May 25, 2004
Carnival of the Vanities 88
Welcome to Spot On and this week’s Carnival of the Vanities. I am your hostess, Karol. You can read all about me here. I usually write about politics but indie rock and the Sopranos, among other things, make appearances. Please stay and take a look around.
I wanted to put the posts in categories but found few recurring topics. It just goes to show exactly how diverse the blogosphere is these days.
Clarified writes that America is a little of this and a little of that. As usual, she's about half right.
Solomonia thinks lack of communication between the US and the radical Muslim world is not the problem. We understand each other just fine.
There are few things that piss me off more than people comparing America to Soviet Russia (since I was born in Soviet Russia for those of you visiting this page for the first time). But Russians in Russia comparing America to Soviet Russia? That's just too rich for me. Blogo Slovo has the story.
I regularly worship at Protein Wisdom's alter. Who else can make revised poetry this good?
Gleeful Extremist has the story on the cicada invasion turning previously vegetarian squirrels into carnivores.
The Lee Room says it loud and says it proud: New York is still here, suckas, and we're better than ever.
Irreconcilable Musings says no to constitutionally-protected socialism in Kansas.
Spare change has a ‘top five’ game. This week’s subject is top 5 hair band power ballads. The possibilities seem endless.
Brian Dunn writes that the US media will never support the Iraq war and it's important to remember that when thinking about the war.
D-42 examines the female breast.
Interested Participant doesn't like Australians dissing American football and he's got a challenge for them.
Zero Tolerance notes an outrageous story of a kid getting suspended for an 8 inch bat that was in his locked trunk.
The New York Young Republican Club staged a protest against the 'Day After Tomorrow' movie. Scott at Slantpoint has the story and photos.
Snooze Button Dreams had a bad toilet experience and felt like sharing.
Wicked Thoughts has a psychiatric diagnosis of A.A. Milne's Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh.
Dissecting Leftism writes that leftist thinking is not idealistic.
Greenie Watch says that oil is not a fossil fuel.
Ann's Fuse Box wonders about cause and effect in terms of drop off of marriage rates and religion in Scandanavia.
Semi-Intelligent Thoughts wishes people would take responsibility for their actions.
Last One Speaks wonders why American prison abuses are ignored, especially in the wake of Abu Ghraib.
Political Correctness Watch is unhappy about gays putting the squeeze on those who don't agree with them.
Graham Lester defines 'staying the course' in Iraq and details what he'd like to see happen.
Undercaffeinated has me wondering about reasons outside of politics that got Michael Moore the prize at Cannes.
In the only case, I believe, of someone submitting someone else's post, Dave Tepper points out Dirty Word's funny post on the cicadas.
Incite wonders if conservatives should stay aligned with the Republican party. I know at least two of my regular readers are going to enjoy this post.
The Road to Surfdom has no time for people who say our torture is not as bad as their torture.
Useful Fools writes that Dan Rather is a brand, no more, no less.
What happens when an anti-war leftist dares question the shady people behind ANSWER? Nothing good, writes Considerettes.
Dean's World examines the world of drug paraphernalia and the arrests that result from the fight against it.
Tim Worstall wonders about the reprecussions of gay marriage on those with undetermined gender.
Baby Troll Blog has an allegiance oath suggestion and some words for those that don't want to take it.
Andrew Ian Dodge has a round up of, what he calls, ROPMA. I'll let you figure out what that stands for all on your own.
Quibbles and Bits thinks reality tv is ugly...and he likes it that way.
Candied Ginger has an informative post on emergency contraception. Oschisms has the rebuttal.
Intellectualize just wanted to have a 'reasoned, dispassionate discussion of the issues' though he 'wasn't expecting to change minds, and no one was going to change' his.
Country Girl notes that milk is more expensive than gasoline. Where are the subsidies and talk of legislation for that, she wonders.
The Calico Cat examines the culture of Washington in relation to the Washingtonienne story.
Upcoming Carnival of the Vanities stops:
June 2nd: Read My Lips
June 9th: Ambient Irony
June 16th: Jessica's Well
June 23rd: A Single Guy In The South
June 30th: quasi in rem
July 7th democrats give conservatives indigestion
July 14th d-42.com
July 21st Soundfury
July 28th Jeff Doolittle
August 4th - Seldom Sober
August 11th - The Smallest Minority
August 18th - Fringe
August 25th - Ego
September 1st - Blogo Slovo
September 8th - Food Basics
September 22nd - The Eleven Day Empire
Technorati Tags:
Who said I liked anything about Reality TV?
In the words of Gollum, I hateses it.
J of Quibbles-n-Bits...
Posted by: J. Fielek at May 25, 2004 12:52 PMHere's a couple of sites you haven't linked to buy you should.
My web site, for links to politics, news, government, and opinon all over the web: All Things Political (http://www.allthingspolitical.org)
and my BOLG, Http://allthingspolitical.blogspot.com.
