Autumn

It is delightful outside for walking or anything one does for exercise, so cool and pretty. I see the leaves on some trees already have red, orange, yellow and other shades of color and some have fallen now. Autumn is wonderful. It is one of the better times of the year. Soon pumpkin stands will sell their bright orange Halloween favorites and that will put me in the mood for Halloween. When I was a child my mom and dad would take me to see "the pumpkins" and to pick and buy a few for decorating our house. Fall is the time when we can safely be kids again because everyone else wants to be a child in fall too.

Hmmm Let me tell you some of the things I like about Autumn. Maybe you'll agree or can add some of your own. Or maybe you dislike Autumn and prefer another season to it. Some of my favorite autumn sights are: school buses and kids heading to school (but only now that I no longer teach... it wasn't fun for me when I had to teach the kids); Pumpkin coffee and sweets everywhere around me; Two of my favorite holidays are in fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving; fallen. colorful leaves on the lawn in the gutter and street; football games; apple cider and candy apples; the sweaters people wear that are as colorful as the autumn leaves; Halloween candy, those haunted houses and Halloween decorations; turning off the air conditioning and enjoying the cool breezes through an open window; baking and eating fruit pies, whose ingredients are fresh from local orchards; the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin spice; seeing and smelling the smoke from fireplaces finally lighted after summer's sleep; the colors of fall, which are magnificent because they are so varied and a reminder of how beautiful nature can be; the end of any of those awful hot summer days; the realization that fall brings of our own human seasons (changes).

That cinches it for me. I know autumn is the best of the seasons, and to prove it I shall head for the kitchen to make pumpkin bread.

And The Winner Is...

Speaking of the decline of civilization...Ok, I didn't mention that yet, but I will now because it's that time of year again. Yes, the annual Darwin award winners (you just cannot use the term "winners" more loosely than with that) have been announced and it sure doesn't inspire optimism in the future of mankind. The Darwin's honor those who, if we were lucky, will remove themselves from the gene pool so we can all get on with evolving into something more intelligent and productive.

Need an example? Well this year's winner, James Elliot, was well qualified (Uh, "was" because he did remove himself from the gene pool with his award winning act). When his .38 caliber revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , Calif., would-be robber James did something that can only inspire wonder among fellow Darwinites. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked and our collective IQ increased as the bullet penetrated James' brain.

I know society has always had its share of idiots, but with our technology today it's so much easier to hear about their escapades. If you need more news of the Darwin winners to be convinced that humans need focus better, the runner-ups follow below.

– After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The deception wasn't discovered for three days.

– An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, he told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

– A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15.

– Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly.. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

So all of these idiots seem to indicate that humans are not really evolving. Think about this and then try to recall some of your own Darwin types you have witnessed in your own city. Uh, it doesn't take long to remember along list of acts of stupidity witnessed by Darwinites. I confess, some of my own behaviors make my list.

Yes, I am a Darwinite too, though not to the degree that other James is/was. I just put my foot in my mouth with my stupid remarks, but at least I haven't yet shot himself in the head. I know what you are thinking, but you should be ashamed of the idea that I should try to top that other James this year.

Banned Book Week

Recently, it was 'Banned Book Week' in the U.S. There are going to be special readings of books in bookstores and in public to protest some of the books banned in school that have been "banned" for kids in some schools here. This society occasionally bans some books for juveniles, which is probably a good idea since they may not be mature enough to assimilate the material and because they can eventually read anything at age 18 anyway. But the idea of banning literature for children is a tenuous enterprise because sometimes innocent books get banned too.

Something called BannedBooksWeek.Org even has a site where one can post videos of themselves reading excerpts of a banned book on a YouTube channel that show the book shouldn't be banned after all. The right to read whatever is written has always been a sacred one for adults here, yet when is it appropriate to censor for kids? For example, the silly/harmless Twilight series of books that are so popular with kids have been banned from some school libraries as being "too violent or too sexual". Yet any teen can get that book series from any bookstore, on line or at a public library.

In fact, very few books are actually banned in U.S. schools. A "banned" book is a book that has been removed from a public library or school's shelves or reading lists due to pressure from someone who isn't a librarian or teacher (usually nutty parents). In practice, this means pretty much any book that's pulled off the shelves of a library can be counted as "banned." Usually banning emanates from a fanatical zealot group or parent who is out of the mainstream view.

