Dreamlines

See what your dreams look like here. Power of suggestion at work. Pretty neat stuff.

Parents: What's The Point?

I was shopping at our local Save-On Foods store, or rather I was tagging along as my wife shopped.

At the checkout I noticed the cashier's name badge, her name was Alyxsus. Every time I see a name like that I wonder what their parents were thinking.

For her entire life she will have to spell out her name to everyone she meets. Why not just name her Alexis? Then most people would automatically write down the default name which is most common.

Karin is another one. Karun, Karin, Carin, Carun, Karen, Caren. Why burden someone with names with multiple spellings? Whats the point of that?

Why name a boy Jon, when most know the spelling as John? Or Marc instead of Mark? Or Jasun instead of Jason.

We all know you want your child to be "unique" but just think of the hassle he or she has to got through because of your whim.

Don't do it.

Keith, not Keeth, Kieth or Keyth

Want Some Amusement?

I came across this site, Within The Cranium , which has some amusing stuff.
Enjoy

World Cup, Olympics...Christmas!

I have (another) great idea.

The World Cup of Soccer (Football) and the Summer Olympics are monumental events throughout the world because of one reason.

They are held only once in every four years. Hence they are more valuable events. Less frequency = more value.

So why not celebrate Christmas every four years? And for that Christmas week between Dec 25 and Jan 1, give everyone the time off to really celebrate!

Think about the advantages.

The stress of Christmas shopping just twice a decade.
Less frequency of overeating means less obesity, hence a healthier population.
Less Christmas parties means less drunk driving and after party embarrassment.

The list goes on.

But most importantly Christmas would be then considered as a Great World Event rather than one based on Hypocritical Religious Beliefs and Business Greed.

Do We Really Need A Zoo?

I like animals as much as the next person. But I'm not fanatical about saving wild animals from Natural Hazards or hospitalizing birds with broken wings.

There is one thing that's always bothered me and that is why do we need to confine wild animals in zoos or other wildlife facilities?

I haven't been to a zoo in a while, I think the last one I entered was in Calgary quite a few years ago. And the image that stays in my mind is that of a Tiger pacing back and forth along the front bars of his small cage.

If this isn't animal cruelty I don't know what is. And there isn't any reason for it. In this day and age of crisp television screens and Internet Information, there is no need to see these animals live and in person.

We can learn everything about them without actually having them stressfully shipped thousands of miles to Zoos throughout North America.

And how much can we learn about these animals when they are in a totally foreign environment and emotionally and physically disabled?

Can we get rid of these Zoos? There is no point to them anymore, if indeed, there ever was.

Here We Go Again

Anyone who is against severe gun restrictions is a total idiot.


This is what happens when we let anyone own a firearm:

WETUMPKA, Ala. (AP) - An 11-year-old girl was accidentally shot and killed while playing with a young relative during a Christmas party.

The boy, also 11, shot the girl with a .22-calibre rifle after they went into a room to play on Friday, said Detective Sgt. Gary Edwards of the Wetumpka Police Department.

The names of the children were not released and it was unclear how they were related.

Edwards said it was unlikely the boy will be charged. "Families should make sure, especially if there are children around, to secure their guns. This was just a tragic accident," he said.

Christmas

I got some nice gifts. In the picture I have a watch and wallett with Canuck Logos. Also a pair of nice leather driving gloves.

I also got socks, a car vacumn, two cool belts, a set of vice grips (strange) and some other incidentals.

I always get my main Christmas present several weeks before Christmas. In September of this year I bought myself the iMac Core 2 Duo, the sweetest computer on the planet.

My Birthday is Feb 09 and I'm planning to get myself the new Windows Vista OS and install that on the Mac.

It's good that Christmas is all about Giving because I am all about Receiving.

Mr. Pope's War on Technology

I am not a big fan of Mr. Pope or the Catholic Church in general. In this news release from CNN Mr. Pope is telling us to forsake technology in favour of spiritual pursuits.

Of course he is. Is there any institution more hypocritical than the Catholic Church?

He knows that many of his followers are in desperate condition in some of the poorest nations on earth and by God he intends to keep them that way. Because the poorer and more ignorant a society is the more likely it will be religious.

Is it any surprise that the most secular nations on Earth are also the most economically, socially and technologically advanced?

Mr. Pope knows only too well that if his ignorant followers are educated in the ways of technology they will soon discover that technology will change their lives for the better at the expense of his preponderance and financial bottom line .

