Chance Bliss

This just proves that bacon makes everything better. I love you magical meat. Via Cynical-C.

This other night I was talking about that survey in which a sample of Americans were asked to answer 3 simple political questions. One of the questions was “Who controls the House (of Representatives)?”. My son answered “Mom”. No doubt. He’s a smart kid.

Only 18% of participants could answer all 3 questions. We are doomed.

This is a great piece of flashery created by Michael McWatter. The spinning head is a friend of mine. Each phrase is uttered by him at least once a day. A very disturbing young fellow.

I saw Lewis Black last night at Town Hall in NYC. His best line was that the past eight years have been the Republicans farting while the Democrats wave the smell into their faces exclaiming that they love it. Oh yeah and there was a line about him dipping his balls into whip cream. Good stuff. Farts and balls (not in a gay way). This man has got me pegged.

The only way to affect change in US is with your purchase decisions. The party system has failed. It has been completely corrupted and taken over by corporations or special interests on both ends of the political spectrum. To influence any type of change, you need to work the system and vote with your pocketbook. Being a citizen is of no value to politicans anymore. They only listen to consumers.

It will make sense once you watch it. (via kottle.org)

New York Penn station is my most hated place on earth. Every corridor, staircase and room fills me with absolute rage. When I have to travel from New Jersey to NYC, I always imagine that I died on the train and will be forever stuck in Penn station choking on the smell of burning hot dogs and greasy popcorn. If I ever met the architects who designed Penn, I would punch them straigth in the throat.

Comparing the new and the old Penn Station, renowned Yale architectural historian Vincent Scully once wrote, “One entered the city like a god; one scuttles in now like a rat.”- Wikipedia

Here is an article about some other buildings that should be torn down. Notice that Penn Station/Madison Square Garden is the first on the list.

This is what they torn down in 1964. Criminals!

When searching around for pistol for my Halloween costume, I came across a bunch of site’s where you can buy exact replicas of pretty much any gun known. I was amazed at the variety…muskets, Lugers, M16s and even cannons (www.replicaweaponry.com). You can buy blank firing guns too. I was very tempted.

Looking at this stuff brought me back to when I was around 10 or 11 years old. I lived in a semi-rural area where most of the kids owned BB guns and various off-road vehicles (go-carts, ATVs and motorcycles). We used to do all kinds of dangerous stuff in the neighborhood like making big ramps to jump our bikes, shooting stuff and trying to come up with better ways to blow up things.

Most of these activities are frowned upon or outright banned, especially in the tighting packed  burbs of America. It might be the fact that I was never seriously injured that shapes my opinion, but I think these activites were actually good for me. They taught me about risk, responsibility and the direct consequences of your actions. In today’s safety, “everyone wins!” culture, kids are really lossing out on the trill of adventure.

I’m just as guilty as anyone else when it comes to my kids. It always “Put that stick down! You’ll poke out your sister’s eye!” or “Don’t jump on the chair! You’ll fall on the ground!”. Pretty ridiculous stuff when you think about it. Hopefully, I can adjust a little as my son grows older and open him up to the world of danger. Hey, that’s why we are born with two of everything. Who says my daughter can’t live a productive life with just one eye?