Entertainment

Mr. Brooks, a psychological thriller to be sure. Kevin Costner, Demi Moore and William Hurt were excellent in this movie. Each proved once more that each is a professional, a classic Costner, Demi and Hurt, respectively. The ending was not expected at least in my opinion. The movie was suspenseful, highly engaging and well done. If you see the movie pay attention to Kevin Costner's demonic-like laugh, he and his inner self - William Hurt would make throughout the movie. Kind of eerie, if you ask me, but that was the supposed purpose.

*****

Goodbye Bob Barker! The Price is Right will no longer be hosted by Bob Barker; you probably already know that fact. Bob is retiring after 40 or 50 years hosting TV game shows. He made The Price is Right the success it is today. Yes, someone else may take over the hosting responsibilities of the show, but it won't be Bob Barker and the performance will no way match that of the master, Bob Barker. Bob Barker did win his 15th daytime Emmy for the show. I tried to watch the awards show Friday evening, but once again other things distracted me. I did see Mr. Barker stand and take a bow. There goes another TV classic. I love TV and it's classics, but I must have adult ADHD because I never can sit still long enough to watch a complete TV show. The TV is on and I try, but within a few minutes something distracts my mind and I'm off!

*****

Ocean's Thirteen. The boys did another outstanding job with another Las Vegas casino heist. The movie was good, but it seemed different somehow. There was that familiar plot to the movie and the characters preformed their roles well, but it was a different tone to this Ocean's movie. It seemed like two hours of a group of closely knit friends having a conversation. George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and the others seemed to be totally engaged in each other throughout the movie and enjoying every minute of it. They didn't seem to be doing a traditional movie. However, it was interesting and a great cast of stars. 

*****

Remember last month's Blog and my expose on the Digital Starter from Comcast Cable? Well, it's great. I've been discovering the beauty of cable in it's entirety. I am in love with Biography, the Encore's, Logo, Retro, Turner Classic Movies, the HBO's and all of the other cable channels. I am particularly fond of the channels that run the old, I mean really old movies as in black and white. TCM where have you been all my life? I really enjoy viewing those movies of the ages, The Golden Age of Television. I could spend hours re-watching those movies. 

Logo is very high on my list of favorites. For all of you cable deprived individual, that's LGBT - Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender, the new lesbian & gay network from MTV Networks. Yes, it's homosexual, but it is so much more. It covers issues related to gays and lesbians, etc., but many, many times, these same issues have an enormous impact on straights.

Think about it, you are straight, heterosexual what in the world do you care about gays and lesbians? Well, what if you are white, do you have any connection to minorities? Or African-American or Hispanic, do you have a connection to Whites? We are people who share a common race, namely the human race. We all live in this world together. We better start relating to each other in terms of similarities rather than differences. We are all connected because that's the way it is. 

I would venture a guess that each heterosexual (straight) individual knows a gay or lesbian and has had or continues to have some kind of relationship with said gay or lesbian. On a daily basis we come into contact with all types of people. Let's face it, we all must live together in peace and harmony. That's no song lyric - it's reality. We as people are very much similar and yet we as people are all very much different. Sexual preference fits into that "different". We must learn how to love all people and coexist in peace recognizing our differences but concentrating on our similarities. It can be done. It must be done. And it will be done, someday.

The most saddest of sad is a situation where the family of a young gay or lesbian is un-accepting of that gay or lesbian. The teen years are frustrating enough for any child. But a gay teen's life must be hell, especially if his or her family members are unsupportive of his or her sexual preference. If you do nothing else, please accept your children for the people they truly are not the people that you want them to be. This is especially true with the gay issue.

Whatever the reason for this sexual preference - birth or nurture - the gay person is a person and most deserving of love and acceptance. It is what it is; they are what they are. We are what we are - people.

I can't help but echo the slogan of many gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender, "We're here. We're queer. Get use to it."

Back to the Digital starter from Comcast, I do get off subject once in awhile, the music channels are fantastic. Next I will be connecting speakers or a home entertainment center to my TV. The whole experience is fantastic, thus far. 

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Health, Fitness and Lifestyle

Gay marriage is in the news again. The Massachusetts Legislature overwhelmingly voted against an anti-gay marriage amendment that was to be placed on the ballot in November for the citizens of the state to accept or reject. Bravo to the Massachusetts State Legislature for overwhelmingly saying "no" to a narrow-minded and discriminatory amendment to the State Constitution banning gay marriage.

