Watch This....And Take Something From It.

Just In Time For the Holidays....

For Your Viewing Pleasure....

Here's hoping I get a new article written this weekend.

This Is Amazing.

Why "Chapstick" Is Private Stuff.......

So, I'm sitting in the surgical waiting room at Barnes/Jewish hospital the other day, and there's quite a few people sitting around, waiting for their family members, friends, loved ones, to come out of surgery, and praying all is well.

And my attention happens to fall on an elderly woman sitting at a table with, what I assume, are other members of her family. At the moment I notice her, she is applying lip balm to her lips, from one of those little tubes with the cap, and the knob at the bottom that you turn to make more balm expose itself.....she gets done and does that funny little lip squoosh women do in order to spread stuff around all even.....

Then, nonchalantly sticks the tube of lip balm in each nostril, carefully replaces the cap, and puts the product safely away in her purse for the next time she needs to apply lip balm to her lips.

You Like Drum Line??

Then have some Drum Line...

Happy Birthday Bruce!!!!!!

Muy cojones.......

Balls.....really big friggin' balls.

Gotta' Love It

Bug From Hell....

See that thing over on the right? That's a European Hornet. The scale next to it is unfortunately defective; marked in some bizarre units that no one understands (MM? CM?). The horrific thing is about 2 inches long, and roughly the same diameter as an adult male's pinky finger.

When you first see one....your first thought is, Holy shit, that thing is scary.

I caused one to "shuffle off the mortal coil" yesterday.

'Bout a week ago, I scored roughly 30 small hornets with a can of Raid Wasp and Hornet Killer. "Killer" is an apt word. This stuff is so strong, standard, non-mutant bugs get dizzy when you just think about spraying them.

Anyway...I snuck out to the patio where he was spreading terror, and caught him with a direct shot of, literally, "hornet whoop ass in a can". The damned thing buzzed up to about an arm's length in front of my face. I could feel the blood drain out of my head and oddly, pool up in the area of my bowels. Oh shit, I've only pissed this thing off.....this Japanese Horror Movie Flying Death Bug.

Apparently desiring more lethality in its attack by diving at me from a greater altitude....it left the area of my face and rose up to roughly 20'....where it slowed, spun a bit like a helicopter with a defective tail rotor, then plummeted into the lawn.

I smoked a cigarette--the entire thing in about three drags--before I walked out to the spot he landed; thought it might be prudent to let the toxin do its stuff. So I approached the spot; can of poison held out as if warding off a vampire with a cross. It lie there twitching in its death throes. The first twitch caused the neurons to fire off in my brain and my finger spastically hosed the beast with another deluge of compressed death.

I returned to the garage and smoked another cigarette.

I stubbed out the completely smoked cigarette and rounded up a bucket. I panicked for a bit when I couldn't find a utensil to pick up the hell spawn. No way I'm touching that thing with my bare fingers. Settling on a pair of pliers, I again, walked out to its landing spot.....oh shit, where was it....probably lose a leg if I step on it. I safely found it. Not sure how I could have friggin' missed it.....it was huge. I gingerly squeezed one of its wings with the pliers and dropped it in the bucket. Clunk. I set the bucket on the patio and smoked another cigarette.

I finished the latest spent butt and spent several minutes desperately searching for some kind of container with a lid.....a really tight, secure lid. This'll do it....I can hammer the lid on tighter if I need to. I tiptoed over to the bucket and carefully peeked over the rim. If some random nervous action had caused that thing to twitch just then....I would have screamed and run for the house.

But now it's my trophy. It is safely contained in a tightly sealed plastic container.

Next week.....a visit to the taxidermist.

I recently had a short exchange on Facebook regarding Health Care Reform; a topic that should, in my opinion, be more accurately referred to as Health Insurance Reform. In the exchange, a couple of contributors asked specific questions and made comments to which I wanted to offer a response. In that Facebook isn't a particularly good venue for exchanges of this sort, I decided to offer my responses here--as dullwitted as they may be. All questions and comments from other persons are copy/pasted verbatim.

First, let me offer a foundation and basis for my comments.

The health insurance practices and markets in this country have a problem. Additionally, health care costs have increased at rates that are not comparable to the rates of inflation and income. I'm not going to bother with posting the statistics, charts, or surveys that support these comments. If you the reader are not aware of them, or find yourself unable to locate this information yourself, you probably shouldn't be engaging in the discussion.

