It Occurs To Me...

I have not posted in a while.
Hence, I will post tomorrow.
However, in the meantime, visit www.myspace.com/aparticularshadeof to hear some good music and email me at austinspl350@gmail.com to get a copy of the demo for $5.
Cheers!

Classy...

So it seems that a Pennsylvania high school got a great memento for its junior prom.
Wow...
The school is now worried it sent the wrong message.
Really?
I don't think so.
Let's just give them a complementary condom or something too.
You could put the name of the school or the symbol on the packaging.
That'd be a good memento too.
We aren't suggesting that they ever will use such mementos... especially that same night.
End sarcasm.
Common sense, people.
Do you want juniors in high school thinking that it's fine to drink underage?
Well, the prom committee for Warwick High School thinks so.
It makes me laugh.

Well this is cool

Check this out... here.
Pretty neat.

Disturbed... and THIS Close from Writing an Angry Letter

So I was watching a late night show when I saw something which shocked me beyond words.
Livid with rage, I continued to watch like the idiot I am.
The Lord (Lady?) of All Nefarious, Devious, Horrific, Terrifying, and/or All Consuming Evil, also known as Martha Stewart, was showing us how to make "pet friendly crafts."
For one, I don't need that mental scarring.
And since when are convicted felons allowed to give us ideas on what is friendly?
I mean really.
Besides, since when to pets really care about crafts?
Other than chewing, peeing on, nibbling, or ignoring them in the case of dogs, ferrets, rabbits, and cats, respectively.
Well at least now I know how to make a doily for my parakeet.

Hmm... didn't think I would say that when I woke up this morning...

On a side note, Mrs. Sata- sorry, Stewart, is on Twitter.
Along with Opera.
So much evil on one site must rip open a hole in the space-time continuum...

Some Beefs to Pick

It's 9:47 and I have some beefs I need to get off my chest.
First, to all you folks from across the pond, they are called sprinkles, not JIMMIES!
Second, Yes, we know Chuck Norris is cool. Stop saying jokes about him.
Third, if it's a FAST FOOD drive thru, why do I have to pull up even when I have a perfectly normal order?
Fourth, Paula Abdul. No comment, just Paula.
Fifth, all the people on competition shows that I hate win. Example, Adam Lambert. Hasn't won yet, but probably will.
Sixth, the French. Let's at least go the Switzerland route. Retreat is not an option, and if you're going to get invaded by a crazed mad-man in and World War, at least have cool knives.
Seventh, other drivers. Let's get this straight. I want to get where I'm going alive and preferably in the same physical state as I was when I left. Let's cool it on the, "Hey there's Austin let's cut him off and almost kill him" method of driving. That wasn't in the DMV manual.
Eighth, the number eight.
Ninth, K-Fed.
Tenth, Kanye West, for the same reason as K-Fed. As in, there doesn't have to be a reason.
Eleventh, lists that go longer than ten. These tend to waste my time.
Twelfth, are you still reading after the eleventh?

Real Quick

BREAKING NEWS!!!
Paula Abdul has had a pain pill addiction for the past two years.
And in other news, the sky is blue, Andy Dick is annoying, and Oprah's fat needs to make up its mind.

Star Trek Warp Drive

Complements of slashdot.org and Space.com...
A recent article indicates that the warp drive in Star Trek might not be impossible after all.
All we have to do, apparently, is move space time.

Yea, I'll get right on that.

Oh, and really?
Come on now...

The State of Music Today

Alrighty.
So I'm a fan of music.
You could say, music is my life, but I wouldn't say that, because music is my passion, not really my life.
I'm just wondering how some of the "music" today is actually music?
A good bit is just remixed stuff!
Some of it is even remixing the stuff which was already remixed!
What happened to the days of Billy Joel, Elton John, Simon & Garfunkel, Boston, the Beatles, 38 Special, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jaco Pastorius, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Yes, the Band, Creedance Clearwater Revival?
Since when is profanity considered artful lyricism?
Call me old-fashioned, but you just can't beat the classics.
Although, I must give credit where credit is due...
Rascal Flats, the Gorillaz, Allison Kraus, the White Stripes, Death Cab for Cutie, etc. are all very solid, good music, not just stealing from everyone else.
What music do you like?
Put it in the comments!

Smoking Ban and Suing for 1 Dollar

Alright, first off, complements of WRAL, a man is suing for $1 because an officer would not let him into court because he was wearing a skirt.
He says, "And the women love it."
Read the whole thing here.
O...k.........
Wondering why on that one.

To more serious issues...

