Examples of Insanity

A school district in Kentucky will be shutting down their entire school system on Monday to disinfect the schools because a student in that district died of the SUPERBUG.

This was announced today... um... while I applaud their proactive stance of disinfecting the school (despite the fact it probably won’t do any good because “experts” have said that kids can get it from sharing a towel with someone... euw, even the the MEDIA screams that its the next plague and we’ll all die of it because its uncontrollable... except for those antibiotics the “experts” say will kill it) why are they doing it Monday? Why don’t they get off their butts and disinfect the school during the weekend?

For the safety of the kids, they’ll closing the schools on Monday, which means parents will need to either stay home from their jobs to watch their children, or pay to find some other place to watch them. The kids lose a day of learning (and from the news reports I’m hearing, they can’t afford to miss one day because they can barely read once they graduate), so why do it Monday, why not right now? Why can’t the school board get in there with their cleaning rags (don’t share those) and scrub down that school on the weekend?

Mothers Against Drunk Driving has sent a letter to Mothers Against Illegal Aliens telling them to stop using the “Mothers Against” words because people may think the illegal alien hating moms are the same moms that hate drunk drivers. Um, I think I can tell the difference. Here is the list that I found of “Mothers Against” organizations:

Mothers against peeing standing up
Mothers against circumcision
Mothers against jesus
Mothers against videogame addiction and violence
Mothers against methamphetamine
Mothers against noise
Mothers against Arpaio
Mothers against Maddox
Mothers against star wars galaxies
mothers against the draft (probably hasn’t been busy there since we don’t have one)
mothers against misuse and abuse
mothers against munchausen by proxy allegations
mothers against sexual abuse
mothers against guns
mothers against school hazing
mothers against teen violence
mothers against dog chaining
mothers against gang wars
mothers against noise
mothers against brie and chardonney
Mother against murder and aggression
mothers against burning tires
mothers against blogging
mothers against brain injury
mothers against genetic engineering
mothers against fathers in arrears

The list goes on... guess MADD is all for those other things, apparently not so much against illegal aliens.

Ok all you mothers, don’t be against anything, because that’s copyrighted!

Hand Painted... digitally?

Hubby and I were walking through the mall last night and I saw this in a camera store (I've removed identifiers that would most likely get me sued for goofing on this).

Its a placard under a "portrait" that advertises "digitally hand painted" portraits.

Granted, I've seen some VERY nice digital paintings. When I think digital paintings, I see someone with a blank slate who uses the digital pad and pen to freehand paint either something in their head, or recreate something they are looking at. What this store was selling looked suspiciously like a digital program that with a click of a button, turns a picture into something that resembles a painting, that was printed onto canvas to make it look more like a painting. Every flaw from the photograph was there, every detail, everything. Its something that any third grader can do with a reasonably priced photo editor and printer. Once click and TAHDAH!

Ok great, if you don't have a computer, or the computer savvy of a third grader and can't do this for yourself and want it done, fine, but to call it "hand painted"?

I have the highest regard for people that embroider. They take actual needles, and actual thread, and they use the needle and thread to follow a pattern and make something pretty cool looking. It takes a lot of work, time, and probably more than a few pokes from the needle.

On the other hand, you now have sewing machines that you plop a USB card into with a picture, load up the right color thread and that sucker spews out the exact replica of the picture on the card. All the person has to do is... nothing, they could be in another room watching tv for all you know, and yet they expect the same admiration and ooohing and aahing as if they spent months painstakingly poking needle through fabric and doing it by hand. That's not art, that's lazy and sweat shop-like.

We're becoming a mass production "art" machine. Just about anyone with a computer and printer can make their own cards, invitations, t-shirts, or whatever and usually "borrow" other people's hard work to get the perfect picture to slap on those things. Its not the finished product that counts, its actually HOW you get the finished project.

Taking something from your head and creating it yourself, not slapping a pre-made template into a machine and printing it out, there's no glory or pride in that.

Stop making things seem like something else. If you take a picture, click a button, print it on a canvas, don't call it "hand painted". If you smoosh paints on a pallet, use a brush and paint something you are looking at or have in your head... that's hand painted.

Coming Soon to a School Near You

How Do These Things Happen?

Last night hubby and I went to a school charity Bull and Oyster Roast at a local volunteer fire department hall.