Short version....something is rotten in the health care system of this country and it needs to be changed. How that change is accomplished will probably be up for debate for a long time. From my viewpoint there is zero debate about its necessity. When competent, efficient, and timely health care starts to become a privilege and not a basic human fulfillment, our entire society and culture suffers ill consequences.

One of the questions addressed to me I would like to respond to is;

"Thirdly if socialized medicine is so great why do people from countries that have socialized medicine come to the U.S. for healthcare."

Uh, well....the answer is, because they can get treatment for something that isn't immediately available in their own country. Does that really indicate something wrong with socialized medicine? Dig a little deeper and you might wonder if the question is as damning as it sounds, or is there something more that can be explored? Yup, there sure is.....

"The same Boeing 767 aircraft that bring people to America for treatment transport a growing number of residents, uninsured, underinsured and insured, from US communities to Istanbul, Dubai, Shanghai, Bangkok, and Krakow for treatment. That, according to the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, will amount to about $68 billion departing the US for foreign healthcare providers in 2010." Source

Now that's kind of interesting. Why would people from the U.S. go to countries with socialized medicine for treatment? Might this handy graph shed some light on that question? If the graph is a bit hard to read, it's also located at the previously cited source. So large numbers of people from foreign countries come here for treatment, while a large number of Americans go abroad for treatment. How does that make an impact on the discussion? The answer is, it doesn't. It's one of those rhetorical questions that is clearly meant to distract from the issue. And while I'm on the subject; if a Canadian citizen has to come to the U.S. for some kind of treatment, the Canadian health system still pays for the treatment.

Here's what the table at the left is pointing out;

"One motive is to save money. America’s health inflation has consistently outpaced economic growth, making it the most expensive health market in the world. The average price at good facilities abroad for a range of common medical procedures is, by Deloitte’s reckoning, barely 15% of the price a patient would have to pay in the United States (see table)." Source

You may ask, "what are these two sources Dullwitted has offered trying to point out?"....this--Globalization demands competitiveness in every endeavor. The United States is not competing in the health care, or health coverage field.

Enough with that question; here's another.

"Also if this is so great why is congress exempt from it just like Social Securty "

So what? They're also exempt from the 2003 Medicare reforms. They also don't pay the same bulk mail rate others do. Their personal security is maintained at government (taxpayer) expense. There are a multitude of issues that separate "us" from "them." I can live with that. Especially since I can exempt myself from a public health care option if I so desire. Or, you can dig a little deeper and discover;

"Perhaps the most anticipated and speculated part of Obama's plan is the establishment of a National Health Insurance Exchange that will include both private and public affordable health plans emulated on benefits available to members of Congress. The public health plan included in the Exchange would be a first of it's kind for the country." Source (Italics added by author)

So how does the "exempt" thing sound now? Not so elitist anymore, is it? Onward and forward;

"Fourth do you realize that most countries who have soiclalized healthcare systems have had to start rationing healthcare so that when you get over a certain age you are denied treatment for many illinesses."

If you're not aware of the "rationing" that already exists in our current system, I beg you to get out and do some research. Placing dollar limits on particular coverages or treatments can only be described as "rationing." I can personally testify to the vile practice of a health insurance provider deciding when a person's treatment is to be ended, based not on what the health care provider says...but what the payer has decided. And here's the kicker....based on a cold, hard look at the macroeconomics of the issue, "rationing" is fine with me. This is not my emotions talking here; just raw facts. The aged population--those that are not working and not generating income and the resultant tax revenues--are not putting anything much back into the economy. In fact, their increased longevity can be seen as a burden on those of us who are still working, paying taxes, and contributing to the economy. I know what you're thinking, "that's cold," it is....and I would no doubt succumb to emotions and feelings if it was a decision about one of my loved ones. Onward and forward....

"So when we see how socialistic countries have failed, when we compare South Korea to North or East Germany to West why do we think that any move to more socialism is good?"

Because we don't know if socializing certain elements of our society will work unless the debate is undertaken with facts and not scare-monger tactics? The former East Germany and the current North Korea are examples of socialistic, totalitarian societies. Using those forms of governance in an attempt to create some correlations with the current issue is fallacious. The question does not address the issue and instead, attempts to deflect from the issue; health care and health insurance in the United States. Moving on....

"But our nation has the best health care in the world [...]"

