This photo is from Pretty Women Blog. For more photos of pretty women, click here.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Moving
I'm moving this blog to TypePad. After going crazy trying to find a blog service that fits my needs and signing up for about a half-dozen different blogs, I finally stumbled into TypePad
Anyone looking for updated content for this site can find it at Urban Iconoclast at http://urbaniconoclast.typepad.com.
Anyone looking for updated content for this site can find it at Urban Iconoclast at http://urbaniconoclast.typepad.com.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
New Technorati Rating
Well, today I moved up to (or is it down to?) 1,257,579 in Technorati's rating. I suppose this is better than yesterday. However, after reading what this means, I know nothing. I've never read a more obtuse explanation of anything in my life.
The explanation says that for a ranking of 1,375, for example, "Rank 1,375: the number of blogs, plus one, that have more than 1,005 blogs linking to them." What does this mean? What do I care how many blogs there are with more than 1,005 blogs linking to them? What does this have to do with me? Am I just too dense to figure out how this relates to my blog? If my ranking changes to 1,000,000, will the number of blogs that have more than 1,005 blogs linking to them change? Isn't that a little like saying that each time I belch the number of Japanese 6' or taller changes?
At any rate, I'll assume that the lower the number the better off I am. However, while I'm on the subject of Technorati, they say I have only three links to this blog. Although I don't have many yet, I know I have more than that. I have several blogs linked to mine that are not listed.
As the old song goes: "Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free."
The explanation says that for a ranking of 1,375, for example, "Rank 1,375: the number of blogs, plus one, that have more than 1,005 blogs linking to them." What does this mean? What do I care how many blogs there are with more than 1,005 blogs linking to them? What does this have to do with me? Am I just too dense to figure out how this relates to my blog? If my ranking changes to 1,000,000, will the number of blogs that have more than 1,005 blogs linking to them change? Isn't that a little like saying that each time I belch the number of Japanese 6' or taller changes?
At any rate, I'll assume that the lower the number the better off I am. However, while I'm on the subject of Technorati, they say I have only three links to this blog. Although I don't have many yet, I know I have more than that. I have several blogs linked to mine that are not listed.
As the old song goes: "Nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free."
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Freedom Day
For the rest of the world it may be Valentines Day, but for me it is Freedom Day. Three years ago today, I left a good paying job to go back to writing. While I can’t yet say it was the smartest move I ever made, I can say it has been one of the most gratifying. There are times when I’m writing and Calliope, the ancient muse of epic poetry, is whispering seductively in my ear I feel have finally returned home.
To the rest of the world, that feeling is of very little importance—far less important than a new car or a great job. But for me, it means everything.
To the rest of the world, that feeling is of very little importance—far less important than a new car or a great job. But for me, it means everything.
My Technorati Rating:
As a newbie, my Technorati rating is 1,730,344.
I wonder if I should throw a party when I break 1,500,000?
I want to see if I can do that by next month.
I wonder if I should throw a party when I break 1,500,000?
I want to see if I can do that by next month.
Scientists clone mice from hair follicle stem cell
I keep saying I'm not going to post anything else from That's Fit for a while, but this was just way too cool to ignore.
"Scientists clone mice from hair follicle stem cell
Posted: Feb 14th 2007 10:17AM by Brian White
As stem cell research marches on these days, there is no lack of news on how using stem cells may be able to one day cur all kinds of diseases and ailments -- and to clone mammals.
The 'clone mammals' part is a little disconcerting to many, but researchers have reported as of this week that mice have been cloned using stem cells -- from the hair follicles of those same mice.
The U.S. team of researchers says that the stem cells from adult mice are relatively easy to obtain and inject. Will this be opening the door to more experimentation on the cloning of mammals from their own stem cells? Science marches on."
"Scientists clone mice from hair follicle stem cell
Posted: Feb 14th 2007 10:17AM by Brian White
As stem cell research marches on these days, there is no lack of news on how using stem cells may be able to one day cur all kinds of diseases and ailments -- and to clone mammals.
