Joke of the day....Craig and the shenanigans of an Idaho Senator

I have been following the story of Idaho's Senator and his problems resulting for the sex sting in the Airport restroom.

I would find it interesting to know why he was peeping into other stalls and then there is the business of feet spreading out so far as to enter another stall? I can not understand that at all...are the restrooms in airports so small that this is something that can accidentally happen?
Personally, I doubt that it is something that just happened. I just don't think Larry Craig's legs are that long...it is a reach of the imagination that the man just accidentally managed to do that and what's with the fingers waving around under the sides of that stall...another accident? Yeah sure and the moon is pink.
I have no idea what this man's motivation was but I sure can't swallow that he was an innocent victim. Unless it resulted from totally stupid.
I feel this is an example of how the powerful can fall when they feel above the rules of society and or law.

Then comes the "I want to withdraw my plea because I didn't know?" For crying out loud this is a person who makes laws and knows lawyers...and the public is supposed to swallow that one?
Well, I don't think I suffer from totally stupid. That condition must belong to Senators from Idaho?

Life and more stuff

The Young are idealists and the old are realists........

I have noticed as I have grown older that found myself reflecting on some of the same things as I had when I was young....but now my mind tempers my reactions with my own years of experience. That is not to say I am immune to the worlds antics or the viciousnesses and stupidity
that is all to prevalent in many of the worlds societies.

I know through experience that I can do very little to help the big picture but if I choose a very small portion of an enormous problem I might be able to make one very small dent,
combine one small little chip with many other small chips and dents, big things might be possible.......but it takes many, many like minded souls to have any effect.

Happyness or contentment - more on life

7. Happiness is a fleeting emotion which is usually dependent on someone or something. Contentment comes from within and is lasting.

There is a feeling in most people that they must be happy, and they spend their time chasing the "happy feeling". When it starts to fade there is a frantic search for someone or something that will bring that euphoric condition back.

Here lies the problem, when a person is chasing happy they are rarely really happy and never content...contentment is the wonderful feeling that life is good. It lasts through relation shipments, aging, and once a person decides that contentment is important they will find true happiness.

More on life and the human animal.

6. I am happy with who I am - My ego does not need stroking for me to be happy.

Many people equate their own worth with how others see or praise their accomplishments.
Without this continuous attention they lack confidence and positive feelings of self worth. In some cases this results in fabricated or embellished stories of their life have little relationship with reality.

Such a shame to be so unsure of what and who you really are.

Social networks? The Good, the Bad and the not There.

I read a post on social networks and utilizing social networking to help bring new visitors into a site or blog.

Sweet, but as I am far older than the mean age of the You Tube crowd as well as some of the other networking sites I decided to look at one that might be for the more mature group. Bingo, found one that has a boomer age look, clicked and went no where. Site temporally down?

Not a good sign, and somewhat disappointing. I was thinking that I might have found something that would allow the mature individual a network of like minded souls......

I don't think I'll totally forget about the Over 50 thing but I will look for others that might fit my needs.

Childern, parents and buddys?

5. Your are not your child's buddy - You are his parent.
The two are not the same.

Parents are required to set limits and promote responsibility. Without this the child can become a monster which no one loves...except a blind parent.

Future for Snake River Salmon and steelhead?

In our local newspaper the top story is about the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sending a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asking that fish ladders be installed to allow fish passage on three private Dams on the Snake River. Now is the opportune time for this type of request be made as Idaho Power Company is in the process of multi decade relicensing.

The irony of this entire situation is the dams were supposed to have had fish passage when they were originally built but the fish were not important at that time and the complex of dams went into place without the ladders.....Politics and money, and that may continue to be a problem.

When these dams were erected it stopped steelhead and salmon from migrating up a major portion of their range. I am of the opinion this is something should go forward and perhaps we can see those great travelers run up rivers in southern Idaho, and even into Nevada.

