Sanitys Limit

Less than the Dust of the Earth

“And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth.”

I want you to ponder on this thought for a moment. Think about what this means to you. Ask yourself if you see this as a sign of weakness or a strength? What does it mean to you personally? I don’t wish to suppose myself as an authority on the subject, therefore I do not wish to tell you what is the correct interpretation, (at least today) but I think it is an important topic to regularly ponder on.

Ask yourself:

Where do I stand?
Who do I want to be?
How far from that person am I?
Am I moving towards that goal today?

You may have answered these questions many times, but let’s make it a bit more interesting shall we? Ask yourself the same questions, execpt ask them from their point of view. How do others perceive you? If your spouse, child, friend, neighbor, or family member had to answer these same questions about you, would they be the same answers you would give? Are you the same person inside that you are outside?

Self reflection is important, as is understanding how the world views you. Of course, in the end, others cannot be perfect judges of your own feelings and actions, but they can keep us honest.

True happieness comes from realizing who we are, and what our purpose is. True happieness comes from the realization of what our true potential is. Starting from less than the dust of the earth…

It’s All About the Money

It’s true, our economy is having some stress at the moment. No one likes gas prices hovering around the $4.30 range. Companies going out of business, home prices at their all time high and being foreclosed on everywhere. Banks being shut down because they are out of money! Life is crazy. Because we are who we are, we must blame someone. But who? Is it the evil gas companies? What about George Bush? He’s really to blame right? Who is really to blame for all the bankruptcies and credit crunches? Well, here are a few of my thoughts, and you can tell me what you think.

This is really the first time in our recent history that we have had any kind of national or world-wide financial trouble. We are a very forgetful species. Usually it only takes one generation to forget what happened. And because of our forgetful nature, we don’t remember what it is like to really struggle. This kind of memory is at the root of our financial situation. There are many reasons we are here now, and not likely to get out any time soon.

Instead of working for what we want, we work for what we have already got.

Do you realize that we are addicted to debt as a country? If the national debt is not enough proof, our societal habits should be. Everything is about credit. Credit cards, student loans, car loans, home loans, second mortgages, computers, lasic surgery, quick cash, payday, and all the infinite store credit accounts you can get prove we don’t want to work in order to get something we want, but we are constantly working to pay off the debt we already owe. And many times, we are still paying off something we no longer have.

We are encouraged to spend all we have

Not only are we bombarded by constant junk mail on the latest deal for credit (if you call 24% APR a good deal), we are even encouraged by our government to spend all we can. Economic stimulus package? “Here is some free money. Now please go spend it as fast as you can.” Where does that money come from? It comes from us! It is either paid back in taxes, added to the national debt, or printed and inflation goes up. But it’s good for our economy!

Debt is encouraged instead of discouraged

Bankruptcy. Does that word scare you at all? Not much any more. In fact, we can look out over the tightrope and know, that it’s ok if we fall! Go ahaid! Buy a house that you can only afford if you get that raise next year and NOTHING else goes wrong. You can always claim backrupcy if anything happens. In fact, most people will not even penalize you if you have claimed banckrupcy over 3 years ago. I personally know many people that have claimed bankrupcy and some who have 3 or more times. If you know there is no real problem to go too far in debt, there is no fear to make terrible choices.

That used to be a want, but today, it’s a must have

My parents worked for 20 years for what they have. Not only for what they have, but for what I have. No child wants to go down in economic class when they move out for the first time. Cable or satalite TV is a requirement. A new car can be leased so I can afford it. Cell phone, LCD TV, and on and on. These are no longer luxuries that should be worked for, but necissities that can be worked off. I can get it all with one loan.

Is there any suprise why we are in the financial situation we are in. But of course, I am the exception to the law of averages right? I will win the lottery!

Read Between the Lines - Jami Floyd the Bush Hater

I don’t care if you are an Anti-Bush anyone else. But please, just say it as a prelude to you’re “News Cast”. Jami Floyd from CNN gave her last word encouraging everyone to get out and vote. She states that she doesn’t care how you vote, but if you read between the lines, you can see what she really wants.