The 'clone mammals' part is a little disconcerting to many, but researchers have reported as of this week that mice have been cloned using stem cells -- from the hair follicles of those same mice.
The U.S. team of researchers says that the stem cells from adult mice are relatively easy to obtain and inject. Will this be opening the door to more experimentation on the cloning of mammals from their own stem cells? Science marches on."
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Naps Are Good for You?
Saw a piece on televison last night about the advantages to employers of letting employees take naps at the workplace then ran accross the following post today from That's Fit:
Naps are good for your heart
Posted: Feb 13th 2007 12:00PM by Bethany Sanders
Filed under: General Health, Stress Reduction
I don't know if napping will ever catch on in our fast paced American culture, but a recent large study shows that taking a daily snooze can reduce the risk of fatal heart attack by 37%.
Researchers have a few different theories why a few zzz's are beneficial to your heart. Napping reduces stress and levels of stress-induced hormones circulating in the body. It may seem counter-intuitive, but people who nap are actually more productive which reduces stress as well. Finally, experts believe that people who nap may just take better care of themselves in general, which may explain the findings.
Working men seemed to reap the most benefits from a daily nap, though researchers believe women probably get a boost from a daily snooze as well. Some corporations are building napping rooms into their office buildings, but be sure your boss is nap-friendly before falling asleep at your desk! Napping daily, of course, won't always be possible, but you can still protect your heart by getting plenty of nighttime sleep and reducing stress in other ways. Sweet dreams!"
Finally, the world is catching up to me. Now if they just allow cuddling with a coworker....
Naps are good for your heart
Posted: Feb 13th 2007 12:00PM by Bethany Sanders
Filed under: General Health, Stress Reduction
I don't know if napping will ever catch on in our fast paced American culture, but a recent large study shows that taking a daily snooze can reduce the risk of fatal heart attack by 37%.
Researchers have a few different theories why a few zzz's are beneficial to your heart. Napping reduces stress and levels of stress-induced hormones circulating in the body. It may seem counter-intuitive, but people who nap are actually more productive which reduces stress as well. Finally, experts believe that people who nap may just take better care of themselves in general, which may explain the findings.
Working men seemed to reap the most benefits from a daily nap, though researchers believe women probably get a boost from a daily snooze as well. Some corporations are building napping rooms into their office buildings, but be sure your boss is nap-friendly before falling asleep at your desk! Napping daily, of course, won't always be possible, but you can still protect your heart by getting plenty of nighttime sleep and reducing stress in other ways. Sweet dreams!"
Finally, the world is catching up to me. Now if they just allow cuddling with a coworker....
Sunday, February 11, 2007
From Radical Vixen: The Morality Police Strike Again
This is copied from Radical Vixen:
This news story is pretty ridiculous. What next? Will underage teenagers who have sex with other teenagers be charged with child molestation? I lost my virginity when I was 17 and the guy was 17 as well. I don’t see anything wrong with that. And I definitely don’t see anything wrong with these two teenagers taking photos of themselves for their own private pleasure.
From Cnet News:Police blotter:
Teens prosecuted for racy photos
“Combine unsupervised teenagers, digital cameras and e-mail, and, given sufficient time, you’ll end up with risqué photographs on a computer somewhere.
There’s a problem with that: Technically, those images constitute child pornography. That’s what 16-year-old Amber and 17-year-old Jeremy, her boyfriend, both residents of the Tallahassee, Fla., area, learned firsthand. (Court documents include only their initials, A.H. and J.G.W., so we’re using these pseudonyms to make this story a little easier to read.)
On March 25, 2004, Amber and Jeremy took digital photos of themselves naked and engaged in unspecified “sexual behaviour.” The two sent the photos from a computer at Amber’s house to Jeremy’s personal e-mail address. Neither teen showed the photographs to anyone else.
