Self Preservation is NOT a Good Thing...

See, there is a difference between self-preserving and self-sustaining. Self-preserving is not the good thing people would like you to think it is-- because preservation is trying to keep something AS IT IS, instead of sustaining, which is feeding and growing it. Preservation is placing it in a museum, where people can look, but not touch. Preservation keeps out the bad things, sure, but also keeps the good things from having effect, too. That is what's known as an entropic system-- your energy and resources are being used up to not go anywhere. Which is why you will find that I tend not to promote self-preservation, but self-sustenance instead. Feeding your spirit, not protecting it. Like a child, it needs to go out and experience, play and get hurt in order to have some fun. Don't lock it up, just give it some protective gear before it goes and competes in the X Games.

Crabs in a Bucket

I was once shared a lovely piece of wisdom. The speaker (damned if I can remember his name--- but I most certainly won't forget what he said) brought up an interesting little factoid, one that I know from experience to be true.

He said, when you go crab fishing, you don't need any sort of special container to hold the crabs in, just a regular old pail will do. The reason...? Because crabs will always grab crabs climbing up the side of the pail and pull them back into the pail, trying to climb out themselves. What ends up happening is that none of the crabs ever reach the top.

Then the speaker went on to point out that HUMANS are just like crabs. Any time someone is actually doing something, achieving something, the other humans around them will do whatever they can to put that person down, and pull them back from success and happiness. In fact, a lot of people are only happy if you are more miserable than they are... and thus, they seem like it is their calling in life to make everyone else miserable.

So, my friends... next time someone tries to pop your balloon, rain on your parade, stab you in the back, hurt your feelings...? Just remember one thing, and once you remind yourself, they lose all their power on you. All that person is--- is just another senseless crab trapped in a bucket that they can't figure out how to get out of.

Shooting in Newton, CT and he says WHAT...?!

WILL REAL CHRISTIAN LEADERS PLEASE STAND UP

AND CHASTISE THIS GUY FOR BEING AN ARSE?

 

PLEASE?

Kids are free to want God while at school. Kids are free to privately exercise their religion while at school. Heck, kids are even allowed to have religiously themed activity groups. So, Mr. Fischer, what you are saying is that the elementary school KIDS are to blame for this...? Dude, you are a piece of work. Instead of giving comfort and support to a city and population that is in crisis, you are taking this moment to promote your personal agenda....? And you choose to do so WITHIN HOURS of the actual massacre...?

CLASSY.

Why Is It So Important For A Father To Be In His Daughter's Life?

THIS QUESTION WAS ASKED OF ME BY A YOUNG WOMAN:
Why is it so important for a father to be in his daughter's life?

After standing there for a few minutes with my jaw hanging down, I finally answered:

This question just blows me away. Seriously. You don't know?

