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I would like to get your opinion on something…

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Here’s what I want: I am going to ask you a question, and I want everyone to give me their answers in the form of a comment. Here’s the deal, there are NO wrong answers, but there are answers that will be examined to determine where their epistemological background stems from. No one will be attacked (by me) for their answers, and a follow up post will be posted with a reaction to the consensus.

Ready?

Here’s the question:

If you could describe the state of HIV and AIDS today, how would you describe it? Things to consider: the history of HIV/AIDS, the fact that we are 30 years into the epidemic, treatments available, people that are open about their status, social stigma, the face of AIDS, personal experience with the disease or with people with the disease, life with the disease: better, worse, ?, risk of infection, societal response to the disease, what HIV/AIDS means to you, etc.

Nothing is taboo with regards to what you should consider to answer that question, you can say whatever, and I really want you to be honest; I really want to know what people think about HIV/AIDS right now.

Alright. Give it some thought, but PLEASE give me your opinion. I look forward to your responses!

UPDATE: 3:00pm, perhaps the lack of any response is a testament of how unimportant HIV/AIDS is to people these days? Just a theory, but an interesting one… Still, I hope to get some opinions. No pressure…

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alright kids…

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Let’s play nice, alright?

It has come to my attention that there are people that read my blog, comment on my blog, and want to comment on my blog that feel a certain and specific sense of unnecessary negative attack from those that defend their points so vigorously, that they feel the need to personally attack people, and make others seem like idiots in order to “prove their point”. I wish I didn’t need to say anything, because I honestly believe that when people argue in that style, that it makes them seem like the juvenile ones, or the idiots themselves (since this is the only way they feel they can emerge victorious from debate), but since it has been addressed to me personally by someone who reads my blog, I feel the need to say this:

Don’t attack the people that read or comment my blog personally because they don’t agree with your opinions. Stick to the point, and actually argue your position; by sticking to the subject, and refraining from calling people terrorists because they don’t agree with you, or continually saying “LIBERAL” at the top of your lungs to future hammer home how crazy they are, instead of coming across as a narrow minded asshole, you will actually come across as educated and able to offer a different opinion. This type of debate and dialogue is much more productive in trying to get each side to see the potential for truth in a differing of opinion, and is much more fruitful. Let’s face it, if you say, “I’m right, and you’re wrong because you are a terrorist sympathizing idiotic asshole”, I don’t care if you are pointing out that the sky is blue, you have instantly turned me off to your opinion because you are trying to belittle me into believing it. That doesn’t work, and takes away any ability for you to seem credible and actually argue an opinion that may have factual points. Again, taking a stance with dialogue that does NOT resort to a personal attack on people that may share the same views as I do is essential to future commenting here on this blog; because you don’t have to do that to prove a point… people are more likely to believe you if you stick to the facts and stay away from attacking their intelligence.

So here’s what I want to see in the future: Argue all you want, feel free to say what you want, but please refrain from going for the throat and personally attacking people that don’t agree with you. It makes them want to ignore you, and honestly, it makes you seem like a bully, and in fact, provides us with evidence that a bully is probably what you actually are. I know that you probably don’t want that, and I know that I would rather see a productive dialogue, rather than see a finger pointing shout fest. I personally hope that everyone can hold a certain code of conduct with regards to arguing their opinion, and refrain from personally attacking other people in the future; all under the guise of “well, I’m right and they aren’t”; because it is clear to me, that it is turning people OFF. What we want, instead, is a dialogue, okay?

The best way to get someone to ignore what you are saying is to continually insult them or their intelligence when you argue your points; that is something that needs to be realized and accommodated for in future debates, okay? I hope that this post will foster more productive, and less personally attacking debates; I want everyone to be heard without fear of personal derogatory attacks for no reason other than disagreement. The most important point of this post, is that those personal attacks are not only unnecessary, they are just bullying tactics that people use to defend themselves when they realize they may be wrong, or don’t want to see that someone else could be right. I know that certainly, no one wants that to be the way they come across, now, right?

