Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Avatar is the Best Movie Ever!
Avatar is no doubt the best movie I have ever seen. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made be proud. In a couple of spots it damn near made me pee my pants! It has 3D special effects that made the crowd clench their seats, throw back their heads, and shout "whoa!". But that is not what makes it so special. It's... the story, and the characters, and the music. In short, it's the whole thing. Avatar is a complete sensory experience that will leave you wide eyed with mouth agape. All I can say is WOW! P.S. Take the kids and your great aunt Pearl. It's a movie for everyone.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Communication Has Become Impersonal (a Quick Rant)
Communication has become so impersonal. I was reminded of that today as I was working my through all the new activity on my Facebook page. Anyone with a Facebook account knows what I am talking about. Sending and receiving virtual gifts takes up a lot of time. The process is tedious, and it can get annoying after a while. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the gesture, but would much prefer real conversation. Whatever happened to that? People text their friends instead of calling them on the phone. And does no one meet face-to-face anymore? I want to go back to the good old days.
To those who care: I told Verizon Wireless to cancel the text feature on my cell phone. If you want to talk to me, call me. Better yet, stop by the house for a beer.
To those who care: I told Verizon Wireless to cancel the text feature on my cell phone. If you want to talk to me, call me. Better yet, stop by the house for a beer.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Nation in Distress?
I ran across a website today, quite by mistake I assure you. They say they're a critical thinking discussion group that inspires Americans to exercise their right to “Freedom of Speech” by giving them the tools necessary to educate themselves of their Constitutional rights, and allowing them to express their likes and dislikes in a patriotic atmosphere outside of the guidelines of political correctness or social acceptance. (their words)
They don’t identify with the left or right, but suggest we're a nation in distress, and they fly the US Flag upside down. That’s where they lose me. That chaps my hide.
I have something to say about that. I'm about to exercise my right to free speech, and I will not hide behind the US Constitution nor be concerned with political correctness when I do it. Here goes.
Network1776.org has its head up its ass. Only pea-brained extremists -- on the left or right -- would make the argument that the United States is a nation in distress. To those who follow their lead, I have a proposition. Take a litmus test. When the United States opens its borders, which way do the people run? Do they scramble to enter our country, or leave it? I think you know the answer to that one. Compare our freedoms, our opportunities, and our rights to those of any other country on earth. If you find one you like better, go there. Me? I'll stay right here, thank you.
It’s not our nation that’s in distress; it’s the American political system. It's those with extreme views on the left and right who are working to tear this country apart. They stand back and cry wolf, point fingers, and blame each other for this or that – global warming, 9/11, the failing economy, the war in Iraq, the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus. Their arguments are ridiculous, and they’re counter-productive. Their constant bickering tears at the very fiber of the American value system.
It's the minority extremists who do all the yelling. They get all the press, while the moderates, the voice of reason, those in silent majority, sit on the sideline and stay quiet.
I’m tired of it. I won’t stay quiet any longer. You extremists have your right to free speech, and I have mine. Screw you. Get a life. God Bless America!
They don’t identify with the left or right, but suggest we're a nation in distress, and they fly the US Flag upside down. That’s where they lose me. That chaps my hide.
I have something to say about that. I'm about to exercise my right to free speech, and I will not hide behind the US Constitution nor be concerned with political correctness when I do it. Here goes.
Network1776.org has its head up its ass. Only pea-brained extremists -- on the left or right -- would make the argument that the United States is a nation in distress. To those who follow their lead, I have a proposition. Take a litmus test. When the United States opens its borders, which way do the people run? Do they scramble to enter our country, or leave it? I think you know the answer to that one. Compare our freedoms, our opportunities, and our rights to those of any other country on earth. If you find one you like better, go there. Me? I'll stay right here, thank you.
It’s not our nation that’s in distress; it’s the American political system. It's those with extreme views on the left and right who are working to tear this country apart. They stand back and cry wolf, point fingers, and blame each other for this or that – global warming, 9/11, the failing economy, the war in Iraq, the spread of the H1N1 swine flu virus. Their arguments are ridiculous, and they’re counter-productive. Their constant bickering tears at the very fiber of the American value system.
It's the minority extremists who do all the yelling. They get all the press, while the moderates, the voice of reason, those in silent majority, sit on the sideline and stay quiet.
