Riots

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You have to wonder what's wrong with our society when someone can say, "Of course we're going to riot," but not over the cover-up of pedophiliac rape.
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Perhaps that's why a "right to riot" has become a staple of campus cultrue across the country, particularly at big schools.

Students riot when administrators take away their beer. They riot when they lose games. They riot when they win games. They riot when the cops try to break up parties. Inconvenience itself has become outrageous.
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"A Misplaced Sense of Outrage", by Jonah Goldberg (Syndicated Columnist), Albuquerque Journal, Nov. 13, 2011, p.B2

Work It - No Thanks

Just saw commercial for a new comedy called Work It soon to be on ABC Television.

This is about two men who dress up as women to land office jobs.

I have NO desire to see this show. How does this pass for comedy.

Motivational blurb of the week:

It doesn't matter how slow you go, just as long as you don't stop.

Cleaning the Garage

Think of cleaning your garage.

In the first hour, you take care of the big stuff. Later, there are smaller items, harder to reach items, and items you aren't sure what to do with. Should the old punching bag go in the attic or the back yard?

By the third hour of cleaning, you are scraping the gum off from behind the workbench. Your volume-per-hour of garage cleaning is nowhere close to what it was in the first hour, but you are just as busy.

(Dig Deeper for WIPP Success, Jody Knox, The Albuquerque Journal, October 30, 2011)

While the above quote is an analogy for where the New Mexico Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is in dealing with the volume of nuclear waste, I think it is a perfect analogy for where I am at after having lived in my new home for one year . . .

I think I'm still in the first hour :)

Ring Ring

Ring Ring

Me: Hello
Phone (male voice): Hello, I'm calling on behalf of so-n-so poling agency and am would like to ask if you have a few moments for a survey regarding the 2012 presidential race?
M: Sure
P: Do you currently approve or disapprove of President Obama's performance as president?
M: Approve
P: Somewhat approve or strongly approve?
M: Somewhat
P: I'm going to list a number of issues, please tell me which one is most important to you.

(The list includes creating jobs, maintaining our presence in Iraq / Afghanistan, reducing the deficit, etc.

M: Jobs
P: Please tell me if you have heard or know of the following?
M: OK
P: The Democratic Party
M: That's a dumb question - NEXT question please
P: (names some candidate for the Republican party)
M: Yes
P: (names another Red candidate)
M: No
P: The Republican Party
M: That's a dumb question - NEXT question please
P: (names another Red candidate)
M: No

(more of the same)

P: If the election were held today, are you more likely to vote for Obama or X (republican candidate)?
M: I do not have enough information about the Republican candidate to answer that question.
P: I'm going to make a number of statements. Please tell me if each will make you more likely or less likely to vote for president Obama. Indicate somewhat or strongly for each.
M: OK
P: (ten statements ensue in which they are all negative in stating something that Obama said or did and the consequence was less than desired) (example: The unemployment rate was 5.?? when Obama took office and is now 10.??. Does this make you less likely or more likely to vote for Obama?) (somewhere in there, I made a statement that the next question had better relate to a positive image of Obama. Didn't work.)

P: If the election were held today, are you more likely to vote for Obama or X (republican candidate)? (yes, the same question a second time - this after negatively beating on Obama)
M: I do not have enough information about the Republican candidate to answer that question.

(You know where this is going, more of the same. A few questions about the Tea Party movement and the affect of the Occupy Wall Street movement is having ensued.)

A few personalized statements from Mighty:

1) President Obama had nothing to do with the stock market crash. It dump due to the housing bust.
2) President Obama had nothing to do with the housing dump. It faltered because it became unsustainable with unqualified housing loans and over inflation of home prices due to investment types (both individuals and industry) looking to make a fast buck. You know, I'll buy the house, clean the bathroom mirror with Windex and that is sure to add $1000 to the homes value. Then sell sell SELL. This type of price management can only sustain itself for so long before the resources of the buyer are over stripped.
3) President Obama had nothing to do with the higher unemployment rate. See No. 1 and 2. Crash of Fannie Mae.
4) The federal deficit is fueled in large part to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wars started before Obama was president. To put a true bench mark on Obama's affect on the deficit, take away the cost of these wars.