So, for the future, let’s play nice, kids! Everyone deserves the respect that you are given, so think about that when you argue!

hmm interesting, listen up!, sex (oh yeah), well?

another compelling reason to wear condoms

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Remember how angry I have been over the misuse of information regarding circumcision as a viable option for prevention? Well, now I have an even more compelling reason why condoms always make more sense than misrepresented rhetoric; gonorrhea is now among the drug resistant superbugs, which are diseases that have no, or severely diminished options for treatment. Say what? I’ve known about the very real potential for antimicrobial resistance, but it is happening quicker than expected, as evidenced by this recent finding.

This is pretty scary, because gonorrhea, which is bad enough as it is, is now becoming steadily untreatable. For many, this is obviously not good news, especially because gonorrhea is actually kind of common among sexually active people (straight and gay), and worst of all, having it contributes to your chances of getting HIV. Not only that, it has permanent health problems associated with it, especially since it is becoming more likely to go untreated.

The point here is this; wear a fucking condom. Do it every time. If you don’t, you can end up with all kinds of nasty things, one more of which is becoming almost totally untreatable. Be sure that you know your partner’s status (STDs too!) if you want to go without a safety net, because it is getting serious here folks. Here’s the CDC’s description of complications related to gonorrhea:

Untreated gonorrhea can cause serious and permanent health problems in both women and men.

In women, gonorrhea is a common cause of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). About one million women each year in the United States develop PID. Women with PID do not necessarily have symptoms. When symptoms are present, they can be very severe and can include abdominal pain and fever. PID can lead to internal abscesses (pus-filled “pockets” that are hard to cure) and long-lasting, chronic pelvic pain. PID can damage the fallopian tubes enough to cause infertility or increase the risk of ectopic pregnancy. Ectopic pregnancy is a life-threatening condition in which a fertilized egg grows outside the uterus, usually in a fallopian tube.

In men, gonorrhea can cause epididymitis, a painful condition of the testicles that can lead to infertility if left untreated.

Gonorrhea can spread to the blood or joints. This condition can be life threatening. In addition, people with gonorrhea can more easily contract HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. HIV-infected people with gonorrhea are more likely to transmit HIV to someone else.

We can argue semantics about “more protective” until the cows come home, but this is a solid, and compelling argument for my take on the whole thing; which is WEAR CONDOMS. Protect yourself. Now, if you are sexually active, you have one more thing to think about catching, and you have the ability to be responsible about it. If you are mature enough to have sex, you should be mature enough to protect yourself. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the “maybe it won’t happen to me because of xyz” crap. Just do the responsible thing already! Wear condoms, okay!?

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they are the poor and the homeless; not the lazy

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Do people really think that people are poor, live in poverty, or are homeless because they are too lazy to do anything about it? I ask, because I know that there are a few readers and commenters that have either hinted that they believe this, or have stated it repeatedly. While I do always welcome comments and opinions here on this blog, I also ask this question, because it upsets me that people over simplify serious issues in this manner, in order to justify their beliefs and make themselves feel better about the problem. I ask this, because I couldn’t just let it go without saying what I truly think and feel about this subject. And so, this blog post is born.

To begin, I will illusrate just a few of the real reasons why we have poverty and homelessness in this country:

  • mental illness
  • lack of affordable health care
  • lack of jobs that pay living wages
  • addiction
  • veterans that lack the support they require upon returning home wounded
  • domestic violence
  • bad luck (living paycheck to paycheck, and then something bad happens you can’t control)
  • accidents (which coincides with the lack of affordable health care, as well as bad luck)
  • lack of ability to compete for living wages (education, or more importantly, the lack thereof)
  • disability
  • decrease in public assistance for those that need it

