Just sickening..

Welcome to the land of savages: Chicago teens charged with beating death of man who was collecting cans because social security was not enough.. the moron teens posted the video of the beating on Facebook for their fellow savages and crude sickos to like. Fortunately someone alerted police..

We are on borrowed time

I heard this description of life: It’s a bus ride that has no stops. You just keep going faster and faster

… the only way out is a crash: Death.

I think that sums up the gravity of the situation we are all in.

Please don’t consider this a negative posting about life. Life is actually quite fun for me right now.

I have a 17-month-old little man who is the joy of life.. My wife and I have been forever changed by his existence in our world. I have a wonderful family. Friends I cherish. We have jobs. We have a roof over our heads.. we have food when we are hungry. And I have an iPhone, and all the other technology that comes with life these days, too.

In the past two weeks I have been to two funerals. I will keep the overly personal information out, and just say that one was for someone who was 95 and a World War II POW. Another was for an uncle who lived to the truly ripe old age of 94. Both were pushing 100 when they met their respective final resting places. They both had long lives and lots of memories.. they both had stories.. both had a memories.. both had loved ones, cherished friends.. We all have stories, too. No matter the person.. From the richest to the poorest. From the oldest in the world to the child that dies at birth. There IS A MEANING to life.. right?

After contemplation, I have determined that we have become overly busy with our selfish pleasures of newsfeeds and campaign stats and sports stats and bla bla bla bla bla. At least I have.

I have neglected so much in the real world because of the online world. The internet and technology have become habits instead of pleasures. It went from being a novelty to a way of life. We all have been touched by the net bug. We are addicted!! Addicted to virtual reality. Addicted to virtual everything……virtually nothing.

But back to life for a second. REAL LIFE, not virtual.
What is the purpose to all this? Why ask! you know there is no answer. Lots claim to know the truth. Many others ponder it forever. In the end we don’t have a clue. What happens when we do die!? Again, here.. no word from anyone who did perish. We are left to wonder if near death experiences are really experiences of truth or just brain waves going awry. We are left to question tenets of religion.. question all things.

In the net age we have oodles of knowledge at our fingertips. All we have to do is Google or Bing it or MetaFilter it.. or whatever it. Do people even ask Jeeves anymore? Or AltaVista? .. Asta La Vista ..

Search results would amount to tons of data if you printed it on paper. But in our paperless society paper doesn’t exist anymore… right? Even though a paper-stack of bills sits next to me, that snail mail sent me, that was licked by some underpaid secretary in a cubicle maybe even AGHAST! with a typewriter…somewhere in the world.

There are bits and bytes of data flying around the world at a record pace.

And with all this knowledge you’d think by now someone would have found the meaning of life! The closest I know that found something was John Clease in MONTY PYTHON’S THE MEANING OF LIFE. The death penalty introduced to us in that show was, well, one many men wouldn’t mind having.

The information superhighway.. that is what it was once dubbed. Now it’s filled with potholes and dead sites that have dead ends.

Where does it all go in the end, though?

No where.. bits and bytes go bye bye for us.

Our bodies were dust and to dust they return. Despite the big plans we have to strive for big goals, we are cut down by something..whether it’s fate, God, time.. science. Whatever you believe. You can be five months, 15, 35, or 95. All dust.

So after this week, with two funerals (and a wedding, congrats bro), one can only leave the day with a renewed perspective on this strange place called earth.

A new lease on life!?

Not a chance…

A constantly expiring lease?

Now that is more like it..

Interesting ..

I lost two followers after I posted a link to a video about Poland’s tornadoes.

I lost another follower tonight when I said I want politics out of the BATMAN movies.

And finally, I lost 7 followers after I posted the story about foie gras.

I guess there is just something about me people don’t like.

California imposed a ban on foie gras starting July 1 of this year, however the Presidio Social Club says it can still serve the force-fed 'delicacy'

Why? 

Because it has a business on property maintained by the federal government…

Interesting legal debate may be setting up … one food watchers and animal rights activists will be closely following.

I am actually quite sickened by the thought of foie gras.. but for some reason I think if big tall huge aliens invaded earth, they may very well force feed humans and serve us. I don’t know if we’d have a fancy name like foie gras .. and I sure don’t know if we’d be a delicacy.

Then again, during this summer of cannibal rage, maybe such a horrid act is possible..

