How to Deal With Slow Walkers

Who would have thought a bicycle bell could work like this. On a sidewalk, steps and inside a grocery store.

Merry Christmas

A picture or two from my favorite manga xxxHOLiC.

After School - Rambling Girls

[PV] After School - Rambling Girls por MrMamoxi no Videolog.tv.

Merry Christmas

After School - Let's Step Up/Tap Slap

{Korean Version}



{Japanese Version}

After School favorites

This is a picture of two of my favorite people from the Korean group After School. Raina and Lizzy

GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE 3D - New Trailer

Christmas Drawing

My wife finally finished her Christmas girl for me.

Tiger and Bunny Trailer - Heroes Spotlight

Pepsi Nex - Coming to USA

I've been told the Pepsi Nex is coming to our Raleigh Durham area sometime next year. Just in time for the TV show Tiger and Bunny to begin broadcasting in America.

The Little Spider That Saved Baby

The Wooden Bowl

A friend of mine sent me this email and now I share it with you.

Enjoy

The Wooden Bowl

I guarantee you will remember the tale of the Wooden Bowl tomorrow, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now.

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson.

The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor.

When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess.

'We must do something about father,' said the son.

'I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor.'

So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner.

There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl.

When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone.

Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence.

One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor.

He asked the child sweetly, 'What are you making?' Just as sweetly, the boy responded, 'Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up. '

The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents so that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done.

That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table..

For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

On a positive note, I've learned that, no matter what happens, how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles four things:

a rainy day, the elderly, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as making a 'life.'

I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back sometimes.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness, it will elude you.

But, if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.

I've learned that every day, you should reach out and touch someone.

People love that human touch -- holding hands, a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

I've learned that you should pass this on to everyone you care about. I just did!

Best Thanksgiving Episode (EVER)

Octopus Walks on Land at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Dryer Fire and Still No Power

Last Thursday,  November 10, 2011, our dryer stopped working. After inspecting the dryer and noticing that the plug was badly burnt, I contacted our power company, Progress Energy, to come out and fix the plug, seeing as we are signed up with their Home Wire program. And after another phone call and email an electrician finally showed up to fix the plug in. Now I just need them to come back out and fix the switch in the fuss box so I can get power going to the dryer again.

CBS vs Captain Kangaroo

CBS is, again, redoing their morning news show for what appears to be a growing tradition with the network. link here. But no matter how many times they change the covers, to a lot of people close to my age, it will still fail. No matter how many people, celebrities or special features, there are people who remember what CBS did to kill many small kids’ dreams.

 I, as many other kids before me, grew up watching the only morning kids program show at the time called Captain Kangaroo. It was always the main topic at school as we talked about all the skits, ping pong balls, Picture Pages and other different parts of the show we enjoyed watching. This was a time long before the internet, computers in every home and for that matter, cable TV.

 It was a wonderful time but soon CBS made changes in 1981 that to this day they have never accomplished. In an effort to compete with NBC and ABC for broadcasting morning news had moved The Captain Kangaroo show to 6 AM and shortened to only 30 minutes. It was difficult for many kids my age to even get up that early in the morning but many of us did. I remember being half asleep in front of the TV set watching the show as afterwards I got ready for school and spent most of the morning trying to stay awake.

Eventually CBS cancelled the show all together as they began broadcasting nothing but the news. I cried as did many other kids. We had nothing to really watch in the mornings now. Just PBS programs that even older kids thought were for preschool kids. Life went on for me and everyone else but for me I never forgot what CBS did to me. I and many other people have been carrying a grudge against the network for many years. Just look at the network ratings. Always last behind NBC and ABC and they will always be last for many years to come.
The Death of Captain Kangaroo - Jan... by videohollic

Arlington National Cemetery

I hope the song and pictures can convey the message of the sacrifice our servicemen have made. These images can be found at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Indian Girl

My wife drew me another picture for Thanksgiving.
The background is real setting as the girl is my wife's design.

DUI on a Pepsi

There is nothing like a new product on the market that gets you in trouble with the police; without even trying. With the new bottle design that was meant to look like the old bottle design has been creating a different effect. While taking a break during the day, sitting in the company truck, listening to the radio to catch up on the latest sporting news, a very surprised police approached the vehicle asking what kind of beverage was being consumed. The officer was presented with a Pepsi Max as he expressed relief saying that the Pepsi Max bottle looks just like a beer bottle from a distance.

Gackt - Graffiti - full version

ALERT - I got an Android Text Message Virus

Don't open anything that looks like this " <p>Hello Friend.<br>i'm more humble now<br><a href="http://www.lcats.org/main/redirect.asp? " 

I was at the mall today when I got what looked like a text message from someone I know. The moment I opened it nothing happened. It looked like SPAM. A few minutes later I noticed that a lot of emails were sent out from my phone to a lot of people. 

Be careful, even with texting.

In Case of Emergency

I've seen more unusual things than this.