The sad fact is, that these are just a few of the reasons people are living in poverty, or are homeless. Are these all of the reasons? No. But, you have to realize and understand that not all people start out with the same opportunities in life. The American dream is not real for most people, and most will never truly see a rags to riches story written about their lives. Many people that live in this country live paycheck to paycheck, with little or no savings in the bank; barely making ends meet to feed their family, and themselves. If something happens, something unexpected, something that you cannot afford, you have to choose; what goes? Power? Food? Clothes? Home? Car? These are the real facts that many people face everyday. Working more isn’t going to solve this problem. If you are sick, you can’t work, and if you can’t work, you can’t get the medical attention you need to get better. It is a vicious cycle. The fact is, that these people aren’t lazy. They aren’t looking for a free hand out or a free ride. They are looking to survive.

Without decent wages, affordable housing, and a chance, they won’t. They can’t. The system, that is, our capitalistic system, is built to exploit and forget about them. But it doesn’t have to be that way. First we use them for jobs that we won’t do, and then we turn a blind eye to their troubles, all the while those at the top of those very exploitative corporations cash multi-million dollar annual paychecks. Again, many of these people aren’t lazy at all; working two jobs just to make ends meet and still, they can’t get a leg up. They work and try, but yet, they can’t seem to get out of debt, and are at a constant risk of losing their homes. If they get sick, it could result in a loss of everything.

Sure, there are people that are lazy out there that are looking for a hand out. In fact, there are many lazy people that lucked out, and got all the money and power that they could ever want or need from their families. They did absolutely no work for it, they just happened to be born to the right people at the right time. And there are those that are too lazy to do anything that live in poverty, too; but I refuse to allow people to classify all people suffering from the effects of poverty and homelessness as lazy. Lazy is not a cause of poverty, lazy is a choice, lazy can change. Blaming homelessness and poverty on laziness is sheltered and ignorant. Survival isn’t as easy as “don’t be lazy”.

I write this because I was upset at some comments that transpired on previous posts about homeless people and people that live in poverty in this country. Mainly, it really pisses me off that people don’t realize that there are any number of contextual factors that contribute to a person’s daily life, and they continue to deny these things to justify their own selfish beliefs. If you truly believe that all poverty-stricken people, and all homeless people are the cause of their own problems, and are all just looking for a hand out, you are not only out of touch with reality, you are obviously not cognizant of the fact that each and every one of us, given a shitty set of circumstances, could end up right where these people are.

I know that I don’t have tons of money in the bank, and if a myriad of problems were to suddenly occur, I could be facing many of these problems. In fact, we all could (at least, those of us not lucky enough to be born with a silver spoon in our mouths). But the reality that I could face poverty or homelessness isn’t because I am lazy, it is because this is the way the world works, and sometimes, it isn’t enough to just want to survive.

Sometimes, as a part of calling ourselves a society, we have to help those that cannot help themselves. We have to empower those that do not have the voice to empower themselves. If we don’t, we will never truly respect that delicate balance in which we too are a part of; you never know when you are going to be the one in need. You never know when you are going to need that hand to help you up, and hopefully, it won’t happen to you, but realizing that it does happen doesn’t have to go unnoticed and unaddressed. We can help, and we should. If for no other reason than because we can. Sure, there are those that will exploit the system, but they are not the majority. Turning your back on everyone because of them is cruel and merciless. I just can’t let it go that the richest nation in the world can turn a blind eye to these problems; the problems of its own people.

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shame on you Out magazine

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I don’t really know how I should feel about this, other than, I think that it is pretty messed up. Neither Anderson Cooper, nor Jodie Foster have publicly come out of the closet, and I don’t think that Out Magazine should be doing it for them. I personally would be extremely offended and freaked out if I were outed without my permission, and without my consent, especially on the cover of a national magazine. Sure, they MAY or may not be gay [retracted], but, either way, that is their press conference to hold; not Out Magazine’s. Bad form, Out Magazine, bad form. I know that it is important to have gay figures in society, and especially, in the public eye, but it is not right to go around outing people that, for whatever reason, have chosen not to come out publicly themselves. Not everyone needs to be pressured into a situation where they have to air their private lives in the tabloids. If Jodie and Anderson are true to themselves, and comfortable in their lives, and are out to their friends and lovers, it is up to them to choose who to share that information with.

