There is so many things I wanted to blog about today that I couldn't pin a title to it.
First off, I got a new job. I will be working with the Privacy Office at the University here. Basically, I'm moving from one team in ITS to another. I'm even in the same building so it is nice. With that comes a certain level of wonder and excitement as well as a little bit of saddness. The team I am currently on rocks and we have a lot of fun, but I felt the need to move on. So I am excited and will start working with them once I get back from my time off when the baby comes. It will be fun.
Second, the BABY! When is the big question. I wish that calculating the due date was more of an exact science. This whole wondering when and all that stuff is for the birds. So we are due in a little more than two weeks, but it would be nice to know when exactly. Other than that, the baby is moving and streching all over the place, by the way Chels winces I'm guessing that it is very painful. I feel lucky to be a man and not have to go through that. Yep, I'm a wimp.
Third. My son and daughter are learning to ride their bikes without training wheels. Minus getting on the bike, Jarik has it down pretty good. It took all of about one push to get him up and going. Tiaree on the other hand is turning out more difficult. Reason, she's learned bad habits depending on the training wheels. She was finally getting it when it got too late and we had to go in. We'll work on it again today.
I have a movie review that I'll do a seperate post on. We went and saw Over the Hedge last Wednesday. It was good, but I'll give a little better review later.
Time for the Song of the Day! I know I missed last week, but that's because I decided to listen to a movie while I worked instead of listen to music. I listened to most of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it was cool. And believe it or not, I got a lot accomplished. Today's Song of the Day is from Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory. We just got the CD from BMG, one of the free ones. Anyway, the song is The Candy Man. Now, the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp, is awesome, but the old musical with Gene Wilder is awesome and the music is dang cool.
That's about it for today. I may get to the movie review, but in case I don't, don't hold your breath. Laters.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Book Review - Ender's Game
As we were preparing to go camping last weekend, I thought it appropriate to take a book with me. I decided on something that I have never read before. After searching through the library catalog online and coming up with nothing at the branches I was looking at, I finally stumbled across the Orson Scott Card books. They had Ender's Game in stock at the library close to my work. So, I ran over and picked it up.
I had read Orson before years ago. In fact, I still have the book. It is called A Planet Called Treason and I really liked that book. Boy was I in for a suprise. Anway, here's the synopsis.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggins is a 6-year old boy who is very intelligent but also, very small. He can't comprehend the "kids" around him and wants nothing more than to be left alone. He doesn't get much help from his older brother who continues to threaten him with his life and is quite capable, physically and intelligently, to commit such a crime.
Ender is being tested by the International Fleet to join their battle school. As the youngest person to ever be admitted, he is wisked away to the battle school orbiting earth. His goal, to be trained to fight a war against the buggers, a race of insect-like creatures that have invaded earth previously and were fought back. Unbeknownst to Ender, his training is actually to command the fleet against the buggers.
Will he succeed? Will the human race be saved? Is Ender the hope humanity has to insure its survival?
I really liked this book. Written for all ages, it is easy for the kids to read but also very though provoking for the adults. For those of you that have not read this book, I would highly recommend it. If you like Sci-Fi at all, it is a very good book. For those of you that don't care for sci-fi at all, it is very philosophical and will make you think.
I had read Orson before years ago. In fact, I still have the book. It is called A Planet Called Treason and I really liked that book. Boy was I in for a suprise. Anway, here's the synopsis.
Andrew "Ender" Wiggins is a 6-year old boy who is very intelligent but also, very small. He can't comprehend the "kids" around him and wants nothing more than to be left alone. He doesn't get much help from his older brother who continues to threaten him with his life and is quite capable, physically and intelligently, to commit such a crime.
Ender is being tested by the International Fleet to join their battle school. As the youngest person to ever be admitted, he is wisked away to the battle school orbiting earth. His goal, to be trained to fight a war against the buggers, a race of insect-like creatures that have invaded earth previously and were fought back. Unbeknownst to Ender, his training is actually to command the fleet against the buggers.
Will he succeed? Will the human race be saved? Is Ender the hope humanity has to insure its survival?
I really liked this book. Written for all ages, it is easy for the kids to read but also very though provoking for the adults. For those of you that have not read this book, I would highly recommend it. If you like Sci-Fi at all, it is a very good book. For those of you that don't care for sci-fi at all, it is very philosophical and will make you think.
Friday, May 26, 2006
Honk if you are .... STUPID
As I was driving down the road yesterday, close to the rush hour traffic time, I heard someone honk their horn. This was one of those honks that was mean and angry. The duration was longer indicating that someone was upset. I started thinking about the use of a horn.
My take is this, the horn is to be used as a tool to alert others to keep them out of harms way. It should only be used in extreme situations so we do not become desensitized to its usage.
People who just lay on the horn anytime to indicate frustration or anger or road rage only cause more problems. First, the person that just cut you off, do you really want to take their attention away from driving? They seem to be having a hard enough time of it and if they have to look behind them to find out why someone is honking, they can not pay attention to what's in front of them. Given their lack of driving skills, do you think it is wise to divert any attention away from that?
Second, people around you wonder if you are honking at them. Their attention is also diverted causing more problems just because you are upset.
Third, is it really important to cause others grief because you are a bit angry? If you didn't get in a wreck, move on with life. No need to ruin someone else's day because that horn doesn't really convey your thoughts on what the other person did. They may just think that you are rude and they get upset that you honked for "no reason".
Fourth, LIKE YOU'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG WHEN DRIVING, Right? No one is perfect. Have you ever accidentally cut someone off? Have you ever gone too slow/fast? Have you never got in to someone else's way unintentionally? If you haven't, you must be more ignorant than you think you are.
And last, get over yourself. Road rage and being angry and aggressive while driving will only ruin your day, raise your blood pressure, and cause undue stress on you. If you have such issues with "other drivers" then ride the bus.
My take is this, the horn is to be used as a tool to alert others to keep them out of harms way. It should only be used in extreme situations so we do not become desensitized to its usage.
People who just lay on the horn anytime to indicate frustration or anger or road rage only cause more problems. First, the person that just cut you off, do you really want to take their attention away from driving? They seem to be having a hard enough time of it and if they have to look behind them to find out why someone is honking, they can not pay attention to what's in front of them. Given their lack of driving skills, do you think it is wise to divert any attention away from that?
Second, people around you wonder if you are honking at them. Their attention is also diverted causing more problems just because you are upset.
Third, is it really important to cause others grief because you are a bit angry? If you didn't get in a wreck, move on with life. No need to ruin someone else's day because that horn doesn't really convey your thoughts on what the other person did. They may just think that you are rude and they get upset that you honked for "no reason".
Fourth, LIKE YOU'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING WRONG WHEN DRIVING, Right? No one is perfect. Have you ever accidentally cut someone off? Have you ever gone too slow/fast? Have you never got in to someone else's way unintentionally? If you haven't, you must be more ignorant than you think you are.
And last, get over yourself. Road rage and being angry and aggressive while driving will only ruin your day, raise your blood pressure, and cause undue stress on you. If you have such issues with "other drivers" then ride the bus.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Just A Comment...