I wonder if in this age of the internet and easy access parents can really ban books that their kids are attracted to. Probably not very easily, since any child with a computer can find any book on line. And a free society should be wary of rushing to ban books for its kids. More often than not, not reading is a bigger problem today for kids than is reading too much....of anything, even "banned material".

Face book In Prison

Face book has finally been released from prison....sort of. Better stated, prisoners in some states in the U.S., California being the latest, have now banned prisoners from accessing Face book. And Face book has closed their accounts, as it has done in several other U.S. states. Well, criminals are not allowed internet usage but they still manage to have access through illegal cell phone usage inside the prison, in spite of the police taking measures to stop it. It's another example that the ugly cell phone abuse rears it's head, even in jails.

California prison officials, who initially signed a contract with Face book to keep it out of the hands of prisoners, claim that they've received numerous complaints made by victims of the criminal locked inside their jails, stating they have been contacted by criminals from the prison. One of the victims, for example, was a child who underwent physical abuse by the convict, and whose Face book and MySpace were being viewed by him. The prisoner made drawings of her and were mailed to her family.

In Great Britain the abuse of Face book by convicts is a national scandal, all because the pervasive use of technology can not even be arrested behind prison bars. Hmmm I wonder if I can tell whether a Face book user is a prisoner or not. There must be some clues that the hot babe in the bikini on Face book who "just can't live without me" is actually a fat guy who murdered in seven states. I guess these might be some signals that you are chatting with a convict on Face book. Maybe these are some of the clues.

- When using one of those chat icons the convict selects a machine gun instead of a smile.
- Texts WTMY (Want To Molest You) when chatting with you
- When asked what college he/she attended says he/she attended the "State Pen" instead of "Penn State University"
- Instead of asking you to run away and marry, he/she suggests robbing a bank together.
- You see the convict's orange prison jumpsuit matches his fake tan
- Desperate for intimacy, you notice she made a boyfriend out of a stuffed laundry bag
- When you catch him in his lie and see he is in jail says, "I'm in here for illegally downloading video of you off the Internet".

Come to think of it, I should be put in a prison cell for writing this stupidity.

World's Most Extravagant Toilet

Just when I think I have heard it all extravagance, I read today of a $6,390 toilet. Right..instead of the usual $50 toilet, you can own $6, 390 worth of _ _ _ _. It is Kohler's new top-of-the-line toilet that supposedly anyone should buy, be comfortable while sitting and purging. It's expensive because it has some features that make sitting on the toilet a pleasurable experience.

Here's the "poop' on those features as Kohler lists them
- Custom Bidet: User can control pressure, temperature and angle. You know what bidet is, huh? It's that French designed (the French rarely invent anything, so it is fitting that the most famed of all French designed is a bidet) 18th century sitting wash basin that people use to wash their genitals before sex or the butts after a bowel movement. They still use that today in France, which kind of sums up how arrested the culture is there.

- Tank less Design: No chains to jiggle, but at this price?

- Motion Sensor Lid: After 90 seconds of no movement, the toilet will close and a deodorizer activated. Can't a person just close the lid him or herself?

- Seat Warmer: Why should your bare bottom suffer from a chilly toilet seat? But does warming the butt activate the evacuation process or retard it?

- Foot Warmer: A vent beneath the bowl blows hot air to warm your feet and the cold tile beneath them. Hmmmm Most people just place a rug in front of the toilet seat to achieve that.

- Automatic Seat: For male users, a motion sensor is activated by foot and causes the seat to rise and then lower when you're away. This might end the spousal war about whether each should raise or lower the seat after using. But that could make most marriages far duller. There is something heartwarming about the toilet seat debate.
- LED lit back panel: Frosted glass is lit in an energy efficient way. I guess if you are going to charge too much to sell a toilet, claiming the user is going to save the world is a nice global warming nonsense feature.

- MP3 Hook-up: So you never have to be without your music. Uh..what songs would you have on your MP3 crapper list? There is an actual song called "I Pooped in my Pants", by The Toilet Bowl Cleaners.