For god's sake people, when you get a call of this nature, please try to see through the crap. Think for yourself. While I am not condoning Obama here, this call was clearly designed to put Obama in a negative light. EVERY candidate will have positives and negatives. Look to what you believe in. Practice compromise when selecting a candidate. Know that even your candidate will have outcomes that differ from paper to reality due to unforeseen circumstances and the weight of congress - i.e. the Democratic process.

There - Mighty has spoken!

Speaker Clips

The problem with audio presentations that are edited to include a series of clips by speakers to argue a point pro or con towards a position is that most often, only clips that support said argument are shown. That is, you may only hear half of a complete sentence by the speaker.

What is missing is the complete narrative that will usually change the meaning of the spoken segment.

For example - The statement "I hate Jews . . . " as a short segment greatly changes meaning and perspective when the complete narrative is heard, "I hate Jews who do not treat their fellow brother according to the traditions of Jewish society and the teachings of the Torah."

The Big Picture

President Barack Obama:

The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few.

HP's CEO

Today, Hewlett Packard replaced its eleven month old CEO with Meg Whitman in hopes that she will turn the company around.

Is HP's falling revenues a result of the former CEO's misguidance or are other factors at play?

Like the falling of bookstore giant Borders (not to mention many other smaller bookstores) to the rise of e-book readers, Borders really could do nothing to stem the tide that came.

Now, as smartphones and tablets surge into popularity, is this just another case of a shift in consumer purchasing that will inevitably result in fewer laptop and desktop computers being sold? Can any CEO of HP stem this sort of tide?

Experts in Sleep

Just what exactly is a sleep expert?

Mattress Firm advertises that a sleep expert will help you in selecting the right mattress for you by taking you through a unique comfort test.

Just what is this ?? Lay here. How does that feel? Not good? Try this one.

I'm sure they know about back issues and sleep problems, but really, in the end, it's all about personal preference when you lay on the bed.

The store sales person is probably trained in house to know which brand's are softer, firmer, or other such features of the beds but my guess is that they are not any more knowledgeable about more problematic sleep issues.

Just my two cents mind you. By the way, I sleep on a futon if your interested.

The Gestalt Prayer

I do my thing, and you do your thing.

I am not in this world to live up to your expectations

And you are not in this world to live up to mine.

You are you, and I am I,

And if by chance, we find each other, it's beautiful.

If not, it can't be helped.

(The Gestalt Prayer, Frederick S. Perls, M.D., Ph.D.)

Happy vs. Unhappy Men

Q: What's the most important factor distinguishing happy men from unhapy men?

A: Social attachment is a key factor in health, adjustment, and overall well-being, researchers have found. But it's not the number of friends so much as the quality of those friendships. Men often have casual ties with other guys, but not deep ones. To be happier, try reconnecting with buds from school, the service, or another special time.

(Special Father's Day Edition: Health Quiz, Parade, pp.14-6)

Musical Diversion

The Band Perry - If I Die Young
*******

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

If i die young bury me in satin
lay me down on a bed on a bed of roses
sink me in the river at dawn
send me away with the words of a love song
Uh oh, uh oh
Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother
She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and
Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no
Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby

The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had, just enough time

And I'll be wearing white when i come into your kingdom
im as green as the ring on my little cold finger,
I've never known the lovin of a man
But it sure felt nice when he was holdin' my hand
there's a boy here in town says that he'll love me forever
Whoever thought forever could be severed by
The sharp knife of a short life well I've had just enough time

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

The sharp knife of a short life well I've had just enough time

So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls
what I never did is done a penny for my thoughts oh no
I'll sell em' for a dollar they worth so much more after I'm a goner
and maybe then you'll hear the words
I've been singing funny when you're dead how people start listen'

If I die young, bury me in satin
Lay me down on a, bed of roses
Sink me in the river, at dawn
Send me away with the words of a love song

Uh oh (uh, oh)
The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)
Go with peace and love
Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket
Save them for a time when you're really gonna need 'em, oh
The sharp knife of a short life, well
I've had just enough time
So put on your best boys
And I'll wear my pearls