As you may remember from reading this blog, I'm not really for gay marriage, per se, but I do support civil unions by gays or anyone not married including heterosexual partners. All people should have the right to love another person, any person, same sex or not and should be free of discrimination or retaliation when expressing that commitment. That commitment must be honored, I dare say revered as any marriage commitment and the parties must be granted all legal rights and privileges of any married couple. To me this sentiment is what our United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights are all about - freedom and the pursuit of happiness.

European countries have recognized same sex marriages and/or civil unions for years. In many ways European countries and their people are far more progressive than the United States. South American Latin countries are starting to recognize such unions. I can't remember which South American country made the headlines recently by granting the gay marriage option to it's citizenry. Soon gay and lesbian civil rights including full marriage rights will be commonplace. And they should be.

Remember the civil rights campaigns of the 1960's? Well they are still going on for racial minorities. The civil rights movement has achieved much success since the 1960's, but there is a long way to go to ensure the equal treatment of all people regardless of race, etc. In today's world, people of all races should be seen as "equal" and guaranteed equal rights according to the United States Constitution, but real freedom and equality are still viewed as goals and not realties. Much discrimination and prejudice still exist but in a covert manner. This too is wrong and must be fought on all fronts. Civil rights must mean civil rights for all groups of people and in all venues. 

*****

Is gambling becoming a problem for you? If the answer is yes, don't feel alone or unique or weird. Gamblers Anonymous is as well known and needed as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous or any of those other help groups for people with addictive behaviors. Any type of addiction can be life altering and detrimental to one's life, financial well being and his or her general well being.

People say that there is nothing wrong with gambling if it is done in moderation and if no harm comes to the person doing it or any other people in his or her life. That could be said about drinking, sex and all of the other addictions. Let's face it, these behaviors are not needed in anyone's life. These behaviors do not add or embellish one's sense of well being. Yes, in few and raw cases, they do add something to the well being of some people, but that well being is usually destroyed or at least diminished in most cases. Personally, I don't see the need to gamble much less do any of those other things that are caused by addictive behaviors. To sustain oneself in sensible and reliable well being these types of activities are useless and have the potential for danger.

Gambling can be viewed as a form of entertainment. There is nothing inherently wrong or dangerous in gambling in general. However, when gambling takes over one's life or way of life, there may be a problem. Some people have addictive personalities. These people must be very careful not to engage in activities that are potentially addictive. Constant and serious attention must be employed by people with addictive behaviors when undertaking any potentially addictive activities. Gambling is on of those activities.

Many people gamble as entertainment. They secure a modest amount of their earnings to be spent in the enjoyment of the gambling activity. When they have spent their allotted amount of money, they stop gambling. These people have no serious gambling problem. They may or may not have addictive behaviors, at least gambling is not one of those activities that elicits addictive behavior. For all intents and purposes, gambling is not a problem for them.

There are people who are gamblers and express addictive behavior tendencies when engaged in the activity. How does one tell if he or she has an addictive tendency in gambling? How do I know if I have a gambling problem? Below are some signposts to help pinpoint a potential or developing gambling problem.

Caution: This is not a test and not a formal predictor of gambling addiction. Each person is a an unique person with unique behaviors. Don't become upset or overreact by the questions below. If you feel that you have a gambling problem, stop and seek professional help. The information below is taken from AARP Bulletin, June 2007.

Do you:

1. Spend a lot of time thinking about the next time you'll gamble?

2. Gamble to calm nerves, forget worries or reduce depression?

3. Need to gamble larger and larger amounts of money to experience the thrill?

4. Withdraw from family, friends or regular activities because of gambling?

5. Bet more than planned when gambling?

6. Have unaccountable blocks of time due to gambling?

7. Experience mood swings based upon winning or losing?

8. Neglect personal needs or health because of gambling?

9. Feel restless or anxiety when trying to scale back or stop gambling?

10. Become uncomfortable or lie when questioned about gambling habits?

11. Use retirement funds or cash in an insurance policy to fund gambling?

12. Pawn or sell personal items to fund gambling?

13. Feel you want to stop but can't?

14. Borrow or steal from family or friends to bet or to cover gambling bets?

15. Ever feel depressed of have self-destructive thoughts due to gambling?

If you answered Yes 
0-2 times -  Low risk of developing a problem
3-4 times -  At risk of developing a problem
5-7 times -  May already have a problem
8-15 times - May already have a compulsive problem.

You make the decision that's right for you.

