Random Thoughts- Do They Have Meaning?

Yahoo! News - Search Called Off for Missing Utah Woman : "SALT LAKE CITY - Relatives of a missing woman and her husband said late Saturday that the husband has given them information that prompted them to call off a volunteer search for the woman. The families' statement did not reveal what Mark Hacking told them. " How sad, it doesn't sound good. I am sorry to read this.

We implemented a new feature on the Blog. It is called the chatterbox and it is kind of a chat area that is currently placed on the left hand side of the page. It is being tested. We'll see what happens, it may stay or it may go. Feel free to use it or to post your thoughts about it.

http://www.kintera.org/atf/cf/%7B06DAEF0E-9000-4422-B4DA-AFBAA10CAF60%7D/STRAIGHTTALKHI.ASX http://whitehousewest.com/

"Luckily, the former movie stars, TV actors, and circus performers have found refuge at the Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee Conservation, a Florida retirement home for apes. " Eventually the monkey's will take over the world.

There are several different groups of people who comment on this Blog. Many of you have my email address and I am getting swamped with comments about the comments of others here. Some of these comments make complete sense because many of you are not familiar with the BB I had been participating in and the comments about the events there do not have any context for you. The other set of comments are in response to what many consider personal attacks. I think that there is a lot of anger coming from people who feel like they were never listened to, who feel that their opinions were devalued and in short are just trying to express themselves. I am not going to do much in the way of moderating comments as I want this to be a place where you just lay it out there. If people can't handle it this may not be the place for them. But I ask that you use your name. If you want to say someone is smart or an idiot, you can do that. But use your own name so that we can see what is going on

Here's a sneaky way to find out someone's age who won't tell you: Ask the person to multiply the first number of his or her age by 5 Tell them to add 3 Now tell them to double this figure Have the person add the second number of his or her age to the figure and have them tell you their answer Deduct 6 and you will have their age! Here is another Tell someone to secretly input their age into a calculator and multiply it by 3367. Now, tell them to multiply it by 3. Next, tell them to write down their answer on a piece of paper and to clear all the information on the calculator so far. Now, use that number on the piece of paper and divide it by 10101. RESULT: The person's age! The reason this trick works because 10101 is equal to 3367*3. And multiplying any two-digit number by 10101 is the same as writing it three times (e.g. 282828). Thus, when a number is multiplied by 3367, then by 3, it is really being multiplied by 10101. And of course, when you d

MSNBC - Meet the Eye Cam : "Meet the Eye Cam Processed reflections from the cornea can make hindsight a reality Eye spy: This corneal reflection shows that the person is facing two people but only looking at the one on the right" Very interesting stuff. It is amazing what they can do now, and kind of scary to think of what could be done.

"You swore at him and were aggressive and hostile and you threatened him. The victim was quite blameless. He went to apologise and touch the boy in a gesture of conciliation, but you took exception and struck him in the mouth." This is a terrible tragedy. I have often remarked that in today's society you are better off not trying to touch children of people you don't know. I personally find it irritating when strangers try to ruffle my son's hair or touch him in some other fashion. Boundaries are important. Still, what this man did was wrong. There was no need to hit the other man over a simple accident.

The headline here caught my eye. It is just too funny not to post, how absurd.

! News - John Kerry Challenges Bush Over Iraq War: "He plans to vow to build a more robust military at home and strong alliances overseas. 'And then, with confidence and determination, we will be able to tell the terrorists: You will lose and we will win.' " Great, this is the same thing that Bush says. What are you going to do that is different. How are you going to achieve these goals. You voted for the war based upon bad intelligence. How are you going to prevent this from happening again? Lots of questions and no answers.

They bore me, plain and simple. It doesn't matter who the party is, they are essentially all the same. "We're better than them and if you elect us we'll show you" followed by cheers from people who already support them. Talk about preaching to the choir. Now if you had Kerry address the Republicans and Bush address the Dems and then we heard cheers I might be impressed.

