Our Only Real Prize
11 November 2010
I was reflecting on mortality on this page earlier today, then found out only hours later that a friend, a really nice, nice person, had died from a sudden but unknown (natural) cause. It was shocking because she appeared very healthy and was only in her 40s, but also because we know her so we know the immediate family in this particularly tragedy, as opposed to the things you see on television.
We weren't even very close with her and her husband lately because we were school-parent friends and our kids haven't been in school together for five years, but we know them, have been in their house and had them in ours many times, and really liked them both.
Her two kids and her husband have lost their most special person. I can't even guess what they're going through.
So I'm saying grab the ones you have and tell them, especially if you haven't told them lately. Tell them that without the lights we make in each others' lives the universe would be dark and empty.
Don't bother to respond to what I've written here, or at least not to me.
If it makes you think, just pass the thought forward to your special ones, and not just with words; in fact, I ask you to treat them with a little more kindness than you would have, just because it's all so brief and so fragile and love is all we really have. It's our only weapon. It's our only real prize.
Thanks for listening.
Let's get some of these into civilian life as well. I bet one of these would be very good for chastising bad dogs.
Future soldiers may be wearing 'Iron Man' suits
www.cnn.com
A lunchtime crowd is gathering beside the parking lot at Raytheon Sarcos, the defense contractor, on a recent day in Salt Lake City. White-collar workers from nearby office parks stand with their yogurt cups and sandwiches, watching with quiet awe as a man in a metal suit -- sort of half-man, half-robot -- performs superhuman feats of strength.
Another important Veterans' Day thought...
Bumper-Sticker Patriotism Is No Way to Honor Our Veterans
www.huffingtonpost.com
If you really want to honor our troops you won't use them for an easy applause line, you won't use them to get votes, or, most insulting to them of all, to divide us into real Americans and fake Americans.
Made me laugh.
Birds of Britain
www.youtube.com
Hilarious spoof 1970s birds documentary from the Look Around You series 2 DVD
Deb is playing Joe Walsh's "Life's Been Good to Me So Far." Great, funny song. Just got back from having some blood drawn for a routine check, my dad just got fitted with a pacemaker and is doing great. There's truth in that title. Fingers crossed, we'll all make it a few more years.
Posted by Hannah Lehrman:
"To all our veterans past, present and future.... Thank you for standing the line, protecting our freedoms, and being true to the american way..... my family will always stand by you. We may not agree on our goverments policy's but always stand behind our troops till all are home from combat areas......"
Animated news time again! Viva Taiwan!
Bush junior defends legacy in memoirs
www.youtube.com
10 November 2010
Hey, let's start a new political party. We'll be the Sensible Party and we'll get all the sane people out of both parties and most of the sane independents as well. We'll just do sensible things and have sensible positions — cautious, thrifty, minding our own business, erring on the side of decency — and ignore the loons. Who's with me?
I hope someday in the distant future my obituary reports "he was a clean old man."
9 November 2010
Thanks to Les Howle — this deserves to be shared. Stockman used to be a fairly straightline Republican (former Reagan budget director) but he was deprogrammed sometime in the 90s. He makes a lot of sense.
David Stockman ridicules GOP on budget - David Cohen
www.politico.com
The ex-Reagan OMB chief makes it clear he has no faith the new Congress will do better than the last.
I worked all day today. You would think someone would come and congratulate me and overpay me and give me Cheez Doodles, but NO.
I blame the government.
These are HORRIBLE! DESPICABLE! But very well done and quite funny. Thanks, Jay!
Bread People
breadpeople.tumblr.com
Bread People is a service that provides pictures of bread celebrities for you to look at.
via Rick Burger: These are wonderful and this guy makes a TON of beautiful, functional mechanical objects. I think he could even make a Continuascope.
How Do These Gears Actually Work? [Video]
www.geekosystem.com
I don't know, this just makes me feel better, somehow...
via Kelli Frederick Stratton: Believe it or not, this is actually part of your job as a human being, to pay attention to stuff like this. Read your orientation manual...!
Seeing Past What it Seems « Brave Girls' Club
bravegirlsclub.com
The United Nations has agreed that the next global disaster will be presented entirely in Auto-Tuned news.
Call me a purist, even a snob, but just because one ticket service company has named itself Fandango doesn't mean another one gets to call itself Ticketdango. I am not convinced, and may NEVER be convinced, that "dango" now can stand on its own, bereft of its fan.
