WTF Are We Doing?

I read this today ... not only is it heartbreaking, but it just makes me think that despite the fact that some good has come in the past couple of years in this global thing (yes I know, among much bad), maybe we're not always the good guys.

If I were on the other end of the world, you better be damn sure the U.S. would be on my blacklist when shit like this happens. It's no wonder the world hates us.

Sorry U.S. I love you, but seriously, WTF are we doing here?

Soldier pleads guilty in Iraq killings

... The indictment accuses Green and others of raping the 14-year-old girl and burning her body to conceal their crimes. It also alleges that Green and four others stationed at a nearby checkpoint killed the girl's father, mother and 6-year-old sister.

Barker has given investigators vivid accounts of the assault. An investigator testified during a hearing in August that Barker had said the soldiers drank whiskey and played cards while plotting the assault, that Barker, Cortez and Green took turns raping the girl, and that Green shot her and her family.

I are soooo smart!

I wanted to do a test; go me for being a genius with my englishes! Done with no help or research. I'm just that nerdy.

---

English Genius You scored 100% Beginner, 100% Intermediate, 100% Advanced, and 100% Expert!

You did so extremely well, even I can't find a word to describe your excellence! You have the uncommon intelligence necessary to understand things that most people don't. You have an extensive vocabulary, and you're not afraid to use it properly! Way to go! Thank you so much for taking my test. I hope you enjoyed it! For the complete Answer Key, visit my blog: http://shortredhead78.blogspot.com/.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on Beginner You scored higher than 99% on Intermediate You scored higher than 99% on Advanced You scored higher than 99% on Expert

Link: The Commonly Confused Words Test written by shortredhead78 on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

A Parable: The Electric Pool

Not too far from us, there is a world of people very similar to ours. They look the same, they walk the same, and they even talk the same. There are a few differences between this world and our own, and one of them is a place called the electric pool. People pass the electric pool on their way to work, and on their way home; on visits to the store and even in casual walks around the block. The electric pool is passed on every jaunt, stroll, skip and stride by every person, every single day.

The electric pool is a treacherous place; the water holds a current of electricity and the deck of the pool is extremely slippery; there is a very steep fall in between. It is not uncommon for a person to slip and fall into the electric pool, and it happens every day. Many people survive the fall, but understandably find the pool a very uncomfortable place to be. The residents of this world understand the dangers of the electric pool and the slippery deck, and are warned daily to be careful when passing by. The residents also understand that once they fall into the pool, there is little hope for them but to ask one of the lifeguards for help.

One day a certain man was carelessly running through the area when he slipped on the ever-so-slippery deck—before he even realized he had slipped, he found himself treading water in the pool, crying out for help among many others who had also been careless enough to land in the shrill, electrified water.

“Oh won’t someone please help me; I am in such pain and there is no way out for me!” he cried.

The other residents looked down sadly and with concern at the man but only briefly, for without strict attention, they too could suffer the same fate.

“You know the rules;” one resident yelled out to the man, “you have to call out to the lifeguards and ask for help”.

The man called out to the closest lifeguard, who came over and inspected his situation. The lifeguard was a man of average weight and stature wearing a white shirt and glasses. His confident attitude and appearance gave the victim a sigh of relief.

“Surely he will help me” thought the man, still in much pain and discomfort from the sting of the electric pool.

“I have a solution,” said the lifeguard, “but it will cost you.”

“Please, I’ll try anything; I am in such pain here in the electric pool” cried the man, desperate to relieve his suffering.

The lifeguard placed two small tablets into a cup and lowered it down to the man on a string. In turn, the man emptied his pockets into the cup which was then raised back up to the deck. The lifeguard took the man’s belongings, placed them into his briefcase, and carried on his way, also being careful in his walk across the slippery deck. The man in the pool quickly placed the tablets into his mouth and swallowed them; immediately he felt relief from his pain and with much excitement, he splashed around in the water with a smile from ear to ear.

Shortly after, the effect of the pills began to wear off and again the current began to distress the man. At first, his skin started to tingle from the electricity, and before the man could realize what was happening the pain returned in full force. With the current running through his body yet again, he was left with only the choice to cry out for help and hope another lifeguard might have a solution to relieve him.

A beautiful female lifeguard, tall and slender, wearing a light blue shirt and flower-print pants, was the first to hear his cry and quickly came to his aid.

“I have a solution,” she said, “but it will cost you.”

“Please, I’ll try anything; I am in such pain here in the electric pool” cried the man, even more desperate to relieve his suffering.

