The Daily Skunk

Last night I watched “An Inconvenient Truth.”   I am going to state for the record that I disagree with Al Gore’s politics for the most part and that I have never been an alarmist about anything in my life (except gun control).  However,  I am finding myself confused by the unsettling feeling I got seeing the facts presented in that movie.  Maybe this is a pitch for Gore (I hope not), but see the movie.  Then please post any facts you may have or find pertaining to the subject.  Opinions are of course always welcome (see above).

If nothing else comes of this post, I would like to see a popular movement of our readers toward realizing the true science behind global warming and real solutions to it.  Now, please don’t take that to mean that we should be knee-jerkers or ELFers, but we can focus our efforts on showing our readers (you and me) what the situation really is from all sides of the issue, not just the yes or no camps.

I find myself more inspired to research this subject than any other that I have been exposed to, ever.  I hope you feel the same and are willing to share what you find.  I am going to reserve my commentary on the movie because you don’t need to concern yourself with my feelings, just the facts presented (if they are all facts). 

www.tripadvisor.com

You need to check out this site. Planning a trip isn’t the reason I’m suggesting it to you though.

There is a section titled “Rants and Raves”. This is a review section from people who have taken a pacakge trip or stayed at a particular hotel, etc. I’ve only read the “Rants” and they are hilarious. The other section that you need to look at is the “TA humor”.

Here is an example of what you will find from the “Rants” section of this site:

New York City: Park 79 Hotel: “Different name- same boogers”

“This place used to be known as the Hayden Hall. It was such a legendary bad hotel that they changed the name to fool the cockroaches and other vermin that set up shop at the Hayden Hall.
It is a little better, but I don’t think that you could possibly eliminate all the toxic waste that has accrued there over the years. Instead of giving you a robe, they should issue you a Hazmat suit when you check in.
The little bottles of shampoo should be replaced by Kwell samples as well.
When humanity ends due to a mutant virus infecting us all, the origin of it may be traced back to this place. Traveler beware…”

Check it out and enjoy!

William

How far are we going to let the media go? How much do we deserve to know? What will it take before we realize that many times the media is more of a problem than a valuable informational resource. I can’t believe the evolution within the media world that I have observed in my short life. Now it isn’t uncommon to see a crime scene on the news with a chalk outline of a body, blood all around it and empty casings fired from a gun or a reporter live on the scene with a kids bike crushed beneath a vehicle in the background and a child’s shoe laying on the street in the foreground. Why do we need to see this outline, the blood, the shoe? The information is the same without the picture isn’t it?

Worse than these are the graphic, detailed descriptions and live reporting of school shootings. I can’t help but wonder sometimes if the information that is broadcast actually promotes copycat crimes. This is not my original idea by the way. Think about it, how many school shootings did you know about before the notorious Columbine? I tried to find this information and I couldn’t find anything documented on a school shooting by a student or other person before the Columbine massacre. I did find an interesting blog on the copycat school shootings which I will post at the bottom of this article though.

I know the argument could be made that we see all sorts of monstrosities on television programs all the time – I know this, they undoubtedly give someone who is mentally unstable ideas as well. The biggest difference with the tv program and the media is that the media is presenting reality.

I welcome the response along the lines of freedom of speech, where do you draw the line, etc. It is called ethics and there is probably a pretty reasonable way to determine what kind of information could trigger this copycat effect.

The Copycat Effect – Predicted: More School Shootings

http://copycateffect.blogspot.com/2006/10/predicted-more-school-shootings.html

William

The exploration of outer space, we are approaching 40 years with the shuttle program, 50 years of NASA and billions upon billions of spent dollars for what?

It is hard for me to believe that the government should be spending so much money exploring space when there are so many issues that need to be addressed down here on Earth. In all reality how has space exploration really affected our lives? Where would we be without it (besides the obvious - less national debt). The only logical argument (and I’m not saying I agree with it) as far as I’m concerned to supporting the space program is if we consider space the next military frontier – yes folks, Star Wars!

Even this falls short when realistically considered, for several reasons. #1 There are only a few nations who have ever considered spending the money that it takes to explore space, and we aren’t at odds with them. #2 Whoever can control the ground will ultimately control space – at this point in time, space function is meaningless without the communication on the ground. #3The rest of the nations on Earth wouldn’t allow one nation to dominate space.

After writing this it is clear to me - if we end up at war in space, and missiles and start falling from space - I agree with disco, time to find your friends and a few cases of beer and wait for the nukes to come raining down.

