I am glad that some form of government is finally doing something that should be done. Or should I say something that should have been done a long time ago. I think as a Country we have been way to lax on immigration. Which is why we have as many illegal aliens as we do. They are here sucking our tax money out of our country, while not paying in a dime. I have no problem with legal immigrants or people that are here with a legal green card. If they have one of the two the are at least paying in like the rest of us who are actually citizens of this country.
There have already been several law suits filed saying that the new law is unconstitutional. What I want to know is where is it in our constitution that an illegal alien has any rights, other than human rights, in the U.S. Would it be considered racial profiling to check for immigration papers on all people of a Latin descent? I guess it would be, but how many illegal immigrants are anything but Latin descent? I read that almost 90% of illegal aliens are from Latin America, 54% being of Mexican descent. So, maybe racial profiling but not wrongfully so since most of them are of Latin descent.
I think that they should be given an option of being deported or becoming citizens of our great Country. Once we get a handle on the whole immigration thing maybe then we can do something about making English the official language of the United States again, another thing that drives me crazy.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Rubber Bands= New past time
My co-workers and I have recently started a new past time at work. Rubber Band Fights!! You might think this is childish, but that's OK. It really is, but we have a lot of fun with it. Maybe it is because we are all a bunch of big kids. It's just harmless fun, well mostly harmless. You might go home with a few red marks on your arms and legs, but they sill all be gone by the next day. Then we just start ove and do it again.
You might be thinking,"this is madness," but that is not true. We do have rules.
The Rules of Rubber Band Club
-The 1st rule of Rubber Band Club is that you do not talk about Rubber Band Club.
-The 2nd rule of Rubber Band Club is that you do not talk about Rubber Band Club.
-The 3rd rule: If someone says stop, goes limp, or taps out you shoot them one more time.
-The 4th rule: Everyone is aloud in the fight.
-The 5th rule: You can only shoot ot be shot while not ectively working.
-The 6th rule: No shooting in the face (body shots only).
-The 7th rule: Fights will go on as long as they have to.
-The 8th and final rule: If this is your first day at Rubber Band Club, you have to fight.
These rules (adapted from the Movie Fight Club) might not be completely original but the work for us. It really does make a fun work environment.
You might be thinking,"this is madness," but that is not true. We do have rules.
The Rules of Rubber Band Club
-The 1st rule of Rubber Band Club is that you do not talk about Rubber Band Club.
-The 2nd rule of Rubber Band Club is that you do not talk about Rubber Band Club.
-The 3rd rule: If someone says stop, goes limp, or taps out you shoot them one more time.
-The 4th rule: Everyone is aloud in the fight.
-The 5th rule: You can only shoot ot be shot while not ectively working.
-The 6th rule: No shooting in the face (body shots only).
-The 7th rule: Fights will go on as long as they have to.
-The 8th and final rule: If this is your first day at Rubber Band Club, you have to fight.
These rules (adapted from the Movie Fight Club) might not be completely original but the work for us. It really does make a fun work environment.
Friday, April 23, 2010
A Dangerous Job
Being in the military is one of the most a dangerous and hardest jobs. How many other jobs are there were getting shot at is part of your job? Probably police officers, but the don't have the same potential of getting shot at. How about being away from your friends and family for months or years at a time? I can't think of any. What about were doing your job could be so close to illegal that swaying, even just a little, from what you are doing could send you to prison?
Sometimes the laws of war are so vague that it is hard to tell what is legal or illegal. Sometimes people just make mistakes or do the wrong things knowing what they are doing also. Like what happened at Abu Ghraib Prison. The Iraqi prisoners were not just imprisoned but also tortured. The soldiers who did this know they were wrong.
But other times situations like the Navy Seals that were recently cleared by a U.S. military judge in another Iraqi abuse case. The Navy Seals in the case were accused of abusing a prisoner while being taken to a prison. The prisoner accusing the Seals was arrested for torturing and murdering 4 U.S. civilian contractors in Iraq. Personally I don't see why they would take this prisoner alive in the first place, but that would also be against laws of war also.
