Pumped Up on Baseball

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't steroid/HGH use illegal unless used for medical necessity? I mean, granted nowadays you could get a prescription for just about anything but if it becomes obvious you are a drug seeker using prescription drugs outside their intended use I was under the impression it was illegal.
Maybe I'm wrong. I mean with all the hoopla about steroid use in Major League baseball you would think there would be some arrests. Of course if it's not illegal then there wouldn't be arrests. Since there are no arrests and players are willing admitting steroid/HGH use then it must not be illegal.
So then it leads to the question, if it's not illegal then what is all the investigations about? What's with the asterisk questions in relation to hall of fame entries? It appears it's not illegal. Like I said, if it were then why are none of these players who are admitting to drug use going to jail?
I think it is illegal use of drugs. That's the problem. The use of these enhancements is illegal. Essentially all these players are druggies and not athletes.
No one seems to care. No one except politicians who are bored with yelling about Iraq or being yelled at about Iraq. Isn't that sort of apathy kinda dangerous?
The way I see it, if some average Joe/Jane decided to do illegal drugs just to take the edge off the day and allow them some 'down' time. You know, so they can really unwind and then be able to totally excel at their job the next day. Why should they go to jail if caught or fired if they freely admit to that drug use?
Bonds isn't going to jail and he has gotten into the Baseball Hall of Fame for his illegal drug use. Other players command multi-million dollar salaries for their drug use. How can the courts legitimately arrest and put in jail Joe/Jane for using drugs when the same courts are ignoring the use by professional sports players?
A truly blatant double standard there I would say. All I know is if there was a pill, illegal or not, that I could take that would get me multi-million dollar contracts and into halls of fame, I'd take it. Who wouldn't?
A brief note; I could care less about drug use in baseball or the apathy over it. I find it ingratiating that the public puts so much interest in people who, although physically talented (with some pharmaceutical assistance), will never have much of, if any at all, impact on society. I was just curious as to why we seem to have so many double standards in society in relation to famous/rich people compared to the average Joe/Jane.

Dorian Grey

I had the misfortune to come across a friend of mines web page. On this web page they had posted some photographs they had taken. Three of them were of me.
If that wasn't disturbing enough all three (taken apparently in succession) were some pretty bad photos of me. I looked like death warmed over.
People are always getting on to me for refusing to have my picture taken but then something like this comes up. It reminds me why I don't have my picture taken. If I don't get seen then I can pretend I am not fugly.
Okay, fugly is a bit of a stretch, but I hate the way I look. When I get ready for work in the mornings I only use a mirror to focus on the bits and parts I am doing at the time. Like if I am shaving I pay attention to my jaw and only my jaw. Brushing teeth, combing hair, whatever I only pay attention to that particular part of my face not the whole thing.
When I see a picture of me I have to see my whole face. Ugh. That is an image I work hard to avoid. If I do happen across one I obsess about the flaws.
I look at it like a Dorian Grey syndrome. If I don't see it I can drift through life oblivious to my flaws but when I do see it, well Dorian aged and died I just obsess and get depressed.
Eventually a good friend of mine is suppose to take current photos of me. However, it will be in a very controlled situation so I can pick and choose and then eliminate any that don't make the cut.
It really brings the phrase, "We are all our own worst critics." to a new high huh?

(okay, I am aware of the contradiction in my blogs. i hate my picture taken and i am trying to set up video blogs. well, that's just me. a walking, talking contradiction.)

Help! I lost my voice.

Okay, so like I said in my short last blog. I got a web cam and I wanted to video blog with it. I was asking for suggestions, a request apparently ignored but I forgive you. The short of it being I had to meander out into the big world wide web all alone. Just me and a web cam. Trying to find where to try and video blog. (also how to do it too)
I went to the youtube page and tried starting there. Once I figured out how to record a video to the site I was ecstatic.
Then I played the thing back. Umm, no sound. I tried again.
Still no sound. I tried a third, fourth, fifth and even a sixth time and never was there even a mouse fart from the video. Not to mention I tried creating on my own through the software that came with the video camera and then saving to youtube but the sight did not recognize the files.
So there is the dilemma. My question is, "How the Hell do you record a video with sound to youtube?"
I guess I will give some quick background. The microphone I use is the one installed in the camera. Granted it is not great but it does work. My idea was to start out slow and easy and if I enjoyed the experience maybe expanding to more expensive accessories. If I got bored then I didn't waste a ton of money on it.
Since I can record sound on the software system with my cam then it's not that the microphone does not work. SO I am lost as to what to do.
I know you guys laid down on the first question as what to do with the web cam but help me out here. How do I record vlogs on youtube that have sound? Thanks for all the help you give.

Web Cameras

Okay just got a web cam and now I have no idea what do with it. I tried to load a video on youtube but the volume didn't work no matter what I did. Thus I gave up.
So, any suggestions? Keep it PG, please.

What's the difference?

On the way home from work I began thinking about how men and women are treated differently all over the world. Why?
Okay, so there are physical differences. Beyond that the differences between men and woman are the same kind of differences that are present between any two individuals. So why all the weird chauvinism, glass ceilings or even in some religions women are suppose to take a back seat to men?
It's actually a bumper sticker that got me thinking about how society tend to treat women differently. It read, "If the Catholic church is not going to ordain women then it should stop baptising them."
It made me wonder why do Catholics not allow women to be priests? I mean, what does it really matter? Then I started thinking about all the crap in the bible about how men were not to have anything to do with menstruating women. Why not?
If I were creator of the universe I really don't think I would care if you sat on a chair a woman that was having her monthly visitor sat on. Think about it. What the heck does it really matter?
Then in the Muslim religion many women cannot even go out in public without a man's permission. Don't forget the newer religions, Mormonism believes a woman's place is in the home not the work place.
See, inequities exist all over the place between men and women. Why? Really, what the Hell does it matter what a woman does? If she's a Catholic priest, if she is a doctor, if she is a housewife, if she is a crack whore or if she chooses to not marry and get pregnant via artificial insemination. It just seems it really has no bearing on the universe at all.
I will be bold right here and put out a theory, if a woman chooses to wear a Burka or if a woman chooses to go against social norms and run for president my theory is the universe is in no way affected adversely at all.
Perhaps, and bear with me here because this is just a theory, that maybe women have to live particular ways is because it's a way men exert control over them and has nothing at all to do with what is right for women. Of course, it's just a theory. In any case I am flabbergasted when men, (and many women) argue these social constraints on women are necessary to protect women and the traditional way of life and family.
Well any idiot knows people traditionally kept slaves, so does traditional family values include that? Traditionally multiple wives was normal so does traditional family values include that? See where I am going here?
Traditional is an odd idea. When most people think of traditional they think of old black and white TV shows not real life. That 'traditional' does not, has never and never will exist so get off it.
Let's wake up and realize more often when we segregate the sexes in activities. Women and men should both serve in combat. Men an women should both hold positions of power. Women and men should also play on the same teams. Trust me, there are a Hell of a lot of women who could beat the bugesus out of many men.
Maybe, just maybe the differences between men and women are really more like the Easter bunny. A lot of hype and mostly to sell a lot of crap to consumers but essentially unnecessary. (aside from biological differences. Those are real but have little to do with how we treat women so different than men)

Skewed View V

Okay, here is another posting of pictures. Not subject matter you would expect in black and white, but I like the results.
Please comment on them. Tell me what you think.

