Been looking for some time now for a post that wouldn’t require a soapbox or a ranting.  Just so tired of all that, and I wanted something a little … uh… lighthearted.  Then I found it.  It all starts out innocently enough.  Busymom gets an earworm which leads her to post this about a show (that I remember well) from the 70′s called The New Zoo Revue.  That then leads to the venerable Liz over at This Full House to post this little diddy from The Magic Garden.

Now, with these firmly implanted in my brain, it seems only right that I add to the list.. but which show?  Both BusyMom and Liz so properly pointed out about how creepy in retrospect some of these shows were that we so loved as kids… and I had two of them bounding around in my head (well, actually much more than 2, but two “finalists”) and ultimately I could not decide… So I will leave it to you to tell me, which of these is the creepier of shows…

Entrant One:  The Banana Splits

Entrant 2: The Banana Splits

So… creepy or what?  What show do you remember fondly, but looking back on it… think… “that was just a bit creepy?”

I have been battling writer’s block for some time now.  So, I though perhaps a brain dump would get things going again.  But rather than the typical randomness, I thought I would try something a little different, and focus my randomness into the future, or to be precise, some things I think we will see (or not see) in 2009.

Tech

Twoogle – Twitter will be acquired in 2009 by somebody (like Google).  Its lack of pure business model will come under pressure from other’s trying to profit off of it (magpie), and investors will grow weary of waiting, pushing the company into making the sale.

Android for everybody – will become the belle of the mobile ball.  Microsoft will release Windows Mobile 7 but despite being a superior platform, players like HTC and Motorola will continue putting it in underpowered phones, so people will still be frustrated with it, people will finally look honestly at the flaws of the iPhone (and the continued lack of cut and paste support), Palm will have another delay in its next generation OS and thus Android will win by default.

Entertainment

Slot This in the loser column – Slot Music, the new “format” for digital music that few have heard of and even fewer have bought into will die, alone and unloved.  However nobody will notice or care.

Blu-Who – While lower prices (especially on closeout version 1.1 machine continue) will improve Blu-Rays uptake rate a bit, it will continue to be a no show to DVD sales, and will be severely threatened by downloadable and/or streaming video to the home.

Roku that’s who – naturally somebody will have to dominate the streaming set top box.  So far the leaders are Roku and Tivo.  Tivo has been on tech “death watches” for some time, and could be snatched up by somebody, but I think it is Roku, with their $99 box which already has deals in place with the likes of NetFlix and Amazon that will be snapped up by somebody.

Blockbusted - Could this be the beginning of the end for Blockbuster?  I certainly think so, and wouldn’t be surprised to see them filing for Bankruptcy by year end.  Unless of course they come up with some sort of deal like Netflix has with Roku.  Streaming removes that last “advantage” of Blockbusters brick and mortar locations, which could actually turn into what winds up being the nail in  Blockbuster’s coffin as those locations become lots of little wells of red ink.

Half-Blood Prince, Full Blood Hit – Harry Potter and Company will smash the box office record.

Out of Thin Air

(These are the ones I have no basis at all on which to prognosticate… some cynical, some humors, a few are serious and some are just wild guesses… as if the others weren’t just guesses)

Add another 3 – Guy Kawasaki will launch 3 new companies that people will only care about because it is Guy Kawasaki.  He will grow tired of them and move on long before his followers do.

Rebel without repercussions – Additional dirty (and illegal) tactics that were done by Vice-Prresident Cheny will be uncovered.  There will be a lot of talk, but nothing will actually be done to him for it, or any other of the war crimes he commited.

Windows  7 – will not make an appearance this year.  There will be hints, suggestions, maybe even a target date, but it will slip at least until the first quarter of 2010.

Apple Byte – Some hacker will finally write a nasty virus that will hurt Apple.  Apple fanboys the world over will swallow hard and prepare for the “told ya so’s” from Windows users.

Here we go again - Once again the term “MommyBlogger” will tear up BlogHer.  People will make “team” avatars for Twitter based on “Yes I am a MommyBlogger and proud of it” and the “I am more than a MommyBlogger” crowd.  It will die off 2 weeks later, but the avatars will remain for months afterwards.

F for effort – We will hear of at least three plots to kill President Barack Obama.  None of which will actually be carried out, and only one of which will actually be feasible to actually be carried out.  Rush Limbaugh will argue that this is proof that Americans are tired of Obama and are just trying to save the country from his socialist ways.

Back to the evil future - In a return to 80′s style stupidity and disregard for human life, either an abortion clinic or family planning center will be target of a bomb.

Markets will not make a full recovery – it is going to take a long time to get  out of this mess, and while change may inspire confidence, problems will still take a longer time to fix.

Sign of the times – At least one College or University will announce a program that will give all incoming freshman a Netbook.

iTunes will still have DRM music – Apple is slow to embrace change desired by their users.  Amazon will start to cut into iTunes sales as more people give up on the iTunes store.

So what do you have?  what does your crystal ball show for  2009?

Wall*E – Despite him looking an awful lot like he was inspired by Johnny Five, I am really looking forward to Wall*E, the latest installment from Disney/Pixar.  I don’t know why, but I feel like I am the only one.  How come Wall*E isn’t feeling the love?

Presto Change-Oh No – LatteGirl pointed out to me this morning as she was heading off to school (her last day of the year), that “You are saying good-bye to me as a Second Grader for the last time.  The next time you see me… I will be a third grader.”  It seems she gets a particular thrill watching me get frustrated with the fact that she seems to be growing up so fast and  that (as she is also usually quick to point out) there is nothing I can do about it.

Best out of context quote of the week – Has to go to Izzymom, who in a discussion e-mailed back to me, “Clinging to my delusions is great exercise.”  I knew there was a reason I loved to read her blog. (And if you don’t… you should be too.)

One of these days Alice, One of these days – We are heading off to the Bronx Zoo tomorrow as a sort of early Father’s Day present for me.  I thought this was because I have been saying lately that I have wanted to go there and spend some time photographing the animals.  TheWife however said she thought I would just enjoy spending time with other primative apes.  Har-de-har-har.

Happy Father’s Day (a bit earlier) to all those dads out there.  So what do you have planned for father’s Day?

So it seems that Liz over at This Full House has left her blog unattended as she celebrates yet another birthday.  You do read her blog don’t you?  Well, anyway… since she left the door open, I thought it would be kind of cool if she came back and found 44 Birthday wishes.   So please stop by here and wish her a Happy Birthday. (Oh, and any link help you could provide would of course be greatly appreciated, since I don’t think I have the volume of readers needed to actually get this done.  I failed in last years attempt… and she is the kind of person that makes me pround to call New Jersey home… so please help!  No I am not above begging… so what?)

CNN is reporting, White House ‘puzzled’ by ex-spokesman’s book bashing Bush. I found this hysterical. Why? Because, anything that resembles the truth always seems to puzzle Bush.

According to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino:

“Scott, we now know, is disgruntled about his experience at the White House,” Perino said. “For those of us who fully supported him, before, during and after he was press secretary, we are puzzled. It is sad. This is not the Scott we knew.”

Then White House counselor Dan Bartlett:

“We’re hearing from a completely different person we didn’t have any insight into,” he said.

Now, first of all, when McClellan was thrown overboard in favor of Tony Snow, the President spoke in rather glowing terms if I remember correctly:

One of these days he and I are going to be rocking on chairs in Texas, talking about the good old days and his time as the Press Secretary. And I can assure you I will feel the same way then that I feel now, that I can say to Scott, job well done.

So, it is going to be interesting to watch these desperate attempts to try and discredit him, and still have Bush maintain an invitation to that rocking chair.

It seems to me that what is “puzzling” them is that they thought they had this guy gagged, and are trying to figure out how he slipped out with a proper brainwashing.  I guess they expect complete loyalty to even those that they have thrown overboard.

What is going to be even more entertaining, is to watch as this is just another former official stating how the White House played fast and loose with anything that looked like the truth.  Just how many of these people can be discarded as “disgruntled” liars before even the Faux News Channel has to admit that there simply must be some truth to it?

OK, if you are like me you have gone on plenty of diets, tried “everything” but “nothing worked.”  Most of the times, if we are honest, we probably do something to sabotage it without even realizing we are doing it.   But I believe I may have found a cure.  The only question becomes, if you have the “stomach” to see it through.

My idea stems from a book I heard about recently, Everything I ate for a Year.  We all have some sort of camera at our disposal at virtually all times, whether it be that little point and shoot, or is there a phone left that doesn’t include a camera in it nowadays?  So, do exactly what that author did.  Whenever you are about to put something in your mouth, whether it is a cup of coffee, a “little snack” or whatever it is, if it is going to go in your mouth, take a picture.

This solves to different issues.  Issue one, you have documentation of everything you have put in your mouth (assuming you don’t “skip” a few pictures), and it will help you see what you are actually consuming on a daily basis.  The second potential helpful benefit, is that you may even start questioning whether the calories are “worth” having to take a picture and add it to your collection.  (Or should you be particularly daring, and post it to a collection on say Flickr, “Is it worth letting people know that I eat that junk?”)

What do you think… would photographing every single thing you put in your mouth deter you from eating more?

Help Wanted – This one isn’t a link.  I have been a bit lagging on my posting lately because I am working on a new endevour that I have been wanting to work on for quite some time.  A new Podcast.  Any tips or tricks on setting everything up would be greatly appreciated.  I have been looking at MightySeek’s PodPress plugin for WordPress, any opinions to share?

Go ahead, defend DRM now - Microsoft announced that it is taking offline the License Servers that handle the DRM (Digital Rights Management) for the now defunct msn Music store. Once that happens, anybody who “purchased” music from the store will only be able to listen to it on the devices it currently resides on. So if that PC holding your music dies, too bad, your music is history, and you would have to go buy it again. Once again proving that you do not “own” music that is bogged down with DRM. While the music labels may like this idea, it is just plain stupid in today’s day and age. Just another reason, I am now using Amazon for my music purchases.

You must be a terrorist – Freedom? Protection against unreasonable searches? You must be some sort of terrorist or pedophile with something to hide, right? No matter, according to Ars Technica, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has decided that US Customs agents have the right to take your laptop and search it without reason. Only your alimentary canal is safe against search without cause. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Bad Wiring? – BusinessWeek offered pure speculation on Dell acquiring Radio Shack. While most stories I have seen talk about how it would ruin Dell, or be bad for Dell, I am more terrified of what Dell would do to Radio Shack.  I mean, you could be sure that the days of being able to buy circuit boards, and wiring would be over.  Where would millions of kids get their parts for science projects?

Idiot du Jour – You probably spotted this piece if you read Career and Kids (and if you don’t… why not?), but I couldn’t help but really get a bit steamed about the idiotic comment in middle:

“Text messaging is perfect for moms because it doesn’t require a BlackBerry or high-end data device, but can be used on any phone,” said Roger Entner, a senior vice president at IAG Research.

(The full article, which other than this stupid snippet is actually quite good can be found here.)

IAG Research is supposed to be “know” consumers, so the fact that the senior vice president of the company would say something so patently offensive is vexing. As I said when I first saw it, I cannot figure out exactly which way he was intending this sort of backhanded comment to go. Does he assume that all mothers are Stay-At-Home moms and thus not have the need for a corporate device such as a Blackberry? Or is he simply suggesting that women can’t figure out a “high-end device?”

On a bit of a side note, I continue to be amused at how texting is viewed as such a phenomenon here in the United States. Like it is some big mysterious thing. Yet get out of the States, and texting is just a way to communicate, no different than the way e-mail is viewed here.

Some things just never go away – I am not one that is much on following the lives of celebrities and gossip, so I may have missed the real point of this article over at Fame Crawler (well not entirely, but it is not my point here) about Jennie Garth possibly getting cast over Tori Spelling in the new 90210 series. What got me is… THEY ARE MAKING A 90210 spinoff !! Yikes!

Can we talk?  – Perhaps I have had my head in the sand, or hopefully I am right that I don’t need to worry about this quite yet, but Liz over at This Full House, has an excellent post with lots of resources about talking to your teens about drinking.

CHO me the outrage - I have to admit that I am more than a little surprised at the lack of lashback against Yahoo! and their new Shine.  Ask.com recently decided it was going to be a niche search engine, dedicated to “married women looking for help managing their lives” and now Yahoo! has seemingly taken the steps to create a sight dedicated to the “Chief Household Officer” (CHO).  According the story on Yahoo News, Yahoo said the site will have “attitude,” “personality,” and humor, while providing advice and secret tips like “a friend.”  Maybe it is just me (and am I really the right one to be offended by this?), but about the only way I could see Yahoo! making this a bit more misogynistic,  would have been if they added to that saying something like, “would be just like your best friend, only it won’t steal your boyfriend.”  The only thing I can figure is that the content is good enough to keep people from being annoyed by the marketing mis-steps.

Comparison shop on the fly – So you are shopping in a store and see something you like, but you are thinking, “I could probably find it cheaper online” but that requires you to avoid the instant gratification of buying it “now” right?  Well, not anymore.  Amazon has now started the TextBuyIt program, which people text the name of a product, its description or its UPC or ISBN to 262966 (that’s “Amazon” on the keypad) from anywhere their cell phones work — including from inside physical stores.”

And you thought it was just to wake you up – According to a new research report, coffee may cut the risk of dementia.  So, as it turns out, not only will coffee enable you to keep up with your kids, it will help keep them from driving you nuts.  (I’m joking, please no e-mail defining what dementia really means)

Not Just Wrong, well beyond it - Every time I think I can’t see anything new that parent’s do that would bother me… bang… there it is.  This time, it is an article in Philadelphia  Magazine about mothers taking their pre-pubescent daughters in for Bikini Waxes, eyebrow waxing and other spa beauty treatments.  Tell me, what are the odds of these girls not growing up with severe body issues?

I thought Raven-Symone was pretty much done when she passed on actually being part of the Chetah Girls, but apparently not. It seem she is on a 55 city “Pajama Party” tour with the child band Clique Girls (the Clique Girls are 8, 9 and 10 years old, making them the youngest pop group in music history. How cool is that?)

Whenever I am in a store like Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. I almost always wind up helping or explaining something to another customer. Either because the sales associate doesn’t know the information, or is trying to push something on a customer that isn’t really quite right for them. I guess now I had better be careful, because there have been times that I have badmouthed a product, or spoken about how overpriced it was at a given establishment. When somebody did that at Best Buy recently however, apparently they called the cops on him.

When I first read about a new study that says teens don’t worry about losing their hearing. My first reaction was, “Duh… Ya think?” But as I thought about it a little more, I seem to remember hearing and reading about such thing when I was a teen (yes… all those years ago), because of the sudden popularity of the Walkman. Now I don’t doubt that the damage that can be done with today’s stronger earphones, especially with noise cancellation. But I don’t see “everybody” being deaf from those Walkan’s now, so I am kind of thinking that these studies are overstating things, just a tad.

Being a father of a little girl, I was quite outraged by the message presented at the website missbimbo.com. But Tracee from So Sioux Me has done such a good job, and expressed exactly what I was thinking, it would probably be best if you just read her post.

How funny is THAT Department – The RIAA who has no problems with suing and attempting to collect a $220,000 award in the one (and only) file-sharing suit they have won, from a woman that allegedly shared 24 songs.  But now they are mad and think it is excessive that they have been ordered to pay $298,000 in attorney’s fees on a case they didn’t win.

A worm in the Apple - I am sure there are plenty of Apple Fan-boys that thought nothing about Apple trying to sneak Safari onto iTunes users machines, but if you think you are safer using Safari, you are sadly mistaken.

Who the heck is still voting for McCain? – apparently McCain is so senile, he needs Joe Lieberman constantly behind him correcting him. First he made it clear that qualifications (as he sees it) to be a “War President” and picking up the torch from Bush does not mean he needs to know the difference between Sunni and Shiite. And now he is showing off his International Relations skills by going into Israel and during a speech calling Purim, “their Halloween.” Now, to be honest I do not know squat about Purim, but I am not in Israel as a representative of the United States and making reference to it. Maybe before he opens his mouth next time, Lieberman could teach him how to use The Google , and get some information out of the series of tubes.

Glib Gibson – Gibson Guitars started out suing Activision for Guitar Hero claiming a patent infringement issue. Now they are apparently trying to get their way by suing retailers for selling the game! What next, will they sue you for buying the game?

Just another reason I hate Apple – Be careful the next time you update your iTunes software, apparently Apple is trying to broaden their market for their inferior Safari browser by making it part of an iTunes update. Remember when Microsoft tried to include IE7 as part of a Windows Update? Yeah, well the same outrage should be applied here. At least with IE it could be argued that by trying to move people from IE6 to IE7 Microsoft was just trying to rectify security issues (since IE6 is used throughout the OS whether it is your “browser” or not), but there is no valid reason to include Safari with iTunes. But this is Apple we are talking about, who would dare question the “Great And Powerful Jobs?”

Just another reason I love Starbucks – Things need to be changed… not so much new, but changed back to the way they were before, when Starbucks was mostly about coffee. Well it seems that Starbucks got the message, and is promising a number of changes to get back to their coffee basics. There is only one thing that would make me happier about this announcement. They did mention that there would be new espresso machines “designed to give a more consistent …” beverage. But to me, that only means another version of those automated espresso machines they installed. I would love to see them go back to grinding the beans and pouring shots from a real espresso machine. But I guess you can’t have everything.

Just wait until Bill O’Reilly gets a hold of this – I couldn’t help but laugh when I saw this Jeff Parker cartoon, about the overcommercialization of Easter. Of course I probably didn’t laugh for the reasons it was intended. Here we have a holiday, where the symbols of the holiday in no way resemble the reason for the holiday. For this reason, either for a joke or not really understanding you always have people ask the question of what does the bunny and eggs have to do with Easter? Of course we know this is because the Christians stole the symbols of the Spring Holiday from the Pagans in order to “sell” their religion to try and convert people. Now you complain about its commercialization? I really just don’t want to see or hear about a “War On Easter” I really really don’t.

