Since I gave up the teaching profession for the life of non work I have gotten quite a few stares and questions from many about what it is I do all day to avoid being bored.. Now I understand that humans are trained to believe they are at least partly defined by some work they do. Society convinces us that so we won't eat potato chips and read bad novels all day. so that we will produce some material benefit for society There isn't anything wrong with doing that either. But it is true that we are told directly and indirectly from our earliest days ("Little Jimmy, what will you BE when you grow up?") of understanding that work is essential. Well, I knew that was a lie long before I quit my work, even as a kid I knew work wasn't as important as others said it was.. Of course, given that I am well off financially and can refuse to "play" the work role, I can understand why some people are confused and....yes..even annoyed that I am not trudging off to work every day. They all inevitably ask "the question". "What is it you do all day? Aren't you bored?"
So I write this E mail today to declare "NO, I am not bored" and to explain why. My standard response when they ask what I do all day now that I don't work is, "Everything I have been doing, except work." That should please them, but it usually leaves them gasping with a strange statement of their own. "I would be bored to death if I didn't work".
Without going through my daily routine now, just accept that I was very busy with a 12 year old child when in my working days and that all of that and other activities largely keeps me going now too. So what am I now doing mostly with the other eight hours a day. I read more, am on line more, see more people, do more things for others, take more naps and "do nothing" more often and most of all...I think more.
Haha Forget the idea that one can "think too much" for his own good. It is not a good notion to believe that. I have always devoted large amounts of time to the simple act of thinking. Sadly, most schools everywhere in this programmed world brainwash kids with copious amounts of useless facts that tend to rot the brain and discourage thinking.
I was lucky. In my schools, thinking was the most important thing a student was required to do, not just thinking about school material but rather thinking about all aspects of life outside of school. We were instructed to find a reality outside of the books we studied, one of our own making. I like to find a question that is puzzling, and then try to figure out a solution. This may require reading or listening to what others say about it because many other people are smarter and better thinkers than I. Since I rarely write down the solutions to my thinking exercises I file it in my small brain and draw on it as needed. It sure beats guessing about a solution or relying on what everyone else in society thinks ("Everyone" is as often wrong as is right)
And thinking is fun. It sparks the imagination and allows a person to escape from the regimented world we must live with each day. I know most people (maybe you) wonder why I would want to think about something, er....such as....why so many people think race or religion is so important in defining a human. Most people find it ridiculous for a grown-up (I am not certain that I am a grown-up. It is still up for discussion and something I should also "think too much about") to spend so much time thinking.
But why? Aren't the really important things in life the abstract or philosophical ones? Who is remembered more, the king of an empire or the philosopher who left a legacy of his thoughts? It is always the latter. And though I am neither king nor philosopher and will leave no philosophical legacy, the thinking is good for ME. I am a better person when I spend time thinking about things both small and large than when merely working 8 hours a day.
It doesn't bother me anymore when people are annoyed at me for thinking or are jealous that I have more time to think, because I have been "thinking too much" all my life.. Most of those people who do not understand the importance of thinking never take more than a minute or so to think about anything abstract on any day, so they often can't understand why thinking is the very best thing one can do for good mental health (I know I am not a good example of that!) and a better understanding of the world in which we live. Yep! I am very busy not working, thinking and understanding myself and others more because of it. So my advice is to "think too much" whenever you can. You'll feel better for it.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Too Much Or Too Little Christmas Spirit?
I am eating a slice of my Christmas fruitcake that sits atop my paper napkin with Christmas designs (a reindeer in the snow), and sipping from my Santa Claus mug filled with Christmas apple cider that is with cinnamon. Oh wait. Maybe I am over-Christmased with these little holiday baubles? Ah, if so and they brings me to tears, I can always blow my nose or wipe my sentimental tears from kleenex that comes in the Christmas designed tissue box (it has pictures of Xmas tree with presents underneath).
Yes, I am sucker for anything they sell with a Christmas theme. I have a Christmas tablecloth on my kitchen table to get me pumped up for as much Merry whatever as possible. I also have pretty Christmas designed dishes, even a Christmas sugar bowl and Christmas designed salt and pepper shakers. Of course if my table cloth doesn't get me in the holiday mood I can turn my head and look at the red Poinsettias I have nearby. And if that fails, the tacky decorations Jane and I have all over the house will surely raise my Christmas interest level higher than Santa can fly in his sleigh.
Am I overdoing all of this? Is my house a Christmas museum this time of the year? Hmmmmm Maybe. But then I haven't yet bought cheap Christmas curtains or those metallic message garlands that say "Ho Ho Ho". And I don't have Christmas centerpiece for my table? You can give me a lie detector test and I will pass when I promise you I own no Christmas designed sweatshirts or under pants that says "Squeeze Santa's .... here" (Maybe I should get that if it goes on sale). I did buy Jane a pair of soft red Christmas slipper socks with cute designs from the holiday season. I would like those but if I get a pair you'll suspect I am gay. But I rally am not (I never lisp when I say Merry Christmas) a gay elf.
Yes, I do think there are people who buy more of those things than I do? Maybe Christmas is my addiction (Better than those cell phones everyone else is glued to). What do you think? Should I keep my Christmas junk and spirit or should I get rid of it all and just start celebrating Hanukkah instead?
Ah, this is the season to be jolly, for love between and among us all. Well, in most cases it is. But not for one mom and grandma in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They took an extremely had line with their 12 year old son and grandson the other day. They had him arrested for opening one of his Christmas presents early. Haha It's hard to believe it but here is what happened that led to the 12 year old boy (mercifully, the names of all three of them were not disclosed by police) being arrested for petty larceny after opening his present.
The child's grandmother told him not to open his new Ninteno Game Boy Advance, which she had wrapped and placed underneath the Christmas tree. But when she awoke Sunday morning, Grandma was in a Scrooge-like mood as she saw present had been unwrapped and the game missing. Granny called the boy's mom and told her the boy took the present without permission. The boy's mom. who apparently is even more of a stinker than granny, called police to report the "theft".
Yep! Police said they had no choice but to arrest the child and book him with the crime. He was released immediately and returned to the terrible two (mom and granny) who apparently are still miffed and a bit crazy. Mom told police that she is fed up with junior (who has a long record of disciplinary problems) and will ask the state of South Carolina to take custody of him from her.
I think the child already has his best Christmas gift this year- separation from a dysfunctional mom and grandma.
Yes, I am sucker for anything they sell with a Christmas theme. I have a Christmas tablecloth on my kitchen table to get me pumped up for as much Merry whatever as possible. I also have pretty Christmas designed dishes, even a Christmas sugar bowl and Christmas designed salt and pepper shakers. Of course if my table cloth doesn't get me in the holiday mood I can turn my head and look at the red Poinsettias I have nearby. And if that fails, the tacky decorations Jane and I have all over the house will surely raise my Christmas interest level higher than Santa can fly in his sleigh.
Am I overdoing all of this? Is my house a Christmas museum this time of the year? Hmmmmm Maybe. But then I haven't yet bought cheap Christmas curtains or those metallic message garlands that say "Ho Ho Ho". And I don't have Christmas centerpiece for my table? You can give me a lie detector test and I will pass when I promise you I own no Christmas designed sweatshirts or under pants that says "Squeeze Santa's .... here" (Maybe I should get that if it goes on sale). I did buy Jane a pair of soft red Christmas slipper socks with cute designs from the holiday season. I would like those but if I get a pair you'll suspect I am gay. But I rally am not (I never lisp when I say Merry Christmas) a gay elf.
Yes, I do think there are people who buy more of those things than I do? Maybe Christmas is my addiction (Better than those cell phones everyone else is glued to). What do you think? Should I keep my Christmas junk and spirit or should I get rid of it all and just start celebrating Hanukkah instead?
Ah, this is the season to be jolly, for love between and among us all. Well, in most cases it is. But not for one mom and grandma in Rock Hill, South Carolina. They took an extremely had line with their 12 year old son and grandson the other day. They had him arrested for opening one of his Christmas presents early. Haha It's hard to believe it but here is what happened that led to the 12 year old boy (mercifully, the names of all three of them were not disclosed by police) being arrested for petty larceny after opening his present.
The child's grandmother told him not to open his new Ninteno Game Boy Advance, which she had wrapped and placed underneath the Christmas tree. But when she awoke Sunday morning, Grandma was in a Scrooge-like mood as she saw present had been unwrapped and the game missing. Granny called the boy's mom and told her the boy took the present without permission. The boy's mom. who apparently is even more of a stinker than granny, called police to report the "theft".
Yep! Police said they had no choice but to arrest the child and book him with the crime. He was released immediately and returned to the terrible two (mom and granny) who apparently are still miffed and a bit crazy. Mom told police that she is fed up with junior (who has a long record of disciplinary problems) and will ask the state of South Carolina to take custody of him from her.
I think the child already has his best Christmas gift this year- separation from a dysfunctional mom and grandma.
Merry Christmas, Fido
The internet sure is educational. I just came across an ad for Christmas presents....for dogs. Yep! They are now selling to the dogs on line at Christmas time. Well, perhaps the human owners, not the dogs themselves, make the purchases, but the gifts they buy are for Fido (See Fido in one Christmas outfit, below). Being curious I decided to follow the link and research some more about the welfare of pets, and specifically , dogs at Christmas. Hehe Aren;t you lucky to hear about it. Woof Woof!
When I was a child we always wrapped a bone or some small doggie toy for our dog. Both of the dogs we had when I was a kid were grateful for any present they got, and unlike some humans of the Paris Hilton persuasion (and some people I see in those shopping malls) our dogs (Dumbo and Tiger) never turned their noose up at what we gave them.
So why will Americans spend an additional $3 billion this Christmas on gifts for their pets? I think it is because our pets are a part of our families (as they were when I was a child) and because marketers have convinced so many humans that their pets need expensive gifts at Christmas. (I wonder if Santa could really a dog in disguise?) The thinking of those humans who are extravagant with their dog or other pet gift, is that if people like the gifts pets will also.
More and more dogs are being treated as four legged people (My dad always did joke with me that Tiger was his best son...'Where is my good four legged son" my dad would smile and say when I was near enough to hear). Dog owners now take their puppies to a spa for a massage or to get a manicure. They are getting the dog's portrait painted to hang next to the human kiddies portraits and even taking Fido to the mall to see Santa. Haha I would love to see one of those Dobermans on Santa's lap.
I looked on line to see what gift suggestions merchants are pushing to the owner to buy for the dog who is waiting for Santa this year. There's.... clothing such as cashmere sweaters or doggie polo shirts, purses, jewelry, daybeds, candy and other food treats....ah...just about anything Paris Hilton wants is also for sale for Fido. Maybe it is because the people who give so many expensive and silly gifts to their pets actually think the pet understands it's Christmas and expects them. Or perhaps the owner is rewarding him or herself by giving Fido all of that.
It can make the dog owner feel like a mom or dad does when they sacrifice or give for their human child. Isn't it ironic that people spoil their pets more than they spoil their kids? One could say that the "pet parent" type can get carried away with it all, but is what. But I suppose charity and love of any sort is a good thing.
However, if I hear that any parent gave Fido a cell phone this year I will personally bite them where it hurts! Merry Christmas, Fido!
When I was a child we always wrapped a bone or some small doggie toy for our dog. Both of the dogs we had when I was a kid were grateful for any present they got, and unlike some humans of the Paris Hilton persuasion (and some people I see in those shopping malls) our dogs (Dumbo and Tiger) never turned their noose up at what we gave them.
So why will Americans spend an additional $3 billion this Christmas on gifts for their pets? I think it is because our pets are a part of our families (as they were when I was a child) and because marketers have convinced so many humans that their pets need expensive gifts at Christmas. (I wonder if Santa could really a dog in disguise?) The thinking of those humans who are extravagant with their dog or other pet gift, is that if people like the gifts pets will also.
More and more dogs are being treated as four legged people (My dad always did joke with me that Tiger was his best son...'Where is my good four legged son" my dad would smile and say when I was near enough to hear). Dog owners now take their puppies to a spa for a massage or to get a manicure. They are getting the dog's portrait painted to hang next to the human kiddies portraits and even taking Fido to the mall to see Santa. Haha I would love to see one of those Dobermans on Santa's lap.
I looked on line to see what gift suggestions merchants are pushing to the owner to buy for the dog who is waiting for Santa this year. There's.... clothing such as cashmere sweaters or doggie polo shirts, purses, jewelry, daybeds, candy and other food treats....ah...just about anything Paris Hilton wants is also for sale for Fido. Maybe it is because the people who give so many expensive and silly gifts to their pets actually think the pet understands it's Christmas and expects them. Or perhaps the owner is rewarding him or herself by giving Fido all of that.
It can make the dog owner feel like a mom or dad does when they sacrifice or give for their human child. Isn't it ironic that people spoil their pets more than they spoil their kids? One could say that the "pet parent" type can get carried away with it all, but is what. But I suppose charity and love of any sort is a good thing.
However, if I hear that any parent gave Fido a cell phone this year I will personally bite them where it hurts! Merry Christmas, Fido!
I Think It is Christmas?
I was at the post office this morning and while there made my usual observations of the people, places and things around me as I waited in line with the other customers who had Christmas mailings to tend to. You can relax. I am not going to write again about the uncouth and disgusting cell phone abusers I had to endure. I will save that speech for later (An early Christmas present) What I did notice and reflect about was the poster on the counter that listed the "holiday stamps" that a customer can buy this Christmas season. There were two Christmas themed stamps, one Eid stamp, one Hanukkah stamp and a Kwanza stamp. My thought was why more of the other holiday stamps (3 to 2) when 95% of the people in the U.S. celebrate Christmas in December? It seems a little unfair to place holidays only a few worship on the same plane as the one 95% of us recognize. Would the Chinese government mandate Christmas be treated equally with the Chinese New Year? I think not.
But the U.S. government (the post office is a bureau in it) isn't the only agency or person to be politically correct. I see the fear of promoting Christmas because "it offends other religions or beliefs" in the private sector too. It doesn't bother me to use taxpayer money to promote holiday events that only a few U.S. citizens recognize, because all holidays are positive expressions of peace and love. But we are now entering the period where all holidays are being treated equally, as if because one child did not like milk with his school lunch and drinks tea we would serve all the children tea one day a week.
When a government tries to force on the majority what it doesn't want or attempts to treat unequal as equal, some strange things happen. A good example of that is what occurred in Seattle the other day. It created a Grinch instead of a joyous message of love. My vote for the most selfish Christmas Grinch goes to the Seattle, Washington airport which has removed all nine of the Christmas trees on display at the airport rather than adding a giant Jewish Hanukkah menorah that a local rabbi had requested. Making matters worse was that airport workers quickly boxed up the trees in the wee hours of the morning so few travelers using the airport would see they were doing a Grinch-like removal of holiday cheeriness at the airport.
"We decided to take the trees down because we didn't want to be exclusive," said the airport spokesperson, Terr-Ann Betancouurt. "We're trying to be thoughtful and respectful." Thoughtful? Respectful? Ha! In trying to please religions not even involved with Christmas, the Seattle airport has slapped the majority of citizens in the city who do believe in Christmas.
Even the rabbi, Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky who asked for the menorah thinks it was an act of Christmas insensitivity to take down the holiday decorations at the airport. The Rabbi had threatened to sue if the airport didn't recognize the Jewish holiday (which runs almost concurrently with Christmas) but not to force removal of the trees. "Everyone should have their spirit of the holiday. For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season," said the rabbi. "They've darkened the hall instead of turning the lights up, " he added.
As for the airport, it feebly complained that it if it added a Jewish menorah it would have to add symbols for every religion in the world, since the Seattle airport hosts travelers from all around the globe. Yet, only Hanukkah and Christmas are held at the same time of the year. No other religious symbols would even be appropriate during Christmas. But Alas! The airport has folded under criticism of it's Grnich-like tree removal policy and the latest news is that the trees are being put back in their former spots the terminal.
Well...I guess it could have been worse...those idiots at the Seattle airport could have banned Santa's sleigh from landing this Christmas. I better not type that again or they may realize they haven't done that yet.
Oh...and before I get in trouble with my government Happy Eid, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza....
But the U.S. government (the post office is a bureau in it) isn't the only agency or person to be politically correct. I see the fear of promoting Christmas because "it offends other religions or beliefs" in the private sector too. It doesn't bother me to use taxpayer money to promote holiday events that only a few U.S. citizens recognize, because all holidays are positive expressions of peace and love. But we are now entering the period where all holidays are being treated equally, as if because one child did not like milk with his school lunch and drinks tea we would serve all the children tea one day a week.
When a government tries to force on the majority what it doesn't want or attempts to treat unequal as equal, some strange things happen. A good example of that is what occurred in Seattle the other day. It created a Grinch instead of a joyous message of love. My vote for the most selfish Christmas Grinch goes to the Seattle, Washington airport which has removed all nine of the Christmas trees on display at the airport rather than adding a giant Jewish Hanukkah menorah that a local rabbi had requested. Making matters worse was that airport workers quickly boxed up the trees in the wee hours of the morning so few travelers using the airport would see they were doing a Grinch-like removal of holiday cheeriness at the airport.
"We decided to take the trees down because we didn't want to be exclusive," said the airport spokesperson, Terr-Ann Betancouurt. "We're trying to be thoughtful and respectful." Thoughtful? Respectful? Ha! In trying to please religions not even involved with Christmas, the Seattle airport has slapped the majority of citizens in the city who do believe in Christmas.
Even the rabbi, Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky who asked for the menorah thinks it was an act of Christmas insensitivity to take down the holiday decorations at the airport. The Rabbi had threatened to sue if the airport didn't recognize the Jewish holiday (which runs almost concurrently with Christmas) but not to force removal of the trees. "Everyone should have their spirit of the holiday. For many people the trees are the spirit of the holidays, and adding a menorah adds light to the season," said the rabbi. "They've darkened the hall instead of turning the lights up, " he added.