The Pope, like any other despot, needs control and power feeding his ego. Any outside influence, such as Technology, threatens his empire.

Not Even For $10,000 ?

When it comes to the subject of sex I really don't think men and women will ever agree.

As human beings I think both genders, in most cases, are really similar in their way of thinking, Venus and Mars Syndrome notwithstanding.

But when it comes to sex, we are miles apart.

I posed this classic question to four women that I am acquainted with.

If a man that you would not normally be attracted to offered you $10,000 to spend 12 hours with him sexually, would you do it?

This assumes that all parties concerned have a modest income and that the $10,000 represents a very large sum of money. Let's also assume that the man in question is a well groomed but middle aged gentlemen, although this was not specified in the question to these ladies.

Three of the ladies were average looking middle aged women, basically nearing the end of their "desirable" stage in life. The fourth was a very attractive 21 year old.

The expected result was that no, they would not take the offer. One of the older women did qualify that it would depend on the man in question, so not an absolute NO.

One said "I won't sell myself for $10,000". This begs the question, what if the figure was $100,000? Or a million, like they did in the movie? Is there a graph we can make that shows the decline of integrity with the increase of reward?

It's obvious to me that most women would not admit that they would indeed accept the money, fearing that they would appear to have no integrity if they did.

I kind of think that if the cash was waved in front of their faces maybe they'd change their mind. But let's assume they wouldn't.

I found it amusing that the three older women seemed to think they would be worth $10,000 in the first place. The reality is that they could not command a price of much more than maybe $200-$500, if anything at all.

Being older they have less value (Read my Value Post) if they have any sexual value at all. Most single middle aged men have little problem getting sex from women of their own age. More opportunity = less value.

But what are the chances of a 50ish single man hooking up with an attractive 21 year old woman? It happens but usually only to those men in position of status. And the chances diminish with every passing year.

So for him the value of a sexual liaison with this young woman is substantial.

Substantial enough for an offer of $10,000. And in giving up that kind of money, the value increases even more. For every hour he spends with her he is giving up $833!

He is obviously going to cherish every second of that rendezvous. No one minds spending big money if they feel they are getting the value they deserve.

Now if I was that 21 year old woman I would be very flattered that someone thought I was sexually worth $10,000, and yet most women see such an offer as an insult.

Let's talk about integrity. The "I won't sell myself" argument is ridiculous. We all sell ourselves out often during the course of our lives. Every day when we go to our jobs we are selling ourselves to our employers. They own our asses for a fee they call a wage.

Are you not selling out your kids if you refuse the opportunity to acquire the money for their educations?

Just because this situation involves the genitals it should make a difference? I think this illustrates the biggest difference between men and women.

From my point of view any women that provides sex for a fee is no different from a woman that is providing a massage for a fee. They are both providing a service and fulfilling the needs of each other.

I don't understand the moral issue here.

One need is money, one need is physical pleasure. Tit for tat. Women often inflate the sexual act into some kind of metaphysical bonding between two spirits.

And I would venture to guess that the same women I have talked to have bedded men for the cost of a meal or simply because "it seemed the thing to do" maybe without even knowing their last names. Integrity? Please don't play that card.

Your self worth should be constructed of something more substantial than your sex life.

For men sex is a goal to be strived for and achieved, a biological function not entirely unlike a good bowel movement.

In the last 50 years or so men have been compromising their masculinity to appease this female fantasy of Harlequin Romance Bliss.

But we play the game as needed.

Canucks Update 17-18-1

It's looking dismal. At the current rate of "success" the team will not qualify for the playoffs.

The frustrating thing is why?

In the games I have seen, the Canucks have not been outplayed. In fact in most games they are the better team.

The defense is good if not great. Luongo has been good if not great. The scoring chances are there but they can't bury the puck.

Guys like Kesler, Cooke and Burrows are not scoring at all. Even though they manage to get a few good scoring chances almost every game.

I still like Vigneault as a coach, I feel sympathy for him, he seems to have his players doing everything right and yet we can't score goals.

If there is a weak area in the team it's the non stop minor penalties for phantom holding and hooking infractions. We spend far too much time penalty killing.

I think he needs to keep Naslund with the Sedins through thick and thin, it's the only way they'll be able to gel by the time Playoffs come around, if indeed they do for the 'Nucks.

Naslund needs to shoot more and the Sedins seem the only other players capable of getting him the puck.

