The Writer's Poke

For Writers: Over the past twenty years, songs about touching have been quite popular. Samantha Fox's 1986 hit "Touch Me" began the trend. This was the song that every 13 year old boy had been waiting for. England's Page 3 Girl turned pop singing sensation was just "begging for you" to touch her. And all was right with the world. A few years later, Cathy Dennis decided the time was right for a less slutty "Touch Me" tune. But even though Cathy had a more innocent -- almost Debbie Gibson-like -- approach, she still suggested that it would be alright for you to touch her, "all night long." This was a message that resonated with 17 year old boys, making the song, which was otherwise quite gay-sounding, perfectly acceptable to listen to. 1991 was something of a breakthrough year, as The Divinyls decided to put their own twist on the touching idea, suggesting that the listener didn't need to be a participant. Lead singer Christina Amphlett...

Ah, the Accordion Guy does it again. This is his response to the rather pathetic $3 Obama bill that some Republicans have been passing around. http://www.joeydevilla.com/ Click on the smiling McCain for a bigger view.

Back in April, blogger Jeff Fecke speculated that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin was a possible contender for the Republican VP slot. Why Palin and not Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson or Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice? Here's Mr. Fecke's take on Palin, Hutchinson, and Rice: " Palin's an attractive woman, and that's pretty much the only reason why she shows up on these lists. Still, she appeals to the same type of thinker that Condi Rice appeals to -- the folks who think that if the GOP just puts a woman on the ticket, women will vote for them, despite the fact that Palin's primary feminist credential comes from her membership in Feminists for Life. That's not to say that Palin doesn't have a reasonably bright political future; indeed, in 2012, she well could be on the short list for V.P. But right now, she's served a grand total of fifteen months in Juneau, and Juneau isn't exactly the hub of American politics. Although if McCain could sw...

The curse of being pretty is, no one takes you seriously for your mind. Trust me, Sarah, I know the feeling. That's one hot lego.

This picture offers one theory for why McCain selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate instead of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Palin looks better than Pawlenty in an evening dress, I'm guessing, and when Alaska builds bridges to nowhere, they don't collapse.

It's rather unfortunate, I know, that our society still judges women based on their looks; however, let's be honest about it. Sarah Palin is a lot hotter than Hillary Clinton. Is that why McCain picked Palin (and why Obama didn't pick Clinton)? Honestly, I think Palin's looks (in addition to her gender) did have something to do with her selection. One of the news wires this morning called her "a telegenic conservative." What an artful way to say, "McCain's VP pick is one hot tamale!" And yes, she is pretty hot; however, it's interesting to note that the Republican pundits on FOX News are suggesting that former Hillary supporters are going to flock to Palin . Why would they? McCain may have made a "bold" choice by picking a "Washington outsider" (i.e. someone with absolutely no experience), but if you look at her positions on the issues, she's a standard conservative Republican. I'm not saying that there's ...

It's being reported that John McCain has selected Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate. Is this the 2008 equivilent to George Bush's 1988 selection of Dan Quayle?? (I hate to say it, but it seems that McCain clearly picked her for her gender, and not for her qualifications.) One thing is for sure: no one outside of Alaska knows anything about her. What's interesting to me is that McCain and the Republicans claim that Obama isn't ready to lead; Palin apparently has even less political experience than Obama, and certainly less political experience on a national level. Oh, according to wikipedia, she "was the 1984 runner-up in the Miss Alaska pageant." So at least she's cute. When I first heard that "Palin" had been selected, I was hoping it was Michael Palin (Monty Python). If McCain had selected Michael Palin, I certainly would have switched my vote.

Click on the picture for a bigger view. Humor is the best way to expose the truth, don'tcha think? I'm so glad to live in the 21st century. The tiny human brain has really evolved, eh?

