It's hard to muster up rightious anger right after getting laid......

but I'm wide awake, so it's time I got this off my chest.

I've been growing progressively more frustrated and angry with the bulk of the televised media and what gets labeled as 'news' in the US. It's opinion, it's hyperbole, and most of it's far from progressive, particularly in regard to the the campaigns for the White House.

I hear precious little on the tube about the true progressives (can you say "catalysts for real change"?) Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel, or for that matter about Ron Paul, on the Republican side. What little I do see often appears belittling to me and dismissive. Gravel served 12 years in the US Senate, while Kucinich has served 5 terms in the House and Paul has served 8. I think that warrants at least a modicum of attention and at least some degree of respect.

So with little air time other than what they can purchase, in comparison to the rapt attention being heaped on Obama, Clinton, Edwards, and on Romney, Huckabee, McCain and Guiliani by the media, is there a deliberate attempt by the media to steer the public away from these candidates?

Worse, after the Iowa caucuses, hearing pundits waxing on the tube about the 'demise' of the Clinton campaign, or the implosion of McCain's bid, as if the season is over, rather than just beginning, just irritates me beyond my tolerance. It's political 'race', not a bloody coronation! Tell me what these people want to do for (or worse, to) this country and let me make up my own damn mind about them. I want information, not sound bites. It horrifies me that our electoral process, what so many of us will base our decisions about how we vote, is coming down to sound bites.

Brokeback Torchwood.........

I find myself really looking forward to the second season of Torchwood. Other than my nightly dose of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, its one of the few things I make sure to catch. I enjoy Dr. Who, but I love Torchwood! That the show is 'family-friendly' is just so much icing on the cake.

It's back Jan 26th.

I don't often post video to my blog, but this homage to Brokeback Mountain was well done, so here it is;

A weighty issue........

I mentioned this on Diabetic bears a few days ago.

A friend joined Weight Watchers the first of the year and shortly thereafter, started a weight loss blog. It struck me as an excellent idea.

I've battled (and unfortunately, not battled) with my weight since my residency. I was doing very well with the struggle until 3 years ago, when I had a pretty major gastrointestinal bleed, due to ulcerative colitis. I lost about 1/2 my blood volume in a little over a month, slow enough that I never got vascularly unstable and therefore didn't need acute hospitalization after I got scoped, but continuous enough that I was weak as a kitten and all too easily winded. Worse, every iron prep I tried constipated terribly me, causing the colitis to flare, so ultimately my gastroenterologist recommended I 'beef' up the iron in my diet with red meat. It was easily 6 months before I wasn't exhausted all the time and sadly, during that time I lost the exercise habit. It's been a struggle ever since and I have gained way too much weight as a result.

The idea of a weight loss blog hadn't occurred to me prior to my friend telling me about his. It did inspire me to start one of my own. I hope it will help keep me honest and motivated to work my way back to a healthy weight, via a healthier life style.

So consider this an invitation. I will continue to post here, but will also be writing as wideloadbear. If you have thoughts, or ideas to share with me, feel free to befriend my alter ego and follow along. I expect this will be a long journey for me. It'll be good to have some company.