I would normally comment on what B wrote at the bottom of his entry, but I feel that I need to have a little bit more room to ramble. It is funny how our past can come back to us here and there. I watch my kids and think of the times I must have had when I was younger. I have done a memory dump of pretty much everything in my life from before I was around 11. I have some memories, but they are brief glimpses into what I consider a pretty good childhood. Memories like getting smacked in the face with a baseball, playing cops and robbers at an empty house that was two doors down, then moving into that house, playing football and hitting golf balls at the school, swimming in the Higbee's pool. Although the memories are good they aren't always complete.
One thing that I hate is when you do something and you are having a blast and then it has to end. One of those special times in your life that won't be duplicated. It happens all the time. Special times come and go and hopefully your memory can hold it. If we were all wise, those special times would go in some sort of journal. The best thing though is that we do get to take them with us when we go. We go through life with experiences and the things we learn and do, these are things that will stay with us as we continue on our journey after this life. It's a great feeling.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane B.
One thing that I hate is when you do something and you are having a blast and then it has to end. One of those special times in your life that won't be duplicated. It happens all the time. Special times come and go and hopefully your memory can hold it. If we were all wise, those special times would go in some sort of journal. The best thing though is that we do get to take them with us when we go. We go through life with experiences and the things we learn and do, these are things that will stay with us as we continue on our journey after this life. It's a great feeling.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane B.
Monday, May 22, 2006
The Best of Times......
I had a very sad dream this morning and it was one of those that you just wake up feeling really sad about some things.
Some of you may remember the Newman Elementary School in Rose Park, not the new building but the old building. The new building has only been in existance for a few years. Ok, maybe more than a few but still....
Growing up, I never went to Newman Elementary as a student. I did however play quite a bit in the school yard. As kids, we played softball, tag, football.... Sometime we even went over and hit golfballs. It was a place where we could go climb some of the trees, hang out with friends, or just ride bikes. It was quite upsetting when they changed it around.
I know that the school is now bigger and better, it just doesn't make me feel better that the neighborhood is changing. We like to keep things from our past. I'm no exception. We like somethings to change but others, well, they just need to stay the same. I have come to grips that they changed the school and the yard or at least I thought I had.
So, back to my dream. In my dream, the school yard, the original, was alive in a sense. It couldn't move but it had consciousness. It was aware of all the kids that would play on it. It shared our lives, our hopes, our dreams. It revelled when we scored a touchdown and felt sorrow when we scraped our knees or fell from the monkey bars. It looked forward to each day and loved all the kids that would come.
Now, a new school sits where the old playgrounds were. The old play field is now part of the school and parking lot. In the dream, it was as if the new school were dropped right on top of it. There were people who talked of progress and others who couldn't feel the pain that the field felt. Having a school dropped on you is a lot. The playfield was partially covered and you could see part of the grass and knew where things were. Yard lines were cut into it where the field had tried to modify itself to remind others of where the football games had been played but no on really listened. In its pain, it would emit a "mental scream" that would remind the people of playing on the field. It would remind them of their youth and the time that had been shared. The memories were strong enough that all you wanted to do was to relive those moments. To go back in time and knowledge to the times of your youth to when that time was important to you.
You could see that the field was dying and with it, all the memories of the years past. Some people felt it but they were few. They didn't know what it was like to be a child and couldn't remember their childhood much at all. Those people you felt sorry for because as they walked the field, the were oblivious to the pain that was being suffered right beneath their feet.
Anyway, I woke up with a very empty feeling. One that makes you realize that life continues down the path whether you are ready or not. It doesn't stop or slow because you say "Hey, this is fun.... Let's hang out here for a while before we move on." It trudges on with or without notice and if you are not careful, it slips by before you know it.
I'm not 100% on whether dreams mean anything or not but I awoke with such a feeling of dread and realized how many things I couldn't remember about my childhood. I hope, that once we leave here, our memories will be complete and not subject to the errors of this world. That we can relive in our minds all our lives. Remember the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. I think that was the worst part of the empty feeling is knowing that many of the memories are not readily available for recall and may never be here. I can only hope that it isn't permanent.
Some of you may remember the Newman Elementary School in Rose Park, not the new building but the old building. The new building has only been in existance for a few years. Ok, maybe more than a few but still....
Growing up, I never went to Newman Elementary as a student. I did however play quite a bit in the school yard. As kids, we played softball, tag, football.... Sometime we even went over and hit golfballs. It was a place where we could go climb some of the trees, hang out with friends, or just ride bikes. It was quite upsetting when they changed it around.
I know that the school is now bigger and better, it just doesn't make me feel better that the neighborhood is changing. We like to keep things from our past. I'm no exception. We like somethings to change but others, well, they just need to stay the same. I have come to grips that they changed the school and the yard or at least I thought I had.
So, back to my dream. In my dream, the school yard, the original, was alive in a sense. It couldn't move but it had consciousness. It was aware of all the kids that would play on it. It shared our lives, our hopes, our dreams. It revelled when we scored a touchdown and felt sorrow when we scraped our knees or fell from the monkey bars. It looked forward to each day and loved all the kids that would come.
Now, a new school sits where the old playgrounds were. The old play field is now part of the school and parking lot. In the dream, it was as if the new school were dropped right on top of it. There were people who talked of progress and others who couldn't feel the pain that the field felt. Having a school dropped on you is a lot. The playfield was partially covered and you could see part of the grass and knew where things were. Yard lines were cut into it where the field had tried to modify itself to remind others of where the football games had been played but no on really listened. In its pain, it would emit a "mental scream" that would remind the people of playing on the field. It would remind them of their youth and the time that had been shared. The memories were strong enough that all you wanted to do was to relive those moments. To go back in time and knowledge to the times of your youth to when that time was important to you.
You could see that the field was dying and with it, all the memories of the years past. Some people felt it but they were few. They didn't know what it was like to be a child and couldn't remember their childhood much at all. Those people you felt sorry for because as they walked the field, the were oblivious to the pain that was being suffered right beneath their feet.
Anyway, I woke up with a very empty feeling. One that makes you realize that life continues down the path whether you are ready or not. It doesn't stop or slow because you say "Hey, this is fun.... Let's hang out here for a while before we move on." It trudges on with or without notice and if you are not careful, it slips by before you know it.
