Friday...

Heading back to school...

Well, Christmas break is almost over and Monday I'll be back in school. I'm really looking forward to it, the last month has felt a little odd. Once you get used to the swing and sway of the semester, not going to class just doesn't feel right. The last two semesters now, I've managed to make the Dean's list, I'm going to give it my best once again, I'm not sure that the math class I'm having to take this semester though will cooperate with me! I'm going to try my hardest though and keep as good an attitude as I can.

I've also landed a work-study job with my college this semester, so I'm looking forward to starting that. It should give me some valuable experience in the working world of graphic design. My goal is to try and keep up this blog more often, and fill it with some nice looking work that I'm doing this semester, so stay tuned for further updates!

What We Need Is A Little Common Sense

Original Story Here

Why is it that there are so many people in this country that seem to WANT voter fraud? I have yet to hear a valid argument for why citizens of this country shouldn't have to provide a photo I.D. before casting a vote. If you don't have to prove who you are, then anyone can vote whether they are a citizen of this country, and can vote as many times as they like.

The NAACP, Civil Liberties Union and other organizations always spout the same arguments. Having to show a photo ID to vote is targeting minorities, the young and the old to keep them from voting. What is stopping any minority (who is a legal citizen of the US), or a young person, who is over the age of 18, or an elderly person from obtaining a state-issued photo ID? Nothing. I carry a photo ID with me every single time I leave the house, even if I'm just taking my daily walk for exercise. Everyone should, it's just common sense and good practice.

There are "elements" in this country that want to disrupt the system and cause anarchy, because it makes them money and gives them power. It's up to all of us to take that power away from them with the power of common sense, something that is sorely lacking in our world today!

NFL Stadiums Adopting New TSA-Like Restrictions

Well NFL fans, it was bound to happen sooner or later. get ready to welcome the TSA to your local NFL stadium! While the TSA will not actually screen you as you enter your local stadium this fall, NFL stadiums are adopting new strict rules which might as well have come from the controversial agency that has caused travelers to have nightmares!

Here is at least a partial list of items that you will no longer be ALLOWED to bring with you into YOUR stadium for the next over-priced NFL game you go to see:

• Purses larger than a clutch bag
• coolers
• briefcases
• backpacks
• fanny packs
• cinch bags
• seat cushions!
• luggage
• computer bags
• camera bags
• any bag larger than 12"x6"x12"(and made of clear plastic)

Says Jeffrey Miller, the NFL's chief security officer, "Our fans deserve to be in a safe and secure environment. Public safety is our top priority. This will make the job of checking items much more efficient and effective. We will be able to deliver a better and quicker experience at the gates and also provide a safer environment. We appreciate our fans' cooperation."

I truly doubt there is anyone out there who is a "fan" of NFL security! There certainly won't be after fans find out they can't bring in a seat cushion with them! We all know how comfortable those stadium seats are after all. On an up-note, you will still be allowed to bring in binoculars (so that you can see the game from your nose-bleed seats), cameras and smartphones.

Ghost In The Shirt!

     I swear we have a practical joking ghost in our house! For three weeks I've been looking for a particular favorite t-shirt I like to wear and have not been able to find it anywhere. I've done the laundry, and I mean all of our laundry at least three to four times over. I and my wife have both been looking for that shirt. I just did our laundry last night and threw the clothes in a basket that has been emptied out and re-filled several times. My wife grabbed the first shirt off the top of the pile of clothes and it was the shirt we haven't been able to find!

     I like a good joke just like the next guy,  but that shirt is my favorite for a hot day and I have really been wanting it. :-/

Obama Defends NSA Spying On American Citizens

     Here's a LINK to MercuryNews

     President Obama seems to think no American citizen should be upset that their government is spending hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to spy on their own. "For our own protection", no less. He goes on to say that the NSA only look at caller origination and the duration of the calls to route out terrorists. I'd like for someone to explain to me how looking only at those two things could possibly tell you who are terrorists. I seem to remember voting for a man who claimed he was all about constitutional rights, and making sure that those rights would be protected when he was installed in office...seems like Mr. Obama has forgotten those promises.

Senator Diane Feinstein on the NSA and Surveillance of American Citizens

What Is Race For The Cure Really Racing From?

