1: Cockalorum
Definition: a boastful and self-important person; a strutting little fellow
About the word: If cockalorum suggests a crowing cock, that's because cockalorum probably comes from kockeloeren – an obsolete Dutch dialect verb meaning "to crow."
2: Lickspittle
Definition: a fawning subordinate; a suck-up
About the word: Lick plus spittle says it all: someone who licks another person's spit is pretty low indeed. Incidentally, lickspittle keeps company with bootlicker ("someone who acts obsequiously").
3: Smellfungus
Definition: an excessively faultfinding person
About the word: The original Smelfungus was a character in an 18th century novel. Smelfungus, a traveler, satirized the author of Travels through France and Italy, a hypercritical guidebook of that time.
4: Snollygoster
Definition: an unprincipled but shrewd person
About the word: The story of its origin remains unknown, but snollygoster was first used in the nasty politics of 19th century America. One definition of the word dates to 1895, when a newspaper editor explained "a snollygoster is a fellow who wants office, regardless of party, platform or principles...."
5: Ninnyhammer
Definition: ninny; simpleton, fool
About the word: The word ninny is probably a shortening and alteration of "an innocent" (with the "n" from "an" getting transferred to the noun) and "hammer" adds punch. Writers who have used the word include J.R.R. Tolkien in the Lord of the Rings trilogy: "You're nowt but a ninnyhammer, Sam Gamgee."
6: Mumpsimus
Definition: a stubborn person who insists on making an error in spite of being shown that it is wrong
About the word: Supposedly, this insult originated with an illiterate priest who said mumpsimus rather than sumpsimus ("we have taken" in Latin) during mass. When he was corrected, the priest replied that he would not change his old mumpsimus for his critic's new sumpsimus.
7: Milksop
Definition: an unmanly man; a mollycoddle (a pampered or effeminate boy or man)
About the word: Milksop literally means "bread soaked in milk." Chaucer was among the earliest to use milksop to describe an unmanly man (presumably one whose fiber had softened). By the way, the modern cousin of milksop, milquetoast, comes from Caspar Milquetoast, a timid cartoon character from the 1920s.
8: Hobbledehoy
Definition: an awkward, gawky young man
About the word: Hobbledehoy rhymes with boy: that's an easy way to remember whom this 16th century term insults. Its origin is unknown, although theories about its ancestry include hobble and hob (a term for "a clownish lout").
9: Pettifogger
Definition: shyster; a lawyer whose methods are underhanded or disreputable
About the word: The petti part of this word comes from petty, meaning "insignificant" (from the French petit, "small"). As for fogger, it once meant "lawyer" in English. According to one theory, it may come from "Fugger," the name of a successful family of 15th- and 16th-century German merchants and financiers. Germanic variations of "fugger" were used for the wealthy and avaricious, as well as for hucksters.
10: Mooncalf
Definition: a foolish or absentminded person
About the word: The original mooncalf was a false pregnancy, a growth in the womb supposedly influenced by a bad moon. Mooncalf then grew a sense outside the womb: simpleton. It also morphed into a literary word for a deformed monster. For instance, in Shakespeare's The Tempest, Stephano entreats Caliban, "Mooncalf, speak once in your life, if thou beest a good mooncalf."
Monday, March 28, 2011
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Road Construction Season
Wisconsin has 2 seasons: Winter and Road Construction. This sentiment is shared by many people in Green Bay this year. It wasn't bad enough that we had a winter that started early with snow, we had road construction start before winter was even over!
For residents of Allouez like myself, the daily headache of crossing Hwy 172 is a chore with unpredictable tasks everyday. This week has one work around after another as the exits for Webster Ave have been closed off on some days and open on others. I'm tired of detouring several miles out of the way just to get home, to work, or to go to dinner. I have tried my best to avoid all of the mess, but there are just some places you have to go.
The 172 work has affected business on both sides of the river. I think it is periodic bridge construction in Green Bay that keeps alive the age old saying, "What is on the east side of the river, must also be on the west side." Green Bay has long had a superficial east vs. west rivalry in town. For transplants like myself, we don't usually understand what all of the fuss is about. Until now. I truly do feel the 172 bridge construction is a secret plot by west siders to cut off the fortuitous development that will inevitably continue on the east side.
