Take joy in all of life’s beauty, wherever you find it. June 29, 2007

Click to enlarge.

Bigfoot took my home work, again. June 27, 2007

 

Below is an excerpt from a Yahoo article on a Bigfoot expedition I really need to comment on.  I mean really, if there was a race of Bigfoot living in Michigan, they would be way too smart to believe they actually exist.  How can anyone who takes 10 or 20 seconds to think about it, believe that these things can live in the woods all these years and there is no evidence of it.  There can’t be just one of them unless it is immortal.  Where are the remains of all the thousands of them that have passed away in the last 200 years.  If they are so intelligent they can hide every trace of their existence(impossible), then how could they resist viewing or contacting  us, and there by giving themselves away.  Dogs would smell these things a mile away.  Something this big would require a lot of food and water, so where is the evidence of chewed up plants or animals.  I wish I could be one of the Sasquatch hunter hunters who are going to shadow the expedition and leave Bigfoot prints and Sasquatch poop for these nut jobs to find.  Long live the X-files!

 

Back down on my Foo sauce dude! June 26, 2007

I somehow landed on the Kirstie MyBloglog community and I went to the website and found a picture of food that looks like it would be good to eat, or horrible, I can’t decide which.  Join me in leaving comments on the attached post on what your opinion of the dish is.

Go here-   http://www.wretch.cc/blog/KirstieTsai&article_id=8852980

Are my $54 million dollar pants ready? June 25, 2007

Can you believe the arrogance of a judge taking his dry cleaners to court and asking for $54 million.  He almost drove the Chung family out of business  since they had little money to pay the legal costs to fight the vindictive lawsuit.  The ordeal has taken an emotional toll on the hard working well meaning family who offered him $10,000 for his stupid pants.  Every dry cleaners in town should refuse service to this idiot and he should not only pay their legal costs back but he should pay tax payers back to cover court costs.  Unfreaken believable. 

Blogosphere be gone! June 23, 2007

 Click to enlarge. 

I recently read an article that listed the most hated words on the internets.  You may recall the blog you are reading now used to be named “Hiding out in the Blogosphere”.  The title was alluding to low traffic as if I was hiding.  Guess what one of the most hated words in the survey was?  It was “BLOGOSPHERE”.  So not being one to care about what people think, I have changed my blogs title to “Thinking out loud”.  Maybe later I will blog about changing the blog title again next week to something yet again to try and appeal to all the blog readers out there who suffer through some bad blogs from bad bloggers.  By the way, did I mention one of the other hated words found on blogs was “BLOG”.  I wonder how people feel about putting words in quotes and all caps?  One more thing, how can a spell check in a blog program not recognize the word blog?

The Stem cell Wedgie. June 20, 2007

 

Is the Stem cell debate a manufactured controversy that makes for a great wedge issue?  The whole issue is centered around weather U.S. taxpayer money should be spent on research and if less restrictions should be placed on the research.  The private sector spends billions of dollars a year on medical research in the U.S. alone and they are free to spend their money on stem cell research.  Other nations around the world are spending major amounts of money on stem cell research with no restrictions.  China for one is really going after it.  But in our market economy it’s a valid question to ask if the U.S. government should be in the business of deciding what holds the most promise and paying for the research?  If the field is so imminently promising and therefore potentially lucrative, than why aren’t the big corporations throwing money at it.

  Now lets look at it from the ethical viewpoint.  Should you or I tell a huge bunch of people that their believe that lab work on human embryos is wrong, wrong.  I lean towards less restrictions as long as the expenditures are reasonable and the ethical guidelines have been well vetted.  But I just don’t feel comfortable about asking my neighbor to spend his money on what he considers an abomination, especially when research is going on around the world and open to the private sector in the U.S.  I also don’t think public money should be spent on abortions for the same reason if private money could be raised to help the poor get them.  So now Michael J Fox hates me and the N.O.W. hates me so let me say this.  I hate abortions when they are used as birth control but for various reasons I don’t think Roe v. Wade should be over turned.  I also don’t think that U.S. taxpayer money is going to make or break the success of stem cell research.  The reason we are hearing so much about the issue is driven more by politics than science.  Don,t let them get you all lathered up and foaming at the mouth with a wedgie up to your armpits.

