Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Michael Turton blogs about a Zogby poll that finds Americans think US has obligation to defend Taiwan. Michael will find some satisfaction in the numbers reported- I will just note that a third of all Americans believe in UFO's, and almost two-thirds believe in the Devil. Yeah, that's right. It's week o' Grumpy McGrumpus Grump.

In the news- China bans smoking at the '08 Olympics. Magical Spirit Guide predicts turmoil and uneven enforcement. I have no plans to go to the Olympics anyway, but that would have been a deal killer.

Also in the news- Security guards are poorly trained and paid. This is news? The security industry is not a bunch of Rent-a-Cop's, it is a bunch of Rent-a-Warm-Body's. My first job out of high school was as a security guard, in which I was tasked with making sure nobody took any unauthorized beer out of the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Tampa. Man, I sucked at that job. I was popular in the college dorm though.

About a year ago, someone told me about the group Jews against Israel, and I thought that was pretty weird. Now to balance things out, here's Arabs for Israel. Given these two, surely there's a pro-Taiwan Chinese group out there somewhere.

Starcraft II screenshots. I think I just peed in my pants a little.

This was posted at Daily Kos, but I don't like them and don't want to link to them, so I'll just reproduce it here. Mark Twain's War Prayer:
O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle -- be Thou near them! With them -- in spirit -- we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it -- for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.

8 comments:

vt said...

Didn't you work as a security guard at a car rental lot right after high school? I vaguely remember that job lasting about 2 weeks, right?

Chaon said...

Same security company: Globe Security. You're right, the first assignment was an Alamo Rental Car satellite lot. Did you drive me to work one night after a party at Amy and Ann's house? The brewery gig was the same Summer. A couple of weeks at first, then they sent me back for a couple of months during that first semester.

Do you remember Chris Smith from school? He worked for the same security company, and also got sent to guard one of the satellite lots. While he was supposed to be at work, he and I grabbed lunch at Ruby Tuesday. When he got back tot he lot, he found that someone had gotten in one of the cars and played demolition derby in the lot while he was gone. Hilarity did not ensue.

Red A said...

Friend of mine worked as a security guard at an ice cream factory. They actually let you eat as much ice cream as you wanted.

vt said...

Actually, you got it backwards. We picked you up in the middle of your shift to bring you to a party at Amy & Ann's. Then took you back later before the next guy showed up. You couldn't stand the idea of sitting in a car lot alone while there was a swimming pool full of teenage girls just across town. I seriously thought you were going to be fired.

Chaon said...

Yeah. Pretty irresponsible of me. But it was a $3.35/hour job as a security guard, so it's not like I could have gone any lower had I been fired.

Michael Turton said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael Turton said...

You couldn't stand the idea of sitting in a car lot alone while there was a swimming pool full of teenage girls just across town.

Ah, it's good to see that Karl hasn't changed much over the years.

Michael

eighty said...

You mention a third of Americans beleive in UFO's What about American expats in Taiwan - half beleive in a Republic of Taiwan. Such a country does not exist (at the moment) nor has it ever.