Instead of hitting only the Editorial and Penguins/NHL sections and calling myself informed.
If I had read more of the paper on May 11, I would not have missed that CityReachers Pittsburgh is raising money to place copies of the New Testament in the Sunday Post-Gazette on September 7.
Pittsburgh themed copies of the New Testament, with a “front cover showing the Golden Triangle, a back cover photograph of Steelers kneeling in prayer and will include testimonies of well-known Pittsburghers”.
Because nothing says “Come to Jesus” quite like a photograph of the Pittsburgh Steelers.*
Fortunately, there are several readers who do peruse more of the paper and wrote letters to the editor, the first protesting the idea and threatening to cancel their subscription, the second praising the potential positive effect of essentially forcing the New International Version translation of the New Testament into the homes 250,000 subscribers.
I'm interested in seeing how this unfolds.
*I can't believe there does not exist a Pittsburgh Steelers last supper image somewhere on the Internet. In a city that turned Gary Roberts into a cult hero, not one photo shopped marvel of Big Ben as Jesus? Which begs the question – who do Steelers fans hold more sacred: Big Ben or Jesus?
Showing posts with label Letters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Letters. Show all posts
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, December 02, 2007
A Whole Lot of Stuff Crammed into a Single Post
I've been very lazy the last week. The cold air, grey skies and intermittent, icy rain has not been highly motivating.
There has been a lot to write about. Letters in the Post Gazette. The verbal spanking (via email, so really it was in writing) I received from a friend because I did not know the difference between bread and pastry in Finland. Our purple living room. The behavior of a group of fans at the Raul Malo concert last Thursday evening.
Comedic letter of the week goes Friday's writer of the missive “Al-Qaida wishes”, in which the Democratic Party (or “Democrats” as he phrases) is depicted as maintaining parallel philosophies to Al-Qaida. To quote “It's getting harder and harder to draw distinctions between the philosophies of al-Qaida and the Democrats.”
Where to begin? How about suggesting that the members of Al-Qaida will not be posting letters to Santa since they are Muslim? That writing a reassuring lines like “... don't be frightened or disheartened, Democrats won't get their wish” is extremely dissonant when juxtapositioned with phrases such as “keep our collective foot on their throats”.
Wow. Way to win me over to your side, by repeatedly invoking images of violence. By the way, if Al-Qaida is being driven out of Iraq, why my brother been called up for a second tour of duty? Why is the Iraqi government proposing a permanent United States military presence? And why can't I stop laughing at you?
In contrast was Saturday's article about a Carnegie Mellon MFA student who created an unusual art project – she set up a website to reunite found gloves with their forlorn mates. Such a silly, lovely idea.
“Raul who?” was the response of approximately 90% of my friends when I mentioned that I was going to see Raul Malo perform at the Byham Theater on Thursday night. Pittsburgh is a strictly rock-n-roll/old heavy metal band type of town, so I was not surprised that most were not interested in seeing him play.
Unfortunately, that Pittsburgh's overall musical tastes lean toward “play Freebird man...” makes it difficult to find someone other than J willing to listen to a pudgy, balding, 42 year old latin/country/jazz singer with a voice like Roy Orbison and moves like Elvis. And J refused to go because he said he was not comfortable watching his wife blatantly lust after another man for two hours.
J reminded me that the wife of one of his former coworkers was also a big Malo fan and, like I, had been thwarted in her attempts to see him play on previous visits (at least once a year) to the city. B and I arranged to meet for a nice dinner beforehand and I happily ordered the best seats available for the show.
B had to cancel but found another friend to take the ticket. R and I met in the lobby of the Byham at 7:30, both excited to see the show. We had a “glass” of terrible Pinot Noir and found our seats at the back of the theater.
Malo opened with Marshmallow World, a fluffy wintertime song that got the audience in the mood almost immediately. Part of that audience included a gaggle of fifty-something women who were out for a good time. A REALLY good time.They screamed, they whistled, they yelled out comments. They danced at their seats and laughed hysterically. As the night wore on, they became more rambunctious, to the point that I expected to see various articles of clothing start flying towards the stage. The only thing that flew was a red santa hat, which the drummer wore as it matched his red suit.
