Guy LeCharles Gonzalez (aka glecharles) (aka loudpoet)

An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

The Difference

Lawmakers Say New Abuse Photos Even WorseBy PAULINE JELINEK, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - The abuse of Iraqi prisoners by U.S. troops went beyond the photos seen by most Americans, shaken lawmakers said Wednesday after viewing fresh pictures and video that they said depicted forced sex, brutality and dogs snarling at cowed prisoners. "I don't know how the hell these people got into our army," said Colorado Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell after viewing what he called a fraction of the images. Not everyone reacted the same way to the additional photos. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said he…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

The stock market's been getting pummeled over the past week - with the Dow dropping below 10,000 again - despite three months of optimistic job growth and starry-eyed predictions of a full-on economic recovery. Much as the pundits want to, though, you can't force a rebound to happen with wishful thinking, and you can't play the smoke and mirrors game when the surface numbers don't play along. Three months of admittedly impressive job gains don't even come close to offsetting the previous three years of hemorrhaging, especially when many of these new jobs are lower-paying - with inferior or non-existent…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

What do American Idol and poetry slam have in common? A little bit of irony to set it up first. As a kid, I was notorious for always being late. Not a few minutes late, either, but often an hour or more. Because my mother was pretty strict, I knew 5 minutes was as bad as 5 hours and so always pushed it past its limits. After I became too old for the belt, I spent a lot of time on punishment. One of the more extreme came two days before I was supposed to take my road test for…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Today's navel-gazing missive about the meaning of life and the fallacy of the American Dream will be pre-empted for in-the-moment coverage of some late-breaking news: my main man Eric Guerrieri is leaving town. :-( He just called me a little while ago with the news that he's moving to Colorado...in two weeks! It's a great, if bittersweet, opportunity for him and I'm simultaneously happy for him and selfishly pissed. If Bassey is my little sister from the poetry scene, Eric is my twin brother. From those first days when I wasn't sure where he was coming from to the present…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself. --Andy WarholThanks to the new and improved Blogger, say goodbye to the angry pumpkin and welcome pragmatic idealism! Kind of like the sad women on The Swan, the changes here are all cosmetic; the ugly "insides" remain. Unlike their nose jobs and breast implants - that The Swan's doctors should have their licenses pulled for performing - I'm liking my new look. Blogger now has its own comments function so the tag board and guestbook are history. Since it went down over the weekend and is…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Pumpkin Seeds: Survivor Edition

1. Call me a sap but last night's Survivor catapulted the show back to the top of my favorites list. Rob proposing to Amber, before the winner was declared, was one of the coolest TV moments ever. EVER! 2. There was more drama, humor and energy in last night's three-hour finale than in the last three seasons of Friends. 3. For all those complaining about reality shows being bad for TV and being of lesser-quality than its scripted counterparts, Survivor is the George McKibbens that shoots that theory down. 4. Speaking of George, the Urbana trio has appropriately dropped out…

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An arm with a tattoo: "I was made for the library, not the classroom."

Between my internet connection at work being screwy all day and Blogspot.com seemingly on the blink, the post I started writing earlier was lost. It was about the difference between Batman and Superman and a comment director Wolfgang Petersen made about it. Petersen was apparently attached to a Batman vs. Superman movie that was scrapped in favor of separate movies. Can't say I'm disappointed. Petersen's also the director of the new movie, Troy, with Brad Pitt lamely delivering one of the corniest lines ever: "Immortality! It's yours. Take it!" No thanks, Brad. Between Gladiator and Return of the King, I…

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