I Have a Dream

I wonder what would happen if the media treated the Republicans and Libertarians as well as they treated Democrats for one year? Some negative images against the right are very obvious but others are more subtle. For example, I was researching some information about marriage and how some were lasting longer. I ran into this paragraph at the Washington Post:

“The odds of getting divorced are much lower for educated and affluent Americans, the escapades of Schwarzenegger and John Ensign notwithstanding,” Wilcox said, referring to the former governor of California and the former senator from Nevada.

In this story by Carol Morello, she could have just as easily chosen quotes from someone who talked about the marital escapades of Democrats John Edwards or Bill Clinton but she didn't. Why not? Some people may feel that examples like this are not important but the negative obvious and subtle hostility floating around in the culture against those on the right leads to results like this: Despite their sinking employment prospects and the negative direction of the country, "60% of millennials blame Obama's opponents for his inability to get anything done." Maybe if they stopped the blame and realized that Obama's policies are not in their favor, their generation would do better. But it "feels good" to be popular, go along with the media and look cool by agreeing with the propaganda handed out in school, the media and their peers. What would happen if the media made it "cool" to be a free market capitalist, discussed the virtues of Milton Friedman, or even told those millenials that youth unemployment may possibly be a result of Obama's failed policies. I know it will never happen but one can dream, can't they? How about just one year in which the right was treated with kid gloves the way the left is now as an experiment to see what would happen? Given all the negativity in the press against the right, it's amazing they do as well as they do.

Why Kris Humphries Should Serve as a Role Model for Men

It's better to die upon your feet than to live upon your knees!- Emiliano Zapata (and others) and later Kris Humphries when talking to wimpy Scott Disick on the Kardashian show "Kourtney and Kim Take New York."

The Kardashian women have taken something else besides New York--the dignity of their men. Have you ever watched this show? I have to admit that I have watched Keeping Up with the Kardashiansfor the past few years but recently, it has become nothing but a disgusting display of female bullying and male groveling, until Kris Humphries came along and decided he wasn't having any of it. Bravo to him! If you have watched the show, you will know that the mother of the show, Kris Jenner, has served as the emasculating matriarch to her Olympic-athlete husband, Bruce Jenner, for years. He puts up with the Kardashian putdowns, insults, and nonsense by avoiding them or playing golf. The only comforting thing about Jenner is that he is quite rich on his own, and is probably just playing along for the show. Or maybe this isn't comforting at all, since he has fallen from Olympic-hero to hen-pecked, overlooked husband with no input into his family's life with all the world watching. Then there is Scott Disick who originally looked like the poster-child bad-boy who trained under Roissy on how to treat women. He ignored his girl-friend Kourtney, ran around, drank and was full of anger. Then after Kourtney had their son Mason, he starts to "settle down." Could he have learned to be a better partner? Yes, of course, but with some backbone. Now, he is banished to his own room to look at porn while Kourtney prances around with their two-year old son. He gets no sex, sleeps alone and spends his days on Kourtney and Kim Take New York telling Kris Humphries not to do anything to agitate the girls. For example, on a recent show, Kim and Kourtney are heading to LA for business and tell the guys they are not allowed to have anyone in the hotel suite. Kris wanted to relax and have friends over for a party but he was told that no one was allowed to be there while they were away. Kim and Kourtney had spent the previous weeks filling the house up with women, friends and a naked male yoga instructor. Kris was disgusted but no one cared. Kris finally cared enough about himself to get out of this marriage (though it apparently was Kim who filed for divorce) and fought back to boot. Kim had tried to tell him where he would live, how he would live and how he would dress and behave. Yes, Kris, it is better to die on your feet than live on your knees. I just wish there were other men in bad relationships who had the nerve to stand up to the women in their lives the way that you did.

Is a Good Blogger Thick-skinned or Well-Read or Both?

Do you think that a book on the technique of blogging can help you be a better blogger? I'm not so sure but I did pick up a copy of Writing for the Web: Creating Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures, and Sound to see if maybe I was missing something. Somehow, I feel that good bloggers are those who have good topics, read a lot of blogs, read and write and practice their craft fairly frequently. But, in order to stick with blogging, I think you need a thick skin. It seems like a number of fairly good bloggers quit because they feel upset, fed up, insulted or demeaned. I once had the head of a medical program write to tell me he was upset because he saw something negative about himself in another blog that I had linked to; I had actually defended his position to some degree but he blamed me for linking to someone who thought he was less than perfect. I don't think he would do well in the web world where negativity is often the name of the game. Anyway, a book on blogging technique? I suppose it could be useful. Lynda Felder's book makes some good points. She talks about the importance of making a commitment to writing either daily or weekly, pursuing your passions, keeping content fresh, and writing succinctly. The book seems most helpful for those who are new to blogging or who want to add more images, sound and video to their website and need information on style and substance. What qualities define a good blogger in your opinion?

"A Geek's Dream Come True"

I am reading a new magazine by O'Reilly Media called MAKE: Technology on Your Time. It's a quarterly magazine put out for those who love DIY projects and according to the product description, "it unites, inspires and informs a growing community of resourceful people who undertake amazing projects in their backyards, basements, and garages." Okay, I'm not too much into DIY projects but I love reading about people who are. In the special issue I am reading (Feb. 15th, 2012), called the Ultimate Kit Guide, I found out that kits are the "gateway DIY project." They teach skills, make things more fun, are a great way for parents and kids to share something, and drive innovation. Dale Dougherty, the publisher and founder of the magazine states, "Kits also help create the kind of highly skilled amateurs who drive innovation and economic renewal....We know the next Steve Jobs is out there right now, building kits." If you like DIY projects or know someone who would, this seems like a good gift for yourself or for them. Do you build things in your basement, garage or backyard or know someone who does? I would love to hear why and how you got started.