Inquiring minds have been making inquiries about my daughter's name. She is daughter of the empress of the duchy of the earldom of Benimble. Her name includes these letters: E, W, R and A. Take a spin and see if Vanna can find your letter. In the interim your host, Jack B. will be right back with copies of the home game.

So much for trusting your dentist.

If ever there was a time to make a chauvinist remark. Heeheee.

At what point do you decide to tell people that they are being exploited even if they claim not to be. Or should we ask under what conditions can you be exploited? What role in the "exploitation" do you have to have to be exploited? Whatever, I am a reality TV junkie, but even I consider this to be exploitative of the Amish. Green Acres meets The Odd Couple meets My Favorite Martian meets The 5 intelligent people of Cleveland.

I haven't slept for more than a few hours for the last few nights. All of this consecutive lack of sleep is starting to wear me down. I am not even sure if I am making sense, but this comes with the territory. I don't require a ton of sleep, but I don't mind it either. At the moment they are working in my office to try and fix a squeaky door, so all of the hammering and pounding is doing what caffeine cannot, but for how long I cannot say. More importantly I hate loud noises like this or the vacuum cleaner so it is not real relaxing and definitely not conducive to getting work done. At 20 this would have been a breeze, but at the grand old age of 102 it is getting a little bit tougher. I told my daughter last night that if she would promise to sleep for a couple of hours I would give her a present. She gurgled at me and then resumed flailing around. Not even a week old and she is already talking back to me. A defiant attitude must be genetic.

Very important

I was sorry to hear that she died. One of my fears is being eaten alive. I wouldn't say that I get crazy about it, but it just seems to be such a horrible way to die.

Hey fellow parents. Does anyone else have a child who is into Thomas?

<These stories are always so tragic. When you read this as a father there is a small voice in your head that says "watch out." But for the most part that voice is relegated to the back of my mind because if you let it speak you can paralyze yourself. The reality is that the population is not shrinking and many children grow up under conditions that are much more dangerous and unsafe than your own. But this does reiterate the point that sometimes "shit does happen."

  http://www.audioblogger.com/faq.html   Just learned about this tonight and decided to give it a whirl. I suppose that it will help flesh out a mental image of who I am. You might like my voice, or you might hate it. But it should be fun to kind of mix things up a little.   Sometimes I mumble and sometimes I stutter. Often I think faster than my mouth moves.

There is no accounting for taste. What a sad statement. We allow this conman to steal money and profit from the sorrow of others. If you had the same resources and time you could twist and distort the truth about anyone. He is guilty of the same crimes he accuses the admin of. Shame on you Michael Moore, have you no decency.

I am typing with one hand because my princess is sleeping on my shoulder. She is so cute! I have a fair amount of Net traffic floating through here and want to encourage you to feel free to comment about anything and everything you see here.  

Today we are going to bring home my little girl. At the ripe old age of 3.5 my son is aware that his world is changing and a little anxious about what those changes may be. I told him that it would be ok and tried to reassure him, but I am not having a lot of success. In any case my 3 younger sisters survived me and I am sure that little Jack will not do anything to his sister. And now I am off to do more prep work for bringing the girls back home.

Today is the first full day of my daughter's life, pretty strange. No, not strange, surreal. We went to the hospital yesterday to be induced. Got there at 10 am and didn't deliver until 11:38 PM. She is a big girl, not as big as daddy, I was closer to 10 pounds, but I know one person who is very happy she is smaller. It was a very long day, as the father it is hard to wait all day because there is not a whole heck of a lot that you can do. And I am not one to sit still. Following the delivery it took until just short of 3 am to get the girls into their room. At one point I had intended to spend the night with them, but there was a mini baby boom and there wasn't any room for me. And just like that another woman had thrown me out on the street. ;).   So I drove home and relieved my inlaws of their babysitting chores and pittered around the house until 4 am at which time I called my mom and spoke to her (she is in NJ with my sis) for about 15 minutes and then managed

There is a brand new baby living in Jack's Shack. She arrived on July 23rd at 11:38.  8.9 pounds and 21 inches in length. I am too tired to write more now.  