- Remote Control: This touch screen pad lets the user control all of these features from a wireless control. Should you want to activate the foot warmer in advance. This toilet seems heavenly for the nerd crowd.

- A flat white surface designed for easy cleaning: Though I doubt anyone who spends over $6,400 on a toilet is planning to clean it themselves.

Kohler says that the toilet is for “consumers that want the best — latest in technology and want a fashion statement for their home." But I am not sure the average man or woman could be comfortable sitting down after paying that much for a toilet. This whole subject is a load of _ _ _

Censoring Songs Again

I read that China's Ministry of Culture has ordered music download sites to delete songs by Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, the Backstreet Boys and other pop stars within two weeks or face punishment. Hmmm I know those dictators like to censor (well, they try to censor, but most of what they don't want people to hear gets to the masses anyway), but why censor a now dismantled boy band like the Backstreet Boys? Are they fomenting revolution in China with their syrupy sweet innocent love songs?

The ministry posted a list of 100 songs that are forbidden in China and said that if any of those download sites allowed them they would be "punished" in some way. Maybe the punishment for them should be to post on line only the top ten speeches of of premier Hu. Oh no. It is too much. That would be the death penalty for the sites. Strange thing about the banned list is that there are also some songs from Hong Kong listed. If a Chinese city of that prominence is making "objectionable tunes" the Chinese dictators must be losing the censorship race.

The ministry said the rule was meant to preserve China's "national cultural security. Haha Yes, I can see Lady Gag and The Backstreet Boys tumbling social order. To be fair to the dictators (Fair to the dictators...seems ironic, doesn't it) the censorship order didn't say that the listed songs were objectionable, just that they had not been approved for distribution. Kind of paranoid view, I think. But that's what censorship is all about. it sees demons before it even opens it's eyes.

The Chinese government carefully screens the content of imported entertainment content for political messages or commentary that runs contrary to its official line. But does ti really think that China can block contrary information from the population these days? I think technology and in specific, communication inroads, makes it a futile exercise to try to censor in a capitalist society like China has become. It's an indication the regime is out of touch with how China has changed and how much the population now ignores regime propaganda and censorship.

China has been trying to boost its interaction with foreign and domestic media to show are more open nature. Many government bodies are holding more news conferences and posting transcripts online. But it seems to me that it is really all thin facade until they stop censoring the Lady Gaga's and Backstreet Boys of the world.

National Pardon Day

I think I missed National Pardon Day? Pardon me for missing it, but I just read about it a few minutes ago and should be pardoned for the lapse. That day really exists, another of the many stupid American "days" that are full of sound and fury but signify nothing (Thanks to Shakespeare for lending me that line, and, pardon me Shake, if it was tactless to use it). Besides National Pardon Day, it's hard to believe but there was also a National Date Nut Bread Day on the same day. What is one to do when asked to observe two important holidays at the same time? And to think I didn't even eat any date nut bread on National Pardon Day. I really can relate better to anything nutty, so I think next year I'll forget forgiving or asking for a pardon, and instead I'll eat a piece of date nut bread.

Back to Pardon Day... The origin of National Pardon Day goes back to the Presidential Pardon granted by President Gerald Ford to previous president Richard Nixon, for his many dishonest and illegal behaviors in the famed Watergate scandal during Nixon's term of office. On September 8th, 1974 after taking over the presidency for Nixon, who reigned in disgrace, Ford pardoned Nixon, and thereafter began a movement to pardon others to on the same date. If crooked politicians can be pardoned and given immunity from jail for their abuses, the rest of us should be pardoned too. So next Pardon Day (I assume you also missed it, probably because you were too busy eating date nut bread) if you have wronged someone or hurt their feelings, then you should seek them out to say your are sorry and to sincerely ask their forgiveness. It's also the day to be gracious in giving forgiveness to someone who is truly sorry for what he or she has done.

Of course, I will deny anything you claim I did to offend you. I can get away with it by claiming my stupidity as an excuse. Stupid people are automatically pardoned on the basis of not knowing any better. So forget any claim that I need to be pardoned, and instead start groveling to me and asking for forgiveness for all you have done to injure me this year. By the way, on National Pardon Day the recommended forgiveness ritual is for you to send candy, flowers and to ask for an apology...errr.. just to let you know...I prefer dark chocolate.