As for the airport, it feebly complained that it if it added a Jewish menorah it would have to add symbols for every religion in the world, since the Seattle airport hosts travelers from all around the globe. Yet, only Hanukkah and Christmas are held at the same time of the year. No other religious symbols would even be appropriate during Christmas. But Alas! The airport has folded under criticism of it's Grnich-like tree removal policy and the latest news is that the trees are being put back in their former spots the terminal.
Well...I guess it could have been worse...those idiots at the Seattle airport could have banned Santa's sleigh from landing this Christmas. I better not type that again or they may realize they haven't done that yet.
Oh...and before I get in trouble with my government Happy Eid, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza....
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Christmas Ornaments
Today I write something about one aspect of Christmas to which most people give little thought-The ornament. I like the idea of a live Christmas tree in the family room of a home. For the three weeks or so the tree is there it brings a kind of serenity to the room and well as encouraging more enthusiasm for the holiday. The Christmas Grinches don't like a tree in the house. The lights and ornaments for the tree this year are all the same, as I have more than enough from the present and past (my childhood ornaments and some from my late mother's childhood).
One acquires ornaments from many places. The most obvious is from retail stores. They have many varieties, depending on the outlet. But specialty stores have everything from fine (expensive) hand made glass ornaments to ordinary (inexpensive) machine manufactured ornaments. They all look nice, and I think a mixture of kinds is good to have because each tells a story when hung on the tree.
Another place one gets them is from other people. People used to give specialty ornaments as gifts, but I do not think they do so anymore. (I have a couple from an E friend who used to make small ones and send them with her Christmas cards) It's probably because it is so easy to find good ornament today, and because many people like to pick their own style of ornament. But a gift of an ornament is special because it is a yearly reminder of those who give them to us.
A third place from which to find ornaments is from those left behind by deceased family members. I have a few from my mom's childhood that are hand painted wood ornaments. They are unique and a treasure because they not only are pretty but link me every Christmas to my mother. I also have some of the ornaments my family used to hang on the tree when I was a child. I still remember hanging some with my brother, and how we used to compete when hanging them. The ones that were my favorites remain fixed in my memories.. They probably conjure fond moments because I had a very happy childhood and loving family.
When Jane was one year old each year I would an aluminum or brass metal ornament and have an engraving of her name and year placed on it. I have about 10 or 11 of them and they get hung on the tree every year. This is the year I stopped buying it, and maybe that is a subconscious belief that Jane is no longer a little girl. We also have some ornaments Jane made when she was in primary school. They are not fancy but mean as much to me as any ornament could. That's the fourth source of our ornaments- those made by children or family members. Jane also made some glass ornaments last year after buying the globe and supplies at an arts and craft store. The three we have are very pretty, but lazy Jane is apparently not going to make any this year or is just "too big" to do it (Hehe I see teenage trouble on the horizon...)
Anyway, my point is that something so insignificant to others (ornaments) mean more to me. They are not only pretty to see on a tree, but link Christmas to us and to those we love.
Maybe you have some holiday decoration that do the same for you.
One acquires ornaments from many places. The most obvious is from retail stores. They have many varieties, depending on the outlet. But specialty stores have everything from fine (expensive) hand made glass ornaments to ordinary (inexpensive) machine manufactured ornaments. They all look nice, and I think a mixture of kinds is good to have because each tells a story when hung on the tree.
Another place one gets them is from other people. People used to give specialty ornaments as gifts, but I do not think they do so anymore. (I have a couple from an E friend who used to make small ones and send them with her Christmas cards) It's probably because it is so easy to find good ornament today, and because many people like to pick their own style of ornament. But a gift of an ornament is special because it is a yearly reminder of those who give them to us.
A third place from which to find ornaments is from those left behind by deceased family members. I have a few from my mom's childhood that are hand painted wood ornaments. They are unique and a treasure because they not only are pretty but link me every Christmas to my mother. I also have some of the ornaments my family used to hang on the tree when I was a child. I still remember hanging some with my brother, and how we used to compete when hanging them. The ones that were my favorites remain fixed in my memories.. They probably conjure fond moments because I had a very happy childhood and loving family.
When Jane was one year old each year I would an aluminum or brass metal ornament and have an engraving of her name and year placed on it. I have about 10 or 11 of them and they get hung on the tree every year. This is the year I stopped buying it, and maybe that is a subconscious belief that Jane is no longer a little girl. We also have some ornaments Jane made when she was in primary school. They are not fancy but mean as much to me as any ornament could. That's the fourth source of our ornaments- those made by children or family members. Jane also made some glass ornaments last year after buying the globe and supplies at an arts and craft store. The three we have are very pretty, but lazy Jane is apparently not going to make any this year or is just "too big" to do it (Hehe I see teenage trouble on the horizon...)
Anyway, my point is that something so insignificant to others (ornaments) mean more to me. They are not only pretty to see on a tree, but link Christmas to us and to those we love.
Maybe you have some holiday decoration that do the same for you.
Christmas Class Gathering
Jane is having a Christmas get-together party with her classmates here next Saturday afternoon. This is the second year in a row that we have had it here. Sigh...It seems that no other parent was willing to host it. (I asked Jane to ask the other kids if someone else could take a turn this time, but several moms said "no") Jane was the instigator of the original party and she organized this one (she is a social one). Haha I should blame her.
The kids will each bring a gift and exchange them by drawing a name from a bowl to see which gift each gets. I think Jane is going to have them do a Christmas scavenger hunt, and yesterday I bought two karaoke records of Christmas songs for them to use to have a singing contest of Christmas songs (Relax! I promise not to sing on for you today).
One of the albums even has the cult classic "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". What other activities she has planned I do not know. Maybe it's best to be dumb about it all... These 12 year olds are an innocent group. Most of them have been in the same class since kindergarten and no "worldly" kids have yet entered the class to "corrupt" them. I know they will eventually become a bit naughtier and more adventurist and will try to do things they shouldn't, but one of my Christmas wish this year is that the 15 or so kids that come to the party don't spike the drinks with alcohol, tear down the house or cause any trouble in the neighborhood. They are easy to feed (my job) happy with veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, chips of all sorts pizza, Christmas cookies, brownies, a Christmas cookie cake, fruit drinks etc. last year I stayed out of the way and it seemed to be fine.
But if I am not here the day after Saturday then you will know they drove me crazy for Christmas. Hmmmmmm I wonder if that my further insanity is a good or a bad thing for you.... Well, what could be worse than a house full of 12 year olds having a Christmas part?
How about Christmas shoppers at a mall that is on fire? Something strange happened this week in Chicago at a Dillard's Department store Christmas sale when the building had an electrical fire that filled the store with smoke. The shoppers didn't want to leave....and more tried to enter the burning building to buy sale items ("Hot items").
It happened in the worst spot imaginable- the women's department of the store. Well, no self respecting man would be in a mall at Christmas time anyway. But those women have the shopping gene and refused to let a fire chase them away. It must have been the "Fire Sale" we often hear about, because even hosing down a woman who is shopping is not going to deter her while she is at is a sale. It took about eight minutes to extinguish the fire. In total, four fire engines, three trucks and three medic squads were present to pressurize the entire store with new air, creating a wind tunnel using high powered fans placed at all the doors to push the smoke out. But some customers at first refused to leave and new ones argued with police in an attempt to get in.
In the overly materialistic world in which we live, I think even if Christ had come down to the store to rescue those female shopping nuts, more than a few of them would rather risk burning among the sale items than to take a Godly offer of eternity in heaven above. After all, a woman MUST shop.
The kids will each bring a gift and exchange them by drawing a name from a bowl to see which gift each gets. I think Jane is going to have them do a Christmas scavenger hunt, and yesterday I bought two karaoke records of Christmas songs for them to use to have a singing contest of Christmas songs (Relax! I promise not to sing on for you today).
One of the albums even has the cult classic "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer". What other activities she has planned I do not know. Maybe it's best to be dumb about it all... These 12 year olds are an innocent group. Most of them have been in the same class since kindergarten and no "worldly" kids have yet entered the class to "corrupt" them. I know they will eventually become a bit naughtier and more adventurist and will try to do things they shouldn't, but one of my Christmas wish this year is that the 15 or so kids that come to the party don't spike the drinks with alcohol, tear down the house or cause any trouble in the neighborhood. They are easy to feed (my job) happy with veggies and dip, cheese and crackers, chips of all sorts pizza, Christmas cookies, brownies, a Christmas cookie cake, fruit drinks etc. last year I stayed out of the way and it seemed to be fine.
But if I am not here the day after Saturday then you will know they drove me crazy for Christmas. Hmmmmmm I wonder if that my further insanity is a good or a bad thing for you.... Well, what could be worse than a house full of 12 year olds having a Christmas part?
How about Christmas shoppers at a mall that is on fire? Something strange happened this week in Chicago at a Dillard's Department store Christmas sale when the building had an electrical fire that filled the store with smoke. The shoppers didn't want to leave....and more tried to enter the burning building to buy sale items ("Hot items").
It happened in the worst spot imaginable- the women's department of the store. Well, no self respecting man would be in a mall at Christmas time anyway. But those women have the shopping gene and refused to let a fire chase them away. It must have been the "Fire Sale" we often hear about, because even hosing down a woman who is shopping is not going to deter her while she is at is a sale. It took about eight minutes to extinguish the fire. In total, four fire engines, three trucks and three medic squads were present to pressurize the entire store with new air, creating a wind tunnel using high powered fans placed at all the doors to push the smoke out. But some customers at first refused to leave and new ones argued with police in an attempt to get in.
In the overly materialistic world in which we live, I think even if Christ had come down to the store to rescue those female shopping nuts, more than a few of them would rather risk burning among the sale items than to take a Godly offer of eternity in heaven above. After all, a woman MUST shop.
The Value Of Play
I just read a recommendation form the American Academy of Pediatrics that confirms a belief I have long had. It says that what children really need for a healthy development is more good old fashioned play.
Yep! It's not the scheduled activities and study that is most missing from the lives of the little ones, it's the absence of play time as parents tend to load their children's schedules with classes and activities designed to help them "excel" academically. It seems that the pediatricians are in unanimous agreement that spontaneous free play- playing game sin the neighborhood, catching frogs or butterflies, playing with toys that spark the imagination, organizing clubs etc.- often gets sacrificed to excessive academic study sessions.
The doctors don't blame parents for believing the notion that if junior isn't studying or cramming all day he will be a dummy and never amount to anything in life, because that is the modern societal idea of good parenting theses days. Social pressures and marketing by people selling structured study and the like about creating " a superior child" bear hard on parents and often cause them to severely restrict play in favor of study.
Kids are seen as objects to be crammed full of information, not small humans who need to find things to do and learn on their own. Numerous studies consistently show that unstructured play has many benefits school and study can not give. It can help kids become creative, discover what their own inner passions are, develop problem solving skills, relate to others and adjust better to social settings (even to the school setting itself). I think that play was the most important part of my childhood and I thank my parents for letting me play rather than pressuring me to study to much or engage in all structured activities.
Play is so important to kids, even older kids and a lack of free time to "play" can stress kids and can eventually turn them into them dull and/or unhappy adults. So I think the structured activities can be useful, learning in any setting, even structured is good. But play for kids may be even more important for kids to make the world the way they want it, to fantasize and to dream...and it's great for the overall (as opposed to only the academic) intellectual, social and behavioral development of kids.
How old do you have to be to purchase an automobile? How about three years old? Haha I guess that's the age of consent on one Internet site that sell cars because three-year-old Jack Neal bought one.
Yep...little Jack loves cars so much that while his mother's back was turned he bought a Barbie-pink Nissan Figaro for nearly $16,000 on eBay. "I had just come off the computer and I thought I had logged off, I came out of eBay," his mother Rachel told the British Broadcasting Corp. on Monday. "Jack jumped on the chair, went straight in, found the page and bought the car." Unable to read, Jack likely used the "buy it now" option to make the purchase. The first time the Neals, from Sleaford in Eastern England, knew of the sale was when they received an e-mail from auto dealer David Jones, who thought he had made his first Internet sale.
Jones, from Worcestershire, England, saw the funny side and said he will not hold the Neals to their purchase. The car will be re-listed later. "I've got a 2 1/2-year-old son myself and I don't think he would be able to do this, although he's bright," he said. Jack denied all blame. Asked if he had made the purchase, he simply squirmed and muttered, "No...". Given Jack's early ability to lie innocently, he might want to try a political career next.
Yep! It's not the scheduled activities and study that is most missing from the lives of the little ones, it's the absence of play time as parents tend to load their children's schedules with classes and activities designed to help them "excel" academically. It seems that the pediatricians are in unanimous agreement that spontaneous free play- playing game sin the neighborhood, catching frogs or butterflies, playing with toys that spark the imagination, organizing clubs etc.- often gets sacrificed to excessive academic study sessions.
The doctors don't blame parents for believing the notion that if junior isn't studying or cramming all day he will be a dummy and never amount to anything in life, because that is the modern societal idea of good parenting theses days. Social pressures and marketing by people selling structured study and the like about creating " a superior child" bear hard on parents and often cause them to severely restrict play in favor of study.
Kids are seen as objects to be crammed full of information, not small humans who need to find things to do and learn on their own. Numerous studies consistently show that unstructured play has many benefits school and study can not give. It can help kids become creative, discover what their own inner passions are, develop problem solving skills, relate to others and adjust better to social settings (even to the school setting itself). I think that play was the most important part of my childhood and I thank my parents for letting me play rather than pressuring me to study to much or engage in all structured activities.
Play is so important to kids, even older kids and a lack of free time to "play" can stress kids and can eventually turn them into them dull and/or unhappy adults. So I think the structured activities can be useful, learning in any setting, even structured is good. But play for kids may be even more important for kids to make the world the way they want it, to fantasize and to dream...and it's great for the overall (as opposed to only the academic) intellectual, social and behavioral development of kids.
How old do you have to be to purchase an automobile? How about three years old? Haha I guess that's the age of consent on one Internet site that sell cars because three-year-old Jack Neal bought one.
Yep...little Jack loves cars so much that while his mother's back was turned he bought a Barbie-pink Nissan Figaro for nearly $16,000 on eBay. "I had just come off the computer and I thought I had logged off, I came out of eBay," his mother Rachel told the British Broadcasting Corp. on Monday. "Jack jumped on the chair, went straight in, found the page and bought the car." Unable to read, Jack likely used the "buy it now" option to make the purchase. The first time the Neals, from Sleaford in Eastern England, knew of the sale was when they received an e-mail from auto dealer David Jones, who thought he had made his first Internet sale.
Jones, from Worcestershire, England, saw the funny side and said he will not hold the Neals to their purchase. The car will be re-listed later. "I've got a 2 1/2-year-old son myself and I don't think he would be able to do this, although he's bright," he said. Jack denied all blame. Asked if he had made the purchase, he simply squirmed and muttered, "No...". Given Jack's early ability to lie innocently, he might want to try a political career next.
Christmas Thieving Season
Ho, Ho, Ho. This Christmas the thieves in New Orleans don't want sugar plums or even a new Xbox game. Nope..they are furnishing their own gift this year, and it is an unusual one by most standards. These days cooper is even more valuable than that gold watch uncle Harry will get for Christmas.
The thieves that have flooded into ruined New Orleans are stealing copper pipes this Christmas We have been flooded by Christmas visits of not Santa Claus, but of illegal immigrants and criminals of all sorts, and they want our copper. Authorities here have reported more and more thieves are stealing, and in many cases, ripping out from flooded or rebuilt homes, businesses and schools, the copper piping and wiring in those buildings.
Because of an increase in the value of copper prices internationally, the many vacant and un watched tracts of homes and apartments, and a huge surge of un licensed scrap dealers in town (dealers who buy the copper from the thieves rarely ask them where they obtained it), there is a good chance that both new and old copper piping will be stolen from those buildings.
So Santa need not bring copper to the thieves of New Orleans this Christmas. They have already looted enough as is. Police here report a huge number of arrests for the thefts. For example, just last week one old school in the city that had been under water during Hurricane Katrina and been left abandoned after, had thousands of dollars of copper piping stolen from it. Yesterday a local woman and her 16 year old son were arrested after being caught removing cooper pipes and tubing from a vacant apartment complex. Hehe Mom wanted copper pipes for Christmas.
The list of thieves caught is growing, but the prize for best 'Christmas Copper Thief' may go to the two men who were arrested the other day and admitted they spent the past two months stripping cooper out of a total of 58 abandoned homes. What the Hurricane didn't take, those two did. The problem is that most of the old homes (80% of the city flooded) are loaded with valuable copper. Since copper is a essential building material used in plumbing pipes and electrical wiring it's value here is great.
Many of the people arrested for the thefts have been contractors or people posing as them, and illegal immigrants who are pouring into the area by the thousands now. It's easy. They simply pull up in trucks, enter the vacant building and start stealing. Any person who notices the workers believes they have been hired to repair the building, so few of the thieves are ever apprehended. To help stop the Christmas copper thieves police have asked local scrap yards to check identification of and even videotape transactions when they buy copper from sellers. But because of that, more and more of the copper is being trucked out of town and sold there. Sigh..just another of the thousands of strange ramifications of Hurricane Katrina here in New Orleans.
That's bad karma here for the holidays, but how about Christmas problems elsewhere. Santa may not be coming to Maine this year, at least not on a beer label. The Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement has rejected three beer labels proposed by a Massachusetts beer maker, Sheraton Brothers, because it allegedly depicts Santa in a vulgar manner.
