ginandtacos.com - shut up and drink the gin

FOX PRESENTS: WHEN LEFT-HANDED PITCHERS ATTACK

Given Chicago's long and proud history of bringing unmitigated, irrational violence to the baseball diamond (which I chronicled a few weeks ago as Chicago Baseball Uber Alles) I see the no option but for a Chicago team to trade for Kenny "The Gambler" Rogers.

Without provocation, Rogers went bat-shit loco on a pair of hapless TV cameramen Wednesday. After deciding that he did not want them cameras in his face, he shouted "Get them cameras out of my face" toward reporters as the Texas Rangers began the pre-game warmup. He then struck 50 year-old cameraman Larry Rodriguez (who ended up in the hospital) and smashed his camera on the ground. He informed others present that he would "break every fuckin' one of them" before a teammate removed him from the field.

My favorite part about this is not that Rogers (miraculously enjoying his best season as a pro at age 40 after nearly two decades in the league) has embarassed himself, cost himself money, and forfeited a spot on the All-Star team. No, the humor provided by the team and his teammates explaining his actions is much more entertaining.

WELCOME, WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU

Every day I read about President Bush's free-falling approval ratings (now at record lows for those of you keeping score) and desperate efforts to have history remember him as something other than the architect of a failed military quagmire. And throughout it all I can't help but wonder about the identity and mindset of people who are suddenly changing their opinion about him from the positive category to the negative. Did we learn something since November that we didn't know beforehand?

I can't get angry about it given the overwhelming sense of pity I feel towards them. It must really, really suck to know that you are entirely too stupid to have figured out in 2004 what the intelligent among us knew in 1998.

Ideologically Pure

I've always associated the idea of being "Ideologically Pure" in American colleges with the activist left community. Perhaps it's because of the community of activist vegans I knew and lived with for a year (long story - but don't worry faithful readers, it involves me eating lots of hamburgers!). It's a bum rap that the hippie-esque left gets associated with the value of "relativism" - because those people tend to be more in line with a True Believer in The Cause, and tend to be distrustful of those who don't believe (or worse, believe only half-heartedly or have doubts), than any good old fashion antipositivist could imagine.

There were the vegans who, in private no doubt, loathed the vegetarians for not being willing to suffer enough in the cause. There were the vegans who raced to be even more pure than their brothers-in-arms. And there were the members of the GLBT community who might have been more comfortable leaving the Bs at the bottom of the rainbow (one wonders if there were secret GLT "Bs: make a choice already!" meetings).

And for those who the very idea of getting a college education reeked of indoctrination or those who felt that colleges didn't go far enough in ordering society there were schooling alternatives (Personally, for the purposes of designing society I'll always take my chances with the capitalists' Culture Industry than with Phish and white girls who have dreadlocks).

Mind you, the only 'conservatives' I knew were a few kids holed up in the local church and attached Newman House, more concerned about how they would match up in baby output versus their contemporaries than in matters of ideas. That and the various frat people I encountered were also more concerned with managing the upcoming weekend party (and the legal troubles afterwards) or young Republicans making little Michael-Mooresque pranks.

So I'm equal parts happy and horrified to see the New Yorker's profile on Patrick Henry College. I know Christian focused college have existed for quite some time, but I've always sensed that they were like a giant Newman House run amock. Lots of odd 'socials', lots of making sure you get married before you graduate, etc. Little did I know that the Will to Believe was as strong there as any campus activist group.

The school was originally started as a college for homeschooled children and as a repertoire for aides and volunteers for hard-right politicans. So picture classroom after classroom of children who have been 'untainted' by classroom interaction and having to deal with, or be inspired by, teachers who aren't their parents.

The article doesn't have any links to the webpage, but it is worth it to explore around. First up is the Statement of Faith all kids who matriculate to the college have to sign. Check it out. " The Bible...is the inspired word of God, inerrant in its original autographs ... Man is by nature sinful and is inherently in need of salvation..." All I had to sign was a Academic Integrity agreement. Sadly I could not find the dress code students adhere to online. If it is anything more strict than a stained, slept-in comic book t-shirt, I would have been in major trouble...

