July 2007 Archives

I was thinking today, after reading the recent articles about Nicole Richie being sentenced to jail time and it sent the wheels in my braining to spinning. I wonder how much celebrity status has to do with crime and punishment in Hollywood. Of course it goes without saying that celebrities, compared to common, hard-working folks, get off pretty light when they get themselves in trouble. I'm not really going to try and dig up any real reasons of substance why this is true. Could be money . . . could be industry influences . . . could be brain waves from alien spacecraft. It doesn't matter. Let's take a look over the past few years at some notable celebrities . . .

Robert Downey Jr

Now here's a guy that has had his fair share of run-ins with the law for stuff ranging from drugs to weapons possession. He's served time in both jail and prison and has gone to rehab a few times. Given his long list of drug offenses, you'd think that he'd still be in prison. But his career still thrives. His latest film, Tropic Thunder, is being filmed.

Mel Gibson

Mel's not a career criminal. For the most part he's a guy who likes to toss a few back and then go for a leisurely drive on the Pacific Coast Highway. If he happens to get pulled over, however, you might see the side of him that is a bit anti-semitic. During his last drunken drive he got pulled over and went off on the officers. For this he received 3 years probation, one year of AA meetings, and a $1300 bill to pay in fines and restitution. While he may have received some bad publicity, his most recent film, Apocolypto, has earned 27.9 million as of December 2006.

Michael Richards

Michael's another guy who isn't chasing after any lifetime criminal achievement awards. That doesn't change the fact that even though his career is drawing to a close he's playing it low key. He does share one common trait with Mel - he likes to go off on people simply because they're different. During a recent comedy performance he apparently displayed his lack of affection for black people. As with many celebrities, he has an excuse but it isn't drugs or alcohol. He has rage issues. He didn't answer to a judge, however, he answered to the court of public opinion and apologized.

Paris Hilton

I know you all wanted to hear about her. You can't possibly be sick of her yet. We all know that Paris got busted for a DUI and got her license taken away. But that didn't stop her, she drove anyway. What did we all expect from a gazillionaire princess? Apparently the judge wasn't payed off chose to throw her in jail. Even after trying to subvert the process, she couldn't manage to stay out from behind bars for 23 days. Evidently Paris' escapades with the sex videos and drugs and drunken driving have brought shame over the whole family and Grandpa Hilton has revoked her privilege to her big, fat inheritance.

Nicole Richie

Paris' ex-BFF has her own drunken driving problems. But she likes to do it driving the wrong way on the freeway. Hey, if you're gonna do it you may as well have fun doing it. Right? She's getting off pretty light if you think about it. She'll serve 4 days in jail, 3 years probation, pay a fine of $2048 and will attend 21 days of alcohol education courses. Something tells me she already knows how to use alcohol. After all this is her second offense in 4 years.

Lindsey Lohan

I'm sure you're all sick of her too, but she's actively chasing poster child status for problem Hollywood starlets. She's earned her second DUI arrest in a few months. Topping that with the cocaine they found in her possession, she's well on her way to getting a very, very hard slap on her precious, little wrist. Perhaps she believes that if she goes to rehab again it'll be ok or the slap won't be quite as hard? Everyone in California should know by now that if Lindsey's behind the wheel of a car they should find a safe place to ride out the storm. She's had at least three car accidents within one year. Time will tell what Lindsey receives from her most recent DUI. Will it garner the same punishment as Nicole, Paris or Mel?

We had a nice family evening together watching Charlotte's Web tonight. You'll probably remember the story, from E. B. White, about the little girl who saves a runt pig from certain death. The little pig befriends the other farm animals, including a spider who again saves him from being the main course at Christmas dinner, and goes on to win hearts and minds at the county fair.

My daughter just loves this story, so we had to get he latest version of it. This 2006 features Dakota Fanning as Fern, the little girl who saves Wilbur ( The Pig ) and gives him a home in her uncle's barn. The cast also includes the voices of many stars including Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, Steve Buscemi, Robert Redford, John Cleese and Kathy Bates.