I’m tired of it. I won’t stay quiet any longer. You extremists have your right to free speech, and I have mine. Screw you. Get a life. God Bless America!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Hepatitis C, the Silent Epidemic
Hi guys. Haven’t written in a while. Been working on project that‘s very dear to my heart. I formed an advocacy group on facebook that promotes hepatitis C awareness and early detection. The cause has taken over my life (literally) for the past few weeks and has kept me from just about everything else.
Why am I doing this? I have Hepatitis C. I don't know how or when I got it. I want people to learn about it and encourage them to get tested.
On my 40th birthday I donated blood at a local high school. About a week later the Red Cross wrote to inform me that my blood was tainted, that I had tested positive for HCV antibodies.
The news hit me hard. Reading in a letter that I had Hepatitis C was harsh. It left me with more questions than answers. I didn't even know I was sick. The doctors said I was asymptomatic. That was several years ago. To date I still show no signs of infection and my liver enzymes test close to normal.
I would never have known I was infected had I not tried to give blood. I don't know how or when I was exposed, but I do know I have Hepatitis C, and I am doing all the right things to stay healthy. I feel OK right now (a little tired perhaps), but I understand that can change without notice. That's why it's so important to get tested and schedule regular check-ups.
Hepatitis C, the Silent Epidemic promotes hepatitis C awareness and early detection. I started it earlier this month and poured my heart into it. Membership is up and increasing. Donations could be better.
There are three parts to the effort.
- The group, where we promote hepatitis C awareness and provide information of interest.
- The cause, where we encourage participation and solicit donations to The American Liver Foundation.
- The stores, where we sell merchandise, books and apparel that promote hepatitis C awareness. I made a personal pledge to donate fifty percent of all profits from those sites to The American Liver Foundation. (If there was some way to automate the fifty percent contribution, I would do it. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be one. All I can find are all-or-nothing solutions that allow 100% contributions, or nothing at all.)
Once I get my head back in the game, I’ll start writing my weekly posts again. If you watch any news at all, you know there are a world of ideas out there to write about. Please stay tuned.
Friday, February 27, 2009
From Each According to His Ability
I think maybe it's time I teach you a little something about the Democrats.
Karl Marx made popular the phrase, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need(s)". Under a communist system, every person is expected to contribute to society to the best of his ability and consume from society in proportion to his needs, regardless of how much he has contributed. It's the concept of "Take from the rich, give to the poor".
That's called income redistribution, it's Obama playing Robin Hood, it's a basic tenet of Socialism, and it's never worked to the benefit of a healthy society. You may be unfamiliar with the phrase, but you should know something about the practice. Why? Because it's exactly what your president and the Democrats are trying to do with the '09 economic stimulus package. It's their answer for everything, and it's been their answer for everything since Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930's.
Funny thing about the Democrats. They act like Socialists, but they do all they can to disassociate themselves from the label. Irony? Self deception? Maybe they think we're just stupid.
Karl Marx made popular the phrase, "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need(s)". Under a communist system, every person is expected to contribute to society to the best of his ability and consume from society in proportion to his needs, regardless of how much he has contributed. It's the concept of "Take from the rich, give to the poor".
That's called income redistribution, it's Obama playing Robin Hood, it's a basic tenet of Socialism, and it's never worked to the benefit of a healthy society. You may be unfamiliar with the phrase, but you should know something about the practice. Why? Because it's exactly what your president and the Democrats are trying to do with the '09 economic stimulus package. It's their answer for everything, and it's been their answer for everything since Roosevelt's New Deal in the 1930's.
Funny thing about the Democrats. They act like Socialists, but they do all they can to disassociate themselves from the label. Irony? Self deception? Maybe they think we're just stupid.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
English as a Second Language
In many parts of the country, job applicants who aren't bilingual are often asked to look for work elsewhere. Just last week my daughter was offered a job in Missouri, only to lose that opportunity a moment later when asked if she spoke Spanish. Wake up people! Kansas City, Missouri is located in the frickin' geographic center of the United States. Why should anyone in Missouri have to speak anything but English to get a job?