A royal @&!% *^ June 20, 2007

 

The Queen in all her lack of sensitivity has knighted Salman Rushdie, the writer of Satanic Verses.  You have to believe that whom ever decided to Knight Salman knew his knighting would cause an uproar of anger or worse in the Muslim world.  So since they knew this, what was the over riding benefit to be derived from their action.  Was this a statement about freedom of the press?  Was this a declaration that no amount of fatwa’s were going to intimidate the stiff upper lip into a quivering sniveling flap of flesh resting over bad teeth?  What ever the justification was, it was not worth it and amounts to an irresponsible provocation.  Somebody, including Salman Rushdie, could actually die as a result of this unwise decision.  The point has and should continue to be made that killing someone over a book is wrong.  Just don’t slap the listener in the face as you tell them and expect them to listen.  There is a great cultural divide between the west and the Islamic world.  You don’t bridge that divide by going out of your way to say you don’t care what the other side thinks.  You don’t have to agree but you do need to understand and take the difference into account.  God(our god) safe the queen(and the rest of us from the queen).

Angelina tries to tame the media circus clowns. June 19, 2007

Click picture to enlarge.

I am sure you are familiar with the bizarre lengths that media outlets go to make money off of celebrities.  They pay vultures to stalk people going to the grocery store etc. in hopes of get unflattering pictures, bad hair days, cellulite, or angry faces yelling at the poperotzy in their face.  If the pictures are not bad enough, they don’t let journalistic standards get in the way of some photo shop manipulation and out right lies and fabrication.  Apparently if somebody wants an abortion they have the right to privacy, but if you are a celebrity you have no right to privacy once you step out of your front door or lay on a beach on the other side of the world on vacation.  Angelina recently asked reporters who were going to interview her as part of the promotion of her new movie to sign a contract saying that they would not use the interview in any demeaning or derogatory manner, and reframe from asking about her personal relationships.  They were to stick to questions related to the movie.  I don’t see anything wrong with that.  Some people in the press were outraged at this attack on their first amendment rights.  So what does Fox news do, they do a attack piece that calls Angelina a home wrecker, a nut job, a female Michael Jackson, and say her whole life is an act and she sets her self up as a Mother Teresa, she throws her money around and brags about Brad Pitt and she should be investigated.  Maybe it is that same kind of so called journalism that she was trying to stop.  What has she done to deserve this kind of hate and anger.  Could it be that the people in charge at media corporations know that taking down the high flying celebrities of the world makes their company a whole lot of money.   Could it be that the very article that says her life, her actions, her relationships, her very existence is a joke, be making money for Fox News?  While Fox News and company are making money, all our lifes are demeaned by the ugly trend.  We are catching  up to the Brits in our lack of discretion and mean spirited way of thinking about people.  What ever happened to giving people the benefit of the doubt.  Could it be she really cares about children and war and poverty?  I would love to see a First amendment case make it to the Supreme court where freedom of speech would be more narrowly defined as political speech and establish some rights even for people who have been deemed public property no. 1.

Fathers day feels good to me. June 17, 2007

Check out Amy’s website to see more pictures of her incredible Lego Church 

Churchhttp://www.amyhughes.org/lego/church/index.html

One nice thing about being a dad is having the excuse to play with Lego’s.  If my wife and I did not have little kids I would get some grief if I started playing with Lego’s, among other things.  Now I can be a kid again and act silly and goofy and eat corn dogs and watch cartoons and fart and blame it on somebody else and giggle.  I really don’t want the kids to grow up because I finally have people on my level to play with.