Being a medic in the military, we are trained to triage. This means don't treat if they are going to expire anyway. Basically do the most good for the most people. That means that if I was in an attack were Iraqis attacked us and we injured a few of them, I should treat them while my fellow soldier who is going to die from the attack bleeds out. This is another case were it would be hard to do what is considered the right thing. I would rather make sure my fellow soldier who is going to die is comfortable until his time comes.
Sometimes the laws of war are so vague that it is hard to tell what is legal or illegal. Sometimes people just make mistakes or do the wrong things knowing what they are doing also. Like what happened at Abu Ghraib Prison. The Iraqi prisoners were not just imprisoned but also tortured. The soldiers who did this know they were wrong.
But other times situations like the Navy Seals that were recently cleared by a U.S. military judge in another Iraqi abuse case. The Navy Seals in the case were accused of abusing a prisoner while being taken to a prison. The prisoner accusing the Seals was arrested for torturing and murdering 4 U.S. civilian contractors in Iraq. Personally I don't see why they would take this prisoner alive in the first place, but that would also be against laws of war also.
Being a medic in the military, we are trained to triage. This means don't treat if they are going to expire anyway. Basically do the most good for the most people. That means that if I was in an attack were Iraqis attacked us and we injured a few of them, I should treat them while my fellow soldier who is going to die from the attack bleeds out. This is another case were it would be hard to do what is considered the right thing. I would rather make sure my fellow soldier who is going to die is comfortable until his time comes.
Who knew that building a privacy fence could be a family project with young children? I didn't expect it to turn out as well as it did. And it only took us 2 days (I already set the posts) and the fence looks great.
My wife and I decided to build a privacy fence. After going and pricing and looking at everything we decided to build it piece-by-piece. This takes longer, but looks better, holds up better, and costs less than the 8 ft preassembled sections. Putting it together ourselves holds up better because we used screws to fasten it. The preassembled sections are all nailed together. The preassembled sections cost about $50 per section plus the posts to attach them to. To build it ourselves it cost about $35 per section. So, we decided to start building last weekend.
On Thursday my wife found out she had to go to Kansas City. So I was going to be home with the kids trying to build the fence. So, my son (who is 5), my daughter (who is 3), and I were going to build the fence. I was thinking sarcastically,"this is going to be good." Surprisingly it actually worked out very well. My daughter wore my tool belt (wrapped around her waist twice and was still big) and handed me screws, my son handed me fence pickets, and I took care of the rest. We had a good flowing system going and made really good time. We finished our longest section of about 50 ft. in 3 hours. All that work was almost more than the kids could take. But we managed to get it done. By the way the kids slept great after working as hard as the did.
My wife and I decided to build a privacy fence. After going and pricing and looking at everything we decided to build it piece-by-piece. This takes longer, but looks better, holds up better, and costs less than the 8 ft preassembled sections. Putting it together ourselves holds up better because we used screws to fasten it. The preassembled sections are all nailed together. The preassembled sections cost about $50 per section plus the posts to attach them to. To build it ourselves it cost about $35 per section. So, we decided to start building last weekend.
On Thursday my wife found out she had to go to Kansas City. So I was going to be home with the kids trying to build the fence. So, my son (who is 5), my daughter (who is 3), and I were going to build the fence. I was thinking sarcastically,"this is going to be good." Surprisingly it actually worked out very well. My daughter wore my tool belt (wrapped around her waist twice and was still big) and handed me screws, my son handed me fence pickets, and I took care of the rest. We had a good flowing system going and made really good time. We finished our longest section of about 50 ft. in 3 hours. All that work was almost more than the kids could take. But we managed to get it done. By the way the kids slept great after working as hard as the did.
Friday, April 16, 2010
National Prayer Day declared Unconstitutional?