It's easy to say "bad luck" has caused the current situation but no team has "bad luck" lasting for so long.

There has to be an answer and like a lot of other fans and the coaching staff, I am scratching my head for inspiration.

Joke of the Month

In Pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a trade name and generic name.

For example, the trade name of Tylenol also has a generic name of Acetaminophen. Aleve is also called Naproxen. Amoxil is also call Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen.

The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra. After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that it has settled on the
generic name of Mycoxafloppin.

Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.

Pfizer Corp. announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form, and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one.

Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of "cocktails", "highballs" and just a good old-fashioned "stiff drink".

Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT & DO.

Thought for the day: There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer's research.

This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky
boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

New Levels of Stupidity Achieved !!

Not 5 minutes ago on the Global News was a report of a couple on the coast that perished due to Carbon Monoxide poisoning.

These Geniuses ran a Generator inside their house during a power failure!!!

What makes this really hard to believe is that the couple was in their mid sixties. They walked this planet for 60 years and had not heard of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Darwin's theory at work.

Erotica

I've been debating whether or not to post on this subject. There are a lot of prudish people out there that think viewing pictures of explicitly nude young women is somehow immoral.

Everyone's taste is different and I know there are disgusting things out there lurking in the bowels of the Internet or under the bed of some "dirty old man".

I've always thought that it's every man's right to view nude women. Nature made their bodies with male attraction in mind. Whether a man is single or not, he has the right to pornography in one form or another.

Every once in a while you will read a "Dear Ann" or Dear "Whoever is the Wise Woman of Late" complaining bitterly that their husbands are "cheating" on them because they are looking at pictures of naked woman on paper or screen.

Give me a freaking break! Some of these are the same women (and men) who are reading Ann Rice or some other "erotica/smut" author whose pages are laced with incest, child molestation, bestiality, "other" women and the most graphic literary titillation.

And if they aren't doing that they are lusting over a sensually photographed representation of a Pecan Pie in "Woman's World" while shoving Twinkies down their gullets.

Get real!

I am really getting tired of the De-Masculanization of the North American Male!

But that's another post for the future.

So, with that in mind let me guide you to Keith's Eye Candy Blog.

Just a small warning that photos posted on this Blog are of nude women in sexually explicit poses, please be of legal age.




NOTE: Most or all of the photos on the above link are the copywrite property of A&T Kingdom, and/or MET.

Blogging with Feeling

I've been trying to get my Blog circulated around a bit and have gone to a few Blogging Sites and have checked out some of the Blogs of others.

Some have pimped themselves out to advertisers, I avoid those at first glance. Some Blogs are really cluttered. I try to keep this one as lean and concise as possible.

A lot of people write about their "feelings". You know that I, contrary to what some might say, have as many "feelings" as the next person.

But it's not my intention to bore you with them.

Because really, outside of a very few close friends and loved one's, who really cares what your feelings are? Are some strangers' feelings in any way relevant to me?

Nope.

So I try to keep on universal topics, topics that I think everyone has thought about from time to time. That way, even if you disagree with what I write, you'll think for a moment or more about the subject I've brought up.

I think that's what makes my Blog just a little more interesting than a lot of others.

Movies

Movies pretty much follow the 80/20 rule, the 80% being those not worth seeing. Of the remaining 20%, 5% might be really entertaining and 1% incredible.

It's tough to find a good movie and that's one reason I avoid going to the movie theatres.

Shelling out $20 for the two of us to see a boring movie doesn't do it for me.

But there are some Gems out there. One movie that really surprised me at how good it was, no, make that how GREAT it was was: King Kong. Usually over hyped huge budgeted movies turn out to be a real letdown and I was totally prepared to be let down.

But I have to say this is one of the best movies I have ever seen. This is a movie that had everything from spectacular special effects to heartrending emotion.

Naomi Watts has to be considered one of the world's finest big screen actresses and she was just that in this movie.

You have to see her in Mulholland Dr.!!

King Kong is really incredible entertainment.

Then there are those small budgeted films like I saw today. Films that no one has heard of outside maybe the film crew and actors that were involved with them.

The film is called The Lotus Eaters, a 1993 movie filmed on location on Galiano Island in British Columbia.

Super low budget but a real Gem of a movie. No special effects, no big stars but a nice little story with easily identifiable characters.

I'm not sure if this one is even on DVD but if you come across it, you'll like it.

What's So Funny?

There is something I've never understood. Why is watching a male getting kicked in the nuts supposed to be funny?