California imposed a ban on foie gras starting July 1 of this year, however the Presidio Social Club says it can still serve the force-fed 'delicacy'

A truly suspicious package.. the TSA just had to look. I'm sure this story will makes it way around the world, but many will blush speaking about it. The man with the world's largest genitalia was thoroughly searched by the TSA

It just seems more and more like the TSA is just hell-bent on being in a porn movie..

A truly suspicious package.. the TSA just had to look. I'm sure this story will makes it way around the world, but many will blush speaking about it. The man with the world's largest genitalia was thoroughly searched by the TSA

Please for the love of God keep politics out of the DARK KNIGHT!!

Really.. Democrats are using THE DARK KNIGHT film in new advertising against Mitt Romney.. Source here

I don’t care your political belief or presidential pick, I just hope we ALL can agree that the 2012 presidential election should be kept away from what may be the movie of the year.

Please politicians just give us one thing this year that won’t be political.. We beg of you..

Then again, Mitt Romney did star in BATMAN RETURNS as Max Schreck, didn’t he?

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQkBeOisNM0?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

Music to start the week. Good luck to all who are facing the prospects of heat, humidity, horrid war, pestilence.. but I think we all will agree: CAN’T WAIT FOR THE DARK KNIGHT in theaters this weekend..

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

Old times are a flyin

Remember the show SIGHTINGS hosted by Tim White? That was one great show .. I’ve been You Tubing the past all night.. I wish it was still on

A tale of one painting. Joe Paterno had a halo after he died, but on July 14, 2012, artist Michael Pilato used his skills to remove that same halo..

Sure, the late Penn State coach is no saint. But now that the Freeh report is sinking in and new facts are being digested, it’s clear that he was no saint either. He was a man who wanted to try to cover up as much as he could to save the reputation of Penn State.. and sordid as it all seems, the children who were abused in this situation always were last on the list of people who were helped. It’s a disgusting and sick story .. one that I can’t really read about much or think about much because of how deplorable it was and is, but also because of how many generations of proud Penn State graduates are shamed for good by the scars of sexual abuse in locker rooms on the campus.

Oh, and yes, the school has decided to re-do those shower rooms.. take away the look … but not the memories. No way in hell will people forget what happened there. And with more and more information trickling out about how much higher ups knew of the situation, the story isn’t dead yet.

Tornado alley .. Polish version. You don't hear of these storms often hitting UK nations..

But today a tragic situation unfolded ..

A freak wave of tornadoes slammed in part of Poland today.. houses are wrecked, people are shocked, and tonight at least one is dead in the nation.

This summer has already given Poland and other European nations hail, flash floods, and heavy winds. And now quite powerful tornadoes have struck..

This can happen in this nation and other UK countries, but it rarely does. And when it does it is seldom as powerful as the storms that hit Sunday..

Here is a video of some tornado events:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWUtjpoM7f4]

And here is more information about just how surprising and strong these tornadoes were..

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3fmq48DGwk?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=http://safe.txmblr.com&wmode=opaque&w=500&h=281]

Beauty in a 1 minute.. 

Here is a time lapse video of the Northern Lights in the early morning hours of 7/15/2012 taken just north of Dubuque, Iowa at the Balltown, Iowa scenic overlook.

And the scenes of a green and purple aura in the sky are absolutely amazing.

Not sure if my hometown saw northern lights.. sadly the sky was cloudy all night.

Sunspot 1520 and the X flare last week caused this spectacular show, and I am truly jealous of whoever got to see it..including the residents of Balltown, Iowa.

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

DANCING IN THE DARK, LITERALLY

The arts were cut off in London last night. Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney were wowing the crowd, jamming out the night.. and then they were CUT OFF by the organizers because LONDON HAS A CURFEW.

Glory Days quickly ended. Dancing in the dark ensued.

And lots of people around the world suddenly took notice to a nanny like state that says when too much music is too much.

And yes, the angry musicians are lashing out.. Steven van Zandt said England is becoming a police state.

Next up: The Olympics! Hope the swim matches don’t go too long…

Don't get yourself caught up in an Amityville situation

We all know the story of Amityville horror, whether by watching the movie or remake, reading the book, or listening to countless interviews with lawyers and the family supposedly haunted by the murders that took place within the home in New York. The house exists still and is back and forth on the real estate market.. Lots have debunked the story of the Lutz family. Others stand by the account and believe that DeFeo murders forever haunted the property..

The house was bought by a resident in 2010 for $950,000.. and then sold.. Those who attended the house showing in 2010 moving sale at 108 Ocean Ave. but the basement was not open for public consumption at the time. The owner in 2010 did not claim any haunting took place. As a matter of fact, no owners have since the Lutz family left in the 20th century..