A lot has been written on the high-level policies of these Christian Colleges - their bans on inter-racial dating, their Full Support of republicans on the march, their disturbing speakers and sources of funding, attitudes toward Evolution, etc. But little has beeen written on the student's day-to-day life. As smoking and drinking are strictly forbidden, I genuinely don't know how they would spend their free time. I thought perhaps they sat around and listened to Minor Threat.

I should have known the answer: they try and become the most pure. This must be hard on a campus of virgins, non-drinkers or drug takers. But they find their way. One student sent out an email reminding women to dress modestly for the Spring Dance because "“It is sin for you [girls] to tempt us [men]." RAs write private emails if a girl dress 'inappropriately' (one such note forced a homeschooler, who is no doubt well-prepared to deal with the stresses of modern life, to cry endlessly in a hallway).

I wish more was spent on the day-to-day grind of the classes but the article has some gems - this professor of Biology "tells students that the earth was created in a week." Another great moment was were students wailed on Clinton for Waco, but couldn't think of a lie Bush may have told to protect the country while discussing The Prince.

It's always a cause for concern the fact that these kids who are pure on the right here have extremely more access to high government office and power than the social planners on the left. I can only hope that all that seclusions causes them to go nuts 10 minutes outside of the bubble. That or our country wakes up and realizes that the people at the wheel of our country shouldn't sign an agreement believing in the idea of the End of the World in our lifetimes.

Coming to a town near you - less affordable housing, more Home Depots.

In a move closely watched by suburban townships and housing advocates across the country, the Supreme Court came down against homeowners today in Susette Kelo v. City of New London in a 5-4 vote. Susette Kelo lives in a middle-class home in the city of New London. The city decided to claim eminent domain to seize her house and neighborhood to hand over to the New London Development Corporation, a private company who intents to use the property for private developments - specifically a development involving hotels and a marina.

At issue is determining whether or not there is any check to local governments claiming eminent domain as long as they are willing to compensate for whatever the property is worth. Let's clarify what this is not: (a) The intended use is not public (schools, roads, parks), or even for a third party developing a public use ("Taco Bell Presents: The Gordita Public Park"). It's entirely for the economic benefit of a third-party. This is a hurdle to jump - as the 5th amendment is pretty specific in saying - "nor shall private property be taken for public use without just compensation." (b) The land in question is not blighted - a word that has a legal and regulatory meaning. Blighted property can be grabbed for whatever reasons with compensation - as the Supreme Court has determined in 1953. The area is question are full of safe, comfortable, older-middle class homes.

Well The Supreme Court found in favor of the city and economic developers today. “The city has carefully formulated an economic development that it believes will provide appreciable benefits to the community, including — but by no means limited to — new jobs and increased tax revenue,” Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority.

I know a few people who work in the intersection of suburban business/politics - and the suburbs of America have been watching this case with their tongues wagging. And now they've been granted the golden wand. An area of middle-class minorities have somehow found their way into your white suburb? Wave your new eminent domain wand and *poof* - A mini-mall full of Home Depots and high-end condos takes its place. Thinking you could turn two blocks of affordable housing over into rows of rich townhomes piled on each other? Go for it - with the faith of the judicial branch of our government. Legally, nothing is prohibiting you from turning a church into a Wal-mart (and you know how churches don't pay taxes...).

It's always an odd day when I finding myself rooting for Scalia and the Cato Institute. But they have the points. Anyone interested should read Cato's brief on the matter. Private interests are arguing that there is a public benefit to new businesses and more expensive housing as it increases tax revenue. The appeal to a "public benefit" is what Stevens wrote in his majority opinion. This may be true (I tend to be doubtful of economic analysis done by people with a profit motive), but constitutionally it doesn't matter one bit - as "public benefit" (not mentioned in the constitution) has nothing to do with "public use" (specifically mentioned, for good reason) - and the fact that anybody is getting these two things confused is a major problem for our country.

