If you have any interest in the worldwide difficulties of the last decade or anything bigger than our world, you should really take 10 minutes and look at this link:

http://www.adishakti.org/mayan_end_times_prophecy_12-21-2012.htm

It’s a discussion of the Mayan calendar and cosmic cycles much bigger than most people ever consider, one of which culminates in late 2012.  The Mayans are known for advanced science and math and what some claim to be an error-free calendar.  It really is worth a look.  If anyone wants to discuss it, let me know.

IMAGE OF THE WEEK:
Bus-ted

“Students…were showered with debris and jumped out of windows…”

PHOTO CREDIT:   Patrick Reddy/Cincinnati Enquirer
(Jan. 22, 2009 – Read article)

Image Index

I saw this Saturday:

NYC eatery grants freedom to lobster centenarian

By VERENA DOBNIK, Associated Press Writer Verena Dobnik, Associated Press Writer – Sat Jan 10, 2:05 am ET

AP – In this photo released by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, ‘George,’ a live 20 pound …

NEW YORK – A 140-year-old lobster once destined for a dinner plate received the gift of life Friday from a Park Avenue seafood restaurant.

George, the 20-pound supercentenarian crustacean, was freed by City Crab and Seafood in New York City.

“We applaud the folks at City Crab and Seafood for their compassionate decision to allow this noble old-timer to live out his days in freedom and peace,” said Ingrid E. Newkirk, president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

PETA spokesman Michael McGraw said the group asked City Crab to return George to the Atlantic Ocean after a diner saw him at the restaurant, where steamed Maine lobster sells for $27 per pound. George had been caught off Newfoundland, Canada and lived in the tank for about 10 days before his release.

Some scientists estimate lobsters can live to be more than 100 years old. PETA and the restaurant guessed George’s age at about 140, using a rule of thumb based on the creature’s weight.

He was to be released Saturday near Kennebunkport, Maine, in an area where lobster trapping is forbidden

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And I wondered…

1)  Would W snag him for lunch?
2)  Is this “guessing age by weight” theory infallible?
3)  What if he’s 20 and just eats something juiced with steroids every once in a while?
4)  If this theory were applied to humans, wouldn’t Barry Bonds be over 1,500 years old?

It amazes me how easily most people accept some printed opinion as fact without questioning it.  Like when someone writes, “The fossil dates to 15 million years ago when…”   So they think.  Doesn’t make it true.  Carbon dating is not always precise, and most rules/guides have exceptions.  I hope this lobster is 140, but I’d rather “news reporters” went back to the old standard of distinguishing opinions from facts, especially when the facts are not supported by any data, instead of stating opinions as if they are unquestioned facts.  Does that make me jaded or just committed to the truth?

When it comes to information, we are largely a spoon-fed society, and spoon-fed societies grow up to be pretty much whatever the feeders want.  Seems to me that critical thinking is largely a lost art.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK:
All Smiles

PHOTO CREDIT:   Greg Kreller/Idaho Press-Tribune
(via San Francisco Chronicle, Day in Pictures, Jan. 7, 2009 )

Image Index

The new year is off to a good start here at wildcane central.

On Jan. 1, I made my first appearance at the famed Rose Parade, followed by a visit to the Rose Bowl.  One of the guys at work had a last minute cancellation, and I got the ticket for free.  It definitely looks and feels different in person than it does in the aesthetically framed TV presentation.

We left the office at 6:45 am, made the short drive to Pasadena, then walked about 2 miles up the parade route to a corner business “acquired” for the day by a company we work with.  They served a bountiful breakfast buffet that included personalized omelettes, while folding chairs on the edge of the parade route beckoned.  They also had a wide variety of beverages and later offered lunch.  The morning chill quickly dissipated into a perfect, warm sunny day.  Only 1 float broke down and had to be towed that we saw, and that stealth bomber fly over was cool both times.  Blink and you miss it.  Really.  The weirdest part, to me, was watching the second parade.  At the end, there’s this line of oversized tow trucks that weren’t used driving out 2 x 2 or 3 x 3.  I didn’t count, but there had to be more than 30.  They must have 1 for every 1 or 2 floats just in case.  Imagine if they ran out of tow trucks and a float broke down.  Lots of egg on the face.