Movies and TV shows have often depicted the scene, whether in comic farce or violent drama. And more often than not there are chuckles or hilarious laughter from the audience. I shake my head and view it as disgusting, not so much the violent act but more so the reaction of audiences.

I don't get it. This is a case of a severe double standard. I wonder how the audience would react if a woman was getting kicked in the groin or had their breasts slapped?

I've never scene that in any movie. Probably because there would be a public outcry about violence against women.

So let me get this straight. Violence against men is "funny", violence against women is an outrage.

How about we view violence against any human being, man or woman, adult or child as offensive?

Stockwell Day, Official Moron

I know it's bad of me to slam other people on here, but I just can't help myself.

Stockwell Day is a hayseed hack politician who belongs in the Old South of the 1930's.

He represents everything I hate about Politics and yet this idiot was our Leader of the Opposition for a short time. Thankfully, like most of our Conservatives, he self destructed.

Here are Quotes By or Concerning Stockwell Day.

NOTE: Stockwell is the one on the right (naturally) in the picture.

Christians vs. Christians

Here's a site in which a Christian justifiably attacks the shameful intolerance of some of his fellow Christians.

The rise of Fundamental Christianity in North America poses a greater risk to our freedoms than any Terrorist or Muslim Nation ever can or will.

The John Wayne Syndrome

Have you ever gone to those creepy websites like Siklink or Rotten where there are stories and photos of accident victims graphically displayed? There are also graphic photos depicting scenes of horrible violence, fatal gunshot wounds, torture wounds and autopsies.

It's hard to take but, like watching a train wreck, something that peaks one's curiosity.

For me it really shows how fragile the human body is.

I remember seeing a series of photos showing the results of a massive auto accident. One of the unfortunate victims was some poor soul whose body parts were scattered all over the road. I'm talking intestines, arms and legs scattered asunder.

John Wayne, for those too young to know, was the Iconic American Hero. I don't know if he ever played a bad guy but I doubt it. He was a Cowboy, a Soldier, a Farmer, the true American Male upholding the American Dream.

In his movies John Wayne was the recipient of a lot of bullets. He was shot and wounded many many times and more often than not died in the arms of the woman he loved.

Back in that day a bullet left a nice clean wound, hardly staining his shirt much less severely damaging his body. And death was almost seen as glorious especially if one sacrificed one's body for Country or Family or God.

Just in the last 20 years or so have we seen Hollywood actually try and depict actual reality through such movies as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Born on the Fourth of July, etc.

The damage caused by modern weapons to the human body is catastrophic. The same can be said for the damage caused by a high speed auto accident.

I think that up to and including the Vietnam era, many young men, having been exposed to the John Wayne image arrogantly marched off to war not thinking of the terrible consequences that might befall their bodies and minds.

I really think that exposing the general public and young men in particular to the realities of war can help to prevent war.

The same applies to driving our cars. I have a 5 Litre Mustang and now and then I am tempted to take the car to its limits on an open stretch of highway. But whenever I get that thought I also remember the images I saw on that website.

And that changes my mind.

I think kids need to see those images as disturbing as they might be. They need to see the result of one loss of judgement while driving. They need to see the carnage their precious bodies may suffer if they take the responsibility of driving too lightly.

They might get nightmares, they might cry and they might emotionally traumatised for a while.

But they need to see the reality to save their lives.

Wow, Someone Submitted a Comment

I had a very polite comment submitted by an anonymous reader (yes I have one), rebuking me on some facts that I stated in my post : The Things Some People Believe

I had stated that : The physics of travelling the million of light years across space make it almost impossible to conceive of such a feat.


This was in reference to the unlikelihood of Interplanetary Travel. The Comment was:

Extraterrestrials don't need to be from "millions of light years" away. The next star is only 4 light years away (Proxima Centauri), and there are quite a few more with the 10 ly range.


I investigated and yes the commentator is right, I did exaggerate the distances.

So let me re-think this. Let's see, 1 light year = 6 TRILLION MILES. So 4.3 light years (the distance to Alpha Centauri) is 25,800,000,000,000 miles away. That's 25.8 TRILLION MILES AWAY!

The commentator goes on to say: "A few years of travel are easily conceivable - humankind did it on this planet just a few hundred years ago.

Um, I am thinking travelling 25 Trillion Miles is going to take more than a few years. I don't know of any space ship that travels at the speed of light.

Currently technology enables interplanetary craft to travel between 25,000 and 50,000 miles per hour in space.

