MY LIFE

So very twisted.

Why would ANYone thing this could be a “good” idea?

Okay, since Shannon asked for it…..
Here’s what Dad looked like at holiday ‘79, just before his first stroke at age 56 in the Spring of 1980. I just turned 54.

and a day at work, probably 78-79, somewhere thereabouts — his beard was longer in this shot, but you can see he had a white chin, [...]

Most everyone has heard about the temporary worker who was killed by the hordes Friday morning at a Walmart store in Long Island.   With lines forming the night before, and nearly 2000 people pressing to get in, they simply trampled the guy as he unlocked the front door. As reported on CNN:
“This incident was avoidable,” [...]

Many months ago, Cousin John recommended a book titled “The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the heart of American Power” by Jeff Sharlet.   Well, I finally had opportunity to pick up a copy.   Holy Crap.  I’m just barely into the first chapter and I’m already rather upset at how Jesus-ism seems to be controlling the [...]

Okay, this is for real.   I read about this on one of the forums I visit.
There is a man who needs a heart transplant.    He is very very religious.  But he is concerned because he asked Jesus to come into his heart, but what if he gets some non-believer’s heart?  Should he go through with [...]

Okay, so yesterday was my birthday, and I heard from each of my siblings, one of my kids, some emails, a couple phone calls from friends, and got several notes and posts in Ravelry.  Today I got a b’day card from my sister and her boyfriend.
I was supposed to have some Grampa Time today with [...]

It seems that there is a LOT more attention being given to President-Elect Obama than has been given to previous presidents-elect.   I mean, three press conferences in three days!  A couple days ago (Wednesday, I believe), Obama was meeting with the press, explaining some of his economic stuff, and George Bush was busy … uhhh… [...]

I guess someone wasn’t paying attention?

That’s what the economics and market-watchers call the day after Thanksgiving.   This is the busiest shopping day of the year as holiday shoppers set out to capture that special prized gift to give this Christmas.
Austin Cline has been running an interesting series of posts (with posters) addressing the Materialism of the Christmas holiday.    He makes [...]

Surely you have heard about the latest terrorist attack(s) in Mumbai, India.  There were several (8, I think they said) coordinated attacks, and the attackers were seeking American and British citizens.
Scary stuff.
And it’s easy for us to sit here and think, “Well, yes, but it’s way over there, on the other side of the world.  [...]

Woo-hooo!    It’s happening in Australia:

Sweeping gay law reform finally passes

November 27, 2008 - 12:35PM

Discrimination against same-sex couples in commonwealth laws has finally ended.
The lower house on Thursday agreed, without debate, to a range of technical and uncontroversial Senate amendments to a government bill to give same-sex couples equality in areas including, tax, social security, health, [...]

PZ posted a link to this Op-Ed piece which starts out:
Thanksgiving must be a terrible time for atheists. They have no God to thank.
Sheesh!    The rest of the piece reads somewhat like a stand-up routine, someone feeding him straight lines and he fires back with the punch lines.
Certainly it cannot be taken seriously, as some [...]

No really, we finally have a VALID reason to celebrate on December 25.   It’s about friggin’ time!
On December 25th, a famous man who changed history forever was born… Sir Isaac Newton!
Consider Newton’s contributions to mankind. Calculus. The discovery of gravitation. The laws of motion. The modern world is built on the ideas that he originated. [...]

Okay, so it’s a little tacky, but this was just posted.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Ya gotta admit… it IS funny!
And no, Roe v. Wade won’t be overturned anytime soon, in spite of conservative rightwing attempts otherwise.  It is important to protect legalized abortion.  I don’t know anyone who is actually [...]

This was just on Keith Olbermann’s show, including an interview with Candice Gingrich:

Very cool! At least some people are starting to figure how what they did. Now why the hell didn’t they catch on BEFORE Nov 4 when it would have counted? Well, at least next time they’ll hopefully remember that [...]

A Florida court has FINALLY overturned a 31-year-old law that bans gays and lesbians from adopting.   BRAVO!
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Cindy Lederman said the 31-year-old law violates equal protection rights for the children and their prospective gay parents, rejecting the state’s arguments that there is “a supposed dark cloud hovering over homes of homosexuals and their [...]

Candace Gingrich (yeah, Newt’s sister!) has a thing or two to say to her brother:
Dear Newt,
I recently had the displeasure of watching you bash the protestors of the Prop 8 marriage ban to Bill O’Reilly on FOX News. I must say, after years of watching you build your career by stirring up the fears and [...]

This is a few days old, but this article: Protests Over a Rule to Protect Health Providers is just plain stupid.
WASHINGTON — A last-minute Bush administration plan to grant sweeping new protections to health care providers who oppose abortion and other procedures on religious or moral grounds has provoked a torrent of objections, including a [...]

Okay, so I have this free turkey in the freezer.
I am still uncommitted as to what I might do with it.  As I mentioned previously, I had an early Thanksgiving dinner with my children on Saturday, because each of them will be spending Thanksgiving Day with the other (spousal) sides of their families.  I took [...]

If you don’t agree with me, you have to shut up.
If you don’t agree with me, I’m going to write to your boss and then you’ll have to shut up.
If you hurt my feelings, I’m going to write your boss’s boss, or maybe even the governor, and THEN you’ll have to shut up.
Well, that’s a [...]