How does one know if he or she needs to be pardoned? Our society today is so coarse and lacking in social folkways of behavior that most are not aware of their transgressions when committing them. For example, just look at the blathering cell phone idiots who publicly scream into their cell phones and by doing so offend anyone who recognizes the value of etiquette to a society. Society today may be beyond seeing a purpose in a Pardon Day because it has lost most of the norms of behavior of the past.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, forget the whole thing. Just have a piece of date nut bread on National Pardon Day next year and feel free to belch in public while doing it. No one is likely to exclaim in outrage, "I beg your pardon!" if you do.

Bug Nugget Fever

Have you had your BugNugget today? If not, you should go ahead and I am happy to give you my quota to eat as well. Eating insects, processed into coated treats or not, is quite common in the world, but it's a craze now in Europe. Food safety officials across Europe now are trying to establish guidelines and standards for some of the new exotic insect snacks that are becoming increasingly popular, such as crickets and worm chips. Yuk!

Health experts and officials in various individual countries in Europe say that they have no idea how safe eating that roach that is crawling across your computer monitor. So they are enlisting suppliers, retailers and natural history experts to help set up standards for safety. Apparently, common sense among the European population isn't one standard these days. Oh, the things people do just to be trendy. But eating insects when donuts are available? It is heresy.

Why is this buggy eating habit gaining popularity and being touted as the “food of the future” in Environmental circles in Europe? It's because roaches, spiders, ants and whatever else crawls by allegedly have a "low carbon footprint and high protein content" because bugs don't take farmland space, don't need to be fed and don't produce those greenhouse gasses that allegedly change the climate.. Hmmmm So does drinking one's own urine, but I want no part of that either. Bugnuggeting is yet another bizarre attempt to "save the planet" (How many times do the environmental nuts want to save the planet? They seem to do it all the time).

Some insects in their dried form are said to have twice the protein of raw meat and fish, while others are mostly unsaturated fat and contain important vitamins and minerals. Nice, if you like eating bugs. I don't. There is the matter of taste to add to the equation. Food should be enjoyed as to taste as well. Though eating insects is common elsewhere, particularly in Asia, with a reported 1,700 species of bug eaten in 113 countries, that is an acquired taste. I doubt Europeans or Americans will throw down their filet mignon and fries in favor of stir-fried crickets or sautéed caterpillars.

Europeans and Americans have a cultural aversion to "entomophagy" (eating insects) that is probably too strong to change. I think the insects must feel grateful for it.

Diaper Dandies

Can you believe it? In these times of economic distress worldwide, the diaper makers are seem as impervious to it all as their diapers. It's because there is now a new line of diapers being made for the little one that takes extravagance to an extreme. It's the age of the designer diaper. Yep, babies are now being dressed in cutsie designer diapers.

It started a few months ago with the introduction of the camouflaged military diaper, which consumers went to war to throw away their money one. I am not sure if the babies know they are being dressed for combat, but if they knew I am sure they would defect to another country. yet, mom and dad think having a baby dressed for combat is cute, so junior can only poo in it as much as possible as an snit war diaper protest.

These new designer diapers can cost up to 20% more than conventional diapers, with most placing fewer diapers in a pack. Yet, parents are racing to have the latest diaper style. No, the adult diaper industry is not yet designer, but then any adult who has to wear diapers hardly wants to show off his or her fashion statement. novel ways to boost sales and gain market share. But babies are modeling the designer look now because baby moms want compliments from other moms. Babies don't compliment each other on their diapers. Moms do. And what else can an infant do to earn praise from jealous moms? Infants are basically blobs who do little of distinction, so "my diaper is trendier than yours" is the best way for a mom to brag about her little one . Kind of a sad testimony on the current state of parenthood, I think.