Time keeps on ticking – For those that forgot our President’s answer to skyrocketing fuel prices, It is already time to “spring forward this weekend, and trade an hours worth of sleep for an “extra” hour of sunlight.

Rounding out the Dumbass Picture – So while we waste billions of dollars in a war of questionable value (to anybody that is not an oil barron, the value to them has been immense), the NASA budget was kept so tight, that when the Shuttles are retired 2010, that the United States , during a 5 year (at least) window will have to rely on Russia to send people to the International Space Station. By the time he is done, is there anything Bush will not have screwed up?

Craptastic Comcastic – I am so glad that I was able to drop Comcast, first for DSL, and now for FIOS. Of course, the immediate benefit was lower cost for superior service (despite it claims, I never got the upload/download speeds the claimed unless I was online in the middle of the night). But, now new bits continue to leak out how Comcast is screwing their customers. Back in early 2006 many Vonage users were having problem that were using Comcast. At the time it was (mostly) assumed that it was just the quality (or lack of it) that received most of the blame, and the possibility that it was done on purpose, was considered a conspiracy theory. Since then of course, is the fact proven by the Associated Press that Comcast is forging packets and blocking P2P programs like BitTorrent. Then yesterday came news about being charged $2 to get Comcast to stop sending junk mail. Now in fairness, once this was exposed, Comcast quickly issues an apology and credit for the “mistake” to that customer. But I would love to know how many people made a similar request and did not notice or did not complain about the fee. And people wonder why Net Neutrality Laws are so desperately needed?

The end if “Smiling Bob” (I hope) – The founder of Berkley Premium Neutraceuticals, distributor of products like Enzyte, the “male enhancement” product seen with those annoying “Smiling Bob” commercials, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.  The charges stem predominantly from refusing to cancel orders  (once people realized they had duped), and not from the fact that they preyed on idiots that actually believed the stupid and outlandish claims made.  I suspect those that have been duped are too embarrassed to file a claim in civil courts that they had been duped and bought pills looking to “enhance” themselves.

It is still legal tender… isn’t it? – When you get on a bus, or pay a toll on most roads, there is a sign that says “No pennies.”  I doubt there was such a sign in the school cafeteria, where students, protesting over having their lunch period shortened, paid for their $2 lunch in pennies, and then received detention for it.  The school district finally backed down, after complaints from some parents  that the punishment was too harsh, although I fail to understand on what grounds there was punishment at all.  Yes, they slowed the lunch line down, that was the whole point.  But it was done in a non-violent (a big deal these days it seems) and legal way.  Legal.  While not worth much, the penny is still legal tender, so what did this kids do wrong?  The principal said that it was a “prank” and not a “protest”  (presumably to try and justify the detention), but what exactly is a “prank” about it, other than it being annoying?

OK, so technically not for “MommyBloggers” but for married woman, or more specifically married women from the south and Midwest (would that make it a BibleBeltMommyBlogger Search Engine?), search engine Ask.com has apparently decided it can’t make it any longer as a “general” search engine.  Thus they have decided to put themselves into a dedicated niche market.

I am curious, as to what will become of the other properties that  InterActiveCorp bought along with Ask back in 2005 (iWon, Excite and Bloglines among others).  But more importantly (I guess), I am quite curious.  Will the “married women” flock to Ask, now that focus on the market “consisting of married women looking for help managing their lives.”?

I don’t see this working out at all well for Ask.com, and I am not sure what they hope to gain by putting themselves into this kind of corner.  Do they think that they will get somebody to buy it out, like say a Disney to enhance their Family.com site?  (Just remember what a debacle it was last time Disney bought out a search engine.  Does anybody remember InfoSeek or Go.com?  Although it has been at least a day or two since Disney “refocused” Family.com again isn’t it?)  Do they think they can get more (or better paying advertisers) by claiming a specific demographic?  Are they going to shoot to be the next (or a competitor to iVillage?

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a site serving a niche demographic like this, but I don’t see this bringing them more eyeballs… just more specific ones as they cast off everybody else.  For those that like to play in Internet Death Pools, I am sure Ask.com will be rocketing up the list of “next to go” after this.

Do you have an adorable pet? Do you think others would think so to? Enter a photo of you pet in the Bissel MVP (Most Valuable Pet) Pet Photo Contest. The winning pet’s picture will be put on the new Bissell Pet Hair Eraser vacuum , and donation of $10,000 will be made to the charity of the winner’s (well winner’s owner) choice. Plus the top vote getter each week will win one of the Pet Hair Eraser vacuums, and the top 5 vote getters (getters?) will move into the finalist group. Grab your camera, snap a picture of your pet and send it in.  (Contest ends 04/30/08)

Why I hate people from Alaska – You remember Sen. Stevens (R-Alaska), of “The Internet is a series of tubes” fame?  Well, he is at it again, along with apparently equally dimwitted Senator Bill Nelson (D-Florida) and Senator Olympia Snow (R-Washington), who have introduced a bill to outlaw the already illegal practice of phishing.  Sounds a bit like yet another Bridge to Nowhere.  Of course I can’t but wonder, if it doesn’t pass if Stevens will throw another one of his hissy fits and threaten to quit the Senate.  Of course, I can always dream.

Your rights trampled in the name of profits – It seems Monsanto is on a tear again, pushing for lawmakers to get rid of your right to select milk not tainted with synthetic growth hormones.  Whether or not you believe or care about the rBST/rBGH controvery or not, you should care about your rights, as this is not the only product that is being targeted by large companies to get labeling stripped to keep the consumer in the dark.  Contact your representatives, and tell them, you have a right to know.

Emeril going green – Emeril is coming to the Discovery Channel with a new eco-friendly food show.  The show reportedly will be set in Whole Foods Markets and will feature organic, free range and natural foods.

And how about now? – Yes, I know I can understand if you are tired of me mentioning TheMeatrix, and Sustainable Table, and other food “activist” type things, because how could farms possibly be as bad as it is show in that little animated movie… right?  Well what about this video?  That is not fiction!  That is not “a demonstration” or even a theoretical re-enactment.   No cute little animation here.  This is the actual goings on that lead to the single largest recall of beef (to date) in the United States. [Via Sustainable Table Blog]

If you are out and about over the next couple of evenings, and if the skies are clear in your area, you just may want to look up and see what you are missing.  Over the next couple of days, the Spy Satellite that is in a decaying orbit, will make several passes over the U.S.  To see when and where you can see it where you live, go to Heavens-Above.com, enter your Lat. and Long.  (you can do it by selecting a map, but make sure you do it, it doesn’t quite make it clear that you need to follow this step.  But if you don’t, you will not get the correct views for your area).   Of course, the current plan is for the Satellite to be shot down on Wednesday, so your time may be limited.

Also, tomorrow (Feb 20th), will be the final Lunar Eclipse until December 21, 2010.  It should be fully visible according to Space.com for virtually all of the US (Alaska, Hawaii, and Western Oregon may miss various amounts of the beginning), and Western Europe (although western Europe would have to rise early Thursday morning to see it).  More details can be found at the Luna Eclipse information page on Space.com.

You don’t need a telescope or any special equipment to see these events.  As a matter of fact, since the satellite is in such low orbit, it will probably move across the horizon too fast to really enjoy (or get a good lock on) through the telescope (though it would certainly be fun with the Lunar Eclipse).

Welcome to the return of the Friday Focaccia. I don’t actually know why or how I got off track with this. But, I guess it is not important. It is now back in all its half-baked glory.

Speaking of Half-Baked. How is it that the hardline right people still think the GOP is the party to “keep us safe” from terrorism, but yet here we are, nearly 6-1/2 years later, and it turns out that the US military may not be ready for attack!

The commission’s 400-page report concludes that the nation “does not have sufficient trained, ready forces available” to respond to a chemical, biological or nuclear weapons incident, “an appalling gap that places the nation and its citizens at greater risk.”

“Right now we don’t have the forces we need, we don’t have them trained, we don’t have the equipment,” commission Chairman Arnold Punaro said in an interview with The Associated Press. “Even though there is a lot going on in this area, we need to do a lot more. … There’s a lot of things in the pipeline, but in the world we live in — you’re either ready or you’re not.”

Of course I am sure there will be some argument that the independent commission is “biased.” After all we don’t have to worry about them attacking us here because of our brilliant strategy of stretching our troops too thin, and extending their tours “over there” keeps the terrorists from striking here right?

Gone to the place in the sky…er… ethernet – Got pictures stored at skyfolder.com?  Or more correctly, DID you have pictures at skyfolder.com?  I signed up for a skyfolder.com (Beta) account some time back, but never actually used it.  It was yet another one of the free storage places to keep your photos and such so they are “accessible anywhere.”  I received an e-mail from them TODAY notifying me that the service would be taken offline on February 4th!  And that after that time I would lose access to my pictures and storage.  As I said, fortunately, I never stored anything other than a couple of files to test the service out, and nothing was lost.  I hope not too many people lost anything there, but it just goes to show… Don’t trust any of these services with your irreplaceable memories.  Because, all it takes is an investor pulling out, or advertisers disappearing, and suddenly they go bye-bye and your memories are lost forever.  Sure, use them to share photos and such, just don’t allow it to be your ONLY copy.

War Crimes -  It is often difficult to understand when you look back at history how people could sit back and do nothing when they have a war criminal as a leader.  People wonder how people could follow marching orders from a man that has no regard for International Law.  Only now, we are living that history, and our President is now the admitted war criminal.  Not only that, he and his staff openly defended the illegal practice, and could authorize its use again, even as the CIA Chief stated that it is “probably” illegal.  So, how do you feel about being one of those “people with blinders on” that allow these blatant abuses of human rights by their leader?

Does MSNBC hate women? -  First, Chris Matthews has  made so many deragatory remarks about Hillary Clinton that he was forced to do an on air apology.  Now David Shuster has been suspended by the network for saying that the Clinton campaign “pimped out” Chelsea.

Despite the (semi-true) claims, especially after the Dot Com bubble burst that brick-and-mortar stores were not “at risk” because of Internet based shopping, there continues to be a stream (ok, maybe more like a trickle) of companies that continue to fall.  The lastest is CompUSA, who announced the sale of the company with the intent of closing the business.

Now certainly there were other factors besides the Inetnet at play here.  The comapany for a number of years now lost its  way.  They struggled from a time where they were the only show in town, to when they tried to be a “gaming shop” bringing in Nintendo and Sega (this was a while ago) stations for people to sit down and try out games at, to dedicating entirely too much space to an underselling Apple department, to when they decided to try the televisions sets sales to be a sort of quasi-electronics store equivalent.

You could blame a poorly trained, quick turnover, underpaid staff for their problems at least in part, but so far places like Best Buy are managing to not only survive but thrive with this sort of staff.  And speaking of which additional competitors such as  Wal-Mart of course forced down the margins and stole customers from the seemingly overpriced CompUSA.   Again though, Best Buy and (too a much lesser extent) Circuit City have managed to survive against these problems.  So what is the difference?  The Internet.  Those that continue to survive or even thrive in the current market have pleasant or even downright easy Web presences.  CompUSA never quite got this right.

So now, I will remember CompUSA along with other since dead companies that couldn’t keep up with the world, such as Egghead Software,  ComputerLand, Nobody Beats The Wiz (outside the Northeast, you probably don’t remember this one), AT&T (The  original, not the  SBC rebranded  version),  and Computer  City (which oddly enough was bought out by CompUSA) among others.

Of course the nice thing about this, is if you have one of the remaining CompUSA stores near you, there may be some nice sales to be had, which is always nice during the holiday season.

I thought I would spin away from the typical, “People are rushing Xmas this year” posts, to something a bit more… well me.  This year Thanksgiving falls as early as it can possibly be thanks to the fact that November 1st was a Thursday.

This has everything completely out of whack around here.  Around here we treat birthdays like holidays.  By that I mean we move them to more convenient dates (like the nearest Saturday).  So yesterday was my big birthday dinner (thanks to those that sent along such nice birthday wishes).  Now normally we have about a week and a half to get everything ready from that point until Thanksgiving… but not this year.

No, this year we had to spend the weekend getting the house in shape, (since we know damn well we aren’t going to do it during the week) so that we would have minimal (I hope) things to do other than cook on Thanksgiving day.

I hereby propose rather than it being the 4th weekend in November, that we staple it down a bit better, and make Thanksgiving the last weekend in November.  That still gives us a “normal” Xmas shopping season, rather than adding a week to the madness.

OK, so I decided to make my best effort to make it through NaBloPoMo.  And here it is only Day 1, and things have been so out of control, I have barely had time to remember to post let alone… you know… actually come up with something worth writing.  So, in replace of structure today we go with bullets.

Hopefully if I can pry the camera away from TheWife, I can post some pictures of LatteGirl and her costume.  She has moved away from Princess stuff, and decided that she is more a Vampire now, but even her vampire apparently needed to look FABULOUS. (Yikes, I just gave myself a High School Musical II flash back).

Oh, and while I am on Disney (sort of), did anybody else watch Halloweentown (and their sequels) eleventy bajillion times this month?  I almost hate to admit it, but they actually started to grow on me.  (Except Return to Halloweentown, which I did not love, probably because I missed Kimberly Brown in the role of Marnie).  They may just have to be added to our usual Halloween lineup.  (I mean I live Its the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, is a classic, but there is  only so many times you can watch it.)

Of course, of quick note, I can’t help but laugh at the Sarah Silverman of Operating Systems, Apple OSX *.  Well it seems that this “perfectly secure” OS, has been proven not to be as inpenetrable as fanboys believed.  The only good thing about a Trojan horse being spread via a Macintosh is that you know it isn’t going to spread too fast, since it has to search so far and long to find another Mac user.

*For those that don’t get my analogy… Sarah Silverman and Apple are both apparently appealing to a small subset of people that are diehard fans.  And in both cases, the reasons for such fandom seems to escape me.

They should have tossed him off the balcony – I am sure there are people who will say that it is “only a dog” and that I am overreacting, but my this was my first impression when I read about the man that got 3 years for tossing a dog off a balcony, and will be elegible for parole in 20 months. Apparently, he got into a fight with his girlfriend and threw the 10 week old Yorkiepoo off the third floor balcony. What do think, anger issues? (I mean him, I know I have anger issues when it comes to idiots like this).

And speaking of uncaring idiots – Next time you look at your politician, that one that says he cares about you and what is important to you ask yourself this… “Why did he (and all these clowns) subvert the American people with the wiretap bill that will grant retroactive immunity to the telephone companies?” For all their talkabout caring about you, the constituent instead it seems that all they care about is the dollars from the telephone companies. The same telco companies that broke the law, and got caught. But rather than have to pay for their crimes in court, they opted to pay off the politicians that “forgive them” for their indiscretion with YOUR privacy.

Can toys just be toys? – Look, I am the first one to admit that since having a little girl that I have become far more tuned into and far quicker to react to stereotyping little boys and girls. Matter of fact I was quick to knock the Daring Book for Girls, just based on the description that what is “important skills for a girl to learn” include pressing flowers, how to put your hair up with a pencil, etc.

That being said, I have been caught somewhere between amused and shocked at the some of the complaining about things like a Tonka Truck ad, because it is targeted towards boys (also another one can be found here), and the horror shown towards the Hasbro’s Rose Petal Cottage, which has {gasp} Rose Petals on it, and is marketed to girls. Horkin Ramblings says it quite nicely when she asks Aren’t There More Important Things To Complain About. She even picked out the most amazing comment, which lamented that this toy was, “polishing the glass ceiling instead of breaking it.”  Seriously?

C’mon folks.  Little Suzy has plenty of time to recover and be whatever she wants to be, and her furture is not going to be dictated by a toy kitchen set, nor will she be irreparably harmed because the ad for a toy truck is not “equally” promoted directly to her.  If she wants a toy truck… guess what, she will play with one, or ask for one, regardless of whether they are advertised for “boyhood.”  Similarly with the kitchen, I laughed at one comment (which I am admittedly too lazy to go back and find) that said because the Rose Petal Cottage has flowers on it, it precludes any boy from playing with it.  Well um, dare I ask, who is defining gender roles now?  Can a boy not play with a toy that is pink?  Can he not like flowers?  You argue against a stereotype but using a stereotype.

In the end.  It is a toy.  And as Freud didn’t quite say, sometimes a toy is just a toy.

Boobs all around – I am not sure who qualifies as the bigger boob. Dentist Mark Anderson, who is trying to keep his dental license by arguing that his breast massages were appropriate because he was “treating” women for TMJ (without telling them about it I presume), or at least some of the women that were his patients. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying they “deserved” what they got, but in one example, they talk about a woman that was “fondled” six times over a two year period. It goes on to say she took to wearing tight shirts (probably not the best idea) with high necklines, and still he managed to get under her shirt and bra. You think at some point, if you are that uncomfortable (and rightly so), that perhaps… just perhaps… you stop going to that dentist?

Still think Net Neutrality is no big deal? – You may not feel that way if you are a Comcast subscriber and try to use a program like Bittorrent or other Peer-to-Peer program.  It was reported and cofirmed by a test done by the Associated Press that Comcast blocks some internet traffic. Comcast stated that it does not specifically block any particular program, but does have “thinks in place” to keep the traffic on their network running smoothly. (Unless of course, you are the person they are “fiddling with” to keep it running smooth)  Now many (if not most) P2P programs are known as a place for the transfer of illegal downloads and music swapping, but in particular Bittorrent has emerged as a place for LEGAL software downloads, legal movie previews and such.  It is a fine example of exactly WHY lawmakers MUST include Net Neutrality.  Because even if you just follow Comcasts supposed logic, they are clearly messing with traffic for their own (make pipes appear less congested) purposes and benefit.

Somebody has been sleeping in my bed – I have seen similar stories before, and they never cease to amaze me.  A woman comes home from an “extended absence”  to find people living in her house, including a woman that was wearing her clothes.  They never in these cases say how long “extended” is, and I would really like to know this.  How long do you have to be gone to have Buglars move into a person’s home while you are away?   The funniest part being them questioning the woman who owned the home, what she was doing there, as if they had been there long enough to feel completely comfortable with the idea of this being “their house.”  Also… don’t people, in this case, in Alabama have neighbors?  Doesn’t anybody notice when somebody just moves into somebody else’s home?