But it brings up an interesting question, should you conclude that your own home is haunted by spirits or worse. What do you do to get rid of the house?

You can technically walk away from the mortgage. 

But if you’re more inclined to care about credit and a future purchase, you’ll want to sell the house on the market—and we know that demons and evilspiritdoers won’t care about the asking price.  

A new show is being filmed to be on the SyFy that may help those in need of advice on how to ditch the witch. A Fort Wane, Indiana, real estate agent is going to try to help. His name is Scott FladHammer and he wrote a book “HOW TO SELL AN UGLY OR HAUNTED HOUSE.”

We all know the housing market collapsed in 2008—and what is left of it appears to be collapsing even further. Maybe we finally have a blame.. now financial institutions’ greed but instead witches and ghosts lurking in the walls of attics of homes. In which case, FladHammer will ride to the rescue.

The Bain drain

The storm: Obama camp decimates Romney in new TV ad.. President attacks in stump speech in heavy rain..

Romney signatures at Bain after he said he left..

Enough to make you sick

Congress may allow Monsanto to write its own rules!

3-year-old gets mugged in NYC! Chain ripped from his neck..

Here is another story on federal agencies offering opposing forecasts of the solar impact to the planet

And I reiterate: I hope this won’t happen should there be a ‘big one’.. 

It appears the world is not going to sizzle with this flare—and won’t in the future, either. But when a strong X class has the potential to do some damage you’d hope that federal agencies are on the same page.

But then again.. what if the same page they are on is dead wrong?

In that regard, maybe it’s better they oppose and offer different forecasts. May the strongest forecast win.

Here is another story on federal agencies offering opposing forecasts of the solar impact to the planet

As the solar storm from the X flare hits earth, federal agencies are providing inconsistent information on the power

What is troubling to think about is when a really large solar event takes place that could have a significant impact on this planet, will things be this much of a mess?

As the solar storm from the X flare hits earth, federal agencies are providing inconsistent information on the power

All that anger about Team USA's Olympics clothing

First of all, I can say this: I don’t like that China made Team USA’s Olympic clothing anymore than the next person. I type this, of course, on a computer make in India.. and read about the story on an iPhone made in China. Oh and of course Congress was outraged too. I am sure Harry Reid, who said we should burn the clothes and start from scratch, was wearing a suit made in the USA? And socks made in the USA? And .. well, he wasn’t. Chances are no one anywhere ever really is anymore.

And that is the tragic part of this story.

We don’t make anything here. Including military vehicles! How many times have you heard about China making weapons of war and selling them the United States? How many times before someone notices? Sports made people notice.. Team USA’s awful beret style outfit made people notice..

Another angle of this story not being mentioned is just how awful the outfits are. It looks like a remake of CHARIOTS OF FIRE. 

Personally I enjoy the summer games. Really. There is something magical, still, about the Olympics. And of course this year they feature a boatload of missiles pointed directly at the city of London by British military … but that aside, the United States, with its double breasted lapels and berets, will march into Olympics stadium proudly with an American flag and outfits made in China. Wonder where that flag was made….

And wonder where team China’s outfits were made? let me guess.. Taiwan? 

Horror is dominating at Comic-Con

…and the Joker is returning from a long hiatus. Can’t wait

Horror is dominating at Comic-Con

Friday night.
The mood is right.

Of course if you’re so inclined to get some information into your system tonight along with your cold or warm brew of choice, here you go.. Enjoy and be safe:

• An interesting article from THE ATLANTIC on Obama’s drone war.. 


• Mitt Romney set to make the rounds this weekend, but it will also be Ron Paul’s last stand.. in Nebraska of all places.. If he wins Saturday in the state he could shake up the GOP convention and the party itself..


• This story is making national headlines most likely only because it’s weird:A boyfriend assaulted his girlfriend with steak sauce. The reason? Well FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY of course..


• Who were the first Americans? Some new information questions how old we are and who was here first…


• A 28-year-old autistic man was found alive after three weeks lost in a remote part of Utah..


• Some historic flooding is taking place in Houston, but it is most likely not enough to end a drought that seems to continue on and on.


• GREEN MILE star Michael Clarke Duncan in hospital after cardiac arrest..


• More horrid Syria massacres taking place..

And.. indeed, it is Friday the 13th. Hopefully there were no black cats in your way or ladders above your head throughout the day. And even if there were, why worry. Amazingly, 60 million people around this planet will. 

Be safe and be lucky.

Perhaps today is the best day to play the lottery.