Life In The Weeds

Drive the Speed Limit, please!

Why are people compelled to drive below the speed limit?  On a clear evening, driving down Rosedale Road going under 30...REALLY?  The speed limit is 45 mph.

[I am screaming right now in frustration!!]

mj

Looting, a Moral Dilemma?

When is looting, not considered looting?  

According to Merriam-Webster:

Looting - 1 a : to plunder or sack in war b : to rob especially on a large scale and usually by violence or corruption 2 : to seize and carry away by force especially in war

With the recent 8.8 earthquake in Chile, there have been many pictures of residents "looting" throughout neighborhoods.  Though, if you look closely, it's not flat screen televisions and jewelery these folks are carrying...it's milk, food and basic essentials.  

Is it still considered looting, if what you are taking is needed to survive?

I think not!  When a cataclysmic event occurs, your survival instinct kick in...do whatever you can to keep your family alive and well.  Once life as you know it returns to normalcy, then go wait on-line to buy groceries...

mj

Shamu gone Wild

Recently, an orca whale killed a Sea World trainer...a tragedy to be sure!

As it turns out, this is the third trainer related death involving this particular orca, named Tilikum. From what I have read, the whale grabbed the veteran trainer by her long pony-tail and dragged her into the water.  According to the medical examiner, she likely died of traumatic injuries and drowning.

So the questions have been swirling about what to do with the whale.  In a recent statement, by the President of Sea World, Tilikum will not be punished and will remain an "active, contributing member of the team."

What other choice do they really have?  Release it into the wild?  Keep the whale even more isolated?

Scary thing about orca whales...they are smart as hell.  I think Tilkum new exactly what it was doing when it grabbed this trainer. 

Take a look at this video showing a group of orca whales teaching a young calf how to hunt.  Or this clip sneaking up on it's pray...ON THE BEACH.  Or this one!

You tell me...you think these whales know what they are doing?  

mj

Enter Text from Image Below

Maybe it's just me...but when I am signing up for something on-line, registering or taking a survey - whatever the case may be - it really bothers me when you are asked to "enter text from image below" to complete your task.

Why, you ask?  

Because it takes me forever to figure out what the letter/number combination actually is!  It's usually blurry as hell, warped and distorted and printed in psychedelic colors.

Here are two examples...

My left brain just does not like working so hard!

mj

Christmas Lights, Really?

Believe me, I know what a pain in the arse it is to deal with putting up the outside Christmas lights!

You typically get the inclination (and inspiration!) to get them up "early this year"...like the first weekend in December.  Then, that first weekend passes and you feel a bit of pressure, as the neighbors Christmas lights twinkle on your way in the driveway from work.

So, after reluctance, procrastination and peer-pressure, your lights "go up" and shine brightly for all to see! Your proud of your work because this year you decided to light a few extra trees out front or run the icicle lights a bit further this year...

Christmas comes, and goes!  New Years comes, and goes!  Then all the sudden, it's Martin Luther King's Birthday...January 18th, and your shiny, twinkling Christmas light are still shining bright...then it's February...

That's a problem!

What's the rule?  I say, the first weekend AFTER New Year's...lights OFF!  Maybe not down, but certainly keep them off.  

Driving home from the station last night, there were a surprising number of homes with their Christmas lights still up and ON.

Christmas lights in February, really?  

mj

Final Words on CES

General thoughts:

- CES, in some ways, epitomizes what's wrong with the world.  I know that may sound holier than though...but seeing all the waste, all the load-in trucks, all the electricity, all the over the top displays, all the electronics, all the competition for attention...deep down, it kind of turns my stomach a bit!  Is all that really necessary? 
  
- To that end, Vegas in general is the same...everything competes for size and number of lights...everything is over the top!

- It's hard to tell Porn stars, strippers, prostitutes and regular woman apart.

- There is no where to go to just grab a sandwich and a beer.

- There are many better places to stay than Bally's...I'm glad I did not have a "blue-light" with me to scan my room...yuck!

- I found out my neighbor's's friend won $5K...at 2:56am, and again, at 4:50 in the morning.

- 2% of taxi-cabs take credit card payment...and those that do, charge you an extra 3 bucks.

Glad to be back home safe!

BTW, check out some of the live performances at Sony.

mj

Decade ReCap

Where did the time go?  Here is a [quick] recap:

2000: Terrorists attack the USS Cole. The presidential election recount drags on more than a month until Vice President Gore concedes to George W. Bush.