There was legislation that passed the NC House a while back on a public smoking ban.
You can read the full bill here.
Just in case you don't want to read that whole thing (by the way it's only 6 pages, so it's not to chunky) I'll break it down for you.
Smoking pipes, cigars, or cigarettes, basically any "lighted tobacco product" would be prohibited in all public buildings except...
- Cigar bars
- Private clubs
- Tobacco stores
- Private residences
- Private vehicles
- Designated smoker-friendly room in a hotel or other guest establishment
- A motion picture, play, or other live theatrical event where an actor is portrayed as smoking.
Two things to note on this list.
A) A cigar bar has to meet stringent requirements in order to be a "cigar bar," specifically that 60% of revenue per quarter must be alcohol, and 25% must be cigars.
B) Only 20% of the rooms in a guest establishment such as a hotel may be designated as smoker-friendly.
Also keep in mind that individual counties may make more stringent rules regarding smoking if they wish.
Now, the issue here is that the government is telling private businesses what they can and can't do on their own property.
Don't think it's an issue?
Well, for one it's a slippery slope.
What if they rule that eating greasy food is unhealthy to the public at large, therefore should not be allowed in public places as described in said imaginary bill?
What if you wake up one day and the government has ruled that you can't do something you really enjoy in public because it constitutes a "danger to the public" or just because some bigwig is getting money from a lobbyist?
Would you be mad then?
OF COURSE YOU WOULD BE!
But it would be too late.
It is my firm belief that the government has NO RIGHT to say what people can and cannot do with legal substances on their own property.
If you pay your taxes and are square with the government, you should be left alone.
Uncle Sam needs to stay OUT of my business, OUT of my home, and OUT of my life!
The government is not there to be the guiding light of morality.
The government is there to protect the people!
So, in the end, smokers should be able to smoke where they want.
And this is not saying that individual restaurants can't ban smoking themselves.
They sure can!
Good for them!
It's THEIR establishment and THEIR business!
Over 300 bars in Michigan have already had to close down because of similar legislation in that State.
I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin', this is an outrage, and if you don't feel that way, tell me why in the comments section.

Finals...

It occurs to me that finals are like slow, slow poison, working into the soul in order to cause chaos and indigestion.
Sigh.
It could be worse...
This could be Ninja School and only one person could exit the Final room alive...

Really? No anti-bully laws?

From WRAL.com...
"The Senate also considers Monday whether schools must adopt detailed anti-bullying policies. The legislation is opposed by conservative Christians who said it would advance special protections for gay people."
Really?
Come on.
These laws in question would say that it is not acceptable to bully anyone for anything, not just gay people.
And besides, "conservative Christians" want protection just like everyone else!
Personally, I think this is absolutely ridiculous.
People of other races and women should have equal rights, but no more or less than anyone else.
Same thing with gay people, or transvestites, or what have you.
Just because you don't agree with what someone does doesn't mean that they should be allowed to be bullied for it.
This is another example where legislating personal opinion comes into play.
Legislating morality isn't the issue, it's when people want their own personal opinion put into law.
That is the problem.
Read the full article here.

Question of the Day

Alright, again complements of www.deepquestions.net...
If there were a holiday in your honor, what would it celebrate?
I know, I know, this is the hippy answer.
I don't really care.
It would celebrate life, and everyone around you.
It would be a day to hang out, to do something with whoever you want.
Wouldn't have to be a family day, or a friend day, and it could just be an alone day, but just a day to celebrate you and yours.
I'll take my guitar and sing some John Lennon now.

The News Today

So several stories are pretty interesting today... let's get started!

First on the front page, a quote from a Dr. Charles van der Horst, a doctor at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Medicine.
"If the state wants to uphold the death penalty, fine, they can take a pistol and shoot the guy. But to have doctors make it clean for them is just the lowest of the low."
This Dr. van der Horst is my Hero of the Day for speaking out.
The whole issue is a lot more complicated, look it up for yourself here.
But the point I'm taking out of it is, don't have doctors come in and give a highly imprecise, expensive drug concoction and SWAB THE INMATE'S ARM WITH A DISINFECTANT WIPE in order to execute him.
Don't want them dead guys getting infections, now do we?
You want a deterrent to crime?
Public, prime-time executions.
I'm talking shooting squad, hanging, electric chair, guillotine, whatever.
If your goal is to prevent crimes in the future, don't do a lethal injection at some God-forsaken time at night like we're scared to take someone's life when the GAVE IT UP BY KILLING SOMEBODY.

Alright, moving along.
So a Senator Allred was caught speeding at 102 mph in a 65 mph zone.
Alrighty, sounds pretty strait-forward.
He got a ticket in the end, after receiving a warning.
Here's what's interesting.
Allred is quoted as saying "I'm being singled out to give a ticket to five days after the fact because I'm a legislator. It seems like, you know, somebody is going to great lengths to embarass me."
Like, I know, right?
How about this, Senator Allred.
Don't speed.
Novel concept I know.
Senators, should not break the law.
They represent us.

Next up, 6 articles on the swine flu.
Oh, sorry.
H1N1.
'Nuff said.

Lastly, there's this new product that I heard about, I'm hoping it'll catch on.
But the government can't tax it, so it'll probably be banned.

Really? U2?

http://www.wral.com/news/strange/story/5065565/
From WRAL...
Sigh.
This had to have come from heavy intoxication and/or hormones.
Not sayin'.
Just sayin'.

