tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-46403418796111445672024-03-12T22:51:04.557-04:00I Want Ice WaterAnd Other Pleas From The Bowels Of Hell On Earth. Written by IzaakMak.IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-40214778263977808712009-07-01T05:17:00.001-04:002009-07-01T05:29:20.142-04:00The Michael Jackson – Ayn Rand Connection<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>I know that I’ve said some pretty radical things on this blog, but anyone reading the title to this post must think that I’ve finally gone off the deep end. And yet it is true. Although one might expect that the two belong on opposite ends of the “serious” spectrum, there is nevertheless a link between the career of Michael Jackson and the teachings of Ayn Rand. I only wish that it had occurred to me, on more than an unconscious level, prior to having it pointed out to me in another of the many e-mail notifications I’m subscribed to.</p> <p>This one came from the site known as <a href="http://www.theatlasphere.com/" target="_blank">The Atlasphere</a>, which exists specifically for the benefit of Ayn Rand admirers. This particular e-mail was an invitation to read the article <em><a href="http://www.theatlasphere.com/columns/090629-arfa-michael-jackson.php" target="_blank">Eulogy for the King of Pop</a></em> submitted by columnist Orit Arfa. I strongly urge one and all to read it, for it is brilliantly written and clearly links the value of “pop” culture to what it means to be American.</p> <p>Here’s a brief excerpt:</p> <blockquote><p>Pop music is emblematic of a free society. It’s an American stronghold, combining the Western achievements of melody and harmony with beats inspired by African rhythms. Some people dismiss pop music as mass-marketed, pandering, and unsophisticated, but I believe pop is among the most accessible of romantic art forms.</p> <p>Pop songs abide by Ayn Rand’s definition of art as “the selective recreation of reality according to an artist’s metaphysical value-judgments” — giving individuals a concise medium to recreate and share an emotional idea so meaningful to them that they must sing about it to the world.</p> <p>These songs may not involve complex arrangements that spell out an expansive, philosophical view of man; rather, they give us in the matter of a few minutes a “sense of life,” which Rand defines in <em>The Romantic Manifesto</em> as “a pre-conceptual equivalent of metaphysics, an emotional, subconsciously integrated appraisal of man and of existence.”</p></blockquote> <p>Now as a person with a long history of “emotional” problems, I have know for many years that certain pieces of art can overwhelm my self-control and reduce me to what I fear would be perceived as a quivering, blubbering fool. This is the primary reason why I hide myself away from those who would not only misunderstand, but might well view my reactions as a sign of vulnerability. I’ve had quite enough of being victimized, thank you.</p> <p>As I alluded to in <a href="http://iwanticewater.blogspot.com/2009/06/last-man-standing.html" target="_blank"><em>The Last Man Standing</em></a>, one of the very first pieces of art to have this effect on me was the song <em>I’ll Be There</em> by The Jackson 5, when I was about 14 or 15. To this day, I wonder if I was somehow able to sense, in the person of Michael Jackson, another terribly vulnerable “soul” brother. And even years later, despite our vastly different paths through them, the craziness in both our lives only helped to enhance this feeling. I can’t help but wonder if at least some of the craziness going on now because of his death is proof that there are others who feel the same way.</p> <p>But by far, the most powerful such emotional reaction came when I attempted to read Ayn Rand’s <em>The Romantic Manifesto</em>. The very same book that Ms. Arfa refers to in her article. And I say “attempted” because, well – <em>it’s damned hard to read through tears</em>. Because of Ayn Rand’s death, this book will have to stand as her primary non-fiction effort to define the ultimate importance of her work to the future survival of Mankind. <em>I knew this when I started to read it.</em> This frustrating experience was one of the final dominoes to fall in the months before my first hospitalization and diagnosis.</p> <p>And now, after years of therapy at the hands of those ill-equipped to grasp its significance, I give my most heartfelt thanks to Ms. Arfa for finally helping me to understand the link between these two experiences.</p> <p>You know, looking back on it some 14 years after my first breakdown, I now know that it was caused, at least in part, by my belief that Ms. Rand’s work must be continued at all costs and my fear that I was perhaps the only one who understood, and cared, enough to try.</p> <p>Fortunately for all of us, the existence of places like <a href="http://www.theatlasphere.com/" target="_blank">The Atlasphere</a> is proof that I was wrong. You’d be pleasantly surprised at who some of the other members are. Then again, maybe you wouldn’t.</p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-11777499646797803772009-06-30T10:12:00.000-04:002009-06-30T10:14:25.092-04:00You Are Valuable!<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p style="text-align: left;">Yet another great e-mail funnie:</p> <h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">The Senior T-Shirt!</span></h1> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1524" title="Senior T-Shirt" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/senior-t-shirt.gif?w=225&h=225" alt="Senior T-Shirt" height="225" width="225" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">We are Valuable!!</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"></span></h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">We are more valuable than any of the younger generations:</span></h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">We have silver in our hair,</span></h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> We have gold in our teeth.</span></h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> We have stones in our kidneys.</span></h2> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> We have lead in our feet.</span></h2> <h2><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> </span></h2> <h1 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);"> And</span> </span></h1> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 128, 0);">We are loaded with natural gas!!!</span></h2> <p style="text-align: left;">I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-19118916423544706322009-06-30T10:10:00.000-04:002009-06-30T10:12:37.245-04:00“Aliens”<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>This movie has at least two of the most classic lines in movie history.</p> <p>The first is by Bill Paxton’s character, <em>Hudson</em>, right after their first escape plan goes horribly wrong:</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_Xm1XErUvXo&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_Xm1XErUvXo&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>I used to have the audio clip of this as an icon on my Windows 3 desktop. When a later version allowed for it, I used it as part of my shutdown sequence.</p> <p>The second is this short and powerful line by Sigourney Weaver’s character, <em>Ripley</em>, when she decides to take on the Alien Queen:</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CgFXlEg5XZs&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CgFXlEg5XZs&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>If those aren’t enough, here’s a highlight clip for the entire movie:</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9Sr9aZBH6So&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9Sr9aZBH6So&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>A genuine classic.</p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-85220873662905760352009-06-30T10:07:00.000-04:002009-06-30T10:10:26.201-04:00“Mission To Mars” – Inspiration For Humility<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>Arthur C. Clarke once said: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” An example of this came to me while watching Mission To Mars for the 3rd or 4th time the other day. Once again, I was struck by the awesomeness of it’s closing sequence.</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PvISV0wGusU&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PvISV0wGusU&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>I don’t care how “highly evolved” a person thinks he is, an encounter with beings that had supposedly caused our species to come into existence would have to be like encountering the Gods themselves. Talk about restoring your sense of humility! <img src="http://s.wordpress.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_eek.gif" alt=":shock:" class="wp-smiley" /> </p> <p>While I haven’t exactly encountered any “Gods” lately, I have had a recent “humbling experience” that inspired me to write this article. I received an e-mail from a friend a while back describing an historic “close encounter” with the planet Mars that the Earth is supposedly about to have. I don’t recall what it was that reminded me of it, but I decided to look at it again so that I could mark my calendar. After all, who would want to miss such an historic event?