Nobody 861

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Nobody # 861

Nobody Asked Me But:

That Was The Week That Was – As always, each of these short verses is based on a news event that happened during the past week.

The battle is over, let’s tally the score

It seems that from all that I’ve read

It went down to the wire

As both sides took fire

But the Pres came out slightly ahead

But the battle was not just about winning

There were those who were kicked in the gut

Let’s remember who loses

Who must bear the bruises

The people whose programs were cut

We celebrate sundae last Monday

Turned one hundred and nineteen that day

I'll have nuts and hot fudge

And, I beg you don't judge,

Some extra whipped cream if I may

The Pres wanted to cut in the billions

But the Right said not nearly enough

Barack said from where

The Right, we don’t care

Just as long as we keep rich out of rough

Those crazy Bulldogs from Butler

For funeral they made their own casket

When it came to game day

They said they would play

With an invisible lid on their basket

And while on the subject of Butler

Can’t you hear them just singing the blues

‘cause their shooting was lame

And for the whole game

They made only three of their twos

To try Khalid Mohammed in a military court

Is cowardly, stupid and wrong

Since fairness’s a must

In a land that is just

Civil court is where he belongs

Wisconsin’s Paul Ryan has a deficit plan

Well, really, it’s more bait and switch

He’d make Medicare

A private affair

Then lower all tax for the rich

The number who want to be teachers

Is in a declining phase

To front a chalkboard

For what sort of reward

A life of low pay and no praise

Kentucky Coach John Calipari

He’ll take talent over experience in his men

But each season he’s surly

When his team goes home early

While the not-ready-for-prime-time guys win

Those power-crazed five boy Supremes

They ignore the First and the Fifth

To part church and state

Is not all that great

And fair trials are a utopian myth

We get it, she didn’t like Gauguin

Two women with breasts that are bare

She acted alone

But this John Ashcroft clone

Wants to clothe public art everywhere

We’re getting some strange e-mail letters

From companies we’ve trusted so long

I’m not a prude

But found it a bit rude

When Capital One tried to sell me a thong

Her backers want Gabby for Senate

Some rate their tactics adroit

But since she lies in her bed

With a wound in her head

A better word might be exploit

The Candle Society paid Bristol big bucks

The abstinence life to promote

Is she qualified

Can she turn the tide

Not if Levi is granted a vote

Oh no, please say that it is not true

Obama seeks help from “Big Al”

It just takes one look

To know the guy is a crook

Sharpton cannot be his pal

He’s known as the king of news manglers

The guy is a virtual train wreck

They may be far right

But he’s out of sight

Fox gave the boot to Glen Beck

To be glued to one’s seat by excitement

Is something that most of us do

But the Maryland man

Was trapped in the can

He was glued to his seat in the loo

Trump sent his guy to Hawaii

He wants to prove Barack a lie

But if behind the brick wall

He finds nothing at all

He will link with Geraldo and cry

They were busy during last winter's offseason

As many teams improved their game

But McCourt's Dodger scheme

Was to add to the team

A bunch of guys with no name

Tax cuts or keeping your Medicare

About these I’m taking an oath

When day is done

You can have one

But most certainly you can’t have them both

A study shows (and again I don’t lie)

That Congress badly needs a den mother

Of their time is spent

Twenty-seven percent

On nothing but “dissing” each other

The Los Angeles Times is doing a survey, asking readers to pick the best (or, at least their favorite) novel about Los Angeles. Confession: I have read no more than 20% of those nominated, and from them, here are my top two.

2. Angel’s Flight – Michael Connelly – Connelly writes excellent novels about the city where he once was a crime reporter. He could have finished second on my list with several of his books, so Angel’s Flight is as good as any.

1. Devil In A Blue Dress – Walter Mosley – When Mosley dropped Ezekiel, “Easy,” Rollins, I pretty much dropped Mosley. He is still an excellent writer, but his new character doesn’t interest me much. “Devil” was the first “Easy” book, and for me it created a picture of LA in the late 1940s, so vivid that it was like reading history, but entertaining history. And the Carl Franklin, Denzel Washington film was and is an underrated gem.

As for the novel I finished Friday, “Started Early, Took My Dog,” I will limit my review to one word – WONDERFUL.

This is the fourth and, at least for now, last of Kate Atkinson’s series featuring Jackson Brodie. She wants to give her character and herself a rest. Each is book is a British crime novel but so much more. Each is a wonderful story in which a crime is both incidental and the moving force. The four are best read in sequence (I didn’t) but can also stand alone.

Case Histories

One Good Turn

When Will There Be Good News?

Started Early, Took My Dog

The picture below is of Nice, France, where Barbara and I will spend part of our vacation later this year.