Gidian Loses Tooth #2

Gidian lost a tooth a few months ago. he was biting a Happy Meal toy and loosened it right up.

So when I saw how loose it was, I did that which was my right and duty as a father. The same thing my father taught me. I caught the top of it with a finger nail and ripped it out. Nearly. Actually, I just made it really loose.

So, Gidian manned up and grabbed it and slowly twisted it off. I was proud.

In the spot where the old tooth was, that we thought was prematurely loosened was an adult tooth coming in crooked. This inspired me to immediately loosen the tooth next to it.

Fast forward to last night. I had told Gidian to loosen the tooth while in school, but it hadn't changed for weeks. upon closer inspection, I saw an adult tooth coming in behind it, sideways and crooked. I told Gidian it was " GO TIME".

So we took turns knocking it loose. He gave it a good shove, got some blood out of it. I then pulled from the side and really heard a nice ripping sound. That was all Bubba needed. He grabbed on and slowly twisted, just like the first time and ripped that baby out.

The tooth fairy came and paid in arrears. $5 a tooth. Talk about inflation. I guess the tooth fairly took into account the traumatic nature of both teeth extractions.

cheesecake:

Consider the energy and essence of life in every bite of cheesecake.

A cow, with considerable effort and time, grazes an entire day to glean the nutrients out of thousands of blades of grass, which have harnessed the energy of the sun, and minerals of the earth and sea all to give sustenance to that cow.

That cow in turn funnels the entirety of her labors into her milk which is hijacked and extorted by diary farmers and accumulated in vats. Quite literally the "fat of the land" is then skimmed off and salted, processed into condensed life.

Sugar cane, using a similar process collects the energies of life which is collected, condensed and added to the fat.

Each bite of cheesecake represents life force. Pure energy collected, stored and disbursed in decadent fashion. When you consider the fact that every time energy is transferred, there is energy lost, you realize what that bolus truly cost. And probably why you pack the memory around on your gut for the rest of your life.

Why I’m a Libertarian Nut Instead of Just a Nut

By Penn Jillette

I don’t speak for all Libertarians any more than Sean Penn speaks for all Democrats. I’m not even sure my LP membership card is up to date. I’ve voted Libertarian as long as I can remember but I don’t really remember much before the Clintons and the Bushes. Those clans made a lot of us bugnutty. When I go on Glenn’s show he calls me a Libertarian, I think that’s my only real credential.

There are historical reasons and pragmatic reasons to be a Libertarian, but there are historic and pragmatic reasons to be a Democrat, a Republican or a Socialist. I don’t know if everyone would be better off under a Libertarian government. I don’t know what would be best for anyone. I don’t even know what’s best for me. What makes me Libertarian is I don’t think anyone else really knows what’s best for anyone. My argument for Libertarianism is simple - personal morality.

I start with the Declaration of Independence: “Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” So, essentially our government does what they do with my consent.

I know barely enough about Max Weber to type his name into Google, but it seems he’s credited with asserting the idea that the state has a monopoly on the legitimate use of physical force. I put those two ideas together (my consent and use of physical force) and figure we all give our government the right to use force. So, the way I figure, it’s not okay for our government to use force in any situation where I personally wouldn’t use force.

For example, if I’m not willing to kill a cute cow, I shouldn’t eat steak. I don’t have to kill Bessy right now with my bare hands, but I have to be willing to snuff her if I want to chow down on a T-bone. If it’s not okay for me, it’s not okay for a slaughterhouse. Asking someone else to do something immoral is immoral. If it’s not okay for me to break David Blaine’s hands so my magic show has less competition, it’s not okay for me to ask someone else to beat him up. Someone else doing your dirty work is still your dirty work.

If I had a gun, and I knew a murder was happening, (we’re speaking hypothetically here, I’m not asking you to believe that I could accurately tell a murder from aggressive CPR), I would use that gun to stop that murder. I might be too much of a coward to use a gun myself to stop a murder or rape or robbery, but I think the use of a gun is justified. I’m even okay with using force to enforce voluntary contracts. If I were a hero, I would use a gun to protect the people who choose to live under this free system and to stop another country from attacking America. But I wouldn’t use a gun to force someone to love something like say…a library.