I had heard of these mysterious “Bull and Oyster Roast” things mostly in conjunction with fund-raising, but had never attended one mainly because:

1.) I don’t like oysters. Raw oysters are nasty, phlegm-like and frankly if I wanted that sensation, I just have to wait until I catch my next cold and experience it for free. Not only that, but I hear there are some nasty illnesses you can get from eating those things, so I’ll pass.

2.) Unless they are roasting a whole bull on a spit, I’m guessing the “bull” part is beef, and frankly you can get that anywhere, so even if its for a good cause, why spend $35 to go to a dreary volunteer fire department hall and eat beef?

As I expected, we arrived and knew nobody, well, hubby knew one guy from work, the one that sold him the tickets, the rest were strangers all grouped at tables by who knew who. We sat at a table alone for the most part. The “bull and oyster roast” was actually coleslaw (tasty), cooked shreds of ham, turkey, and beef (there’s the bull part), but no oysters. Hey! How can you call it a bull and oyster roast if there are no oysters. Sure, the cookies were good, but I felt cheated because I didn’t get a chance to rant about the nasty consistency of raw oysters and their inherent diseases to complete strangers.

The entertainment consisted of someone spinning a wheel, people putting money on numbers and if the wheel hit that number, they won money. Um... wait a minute, isn’t that gambling and illegal in the state of Maryland?

They also had a raffle, and were selling tickets to a 50/50 thing where they spun a wheel and if the number on your ticket matched... hey, isn’t that gambling. I felt as though any moment we’d be raided by a government agency and arrested.

The entertainment that night was a DJ. Ok, these people make a living (usually a side-living) by playing music for people who can’t (and usually don’t) dance, but this one took it to the very extreme by being... proactive and chipper. Disgustingly chipper, and chatty. He did lame magic tricks with members of the audience (yawn), then they “played a game” where team members had to put on wacky clothes and run back wearing the wacky clothes, take said wacky clothes off and another person dashed across the dance floor and put on the wacky clothes. I thought the funniest thing about this “contest” was that the losing team actually seemed very upset by the fact that the other team “cheated”. Are you kidding me? They’re arguing over a wacky game?

Placated by a funny plastic hat given to all participants (oh brother) the “real” music began... the Electric Slide.

This is where the whole “how do these things happen” topic starts. How does this crap start, spread, and get danced all over the world? Everything from the chicken dance, to the YMCA song, these things have to start somewhere by some idiot, but how do they spread all over, and why? Apparently the “Electric Slide” according to Wikipedia was started by someone in 1976, but actually found its “craze” in 1989. The person that “created” it, actually sues those that post people doing it wrong on video upload sites. Are ya kidding me?

For some reason I was never a participant of such line dancing, having been scarred for life during the whole “disco” craze, and being forced to suffer through “disco dancing” in high school PE class (I’m guessing that was the beginning of the end for high school PE and the very cause of the obesity problem in school children, but call me crazy).

So, last night I sat in awe as people sat out of other dance tunes, but like zombies with no minds, the moment that song started, lurched to the dance floor and did the steps. It was all women too, which bolsters the following theory:

1.) women like to dance, so they drag their husbands and boyfriends to dance places where their male significant others refuse to dance.
2.) women can only pee in groups
3.) out of necessity and the need to dance, the pee groups came out of the bathroom one time, heard a catchy little tune and created a dance (since the “creator” of the electric slide is sue happy, I expect my lawsuit summons in the mail at any moment for saying that women who have peed created this “fad”)
4.) Once the pee group got snippy with each other over something stupid, each member of the pee group started a new pee group, passing on the wacky dance to them, and from there it spread like wildfire because women tend to argue about stupid things and dump their friends for the smallest infraction (before any women sue me, I’m a woman, shut up, I know what I’m talking about)

So, we can thank women with small bladders and the need to dance in groups without their men for suffering through this crap at functions big and small. Now, I’d really like to know who put old Glen Miller dance tunes to a funky beat and strangle them, the same goes for those Macarena morons.