At 50,000 mph it would take 500,000,000 years to reach that star. Even if the lifeforms on planets surrounding Alpha Centauri had a significant technological head start on us I very much doubt if they could overcome this travel distance/time problem.

Anyway, Anonymous, thanks for the comment!

The National Anthem

I've never really gotten the significance of National Anthems. And I've especially never understood why they are played at sporting events like prior to each and every hockey game.

What has patriotism got to do with Professional Sports?

Thankfully most TV networks insert a commercial spot when the anthem is played. They know most people would prefer watching that than the 8153rd time in their lives they have heard the anthem.

And when they don't, I fast forward through it.

Playing the anthem so often cheapens its value. I pity the players, they have to listen to this thing before every game. I assume they learn to tune it out as their careers progress and switch to thinking about their investment portfolios.

Quite often the singer is some amateur wanting a jump start to his or her career and of course the anthem gets botched. The best anthems are the screw ups, people forgetting the words or, hopelessly out of key. Those anthems are entertaining at least.

I think we should just sing these anthems at Government Celebrations and Functions like Canada Day or Victoria Day or Civil Servant Funerals or Citizenship ceremonies, or the first day of school, something like that.

Keep nationalism out of professional sports. And lets put a cap on how often we hear it. Really, it's not that great a tune.

Greatest Hockey Team Ever

The 1976-1977 Montreal Canadiens

No Question, No Doubt about it.

This was the greatest hockey team ever assembled.

Wins: 60

Losses : 8

EIGHT LOSSES IN 80 GAMES!!!!!!!!

Goals For: 387 #1 by a Mile

Goals Against: 171 # 1 by a Mile

Jacques Lemaire, Steve Shutt and Guy Lafleur: Best Line EVER

Larry Robinson, Guy Lapointe and Serge Savard : Best Defense EVER

Abortion

You know by now that I am not afraid to confront controversial issues. In fact I thrive on them because, for me, there is usually a clear vision of where I stand and where everyone else should too (with me).

I like controversy not because I want to stir shit or because I want to convert someone else to my view. I like it because a person's stand on any issue tells a lot about them.

You can ask a person about themselves and they'll often give you some schlocky cliched goop, telling you what they think you want to hear.

But ask them about a controversial issue and they will either have an opinion, thus revealing an aspect of themselves, or offer none and should therefore be dismissed.

Not professing an opinion means one of at least four things.

1) You are a shallow person that doesn't consider the world outside of your own little circle.

2) You have an opinion but are too afraid to expound on it because its based on bias and prejudice and not on fact (and you know it).

3) You have an opinion but you feel your listener hasn't the intelligence to interpret it.

4) You have an opinion but your lack of refined social skills prevents you from confidently verbalising it (so you write Blogs).

Abortion. I've considered this one for a great many years. It's one of those issues where both sides have legitimate arguments that deserve consideration if not support.

There are some pretty powerful images on the Net. I was going to provide a link, but you can find them, Google Images: Abortion. Not for the squeemish but viewing them does make one sympathetic to "Pro-Lifers".

Extracting a fetus is kinda like tearing apart a well cooked chicken (though not to the same scale).

I'm not stating an opinion on this one, there is just too much grey area for me to make a firm statement. So I am officially sitting on the Fence.

However I will say this:

Abortion and Religion have nothing to do with each other. And if I am swayed at all it's because Fundamental Christians and the Catholic Church are "Pro-Lifers", contaminating that cause.

And whatever they are for I like to be against. So I am leaning that way.

That Sound Was 500,000,000 Groans

The secret is out Indians have small penises.

A spokesman for Indian men says:

"It's not size, it's what you do with it that matters," he said.

"From our population, the evidence is Indians are doing pretty well."

So it seems the smaller your penis is, the more kids you will have.

I have no children.

Euthanasia

I think there are few topics as controversial as this one. You can debate the pros and cons endlessly.

About five years ago I went to the dentist on a Friday afternoon for a routine checkup. Dr. Gray, my dentist at that time here in Kelowna found what he said to be a "loose filling". He wanted to refill it, but not that day. In the meantime, he said, he would take out the loose filling and pack the hole in my tooth with gauze.

I was to see him on Monday.

What's that got to do with Euthanasia? It changed my whole outlook on it and forced me to do an about face.