Oh my, a lot of "aren't we intelligent?" bullshit. Most of these bloggers are so PC they make me puke.
Posted by: Buster at May 25, 2004 01:24 PMI'm not PC, Buster. Watch: "Pull that stiff cock out of your ass. It's poking your spleen and making you cranky and ungenerous. The stiff cock is. So pull it out, Buster. Do it. Pull it out."
See?
Posted by: Bill at May 25, 2004 01:55 PMPC? Never been accused of that. Was called a fascist once. But to be fair to the yeller, I was wearing a US Army uniform. I mean sure, the guy was partly right--based on his probably twisted definitions, but not knowing me he was just assuming based on sight.
To be fair, though, wouldn't it be rude of the "intelligent" not to share our wisdom with the masses?
Mom taught me better than that.
Posted by: Brian J. Dunn (The Dignified Rant) at May 25, 2004 02:04 PMI tried to comment on the D-42 guy's breast post, but it wouldn't let me. Not being able to bear my effort going to waste, I'm going to post it here, essentially off-topic. May God have mercy on my soul.
"Dismissing the sexualization of the female body as "facile" and immature is itself ridiculous. Humans are sexual. Men are primarily aroused by visual stimulation. But constant stimulation reduces the arousal effect. So, because men want to be aroused and women want to arouse men, it becomes necessary to limit the stimulation by hiding the breast. The Muslim world has largely sexualized the entire female body. In some cultures, the face of a woman cannot be seen except by her husband. In the West, however, the coy denial of the breast (or other uniquely female body parts/curves), coupled with the occasional teasing display, creates yearning in men, and sexual empowerment in women. Similar behavior has been here since the beginning of time, is largely responsible for the propogation of the species, and is not going away.
Unlike in the 1600s, in this androgonous age, in which natural gender-roles are taboo, there is virtually no defining element of femininity or female sexuality apart from the female body--most notably the breasts. Women who wish to feel desirable to men will use the tools left to them to attract male attention. Men will respond predictably.
Using infants' knowledge of the breast as food source to suggest that adults' sexuallizing of the breast is an artificial and learned behavior is deeply flawed. A little thing called puberty really marks a distinct difference between adults and infants. Children are not sexual beings--this is, in part, why child sex abuse is so abhorent.
For breasts to become publicly blase', some other, equally universal, symbol of feminine sexuality would have to take its place. While the whole hullabaloo over the breast may be intellectually silly, and you, personally, may able to sublimate your desire to "worship" (i.e., elevate, revere, sexually appreciate) the breast as a symbol of "femaleness," your effort to reverse the whole of man's biology is not going to win over those more in tune with their natural impulses."
Posted by: ss at May 25, 2004 02:12 PMWho is hosting next week and how do we get in touch with them?
Posted by: quasi at May 25, 2004 04:14 PMSorry Quibbles, I was being sarcastic but I guess it didn't work. My apologies.
Posted by: Karol at May 25, 2004 04:48 PMThanks for doing this, Karol.
Posted by: Jeff G at May 25, 2004 06:31 PMHave a look at www.joabsdarts.org
Commentary on the contemporary culture from a committed Christian perspective.
Posted by: sonofzeruiah (Joab's Darts) at May 26, 2004 02:04 AMHey, it's the D-42 guy.
I found the problem with my comments and fixed it. ss, I put your comment in an entry.
Thanks to all who visited me from this COTV.
Posted by: J at May 26, 2004 10:12 AMI'm a newbie to COTV. What's the correct way to participate? The post I'd like to submit is at http://www.luxeword.com/exp/index.php/weblog/abu_ghraib_and_monica_lewinsky/. Thanks in advance for any info, or for a link on how to participate. :)
Posted by: Vik Rubenfeld at May 27, 2004 03:02 AMKarol;
Dunno if you know or can do anything about it, but the link to "Tiger" above points to a single page that seems to indicate the author is gonna stop blogging, with no indicator of how to contact him regarding the Carnival.
Have TPTB been made aware and will there be a substitute host arranged?
M
Posted by: Mark Alger at May 27, 2004 09:21 AMHey, here's the info for next week.
From: http://tig.mu.nu/archives/030024.html
As you may or may not be aware. The Carnival of the Vanities will be hosted by yours truly on June 2, 2004. All entries should be emailed to me at roguegenius[at]hotmail[dot]com with the subject line bein' simply "COTV". If ya can't figure out how to defeat the SPAM trap in that address, then I guess I won't be receivin' your entry, will I? Deadline for entries is midnight on June 1. Please send link and post title. Leave the rest up to me, I guess. I look forward to seein' what ya'll have got to offer.
Posted by: Karol at May 27, 2004 03:27 PMGreat. Thanks, Karol.
Posted by: Vik Rubenfeld at May 27, 2004 07:32 PM
