Silent No Longer

The situation in Drafur, Sudan has been on my news feeds for months now, and I find the amount of coverage given to this tragedy to be appalling. Artciles are hidden on news sites and never garer more than passing attention. It is well past time for the world to step up and approach this situation on several fronts.

The following sites provide the most complete and latest news regarding the crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan:
Sudan: The Passion of the Present
Darfur: A Genocide We Can Stop

I have been wanting to post regarding this situation for a long time, and have referenced it in various posts. In attempting to provide the most up-to-date news regarding the tragedy in Darfur, I am befuddled by the lack of media attention to the crisis. Occasionally, a link to a news story will appear on the front of a news web site, only to disappear within a half hour and become incredibly hard to locate.
It's like the world doesn't want to be made more aware of the crimes being committed and the lives that are being destroyed in Sudan, lest they be called to act in response to this humanitarian tragedy.

Beginning today, everytime I come across an article that includes news of the situation in Darfur, I will at least post a link to that information. Below are the articles that I have been following lately, from oldest to newest.

Darfur News:
The Worst is Yet to Come (25NOV05)
U.N. Puts Darfur Dead at 70,000 (21DEC04)
Powell Mum on Genocide in Sudan (08JAN05)
World 'Ignoring' War Torn Darfur (14JAN05)
World 'Hasn't Listened to Holocaust' (24JAN05)
Davos Focus Turns to Africa (27JAN05)
GOP Lawmaker: Stop Sudan 'Genocide' (27JAN05)
Sudan 'Bombs Darfur Village' (27JAN05)
WHO: Darfur Crisis Apparently Eases (27JAN05)
Peace Team to Probe Darfur Raid (28JAN05)
Sudan Troops in Darfur Offensive (28JAN05)
Darfur Rebels Request Peacekeepers (30JAN05)
Darfur Killings Not Genocide, Says UN Group (31JAN05)
Darfur Misery 'Fault of Sudan' (31JAN05)

United Nations Sites
United Nations - Greater Darfur Crisis
United Nations Situational Reports - Sudan

Special Reports
CNN.com Special - Sudan
Time - Surviving Darfur

Get Involved!
What You Can Do About Darfur


As of today, I refuse to be associated with those who are aware of the crisis and do not pass that information on in an attempt to promote action. The situation in Sudan is worse than most people even realize, with the crisis about to become exponentially disastrous due to the impending famine. The Tsunami was a terrible natural disaster which has impacted millions and killed hundreds of thousands. If the situation in Darfur does not improve rapidly in the coming months, the numbers of dead and displaced will likely match and surpass those of the Tsunami by the end of the year.

One catastrophe has raised billions and all types of support.
Another one continues on the other side of the world, and the support raised has been incredibly minimal. I'm glad that Doctors Without Borders has approached this issue and is now asking for people who want to donate to give and help Darfur and other areas. If only more people and the media would make that transition.

Seventh Inning Stretch

Here's some thoughts that have been mulling in my mind for quite a while, but I always forget to write about them when I'm at the computer. This story today has finally given me the reminder I needed to put down some thoughts on the matter.

So Carlos Delgado(1st Basemen for the Florida Marlins) still won't stand for the singing of "God Bless America" at a ballgame this year, due to how he feels that Major League Baseball has tied the memory of 9/11 and the song to the war in Iraq. His manager supports his freedom to decline to participate and his ballclub does as well.
So do I.

I don't support it for his reasoning, albeit one can construct such an argument without much hard work. I don't support it on any type of "free speach" grounds, although I can definitely see how that is also a practical argument and one that would stand up to intense scrutiny of almost any sort. No, my support of his stance is much more simple than that.

I support Carlos Delgado and his right to refuse to stand for the singing of "God Bless America" because there is no reason for him to have to stand. Did you catch that? He doesn't have to stand because he doesn't have to stand. It is in no way derogatory for a person to refuse to stand during the singing of a song that is not considered the anthem for a country. He is not showing disrespect for the United States, our troops or the song. It is a song. Period.

It is a piece of music that was written by Irving Berlin in 1918 for a musical he was creating. It was left out of the musical and slightly reworked in 1938, when it was first released to radio and record.(footnote) It was instantly a hit and has become one of the quintessential songs of American patriotism. It gains particularly high attention during times of war and/or crisis. It is a great song, but it is still just a song.

