Showing posts with label Colorado Springs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado Springs. Show all posts

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Hidden Beauty at Sam's club

So after a lengthy trip, we finally made it to CO. Naturally my mom needed to feed us an enormous amount, and where did she take us? To my progressive shock, she took us to buy in bulk from union basher Sam Walton's mega deluxe superstore. All Angelino pretense aside, I found it oddly exhilarating. There is something amazing to see so much of everything. Check it out.

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Cheez balls are awful. But great! But truly awful. But then they come in a "Barrel" and become great all over again.


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Ferrero Rocher was always my favorite Euro-Trash confection. Then it came to the USA and I was happy, then i saw a WALL of FR at Sam's Club and it blew my mind.

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OMG! OMG! OMG! That's what she said!

So I bought a hot dog and a Cherry Coke for $1.50 which was awesome because the hot dog and the Coke were enormous. The Lady who sold it to me was this super sweet elderly lady who should be serving cocoa somewhere with better lighting rather than dishing out weiners to people like me. The hairnet made her look sad, but the dawg was huge and they have an awesome chopped onion dispenser that chops fresh onions for you when you turn the handle.

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Nice Lady, bad lighting.

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Turn clockwise, get onions.

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GIANT Hotdog and Coke.

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The whole giant warehouse was being cleaned constantly by teenage girls driving concrete zambonis. This girl waited for me to get out of the way while i was taking my hotdog picture. I smiled, she looked confused and continued to drive her cleaning machine.

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The Holidays, in bulk.

Monday, December 18, 2006

A Google Treasure Trove

I have recently discovered a treasure trove of Documentaries on Google. No, not Documentary clips, but full length quality Docus. If I may bring your attention to two of my absolute favorites.

The first is The Elegant Universe,

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A book i loved that makes astonishingly enough, an even better pair of documentaries, narrated by Brian Greene Himself.
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Part 1. Einstein's Universe


Part 2. String's The Thing


Now, for the more intense of the two. image.asp

The shocking title does no justice to the incredible arguments that Richard Dawkins makes against religion and its assault on reason and science. Whether or not you agree with the content, this documentary must give you pause. Narrated by Dawkins, who is an incredible thinker and is very passionate about his arguments. The gem of these documentaries is an interview with Ted Haggard, who gets all uppity when he is challenged by Dawkins as someone who is "telling people what to think". Not to be missed.

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Part 1. The God Delusion


Part2. The Virus of Faith

Just in Time for the Holidays




As a lad growing up on the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, I never Imagined that my hometown of Colorado Springs would feature so heavily in the worldwide crusade against science, progress, and fact. As I entered High-School, Ted Haggard and the New Life Church were just getting started and Focus on The Family had just begun construction on their complex. By the time I left High School, the grand evangelical Machine was in full swing, and the anti-gay and ultimately unconstitutional Amendment 2, had been passed, and groups like Young Life were infiltrating the schools. I was somewhat blind, really. I noticed more than my peers, and even then I had no idea of the deranged vastness of the Religious blindness that would eventually consume my beautiful town.

The warning signs were all there. The death of Carmine Tagliere at the hands of Vern Smalley should have been a huge warning sign. Carmine was a hotheaded 17 year old, and Vern Smalley was a gun packing retired Colonel - cum Vigilante. So when Carmine and Vern met on the side of the road during a traffic altercation, then Vern happily shot him in the chest. Carmine died, his sister was taken out of my French class in tears, and Vern Smalley was later acquitted by the courts. He later threatened a jogger, and is now making the rounds as a freakish conservative commentator on nearly every Blog that mentions his sorry name. It should come as no surpirse to those of you who have seen the transformation of Colorado Springs, that many elements in the community applauded the court's decision.

After that it was a quiet tumble downhill, and today Colorado Springs is a fortress of right-wing conservative ignorance. So far Right, and so blinded in its righteous rage that even mainstream creepy old Republicans like Joel Hefley are being marginalized and replaced by the "sleazy", far-right, nutjobs that have become all too commonplace in this day and age. If the people of Colorado Springs are too deaf to hear the pleas of their own former representatives, how far will they go?

I'm sure you are cracking a smile, and thinking "He's exaggerating."

I urge you to please take a look at ANY of the hundreds of documentaries that are attempting to expose the harm done by extreme religious groups, where Colorado Springs is featured prominently and constantly.

If you think that this has no effect on the quality of life of Colorado Springs, think again. The intolerance and group righteousness seep into the daily life of people in CS. Its amazing that I fear more for my personal safety in Colorado Springs than in my new home of Los Angeles, but the fact is that the town has become so uniform in its thinking, that the only reaction to progressive thought and individuals is reactionary. I leave you with an anecdote from my father, who was approached about a $2 rate hike by an angry man. My father responded, "I'm sorry but this place is still less expensive than most", the man frazzled, blurted out "But I'm a Republican!".

Funny, yes. My question is, why was the man bringing this to light? Does he have my dad pinned as a rate hiking liberal? Is my dad obviously dark skinned and therefore obviously not one of them? Creepy.


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My next post will be a pair of Science documentaries that would make your average Springs resident Pass out. In one, by Richard Dawkins, Ted Haggard and Colorados Springs are featured prominently.

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