Sunday Reads: The Church, Ireland and Reality Checks
Posted: May 24, 2015 Filed under: just because 26 Comments
Good Afternoon
For years there has been an inside joke in my house, my brother Denny has to watch two shows daily. Bonanza and Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. If there is any satellite issues and he can’t see these shows, which air on one of those Turner networks, he has a fit of Rainman proportions.
Now for the joke. I tease Denny about his favorite show Bonanza by calling out the name Cartwright, Cartwright…like the episode from Seinfeld, where the crew are waiting for a table in a Chinese Restaurant.
In the episode, George is waiting for a woman to call him at the Chinese restaurant. When she does call, the host calls out “Cartwright” instead of George’s name. It’s super hilarious and prompts this discussion between Jerry and George:
JERRY
Who’s Cartwright?GEORGE
I’m Cartwright …JERRY
You’re not Cartwright.GEORGE
[EXPLODING] Of course I’m not
Cartwright …
Well, it turns out that my little joke with Denny is more on target than even I thought.
Classic ‘Seinfeld’ Joke Is Revealed To Be A Huge Easter Egg
Secret gags in “Seinfeld” are real, and they’re spectacular.
There are Superman figures slyly appearing in episodes, writers dropping in the names of their friends and tons of hidden references the show creators even forgot were there. Well, now we know of at least one more.
When “The Chinese Restaurant” episode aired on May 23, 1991, NBC was not a fan. Larry David has said the network “hated” the episode and didn’t think waiting around to get a seat in a restaurant would work as a storyline. Now, it’s recognized as one of the most iconic episodes, and it turns out its most memorable joke has been an Easter egg this whole time, according to former “Seinfeld” writer Spike Feresten.
“Like Deep Throat … This goes all the way to the top,” said Feresten, who went on to reveal the famous line’s hidden meaning to The Huffington Post.
So what and how does “Cartwright” figure in this whole thing?
The Big Reveal: “Costanza (sounds like) ‘Bonanza’ = Cartwright”
Yep. This whole time Cartwright has been a reference to the classic Western show “Bonanza,” which followed the wild adventures of the Cartwright family.
Though the episode happened before he joined the show, Feresten says the info comes from “an unimpeachable source.” The writer was mum on if it was in fact one of the show creators — either David or Jerry Seinfeld — but, as we mentioned, did say it went “all the way to the top.”
Whoa.
So there you have it, kids. The mystery of why the host calls out “Cartwright” has finally been solved. Now if only Jerry could get a table …
It’s the little things that get us through the day sometimes. This little tidbit just made my day, which is good because aside from what has happened in Ireland…this has been a shitty week all around.
Referendum has changed republic forever, says Yes Equality
Irish people have woken up in a kinder, more accepting Ireland
Friday’s referendum changed more than the Irish Constitution, “it has reshaped forever the republic in which we live”, the Yes Equality Campaign has said.
Speaking at the organisation’s final press conference in Dublin on Sunday, organised to thank the Irish public for voting Yes, Brian Sheehan, co-director of the campaign, said people woke up on Sunday in a kinder, more gentle, more accepting Ireland.
He said Irish people have given a new sense of belonging to their lesbian and gay family members, friends and neighbours.
The campaign was set up by the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network (Glen), the Irish Council for Civil Liberties (ICCL) and Marriage Equality to canvas for a yes vote in last Friday’s referendum to allow same-sex marriage.
Some 62 per cent of voters accepted the constitutional amendment.
Gráinne Healy, co-director of the campaign, said a question was asked, that question was answered resoundingly, and all of us are the better for that.
Oh yes. That is the truth.
If only we could say the same for all of us here in the US of A.
All churches in Ireland in need of ‘reality check’
The family won the same-sex marriage referendum for gay people
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin is of course correct. The Catholic Church does indeed need a reality check in the wake of the same-sex marriage referendum.
As the unequivocal result of the referendum became clear he said: “I think really that the church needs to do a reality check, a reality check right across the board, to look at the things it’s doing well, to look at the areas where we really have to start and say, ‘Look, have we drifted away completely from young people’?”
It’s not just young people. The people who voted for this referendum included tens of thousands of practicing older Catholics in the cities, towns and countryside of Ireland. People who will continue to practice their faith but who no longer accept that their gay sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, grandchildren, even their gay parents, are “objectively disordered” with a tendency to evil, as their Church teaches.
Rather, by voting Yes last Friday, they embraced their gay minority and trumpeted to the world “you are my son, you are my daughter, you are my brother, you are my sister, you are my grandchild, you are my mother, you are my father, you are my equal inlaw whatever the church may teach.”
It is an irony that those who opposed the referendum out of concern for the family were defeated by the family. The difference being that the No family was a concept, whereas last Friday’s Yes families were flesh and blood, living, breathing, flawed, impossible, loving humanity.
Read the rest at the link.