Free Benefits

Chicken Little Meets the Brooklyn Bridge Salesman

For years now, “scientists” have been claiming that we humans have caused a HUGE hole in the ozone that will be the death of the earth. First of all, does it take a major degree to figure out that it won’t be the death of the earth, as it will continue spinning merrily through space, it just won’t have us living on it anymore. I’m sure it’ll be just as happy spinning merrily through space without us, as it did with us, so claiming that a hole in the ozone will destroy earth is a bit of an exaggeration. I think if they were really serious about this whole ozone hole thing, they would have a better marketing strategy such as:
“If we don’t clean up our carbon emissions, there won’t be a Survivor or American Idol next year”. That would get people to sit up and take notice, now don’t you think?

So, here we are at present day, with celebrities and politicians now jumping onto the “green” wagon (and I don’t mean green party) all spouting about how we (lowly minimum wage workers who can barely afford a car let alone the gas to put into it), need to cut back on our “carbon footprint”. Carbon footprint? I can smell a high paid consultant anywhere when the buzzwords start a’ flying.

Ok, we lowly minions say, we can do that... but why are you flying all over the world in private jets, driving hummers, and smoking cigars in places where we can’t?

CRAP! They’re on to us! What do we do now?

Of course! Create a company that will relieve you of all guilt associated with the lifestyle you’ve grown to love and refuse to give back no matter how much it speeds the earth’s atmosphere into dissolving human flesh like acid. Its perfect, because not only do you SEEM as though you care enough for everyone else by purchasing these amazing “carbon offsets”, but you also profit since you are a stockbroker in these companies! My GAWD, you can have your cake and eat it too! Now as you wing your way to the Academy Awards in your private jet with your entourage, you can gleefully announce that the carbon footprint of your trip was totally erased by your paying some company (that you happen to own stock in) an outrageous amount of money to plant trees somewhere that cost mere pennies.

Of course all of those tree plantings won’t erase that bad press about your gigantic mansion sucking in electricity and spewing out a carbon footprint the size of Texas. So much power consumed that you could have provided enough electricity for an entire third world country for a year, but hey, you argue... I’m in the process of swapping out those pool lights for some energy saving halogens, so it’ll take a while before that registers on the ol “carbon footprint” meter. Besides, I just invested even more money in carbon offsets, which will decimate an entire rain forest in order for my company to plant non indigenous maple trees in the Bahamas.

Better yet, how about all you rich do-gooders and “activists” stick your carbon footprint where it belongs and frankly if the earth is uninhabitable in a hundred years, I’m going to be dead, so I don’t give a flying whiz. Besides, aren’t we suppose to get smacked by a huge comet before then, so I’ll just drive my car all over the place, cut down some trees, and maybe build me a nice crackly bonfire. Anyone got a match?

Stupid Weather People

So, last night I get all excited because the weather people are screeching, keening, pulling out their hair and promising all sorts of snowfall that will cause mass chaos and certain closing of schools and businesses. Its hard not to get swept up in the frenzy, because getting a closure has the same thrill no matter if you are 10 or 44.

I woke up this morning, tingling with excitement and look out my window to see.... absolutely NOTHING. Not a flake of snow to be seen anywhere. Nothing, nada, zilch. Work, of course, was open for business, but since the weather was predicted to become crappy, you could take leave without asking for it beforehand. Ok, this doesn’t help me any, since I’ve drained most of my vacation taking my spine injured dog to follow up appointments, or dealing with stupid legal things. I trudge into work (where more than half of my co-workers don’t show up), and the moment I get in the truck... it starts snowing.

Around noon its getting nasty and I say screw it and go home and stay home. It continues to get nasty and schools start closing and businesses start closing, and generally the state of Maryland comes to a grinding halt. So what about tomorrow?

How can it be 29 degrees (but it feels like 14) and we get freezing rain? Wasn’t there something in some long ago biology class that I didn’t pay that much attention to at the time that said when it gets to 32 or below, this thing called SNOW falls? Since when did freezing rain come into the its freezing and yet water still falls from the sky, freezing the moment it hits the ground to create the highway ice rink of doom? And why is it that we will be getting down to around 14 degrees (feels like 0) and yet we’ll be getting torrential downpours of freezing rain all the way up until its time to go to work... and then it’ll just be rain.