Court records don’t say exactly what happened next–perhaps the parents wanted to end the relationship and raised the alarm–but somehow Florida police learned about the photos.”
What do you think? Leave a comment.
For more interesting insights, visit Radical Vixen by clicking here.
This news story is pretty ridiculous. What next? Will underage teenagers who have sex with other teenagers be charged with child molestation? I lost my virginity when I was 17 and the guy was 17 as well. I don’t see anything wrong with that. And I definitely don’t see anything wrong with these two teenagers taking photos of themselves for their own private pleasure.
From Cnet News:Police blotter:
Teens prosecuted for racy photos
“Combine unsupervised teenagers, digital cameras and e-mail, and, given sufficient time, you’ll end up with risqué photographs on a computer somewhere.
There’s a problem with that: Technically, those images constitute child pornography. That’s what 16-year-old Amber and 17-year-old Jeremy, her boyfriend, both residents of the Tallahassee, Fla., area, learned firsthand. (Court documents include only their initials, A.H. and J.G.W., so we’re using these pseudonyms to make this story a little easier to read.)
On March 25, 2004, Amber and Jeremy took digital photos of themselves naked and engaged in unspecified “sexual behaviour.” The two sent the photos from a computer at Amber’s house to Jeremy’s personal e-mail address. Neither teen showed the photographs to anyone else.
Court records don’t say exactly what happened next–perhaps the parents wanted to end the relationship and raised the alarm–but somehow Florida police learned about the photos.”
What do you think? Leave a comment.
For more interesting insights, visit Radical Vixen by clicking here.
Friday, February 09, 2007
“Bad Lesbian Dates” is My Pick for Blog of the Week
My choice this week is Bad Lesbian Dates. For all us guys who thought we had a tough time meeting the right woman, it comes as a surprise to find out we are not alone.
While I’m certainly not unsympathetic to Lesbian Dater, I find her continuing saga not only honest and enlightening, but also highly entertaining and amusing. (Sorry about that Lesbian Dater)
I’ve reprinted this partial blog post below. But everyone who thought it would be easy to be a lesbian should go to her blog and read all her entries. As a writer, I think she has a good writer and has a great start on a fascinating book. Click here to go to her blog.
Bad Lesbian Dates: "Ways to Meet: Networking"
I was never very good at math, but I can tell you this:
Sub-zero weather
5 looong avenue blocks
an empty stomach
a powerful Cabernet wine
200 lesbians talking loudly in a tiny bar
do not go together.
Actually, this networking event was almost enjoyable. It was set up in such a way that it felt comfortable to talk to people I didn't know. Sadly, there were way too many people I did know. Because there are--apparently--only a couple of hundred lesbians in all of New York. I recognized many familiar faces. Knowing a lot of lesbians should be a good thing; it should mean a nice sense of community. But it doesn't. Most people who recognize me do not say hi, or if they do, we are both equally embarrassed. ('Ah, I remember you from last month's Desperate Dating. Still looking, eh?') And of course, I saw the famous girl who went out with me once and hasn't acknowledged me since--even though I constantly see her. I swore she was laughing at me. I'll see that face in my nightmares for the next 50 years."
Finish reading this blog entry and more at Bad Lesbian Dates. I think you'll enjoy it!
While I’m certainly not unsympathetic to Lesbian Dater, I find her continuing saga not only honest and enlightening, but also highly entertaining and amusing. (Sorry about that Lesbian Dater)
I’ve reprinted this partial blog post below. But everyone who thought it would be easy to be a lesbian should go to her blog and read all her entries. As a writer, I think she has a good writer and has a great start on a fascinating book. Click here to go to her blog.
Bad Lesbian Dates: "Ways to Meet: Networking"
I was never very good at math, but I can tell you this:
Sub-zero weather
5 looong avenue blocks
an empty stomach
a powerful Cabernet wine
200 lesbians talking loudly in a tiny bar
do not go together.
