Archive for in General
Military Abuse & Disparity
A friend of mine sent this to me and after serving 8 plus years active-duty U.S. Army (E-6, Staff Sgt.) and 8-plus years Air Force Civil Service (GS-12) this makes me cringe to think how we are treating our veterans today. This is worth republishing:
By Rush Limbaugh:
“I think the vast differences in compensation between victims of the September 11 casualty and those who die serving our country in Uniform are profound. No one is really talking about it either, because you just don’t criticize anything having to do with September 11. Well, I can’t let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.
If you lost a family member in the September 11 attack, you’re going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.?
If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get $833 a month until you remarry. And there’s a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt. (more…)
Religious Hypocrites
Yellow Tang
Sometimes I feel people are hypocrites, especially those that ask you to help promote their workshops and then they stab you in the back, though that’s another story and they know who they are and they won’t get that help again. Now, that said, what is it with people that have those religious symbols on the back of their cars and are clearly breaking the law when they pass you at high-speeds?
Perhaps it’s road-rage in another form, like religious road-rage racing down the roadways. Perhaps they go to church to be like the Jones’ but in reality are using it as a front. Perhaps it’s the same person that stands tall at church and spends monthly fees downloading porn. Perhaps it’s those that bang their spouses around but donate to the battered women’s crisis center. Perhaps it’s those that will pick a seedless grape from the vine at the grocery store and not pay for it. Perhaps its those that buy lotto tickets too as they feel it’s not luck, just supporting the local economy.
I think this weekend I’ll accidentally turn into a strip bar parking lot and count how many fish on the back of cars I see, should be an interesting experiment. What’s your thoughts, I dare you, thanks, rg sends!
The Rich Man’s Pawn Shops
It’s funny how perceptions change during trying times. If someone were to say they’re headed to a pawnshop to sell an old television because they wanted to replace it with a new one, some might think people are really hocking their television for some quick cash. Still others might believe the only people that pawn personal property are drug abusers or thieves.
It’s those perceptions that lead to creative ways to stay politically correct during these trying times we all face today. What I discovered on my recent trip to Florida while speaking at FotoFusion in Delray Beach are what’s called second-hand resale shops, or the once rich man’s pawn shops. (more…)
Where is Hispain?
What is it with labels today? Whether I’m filling out a form or application for something, or just get introduced to someone by a friend, the question always arises, are you Hispanic?
If there is one person not to ask is if I’m Hispanic. First of all, I was born in Texas. I’m a Texan and an American of Latin descent. Ask me if I’m a Latino before you ever ask me if I’m Hispanic. Why should someone born in the good ole U S of A who served proudly and patriotically in the U.S. Army, active-duty, for over 8-years and served over 8-years in the Federal civil workforce for the U.S. Air Force be labeled Hispanic or anything else? (more…)
Have It Your Way, 9-inches Works
People magazine provides a colorful 2-page spread and article in their Jan. 12 issue that plugs author Alex Bogusky’s “9-Inch Diet” book which became available at most book stores this week. This weight-loss and diet themed issue of People is fatter than normal as it’s double-thick. People fails to mention in their article that Bogusky’s day-job is partially funded by major clients like Burger King and Domino’s Pizza.
What’s even funnier, according to Advertising Age, “In referencing the obnoxiously large portions that are responsible for growing butts in the U.S., the article depicts McDonald’s fries and drinks as examples.” They further state, “…the adman blames gigantic portions for the country’s obesity epidemic, offering as the cure smaller plates. ” (more…)
Now that is just wrong, Guns?
Now hopefully you’ve gone through our style-guide post to get an idea where I’m going with this post. The question is simple, is it a gun or weapon? Is your rifle a gun or a weapon? Is your pistol a gun, weapon or better yet, a handgun?
According to my old-faithful Associate Press Stylebook under the word-entry guns, it states, “See weapons.” So as I flip the pages over and land on weapon, I find, “Gun is an acceptable term for any firearm.” But the next sentence disturbs me, it states, “Note the following definitions and forms in dealing with weapons and ammunition….”
When I served for over 8-years, active-duty, in the U.S. Army we did annual weapons qualifications. It’s a mandate, you must qualify annually with your assigned, personal weapon to stay in the Army. Notice I used the word weapon(s) twice, I never mentioned gun(s) even though I qualified with the M2HB Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun. In the Army, every firearm is a weapon and your personal weapon is never referred to as a gun. The only time we were allowed to use the word gun was when we were describing “crew-served” weapons.
Confused? This will have an effect on you…
No matter how often we edit, re-edit, have someone else edit, then re-edit again, even through draft than final stages, there is no perfectly written story or article—things just get missed sometimes. Some of that is often left to the subjectivity of editors. One editor may prefer you state “…the sky is blue” while another editor might prefer for you to write “…the blue skies.” However, where most editors agree is that all writers should follow some type of style guide for uniformity.
Style guides, manuals and books come in many forms, those for college research papers and those for media publication. In college one professor may require you to use the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers while another professor my prefer The Chicago Manual of Style. A media publication will require you write using the Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law.
Now don’t get confused, style guides are used for accurate formatting and “style” of a document or manuscript and differs from actual “writing style” of an author. Think of it in this manner, all photography books will preach some type of basics, fundamentals and rules of photography, but each photographer has her or her own “shooting style.”
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Fire-Safe Cigarettes? Oxymoron?
As of Thursday, Jan. 1st, twenty-two states have enacted laws that require stores to sell cigarettes that are fire-safe and slow-burning. While I’ll be the first to tell you cigarette smoke and smoking are bad for your health, I’ll also tell you I sometimes use cigarettes, thanks to the dirty habit I picked up while serving as an active-duty soldier for the U.S. Army years ago. But now the new cigarettes are coated with an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer emulsion? A chemical found in material safety data sheets and labeled in a Group 2 status by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a carcinogenic.
In fact, before my time and more during my father’s military time when he served in the Army during the Korean War, the soldiers were provided cigarettes with their food rations while on deployments. I’m not going to rehash what’s been settled in the legal system about the tobacco company conspiracies, but I will ask you, especially if you’re a smoker, do you agree with these new “fire-safe” cigarettes?
The claim from the Coalition for Fire-Safe Cigarettes is that about 800 Americans die each year from fires caused by careless smokers. The coalition also claims that number will be reduced in half by these new cigarettes. Based on the known fact that over 50% of statistics are made up, I’m not sure how they derived those numbers, but what I’m sure about is that these laced cigarettes are probably going to produce more harm to a greater number of smokers than the harm they already incur.
Handling Annoying Phone Calls
I’ve found many methods on handling those annoying phone calls. One of my all time favorites, just don’t answer if you don’t recognize the number. If it’s that darn important, they will leave a message with a call back number–and if I give a crap, I’ll return their call.
Sometimes I like to answer it just for the heck of it too. Sometimes I’ll just answer it, if it’s an idiot I don’t care to talk to, just keep saying “Hello, hello, hello” of course they’ll do one of two things, either hang up and not call again, or try again thinking it’s a bad connection.
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