Life is short, stay married. June 14, 2007

Have you heard about the law firm that put up the “Life is short. Get a divorce.” billboard?  Gee I wonder why people have a low opinion of lawyers.  If I get a divorce am I going to be able to date a babe like the one on the billboard?  Even if I can get a date with a divorced woman with baggage, will I be able to afford to go out after I pay the lawyer and child support and the rent on my dinky depressing apartment where I park my old car.  If I ever get married again is everything going to be a bed of roses all the time?  Will I ever be able to make it up to my part time kids by buying them stuff.  There are marriages where someone is getting beat or abusing drugs etc. and best efforts have not changed things.  But too many people get divorced because they are bored or just want to have sex outside of marriage.  Life is short, stay married, love your spouse and kids and let the lawyers chase the ambulances.

Love and respect on planet earth. June 12, 2007

Would you like to read a heated string of back and forth comments on a blog from the Middle East?  Check out this argument - http://ya-ashrafe-nnas.blogspot.com/2007/06/secret-beiruti-night.html   On May 29th on my post “Those Crazy Muslims” I talked about how informative it is for westerners to read blogs out of the Middle East and I attached a link to one.  I went back to browse the blog again and found the post above with all the comments that followed.  What a tower of Babel and accumulated animosities the Middle East has become.  As an outsider and someone who was just lucky to be born and live in the United States, I have comments of my own from my sheltered perspective.  I think people of EVERY type, Persian, Arab, Jew, gay, black, female, infidel,  you name it, should all have the exact same individual political power, one vote, and individual rights, privileges and opportunities no matter who is in power.  That includes religious freedoms, economic opportunities, and the right to say what you think.  Anything else is a recipe for what we see around the world where this group is trying to compete with that group for dominance and to exert their will over everyone.  When France banned Muslims from wearing head scarfs I thought that was wrong and I don’t think non-Muslim’s should be forced to where a scarf in Saudi Arabia either.   Governments should protect the rights of the individual against the tyranny of the majority.  I don’t understand why a Muslim living in the United States can practice their religion and be productive and happy among so many non-Muslim’s in our melting pot culture, but millions of Muslims in Saudi Arabia can not abide one woman on the street wearing pants or driving a car.  If someone wants to dress or eat or do something to follow their religion, or not do it, how does that take away from my religious life or reflect on me?  If a man or a woman is immoral that reflects on them, not me.  On the flip side, If I am forced to follow religious laws by the police, does that make me a devout worshiper or just somebody who doesn’t want a beating?    If your neighbor is not free or have opportunity to prosper, you are not free and your freedom and prosperity are at risk.  The only other alternative is complete ethnic cleansing where we all live in walled nations and live only with people who look us, dress like us, eat like us, and talk like us.  Welcome to Hitlers vision of the third Reich.  Should you be allowed to force your will on me because you out number me and have more power?  If might makes right then I will try and gain more power and force my will over you and we can kill each for eternity or until our weapons kill all of us.  The factions in Iraq and Lebanon are all trying to fight for more power so they can push their vision on everyone when it is the individual who should have the power.  Hamas is now trying to remake the schools into the Iranian model where the Holocaust never happened and Israel is the root of all injustice and hardship.  If the president of a nation is Sunni they must treat all the people equally, non-Sunni included.  Do you think I like to see someone living in America burn the American flag right in front of me, I don’t. But I know their right to do so must be protected if I am to have my rights protected.  The Palestinians elected the militaristic Hamas faction into power.  Now those same Palestinians are feeling the meaning of “live by the sword, die by the sword”.  Saddam Husein liked to brandish his sword at speeches and he and his supporters lived pretty good by using brutal force.  It worked right up to the point where somebody with more force came along and then it wasn’t so good.   Let me sum up this rambling post by stressing one thing.  I stress your right to be treated equally and to live your life the way you wish to live it.   Now why don’t you leave a comment and lets see if we can get a good argument going.

