PAYBACK? BUY THIS GIFT FOR SOMEBODY'S KID

I suspect this toy inspired that entire "Chuckie" series.

IT MIGHT BE 2010 BUT IT'S REALLY 1984

PAINTING BY JOHN REGISTER

~~~~~~I've read a couple of articles in the last few months which state that scientists will soon be able to erase bad memories. I don't see this as the good thing which they're hailing it to be. Perhaps I read "Brave New World" at too young of an age and took it to heart, and maybe my political science minor has caused me to cast a jaundiced eye upon how the government runs. Whatever the reason, I find myself humming "l984" by David Bowie.

``````Humanity has always endured horrific events; we're not a kind lot. The papers might decry the most recent crime, but it pales in comparison to what went on during the Inquisition or daily life for the unfortunate hundreds of years ago. Think of the fate of those in slave galley ships or children who worked in mines. It's only in recent years that we've had to call in grief counsellors to help us deal with loss.

`````What will become of us if we wipe the slate clean every time something bad happens? It's a famous adage but it's certainly true: Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it. That is why the people who lived through the camps of World War Two said "never again." In no way did they want to forget, because the world would then be only too willing to forget.

`````Each one of us is defined by everything that's happened---good and bad. We learn from it and we choose to become better people or to do evil. With this new wonder drug, we are doomed to being automatons. We'd become the walking, talking incarnations of what the entertainment industry has become; a bland reproduction with zero originality.

`````My pain allows me to empathize with others. It won't let me walk by when I witness an accident. I can never join in and engage in picking on others, as I understand how it feels.

`````I could joke about the political ramifications of such a drug too. Here, have a drink of this before you walk into the polling booth and forget about the deficit and the last four years of hell. This is one medication that makes all of those late night talk shows seem scary and accurate when the host mentions com-trails.

`````Just because science can do something doesn't mean that it should be allowed to do so. Who's going to control this? Would anybody want something like this to fall into the hands of a manipulative person who's an abuser? It would be carte-blanche to continue with the behavior.

`````It will be interesting to see how freely such items will be prescribed should they be made available. It scares the crap out of me.

GOES WITH THE POST BELOW

Since I mentioned some of the creatures which I have spotted , I thought I would post a few photos. These were taken at a moment's notice, of course, and are pretty bad quality. I just happened to have a camera at hand. There's a ton of wild flowers around, and in June the entire slope of part of the hill is covered by this yellow flower that I don't know the name of.

This was just odd.

There's a lot of wildflowers and weeds around the area, which attracts the deer.


This was taken at a distance, without a flash. The deer love to eat the stuff.

Here is a racoon in the wetlands area just outside the worksite. He's washing his paws off.

This is a bad photo, as I took it at a distance, without a flash. I didn't want to scare the deer.

THE RAT AT WORK

I HAVE NO RAT PHOTOS, SO THE PRAIRIE DOG WILL HAVE TO DO

`````There's a rat at work. No, I don't mean to suggest that there's some cad who leaves the toilet seat up. There's an actual four legged, black rat with a very long tail. I had spotted him about two weeks ago, and he is a fairly large one. As Dr Laura would say, here's where my "ethical dilemma" began.

`````I know that I should have reported the rascal; he's a health risk after all and people with compromised immune systems can have issues with rat poop. I made a little blurb about him and mentioned him, so that people wouldn't be too shocked if they saw him. You see, Ricky Rat is a climber; he was up on the rafters and could have given somebody quite the start.

`````Others have since spotted him and now there's a concentrated effort to catch him. He made his presence known last night and I could have caught him easily. He jumped into the garbage bin directly beside me. I saw his tail curled like some question mark as he explored the remnants of somebody's potato chips. He caught me looking and retreated back to the safety of his peep hole. We stared at each other.

`````My issue is that I'm not afraid of mice or rats and I wouldn't want him to suffer in some nasty trap. Seriously, these are the sorts of ponderings that can ruin my day.

`````I have to confess that I used to kick the mouse traps at work shut, or trip them with my pen. I was always worried that the stray kittens would be caught in them by accident. They must have figured that the mice were damned smart for making off with the food all the time and not getting caught.

