The Errors of Camping…

Oh the Snafus of a camping trip. Now don't get me wrong, I love to camp – especially in the Upper Peninsula. It's beautiful here. I just wish a few less things could go wrong.

Problem #1 – This actually happen IN Detroit. The skies opened up like God herself was trying to drown us. It rained the entire day before we left. I put off packing the van because I was hoping to do it without the rain. Well, the very next morning – the rain was actually WORSE than the day before. There is nothing like packing in the rain.

Problem #2 – The FM Modulator I had Best Buy hardwire into my car doesn't work. Now, they tried to tell me it was because 89X comes in too strong in Detroit. WRONG! Tonight I realized that it ha nothing to do with any radio station. It's all about the car's headlights. I am pretty sure they have hardwired the damned thing into my damned headlights. When they are on – the thing works. When the lights are off – it doesn't work. Grrr….

Problem #3 – This was minor because I just forgot my stupid phone charger. I knew I would need it though because my parents are coming up on Wednesday. After stopping at a truck stop super gas station (I thought they had everything), I was told to go to a Walmart. That added a half hour to the trip.

Problem #4 – Upon arrival at the state park, we immediately began to unpack. I had the van unloaded and we started to get the tent up. Well, that would have gone more smoothly if we had TENT POLES!!! It seems that the tent poles were NOT in the tent bag. Maybe I couldn't get them in last year. Maybe I thought they would tear the tent. In either case, the tent poles were safely in Detroit while I am in St Ignace. This required another trip to a Walmart.

Problem #5 – Xander's sleeping bag died last night. The stupid zipper busted. I ended up giving him my extra blankets and I froze. Oh well, I love my bo and don't want him to be cold.

Problem #6 – I DROPPED MY CAMERA!!! Its dead. I killed it. I absolutely LOVED my camera. This pisses me off to no end. I broke it though, so I can't be mad at anybody else.

Problem #7 – I bought these two AWESOME looking steaks for dinner. They were only $6 a pound for Angus Porterhouses. I marinated them. I lovingly prepared them. Xander and I were drooling over these yummy looking steaks. They looked absolutely perfect as I took them off the grill. They looked perfect as they fell into the fire. They didn't stay perfect though. They burst into flames. They died tragically like my camera.

 

For all of the problems – I wouldn't trade this for the world. I have my boy. We have nature and some beautiful surroundings. We have the lakes. We have an awesome view of Big Mac. We have each other and we have had some incredible discussions. I love it.

The Democratic Party – Campaigning to Lose

OK folks. Stop the self-destructive crap. Quit screaming for impeachment. Stop acting like a bunch of screaming lunatics that people are forced to first look at and then run from. Democrats are currently working on their next campaign and the current title of the campaign is "Losing Like Pros".

After 2004, you would have thought that the Democrats would take a more proactive approach to an election. Instead, we are seeing the same self-destructive patterns that we saw in '04 emerging. First off, Democrats need to realize that it's not just the actual candidates that lost them the campaign. The members and people that vote for the Democratic Party played a vital role in the discrediting of the party and its candidates. So let's look at some things that need to be changed if we want to regain the Oval Office.

1. Stop the insane blood curdling screeches of "Impeach Bush!" and "When Clinton lied, nobody died". We all know that Bush is scum, but I really don't want millions upon millions of dollars wasted on an impeachment process that would never be successful and doesn't have time complete before the man leaves office. Most of the world knows that he will be here until his term is finished – accept it and move on to better things. When you continually harp on this one talking point, you look obsessed and some of you look slightly crazy.
   
2. Get off the Cindy Sheehan train. I get it. Her kid died. That is absolutely the worst tragedy a parent can face – the death of a child. However, Casey Sheehan CHOSE to be a member of the American military. That is not a safe job folks, even without Bush in there. Casey Sheehan not only CHOSE to be in the Army, he CHOSE to reenlist knowing that he would be sent into Iraq. He also chose to be a part of an emergency reaction group to rescue other American soldiers. Yes, it's sad that he is gone, but Sheehan needs to understand that her son made the choice to be there.
   
3. We also need to understand that our nation broke the only stable government Iraq knew. So now we are stuck there for years to come. Leaving Iraq would only create a new Afghanistan….
   
4. Yes, Bush got Scooter Libbey out of jail time. That's nothing new folks. Presidential Pardons are a perk of the job and EVERY president has used the privilege. Clinton pardoned a damned child molester folks. Let's get over it.
   
5. Halliburton sucks. Yep. We get that. It's a multinational corporation and most of them do suck. Your point is? Do you honestly think that this election is the vehicle to change our entire economic system? Maybe there are some better venues for that process.
   