What do you think? Do you think that Out was out of line? Or, do you think that because it is pretty clear that both Anderson and Jodie are gay, that it is Out’s privilege to push them out of the closet and proclaim them as gay to the world? I personally would be deeply offended if I were in their position; not because they were smearing my name or saying anything wrong about me, but because they took the extremely personal thing of coming out, out of my hands. Again, what do you think?

hmm interesting, is it just me?, listen up!, politics, well?

funding vs. veto: where to really point your finger

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Mr. Bush, if you veto a FUNDING bill, then YOU are the one that is denying the troops funding. The bill is giving them money, and for that money to forward, YOU have to okay it. Since you haven’t come up with any plan other than “this is unacceptable” and “we aren’t leaving”, I suggest that you realize how hypocritical it is for you to continually say you support the troops when you take actions like this. The blame for the troops not getting the funding they need, and are being offered by the Congress, lies solely on your Mr. President. Your veto is a strong statement; it says loud and clear that you cannot accept responsibility for anything as complicated as rational thought and rational decision making, and that you, above all, do not support the troops, and do not want to give them the funding they need and deserve. Passing the buck here isn’t going to work. (link)

I for one hope that Congress doesn’t back down. I say, that if Bush does veto it, then that’s fine, just make sure that people realize that he had a funding bill sitting in front of him, one that would have given the troops the funding they needed, and he turned it down. HE turned it down. Ridiculous. But then, so too is the logic these people use, right? I for one am sick of this mess. Either give them the funding they need, and be realistic and realize that the American people want to actually get out of Iraq, or be your usual “head in the sand”-self, and pretend that you are the “decider”. I just hope that this time, credit is given where credit is due, and this isn’t blamed on the Democrats (who, again, are offering funding). Offering a funding mechanism that the President turns up his nose to and refuses is NOT taking money away from the troops, at least, not on the part of those offering up the dough. THIS JUST IN… Apparently, Bill O’Reilly is the voice of those idiots I was speaking of, that think that this has anything to do with the Democrats “holding up funding”:

Americans fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan are caught in the middle of a nasty political brawl between President Bush and the Democratic party. Democrats led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi want a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. The president says that’s a foolish military strategy and will not do it, so the Democrats are holding up military funding. (source… I know it is hard to link fauxnews, but that’s where the idiocracy is…)

Hey Bill, sweetness, um, Bush is holding up the funding, the Democrats are trying to give them the money. And it isn’t just the Democrats, it is the Congress. Be a peach and gain some perspective, mmmkay?
Also, this is hilarious how completely daft these people are:

Harry Reid is wrong to force a timetable and try to cut funding at this moment. He and Speaker Pelosi are putting American troops in a very bad position.

Can anyone explain to me how PROPOSING FUNDING is CUTTING IT? Or better yet, how it is DENYING funds??? Wow. Can’t. See. Past. Own. Bullshit. Wow, we really do have a long way to go if these are the people that are running the world. Perhaps there needs to be another “i” and one less “n” in running… (ruining anyone)?

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buying a computer may just be…

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…one of the most stressful and frustrating things that you can do in life. I have been looking for several hours at different features, different prices, and different brands, trying to make a choice that I won’t regret. What I have found out, other than realizing that I don’t really want to buy one, is that there is absolutely no solid consensus on which brand/model is better, and why. Even consumer reports finds that the difference isn’t significant between the top brands (with of course, the exception being Apple).

While I would love to get an Apple, I simply cannot afford it, and I sit here scratching my head, wondering which PC would be the best for me. I have had HP in the past, and only started to hate it once it started getting slower and slower. That was a result of time, I know, but the damn thing still works, and it was purchased in 1998. So I guess that is saying something personally for HP. BUT, James has a Dell, and loves it. No complaints. Other people want to piss on Dell, so there is no consensus as to which of the two is better. And then you have to consider that there is Gateway, eMachines, IBM, etc, out there, that may or may not be any better; again, can’t seem to find a consensus.