It's packed full of funny and entertaining scenes that follow the original story. If you loved the original book or the animated version, this remake with live action and computer generated graphics will certainly provide for an entertaining evening.

Yesterday I came across a post at Untwisted Vortex about blogging and grammar, punctuation and spelling. The point of the post:

I believe that how you write is just as important as what you write. Your level of accuracy in grammar, spelling and punctuation are obviously dictated by the level of professionalism required (or desired) for your blog. Even if you're writing a purely personal blog, some level of accuracy is necessary in order to convey your message and the meaning behind the message.

I couldn't agree more. Even though it would appear I am placing myself up on a pedestal for all the world to emulate, I acknowledge that I am capable of letting mistakes fall through the cracks. I am not perfect. I try to proofread my posts, utilize the spellchecker and make sure that things are up to snuff before I press that post button. But, as I said, sometimes I miss stuff due to time constraints, distractions, or other things that prevent me from being absolutely perfect. The only time it bothers me is when I'm reading someone's blog ( or other online publication ) and I come across errors that demonstrate an obvious lack of any effort to proofread. What will further irritate me is when I know that they are held in high regard in the blogosphere. So with this in mind I decided to compile a short list of words that seem to be commonly used in the wrong context, provide the correct usage and a few links that might be useful.

Firefox is a pretty awesome browser. I not only use it exclusively to surf the web but also some of its features come in pretty handy when you develop web apps. There's an abundance of extensions and themes available for it. However, some of this stuff can get pretty overwhelming and tweaking it for your own benefit can be a little imposing to the non-techie. This guide could come in pretty handy if you're trying to personalize all those Firefox tabs.

This one is not for kids or those who are offended easily. So if you click on the link - don't blame me !!. If you're in the market for a t-shirt that expresses your innermost feelings ( even when they're not very acceptable ), here's the site for you.

Words of wisdom that, even though they were muttered almost 70 years ago, ring true even today.

Eminem, Bruce Willis, Jean Claude Van-Damme . . . ever wonder what they looked like when they were kids?

Ever wonder where you should hide your money in case a burglar finds his ( or her ) way in? Here's a guide written for you.

The other day I ranted a bit about how kids are held to different standards than I was when I was their age. One of the cases I used to illustrate my point was that of two middle-schoolers that could potentially face jail and be required to register as sex offenders for slapping their peers on the ass - which, as it turns out, is a pretty common thing in their social circles and not to be taken as a sexual advance but rather as nothing more than a greeting of sorts. As I said, to each their own.

In reading the comments that followed the story online it appeared there were fairly mixed opinions. Some people believed that there was no need to push this issue and felt the school and law enforcement were going too far. Others felt that the kids should do their time since they should know better. As someone who has two children aged 9 and 12 I would contend that they often do know better. And parents teach their children better. But sometimes kids don't do what they're told. Sometimes they make bad decisions in order to conform to the rest of the pack so they will fit in, as I so often hear, "with the cool kids." I thought perhaps I was in the minority when I chastised those Oregonian school administrators and legal administration. In essence I suggested that those kids' lives could be ruined because they made some bad decisions which could be addressed by something as simple as a suspension rather than locking them up and labeling them as sex offenders. It appears I was wrong. I wasn't in the minority.

The comments from Bradley Berry outraged the parents of the two 13-year-olds, Ryan Cornelison and Cory Mashburn, who with their lawyers were deluged with calls from ABC, CNN, Fox, Court TV and radio stations across the country a day after a story about the prosecution appeared in The Sunday Oregonian.