I think we've gone far enough to accommodate the Hispanic community ("...press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish...", anyone?). Instead of expecting us to learn their language, why not expect them to speak ours? What nerve. Do Hispanics think they're the only non-English-speaking group of people migrating to America? Or, do they honestly believe they're the only culture so special that they can bust down doors, go anywhere they want, and expect people to address them in their native tongue?
People from other cultures come to the United States, learn to speak English, and do their best to fit in. They apply for visas and work permits, wait their turn, and then enter our country legally (what a concept). They learn our language, accept our culture, and for the most part assimilate fully into American society. Why is it so difficult for Hispanics to do the same? And why don't the American people expect them to do the same?
Me? I am not a xenophobe. Nor am I a racist, although I am sure some who read this post will label me as such. Fact is, I don't care what they think. I just want my country back!
With the economy as weak as it is right now, with unemployment pushing record numbers, how insane is it to deny able-bodied, otherwise fully qualified American citizens the right to work simply because they can't speak a foreign language? It makes no sense to me.
It's time we stop the insanity. I say it's time we make English the official language of the United States.
I think we've gone far enough to accommodate the Hispanic community ("...press 1 for English, 2 for Spanish...", anyone?). Instead of expecting us to learn their language, why not expect them to speak ours? What nerve. Do Hispanics think they're the only non-English-speaking group of people migrating to America? Or, do they honestly believe they're the only culture so special that they can bust down doors, go anywhere they want, and expect people to address them in their native tongue?
People from other cultures come to the United States, learn to speak English, and do their best to fit in. They apply for visas and work permits, wait their turn, and then enter our country legally (what a concept). They learn our language, accept our culture, and for the most part assimilate fully into American society. Why is it so difficult for Hispanics to do the same? And why don't the American people expect them to do the same?
Me? I am not a xenophobe. Nor am I a racist, although I am sure some who read this post will label me as such. Fact is, I don't care what they think. I just want my country back!
With the economy as weak as it is right now, with unemployment pushing record numbers, how insane is it to deny able-bodied, otherwise fully qualified American citizens the right to work simply because they can't speak a foreign language? It makes no sense to me.
It's time we stop the insanity. I say it's time we make English the official language of the United States.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Democrats Must Be Stupid
The $180 billion stimulus program in the spring of 2008 failed. The $345 billion housing bailout from the summer of 2008 failed. And the $700 billion Wall Street bailout from the fall of 2008 failed. True, those programs were signed into law under a Republication administration, but they were proposed and written by a Democrat-controlled congress.
Today, we have a situation where the Dems control everything. And they have the benefit of knowing that recent attempts to throw money at the problem have failed. Yet they have proposed another $787 billion* stimulus package to boost our failing economy. President Obama signed the stimulus bill into law yesterday. What part of "been there, tried that, didn't work" doesn't he and the rest of the democrats understand?
Democrats must be stupid, plain and simple. Ideologues to a fault, they believe one thing and one thing only -- that everyone and everything must be equal in this land, and that only after we achieve that equality will we prosper as a great and respected nation in the world community. They also believe that they know better than us how to achieve that goal. They want control. To do that, they want society to grow increasingly dependent on government. They want to control the banks. They want to control Wall Street. They want to control the auto industry. And most of all, they want to control you and me. Now that they're in control of the presidency and both houses of congress, they're working fast and hard to seize that power.
We're in the middle of a major recession. Once profitable businesses are going under. Tens of thousands of workers are losing their jobs each month. The DOW is plummeting. People are losing their savings. And how do the Dems want to handle the crisis? By playing the role of enabler. They want to throw another $787 billion at failing enterprises, finance new government projects, extend unemployment benefits, and give more money to the poor. How does that boost the economy? How does it create new jobs? It doesn't. All it does is reward mediocrity, encourage us to sit on our butts, and make sure the poor stay poor. What incentive does that provide to encourage us to help ourselves, to work hard and get ahead? Why even bother if big brother is there to step in and bail us out every time things get tough?
The White House estimates the stimulus will save 3.5 million jobs and put Americans to work. The package may very well create or maintain sustainable employment, but it does so at the cost of $787 billion to the American taxpayer. That works out to nearly $225,000 in new spending for each new job created.
Our country was built around the concepts of capitalism and free enterprise. We need to believe in those principles once again if we want to fix the ailing economy. And all we need do is look to the recent past to see what has worked. Cut taxes. Offer incentives to consumers to buy new products. Offer incentives to encourage companies to create the products consumers want to buy. Might not that same $2 trillion have been better spent by encouraging just that?
