*impulse

Poor Soul Perishes In Cold When His Power Is Cut Off

Wish I was over there in the midwest:

I analyze contracts, title reports, and many other legal documents for a living.
I would scour every regulation and procedure in order to find something the utility company, Bay City Electric Light & Power, did wrong:
Improper notice.
Trespassing.
Something.
It's there.
Someone over there just has to find the glitch and then file suit in order to make this utility company suffer.

It is obscene to turn off power in the dead of winter for any reason, especially when the tenant subscriber is a 93 year old man, apparently alone in the world.
Read more.

If what Bay City Electric did was technically legal, then, like the feds did with Al Capone, you have to get them another way.

Any way.
Every case against them should be explored.
Every possible lapse, mishap, everything.
This is when the seemingly pernicious loophole-exploiting nature of lawyers can be utilized toward noble ends.

But, the obvious problem is:

Who has the time to do this?

It is kind of tough to earn a living as it is and not everyone is possessed of the countless hours necessary to pursue this matter to a conclusion, so, chances are, this gentle soul's passing will go unavenged.

Today's Quote, Gleaned From My Own Hypergraphia

Endless exposure to coolness via mass culture channels reinforces my distaste for those who underestimate the general public.

Similar verbal meter:

If we are to assume those whales are ours to do with as we please, we would be as guilty as those who caused their extinction.

The People, Bright And Suffering, Will Not Be Fooled

Obama has been accused of being:

1. Communist
2. Terrorist
3. Unpatriotic

But, thankfully, an articulate and aware populace is not whispering about each clumsily leaked hint and wondering if Obama  has sworn fealty to Osama. Yes, only one letter separates their name but BIG DEAL!

No. All the ridiculous Republican slander has done nothing. There is nothing they can say, without hard evidence, that will sway anyone. Thank goodness for that.

Though Obama's isolationism and occasionally factory worker bating approach is disturbing, the rest of his platform is not and he, personally, is not, and, of course, anything, any option, any possibility is better than a Republican victory.

This Is A Very Clever Prank

This has to be a prank.

Otherwise, the police officer who arrested this lady would be a subhuman animal, and we have to give this whole scenario the benefit of the doubt before reaching such a dark and extreme conclusion.

And, the lady who called the police on her looks and talks like an ugly, disgusting filth that no one I know would touch with a 1000' pole. Not unexpected, of course.

Being ugly makes people nasty, like it did to this rat-like harpy who had this gentle 89 year old lady arrested.

A YouTube commenter said it best about the lady who called the cops: "Go fucking die you ugly as fuck bitch."
I could not more precisely express the sentiment if I sat with pen and paper all night.

Also, on the show Jail, police heckled a Desert Storm veteran, and I, again, had to assume they had a long, hard day and did not mean to catch one of our nation's brave soldiers at his weakest point and bully him and hurt him: a decorated hero, no less.

Police just cannot be the subhumans they are depicted to be on reality television or the news, bullying defenseless senior citizens and disabled veterans at their lowest point.
Or can they?

Insane But Beautiful

The insane but beautiful set conjures the faraway-ness of a misty seashore and gothic ruins. They are the most precious thing we have in our popular culture.

Their inner turmoil and struggle animates itself in the waves that pulse and pound the coastal cliffs, ringing ancient mansions all ghost and wizard peopled.

Shuddering and filled with pleasing trepidation, let us begin:

Molly Ringwald: twisted. pent up. ready to burst. explosive.

Nicole Kidman: murderous. evil. poisonous.

Margot Kidder: descending. berserk. wild.

Katie Holmes: dark. demented. asylum escapee. dangerous.

Mary Kate Olsen: depraved. ready to lick someone. frightening. dirty.

Winona Ryder: jester. sneaky. thieving. nasty.

Fiona Apple: hellish. glimpsed tartarus. demonic. criminal. insane.

Now, let us safely return to the sunlit upper world momentarily before we dive into the lunar urban scape that haunts the piers and frazzles Scooby Doo at every turn.

Until next time, careful...of the edge!

Rhode Island's Finest Cutting A Rug

A great example of a law enforcement officer performing his duty while performing for an audience, and thus showing that he truly is Providence's finest.

