littlemissattila.new.mu.nu

March 07, 2006

Beautiful Atrocities

. . . offers some sage fashion advice to Cindy Sheehan, on the occasion of her latest arrest:

Shoes: Ever hear of pumps? A lady will put up with a little sciatica as long as she looks fabulous, & you'll have all the lesbians fighting over you when they throw you in the pit!

That does it. He's my only fashion consultant from here on out.

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GOP Congresscritters

. . . apparently want to "get serious" about blogging. We'll see about that.

In related news, Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central's The Colbert Report may be one of us. Don't tell anyone in the Industry, though: I'm sure the man has bills to pay.

I hope he does know the secret handshake, though: he was incredible on Strangers with Candy, one of the best TV shows ever made.

(Via Insty.)

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March 06, 2006

So. Washer-Dryers.

I've been doing my mother's laundry since October. (I pick it up, then drop it off the next time I see her.)

Now that she has the second mortgage in place, she thinks it's time to get a washer and dryer. Oddly enough, I'm being really supportive of this idea.

It looks like this will be a splurge: she'd really like to get a state-of-the-art European-style front-loader, and I think it's justified since it'll be a big energy saver. Besides, she lives simply in most ways.

So: thoughts on those water-wise washers? It needs to be big enough to handle queen-size comforters. Other than that, we just want a good deal, and something sooper-dooper energy efficient.

(Yes, I'll drop by the Consumer Reports website before I head out to take her shopping.)

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Personally,

I liked the Simpsons back when they were pure, Man. Before they sold out. I'm talking the Tracy Ullman days, Man. When they got their own show, it all turned to shit.

Hat tip: Georgie Girl, of the Capers Club.

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Okay; I'm Out of the Game for Awhile.

Clients to feed. Sorry.

You can always check out my blogroll, and let me know which addresses therein are obsolete. (I haven't pruned it in a while.)

Or, you know. Read an ook-bay.

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I Was Naughty and Ditched the Oscars.

Because I have work to do tomorrow, and because—let's face it—there's too much of them these days.

However, PJ Media covered it. So I was able to read their entries over and kind of glean the highlights: which dresses showed off the most cleavage, how offensive the political commentary was. You know.

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March 05, 2006

Who Moved My Civil War?

Reynolds, on that Iraqi Civil War that really should be on its way, somewhere over the rainbow: "The press had better hope we win this war, because if we don't, a lot of people will blame the media."

Yup. Head over there: he's got good handful of links on media attempts to manufacture a juicy, delicious civil war, and quotes Greyhawk at The Mudville Gazette on the media's bad faith:

There are no requirements for media outlets to acknowledge that they are printing unverified claims made by "other parties" in the war as confirmed "news"—as was the case in the aftermath of the Shrine bombing (See here and here). But consumers of those reports should be aware of their flaws.

It's worth going over there as well: Greyhawk provides specifics from General Casey's press conference on mosque bombings and militia attacks, and then quotes the way these segments were misrepresented in The New York Times and the Washington Post. Pretty amazing stuff.

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A Spirited Discussion Today

With Zeke regarding the old Cuba vs. China issue. It's interesting that Zeke and I approach the issue completely differently: he suspects that the reason we're engaging China is because it's such a ridiculously big market, and because it provides us cheap goods that sell like hotcakes.

I say that we might be attempting constructive engagement with Cuba if the noose were just a bit looser around its people's necks, and if the Cuban population in Florida didn't feel quite so strongly about punishing Castro's regime.

I also point out that the State Department's policies toward China have to reflect a friendliness no one quite feels, since we need China's help to keep North Korea in line. Not to mention making nice-nice with the Chinese directly, lest our vaguely competitive relationship turn into something chillier.

As we talk it emerges that Zeke feels commercial interests control the State Department, and it strikes me as an odd idea: State is run by career bureaucrats, for the most part. Some policy is made in the executive branch, but even that doesn't change with the winds to the degree people seem to imagine. Things like blockades are determined by politicians, rather than companies.