I'm not 100% on whether dreams mean anything or not but I awoke with such a feeling of dread and realized how many things I couldn't remember about my childhood. I hope, that once we leave here, our memories will be complete and not subject to the errors of this world. That we can relive in our minds all our lives. Remember the good and the bad, the happy and the sad. I think that was the worst part of the empty feeling is knowing that many of the memories are not readily available for recall and may never be here. I can only hope that it isn't permanent.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Greetings From San Francisco
Well I'm here in San Francisco. Sitting in a JavaOne session on Spring Webflow. Overall the conference has been relly good. We finished up yesterday at 20 after 11pm. It was a late night. I'm staying in a pretty nice hotel but the windows are old school and don't seal shut. Last night I was watching TV during one of the breaks that I had and I heard this drumming outside. So I went outside and saw this guy with a bunch of empty 5 gallon buckets, pots, and empty water bottles and he was drumming, it was pretty cool. I guess he will be in the a new Will Smith movie coming out soon. It was cool to watch him. I'll post some pictures laters. Anyway, life is good here in San Francisco, but I can't wait to be home. I'm headed to Chinatown a little later to pick up some souvies and then I got a free ticket to MI:3 so I might go see that. See you guys Friday.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Desperate Homemakers - Play Review
In the spirit of movie reviews, I felt that other "events" could be reviewed as well. We have season tickets to Deseret Star Playhouse. We enjoy the atmosphere and the kids love to go see the shows.
The show we saw Saturday was Desperate Homemakers which is a sequal to the show My Big Fat Utah Wedding that played last year. While we didn't get to see the previous show, there was not a lot of "catching up" to do as with most sequals. This show could have stood by itself instead of being a sequal.
The story line is that the wife of an "empty-nest" couple feels very bored. It starts of as an e-mail to her daughter that she has even gone to Idaho and purchased a lottery ticket. The husband, who comes in and reads over her shoulder becomes very distraught at the realization that his wife is a closet gambler.
While the arguement insues, the state of Idaho calls to inform her that she has won the biggest payoff in Idaho's history. Because of their fortune, they move to the "east side" and meet the variety of neighbors in their new neighborhood. They are now part of the private country club which has had the same president for 5 years because no one will run against her.
As the wife tries to play the societal games commonly sterotypical of money and wealth, the neighborhood goes through the "picking of sides" in the battle between the lottery winner and the social elitist.
This show was very funny. It is very appropriate to view as a family and offers song, dance, mystery and comedy. We enjoyed this show very much and would recommend it to anyone that wishes to see it.
Afterwards, the performers do an olio and this time it was the America Olio involving a variety of songs about America. During this, they do a Desert Star Playhouse rendition of American Idol where the audience helps determine the winner.
If you are into plays at all, I would highly recommend the Desert Star Playhouse for families.
The show we saw Saturday was Desperate Homemakers which is a sequal to the show My Big Fat Utah Wedding that played last year. While we didn't get to see the previous show, there was not a lot of "catching up" to do as with most sequals. This show could have stood by itself instead of being a sequal.
The story line is that the wife of an "empty-nest" couple feels very bored. It starts of as an e-mail to her daughter that she has even gone to Idaho and purchased a lottery ticket. The husband, who comes in and reads over her shoulder becomes very distraught at the realization that his wife is a closet gambler.
While the arguement insues, the state of Idaho calls to inform her that she has won the biggest payoff in Idaho's history. Because of their fortune, they move to the "east side" and meet the variety of neighbors in their new neighborhood. They are now part of the private country club which has had the same president for 5 years because no one will run against her.
As the wife tries to play the societal games commonly sterotypical of money and wealth, the neighborhood goes through the "picking of sides" in the battle between the lottery winner and the social elitist.
This show was very funny. It is very appropriate to view as a family and offers song, dance, mystery and comedy. We enjoyed this show very much and would recommend it to anyone that wishes to see it.
Afterwards, the performers do an olio and this time it was the America Olio involving a variety of songs about America. During this, they do a Desert Star Playhouse rendition of American Idol where the audience helps determine the winner.
If you are into plays at all, I would highly recommend the Desert Star Playhouse for families.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Happy Friday
I like Fridays, most of the time. This weekend should be pretty good. Tomorrow is our Desert Star Playhouse day for the new show they have and then I get to spend some time repairing the trailer enough to have it workable for our camping trips this summer. I would like to rebuild it but it looks like it will just be some repairs.
I've already replaced the lights on the trailer and they are working wonderfully. Now, I just need a few brackets, some tie-downs and I'm set. We will probably set up the tent (weather permitting) to make sure it is functional.
Sunday is Mother's Day and we have decided that we are going to the Zoo with Irma. It should be a lot of fun. Then a bbq afterwards at the park.
Anyway, that's an update on what's going on this weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend and I hope your Mother's feel appreciated this weekend for all the crap you put them through. Make sure you at least call and tell them how much you love them.
I've already replaced the lights on the trailer and they are working wonderfully. Now, I just need a few brackets, some tie-downs and I'm set. We will probably set up the tent (weather permitting) to make sure it is functional.
Sunday is Mother's Day and we have decided that we are going to the Zoo with Irma. It should be a lot of fun. Then a bbq afterwards at the park.
Anyway, that's an update on what's going on this weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend and I hope your Mother's feel appreciated this weekend for all the crap you put them through. Make sure you at least call and tell them how much you love them.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
A Good Tuesday
I know weird. Today has been a very good day, minus the fact that I suck at basketball. Oh well it's fun anyway. So today I'm working on creating a survey for our application that we are finishing up here shortly. The current survey is built in ColdFusion but we are going to move it into Java using Spring. It will be cool. Anyway, today's Song of the Day is by the Eagles. The first time I remember ever hearing it was the special TV concert they did not to long ago. It's called Hole in the World. It's on 'The Very Best Of' CD that came out shortly after the TV special. From what I remember this was the song that they wrote after 9/11. It is a really great song. The line I really like, they repeat quite a bit is "There's a hole in the world tonight, don't let there be a hole in the world tomorrow." Good song. If you don't have it, find it on iTunes or at WalMart and buy it. I think it's worth it.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Monday is Almost Done
No band tonight though. I have a dying lawn, sick kids, pregnant wife, and a body that wants to sit on it's butt so I'm going home to take care of things, not necessarily in that order though. Tonight we're having some Cheesy Tostadas for dinner and I'm excited for them. I'm going to go home figure out what I need to fix my sprinklers go pick it up and then fix my sprinklers so they are done. Then I will have dinner and goof off with the kids a little. It should be a good evening. In one week I'll be blogging from San Francisco, I'm excited for that trip. Well my ride should be here any minute now so I am going to start getting ready to head out. Before I go, let me do the Song of the Day.
So last week, maybe even the last Song of the Day came from the same album by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince entitled He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. Today's song is just a funny one and it's one of my favorite ones on the album. It's called Human Video Game. It's about Ready C who is a human beatbox. He is dang good at what he does. It's always been a favorite of mine so now it can become a favorite of yours....Laters.
So last week, maybe even the last Song of the Day came from the same album by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince entitled He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper. Today's song is just a funny one and it's one of my favorite ones on the album. It's called Human Video Game. It's about Ready C who is a human beatbox. He is dang good at what he does. It's always been a favorite of mine so now it can become a favorite of yours....Laters.