Opinions Please – I am stuck.  I just don’t know what to think about the case of a Mom given a 2-1/2 year sentence after serving alcohol to minors.  The commentary in the article that the sentence does not fit the crime is well argued and I see the point, that this is not quite as “clear cut” as one would think on the surface.  But on the other hand, if I was the parent of one of the kids she served alcohol to, I would probably be livid.  The author argues that non of the kids (who were all given a Breathalyzer test) were “above the legal limit,” but technically since they are underage the “limit” is zero.   On the other hand, I get the “idea” (however misguided) of keeping the kids in a safe controlled environment rather than out on the streets drinking who knows where.  What do you think?  Does the punishment fit the crime?

I hate insomia, not (necessarily) for the obvious reason of feeling exhausted all day the next day, not because I can’t get any work done between yawns, but because my mind (and I assume it is not just me) tends to wander to the most inane, bizzare and completely nonsensical things.

But now I am wondering:

Now that virtually everybody has cordless phones and cell phones, does anybody else miss the simple pleasure of dropping the phone to the floor and watching as the cord unwinds itself?

On a similar thought, does anybody else get frustrated that you can’t slam the phone at the end of an argument?  I mean  it is just not the same… “That’s it, I never want to talk to you again”  {boop}

Does anybody else remember a cleaning product called Janitor in a Drum?

Why do “revolutionary” products have to be put in everything for a while… but then seem to disappear.  Like OxyEverything.  I mean when OxiClean came on the market, “oxygenated” became part of every freaking product on the market.  Now?  Where they hell are they all?  Did it suddenly stop working?

They have microwave instructions on Pop-Tarts.  This kills me.  Who needs this shortcut?  I mean it takes, maybe a minute to toast a Pop-Tart.   If you don’t have that kind of time, you are really overscheduled.

Why is is called Good Friday?  It certainly wasn’t a great day for Jesus was it?

Does anybody actually find Sarah Silverman funny?

Who are these people that actually believe and purchase products these creams that are supposed to make “fat disappear”?

Has anybody else seen that old commercial that shows how one person’s hand doesn’t get bitten when wearing OFF, but the unprotected hand is getting eaten by the mosquitoes?  Who accepts a job like that?  Oh, Yeah, I want to be an actor so bad that I will take a job being food for mosquitoes.

Is it OK to come up to a woman that is wearing a tube top and a bra and ask her if she actually looked in the mirror before she left the house?

And finally, why is it there in the dark, when everything is quiet… why is it then that some stupid commercial with the worst jingle you have ever heard pops into your head?

Inquiring (and over-tired ) minds want to know.

It must be true – Last year I said that, I must have Alzheimer’s since I never seem to learn my lesson about what a waste of time a yard sale it when you really break it all down.  Well, I broke down, gave in to TheWife who wants to clear things out, and LatteGirl who wants to sell stuff and raise money (I love her capitalistic spirit), and we will be having a yard sale again tomorrow.  Will I ever learn?

The devil is in the details – The RIAA wins a key victory against file sharing. It is not the generality of the case that bothers me, as I can see how a court can rule that distributing files hurts their income. It is the small details of the case that are quite disturbing. Fact one: In this case, the argument was made that the file doesn’t actually have to be downloaded, but just by making it available constitutes damages. There are lots of things that often made “available” either accidentally or uknowingly through file shares, etc. that can now be attacked as “piracy.” The second was when a RIAA lawyer argued that even RIPPING a CD constitutes piracy. So that CD that you ripped into iTunes (or Zune)… that according to this clown is piracy. These are some really scary people, and now they have a court case on their side.

Favorite Blog Quote of the week comes from Cynical Dad:

The Hi-5 girls are wholesome; they should not be hawking birth control. That would be like a former Mouseketeer being ordered by a judge to take parenting classes and undergo drug testing.

Oh wait. My bad.

(from the post How Birth Control Destroyed Two Childhood Memories)

OK, so I am not one to write much about television shows, and if you are not one to read much about them, feel free to move on for today. I feel compelled, mostly because at present there is only one “series” that I faithfully watch (I am also addicted to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report), and that show is CSI: Crime Scene Investigators.

So why am I so compelled to write now? Well beyond the obvious fact that it is the season premiere, as I see it, what happens tonight may very well tell whether or not the show will continue beyond this season; and it all hinges on whether the character of Sara Seidel lives or dies.

It has been rumored for more than a year that William Petersen (Grissom) wants to leave the show.  They even did 4 episodes without him, seemingly as a test to see how the show would do without him.  Personally I thought it was a disaster.  If his love interest (Sara) dies, well that gives the script writers all they need to have Grissom walk away from the lab after failing his “most important case” and not being able to save Sara, “the one woman that I care about and love.”

Of course, if Petersen really wants to leave, it really doesn’t matter.  If that is inevitable, then I probably don’t care whether her character lives or dies.  I have found Sara to be a drain on the energy of the show, and I am not entirely sure whether it is the character (Seidel) or the actress (Jorja Fox).

So, I guess I just don’t know, and will have to wait and see what transpires.  What do you think… Do you WANT Sara to die?  Do you think she will?  Even if she lives, is her character damaged goods that will have to “get away” from it all?

Place your bets.

(But please no spoilers.  Since I am unfortunately busy at the time of airing, I will have to catch it on my Tivo about an hour to an hour and a half late.)

All for show – In a move that is (in my not so humble opinion) designed to provide some cover for companies like Mattel in the wake of massive recalls this year, a pact between the US and China was signed this week that bans lead paint in toys exported to the U.S. Now first of all, Mattel, which is importing the toys for sale here knows damn well that lead based paints are banned, when they set up their specifications, this should have already been spelled out. But obviously wasn’t. It is another case of turning a blind eye in the name of profits. Only problem. They got caught. So what does this “pact” actually supposed to do except perhaps give consumers a false sense of security.

From the land of “DUH”! – The CEO from Mattel admits it could have done a better job. But following closely on the heels of that (with much less fanfare) is a report that in order for these toy companies like Mattel to do what the should have been doing all along, that the price of toys will likely increase about 10% to absorb the cost of testing.

You can’t make stuff like this up – Today is the birthday of Russi Taylor. Russi has been the voice of Minnie Mouse since 1985. She is married to Wayne Allwine, who is the voice of Mickey!

High Expectations? – LatteGirl’s soccer season starts tomorrow.  Her first practice is tonight.  Upon finding out about this exclaims, “How can they expect me to be a goal scoring machine with only one practice to tune up my scoring foot!”   And to think last year, I was afraid that TheWife was pushing her too hard to go play soccer.

After an abysmal showing in 2006 (aided by the fact that I watch very little television that is not Disney Channel based these days), I have no business making predictions this year. You would probably be served better by Miss Zoot or Wendy, people that seem to know what is what in the TV world.

But that has never stopped me before, and it won’t now. After all, it is all for fun… right?

Let me see what I got right last year in the canceled department.

Vanished, Runaway and Kidnapped – Vanished held on for 9 episodes, the others only managed 3 before the plug was pulled. These were (I thought) easy pickings though.

Happy Hour – It was dumb. Another one that made it a grand total of 3 episodes. It is gone. Enough said.

What I got wrong on cancellations

‘Til Death – I could argue that I was actually right about this. Pulled after (say it with me) 3 episodes, for some reason Fox refueses to actually kill it, and now plans to give it another shot this year. Any bets on how many episodes it lasts before it is pulled again?

Men in Trees – This is the type of show that trips you up if you don’t, you know… actually watch the shows. Men in Trees started off poorly, which was no surprise since the concept sounded weak. But apparently word of mouth prevailed and the show wound up respectable and gaining a second season. I would double down my bet and say this one goes this year, but have you seen what is new for the upcoming season?

My Surefire Winners

30 Rock - It started out strong, and then began to fade, but managed to hold on.

The Wire – Why this show got so much press last season (it wasn’t a new show) is a bit confusing, but it did hold its own.

The Fence Sitting shows (shows I couldn’t decide, but was cautiously optimistic)

Lost - Did enough to not get canceled. For how long is anybody’s guess. While I am still on the fence, I tend to think this is the last hurrah for Lost, short of a miracle.

Desperate Housewives – See Lost. It did enough to not get canceled. Whether or not they will continue to play on the bring remains to be seen. I am again on the fence, but more so than Lost, I think this one survives yet again.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigators – in keeping up with current “popular” trends for serial series, besides their normal 1 and done episodes, CSI added an ongoing case(The Minature Killer) throughout the season (and even based its cliffhanger on it).  With Will Petersen interested in leaving, they ran 4 episodes without him last season, and showed just how weak the show is without him (or at least without “Grissom”).  While I don’t think it will get pulled mid-season, I fear that this may be the last go round.

Ugly Betty – I was a bit more harsh on this show that the reviewers, but people liked it.  I guess that is why I don’t get to do this professionally.  This is a show that I would think has a real ability to suffer from a sophmore jinx.  Alas, yet again, I look at what is coming up, and since nothing new looks to really steal this audience away, it may survive it.

 So now let us look at the Class of 2007

Back To You – I want to say it is only destiny that Kelsey Grammar hit a dud.   But pairing him up with Patricia Heaton and some good upfront reviews, added to a lack of a blockbuster new sitcom, this may just be the best new comedy of the season.

Samanath Who? – at first glace a series about a woman with amnesia sounded like a real clunker.  But as I read into the plot a bit more, how she discovers what an asshat she was before and looking to fix some of those thinks, while not really knowing who to trust, I must admit starts to intrigue me.  It reminds me a bit like a take-off of the movie Switch, where when somebody gets to see how others saw them, and gain new perspective, they learn more about themselves than they bargained for.  I may just peek in on this one.

Unhitched – Fox tries another series that stars a Chimp as its major humor.  This was funny in a movie or two, back somewhere in the 70′s.  But this isn’t the 70′s and it doesn’t start Burt Reynolds, so my guess is (the seemingly new favorite number) 3 episodes before Fox put is “on Hiatus”  (BTW, does Fox ever actually officially cancel a show?)

Cavemen – I was debating on whether I should even mention this one.  A TV show based on a Television ad… about cavemen living in the modern world.  I want to know who at ABC actually approved this.  I mean any idiot can come up with a lame idea.  But somebody had to green-light this debacle.  Maybe they could bring back the Taco Bell Dog and make him roommates with the Geico Gecko in an Odd Couple like sitcom.  I don’t know if this one even lasts the typical 3 episodes.
So what are you looking forward to this season on TV?  What do you think will be “Da Bomb” or will just Bomb Out?

Rotten Apples – Well, for those of you that had to be early adopters because the iPhone was going to be “impossible” to get “forever” how do you feel now that Apple has killed off the 4GB model and dropped the 8 GB model by $200? Seems that the iPhone is not the end all be all that prognosticators had anticipated. But don’t worry, according to Job’s letter, you will get a $100 back… as a gift certificate.  Hell, Apple even announced the new iPod Touch, which I guess means they have more than enough inventory of the Touch Screens that they can shove another product out the door. Of course at $299 for an 8GB model, I am wondering how many people will actually want one of these things either.

Oh Vanessa – In case you missed the shockwave that went around the Internet yesterday, it was confirmed by one of her representatives  that the nude picture of Vanessa Hudgens that was going around was real. (No, I am not linking to the picture… sorry Google Searchers)  Shall we start the bets now on whether or not she will be in High School Musical 3?  If rumors were true that she (and Zac Effron) were holding out for more money… this may have just cost her in more ways than one.

Coffee Comrade? -  I was a bit surprised that this was done so low key, considering the fanfare some corporation gets when they open overseas operations, but farfare or not, you can now get Starbucks Coffee in Russia.

Come Out Already – Say what you want about former New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey, when his day of reckoning was upon him and he was caught, at least he had the decency to admit it and resign.  Larry Craig now saying he may not resign, because he needs to “prove” he is not gay.  So far all he has proved is that he is an awful liar, and desperate.  I mean to have your kids (well not actually his, his wife’s from a prior marriage) out there stumping that they believe your “I’m a wide guy so I brushed the foot of the guy in the stall next to me because I am so big” excuse is just plain mean.  It was bad enough when you used that sad excuse.  But to make them go out there and appear just as dumb (if not dumber) by believing it and claiming you were a ‘victim of circumstance‘.  Well… That is just sad.

Well would you? – Wendy over at Things in Your Head asks the tough question on the validity of sites like eHarmony with their “29 levels of compatibility.” That question of course being, would you wind up with your same spouse if you had to try and “match up” with them?

“School’s Open… Drive Carefully” We have all seen the warning for years now, but I never quite understood it. What are they trying to say? We can’t afford grief workers for the other students, so please only run the little buggers down during the summer?

That being said, there are a few more signs that autumn has arrived.

5. All the MDA telethon donation shamrocks are finally taken down.

4. The only backpacks and luchboxes left in stores are ones that have chacters from this past summers box office bomb.

3. Bloggers start making inane lists into posts.

2. All the beautiful colors… the browns and golds that are starting to appear… in the seasonal aisle at Target.

1. Pumpkin Spice Lattes return.

So what are your sure signs of fall?

Barbarian Bill Gates - Just as I was busy defending Windows to Wendy over at Things in your Head, Microsoft goes ahead and issues a “patch” for wireless network cards that apparently BREAKS them.  Figures, just figures.

The Old Grey Texter – OK, so I now have a phone that is good for texting, and I finally actually know a few people that “do” text Messages, and now I have an unlimited Texting  plan.  But I guess because, I have an actual Keyboard, I still actually, you know… write full words.  I don’t know why I am so adverse to all the little shortcuts, I mean I’ve spent more than enough time with one IM client or another, and IRC before that.  But I guess, I am too old to be “hip”

How you know when your day is probably going to be, “one of those.” – Start with Update problem above.  Add the fact that it appears to be monsoon season outside.  Then realize that you left your umbrella under you desk earlier in the week.

Ya’ think? – Go ahead and take a look at the trailer for Wall-E, the next production from Pixar slated for next summer.  Now tell me this doesn’t look like Number 5 from Short Circuit.

A summertime tradition – It is still summertime, and that means that it is time again for somebody to take the annual pot shot at the stupidity that is the Wholesome Swimwear line.  This year it was Whiffleboy’s turn over at DadCentric.

Is there any chance we have heard the last of BlogHer 07? – What was in the gift bags, was it “proper” to give such and item, and the “meanings” behind the give-a-ways have garnered far more attention than any, you know, actual part of the conference. I know that this years “controversy du jour” was on advertising, and in particular the evil menace that is the SellYourCredibility (a.k.a. PayPerPost), but did anybody actually attend any other sessions?

Crab Apples - Apple finds out that exploits come a lot quicker when you have something popular (iPhones) as opposed to no market share (Mac). So, less than a month after the “All Powerful iPhone” hit the streets, the first patch is out the door.

Kind busy – with planning some Anniversary to-dos so I don’t wind up in hot water. What have you got planned for the weekend.

Most people (except those that work weekends), are usually happy when Friday rolls around.  But in our household this is definitely a week we would like to put behind us and not look back at.

It started with me getting a new laptop with Microsoft Vista.  I guess I am getting old, because this “cool new interface”  (some of course claim it is nothing but a Mac ripoff), is nothing short of annoying, and instead of making my life easier has slowed me down dramatically.  Now from a sneak peek I had gotten, I already knew that I hated Office 2007, but until I started to actually use Vista, I had no idea how dumbed down they made it, which is slowing me and my production down immensely.  Microsoft is very lucky that I am too invested in Windows to switch.  Of course, as this week went along, it turned out my Vista issues were the least of my worries.

As I had already mentioned we had the the discovery that my step father-in-law has advanced Lung Cancer which has already spread, and was given “6 to 9 months.”  What I have been avoiding talking about to this point was the TheWife had to go in for a biopsy on a “surpising large” lump that was found during her last breast exam.  It was thought because of the size and speed it had grown that perhaps it was just a puss filled cyst.  Well that was not the case, and it is a solid mass, so now we get the joy of sitting around a week waiting for results.  In most cases this would not be a big deal, but considering the news we got earlier in the week, nerves are to say the least frazzled.

OK, perhaps it isn’t really all that much, but I still am quite happy to put this week “in the books” and move on.  So let’s go to some less serous things shall we.

Idiot Savant – Week after week, I continue to be amazed that Helen Popkin continues to be employed as a columnist with MSNBC.  What I can’t figure out is if this is MSNBC’s way of trying to be hip, to have a “blog like” column written by a complete idiot, or if they are trying to pick on bloggers in general by having such trash highlighted.  Her latest piece, “How Technology has ruined life for our kids” really highlights her intellectual level as she laments that thanks to technology kids don’t have the joy of making crank calls anymore, or that thanks to “nannycams”, your poor babysitter won’t know the joys of being able to rifle through everything in your home while you are out.  She does point out some more meaningful stuff such as that fall or embarassing momment that my have just gone unnoticed or at least forgotten relatively quickly in years gone by can now live in infamy on You Tube.  But overall, this article is more proof than anything that she listed, since in today’s technology age, this is what can pass for news.  I feel sorry for the kids of tomorrow.

Propaganda as News – Then there is this other brilliant story that the Associated Press picked up (but I guess I can’t blame them as they are just reporting it).  According to a report to be published, a panel of “Medical Experts” concluded that Pot smokers are at a higher risk of psychosis.  Now let me point out up front just to be clear, I do not nor do I condone smoking pot, so you can not say, “Well it is because he is ‘pro-pot’” as that is not the case.  But this isn’t even a complete study.  This is a panel reviewing other studies and pulling out what they want to “prove” a point.  Now deep in the article it is admitted that they can not say if there are any “pre-existing conditions” that perhaps led to this.  They can’t even rule out that this is because a certain number of people happened to go on to other drugs.  They can’t even tell you what came first.  Perhaps people that are at risk of psychosis are more likely to seek out pot as a way of dealing with their condition.  None of these facts though was enough to keep them from making their declarative conclusion.   Would anybody be surprised when I say that the study was funded by the British Health Deparment, which (like the U.S. health department) has a vested interest in “Just Say No”?

