 |
| 13/04/49 - 15/12/11 |
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Saturday, December 10, 2011
The Whole Truth and Nothing But
I don't give a fig about what other people think about fitness/getting fit/weight loss, etc. The cold hard truth is there is only ONE way to effectively 'lose weight', improve fitness, improve health, and so on. And, ladies and gentlemen, here it is: YOU HAVE TO CHANGE YOUR HABITS.
Recently I was reading a fitness article in the paper going along the lines of '...if you want to have a great ab workout here's what you have to do...', with the article continuing along the lines of x amount of situps, x amount of knee raises, and a few other isolation-type exercises. It made me sick. The article was accompanied by a photograph of a female sports model, clearly targeting the women's market, with (lo and behold) an advertisement for a slimming drink at the bottom (slight pun intended). Pathetic. Cynical. Negative. The tactic is this: show the 'ideal' - unattainable for just about everyone - and then use guilt as a device for consumption/purchase of a particular product.
People, I will give it to you straight, in a way that no corporation wants you to really know about. I'm not selling anything here, I am not making money out of this. The only thing I want out of this is your happiness and so a much better world for us all. No sales pitch required. This is written in simple and precise language, so at first it may seem a little confusing, but fear not. Re-read anything that you may have trouble with, and then repetition will clarify.
Here's the ONLY successful way to become more fit, and to become more healthy. EXERCISE MORE. EAT BETTER.
That's it. Two things. Very simple.
Whether you like it or not, the key to improved fitness (notice how I didn't say 'weight loss' - there's a reason for that, read on) is an increase in daily exercise. You have to GET MOVING, and in a much more increased capacity to what you would normally do, and you have to GET SWEATY. That is, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, slightly elevated surface body temperature, and so, an increase in metabolism. It's called aerobic exercise. And here's the killer - you have to do it for at least 40 minutes per day. Minimum.
If you want something extra, you can go on to strength conditioning, which sounds a lot more intimidating than it really is. As far as getting started, don't worry too much about strength. Trainers in gyms will tell you that you need to balance aerobic activity with strength conditioning, and technically that is right, but all we are doing here is setting the wheels in motion for improved fitness and well-being, and lifting weights is secondary to simply MOVING AROUND (see 'Self Image, Weight Loss and the Lie of BMI' below).
Exercise, exercise, exercise. That's the first thing. Now, eat properly, dickhead. If one person mentions the word 'diet', I will have them taken out the back and shot. 'Diet' should only ever be used in the context of describing what someone eats, not a system of eating to promote weight loss. Eat well, every once in a while have a treat. Eat to be healthy, not to submit to emotional wants. Too much is written about food as a means to weight loss. It's all bullshit. Most of it comes from companies that have a vested interest in the weight loss industry and it's simply lies. Below is what you have to do EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Cut out all added sugar - that is, don't add sugar to anything. Coffee, tea, cereals, anything that you would normally chuck a teaspoon of sugar on stop doing it immediately. Raw sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, anything. CUT IT OUT IMMEDIATELY. Sugar is used as a preservative, and a mask for salt flavours. It's already added to all preserved foods (that is, food in tins). And another little-known secret is that SUGAR IS A DRUG. It fucks you up. You don't want to be a drug addict, do you? Of course not.
Cut out all added salt - that is, don't add salt to a cooked egg, mashed potatoes, anything that you would normally chuck a pinch of salt on stop doing it immediately. Cooking salt, sea salt, salt anything. CUT IT OUT. Salt is used as a preservative, and a mask for sweet additives.
Eat more fresh fruit, especially in the morning. This will help kick-start your metabolism and keep it running efficiently throughout the day. Forget about green tea, wheatgrass, or any of that other New Age bullshit. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING kickstarts your metabolism like water and fruit. Cereals will clog your stomach and bowel and make you feel slow and heavy (read 'unmotivated') when consumed on an empty stomach. When you wake up, drink water, eat fruit. Rest your belly for half an hour, then eat some unprocessed cereals, and dairy. You will notice the difference immediately. Anyone that tells you otherwise is, you guessed it, selling you something.
