Does An Eye For An Eye Leave You As Blind As Acid?

On Friday I read that an Iranian court order a man blinded for throwing acid in a woman's face and blinding her (read article). Basically, the ruling is legit according to the Islamic code of equivalence.

When I first read this I was outraged. Blinding a guy for a crime? Savages!

Then I thought about it. Isn't it in our basic human nature to seek justice for wrong doings? I know the biblical ideal of "an eye for an eye" just leaves everyone blind, but what happens when someone is malicious. This was not an accident. This was malice.

You only have to read (or watch) the news to see that the world is getting crazier by the day. Terrorists in India, the perpetual Middle East crisis, Iraq, Iran, Al Queda, etc. Aside from religious zealots and the mentally insane, add those with malicious intent towards their fellow man (or woman in this case). Do we really need this added on? What would be the American response to this? Jailing the man for 5 -10 years. Would that cure his malicious intent? Can someone like this be cured? Would this deter the next offender or just assure that he elevated his crime to murder so there were no witnesses.

Would we forcibly sodomize a rapist or pedophile in the name of justice? We kill murderers in most states, don't we?

I don't know what the answer is. My civil brain calls it cruel. My human core calls it fair. The one thing I do believe is that at least the victim will be able to sleep peacefully at night.

The Cult Of Plinko

I was home this morning and the TV happened to be on CBS when I turned it on to watch during breakfast. As I watched, I was amazed at what I saw: the television syndication of a daily cult gathering that has been ongoing since 1972 (show started in 1956 but was not a cult yet). These people meet daily like a cult and meet to receive the generous bounty of gifts provided by their god.

I'm referring to "The Price Is Right."

Let me help you understand where I'm coming from. Here are the reasons the show participants and watchers are a cult:

1. Members attend weekday services daily
2. The cult technically began with the appointment of Bob Barker (1972) as head. Bob often required models to sleep with him to prove their loyalty to the cult. The heir to the throne was Drew Carey who most would agree gets no such perk.
   
3. Members wear the traditional ceremonial clothing -basic white tee shirt or other tee. This tee sometimes has painted or written words like "I love Bob (the original deity) or Drew(the heir ).
4. Often the ceremonial virgin is offered in the form of a "large breasted" participant with the above mentioned comments on her tee shirt jumping up and down profusely for the cameras as she runs from the top of the studio stairs to the bottom where the ceremony will take place.
5. Members are allowed to touch their deity when chosen and are also forced to call out other members they have brought into the cult during a ritual called a "shout out." Often people will call out those they have indoctrinated in their home towns ("Hi mom, grandma, little Susie and Bobby")
6. Unlike organized religion, members are encouraged to dress down. Showing up in a tie and gown won't get you to the ceremonial altar
7. Attendees from various areas wear regional colors or uniforms to indicate they are there together (pink girlie shirts, white tees with logos, tees with pics of the host,servicemen, etc.)
   

I get it. The shows early popularity was based on the interest of the tons of housewives who knew about only one thing - shopping for the household. It's 2008. You would figure we would have something more interesting than a "Betty Crocker" like show.

Or maybe it's that the show offered people of low expectations a chance to win a car or other lavish gifts by just knowing the price of Spam, but it's still disturbing to see some of the groupies go on stage and act like this is their ONE shining moment in life.

I wish you all the best if you get to meet Drew but if not, here's a parting gift... {SPACE OPEN FOR ADVERTISING}

The Smile Felt Around The World

This post is a bit awkward. For the past few hours I've been speechless. I went to vote early this morning and instead of seeing the grumpy, beaten down characters I usually see at the local junior high school on election day, I saw something different. Sure, there were more people. New people. Many younger and some much older. There were heads of household that had brought their entire families out to make sure all possible votes in their household were counted. Regardless of whom they were voting for, I saw something everywhere - pride. At the cost of sounding cheesy, I hadn't seen this in a long time. Real American Pride had not manifested itself since the painful events of 9/11. Not the divisive "country first" pride I had seen in recent weeks, but the real thing. Living in NY, I was as proud to see it this morning as I was back then. I had almost lost hope that we could get right the one thing that we used to excel at - an election.

I usually ignore my house phone anyway, but I made sure I didn't pick up any calls this week so I didn't get one of the automated voting calls that have been calling me all week (yesterday, my mom called and told me she was called by Mike Bloomberg). All day I've gotten texts, emails and calls celebrating just the fact that friends have voted and are hoping for change (see my friend's post here). While the sadistic part of me wants to ship Palin and her family back to Alaska and drill wells in her backyard, the better part of me looks at the historic event that happened today.