Moron in Chief

I watched the Republican debate last night. All I can think is, "Are these the people we actually elect to high offices??!"
John McCain claims that Hitler would not have rose to power had the U.S. no been heavily into isolationism. True the U.S. was very much isolationist, BUT, that had very little to do with Hitler's rise to power. It was a combination of many things. The most minor of them was the isolationism of the U.S.
It mostly was due to the poverty of Germany and the apathy of the other European countries in relation to Hitler's continued imperialism. It could even be attributed in some part as result of WWI.
Something McCain probably would never had wanted to hear is America was also very anti-Semitic during that time period. As much so as many other nations. Many Americans were very unconcerned about the happenings of a Socialist guy toward Jewish citizens.
PLUS the U.S. was heavily invested in providing monetary, military and oil aid to Great Briton and the other European countries opposed to Germany. We were hardly ignoring the growing threat of Germany and Hitler. An act which in itself was not conducive to isolationism.
Come on McCain, read a history book or easier still, turn on the t.v. and watch the history channel. You can't seriously think you could be good with foreign policy if you can't even get the facts right on the war to end all wars.
Now Giuliani (sorry if I misspelled your name but in truth I really don't care) if you are going to attack someone get your facts straight first. Massachusetts had, at most, four towns/cities claiming to be sanctuary cities. Not six. Plus be very careful attacking another candidates personal life (hiring a company that employed illegals) especially when your personal life is so very tumultuous.
Not to mention, New York was in fact, a sanctuary city. Even if it didn't officially say it was. Saying it wasn't is like me saying, while on an airplane over the Atlantic, "I'm not flying anywhere." Just because I say that doesn't change what I was doing.
Okay, what's up with the weird homophobic response to gays in the military? Once again the U.S. sees proof from more than a few Western countries that gays serving openly in the military is not at all a problem but still insist if it were to happen here it would be.
What? Isn't that what they said about blacks in the military? About women? Why the Hell are the wrinkly old farts so stressed some gay guy could be allowed to openly serve in the military? I promise he won't be attracted to your saggy butts.
Okay Romney, when asked if you believe every word of the bible, the guy means "As a Mormon who follows the Book of Mormon which is newer than the bible, do you believe the original version only or the new Latter Day Saints version and which one would you use to lead the U.S. with?" But I give you kudos for deflecting the true nature of the question.
As for you Huckabee, life is not sacred if you choose to eliminate it either by war, or death penalty. In your defense though, the bible has a lot of situations where it's okay to kill people so I think you and the death penalty are pretty safe. I just find it very unfortunate you require such an intense belief in a higher power to accomplish leadership. How about you grow a set and lead all by you big boy self? Or is that just too much responsibility?
Sorry guys. Tonight I am just fed up with all the politicians and their arrogance/ignorance. Not to mention some of the stupid political commentators who get on TV and proclaim one person or another "....really stumbled tonight." or ".....is the clear winner." How about we just fact check their statements and use their past political decisions to base the truthfulness of the candidates promises?
You know the old saying, "It is better not to judge based on the words coming from your mouth but the actions you take."

The Debate

There is a Republican Youtube debate tonight on CNN. I try to watch all the debates. Sometimes that means watching after the fact on the respective channel's website or the recording on Youtube.
However, after this last debate, the Democrats in Las Vegas, I have come to a sad conclusion. Debates are pretty much useless in finding out who to vote for.
The canidates are generally well versed on how to respond even if they would be the worst choice. The answers are mostly antiseptic and pandering. There really is no true way of determining if the candidates actually intend to do what they say in their answers.
So how do you determine who to vote for? Like all things, it takes work. You can't just take the debates or even the information given from news. You actually need to take the information given to you by as many sources as possible. Take them all and use them to form some sort of idea of what the candidate really is for.
Another way is to look at the history of votes the former congress or senate members made. Or in the case of the mayors, look at the choices they made. What were the candidates pet projects? What were the projects they pursued with aggressive fervor? Finally, when they didn't succeed or outright failed how did they react? How did they handle the failure?
Now there is the old stand by of choosing too. The gut. What does your gut say?
Here is my take on some of the canidates;

Fred Thompson - shady guy. Greedy and arrogant. Limited intelligence and big corporate supporter.
Guliani - He reminds me of one of those animals on a nature show watching a predator animal catch and kill some food and every chance he gets he runs in and grabs some for himself but makes it out like he caught the prey. I don't know what that means but it creeps me out.
Huckabee - fanatic looking to set the common member of society back 100 years and the corporate member up 50 years.
Romney - He strikes me as someone who will do anything, say anything to get what he wants. Like he looks at the presidency as something to collect not something to earn.
McCain - He actually seems like a guy who really wants to be president. He seems to believe in his point of view and that it can help advance Americans in the world. I think he has some bad opinions on things, but in all he's okay.
Kusinich - I like he tends to come out and say what he apparently believes whether popular or not. However, he seems easily confused and lives in a world where all puppies and bunnies live long happy lives making all the little children happy. Not really living in the real world.
Edwards - He seems a typical lawyer. Saying anything to win his case. I would like to believe he honestly believes what he says his supports buuuut I get the weird feeling that it's all kitch. Can't explain it but I think it's fake just to win.
Biden - Joe, what can I say? By all accounts he's probably one of the smartest candidates (politically speaking) running. I think as a leader though, he would be pretty lack luster. Not bad, but also not good. Pretty much just maintain the status quo.
Dodd - creeps me out. Don't like him. (yep, that's about it.)
Obama - To me, he's a shake and bake candidate. He was a virtual nobody four years ago. He drags in speeches and stumbles often. Now all of the sudden he is a front runner for president? How did that happen? Not to mention I have issues with Oprah and her 'favorite things' so if she supports Obama, then I don't. I just think she is way out of touch and uses her power for not so good things.
Richardson - C'mon, it is so annoying to be reminded every time you open your mouth that you are a Governor and freed kidnapped people. It seems he feels his experience really isn't enough so he has to make it sound as important as he can.
Clinton - Okay, she flips and flops like a fish out of water but she is Strong and commanding. She can be a bitch when she needs to be and seems to be able to slither in and out and around the obstacles in Washington better than the lobbyist. It seems with that sort of command and agility she might actually accomplish something. I also get the feeling she always wanted to run for president and may resent that her husband got to. Of course he may have run because it was her way of running without running. Everyone said she was really the one running things during the Clinton campaign.

Well that's my take on them for the most part. I probably support Clinton, but I wish there were more people like Kucinich but strong.
Oh, don't fall for the Obama is change crap either. People seem to forget that if you had a president that wanted to change everything the WHOLE congress and Senate would oppose them and nothing would change. Plus if he really is for change how did he manage so much power in such a short time? The answer is simple. The same way they all get power. So much for change huh?