 When does it happen too often to be called news? – After her lastest fiasco with a former Personal Assistant, I just officially give up on reading anything that contains the words Lindsay Lohan.  She needs to be hospitalized, incarcerated or both.  Not only for her own good, but for the good of the population in general.  She really has just become a public menace, and she is going to kill somebody if they don’t put a leash on that animal.

 News you can’t tell anybody - It has been a good year cheering the New Jersey Supreme Court, with the decisions that they have come down with (Abuse of Eminant Domain, Forcing equal rights for same sex couples), but that came crashing down yesterday when they declared unanimously that homeowners in “private communities” are NOT protected by 1st Amendment Rights, and things such as signs or displays on the lawn can be banned by the homeowners association of the community.  It is widely believed that the New Jersey case will have implications throughout the country.

WTF News – Couple denied adoption of a child for being too fat. (CNN Video story can be seen here.  News.com.au report can be read here.)  Look, I understand obesity is a problem, but is bias against fat people the answer?  This is actually becoming more of a problem (and not with just adoption) as people and officials seem to be developing definite discriminating tactics in dealing with overweight people.

Can’t you just wait? – Not being a big reader myself (I tend to use audiobooks because the only time I really have for books is on mass transportation, and reading while riding makes me ill), I have less enthusiasm for such events, but obviously many people all over all quite excited about the release of the final Harry Potter.  I however have never felt the need to be the first on line for a book.  Of course the last time I waited in line for anything, it was for Bruce Springsteen tickets.  And unlike Harry Potter books or iPhones or (I’m dating myself here) copies of Windows 95, there was actually a finite quantity available.

What Security? – Unless you live in or around NY, you may not have heard or given much thought to the Steam Pipe Explosion that rocked mid-town Manhattan this past week.   What is frightening as one blogger notes, is that eyewitness reports from Grand Central Station described total and utter chaos ensuing there after it happened.  If this was 1997, then I wouldn’t think much about it.  But here we are in 2007, almost 6 years after the World Trade Center attacks.  Billions of dollars have been spent on preparedness plans, on security, on what to do in case of an emergency.  And apparently when the time  of an emergency hits, nothing (and nobody) seems “prepared.”  It is frightening to realize that all this money and extra security etc, seems to only be “for show” when an actual emergency hits.  Remember the Emergency Alert System?  Or as it used to be called (why they changed the name I do not know) the Emergency Broadcast System.  Does anybody know why, this system which interrupted countless television shows over the years to run its “Test” and tell us that if there was an actual Emergency you would be told where to tune for information, wasn’t functioning or used on September 11th?  The money is being spent, where is it going?

Flick your Bic – When we flew down to Disney World this summer, I must admit, that I completely forgot about the ban on Lighters until somebody asked me for a light at our resort because theirs had been confiscated at the airport.  I HAD a lighter, because I had placed it in my carry on luggage and it was never taken.  Fortunately (for smokers) now the TSA has lifted the ban on lighters (except for “torch style”) being brought on aircraft.  But as my faux pas shows.  It really wasn’t all that effective anyway.

iFaux – For those craving the “cool” of an iPhone for people to be envious of, but without the excessive pricetag, Roller Coaster Galaxy has iPhone wallpaper for your phone.  It may not turn your phone into an iPhone, but then again, the “cool look” is the only thing that the iPhone has going for it anyway.

Watch out for Black Cats – I didn’t even realize until I started this post that it is Friday The 13th. No I am not superstitious. But what I always fear are the stupid accidents, and things that people do because of their superstitions. As it turns out, weird things can happen even if you cat isn’t black.

Dear John Letter – It seems that Sprint is breaking up with some of their more needy customers.

Making me tear up – Can anybody really say they can top this for an awesome 4th of July.

Sanctuary – Well, I just found out that I am too old, like in Logan’s Run, according to this inane blog post, masquerading as news on MSNBC, my time is up, simply because I don’t “get” Twitter. In the end, you don’t know whether she actually likes Twitter or not, but is more than happy to trash anything not Generation Y (or younger) in the process. Of course she also penned the sadly titled, OMG! YR still on MySpace? Loser! So if Sanctuary is a world without Ms. Popkin, then I guess I am ready to head off to the carousel. And so is MSNBC for publishing this as news.

Not so Friendly Skies - Mom and chatty toddler removed from plane because the mother wouldn’t medicate the child. An investigation is under way, but if this is true, somebody seriously needs to be fired.

So what’s going on in your world?

Inspired by both the movie, and the fact that Mark, tried it first, meaning I wasn’t the only one with this crazy idea, I decided to make Ratatouille.  It actually came out good, and although she wound up not liking it, LatteGirl was actually willing and looking forward to trying it.  (If you only knew how thrilled this made me.  It is tough to try and get her to try any new foods.  Even mild, Sensory Integration Disorder makes her fear trying new things).

The other thing about Ratatouille is, in the movie they point out that this is a “peasants dish” (I presume because there is no meat product and very stew like in its qualities).  Now, that vantage point is certainly not true in America today.  Fresh healthy vegetables, grown locally on sustainable farms, is to put it politely, far more expensive than you would think.  Certainly cheaper than eating out at a good restaurant, but more than a cruddy meal at McDonald’s (or Burger King, or whatever your fast food place of choice is).  And that is just plain wrong.  Why is it that junk food is just so much cheaper than vegetables?  Well, I know why, because the products that make up junk food (sugar, corn, etc.) are subsidized, and fresh healthy vegetables are not.  I know I am not the only one, but why don’t more people see this as just plain wrong.

 Simple Fact – Whenever I say, “but I don’t get sunburn” I inevitably get some immediately after.  Apparently a trip to Florida was not enough for me to get sunburn, but one day in the amusement park was.

 Why? – Is it that fast food places can’t put people behind the registers that, you know, actually can understand English and take your order right the first time?  Do I really need to take three attempts to order a coffee?  “Small Bold Coffee, Milk, No Sugar” Should responded with, “Would you like anything else?”  Not,

You want a coffee?

Yes, the BOLD coffee.

Oh, ok Bold Coffee… do you want cream?

No, small bold coffee, milk, no sugar.

oh wait, you want the small coffee?

Yes!

Do you want sugar in that?

Nooooo!  SMALL, BOLD, MILK, NO SUGAR!

That’ll be 98 cents.

And of course, half of the time, I still wind up with either cream or sugar in the coffee.

There is no way they can be making money on this transaction with the amount of time it takes.

With summer in full swing and being that being out by the barbeque usually means cold beverages, I got to thinking about things some of the things that I used to drink that are no longer around, and/or beverages that were just plain bad ideas in the first place, and I wish I had never tried.

7-up Gold - it was considered a “spice soda.”  7-Up without the “clear” as it was lightly colored.  I actually liked this as it wasn’t as boring as Lemon-Lime Soda, and far more refreshing a taste than a cola.  But in a world dominated by Coke and Pepsi, it never stood a chance.  Plus, of the people I know that tried it, I was apparently the only one that liked it.

dnL – “upside down” 7 up.  7 up with Caffeine and coloring.  Since most people drink seven up to get away from those factors, it doesn’t surprise me that it did not sell well.

 Mello Yellow – this is supposedly still in production, but I haven’t seen it in years.  The original commercials for it was a “quick draw” contest showing two gunslingers trying to guzzle soda a quickly as they could.  Since Mello Yellow was only “lightly” carbonated, it was easy to chug down.  Of course the downside is that many people thought they just got flat soda.

Pepsi-Lite – Pepsi was the first to introduce a soda with a lemon taste to it.  I actually thought (at least at the time) that it was pretty good, as opposed to today’s Pepsi-Twist, which tastes more like a soda that has been sprayed with Lemon Pledge.

Crystal Pepsi – Does anybody else remember the “clear craze” that went on for a while in the 80′s where everybody was rushing out clear products?  This wasn’t the worst idea in the world in that, there is nothing wrong with taking the caramel coloring away, but Pepsi also tinkered with the flavor formula to differentiate Crystal Pepsi, and much like “New Coke” it was soundly rejected by consumers.

Pepsi-Free – immortalized in the movie Back to the Future, Pepsi-Free was Pepsi’s first attempt at caffeine free soda.  It’s popularity though lasted only about as long as the movies run though, as this was the mid-80′s and the world wasn’t ready for caffeine free yet.

Pepsi Blue – about 5 years ago, the soda companies try to “extend” themselves with new flavors and concepts in soda flavorings.  They were in a word.  Hideous.  Of course I wasn’t then (and even less now) their demographic, which was supposed to be “young and hip” that should go for these electric colored flavored beverages.   Other products that came (and went) of this awful age of variety included, Dr. Pepper’s Red Fusion, Mountain Dew Live Wire, Mountain Dew Code Red.

 New Coke (a.k.a. Coke II) - known as one of the biggest marketing blunders in the world (and possiby of all time), when Coke got tired of getting beaten by Pepsi in the “Blind Taste Tests,” despite being Number 1 in the market, they decided to reformulate and taste closer to Number 2 Pepsi.  The backlash was monumental.  And “Classic” Coke was reintroducted, as Coke II was slowly phased out and disappeared.

An interesting piece of trivia I found out during the release of Coke Zero, is that the formula for for Diet Coke is actually the sugar free version of New Coke formula, whereas Coke Zero is the sugar free version of the Classic Coke formula.

Pepsi Edge / Coke C2 – It may seem odd to lump them together, but if you remember (or were unfortunate enough to try) either of these products you were probably on the Atkins Diet at the time.  Half Sugar, Half Sucralose, Half the Calories… and the most god awful taste ever produced.  The products were thankfully put on the scrap pile when the Carb Craze died.  They were the same bad idea, that both companies tried and failed with.

Of course I would be remiss if I didn’t throw in a few alcoholic beverages as well -

Zima – yes it is still around… sort of.  It was acquired by Coors (or at least the name was).  This was the product that started the Malt Beverage craze that is still quite popular, though Zima itself was tagged a Yuppie drink, and like many things that become too popular too quickly, a backlash against the product sent it into obscurity.

Miller Clear Beer – brought out around the same time as Crystal Pepsi, this was a product aimed squarely at the Clear = Pure craze of the late 80′s/early 90′s.  Turns out nobody wants to drink a beer with no color.  Plus the fact that they had to filter it so extensively to get it to be clear, they pretty much filtered out the taste as well.

Doc Otis – I miss this product.  Produced by the Anheuser Buch people, it was a “lemonade” malt beverage that to me was the best one on the market.  It unfortunately suffered from poor marketing, and when AB licensed “Barcardi” for a new line of Malt Beverages, Doc Otis got tossed.

Bud Dry – This is another product that is supposedly not actually discontinued, but I haven’t seen it (at least not in the NY/NJ metro area) in many years.  It is the only version of “Bud” I actually liked.   Meant to take the dry beer category once owned by Rheingold (before my drinking time). I am not much of a mass produced beer drinker to begin with, but this had a clean crisp taste I could enjoy. Was a big hit initially, but seemed to die off.

So, what did I miss? Any long lost favorites of yours?  Anything that was simply so awful that you can’t figure out what they were thinking when they started marketing it?  What do you miss?  Or what are you only too glad has been relegated to the chronicles of history?

It is here, the day is finally here.  No, I don’t mean the release of the overhyped iPhone, I couldn’t care less, other than maybe I won’t have to hear about it as “news” any longer.  I’m talking about the release of Ratatouille.  When I first read about this, “a rat in Paris” movie, I honestly didn’t think all that much of the concept, but I have to admit that after seeing the trailers, I have to admit I am now looking forward to seeing this movie.

On the opposite end of the enthusiasm spectrum, I saw the first video from High School Musical 2.  Now, I know based on the sucess of the first one, and the amount of time Disney will spend hyping it over the summer that there will be a huge audience for this.  But, I have to admit having more than just a little fear of this becoming a Grease 2 type of disappointing failure. (Yes, I have read and realize that Grease 2 has become some sort of cult favorite, but Disney isn’t producing this to become popular 20 years from now).

Sadly, on Tuesday, a 14 year old girl died while riding the Rock-N-Roll Roller Coaster at Disneyland Resorts Paris (formerly Euro Disney). My condolences to her family.  A similar incident happened at the MGM Studios in Florida almost a year ago.  In that case, the 12 year old that died was found to have congenital heart problems.  So, while the ride in Paris is currently closed pending an autopsy on the girl, my guess will be that a similar type of health problem will be found to be the cause, and the ride reopened fairly soon.

Of course the raises the question of, safety.  I mean technically the ride is not at fault since it did not malfunction.  But what can you do, how much care to you need to take, and how many test can you have run to ensure that if your child (or you) go on a “thrill ride” that the thrill is not your last?

Mullets for everyone – Lately LatteGirl has been seemingly consumed with all things Hannah Montana. But I guess it is not just her.  “Hannah” took 5 of the top 15 shows of the week (week ending June 24th).  TheWife thinks half of the kids that watch the show do so because their mother’s had (or have) an achy breaky heart for Billy Ray Cyrus… hey who knows, she may be right.

Pig out – Newsweek has an (uninspired) article on what not to eat during the summer if you don’t want to be busting out of the bathing suit.  Since I am already there, it is too late for me, but may be of interest to those that are trying to watch their waistline, though there are few suprises and most of the items listed are either no-brainers or the same type of items that are listed in EVERY article about “hidden calories”  (is there really anybody left in the world that doesn’t know a Frappacinno from Starbucks with Whip Cream has eleventy bajillion calories?… fine just under 700, but you get the point).

A Warning for my Fellow Northerners - I forgot to mention this earlier (thanks to BusyMom for the reminder).  When you go down south, if you are an Iced Tea drinker like I am, remember that down there, “Ice Tea” = “Sweet Tea” and if you are an unsweetened tea drinker like I am, you are in for quite a shock.  I know this, I joke about it often, and yet the first time I sat down for lunch,I just ordered an “Iced Tea” and when I had that first sip, I thought I was going to go into immediate sugar shock.   You can’t say you weren’t warned.

This Saturday we will be heading off to Disney World.  Any bets that this is going to seem like the longest week ever for me?  In some ways I hope it is, as I am in no way prepared for this trip yet.  There is so many things I need to get done before we depart.  Did I mention that LatteGirl started packing 2 weeks ago?  (I’m starting to get a sneaky suspicion that she really doesn’t intend on returning with us, and is hoping that one of the Princesses invite her to come live in the castle).

We went Strawberry Picking at a local farm this weekend.  (More details later).  All, I can say is that I don’t know if I can eat store bought strawberries ever again.  I had actually forgotten how really full of flavor they are after having eaten the flavorless ones from the supermarket for so long.

The back of my neck is roughly now the same shade of red as the Strawberries.  Oh, sure, I made darn sure, LatteGirl got sunscreen on the back of HER neck.  Same thing for TheWife.  Me… not so much.

You still have until 8PM (EDT) to enter for a box of Saltwater Taffy that I carted all the way back home from Atlantic City on Friday.

With LatteGirl’s parties (yes two) this weekend we will be all over the place, but once again to save on wear and tear on the house we have opted to use an outside place (Funtime Junction) rather than having all of her friends into the house. (We made that mistake once… once!) So at least we can leave that cleanup to others.

We also opted to even take the easy way out with the “family” party and having most of the food catered. That leaves me with only the cake to decorate. In a way I feel bad that I am “buying” my way out of so much of this. But somehow, I am sure I will be greatful I did when it is all over.

In a matter of convenient timing, the package arrived from our travel agent with our tickets and such for our Disney World vacation on LatteGirl’s birthday. So now she considers the trip as part of her present. In a way, that was an easy way out of buying more presents. On the down side, that leaves with one hell of a “How do you top that?” for next year.

School ends for LatteGirl, a week from Tuesday. Summer Camp doesn’t start until two weeks later (fortunately we will be on vacation for one). Doesn’t anybody every think of coordinating such events?

I am not “‘anti-business” by nature. I am a small business owner myself. But, when large corporations pull these dumb stunts, it really reminds me why they can’t be left alone and trusted to “do the right thing.” The latest example, GM Chrysler and The Auto Alliance have all put up faux grassroots websites that are against laws requiring better fuel economy in cars, and asking people to contact Congress and urge them not to pass this legislation. It is bad enough that they can buy off some Congressmen through lobbyists, but this is just too much.

I don’t hide my distaste for The Faux News Channel. With very good reason. They need to be exposed for the propaganda machine that they are. An excellent example is when they invite a ‘Pro-Life’ Activist onto a NEWS segment to claim “Birth Control Is A ‘Pesticide’ That Will Make Women Just ‘Like Men’”.  Fair and Balanced?  HA!  I don’t think so.

I have always wondered something. Why is it that people who are anti-choice, and anti-contraception always make the claim that it is “G-D’s plan” and that is why you can’t use contraception or have an abortion. But they do not rail against in-vitro fertilization? I mean, I will wish congratulations to the 60 year old mom here in NJ that gave birth to twins this week. But why isn’t that against “the plan”?

Just plain wrong – Big Brother (Australia) producers refuse to tell contestant that her father passed away.  They have the backing of the girls family, who said that she shouldn’t be told until afterwards.  So now he is dead and buried, and she still doesn’t know.  I would be bitter as hell, if it was me.

Pulling out the good – OK, so in my “wacky liberal” way I am not happy that Congress buckled and gave in on the funding for Iraq.  But in an effort to find the one good thing about it, I am happy that they finally got the minimum wage increase pushed through.   Of course this will probably just be used as an excuse to push more jobs over overseas.  I mean, when a local newspaper can outsource journalism jobs to India to  “cover” town events   It is clear that it is about nothing but profits.

They can’t be this stupid… can they? – States are requiring sex-offenders to register their e-mail address along with their home address.  Or at least that is the plan, as several States are looking to turn this into law.   Does anybody with half a brain think this legislation is worth something… anything at all?  Do they think you are tied to a single e-mail address?  Have they ever heard of Yahoo! Mail?  Live Mail?  GMail?  Lycos Mail?  (Do I need to go on?)  It is times like this that I am convinced that the election process turns minds to mud.  What other reason could there be?