So put on your best boys, and I'll wear my pearls

Clutter Getting to Me

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The "junk room" is an accepted, even honorable, convention in our society - like the fruit cellar, the guest room, or the recreation room. Are you surrendering a full quarter, a fifth, or even a tenth of your hard-won home space to an idle collection of clutter? The true name of your junk room or area is "The Indecision Room."
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(Clutters Last Stand: T=It's Time to de-Junk Your Life!, Don Aslett, Adams Media, p.58)

Public Domain

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Fires where a catalytic invention in human evolution. Not only did they allow us the physiological benefits or cooked food, but hey also brought us together in a shared reliance on common resources, laying the foundation for cooperative social structures. Whenever I sit before a fire, I imagine what our earliest ancestors must have felt as the heat drew them close, providing refuge from the threats of the night in those times before man was the conqueror of all he saw.
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I found myself wondering: what does it say about our world that the most basic of human comforts -- a park, a fire, a place to sit, a view of the lake -- are assumed by default to be inaccessible to the average person, or accessible only under the constraints of a special permit or designation? To be, in a word, private?
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The schema of capitalism -- where the pursuit of private profits is sanctified -- has turned Americans shamefacedly away from the public life that is the birthright of all citizens in a democracy.
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(In Defense of the Public, pp.30-1, In These Times - Dec. 2010)

Results not typical

You've seen it before - I know you have . . .

1) The Sunday morning infomercials glorifying the latest diet or exercise program.

2) The Nutrisystem (insert any other company) advertisement in the newspaper or flier in the mail.

3) The bill board.

ALL showing before and after pictures of people who have went from flab to fab (mostly women).

It is estimated that 60 billion plus dollars is spent on weight loss programs each year. FOR WHAT?

Results not typical.

The fine print at the bottom of the page that says YOU are most likely to have results less than expected / desired.

Accidental Death Offer

Got this offer in the mail for Accidental Death Insurance. As you would guess, there is a list of exclusions. Most do make sense:

1) Death by self injury.
2) Suicide.
3) Death during a criminal activity.
4) Alcohol or any drug unless taken under doctor's direction.
5) Auto collision in which your B.O.L. was above state's legal limit.
6) Any non-commercial aircraft crash.

Some do not:

1) Body or mental disease - How can you plan this!
2) Infection that does not occur as a result of the accident - Now doesn't an infection you didn't ask for that kills you qualify as accidental?
3) Complications from medical treatments - what am I suppose to do? Make no attempt to treat myself and die?
4) Any act of war - like I asked my commander in chief to give me a desk job pushing paper.

Tired of . . . .

1) The stupid gecko from Geico Auto Insurance.

2) Advertisements for the iHeart Music Festival in Las Vegas.

3) Reality shows and advertisements having host / speakers that have a speaking accent. Mostly Australian accents.

4) People running red lights.

5) The notion that the cell phone is more important than the immediate group of friends in your company.

6) Spending twenty minutes texting an issue rather than speaking with the person and having a resolution in 1..2 minutes.

7) Being in a work environment where your popularity is a soul function of the wants and needs of others.

8) The commentator of a golf game on television who is miles away from the action, but still has to whisper the calls.

9) The Kardahsians.

10) Reality T.V.

11) On CNN.COM, the revolving "hot topic" in the upper left corner.

12) The at any given time, there is a story that is sensationalized in the media.

13) Regarding the stock market, terms such as soars, plummets, dives, and huge to describe the ups and downs of the DOW.

14) The DOW circus - period!

15) and right around the corner . . . the 2012 presidential race.

State of the Union

Let's start with me . . .


Looks like nothing much has changed there. Thank goodness!

Three weeks ago, I decided to join a gym that is right around the corner from where I live. Here's the evidence:

I have been going to the gym that work provides for years. About the only thing that has irritated me has been the reduction of gym hours during the semester breaks and also during the summer session. The new aggravation is they are closing on weekends due to budget issues. That seemed to be the last straw for me. After going for two weeks now, this membership is worth every penny. Great hours seven day's a week. Plus the fact they are right around the corner. And the crowd? Non existent compared to what I'm used to. Price wise, I got a corporate rate which got me $35 / month. No complains here.