The Sideshow, Pseudo-science, And Conspiracies

Back in 2006, 60 Minutes ran a news report where THE environmental authority in the science community had his findings changed/edited/rewritten by a gentleman who, after his tenure in the government offices where he did this act, took a prestigious job at an oil company. Surprised? Shocked? If you were a cynic like me, this wouldn't be any surprise at all. History shows us that the information we get exposed to has been bought and paid for, and will be slanted to suit the needs of the sponsor. Ever see ABC run an expos on the working conditions of the character actors in the suits at the Disney theme parks? It was quite the stir several years back, as every news company investigated these allegations of mistreatment by Disney, except ABC News. Why didn't ABC cover this? Well, Disney owns ABC. I've enjoyed hearing all the Neo-Cons rant about the "Liberal Media" on all their talk radio shows running on Clear Channel, which purchased most of the Radio Stations in the USA. So much so, I can't pick up anything on the local stations that AREN'T Neo-Con talk shows. SO, who is this "Liberal Media" they are so incensed against? NBC...antiwar? Really? They are owned by GE, famed weapons manufacturer. Why would a munitions supplier be against war? CBS..? Part of the Viacom giant, and owned by Westinghouse, ANOTHER large government contractor, making weapons. I take these allegations as seriously as I take Phillip Morris' anti-smoking campaign. We all know FOX is fair and balanced, if fair and balanced means spouting the GOP party line. Having your cousin in charge of the News Department of FOX was very helpful for former President George W. Bush. So much so, that in the 2000 election, the only News Channel to NOT show a lead for Al Gore, even for a minute, was FOX. Of course, since Gore won the popular vote, how he couldn't have had a lead of some sort at ANY point is beyond me. I know, you are sitting there and saying, "Oh, he's one of those liberals, a Clinton or Obama supporter, part of the vast LEFT WING conspiracy." Well, let's get one thing straight. I didn't care for Clinton any more than I cared for Bush, or Obama. Fact is, I feel that the Party system in the USA has LONG been corrupted and violated. "Oh, he's one of those conspiracy nuts!" Nope. I don't try to connect dots between things that aren't openly connected, and create some grand picture and theory out of a collage of scenes. Truth of the matter is, I follow a piece of advice that I learned from a reporter that I respect: When something happens, before you get the official story, before any spin occurs...ask yourself one question: Who benefits? Who is profiting from this? Follow the money! Is there corruption at all levels of government and corporations? Are you blind? Let's stroll back to the Reagan administration. First off, it was the Reagan Campaign that offered a trade of weapons if the Iranians would just wait until AFTER the election to release the hostages. During the Reagan Administration, a sugar substitute was before the FDA, which had been turned down again and again. Upon Reagan's election, the man who was trying to get the sugar substitute approved was named as the head of the FDA. His first act? Approve the sugar substitute now known as Equal. Within ONE MONTH of his appointment, he quit. Equal has been on the market ever since. I won't touch the sh!t. But hell, I won't touch granulated sugar for that matter either. My point is, how can they release something that they have NO IDEA what the long term effects are without having done any testing of longterm exposure? What happens if you eat this stuff over 20 years? We don't know for sure. Well, we do NOW. But isn't it a little late for the human guinea pigs if there IS some bad effect? It's the power of these lobby groups that make such things possible. Doctors aren't looking for cures anymore, since it is much more profitable to be pushers for the Drug Industry, who is more interested in suppressing SYMPTOMS instead of curing MALADIES. If they CURE you, you don't need to buy that $100 bottle of synthetic cocktails next month...and don't worry, that side effect you feel? We have another pill for that. And the liver failure. And the blood pressure problem. But don't worry, we'll make you feel better. You are just a little depressed. Here's an upper. Be happy. And don't complain about the cost... after all, research and development (which is a mere fraction compared to the marketing and advertising funds set aside in their budgets) is expensive! I'd find the whole situation laughable, if it wasn't so tragic. Do you know who the three biggest corporate contributors are to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America? Phillip Morris (tobacco), Anheiser-Busch (alcohol) and DOW chemicals (pills). The moral of this story? Drugs are evil...unless you buy them from us. Why is there flouride and chlorine in our drinking water? Flouride strengthen teeth, folks say, and yet, there is not ONE conclusive study that shows this to be truth. In fact, there is more empirical evidence that shows that Flouride makes tooth enamel brittle, and will cause damage to your teeth. Of course, as long as you are damaging your teeth, 4 out of 5 dentists surveyed stay in business. By the way, did you know what Flouride's primary classification as a chemical on the market is? Rat poison. Did you know where all this flouride comes from? It is a by product of aluminum production, and leaves those factories in large trucks bearing POISON signs. And they put it in your water. Let's not forget the studies that show that this chemical also retards the brain... Chlorine? Great chemical. Kills anything that it comes into contact with, especially at the viral and bacterial level. So, what's wrong with having it in our drinking water? Makes the water clean of bacterial contaminations, right? Sure does. But being a chemical, it, once ingested, has no preference on what it kills. So, not only is it killing bad bacteria, but also essential good bacteria that you need to properly digest food. Funny, but when I was growing up, there was no such thing as "Acid Reflux Disease". Matter of fact, there were a lot less digestion problems, compared to today. Could a lifetime of consuming chlorine be a factor? Remember, 8 large glasses a day, pal. DRINK UP. Then there is the FOOD INDUSTRY. Wow. We discover that feeding herbavores their own flesh (in essence, making them into cannibals) turns out to be BAD for them. Didn't bother us so much until we figured out that it was also bad for us. But once we discover this fact, do we STOP the practice that is causing the problem, knowing that it is the ONLY reason this is happening? HELL, NO. We are going to MONITOR the situation. If any cows are walking around stumbling (in the late stages of the disease), we won't put them into the food chain. Isn't that nice? Here's the kicker, folks. I hope you are sitting down. Cows walk around fields, so if something is neurologically wrong with them, its easy to detect. But there is a mass produced animal for consumption that we have been making cannibals for FAR LONGER than cows, only we keep them in such small cages that they can't even turn around. All they can do is eat, sh!t and sleep. Which animal am I talking about? Chicken. If a chicken is fvcked up, there is NO way to tell, in those conditions, and they haven't even bothered to LOOK for evidence of Prions in these animals. Good thing Tyson is looking out for our health, huh? Fact is, nepotism is alive and well, and apathy makes it possible. If you don't bother to do some research, digging up the reality, and accept any line that the profiteers sell you, congrats, pal, you are an accomplice and just as much a part of the problem as the men in the smoke filled back rooms counting the cash you gleefully gave them to fvck you over.