“…this election is largley about him (George Bush), and his failed policies.”
“For too long, too many of us have have ignored what those in charge have been doing.”

You don’t think she hates the current leadership, does she? And it seems like she believes we all do, or all should as well.

“Instead of talking about ending the war in iraq, fixing our schools, or giving health care to all Americans…”

Hmmm. I wonder where she stands? I really don’t want to quote all she says. Is this really news, or indoctrination? Why do we have to filter the news from someone else’s feelings and what is really happening. Listen closely, and you will see she only gives examples of the states that are big Democrat states in the Primary Election process. Please don’t call it news if it is an editorial comment.

Don’t you love big media? One day, we might actually have a News broadcast be news, instead of having to read between the lines.

(In) God We … Dispise?

SANITY CHECK - Since when is anti-god not a religion of it’s own? Take a look at webster’s dictionary at the definition of religion and you will see something like, “a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices” I am not one to put a lot of faith in a definition (pun intended), but being anti-religion is a religion! Working from that standpoint, when the American Atheists, Inc. bring a lawsuit against the State of Utah for allowing memorials of fallen State Troopers in the form of crosses on public land, it is no more than one religion trying to force their beliefs upon another.

Newsweek.com, and many others, are reporting on the story.

On a highway in southern Utah, midway between Tropic and Cedar City, a mammoth cross marks the place where, 29 years ago this month, state trooper Lynn Pierson was killed by a car thief. Pierson’s son Clint, a 36-year-old county deputy, sees the stark white memorial every time he takes his kids to the local Wal-Mart. “It’s a huge source of pride,” he says. “As a family, it helped us heal.”

The controversy started in December 2005, when American Atheists Inc. filed suit to have the markers removed, arguing that the cross is a universal symbol of Christianity and, when placed on public property, illegal. The lawsuit sparked outrage from the families of fallen officers, other police officers and legislators . Even some atheists went out of their way to dissociate themselves from the Texas-based group.

But that source of pride and healing is now being torn from them. It is not about kindness or concern. It is not about the the government endorsing any particular religion, but it is about someone being offended. Someone no liking what others are doing. The problem stems from those against a memorial (which is in the shape of a cross) don’t care about offending. They don’t care about pushing their own dogma upon others. They don’t care about how much pain they would cause. They don’t care about taking your freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and locking it behind the the intentional wresting of the constitution. In fact, that which they are fighting will be the means by which they succeed. They expect the government to remove one religion and replace it with another. This is, in truth, a perfect example of what the First Amendment created to protect against.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Ahhh. But congress isn’t the group making the change. It is the court system. Another misuse of the courts. “But those crosses should no be on private land!” So I should not allow anything that may have any vague or direct relationship to any religious affiliation to be on public land? Some worship trees, rocks, cats, crosses, the moon, whatever. This is not about a cross. This is about a group of people demanding their voice be more important that the millions that want to just be left alone. This is about Lynn Pierson and his family.

When will this stop? It will not be at a cross. Will I be able to have a cross on my church? It is publicly seen? Will I be told to remove the Angel or star from my Christmas tree because someone will be offended? There are already people being told in apartment buildings they can’t have any religious symbols on trees or other decorations in the hallway of their apartment complex. Will they also make me take mine out of the window because you can see it in the hallway? We will, sooner than later, have to take off In God We Trust from our currency. That’s public property. They just haven’t had the guts to bring a lawsuit against the government yet because they want more precedence, precedence like a cross by the highway.

Myspace Now Blamed for Suicide of a Teenager

By now, many have heard the story of Megan Meier, a 13 year old girl who committed suicide after being dumped by a virtual friend. The accusation was made by her parents, blaming the people behind the fake friend. She has pressed charges and is blaming the people behind the online Josh character for her death. Now, did you notice that this girl was 13 years old? Also, did you know you must be 14 to create a profile on MySpace? And finally, if you read the CNN article carefully, you will notice that it states, “Megan’s mother, who monitored her daughter’s online communications, returned home and said she was shocked at the vulgar language her own daughter was sending.” If Megan’s mother knew her daughter was using MySpace before legally allowed, how does she have a case at all?