Cooking Cat

She loved the food so mush that she couldn't wait to be properly served.

Your Computer's Sex

How to determine your computer's gender - (simplified version)

1. Open a desktop notepad

2. Type " CreateObject ("Sapi.spvoice"). Speak "I Love Shopping"

3. Save as:  "Computer_Sex.vbs "

4. Click on it to listen to message.

5. You can change the message “I Love Shopping” to anything you like. 

GACKT 「Graffiti」Short Ver.

AKB48 CM セブンイレブン クリスマス

Even in Japan, the Christmas commercials have begun.

Mega Long Venomous Snake in Okinawa

The habu was found along a road in an area of Okinawa not far from Camp Hansen. It was apparently alive at the time, but died shortly afterwards. It was 242 cm long (7 feet 11 inches), making it the longest habu ever found in the Okinawa area.

Grows to an average length of 4-5 feet (122-152 cm). With a maximum of 7.5 feet (229 cm), it is the largest member of its genus. Slenderly built and gracefully proportioned with a large head. The tail, however, is not prehensile.

Scalation includes 35 (sometimes 31, 33, 37 or 39) rows of dorsal scales at midbody, 217-239 ventral scales, 72-95 subcaudal scales and 7-10 supralabial scales.[2] The crown is covered with small scales.

The color pattern consists of a light olive of brown ground color overlaid with elongated dark green or brownish blotches. The blotches have yellow edges, sometimes contain yellow spots, and frequently fuse to produce wavy stripes. The belly is whitish with dark coloring along the edges.

Found in Japan in the Ryukyu Islands, including Okinawa and the Amami Islands. The type locality given is "Amakarima Island (one of the Loo-Choo group)" (= Keramashima, Ryukyu Islands).

Common on the larger volcanic islands, but not present on the smaller coral islands. Often reported in the transition zone between palm forest and cultivated fields. Found on rock walls and in old tombs and caves

Terrestrial and mostly nocturnal, it often enters homes and other structures in search of rats and mice. Bold and irritable, it can strike quickly and has a long reach.

Oviparous, it is one of the few pitvipers that lays eggs. Mating takes place in early spring and up to 18 eggs are laid in mid-summer. The hatchlings, which emerge after an incubation period of 5-6 weeks, are 10 inches (25 cm) in length and look the same as the adults.

To reduce the population on the island of Okinawa, the small Indian mongoose, Herpestes javanicus, was introduced in 1910. Although the effects of this introduction have not been studied, in other such cases the negative effects on species of native birds, mammals, and herpetofauna have been a source of concern for wildlife managers.

The incidence of snakebite in the Amami Islands is 2 per 1,000 people, which is very high. The venom of this species is of high toxicity, yet the fatality rate is only 3%. If a bite victim receives medical care promptly, bites are not life-threatening. However, 6-8% do suffer permanent disability.

On the island of Okinawa, this species is heavily collected, primarily for use in habu sake. Actually not sake, but a stronger liquor called awamori, it is alleged to have medicinal properties. The production includes the snakes in the fermentation process and it is sold in bottles that may or may not contain the body of a snake.

After School Diva PV + new Tap Dance Routine

Boryeong Mud Festival 2011

The Boryeong Mud Festival is an annual festival which takes place during the summer in Boryeong, a town around 200 km south of Seoul, South Korea. The first Mud Festival was staged in 1998 and by now the festival attracts over 3 million visitors to Boryeong.

The mud is taken from the Boryeong mud flats, and trucked to the Daecheon beach area, where it is used as the centerpiece of the 'Mud Experience Land'. The mud is considered rich in minerals and used to manufacture cosmetics. The festival was originally conceived as a marketing vehicle for Boryeong mud cosmetics.

Although the festival takes place over a period of around two weeks, it is most famous for its final weekend, which is popular with Korea's western population. The final weekend of the festival usually falls on the second weekend in July.

In 1996 a range of cosmetics was produced using mud from the Boryeong mud flats. The cosmetics were said to be full of minerals, bentonites, and germaniums, all of which occur naturally in the mud from the area.

In order to promote these cosmetics, the Boryeong Mud Festival was conceived. Through this festival, it was hoped people would learn more about the mud and the cosmetics. The festival has become popular with Koreans and western tourists, as well as American Military personnel stationed in the country, and foreign English teachers working in Korea.

For the period of the festival several large attractions are erected in the seafront area of Daecheon. These include a mud pool, mud slides, mud prison and mud skiing competitions. Colored mud is also produced for body painting. A large stage is erected on the beach, which is used for live music, competitions and various other visual attractions.

A small market runs along the seafront selling cosmetics made using the mud from Boryeong. Various health and beauty clinics offer massages, acupuncture and other treatments utilizing the medicinal qualities of the mud.

The festival closes with a large firework display.

After School - Diva [Japanese ver.]