Self Review

Have you ever taken a strong hard look at yourself? You know, took stock of who you think you are and who you are to everyone around you. It's a pretty difficult thing to do.
Lets say, for example, you attend church, treat your friends pretty well and take care of your family so you think you are a pretty great person. Now lets look at what the same sex couple down the street thinks of you.
They have seen/heard you tell your children to stay away from them because you were worried they would molest your children. You intentionally ignore them. Finally your church regularly preaches how people like your neighbors are going to Hell.
Do you think you're a good person now? How about to the guy on the corner where you work? You know, the one who smells like a urinal and is always asking for change. The one you have never given change to. How do you think he perceives you? Are you a good person in his eyes?
Of course these are just theoretic 'what ifs'. I was just trying to point out no matter what your self perception, there are many others. Not to mention it might be correct to say we are too close to the subject to have a clear view to analyze.
So what about me. Who do I think I am? Am I a good person, a weird person or a bad person? Do I like who I am? If not, then why? If I do then the same question.
It's hard really to say.
I'm often arrogant and self involved. I can be grumpy and difficult. I also want things my way on my schedule. But do these things make a bad person or only human?
I can also look at the flip side of the coin.
I am giving and self conscience. I can be joyful and easy going. I also take a back seat and let others direct things according to their time table.
With such contradictions who am I? Am I an easy going guy or a high strung arrogant ass? Do I have to be one or am I a little of both?
Maybe I am taking on too much self discovery in one setting. Perhaps I should start with just one aspect of who I am.
I enjoy humor.
I love to laugh and hear a good joke. I wish I was funnier. I wish I had that internal ability to instinctively know what was funny. As it is, I don't.
Although I love jokes, I really have a terrible sense of humor. Jokes regularly go over my head and I find myself laughing at issues no one else finds funny. I have bad timing, and I generally forget punch lines as I am mid way through telling a joke.
But still, I love to laugh.

Smoke and Haze

I know, I have neglected to write about the Chantix experience lately. In my defense it was pretty much exactly the same and I figured that would just be boring to read about. So I have waited a little while to say what's up.
So far cigarettes are not working anymore. I want to smoke, to get the nicotine, but there was no relief when I smoke. Kinda driving me crazy.
The withdrawals from nicotine is the major reason I fail so many times when I try to quit. The withdrawals are not as severe on this pill, but I also have not completely given up smoking so the heavy withdrawal may not have yet come.
So far I am very satisfied by the results of this pill. Save for one side affect. The nausea.
After I take a pill, one 1 mg pill in the morning and one in the afternoon. For twenty to thirty minutes after I take the pill there is nausea.
I can deal with nausea. However, the past two days I have had one full hour, if not more, of pure Hell.
The nausea has been debilitating. My stomach has turned outside in and inside out. I spend twenty minutes dry heaving and fifteen to twenty minutes of the burping, salivating lead up to dry heaving. I literally hold my stomach and moan. So far I have found no way to relieve this pain either.
I rather not smoke than have the pain so for now I can do the trade off if it gets me to stop smoking. Now if it gets worse, well then maybe I should re-evaluate.
Like always wish me luck.

Black Friday Bunk

Okay, this is pathetic.
Recently my desktop computer, an antique from the nineties that has had several upgrades just to keep from going obsolete, burned itself out. Capoot. Dead. Like the landscape of Mars, no life possible.
Well I have been using my roommates computer. It's fine but it's not mine. I can't save my pictures here because what happens if I move? So I decided I wanted a laptop.
I don't know about most people but my credit is crap and I don't make enough money to just go out and buy a new computer. Call me bottom of the middle confined.
In any case I saw all sorts of really good deals on laptops advertised on the net and news at several places. Of course just for the Black Friday deals.

(Black Friday is the last day of the year that retailers have to make their profit and go into the "black" so it originally forced retailers to have desperate, almost fire sale sales to accomplish the bottom line goal. The consumers caught on and it became a buying event. Now it's sorta tradition and I don't even know if it is an important day anymore for the retailer's bottom line.)

SO even though I have a horrible fear of large crowds I decided, against my better judgement, to brave the world outside and go get a laptop. Problem was, the sales I went out for weren't there. I was told in one place they were limited time sales with limited number on sale and I should have been there at four o'clock in the morning to get one of the five that were actually that price.
Again and again I found no better deals on laptops than there have been all year. Finally I gave up and went home. Without buying a single thing may I add.
On the way home I remembered I needed some bath soap and dog treats. So I decided to drop in the local Wal Mart.
I really dislike Wal Mart. But it is convenient and yes I'm a lazy American.
To my surprise the parking lot at this Wal Mart was not full at all. I figured it was just an oddity or maybe most shoppers to this one, it's pretty ghetto, used the bus for transport.
(No riding the bus is not ghetto. I like to ride the bus to save gas and hassle. But when I say ghetto I mean low income and for the most part low income do not always have cars. Hell, I'm lucky I have one and I won't get into what I had to go through to get one.)
In any case I parked and entered the store but was further surprised to see just as few people in the store as there were cars in the parking lot. I was kinda confused.
Everywhere you could see the big piled up displays of electronics on sale and toys. Oh, and there were people with shopping carts filled. There just weren't that many of them. Not like at the malls or electronic stores.
I went on to get the dog treats and soap and began to think to myself, "Wal Mart was suppose to have some awesome deals on computers and laptops." So I decided to see if maybe I could get lucky.
I should've just grabbed the soap and checked out. The electronics section did have some good prices on tvs and I think one desktop system had a pretty good deal but the cheapest laptop deal I saw was over $700. This was confusing. I am positive everywhere kept chiming on about a $399 laptop Wal Mart was going to sell. Where was it?
The customer service people were no help. They just thought I was an idiot. Let me tell you if a Wal Mart employee thinks your an idiot then you got problems.
So, okay, there were some good sales there but the one I wanted didn't seem to exist anywhere. The whole hoop la about this Black Friday thing was just that. Hoop la and nothing else. I really should have listened to my gut and stayed at home. Would have at least saved me some gas.
In any case, if anyone knows a great deal on a good laptop, where to find it on line, please let me know. I'm sticking to the net for my shopping needs from now on. Screw stores.

Smoke and Haze

Okay, so I skipped yesterday, day six so I will do both day six and seven today.
There were no new developments for day six. Tired, but that's about it.
Day seven has just begun. The weather is changing so I have a horrible head ache. I took some Tylenol but it only seems to barely work. I have also noticed every time I take the Chantix I get extremely nauseous. I really hope that passes.
Other than that there is nothing new in the experience to report. Like always, wish me luck!

Smoke and Haze

Okay, day five of the stop smoking attempt. Not too much to say here. I've noticed at night I fall asleep, dream, then wake up. This is repeated all night. Gets a little tiring. Dreams are no more vivid than before but I can see how people may have more vivid dreams. If you wake up immediately after a dream then you will most likely remember the dream and see it as vivid. Mine are always vivid I just have sleep interruptions along with it now.
I also notice nausea if I smoke and after I take the pill. It generally passes after about twenty minutes. There is also some, not too bad but some, constipation. Yeah, you don't need to know that.
Today something odd. So far I have had a slowed desire to smoke. Except today. I don't have as strong a desire as I had before Chantix but there is a noticeable increase in the desire today. Hopefully it is a brief thing.
In any case I will keep you up to date on my experience. As always wish me luck!