Here are the biggest selling designer diapers you can buy.
*The Camouflage Diaper- Huggies, the world's leading diaper maker sells this one and calls it the "Camo". I guess, parents want to get their little ones ready for war. For every package of Camo diapers sold, Huggies donates one diaper to a military service family in need. It's a clever exploitation of the patriotic theme by Huggies. "If you love your baby and our military, support both by buying a Camo diaper".
* The Jean Diaper- Diapers that looked like jeans are becoming very popular. I wonder if baby sandals and the floral T shirt is next. But I think the world can do without hippie babies.
* The Floral Diaper- Another leading diaper maker, Pampers, recently introduced floral prints for girls. I wonder if gay babies wear that one too.
* The Argyle Print Diaper- This one is supposed to be the male alternative to the female floral print. This one is a "limited time only" offering because the idea of it is so ridiculous its likely to be a bust at the checkout counter.
* Ruffle Diapers- "Eco-diapers" with ruffles for girls and plaids for boys were introduced this year by gDiapers. It exploits the trendy environmental rage and the disgraceful tend of parents to use their babies to promote their own self esteem.

Supposedly, the next designer diapers to be released this year take bad taste even further. Stay tuned for the skateboard and leopard skin diapers. Sigh...all this foolishness just makes me want to poo in my pants.

Moose Talk

Let's talk Moose! Ok, I admit it's a slow day for my brain and I am resorting to Moose talk today. But stick with me as I link female moose motives to female human motives, and get into trouble and Moose dodo because of it. I just read that female moose (called "cows" unlike female humans who, if called cows will be highly agitated toward those who name them that), are able to manipulate amorous Moose males into fighting each other, allowing the more desirable bulls to emerge as mates. They, uh....manipulate the male Moose to fight over them. Sound familiar, to you cow....err females?

Researcher in a study in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska studying moose behavior have now found that females moan more when they are approached by smaller males, and that this triggers aggression in larger males. I've seen this phenomenon among female humans in bars and other meeting places as well. Anyway, what the scientists studying Moose believe is that females have more control over mate choice than previously thought. Does this mean females of all species (humans too) are the same?

This implication for we male moose and male humans is that we are helpless in the hands of the female as to matters of mating and romance. I first deduced the female control over relationships as a young teacher of teens. I saw that many females fought over teen males and manipulated them romantically, but it was a rare event when two males battled for the hand of a female teen. can you ever remember two men physically fighting over a woman? It would be a rare if so. But how many physical confrontations between women, battling about a male, have you witnessed? It's probably many more.

I should escape being castigated by you as a male chauvinist pig by making a lame remark that females are just more passionate and caring in relationships, not more manipulative. But I know you understand I don't believe it. It's more likely the female is instinctually driven to control her mate than is the male. Men tend to cheat on their women when they try to control them but the women rarely seem to link their control to the cheating. I think perhaps the moose of the world are warning we me males about this. But then, how can we male pigs understand either a moose or a woman...

National Romance Awareness Month

Did you know that August was 'National Romance Awareness Month'? On that day a person who has a romantic relationship going on is supposed to "surprise his better half" with a Valentine Day sort of expression of love. I am not sure many people do that though. Most couples would probably be more inclined to argue over which of the is the "better half" in the relationship. One of the tips suggested for the lover to do is this: When your significant other is in the shower in the morning, take a towel and warm it up in the dryer. Haha Are they kidding? Most married couples, for instance, are more likely to toss the electric hair drier into the bath water...while the other is bathing- than to do that.

Ok, I am cynical, allegedly like all men are. Maybe not! Here is what Dr. Helen Fisher, the adviser to the dating site Chemistry.com" It's a myth that men aren't as romantic as women "Your romantic streak just depends on your biological makeup. Based on my research at Chemistry.com, I have found that men who are more expressive of estrogen (and there are lots of them, including some football players), fall in love more regularly than others. These men are also the most creative when it comes to planning romantic activities, and romantic times are particularly meaningful to them."
But I don't have much faith in the Chemistry.com crowd because my newspaper today says that it's survey of of three top ten U.S. cities for romantic men in the revealed that the 2nd most romantic men in America can be found in Portland (San Francisco is rated number one, but I believe that. It's a city of gays and gays always seem more passionate than straights). Hmmmm I live in Portland and that alone should bring down this city's rating.

I am not a member of that Chemistry.com site, so I can't see what the criteria for most romantic male is. Here is the full list.
1. San Francisco, CA
2. Portland, OR
3. Austin, TX
4. Salt Lake City, UT
5. Hartford, CT
6. Boston, MA
7. Seattle, WA
8. New York, NY
9. Los Angeles, CA
10. Washington D.C.