Look, I love libraries. I spent a lot of time in the Greenfield Public Library when I was a child. I would give money to build a library. I would ask you to give money to build a library. But, if for some reason you were crazy enough to think you had a better idea for your money than building my library, I wouldn’t pull a gun on you. I wouldn’t use a gun to build an art museum, look at the wonders of the universe through a big telescope, or even find a cure for cancer.

The fact that the majority wants something good does not give them the right to use force on the minority that don’t want to pay for it. If you have to use a gun, it’s not really a very good idea. Democracy without respect for individual rights sucks. It’s just ganging up on the weird kid, and I’m always the weird kid.

People try to argue that government isn’t really force. You believe that? Try not paying your taxes. (This is only a thought experiment though -- suggesting someone not pay their taxes is probably a federal offense, and while I may be a nut, I’m not crazy.) When they come to get you for not paying your taxes, try not going to court. Guns will be drawn. Government is force.

It’s amazing to me how many people think that voting to have the government give poor people money is compassion. Helping poor and suffering people yourself is compassion. Voting for our government to use guns to give money to help poor and suffering people is immoral self-righteous bullying laziness. People need to be fed, medicated, educated, clothed, and sheltered. If we’re compassionate, we’ll help them, but you get no moral credit for forcing other people to do what you think is right. There is great joy in helping people, but no joy in doing it at gunpoint.

I’m a Libertarian nut because I don’t want my government to do anything in my name that I wouldn’t do myself.

You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it.

"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom.. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931

beware the wrath of the geeks

beware the wrath of the geeks, originally uploaded by Mook Farchings.

my hottie wife

my hottie wife, originally uploaded by Mook Farchings.

I have the most beautiful and photogenic wife in the world.

She is an angry hellcat most of the time, but MAN is she a hottie!

Flickr

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

from Senator Jim DeMint

Freedom is not a gift from government, but a right given to us by God. We believe that every human being is endowed with “certain unalienable Rights,” including “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” In 1787, our Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia to forge a new system of government, designed to “form a more perfect union” and guarantee Americans, in the words of Ronald Reagan, “the maximum of personal liberty consistent with order.”

Paramount among the reasons this system succeeded in America was our political and religious culture that accepted the inextricable connection between personal freedom and personal responsibility. It was understood that, for every question in life not answered by government, individuals, families, and neighborhoods must work out answers for themselves. The Founders knew that the natural order of things was for government to expand at the expense of personal liberty, so their Constitution was based on an implicit bargain – the less government does for you, the less government can do to you.

Today, our once-limited federal government has betrayed those founding principles. It tries to be all things to all people, yet despite its good intentions, government action usually does more harm than good. Look around: every system Washington touches – health care, education, energy, infrastructure, mortgage lending – quickly begins to break down. In some recent cases, including the automobile bankruptcies and the Wall Street bailouts, even the rule of law itself has been subordinated to the good intentions of politicians and bureaucrats. And yet government’s solution to the problems it causes is always … more government. To solve problems created by government’s role in our schools or health care, Congress now proposes a complete federal takeover of these systems!

What Washington refuses to understand is that government systems will always fail because they are not free. Private schools perform better than public schools. Private health insurance provides better care than government programs, and controls its own costs. And on and on. Without the competitive pressures and transparency of a free market, government agencies have no motivation to improve their services. After 10 years in Washington, I have concluded that both parties are slow to recognize this one simple fact: freedom works, and government doesn’t.

Intersting Kung Fu Panda review

Source Link


Despite my natural dislike for animation movies - I like to see real people acting - I decided to give “Kung Fu Panda” a chance after a friend strongly recommended it to me. So I got myself a “Kung Fu Panda” DVD, shoved it into my laptop, thinking it would either be a highly entertaining 1.5 hours or the most boring evening I had in months. I’m happy to report it was the former; “Kung Fu Panda” is not only funny but also and more importantly a uniquely American film.

Here’s the basic story (for a longer summary, I suggest you go to WikiPedia ); a panda going by the name of Po wants to become a Kung Fu fighter but he’s ill-equipped to take on anything stronger and fiercer than bamboo. Not only is he a panda, he is also a panda who loves to eat cookies and, well, everything else. Despite his physique, Po becomes the hero of the story by beating tiger warrior Tai Lung.