Look past the mixed heritage of the president-elect. Look past the record numbers of voters and new voters who stood in line this morning (personally, my fat ass had to stand in line next to neighborhood people who I really didn't feel like speaking to at 8am in the morning). Forget that the world opinion of this great nation has been in the gutter and the the world is looking for us to set the example - to be the example. Forget that after years of election shenanigans, everyone doubted we could still get it right.

Instead, focus and revel for a moment in history. For those of us that are younger, this may be our Bobby Kennedy, our JFK, our vessel for change . However, this is a Pyrrhic victory. We have already lost so much. Some more than others. For a second though, forget everything else and just enjoy the moment.

Today I don't gloat. Today I hope that change does come.

This Week's Observations

A few miscellaneous observations from this past week:

Even notice that whenever you see public servants they're never working? They're always on break. I went to lunch and saw firemen hanging out on the corner. A few blocks down, two cop cars (one double parked) were just hanging out talking to each other. The Con Ed gang by my house has been working down the same manhole cover for weeks. Probably because they have 2 guys on traffic flag patrol.

I heard an ad on the radio this week for a site called AshleyMadison.com. Apparently, this is a site for people who want to have affairs. Yep - affairs. The site states that you should go there to "change your life" or if you are in need of "something more." I didn't know that we needed a specific site for affairs. What happened to good old fashioned lying on every other web site? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought that lying was part of what made affairs so attractive.

On TV, I saw a commercial for one of those hungry children organizations with Laurie Metcalf (TV Rosanne's sister) pleading for donations. There should be a few mandatory rules to using "stars" to solicit donations. The 1st being that the star power should at minimum dress up and look like a star. It's not difficult. Sally Struthers was a cow, but at least she always dressed up and made herself look nice for the cameras. Metcalf on the other hand looks busted. There's no other word for it. She literally looks like she snorted coke for a decade ten rolled out of bed to beg for donations. They would have been better getting one of the two "Becky" characters than this old hag.

...all for now...

Thinking Of Not Voting?

In case you were thinking of NOT voting, just remember what the current administration thinks of you...




To see his self described "one-fingered victory salute" click below.



Now make sure you go vote...

I Wish I Couldn't Remember...Eating That Entire Pie...

Scientists may one day be able to erase selective memories that you don't want to remember. According to this BBC article, lab tests are already being done on mice to erase part of their memories. I won't bore you with the specifics - you can read the article, but the possible applications to humans include erasing painful memories and traumatic experiences.

While erasing the memory of a rape, or a war veteran's horrid mental flashbacks might sound appealing, I have to wonder where the line would be drawn. There are always statements made by the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA that these things will be regulated, but we all know that these can be abused. Where would the line be drawn? Would we bypass molestation as a child and use it to forget the loss of a pet? Of a family member? What about forgetting a bad break up? Or even a bad marriage (I know a few friends who would love that)? Where do you stop?

Let's look at it in an existential way. If the sum of your experiences is what makes your mind, your soul and your basic existence, then wouldn't the removal of these events change who you are? We consistently hear about how a child who had a rough experiences felt he needed to work harder and in turn becomes a superstar later in life. What if you removed those experiences? Would the child still become an over achieving adult?

There is a reason that the mind remembers. Our mind knows that the sum of our experiences helps us decide future actions. If there is an experience that we simply cannot handle, the mind has been known to block that out too - without the use of a drug.

As painful as it may be, I see this much in the same light as I see altering the female monthly cycle (previous post). If you alter certain things in the body, the body (and mind) will eventually adapt its way around it.

What if a side effect was the mind providing you flashbacks to these chemically blocked memories? Wouldn't you think that you're going nuts?

An Inebriated Moment...

What are we? Less than 20 days until the election? This is the time when things are going to get nasty. I figure all we can do is ignore all the BS and make an educated decision on what we've learned so far. As I sit with my friends during a poker game (with a few drinks), I'm reminded of what's important and what can't be taken away from us. While the next president-elect can make our lives monitarily difficult, they can't take away our experiences, our lives, our families, our friends...

Basically, if this election doesn't go the way that you're hoping- don't give up. just remember what's important to you.