Actually, this networking event was almost enjoyable. It was set up in such a way that it felt comfortable to talk to people I didn't know. Sadly, there were way too many people I did know. Because there are--apparently--only a couple of hundred lesbians in all of New York. I recognized many familiar faces. Knowing a lot of lesbians should be a good thing; it should mean a nice sense of community. But it doesn't. Most people who recognize me do not say hi, or if they do, we are both equally embarrassed. ('Ah, I remember you from last month's Desperate Dating. Still looking, eh?') And of course, I saw the famous girl who went out with me once and hasn't acknowledged me since--even though I constantly see her. I swore she was laughing at me. I'll see that face in my nightmares for the next 50 years."
Finish reading this blog entry and more at Bad Lesbian Dates. I think you'll enjoy it!
You Can Help Someone in a Third-World Country
I first heard about Kiva on PBS’s "Frontline." By making loans as small as $25, you can help third-world people get a business going in their area. Many of these people are widows supporting three, four, or five kids.
All you have to do is go to Kiva, read through the short description of people looking for loans, and if interested in helping, choose the one, or one’s, you would like to loan to.
Get the details for the Kiva program by clicking here.
Here's a sample of what you will find:
All you have to do is go to Kiva, read through the short description of people looking for loans, and if interested in helping, choose the one, or one’s, you would like to loan to.
Get the details for the Kiva program by clicking here.
Here's a sample of what you will find:
Rosario Iza
Location: Guayaquil , Ecuador
Activity: Cosmetics Sales Loan Amount: $375.00 (Already 60% funded.)
Loan Use: Rosa will invest in cosmetic products to sell
Repayment Term: 6 - 10 months
Rosario has 20 years experience in business, which she started at the age of 23 when she traveled with her Mother to Peru to buy merchandise. Her mother helped her with $100 of capital which she lent her to start her own business. After that, she got married and left the business for a time, but then realized that she would need to have her own money and that is how she came to get a loan and reactivate her business 5 years later. At this time she decided to sell cosmetics due to a friend's suggestions. She has maintained that work until the present time, working from 9am until 7pm. Rosario wants the loan to invest in her business and get more income. The company she is dealing with gives rewards to its consultants based on how much they sell each month. Rosario is 43 years of age, and has three children, the oldest works and pays for school, and the other two, by means of her business plan to finish school and then work. She is separated from her husband for the past 8 months, and her main desire now is to be able to buy a car to get around since her work requires her to walk promoting her products, and with a car she could do that and save time.
Activity: Cosmetics Sales Loan Amount: $375.00 (Already 60% funded.)
Loan Use: Rosa will invest in cosmetic products to sell
Repayment Term: 6 - 10 months
Rosario has 20 years experience in business, which she started at the age of 23 when she traveled with her Mother to Peru to buy merchandise. Her mother helped her with $100 of capital which she lent her to start her own business. After that, she got married and left the business for a time, but then realized that she would need to have her own money and that is how she came to get a loan and reactivate her business 5 years later. At this time she decided to sell cosmetics due to a friend's suggestions. She has maintained that work until the present time, working from 9am until 7pm. Rosario wants the loan to invest in her business and get more income. The company she is dealing with gives rewards to its consultants based on how much they sell each month. Rosario is 43 years of age, and has three children, the oldest works and pays for school, and the other two, by means of her business plan to finish school and then work. She is separated from her husband for the past 8 months, and her main desire now is to be able to buy a car to get around since her work requires her to walk promoting her products, and with a car she could do that and save time.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Get More Links to Your Blog!
Like an easy way to get some more links and a few new readers? - join the Z list. I first read about this on the excellent Thermal Blog. While I am just now posting it, Thermal Blog says: “I and can vouch for it’s effects - I posted about it on Blog-Op yesterday, and received 10 more links in 24 hours as well as lots of new comments and visitors.”