More Proof there are too many lawyers in this country – Josh Hancock, a St. Lois Cardinal pitcher, goes out, gets drunk, hits a tow truck assisting a stalled car and kills himself (and fortunately only himself).  His Father sues the restaurant that served him (ok, I can see that one… sort of… I don’t agree, but I can see it), the tow truck driver and the owner of the stalled vehicle that the tow truck was assisting.   Does anybody else see some counter suits coming up soon?

Satan made him do it – This is so pathetic it would have been perfect for the old church lady skit on SNL.  A 19-year old man puts his 2 month old daughter in the microwave… and the mother defends him saying Satan made him do it. She claims that Satan was threatened by the young man’s intention to become a preacher.  To me it sounds more like Satan found an partner than being threatened by him.

 Remember – While it has certainly become a tradition to welcome summer in on Memorial Day weekend, please also remember the fine men and women that have given their lives for this country.  Whether you believe in the current events of this country and war or not, it is these fine people that have helped protect us, defend us and keep us free.  They are not political pawns, they are people.  People who should be remembered with reverence and appreciation.  Thank You.

LatteGirl has her second dance recital this evening. I can’t believe it has been a year since her last one. Nobody really ever explains just how much time seems to speed up once either you get old, have kids (or both). (It also leaves me a little short of Focaccia time today.)

Now that is a punishment – Teen gets suspended from school. Mom makes her stand in front of school with poster as a public punishment. I like this, as I think a little humbling can do a lot more for a bully than just giving them a couple of days off from school via suspension.

Anything for Free – As an experiment, a man ran an ad offering free infection of any PC that is virus free. 409 dumbass people clicked on the ad.

Is China just made of lead? – The latest recall is Lead in Children’s gardening gloves!. This follows these lead-based necklaces, rings and bracelets , as well as these lead-based rings, and (I certainly hope) everybody has heard by now about the Lead in the liners of lunchboxes.  Couple this up with the recent problems with Wheat Gluten out of China, and it is really looking like we need to really start pushing on them to either get their safety act together or stop importing from China.  I don’t care how cheap it is if it is going to kill us.

Summer is (almost) here, and of course that leads to spending more time in the car going places, and also, higher gas prices.  In effort to save gas, there are many “tricks” that people employ to try and save gas.  Well before you forego opening your windows, or try and deal without air conditioning because you think it hurts your gas mileage, check out 4 gas-saving myths.

Does being a celebrity give you a pass on doing right by your child?  One man thinks it does (but shouldn’t), according to the article in Hollywood Interrupted, Tim Kenny and his wife spoke with them about how disgusted they are that  John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston reportedly refuse to treat or even acknowledge son Jett Travolta’s autism.  It is of course a sticky situation whenever you judge somebody that follows a particular belief system (even if it is a thinly veiled sham), but there certainly is precedent for the courts to intercede on behalf of a child, when the parent’s beliefs are potentially life-threatening to the child.

Accoroding to the Buffalo Law Review:

Often the Supreme Court overrides family relationships in efforts to protect children.³²⁶ Prince v. Massachussetts is the pre-eminent case affirming that the government may intercede on behalf of children by undercutting parental rights.³²⁷ Prince held that, “[P]arents may be free to become martyrs themselves. But it does not follow that they are free … to make martyrs of their children before they have reached the age of full and legal discretion when they can make the choice for themselves.”³²⁸ Therefore, parents do not have the constitutional authority to consent to superfluous practices, such as male circumcision, that jeopardize the health and safety of children.

It is reported that Lindsey Lohan will play a stripper in her next movie.  First, this may mark the first time since Freaky Friday in which it might actually seem like she can act, since this is a role that seems to be a natural fit for the oft-troubled actress.  It also cuts out the need for the imagination, as I find it hard to believe that an guy goes to see a Lohan movie for any other reason than to stare at her body.   But on the bright side for her video sales, if people actually bought Showgirls, I’m sure those same people will be happy to buy a copy f this as well to compare and contrast it with.

HBO executive’s have obvious learned some tactics from the White House.  Apparently, HBO Chief Technology Officer Bob Zitter, figures the best way to deal with the backlash against DRM is to… rename it Digital Consumer Enablement or DCE.  Do they really think people are that stupid?

Divorce rate falls to lowest levels since 1970 screams the headlines.  But you really have to read everything to realize that people are first of all waiting longer to get married, and the number of people actually getting married is down by 30%.   Of course somewhere, somebody will say that marriage is down 30% because gays want to get married.  (No it doesn’t make any sense, but I promise you somebody will claim it to be true).

And Finally… Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mommies out there!

At this time of year, there are two things that you often fine floating around the blogosphere in abundance. Tributes to Moms, and self-depricating Mom’s that tell “what horrible” mothers they are because this little incident, or because they don’t do something that is “ideal” based on some standard written by somebody, somewhere in an abstract bubble.

Well, in order to make the Mom’s that come by here feel a bit better about whatever guilt they may harbor for some reason or another, I present to you, the list of mothers you are guaranteed to be better than. Just thing how lucky your child is to have YOU as their mother rather than these folks.

Mother arrested for throwing her 4-year-old daughter out of a car – beside the charges of injury to a child, the mother was also arrested for felony DWI. Anybody surprised?

Mother arrested in son’s death ruled incompetent to stand trial – Some people say they are crazy. Unfortunately, those that really are don’t tell anybody.

Houston Mother Arrested for Infant’s Death – What is it that makes a person think “My child is crying incessantly. Shaking it until it stops crying is a solution.”

Newborn baby found in dumpster; Mother arrested – There is nothing that can make me have compassion for somebody that can throw their newborn baby in the trash. Yes, I understand that their are emotional and hormonal problems that can occur, but unless you give birth alone in an ally somewhere, doesn’t anybody around you notice anything odd?

Mother arrested after giving prescription drugs to kids – You want to kill yourself. Fine. Why do you feel the need to take out the kids with you.

So, when you really get down to it… you kids are pretty lucky by comparison, aren’t they? On the other side… I am feeling more appreciative of my Mom right about now.

Short Friday Focaccia again today, as I am once again on the road to Atlantic City today.

First, a quick shout out and a Happy 40th Birthday to Mr. Big Dubya. No, not “The Commander Guy”, no THE Mr. Big Dubya, you know the one that doesn’t have 70% of the country hating him. . Stop on over at his place, or at CapeBuffalo (who is hosting his virtual Surprise Party) and wish him a Happy Birthday.

I have been pondering lately finally getting another MP3… opps, excuse me, Digital Music Player, but not liking to be a lemming, and not being the biggest fan Apple has ever had, I have decided to do reviews of several of the leading players including the Apple iPOD, Microsoft Zune, Creative Labs – Zen Vision, and whatever else I can beg or borrow. I am trying to build some real information, rather than the off balance marketing pieces I have seen in places like PC Magazine. So tell me, if you were looking for a new digital music player today, what would you want to know? What direct comparisons would you like to see them rated on? (And, depending on whether or not I can get my hands on them, what other players would you like to see added to the review).

While it is certainly a sad sort of proof of how far we really have to go in this country, I can’t say that I am surprised that Obama has received death threats and is now under Secret Service protection.

On a similar note, I can’t tell you how outrageous I think it is that our President has threatened to veto the Hate Crime Bill.  Why is it that the President, and people who are supposed to represent Family Values, think it is OK to commit violent hate crimes again people because of their gender or sexual orientation?

While, I am not a vegetarian (or vegan), I certainly can respect those that are.  However, when your six week old son weighs just 3-1/2 pounds, and you don’t realize you are starving the kid to death (and actually argue in court that you were not trying to hurt the child), then I agree with the verdict that you are guilty of malice murder.

Spiderman 3 is out riiiiiiiight about… now!  I have seen good reviews… and bad. Will you rush out to see Spiderman 3?  Wait to see what real people (rather than reviewers) have to say?  Or (like me most likely) will you wait until DVD?

I meant to mention this a while back, but anyway… I have to admit, I love Akismetfor the way it keeps most spam from actually reaching my comments field.  I have had only a few false positives since I started using it, but those few have kept me “dumpster diving” through the spam to ensure that I didn’t lose any real comments, and anybody who follows this pattern knows, this can be a tedious process to constantly do as well.  Enter Bad Behavior.  Bad Behavior, actually compares comments against known spambots, and cuts them off at the source, avoiding (or at least greatly reducing) the hassle of having to wade through so much junk.  There are releases for WordPress, Joomla, Drupal and many others.  I have to give this two thumbs up.

When I spotted the Newsweek Article on Clubbing for Kids, I have to admit, I loved it and at the same time wondered why nobody ever thought of this before.  It gives the nightclubs business at a time, like a Saturday afternoon that they would generally be drawing zero revenue anyway.  It gives the kids the open space to jump around and dance and have fun, which is a bit harder for all but the floor seat kids when you go to a concert, and parents can listen to bands like The Sippy Cups, without having to watch their IQ points drift out of their heads as can be witnessed at any Raffi concert.

I guess I will never understand how people who claim to defend the “Right to Life” and “preserving the sanctity of life” can then turn around a plant a bomb in the parking lot of a Texas Abortion Clinic. 

People like Lt. Col. Ralph Kauzlarich, give all Christians a bad name.  In a story about Pat Tillman, the man that walked away from a lucrative NFL contract to join the Army Rangers and was killed Afghanistan, he had this to say about Tillman’s parents, that have been fighting for the last two years to find out what really happened to their son(emphasis added):

Kauzlarich, now a battalion commanding officer at Fort Riley in Kansas, further suggested the Tillman family’s unhappiness with the findings of past investigations might be because of the absence of a Christian faithin their lives.  

In an interview with ESPN.com, Kauzlarich said: “When you die, I mean, there is supposedly a better life, right? Well, if you are an atheist and you don’t believe in anything, if you die, what is there to go to? Nothing. You are worm dirt. So for their son to die for nothing, and now he is no more — that is pretty hard to get your head around that. So I don’t know how an atheist thinks. I can only imagine that that would be pretty tough.”

Asked by ESPN.com whether the Tillmans’ religious beliefs are a factor in the ongoing investigation, Kauzlarich said, “I think so. There is not a whole lot of trust in the system or faith in the system [by the Tillmans]. So that is my personal opinion, knowing what I know.”   (Full Story from ESPN)

First, I’d like to commend Kauzlarich for being the first person to admit that he died for nothing.  But then, I’m lost.  So the Tillman’s are what, a problem, because they are not “good little Christians” that didn’t accept the smoke screen and lies that were first given for his cause of death?  Because the Military was caught in a Cover up?  This just doesn’t make any sense.

Cutting to somewhat more light-heartedly and only metaphorically deadly… Who the hell thought it was a good idea to make an Ocean’s 13?  Weren’t we punished enough with the first two installments of this atrocity?

If you are a Harry Potter fan, the trailers for the new movie are out.  As a bonus  The Leaky Cauldron has a different version than what’s on the official site.  I haven’t seen a Potter film in the theater yet (through no fault of my own, other than bad timing), but I reaaaaaally want to see this one on the big screen.  (OK Fine, I really want to see something in theaters that that doesn’t involve a Sloth, Ogre, or a Rat in Paris.

When we stopped in a local store last week on our way home from Bushkill falls, I found that this is already in stores.  Now, I like Coke.  I drink Coke Zero, and TheWife drinks DietCoke.  But are we really going to trust Diet Coke to get our daily supply of vitamins and minerals?

Bottled water is coming under fire, according to the CNN/Money article which asks, Is bottled water no longer cool?  They give a long list of things that should be obvious, such as “Bottled water is no safer than regular water” and “It is expensive.”  I’m not sure where things got really out of hand, sure there have been “status waters” like Evian for quite some time, but every “Bob’s Brand” of water is now seemingly just as expensive.  Maybe it is just time to get a decent refillable water bottle, and stop the insanity?

I’m going to be making some changes around here over the weekend (if things work out as planned), so if you are an “Feed Reader” you may wish to change me to “new posts only” for a few days, otherwise a lot of “re-org” might wind up in your reader.

I told you so – Well, I have sung the praises of Career And Kids before, but since I am not published in a newspaper and have never been to Ramadi, obviously I don’t hold any credibility with Brian Williams. But since Working Dad is a Journalist (who just happens to be a Dad) and is published by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. maybe the fact that he recognized Career and Kids as his latest Feature Site.

You can’t make this stuff up – I guess it shouldn’t come from a surprise from a State that continues to elect an idiot like Senator James Inhofe to represent them, but since Oklahoma already has the Strawberry as the State Fruit, the legislature decided to make Watermelon the State Vegetable.

Give me a break – I mentioned the other day how a tragedy like Va. Tech can bring out the nut cases.  Well, now you can add Fox News to the list, since they offer this “news” story as ask, Did the Devil make him do it?  This is supposed to be a serious news channel right?

 Give THEM a break – The Va. Tech shooting was of course a terrible thing.  It was however perpetrated by a single sick individual.  However now it seems that many South Koreans have been leaving Va. Tech because of the racist backlash that is ensuing.  Much like many racist people decided every arab was guilty after 9/11, so now it seems that these same type of people have decided that every South Korean is guilty because of what one lone kid did.

Sorry, today is a late and abbriviated edition of Friday Focaccia, as work took me to Atlantic City today.  (No, I did not gamble, thank you very much… decided I didn’t need to make Mr. Trump any richer this time around).

Over-reactions? – Unless you have been hiding under a rock, you must at some point over the last week ago, heard about Don Imus and his remarks about the Rutger’s Girls Basketball Team.  After getting the heave ho from both MSNBC and CBS, it seems the only people that have forgiven Imus is the Rutger’s Girl’s Basketball Team.  Now I am in no way condoning what he said, it was racist, it was misogynistic, it was crude.  But I still think this whole thing got blown way the hell out of proportion.  I mean where the hell was all this outrage when Bill O’Reilly suggested a child abducted by a pedophile, “like it”?

You Hit WHO? -  New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine is in critical but stable condition after being in a car accident while on his way to be at a meeting between Don Imus (see above) and the Rutger’s Girls Basketball Team.  His leg was badly broken, (along with several other broken bones) and he is on a ventilator.  The hunt for the driver of the other vehicle continues, since it was a Hit-And-Run accident.  I’m thinking somebody is hiding out and REALLY scared right now.  Can you imagine telling your friends or family, you hit the Governor’s motorcade sending the Governor and a State Trooper to the hospital?

Abstinence Only Programs Work… NOT! - A government study done to see if Abstinence Only Programs are the solution they are claimed to be by people like… oh… The President.  And since President Bush is “certain” that Abstinence Only Programs are the “only” effective methods to use, the results of the study are not surprising.   (Hint:  They are still having sex as much as the other groups… only they are less informed).

Fat Chance? - In London a court is set to decide if a mother should lose custody of her child because he is too obese.  Now, granted at 8 years old, the child weighs 200 pounds, which means there is certainly a problem there, but is removing him from his mother’s care the answer?

From the Island of Corporate Stupidity – It seems that Comcast is warning bandwidth hogs that if they continue to use “too much” bandwidth, the risk violating Comcast’s Terms of Service. Only problem. They won’t actually tell anybody what the limit is, so there is no way of knowing if you are at risk of violating those terms.

What the Poop? – A school Principal pleads guilty to throwing feces at a student. Not that this can get any worse than that, but according to the report, the prosecutor in the case, has recommended a “full discharge” which would leave her with no criminal record for the incident, so long as she promises to have no contact with the students (she only admitted to one, but charges were brought for two cases).

And nobody thought something was wrong? – A possible family feud may have led to the listing of a hoax ad listed on the popular Craigslist, saying that anybody could come and take whatever was in an open house for free.

Lots of people saw or heard about the offer and chaos ensued. Neighbors say they saw strangers pull up and haul away all sorts of stuff. Nearly everything of value has been stripped. Light fixtures, mirrors, baseboards, the hot water heater, cabinets, even the kitchen sink.

Not a single neighbor thought something was wrong and called police? The owner doesn’t know anybody around that may have had a cell phone number or something to say something is amiss? And to make an already bad situation worse, since it is believed to be a “family matter” the Tocoma police will not investigate the incident since they have determined it to be a “civil matter.”

Hang her out to dry! – A substitute teacher will be “disciplined” (anything short of fired would not be satisfactory to me if I lived in this area) after admitting to using clothespins on the lips as punishment for talkative Kindergarten kids. Honestly. I love teachers, I really do. They have to put up with so much and do so much for kids. But I honestly don’t understand this rash of stories over the past couple of years of teachers just pulling the most incredibly stupid stunts.

Snap This! - I have for some reason, not gone on much of a rant about how much I hate Snap.com and their Snap Previews. Mostly I guess because I become irrationally angry whenever I even hear it being mentioned. Fortunately, now I don’t have to as John from flagrantdisregard has done such a fine job, in Snap Preview Anywhere, scourge of the internet. He is even kind enough to share a solution, so you never have to see it again.

Ipod saves Soldier’s Life
Originally uploaded by tikigod.

The iPod you see here was according to the accompanying story on Flickr, was carried in the shirt pocket.

“Kevin Garrad (3rd Infantry Division) was on a street patrol in Iraq (Tikrit I believe) and as he rounded the corner of a building an armed (AK-47) insurgent came from the other side.

The two of them were within just a few feet of each other when they opened fire. The insurgent was killed and Kevin was hit in the left chest where his IPod was in his jacket pocket. It slowed the bullet down enough that it did not completely penetrate his body armor. Fortunately, Kevin suffered no wound.”

If that isn’t a Picture Perfect ending to what could have been something awful, I don’t know what is.  (According to an update posted on the thread, an engineer from Apple showed the picture around, and Apple may be replacing it for the Soldier, which would be nice under any circumstances, but is even more outstanding since if you look at this iPod, it is actually a rare one that was actually from HP.)

