apple juice

Many juvenile crimes ‚Äî such as the carjacking that is so central to “Grand Theft Auto” ‚Äî are conventionally described as “thrill-seeking” crimes. Isn’t it possible that kids no longer need real-world environments to get those thrills, now that the games simulate them so vividly? The national carjacking rate has dropped substantially since “Grand Theft Auto” came out. Isn’t it conceivable that the would-be carjackers are now getting their thrills on the screen instead of the street?

The author makes some pretty good points. I hate to see gov’t getting into regulating what goes into video games. I’m perfectly fine with ratings, and as far as I’m concerned, GTA should’ve been MA all along. We can’t have gov’t policing everything. Parents need to understand what’s going on in the games their kids are playing, the stores need to not sell explicit games to kids, and the kids need to be educated about what’s right, what’s wrong, and everything in between.

Anyways, good article, check it: Hillary vs. the Xbox

There aren’t many summer foods better than Bratwurst, in my opinion. Well, heck, there aren’t many foods better, all year round. Summertime is the season though. With that, I give you: Bratwurst, Wisconsin’s Soul Food

maybe you’re wondering about this seemingly random post? I was about to grill some brats and wanted to get them done up right! Thanks google!

Sorry, I know I’m on a bit of a tangent with the administration right now. But if I could provide one little example of how warped the people leading our country are:

Perhaps you heard that the Prime Minister of India was in town to discuss freedom and democracy? It says right here at the White House website: President, Prime Minister of India Discuss Freedom and Democracy

When I sit around and discuss Freedom and Democracy, I usually talk about why it’s nice to live in a country where I can speak my mind freely. I talk about the right to vote. I talk about our system of government.

One thing that doesn’t enter the conversation, when speaking of Freedom and Democracy, is Nuclear Weapons.

Call me old fashioned if you like, (really, there is a comments section) but I just don’t believe that more nuclear weapons are what we need in the world. In fact, I think we need far far less of them. We should work every diplomatic angle to prevent other countries from getting them. We should then be working to reduce the numbers that we and other countries possess.

So back to our little Freedom and Democracy chat with the Prime Minister of India. Apparently in the bizzaro White House world, Freedom and Democracy is code for “sell them Nuclear technology”.

Quoting Slate‘s 19th of July Today’s Papers here:

The Journal says the Indian nukes deal “rocks the decades-old” non-proliferation system in which countries were allowed to buy nuclear technology only if they forswore trying to develop nukes. “If you open the door for India, a lot of other countries are likely to step through it,” said one non-proliferation expert, in what seems be a widely held opinion.

Now I realize that this agreement is for civilian nuclear energy technology, but as noted in many articles today, the key is that there is no agreement not to use the technology we sell them to develop nuclear weapons.

I’m all for Nuclear energy. Seriously. I think it could safely supply us with a huge portion of our energy needs, but if we’re selling this to other countries, we’d better be sure they aren’t turning around and making weapons. That should be in the contract: No nuclear weapons. Apparently they left that line out this time.

Oh wait, I see, you meant any criminals…. not someone involved, who is a criminal, but actual people that are convicted of crimes.

Because, I guess, if you had to fire anyone involved in criminal activity, you’d probably have to fire half the administration.

A Sidestep and a Backtrack

Is Rove a Criminal?

Perfectly Stated: Rove Isn’t the Real Outrage

Washington is electrified with the abundant energy of buzz from a scandal — speculation about Rove, about Bush, about Cheney’s aide, Scooter Libby. Who leaked? Who may have lied? How did Novak slip the noose? But the real scandal is the ongoing mess in Iraq, the murder just the other day of innocent children (is there any other kind?) and the false notion that, somehow, taking out Hussein would make us all safer. London gives the lie to that.

A little Sunday reading for everyone:

If It’s a Muslim Problem, It Needs a Muslim Solution

it is essential that the Muslim world wake up to the fact that it has a jihadist death cult in its midst. If it does not fight that death cult, that cancer, within its own body politic, it is going to infect Muslim-Western relations everywhere. Only the Muslim world can root out that death cult. It takes a village.

and…

We’re Not in Watergate Anymore

The pettiness of this retribution shows just how successfully Mr. Wilson hit the administration’s jugular: his revelation threatened the legitimacy of the war on which both the president’s reputation and re-election campaign had been staked.

Both articles will shed some light for you…

It’s jeans day at work today.

We don’t have jeans day just for nothing, though, we have it for cancer research. You pay five dollars, wear a sticker, and you get to wear jeans today and feel oh so casual. Its funny to see a bunch of people who you associate with nice clothing wearing jeans on a casual day. Everyone looks so uncomfortable.

But of course, I forgot my jeans! I paid five dollars, and I forgot to wear the jeans. Ah well, I’m still young enough that I wear jeans regularily outside of work. 🙂

In a working environment, people get accustomed to things. The way you dress, the way you talk. People expect things to be a certain way. It’s just part of the culture. Maybe not every company. But a company such as this one.

So when its jeans day… by golly, you’d better wear jeans! Everyone is wearing jeans, why aren’t you wearing jeans? Jeans, jeans everywhere jeans, where are your jeans?

Knowing what I know about the culture around here, I knew I would be asked this question early and often. “Why aren’t you wearing jeans?”

“Well, that’s because I don’t support cancer research.”

(blink , blink) “You what?”

I revel in the stunned look on their faces.

Unfortunately, I’m not much of a con artist, so I can’t hold a straight face for too long… but oh man, those few moments are priceless.

Of course I “support” cancer research. Who doesn’t support cancer reserach? It’s like those damn yellow Lance Armstrong bracelets. Or the Support Your Troops ribbons… Who doesn’t “Support the Troops”? Clearly you support them more than I do though, because you have a Ribbon Magnet!