Perhaps there's hope. Was it simply a school administration or legal office that wasn't quite so dogmatic in their approach to dealing with kids that they decided to rethink what they were doing? Was it the dedication of people who see our little world getting out of hand when it comes to raising our kids? Perhaps the school system was afraid of a law suit? Who knows? Maybe the district attorney feared that his career would end up going the same direction of Nifong's. Regardless, it's a good thing when people wake up and smell the coffee. Of course sometimes a nice, sharp smack on the ass can help.

I watch these shows from time to time: Man vs Wild and Survivorman. They say they can teach you how to survive singlehandedly in environments like cold arctic regions, desert ranges and alligator infested swamps. In every episode either of the two, Bear Grylls ( Man vs Wild ) or Les Stroud ( Survivorman ), are dropped in a remote location and given a time frame in which they must either find civilization or survive until found. They are not usually given any of the conveniences that your modern camper would have. They both are normally equipped with a knife, a container for water and Bear usually brings some flint. Les has often been stranded with equipment. For example, he was "stranded" in a desert when his motocross bike "broke down". Therefore, he was able to use parts from it in order to survive. However, neither of the two men have ever acknowledged that they received outside assistance from any of the crew that film the series.

But . . . in this BBC news article an entirely different story comes to light. In one instance when Bear was supposedly filming on a deserted island:

However, he was actually in Hawaii and spent some of his time there in a motel, Mr Weinert alleged.

Who would have thought that these "reality" shows aren't really all that real? Perhaps Bear isn't quite as much man as say, for example, I am . . . because as I've pointed out before, on my off days I wrestle bears.

Last night TNT aired the pilot for a new series. Seems they are hoping for another success they've had with The Closer. I watched the original episodes of The Closer, but never really developed a fondness for them. However, I think Saving Grace is one I might be able to sit down regularly and watch.

Holly Hunter plays a cop ( Grace ) who is lost in a world of alcohol, cynicism and a life without much morality. For what it's really worth, she's lost faith and any real hope of finding it. Then one night, in a drunken stupor, she attempts to make her way home in her Porsche and runs down a guy walking in the road. As she attempts to resuscitate the guy who lay bleeding and unconscious in the road she cries, "Help me God!"

Now I'm neither an exceptionally religious guy nor do I like to read or watch religiously themed stuff, but I could make an exception in this case. An angel appears to Grace and asks her if she is willing to accept God's help. It takes a bit of convincing to prove he is who he says given his appearance. He's not your typical angel. Besides his rather unkempt appearance, crooked teeth . . . oh, and the fact that he likes to chew tobacco and spit into empty beer bottles . . . he has more in common with redneck Nascar fans than any religious icons. Saving Grace gets a thumbs up from me. I'll keep in my list for a while.

Did you watch it? What did you think?

Some recent events have caught my eye lately. Not long ago a reader of my blog followed up on a post I wrote that pointed to an article I linked to about people who were born before 1980. The article was a bit of a sarcastic congratulations. "How could people who were born before 1980 possibly have survived?" Rinsem followed up with a post that suggested we take a very serious look at how we raise our kids to produce children that will take risks and explore the world without fear. I wholeheartedly agree with Rinsem. I try to give my kids the freedom they need to try things and experience life. I may ask them to wear a helmet when they ride their bikes or come in from the rain, but I consider that common sense rather than fearful hovering.

In response to Rinsem's post, I commented to a specific point:

We are raising a generation who will not take a risk because they've been warned throughout their lives that the risks are dangerous. While this can be good, they simply don't understand the difference between a good risk and a bad risk because they don't have the life experience.

My comment on his post was:

The only thing I'd add here is that the price we paid for poor decisions or mistakes was much smaller when I grew up. At the very most, I might receive a generous spanking ( at least that's how my parents dealt with things ) or a very stern talking to. However, now our kids have to deal with "no tolerance" policies, litigious pricks who want compensation for everything little thing and little understanding that kids will make mistakes even when their parents teach them otherwise.