If he was not already retired when this video was made, as some conflicting sites suggest, then he should be recognized, not disciplined: maybe given his own reality show! He keeps such a straight face through all the antics.

The only problem here is one of liability: if any mishap occurs at the intersection, his antics will be blamed by the accident and personal injury attorneys involved, and, if it is later discovered that the government of Providence was aware of the situation but did nothing, then the whole city becomes party to the defendant.

It kinda sucks, but I guess if someone tries to be silly while on the job, and that job involves public safety, then it probably has to be restrained, even if said silliness actually causes no increase in danger.

Regardless: you go guy!

Put Godzilla And Chai Tea Together

And you have an instant fan= me!

My childhood monster hero and my current vice, spanning the decades in a URL and scanning the moment in a variety blog.

My only problem is that the blogger has a bit too much humility. A bit more hubris is necessary to really shake things up. A bit of bombast. Also, the side panel is cluttered. A few items could be safely removed without harming the overall tone. Other than that: very nice, very current.

Check out Reflections Of Time, aka godzillachai.

Vampire Happenings And Trends

With graphic novels, comic books, glittering websites, and pixelated films, GGI'd to the max, forming torrential currents that inform cinematic and visual culture, the underwater streams, moonlit trends, and tertiary darkness of vampires, continue to inspire and drive the murky, turbid brooks coursing through back alleys and gargoyle-tormented parapets.

The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man, and the so-called Dark Knight, would be wise to avoid the skulking bloodsuckers, for all three, and their cliquish brethren, would be severely outmatched by Nosferatu, and his brethren. Plainly put, superheroes are not primordial enough to battle folk legends and mythological beasts.

For instance, The Hulk would not stand a chance against Ajax. Supposed stats notwithstanding, the primordial power is not there. Smaug would have no chance against a serpent plucked from a medieval bestiary. And, perhaps the most fitting past-present match-up, Dungeons and Dragons Tiamat would be feckless against ancient Tiamat.

These age old concoctions and constructs are too vast, too shrill, and too fearsome for any chromatic pop culture hero or villain.

Our newest category, Vampires, will contain random and non-systematic commentary and review of bleeding edge vampiric presence in film, graphic novel, video game, artwork, poetry, novel, tale, and, if so inspired, even board game and puzzle.

Check out Breaking Dawn: Book Four in the Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer and upcoming HBO series True Blood.

Ten Chinese Cities

Perhaps in anticipation of the 2008 Summer Olympics, perhaps because they are growing so quickly and so anonymously, or perhaps because askmen.com brainstormed on top 10 list ideas and this came up, I am now learning a little bit of background on Wuhan, Dongtan and 8 other up and coming urban centers.

This is an informative feature that any renaissance man, globetrotter, global village inhabitant, multiculturalist, or cyber-villager should browse.

Askmen.com's Top 10: Crazy Chinese Cities.

Ice-Free Arctic: A Summer State

An Ice Free North Pole on AOL

Polar bears: adorable and deadly, awe inspiring and delicate.

This article offers a pretty grim forecast for their survival. They have always been my favorite species of bear, though, as of late, after the confluence of going vegan and documentaries becoming more brutally graphic in their depictions of nature, I have been much less able to enjoy and appreciate their beauty.

I still deeply admire them.

Suicides in National Parks

18 Suicides This Year in National Parks on AOL

Darkling I listen; and for many a time
I have been half in love with easeful Death,
Called him soft names in many a mused rhyme,
To take into the air my quiet breath;
Now more than ever, it seems rich to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,
While thou are pouring forth thy soul abroad
In such an ecstacy...

Though heartbreakingly sad, there is a melancholy beauty in this.

Photo by Wilfredo Lee AP

An Uncontacted Group from the Brazilian Amazon

Link: Rare Indian Tribe Spotted in Brazil - AOL News.

Survivor International Director Stephen Corry seems to have their best interests in mind, which is vaguely reassuring. Unfortunately, they are forced to rely on such questionable institutions for their well being.

Note: not trying to judge, blame, treehug, etc. here, for I am 1000% aware that I am as much a part of the reason for their struggle as anyone else, being an occasionally wasteful and indulgent consumer. Just felt a pang of grief and sympathy and expressed it somewhat bitterly.

Update 7/5: This picture is a hoax. It is a real tribe, but they were not unknown until the photo was taken.