Credit for the original idea lies with Mack at The Viral Garden - He came up with the idea of helping smaller bloggers such as ourselves - The Z List - gain more links by writing a single post on our blogs. The premise is simple: Copy and paste the entire list below into a new post in your blog. Remove your own link if you’re on there, and feel free to add any blogs you want to the top. Include a link to the blog where you got the list from, publish it and that’s it. Bloggers will notice this link and hopefully join in, linking back to you & giving out more links to others on the list:
Key Points
Create a new post on your blog. Copy and Paste the entire list of blog links belowAdd any blogs that you want to include near the top of the list. (Optional) Include the blog where you first got the list from, on the list in your post. Do not include your own blog links on the list in your post. Make sure that all links are copied intact. Publish the Post.
Let me know in the comments section if you have added me to your list of links, and I'll do the same for you.
I got this list from: Thermal Blog.
Thermal Blog
Mazoo Art Blog
A little piece of me
Pinksy
Weirdomatic
Asara
Erika
Nicole
Mummy In Vain
Lovely Mummy
Desperate Mummy
Judy
Home Office Women
Cyberpartygal
PabloPabla’s Whatever
Blueapron
Make$ Money$
Owen of Ugh
Jules is Utterly Geek
Internet. Serious Business
The Sabahan
Critical Thoughts
Carols Vault
Blog About Your Blog
Monetize Your Blog
Cosmin PTR
Make Money On The Net
Successful Online Money Making
Turn One Pound Into One Million$
Work at Home Blog
Blogging For Beginners
How to earn money online?
Dosh Dosh
Money Money Money
Money Making Quest
Connected Internet
Mike’s Money Making Mission
Time to Budget
Can I Make Big Money Online
Blogtrepreneur
Flee the Cube
Blogging Secret
Blogging to Fame
Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under
Quest to make money on the internet
Kumiko’s Cash Quest
Calico Monkey
Internet Bazaar
Shotgun Marketing Blog
BrandSizzle
bizsolutionsplus
Customers Rock!
Being Peter Kim
Pow! Right Between The Eyes!
Billions With Zero Knowledge
Working at Home on the Internet
MapleLeaf 2.0
Two Hat Marketing
darrenbarefoot.com
The Emerging Brand
The Branding Blog
CrapHammer
Drew’s Marketing Minute
Golden Practices
Viaspire
Tell Ten Friends
Flooring the Consumer
Kinetic Ideas
Unconventional Thinking
Buzzoodle
NewsPaperGrl
The Copywriting Maven
Hee-Haw Marketing
Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn
Multi-Cult Classics
Logic + Emotion
Branding & Marketing
Popcorn n Roses
On Influence & Automation
Bullshitobserver
Servant of Chaos
converstations
eSoup
Presentation Zen
Dmitry Linkov
aialone
John Wagner
Nick Rice
CKs Blog
Design Sojourn
Frozen Puck
The Sartorialist
Small Surfaces
Africa Unchained
Perspective
gDiapers
Marketing Nirvana
Bob Sutton
¡Hola! Oi! Hi!
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!
Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together
Community Guy
Social Media on the fly
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
BLOGGERS CAN'T BE STOPPED:
If a laugh a day keeps you going, try: e-laughs:-) A place for Jokes, fun and laughs.
This from one of their posts, with the caption, "elaughs blog fans are unstopable."
This from one of their posts, with the caption, "elaughs blog fans are unstopable."
EVEN SMOKERS HAVE TO RESPECT OTHERS’ RIGHTS:
From Terry DuLong in a Jannury 22 posting on “Writing Away on Cedar Key,” “Yeah......come ON, Bangor, Maine! Get real! Banning smoking in privately owned cars in which children under 18 are passengers?
"Well, I don't know about you, but I've had just about enough of MY freedoms being robbed from me. I've had enough of government intrusion into my private life and this one just put me over the edge when I heard the news this past weekend.”
Sorry Terry, while I like your blog, on this I have to disagree. When we talk about rights, we have to talk about everyone’s rights. This includes the rights of children who may be riding in your car.
