I love John Oliver. Pretty funny dude. Before he got his HBO gig, he was best known for his stint at the Daily Show. However, during his tenure there, he was also half of a podcast called The Bugle which he co-hosted with Andy Zaltzman, another cheeky Brit with a penchant for a long and drawn out pun run.
Most recently, I watched his last episode for this year, and his closing bit was a pre-taped segment of both celebrities and regular "joes" all saying "Fuck you 2016!" As his show is largely political, it makes sense that this was directly related to the Trump election (which looks fishier every day, but I digress...ed.) as well as many notable deaths of celebrities taken before their perceived time. Looking at it that way, yeah, this was the year that a walking orange carpet got elected as well as the year that Snape and Ziggy Stardust perished...among others.
I mean, in this past year, two friends died of cancer, both with young children. Other friends lost their jobs. I lost a grandparent, and while it wasn't unexpected, she was a tough-as-nails lady who herself had to raise two children "alone" due to my grandfather's early passing. Yeah, this year was difficult.
However, I would ask you to look past that, which is not always easy. I've got a lot to look back on in 2016 which was fantastic...like camping with my son for his first (and second) time. Look ma, we're outdoorsmen! Our family had two magical vacations...one filled with natural wonder, and the other with man-made, but each trip was ridiculously enriching for my kids. I got to see family I don't typically hang out with, on both coasts; in the extreme north and in the sweltering south. And, most recently, I got news that a great friend's family got bigger by one just this past Monday.
The news media would have us believe that the Armageddon is coming. Before you succumb to the hype, take inventory of the incredible things that happened to you this year. Then, this long weekend, celebrate those achievements with friends and family. Have a ridiculously huge meal...or two. Eat Brussels sprouts! And, remember that this time of year is fantastic, and there's no better way to kick it off than with those you care about the most...without presents, but with extra helpings of dessert. In the States, this may be the best non-secular holiday that We the People have together. Oh, and then, after you're done eating and watching the NFL, make a donation to those people at Standing Rock. Why? Because, without them and their beliefs, we'd be relegated to eating mint leaves and poison ivy berries on the shores of New England. It's the merging of traditions that makes us, as a nation, great, and as long as we continue that path of acceptance, then no politician will be able to tear us apart.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Thursday, November 17, 2016
The News
I've been trying to decide what to write in the wake of the election. There's almost nothing I can say that hasn't been said. Right now, I'm in a "wait and see" mode. The Media has been relentless about the types of people that the President Elect is looking to fill his cabinet with. And, increasingly, it seems that, in addition to being woefully unprepared to fill the innumerable appointments, that he is also completely overwhelmed with his new responsibilities...which don't include frequent dinners to the 21 Club or trips to one of his many golf courses.
That said, before I overreact to what FaceBook would have me believe, I am going to choose to get my news from actual news sources. For starters, I am "off" political blogs because, frequently, as well intentioned as they are, they're not reliable measures of actual news...i.e. unbiased fact. The worst of the lot is the Fluffington Post which should be read as 100% opinion and merely click-bait. Do some of their "articles" represent my views? Sure. However, their stories just fan the fire. It's time to put well sourced journalism at the forefront and make up our own minds from a position of fact...something that was nearly completely lacking during the presidential election.
The President Elect has indicated many times that he is going to be on the attack when it comes to periodicals such as the New York Times and Washington Post that cast him in a poor light. He said during his campaign that he's going to do something about his negative press:
"One of the things I'm going to do if I win, and I hope we do and we're certainly leading. I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We're going to open up those libel laws. So when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they're totally protected,"
As far as I'm aware, and according to NPR, Trump would "have to prove that at the time of publication, the reporter, the newspaper, the broadcaster knew that they were making a mistake or were reckless in making that mistake." And this is why we must support those institutions that do their homework before they go to press. I don't believe that the new administration will have a leg to stand on if they go after our many reputable news sources. But, to ensure that those sources continue to be able to do the work we need to make informed decisions, I'm telling everyone I know, it's time to start paying for real journalistic institutions.
Time to take out a subscription to the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post. Donate to NPR. And then, when you're done reading real fact-based news...go back to FaceBook, make your intelligent comments and parse through the information that best fits your understanding of those facts...like donations to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name; boycotting brands that contributed to a political party based on fear and a national divide ; attend some of the many marches planned...not just because it's a good idea, but because you stand for something.