6. The Bush twins are making six figures as consultants. They choose not to be in the military, so why try to force them there? Remember, we have a volunteer army and we live in a nation where we are allowed to make our own decisions. Let's apply those rules to everyone – even if you don't like them. Leave the girls alone, just like we wanted people to leave Chelsea alone.
   
7. Quit screaming about sexual morality or honesty in politics. Both sides are crooked folks. I know it. You know it. Let's not be hypocrites and try to act like only their side has problems.
   
8. Can we please get a candidate that can speak to the common man? Just like a newspaper, the copy has to be dumbed down to an eighth grade level so that everybody understands what you are saying. Kerry learned this the hard way. HE tried to talk to the people like he was speaking to a room of college educated intellectuals. Face it folks – less than 1 in 4 people have a college degree.
   
9. Can we try not to alienate Christians by painting them all in the same stroke as a bigoted fundamentalist sect? Christians come in all shapes and sizes. They also come in a wide range of beliefs. Accept it and stop alienating them.
   
10. Will somebody please talk to the ACLU??? While they will take up the case for separation of church and state when it comes to a Christian group – they ignore it for Muslims. They even refused to take cases where tax dollars were being used at public schools to provide for religious study. I am all for separation – equal separation.
    

 

I think I might list more later but for now, this is what I have time to write down….

Made in China – Leaded Toys and Dr. Martin Luther King?

Made in America. That is a label that we see less and less in this nation. Even when we do see it, the only thing that was made here is the label. Outsourcing has become so commonplace that its sometimes hard to find American made products.

This week has been a difficult one for corporations that produce their products in nations like China. They are learning that lax standards and cheap labor are hurting their products and their bottom lines. The recall of millions of toys has lead to fears of foreign made toys hurting our children. Some people even fear that the Chinese government is deliberately trying to hurt our children and our nation. (I don't know if I buy that one).

Now word comes that the statue for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in the National Mall will be made by a Chinese artist in China. There were hopes that an African American artist would be chosen to immortalize Rev. King in stone, unfortunately that were not in the cards. American artists are infuriated that a Chinese artist was chosen over any American. They see this as further betrayal to the American people.

How would Dr. King feel about this turn of events? He always saw a future world where all people were equal. That includes people of every nationality, color, ethnicity and heritage. He might see a Chinese man crafting his statue and be happy about it because the man was allowed entrance into the closed art world. I personally think that Dr. King would be happy that they were willing to consider any person for the job.

Are you dying to be thin? Do you need a “thinspiration”? Do you think the skin and bones look is the way to go?

Do you want to be thin?   Are you seeking "thinspiration"?   Just type "pro-ana" into google or look for a pro-ana group on Myspace.   There you will find thousands of women (and a handful of men) sharing ways to live the pro-ana lifestyle.  What is pro-ana?  Oh, thats just a pro-anorexia lifestyle. Do you want to know how to survive on a saltine and a diet soda a day for a month- these sick people are more than willing to share with you their "successes".

Now i knew that the pro-ana lifestyle had hit the web in the form of web rings and standalone websites.  What's new is the influx of myspace sites.  Look at this one.  This poor sick little girl offers the following advice in her profile:

About me:
As promised, Tips And Tricks for Pro-Anas:

• I swear by diet pills. Losing weight causes hormone imbalance and makes you edgier and drained. Diet pills balance your hormones allowing you to be happier and have more energy. A warning though. Take them as soon as you wake up. If taken later in the day, you will have trouble sleeping. You may be slightly nausiated when you begin taking them on an empty stomach but it does pass.
  
• Fasting in moderation. So many girls say they are going to fast. I have fasted and the weight will come back if you fast for long periods and then binge. I find the easiest way to lose weight is to fast for one to two days, on the third day eat small portions of food and then return to fasting. You need to control your eating habits. I am not against mia but I have a fear of throwing up and therefore can not binge.
  
• Laxatives. If you feel like you have cheated terribly, take laxatives. A warning here is that your body memorizes laxatives and eventually becomes immune causing you to need more and more to produce an equal effectiveness. Try to only use once every two weeks and buy philips, they are non-cramping and controllable.
  
• Exercise!! This is key. No girl is going to lose weight, even if they are fasting or purging if they do not exercise. Exercise keeps off the weight and allows you to burn more calories. A simple brisk walk is efficient enough. Get off your lazy ass and do something!! Enroll in dance if you have to!
  

 
 

Then if you look at some of this poor girl's friends it gets scarier because these girls clearly have issues.   Some know that they are classified as sick but they choose to ignore. Then if you start surfing livejournal, vox, myspace, xanga and a host of other places - you will see these girls extolling the virtues of being skinny.  Pictures of Nicole Richie, Mary Kate Olsen, Lindsay Lohan and other uber skinny women at their lowest weights are all over these websites as "thinspiration".  It's too sad!!!