Because for the next two days I went through sheer agony. A chronic pain unlike I had ever before experienced. A dull throbbing ever present pain. All I could think about was the pain and no amount of Tylenol could relieve it. The pain consumed me, I couldn't sleep, couldn't think of anything but the pain.

If someone would have told me that this pain would be with me for the rest of my life I would have asked to be put down.

Honest.

Obviously there are other ways of dealing with chronic pain and pain is by no means the only reason for requesting death.

But there are things that no one should be expected to live with if there is little or no hope of relief.

So I am in favour of euthanasia where it is warranted. And that is the problem. Who decides who is to live and die? The inflicted victim? What if he or she is incoherent or emotionally incapable of making that decision. Does Grandpa want Grandma euthanized for her sake or for his, because he is understandably tired of looking after her?

If euthanasia is ever legalised finding a formula for doing the act is going to be a very complex and controversial problem on its own.

Baby On Board

You've seen this sign usually in the rear windows of various vehicles. My question is why?

Can anyone tell me why I need to know this information?

What possible difference does it make to me, as a fellow motorist, whether or not there is a baby in the car ahead?

I've thought about this a lot and I still can't figure it out.

Canucks' Power Play

I have no hockey coaching experience but some things just make sense, things so obvious that an expertise is not required.

My gut feeling is that the only way you have a hope to score a goal is by SHOOTING THE PUCK TOWARDS THE NET! The vicinity of the 24 square feet that comprise the goal opening is where the puck needs to be.

There is nothing more frustrating for me, and nothing more pleasing for the opposition team, than to see the Canucks continually pass the puck around the perimeter of the attack zone without so much as an attempt at a shot.

The key to the Power Play is simple: Get the puck to the point and wail on it. If there is no room for a decent shot, then the Point man has to wrist it towards the net.

The point is to get the puck to the front of the net.

IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE !

The Monarchy and Princess Diana, R.I.P.

I've never been huge on conspiracy theories as some are but there is one that makes some sense although I am not prepared to commit to it. And that is that Princess Diana was murdered.

For a conspiracy to have validity the crime has to be possible and it has to have motive and, of course, involve several people.

It could be that someone nudge nudged and wink winked an MI-5 agent saying "that Diana is causing a lot of problems".

We might never know.

Latest News: Diana's Driver Drunk

I'm a big supporter of the Monarchy. I admire the Queen and think that Prince Charles has gotten a bad rap from the Press and the Public. I would go further to say that Prince Charles is one of the world's great assets. He is multi-talented man concerned about a great many social issues including poverty and the ecology.

For me, the Monarchy represents one of the great Traditions of our western Society. The history of Great Britain is one of the richest in the world and has had a great influence on the way we all think and perceive our world today.

There is no institution that represents the History of Great Britain like the Monarchy does. In this age of social and technological revolution I take great comfort in the traditions that are represented by the Queen and her Royal Family.

We in Canada pay very little for the privilege of calling Elizabeth our Queen. A few dollars here and there for Royal Family visits is a pittance to pay.

Those in Great Britain pay several millions to pay the Queen's bills. About the cost of a few jet fighters or squadron of army tanks. Again, very worth it in my opinion.

Now back to Diana. I have two words : "Good Riddance". This so called Princess did more to undermine and potentially destroy the Monarchy than anyone since Oliver Cromwell.

She was a self-promoting opportunist that put herself ahead, not only of her husband, but of the Queen herself.

I am sure she was scolded a very many times by the rest of the Family and re-schooled on exactly how she was expected to act. Still she wanted to be the Star of the Family when it was not her place to be.

I'm not promoting assassinations but I for one am glad Diana is not around anymore.

A Special Time of Year?

I'm not a big fan of Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or Easter, or Valentine's Day, or even Haloween.

"Special Days" creep me out and, other than the fact that one gets a day off with pay for some of them, they aren't of much use to me.

If anything they are a detriment to my Routine. As mentioned in previous posts I am a Control Freak and as such I require a daily Routine.

"Special Days" throw a real wrench into my Weekly Rituals, and to be honest, causes me considerable stress. Christmas is the worst because its not just one day, its a whole season. December is a catastrophe for me and I'm double whammied by another "special day" a week later: New Year's Day.

Thanks god for the gap between new Year's and Valentine's Day, six weeks of Bliss!

Were supposed to get togethar with our loved one's every Chritmas, be romantic on Valentines, give Thanks on Thanksgiving (thanks to who?). Do we really need a special day to do that?

For those who have no families, no one to Romance and nothing to give Thanks for, those are pretty awful days.