In the words of the famous redneck philosopher Kenny Rogers – “You’ve got to know when to fold ‘em”, and as far as I’m concerned it’s time to fold the space program.

William

Maybe I’m just missing the hot topics of the recent midterm elections, or maybe I just want to complain.

What could be better than someone else paying your medical bills? You slice yourself open, get stitched up, pay your deductible and the rest is covered. Great right? I’m not so easily convinced.

Now, I’m not saying that paying for the services health insurance companies offer and having your medical expenses paid for isn’t a necessary and overall good thing. But I ask you this, “What have we lost along the way?”

By bringing a third party into health care besides patient and practitioner, we have effectively removed personal responsibility.

I work in health care, I am an acupuncturist by trade. Generally acupuncture is not covered by insurance. I know what you are thinking, “He’s just pissed because he can’t get paid.” Yes, that’s true. I think that limiting a patient’s options by excluding certain modalities and not including coverage for alternative care while we pump our patients full of pharmaceuticals is just wrong. But, my irritation with which modalities insurance companies chose to cover is for another day. My argument is that reimbursement for medical procedures has changed the mindset of today’s medical patient.

I work in a hospital and see this everyday. At my hospital I am paid a salary, there is no charge for a patient to receive acupuncture. Each day I approach patients to see if they would like treatment. I almost always have to reassure them that there is no charge, they usually will flat out turn me down as soon as I offer because they think there will be a fee. Most of these are orthopaedic patients who are racking up thousands of dollars in hospital expenses without the blink of an eye, but when asked about a treatment which outside of this hospital would cost (this is an average) $50, that could reduce their pain, nausea, and a number of other problems which make for an uncomfortable stay, they refuse. To further illustrate my point, in the last week I have done about 50 treatments and out of those only one patient was ready to pay for my services before I told him it was free.

The development of companies who, for a fee, will usually have your back and cover the cost of pricey medical procedures was a brilliant idea, it makes a few people filthy rich, creates jobs and saves the rest of us from going bankrupt with the occurance of a medical emergency. But we have become so dependant upon reimbursals that most people have lost the ability to decide what is in their best interest. We turn what we should value most, our health and well being over to those with the money.

You would think that it would be in the insurance companies best interest to cover whatever modalities are needed to keep their customers healthy, especially since preventative medicine is cheaper than hospital costs. You can be damn sure that the insurance companies don’t care about what’s best for you, they just care about the bottom line.

Since you know my position I would now like to turn this topic over to the Skunk Think Tank. I want to hear what you fellow skunkers have to say about my ranting. Agree or disagree, any ideas on how to get people to personally value their health and well being would be greatly appreciated. William and Sesquipedalian, I know you guys have something to say about this!
Also, if anyone could find out the difference between average medical expenses before the development of health insurance and after and how it related to average income, I would really like to see those figures.

mongo

Traditionally, the day after we sit down and celebrate Turkey Day, throngs of people will descend on local shopping malls at 4:00 in the morning to save $12 dollars on a toaster oven in an event that has become known as Black Friday. This is “officially” the green flag of the Christmas Shopping Season 500, sponsored by every single freakin’ business known to man. Retailers love to see hordes of consumers flock to shopping malls after being waken out of their Tryptophan-induced comas of the day before. People will line up in the freezing cold and sacrifice their health to save an arbitrary amount of money. I, personally, do not like Christmas all that much, just for the sole reason that it is a one day holiday that consumes almost 4 months out of the year. The Thanksgiving decorations barely beat Christmas decorations into the stores, even though the holidays are celebrated over a month apart. People seem to go nuts over saving a handful of change. It is like a drug to some people. So, what are those of us that a disgusted by all of this commercialism and blind consumerism to do?

I first heard of National Buy Nothing Day a few years ago and I loved the idea. Basically, the idea behind it is to buy nothing the day after Thanksgiving. It is nothing groundbreaking or revolutionary, but it has a certain humanistic appeal to it. While the masses are out throwing elbows for a PS3, you could be at home relaxing or volunteering at a homeless shelter: anything but feeding the wolves. The principle behind it is to buy nothing for 24 hours, basically, the day after Thanksgiving to show your disdain for the over-competitive-buy-and-sell-kill-or-be-killed society we have become. This is a global movement and is not meant to really bring the corporations to their knees, but more so to remind people why we have these holidays and why it is important to spend quality time with family and friends.

