You're IT!

Can't PLAY tag? CAN'T PLAY TAG!!??

What is wrong with people?!!

Today in a moment of leisure (lunch) I posted the following CNN article to several friends via email. This is a time honored tradition, although typically I am not the postee. Past topics have been banning fluff, and Terrell Owens drug problem. Here is today's article:
School bans tag, other chase games
I had a hunch I'd get some amusing feed back on this one. So in order:
I titled the email "people suck".

Scott Wilkinson replies:
Wow. Kids could get hurt during recess?

No kidding. Thought never occurred to me.

People suck , you hit the nail right on the head Jorge.

Jeremy Viles writes:
Frankly, I think they should just ban children... then no one gets hurt and no one is liable. It ends world hunger and also promotes world peace. Just get rid of the children. Problem solved.

Chris Pike writes:
The whose is going to fund my Social Security? what little kids will I be able to torment? After all my goal is to be the mean old guy no kids like.

Jeremy Viles returns with response:
Yes, I also want to be the mean old guy... but it's the only logical solution. Unlike the completely illogical ban on "tag". I hate to get into the "when I was a kid"... Man that makes me feel old... but we used to literally beat the S- (censored reference to fecal matter) out of each other, run and slide on ice, jump out of swings into snow banks and play a little game we called "smear the queer", sort of like everyone for themselves tackle football where whoever has the ball gets creamed by everyone else... only your friends who didn't want you creamed would accept the pass from you... I know that's probably just in the mystical world of Hartland ME but I think this type of crap is why kids today and kids of tomorrow will be big wussies with a p... (censored reference to slang implying female genitalia) Toughen kids up, let them get hurt they will learn the lesson. You only touch a hot stove one time... until you get to be old enough to drink alcohol. (In ME that is 10). ~V~

Since obviously they aren't going to ban children... (think of movies without crying, stores without tantrums, no germ spreading balls of sugar-induced whining...yes... yes... it is a provocative thought), since they won't ban kids... And since frivolous law suits are the American way, you can just expect more stupid crap like this to be hitting the news.
(Obviously all of my friends kids are lovely lovely saint like cherubs and the above descriptions do not apply to them)

Its a bigger issue really than just "child safety". This is the greed and the selfishness of the average American run amok. It used to be that kids skinned their knees and no one was to blame. And to some parents its only ok if the kid gets a scrape on their watch... because everyone is convinced they are way more competent than everyone else. Now kids can't leave the confines of padded play rooms, and we wonder why children are out of shape with little motivation to leave the video games behind. Also many people are selfish and they are all looking for a way to make a buck.

It used to be if you fell and broke your arm on some ice that you weren't careful and had some bad luck. Today people sue. (I'd like to see that same logic carry over to someone who spins their car out on an icy road.... after all the public works should be able to predict and prevent all possible dangerous conditions created by mother nature)

People have no respect for anyone or anything today. People are unwilling to admit mistakes. People are needlessly combative.

When you sue your school, you are taking money from every tax payer in the community, that means all of your neighbors.

People don't care about anyone BUT themselves. They don't care what they would feel like if the tables were turned. People don't even make an effort to see things through the eyes of others.... its all "Me Me Me".

Selfishness it is the root of it all. Really these suits are nothing more than legitimized theft.

I can understand making playgrounds safer etc, but there has to be a limit somewhere.

People certainly aren't going to ban cars because they kill...
They aren't going to ban knives....
And sharp rocks are way too plentiful...

Unless you want to tie kids to their friggin chairs (which I believe would constitute as cruelty) some are going to bump their heads and get injured almost regardless of how carefully watched they are. The kiddies aren't the most graceful bunch after all. And they need to fall down in order to learn. (See what Jeremy wrote)

Pike, what's this about expected Social Security benefits? First of all, that's what Mexicans are for. They are pretty much one of the only groups that is growing in this country. The average Caucasian does not have enough kids to even replace themselves in future generations. Secondly I hope you are putting money in 401k you leech! Aren't you a Republican? And here you are expecting certain social entitlements? FOR SHAME!

To end, and amusing, and unsettling clip from the Daily Show:

Rosebud......