Thursday a Federal Judge, U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb, ruled National Prayer Day unconstitutional. This has upset a lot of people. These people being upset is not unwarranted. National prayer day has been a part of our great nation's history for almost out entire history. The first National prayer day was in 1775 and decided on by the Continental Congress. But, it was not made official until 1952. Since then it has been held on the first Thursday of May. You see National Prayer Day is part of our country.
Even with the ruling that National Prayer Day is unconstitutional it doesn't mean that you can not pray on that day or any other day. It is a great part of out history, but we do not need it to pray. Maybe we should just make every day a National Prayer Day. Maybe then we wouldn't have as much bad things going on here. Have a great day and pray for National Prayer Day!
Even with the ruling that National Prayer Day is unconstitutional it doesn't mean that you can not pray on that day or any other day. It is a great part of out history, but we do not need it to pray. Maybe we should just make every day a National Prayer Day. Maybe then we wouldn't have as much bad things going on here. Have a great day and pray for National Prayer Day!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
I hate Urgent Care
My daughter and I made a trip to Urgent Care earlier this week. The more I think about it the more I hate that place. This trip was because my 3 year old daughter was running a temperature of 102.8 degrees Fahrenheit for about 12 hours and vomited in the middle of the night.
So, we went to Urgent Care the following morning. We made it there about 20 minutes after they opened. There were only 2 people in the waiting room when we got there. It still took about an hour for us to be called back to be seen by the doctor. This is my first complaint. Why do we wait as long as we do before we even see the doctor?
After the doctor assessed Lanie and found nothing abnormal except her temperature, he decided to get a urine sample from her. That is not a big deal at all. But after we got the results from the urine test and again found nothing, the doctor decided he wanted chest x-rays to check for pneumonia. I do have a problem with this. He should have been able to rule out pneumonia when he checked her breathing and lungs. I think the x-ray was unnecessary, just more money for me to pay for the test.
The x-ray also came back negative. So, after being at urgent care for 3 hours and having run several test on top of the doctors assessment, we got the diagnoses. My daughter had a FEVER!! They said thanks for the money and sent us home. I had already given my daughter that diagnoses from home. That is probably where I will give it next time.
By the way my daughter is fine now. When we got home around 11:30 A.M. She took a long nap. When she got up around 2:30 her fever was gone and she wanted to go outside and play which we did for about 5 hours.
So, we went to Urgent Care the following morning. We made it there about 20 minutes after they opened. There were only 2 people in the waiting room when we got there. It still took about an hour for us to be called back to be seen by the doctor. This is my first complaint. Why do we wait as long as we do before we even see the doctor?
After the doctor assessed Lanie and found nothing abnormal except her temperature, he decided to get a urine sample from her. That is not a big deal at all. But after we got the results from the urine test and again found nothing, the doctor decided he wanted chest x-rays to check for pneumonia. I do have a problem with this. He should have been able to rule out pneumonia when he checked her breathing and lungs. I think the x-ray was unnecessary, just more money for me to pay for the test.
The x-ray also came back negative. So, after being at urgent care for 3 hours and having run several test on top of the doctors assessment, we got the diagnoses. My daughter had a FEVER!! They said thanks for the money and sent us home. I had already given my daughter that diagnoses from home. That is probably where I will give it next time.
By the way my daughter is fine now. When we got home around 11:30 A.M. She took a long nap. When she got up around 2:30 her fever was gone and she wanted to go outside and play which we did for about 5 hours.
Friday, April 9, 2010
War, Depression, Climate, Dust Bowl. Do these puzzle peices really fit together?
I read an article about another possible dust bowl in the USA Today. It made me think, isn't it kind of funny (or maybe ironic) the way history repeats itself. Just think about it. The dust bowl of the 1930's happened during the Great Depression which happened right after WWI. This was one of the hardest times our country has ever faced. What is going on right now? Now we are fighting in not only 1 war but 2, and now in basically a post war depression, and possibly having another dust bowl. But this story has more to it than that. It also has to do with climate change patterns (not Global Warming).