The beautiful woman lowered herself down to the man in a bucket and took some tools out of her bag, carefully inspecting the man and his position. Despite his fear and his questions about her tools the man was quiet, willing to let her help in whatever way she could.

“I’m going to make some adjustments to your body that will relieve your pain” said the woman. “It will only take a moment and your problem will be resolved after this; I promise.”

The woman used her tools to make adjustments to the man’s body, and in exchange he handed her the clothes off of his back. The man breathed a great sigh of relief for he was now pain free. He thanked the beautiful lifeguard as she raised herself up onto the deck and walked away, carefully stepping through the crowd so as not to end up in the electric pool herself.

The man spent much more time in the electric pool pain free, enjoying the comfort that the beautiful female lifeguard had given him. Inevitably though soon after, the pain from the water had returned and the man was soon as uncomfortable as he had ever been, treading water in the electric pool.

Seeing his discomfort, a fair-faced gentleman yelled down to the man in the pool “I can help you!”

“Are you a lifeguard?” asked the man in the pool.

“I am not, but I can help you if you will only listen to me.”

“Please, I’ll try anything; I am in such pain here in the electric pool,” cried the man, “but how can you help me if you are not a lifeguard? According to our rules, it’s not possible, or even right for you to do so.”

No sooner could the man in the pool finish his sentence when the end of a rope splashed down at his side. “Grab on,” yelled the fair-faced gentleman, “let me free you from your pain.”

The man grabbed the rope and was quickly hoisted back up onto the slippery deck. The pain from the electrified water was now gone and he was no longer afraid. He broke down onto his knees into tears of happiness and gratitude for what the fair-faced gentleman had done for him.

“I am here naked and without a way to pay you. I have paid the lifeguards and they could only relieve me temporarily. But you have saved me and I have nothing to give you.” cried the man thankfully.

The fair-faced gentleman knelt down at the man’s side, saying “I require no payment but for your thanks. People usually do not ask me to help them. Sometimes they call out in desperation, but only because they don’t understand I can help. Come with me my friend—let’s take a walk together. I have several other things to tell you about the slippery deck and the electric pool.”

At that, the fair faced-gentleman removed his coat and placed it over the wet man, who was still in tears, and they carefully walked together back across the slippery deck. The man never again fell into the electric pool and later had the pleasure of saving several others from the fate that he had faced that day. He always did so with a smile, and never asked for anything in return but a “thank you”.

To Habana, With Love

BusinessWeek recently posted an article on organic foods in this country, and the blurring of the line between organic and conventional foods (the original article can be found here). Companies like Stonyfield Farms, who use methods of processing that push the boundaries of the organic food label, are confusing the issue and making it hard for food-health-conscious consumers to hold true to their food choices.

As food companies scramble to find enough organically grown ingredients, they are inevitably forsaking the pastoral ethos that has defined the organic lifestyle. For some companies, it means keeping thousands of organic cows on industrial-scale feedlots. For others, the scarcity of organic ingredients means looking as far afield as China, Sierra Leone, and Brazil -- places where standards may be hard to enforce, workers' wages and living conditions are a worry, and, say critics, increased farmland sometimes comes at a cost to the environment.

Comments were left by a few people, but one in particular stood out to me. A poster by the name of "Habana" claimed our food was the "healthiest and safest in the world", and that organic food serves marginal if any benefit. I responded, as below, and am posting here more for my own entertainment:

Habana: I don't know whether the majority of your post is more foolish, or ignorant, but it's certainly both. Anyone who has spent any time learning about the differences between conventional and organic food is wise enough to know that the standard definition of "food" in this country is ridiculous.

We do not have the safest and healthiest food in the world here in North America; in fact, I would argue that we have some of the lowest-quality food in the entire world, and probably as much so in the history of human existence. The "food" that you find here is typically no more than flavor-enhancer-ridden (so we don’t vomit when we eat it), fully-substituted (cheaper than the original), nutritionally deficient combinations of chemicals and processed ingredients designed to _maybe_ "keep us alive" for a little while but certainly in no way nourish us. If you really think that injecting our animals with hormones and steroids and then filling their stomachs with antibiotics so they won’t die from the shock of it, or dousing our crops with pesticides is healthy, then you are truly a fool. Don’t try to come off as some sort of knowledgebase on food in this country; you’ve already made clear your understanding of the subject.

Oh, and by the way, I don’t disagree with everything you’ve said; I just find your words typical: “Eat less junk and exercise more. Organic food, what’s that?” It frustrates and saddens me that people are so deceived about food, what it should be and what it actually is. Then companies like Stonyfield blur the line between conventional and organic and cause confusion. My wife actually once witnessed a person say that “the organic label doesn’t mean anything; they just say it to make people feel better about buying [the product]”. No wonder people are literally falling apart in this country.