The government of the United States of America recognizes it for its musical and lyrical attributes(copyright laws), but it has never established the song as any sort of officially sanctioned song of the United States. The last time I checked, "The Star Spangled Banner" by Francis Scott Key is still our national anthem and, as such, is the only song that would demand standing during its playing.

There are other songs that, due to steep tradition and emotional response, evoke a standing ovation when played. For instance, "Here Come the Bride" is played and everyone stands out of respect for the bride. During Handel's Messiah when the "Hallelujah Chorus" is played/sung, it is tradition to stand. This was supposedly started when King George III stood during his first listening of the piece at a performance(many people have differing reasons to why he stood, and even some doubt that he ever did stand or was even there).

Perhaps Major League Baseball is attempting to promote an new tradition. Or perhaps everyone stands because "God Bless America" is played/sung during the middle of the seventh inning, when the tradition of the "seventh-inning stretch" is invoked. So, it appears that "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" which was a long-standing favorite amongst baseball fans has been replaced with "God Bless America". Is that right? I can see both sides of the argument, but I lean more towards wanting the old song back.

I have a couple of reasons for this thinking. First, and foremost, there's nothing quite so nauseating as seeing thousands of drunk people stand suddenly and try to pretend to be somber or respectful about a song, when they've just spent the previous two hours yelling obscenities at players, managers, umpires and fellow fans. Secondly, it appears that this "tradition" is already being made into something I believe it should not be. There is no reason to expect people to stand, remove their caps and salute the American flag during the performance of this song. While I understand the sentiments of the song, as it has been tied to the attacks of 9/11 (thanks in part to a televised performance by politicans on Capital Hill), I do not see the reasoning behind why it continues to be performed during the seventh-inning stretch.

It may seem silly for Carlos Delgado to refuse to stand during the performance of "God Bless America", but I understand where he is coming from. I stand when it is played, merely because it is the seventh-inning stretch. I sing along from time-to-time because I enjoy singing. I do not remove my cap because I do not where one. I do not salute the flag because "God Bless America" is not my national anthem.

I'd rather stand and sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and act silly during the seventh inning stretch of a ballgame than to try and become suddenly serious and retrospective. It's that whole part of "buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack" that gets me I think. I go to a ballgame to have fun and be entertained. From the behavior of some of the people around me, they go for either the same reason or to drink their stress away(or both).

Let's allow the seventh inning stretch to be fun again. Let's "root, root, root for the hometeam" and sing along with the organ and have a grand old time. Let us not forget the men and women who are fighting overseas and that have died to give us that freedom, but let us remember them by celebrating what makes America the great nation that it is.

Caloric Binge Eating

The following statistics are taken from an article in today's Wall Street Journal:

Hardee's "Monster Thickburger" contains 107 Fat grams and 1,418 calories.
Culver's "Jumbo Bacon Butterburger Delux" contains 69 fat grams and 1,100 calories.
Burger King's "Double Whopper with Cheese" contains 69 fat grams and 1,060 calories.
McDonald’s "Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese" contains 40 fat grams and 730 calories.

I've checked through a health site and found that my body needs about 2500 calories a day to maintain a healthy body weight. Anyone under 30 and under 6 feet tall will need less than that. That's just an amazingly hideous amount of calories and fat grams for one meal, which doesn't include any fries or beverage.

It is now possible to drive up in your car, order a Monster Burger meal with a Coke, pay your money and consume all of your daily allowance of calories before you ever get up off your butt to get out of the vehicle. Americans are already overweight and underexercised. What's next?

Relationships

Men and women view relationships differently.
A guy could have a friend who is a woman and never think of her as anything more than that. However, the woman might think the guy is interested in more with her and will be quite upset if/when she discovers that is not the case.

A former friend sent me this, after coming to the realization that I had no interest in pursuing anything more than what we had:

"No woman ever hates a man for being in love with her, but many a woman hates a man for being a friend to her." - Alexander Pope

Let's hope that now that I am married I won't have to worry about such things anymore. I'm pretty sure my wife won't hate me for being a friend to her...

Hotel Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda is an extremely powerful movie. Academy Award nominations for it were announced today.

One of the most gripping parts of the dialogue in the movie flows something like this (this is the quote as best as I can remember it- forgive any errors):
"How can they do nothing?"
"In their eyes, you are not a black man. You are not even a nigger. You are an African."

The story, as it is told, is an amazing reflection of world politics and media denial. My fear is that, in 10 years, another similar movie could be made reflecting the current events in Darfur, Sudan.

