Life: Under Construction

Are jokes always funny?!

via www.nypost.com

Ruth Zafrin got tired of being the butt of her daughter-in-law's jokes which were a staple of her comedy routine. Some mothers-in-law would opt for the passive aggressive approach but not Mrs. Zafrin, she decided to sue her daughter-in-law, Sunda Croonquist, for defamation of character. Unfortunately for Mrs. Zafrin, the judge in the case decided in Croonquist's favor.

While her jokes about her mother-in-law are not legally punishable, that doesn't make them appropriate. The fact is that Ms. Croonquist has chosen to step up on stage, her mother-in-law didn't. Therefore it seems inappropriate to drag a family member's life into your show when they are not supportive. In terms of this blog, it was my choice to write it, not my parents' or my friends' and definitely not my office's. Because of this, I do not write about them or things that happen involving them because that isn't a liberty that I have. It sounds like Croonquist feels too self-righteous on this issue to take a step back and try to think how she would feel if the shoe was on the other foot. If she did this, she might see that kindness dictates she leave her poor mother-in-law out of her act!

Brandi, I know it's hard, but close your mouth!

via www.people.com

You're married for eight years, have two kids. Your spouse starts working with someone with who they have noticeable chemistry but you don't worry about it because this is your husband and you trust him. Next thing you know you are presented with evidence that your spouse is having an affair with this former co-worker. You comfort yourself that this is only a road bump in your marriage that can be got over. Therapy is attempted. Then you find out that the two lovers are still seeing each other. Your husband moves out and is seen around town with his new flame. Life is tough for Brandi Glanville, especially given that her marriage's collapse is being covered by the national media and her husband's face has adorned the front of various gossip mags.
It would be easy to feel sorry for Glanville, except for the fact that she feels the need to speak to the press and bad mouth her husband. I appreciate that she is probably angry and hurt, but those are the sorts of feelings you express to your mother, your friends or your therapist. People.com is not an appropriate place to vent these emotions. You'd think Glanville would see the tawdriness and vulgarity that encompasses the Gosselins and realize that airing your dirty laundry in public just makes you look bad. She already has a tacky name like 'Brandi' (I think the addition of the 'i' at the end makes it especially bad), going to press only makes it seem MORE likely that she comes from the trailer park.

Brandi, if you're reading this, stop trying to vilify your husband publicly. It's not working. In fact it's probably making your husband's case that you're a little crazy and made him feel like he was trapped and unable to breath. Please, stop what you're doing and take the high road, so we can start to admire you instead of tire of you!

The Standard Pollutes The High Line's Scenery

via www.nypost.com

I've seen the recent headlines about the Standard Hotel's windows which often feature naked guests or employees of the hotel. I have not bothered to read the stories behind the headlines because I figure I knew it already: exhibitionists check in to the hotel and voyeurs stroll along NYC's new High Line for optimum viewing pleasure. I did not realize that the Standard's window displays didn't just feature people occasionally flashing their chests or their backside. Pedestrians have also looked up and seen men masturbating and couples having sex in full view. Some might see these displays as avant garde and fun but these displays mean that the public can only take advantage of the High Line if they are willing to accept these grotesque displays. The High Line is a public park, paid for by our taxes, as such it should not be a resource controlled by perverts. The Standard may be operating on the motto 'There is no such thing as bad publicity' but it seems to me if they don't change their tune, they will only be able to attract a very odd subsection of the population. If the Standard will not curb this behavior, it will be up to the city to make a change (tinted windows perhaps?!).

Chris Brown Finally Sentenced

via www.nypost.com

Apparently the judge issuing the sentence on Chris Brown for the beating of his then-girlfriend, Rihanna, postponed his sentencing date until she could be sure that the six months of community service he would be serving under his plea agreement would include hard labor. I think the use of force is reprehensible, whether you are using it against someone you know or not (unless the use of force is required for protection). That said, Chris Brown probably received his most severe punishment from the public outcry against what he did. He works in a business where counts for a helluva a lot and it will be some time before people think of Brown without recalling that mugshot of Rihanna's badly beaten face. If previous celebrities' run ins with the law are anything to go by, the community service is not the hard part of the sentence. Where most celebrities fumble is during the extended probation period. They forget when they're out partying that being caught with a little weed or driving a little bit intoxicated will land them in jail serving a felony sentence.
I'm not saying that I think the hard labor in Virginia is over-kill. He beat a woman just because he was angry...that is no excuse. I just find it interesting that the judge in this case feels that grunt work is a necessary part of the punishment.

Smoking on Hell's Kitchen: it is gross and that is the upside!

via www.nydailynews.com

I have a soft spot for Gordon Ramsay. I am aware that he curses like a sailor and generally tries to bully anyone less-successful than himself (which basically amounts to everyone in his life). What I like most about Ramsay is that it's always chef's and cook's that don't care sufficiently that gets his ire up. I honestly wish that Ramsay could trail around me in my life and yell at everyone who doesn't care, who doesn't try, who doesn't pull their weight. Whenever I tell someone off I feel like I have a little bit of Ramsay (by way of my feisty mum) in me.

I digress. Ramsay's cooking competition on TV, called 'Hell's Kitchen', is very entertaining but it also features the cheftestants kicking their feet up in their living quarters as they light up copious numbers of cigarettes. Ramsay has argued that this is even worse than fictional shows (like 'Mad Men') because it is reality. Ramsay has reason to be irked by his chefs habits as smoking dulls the taste buds.