While I'm sure Rinsem understood what I meant, I want to use a couple examples that best represent what I mean. Recently a sixth-grade girl faced being sent to an alternative school for four months. Her crime? She wrote, "I love Alex" on a wall at school with a marker. The school has since changed their mind after the story got the attention of local media and citizens. She faced the same punishment that those who fight, make terroristic threats, and are caught with drugs. Granted, she shouldn't write on school walls. So give her a detention, some soap and water, and have her clean the mess. Thankfully the school eventually made the right decision. But what about the fate of these two 13 year-old kids?

Evidently childish behaviors, like slapping your peers on the ass, now warrant sex charges. It seems, based on the statements of several kids at the school, the norm is to slap your friends on the ass ( regardless of their gender ) as a form of greeting. Well, when I was younger we only did that on the football field or basketball court, but hey . . . to each their own.

So what should happen to these kids? Well, here's what could happen:

Police arrested Cory Mashburn and Ryan Cornelison of McMinnville and if convicted could be permanently marked as sex offenders, The Portland Oregonian said Sunday. The teens also could spend as long as 10 years in juvenile detention if found guilty.

That's the way to do it. Brand them as sexual offenders and stick them in the system. Evidently the district attorney is ready to prosecute:

While the boys' parents have opposed such a harsh penalty, McMinnville District Aattorney Bradley Berry said such youthful acts could have longstanding consequences for the alleged victims. "These cases are devastating to children," he said. "They are life-altering cases."

Damn straight they are. Branding them "sexual offenders" and institutionalizing 13 year old kids for acting stupid does alter their lives. But hey, you gotta get tough with these kids these days don't you? You need to punish them so severely that they would never think of making that mistake again. Zero tolerance. That's the ticket. Brand them for life the first time they step out of line. Honestly, when do we make the distinction between what is criminal and what is a product of bad decision making when it comes to kids? Why should we always resort to ruining someone's life in order to discipline? Couldn't a simple suspension have sent the message that their behavior was inappropriate?

Evidently I'm not the only one that has noticed this story. If you visit that link you'll also find a more in-depth news article about the incident.

I found this cool t-shirt a week or so ago. If you'd like your own go to North Shore Shirts. I've browsed their selection quite a bit and they have a wide variety of stuff to pick from. With shipping it only cost $15.
 

Beer education 101. The college class that every student seems to major in at one time or another. Speaking of beer, we've all had those moments in time when all there is is warm beer. Warm beer is enough to gag a maggot as far as I'm concerned. Fortunately, there's an easy way to chill warm beer in under five minutes.

Newsmap is a site that visually maps news from the Google news aggregator. It's pretty interesting how the news is displayed. From their about page:

Newsmap does not pretend to replace the googlenews aggregator. Its objective is to simply demonstrate visually the relationships between data and the unseen patterns in news media. It is not thought to display an unbiased view of the news; on the contrary, it is thought to ironically accentuate the bias of it.

If you're anything like me, age has taken a bit of a toll and perhaps you're getting a little wider around the midsection. I've been thinking about the easiest way to work in some time to get in a little exercise. Thankfully someone's come up with 101 ways to lose weight quickly.

Last on the list today . . . You can't help but laugh at these misplaced or unfortunately timed ads.

The video of the day . . . laugh and enjoy

When I was growing up my family moved around a lot. My father was an accountant and he was constantly chasing a better paying job. Up until I was about thirteen it was pretty cool. Never living in the same place for more than a few years had its virtues. If ever you did anything that made you look like a complete and utter fool, it was ok. It wouldn't be long before you could have a fresh start in a new place with new people who knew absolutely nothing about you.

Incidentally, my father was often drawn to cities like Houston, Salt Lake City and Chicago, where it was not only a larger place but your anonymity was amplified by the sheer volume of people. Way back then the children-should-be-seen-not-heard doctrine pretty much ruled. In the event some kid forgot that, well . . . corporal punishment was employed as a reminder. Let it be said that I had a short memory and a sore ass to show for it. Times changed as I grew older and I think it's great that teachers aren't allowed to use corporal punishment anymore. And there's been a movement to foster kids' self esteem in the hopes that children will think better about themselves and what they can accomplish.