What Age Do I Act?

Here are the results from a silly little quiz I saw in KaraokeDiva's blog and decided to do.

You Are 27 Years Old

27 20-29: You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences.

What Age Do You Act?

Cold Hands

There are typically two types of people: Cold people and Hot people.
I am a hot person.

If it's cold outside I am okay. If it's hot outside I'm pretty miserable. If your thermostat is anywhere above 73, I start to sweat. Very rarely am I cold. In fact, I enjoy the temperature where if you stay in a room for more than an hour your toes and fingertips start to loose feeling. Yep, I'm weird like that. I like to crawl under a blanket, but it has to be somewhere near 65 for me to pull that off - and even at that temp my feet will most likely be sticking out from under the blanket to regulate my temperature.

So the fact that my hands are freezing cold right now is very strange indeed. I've been at work for several hours now and still they have not warmed up yet. Normally, at this point, my hands have totally thawed out from any chill they might have received and I am turning on my desk fan to keep from getting too warm. Not today.

Could this be a sign that I might be getting sick?
Could it be that *gasp* my body is beginning to adjust to more "normal" temperatures?

I hope it's just a fluke thing. I like being able to walk around the apartment in shorts and a t-shirt in the winter months, with the temp in the low 60s...

Full Court Press

This case just appalls me in every imaginable way. The woman was found with the baby. The woman has been traced to the scene of the crime. Now she pleads "not guilty"? In light of that plea, I expect her her laywers to pull the insity clause or some other feeble excuse as to why this woman, when convicted (which she will be), should not face the full extent of the penalty possible.

Crap like this perplexes me and is why our judicial system is so bogged down and backlogged. Prove she did it. Prove she knew what she was doing. Send her away. That's all there is to it.

"Union" Nurses

Well, it appears that the RNs at St. John's Mercy will vote today on the new contract on the table. After two weeks of no talks or deliberation, suddenly they are voting on a contract that the union representative calls disappointing. I think there are two reasons why this might be the case:

One - the nurses are cold, tired and suddenly discovering that the lack of income and insurance really sucks compared to what they used to have. They are realizing that the hospital isn't in any hurry to wrap this up, and it is actually doing just fine in providing services to the public.

Two - The union brought the original contract to the table this time around, asking the mediator for the meeting with the hospital. I see the main reason for this is due to the fact that their picket lines are starting to look really thin. After five weeks of nothing happening for their benefit, it seems that a lot of nurses have crossed back over to work within the hospital. They can work in the warm building making money and getting the benefits from the hospital, or they can stand out in the bitter cold while the union does absolutely nothing to further their cause. It seems like the union brought this to the table to try and get quick resolution of some kind, before the majority of their nurses begin thinking that maybe they don't even need the union. So the union is trying to close up the deal that it calls disappointing in order to save its own skin.

My opinion:
Sometime union workers can come across as being selfish, but they do what the union asks.
Most times the union itself acts selfishly just to protect its own budget, and never stands out in the cold.

Children and Millstones

This appears to be an instance where the politics of the Catholic Church is putting the innocence of hundreds of children in jeopardy every day that it delays action. If I were a parent of one of the children attending one of the schools mentioned in the article, I would be raising my voice in complete and total indignation.

"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea." - Matthew 18:6

Lyrics/Emotions of the Day

Take the longest day
Throw it all away
I can't stand it
But I can't do anything
Everyday's the same
Nothing ever change
I can't stand it
But I can't do anything
Can't do anything
- "Burning" by Toad the Wet Sprocket

This has been in my head all day and seem very appropriate.

Be Warned

Today started off normal enough.
Work even started out normal enough.
Now, things are not normal anymore.

I want to scream, point fingers and give menacing glares to certain people.
It's so incredibly frustrating to see the need to change, recognize the changes that should be implemented and still be able to do nothing about it.
Some people are so focussed on themselves and watching their own backs that they can't help but ignore the people they are supposed to be helping.

If you work with any pin-head, moronic, self-absorbed, narrow-minded people that have some direct impact on your job - you have my deepest sympathy.

If you are one of those pin-headed, moronic, self-absorbed, narrow-minded people - then I ask you to reconsider your reason for living and what your values are.

Today would not be the day to mess with me...