However, all things being equal, Military Ave on the west side is still under construction and we are anxiously waiting its completion as well. There are too many other construction projects around town to even mention in one article. The balance of projects usually involves adding yet another round-a-bout to an intersection. People in Green Bay do not even know how to drive through these. I cannot see how adding more of them is going to make things better.
Happy driving and ... Wear your seat belt!
LastManOut
For residents of Allouez like myself, the daily headache of crossing Hwy 172 is a chore with unpredictable tasks everyday. This week has one work around after another as the exits for Webster Ave have been closed off on some days and open on others. I'm tired of detouring several miles out of the way just to get home, to work, or to go to dinner. I have tried my best to avoid all of the mess, but there are just some places you have to go.
The 172 work has affected business on both sides of the river. I think it is periodic bridge construction in Green Bay that keeps alive the age old saying, "What is on the east side of the river, must also be on the west side." Green Bay has long had a superficial east vs. west rivalry in town. For transplants like myself, we don't usually understand what all of the fuss is about. Until now. I truly do feel the 172 bridge construction is a secret plot by west siders to cut off the fortuitous development that will inevitably continue on the east side.
However, all things being equal, Military Ave on the west side is still under construction and we are anxiously waiting its completion as well. There are too many other construction projects around town to even mention in one article. The balance of projects usually involves adding yet another round-a-bout to an intersection. People in Green Bay do not even know how to drive through these. I cannot see how adding more of them is going to make things better.
Happy driving and ... Wear your seat belt!
LastManOut
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Learning for Adults is Their Own Responsibility
In my current career as a trainer for people in the insurance industry we often discuss methods for engaging the Learner, so that they are motivated to actively engage in class. I often feel we miss the reality of the situation. The people in our classes are compensated for being there, therefore during training, their job is to learn. This is a basic fact that is over looked. This is work, not school. Lastly, if a learner chooses not to learn, they are eventually choosing to leave.
Learn it; or Leave.
That's the way I C it.
LastManOut
Learn it; or Leave.
That's the way I C it.
LastManOut
Thursday, January 21, 2010
2010 Banished Words
Every year Lake Superior State University puts out a list of banished words. These are words that are worthy of being retired from the Queen's English due to their overuse or misuse, as the case may be.
Here are the highlights:
SHOVEL-READY
TRANSPARENT/TRANSPARENCY
CZAR
TWEET
APP
SEXTING
The use of "FRIEND" as a verb
TEACHABLE MOMENT
IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES...
STIMULUS
TOXIC ASSETS
TOO BIG TO FAIL
BROMANCE
CHILLAXIN'
Any word derived from using OBAMA as a prefix or root
More information is available at: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php
LastManOut
Here are the highlights:
SHOVEL-READY
TRANSPARENT/TRANSPARENCY
CZAR
TWEET
APP
SEXTING
The use of "FRIEND" as a verb
TEACHABLE MOMENT
IN THESE ECONOMIC TIMES...
STIMULUS
TOXIC ASSETS
TOO BIG TO FAIL
BROMANCE
CHILLAXIN'
Any word derived from using OBAMA as a prefix or root
More information is available at: http://www.lssu.edu/banished/current.php
LastManOut
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year!
The end of 2009 has been an eventful and bittersweet time in my life. I have felt deeply the absence of the optimism that was once the hallmark of America's moral goodness. The economic state has translated in to a national consciousness of depression. Reports still say things are getting worse, money for government programs are running out, businesses are still going bankrupt, Saturn and Saab are being phased out of existence, etc. Through all of this, I have tried to persevere and find the good in things.
My mother recently told me that, "If everyone just did their job, we would all have so much less work to do." I have often said this to myself, and wholeheartedly agreed with her. I am weary of dealing with things that should have been taken care of rightfully by someone else. The accumulation of problems in my life that have resulted from other people who do not do their job, is as countless as the stars. We should all recognize with some humility that we all do somethings wrong at work. Though, I often wonder, how many of us truly work to correct the mistakes we make, or do we just pass the buck onto someone else? This year, the latter has felt more true.