It’s an incredibly funny movie - especially the scene in which Po is finally able to do the split after his teacher tells him that another fighter hides his cookies in a cupboard which is located at quite an inconvenient spot, high up at the ceiling, pushed between two walls - had me going for 15 minutes.

But what makes this movie even greater is that there’s much more to it than humor. Its message is truly American.

Sure, Po is in theory the anti-hero who can’t get anything done. True enough. But he turns out to be a real hero who, by pure dedication, succeeds in turning his weakness into his strength. Po does not merely overcome his arch-enemy Tai Lung, he overcomes the fiercest enemy of all: himself.

“Kung Fu Panda” is entertaining, a joy to watch for adults and children alike, but it’s also a movie that makes a fundamentally sound and conservative (and American! ) principle: If you work hard, you can become anything you want. You may face obstacles along the way - No, you will face obstacles - but the only one able to stop is you .

As if that’s not conservative and American enough, “Kung Fu Panda” also breaks with the average modern movie by allowing an ugly and fat panda to become the hero of the story. Po’s change takes place on the inside not the outside; he was and remains a chubby panda. This is not a film where the ugly girl becomes the beauty queen or the nerd blossoms — in this respect KFP is a nice break from our look-obsessive society.

Concluding, this animation movie perfectly combines humor with a message conservatives can believe in; no matter who you are, no matter who your parents are (Po’s father is a goose who owns a noodle soup shop), you can become everything you want, as long as you work hard and refuse to give up.

Magic the Gathering CCG

There is a popular game among the young and the geeky of our world called Magic: The Gathering. It is a collectible card game. So, you collect cards of different rarity, like sports cards, only each card can be used as a part of a bigger game.

One of the cards is featured below:

Encarnacion!

Made up names

For the record, not only is Elspeth not made-up. Jiagie is not either.

1993-2000 Member of the Ghanna State Council Anni Jiagie


So there.

:)

Neal Peart of Rush addresses accusations of satanism and back tracking

An interesting glimpse into a strange era in rock music where everyone was considered the agents of Lucifer.

The irony is AC/DC shirts are sold in department stores, every major and minor league baseball game in the country plays Crazy Train by Ozzy Osbourne at least once and black metal bands have been started that actually DO promote satanism, but they get no press at all.

Here is Neal in all of his loquacious glory:
-Mook

Rock Groups Hardly Satanistic
by Neil Peart
Daily Texan, Believed to have been published July 19, 1981
Reprinted in Backstage Club Newsletter with introduction by Neil Peart, September 1983

Hi folks! I've got another little goodie for you this month. Personally I fail to understand why this subject needs to be addressed at all, but there has been such a prevalence of questions about this silliy "Satanism" business directed at our friends and ourselves, that I felt it was time to clear it up once and for all!

This little editorial was written in response to a very vicious and untrue story which a newspaper (The Daily Texan) had printed about all of these rock bands (including ourselves) who were supposed to be concealing Satanist and other anti-social messages in their songs by (get this!) recording them backwards! A real "ha ha" don't you think? Well, they didn't think so, and consequently if you find my reply a little on the strong side you will understand; they made me mad!

As to some of the ridiculous meanings I have heard attached to the "Man and Star" logo by some sick units, one hardly knows what to say! Those who are interested in such things should surely have noticed that the star is not a pentagram, it is of course an open star, which is quite a different geometric and symbolic thing. I even heard recently that there is supposed to be a subliminal "devil's face" worked into the naked man's back! Now really!

I'll tell you what. If you don't understand or care about such things, (good for you!), then just ignore the whole thing. If you are one of those who find "secret" things all over the place, do us a favour; keep it a secret-don't tell anyone! Especially not me.

All seriousness aside, I hope this finds you all well and happy. If you are one of those who attended our concerts on this tour, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Until next time-
Neil Peart

Editor's note: The following column was submitted by a member of the rock group Rush in response to Jim Hankins' July 19 coverage in The Daily Texan of a seminar entitled "No One Here Gets Out Alive." The seminar was sponsered by the Longhorn Christian Fellowship and centered on the theme that many popular rock music songs are trying to turn American youth against Christianity toward satanism or other religions. The group contended that either blatantly or through subliminal means, musicians convey satanic messages in their songs.

