I have been around long enough that there is very little that truly shocks me. However on occasion I read about tragic events that are caused by human cruelty where I shake my head in disgust, then like many others try to understand how someone could actually justify much less commit certain contemptible acts. I particularly find intolerable the intentional acts of brutality aimed against defenseless children and carried out by individuals usually in a blind rage or attempting to cover up their own misdeed. These are not some accidental happening or even explainable actions. These are cruel senseless actions that leave me exasperated and drain any will I could normally use to try and comprehend the circumstances of events. Such was the case when I read the story about the two women now setting in Rock Island County Jail for dipping a young toddler into boiling water attempting to hide bruises from a previous abuse. Whatever their reasoning for committing such a horrific event at the time, they now sit in jail and a not even two-year old child lays in the hospital with third-degree burns on his lower torso and could even lose his legs – while the rest of us just try to comprehend the occurrence. I am a hard man with a will of granite and have almost complete control of my emotions. I am not easily brought to emotion of any kind but this event leaves me saddened beyond explanation for the child. For the women involved I am unable to find compassion of any sort for these adult perpetrators of a horrible occurrence. The act was unexplainable and inexcusable. Perhaps God and our justice system will have mercy on the souls of these two women but, I currently can find none within myself to offer.
Monthly Archives: April 2008
An Unexplainable Inexcusable Act of Child Abuse
Miley Cyrus Controversy – Hollywood on Auto Pilot
In what smells like a publicity stunt, a series of racy “personal” pictures involving current teen sensation Miley Cyrus have popped up recently on the Internet. This is not a Traci Lords type scandal. The photos are pretty tame unless you consider that Cyrus has just turned fifteen and already seems to trying to copy titillating Playboy tease photos. They are the types of photos you might expect to find in a Michael Jackson coffee table book. More recently it has become knowledge that she is posing in the newest issue of Vanity Fair magazine in an even more provocative adult-like photo shoot that has caused concern that she is pushing the limits that has several individuals, myself included, asking if it has reached the point of soft-core kiddie porn? You also have to ask yourself why would the parents allow their young daughter to be exploited in this manner. Hasn’t the recent Britney Spears Train Wreck taught the parents of celebrity teens the dangers of the Entertainment Industries exploitive ways? If not maybe they should consider past history of teens growing-up in the entertainment industry such as: Judy Garland, Dana Plato, Todd Bridges, Adam Rich, Michael Jackson, Drew Barrymoore, Danny Bonaduce, etc. All, like many other Younger Hollywood Stars, had crash and burn moments either with alcohol, drugs, psychological problems, violence, crime or multiples of the above, as children and later as adults. Some have, like Plato, prematurely ended their careers in the morgue.
Some time back, I remember listening to a discussion of Hollywood insiders discussing how a modern actress knew she had made her mark in Hollywood. The consensus was that once an actress had played a hooker/slut she had proved her mettle in Hollywood Movies. Heck Brooke Shields played a hooker when she was twelve. To be a successful in the industry you almost have to put your career on auto-pilot and allow them to turn your life into one big controversy. For young women that controversy seems to involve proving your mettle through slut factor. With the recent release of these provocative adult-mimicking photo shots it seems Cyrus is well on her way to testing her mettle in Hollywood.
Miley Update
It seems the Vanity Fair photos have caused Miley Cyrus to cancel a Disney Festivity she was scheduled to attend. Are the picture releases and her event cancellation her way of distancing herself from Disney in order to explore more adult opportunities or is she truly just to embarrassed to show her face?
Hillary Clinton to be Interviewed on the O’Reilly Factor
In what should be an anything but boring interview, Hillary Clinton is scheduled to appear Wednesday on Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor with Bill O’Reilly. Whether you like Bill O’Reilly or despise him – his show is rarely dull. Though not particularly thrilled with the show originally, I have learned to really like the O’Reilly Factor. The Factor is a show that probes with questions that are conservative in nature and content. Bill is cocksure and sometimes a verbal bully plus his interview style is usually caustic. But his personality and style makes for great interaction during his guest discussions. Additionally he is not afraid of asking difficult questions that might offend the guest being interviewed or the individual listening. Having two large egos like Clinton and O’Reilly should make for an excellent show.