Those cities have little in common. Besides the heavy gay population in San Francisco, there is repressed Mormon base in Salt Lake City, the sterile government crowd of Washington D.C. or the unfriendly males of New York. The only commonality might be that all ten of those cites have a high concentration of males living there.
I thought maybe those ten cities were kinkier than most, and that being so would express more passion and therefore, more romance. So I searched the web for the top ten kinky cities. Only three of them also made that list (Yes, my old home New Orleans was on the kinky list. It would not have been a legitimate list without that).

I think I will give up in frustration trying to figure out all of this. And to think that my confusion about this has ruined the other big holiday of the month. You see, August was also supposed to be 'Admit You're Happy Month', and since I found about this I just can't celebrate that.

Gotopless.com

It's time to get it off your chest....err...or I mean to show our chest. That's what Gotopless.org says you should do anytime you wish. No, I am not fixated on breasts. In fact, they don't do anything to excite me. I stumbled over the Gotopless thing because a spam mail asked me if I was going to bear my breasts on August 21 (Go Topless day). I know I am a little chubby, but I didn't think that organization noticed my breasts. Maybe they sent it to the wrong person. I'll refrain from baring my breasts to avoid scaring the children...

Anyway, the Topless group has an interesting philosophy as to why women should be able to walk around with their shirts off. "As long as men are allowed to be topless in public, women should have the same constitutional right. Or else, men should have to wear something to hide their chests" Rael, founder of Gotopless.org and spiritual leader of the Raelian Movement said in a policy statement.

This Gotopless group is a new one, started a few years ago, and it uses August 21 as the day to challenge laws that allow men to be topless but not women. They call their 2012 march the "2 Million Boob March in Washington D.C." Hmmmm two million giggling boobs should attract a big male following. Go topless equates being able to go bare chested with a woman's right to vote. I am not sure it is that important, but many men might also fight for that right of females to show it all. Interestingly enough, in both my past and current homes, New Orleans and Portland, the law is more permissive and allows women to be bare breasted in certain places and times. But other than at Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, I haven't seen this "freedom" on display.

Surely, there are more important things to worry about than whether breasts should be bared in public. Gotopless.org claims the constitutional right of women to go topless in public is in the name of gender equality. I am not sure "constitutional rights" is the proper term for that showing breasts, but if you agree with their creed you can sign the Gotopless petition and even show yours while doing it. They claim a modest goal of seeking 10,000 signatures on their petition, and have only about 6800 signatures so far (I wonder how many men signed it). I might sign too... but only if they let me sign on their breasts....

Losing Anonymity Even On Line

Have you noticed we are losing the ability to remain anonymous? With the advent of so many communication devices we are now almost always being monitored in highly trafficked parks, malls, airports and stadiums....it wouldn't even surprise me to hear there are cameras in rest rooms. Those cell phones so many are addicted to these days even have tracking devices to find people. Strangers can identify a person's identity and whereabouts if both have a cell phone. The prediction is that soon there will be apps (oh, how I hate that word!) on smart phones that let anyone identify random faces in a crowd.

But the Internet seems to be the last refuge for anonymity, the public space that let us broadcast opinions without showing our identity. However, even internet is starting to lose the attribute of anonymity, as a new campaign for disclosure now starts to change it. Google and Facebook, for example, have both said that anonymity on the internet is a bad thing and that it must end. One wonders if the end of Internet anonymity be good or bad for individuals and for society? Probably both.

For society it is more a good thing in the sense that online anonymity is primarily sought by hate mongers or those engaged in dishonest business, since it makes finding them and making them accountable far less likely. When people are required to post their names, for instance, the dialogue they post is far more civil than when they can be anonymous. So losing one's anonymity on line does make using the Internet a more pleasant experience.

But being allowed to write anonymously has a big benefit for both the individual and for society, because it makes it far easier for the powerless to challenge the powerful. People just "speak up" more often and more forcefully when they do not have to reveal themselves. Think of all the secret whistle blowers (the recent Wiki leaks, for instance), and it's not hard to imagine that the good done by their revelations would never have happened had they feared having their identities revealed.