The Taming of the Shrew - (English subtitle)

I made a brief summery of William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Music provided by GACKT with the song 'Nine Spiral'. Pictures provided by the web site Acidcow.com.

AFTER SCHOOL - DIVA ( JAPANESE VER. ) Teaser

Firefighters Gave Life to Save Thousands

Heroic citizens face needless danger / Shortage of remotely controlled floodgates imperils volunteer firefighters 

Link 1  Link 2

Tomoki Okamoto and Yuji Kimura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

KAMAISHI, Iwate--Floodgates that can be remotely operated could make the difference between life and death for volunteer firefighters and others involved in rescue operations.

More than 70 firefighters were killed or went missing during the March 11 tsunami, after heading toward the sea to close floodgates. Although volunteer firefighters are classified as temporary local government employees assigned to special government services, they are basically everyday civilians.

"When an earthquake occurs, people head for the mountains [due to tsunami], but firefighters have to head toward the coast," said Yukio Sasa, 58, deputy chief of the No. 6 firefighting division in Kamaishi, Iwate Prefecture.

The municipal government entrusts the job of closing the city's 187 floodgates in an emergency to the firefighting team, private business operators and neighborhood associations.

In the March 11 tsunami, six firefighters, a man appointed fire marshall at his company, and a board member of a neighborhood association were killed.

When the earthquake hit, Sasa's team headed toward the floodgates on the Kamaishi coast. Two members who successfully closed one floodgate fell victim to the tsunami--they were most likely engulfed while helping residents evacuate or while driving a fire engine away from the floodgate, according to Sasa.

"It's instinct for firefighters. If I'd been in their position, after closing the floodgate I would've been helping residents evacuate," Sasa said.

Even before the disaster, the municipal government had called on the prefectural and central governments to make the floodgates operable via remote control, noting the danger aging firefighters would face if they had to close the floodgates manually in an emergency.

In Miyako in the prefecture, two of the three floodgates with remote control functions failed to function properly on March 11.

As soon as the earthquake hit, Kazunobu Hatakeyama, 47, leader of the city's No. 32 firefighting division, rushed to a firefighters' meeting point about one kilometer from the city's Settai floodgate. Another firefighter pushed a button that was supposed to make the floodgate close, but they could see on a surveillance monitor that it had not moved.

Hatakeyama had no choice but to drive to the floodgate and manually release the brake in its operation room.

He managed to do this and close the floodgate in time, but could see the tsunami bearing down on him. He fled inland in his car, barely escaping. He saw water gush out of the operation room's windows as the tsunami demolished the floodgate.

"I would've died if I'd left the room a little bit later," Hatakeyama said. He stressed the need for a reliable remote control system: "I know there are some things that just have to be done, regardless of the danger. But firefighters are also civilians. We shouldn't be asked to die for no reason."

There are about 570 floodgates under the management of the Miyagi prefectural government, of which 166 are permanently closed. The other floodgates have sliding mechanisms that make them easy to open and close, and the government asks fishery industry workers who need to open the gates to close them afterward.

The Iwate prefectural government plans to replace floodgates destroyed by the tsunami with ones that can be remotely controlled. A prefectural government official said, "We're also considering attaching solar-powered backup systems to the floodgates' electricity supply."

72 lost volunteer firefighters responsible for gate-closing

The Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper

Of 253 volunteer firefighters who were killed or went missing in three disaster-hit prefectures as a result of the March 11 tsunami, at least 72 were in charge of closing floodgates or seawall gates in coastal areas, it has been learned.

The tragedy occurred amid mounting calls for more floodgates that can be operated remotely, due to the danger of going to the coast to close gates immediately after an earthquake.

Given the large number of casualties, officials said the government will investigate the situation at the time of the tsunami and consider revising the rules for floodgate operations.

There are about 1,450 floodgates in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures, including some to prevent the inflow of seawater into rivers and seawall gates to allow people to pass through.

According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, 119 volunteer firefighters died or went missing in the March 11 disaster in Iwate Prefecture, 107 in Miyagi Prefecture and 27 in Fukushima Prefecture.

Of these, 59 and 13 were in charge of closing gates in Iwate and Miyagi prefectures, respectively, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey of the municipalities and firefighting agencies concerned.

Volunteer firefighters are classified as irregular local government officials, and many have regular jobs. Their average annual allowance was 25,475 yen in 2008.

Their allowance per mission amounted to 3,356 yen for the same year. If voluntary firefighters die in the line of duty, the Mutual Aid Fund for Official Casualties and Retirement of Volunteer Firefighters pays benefits to their bereaved families.

There were slightly more than 880,000 volunteer firefighters in 2010, a drop of 67,000 from 2000.

In six municipalities in Fukushima Prefecture where volunteer firefighters were killed, the closing of gates was entrusted to private companies and citizen groups. A local resident of Namiemachi in the prefecture died after he went out to close a floodgate.