Skewed View IV

Okay, here are some more people pictures I didn't have time to post in Skewed View III.

This was an Easter parade. The little girl was pooped out.

This one is the Bingo Lady. I worked, briefly, with a charity (real shady situation there. I don't recommend it) She was an interesting personality and a hard person to photograph.

This is a quick picture I took of my best friend Christy. I am suppose to give her a copy and I will if she ever returns my call.

This is the other mannequin I took a picture of in Chicago. Sorry I didn't have it for SV III.

Remember the flower girl? Well this is Mom. Do you see where she gets her attitude?

Smoke and Haze

Day four of the Chantix experience.
Pretty little to mention this time. I am really tired a lot but other than that no other changes. Still no intensely vivid dreams. Still waiting on that side effect. :o)

Skewed View III

Okay, here are some more photos I did. If you have been keeping up with "Skewed View" you will notice the postings usually follow a theme. This one is People. Photos of people. I really suck at portrait photography. I'm kinda shy when it comes to taking some one's picture. Go figure, me shy?

This one was taken at three or four o'clock in the morning in Chicago on Thanksgiving. I tend to have terrible insomnia. It's a store mannequin in a window display. I have two different photos of mannequins but I haven't loaded the second. If you look close you can see the lights of the city reflected in the glass in front of the display.

This one got a little washed out in transferring to the computer. I should have corrected it before posting. Oh well. But it was taken at a friend of mine wedding. It was her daughter (who was also the flower girl) I thought it was a good show of some of the attitude she had inherited from mom.

Believe it or not, this is my sister. She is my little sister Bobbi. People who don't know I have a sister always seem to think it's a photo of me in make up because we have very similar eyes. All I have to say is I have ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE TO DRESS LIKE A WOMAN! I guess it's just the eyes that throw people off. Who knows. I printed this very hot to get the washed out effect. It's fun to play with people's faces!

This was an experiment. I took the photo with my Brownie from the 1920s. It had light leakage and came out totally bizarre. I liked the effect. It is actually a former neighbor wearing a rubber Halloween mask but it developed to look like it was actually his face. So it's one of my favorites. Hard as hell to print though.

This is a favorite one of mine. There was an art project here in Louisville where local graffiti artist were invited to paint the walls under and over pass. One artist painted this haunting woman. I photographed it, as well as others. I am not happy about the flash affect at the bottom of the picture, but it was early morning. It still came through with the sensual creepiness I liked when I saw it.

Smoke and Haze

Day three on the big attempt for quitting smoking.
No vivid dreams, well actually I always have vivid dreams so I was looking forward to having EXTREMELY vivid dreams. No go as of yet. I am sleepier than normal and still a little over emotional. Other than that no problems.
It seems I am not having the urge to smoke as often but I am not sure how much is real and how much is me just wanting the pill to work. I guess it doesn't matter. Psycho-semantic or real, if I quit it works.
I started the two pill regimen today. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. So let's see how that goes.
I will continue to keep you posted!

Smoke and Haze

Day two of the Chantix smoke out.
No more numbness. Not so disoriented but I am a little over emotional and touchy. That very likely could be decreased smoking. Still smoking but not as urgently. Less of a drive to do so. So in all the attempt is going well. Let's hope this works out for me. I have tried every possible way to quit up until now. Cold turkey, the patch, the gum, an inhaler and even anti-depressants. Nothing has worked.
The funny part is the only thing about smoking I like, or really ever liked is when I smoke I don't have any withdrawals you get from not smoking. Weird.

August Rush

Must see movie. "August Rush"
I went last night to see a preview of the movie August Rush starring Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rys Myers and many others. Directed by Kirsten Sheridan.
The story was well written and wove a delicately intricate tale of three souls intertwined.
There were elements of Oliver Twist in the movie but not overwhelmingly so. Music was used as a magical fabric that drew the main characters toward each other. Or really helped them find each other which is the main plot of the movie.
Three people finding their soul mates through the connection they all have with music. Two in romantic love and the third a child created from their love.
I am rarely touched by movies anymore but this one actually did a great job at it.
Robin Williams who, although a great character, has become very lack luster in his role choices and performances lately. However, in August Rush he performs the character with perfection only becoming over the top when the character required it for the scene. Definitely a much better choice for him than some of his other recent roles.
The music of the film was a joy to hear and edited well with the film. The only complaint about the characters I have is Keri Russell character was a cellist who never played with her hair up which seemed too improbable to accomplish while playing the cello.
In all the main characters presented the emotion of the film better than I had seen in awhile and the secondary characters accomplished the feat of being more than comic relief or just plot filler. They were strong enough to be necessary to the film.
Should anything been changed I think the movie would not have gone as well as it had. So if you get an opportunity, or even if you have some free time go see this movie! It begins in most cities November 21, 2007. To me it was one of the few movies I have seen in a long time I would be more than happy to pay full movie ticket price for. Hope you enjoy!

Smoke and Haze

Today I have started yet another attempt to quit smoking. This time I am trying Chantix. At my doctors urging of course.
So far, twenty-four hour period, there have been a few oddities. I woke up this morning with two fingers on my right hand and half the hand had numbness and tingling. I was a little groggy this morning but not tired. A little confused but not so bad.
My urge to smoke isn't as strong so it seems that's on track. I also have a head ache, but that could be the weather. So I will keep a running tab on how this goes. Wish me luck.

The Wedding Singer

I went to see the Broadway production of "The Wedding Singer" at Whitney Hall in the Kentucky Center here in Louisville. I know all of you are on the edge of your seats to find out how it was.
It was, at best, a presentation no better than community theater. I'm not saying community theater is not at times very good and fun. It's just community theater is performed by non-professional actors where as Broadway shows are professionals. You kinda expect a little better quality.
All the performers had much more talent than I did. I would never be able to sing and dance as well, but still the performances were weak and unbelievable. The voices, although good, seemed no different than any number of stage actors and sometimes there was a little faltering in their pitch. Something I would not have expected at this level of performing.
The costumes were vaguely reminiscent of the eighties and more like they were designed by a person of foreign origin who did not live in the U.S. during the eighties thought the eighties styles were.
All but two songs were songs written exclusively for the show. The two songs I did recognize were original for the movie but none of the music was actual eighties music. This was a huge disappointment for me. I liked a few of the songs, but not to the extent I would have been humming them afterward.
The plot was terribly weak and only resembled the movie in the fact of it's main plot. Beyond that it was unbelievable and a little ridiculous at times.
On the up side, I enjoyed the over all experience. Was hardly the best but was worth the price of admission. I also found a few gems in the performance. The stage direction was excellent, removing and placing of props during scene change. The performance of the Grandmother character during her rap was well worth the whole show and probably the best scene. Also the "George" character lent extensively to the comic of the show.
In all, I enjoyed going to see the show with my friend Beth and the experience of being out and about. I also truly respect the talent and work the performers put into the show. I just don't think it was Broadway quality.