3rd Debate Summary -Kind Of...

I was a bit sleepy during the 3rd Presidential debate the other night, but let me give a summary in case anyone missed it. I've paraphrased most of the responses for easy reading.

Moderator: Question blah,blah blah? To Obama first-
Obama:Yadda, Yadda
McCain: I have the scars. I've done hat, been there. I have a history. He wants to tax you. Joe the plumber!
Obama: Someone get the old man a Q-tip. As I stated before, my plan is this...
McCain:Robin Hood wants to redistribute your wealth. He's gonna tax you! Joe the plumber...
Obama: Joe the plumber...get the man a hearing aid...my plan is this...

Moderator: Let's move on to the next question...
McCain: Terrorist!
Obama: Am not
McCain:Watch this guy, he's shifty. Who is he? Hangs with terrorists...
Obama: I'm not gonna have terrorists in the White House...
McCain: Feel scared yet, America? BOOGEY BOOGEY!
Obama: As I stated before...
McCain:Don't trust the terrorist, he's going to spend lots of Joe the plumber's money and then he's going to fine him for not giving his employees' medical insurance. Everyone should fear the scary liberal. The boogey man is coming...
Moderator: Next question...

McCain: FREEZE ALL SPENDING! Joe the plumber...
Obama: Joe the plumber needs a scalpel
McCain: I used to have a pen...a sharpie...I'll use it. The black guy wants to spend more...
Obama: This old guy is getting crabby, he needs a nap. Like I said before, under your program, Palin's special needs kid's program wouldn't have funding
McCain: Terrorist! Big Spender! Joe the plumber...
Obama" As I said before...
McCain:I'm not Bush. You should have run 4 years ago
Obama:If I'm a big spending liberal, you might as well be Bush

Moderator:Let's focus for another question- negative ads...
McCain: Hey, I'm trying to win and he's not making it easy. Besides, it's politics
Obama:You've been calling me names
McCain: Did not!
Obama: Did too!
McCain:You let them call me names and didn't apologize...and at least I defended you and said you weren't a Muslim...just a terrorist
Obama: I didn't say anything- why would I apologize?
McCain:Anyone know a good support group for name calling? Obama's gonna hurt Joe, Joe....Joe the plumber...
Obama:Can we pause so he can have a nap?


By the way, from BBC online (about "Joe"):
"However, a bit of media digging has uncovered that Mr Wurzelbacher's first name is actually Samuel and he does not have a plumber's licence, although the company he works for does.

According to Tony Herrera, of the Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 50 in Toledo, Ohio, Mr Wurzelbacher cannot practise in Toledo without a licence - although he can work for someone with a master's licence or in outlying areas that do not require a licence.

According to local court records, Mr Wurzelbacher also owes the state of Ohio $1,182.98 in personal income tax.

Mr Wurzelbacher acknowledged he did not have a plumber's licence and admitted in one interview he was "not even close" to earning $250,000."

McCain is 2 for 2. First he chooses Palin without meeting her, now Joe..err...Samuel...

Here's Your Bill

The National Debt Clock in NY has been taken down...because it needs more digits.

Who would have ever thought the country of apple pie, blue jeans and rock and roll would be borrowing money from China?

To really rub it in, the rise in oil prices has given Iraq a surplus of more than 6 million dollars. The cost of the Iraq War is now more than a trillion dollars. I've been hearing about this "surplus" for the past few months and I'm sure they are slowly using some of it on infrastructure issues and bribing more militia into compliance but I think it's time to pay the bill.

It time to write up an invoice or send them the bill for this occupation:

• Removal of dictator (regardless of false reasons for invasion) $300 billion
• Bribing militias to comply and help with the "surge" $100 billion
• Training of new security personnel and law enforcement $3 million
• Early "exit" penalty and handing over security to local government $100 billion

As an added incentive, we will ship "W" to you once we're done with him.

We will gladly accept payment in Visa, Mastercard or oil barrels...

By the way, it's time to start taking credits on the money we owe China since they refuse to pay over $100 billion owed to us. Someone needs to send Condoleeza out to recycle cans. Hey - every bit helps!

Who Would You Appoint To Government?

I have all these ideas running through my head so here goes -

I was watching the debate-less "debate" tonight and started wondering about who should lead what. Let me explain. Regardless of who leads, you are only as good as your team, right? This true in sports, business and government.