One of the labels reads "Santa's Butt Winter Port" and shows jolly Santa from behind, checking a list and drinking a beer, his huge butt sitting on a wooden barrel. This supposedly violates the Maine rule that ads can not contain "undignified or improper illustrations". But the Maine Civil Liberties Union is suing the Bureau and State of Maine on behalf of the Shelton Brothers Brewing company, claiming its right to free speech was being violated. It is strange that the picture of a fictional character would cause so much furor and that his image would need to be protected as much as a real persons would.
But the Bureau is saying that to show Santa that way would be harmful to any children who saw it (let's hope the kids aren't drinking any beer). So what do you think? Should the beer labels be banned or does the company have the right to show Santa's big butt drinking it? A simple, Ho Ho No or No No No vote will suffice.
The thieves that have flooded into ruined New Orleans are stealing copper pipes this Christmas We have been flooded by Christmas visits of not Santa Claus, but of illegal immigrants and criminals of all sorts, and they want our copper. Authorities here have reported more and more thieves are stealing, and in many cases, ripping out from flooded or rebuilt homes, businesses and schools, the copper piping and wiring in those buildings.
Because of an increase in the value of copper prices internationally, the many vacant and un watched tracts of homes and apartments, and a huge surge of un licensed scrap dealers in town (dealers who buy the copper from the thieves rarely ask them where they obtained it), there is a good chance that both new and old copper piping will be stolen from those buildings.
So Santa need not bring copper to the thieves of New Orleans this Christmas. They have already looted enough as is. Police here report a huge number of arrests for the thefts. For example, just last week one old school in the city that had been under water during Hurricane Katrina and been left abandoned after, had thousands of dollars of copper piping stolen from it. Yesterday a local woman and her 16 year old son were arrested after being caught removing cooper pipes and tubing from a vacant apartment complex. Hehe Mom wanted copper pipes for Christmas.
The list of thieves caught is growing, but the prize for best 'Christmas Copper Thief' may go to the two men who were arrested the other day and admitted they spent the past two months stripping cooper out of a total of 58 abandoned homes. What the Hurricane didn't take, those two did. The problem is that most of the old homes (80% of the city flooded) are loaded with valuable copper. Since copper is a essential building material used in plumbing pipes and electrical wiring it's value here is great.
Many of the people arrested for the thefts have been contractors or people posing as them, and illegal immigrants who are pouring into the area by the thousands now. It's easy. They simply pull up in trucks, enter the vacant building and start stealing. Any person who notices the workers believes they have been hired to repair the building, so few of the thieves are ever apprehended. To help stop the Christmas copper thieves police have asked local scrap yards to check identification of and even videotape transactions when they buy copper from sellers. But because of that, more and more of the copper is being trucked out of town and sold there. Sigh..just another of the thousands of strange ramifications of Hurricane Katrina here in New Orleans.
That's bad karma here for the holidays, but how about Christmas problems elsewhere. Santa may not be coming to Maine this year, at least not on a beer label. The Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement has rejected three beer labels proposed by a Massachusetts beer maker, Sheraton Brothers, because it allegedly depicts Santa in a vulgar manner.
One of the labels reads "Santa's Butt Winter Port" and shows jolly Santa from behind, checking a list and drinking a beer, his huge butt sitting on a wooden barrel. This supposedly violates the Maine rule that ads can not contain "undignified or improper illustrations". But the Maine Civil Liberties Union is suing the Bureau and State of Maine on behalf of the Shelton Brothers Brewing company, claiming its right to free speech was being violated. It is strange that the picture of a fictional character would cause so much furor and that his image would need to be protected as much as a real persons would.
But the Bureau is saying that to show Santa that way would be harmful to any children who saw it (let's hope the kids aren't drinking any beer). So what do you think? Should the beer labels be banned or does the company have the right to show Santa's big butt drinking it? A simple, Ho Ho No or No No No vote will suffice.
Comic Strip Mirrors
I thought I would write about a part of the newspaper that is often overlooked, the comic page. We have a color comic's section of the newspaper each Sunday that is always a popular part of the paper. While reading that Sunday I thought (Ok, I think too much) about how the subjects of the comics really do mirror what people think about in their every day lives. A good sociologist might do as well to study the comic pages instead of the front page, for a fair and balanced view of what is happening in the daily lives of the people in the world today, of what is really important to them.
So here are several of the subjects (in parenthesis) the comics strips below tackled this past Sunday.
* Zits- Zits has a cartoon about high school stress, about how freshmen are treated so badly by upperclassmen when they enter high school. It opined that "usually by the holidays the seniors allow the freshman to walk the stairs instead of climbing the sides of the bannister. (teen power in high school)
* Baby Blues- It joked about how men nap during their downtime while women do the chores. Hmmm It seems reasonable to me.... (unfair male/female societal roles)
* Non Sequitur- In this one a wife walks into the room wearing a new dress and asks the question every man dreads..."Does this dress make me look fat"? The man imagines the various truthful, but unacceptable, answers that could result in his death (each is written on tombstones) and says what smart males (they are a few of them) should always say in reply, "Not at all Honey! You look great." (proper communication techniques between females and males)
* Jump Start- Kids are society's first and deepest concern. This comic strip examined the parent's blind assurance that his or her child have the best and is the best. It showed a young child with absolutely no artistic talent drawing a picture. The parent remarked to the talent less kid that, "Yours reminds me of Jackson Polack", as an older child thinks to himself that "He's another kid who can't even color inside the lines." (parental hopes and expectations)
* Dennis The Menace- In this strip Dennis again is naughty, causing the literal, obedient and high achieving play mate Margret to scream at Dennis, "If you can't play right..LEAVE!". Dennis walks away and answers, "Some people have no imagination" (differences displayed by kids)
* Peanuts- Lucy and Charlie Brown look at the sky and one asks the other , "Is it a star or an airplane"? After greater discussion and more possibilities are presented, Charley Brown moves away and repositions himself, moving a few meters away- "I'm going to get a closer look." (man's seemingly irrational attempts to know all)
* Dilbert- The comic strip was about those often pointless, time-wasting "team meetings " that some companies have. In this one, the boss introduces his team only to realize several of the team members were missing because they were already terminated by the company. (Business insensitivity toward employees)
Well, what do you think? Am I on to something in my thesis that comic strips tell us more what is real in our lives than does
So here are several of the subjects (in parenthesis) the comics strips below tackled this past Sunday.
* Zits- Zits has a cartoon about high school stress, about how freshmen are treated so badly by upperclassmen when they enter high school. It opined that "usually by the holidays the seniors allow the freshman to walk the stairs instead of climbing the sides of the bannister. (teen power in high school)
* Baby Blues- It joked about how men nap during their downtime while women do the chores. Hmmm It seems reasonable to me.... (unfair male/female societal roles)
* Non Sequitur- In this one a wife walks into the room wearing a new dress and asks the question every man dreads..."Does this dress make me look fat"? The man imagines the various truthful, but unacceptable, answers that could result in his death (each is written on tombstones) and says what smart males (they are a few of them) should always say in reply, "Not at all Honey! You look great." (proper communication techniques between females and males)
* Jump Start- Kids are society's first and deepest concern. This comic strip examined the parent's blind assurance that his or her child have the best and is the best. It showed a young child with absolutely no artistic talent drawing a picture. The parent remarked to the talent less kid that, "Yours reminds me of Jackson Polack", as an older child thinks to himself that "He's another kid who can't even color inside the lines." (parental hopes and expectations)
* Dennis The Menace- In this strip Dennis again is naughty, causing the literal, obedient and high achieving play mate Margret to scream at Dennis, "If you can't play right..LEAVE!". Dennis walks away and answers, "Some people have no imagination" (differences displayed by kids)
* Peanuts- Lucy and Charlie Brown look at the sky and one asks the other , "Is it a star or an airplane"? After greater discussion and more possibilities are presented, Charley Brown moves away and repositions himself, moving a few meters away- "I'm going to get a closer look." (man's seemingly irrational attempts to know all)
* Dilbert- The comic strip was about those often pointless, time-wasting "team meetings " that some companies have. In this one, the boss introduces his team only to realize several of the team members were missing because they were already terminated by the company. (Business insensitivity toward employees)
Well, what do you think? Am I on to something in my thesis that comic strips tell us more what is real in our lives than does
Talking With Santa
I almost lost my life to a cell driver today. She came wheeling around the corner, face in the phone, oblivious to anything except her silly call (I heard her chatter and she was gossiping), as she nearly collided into me as I was stationary and minding my own business. But she wasn't a cell driving nut in the traditional sense. This cell nut was driving a shopping basket, not a car. It's bad enough I have to dodge the cell nuts when on the road in my car. Now they try to kill me with their shopping carts.
Did she say excuse me for almost executing me? Of course not. She never missed a beat of her call, never looked at me and failed to recognize my look of chagrin and disgust. Her a phone call was her whole life, but isn't that they way it is for many cell addicts? I am going to ask Santa to take away her phone this year.
Hmmmmmmm Maybe I should get a job as a store Santa this year. I could preach to the kids the evils of cell phones and tell them they would get nothing for Christmas but my 'I hate Cell Phone' speeches if they dare to ask for one of those things. Since I am on the Santa subject and you want me to shut up my cell rant, I will change the subject to Santa himself.
I have a question, an assignment for you (If you fail to complete it, your cell phone will disappear on Christmas night, to be thrown in the nearest river). You have to pretend to be 10 years old again and tell Santa why you have been a good girl this year. Yep, I want to hear at least three reasons you have been good this year. I know you have been good so don't be shy.
I can remember when I did that as a child, but Jane never did write to Santa. She made lists of presents she wanted (at my suggestion) because it made it easier for me to shop for her gifts. But she never written a letter to Santa. I think Jane is the sweetest child of all and an assumption may be that she never misbehaved enough to need to make a case for herself with Santa. But you are a different story!
Give me your good qualities from this year and tell me what you would ask Santa to bring you for Christmas.
Did she say excuse me for almost executing me? Of course not. She never missed a beat of her call, never looked at me and failed to recognize my look of chagrin and disgust. Her a phone call was her whole life, but isn't that they way it is for many cell addicts? I am going to ask Santa to take away her phone this year.
Hmmmmmmm Maybe I should get a job as a store Santa this year. I could preach to the kids the evils of cell phones and tell them they would get nothing for Christmas but my 'I hate Cell Phone' speeches if they dare to ask for one of those things. Since I am on the Santa subject and you want me to shut up my cell rant, I will change the subject to Santa himself.
I have a question, an assignment for you (If you fail to complete it, your cell phone will disappear on Christmas night, to be thrown in the nearest river). You have to pretend to be 10 years old again and tell Santa why you have been a good girl this year. Yep, I want to hear at least three reasons you have been good this year. I know you have been good so don't be shy.
I can remember when I did that as a child, but Jane never did write to Santa. She made lists of presents she wanted (at my suggestion) because it made it easier for me to shop for her gifts. But she never written a letter to Santa. I think Jane is the sweetest child of all and an assumption may be that she never misbehaved enough to need to make a case for herself with Santa. But you are a different story!
Give me your good qualities from this year and tell me what you would ask Santa to bring you for Christmas.
Kenner Tariler trash
Today I have the Kenner trailer report. Hehe, more trashy mail from trashy Jim. It's hard to believe, but sections of Kenner that flooded after Hurricane Katrina still have copious amounts of trailers in front of homes that were damaged and made by the hurricane . Even though the storm was in August of 2005, some residents have not fixed their property and still reside in those trailers, ones given for use FEMA (a bureau in the U.S. government) as temporary housing.
But what about the people who have fixed and now live in their homes? Many still have the trailers in front of their houses, even though the FEMA agency that furnished them temporarily will pick them up within a few weeks of notification they are no longer needed. The problem is the residents aren't turning them in They are an eye sore, block sidewalks and are a safety hazard. So Kenner officials say they are going to begin cracking down on homeowners who are illegally (city zoning codes do not allow them, except in the case of a natural disaster such as the hurricane) hanging onto the trailers that sit in front of their homes, even though those homes have been fixed and are being lived in.
As a resident of this area I think it a good idea to get rid of the trailers that are no longer needed as temporary housing. They represent the damaged Kenner, not the normal one we had before the hurricane. It is a huge psychological impediment to recovery to still have them here. So inspectors will be sent to look at the trailers to see if they are needed and are being used or just sitting on the property for one of two reasons trailer trash Kennerites are holding on to them. The first reason some people haven't turned in the trailers is the notion that the trailers will be sold back to the residents at a fraction of their worth. This happened in Florida after two similar storms, and the the hurricane victims who bought them from FEMA made thousands of dollars profit by reselling the trailers on the Internet after they had purchased them for about 1/10 of the value they received from their own internet sales. That foolishness is over because of the scandal the Florida trailer sales generated when the Bush administration ordered them sold back to the users so cheaply.
It will not happen again, but trailer trash Kennerites are holding out faith that if they delay return long enough FEMA will give or sell them back to the users. The other reason Kenner Trash Trailers remain on lawns is that despite the law that only family members can live in them, some Kenner Trash Trailer residents are vacating the trailers and renting them out to non familial types, illegal immigrants, anyone who needs housing. Housing is scarce here, so those trailers can bring in big money if rented. It's a sneaky way to make money off FEMA property, but a felony to do so.
As a trashy (but non trailer) Kenner resident I think this attempt to remove trailers is good news. I have even heard of people who keep their empty trailers as play houses for their children. It's time people in this city attempt to return to normality and stop holding their hands out for more government largess.
But the whole mess about unused and unsightly trailers covering the landscape here is but one time speck of the problems that are ongoing in this area. I want my city back...uh... no...not trailer city, just Kenner.
But what about the people who have fixed and now live in their homes? Many still have the trailers in front of their houses, even though the FEMA agency that furnished them temporarily will pick them up within a few weeks of notification they are no longer needed. The problem is the residents aren't turning them in They are an eye sore, block sidewalks and are a safety hazard. So Kenner officials say they are going to begin cracking down on homeowners who are illegally (city zoning codes do not allow them, except in the case of a natural disaster such as the hurricane) hanging onto the trailers that sit in front of their homes, even though those homes have been fixed and are being lived in.
As a resident of this area I think it a good idea to get rid of the trailers that are no longer needed as temporary housing. They represent the damaged Kenner, not the normal one we had before the hurricane. It is a huge psychological impediment to recovery to still have them here. So inspectors will be sent to look at the trailers to see if they are needed and are being used or just sitting on the property for one of two reasons trailer trash Kennerites are holding on to them. The first reason some people haven't turned in the trailers is the notion that the trailers will be sold back to the residents at a fraction of their worth. This happened in Florida after two similar storms, and the the hurricane victims who bought them from FEMA made thousands of dollars profit by reselling the trailers on the Internet after they had purchased them for about 1/10 of the value they received from their own internet sales. That foolishness is over because of the scandal the Florida trailer sales generated when the Bush administration ordered them sold back to the users so cheaply.
It will not happen again, but trailer trash Kennerites are holding out faith that if they delay return long enough FEMA will give or sell them back to the users. The other reason Kenner Trash Trailers remain on lawns is that despite the law that only family members can live in them, some Kenner Trash Trailer residents are vacating the trailers and renting them out to non familial types, illegal immigrants, anyone who needs housing. Housing is scarce here, so those trailers can bring in big money if rented. It's a sneaky way to make money off FEMA property, but a felony to do so.
As a trashy (but non trailer) Kenner resident I think this attempt to remove trailers is good news. I have even heard of people who keep their empty trailers as play houses for their children. It's time people in this city attempt to return to normality and stop holding their hands out for more government largess.
But the whole mess about unused and unsightly trailers covering the landscape here is but one time speck of the problems that are ongoing in this area. I want my city back...uh... no...not trailer city, just Kenner.
Poinsettias
I am in Christmas mood because of the cold. I bought some Christmas Poinsettia, one yellow and one red. Those plants are Mexican in origin (Most now are grown in the U.S. and sold here at Christmas time) and do not tolerate freezing weather well. But if planted in a mostly shady area of the yard (next to the house or fence, away from the sun) they will grow in New Orleans and flower into a beautiful and large plant.
I have one in my yard that is near the swimming pool, but out of the sun. It's been there for to years, even surviving the hurricane of 2005. I will plant these two after Christmas in my back garden for some color. They can grow as much as 10 feet tall in some climates (but only about 5 feet here)
Many people buy those plants this time of year as gifts because of their great beauty as an indoor Christmas display. They are bred to come in many colors, with red or pink and white the most preferred. I have a couple of pictures below to show. The plant has a dark green Christmas colored leaves as base below and the colored leaves near the top. I like to keep them in their container with some red or green foil on the outside as decoration, and place them on the porch outside the front door.
After January 1st they are sometimes planted in the garden because Poinsettias can not survive in a container for more than a few months. Haha I know what you are thinking. Jim's plants will probably die before he even has a chance to plant them.
Sigh...it has happened before. Santa may be goose stepping this year in Germany. Well, that is the opinion of some German customers of the Rossmann chain of 1,200 shops that has been selling figures depicting Santa which has its right arm stiffly upright toward the sky, a replica of the Nazi salute many Germans employed before from the 1920's to the end of W.W.II. The customers said Santa had been transformed into a Nazi in a red suit with black boots.
So Rossmann pulled the figures from the shelves and "exterminated" them in their ovens. The Rossmann stores say they were surprised at the negative reaction to the Nazi Santa figures. Ha! Isn't that what the original Nazi's used to say when they were questioned about their own atrocious behavior?