Those people who love to argue that there is no difference anymore (the market will no doubt save us!) amaze me here. Beyond the obvious idea that private industry has no element of "the public" to it (I have no consitutional right to petition the stockholders of Wal-mart with my grievances), the idea that local townships have carte blanche to take and give property as they see fit has an unlimited potential for explotation of the poor, the benefit of the rich, the elimination of the not-wanted, and all kinds of other abuses.

From Reason magazine:

Justice Antonin Scalia sought to clarify the principle guiding the city's use of eminent domain: "Are we saying you can take from A and give to B if B pays more taxes?"

"If they are significantly more," Horton said.

The rich reaping from the government because they are rich is, by definition, not democracy. A disgusting day for our government. Petition your local government - it's all up to state regulations now.

Oh Shit, I hope I don't have one.

In a stellar display of "actual science" researchers at UCLA and Cal Tech have located what they beleive to be a "Jennifer Aniston neuron". That's right, a epiletic research patient was shown to have neuron the fired specifically in recognition of Jennifer Aniston and only Jennifer Aniston.

It is presumed that this neuron is designed to recognize one individual person, or specifically in this case:

Even more disturbing is the fact that they seem to have also located a "Friends" neuron. I am not talking about a neuron that recognizes people with whom you are friendly, but rather a specific neuron devoted to recognizing reference to the situational comedy "Friends." The concept is really quite simple. Basically, when you are exposed to stimuli a number of neurons fire as a result. These neurons map to sort of a matrix of "learning" neurons. As time passes, and you are exposed to the same basic stimuli over and over again, this matrix shrinks. Essentially it can be said that your brain is getting more adapted to recognizing what you are looking at, hearing, smelling, ect. The logical end to this process would be that after repeated, brain numbing exposure to something your brain would adapt to the point where a single neuron fired in recognition of a particular set of stimuli- in this case Jennifer Aniston, and also the show Friends.

Now, the logical end to this post is to conclude that it is both disturbing and exceptionally amusing that the first time scientists were able to locate such a fantastically adapted neuron it was adapted, not to recognize your wife, girlfriend, or grandmother, but Jennifer Aniston and the situational comedy Friends (two seperate neurons by the way). So if ever we are asked if our culture has been saturated with celebrity, we now know the answer...as well as the answer to some important questions about brain mechanics.

If you think that this is all been made up, here is the original research in pdf format. The publication Nature is the single most well respected source in the scientific community. Having papers published there means very rigorous peer review as well as groundbreaking work.

Have fun.

MISUNDERESTIMATION

On Erik Martin's entry dated June 17th, we received the following comment, from an intellectual giant claiming the name "You Gays Suck Balls":

This website is gay as hell. none of you queers know a damn thing about anything cept fudgepacking. DIE fags.. ohhh and i hate NIGGERS

Five months ago we introduced our viewers to the magical world of unemployed, semi-literate girls who are too ugly to be strippers and thus become webcam prostitutes. In those five months, ginandtacos assumed that the principals involved in that expose on idiocy would have found something better to do. Ginandtacos was wrong. As Robert Duvall qua Tom Hagen once said, these girls have no families (and certainly no paid employment). It is like they never existed.

In closing, then, click this link to direct your ideas about this brilliant comment to "CJ" over at shykiss.com. And while you're at it, be sure to ask if whatever venereal disease was so clearly evident in the thousands of pictures of her crotch (yet not one of her face....HMMM) has cleared up. Ginandtacos is always mindful of the health of those who occupy the bottom 5% of the social ladder, without whom our orders could not be incorrectly taken at Taco Bell drive-thrus.