This is a TEST
I know Mondays are not days to have tests, but this e-mail really got me going today. Why? Well, I'll tell you later.... Here's how this works, read the below story, THEN it gives an assumption and suggestion at the end. It relates a story about eggs to gasoline. AFTER you have read this, please post to say whether this will work or not and why you think that. (I'll give you a hint: This is a trick question.) Anyway, here is the story:
A man eats two eggs each morning for breakfast. When he goes to the grocery store he pays 60 cents a dozen. Since a dozen eggs won't last a week he normally buys two dozen at a time. One day while buying eggs he notices that the price has risen to 72 cents. The next time he buys groceries, eggs are .76 cents a dozen. When asked to explain the price of eggs the store owner says, "the price has gone up and I have to raise my price accordingly". This store buys 100 dozen eggs a day. He checked around for a better price and found that all the distributors have raised their prices. The distributors have begun to buy from the huge egg farms. The small egg farms have been driven out of business.
He checked out the huge egg farms and found they were selling 100,000 dozen eggs to the distributors daily. Nothing had changed but the price of eggs.
This pattern continues until the price of eggs is 2.00 a dozen. The man says,"there must be something we can do about the price of eggs".
He starts talking to all the people in his town and they decide to stop buying eggs. This didn't work because everyone needed eggs. Finally, the man suggested only buying what you need.
He ate 2 eggs a day. On the way home from work he would stop at the grocery and buy two eggs. Everyone in town started buying 2 or 3 eggs a day.
The grocery store owner began complaining that he had too many eggs in his cooler. He told the distributor that he didn't need any eggs. Maybe wouldn't need any all week.
The distributor had eggs piling up at his warehouse. He told the huge egg farms that he didn't have any room for eggs would not need any for at least two weeks.
At the huge egg farms, the chickens just kept on laying eggs.
The distributor told the grocery store owner that he would lower the price of the eggs if the store would start buying again. The grocery store owner said, "I don't have room for more eggs. The customers are only buy 2 or 3 eggs at a time". "Now if you were to drop the price of eggs back down to the original price, the customers would start buying by the dozen again".
Finally, the huge egg farmers lowered the price of their eggs. But only a few cents. The customers still bought 2 or 3 eggs at a time. They said, "when the price of eggs gets down to where it was before, we will start buying by the dozen."
Slowly the price of eggs started dropping. The distributors had to slash their prices to make room for the eggs coming from the egg farmers. The huge egg farmers cut their prices because the distributors wouldn't buy at a higher price than they were selling eggs for.
Anyway, they had full warehouses and wouldn't need eggs for quite a while. And them chickens kept on laying.
Eventually, the huge egg farmers cut their prices because they were throwing away eggs they couldn't sell.. The distributors started buying again because the eggs were priced to where the stores could afford to sell them at the lower price.
And the customers starting buying by the dozen again.
Now, transpose this analogy to the gasoline industry.
What if everyone only bought $10.00 worth of gas each time they pulled to the pump. The dealers tanks would stay semi full all the time. The dealers wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the huge tank farms. The tank farms wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the refining plants. And the refining plants wouldn't have room for the oil being off loaded from the huge tankers coming from the Middle East.
Just $10.00 each time you buy gas. Don't fill it up. You may have to stop for gas twice a week but, the price should come down.
Think about it.
As an added note..When I buy $10.00 worth of gas,that leaves my tank a little under half full. The way prices are jumping around, you can buy gas for $2.95 a gallon and then the next morning it can be $2.75. If you have your tank full of $2.95 gas you don't have room for the $2.75 gas. You might not understand the economics of only buying two eggs at a time but, you can't buy cheaper gas if your tank is full of the high priced stuff.
Also, don't buy anything else at the gas station, no cigarettes, no bread, milk or chewing gum, don't give them any more of your hard earned money than what you spend on gas, until the prices come down.. Oh, some folks may not see this message. Can you afford to print 10 at a time and pass them out where you buy gas? If you can afford more, you may think of putting them on windshields at the mall.
I'll post later to tell you the answer and why spreading these types of things is a bad idea.
A man eats two eggs each morning for breakfast. When he goes to the grocery store he pays 60 cents a dozen. Since a dozen eggs won't last a week he normally buys two dozen at a time. One day while buying eggs he notices that the price has risen to 72 cents. The next time he buys groceries, eggs are .76 cents a dozen. When asked to explain the price of eggs the store owner says, "the price has gone up and I have to raise my price accordingly". This store buys 100 dozen eggs a day. He checked around for a better price and found that all the distributors have raised their prices. The distributors have begun to buy from the huge egg farms. The small egg farms have been driven out of business.
He checked out the huge egg farms and found they were selling 100,000 dozen eggs to the distributors daily. Nothing had changed but the price of eggs.
This pattern continues until the price of eggs is 2.00 a dozen. The man says,"there must be something we can do about the price of eggs".
He starts talking to all the people in his town and they decide to stop buying eggs. This didn't work because everyone needed eggs. Finally, the man suggested only buying what you need.
He ate 2 eggs a day. On the way home from work he would stop at the grocery and buy two eggs. Everyone in town started buying 2 or 3 eggs a day.
The grocery store owner began complaining that he had too many eggs in his cooler. He told the distributor that he didn't need any eggs. Maybe wouldn't need any all week.
The distributor had eggs piling up at his warehouse. He told the huge egg farms that he didn't have any room for eggs would not need any for at least two weeks.
At the huge egg farms, the chickens just kept on laying eggs.
The distributor told the grocery store owner that he would lower the price of the eggs if the store would start buying again. The grocery store owner said, "I don't have room for more eggs. The customers are only buy 2 or 3 eggs at a time". "Now if you were to drop the price of eggs back down to the original price, the customers would start buying by the dozen again".
Finally, the huge egg farmers lowered the price of their eggs. But only a few cents. The customers still bought 2 or 3 eggs at a time. They said, "when the price of eggs gets down to where it was before, we will start buying by the dozen."
Slowly the price of eggs started dropping. The distributors had to slash their prices to make room for the eggs coming from the egg farmers. The huge egg farmers cut their prices because the distributors wouldn't buy at a higher price than they were selling eggs for.
Anyway, they had full warehouses and wouldn't need eggs for quite a while. And them chickens kept on laying.
Eventually, the huge egg farmers cut their prices because they were throwing away eggs they couldn't sell.. The distributors started buying again because the eggs were priced to where the stores could afford to sell them at the lower price.
And the customers starting buying by the dozen again.
Now, transpose this analogy to the gasoline industry.
What if everyone only bought $10.00 worth of gas each time they pulled to the pump. The dealers tanks would stay semi full all the time. The dealers wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the huge tank farms. The tank farms wouldn't have room for the gas coming from the refining plants. And the refining plants wouldn't have room for the oil being off loaded from the huge tankers coming from the Middle East.
Just $10.00 each time you buy gas. Don't fill it up. You may have to stop for gas twice a week but, the price should come down.
Think about it.
As an added note..When I buy $10.00 worth of gas,that leaves my tank a little under half full. The way prices are jumping around, you can buy gas for $2.95 a gallon and then the next morning it can be $2.75. If you have your tank full of $2.95 gas you don't have room for the $2.75 gas. You might not understand the economics of only buying two eggs at a time but, you can't buy cheaper gas if your tank is full of the high priced stuff.