Hmmmmmmm I guess without Nazi Santa, some Germans will have an un Merry Christmas this year
I have one in my yard that is near the swimming pool, but out of the sun. It's been there for to years, even surviving the hurricane of 2005. I will plant these two after Christmas in my back garden for some color. They can grow as much as 10 feet tall in some climates (but only about 5 feet here)
Many people buy those plants this time of year as gifts because of their great beauty as an indoor Christmas display. They are bred to come in many colors, with red or pink and white the most preferred. I have a couple of pictures below to show. The plant has a dark green Christmas colored leaves as base below and the colored leaves near the top. I like to keep them in their container with some red or green foil on the outside as decoration, and place them on the porch outside the front door.
After January 1st they are sometimes planted in the garden because Poinsettias can not survive in a container for more than a few months. Haha I know what you are thinking. Jim's plants will probably die before he even has a chance to plant them.
Sigh...it has happened before. Santa may be goose stepping this year in Germany. Well, that is the opinion of some German customers of the Rossmann chain of 1,200 shops that has been selling figures depicting Santa which has its right arm stiffly upright toward the sky, a replica of the Nazi salute many Germans employed before from the 1920's to the end of W.W.II. The customers said Santa had been transformed into a Nazi in a red suit with black boots.
So Rossmann pulled the figures from the shelves and "exterminated" them in their ovens. The Rossmann stores say they were surprised at the negative reaction to the Nazi Santa figures. Ha! Isn't that what the original Nazi's used to say when they were questioned about their own atrocious behavior?
Hmmmmmmm I guess without Nazi Santa, some Germans will have an un Merry Christmas this year
Vitamin Overkill
I know some people who pop vitamin pills as if they were medicine and I wonder if al those supplements do what they claim to do for a person's health. I take one multi vitamin/mineral pill each morning in case I am deficient because of a diet problem. But there are so many tablets that are billed as "disease preventatives" or to "stay young and live longer" What's crazy is that there is no proof that those supplements do any good.
And most people who take those are already concerned about their health enough to already be health. But the revenue the pill makers bring in is phenomenal. More that half of Americans use those supplements, spending billions each year on them. But few of the pills have ever been proven to help. And there are bad side affects when some of them taken.
Too an overdoes of vitamins and minerals can cause big problems. I think that the fanaticism about vitamin and mineral supplements is another fad, like the mindless belief that "global warming" is the root of all climate problems on earth. In the end it may be found that excessive consumption of the pills is more of a harm than an asset to a healthy body. Anyway...what health supplements do you use or believe that a person should regularly take?
We had a strange lesson in the value of gas here this week. It happened a hour or so from New Orleans at a gas station in Livingston, Louisiana. Someone named Chaz Watkins pumped $36.50 worth of gas into his car and then told the station owner he didn't have money to pay for it. An argument followed and the store owner, Nardeep Bhullar, 25, fired two shots into Chaz's auto tires to disable the vehicle when he tried to drive away.
Police were called and arrested Nardeep with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and illegal discharge of a firearm. They also cited Chaz with theft of gasoline. :Let's hope the judge doesn't assign those two to the same jail cell. The explosion would be much more volatile than a gasoline bomb.
And most people who take those are already concerned about their health enough to already be health. But the revenue the pill makers bring in is phenomenal. More that half of Americans use those supplements, spending billions each year on them. But few of the pills have ever been proven to help. And there are bad side affects when some of them taken.
Too an overdoes of vitamins and minerals can cause big problems. I think that the fanaticism about vitamin and mineral supplements is another fad, like the mindless belief that "global warming" is the root of all climate problems on earth. In the end it may be found that excessive consumption of the pills is more of a harm than an asset to a healthy body. Anyway...what health supplements do you use or believe that a person should regularly take?
We had a strange lesson in the value of gas here this week. It happened a hour or so from New Orleans at a gas station in Livingston, Louisiana. Someone named Chaz Watkins pumped $36.50 worth of gas into his car and then told the station owner he didn't have money to pay for it. An argument followed and the store owner, Nardeep Bhullar, 25, fired two shots into Chaz's auto tires to disable the vehicle when he tried to drive away.
Police were called and arrested Nardeep with aggravated assault, criminal damage to property and illegal discharge of a firearm. They also cited Chaz with theft of gasoline. :Let's hope the judge doesn't assign those two to the same jail cell. The explosion would be much more volatile than a gasoline bomb.
Visat Is Out
The new Vista operating system from Microsoft has already been released to businesses with the home editions to soon follow. I was thinking about the Vista release and have a few observations about it to which you can agree, disagree or ignore completely (Hehe Most people do best when they ignore my stupid remarks altogether).
First, Vista amounts to a product that wasn't demanded bu computer users. XP has worked well enough and I think most consumers are satisfied enough with XP that they don't have an natural inclination to upgrade to a news system that has been described by many as "only slightly technically better".
Secondly, we both know that when changing an operating system we inevitably lose programs that worked on the old one but won't on the new. Either surrendering those programs or buying expensive upgrades to save our programs and data that is within them is not a good thought. Thirdly, Microsoft has a tendency to make us think we need to have the next in computer technology. No one wants to be "outdated" and everyone lives in fear that the old OS won't be supported any more. (This is not true, as Microsoft will still profit from supporting XP for many years).
Fourthly, in favor of upgrading is that by doing so the software makers and manufacturers have an incentive to make even more, and better improvements, in computers. I don't know how you feel about using your PC, but I think it is often a pain. It crashes, frustrates, fails to operate properly and always confounds me. They are still making these ----- computers for geeks, not the ordinary fool like me.
If buying into a new OS speeds up the process of making computers easy to operate, I am all for it. Fifthly, Vista is supposed to be more secure (the main feature of it as an advantage over XP) and will do more than XP can do now. It also has much better graphics, is easier to use (they claim!) and a better folder and filing system. But basically, the way I figure it, Microsoft is releasing Vista (and has introduced all the other replacement OS be have endured over the years) because of one reason- it has sold as many copies of XP as it can.
Yep! The profit in XP is getting small and it is time to rape us all again. The dilemma microsoft has is that it's only competition is getting us to upgrade to Vista, when most of us are comfortable with what we have. But we all either know or suspect that and always buy the new one anyway. So that's what I will do. I have been waiting to buy the next computer because I want Vista too. Even though XP should work fine for many years to come, I am a Microsoft zombie too.....they got me under their spell. My current computer is five years old and I cross my fingers each day the cpu or hard drive lives until Vista is available and proven.
First, Vista amounts to a product that wasn't demanded bu computer users. XP has worked well enough and I think most consumers are satisfied enough with XP that they don't have an natural inclination to upgrade to a news system that has been described by many as "only slightly technically better".
Secondly, we both know that when changing an operating system we inevitably lose programs that worked on the old one but won't on the new. Either surrendering those programs or buying expensive upgrades to save our programs and data that is within them is not a good thought. Thirdly, Microsoft has a tendency to make us think we need to have the next in computer technology. No one wants to be "outdated" and everyone lives in fear that the old OS won't be supported any more. (This is not true, as Microsoft will still profit from supporting XP for many years).
Fourthly, in favor of upgrading is that by doing so the software makers and manufacturers have an incentive to make even more, and better improvements, in computers. I don't know how you feel about using your PC, but I think it is often a pain. It crashes, frustrates, fails to operate properly and always confounds me. They are still making these ----- computers for geeks, not the ordinary fool like me.
If buying into a new OS speeds up the process of making computers easy to operate, I am all for it. Fifthly, Vista is supposed to be more secure (the main feature of it as an advantage over XP) and will do more than XP can do now. It also has much better graphics, is easier to use (they claim!) and a better folder and filing system. But basically, the way I figure it, Microsoft is releasing Vista (and has introduced all the other replacement OS be have endured over the years) because of one reason- it has sold as many copies of XP as it can.
Yep! The profit in XP is getting small and it is time to rape us all again. The dilemma microsoft has is that it's only competition is getting us to upgrade to Vista, when most of us are comfortable with what we have. But we all either know or suspect that and always buy the new one anyway. So that's what I will do. I have been waiting to buy the next computer because I want Vista too. Even though XP should work fine for many years to come, I am a Microsoft zombie too.....they got me under their spell. My current computer is five years old and I cross my fingers each day the cpu or hard drive lives until Vista is available and proven.
Fining For Christmas Decorations
I have found the first Scrooge of the year. It's a homeowners group in Pagosa Springs, Colorado, about 200 miles southwest of Denver. Why am I declaring them Scrooges this year? It's because the Loma Linda (That's the name of the subdivision the homeowner group regulates) has threatened to fine a resident of it $25 a day until she removes a Christmas wreath that has a peace sign in it. Yep! Peace is out this year and censorship in at the Loma Linda subdivision. Those kinds of homeowners groups are often theoretically beneficial but awful in practice when the wrong people get control of them. They are formed to make sure all the residents of the subdivision conform to uniform standards of behavior, decoration and any display that keeps the neighborhood looking pristine. They are voluntary groups formed by the homeowners that a buyer of property them must agree to abide to when purchasing his or her property.
Often they are dictatorial and a menace to the homeowner, so the number of them is relatively small and usually confined to wealthy residents of the more exclusive subdivisions. Well, Loma Linda is in control of the head Scrooge, a man named Bob Kearns, who is spearheading the fining of the homeowner, Lisa Jensen, who dares to display the peace symbol at Christmas time, when peace and love are supposed to be recognized.
Scrooge Bob says that some of the homeowners in Loma Linda who have children serving in Iraq have complained to him that it is an anti war protest and also that three other nuts in the subdivision told Scrooge that, "The peace symbol a symbol of Satan" "Somebody could put up signs that say drop bombs on Iraq. If I let one go up you have to let them all go up," said Scrooge. Of course a peace symbol does not do as Scrooge Bob implies it does- subvert and hurt others. It is a common expression of harmony, not a negative one.
To Lisa's credit she says that she will not pay the fines (which would total more than $1000) because the policy of the homeowners association to regulate simple free expression is an illegal one (She is probably right). Lisa said, "Now that it has come to this, I feel I can't be bullied by them. What if they don't like my Santa Claus and want to ban him too." (I think Lisa just gave Scrooge Bob another ban idea....).
But the association has sent Lisa a letter saying her residents wee offended by her Christmas decoration and that the Linda Loma board "will not allow signs, flags, etc. than can be considered (by them) as divisive." Though the subdivision (why would anyone want to live in such a dictatorial place?) rules say no signs , billboards or advertising are permitted without the consent of the architectural control committee, when Scrooge Bob ordered the committee to fine Lisa for promoting peace at Christmas , all of the members on it refused in protest.
What did Scrooge Bob do? He fired the whole committee and set himself up as a s dictator..uh, I mean sole head of the association . Oh my....someone tell Santa that Scrooge Boob has declared a peace sign as a divisive symbol. Santa should put only coal in Bob's Christmas stocking this year.
Often they are dictatorial and a menace to the homeowner, so the number of them is relatively small and usually confined to wealthy residents of the more exclusive subdivisions. Well, Loma Linda is in control of the head Scrooge, a man named Bob Kearns, who is spearheading the fining of the homeowner, Lisa Jensen, who dares to display the peace symbol at Christmas time, when peace and love are supposed to be recognized.
Scrooge Bob says that some of the homeowners in Loma Linda who have children serving in Iraq have complained to him that it is an anti war protest and also that three other nuts in the subdivision told Scrooge that, "The peace symbol a symbol of Satan" "Somebody could put up signs that say drop bombs on Iraq. If I let one go up you have to let them all go up," said Scrooge. Of course a peace symbol does not do as Scrooge Bob implies it does- subvert and hurt others. It is a common expression of harmony, not a negative one.
To Lisa's credit she says that she will not pay the fines (which would total more than $1000) because the policy of the homeowners association to regulate simple free expression is an illegal one (She is probably right). Lisa said, "Now that it has come to this, I feel I can't be bullied by them. What if they don't like my Santa Claus and want to ban him too." (I think Lisa just gave Scrooge Bob another ban idea....).
But the association has sent Lisa a letter saying her residents wee offended by her Christmas decoration and that the Linda Loma board "will not allow signs, flags, etc. than can be considered (by them) as divisive." Though the subdivision (why would anyone want to live in such a dictatorial place?) rules say no signs , billboards or advertising are permitted without the consent of the architectural control committee, when Scrooge Bob ordered the committee to fine Lisa for promoting peace at Christmas , all of the members on it refused in protest.
What did Scrooge Bob do? He fired the whole committee and set himself up as a s dictator..uh, I mean sole head of the association . Oh my....someone tell Santa that Scrooge Boob has declared a peace sign as a divisive symbol. Santa should put only coal in Bob's Christmas stocking this year.
Sanat Missing In Berlin
Well, I am back in film again (marginally speaking) I met with the casting department for the next film in which I am to be an extra. The film is another made for TV movie called The staircase. It is being made for Lifetime TV network, a cable TV network. It is a murder mystery set in Germany and the U.S..
When I arrived at the office I was told I was selected to play a background shot in which I would be a "German detective" in the U.S. who was questioning a suspect in the murder. Haha The casting department said "you look German", which I immediately took as an insult...just kidding, the Germans aren't that bad and my ancestors are from there anyway. Just don't a call me French! But later, after I arrived at home from that meeting, the casting director telephoned me here and asked if I would switch my role to "a bigger part", that of a German cafe owner who is upset because his waitress is being questioned too long at work, preventing her from working.
I am supposedly to be in the background as they question her (no dialogue, just gestures of rage) and showing disgust (I should pretend they are chatting on cell phones to enrage my look!) that they are interfering with my business. Maybe my "German face" will make it into the film? Whatever, it should be fun to watch the shot and be a part of it this Friday.
Hmmmmmmmm From playing Santa in the last film to a nasty tempered German cafe owner this one....I must be schizophrenic. Since I am writing of Santa and Germans (how is that for a segway into the next part of this E mail?), here is the German Santa news for Christmas 2006. It appears that Berlin is facing a shortage of Santas this year. The "Heinzelmaennchen" agency that provides most of the Santas to Berlin families and businesses is having trouble finding enough of them to meet the demand this year. Most of those Santas have been students and retired part timers who earn only $37 a visit for bringing a sack of presents provided by the parents into each home and handing them out. Since the Santas have to buy their own costumes and give the agency (I am not going to spell that name again!) a 15% commission for each job, the economic incentive has to take a back seat to the joy of seeing the kids so happy while being their Santa.
I think that tradition of the live Santa visit is an old German habit that extends even to after the kids stop believing (Put me on the record. I will never stop believing in Santa) in Santa Claus. So, unlike a shortage of knockwurst or giant beer steins or this is a serious shortage to the average Berliner.
Instead of Ho Ho Ho this year, the sounds of " No No No (or Nein Nein Nein) Santa" may be making the rounds more often this Christmas Day in Berlin.
When I arrived at the office I was told I was selected to play a background shot in which I would be a "German detective" in the U.S. who was questioning a suspect in the murder. Haha The casting department said "you look German", which I immediately took as an insult...just kidding, the Germans aren't that bad and my ancestors are from there anyway. Just don't a call me French! But later, after I arrived at home from that meeting, the casting director telephoned me here and asked if I would switch my role to "a bigger part", that of a German cafe owner who is upset because his waitress is being questioned too long at work, preventing her from working.
I am supposedly to be in the background as they question her (no dialogue, just gestures of rage) and showing disgust (I should pretend they are chatting on cell phones to enrage my look!) that they are interfering with my business. Maybe my "German face" will make it into the film? Whatever, it should be fun to watch the shot and be a part of it this Friday.
Hmmmmmmmm From playing Santa in the last film to a nasty tempered German cafe owner this one....I must be schizophrenic. Since I am writing of Santa and Germans (how is that for a segway into the next part of this E mail?), here is the German Santa news for Christmas 2006. It appears that Berlin is facing a shortage of Santas this year. The "Heinzelmaennchen" agency that provides most of the Santas to Berlin families and businesses is having trouble finding enough of them to meet the demand this year. Most of those Santas have been students and retired part timers who earn only $37 a visit for bringing a sack of presents provided by the parents into each home and handing them out. Since the Santas have to buy their own costumes and give the agency (I am not going to spell that name again!) a 15% commission for each job, the economic incentive has to take a back seat to the joy of seeing the kids so happy while being their Santa.
I think that tradition of the live Santa visit is an old German habit that extends even to after the kids stop believing (Put me on the record. I will never stop believing in Santa) in Santa Claus. So, unlike a shortage of knockwurst or giant beer steins or this is a serious shortage to the average Berliner.
Instead of Ho Ho Ho this year, the sounds of " No No No (or Nein Nein Nein) Santa" may be making the rounds more often this Christmas Day in Berlin.
Kicking Charity In The Teeth
I have a story for you today which illustrates both the best and worst in human behavior. I write about it because it shows how a disaster like the Hurricane of 2005 that destroyed most of my region can elicit both qualities in people (in this case in two different subjects). It's a modern day best of times and worst of times scenario.
The evil protagonists are named Delores and Joshua Thompson, residents of New Orleans when the hurricane hit, while the good humans here are members of a church in Memphis, Tennessee who came to the assistance of a number of New Orleans hurricane refugees after the storm hit, when later the refugees were given free relocation to Memphis. The Thompsons, who may or may not be married (When asked, they can't seem to make up their mind as to which it is), managed to convince the church, Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ, that their home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and that they were deserving of the church's charity.
So the loving members of the church who take seriously their vows to love others and assist them, decided to buy a house in Memphis and give it to the evil two. Yep! After interviewing dozens of displaced and homeless New Orleanians, the pious sounding Thompsons convinced church members to dig into their pockets and buy the house for them. The church determined the Thompson were most deserving of the house and gave it to them..
But wait! The Thompsons never moved in. Instead, they immediately sold the house and kept every penny of the $80,000 they received from the sale, hightailing it quickly out of Memphis to go back to New Orleans. They scammed the church!. When a TV reporter from Memphis came to New Orleans to track down the evil two to get an explanation Joshua replied that they kept the money and that anyone who doesn't like it should "take it up with God".