</p> <p>And that’s were I very nearly put my proverbial foot in my mouth – <strong>big time</strong>. I was so impressed with the images included in the e-mail, that it seemed as if I had found precisely the kind of “golden nugget” an astronomy geek “wannabe” like me should create a blog post around. So, with gleeful abandon, I rushed to get it published…</p> <p>You know, I can’t really say what it was that inspired me to do the google search, although I tell myself it was to see if there were more interesting aspects to the story that I could have included. But the results of the search revealed “interesting aspects to the story” <strong>far</strong> beyond my expectations.</p> <p>Apparently, this “hoax” e-mail gets updated and put back into circulation every year or so, just for the purpose of humiliating dumb-assed would be astronomy “know it alls” who fall for it. Imagine me screaming at my old hunk-o-junk to <strong>“Hurry up you slow piece of %&#$!”</strong> as I scrambled to delete the post from this blog. <img src="http://s.wordpress.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_evil.gif" alt=":evil:" class="wp-smiley" /> </p> <p>I know my that friend had no knowledge of the illegitimate nature of the e-mail, but after all, the many “provocative” statements I’ve made here has already put my credibility on what some consider “shaky” ground. <img src="http://s.wordpress.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_neutral.gif" alt=":-|" class="wp-smiley" /> </p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-41035842515503050962009-06-30T10:06:00.000-04:002009-06-30T10:07:54.354-04:00Behind My Eyes<p>Can you see through my eyes? Can you feel what I feel? Can you know my history, my hopes, my dreams, or my pain? No? Then tell me, why would you expect me to be able to see the world as you see it? Why would you even pretend that I could? Do you remember that old saying that no man is an island? Well it’s just as true that no mind is a community.</p> <p>I can’t “feel your pain.” I don’t “know what you’re saying,” I can only hear you speak. I really don’t “get it.” And you certainly ain’t “got me.” I can’t “lie in your bed,” or “walk a mile in your shoes.” There is no such thing as a “psychic connection.” If we really want to understand one another, then we must get down to the hard work of communicating effectively.</p> <p>There are two things that I have believed for as long as I can remember. The first is that the root of all evil grows best in the soil of misunderstanding. And the second is that we <em><strong>can</strong></em> do better. If I didn’t think so, I wouldn’t try so hard to be a good writer. Hell, I wouldn’t try at all. But I keep on trying in the vain hope that, by effectively articulating the life-sustaining imperative that we live our lives as rational beings, my writing will help to inspire a new age of reason.</p> <p>Unfortunately, all I seem to have achieved so far is an appreciation for the mentality of the sociopath.</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;">The Who – <em>Behind Blue Eyes</em></h2> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>No one knows what it’s like<br />To be the bad man<br />To be the sad man<br />Behind blue eyes</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>No one knows what it’s like<br />To be hated<br />To be fated<br />To telling only lies</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>But my dreams<br />They aren’t as empty<br />As my conscience seems to be</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>I have hours, only lonely<br />My love is vengeance<br />That’s never free</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>No one knows what it’s like<br />To feel these feelings<br />Like I do<br />And I blame you</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>No one bites back as hard<br />On their anger<br />None of my pain and woe<br />Can show through</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>But my dreams<br />They aren’t as empty<br />As my conscience seems to be</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>I have hours, only lonely<br />My love is vengeance<br />That’s never free</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>When my fist clenches, crack it open<br />Before I use it and lose my cool<br />When I smile, tell me some bad news<br />Before I laugh and act like a fool</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>And if I swallow anything evil<br />Put your finger down my throat<br />If I shiver, please give me a blanket<br />Keep me warm, let me wear your coat</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>No one knows what it’s like<br />To be the bad man<br />To be the sad man<br />Behind blue eyes</em></strong></p> <p>I want ice water.</p>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-68904861443684248932009-06-30T09:59:00.000-04:002009-06-30T10:06:01.862-04:00The Last Man Standing<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p style="text-align: left;">As I grow older, and the count of those I’ve lost grows higher, I’m reminded of a frightening thought I had as a child.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>I’ve seen them come, and I’ve seen them go<br />Yet I, alone, remain<br />Through all the pain and tragedy<br />The song remains the same</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>It echoed down through all the years<br />And through all the lands of man<br />That siren song that warned about<br />The coming of our last stand</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>But no one heard, and no one cared<br />Until it was all too late<br />Then came the time when hope was lost<br />And we accepted our terrible fate</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>So I’ve watched them go, friend and foe<br />Our numbers dwindling fast<br />’til the numbing pain of watching man’s end<br />Left me alone at last</em></strong></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em>Now all their ashes have blown away<br />Yet, somehow, I remain<br />With only the pain of tragic loss<br />And the song that remains unchanged</em></strong> </p> <p style="text-align: left;">If you can’t quite imagine how a child could have such a vision, then you need to read more of my stuff. But I will give you a little hint:</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q6bARIaMhCM&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Q6bARIaMhCM&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;">I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-1669418513066416742009-06-30T09:57:00.000-04:002009-06-30T09:59:16.756-04:00The Larger Picture<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>Ever get the feeling …</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1452" title="Your Move" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/your-move2.jpg?w=499&h=304" alt="Your Move" height="304" width="499" /></p> <p>… that you’re not the one calling the shots?</p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-45832637994650081332009-06-25T00:09:00.001-04:002009-06-25T00:11:32.180-04:00Assembly Line Medicine<div class="snap_preview"><p>Here’s a new forwarded e-mail funnie:</p> <div style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; color: blue; font-size: 16px;"> <p>Doesn’t it seem more and more that physicians are running their practices like an assembly line?</p> <p>Here’s what happened to Bubba:</p> <p>Bubba walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had.</p> <p>Bubba said, ‘Shingles.’</p> <p>So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number, and told him to have a seat.</p> <p>Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aide came out and asked Bubba what he had.</p> <p>Bubba said, ‘Shingles.’</p> <p>So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history, and told him to wait in the examining room.</p> <p>A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Bubba what he had.</p> <p>Bubba said, ‘Shingles.’</p> <p>So the nurse gave Bubba a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told him to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.</p> <p>An hour later the doctor came in and found Bubba sitting patiently in the nude and asked Bubba what he had.</p> <p>Bubba said, ‘Shingles.’</p> <p>The doctor asked, ‘Where?’</p> <p>Bubba said, ‘<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Outside on the truck. Where you want me to put ‘em??</span>‘</p></div> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-75121623795262963702009-06-24T22:25:00.000-04:002009-06-24T22:28:52.456-04:00My Dysfunctional Personality<div class="snap_preview"><p>The subject of Borderline Personality Disorder came up during a recent on-line conversation. That’s when I remembered finding out, to my surprise, that my <em>complete</em> diagnosis actually includes that one too. I’m not sure if it’s because my doctors just don’t have the time to go into <strong>all</strong> of their findings with me, or what, but I never would have known at all if not for having a “friend with access” who provided me with a complete printout.</p> <p>Amazingly enough, I’ve never gotten around to dragging an explanation out of my doctors. Between the fact that there were more than one little “mystery” in that printout, and having to reveal just how I had come across the information in the first place, I simply could never figure out how to go about it.