The Good Guys

One thing we can be thankful for in the U.S. is that our police tend to be "the good guys" protecting us from "the bad guys," crazy criminals that commit every manner of mayhem. In other countries, such as China, the police are "the bad guys," controlled by corrupt politicians. I like the fact that I can rest at night without worrying about a home invasion, burglary or other crime visiting my household. There's always a slight chance, of course, but the odds are slim in this country that one will be the victim of a violent crime or even a property crime, and property crimes tend to be minor for the most part. The most I've ever lost to crime has been a bicycle. I lost two or three bicycles, as a matter of fact, but one was recovered by the police after the perpetrator was arrested on other charges.

China's Abyssmal Human Rights Record

The more we hear about persecution, corruption and human rights violations in China, the more China resembles Mao's old Red China. The Communist Party is a bunch of barbarians with no regard for their own laws, determined to steal the maximum amount of money from the State for self-enrichment and having no regard for human life or freedom.

I think that American CEO's like Steve "Jobs" (so-called) who have transferred jobs from the U.S. to China should be recognized for what they are: traitors, pure and simple, who stabbed their countrymen in the back. They demand protection from the U.S. government and the U.S. military for their property and their precious business interests, but they're not willing to give back in the form of jobs for Americans or even sufficient taxes. They are just like their compatriots in Red China: determined to steal the maximum amount they can get away with while doing the minimum amount of work required to fulfill that narrow objective.

 Meanwhile, Malaysia isn't looking too good, either. Malaysia still has not learned how to hold a fair election. Chalk that up to the corrupt and inept Muslim-dominated government. Wherever there is Islam, there is tyranny.

A Sopranos Guide to Crane Accidents in New York City

Anyone who has watched The Sopranos before knows what happened in the case of the judge who found a construction company owner not guilty in a recent trial.

I find more sympathy for a defendant like Zimmerman than for yet another greedy and incompetent business criminal who is willing to sacrifice human lives in his quest for quick and easy profits. At least Zimmerman can say he acted in the heat of the moment and made a mistake based on real fear. The business owner made a cold and calculated decision placing money above human lives with fatal and tragic consequences.

The Walking Dead Misogynistic?

Seems to me like all the female characters in The Walking Dead are major buzzkills, good for nothing save weeping, screaming and carrying on. I'd give the show a C- on the writing. The main reason I watch it is because I like movies featuring the undead. I also find almost all the characters attractive--yet not too attractive. Yes, it is actually important for characters in a show to not be too attractive, because then the audience can relate with them better.

Most women are not half as weepy as television makes them out to be.

Homeowners Associations = Communism

I couldn't have said it better myself. A home owner in one of these god-forsaken Homeowners Associations has described life in that community as the equivalent of living under communism. That's exactly my sentiment.

Homeowners Associations are just a bunch of uptight, paranoid, money-grubbing morons intent on making everyone as miserable and uptight as they are.

Namecheap

Today was the final day that Namecheap dragged its feet before transferring my domain over to a competent registrar and web host. I have no further dealings with Namecreep, and I guarantee it will be a cold day in Hell before I ever do business with Namecreep again. A more incompetent host would be difficult to imagine. Their entire outfit is just a bunch of clowns.

The Walking Dead

I have watched the first season of "The Walking Dead" and like it save for gaping holes in the head plot. The show is illogical. A single human being such as myself could fend off an entire world populated by zombies, even if I had no access to firearms, even if every bullet in existence were already spent. The simple fact is that, at least in season one, zombies are stupid. They are not even as cunning as animals. Therefore, all one has to do is secure a building, hilltop, or other point that is difficult to access, such as an island, and then cultivate a source of food via gardening or herding. Zombies could not storm a castle because they do not know how to construct ladders, ballista, catapults or any other device or tool. They know nothing of siege weapons or indeed of any weapons. Therefore the premise of the show, that zombies have overwhelmed all the world's armies, is laughable. Another problem is that zombies do not reproduce. Therefore, their numbers would quickly dwindle along with any reduction in the human population.