Evil Delores merely uttered , "I really didn't like the area (Memphis). I didn't and didn't know anybody, so that's why I didn't move in and sold it." Neither have yet to admit what they did was tantamount to theft and misrepresentation of a charity. Ha! Most people would learn to love a city that gave them a new home, but the Thompsons prove Mark Twain's cogent remark concerning the difference between dogs and humans. " If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." The church is distraught at being cheated and now wonders whether the Thompsons really did lose their home in the storm or if they are even married (When they received the home free the paperwork said "married", but when the evil two d sold the house it says "unmarried"). But the Thompson's stole $80,000 from the church , thumbing their noses at the church and calling the members fools while doing it.
I am not sure if they completely legally transacted this theft (I hope there is an investigation), but as owners of the house they were given they did have tittle and legally can sell and keep the money. Maybe the lies they told on paperwork in receiving or selling the house will eventually cause trouble for the evil Thompsons, but I doubt public disgrace at what they did will bother them. People like Joshua and Delores are empty morally. They feel only profit from their deceit, not shame in manipulating to get it.
And the church members that were cheated will now be a little more wary of giving to others...I mean people who really are in need. That's the bigger part of the incident.
The evil protagonists are named Delores and Joshua Thompson, residents of New Orleans when the hurricane hit, while the good humans here are members of a church in Memphis, Tennessee who came to the assistance of a number of New Orleans hurricane refugees after the storm hit, when later the refugees were given free relocation to Memphis. The Thompsons, who may or may not be married (When asked, they can't seem to make up their mind as to which it is), managed to convince the church, Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ, that their home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina and that they were deserving of the church's charity.
So the loving members of the church who take seriously their vows to love others and assist them, decided to buy a house in Memphis and give it to the evil two. Yep! After interviewing dozens of displaced and homeless New Orleanians, the pious sounding Thompsons convinced church members to dig into their pockets and buy the house for them. The church determined the Thompson were most deserving of the house and gave it to them..
But wait! The Thompsons never moved in. Instead, they immediately sold the house and kept every penny of the $80,000 they received from the sale, hightailing it quickly out of Memphis to go back to New Orleans. They scammed the church!. When a TV reporter from Memphis came to New Orleans to track down the evil two to get an explanation Joshua replied that they kept the money and that anyone who doesn't like it should "take it up with God".
Evil Delores merely uttered , "I really didn't like the area (Memphis). I didn't and didn't know anybody, so that's why I didn't move in and sold it." Neither have yet to admit what they did was tantamount to theft and misrepresentation of a charity. Ha! Most people would learn to love a city that gave them a new home, but the Thompsons prove Mark Twain's cogent remark concerning the difference between dogs and humans. " If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." The church is distraught at being cheated and now wonders whether the Thompsons really did lose their home in the storm or if they are even married (When they received the home free the paperwork said "married", but when the evil two d sold the house it says "unmarried"). But the Thompson's stole $80,000 from the church , thumbing their noses at the church and calling the members fools while doing it.
I am not sure if they completely legally transacted this theft (I hope there is an investigation), but as owners of the house they were given they did have tittle and legally can sell and keep the money. Maybe the lies they told on paperwork in receiving or selling the house will eventually cause trouble for the evil Thompsons, but I doubt public disgrace at what they did will bother them. People like Joshua and Delores are empty morally. They feel only profit from their deceit, not shame in manipulating to get it.
And the church members that were cheated will now be a little more wary of giving to others...I mean people who really are in need. That's the bigger part of the incident.
Rimgggggggggg
I think I have been quiet long enough (We, I haven't ranted in a couple of weeks) about those annoying cell phones. What is getting me started was my seeing a survey result by Randstad to find the annoyance that bothers workers most.
Well, according to the employees surveyed 30% said it was the ringing of cell phones while at work, the highest complaint total of the survey. I find this interesting because in the work place, one filled with phones, computer clacking keyboards, chatter and the rest of the noises found in any office, one would think that a ringing cell phone would hardly be noticed.
Wrong! We should not forget that cell phones are far from innocuous instruments. No, when they ring they ring in the most irritating of ways. You know what I mean. Have you ever been in a public place and heard one of those rap song rings, or a cutsie musical melody? Cell phones don't just ring. Like their rude and clue less owners they ring annoyingly, and this explains why the survey respondents cited cell phones as the most annoying of all office interruptions.
Unlike the typical "brrrring" of normal phones, the cell rings push their way not only consciously but also insidiously into our psyche. The owner of the phone thinks his or her ring is "cute", the bystander thinks the ring an abomination. Thus, the cell ring is as good an example of why cell phones are civilization killer as is the mindless giggling we hear on the part of cell users or the loud "I am important because I am on my phone" act some users shift into when seen in public with their phones.
The user thinks his obnoxious ring is cute, and the co worker who must endure that up and down ring of low and high notes, will eventually have nightmares about them. And the newer ring tones are even worse. Maybe we just haven't learned yet to tune them out. They are like the sounds of a crying baby. We hate to hear it but can't ignore it. Those cell rings are not the natural sounds we are used to and feel comfortable with, they are artificial ones designed to startle us. They bug us even at the unconscious level.
Oh....how I wish I would just one day I would hear only the sound of silence....
We have all heard of fallen breasts, but it was a first when I read about the case of a Koltata, India mans fallen skull. That's right! The fellow's skull; fell off his head and he is still alive to show it. Hundreds of people are thronging a hospital in Kolkata to see him holding the piece of his own skull that fell off.
Doctors say a large, dead section of 25-year-old electrician Sambhu Roy's skull came away Sunday after severe burns starved it of blood. "When he came to us late last year, his scalp was completely burned and within months it came off exposing the skull," Ratan Lal Bandyopadhyay, the surgeon who treated Roy told Reuters Wednesday. "Later, we noticed that the part of his skull was loosening due to lack of blood supply to the affected area, which can happen in such extensive burn cases."
The piece came off and hundreds of people and dozens of doctors now crowd around his bed, where he lies holding the bone. No I have no idea why anyone would want to see that.... The doctors there say the skull's inner covering and the membrane which helps produce bone was miraculously unaffected, allowing fresh bone to grow. "When the skull came off, I thought he will die, but we noticed a new covering on his head forming and that might have pushed the 'dead skull' out,"he said. Roy was almost killed when he was electrocuted while repairing a high voltage wire last October.
Maybe this is a good time for Roy to take his skull and consider a career change.
Well, according to the employees surveyed 30% said it was the ringing of cell phones while at work, the highest complaint total of the survey. I find this interesting because in the work place, one filled with phones, computer clacking keyboards, chatter and the rest of the noises found in any office, one would think that a ringing cell phone would hardly be noticed.
Wrong! We should not forget that cell phones are far from innocuous instruments. No, when they ring they ring in the most irritating of ways. You know what I mean. Have you ever been in a public place and heard one of those rap song rings, or a cutsie musical melody? Cell phones don't just ring. Like their rude and clue less owners they ring annoyingly, and this explains why the survey respondents cited cell phones as the most annoying of all office interruptions.
Unlike the typical "brrrring" of normal phones, the cell rings push their way not only consciously but also insidiously into our psyche. The owner of the phone thinks his or her ring is "cute", the bystander thinks the ring an abomination. Thus, the cell ring is as good an example of why cell phones are civilization killer as is the mindless giggling we hear on the part of cell users or the loud "I am important because I am on my phone" act some users shift into when seen in public with their phones.
The user thinks his obnoxious ring is cute, and the co worker who must endure that up and down ring of low and high notes, will eventually have nightmares about them. And the newer ring tones are even worse. Maybe we just haven't learned yet to tune them out. They are like the sounds of a crying baby. We hate to hear it but can't ignore it. Those cell rings are not the natural sounds we are used to and feel comfortable with, they are artificial ones designed to startle us. They bug us even at the unconscious level.
Oh....how I wish I would just one day I would hear only the sound of silence....
We have all heard of fallen breasts, but it was a first when I read about the case of a Koltata, India mans fallen skull. That's right! The fellow's skull; fell off his head and he is still alive to show it. Hundreds of people are thronging a hospital in Kolkata to see him holding the piece of his own skull that fell off.
Doctors say a large, dead section of 25-year-old electrician Sambhu Roy's skull came away Sunday after severe burns starved it of blood. "When he came to us late last year, his scalp was completely burned and within months it came off exposing the skull," Ratan Lal Bandyopadhyay, the surgeon who treated Roy told Reuters Wednesday. "Later, we noticed that the part of his skull was loosening due to lack of blood supply to the affected area, which can happen in such extensive burn cases."
The piece came off and hundreds of people and dozens of doctors now crowd around his bed, where he lies holding the bone. No I have no idea why anyone would want to see that.... The doctors there say the skull's inner covering and the membrane which helps produce bone was miraculously unaffected, allowing fresh bone to grow. "When the skull came off, I thought he will die, but we noticed a new covering on his head forming and that might have pushed the 'dead skull' out,"he said. Roy was almost killed when he was electrocuted while repairing a high voltage wire last October.
Maybe this is a good time for Roy to take his skull and consider a career change.
Religious Symbols Getting Unequal Treatment
Islamic insistence on wearing their religious garb (turbans, head scarves, chadors etc.) in western nations while not allowing western women who are in Islamic nations to wear what they wish is controversial, to say the least. But a recent case involving a British Airways employee has brought the concept of unequal application of dress code to the front. What happened, you may ask?
Well, a British Air worker has lost her fight against the airline's ban on her openly wearing a Christian crucifix necklace because the crucifix is said to violate the company dress code, which says that religious items can not be worn if visible. This ruling tends to be seen as hypocritical by some because Muslim employees are allowed to wear their religious headdresses and Sikhs their turbans since "it is not practical" to conceal those beneath their uniforms. Hmmmmmmm Strange logic. Does this mean if that employee had worn a 3 foot long crucifix instead of the necklace, that "it would not be practical" to conceal it as well? That would mean a 3 foot crucifix fits into the airline dress code but a small crucifix necklace does not.
How absurd. It seems to me it is just another example of western patronization of Muslims. To say that a turban or head scarf to a Muslim is more important than a crucifix is to a Christian, defies logic and fairness. British Air is a company that resides in a nation that has been formed and sustained with the cross symbol, not the Islamic garb British Air seems to feel is more important.
In fact, British Airways patronizes the Islamic employees by giving them freedom form the company dress code in order to avoid their complaints, complaints that would damage the image of the airline in the minds of the fair minded passengers who sue the airline. British Air should hang its head in shame....or perhaps hide itself with some of the Islamic headdresses it allows in violation of its own dress code.
Want to eat something unique and healthy? Then try the restaurant in Beijing named Guolizhuang. It serves mostly dishes made from various animal penises and is attracting discerning (weird customers) who claim the penis dishes give them health benefits.
Yep! According to the restaurant, eating sheep horse, ox and seal penis is good for the circulation while donkey love muscle improves the skin. And what penis is best for potency? It is the snake's.
Well, I guess we should give Restaurant Guolizhaung and "A" for both entrepreneurial spirit and imagination.
Well, a British Air worker has lost her fight against the airline's ban on her openly wearing a Christian crucifix necklace because the crucifix is said to violate the company dress code, which says that religious items can not be worn if visible. This ruling tends to be seen as hypocritical by some because Muslim employees are allowed to wear their religious headdresses and Sikhs their turbans since "it is not practical" to conceal those beneath their uniforms. Hmmmmmmm Strange logic. Does this mean if that employee had worn a 3 foot long crucifix instead of the necklace, that "it would not be practical" to conceal it as well? That would mean a 3 foot crucifix fits into the airline dress code but a small crucifix necklace does not.
How absurd. It seems to me it is just another example of western patronization of Muslims. To say that a turban or head scarf to a Muslim is more important than a crucifix is to a Christian, defies logic and fairness. British Air is a company that resides in a nation that has been formed and sustained with the cross symbol, not the Islamic garb British Air seems to feel is more important.
In fact, British Airways patronizes the Islamic employees by giving them freedom form the company dress code in order to avoid their complaints, complaints that would damage the image of the airline in the minds of the fair minded passengers who sue the airline. British Air should hang its head in shame....or perhaps hide itself with some of the Islamic headdresses it allows in violation of its own dress code.
Want to eat something unique and healthy? Then try the restaurant in Beijing named Guolizhuang. It serves mostly dishes made from various animal penises and is attracting discerning (weird customers) who claim the penis dishes give them health benefits.
Yep! According to the restaurant, eating sheep horse, ox and seal penis is good for the circulation while donkey love muscle improves the skin. And what penis is best for potency? It is the snake's.
Well, I guess we should give Restaurant Guolizhaung and "A" for both entrepreneurial spirit and imagination.
Match Making
Guess what is the newest trend in dating for those looking for a marriage partner. According to professional matchmakers it is they who are becoming the in way of finding mister or miss right. Yep! What was old is new. The traditional matchmaker is back in vogue and busy as can be. Apparently, some on-line daters are disillusioned by potential honey's lying about themselves (even some married claiming to be single) that they are turning to pros to find them a mate. And they are paying thousands of dollars to those matchmaking services to find true love.
Surveys show that about 80% of those who use a matchmaker have tried, mom, friends, co- workers, and on-line dating to find the right one. But after frustration with all those, matchmakers then get the call. This might be wise, as sometimes good people meet some one on line that seem genuine but turn out to be a Nigerian who is scheming to make withdrawals from.
But I think one who is educate and worldly might be better able to find love him or s herself on line or off, without assistance from matchmakers. What do you think about the viability of professional matchmakers? Have you ever had contact with one of those services?
One guy (ok..maybe no woman would want to be matched with me either...that makes two) no woman would want to be matched with is Jeffrey Hein, 41, of Hartford, Wisconsin. Jeffrey is a bit overt in his style of attracting the attention of women. As a result he has been ordered to spend 60 days in jail and been put on to years of probation. What is Jeffrey doing to merit jail? Well, he has been placing photographs of his genitalia on cars driven by women in nearby Menomonee Falls. it's the ..uh...direct approach to getting female attention.
Though Jeffrey says he did it and those are pictures of his love jewels on the cars, he claimed at the trail that he only did it because he is depressed about the three deaths ion his family and the failure of his marriage.
Hmmm Imagine how depressed the ladies must be when they see their cars decorated with love muscle pictures? Let's hope Jeffery didn't go to one of those matchmakers to find himself a new mate.
Surveys show that about 80% of those who use a matchmaker have tried, mom, friends, co- workers, and on-line dating to find the right one. But after frustration with all those, matchmakers then get the call. This might be wise, as sometimes good people meet some one on line that seem genuine but turn out to be a Nigerian who is scheming to make withdrawals from.
But I think one who is educate and worldly might be better able to find love him or s herself on line or off, without assistance from matchmakers. What do you think about the viability of professional matchmakers? Have you ever had contact with one of those services?
One guy (ok..maybe no woman would want to be matched with me either...that makes two) no woman would want to be matched with is Jeffrey Hein, 41, of Hartford, Wisconsin. Jeffrey is a bit overt in his style of attracting the attention of women. As a result he has been ordered to spend 60 days in jail and been put on to years of probation. What is Jeffrey doing to merit jail? Well, he has been placing photographs of his genitalia on cars driven by women in nearby Menomonee Falls. it's the ..uh...direct approach to getting female attention.
Though Jeffrey says he did it and those are pictures of his love jewels on the cars, he claimed at the trail that he only did it because he is depressed about the three deaths ion his family and the failure of his marriage.
Hmmm Imagine how depressed the ladies must be when they see their cars decorated with love muscle pictures? Let's hope Jeffery didn't go to one of those matchmakers to find himself a new mate.
Selling On Line For The Holidays
I know Christmas is near, the retailers are putting on a blitz to sell their goods as Christmas gifts both on-line and off. The new aspect is the exclusive on-line sale. That's right. What is new this year is the "Web Sale" ads that come into my mail box every day now. And these ads are by reputable businesses, not the typical spam con artists artists that flood my mail box every day of the year.
Stores like Saks, Wal Mart, J.C. Penny. Macy's, Circuit City and others are sending E mail to drum up sales. It's all because the market for Christmas sales is so important (some merchants make up to 50-% of the year profit off Christmas sales) and competitive. It starts in earnest on Thanksgiving Day when the merchants will E mail me and others about their day after Thanksgiving (traditionally, this is the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S.) sales. Some are offering on-line only sales for Thanksgiving Day itself or special on-line only prices the day after Thanksgiving as a lure to sell to people who do not wish to fight the large in store crowds that day.
So big on-line discounts, cross-selling and other techniques are being used by stores to beat the competition. In short, the Internet is becoming a big component of shopping at holiday time. Haha I wonder if women will give up their endless mall browsing to use the Internet for their purchases? I doubt it. The in store female shopping addiction is too great to be thwarted by on-line sales. Some women may forego the mall excursions, but I doubt most will.
Estimates of total 2006 on-line holiday sales are expected to be about 20-25% of in store purchases. I haven't bought any gifts on line this season, but I did use the Target site to buy a TV stand that was on sale on-line. And I see many sales are that can only be obtained with on-line purchase. One problem is that "delivery charges" sometimes nullify the sale price or make the item even more expensive. Though the sites that deliver free have true sales, and most offer free delivery or in store pick up of the product bought on-line.
It's probably a good thing that some merchants have gotten serious about internet sales This will widen the market and tend to lower prices, but it sure has taken them a long time to use the internet that way.
Anyway, for me, anything that helps me avoid mall shopping is a very good thing.