(h/t to tikigod who posted the picture and story on Flickr)

Liz from This Full House and Shannon from PHAT Mommy both have new blogging gigs over at the recently redone Disney powered Family.com. Stop by here and here to wish them well.

Although I have been meaning to do this for some time, and apparently just forgot about it, the ever entertaining Mir of Woulda Coulda Shoulda fame, has a new blog for saving money, coupons and purchasing advise. Definitely far better than the cold bot versions you usually find, and the information is actually helpful, so stop at Want Not and your wallet will probably thank you.

Family Circus author Erin managed to keep her sanity long enough to pass her exam and become a licensed massage therapist while tending to 3 kids and hubby. She certainly deserves some congratulations I figure since I have trouble remembering my own name some days, and I only have to deal with one rugrat

Mitch McDad and Flagrantdisregard have become “made men”, and have been added to the family at The Blogfathers.  Stop by before they make you an offer you can’t refuse.

What (or who) have I missed?

From the department of I ate What? - We all know we want our kids to eat healthy, but will on occassion cave in to the desires for fast food, typically something like a kids meal. Want to be able to never cave to the pressure again? Do you want to be able to never allow your child (or yourself for that matter) to ever consider consuming another McNugget? Then just go ask yourself, what really is in a Chicken McNugget? Directly off the desk of “Duh” – Researchers concluded after a study, that hormones may explain teen moodiness. Perhaps if we throw a few million in grant money at them, they can determine that the sun may explain why some people get sunburn in the summertime.

Back to school – So Tony Snow seems to think that Congress has no oversight responsibility over the White House. Seems to me they need a copy of Schoolhouse Rock! sent over there… quickly. (I must tip my hat to Shakespeare’s Sister had the same idea of how to teach them the Constitution, since not only did she post this idea first, she included diagrams for them to follow)

This was no accident – Some in the government, are trying to push through laws that helped the richest of the rich avoid Estate Taxes or so called “Death Taxes,” and at the same time, under the guise of reining in the budget, last year made it so that pharmaceutical companies could no longer offer deep discounts to college students, and so as of this year (when the law took effect), the cost of Birth Control on campuses have doubled and in some cases tripled. I fail to understand at times how these clowns can sleep at night.

Give us your poor, your… no not those, I want them – Bill Gates is seems is a big supporter of Immigration Reform. Well at least as long as it will get him some more cheap programmers for his company. I guess he has enough low skill labor to manicure his palatial estate, because he was quote by Bloomberg saying,

“Any country should make it easy for people with high skills to come in,” Gates said in answer to a question during a news conference in Mexico City. “I’m hopeful there can be some immigration reform. Hopefully, it would be something that provides predictability and as much freedom of migration as possible”

Of course this is not anything new for the Microsoft Chairman. When he recently spoke in Washington, according to IT Business Edge:

To hear Gates tell it, even 115,000 won’t be enough. The U.S. should have access to an “infinite” number of skilled foreign workers to fill IT posts, he told the committee. During the dot-com days, the annual H-1B visa cap was as high as 195,000.

Yes, I remember those “Dot Com days”  I distinctly remeber towards the end, as the salaries were leveling off, and then the ensuing bust of not being able to find any jobs at a reasonable wage.  And that was before they really started shipping so much work outside the country.  So, I can only imagine what happens to this market if they give Mr. Gates what he wants.  But of course, with all the money he saves, I’m sure he will be able to live comfortably again, as I am sure the slow moving Microsoft stock price has really made him have to tighten his belt. (But I’m not bitter).

What part of personal privacy don’t they get? – It is always with the “best” intentions that lawmakers seem to come up with the most awful ideas, particularly (or at least so it seems) towards women.  Here in New Jersey, an influential lawmaker is proposing a law that would create mandatory HIV testing for all pregnant women.  Of course, it is a wise move to test if you are pregnant, and current State law already requires the availablity of the test to those that wish to take it, but apparently Mr. Cody has decided that he is going to make the decision for women now.  This really should go down in a ball of flames, but Cody has the political muscle to push through stupid laws, and has done so before, so I will be keeping an eye on this as it progresses.

 I just wanted to end on a fluff piece – The evening news always (or almost always) ends with a “fluff piece” and since I started doing these bits on Friday, I have started to understand why, as you look at what you are posting and ask, “Do I really want to end it on that note?”  So I vamp along waiting to find one.  Today I did not, but while the article is quite serious, I can’t help but be amused at the title of this article from the LA Times, If only gay sex caused global warming.  If only we could generate that same sort of homophobic rage into global warming, we could probably solve this problem in a week.

I could have told you that – This is a game that was started by the airlines, for the obvious reasons of making money, and the hospitals dutifully carried it along, with the same silly warnings that cell phones cannot be used in hospitals for fear of interfering with equipment. Now that the Mayo clinic has completed a study that states cell phones are safe to use in hospitals, I wonder how they are going to justify continuing to charge you outrageous rates for that phone they want to rent to you.

Worst of the Worst - The Consumerist is in the final round of voting for worst company in America – The RIAA vs Halliburton. Honestly this is a real tough choice. Both are out to screw the American People out of every last dollar they can. The RIAA is so desperate in their efforts that they sued a dead woman for alleged file sharing. Whereas Halliburton is making their money off the back of our armed forces with improperly filled or overcharged orders, and now it seems they are taken their illgotten gaines and are running away to Dubai. You can vote for your choice here.

 I’m not a god, but I play one in my practice – Where does your doctor draw the line and does his/her personal beliefs hinder your’s or your child’s care?  When you look at the numbers in a statistical chart, it doesn’t at first blush look all that bad.  Merely 6% of Doctors surveyed do not believe they have an obligation to tell a patient about a proceedure or medication they do not believe in, and only 11% would not not refer a patient to another doctor that does not have the same beliefs.  On a chart those look like some minuscule numbers, but start calculating it out and it means that there are tens of millions of people that are not getting the full information from their doctors.

We’re all in this together – The filming has begun for High School Musical 2.  Can this even hope to be anywhere near as popular and magical as the first movie?  Certainly this one will not catch anybody by surprise, so it has a lot of work to be seen as anything other than  just another Disney Sequel disaster.

Spring Forward Do Over - I was so concerned last week with being concerned about what odd issues may affect the switch to daylight savings time, I was remiss in pointing out some safety checks that are usually suggested to be done everytime you change the clocks.  Fortunately the Consumer Reports Blog didn’t forget, and has a list of to-dos for every time those clocks spring ahead.  If you are like me and didn’t do them last weekend.  This weekend would be a good time to get to them.

I will have more later.  Some things are just too important to throw onto a Foccaccia.

I have to admit, that I just don’t get it.  Perhaps it is because I would rather play non-professional sports than watch them.  Maybe it is because I have 2 pro football teams (Jets, Giants), a pro basketball team (Nets) and pro hockey team (Devils) about 8 miles from the house, and if I am willing to drive for say an hour, I can add 3 Professional Baseball Teams (Yankeees, Mets and Phillies), another pro football team (Eagles), another basketball team (Knicks… although do they still qualify as professional these days?), another 3 more Hockey Teams (Rangers, Flyers and Islanders.. although Islanders may fall slightly outside the hour range with traffic on Long Island).  Within that range as well, we have a far too many to list number of semi-pro and minor league teams (though NJ, can’t seem to hold onto an Arena Football team).

So with that perspective, is it all that odd that I just don’t get all that worked up or interested in College Sports?  I realize in some places (OK, let’s be honest most places), there is not the myriad of professional sports teams to choose from and watch locally, so I can only assume that college sports helps fill that void.

Twice a year, I get entertained by all the talk that people (OK mostly men… but not exclusively) put into these events.  The BCS and “March Madness” seems to take even the casual sports fan, and turns them into raving lunatics of stats and even a bit of trash talking with those that disagree with their choices.

For all the talk about the College Football BCS, most people (if not all) that are familiar with it, hate the system, pick out it flaws, and talk about how it is slanted against “their” team.  I have been blissfully unaffected by this for a good many years as Rutgers University has been so amazingly awful, that a ranking was never even a remote possibility.   That is until this year, when they stole the budget from all the other athletic teams (more on that another day), sank some major money into the program, and actually were in the top 10 for the first time ever.  All of the sudden, everybody in NJ is a BCS “expert” screaming about how Rutgers wasn’t getting due credit (until they crashed and burned with some bad losses)… but I am getting away from the subject here.

Now we have come again upon the season of March Madness.  64 teams from 64 deserving (or not so deserving if “your” team is number 65 – 70, and you are crying foul) teams with chances from NONE to “likely” play out the now infamous “brackets”  I love these few days between when the brackets are announced and when the tournament begins.  All across this country, office pools are created to see who can guess the best.   People study teams, charts, histories, and so on looking for hints that might give them the leg up on everybody else, to pick out this years “Cinderalla Story” team that wasn’t supposed to go as far as in the tournament as they did.  Me, I admit to joining in these pools at times, for the sheer fun of it.  However, I will spend about 15 minutes filling out my chart, sticking with the perinnial favorites and teams I know (that admittedly has come back to bite me a few times), and usually wind up with teams such as the Tarheels, Blue Devils, Huskies, Jayhawks.

For the record, I have UNC defeating Kansas for the chapionship.  (And since I seem to have more people visit here from TN than any other location, I will point out that I have the Vols making it to the Sweet 16 before getting picked off).

Now, I had a point, where the heck did it go?  Oh yeah.  So am I the only person that doesn’t take College Sports to be “seriously”?  Seriously… am I?

 I’m sure there will be no chance of anybody that reads blogs will forget to change their clocks this weekend with everybody reminding each other. But I do want to remind you to consider other things that may need patches, fixes or special attention due to newly revised Daylight Saving Time changes.

First off, your PC. Microsoft has an update for Windows, but you may need to actually go and get it (especially if you have Automatic Updates turned off). Using Outlook? That needs a patch too. Your cell phone? That may need an update as well, check with your carrier.

And while this may sound silly to some, if you have a relative in the hospital, especially one that has something like a digital drip I.V., or other “smart” devices that are time dependent, it might be worth asking the staff what updates and/or contingency plans they have to deal with issues that could arise. It may sound silly, but if one computer (or device) is out of sync with the others, and medications are given at the wrong time, or not give when they are supposed to, the effects could be devestating for what amounts to the hospital as a small “glitch.”

There is no love loss when it comes to me and Dell Computers, and it would take a lot for them to turn me into a buyer of their computers, but as somebody that wants us to do something to improve our environment, I have to applaud their Plant a Tree for Me promotion.

PC Magazine

From now on, whenever you buy a Dell PC, you’ll have the option of donating a few dollars toward the planting of new trees. And it’s not for nothing. A PC requires electricity, and generating electricity typically involves spewing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. As Al Gore’s documentary An Inconvenient Truth makes pretty clear, this is a big problem, especially for people living at sea level. New trees can offset some of those carbon emissions. Read the full article.

DirecTivo disappointment – Every so often I hear news about something really cool coming to Tivo, and then come to the realization that the DirecTV version of Tivo is not included. Such is the case for the new Amazon Unboxed program which lets you buy a Movie and download it directly to your Tivo. You have a to have a Series 2 or 3 Tivo recorder (I do), and a network connection for it (which is not available for the DirecTV version). Rats. For those that have a “normal” Tivo though… it sounds pretty cool.

From the Who is Suprised? Department – Lisa Nowak, the astronaut that drove 900 miles to go and attack the woman that “stole” her boyfriend, was fired from NASA on Wednesday. My only real question is, What took them so long?

Drop that Corn Oil and put your hands in the air – 79 year old David Wetzel converted his car to run on Vegtable Oil and Diesel. He gets the Vegetable Oil from a place that is discarding it as Fryer waste. Well now the State of Illinois wants him to pay taxes as a “Fuel Supplier.” So much for being concerned about lessening our dependency on foreign oil.

What is YOUR school sweeping under the rug? – I have talked here about our school system and how it tried to sweep under the rug the story about a teach that was preaching during class, but at least that story was public. Somehow school officials were able to keep quiet for 4 months a story about two 6th graders have sex in a classroom; while the teacher was in the classroom (but apparently unaware). And even now that the story has broken, and parents are (rightfully) outraged, the school officials continues to refuse to comment or tell anybody what happened or what is being done to rectify the situation.

Sperm on a Plane – I was having serious questions about the validity of this story at first, but apparently an off duty NorthWest Airlines worker is alleged to have ejaculated on a female passenger during a flight from Tacoma, Wa. to Minneapolis, Mn. The Consumerist has a copy of the full complaint, here.

What a Chauvanistic Pig – Well yesterday was apparently Blog Against Sexism Day, and being the man that I am… I totally missed it, until I caught this nice litle article on Pandagon about why Corporations seem to think the only thing they need to do to market a product towards women (epecially technology items) is Make them PINK.  Ladie’s forgive me, I have only been a true fighter for women’s causes for 6 years now (opps my daughter reminds me that it is ALMOST 7) and I am still a little slow on the uptake. (I wonder if this will get me another “Your an Alan Alda Femenist” comment.  I wonder if anybody can really explain to me what it means?)

Grab a drink and sit down to watch… a cartoon – Cynical Dad regales us with what could potentially happen if you don’t pre-screen what your children are watching.  It reminded me of when LatteGirl was about to lose her first tooth, and we were watching The Suite Life of Zach and Cody, when Zach says, “Yeah, like that was gonna happen.  What do you still believe in the toothfairy too?”  Not outright horrible things, but enough to make any parent a bit uneasy.

 Hurry, make your reservations – It is the 4th Annual Duct Tape Festival.

Lead – It’s whats for lunch – I thought my wife was out of her mind when she showed me the lunchbox she wanted to order for our daughter. We have a number of lunch totes with various Princesses, and other characters on them, and really didn’t see the point. She informed me that many lunchboxes are lined with lead. I laughed. We have know for years that lead is dangerous. Heck even lead paint is no longer sold, and that (theoretically anyway) doesn’t come in contact with your food. But no, the Consumer Product Safety Commission didn’t see this as a problem, and buried their results. Only after the results were sent to the Associated Press, and then on to the FDA did somebody actually realize what a problem this is, The article does state that they are starting to do something about it. But if you have a vinyl lined lunchbox, it might be worth getting something else, or picking up an inexpensive Lead Testing Kit, and checking.

“Reality has a liberal bias” (Stephen Colbert) -Well it seems that a group of “conservatives” have had enough of reality, and have decided that Wikipedia is no longer sufficient for them and that they needed to strive for more factiness, and thus was born Conservapedia.

From the how big a loser do you have to be department – OK, I have to admit I thought it was a bit silly myself when John Edwards set up a virtual campaign headquarters in Second Life. But, politicians (and the mainstream media apparently) are still just starting to understand the power the Internet has given back to the people, so much like them creating MySpace pages to build up lists of friends, I can forgive such little transgressions. However. How pathetic and lifeless do you need to be, to gather together a group of like minded hate mongers in the virtual world, and vandalize the campaign headquarters? This may not be the most idiotic thing I have ever heard of, but it is certainly up there.

What again? – Look, i know crimes again women and girls by men far outpace situations in reverse, but in what is now starting to look like a seriously twisted epidemic, yet another female school teacher is arrested for having sex, this time with 5 male students. And this isn’t even the first story like this that has occurred this year, at the very least we have the story of the High School Secretary drinking and having sex with students, oh and don’t let me forget the teacher who admitted to having relations with a high school student (he was 18 so, in reality not a minor). This last story came to light when the student who she was having an affair with and her son who attends the same school got into a fight. Sort of like a twisted joke out of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, I’m thinking this fight started over a phrase like, “Dude, I’m bangin’ your mom!”

That’s Why! – I have heard (and read) many kids (and even some adults) complain about kids not being allowed to bring or (even dumber) listen to their iPods at school. (I don’t need to explain to you why listening to iPods at school is a bad thing do I?) Well, the next time you hear such a complaint lodged, feel free to show them this story about a teacher that had his neck broken by a student because he took away his iPod.

And finally, when is a slur, OK? When enough people use it? When its use is so common that the idiot using it doesn’t even understand what it means? When even the media doesn’t really “get it” and trys to portray the story as “crossing the line” in in the name of “Political Correctness ?” These are the questions that come to mind when I read this story about a student’s parents that are suing the school because she got in trouble for the phrase, “That’s so gay”.

After Rice got a warning and a notation in her file, her parents sued, claiming officials at Santa Rosa’s Maria Carillo High violated their daughter’s First Amendment rights when they disciplined her for uttering a phrase “which enjoys widespread currency in youth culture,” according to court documents.

If the phrase that was uttered was racial, or religious in nature this lawsuit would be thrown out because hate speech is not protected by the 1st Admendment. So, why should this be any different? Because of the “widespread currency in youth culture?” Um, perhaps we should be teaching tolerance and not hate speech as “culture”? Maybe? Anyone?

Updated to Add:  I need to add this because I am just completely amazed.  A New Jersey Doctor is suing an 11 -year old girl for falling on her inline skates and ‘causing’ them to collide.

Dr. Alexander Dlugi, now 54, sued the child, claiming she was negligent and caused the collision by reacting unreasonably when he approached her from behind on Sugar Maple Row, shouted “watch out” and rang his bicycle bell.

I guess at no point did this pinhead consider that it was HIS actions that caused the girl to panic, and thus HE is the cause of the accident.  If I was her parents I would definitely file a countersuit.  Of course I am sure that this “prominent” endocrinologist, is one of those people whining that his malpractice insurance is high because of “frivolous” lawsuits.  Physician, heal thy self.

Do you know what day it is?
Did you know it’s the one…
Where the Cat in the Hat
Turns in years 49… plus one.

The fantastical story that
inspires in children much imagination
and is read by all parents
with almost no consternation

You can been seen in book and cartoons
and clothes in many family dryers
Oh, but let me apologize for
that movie by Mike Myers.

At bedtime you always considered
on the shortlist the top
Though sometimes you do lose out
to the story of  Hop on Pop

All the children adore you
They find you quite fun
Along with the fish
and of course Thing Two and Thing One.

All together just 236 words
Put together in rhyme
But for young and old
Its reading is such a wonderful time.

