MyExWifeIsAWhore.com

If you’ve been keeping up with the blog, as I’m sure you have, you know that we just got back from the mountains in NC, TN, GA, etc.

Although it probably goes without saying, we saw some pretty scary “good ole’ Americans” up in those hills.  But the real shocker is how many of these folks I see on a daily basis right here at home.

As an example, let’s take a moment and examine a couple I saw at Wendy’s just yesterday.  She’s wearing new-ish clothes, but very old tattered shoes.  He’s wearing old and tattered clothes (shirt was stained, shorts were basically garbage) but BRAND NEW shiny white Nike’s with thick, bleach-white laces.  They were pushing a second-hand stroller that looked like the wheels were going to fall off of at any moment.

Normally, I wouldn’t have even noticed them but daddy came into the Wendy’s to get himself some chicken nuggets while mom was walking up the road behind him.  He was quick to order and immediately went back outside to avoid (inside) what became a very public scene in the parking lot.

The gist of what I could hear was that they couldn’t afford the nuggets, and he went in and bought them anyway, and she was very upset.  Additionally, he either lost his job, never had one, or refuses to get one (according to the loving mommy).

Of course, this is mostly interpretive as I don’t fluently speak “Rapper-G Money-Poser” which clearly was this couple’s native language.

During the fight, I couldn’t help but notice that both mom and dad were smoking.  Normally not a big surprise, but I managed to catch the pack at the top of the stroller:  “Newport” menthol cigarettes.  For those of you who are familiar with the brand, they’re currently about $6 a pack.

Let’s do some quick math.  The average smoker goes through one pack a day.  Let’s give these winners the benefit of the doubt and cut that in half.  Let’s assume they smoke a pack a day TOGETHER (very unlikely).  6 bucks a day, times 30 days in a month…  Roughly $180 a month.

The fight continued for about 10 minutes, and finally, they continued on their way, on foot.

That’s right, on foot.  $180/month smoking habit, baby, snazzy new Nike’s, and NO CAR.  I wonder if they could afford that new doll their daughter wants.

Evolution:  More evidence that your church will ignore.  Story is from one of those crazy, leftist websites.  You know… National Geographic.

“Using its fins to walk, rather than swim, along the ocean floor in an undated picture, the pink handfish is one of nine newly named species described in a recent scientific review of the handfish family. “

See it here

There has been a lot of talk about Arizona’s controversial laws as of late, specifically the SB 1070: “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act”.  For those of you who’ve been living under a rock, let me fill you in on the details:

Arizona and its residents have been complaining for a long time about the presence of illegals (coming over the border from Mexico).  This has allegedly resulted in increased drug traffic, increased violent crime and a heavy increase in costs for medical care and prisons. (According to Arizona State Senator Sylvia Allen)

The law is basically this:

The new SB1070 Arizona immigration bill lets the state police perform checks on a “reasonable suspicion” that a person might be an illegal immigrant and make arrests for not carrying ID papers. Previously, police could not stop and check identification papers on a mere suspicion that someone might be an illegal immigrant. Police could only ask about an individual’s immigration status if they are suspected of involvement in another crime.  quote source

Supporters claim the law will help enforce arresting and deporting illegal aliens, those against the bill claim that this will usher in a “Nazi Germany” type of environment where regular Americans (naturally born, or naturalized) will be constantly harassed, illegitimately arrested and detained.

Even though we are only in the eve of seeing this new law in action, already there have been reported cases of the worst case scenario which leads to only more questions around the simple morality of the law.

It seems to me that this law is the knee-jerk-reaction to the federal government not doing enough to solve the problem, which is too many people getting past the “border patrol” (who have a long history of dropping the ball).

In the event that you find yourself in massive credit card debt, the first step is to STOP USING THE CARD before attempting to pay off the balance.  Seems like common sense here that the same solution can be applied.  Let’s concentrate on fixing the border problem before passing laws to combat the problem after it has already happened.

As usual, this is hilarious because it’s so true.

People who have read the Bible ALL THE WAY THROUGH

If you happen to be looking for the most hilarious irony ever, click this:

LifeLock CEO’s Identity Stolen 13 Times | Threat Level | Wired.com.

Every time we get the idea of heading up the mountains there is always a huge effort of timing, preparation, and planning.

From loading 350 pound bikes onto a rental truck, a NINE HOUR drive, packing, to getting vacation time from work there is much to be done. It always seems like a lot of work for just a few days away.

Helmet, jacket, gloves, boots, camera, video camera, memory cards, batteries, cash… Jesus, where am I going to put all of this on that little sport bike? White knuckles, check. OK, let’s go.

That first ride up 28 instantly erases the memory of all the painstaking effort and time, the planning and weather watching, the overtime and crazyness of the preparation.

Clicking my bike into 3rd gear and laying into the throttle, hearing the scream of the engine bouncing off of the canyon walls, the natural laws of physics start to make sense in a Taoist kind of way.