What this means to me is that at MOST work will give us a 2 hour delay for coming in. This means that not only will I be late coming in on the ice rink of doom, but so will everyone else. This also means that I’ll be working into work in sub-zero temperatures on the ice rink sidewalk to hell. Amazingly enough, around 3pm, the rain will once again turn into the cheerful sounding “wintry mix” (makes you think of that crappy “nut assortment” that gets tossed at you by cheap hosts), at which point they’ll “release” us so that a zillion people at the same time will be making a mad dash out of the parking lot skating rink of hades for the skating rink of certain death highway and to their probably lost power hours ago frozen pipes now a frozen swimming pool homes.

I’m so excited.

I’m also wondering why I can’t be as accurate in my work as meteorologists and still keep my job. There’s a 20% chance that the thing you needed me to finish by today will be done, with a chance of partly finished, and a 10 day forecast of me hiding in the coffee shop while you try to hunt me down. Yeah, save me a spot in the unemployment line.

Global Warming Rant

A bunch of extremely well-paid scientists have written a paper that says that global warming is our fault, but there’s not a lot we can do about it. Ok, thank you, lets get on with our lives then shall we.

But wait! Even though we found the problem that we can’t do anything about, why are scientists now flying all over the place (spewing out fossil fuels that have been proven by them to trash our world) to have “working groups” about what this means to everyone?

Without spending a zillion dollars, and also flying all over the world, which will shorten the lifespan of humans on earth even more, this is what it means to everyone:

It’ll be hotter in places where it normally doesn’t get too hot
It’ll be colder in places where it normally doesn’t get too cold
Some places will have more water
Some places will have less water
We either adapt to it or go by the way of the dinosaur

The whole idea of “saving the earth” is ridiculous. They make it sound like a cause for the continuation of the earth’s existence, but what they’re really saying is that humans will be extinct. The earth will still be spinning gleefully around space, probably happy that the morons living on it are no longer screwing with it. A gazillion years after we’re gone by way of ice age, or flood, or whatever, the earth may spew out some little creature in the ooze that its created, and one can only hope that a less pompous, less wasteful creature will evolve and simply enjoy what the earth has given them, and not use it for its greed and ruin it again.

In the meantime, since we can’t do anything about this “problem” in my lifetime, I’ll just continue zooming around in my SUV and clogging up the ozone. After all, since social security will be bankrupt I’ll have very little to leave the next generation of people on the planet... so why not leave them with something they can figure out a way to clean up... that’ll keep them busy.

New Blogger Test

Ok, just switched over to the new blogger. One annoyance already is that if I’m signed into gmail, and log out of blogger, it boots me out of gmail. There’s no place on blogger to get to gmail, there’s no place that says “sign out of blogger, but not out of gmail”. So freakin stupid.

Stop Spending My Money

I just read a lame opinion piece regarding the recent rescue attempt of the three men in Oregon. The writer suggests and even cites some samples of why we shouldn’t sweat the cost of this rescue mission, as in the end it helps rescuers to train for future rescues, helps with the coordination of rescue teams and law enforcement, and besides... all of these costs will go toward other future hopefully successful rescue missions, so its certainly fair that these costs could be paid back by taxing everything from gas, to hotels, to cell phones.

Excuse me?

Aren’t I taxed enough already? Do you think the American people are a never ending pocket full of money? Our income is taxed, our goods are taxed, our gas is taxed, we’re taxed coming and going, even our deaths are taxed, and you want us to pay more taxes because somebody with the “spirit” to climb got stuck on a mountain?

Could it be that we now NEED to have these types of mountain rescues because people know if they get in trouble that someone (at great expense) will come get them? Do you think that perhaps we wouldn’t have these issues if they were told “get up there and get stuck, you are on your own buddy”.

We need to stop this “save everyone” mentality, especially for those who purposefully put themselves in harm’s way. People don’t HAVE to climb a mountain, and yet I’m footing the bill for their hobby. I have no problem with helping people who find themselves (through no fault of their own) in a bad situation, but why am I paying to find three people who CHOSE to do what they did, knowing the risk and danger. You get into it, you get yourself out of it.

Justifying everything because it’ll help me out in the long run is lame, telling me that I shouldn’t sweat the money (um, its MY money, well, at least until the IRS wants more of it) because it’ll help others who CHOOSE to do dangerous and stupid things... no. Screw them. I’m tired of footing the bill for stupid people.