Overall, buying a new PC, something that I thought I would really look forward to, as my slow ass laptop leaves me more frustrated with every click of that iTunes icon, has turned out to be a solid example of frustration. Major frustration. I am going up to Best Buy to see if I can make any progress with a Geek Squad person, but I am sure that they are just going to try and up-sale me on a system that I don’t need.

Are there any computer experts out there that have a definitive word as to which computer would make for the best purchase? I don’t do any gaming with my PC, and I use it mostly for photo editing, mp3s, and the internet. I also tend to watch videos, but that is usually late at night, if you know what I mean. I don’t need anything super powered, but I want something that will run pretty fast, and do it every time. I want a machine that won’t break the day after the service plan expires, and I want one that will actually run the fucking “standard” Windows Vista. Do you have any answers to quiet my frustrated mind?

An appropriate response will not include any of the following:
“dude, just buy an apple.”
“I hate _______.”
“I have never had a problem with mine, but I haven’t really heard anything else either”.
“have you checked consumer reports?”
“get a ____, I work there!”

Alright, there it is. Let me know what you think. It should also be said that I have a Toshiba laptop which has been a gem of a computer, but they don’t seem to do much in the way of desktops, which is what this whole quest is centered on finding. I just hope that I can find something that will make me happy, and not take my wallet through the ringer in the process.

HELP!

BIG ASS UPDATE: So, um, should I just say FUCK IT, and go with a Mac Mini? I mean shit, it is only $50 more than the HP I am looking at. Seriously. Who thinks that is the best idea?

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can’t there be some sort of happy medium?

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NYC condomsRight now, there is a debate going on over at my flickr page, on a specific photo that I posted of the new NYC sponsored condoms. While I know that there are varying opinions on whether or not the government has a stake in providing either health care or public health services to the people of this country, I honestly wonder; why can’t there be a happy medium? I mean, seriously, if you think government sponsored prevention programs are a bad idea, then you obviously don’t understand the impact that they have on health care. If you can prevent disease, you don’t have to treat it! (hence why I think the NYC condoms are such an amazing and awesome idea and execution of that idea!)

Most of the people that argue against public sponsored health care and public health services don’t believe that there should be any government support. A lot of people that are in the opposite camp, who are for those services, think that they should be available to everyone. I want to ask, why can’t there be a solution that falls somewhere between all and nothing? Sure, socialized medicine in theory is a great idea; everyone is taken care of. But, as dave, and others that believe what he believes about socialized medicine correctly point out, there are inherent problems when the government tries to take over and control something that it doesn’t really know how to do. Case and point: medical services for troops and veterans. Talk about a huge fuck up. And that is not what we want for everyone in the country.

Unfortunately, those fuck ups are then used to smear the idea of having any assistance from the government for public health services, and that is something I don’t understand. The main reason I don’t understand it, is because if you look at the countries that have socialized medicine, while it may not be the best possible solution, they far exceed our mortality rates, infant deaths, life expectancies and so on. It is obvious, that overall, government involvement in providing public health services does have a net benefit. So why can’t we take what we know (the government can fuck it up) and use that to come up with a happy medium that isn’t all (everyone must use government sponsored health care), or nothing (fuck em if they can’t afford it on their own)?

I wonder this, because my own personal views of public health and government supported health care come from a place of extensive education and research. I work for the top government public health organization, and have a masters degree of study that was mainly focused on public health. In addition to that focus, my masters degree focuses even more on what happens when the application of that public health means well, but goes wrong, or, in even worse situations, when it is ignored, and not provided at all. Speaking as someone who is very well educated in the subject, I think that it is ignorant to think that the government does not have any stake in providing people with some public health and health care services. Currently, the services that are provided are good in many respects, but are really awful in other areas. I think that it wouldn’t be very difficult to have governmental support in the areas that are bad, and that would provide for those that need the support. This does not equal total government support in the least; what it does do, is it helps those that need it get it.