Stores like Saks, Wal Mart, J.C. Penny. Macy's, Circuit City and others are sending E mail to drum up sales. It's all because the market for Christmas sales is so important (some merchants make up to 50-% of the year profit off Christmas sales) and competitive. It starts in earnest on Thanksgiving Day when the merchants will E mail me and others about their day after Thanksgiving (traditionally, this is the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S.) sales. Some are offering on-line only sales for Thanksgiving Day itself or special on-line only prices the day after Thanksgiving as a lure to sell to people who do not wish to fight the large in store crowds that day.
So big on-line discounts, cross-selling and other techniques are being used by stores to beat the competition. In short, the Internet is becoming a big component of shopping at holiday time. Haha I wonder if women will give up their endless mall browsing to use the Internet for their purchases? I doubt it. The in store female shopping addiction is too great to be thwarted by on-line sales. Some women may forego the mall excursions, but I doubt most will.
Estimates of total 2006 on-line holiday sales are expected to be about 20-25% of in store purchases. I haven't bought any gifts on line this season, but I did use the Target site to buy a TV stand that was on sale on-line. And I see many sales are that can only be obtained with on-line purchase. One problem is that "delivery charges" sometimes nullify the sale price or make the item even more expensive. Though the sites that deliver free have true sales, and most offer free delivery or in store pick up of the product bought on-line.
It's probably a good thing that some merchants have gotten serious about internet sales This will widen the market and tend to lower prices, but it sure has taken them a long time to use the internet that way.
Anyway, for me, anything that helps me avoid mall shopping is a very good thing.
Macy's Thanksgiving Parade
Thanksgiving night mail from Turkey Jim. Gobble. Gobble to you (My Turkey impression) on this Thanksgiving night . I turned my TV on this morning to the Macy's Thanksgiving parade and it looked great in High Definition (the new TV set I bought to replace the one that died Halloween night).
The Macy's parade is interesting to we New Orleanians because it is a wholly different style of parade. Many of the floats have been built by New Orleans float makers because we are among the world's best at doing that, but how the parade looks, how the floats are used, the way it is structured is entirely different from a New Orleans style parade. Our parades in New Orleans are participation events for the spectator who catch goodies thrown from the floats. We are also highly undisciplined in our approach. The floats and a bands in our parades tend to be less structured and...uh....like me...sloppy.
The Macy parade is strictly a viewing event. Spectators line the streets and quietly watch. they don't eat, laugh, play music and in general are not as relaxed as we are. But that is not a condemnation of the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. It is very professional, pretty and orderly I like it as well.
The Macy's Thanksgiving parade has been on going for too many years to count, but this is the 80th edition. It is a grand spectacular put on by Macy's Department store to introduce the holiday Christmas shopping season. The parade is shown on TV from New York City's Manhattan, with cameras set up at a beautifully decorate Rockerfeller Center for the TV viewer. The route is short and "tickets" must be bought to view it (Our New Orleans parades are free and sometimes called "the greatest free show on earth"), The Macy's parade is clearly more of a TV centered event. Each float and band stops briefly as it performs for the viewers on TV and the crowd watching at the venue. The floats have many celebrities (who often promote their movie or event with a segment of it in their performance). Bands play as they stop and 25 huge helium filled balloons (One is pictured below) of SpongeBob, Snoopy, Superman and many other fictional characters pass by.
This year the balloons were flown lower because of gusty winds. The good thing about what part of the parade I watched on my TV???? It has to be that I did not see one cell phone addict in the entire parade. For that I REALLY give thanks this year....
The Macy's parade is interesting to we New Orleanians because it is a wholly different style of parade. Many of the floats have been built by New Orleans float makers because we are among the world's best at doing that, but how the parade looks, how the floats are used, the way it is structured is entirely different from a New Orleans style parade. Our parades in New Orleans are participation events for the spectator who catch goodies thrown from the floats. We are also highly undisciplined in our approach. The floats and a bands in our parades tend to be less structured and...uh....like me...sloppy.
The Macy parade is strictly a viewing event. Spectators line the streets and quietly watch. they don't eat, laugh, play music and in general are not as relaxed as we are. But that is not a condemnation of the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. It is very professional, pretty and orderly I like it as well.
The Macy's Thanksgiving parade has been on going for too many years to count, but this is the 80th edition. It is a grand spectacular put on by Macy's Department store to introduce the holiday Christmas shopping season. The parade is shown on TV from New York City's Manhattan, with cameras set up at a beautifully decorate Rockerfeller Center for the TV viewer. The route is short and "tickets" must be bought to view it (Our New Orleans parades are free and sometimes called "the greatest free show on earth"), The Macy's parade is clearly more of a TV centered event. Each float and band stops briefly as it performs for the viewers on TV and the crowd watching at the venue. The floats have many celebrities (who often promote their movie or event with a segment of it in their performance). Bands play as they stop and 25 huge helium filled balloons (One is pictured below) of SpongeBob, Snoopy, Superman and many other fictional characters pass by.
This year the balloons were flown lower because of gusty winds. The good thing about what part of the parade I watched on my TV???? It has to be that I did not see one cell phone addict in the entire parade. For that I REALLY give thanks this year....
Cranberries
It is nearly Thanksgiving the eating holiday of turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, cranberries.... oh...wait a minute. Cranberries are interesting to me. I shall write about the cranberry today. I remember cranberries from the earliest days of my youth as that bitter fruit that was turned into a compote or jelly and eaten with turkey at Thanksgiving. The diner is supposed to take apiece of that cranberry jelly and w eat it with a piece of turkey. Jim did not eat that cranberries concoction then and rejoiced that cranberries was seen only at Thanksgiving and Christmas meals.
But wait! That jellied dish of cranberries and other cranberry products have become an increasingly popular because of their health benefits and unusual tart taste. They are evolving into more than just that cranberry jelly/compote. I now like many cranberry products, The cranberry juices, cocktails, soaps, salsas, mustard, chutney, dried cranberries, cranberry ice-cream, hand lotions and cosmetics made from cranberries, cranberry stuffings, cookies and cakes, cranberry covered with chocolate, even cranberry beer, have exploded on the market place as farmers and food processors have introduced untold ways to eat cranberries.
You probably don't see cranberry products much, because the cranberry is a native North American product only grown in several northern states and some parts of Canada. It has never made an impact abroad. But now the biggest seller of cranberry products, Ocean Spray Inc., has started trying to sell outside of the U.S. and Canada to make cranberry sales outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas a bigger part of the cranberry market. Japan and western Europe seem to be getting hooked on cranberries too. The cranberry is now recognized and mostly liked in many more places.
Anyway, look on the net in a search engine to find out more about cranberries. The cranberry may be the least appetizing fruit when eaten unsweetened, but adding sugar to it transforms it the same way the lemon is changed when doused with sweeteners. Though I still don't eat that Turkey cranberry jelly or compote (I like my turkey natural, just meat).
I could name quite a few cranberry products in my kitchen right now that I do like. Soo...if you see anything with cranberry in it at your grocery store, try it and let me know what you think about eating cranberries. Don't "be a turkey", try it.
But wait! That jellied dish of cranberries and other cranberry products have become an increasingly popular because of their health benefits and unusual tart taste. They are evolving into more than just that cranberry jelly/compote. I now like many cranberry products, The cranberry juices, cocktails, soaps, salsas, mustard, chutney, dried cranberries, cranberry ice-cream, hand lotions and cosmetics made from cranberries, cranberry stuffings, cookies and cakes, cranberry covered with chocolate, even cranberry beer, have exploded on the market place as farmers and food processors have introduced untold ways to eat cranberries.
You probably don't see cranberry products much, because the cranberry is a native North American product only grown in several northern states and some parts of Canada. It has never made an impact abroad. But now the biggest seller of cranberry products, Ocean Spray Inc., has started trying to sell outside of the U.S. and Canada to make cranberry sales outside of Thanksgiving and Christmas a bigger part of the cranberry market. Japan and western Europe seem to be getting hooked on cranberries too. The cranberry is now recognized and mostly liked in many more places.
Anyway, look on the net in a search engine to find out more about cranberries. The cranberry may be the least appetizing fruit when eaten unsweetened, but adding sugar to it transforms it the same way the lemon is changed when doused with sweeteners. Though I still don't eat that Turkey cranberry jelly or compote (I like my turkey natural, just meat).
I could name quite a few cranberry products in my kitchen right now that I do like. Soo...if you see anything with cranberry in it at your grocery store, try it and let me know what you think about eating cranberries. Don't "be a turkey", try it.
It's A Gay Book
I know most societies are more closed than those in North America. The U.S. is a nation of social change, fast social changes. One of the areas in which we have had changes is in how gay people are seen and treated. I think that discrimination against gays is not so prevalent here anymore. Most gay people are open about their preferences.
But every once in awhile there is news of some homophobia. George Bush has made a career of gay bashing to win votes from anti gay types, and some religious and other conservative groups like the Boy Scouts, seem to treat gays badly. Today I read a news story about one of the anti gay over reactions to sexually equality in society. It seems that a picture book for kids called 'And tango Makes Three' has caused a stir in Shiloh, Illinois.
It's a book for toddlers based on a true story of two male penguins raising a baby penguin from a fertilized egg in New York City's Central Park Zoo. The fact that the two penguins raise the chicken "as their own" has some parents wondering whether it promotes two male or two female humans raising a child together.
A number of parents at Shiloh Elementary School say they want the book taken from the school library because they think it tackles a topic their children aren't ready to handle. (I wonder why , instead of protesting and banning the book, those parents don't simply tell the school not to let their kids read the book) But the school system refused to remove it. Short of banning the book, the parents (a minority of the parents are protesting) who are complaining suggest that the book be moved to a restricted area of the library with written permission from a parent required for access by a child.
The Superintendent of the district, Jennifer Filyaw, says the book is "adorable" and age appropriate (it is written for ages 4-8). "My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population. It means it must represent different families in a society, different religions and different beliefs. One parent said when his child brought the book home and he read the part that said the two male penguins "must be in love", he shut the book and questioned the school about it's appropriateness. I agree with the school in not banning the book and think that the debate about the book reflects that my society is dealing well with homosexuality.
First, the protest is mild and respectful. Secondly, the book was in the library, no one in the school seeing it as a "gay book". Thirdly, there seems to be recognition by most who don't want the book there that children can't be "made gay" by exposure to such books. After all, children that age have no sexual awareness anyway.
In most countries such literature would never had made its way to a school library. I think the fact that it did here shows that the school is interested in teaching the value of love and kindness, and sees that as crucial to a child, not whether the players in the lesson are gay. Ok....your turn. Do you think the book should be displayed and read freely in that library? We may debate whether the free speech aspect of that book, but in Ujgest, Hungary (a district in Budpest) the town councilors of that province clearly knows that only what they like to hear should be freely spoken, written or read.
And the town mayor, Tamas Derce, has just reacted to the suspension of the local newspaper and TV station by the councilors ( they say the news is biased) in an unusual way. So how will people of Ujest get their news? Hold on to your keyboard.....Tamas says he is reviving the medieval tradition (this guy must be a Muslim?) of the town crier to give people the news. Haha "I will hire someone who will stand with a drum at busy junctions of the district, and another one with a loudspeaker. The will give the news to our people."
I like Tamas' method of fighting the councilors' censorship. Tamas says the town criers will keep crying out the truth until the councilors reverse their ban on the local news mediums.
But every once in awhile there is news of some homophobia. George Bush has made a career of gay bashing to win votes from anti gay types, and some religious and other conservative groups like the Boy Scouts, seem to treat gays badly. Today I read a news story about one of the anti gay over reactions to sexually equality in society. It seems that a picture book for kids called 'And tango Makes Three' has caused a stir in Shiloh, Illinois.
It's a book for toddlers based on a true story of two male penguins raising a baby penguin from a fertilized egg in New York City's Central Park Zoo. The fact that the two penguins raise the chicken "as their own" has some parents wondering whether it promotes two male or two female humans raising a child together.
A number of parents at Shiloh Elementary School say they want the book taken from the school library because they think it tackles a topic their children aren't ready to handle. (I wonder why , instead of protesting and banning the book, those parents don't simply tell the school not to let their kids read the book) But the school system refused to remove it. Short of banning the book, the parents (a minority of the parents are protesting) who are complaining suggest that the book be moved to a restricted area of the library with written permission from a parent required for access by a child.
The Superintendent of the district, Jennifer Filyaw, says the book is "adorable" and age appropriate (it is written for ages 4-8). "My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population. It means it must represent different families in a society, different religions and different beliefs. One parent said when his child brought the book home and he read the part that said the two male penguins "must be in love", he shut the book and questioned the school about it's appropriateness. I agree with the school in not banning the book and think that the debate about the book reflects that my society is dealing well with homosexuality.
First, the protest is mild and respectful. Secondly, the book was in the library, no one in the school seeing it as a "gay book". Thirdly, there seems to be recognition by most who don't want the book there that children can't be "made gay" by exposure to such books. After all, children that age have no sexual awareness anyway.
In most countries such literature would never had made its way to a school library. I think the fact that it did here shows that the school is interested in teaching the value of love and kindness, and sees that as crucial to a child, not whether the players in the lesson are gay. Ok....your turn. Do you think the book should be displayed and read freely in that library? We may debate whether the free speech aspect of that book, but in Ujgest, Hungary (a district in Budpest) the town councilors of that province clearly knows that only what they like to hear should be freely spoken, written or read.
And the town mayor, Tamas Derce, has just reacted to the suspension of the local newspaper and TV station by the councilors ( they say the news is biased) in an unusual way. So how will people of Ujest get their news? Hold on to your keyboard.....Tamas says he is reviving the medieval tradition (this guy must be a Muslim?) of the town crier to give people the news. Haha "I will hire someone who will stand with a drum at busy junctions of the district, and another one with a loudspeaker. The will give the news to our people."
I like Tamas' method of fighting the councilors' censorship. Tamas says the town criers will keep crying out the truth until the councilors reverse their ban on the local news mediums.
The Frigid 50
It's time to look at the unreal world today. I refer to the fantasy world I just don't get, but most people find enthralling, the world called Hollywood. Hehe Of course I am going to take a few shots at those empty headed Hollywood types and do it this time by mentioning the 2006 list of the "Frigid 50". It's put out each year by a movie magazine called 'Film Treat' for the purpose of identifying the least powerful, least inspired and least intriguing people (But I think all of them are this way) in all of Hollywood.
I know..you can name some on the list without me even telling you who they are. There are so many boorish and pretentious types (Brad Pitt and his manipulative Lucretia Borgia, Angelina Jolie leap to my mind immediately) that Film Treat's limiting the list to 50 must have been a difficult task. I will just give you the top ten on the Frigid 50 list because any more than ten would be too nauseating for even a fan of Hollywood films.
Oh... first..some of the Frigid 50 that didn't make the top ten but might have deserved a place on it include: Madonna (She's trying to steal all the African babies from Angelina), Jessica Simpson (Is she a dumb blonde or a singer? I think she should stick to one of those roles and go big time) Robin Williams (Isn't his mugging character act a little stale. It seems all the same to me. Maybe Robin feels the same and that's why he started abusing alcohol so much), Cameron Diaz (The worst looking sex symbol with the least recognizable talent), Denise Richards (Yes, she is the one who has tantrums. Remember when she threw her lap top at a reporter and instead hit an elderly woman who was seated in her wheelchair?), Drew Barrymore (Ugh...calling her dysfunctional is the nicest thing one can say about Drew), Trashy Hollywood Gossip Magazines (Yep, since people don't read anymore, and Hollywood worshipers tend to be more illiterate than not, the Hollywood gossip rag has been replaced by video and blogs of those celebs), Nicholas Cage (Ok, being the nephew of Hollywood's biggest director, Francis Copolla, does make it easy to be a star. But then, a hefty number of other relatives that are put in show business at least have some modicum of talent. Get to acting school Nicholas!).. Now for the top ten winners of the Frigid 50, from bottom to winner.....
* Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes- May God have mercy on sweet Katie's soul,. Being linked with that nut case Cruise is like being damned to Hell.
* Movie Critics- The Frigid 50 is starting to wonder what I have known for years, those Hollywood films are mostly terrible and dumb. Why don't the critics tell it as it is? It might make Hollywood grow up and make thoughtful and entertaining movies again.
* lonelygirl 15- lonelygirl is that very pretty out of work actress who pretended to be 15 years old on video blog. Who would believe that a supposed 15 year old would talk nonsense from her bedroom and drive males of all ages wild with passion. Well, it is one way to get instant fame and get better acting roles.
* Tara Reid- Tara is the non entity actress who became famous because of a bad boob job. I wonder, can a woman with no talent and bad boobs become a star? Hmmmm Why not, the rest of the celebrities are often worse than Tara.
* Mark Cuban- The wealthy Owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks who pulls as many stunts as possible to be more famous than his players. Right now he is blogging hate about Google. Mark's motto seems to be "Notice me..Please"
* Wesley Snipes- Wesley thinks he is such a big star that he doesn't have to pay his taxes. So now he is in hiding in Italy.
* Lindsay Lohan - You had to figure Lindsey would be on this list. She made number five but will surely try harder to bore us with her juvenile behavior and be number one on the list next year. My biggest question is, "Why is the media infatuated by this plastic little girl?" When will Lindsay decide to grow up and give up being a 16 year old?
* Borat- Hey! I like this character and think he is one of the few comedians who actually upsets people with his humor. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't one purpose of humor to stir the sensibilities of people? Borat makes them all think and examine themselves by being a cartoon character fool. It's not hard to do that, but he does it well.
* Jennifer Anniston- The runner up, Jennifer has stopped being cute and become annoying and hapless. She seems a sweet girl who is too real to fit in Hollywood. Oh well, why feel sorry for her when she is making zillions of dollars doing bad films. And the number one entry on the 2006 'Fridge 50' list is..........................
