Boy Scouts of...What Again?

There are few things that I feel very strongly about and get me riled up but this following post just happens to be one of them, so pardon me if it sounds a little angry but I'm a little angry.

In the beginning the BSA was a sound organization with the sole responsibility of teaching young boys morals, ethics and stewardship but through the years these core values have been tainted by inexperienced, unwilling and unknowledgable leaders and now by the ever mighty dollar.

I will be the first to admit that the BSA has some very valuable principles that every young man should know and respect like honor, honesty, leadership and responsibility but there are some gaping holes in what is taught and what is practiced. I was lucky enough to have an excited and knowledgeable Scout Master when I was going through and I learned a lot on my way to earning my Eagle. But these days the esteemed rank of Eagle has turned into a destination and not a journey. In the scout troop that I work with now we are encouraged to have all the boys to the rank of Eagle by the time they are 14 years old. This is an absurd and irresponsible request and anyone that has received their Eagle will agree.

On the linked to article above, the property belongs to the BSA so it is within their rights to do with it what they please as long as it is legal but that doesn't make it right, for example, adultery is not against the law so therefore I could commit adultery legally but I won't for many reason but mainly because it is against my morals and I intend to teach my children along these same moral lines. I can't do that if I have not lived up to those morals, just like the BSA can't teach young men about environmental stewardship if the organization as a whole is not practicing it themselves.

By the way, the picture at the top is not some random clear cutting picture that I found that is actually the fine work of the BSA.

Dirt is Good

The New York Times printed an article on Monday titled Babies Know: A Little Dirt is Good For You. The jist of the article is that, in this antibacterial crazed society that we live in, the bacteria, viruses and especially worms that children get from "dirt" are actually good for them and help to build their immune systems and even ward allergies and asthma.

In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system. Several continuing studies suggest that worms may help to redirect an immune system that has gone awry and resulted in autoimmune disorders, allergies and asthma.

[...]

Dr. Ruebush deplores the current fetish for the hundreds of antibacterial products that convey a false sense of security and may actually foster the development of antibiotic-resistant, disease-causing bacteria. Plain soap and water are all that are needed to become clean, she noted.

Parkour

Google video now has the full length documentary of Jump London up to view. The movie is a bit long at just under 50 minutes but worth the watch.

Parkour is a fairly unknown "art" of free movement where the goal is to move from one point to another as quickly and efficiently as possible while using the surrounding environment such as buildings, rails and branches. It received more notoriety when it appeared in the opening chase scene of the James Bond movie Casino Royale

Treat Yourself This Weekend

I treated myself today by sleeping in an extra hour and a half before getting up and going to work. Training has been taking it's toll and a little extra sleep started to become a matter of necessity and that got me thinking about those around me and what they are going through this time of year; whether it be children, work situation or financial troubles. So sometime this weekend take some time to treat yourself. I'm not suggesting that you go out and buy yourself that diamond ring that you've been eyeing or that full carbon tri bike with all the bells and whistles. Go on a date with your spouse or significant other, sit down and read that book that you have been meaning to crack the cover of or just simply take a bubble bath. I garauntee you will feel a hundred times better then you do right now.

New Music Blog

I have teamed up with some fellow music lovers to create The Muse in Music. So head on over and check it out, I'm sure that it will be updated for more than this one and hopefully you will leave a better person then when you came.

Save The Sea Kittens

In a desperate attempt PETA is trying to get people to eat less fish using the old guilt by association routine. Their idea is that if we will see fish as sea kittens that seeing a sweet Flounder with both eyes on one side of it's head will warm our hearts enough that we will forgo that all you can eat catfish night at the local Long John Silver's. I can appreciate what they are trying to do (being married to a vegetarian and all) but this is a ridiculous idea.

This is the sea kitten that I created

Create Your Own Sea Kitten at peta.org!

I seem to remember someone else having trouble with a similar idea.

Microsoft Songsmith

Microsoft is a $60 billion a year company. They have produced some of the greatest computer software as well as some of the worst. They have never really been known for their commercials to be all that exciting but now they will forever go down as having one of the worst.

This does seem like a pretty handy and powerful software for singers and songwriters but from the commercial I couldn't buy it on principle alone.