This website, as well as many other sites known as “Social Networking” sites started out as something completely different that what they are serving as now. In fact, MySpace was once inteded to simply be a place where emerging musiciens could share their songs and grow their fanbase. But that was then. This is now. They have become a place rampant with deceit, misconceptions, fraud, and perversity.
The stories are everywhere. There is also talk about Cyber Bullying. Here is part of a story out of Marin Independent Journal.

The frustrated parent, whose daughter suffers from epilepsy, could not believe what she saw when she logged onto MySpace and found “Olivia Haters” club pages created by fellow Hill Middle School classmates. When school officials declined to intervene to her satisfaction, Gardner arranged a transfer to a private school.

“This was so hateful and intense, my daughter just started sobbing when we brought up the page,” she said. “Kids are really tearing other kids up with it.”

Please take no offense to this parents… but I know of no other way to say it. You need to get a clue! Do you really understand what your children are part of? Do you really care about what they are doing? So many parents (and I have heard this myself!) truly believe, “… but my daughter would NEVER do that” This is the reality of today. There is no way we can or even should hide ourselves from the world, but proper protection and diligent work will solve the problems. MySpace can be avoided, and in my opinion, should be. Especially for young children with emotional issues. What exactly do you expect to happen when a young girl finds someone to latch onto? My advice? Know exactly what they are getting into. Know exactly where they go and who they talk to. Communicate. Investigate. Consider what the consequences to your lack of involvement and influence can be. Hopefully no one else will find their daughter like Megan was found. But if we all just hoped and did nothing, we would find ourselves with serious problems.

Don’t wait any longer. Don’t worry about their reaction. Be a parent and know what’s going down online or off. Because you can always place the blame on the lack of protection MySpace has on their site, but you will never be able to push your guilt away when the worst happens, and you should have seen it coming and should have done something earlier.

PlayStation 3 sales more than double after price cut (Ummm.. Duhh!)

Sony’s PS3 sales have not been too promising lately. Executives have been apperently scratching their heads wondering why this is. Well, these same Sony Executinves are now touting a “breakthrough” with it’s most recent price drop.

“It’s the breakthrough we’ve been anticipating… We’ve been holding our breath.”

Wow. Holding their breath. I wonder how long it took to figure out their systems were priced a LITTLE to high? $599 for a console game system and some being purchased on eBay for double that astounds me. But when you’re a hard core gamer, you can’t help yourself. Many can, it seems, because the most recent drop in price has the system at $399… still out of my comfort range. Granted, it comes with a Blu-Ray DVD player with it (AND at the moment, you get Spiderman 3), but you can now get those at prices around $200 if you look around. So they wonder why they can’t sell as many as Microsoft or Nintendo? Actually, I think they HAVE to sell them at that price due to the inflated salaries of their marketing executives.

I shouldn’t be too negitive. I truly hope their trend in price dropping continues, because I wouldn’t mind getting one myself. If only to play Heavenly Sword. Wow. That is a ton of fun to play. Good reviews from me. But I am easily amused with Wii Tennis and Bowling.

Marvel Comics Taking on the Web

Here they come. Daredevil, Captain America, Spiderman, and even Black Widow will all be banding together to take down the Web. Marvel Comics has released it’s online comic book collection including many old favorites like All Winners Comics in 1941, The Avengers in 1963, and more recently, The Black Widow in 2006 and a recent release in 2007 of Captain America. They claim to have over 2,700 books currently available and more to come.

We’ve selected some of our favorite titles-thousands of ‘em-to include in our Collection. We’ve included a broad range of characters and fan favorite series, and we’re adding new comics every week. Some of the books are from the recent past, others were originally printed decades ago. As of November 2007 there are over 2,700 books, with more added every week!