It was a simple matter of an "Unfavorable Decision"

When people around the world came together earlier this year to send millions of dollars in cash and resources to Asia to assist the victims of the tsunami, it was my understanding that the aid was generally appreciated. However, it would seem that Sri Lanka's government has found a new and unique way to appreciate the aid.

The charity Oxfam has been instrumental in attempting the rebuild the country and has imported 25 large all terrain vehicles from India to get the job done in remote locations. You would think that the government would love the fact that there are independent organizations willing to help rebuild their country. However, I guess they decided that the best course of action was to charge them upwards of

For the privlege of helping them out. Although this seems ridiculous, the government is claiming it is regular import duties. Somehow I guess the trucks that are being used to transport aid workers and supplies around the country are viewed in the same light as all other imported goods.

It is not like the government of Sri Lanka is completely out of its mind. (I am sure the $5000 dollars a day storage fee Oxfam is having to pay while the paperwork is processed is par for the course) Nonprofit organizations get the chance to apply for these taxes to be waived.

Their request was denied.

Batman Begins

For those of you who like such things, Neal Stephenson writes about the new Star Wars movies versus the old ones in a Times editorial. He's right to point out one of the important things about the Star Wars movies, at least the original ones, is that it made technology a 'fun' topic for movies. Everything before then had the new digital age as the end of democracy (Lucas's own THX-138) or the end of the current form of humanity (2001: A Space Odyssey). Star Wars predicted that the age of digitization would more or less involve silly drunken digital pictures, finding cheaper airline tickets and looking up tour dates for obscure bands - and not at all involve evolution replacing humanity by star babies or emotionally odd machines.

It's also funny where he asked "who was the republic fighting?" and nobody, including myself, was actually all that sure.

Batman Got on my Nerves

Now I can all see exactly the idea behind the Indiana Jones and Star Wars movies. When the kids of the 70s all had B-movies reels, Flash Gordon and diabolical Nazis in their pop culture vocabulary, they got the same products repackaged back to them as their “own” movies. My generation grew up on comic books. Not just any comic books - but the moody violence of Alan Moore and Frank Miller, and the expressionistic teen angst put to four-colors of the Image artists (Mcfarlane, Liefeld, Silvestri, Lee).

Harry Potter aside, there isn't much left in terms of new bankable franchises where the audience already knows most of the story walking into the theaters. The miners are getting deep, hitting the last remaining ores of 50s television (Bewitched, The Hooneymooners), late 60s/early 70s cinema (Guess who's coming to dinner?, The Longest Yard) and 70s television (Dukes of Hazzard, Starsky and Hutch). It doesn't help that the some of America's “auteurs" are aping the sentiment by re-making successful foreign films as American films - the most egregious example being Soderbergh's "Solaris", and the most accomplished is probably a tie between "The Ring" and Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia."

He was running me amock.

And now Mister Nolan has inherited the Batman title. In the same way all of our parents knew what a swashbuckling space smuggler looked like, everyone my age knows who Bruce Wayne is, even if they've never read a comic book. I feel silly trying to expand an essay out of this movie; you probably already know if you are going to go and see it or not. So I'll make this short.

The first thing is that more money went to the supporting cast than extensive special effects, which was an excellent idea. There are less fireballs or bizarre Matrix-esque freeze frames, and more Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman. Caine's old-school butler and Oldman's perplexed cop especially standout against the background. Chicago kids will love that the movie was filmed here - seeing the Batmobile fly over the Wacker Street bridge and later screech across Lower Wacker drive was a nice touch (I think the Merchandise Mart was Arkham Asylum).

It's been a day and the editing for the action scenes are still making me queezy. The editing is all Michael Bay - you never are quite sure where the actors are standing or what they are doing in relation to each other. This shouldn't be that hard - the movies where people kick and fight each other that audiences adore (the first Matrix, Crouching Tiger and other Hong-Kong action, Blade) all allow you to clearly see what is going on. They are entirely composed of mid-range shots with a strong linear focus to them (The vampire missed his kick, then Blade stabbed him with his sword). It's particularly bad with the chase scene, which should be a perfect Blues Brothers style pileup of cars (cinematically, if Chicago is good for anything, it’s for car chases). But the jump-cuts and non-sequitur shot sequencing gave nobody the simple, but essential, satisfaction of watching a car make a fast turn. This becomes even more of a problem during the last battle set on the El.