I think its time that everything taxed needs to be itemized WHY you have to pay this tax. Would people be so willing to pay additional taxes if they got a receipt that said:
Gas: $1.25
Rescue stupid people stuck on a mountain tax: $5.24
Road fix tax that we’ll never get around to fixing: $2.39
Environmental tax to save the Blue Horned Toad: $.06

Instead of prices going up for no reason and just standing by and paying it like lemmings, perhaps we could use tax as a donation system. Do you want to help stupid people get off a mountain? Then make that tax donation. But don’t force me to pay for it. Then, if I ever get stuck on a mountain, you can tell me “hey, you didn’t pay your get stupid people off a mountain tax so we can’t help you”. Which is fine with me, as I don’t plan to purposefully get stuck on a mountain any time soon.

May the Earth Embrace and Care for You!

Yeah, that’s my “holiday” greeting to everyone. As you may guess, I don’t celebrate christmas, I’m a Neo-Pagan. I have a cool little private ceremony on the 21st (Winter Solstice) and pretty much that’s it for me. No shopping, no gift exchange, no last minute running around for stuff, no decorating (tree killers all of you), no cards, no nothing. I just enjoy the earth, thank it for allowing me a space, and pray that I continue being a good person and enjoy what I have in life, no matter what that is.

So, as someone who doesn’t celebrate the “holidays” as most people, what do I think of all the politically correct hoopla going on? I think the world has gone insane actually. Can you BE any more non-festive? People suing because their religious or belief icon is not displayed in an airport, people ramming cars with their cars getting parking spaces, people freaking out because they don’t know what to say to people in way of a greeting, people fighting over toys, killing over games. Wow! Is this the TRUE spirit of Christmas?

What cracks me up is that if we’re so hyper-sensitive over offending people, why have decorations or ornaments at all? Are the atheists not a big threat in the sue happy world? I would think that if we’re so worried about offending a religion (or lack thereof) then we wouldn’t put ANYTHING up in a public place for fear of pissing those god-less people off.

What’s the big deal about saying “Merry Christmas” to someone anyway, regardless of their belief system? Its yours, that’s your “saying” so freakin say it! If you say it to someone that doesn’t celebrate Christmas, then they should, in return, greet you with whatever it is that they say. What’s so hard about that? Does everyone have to get all hot and bothered because someone “assumed” they celebrate Christmas? That’s not what the greeting means. It means “Hey moron, I celebrate Christmas and I’m greeting you”, its not “Hey moron, I celebrate Christmas so you better celebrate it too or I’ll beat your head in with this tickle me Elmo doll”.

I also wonder if anyone ANYWHERE actually celebrates holidays anymore for their true meaning. To me, holidays mean a sale in a store, not a celebration of our Independence, or to commemorate fallen soldiers who gave their lives for our freedom. It means 50% off, going to a mall, getting a bargain. Does anyone go out to a military cemetery and actually honor the soldiers, or do we just watch a ceremony on tv, call it a holiday and go shopping? I actually remember a time in history where stores were closed on holidays so that people could celebrate, or commemorate, or do whatever it was they did with everyone else. Now, everything is open, and usually they have something on sale. Usually food places name “specials” after the holiday, which I find demeaning and sickening. Come get your 2 patty FREEDOM MEAL with free fries!

What’s with people who scream about Christmas, don’t celebrate it, yet still take that day off? Ok, so I’m given that day off by my company because if I showed up for work, I’d be the only one there, but if we’re suppose to be such a diverse country, why aren’t I interviewed for my belief system and given the appropriate days off instead of the traditionalist holidays off. I’d much rather have December 21st off to celebrate, instead I have to take a rare and fleeting vacation day, or even work and do my little ceremony at the appointed time (in some cases most likely freaking out some people with my little outdoor ceremony, who will never question me about it, for fear that I will sue them). If given the choice of having the 21st of December or the 25th of December off, I’d go with the 21st, as that is my day of “celebration”. There are some people that complain that they don’t get their days of “celebration” off, but should get them off because its a religious thing for them, but don’t want to give up the traditionalist holidays either. Um, that’s not right. You can’t have it both ways. Either or, make a decision and if you choose your religious day off you can come sit with me in an empty building on Christmas. After all, its not YOUR holiday, so it should be just any other day at work... just with less people. Look at it this way, at least you’ll get more work done because people won’t be running around telling you about their shopping sprees. Of course the next day will suck because you have to listen to what everyone did over their three day weekend.

