...but I miss my wife...so much! Her here would make this just about perfect...
Love you Shawna!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Italia Bound
So I'm heading to Italy for a conference. I'm gonna have a few days to do some sightseeing while I'm there, though, so my plan is to use my new iPhone 4 (with it's incredible 5 megapixel camera) to photoblog the trip.
Stay tuned!
Stay tuned!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Southpark
I'm not a fan of Southpark; I don't have a television, so it'd be difficult to watch even if I wanted to, but the humor (while funny) is usually just a little too off-color for prudish me.
Nevertheless, I'm a little disgruntled. I guess (you Southpark watchers out there, tell me if I've got this wrong) that the writers, in their typical sacrilegious style, included references to the prophet Mohammad in a recent episode. I guess that there's this aversion amongst Muslims to pictorial portrayals of Mohammad so the Southpark writers cloaked the prophet in a bear costume (I'm thinking this might've been their cheeky way of poking fun at this admittedly strange Muslim custom).
Muslims have apparently not yet grown up. They got really upset and threatened to kill the Southpark writers. Which is kinda childish, you know? I mean, really. A stupid (not said disparagingly at all, Southpark fans) TV show pokes fun at your prophet. So you want to kill them?
That's just absurd. In fact, as I sit here thinking about it, it just makes me angry. Don't get me wrong; I think there are some things that are kinda sacred. I'm a religious guy and, I admit, it kinda bothers me when people debase something that I view as sacred. I've never threatened to kill anyone over it though. In fact, as I think about it, I recall that Southpark once aired a show in which Jesus battled Santa Claus in hand-to-hand combat; seems equally as sacrilegious as Mohammad in a bear costume. Yet I don't recall any Christians threatening to kill the Southpark people.
And I DEFINITELY don't recall Comedy Central (the network that airs the show) censoring the Jesus vs. Santa Claus episode as they did with the Bear Mohammad episode. Which gets me almost as much as a bunch of petulant (and, frankly, arrogant) Muslims threatening to kill someone.
Seems like such a double standard: Jesus vs. Santa Claus is funny; the Bear Mohammad is just too inappropriate. To be clear, I don't think the Jesus vs. Santa Claus episode should have been censored. I DO think, on the other hand, that there's something wrong with someone who threatens to kill another human being because they air a television show construed by the would-be killer as sacrilegious. I further think it's pathetic that the network would crater to the pressure from an extremist group.
I'm going to stop ranting while I'm still ahead. (I am still ahead, aren't I?).
As always, don't frequent www.acquirethisname.com. They're the scumbags who stole my domain name, and tried to screw me over when I wanted it back. They're the lowest form of entrepreneurs, the pond scum of capitalism, business people who ADD NO VALUE WHATSOEVER to the economy; rather, they suck the last dregs of life from those who've had the misfortune of failing to renew their domain name. They are extortioners of creativity, and I hope to see them out of business someday soon.
Nevertheless, I'm a little disgruntled. I guess (you Southpark watchers out there, tell me if I've got this wrong) that the writers, in their typical sacrilegious style, included references to the prophet Mohammad in a recent episode. I guess that there's this aversion amongst Muslims to pictorial portrayals of Mohammad so the Southpark writers cloaked the prophet in a bear costume (I'm thinking this might've been their cheeky way of poking fun at this admittedly strange Muslim custom).
Muslims have apparently not yet grown up. They got really upset and threatened to kill the Southpark writers. Which is kinda childish, you know? I mean, really. A stupid (not said disparagingly at all, Southpark fans) TV show pokes fun at your prophet. So you want to kill them?
That's just absurd. In fact, as I sit here thinking about it, it just makes me angry. Don't get me wrong; I think there are some things that are kinda sacred. I'm a religious guy and, I admit, it kinda bothers me when people debase something that I view as sacred. I've never threatened to kill anyone over it though. In fact, as I think about it, I recall that Southpark once aired a show in which Jesus battled Santa Claus in hand-to-hand combat; seems equally as sacrilegious as Mohammad in a bear costume. Yet I don't recall any Christians threatening to kill the Southpark people.