I think we should have a Special Day for them : Loser's Day

The Thought Police

The previous Post, Foot In Mouth Apologies, brings up the point that some people feel that what a person says when they are drunk reveals their true thoughts. Thoughts that our natural inhibitions usually prevent us from saying.

We live in an ultra conservative right wing semi-fascist society (ok, maybe somewhat overstated). And the powers that be (corporate and political) would love to regulate what we think. They would love to outlaw some thoughts and encourage others. Simply put, their goals are to dehumanize us.

A person should not be judged on what he thinks but rather on what he does. If Mel Gibson wants to hate Jews or if Michael Richards thinks Afro Americans are sub human, that's their business.

These people ran into problems not because of what they thought but because they verbalised those thoughts and people were offended.

Let's not even consider what we think for a moment. Let's consider what we say in our own homes. If our conversations and sarcastic quips made in our living rooms to our spouses, or even to ourselves, were made public we'd all be up for public condemnation.

A long time ago I worked for a man named Mario Deluca and yes he looked like the Mafia Dom that his name sounds like. I regularly had thoughts of slicing his throat open on a regular basis. I took special glee in fantasising on the brightness of the redness spurting from his artery.

If I had verbalised a thought like that I might have had a pretty stressful conversation with the RCMP. I think you get my point.

My concern is that our society is drifting to a point where our thoughts are being scrutenized and judged and punished.

Right now there are Hate Laws in most western societies. This bothers me. Why should hating be against the law? Isn't it a right to feel an emotion, whether it be jelousy, envy, lust or hate? Isn't that what makes us human beings?

If people want to destroy their own spirits through Hate, then I think thats their perogative.

Further to that, by outlawing Hate Groups, aren't we driving them underground where we can't keep an eye on them?

Our thoughts are our own and make us who we are. Others claiming jurisdiction over them reperesents the greatest threat to our society that I know of.

Foot In Mouth Apologies

Recently there have been a couple of celebrity faux-pas that were whipped up into a media frenzy.

I'm talking about Mel Gibson's drunken rant and Michael Richards rage against the black hecklers.

Talk about a mountain made from a mole hill.

First, Gibson. The amazing thing about this story is that the actual crime of drinking and driving seems to have taken a back seat to his Tirade against the Jews on the outrage meter.

Let's establish the fact that the real crime was the DUI. Let's all establish another fact that most of us have driven under the influence at one time or another. I say that not to diminish the crime but to make the point that such a crime is all too commonplace and not unusual.

As far as his gibberish about the Jews, well stand up anyone who hasn't made of fool of himself while intoxicated. Yes I now there are a few goody goodies standing now. But the truth is that most of us have spouted our mouths off while drunk and felt pretty sheepish the next day. That's one of the reason I no longer drink alcohol.

Read my post on alcohol.

Mel Gibson is not any one's role model.

Even more amusing to me is the Michael Richards create something from nothing news feast. If it weren't for camera phones and YouTube, no one would gave heard of it.

Tell me, does anyone really care what Michael Richards' racial views are? Does Michael Richards have any influence in our society today?

Yes he insulted the Black Community with use of the word "Nigger". But is the Black Community so insecure and sensitive that that they allow such an insignificant individual as Michael Richards offend them? I find that hard to believe.

I thought is was called "Being Human". Most of us have shot our mouths off at one time or another. Just because they are "celebrities" doesn't mean they should be crucified.

It's another example of the news media sharks. When they grab on to a piece of meat the will rip and tear at it until its totally consumed.

Pirated Music and File Sharing

If you have been following my Blog at all you might have found my Best Music Blog where I've listed examples of what I consider to be the best music over the last 40 years.

There is something about music that allows an escape into a fantasy world. When my favorite songs are played I sometimes fantasize that I am the lead singer, belting out an anthem or the Axeman mesmerizing the arena audiance with my fretwork. You really can get lost in it.

When Napster developed around 2000/2001 it was like a beautiful present for me, a dream come true. Most of the Music I have always loved was there for the taking. I had a dial-up connection at the time and the downloads seem to take forever, but worth the wait.

I've had Broadband now for a few years and my MP3 collection has grown to about 2500 songs. Of course they are on my iPod and backed up on three other hard drives and I have hard copies on CD's.

I consider them mine, I own them.

In the last few years the RIAA, representing the Music Industry, has aggresively tried to procecute file sharers and the Internet clients they use.