Jerad and I have both lost two very close people to us this month. My Great-Grandmother passed away a few weeks ago on December 6th. Jim, a close friend and customer of ours, just passed away the morning after Christmas. These things are very troubling at Christmastime. It is difficult to celebrate when you feel like crying. I realized that I had taken for granted the many things that Grandma had done for us over the years. She was just such a fixture in my life that I never really expected her to die. Her funeral was very difficult to get through. I played organ and sang for it. I guess the music went well, but all I could do was try to keep myself from completely falling apart. It's selfish to have thought about myself, I should have taken more time to grieve before the funeral because it was important to Grandma that her music at her funeral was done well. Jerad has been completely distraught over loosing Jim. His death was much more unexpected than my Grandma's. The funeral was on Tuesday. Jerad's reaction to Jim's death is iconic, "How could God let something like this happen to the nicest man in the world." For both of us, there is a deep and trying problem of pain in all of this.
We have lost many other people close to us this year. We lost another friend of ours, another Jim, to cancer in July. Janelle's father passed away, from cancer as well. Many other of our friends and family have been severely ill as well, we've been praying for Jerad's Grandpa, Eric, Don, & many others.
Christmas as a holiday was better before its mass commercialization. Christmas' mass exploitation is due to a shift from Christmas being a day to celebrate the birth of the messiah, to a day that in American culture celebrates Christmas as a sort of cultural tradition void of specific religious meaning. It is the humanistic approach to Christmas that dominates how most people celebrate this time year. And to be honest, campaigns that try to win back the real meaning of Christmas that sound like "He is the reason for the season," completely miss the reason for the problem. Too many hearts and minds have no room for love or charity throughout the course of the year. Furthermore, too little is done during the year for these people that would inspire them to feel differently at Christmas.
We were blessed this year to have another Golden Retriever, Riley, with us. We adopted him in the fall of 2008 because he really needed a home. Well, after a year with us, it was apparent that Riley just wasn't happy. He needed much more individual attention than we could give him and Lily just did not seem to take well to having a brother. Additionally, our house was just too small for two large dogs. So, we began a search to find him a better home. After about a month we just were just not having very much success and we were thinking maybe we just need to sell our house to have more room for him, when my brothers said that they would love to have Riley. It truly is a match in heaven that Riley has gone to live with Joe and Jordan in Fond du Lac. I can't help but miss him awfully though. He was my special boy and I really enjoyed how happy he always seemed. I think he was the best friend you could ever have.
We came back from my mother's after Christmas to a refrigerator that had died. We bought a new one on Monday and it was delivered yesterday. We were blessed with some unexpected money in the last couple of days, which is nearly paying for all of the cost. It's funny how sometimes things just work out.
I had a lot to celebrate when I passed my licensing exam. Finally, after more than 3 years, I'm going to be a licensed insurance agent. Really, it didn't take that long for me to pass; I just couldn't get the course done until now.
Some of you are not going to find this surprising, but it took St. Norbert a very long time to clear up the confusion with issuing my diploma. I had actually finished everything well over 2 years ago. This summer, they finally sent my diploma. Jerad put it in a frame. While I am happy the whole ordeal is over, I'm still very upset with St. Norbert over the cost of my education and the financial situation it put me in.
The flowershop has been a blessing this past year. We exceeded all of our expectations. It makes up for a lot.
Best wishes in 2010.
LastManOut
My mother recently told me that, "If everyone just did their job, we would all have so much less work to do." I have often said this to myself, and wholeheartedly agreed with her. I am weary of dealing with things that should have been taken care of rightfully by someone else. The accumulation of problems in my life that have resulted from other people who do not do their job, is as countless as the stars. We should all recognize with some humility that we all do somethings wrong at work. Though, I often wonder, how many of us truly work to correct the mistakes we make, or do we just pass the buck onto someone else? This year, the latter has felt more true.
Jerad and I have both lost two very close people to us this month. My Great-Grandmother passed away a few weeks ago on December 6th. Jim, a close friend and customer of ours, just passed away the morning after Christmas. These things are very troubling at Christmastime. It is difficult to celebrate when you feel like crying. I realized that I had taken for granted the many things that Grandma had done for us over the years. She was just such a fixture in my life that I never really expected her to die. Her funeral was very difficult to get through. I played organ and sang for it. I guess the music went well, but all I could do was try to keep myself from completely falling apart. It's selfish to have thought about myself, I should have taken more time to grieve before the funeral because it was important to Grandma that her music at her funeral was done well. Jerad has been completely distraught over loosing Jim. His death was much more unexpected than my Grandma's. The funeral was on Tuesday. Jerad's reaction to Jim's death is iconic, "How could God let something like this happen to the nicest man in the world." For both of us, there is a deep and trying problem of pain in all of this.