And I DEFINITELY don't recall Comedy Central (the network that airs the show) censoring the Jesus vs. Santa Claus episode as they did with the Bear Mohammad episode. Which gets me almost as much as a bunch of petulant (and, frankly, arrogant) Muslims threatening to kill someone.
Seems like such a double standard: Jesus vs. Santa Claus is funny; the Bear Mohammad is just too inappropriate. To be clear, I don't think the Jesus vs. Santa Claus episode should have been censored. I DO think, on the other hand, that there's something wrong with someone who threatens to kill another human being because they air a television show construed by the would-be killer as sacrilegious. I further think it's pathetic that the network would crater to the pressure from an extremist group.
I'm going to stop ranting while I'm still ahead. (I am still ahead, aren't I?).
As always, don't frequent www.acquirethisname.com. They're the scumbags who stole my domain name, and tried to screw me over when I wanted it back. They're the lowest form of entrepreneurs, the pond scum of capitalism, business people who ADD NO VALUE WHATSOEVER to the economy; rather, they suck the last dregs of life from those who've had the misfortune of failing to renew their domain name. They are extortioners of creativity, and I hope to see them out of business someday soon.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Crooks that run www.acquirethisname.com
So my email address has changed since I originally purchased the "MyndFood" url. And thus, when the domain name registration came up for renewal, I didn't know, and eventually, GoDaddy.com canceled my domain.
So I called them, explained to them what happened, and they offered to help me buy the domain back out of this virtual limbo (where nobody really owns it). So I said, "Sure". And they proceeded to go through the list of fees I'd have to pay to get the domain back during this "limbo" (basically, they were going to charge me about $150 to get the domain that I'd paid $9 for originally back).
Frankly, that's just crooked. I've thought a lot about this, and they've built a significant stream of income on taking advantage of people in distress.
Scumbags.
So I told them no. I figured that domain name limbo only lasts three months; I'll just wait until limbo is over, then hop back on and buy the domain again for the $9.99 price.
Wrong.
Turns out that there are crooked scavengers out there who are even more scumbag-ish than GoDaddy! Apparently there are these people out there who don't have a creative idea of their own, so they wait for folks to forget to renew their domain, they buy it out from under them, then they try to resell it!
Yep; some other jerk decided to buy MyndFood.com! He's at www.acquirethisname.com, by the way. I would STRONGLY urge you to NEVER go to acquirethisname.com to acquire a name because they will, without question, rape you.
The site asks me how much I'm willing to pay to get my url back; so I put in $35 (a fair premium, I think). They email me back telling me that they'll sell it to me for $3,000!
Insane! $3,000 for a url that, in its heyday, got like 60 hits per day? So I sent him a very kindly worded email, informing him (Blake, his name is) that he's nuts, and that, since I made up the word "MyndFood" in the first place, it'd be WAY cheaper for me to put on my creative cap again, and make up a different word than it would be to give him three grand for his crummy url.
So, my friends (if you can read this), MyndFood is dead. Which is OK.
Just wanted to vent a little!
So I called them, explained to them what happened, and they offered to help me buy the domain back out of this virtual limbo (where nobody really owns it). So I said, "Sure". And they proceeded to go through the list of fees I'd have to pay to get the domain back during this "limbo" (basically, they were going to charge me about $150 to get the domain that I'd paid $9 for originally back).
Frankly, that's just crooked. I've thought a lot about this, and they've built a significant stream of income on taking advantage of people in distress.
Scumbags.
So I told them no. I figured that domain name limbo only lasts three months; I'll just wait until limbo is over, then hop back on and buy the domain again for the $9.99 price.
Wrong.