* Mel Gibson- Talk about a fallen star! This guy makes Michael Jackson seem like a normal and respectable citizen. a DWI arrest, racially prejudiced and anti Semitic remarks religious fanaticism..what's next for Mel? I hope he will just go away.
Are you still watching these characters...
I know..you can name some on the list without me even telling you who they are. There are so many boorish and pretentious types (Brad Pitt and his manipulative Lucretia Borgia, Angelina Jolie leap to my mind immediately) that Film Treat's limiting the list to 50 must have been a difficult task. I will just give you the top ten on the Frigid 50 list because any more than ten would be too nauseating for even a fan of Hollywood films.
Oh... first..some of the Frigid 50 that didn't make the top ten but might have deserved a place on it include: Madonna (She's trying to steal all the African babies from Angelina), Jessica Simpson (Is she a dumb blonde or a singer? I think she should stick to one of those roles and go big time) Robin Williams (Isn't his mugging character act a little stale. It seems all the same to me. Maybe Robin feels the same and that's why he started abusing alcohol so much), Cameron Diaz (The worst looking sex symbol with the least recognizable talent), Denise Richards (Yes, she is the one who has tantrums. Remember when she threw her lap top at a reporter and instead hit an elderly woman who was seated in her wheelchair?), Drew Barrymore (Ugh...calling her dysfunctional is the nicest thing one can say about Drew), Trashy Hollywood Gossip Magazines (Yep, since people don't read anymore, and Hollywood worshipers tend to be more illiterate than not, the Hollywood gossip rag has been replaced by video and blogs of those celebs), Nicholas Cage (Ok, being the nephew of Hollywood's biggest director, Francis Copolla, does make it easy to be a star. But then, a hefty number of other relatives that are put in show business at least have some modicum of talent. Get to acting school Nicholas!).. Now for the top ten winners of the Frigid 50, from bottom to winner.....
* Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes- May God have mercy on sweet Katie's soul,. Being linked with that nut case Cruise is like being damned to Hell.
* Movie Critics- The Frigid 50 is starting to wonder what I have known for years, those Hollywood films are mostly terrible and dumb. Why don't the critics tell it as it is? It might make Hollywood grow up and make thoughtful and entertaining movies again.
* lonelygirl 15- lonelygirl is that very pretty out of work actress who pretended to be 15 years old on video blog. Who would believe that a supposed 15 year old would talk nonsense from her bedroom and drive males of all ages wild with passion. Well, it is one way to get instant fame and get better acting roles.
* Tara Reid- Tara is the non entity actress who became famous because of a bad boob job. I wonder, can a woman with no talent and bad boobs become a star? Hmmmm Why not, the rest of the celebrities are often worse than Tara.
* Mark Cuban- The wealthy Owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks who pulls as many stunts as possible to be more famous than his players. Right now he is blogging hate about Google. Mark's motto seems to be "Notice me..Please"
* Wesley Snipes- Wesley thinks he is such a big star that he doesn't have to pay his taxes. So now he is in hiding in Italy.
* Lindsay Lohan - You had to figure Lindsey would be on this list. She made number five but will surely try harder to bore us with her juvenile behavior and be number one on the list next year. My biggest question is, "Why is the media infatuated by this plastic little girl?" When will Lindsay decide to grow up and give up being a 16 year old?
* Borat- Hey! I like this character and think he is one of the few comedians who actually upsets people with his humor. Isn't that a good thing? Isn't one purpose of humor to stir the sensibilities of people? Borat makes them all think and examine themselves by being a cartoon character fool. It's not hard to do that, but he does it well.
* Jennifer Anniston- The runner up, Jennifer has stopped being cute and become annoying and hapless. She seems a sweet girl who is too real to fit in Hollywood. Oh well, why feel sorry for her when she is making zillions of dollars doing bad films. And the number one entry on the 2006 'Fridge 50' list is..........................
* Mel Gibson- Talk about a fallen star! This guy makes Michael Jackson seem like a normal and respectable citizen. a DWI arrest, racially prejudiced and anti Semitic remarks religious fanaticism..what's next for Mel? I hope he will just go away.
Are you still watching these characters...
Not Interested In These
I like to watch news and informational programs, and always have. Even as child I read news magazines and looked for information to absorb. But those days were different than these. Today most news we get is entertainment, propaganda, or just plain stupid. So while watching the news on TV and reading about it in my newspaper and some magazines the other day I thought it would be a good time to complain to you about it. Haha Lucky you...hearing another of my silly rants.
Anyway, I just want to let someone j know some of the news I DO NOT want to hear about anymore. Maybe you can make a list of your own or just s agree or disagree with some of my choices. Here are five of my choices (I am sparing you from reading any more than that....thank me for it) for news that we don't need to know.
- The status of Angelina Jolie and all the other empty headed movie stars. Angelina can dump Brad, adopt all the babies in Africa and tattoo her body completely. I just don't think my intellect is improved by hearing about it all.
- George Bush's speeches on why terrorist will rule the world if we do not let him become the absolute (irresponsible) dictator of the world. But I would like someone to point out that Bush is the one who created much of the terrorism he claims he must protect us from.
- Hostages in Iraq and in other nutty places. When those civilians get themselves in trouble being where they know there is danger and where they have been advised to vacate, I don't want a weeping spouse to tell the news cameras that "The US. government isn't doing enough to find him/her". That's ridiculous, the government told your spouse not to go there. He or she got into the mess because of his or her own stupidity, Shut up and deal with it!
- Reality TV shows, "idol" TV shows, paris Hilton TV shows... Don't people realize their IQ falls a couple of points every time they watch that stupidity. It is vapid...but then so are the brains of some of the viewers. Statistics show more people voted for their American idol favorite than voted for their political candidate in the last election. Sigh...vote for idol but not for your government representative. Maybe political candidates should be put on Idol shows so the voters would have a reason to participate in democracy and actually vote?????????
- Global Warming stories.... every time I read or see a global warming propaganda piece it makes me hot. Sure it is a possible scenario. But the outrageous "evidence presented is often both un scientific and insulting. Maybe if politicians and celebrities would shut up about the trendy global warming topic, scientists could tell us what they really believe. Nah, it won't happen. People never listen to evidence. they prefer Matt Damon's expert analysis on the fate of the earth.
Oh...I know. You don't have to tell me. What you are not interested in is this kind of stupid analysis
Anyway, I just want to let someone j know some of the news I DO NOT want to hear about anymore. Maybe you can make a list of your own or just s agree or disagree with some of my choices. Here are five of my choices (I am sparing you from reading any more than that....thank me for it) for news that we don't need to know.
- The status of Angelina Jolie and all the other empty headed movie stars. Angelina can dump Brad, adopt all the babies in Africa and tattoo her body completely. I just don't think my intellect is improved by hearing about it all.
- George Bush's speeches on why terrorist will rule the world if we do not let him become the absolute (irresponsible) dictator of the world. But I would like someone to point out that Bush is the one who created much of the terrorism he claims he must protect us from.
- Hostages in Iraq and in other nutty places. When those civilians get themselves in trouble being where they know there is danger and where they have been advised to vacate, I don't want a weeping spouse to tell the news cameras that "The US. government isn't doing enough to find him/her". That's ridiculous, the government told your spouse not to go there. He or she got into the mess because of his or her own stupidity, Shut up and deal with it!
- Reality TV shows, "idol" TV shows, paris Hilton TV shows... Don't people realize their IQ falls a couple of points every time they watch that stupidity. It is vapid...but then so are the brains of some of the viewers. Statistics show more people voted for their American idol favorite than voted for their political candidate in the last election. Sigh...vote for idol but not for your government representative. Maybe political candidates should be put on Idol shows so the voters would have a reason to participate in democracy and actually vote?????????
- Global Warming stories.... every time I read or see a global warming propaganda piece it makes me hot. Sure it is a possible scenario. But the outrageous "evidence presented is often both un scientific and insulting. Maybe if politicians and celebrities would shut up about the trendy global warming topic, scientists could tell us what they really believe. Nah, it won't happen. People never listen to evidence. they prefer Matt Damon's expert analysis on the fate of the earth.
Oh...I know. You don't have to tell me. What you are not interested in is this kind of stupid analysis
Googles Tops Tens
I think Google may really be all-knowing, the Wizard of Oz. Well, maybe I am exaggerating a bit but after the experiment I conducted with the new Google Trend search I am beginning to believe that Google is a whole lot smarter than all of us are. Google knows what we are thinking and where that thinking is happening most often, because every day millions of us type in our search desires; the sordid and sexy as well as the spiritual, the nonsensical, the trivial, the informational...you get the idea. Whatever we are thinking is revealed in what we search for with Google.
In June Google released specific data about every search made with the Google search engine, and all you have to do, what I did today, is go to the Google search engine and type in "Google Trends". Once there, put in any search you want and try to guess which city in the world most often made the same search. So, for example, by putting in the word "Islam" you will see that the number one place that is interested in that very controversial religion is not in one of the Mid East countries but in one of my favorite places, Jakarta, Indonesia. Surprisingly, of the top ten city hits for Islam, two were European. More people in Brussels and Amsterdam were interested in searching Islam than any city in any Mid East country. Allah must be displeased.
I decided to see if I could guess which part of the world or which city would have the most interest in each search I typed in, and I was often surprised by the results. Guess which city came in first for a search on "sex". It was those same Islamic searchers. Cairo was number one, followed by four cities in India. Apparently, while those Islamics are researching Islam they are thinking a lot about sex. No American or Asian city appeared in the top ten sex search and the top European city was at number nine, Warsaw, Poland. I never knew those Poles were so sexy. Apparently Australians have bad breath. Number one and two on my search of "bad breath' were Perth and Brisbane. And Sydney was number four. Oh my.....the travel guides never mentioned that before.
I next searched the food of the Gods, donuts. As expected all of the Top Ten cities with donut fanatics were American, with Providence, Rhode Island being number one. Hmmmmmmm I should visit Providence when I finish this E mail. I immediately looked up the antithesis of donuts by entering my least favorite food into Google. Yep, I searched 'tofu'. What a shock to find that nine of the top ten search sites for tofu were Americans.
Sigh... I am thinking about defecting (probably to India where all that sex is). When I put in the name of the woman who was made famous by her porno video, her inherited wealth and her overall stupidity, 'Paris Hilton', the number one and two cities interested in Paris are those bad breath Australians. Melbourne was number one, Sydney number two and just about the entire world followed in equal numbers. It seems that Paris the person is more on the minds of people everywhere than is Paris the city. But fame comes to some who don't deserve it. "Viagra' brought eight European and two American cities in the top ten, with England holding "down" (as opposed to the "up" power of Viagra) the top two.
Hmmmmm No Indians on this one. Those Indians really must be masters of sex. My "football" search showed unanimity. All 10 top hits were cities in England. And I had to end my searching with one about the world's biggest imbecile, George Bush. I thought that all of the ten would be from the U.S. Nine were, but surprisingly, the number one place interested in George Bush according to Google is London.
Well.....Many Americans would love to send Bush to London for good, and you can bet we wouldn't bother searching for him if we did. Have fun with your search!
In June Google released specific data about every search made with the Google search engine, and all you have to do, what I did today, is go to the Google search engine and type in "Google Trends". Once there, put in any search you want and try to guess which city in the world most often made the same search. So, for example, by putting in the word "Islam" you will see that the number one place that is interested in that very controversial religion is not in one of the Mid East countries but in one of my favorite places, Jakarta, Indonesia. Surprisingly, of the top ten city hits for Islam, two were European. More people in Brussels and Amsterdam were interested in searching Islam than any city in any Mid East country. Allah must be displeased.
I decided to see if I could guess which part of the world or which city would have the most interest in each search I typed in, and I was often surprised by the results. Guess which city came in first for a search on "sex". It was those same Islamic searchers. Cairo was number one, followed by four cities in India. Apparently, while those Islamics are researching Islam they are thinking a lot about sex. No American or Asian city appeared in the top ten sex search and the top European city was at number nine, Warsaw, Poland. I never knew those Poles were so sexy. Apparently Australians have bad breath. Number one and two on my search of "bad breath' were Perth and Brisbane. And Sydney was number four. Oh my.....the travel guides never mentioned that before.
I next searched the food of the Gods, donuts. As expected all of the Top Ten cities with donut fanatics were American, with Providence, Rhode Island being number one. Hmmmmmmm I should visit Providence when I finish this E mail. I immediately looked up the antithesis of donuts by entering my least favorite food into Google. Yep, I searched 'tofu'. What a shock to find that nine of the top ten search sites for tofu were Americans.
Sigh... I am thinking about defecting (probably to India where all that sex is). When I put in the name of the woman who was made famous by her porno video, her inherited wealth and her overall stupidity, 'Paris Hilton', the number one and two cities interested in Paris are those bad breath Australians. Melbourne was number one, Sydney number two and just about the entire world followed in equal numbers. It seems that Paris the person is more on the minds of people everywhere than is Paris the city. But fame comes to some who don't deserve it. "Viagra' brought eight European and two American cities in the top ten, with England holding "down" (as opposed to the "up" power of Viagra) the top two.
Hmmmmm No Indians on this one. Those Indians really must be masters of sex. My "football" search showed unanimity. All 10 top hits were cities in England. And I had to end my searching with one about the world's biggest imbecile, George Bush. I thought that all of the ten would be from the U.S. Nine were, but surprisingly, the number one place interested in George Bush according to Google is London.
Well.....Many Americans would love to send Bush to London for good, and you can bet we wouldn't bother searching for him if we did. Have fun with your search!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Getting Them To School
School talk today.... Do you have much truancy in your schools? In my area of the U.S. there is a mixed record for truancy, with high schools having the best attendance. In our high schools, a student fails for the entire year and must repeat it if he or she misses more than 10 days without a written doctor's excuse proving real illness. But our middle and elementary schools have no such attendance rule. And it can be a problem.
One local judge in nearby lake Charles, Louisiana got tough last week. Fed up with middle school (grades 6-8) kids missing to much school because parents and guardians let their kids skip or fail to assure they attend, police rounded up the parents of those absent kids and Judge Lilynn Curter is now deciding whether to jail mom and dad for the missed school days. Every parent or caregiver his the legal responsibility under the law there to educate their children, so Judge Curter and fellow Judge Bradberry told the parents , "No excuses are being accepted today".
All the parents were hauled into the courts and asked to explain why their children had missed at least 5 days of school in a single month or had similar histories in the past of allowing little Johnny and Sue to miss classes. In fact, one of the parent's kids missed 20 out of 25 school days last month, all without any evidence there was illness as a factor. The law in Lake Charles and the rest of my state says that the parents may be fined or jailed, but those two judges say they will only jail the parents.
I like it! The maximum jail term is 30 days, but since each school day counts as a separate offense, theoretically, mom and dad could be in the slammer for years. Adult s who plead guilty have been told their jail terms would be suspended if they attend a saturday truancy programs, those pleading not guilty and not providing evidence they did not neglect their child's education will go to jail. It may seem a tough policy but I think it a good one as early truancy goes along with academic and behavioral problems in school and is also correlated with high drop out rates in higher grade levels. Teen pregnancy and drug abuse also correlate very highly with frequent school absence.
Too, one of the most important responsibility of a parent is to provide for educational opportunities. Keeping home a child so he or she can baby-sit a toddler sibling, to go shopping, because mom and dad are too lazy to get the child ready to go to school, or just because the student doesn't want to go a particular day is not valid. Do you have a parental responsibility program for parents of kids in your school that includes jail time and fines for negligent parents? Do you think such a program is fair?
Sometimes school principals should be arrested and jailed too! Take the case of Wade Pilloud, principal of Indus, Minnesota school. Wade seems to have an itchy trigger finger when on the campus because he was forced to resign the other day and could face felony firearm charges after he shot and killed tow orphaned kittens on the school property. Wild Gun Wade said he shot them to "spare them from starving to death after their mother was killed in an animal rap". Apparently, Wild Gun Wade didn't think of other more humane ways of "helping" the kittens. Too, Wild Gun says that the shooting didn't put anyone in danger because it was done after school. Fortunately, several students who were on school grounds that day for after school activities heard the shots and reported the incident.
Wild Gun was given citations to appear in court....let's hope he will leave his shooting irons at home this time.
One local judge in nearby lake Charles, Louisiana got tough last week. Fed up with middle school (grades 6-8) kids missing to much school because parents and guardians let their kids skip or fail to assure they attend, police rounded up the parents of those absent kids and Judge Lilynn Curter is now deciding whether to jail mom and dad for the missed school days. Every parent or caregiver his the legal responsibility under the law there to educate their children, so Judge Curter and fellow Judge Bradberry told the parents , "No excuses are being accepted today".
All the parents were hauled into the courts and asked to explain why their children had missed at least 5 days of school in a single month or had similar histories in the past of allowing little Johnny and Sue to miss classes. In fact, one of the parent's kids missed 20 out of 25 school days last month, all without any evidence there was illness as a factor. The law in Lake Charles and the rest of my state says that the parents may be fined or jailed, but those two judges say they will only jail the parents.
I like it! The maximum jail term is 30 days, but since each school day counts as a separate offense, theoretically, mom and dad could be in the slammer for years. Adult s who plead guilty have been told their jail terms would be suspended if they attend a saturday truancy programs, those pleading not guilty and not providing evidence they did not neglect their child's education will go to jail. It may seem a tough policy but I think it a good one as early truancy goes along with academic and behavioral problems in school and is also correlated with high drop out rates in higher grade levels. Teen pregnancy and drug abuse also correlate very highly with frequent school absence.
Too, one of the most important responsibility of a parent is to provide for educational opportunities. Keeping home a child so he or she can baby-sit a toddler sibling, to go shopping, because mom and dad are too lazy to get the child ready to go to school, or just because the student doesn't want to go a particular day is not valid. Do you have a parental responsibility program for parents of kids in your school that includes jail time and fines for negligent parents? Do you think such a program is fair?