We have lost many other people close to us this year. We lost another friend of ours, another Jim, to cancer in July. Janelle's father passed away, from cancer as well. Many other of our friends and family have been severely ill as well, we've been praying for Jerad's Grandpa, Eric, Don, & many others.
Christmas as a holiday was better before its mass commercialization. Christmas' mass exploitation is due to a shift from Christmas being a day to celebrate the birth of the messiah, to a day that in American culture celebrates Christmas as a sort of cultural tradition void of specific religious meaning. It is the humanistic approach to Christmas that dominates how most people celebrate this time year. And to be honest, campaigns that try to win back the real meaning of Christmas that sound like "He is the reason for the season," completely miss the reason for the problem. Too many hearts and minds have no room for love or charity throughout the course of the year. Furthermore, too little is done during the year for these people that would inspire them to feel differently at Christmas.
We were blessed this year to have another Golden Retriever, Riley, with us. We adopted him in the fall of 2008 because he really needed a home. Well, after a year with us, it was apparent that Riley just wasn't happy. He needed much more individual attention than we could give him and Lily just did not seem to take well to having a brother. Additionally, our house was just too small for two large dogs. So, we began a search to find him a better home. After about a month we just were just not having very much success and we were thinking maybe we just need to sell our house to have more room for him, when my brothers said that they would love to have Riley. It truly is a match in heaven that Riley has gone to live with Joe and Jordan in Fond du Lac. I can't help but miss him awfully though. He was my special boy and I really enjoyed how happy he always seemed. I think he was the best friend you could ever have.
We came back from my mother's after Christmas to a refrigerator that had died. We bought a new one on Monday and it was delivered yesterday. We were blessed with some unexpected money in the last couple of days, which is nearly paying for all of the cost. It's funny how sometimes things just work out.
I had a lot to celebrate when I passed my licensing exam. Finally, after more than 3 years, I'm going to be a licensed insurance agent. Really, it didn't take that long for me to pass; I just couldn't get the course done until now.
Some of you are not going to find this surprising, but it took St. Norbert a very long time to clear up the confusion with issuing my diploma. I had actually finished everything well over 2 years ago. This summer, they finally sent my diploma. Jerad put it in a frame. While I am happy the whole ordeal is over, I'm still very upset with St. Norbert over the cost of my education and the financial situation it put me in.
The flowershop has been a blessing this past year. We exceeded all of our expectations. It makes up for a lot.
Best wishes in 2010.
LastManOut
Sunday, August 02, 2009
SWEETARTS
Companies that do a great job producing their product deserve some credit.
This blog is the first entry in a new series of blogs called: Products I Love!
I Love SWEETARTS!
Why?
1) 13 Pieces are only 60 Calories
2) 13 Pieces go a long way
3) I bought the 6 oz Theatre Size box for $1.00 at Walmart, which means more SWEETARTS for less.
4) There are a variety of flavors to choose from
5) The packaging is colorful, smartly designed, & whimsical
More information available at: http://www.wonka.com
I hope you love them too!
LastManOut
This blog is the first entry in a new series of blogs called: Products I Love!
I Love SWEETARTS!
Why?
1) 13 Pieces are only 60 Calories
2) 13 Pieces go a long way
3) I bought the 6 oz Theatre Size box for $1.00 at Walmart, which means more SWEETARTS for less.
4) There are a variety of flavors to choose from
5) The packaging is colorful, smartly designed, & whimsical
More information available at: http://www.wonka.com
I hope you love them too!
LastManOut
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Still Applies
I just want to say one thing.
"Behind every good man, there is a good woman."
I have to confess, even as a gay man, this is still true.
LastManOut
"Behind every good man, there is a good woman."
I have to confess, even as a gay man, this is still true.
LastManOut
Thursday, April 16, 2009
When you say nothing at all ...
What do you get when you cross a Jehovah's Witness and a Lutheran?
- Someone who comes to your door and doesn't say anything.
- Someone who comes to your door and doesn't say anything.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The $100 Bill
A man was walking in the mall and stopped by a tattoo parlor and decided to get $100 bill tattooed to his penis. When he got home he showed it to his wife who asked why he would do such a thing?
The man replied, "There are three reasons."
1. "I like to watch my money grow."
2. "I like to play with my money."
3. "Now you don't have to go to the mall when you want to blow my money."
The man replied, "There are three reasons."
1. "I like to watch my money grow."
2. "I like to play with my money."