Wedding Woes

I have a wedding to attend this weekend, but I honestly have very little desire to attend. I would be alright with this if this were a friend of my wife's or something, but it is not. Nope, this is a friend of mine. Okay, "friend" might be an extremely loose usage of the word. This is someone who I use to hang out with about once a month with a bunch of other people. We had some good times, but we never were incredibly close or anything. In fact, I was closer to this person's sibling than I was to them. About three years ago this person basically left town and brushed all of us out of the picture. They breezed back in about a year later and have been in town since.

I have seen this person exactly zero times in the last year. I have spoken with this person exactly zero times in the last year. Then all of a sudden they call me out of the blue. I quickly cut to the chase of "What is this phone call about?" and they say guess. Okay. Either they are getting married or someone has died, and they sound way too happy to be calling about a death. So I shoot with the marriage card with great success.

Then the invitation came. The reply went out. And now I am going to a wedding that I'd rather not go to. It's on the south side of the city, which means it's going to take a while to get there. Add to that fact that the wedding starts at 2pm and the reception starts at 6pm, and there's a lot of time to kill in between there. I would rather come home than kill time, but the reception (being held in Illionois) is basically in the opposite direction of home. So we are looking at trying to kill about 3 hours of time between a wedding neither one of us really wants to go to and a reception that we would rather miss. At least I will get a chance to visit with this "friends" sibling at the reception.

Is there any vaild reason why we couldn't just skip the whole affair and send then a gift with our regrets? Or does the fact that we have already RSVP'd to the reception basically make us obligated to attend?

Frozen Car Door? Here's How to Fix It!

I went out at 5:30 this morning to warm up my wife's car and clear the windows, so she could eat breakfast and head to work in a warm vehicle. Obviously, the sun was not up yet and, from the looks of the activity on the parking lot, neither was anyone else. So it was me and the nippy morning air to keep each other company. Our conversation was periodically interrupted by a brisk burst of wind, which like to brush it's cool hand across my face with the tenderness of an ice pick.

I expected the car to have a nice crusty coating of ice when I arrived at it, so I knew this was not going to be a super quick task. After traversing the black asphalt parking lock that was littered with cars parked haphazardly, snow and ice, I reached my destination. I took my gloved hand and brushed most of the snow from the driver's side door and proceeded to insert the key into the lock. With only a little difficulty, I turned the key and felt the lock give in to my gentle, pursuasive touch. I recalled the last time I battled the frozen vehicle, and I was thrilled to know that I was going to be able to enter the driver's side this time.

I gently pulled up on the handle and felt absolutel no give in the door's position. Hmmmm... I pull a bit harder. Nothing. I push in on the door frame and then pulled the handle. Nada. I began the complicated manuever known as the "Frozen-Lock Rock". For those who might have never heard of this classic winter activity, I have included the following description.

First, make sure you are standing on ground which will provide you with stability, balance and most importantly leverage. Place your left foot closer to the car than your right foot, with your left foot pointing almost directlty at the target area and your right foot parallel to the vehicle.

After confirming your stance, place your left hand on the frame of the door. Some people prefer to press directly against the door, but I recommend using the actual frame of the door to press against, as this will prevent any possible denting of the door itself. Plus, using this area to place pressure makes sense when you consider that the frame of the door is the item you are attempting to dislodge from its frozen state. With your left hand in place, take your right hand and firmly grasp the handle. (It is always a good idea to verify that the door is in fact unlocked prior to initiating the "Frozen-Lock Rock", as the move is rendered utterly pointless otherwise.)

With your left hand on the door frame, right hand on the handle and your legs in position, begin to gently lean into the car with your left hand while pulling up on the handle with your right hand. There may not appear to be an effect at first - this is to be expected. Continue to press into the door frame with more voracity, which should cause the entire vehicle to begin to rock. It is at this critical point when one must consider the rule of diminishing returns. If the door does not seem to be loosening at all, or if you have not heard any ice cracking then you must proceed to the next vital step in this process.

If the initial "FLR" fails, do not be discouraged. It took your car longer than 2 minutes to become frozen solid, so it stands to reason that it might take a few minutes to get it back to its friendly, welcoming state. The next step in this process is the "Pound Around". This is a step that is often forgotten or even unknown to many people, when it comes to entering a frozen vehicle. It is not a hard step, but it can be quite dangerous if not performed correctly. After slightly modifying your "FLR" stance make a fist with your dominant hand (usually the right hand) and proceed to bang it against the door frame, making contact with the door with the bottome (pinky side) of your fist. Proceed to pound around (hence the name) on the door frame at all possible point of contact with the vehicle frame. This will potentially cause the frozen connections to become loosened.

