Random Thoughts- Do They Have Meaning?

A simple gauge for determining friendship involves reciting Hello, My name is Inigo Montoya and then waiting for the other person to finish the line. Every once in a while I run into someone who hasn't seen the movie, but not too often.

Before some of you run off and try to kick me out of the clubhouse take a look at this: SPIEGEL ONLINE : What is life like for a man in a matriarchy? Coler : Men live better where women are in charge: you are responsible for almost nothing, you work much less and you spend the whole day with your friends. You're with a different woman every night. And on top of that, you can always live at your mother's house. The woman serves the man and it happens in a society where she leads the way and has control of the money. In a patriarchy, we men work more -- and every now and then we do the dishes. In the Mosuo's pure form of matriarchy, you aren't allowed to do that. Where a woman's dominant position is secure, those kinds of archaic gender roles don't have any meaning." Read the whole thing .

Here is a simple question for you. Would you prefer to have more readers or more comments on your blog? Or does it matter to you. After five years of blogging I think that I have established that I am going to blog regardless of whether people read or comment. Still, I won't lie and say that I wouldn't prefer more of both. It is nice to know that people are paying attention to what is going on. At the same time I always remind myself to be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. Sometimes the dream is a bit different from the reality.

Hat Tip Meryl

The grouchy old bear is hosting Haveil Havalim #219 right here .

Many people are engaged in all sorts of speculation about the president’s real feelings regarding Israel. The prognosticators are out in force and I have read numerous articles and opinion pieces that lay out exactly what he is trying to do and why. Since I haven’t been granted clairvoyance or any other sort of supernatural powers I won’t try to tell you what the president’s feelings are. Truth is that I hope that he doesn’t try to negotiate terms based upon feelings, but upon facts. And the fact is that the peace process is a thorny and complex issue that cannot be solved by making proclamations that are supposed to make both sides feel good. As just another pundit I am just as qualified as the next guy to say that part of the problem is the attempt to try and view this situation in Western terms. This isn't the playground. It is not a school yard brawl or a situation where you can slap a kid on the wrist and tell them to be nice. It is not a place where treating others as you

If you spend enough time blogging it is guaranteed that you will witness disagreements between bloggers and or commenters. And as you already know or soon will see arguments within the online world can become far nastier than they do in person and in much less time. Some of that is due to misunderstandings that are innocent in nature. In cyberspace there are no verbal clues or facial expressions that you can use to help interpret what is being said. Humor and sarcasm can easily be seen as being something else. And of course there is the ever present issue of people taking advantage of anonymity to say things that they might not otherwise say to you, especially in person. If you are a blogger you will want to decide what sort of comment section you are going to have. It is up to you to set the tone and create an environment. So it is your choice as to whether you let the comment section turn into a giant free for all or if you try to maintain a sense of decorum. This leads to one of

I think that we have seen this story before . Here is a brief excerpt for your review. " NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- A new low-cost airline will begin serving mid-sized U.S. cities that it thinks larger carriers have left behind. Clearwater, Fla.-based JetAmerica said 34 nonstop passenger flights a week will start July 13 at Toledo, Ohio; South Bend, Ind.; Melbourne, Fla.; Newark, N.J.; Minneapolis and Lansing, Mich. Twenty-eight flights start or end at Newark Liberty International Airport. The carrier will add six more flights -- from Toledo to Minneapolis -- starting Aug. 14. JetAmerica is targeting small and midsize cities like Lansing, which has seen the number of daily flights at its Capital Region International Airport fall from 35 to 12 the past five years. The decline is part of a national trend that has seen airfares increase at those airports as daily flights have decreased. Robert Selig, head of the Capital Region Airport Authority, said JetAmerica will give Lansing busines

About a month ago I ran Tweeting About Twitter- One Blogger Speaks and shared some thoughts about Tweeting and asked for feedback about its impact upon blogging. In the time since then I have conducted an imperfect, impartial and completely unscientific study in which it has been determined that Twitter has had a severe impact upon blogging and here is how. Prior to Twitter many bloggers would have spent time writing posts about topics and issues that are important or of interest to them. However, the ease of being able to communicate with 140 characters has led many of them to abandon those posts. Instead of 500 words about why they like eating chocolate we are left with just a line or two. In some cases this is a boon to the reader because it falls into the category of less is more. But in other cases it really isn't such a good thing as they are taking the fast and easy way out of producing a larger and more comprehensive post. The owners of the Shack are going to continue