Anyway, that's it. I just had to get this down.

New Web Site

I made a new Web site; go check it out. http://www.myrentalcoupons.com - A site for vacation rental owners to post online coupons. They can then link to them in their advertisements or their posts online. Users can then print the coupons or refer to them by coupon code if specified. I may end up sorry that it's a free site with no approval process. Please be civil and use it for its purpose.

Farewell Good Friend

I barely knew you, but so quickly did we become close--good buddies as they say. The times we shared were precious and memorable, and I am writing mindful words here that I might always remember you as I last saw you. I want to celebrate your time here on earth, but I can think of no way that exudes the presence of you.

So I will sit here in this place remembering the sweet aftertaste of our relationship.

Goodbye, delicious raspberry chocolate brownie. I'm sorry I turned on you; you fought bravely to the end.

BEEP

Today, in my truck, I honked at an old lady. I don't feel bad about it one bit. Or maybe I do and that's why I'm writing about it.

People Are Idiots

Unless you've had your head buried in a pile of sand for the last week, you've no doubt heard about the tragic death of Steve Irwin, The Crocodile Hunter by a stingray while shooting a documentary.

Well here's what I have to say about it all. Get ready because I'm pissed.

There have been a lot of parodies that have appeared over the last week on the Internet, which I can sum up to either immaturity, or plain jackassery of the highest degree. When someone dies, no matter who it is or how they died, it's a very tragic event. When I see people making fun of the situation it disgusts me; few things make me embarrased to be human, but complete lack of an ability to be sincere in a situation that most warrants it does.

This has recently been posted in the news:

Since Steve 'Crocodile Hunter' Irwin was killed in a freak accident with a Stingray last week, 10 mutilated Stingrays have been found dead on beaches in Queensland, Australia. Two stingrays were found at a beach north of Brisbane with their tails cut off, while eight were found on another beach on Monday. (from here)

It's quite clear that these people have never seen an episode of Steve Irwin's show; even despite his death from a stingray I am quite sure he would be saddened by this. These animals have a defense mechanism that rarely goes used against humans, and Steve Irwin's death was a tragic but quite uncommon, and very unlikely accident. In fact, I can only assume had the tail of the stingray not hit him directly in the heart, considering his endurance and health, he likely would have lived.

The organization PETA, for whom some efforts I support (no, not financially) offered these words regarding the death of The Crocodile Hunter:

PETA spokesman Dan Mathews said: "He made his career out of antagonising frightened wild animals, and that's a very dangerous message to send to young children." Mathews also branded the wildlife expert - who was buried in a private ceremony on Saturday (09.09.06) - a "cheap reality TV star". (from here)

I am a vegetarian. I believe animals are entitled to fair and ethical treatment. I am not an animal activist and I do not believe that animals and humans are equal. I do believe however that PETA has made a sad mistake in making these claims and in so doing are being hypocritical.

PETA pushes the ideal of animals and humans being of equal status. Steve Irwin (and people like Jeff Corwin) held closer to that belief than any person. He loved animals, he helped look after them, and he headed initiatives to aid in their protection and prosperity. Most of all, he helped show millions of people the beauty of animals that we otherwise fear. He showed us how to respect wildlife and to love even the most dangerous animals.

PETA is being unreasonable, unfair, and should be ashamed of their words. Yes Steve Irwin was an entertainer, but he also respected animals as much as any PETA member. He's also done more for animals than any PETA member.

Steve, thanks for your work, your entertainment, and the ideals you have left behind. You will be sorely missed. I'm sure you're at the Rainbow Bridge wrestling alligators to safety and bottle-feeding baby tigers even now as I write this.

I Must Smell Great

Yesterday I was laying on the floor watching the television when my cat decided to come and lay beside me. Shortly after, she began to smell my armpit (I really do smell that good). She seemed quite content at this point and began to burrow her face forcefully into it. You must imagine I found this to be funny. And then, she bites me. Right inside my armpit. I shrieked, and the cat fled to safety. Yes, my story is stranger than yours.

Pink Flamingo Pen?

Today I received a piece of mail from a company promoting a product and/or service. Packaged along with some paper was a pink flamingo pen. This is no ordinary run-of-the-mill pink flamingo pen though. This is the ugliest pen ever created by man. I need to think of a clever way to dipose of it. Its vile aesthetics do not warrant a common toss into the wastebasket. Also, why can't I stop looking at it?