So, do what you do, let other people do what they do, and shut up about it. If you want your religious thing displayed somewhere and it isn’t, go buy one and donate it. I’m sure if you went to someone and said “hey, I would appreciate it if you would accept this thing to display” they would be more likely to actually display it, versus you walking up and saying “here’s this lawsuit because you aren’t displaying a Festivus Pole next to the soon to be dead non-descript non-offense pine tree”

Get a life people, and get busy reading about what the holidays are REALLY all about.

In anticipation of the rebirth of all earth’s belongings

Me

The Way Forward

So, the news is goofing on President Bush about saying “The Way Forward” over and over and over. Well, duh, that’s just contractor speak and has been used to death on documents for years now.

I’m actually somewhat relieved by the fact that its taken over for the nauseous and non-sensical “Paradigm Shift” of days gone by, perhaps it’ll even take over for “thinking outside the box”, but I doubt that. Thinking outside the box is how you plan the “way forward”. Then there are those who are rebels and use “Way Ahead”, which may be a little short-sighted and only used to get through the next week, whereas the “way forward” suggests a longer term plan, but certainly not a “solution” to a problem. Its more of a machete approach to get through a boggle, then you have to plan the plan for the over-arching solution.

Some other gems expected to make it into the mainstream (remember, you heard it here first) will be adding “centric” to everything. From Net-centric, to war-centric, peace-centric, grocery store-centric, you name it, and “centric” will be added to it.

Another good one is adding “ability” to the end of everything. Sustainability, Re-usability, coffeeability, planability, way forwardability, thinking outside of the boxability, paradigm shiftability. Its all just another way to say the same vague thing, but make it seem much MORE.

So, the depth and breadthability of the latest paradigm shift in the war strategy is to plan the plan for the way forward in the peace-centric future.

Witnessed this in the store today

Equal Rights?

Trunk or Treat

I’ve learned from a reliable source (a friend who has kids) what the infamous “Trunk or Treat” signs were all about on churches.

Since “Trick or Treat” pretty much means: “give me candy or we’ll egg your expensive car”, I assumed that “Trunk or Treat” meant “give me candy or we’ll lock you in the trunk of your expensive car”. I just couldn’t figure out why churches were condoning such violent acts, since by nature they’re pretty much against the whole Halloween satanic ritual of begging for candy from strangers.

Churches have used a new device to sway young children from the evils of candy, strangers, and evil costumes by organizing “Trunk or Treat”. It also satisfies the amazingly obese parental population by allowing them to simply decorate their cars, park them in a row in a church parking lot, and dole out candy to their soon to be obese church going children.

The problem is that whole “or” thing. I wouldn’t have an issue if they called it “get candy from the trunk of someone’s car”, but they chose “trunk OR treat”, which makes no sense. And they wonder why Johnny can’t read the bible?

The one stipulation is that the children can’t dress up as evil or scary things... like your pedophile neighbor, or a congressman... oh, same thing. Ok, I’ll have to come up with a better example.

The whole lure to this is that the church guides impressionable youth to see that getting free or really cheap things out of a trunk is ok, which prepares them for a life in New York buying stolen merchandise from mobsters.

So, the mystery of “Trunk or Treat” is solved, except for that whole pesky OR thing.

365 Days of Harping for Nothing

Well, its about that time again.

The night where we let children run around in sight obscuring costumes, go door to door, begging for candy from strangers.

Oh sure, throughout the year we’re beating into their heads how they shouldn’t be out at night, and how they shouldn’t approach strangers, let alone TAKE anything from them, but this one night... its ok.

I wonder if parents, in this high tech world we live in, have printed out the addresses of all those sex offenders to avoid those homes. That will ensure their little kid is safe, that’s for sure. There couldn’t be a crack head in the neighborhood, or someone that’s just waiting to get arrested. We all know our neighbors... ok, no we don’t. We sit in our houses after working long hours, we probably wave at them when we drive by, just to be friendly and so they don’t call the authorities on us for stupid reasons, but we don’t know if they kidnap magazine subscription kids and eat their flesh in their basements. We have no idea if they have a fetish dungeon in their attic and all those cars parked out front aren’t relatives visiting. Not a clue. Nobody goes over to the neighbors with cookies and chats over coffee anymore, we’re too busy. But we aren’t too busy to go parading the kids out in darkened streets to get free candy, no sirreee.