Blah, blah, blah

The problems in the Middle East have lasted over three thousand years. Most issues Iraq has as well as all the countries of the region have little to do with the U.S. and will continue long after we have left, long after the oil runs out. It is necessary that elected officials, take an extremely hard look at the whole issue that is Iraq and view all information with logical eyes. No longer using the excuse of freeing a suppressed people. That excuse is not valid so long as our biggest trade partner, China, is also the biggest offender in the world of suppressing freedom. Or that we ignore Burma, Sudan, Russian countries and other African countries all engaged in suppressive regimes that kill, torture and silence the voices of the people. Until we cease to allow one suppressive regime to take precedence over another and unilaterally condemn and take steps against all such governments then the U.S. government cannot claim they are doing all this in Iraq to fight oppressive regimes. When the president claims the government is being fiscally irresponsible by voting for health care, or education but then demands billions for a war designed to empower and fill the pockets of private corporations the country has a desperate problem. DO NOT GIVE THE GOP ANY MORE MONEY. By opposing Bush/Cheney that would be the ultimate support of the U.S. troops in a greater way than spending more money to pay the contract laborers in Iraq. It is time to end this dictator like rule and break the cycle of war money by voting for no more money in Iraq. But I'm not going to hold my breath.

Of the People..

The president is coming to Louisville tomorrow, well, New Albany Indiana actually but that's just ten minutes across the river from Louisville. It is a private function. Not open to the public.
I understand that. It is set up by a local business organization and they have the right to have private functions. However, if you are a publicly elected official I believe you must have a public appearance for every private function. It's called public access to elected officials.
The current president, George W. Bush, is notorious for putting down any public protest of his appearances. If he does have public appearances they are extremely controlled and mostly the audience consists of hand picked people. Generally people who are in agreance with the president's policies.
An elected official cannot possibly be a strong leader if they refuse to engage in open forums. Actual open forums. Yes there should be some semblance of organization. If just for the sake of safety and in reality fairness for all who attend.
If a forum is open to all and essentially a free for all then the public doesn't get to actually engage the elected official. They end up just hearing protesters diatribe.
Now don't get me wrong. I am an avid supporter of protests. It is a shining example of our democracy. Freedom of speech. But if your free speech is infringing on my, or any body's, rights then I draw the line.
Still, the president should actively engage the public that elected him. Actually all elected officials should. They work for us not just the private groups that support them. They should allot time to visit with private organizations that have closed appearances, they are part of the public the officials work for, but they must allow for equal time to people and groups that may not have the pull or money to get these same officials to come speak.
Public access.
If a corporation or special interest group are the only groups that have access to elected officials then who exactly do you think these officials work for? It's not the general public affecting laws or governmental policy. How could they? The elected officials only pay attention to the general public when they need to be re-elected. I think it's called 'Face time'. Whatever it's called it should be at least as much time as these private groups and companies get.
On the up side it seems that many more people are getting politically involved. Overwhelming elected officials with emails, phone calls and snail mail. Thus ensuring these officials, even if they are VERY good at ignoring the public that elected them, still hear something. Plus, the more the public cries out and the more the elected officials ignore the voices of the public the more likely the public will remember and vote accordingly.
So keep it up.
We the people ARE your boss not AT&T, BP, Time Warner, etc. So you might want to listen a little more often to us than just during elections.

Lost Weekend

Short blog today. I just want to remark on this last weekend.
You have heard it before. You may even have said it before. Why do we have to work five days of the week and have off only two?
There are a few jobs that have more but they also give up more. On the average you work five days (sometimes six) and you have only two days off. In those two days you have to do laundry, grocery shop, clean house, do yard work and then maybe do what you want to do. Maybe.
I saw a report that said compared two salary households in the 70's to two salary households today. It said that even with two salaries today's households do not have the same stability or leisure as the seventies. So then why work so much? Why give up so much of our time to work?
For those questions I have no answers. I can say why I work so much. I want to keep my head above water. I also want to one day own a house. A home that is mine where a landlord will not evict me, or a crazy roommate won't get pissed off and toss me out.
That's my excuse, what's yours?

Skewed View II

These are photos I did on local architecture. Once again I pushed the film to get the grainy affect.

As you can see, sometimes the sun can be something of an aggravation on photos.

This house is abandoned and owned by the city. It was once a prominent mansion. I looked into trying to renovate the house. Bring it back to life with some of it's former glory. It would take a lot more money than I have to even stabilize it. It is separated from the foundation in the back, all windows need replacing and they aren't standard. The entire interior needs nothing short of complete demolition to fix not only cosmetic problems but also lead and asbestos issues. All but one room has had the historic woodwork removed (including the stair's banister). The second floor has an entire area that has totally rotted through. Extensive water damage, and the entire roof needs to be replaced. But the stone facade still looks great!

This is the Spaghetti Factory downtown. Also houses condos. The building use to be the number one department store in town years and years ago.

This is the Parthenon in Nashville Tennessee. I used to live down the street from the park it's in. It's an exact replica of the original Parthenon (temple for Athena) in Greece. Even has an enormous statue of her inside. Definitly a got to see if you ever get to Nashville. There is a guy, bottom center, sitting on the steps to show scale.

It's Getting Hot in Here

Let's talk about energy.
I know, oil is up to $100, gas is outrageous and the environment can't take anymore greenhouse gases. Nope, that's not what I am going toward. I want to talk about natural gas. That's right, natural gas.
Next to coal, natural gas is one of the most abundant sources of energy (yes, I know about sun and wind but that stuff is still way over priced)
It is estimated the peak in natural gas sources will take place almost thirty years after the peak in oil. It's much cleaner, more abundant and cheaper than oil. But then why is it progressively getting more and more expensive?
Every winter energy costs increase. This year an estimated 11% on average. In some places more, in others less. A few years ago there was a sharp up swing in energy (electric and heating the main uses of Natural gas). You remember, when your heating bill was $90 one month, then $300 the next. Well, in this area there was so much hoopla over the increase, especially after the public at large found out the major source of the increase was the fault of the energy industry itself. They had cut production, and limited storage because they felt it was not as profitable to keep it on supply. The outrage caused the local energy company (has a monopoly, go figure) to promise to make sure this never happened again.
Yet every year the energy costs go up. Doesn't seem they kept their promise does it? What's worse is these costs are going up at the SAME time oil (gasoline) prices are rocketing to the highest point in history.
Something seems wrong with this. Not the oil. I am aware oil will always make big money and I think that's good. Not that Big Oil makes big money, but that people begin to realize oil just isn't cost effective. Maybe we will find a new, better way a lot faster.
No one has ever explained to me the reason for these seeming unnatural hikes on natural gas prices. I've written my Congress woman, mayor and local media. The mayor was silent, the media ignored me and the Congress woman recited, almost word for word, the public relation release from our local energy company. Almost word for word, wonder who owned her? 'Wink, Wink'
Okay, so we all know energy prices go up, and up and up. I get a bit irked about it but then move on. However, Louisville has a program, much like most cities, that on your energy bill there is a space where you can place an extra amount on your bill to pay into a fund. A fund that goes to help less fortunate people in the city pay their electric bill.
What the heck is all that about? Don't get me wrong, I am all for helping out people who need it every now and then. Especially when it comes to energy prices. But how come the energy company, you know the mega million dollar making corporation, can't just let up on the people who qualify for assistance? How come this highly profitable business is asking me, a MUCH less profitable individual, to make sure it gets paid for all it's bills?
It's like we, as everyday people, are being asked, not to help out a neighbor in distress, but to make sure the energy company makes it's profit. Why would I do that?
Yes, I know if these people, (the less fortunate) don't pay their bill the electric company will increase every one's charges to ensure they get theirs, but this is malarkey. If the company knows people can't pay, don't ask those getting by, ask your board members who make six figures. Or make adjustments on people who qualify bills. Don't be so arrogant as to ask me.
It's like you see Bill Gates walking down the street and instead of saying "Hi" to you he says, "Hey buddy, can you spare a quarter?"