</p> <p>Prior to this on-line conversation, I hadn’t thought about my “mystery” diagnosis for years. But once my curiosity was aroused I decided that I wanted to know more. So I finally clicked on a link in one of the e-mails I get on a regular basis from various mental health related sites, and after a little more clicking, came across an interesting New York Times article that provides some fascinating insights into an often misunderstood condition.</p> <p>What I found so fascinating was the fact that the definition for Borderline Personality Disorder is so broad that it not only includes my symptomatology, but also that of other members of my own family that I wouldn’t have thought shared the same illness I did. If you’ve read the other articles in the <em>My Life</em> series, then perhaps you can understand my amazement.</p> <p>For example, the article says:</p> <blockquote><p>People with the disorder are said to have a thin emotional skin and often behave like 2-year-olds, throwing tantrums when some innocent word, gesture, facial expression or action by others sets off an emotional storm they cannot control. The attacks can be brutal, pushing away those they care most about…</p></blockquote> <p>and:</p> <blockquote><p>In an effort to maintain calm, families often struggle to avoid situations that can set off another outburst. They walk on eggshells, a doomed effort because it is not possible to predict what will prompt an outburst. Living with a borderline person is like traversing a minefield; you never know when an explosion will occur.</p></blockquote> <p>While the part about having a “thin emotional skin” may certainly fit in with my symptoms, there are members of my family that this <strong>entire</strong> description fits to a tee. To this day, I have a very difficult time being around them because the stress of having to “walk on eggshells” is just too much for my fragile mentality to deal with.</p> <p>But “family history” plays such a large role in mental health issues that I have always wondered if there is a common link between my illness – that I have decided to recognize and deal with – and the obvious issues that my family has never even been willing to acknowledge. Fortunately, the article addresses that as well:</p> <blockquote><p>… affected individuals seem to be born with a quick and unduly sensitive emotional trigger. The condition appears to have both genetic and environmental underpinnings. Brain studies have indicated that the emotional center of the nervous system — the amygdala — may be overly reactive, while the part that reins in emotional reactions may be underactive.</p> <p>As children, people who will develop the disorder are often “hyperreactive, hypervigilant and supersensitive,” Valerie Porr, a therapist in New York, said in an interview. Typically they receive a host of misdiagnoses and treatments that are inappropriate and ineffective.</p> <p>“Some children need more than others in learning to regulate their emotions,” said Marsha M. Linehan, a psychologist at the University of Washington who devised the leading treatment for borderline disorder.</p> <p>“These kids require a lot of effort to keep themselves emotionally regulated,” Dr. Linehan said in an interview. “They do best with stability. If the family situation is chaotic or the family is very uptight, teaching children to grin and bear it, that tough kids don’t cry, these children will have a lot of trouble.”</p></blockquote> <p>Finally, I’m beginning to see the whole picture. “Hyperreactive, hypervigilant and supersensitive” absolutely describes both myself and other members of my family. And if there was a picture of my family in some “encyclopedia of dysfunctional families,” the caption would read: “An uptight and chaotic situation, where children are taught to ‘grin and bear it’ and ‘tough kids don’t cry.’”</p> <p>In the end, I guess the only thing that really distinguishes us is that part about “a lot of effort to keep themselves emotionally regulated.” While it has cost me more than I <strong>ever</strong> expected, I’m the only one out of my entire family who tried to model his behavior on the example set by <em>Star Trek</em>’s Mr. Spock. Of the limited choices my childhood provided to me, I’ve chosen to just be cool. <img src="http://s.wordpress.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif" alt="8-)" class="wp-smiley" /> </p> <p>To read the full article: <a title="The New York Times" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/16/health/16brod.html?_r=2&em" target="_blank">An Emotional Hair Trigger, Often Misread</a>.</p> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" charset="utf-8" src="http://static.polldaddy.com/p/1734239.js"></script><a name="pd_a_1734239"></a><noscript> </noscript> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-31702396191374657262009-06-24T00:07:00.005-04:002009-06-24T00:25:51.444-04:00The “Human” Stage<p>When Pink Floyd said, “I was just a child then, now I’m only a man,” they were hinting that we tend to dismiss our failings by minimizing our capacities. Being the idealistic fool that I am, it disturbs me when bad behavior gets written off as “merely human,” especially when the one doing the “writing off” is also the one who has behaved badly. Even when motivated by more “altruistic” concerns, I’m still disturbed that we demand so little from ourselves and each other. And no matter how good we’ve become at settling for less, I have to ask: <em>How has our trying to cheat our way through worked out for us?</em></p> <p>An unfortunate fact of reality is that our abilities to conceal, ignore, pretend, and steal help out a lot when dealing with those who would do us harm. And I’ll bet that those same abilities were very useful in all of those hostile environments that our species have had to evolve through. But another unfortunate fact is that those same abilities have also been the root cause of all human conflict. And while we may still face many “natural threats,” the most undeniable fact of all is that, in today’s world, <em><strong>we are our own worst enemy.</strong></em></p> <p>As I said in my article, <a href="http://iwanticewater.blogspot.com/2009/02/its-natures-way-of-telling-you_16.html" target="blank"><em>It’s Nature’s Way Of Telling You Something’s Wrong</em></a>:</p> <blockquote><p>But the laws of God or Science (your choice) use volcanism and weather to maintain the Earth’s energy balance. They also use famine and disease to maintain the Earth’s wildlife population balance. And despite our apparent belief that mankind is above the law, those same forces provide the means to keep us in check as well.</p> <p>It’s called War….</p></blockquote> <p>The fact that we have such a knack for behaving badly, combined with that behavior having been so instrumental in getting us to where we are, might lead some to think that we’re locked into a fatal “Catch-22″ that will inevitably result in our destruction. I have to admit that I swing back and forth between excepting that we truly are fated to destroy ourselves, and what I’m afraid is a hopelessly idealistic faith that we can work things out. Considering the epic numbers of prescriptions being written for depression and other anxiety related illnesses, I think that I have more than a little company in that regard.</p> <p>In a comment thread on <a href="http://ladytemptress.wordpress.com/right-vs-left/" target="blank"><em>What side of your Brian do you use?</em></a>, I said (talking about yoga):</p> <blockquote><p>Building up my strength, balance and flexibility sounds good. Maybe it’ll ease my mind from thoughts like “Peace from the type of troubles we have is going to require another step in our evolution.”</p></blockquote> Could it be that we must grow <em>beyond</em> the “Human” stage in our evolution in order to survive yet another great threat to our existence? We’ve done it before. Can we do so again quickly enough to avoid extinction?<br /><p>Perhaps it’s as they say, “Timing is everything.” What do you think?<br /></p><div class="alignleft" style="margin-top: 3px; margin-right: 14px; margin-bottom: 7px;"><script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" charset="utf-8" src="http://static.polldaddy.com/p/1731378.js"></script><a name="pd_a_1731378"></a></div> I want ice water.IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-45842057880308755002009-06-24T00:05:00.000-04:002009-06-24T00:07:16.343-04:00The Woman of My Dreams?<h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">So Hot… So Talented…</span></h2> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddhVSQlExYE&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ddhVSQlExYE&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">So Patriotic?</span></h2> <p>I want ice water.</p>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-68173635495917922972009-06-21T19:41:00.001-04:002009-06-21T19:44:18.348-04:00Heroes: When A Soldier Comes Home<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>While this forwarded e-mail contains some pretty good humor, the content demands that it be placed in my Heroes Hall of Fame. Amidst all of the turmoil in the struggle for liberty going on in Iran and other places around the world, this e-mail serves as a reminder that we still have many of our own people up to their necks in the struggle too – overseas and at home.</p> <p>The people ahead of me in the chain included some nice quotes before sending it to the next link. I’ve added my own in last-comes-first order.