Took Mom to pay respects to my sister today. It's been two years this weekend, so Mother's Day will always feature suckage around here.

The place was packed, with muchos la raza tailgating paying respects of their own.
Now, write this down, and file it: Whatever happens to me in the future, I hereby request that I am not be laid to rest near a Mexican.

The BBQ's and the beer I can handle. And the companionship might be nice. But it's the boom box mariachis that I can do without.

Thank you.

An Assignment, Should You Choose To Accept It

I thought I was going to see a standard issue Death Wish movie but nothing about this is standard issue.

And nowhere close at all to Jody Foster's "Chick Wish" of a couple years ago, so just put that one out of your head (I'm still wishing I could).

Check out the trailer: Acts Of Violence

I would especially like Brian, Amanda, and maybe even RW take a look-see sometime this week, and we can discuss my upcoming review.
Anybody else is free to see it too, of course, but this movie is more for the film buff, and not for everybody.

Very limited release, in the art house genre. You have to look for it. And in my opinion, be it ever so humble, this one needs some attention.

National Day Of Prayer

Some controversy lately concerning the National Day Of Prayer. I know some Christians were frosted at the President's not taking part, at least publicly, last year.

I guess he's changing his ways this year, a little bit maybe? I'm not paying that close attention.

And then there is this court ruling that says the National Day Of Prayer is unconstitutional. That's funny, coming from a court system that uses oaths made upon Bibles as official swearing-in ceremonies.

It's bullshit to say that Congress can declare such inane things as National Dairy Goat Awareness Day, but National Day Of Prayer is off limits when chaplains are on the federal payroll, "In God We Trust" graces our currency, and references to the Creator embellish our founding documents and national monuments.

Now, all that aside...

As a Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever...

Wouldn't it be better if all the churches and temples and whatever just co-ordinated among themselves to hold vigils or prayer meetings in a display of national/cultural unity on one particular day of the year without the government needing to get involved?

Will God hear our prayers more clearly because Franklin Graham is praying with federal blessings?

Does anybody need any President to serve as national imam, even if only for a day?

True Practice, True Faith and True Intentions cannot be decreed. I think these things are better encouraged, and they should be, by those who truly feel them.

And not by politicians who would just soon sell their own souls for power and influence as readily as they would preen for approval from the faithful.

Racists Exposed

OK, so there's this boycott of Arizona going on.
Whenever an economy gets pinched, who suffers first?

It's the laborors at the bottom of the skills chart.
People with less money don't pay for car washes, and start mowing their own lawns. Those with higher means let the nanny and housekeeper go.
Many times to be replaced with a wetback who will do it cheaper then the previous immigrant.

You ever seen a bidding war among lawn mower pushers? I have. And it gets even nastier when there aren't enough lawns to go around.

No traveling to Arizona means nobody needed to change the sheets at the hotel, or bus the tables in the restaurants.

So, it looks to me like the brown people, even the legally documented ones, are most likely to get hurt.

The economic downturns don't check for papers. The boycott is racist. And those calling for it are racists.

No Comment

I'm borrowing an idea from RW, because sometimes the stories write themselves:

Mother defends breastfeeding her five-year-old

A mother who still breastfeeds her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son has defended her actions as "what nature intended".

Stella Onions, 45, said children should be weaned naturally until their baby teeth fall out to help fully develop their immune system.

She breastfeeds Josephine, five, and Zac, three, and said despite it making some people feel uncomfortable, the health benefits are vital.

"Lots of studies have been done and in general babies fed on formula are more likely to get gastric infections and urinary and respiratory problems.

"Some studies even suggest that there is an increased risk of certain childhood cancers.

"Also women who don't breastfeed have a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

"When you breastfeed your body releases a feel good hormone which calms the mother and current research is investigating if it helps with post natal depression."

Mrs Onions, from Ludlow, Shrops, said she had time to feed her children because she home schools them, and said their friends think nothing of it.

She said: ""My children's friends have seen them at my breast. They both come and ask for 'Mummy milk'. But nobody says anything bad about it.

"Nature sorts it out for you. When children lose their milk teeth between five and eight years, their jaw shape changes slightly and they lose the ability to suckle. That is when their immune system is fully developed.

"So nobody is going to be breastfeeding teenagers."

The issue of older children being breastfed was lampooned in the television show Little Britain, where a grown up man constantly demanded milk from his mother's breast.

But Mrs Onions insisted children should be weaned naturally for as long as possible.

She said: "I grew up in South Africa where the women see breasts as something to feed your children with, not something sexual.

"Some people are squeamish about it, especially in public, but you wouldn't throw a blanket over a sheep feeding a lamb in a field would you? It's what nature intended."

She has designated one breast for each child - the right one for Josephine and the left for Zac - and while they use to feed together they now drink separately.

She is now campaigning to get more mothers to breast feed and plans to launch a magazine to be distributed to ante natal clinics.

She added: "I am not trying to make mums feel guilty about not breast feeding, but you can't ignore study after study."

LINK

Back To The Eighties

This is semi-similar to The Hangover: Forty-something friends come together in an attempt to relive their youth while chasing booze and broads.

It all starts when one of the buddies attempts suicide and the other two decide to take him, and themselves, off to some mountain resort, the same one they visited 20+ yrs ago.

Back then it was a happening place, but are surprised to find it has become rundown and slummy. Definitely not the party heaven of their memories.

While hot tubbing the first night, and electrical malfunction occurs, and they four are transported back to 1986.

Up to this point, the movie is a bit of a drag.

Now things get interesting, as they try to figure out how this happened, and most importantly, try to get back.

It now becomes 'Back To The Future'-ish. They don't want to change history, (or do they?), so the friends make sure the do everything they did that fateful night back in 1986, (or do they?).

If you were cognizant in the 80's, you will love the musical score, the flashbacks to hair metal, and the awful fashions.

And I realized last night just how goofy the fashions were. This movie has it all down to a 'T'.Pathetic, you all were. Yes, you.

And you all should be ashamed of yourselves.(Not me, as I refused fashion at birth and have held true to myself ever since.)

It's a good movie, a great time, and, like I said, you'll love the music.

But You Can't Just Round Em Up...