"Prove that I lie."

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1 since we need China's help to keep North Korea in line Which is precisely why China allows N Korea a long leash, to distract us from Taiwan

Posted by: beautifulatrocities at March 05, 2006 07:00 AM (OKRMc)

2 There are several reasons why we treat China differently than Cuba. 1) China has an army of over two million. Not to mention lots of nukes. A war with China would be devastating. If Cuba ever invaded the United States the Miami Police department could crush their invasion. 2) The only reason we pay much attention to Cuba is the vocal Cuban population down in Florida. At one time Castro could be considered a legitimate threat to us because he was backed by the big bad Soviet Union. But now he is as much a threat to us as a squirrel is to an elephant. The economic blockade we have set up against Cuba is counterproductive. A sign of intelligence is to change tactics when the tactics that you have tried for years fail to produce the desired change. When you bang your head against the wall a thousand times without making a dent in the wall then if you are smart you will stop hitting your head against the wall and try to find some other way around it. 3) Your friend Zeke is correct when stating that one reason we are gently engaging China is because it is such a huge business market. That doesnÂ’t necessarily mean that the State Department is controlled by business interests. One does not need to be in the hip pocket of the business lobby to realize that, all other things being equal, two nations with mutually beneficial trade relations are less likely to go to war than two nations without interdependent markets. 4) China holds hundreds of billions of dollars in U.S. Treasuries. There is no way they would dump them all at once under normal circumstances. But suppose Taiwan gets too uppity for them and China decides to crush them militarily. Now, suppose the U.S. sends its aircraft carriers steaming toward China in an effort to help Taiwan. What happens to the U.S. economy if China dumps their dollars all at once? Bond prices will plummet. Interest rates will skyrocket. The housing market bubble will burst. A recession seems guaranteed. And speaking of Taiwan, is their President nuts? President Chen scrapped TaiwanÂ’s National Unification CouncilÂ—a move that is guaranteed to piss off Beijing. http://tinyurl.com/otls2 Now, I can understand their desire to separate from the mainland, but doesnÂ’t Chen read a newspaper? Maybe he hasnÂ’t heard that the U.S. is engaged in a war on terror and that we are stretched pretty thin with our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. I hope that President Bush is on the phone telling Chen that if he is counting on the U.S. to pull his fat out of the fire after this provocative act then he has a big surprise coming. We just donÂ’t have the horses to come to his aid, even if we wanted to.

Posted by: Robin Messing at March 05, 2006 08:57 AM (Tb/DW)

3 First: Dump the Mac and get a real computer. That takes care of the problem from your last post. Second: Make a list of the "career beaurocrats" at State who haven't gotten where they are without kissing the ass of "commercial interests". That will solve your quandry in this post. Third: Rice for President!?!? Keep the Prozac, it sounds like you need it more than the Mac.

Posted by: Jeff I at March 05, 2006 10:31 AM (kC+lo)

4 oops...."bureauocrats", not the way I spelled it before. But then again, most of them were somebody's "beau" to get where they are.

Posted by: Jeff I at March 05, 2006 10:36 AM (kC+lo)

5 Robin: I think you're on the right track. And I agree that it's time to end the blockade and subvert Cuba in the usual way--by giving the Marxists enough rope . . . Jeff: Very innovative. Not everyone thinks of folding in material from a joke post to respond to a serious post. You sound like a creative guy. Needless to say, i don't share your views of State. And I'm wondering why, if civil servants are kissing up to commercial interests, most of them don't have, you know, some money to show for it. But thank you for playing.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 05, 2006 11:56 AM (s96U4)

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March 04, 2006

I Tried the Talking Clock Function

. . . on the system in my Mac. The idea is, it announces the time every hour on the hour, so you have an awareness of time as it goes by.

After all, Attila the Hub uses it. So it must be good. His announces the time in a Lurch voice.