Also, don't buy anything else at the gas station, no cigarettes, no bread, milk or chewing gum, don't give them any more of your hard earned money than what you spend on gas, until the prices come down.. Oh, some folks may not see this message. Can you afford to print 10 at a time and pass them out where you buy gas? If you can afford more, you may think of putting them on windshields at the mall.
I'll post later to tell you the answer and why spreading these types of things is a bad idea.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Song of the Day and other Ramblings
I'm going to start with the Song of the Day because I'm listening to it right now. Today's song of the day is from Veggie Tales. If you haven't seen Veggie Tales, I highly recommend it. They have some good messages and they have these things called Silly Songs. Today's song is one of those Silly Songs. It's by Larry, yeah, he's a cucumber. The song is called Endangered Love. Basically Larry is in love with a "soap opera" type character on tv. Her name is Barbara Manitee. He even has a stuffed animal of her that he dances with during the video. Anyway, Veggie Tales ROCK! They are so funny.
The All New Get Off Your A$$ Program
I believe it was on a previous blog where I commented on the lack of sports knowledge of a lot of the general circulation kids these days. There are those that still play sports and are part of the "jock" clique, but not generally your run-of-the-mill boy that plays sports. I've seen this quite too often and has happened more in the last few years more than at any other time in the history of our country.
Now, this isn't a knowledge of how the game works, but is a knowledge of actually how to play. They may tell you when you ask the about baseball for example, that someone throws the ball, another person tries to hit it over the fense. If they hit it at all, they are to try to run the bases while the other team tries to get the ball and touch them with it. General synopsis and most people are familiar with this concept. HOWEVER, how many have experience hitting the ball, throwing the ball or running the bases? Now, take that number and minus out the people who have only done those things on video games and how many are left? Then, take out those that are general "jock" types who are not in it for the big dollar$. Not many. A lot less than when I was a kid.
Football, baseball, basketball, and any other ball sport you could think of when you were younger (if you are at least 25+ years old) were popular when we were kids. Saturday and Sunday afternoons during spring/summer we specially designed specifically for this purpose. Riding bikes, playing at the school, flying kites, and how many other things did we used to do when we were kids. We used to run around and play army if the mood struck us right. Now, they have a video game for just about all of that. I haven't seen one for kite flying but just about everything else has been covered in one respect or another so that you can do all that stuff in front of the television. AND it makes it look easier than it really is!!!!!
So, now with the long explanation, I've instituted the "Get Off Your A$$ America" Program. This program is designed to do just as it suggests, get off your lazy, tv watchin', potato chip munchin', video game playin' butts and move something other than your eyes and remote fingers! Play baseball, football, catch, tennis.... Go bike riding, hiking, walking, running, etc. Go learn new sports! If those listed above don't suit your fancy, I've seen people playing lacrosse (which sounds French but can be quite a cool game, even if it is French.) Work in the yard, go to the park, fly a kite, walk the dog (if you don't have one, you can borrow one of mine for a while, lease and all.)
There are a lot of trails through out the Salt Lake Valley that are really neat and fun to go on. It doesn't cost much other than gas to get there in the first place but can be a good family outing. The Jordan Trail has quite a long strech that you can walk as much of as you want. You can almost walk from Rose Park to Riverton along the Jordan. Not sure how far south it goes but could be an adventure to find out.
If gun-play is your sort of thing, take up skeet shooting or rabbit hunting. OR even paper hunting (shooting targets if you haven't figured that out.) Don't have a gun? I'm sure you know someone that does. Not sure where to go? Those with guns usually do. SO.... This is a wake-up call!!!!! GET OFF YOUR A$$ AMERICA!!!!!!!
Thanks for listening.
Next program... "Are you REALLY sure you want to eat that? Healthy eating vs. Junk Food." Until next time....
Now, this isn't a knowledge of how the game works, but is a knowledge of actually how to play. They may tell you when you ask the about baseball for example, that someone throws the ball, another person tries to hit it over the fense. If they hit it at all, they are to try to run the bases while the other team tries to get the ball and touch them with it. General synopsis and most people are familiar with this concept. HOWEVER, how many have experience hitting the ball, throwing the ball or running the bases? Now, take that number and minus out the people who have only done those things on video games and how many are left? Then, take out those that are general "jock" types who are not in it for the big dollar$. Not many. A lot less than when I was a kid.
Football, baseball, basketball, and any other ball sport you could think of when you were younger (if you are at least 25+ years old) were popular when we were kids. Saturday and Sunday afternoons during spring/summer we specially designed specifically for this purpose. Riding bikes, playing at the school, flying kites, and how many other things did we used to do when we were kids. We used to run around and play army if the mood struck us right. Now, they have a video game for just about all of that. I haven't seen one for kite flying but just about everything else has been covered in one respect or another so that you can do all that stuff in front of the television. AND it makes it look easier than it really is!!!!!
So, now with the long explanation, I've instituted the "Get Off Your A$$ America" Program. This program is designed to do just as it suggests, get off your lazy, tv watchin', potato chip munchin', video game playin' butts and move something other than your eyes and remote fingers! Play baseball, football, catch, tennis.... Go bike riding, hiking, walking, running, etc. Go learn new sports! If those listed above don't suit your fancy, I've seen people playing lacrosse (which sounds French but can be quite a cool game, even if it is French.) Work in the yard, go to the park, fly a kite, walk the dog (if you don't have one, you can borrow one of mine for a while, lease and all.)
There are a lot of trails through out the Salt Lake Valley that are really neat and fun to go on. It doesn't cost much other than gas to get there in the first place but can be a good family outing. The Jordan Trail has quite a long strech that you can walk as much of as you want. You can almost walk from Rose Park to Riverton along the Jordan. Not sure how far south it goes but could be an adventure to find out.
If gun-play is your sort of thing, take up skeet shooting or rabbit hunting. OR even paper hunting (shooting targets if you haven't figured that out.) Don't have a gun? I'm sure you know someone that does. Not sure where to go? Those with guns usually do. SO.... This is a wake-up call!!!!! GET OFF YOUR A$$ AMERICA!!!!!!!
Thanks for listening.
Next program... "Are you REALLY sure you want to eat that? Healthy eating vs. Junk Food." Until next time....
The All New Get Off Your A$$ Program
I believe it was on a previous blog where I commented on the lack of sports knowledge of a lot of the general circulation kids these days. There are those that still play sports and are part of the "jock" clique, but not generally your run-of-the-mill boy that plays sports. I've seen this quite too often and has happened more in the last few years more than at any other time in the history of our country.
Now, this isn't a knowledge of how the game works, but is a knowledge of actually how to play. They may tell you when you ask the about baseball for example, that someone throws the ball, another person tries to hit it over the fense. If they hit it at all, they are to try to run the bases while the other team tries to get the ball and touch them with it. General synopsis and most people are familiar with this concept. HOWEVER, how many have experience hitting the ball, throwing the ball or running the bases? Now, take that number and minus out the people who have only done those things on video games and how many are left? Then, take out those that are general "jock" types who are not in it for the big dollar$. Not many. A lot less than when I was a kid.