I am a smoker, and a heavy smoker. But my right to smoke stops where someone else’s right not to have to put up with my smoke begins. I’ll be the first to agree that the Cigarette Guestapo has gone way too far. But not this time. A child’s right to not be a victim of our smoking superceds our right to smoke, even in our own cars.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I've had just about enough of MY freedoms being robbed from me. I've had enough of government intrusion into my private life and this one just put me over the edge when I heard the news this past weekend.”
Sorry Terry, while I like your blog, on this I have to disagree. When we talk about rights, we have to talk about everyone’s rights. This includes the rights of children who may be riding in your car.
I am a smoker, and a heavy smoker. But my right to smoke stops where someone else’s right not to have to put up with my smoke begins. I’ll be the first to agree that the Cigarette Guestapo has gone way too far. But not this time. A child’s right to not be a victim of our smoking superceds our right to smoke, even in our own cars.
WHY I SMOKE:
In “That’s Fit,” a great blog for those obsessed with their health, Jennifer Jordan suggests: “quit smoking,” then goes on to say:”
“It seems like and easy tip, even an obvious one but if that’s the case why are so many still smoking? I’m not sure about the rest of our fair country, but here in New York City it seems one out of four people I meet on the streets is lighting up, despite messages from everyone from the surgeon general to our moms (even the ones who smoke.)”
Well Jennifer, to answer your question:
A. Quitting is not that easy, especially when you don’t really want to quit.
B. I’m addicted. Coffee, cigarettes, and a rotten disposition are my legacy from the army.
C. I like smoking. For me, at least, it enhances my quality of life. At my age and my income level, it’s one of the few pleasures I get out of life.
D. Even if it kills me, everybody dies of something. Do you think you’re going to live forever? Do you even want to? If longevity is your goal, spend some time in a nursing home. That should change your perspective. (And by the way, it’s already too late for me to die young.)
E. While there is ample proof that cigarette smoking is harmful to my health, there is no evidence to prove that if I don’t smoke I’ll live a longer, happier, more fulfilled life. While I have had several non-smoking friends die at a young age from various causes, I had two grandparents who never smoked and lived long lives. Both died in nursing homes. One, a health nut who never smoked a cigarette or tasted alcohol in his life and who quit drinking colas at nineteen, was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease and spent several healthy years not knowing where he was or who he was talking to. The other, a grandmother, had a mind sharp as a tack at her death. She was fully aware she couldn’t hear or see and could barely get out of bed. (Her husband, a heavy smoker, died young of a brain tumor.)
F. It seems at this minute, there are more health problems associated with obesity than smoking. Smoking helps me control my weight.
I could go on for quite a while explaining why I smoke and why others do. However, my reasons for smoking will be as ignored by those who want me to stop as their arguments are by me. Yes, I’ll probably die from a cigarette-related ailment. In the interim, however, I’m going to enjoy my cigarettes as long as I can stay away from the Cigarette Gestapo. What are you going to die from?
“It seems like and easy tip, even an obvious one but if that’s the case why are so many still smoking? I’m not sure about the rest of our fair country, but here in New York City it seems one out of four people I meet on the streets is lighting up, despite messages from everyone from the surgeon general to our moms (even the ones who smoke.)”
Well Jennifer, to answer your question:
A. Quitting is not that easy, especially when you don’t really want to quit.
B. I’m addicted. Coffee, cigarettes, and a rotten disposition are my legacy from the army.
C. I like smoking. For me, at least, it enhances my quality of life. At my age and my income level, it’s one of the few pleasures I get out of life.
D. Even if it kills me, everybody dies of something. Do you think you’re going to live forever? Do you even want to? If longevity is your goal, spend some time in a nursing home. That should change your perspective. (And by the way, it’s already too late for me to die young.)