</p> <p>“He who is the author of a war lets loose the whole contagion of hell, and opens a vein that bleeds a nation to death.” – Thomas Paine</p> <p>“Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” – Unknown</p> <p>“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” – Bill Cosby</p> <p>“We cannot all do great things in life, but we can all do small things with great Love.” – Mother Teresa</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">WHEN A SOLDIER COMES HOME</span></h2> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">This email is being circulated around the world – please keep it going.</span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1325" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 01" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-01.jpg?w=300&h=223" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 01" height="223" width="300" /><br /></span></p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">When a soldier comes home, he finds it hard…</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1326" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 02" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-02.jpg?w=300&h=230" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 02" height="230" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to listen to his son whine about being bored.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1327" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 03" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-03.jpg?w=300&h=229" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 03" height="229" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to keep a straight face when people complain about potholes.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1328" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 04" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-04.jpg?w=300&h=230" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 04" height="230" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to be tolerant of people who complain about the hassle of getting ready for work.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1329" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 05" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-05.jpg?w=300&h=227" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 05" height="227" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to be understanding when a co-worker complains about a bad night’s sleep.</span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1330" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 06" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-06.jpg?w=300&h=227" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 06" height="227" width="300" /><br /></span></p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to be silent when people pray to God for a new car.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1331" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 07" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-07.jpg?w=300&h=231" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 07" height="231" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to control his panic when his wife tells him he needs to drive slower.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1332" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 08" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-08.jpg?w=300&h=194" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 08" height="194" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to be compassionate when a businessman expresses a fear of flying.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1333" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 09" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-09.jpg?w=300&h=226" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 09" height="226" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to keep from laughing when anxious parents say they’re afraid to send their kids off to summer camp.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1334" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 10" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-10.jpg?w=300&h=224" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 10" height="224" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to keep from ridiculing someone who complains about hot weather. </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1335" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 11" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-11.jpg?w=300&h=223" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 11" height="223" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to control his frustration when a colleague gripes about his coffee being cold. </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1336" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 12" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-12.jpg?w=300&h=222" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 12" height="222" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to remain calm when his daughter complains about having to walk the dog.</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1337" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 13" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-13.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 13" height="225" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to be civil to people who complain about their jobs. </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1338" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 14" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-14.jpg?w=300&h=238" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 14" height="238" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to just walk away when someone says they only get two weeks of vacation a year. </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1339" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 15" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-15.jpg?w=300&h=225" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 15" height="225" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…to be forgiving when someone says how hard it is to have a new baby in the house. </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">The only thing harder than being a Soldier… </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1340" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 16" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-16.jpg?w=300&h=223" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 16" height="223" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">…is loving and worrying about one. </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-1341" title="When A Soldier Comes Home - 17" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/when-a-soldier-comes-home-17.jpg?w=300&h=231" alt="When A Soldier Comes Home - 17" height="231" width="300" /><br /></span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">I was asked to pass this on and I will gladly do so,</span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Will you???</span></h3> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-75597258151827041102009-06-21T07:53:00.003-04:002009-06-24T05:41:08.589-04:00Heroes: Thomas Paine – Our Forgotten Father<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCAGCe_RhkGYLV9SYIwLlMF7G3qjP_osu39dgbMMIwi0SoKkrUN-lfEqCARAkOf_HuVIHY0Dl-nlppmgF-mao9-RSo4STn4IBNdfgM2xsDmrfS8FNPHNeL_6tucn50ueTxpZ7JrFqpGI/s1600-h/Thomas+Paine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 115px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoCAGCe_RhkGYLV9SYIwLlMF7G3qjP_osu39dgbMMIwi0SoKkrUN-lfEqCARAkOf_HuVIHY0Dl-nlppmgF-mao9-RSo4STn4IBNdfgM2xsDmrfS8FNPHNeL_6tucn50ueTxpZ7JrFqpGI/s400/Thomas+Paine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350826727798485042" border="0" /></a>In today’s jargon, Thomas Paine would be called a right-wing hawk by those who disliked him for advocating revolution in France and later in America, and would be called a left-wing rabble-rouser by those who disliked his stances against slavery and organized religion, not to mention his advocacy of a social contract. Yet this country was founded upon the ideals of freedom from tyranny and oppression, and Thomas Paine was truly one of The United States Of America’s greatest founding fathers. It is an absolute travesty that we only hear about him these days when some politician borrows one of his powerful quotes to further his own political ambitions.<div class="snap_preview"> <p>The intro on the Thomas Paine page of <a title="Thomas Paine" href="http://www.ushistory.org/PAINE/" target="_blank">ushistory.org</a> says:</p> <blockquote><p>“These are the times that try men’s souls.”</p> <p>This simple quotation from Founding Father Thomas Paine’s The Crisis not only describes the beginnings of the American Revolution, but also the life of Paine himself. Throughout most of his life, his writings inspired passion, but also brought him great criticism. He communicated the ideas of the Revolution to common farmers as easily as to intellectuals, creating prose that stirred the hearts of the fledgling United States. He had a grand vision for society: he was staunchly anti-slavery, and he was one of the first to advocate a world peace organization and social security for the poor and elderly. But his radical views on religion would destroy his success, and by the end of his life, only a handful of people attended his funeral.