I am writing in response to an article which was written by your reporter Jim Hankins in your issue of July 19, "Group seeks to show rock 'n roll Satanic." It was awhile ago, but the article was sent to me through several intermediary steps. Besides, it's never too late to discuss a matter like this, and as I happen to be a member of one of the groups mentioned, perhaps I can interject a little rationality and truth into such a hysterical exercise in propaganda.

Satanism. Now here is a word that should be kept away from some people the way you should keep matches from children and guns from jealous husbands!

There is a certain trait evident in human nature which some people seem to possess in greater degrees. It derives from a state of insecurity and low self-esteem and shows itself in the actions of those who wish to make themselves look good by making others look bad. You see it everywhere once you start to look for it. People who can't gain respect for their own merits feel obliged to try and tear down those who do. We see it in the failures who try to prove their aloofness by criticizing the actions of those who actually do something, or in cases like this one where the weak and pusillanimous prove their righteousness by trying to punish the "less-righteous."

A big advantage to such an attitude is that it keeps them so involved in other peoples' lives that they need not examine their own.

So these are the grim-faced hypocrites who are stirring around in the dark places of life hoping to find something - anything - dirtier than their own reflection. And if they can't find anything - no problem - they'll just make something up!

And here they are accusing rock musicians of being sincere and dedicated satanists attempting to poison the souls of America's youth with subliminal messages of devil-worship. You know that's almost a very good joke! Almost.

As one who knows many of these "demonic figures" personally, especially some of those mentioned in the article, the idea of some of these sold-out, burnt-out, cynical, strutting peacocks being so deeply and religiously committed to anything (save their "image" and chart numbers) is also a bit of a joke. And a pretty lame one at that!

These nameless mercenaries don't even demonstrate that kind of commitment in their music why on earth would they be bothered to go to all that trouble to put anything else into it? All they need (and care) to do is find a kind of lowest common denominator of commercial "acceptability." Yes, you Christian crypto-fascists, it is a joke! The only problem is - you're not laughing.

I'm not laughing anymore, either. I've started to receive too many questions and letters from confused and impressionable young people wanting to know if it's true that we worship the devil. Who is it that is corrupting the minds of young Americans?

Let us not for one minute forget that this is the same self-righteous mentality that has put itself to work persecuting witches, Christians, Jews, Quakers, Indians, Catholics, Negroes, Communists, hippies and capitalists down through the ages. There's always somebody to kick you when you're down. It seems like every group has taken its turn at one end of the stick or the other. From the bitter oppressed to the righteous oppressor is a very short step.

Speaking for myself, as lyricist and drummer for "Rush", and one of those accused of this heinous crime, I must object, Your Honors. Far from being a closet Satanist, I confess crudely, I don't even believe in the old bastard! I wonder if that's better or worse in your eyes, Grand Inquisitor?

I can certainly assure you that my lyrics contain no "demonic" secret messages or cleverly concealed mystical commercials. Nothing like that, I'm afraid. It is not only absurd and pathetic, but it is also totally incompatible with my philosophy, my work and my beliefs.

I get all kinds of letters from people like this whose perceptions are narrowed and distorted by pre-set values and ideas, telling me the most fantastic things that they have somehow "discovered" in my words! As is ever true - they find what they want to find. Fair enough. I know what I put in there. It isn't that, and it isn't this either. Period.

I don't wish to offend anyone's genuine beliefs, as it is a fundamental tenet in my philosophy that people should believe what they choose to believe. It must be stated, though, that when you've "got" religion, like Siddhartha, you find it everywhere you look. And when you've got evil, you'll find it everywhere you look, too.

Ah! It's the old "recorded backwards" trick again, is it Watson? Ha! I'm sure you could play "The Star Spangled Banner" backwards and find a secret message there too. Wouldn't Francis Scott Key be surprised at your cleverness! How do you suppose he knew what it said in 1812?

Don't you think something as vague as this is rather like a Rorschach ink-blot, or cloud shapes? Interpretation is based on the perceiver's state of mind - not on any objective reality. An ink-blot is a cloud is a song - frontwards or backwards. One finds what one wishes to find.