Forgive me, but I just don't feel badly about this . I am not saying that stalking isn't serious, but are you trying to tell me that you haven't already taken preventative measures. Are you telling me, "Mr. Celebrity" that you are suddenly worried about this. Are you telling me that after you put yourself out there and sought fame that you are upset. Sorry, I just don't feel badly. Don't want you to get hurt, but try living in the real world with the rest of us. LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Ashton Kutcher -- Twitter's top tweeter -- warned he may pull the plug on his tweeting if the micro-blogging service partners on a reality TV show. "It's all fun and games until somebody gets stalked," Kutcher wrote in a Twitter posting late Monday. Variety magazine reported Monday that San Francisco-based Twitter.com had partnered with TV producers Reveille and Brillstein Entertainment on an unscripted show that would be "putting ordinary

Got a few posts that I may or may not get to this evening. In the interim here is my usual report on the music of the evening. " Life Is Beautiful "- Sixx:A.M. Been playing this a lot lately. Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Bob Dylan Subterranean Homesick Blues -Bob Dylan Always on My Mind - Willie Nelson How Do You Like Me Now - Toby Keith I Love This Bar - Toby Keith I Want To Break Free - Queen Love Without End, Amen - George Strait Visions of paradise - Mick Jagger Wave on Wave - Pat Green

Earlier this week I sent out an email to a list of bloggers of mixed backgrounds asking them to participate in an upcoming post. Enclosed in the email was one question, Why Are You Jewish? Quite a number of them have responded and I am in the process of trying to construct a proper framework for this so that I can produce a post that will do justice to the topic and stories. It may sound like an easy question but I think that there is far more to it than many people realize. One of the reasons I asked was my curiosity in learning if most people are Jewish simply because of birth or because of a conscious decision. Obviously the gerim (converts) fall into a slightly different category. But even so I am still curious to learn how many chose to become Jewish because they wanted to and how many did it so that they could marry their spouse. In any case I am going to try and get it done for publication later this week, but there is still a chance that it may end up having to wait a bit l

I have noticed a bunch of people have been promoting a show on Fox called Glee by providing the video of the kids performing Don't Stop Believin.' Do you like it better or do you prefer Journey?

Every so often I read about the legendary physical exploits of the Tarahumara Indians. They are an indigenous people in Mexico who are known for being able to run long distances. One of the stories that is told about them involves the Olympics. Two of the tribesmen were entered into the Olympic marathon and were thought to be among the favorites to win the race. As it worked out they were among the last to finish the event. However it wasn't because they were tired or out of shape, but because no one had told them how long the race was. They had assumed it was going to be much longer and complained that the race was too short. To me that is impressive. When you look at 26 miles and consider it to be a warm up you know that you are in excellent shape. I have been thinking about running. When I turned 37 I went for a physical and was told by the doctor that my knees are arthritic and that I shouldn't do exercises that provide undue stress on them. According to him ignoring th

Spend any time around the Shack and you'll see that we love these animal stories. This is the kind of lizard whose tale is worth telling. The attacks on humans appear to be increasing in frequency. If you read the whole story you'll see that an eight-year-old boy was mauled to death while trying to relieve himself. Talk about inopportune times to be attacked, sheesh. Believe me, I am not being facetious about this, one of my fears is being eaten alive. KOMODO ISLAND, Indonesia – Komodo dragons have shark-like teeth and poisonous venom that can kill a person within hours of a bite. Yet villagers who have lived for generations alongside the world's largest lizard were not afraid — until the dragons started to attack. The stories spread quickly across this smattering of tropical islands in southeastern Indonesia , the only place the endangered reptiles can still be found in the wild: Two people were killed since 2007 — a young boy and a fisherman — and oth