According to the municipalities concerned and the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, volunteer firefighters were also swept away while guiding the evacuation of residents or while in transit after finishing gate-closing operations.

More firefighters were lost at these times than while closing gates, the agency said.

Of about 600 floodgates and seawall gates under the administration of the Iwate prefectural government, 33 can be remotely operated. However, in some cases, volunteer firefighters rushed to manually close gates because remote controls had been rendered inoperable due to earthquake-triggered power outages.

"Some volunteer firefighters may not have been able to close the seawall gates immediately because many people passed through the gates to fetch things left behind in their boats," an official of the Iwate prefectural government said.

In Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, four volunteer firefighters trying to close gates fled from the oncoming tsunami, but three died or went missing.

According to the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, there were 25,463 floodgates and seawall gates at least two meters wide at seaports and elsewhere across the country as of March last year. Of these, just 742 units, or about 3 percent, could be remotely controlled, the ministry said.

The ministry will ask each prefecture to increase the number of remotely controlled floodgates and seawall gates while inspecting how the gates have been used and administered. Based on its findings, the ministry will decide on the order in which gates should be closed after an earthquake, and study a plan to keep shut at ordinary times gates that do not need to remain open.

Another factor that increased the death toll among volunteer firefighters was the fact that many did not possess wireless equipment, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. As a result, they could not obtain frequent updates on the heights of tsunami, it said.

The agency plans to establish a reassessment panel to study countermeasures, an official said.

"We'll consider the necessity of closing floodgates when we're in danger [from the onslaught of tsunami]."

Autism Cure?

I have two boys who are autistic and just recently I received this email from a friend of mine.

Autism Study Halted - Improvements "Too Obvious"    

To Thrilled Parents         

Hi, As much as I would love to say otherwise, the autism epidemic is getting worse.

It has evolved into a disease classification of "Autism Spectrum Disorder" (ASD) which includes the classic Autistic Disorder as well as the similar but milder symptom Asperger Syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder.

The official numbers for newly ASD diagnosed kids is now 1 in 110, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). It used to be 1 in 150. And in the 1980s, it was around 1 in 2,500.

The cause of autism

Many theories exist about what causes autism, including:

- mercury in vaccinations

- genetics

- environmental toxins (including heavy metals, pesticides and flame retardants)

- viral or bacterial infections

- disruption of early fetal brain development and

- diet

(I personally know three different people who swear their kids were completely normal in every way up until the day they had their MMR vaccine...and now they are autistic.) Hundreds more have contacted us and told us the same thing about how their kids changed IMMEDIATELY after vaccines.

Although the causes of autism is hotly debated, what happens afterward is not in doubt and is not debated.

Most of them have chronic digestive problems, including leaky gut syndrome and high levels of the bacteria Clostridium tetani in their systems.

This has led to increasing research into the links between autism and intestinal flora.

The link

According to Mark Brudnak, PhD, author of "The Probiotic Solution," a child may have a reaction to a vaccine or an infection that disrupts how certain genes in their body switch on or off. This can cause malfunctioning in the child's immune and digestive systems.

When this occurs, proteins are no longer properly broken down in the GI tract. Additionally, the friendly bacteria and healthy cells in the intestinal walls die off, the harmful bacteria (like Clostridium tetani) flourish, and the gut lining becomes like a sieve (called leaky gut syndrome).

When the gut wall is leaky, incompletely digested proteins like casein (the protein in dairy products) and gluten (the protein in wheat, barley and rye) seep out into the bloodstream.

Then these proteins can travel to the brain and cause it to trigger opiate-like effects (like being on morphine), which is a common symptom of children with autism.

That's why parents of autistic children are frequently told to eliminate both casein and gluten from their child's diet...and they see great results when they do.

The probiotic-autism study that was stopped

Since probiotics are effective in helping to alleviate leaky gut syndrome and achieving a healthy flora balance, many researchers and forward-thinking healthcare professionals now recommend probiotics for children with autism.

And the results have been VERY encouraging.

One medical study in particular has proven so successful that the study technically "failed," according to a New Scientist report on September 9, 2006.

The study, led by Professor Glenn Gibson at Reading University, UK, found that autistic children vastly improved their concentration and behavior when given probiotics.

He studied 40 autistic children, aged 4 to 8. Half were given the probiotic bacteria Lactobacillus Plantarum while the other half received a placebo. The parents were asked to record their children's mood and behavior in a diary.

It was supposed to have been a blind study, where the participants were not told who was taking the actual probiotics and who was taking placebos.

But the results were WAY too obvious...

Parents whose autistic children were taking the actual probiotics saw such drastic improvements in their children's behavior that they knew their children were taking the real thing.

This lead to problems at the crossover point of the study, where the two groups were supposed to switch medicines. The parents whose children were taking the real probiotics refused to make the switch because their children had improved so dramatically!

Pretty conclusive, wouldn't you say?

That's why the study was considered a "failure..."

