I've lived in Florida for over four decades now. I've been one of those people, who when a weee-lad, visited Disneyworld almost on a monthly basis. I also spent many times at the park due to school, corporate or a family function (such as a wedding) over the past three decades.

It was always enjoyable until the 1990's when Disney took on a different shape as a company. Long gone where the feeling of "family" and "amusement park". Instead, Disney took on the form of a money making cash cow (or I should say mouse) instead of the high quality I found from my youth.

I see too many high paid executives who suck up the money and give nothing positive in return. Then during the days of Michael Eisner (who I feel was the worst CEO of all time) started Disney down a path to which it has never escaped.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_The_Walt_Disney_Company#Michael_Eisner

Now they raise the prices, yet again, and for what?

My family was there just a few weeks ago and the lines were so packed that they didn't get to see any thing new. Also, the park seemed to be over worked with employees being less than cheerful or happy to assist.

I hate it. The only thing worth while is the relationship they had with Pixar but thankfully Pixar was able to escape from their stink and not be corrupted.

http://money.msn.com/now/a-day-at-a-disney-park-gets-a-little-dearer?ocid=ansmony11

Every time a new console war starts brewing, I make predictions on the results. So far I've been remarkably accurate. Lets see how well I do this time.

Nintendo: WiiU.

The only reasons the Wii was successful were its price and its casual friendly set up. I predicted they'd be the leader in sales, but added the drawback that it could never contend with Sony or Microsoft in hardcore games because it was effectively a PS2 with a gimmick controller. It had neither the power nor the support.
The WiiU takes this to a level that shoots itself in the foot.
First problem is it was released too soon. It is competing with PS3 and XBox 360, both of which are cheaper and more powerful. It will never contend with PS4 or XBox 1. It is outclassed in every way. So Nintendo threw away the cheapness advantage it enjoyed last generation in exchange for absolutely nothing.
The new controller gimmick is shit. If I want a hand held console I'll buy one. I'll never want one so big, heavy, clunky, and vulnerable, however.

I was flipping through the channels last night and I stumbled on this special for Discovery. It looked legit so I pulled up the menu.

"Mermaid: The Body Found"

WTF? Really? A "mermaid"?

I watched a few more minutes when they showed a video of the "mermaid".

Holy fucking shit. Are they kidding me? The CGI looked like a 4 year old did it. Really? They are trying to convince people this is real?

I quickly pulled out my phone and searched... yeah.. it's a fake.

So what the hell? Is this some directors wet dream? Are they trying to imitate Orson Welles 1968 broadcast of The War of the Worlds??

Apparently so because this show was put out in May of 2012 and the NOAA actually got calls and emails saying, "We want to know about the Mermaids you found!"

Bingo! In small print in the credits, if you had the ability to freeze it, there was a small section saying that what you just watched was complete and utter bullshit.

This shit should be illegal. Apparently people still think it is a cover up by the governments to hide actual Merfolk.

Any thing for the almighty dollar and a ratings boost.

Where to begin.. should I even begin? I'm generally not big on sharing my problems, but I think I might as well get it out.
I've never been so anxious and unsure of the future. I'll cut most of the shit out, but to make a long story short, all my roommates are or have moved out. I've always struggled to even pay 1/3 of the rent, and now it's all on me. And if that wasn't enough, my power gets cut at the end of the month unless I can somehow come up with the money. Everyone who left, left owing me money. Some more than others. But if I were to randomly total it all in my head quickly, it's hovering near 2-3k in total. I suppose it's better than me owing people money, but only in a moral sense.
On the 13th I have to go to the rental housing tribunal to see if I can argue my way into keeping a place to live. I have a hell of an argument, but if things go badly I'm pretty fucked. Even if they go well I still have to worry about power, which I only have in my hands half of the necessary funds to pay.
cont...

I've very sad to hear of this child's death, but the parents are to blame and the family is nuts.

The article says "they thought it was in a safe place".. obviously not... the 5 year old got it.