Encouraging civility on line by requiring identity, while at the same time preserving avenues of dissent, is a hard balance. The debate over whether one should have a right to anonymity in public spaces is now ongoing and being decided piecemeal....in favor of erasing anonymity But it brings forth another question, as those in favor of anonymity are losing this debate. Will the loss of anonymity bring about more spying on private interactions? It already does so in dictatorial nations that "regulate" internet use in the name of "safety" or "civility".

Enjoy your freedom to log on line and the right we now have to not have our identity be exposed without our consent. These times of anonymity seem to be vanishing in the wind.

Ice Cream Time

It's National Ice Cream month in the United States. Well, that's what I have read. I like but don't really eat a lot of ice cream and wouldn't change my habits just because this is the month we are supposed to most appreciate ice cream. On balance though, I haven't met many people who don't like ice cream. 90% of American families eat ice cream regularly , averaging about 15 liters per person on average during the year.
Statistics show that children ages two through 12, and adults age 45 plus, eat the most ice cream per person. And the most popular flavor in the U.S. is vanilla, followed by chocolate, strawberry, chocolate chip and butter pecan. That's a list of pretty plain flavors. But just about anything can and is be made into ice cream. There is even a tomato ice cream flavor.

Vanilla is my favorite, but I do like some of the more uncommon flavors too, like pumpkin, creole cream cheese, and fig. I used to make fig, coffee and banana ice cream myself because they are not as easily obtained elsewhere. Ice cream machines are inexpensive and work well, giving a very good product. But what I most like is to buy ice cream at a small independent ice cream parlor. They make the best ice cream. Too bad the number of those is far fewer than when I was a kid, when a trip to an ice cream parlor or soda fountain in a drug store meant delicious "homemade" creamy ice cream.

The ice cream we buy today in grocery stores is a far cry from premium ice cream one can get in ice cream parlors. It's gummy (the guar gum and other stabilizers stores bought ice cream out into it to extend shelf life makes that ice cream unappetizingly gummy tasting), which is why I don't care for store bought ice creams nearly as much. As more of the prepackaged ice cream was sold through supermarkets years ago, traditional ice cream parlors and soda fountains started to disappear.

But now, specialty ice cream stores and unique restaurants that feature ice cream dishes have surged in popularity again. It is good. I think a flavorful ice cream cone improves one's quality of life more than he or she realizes. Those ice cream parlors and restaurants are popular with people like me who remember the ice cream shops and soda fountains of days past. And today's younger generations can compare and see that grocery store ice cream is not the real thing. They too are demanding premium ice cream.

The best ice cream parlor in New Orleans is the Creole Creamery. They make an enormous amount of flavors, depending on the season and day. Look at their list of ice cream choices. http://www.creolecreamery.com/flavors/ That 'Buttermilk Drop' ice cream choice, an ice cream version of a New Orleans style buttery, dense doughnut that a New Orleans bakery makes there, is something I miss and will never be able to find here in Portland.

I think I did my job this National ice Cream month by writing about ice cream and perhaps you hungry for an ice cream. Hmmm So what flavor did you get?

London Riots

The recent rioting in London should be a warning to all western capitalist nations that have feed their citizens for years with more and more freebies, all in the name of making "society more equal'. Seeing the mostly young rioters display hate for "the rich" and justifying criminal and animalistic behavior as the imitate barbarians and run off with goods every teen wants (new sneakers, bikes, electronics and leather goods) is a disgrace. The "protesters" who don't really have a protest, instead an excuse to steal, and destroy, have torched stores apparently just to see something burn. Early on, in a politically correct stance, the government left them virtually unchallenged in several neighborhoods, and when police did arrive they often were able to flee quickly and regroup (thank twitter for that).

And why the riots? The real reason is that the government has been forced to remove $130 billion from public spending by 2015 to reduce the country's huge budget deficit that has been brought about by the entitlement mentality that is strangling Europe and is a rising problem in the U.S. The average citizen now thinks he or she is entitled to free....well...everything...and that some amorphous "rich person' should pay for it.
Fact is, England and much of the west has created a liberal society of welfare for the masses who do not want or think they should work for their material needs.

Generation after generation of these people receiving government handouts have come to expect their needs be n met by the government, their figurative " mommy and daddy" . Just the mention of a cutback is those gifts can bring forth the London style "protest".. Young kids with no jobs, many immigrants attracted to the economic possibilities of an entitlement nation, not fluent in the language, with little education or job skills and lack of respect for their adoptive country feel they have nothing to lose. Until the systems gets rid of this kind of welfare, riots such as in London will only become more common.