Turns out that there are crooked scavengers out there who are even more scumbag-ish than GoDaddy! Apparently there are these people out there who don't have a creative idea of their own, so they wait for folks to forget to renew their domain, they buy it out from under them, then they try to resell it!
Yep; some other jerk decided to buy MyndFood.com! He's at www.acquirethisname.com, by the way. I would STRONGLY urge you to NEVER go to acquirethisname.com to acquire a name because they will, without question, rape you.
The site asks me how much I'm willing to pay to get my url back; so I put in $35 (a fair premium, I think). They email me back telling me that they'll sell it to me for $3,000!
Insane! $3,000 for a url that, in its heyday, got like 60 hits per day? So I sent him a very kindly worded email, informing him (Blake, his name is) that he's nuts, and that, since I made up the word "MyndFood" in the first place, it'd be WAY cheaper for me to put on my creative cap again, and make up a different word than it would be to give him three grand for his crummy url.
So, my friends (if you can read this), MyndFood is dead. Which is OK.
Just wanted to vent a little!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Obama's Speech to Your Kids
President Obama has planned a special speech, directed specifically toward students, to be broadcast via the Internet to schools around the country.
As a prestigious blogger, I've been allowed an early preview of the speech, and I have to say, Obama is doing a wonderful job of reaching out to America's students. I saw the California version, which begins:
"Buenos dias, estudientes. Para Ingles, marque numero uno; para Espanol, marque dos."
(the sound of the "1" button).
"Good morning students. Yesterday, as you know, was Labor Day, a special holiday that we Americans celebrate in honor of the various labor unions that have made the American workplace a safe and happy place for some of your parents. The labor unions, as you know, are foundational to America's prosperity for without them, ALL of your parents would be forced to work consistently without any hope of long-term unemployment benefits. Instead, Americans all over this great land have the ability to stay home a good part of the year and live comfortably, thanks to the wonderful benefits that the labor unions have been able to extract from over-wealthy business owners.
"But I wanted to take a few moments to talk to you today about the importance of the public school system. As you know, we in the Democratic Party have made public education a priority. We have invested enormous amounts of money in your education, and we are committed to giving you the best education available in this country. And we listen to you: as you know, I ran for President last year on a platform of Change, and we are working to make the public education system even better.
"First, there are over 40 million children between the ages of 1 and 4 here in America who are not in a school. I firmly believe in education for everyone. That's why I have instructed congress to pass the "Private Helps Public" act of 2009, in which every dollar that a wealthy parent pays for tuition so that their child can attend a high-priced private school, they must donate a dollar to the "Private Helps Public" fund.
"And what will those funds be used for? You noticed that, as part of my "Change You Can Believe In" campaign, I made some promises to better the public education system. True to my word, this year, when you came back to school, things had changed. Now, EVERY student gets a free breakfast at school; EVERY student has access to either reduced price--or even free--lunches. The money we receive from the "Private Helps Public" program will go to support a student free dinner fund, so that every child in America receives three meals a day. That's the kind of change you can believe in: we here in Washington are committed to ensuring we provide you with everything you need.
"This, American students, is my great dream: a nation in which your government ensures you have three meals a day at no cost to you; that you have all the health care you need at no cost to you; that you have an apartment in which to live that costs no more than 1/4 your monthly net income; that you have a fuel efficient, new car.
"This is my dream for you. There are those who don't want you to have that dream, though. Look around you: the parents of some of your fellow students, sitting right there in that room, would like to strip away all of the positive changes we've made, and keep us from doing this great work. But it need not be that way. You have a voice; you have an untapped source of power greater than any America has ever seen (you have, after all, given the guy with the flyless, elastic waisted camoflauge pants a swirly three times already this year).
"Use that power! Be a force for change! Go to my website and give us your email address; we'll forward links to free flyers you can pass out in your neighborhood. And talk to your parents; educate them. And if they refuse to listen, get them hopelessly drunk this November the night before voting.