Heroin and Euthanasia

What I would like to see in the future is more progress in gay rights and also the legalization of most drugs, with the possible exception of horrible things like meth or crack, which have no legitimate purpose. I was going to add heroin to the list, but heroin may indeed have a legitimate purpose for those that have reached the end of their life and are suffering from intense pain or depression. I see no reason to deny heroin to the terminally ill. Heroin was used for medicinal purposes in the past, and in the case of the terminally ill, anything that might ease their passage should be provided to them without interference.

I think euthanasia should be allowed to those of sound mind who want it. There must be a comfort and a consolation to know the precise hour of one's passing. If this luxury is afforded to those condemned by the legal system, then surely it can be permitted to those who have harmed no one.

One envisions a hospice where the dying are high on smack and gleefully marking down the days to their carbon monoxide-assisted demise. Most strange it would be, to be sure, but I think it might be a better and more civilized method of passing from this world.

Foreign Aid, a Poor Investment

There is adequate technical information available about agriculture. No country in the world needs aid. Giving aid to countries such as Uganda and Zimbabwe is counter-productive. I don't see any point in worrying about Uganda. Charity begins at home.

Why some Americans feel the compulsion to go interfering in Afghanistan, Iraq, Uganda, Gambia, Zimbabwe, and all the other little countries of the world is completely beyond me. We can't even run our own country properly. Every time we try to tinker with foreign countries, they wind up hating our guts anyway. Wasted time and money is the only result of trillions of dollars of foreign aid. If some of that money was properly invested at home, then maybe people here would have jobs. Instead, about a fifth of the country is out of work, a problem that will have profound consequences for generations of Americans. It's serious business when unemployment is in the double digits, and it has been for years, and the government has been lying about the real unemployment figures.

Our leaders may have graduated from Harvard. They may have graduated from Yale. They don't know anything. They did not learn a lesson from Viet Nam. Instead, they keep repeating the same mistake over and over again. And that is why the country is in the lousy economic situation it is in--poor leadership. We just have a bunch of blowhards at the top that are interested in ego gratification and lining their own pockets. They don't give two hoots about which direction the country goes, as long as they look good.

Marine Le Pen

The media keeps referring to Marine Le Pen as far-right, with little or no explanation, and that made me suspicious, so I looked her up on Wikipedia. Turns out that far-right in France has no relationship to the far-right in the U.S. She actually sounds pretty reasonable, at least on Wikipedia, and I could envision myself voting for her. The only thing I read that raised question marks was her opposition to euthanasia, but one never finds a politician that concurs with 100% of one's political and social views. The reason the media hates Le Pen is obvious. She's against free trade, and the rich boys make a whole lot of money manufacturing things via cheap labor overseas and selling it in the West, and they don't want anybody to mess with their cash cow. So every time that Le Pen is mentioned in print, she is condemned with the term "far-right" which evokes Nazis and fascists. She sounds to me like a moderate Democrat.

The media is controlled by those who steal money from the government and the people on a regular basis. To the media, "far right" can be translated as "a candidate opposed to stealing."

Media Darling, Steve Jobs

The media continues in its lionization of Steve Jobs, who betrayed the country of his birth by stealing jobs away from his fellow countrymen. In later years, he will be recognized, not for what the right-wing media is saying now about their little darling, but for what he really was, yet another amoral CEO who made a lot of money by firing American workers and sending those jobs overseas to take advantage of cheap labor. He enjoyed all the advantages of living in the U.S. and having his big fancy company protected by the U.S. government, but gave back nothing. Everytime I see an I-phone, I think about Americans with college degrees standing in line at the job fair looking for minimum wage jobs. There's really nothing more to be said about the ironically misnamed "Jobs," who should have been named "Traitor" instead.

Time Team Dumbed Down in 2012

As far as I'm concerned, the last Time Team episode aired in 2011. There are no more Time Team shows worth watching. I read that whoever is in charge hired a model as a co-host (what was wrong with the current host? nothing at all), fired a bunch of archaeologists, and dumbed down the show by cutting much of the archaeological information.

Blithering idiots!

Another great show with scientific content has been gutted by executives who do not understand anything!

Hiring a former model as a co-host insults my intelligence, and I cannot accept that. I liked the old host Tony Robinson, he was superb. I don't give a damn that he is old and pudgy. Wrinkles make a host wiser. I liked Mike Aston as well and all the other crew.

