I promised myself I wouldn't comment here about the Virginia Tech thing, but the news about the "multimedia manifesto" that the killer sent to NBC just has me irritated beyond belief. Look, I know that media is a business. The more eyeballs they get, the more subscriptions they get, the more viewers they get, all the better. I can't change the fact that sex and violence sell. That will never change. But the media has got to start looking at itself here. Just because the killer sent some material, it doesn't mean it should be splashed all over the airwaves.

Time and time again, they almost glamorize these murderers by giving them around-the-clock coverage on TV and in newspapers. Young people who are mentally ill or depressed see this coverage and see all the attention it gets. Part of the mantra here is a desperate cry for attention. What better way to get it? This particular person even cited the two Columbine killers. Surely if the media hadn't draped those two Colorado kids all over the place a few years back, there would have never been that association. Why can't media outlets - for once - try something new and skillfully report on the news, but leave all the pictures and names out of it? Completely ignore the murderer - don't give them what they want! Don't show others that they, too, can be "famous." But no, the media rolls on just like Charlie Brown......each time, the football is yanked when they go to kick it.

Who knows how long it'll be before someone else cites this jerkoff after another mass killing......

Peace & Nudity

Two rather amusing stories in the news, both of which fall under the "to each their own" adage:

I think the headline of this story makes me laugh more than the story itself. Seems rather obvious, no? I think headline writers are warped. Any chance they can to use the double entendre is milked to the maximum. As for nudists, hey, do whatever makes you happy, folks. But you can't disagree that it's slightly unsanitary. For example, I don't want to be the next dude into the bowling alley after the nudists have had their party.

The second story is about some kind of meditation/Quaker place of peace that's having financial difficulty and may have to sell their 3-acre gathering spot. You can't help but have some sympathy for these folks - all they want is a peaceful respite from the everyday stresses of life and for there to be no wars. And they're not nude. You feel sympathy for them, that is, until you find out why they are going bankrupt. I could try to explain, but it's better to just quote the story:

"The reason, Randa said, is more than $350,000 in debt that the Peace Abbey has incurred in the past four years for the cow statue and other expenses. The bronze statue, which is part of a small plaza dedicated to animal rights, is dedicated to a runaway bovine named Emily that escaped a Hopkinton slaughterhouse in 1995 and found refuge at the abbey for eight years. The ensemble, under which Emily is buried, cost $160,000."

That's right, they bought a cow statue for $160K. Their hearts are in the right place....but their heads?

A Time Of Love.....A Time Of Hate

In the midst of mindless beauty pageant controversies, increasing troops, fights in retail stores over new PS3 and Wii units, corporate greed, blizzards, Rosie O'Donnell vs. Donald Trump and this little slice of insanity, it's heartwarming and nice to read Brian McGrory's column this morning from the Boston Globe. Just take a minute out of your busy day to read it. That is what the holidays are about, my friends.

So I'm at Redbones with an old friend last night whose been away at Syracuse for the last couple of years. Redbones is a great barbeque joint in my old haunt of Davis Square/Somerville, MA and a good place to catch up with people you only see once or twice a year. The place is humming with people - kids back from college, post-grad twenty-somethings living it up (kinda miss those days!), people my age catching up, old Somerville hands who just want a bite, etc. There's plenty of seating in the place, but only five counter seats, where you literally sit in front of the cooks and watch them move meat around at a pace which can only be described as alarming. Let me tell you something, these guys earn their keep and they probably are grossly underpaid. Hard work in a hot kitchen. Man, I am thankful.

Finally, I'd like to take a quick poll and I hope everybody reading this will participate. Just humor me, ok? Do it. It's so easy to comment. I've been curious to know who reads this blog. And I don't want specific names, I just want to know who knows me, who ramdomly came across this place and continues to read, etc etc. So, I'll make this as easy as possible: four choices:

a) You know me and speak to me relatively often
b) You know me, but we haven't spoken or interacted for over 5 years
c) You don't know me, but randomly discovered this blog
d) This is your first time here

If you would, just say which of the four. You can identify yourself if you want, but don't feel obligated. Thanks.