*(The $787 billion, along with the $1.2 trillion already spent, amounts to nearly $2 trillion in taxpayer dollars thrown at trying to fix our faltering economy.)
Today, we have a situation where the Dems control everything. And they have the benefit of knowing that recent attempts to throw money at the problem have failed. Yet they have proposed another $787 billion* stimulus package to boost our failing economy. President Obama signed the stimulus bill into law yesterday. What part of "been there, tried that, didn't work" doesn't he and the rest of the democrats understand?
Democrats must be stupid, plain and simple. Ideologues to a fault, they believe one thing and one thing only -- that everyone and everything must be equal in this land, and that only after we achieve that equality will we prosper as a great and respected nation in the world community. They also believe that they know better than us how to achieve that goal. They want control. To do that, they want society to grow increasingly dependent on government. They want to control the banks. They want to control Wall Street. They want to control the auto industry. And most of all, they want to control you and me. Now that they're in control of the presidency and both houses of congress, they're working fast and hard to seize that power.
We're in the middle of a major recession. Once profitable businesses are going under. Tens of thousands of workers are losing their jobs each month. The DOW is plummeting. People are losing their savings. And how do the Dems want to handle the crisis? By playing the role of enabler. They want to throw another $787 billion at failing enterprises, finance new government projects, extend unemployment benefits, and give more money to the poor. How does that boost the economy? How does it create new jobs? It doesn't. All it does is reward mediocrity, encourage us to sit on our butts, and make sure the poor stay poor. What incentive does that provide to encourage us to help ourselves, to work hard and get ahead? Why even bother if big brother is there to step in and bail us out every time things get tough?
The White House estimates the stimulus will save 3.5 million jobs and put Americans to work. The package may very well create or maintain sustainable employment, but it does so at the cost of $787 billion to the American taxpayer. That works out to nearly $225,000 in new spending for each new job created.
Our country was built around the concepts of capitalism and free enterprise. We need to believe in those principles once again if we want to fix the ailing economy. And all we need do is look to the recent past to see what has worked. Cut taxes. Offer incentives to consumers to buy new products. Offer incentives to encourage companies to create the products consumers want to buy. Might not that same $2 trillion have been better spent by encouraging just that?
*(The $787 billion, along with the $1.2 trillion already spent, amounts to nearly $2 trillion in taxpayer dollars thrown at trying to fix our faltering economy.)
No Longer Tolerant of Tolerance
Now that I'm older, I'm pretty much set in my ways. I'm tired of pompous and pretentious ideologues telling me what to do and how to think. I hate all this political-correctness crap! We've abandoned free thinking and turned into a nation of infectious, cool-aid drinking zealots. I'm tired of exercising tolerance beyond the point of reason. I never liked it, but I gave it a chance. Now I've decided I'm not going to play that game any more. It's leading us to ruin.
Here are a couple of my latest gripes. I bring them up only because the new administration has once again thrust them into the limelight.
- I am pro-life as a rule, but would allow for exceptions to that rule as each circumstance may require. I don't believe that broad-based, sweeping legislation should determine this delicate issue. It's simply too complicated, and it involves so much more than the individual rights of the mother.
- I tolerate gay rights, but do not support gay marriage. Some will label me homophobic, others will not. I simply yearn for the day when members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (did I leave anyone out?), and yes, even heterosexuals, decide to keep their sex lives private. I don't want to hear about what people do, where they do it, nor with whom and how often they do it. And I damn sure don't want my grand kids to hear about it either.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Just Retired
OFFICIALLY. The decision to do so was forced upon me by economic conditions, but I was ready to make the jump. I've been ready for months. I've had a busy life, done a bunch of different things, and made a lot of friends along the way. I've been a soldier, social worker, teacher, and truck driver. I've provided tech support, written technical documentation, built web pages, and operated some large and scary machines. It's been fun, but it's time to walk away.Now, I stay at home. I play with my grand kids, work around the house, work on my websites and watch a lot of movies. I'm careful to stay away from Oprah and bonbons. Life is fun. Hope I don't get too bored (lol).
Let's see how things work out.
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