Elections

Every year I see a place on the ballot that is either devoid of a name and request a write in or has only one name to vote for. In these cases I write my own name in. I then ask everyone I know, who intends to vote, to do the same. So far I have been very unsuccessful.
On the positive side this year was my best campaign ever. I received three votes aside from my own. That's three times the amount of votes I normally receive.
This year's election got me thinking. "What would happen if I did stumble into a political position. Just by my simplistic manner of campaigning for apparently unwanted posts?"
I will be honest. I don't really know the whole in and out of all the legalities in elections. From what I can tell of the current elections very few people do. Those that actually do know are lawyers for individuals running. Even then it seems no one really cares if you follow the rules unless the election is a brutal "Mud throwing" event. You know, no one cares unless you are beating them.
I do believe, that should I get accidentally elected, I would immediately disqualified. If I don't fill out the proper paper work, disclose all my expenses or even announce my intent to run I believe I am not really qualified as a legitimate candidate.
I could be wrong and anyone out there in please let me know. I just find it sort of ironic. If you happen to be the best choice in a community, no matter who you are, and a majority of the citizens decide on election day instead of the candidates on the ballot they want this other person. So low and behold this write in is elected but then disqualified because of paper work. Doesn't seem very democratic to me. I guess the rules are set up this way to prevent Bart Simpson from winning the presidency. Who knows.
I think a bigger problem in elections today are the inequity. You cannot run for most political positions without at least being monetarily comfortable. In Louisville it cost an estimated $500,000 just to run for city council. In the last election for council members most persons running stopped working at least a year a head of time to focus on their campaign. Who the Hell can afford not to work for a year?!
It seems that our current election system is exclusive not inclusive as it is meant to be. I know it would be argued that any person who wishes to run for a political position can. It doesn't matter race, religion, sex, orientation, place of birth (except in presidential campaigns) or monetary standing. But look at the current presidential race. It is widely reported that unless you raise a certain number of millions you are not a serious candidate. Millions?
Do you know the last time we had a president who was NOT a millionaire?
I don't, can't find anything on the web about it either. Lots of items about their wealth, but precious little about "poor" presidents.
The wealthy can buy more ad time. They can set up and have more fund raisers and for that matter have much wealthier people attend the fundraisers. They can afford handlers and campaign advisers. They can afford to set up and maintain campaign headquarters someplace other than their basement. They have many connections to wealthy people with power and connections. The list goes on and on, but what about the poor guy who might actually make an amazing elected official? Well they have just got to hang it up until they make it big.
I will never understand how people think a person who has never worried what's going to happen when your landlord gets a bounced check can truly understand what it's like to struggle. It might be why we get trickle down economics. I mean come on. Would you take a shower under a trickle? Grow crops under a trickle? If you are at the source of the trickle then it's a great view. If you are on the receiving end it just feels like you're getting pissed on.
Sorry, I digressed. The point of this is what would happen if I ever got accidentally elected? Well, even though I am VERY proud of my whopping four votes, I am comfortable that I will not find out what would happen any time too soon. But then again, there is a presidential election coming up. I got four votes in this last local election, anything is possible in a national election.

A skewed View

I have a bad habit of dragging a camera around with me everywhere I go. These are all images of a fair I went to the end of this summer. I also am a novice developer so these images are intentionally rough like this. I like the old fashion look to them. This is all film created pictures scanned into the computer. I just don't like digital. I guess you can say I like to touch the film as I manipulate the image.
I hated this ride as a kid. We called it Monkey Cages, it was called something else at this fair.

The Ferris Wheel, I liked how haunted this one looked.

This one was called Arabian Nights. It was one of those rides made to look like a boat and moves like a giant pendulum.

This one was hard. A Merry Go Round is a fair staple but I was loosing the light. It was a matter of trying to trick the light. It didn't come out exactly the way I wanted, but still it was okay.

The Devil is in the Details

I enjoy political banter. Mostly the learned stuff not the crap you tend to hear squeezed in between a Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt's alien baby story. Things like NPR, or NewsHour on PBS, and God help me, C-Span. In any case I recently saw an editorial relating how odd it was that Bush was using the terms 'evil' and 'right' in reference to the current Middle East conflict, (Is it still Iraq or have they decided it's Iraq and Afghanistan again? Or is it Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Iran?) when the extreme Muslim groups use the exact same references toward the U.S.
I also see where the Pope has angered people of an extreme nature by callous comments (that as far as I can tell were taken out of context but with the current 21st century media in such a frenzy over Angelina's new tampon who can really tell?) in reference to a looong dead Byzantinian guy's comments about Mohamed. Coincidentally spurring a reaction from the extremist that is in complete parallel to some of that old Byzantinian's words.
I mean it makes you think. Here in the U.S., (I know, I know, not the U.S. again, but it's where I currently live so I know this point of view best, sorry.) I see ministers condemning people for all manner of issues, actions, beliefs, etc. I see political leaders use faith and people's sheepish following, without question, of faith based issues as running points. I see people thank gods, churches, faith, any manner of religious iconography for their survival of anything from a paper cut all the way up to a twenty year coma. Tom Cruise jumps down the throat of a reporter who dares to contradict his faith's belief that psychology is bunk. George Bush claims he knows his decisions are right because God tells him so.
As humans we worship, follow, serve, and swallow (yeah I probably crossed the line there) all for whatever God/god/gods/religion/etc. is answering the big questions for us at that time. All the while killing, ignoring, hating, using, abusing, excluding, degenerating in the name of the same God/god/gods/religion/etc.
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE??!!
It doesn't matter what we worship, trust me. We will still hate each other exactly the same no matter what belief (or lack there of. Thought I would forget about you Atheist huh?) we have. And for that matter, since when is it ANYONE'S goal to spend eternity being enslaved to another being just because that other being is considered greater than us? I mean the belief that your reward in heaven is to serve God for eternity in something of a caste system that most humans no longer engage in is absurd.
Okay, let's say that you think Heaven is this great place where you are surrounded by all those who love you and those who have done evil to your loved ones are burning in Hell. What happens if you were married more than once, which wife/husband is the one in Heaven? What if one of those people who did harm to your loved ones was in Heaven too? Would that still be Heaven to you? Or what if one of your most dear loved ones was an Atheist who now was burning in Hell, is it still Heaven even though not EVERYONE you love was there?
Many people tell me that once you have moved on and gone to Heaven then you are surrounded by God's love and that is what Heaven is. My answer is, not to me it isn't. If I were forced to exist in a realm like that then it would certainly not be Heaven to me. Wouldn't that mean then Heaven wasn't really Heaven because it can be something of a Hell to some? Isn't it then a contradiction? Would I then be caste into Hell to burn because I didn't think Heaven was enjoyable? Would that even make sense?
I also always wondered about the contradiction of the devil and God. God is creator of all things. God is all things. If I am to believe this as truth then God is the devil and then the devil would be God? God is evil as well as good? (I'm told God is all things so for that to be true so would these.) Therefore wouldn't that make any who worship God also a Satanist? I am sure then it would be said that God is not the devil and God is not evil. Then you would be telling me God was not all things. God was not omnipotent. That would mean God wasn't really a God if God wasn't omnipotent. I don't quite get it.
Well, as my title suggests, the devil is in fact in the details. I will leave off with this little bit of thought,
"...And man did so love God, that he created him in his own image."

