More about things done and left undone... And contradictions

How long has it been since I've written something on here? Too long, I think. It hasn't been for a lack of willingness to write. It's just that time seems to be at a premium nowadays. Why? Well, my commute it a little longer. Also, I've been working at the lab more than I'd like. The money is good, but the body and spirit suffer.

Anyway, I thought I'd drop by and reminisce about something real quick...

Remisnisce about this!

I revisited that article this morning, and it made me remember that it really isn't about the existence of God or not. It's about humanity's own biases and stupidity. Atheists are quick to point out the fallacies in religious thinking, but they won't call themselves on their own bull... I'm yet to see anyone prominently call Maher on his crap, and I probably never will.

This is fine.

I really don't care about that fight anymore. People are going to think whatever they want to believe, and being an atheist seems to be chic now. (I blame the sex abuse scandals of the Catholic Church for this.)

A new toy

So I got a new toy today. In fact, I'm using it to write this post. Why the obsession with all things Apple as of late? Well, there are two reasons... First, I want to develop some apps for epidemiology. Second, I've never had nice toys that were new. I always had to settle for used stuff when the fourth or fifth generation of something was already out.
And now I have these toys that are actually useful, and they are also new.

Yeah, it's sweet!

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Why? What's the use?

Quick story. So this friend of mine is on Facebook. Alice is her name. Well, Alice has been in a tumultuous relationship as long as I have known her. The guy she dated has now become her husband, and it appears he is still a jerk. Why?

Alice posted on her Facebook profile that she had spent "all day with her bow". She used "bow" instead of "Beau". Get it? So i jokingly asked her through a comment on her profile if she had gone hunting. You know, with a bow?

Well, her husband replied, "I do the hunting fag." I was going to be a smart ass and ask him why he would do a hunting fag, but what's the use? I mean, seriously, I had nothing to gain by picking a fight with some idiot. Which makes me think... What did he feel he had to gain?

They did the hunting squirrel

Territoriality... I'll never understand it.


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These uncertain times of ours

I was reading Yahoo! News today, and I read an article about a new law being proposed in Arizona against immigrants. The law would prohibit the issuing of birth certificates to the children of illegal immigrants. Not only is that a blatant violation of the United States Constitution; it's just nuts! And I don't mean crazy kind of nuts. I mean racist kind of nuts. To deny a child his or her rights because of who their parents are?

Wow, Arizona. Wow.

My wife was telling me, and I agree, that something is going on. The republicans, the whacko ones, are hijacking the constitution. They cry because the President passes some sort of legislation they don't agree with, but if they pass blatant, unconstitutional legislation everything is supposed to be okay? I feel more and more that some sort of anti-Hispanic sentiment is taking over. I don't mean anti-immigrant, because those loons will gladly take in immigrants from Europe or Canada. No, they are truly out to get Hispanics.

They are out to get me.

I'm not being paranoid. They really would not hesitate a single moment to send me to Mexico if they felt in any way threatened by me. (Good thing I have my "anchor wife".) Having moved to a very White city in Pennsylvania, I keep waiting for the first idiot to make a comment about the color of my skin, my accent, or my name. And then... Well, how am I going to react?

If I react angrily, then I'm the angry Mexican. If I don't do anything about it, then I'm giving that person carte blanche to keep on being an idiot. It's kind of like the man at the pub the other day, wearing a Border Patrol tee shirt. Those idiots wear them to events around here where Hispanics are sure to be. I now wish I would have done something, but I know it would have caused a lot of trouble.

All in all, I guess I'll have to see where this is going, using wisdom and patience to deal with these crazies.

The American Indians would agree

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The ability to sustain

I was in a lecture today on flu stuff, as usual, and the presenter took about ten minutes at the beginning to talk about a burger joint in Portland. This wasn't any old burger joint, however. It's a place called Burgerville, and their claim to fame is that they use all sustainable stuff. Everything from the food to the utensils is local, or so they claim. They also claim to pay their employees better. The one fact that was hard to swallow was that the owners decided not to open any new joints because, according to the presenter, they had enough to live from.






Being the insolent me that I am, I asked if the prices were good. I asked half jokingly because it has been my experience that all the places that call themselves sustainable have higher-than-average prices. They are more expensive because organic, hormone-free, recycled, local stuff is more expensive, so they pass on the price to the consumer.
Don't get me wrong, though. I want to save the world as much as the next guy. It's just that advertising all the great things you do makes you seem like more of a charlatan than someone who is actually doing something. I'm not a big fan of the "look at me" crowd. And I'm not a fan of businesses that claim to be really good for the community but then squeeze every cent out of said community.
Then again, burgers aren't exactly something that everyone really, really needs.
It really does come down to dollars and cents because it doesn't matter how great for the world a product it. If it is too expensive, it's not going to make it. It's just the rules of economics and human nature that we will buy the cheaper stuff and worry about the environment later. If you can't afford it, you can't afford it... Even if it reverses global warming.
And don't even get me started on global warming. Yes, it's happening, but using it as a crutch for everything you want to accomplish (you the government and you businesses [and you, Al Gore]) makes you look foolish. It makes you look like you care about what you will get out of your pet projects than really fixing the problem. This is worse if you have several mansions that just drain the power grids with the many rooms and decorations.
It's a great idea to want to save the world, and it is also good to share those ideas. But there is something oddly disturbing about wanting to use your intentions as a marketing device.


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