I think that dinosaurs are pretty interesting. If you look at this one it is estimated to have been 114 feet long. Just monstrous. I cannot imagine seeing something that big on land. It must have required a huge area to live in.

I spoke with my father this morning. It was less than 24 hours after his triple bypass. Just amazing that he did so well, not to mention how happy it made me to hear his voice. The surgeon who performed the surgery does about 300 of these a year and is very accomplished. But  you still end up worrying about loved ones no matter what. In any case this is done and now I can focus solely upon the things in front of me. What a relief.

When I read stories like this it just makes me shake head and wonder what the hell is going on in D.C. Rome fell because it was overextended. And yes I know that this is simplistic, but our enemies are students of history and patient. They will try and make this a reality for us too.

News - Marine Who Vanished Says He Didn't Desert : "Marine Who Vanished Says He Didn't Desert " This is a rather peculiar story, I wonder about it. It saddens me that because he is an Arab American there is additional "concern" about this story, but it is part of the times in which we live in.

Well, it is time to play with more of the new features of this Blog. Yesterday my father had an angiogram  ( http://www.mayoclinic.org/heartcatheterization-jax ). It was supposed to be just a simple formality so that he could be assured that there are not any additional issues with his heart.   It was July 16th, my parents 37th wedding anniversary and exactly one day short of completing a full 90 days in New Jersey, much longer than the 2 weeks they had intended to stay.   So as an anniversary gift my dad is going to receive a bypass and my mother get's to hang out in NJ for another 6 weeks or so. It could be less,  but it could be more.   In the interim the babywatch continues. Any day now, any time and I'll witness the birth of another child. And while this goes on I still have to worry about my parents and my grandparents. I am feeling like a very old 35. Of course if you were to see me with my son you might think that I am the biggest 5 year-old you have ever seen.

Very cool stuff, hard to get your noodle around sometimes, but interesting. Where is Dr. Reese when you need him.

The wife is getting tired of being pregnant. We're less than two weeks away from D-Day and she is ready to "pop this baby out." Of course, now that is hitting 100+ I can understand it. So tonight she sent me to Caioti for the salad Caioti Pizza Cafe is widely known for a salad that has become legendary and a rite of passage for expectant or overdue Moms. To check out more articles and reviews on Caioti Cafe, please click on -People Are Talking- to the right. To find out more about the Famous Salad, please visit our other website www.maternitysalad.com http://www.caiotipizzacafe.com/pages/1/index.htm So I picked up dinner and brought it back and now we wait and see what happens. I am really tired and I have a ton of work at the office. I am hopeful that we can get through the week. Friday night is a-ok with me. But whenever the baby comes will be good. Anyway, we decided that tonight would be a good time to put the second car seat in our CRV. We need to see h

Life is funny in so many ways. For a relatively short period of time things had dramatically slowed down at the office. In large part because so many of my prospects and customers left for Summer vacations. It was nice to slow down a bit, but it is also frustrating. As a salesperson it is hard not to get edgy when things are slow, because it probably means that the money is not going to come in the volume you want it to. Truth be told I never allow myself to feel comfortable because complacency in sales leads to bad things. Now with the advent of the newest child around the corner I am engaged in a curious juxtaposition of events. Work has gotten pretty busy. It does tend to come in waves, but this is much larger and more intense than other times. Simultaneously I am finding it harder to concentrate as I cannot help but be excited about the impending arrival of the baby. What makes it so challenging is that I haven't any solid idea about when the baby will arrive, just some vague

He is so dead on. By Sam Smith Special to ESPN.com No, the grass isn't greener on the other side of the fence. Sorry, Shaq and Kobe. You've just both made a mistake you'll regret for the rest of your lives. At least if we're to believe, as you guys always say, you're about winning. No two men, perhaps since Caesar and Brutus, could have accomplished more by staying together and remaining working partners. Though perhaps it is inevitable that dynasties end and that jealousies and rivalries and ego, greed and ambition are fated forces that are too much for the human mind and soul to combat. What is happiness? These questions are best answered by philosophers like Thoreau, Plato, Confuscius, Spinoza, Kierkegaard and Phil Jackson. If happiness is winning a championship and being part of a great team, then Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant have committed blunders for the ages. Perhaps O'Neal will win a championship if he goes to the Miami Heat, as e