I will never watch the new Time Team, but my consolation is that there are 18 great seasons to choose from, 1994 - 2011. Anything 2012 and onward will be stupid and not worth watching.

It is remarkable, when I think about it, that Time Team ever existed at all as a television program, because TV executives tend to be drooling idiots who cannot tie their shoelaces and their shows tend to reflect that. Who watches TV anymore other than stupid people? Most of the educated set spends all their evenings on the Internet with just an occasional foray on television to catch Mad Men or Downton Abbey.

Eighteen seasons offers quite a lot to choose from, however. I look forward to catching up on all the shows I missed.

Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent is no gent, judging by his recent remarks threatening the President of the United States. His name makes more sense without the "gen."

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Mary Kay

The Mary Kay Cosmetics program is a curious mixture of God, money, and sex, capitalizing upon the fact that women dig all three.

I am aware of the tendency among certain churches of a right-wing persuasion to equate moneymaking with divinity. Capitalist Christianity contradicts the early history of the Church. In truth many of the early Christian martyrs were aesthetes who renounced the material world and possessions altogether. The monastic tradition carried on with this practice for quite some time.

The middle echelons of the Mary Kay organization seem an excessively happy bunch. Happiness is alright in general, but happiness generated by greed and the prospect of separating fools from their money is not. I do not like to hear people boasting about the size of their paycheck and in the next breath talk about God smiling on their deeds.

I find the Mary Kay program suspect because it promises riches with little effort and all of it sanctified and ordained by God. I find it distasteful when people recruit God as just another low level manager trying to turn a buck. To say that God cares about money is demeaning not only of religion but also of the human race.

Oh, they were very smooth talkers, some of them, and they made well-rehearsed speeches. Perhaps they persuaded some of the women. I found their program objectionable on grounds of very poor taste and limited--or nonexistent-- social utility. I heard speaker after speaker boast of how they quit a job in which they were nurses and teachers in order to sell cosmetics to their friends and family. That does not seem like a worthwhile transition to me. It is noble and useful to society to be a nurse or a teacher. I hold nurses and teachers in high esteem. By contrast, selling cosmetics is a negligible contribution to the world. It is certainly nothing to brag about. I think that a janitor is a hundred times more useful to the world than anyone who merely sells cosmetics.

I sneezed and coughed when exposed to the products of Mary Kay. The question is what kind of allergens are put into Mary Kay products, and why do Mary Kay products cause me to sneeze and cough? Perhaps my philosophy has seeped into my marrow so that not only my mind but my body rejects Mary Kay.

The Power of Melatonin

For a long time, my body's been moanin' for melatonin. Last year, I announced an experiment whereby I would attempt to sleep in a completely dark room for 7+ hours in order to allow my body to manufacture sufficient quantities of melatonin. For some reason, according to my sources on Wikipedia and elsewhere, darkness is required, but the body is not a psychic and is not in tune with the Moon, so you can fool the body by simply wearing a patch over the eyes during the daylight hours. Apparently there are photosensors in our retinas independent of rods and cones. I heartily recommend the purchase of an eye patch for anyone who works the graveyard shift and needs to sleep during daylight hours.

I have had several weeks of full, blissful sleep wearing my eye patch and I do indeed feel a difference, possibly from the increased amounts of melatonin. I suspect I do have more melatonin, because my circadian rhythm is much more pronounced. No longer is it simple (or mandatory) for me to stay up late at night, past 3 AM. Instead, I find I can get to sleep at midnight without much difficulty. Also, I wake up feeling refreshed and reinvigorated.

I was talking to an unemployed gentleman the other day who informed me he had to quit factory work because the factory had a mandatory swing shift of two weeks 8 AM - 7 PM followed by two weeks of 11 PM to 10 AM. Anyone whose productivity declines is reprimanded or fired.

It is physically impossible to adjust to alternating sleep schedules that change in such a drastic manner on such short notice. Swing shifts are simply sadistic, no two ways about it, a means of humiliating and beating down the working class, and I think that factory owners should be required to alter their sleep schedule as well.