Life As I Know It

This is my average day over the last couple of months:

• Wake up at 7:30-8:00 if I can, eat breakfast, shower, take the dog out, and go to work
• Arrive at work, sit at my desk and try to keep on task until lunch time; take lunch, return, and then work until 6:00. My work day often consists of several small tasks which take up the day.
• Arrive home at 7:00, say hi to my wife, eat dinner with her while watching TV, and then turn on the computer
• I try to avoid the computer as much as possible, but normally end up having to do work shortly after; when I can I play a game but that normally generates a feeling of guilt that I'm not working
• Work on the computer until roughly 2:00 A.M.

I'm putting in a full day at my job, then coming home and trying to run a business out of my living room. The extra bit of money is nice, but I'm tired, and honestly I do not bill enough for my work. As a result of this, my rates are going up because my time at home is more valuable than I have been charging for. I would love to run my business full time but to be honest, I enjoy my day job and the security of a 9-6 is nice. Consequences of this behavior:

• I have noticed a decline in my vision recently, and my eyes feel exhausted. My vision has never been great, but I am finding that without glasses my range of vision has lessened. In my opinion, if I can notice a decline in vision, that is a significant change.
• For the first time since I started working with computers, I began to notice a slight tension in my right forearm, which tells me that repetitive stress is beginning to take its toll on me.
• Over the last couple of days, three of my coworkers on separate occasions have asked me if I'm alright and if "anything is wrong" (great people, very caring and they make my day). Aside from my wife, I don't recall anyone ever asking me that question, ever. I have been busy, I am tired, and my brain is at max capacity for both storage and processing of information. Otherwise yes, I am fine.
• I'm developing an irritability syndrome. I'm generally patient and calm, but lately if something goes amuck, I get frustrated easily.

It's now 1:30 A.M. and I am going to bed; I'm making it an early night tonight. This is really just a smatter of thoughts because I'm taking a break from the grind.

Random Snack

My first thought is "From where in the world did appear these M&Ms which sit on my desk?" My second thought: "I care not; I will eat them".

Domain Names Suck

Did you know that you can purchase a new .co.uk domain from GoDaddy.com for just $9.99, but you can't transfer a .co.uk domain to them? Did you know that you can purchase a new .co.uk domain from Register.com for just $45/yr, or you can renew one if you already have one for that same price? So what does one do with they have a domain originally purchased at Register.com and they want a better deal? Keep in mind I have called Register.com and they absolutely will not budge on the price of renewing a .co.uk domain. This is lame.

NOOOOOOOooooooo!!

I'm out of Starbucks ... now what? *DUN DUN DUUUUUUN* <--- Music Tomorrow, I will revisit the buck and indulge in its caffeineiness.

A Tale of Pizza

I usually eat really good, organic food and yesterday I ate about 3/4 of a large Domino's pizza. Today I feel like I swallowed a possum and now it's making a nest in my guts.

Domino's Undelivers!

It's 11:00 P.M.--it's late and my wife and I are hungry. After careful consideration, the decision for a source of sustenance is Domino's Pizza. I'm not a particular fan of their grease-infused chlorine-flour, preservative-fest pizza, but figured I'd have a go for old time's sake (besides, it tastes great and options are limited near midnight). When I pulled up in front of their store it appeared closed, though with doughboys at work in the back. The sign on the door says it's open until 2:00 A.M., but the man inside waving his arms and fingers and making funny faces is telling me otherwise. After an improv sign language conversation where little more than "what??" was said, he finally unlocked the door and spoke to me in person. Our conversation was as follows: Me: Hey, I'd like to order a pizza. Not Me: We're closed right now, but we can deliver. Me: I have a car right here in the parking lot; can I make an order and have you deliver it to my car out here? Not Me: No, but we can deliver to your house.

Tired, And A Little Lazy

I'm blogging from my browser.

I can't tell if that makes me cool or not.

FYI the browser is Flock.

THE END.

Oh Has It Been A While

Yes, I realize I have not written anything in a long time. I have far too many other things to do. However, I will say to you, visit www.cabinrentalguide.com This is something that's taking up a ton of my time, but in a good way. Got to keep this short as I'm on my lunch break and my boss reads this. He's only 20 feet away and he has no hesitation when hitting me for not working during my break.

lol dork

omg stupid <-- Click that. Court case is scheduled for today. Let's hope he gets a nice sentence.

UPDATE: Above link is broken, I don't remember what the article was. I have a ton of other things I'm doing so I'll leave this as is.

Hey I Got A Comment On My Last Post!