...because the second half couldn't be completed! But the results spoke for themselves -- the probiotic was a smashing success.

Hundreds of similar studies have been and are currently being conducted that provide hope for people with this devastating condition.

Two super bacteria

Two bacteria that are showing a LOT of promise with autism are Lactobacillus plantarum (used in Dr. Gibson's study above) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus.

Species of both of these strains are in Super Shield probiotic formula.

In addition to showing promise with helping to alleviate autism symptoms, these powerhouse strains can also help your body in other ways:

- L. plantarum helps reduce bad (LDL) cholesterol levels while boosting your overall immune response and fighting off pathogens like E. coli.

- L. rhamnosus can help shorten diarrhea (and prevent it altogether), relieve constipation, and possibly even prevent lactose intolerance.  It can also help alleviate symptoms of IBD and IBS, helps ease yeast and urinary tract infections and strengthens the gut wall (which is vital for leaky gut syndrome).

Fullmetal Alchemist Halloween message

How Liberals become Conservatives

The following article is of a personnel viewpoint and in no way to be presented as factual data of any kind. All of this was meant in good humor and fun. If reading this article causes any emotional distress then I am sincerely sorry for your misunderstanding and hope that you will get over it.

With the current issues of the day dividing our Nation’s leaders as well as the common people throughout the land, it is rather easy to notice the many similarities and differences  in so many people as their beliefs and practices will eventually reach a final conclusion. The following examples will clearly show, from my viewpoint, on where we stand as a Nation and as an individual.

From the beginning of the birth of a baby, the parents are dealing with a fully fledge Union card carrying liberal. This enfant believe that all of creation revolves around them. Doesn’t matter on the time of day or night, what they want they expect to get. Depending on if they have been properly educated, this lifestyle will continue on for many years even into adulthood. You will see many of these people in stores. They want to be held or walk on their own. They see an item and will act in the most embarrassing way possible in order to obtain said item. Though sear volume of rampant protest, they usually get what they want thereby believing this is the correct way to get things. Imagine the character Veruca Salt from the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

At Christmas time, when parent do their best to keep their kids from entering any kind of store that sell toys is almost near to impossible as every TV channel will broadcast all the new toys and gadgets that Santa will bring this year to them. These kids will write many letters to Santa and drive their parents near crazy in their efforts to obtain these items that they didn’t work for nor do they yet understand the cost of buying them. By the time they reach 10 years old, a glimmer of change begins to appear. Again if a true parent educated them well enough, these kids will have the foundation to really see the importance of give and take or as the saying goes, “you wash my back, and I’ll wash yours”.  Cutting the grass, rack the leaves, cleaning up their room are the beginning points as they learn to earn money and privileges. They learn that the money they honestly earned can be spent on anything they want.

When they enter the teenage years they know that doing chores equals money and that a part time summer job equals more money. They see the amount of taxes taken out of their paycheck and begin to learn what their tax dollars are used for. Also at this time as teenagers start hanging out will from time to time grab a drink and/or something to eat. Those that work will have the money to do this as those that do not will revert to their younger years and begin to chant out multiple reasons why they deserve to be treated to a free handout.

Also during the teenage dating lifestyle, the boy will surly scramble to come up with the money to treat his girlfriend on a date as the girl will need money just in case the guy is a jerk and needs to get home. Basically this is the time in their life when they form within them the meaning of being a Moderate. They still want a free handout but they know that they eventually will have to earn it.

If they go to college or a University it will delay their development into entering a conservative lifestyle. They will be exposed to free thinking beliefs like; “It’s my body and I can do whatever I want too. I can have sex with whomever I want, drink alcohol, get tattoos and smoke marijuana but not cigarettes because it’s bad for you”. Their brain is beginning to understand that the world does not revolve around them but yet they still express what they truly believe but yet they still sound like small kids wearing grownup shoes.

 If they get a job then they quickly wake up to reality. They still live at home and as soon as they get paid, it’s all spent by Monday morning. It’s at this stage to when the parents will begin to enlightening these kids with new house rules that comes with more freedom. Nighttime curfews may be gone but paying rent or more chores could be included in this arrangement.  As they stay focused on their job and household chores, they begin to understand and build upon being a responsible person.

They learn to save money. Looking at the price tag and contemplating if they really need to buy that item. Also they see the friends they hung out with as teenagers as either freeloaders or true friends. This is where people start drifting apart. Mostly due to work but they see their so called friends just like a small kid in a store screaming for a toy. These mooching young adults have yet to grow up to face the real world.  But the ones that have grown up are starting to see and begin to live more responsibly. As they express what they believe in will be met with respect by older adults.

When they move out on their own for the first time is magical. Even though they work, pay taxes and have more responsibility to deal with compared to a few years earlier, they live like a homeless person. They have to budget rent, phone, power, cable TV and whatever other bills they have and live off the rest. So if someone asked for spare change could mean the difference between having lunch or not. With this, other adults will see the maturity in this person and offer advice on what to expect on life on their own.