</p></blockquote> <p>By the time Paine came under the tutelage of Benjamin Franklin in 1774, he had failed at just about everything he tried, with the one exception being the publication of <em>The Case of the Officers of Excise</em> in 1772, where he wisely argued for a pay raise for tax collection officers. But with the publication of <em>Common Sense</em> in 1776, in which he made a most persuasive argument for American Independence from England, and then <em>The Crisis</em> series of pamphlets from 1776-1783 to help inspire the Army, Thomas Paine became one of the most important figures of his time. According to ushistory.org, <em>The Crisis</em> series “as a percentage of the population … was read by or read to more people than today watch the Super Bowl.”</p> <p>After returning to Europe and pursuing other ventures, including work on a smokeless candle and an iron bridge, he wrote <em>The Rights of Man</em> in 1791 and 1792 in defense of the French Revolution. This caused him to become an outlaw in England and to flee to France to avoid arrest. He was then imprisoned in France by 1793 for speaking against the execution of Louis XVI. He used his time in prison (1794-1796) to write and distribute the first part of <em>The Age of Reason</em>, in which he railed against organized religion. He narrowly escaped execution and was freed in 1794 thanks to the efforts of U.S. Minister to France James Monroe. He returned to America on an invitation from Thomas Jefferson in 1802, only to discover that his contributions to the American Revolution had been all but dismissed because of his religious views.</p> <p><em>A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong gives it a superficial appearance of being right</em> – Thomas Paine</p> <p><em>Every science has for its basis a system of principles as fixed and unalterable as those by which the universe is regulated and governed. Man cannot make principles; he can only discover them</em> – Thomas Paine</p> <p><em>The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion</em> – Thomas Paine</p> <p><em>He that would make his own liberty secure, must guard even his enemy from opposition; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach himself</em> – Thomas Paine</p> <p><em>To say that any people are not fit for freedom, is to make poverty their choice, and to say they had rather be loaded with taxes than not</em> – Thomas Paine</p> <p><em>Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one</em> – Thomas Paine</p> <p><em>If we do not hang together, we shall surely hang separately</em> – Thomas Paine</p> <p>I have chosen to include Thomas Paine in my Heroes Hall of Fame because, of all the founding fathers, the views he expressed in his writing most closely resemble my own. I fear that we, as a nation, have forgotten him at our own peril.</p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-19257917528233073032009-06-21T04:38:00.000-04:002009-06-21T04:40:40.914-04:00The Sin of Sloth<div class="snap_preview"><p>I was channel surfing earlier this evening when I came across an episode of Biography’s <em>The Seven Deadly Sins</em>. This one was about <em>The Sin of Sloth</em>, and it revealed to me some things about my own condition that I was not aware of. As if I actually needed more reasons to feel pissed off and outcast in this Hell on Earth global nuthouse.</p> <p>Never having been one for religion, I had always assumed that the sin of sloth referred to people being too lazy to work or to maintain good personal and household hygiene. But apparently that’s only part of it. The sin of sloth also has to do with the <em>causes</em> of such laziness, such as having a weak moral character and <em>being depressed</em> – which many today still think of as being synonymous – and the things those causes lead to, like criminal activity and suicide. Apparently this is the reason the religious folk claim that <em>sloth is the second <strong>most</strong> deadly sin</em>.</p> <p>As one who has suffered from depression for many years, I can see how others can confuse my lack of motivation with laziness. After all, I make no effort to “get out and meet people” yet still complain about being so terribly alone. And since I don’t anticipate being around anyone I care to impress, I’m not exactly what you’d call “diligent” when it comes to personal hygiene (I can’t stand an unkempt house, however). But I challenge anyone to label what’s important to me, my writing, as the work of a “lazy” person. And as far as having “a weak moral character” is concerned, I think the subject matter of my writing speaks for itself.</p> <p>Now I have known lots of people who, just like me, don’t work. And yet most of them have no problem whatsoever when it comes to taking care of their personal hygiene or “getting out and meeting people.” Hell, as far as I can see, there’s nothing in the world <strong>more</strong> important to them than “feeling good, looking good, and looking for love.” And yet few of them seem to give a damn about cleaning their house and taking care of the property they live in and depend upon. So while you could argue that neither of us have much to show for our time on this Earth, you certainly can’t say that that has anything to do with who we are inside. So much for depression being synonymous with having a weak moral character.</p> <p>If you’ve read the articles in the <em>My Life</em> volume of this blog, you’ll know that I do have some experience with the subjects of crime and suicide. So the question becomes: was it depression or having a weak moral character that led me to those things? Or perhaps more fundamental questions should be asked: if having a weak moral character and/or being depressed are such horrible personality traits, <em>then why is suicide considered to be the <strong>worst</strong> sin of all</em>, and why are all those religious folk so determined to prevent it? <em>Why on Earth would they want us to stay?</em></p> <p>I have to admit that I really wasn’t certain of where this would end up when I started writing. But then I guess that’s why writing is so therapeutic for me. All I knew when I turned on my old hunk-o-junk was that what was said on the TV show pissed me off, and I needed to deal with it. But now that I’ve worked it through, I’m left with one inescapable, if sickeningly familiar, conclusion: <em>The prohibitions against Sloth and Suicide are “moral” justifications for human bondage.</em></p> <p>Every culture that has ever existed has had at least one thing in common: the need for an “underclass” who can be blamed for the all the failings of that culture and who can be forced to do all that culture’s dirty work. Who better to blame for a culture’s lack of success than those who are “unproductive?” And who better to force into menial labor than those who are “shiftless” and “lazy?” Is this starting to sound familiar yet? Haven’t we all been taught that religion is both the “founding” and the “civilizing” force of our societies? What could be better than a justification for slavery that only a “heathen” would argue against?</p> <p>I’ve spent my whole life resenting people because they’re all too willing to let me do their thinking and their work for them, and resenting religion because it tries to rob me of my individuality and my self-esteem. The problem with this logic is that it has lead me to erroneously think that I’ve been waging a war of two fronts, when the fact that over 95% of people are religious means that <em>I’ve actually been battling an enemy with <strong>two faces</strong></em>. Like the character “Two Face” from the Batman comics, who swung from being the best kind of person one moment and the worst kind the next, <em>the real enemy is the one <strong>who wants to be the slave-master</strong> but is willing to settle <strong>for selling his brother into bondage instead</strong>.</em></p> <p>Now I know that we’ve come a long way since the days of treating those who suffer from depression as if they were possessed by demons, but it’s clear that some degree of animosity, disbelief, <em>and distrust</em> towards those so afflicted still exists, especially within the “less enlightened” segments of society. And it’s also true that the current age of “enlightenment” has brought with it every manner of “snake oil” salesman promising a pricey cure to a very vulnerable group that includes both the afflicted and those who care for them. Perhaps the lunatics are indeed running the asylum.</p> <p>And now I think that it’s only proper that I include some lyrics from Pink Floyd:</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Brain Damage</span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>The lunatic is on the grass<br />The lunatic is on the grass<br />Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs<br />Got to keep the loonies on the path</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>The lunatic is in the hall<br />The lunatics are in my hall<br />The paper holds their folded faces to the floor<br />And every day the paper boy brings more</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>And if the dam breaks open many years too soon<br />And if there is no room upon the hill<br />And if your head explodes with dark forbodings too<br />I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>The lunatic is in my head<br />The lunatic is in my head<br />You raise the blade, you make the change<br />You re-arrange me ’till I’m sane<br />You lock the door and throw away the key<br />There’s someone in my head but it’s not me.