Clifton Anthony Bliss Jr. was arrested on Wednesday, after detectives say he became angry when his neighbor’s cat entered his property.
During the investigation, detectives said that Bliss retrieved his firearm and told his neighbor, James Arland Taylor Jr., that he was going to shoot the cat.
Deputies said Taylor asked him not to shoot the cat, so instead Bliss shot and killed the neighbor.
Miranda
I’m not sure how many songs have been written about reconciling with a parent thanks to that parent coming out as transgender. There could be dozens of them. But I’ve only heard this one, and even though I personally can’t relate specifically to the subject, it’s still very relatable thanks to the themes of forgiveness and letting go that run through it. By the end, you genuinely feel happy for them. Definitely worthy of repeat listens.
It’s a true story. That seems like an obvious statement once you’ve heard the song, but it’s one worth making since it’s not as though there aren’t thousands of songs written from the point of view of someone else.
In 2015, after years of bitter estrangement and decades of acrimony, Turner saw his 72-year-old parent, a banker turned bookshop owner, at the funeral of a family friend. In their 30-second encounter, she told Turner she was thinking of beginning the process of transitioning.
“I just was like: ‘OK, cool, whatever’, and walked away from it,” Turner says. At the time, the pair had not been on speaking terms: “I wasn’t in a good place.” But as a fundamentally inclusive person (Turner works with the US LGBTQ+ charity The Ally Coalition and frequently raises money for them at his gigs), his hot-headedness soon gave way to understanding. “Obviously, right from the beginning, it was like: ‘If this is serious, then I will back it,’” he says. The root of Turner’s animosity lies in early childhood. Another FTHC song, Fatherless, digs back into Turner’s despair at being “shipped off to a dormitory” at prep school at eight and then to Eton, where he “cried myself to sleep each night” until he felt “dead inside”. It is only through recent therapy that he realised it was “really fucked up. That’s how my dad was raised, and it was kind of expected I would do the same thing. But I found it extremely traumatic … I had a long history of self-harm and mental health issues as a kid that was entirely and completely caused by that, and I have scars to prove it. The second that I became even vaguely socially or politically conscious, all I wanted to do was escape that world and have nothing to do with it ever again.”
His temper-prone father was, he says, “filled with rage” at Turner’s teenage lifestyle, and they had “volcanic” rows over tattoos or his DIY mohawk aged 16 that “looked quite a lot like mange … It was never violent, but it was everything up to that, and it was extremely fucking unpleasant.”
Stage Fright
I can’t remember a time when I’ve had anything I would call outright stage fright. Nerves yes, but they’ve always been the normal, healthy little butterflies that help me focus my way through whatever it is I’m supposed to be doing.
Gill, on the other hand, has struggled with the bad kind for a long time. But here she is, sounding like she’s finally starting to beat it. That’s cool. It’s nice to hear some good news in the midst of the health weirdness she’s had going on for the last several months.
Does the thought of singing or talking in front of large crowds make you at best tremble, and at worst feel like you will paint the area brown, yellow, or green? You’re not alone. Lots of us deal with this feeling. I have dealt with it for 25 years, and at times thought I was alone.
Backstory
I was rehearsing for a theater arts class play in high school, and a week before the play I completely forgot my lines. After the rehearsal, instead of encouraging me, the other girls in the play told me how much I sucked and how retards like me shouldn’t be in productions like this if I couldn’t handle it.
Flash Forward
Twenty years later someone from my church hears me singing, and suggests I sing at Bible study. I reluctantly agree expecting people to judge, but the reviews were rather positive. I confided to a friend that I was absolutely terrified to perform, but my friend told me I didn’t seem scared in the least. I told her that my laser focus was a result of being on sports teams.
Now
A little over a year ago, a lady from my church approached me and asked me to take over her preaching sessions as she was having migraines. The two of us are on a team that has run a prayer line since 2020. Again I reluctantly did so, because, why not? It has been a great help with my stage fright.
Happy?
Gill, like a lot of people, is finding the world to be a fairly grim place anymore. But here she is with a bit of advice for making it through. It’s mostly basic stuff, but quite often it’s the little things that help a lot, and it’s the little things that are so easy to lose sight of.
I’m not sure I’d say the virus is slowing down, though. We’ve just decided it’s over regardless of how prepared we are for anything reality might have to say on the matter. Hopefully reality has no issue with our strategy of “tra la la la fuck it.”