3. "Now you don't have to go to the mall when you want to blow my money."
Monday, March 02, 2009
You Go Girl!
Nancy, Thank you again for saying exactly what needed to be said regarding Rush:
'2. Rush Limbaugh. He’s Pelosi’s sworn enemy — and she views him as beneath contempt and unworthy of her comment.
Asked about the right-wing talk-radio king the other day, Pelosi said: “I don’t speak to that. I’m the speaker of the House. I don’t get into the popular culture.”'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090302/pl_politico/19481
Thank you from the bottom of everyone's heart who can't stand people who make a living out of bitching!
LastManOut
'2. Rush Limbaugh. He’s Pelosi’s sworn enemy — and she views him as beneath contempt and unworthy of her comment.
Asked about the right-wing talk-radio king the other day, Pelosi said: “I don’t speak to that. I’m the speaker of the House. I don’t get into the popular culture.”'
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090302/pl_politico/19481
Thank you from the bottom of everyone's heart who can't stand people who make a living out of bitching!
LastManOut
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Flower Show
Two little old ladies were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show was in progress. The thin one leaned over and said,
'Life is so boring. We never have any fun anymore. For $10 I'd take my clothes off And streak through that stupid flower show!'
'You're on!' said the other old lady, holding up a $10 bill.
The first little old lady slowly fumbled her way out of her clothes and, Completely naked, streaked (as fast as an old lady can) Through the front door of the flower show.
Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall, Followed by loud applause and shrill whistling. The smiling and naked Old lady came through the exit door surrounded by a cheering crowd.
'What happened?' asked her waiting friend.
'I won 1st prize as Best Dried Arrangement.'
'Life is so boring. We never have any fun anymore. For $10 I'd take my clothes off And streak through that stupid flower show!'
'You're on!' said the other old lady, holding up a $10 bill.
The first little old lady slowly fumbled her way out of her clothes and, Completely naked, streaked (as fast as an old lady can) Through the front door of the flower show.
Waiting outside, her friend soon heard a huge commotion inside the hall, Followed by loud applause and shrill whistling. The smiling and naked Old lady came through the exit door surrounded by a cheering crowd.
'What happened?' asked her waiting friend.
'I won 1st prize as Best Dried Arrangement.'
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Knowing When To Keep Your Distance
There is an article out today that needs some clean up, Obama's five rules of scandal response, Carrie Budoff Brown, Kenneth P. Vogel Carrie Budoff Brown, Kenneth P. Vogel – Wed Dec 24, 6:52 am ET. http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/16836
The article above constructs together five "rules" for how the incoming Obama administration is handling the Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich scandal with respect to Mr. Obama's Senate seat replacement. The rules outlined are interesting enough, however, the reporting that is strung together is trying to bleed out that Obama is not as removed from the scandal as he might appear. There's really no evidence that Obama had anything to do with Blagojevich's malfeascence. The media just thrives on drama.
The article ended with a question that has a very obvious answer, so obvious it is possibly rhetorical:
"To the extent that the report succeeds in its goal of establishing the distance between Obama and Blagojevich, it necessarily raises the question: Why was the president-elect and leader of the Democratic party playing no role in a key appointment to national office being made in his home state, and by a Democratic governor?"
It is no real secret in Illinois politics that Gov. Blagojevich has been running a corrupt administration from the begining. In fact, anyone who is familier with him, is not surprised by the allegations made against him. So, with all honesty, Obama has probably been trying to keep his distance from Blagojevich in general. What Presidential Candidate would even want their name associated with Blagojevich? When reading the statement above from today's article the authors are either out of touch with long list of news worthy scandals that Blagojevich has been associated with or they are trying to imply that Obama has some interest in influencing the selection of his suceessor, which he does not. Furthermore, The article's own reporting states that, "Craig said Obama 'was not engaging on this in any personal way and had no interest in dictating the result of the selection process.'"
The article above constructs together five "rules" for how the incoming Obama administration is handling the Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich scandal with respect to Mr. Obama's Senate seat replacement. The rules outlined are interesting enough, however, the reporting that is strung together is trying to bleed out that Obama is not as removed from the scandal as he might appear. There's really no evidence that Obama had anything to do with Blagojevich's malfeascence. The media just thrives on drama.