"Remember children: you are the America of tomorrow. Our hope lies in you--and so you MUST stay in public school and continue to believe in the change that we continue to bring. And soon, we will have the country we have envisioned.
"Thank you, and may America be blessed."
OK. So, I'm not a prestigious blogger, and I certainly haven't been given access to Obama's speech in advance, but I have a somewhat active imagination, and based on all the uproar, this is what I imagine it'll be like.
Maybe not...who knows.
Thing is, a few years ago, I wouldn't have cared, but as I age (and become, I think, a better parent), I realize how raw my children are. They're literally begging for someone to shape their beliefs and values. And, regardless how noble--or ignoble--our President's intentions, if we're not careful, this speech and others like it will do much to shape those raw, searching children, many of whom have no real force in their life to provide the value structure.
And those children, a few short years from now, will project those values by way of a vote in the voting booth.
Hitler had it right when he formed the Hitler Youth: shape them while they're young, and they'll never depart.
The question you have to ask yourself: is this the message that I want to influence my child's value system?
As a prestigious blogger, I've been allowed an early preview of the speech, and I have to say, Obama is doing a wonderful job of reaching out to America's students. I saw the California version, which begins:
"Buenos dias, estudientes. Para Ingles, marque numero uno; para Espanol, marque dos."
"Good morning students. Yesterday, as you know, was Labor Day, a special holiday that we Americans celebrate in honor of the various labor unions that have made the American workplace a safe and happy place for some of your parents. The labor unions, as you know, are foundational to America's prosperity for without them, ALL of your parents would be forced to work consistently without any hope of long-term unemployment benefits. Instead, Americans all over this great land have the ability to stay home a good part of the year and live comfortably, thanks to the wonderful benefits that the labor unions have been able to extract from over-wealthy business owners.
"But I wanted to take a few moments to talk to you today about the importance of the public school system. As you know, we in the Democratic Party have made public education a priority. We have invested enormous amounts of money in your education, and we are committed to giving you the best education available in this country. And we listen to you: as you know, I ran for President last year on a platform of Change, and we are working to make the public education system even better.
"First, there are over 40 million children between the ages of 1 and 4 here in America who are not in a school. I firmly believe in education for everyone. That's why I have instructed congress to pass the "Private Helps Public" act of 2009, in which every dollar that a wealthy parent pays for tuition so that their child can attend a high-priced private school, they must donate a dollar to the "Private Helps Public" fund.
"And what will those funds be used for? You noticed that, as part of my "Change You Can Believe In" campaign, I made some promises to better the public education system. True to my word, this year, when you came back to school, things had changed. Now, EVERY student gets a free breakfast at school; EVERY student has access to either reduced price--or even free--lunches. The money we receive from the "Private Helps Public" program will go to support a student free dinner fund, so that every child in America receives three meals a day. That's the kind of change you can believe in: we here in Washington are committed to ensuring we provide you with everything you need.
"This, American students, is my great dream: a nation in which your government ensures you have three meals a day at no cost to you; that you have all the health care you need at no cost to you; that you have an apartment in which to live that costs no more than 1/4 your monthly net income; that you have a fuel efficient, new car.
"This is my dream for you. There are those who don't want you to have that dream, though. Look around you: the parents of some of your fellow students, sitting right there in that room, would like to strip away all of the positive changes we've made, and keep us from doing this great work. But it need not be that way. You have a voice; you have an untapped source of power greater than any America has ever seen (you have, after all, given the guy with the flyless, elastic waisted camoflauge pants a swirly three times already this year).
"Use that power! Be a force for change! Go to my website and give us your email address; we'll forward links to free flyers you can pass out in your neighborhood. And talk to your parents; educate them. And if they refuse to listen, get them hopelessly drunk this November the night before voting.
"Remember children: you are the America of tomorrow. Our hope lies in you--and so you MUST stay in public school and continue to believe in the change that we continue to bring. And soon, we will have the country we have envisioned.
