A Trapdoor In The Sun

Okay. I realize I'm probably going to offend some people with this blog but keep in mind I'm making blanket generalizations here based on my personal observations as a single father of one wonderful child. Last year, while driving around in by old haunt of Bakersfield, CA, I noticed a new 'infestation' that seemed to effect one out of every three or four SUVs or Soccer-mom vans in town. They seemed to all have these little stick-figure family stickers on the back, which, I assume is supposed to be a cutsie little kindergartner's portrait of the family inside the vehicle. These stickers seemed to have spread like a plague through out the family values type community, much like those awfully annoying "Baby On Board" signs that infected millions of car windows during the Reagan years. The plague hasn't seemed to stretch to the mid-west as of yet, but I'm sure sooner or later it will catch on... I guess I shouldn't think anything of these..exce...

What do you prefer? I used to do Maxwell's House but I had an ex that worked at Starbucks who got me hooked on their expensive yet tasty coffee for the longest time. Now it's back to can coffee because of the costs. What do you prefer?

As the divide between the left and right becomes wider, those of us left hanging in the middle are beginning to feel torn between two polar political parties that do not represent the needs of the majority of average Americans. The Democrats and Republicans have sold out to special interests and corporate America. Between Republican's misuse of the military establisment and the Democrats misuse of public tax funds, it seem like most of our opinions and views simply do not matter. I believe we need a third party, one that represents the center of the political spectrum. I did a little research and found that a centerist party does exist now, being founded in 2005. Check out the site for the Moderate Party. After reading through the party's platform, I feel I could get behind these ideals. The key is getting more support. http://www.modparty.net/ Party Platform A number of moderates around the country have been working together on a Platform for the Moderate Party. This draf...

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cuyahoga County Board of Elections is investigating whether any Republicans broke the law when they switched parties in the March 4 presidential primary, apparently to back a weaker opponent for GOP nominee-in-waiting John McCain. The board expects the results of the investigation March 31. The board wants to know if voters lied when they signed statements pledging allegiance to their new party. About 16,000 GOP voters crossed over to vote for Democrats in the primary. It’s not clear whether the board will try to prosecute voters. A 2-2 party-line tie by the board to pursue violators would have to be broken by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, a Democrat. Brunner “has not been contacted by anyone regarding the prosecution of alleged improper ’crossover voting’,” spokesman Jeff Ortega said in an e-mail. Any prosecutions in such cases would be up to local prosecutors or, if they decline to pursue it, the Ohio attorney general, Ortega said. Cuyahoga County Prosecut...

You Are Your History You probably noticed early on in life that other people see the world differently to you. They must do, because most of them do different things to you. However, they have broadly the same equipment and the same world to observe, so where's the variation? The variation is, of course, internal. As Hume suggested over 300 years ago, humans develop by noticing patterns in their surroundings, they form useful habits as time goes by so that they don't have to concentrate on the detail of everything they do. For example, when you learn to drive you have to concentrate loads at first, but then it comes naturally and you can drive almost without consciously thinking about it at all. In the same way you learn to walk and a thousand other things. The same is true of not just physical skills, but anything you habitually do, such as basic conversation and how to react to certain events. The way in which the mind learns is by significance and repetition. Thus if somethi...

Pascal's Wager  (or  Pascal's Gambit ) is the application by the  French   philosopher   Blaise Pascal  of  decision theory  to the belief in  God . It was set out in the  Pensées , a posthumously published collection of notes made by Pascal towards his unfinished  treatise  on  Christian apologetics . The Wager posits that it is a better "bet" to believe that God exists than not to believe, because the  expected value  of believing (which Pascal assessed as infinite) is always greater than the expected value of not believing. In Pascal's assessment, it is inexcusable not to investigate this issue: Before entering into the proofs of the Christian religion, I find it necessary to point out the sinfulness of those men who live in indifference to the search for truth in a matter which is so important to them, and which touches them so nearly. Variations of this  argument  may be found in other  religious  philosophies, such as  Islam , and  Hinduism  . Pascal's W...

In the Matrix, which pill would you take, the red or the blue? The question of which pill to take illustrates the personal aspect of the decision to study philosophy. Do you live on in ignorance (and potentially bliss) or do you lead what Aristotle called 'the examined life'... The Matrix is a film filled with religious and philosophical symbolism. The plot supposes that humans live in vats many years in the future, being fed false sensory information by a giant virtual reality computer (the Matrix). The perpetrators of this horror are machines of the future who use humans as a source of power. Humans are literally farmed. The central character of the film, Neo, is presented to us in the opening part of the film as a loner who is searching for a mysterious character called Morpheus (named after the Greek god of dreams and sleep). He is also trying to discover the answer to the question "What is the Matrix?" Morpheus contacts Neo just as the machines (posing as si...