I try for something softer. I think perhaps a female voice is a good idea. No. But the whole concept doesn't work for me: when the computer tells me it's thus-and-such time, I get furious and defensive. I think it's accusing me of being a slacker. I find myself asking it who wanted to know?—and, what the fuck are you doing that's so freaking productive?

I explain to it that I work hard, and don't appreciate its nagging.

So what I'd like to know is what can be done about my computer's personality disorders. I like it, but I just feel it needs . . . well, Prozac. How do I do that? Can I just sprinkle it into the CD drive or something?

I mean, it's a good computer. I just think it might be time for an intervention, and an SSRI.

I want to help.

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So, I'm Eating Greek Food at Lunch

. . . with Hog Beatty and his friend, Zeke. Hog was at this restaurant last weekend with another buddy of his, and today we sit outside near the Venice "boardwalk" (no, it does not contain boards). It's a beautiful day by the beach.

The waitress, Mona, remembers Hog and calls him by name. We order, and she comes up to chat with us a bit. I ask her what part of England she's from, and she fills us in on her background, her upcoming travel plans, and what it's like to be an emigre in the States. She doesn't spare the eye contact with Hog. She goes back inside the restaurant.

"You should come here more often," I tell Hog, who still appears oblivious.

"What? You mean, so I can get in Mona's good graces."

"'Good graces' isn't how I'd put it," Zeke remarks.

Mona comes back out and chats with us some more, confiding that she's going to be working a lot of late shifts this week so she can fly back home. Then she excuses herself to go to another table.

"It's like money in the bank," I remark to Hog, and Zeke smiles. Hog appears to think we're making it up, but his antennae are up now, and when Mona shows up to collect the check and chat a bit more she holds the eye contact a bit longer.

"We're going for a short walk along the boardwalk," Zeke informs her.

"I envy you," she tells us. "It's lovely along the beach."

"What time did you say you leave work?" Hog asks.

"Midnight."

"I'll be here," he tells her, as Zeke and I grin into our water glasses.

Hog may start out slow, but he certainly catches up in a hurry.

Zeke is married, with a child. I'm married, with a mortgage. We're having fun watching the kids play the game—never mind that Hog is older than both of us. He's divorced, and free, and getting hit on by a waitress from Nottiingham. And, you know: hitting back.

We walk along the boardwalk just up to muscle beach, wander back, and get into Zeke's Honda. We take Hog back to his apartment and tell him to rest up.

'Cause, you know. It might be a long night.

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What a Great Evening.

Dinner tonight with Darleen Click and her charming husband, a photographer/bass player who likes a lot of the same classic rock music I love to crank when I'm driving.

"Drums and bass," I tell him. "No one appreciates either one enough. But there's no rock and roll without either one."

The occasion? Well, I forgot to return Darleen's camera last summer when she left it at my house, and she knows I love good Mexican food—so she wanted to share her family's favorite Mexican place with me. My own husband has a badass deadline, so I bore my guilt and went out for excellent food, fun music, margaritas, and terrific conversation. And, uh, to finally return that camera.

Needless to say, with Darleen's excellent law-enforcement contacts, I got plenty of story ideas, but I'm not sharing them with any of you, lest you steal them and execute them imperfectly. (The former is bad enough, but the latter is entirely unacceptable.)

What amazes me is this: one assumes a lot of the writers out there on the web—bloggers, especially—cannot be as engaging in real life as they are online.

Of course, most of 'em are. It turns out that the world is full of smart people. I mean, smart like X-Acto blades.

Having an online presence can be like panning for gold: it isn't until things get shaken up a bit that you realize whom you like and trust.

Not that this didn't happen to me in high school: I have a core group of friends now whom I've held onto for better than 30 years. But to have it happen all over again, to find people who walk in real life like they talk online, is frosting on the cake.

Thank you, Darleen. (Green corn tamales in a few months, and maybe Attila the Hub will be able to make it! Can't wait.)

Excelsior.

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Jeff Attempts

. . . some straight talk with Sean Hannity.