Turnabout is fair play. June 12, 2007

Silvia was making dinner for herself and her husband when BOOM, flash grenades explode, her front door is smashed in and 15 cops stormed into her apartment, kicked her husband in the balls and chased the terrified Silvia down the hall.  Later the couple was released from their hand cuffs when it was determined the wrong apartment had been raided.  Opps.  The police send the incident was “regrettable”.  What I want to know is do they teach groin kicking at the police academy now or is that just for kicks.  This is what should happen.  The police in question should be forced to line up with their hands on their knees, legs spread.  Then both husband and wife should be allowed one “regrettable” kick from behind into the groin of each officer.  How popular do you think the ball kicker would be with his fellow officers after that turn of events.  The police could turn things around, so to speak, and make it into an event by selling tickets to raise money for the families of officers who have died in the line of duty.  Kids under 5 get two kicks for a dollar.  The police would be allowed to wear padding because the cities finest (balls) should be protected.  It’s just like that old expression “When life gives you lemons, kick the hell out of them”

Link to story - http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=bizarre&id=5380278

It’s a tragedy, nobody died! June 11, 2007

  

 I hate to be the bearer of tidings but here it is.  A roller coaster was suspended upside down for 30 minutes due to a power failure.  The riders seem to have weathered the ordeal ok but sadly 87 lawyers died in a rush to get to the park.  42 died in car accidents and slip and fall tragedies.  Then 45 more lawyers died trying to get to the scene where the original 42 lawyers died.  All told now there are 452 lawsuits, 8 book deals and one TV movie in the works.  I also expect to be sued over this post and I would advise readers to not leave a comment with out checking with legal council first .  Also, Automattic Inc. the owner of WordPress would like you to read and understand the following.

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Lets get off this scary go round. June 8, 2007

 

Jennifer at http://goodnessgraciousness.blogspot.com/ has encouraged people to put forth a vision of what they would like the world to be like.  Here is my little vision.

There is one aspect of life on our planet I like to envision as changed for the better more than anything else, it is how we treat each other.  How much pain and sorrow could be avoided if we did not murder, rape, mug, and steal from each other.  I don’t think we can change our natural tendencies.  What we can change is how we as individuals think and also how we as a group react to individuals behavior.  Changing the way individuals think must begin from childhood.  If as we grew up our parents, teachers, piers and society at large gave us a message that violence was wrong, we as grown individuals would be far less likely to be violent because we wouldn’t believe in it.  If however someone did step out of the norm, than it is up to everyone else to squash that behavior early before it leads to worse behavior.  Sadly I think we are moving in the wrong direction on both fronts.  In some communities the solved crime rate is far lower because it is widely believed that being a rat snitch is wrong.  Even if someone shot a child with a stray bullet because thugs were gang banging, you just don’t rat out anyone, period.  That is the exact opposite of the kind of social frame work that needs to exist for us to live in a non-violent society.  We don’t glorify non-violence, but we do have a whole lot of WWF steroid pumped actors smashing heads with chairs and strutting around all bulge eyed in from of rabid fans.  On the opposite side of the spectrum were the Amish people who had a whole school house of their kids murdered by an outsider.  They forgave the man who killed their children and with a lot more dignity and quite strength than I would probably have.  Their community puts Strong expectations on one another to act in a socially acceptable manner.  We don’t all have to become Amish but we need to raise the standard of behavior for ourselves and others if we are ever to become a non-violent world.  I would like to see our schools take a zero tolerance stance on bullying.  Social welfare workers need more funding so they can help more with domestic disputes.  Our prison system needs to end the rampant violence under their watch which spills back out onto our streets.  The movies and television and even cartoons are loaded with violence.  There are a lot of things that can be done but it all starts with us believing in the value of a non-violent world.

Happy thoughts June 8, 2007

Ok maybe yesterday I had a little too much atatude and that cavity search picture was a bit much.  So today I want to look at this lovely picture.  Notice the bunnies and the sun filtering through the trees.  A dove is floating by and the fair maiden is so beautiful.  Even the magical unicorn has that nice bleach blond hair color?.  I can’t help but think there must be a million misquotes though.  Hey is it me or is her waist freakishly small.  This forest would be a great place to develop into a nice gated community with little man made ponds a strange shade of green.  Oops, there I go again.  I guess hearing that the Immigration bill is going down in flames for another year has me puckered up again.  I am going to try and find some soothing music and a happy pill and then go stroke the Unicorn with the fair maiden.