What caused the Great Depression? I know this is not the only cause, but one of the biggest reasons was the end of World War I and the economic decline that followed. This is the way of war in the U.S. except for WWII. It starts with an economic boom leading up to and during the war due to the needs of the Nations fighting the war. Then an economic decline at the end of the war due to the decreased needs for certain products. It has happened over and over again not only to the U.S., but to many other nations throughout history. But the Great Depression really doesn't have much do with the cause of the dust bowl. That is what makes it so ironic.
The dust bowl or dirty 30's had much more to do with climate change and the severe drought that was happening at that time. I believe the weather habbens in patterns. I do not believe in global warming. I think it is all a scam, a way for people to make money claiming that the way we live our lives is going to melt the polar ice caps. This is all a load of crap. Thanks Al Gore. I do believe that some day the polar ice caps will melt, but we are not the cause of it. It is caused by the earth naturally changing. Some time after the ice caps melt I believe we will also have another ice age. If we are still here will we call it global cooling cause by not using enough energy or living too green. Even regional climates change. Just think about today's middle east. At some point in time it was also one of the most fertile lands on our planet. Have you ever heard of the Garden of Eden? We might literally live in the desert some day.
What caused the Great Depression? I know this is not the only cause, but one of the biggest reasons was the end of World War I and the economic decline that followed. This is the way of war in the U.S. except for WWII. It starts with an economic boom leading up to and during the war due to the needs of the Nations fighting the war. Then an economic decline at the end of the war due to the decreased needs for certain products. It has happened over and over again not only to the U.S., but to many other nations throughout history. But the Great Depression really doesn't have much do with the cause of the dust bowl. That is what makes it so ironic.
The dust bowl or dirty 30's had much more to do with climate change and the severe drought that was happening at that time. I believe the weather habbens in patterns. I do not believe in global warming. I think it is all a scam, a way for people to make money claiming that the way we live our lives is going to melt the polar ice caps. This is all a load of crap. Thanks Al Gore. I do believe that some day the polar ice caps will melt, but we are not the cause of it. It is caused by the earth naturally changing. Some time after the ice caps melt I believe we will also have another ice age. If we are still here will we call it global cooling cause by not using enough energy or living too green. Even regional climates change. Just think about today's middle east. At some point in time it was also one of the most fertile lands on our planet. Have you ever heard of the Garden of Eden? We might literally live in the desert some day.
ROUGH DAY TO THE OFFICE
Because the weather has been son nice I have been riding my bicycle to work. It had been going great until Thursday morning that is.
Everything started out as usual. I got up on time, got ready for work, and left my house 25 minutes before I had to be at work (which usually puts me at work about 10 minutes early) just like usual. Everything went as anticipated for almost a mile, when I encountered my first problem. My left pedal somehow came off of the arm. The pedal did not just simply unscrew, It pulled some of the threads out with it. Luckily, a good Samaritan stopped and let me borrow his wrench to put the pedal back on. I was a bit worried knowing that some of the threads had already pulled out, but after tightening it down, I tested the pedal and it seemed to still be functioning correctly. So, I started for work again. I had only wasted about 5 minutes correcting my pedal, so I still had about 5 minutes of leeway.
The next 3 or so miles went flawlessly. But when I tried to take off after a red light, the pedal broke again pulling out even more threads. At this point I lost my temper. Knowing that I could not put the pedal back in now, I kicked the bike over. As the bike fell the right pedal caught the and broke also. So then I had to walk the bike and myself the last mile to work, and ended up being 10 minutes late. At least everyone at work got a good laugh out of my morning. I hope for better luck next week.