Think so? Economists usually refer to infant mortality rates to judge that metric;

"The U.S. now ranks 29th in the world for infant mortality, compared to its previous ranking of 27th eight years ago, according to a report released today by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Back in 1960, the country stood at No. 12 for those deaths." Source

You can't rank our health care as "best in world" while your infant mortality rate is moving away from improvement. Can't be done.

"All you need are basic math skills to see that we can't afford Universal Healthcare without massive cuts to other services."

I don't know if anyone has ever pointed this out before....but the money is already being paid. By us. In the form of health insurance premiums deducted from our paychecks. "Basic math skills" are great if I need to balance the checkbook. Unfortunately, those same skills won't be adequate for this issue. The issue is far more complex than 2 + 2 = 4. Sure, those that oppose any changes are happy to dumb down the issue by saying, "it will cost this much, our revenues are currently only this much, so therefore, it's stupid and impossible." But, what about the money not spent on a broken system? Do those funds simply evaporate, as if they never existed? No.....they are better spent elsewhere.

I'm probably not done with this issue....and I'll end this installment with this;

"Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medical School estimate the United States spends 44 percent more per capita than Switzerland, the country with the second highest expenditures, and 134 percent more than the median for member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These costs prompt fears that an increasing number of U.S. businesses will outsource jobs overseas or offshore business operations completely. U.S. economic woes have heightened the burden of healthcare costs both on individuals and businesses. The Obama administration's first budget includes billions to overhaul health care, and despite the economic downturn, experts see a consensus emerging that healthcare reform should move forward." Source

It's about the world, this country's place in it, and how our government fulfills its responsibilities.

"Half-truths feed on fear. People are afraid of losing or compromising what coverage they already have. They're afraid of higher taxes and lower quality of care. Who has the time or patience to read the 1,000-page bill proposed by the House of Representatives? So we rely on summaries and are susceptible to all sorts of misrepresentation. And nobody wants a plan with major faults rammed down their throat in the name of political expediency." Source

If this country adds health care to the industries that we have failed to globally compete in....we will have only ourselves to blame.

Tribute!!!!!

Imagine the work that went into this....

"Daddy......what is "courage?"

Right here.....this is courage. Knowing the possible consequences, the Iranian citizens continue to amaze me with their resolve.....

Sunday, June 22, 2009. Iran.

Wow......

This is a powerful use of creativity...

Bravo....to the author.

'Ya know how little kids get soooo excited about playing in empty cardboard boxes?

The reason is NOT because they're simple-minded, or that they don't fully appreciate all the latest gotta-have toys you've bought for them.

NO.

The reason is because you have just given them permission to play in the TRASH

. ..........and, they wanna get as much out of it as possible before you come to your senses!

How To: Civil Unrest

If you ever decide to launch your own revolution, refer to this for some guidance as to "how to"....

Iran, June 16, 2009

"We Have Nothing to Fear But......Ourselves?"

In the immediate aftermath of the 09/11 terrorist attacks, we, the American public, were warned that the greatest threat to our security and liberty stemmed from one specific source, the terrorist organization Al Qaeda, and the general umbrella threat of Muslim extremism. And we bought it. The result being the political and strategic debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan. But what have recent events shown us?

"The shooting at the Holocaust Memorial Museum by a white supremacist wrapped tragedy around atrocity. But it was not the only act of home-grown terrorism in this season of anger and anxiety, and not all the violence was from right-wing extremists.

Within two weeks, an abortion provider was shot dead in Kansas, allegedly by a man with religious motivations. And a military recruiter was killed and another wounded in Arkansas, allegedly by a man who converted to Islam as a teenager and said he was upset at the killing of Muslims in Iraq and Afghanistan." Raasch, C., 2009

Three words in that quote are important; "home-grown terrorism." Each of those three examples are evidently terrorist acts not performed by Al Qaeda or a cell of any particular Muslim extremist group. Remember Timothy McVeigh? The Oklahoma City bomber? Home-grown as well. Of course, McVeigh allegedly had some help....a loose coalition of sorts that helped plan and organize his plot. The people in the previous three examples appeared to be working as loners, but, what's chilling is, there are more of them that feel the same way.

How long before this bunch of extremists prods some loose cannon into inappropriate, violent action? Yes, I'm talking about the Westboro Baptist Church...

"In Washington, the group first picketed the funeral of former congressman Jack Kemp, and then protested outside the ADL offices, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and the city's largest synagogue, Washington Hebrew Congregation. (The group positioned itself across the street from the museum -- on the edge of the National Mall -- meaning that visitors to the museum that afternoon did not even necessarily see them when entering the facility.)