Stop eating sugar-rich foods. You know exactly what I'm talking about - don't pretend you don't. The shit that you think makes you feel good - ice cream, cakes, MacDonalds - actually poisons you. Okay, every once in a while is fine, of course, but eating these things regularly fucks with your metabolism, your bowel, your heart, liver and kidneys, as well as impairs brain function. Ever eaten a Big Mac and felt like doing a few laps of the pool? You don't have to answer that. I know your answer already. Just don't put that shit in your mouth.
Stop using magazines, the cinema and other media as a template for the ideal body shape. Firstly, ALL of the people used as the 'ideal' are either freaks, seriously ill, or professional athletes. Aim to be nothing like these people. Aim to be the best you can be (to borrow a line from elsewhere). Secondly, you cannot change the natural shape of your body. Get used to it. But do not use it as an excuse to not do the right thing by it. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Every day. (A little tip - even when you go to the gym, and you have a program written for you by some nice hyper-fit young trainer, and they write in 'rest day' between workouts, you must still exercise. 'Rest day' does not mean do nothing. It means do something different to the regular workout. Keep moving, in other words.) Thirdly, exercise. I know, it's getting boring, but it's the key. Exercise begets exercise. Your body starts to really like it, and it will punish you when you don't do it. Same as with eating right. Once you cut out the excess sugar and salt from your diet, your tastebuds are retrained to appreciate natural flavours, and your internal organs will love you for it too. You will crave unnatural sweet and salt flavours less, and when you do indulge the occasional craving you will require less of a hit to sate it.
Absolutely NEVER rely on a graph or chart to show 'where you should be at'. You are working to feel good. Nothing more. One of the side effects of feeling good through exercise and healthy eating is... You guessed it - you look good too! The Body Mass Index is an outdated (invented in the 1850s for chrissakes!!!) chart that takes no real-world factors into consideration whatsoever for determining an individual's ideal weight. It cannot be used for athletes (who nearly always come up as "obese" on the scale), it cannot be used for children (who nearly always come up as "severely underweight"). It is deceptive and more often than not, hopelessly inaccurate. Forget that shit. Forget the concept of "weight loss" and accept the concept of "feeling good". It is difficult, sure, because we have had a constant bombardment of images and advertising campaigns from the 1970's onwards that base their 'science' on corporate productivity and market research, not on what is best for an individual.
Exercise more.
Eat better.
Don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise - they are selling you something.
Learn to listen to your body. When you first start to do the right thing your inner voice is small and meek, but continue to do the right thing and that inner voice becomes strong and encouraging. Listen. To. Your. Body.
Now stop reading this crap and go for a walk!
Recently I was reading a fitness article in the paper going along the lines of '...if you want to have a great ab workout here's what you have to do...', with the article continuing along the lines of x amount of situps, x amount of knee raises, and a few other isolation-type exercises. It made me sick. The article was accompanied by a photograph of a female sports model, clearly targeting the women's market, with (lo and behold) an advertisement for a slimming drink at the bottom (slight pun intended). Pathetic. Cynical. Negative. The tactic is this: show the 'ideal' - unattainable for just about everyone - and then use guilt as a device for consumption/purchase of a particular product.
People, I will give it to you straight, in a way that no corporation wants you to really know about. I'm not selling anything here, I am not making money out of this. The only thing I want out of this is your happiness and so a much better world for us all. No sales pitch required. This is written in simple and precise language, so at first it may seem a little confusing, but fear not. Re-read anything that you may have trouble with, and then repetition will clarify.
Here's the ONLY successful way to become more fit, and to become more healthy. EXERCISE MORE. EAT BETTER.
That's it. Two things. Very simple.