In the last 8 years, we have learned the hard way that hubris is the ultimate enemy and can cause a leader to believe that they are always right and require the counsel of no one. This recent hubris can only be compared to the old idea that a king was appointed by god.

Since we've learned the importance of counsel, I was interested in who would the candidates choose to build their ultimate team? Here are a few of my suggestions:

1. We can't forget Hilary. I'll admit, I was the first to hate this woman before, but she made a believer out of me. I'd think somewhere with health care would be appropriate but maybe Sec of State (Rice's position) would suit her even better. I could see her ironing out some of the foreign jams we've gotten ourselves into in the past 8 years and no one would argue with a woman in a pant suit!
2. Buffet for Treasury? Ok. We're on the right track. You know how the post office needs to be run like a business instead of a government office to get it running smoothly (who wants to wait in those lines)? Well, our Treasury Secretary needs to be a businessman. Put Bloomberg there. I guarantee we'll hate him for 4 years -but we'll be back in line. There's nothing like a businessman to put you back in the black.
   
3. Energy - Guys, you don't need and energy plan! Click here and take this one from T. Boone Pickens. It's in video format, so you non-readers don't have to sweat it. Just click and view. Put him in charge and let him roll with it. You can put him in charge of building the wind farms also.
   
4. Defense - This is tough. It's easy to feel warm and fuzzy at night if some military person is in control, but we'd need someone who's not trigger happy.

Please submit all suggestions to your candidates.

A Personal Moment

My Grandmother turned 97 on October 4th. It seems surreal that for almost a century she's walked on this earth and is still in good shape. Don't get me wrong - her pill case would make a college kid drool, but none of them are for major diseases and she goes out on "walkabouts" around the city on an almost daily basis. She's a sharp contrast to those old people in the rocking (or wheel) chairs that are always celebrated by Willard Scott on NBC.

We celebrated her birthday as we do every year. We tell her that just the immediate family is going out to dinner and when she agrees, we add a few friends and family to make her night special. As I sat there last night (the only person under 50), I just observed the conversation and wondered..."when"?

When did I become the family planner & organizer? I'm by no means the patriarch of this ragtag group of senior misfits, yet the uncle that stepped up to the plate is practically absent from our lives. My father - out of state. Somehow the responsibility has been passed down to me.

Don't get me wrong. These annual birthday dinners were my idea. I started them when she was 92. I figured what could you possibly want at 92 years old? You pretty much have everything or have decided you don't really need anything you don't have. I would assume at that age, human relationships are what matter. The connections you made during those 9+ decades are what stands in your mind the most - not the 46" TV you bought last year.

I guess I just somehow missed the "tag" to tell me I was "in". Somehow, in the course of life's events, power switched from the ruling class to me and I missed it. Now it's my turn to make sure all the 70+ year old "kids" ( my mother and grandmother) keep out of the street and get in the car. Somehow now I'm responsible for important date reminders and chauffeur service. Somehow it's now up to me to teach the use of remote controls, cell phones, features on air conditioners and how the satellite TV works. I have to pre-screen dinner options for things I know they don't like and it's me calling around 10 P.M. to make sure they arrived home safely from wherever their adventures led them today. It's also me yelling "why did I give you a cell phone if you're not going to use it" when it's late and I can't locate them.

I'm not complaining. This is life, and it chooses to run it's course regardless of how many comment cards I choose to send in.

I'm just saying that somehow, I missed the email...

An Open Post To The Presidential (and VP) Candidates

To the Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates,

With a little over a month left until the November election, there are a few topics and issues that you have found "surprising" and that I find disturbing considering the job you are attempting to acquire. For future reference, let me point out a few points that those of us on "Main St." have not found surprising, but somehow you do:

1. Corporations left unwatched will consistently increase their profits while stepping all over the little guy
2. That poor guy that you claim won't want to pay for his state "sponsored" insurance because it will cost more than his employer's insurance NEVER HAD INSURANCE to begin with. He was never able to afford it.
   
3. Muslim states are really led by the head Imam, not the president. Talking to the president is like brokering a deal with Queen Elizabeth...
   
4. The world hates us. The days of "bring me some blue jeans from America" (in an eastern European voice) are over. We need a diplomat and a PR firm...
5. American kids are stupid. We are ranked like 20 out of 27 in education among industrial nations. We need to control the A.D.D. generation now before all is lost or you'll be reading about the decline of American society in a text message...
   