I would argue however, that HK's depiction of smoking is exactly the type of coverage we should all want. The reason is that shows like 'Mad Men' make smoking glamorous and sexy. Ramsay's chefs, on the other hand, show smoking for what it is: something that fat, unattractive, poorly educated, resource-less, stupid people do. I can't imagine anyone watching HK would see the contestants and think 'I want to be like them'. It might even be a good deterrent to current smokers to quit so they aren't affiliating themselves with the likes of the show's losers. Call me crazy but I think anti-smoking campaigners should thank Ramsay for displaying the truth about smoking: unless your European, it's a vulgar habit.

Ted Kennedy Passes

via www.nytimes.com

Despite the fact that I didn't agree with his politics, I feel I cannot open up my blog today without recognizing the passing of Senator Edward Kennedy. It has been said that during the last century, the Kennedys were the closest thing this nation had to a royal family. If that is the case, the reigning monarch has passed. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an heir to take his place. This will mean that the Kennedy family, as the public knew them, will fade into annals of history. Ted Kennedy's passing marks the end of an era, the 20th century is truly behind us.

Questions about Caster Semenya's Gender are now Racially Motivated?!

via www.nytimes.com

I can see that the questions over Caster Semenya's gender have cast an unpleasant shadow over her win in the 800 meters at the track and field world championships. That said, I do not believe that this was a race issue. When Amelie Mauresmo first found success in the Women's Tennis Association, there were rumblings that some of her competitors thought that she was just a little bit too masculine, a little too muscular to be a natural woman (i.e. the suspicion was that she was either taking testosterone or steroids). Personally, I think Mauresmo proved she was all woman by bringing her emotions onto the court and turning into a nervous nellie under pressure...this trait is characteristic of the women's game. These suspicions against Mauresmo had nothing to do with race or even culture, they were created by her competitors who felt threatened by Mauresmo's strength and burly build. I feel sure that similar insecurities prompted competitors of officials to question Semenya's gender.

The fact that South Africa immediately held up the race card rather than just assuming that it was motivated by envy shows that the issue of race still looms large in their culture. This isn't surprising given their history however, I hope that they do notice their own tendencies as that is the only way to move past them.

Ryan Jenkins Found Dead in Motel Room

via www.people.com

People.com is just reporting that Ryan Jenkins has been found dead in a motel room in Canada. Right now authorities are suggesting that it looks like a suicide. I suppose we can't be completely surprised by this. Suicide is an act of the desperate and Jenkins was certainly desperate. Part of me feels thankful that he's dead and it's over, the state of California has just been saved the cost of a lengthy murder trial and yet it feels as though the U.S. judicial system has lost out. Here is a man that for what ever reason (probably jealousy) took the life of his wife. As if that wasn't bad enough, he then mutilated her body to try and throw the police off the scent. I'm sure Jasmine Fiore's family and friends will think that Jenkins got off lightly. Rather than have to face the music and pay for what he had done, he took the coward's way out through suicide. Clearly, Jenkins is someone who is deluded in thinking that death solves problems whether it's an imperfect wife or being hunted for her murder.

At the end of the day, I can't help but feel how wasteful and pointless violence is.

Bronx Rape Happens Despite The Victims Pleas For Help

via www.nypost.com

The New York Post is reporting that a 17-year-old girl was raped near her apartment building in the Bronx. The fact that her screams were heard by neighbors who did nothing to help, is reminiscent of Kitty Genovese's murder (the Queens woman who was murdered outside her apartment building while neighbors were aware of what was going on but did nothing).

I am sure that all of us would hope that a good Samaritan would step forward and help us if we were in trouble. We would probably also hope that if someone else was in trouble, we would have the courage to step forward. It doesn't seem to much to expect of people, after all, in most situations all anyone needs to do to help is to pick up the phone and call the authorities. Given that it is so easy to help, why don't we?

One reason given in the Genovese murder as to why the neighbors didn't call the cops is that they didn't want to become involved. They didn't want to have to answer questions or have anything to do with the investigation. Looking at this most recent attack, I'm not so sure that apathy is the only reason people do not become involved.

My bedroom window opens onto an air shaft that leads down to a busy street that on any evening, is full of couples strolling, families returning home, and groups of young people wandering around looking for a good time. Needless to say, I have gotten used to falling to sleep with quite a bit of noise in the background. On an average night, I will hear young women squealing and men yelling. Every once and awhile an argument will erupt on the street that features some pretty intense rage. When I hear someone's voice in anger I obviously begin asking myself whether this is sounds serious, whether I should call the cops. I have never called the cops because nothing ever sounded that violent and to my knowledge, I have never been wrong. Perhaps the neighbors in the Bronx have had similar experiences: they are used to hearing people yell and scream at each other and usually it doesn't end badly so they assumed everything was fine when they heard the victim scream.

I am not trying to excuse the neighbors or condone the sort of apathy that allowed Kitty Genovese to be murdered but it is hard to know when there is real danger present instead of people letting off some steam.

State school pupils 'lose' places to private school pupils.?!

via www.guardian.co.uk

What a load of codswallop!

In this article, the Guardian is attempting to pull the wool over our eyes and convince us that state school students (the equivalent of public school here in the States) are having their spots in university usurped by private school students. Getting into university programs is competitive. Under the current economic circumstances, the number of places at any university has declined in order to save money. This has meant that there is increased competition for the remaining places. On average, private school students get better A-level results in the courses that are required for entry into the top universities. This will translate into a larger proportion of private school students getting places because more of them meet the requirements. This is not a case of universities favoring students who come from private education, they are merely picking the best students. Instead of grumbling about placement in universities, the Guardian should be asking itself why private schools do a better job when it comes to A-levels and what can be done about it.