(it's okay to hate me too. I'm sure God won't mind. Hell, he may even take a few years in purgatory off your sentence in the ever after for hating me. Oh, despite how it sounds I am NOT a satanist. I'm just a plain old Nileist. Can't you just hear the "Sheesh, should have known."?)

Blue Rain Boots

Below is a bit of fiction I decided to post for fun. Hope you enjoy the recess from factual blogs.



"They're magic!" she said looking up at her mother with wheat colored eyes. Trickles of rain slowly edging down her round cheeks.
She brushes the wet strands of brown hair carelessly out of her eyes and attempts clumsily to push them back under the hood of her faded green rain slicker.
Without much cause she begins to swing her knobby legs back and forth in a scissor pattern to barely brush the tops of small puddles beneath her. Landing each progressive step adeptly beyond the edge of every one never actually disturbing the pure reflective surface.
Her mother, a woman aged more than her actual years, smiles sadly down at her while fighting a loosing battle with the opening mechanism of her dull grey umbrella.
"Nicki, hunny, how are they magic?" She gives up the fight and begins to push the used stroller with the hand holding the now dead and useless umbrella.
"They just are." Nicki clicks her tongue off the roof of the back of her mouth in a sing song rhythm.
After checking quickly the traffic flow from both left and right and grabbing Nicki's hand in her free one, she does a shove-lift motion with the stroller to cross the street now packed with rush hour cars. Her nervous looks in both directions showing her mistrust of the attention the drivers of the cars are paying to any pedestrian.
"Come on Nicki, we are crossing the street and you know ..."
"I know, I know.
Cell phones, cups of coffee, and hands free.
When I cross the road, no one has attention enough to pay to me.
Walk quickly and pay attention, otherwise this little girl will become part of their dual suspension."
She sings this rhyme and shakes her head from side to side while pulling on her mother's grip. She ends it in a loud vibrato with her face turn skyward and her tongue stuck out catching rain drops while those pesky strands of hair make a break for freedom from her slicker once again.
Her mother was forced to laugh. Such freedom is a part of her past. The carefree manner Nicki has is all from her, or was before Earl. Then after Earl came Nicki, a blessing and the only good thing Earl will ever create. Then there was Jacob and his Trans Am, and then poor little Shelly came. Shelly who never got to see her first birthday. Always struggling for each breath she ever got in life. After Shelly was taken from her Josh came sniffing around, and unfortunately Jake came sniffing around for Josh. Jake won. So following that bit of strangeness came Sue, or actually Terrance. He had a thing for Johnny Cash and insisted he be called Sue. It was cute at the time, but as soon as she missed her period, Sue gone and went. So now it was just her, Nicki, and Devin. Her best friends and her passion in life.
Nicki and Devin. Didn't matter she worked at Taco Bell and lived in a crap apartment hoping her name will eventually make it to the top of the section eight waiting list. She had them both. The two best things she will ever do in life. The two most perfect lives she was determined to give every opportunity she could to.
"So if the boots are magic then what can they do? Can they, turn me and Devin into... frogs?" She said in a playful manner while lifting the stroller once again over the curb of the sidewalk.
Nicki was quite, but she had a devilish grin on her face as though she were contemplating the pleasure of turning her baby brother into a croaking little frog.
"Nooo." Nicki said in a giggle.
The rain began to fall a little more heavily and she became worried that Devin would catch a cold again. She let go of Nicki's hand and bent over the stroller to rearrange the small rain slicker she had placed over him. As she peaked under the little brown rubber jacket she could see the startlingly deep brown eyes of Devin staring up at her. Those beautiful eyes that she knew would one day get her little angel into a LOT of trouble with some teenage girl. He smiled at her and filled her heart with the pleasure only a mother seeing the happy face of her loved child can feel.
How could she have ever thought she was in love with any of those men? She never truly knew love until the day Nicki came into her life. Then Shelly reminded her of that love, but also taught her the greatest pain she would ever know. She thought she would never be able to feel that good, that kind of love again. Her heart had ripped and it seemed it could no longer hold any emotion anymore. Any emotion that is, except for pain. Then Devin came, and it was like a hand was placed over her torn heart and the rip was gone. He brought that love back. That feeling that was greater than any she had ever known, or would ever know. Devin reminded her of how much she loved Nicki and how much Nicki needed her to be a mom, not a heartbroken shadow.
Nicki was her special little girl, but Devin was her savior. She would not know for many years but the love she gave to both Nicki and Devin would come back to her when she needed it most. Nicki would once again carry her and care for her mother as though the mother were the child and the child the mother. Devin would once again be her savior. She would see her children's happiness and success, and then experience the selfless love they had for their mother when she would reach the last of her life. When cancer would teach both Nicki and Devin the lesson of pain their mother learned when little Shelly lost her struggle. Too soon they would loose her, but for now there she was. Smiling her sad smile down at little Devin.
"Can they make you, um, fly?" She stood up and they began to walk forward again.
Nicki began to twirl letting the bottom of her slicker fan out to the fullest extent a stiff rain coat can.
"Nooooo, mommy they can't make you fly. That's silly."
The rain lets up just a little and a tall man with high cheek bones, jaundiced eyes, deep amber skin and a scraggly beard walks by offering a grin in greetings.
"Then I give up Nicki. What CAN these magic boots do?" She spreads both hands out from her sides in an exaggerated expression of confusion. A tiny grin dancing at the very tip of her mouth.
Nicki stops and screws her small mouth into a purse and angles her eyebrows sharply downward until they touch. Giving a look of deep and painful concentration. She rests her hands on her hips and looks up at her mother.
"Mommy, they're magic because no matter what..." she looks confused and seems to feel she picked the wrong words.
"...no matter where I am, they ALWAYS bring me back home to you."
Nicki relaxes her face and seems completely satisfied with her answer. Her mother's face softens and the hardened look of premature age melts away to show the youth she truly is. The streamers of rain down her face hide the new glistening lines of salted tears that have edged their way from the corners of her eyes.
"Well, Nicki, those blue rain boots are truly magic then. Because I could think of no greater kind of magic than the kind that can always bring you back to me."
The two grasp hands and turn to finish their walk home. Same as they did on everyday at four thirty. Except today, they both seemed to almost be, skipping.