Why Israel Needs a Fence By BENJAMIN NETANYAHU Published: July 13, 2004 JERUSALEM — While the advisory finding by the International Court of Justice last week that Israel's barrier in the West Bank is illegal may be cheered by the terrorists who would kill Israeli civilians, it does not change the fact that none of the arguments against the security fence have any merit. First, Israel is not building the fence on territory that under international law can be properly called "Palestinian land." The fence is being built in disputed territories that Israel won in a defensive war in 1967 from a Jordanian occupation that was never recognized by the international community. Israel and the Palestinians both claim ownership of this land. According to Security Council Resolution 242, this dispute is to be resolved by a negotiated peace that provides Israel with secure and recognized boundaries. Second, the fence is not a permanent political border but a te

There are few things that tug harder on my soul than Jerusalem. Words are not adequate, Jerusalem is my true love, the one that I will never live without. There is an attachment, a bond that is not unlike that of child and parent. I am heartbroken and left diminished outside of her walls. In time I will return to drink deeply in the sights and sounds of my city. There is no other place that I can think of that has this kind of impact upon so many. G-d's touch is upon the stones.

The loyal readership has reached out to me and spoken. Ok, the very few who read this and remark have made comments upon how often I update this Blog. There is a feeling that I could be doing more and doing it faster. The answer is I could. I can be quite prolific and I could write more, but the question is why should I do this. I write because I enjoy it and I need to continue to practice so that I can hopefully keep it at a higher level. I don't feel the need to produce copious amounts of material because I find it kind of dull and cannot imagine that anyone else would find it to be exceptionally stimulating. Not to mention that I also post on a couple of message boards which probably explains some of why I do not always have much to say. Listen to the silence around you and you will learn many things. Seriously. It is a good skill to have, to be comfortable with silence.

And for a post of a less serious nature I bring you my short rant about Jerry Buss. Old Doc Buss used to be the finest example of an owner in sports. He ran a first class organization in which he brought in the finest staff he could find and let them run the show. Too many times we see owners get involved in something that they do not know much about. I know that they are the owners and that it is their money, blah, blah, blah stuff. But the reality is that none of us are experts in everything and sometimes the best that we can do is to hire a great team and let them do what they do best. And that often means you must get out of the way. And now Old Doc Buss has forgotten that lesson. He chased away a coach that brought him 3 titles in five years and has so incensed the most dominant player in the league that he is demanding a trade. I am not interested in discussing egos or why Shaq/Kobe should shut up and play. This is not that different from the real world in that we see manag

As the baby countdown continues I have found that my weekends are getting busier. There are more "little tasks" that need to be taken care of. I have two toilets to fix, one here and one at my folks house. More reorganization of furniture and closets so that the new child has a pleasant place to to come home to. More cleaning of toys and paraphenalia that have been locked up since my son was little. Oy. All I want is about a week to lie on a beach and just be. I haven't been back to Maui in 8 years, but I am ready to step on a plane today.

April 28, 2004 will be a day that we will not forget, but it was really only the beginning. It has been a long and twisting road waiting for my abba's health to improve. There have been a number of rough spots during which we questioned whether he would come home standing or otherwise. As of today's tests we learned that his heart attack appears not to have been major and the damage hit a less important section of the heart. It was the endocardium of a lower section, or so it was passed on to me. The graphic is nice, but it is not detailed enough to show the interior section that was hit. Back in my days as a CPR instructor I used to lecture about the heart, but that is not all that relevant for this discussion, just a nugget about me for the viewing public. So now we have determined the need for an angiogram. It is not a question, just a question of when. The hard part is trying to determine whether it is better to continue things in New Jersey or to try and d