EXERCISE MORE
Whether you like it or not, the key to improved fitness (notice how I didn't say 'weight loss' - there's a reason for that, read on) is an increase in daily exercise. You have to GET MOVING, and in a much more increased capacity to what you would normally do, and you have to GET SWEATY. That is, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, slightly elevated surface body temperature, and so, an increase in metabolism. It's called aerobic exercise. And here's the killer - you have to do it for at least 40 minutes per day. Minimum.
If you want something extra, you can go on to strength conditioning, which sounds a lot more intimidating than it really is. As far as getting started, don't worry too much about strength. Trainers in gyms will tell you that you need to balance aerobic activity with strength conditioning, and technically that is right, but all we are doing here is setting the wheels in motion for improved fitness and well-being, and lifting weights is secondary to simply MOVING AROUND (see 'Self Image, Weight Loss and the Lie of BMI' below).
EAT PROPERLY
Exercise, exercise, exercise. That's the first thing. Now, eat properly, dickhead. If one person mentions the word 'diet', I will have them taken out the back and shot. 'Diet' should only ever be used in the context of describing what someone eats, not a system of eating to promote weight loss. Eat well, every once in a while have a treat. Eat to be healthy, not to submit to emotional wants. Too much is written about food as a means to weight loss. It's all bullshit. Most of it comes from companies that have a vested interest in the weight loss industry and it's simply lies. Below is what you have to do EVERY SINGLE DAY.
Cut out all added sugar - that is, don't add sugar to anything. Coffee, tea, cereals, anything that you would normally chuck a teaspoon of sugar on stop doing it immediately. Raw sugar, brown sugar, white sugar, anything. CUT IT OUT IMMEDIATELY. Sugar is used as a preservative, and a mask for salt flavours. It's already added to all preserved foods (that is, food in tins). And another little-known secret is that SUGAR IS A DRUG. It fucks you up. You don't want to be a drug addict, do you? Of course not.
Cut out all added salt - that is, don't add salt to a cooked egg, mashed potatoes, anything that you would normally chuck a pinch of salt on stop doing it immediately. Cooking salt, sea salt, salt anything. CUT IT OUT. Salt is used as a preservative, and a mask for sweet additives.
Eat more fresh fruit, especially in the morning. This will help kick-start your metabolism and keep it running efficiently throughout the day. Forget about green tea, wheatgrass, or any of that other New Age bullshit. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING kickstarts your metabolism like water and fruit. Cereals will clog your stomach and bowel and make you feel slow and heavy (read 'unmotivated') when consumed on an empty stomach. When you wake up, drink water, eat fruit. Rest your belly for half an hour, then eat some unprocessed cereals, and dairy. You will notice the difference immediately. Anyone that tells you otherwise is, you guessed it, selling you something.
Stop eating sugar-rich foods. You know exactly what I'm talking about - don't pretend you don't. The shit that you think makes you feel good - ice cream, cakes, MacDonalds - actually poisons you. Okay, every once in a while is fine, of course, but eating these things regularly fucks with your metabolism, your bowel, your heart, liver and kidneys, as well as impairs brain function. Ever eaten a Big Mac and felt like doing a few laps of the pool? You don't have to answer that. I know your answer already. Just don't put that shit in your mouth.
SELF IMAGE, WEIGHT LOSS AND THE LIE OF BMI
Stop using magazines, the cinema and other media as a template for the ideal body shape. Firstly, ALL of the people used as the 'ideal' are either freaks, seriously ill, or professional athletes. Aim to be nothing like these people. Aim to be the best you can be (to borrow a line from elsewhere). Secondly, you cannot change the natural shape of your body. Get used to it. But do not use it as an excuse to not do the right thing by it. Exercise, exercise, exercise. Every day. (A little tip - even when you go to the gym, and you have a program written for you by some nice hyper-fit young trainer, and they write in 'rest day' between workouts, you must still exercise. 'Rest day' does not mean do nothing. It means do something different to the regular workout. Keep moving, in other words.) Thirdly, exercise. I know, it's getting boring, but it's the key. Exercise begets exercise. Your body starts to really like it, and it will punish you when you don't do it. Same as with eating right. Once you cut out the excess sugar and salt from your diet, your tastebuds are retrained to appreciate natural flavours, and your internal organs will love you for it too. You will crave unnatural sweet and salt flavours less, and when you do indulge the occasional craving you will require less of a hit to sate it.