Shame

So today I was doing stuff when the topic of Shame came up.
Obviously, shame is what we feel when we feel we did something wrong.
The question is, is shame a redeeming quality?
Answering that question delves into the very roots of conscience and morality, but I don't think we need to take it that far now.
I would argue that shame is indeed a redeeming quality, because it is the last resort against being a full-on sociopath or something similar.
If you did not feel shame, nothing would be off limits.
No law, no boundary, nothing would keep you from doing what you wanted.
Laws could be made, statutes set forth, commandments given, and all for naught, for without shame, we have no preventative for crimes of the highest degree.

On the flip side, shame should not be the only thing preventing us from doing wrong.
Shame can be a useful thing, but it should not be the only thing.
A dog is ashamed because he has done wrong in his owner's eyes, but he doesn't get that it's because he ate the food that was sitting right on the table.
Shame has to be tempered with logic, common sense, and reasoning.
Once these are brought into play, shame can take a smaller role in being moral, while things such as loyalty to country, faith, and family take the larger role.
Thoughts?
Questions?
Sarcastic remarks?

Quadriplegic Inmate

From WRAL... http://www.wral.com/news/state/story/5061191/
Also on the front page of the News and Observer
So here's the synopsis of the story.
There was a man, Timothy Helms, who was jailed for three consecutive life sentences for drunk driving.
Allegedly, he lit a fire in his cell and resisted attempts to put it out, and then the guards beat him severely.
He ended up with a broken skull, hemorrhaging in his brain, and he is now a quadriplegic.
There is no evidence in this case that the public can view, because all reports and videos are not considered public records.
Not only will no charges be pressed in the case, but they also won't release him into hospice care!
He's a quadriplegic!
He CAN'T MOVE ANY OF HIS LIMBS!
What's he gonna do?
Go get drunk and drive?
Murder somebody?
HOW?!
Of course, there are multiple sides to the story, the news, the guards, Mr. Helms, and the truth.
Unfortunately, we can't know the whole story.
BUT, if the story is true as it is reported (right...), then this is an outrage!
To add insult to injury, they also handcuffed him on his HOSPITAL BED!
Let's review.
Cognitive brain function, no.
Lack of internal bleeding, no.
Consciousness, no.
USE OF LEGS TO RUN AWAY WITH, no.
Alright, so I'm sure that this is slanted somehow, but still.
What is this world coming to?
Tell me in your comments!

VISIT THE POETRY BLOG!
http://poemsexpressionsandthoughts.blogspot.com/

Question of the Day for April 30

Again complements of deepquestions.net...
If you could be a teacher, what would you teach?
I would teach philosophy.
Philosophy is the basis from what we all make our worldview.
In the world of science, mathematics is the purest science, the one that informs all other.
In the world of actual life, philosophy is the purest "science."
To often in today's society people don't even think about philosophy.
So, what would you teach?

Poetry

So today the Random Thought/Musing is on poetry.
You, my loyal readers, need some form of outlet.
For some that's reading, or writing, or playing music, or listening to music, or any number of things.
I would ask, try poetry.
Songwriting or a sonnet, either way it's poetry.
"He who draws noble delights from sentiments of poetry is a true poet, though he has never written a line in all his life. ~George Sand, 1851"
"Poets are soldiers that liberate words from the steadfast possession of definition. ~Eli Khamarov, The Shadow Zone"

SO...
My challenge.
Send me your poetry.
I want to collect all of your poems and include my own into a poetry blog to be named later.
Release your thoughts into the world.

Question of the day

Complements of DeepQuestions.net...
If you could add anyone's face to Mt. Rushmore, who would you add?
Well, the question seems to be, what figure do I consider important enough to not only be on Mt. Rushmore, but who is comparable to Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Well, from a historical standpoint, many people stand out.
Ghandi, the Dali Lama, etc.
From popular culture, other people stick out.
John Lennon, President Obama, etc.
But when you get right down to it, I think that I would be a wonderful addition, but they would have trouble fitting in my goatee.
So, in reality...
I don't really know.
John Lennon would be good, but at the same time what about Susan B. Anthony?
Obama would be good, but... no.
The question is too broad to answer in my opinion, but comment if you think otherwise.

Swine Flu.........

So apparently we have a SWINE FLU PANDEMIC!
So just because one person has died and around 20 people have gotten sick from this swine flu doesn't mean it's a pandemic.
Plus, all the infected people went to MEXICO to get it!
It's not here!
It's in MEXICO!
Geez...
Another stunning example of the media sensationalizing and blowing stuff out of proportion.
I mean really.
Plus Israel has created a new name for it...
Mexican flu.
Sigh...

So. Women.

Alright, so a lot of people have asked me to start a blog.
So here it is.
First of, women.
As is obvious, I'm a guy, but I have some collected wisdom passed down from older folks to you, the unsuspecting male.
First, smell good.
AXE, body washes, cologne, all that junk, not necessary.
All you need is a deodorant that lasts and a small amount of aftershave.
Very small.
Second, LISTEN!
News flash: Girls NEVER want your opinion.
When they say they want your opinion, they want you to agree with them.
Third, everything looks good no matter what it is.
Which dress do you think I should wear?
DEATH TRAP
Correct Answer: You look good in everything.
Incorrect Answer: Anything Else.

More musings later.