In the next four years, we'll need to prepare to combat the administration's inexperience. Also, there will be attempts to subvert policy and Constitutional law in order to further political goals that are not in the best interest of We the People...the 99%. As my high school art teacher, Chuck Miley used to always say, "if you're going to have a battle of wits, it's best not to go unarmed!"
The next four years may feel like a policy war, and it's time to arm ourselves...with fact!
That said, before I overreact to what FaceBook would have me believe, I am going to choose to get my news from actual news sources. For starters, I am "off" political blogs because, frequently, as well intentioned as they are, they're not reliable measures of actual news...i.e. unbiased fact. The worst of the lot is the Fluffington Post which should be read as 100% opinion and merely click-bait. Do some of their "articles" represent my views? Sure. However, their stories just fan the fire. It's time to put well sourced journalism at the forefront and make up our own minds from a position of fact...something that was nearly completely lacking during the presidential election.
The President Elect has indicated many times that he is going to be on the attack when it comes to periodicals such as the New York Times and Washington Post that cast him in a poor light. He said during his campaign that he's going to do something about his negative press:
"One of the things I'm going to do if I win, and I hope we do and we're certainly leading. I'm going to open up our libel laws so when they write purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money. We're going to open up those libel laws. So when The New York Times writes a hit piece which is a total disgrace or when The Washington Post, which is there for other reasons, writes a hit piece, we can sue them and win money instead of having no chance of winning because they're totally protected,"
As far as I'm aware, and according to NPR, Trump would "have to prove that at the time of publication, the reporter, the newspaper, the broadcaster knew that they were making a mistake or were reckless in making that mistake." And this is why we must support those institutions that do their homework before they go to press. I don't believe that the new administration will have a leg to stand on if they go after our many reputable news sources. But, to ensure that those sources continue to be able to do the work we need to make informed decisions, I'm telling everyone I know, it's time to start paying for real journalistic institutions.
Time to take out a subscription to the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post. Donate to NPR. And then, when you're done reading real fact-based news...go back to FaceBook, make your intelligent comments and parse through the information that best fits your understanding of those facts...like donations to Planned Parenthood in Pence's name; boycotting brands that contributed to a political party based on fear and a national divide ; attend some of the many marches planned...not just because it's a good idea, but because you stand for something.
In the next four years, we'll need to prepare to combat the administration's inexperience. Also, there will be attempts to subvert policy and Constitutional law in order to further political goals that are not in the best interest of We the People...the 99%. As my high school art teacher, Chuck Miley used to always say, "if you're going to have a battle of wits, it's best not to go unarmed!"
The next four years may feel like a policy war, and it's time to arm ourselves...with fact!
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
I'm Voting
I'm voting for my daughter. I'm voting for my son. I'm voting for the environment. I'm voting for my job. I'm voting for my wife, and her job. I'm voting for my religious rights. I'm voting for acceptance. I'm voting for peace. I'm voting for music. I'm voting for free speech. I'm voting for democracy. I'm voting for renewable energy. I'm voting for international relations. I'm voting for technology. I'm voting for science. I'm voting for truth above hearsay. I'm voting for history, both to make history and a vow not to repeat historic errors.
But mostly, I'm voting so that we can continue voting our minds and values. We, you and I, have a job to do today. I'm voting so that you can vote too.
Vote.
But mostly, I'm voting so that we can continue voting our minds and values. We, you and I, have a job to do today. I'm voting so that you can vote too.
Vote.
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
I Stand with Standing Rock
I too believe that what the protesters are doing on Standing Rock is important. It's more important than the Bundy stand-off of last year for many reasons. The Bundy's were selfish wanting a national treasure for themselves while the Standing Rock Stand-Off is in the spirit of preserving a vital resource from tampering and potential destruction. In my opinion, fresh drinking water is an imperative that trumps greed for fossil fuel sales. I am not snowed as to thinking that this will curb our fossil fuel appetite, but I believe that funds dedicated to be used in this pipeline could better be used for honest, renewable energy.