The rioting is more an announcement by the participants that the work ethic has been killed by the social welfare bestowed on them. Their unemployment is both their own fault (lack of respect for education and hard work) and the fault of the system (because of the addictive nature of the excessive welfare given by the country that destroys incentive to work, it is more difficult for the poor to participate equally in such systems) in which they live.

It is interesting to note that other western European nations, Canada and the United States all have youth unemployment statistics that show extremely high levels of underemployment. It will be interesting to see what and where the next angry response to the government and society some see as exploiting will take place. Will the demise of the everything is free mentality in those countries be the needed cure for economically broken nations or the impetus for more of the London episodes?

Video Executions

The U.S. is one of the countries that still has the death penalty for a few crimes. I am opposed to this, but that's not my point here. With the history of the country including such things as those wild west cowboy hangings it's unlike to change. But what is new about capital punishment now is that courts have put an end to the long banned "public hanging" of criminals in favor of allowing"death videos" that record the execution of the criminals.

Some states now record the executions for private use, and that makes one wonder if one day they might be shown on public airwaves. I wonder if this is cruel to the executed and his or her family? The reason given by states for taping executions now is that by taking them away from a secrecy level, there is greater assurance the criminal will be put to death in a more humane, painless way.

But in this age of idiotic Yu tube video and fools with cell phone cameras posting anything and everything, it seems inevitable that executions would make their way to television or to Yu tube. It is impossible to not expect such video to become publicly accessible. Too, a society that lusts to see a human put to death may not be a healthy one. Showing executions would encourage that unhealthy attitude. Too many people today have difficulty separating reality from "reality TV' and the like. Would not displaying executions make life seem cheaper?

There is something disturbing about people lining up to watch humans being put to death. Might humans become more indifferent to death if they witness it routinely, kind of like how we accept the policy of animals at a local animal shelter being put to death because there is no more room to hold additional ones. Sometimes transparency isn't for the best.

Saving The Planet With Nonsense Theory

I wanted to throw up when I read a headline in my newspaper yesterday. The headline read, 'Meatless meals save time, and the planet'. Oh my, it imply that not eating meat will "save" the earth from destruction. But for me, whatever it is the crazy politically correct Global Warmed types imagine is enough to at least make me gag, if not regurgitate my last meaty meal.

The article was written by a guy who said he wanted to follow a "plant-based diet" (I guess this implies that all animals who eat meat are also killing the earth and are as evil as me?) in order to "eat lower on the food chain to reduce my carbon footprint". Ugh! The wording of those environmental crazies is always the same, mindless parroted repetition of empty, if flowery rhetoric. He has been convinced (brainwashed?) that his eating of meat has somehow contributed to what he imagines as a globally warmed planet.

To affirm his belief that earth is dying because I like lamb chops, burgers and barbecued ribs, the author said that the Environmental Working Group (an extremist environmental organization that claims to be "protecting kids from toxic chemicals in food, water, air and the products people use every day by the use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment.") came out with their 'Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change and Health'. I'm not kidding about the title. That guide is designed to allegedly help consumers understand how food choices affect both their environmental footprint and their health by ranking the carbon foot print of foods. "Carbon footrpint"...I'd like to grill and eat the fool who coined that term.

I think EWG must be an informal food police of sort. Lamb, beef and cheese are ranked as the worst foods for we global destroyers because they require the most greenhouse gas emissions to produce. EWG said the best choices for us to eat are lentils and beans. It figures...what tastes best is said to be evil and what is least tasty is angelic. Hmmm, I say that only when EWG tells me donuts are healthy I may pay attention to them

Finally, the meatless guy's toothless article says that "if everyone in the United States ate no meat or cheese just one day a week, after one year, the cutback in emissions would be the equivalent of taking 7.6 million cars off the road, or not driving 91 billion miles. That's perhaps the best argument for Meatless Mondays I've ever heard."
Nonsense to all of this idiotic imagined demonizing of foods that don't fit a silly trendy imagined planet saving crusade! Reading that garbage just makes me want to rev up the engine of my car, and head to a fast food burger place to load up a double cheeseburger.