In addition, we would like to stop hearing the following on both sides:

1. Any Main St. Vs. Wall St. comparison
2. Any comments about either side not being patriotic
3. All guilt trips to vote for McCain because he was a POW and a war hero.
   
4. We get it! EVERYONE loves Israel. Move on...
5. The phrase "drill baby, drill."
   
6. The words "Maverick", "Surge", "Bail-out", and "'betcha"
7. The "lost babe in the woods" routine
8. Age comments - he's too old/young
9. Any animal references

Thank you.
The Voting Public

"...now put some more lipstick on that pig..."

24 Hours In Life

Twenty-four hours ago I was in the Atlantic Ocean on a cruise ship. For a little over a week, I suspended the monotonous activities of my life and accepted that it was time to let someone else pilot the proverbial (and actual) ship. I made no decisions beyond pool, food or which lounge to sit in. I had never been on a cruise before and was pleasantly surprised. Here were my observations:

• Shortly after everyone boards, we are all forced to do an emergency drill, grab your life jacket and go to your muster station. For those that have never seen this, it looks like a herd of tourists being herded and lined up on a side deck under a life boat. What you do learn (but they don't announce) is that the last few rows of people showing up would probably drown since they took way too long to arrive to the deck and I doubt the boat would wait. (You need to speed it up gramps!)
• During the drill, the crew is clearly focused on getting you to your station, but I wonder how they would control the loose cannons that would just run towards the railing and take their chance with a dive...
• I don't see what the rush is to plan excursions. How much of any place can you see in a day? The days at port are really supposed to be the vacationing equivalent of an amuse bouche. Just enough to wet your appetite and leave you craving more. The problem with this is that it's a tease. The mental equivalent of masturbation without release. There is no possible way to feel satisfied when you only have hours to immerse yourself in a culture. This is why you pay a guide a ridiculous fee to show you a sample of foreign "life." I say "life" because this usually revolved around sites that the guide gets paid to take you to (tourist shops), so the only culture you are actually seeing is capitalism.

Bottom line is this: The ship is the vacation. The ship is your salvation. The ship is the reason you are there. Face it - there is no possible way you can feel stressed while looking over your balcony at the open ocean with a setting sun in the background. Perspective is important in life and to be at a hotel at sea and not see life, work and relationships in a different light would be insane. It is during your days at sea that you are able to completely detach from the world.


Oh yeah, one more observation. Ladies -just because you have a larger canvas to put tattoos on doesn't mean you need to fill all 400+ pounds of it.

Congress Needs A Paycut

I read that during the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin suggested that congressional members not accept a payment for their service. Unfortunately other members were able to have a payment attached to service. It wasn't until 1815 that this per diem became a straight salary. I googled it today and found out that the average Congressional member gets paid $169,300 yearly. Many times, members of Congress have voted to not give themselves a raise. But therein lies the problem. Can you vote yourself a raise? What other job do you know where the only gauge for your job performance is being voted back in when your term is over and you can campain for the next term?

I know politics is a dirty game. Each party vetos the other, no reforms are passed and the only people that suffer are the people who employ the representatives. The reform we need is SALARY reform. Why are we still paying members of Congress that don't show up to work? Their salaries should be in our hands. Didn't accomplish anything in a year? 25% pay cut. Don't show up to work? You get limited sick days like the rest of us, then you need to apply for disability - just like the rest of us. Not doing your job in the people's eyes? You get a write up for lack of productivity. Hard economic times? Huge national deficit? Sorry, no increases for you until you balance the budget. We simply can't afford it.

The people should decide your pay, your benefits and your basic livelihood. Prove yourselves and be rewarded.

TOO MUCH Customer Sevice

I was at a bar the other night with some friends. It was the holiday weekend, most of us had been working a lot and it was a good time to relax and catch up on life. We chose a slow, often empty, local hole in the wall that we used to frequent when we were younger. While the place is nothing special anymore and the bartender couldn't mix a drink if her life depended on it, the location offers us seats, a good jukebox and isn't far from home.

The cost of this Utopia is an inexperienced bartender who doesn't know the difference between building rapport and butting in on conversation. I can only compare her to the old woman in the airplane seat next to you who keeps asking you a question every time you put your ear plugs in to watch the movie or hear music.