There has been problems with the water quality in the three reservoirs that fall in place behind Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon Dam. Water quality is poor to vary poor in these reservoirs due to the heavy water usage for hundreds of miles of agricultural lands that suck up water and then discharge any excess back into the system. This water is high in phosphates, nitrates and God only knows what else. Over the years there has been little concern for the damage to the river system as long as Idaho Power had electricity for southern Idahos cities and farms had abundant cheap water..

Wealthy businessmen from Idaho along with high placed political entities have run roughshod on our beautiful rivers to make sure water flowed into irrigation ditches. The desert bloomed and the south part of Idaho had all the power it wanted..

My opinion is some of that desert needs to go back into desert, the rivers need to be cleaned up and our beautiful fish need do have a chance to come back from the edge of extinction.

Those huge potato farms, the multi millionaire processors and powerful Idaho politicians need to take a step closer to oblivion for the fish.

More stuff of life. Smart people

4. Dull people might think they're bright - Smart people know they are

Neighbors, fences and more rules for living

3. Good neighbors are created by tall, solid fences...a bit of humor, a great deal of consideration and a very casual and cautious non relationship.

If you find that a new addition to your established old timer non regulated area becomes a problem ....assert your property rights and keep pigs as pets.

More on real life and stuff.

2. Do your grown children live at home?.....not because you need them there but because they find it more convenient than living on their own?

If the answer is yes, then it is time you learned how to say MOVE.

Some thoughts to consider,,,,,,

For the next several days I'm going to provide a few fun things to consider. If they hit too close to home..... tough. Either get a thicker skin or change your life........

1. No one should be allowed to have children until they have successfully trained 2 dogs. Why 2? Because one pup may have been smarter than the human trainer and learned in spite of him.

Children are usually a lot smarter than a dog and if you can't train a dog, you certainly should not be messing up any kids life!

Common sense, intelligence and work ethic

Common sense, intelligence and work ethic are three things that people need most in life. You can be less than a genious and still do very well in the work place and life in general.
A mind that functions and the willingness to work hard, can and will provide everything one needs succeed.

Basic intelligence can be utilized to gain advanced schooling, a good job, and a secure future. The most important item is the acceptance of responsibility for your own actions and a good work ethic.

For a great many people that fail in life there is a lack of work ethic and an unillingness to work hard for anything.

If you watch people utilizing the social service agencies you will find some people that are truly needful and at the same time you have folks that are using the system. These people do not exhibit the willingness to work...they have problems, no education, no marketable work skills, kids to care for and this list goes on. But, if you look at that list you will see one thing that holds true...most of these problems are self made.
Those that lack basic education, quit. Those that have no job skills, quit. Those that have kids...the first one happens...those that follow are not accidents.

There are people that need a helping hand, I realize that - but in far too many being 'needy' results from making poor choices in life.

Here is an example of choices and taking the abilities you have and becoming a useful member of society. There is a sweet kid who works in a local supermarket. This young man holds down two jobs, works very hard, is pleasant and extremely reliable...he also has Downs.

Is he collecting money from social services?...no. He has a work ethic and applies himself. He is a productive and wonderful member of our community.

More should take this example and apply it to their own lives.

Disfunctional families...again, and again,

I am continuously astounded at the family. Yup, that's the one, where you have kids sponging off parents for no other reason than they don't want to be productive and work like the rest of the world. Kids who lack the basic intelligence not drive and drink...and after getting away with it, stop when they see a friend being checked out by the local police. Kids, who have children they are ill prepared to care for and then have that second and third baby...do they have any understanding how that happened? Questionable.

This is one of those here's you're sign moments......As to the continuing saga of dysfunctional families, it's a source of entertainment, and disappointment of human kind in general.

If the 'family' were to read this, they would simply not recognize themselves.

Perhaps that is nature anesthetizing itself to it's own lack of abilities?

I am afraid that I have the opinion that the dull draw the dull and another generation is produced to continue that condition and tradition. How sad.