Margie Phelps and three fellow church members stood on the sidewalk and held signs stating that “God Hates Israel,” “Jews Killed Jesus,” “America Is Doomed,” “Israel Is Doomed,” and “ADL Jew Bullies.” One of the four women had an Israeli flag tied around her waist that dragged on the ground; she stepped on the flag as she walked." ADL, 2009

Creepy that they appeared outside the Holocaust Memorial Museum. Of course, "creepy" is what the Westboro Baptist Church is all about.

The point of this is to show that the most recent and worst violence and terror inflicted on American citizens, in America, has come from people that we rub shoulders with on the bus, and interact with on a daily basis. People that would never be mistaken as Muslim or of Middle Eastern ethnicity.

There is some very bizarre thinking going on within some American's minds. It's fine that some may have a distrust of politicians and politics...or feel that much of what happens in our life is beyond our control or influence. But there are some extremes being expressed that I don't think reflect reality. Go dig around in some of the "conspiracy" forums and websites....yowza. Ah hell, make it easy on yourself...turn on the TV and look for O'Reilly, Beck, Savage, et al. The uncivility, shitty tactics, and intellectual dishonesty spewed by these people is breathtaking. For example, here's a bit of O'Reilly...



This kind of shit passes as discourse on a widely viewed news channel? Are we kidding ourselves here? I'll answer that....yes, we are. Personally, I think "commentators" of this sort are generally jackoffs.

The current "flavor" of American discourse, rhetoric, and extremism is doing far more damage to our security, safety, and liberty than any Muslim terrorist has caused in the last 8 years.

And here's the kicker....from where has the greatest damage to our health, well-being, and security come from? Our very own financial markets. In fact, the irresponsibility, greed, and lack of oversight of the United State's financial markets and its practices, has caused more worldwide fear, uncertainty, and doubt than the terrorist acts of 09/11 could have ever hoped for.

Alright, one more.

You know what's bullshit? DVDs
Uploaded by kronosposeidon. - Technology reviews and science news videos.

This is excellent.

I'll be back with another essay....soon.

This is so creative. I'm liking it very much.

Boneless Brothers

Last night my wife described to me the day--long ago--that her dad accidentally closed the car door on her 4 yr old brother's hand. Ow.

She said, her little brother's fingers looked all, "whoo!...whoo!...whoo!", while she made roller coaster shapes with her hand. I got it; the poor little guys fingers was all bent out of shape. She said it was amazing, they straightened right out and were fine and dandy, no damage. Unfortunately, the way she had said, "whoo...whoo...whoo", started me laughing....and made her pause.

I had damned near recovered when she looked at me and said,"it was like putting Gumbi in the door."

I might have pee'd a bit...

Just a bit.

This band has been making good music for a long freakin' time.

Where "F" = Frequency, "V" = Volume, and "D" = Duration

As a rule, I try to keep the shopping cart between my wife and some of the more "interesting" goods on the store shelves and racks. A blocking maneuver of sorts; an attempt to prevent her from laying eyes on the countless items that she's positive she could possibly need right now. I've concluded it's a pointless effort. That became clear to me when she noticed the incredibly cute infant wear at the local "Retail Behemoth That Cannot Be Named." There are zero infants currently in the family, and--trust me on this--she's not having any babies, other than some type of omniscient interference. A surgeon, skilled in the mechanics of "mommy parts" has made that occurrence impossible.

That's a small part of what lead to the genesis of the "Ooh Formula." I'll get to the specifics of the formula in a bit; first, some background.

My wife is a grade school teacher; has been for some time. As a result of her experience, she has a level of peripheral vision that is superhuman. Her ability to spot bric-a-brac, gadgets, gee-gaws, and cute stuff is astonishing. I'm positive it's happened with stuff we've walked past and is already behind us. Here's where the "ooh" comes in....

When my wife spots something glittery, shiny, or cute....I will hear an "ooh"....just one, meaningless phoneme. It took me some time to realize it was her, making some type of primordial hoot in response to a long-forgotten hunter/gatherer instinct. I found this very interesting. Especially when I realized the "ooh's" varied in frequency, volume, and duration; much like bird songs vary for specific purposes. And, then I realized--referring to the formula referenced in the title--that (F x V x D = c) often determined the amount of money I was about to spend at the register!