     It's been reported earlier today on Fox News that the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure charity is pulling out of 7 cities in 2014, that's half the cities they are presently running their charity walks in. A spokesperson for the charity says that the cities they will no longer be doing charity walks in are Phoenix, Boston, Chicago, Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Washington. The cities the events will still be in are Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Michigan, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle and Minneapolis-St. Paul.

     They site a 37% drop in participation in the cities they are leaving. It is unclear whether they are referring to the number of participants, or the amount of money raised. One has to wonder if there is really another reason they are leaving those cities though. The cities they are leaving are rather larger market cities than the ones they are staying in. I wonder if perhaps because of the Boston Marathon bombing incident, these larger cities have notified the charity that they will be required to help pay for broader security so that a similar incident doesn't happen during their event. Mind you, this is nothing but pure speculation on my part, but it seems like a probable scenario given the tighter budgets in most cities thanks to our economy and the increasing need for security during large events like this that span large areas and draw huge crowds.

Google Glass Bans Facial Recognition...What Good Is That?

   

     If you've been hiding under a rock for the last year and don't know what Google Glass is yet...Google it! Today, Google has announced that it is banning the development of facial recognition software apps for it's Google Glass hardware. They're doing this as a reaction to certain segments of the public which have decried Glass for it's privacy concerns. Banning facial recognition apps from the device will actually do more harm than good. All that means is that honest law abiding citizens who wouldn't use facial recognition software on Glass in a reprehensible or irresponsible way won't have access to it. Those who would use it in some way that would be morally or legally wrong will simply install that software on Glass through a hack.

     Gee, where have we heard of a scenario just like this before? Oh yeah, gun control. Gun control only keeps honest people from having guns, criminals will still get their hands on them. It's the same with banning facial recognition software, (which is everywhere already, most new computers bought today and a large number of smartphones come with facial recognition software pre-installed). There will be a hack out there allowing people to install facial recognition software onto Glass, and only hardcore geeks and those with criminal intent will install it. HERE'S a pair of glasses available for $75 that will secretly record video of anyone you're looking at, and I don't hear anyone making a big deal about them like they are Google Glass! Spy glasses like these have been available for several years, yet people are acting like Google is the first to ever do it, and they're taking all the heat for it.

     Every day you are probably being recorded by someone somewhere from the moment you step out of your home, particularly if you live in an urban area. See that guy who looks like he's trying to find something on his smartphone? There's a good chance he's really taking pictures of you, or recording video. How would you know? The days of privacy were nothing more than an illusion anyway. I can remember years before technology went digital all the ads in the back of magazines for spy cameras disguised as everyday objects like pens and tie clips. Who do you think were buying those things back then? Honest, everyday citizens? NO! it was pedophiles, rapists and perverts.

     Stop worrying about Google Glass and start thinking about the kind of empowerment that kind of technology can do for good in the right hands. Because whether you like it or not, that kind of technology is going to get into the wrong hands anyway!

The Debt of Dying

     Have you seen the commercials on TV that tell you the average funeral costs over $7,000? And that the government will only provide you with up to $255 to cover the cost? The actual cost of a funeral today in the United States will run the average family anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000! Who would have thought that in this day and age you would incur debt simply through the act of dying. Yes, when you die, you incur this debt, and you pass it on to the surviving members of your family. 

     It didn't used to be this way though. In the past, when a person died, their bodies were prepared by family members and others in the community and you were buried in a homemade coffin in a family plot. If there was a wake, or showing of the body, it was done in the parlor of the deceased persons home. This all pretty much started changing when the Civil War came along in the 1860's. So many men were dying far from home, and families wanted them to be buried nearby. This is when the practice of embalming started, to preserve the deceased for the long trip home by railroad. At this time, morticians started taking over the task of preparing bodies and arranging for funeral services. While this is admirable, and in most cases preferable during a stressful time for survivors, it has unfortunately become "big business". People are literally dying to give them the business! Since then, funeral directors have changed their status from "tradesman" to "professionals" and have helped through lobbying to justify what they do as a public health concern. Embalming is no more necessary than having a $3,000 casket made with inlaid pearl. Actually, embalming is even one of the least costly parts of a funeral, it generally only costs about $600 to be embalmed. The true expense of funerals today is all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the event, as well as the accompanying bureaucratic red-tape.     