Yes, there's something subliminal at work here all right. The subliminal and poisonous sickness that dwells in the minds of these fearful and pompous so-called Christians. And they even call themselves a "Fellowship." Think about that for a minute. Then think about what this paper and others have accomplished by giving innocent ink and paper over to this kind of drivel. You readers don't know that I would never even use the kind of grammar that these people have attributed to me, let alone the insipid and valueless supposed message. Listen to this: "Oh Satan, you, you are the one who is shining. Walls of Satan, walls of sacrifice; I know it's you are the one I love." That's disgusting. I mean really you just know these people have to be sick. If you don't believe me, ask my Mom!

As a Mormon, I'm used to the logical gymnastics that I'm forced to go through to make certain facts reconcile with belief.

Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases

Some of the smartest minds in the world at Oxford University put their combined intellect together, along with a super-computer database full of news, blogs, articles, books and speeches. The result of this timely and costly work?


The top ten most irritating phrases:

1 - At the end of the day

2 - Fairly unique

3 - I personally

4 - At this moment in time

5 - With all due respect

6 - Absolutely

7 - It's a nightmare

8 - Shouldn't of

9 - 24/7

10 - It's not rocket science


I could probably come up with some worse ones, but these are pretty good... or bad.

Bubb Rubb & Lil' Sis

So, a few years ago the Bay Area suffered at the hands a few shops that would trick out cars for various reasons, including muffler add-ons that would whistle while running.

This hilarious clip is about the infamous Bubb Rubb and Lil' Sis.



The clip was so popular, people have been playing with it for a long time. Here is one little girl that seemed to like the video too:



And finally a remix of the singing for your dancing pleasure:



Gidian has had a few nicknames in his day:

Gidian
Gidro
Gidster
Booga
Booga Lou
Bubba
Bubbie
Bubba Lou
Bubbie Lou
Scooby Doo
Scoob
Booby Blue
Bub
and finally: Bubb Rubb.


Nickname update for Elspeth:
Jiagie
Jiager
Jiagie Roger
Jiager Dodger
Sweetie
Sweeters
Sister Jiagie Sweeters (her full name)
And finally: Lil' Sis

New videos

One of Jiagie and Gidian

and

A quick documentary on the birth of Jiagie.

Please sign in to YouTube and Subscribe to my "channel" and then Rate and Comment on my videos, so I know if anyone is watching them and/or if you like them.

My wife explaining to my friends why I can't get certain times off.

HA! Ok so you all know that I don't side with Ben much here, but you clearly don't understand the nature of this shitty job. He COULD take some time off and have a nice long vaca.....until he found another job. I can't even tell you how many people have had a family emergency or death and they seriously have to weigh taking off the time. The other thing you don't understand is even though it's possible to do 90% of the work from home....it's not really done that way. The firm environment is old school, they like to preach that you can work remotely but just try it. Really the remote hookup is so that you don't have an excuse to not work from your deathbed, otherwise your ass better be planted in your cubicle like every other poor bastard there. It's a really weird, old school mind set.

It's a shame...they'll tell you that if you need to then take it, but they also don't tell you that there will be consequences to it, you find that out at your review down the road. Most jobs tell you that "life happens" but you better do your best to make them happen AROUND the deadlines. Ben's first job told him NOT to move or have a baby during busy season....and they were serious. When I had Gidian in April he was able to take that day off....sort of.

The good thing for me is that my ugly time is only once a year with some stress around the october deadline, and now quarterly with payroll filings....but Ben is different, he doesn't do taxes...he has these damn quarterlys PLUS the extended deadline and then the deadlines for those with fiscal years, pretty much there is a damn deadline every other month with every month having a heavy busy time.

I couldn't have Els earlier than the 19th because of his damn deadline and in fact I should have had her the 20th or the 21st because I wasn't thinking that it was the extention deadline...he seriously had to work like crazy and should have worked while we were in the hospital but couldn't get the internet connection there to work.

It's cliche/ridiculous how high the turnover rate for an accountant is....there is a reason for that, it's not because they pay you well, give you lots of time off and don't expect your first born in return. So why do it? Becuase it's glamorous. Actaully it's because it looks a hell of alot better than the job most of us had when we went into business school and by the time we figure out what a sham it is it's too late....the ink is dry on the devil's contract and the loans need to be paid.

Bubba's 5th birthday bash. This is the Gidian few get to see.

Bubba's favorite commercial.

First watch this.

Then watch this.