Isn’t that what society is for? If everyone went around with the attitude of, “me, me, me, me!”, then we wouldn’t be able to function as a society. With specific regards to public health and health care services, the government does provide some services, and SHOULD, because if you want to support and maintain a society with a thriving economy, you must consider and support the health of the people that a part of that system. If you rely solely on charitable support for your health care, you will never get anywhere near what people truly need, as most of the people that have the money to give large charitable donations will never give enough to adequately cover what tax dollars can cover. Everyone can benefit from a government sponsored public health and health care services plan, which would include things like insurance changes, regulations on doctor fees, lowering of prescription prices, and so on. I just don’t see why a happy medium is such a bad thing.

The only people that I can see that would be so against this happy medium that I am suggesting (which again, does NOT include forcing everyone to have government sponsored health care), are people that don’t care about anyone other than themselves. It is interesting to me that these are the people that usually tout charitable donations as the solution (sorry to call you out dave), because being so selfish obviously means you wouldn’t be giving charitable donations. It is like saying, the solution would be to color it red, and you are the only one in the room with a red crayon, and you are unwilling to share it, or color it red yourself. That is not only selfish, it is undeserving of being a member of society in my opinion. We have to sacrifice things to be a part of society, sacrifice things to the one body that can govern and protect us. That body is the government, and while I too don’t agree with what all of our tax dollars go to, I think that public health is one of the most critical and substantially important places that money should be going to, and some sort of government involvement in that is not only required, but expected. To suggest otherwise is negligent, in my opinion.

Now, I know you are itching to, so go ahead and rip me a new one. I know that you may disagree, and that is fine, these are our opinions after all. We are entitled to them. This is mine. It isn’t like what is said here will become the policy of the government, even though I hope that some form of what I have stated could eventually find its way into our current policies. To be quite frank, I also think that it is a good thing that these opinions will not become policy, with specific regard to the thought that government has no place in providing public health services! I write this, because I truly don’t understand how the richest and most powerful nation in the country can turn its back on the citizens that live here. Those people are not entitled to anything more than anyone else, but they are also not to be denied anything that everyone else may have (and do have) a better chance at receiving. If you believe that everyone has the ability to get whatever they want (the “American dream”), then this argument is falling on deaf ears, because you have decided to tune out what is really going on in this country (and throughout the world) long ago. I only hope that one day, each side of this argument can find a way to come together and simply provide what is needed. THAT is what will make for stronger society. That is what will make for better and more robust economy. And that is what will make us stronger and better as a nation.

Continuing to go in the direction of wealth, power, and destruction at all costs, even the cost of our own citizens, will ultimately be our own demise. We will not need terrorists to destroy us, we will destroy ourselves. We are already doing it. And that is scary, but real.

is it just me?, listen up!, politics, tragic, venting, well?

and how is that any different from the last 4 years?

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Bush is getting all prissy pants, and saying that he will definitely veto the bill that Congress is putting forward, because, wait for it, it has conditions that he doesn’t like. He demands that the bill have no strings or he will certainly veto it. Um, listen you little cry baby, you don’t get to make all of the decisions! Congress and the Senate were also elected BY US, and they represent us when you get all high and mighty. Don’t forget that.

Also, I love that he is all,

The secretary of defense has warned that if Congress does not approve the emergency funding for our troops by April 15, our men and women in uniform will face significant disruptions — and so will their families. (source)

So, Mr. Bush, can you please explain to me how their lives haven’t faced significant disruptions up until now? How is this any different? Sending your son or daughter into a war zone is a significant disruption. Telling a troop that they are going into battle when they have not received proper military combat training is not only amazingly like a death sentence, I would beg to use rationality to realize that it is at least disruptive to that troop.

Additionally, Bush said that he was worried that this spending bill would deflect funds away from providing the troops with the supplies that they need.