More on this fabulous news from the Green Isle…
Ireland – Lawyers, Guns & Money
The Victory for Same-Sex Marriage in Ireland – NYTimes.com
Ireland overwhelmingly votes to legalize same-sex marriage – The Washington Post
Huge cuts to the healthcare budget, amid the economic turmoil which made millions unemployed, have left than 2.5m Greeks uninsured, up from 500,000 in 2008, the Times reported.
On coming to power the Syriza government scrapped the €5 fee for attending state hospitals and pledged to hire 4,500 more health workers, despite the need for austerity and criticism from creditors.
Notwithstanding the government’s promises, healthcare spending has fallen by 25 per cent since 2009, creating shortages of the most basic surgical equipment and leaving too little money to pay nurses’ salaries.
Reports have surfaced of patients being turned away from hospital because there was no meter to measure their high blood pressure, while others have had to do without painkillers during medical procedures. One patient was even asked to bring their own sheets to hospital.
A trainee surgeon at KAT, a respected state hospital in Athens, said the situation was at “breaking point”.
This is unbelievable.
Greece ‘can not afford’ to repay IMF on schedule – Al Jazeera English
A Greek government minister has said that Athens will not be able to repay the IMF on schedule next month, reiterating previous warnings by officials during tense talks on reaching a bailout deal with the country’s creditors.
“The installment to the IMF won’t be paid,” Interior Minister Nikos Voutsis told Mega TV on Sunday. “The installments for the IMF in June are $1.8bn. This money will not be given. There is not any to be given. This is a known fact.”
Voutsis added, however, that the negotiations between Athens and its creditors were taking place “on the basis of cautious optimism that there will be a strong agreement”.
Greece faces four debt repayments to the IMF from June 5. Athens would struggle to meet all of them without using bailout funds due to it that are being blocked by its international creditors.
A failure to honour the repayments could result in default, raising the spectre of a possible exit from the euro.
On that oil leak in California: Pipeline that leaked wasn’t equipped with auto shut-off
It’s been a year:Let’s Victim-Blame Women for Elliot Rodger’s Murders! | Feministe
On the issue of women: When the Rapist Doesn’t See It as Rape – NYTimes.com
The rest of the links in dump format.
Peace Activists Cross Demilitarized Zone Separating Koreas – NYTimes.com
Gloria Steinem and female activists cross Korean demilitarised zone | World news | The Guardian
71 Protesters Arrested After Cleveland Police Officer Acquitted
This guy jumped up on the hood of the car and shot the unarmed drivers…to pieces.
137 shots, no justice: Cleveland protests as another cop goes free – Salon.com
DuPont Chemical Plant Kills 4 Employees, Pays $99,000 Fine. That’ll Learn ‘Em. | Wonkette
History News Network | Florida professor to burn Confederate flag
‘You don’t belong here’: Black family receives hateful note from white neighbors | theGrio
Google Explains Why the White House Topped in Racist Search Results
Zandar Versus The Stupid: Last Call For Sons Of The South
Las Vegas tycoon Sheldon Adelson will face graft accusations in US court | US news | The Guardian
Cannonfire-They are really going after Hillary, aren’t they?
Addicting Info – Hillary Clinton Apologizes For Iraq War Vote, Says It Was A ‘Mistake’
Dan Savage Points Out Hypocrisy Of Duggar Family Values
This next link is connected with the shitstorm Dugger and Huckabee…can you guess?
Walker Fills Open Judge Seats With Political Appointees | Crooks and Liars
You know that Huckabee had one of his appointed Judges make those Dugger kid molestation files disappear…anyway.
Huckabee: That Duggar Boy Made A Mistake, Just Like When My Son Murdered That Dog | Wonkette
Mike Huckabee: Next president must obey ‘Supreme Being’ instead of Supreme Court on gay marriage
Huckabee: Distrust of government at new high | TheHill
Yeah, distrust of government, nothing like it when you can’t trust your law enforcement, justice system and courts. ..when it comes to cover-ups and Jeezus.
Wallace Grills Huckabee: Would You Have Ignored SCOTUS on Desegregation, Too? | Mediaite
Shit GOP idiots say:
Oh …Memorial Day Started With a Deeper Meaning
Racing to Preserve the Underground Cities of World War I | Joseph V. Micallef
Yellowstone National Park, Super Volcano Is Active
Vampire Myth Likely Caused by Disease, Scientists Say – That article is something…be sure to read it.
10 Old English Words You Need to Be Using | Mental Floss
Mugwump
“Mugwump is a derogatory word for somebody in charge who affects to be above petty squabbles and factions. So when your boss tries to make peace at the meeting table like an impartial angel, he is being a mugwump.”
Rawgabbit
“A rawgabbit, just in case you were wondering, is somebody who speaks in strictest confidence about a subject of which they know nothing. A rawgabbit is the person who pulls you aside and reveals in a careful whisper that the head of Compliance is having an affair with the new recruit in IT, which you know to be utterly untrue because the head of Compliance is having an affair with you, and the new recruit in IT hasn’t started yet.”