There is the single, sharp "ooh", signifying something relatively trivial; a potato masher perhaps. There is the quick, staccato, "ooh,ooh,ooh"; this usually indicates something she's just remembered she needed. The greatest impact is from the long, drawn-out, "oooooooohhhhh". If I'm unsuccessful with my argument, this is gonna' cost me some money.

There are many variations to these vocalizations; with subtle and varied results. Admittedly, the formula is somewhat rough around the edges, but I think with more research I can fine tune it so that I can accompany her to a mall or store and have some confidence in my purchasing power.

Of course, I could develop some strategy to diminish her ability to spot "interesting" things altogether. I'm thinking a conversion....I'll bet the woman depicted here can't see shit. It would probably be more socially acceptable than my first brainstorm....which was to outfit her with horse blinders.

The Next Leaders of the Free World

Just look at it.....don't ask me why....I don't even really know. I feel this must be done; the universe is at peril if you don't. The originating source is www.whatthebob.com. Start Diggin', Twittering, whatever you hip youngsters do.....generate some buzz.

The Tank Driver vs the Modern Cell Phone

There it is ladies and gentlemen....the future of America's Army. He's a good kid...my nephew Andy. I'm sure he's a good soldier and will perform his duties to the best of his abilities.....but, still.

He's not exactly instilling terror in my heart. And if he sees this....no Andy, I didn't ask permission to use the picture....what are you gonna' do about it? Ha ha...just kidding....

I know why they put him in a tank....the Army is hoping the noise of the tank itself is enough to drown out his constant yammering. But I kid...he's gonna' be a fine young man....and he better be watching out for his mama and helping out when he can.

Communicating. In. Really. Little. Bits.

How many characters does it require to fully establish a thought or premise? The educational system certainly doesn't think of limiting characters--other than what a professor or teacher was willing to read in order to assign a grade, given the numbers of papers they were required to judge. In fact, I seem to recall having requirements for hundreds of words, comprising thousands of characters.

I can't get on board with some of the more popular methods of "staying in touch." Texting, Facebook, Twitter.....a pox on them. Yeah, I know, Shakespeare said "brevity is the soul of wit".....but it is the antithesis of discussion and fully formed thoughts. "Brevity" needs exorcising from the soul of discourse. I think there are serious issues and repercussions to consider, concerning the popularity of short, disjointed, and scattershot blocks of small text.

Visual media feeds information to humans in a format that is carefully designed to excite a particular part of the brain; reducing its "peripheral" abilities in a way. The bright colors and staccato movement of graphics, coupled with short segments, can induce what researchers have found to be a hypnotic effect on many people. I think it also reduces the ability to fully ponder concepts and develop deeper understandings of important issues. Here's an example.....it is May 25, 2009, and the political "flash in the pan", Tea Parties, seems to have dropped off the screen. That was quick. On to the next mass distraction...film at 11:00.

Aside from what happens to cognition in the environment I'm describing, I have another bone to pick about written communications. I happen to think the Golden Rule of writing is to produce one good sentence at a time. That's it; write a good sentence, then follow it with another. Eventually, you'll wind up with a bunch of paragraphs and chapters. It starts with the sentence though. To me, good sentences are a work of art. The spacing, rhythm, and meaning all combine to create a whole greater than its parts. And like creating a sculpture or painting, the elements can be adjusted, altered, and given different "tones", in order to evoke different feelings and meanings. But, like many other fans of the various arts, I am a bit of a style fascist, and old-fashioned to boot. So please, keep the "kewl", "l33t" crap to yourself.....don't send it to me. I would rather you wrote it on a tiny slip of paper, wadded it up, and ate it.

I'll admit, I have a Facebook page......and it's chilling every time I open it. It is the digital equivalent of opening a cold storage drawer at the morgue. Maybe it's me, maybe it's my "friends", maybe it's the medium....but I find no continuity, no real discussion, and very little of what I would describe as "real talk." The last time I looked at it--'bout 30 minutes ago--the phrase "sloganeering" came to mind. It's like looking at a wall full of campaign posters and trying to figure out what the issues might be. Huh?

The Second Dullwitted Musings

How 'bout this? How frickin' dullwitted is it that I forgot about this blog?

Holy smokes....it's like running into a friend you haven't seen in years. Alright....I'm just getting over the shock....give me a bit to work up some content. I'll try to do better than another four years....'kay?