After performing the "Pound Around" to personal satisfaction, proceed to re-initiate the "Frozen-Lock Rock". This cycle may need to be completed several times before the vehicle is freed from its ice bondage and thus allowing you entry. If there are no signs of progress after several attempts, you will need to attempt to enter through another door, which may also require the use of these techniques.

Well, I performed the FLR" and the "Pound Around" for nearly 25 minutes before I finally got the door open. I couldn't go in through another door, because the passenger side lock was frozen completely in the locked position. I headed back inside to change and get ready for work. Fourty five minutes later I was back out on the parking lot attempting to get into my car. Fifteen minutes later I gained entry through the passenger side.

I turned on my radio and was told that the temperature outside was 8 degrees with a windchill of negative 4. Yep, I'm pretty sure it was unhealthy for me to spend 40 minutes outside pounding on two frozen cars this morning. But I survived, and have finally thawed out enough to feel my toes and fingertips.

Two days ago it was almost 70 degrees out, and today the high will be around 22.
You just have to love ST. Louis weather.
I do. No, really I do.

I just don't like having a frozen car(or two).

Oh, What a Tribute

It is always inevitable that some radio station or group will release a song as a tribute after some catastrophe or other "major" event occurs. You know how it goes. Take a once popular song, mix in some audio clips regarding the event and let the tears flow on the listener's face. Sometimes, one of these tributes is amazing and truly conveys the emotions of the event. After 9/11, these things were playing all over the place. Some of them were excellent, and some of them were aweful. That's the risk of a tribute. It can go either way. I think a lot of it comes down to the original song, which audio clips are chosen for the mix and then how well they are "added" to the song.

On my way to work this morning, I just happened to flip to Y98, just as they started playing what is evidently a "tribute" to the victims of the Tsunami in Southeast Asia. I am glad they have chosen to try to raise awareness and donations for the victims of this tragedy - a truly noble cause. And what song was chosen to be the groundwork for this effort? What heartfelt, emotion laden song is to be the backbone of their efforts to support our fellow mankind?

"Right Now" by Van Halen.

Nothing says, we care about you and want to support you like the screaming in that song.
I realize what the goal was, but it was not fulfilled in this song. Read through the lyrics of the chorus, which are repeated incessantly:

Right now, hey
It’s your tomorrow
Right now,C’mon,it’s everything
Right now,
Catch a magic moment, do it
Right here and now
It means everything

Who's tomorrow is it? Ours if we don't give, or theirs if we don't give? Or are we talking from the victim's perspective?

It's everything? Well, they lost everything, so maybe that's it. Or is the act of us giving everything? Why is that everything?

Catch a magic moment? I suppose this is referring to us giving...

I think that this is not only one of the worst choices for a tribute song I have ever heard, but also one of the worst editing jobs to mix in the audio on top of the music. Half the song you cannot hear the vocals due to the overlaying audio snippets. In my opinion, it just doesn't quite work out the way I think the station had hoped.

Has anyone else heard this? What do you think?
Have you heard any other Tsunami tributes on the radio or online? What song was it set to and was it any good?

Business In Iraq

The following exerpts have been taken from this editorial by John Zogby in the St. Louis Buisness Journal:

Zogby International conducted a poll of 454 owners and managers of small and medium-size businesses in three cities -- Baghdad, Irbil and Hilla. Seven in 10 Iraqi business leaders hold an optimistic outlook toward their country's future post-Saddam, while just one in 10 are pessimistic. These percentages hold up across the nation, though optimism jumps to eight in 10 in Hilla.

The freedom to run a business as they see fit, and have the opportunity to keep their profits evidently appeals to them.

Capital expansion is planned at near-universal levels among Iraq's small and medium-size businesses, with 81 percent in Baghdad, 90 percent in Hilla and 89 percent in Irbil indicating they plan to grow their businesses' capital.

Business owners are doing so well that they are expecting to see an increase in revenue. They actually plan on making more money now than they did under Saddam's rule.

Three-fourths of Iraqi business owners and managers believe that long term, the policy of the interim Iraqi government toward business will improve.

The owner's believe that the long-term effects of a change in rule and government will be positive. They also understand that the current policies toward business need to change, and they expect them to while realizing it may take some time.