Which then leads me to believe that either the gun was loaded (doh) or the ammo was not hidden either (doh doh).

Then the article goes on to say:

Riddle said she is devastated, but comforted knowing that her granddaughter is in a better place.

"It was God's will. It was her time to go, I guess," she told WLEX. "I just know she's in heaven right now and I know she's in good hands with the Lord."

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/01/us/kentucky-accidential-shooting

I'm happy to hear the next 10 years will be filled with new Star Wars stuff with out George "I'm brain dead" Lucas at the helm.

Yippie!!!

I was watching a clip this morning involving a tiny, 17 yo girl who has attempted suicide 3-4 times over the last year. She's visibly twitchy, nervous and shy.

It seems that she was married off to a 60 year old man when she was 12. He beat her almost daily. Her family told her repeatedly that this was her lot in life, and to go back to her husband and just be a good and obedient wife. Such is life in Afghanistan for thousands of girls.

At around 16, she couldn't take it anymore and with the help of a childhood friend, she slipped across the border into Pakistan. Her freedom was short lived. Her brother tracked her down, and attacked her and her friend with an axe, killing the boy she was with and inflicting horrendous wounds on her frail body. He was there to protect his family 'honor'. Deep gashes covered her upper body and part of her brain was visible....

The doctors worked on her, saving her life...
Since she was by custom and law a 'non-person' because of her actions, the Doctors had to spend their own money to acquire the life saving medications she needed. The government wanted nothing to do with her.

I can excuse children for believing in Santa, heck, I encourage in my own grand-kids. The same with the easter bunny and the tooth fairy.

I excuse the mentally ill for having delusions, no matter how absurd.

But frankly guys, I can't excuse grown, mentally competent adults for clinging to absurdity in the face of reality.

When are we as a group going to stop pretending that we can separate the belief from the believer? Why do the liberal-pacifists among us try so desperately to pretend that belief exists in some sort of a vacuum, a thing separate from the people who hold it? You tell me about respect, yet you are condescending to those you seek to defend, treating them as children, not responsible for their own beliefs.

I'm as socially and politically liberal as they come, and I'm not really all that fond of confrontation (no really), but damn, people...

I hear on a daily basis how I'm supposed to respect people even though I think what they believe is lunacy.

So, I either act as though they are delusional and NOT responsible for their own beliefs, as if they are brain washed and indoctrinated children, or I show them TRUE respect, and demand that they take full responsibility for the views they espouse.

The primitive mind likes to see associations where none actually exists. Sew up a lock of hair or a toenail clipping in a rag doll and voila, you have a Voodoo doll magically ‘linked’ to its victim. Then, the ‘theory’ goes; whatever you do to the doll also happens to the real person in the real world. 

Some believe that names have a similar power, that is, if you know the ‘true name’ of a person or thing, you can exert control over it. This may seem nonsensical, but it manifests in the beliefs of an awful lot of otherwise intelligent people who refuse to write “God” but rather substitute “g_d” even on the internet.

What turned me off of religion in the first place was hypocrisy.

My Own.

I went to the church, sang the songs, oggled the little cuties in their Sunday dresses, ate the food and jumped up and down like a trained ape for the prayers and tried not to snore during the sermons... just like everyone else.

But, at about the same time my voice changed I realized I simply didn't BELIEVE. But I stuck around for the company, the singing, the girls and the food for a couple of years.

But the feeling grew on me slowly, that I was lying to everyone around me and most importantly to myself. I quit, and never went back.

But I still see the hypocrisy... people who claim such great 'faith' in god's plan, yet look both ways when they cross the streets. Faith, yet they lock their doors, snap up those seat belts and you can bet that most of them, (the not quite insane bunch at least) put their faith in prayer yet go to the doctor when they get sick.

The majority of Americans say they believe in god... the god that keeps the hell fires burning. Now look around you... do your fellow citizens for the most part ACT like they really believe there is a horrible, eternal punishment waiting for them if they fuck up in the slightest, deviate from the divine game plan in the merest jot or tittal?