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March 03, 2006

A Little Tag-Team Action:

Hitchens and Goldstein tackle Francis Fukuyama. Contains some good challenges for my lefty readers (and I know you're out there: I can seeee you).

The Hitchens excerpt is relatively short; read it if you dare.

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I'm Not Really a Size Whore,

but this is impressive.

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March 02, 2006

I Went with My Mother Today

. . . to serve a three-day notice on one of her tenants.

That's the very hardest part of property management. It's probably just as well that I went with her.

She's doing the right thing, but even when someone's trying to game the system a bit it tears one's heart out when anyone falls on hard times. Particularly when they're used to a healthy income. In the best possible universe all our incomes would chart out into a nice, consistent upward trajectory. Almost no one I know has experienced this: instead, it's fat times and lean times and fat again and lean again. And suddenly there we are, practicing the same economies we did in our twenties. The ones we thought we'd left behind for good: Clipping coupons. Cooking from scratch. Ordering just a beverage or an appetizer when we feel we must go out with others. Nothing too onerous, but stuff we thought we'd outgrown.

There's no comfort to be found in this process. I drove her there, I met the tenant, I shook his hand. And I kept my mouth shut.

Snark is for blogging. Not real life.

My mother depends on this income. So, fuck. It's gotta be done. Also: fuck.

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1 Its not an easy thing to evict. The worse ones to do were HUD evictions where some owner would default on a loan and we'd go in and evict everyone so they could resell the property, the government would provided some moving expenses but it wasn't enough. Of course then there are those tenants who have no respect for anything and you're glad to be rid of them. Myself, Aunt and Grandfather have some doozie stories about tenants posessed by the devil (even one that called herself the Son of God, yes I said herself, and sued on behalf of God). On the positive side the tenant didn't curse or threaten you.

Posted by: the Pirate at March 03, 2006 07:36 AM (0ZKi5)

2 Good people don't take "involuntary" loans from people they hardly know, no matter how bad things get. Time to return to the nest and live off mom and pop for awhile, just like nature intended. For the record, I have helped more people than I can remember off the top of my head. I don't recall a single one ever coming around and asking if I need anything. It doesn't matter. I still do what I can, even if it's only directing them to government agencies and private groups that can help them through the current predicament. It's always tough to do what needs to be done in these situations. You handled it perfectly.

Posted by: Darrell at March 03, 2006 10:29 AM (I4hUH)

3 Well, I felt a bit better when the guy's attorney called my mother to tell her she probably didn't realize this--and he knows she's been very nice to his client--but she was in "serious, willful" violation of his bankruptcy terms. This is the bankruptcy that (1) my mother was told she would be excluded from, as his landlady; and (2) she's never received official notice of. But after I got mad, it struck me as hilarious.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 03, 2006 11:09 AM (s96U4)

4 We had a few cases like that where the filed for it at differnent points in the eviction process. I can't recall all the steps, but its still possible in many cases to go ahead, just ends up costing more in legal fees and going to bankruptcy court.

Posted by: the Pirate at March 03, 2006 11:54 AM (0ZKi5)

5 Well, she was able to take out a second on the house, which is what she needed to do to address this situation, which I guess she's been sensing might go legal. She would have been perfectly happy to see him get back on a regular payment schedule, but that isn't happening, and there are a lot of broken promises and bounced checks. This is all in addition to the fact that when they first moved in they bargained her down on the rent. And I'm not even mentioning the time this tenant called my husband's office (listed as an emergency contact) because he felt my mother hadn't returned his call quite quickly enough regarding a (non-emergency) plumbing problem. The whole thing sucks.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 03, 2006 12:43 PM (s96U4)

6 Has he seen your "Finnish anti-tank rifle?" Or have you shown up at all hours of the day and night, wearing your crisp nurse's whites, an eye patch, doing your best "Darryl Hanna" impersonation, with that nasty looking glass syringe, whistling 'sha...sha ......sha...sha..sha..."? Some people just can do the right thing on their own.

