Pigs Garner Victory

Pigs Garner Victory

Good News = Bad News

When is the last time you saw or read a news story that actually made you smile?

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[crickets]

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That's what I thought.

Whenever I happen to see news on television (I don't watch TV at home) while at someone else's house, or while out and about, it is always news about death, war, scandals, or drugs. Sometimes they tie all those subjects together into one news story.

I think the news agencies are taking "shock value" a little too far. Sure it boosts ratings, but when did news become more about ratings than it did actually doing what it was intended? Inform people of happenings around them.

Here's just a sample from today's news:

Slain Tenn. Minister's Wife to Be Charged
L.A. Investigating Alleged Patient Dumping
Prof Killed in French Chem-School Blast
Dozens of Insurgents Captured in Iraq
New Home Sales Plummet in February
Long Live Addwaita: Tortoise Dies at 250
Belarusian Police Round Up Protesters
Pace: Years of Vigilance Needed on Terror

Where is the positivity?

No wonder I have felt better and happier since not having TV in my house for over a year. Even random instances when a TV is on and I happen by, if its news, it is never news about children eating ice cream. And if it is about children eating ice cream, its about the negative side effects of eating the ice cream, like poor health, weight gain, too much sugar, ADHD cases attributed to ice cream eating, etc...

What is happening? People will say, This is just a reflection of what is happening in the world...

I disagree. Its where news agencies choose to point their cameras. But I will agree that it is more entertaining to film a raging fire than it is a field of daisies, unless of course said field also contains the charred bodies of passengers from a commuter jet crash.

There has to be a way to slowly move to the other side of the spectrum.

Think Happy.
Be Happy.
Live Happy.

That's a start. Just read those phrases aloud.

Here's some more:

I am happy to be alive and enjoy the world around me!
I can see good in many things.
I love sunshine and laughter.

I know it all sounds cheesy, but do you know why it does? Its because we have been trained to think happy things are gay and weak. Its not cool to be happy. That's why all the best movie stars are killers on the screen. Look at Arnold Schwartzenegger. They elected him governor of California. What kind of role model was he for the children in his movies? I am surprised he hasn't tried to incorporate some of the character's he has portrayed into his state agenda. It might actually work for cities like Los Angeles. It might quell the gang activity and murder there. Maybe.. It would definitely boost his ratings as a governor. Don't you think?

I think we would thrive on this planet if we took charge of the way we feel and started latching on to positive thoughts instead of reveling in the negative.

Anybody with me?

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[crickets]

When there is nothing else to do, calculate primes

Swedish Fish

Yesterday I bought a bag of Swedish Fish. Mmmmm...

Nothing like getting these little buggers caught in your teeth. I swear they could pull out a filling. They seem to have lost some size over the years. I remember the individual fish pieces being much bigger. Now they are bite size. Not as fun to eat!

Now all I need is a case of wax lips, but in the meantime, since Easter is around the corner, I will settle for my old favorite... Cadbury Creme Eggs.

Patience

Patience is defined as:

Good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence.

It also means not easily getting angry or not showing anger in situations of human communication where the other is unreasonable.

A great bit of patience can be utilized in our lives daily. Often, we exude patience without even realizing it. Simply put, turning the other cheek can be viewed as a form of patience.

Most of the time when one is on the receiving end of patience, they feel a great sense of thanks and awe toward the one showing patience. Others however become infuriated by it, especially if their goal is to cause another to become impatient. In this respect, having patience can be seen as having a defensive barrior. Defending ground simply by being patient.

A direct question can be posed whenever you find yourself in a situation requring patience:

What can I gain by being patient?

Microsoft and Google team up on Linux OS

It was announced today that Microsoft and Google are collaborating on a new product that will run on a Linux OS.

The product details are sketchy, but sources at both Microsoft and Google have said that it will rival anything released to date by either company.

One question yet to be asked is, "who is their competition now?" The likes of this partnership have never been seen before. The choice to run the product on a Linux OS has analysts scrambling to figure out what this all means. "We don't have a model for this kind of collaboration", said one analyst who requested to remain anonymous.

The little details that have been leaked include the following:

Performance increases
Interoperability across all platforms
Hardware independant
Open Source
Accessible by all media, including television
Ad free
Full Featured
Highly Configurable
Unlimited Support

We will have to wait and see what this partnership will yield, but so far things look good.

Microsoft's iPod

Now this is good.

Combos and Gatorade

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, combine the thirst quenching qualities of Gatorade with the mouth-drying characteristics of Combos, and you end up with something wrong in your mouth.

There should be warnings on products like this. Do not combine this product with any of the following ... type warnings.

If you like Gatorade, and you like Combos, you will definitely NOT like them together. The combined taste and smell leave you thinking that you fell face first in a baby's soiled diaper. And not just any baby's diaper, but one that has been through the digestive system of a wild dog, and used as the breeding grounds for six generations of flies.

Maybe its not just any combination of Combos and Gatorade. This particular flavor of Combos that makes me gag is Pepperoni Pizza Cracker. The Gatorade flavor is Lemon-Lime. Some people might hate each by themselves, but combined it is sheer horror in the mouth.

It must be out of habit though that I continue to eat them while composing this post. Holy Mother, these really taste like shit.

crunch crunch crunch

Sound advice

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it."
- Yogi Berra

Overreacting

You have to love when people overreact by drawing conclusions without first investigating the facts. Typically this is done by not thinking things all the way through. Thought is an important skill to hone, and those who use this skill sloppily, usually end up looking stupid. We've all done it in the past, but most of us learn from our mistakes.

Thinking things through usually prevents one from overreacting to a situation because the mind has time to go through a logical process without missing important details that may be important in a given situation.

Something else that usually lends itself to overreacting is anger and hate. People tend not to think logically when their minds are under the influence of these volatile emotions. This is another reason why thinking things through over an extended time period typically yield more favorable outcomes.

Some people are just naturally prone to making bad decisions. These people are to be avoided when the traits are oberved over a given period of time.

I admire those that follow through with a fully explored thought process. Decisions that are methodically examined over several days rather than several minutes or several hours yield more satisfaction in the end.

Take my previous post, for example. Some people may read it and totally overreact. Others will read it and think, wow, how clever. When people watch movies about the same thing, do they think the people involved in making the movie actually carry out things like this? Not usually, and if they do think the film makers actually live out their films in real life, then those who think that usually fall into the category of overreacting without thinking things through.

Its kind of like drawing conclusions about a particular subject just by reading the back of the book. Without all the information, mistakes will be made.

Subtleties

I wonder what the sign in the middle really means? Are they trying to say that driving on this road is dangerous? Surely not. I don't think I have ever seen a sign like this before. I wonder how much more risk I add to this situation by the fact I am composing this blog entry on my cell phone while driving down this very road? If this is the last post I ever submit, you can assume it was a very big risk.

Altruism

I find myself doing it all the time and don't know why. Stopping to help people on the side of the road, giving advice to strangers, helping coworkers solve a trying problem. Where did I get this desire? I don't ever expect anything in return, and to some that may seem unnatural, but this article seems to think otherwise.

Never leave home without some

Its not everyday you can open the trunk and gaze upon a fifty pound bag of poultry feed. Its times like this I wish I had a beak and feathers.

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Quote of the day

"Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality."
- Nikola Tesla