E. While there is ample proof that cigarette smoking is harmful to my health, there is no evidence to prove that if I don’t smoke I’ll live a longer, happier, more fulfilled life. While I have had several non-smoking friends die at a young age from various causes, I had two grandparents who never smoked and lived long lives. Both died in nursing homes. One, a health nut who never smoked a cigarette or tasted alcohol in his life and who quit drinking colas at nineteen, was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease and spent several healthy years not knowing where he was or who he was talking to. The other, a grandmother, had a mind sharp as a tack at her death. She was fully aware she couldn’t hear or see and could barely get out of bed. (Her husband, a heavy smoker, died young of a brain tumor.)
F. It seems at this minute, there are more health problems associated with obesity than smoking. Smoking helps me control my weight.
I could go on for quite a while explaining why I smoke and why others do. However, my reasons for smoking will be as ignored by those who want me to stop as their arguments are by me. Yes, I’ll probably die from a cigarette-related ailment. In the interim, however, I’m going to enjoy my cigarettes as long as I can stay away from the Cigarette Gestapo. What are you going to die from?
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
CHICKEN HAWKS?
This past Friday on the McLaughlin Group, Eleanor Clift of Newseek used the term “Chicken Hawks” to describe the people in our current administration. While this term might now be in common use, I had never heard it before. However, I can think of no better description for the current/recent administration.
Although George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, are all more “hawkish” than the law should allow, they were all too “chicken” to fight in Viet Nam. While Bush hid in the Air National Guard to avoid active duty, Dick Cheney petitioned for and received five (count ‘em, five) deferments and told George C. Wilson when interviewed for an April 5, 1989 article for the Washington Post, I had other priorities in the '60s than military service.”
Similarly, while Donald Rumsfeld served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1957 and in the Naval Reserve from 1957 until 1975, he avoided active duty Viet Nam.
Neither did Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, the architect and chief advocate for the war in Iraq, or Scooter Libby serve in Viet Nam.
In the movie Troy, Odysseus says (to paraphrase): War is young men dying and old men talking. While I don’t believe serving in the military during a war makes you any more or less qualified to run a country, I do question if “Chicken Hawks” have the right to ask others to die.
Similarly, while both Bush and Cheney are venomous in their decision to increase troop strength in Iraq, I haven’t yet heard of any Bush or Cheney daughters enlisting. But then the “Chicken Hawk” gene is probably hereditary.
Click here for novels by Edward Wolf. Downloads from $1.25.
Although George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Donald Rumsfeld, are all more “hawkish” than the law should allow, they were all too “chicken” to fight in Viet Nam. While Bush hid in the Air National Guard to avoid active duty, Dick Cheney petitioned for and received five (count ‘em, five) deferments and told George C. Wilson when interviewed for an April 5, 1989 article for the Washington Post, I had other priorities in the '60s than military service.”
Similarly, while Donald Rumsfeld served in the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1957 and in the Naval Reserve from 1957 until 1975, he avoided active duty Viet Nam.
Neither did Karl Rove, Paul Wolfowitz, the architect and chief advocate for the war in Iraq, or Scooter Libby serve in Viet Nam.
In the movie Troy, Odysseus says (to paraphrase): War is young men dying and old men talking. While I don’t believe serving in the military during a war makes you any more or less qualified to run a country, I do question if “Chicken Hawks” have the right to ask others to die.
Similarly, while both Bush and Cheney are venomous in their decision to increase troop strength in Iraq, I haven’t yet heard of any Bush or Cheney daughters enlisting. But then the “Chicken Hawk” gene is probably hereditary.
Click here for novels by Edward Wolf. Downloads from $1.25.
Monday, January 29, 2007
NO ONE SPEAKS FOR EVERY SOLDIER:
From AOL News:
By LARRY MARGASAK, AP
“WASHINGTON (Jan. 27) - Convinced this is their moment, tens of thousands marched Saturday in an anti-war demonstration linking military families, ordinary people and an icon of the Vietnam protest movement in a spirited call to get out of Iraq.
“About 40 people staged a counter-protest, including Army Cpl. Joshua Sparling, 25, who lost his leg to a bomb in Iraq.