Posted by: Darrell at March 03, 2006 01:38 PM (0iY89)

7 Oh, believe me--if I didn't want to risk messing up my mom's situation if they could document "harrassment," I'd just get a lawn chair and a book, park myself outside for days at a time, and simply look at them everytime they left. No words, no nothing. Just letting them know, that, very literally, I've got my eye on them. Not even wearing my NRA button. Nothing technically illegal, but annoying. However, who wants to give their attorney someone else to go after? I mean, I lived in that house from the ages of 12 to 18. A quarter of that house also happens to be my retirement plan.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 03, 2006 02:29 PM (s96U4)

8 Maybe we can call upon the massive army that reads this blog and arrange a convenient time for a few minutes of harmonic convergence a day aimed at the old homestead. "Ohmmmm(hold it for as long as you can)GET OUT YOU SON OF A JACKAL!" Repeat. Let's see him document THAT for court!

Posted by: Darrell at March 03, 2006 09:40 PM (yaaKe)

9 Is a good part of why I employ a good property management firm now. Not a headache I care to deal with, and the 11% is worth the loss of hassle.

Posted by: Desert Cat at March 03, 2006 10:09 PM (xdX36)

10 Why do scientists now use lawyers instead of lab rats in their experiments? 1) They don't have to worry about getting attached to the lawyers. 2) There is no public outcry against cruelty to lawyers. 3) There are some things even a rat won't do. Actually, this looks like a case for overlawyered.com What I don't get is how does he have enough money to pay a lawyer if he doesn't have enough to pay the rent? Lawyers don't come cheap.

Posted by: Robin Messing at March 04, 2006 07:45 PM (Tb/DW)

11 Part of the bankruptcy package.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 04, 2006 10:09 PM (s96U4)

12 I'm sure I don't have to tell you that you'll be needing a lawyer. Bankruptcy may protect him from the past due rent(if that was included), but it won't give him a place to stay for life. From:http://www.nolo.com/product.cfm/ObjectID/1A3B8DEF-78AA-460B-A48F614FE5E1A794/update/1/104/ New Bankruptcy Legislation Affects Residential Evictions Effective date: Oct. 17, 2005 The Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 affects the procedures landlords must follow when dealing with a tenant who has filed for bankruptcy. Generally, if a tenant has filed for either Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy and is behind in the rent, becomes unable to pay the rent, or violates another term of the tenancy that would justify a termination, a landlord cannot deliver a termination notice or proceed with an eviction. This prohibition is known as the Â“automatic stay,Â” and it means that landlords must go to the federal bankruptcy court and ask the judge to Â“liftÂ” (remove) the stay. (U.S. Code Ã‚Â§ 365(e).) In most cases, the judge will lift the stay within a matter of days and the landlord can proceed with a termination and eviction. (Landlords donÂ’t have to go to court if a tenant is using illegal drugs or endangering the property, as explained below in Â“Bankrupt Tenants, Drugs, and Damage.Â”) The automatic stay does not apply, however, if the eviction lawsuit is over and the landlord obtained a judgment for possession before the tenant filed for bankruptcy. In this situation, under the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005, landlords can generally proceed with the eviction without having to go to court and ask for the stay to be lifted. In very narrow circumstances, and only for evictions based on rent nonpayment, a tenant can stop the eviction even if the landlord got a judgment before the tenant filed for bankruptcy (California does not give tenants this option). A tenant has only 30 days after filing for bankruptcy to try this -- and must complete all three of the following steps: The tenant must file a paper with the court certifying that state law allows the tenant to avoid eviction by paying the unpaid rent, even after the landlord has won a judgment for possession. Very few states extend this option to tenants (California is not one of them). The certification must be served on the landlord. The tenant must deposit with the clerk of the bankruptcy court any rent that would be due 30 days from the date the petition was filed. The tenant must certify to the bankruptcy court (and serve the landlord with this certification) that he has paid the back rent. At any point during the 30-day period, the landlord can file an objection to the tenantÂ’s certification. The court will hold a hearing within 10 days. If the landlord convinces the judge that the tenantÂ’s certifications are not true, the court will lift the stay and the landlord can proceed to recover possession of the property.