     They say that the only things that are certain in this world are death and taxes, while you may have to worry about your taxes, you shouldn't have to worry about the what it's going to cost you or your family when you die.

The FDA Is Soooo On The Ball!

According to a story on Reuters, the FDA is re-opening an investigation into the effects of caffeine on children because of a new gum being marketed by Wrigley, although they don't name the gum specifically.

Yeah, FDA, it's caffeinated gum that's affecting children, not Red Bull, Monster or any of those other super-caffeinated soft drinks that are marketed directly at children and teens! The FDA must just be mad at Wrigley because they weren't willing to slip them a few million dollars under the table to ignore them like they do the soft drink manufacturers! I fail to understand how there could be any substantive difference between a caffeinated gum and a drink that provides more caffeine than a comparable sized coffee drink.

My New Obsession

Who would think that driving a tractor/trailer rig around Europe would make for a fun game?! I've been curious about the game European Truck Simulator 2 for awhile now, and decided the other day to get it from Steam, since it was on sale for 50% off. Wow! Am I glad I got this game. It is sooo much fun, and I'm not even sure why! Literally, you drive loads of cargo from one European city to another, making money and buying upgrades for your truck. It's sooo addictive though. And a truly beautiful game. I've got the graphics mostly turned up to high and am playing it at 1920x1080 resolution. I've already logged in 7 hours of play just since yesterday.

I've mostly been traveling around Germany and France, and have just stopped in at Geneve Switzerland to drop off a load of cargo. I've found that I hate driving in England, it's just so confusing trying to drive on the opposite side of the road, it just makes no sense! France and Germany drive on the proper side of the road at least! Well, gotta get back on the road, there's a smokie on my tail and I've gotta lose him!

Special Interests Pushing Distracted Driving For A Reason?

We've been hearing about "distracted drivers" for awhile now. First it was GPS devices under attack, then it blew up big with texting and driving. Now, according to an article on Engadget, a study has been conducted that has concluded that just using voice-only input for your smart-device while driving causes as much driver distraction as physically texting.

If using your voice to operate a device is distracting to a driver, why wouldn't just talking to someone in the car with you while driving be a distraction?! I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps there is an agenda behind all this "driver distraction" hoopla lately. Maybe there are special interest groups out there that see pushing driver distraction issues will in the future make "driver-less cars" more appealing to the general public. After all, if they've convinced everyone that unless a driver is completely cut off from every distraction possible, we'll always be unsafe on the road until we take the driving away from the human.

I'm all for the development of the driver-less car, but I don't think it's necessary to "dumb-down" people to get us there. Most adults are capable of doing multiple things at once, hence the term, multi-tasking. There are always going to be those that can't multi-task and could therefore be a problem when driving, maybe instead of tying everyone down with rules and regulations, we should instead concentrate on making sure that only competent people are issued licenses to drive!

It Would Seem the U.S. is Back on Track

According to White House spokesman Jay Carney, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who at this time lies in a Boston hospital recovering from wounds, will stand trial in a Federal courtroom for his crimes. This is a good thing. It's about time that our government shows a commitment to the ideals that it stands for. Unfortunately there are still several "vocal" members of the GOP who are advocating that Mr. Tsarnaev be tried as an enemy combatant. While I believe they certainly have a right to voice their opinion, it is saddening that leaders of our country would show so little care for the liberties and freedoms of their fellow citizens. 

LINK to the story at CBS.com

How Should the Marathon Bomber be Tried?

The (as far as we know) lone surviving Boston Marathon bomber has been captured. Soon he will have to be tried, the question is will he be tried as an American citizen in a criminal trial, or will he be tried as a "terrorist" in a military trial? I think this will be a watershed moment in American history as it will define how our country wishes to travel through the turbulent years ahead. Will we stand by our judicial system and trust it to give guidance to the future generations in our nation, or will we undermine it by intimating that it is not be trusted by turning this young man over to the military to be tried?

IF he is tried as a terrorist in a military trial, it means that he will not be allowed a defense lawyer, nor will the public likely be privy to what occurs during this "trial". Essentially, he will simply disappear, no doubt to the Guantanamo Bay facility where even now, there are an indeterminate number of "terrorists" languishing in a virtual purgatory. This will give very few people in the United States a sense of closure on what has become a national tragedy. No matter how he is put on trial, the dead will not come back to life, and the wounded will not miraculously recover. The American public though does deserve to see that justice is done for those who have suffered at this mans' hands.