I use Limewire for downloading. It's the only "illegal" one I know of still operating.

Most nations have enacted laws that prohibit the sharing or distribution of copywrited music files. Thankfully I live in Canada and our enlightened society allows music uploading and downloading.

In return we are taxed on every blank DVD or CD that we purchase. Since that medium is so cheap now, it's really not a hardship. The revenue collected from the tax is supposed to go to artists and the companies that represent them.

But let's return to the moral or ethical argument of File Sharing, specifically of copywrited music.

First let me say that I can totally understand the music industry's viewpoint. They see that what is "theirs" is being stolen. They claim significant revenue loss because of that. I personally think that revenue loss is overstated but that's beside the point.

My view is that all Broadcasted Music should be free. That is that all music that we are able to listen to via media such as Radio or Television should be free to capture and burn for one's own personal use.

My contention is that when this music is Broadcasted it becomes Advertising to promote the artist. Would we ever be aware of 99% of the artists if they were not Broadcast? Hardly. And as advertising it becomes something they give to us whether we want it or not.

If we don't like the particular advertising (the song), we turn the volume down or switch channels or fast forward, just as we do when advertising comes on a TV channel.

So how does the artist aquire revenue? He earns it through live concerts. If the songs weren't on the radio or MTV an artist could barely scrap out a living through public appearance. The Broadcasting of his music advertises him as an artist and allows us to choose whether or not we would like to see his live performance.

There are thousands and thousands of gifted musicians out there trying to survive on their skills and creativity. Few are chosen. Who chooses? The recording companies choose. They choose who they wish to market based on the artists willingness to cooperate and whether his image is marketable.

If the artist really has created a new sound that the masses want to hear, that's bonus.

So really when the RIAA cries Foul, they are really crying for themselves, their "old boys network" and a few hand selected artists they have chosen to promote.


I feel little sympathy for them.

Recording copywrited music is nothing new. In the Casette Tape era, even before that with 8 Tracks, I would record music off the FM Radio station I was listening to. I had the Record Pause button set up so that, when a song I wanted to record played, I could hit that button as soon as possible. Sure I missed a few notes at the beginning and might have gotten a bit of DJ at the end, but most of the song was there.

No one made a stink about that. So what's the difference now? I bought very few CD's or LP's before the dawn of Napster because of the cost and because most of the songs were shit except the one or two you really liked.

The idea that the Record Industry is losing hundreds of millions of dollars due to illegal downloading is CRAP.

They are losing sales because the music has become lame. Why do you think there are so many Classic Rock stations and stations specializing in the music of the 60's, 70's and '80's ?

The music industry has no one to blame but themselves for being a bunch of greedy buggers whose complacency allows any creativity to fall by the wayside in favour of splashes of one hit wonders promoted by glitzy music videos that concentrate primarily on the film producers talents rather than that of the musicians.

Happy Downloading Everyone !

A Creative Outlet

One of the Television Shows I have been watching the past year is Orange County Choppers. It's about the Tuttle Family of Orange County, New York and films them as they design and build made-to-order custom motorcycles.

One aspect of the show is the ongoing dysfunctional relationship between Paul Senior and Paul Junior. The conflicts can become intense and even uncomfortable for the viewer. I think that some if not a lot of people watch the show for that reason. Kind of like watching an NHL Hockey game and waiting for a fight to break out.

I can do without the fighting in the hockey games and I can do without the verbal battles on OCC. That's not why I watch the show.

There is something fascinating in watching an idea develop into a tangible creation. And that's what I like about OCC. An idea is formed, pieces of raw metal are brought together, discussions are conducted and in a few days a beautiful functional machine is presented.

Paul Junior is the creative mastermind of these machines and often the camera will pan to his face staring at a barren motorcycle frame. In his eyes you can see the wheels of vision turning.

Everyone has a creative genius within them, a genius that screams to be let out in one form or another. A genius which allows them to proclaim "I did this, this is mine, it has my stamp on it." And I think it gives a person some form of self value.

For myself, I get some pleasure at work in creating displays and maintaining an overall vision of how I want my retail department presented.

It's a limited pleasure because I don't have complete control, I'm constrained by outside forces and random events.

That's the reason I have turned to this Blogging "hobby". I have an idea in my head that I want to communicate in a style both understandable and concise. If I can entertain and amuse, all the better.

For me, each Posting is a creation of an idea that needs to be expressed. When I click the "Publish" button my need, at least for that idea, is satisfied.