Rant of the Day: Audacity of Divisiveness

The infamous Reverend Jeremiah Wright - moral guide of Barack Obama - made a speech today in front of the National Press Club. In addressing his recent fame, Rev. Wright stated, 'Being different does not mean one is deficient,' which basically meant that in his mind it is OK for black reverends to spew hate speech against white people to their congregations...because it is a 'different' way of professing their faith.

No one is perfect, but at least in my faith - that has been filled with scandals involving sexual abuse of children - we denounce the wrongdoing of our spiritual leaders. Wright was greeted with standing ovations from the mainly-black crowd. Racism does not just stem from 'white' people...and it was evident from the responses of the crowd at the speech today.

I may not be the most holy of holy, but I do think that religious and moral figures SHOULD be held to a higher standard. They are the leaders of their community. Mr. Wright has not apologized for his venom-filled statements, but rather has blamed everyone but himself for his newfound fame: the media, politicians, etc. While I am one that is quick to point out the faults of those groups, they are most certainly not to be blamed for showing what kind of man he is; and when you choose a spiritual leader filled with more anger than love, it also shows what kind of man Barack Obama is. Whether we like it or not, we are judged by the company we keep, and Obama seems to surround himself with the lowest of the low...

Myth (AKA Thing That Honks Me Off) of the Day

Myth (AKA Thing That Honks Me Off) of the Day - taken from an e-mail exchange this week: All the pundits/politicians who decry the economy stating it is in a far worse state than it is currently experiencing...using the "R" word and the "D" word. A recession occurs after two quarters of a net loss of GDP. The US hasn't experienced one this year. No Recession = No Depression.

And before all the libs start saying that the Republicans ruined the world...here's a little pop quiz for you: When was the last time the US experienced a recession?

ANSWER: During the end of the Clinton Administration. Bush inherited that along with terrorist issues unanswered (USS Cole, Embassy Bombings in Africa, Bin Laden, Khobar Towers, etc). And no, the woes of the economy should not be placed solely on the sitting President although they most certainly are. Congress and a natural economic cycle have more to do with it.

My opinion - STFU pundits!@#!The economy is slowing a bit, but now is NOT the right time to freak out and start lying to the public for political points. And shame on the public for believing them...

The 7 Holy Virtues

While many of us can recite 5 or 6 of the 7 Deadly Sins (there are always those few that we just can't place our finger on - as a recap they are: Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Lust, Envy, Pride and Wrath), very little is said of the 7 Holy Virtues that in essence counteract the sins...which I can actually recite without much hesitation, oddly enough:

Abstinence

Chastity

Humility

Patience

Kindness

Temperance

Diligence

Whether religious or not, I think these virtues can be applicable to anyone wanting to lead a more traditional lifestyle. The holy virtues, as you can see, say nothing of worship of a deity, say nothing of holding particular political beliefs nor embrace a certain people or group. So basically they are like the 10 Commandments but not as preachy.

Class Dismissed.

Afterthought:

While obviously far from being annointed a saint, I find myself inching closer and closer to encompassing these traits as best I can...well...with the exception of Patience. I have a real hard time with that one sometimes. I also dodged a bullet with the fact that cursing isn't a deadly sin, or I would be in BIG TROUBLE.

Sorry Pervs, This is Legit...

A new camera has been developed that can 'see' through peoples' clothes from up to 80 feet away...James Bond be damned!!

The camera, or T5000, designed by UK-based company Thru Vision, was created for use in spacecraft and other astronomical endeavors (so that clear images could be produced even when taken through cosmic dust and other sediment), has attracted positive attention from law enforcement agencies and others for its ability to also penetrate clothing...and detect weapons, explosives, and drugs by detecting and measuring tetrahertz waves.

Sorry perverts - this handy dandy new contraption does not show specific anatomical properties of subjects scanned. Guess you will have to wait until some genius figures that one out.

Link to the ThruVision Website

The T5000 will be shown this week at the UK government's Home Office Scientific Development Branch exhibition, and will be one of the 3,000+ other security products displayed.

The Real March Madness

Sure, sure...March symbolizes the NCAA Basketball Championships every year, commonly called 'March Madness', but as someone who only follows the NFL with much passion (although my alma mater tends to be a heavy hitter on the basketball court), March Madness is marked with increased consumption of the nectar of the Gods; namely Guinness.

Beware of the Ides of March!! Why? That is but 2 days away from perhaps the most fun celebration of beer (especially Guinness, Harp, etc) in the world: St. Patty's!! Yeah, I could go on and on about Saint Patrick and blah...blah...blah, but who cares?

Unfortunately, this blessed month also coincides with a vow I made to myself a while back to abstain from just about anything worthwhile - even giving up my precious VIP tickets (READ: bands galore and all the beer little old me could consume) to a Shamrockfest. This is serious business! We'll see when the willpower winds down.

Having said that, I highly encourage you, my devout fans, to drink, drink, drink to your heart's content. Drink for me! Drink like Ted Kennedy - just don't drive drunk and kill your mistress!!

Afterthought:

News reports today indicated that young men, and most especially women, are starving themselves during the day so that they may be able to drink mass quantities of alcohol at night. The emerging term is 'DRUNKOREXIA'. I always thought that was called being an American college student. I could be wrong...

Afterthought of the Afterthought:

Have you heard of the Guinness Diet?? Though not endorsed by the Guinness folks, it consists of drinking 4-10 pints of Guinness a day - no food - combined with a vitamin C supplement, water and a pint of milk a day for a week. The originator of this diet, UK's own Mike Burt, lost 9 pounds in a week. Now I am not suggesting anything...but it could be interesting to compare outcomes. With my background in science, I find it might be incumbent upon me to conduct this experiment on myself someday...for the sake of furthering the scientific discipline, of course...

Irritating News of the Day - Spanking & 'Sexual Problems'

In the most irritating headline of the newsday, it seems like the geniuses at the American Psychological Association (more like Amok Psychotic Absurdity) are weighing the merits of a study that indicates that children who are spanked are more likely to have 'sexual problems' later in life - including masochism and other sexually risky behavior...

USA Today Write-Up

Having received more than my fair share of corporal punishment at the very strong hands (among other things) of my parents growing up, the only sexual deviance I may exhibit in this modern age is that of chastity. Ghastly behavior, I know - who would have thought that I of all people am virtuous?!@# HEAVEN FORBID!

No offense to the S&M crowd - if they are consenting adults they are free to engage in whatever kind of lawful acts they wish, but I have a hard time believing that physical discipline causes a penchant for sexually risky fetishes.

Money Talks: Another Rate Slash on the Horizon, Hints Bernake

Today, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake testified before the House Financial Services Committee on the Federal Reserve's 'Monetary Policy Report to Congress', hinting at another rate cut to stimulate projected sluggish business growth.

Bernake Testimony

Bernake noted that with energy (most specifically oil) prices increasing drastically, as well as the decline in the housing market has but a burden on business growth in the United States, and will result in increasing inflation (up 2.1%-2.4% from the fall predictions).

**Politicos are anticipating a rate reduction when the Federal Reserve Board meets again on March 18. This would mark the second month of rate reductions in 2008; the 1.25% rate reduction over eight days in January accounting for the largest slash during a single month in a quarter century.