Football, baseball, basketball, and any other ball sport you could think of when you were younger (if you are at least 25+ years old) were popular when we were kids. Saturday and Sunday afternoons during spring/summer we specially designed specifically for this purpose. Riding bikes, playing at the school, flying kites, and how many other things did we used to do when we were kids. We used to run around and play army if the mood struck us right. Now, they have a video game for just about all of that. I haven't seen one for kite flying but just about everything else has been covered in one respect or another so that you can do all that stuff in front of the television. AND it makes it look easier than it really is!!!!!
So, now with the long explanation, I've instituted the "Get Off Your A$$ America" Program. This program is designed to do just as it suggests, get off your lazy, tv watchin', potato chip munchin', video game playin' butts and move something other than your eyes and remote fingers! Play baseball, football, catch, tennis.... Go bike riding, hiking, walking, running, etc. Go learn new sports! If those listed above don't suit your fancy, I've seen people playing lacrosse (which sounds French but can be quite a cool game, even if it is French.) Work in the yard, go to the park, fly a kite, walk the dog (if you don't have one, you can borrow one of mine for a while, lease and all.)
There are a lot of trails through out the Salt Lake Valley that are really neat and fun to go on. It doesn't cost much other than gas to get there in the first place but can be a good family outing. The Jordan Trail has quite a long strech that you can walk as much of as you want. You can almost walk from Rose Park to Riverton along the Jordan. Not sure how far south it goes but could be an adventure to find out.
If gun-play is your sort of thing, take up skeet shooting or rabbit hunting. OR even paper hunting (shooting targets if you haven't figured that out.) Don't have a gun? I'm sure you know someone that does. Not sure where to go? Those with guns usually do. SO.... This is a wake-up call!!!!! GET OFF YOUR A$$ AMERICA!!!!!!!
Thanks for listening.
Now, this isn't a knowledge of how the game works, but is a knowledge of actually how to play. They may tell you when you ask the about baseball for example, that someone throws the ball, another person tries to hit it over the fense. If they hit it at all, they are to try to run the bases while the other team tries to get the ball and touch them with it. General synopsis and most people are familiar with this concept. HOWEVER, how many have experience hitting the ball, throwing the ball or running the bases? Now, take that number and minus out the people who have only done those things on video games and how many are left? Then, take out those that are general "jock" types who are not in it for the big dollar$. Not many. A lot less than when I was a kid.
Football, baseball, basketball, and any other ball sport you could think of when you were younger (if you are at least 25+ years old) were popular when we were kids. Saturday and Sunday afternoons during spring/summer we specially designed specifically for this purpose. Riding bikes, playing at the school, flying kites, and how many other things did we used to do when we were kids. We used to run around and play army if the mood struck us right. Now, they have a video game for just about all of that. I haven't seen one for kite flying but just about everything else has been covered in one respect or another so that you can do all that stuff in front of the television. AND it makes it look easier than it really is!!!!!
So, now with the long explanation, I've instituted the "Get Off Your A$$ America" Program. This program is designed to do just as it suggests, get off your lazy, tv watchin', potato chip munchin', video game playin' butts and move something other than your eyes and remote fingers! Play baseball, football, catch, tennis.... Go bike riding, hiking, walking, running, etc. Go learn new sports! If those listed above don't suit your fancy, I've seen people playing lacrosse (which sounds French but can be quite a cool game, even if it is French.) Work in the yard, go to the park, fly a kite, walk the dog (if you don't have one, you can borrow one of mine for a while, lease and all.)
There are a lot of trails through out the Salt Lake Valley that are really neat and fun to go on. It doesn't cost much other than gas to get there in the first place but can be a good family outing. The Jordan Trail has quite a long strech that you can walk as much of as you want. You can almost walk from Rose Park to Riverton along the Jordan. Not sure how far south it goes but could be an adventure to find out.
If gun-play is your sort of thing, take up skeet shooting or rabbit hunting. OR even paper hunting (shooting targets if you haven't figured that out.) Don't have a gun? I'm sure you know someone that does. Not sure where to go? Those with guns usually do. SO.... This is a wake-up call!!!!! GET OFF YOUR A$$ AMERICA!!!!!!!
Thanks for listening.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Simply Amused
Today I was walking to another building across the street for a meeting. As I got closer the garbage truck came to collect the garbage. As I walked I watched as the garbage truck picked up the big dumpster and dump it into the top of it. The dumpster was put back on the ground and the garbage truck headed to it's next destination. While I was watching I thought how cool it is, even as an adult, to watch something as simple as the garbage truck dump the garbage by lifting it with a mechanical arm and dump away. I then thought of the times I've been home on Friday, our local garbage day, when the garbage truck is headed down my street. My kids eyes seem to light up and they run to the window because it is cool to watch. It's the same type of thing as seeing a Fire Truck or a "digging machine", as Jarik calls it. Kids love it and I myself think it is pretty cool to watch that kind of stuff. It's funny what simple things can do to amuse ones self.
Ok, so after I posted yesterday, before my wife had a chance to read it, she said the same thing about missing the song of the day. I'm glad that it is something that a couple of people enjoy. Today I've only listened to 3 songs or maybe 4, but I think I know what song I'm going to use for the Song of the Day. If you know me, you know that I'm a pretty big fan of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince and Will Smith(a.k.a. Fresh Prince). So today's song comes from the He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper album, which has what I'd call classics, such as Nightmare on My Street and Parents Just Don't Understand. The song is called Here We Go Again. I like this song because it has a nice beat behind it and it just says we have a good thing going, let's keep it going. It has a nice trumpet diddy in there, probably synthizied, that is pertty cool. Have a Nice Day!
Ok, so after I posted yesterday, before my wife had a chance to read it, she said the same thing about missing the song of the day. I'm glad that it is something that a couple of people enjoy. Today I've only listened to 3 songs or maybe 4, but I think I know what song I'm going to use for the Song of the Day. If you know me, you know that I'm a pretty big fan of DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince and Will Smith(a.k.a. Fresh Prince). So today's song comes from the He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper album, which has what I'd call classics, such as Nightmare on My Street and Parents Just Don't Understand. The song is called Here We Go Again. I like this song because it has a nice beat behind it and it just says we have a good thing going, let's keep it going. It has a nice trumpet diddy in there, probably synthizied, that is pertty cool. Have a Nice Day!
Life Goes On
Life keeps getting busier and now that summer is upon us, it is even busier. I'm not much of a winter person and will frequently be found huddled inside under a blanket in front of the tv shivering at the thought of the cold just beyond the walls of my home. I'm not entirely sure, but I just don't like winter.
Come spring and summer, life takes on new form. That is when it is truely fun to be outside. As time goes on and the family ages and grows, we start to do more activities. Hiking trips, bike rides, Lagoon, Hogle Zoo, all of thes activities are becoming more frequent in our lives. The newest addition is geocaching and, while not everyone in the family enjoys it, those that do go out and hike around looking for something as big as a bread box or something as small as a vile with a piece of paper.
To accomodate the busier schedule, I have started using gmail more and google calendar, which goes hand-in-hand with the gmail account. This has been a lot of fun to use and has so many capabilities to share, schedule, and notify when necessary.
Anyway, as time has progressed, we have progressed with it. Time seems to be speeding up and we fill it with as much as possible to get the full extent of life and what it has to offer. We create memories that will hopefully last us for the rest of our lives. For the failing memories, we take photos and video to look back on and remember the times when we were young and the kids were small.
I don't look forward to aging, but I do look forward to the gathering of experiences and, even if my memory fails me in this life, I hope that it is being recorded for memory after this lifetime. It would be an interesting thing to see the things that happen over one's life, good or bad and reflect on them. How they made us who we eventually became. How the good and the bad directed us to our dealings with others and with ourselves.
So, enough reflection time.. It is time to get back to work. I hope you all have a wonderful day and think about what you are accomplishing today. Remember, don't take life too seriously, you can't get out alive.
Come spring and summer, life takes on new form. That is when it is truely fun to be outside. As time goes on and the family ages and grows, we start to do more activities. Hiking trips, bike rides, Lagoon, Hogle Zoo, all of thes activities are becoming more frequent in our lives. The newest addition is geocaching and, while not everyone in the family enjoys it, those that do go out and hike around looking for something as big as a bread box or something as small as a vile with a piece of paper.
To accomodate the busier schedule, I have started using gmail more and google calendar, which goes hand-in-hand with the gmail account. This has been a lot of fun to use and has so many capabilities to share, schedule, and notify when necessary.
Anyway, as time has progressed, we have progressed with it. Time seems to be speeding up and we fill it with as much as possible to get the full extent of life and what it has to offer. We create memories that will hopefully last us for the rest of our lives. For the failing memories, we take photos and video to look back on and remember the times when we were young and the kids were small.
I don't look forward to aging, but I do look forward to the gathering of experiences and, even if my memory fails me in this life, I hope that it is being recorded for memory after this lifetime. It would be an interesting thing to see the things that happen over one's life, good or bad and reflect on them. How they made us who we eventually became. How the good and the bad directed us to our dealings with others and with ourselves.
So, enough reflection time.. It is time to get back to work. I hope you all have a wonderful day and think about what you are accomplishing today. Remember, don't take life too seriously, you can't get out alive.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Packed Weekend
So I found that you can have too much fun on weekends. It really wears you out to try but here was the schedule.
Friday night I had to work. This isn't fun but sets up the fact that lack of sleep will add to the general mood of the time after. I got up early, drove to the dump and emptied the trailer of all the crap that has been building up for the past 6 months. On our way back, we stopped to do some geocaching. A friend of mine was in town and I thought I would let him get his first three caches.
After that, we headed home to gather up the rest of the group to head off to the wonderful Lagoon Amusement Park. (Believe it or not, it is mentioned in a Beach Boys song.) There we spent the day riding rides, walking, more riding, getting wet, etc. All the wonderful stuff that you can do there. We went up. We went down. We went left and we went right. We were upside down, right side up, and everything else you could think of and sometimes, a combination of any of the above at the same time. Its amazing what we put our bodies through to have a good time.
After that, was dinner at Golden Corral and then home for some much needed rest.... mostly. We ended up staying up way too late to get up way too early.
Sunday started off with breakfast at Beto's. If you have never been to Beto's and had their breakfast burritos, I would highly recommend it. You may need Pepto or Milk of Magnesia after, but it is worth it.
Then it was off to Lagoon, or at least the general area. Unbeknownst to us until our little adventure, there is a Lagoon Trail that starts around the campground and continues north up to the Farmington Pond. It is about 2 miles in length and is quite interesting. We did some caches along the way but really enjoyed the walk through the trail. The beginning stages of a bike ride up in that area are in the works and should come to fruition in the next few weeks but that'll be another adventure.
After a few caches, one involving braving the rapids to the north (ok, not quite rapids but we did get pretty wet trying to cross to the other shore of the pond), we ended up at Lagoon again, without kids. It was a lot of fun and we ran around like little kids. We played until 5ish and then took pizza home to the kids. After watching a movie, it was definately time for bed. So, we crashed earlier than normal to prepare for the new weeks activities.
Anyway, busy weekend. Not very restful but fun.
Friday night I had to work. This isn't fun but sets up the fact that lack of sleep will add to the general mood of the time after. I got up early, drove to the dump and emptied the trailer of all the crap that has been building up for the past 6 months. On our way back, we stopped to do some geocaching. A friend of mine was in town and I thought I would let him get his first three caches.
After that, we headed home to gather up the rest of the group to head off to the wonderful Lagoon Amusement Park. (Believe it or not, it is mentioned in a Beach Boys song.) There we spent the day riding rides, walking, more riding, getting wet, etc. All the wonderful stuff that you can do there. We went up. We went down. We went left and we went right. We were upside down, right side up, and everything else you could think of and sometimes, a combination of any of the above at the same time. Its amazing what we put our bodies through to have a good time.
After that, was dinner at Golden Corral and then home for some much needed rest.... mostly. We ended up staying up way too late to get up way too early.
Sunday started off with breakfast at Beto's. If you have never been to Beto's and had their breakfast burritos, I would highly recommend it. You may need Pepto or Milk of Magnesia after, but it is worth it.
Then it was off to Lagoon, or at least the general area. Unbeknownst to us until our little adventure, there is a Lagoon Trail that starts around the campground and continues north up to the Farmington Pond. It is about 2 miles in length and is quite interesting. We did some caches along the way but really enjoyed the walk through the trail. The beginning stages of a bike ride up in that area are in the works and should come to fruition in the next few weeks but that'll be another adventure.
After a few caches, one involving braving the rapids to the north (ok, not quite rapids but we did get pretty wet trying to cross to the other shore of the pond), we ended up at Lagoon again, without kids. It was a lot of fun and we ran around like little kids. We played until 5ish and then took pizza home to the kids. After watching a movie, it was definately time for bed. So, we crashed earlier than normal to prepare for the new weeks activities.
Anyway, busy weekend. Not very restful but fun.
Almost Junk Food Free
Me, no, my cube, yes. I know I had you going didn't I. You totally thought that I had given up most junk food. Nope, never, junk food is way to good to give up. But it is time to head to Sam's and restock the shelves of my cube. We've finished off a huge bag of peanuts, and easter candy, and all sorts of other stuff. I don't think my cube has been void of junk food since shortly after I started working here at the U. I'll have to remedy that situation as soon as possible.
I know what you are saying right now, who cares about your junk food crisis! What happened to the Song of the Day? The best way to answer this question is for you to close your eyes, get a good picture of me in your mind giving you the blankest stare you've ever seen. Worse so than a deer in the headlights. I have no answer for that but don't worry, the Song of the Day is returning today. Yes it is...as a matter of fact we'll do it right now. Today's song is an upbeat song by Michael Jackson. It is one of my favorite songs and when it comes on in the car we turn it up a little and we all dance in our seats. The song is They Don't Care About Us. Good song.
Now that the song of the day has been something that I've been doing for the past few weeks, I really don't remember how long, I have a question for all my readers, both of you. Do you ever listen to the song of the day after reading about it? Just a question. I'm still going to do it because I like it, but I'm interested if you try and listen to the song. Ok...Laters
I know what you are saying right now, who cares about your junk food crisis! What happened to the Song of the Day? The best way to answer this question is for you to close your eyes, get a good picture of me in your mind giving you the blankest stare you've ever seen. Worse so than a deer in the headlights. I have no answer for that but don't worry, the Song of the Day is returning today. Yes it is...as a matter of fact we'll do it right now. Today's song is an upbeat song by Michael Jackson. It is one of my favorite songs and when it comes on in the car we turn it up a little and we all dance in our seats. The song is They Don't Care About Us. Good song.
Now that the song of the day has been something that I've been doing for the past few weeks, I really don't remember how long, I have a question for all my readers, both of you. Do you ever listen to the song of the day after reading about it? Just a question. I'm still going to do it because I like it, but I'm interested if you try and listen to the song. Ok...Laters
Monday, May 01, 2006
Immigration Reform
Not sure that many who read this know my stance on immigration unless you have read my blog on Thoughts from the Clan. As many of you might know, there was a boycott today called the Great American Boycott where all illegal immigrants were to not go to work, not buy anything, and, in some areas, march together in legislation against immigration reform. Some of the reform would make it a felony to be an immigrant or to support and help illegal immigrants.
What is not really talked about or highlighted as much is that it would give the current illegal immigrants an opportunity to become full fledged US citizens through a work program where they work, pay their bills, pay taxes, etc. and they will earn the right to be citizens. Easy enough, right? Well, focus is placed on the punishment portion but not the opportunity portion which is why there are problems.
So, today's boycott is highlighted in the article from Reuters. I agree that this only hurts their cause. It is like an ultimatum that states "We are here illegally on welfare, getting healthcare at a cost to the American people that pay their bills but we demand free rights... Anyone else feel the slap in the face?
Here is my take. If you want to come to this country to make a better living for you and your family and you are willing to bust your butt to do it, come one over. If you are here to live off the American citizen because you feel that they "stole" your land, get the heck out and don't let the door hit you on the way out. (Language edited strong language). No offense, but at last count, you lost that war. That's like saying, "Hey, we lost the football game but we are taking the trophy because we are certain it belongs to us." We do not owe you ANYTHING!!! This country doesn't belong to you because you LOST!!!! Next time, fight harder. Otherwise, that's life.
History is full of violence. Lands/people/things being plundered/stolen/taken/destroyed from others. This concept is called the "spoils of war." Get used to the concept. I read in the article that someone said that the only natives to this land are the indians? Come again? The immigrated from somewhere. JUST because they didn't keep track of it doesn't mean that they have been here forever. I'm pretty sure of that. No matter what you believe whether it be biblical or evolutionary, the origins of humans is from the Middle East/Africa area. So, at some point, "Native Americans" or "indians" were once immigrants as well.
So, the next question, that I brought up in Thoughts from the Clan was this.... How long (how many generations) have to pass before you are a "native" I don't think I've been to any other country and as far as I know, I've ALWAYS lived in the US. With the exception of about 1-1/2 years (not consecutive) I have lived in Utah. Therefore, I'm pretty sure that if you told me to go "home", it would be Utah. My ancestors may have come from Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Europe, where ever, but I'm from Utah. Not any of those other places.
Now that I've ranted for quite a while, I feel better. In support of Immigration Reform, go out and buy something. Even if its doing your grocery shopping earlier than usual. Not that you have to spend anymore than you would anyway, just make it today in opposition to those that would take your hard tax dollars because they can't work hard and afford food, shelter, and healthcare.
What is not really talked about or highlighted as much is that it would give the current illegal immigrants an opportunity to become full fledged US citizens through a work program where they work, pay their bills, pay taxes, etc. and they will earn the right to be citizens. Easy enough, right? Well, focus is placed on the punishment portion but not the opportunity portion which is why there are problems.
So, today's boycott is highlighted in the article from Reuters. I agree that this only hurts their cause. It is like an ultimatum that states "We are here illegally on welfare, getting healthcare at a cost to the American people that pay their bills but we demand free rights... Anyone else feel the slap in the face?
Here is my take. If you want to come to this country to make a better living for you and your family and you are willing to bust your butt to do it, come one over. If you are here to live off the American citizen because you feel that they "stole" your land, get the heck out and don't let the door hit you on the way out. (Language edited strong language). No offense, but at last count, you lost that war. That's like saying, "Hey, we lost the football game but we are taking the trophy because we are certain it belongs to us." We do not owe you ANYTHING!!! This country doesn't belong to you because you LOST!!!! Next time, fight harder. Otherwise, that's life.
History is full of violence. Lands/people/things being plundered/stolen/taken/destroyed from others. This concept is called the "spoils of war." Get used to the concept. I read in the article that someone said that the only natives to this land are the indians? Come again? The immigrated from somewhere. JUST because they didn't keep track of it doesn't mean that they have been here forever. I'm pretty sure of that. No matter what you believe whether it be biblical or evolutionary, the origins of humans is from the Middle East/Africa area. So, at some point, "Native Americans" or "indians" were once immigrants as well.
So, the next question, that I brought up in Thoughts from the Clan was this.... How long (how many generations) have to pass before you are a "native" I don't think I've been to any other country and as far as I know, I've ALWAYS lived in the US. With the exception of about 1-1/2 years (not consecutive) I have lived in Utah. Therefore, I'm pretty sure that if you told me to go "home", it would be Utah. My ancestors may have come from Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Europe, where ever, but I'm from Utah. Not any of those other places.
Now that I've ranted for quite a while, I feel better. In support of Immigration Reform, go out and buy something. Even if its doing your grocery shopping earlier than usual. Not that you have to spend anymore than you would anyway, just make it today in opposition to those that would take your hard tax dollars because they can't work hard and afford food, shelter, and healthcare.
I Found This Interesting
So every once in a while I look through the headlines at MSNBC through their RSS channel (or whatever you want to call it). Today's headline that caught my eye was "Americas Best High Schools" and there is a list of the top 1000 schools in there. So curosity got the best of me and I wanted to see how West High faired on their list. I started at the beginning and just started looking for any schools in Utah. Got through the first hundred and there wasn't one school in Utah on that list. Second hundred, here I come. At #163, first Utah school listed is none other than West High. Shortly there after at #166 was Park City. Other Utah schools on the list: #406 Lone Peak in Highland; #425 Highland in Salt Lake; #449 Skyline in Salt Lake; #458 Davis in Kaysville; #518 Hillcrest in Midvale; #694 Viewmont in Bountiful; #794 Alta in Sandy; #896 Bountiful in the list says Doug Lake, but I think it's in Bountiful; #929 Olympus in Salt Lake; #984 American Fork in American Fork; #997 Brighton in Salt Lake; Here is a link to the story. I wonder how West ranked 12 years ago when I graduated.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)