Slow Roasted

Cannonball Read 2.02: The Forever War - Joe Haldeman (1974)

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:20:00 +0000

Flailing about, searching for some thing to read, I came across this file, and it occurred to me that this was good a time to revisit this book as any.

Haldeman is a vocal devotee of Robert Heinlein, and in The Forever War, he creates a thematic counterpart to Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, including all of the hardware, technology, and tactics that makes Troopers a primer in military science-fiction.

Haldeman overlays all of the clanking can banging about by centering his story of war over centuries (due to relativistic effects) around a reluctant and melancholy draftee, William Mandella.

Let me be honest for a moment here. In spite of my military background (2 yrs in the Navy, and my dad and brother have both served), I really have very little interest in military stories, so I can’t attest to the accuracy of much of them beyond the experience of constantly waiting in line.

In The Forever War, Earth finds its way into a series of conflicts with a mysterious alien enemy that are so far away, that relativistic effects means that a group of soldiers will be gone for years, if not decades, and finally centuries. We follow Mandella as he travels from battle to battle, planet to planet and decade after decade, as he gets further away from the year of his birth, the world and society of his birth, and finally, from humanity itself.

Haldeman notes himself, in the forward, that he wrote the story in reaction to, and reflecting the Vietnam War, and we can certainly see that in the alienation that Mandella feels each time that he returns from battle. The Forever War, however, is not just a bleak look at war and warfare. Haldeman definitely enjoys his battlesuits and massive explosions; he is simply disappointed as we are that they don’t always work out as well as he hopes they will.

According to Haldeman, even Heinlein himself complimented this story, and I will not contradict the Master on this. Reading The Forever War is basic to our understanding of war and fighters in modern science fiction.

The Forever War - Joe Haldeman (1974)

Pajiba's Cannonball Read - 52 books, 52 reviews.

Cannonball Read 2.0_01: Something from the Nightside - Simon R. Green

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:31:00 +0000

I've only spent weeks mentally preparing myself for the Cannonball Read, only of find myself in the first week, completely stymied by a book that simply wasn't very interesting.

I am a big fan and constant consumer of most of the early entries into the "urban fantasy" genre. I specify "early entries" because you will not find a lot of copycats on the supermarket and rug store racks, and most of them aren't much good. All of the vampires and werewolves have been taken.

"Something from the Nightside" starts off with such a derivative steal from Hammett and Sam Spade that I very nearly dropped it and took up something else. Naturally it starts off in a seedy detective's office, where he also lives, and naturally, a dame walks in and the case begins.

The PI in our case, Taylor, promises something different but it is quite a while before we get there. Instead of Chandler's "mean streets", however, we are given "the Nightside", and alternate reality in the middle of London where it is always 3am and raining, and where every single interdimensional and magical beastie can make their home in an urban setting. Taylor, himself, plays like a Harry Potter gone to seed.

It is fun to watch Taylor, in his white trenchcoat, make his way through this twisted landscape, which resembles nothing so much as a low-down version of Rowling's "Diagon Alley", and encounter everything from time travel through alternate realities, and Lovecraftian beasts-from-beyond, and everyone and everything has good reason to want you dead.

It is obvious that "Something from the Nightside" is intended as the opening of the series, and luckily I was fascinated enough by the Nightside to want to explore future stories, but there is not much besides knowing that to take you through to the next book. There are ten books in the Nightside series, however, so I'm sure that I will look into more of them.

Pajiba's Cannonball Read - 52 books, 52 reviews.
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Nobel Peace Prize

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:27:00 +0000

President Barack Obama wins Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO - President Barack Obama won the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, citing his outreach to the Muslim world and attempts to curb nuclear proliferation.

Attaturk: "I guess Krauthammer was right, the international regard for the United States has so fallen after Obama became President that they just awarded our Chief Executive the Nobel Peace Prize."

Oliver Willis: "Congrats to the President for this honor, another turn of the page from the failed warmongering failure of the last 8 years of U.S. foreign policy."

I may criticize the man (from the left) for his centrist tendencies, but only in the fever dream of deranged righ-winger has he failed to complete represent the dreams and hopes of the American people. A proud accomplishment.
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Brooklyn Tech Students Turn Out — And Westboro Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 20:48:00 +0000

Students Turn Out — And Westboro Leaves :

As school let out this afternoon, picketers from Westboro Baptist Church, a scabrously anti-gay group from Topeka, gathered outside Brooklyn Tech to spread the gospel found on their site godhatesfags.com and, according to their schedule (since updated), to “teach the rebels of Brooklyn what good looks like, and you had better behave.”

