Why I Live In Boston

Someone posted on a blog calling Boston a "rathole" and wanting one good reason why someone would want to live there...here's my response:

Um let's see because it's got:

* all 4 professional sports represented, 2 of whom won their championships within the last 2 years
* more culture & arts than 90% of the rest of the country
* all 4 seasons, and fall in New England is more beautiful than what anywhere but California can provide
* beautiful country-side for hiking, apple-picking, skiing, white-water rafting all 30 minutes or less away
* world class colleges & universites (with the bonus of all of the cute college girls circling around town)
* world class dining & foods (new england clam chowder, lobster, baked beans, etc)
* it's the best city in the US for walking around because everything's easy to get to
* it's still has one of the cheapest public transportation systems in the US
* the history here surrounds you and gives a sense of uniqueness that won't ever be captured by the cookie-cutter, corporate cities like Austin or Houston
* it's not filled with close-minded religious wing-nuts like vast sections of the south & midwest
* the economy is still better with it's hits than the rust belt or the south, and with all the universities and biotech located here, it's likely to do better in the next couple of decades

So yeah there are lots of good reasons to live in this "rathole"

Frankly I LOVE this town and would rather live here than all but a handful of places in the country. I had lived in other parts of the country, and once I moved here I just knew I probably wouldn't be moving away. I finally felt like I was "home".

Turning into an old man

I really am turning into an old man. Now I'm sending angry letters to the editor, like this one:

What is with this article:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/articles/2006/06/01/patrick_could_pitch_shutout/

I read the Globe because it's always been a paper that has high standards and excellent writing. This article is the worst writing I've ever seen in any paper in my life, let alone a paper that is supposed to be as high quality as the Globe.

If any 5th grader had handed this in as an essay they would have failed. I actually feel stupider having read this crap passed off as an article.

This article is even worse than the most amatuerish of blogs. The Globe should be ashamed to have published this article, and the writer should give back whatever he was paid to write this article.

If this is the direction that the Globe is going, then I will be cancelling my subscription.

Funniest Comic about Marriage EVER!

I could see the conversation going down EXACTLY like this with any number of my friends.....I'll leave it up to you to figure out which guy I am:

http://www.cad-comic.com/comic.php?d=20060215

Coolest Wedding Idea Ever

Tell me that this wouldn't be the coolest thing to have a wedding ever? Especially since with my friends it would end up being a total Teddy Bear War:

Stop Or I'll Shoot the Bear!

Bored Again

Because I'm bored again you get stuck with another stupid lil survey result. It's interesting in how these always seem to have just enough "nuggets of truth" to make the seem worthwhile....like good horoscopes that are vague enough to be accurate (unless you're Dirk Gently)

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart. In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored. You'd like to your lover to think you are loyal and faithful... that you'll never change. You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic. Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage as something that will confine you. You are afraid of marriage. In this moment, you think of love as commitment. Love only works when both people are totally devoted.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Funniest Satire EVER!

I'm not sure how many of you have heard about this, but Steven Colbert simply ANNIHALATED Bush & the Mainstream Media at the WH Press Corp dinner. Everyone who appreciates good comedy, or who is fed up with the current direction of our country should check it out.

http://thankyoustephencolbert.org/wordpress/

So Sick of Fundies

I am so ever living sick of your "typical" Christian Fundamentalist. I got another stupid rasict forward about how immigrants need to conform to America, and accept God because our country, and our culture is based on God. Below is the HUGE rant I sent (which I probably shouldn't have since it was my GF's mother that sent the letter, but wahtever, I know I've told them and my GF has re-iterated, that I'm not religious at ALL, so don't forward that shit to me and I won't respond by shattering your fragile little Jesus world)

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BEGIN RANT

Actually just to correct some factual errors in this email:

1.) The country was founded by Diests, not Christians. They believed in A God & Higher Power, just not necessarily the Christian god. Specifically:

- Thomas Jefferson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_jefferson#Religious_views)
- Ben Franklin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin#Religious_beliefs)
- John Adams
- Thomas Paine
- James Madison

2.) The US Declaration of Independance & Constitution are extensively based upon the political and social philosophy known as "Social Contract Theory" which specifically enumerates the obligations a government has to its citizens. The single biggest writer at the time espousing this view point was John Locke, a Unitarian, who in his "2nd Treatise on Government" specifically argued that all men had the rights to "life, liberty & property" (sound familiar?). This theory was of course an extension of the thoughs put forward by Plato in "The Republic" which predates Christianity by 390 years or so.

3.) The United States as NO official language. No where in ANY US law is it stipulated that all business must be conducted in English. Until that time, English is simply the de facto national language because it's the one spoken by the majority. Specifically in the 2000 census, it was recorded that 1 in 5 people live in a non-english speaking household. Multi-culturalism

4.) There is NO war on Christmas. The very idiot who railed about this (Bill O'reily) had on his OWN website "Season's Greetings".

First of all to say there is a "war" on a freakin holiday simply because people are asked to be POLITE (not politically correct) by using the term Season's Greetings, is an insult to the millions of people who have died, been maimed, or lost their homes in a REAL war.

Having someone say "Season's Greetings" isn't political correctness it's simply being polite. If you know nothing about me, what religion I belong to, or even IF I believe in a religion, then it is a nice way of recognizing whatever winter event I might celebrate (Hannakah, Ramadan, Sahaim, etc).

Secondly, what other religion has their most sacred day as a NATIONAL holiday? Do we all get off Yom Kippor, the Summer Solstice, Ramadan, or any other religion's holiday off? NO. Only Christians are the ones that are so "blessed"

4.) "In God We Trust" wasn't added to the US Coin Currency until 1864 during the Civil War, almost 100 years after our country was founded. In addition, it disappeared from currency for almost 55 years from 1883 - 1938.

It wasn't added to paper currency until 1956, the same year it became the country's motto, replacing "E Pluibus Unum" (out of many we are one)

5.) Another justification that has tranditionally been used, but wasn't present in this "article" was "under god" being in the pledge of allegence. But that phrase wasn't added until 1954, spurred on by the Knight of Columbus (a Catholic Fraternal organization).

It's important to remember that all of this "God"-ifying was happening at the time of the Red Scare and Joe McCarthy's Anti-American hearings (summer of 1954) where we were fighting the "godless" communists.

6.) Around 43% of the US classifies themself as either "spiritual but not religious" or "neither spiritual nor religious" (2002 USA/Gallup Poll). The US culture is NOT one of God. This is NEVER what America has stood for.

Instead America was founded and people have fought and DIED for the ability for us to have WHATEVER views we want on whatever subject. To say that if we don't accept "God" that we should leave the country is to be ignorant and disrespectful to everyone who has given their life to protect the freedoms outlined in our constitution.

7.) Instead of "Christians" worrying about fictional wars on Christmas, or of gay people being able to marry or raise kids, or any ways they'd like to restrict other peoples rights so that we're forced to live by their moral codes, perhaps they should go and read the New Testament again and start living like Jesus preached to them that they should:

- Feed the Hungry
- Clothe the poor
- Build houses for the homeless
- Protect the weak

You know what, I'll start listening to Christians on how I should live my life, once they step up to the plate and feed, clothe, shelter and care for every homeless CHILD in America. I'm not even saying that have to solve it worldwide, or even all of the adults, lets simply take care of those who are too weak to help themselves. If they do that, then they can come and lecture to me about working on Sundays, or drinking alcohol, or having premartial sex, or whatever else their Dogma says I'll go to hell for.

Until then, they're simply hypocrites trying to make the laws of this country adhere to their faith, and there's another group that has that same mission....the Illotlahs in Iran. Maybe they should get together.

If you don't want to hear this type of crap from me in the future, then don't send me stuff that will provoke this response.

END RANT
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