*****

The restrooms in fast food restaurants have been the subject of many jokes concerning their sanitation level. A recent study finds that Sonic ranks at the head of the list of the cleanest restrooms in America. Subway and Arby's are next. McDonald's comes in near the bottom of the list at No. 19. Burger King is the middle, No. 10. 

As far as customer service, Subway made the top of that list, with Quizno's and Sonic next.

So what does this prove? Not too much. I don't like fast food anyway. Most of the food is really nutritionally poor and over priced. As far as restroom cleanliness as well as food preparatory sanitation, even the most expensive top drawer restaurants can be unclean and a danger to one's health. Buyer or eater beware.

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Politics and the World

The special session of the Florida State Legislature is over and what a session! Marco Rubio the Speaker of the Florida House is riding high. So is the governor, Governor Charlie Crist, but how long will the ride last? Hard to say.

The special session did produce historic property tax reform. It's a two part reform. First, 2008 property taxes are rolled back to the 2006 tax rate, providing a little relief.

Second, on January 29, 2008 the date of the Florida Presidential Primary, Floridians will be voting on a new Homestead Exemption plan. If passed, it will produce tremendous tax savings for Florida property owners at least for the first few immediate fiscal tax years. The new Homestead Exemption will be 75% instead of the current 25% property tax exemption. There are different ranges and percents covering property values in excess of $300,000, but most if not all Floridians owning primary residence homes will feel tax relief. There is a catch - property owners will have to choose between the current Homestead Exemption and the new Exemption, if it passes in January. The catch, once you chose the new Exemption, you can not go back to the current one. Also, the current Exemption has the 3% "Save Our Homes" provision. The new Exemption does not. Under the current Homestead Exemption property owners of their main residences will see their property tax rise not more than 3% a year. The proposed Exemption - there is no 3% provision. This will make the decision for Floridians a hard one. It is impossible to tell which will be better for homeowners in the future. Personally, I'm leaning towards the original Exemption, but we will have to wait for the vote in January 2008 before the decision will be even a possibility.

Another crimp in the new proposed property tax options, local municipalities will get less money to run their governments. Services may be reduced in cities including local funding for school districts. We just do not know the long term projections and consequences of this action. The President of the Florida House and the Governor may be singing another tune in months or years to come. I do not think it is a good idea to cut services to the residents of Florida because the Floridians who will be affected the most are the ones who need the services the most - minorities, poor, senior citizens and the children. Although I do like the lower property taxes, I do not support the idea of rolling back financial support for Floridians who are most in need of the services and aid.

In my humble opinion - the 2007 property tax legislation is no relief for tax payers for two main reasons. 

The first reason - property taxes may actually go up in years to come if the new Homestead Exemption is approved by voters and if it is chosen as one's property tax formula. In reality, in a matter of a few years the legislature or the individual municipalities may raise property taxes above the 3% rate that had been in effect under the old Homestead Exemption when accessing property tax for people who may choose the new Homestead Exemption. And if a person sells his or her home and buys a different home, the tax formula transfers to the new Homestead Exemption anyway.

The second reason - local budgets will definitely be cut by the state legislature due to the first part of the tax cut which automatically takes place for the 2008 tax year and if the second measure is passed by the people of Florida on January 29, 2008, there will be even more severe statewide budget cuts. The local municipalities and school districts will have no choice but to cut services and maybe even raise local taxes. This is reality. According to the newspapers the cuts in services are starting now.

*****

Will the United States Congress pass an immigration bill that President Bush can sign? Does the phrase, "What part of illegal don't you understand" sound familiar? On illegal immigration I must digress from the majority of my Democratic Party and not support amnesty for illegal immigrants. In my opinion the only immigration bill that should even be discussed is one that supports the current laws concerning immigration. Illegal immigration is, well, illegal. The perpetrators should be dealt with according to the laws of our country. There should be no "special interests" in this discussion. If we need to fill jobs, for example in agriculture, then we should set salaries at a decent level, recruit from within and provide benefits to those who are employed in the jobs. If business would pay a fair and decent wage for all jobs, then Americans and legal immigrants will accept the jobs. Illegal, how can we even say the word without thoughts of arrest and prosecution?

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Religion

How do we reconcile homosexuality and God's Word? Well, to begin with, what does the Son of God, Jesus Christ say about these people? Jesus says to love all people. Many times in the gospels the highly respected people of the day were in the process of finding fault with one person or another, what did Jesus say about this practice? You know what Jesus had to say. He said, "Love one another as I have loved you." Simply, that is the answer. Love one another. 