The article ended with a question that has a very obvious answer, so obvious it is possibly rhetorical:
"To the extent that the report succeeds in its goal of establishing the distance between Obama and Blagojevich, it necessarily raises the question: Why was the president-elect and leader of the Democratic party playing no role in a key appointment to national office being made in his home state, and by a Democratic governor?"
It is no real secret in Illinois politics that Gov. Blagojevich has been running a corrupt administration from the begining. In fact, anyone who is familier with him, is not surprised by the allegations made against him. So, with all honesty, Obama has probably been trying to keep his distance from Blagojevich in general. What Presidential Candidate would even want their name associated with Blagojevich? When reading the statement above from today's article the authors are either out of touch with long list of news worthy scandals that Blagojevich has been associated with or they are trying to imply that Obama has some interest in influencing the selection of his suceessor, which he does not. Furthermore, The article's own reporting states that, "Craig said Obama 'was not engaging on this in any personal way and had no interest in dictating the result of the selection process.'"
Thursday, December 18, 2008
They Don't Make 'em Like They Used To
As a staunch modernist, I am nearly always in favor of new things over old things. However, in these uncertain economic times, I am yearning for basic things that just work well. There is within our economy widespread intentional public deception with regard to the quality of a product that is produced. We will likely never reach a point in our civilization that the sage advice "Buyer Be Ware" is outdated. The problem is that consumers themselves facilitate products that are of low quality because demand truly comes down on the side of inexpensive. In a majority of the cases, Inexpensive = Low Quality.
Here are some not so obvious modern day caveats:
My number one irritation when I am shopping is seeing a product that doesn't explicitly state what it is for. Not only is this bad marketing to not list the benefits of a product to the consumer, it is deceptive in that you may buy it thinking it does one thing, when it's really designed to accomplish something else. Quality products clearly state what they can do.
Beware of products that come with instructions that are difficult to understand. Products lacking clear instructions for use often lacked good planning in their conception. To review thus far, Quality products clearly state what their purpose is and also how to use them.
The real test of a product is the extent to which is can be reused. Recyclibility is not as important. Most things can be recycled, but very few can be reused. Let's start with the consideration that more or less we live in a throw away society. Which raises an important question. Why do we throw things away? Simply put, stuff breaks. However, just because something is broken, meaning it cannot be used for its original purpose, is not enough to explain why so many things are thrown away. A product must also be reasonably replaceable for most people to throw it away. This illustrates why we fill landfills with tons of plastic packaging because no one has a reasonable expectation that we will stop producing inexpensive plastic bottles, containers, and plastic wrap. Out of these three things, not one of them is truly a reusable product. Plastic wrap is often too thin and breaks before it can recover a container. Plastic bottles and containers eventually begin to leak toxins when reused and are prone to adapting odors, cracking, and misshaping. What is unseen by the consumer is that there is a significant cost added to the product because of the container the product is packaged in. Case in point, the bottle in bottled water probably costs more than the water in the bottle.
Reusable is not exactly the same as durability. A wool coat may or may not be durable, meaning it will wear well for a long period of time, depending on the quality of the construction of the garment and the fibre content. However, a wool coat regardless of durability as a coat, could be dismantled, cut up, and braided into a throw rug. This may sound ridiculous today, however, before shelves were flooded with inexpensive throw rugs, people made their own. To take this example a little further, when the wool coat became throw rug and was no longer suitable for inside the home, it probably still had life in the back hallway, and then later outdoors. When it finally outlives its usefulness, the wool rug could be used to keep weeds down in the garden where it will naturally biodegrade. You cannot make the same claims about man made materials and fibers that you can about natural ones with respect to reusability.
To work the green angle, products made from renewable materials present a minimal risk to the natural environment, assuming their manufacturing process is "green." If a product is made all from renewable materials, but in the process we expended a greater amount of energy and subsequently greater carbon emissions, then we've only displaced the harm to the environment in another area. It pays to familiarize yourself with the type of company you purchase products from. Is the product made locally or do you have no idea where it came from?
In Summary, Look for products that indicate what their purpose is, how to use the product, what is it made out of, where the product came from, and who made it. It is also useful to examine what other uses a product has beyond its original purpose and what other uses you may have for a product. And as a matter of common sense, "If it tastes like a lemon, it probably is one."
Here are some not so obvious modern day caveats:
My number one irritation when I am shopping is seeing a product that doesn't explicitly state what it is for. Not only is this bad marketing to not list the benefits of a product to the consumer, it is deceptive in that you may buy it thinking it does one thing, when it's really designed to accomplish something else. Quality products clearly state what they can do.
