, in fact, that it's hard to get a good picture of it. It looks Mahvelous!

Once we get done painting the kitchen (which I am dreading, as I am a horrible painter. In fact, I'm hoping to palm that off on the Colonel and the Greek) the kitchen will be done, and we can move on to the next project (painting the living room)

...and at some point we have to do something about the damned deck....

Isn't it Ironic?

There's a website I like to visit from time to time called forgottendetroit.com . It's published by a college kid who is really into the great architecture that sits rotting in Detroit. For the most part, I really enjoy the pictures he has taken but one of them really annoys me. You can see it here.

The "Greatest President" he's referring to is, of course, Ronald Reagan - a guy to whom Detroit can rightfully lay a good chunk of the blame for its current state. Why anyone would think Reagan was anything but the second worse president is beyond me (the first worst is W, of course - and just for the Record, Franklin Roosevelt was the greatest, followed by Lincoln)

It's like a certain segment of the population at Today's World Magazine. Truly nice guys, brilliant at what they do, but naive as hell about the world around them (if you haven't guessed already, they're computer programmers.) They vote Republican because they think they are "rich" and because they think they are "rational". Ignore the fact that every company they've ever worked for since college - including Today's World - has either gone under or almost went under (although, I hasten to say, Today's World is now doing quite well - in large part because it's run by liberal Democrats, who have no illusions about what great businessmen the GOP supposedly are)

If we could only get more people to look beyond the colorful flags and shiny objects and see what these crooks are really about, we'd be a much healthier nation. But we've always been big on self-deception in this country, and history shows it usually takes something very unpleasant to wake us up.

But, in the meantime, it's worth wasting a few hours of work to visit forgottendetroit.com .

LADIES! Get a grip!

(A classic example of Ladies Not Getting Along. Jacqueline Susann and Judy Garland were not fond of each other.)

Actually, my "shout-out" (as the kids say) to the fairer sex is not addressed to you female readers of The Good Taste Chronicles, as you are community paradigms of taste and breeding, but I would be interested in your feedback.

What is it with all these women who don't like other women?

This came to my attention when I was unfortunate enough to hear a woman (distinctly NOT a lady) who called into the Rush Limbaugh Show (How your correspondent came to the point where he had to listen to Rush Limbaugh is another, quite unfortunate story. Suffice to say that some trades people think they can do ANYTHING when they are at your house) This woman maintained that other women couldn't be trusted to hold office. Indeed, she said she "hated" other women, and didn't trust any of them.

I, of course, wrote her off as the kind of disturbed individual who would listen to that drug-addled windbag. But then, being the type who notices things, I started to hear other, seemingly rational women espousing the same sort of opinions. Not all women mind you, but a fair cross section.

Having been an office drone throughout most of my career, I have been witness to the occasional intra-sex conflict, and it does tend to happen between women. While I can honestly say that it never happens at Today's World Magazine, it was quite common in other workplaces. I remember a particularly acute case of it when I was working as a secretary for a woman at one of Our Finer Hotels: A female client simply did not like my boss - who was a sterling woman, by the way - and she would only listen to me. It doubtless had something to do with my well-modulated, tastefully masculine voice and my masterful command of the English language, but it finally got to the point where I had to tell her, point blank, "I am Beverly's Secretary. You will have to talk to Beverly about that" (editorial note: the name were changed to protect the innocent)

I even have a close female relative (let's call her Sissy) who has an absolute genius for going into any situation where there is more than one other woman present and taking an instant dislike for one of them. She's an otherwise pleasant woman - not quite up to the level of the average Good Taste Chronicle reader, but few are, after all - but this is her Achilles heal.

If the entire female population consisted of women like Ann Coulter, Paris Hilton, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan and the ilk, I could understand this bias. But most women are perfectly acceptable individuals. Unless I'm missing something.

So what's up?

Late Night Ballsiness

Naughty!

But then again......

There is always this.

Anyone who would pick their religion based on the chance to go to church at a football stadium, or because a football player goes to that church, probably needs to rethink his theology. After all, Season tickets for the Seahawks are a lot less expensive than tithing.

What sort of wine goes with crow?

You, dear readers, have read on these hallowed pages some very strong condemnations of fundamentalist Christians over the years. And I stand behind 99.9999% of them. But sometimes you see things that in all fairness, you should point out. Particularly after I went on that whole Bible class thing a few weeks back.


Here is an interesting article about some Evangelicals that are starting to see the light about how vulgar the GOP is. While I am certain that these ministers and I don't see eye-to-eye on the majority of issues, their positions on the environment, labor, and economic justice are "spot on". I can even live with their positions on abortion! (focus on reducing pregnancies in the first place rather than beating the same dead horse about abortion. While I am adamantly pro-choice, I think the meat of the issue is sex education and access to contraception.) It's about time that some fundies figure out that the GOP will never kill their cash cow: the "scourge" of legalized abortion.

While I'm certain that these ministers would not be in favor of, say, the colonel and I waltzing off to Las Vegas for a honeymoon, their enlightened stances on other issues, and willingness to look beyond political parties, is pretty refreshing. Because, after all, ruining the planet is the height of vulgarity - even worse than the garishness of excessive corporate profits while people starve.

Maybe there's hope for the Christians yet.