A cousin of mine has been living with my mother for several months now. So now she has been pulled over for a DWI in a minor finder bender. She is planning on fighting it even though she refused the three spot test - follow the finger, walking balance check, and Breathalyzer. She claims she was not under the influence. For refusing the finger follow, she has one lazy eye. For refusing the balance check, she has one knee healing from a knee replacement and the other knee is going bad. For refusing the Breathalyzer, no idea. Unfortunately for her, the police did find an almost empty bottle of Vodka in the front cab area. Court date is the 14th of July.

Finally got my swamp cooler up and running, but it has been so hot that it just feels like the suckers not doing anything. While I was up there working on it, I realized that I do NOT like being on second floor roof. Getting back on the ladder to descend is not fun. At least there is some foot grip on the roof with the "standard" asphalt type layered roof in place. BUT (big but) that is about to change as the townhouse HOA is putting up a new metal roof. Smooth, slippery when wet, and H.O.T. I'm going to have to check into a safety harness and hook for myself. Slip on that and it's a long way down with nothing to catch you. Now from a safety perspective, it just might be worth it to pay someone else to do the swamp cooler. That after I've bought a $130 ladder to get up there. Unknown when they'll make it to my unit. Might be a while, but then again, they are making quick progress with what they have started already.

Today was suppose to be a R-n-R day. Laundry, dishes, picking up, rearranging some stuff in the kitchen, and cooking has blown the day. Oh well. Tomorrow will be cooking for the family 4th supper. Should be FUN! Will see one of the city sponsored fireworks displays. While there is a state law that prevents the governor from banning the use of fireworks, they have made every effort to strongly encourage residence to not light fireworks due to the drought and dry conditions in the state that has fueled a number of fires. Most regrettably, Bandelier National Monument is now closed indefinitely due to a fire that burned in the park.

At this point, it is bed time. Have a safe and happy celebration this 4th of July.
- Mighty

Things Undone

What is there around the house that needs to be done that I'm totally unmotivated to do? Well, let's take a look:

1) Unpack more boxes. Yes it still looks like I'm half moved in to the new place at six months. I dream about the clutter being gone, but I cannot seem to lift a finger to make any progress.

2) Plant a garden in the back yard. I loved my garden back at the apartment. Here we are mid June and I've got nothing growing yet.

3) Hang pictures. Yet another "moving in" task. I've got most all of them out of boxes and leaning against the bedroom walls. Hammer and nails anyone?

4) Learn a foreign language. In this case - Russian. I've got a few books on the subject and made some progress about a year ago, but that was about it.

5) Research electricity generation. Yes, I'd like to do my own research into new forms of generating electricity. I've got a number of books to research some of the concepts I have in my head, but when I open book one, page one, it's like, "boooooorriinggggggg."

I've got some big motivational issues going on.

On the positive side, I've been able to do the following:

1) Get my ass back in the gym after about a six week break. I'd forgotten how good sore felt.

2) Maintain a great communication with my family. Mom and brother have always been the ones to turn to.

I gotta figure out how to pull my head out of the sand. The day's are going by and there is little to show for it.

Disrespecting Women

OK OK. Just what actions does a man take to disrespect a woman. I'm doing my post relationship homework and I can't seem to find much of that on the web. I must be very naive. Although I believe that I do treat women well, apparently I use my tongue as a sword to disrespect women. I can recall two instances with C where I unknowingly did this (and trust me, she made sure I knew it!! - and I learned), but apparently, I did it many more times.

Hmmm. More research required.

Sad

Get out your violin . . .

. . . I decided last night to part with my girlfriend of about 7 months. This decision was not an easy one, nor was it decided in haste. I care for her immensely, but something was just not clicking for me. Unfortunate because she liked me very much.

Since I have been in few relationships, I never would have realized going through this process would be so sad and painful. This coming from someone with a caring and sympathetic heart.

At this point, the house feels empty even though she only came over a few times. I mostly went over to her place for various reasons. My birthday is around the corner and she actively spoke about plans for that day. There goes that surprise. And there goes the trip to Kansas to visit her older daughter.

What did she have going for her? Outgoing, smiling almost constantly, very caring, good cook, active, and manages money well. On the negative side . . . I'll leave that open ended. I'll simply say it was a number of things that I could not specifically put my finger on.

It is amazing that once you open your lips, you all of a sudden start to ponder what kind of mistake you are making - even though you think you gave that plenty of consideration in making your decision to part.