`````My demented ferals, would of course, take matters into their own hands. But bringing ones cats to work is hardly an appropriate course of action (unless I could somehow pass them off as trained pest controllers). They would think it was the greatest toy I'd ever given them.

`````I just have to hope that I'm not working the day the beast is caught in the trap and has to be dispatched.

TIME TO FIND THAT NINA HAGEN COLLECTION

I started to blog about Pete, uploaded, and revised. If you look at the time, you'll notice it took about an hour. Well, the neighbour is still running and revving his car; he does this a lot. He doesn't work on it---I could understand that. It's usually the pickup truck; he starts it up and just lets it run. Running vehicles have that really annoying low bass sound.

`

I've mentioned him briefly before (the pressure washing of the cement ad nauseum). I have never seen him wear anything except the same pair of sweat pants and t-shirt. I wouldn't bring this up if it weren't for the fact that he gives me the side eye about the fact that "my cement has gone dark. I must have moss on my cement." Yes, his exact words. I can see him casting the stink eye my way each time he looks at me for some indiscretion involving the lawn or the cement. He must have been waiting for me to complain, as he caught me with this missive as I dragged my garbage outside one morning at 0700 hours.

`

Buddy, some of us work full time. He claims to work, but he does so only about one or two months a year. The rest of the time he seems to tinker. A lot of people in my area are like that. Men, when they don't have anything better to do and they have a redneck background, will mess around with power tools or pickup trucks. The guy behind me cut down every living thing in his yard. He'd then start up the chain saw just for the fun of it. In fact, he'd start that puppy up at three in the morning.

`

There was a wonderful grey stray around that used to visit me. I say "there used to be" as he just disappeared one day. The neighbour used to complain to me about the cat, as he obviously thought the cat was mine. Kitty "went" (i.e. did what cats will do) in his yard. The orange and white stray that I used to feed has also vanished.

`

The next time some guy maligns women for doing uncreative activities like watching Oprah, just think of the worthwhile contribution that sitting in the car for two hours and running it adds to the world, as it's now about that amount of time that pollutants have been escaping into our atmosphere.

`

Yes, as soon as spring hits I think I have to open the window and play Nina Hagen; the collection that has "Smack Jack" on it and the song with the lyrics about "the ufo's

picking us up." Check it out on Youtube if you want to know what awaits his ears.

`

Vengence is mine (and I won't do anything about the darkening cement either).

COMPARE THE STORY WITH THE VIDEO(The headline is taken directly from the paper)

Is Pete Doherty paying the price for his hedonistic lifestyle? Troubled rocker appears bloated at his jewellery launch

(Thus ran the headline in the paper. The link will still not work for me.)


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1334984/Pete-Doherty-appears-fat-bloated-jewellery-launch-Notting-Hill.html#ixzz175NR095I

This is attempt number two, as my computer would not let me provide a link earlier. The Daily Mail ran this photo and headline, along with a story, about Pete Doherty's new line of jewelery. The writer seemed to focus more on his appearance then the aesthetic value of his first line. Have a look at the video, obviously taken at about the same time, and note how different he looks.

COMPARE THE VIDEO TO THE STORY AND THE TRUTH WILL OUT

I write a fair bit about eating disorders and issues relating to weight. I'm going to call out the media for its unfair treatment of a male this time. Pete Doherty cannot seem to win when it comes to the media in Britain. He's been set up with hidden cameras by his "friends". Despite his music, he was known for a long time as Kate Moss' boy-friend. Thanks to his presence in the spotlight, his battle with drugs has been made public. Not that long ago they were writing about how wan and pale he looked. Now, they're describing him as bloated.
`
I've included a video and a photo obviously taken at the same event; a launch for a new line of men's jewellery. The Daily Mail seemed to be more interested in his pounds then the product. This is something that women have had to contend with for some time. A star might be promoting a movie, but the reviewers would describe their appearance instead.
`
Pete Doherty is a musician who has a much larger following over-seas. However, he is also a talented poet and a very witty, sharp person. He has an incredible sense of style and charisma. Perhaps I have a soft spot for him because he loves cats. Evidentally he has been making an attempt to clean up lately, which might account for a minor bit of weight gain. This happens as the body struggles to adjust. It might also be as a result of medication the individual is placed on to overcome cravings.
`
I admit that I am hyper aware of this issue, but it's become ridiculous---this fixation that we have with looks over health. Pete needs to be applauded for his attempts to get well. Besides, this photo was taken from a bad angle. As I said, compare the video. I would hate to think what they'd capture if they followed me around on a regular basis; me in my black tights and Joe Boxer shorts because I haven't done the laundry.
`
Equality for women doesn't mean that men also develop body image problems.