For example, there were 4 of us at the bar when we arrived. After a little banter, the bartender asked if anyone wanted to play doubles in pool. Doubles. Hmm. 4 of us, one of her. 2 sets of 2 plus 1. Let me get this straight - we came to talk and drink in your bar and you suggest one of us sits of the activity at the bar so you can play pool? Go do your damn job and come back when the glasses are empty!

I've been in other locations and seen similar behavior. The waiter at the restaurant that can't read the body language of the arguing couple and interrupts them mid argument. Maybe service employees should be trained in body language.

I don't want to discourage the waitress who sits at the table of guys while she takes your order and builds a great relationship with her customer. That waitress keeps my glass full and keeps checking in regularly, but not intrusively. She will get a large tip. She deserves it.

Drinks anyone?

Questions?

Huh?

Maybe it's the lack of sleep tonight, but what type of "comments or questions" could you possibly have about a GIANT PAPER CLIP? It's a PAPER CLIP!

1. Is is larger than most clips ("giant")
2. Does it clip paper?
3. Can you unfold it and use it to reset all your catchy gadgets with pin sized reset buttons?

SAVE YOUR PHONE CALLS.

Four Day Work Week? How About Three?

The week leading into Labor Day weekend is really busy for me at work. As a result, I end up working extra hours and sometimes extra days. After several days of 10 hour shifts, I am reminded of the propositions for a 4 day work week earlier in the year. The propositions were actually thought out because of high gas prices, but I wonder why we don't do this as a rule of thumb for basic sanity. We always complain about quality of life. What better way to improve quality of life than to give your employees a third day off during the week?

There are two ways to do this - most businesses work the 40 hour week in 4 days (longer shifts) while others just try to be more productive in the 4 days that they work.

A few online businesses have tried this and enjoyed better employee morale and productivity. Most note that business essentials (such as customer service) are still taken care of on the off day and someone is on call for emergencies.

In June, Wayne County in N.C. closed it's HR and social services offices as well as some other government jobs one day a week. This was meant to save on gas spending. While some workers enjoyed the change, others worried about completing tasks in 4 days and about having their schedules changed.

Aaron Newton writes a post giving 16 reasons why we should be on a 4 day work week. He covers both the 40 hour and a 30-32 hour week idea. While his post was based on gas savings, he makes a good point for improved workplace productivity and personal employee savings (childcare, gas, etc.).

Responses to Newton's post also remind us that the average American spends 2 hours a day surfing the web and calling friends at work. In my line of work, I can point out all the miscellaneous gossiping and chatting that goes on incessantly if I don't consistently walk the area to assure everyone is being productive. Apparently the next generation of laborers can surf the web, IM, text, listen to music and talk on the phone simultaneously but are unable to speak while performing tasks they are being paid to do. The minute the conversation starts, the hands stop moving. Go figure!

Personally, I would love the idea of a shorter week with less hours. 8-9 hours I could do. I think productivity would increase and we would have more time to spend with friends and families. I think people would be less stressed.

Think about it - are we built to work the way we do? 40+ hours a week after commuting to work in crowded conditions or sitting in traffic for 5 days, twice a day. It doesn't end there. Some of us are then "on call" for emergencies when the business is closed (even though we don't own the business) and many times receive calls regarding the business while at home or on the way home. In essence our time off is conditional. The cost of not answering the phone on one of these calls is cleaning up a huge mess on the day you return to work.

The cell phone and mobile internet have made us a 24 hour worker - although not as driven. Compared to the Japanese worker, but we're "at work" more than we're supposed to and are still less productive.

I know times were hard, but let's go back to the days of getting up in the morning, clubbing an animal to death for food and dragging it back to the cave for a home cooked meal.

Then let's spend the rest of the day figuring out what that shiny thing in the sky is...

Wal*mart: Profiting On Your Poverty

Nowadays, customers love one-stop shopping. Who has time to visit the grocery store, the electronics store, the department store and the shoe store with the kids? Why not just go to one spot?

Times are tough. Walmart knows this. To capitalize on your lack of funds and your need to have some sort of quality of life, they have started advertising that they sell juicy steaks (why go to the supermarket or butcher?). You can afford a barbecue this summer with steaks from Walmart.

Their new slogan "Save Money. Live Better" says it all. With the American economy in the state it is in and people scraping together pennies to pay for food on their tables, Walmart has decided to take advantage of the current economy and let the American public know that they are the place to save money.

Walmart's latest commercial does the math and shows mom the $300+ she will be saving by not ordering a fresh pizza from the local pizzeria and instead buying packaged pizzas from Walmart.