Latest Poll Reveals 430 New Demographics That Will Decide Election

The Fifth Element is one of those movies I could probably watch a dozen times, but I have to admit it would be even that much cooler if it were animated with Futurama characters. :)

For Writers: In the Summer of 2008, two memoirs came out on the same release date. Douglas Brown’s Just Do It , shares the story of how one married couple made the commitment to have sex for 101 straight days. The Browns had been married for 14 years and had a couple of kids, and they were at the stage in their marriage where there seemed to be no time for sex. Not to be out done, however, is Charla Muller’s 365 Nights . Like the Browns, the Mullers had a couple of kids, but somehow their bedroom had developed into just a place to sleep. Upon learning about these books, I had to admit I was intrigued. Neither Brown nor Muller seemed to suggest that their marriages were “bad,” but both put the spotlight on one of the side effects of marriage -- the end of sex. This doesn’t happen in every marriage, of course, but it’s a common-enough joke that people tell, and it’s a real pity for people that “save” themselves for marriage, only to find out that they were saving themselves for a life of...

Here we see some Chinese firefighters in training. At least that's what I assume this is a picture of...

Click on the image for a bigger view. Remember: Think of the kittens. Vote Obama.

For Writers: It never used to bother me to go to movies alone. "Why do I need to sit next to somebody to watch a movie?" I wondered. Nobody seems to care if you watch TV at home by yourself. Something about our society cares, however, about people that do things in public alone. Who goes to a concert alone? Who can even go to a restaurant alone, especially any restaurant without a drive- thru window, without feeling self-conscious? When I was 20, I thought nothing about going on vacation alone. I was by myself the first time I visited Bourbon Street, for example. I would drive long distances by myself, but I enjoyed the freedom. I stopped when and where I wanted, and no one complained about how loud my music was, or if I wanted to play Meatloaf's "I Would Do Anything for Love" 100 times in a row -- which I've been known to do. Sometimes I might wonder: what's wrong with me? Is there something wrong with me, or is there something wrong with a society th...

I don't hate McCain because he's rich. Seriously. What bothers me is how out-of-touch he appears to be. This isn't about "class warfare"; this is about not having a clue. http://thinkprogress.org/2008/08/18/mccain-definition-rich-graph/

At last weekend's Faith Forum, Rick Warren asked John McCain if evil existed, and if so, what should be done about it. McCain's face assumed a stern demeanor, and he said that it does exist and that we must "defeat it." Of course all he was thinking about it is the evil of terrorism. Terrorism killed 3000 people on American soil. For that, we've spent literally billions of dollars, killed countless more Iraqis (countless because we don't bother to count them, or even find them worth counting), and watched thousands more Americans die in combat. Warren also mentioned that there are 148 million orphans around the world. Orphans don't necessarily exist because of "evil," but in any event, McCain clearly didn't display the same sort of passion for this global problem as he did for terrorism. Impressively, he mentioned how Cindy flew to meet Mother Teresa and ended up adopting one of Teresa's kids. But in all honesty, that's one child save...

I know. It's difficult to keep track of how many homes you have. If you're an average American, like John McCain, what's in a number, anyway? Today's lead news story is that McCain didn't even know that he and his wife own seven homes. http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/8/21/17580/8801/443/572138 Out of touch with real Americans. Hell, why do we even elect a president? I say we go back to monarchy. It's not like the people we elect have any idea how real people live... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2065421/posts?page=48

We live in a country that values the individual. Republicans generally take this idea to the extreme, suggesting that it's up to the individual to make his- or her way in the world. Who really ever makes it in the world alone without the support of others? If you can say that you have, why don't you pat yourself on the back. I won't call you a liar... At the same time, both Obama and McCain suggest that individuals need to work for causes greater than themselves. That's the only way to better a nation, and on an individual level, that's the only way to true, lasting happiness. Republicans, however, have a problem with people working together if the government is used. Why? The government is just a structure. It's just you and me, really. We often hear that the government wants to spend your money. What kind of b.s. is that? We have elections to decide the agenda for the country. Once the agenda has been set, why are we surprised when a price tag is attached? Wh...