I know what you are thinking. That is too easy and insufficient in answering the question. In many places in the Bible homosexual behavior has been criticized and deemed wrong and against God's law. However, the Bible also contains contradictory and inconclusive evidence of the support or at least the recognition of homosexual behavior. I'm not a Bible scholar; I do not believe the Bible is completely the exact Word of God. I believe the Bible is inspired by God but written by man in man's words and customs of the day. In any case, the message of the Bible, particularly of the New Testament, is love - love of God and love of one's neighbor. With this in mind, how can people of different lifestyles, yes gay, be outcasts and not worthy of God's love merely for being gay?

I will admit that this is a very troubling issue. A troubling issue in religion and in reality. To me religion and reality are two different creatures. If you are an ardent reader of this blog, then you should be aware of how this webmaster views religion. Reality should be religion, but it is not. The main reason it is not is because reality is God-made whereas religion is man-made. The two are universes apart; I tend to support reality.

The short answer to the question asked at the beginning of this section is, "I don't know." There are a lot of things I don't know the answer to. This is one of them. I don't think an earthly answer is possible. Contrary to the beliefs of the Evangelical Right, God has not spoken succinctly, completely or authoritatively concerning this issue as well as most human issues that we face. The answer is found in loving God and loving God's creation which includes all people and following one's conscience.

We need to get pass the sensitive nature of the subject. We must open our minds to the unfamiliar and the possibility of acceptance. We must rise above ignorance, prejudice and arrogance and accept all people for who they are not for who we want them to be. Let God be the judge of our actions and the actions of each person. Let us love one another as He has loved us. If we allow this to happen we too will be able to shout out, "They're Here, They're Queer, We're Used to It." 

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Technology and Business

Are rebates worth it? Probably not. Simply said. It makes no sense to me for the manufacturer to make the customer go through all of the hoops just to end up giving back to the customer part of the price that they had paid for the product. It makes no sense. Why not abolish such nonsense? I think the manufacturer is hoping the customer will lose heart and not go through the rebate process. In other words, they want us to work for that rebate, which is crazy thinking, unproductive and useless.

However, here are some hints when confronted by those rebate runarounds. Information taken from AARP Bulletin June 2007.

• Know the terms before you buy.

• Make copies of everything.

• Answer every question.

• Act quickly.

• Use certified mail and ask for a receipt.

• Shop where rebates are easy.

• Complain.

I prefer not to buy a product where a rebate is necessary to secure the product for a lesser amount of money. A while ago I was shopping at Office Depot, one of my favorite technology places of business, and I spotted a great deal. A highly respected manufacturer's 2 gig external storage device was on sale for $29.00, regularly $89.00 before an immediate rebate of $20.00 and a mail in rebate of $40.00 from Office Depot. I bought the item because at the time it was a great deal. As a side note, most technology products become much more reasonable with the passage of time, but for that date in time, it was a genuine bargain. As I proceeded to pay for my merchandise, the clerk gave me the rebate forms and told me to be sure to make copies of everything that I intend to mail in order to secure the rebate. Walking out the door of that Office Depot I suddenly felt a lump in my throat. An Office Depot employee was subtly telling me to "watch out".

Many stores are refusing to offer rebates. They are going with selling the product with the rebate taken off the price at the register. Now that's progressive.

By the way, after about 4 months well within the time limit in the rebate instructions to receive the rebate, I received the rebate check for $40.00 in the mail. That check reaffirmed my faith in the Office Depot rebate program, but I still try to avoid the rebate game.

*****

In the day of identity theft and financial security many states are allowing you to put a freeze or alert on your credit report. In order to stop just anyone including reputable creditors from accessing your credit report, a freeze blocks access to your credit report to anyone trying to access your financial standing. That's good, but sometimes you want creditors to access your records in order to approve a purchase, mortgage or hundreds of other legitimate credit reasons. When this happens, if your credit report has a freeze on it, you will have a PIN so you can lift the freeze as necessary. An alert is less secure. An alert tells the creditor to contact you before new loans or credit cards are issued in your name. These proactive steps in securing your credit report and your financial standing will prove very valuable for a lot of people. Examine your own financial situation and make the best decision for you. For more information, go to the following sites. It's your credit at stake. Site 1 or Site 2 or write to, Ask Sid, 601 E St. N.W., Washington, DC 20049.