During college a late night telephone call had a very different affect upon me than it does now. If it was a female caller it was usually an invitation to come study anatomy and if it was male it meant that I was invited to a party. The caveat being that I was being asked to be their taxi service. Either way it wasn't a big deal. But these days it is a bit different. Now when the phone rings past a certain hour I begin to wonder if something happened to someone. Was there an accident, did someone die etc. Needless to say that when the phone rang late Saturday night I was more than a little concerned. Fortunately it wasn't anything too serious, a friend was struggling to rewrite their resume and wanted to know if I could provide some assistance. Naturally I said no and explained that I don't deal with crazy people anymore, be they transplanted Midwesterners or otherwise. In spite of my best efforts they convinced me to lend them some help which is why I found myself enga

The best of the Jewish/Israeli blogosphere's weekly blog carnival is live at What War Zone .

You might think that this story is full of crap , but I think that it has some merit. More than half of the 15 trillion gallons of sewage Americans flush annually is processed into sludge that gets spread on farmland, lawns, and home vegetable gardens. In theory, recycling poop is the perfect solution to the one truly unavoidable byproduct of human civilization. But sludge-based as fertilizer can contain anything that goes down the drain —from Prozac flushed down toilets to motor oil hosed from factory floors. That's why an increasing number of cities have begun to explore an alternative way to dispose of sludge: advanced poop-to-power plants. By one estimate, a single American's daily sludge output can generate enough electricity to light a 60-watt bulb for more than nine hours. Here are the six most innovative ways that human waste is being converted to watts: Read the whole story and learn about: Poop-Eating Bacteria Turd Cell Smashers Geological Toilets Feces Ponds Gassif

I could listen to this a million times and never stop laughing .

In the early days of the blog when it was new and fresh I had complete anonymity. It provided a cloak that I could hide behind so that I could give voice to the things that troubled me. I spent a lot of time looking in the dark corners of my mind so that I could ferret out the demons and give names to the things that troubled me. Anonymity provided the freedom to lay out those fears and to bare my soul in a way that I had been unwilling to do. But it was a crutch that helped to mask another fear, the fear of exposure. The fear that presenting myself as a thinking and feeling human with a real name would somehow harm me. There is merit in that fear because there are those out there who prey upon our weaknesses and try to use them to wound us. Time has taught me the bitter lesson of the truth of those words. I bear the scars of the attempts that have been made to hurt me. At times I look in the mirror and I see the impact of the past staring back at me. Moments that once haunted me oc

Some days this makes more sense than it should. Maybe in another life I could find you there Pulled away before your time I can't deal it's so unfair And it feels And it feels like Heaven's so far away And it feels Yeah it feels like The world has grown cold Now that you've gone away Leaving flowers on your grave Show that I still care But black roses and Hail Mary's Can't bring back what's taken from me I reach to the sky And call out your name And if I could trade I would And it feels And it feels like Heaven's so far away And it stings Yeah it stings now The world is so cold Now that you've gone away Gone away, gone away, yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah Oooooo, yeah oooooo, oooooo, Ohh yeah. I'll Save Your Soul Whoa. Yeaaaaaeeeaaeah. Mm. I reach to the sky And call out your name Oh please let me trade I would And it feels And it feels like Heaven's so far away And it feels Yeah it feels like The world has grown cold Now that

From ABC : "Growing up in a black, Pentecostal family in Cleveland, Alysa Stanton never imagined the day when she would be preparing to be ordained as a rabbi . But that day will come June 6 for the single mother who will be ordained by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, becoming the first African-American female rabbi in the world. "Ten years ago, if someone said I was going to be a rabbi, I would have laughed," Stanton, 45, told ABCnews.com. "Me, a spiritual leader?" Soon-to-be rabbi Stanton and her daughter Shana, 14, whom she adopted when she was 14 months old, will move to Greenville, N.C., in August, where Stanton will take her spot behind the pulpit at Congregation Bayt Shalom, which is both conservative and reform. Stanton, a reform Jew, said that her mother encouraged her to explore different religions as a young child and that, at the age of 9, she was already asking her priest to teach her about Kaballah, whic