Over time this young person living the life of a Republican will have some money set aside for emergencies. They will be careful and budget themselves with a lifestyle that they can afford. But two lifestyles that no one is really prepared for is marriage and parenthood. In marriage you have to give 100% to the relationship while all the troubles, hardships, victories and rewards are shared 50-50. They learn the true meaning of compromise and investing in another person and a different lifestyle that may or may not work out. If successful this leads to the next stage of life of being a parent.

Everything you have done in your life to that point changes as every bit of money that you saved will be gone as with your health and lifestyle. Your development as a person over the years will decide what kind of parent you will be. If done correctly then you’re OK but if you still live as if the world owes you something, just like a kid begging for that new toy, then you’ll have lots of problems. As a true parent, you will have the maturity to not only take care of the newborn child but will also be ready to handle any unforeseen problem that appears. The best advice will always come from people’s testimonies than from books as a true parent will always welcome any advice that will help them through this time of their lives.

And as a true parent who has learned to save money, earn the respect of fellow coworkers, has a lifestyle that is prepared for the baby as well as being prepared for future potential problems is ready for their greatest challenge. This conservative couple must now raise a child who believes that it is the center of the known universe. This enfant believe he/she deserve all the attention and only the best in life even though they have shown no true purpose in life. They want their fair share even though they haven’t earned it. Not yet at least. But this conservative couple will sacrifice everything for the sake of this child. Money, free time, sanity even their lifestyle just to raise this child that starts ever sentence with the words,” I want…”.  And throughout the years as this child grows up following their liberal beliefs, they view their parents as nothing more than conservative kooks with a wallet and keys to the car.

From the beginning of liberalism we grow up and change into a conservative lifestyle. We choose to live as an adult or as a child. Taking responsibility and earning the respect of others or giving up and living off others. Making the world and all things on it a better place as we help others to grow and mature or to demand from the world a lifestyle without earning it at the expense of others. To be remembered as a hero or savior who made the world a better place or as a leech that only takes, never giving anything back to society. 

Food Lion's New Deal

Krispy Kreme Table

Food Lion is a grocery store that over the years has been working hard to clean up its image with one being visible and another one not so visible; until now. The obvious one is the amount of displays up and down the aisles and throughout the store.  Customers’ who operate the shopping cart the same way they drive their car keep hitting and knocking them down as these displays kept getting bigger and bigger. These displays are all gone now. A cleaning program was started to where an employee’s only job is to go around the store all day cleaning. Now it is very easy to shop in these stores.

Also they have a computer system that is doing all the ordering for the stores. It knows what was ordered a year ago and what has been ordered and sold from past orders. Basically, it’s working great in many of these stores but no so good in the ones that use to be a high volume store. One store has five pallets of juice backstock. Hopefully this ordering system will be a great deal better than the one that orders for Wal-Mart.

But there is another side to these new Food Lion programs that many people may have begun to notice. To stay in business one has to sell products people want to buy. Make it cheap but sell it for a greater profit. Even though Food Lion is doing great in sales and has a long future in the grocery business, one thing has become clear as to what sells and what doesn’t. And for Food Lion, their store brands do not sell as well as the name brands. The store brands are cheaper to make with a high profit margin compared to the name brands that has a small profit margin. So what is a company to do?

Well right now, all the Food Lion stores in the Raleigh, North Carolina area are in a ‘Pilot Program’. That means Food Lion executives want to see what would happen if all the vendors’ displays, shelf space and promos were taken out of those stores. And in its place would be their store brand names of; Food Lion, My Essentials and Home Essentials. With that, many vendors saw their position in the stores going from an endcap to a floor stack in frozen foods or to nothing at all. In some of these stores the Krispy Kreme table, which is a common feature in all grocery stores in the area, are collecting dust in a few Food Lion backrooms as their donuts are now located in a small side cubby hole on a back endcap.

And now that a computer is doing all the ordering for these stores, there has been another grocery reset with many more name brand products are condensed or removed from the shelves altogether to make room for more store brand products. Food Lions Pilot Program is basically to see if their products start selling better than the name brand items. If it works to their advantage then all their stores will follow suit. Thereby giving the company greater profits as many of these companies that deal with Food Lion have to cut back their sales and products to the chain store.

The worst case scenario is these companies will eventually have to cut back production of their products eventually including laying off many employees as well if the Food Lion Pilot Program is successful and as other grocery store chains follow suit. If not then this program will quietly disappear along with all the other different ideas over the years.

What is a celebrity?

With the recent announcement of the passing of Steve Jobs, I am reminded of what I considered to be a celebrity. Many years ago Albert Einstein was looked at like a rock star. A man who educated the world to a new science that many of us today take for granted.  Newspapers and film crews all across the world reported everything he did. The man who changed the world. But today the world has changed but not the way it was meant to be.