Everything started out as usual. I got up on time, got ready for work, and left my house 25 minutes before I had to be at work (which usually puts me at work about 10 minutes early) just like usual. Everything went as anticipated for almost a mile, when I encountered my first problem. My left pedal somehow came off of the arm. The pedal did not just simply unscrew, It pulled some of the threads out with it. Luckily, a good Samaritan stopped and let me borrow his wrench to put the pedal back on. I was a bit worried knowing that some of the threads had already pulled out, but after tightening it down, I tested the pedal and it seemed to still be functioning correctly. So, I started for work again. I had only wasted about 5 minutes correcting my pedal, so I still had about 5 minutes of leeway.
The next 3 or so miles went flawlessly. But when I tried to take off after a red light, the pedal broke again pulling out even more threads. At this point I lost my temper. Knowing that I could not put the pedal back in now, I kicked the bike over. As the bike fell the right pedal caught the and broke also. So then I had to walk the bike and myself the last mile to work, and ended up being 10 minutes late. At least everyone at work got a good laugh out of my morning. I hope for better luck next week.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Try riding a bike.
I am very excited about the mice weather we have had over the last week or so. I am ready to start riding my bicycle to work and back again. If you don't ever do this I recommend you try it. Riding my bike offers several benefits for me.
1st- It is great exercise. Riding a bike helps to increase strength, endurance, stamina, and cardiovascular fitness. It is also less stressful on your joints than running or jogging.
2nd- Saving money. I save about $25 a week by riding my bike and not burning gas in my car.
3rd- I always feel great after riding my bike. It seems to relieve stress for me. I think it is mostly due to the fact that I know I am getting in some good exercise while only spending about and extra 10 to 15 minutes a day on my commute to and from work(about 5 miles one way.)
4th- Time. I only have to leave my house about 5 minutes earlier to get to work. Some people might not count this as a benefit. I mean it is quicker to hop in your car and take of, but 5 minutes difference to commute to work isn't that much.
For me there is only one real down side, the weather. Although a bike can be ridden in any weather it is not always practical like when it is pouring down rain or there is a lot of ice on the ground. Bad weather can be harmful to you if you aren't careful.
I have been riding my bike to work in the spring and summer months for the last 2 years. I really enjoy it and would like for more people to try it. I will admit that I was a bit sore after the first couple of days even being in good shape physically. The worst part was where my butt and the seat met. So, I also recommend that you find yourself a comfortable seat.
So now all you have to do is find out if the pros outweigh the cons for yourself. If you do decide to start commuting to work on a bike, I recommend that you try the trip on a weekend or day off before trying it on a work day just to make sure you gauge your time correctly. Have fun.
1st- It is great exercise. Riding a bike helps to increase strength, endurance, stamina, and cardiovascular fitness. It is also less stressful on your joints than running or jogging.
2nd- Saving money. I save about $25 a week by riding my bike and not burning gas in my car.
3rd- I always feel great after riding my bike. It seems to relieve stress for me. I think it is mostly due to the fact that I know I am getting in some good exercise while only spending about and extra 10 to 15 minutes a day on my commute to and from work(about 5 miles one way.)
4th- Time. I only have to leave my house about 5 minutes earlier to get to work. Some people might not count this as a benefit. I mean it is quicker to hop in your car and take of, but 5 minutes difference to commute to work isn't that much.
For me there is only one real down side, the weather. Although a bike can be ridden in any weather it is not always practical like when it is pouring down rain or there is a lot of ice on the ground. Bad weather can be harmful to you if you aren't careful.
I have been riding my bike to work in the spring and summer months for the last 2 years. I really enjoy it and would like for more people to try it. I will admit that I was a bit sore after the first couple of days even being in good shape physically. The worst part was where my butt and the seat met. So, I also recommend that you find yourself a comfortable seat.
So now all you have to do is find out if the pros outweigh the cons for yourself. If you do decide to start commuting to work on a bike, I recommend that you try the trip on a weekend or day off before trying it on a work day just to make sure you gauge your time correctly. Have fun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