Business leaders expressed satisfaction with the level of communication and support for business from the government.

A solid majority (86 percent) of Iraqi business operators believes opening Iraq to the international business community will improve their business, and are fairly passionate about the concept -- half (50 percent) of those polled believe this will substantially improve their business.

You bet they believe it will improve their business, why wouldn't it?

There are still many hurdles to overcome in Iraq, no question about that. But as commerce grows and people become used to their new freedoms in business and the marketplace, the effects will roll over into other areas of the country.

Restructuring a nation's government and giving people a freedom they have never had before will take time. And it will come at a cost. The Iraqi business owners realize that, in time, things will improve, but they already admit that things are better now than they ever have been.

It's best to keep the current events in perpsective while looking through a long-term lense.

She Will Be Loved

Between the misty, damp weather and the song on the radio this morning, I couldn't escape the sense of satisfaction that I have, when it comes to knowing that I am loved by my wife. This post is a result of those elements.

From the moment I first heard Maroon5's "She Will Be Loved", I instantly thought of the film "Cinema Paradiso". I enjoy the song. I love the movie. Ever since I was introduced to this film in my Film History and Apprecation class, I have loved it. I have loved it for it's storyline, characters, and it's setting.

Some of the lines from this movie are both heart-warming and gut-wrenching at the same time. Perhaps my favorite line is when Alfredo sits with Toto and tells the young man "Be quiet. I don't want to hear you talk anymore. I want to hear talk of you." That is such a powerful scene, as is the entire sequence of Toto pursuing his love, Elena. I've always thought that the clips through that sequence are so incredibly powerful, if for no other reason than the fact that I can understand how he feels about the girl and how he so desperately wants her to love him.

I wonder if Maroon5 got any inspiration for the song from the film. Here's where my connection between movie and music resides:
"I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved"

Investing

I have developed an interest over the past 5 years in the stock market (probably a by-product of working in Clayton for a period of time), and have always thought that I might someday want to do a little investing. Now, I don't have any sort of massive wealth to "play" with, so I am very hesitant to place my hard earned dollar into someone else's hands/company.

One thing that I have done though, is to set up my 401(k) and deposit a percentage of my paycheck into it every pay period. It is my opinion that any person under the age of 30 that has the opportunity to invest in a 401(k) or similar retirement plan, should do so. After all, we will probably never get to see very little (if anything) from Social Security by the time we get to that point. So start putting aside some money now and place it in some relatively safe investments to grow over time.

I have been putting aside a relatively aggressive percentage so far (considering my paycheck and expenses), but I feel that it is a very important and worthwhile investment. My company allows for us to choose where our money is invested, with a dozen or so options to choose from. I have set up my investing to be around 25% fixed growth interest, 30% long-term low to moderate risk stocks and the remainder to a more high-risk sector. So far, my return on investment has been around 10%, so I am very pleased with that.

I still have an interest in the stock market, so I have begun to play an online game.
You are given money to start with, and the idea is to learn how to investigate and invest in stocks that will prove benficial to you and your portfolio. I've only been playing for a week, but I've already earned a 10% growth rate, and am hoping to turn that into 25% by this week's end. If you want to "play" with the stock market and keep your real money safe, go to StocksQuest.

The "Stalker" Saga

Ok, so over on STLBLoggers, there has been quite the stir regarding a post made by Ricklthefox a few days ago. You see, he posted this on the main page of the site. Well, I've seen this guys e-mail address listed on another site I visit from time to time, and I knew there was a bit of a weirdness about him. So I did some Googling and came up with a couple of really odd, scary and just plain sick bulletin board posts he has made recently, as well as a perverted blog he has just created. I also found a post he made regarding the Tsunami in Asia which was revolting and totally abhorable in nature. So I posted the links in the comment of that post, just so everyone would see that this guy is a little creepy.

Well, this guy posted a response which quickly has set off a cascade of posts from the people at STLBloggers. That posted comment was quickly removed by the admin of the site (the right move in my mind), but not before people read it in their aggregators. This has caused quite the controversy over their amongst certain people, and I honestly had never seen or read the removed comment. So, I went out and grabbed it from my aggregator and have posted it (in it's entirety) here so that people everywhere can associate this man with his own uncompassionate words of hate.

What is posted below is verbatim what this 49 year old man, Ricklthefox (aka Rick Lamming), who is evidently from Caseyville, posted as a comment in response to his bulletin board posts.

