Friday, July 21, 2006

Carol - You've Created A Monster!

Busy Day At Work

You know that photographer friend of mine down in Austin, TX - Carol Schiraldi that I mentioned in my Bodacious Summer To-Do List (item 17)? Well, we've been back in contact lately and have been IM'ing over Trillian. Anyhow, she's turned me onto the virtues of Flickr as a photostreaming host and source for really neat user groups. Well, I checked it out and I'm hooked! Yes, me droogies, I am now a full-blown Flickrholic. It's great, but boy can it suck your time and attention away from things that are probably more pressing, such as - oh, I don't know - maybe, work? Fortunately, I had a fairly productive day yesterday, and didn't mind indulging a slightly-longer-than-usual lunch break. I have moved (most of) my online photos over there, plus threw in a few pics from my Nokia cameraphone, just for yucks. If you're so inclined, feel free to check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/craftyguypics.

And if that wasn't bad enough, I have applied to join Utata (actually, not much than just filling out an online form requesting a member page), and may attempt to participate in some of the projects on there. It will give me something to do over lunch other than Sudoku puzzles!

And so, another hobby is born. Thanks, Carol!

May all your priorities be kept in balance.

*Click*

Monday, July 17, 2006

A Real Lawman

This was forwarded to me by a co-worker. We'd have much less crime in our country if more law enforcement people followed this example. I took the liberty of adding my own editorial comments throughout (hey, it's my blog!)

TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER.

This is one of the reasons why:

Sheriff Joe Arpaio (in Arizona) who created the "tent city jail":

  • He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them. [Saving the taxpayers money - what a great (and novel) idea!]
  • He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights. [It's not like they need all that stuff anyway]
  • Cut off all but "G" movies. [Maybe if they watched more G movies before they got into prison, they might not be there in the first place!]
  • He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. [Again, saving taxpayer money]
  • Then he started chain gangs for women so he wouldn't get sued for discrimination. [Sounds reasonable to me!]
  • He took away cable TV until he found out there was a federal court order that required cable TV for jails. So he hooked up the cable TV again only let in the Disney channel and the weather channel. When asked why the weather channel he replied, so they will know how hot it's gonna be while they are working on my chain gangs.
  • He cut off coffee since it has zero nutritional value.
  • When the inmates complained, he told them, "This isn't the Ritz/Carlton. If you don't like it, don't come back." [BOOYAH!!!]

More on the Arizona Sheriff:

With temperatures being even hotter than usual in Phoenix (116 degrees just set a new record), the Associated Press reports: About 2,000 inmates living in a barbed-wire-surrounded tent encampment at the Maricopa County Jail have been given permission to strip down to their government-issued pink boxer shorts. [If pink panties are good enough for our nation's liberals, they should be good enough for our inmates!] On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 degrees inside the week before. Many were also swathed in wet, pink towels as sweat collected on their chests and dripped down to their pink socks. "It feels like we are in a furnace," said James Zanzot, an inmate who has lived in the tents for 1 year. "It's inhumane." [Oh, poor baby! If you can't do the time, don't do the crime!]

Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic. He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120 degrees in Iraq and our soldiers are living in tents too, and they have to wear full battle gear, but they didn't commit any crimes, so shut your damned mouths!" [Amen! Preach it!]

Way to go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.

Sheriff Joe was just reelected Sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

What Color Ribbon is for "Awareness" Awareness?

I'm feeling a little feisty today (maybe it's the rain - always gives me wicked headaches, or maybe the lack of coffee), and so I bring you today's random thought.

I hate "awareness" ribbons.

There, I said it - and I'm glad I said it!

It was all well and good when someone, somewhere decided to start wearing a ribbon of some color to show support for some cause. But things have seriously gotten out of hand. These things are everywhere, in every conceivable color combination! On the street, everyone's wearing them. On all the weirdowood awards shows, everyone's wearing them - and I'm willing to bet that most are wearing them just to be fasionable, and not out of a sincere support of their supposed causes.

And the colors are too numerous to mention! I even poked around on the web and found that some colors are used for multiple causes (how confusing is that?). And if we run out of colors for ribbons, let's start wearing wristbands to show our support for a whole new plethora of causes.

It gets really hard to take anyone and their causes seriously when they get buried under all that technicolor bling-bling.

[And don't get me started on those who abuse their fame by using the performance stage as their soapbox. Your adoring fans pay good money to hear you sing, not sermonize! But that is a rant for when next I'm feeling feisty or otherwise caffiene-deprived.]

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for supporting whatever you feel strongly about, but wearing a strip of purple paisley fabric on your lapel does not bring about change! How about taking action instead - donate your time, money, and/or talents to whatever your cause? How about lifting a finger (no, not that one!) to do more than to just don the trendy ribbon color of the week?

It's nice to know that you are "aware" of a cause or three (aren't we all?), but the ribbons don't impress anymore. I'm all ribboned out, thank you.

Maybe we all need to start wearing chartreuse and fuscia plaid ribbons in a show of support for "ribbon burnout" awareness. Just a thought.

Now I'm off to show my support for coffee growers and overpriced caffeine pushers. Pass the $tarbucks$, and make it a venti.