With the virus slowing down, but not really halting, the gas crisis, and the war in Ukraine, turning on the TV might not be the best option. I, a long time sufferer of mental health issues, have greatly had to reduce my TV watching, because hearing, especially of the children left behind in Ukraine, just tears pieces of my heart to ribbons.
What do I do? What works for me may not work for you, but here are a couple of things.
Go Retro
Nothing cheers me up more than getting the nostalgia feels. From music to TV, the 70s and 80s (especially the 80s), always reminds me of times when I could think of little more than going outside and running through the orchards on my folks property. Certain songs, discussions of cartoons, and other things of that nature bring on the warm thoughts of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup.
Take A Walk
Even before the virus I loved taking walks. They were my time not only to think, but to draw closer in my relationship with God. Now, for the most part when the pain’s not too bad, I go for what I like to call “sanity walks.” Usually half an hour to an hour, it gives me time to clear my head.
Question
What kinds of things make you happy, and what are some tips to help your happiness?
Good Tune, Bocephus
Hank Williams Jr. and I definitely aren’t going to agree on politics very often, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy his music. And if this is what his new stuff sounds like, it’s going to be hard not to keep enjoying it.
This is “.44 Special Blues”, the oldest sounding new song I’ve heard in a very long time. They really don’t write ’em like this anymore. Maybe that’s not a bad thing in general, but now and then a little bit of old timey whorin’ around and threats of death for doing so still sound good to me. I’m very much looking forward to having a beer or three and listening to the rest of “Rich White Honky Blues” when it comes out on June 17th.
Great Moments In Counterfeiting
Part of me is hoping that this was done as some kind of joke, one of those things where you do something ridiculous and catch someone who should be paying attention 100 percent not doing that. Otherwise, holy Jesus.
Counterfeiters often make large-denomination bills, but these guys set their sights much lower — $2 coins.
And what a terrible job they did.
On Jan. 11, police were called to a store in Hawkesbury, east of Ottawa, after counterfeit toonies were used to buy items.
Photos of the fake coins show a walrus (not the standard polar bear) on one side and a man (not the standard Queen Elizabeth effigy) on the other side. The value: “Z Dollard.” The fake coins are dated 1990; the first real toonie was minted in 1996.
“The OPP would like everyone to be aware of this and to be vigilant in assuring they do not fall victim to this fraud,” police said.
Now seems like a good time to remember this George W. Bush number from 21 years ago. It might never be topped.
The cartoonish bill was accepted Sunday evening by the Dairy Queen cashier despite having Bush on one side and an oil well on the other. The phony bill also depicted the White House lawn with yard signs reading “U.S. deserves a tax cut,” “No more scandals” and “We like broccoli,” the last apparently referring to Bush’s father’s admitted dislike for the vegetable.
No U.S. currency has a picture of Bush, let alone a reference to liking broccoli.
Because there is no actual $200 currency, the culprit could face a charge of theft by deception but not counterfeiting, Williamson said.
In that case, someone made a $2 order, paid with that thing and left with $198 in presumably real change. Oof.
Don’t Let Me Down, Liberals And NDP. And Some Friendly Advice For The Conservatives
Liberal-NDP deal paves way for Justin Trudeau to stay in power until 2025, at least
On a surface level, I am very, very down with this. Nobody wanted the last election and even less of us are clambering for another one. Plus, if this all works out as planned (a big if since three years is a long time and life comes at you pretty fast these days), look what we’re on a path to.
The implementation of a national dental care program is a key condition of the deal, and a long sought proposal from the NDP to support low-income Canadians. Working towards a national pharmacare program, another longtime NDP policy promise, is also on the table, with plans to pass legislation by the end of 2023.
Advancing reconciliation, tackling climate change, addressing housing and child care, delivering supports for workers, improving fairness in the tax system and removing barriers to voting and participation in elections are among other policy objectives woven into the agreement.
The deal also includes a pledge to pass an “anti-scab” law that would ban companies in federal jurisdictions from replacing locked-out or striking workers, and to pass a law on national long-term care.
These are all things, that while expensive and complicated, are objectively good. Despite what populists and other rich people who don’t want to pay their share for anything have always said, we have the money for them. The money exists to do almost anything we want. the problem is that when it comes to taking real steps that will make life better for everyone, the will often doesn’t. The people hording all of the money don’t care if life gets better for anyone else. Their lives are fine. And in fact, making your life better isn’t convenient for them. If things dramatically improve, they lose control of their worker bees and the balance of power shifts away from them.