Change of Seasons

When I got up this morning the air had a feel about it.
Fall is coming, this season signals the end of the growing year. I always hate to see that end of the flowers and green growing things. Spring and summers vibrant growth is such a welcome condition, flowers bloom, gardens grow and produce a bounty of good things to eat.

I feel a little like fall, somewhat over my prime but not quite ready to take up a rocking chair for recreation.
I have been doing a little groaning the past few days, it seems that the arthritis that is in my joints is making itself known. This is such a nasty condition, not usually bad enough to put one into bed but it certainly can take the fun out of things.

Due to the miracle of modern chemistry there is a number of over the counter meds that help with the joint discomfort...might not make it all go away but it helps enough to allow for normal activity....oh yes, normal activity consists of weeding the aging garden, vacuuming the floors, folding laundry and building another website...yep I may be in the early fall of my life but I am too busy to be wringing my hands about a little visit from Arthur.

More on websites and fantasy

This mornings post concerned web builders that perhaps need to do a bit of research and learning prior to making websites for money.

On the other hand, people that buy something and pay good money for it should have at least done some reading and have a basic understanding of what they are getting. There should be some understanding what a website should do something beside sit out in cyber space doing nothing and being accessed by no one.

Perhaps people think if they have a website visitors will just come. If they are selling something those visitors will just buy........in real life that is just not true. Maybe the would be site builders think the same thing?

It is a really bad situation when no one has done their homework because someone will surely be disappointed.

This is another example of innocence or ignorance standing in the way of reality.

Websites, Web builders and SEO

I thought I would visit the Web building subject again. I have several websites all constructed with Homestead's site builder and this program has served us well over the past eight years or so.

As the Web and the websites have gotten more complex so has drop and drag Web building programs. In actuality the program I use has a number of bells and whistles to intrigue most anyone wanting to build their own website. The truly sweet part of this, what you see is what you get program, is that learning code is not necessary. Anyone can build their own website.

This simplicity allows even the most inexperienced person to construct a decent looking website. And here lies the problem, many of these same people decide to build websites for their friends, family, or clients.

I find it interesting that so many of these pseudo-Web builders are totally ignorant of the common problems associated with SEO and good web design. I have always felt if you're going to do something learn to do it right before presenting it to anyone else. This would be specially true with the production and construction of a web site for someone who may be paying.

When learning the basics such as filling out meta tags, simple navigation issues and acceptable page width and length are necessary in providing a product that is minimally acceptable.

I know the old saying "ignorance is bliss", but in this case ignorance may be charging fees for substandard work. Granted, I have learned these things over a number of years but I would expect anyone selling a product to have at least learned the basics.

In reality a website can be somewhat cluttered, disorganized and poorly designed yet still do very well in search engine results if some basic SEO techniques are used.

Search engine optimization is without a doubt the most single important part of Web building. Optimization is the least understood and utilize process.

Without site optimization even the most well designed and attractive Web site is no better than a chalk picture on a sidewalk. It is invisible on the world wide web.

Simple chores, brain function and life......

Have you ever thought about how many daily chores one can do without really thinking?
It seems that most all normal day to day chores are mindless repetitive activity and this is true for most gardening and outside maintenance activities. If you really think about it that is much of a days activities...nothing to think about.................mind withering nothingness.

I'm feeling that the loss of mental acuity in older people is related to this lack of stimulation of the brain.
I have read a number of reports and studies that confirm that brain power declines in those who lack stimulating activities....so read a book, surf the internet and learn something new, take a class...play card games and keep the mind strong and agile!

Changes, no change and prostitution of ones ethics for power.

Wow, two posts in one day. I figure now that I am close to retirement age I can be odd, eccentric and maybe a bit cranky. After all I have been around more than 60 years and more than 40 years a real adult.

During this period of time there have been changes in this world that are staggering. Men have went to the moon, computers or artificial intelligence has come upon the scene. Artificial hearts have come and gone. Today organ transplants are a common occurrence.