Top "Ten" LP's of 2008

I have been meaning to get this post done for about a week now and figured that if I wrote the first sentence I would get it done, so here is the first sentence and below is my top 7 LP's from last year.

The year started out strong and took a major pit fall in late summer, there's not an album on the list that was released after June, to prove my point.


1. Gemma Ray, The Leader - I really like this album; it is the most original thing that I have heard in a long time. The sound is basically noir girl group from the 60's, I'll bet this album sounds best on vinyl.









2. The Last Shadow Puppets, The Age of Understatement - This is a collaboration of Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys and Miles Kane of The Rascals, luckily this doesn't come off as a side project which normally come across as an artist's unlistenable self-indulgence. The album falls somewhere in between a spaghetti western and a Bond movie.




3. Sia, Some People Have REAL Problems - For the most part this album is sweet R&B, kind of a cross between Norah Jones and Feist. My only complaint about this album is that I don't think that we ever really get the full power of her voice that she is possible of.







4. Air Traffic, Fractured Life - I try not to put this type of album on my list for the year but this is solid pop/punk from beginning to end










5. The Mountain Goats, Heretic Pride - I am kind of embarrassed to not have heard of this band before especially since this is their 10th studio release and was produced by John Vanderslice. You have to get used to John Darnielle's voice and alot of the songs sound fairly similar but in this case that is not a bad thing






6. Vampire Weekend, S/T - For me this was my most anticipated album of the year. Unfortunately it didn't completely live up to the hype, and definitely tapers as the album goes on but in the end it is still a great debut effort.








7. 1969, Maya - This band is fronted by Butch Walker who has made his name more as a producer then a musician although he has had some songs that have become hits for many other artists from Pink to Sevendust. Considering Walker has been in, started, and broken up with so many band over the years along with all the producing I wouldn't expect a sophomore release from 1969.

Faux Pas of 2008

There were a number of new developments in 2008, both technology and fashion wise, that I would have preferred stay in the dark caverns of non-existence or previous fashions that are making a come back that died for a good reason the first time. So I have come up with a few items that I would like to see disappear in 2009.

Big Sunglasses - I'm not quite sure how this trend ended up rearing it's ugly head again from the Jackie O. days but it has and now it must be snuffed out before someone gets shot.

To those of you that do wear these monstrosities, you are not an anime characters with eyes the size of dish plates. They don't make you look hot or edgy, they make you look like a bug.








Blue Tools - I don't know a single person that is important enough to need a Bluetooth headset. In fact this dog probably needs his Bluetooth as much as the normal person does. Maybe I'm not in with the inner circle of society that are movers and shakers and that's why I don't know anybody that needs a Bluetooth but I will tell you one thing that I do know, anyone that shops at Walmart, drives themselves around town or doesn't lives in a penthouse in New York City doesn't need one. I can't tell you how many times I have made a fool of myself by talking to someone that was looking at me but talking to someone else attached to their head.

This video sums up my feeling fairly well. (language starts gets a little rough at 1:50 in so if you want to stop it before then be my guest.)


"Popped" Collars - Now I have done some stupid things in my life but luckily none of them, to my knowledge, have ever been caught on film and placed on the internet for all to see. If they had I would have to hide my identity just like this guy. What's the purpose? You're not The Fonze.

I have even seen a pre-pubescent, future beer bong chugger with two, count them, two collared shirts on with both of them popped, be still my heart, it was a sight to see. Isn't it alot easier to just get a name tag that says "Hello, I'm a frat boy WASP, my dad bought me my car and I have no ideas about the reality of life"?

And finally, last but not least...

The Suburban Ghetto Look - Really this fashion trend is nothing new but it did take a step in a new direction this year and merged a few sub-cultures together to make one large smorgasbord of posers and wannabes. In general the gangster look used to be a pure genre which included only those from the inner city but has now spread to pre-teens in suburbia that show up to Ikea with their mom's in oversized SUV's (yes, I went to Ikea this weekend). Somehow the extreme sport group got a hold of this style and now the thing is to be a thug skater and motocrosser.




There is my summary of the year. If we all work together we can make this world a better place for all of us by pointing out stupidity in action.

How To Get beat up by an Italian in Spandex

Here is a link from a local bike shop to help you with your Italian as you prepare for The Giro this coming May. Some phrases are helpful but most of them are just going to get you run off the road.