Nothing like homegrown terrorists to warm the cockles of your heart. Apparently these men had intended to murder Jews and Americans. How very sad to write a sentence that divides the two groups like that, Jews and Americans. As an American Jew, or Jewish American I take these things very seriously. But I would strongly urge that we all pay close attention to these events. They should lock these men up and throw away the key. Here is the CNN report: NEW YORK (CNN) -- Three of the four men arrested for allegedly planning bomb attacks on Jewish targets in New York are expected to appear in federal court Thursday, the U.S. attorney's office said. The group allegedly plotted to bomb two New York synagogues and wanted to use surface-to-air missiles to fire at U.S. military planes, said a criminal complaint filed this week in White Plains, New York. "Four individuals were arrested for planting bombs in front of two [Jewish facilities] in the area," said Raymond Kelly, New York

My son, the soon to be third grader has been learning about famous artists in school. Throughout the entire school year the big guy has enjoyed teaching us about Pollock, Matisse, Warhol, Lichtenstein and a number of other famous artists. It has been a surprise and a pleasure to see how much he enjoys talking, reading, watching and learning about art. Part of the fun has been watching the expression on his face when he recognizes that some of the things hanging on the walls here are famous. Not to mention the fun in explaining that these are not the originals hanging on these walls, but wouldn't it be cool if it was. Anyhoo, last night he came home and told me that there is a YouTube video about a song some guy named McLean wrote about Van Gogh. He was even more pleased when I showed him that we have Vincent on iTunes. So together we sat down and watched the video below and he told me all that he knew about Van Gogh and asked if I though that it was sad that he only sold one pai

Livescience has the list .

Hat tip: Jameel

Ever wonder what the song means ? Frankly I haven't spent a ton of time thinking about it , but every now and then it is fun to do. A long, long time ago... I can still remember How that music used to make me smile. And I knew if I had my chance That I could make those people dance And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while. But february made me shiver With every paper I'd deliver. Bad news on the doorstep; I couldn't take one more step. I can't remember if I cried When I read about his widowed bride, But something touched me deep inside The day the music died. So bye-bye, miss american pie. Drove my chevy to the levee, But the levee was dry. And them good old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye Singin', "this'll be the day that I die. "this'll be the day that I die." Did you write the book of love, And do you have faith in God above, If the Bible tells you so? Do you believe in rock 'n roll, Can music save your mortal s

If you haven't been around here is a list of some recent posts. Misplaced Priorities Ancient handle with Hebrew text found in Jerusalem... Midweek Music- Some tunes for the Afternoon Living Within Your Means Awesome Photo Space Shuttle Atlantis Don't Take The Car You'll Kill Yourself Doing Things Differently Reasons To Be Careful In The Bathroom Soldiers Don't Wear Pink Underwear Goodbye Sarah Connor Coffee Bean or Starbucks Haveil Havalim #217 And your blast from the past: Middle Age Depression- I Am Not Satisified Penis Talk Revisited Top 10 Romantic Movie Moments Quotes about Love and Life

Boy am I ever glad that they got these evil prostitutes, they were ever so dangerous. NEW YORK (CNN) -- New York authorities indicted seven people accused of running a prostitution ring on the Web site Craigslist, the state's attorney general announced Wednesday. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's office said the group ran a 24-hour prostitution ring called Room Service Entertainment from Craigslist's erotic services section from June 2007 to December 2008. The 47-count indictment unsealed Wednesday named the company's co-owners as Scott Rosenberg, 45, and Josef Davenport, 31. Five women also were named in the indictment, identified as bookers for the alleged prostitution ring. The five women named in the indictment were identified as Patricia Krupa, Joanna Mercado, Sylvia Soto, Lina Vazquez and Barbara Morris. It was not immediately known if those charged had hired legal counsel. Five of the defendants appeared in court Wednesday afternoon, Cuomo's office said

Someone is going to try to work hard to prove that this fake. Old man Abbas hates having to admit that Jews have lived in Jerusalem for thousands of years. JERUSALEM – Archaeologists digging on Jerusalem's Mount of Olives have discovered a nearly 3,000-year-old jar handle bearing ancient Hebrew script, a find significantly older than most inscribed artifacts unearthed in the ancient city, an archaeologist said. The Iron Age handle is inscribed with the Hebrew name Menachem, which was the name of an Israelite king and is still common among Jews. The inscription also includes a partly intact letter, the Hebrew character "lamed," meaning "to." That suggests the jar was a gift to someone named Menachem, said Ron Beeri, who directed the excavation for the Israel Antiquities Authority. There is no indication the inscription refers to the king himself. The name and similar variants have been found on Egyptian pottery dating back 3,500 years, and the Bible lists Menac