Beware of products that come with instructions that are difficult to understand. Products lacking clear instructions for use often lacked good planning in their conception. To review thus far, Quality products clearly state what their purpose is and also how to use them.
The real test of a product is the extent to which is can be reused. Recyclibility is not as important. Most things can be recycled, but very few can be reused. Let's start with the consideration that more or less we live in a throw away society. Which raises an important question. Why do we throw things away? Simply put, stuff breaks. However, just because something is broken, meaning it cannot be used for its original purpose, is not enough to explain why so many things are thrown away. A product must also be reasonably replaceable for most people to throw it away. This illustrates why we fill landfills with tons of plastic packaging because no one has a reasonable expectation that we will stop producing inexpensive plastic bottles, containers, and plastic wrap. Out of these three things, not one of them is truly a reusable product. Plastic wrap is often too thin and breaks before it can recover a container. Plastic bottles and containers eventually begin to leak toxins when reused and are prone to adapting odors, cracking, and misshaping. What is unseen by the consumer is that there is a significant cost added to the product because of the container the product is packaged in. Case in point, the bottle in bottled water probably costs more than the water in the bottle.
Reusable is not exactly the same as durability. A wool coat may or may not be durable, meaning it will wear well for a long period of time, depending on the quality of the construction of the garment and the fibre content. However, a wool coat regardless of durability as a coat, could be dismantled, cut up, and braided into a throw rug. This may sound ridiculous today, however, before shelves were flooded with inexpensive throw rugs, people made their own. To take this example a little further, when the wool coat became throw rug and was no longer suitable for inside the home, it probably still had life in the back hallway, and then later outdoors. When it finally outlives its usefulness, the wool rug could be used to keep weeds down in the garden where it will naturally biodegrade. You cannot make the same claims about man made materials and fibers that you can about natural ones with respect to reusability.
To work the green angle, products made from renewable materials present a minimal risk to the natural environment, assuming their manufacturing process is "green." If a product is made all from renewable materials, but in the process we expended a greater amount of energy and subsequently greater carbon emissions, then we've only displaced the harm to the environment in another area. It pays to familiarize yourself with the type of company you purchase products from. Is the product made locally or do you have no idea where it came from?
In Summary, Look for products that indicate what their purpose is, how to use the product, what is it made out of, where the product came from, and who made it. It is also useful to examine what other uses a product has beyond its original purpose and what other uses you may have for a product. And as a matter of common sense, "If it tastes like a lemon, it probably is one."
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The Worst Idea We've Had Yet
Let's look at the Bush Administration's legacy:
- Ran on a platform of reform
- Didn't reform anything - Just spent more money than ever and then "cut taxes."
- Ignored information that could have prevented 9/11
- Refused to accept information from the UN that there was no Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Attacked a country that had nothing to do with 9/11
- Underfunded the war in Afghanistan, where the terrorists from 9/11 actually came from.
- Still to date hasn't found ... YouKnowWho .... Osama Bin Laden
- Sent our troops in to war in Iraq without all the protection they really needed.
- There are thousands of dead troops.
- There is the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina
- There is the slow and steady decline of the economy
- Now we're spending $700 billion to bail out his friends.
Great times ain't it.
Go back to Texas you dumb mother f*cker.
That's what I think.
LastManOut
- Ran on a platform of reform
- Didn't reform anything - Just spent more money than ever and then "cut taxes."
- Ignored information that could have prevented 9/11
- Refused to accept information from the UN that there was no Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Attacked a country that had nothing to do with 9/11
- Underfunded the war in Afghanistan, where the terrorists from 9/11 actually came from.
- Still to date hasn't found ... YouKnowWho .... Osama Bin Laden
- Sent our troops in to war in Iraq without all the protection they really needed.
- There are thousands of dead troops.
- There is the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina
- There is the slow and steady decline of the economy
- Now we're spending $700 billion to bail out his friends.
Great times ain't it.
Go back to Texas you dumb mother f*cker.
That's what I think.
LastManOut
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Today's Fortune's
We ordered Chinnese again. Here are the Results:
"You are the center of every group attention."
"You will be unusually successful in business."
"You display the wonderful traits of charm and courtesy."
"You are the center of every group attention."
"You will be unusually successful in business."
"You display the wonderful traits of charm and courtesy."