Bob Dylan: 5 Most Memorable Moments in Film (Video) – Hollywood Reporter
110 photojournalists run National Geographic’s Instagram account | Poynter.
For BB: Baby Bats Babble through Childhood Like We Do – Scientific American
And this one too: The Book of Forgetting – Scientific American
This is an open thread.
Yeah it is hella late.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
NW Luna
peggysue22
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Postcard images from this site: Red Poulaine by redpoulaine on Etsy
In honor of Ireland, with lyrics by W.B. Yeats:
The Chinese restaurant episode is the one that really got me addicted to Seinfeld. I laughed till I cried at that one. Funny though, the show hasn’t held up for me long-term.
Thanks JJ, great photo of women from back in the day. You have a lot that I want to read, will be back later this am to do so.
Anne Meara died yesterday. She was 85.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2015/05/24/actress-anne-meara-mom-of-ben-stiller-dies-85/27888225/
I am guessing the first picture is of a much younger Ethel Barrymore. No clue of the rest.
Great post. Those “Christian nabobs” are getting funnier everyday. You cannot beat a bigger laugh then one of those hypocrites passing judgement on the rest of only hours before one of their “transgressions” are revealed.
Go Ireland!!!
What Pat said!
Celebrating a Great Victory
LOVE WINS
And Ireland isn’t wasting any time capitalizing on it’s new Freedom
Raw Story:
Founder of Josh Duggar’s ‘treatment center’ left after ‘sexually grooming’ teens and young women.
It was a Gothard center run by Gothard’s brother, who was a sexual harasser.”
Nice moral family the Gothards
Thinking about it, I suppose it should be kind of obvious that severely repressed people would have a higher chance of being molesters or assorted other perverts. The various scandals and revelations concerning RWNJs in the past few years would seem to prove it I suppose.
That also may have something to do with the fact they seem to lead lives organized around anger and one fauxrage after the other, with almost no letup.
Yes, I think it’s the anger, and the power structure in their “families.” They learn only a stunted range of options for behavior.
Unfortunately, child molestation happens in liberal and non-religious families, too. The problem isn’t necessarily dealt with well in those families either.
Yesterday it was pointed out on one of the Gay blogs that if Josh was 14 when he began molesting his sisters, he had to have molested 4 of his 5 oldest sisters. His younger sisters weren’t born when he was 14. That means that his sisters were ages, 12,11,10,9 and 5 at the time of the molestations. I cannot believe that these parents did what amounts to nothing to punish their son and help their daughters to deal with the trauma.
I’m still just flabbergasted by this and the hypocrisy of Josh Duggar who has literally made a career out of Shaming the LGBT community. And the hypocrisy of his parents who also travel the country fighting against the Gay community and a Woman’s right to autonomy over her own body.
As a parent, it’s unthinkable to me. They all needed professional help and didn’t get it. In fact, as one of the parents, I’d need help myself.
I thought he was 15, but he would still be stronger than those younger girls.
They seem to have forced the girls to “forgive” the abuser. They are going to have serious problems as they get older–very likely they’ll use drugs and alcohol to self-medicate.
In a robocall, to residents of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Duggar’s mother is recorded saying:
“Hello, this is Michelle Duggar. I’m calling to inform you of some shocking news that would affect the safety of northwest Arkansas women and children. The Fayetteville City Council is voting on an ordinance this Tuesday night that would allow men — yes, I said men — to use women’s and girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas and other areas that are designated for females only. I don’t believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls. I doubt that Fayetteville parents would stand for a law that would endanger their daughters or allow them to be traumatized by a man joining them in their private space. We should never place the preference of an adult over the safety and innocence of a child. Parents, who do you want undressing next to your daughter at the public swimming pool’s private changing area?”
The hypocrisy of this woman, her son and husband is incredible. I think their entire family needs a visit from CPS. I just can’t imagine that this is an isolated incident.
Your morning cup of Hypocrisy:
Anti-LGBT pastor resigns after Grindr photos, hook-up conversations exposed
http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2015/05/anti-lgbt-pastor-resigns-after-grindr-photos-hook-up-conversations-exposed/
Yeah and remember Huckabee was giving Obama shit because he let the First Daughters listen to Bey and he has the balls toy defend the Dugger molester
Is this robocall by Michelle Duggar being made currently? If so, the denial and hypocrisy of the Duggars is unbelievable!
Or they’ll gravitate to other abusers. The whole mess makes me sick.
Yes, I think the chances of them marrying abusers and continuing the cycle is very high.
That should be the chances “are very high”.
I suspect we will learn about more incidences of abuse in the family as time goes on.
For Jane Austen fans:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/shortcuts/2015/may/25/secret-regency-snogs-furtive-love-naughty-bits-jane-austen