Fireflies and summer nights. . and memories of when they were both magical. Happy solstice.

The solstice.. and the longest day of the year is upon us.  

This is something magical about summer nights.. the notion that it doesn’t get dark until 9pm or so in the middle of the summer season adds to the mystery. Also adding to the strange feeling of joy, love, teenage fun, and laughter: Those fast cars with the tops down, motorcycles without helmets, and fireflies littering the night sky.

 But I noticed something different this year: Less fireflies than normal. It could just be my little place on the planet lacking them so far.. maybe not enough heat has broiled and boiled the landscape yet. But by now?? We’d see them..

I can only speculate on the cause. Bees are collapsing due to —something> Monsanto? Other animals are having a tough time escaping whatever affliction is being placed on them by whomever.

So if fireflies are next, just as the monarch butterly started to be about two years ago, it would only make logical sense. I certainly hope not.

 I recall summer nights long ago, living in my little home town of Centralia, PA, when I would be accompanied in my childhood by my then teenage brother and sister, with their friends, and run into a large field where hundreds  of fireflies just sort of hung out all night. I did the whole childhood collection of fireflies in jars.. and now? Those jars are empty.

Those fireflies just don’t seem to be there anymore..

 

"I want to look in your eyes, Vlad, Georgie liked you. Didn’t he call you Pootie Poot?"

"Oh did I tell you what I have been doing lately? My government can track EVERY phone call ever, and we even tracked Dimitri’s activity a few years ago!"

"Oh like YOU never did it, Mr. KGB!"

"Hey Barack, you may have a state of the art domestic spying program, but do you have a Super Bowl ring?"

"I don’t know what made me think we can start this relationship again. We’re through!"

A few days ago this website reported that Artbell.com was coming back. 

The former radio show host himself announced that something was going to occur on that website, and that it was under construction, and to watch for more.. Around that same time the website appeared with an all black background and one single white question mark. 

Early this morning, the site changed. 

The black background still remains, but now a different punctuation mark is present: The exclamation point.

No word yet officially from anyone on what exactly Bell is planning to do with this website, but there are rumors rampant online that the former webmaster of Arbell.com is once again at the helm.. 

Time will tell, and since there are only a certain number of punctuation marks before you run out, I don’t know what we will see next..

Google challenges U.S. gag order, citing First Amendment

Search giant asking secretive court to let the company reveal the number of government data requests.

Wow.. this will be VERY interesting..

Google challenges U.S. gag order, citing First Amendment

A new project begins beaming your messages into deep space.. will any ETs hear them? According to the interesting article from SPACE.COM, the messages will take 17 years or so to get to their destination, GILESE 526, a distant star system.. And if there are life forms somewhere deep out there, hearing us.. will that be good. Is it good to announce to the universe “we are here! come and get us!”? Will it take 17 years for someone to get back to us? Just a fascinating story. 

Looks like a very,  very awkward first date.

"We have nothing in common, O"

"I can’t believe Bush liked this guy"

Report: School district scanned children's eyes for bus program without permission

A series of behind-the-scenes mistakes by educators in a Florida school district led to children€™s’ biometric information being culled without their parents’€™ permission, 

The future is now. Sadly.

Report: School district scanned children's eyes for bus program without permission

Pope Francis blesses hundreds of Harley Davidsons.. The story reminded me of the scene from PEE WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE when Pee Wee makes the almost life threatening mistake of knocking down rows of motorcycles, only leading him to put on the large shoes and dance on stage for the motorcycle gang.. In this instance, Francis has apparently accepted the bike culture at Vatican City.. Oh, and in Pee Wee’s movie, ‘Francis’ was the neighbor who wanted Pee Wee’s bike.. another weird connection, don’t you think?

The New York TIMES: Faces of the Minimum Wage

The number of Americans earning minimum wage has grown significantly since the recession hit; here, stories of getting by.

Good read. And important..

Where are we going as a nation? Is it acceptable that we are not creating good jobs anymore, but instead expanding the base of the minimum wage earners—a future where the middle class will not exist and it will only be a rich vs poor Robinhood society..

The New York TIMES: Faces of the Minimum Wage

Ms. Utah tried to make a case for .. something.

(Source: http://www.digitalspy.com/)

Did Obama violate our privacy? Did China really ask us what WE are doing? Did Vlad the Impaler actually steal that Super Bowl ring in 2005? It's G8 time

Obama and Putin at the G8.. So many issues: Syria, weapons.. the Syrian ‘rebels’ who are devouring human flesh.. .. oh, and that newfound tension now that the GUARDIAN reported that past events may have been … screened.

President Obama does not think Americans’ privacy has been violated..

A new Firefox plugin warns of NSA surveillance..

CHINA is asking the UNITED STATES to explain internet surveillance.. Did you ever think you’d see that headline with the nations in the order that they are written?

Obama polls crashing: THE US has lost that loving feeling..

Vlad denies stealing a Super Bowl ring (*but anyone who remembers seeing the video will clearly remember he did*)

Another Sunday night, another GUARDIAN doozy: GCHQ intercepted foreign politicians' communications at G20 summits

Exclusive: phones were monitored and fake internet cafes set up to gather information from allies in London in 2009

If the Edward Snowden story has not had global ramifications, it certainly will now.. this is a barn burner of a GUARDIAN  exclusive..

Another Sunday night, another GUARDIAN doozy: GCHQ intercepted foreign politicians' communications at G20 summits

You know how everyone says that thye NSA cannot listen to our calls, but only see the numbers we are calling? Read this: NSA admits listening to U.S. phone calls without warrants

National Security Agency discloses in secret Capitol Hill briefing that thousands of analysts can listen to domestic phone calls. That authorization appears to extend to e-mail and text messages too. Read this article by Declan McCullagh on CNET News.