Some will say that this is a good thing for the average consumer. An immediate relief from monetary woes. If you look at the big picture, though, Walmart is still Walmart. This is the same company that encourages it's employees to go on welfare and medicare since they can't pay for their families' well-being. Even though they employ such a huge number of employees, they still have issues with promoting women and their special task force will close down a location if the work "unionize is even whispered.

Can some of the propaganda about Walmart be exaggerated? Sure. But you can't ignore that Walmart is a small business killer. There is no possible way that mom and pop can compete with the purchasing power of Walmart. Prices can only be cut so much and soccer moms won't pay more for customer service if they could instead use that money to pay for gas. Let's face it. If Walmart could get a deal on gasoline, they would probably sell that also.

We need to realize that there is a price to pay for short time fixes. You may save money now and get the selection and value that Walmart offers. In the long run, however, there is a price. When you get bored of Walmart's selection and look for an independent business to buy an item it won't be there. Tony's pizzeria, Bob the Butcher's Shop, Sam's Records and the local hardware will all be closed and no one will be willing to risk opening another small business as long as Walmart is around.

Be careful what you wish for...

DVD Bonus Features zzzzzzzzzzzzz

Bonus Features. Everyone loves 'em. There's no feeling like paying 30 bucks for a DVD and feeling it's justified because you also get 3 dvds of bonus features. I loved watching X-Men with the option to re-insert the deleted scenes and directors like Lucas have perfected the re-release with new options (original VHS version, THX version, Special Edition with deleted scenes, DVD version, DVD version with interviews, etc.).

I loved checking our the Criterion Collection Robocop and seeing what the alternate ending to Clerks was, but lately most DVDs have the lamest "bonus features" I've ever seen. The worst is when one of the discs is a soundtrack or the same movie on two discs (one regular and one widescreen). Lord of the Rings came with 4 discs - 1 and 2 were the extended film version (totaly worth the money). Disc 3 were documenteries covering the "adaptation" of the book to film and 2 maps of Middle Earth (just in case you're enough of a nerd to track the story) and disc 4 had 7 documentaries covering filming, special effects and a gallery of photos.

Snore.

How much miscellaneous crap do you need? Kevin Smith is the worst at this. Seeing some of his deleted scenes for his movies is great. Hearing hours of his long, drawn out, monotonous commentary in his own voice (if you can keep awake) definitely isn't worth the price of the dvd .

Every bit of useless footage is now kept for dvd release. Bloopers - funny. Unrated versions - awesome! A 20 minute sequence of miscellaneous camera shots showing the slow movement of a vehicle or someone walking -not necessary.

The truth is that there is a reason why scenes get cut. Sometimes it's 'cause they suck.

Volcano Erupts. Thousands Dead. News At Eleven.

I was reading the news online today. I really don't know why I bother. I see why the networks pump us with stories about Britney, Paris and Amy Winehouse. The news is bleak. The world is dark. The news is depressing. A few of today's international headlines:

• US HIV rate 'higher than thought'
• Parents forget child at airport
• Congo groups 're-arming' in east
• India temple stampede 'kills 140
• Afghan bomb brings wedding carnage
• 11 Climbers Reported Dead on K2

It makes you wonder why anyone would want to bring a child into this crazy, messed up world. On a daily basis, the news implies that the world is coming to an end, WWIII is on the verge of starting, an asteroid is on it's way and a terrorist is going to blow you up on your way to work.

In spite of everything being stacked against us, humans instinctive feel the need to reproduce and populate the earth regardless of the odds of survival. I guess this is why it is burned into our basic human core and biological clocks. To assure the survival of the species when most logical thoughts lead you in the opposite direction.

I can only image past generations have sensed the same sense of futility. Cavemen would have had dangers in their everyday lives:

• Tyrannosaurus Rex eats family of four
• Pterodactyl attacks local watering hole. Five missing.
• Flooding drowns caves south of lake
• Asteroid crashes in west. Smoke everywhere.
• Ice melting. Water rising. Mass exile imminent.

Yet here we are, years later pondering the same crap as our predecessors. Our only advantage is we have reality TV to help us mindlessly veg out and forget about the human condition and the world around us. Some of us won't even go as far as the world around us - those will stay in their local towns and neighborhoods.

There really isn't an end to this post. Just stuff I was thinking about...