Scares me.

I limit my intake of news. I have to. The more I watch, the more I realize, the best thing that could ever possibly happen to this planet would be the complete extinction of the Human species. Thinking like that scares me.
Since it's Halloween today I decided to focus on that idea. What scares me?
What scares me is that I live in a country that goes out of it's way to threaten, argue with and use multiple other means to stop a country that is by most accounts ten years away from a functioning nuclear device from obtaining one. A country that does this while at the exact same time borrows billions of dollars, gives most favored trade nation status to and extends multiple other benefits to a country that by all accounts is one of biggest human rights violators in the world. Has more nuclear bombs than almost every other country save for Russia and the U.S. and has one of the largest armies in the world.
What scares me is that France has for more than several years now condemned much of the U.S.'s actions in the Middle East but at the same time provides U.S. intelligence agencies facilities to engage in persuasive interrogation.
What scares me is that there are whole countries starving to death and have not seen rain for a year or more but the most important thing to a voter in the United States is whether or not their candidate is a homosexual.
What scares me is a pharmaceutical company will spend billions on the development of a pill that prolongs erections but according to UNICEF the goal numbers set by multiple nations for children's world health are woefully under achieved.
What scares me is that a man that wins a Nobel Prize for his efforts to make others aware of global warming flies around the world in one year (putting more pollutants in the atmosphere in one year that some companies) than I have my entire life.
What scares me is that people take religion seriously.
What scares me is that people kill in the name of a God that may or may not exist.
But what scares me most of all?
What scares me most of all is I'm just like everyone else. Everything that makes the human species scary makes me scary. That's what scares me most of all.

Mandatory Arbitration

Three years ago I purchased a new car. It was the first time I have ever purchased a car by getting a loan. Up until then I had always paid cash and owned cars outright. (try it, it's very liberating) Although I am aware that most financial advisers would cringe at the thought I actually bought a car via loan I was kinda in a bind.
I went through the long drawn out process of contract signing. I hated it then but I really had no choice. I needed a car.
Yesterday I was listening to a local talk radio program, (Francene on WHAS) and they were discussing Binding Mandatory Arbitration. I remembered the phrase on one of the contracts I signed while buying my car so my ears perked up.
Turns out that almost every contract you sign, cell phone, car, home loan and credit card contracts, have this clause in it. Most people either don't notice it or have gotten so use to it they fail to see it anymore.
I'll explain how I have understood this clause up until now. Oh, and a brief disclaimer, I am not a lawyer, legal analyst or anyone who would know how to understand legal jargon. I have always understood it to be that the purchaser agrees to attend arbitration first should there be any conflict with the service/product. If the arbitration does not end to my satisfaction then I can then proceed with legal action. That's even how it's was explained to me when I bought my car.
Well guess what? Not true. Not true at all. The clause literally means you have waived your right to legal recourse when you are dissatisfied with service/product or even if total negligence is taking place. In other words when you have a dispute it has to go to arbitration. If you initiate it you pay all the fees. Lawyers have no weight in the proceedings and in 94% of the cases the company prevails. Not to mention no matter what is decided in arbitration you have no right to appeal and certainly no right to sue.
Wow! To think that if I were sold a lemon I couldn't sue. Or worse, if the car blew up and killed me my relatives would have no legal recourse. I have heard terrible stories that doctors now require you to sign this clause and so do utility companies. There is virtually no choice in signing contracts with this clause.
I've read you can cross out this section on the contract and initial it but there is conflict as to how legitimate this may be. Plus it depends on the state as to whether or not you can force the company into court. You may very well have signed your constitutional right to due process away.
According to the radio show it was started to try and alleviate some of the court congestion. That if a company needs to sue to get you to pay your cable bill then that would be more reasonably handled in arbitration not the courts. So it started with good intentions. Like all good intentions, once corporate lawyers got hold of it they managed to twist it so profit wins out no matter what. Did you know more corporations sued on the basis of the 13Th amendment than former slaves? (sorry, another story another day)
Well this story has a happy ending. I have completely paid my car off and the contract is no longer important. But be wary when you are getting cable, having surgery or just renewing cell phone coverage. You may be signing a contract that legally allows Sprint to sell you off in to slavery, along with other waived constitutional rights.

The pickle

This is my first posting, so all you be gentle.

Today I was informed that my yearly salary was the bottom of the range believed to be middle class. That explains a lot. I was always wondering why I couldn't afford, well really anything.
In this city the average salary is repeated over and over like a sort of mantra. Let me tell you, it's nothing to really be proud of. That's not to say I wouldn't gladly accept the average salary, seeing as it would be over a ten thousand dollar raise for me, it's just Louisville isn't exactly geared toward the people who make the average salary.
This all got me to thinking about salaries and the median and middle class. If I'm the bottom, or the crust on the bottom of a Big Mac then how do I get to be the pickle? Hell, how to I get to be the odd conglomeration of mustard and mayonnaise under the meat?
I have worked at more than a few places in this town and have met more than a couple of people. Almost everyone I meet makes same as I do and all the jobs pay what I get paid. So I wonder where are all these people making this median income? Not even our police and fire fighters make the median, or really precious few do.
Of course it is explained to me that this amount ($43,000) is determined by taking all the salaries in the middle income bracket for Louisville, adding them together and then dividing by the estimated number of people in this bracket to get the "median" of the middle income. So although our median is suppose to be $43,000, that number can be inaccurate depending on where the bean counters capped the upper limit. Or to say, what they decided was the pickle.
So, if let's say the bean counters decided $200,000 was the pickle then although most of the middle income (the meat) is exceptionally lower the median of the middle could very likely be set actually higher than most middle incomes. Then this would mean the middle of the middle was actually the top of the middle? The problem is, standard of living in this city is set by the median number determined by the bean counters.
Oh, let me interject that although our median is said to be $43,000, this in no way reflects actual salaries. So don't be thinking you can hop a train and land here making that amount at any old job. Our city has actually lost much of it's manufacturing industry and most other industry pays about, give or take a couple of thousands, $28,000 to $31,000.
In any case, I have just gotten to a place where I wonder how can you reconcile the fact you become $25 - $35,000 in debt to college but end up earning less than that a year. Not to mention if that median income is set a little high who does that really benefit?
So far here it makes the Mayor look good and it makes it appear our city economy is stronger than it really is. So I guess it could work to attract business, but that doesn't solve the problem of all us crust people not making enough to actually live in the city limits. Plus if our middle income were truly represented by a Big Mac, then the meat would be the saddest piece of meat you ever did see.
So essentially our middle income Big Mac is "little in the middle but it's got much back."