“He said the anti-war protesters, especially those who are veterans or who are on active duty, ‘need to remember the sacrifice we have made and what our fallen comrades would say if they are alive.’”
This truly rankles me to the core. Having spent five and a half years in the U.S. Army, I learned three things:
1/ The food’s rotten!
2/ Not everyone was born with a brain!
3/ There is nothing everyone, civilian or military, agrees on.
If it were possible to bring ten of our “fallen comrades” back to life, we would undoubtedly get six to ten different opinions on what should be done in Iraq—as well as six to ten opinions on everything else in the world. While some would unquestionably champion the war in Iraq, surely a few of them would question the lunacy of sending more young people to die in what some of them would have considered an unnecessary and futile war.
However, there is no trumpet more frequently blown than: “We owe this to those who fought and died for our country. This is what they would have wanted.” Or, as is more commonly heard: “This is, or is not, what our veterans fought and died for.”
While I wasn’t around to know for sure, perhaps, during WW II, there was some kind of consensus among the soldiers. The mission seemed rather clear cut. Since that time, however, those wars we fought were, and are, highly controversial, and seemingly more the whims of the powers that be than sincere efforts to defend our country. Each individual who enters the military enters with a different perspective, a different goal, and a different attitude. No single doctrine is held as a universal truth among them.
We will never be able to stop those self-anointed sages who thump their chests and insist on speaking for all military veterans past and present. We can, however, recognize it for the self-serving drivel it is.
By LARRY MARGASAK, AP
“WASHINGTON (Jan. 27) - Convinced this is their moment, tens of thousands marched Saturday in an anti-war demonstration linking military families, ordinary people and an icon of the Vietnam protest movement in a spirited call to get out of Iraq.
“About 40 people staged a counter-protest, including Army Cpl. Joshua Sparling, 25, who lost his leg to a bomb in Iraq.
“He said the anti-war protesters, especially those who are veterans or who are on active duty, ‘need to remember the sacrifice we have made and what our fallen comrades would say if they are alive.’”
This truly rankles me to the core. Having spent five and a half years in the U.S. Army, I learned three things:
1/ The food’s rotten!
2/ Not everyone was born with a brain!
3/ There is nothing everyone, civilian or military, agrees on.
If it were possible to bring ten of our “fallen comrades” back to life, we would undoubtedly get six to ten different opinions on what should be done in Iraq—as well as six to ten opinions on everything else in the world. While some would unquestionably champion the war in Iraq, surely a few of them would question the lunacy of sending more young people to die in what some of them would have considered an unnecessary and futile war.
However, there is no trumpet more frequently blown than: “We owe this to those who fought and died for our country. This is what they would have wanted.” Or, as is more commonly heard: “This is, or is not, what our veterans fought and died for.”
While I wasn’t around to know for sure, perhaps, during WW II, there was some kind of consensus among the soldiers. The mission seemed rather clear cut. Since that time, however, those wars we fought were, and are, highly controversial, and seemingly more the whims of the powers that be than sincere efforts to defend our country. Each individual who enters the military enters with a different perspective, a different goal, and a different attitude. No single doctrine is held as a universal truth among them.
We will never be able to stop those self-anointed sages who thump their chests and insist on speaking for all military veterans past and present. We can, however, recognize it for the self-serving drivel it is.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Are Catholic Nuns Mean?
I’m not Catholic and never attended a Catholic school. However, from everything I’ve heard from friends who did attend Catholic schools, many of the nuns were real terrors.
Is this true? Are some of those pious, angelic matrons of Christ truly devils incarnate?
Let me hear your nun stories.
Is this true? Are some of those pious, angelic matrons of Christ truly devils incarnate?
Let me hear your nun stories.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Just Setting Up Shop
Please be patient for a few days. I'm just setting up shop.
However, I promise, in a few days I will start posting all kinds of things with which you can take offense.
However, I promise, in a few days I will start posting all kinds of things with which you can take offense.
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
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