Now, obviously, needs may arise in a 24 hour period that may warrant attention. The whole idea is to buy nothing that is extravagant or unnecessary. I plan to grab a few friends, a few cases of beer, and catch up on old times. I will not be outside of Wal-Mart at 5:00 a.m. Please join me on November, 24^th in buying nothing.

Official Link: http://www.adbusters.org/metas/eco/bnd/

O.J. Simpson is a glorified gootball hero to some loyal football enthusiasts, to others he is the antichrist. Personally, I am leaning toward antichrist. For those of you who have been living in a cave for the past week you are probably unaware of a two-part interview Fox News is broadcasting, elegantly titled “If I Did It, Here’s How It Happened”. Initially, when I heard of this I couldn’t help but throw up in the back of mouth. Anyways, Judith Regan, a highly touted book publisher conducted the interview. Consequently enough a book is to be released following part two of the interview by Regan, coincidence? I’ll let you decide.

Some may view this to be ingenious in terms of marketing, I feel it’s preposterous! I can’t imagine what’s going through the minds of the families of the victims. Aside from that, the question I would like to pose to the great minds of this site is why do you believe O.J. engaged himself in this? Obviously money and an ego boost are fitting possibilities. However, I believe there is more to it than that. Guilt is something that is instilled in us all in some shape, form, or level. My point of contention is that Simpson is doing this because I believe he has convinced himself that he didn’t commit these heinous crimes and through the book and interview he is trying to alleviate some of the guilt from his mind. Just some of my thoughts, what are yours?

In 1934, as a reaction to the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, congress passed and the president signed into law the National Firearms Act of 1934.  This law was the first gun control legislation of any significance in this nation.  The law sought to prevent further crimes from being committed with a certain group of firearms.  The NFA did so by instituting a tax of $200 on each transfer of each weapon (except AOWs, for which the tax is $5).  The larger tax rate was equivalent to the then current cost of a Thompson submachine gun, the weapon used in the Valentine’s Day Massacre, or roughly 5 months’ salary. 

The law defined the following:

Machine Gun: any gun which will fire more than one shot for each pull of the trigger [which still has ammunition].

SBR: short barreled rifle: any shoulder fired long gun [rifled bore] with a barrel less than 16 inches in length.  This includes stocked handguns.  Also, a minimun length of 26″ exists.

SBS: short barreled shotgun: any shoulder fired shotgun [smooth bore] with a barrel less than 18 inches in length. Same minimum length of 26″.

Suppressor: any device with the purpose of muffling the report of a shot.  AKA silencer, but they don’t really silence.

DD: destructive device: two categories:explosive or incendiary devices, such as rocket propelled grenades or hand grenades; and any shoulder fired weapon with a bore larger than one-half inch (except sporting shotguns).

AOW: Any Other Weapon: smooth bore handguns, a pistol with more than one grip, light and pen [read novelty] guns, manually reloaded (read single shot) shoulder fired weapons with either barrel type.

Along with the definitions, the law placed severe restrictions on acquisition of these weapons.  One must, to this day, fill out several forms and acquire the signature of the CLEO (chief law enforcement officer) of the applicant’s county, submit current fingerprint cards and submit to and undergo the most exhaustive back-ground check possible for any civilian activity, as well as pay the tax.

Furthermore, in 1968, partially in reaction to the shooting deaths of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy and partially in reaction to several other social situations, the federal government enacted the Gun Control Act of 1968.  Among other things, the GCA stopped importation of all machineguns.  I suppose the justification was the same as that of the NFA’s shenanigans.

To ice this tasty cake, big brother passed the FOPA (Firearms Owners’ Protection Act) of 1986.  May 19, 1986 is a day that will live in infamy.  As of this day, no new machineguns may be transferred to or made by civilians.  The law was intended to prevent localities from harassing law-abiding gun owners travelling to and from places where they could legally possess certain firearms while travelling through places where they could not, with a few caveats.  Laws like this are good for our country and good for its’ citizens, but partisianship reared its’ ugly head and a rider was attached to this monumental piece of legislation that banned all new machineguns from civilian hands as a compromise device to the gun-banning few for their few votes.

If you aren’t confused by all the mumbo-jumbo at this point, I have sufficiently described the major points of the three major laws that concern this discussion (note: no arguement yet. That comes next time, sorry.)  And you may be thinking, “Why do you want to waste your time on this,” or, “Why do you want a machinegun, anyway?”  Here are your answers: to the first question: because you, the populus, need to know; and to the second: simply because they are so fun to shoot. 