The entire catalog is not freely available. After exhausting their free books, you will have to cough up $5.00/mth if you are willing to pay for an entire year in advance. And what do you get for your hard earned dollars?

Marvel Digital Comics are optimized for viewing on your computer screen and are not intended to be printed.

What, precisely, does that mean? It means, “No, you can’t print.” But the comics are “optimized” to view. Thank goodness. We wouldn’t want non-optimized documents flashing across our screen.

Is print really dead? It seems Marvel believes it is getting that way. Marvel is not new to using technology. In fact, they have a great site filled with videos, trailers, previews, and great products. Video may have Killed the Radio Star, but comics have only grown more popular with tech. For example, I am sure I would have ever been able to read these kinds of comic classics… unless… well, I could have, but I may have had to actually step foot into … a library.

Global Warming ‘Greatest Scam in History’ (Can it get any better than that?)

One of my favorite headlines today was found in USA Today titled, Scam, scam, scam, scam . . . I am not sure it can get better than that. The article is about a blog post by John Coleman, the creator and founder of Weather.com, regarding his theories behind Global Warming. You can see his full post on his website ICECAP. I find this most interesting because it won’t be talked about much.

… Global Warming, i.e. Climate Change, is not about environmentalism or politics. It is not a religion. It is not something you “believe in.” It is science; the science of meteorology. This is my field of life-long expertise. And I am telling you Global Warming is a non-event, a manufactured crisis and a total scam. I say this knowing you probably won’t believe a me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning former Vice President of United States. So be it.

I have always been a skeptic of our self-centered, all-powerful opinion of ourselves when in reality we are simply billions of tiny little creatures who believe we are the end all of the universe. I don’t know for sure, but I can’t recall which species caused the end of the ice-age. Talk about global warming… I thing the ice caps got a little smaller then and there wasn’t much man-made ozone emissions at the time.

On the other hand, I am, simply stated, ‘uneducated’ in this arena, so you shouldn’t listen to me in any way. And so, my opinion aside (ya right), it is good reading. There aren’t many willing to put forth another opinion against the popular and powerful. And when they do offer that opinion, they are typically dismissed as off kilter. Well John, you may be crazy, but blog on… blog on.

NBC Direct Beta Launched

NBC has just lunched a beta version of it’s video download service titled NBC Direct. Looking back you always have 20/20 vision it seems, for now it seams clear why NBC decided not to renew it’s contract and left the iTunes scene. I guess if I would have been better at looking, I would have known this was coming because they announced it back in September.

NBC has offered it’s free alternative and allows downloading entire episodes to your computer for playback. It is currently limited to Windows and IE, but there are big plans around the corner.

Future versions of “NBC Direct,” which will roll out over the next several months, will provide expanded platform functionality and will allow DRM (”digital rights management”) protected versions of its programs to be downloaded to Macs and portable devices in addition to PCs.

There are even plans in 2008 to offer high resolution downloads over a “closed P2P distribution network.” Interesting, P2P isn’t so bad no, is it?

Videos will be wrapped is DRM to ensure copyright is safe, but it seems NBC wants to push the technology of video on demand forward.

This Tech Heart Saves Lives

This technological heart saves lives! A story on Utah’s ksl.com is reporting their local hospital, Primary Children’s Hospital, have successfully “hooked up the smallest artificial heart pump into the smallest patient…” an 8 month old named Kaidence McCall Stephenson who is doing wonderfully.

“This technology offers potential for significant improvement over our other types of support we’ve been able to use so far,” explained Dr. Madoline Witte of the mechanical circulatory support department at Primary Children’s Medical Center.

We have gone a far cry further technologically in the medical field alone than the generation before us could have even imagined. With continued research, this same pump will shortly be fully implantable, and the size of four stacked quarters. The pump is called a Berlin Heart, and if you visit their website, the first thing you see is a message stating, “Our products are not FDA approved.” But I am not sure that really matters to little Kaidence or her family… except I am sure her insurance isn’t covering anything!