The women kept their bras and panties on but were successful in distracting Malo enough that he forgot the lyrics and had to stop singing so he could find out what was written on the sign one member of the group was holding up. All five women got up from their seats and headed towards the stage. One carried the sign. The second carried a bottle of Patron Silver tequila and asked if Malo and his band would do a shot with the women. Malo and the band obliged. Far from satisfied with his conciliatory gesture, the screamed for him to do more shots of Patron for the rest of the show.
As for what would provoke that kind of response in a bunch of fifty-something women? A voice like Roy Orbison, moves like Elvis, a great stage presence and the sexiest cover of the song Sway I have ever heard.
There has been a lot to write about. Letters in the Post Gazette. The verbal spanking (via email, so really it was in writing) I received from a friend because I did not know the difference between bread and pastry in Finland. Our purple living room. The behavior of a group of fans at the Raul Malo concert last Thursday evening.
Comedic letter of the week goes Friday's writer of the missive “Al-Qaida wishes”, in which the Democratic Party (or “Democrats” as he phrases) is depicted as maintaining parallel philosophies to Al-Qaida. To quote “It's getting harder and harder to draw distinctions between the philosophies of al-Qaida and the Democrats.”
Where to begin? How about suggesting that the members of Al-Qaida will not be posting letters to Santa since they are Muslim? That writing a reassuring lines like “... don't be frightened or disheartened, Democrats won't get their wish” is extremely dissonant when juxtapositioned with phrases such as “keep our collective foot on their throats”.
Wow. Way to win me over to your side, by repeatedly invoking images of violence. By the way, if Al-Qaida is being driven out of Iraq, why my brother been called up for a second tour of duty? Why is the Iraqi government proposing a permanent United States military presence? And why can't I stop laughing at you?
In contrast was Saturday's article about a Carnegie Mellon MFA student who created an unusual art project – she set up a website to reunite found gloves with their forlorn mates. Such a silly, lovely idea.
“Raul who?” was the response of approximately 90% of my friends when I mentioned that I was going to see Raul Malo perform at the Byham Theater on Thursday night. Pittsburgh is a strictly rock-n-roll/old heavy metal band type of town, so I was not surprised that most were not interested in seeing him play.
Unfortunately, that Pittsburgh's overall musical tastes lean toward “play Freebird man...” makes it difficult to find someone other than J willing to listen to a pudgy, balding, 42 year old latin/country/jazz singer with a voice like Roy Orbison and moves like Elvis. And J refused to go because he said he was not comfortable watching his wife blatantly lust after another man for two hours.
J reminded me that the wife of one of his former coworkers was also a big Malo fan and, like I, had been thwarted in her attempts to see him play on previous visits (at least once a year) to the city. B and I arranged to meet for a nice dinner beforehand and I happily ordered the best seats available for the show.
B had to cancel but found another friend to take the ticket. R and I met in the lobby of the Byham at 7:30, both excited to see the show. We had a “glass” of terrible Pinot Noir and found our seats at the back of the theater.
Malo opened with Marshmallow World, a fluffy wintertime song that got the audience in the mood almost immediately. Part of that audience included a gaggle of fifty-something women who were out for a good time. A REALLY good time.They screamed, they whistled, they yelled out comments. They danced at their seats and laughed hysterically. As the night wore on, they became more rambunctious, to the point that I expected to see various articles of clothing start flying towards the stage. The only thing that flew was a red santa hat, which the drummer wore as it matched his red suit.
The women kept their bras and panties on but were successful in distracting Malo enough that he forgot the lyrics and had to stop singing so he could find out what was written on the sign one member of the group was holding up. All five women got up from their seats and headed towards the stage. One carried the sign. The second carried a bottle of Patron Silver tequila and asked if Malo and his band would do a shot with the women. Malo and the band obliged. Far from satisfied with his conciliatory gesture, the screamed for him to do more shots of Patron for the rest of the show.