I don’t know to end this
or what is proper to do
So I will end it by saying
Happy Birthday to you.

Ok, now I am serious about my computers, and to be honest, there are few things I would hate more than having to deal with a Macintosh. But when a teenage boy throws his PC out the window because he wanted a Macintosh… well even I am not that hardcore. Of course if he were my kid, he wouldn’t have any computer for quite….some…time.

I have made my opinion known on what I think about mandatory vaccinations for HPV. Mr. Big Dubya over at DadCentric gives the most reasoned and well thought out arguments against mandatory innoculations, that I have seen yet. I don’t agree with his conclusions, and Cape Buffalo give an excellent rebuttal as to why, but if our lawmakers actually showed this much thought on the subject, I might actually belive they were considering this matter on the merits, and not how it will affect “their base” and campaign donations.

As springtime and summer draw near, so does the time of year we start looking forward to vacations. Career and Kids has a nice primer on how to Decompress after a vacation and deal with those back to work blues.

I guess I never got around to pointing out that Bill O’Reilly got uninvited from a fundraiser dinner for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, because of some aweful remarks this hate monger made against Shawn Hornbeck, claiming the kid that was abudcted for 4 years, “liked it.” That didn’t stop Oprah from having him on as a “champion” of protecting kids, but the show and Bill are getting lambasted on Oprah’s Message Boards.

The RIAA looks like it may have finally been handed their first real setback in their attempts to sue the world and use the courts to try and intimidate people. The judge in the case awarded the defendent the cost of her Attorneys, and the RIAA now has the nerve to appeal it because, “the fees are more than what we would had made it we had actually won the case.” Well bravo for realizing what makes so many people (and companies) cower and settle with you rather than go to court.

I don’t care who you are, Republican, Democrat or Independant. If anybody actually thiks Neal Boortz has something intelligent to say after his little tirade claiming Teachers Unions are more dangerous to this country than nuclear-armed terrorists, then you really need your head examined. This one is not a debateable point. There is not “other side” to this. The man is just nuts. Although, I suspect this is only the first salvo as things heat up, as the White House attempts to get the No Child Left Behind Act reauthorized.

And finally, the quote of the day from Sister Judith, the director of the department that runs the Vaticans website and was interviewed recently by Robert Scoble,

“We don’t know what OS God uses, but we use Linux.”   

Yup, that time again. The Friday Focaccia. Since somebody asked, I will answer the question I expected to come up much sooner, “Why the “Friday Focaccia?” Focaccia is a flat bread that is often used as a base for any number of ingredients and baked. There is no single Focaccia, it is a collection of whatever you want to put together. This is my take.

Through Phat Mommy, I found Parent Hacks. Parent Hacks is a “Daily parenting tips and ideas from the real experts — actual parents.” Some are common sense, some are a bit out of the ordinary, but there are some gems in there for everybody to use for kids regardless of age.

It was not a good month for Grocers with both Peter Pan Peanut Butter and Gerber Graduates Chicken Pasta Wheels being recalled. If you use either of these products, please check out the recall information.

I was interviewed for an article on the concept of the Sustainable Table by Today’s Diet and Nutrition Magazine. I sure hope I did more good than harm. I have to admit, I was nervous (although I am not sure why… I mean it was Diet and Nutrition Magazine for goodness sakes).  Don’t know when the article is coming out though.

Thanks to Chris at Rude Cactus for reminding me to look back at my Couch Potato Bets from September. I don’t get a lot to brag about, so I will take this opportunity to be an amazing prognosticator (or just really lucky):

What I said about ‘Til Death

Fox tries to pull out another “Married with Children”-esque clone with this series…but I have a feeling people will stay away… and the show will get canned before it can draw ‘cult’ status.

It hasn’t been canceled yet, but the numbers still show me to be correct as it continues to dwell in last place in the ratings.

What I said about Happy Hour:

Regardless, it stinks the critics hate it, it has no real show around to support it. Dead, Dead Dead. And seems to deserve it.

It lasted 4 episodes. Although Fox is threatening to offer this stink on DVD in the future.
What I said about Vanished, Kidnapped and Runaway:

I put these three shows together to avoid repeating myself… I will be surprised if even one of these is still on the air come springtime.

Well, as it turns out, Vanished was pulled after 9 episodes, Kidnapped was pulled after 5, and Runaway lasted only 3.

What I said about Lost:

… lost a bit of its luster and shine during season two, something I like to call the “Twin Peaks Effect.” When a show comes off a huge as Lost did it is hard to keep up that pace and expectation level. It will be interesting to see if Lost can hold on.

Now admittedly that is me being more of a voyeur than a prognosticator, but is seems that Lost is losing it.

What I said about CSI: Crime Scene Investigators:

But after seven season, I have to wonder how much is left in the tank.

This the only one I can say from actually watching the show faithfully. The answer is NOT MUCH. I didn’t realize (I guess I don’t read enough TV rags), that Will Petersen (Grissom) is apparently tired of the show, and took a 4 week hiatus in the middle. No offense to Liev Schreiber, I like him as an actor, but I don’t like his character, and I think the loss of Grissom will be the death of CSI. Add to that the fact that Grey’s Anatomy is kicking CSI’s butt, and the future becomes even more dicey.

Of course, I will readily admit when I am wrong as well.

I said of Men in Trees:

“Why Anne, Why?” This show is gone by Christmas if not sooner.

This I and the critics were apparently completely wrong, and people are watching. Not me, but there are people out there. Someday, maybe I will tune in to see what they see.

So what about you? What shows are you watching? What is better than you thought? What was supposed to be hot… but is not (besides apparently Lost). What interesting tidbits have I missed out on this week?

I have to admit, I am quite happy that Kim Possible was saved from the trash heap for another season. Season Four starts this weekend with a 2 hour (4 episode) mini-thon. So tune in (or set your Tivo) for 4 new episodes of KP Saturday Night at 8 PM Eastern (7 PM Central). Yeah so I have no life. Your Point?

I was having a particularly rough day on Thursday, and at one point I thought to myself, there is just no way this day could get any worse. Then I caught this article that said, Anna Nicole Smith collapses, dies at 39 and I decided that my day wasn’t so bad after all.

This country needs an enema – OK, I know some people have a serious issue with needing to “belong” but when you go to a club and pick a fight with somebody because they rejected your MySpace friend request, then you may need to rethink your priorities. I’m just sayin’.

Of course, dumb things just abound in the world this week, as a kid that stole a Microsoft XBox 360 from somebodies home, apparently called Microsoft to complain because since the actual owner had already registered the games on-line, the thief was unable to get on-line to play them.

Unfortunately, stupidity can also be deadly. As in the case of what I can only describe as… no I can’t even describe this monster that left his daughter, a toddler outside to freeze to death, after rendering her unconscious because the girl would not go back to bed. Not that you can make something this horrible any worse, but while investigating this crime, they also discovered that he has molested another child. Whatever they ultimately do with him… It won’t be enough to satisfy me.

And unfortunately stupidity also does not actually have to remain in the realm of the actual evil-doer. Tell me, how would you feel if first you find out that a 12 year old in the school had sexually assaulted a first grader. Then tell me how you would feel if you found out that the school covered it up. Then finally how you would feel, after the school sought a dismissal of the case because according to their lawyers school officials cannot be held responsible under the Constitution simply for failing to protect youngsters from assaults by other students.

And finally for this week, it seems that the people at Mars Candy don’t know when to just shut up. But even in their pulling the homophobic ad campaign, they showed no understanding of why it was wrong.  Look at this statement:

Masterfoods spokeswoman Alice Nathanson issued a statement in which she said the company would stop running the ad on television and the Web site.

“As with all of our Snickers advertising, our goal was to capture the attention of our core Snickers consumer,” Nathanson wrote.

So, apparently according to their spokesperson, the core audience for Snickers candy, are homophobes that would rather die than be gay.  Real nice message.

I had it. I had this Super Bowl pegged. On Friday, I said, Colts 34-17 (actual final 29-17). If Tony Dungy and the Colts didn’t decide to go ultra conservative 1/2 through the 4th Quater, it would have wound up 32 – 17 (including the two called 4th Quarter interceptions by Rex Grossman).

The only thing I really didn’t have quite right, was I thought this game was going to be more competetive. In the end, it wasn’t even really as close as the score indicates (and probably different than somebody who picked the Bears will say, considering the score was . The Colt’s manhandled the Bears, something I never expected. But in the end, I still my prognostication was close enough in detail to brag about.

I guess, I wish I had more on the line than just my prognostications. But honestly, I really didn’t care all that much. Heck, I didn’t even turn on the game until the third Quarter. Why? Because, I am a Daddy that is wrapped around his little girl’s finger, and we watched the Scooby Bowl Marathon on the Cartoon Network until her bed time.

It ends here – On July 21st the final installment of Harry Potter will hit store shelves.

How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act? – A California lawmaker is looking to ban incandescent lightbulbs by 2012 in favor of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFL). While I don’t normally like government butting into such things, this is one case where I think it is the right thing to do. Most people who don’t like CFL’s quote problems that the bulbs had when they first started appearing (in abundance) 20 or so years ago, such as poor illumination, flicker and high cost. While still more expensive than standard bulbs, the CFL’s have come down dramatically in price, and with the energy saved (plus not having to replace them as often) more than outweight the initial cost. The other problems such as flicker just aren’t true any longer. Unlike the incandescent which hasn’t basically changed in a hundred years, CFL have had dramatic improvements made in the past 10 years or so.

Now what? – I continue to be embarassed my own hometown Board of Education. In a continuous battle this year over a teacher that made remarks to students like, “If you don’t take Jesus Christ as your savior… you will be in hell,” the latest to come out of it is that the Board of Education has banned recording classes. The school Administration showed that they had no intention of believing the student until those tapes were supplied. Now they ban the recording. What an amazing lack of brains.

Anyone got a recipe for Groundhog? – Punxsutawney Phil doesn’t see his shadow meaning an early spring. Our weather here this weekend? Cold today… with bitter cold in the week ahead!

And I wonder why people don’t like our justice system – A woman is convicted of allowing her three children to drown… and gets 10 years. That is 3-1/3 years for each of the 3 children, ages, 6, 3,1. Why? Why did she do this, PPD? No. (Then I might be more feeling about the sentence). No, she did it because the kids were “interfering” with her relationship with her new boyfriend (in on it as well).

Hands off – The new way to prove that students/minors have no rights in our society? Drug tests in schools. Now I sort of understand the rationale. Sort of. But that doesn’t make it right. Students with a “probability” (based on past history, such as having been caught with drugs or alcohol… not profiles), sure… but purely random? Ummmm… No, I don’t think so. But to see what advocates of both sides say, see this story.

I am stuck working this weekend (but fortunately from home), and hopefully finishing my ceiling, and if i am a “good boy” maybe I will get to watch a bit of the SuperBowl. (Updated to add:  Predictions – Colts 34 Bears 17.  Grossman throws 4 INTS – but at least 2 of them will be desperation passes late).

What grand plans do you have?

Some people it seems were skeptical back when I was giving away cookies about my disclaimer about nuts, and how it seemed that this warning needed to be on everything these days. I mentioned how the Marlow Company even took it to a seemingly bizarre extreme. But there were disbelievers that some company could be so incredibly silly as to put a warning on a bag of Peanuts that “this product may contain nuts.”

Well allow me to finally put this issue to bed. The bag on the right is an actual bag of Salted Peanuts from the Marlow Company and has not been altered in any way (other than the box added to highlight the stupidity).

(You may need to click on the picture to enlarge to clearly read the writing on the bag.)

Update: Link to full picture is fixed (h/t to Doug)

Apparently sombody at TheStreeet.com reported that “in order to get customers from Verizon, Cingular is going to give away 18 months of service free if you purchase an iPhone.”  Of course I didn’t have to look too hard to find somebody who already debunked the story.  I mean it certainly would get them some customers… but that wouldn’t mean much when they started hemoragging red ink from that sort of promotion.

I have avoided writing about the State of the Union address.  Now it seems I don’t have to, because Rude Cactus, has the perfect description of my feelings (right down to the what I “didn’t say”), except going a bit light on the whole No Child Left Behind debacle, which is a post for another day.

I will however say though, if Dick Cheney really believes that the notion of failures and blunders in Iraq is “hogwash”, we really need to consider whether the man is still competent to hold public office. 

How does a parent, on trial for murder attempt to blame is 12 year old daughter?  First he says he covered it up to protect her, but now on the stand decides to “tell the truth?”  Am I the only one not buying this story?

Who are these people that believe that taking things back to the stones ages is a good idea?  We have worked for years to get past the stereotypes that made people think that boys and girls learn at different speeds and need to be segregated.  But apparently the cavemen are not just back in Geico Commercials, but are trying to run the school systems as well and have brought back this stoneage idea.

Of course I am guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  I mean, people are clearly still shaken by having a woman speaker of the house.  Just look at Mike Barnacle, who starts out blogging for MSNBC on the night of the SOTU, with how much (he thinks) Nancy Pelosi’s outfit costs. 

So how sad is it, that in Janurary, the fact that it is cold here in NY/NJ metro area is NEWS?

I’ll be spending my time trying to find ways to stay warm.  What have you got planned?

Tough to digest – OK, the results are basically good from the Plum Borough School District experiment, where they replaced regular fats with something called Z trim which is a plant based fat substitute. I understand that current experts have no qualms about the safety (how many products removed from the market could make that claim at one time or another?), and it was a success in that the kids actually liked it. However, I do have a bit of a beef, with them not telling anybody about it for 10 months. Did the School District get paid to turn the students into an unpaid, unknowing study group? This particular example may be benign, but I don’t like the precedent.

Look, I know I am no fan of Faux News, and Bill O’Reilly, but it would seem that by all the backpedalling Billy Boy has been doing for the past two days, it would seem that he is drawing fire from everybody for blaming the victim, and suggesting that boy liked being abducted and taken by a sexual predator. That is not wrong, that is amazingly stupid.

On the brighter side, I am looking forward to seeing Stephen Colbert and Bill O’Reilly square off. I have it on Tivo, so if you have seen it… don’t tell me about it.

Why is it that places in this country that claim such high “family values standards” are always the places where the seemingly worst stories come from? Such as the case of the parents from Oshkosh, WI that locked their 13 year old daughter in a room for two years as punishment for bad behavior.

Back a few years ago, LatteGirl was getting tired of the “same old” juice boxes she had been getting and started lobbying for Capri Sun.  Well it was an “All Natural” product so we said OK.  We bought a couple of cases and had started giving to her.  Then we read the label (you would think we would have done that before, wouldn’t you?  We do now.), and discovered that this “All Natural” product was natural all right… it was like a fruit flavored sugar cane with all the sweetener added, and only 10% fruit juice.  We felt ripped off, but just chalked it up to a learning experience, and wondered how they could get away with calling it “All Natural.”  Well as it turns out, they can’t, and a lawsuit has been filed against Kraft Foods.  In a preemptive move Kraft announced that new packaging will remove the words “All Natural” while still claiming their labels are not misleading.

It is CMHL’s birthday… please go over to crouching mommy hidden laundry and give her some good wishes.

It is delurking week (or Lurkers Amnesty… depending on who you listen to).  I have never participated, before, and I know my readership has dropped quite a bit, and even more since the move… but just to confirm it…

If you come here, but prefer to do the glance and run rather than sit and discuss, please stop and make a comment this week to let somebody know you are out there.

Back to work. Back to the grind. Back to the everyday. Back to sanity.

The 2006 holiday season has come and gone, and for some reason, I am more than happy it is all over. I never really got into the spirit of things this year. I can’t really put my finger on a single reason why, though a bunch of little things may have come into play.

For example last year, I was working in NYC not far from Rockefeller Center. So I saw the Tree come to town early, I saw the lighting, I got to see the unveiling of the Saks 5th Ave. Window Displays (photos in Flickr if you didn’t see them already). Working in an Office Park in the New Jersey suburbs just give off the same electricity. I don’t miss the hassles of getting in and out of NYC, but I certainly do miss the rest.

Plus, I don’t get the benefit of passing 5 Starbucks on my walk into and from the office as I did before. My apologies to Starbucks stockholders everywhere, as I am sure my lack of face time in the outlets has certainly caused a dip in the price of the stock.

Most people this time of year dread the putting away the holiday decorations, but I… well… actually I am not much of an exception. However, what I find even more daunting this year is integrating that new mountain of stuff that LatteGirl acquired this year. As I mentioned earlier, this year seemed to end the era of “little girl” toys. This year we have a telescope, and a microscope, pottery wheel, metal detector (she want to look for treasure at the beach), a knitting machine, and other assorted items that can’t just be tossed in a box or on a shelf like a bag full of Polly Pocket Toys (note to self, when “tossing” container full of Polly Pocket toys, ensure the lid is on securely, or you will be picking up tiny pieces of plastic for quite some time).

New Years came quietly here. LatteGirl feel asleep (again) at 11:45 pm, leaving me and the wife watching the final few minutes of Hanna Montana as a way to ring in the New Year. Oh yeah, this house is Where the Wild Things Are

If you still plan on buying Holiday Gifts online, for many (most? all?) today is the last day you can place an order and get it before Christmas without having to mortgage your house for shipping charges.

Your welcome.

Timing is everything sometimes. I happened by a newly opened Omaha Steak store the other night on my way home from work, and decided to splurge and get a few items to bring home. When I arrived home however, I found on the porch a huge white cooler. My Aunt decided to send us a huge “sampler” from… you guessed it… Omaha Steaks. So now there is no room in our freezer for anything. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. As problems go, this is not a bad one to have.

I am probably a little late with this but if you haven’t seen the 2006 Year in Review from JibJab, then go watch Nuckin’ Futs. Requires sound. Just too funny.

andrew michael baron of Rocketboom “fame” is clearly bitter that Amanda Congdon has a new gig, and probably more so that it is backed by ABC (meaning she is getting paid).

At first I thought it was just a little pathetic when I saw there would be a new installment in the Die Hard Series, but I guess if Sly Stallone can still make new Rocky movies, then Willis can still try to be an action hero cop… again.