Many good scientific advances have taken place and still we have diseases such as AIDS...that reared it's ugly head in the 80's and continues to kill millions yearly.
Birth defects still happen and affections such as Alzheimers and MS and other degenerative illnesses are common place.

War perpetually happens somewhere in the world and as we have gained knowledge we also seem to revert back to a simple and vicious behavior pattern.

The human animal falls prey to it's own ego and self interests. Nasty thoughts come to mind when I view the high offices of our nation and the people that lead us. I am of the opinion that power corrupts and those who have genuinly benevolent ideals and motives are lost to the power brokers of our nation if they manage to remain in power for any length of time.
To do good deeds they must prostitute themselves or be inadequate and so goes the loss of innocence.

Another Day, Another Dollar and Another Gripe!

Today I decided to do a follow up on yesterdays little tirade on grown kids, permissive parents and reality.

This one deals with life and kids too....Starting in school we promote learning as something that should be fun. Then little Danny finds out that much of the time it is work and not really a whole lot of fun. This bright child complains and we hear something like, " It's not fair, school is just not fun."

Well duh, who in their right mind tells a kid - school, learning or for that matter life is going to be fun or fair?
My first thought is many people do and these same folks must have the intellect of a rock.
Next step, our intellectually and back boned challenged parents start trying to bribe their star pupil to getting half way decent grades...or in some cases just for showing up for class.
Most of the time this is simply non productive.

As parents we should instill the idea that learning may not be fun but the knowledge you gain will give you a deep satisfaction. It is or will be useful later, and it is your job..... so learn!

Then as the shining star of the house gets older there can be many other problems with reality...on both sides of the age group...Parents bail the kids out of tickets, drinking and/or drug problems, accidents and even opening the door to them when they decide to take a vacation to play.
We are talking about quiting jobs because they interfere with play time.......another duh moment here folks.

From one generation of permissiveness to the next generation who learn to live with their hand out. It is this generation that complains and whines about unemployment, not enough breaks and why they have nothing.

My answer is this, this is a child that never learned to work, learn or accept responsibility for their own actions. Why? because parents never stood up and taught responsibility to their children.
Why not? perhaps they themselves never learned. Or they were to busy being a buddy they never learned to be a parent. Or perhaps it was to much work??????

TV commercials and real life?

I must be getting old or something but I am starting to wonder if the world is going to hell in a hand basket. The thing that has me wondering this is a commercial I watched on TV last night.

It was one of the those new appliance things where the little woman was standing in front of her old washing machines and her mostly grown son entered and plopped down a large duffel bag presumably filled with dirty clothing.
Her statement was something about wanting a washer that could handle moutains of laundry.....
Frankly, all she needed was to hand this young man the detergent and head up stairs.

No parent does their children service by treating them as if they were little children. Especially the grown up kind of kid.

Once a child gets big enough to load a washing machine without tipping over into it they can start learning to help with their own laundry. That includes drying an occasional load and even folding and putting them away.
This sharing of the work also covers meals, vacuuming, dishes and general house work. If you help make the mess then you help clean up the place. That is part of real life......or it always has been in the world I live in.

I have family and friends with grown kids that come home or never leave - there seems to be an entitlement attitude in these children. Mom and Dad owes them something.

I can't quite figure that out, but then my children were raised to be adults, independent and productive. They in turn are raising their own children that way.
So what is wrong with the picture of the grown kid dumping his dirty clothing at Moms feet? Nothing if Mom is a rug.

Or the son who tells his dad he wants to come home and save his money for a year and think about going to school. Excuse me, but this is a grown kid who has been out on his own for 3 or 4 years...this same kid had the chance to do that after high school. Which he had no interest in then. The operative word here is think, no guarantee no real commitment.
The sad thing is Dad let him do it... entitlement attitudes and parents that don't have the gumption to tell a kid no.

How sad life is when a commercial mimics real life, or real life is a joke.