Sure, go ahead and let your kids run wild on Halloween. I’m sure its perfectly safe in today’s society.

Breast versus Chest

A friend of mine e-mailed me the other day to tell me that she and her husband were watching a television show about a guy getting a sex change operation. While in today’s medical marvel world, a rather blase story, but she pointed out something very interesting.

During the whole process, the show had no problem at all showing a man naked from the waist up. He went through medical procedures, and hormone shots, and therapy, and each time they showed him in a state of undress... no problem showing his chest and nipples.

When it came time for the man’s implants, on the other hand, they showed the surgery in graphic detail, from the cutting open of the hole, and insertion of the implants, but the moment the implants were in place... they pixelated the “breasts”.

Wait a minute. What’s wrong with this? Just because the man has now taken a female form, its not ok to show a breast? I happen to know some men (who are not men trapped in women’s bodies, they’re just... fat) that have WAAY more cleavage than I do, and yet I’m sure there wouldn’t be any problem showing that on television (see “The Biggest Loser” or any of the myriad weight reduction shows on tv). Plenty of naked male boob flab going on there. But throw in the intent that the man wants to be a woman, or perhaps make these flabby guys wear Manbras and we draw the line at showing it on television.

If there’s a baby attached to the breast, that’s fine to show. Show a breast with a lovely piercing during a superbowl, not so fine. Ok, so we’ve ruled out that having something attached to a breast makes it ok to show (baby versus piercing), so baby ok, starburst piercing not ok. Breast reduction or implant surgery... ok to show blood and tissue and gore, not ok to show a nipple. Simply fine to show someone being ripped apart, blown apart, mangled, chainsawed, or hacked... just don’t show any breasts during that.

Do we wonder why our children are messed up?

The New Politically Correct Tea Party

Illinios Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn urged citizens to send tea bags with their electric bills to protest the raise on electricity rates in their state.

The post office says that while its not illegal to mail tea bags, it could possibly gum up with postal service equipment and slow their jobs down, and also cause some security concerns. In light of that announcement, the Lt. Gov then said it would be ok to just send a picture of a tea bag in with the electrical bills.

Flash back to December 16, 1773. Three groups of fifty Boston residents known as the “Sons of Liberty” board the ships; Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver with the intention of throwing all of the tea into the Boston harbor to protest the tea act. A harbor master explains to the groups that throwing all of the tea into the harbor would be very messy, and affect the other boats in the harbor, which would need to be cleaned. The group aggrees and goes home, and instead write a letter to the editor complaining about taxation without representation, being forced to buy untaxed tea from the British East India Company, and generally being cranky. If that were the case, I’d be drinking tea instead of Starbucks and sitting here bitching about being taxed by the Royal Colonies.

There is such a thing has peaceful protest, and despite the concerns of the postal system, there has to be a way for citizens to protest something they don’t like in a peacefuly, yet inconvenient way to get the point across. Using “National Security” concerns has become the trademark of all excuses to stop citizens from peaceful discord. We can’t congregate anymore, we can’t mail tea bags, we can’t do a lot of things anymore because they throw the whole “oooh, National Security” concerns flag and we simper back to our holes and continue to stew over being ineffective and castrated. Thank you government can we have another.

This year in Maryland the de-regulation of power companies went into effect. In 1999 the Maryland General Assembly thought it would be a good idea to de-regulate power companies so that independent power companies could come in and do business and give the almight conglomerate Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) some competition.

Let’s see, BGE came in, paid for the entire infrastructure of power lines, owns all of the power companies that generate and route electricity... and the Maryland General Assembly thought that Bob’s Power Company would come in, do the same and give BGE a run for their money. The problem with that is that Bob would have to buy his power from BGE, so why would anyone buy Bob’s power, when Bob would have to pass the power cost on to us, and bump up the bill to cover his administrative fees. Hmmm, no thanks, I’ll just stay with BGE. Ok, another alternative would be that a company outside of Maryland could provide us with power. Except it would be the same situation, unless the outside of Maryland company strung extension cords to your house. Once again... stupid scenario. The only thing de-regulation did was increase our power bills by 72%, which is very convenient. There is talk of un-de-regulating power, which doesn’t help matters any.