There is no logical reason to have a swing shift. Personally, I would be willing to work either day shift or night shift, but not both; the human body needs to adjust to one or the other. It is possible to adjust to the graveyard shift through the use of an eye patch and a soundproof bedroom. People with children should work the day shift, while single, childless and retired people can work the night shift and be paid a small premium to do so ($1/hour). There are plenty of single people in the world and it should not be difficult to fill a night shift. If I were a factory worker given the choice, I would volunteer for night shift simply because it is cooler during the summer and pays slightly better.

Business owners should make modest and reasonable attempts to create a  nurturing, positive working environment for their employees. Those that fail to do so find their businesses highlighted in the media for the wrong reasons. I am willing to wager that many cases of workplace violence or labor discontent could have been avoided by the simple and cheap expedient of rendering the interior design more hospitable to human beings. Business owners should consult with an interior designer, someone that knows how to create a positive and nurturing space. Decisions that are made on the purchase of furniture, decor, and lighting will persist for decades, and typically the wrong decisions are made with long-lasting and invisible consequences. Valuable employees leave the company, and the manager is scratching his head wondering why, because the troll is clueless about the ugliness of his cave. One should take pride in his work and his workspace.

Consolation

I've never harmed another being in this world, and that is a great consolation to me at times when I reflect upon my life, because I know that my conscience is clean, and if anything I have assisted the cause of good.

I shudder to imagine the sleepless nights, the fitful dreams of those who have done unto others, who have added to the sum of sorrow in the world. Why be borne at all, why live, if one is going to do wrong? The only purpose that is worthy is to increase the sum of happiness and beauty in the world. To do otherwise is a betrayal not only of others but of self and of one's own family; past, present and future. I know that my ancestors would approve of me and that means a great deal to me.

One of the tragedies of modern life is that morality was hijacked by cults, and so many people feel they cannot talk about morality without inserting cult symbols and cult names into their speech, crediting to a prophet or deity what is obvious and just and rational to every man. I think it is better to talk about morality without the accoutrements of superstition and mythology, to defend common sense using nothing more than reason and compassion and honesty. Superstition muddies the waters and causes many to assume that morality, like superstition, is bunk.

I am a small being of limited awareness and ability. Perhaps there are superstitions somewhere in the world or in the ages of man that have or once had a bit of veracity to them; perhaps there is magic that is real. Even if this is granted, even if I say, your religion may be true, it is still beside the point. Morality is and must be nevertheless. Morality must be independent of your god, because there are many gods and many beliefs. Morality must be universal and godless, so that all may believe. Morality was the original reason, the original motive, and religion was the product. Without morality, there can be no religion. Yet there can and must be morality without religion.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Why I Support Capital Punishment

I think that there are cases, such as the recent one involving Norway's mass-murderer, where the death penalty should be applied no later than one year after the crime. I think allowing a murderer, who is guilty beyond any shadow of a doubt, to continue speaking and engaging the world is a decided negative, an evil influence that can continue to work harm in the world, even if said criminal is behind bars. Such a monster has a negative influence on the public, other prisoners and even on the prison guards. It would be far better to pierce his brain with a single bullet (to save on costs) as soon as possible. To not do so indicates pure negligence and incompetence. I believe that insanity is not an adequate defense for certain crimes, and that even the insane should be killed if found guilty. If California were a state ruled by competent leaders, then Charles Manson would not be alive today, and the parole board would not have to waste its time on his case. It is too bad when someone is insane, but the chief concern in the aftermath of a murder should be for the victims, the survivors, and the community. There is no form of insanity that cannot be addressed by a .45.

The death penalty should be rare, applied to the worst cases of murder, and only applied in cases where guilt has been clearly established. I don't support the death penalty for crimes other than murder. But once an innocent person has been killed by a murderer, they don't get a chance for "parole" or anything else, not even a single day of life, and they can't mount an "insanity defense" either. The murderer has acted without half the compassion or decency shown by the State. I do feel that turnabout is fair play. I also think that the feelings of the victims, survivors and the community should be taken into account. It is not fair to ask taxpayers to foot the bill for babysitting an unrepentant, intentional murderer for the rest of his life.

Zimmerman Facing the Music

Looking at the photo of Zimmerman in the court room, I pity the fool. I guess I'm a soft touch. He looks lost. I'm glad I did not go into law. I'd be a good lawyer due to my analytical abilities, but there are places I just don't like to go--things that I don't like to do to people. Like I said, I'm a soft touch.