Posted by: Darrell at March 06, 2006 08:47 PM (OG19A)

13 She would sooooo settle for getting rent. She just needs her income reinstated. This tenant, BTW, drives a nicer car than she does, or I do, or my husband does. And she does have an attorney, thank goodness.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 06, 2006 11:07 PM (s96U4)

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So. What Is My Relationship with the Computer

. . . doing for my attention-span problem? Helping it, I'm beginning to suspect.

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A Tale of Two Clients

Most publishers who contemplate some sort of long-term relationship want a test project, which I don't mind doing. Of course, the tests that are strictly copyediting/proofreading can be annoying: particularly the one that was heavy on the foreign words and phrases, but didn't provide a Wester's 10 (the standard paper edition used in most publications right now [online is 11, and also respected]). And the sub-standard dictionary provided didn't contain the particular foreign phrases used. Other than that, it was an open-book test. Want to verify that the accents are right? Well, tough, Girl: you should have majored in French. Not English.

I sometimes wish the industry would just standardize those tests, and license people, so I don't need to go through the motion of acing their tests. Can't someone simply certify me as God's gift to detail?

Mostly these tests take a lot of time, and are graded by people who firmly believe that copyediting is an objective art. It isn't. Even proofreading isn't a completely objective process.

Client #1 sends me a couple of test stories, including one that needs to be cut. This is good thinking, of course: copy-fitting is one of the most delicate tasks an editor needs to perform: it's easy to cut the essentials out by mistake.

So, so far so good.

Then the client's wrangler asks if I have an example of a story I've edited, and I have to say, no: I can't imagine any author agreeing to let one of the line editors take manuscripts of his/her stories home as work samples (or galleys, even). And I've signed a confidentiality agreement for most clients. Even when I haven't, it's never occurred to me to take proprietary information home with me. (Charts with printer's impositions, sure: I do have a reference folder with some industry-wide information. But that's no one's company secret.)

I tell them "no," and hope that the question was an ethics test of some sort. Surely it was a trick question. I invite them to send me another story, something really "tough," to make up for my being too discreet to steal in-house material.

Then client #2 calls, and wants some help with the direction a particularly long project is going in. I read the stuff that is forwarded to me, and of course it's fantastic. I know what's going on: it's hard not to get lost in the woods when you've got a monster project in front of you. And there are times any writer could swear it all sucks, big time.

But one has to keep on going. I tell him it's great material. I can edit it, sure, but it's compelling work and the final project will be something special. And I'm utterly sincere in this.

Never mind that I'm an incredible prose stylist—if I do say so myself. This particular client is a terrific storyteller. I come home and ask my husband, "who the fuck am I to advise so-and-so on such-and-such?"

"He's paying you to do that," points out Attila the Hub. So he is. And I realize that I'm a very lucky woman indeed: working with people whose projects I genuinely believe in—who represent quality—is a privilege.

So, yes: I suspect I'll be acing this test, and working with Client #1. Because they're doing something extraordinary, and I know it. And they'll sense that I know it.

It's not something most people can fake. At least—I can't.

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A Double Hawkins Poll . . .

This time, his readers take on

The Best Moments in American History

and The Worst Moments in American History.

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March 01, 2006

Catholic Town!

Coming soon, to a warm, humid environment near you.

Hm. I think utopian communities are interesting, but I tend to have mixed emotions about those based on religious beliefs.

For some reason this particular project bothers me, probably because I think some of the best conversations going on right now are between the orthodox of various monothistic religions—in particular, within the various strains of Christianity (including Roman Catholicism) and between Christianity and Judaism. No interaction means no healthy exchange of ideas.

Via Laurence, who suggests that "more good than bad will come of it." I'm still ambivalent, of course. And, naturally, I would never live in such a place.