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Gratitude
There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, "If I could only see the world, I will marry you."
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?" The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: "Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine."
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.
Life Is a Gift
Today before you say an unkind word, think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife, think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life, think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before whining about the distance you drive, think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job, think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down, put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.
He asked her, "Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?" The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.
Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: "Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine."
This is how the human brain often works when our status changes. Only a very few remember what life was like before, and who was always by their side in the most painful situations.
Life Is a Gift
Today before you say an unkind word, think of someone who can't speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food, think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife, think of someone who's crying out to GOD for a companion.
Today before you complain about life, think of someone who went too early to heaven.
Before whining about the distance you drive, think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job, think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down, put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and still around.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Ruht wohl
Remember when ... St. Norbert & UWGB performed the St. John Passion, J. S. Bach?
I have to say that it was on of those first choral works for me that really helped grow as a singer. The second last Chorus, Ruht wohl, No. 67, is perhaps one of my favorite pieces ever. It means, Rest well. It's a lullaby to Jesus as he is laid in his tomb. It has long sweeping lines and the melody is haunting. It's in c minor and Bach does something truly astounding musically with the violin melody in measures 8 - 11 (this theme repeats often throughout). The melody is haunting because Bach goes from the tonic to the V and then rips open the iv chord (iv with a lowered 6th), like one of the wounds of Christ, and then slowly back down using vii and vii diminished.
The point of this whole complicated musical explanation is that from a theoretical standpoint it takes hours to truly understand how Bach put together what is really something quite whimsical. My question is whether or not Bach was truly conscious of how he put together this melody, or whether or not it was just such a talent and strength of his that it just sort of happened naturally and logically as he moved along on the keyboard.
Even if from a theoretical standpoint, Bach consciously understood the nuts and bolts behind his melody, then it is an even greater testimony to his strengths, both as a person and a musician. Bach created a melody that sticks with me because he realized that you can't lay Christ to rest with just anything, it has to sound like the heavens from which it came.
I have to say that it was on of those first choral works for me that really helped grow as a singer. The second last Chorus, Ruht wohl, No. 67, is perhaps one of my favorite pieces ever. It means, Rest well. It's a lullaby to Jesus as he is laid in his tomb. It has long sweeping lines and the melody is haunting. It's in c minor and Bach does something truly astounding musically with the violin melody in measures 8 - 11 (this theme repeats often throughout). The melody is haunting because Bach goes from the tonic to the V and then rips open the iv chord (iv with a lowered 6th), like one of the wounds of Christ, and then slowly back down using vii and vii diminished.
The point of this whole complicated musical explanation is that from a theoretical standpoint it takes hours to truly understand how Bach put together what is really something quite whimsical. My question is whether or not Bach was truly conscious of how he put together this melody, or whether or not it was just such a talent and strength of his that it just sort of happened naturally and logically as he moved along on the keyboard.
Even if from a theoretical standpoint, Bach consciously understood the nuts and bolts behind his melody, then it is an even greater testimony to his strengths, both as a person and a musician. Bach created a melody that sticks with me because he realized that you can't lay Christ to rest with just anything, it has to sound like the heavens from which it came.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Torn
So lots of things are going on in my life right now. Things are picking up at the real job and the flower shop is full steam ahead. Not to mention the dog is still not feeling 100%, we are considering the house remodel, and mother's birthday is coming.
Everyday I wake up and the day goes on and by the time I get to the end of it; I'm a nervous, twisted, and totally messed up. The anxiety that builds is crippling. I feel this way not because I have to make choices, it's because there is a lack of choices to make. All I have are options that lead down a very dark road.
The problem is that while I see the changes coming on the horizon, I don't have the patience to wait anymore. It's like the anticipation of not knowing what is going to happen is driving me crazy!!!
It's like I would give anything to just give up and walk away. Maybe then I'd be doing something that I actually want to do.
LastManOut
Everyday I wake up and the day goes on and by the time I get to the end of it; I'm a nervous, twisted, and totally messed up. The anxiety that builds is crippling. I feel this way not because I have to make choices, it's because there is a lack of choices to make. All I have are options that lead down a very dark road.
The problem is that while I see the changes coming on the horizon, I don't have the patience to wait anymore. It's like the anticipation of not knowing what is going to happen is driving me crazy!!!
It's like I would give anything to just give up and walk away. Maybe then I'd be doing something that I actually want to do.
LastManOut
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