That paragraph got away from me a bit there and I kind of answered my own question, which was going to be who could possibly have a problem with these policy goals? There is another answer though. What up, Conservative Party of Canada?
“No one knew they were doing this … we’ve got a war going on in Ukraine, we had the Emergencies Measures Act that was declared (and) backed by the NDP. One has to wonder when did these talks start? What kind of agreements were made? What was the quid pro quo that was given?” Bergen said.
“These are important questions that go to the very heart of our democracy. Democracy and openness has been replaced by backroom deals.”
Backroom deals, in this case, meaning a completely democratic process that the Conservatives themselves could and would take advantage of were they able to find enough wingnuts and cookaloons to play along. While they were busy campaigning for the PPC vote, stabbing each other in the back and generally slowing things down, the adults in the room decided to do some of that reaching across party lines stuff that politicians are so fond of talking about but rarely bother with.
Who knows, maybe none of this will work. Maybe the Liberals will, out of arrogance or necessity, make a choice that the NDP simply can’t swallow and the whole thing blows up. But in the meantime, I appreciate the stability. And even though stability isn’t on-brand for them these days, the Conservatives should, too. Rather than blubbering about the unconstitutionality of an entirely constitutional thing and aiming to grab power that they clearly aren’t ready for, the party that’s about to pick its third leader in five years thanks to its own disunity should probably go about its business and be quietly thankful for the gift it has been given. It won’t, but that would be my advice.
You Say “Kyiv”, I Say “Kiev”. Let’s Call The Whole Thing By Its Proper Name
Finally, an answer to a question I’ve had since the war started. Why is everyone calling it “Kyiv” instead of “Kiev” all of a sudden?
As it turns out, there’s no all of a sudden about it. It was always meant to be Kyiv according to the Ukrainian language, but during the days of the Soviet Union, Russian was the dominant culture and language whether the Ukrainians liked it or not. So Kiev it was to most of the world. But since for now there’s no more Soviet Union, Ukraine has spent the last few decades doing everything it can to put things right. We should have been calling it Kyiv since at least 1995, and now I feel like a bit of a jerk.
When the Soviet Union controlled the area during the 20th century, it systemically tried to quell Ukrainian culture in favor of Russian culture—a process known as Russification, with origins dating back to the 19th century. This included promoting Russian over Ukrainian language, which is essentially how Kiev became more popular than Kyiv among international audiences. As the Soviet Union unraveled in 1991, Ukraine declared its independence and the country has been working to supplant Kiev with Kyiv ever since.
In 1995, as The Independent reports, the government made Kyiv the official Latinized name for the city; and in 2018, Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs kickstarted a campaign called #KyivNotKiev to encourage the rest of the world to finally make the change official, too. The United States Board on Geographic Names did so in June 2019, and the media has gradually followed suit.
An Update On Gill
Gill has a bit of a health update for us. Best wishes, as always.
You remember how I briefly touched on my unexplained weight loss and stomach and back pain? Here’s a little update several months in the making.
The Good News
My colonoscopy and endoscopy both came back clear. I’m relieved with that news as my family has a history of colon cancer, and my gastrointestinal system is good.
The Bad News
On the 28th of October I went for a CT scan to try to get the lower back and abdominal pain figured out. I walked into my doctor’s office five days later thinking it was maybe kidney stones too small for the ultrasound to pick up, and walked out told I had a cyst on my adrenal gland. I also got a referral to an endocrinologist. For those curious, the adrenal gland is located just above the kidney, and secretes hormones such as aldosterone and cortisol.
How Am I Now?
Well, I missed the appointment I was supposed to have on February 9th, but have one in person April 6th. I have good days where I hardly know the cyst is there, and I have bad days where I am in excruciating pain. One of those happened a couple of months ago while spending the night at my sister’s house. I have kind of shied away from going back to the hospital on days like that, as I fear I won’t be taken seriously or find out something I already know.
Please keep me in your prayers!
Rapping Brian Williams
I need to watch more Jimmy Fallon, apparently. This video is the first time I’ve ever seen the Brian Williams rapping bit. Whoever edited all of those words together is a goddamn hero.
By the way, this is Brian Williams the American news anchor, not Brian Williams the Canadian sportscaster. Although I imagine somebody doing this to the other Brian Williams could also be pretty great.