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1 A university town?Â… With pharmacies that wonÂ’t sell condoms or birth control? !!!ROFLMAO!!!

Posted by: Yolanda at March 02, 2006 04:03 AM (dLzW2)

2 Surrounding towns will do a brisk business in all of the aboves, along with liquid KY.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 02, 2006 07:57 AM (s96U4)

3 I have friends who attended Ave Maria School of Law (paid for by Monaghan) and I attended another Catholic university on whose board Monaghan sat. He was a huge donor to the university. My school was/is VERY conservative. There were certainly kids screwing around, but the general peer pressure was to not be sexually active or drunk or stoned. I knew many of the people in such a small school (1,800) and the people I knew were either chaste or hiding their sex lives very well. (Which is unlikely considering the level of intimacy we all shared spiritually, socially, and politically. Most people were in Â“Households.Â”) Still, there were a couple shot gun weddings in my four years there. I guess what IÂ’m trying to say is that you might be surprised to learn that people actually do practice what they preach. I did for a long time. Also, consider the Amish. TheyÂ’re odd and have their own problems, but they are surprisingly successful at maintaining their way of life.

Posted by: Patrick at March 02, 2006 08:32 AM (MDQPq)

4 Well, I was probably being a bit glib, but I worry about the emotional backlash re: such phenomena as "shotgun weddings." I see that leading to ill-considered marriages. I think it might be preferable to wink at some adolescent experimentation vs. encouraging young people to trap themselves in that way.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 02, 2006 08:59 AM (s96U4)

5 "Surrounding towns will do a brisk business in all of the aboves, along with liquid KY." LOL! And shaving creamÂ… for those hairy palms! Hey Patrick, I hope you didnÂ’t take offense. IÂ’m a catholic too, albeit, not a good one. Kudos to the students of your university, but you have to admit, college students with priorities other than study, booze & sex (in whatever order) are a rare thing indeed. However, if itÂ’s anything like the all-girls parochial high school I went toÂ… the image of chasteness put forth was vastly different from reality.

Posted by: Yolanda at March 02, 2006 09:22 AM (dLzW2)

6 It is the custom of the Roman Church which I unworthily serve with the help of God, to tolerate some things, to turn a blind eye to some, following the spirit of discretion rather than the rigid letter of the law. Pope Gregory VII I think itÂ’s better to hold up the ideal with the understanding that it is an ideal. Striving to live up to it does not always mean success. I can think of many more shot gun weddings among my non practicing Catholic friends and family.

Posted by: Patrick at March 02, 2006 09:25 AM (MDQPq)

7 Yes. One ought to have ideals to strive toward. However: I cannot think of a worse reason to get married than an unintended pregnancy--particularly when there are so many couples who would love to adopt the baby.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 02, 2006 10:06 AM (s96U4)

8 Hey. I got an idea. If you want to live there, go ahead. If you don't, stay away. I would bet that there are at least a couple of dozen other towns in the US, if not more.

Posted by: Darrell at March 02, 2006 10:11 AM (ZcVKO)

9 However: I cannot think of a worse reason to get married than an unintended pregnancy I can think of several.

Posted by: Patrick at March 02, 2006 11:16 AM (MDQPq)

10 Marrying because on an unintended pregnancy doesn't bode well for the future harmony of the marriage, or the well being of a child. Specially in religion where divorce is considered a grave offense. Â”It is the custom of the Roman Church ~, to tolerate some things, to turn a blind eye to someÂ” ThatÂ’s OK, as long as we are not turning a blind eye to those priests with histories of sexual abuse and pedophilia. This recent incident in the Chicago Archdiocese where a priest accused of abusing a boy, was left in his post after the first allegation, and proceeded to abuse two more kidsÂ… is not good!

Posted by: Yolanda at March 02, 2006 03:27 PM (dLzW2)

11 I'm catholic. The prospect of an all catholic town seems a little scary. Unless we had Little Miss Attilia & Hub, and likeminded neighbors. What would be scary is pre-Vatican 2 neighbors. Ugh.

Posted by: chuck at March 02, 2006 06:57 PM (R/J3m)

12 My attitude is, "artificial birth control and IVF are dreadful, just dreadful. Have you seen my nail file? What should we wear to the fundraiser next month?" I guess, contra Oscar Wilde, I think one can be entirely too earnest about these things.

Posted by: Attila Girl at March 02, 2006 07:13 PM (s96U4)

13 Yolanda, you might want to review the story of Rev. Daniel McCormack and Cardinal George a bit, before you repeat it anywhere else. http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-card03.html The matter(two boys coming forward saying they were molested between 9-2001 and !-2005) was turned over to the County's State's Attorney's office when it first came to light. Rev. McCormack was assigned a watcher, another priest, to assure that he was never alone with another child. The priest was eventually charged on Jan. 21, 2006 with abused charges stemming from those allegations. He was removed from his duties at that time. In early February, another boy came forward saying that he was abused, and at least some of the incidents happened when the priest was supposedly under watch. Remember the civil authorities are free to arrest anyone they choose to when they have a sufficient case. This is the first case in Chicago that deals with real-time abuse allegations. The other cases during George's term have dealt with cases where the abuse dates back years--more than thirty years in a few instances. Obviously, some adjustments have to be made in the Archdiocese's procedures to deal with allegations of abuse.

Posted by: Darrell at March 02, 2006 08:53 PM (PcgN9)

14 "artificial birth control and IVF are dreadful, just dreadful." Is holding a pencil between one's knees considered artificial? Here's a story from The Chicago Tribune: Priest accused of sexual abuse pleads not guilty I hope it means the end to the "blind eye" where child abuse is concerned.

Posted by: Yolanda at March 03, 2006 11:22 AM (dLzW2)

15 Yolanda, I find it irrittating that you took the quote I shared from Pope Gregory the Great and posted a sort of snorting, eyes rolled reponse to it. It just bugs me. Yolanda, don't be such a cynic. Catholics are well aware of the failings of a handful of priests and some of our hierarchy. If you go to mass on any random Sunday you might come across ANOTHER talk about the issue or the announcement of a new program or the announcement of a hotline. Whatever. Yeah, yeah, we all know about it. We want to solve the problem. Can we not make this the only thing we talk about? For the record: I would not want to live in an "All Catholic town." However, my college years were some of the funnest, most intense and life affirming years of my life. I was surrounded night and day by "all Catholics" and things weren't so bad.

Posted by: Patrick at March 03, 2006 12:45 PM (nJ9g3)

16 Patrick, I assure you, I wasnÂ’t snorting or rolling my eyes when I wrote that comment. But we have been invited to state our opinions. In this case, Ave Maria town, which I personally have no issues with except that I doubt theyÂ’ll be able to restrict the use of contraceptives. In fact IÂ’m pretty proud of my faith and those that practice it, to the point that currently, the only thing I hold against it, is the child abuse scandals. So I apologize if thatÂ’s the only thing IÂ’ve been ranting about. I could sit here a list all the things that are great about my church... like Pope Benedict XVIÂ… he ROCKS!!! But I doubt anyone would read such a long post. IÂ’m proud IÂ’m able to be critical of my church. When the Catholic Church was fraught by scandal, to the point that I couldnÂ’t open a newspaper without being embarrassed by some editorial cartoon lampooning the tragedy of a few children abused by a FEW priestsÂ… I turned my anger on my church, and demanded they do better, and spare us such embarrassment, unlike other folk that demand the heads of the editorial cartoonists. Oh, and about abusing your quote of Pope Gregory the Great... Point taken.

Posted by: Yolanda at March 04, 2006 09:07 AM (dLzW2)

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One Definition of a "Good Aunt"

One who's seen 4-5 acts over the past 25 years at L.A.'s Wiltern Theatre, and can help you figure out which seats will be the best when you go there for a rock concert this spring.

Yeah. I got niece points. They're good to have.

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