To C, if you should ever read this, know that I do care for you and know the decision to part was not an easy one. You will make a wonderful wife one day.

Motivation

Lets talk about motivation shall we?

Why is it that I can spend hours researching material related to a topic of interest, but once I open book one, page one, I am so totally bored with it even though I have a strong desire to learn said subject.

The world may never know.

Maybe Anthony Robbins can help. I've gotten hooked on these self improvement / personal development speaking talks that you can get on CD/cassette (cassette what?). What started it all was a cassette bundle called The Best of Prosperity by Bob Harrison that I found on a bin diving expedition at Goodwill. Not knowing anything about it, I picked it up and started listening. I was hooked. Then I blew the dust off of an Anthony Robbins pack called Unleash the Power Within. WOW!!! I've had this sitting around for at least ten years and had never really listened to it. I'm on the fourth disc now. I've listened to each of the first three disc a number of times. Anthony is a wonderful speaker. Next, I'll blow the dust off of this NLP training pack I got around the same time as Unleash. Goodwill, here I come!

So why did I sit on two training packs for all these years without listening? I guess at this time in my life, I've become receptive to hearing what is being said and am wanting to make some changes in my own life.

New Socks

Let's see - Boy's socks, size Large, shoe Size 3-9 Cushion Crew. Okay?

Features:
EZ Sort Matching (registered) (to aid with laundry sorting)

Hmmm. A sock is a sock. After looking, cannot seem to notice what it is about the socks that allow you to sort them easier. What am I not seeing?

Grenade

I tell ya, the lyrics to this Bruno Mars song Grenade is out there for a love song, but I'll be dammed if it doesn't have one heck of a beat to it.

Cold Medicine

Burr !!! It's cold outside. Went for a small walk and I'm glad I'm back inside. The furnace is running overtime so I decided to lower the temperature . . . still running overtime. I turned it up this morning to take the bite out of the air, and the sucker ran for 1 hr 30 minutes for a temp increase of 4..5 degrees!

Aside from the cold though, here is something I've been thinking of lately . . .

Some folks out there in the New Age community would like to go back to the old day's of medical care. That is, the "wise ones" in many indigenous peoples just knew what was good and bad for health care vs. today's communities who spend much time testing, probing and prodding to gain new knowledge often with unfavorable results when human trials begin.

My question is, "Just how did these peoples learn that which they just know?" Here's how. The medicine man finds a new plant or substance. He tries a sample of known quantity on a patient with an illness. Now, here's the kicker. Whatever the response of the patient to the medicine, the medicine man writes in his mental notepad the results and hands down that knowledge through verbal teachings to his pupil(s).

It is no different back then as it is today except! . . . today, we test primarily on animals who have a similar physiology to humans before we start human trials. Back then, YOU were the test subject.

Now, what's for dinner? Why don't you volunteer for the clan to try that new berry that was found at the edge of the known world. If your lucky, you'll see tomorrow.

Federal Deficit

So the United States of America has a rather small federal deficit. Just how do you start to tackle it . . .

1) Make government smaller - this means cutting jobs, potentially from essential civil services.

2) Lower the salaries of government workers.

3) Raise taxes - you pick it: sales tax, income tax, property tax, etc.

4) Cut government programs that are non-essential.

Unfortunately, ALL of these actions (and others unnamed here) will anger certain groups of people. So when you have a problem as BIG as the federal deficit, you have to start somewhere. So the bigger question becomes . . . just which group of people do you tick off first? To make it a well rounded approach to fixing the deficit, all groups should take a hit to some degree, thus, leveling the playing field.

Now that's fine and dandy until it affects me or you personally. So how would I feel in that case? As usual, I'd just roll with it.

Any other broad deficit fixing suggestions? Chime in if you wish.

Trackball

It has taken a while, but I've finally gotten used to this new trackball that I got - and I'll have to say that I like it! It's a Kensington Expert Mouse. The biggest thing to get used to is moving the mouse with your fingertips rather than the wrist. But now that I've gotten past that, all is good. The movement is very fluid and controlled. The coolest part is the Scroll Ring around the trackball itself. Allows you to scroll up and down a page. Very hand - and addictive.