UH, seriously? So you are telling me, that for the last 4 years we have been providing the troops with everything they need? Wow. You are way more in the dark than I had previously thought. Why not, instead of keeping your head so firmly buried in the sand, listen to the many men and women that are screaming at the top of their lungs about this war. Listen to the troops that you say you are so concerned about. LISTEN! (Where’s Beyonce when you need her?!) Stop your namby-pamby priss priss crap, and be a real man. A real man doesn’t pout when he doesn’t get his way, and stomp his foot saying that he will veto a bill because “it’s not fair!”. That is so 3rd grade, Mr. Bush, and it is scary enough that you run the country, but to think that you are acting like a 3rd grader is even more frightening.

For the sake of the troops and their families… LISTEN!!!!

Also, for anyone of the Republicans and conservatives that are saying the most awful and slanderous things about Edwards and his wife, you should be supremely ashamed of yourself. If this is an example of what it means to show compassion the Christian way, I want nothing to do with Christianity. I thought Christianity was supposed to be there for your neighbor, and show love and compassion when someone is in a time of need, NOT go around making fun of a woman that is in the 4th stage of metastasized cancer. That is not only heartless, it is disgusting. Edwards deserves a break on this one, because I know that if my partner was going through what his wife is going through, there is no way that I would even be able to operate properly from day to day, and he and his wife have decided to still campaign. If you were really Christians, you would feel sympathy for his wife, and have nothing but the utmost respect and support for their family. Because they are truly in a time of need. Shame on you.

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ways to make yourself extremely frustrated

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Update: Good grief. More frustration just in: Here’s another way to get frustrated; you realize that these are the people that are leading the country, and that they probably think that this is true. Tony Snow says that the Congress doesn’t have oversight of what the White House does. Hmm… I’m pretty sure that is the point of having a Congress, but then again, I’m not the press secretary, so maybe I got it wrong. Frustrating indeed. I guess we could just get rid of Congress you know, and then Bush could be the dictator he always wanted to be. That way, no one would be able to weigh in on any decisions that he makes, and he could just do whatever he wanted! Geez… what tyrants these boys keep proving themselves to be!

Right now, the number one way I am making myself frustrated, is trying to figure out how to change some of the things on my blog template. I feel like the side bar is extremely cluttered, and I wanted to get a drop down menu thing going on for the categories and the archives. But it doesn’t seem to be a solution out there that doesn’t require me to be an expert at PHP. I have toyed around with all of the suggestions I could find, and ended up more frustrated than anything, because nothing worked. Also, I don’t know if you have seen the files for the wordpress theme K2 or not, but when I click on edit, and it displays the code, I start to have the shakes and go into a pre-convulsive state.

I managed to learn quite a lot when I first started blogging, mainly, updating my HTML skills to moderate from easy, and learning all I could about CSS. The result was that I was able to edit and develop the template that I liked the most, and I was even lucky enough to stumble onto helpful solutions (the same drop down menu problem as now, was solved before). But I just feel lost right now. I mean, PHP seems SOOO confusing to me, mainly because it is this completely foreign code. I totally get CSS, but PHP is miles above my head.

Is there anyone out there that feels my frustration and wants to lend a helpful hint as to how I can A) learn some PHP so that I can do this myself, and B) point me in a direction where I will be able to find the solution? I am tired of going around in circles on the forums trying to see if anyone else has the same issue, only to see that they too never got it resolved.

I am also interested in maybe designing my own template, not because I don’t like K2 (because I really do), but because I don’t want to be limited in the future because of this template.

And that’s where I am sitting at this Friday afternoon. I hope everyone else is have a good day. One final note, yesterday, James and I met some old friends for beers after work, and it was definitely a great time. All of us haven’t gotten together in quite a while, and it was really nice to reconnect, and it made me realize that it has been too long. I hope that this is a sign that we will all start doing more things together, because good friends are certainly hard to come by, and when you have them, life is good.