The Four Elements: A Definitive Guide to Successful Human Relations

It's an interesting proposition.

One that I have had both the pleasure of, and agony of, mulling over in my brain for many many years now. So, for the first time, I am going to attempt to write it all down. I have shared this with several people over the years, but never as an article, as I am doing now.

You see, we've been told by countless folks how we should interact with each other. "How to Win Friends and Influence People" and the like, for decades, have flooded our bookshelves, each promising to reveal secrets that will make us popular and powerful.

Some have very useful tips and techniques. Some are complete steaming piles of feel-good bullshit. None give us a measure, a yardstick, by which we may identify and recognize the health and strength of our inter-connectivity with the people that we share our experiences, and our very lives.

So, I will.

A Christmas Story (2009)

The house was empty and quiet. Because of this, I volunteered to work today, in an effort to keep my self busy and occupied– figuring that if I did so, I would be able to distract myself from the reality of my children not being here with me today. In my line of work, we transport folks who are wheelchair bound, or medically challenged and cannot transport themselves. Today was no different, except that instead of the medical insurance footing the bill, it was private pay billing. I only had two runs, transporting a wheelchair bound elderly woman who appeared to me to have suffered a stroke and couldn’t talk anymore or barely even move, to Stephentown, NY, to spend a few hours with her family for the holiday, and then back again.

Americans as of Today

When asking my friend Lizzie why she wants to move from Australia to the United States, all she could say was that she was looking for adventure, and that she was tired of the same old thing. She had never been in a situation where she really had to fend for herself, and being only nineteen, it's to be expected. Some immigrants come to this land far from their home because even the poorest American has far more material wealth than those that live where they come from. Also, the United States has a lot of incentive and social programs designed to assist economically challenged individuals in establishing themselves that they would qualify for simply by just being a legal immigrant. They would have access to programs that would better their future, and that of their offspring. For them, this is truly the “land of opportunity”.

McDonalds: Evil Corporate Empire?

“McDonald's is bad for your kids.” Thus decrees Amitai Etzioni, Ph.D (born Werner Falk, 04 January 1929, in Cologne, Germany) in an essay published in the Miami Herald in 1986. If he had been talking about the quality of their food, perhaps he would have more valid points about the damage that McDonald's can wreck upon young lives. Instead, he choses to dismiss and malign what any fast food company can offer a teen new to the workplace.

I totally disagree with the writer's claim that working for McDonald's is not educational or conducive to a good work habits. I have worked for McDonald's and during that time, I picked up very good work ethics that have served me well over the years. From my observations, one's first job is really what molds you for any other job that follows. I can assure you that I wouldn't be as hardworking as I am today if not for the training and guidance, support and skills, provided to me during my time with them.

Lou Gehrig's The Luckiest Man on the Face of the Earth

Although this speech is perhaps one of the shortest speeches of note in the history of the world, it also ranks as one of the most emotional and powerful speeches of all time. To give the proper impact, one should have a little history on the events leading up to this moment in time.

Lou Gehrig was a professional baseball player for the New York Yankees from 1923 until 1939. Although he spent two thirds of his career playing in the shadow of Babe Ruth, the fact is that this man was equal to “the Babe” in both prowess and skill, with Babe Ruth's off-field activities and larger-than-life persona making him the media darling and star that he was. Lou Gehrig's records in baseball were so impressive, that some of them still stand to this day, or have only fallen in the last decade-- a decade that has decidedly been marred by rampant steroid use among players.

The Faces of Friendship

A recent event in my life makes me take a moment pause.

Passion.
Action.
Reaction.
Chain-Reaction.

The Universe escalates.

A loud cacophony of noise, with two choices...

Headlong into a crescendo of resolution and a chord of harmony
...or the slow guttural death-rattle of dissolution and entropy.

"Zeal, without knowledge, is the sister of folly." --Sir John Davies