This election year, plenty of fingers were pointing to those that made those decisions in 1999 that landed us in a 72% power increase (on top of gas being over $3.00 a gallon), and I have every confidence that the Maryland voters will go to those polls in November, forget who did what and vote those idiots back into power. “Hey, here’s a name I recognize... I’ll vote for them” Yes, you remember that name because they thought it would be neat to provide competition for a business that can’t be regulated. Next year I expect they’ll de-regulate air.

Television, and other stupidity

As the new tv season approaches, it is once again chock full ‘o stupidity.

I see that “reality” tv is once again booming, thanks to Survivor and their racially divided “tribes”. Big hoopla about that. Here’s a thought... don’t watch it. I can pretty much guarantee that if nobody watches, you won’t have that crap on tv anymore. Keep complaining about it and you just give them free publicity. So turn it off, go play with your kids or something.

Nancy Grace, who berates a woman whose child is allegedly stolen from its bedroom, then has the gall to play the interview (actually, it was mostly Nancy screaming things at this poor woman) hours after the woman commits suicide. Why isn’t she answering your questions Nancy? Because you’re puppet head, you bleached blond, poofy haired bitch, that’s why. She doesn’t have to answer your stupid questions. You claim you’re “helping”, helping what? Ratings? How about volunteering at a soup kitchen, or cleaning up trash along the road, or even (if your law license hasn’t been stripped) defending indigent people. Helping isn’t sitting in an air conditioned studio screaming at people for your “scoop”.

Then there’s the endless parade of daytime “talk” shows that showcase the dregs of society. Who are all these people, and why do they think we care that your husband had a sex change and married your son? We know you’re dysfunctional, your family has probably told you a zillion times that you are dysfunctional and should seek professional help, they meant a licensed shrink, not Jerry Springer!

What’s up with YouTube anyway? I thought there were a gazillion copyright laws that said you couldn’t tape a show and then post it somewhere, or make a profit from it, or something like that. Its bad enough that you have to pay 10 bucks for a ringtone that lasts for three seconds, how are these people getting away with taping practically a whole freakin show and posting it on YouTube?

What’s with everyone now calling everything “i” something? iJack, iThis, iThat. I would think that Apple would be storming down people’s butts for copying their catchy little naming thing. Do they actually think that by naming something “i”, that people would immediately think it came from Apple and buy it sight unseen? iDont’care. iAmsickofthewholething.

Some artist painted an elephant (after getting approval) for an art show, and now the city is freaking out because people are freaking out, so they’re saying they have to scrub the paint off the elephant. Here’s a quote from someplace “Ed Boks, the head of the ASD, said the order was made after consulting with two animal rights activists and the city attorney's office.” See anything wrong with that picture? I’ll point it out if you are incapable of spotting stupidity: Why on earth is this city consulting with animal rights activists? Wouldn’t Zoo elephants keepers, or a zoologist, or even the freakin Barnum Bailey Circus be more informed about what is and isn’t good for an elephant? Do we think that two animal rights activists who probably protested outside of a circus as packaged meats know more about elephants than say... ohhhh... licensed professional animal caretakers?

Don’t get me started on that hoopla about the animal activist that “saved a dying dog from a chain” by stealing it from the owners when they weren’t home. Apparently some group in Utah now wants to help change the law so that anyone that feels that you aren’t treating your pets right can just take them and be free of any legal repercussions. I hope they change the child laws so that you can just steal some kid that isn’t getting the candy bar it wants in the store.

end of rant

Men in a Women's College

Men in a Women's College
Originally uploaded by Shmoomeema.

Apparently the all woman students at Randolph-Macon Woman's College are upset because it was announced that men would be admitted to the 115-year-old institution starting in 2007. Due to financial reasons (they can't find enough qualified women students to go to the college), the officials have decided that instead of allowing the college to bleed to death financially, the best thing to do would be open up the college to men. This, apparently is not ok with the current students, past students, etc.

I find this to be a bit hypocritical. I'm a woman, and I think having an "all-women" college to be a bit offensive. Where is all that "we're equal" crap, and "we deserve the same opportunities as men" crap the women's libbers are always spouting.

If you want to be equal, don't create "women only" institutions. What about all that hoopla complaining, and fighting for the opening of "men only" institutions (Naval Academy among others) to women. You didn't think it right to have men only stuff, what's with the women only stuff?