Over the years since Einstein, America in particular, began to celebrate what they considered to be popular. That has evolved to the point a girl named Snooki on a music cable show is more popular today than Martin Luther King Jr. Just looking at the magazines by the cash registers at grocery stores clearly shows what is considered popular now; unwed teen mothers, a war between Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie, unfaithful spouses and who’s sleeping with whom now.

Over the years of medical cures, traveling to the moon and other planets, overcoming social injustice people are more concerned on what Lady Gaga is wearing today or if there is a new sex tape of Kim Kardashian. Ichiro Suzuki breaks baseball records what feels like every season but it means nothing compared to the press and publicity professional athletes get for using steroids or the University of North Carolina for taking impermissible benefits and multiple academic misconducts. Doing what is immoral or bad is now rewarded with fame while those who accomplish great things for the better of a society or culture are forgotten by the next commercial break.

I do not watch the Emmy’s or the Oscars nor do I care who wins. It’s basically Hollywood millionaires rewarding themselves. But the real celebrity who helps that industry become even more popular was also attacked by that same industry. George Lucas. He has created more technologies for the movie industry than any other person or company to date. Just reading about all his accomplishments on digital recordings, sound, special effects, etc. has Hollywood create movies that years ago would be impossible to do. CGI effects like PIXAR which was one of his creations, has created amazing works of art for movies and TV shows.

All the while as George Lucas was just getting started, Hollywood bosses and unions were pushing him away. But now they can’t live without him or his technology. But during the Oscars its more on who is wearing the most revealing dress, who is with whom. And while nearly every other speech is a political attack on a politician or program, the whole event feels like it is promoting itself for the next line of movies coming out soon. All the while the man who brought new life and spirit to the industry is ignored.

Steve Jobs is another man who in a normal world would have rock star statues like Albert Einstein. Starting a company from scratch, he has accomplished so much and revolutionized many technologies that years ago were unthinkable. Even coming back to the company he started years later, his ipod, iphone and ipad has moved technology and the lifestyle of people more forward in this area than any other.

There are many other famous celebrities all over the world that by today’s standards are nobodies. Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Thomas Edison, Claus von Stauffenberg, Jonas Salk, The Wright Brothers are just a few real celebrities with rock star statues. But the only thing that people really care about today is what Justin Bieber is doing. We basically worship the millionaires while it’s the poor people saving the world from itself.

Shaniya Davis Getting Justice

Shaniya Davis (5 years old)

click here for full story.

A judge has cleared the way for prosecutors to seek the death penalty against the man accused of raping and killing 5-year-old Shaniya Davis in 2009. Superior Court Judge Jim Ammons made the ruling this afternoon. Mario Andrette McNeil, 31, is one of two people charged in the girl's death. The other is her mother, Antoniette Davis, 27. McNeil is charged with first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and first-degree murder. Antoniette Davis is charged with first-degree murder, rape of a child and human trafficking.

 District Attorney Billy West told the court today that prosecutors did not plan to seek the death penalty against Antoniette Davis. Shaniya was killed and her body was dumped along a roadside in Harnett County in 2009. Shaniya was reported missing Nov. 10, 2009, by her mother, who was living in the Sleepy Hollow Mobile Home Park off Murchison Road.

 A few days later, police discovered surveillance video from a hotel in Sanford that showed a man holding Shaniya in his arms while waiting for an elevator. Police later identified the man as McNeil, who turned himself in to police Nov. 13 after the video was released. McNeil admitted to kidnapping the child, police said. Shaniya's body was found Nov. 16 off Walker Road, which is off N.C. 87 near the Carolina Trace community.

Antoniette Davis (mother) /  Mario Andrette McNeil (asshole) 

009 RE:CYBORG

Anime director Kenji Kamiyama - who first rose to prominence thanks to his work on Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex and has since become one of the most reliable and successful directors in the biz - has announced his next feature with an extended promo video.

Kamiyama will be returning to the world of cybernetic action with a big screen version of Shotara Ishinomori's manga 009 Re:Cyborg. The story follows a group of nine cyborgs, each of them created by a shadowy organization for use as weapons against humanity. The group turns on their creators to protect the population instead, using the powers given them to fight their creators.

Mamoru Oshii created a short film based on this same material recently and the original manga has already spun off multiple films and anime series in the past. For a taste of Kamiyama's spin on things take a look at the video below.

Obama Fried Chicken

Chinese media reports that Kentucky Fried Chicken is taking legal action against the management of “Obama Fried Chicken” on grounds of trademark infringement. A store bearing the “OFC” livery – complete with Obama’s likeness replacing that of the Colonel – reportedly appeared in Beijing, causing rapid reverberations online and an almost equally rapid response from KFC proper, which vowed legal action. The store was apparently the work of one of China’s notoriously innovative entrepreneurs, in this a case a university student, and had not yet opened.