Absolutely NEVER rely on a graph or chart to show 'where you should be at'. You are working to feel good. Nothing more. One of the side effects of feeling good through exercise and healthy eating is... You guessed it - you look good too! The Body Mass Index is an outdated (invented in the 1850s for chrissakes!!!) chart that takes no real-world factors into consideration whatsoever for determining an individual's ideal weight. It cannot be used for athletes (who nearly always come up as "obese" on the scale), it cannot be used for children (who nearly always come up as "severely underweight"). It is deceptive and more often than not, hopelessly inaccurate. Forget that shit. Forget the concept of "weight loss" and accept the concept of "feeling good". It is difficult, sure, because we have had a constant bombardment of images and advertising campaigns from the 1970's onwards that base their 'science' on corporate productivity and market research, not on what is best for an individual.
Summary
Exercise more.
Eat better.
Don't listen to anyone that tells you otherwise - they are selling you something.
Learn to listen to your body. When you first start to do the right thing your inner voice is small and meek, but continue to do the right thing and that inner voice becomes strong and encouraging. Listen. To. Your. Body.
Now stop reading this crap and go for a walk!
Monday, November 14, 2011
Pick Me Apart!
One of the fascinating blogs that I have been following for a while now is Bobby Owsinski's Big Picture Blog. This wonderful site is devoted to all things related to music production, and one of the real gems that can be found here - at least on ocassion - are some deconstructed mixes of some classic tunes. You can find here takes of Mick Jagger's vocals from the Rolling Stones' classic Brown Sugar, never-before-heard (by too many people) outtakes of Beatles sessions, vocal-only parts of Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer, and a host of other wonderful, illuminating pieces. The whole site is like an continuous online Classic Albums trip. Check it out.
Mr Owsinski, himself an accomplished musician and producer, has inspired me to chuck up my own version of the isolated tracks song. Here's the link to Sweet Execution, featuring isolated vocals and drums.
This tune came together very quickly, with all of the writing and recording for the 'band' done in an afternoon. The vocals were all completed in three takes for each part (that is, three attempts at each of the parts for verse, verse double, chorus, chorus double, outro and outro double), excepting the chorus harmony which was done in one take, with the third take of each track being the final version used. Vocals took around half and hour.
For the vocals sound I used TRacks clipping, the awesome Jack Joseph Puig vocals compression, and TRacks EQ, all recorded with a lovely Rhode SM6 microphone. The vocals for the chorus were tweaked just a little with Da Tube distortion. The vocals at the outro were sweetened with just a touch of CSR Hall reverb.
The drum track is a sequence of Addictive Drums samples cut up by moi.
It's possible to hear a little background noise at times, but as this is all done with a bit of DIY, fuck cleaning that shit up!!!
I hope you get something out of it.
Mr Owsinski, himself an accomplished musician and producer, has inspired me to chuck up my own version of the isolated tracks song. Here's the link to Sweet Execution, featuring isolated vocals and drums.
This tune came together very quickly, with all of the writing and recording for the 'band' done in an afternoon. The vocals were all completed in three takes for each part (that is, three attempts at each of the parts for verse, verse double, chorus, chorus double, outro and outro double), excepting the chorus harmony which was done in one take, with the third take of each track being the final version used. Vocals took around half and hour.
For the vocals sound I used TRacks clipping, the awesome Jack Joseph Puig vocals compression, and TRacks EQ, all recorded with a lovely Rhode SM6 microphone. The vocals for the chorus were tweaked just a little with Da Tube distortion. The vocals at the outro were sweetened with just a touch of CSR Hall reverb.