My motives , guru
By Ricklthefox

My original comment was about being a stalker. You asked what my motives are...well, I have no motives. Maybe I never grew up. My personal feelings on internet bulletin boards are as follows: Internet bulletin boards are like a bathroom wall where you write "For a good time, call......" , "here i sit broken hearted....", etc. But , this bathroom wall is so big that you can write a novel on them! Unfortunately, some things cannot be removed and I'm sorry for that, and extremely embarrassed.

I say things (and write on boards) before I think but this is a lot better than acting out things before thinking, which a majority of people do.

As far as the tsunami comments I made, I meant everything I said and that’s the kind of person I am. I am horrified as to the loss of life of the Hindu’s, Buddhists, Sikhs, and all the innocent victims, I pray for their souls and hope the true God welcomes them in His family HOWEVER..

I DO NOT feel sorry for the moslims that danced in the streets of Indonesia while those planes crashed into the World Trade Center. I DO NOT feel sorry for the imams that NEVER spoke out against the murdering islamists that did it,(and by the way, still do not). I despise the moslem religion and will NEVER forgive what they did to us and continue to do to non muslims throughout the world. (Daniel Berg comes to mind), This is what islam is and if you would read the koran, you would see that unless you are muslim, you need to be killed. Most of America has forgotten 9/11 but I never will.

Holy Preaching Batman, blogs are supposed to be fun!!

I NOW apologize to the St Louis bloggers for reading my rants, all further posts will be.......well ? , lol

A note, I typed this reply in wordpad, let it sit for a few hours and made sure I wanted it published. I did.

And now I have shared this garbage with the world, so that the world can read what this man, Rick Lamming (aka Ricklthefox, aka Ricklamm, aka Rand) thinks of the disaster in Asia.

Laundry Adventures

Today is laundry day.
Yep, today is the day my wife has decided she wants to do the washing and drying of all of our clothes. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind doing the laundry, but I find it to be monotonous and boring. So when my wife offers to do the laundry by herself on one of her days off, I am always a source of unending encouragement. A major part of this cotton and rayon adventure is getting our dirty items to the laundromat. This invovles carrying everything down two flights of steps to the vehicle, which is no fun task.

Trying to be the good husband, I offer to take one of the "loads" of clothing down with me as I leave. Now, this "load" I chose is actually more like 2 or 3 machines worth of items, but it all fits in once nice bundle, which is created by throwing it all on our queen-size bed sheet and pulling up the four corners. The other "load" that I left for my wife to carry when she is ready to leave is the traditional hip-style laundry basket. Having my bundle in hand, I head out to face the day.

The twenty-eight wooden steps down to the lower level of our "multi-family housing unit" were slightly damp and slick, but nothing an old seasoned pro like me couldn't handle. As I stepped out from under the covered roof of the stairway, I was greeted by the day with a hundred little kisses on my face from the sky, all in the form of wispy, whimsical snowflakes. As I enjoyed this wind-delivered sensation, I proceeded to step onto the ice covered parking lot. I quickly modified my joyful step to account for the deadly ice below my running shoes. There's no need to hurry on that sort of stuff - you just end up hurting something that you'd rather not have hurt.

So I carefully made my way to my wife's trusty vehicle and proceeded to discover that it was completely frozen shut. I spent several minutes messing with the passenger side door until it finally open. I unlocked the remaining doors and then proceeded to jerk the rear passenger side door open. After placing the "bundle" of laundry in the back, I moved back to the front side and forced the driver side door open from the inside. Having accomplished this task, I proceeded to lock the doors and headed to my car.

Now my mode of tranportation is not as new or fancy or even as trustworthy as my wife's, but it gets me where I need to go. I tried the driver side door for several minutes, but to no avail. I slipped my way around to the other side where the passenger door became my new nemesis. It took me all of four minutes to finally free the door and by this time my fingers were freezing and my ears were quite cold. I guess that's what I deserve for not wearing gloves or a hat during the winter season.

I made it to work only ten minutes later than I had hoped, but I feel quite victorious with that fact considering everything that I had to overcome this morning. The snow is still coming down right now, and I must admit that I love every blessed flake of it.

What a great way to start a Thursday!

A List of The Year Past

I'm stealing this list of questions from Kritter's blog.
I've modified the questions as I desired.