Wait, no I didn't. Feel free to read the comment if you'd like - dude if you want to post comment spam, don't be an idiot about it:

• You linked to your blog three times (this is almost synonomous with saying "HEY CL1CK HERE F0R THE BEST V1AGRA ON THE W0RlD!!!1").
• There are 39 words in your post, and technically nine (URL counted as one word) of them are part of a link to your blog.
• There are also 180 characters in your post and 63 of them are linked to your blog.
• I also noticed that the day you visited was the same day that my blog was broken due to publishing issues and half the content didn't load. I do hope you'll come back and read the rest - however unlikely.
• You update your blog at most once a month - and yes I'm guilty of the same, but it's different because you're you and I'm not.
• You are not smart.

P.S. - Be gone with you, and find your own traffic. P.S.S. - Okay so maybe I wasted too much time on this but this thing needed an update anyway.

Go Ahead, Comment On This - Then You Can Go To Jail For Two Years

There are a lot of things that I dislike. I'm an optimist, and generally a pretty nice guy, but I use this blog thing to vent about things that I would otherwise yell at people about. In the genius of modern law, the U.S. Federal Government (the people that run this country and take our tax dollars) signed a prohibition that states the following:

Whoever...utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person...who receives the communications...shall be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than two years, or both. (content editied by CNet News.com)

What this means, in a nutshell, is that if I blog something that you don't like, and using an alias name post a troll comment or something to otherwise make me feel uncomfortable or threatened (even to the lesser extent of me feeling "annoyed" - heck I get annoyed on a daily basis), you can go to jail and/or be fined. I don't care if you post a comment that calls me an idiot, that's the freedom of the internet. If you're too much of a pansy to put your real name, then your comment really means nothing to me. If you do put your name, then at least I know there's someone out there that doesn't like what I say - big deal; there are enough of them anyway.

Log This In Your Head

I read a good quote yesterday, and I thought I would share it with you all (like anyone reads this thing anyway - maybe it'll serve as a handy reminder when I read this post a year from now).

We are all self made, but only the successful will admit it. - Earl Nightingale

Well, everything I could find points me to believe that Earl Nightingale authored that quote, but if I'm wrong, and you know it, please correct me. I would like to give credit where credit is due, to the person who in my opinion, has said it best.

37,002 Versions of Windows

I'm a Windows guy, I've always been a Windows guy. I've worked with Macs almost as much as Win boxes in my career, and it's not that I think either is better, I just like Windows more. I have to admit, I haven't really given any 'nix OSes a chance yet, but that will come, and I'm sure I'll find things I like and dislike about them as well. What really irritates me to no end is this 'separate operating systems for different users' foray that we're starting to see. It seemed to start in the days of Windows ME (oh my was that a waste of money, resources, time, and whatever else it could have been a waste of). Windows ME was geared toward people who wanted to use Windows 98 but couldn't figure it out or wanted a more "user-friendly environment". Now I'll admit, I fell into the hype and bought ME, and had it installed for a total of about an hour before putting 98 back on my machine (hope my money was well spent, Microsoft). I liked some of the new features, but my main beef was with hardware incompatibility, and lack of support for Personal Web Server (oh MAN, remember those days?! We were all so young and foolish.) Then came Windows 2000 and Windows XP with their "Home" and "Pro" versions. YECH. Try buying a PC nowadays with XP Pro installed - you won't find a budget laptop with an XP Pro installation. The two laptops I purchased this year (about $1200-$1300 a piece) both came with XP Home installed, and I purchased OEM copies of XP Pro to put on them both (that's right, I pay for my software, so shut up). I hate XP Home and its lack of support for some of the things that I want to use it for. I hate that there are different versions, and I hate that you don't have the option to choose which installation you want when you buy a computer (I also hate bundled software on my Presario and like-machines, but that's a different story; they're easily removed with a quick format and reinstall anyway). So now here I am, checking out Vista online (yeah I'm a little late on this one) only to see that there are no longer two versions for us to choose from, but there are now SEVEN versions (yes 7, actually 9 according to the site below, but I didn't read it long enough to understand it) that we need to wade through to choose what features we want and what ones we can do without (at least for now, until we decide we need those unavailable features and are forced to upgrade anyway). http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/winvista_editions.asp Anyway, there's a link, check it out if you want. MS, stupid move, sorry. Why not just provide one version with all the same functionality and components, and offer different setup types on the same installation, including a "Custom" type for more savvy users. Ugh, and of course I just happen to use a bit of everything in Windows, so my version is going to cost like $600 (actually about $150 when I wait for a year and a half and then buy OEM with a $3 mouse, I can deal with XP Pro for now, but the only reason I will wait is BECAUSE it's going to cost like $600 when it comes out).