Best Laid Plans

Happy 4th birthday to the iPhone.

Linking Tumblr to Facebook. Is this a giant mistake? Probably.

I tried Tumblr already and hated it so why do I want to try it again so badly?

I really need to start blogging more again. 

Old Man Castro

I needed to copy this comment from Gawker that pretty much matches my feelings for Fidel Castro. I’ve been taught since grade school that Cuba is evil, but it’s like the US is totally innocent in the creation of what Cuba is today….

“Sincere hypothetical question: what exactly is it that Castro ever did that makes people here reflexively revile him as an evil dictator? 

I’m hardly any sort of Communist myself. Castro is no angel. The Cuban Missile Crisis was quite dire. I’m just curious though, why people who have no skin in the game feel like hating Castro is just natural. Because he defied the US? 

Not endorsing him, or the coup that put him into power. But before that, Cuba was enslaved by a deeply corrupt decadent upper class, exploitive international (read:US) corporations, and was run by a mafia. Gambling, prostitution, rampant corruption was old Cuba. They may be poor now, but they were fucking poor then, and exploited to hell then. By us. US, rather. 

Meanwhile, here in the Land of The Free, we accept without question that we are forbidden to travel to Cuba. Because of restrictions from the Kennedy era. 

Castro’s attempt to make a Communist society there was a failure. But I’m not sure Cuba’s people would be better off today being wage-slaves for corporations, a fast-food Cancun. We’re hardly one to talk about that as the working class has been decimated and the middle class is on its knees here at home. 

Castro’s late-life regrets, about the treatment of gays in an unenlightened time, and especially these comments about the Holocaust and sympathy with Israel and the Jews- well, I find them admirable and intelligent. I don’t doubt that he understands the feeling of isolation and being besieged that Israelis do. It’s not an exact analogy, but he wnet futher than just that, speaking intelligently, with knowledge and clarity to their situation, and history. 

His statements and expressions are empathetic and well-informed. Castro is no angel as I said, but he is an amazing twentieth-century figure, and no fool. People need to stop demonizing him because of fifty years of propaganda. Yes, he defied us, a radical David versus our Goliath. Look at it objectively, a rather amazing person. I hope he speaks out more about the past, as a lion in winter.”

Great comment!

Facepalm

Becky Benson, 56, traveled from Orlando, Fla., because, she said, “we believe in Jesus Christ, and he is our savior.” Jesus, she said, would not have agreed with what she called the redistribution of wealth in the form of the economic stimulus package, bank bailouts and welfare. “You cannot sit and expect someone to hand out to you,” she said.

This woman, at Glenn Beck’s rally in DC today, is a fucking moron. What was that about bread and fish again?

Always Greener

I just read a gag-inducing account of a trip to Europe by one of my favorite bloggers. I understand that vacation is a time to focus on the positives and leave stress behind, but treating a two week trip abroad as a representative glimpse of everyday life in that country is such a tired cliche.

“Americans are so wasteful.” “The men here are the most gorgeous in the world.” “Europe is just more cultured.” While every generalization usually has a bit of truth to it, it’s just annoying when any trip abroad turns into a dissertation on America’s faults. I’m not some sort of right wing apologist, but I realize that every place has it’s pros and cons. Berlin had some amazing outdoor cafes. The place is also broke as hell and the locals aren’t friendly. Chicago has shitty public transport but we’re blessed with a nearly unbroken string of lakefront park.

I could keep whining, as the traffic on LSD is currently backed up as far as I can see, but I’ll just promise that wherever I vacation next, I won’t come back with any annoying talk about how much better the other place was.

Conflict. Resolution?

Being able to blog my phone is amazing, first of all. I’m glad tumblr has such a versatile platform. Right now I can only be bothered to move my thumbs versus opening my MacBook and using all my digits. Too. Much. Work.

Interesting night in Chicago. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, which you probably know unless you’re Helen Keller. So therefore, I’m falling asleep to the sounds of random drunkards, occassional sirens and a few choppers flying above. I’m sure they are all intertwined somehow.

Also an interesting evening because, for the first time, some of the roommates and I got into an actual argument. I won’t go into detail, but tempers definitely flared. Conflict is such an interesting thing. Normally, I’m one to shy away from conflict. Tonight, though, it’s like I was anticipating it. It almost felt therapuetic. Do you view conflict as a normal means to end or do you try to preserve peace along an entire decision making process? Something tonight felt good about raising my voice, stating my opinion, openly and strongly disagreeing but still being friends at the end of it. Maybe conflict needs to happen more often? Think of it like a boxing match. We can spar during a determined time with the understanding that we’re not beating up on each other outside the ring. If everyone can agree to the rules, occasional bursts of emotion could lead to a more productive and happier life than always playing the peacemaker.

I’m totally rambling, but that’s my perogative. I’m learning to be more assertive in my opinions and while it’s still a challenge, I think tonight was a good go at it.