Led Zeppelin's "Dawn at the Great Pyramid " - London Philharmonic Orchestra Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir " - London Philharmonic Orchestra Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir " - London Philharmonic Orchestra Kashmir - Ofra Haza (This is a trip for any number of reasons) Yerushalayim Shel Zahav - Ofra Haza Kol Aneshama, Elo Hi - Ofra Haza Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys oh danny boy The Young Irish Tenors. The Wrestler - Bruce Springsteen

I just finished reading an article about what the credit card bill is supposed to do and was disappointed a number of the comments. A number of posters made the obvious comments about the need for people to live within their means. That is a no brainer that I haven't any disagreement with. However it is not as black and white as many people would like to think of it as being. Quite a few people live in situations in which they are just a few steps away from falling into serious financial distresss. This is not a polemic or an apology but the reality of life. A family may have two working parents who are able to pay all of the bills without having to finance anything. Said parents might have spent years building a savings up to help tide them over for that mythical rainy day. But the thing is that it doesn't take much for that apple cart to be toppled. What happens if one of them becomes disabled and is no longer able to work. What happens if sudden and unexpected healthcare

I loved this shot of The Milky Way Over Mauna Kea.

Atlantis' Window on the World Solar panels on the Hubble Space Telescope make for unique window shades in this scene photographed from the flight deck of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Atlantis. This image was taken on flight day 5 of the 11-day mission to repair and upgrade Hubble.Image Credit: NASA

A mixed assortment of memories and thoughts: If you grew up in Southern California and are of a certain age you might remember a commercial in which a wife screams Don't Take The Car You'll Kill Yourself! Not sure if it ever aired anywhere else, but I remember it well. Or should I say that I remember how much of a joke it turned into. The sentiment was sincere and the idea behind it was/is not a joke, but not unlike so many other things it evolved. Kind of reminds me a bit of the commercial for Life Alert. "I have fallen and I can't get up" became a huge joke. It was one of those things that we made fun of for a thousand years. If you tripped and fell it was a virtual guarantee that someone was going to say or think it. My sophomore year of high school had a number of highlights. I remember one class in which we had this bitter old man teaching us, at least that is how I remember him. Twenty-five years later I see a man in a worn cordoruy jacket sitting behind

"If you keep on doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep on getting what you’ve always got." Filed under Trite but true.

These two stories should serve as a reminder to look before you begin your business in the bathroom. " A 2cm long fish apparently found it's way into the penis of a 14-year-old boy from India in a bizarre medical case. The patient was admitted to hospital with complaints of pain, dribbling urine and acute urinary retention spanning a 24-hour period. According to the boy, the fish slipped into his penis while he was cleaning his aquarium at home. Professor Vezhaventhan and Professor Jeyaraman, who treated the boy and later wrote a paper on the case, explained: "While he was cleaning the fish tank in his house, he was holding a fish in his hand and went to the toilet for passing urine. When he was passing urine, the fish slipped from his hand and entered his urethra and then he developed all these symptoms." and " A MAN became a sitting target for a snake , which bit his penis as sat on the toilet. "As soon as he sat down, he suddenly felt a knife-like pain

The AP gets credit for this photo of US Army Specialist Zachary Boyd . I appreciate his service to our country and can only imagine what kind of grief he is going to get for this. Stay safe soldier and keep your head down.

Well it looks like another show is biting the dust .

If you ask me I far prefer the coffee at Coffee Bean to Starbucks.

It is live. Go read it and wish Batya a happy birthday .

Dear Smoker, Your right to harm yourself infringes upon my right not to. I really wish that I could exercise my choice not to breathe the crap you exhale.

There is some useful information here .