The drum track is a sequence of Addictive Drums samples cut up by moi.
It's possible to hear a little background noise at times, but as this is all done with a bit of DIY, fuck cleaning that shit up!!!
I hope you get something out of it.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
ATTAXAS Music
Since I have had a fair amount of sedentary time to myself the last week, and have been quite frustrated by my lack of 'proper' mobility, my angst and boredom have fuelled the creative process. Blah blah blah - I have written a new little ditty.
You can check out the latest ATTAXAS song here. It's called Sweet Execution, and it goes something like this...
Don't be afraid of following on twitter @attaxas.
You can check out the latest ATTAXAS song here. It's called Sweet Execution, and it goes something like this...
Don't be afraid of following on twitter @attaxas.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
The Pitfalls of General Anaesthesia
Ok, so I had the operation on Friday. Today being Tuesday, it's now four days after the procedure and I still don't feel quite right. Swaying between restlessness and exhaustion, I have acute soreness and tightness on my left (!) side, and I'm fluctuating between states of relaxation and tension. I feel weird, and it feels like it was the anaesthetic that did it. It's a very strange sensation seeing the fluid being pushed down through the IV and feeling yourself fall under... And then wake up. UFO abductees refer to this as 'missing time', that is, having the sensation or awareness that a period of time has passed, but having no break or 'bump' in consciousness. This is something I find a little bit scary. But, it's a little peak into the future, a trial-run of what death will be like, perhaps. It's that fade to nothing - except later we wake up and remember the before.
Here are a couple of little images from the day of the operation.
By the way, the hospital that I stayed at, Cabrini Brighton, was awesome. Thank you to the excellent staff.
Here are a couple of little images from the day of the operation.
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| Not long after waking, kids going nuts in the room, and I feel very strange... |
 |
| Before the clean-up and redressing. |
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| The surgeon assisting assured me beforehand that they would be mindful of the ink! |
By the way, the hospital that I stayed at, Cabrini Brighton, was awesome. Thank you to the excellent staff.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Operation Forty Fixit
Today is the day of my surgery. Right elbow arthroscope to remove floating masses and exploratory surgery to remove a mass of something in my left wrist. Something of a 40th birthday present to myself. I am not in the least bit nervous, just very excited about having had some pesky problems resolved, and really looking forward to being able to concentrate on getting my body back on track for some serious training. Last night was pretty rough, however, as our rotten beautiful 19 month old son was very restless, and after a couple of failed attempts to settle him in his cot my wife brought him in to bed with us at christ o'clock. Usually works a treat, but for some reason he was like a cut snake in a sack - my back and balls must've had targets drawn on as they were l'objectif principal militaire of his petit pieds! (Just as I am writing this the little swine has come running out of the bedroom and given me a huge hug and a gorgeous smile - I will not fall for this type of emotional blackmail!)
Oh yeah, I turned 40 last week! Had a blast too! My mum came down from Canberra for a couple of weeks to participate in the celebrations, and also to take the time to hang out with her grandkids that she doesn't see enough - and so that my wife and I could have the chance to party together (rather than the tag-team socialising that is the norm these days). Last Wednesday, on the day of my birthday, the family went out for a delicious feast of Korean food. Then, on the Friday, it was grown-ups only at the pub for a session of celebratory drinking/feasting/catch-ups. My better half looked stunning - how good is it to hang out together? I've pretty much forgotten what it's like... Wonderful to see so many friends that I haven't seen in a while - and I was totally surprised and flattered at the present that people pitched-in for, too! Thanks! (As is always the way, there were too many people that I didn't get a chance to speak to - my apologies, it was not intentional.) Saturday, and it was a special time for my wife and I to hang out, just the two of us, booked in to one of Melbourne's best restaurants (Ginger Boy), and a night in one of Melbourne's best hotels (The Adelphi). Lucky me! I spent time in the company of a beautiful woman, indulged in some fine wine, fine food, and had a king-sized bed to flop in to - heaven!