Shock Art Crossing the Boundaries of Good Taste
An article I ran across on Greta Wire discussed a performance art display at Yale where the student claims that the art is partially constructed from resources obtained by the student artificially inseminating herself and then self-inducing miscarriages. The school is holding the artwork from public display until the student admits that the artwork production claims are phony. Plus the school has also disciplined two instructors said to have been involved in the artwork project. Fact-or-Fiction the very premise of this art project crosses the boundaries of good taste and sensibility.
Tuesday Night Whitey’s Ice Cream Run – Cubs Win 9 – 5!
The magical potions and elixirs supplied by the wizards have been leaving theScoundrel with a more powerful than usual appetite at times. I also find myself having cravings for certain foods. Tuesday night was no exception. For some reason I have been craving Milk Shakes in the last few weeks since I hurt my ankle/heel string. So Tuesday night I cajoled my “personal chauffer” (aka as my sister) into making an ice cream run and allowed myself the luxury of a Whitey’s Crème de Menthe Milk Shake! Yum! Hey Now –
I can almost read minds, but I am not that frugal, I bought her one also! Whitey’s Ice Cream Shakes and Sundaes have been a favorite feast of mine since I was a young boy. They are a special part of the Quad Cities culture. When ice cream shakes or sundaes are mentioned, Whiteys is the name that streams into my mind. When friends or relative are in from out of town looking for a shake or sundae fix this is where I usually take them, even the individuals that start to stink like stale fish after three days. In the days when I lurked around SouthPark Mall on a regular occurrence; I would try most of the new Whiteys experimental flavors as soon as they were released upon the awaiting public. But though I used to raid their places of business almost weekly for goodies, it is a treat that I have began to limit myself of for various reasons since I reached 29+ years old. This was actually the first milk shake I had allowed myself since last fall. Following is a list of my top five favorite Whitey’s menu items.
1 –> Cherry Bon Bon Shake or Sundae
A milk shake made with hot fudge sauce and cherries.
2 –> Hot Fudge Sundae
A classic you just cannot go wrong with choosing.
3 –> Crème de Menthe Milk Shake
A refreshing mint flavored taste that excites my taste buds. The only mint flavored shake I ever found, that I really liked a lot.
4 –> Chocolate Peanut Butter Revel Ice Cream
Its got two of my favorite substances on the planet – chocolate and peanut butter – combined in an ice cream product. How can you go wrong? All you really need is a spoon for accompaniment.
5 –> A three-way tie: Strawberry, Fresh Peach or Black Cherry Shake or Sundae.
My favorite fruit flavors combined with ice cream.
Yeah I know, there are more than five selection listed. But hey you didn’t really think I could limit myself to just five favorite choices?
Holy Cow that shake was a great addition to the Cubs game! The Chicago Cubs beat the Cincinnati Reds 9 to 5! Whoo Hoo!
theScoundrel Endeavors to Persevere
Well theScoundrel has not busy with his blog as of late due to an injury. For the short version of this post skip to the last two sentences! Despite early success in coping with normal activity during a current siege from a wicked antagonist named Ten Dinitis, theScoundrel suffered a setback that limited his exposure to the enemies attack towards the Achilles Heel of his Defensive expanse. Though early mechanical reinforcements from the mad scientists/wizards domain were effective in protecting the defensive soft spots and their magic elixirs limited the throbbing affects of the attack, there were weaknesses in the defensive system that limits exposure to the hostile elements. It seems that the extra mechanical fortification designed by the mad scientists to strengthen theScoundrels appendage from attack had a side effect. One of the extra parapets theScoundrel had previously setup to allow computer usage while deflecting the effects from the scourge attacks of Ten Dinitis proved incapable of withstanding the constant mounting of the extra mechanical defense designed by the mad scientist/wizards. The constant mounting of the defensive contraption for the Achilles Heel on the parapet, used to allow computer operation, weakened the parapet until it was eventually crushed like a building falling to the force of a wrecking ball.
The end result is my computer time is limited to the amount of pain absorbable from the attacks made tolerable by the magic potions and elixirs. That tolerability seems to be on the rise again – despite the loss of my parapet. On a more positive note, to make my long story short, theScoundrel blogging will attempt to resume.