But outnumbered by nearly 200 Tech students, the Westboro protesters, escorted by police officers, left the corner of Fort Greene Place and Fulton Street at 3:45, 15 minutes earlier than scheduled. (The protest had been slated for 3:20 p.m. to 4 p.m.)

Oh, think you're going to mess with Brooklyn Tech? Oh, thou sad deluded fools.

Oh, and this?

Is awesome!
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Haters

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:15:00 +0000

President McCain will be on my teevee yet again on Sunday.

It dawned on me this morning - I don't give a shit any more about those people who refuse to admit that they lost the election last year. Seriously, bored with them, annoyed with them - fuck them.

I don't care if they are corporatists, fascists, or racists - they lost the election last year. Period.
It's not rage we should be feeling, it's contempt. 80% of Americans support the President - the 20-percenters can go jump off a cliff. Sooner than later, please.

Monday Morning...

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:11:00 +0000

I do believe that I said that Obama wasted three months letting the Thugs get traction on any damn thing, much less health care.

Curiously, Maureen Dowd seems to get it. Yes, dear - that IS why they hate him.

He isnt really losing the "white" vote. He's losing squishy Dems who weren't really thrilled with him to begin with, but thought that he would kick some Republican ass. That they happen to be largely white is just incidental demographics.

The Overhead Wire: Heeey!!! Houston Gets a FONSI

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:24:00 +0000

The Overhead Wire: Heeey!!! Houston Gets a FONSI

"Houston gets into the final design phase for two of its five light rail lines and gets development codes changed to promote pedestrian access to the stations. Not bad for the Texas home of oil industry giants."

Loneliness, Murder, and Insanity - Reporting on the Sodini Incident

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:17:00 +0000

Speaking of "lonely" - how is the MSM getting away with NOT discussing that the Lonely Guy Killer was particularly incensed over

1) "The president is a Ni*CLANG*", naturally, and
2) black men in general getting the "hos" to which he felt entitled?

This was another right-wing killing spree:

Joan Walsh at Salon:

In a related tangent, I was stunned by Editor and Publisher's report that AP, the New York Times and other news organizations quoted liberally from Pittsburgh health club murderer George Sodini's diaries, but left out his racist diatribes against Obama. The diary in fact began the day after Obama was elected, and Sodini wrote, "Good luck to Obama! He will be successful. The liberal media LOVES him. Amerika has chosen The Black Man." He then goes on to complain that white "hoes" are choosing black men over him...

E&P: AP Omits Killer's Obama References

The diary focuses on his problems with women and other worries, but also has some comments about the "liberal media," the "Obama economy" -- and it opens with remarks about last fall's election, the election of "The Black Man" and jokes about black men and white women. All left out of the AP excerpts and nearly everywhere else...

The MSM is framing this as another random spree killer, but this is part and parcel of the upsurge of right-wing rage killings. This one is so ugly that the press is ready to lie about it and cover it up.

I understand being being lonely, and I understand being bitter, but this kind of rage? Comes from somewhere else entirely.
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Sotomayor Confirmed By Senate

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 20:09:00 +0000

You LOST, Thugs.

You lost on the stimulus. You lost on C4C. You lost on Franken. You lost on Sotomayor. You LOST.

Harry needs to get health care on the floor STAT. Let the beatings continue until morale is improved.
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"Enough of the Mob"

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:44:00 +0000

DNC WebAd: "Enough of the Mob":

There is a reason that I always call them "Thugs" : Republicans Are Evil™.

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Jennifer Aniston Making Lonely Look Good

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 20:48:00 +0000

Elle landed Jennifer Aniston for their big September issue, but don't worry, you needn't pity the poor, single actress.

"I'm not going to ignore the pink elephant in the living room. It's fine. I can take it," she says of how it's hard to find a decent man in this town—and once you do, they just leave you for some way hot, tattooed, child-collecting superstar.

"If I'm the emblem for 'this is what it looks like to be the lonely girl getting getting on with her life,' so be it."

If SHE's "lonely" then the rest of us mere humans have NO shot at all...