I have to admit, when you think about it, this story is bizarre. Usually when you talk about adoptions you are speaking of orphans, or neglected children, however this doesn't quite fit the bill. It reminds me of the beginning of Citizen Kane when the little boy is taken or given up by his parents who want a better life for him. Yes, undoubtedly Madonna will provide a healthier, less dangerous life for this child with different opportunity. And that's great and all... but I can't help but think of it in a weird sense of child shopping. A sort of... "oooh we don't have one like that yet! Can we take him home? He'll look lovely in our playtime suite!"
Madonna responds to adoption controversy
In Madonna's defense this article tells a significantly different story than initial reports. Earlier on it was suggested the boy's father was still in the picture, and that Madonna and Guy Ritchie had circumvented laws in the adoption. This article contradicts these assertions.

Its interesting that they are seemingly making a lot more of a stink about Madonna adopting than Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. I suppose that maybe there is a greater perception of Madonna being an "elitist" and representative of that Brahmin world, while perhaps America's favorite couple still come off as the youthful neighbors, although they are anything but.

I should talk about North Korea... but honestly I don't have too much to say. Lets just hope that Kim Jung Il isn't as loony as he seems. I still believe that caving into Kim's demands for an exclusive two way talk with the U.S. would be wrong. You can't embolden bullies because you'll set off a chain reaction of like minded ego maniacs trying to do the same thing across the globe. I know if something bad happens... they'll blame Bush or the U.S. saying if we had talked to North Korea it would have been prevented. That being said... I will still stick to the belief that you can't give people what they want in the face of threats. Nations can't conduct their foreign policy like clerks at 7-11 when they are faced with a robbery.

Weekend update.... by moi

What to say... what to say...

Well, I suppose I shall start off by saying that I had a fabulous extended weekend. Saturday was a day of accomplishment. I finally replaced the tire on my car (which had to be ordered... the whole lo-fi thing). I got a chicken pot pie from Harrow's and some "fresh" native corn & delicious rolls from the neighboring farm stand in Reading. It made for a savory meal that definitely bore a strong "fall" theme. I also got myself a small cooking pumpkin which I'll eventually transform into a pie or bread. Kate came over for the feast. Since Sunday was her birthday I picked up a Mrs. Fields cookie cake, which we did quite a number on over the course of the weekend. There was about half of it left in the end which we divided up.

On Sunday we went for a tour of Trinity church in Back Bay at Copley plaza. Trinity church is one of Boston's signature landmarks, and supposedly one of the ten most significant pieces of architecture in the country. It is a gorgeous site and I highly recommend it to anyone who gets to go. The tour commences at 12:15 after an 11:00 am service. Kate and I didn't attend the sermon, but I'm very tempted to do so in the future so I can see the masterpiece in its full functionality.

After this Kate and I had a quick lunch at the Beerworks. I had a burger, and Kate a massive salad, which I made a rather pathetic attempt to help her finish. We had a coupon and Kate's salad had $7 deducted (I think it was $8) from the price. It was Kate's turn to pay and due to her luck of obtaining this coupon from someone handing them out on Newbury street, it was a cheap meal. I had a pumpkin ale, but it was a little bit of a disappointment, I've definitely had better. It was a lovely meal however. Thanks Kate!

Next we saw The Departed. This movie was everything I hoped it would be. It had tons of Boston footage, it kept you riveted. Nicholson was great as "Costello" basically a Whitey Bulger knock-off. Irish mob big wig for those not familiar. The entire movie was well cast, and while some critics went after Sheen's accent.. it did not distract from his character's significance. Damon, and DiCaprio were excellent. DiCaprio became a brutal thug as part of an undercover assignment for the Boston Police Department. There were a few scenes where his "staged" hot-headed temper lead to intense encounters that made me cringe. One particurally memorable scene was when DiCaprio beat two Mafia collectors senseless after an off color remark about the Irish (irony?). Anyway, it was highly entertaining, and unpredictable. I highly recommend it.

Monday Kate and I went to the Body Worlds exhibit at The Boston Museum of Science. I took a well deserved day off. Over 200 cadavers were on displayed showing plastinated (preserved) bodies in various poses and modes of dissection. It was very cool. They exhibited prosthetics, cancer infected tissue, smokers and coal miner's lung vs. normal, and the impact of obesity on internal organs. They even had a plastinated camel. It is a traveling exhibit, so if you can't make it into Boston be on the look out.

Well, here's where the story ends. Till next time.....