But, have these changes produced a generation that not only gives little thought to their own privacy but also gives little thought to anyone but themselves?

I'm a big fan of The X Files. I've watched every episode countless times. Every time the 1998 movie, Fight the Future is on I watch whatever I can of it. I'm not exactly sure of the reason, perhaps it is the relationship between Mulder and Scully or the anticipation that Mulder will finally find his sister and reveal the government conspiracy to hide evidence of extraterrestrials.

Regardless, fans like myself were never exceptionally happy when the series ended and have wished for something more. Well, according to IGN, there may be a new X Files movie coming out as early as next summer. This info came directly from David Duchovny ( Fox Mulder ) who has also confirmed that Gillian Anderson ( Dana Scully ) will also be involved with the movie. And this isn't the only source. Reuters is reporting the same information.

So I guess the only thing really to speculate about is what the movie will be about. According to screenhead.com the movie will have to stand on it's own merits without going too deep into anything after the end of season 9. It can't be related to aliens or abduction. From my understanding about the mythology of The X Files, it could go a number of ways:

• The Black Oil and Colonization
• The Clones and Hybrids
• The Abductions, the Coverup, and the Rebels
• Mulder, Scully, Doggett, Reyes, and the X-files
• The Syndicate and the Informants
• Other Characters
• Family Matters
• The Origin of Humanity and Religion, Telepathic Powers, and the Alien DNA
• The New Colonization Plans, the Super Soldiers, and the Pregnancy
• The Digital Tape and the Anasazi
• Mulder's Flight and Beyond

Personally, I think it would be pretty interesting if it picked up with Scully, her kid, and Mulder together and still digging deeper into the story. I'm looking forward to this movie. Don't get me wrong . . . I'm not one of those nuts that watches the night skies waiting to be abducted or fearing aliens bearing anal probing hardware. I'm just a big fan of the X Files.

I came across this post earlier today. It is an Open Letter to Michael Moore suggesting that he make a movie much like Sicko, Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 911 or Roger and Me. I have yet to see Sicko, but I have seen his other movies. I do find his movies thought-provoking enough that it has ignited an urge to find out more about the topics he chooses to grapple with. While some would challenge the validity of the facts Michael uses in his films, ( and I'm not going to debate that point ) he clearly wishes to see people dig deeper that what they are commonly exposed to via major news outlets.

Which brings me directly to the point of this post . . . Do you trust the news you receive regardless of its vehicle or source of delivery? The news you watch on TV? The news you read in magazines? Newspapers? Internet? Even if there was some sort of expose would it really make a difference?

Today, twelve years ago, at 11:30 AM I was given a gift. A son. He is someone that has impacted my life in more ways than I would have ever guessed. I try to give him the benefit of the experiences that have shaped the person I have become - my successes, my failures, the lessons I inevitably learned by making mistakes.

Sometimes it works; sometimes it doesn't.

In the end it doesn't matter because he's my son. And just in case he decided to read my blog today . . . a few words from a guy back in 1999. I can't think of a better way to impart upon you some things that I wish someone would have shared with me when I was much younger. I hope you had a wonderful birthday, son.

My favorite author is Stephen King. During a point in his career he began writing books under the pen name Richard Bachman. According to his website he did this because he could put out more than one book a year in a business that would only allow one book a year. Another of Bachman's novels hit the shelves recently. As soon as I found out I got it and read devoured it. The novel is named Blaze.

Blaze, the main character, is a large man who was left disfigured and mentally challenged after he was physically abused by his father when he was a young boy. After being institutionalized in various foster homes and boy's homes, he grew up enduring his fair share of cruel adults as well as brief moments of happiness with friends and others. Old enough to be on his own, he made his way down the east coast and was drawn to labor that generally required more physical labor than intellectual power. However, for spare pocket money, he ended up being involved with shadier dealings like armed robbery and eventually swinging to con jobs under the guidance of a man named George.