And now? Back to life, back to reality...
 |
| Behold, the back- and ball-kicker extraordinaire. |
Oh yeah, I turned 40 last week! Had a blast too! My mum came down from Canberra for a couple of weeks to participate in the celebrations, and also to take the time to hang out with her grandkids that she doesn't see enough - and so that my wife and I could have the chance to party together (rather than the tag-team socialising that is the norm these days). Last Wednesday, on the day of my birthday, the family went out for a delicious feast of Korean food. Then, on the Friday, it was grown-ups only at the pub for a session of celebratory drinking/feasting/catch-ups. My better half looked stunning - how good is it to hang out together? I've pretty much forgotten what it's like... Wonderful to see so many friends that I haven't seen in a while - and I was totally surprised and flattered at the present that people pitched-in for, too! Thanks! (As is always the way, there were too many people that I didn't get a chance to speak to - my apologies, it was not intentional.) Saturday, and it was a special time for my wife and I to hang out, just the two of us, booked in to one of Melbourne's best restaurants (Ginger Boy), and a night in one of Melbourne's best hotels (The Adelphi). Lucky me! I spent time in the company of a beautiful woman, indulged in some fine wine, fine food, and had a king-sized bed to flop in to - heaven!
And now? Back to life, back to reality...
Monday, October 17, 2011
Another Example of Selling Out
...And here it is - I am now on Twitter. Last week someone suggested to me that I open an account with this social networking scourge, and my first thought was, "You've got to be kidding me!" And browsing through some other people's twitterings I really have to wonder what all the fuss is about. Inane, mindless and pretty damned boring. And then I realised - I can do that! So, dear reader, if you want to follow me on my Life's journey, partaking from time to time in my conceited and misguided philosophy, then come over to:
@attaxas
I can't promise that it will be good. Well, okay, yeah, I will. This is going to be GREAT!!!
It has been difficult finding the proper headspace for my writing lately. I have been tinkering with my novel, Dust, only on a couple of ocassions the last few months, putting it well behind schedule. Music has also been put on hold as I yet again wrestle with demons - once past this type of Muse-sparring I find that creativity can gush, it's just about getting through it... So there's no point in promoting my Wordpress site, TheCleanSlate, because there just aint anything new up...
@attaxas
I can't promise that it will be good. Well, okay, yeah, I will. This is going to be GREAT!!!
It has been difficult finding the proper headspace for my writing lately. I have been tinkering with my novel, Dust, only on a couple of ocassions the last few months, putting it well behind schedule. Music has also been put on hold as I yet again wrestle with demons - once past this type of Muse-sparring I find that creativity can gush, it's just about getting through it... So there's no point in promoting my Wordpress site, TheCleanSlate, because there just aint anything new up...
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Addendum
How could I not include a Star Wars reference/piece of wisdom?
And my tribute to LRH and B-grade sci-fi...
And my tribute to LRH and B-grade sci-fi...
Sunday, September 11, 2011
A Short Interlude...
I have found a wonderful little program on the internet that allows one to custom design church signs. I have been having a whole lot of fun with this brilliant application! Below are a few modest examples of my attempt at humour.
There are a couple that are a little more cryptic than the others, so comments are encouraged...
Enjoy.
You can make your own signs here, just make sure that they aren't funnier than mine.
There are a couple that are a little more cryptic than the others, so comments are encouraged...
Enjoy.
You can make your own signs here, just make sure that they aren't funnier than mine.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Remembering 9/11
We've all got our 9/11 stories. To me, it's this generation's equivalent of a JFK moment - I remember so much of that night and morning (Australian time), waiting for news of my sister-in-law who was in New York that day, watching it all unfold on live tv like some kind of sick Dantean reality show. Like so many other people around the globe I was, of course, filled with terror and rage about the act itself, but I was also deeply affected by what the attacks meant in terms of the potential US (and by obsequious proxy, the Australian) response. I remember saying to my wife just after the second plane hit, "Everything is different now. This is going to be an excuse for a lot of change to how we live." I do not qualify as a prophet for simply stating the bleeding obvious.