Yesterday, I got into a heated arguement with a former Multiply contact on someone else's blog. This isn't the first time this has happened with her. A few weeks back, I made the mistake of trivializing an idea on one of her blogs and was ruthlessly attacked for it. Why the hate? I'm not entirely sure, but after yesterday's exchange, I can only assume it is because I am politically to the left of mainstream, and because I've verbally spoken out about issues with Christianity. This is a person who has many times stated that political correctness is killing our country. I agree with her on this statement. I've never accepted or went out of my way to be P.C. with people, although I do try to be respectful. What she doesn't realize, is that by expecting me to censure my views about Christianity, she is in fact expecting me to be politically correct. It's always ironic when you become what you hate. It seems to me that there are some out there that are look...

THIS IS NOT THE 'DON'T BUY' GAS FOR ONE DAY, BUT IT WILL SHOW YOU HOW WE CAN GET GAS BACK DOWN TO $1.30 PER GALLON. This was sent by a retired Coca Cola executive. It came from one of his engineer buddies who retired from Halliburton. If you are tired of the gas prices going up AND they will continue to rise this summer, take time to read this please. Phillip Hollsworth offered this good idea. This makes MUCH MORE SENSE than the "don't buy gas on a certain day" campaign that was going around last April or May! It's worth your consideration. Join the resistance!!!! I hear we are going to hit close to $4.00 a gallon by next summer and it might go higher!! Want gasoline prices to come down? We need to take some intelligent, united action. The oil companies just laughed at that because they knew we wouldn't continue to "hurt" ourselves by refusing to buy gas It was more of an inconvenience to us than it was a problem for them. BUT...

Three jobs I have had in my life: 1. Account Analyst 2. Burger Flipper 3. Appliance Delivery Driver Three movies I would watch over and over: 1. American Beauty 2. Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 3. Donnie Darko Three places I have lived: 1. Crestview, FL 2. San Luis Obispo, CA 3. Westerville, OH Three TV Shows that I watch: 1. House 2. Family Guy 3. The Office Three places I have been: 1. Wales 2. Spain 3. Seattle Three of my favorite foods: 1. Hawaiian Pizza 2. Burritos 3. Sweet and Sour Chicken Three places I'd rather be right now: 1. California 2. New Hampshire 3. Seattle Three friends I think will respond: 1. Dunno 2. Dunno 3. Dunno Three things I am looking forward to this year: 1. May 2. June 3. Moving out Now, here's what you're supposed to do - and please do not spoil the fun... Copy and paste this on your blog page. Delete my answers and type in yours. Give it the same title I did on my page. Hopefully people will learn a lot of un...

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES 1. If you're choking on an ice cube simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself. 2. Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold while you chop. 3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink. 4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins Remember to use a timer. 5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button. 6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you'll be afraid to cough. 7. You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape. 8. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them. 9. If you can't fix it...

The Swamp How Clinton camp justifies Obama VP but not CinC by Mike Dorning Does Hillary Clinton believe Barack Obama is good enough to be a heartbeat away from the presidency but still a second-rate choice for commander-in-chief? As Clinton’s campaign simultaneously questions Obama’s readiness to be commander-in-chief and enthusiastically promotes him as a vice-presidential choice should she win the nomination, a Clinton surrogate this morning made the unusual argument that Obama is “qualified” to be a heartbeat away from the presidency but still falls far short of Clinton’s readiness for the job. Tim Russert, moderator for “Meet the Press,” bored in on the seeming inconsistency in questioning Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, a surrogate who appeared on behalf of the Clinton campaign. While the Clinton campaign’s recent rhetoric suggests that Obama may not meet t...

It is important for men to remember that, as women grow older, it becomes harder for them to maintain the same quality of housekeeping as when they were younger. When you notice this, try not to yell at them. Some are oversensitive, and there's nothing worse than an oversensitive woman. My name is Jim. Let me relate how I handled the situation with my wife, Peggy. When I retired a few years ago, it became necessary for Peggy to get a full-time job along with her part-time job, both for extra income and for the health benefits that we needed. Shortly after she started working, I noticed she was beginning to show her age. I usually get home from the golf club about the same time she gets home from work.. Although she knows how hungry I am, she almost always says she has to rest for half an hour or so before she starts dinner. I don't yell at her. Instead, I tell her to take her time and just wake me when she gets dinner on the table. I generally have lunch in the Men's Grill ...

largest gig of their career (and in icelandic history) at their homecoming reykjavik show. 'heima' (icelandic for "at home" or "homeland"), truly, shows sigur rós as never before. whereas seeing the group live is normally a large-scale and sometimes overwhelming experience, making full use of lights and mesmeric visuals, 'heima' was always intended to reveal more of what was actually going on on stage. it does this via long-held close-ups and a rare intimate proximity, without ever once breaking the spell. loosely based on a documentary format - and including personal reflections from the band - 'heima' also serves as an alternative primer for iceland the country, which is revealed as less stag destination-du-jour and more desolate, magical place where human beings have little right to trespass. 'heima' features performances of songs from all four sigur rós albums, many radically reworked, as well as two exclusive new songs in 'gu...