When riding at high altitudes at a “reasonable” rate of speed (lol), your ears will deafen and pop like they do on an airplane. I always try to avoid swallowing or popping them, because when your lean angle is just right, you can actually HEAR the relationship between the road and your tires over the screaming exhaust. Like the soft murmur of a distant conversation. I’ve never been a religious man, but that sound is as close to enlightenment as I’ve ever been.

A very interesting conversation I had with a guy on one of the forums I frequent has prompted me to think about the perceived connection between Christianity’s moral beliefs and the US Constitution’s Bill of Rights (and the rest of it, really).

I think About.com’s post here sums up the logistics of what most people would argue as far as the language of the law is concerned, but let’s talk for a moment about the possibility that the roles may be reversed.

Just for kicks, take a moment and join me on an “atheist’s view” of the world:

If we assume that man created God, then we make the same assumption for the “word of God”, or more specifically to this conversation, the 10 Commandments.  Suddenly, it becomes easy to see that ideologies based on “common” morality (and by common, I mean socially accepted) don’t necessarily have to be born of deity.

Or, in other words:  “Thou shalt not kill” isn’t Christianity, it’s common sense.

A general understanding of ethics shows that these 10 rules purportedly sent down to Earth by God are really just a re-iteration of basic, fundamental human morality, or more specifically, the principle of enlightened self-interest with some fear-based propaganda built in (honor no other idol, shalt not say the name in vein, etc).

My purpose here is not to create atheists (contrary to the claim of some hate mail I’ve received LOL), but rather to challenge people’s minds to entertain other possibilities.

Here, this should ruin your afternoon:  America: We’re Not #1! [comic]

Short version: America sucks on almost every measurable scale.

Have a nice day

Recently, “for some unknown reason”, according to the people over at the Sun Pass company, my credit-card-backed Sun Pass (automated toll paying device) failed to charge me for some tolls.

Almost immediately, the system sprang into action!  I received a notice in the mail that my transponder did not pay the tolls and I needed to contact the company right away.

So I did.  And after a 15 minute conversation, the Sun Pass company charged me the tolls and updated my account.  All was right with the world.

And then, enter the government for some fail with a capital “F”.

About a week later, I received a letter from the Expressway Authority stating that I had some unpaid tolls.  The same unpaid tolls from the Sun Pass folks.  At this point I thought, “OK, they’re a little behind.  I’ll call the Sun Pass folks and straighten this out”.

So I call the 800 number for Sun Pass and get a guy who explains to me that the Expressway Authority is a county facility, and Sun Pass is a State facility, so I would have to call the Authority directly and explain to them that Sun Pass has received my payment.  He even gave me a confirmation number to reference.

Here’s where the fun starts.  Unlike the fancy 800 number I got for Sun Pass, the Transit Authority is specific to a county so they have a local number.  Luckily I live in the area so I didn’t pay a long-distance fee for the call, but otherwise this would have been a nice punch in the crotch.

So, now I have this woman on the phone who says that they have no record of my payment.

Here’s how the conversation went:

TA Woman: “Sir, we have no record of your payment of these tolls”

Me: “Well, I just got off the phone with the folks over at Sun Pass and they gave me this confirmation number, 10…”

TA Woman: “Sir, let me stop you there. Our confirmation numbers don’t start with 10, the number you have is a Sun Pass confirmation number.”

Me: “Um, what?  I don’t understand, don’t you have the same systems as the Sun Pass people?”

TA Woman: “No, sir we have no access to that data.”

Me: “Well then how do you know that I paid any tolls at all?”

TA Woman: “We don’t sir, we only know when the Sun Pass company doesn’t pay the toll in your name.”

Me: “So, if the Sun Pass company makes a mistake, like the one that got me on the phone to start with… You know what, never mind.  What do I have to do to fix this?”

TA Woman: “We are willing to wave the transaction fee so your balance is $10.67, we accept all major credit cards.”

Me: “But my account is in good standing, I have already paid the tolls.”

TA Woman: “Sir, can you mail me confirmation that these tolls have been paid?  You’ll find the PO Box address on your notice.”

Me: “I have to mail you confirmation?  I have a confirmation number from Sun Pass, and additionally, you, the Transit Authority, will get the tolls paid IN MY NAME from Sun Pass, right?”

TA Woman: “Well, yes sir, but we have no way of reconciling that payment.  Sun Pass sends us the toll, but not the information surrounding when or where that toll was paid.”

Me: “What the…?  You know what?  We’re already past the value of this $10. Here’s my credit card number…”

This guy is my new personal hero.   I’m a little upset that I’m just learning about him now.

Sam Harris is a philosopher, student, a PhD in neuroscience, and author who is a strong proponent of scientific skepticism (among other things).

Start with this video, and if you get hooked (as I am sure you will), watch this one.  Make sure you have a hat on (or maybe a helmet!), to hold in your blown-out-mind.

While you’re at it, watch some of the other amazing videos on TED’s site.