Somewhere on my bookshelf is a book that contains a collection of Peanuts comic strips. I have had it for a good thirty years or so. Every so often I'll pull it out and flip through it. I never get tired of watching Snoopy fight the Red Baron or following his exploits as an author. How many dogs sit on top of their doghouse and use a Smith-Corona typewriter to compose the Great American Novel. One of my favorite strips is one in which Snoopy struggles to come up with a good opening for his book. The major problem is that all of his opening paragraphs are either cliches or duplicates of famous works. It makes me smile, because I often feel his pain. So you'll forgive me when I say that when I began this blog in the Spring of 2004, it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. There was so much going on in my life that I thought that blogging might serve as a great release. Very early on I intended to let a number of friends and family know about this place. I t

If I was a smarter man I'd be fast asleep in bed, but I am not that smart. I don't know about you, but I have often wondered why they say "fast asleep" as I have never really thought of being "slow asleep" as an alternative. In fact "slow asleep" sounds absolutely ridiculous, not that it matters because no one is asking me for my opinion anyhow. Went to a focus group earlier today and realized that in my dotage I am growing more reticent to speak in a group setting. Or maybe it is just a matter of being more selective about when and where I am willing to publicly share my thoughts. I am not afraid to speak in public, I do it all the time. But something has changed. Not saying that this is a good or a bad thing, just an observation about myself. Since turning 40 was a bit more traumatic than a normal birthday I have been far more conscious of these little things. Now that the the date has come and gone I am more relaxed about it. But that doesn

Four years ago I decided to write a post using song lyrics, or should I say using song lyrics to tell a story. Somehow I dropped the ball and a chunk of time went by in which I didn't work on it at all. In July of last year I picked it up again and started weaving it together. I managed to squeak out a second post and then it just fizzled. My intention is to start it up again and see if I can't get something going. Just for kicks I am going to grab the last set of lyrics I used and start it up again. The hard part is that I am not exactly sure what this story is about or where it is going. It makes it more challenging to try and write. On the other hand it does provide endless opportunities now doesn't it. "She's forty-one and her daddy still calls 'er "baby" All the folks 'round Brownsville say she's crazy 'Cause she walks downtown with her suitcase in her hand Lookin' for a mysterious dark-haired man" Delta Dawn - Helen Re

This was an incredible series.

It is a worth looking at .

Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd with Van Morrison Country Comfort - Elton John Burn Down The Mission - Elton John Hold On I'm Comin' -Sam & Dave Try A Little Tenderness -Otis Redding " Life Is Beautiful " Sixx:A.M. Bulls On Parade - Rage Against The Machine People of The Sun - Rage Against The Machine You Know My Name - Chris Cornell Sweet Caroline - Neil Diamond Let it be - The Beatles

I liked this list . Here are a few of my favorites from it. Glengarry Glen Ross Casablanca

In a couple of weeks I'll celebrate my fifth blogiversary and is my custom I start celebrating well in advance of the day. Typically I try to use these sorts of posts as a moment during which I reminisce about the past, speak of the present and consider the future. This has been one hell of an experience and I find it inconceivable to imagine my life without the blog. I was never one for journaling. If you search through the boxes in my garage you won't find notebooks filled with my hopes and dreams. I didn't like it, journaling that is and I didn't do it. The few exceptions being those school assignments in which I was forced to keep one. But this has been a tremendous experience that has brought me much joy and pleasure as well as some real aggravation. Inside these cyberwalls lie the hopes, dreams and aspirations of a relatively ordinary man. If you really know me then you know that some of those posts are raw emotion. I have my moments of doubt and times in whi

During the past two weeks quite a number of the people following me on Twitter have turned out to be experts in Social Media or SEO. For a moment I was puzzled by this and then I realized that they have done so because I am the leading expert on all matters. Jack sees all and knows all, just ask DovBear. Anyhoo, the beauty of these various tools is that there really isn't one proper way to use them. However, it should be noted that while there may not be one right way, there are also several wrong ways to use them. The most obvious pitfall from using these tools is being careful about what sort of information you enter into them. If you consider the viral nature of the net it is easy to imagine that anything you post in cyberspace can be viewed by millions of people and for an unknown duration of time. It is not far fetched to suggest that the YouTube video you made at 12 could still be around when you are 50, 76 or 176. The point being is that you need anytime you put somethin