Sometimes school principals should be arrested and jailed too! Take the case of Wade Pilloud, principal of Indus, Minnesota school. Wade seems to have an itchy trigger finger when on the campus because he was forced to resign the other day and could face felony firearm charges after he shot and killed tow orphaned kittens on the school property. Wild Gun Wade said he shot them to "spare them from starving to death after their mother was killed in an animal rap". Apparently, Wild Gun Wade didn't think of other more humane ways of "helping" the kittens. Too, Wild Gun says that the shooting didn't put anyone in danger because it was done after school. Fortunately, several students who were on school grounds that day for after school activities heard the shots and reported the incident.
Wild Gun was given citations to appear in court....let's hope he will leave his shooting irons at home this time.
Roscoe Sends His Regards
I got another intriguing junk E mail just below from a "Roscoe Lily". Haha I like that name and if I have another one, I will name my next child Roscoe Lily as well. Roscoe wants me to lose money, not by gambling on the many on-line gambling sites, but rather by giving Roscoe my money in return for allowing me to set up my own on line gambling casino. Here is what Roscoe write in his spam.
Roscoe Lilly wrote:
Don't spend your life being a Worker Bee. Be at the top of your financial game operating an online casino. It practically runs itself, we give you everything you need to succeed. Live life without the alarm clock - work at your home making six figures. Telephone 1.954.427.3460 extension "17" to get set up.
Such mail shows the depth of on-line gambling these days. With ESPN, FOX and other main stream TV networks running gambling programs (those poker shows) that draw big ratings, the average person is gambling more and more now. In the U.S gambling on line is easier and legal (most are set up and licensed in Caribbean nations to avoid U.S. regulations, even though the vast majority of computer gamblers using them are Americans), the pay outs are legitimate (because many more people lose their money to Roscoe than he pays out in winnings) and the operators are hugely wealthy as people throw their money away on such sites.
But this is the first E mail I have ever gotten asking me to tun my own gambling site. In the past it has been a steady stream of wagering offers from Roscoe and company. It makes me wonder how many fools contact Roscoe and lose their money to him with such bogus offers as these without even enjoying the thrill of the gamble. As the late circus impresario P.T. Barnum once said, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of people"
When is a person too bossy for his or her own good? Well, one wife in Beijing, Chinese may have learned her own limits last week. The woman has been charged with accidentally killing her husband with a sword after he refused to make her dinner, the Shanghai Daily said on Tuesday. Police said Tang Xiaowan, 25, who has been practicing swordsman ship since she was young, had often forced her husband of three years at swordpoint to carry out her orders and obey without question.
But her husband, Li Weidong, refused to cook dinner that night, saying that he couldn't because he was late for work. Tang picked up her sword and put it on Li's chest to repeat her command, but slipped, stabbing Li by mistake. Li died in hospital from loss of blood and Boss Tang was arrested Monday and charged with manslaughter.
Let's hope Tang isn't put in charge of the kitchen when she's sentenced to prison
Roscoe Lilly wrote:
Don't spend your life being a Worker Bee. Be at the top of your financial game operating an online casino. It practically runs itself, we give you everything you need to succeed. Live life without the alarm clock - work at your home making six figures. Telephone 1.954.427.3460 extension "17" to get set up.
Such mail shows the depth of on-line gambling these days. With ESPN, FOX and other main stream TV networks running gambling programs (those poker shows) that draw big ratings, the average person is gambling more and more now. In the U.S gambling on line is easier and legal (most are set up and licensed in Caribbean nations to avoid U.S. regulations, even though the vast majority of computer gamblers using them are Americans), the pay outs are legitimate (because many more people lose their money to Roscoe than he pays out in winnings) and the operators are hugely wealthy as people throw their money away on such sites.
But this is the first E mail I have ever gotten asking me to tun my own gambling site. In the past it has been a steady stream of wagering offers from Roscoe and company. It makes me wonder how many fools contact Roscoe and lose their money to him with such bogus offers as these without even enjoying the thrill of the gamble. As the late circus impresario P.T. Barnum once said, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of people"
When is a person too bossy for his or her own good? Well, one wife in Beijing, Chinese may have learned her own limits last week. The woman has been charged with accidentally killing her husband with a sword after he refused to make her dinner, the Shanghai Daily said on Tuesday. Police said Tang Xiaowan, 25, who has been practicing swordsman ship since she was young, had often forced her husband of three years at swordpoint to carry out her orders and obey without question.
But her husband, Li Weidong, refused to cook dinner that night, saying that he couldn't because he was late for work. Tang picked up her sword and put it on Li's chest to repeat her command, but slipped, stabbing Li by mistake. Li died in hospital from loss of blood and Boss Tang was arrested Monday and charged with manslaughter.
Let's hope Tang isn't put in charge of the kitchen when she's sentenced to prison
Cell Chatters
It's been awhile since I commented on my least favorite things in the world- those cell phones that surround and hound me every day. So here I go with another E mail about why I hate the world's least helpful and most obtrusive invention. This time I rant about the cellular chit chat I am forced to listen to in public. You know... the inconsequential, idiotic conversations that make up most of those cell calls.
Telephones were invented and at first mostly used for useful purposes, but cell phones seem to be only meant to entertain a world of bored and uncreative people. Is it really such a dull world in which we live that we must mindlessly gab on a cell phone about stupidity all day? I'm not over-hearing calls of importance. No one is calling to rescue someone or to find out about how Uncle Harry is doing in the hospital. Nope. The calls I overhear are more often about giggling, linguistically impaired foolishness. Why must people entertain themselves with such chat when they are driving or walking about in public? Don't they have brains to think about matters of importance as they try to reach their destination? Maybe they never think at all, and chatting on a cell phone is the highest order their brains can reach.
Cell calls in public should be only for matters of importance, not casual chats as the user wheels the grocery cart in a store or roars into a cell phone in a doctor's office waiting room filed with strangers. Don't those idiots realize they are annoying others and showing their own superficiality at the same time? It's no wonder cell owners worry so much about their "free minutes". The cell providers seduce the brains of the cell addicts and capture them by giving them more minutes than they need or can sensibly use. So what do those cell addicts do? They use their minutes on calls that are stupid! (Hehe It's ok, I didn't really have a stoke. The exclamation is only for dramatic effect.)
Maybe the cell phone companies should offer a plan that gives more than " free minutes". How about one that gives those cell addict's some brains.....
Telephones were invented and at first mostly used for useful purposes, but cell phones seem to be only meant to entertain a world of bored and uncreative people. Is it really such a dull world in which we live that we must mindlessly gab on a cell phone about stupidity all day? I'm not over-hearing calls of importance. No one is calling to rescue someone or to find out about how Uncle Harry is doing in the hospital. Nope. The calls I overhear are more often about giggling, linguistically impaired foolishness. Why must people entertain themselves with such chat when they are driving or walking about in public? Don't they have brains to think about matters of importance as they try to reach their destination? Maybe they never think at all, and chatting on a cell phone is the highest order their brains can reach.
Cell calls in public should be only for matters of importance, not casual chats as the user wheels the grocery cart in a store or roars into a cell phone in a doctor's office waiting room filed with strangers. Don't those idiots realize they are annoying others and showing their own superficiality at the same time? It's no wonder cell owners worry so much about their "free minutes". The cell providers seduce the brains of the cell addicts and capture them by giving them more minutes than they need or can sensibly use. So what do those cell addicts do? They use their minutes on calls that are stupid! (Hehe It's ok, I didn't really have a stoke. The exclamation is only for dramatic effect.)
Maybe the cell phone companies should offer a plan that gives more than " free minutes". How about one that gives those cell addict's some brains.....
Which Rest Room Do We Use
Going to take a dump in public rest rooms in New York just got a lot more interesting. No, it's not because the rest rooms are Singaporean clean or high tech. It's more to do with who may be in their with you if you happen to enter one. Why? Well, transgendered New Yorkers have won court approval to use any rest room they wish after a lawsuit several filed against the New York Metro subway stations (MTA).
Yep! It's another crazy judicial ruling about a matter that is best left to the discretion of the authorities who administer a program. In this case of stupid judge rulings, the city is being forced to open all rest rooms to He/She users, not only in subways, but in other pubic buildings in that state. It happened after three trannies were arrested by police for using a woman's rest room in a subway earlier this month. I think those lady rest rooms will be much more interesting places to be now...but I am not yet cross dressing to find out. The main litigant that has revolutionized the way rest rooms will be labeled is named Helena Stone, at least that is his alter , bath room ego name. Helena got a small amount of "damages" ($2000) from the court judgment and the right to sit on either male or female rest room thrones. "I'm thrilled with it, " Helena said after the court ruled in her favor. "It's like the world was lifted off my shoulders after a few months of Hell." ( If she thinks it's Hell not to use a opposite sex bathroom, she should try to sit on some of the disgusting male bathroom seats after we men have peed with the seat down)
Wow! Helena takes her rest rooms seriously. The court also has sided with Helena by ordering the MTA to sponsor "transgender sensitivity training programs" for all its employees. I wonder why one would have to be trained to be sensitive to He/She bathroom users but not to male or female users? And does this mean I can finally fulfill the great male fantasy....that I can use your rest room too. Haha It might be worth making a trip to New York if I can do that...
Accidents happen! But weird accidents that happen are something that I cant resist mentioning (Just your luck) This one involved a busty teenager, a bra and an antenna. What happened? Well....it's the story of how the teen has been charged by police with littering by removing her bra. That's right. A teenager who put her bra on a car antenna before it flew off and led to a highway accident will be charged with littering, a Bowling Green, Kentucky prosecutor said. Emily Davis, 17, of Bowling Green, told police that she took her bra off while her friend was driving on Interstate 75. James Campbell, a guy who knows a bra and what is underneath one as well, who was driving behind the girls, said he swerved to avoid the bra and his car flipped several times.
Campbell, 37, broke a vertebra in his neck during the Sept. 26 accident. His passenger, Jeff Long, 40, broke several ribs. The two girls told investigators that before the accident the men were motioning to them to lift up their shirts. Both men denied making the gestures (we always deny that) and bra less Emily will be charged next week with misdemeanor littering, said Tim Atkins, a juvenile prosecutor in Wood County. Atkins said he'll meet with troopers before filing the charge. The girl's friend, Tabitha Adams, 17, of Bowling Green, said she told Davis not to hang her bra outside because she knew it would fly away.
No......I don't know if Emily is a blonde.
Yep! It's another crazy judicial ruling about a matter that is best left to the discretion of the authorities who administer a program. In this case of stupid judge rulings, the city is being forced to open all rest rooms to He/She users, not only in subways, but in other pubic buildings in that state. It happened after three trannies were arrested by police for using a woman's rest room in a subway earlier this month. I think those lady rest rooms will be much more interesting places to be now...but I am not yet cross dressing to find out. The main litigant that has revolutionized the way rest rooms will be labeled is named Helena Stone, at least that is his alter , bath room ego name. Helena got a small amount of "damages" ($2000) from the court judgment and the right to sit on either male or female rest room thrones. "I'm thrilled with it, " Helena said after the court ruled in her favor. "It's like the world was lifted off my shoulders after a few months of Hell." ( If she thinks it's Hell not to use a opposite sex bathroom, she should try to sit on some of the disgusting male bathroom seats after we men have peed with the seat down)
Wow! Helena takes her rest rooms seriously. The court also has sided with Helena by ordering the MTA to sponsor "transgender sensitivity training programs" for all its employees. I wonder why one would have to be trained to be sensitive to He/She bathroom users but not to male or female users? And does this mean I can finally fulfill the great male fantasy....that I can use your rest room too. Haha It might be worth making a trip to New York if I can do that...
Accidents happen! But weird accidents that happen are something that I cant resist mentioning (Just your luck) This one involved a busty teenager, a bra and an antenna. What happened? Well....it's the story of how the teen has been charged by police with littering by removing her bra. That's right. A teenager who put her bra on a car antenna before it flew off and led to a highway accident will be charged with littering, a Bowling Green, Kentucky prosecutor said. Emily Davis, 17, of Bowling Green, told police that she took her bra off while her friend was driving on Interstate 75. James Campbell, a guy who knows a bra and what is underneath one as well, who was driving behind the girls, said he swerved to avoid the bra and his car flipped several times.
Campbell, 37, broke a vertebra in his neck during the Sept. 26 accident. His passenger, Jeff Long, 40, broke several ribs. The two girls told investigators that before the accident the men were motioning to them to lift up their shirts. Both men denied making the gestures (we always deny that) and bra less Emily will be charged next week with misdemeanor littering, said Tim Atkins, a juvenile prosecutor in Wood County. Atkins said he'll meet with troopers before filing the charge. The girl's friend, Tabitha Adams, 17, of Bowling Green, said she told Davis not to hang her bra outside because she knew it would fly away.
No......I don't know if Emily is a blonde.
Hang Up And Serve
I have a comment on an increasingly annoying cell phone problem (Yes, I have an unlimited number of those to discuss). It's employee cell use at work. I am seeing it all now as the cell addiction world-wide worsens. They talk on phones (personal conversations) while working retail in an office, even nurses and doctors in the hospital.
I even see grocery store employees who retrieve grocery baskets chatting on their phones as they round them up. Everywhere, employers either turn their heads to ignore the rudeness and waste of worker minutes, or are so addicted to the phones themselves think it is "normal" to waste time at work and annoy customers.
Whatever, I don't see any effort on their part to ban those phones from their employees who are on the job. And it annoys me. The other day I stood in front of a store clerk and waited to check out as she concluded a phone call with her friend about matters so stupid and unimportant I am not going to repeat the content of the call. Haha First the cell nuts use their cells while driving ax entertainment modules, ignoring their driving and creating havoc because of inattention. Then when I arrive at the store, the cell nuts are working as they chat on their phones. They remind me of the 7 dwarves in Snow White who "whistle while they work".
But store clerks and other workers!!! You should hang up your phone and service the customer. No cell phone should be in your hand when a paying customer is ready to transact business. And if your stupid phone rings while you are working (because you are too stupid to turn off the ringer), let it ring and turn off the ringer or phone itself after the customer is gone. The customer is the reason for the business and cell phones are for personal business only. Sigh....I think those phones will give me stroke one day. And if one does...the person who owns it will probably take his or her call and just let me die.....
Beware of where you park your car, even when you park legally. A shopkeeper in Carmel, California got so angry about the way a man had parked his car that he climbed into a forklift, placed the fork under the car and lifted it off the ground, police said. Wasek Safrah, 51, of Ossining, California also punched out both the offending car and the man who parked it, said Lt. Brian Karst of the Carmel police.
He was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and assault. Karst said the episode began at about 5 p.m. Oct. 16 at a strip mall on Route 6 in Mahopac. Safrah felt the car, though legally parked, was blocking his access to a storage container or trash bin and got into a heated argument with the driver, who was an employee of another store and was no longer in the car. Wild Man Wasek then punched the side of the vehicle, denting it. Then he took the controls of a forklift in the parking lot, maneuvered its lifting mechanism under the car and lifted it upward. The car was not moved out of the parking spot, however.
After lifting the car, Wasek allegedly punched the driver in the mouth. The victim was injured but not seriously, . The car was eventually lowered from the forklift and Wild Man was released pending an appearance in Carmel Town Court. Uh...I sure hope that the Carmel Town Court gives Wild Man plenty of room to park when he shows for his court appearance...
I even see grocery store employees who retrieve grocery baskets chatting on their phones as they round them up. Everywhere, employers either turn their heads to ignore the rudeness and waste of worker minutes, or are so addicted to the phones themselves think it is "normal" to waste time at work and annoy customers.
Whatever, I don't see any effort on their part to ban those phones from their employees who are on the job. And it annoys me. The other day I stood in front of a store clerk and waited to check out as she concluded a phone call with her friend about matters so stupid and unimportant I am not going to repeat the content of the call. Haha First the cell nuts use their cells while driving ax entertainment modules, ignoring their driving and creating havoc because of inattention. Then when I arrive at the store, the cell nuts are working as they chat on their phones. They remind me of the 7 dwarves in Snow White who "whistle while they work".
But store clerks and other workers!!! You should hang up your phone and service the customer. No cell phone should be in your hand when a paying customer is ready to transact business. And if your stupid phone rings while you are working (because you are too stupid to turn off the ringer), let it ring and turn off the ringer or phone itself after the customer is gone. The customer is the reason for the business and cell phones are for personal business only. Sigh....I think those phones will give me stroke one day. And if one does...the person who owns it will probably take his or her call and just let me die.....
Beware of where you park your car, even when you park legally. A shopkeeper in Carmel, California got so angry about the way a man had parked his car that he climbed into a forklift, placed the fork under the car and lifted it off the ground, police said. Wasek Safrah, 51, of Ossining, California also punched out both the offending car and the man who parked it, said Lt. Brian Karst of the Carmel police.
He was arrested on charges of criminal mischief and assault. Karst said the episode began at about 5 p.m. Oct. 16 at a strip mall on Route 6 in Mahopac. Safrah felt the car, though legally parked, was blocking his access to a storage container or trash bin and got into a heated argument with the driver, who was an employee of another store and was no longer in the car. Wild Man Wasek then punched the side of the vehicle, denting it. Then he took the controls of a forklift in the parking lot, maneuvered its lifting mechanism under the car and lifted it upward. The car was not moved out of the parking spot, however.
After lifting the car, Wasek allegedly punched the driver in the mouth. The victim was injured but not seriously, . The car was eventually lowered from the forklift and Wild Man was released pending an appearance in Carmel Town Court. Uh...I sure hope that the Carmel Town Court gives Wild Man plenty of room to park when he shows for his court appearance...
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