George's aspirations involved one big con that would take care of him and Blaze for life. After George dies Blaze decides to carry out the big job - kidnapping the infant of a rich couple. A suspenseful storyline ensues as the reader follows Blaze ultimately being pursued by the FBI and state police. I couldn't help but develop a liking for Blaze, thanks to King's ability to draw in the reader and paint a portrait that demands constant attention.

Admittedly, I have not tried using it yet so I don't have a whole bunch of details for you. However, this plugin is supposed to show the lyrics for whatever song is playing in either Winamp or Windows Media Player. Pretty cool, huh? Once I try using it I may write it up in a short post.

The Internet offers so much to each and every one of us. From those in ivory towers to those who are easily distracted with small, shiny objects. Have some fun playing with this text to speech generator.

If you've recently decided that you need to get into shape ( and I'm not suggesting you should ) or you already are in shape and need something to supplement your workout, this is the link you've been looking for . . . 15 excellent stretching exercises demonstrated.

Did you see that one where . . . oh never mind, just go watch hilariously funny ads. My favorite was the one for SFR Mobile. You must have the sound on to get the joke because you need to hear the phone call in the background.

Within the last couple of months I started a new job. The people you work with can always serve as wonderful resources for insight into human behavior and entertaining caricatures. I've always resisted the urge to blog about my job for a few reasons. There are those that would easily be offended if I ever blogged about them - and they found out. For that reason, I've kept this blog to myself and a few select friends that I know understand me.

My anonymity has been kind of important to me with this blog. I wanted to be able to say what I wanted without fear of inadvertently offending someone. Since I would never directly attack someone without provocation, I made the choice to reveal more information than I originally planned. However, it isn't just the anonymity factor that has previously impacted the content of what I choose to write.

My kids are in the small group of people that know about this blog. I wanted to be sure to set a decent example for them. Therefore I've chosen to write things that wouldn't generally be any more offensive than they might see on TV. Thankfully, the bar was set very low. I know my daughter doesn't read it - all she does is play Club Penguin on her computer. But my son does read my blog looking for ideas about new posts on his blog. It's well known that blogging about your job can be hazardous to your occupational health. However, I don't believe I've ever shared exactly where I work. So, I'm feeling a little more comfortable about my most recent decision to use some interesting developments, humorous incidents, and notable observations that I find worthy of inclusion to the content here. Along with that announcement I suppose I should say something like this . . . If, by chance, you do work at the same place I do and I just don't know it. For example, you find the punishment of reading this blog pleasing in some way . . . don't be offended. And if you do get offended, shoot me an email . . . leave a nasty comment. I have thick skin and I can take it. I will post your comment.

The judge read the verdict, "You Mr. Fortywhat!? guy are hereby found guilty of the following crimes..."

1. Failure to update your blog in a timely manner.
2. Failure to abide by a previously described schedule for posting to your blog.
3. Total disregard for any faithful readers who might have otherwise enjoyed reading your posts
4. Complete and utter lack of respect for the blogosphere as demonstrated by the previous

Me: "But . . I . . " The Judge: "One more outburst like that and I'll hold you in contempt!!" At least I'll be able to count on our clueless fearless leader to commute my sentence. Whew . . . that's a relief. Yes, I know it's not all that funny. What can I say? I've really kind of let things go. It isn't so much that I haven't had anything to say as it is that I haven't had the words to express everything I've had to say. It's as if I've been overloaded with things to rave about, things to bitch about, and things to moan about. Things have been about as crazy mixed-up as a toxic-waste train derailment. It's left me really exhausted and confused. Almost all of it is contained now and I think I can re-focus on what matters rather than all of the interruptions and peripheral stuff that so often side tracks me.