What did you do in 2004 that you'd never done before?
Went to California, but failed to see the Pacific Ocean.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't make resolutions. (See previous post)

Did anyone close to you give birth?
My sister had her first child, a boy.

Did anyone close to you die?
No.

What countries did you visit?
Did not leave the USA this past year. I hope to make up for it this year in a big way.

What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
A bit more patience with people and a little more compassion for them.

What date from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?My wedding day. If you have to ask why, then you either aren't married or didn't marry for love.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting married.

What was your biggest failure?
Not completing my thesis.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
I jammed all the joints and broke my ring finger on my left hand in July.

What was the best thing you bought?
Engagement ring for my wife.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
American soldiers for their dedication to duty.

Whose behavior made you appalled and disgusted?
At the moment, Kofi Annan and Michael Moore come to mind immediately.

Where did most of your money go?
Wedding, bills and student loans.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Being married to my best friend.

What song will always remind you of 2004?
"Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones.

Compared to this time last year, are you (a) happier or sadder? (b) thinner or fatter? (c) richer or poorer?
Happier, 4 pounds fatter and a little bit richer.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
More exercise and studying/reading.

What do you wish you'd done less of?
Thinking/dwelling on the past.

Did you fall in love in 2004?
I was already in love heading into this past year, but I did grow to love my wife much more deeply.

How many one-night stands?
Absolutely none.

What was your favourite TV program?
A tie between 24 and The Amazing Race.

Does anyone hate you now that didn't hate you this time last year?
I can think of one person that might not like me too much.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No.

What was the best book you read?
Didn't do much reading, but I liked "To Kill a Mockingbird" the best.

What was your greatest musical (re)discovery?
Ray Charles, James Taylor, Bebo Norman and Etta James.

What did you want and get?

I wanted to be married to my wife.

What did you want and not get?
Something that was beyond anyone else's control, but it is coming my way very soon.

What was your favorite film of this year?
I don't know. "Ray" was excellent. I enjoyed "I, Robot" and "The Incredibles". "The Passion of the Christ" was a movie I am glad a ton of people saw (including myself), but don't ever plan on owning it.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I can't think of anything.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
Same as always - indifferent. I don't care what people think of how I look. I would have to call it casual/relaxed.

What kept you sane?
Music, family and friends.

What political issue stirred you the most?
The election was almost consuming in all of its coverage, but the War in Iraq is also quite captivating. From a humanitarian standpoint, my focus has been riveted on Darfur in Sudan and remains so.

Who did you miss?
I miss a lot of my college friends. Sometimes I miss their hug or soft word. It's more of a momentary desire to reach out and hug them, when I cannot.

Who was the best new person you met?
My wife's cousin is pretty stinking cool, and so is her boyfriend. My nephew is the coolest "new" person though...

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2004:
Some people not only see things differently, they sometimes don't see them at all.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"When you're in my arms and I feel you so close to me
All my wildest dreams come true
I need no soft lights to enchant me
If you'll only grant me the right To hold you ever so tight
And to feel in the night the nearness of you." - Norah Jones "The Nearness of You"

New Year, Same Attitude

So the celebration is over, the Christmas decorations have been taken down and packed away till next November, and I finally have time to sit down and relax. It is an often overlooked, enjoyable experience to be able to sit in your own apartment for the evening - knowing that you don't have to get ready to go anywhere for any reason. This past month has presented very few (maybe 2?) nights where I did not have something I needed to go do or a place I needed to be. I'm thankful the Holiday rush is over. Being married makes the season that much more hectic.

A lot of people welcome the new year by making goals/resolutions that they hope to achieve in the coming year. I have never been one to do such a thing. I have friends that do this every year. Sometimes they accomplish some of their goals, and sometimes they do not. I suppose it's all about having a goal to shoot for or something. I find it more enjoyable to look back over the year that has been and view my accomplishments and shortcomings from a broader perspective. I find that it is helpful to realize where I need to be more cautious with my actions and words, and where I could use a little more tenacity.

All that being said, I have continued this tradition of not having any goals for this year.
Is that bad?
I don't think so.

I do plan on being more openly honest (read blunt) in this avenue regarding what I think about anything and everything. I may start sharing my thoughts of things on other various blogs that I read, which up until this point I have pretty much refrained from commenting directly about.

I figure, why not? If I'm thinking it, why not write it down?
Consider yourself warned.
This could prove to be a wild road that leads to nowhere, but at least the trip will be memorable.