South Of Someplace

Friday, October 16, 2015

New York Minute 18 - Splash

If you're in New York during or following a rain shower, you'll learn quickly to avoid puddles, especially large puddles in the streets.

If a passing car drives through a puddle, it's likely that the impact will cause water to spray up onto the sidewalk. Sometimes, it's a lot of water.

New York's streets are dirty, and the water in those puddles is filthy. Getting splashed by cold, dirty puddle water is an extremely uncomfortable experience. The dirt and oil in urban puddle water can stain your clothing beyond repair.

This morning, I put on a clean suit in anticipation of an important meeting with upper management. As I waited to cross the street at an intersection, a passing Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) hit a puddle that was a few feet away from me.

You might be thinking that I should have known better, that I should have stood back away from the street and out of range of potential puddle splash.

In my defense, the puddle was tiny, about ten inches (25 cm) in length, five inches wide, and it had less than a half inch of water in it. I never would have believed that I could have been splashed by such a tiny amount of water.

Unfortunately, the guy must have hit the hole just right. Bam! Water from an inconsequentially small puddle is suddenly all over me, my pants, and my jacket. Yuck!

So, here's a word to the wise about street puddles: avoid the big ones cautiously, but realize that even a small puddle can splash all over your clothing if a motorist hits it at just the right speed and direction.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Bush Body Language

I just noticed something about John Edward Bush. It may explain why his candidacy for President is struggling.

Observe Bush's body language, the tension in the neck and shoulders, the constant grimace on his face, the uncomfortable posture as he bends slightly forward awkwardly from the waist. Bush looks like a man who's waiting in line for an open toilet stall while resisting a desperate urge to empty his colon.

Friday, October 2, 2015

Losing in Overtime to the Ravens

OK, that was a tough loss for the Steelers in overtime to their arch rivals, the Ravens. I didn't enjoy watching the end of the game, but I tried to keep it in perspective on a day when ten people lost their lives to senseless violence. Luckily, our team will regroup, and we'll live to see another win. Some people weren't so lucky.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Stop the Lies, Carly Fiorina

The producer of the Carly Fiorina abortion video has admitted that it wasn't even an abortion. The fetus was stillborn. This must have been a tragic event for some family and most importantly for some grieving woman.

What kind of conscience do Fiorina and this filmmaker have if they're willing to take footage of a personal, natural tragedy and represent it as some fictional ghoulish operation in an effort to forward a political agenda? Is that the kind of leadership that we want for our country, the exploitation of someone's personal tragedy, twisted by layer after layer of lies and distortions for the blatant promotion of a political objective.

Mrs. Fiorina - who also lied about losing a child to illegal drugs - should apologize to women everywhere, especially those women who really have lost a child and whose private tragedies should never, ever be leveraged for votes. Ever. Have some respect, Carly Fiorina. Apologize first, and then make a real effort to shut down the endless stream of lies that keep flowing from your opportunistic mouth.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

The Sound Of Music

I hear the hills are alive with the sound of music. Has anyone else heard this?

Thursday, September 24, 2015

The Real Reason for the Papal Visit?

Is it a coincidence that Pope Francis and President Obama are spending September 26th in New York, the same day that Apple starts selling the iPhone 6s?

Maybe they both wanted to upgrade to a better camera! ;-)

Pope Francis In America

Pope Francis will be arriving in New York later today. Personally, I'm finding this to be very exciting. I admire this man very much. He cares deeply about people - all people - and he is open and frank about his concerns for our well being.

The Pope is in his late seventies, and this is the first time that he has ever visited the United States of America. I'm thrilled that we're having such nice weather. We want to leave him with a good impression. :-)

The Pope will be speaking a few blocks from my office and staying close to where I live. He'll be speaking to 19,000 people at Madison Square Garden and passing by countless fans and curious bystanders in Central Park.

I won't see the Pope, and that's fine. I don't like to deal with crowds. It's enough to know that he's out there doing what he does, like "The Dude" from "The Big Lebowsky" - except older, clean shaven, and better educated, but still just as cool. :-)

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Irritated By Idiots

Do people irritate you? Does it seem as though you're constantly dealing with idiots? Maybe it's time to admit that you have a problem. Maybe you're allergic to idiots.

Ben Carson and Muslims for President

Dr. Ben Carson says that a Muslim shouldn't be President - even though the Constitution says that faith cannot be used to disqualify someone for public office.

When criticized for these remarks, Dr. Carson blamed his favorite scapegoat: political correctness.

Well, Dr. Carson, here is a politically incorrect statement that I'm sure you'll enjoy. Religion is frequently misused in an attempt to control people and perpetuate ignorance.

If your faith is as important to you as you claim that it is, maybe you should avoid using it to encourage distrust of a law abiding and productive minority.

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Planned Parenthood - Critics and Lies

Carly Fiorina's impassioned remarks against Planned Parenthood shocked me and made me take notice. I thought that I had better see this video for myself. Is Planned Parenthood really doing the horrible things that she described?

So, I did some research, and it turns out that the video doesn't exist. There are some videos showing some horrible things, but the footage wasn't shot at Planned Parenthood. Ms. Fiorina's accusations are a complete fabrication.

Unfortunately, the damage is done. Lots of people believe her, I'm sure, simply because they want to believe that Planned Parenthood is really that awful.

Here's a little tip for candidates from both sides of the aisle. If you have to lie in order to make someone else look bad, accept the fact that they're not the bad actor - YOU are.