Vitriol

Vitriol

© 2001 by Andersen Silva (5-30-01)

Last updated 6-28-2022  


So long, and thanks for all the fish...

Damn, first Joey Ramone, now Douglas Adams. Tell me Yakov Smirnoff is still alive... The Hitchhiker's five-book trilogy is still the funniest series I've ever read, and I'm stubbornly proud to say that I own the LPs, the radio series cassettes, and the videotape, too; I even had the text game for my Commodore. Heh-heh... Say hello to the Great Zarquon for me, Douglas...

The Israelis and Palestinians seem to be spiralling downward. It's sad that they can't just stop. The region may not have the ability or the desire for full-scale war anymore, but there is still far too much violence, far too much fear, and far too many lives being taken. Macedonia is perilously near the brink, too, although the rest of the world seems much more concerned with nipping that in the bud. Europe, and the United States, won't tolerate yet another Balkan war. At a Macedonian friend's request, I searched for the pictures of the soldiers and police killed by the Albanian rebels a month ago; they were very disturbing, and I'm kinda sorry I let her see them, because she was obviously even more upset by them than I was... :\ Hard to believe that people can treat other people like this in our 'civilized' age.

Speaking of the Balkans, the Serbs seem to be cautiously edging their way towards handing Milosevic over to the UN. Kostunica is a smart man, and he knows that, in order for Yugoslavia to go forward, this issue must be addressed to the satisfaction of the world body. If Slobo has to be tried and broken at home first, fine; but justice must be done.

Chechnya isn't going away, Mr. Putin. I started writing about the war there in November of '99, and the Russians still don't control the situation. What is it with this world lately? Instead of a big war or two, like Korea or Vietnam, it seems that we're faced with a dozen 'little' ones: the Palestinian intifadeh, Chechnya, Macedonia, the Philippines, Kashmir, the Congo... But it's still horrible, and people are still being killed. Calling it an 'action' or 'strife' doesn't make it any nicer.

The Taliban continues to earn nothing but disgust. Hindus forced to wear identifying badges? It is alleged that this is for the Hindus' own protection, so they aren't forced to pray in mosques or wear beards. But the fact that there's a Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice in Afghanistan (I kid you not) from which the Hindus need protection is chilling. It's frustrating that no amount of condemnation (even from their Muslim brothers), no amount of sanctions, seem to faze these radical fundamentalists.

Enough with the negative stuff. I'm starting to depress myself. :} Kudos to Senator Jeffords, whose defection from the Republican Party should tell Dubya just where he can put his so-called 'mandate...' Heh-heh-heh! ...I've gotten in touch with an old grammar-school era friend, John Masker, and we got together and did some catching up last weekend, which was cool. Man, how time flies... Never did hear from that waitress at Lalo, though. lol Oh, well. Seems I've been selected "...as a possible contestant for the May 2001 Sexiest Geek Alive online contest." Heh-heh. I'm not at all sure that I'm either sexy or a geek, but... we'll just have to see how that turns out. What kind of groupies does the winner get? lol - A