That said, I have no issue with standing with Standing Rock, but similar to other FaceBook hoaxes please note that there is no coordinated effort to track protestors through FaceBook. The following is an excerpt from Snopes.Com:
"We contacted the department about the rumor, and an officer explained not only that they were not using Facebook check-ins as a gauge of anything, but that the metric presented no intelligence value to them. The rumor suggested that protesters cited Facebook check-ins as a manner in which police could target them, but check-ins were voluntary — and if police were using geolocation tools based on mobile devices, remote check-ins would not confuse or overwhelm them. In an e-mail response, a separate officer stated:
That said, I have no issue with standing with Standing Rock, but similar to other FaceBook hoaxes please note that there is no coordinated effort to track protestors through FaceBook. The following is an excerpt from Snopes.Com:
"We contacted the department about the rumor, and an officer explained not only that they were not using Facebook check-ins as a gauge of anything, but that the metric presented no intelligence value to them. The rumor suggested that protesters cited Facebook check-ins as a manner in which police could target them, but check-ins were voluntary — and if police were using geolocation tools based on mobile devices, remote check-ins would not confuse or overwhelm them. In an e-mail response, a separate officer stated:
The Morton County Sheriff’s Department is not and does not follow Facebook check-ins for the protest camp or any location. This claim / rumor is absolutely false.We also contacted Sacred Stone Camp to determine whether they were the source of the social media plea. A representative clarified the rumor, telling us that police do sift through social media for "incriminating material" (not whether or not they were at the site, however) and to generally monitor the protests. They told us that the group appreciated the gesture of solidarity, but that the message did not originate with their camp:
There is no doubt that law enforcement comb social media for incriminating material and monitor communications.Neither the Morton County's Sheriff's Department nor representatives for a large camp believed that the viral Facebook status meme was impeding law enforcement activities (although the protesters said that they appreciated the solidarity). Sacred Stone Camp maintained a fund to which supporters could donate money to support their legal defense. Although the meme drew attention to the issue, it didn't necessarily draw material assistance.
There is no solid line between "organizers" and "others"- this is a movement, not an organization. There are many camps and points of contact, we can only verify that it did not originate from the Sacred Stone Camp FB page. We support the tactic, and think it is a great way to express solidarity.
Originally published: 31 October 2016"
Ultimately, my view is don't post this with the intent on gaming anyone in law enforcement, but certainly stand in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples who have camped out there in the interest of preserving a resource we all need. As with all protests, merely posting something on FaceBook isn't enough. If you're interested in going to the next level, check out these suggestions on TheFreeThoughtProject.Com.
Ultimately, my view is don't post this with the intent on gaming anyone in law enforcement, but certainly stand in solidarity with the Indigenous Peoples who have camped out there in the interest of preserving a resource we all need. As with all protests, merely posting something on FaceBook isn't enough. If you're interested in going to the next level, check out these suggestions on TheFreeThoughtProject.Com.
Wednesday, October 26, 2016
Stats
Very quickly, I've cleared 8,000 views, and I think that's a fairly significant milestone. I wanted to share four statistics that are linked with those views, some of them obvious, and some a bit more surprising. In an effort to keep your attention through this entire post, I'll go from boring to interesting so, if you can't wait to see what I find interesting you can skip to the end. Granted, if you weren't interested in things I found interesting, I never would have made it up and over 8k views...but I digress.
Fact 1 - Most of the traffic that comes to this blog is from FaceBook. This is a no brainer. Long before Trump was trying to popularize "bigly," I've been using "bloggies" to alert my now 769 acquaintances who associate with me on the FB. Granted, if you average it out, I get about 58 reads a week. Considering that works out to 7.5% of potential FaceBook peeps, I'm certainly not as captivating as 8,000 total reads sounds.
Fact 2 - When they took my mom's dog, that's when I got the most readers. Of those 8081 views, 527 or 6.5% of the total views were because people shared that story. And, share they did. However, it's interesting. Rounding out the top 5 posts are my stories about bad neighbors, a follow up to the dog story and two posts I made about losing people to cancer. (p.s. #fuckcancer). Either I'm super depressing or you folks love to watch a train-wreck.
Fact 3 - Most people read my blog using their desktop/laptop in Chrome. That's 31%. Following that closely are people who read it on their iPhone or iPad (28%) followed by Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer/Edge and Android. What was interesting to me was that less than 1% were using a browser named SILK which is only available on the Kindle Fire. I'm guessing that's a single person so here's a shout-out to you, you Kindle user...keep on Firing. Oh, and those Chrome users are largely using Windows OS vs. OSx (32% vs. 16% respectively).
Fact 4 - Finally, while my readership is overwhelmingly in the US of A (89%), here are some other countries' inhabitants who have perused the blog:
I think I understand how Germany, Ireland, Canada and UK fit. What's boggling is the hits I get from Russia, China and the Ukraine. Please, if you're there...send me a note so I feel less paranoid about a communist plot! (Communism is just a red herring!) Anyway, now that you're all asleep, I promise to write something depressing next week because I know you all love it. Honestly, if I just copy and paste this entry, that might be depressing enough...or the fact that I still actively play Pokemon Go...without my kids...sometimes at lunch at work...most lunches at work.