</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>And if the cloud bursts, thunder in your ear<br />You shout and no one seems to hear<br />And if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes<br />I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>“I can’t think of anything to say except…<br />I think it’s marvellous! HaHaHa!”</em></span></p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-46646190004673813532009-06-20T01:42:00.001-04:002009-06-20T03:30:33.395-04:00Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert<div class="snap_preview"><p>Other than crude oil, which, in historical terms, only recently became of significant value, just what the hell is worth killing over in middle eastern countries like Israel, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan? Do all of these countries even have significant oil deposits? And when you consider the environmental impact, perhaps the value of oil itself has become somewhat “crude.”</p> <p>Just thinking about it makes me so angry that a little Pink Floyd has become an absolute necessity:</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert</span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Brezhnev took Afghanistan<br />Begin took Beirut<br />Galtieri took The Union Jack<br />And Maggie over lunch one day<br />Took a cruiser with all hands<br />Apparently to make him give it back</em></p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">The Fletcher Memorial Home</span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Take all your overgrown infants away somewhere<br />And build them a home<br />A little place of their own<br />The Fletcher Memorial Home for incurable tyrants and kings</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>And they can appear to themselves every day<br />On closed circuit TV<br />To make sure they’re still real<br />It’s the only connection they feel</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Reagan and Haig<br />Mr. Begin and friend<br />Mrs. Thatcher and Paisley<br />Mr. Brezhnev and party<br />The ghost of McCarthy<br />The memories of Nixon<br />And now adding colour<br />A group of anonymous Latin-American meat packing glitterati”</em> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Did they expect us to treat them with any respect?</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>They can polish their medals and sharpen their smiles,<br />And amuse themselves playing games for a while<br />Boom boom, bang bang, lie down you’re dead</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Safe in the permanent gaze of a cold glass eye<br />With their favourite toys<br />They’ll be good girls and boys<br />In the Fletcher Memorial Home for colonial wasters of life and limb</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Is everyone in?<br />Are you having a nice time?<br />Now the final solution can be applied</em></p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);">Southampton Dock</span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>They disembarked in 45<br />And no one spoke and no one smiled<br />There were too many spaces in the line</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Gathered at the cenotaph<br />All agreed with hand on heart<br />To sheath the sacrificial knifes</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>But now<br />She stands upon Southampton dock<br />With her handkerchief<br />And her summer frock<br />Clings to her wet body in the rain</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>In quiet desperation knuckles<br />White upon the slippery reins<br />She bravely waves the boys goodbye again</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>And still the dark stain spreads between his shoulder blades<br />A mute reminder of the poppy fields and graves<br />And when the fight was over<br />We spent what they had made</em></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>But in the bottom of our hearts<br />We felt the final cut</em> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><p style="text-align: left;">I want ice water.</p> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-11089827636707306372009-06-19T23:16:00.001-04:002009-06-20T00:08:01.186-04:00Heroes: Joan of Arcadia<div class="snap_preview"><p>As someone who has frequently railed against concepts like “God” in this blog, my choice of <em>Joan of Arcadia</em> for admission to my Heroes hall of fame will probably come as a surprise to many. Well, it’s like this: you don’t get to choose the source from which beautiful inspiration comes.</p> <p>Like a powerfully deep and frequently humorous admixture of the mythology’s of <em>Joan of Arc</em> and <em>Job</em>, the character Joan Girardi suffers through more than the usual teenage high school misadventures while attempting to accomplish the missions she is sent on by a God that simply refuses to be ignored – and who just happens to appear to her in the guise of whatever incidental person she can be seen talking to without drawing the attention to her plight that she so desperately craves. All of the characters are soul-deep and brilliantly played.</p> <p>And best of all, the fabulous assortment of God characters are stunning for both their “un-Godly” appearance and for their wonderfully insightful dialog. I tried, but was unable, to get an actual count of the many incarnations of God that appeared in the show. Trust me, there were quite a few!</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oDg_rRGT7DA&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oDg_rRGT7DA&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p>When, in perhaps the most series-explanatory episode, <em>Secret Service</em>, principal Price discovers Joan holding an empty egg carton near his freshly egged car, he wrongly assumes she’s the culprit and punishes her with a weekend of community service. She can’t, of course, tell him that it was God as Goth Kid that suggested that she should help clean up to prevent anyone from getting hurt. With no more direction from God than to “rise above the injustice,” Joan tries to figure out if she’s meant to help a former girlfriend of her brother Kevin, a bitter former nun named Lilly who is overseeing the service project, or one of the social outcasts who are there serving as a result of their own offenses.<p>er reluctance to have sex with her boyfriend, Adam, is driving a wedge between them. Adam is afraid that his sexual interest in Joan has driven a wedge between himself and his art teacher, Joan’s mother. Joan’s mother is questioning her value as an art teacher after having had her department’s budget cut by the evil principal Price. Kevin, Joan’s wheelchair-bound bother, has withdrawn from any hope of a meaningful love-life after his breakup with the aforementioned Lilly. And Luke, Joan’s ultra-nerd brother, is devastated at not having won a much-coveted science geek award.</p> <p>After all is said and done… Luke learns that the true reward for his efforts comes from the work itself when he meets another great but unrecognized mental giant while filling in for Joan at the bookstore. His girlfriend even takes him to the restaurant that he would have been taken to had he won the award. When Adam visits Joan at the community service center in an attempt to apologize for having lied to her in order to give himself space to think, he meets Bonnie, a troubled but talented young artist that helps to restore some meaning to both his and Joan’s mother’s life after he introduces the two and the girl is invited into their art class. And Kevin is reunited with Lilly when she runs into Kevin’s car while driving Joan home. Kevin’s brakes had failed because their father insisted that he could “fix” them, and Lilly broke the ice by wise-cracking “Whatcha bitchin’ about? You’re already crippled!”</p> <p>Having no awareness of all the good that has resulted from her “weekend in purgatory” – or of the impending trouble caused by Adam taking a bite from the “apple” named Bonnie – Joan confronts God:</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fGC-HgzG3k0&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fGC-HgzG3k0&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>In the final two episodes, <em>Common Thread</em> and <em>Something Wicked This Way Comes</em>, God tells Joan that her last two years were just a kind of “boot camp” to prepare her for her greatest challenge, which is to go toe-to-toe with a man who also talks to God – and has a sinister agenda…</p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cHYcUXGF-0&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1cHYcUXGF-0&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>Ryan Hunter is mysterious, charming, wealthy and influential. The guy even saved Adam when he was lost in the woods during a storm. And he too talks to God. But the guy definitely has a dark side, along with a clear distaste for the almighty. And what’s up with the wind blowing whenever he’s around? And despite Joan’s stated misgivings about him, he somehow has managed to endear himself to those that she cares about – and without whom she feels helpless to fight back.