One event that sticks in my mind from the day is the footage of George W. Bush at the kindergarten. Booker Elementary School. Before I continue, let me say this: I am certainly no Bush apologist. As far as presidents go, I consider him to be about as inept and loathsome as they come. That is why I feel so angry about being made to feel so sorry for the man. And the reason is: Andrew Card. At the time of the air attacks on New York and Washington he was the White House Chief of Staff, the President's number one man on all things to do with the organisation and running of day-to-day presidential operations. That guy was the prick that came out and whispered in the C-in-C's ear that yes indeed, a second plane had hit the WTC, and that now the South Tower was ablaze, and that it was indeed looking like a deliberate attack on the US. And then he walked away. That fucker just left his boss hanging, in shock, with his ass blowing in the wind.
This week I saw the documentary Remembering 9/11, an excellent account of the day's events with interviews with such people as Barbara Bush, the most evil Dick Cheney, the revolting Don Rumsfeld (who was at the Pentagon and personally assisted in helping some of the casualties after the building was hit by AA Flight 77), the most excellent Rudy Giulinani, and other military and civil personnel directly involved with the events of the day. And there was an interview with the illustrious Mr Card. He explained that he retreated from Mr Bush after giving him the news so that he had time to digest the information, that he could come up with a response. In front of the news cameras of the world and a classroom full of Booker Elementary five year olds (and, I must add, a very lovely and understanding teacher). You can see by the look in Bush's face as he nods along to the rhythm of the story the kids are being read that he is shocked beyond compare. At the very time when his staffers should have said, "Sir, there's a situation. You must come with us now," the president of the United States is abandoned. In front of a room full of kids and news cameras, for chissakes!!! It was this scene that demonstrated not just to me, but to the world, the United States had no real idea what was going on and had no idea how to react to such an immediate and lethal threat. And Andrew Card... Jesus, what a dickhead. Bush should have fired him on the spot once he was taken from the classroom and into a back room for updates. I have read some unfortunate and pathetic conspiracy reports about prior knowlege of the attacks, and I will not flatter such rubbish with recounting their poison and stupidity here - what is certain about the day is that Andrew Card fucked up big time, and it amazes me that the man was in the job (a job that he was clearly woefully inadequate for and inept at) a further five years after the attacks! A further damning testament, perhaps, of Bush's flawed government.
Regardless of Card's inhuman stupidity, regardless of the subsequent errors made in policy and action by the Bush administration, we remember those that died for no good reason, nearly three thousand people from ninety different nations, and we must pause to honour their memory and mourn for a future that is now darker without them.
One event that sticks in my mind from the day is the footage of George W. Bush at the kindergarten. Booker Elementary School. Before I continue, let me say this: I am certainly no Bush apologist. As far as presidents go, I consider him to be about as inept and loathsome as they come. That is why I feel so angry about being made to feel so sorry for the man. And the reason is: Andrew Card. At the time of the air attacks on New York and Washington he was the White House Chief of Staff, the President's number one man on all things to do with the organisation and running of day-to-day presidential operations. That guy was the prick that came out and whispered in the C-in-C's ear that yes indeed, a second plane had hit the WTC, and that now the South Tower was ablaze, and that it was indeed looking like a deliberate attack on the US. And then he walked away. That fucker just left his boss hanging, in shock, with his ass blowing in the wind.
 |
| Andrew Card. Fuckwit. |
Regardless of Card's inhuman stupidity, regardless of the subsequent errors made in policy and action by the Bush administration, we remember those that died for no good reason, nearly three thousand people from ninety different nations, and we must pause to honour their memory and mourn for a future that is now darker without them.
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