I want to start this off by saying “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” is a great book. The information or “book report” that I’m giving you is how I have interpreted what Mr. Covey has written, and my application might not be the way he intended. If you get the book you will also see that some of the things I write here are basically taken right out of the book, the reason for this is that Mr. Covey’s ideas are very clearly and concisely established. So, I just want to say I highly recommend this book, I have only read through the first habit, there is a lot more information and practical descriptions in the book than you will get from me. If you like what you see here, I suggest you go to a book store and at least look through the book, or even buy it.

Habit 1 – Being Proactive

Being proactive is being responsible for you own life. You are the greatest influence on your life, no matter what you think. People who are highly effective realize this and they don’t make excuses if something didn’t turn out the way they had planned. They try to understand what went wrong and take the necessary steps to ensure that the same mistake isn’t made again.

When you are proactive, you are value driven. When you are value driven it is easier to be productive and you will be more confident in your decisions. When you understand your values, it should be fairly easy to decide if the choice you need to make will compliment or go against your values.

One of the first steps you need to take to become proactive is to understand that you are where you are in life because of the choices you made 1 year ago, 1 month ago, 1 day ago. Good or bad, that is the reality and once yo except it you can move ahead. You can choose to continue doing what you are doing, but consider how this productivity (or lack of) is going to affect you in the future.

This is why I asked you to write our your goals, how can you be value driven if you don’t know your values or what you want in life? Your goals are the road map of your future.

Now, being proactive means that you will have to understand several things about your environment. You have to understand how the people you interact with affect your productivity, and by productivity I mean every aspect of your daily life from work to home. They are either working with you or against you. The level of influence that they have on you is something you have given them.

So what is the point? The point is this, when you realize the level of influence a specific person has on you, you can determine if this interaction is positive or negative. If they are negative they need to be removed from your life. If they are making you make choices that go against your values, it is counter-productive to your proactivity and this will eventually overlap into many aspects of your life.

As an example, I want you to think of a time when someone didn’t treat you with respect, made you feel really inadequate or incompetent. How did you feel? How would the situation have been different if you wouldn’t have given them the power to make you feel sad, mad, etc.? Now, I’m not trying to deny that we are emotional beings, things will affect you to some degree sometimes no matter what, but try to define the people who should actually have the privilege of influencing your emotions, your productivity, your life.

Proactive people would rather act than be acted upon. This means taking initiative, initiative is taking the responsibility to make something happen. You have the option of taking the steps to make something happen, or you can wait and let something that you have much less control over happen to you.

By taking initiative you are proclaiming that you have the power to influence your environment. Positive thinking is a very important aspect of this paradigm, and for good reason. You don’t see people who constantly say things like “I can’t” or “this is impossible” every having a positive impact on anyone’s life, especially their own. Our language becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Erase the “I can’t” and replace it with “I can” or “I will”. Start your goal statements with “I will”, it is very empowering.

Another big idea in the 1^st habit is the “Circle of Concern”. Draw a big circle, then draw another smaller circle in the center. Put all of your concerns in the big circle. You really only have control over a certain portion of your concerns,and it is these concerns that belong in the inner circle. The inner circle is the “circle of influence”. Positive energy will increase the size of your circle of influence and negative shrinks it, but your circle of influence shouldn’t ever get bigger than your circle of concern.

The problems or concerns we face fall into 1 of 3 categories: direct control (problems involving our own behavior), indirect control (problems involving other peoples behavior) or no control (problems we can do nothing about, such as past or situational realities).

Most of the solutions to solving these problems will be addressed in the next 6 habits.

Finally, we know that being proactive means being responsible. This starts with making and keeping commitments to ourselves and others. This is a reflection of your integrity, your accountability, and the way you influence others.

These ideas of the 1^st habit should bring you to a higher self awareness.  Through this you can strengthen your life and others. Covey ends the 1^st habit with the proposition of a 30 day challenge. He challenges you to test the principle of proactivity for 30 days. Work only on your circle of influence. Make small commitments and keep them. Be a light, not a judge, a model not a critic. Be part of the solution, not the problem.

William

-A review of “The 7 Habit’s of Highly Effective People”

Due to formatting requirements this essay must be posted as a PDF file, available at the link below.

File: Identity, America, and a Nation of Words