People like Zimmerman should never, ever monkey around with firearms. The trouble is that people like Zimmerman are exactly the kind of people that want to monkey around with firearms. And they bring down a world of trouble on their empty heads.

My own feeling is that it will be difficult to pin Murder 2 on Zimmerman. Manslaughter, maybe. But to prove "hatred or ill-will" resulting from a five or ten (max) minute encounter is difficult. I don't buy the theory that Zimmerman was racist either. To claim such a thing without any compelling evidence is just a mistake. Race may have been a factor in the encounter, yes. But to prove some one is motivated by racist hatred is a tall order indeed.

I wish there were a way to resurrect the victim, Mr. Martin. I wish there were a living God in the world that presided over things and intervened to correct injustices that were beyond the power of humans. But God is deaf to the earnest entreaties of human beings, and that is why I do not believe in God.

Perhaps one day each of us will store our essence online in a computer system, and our physical bodies will be replaceable clones.

The best our justice system can do for a deceased victim is permit the victim's family to observe the punishment of the killer. That is not much consolation really, but it is better than nothing. I don't think we should be complacent about the status quo, however. We really need to be thinking about replacing these vulnerable and fragile fleshly shells that we dwell in. They are neither robust nor long-lasting and cause us many problems. The fairy tale about heaven is an inadequate answer to the problem of mortality.

H1-B Visas

If you wonder why you can't get a job in the computer field, despite having (like me) a college degree and ample experience, the reason is that employers have exported jobs and careers, and companies like Infosys are even breaking immigration law to bring foreigners over to the U.S. to replace American workers.

With two college degrees (and 3.9 GPA) and ten years of experience, I cannot even get a job working help desk for $15 an hour in today's economy. Companies would rather hire Joe India or Joe Mexico for $9 an hour.

That is another reason why I am glad I did not bring any kids into this world. There are no jobs available for people my age, let alone younger people who probably have an even harder time finding work.

Procreation, Sterility, and Abortion

This morning, I thought what a good thing it was that I didn't have kids. Some people should have kids. They know who they are. I just don't think that there's anything in me that is terribly unique or valuable that it needs to be preserved through another generation. I never earned over 60K a year, never managed employees, never published a book or story, never made any discovery scientific or otherwise, and never got elected to office. So, in my opinion, what's the point? I'm reconciled with extinction, if not oblivion. I still find the thought of death frightening for various reasons and therefore seek to avoid it by all means.

I remember one of my old friends, an eighty year old, told me that he was not afraid of Death. He lies about anything in order to make himself look better. The truth is not important, only appearances. He wants to appear brave. In reality, Death frightens him, because if it did not, then he would already be dead. Those who stop fearing Death altogether simply die and that is that. It is a great effort to remain alive. In the first place, one must eat. Hunger is simply Death scratching at the window. Those who fear Death eat in order to keep the window closed and the monster outside. There are many measures that one can take, great and small, in order to prolong life, and he takes them all and even some measures that had never occurred to me.

Extinction of my "line," though, does not bother me. The way I see it, if there were anything remarkable that was worth preserving, something so unusual that it would be a crime not to pass it on to future generations, then it would have showed in my own life. Many were the manuscripts I submitted to publishers, and many were the applications I made for better jobs and careers. Many were the projects I embarked upon only to watch wither and fail. But the most compelling reason not to procreate, in my opinion, was the utter lack of a suitable female, one with at least equal intellect (although one would hope for more), abilities, and physical health. There were absolutely no willing and suitable mothers, so the entire question of whether to procreate was and is an academic one. I am glad that I did not.

I differ from, I think, many people in finding it irresponsible to procreate with just any partner. I could have done so many times, but I felt that it was a mistake and did not do it. I think being gay was very helpful in that regard, giving me ample protection from the urge that drives heterosexual men to procreate with unworthy women. There are many unworthy women, just as there are unworthy men. In my opinion, people should never mate with a lesser, only with their equals or superiors. To dilute the blood is worse by far than abortion, because the consequences are incalculable, persisting for generations until the end of the line, and who knows what all of those future people will be capable of? Abortion, in that light, can sometimes be an act of absolute good, serving the highest morality.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments