Having the first batch of freezin drizzle/rain this morning.

I think, of all the weather we get around here, I fear this the most.  Living where the land is rarely flat, you are either slipping/sliding down the hills or struggling to get up them.

Ugh.

Just heard a commercial for a men's multivitimen and it's in the form of gummy bear type tablets.

Really?

Is it that hard to get men to take care of their own health?

 

The Kansas City Chiefs Professional Football Team was faced with a tragedy on Saturday. 

One of their stalwart linesman did the unthinkable.  He shot his girlfriend, went to the training facility, spoke with the general manager and coach, thanked them for their help in his career and then shot himself.

This tragedy has so many victims.  His mother who was there when he shot the girlfriend, the 3 month old child that is now an orphan, the girlfriend,  the men who experienced watching this troubled young man take his life, those who looked up to him as a role model and leader, and of course, the young man himself.

Which brings up this idea:  Should the Chiefs played their game on Sunday?

Obviously, from a financial point of view, it made sense. The Chiefs have had a lousy season and they are having trouble filling the stands which is how the bills are paid.  Rescheduling would have been a nightmare and trying to get sufficient workers for concessions, etc. would have been difficult.  Their opponent, the Carolina Panthers also had a vested financial interest in this, and let's not forget that when you play on TV you get paid big. 

A sportswriter from Kansas City editorialized that it was scandalous to play the day after the deaths.  His reasoning was that this cheapened the lives of the player and of victims of domestic violence.  This, I think, was a brave stand to take.

Another national sportswriter waxed on about the culture surrounding football and how it teaches young men and boys to "man up", cover up their emotions and just tough things out.  After all, football players are supposed to be the toughest guys around.

Bob Costas, nationally known sportswriter and sports "celebrity" took to the air at halftime of the game denouncing the gun culture and the violence around it.  Costas is being roundly thumped by those who cannot seem to see guns and danger in the same scene.  (In the interest of transparency, I am a gun owner and I can use guns safely.)

The players stopped for a moment of silence prior to the game in memory/honor of domestic violence victims.  Then they went out on the field and performed acts of legalized (and highly paid) violence.

Football is a violent sport.  The fans enjoy the speed and they enjoy the hits.  This is not likely to change anytime soon, unless the prevalence of concussions finally and completely kills off the sport, and that is highly unlikely.

Death is a curious thing and the response of those affected by it is also a curious thing.  Getting back in the routine of life does seem to help a person get through the difficult time right after a death.  But when is too soon?

Was it fair to expect these men to go out and do battle on the field (an image widely used and promoted by those who talk about football) so soon after the death of their friend?  I imagine that the discussion will go on for some time about this.

One commentator mentioned that being tough guys means that you can never show your soft side. 

Apparently, on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs showed the world how very tough they are.

 

Just how private do you want your life to be?

We live in an age where our cell phones can tell the world where we are or have been or we let the world know where we are through our social networks.  If it is our choice, we seem to want folks to know that we are mobile.

But what are the limits to that?

In Texas, a school district is involved in a dust up over whether or not students should have tracking chips in their student IDs.  One student, Angela Hernandez, has brought a civil suit against the school (which suspended her for not wearing the ID) claiming that the chip represented the "mark of the Devil" and violated her religious rights.

(The mark of the Devil is a sign that the end of the world is coming and that the wearer has signed on to the dark side.)

A judge issued an injunction against her suspension for the moment.

The school district was willing to deal.  Tell your dad to zip his lip and you can wear an ID without the chip.  Not happening, said the family.

The discussion has been hot and heavy over this.  I'll try to condense it in bullet points.

 

On the girl's side:

>The IDs were assigned to students without an opt out.

>Her Christian religious beliefs are that the Mark of the Devil is a sign of giving up to evil.

>Her civil liberties have been violated.

 

On the parent's side:

>It's a public school but the public had no voice in the policy.

>Our daughter's civil liberties are at stake.

>The school district is using the badges to create revenue from the government.

>The school should not have tried to shut us up.

 

On the school's side:

>Being able to keep account of students does help with revenue (schools are paid monies from the state based on attendance).

>The badges help us find students quickly in emergencies.

>The badges help us find students who are skipping class.

>The badges help us keep undesirables out of the building and help us keep the students and staff safe.

 

On the legal side:

>The judge found issues with the suspension (apparently not wear the badge was not listed in the handbook as a suspend-able offense.)

>The judge had issues with the "deal" with the father to stop talking and let the girl wear a badge without a chip.

>The judge wanted to see if there were precedents about such cases elsewhere.

 

This issue is a tricky one.

  We live in a society where bad things sometimes happen in schools.  Without rehashing some of the awful scenes in the past, let's just say that troubled people find themselves using violence to solve their problems and innocent victims as their targets of rage.  Schools provide a lot of people in a fairly small area and make dandy solutions to angry people looking for a crowd.

Drug deals are still an ongoing problem in many schools and those engaged in dealing often bring weapons with them.

Kids skip classes and school and the school is responsible for them while they are supposed to be there. If a kid skips and the school does not make an effort to find them and something happens to the kid, the lawyers trip all over themselves to sue.

Non-custodial parents show up at schools and try to get to their kids to violate court orders and leave with them.

Individuals with no business being in a school try to get access for a variety of reasons, such as thievery.

The government ties a lot of revenue up in whether or not the attendance is robust at a school.

What on earth was the district thinking in trying to play "let's make a deal" with the father?

And just what are our rights to privacy?

Radio-Frequency Identification Chips (RFID) are becoming more and more common.  These chips are found in clothing to stop shoplifting, in automobiles to track them during their build, animals to keep track of them over wide areas (such as ranches), bookstores and libraries use them to discourage people from stealing materials, in EZ-Pass systems for collecting tolls on highways, on machine readable travel documents, in tracking the baggage at airports and a variety of other uses.  The information on the chip can be customizable, being as rich or as bare essential as necessary.

My understanding of the chips being marketed to schools is that the information on the chip contains the students name, identification number (which is NOT the Social Security number), schedule, and parent contact information for emergencies.

If there is a valid reason for not having the chips, it would be this.  The FERPA law (which protects a student's information about their education) might be touted as a reason to ban the chips.  FERPA protects information about a student's grades, etc.  It's a running joke among educators that between HIPPA (which protects health information) and FERPA (which protects educational information), technically schools have no students, since we cannot confirm or deny that they are alive (health info) or that they are a student (educational info).  Thus, in a stretch, having a student's grade in the information would violate FERPA because it would indicate that the student is or has had some education (as shown by their grade level).

Don't laugh.  Sillier things have been fought out in court.

As for the privacy issue, my questions would be this:  Does the student have a Facebook, Twitter, or other social network account?  If so, they have signed away a lot of their privacy and their parents were most likely not involved in this or even know what information is out there about their child.  Is that child a member of a group that has a webpage or has been mentioned in a news report? Are there photographs of the student online anywhere? If so, the student can be identified from the information coded in the digital photograph which would give the date, time and often location of the photo.  A photo at a school event would be a way to locate that student.

Many will argue about civil liberties.  True it is that in today's society, liberties are being waived in a variety of small ways.  But to say that the school has overstepped their bounds is splitting hairs on this one.  Between cameras on buses and cameras in school and cameras in the public, chances are that students have been photographed hundreds if not thousands of times and their location duly noted.  In attendance programs where teachers count attendance in the classroom, the student's photograph is part of that system.

Privacy has been already given up by many, often without them paying any attention to when or where or how.

As for the mark of the Devil argument, the mark (as described in the Book of Revelation) was embedded in the person.

We aren't quite there, yet.

This whole situation will play out.  It will be interesting to see what happens.

 

 

Weird news abounds these days.  Today was no exception.  Buckle up, it's a bumpy ride through logic and common sense.

Item #1

The North Korean Press announced today that the lair of a unicorn was discovered near Pyongyang.  This lair housed the unicorn that an ancient divine ruler (Tongmyang) had ridden.

I'll give you a moment to digest that thought.

Unicorns?  These delightful creatures have been made famous in toys and in stories.  But this may be the first time that a nation (North Korea of all nations!) can claim that such a remarkable creature lived in their land.

Boggles the mind, doesn't it?

 

 

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Item #2 the Carbeque

For a measly $156,000, you can own a car that allows you to stop, drop, and cook.  Lest you think this is a lightweight cooking area, the carbeque can cook nine 10 ounce T Bone steaks at a time or 200 sausages an hour.

I think this would be a hit at the tailgate!

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Item #3

Las Vegas is dynamite!  Literally!

Las Vegas police found three sticks of dynamite in the middle of the sidewalk.  Police discovered a suspicious bag on the sidewalk and cleared the area.  The dynamite was detonated safely.

Makes you wonder where that dynamite was headed, doesn't it?

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Item #4

If you find it, then it belongs to you, right?

Some kids in Russia found a cute, friendly furry animal all alone and took it to school with them.  Turns out, it was a lion cub that had escaped from a car while it was being transported from one zoo to another.  The kids had a great distraction from school and now they have a great story to tell their children someday.

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Item #5

Renovation work is a killer-vampire division.

In Serbia, renovation of an old mill has the locals thinking that a vampire has been resurrected and is now terrorizing the neighborhood.  The mill was falling into disrepair and the family who owned it thought that if it were renovated, it could be put to a commercial use.  Now, however, the mill has collapsed and the creepy resident, Sava Savanovic, a legendary vampire, is thought to be roaming the countryside looking for a new place to hang out.  The locals are terrified and have stopped going anywhere near the mill and are fearful of going out at night.

I was under the impression that vampires could not be photographed (or seen in a mirror) but here's a European version of the vampire.

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  Item #6

Even hockey guys love Teletubbies.

Ryan Sheahan, a hockey player who hoped to play for the Detroit Red Wings, was arrested for driving his car on the wrong side of the road and was dressed in a purple Teletubbie outfit.

I hear hockey is a tough sport.  I suspect that a history of purple suit wearing, teletubby loving hockey players may have it a bit harder than most.

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Well, if you thought life was boring, here's evidence that the weird is still out there! Enjoy!

As I was driving home tonight, hoping to beat the ever earlier darkness, I was privileged to see a beautiful sunset.

The sky melted from grey/white/blue into a deep indigo/peach/orange with streaks that ran for miles.  The clouds turned from fluff white into holders of gold and fire red.

It was amazing.  Enough to make me stop and watch for a few moments.

Sometimes, I am not very good at taking those few moments to stop from all of my frantic hustle. 

I need to fix that. 

Sunsets are not just the end of a day's light, they are a signal that a time of rest (for most of us) is on it's way. 

And, I suspect, we all could use a good rest.

Rest well.  You are worth it.

 

Sleep.  That wonderful state of being at rest while letting the day slip away.  No wonder we humans like it so much.

Which must be why insomnia is so annoying.

I'm up at a ridiculous time of the morning due in part to leg cramps, an extremely weird dream, and and inability of my body to go back to sleep past 3 am.  Ugh.

So, here I am typing away words of wisdom.

Funny, I don't feel all that wise right now.

Ah, the bird has been stuffed and we have been stuffed by the bird and all the pretty side dishes and desserts that go with him.  We've settled down in peace (or in cease fire) with our family and gotten through the Thanksgiving holiday.

Now it is time for cranky people season.

         

You know how it goes.  The Christmas music cranks up and the shopping blitz is on.  Stores bombard your newspaper with ads that weigh a ton and litter your floor when they fall out.  The news reporters breathlessly report at the doors of stores opening (in some cases) Thanksgiving evening so that shoppers can get a head start on spending too much money.

Cranky season.

Just as much as you know that you will hear "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" at least 487 times, you know that you will run into one of the Christmas Cranks, those individuals who may or may not be cranky the rest of the year, but who really kick it into gear during the holidays.

Everything costs too much.

  The music is too loud/too often/too stupid.

  Those Salvation Army bell ringers are too annoying.

  Why do people who cannot sing insist on creating caroling mobs?

  That tree is wobbly/ugly/gonna catch fire.

  You're gonna make a spoiled brat out of that kid if you buy them everything on that list.

And on and on and on.

You know who they are.  Heck, you might even be one of them.

But here's the thing.  This season takes us through the dark season of light here in the Northern Hemisphere (I know a cranky person would point out the Southern Hemisphere having summer if I didn't specify the hemisphere...sheesh!).  Those colored lights brighten up the darkness, offer us some beauty in the

dark and in general let us beat back the uneasiness that darkness brings with it.

Yeah, some of the music is schtick, but it sticks in your head and lets you, for a moment at least, drive "gangnam style" out of your conscious.

The Salvation Army bell ringers are bringing in much needed money to help those who aren't having such a jolly season.  Those big ticket items like food, clothing and shelter are supported by those who stand out in all kinds of weather to ring those bells.

As for the carolers?  Well, not everybody can be on American Idol, X factor or any number of those so called talent shows.  But everybody can be a star for one night or another....

I'm not a big fan of killing a real tree for a holiday, but if that's your thing, go for it.  Please just remember to keep it well watered.  Artificial trees do just fine...the ornaments stand as good of a chance on it - our over zealous cat will dismantle an artificial tree just as quickly as a real one.

As for those spoiled brats?  For once in a year, and for most, an economically tough year, it's ok to spoil your kid just a little. Don't put yourself in the poorhouse to do it, but a ton of small packages under the tree filled with stuff is the thrill.  It's all in the ripping and tearing, don't you know.....

So, cranky people?  This season is for you.  Go do what you do best.  Be cranky.  If Christmas did not exist, you would just find something else to be cranky about.

  It's ok.  We love you despite yourself. 

That's the real spirit of Christmas.

 

Heard today on the local news that a regular syndicated feature, Mr. Food has lost it's guiding light and host.  Art Ginsburg has passed away at age 81.

Mr. Food was a gourmet for the rest of us.  His recipes were not so much fancy, schmancy as they were a dressing up of regular everyday food.  And he did it with things you most likely had in your own cupboard.    His folksy way and his signature line, "oooooohhhh, it's soooooo good!" was broadcast into thousands of homes and his website of regular guy recipes was the staple of many a hassled cook.

I've tried several of his recipes and found them to be good and fairly inexpensive.  Just what a cash strapped family who enjoyed good tasting food needed and now it is gone.

RIP Art.  You helped us feed our families and your gentle humour made us smile.

We have entered the season of the rut.  The rut is when white-tailed deer mate and produce the next crop of cute but annoying critters that eat everything you wish they wouldn't.

A fan of Bambi, I am not.  More on that later....

But in the news of the weird, here are some deer stories to pique your interest.

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Exhibit 1:  In Whitehouse, Texas, a deer was casually eating in the front yard of the Rose home.  Joseph Rose and his friend, Cole Kellis approached the deer, thinking it was pretty tame.  Instead, the deer attacked them with it's antlers.  The men tried to make a run for it, but the deer managed to stab Rose in the ribs with it's antlers and Rose was forced to jump into the bed of his truck.  (It's Texas.  Everybody drives a truck.) 

The deer climbed partway into the cab of the truck, put his hoofs on the front seat, and began to eat Rose's cigarettes.  (No, I am NOT making this up!)  Whether it was the nicotine high or whatever, the deer became even more aggressive and it took Wildlife officials a stun gun and the work of five men to subdue the deer.

Lesson?  Leave the wildlife alone before it gets wilder.  Oh, and stop smoking.  It attracts mad deer.

 

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Exhibit 2:  In British Columbia, an overly affectionate elk buck was driven away from a farm because he simply would not leave a cow alone.  This elk had apparently been hanging around the cattle farm for three years and decided that three years was long enough to wait.  His amour was abetted by one of the cows, who if such a thing were used to describe a cow, could best be described as a "hussy".  Several times a day, the two animals....dallied.  It got so bad that the local traffic was backing up so that travellers could ....um....experience the wonder of nature.  The elk was beginning to attract the wrong kind of attention, though, from hunters who were stalking it and watching it through scopes.  The farmer and local wildlife official decided that it was time to take action.  They sedated the bull elk, cut off his antlers to make him less attractive to the hunters, and moved him 12 miles from the farm.  The farmer, however, thinks he will be back.  Because as we all know, it's hard to keep lovers apart.

.

 

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And finally, Exhibit 3: In Austin, Texas (what IS it about Texas???), Tom and Beth Priem thought they had a vandal problem.  Their Obama sign kept being torn up and they were determined to catch the culprit.  Turns out, it was a male deer who repeatedly attacked their sign.  Romney signs, on the other hand, were left undisturbed.  Perhaps the Republicans should change their mascot from the elephant to the deer?

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I believe I offered to submit my thoughts about Bambi and his relatives.  Here's the thing.  I have a 45 minute commute through mostly wooded areas that are the homes to deer.  Deer in fields I have no problem with.  However, like the perverbial chicken, they all seem to think that they must cross the road.  Without warning.  In front of my car.  Often with tragic results.

I have hit more than a dozen deer in the 30 years I've been commuting to work.  Most of them have been killed.  My insurance agent got to the point where he did not even ask why I was at his office, he merely asked, "Got hair?", in reference to : did I have any hair to prove that the damage was done by a deer.  I always had hair, often had guts and sometimes had hoof cuts in the metal of the car.

I am not a fan of Bambi.  The last time one dashed out in front of me?  This morning.

Sigh......