And here's Jennifer on the set of her new movie, looking damn fine:

They're Looking for a Hero...

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:01:00 +0000

THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF MOB HARASSMENT.... :

"...It's probably the one angle the corporate interests and their lobbyists haven't considered: the unintended consequences of rallying confused right-wing activists to shout down policymakers who'll improve their health care coverage"

They keep thinking that they can control these right-wing assholes, and they can't.

Very soon, these fools are going to find themselves a demagogue who isn't about lining his own pockets and isn't under somebody else's thumb and then we're off to the races.

"This is not to say all opponents of reform are radical extremists."

Yeah, they are.

"Obviously, those concerned about the reform proposals go beyond fringe, unhinged activists."

No, they dont.
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Medicare for All

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 19:04:00 +0000

Atrios : "...it's quite amazing the degree to which people talk about health care while ignoring the fact that a large percentage of our population - mostly, but not just, seniors - don't already pay for their health care with a government run insurance program."

(From earlier today, not that you noticed, Atrios)

Medicare works so well, that a great many wingers don't even think of it as a government plan, teh morans. So:

Medicare for All: No charge for over 55, under 18, and up to, say 400% of poverty level. Everyone else can buy in, or not, through employers.
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Back Into Form

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:48:00 +0000

I'm trying to get back into form before I take on the next phase of this verdammnt college business.

So: If you've ever read Slow Roasted, or any one of my screeds, and thought it worthwhile, a spot on your blogroll would be appreciated, and of course, the same in return.

http://meander61.blogspot.com/

Thank you.
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Skating Babies

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 01:15:00 +0000

Because it's cute, dammit...

The Story Behind the Skating Babies : How an Evian Ad on YouTube Went Viral, And the CGI Whizzes Who Made It...

(CBS) According to a Pew survey, more than one out of five adult Americans still don't use the internet. What are they missing? Well, as CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports, they're missing the skating babies.

It's a simple formula. Take babies. Put 'em on skates. Add music. Watch the internet hits take off.

The latest viral ad sensation has become the talk of the water cooler crowd, which is just as well as it's for a French bottled water company.

Over six million hits since its release last weekend - almost three million in the U.S. alone. It's rolling toward rarified territory, the 20 million-plus hits that only the lucky few viral ads get to...

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Unnecessary drama, Part III

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:32:00 +0000

So if things weren't bad enough, The Dreadful Bear calls me.

"Wow", she says, "This is going to be pretty bad, huh?"

I was apprehensive, since I had just given her phone number to yet another collection agency today - she has a bad habit of using me as a credit reference without my permission. As if we were friends or something.

I give them her current phone number in exchange for leaving me alone. They're still calling, and she's not in jail yet. Damn.

"What do you mean?", I asked.

"The Michael Jackson thing - this is going to be bad, isn't it?"

"What do you mean?", I repeated. It pays to be cautious with the Bear.

"This is going to be all over the news for WEEKS!"

"well, yes, I'm afraid so..." I was looking for an angle to get off the phone at this point.

"There was this lawyer on Nancy Grace, and he was saying..."

"Stop right there. There is nothing on Nancy Grace that I need to hear about."

"I know you hate her..."

"I don't hate her. She's a liar. Everything on her show is a lie," I said.

The Bear tried to walk it back, since she clearly needed someone to talk to. "But it wasn't her, this lawyer was calling in, and..."

"Let me be clear here - anything that anybody says on Nancy Grace's show is either a lie, or will be proven wrong within 48 hours. Anything else?"

"Uh, no..."

"I have things to do - good night."
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Things Are Looking Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:04:00 +0000

Here's some good news:

The Onion: Dept. Of Evil: 'All Of You Must Die' :

WASHINGTON, DC—In the latest in a long series of ominous public pronouncements, the Department of Evil released a statement Monday demanding that all residents of the United States must die.

Dread Secretary of Evil Hammond S. Reynolds told reporters that they, too, must die.

"Yes, all must die," Dread Secretary of Evil Hammond S. Reynolds said during a press conference in Room 1228 of Washington's Robert C. Weaver Federal Building. "There shall soon come an accounting in which all will fall before the Grim Reaper as wheat in winter, as lambs under the knife. Soon all necks will feel the steely bite of our soul- thirsting axe, wielded by the unforgiving iron hand of the Department of Evil. Thus spake I, Dread Secretary Reynolds."