April 2004 - The real final Vitriol, Howard Stern, Dubya, etc.
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March 2004 - Dining out with my baby, Virtual PC, and the end of Vitriol... or is it?
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February 2004 - Two weeks between jobs, three new songs, grabbing Panther by the tail
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January 2004 - Ice skating with Gina, sushi at my sister's wedding, war-riding, the pink slip
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December 2003 - Moving pains, goin' places with Gina, Christmas bells
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November 2003 - The looong month of October, finding an apartment, Ozzy's gone
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October 2003 - I'm in love with her and I feel fine, Boston, the Dalai Lama, apartment for rent?
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September 2003 - Andy, happy? it could happen!, taking time off from work, Ringo Starr, "Discworld," the blackout
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August 2003 - (W)here (M)ight (D)ose WMDs be?, gay marriages and the people who fear them, '80s metal bands, Computer Man to the rescue, Philadelphia freedom
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July 2003 - Boondocks.net is back!, rudeness on public transportation and elsewhere, "Hole in the Wall"
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June 2003 - Science fiction movies, where is Boondocks.net?, still no weapons of misconstruction...
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May 2003 - How 'bout them weapons of mass distraction, huh?, Def Leppard, Michael Palin, another Silva, wireless networking, and a damned good raspberry margarita
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April 2003 - They're still French fries, dammit!, a new guitar for Andy, music-music-music
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March 2003 - The buildup for, and the protesting against, war
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February 2003 - The destruction of the Columbia, the National Day of Poetry Against the War, hard and soft atheism, Pete Townshend, and the gift shop
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January 2003 - Christmas loot, "Swingin'," more war talk
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December 2002 - The year in review, moving again?!?, moving world leaders around, too
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November 2002 - "Scarlet's Walk" and Tori's penguin, jackasses, and killing in the name of...
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October 2002 - Boston, Aimee Mann, and Palpatine/Bush
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September 2002 - George Darius Bush and George Xerxes Bush
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August 2002 - Movin' out of Paisan-town, and far away from the Regal Beagle
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July 2002 - Church and state: you gotta keep 'em separated, Dubya still doesn't want to play nice with the rest of the world, John Entwistle's gone
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June 2002 - Movin' on from town to town, Dave Barry and the Rock Bottom Remainders
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May 2002 - Science fiction movies everywhere!, jail time for virus creators, Dubya finally learns to pronounce 'occupation,' Andy gets a promotion?!?
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April 2002 - Terrorism on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, people who don't interact with me or the Web site, "For Dana" to be released on a compilation CD
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March 2002 - Chip implants, the children of God and the followers of Christ commit murder in His name, ultranationalism American style
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February 2002 - Dubya says, "These pretzels are making me- ack!" Sharon continues playing Napoleon, and... the return of Foogar?
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January 2002 - Rob Zombie, Ozzy Osbourne, and other Christmas-related items, stealin' cars, karaoke!
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December 2001 - George meets his sweet lord, terrorists EVERYwhere!, Tomb Raider II finished finally, and the Segway, finally!
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November 2001 - Anthrax (the band), WSOU rocks - but for how much longer? and a minute of silence?
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October 2001 - Osama bin Laden and anthrax and the women who love them
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September 2001 - Five days after the 9/11 attacks
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September 2001 - Governments and armies and the assholes who love them, more misspellings, and a large lack of feedback
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August 2001 - Dubya's isolationism, the Macedonians and Albanians search for peace the Israeli/Palestinian way, 2004 Olympics in Beijing
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July 2001 - Not the Sexiest Geek Alive, war (what is it good for?), murdering citizens American-style
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June 2001 - A dead hitchhiker, the Taliban, and an independent Senator Jeffords
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May 2001 - Joey Ramone's dead, and "Joey Ramone's Dead"
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April 2001 - Brazil (not the Terry Gilliam film), Dubya and carbon dioxide, Yugoslavia begins coming to its senses, Israel and the Palestinians still haven't come to theirs...
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March 2001 - New look for the Web site, upcoming vacation in Brazil!, the pig-headed Taliban, "Hannibal"
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February 2001 - Tomb Raider II, Dubya plays with his new toys, nature plays with El Salvador and India, and the inevitable Chechnya and Israel/Palestinians references
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January 2001 - Snow, a new year/decade/century/millennium, screen resolutions
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December 2000 - The iBook, "The X-Files," the Grinch, the pathetic turn of events in the U.S. elections...
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November 2000 - Got the iBook! the Village Parade, trouble still brewin' in the Mideast, the upcoming U.S. elections...
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October 2000 - Andy turns 30, the Middle East, the anniversary of the invasion of Chechnya...
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September 2000 - A random act of kindness, Great Adventure, new music, new iBooks?
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August 2000 - Palestine and the Israelis, Milosevic, Speight, and breaking the speed of light!
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July 2000 - Israel & the Palestinians, the missile defense shield, and (who'da thunk it?) Chechnya
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June 2000 - Um, Chechnya again, gun-totin' Charlton Heston, misspellings, and xenophobes
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May 2000 - Communism on the last May Day of the twentieth century, and Andy's life ("Don't talk to me about life...")
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April 2000 - Hold on, it's more Chechnya rantin', and an appeal on behalf of a friend caught behind red tape
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March 2000 - Hey, hey, Pinochet, Russia and China won't go away, "The X-Files," the American presidential race, and a prelude to vacation
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February 2000 - Again with the Chechens, and Elián, Pinochet, mp3.com vs. the recording industry, and snow
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January 2000 - Made it through January 1st, Syria and Israel, public transportation, and, er, Chechnya
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December 1999 - Indonesia comes apart, Chechnya (no shit), Seattle's burning, 'n Happy Xmas
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November 1999 - Halloween, my bad knee, Russians? in Chechnya?!? Buchanan and the Reform Party, NIN
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October 1999 - Hurricane on the East Coast, earthquakes in Taiwan, Turkey, and Greece, and Apple Computers
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September 1999 - I'm not getting you down, am I? I'd hate to think I was getting you down...

- - - the Dark Ages (reprise) - - -

April 1999 - the return of Vitriol, Kosovo, a foreshadowing of the Russian invasion of Chechnya (!), and Libya

- - - the Dark Ages - - -

September-November 1995 - the Underground Press Conference, a co-worker bites the dust, Rabin really bites the dust, Remington Bond, Win95, and the Sex Pistols
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August 1995 - the death penalty, the V-chip and violence in pop culture, and "TV Nation"
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June 1995 - Oklahoma City, 'zines, "The X-Files" and "V.R.5"
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March 1995 - I'm sick!, the space program (ha), alt.zines, "Star Trek" and "Voyager"
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February 1995 - the very first Vitriol! Newt Gingrich, political correctness, media overkill, Howard Stern, the Apple goon squad?
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Last updated 6-28-2022