Our game seats were in row 77, at the top of one end zone filled mainly with USC fans.  We walked all the way to the last row and laughed at the 76 there.  We only had to climb over about 7 people to find another row up, 77.  There were better views of the game, but we had the best view of concession stands outside the tunnel.  It was a long but interesting day.  We walked a total of about 7 miles, and my shins actually ached starting the next day for about 12 hours.  I’ve walked a lot in my life, but never so much the same day.  Got home around 9 pm and actually turned down an invitation to see a movie at my friend’s house, feeling a bit wiped out.  The next night, though, we went to see that comic book-style “Spirit” thing by Frank Miller (“Sin City,” “300″).  I scored free movie tickets at the office Christmas party, so I’ve been enjoying those.  I also got one of those Visa gift cards and have been enjoying using it on stuff I don’t normally buy for myself.

Work is still crazy busy with no sign of slacking off, but my evenings have been relaxed since I quit my second job in November.  I’ve finally organized most of the clutter again into manageable–whatever–and am turning my thoughts back to writing.  So the new year has a nice feel to it so far, at least for me.  I hope you can say the same.  I’ll probably get back here this weekend to look around at what others are doing and saying…

It never ceases to amaze me how much money is spent on some pretty lame advertising.  One of the ads that always “sets me off” is for an online dating service that offers this sales pitch:  “If you don’t find someone in six months, we’ll give you another six months free.”  That sounds good to a person who is desperate to find someone or anyone who doesn’t think about it. But what else do you have to do right now?  It’s not like it’s a major holiday or anything.  So think about it…

If a car maker said, “if our car fails to get you back and forth to work for six months, we’ll let you use it for another six months for free,” would you feel better about the money you spent to own it?

If a floor cleaner maker said, “If our product doesn’t get your floor clean, we’ll give you another bottle free,” would you use it?

If a cutlery maker said, “If our knives don’t cut to your satisfaction, we’ll let you use them for another six months free,” would you?

Call me crazy, but I think using a product’s failure as a sales pitch seems pretty silly.  Just shows you how stupid most advertisers think their target audience is, no?  Advertisers are not looking out for you; they want to dupe you.  There, now you’re ready to go out tomorrow and cruise those post-Christmas sales. 

Just checking in quickly before flying out of town for a week of vacation. I’ve been working a lot the last few months and have not had time/energy to blog.  Hope all is well out there in the Xangaverse.

At work about a week ago, I experienced my first earthquake.  It was weirder than I anticipated.  The building actually seemed to be bouncing, not swaying, for 20-30 seconds.  (I’m told it was built on wheels, a common thing here.)  I was fine the first few seconds and realized right away what was happening.  Then it kept going, building, and I got nervous.  I was on the 7th floor of our office building, so there really wasn’t much to do but wait.  Fortunately, it died out as quickly as it started.  It made the news as a “moderate” quake with numerous aftershocks, none of which I felt.  All was in in order when I got home.  *sigh* 

Now I see Tropical Storm Fay on its way towards Miami, and I must say I really don’t miss watching potential hurricanes from July to November.  I may some day go through a major earthquake and then say that Hurricane Season in Miami is preferable to that, but for now I’m very glad to be in So. Cal. and not Miami.

I guess I watched too many cartoons as a kid.  Lately, I’ve been imitating everyone from Droopy Dog to Snagglepuss, at work!  LOL.  A couple of the gals find me amusing, so the audience keeps me going.  Anyway, it’s a long intro to say I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel…

so I hope it’s not a train. 

I have been working almost constantly, two jobs, since returning from vacation last month.  Next week is a big deadline.  Hopefully, by Sept. I’ll be able to work less and start writing again.  The extra money has been helpful for paying off medical expenses (and my vacation), so I’m grateful for that.  Now I just want to slow down and relax a while.  And finish my book that’s been almost done for months.

I’ll finally have a couple of nights off this week, balancing a couple recent all-nighters, so maybe I’ll finally get to the movies.  Is that Titanic thingy still playing?  I heard it was making lots of money for some Italian dude… 

See you in a hundred years for the next 8/8/08.

Aaaa-choooooooo!  Sorry.  Reeeeeeeeally dusty in here.

I get on a plane in a few hours for a week of vacation in Miami.  Not the time of year to go there, really, but I need to get a few things from storage, celebrate a birthday, meet some babies, etc.  If I can avoid circular windstorms, it will be a good trip.  Hope to see you all online around 7/12.