"Thank you, and may America be blessed."
OK. So, I'm not a prestigious blogger, and I certainly haven't been given access to Obama's speech in advance, but I have a somewhat active imagination, and based on all the uproar, this is what I imagine it'll be like.
Maybe not...who knows.
Thing is, a few years ago, I wouldn't have cared, but as I age (and become, I think, a better parent), I realize how raw my children are. They're literally begging for someone to shape their beliefs and values. And, regardless how noble--or ignoble--our President's intentions, if we're not careful, this speech and others like it will do much to shape those raw, searching children, many of whom have no real force in their life to provide the value structure.
And those children, a few short years from now, will project those values by way of a vote in the voting booth.
Hitler had it right when he formed the Hitler Youth: shape them while they're young, and they'll never depart.
The question you have to ask yourself: is this the message that I want to influence my child's value system?
Friday, August 28, 2009
I Forgot to Take Out the Garbage...
Just kidding. I had eye surgery today. Figured those who bear me
affection can poke fun, those who are curious can marvel, and those
who dislike me can revel in my enormous discomfort.
It's really quite disgusting and more than a little uncomfortable...
Saturday, August 22, 2009
An Old, Old Friend (well, she's not old...the friendship is though)
I had quite a pleasant surprise this evening.
I had a comment pop up in my email from Christina over at Cacoethes Scribendi, a blogger who I enjoy reading Oh, so much.
Imagine, then, my surprise when I saw a familiar face standing with a familiar village king from the Ivory Coast. And then, just below, myself, all those years ago, holding a sign crafted (I think) by my friend, Ogre, welcoming me back to the U.S. after weeks spent traveling abroad.
Christina was on that missions trip with me! I was dumbfounded!
At any rate, you simply have to stop over to her blog, check out the pics and read her stuff!
Good to hear from you again! Stop by again and say hi!
(and it's kinda nice to know SOMEONE still reads this blog! Here's a test: if you still read this blog--or if you're reading this now--post me a comment; make me feel better).
I had a comment pop up in my email from Christina over at Cacoethes Scribendi, a blogger who I enjoy reading Oh, so much.
Imagine, then, my surprise when I saw a familiar face standing with a familiar village king from the Ivory Coast. And then, just below, myself, all those years ago, holding a sign crafted (I think) by my friend, Ogre, welcoming me back to the U.S. after weeks spent traveling abroad.
Christina was on that missions trip with me! I was dumbfounded!
At any rate, you simply have to stop over to her blog, check out the pics and read her stuff!
Good to hear from you again! Stop by again and say hi!
(and it's kinda nice to know SOMEONE still reads this blog! Here's a test: if you still read this blog--or if you're reading this now--post me a comment; make me feel better).
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Hair
hunting dinner, and look over and see hair!
Yep, Blogojevich and Fabio, together. A random pair and first glance,
but then not all that random. They're both obsessed with their hair
and they're both has-beens struggling desperately to remain in the
limelight.
Sad...
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Running A Car Company
The US Federal Government has put their collective wisdom to work as they settle down to the business of running their new company, General Motors.
A recent news story by a favorite news source, The Onion, demonstrates how your elected representatives are focused on bringing Change that we can believe in!
A recent news story by a favorite news source, The Onion, demonstrates how your elected representatives are focused on bringing Change that we can believe in!
Friday, July 31, 2009
The Album Is Released!
The new Covenant album is out!
And it's good!
Give it a listen at the Covenant MySpace page, and then hop over to the Sillimon Sound webpage to buy! You'll be able to buy it on iTunes soon (not sure when yet).
Great music and great singers ;-)
And it's good!
Give it a listen at the Covenant MySpace page, and then hop over to the Sillimon Sound webpage to buy! You'll be able to buy it on iTunes soon (not sure when yet).
Great music and great singers ;-)
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