You know how everyone says that thye NSA cannot listen to our calls, but only see the numbers we are calling? Read this: NSA admits listening to U.S. phone calls without warrants

A few days ago on the HORROR REPORT, I wrote about how the new Superman movie is being marketed to the religious and faithful—which makes sense, after all family friendly and religious themed films do quite well at the box office.

I received one message from someone stating that Superman has historically been compared to Jesus and there was nothing new or different about the MAN OF STEEL concept..

I respecfully disagreed with that assertion. And now a CNN article posted this weekend backs up my contention that this movie, unlike many others, is directly being marketed to Christians .. 

CNN REPORTS that ministers were being given special screenings of the movie.. and perhaps the hope that they would praise Christ from the pulpit along with remind the flock of the benefits of going to see wholesome movies—especially when the hero is being portrayed quite like Christ. 

And after all.. Jesus Christ was an Inside Job.

Clearly the numbers for the movie have been swelling to epic proportions over the weekend. We know Friday night and Saturday night date nights went well for the MAN OF STEEL.

Father’s day Sunday may be strong—and maybe even a big bolster coming with mid-day post Church goers looking for deeper and hidden meanings in the MAN OF STEEL.. 

A father's day reflection.

Mother’s day came first. Dad was an afterthought. And then Father’s day followed.

But that’s fine. 

You see, Mother’s Day, in many respects, is what matters. ‘Mom’ goes through the nine months of changes, the labor pains.. the glorious feeling when she holds her child.  Dad of course had a hand in the whole affair, but.. .. .. and for that, we know why dads mean something.

I have sought to be the best father, ever. Period. I don’t know how often I sink or swim with my son, Ayden, but I certainly try..

Since the first time I looked at my son’s face, I felt a connection that is stronger than the physical form. This may sound corny, and for non-believers, potentially repugnant, but I see “God” in my son’s eyes. Whatever your idea of God is, of course. Because God may not be the God we think God is, or he may be a she, or maybe just electricity.. or maybe nothing.  But I see more than nothing in my son’s eyes, therefore I know there is something more than nothing—and the something is something I have no clue how to even try to understand.. 

And re-re-reading that paragraph, I know it makes little sense. But life sometimes just… makes little sense.

What does make sense, though, is being a father. Sharing laughs, wrestling matches (without real punches), fights, and love.

Family first. At least according to Adam Sandler in CLICK.

And I follow that motto. Family first.

We certainly don’t have to be friends. But we need to be family.

In 1993, I received a Christmas gift: My mom subscribed me to TIME magazine. I have been a reader since. Though I will admit now over the past 10 years I sometimes page through the smaller than ever print edition and just toss it aside. But in 1993 I read a story called ‘FATHERHOOD’… Never of course, at the age of 13, realizing that 20 years later I’d be celebrating my third father’s day…

And in 2003, ten years after that TIME edition was printed on old paper, I was cruising around in my 1999 RED Volkswagen Jetta, searching for a mate and not realizing my best friend Tara would soon be my wife… While cracking the windows, I played my COMPACT DISC of Simple Plan. I’d Do Anything… And now, ten years later, my son Ayden  is watching 2003 reruns of SCOOBY DOO and he is singing along to songs by Simple Plan, as they did the theme songs and background music for the show.. At one point about three weeks ago, I had Ayden in my car and put my old scratched up CD of Simple Plan in.. and me and my son shared a moment of singing along to music. In 2003 did I ever think I’d have a child, let alone be married? No.. I did not.

This is what happens. Life happens when you are busy making other plans. Right, Mr. Holland? Your Opus proved that..

I think I may go back to the 1993 article of TIME and read what  being a father is all about..Though I think I know.

Being a dad is being there. Being the wrestler in Chief and sometimes the disciplinarian in chief. Easing mom’s tension by taking the child away for a while. Being a friend. A foe. And an ally to the end.

Yes, fatherhood is interesting, beautiful, and amazing. All at the same time. I am glad I am taking part in this grand experiment.

To all the dads out there, including my own: Happy Father’s Day. For a few hours Mom may tell you it’s “your” day. Actually it’s not. It is your child’s day — everyday..

Bear with head stuck in jar is rescued in Pa.

JAMISON CITY, Pa. (AP) — Four central Pennsylvania residents said they used only a rope and a flashlight during a wild chase to rescue a young bear whose head had been stuck in a plastic jar for at least 11 days.

Clearly one of those ‘only in Pennsylvania’ type of stories.. The AP has now recorded it forever..

Bear with head stuck in jar is rescued in Pa.

The WASHINGTON POST: Five myths about privacy

Why it matters, even if you have nothing to hide.

The WASHINGTON POST: Five myths about privacy

Open lines weekend

It is a beautiful weekend and in my opinion either a sin crime against humanity if you don’t get out and enjoy it..

But in the meantime my lines are open throughout the weekend.. ask me anything, tell me anything. I’m calling it the ‘DO ASK, DO TELL’ weekend in June..

Enjoy life, all.

So .. who is going to see MAN  OF STEEL this weekend?

HGTV shame: Clyde Lewis points out that they are giving their viewers reccomendations on how to use an American flag: Use it as a tablecloth! That’s right, as Lewis points out, the decoration tip for your July 4th BBQ is in direct conflict with the US Flag Code. Maybe the television network will decide what to do with those smaller flags that often grace cemetaries. Toilet paper perhaps? Why not.. what’s the difference between that and a brown baked bean stain on your once proud ragged flag?

UPDATE: HGTV says sorry..