As for what would provoke that kind of response in a bunch of fifty-something women? A voice like Roy Orbison, moves like Elvis, a great stage presence and the sexiest cover of the song Sway I have ever heard.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
More Letters to the Editor Fun
The Pittsburgh Post Gazette ran an article on September 9 about an undocumented worker by the pseudonym of Juan Carlos Serrano. Serrano landed in the United states via Guatemala at the age of 17 seeking what most undocumented workers seek – a job that pays enough to help pull himself and his family out of poverty. He purchased a new name and social security number and landed in Pittsburgh with a job that paid enough money for him be able to send funds home to build a home for his family and himself. In April of 2005 he lost his arm in an accident (he was hit by a Port Authority train) and was taken to Mercy Hospital for treatment.
There have been only two letters to the editor responding directly to the article and both were stunningly unsympathetic. One writer complained that the Post-Gazette was being dishonest by referring to Serrano as “Mr. Serrano” instead “this illegal alien” (did he come from a different planet?), and was horrified that the patients of Mercy hospital were “subsidizing treatment for someone who is not intelligent enough to know that walking in front of a train is hazardous to your health” (thus implying that stupid people did not deserve medical treatment). He closed with a variation of the classic “liberals are stupid” canard.
The second writer wanted to know why neither the Mercy Hospital nor the Post Gazette reported Serrano to the INS.
So, for the edification of both writers, I am going to say this very slowly:
Mercy
Hospital
is a
Catholic
Institution.
I am a seriously lapsed Catholic and will most likely not voluntarily set foot in a Catholic church again in my lifetime (barring the weddings, funerals and baptisms of friends/family). I have some serious and significant issues with the way the hierarchy treats the laity. But the Catholic hospitals (reproductive issues aside) have long lead other medical institutions in treating the poor, the infirm, the illegal immigrants of the United States. It is part of the fucking mission of Mercy Hospital to treat undocumented/illegal workers such as Serrano, along with anyone else carried through the emergency room doors.
Be advised that I am not painting institutions such as Mercy Hospital as shining examples of health care. The trend towards Catholic hospitals taking over their secular counterparts and cutting reproductive services (refusing to administer EC to female rape victims A. at all or B. who are ovulating, refusing to perform vasectomies or tie a woman's tubes, etc) is distressing as it imposes a very specific and restrictive set of beliefs on patients who may not share those beliefs. Such as myself.
So it is unsurprising that Mercy Hospital would treat a stupid, illegal “alien” and elect not to turn him over to the INS. Because that would run counter to the mission of the hospital and the church.
There have been only two letters to the editor responding directly to the article and both were stunningly unsympathetic. One writer complained that the Post-Gazette was being dishonest by referring to Serrano as “Mr. Serrano” instead “this illegal alien” (did he come from a different planet?), and was horrified that the patients of Mercy hospital were “subsidizing treatment for someone who is not intelligent enough to know that walking in front of a train is hazardous to your health” (thus implying that stupid people did not deserve medical treatment). He closed with a variation of the classic “liberals are stupid” canard.
The second writer wanted to know why neither the Mercy Hospital nor the Post Gazette reported Serrano to the INS.
So, for the edification of both writers, I am going to say this very slowly:
Mercy
Hospital
is a
Catholic
Institution.
I am a seriously lapsed Catholic and will most likely not voluntarily set foot in a Catholic church again in my lifetime (barring the weddings, funerals and baptisms of friends/family). I have some serious and significant issues with the way the hierarchy treats the laity. But the Catholic hospitals (reproductive issues aside) have long lead other medical institutions in treating the poor, the infirm, the illegal immigrants of the United States. It is part of the fucking mission of Mercy Hospital to treat undocumented/illegal workers such as Serrano, along with anyone else carried through the emergency room doors.
Be advised that I am not painting institutions such as Mercy Hospital as shining examples of health care. The trend towards Catholic hospitals taking over their secular counterparts and cutting reproductive services (refusing to administer EC to female rape victims A. at all or B. who are ovulating, refusing to perform vasectomies or tie a woman's tubes, etc) is distressing as it imposes a very specific and restrictive set of beliefs on patients who may not share those beliefs. Such as myself.
So it is unsurprising that Mercy Hospital would treat a stupid, illegal “alien” and elect not to turn him over to the INS. Because that would run counter to the mission of the hospital and the church.
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