Perhaps the idea of perfectly framing a grown man in a rubber suit kicking someone was too much for Nolan to bear, and that he thought he could dodge, or perhaps even make atmospheric, a lot of what was going on by making it incoherent. It didn't work. It is notable that he didn’t do this in the beginning of the movie where it was just Bruce Wayne learning how to sword-fight in the hills.

He ridiculed me, calling me a bum.

The co-scriptwriter is David Goyer, who in addition to being an excellent comic book writer, brought you the script for the 2nd and 3rd Blade movies. Blade can get away with chatting it up about Big Ideas while delievering a roundhouse kick to someone - Christian Bale in a rubber suit cannot. The scenes where he's supposed to be the scariest as Batman come off as the most absurd. Bale plays the best asshole in current movies (see American Psycho, the new Shaft), and his Bruce Wayne is perfect – at least they keep the standing around in the Batman suit to a minimum.

At the end of the film you have gotten three movies - an excellent first one of the training of Bruce Wayne, a pretty good one of Batman's first days on the job, and a third one where Batman has to save the day that may make you dizzy. Don't feel ashamed to leave 2/3rds of the way through the movie.

HAPPY FLAG DAY!

TENNESSEE: COME FOR THE MUSIC, STAY FOR THE GARGANTUAN COCKFIGHTS

Tennessee is usually associated with Elvis, blues guitar, rolling mountains, and the last great hope of the Democratic party. But it has now put itself on the international cockfighting map. Take that Juarez, Mexico!

ps - Five new album reviews up on the Music page. I hate to be a spoiler, but it may shock you to learn that my review of the new White Stripes album is uncomplimentary.

THANK GOD HIS NOMINATION IS NO LONGER DELAYED

Oh, where to begin on the long-awaited nominations to the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeal that have been wasting the Senate's time for about 6 weeks. There's so much to say, and so little restraint available. After a protracted battle of chest-beating in which the President and Republican Congressional majorities made it perfectly clear that they were willing to shit on the Constitution and then set it on fire in order to win approval 9 psychos who base most of their legal opinions on the combined writings of Moses and Henry Clay Frick, the path for their nominations was cleared today.

To better put in focus exactly how many of your rights the Republican party is willing to disregard in its myopic quest for camera time with James Dobson (p.s. - God wants you to send more checks! Quick! Pretend I'm a legitimate clergyman and not a dime-store televangelist who can't keep his hands out of your pockets!) let's take a look at the record of Alabama Attorney General William Pryor, now better known as Federal Judge One-Step-Away-from-the-Supreme-Court William Pryor.

Why Pryor? Well, simply because he's more heinous, and he proves my point better. The other contested nominees may be corporate whores, and they're certainly all mindless Bible-thumping drones. But Pryor seems to actually be anti-humanity. I've never seen an elected official come out and make statements like "My job isn't to come here and help children" upon taking office, but Pryor did. He is part of the bizarre, soulless breed of conservative who takes his only joy from victories based in abstract principles while simultaneously and completely disregarding the tangible impact. It doesn't matter if unregulated water supplies could poison us - the important thing is rolling back federal authority (which, to get you up to speed, is the antichrist in any and every situation). See, states (remember, he's from Alabama) and the local Pigsknuckle County Board are the organizations that should hold all regulatory power. Yes, it's William Pryor's wet dream to return America to the days before that pesky 14th Amendment came along - the days when the amount of consumer, environmental, and civil liberty protection an individual received was entirely a function of his zip code.

Among his other hits:

IT WILL ALWAYS BE "COMISKEY PARK" TO ME

And this is the reason.