Now I'm depressing myself.
Fact 1 - Most of the traffic that comes to this blog is from FaceBook. This is a no brainer. Long before Trump was trying to popularize "bigly," I've been using "bloggies" to alert my now 769 acquaintances who associate with me on the FB. Granted, if you average it out, I get about 58 reads a week. Considering that works out to 7.5% of potential FaceBook peeps, I'm certainly not as captivating as 8,000 total reads sounds.
Fact 2 - When they took my mom's dog, that's when I got the most readers. Of those 8081 views, 527 or 6.5% of the total views were because people shared that story. And, share they did. However, it's interesting. Rounding out the top 5 posts are my stories about bad neighbors, a follow up to the dog story and two posts I made about losing people to cancer. (p.s. #fuckcancer). Either I'm super depressing or you folks love to watch a train-wreck.
Fact 3 - Most people read my blog using their desktop/laptop in Chrome. That's 31%. Following that closely are people who read it on their iPhone or iPad (28%) followed by Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer/Edge and Android. What was interesting to me was that less than 1% were using a browser named SILK which is only available on the Kindle Fire. I'm guessing that's a single person so here's a shout-out to you, you Kindle user...keep on Firing. Oh, and those Chrome users are largely using Windows OS vs. OSx (32% vs. 16% respectively).
Fact 4 - Finally, while my readership is overwhelmingly in the US of A (89%), here are some other countries' inhabitants who have perused the blog:
France
|
253
|
Russia
|
138
|
Germany
|
77
|
Malaysia
|
52
|
Ireland
|
35
|
China
|
26
|
Canada
|
21
|
United Kingdom
|
14
|
Ukraine
|
14
|
I think I understand how Germany, Ireland, Canada and UK fit. What's boggling is the hits I get from Russia, China and the Ukraine. Please, if you're there...send me a note so I feel less paranoid about a communist plot! (Communism is just a red herring!) Anyway, now that you're all asleep, I promise to write something depressing next week because I know you all love it. Honestly, if I just copy and paste this entry, that might be depressing enough...or the fact that I still actively play Pokemon Go...without my kids...sometimes at lunch at work...most lunches at work.
Now I'm depressing myself.
Friday, October 14, 2016
Ringing Hallow
And another thing...
If you go to Amazon and type in "woman's Halloween costume" I challenge you to find one that's not either skin-tight or short skirted. If we're going to be honest with ourselves and our desire to change the cultural mindset away from abusive tendencies, then I suggest we also address the capitalistic skeleton in our closet. Shit wouldn't be this way if we weren't buying this crap/playing into the stereotype that all women's costumes should be alluring/sexy. What message are we sending to our daughters when the first two Harry Potter costumes for women are "Sexy Death Eater" and "Jojo Sexy Gorgeous Wizard Wanda?" I don't even know what the fuck that is, but I do know, from the picture, it's supposed to be a student at Hogwarts who had lip fillers, fake boobs, and is at least 22...which means she's failed Potions class more times than she's willing to admit.
Gizmodo nailed it when they wrote this blog entry identifying the most terrifying "sexy" costumes available this year.
So my thought is this: if we're so adamant that a man shouldn't be talking about forcing himself on women as a lark, then we should also change the frat-party culture that a woman's desire to dress up for Halloween needs to include bared breasts and spandex. This isn't the ONLY thing that needs to change regarding our collective mindset, just one that comes to the forefront every year around this time.
And, if you think, well, who's buying that stuff anyway, I urge you to attend New York City's parade on the 31st. A simple Google search of last year's event proves the point.
I'm saying these things not to dissuade people from dressing up the way they want to. I'm saying them because I'd like my daughter to be able to see that, when you hit a certain age (have a certain body) it's not expected. Right now I'm having issue with the Mouse from Florida. The Disney propaganda machine has infiltrated my home. And, yes, I think my daughter is a princess, but due to the Mouse media machine, the theme is neigh unavoidable. Still, my little girl will always be told that she can be anything she wants to...including President of the United States, or Rapunzel...but that neither need to display compromised modesty or values to be represented correctly.
If you go to Amazon and type in "woman's Halloween costume" I challenge you to find one that's not either skin-tight or short skirted. If we're going to be honest with ourselves and our desire to change the cultural mindset away from abusive tendencies, then I suggest we also address the capitalistic skeleton in our closet. Shit wouldn't be this way if we weren't buying this crap/playing into the stereotype that all women's costumes should be alluring/sexy. What message are we sending to our daughters when the first two Harry Potter costumes for women are "Sexy Death Eater" and "Jojo Sexy Gorgeous Wizard Wanda?" I don't even know what the fuck that is, but I do know, from the picture, it's supposed to be a student at Hogwarts who had lip fillers, fake boobs, and is at least 22...which means she's failed Potions class more times than she's willing to admit.