Reductio ad absurdum is a mode of argumentation that seeks to establish a contention by deriving an absurdity from its denial, thus arguing that a thesis must be accepted because its rejection would be untenable. It is a style of reasoning that has been employed throughout the history of mathematics and philosophy from classical antiquity onwards. Or the standard dictionary definition Main Entry :re·duc·tio ad ab·sur·dum Pronunciation:\ri-ˈdək-tē-ˌō-ˌad-əb-ˈsər-dəm, -ˈdək-sē-ō-, -shē-, -ˈzər-\ Function:noun Etymology:Late Latin, literally, reduction to the absurd Date:1741 1 : disproof of a proposition by showing an absurdity to which it leads when carried to its logical conclusion 2 : the carrying of something to an absurd extreme

The Healing Power of Music - CNN reports on the work of a cardiologist and his study of the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. "Turns out music may be one of the best de-stressors. Makes sense to me . Why Your Baby’s Name Will Sound Like Everyone Else’s -Wired gives you the rundown on why your baby's name isn't all that unique. The Best & Worst Owners in Sports - SI comes up with another list. Blue Whales Are On The Move - Live Science has some great stuff.

I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit Japan but it is on my list of places that I have to see. If you are one of the seventeen long time readers you know that I have run a number of posts on this topic. I had intended on including links to those posts, but apparently the videos have been removed. When I have time I'll do a quick search to see if I can find replacements. In the interim here is a clip that left me, well, I don't know. Take a look for yourself.

I'll give this company the benefit of the doubt and say that I am sure that they were trying to do the right thing, but as a parent I am greatly troubled by it. But sex toy and children should never be said in the same sentence. Look at that picture and tell me that there isn't something wrong with this campaign. Here is a quick excerpt from the press release : SinlessTouch.com shakes up the adult novelty industry with its Buy a Sex toy, save a child Charity Program. "The Buy a Sex toy, save a child Charity Program is our commitment to society. We've always known that a sustainable business needs the support of healthy communities and a high quality environment. We aim to be the most trusted retailer wherever we trade by demonstrating a clear sense of social responsibility. " said Jessica Blake, Sinless Touch Vice President of Corporate Communications. Social responsibilty is great, but this is poorly executed. It needs to be revamped and fixed ASAP.

REASON, SEASON, LIFETIME!!! People always come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. When you figure out which it is, you know exactly what to do. When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed outwardly or inwardly. They have come to assist you through a difficulty, or to provide you with guidance and support, to aid you physically, emotionally, or even spiritually. They may seem like a godsend to you, and they are. They are there for the reason you need them to be. Then, without any wrong doing on your part or at an inconvenient time, this person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end. Sometimes they die. Sometimes they just walk away. Sometimes they act up or out and force you to take a stand. What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled; their work is done. The prayer you sent up has been answered and it is now time to move on. When people come into your l

Hmm....I think that I might have painted myself into a corner and now I am a bit unsure how to extract myself. It is rather disturbing, this feeling of being trapped. Not like I didn't see the potential for this happening, but still....So here I sit mulling over options, carefully considering the best direction to turn and thus we'll see if old Jack manages to overcome the obstacles or gets stuck in the corner for a while longer. But I can guarantee one thing, I'll never sing like Greg Pritchard.

A few minutes before midnight I sat down in a dark room and thought about the events of the past day. The last vestiges of my birthday were slipping away. It wasn't just any birthday, it was my fortieth. Forty years of wandering the earth trying to figure out what the hell am I doing here had led to this very moment. As a responsible blogger I thought that it was incumbent upon me to share the distilled wisdom of the ages with my readers, present and future. So I ambled over to the computer and began to write a rambling and garbled post that never quite got its legs beneath it. It took all of thirty seconds to decide that I didn't want to run it and I deleted it. I had intended to take another shot at it last night, but after the Mother's Day marathon I just didn't have it in me. Wife, mother, mother-in-law, sisters who are mothers and a mother of day sucked the life out of me. But you my lucky reader had nothing to worry about because here I am writing this post n