The baby is coming, the baby is coming Where is Paul Revere when I need him. It is July 7 and in a matter of weeks I will become a father for the second time. We have the names narrowed down, more or less. It seems like we are really close to selecting one for a girl and one for a boy. So, you the loyal readers are probably wondering what those names will be. Get used to disappointment. I share much of myself and my thoughts, but the familia is my business. I am a nasty, angry over protective cuss when it comes to them. Ok, I am regardless of their involvement, but I get more ornery when they are in the picture. So I am not saying a thing. It is so interesting, just so wacky, I am going to be someone else's daddy. My son said to me "Abba, you are my daddy, no one elses." I looked at him, smiled and explained that he would share me, but that he would share me with someone who would be very special to him. He can't wait to be a big brother. And what a wild ye

CNN.com - Restaurant offers DNA test for link to Genghis Khan - Jul 7, 2004 : "LONDON, England (AP) -- A London restaurant is offering diners the chance to learn whether they are descended from the rampaging Mongol ruler Genghis Khan -- and win a free meal if they are." This is just fascinating to me, the things that science allows us to do today. It is just so interesting to be able to make educated guesses as well as the ability to come up with scientific answers to some of the great puzzles we face.

Isn't it interesting to see how some people cannot help but allow their distaste for certain people to color their view of some situations. I can understand why you might find it difficult to like some people. I can understand why you might not want to be involved in things that other people are involved in. But I just have a hard time grasping how you can let your personal bias prevent you from making a logical assessment of political/historical situations. More to the point, I find it funny to hear people claim to be knowledgeable and educated about specific events when through the course of discussion it becomes clear that they are just not. If you are that ignorant, why would you continue to broadcast it.

: "The world is sustained by three things: By justice, by truth, and by peace. �Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel" There are some very interesting discussions that can be had when discussing this quote. Honesty is something that is often in short supply, yet we should remember that even when we are what some people call "brutally honest" we are not always being honest. Sounds like a contradiction, but here is what I mean. Some people promote themselves as being purveyors of peace. They work as arbiters, social workers or could just be friendly ambassadors who enjoy trying to resolve disputes. The issue is that when you try and solve disputes it is not always possible to do so when you are so honest that you do not hold back. Some people cannot handle that kind of honesty and even though what you may say is true they may choose to continue to fight. Example: Two boxers engage in a 12 round battle. The fight ends and one is declared the winner. The judges describe

I am going to look into selling ad space to Tums, Maalox and Immodium for next year's event. If you haven't had digestive issues before, this contest will provide it for you.

I am ready to start training for this. How many times can you get your wife to do this in public. Pretty funny stuff if you ask me.

The world is populated by many different kinds of people. There are intelligent people with no common sense and people who have common sense who have limited intelligence. And among these groups are the dopes and the poor schmucks who will do anything to gain respect. I wonder sometimes what they are missing when their entire day appears to be composed of trumpeting their self proclaimed importance to the world. Did someone replace their brain/self esteem with a Big Mac. If they would stop trying so hard and just be normal they might find that life was easier and that the people around them were more interested in hanging out with them. The addition Something went bonkers here last night and I am not sure why. Computers are a funny thing. My son has a toy 'puter as he calls it. He climbs into my bed and crawls beneath the sheets, that is where his office is. Have to say that he is dedicated, he'll climb into the office at 5:30 on a Saturday. Good for him, but not so

"'She said she didn't have a steady boyfriend,' Moyer testified. 'I asked her if she wanted a boyfriend for 15 minutes.' " And thus she inadvertently missed out on the best 15 minutes of her life. How sad.

"News - Saddam Scoffs at Charges of War Crimes : "BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) scoffed at charges of war crimes and mass killings Thursday, making a defiant first public appearance since being hunted down seven months ago. The deposed dictator fixed the judge with a penetrating stare and declared: 'This is all a theater by Bush, the criminal.'" This man is crazy as a loon. I cannot decide if this was an act he put on in court or if he truly believes everything that he says. What a scary man. I cannot imagine having no heart or conscience, a la Saddam.