Gizmodo nailed it when they wrote this blog entry identifying the most terrifying "sexy" costumes available this year.
So my thought is this: if we're so adamant that a man shouldn't be talking about forcing himself on women as a lark, then we should also change the frat-party culture that a woman's desire to dress up for Halloween needs to include bared breasts and spandex. This isn't the ONLY thing that needs to change regarding our collective mindset, just one that comes to the forefront every year around this time.
And, if you think, well, who's buying that stuff anyway, I urge you to attend New York City's parade on the 31st. A simple Google search of last year's event proves the point.
I'm saying these things not to dissuade people from dressing up the way they want to. I'm saying them because I'd like my daughter to be able to see that, when you hit a certain age (have a certain body) it's not expected. Right now I'm having issue with the Mouse from Florida. The Disney propaganda machine has infiltrated my home. And, yes, I think my daughter is a princess, but due to the Mouse media machine, the theme is neigh unavoidable. Still, my little girl will always be told that she can be anything she wants to...including President of the United States, or Rapunzel...but that neither need to display compromised modesty or values to be represented correctly.
Friday, October 7, 2016
I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want.
Look, it’s early October, and that can only mean one thing:
it’s only 2 months until my birthday.
Yes yes. I’ll give you time to
stop your applause and adulations. As in
years past, there are some things that I think say “Look, this is most
certainly what he wants…it IS him.” And,
in case you’re not saying that, here’s a short list of amazing gifts you should
consider bestowing upon me.
I think my love of coffee is well documented (here),
especially my need for fresh press-pots of coffee. I also love Star Wars, and if you didn’t know
that then maybe we’re not truly friends/related. I give you the perfect amalgam: The Star WarsR2-D2 Coffee Press. Yes, if you’re like
me, you’re going to need a jolt of caffeine in order to stay awake during your
next Star Wars marathon. What better way
to make a solid pot of brew? Follow my
formula of 1-scoop per cup, add hot water, let brew, make the Kessel Run in
less than 12 parsecs and Presto!
A runner up to that are these light-up Darth Vader chopsticks. Yes please.
A runner up to that are these light-up Darth Vader chopsticks. Yes please.
Not expensive enough for you? Fine, I can handle that. I mean, you don’t want to be presenting me
with cheap trinkets when you can afford to get me something of higher value
(albeit not a higher necessity). Enter
the AudioQuest DragonFly USB Digital to Analog Converter and Apple Lightning toUSB Camera Adapter. What the hell do you
do with that. Well, I’m still working on
my quest to have some truly superior music course through my ears, and this is
the “it goes to 11” device that will propel my high-quality audio files into
the stratosphere. Basically, it takes
the processing responsibility of processing those zeros and ones away from the
iPhone and, instead, takes on that responsibility itself. You plug this into the iPhone Lightning port,
and plug your headphones into this and Presto! Better sounding high fidelity
files! And, it also comes in Red! How cool is that?
Finally, I thought, you know what I need more than anything
else in the world? The MonkeyLectricMonkey Light M232 full wheel illumination system! Huh?
Yup! You affix several strings of multi-colored LEDs to your spokes on
your bike, load a couple of patterns and pictures, and mount the battery pack
to the hub, and presto, you’re a rolling graphic equalizer. While the wheel spins, these waterproof LEDs
light up in a wide array of colors, images and patterns in “hundreds of color
combinations” provided you’re going over 10mph.
Throw the Bluetooth speaker into your bag, blast some grateful dead, and
head out for a post-sunset, cycle-psychedelic ride. I’m not sure how I ever bicycled without
these before!
And there you have it, this year’s NEED list for my birthday! Granted, I’m sharing this all with you as my family will likely veto all of the items on this list in favor of a card and maybe a dinner out at a Chinese restaurant of my choice. But, hey, wouldn’t it be great if I could bring my own chopsticks??? Yes, I think so too.
And there you have it, this year’s NEED list for my birthday! Granted, I’m sharing this all with you as my family will likely veto all of the items on this list in favor of a card and maybe a dinner out at a Chinese restaurant of my choice. But, hey, wouldn’t it be great if I could bring my own chopsticks??? Yes, I think so too.
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