So we have that going for us.
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Criminal Minds

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Wed, 20 May 2009 18:29:00 +0000

This is a very sad story.

Timeline of Ireland's Catholic abuse scandals

But the commission said its fact-finding — which included unearthing decades-old church files, chiefly stored in the Vatican, on scores of unreported abuse cases from Ireland's industrial schools — demonstrated that officials understood exactly what was at stake: their own reputations...

"Contrary to the congregations' claims that the recidivist nature of sexual offending was not understood, it is clear from the documented cases that they were aware of the propensity for abusers to re-abuse," it said.

Irish priests beat, raped children: report

I wonder what it would do for our understanding of sexual offenders if we could actually get all of the Vatican's secret files on this and all of the other cases that they have here in the United States and worldwide and codify them into a single database?

I bet we could get profiles out that could spit out the phone numbers of pedophiles.
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Parasites

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:39:00 +0000

Glennzilla comments on MoDo's ~~thievery~~ borrowing:

The myth of the parasitical bloggers - Establishment media outlets claim that others steal their work for free, but the truth is often the opposite...

Yours truly asks him to think of the bloggers! Let us get paid!

A cat may look at a king.
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They Simply Won't Do It

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:19:00 +0000

Sebelius: Industry will keep promise to cut costs :

WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Tuesday she's confident health industry leaders will make good on their promise to slow the growth of medical care costs...

No, they won't.

There's no profit in it, they simply won't do it, and there is no reason in the world - NONE - why you should think so.

Any plan that includes the insurance companies will FAIL.

It is time for a public health care plan that covers all Americans. THEN talk to them.
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More than Meets The Eye : Transformers 25th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Not counting advertisements, May 8th, 1984 was the first time the general public was made aware of the Transformers franchise. Over the next 25 years, the saga of shape-changing robots: the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, has continued to reach new audiences around the world.

And one of my favorite webcomics, ShortPacked! offers an awesome salute here:

Bearding The Lion In His Den

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:07:00 +0000

JurassicPork had a detailed post HERE of President Obama's frankly courageous stand against offshore tax havens, especially since they thought they were buying him off.

NY Times : The top corporate tax rate is 35 percent, but the Treasury Department estimated that in 2004, the most recent year for which data is available, American multinationals paid $16 billion in taxes on $700 billion in foreign income — an effective rate of 2.3 percent.

JurassicPork: With the average American paying an average tax rate of 20% or so, why is Joe Sixpack and John Q. Public supposed to feel sorry for corporations who ship jobs overseas and reduce our workforce so they can get around the minimum wage and occupational safety laws when their own average tax rate is 32.7% lower than the maximum?

Exactly so.
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Not in My Name

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:48:00 +0000

DWD at Eschaton lays it out for us:

Listen: One of the reasons I stay away from the news is the lack of understanding that I hear daily.

1. Torture is illegal according to our laws and international agreements.

2. Torture does not work no matter how many times you say it does.

3. There is no defense for knowingly ignoring and breaking our laws.

4. If you broke the law, you must be subject to prosecution.

(And Roger Cohen and the rest: there is not justification for applying a patina of rationalization for these criminals. None whatsoever)

Remember this when phrases like "enhanced interrogation techniques" get tossed around. TORTURE IS WRONG.

Heroes Of The Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Bravo to Sinfonian, who spoke truth to power at a "teabagger rally" in Florida yesterday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkOwsIIIe5I&feature=player_embedded

Spocko has a lot more to say about it, HERE

And to racymind, who got a write up in the Houston Press for her inspired counter-protest. (I was on the number 85 bus behind her ;) )

You are awesome.
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Fear of a Black President

noreply@blogger.com (Meander) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:39:00 +0000

Atrios complains: ...The problem is that it was never clear what they were protesting.

And DFH in Dubrovnik answered in comments: All their tax money is being spent by a black guy.

I'm afraid that's all there is to it. And if you can't admit that, it makes no sense at all.

You could explain that most of them got tax relief; they will deny it.

You can explain that this is Bush's debt, and Obama's trying to fix it; they don't want that.

You can explain that Clinton did the exact same thing in 1993 and left office with a surplus; they don't remember that, and they don't believe it.

As we used to say when I was in the Navy - "Fuck 'em if they cant take a joke."
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