IF our justice system in this country is sound and fair, there is no reason that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev should not be able to be tried in a civilian criminal court setting. Timothy McVeigh was tried in a criminal court proceeding and I believe that by anyones account, he is presently serving a justified sentence for his crime, the bombing of the  Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. An attack that killed 168 people and injured over 800. So put in that perspective, the Boston Marathon bombing actually pales in comparison. There is no reason that a civilian court cannot try Mr Tsarnaev for his crime. 

Are Sequestration Cuts To Blame for Boston Marathon Bombings?

One has to wonder if the sequestration cuts are to blame for yesterday's Boston Marathon bombings. Have across the board budget cuts resulted in lower security standards which allowed the person or persons to plant bombs within a few hundred feet of the end of the Boston Marathon? How much security was in place for this years race, and how much security had been implemented for the race just last year? Were there bomb-sniffing dogs patrolling the area before or during the race?

With 3 dead and reports of wounded now over 140, Congress will soon be answering tough questions. Is balancing the budget as important as protecting American interests and lives within our own borders? There is no credible evidence at this time of who may have been behind this bombing, but it's becoming quite apparent that most fingers are starting to point at Arabic and Muslim suspects. If so, what have the last ten years or so been all about with the mass deportations and supposedly stricter controls on immigration? Has it all been a smoke-screen to make Americans feel safer when in actuality nothing is being done to make America anymore secure?

Many have complained about how after 9/11 the measures taken to protect America were nothing more than a ploy to instigate draconian laws which have done nothing more than limit constitutional freedoms in this country. Will this bombing now be used to roll out the Patriot Act II? We've had instances in the last few years where American children have been dragged in handcuffs out of their schools for offenses as small as hitting another student or bringing a pen-knife to school, yet we are apparently so lax in our security that not one but at least three bombs were planted in a public area where a huge event was being staged, and two of those bombs allowed to be detonated. Perhaps it's time to stop punishing the innocent and do a realistic assessment of how we can truly make this country safer.

Knife Attack Rampage in Texas

Yesterday, fourteen people were severely wounded by a knife-wielding maniac on a Texas college campus during a job fair. Twenty year old Dylan Quick, admitted to police after his capture that he'd always fantasized about stabbing people, and that he'd planned this attack for quite some time. Two of the victims were still in critical condition. LINK to the original story on CNN.

Obviously, this country needs to immediately enact "knife control legislation"! For far too long, citizens of the United States have had far too easy access to knives. Hunting knives, kitchen knives, utility blades like those used by terrorists on 9/11 even! Yet nothing is being done to make sure that knives are kept out of the hands of criminals.

A quick search of Youtube even yields a scarier fact. There are literally thousands of videos on the site showing people how to make their own knives, and even swords! How can we let this continue when we let the violence rage in our streets and in our homes! Strict knife control laws need to be enacted before even one more citizen falls victim to another senseless knife attack. After the Newton attack many in this country have advocated for strict gun control laws, even the banning of gun ownership completely. How many innocent lives have to be taken before our government takes the threat of knives seriously? No one will be safe as long as you can buy a set of Ginsu knives from your local Walmart!

Cyprus Banks Reopening Hi-light Why Our Government Wants to Take Our Guns

LINK to Cyprus Banks Story

If you are aware of what's going on in Cyprus right now, you'll realize that this is why there are those in our government that want to take our guns from us here in America. How would you like it if the government imposed limits on how much of YOUR money you can take from the bank? That's what they're doing in Cyprus right now. They've also made it illegal to have more than 1000 Euros on your person. That would be like saying that anyone in the U.S. with more than $1000 on them is breaking the law and the police would have the right to confiscate the money above $1000 that you have on you!

That's unlikely to happen in this country because the citizens still have the right to own and bear arms. Let's see what happens in this country if the government tries to take your money out of your bank account while we're armed. It would be easy to do when we're all running around with pitch forks and baseball bats, it's something else when we're armed with AR-15's and 9mm pistols.

Dr. Girlfriend from the Venture Brothers

A wallpaper for fans of Dr. Girlfriend from the Venture Brothers (1366 x 768)

For everyone looking forward to St. Patrick's Day!