Other fast food companies have also been flattered by such imitators as McDnoalds, to say nothing of Apple’s recent and decidedly creepy discovery of an entire chain of replica Apple stores… link here 

No actions have been taken with another infringement involving a Japanese singer named Gackt over the naming of his latest album 'Are you fried Chickenz' with the bands name 'Yellow Fried Chickenz'.

Pink Pepsi / Energy

 web link here
Limited flavor for the Winter season

Strawberry and milk flavor

Halloween Banner

Again my wife drew another Halloween banner picture for me.

Wendell, North Carolina

Living in a small town like Wendell is pretty nice. I for one live outside the town limits. Going to work each morning and watching the deer run through my back yard as I make my way to the car, cats sleeping on top of the car and the trees around it as the dogs chase after the deer. From time to time I have caught a opossum sleeping on our back porch.  The part my wife hasn’t gotten use to yet is all the bugs and mosquitoes. They really love biting her. She does love watching the lighting bugs during the summer but after all these years of living here, she still feels like she is in a scary movie if she has to go outside at night and hears strange noises coming from the woods.

The town of Wendell is small but big in heart. When the Food Lion grocery store opened up was cause for a celebration. The store has been remodeled and expanded numerous of time due to the size of the town’s population increasing. A McDonalds opened up not too long ago and just recently went through a remodeling due to so many people trying to even get into the parking lot let alone the service counter was three feet from the front door. 

The local post office is by far the greatest post office I have encountered. And I had to deal with post offices in California and New York with much dread. But here in Wendell they call us if we receive a package. As soon as I go inside the post office they immediately retrieve the package all without asking for the name on the package, they know its for us. And that is due to my wife’s nationality of sorts.

You see, looking at the demographics of the racial makeup of the town of Wendell, it’s not surprising to see that our family sticks out so easily. My wife is Japanese and with our two boys makes the town of Wendell list us as 0.02% of Japanese residence. And to be honest we stick out very clearly in this town. The majority of people who live here are whites, then Blacks or African American depending on your level of political correctness followed by Hispanics.

We clearly stick out in this town. But unlike ALL those Hollywood movies we haven’t experience any negativity or people showing up in front of our house in white sheets burning a cross. This whole area is a farming community. Nearly everyone lives works, or have relatives who deal with farming. With that, the people here have a strong since of family values here. A lot of people around here are more concerned about getting work done, raising the kids right and enjoy what God has given them.

When my wife started living here she had all these ideas of what Southern living was like. Just by all the movies and TV shows showing its stupidity of what Southern people are like. It did take her a while to get use to hunting season and listening to guns going off into the night and early morning. But every negative or persecution she was ready to experience never happened. People waved at us, saying hello, a true Southern hospitality.

Over the past few years the town has been growing ever so slowly compared to larger cities but in a way that’s good. People around here like it nice and quiet. A majority of the stores in town are closed by six PM and even during the night the whole place is as quiet as a mouse. The morning and afternoon times have created rush hour traffic with backups, people unable to turn onto main and side roads as well as the recent move by the town council to lowering the speed limits inside the town to handle the congestion.

The one big thing going for the town now is a TV show called Lizard Lick Towing that comes on the TruTV Network. Lot of us around here watched it for a while but quickly got bored watching it as we kept seeing a lot of people we know on the show. And many of them talked about being paid to act that way for the cameras. The place is also a car dealership called Wendell Auto Brokers located at the corner of Marshburn Road and HWY 97. I pass this way a lot as does many of my relatives who work the fields near there.  Check their business reviews before buying a car from there.

The local Police are always nice and friendly and on constant patrol. Except early mornings when one of them is resting is his car across the street from McDonalds while playing Solitary on the computer. Those screens are clearly visible from the road when it’s still dark outside. People are nice and friendly, Anyone seen doing anything strange will quickly call the police and the next door neighbor to watch. I even sat on my front porch and watched a guy get a speeding ticket. I knew the guy and called his on his cell phone while the police was writing the ticket.

The town is a modern day Mayberry and in many ways I hope it never changes. A by-pass road going around the town would help alleviate the traffic backups through town would be perfect but that could be a problem as more and more houses are being built just outside the town limits leaving all these new home owners having to drive through town to get onto the freeway. I enjoy the smell of weekend cookouts from the neighbors; watching kids playing throughout the town and surrounding area testifying on how safe the area is; looking out into my backyard with my kids in the early morning as deer, raccoons and opossum walk across the yard are just a drop in the ocean on how I feel about living here.

My wife is a city girl and after living here for over ten years now and she still haven’t fully gotten used to it yet. Too quiet and dark during the night, bugs everywhere (mostly on her), animals walking all around our yard and constant phone calls from my family wanting to know how we are doing and if we need anything. Not saying Okinawan families are not close as her family calls every week but my family calls just about every other day.

In all, Wendell is a nice quiet town. Not too big or small and still full of Southern values; God, family and local sports.