</p> <p>Call it God’s plan, or fate, or whatever, the fact is that the breakup with Adam, and the seismic shift that has occurred within her little circle in the aftermath, all came about because of Joan’s willingness to carry out God’s little assignments while keeping them totally in the dark. No matter how you slice it, Joan has been set up for the battle of her life – perhaps for all our lives – at a time when her faith, in herself, in her companions, and in her God, is at an all time low.</p> <p>But while Ryan Hunter apparently has the newspapers, the police, and even the school board, in his pocket – even as he acts to destroy everything Joan and her friends holds dear – Joan is not without her own inner arsenal which begins to reveal itself just when she needs it most. <strong>And she is most definitely not alone!</strong></p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/56IoUN1Okgw&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/56IoUN1Okgw&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>I know that I’m not alone in regretting CBS’s decision to cancel this series. Perhaps the producers couldn’t find a way to convince the network that there was an audience for an apocalyptic battle between the “Antichrist” and a teen aged girl. I don’t know. What I do know is that this series has provided me with more opportunities than I can count for deep reflection about the relationships between people and the powerful, if hard to see, impact that all our actions have.</p> <p>I try very hard to remember these lessons whenever I see this blog’s sorry statistics. <img src="http://s.wordpress.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_mrgreen.gif" alt=":mrgreen:" class="wp-smiley" /> </p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-71980098384186265852009-06-19T21:57:00.000-04:002009-06-19T21:58:58.006-04:00Watch That Doggy Door!<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>Another great e-mail funnie:</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Way too cute not to post.</span></h2> <h3><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">This hit the 6 o’clock news big time in Maryland recently. The owner came home to find a visitor had made himself right at home… </span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1245" title="Deer and Dog 1" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/deer-and-dog1.jpg?w=500&h=378" alt="Deer and Dog 1" height="378" width="500" /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1246" title="Deer and Dog 2" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/deer-and-dog2.jpg?w=500&h=378" alt="Deer and Dog 2" height="378" width="500" /></p> <h3><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Can you imagine coming home from work to find this tiny creature napping on the couch with your dog? It followed this beagle home, <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>right through the doggy door</em></span>. </span></h3> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-33251422030194926112009-06-19T21:54:00.000-04:002009-06-19T21:56:58.338-04:00“Supreme” Leader?<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">Mention of Iran’s “Supreme Leader” always </span></h3> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255);">invokes my childhood memories of this guy:</span></h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1227" title="Fearless_Leader" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/fearless_leader_300.gif?w=244&h=300" alt="Fearless_Leader" height="300" width="244" /></p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">But the sad reality is more like:</span></h2> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1228" title="Rome Burning" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/rome2.jpg?w=499&h=313" alt="Rome Burning" height="313" width="499" /></p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-71476952325769647282009-06-17T09:03:00.001-04:002009-06-17T09:12:00.845-04:00Show Me, Don’t Tell Me<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>As a follower of the Objectivist teachings of Ayn Rand, I naturally have an interest in what others are saying on the subject. And just as I have, there are many other voices pointing out how those teachings are more important now than they have ever been. That is because the Objectivist philosophy represents the only clear path to achieving a truly moral society, and I could not agree more with those other voices. However, those other voices also cry out for a strengthening and renewal of the so-called “Objectivist Movement.” On this point, unfortunately, I must beg to differ.</p> <p>Just like every other attempt at “group-think” in history, the Objectivist movement is doomed to failure because, by definition, “group-think” is a collectivist endeavor. The real benefits to mankind from the Objectivist philosophy have come and will come in the form all such benefits have taken: as side effects of actions taken by individuals working for their own self interest. And while it may be comforting to have others with whom we can commiserate and share war stories, any attempt to forge a “union” from such a group of radical free thinkers is destined for a very embarrassing public failure.</p> <p>One needs only to look at the current state of the Libertarian Party to see what I mean. I believe that the Libertarians are all good and well intentioned people, but an example of Objectivist thinkers working well together they most definitely are not. How does appearing to the world like a bunch of loonies help to promote the Objectivist philosophy? “Collective Individualism” is a contradiction in terms.</p> <p>As has always been the case, it’s the “show me, don’t tell me” strategy that will get the job done. To emphasize this point, I submit the lyrics to <em>Show Don’t Tell</em> by Rush – one of the world’s foremost proponents of Ayn Rand’s teachings:</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>How many times do you hear it?<br />It goes on all day long<br />Everyone knows everything<br />And no one’s ever wrong<br />Until later…</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Who can you believe?<br />It’s hard to play it safe<br />But apart from a few good friends<br />We don’t take anything on faith<br />Until later…</em></span> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Show…don’t tell…</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>(Show me, don’t tell me) … You’ve figured out the score<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … I’ve heard it all before<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … I don’t care what you say<br />(Show me, don’t tell me)</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>You can twist perceptions<br />Reality won’t budge<br />You can raise objections<br />I will be the judge<br />(And the jury)</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>I’ll give it due reflection<br />Watching from the fence<br />Give the jury direction<br />Based on the evidence<br />I, the jury</em></span> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Show…don’t tell…</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>(Show me, don’t tell me) … Hey, order in the court<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … Let’s try to keep it short<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … Enough of your demands<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … Witness take the stand<br />(Show me, don’t tell me)</em></span> </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Show…don’t tell…</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Show…don’t tell…</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>(Show me, don’t tell me) … Hey, order in the court<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … Let’s try to keep it short<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … I don’t care what you say<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … Let’s see exhibit A<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … You’ve figured out the score<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … I’ve heard it all before<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … Enough of your demands<br />(Show me, don’t tell me) … Witness take the stand<br />(Show me, don’t tell me)</em></span></p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-5885982891597836142009-06-17T08:59:00.000-04:002009-06-17T09:01:37.743-04:00Products for the Deranged<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>This is an excerpt from a recent E-mail funny:</p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">How’s about a new doorbell…</span></h2> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1192" title="Dogsbutt Doorbell" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/dogsbutt-doorbell.jpg?w=315&h=339" alt="Dogsbutt Doorbell" height="339" width="315" /></p> <h2 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">To get into the place where they have this in the bathroom…</span></h2> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1193" title="Crazy TP Dispenser" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/crazy-tp-dispenser.jpg?w=500&h=383" alt="Crazy TP Dispenser" height="383" width="500" /></p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-86431443646278110882009-06-17T08:55:00.001-04:002009-06-19T23:23:56.899-04:00Heroes: Pinky and The Brain<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>And now, in yet another example of my brilliant insight and over-arching good will <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>Oh shut up!