2001: The dot-com tech bubble bursts. Nearly 3,000 people are killed in the 9/11 attacks. The anthrax mailings kill five people and sicken 17. American Airlines Flight 587 crashes in New York, killing 265. U.S. troops invade Afghanistan. FBI agent Robert Hanssen pleads guilty to espionage and is sentenced to life in prison. Enron files for bankruptcy amid reports of accounting fraud. The iPod is released.

2002: Ten people are killed and three seriously injured by the "Beltway Sniper" in the Washington, D.C., area.

2003: U.S. troops invade Iraq. The space shuttle Columbia disintegrates during re-entry to Earth, killing its crew of seven.  MySpace starts up.

2004: The Abu Ghraib, Iraq, prisoner abuse scandal unfolds. The Boston Red Sox win the World Series. Bush is re-elected over John Kerry. Facebook launches.

2005: Hurricane Katrina ravages the Gulf Coast. Baseball's steroid scandal brings Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and other stars before Congress. Pope John Paul II dies. YouTube is founded.

2006: D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff, accused of defrauding Indian tribes and corruption, pleads guilty to fraud and conspiracy. Ex-Enron chief Kenneth Lay is convicted of securities fraud but dies before sentencing. Twitter debuts.

2007: The housing bubble bursts. A mass shooting at Virginia Tech University leaves 32 dead, plus the gunman. Nine are killed and two critically wounded in shootings at an Omaha shopping mall. A Minneapolis interstate highway bridge collapses, killing 13 and injuring 145. Amazon.com releases the Kindle. A recession begins. The iPhone is introduced

2008: Barack Obama becomes the first African-American elected president. The video website Hulu launches.

2009: Investment adviser Bernard Madoff pleads guilty to defrauding investors of billions and gets 150 years in prison. The unemployment rate tops 10%. General Motors and Chrysler file for bankruptcy. A massacre at Fort Hood, Texas, kills 13; Army psychiatrist Nidal Hasan is charged. Tiger Woods, amid revelations of extramarital affairs, takes a break from the pro golf tour.

mj

Oh, the Humanity...

Yesterday, I endured what no man should ever be asked to do.  It was, by most accounts, the bravest and most unconditional form of love I have expressed in 2009...

I went to the American Girl Doll Store!!  [insert shriek here!]

This happens to be an experience I have endured...once, last Christmas season.  I swore I would never again expose myself to such visual pollution, but my wife reminded me..."it's for the kids."  Before she hung up the phone, I thought I detected a snarky tone, as if to say, better you than me!  

I must admit, I could not have accomplished my mission without my wife!  She was by my side throughout the experience...talking me through each outfit I described...she was carving up the American Girl homepage like a trained Army Ranger, as I awaited instructions for my every move.

What my wife could not help me with was...all the people I was seeing.  Moms and daughters BOTH dressed like "their" doll...Nannies and children awaiting their table for "tea"...with their dolls.  Double strollers, triple strollers...more nannies...face-lifts and caked-on make up...woman dressed to the nines, boasting their cherished AG bags, as if they were just awarded the MVP of shopping!

There I was in the middle...well, actually, I was squirreled away in the corner, making calculated moves to get what I needed.  But, yes, I was among them!

I escaped unscathed, but, oh the humanity!

mj

Yes We Can...or Can We?

This is not a political rant!  And, as a registered Independent, I will tell you that I voted for Barack Obama in last year's election.  I'll also say that any inkling to consider McCain went out the windowwhen he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate!

Recently, after the President's trip back from China, I was reading about how America felt after Obama's first year in office.  Not good, was the general sentiment! 

It must be terrible to be the President of the United States!  Just one year after the most historic Presidential victory ever, Obama has less than a 50 % approval rating.  After a year in office, reality is coldly setting in...as President, you just can't win!! 

People from all walks of life will be on their soap boxes, if they are not on them already...claiming how bad Obama is doing, sharing how they knew Obama was a bad choice...yadda, yadda, yadda.

The Presidency is not a single, autonomous ruler!  Obama's success (and failure) hinges a great deal on the team he has selected to help "run" the country...NO, president should be judged by their first year in office.

Let's be patient and see how things shape up in 2010...

mj

A Free Meal

So, here is a follow up to my recent post regarding a free meal for Veterans on Veteran's Day.

How hard would it be for, say, McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, to give away free meals for an entire day, once a month.  How much profit could they really loose?   I'll bet a program like this would be a non-factor to the bottom line.

You see some chains offering "specials" all the time...kids eat free, free appetizers, buy two get one free, etc.  Why not coordinate efforts and actually do some REAL good for the world?

Obviously, there would be some significant logistics to make something like this work...but if there were a consortium of restaurants involved, I like the chances...

mj