If you are anything like me, you have tried to get a nice picture of Christmas lights (whether on your home or elsewhere) but have struggled. Well, here is how to do it.

On the more personal front LatteGirl and I are spending the night along, with popcorn and a marathon of the standard Holiday Classic Movies on DVD, right after we watch the Grinch on Cartoon Network. Apparently, she is quite excited that she is getting to watch it “on tv” making it apparently much more important than the 17.4 billion times we watched it on DVD.

What does your weekend have in store for you?

Funny – Jib Jab is back with their newest video, the 2006 year in Review.

Not Funny – If you have looked at the prices on eBay you already know that the whole PS3 thing is completely out of hand. How Sony can be so late (a year after the Xbox 360 release), release it just before the Holidays and still have so few untils available is simply insane. But while they still have NO units to sell, the attempted (rather poorly since they have been found out already) to start a Viral Campaign with a “blogger” that promised to “spread the luv [sic] to those like j who want a psp! …consider us your own personal psp hype machine, here to help you wage a holiday assault on ur [sic] parents, girl, granny, boss—whoever—so they know what you really want.” Maybe if they spend a little more time in production they could actually have some units to sell. They full story from Next Generation is here.

Funny – I have often felt bad that apparently lawmakers in NJ are too dumb to be able to come up with a slogan for our State. First we paid an advertising agency, mind you the same brain trusts that were hired to come up with a new corporate image for the company that would be the merger of Sprint and Nextel, and came up with the incredibly duh, “Sprint-Nextel”, we paid these idiots a quarter of a million dollars to come up with a slogan that was (rightly) rejected. They then decided to turn it into a contest and allow residents to come up with a slogan. Before they announced the winner, they hadn’t bothered to check if it had been used before, and unveiled a “new” slogan that was actually old, so back to the drawingboard they go. But, I guess I should be relived that no slogan is better than THESE SLOGANS that other places have (read the comments for some additional “winners” as well).

Not Funny – Following up on the stupidity of the story from Waco, TX from yesterday, today I found this story about a teacher that rather than escort three students to the restrooms, instructed the students to urinate in a soda bottle. What almost made this story funny was that the school administration felt it necessary to explain that it was the teacher and not the students that were under investigation.

Picture Perfect Thursday will be around later (I hope).

For those that thought the house in the picture was mine, I am sorry to say it is not. That is the house from Christmas Vacation, which by storyline is in Chicago, but in reality is somewhere in Colorado (explaining the existence of mountains in the background of some scenes in the relatively flat midwestern city.

GenBetween has a good article on Shopping for elders, with links to some other similar tips. Saved my butt this year.

What is it exactly about “San Francisco Values” that has the collective minds of conservatives and the nitwits at Faux News all freaked out? Is it the somewhat oxymoronic fact that the people of the City by the Bay hate judgemental people? Or is it maybe that people from San Francisco know that Almond, Champagne, Mocha and Salmon are colors as well as food? Or maybe they are mad because somebody from SF actually knows the difference between the colors of Almond and Champagne.

Why does Joe Barton hate autistic kids? And what were the people of Texas thinking when they re-elected him?

An 11-year old boy is currently hospitalized, but fortunately stable after battling e.Coli. Do you really need another reason to stop eating fast food? Although New York City has now banned trans-fats in all NYC restaurants.

OK, how embarrassed would you be, if it was your flatulence that was responsible for making your flight make an emergency landing. Perhaps next time she flies, she could check the Facts On Farts Web Site.

Have a friend that is Secular Progressive (besides me)? Want to get in the absolutely last word? Well then sign up so you can send him (or her) a Post-Rapture Message. Of course I hope it is a Secular Progressive running the site, otherwise who will be here to send the message?

When will these kids learn? If you are going to do something stupid, or (maybe even more importantly) illegal. Do not put it up on YouTube! The latest is a case in Norway where the Police were able to track down a Reckless driver that posted his antic on YouTube.

This of course is what happens when a 41 year old with ADD sits down to write a post, without having a clear plan ahead of time. So what have discovered in your world today?

The Losers

‘Til Death – Fox tries to pull out another “Married with Children”-esque clone with this series. Fox was able to get away with nurturing an audience for “Married…” because, well lets be honest, it along with “The Simpsons” was all it had at the time, so poor reviews be damned they promoted it and prmoted it until they had a following. Not sure Fox is that kind of station any longer. The show has a good cast, and the potential is there, but I have a feeling people will stay away… and the show will get canned before it can draw ‘cult’ status.

Happy Hour – ‘Friends’ go to ‘Cheers’ or maybe some sort of twisted ‘Friends’ vs. ‘Cheers’ (think videogame mashup). Regardless, it stinks the critics hate it, it has no real show around to support it. Dead, Dead Dead. And seems to deserve it.

Men in Trees – I like Ann Heche. Really. And it is because of that, I find myself wondering… “Why Anne, Why?” This show is gone by Christmas if not sooner. Nothing else really needs to be said.

Vanished, Runaway and Kidnapped – I put these three shows together to avoid repeating myself. We already have Cold Case and Without a Trace, does every station need to try and come up with a “version” of it now? Certainly not all of these can survive. Cold Case and Without a Trace have set a fairly high bar, and from what I have read, I will be surprised if even one of these is still on the air come springtime.
Winners that shouldn’t be

Survivor – Why won’t this show die? Much is being made about the “tribes” being split along racial lines. “How could they?” the reviewers are crying. Brilliant move. It got people talking (and writing) about it for weeks leading up to the premier. People will watch… though I personally don’t understand why.

Jericho – Think ‘Lost’ in Colorado. The few reviews I saw were good, but I generally dislike shows that rip-off their idea from another and this one is certainly nothing but a rip-off from ‘Lost’ It will probably survive the season though.

Dancing with the Stars – Why does anybody watch this?

On the Fence

Lost – I admit it. I am the one person in America that did not watch Lost. Not one single episode. But like Desperate Housewives (though not quite as much), lost a bit of its luster and shine during season two, something I like to call the “Twin Peaks Effect.” When a show comes off a huge as Lost did it is hard to keep up that pace and expectation level. It will be interesting to see if Lost can hold on.

Desperate Housewives – I already mentioned this, but after a HUGE first season, it was shocking (and somewhat surprising) to see this show fall so far, so hard, so fast. If this show doesn’t start off with a bang, it could be all over.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigators – This is my favorite show on television. I am sure it will survive at the very least this season. But after seven season, I have to wonder how much is left in the tank. Plus at the end of the season they gave the appearance that Grisom and Sidle have gotten together. When two characters who’s attraction and inability is part of the show finally get together it usually marks, if not the end… the beginning of the end.

Ugly Betty – The premise is weak, but critics like it and the few people I have spoken to (or read) seem to like it so it may make it. Is it enough for a series though? Sounds more like a Lifetime, made for TV movie.

The Surefire Winners

The Wire – everybody has declared this show a hit and the single best thing on TV this season. Far too many rave reviews for this show to fail. Even if it sucks, people will pretend to like it because they will feel like they are missing something or just don’t get it yet.

30 Rock – I initially thought of this as just another Suddenly Susan or Newsradio. But the feedback has been spectacular so far, and looks like this one is the real deal.

It is that time year again. One that I used to look forward to desperately in an attempt to get away from summer reruns, but now which only entertains me really in trying to guess which shows will make it and which ones will not based on what I read.

Why based on what I read? Because while I am horribly picky and judgmental when it comes to what I watch on TV because honestly I am down to about 3 hours a week that does not involve The Disney Channel, Boomerang (part of Cartoon Network) or similar. I have, and will until the final show airs locked in one of those hours for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. That leaves me with about two hours remaining. And what I “waste” that two hours is a “critical” choice.

Now as I said, I am awfully picky to begin with, but it seems that most of the viewing world is NOT. Sure… even the hardest of the hardcore reality fans managed to stay away virtually completely from the incredibly dumb Apprentice: Martha Stewart, but somehow crud like Survivor have continued on. Why? I have no idea. (Disclosure: I worked at a web design company and the original Survivor Web Site, so my bitterness could be slightly tainted by that experience. I don’t think so, but… full disclosure). The show to me was a one hit wonder. Especially when it became clear that “Reality” was far more scripted than CBS let on during that first season. But the lemmings continue to tune in faithfully.

So what I was really getting at is that I by myself am not a good judge of what will survive and what will live on. Last season for example, I would have been certain that Dancing with the Stars, along with the scandal ridden American Idol would have folded up shop and gone home. But no, not only did they survive… they are back. Desperate Housewives which after an initial blockbuster season floundered horribly last year. My guess is that this is the “rubber season” for that show, it either needs to bounce back now… or be designated to scrap heap. If it starts out flat (again) it may not even make it through the season (or so I am thinking).

So, what are you looking forward to? Dreading? What makes it? What gets replaced early like last years bomb, Commander-In-Chief and what is the surprise hit (My name is Earl)? And what makes one stick and the other stink?

Tomorrow I will post my picks and pans for the new season.

Finally got a chance to update and upload some pictures onto Flickr.

The one you see here was taken by TheWife one afternoon. LatteGirl went with her for her hair appointment and decided she wanted to get her hair done too (for no particular reason other than to get it done).

When they came back home, TheWife got her to put on her white Princess Nightgown, and took these photos. Do they look as much like a series of Wedding Photos to you (click on the image to see the others of course), as they do to me? Or is it just me having a case of Daddy Anxiety looking at his little girl growing up?

… that final hour of work before leaving for vacation?

If Pat Robertson, who believes his god has it out for everyone, were a liberal, perhaps he would state that God is attempting to smote CNN.

Watch as the a light explodes during the show, causing a fire on the set and the anchors eventually opt to flee. Of course this is only funny because nobody was actually hurt by the incident and you could see Linda Stouffer jump out of her skin when you hear the pop of the stage light.

Update: Unfortunately, I guess CNN, didn’t like having this video shown and it has been pulled from YouTube.

I doubt it, since ratings on NBC for the second straight Olympics slumped, but for some reason, the Olympic games this year gave me no reason to stop and watch.

TheWife watched some, and Tivo’ed other parts of the figure skating, which I haven’t watched since Tonya Harding’s (then) husband tried to take out the competition. In what was probably a bit cruel bit of thinking on my part, and disgust over the attention given to Nancy Kerrigan who for a brief time became America’s sweetheart, was thrilled that after the announcers gushing praise all over her, and proclaiming her the gold medal winner after her routine, cheered when Oksana Baiul pulled off a stellar routine and yanked the gold away for herself. The last time I watched figure skating with any interest before that, the name that drew attention was Dorothy Hamill.

When I was younger, I liked watching Skiing, bobsled and Hockey. But the frequent abysmal showing by the United States turned me off to skiing. Bobsledding (including Luge) has been such a bad event for the U.S. that I never felt let down by the fact that we couldn’t touch a medal, but the interest eventually waned. Hockey of course was of course fun because of the “Cold War” battles when I was younger, the “evil” U.S.S.R. hockey team that was just too good for everyone else, alway hoping for the David and Goliath scenario which was ultimately rewarded with the 1980 “Miracle On Ice” team. Since the switch to allow professional hockey players to play, it of course not only lost the intrigue it had before, but my personal favorite player, Martin Broudeur of the New Jersey Devils plays for Team Canada.

So now the games of Turin have come and gone, and I watched… not a single minute of coverage. Not live, not “Previously Recorded”, not Tivoed. I glanced at the Sunday Paper to look at the medal totals. That was the extent of my Olympic interest this year.

I thought maybe it was just me, but after seeing all the articles on how poorly NBC did with Olympics ratings, maybe it is not me at all.

It has been a while since I have so desperately looked forward to a Friday.

Reservation for “Date Night” have been made for Park & Orchard. Fortunately their chefs are much better than their web designers. I am so looking forward to getting out and having an an adult conversation. Perhaps it will be a cure for all my Disney posts.

Work is making me miserable. I really need to start a full court press in finding something new. I have been dragging my heals to ensure I get my full service time where I need it to get my next 18 Paid Days Off (they don’t “do” sick days here, it is one big blob of days for vacation, sick, personal). I rolled 10 days over from last year, so that gives me a month bumper for the changeover which is nice. Although I really could have used a day or two for mental health, especially right after the holidays.

My apologies to those that I owe cookies to. Tonight, LatteGirl and I are baking for sure, and the packages will be out to you tomorrow. Things have just been crazier than a Republican trying to cover up his ties to the K Street Project.

I should be back to regular posting (maybe even with some substance) next week.

But I am going to take moment (yet again) to comment on the House of Mouse.

A while back after the release of Chicken Little, I commented that after the disasters that were Valiant and Chicken Little, that Disney NEEDED to get Pixar back into the fold. This became even more imperative when Paramount bought Dreamworks.

Well, it comes as no surprise to me that today it was announced that Disney acquires Pixar.

Of course that will now cause Steve Jobs to become a member of Disney’s board of directors. But maybe the man who engineered the rise of the iPod, can help bolster the sagging House that Walt built.

I was disheartened to read over at Mommybloggers that Jenn from Mommy Needs Coffee will be taking a break from blogging due to the waning health of her mother.

According to Mommybloggers:

After Jenn’s mom’s long struggle, the family has called in hospice and they are preparing to say goodbye. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. If you would like to send her a message, we will forward it to her.

Show ‘em Santa is watching with:

Santa Clause Naughty/Nice Meter

http://www.claus.com/naughtyornice/nn_hmpg2.php

I found this (and promptly lifted it) from Nef’s Blog

Proudly introducing Latte Art.

You have no idea how big a deal the Transit Workers Union strike here is. The sheer density of people that work here is phenomenal.

Directly, the striker does not affect me personally. My bus company is not affected by this action, and from the Port Authority bus terminal I usually walk to work. I say usually because since I sprained my ankle pretty badly a month ago, I have been taking a cab TO the office.

That was simply not a possibility this morning. The normally organized line at the taxi station in front of the terminal looked more like a gang. People were pushing and shoving each other in attempts to get in better position to grab the next cab. If someone is killed there today, (ie. someone getting pushed in front of cab as the crowd is fighting for position), I will NOT be surprised.

NY commuters are probably the most angry, impolite and impatient people on a good day. Until this strike ends, there are not going to be any good days.

First of all, go and read A mother’s need to protect written by Jenn of Mommy Needs Coffee.

Now stop and imagine it happening to you. No, don’t just think about it, stop and imagine for a moment that is your child. And these are the only answers you can get from the school administration.

I did just that (I’ll get you for that Jenn), and let me tell you, it took me to a very dark place (Oh, and Jenn, it is not not only mom’s that have that instict, although men may have a better ability to mask it). I give her credit for not, “losing it.” I certainly think I would under the same circumstances. But now I guess I should get to my point, shouldn’t I.

I certainly understand the need to privacy, especially in today’s world, where privacy is becoming a precious commodity. But there are times, where privacy is no longer a factor, and that is when it involves another (particularly a child). That child’s “right to privacy” gets trumped by my (well Jenn’s but you know what I am saying) child’s well being. Why? Because that child drew others into his world with his threats. By all means, do not give me phone numbers, where his parents work etc. (because we know once primal instincts kick in there is no length a parent will not go to protect their child).

But, you can NOT just tell me, “we are dealing with it” and expect that to be a satisfactory answer. This is very much like the post 9/11 world we live in, where we are in a constant state of “Yellow” or “Potential for Imminent Attack.” And much like we as a nation are attempting to take proactive steps to protect ourselves from terrorists, I will take any and all steps necessary to protect my child from a terroristic attack from another child. And make no mistake about it. That is exactly what it was. A Terrorist Threat. Meant to instill the fear of it happening, even if it never does.

So forgive me if I do not take your “dealing with it” at face value. That just doesn’t cut it.

This is Sweetie. We found Sweetie wandering the streets. How anybody could just abandon such a wonderful dog is beyond me.

How do I know she was “abandoned”? Well, she had obviously been taken care of and tended to when we found her. She had a skin condition, and there were patches of her skin where the condition was worst that had been shaven in neat little squares. She also had the telltale markings around her neck of having at least fairly recently worn a collar.

My nearest guess is that someone got tired of vet bills and decided to take her for a “ride” and drop her off where she wouldn’t find her way home.

At the time, we already had a dog (Doc), and TheWife was pregnant with TheKid, so the last thing we wanted was another dog. We took her to the local PAWS shelter (where they do not destroy animals). Due to overcrowding, they had no room for her, and in an amusing momment, we asked the people at the shelter what kind of dog she was. The lady at PAWS, looked at Sweetie and stated, “my goodness, you are an eclectic mix of breeds aren’t you?” and informed us that she could detect several different breeds in her, but could not say with any certainty what breeds she was made up of.

We consulted with the regular shelter, and they informed us that due to her unique appearance, medical condition and the overwhelming number of animals that were in the shelter (they were overcrowded as well), that the liklihood of her being adopted was practically ‘NIL, and in all probability she would be put down.

Well, we could have no part of putting this wonderful animal down for no good reason, so we stopped at PetSmart, bought another bed and food dishes, and took Sweetie home with us. We of course didn’t know her birthday, so we decided to celebrate her birthday on the day she came to us. This is her sixth year with us, and the Vet estimated her to be two years old when we found her, so now we are celebrating her 8th birthday, and hoping for many more to come.

She has been nothing but absolutely nothing but the best pet anybody could ever have. She is loving (much to some visitors chagrin when she tries desperately to lick their faces), to everyone and has bonded with TheKid, so much so that when TheKid and I are “wrestling”, Sweetie gets agitated and barks at me.

I received an e-mail from Mommybloggers inviting me to participate in a survey they were doing. Due to the fact that they had sent it to an old e-mail address I rarely check, I found it too late to actually participate.

Even though I did not have the opportunity to participate, I feel honored to have been invited to do so.

On the other hand, it makes me feel a bit weird. I mean I can’t be the only father in the blogging world, (or the world for that matter), that cares as much for his child (children), as I do, and not fit the stereotypical ‘Male’ model, can I.

Of course, I can be overthinking this WAY to much.