</em></span>, I present the next nominee for my Heroes Hall Of Fame: The Brain and Pinky <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>Shut up I say!</em></span>.</p> <p>First there is The Brain, who is without doubt the most intelligent mouse that has ever lived, and who just happens to speak in a voice not unlike that of the great Orson Wells. So what if he has a few issues of social dysfunction like wanting to take over the world. Don’t we all have our little follies?</p> <p>And then there is his faithful sidekick, Pinky, who while not being quite the shining example of stunning intellect represented by The Brain, nevertheless manages to bring a certain human-like charm to this tail. And besides, he reminds me of that voice inside my head that helps prevent me from trying to take over the world. What? I swear that it’s my own voice! <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>Oh will you please shut up! Sometimes I swear I’ll blow my own head off just to get some peace and quiet! <strong>Naarf!</strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iJPFSNu_QNs&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iJPFSNu_QNs&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>And now I’m off to plan for our, er, <strong>my</strong> next great adventure! <span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 128);"><em>Shush! You know what I’m talking about. Of course I know they can hear me! And don’t call me Shirley! What do you mean that’s a whole other character? Oh shut up! <strong>Naarf!</strong></em></span></p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-37847815710553836632009-06-15T22:10:00.002-04:002009-06-19T23:26:15.148-04:00Just Don’t Get It, Eh?<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><p>As self-explanatory as the title to this blog seems to me, I know that there must be those of you who wonder. Well I’m sorry, but I just don’t have it within me to make it any clearer. But fear not, for help is at hand.</p> <p>While seeking support for my ailing vanity – which is, perhaps, a big part of the problem – I recently did a Google search for “I want ice water,” and amongst the zillions of unrelated listings I got back was this gem: <a href="http://www.peopleinhellwanticewater.com/" target="_blank">People In Hell Want Ice Water</a></p> <p>Please don’t misunderstand my reasons for providing this link, as I’m not looking to get into some insane conflict here and I have no more hard feelings for these people than I do for anyone else stuck in this global nuthouse. In fact, I love their logo and think that the group photo is quite appealing.</p> <p>The fact is that living in a global nuthouse affects each of us in his own unique way. It’s just that, for me, this link seems to do what my own words cannot.</p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-71218299438262988222009-06-14T19:12:00.000-04:002009-06-14T19:15:13.620-04:00TV News Anchors<div class="entry"> <div class="snap_preview"><h3>Have you ever noticed that, no matter how good your mood was when you started out, just a few minutes of TV News can bring you crashing down to Earth?</h3> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1167" title="Icarus~s1r65~darkd~c" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/icaruss1r65darkdc.jpg?w=382&h=382" alt="Icarus~s1r65~darkd~c" height="382" width="382" /></p> <h2 style="text-align: center;">Perhaps I misunderstood what they meant by “Anchor”</h2> <p style="text-align: center;"><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1166" title="Chain_Gang_bears" src="http://iwanticewater.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/chain_gang_bears.png?w=500&h=230" alt="Chain_Gang_bears" height="230" width="500" /></p> <p>I want ice water.</p> </div> </div>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-11594325320246474442009-06-14T13:39:00.000-04:002009-06-14T13:42:20.345-04:00What Is Love?<p style="text-align: left;"><strong><em>What is love?</em></strong> Hell, just like everyone else, my life has seen me alternate between being absolutely sure that I’ve got a complete grasp of the subject to being absolutely, and very uncomfortably, convinced that I haven’t got a clue. In an effort to represent these extremes within myself, I present the lyrics from one of my all-time favorite love songs and a video that clearly speaks for itself.</p> <p style="text-align: left;">The song is <em>Nights Winters Years</em> from the album <em>Blue Jays</em> by Justin Hayward and John Lodge. The music is on the associated playlist.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><em>Pain, sorrow, tears<br />Long, lonely years<br />With love<br />Having passed me by<br />I could live a lie for you<br />But truth is the road I choose<br />Knowing all I need to do<br />Is give to you</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><em>Down, down down<br />Where your dreams are found<br />They’re sleeping inside of us all<br />They’re sleeping inside of us all</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 128);"><em>Nights, winters, years<br />Pain, sorrow, tears of mine<br />Cannot hold me now<br />I’m a fool to fall for you<br />But here<br />In the morning light<br />Tell me how can love be wrong<br />And feel so right</em></span></p> <p>And from the movie <em>A Night At The Roxbury</em>: </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: center; display: block;"><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HvJO6W7MFMI&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HvJO6W7MFMI&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&hd=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed> </object></span></p> <p>I want ice water.</p>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4640341879611144567.post-81123020807404666092009-06-14T13:28:00.000-04:002009-06-14T13:30:26.413-04:00Power!<p>While politics is always in the news, these days the political news seems to be at a fever pitch. Even this far after the history making elections of last year, the so called “battle for hearts and minds” rages on – in this country and around the world. Lately it’s been about the “radical right” and it’s influence here in the U.S., the resurgence of the conservatives in Europe, and the recent elections in Lebanon and Iran.</p> <p>More than ever, the news from the political front reminds me of the song <em>Power</em> by The Temptations. Here are the lyrics and, as usual, the song is on the blog playlist.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>My hands are clean, my heart is so pure<br />The world is sick, I am the cure<br />I don’t want money, or golden gifts<br />Give me your minds and souls to lift</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Put your faith and trust in me<br />I’ll move your mountains, part your seas</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>All you poor, all you needy<br />All you’re doing, is giving to the greedy<br />All you poor, all you needy<br />All you’re doing, is giving to the greedy</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Get off your knees, believe in me, I’ll set you free<br />All I need is a little<br />Power<br />I must have it<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>I have for you, a master plan, (tell it)<br />I’ll lead you to the promised land<br />I’ll give you peace (peace)<br />I’ll give you pride (pride)<br />I’ll save you from the suicide</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>I’m your hope<br />Your one salvation<br />I’m your one man united nation</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>All you poor, all you needy<br />All you’re doing, is giving to the greedy<br />All you poor, all you needy<br />All you’re doing, is giving to the greedy</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Tell me your sins, I’ll be your friend, I won’t do you in<br />All I need is a little<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Aahhh!</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>I’ll make you all, the master race<br />Just put me in my guarded place<br />We must work down on our feet<br />In the fields of oil and the lands of wheat</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Power<br />More<br />Power<br />I want it<br />Power<br />More<br />Power</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>One thing I must make perfectly clear<br />Power<br />Nuclear weapons all men fear<br />Power<br />Their hands sweat, their fingers itch<br />Power<br />I’m the only one you can trust with the switch</em></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><em>Give it to me<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Power<br />Give it to me<br />Power<br />More<br />Power<br />Give it to me<br />Power<br />More<br />Power<br />I need It<br />Power<br />Got to have it<br />Power<br />I must have it<br />Power<br />More<br />Power<br />Give it to me<br />Power<br />More<br />Power<br />Give it to me<br />Power<br />More<br />Power<br />More<br />Power<br />More<br />Power<br />More<br />Oh Whoa!<br /><strong> POWER!</strong></em></span></p> <p>I want ice water.</p>IzaakMakhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17590938909603783327noreply@blogger.com0