Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Just Like Kidz

Ahhh Christmas at my house. My two dogs first fought over their identical squeaky stuffed toy high heal shoes (too gay?), then - within minutes - had the stuffing pulled out of one of them and shortly thereafter abandoned them both.

But those few moments of joy are priceless.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Sieze the Opportunity

Parents are freaked out about Jamie Spears getting pregnant at 16. What should they do? Should Jamie stay on the show? Will their children find out?

Listen folks, this is the PERFECT time to talk to your kids - I would say 10 and up - about sex, pregnancy, safe sex, and contraception. You know your kids so talk to them in a way they will understand. Don't scare them or shield them - just the facts and answer any questions.

Remember - to talk to your kids about sex, safe sex and contraception is not encouraging them to go out and do it. They will eventually do it anyway. Arming them with common sense could save a life or stop a kid from having a kid.

Friday, December 21, 2007

More Character - Less Politics

I'm hearing a lot that Democrats need to start acting more like Republicans because the Democrats look like wimps. I disagree.

No doubt about it, Republicans are much better at politics. But politics boils down to manipulation, deception, bullying, and twisting of facts. I expect more from the Democratic party. True, it's harder to win elections based on good character but Dems don't need to change to get our vote. We need to change the way we listen to the candidates. We should not be fooled by the dirty campaigns and name calling . And we should definitely not join them.

Note: Not all Republican candidates are manipulative - and not all Democrats are of great character. Listen carefully.

Show Some Respect

I do NOT need to hear frantic 911 calls on the evening news. It is nothing less than tabloid journalism and it is disrespectful to the victims or heros involved.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Jill Jackson Said it Best

Let there be Peace on Earth - and let it begin with me.


Everybody now!

Monday, December 10, 2007

Own Your War

President Bush is accusing the leaders of Iran of trying to start World War III. Doesn't he realize that HE is the one who has already possibly set that war in motion?

Thursday, December 06, 2007

The Middle Man - er - Person

Welcome to election year – things are sure to be interesting this time around. I think most Americans are tired of having extremists in the White House and would prefer leaders with more “middle of the road” ideas that appeal to both Democrats and Republicans alike. Electing someone like that is really the only way we can accomplish big things – otherwise we end up with both sides bickering and causing road blocks that hinder their productivity.

I have not made a firm decision on who I would most like to see win this race yet but I see at least one person who would fit the above profile and that is Ron Paul. I have listened to him speak on several occasions and he has a good head on his shoulders. But he is not a front-runner because Republicans – at least those that are taking polls - still want to keep their ultra-conservative policies in place. It’s a shame.

On the Democratic side I think we have a lot of great choices. I wouldn’t consider most of the candidates as hard-lefters although I’m sure most Republicans would disagree. I think Hillary Clinton is a good choice as a middle of the road type candidate and I’m glad she is doing well in the polls. She also comes with prior experience in the White House which none of the other candidates can claim. I’ve been very impressed with the way she has been handling attacks from other candidates, but it will be interesting to see how she can handle attacks from Republican candidates. I honestly believe she can do the job and do it well. And I think the time has come where someone other than a white male sits in the Oval Office.

Whoever gets the job, I just pray they can be more “middle” than the Bush administration - but that should be too difficult.

"Normal" is in the mind of the beholder

Monday, December 03, 2007

24 Hour Madness

The Earth runs in cycles, Day and Night, and all life has adapted to live by those cycles. Well almost all life. Humans, in our genius, have created light bulbs and suddenly the night is light. We now live in a 24 hour society. Last week I read an article that says that people that work “graveyard shifts” could be prone to cancer. It doesn’t surprise me.

The lights are always on, machines never stop and the people that run them must work at what I would call “unnatural hours”. We have been doing this for some time now but I would say only in the last 40 years or so has it become so common that it is no longer considered odd. It’s also in those 40 years or so that crime has gotten out of control, more people seem “crazy” and a myriad of new illnesses you never heard of before – like ADD and SAD have surfaced. I think all these things are related to people living outside the natural cycles of the Earth.

The human body needs sleep, lots of it, in order to function properly. We were not designed to sleep during the daylight hours and therefore don’t sleep soundly when we are forced to do so. This creates all sorts of health and mental stability issues. Another factor to consider is that parents are no longer at home to put their kids to bed, or wake them up in the mornings. They are not there to keep their kids from loitering in gangs and provide proper meals. The 24 hour lifestyle is not healthy for society.

There are a few people who actually work better on 3rd shift hours – but I think they are a small minority. I myself work 2nd shift – 4pm to midnight – and that works very will with my life. But I don’t have kids. And 2nd shift is still within a “normal” day. I’m usually in bed by 1:30am and up by 9:30am. But I do have to wear a sleep mask when it gets light in the morning.

I don’t think we need to run 24 hours a day. Sure profits are huge, but it creates more social and health problems than it’s worth. Notice that most CEO’s of these 24 hour businesses do not work 2nd or 3rd shift. If they did they would know the toll it takes on the body’s natural rhythms.

As with most money driven issues, this one will likely not change - but it should. We need to go back to a society where everyone sleeps at night. It would be great if we could just shut off all the lights after midnight. Imagine the environmental impact of that! Plus, it would solve the terrible problem of light pollution – a near future blog topic.