World of Suck

Who cares?

A co-worker decided to stop at a local Walmart (or as they say Walmarts in these parts). While there, she saw a guy walking in wearing a kilt and a cowboy hat. However, this was not your typical tartan kilt, it appeared to be made of tan canvas material, not unlike the material Carhartt uses to make pants. So I went to google and I found Utilikilts.

Kilts are unusual in the US. It's not something many of us see everyday. Seeing one in something other than a traditional tartan is more unusual. Seeing someone with kilt and a cowboy hat is even more unusual still. So I can completely understand my co-worker's double take. I would have stared, too.

I get the whole kilt thing. It is obvious that a kilt affords far more "ventilation" on a warm sticky day, like it is here today, than jeans or even shorts. However, I noticed one of the pictures on the Utilikilt shows a man doing carpentry in his kilt. To me, wood = splinters. To me, the less skin surface are I leave exposed to splinters the better. A kilt is not so good at coverage. I'm sure you can figure out where I am going with this.

I can only conclude that men that do construction work in kilts are either 1) the manliest and toughest men alive or 2) numb headed morons who can not fathom having a splinter jammed into.....

Can you say OVERPAID? I sure the fuck can. They're all special and belong to the same club the "I RAPE EMPLOYEES FOR MY OWN BENEFIT" club.

The median pay for all CEOs in 2012 was $9.7 million.

Top 10 of 2012:

1.Leslie Moonves, CBS, $60.3 million, down 12 percent

2.David Zaslav, Discovery Communications, $49.9 million, down 5 percent

3.Bob Iger, Disney, $37.1 million, up 18 percent

4.Philippe Dauman, Viacom, $33.4 million, down 22 percent

5.John Donahoe, eBay, $29.7 million, up 81 percent

6.Brian Roberts, Comcast, $29.1 million, up 8 percent

7.Howard Schultz, Starbucks, $28.9 million, up 80 percent

8.Ken Chenault, American Express, $28 million, up 25 percent

9.Rex Tillerson, Exxon Mobil, $27.2 million, up 8 percent

10.Kent Thiry, DaVita HealthCare, $26.8 million, up 53 percent (AP)

Not one million, not ten but TENS OF MILLIONS, these fuckers are taking home more money than entire city budgets. But are they contributing more to society than police, fire, trash collection, education, social services and ever goddamned other thing a town provides for it's residents? Or are they just sucking their own dicks and patting each other on the back with wads of green shoved between their greedy fingers?

I think you know which one *I* think is the right answer.

So next time you need some cash, want to fund your local charity, or support the gym teachers in your school that are getting laid off because your town can't afford a hockey/soccer/diving team any more CALL ONE OF THESE ASSHOLES AND ASK THEM TO SPARE A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND. It's probably less than 1% of what they're taking home.

Wonder what they do with all that money. Probably just buy more seats on more boards to give each other more raises.

Hate you assholes. I wish we could send everyone of you to outer space. And make you pay for your own rocket.

I know what it was like to be on the receiving end of taunts for wearing out of date, worn clothes. We was poor. I wore my cousin's hand me downs. I hated it.

The stepmother and father are parents of a child that was taunting another for her attire. The girl, Kaylee, was warned and she didn't stop. When confronted by her stepmother she showed no remorse. The target of her taunts did want to go to school anymore. That is when Kaylee's stepmom gave Kaylee's wardrobe an "update" from a thrift store. Kaylee was forced to wear the thrift store finds for two days and then she realized the error of her ways. (more info)

Some may call it cruel punishment. Personally, I applaud Kaylee's parents. And I am glad Kaylee learned her lesson - don't judge your classmates by the clothes they wear.

You might be a criminal and not know it. At least until they send you a ticket in the mail.

Certain jurisdictions are playing with the timing of their traffic lights. Not to make it safer. Not to optimize traffic flow and reduce fuel consumption and air pollution. Nope, none of those. Those jurisdictions want to fatten the coffers with money from tickets from people running red lights. And there are traffic consulting firms ready willing and able to install and monitor the systems for a cut of the action.

Shirley Nagle of Tampa, Florida, is one of those people. (link)

"I'm not a law-breaker," said Pasco County retiree Shirley Nagle, who got a red light violation on U.S. 19 after more than five decades without a traffic citation.

Nagle entered the RLC (red light camera) intersection about half a second too late in February, and was issued a $158 ticket, which soon became a $262 fine after she didn't pay it immediately. She told 10 News that she spent 32 years working in the New Jersey courts system and would never break the law. She was just proceeding through the intersection because she thought it was the safest option for her.

Back to that safety part, the part where some municipalities are putting greed over safety - Here is a link to the Traffic Engineering Manual. The yellow intervals cited are supposed to be minimums, not suggestions for intervals that a second is shaved from. Trust me, a second is a looong time when you are driving.

Don't be a criminal. Don't let your municipality put traffic ticket revenue over safety. It may generate a lot of money, but is it worth it?

Guess what! Now Big Mob Microsoft doesn't want you to "borrow" games any more. Who the fuck cares if you friend bought it fair and square. If you want to play it on your system, you better fucking pay up full price, because, well, you're not "buying" the game any more apparently you're just "renting" it.

Microsoft faces a backlash from some gamers after it emerged the company may charge a fee to play pre-owned games on its new Xbox One console.

It would also mean borrowing a game from a friend will require a payment to play, possibly the full price.

Microsoft has said gamers will be able to trade their used games online - but refused to give more details.

Microsoft's director of programming, Larry Hryb, admitted there had been some "confusion" around the policy. (BBC)

There's no "confusion" there, Microsquish has simply found a way to get people to pay MORE THAN ONCE for the same product. Really, REALLY? Haven't you fuckers learned enough from your Windows 8 debacle that you're now trying to tank the console market? ASSHOLES if I BOUGHT a fucking game, it's MINE to lend, give, shit on or use as a goddamn coaster. I don't need to have my friends pay for a game I already bought IF I LEND IT TO THEM.

Amazing.

Oh and Larry? Speaking of buying things, how about you buy a vowel for your last name? I'm guessing you have enough stock, you should be able to afford at least one.

Not all is fair in love and war, but that's hardly an excuse for the seemingly endless rollout of disaster that has been chipping away at the government. The stream of news has been so fast and wide that a blogger has difficulty tackling it all at once without posting over oneself. It's like dealing with a messy house, after a certain point you're overwhelmed and all you can do is sit down and feel bad.

The IRS debacle is not really that unusual, but it's morally and emotionally embarrassing. Had it happened eight years ago Dick would have just chuckled while W looked confused and republican voters would have shrugged. After all, when your party line is the disenfranchisement of "them" (everyone not "us") then who cares if someone is subjected to unfair scrutiny? For Democrats who walk around with T-shirts with the oft-misquoted "I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it" this is a very black mark, very black indeed. Because it's true, real democrats will hand money and the microphone to other parties who want to see them dead. Just because it's fair. And because it makes them feel, well, democratic.

Sexual harassment in the military. It went from bad to worse to "can it really get any more ironic than this?" Not just one, but multiple individuals in positions specifically to combat harassment wind up in jail for... harassment. Generals dismissing charges against their subordinates, again not once, but multiple times. It seems as if there's no end to the misery or backbone to stand up to it. Then a "pro-woman" administration takes up arms against the morning-after pill. It can get worse can't it? Because it sure as hell doesn't seem to be getting better. Maybe it's because Hilary left. Who knows?

The funny thing is that with all the mistakes and missteps public opinion isn't really at an all time low. It's as if everyone else has taken a look around and the best they can muster is a dejected look and a deep sigh. A lot like me. Yeah it's still my living room, and damn it needs a good cleaning, but not tonight I just don't have the energy.

Apple owners are well known for their "holier than thou" attitudes and expressions. It's something both the retailer and the retail-ee like to cultivate, rather like Star-schmucks, what does YOUR smartphone say about YOU? Yadda yadda. Trendy? Green? Tax-evader?

Apple has been accused of being "among America's largest tax avoiders".

A Senate committee said Apple had used "a complex web of offshore entities" to avoid paying billions of dollars in US income taxes. But it said there was no indication the firm acted illegally.

Apple chief Tim Cook will go before the panel on Tuesday. In prepared testimony Apple said it did not use tax gimmicks.

The Irish Republic, home to three Apple subsidiaries, says it is not to blame for the firm's low tax payments.

The US Senate had said that Apple paid little or nothing on billions of dollars in profits placed in Irish subsidiaries.

Really Apple isn't doing anything out of the ordinary, they're just pursuing a successful business model that let's them hang on to more of their profits. So what if it seems Un-American? I mean fuck, Apple makes its shit in China right? (Hint: Google Foxconn riots and suicides.)

Still it's got to be a little smudge on the ol'smugness to know that Apple is just the damn same as all other greedy-money-grubbing companies out there. Will it slow the sales of their goods? Not a bit. But does it give Android and Windows users something to fire back with? Maybe. Just call me Gridley...

As a parent I fully understand the need to change Junior, however the lack of available facilities doesn't make me act even more juvenile than my offspring.

DENVER, May 19 (UPI) -- Police said they responded to a Denver Starbucks after an altercation between an employee and customers who changed their son's diaper at their table.

Alex Burgos said he and his wife Ruth were getting coffee Mothers' Day weekend when their 1-year-old son Thiago needed to be changed. Ruth took him to the restroom, only to find there was no changing table, so she changed his diaper at their seat at the coffee shop, KUSA-TV, Denver, reported Sunday.

Burgos said a Starbucks employee tossed a rag to his wife and spoke to her in a "demeaning" tone.

"He said make sure to wipe the seat when you're done," he said. "They started talking amongst themselves and laughing about it."

Burgos said he poured his coffee on the floor in response, and the employees called police. No arrests were made in response to the incident.

Changing a one year old is something that can be done with the target standing up. I know, I've done it and I've seen it done. Is it at easy as lying down? No. Obviously not. Can it be done quietly and covertly in a public place? Sure, if you're quick, line everything up ahead of time and just do a virtual slight-of-hand, off-again-on-again that most parents of year-olds care capable of.

But if you throw a scene because you're offended that every place doesn't cater to your and your darling genetic byproduct, well, all bets are off aren't they?

The Burgos have one thing on their side: having quips and a rag thrown at you isn't appropriate. Chances are the baristas were on the young side and hadn't seen any prior patrons come in to change their babies on the seats. On the other hand, it's not really in the staff's job description to be wiping the seats down after a messy diaper change. Nor, really, is a coffee shop an appropriate place. Fecal matter on or near eating surfaces is clearly a concern for everyone, even those eating at McDonalds. Let's not even start with the safety issue of people walking about with hot cups.

Regardless of what was said to and by whom, Alex loses all sympathy by acting like a tool and dumping his coffee on the floor. Really? You couldn't find a more mature way to express yourself than that?

I suggest that in the future the the Burgos either get their beverages to go, or visit more "family friendly" places. Most people at Starbucks are looking to relax, chat, work on their computer, read a book and with very little kid-ready coffee cuisine, it's no surprise that there aren't "facilities" for baby changing.

Still the Borgos are pretty typical of the egotistical modern parent, thinking that the world revolves around them and a giant chain that specializes in sophisticated adult drinks should start painting happy clowns and putting mobiles in every bathroom just for them. Yeah you just had a baby, big fucking whoop. You and yours aren't really all that. After all, do you think you invented it?

Apparently in Pat's biblical world being a man is a good enough reason to get away with adultery. And women are supposed to be ok with that.

LOS ANGELES, May 17 (UPI) -- Televangelist Pat Robertson has received criticism for telling the wife of a cheating husband she should get over it because "males have a tendency to wander."[..]

A woman named Ivy wrote to Robertson for advice, saying, "We have gone to counseling, but I just can't seem to forgive, nor can I trust. How do you let go of the anger? How do you trust again?"

In response, Robertson said: "Stop talking about the cheating. He cheated on you. Well, he's a man. O.K."

"Males have a tendency to wander a little bit, and what you want to do is make the home so wonderful that he doesn't want to wander," he said.[..]

The Christian Broadcasting Network defended Robertson in a statement, saying, "As a first step in the process, Dr. Robertson stated that she should stop dwelling on the cheating. Next, he recommended that she remind herself of all the reasons she fell in love with him in the first place so that she might try to fall back in love with him all over again."

So a good Christian woman just sucks it up and keeps a light in her window for her adulterous husband, looking sadly at their wedding photo and wondering where she went wrong. Because it's ok for men to "stray" right? It's the woman's fault for having babies and getting older. When hubby divorces her sorry ass that's her fault too. She should just remember the good times and not ask for her share because, well, he's a man and she only deserves what he's willing to give her.

Pat you're an asshole. Of course the bible does NOT say it's ok for a man to cheat on his wife, nor that a woman should just put up with the abuse. But that's just stating the obvious. I don't know what third-world vision your mind has wandered into but your misogynistic bullshit sure paints a clear picture of the women-hating world that evangelicals have in store for the American girl.

Too bad that girl has grown up into the American Woman who isn't about to let herself be treated like that any more.

John Barrett isn't a douchebag. He's a used douchebag.

CINCINNATI (AP) -- For more than 100 years, the Anna Louise Inn in downtown Cincinnati has been a safe and serene home for thousands of women.

But the women recently lost a two-year fight with a Fortune 500 company determined to buy their 104-year-old property and turn it into a boutique hotel.

Now the women will have to leave.[..]

Company CEO John Barrett has said the Anna Louise Inn no longer belongs in the beautiful downtown neighborhood they share, and that a hotel in its place will be an economic boon for the city.

John you are scum. A heartless, filthy, inhuman, greedy, asshole shitstain on the underwear of humanity. Kicking women out of a shelter because you want their quaint building is vile. Fuck you motherfucker. I hope you choke on all your money. Scrooge doesn't hold a candle to you.

The irony is so strong it has stench of bullshit...

KEENE, N.H. (AP) -- The city of Keene, N.H., has sued a group that feeds change into parking meters that are about to expire, saying members are harassing enforcement officers.

The group calls itself "Robin Hood of Keene." Members walk city streets with rolls and dimes of quarters to feed the meters.

WMUR-TV reports (HTTP://BIT.LY/10GN9VW ) the city accuses the group of interfering with officers' work. It asks them to stay at least 50 feet away.

The group records its time outside and posts videos online, sometimes showing members following the officers.

The city says one officer suffered stress, anxiety and heart palpitations from the group's actions.

Group member Garret Ean says he's not trying to cause any medical problems. He says he tries to keep a good demeanor with all the parking meter enforcers.

Really it sounds like the small-town mentality of Keene is interfering with the FREEDOM of it's residents. If someone wants to pay meters for other people then where's the rub? If it's an issue with parking availability then the right solution is for the town to limit the maximum time someone is allowed to park. Pretending it's harassment means either the parking officer needs their meds adjusted or they're in the wrong job to begin with.

New Hampshire? Live free and die? No car insurance needed, or gun license. But heavens forbid you feed a parking meter. Puhleeeze.

I have a review for Kevin Williamson: Well played Sir, well played!

NEW YORK, May 17 (UPI) -- A New York theater critic was kicked out of a play after he threw a fellow patron's cellphone against a wall during a performance.

Kevin Williamson, 40, who reviews theater for The National Review and The Corner blog, said he was attending a performance of "Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812," a new musical based on a portion of the novel "War and Peace," and he decided to become a "vigilante" when a fellow patron whose phone constantly posed a distraction refused to turn the device off, the New York Post reported Friday.[..]

"I did it to make a statement -- but also I was just annoyed," Williamson said. "I go to the theater every week, and I'm used to bad behavior. But this was over the top."[..]

Williamson, who was escorted out of the play by security, said he and ushers had repeatedly asked the woman to put her phone away.

Frankly the stupid twat with the phone (now the X-phone) should have been escorted out, but the theater owners probably didn't want to get sued. It's beyond rude to the point of ruining performance, annoying the actors and wasting other patrons money to have your cell phone constantly going off. If she'd been asked multiple times, frankly, the ushers should have dragged her pathetic carcass right out.

And so to Kevin, yes, thank you. Thank you very much and I'm sure the rest of the patrons thank you too, since they (and the dumb cunt without her phone) now got to watch the remainder of the performance in peace.

Gov. Christie is used to shooting from the hip. The problem is that the wrong choice of words might encourage others to be more literal...

SAYREVILLE, N.J. (AP) -- Some 350 homeowners in the central New Jersey towns of Sayreville and South River whose properties have flooded repeatedly will be eligible to sell their homes in the first phase of a new federally funded buyback program, Gov. Chris Christie announced Thursday.[..]

Christie said Environmental Protection Department would target clusters of homes or whole neighborhoods, not individual homes, so neighbors might need to get together, perhaps throw a party, to convince holdouts in the target zone to go along.

"I think you know what I'm saying," the governor told the capacity crowd at an elementary school, "use the gentle persuasion that New Jerseyans are known for to get things going.'"

Maybe he's been a local for too long, maybe he's just trying to gloss over a bad image, but what the REST of the United States knows Jersey for is petroleum, milk, and mobsters. It's fair to say that the first two aren't the issue here, it's the third that's a big concern.

In a state where residents are afraid to pump their own gas (ostensibly for their own safety but essentially because the mob reputedly controls the gas station unions) "gentle persuasion" is synonymous with baseball bats and knee caps.

Just sayin', choice of words that doesn't bring to mind "public lynching for dissenters" might have been better.

Paris Cannon beat up classmate Aria Jewett and gave her a concussion while other classmates watched and recorded. This is not the first time Paris Cannon has had her violence recorded for posterity.

Judge Henry Davis ruled that Ms. Cannon was threat, stating: "This child is a threat to all of the children at any school. The injunction is a permanent injunction barring this child from returning to any public school in Duval County,"

To which Nikolai Vitti reacted in a CBS interview:

“I don’t think we should use the bad decisions children make outside of schools as an example or scapegoat to make a message,” Vitti said.

Nikolai Vitti says public education is a constitutional right, and all 130,000 students in Duval County’s public schools deserve second, even third chances.

“I believe the perpetrator should be provided the same opportunity,” Vitti said. “It’s a tough decision, but my role as superintendent is to support the law and enforce the law.”

Constitutional right? Where? The Constitution of the US has no provision mandating that education is a "right". Maybe he didn't mean the US Constitution, and perhaps he should have been a bit more clear on that detail. The Article IX of the Florida State Constitution states:

The education of children is a fundamental value of the people of the State of Florida. It is, therefore, a paramount duty of the state to make adequate provision for the education of all children residing within its borders. Adequate provision shall be made by law for a uniform, efficient, safe, secure, and high quality system of free public schools that allows students to obtain a high quality education and for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of institutions of higher learning and other public education programs that the needs of the people may require. ...

OK, maybe that can be interpreted that education is a "right". However that same law stipulates that schools providing education should be "safe" and "secure", and the presence of a little monster like Ms. Cannon who likes to lure fellow students to beat downs compromises safety. Also, it seems like Ms. Cannon is beyond her "third chance".

Unfortunately a Florida Appeals court has suspended the ban and Aria and her classmates must roam the halls with a thug. Hopefully Mr. Vitti will be keeping an eye on her, because if he thinks she belongs in school then it should be his responsibility to protect every other students' "constitutional rights" to be safe and secure.

There is NO good reason on earth this woman should have been allowed to keep reproducing. Enough is enough.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- A jury convicted a mother of six of involuntary manslaughter on Tuesday in the starvation death of her infant at a Philadelphia homeless shelter.

The jury also convicted 34-year-old Tanya Williams of the aggravated assault of the infant's surviving twin, who was found near death, and of child endangerment. The panel found Williams not guilty of first-degree murder but deadlocked on third-degree murder and the attempted murder of the twin.

Williams had shown no emotion when paramedics found her emaciated, lifeless son alone on a bed, wearing only a diaper, two days before Christmas 2010, according to testimony. Quasir Alexander was 2 months old and weighed just over 4 pounds, a half-pound less than his birth weight.

Again, it's the same bullshit: Low IQ is the rationale and it's not her fault, oh no, it's everyone else's for not doing her mothering for her...

Defense lawyer Gregory Pagano called his client, who has a low-IQ, "a scapegoat" for the failings of social workers, doctors and others and said the jury found that she had "no intent" to harm her son.[..]

Williams' case files suggest that she repeatedly made appointments to take her children for vaccines or checkups, or to apply for food stamps or other programs. But she rarely followed through, repeatedly rescheduling the appointments.

The twins were born at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 21 and 22, and released on Oct. 25. She had not had any prenatal visits and did not know she was carrying twins.

Really. So it's the "system" that failed, when the mother made appointments but didn't keep them, that her older kids skip school or act like bullies. Really. So essentially POS waste-cases like this should keep making babies because it feels good and because it nets them cash, and we, the responsible, should pay for her AND the half-dozen case workers trying to ensure she doesn't kill these babies? WHAT THE FUCK.

Ok, really, it's time for shit like this to stop. All those right-to-lifers out there, give them these darlings that were God-blessed born to cherish and raise, and have mumsie spayed. That's my solution. I think it's a good one.

At least his dudebro's were nice enough to leave a note...

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- An Arizona State University student who passed out and was left in a wheelchair in a hospital lobby with a Post-it note to tell doctors that he had participated in a drinking competition apparently put back about 20 shots of tequila.[..]

The 19-year-old student was found early Saturday in the emergency room lobby of St. Luke's Hospital, according to Tempe police spokesman Sgt. Michael Pooley. A sticky note on the student's body gave his name and said he'd been drinking and needed help. Hospital staff noticed the student and helped him.

I've heard of Granny-dumping but this is the first I've heard of Frat-bro dumping. Imagine, if you will, rolling up with a friend who you know has just hammered back a half a bottle (or more) of tequila in a stupid-short time. Also imagine that he's already had a seizure. What do you do? Take care of your bro? Or do you grab a wheel chair, roll him in, stick a note on him ("Hi! My name is...")and then smoke rubber to gtfo of there? Sigma Alpha Epsilon needs to have it's fucking license revoked, but believe it or not his "friends" (aka Frat Brothers) won't see any charges.

I guess he should be glad they didn't just dump his ass under a bush outside. Frankly it's a miracle he survived. Hopefully now he and a lot of other sane people now know how important joining a fraternity *isn't*.

Sigma Alpha Epsilon you suck.