To Live and Die in America

Look - I'm all for people protecting themselves and their rights to own a gun. But just like we need a license to drive and insurance to drive a car, there should be some sacrifices made.  And while I think background checks at gun shows and online would've been a small step in saving thousands of lives, who we elect plays a bigger role in the debate, because when 90 percent of the American public agrees that we should have background checks, and our voices are ignored, there's something terribly wrong with our government.

Crimes of the Century - No. 20 - The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey, 1996

The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey, 1996

Wow, I remember this as if it were yesterday.  The headlines, the investigations, the intrigue of it all.  And I still think the Ramsey's did it.  The child's mother, Patsy died ten years later, and the father unsuccessfully campaigned for a seat in Michigan's House of Representatives.  While the article by TIME (below) gives insight into the crime, you may want to go here to read the drama as it unfolded on that awful day after Christmas.

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Two corollary developments distinguish this terrible unsolved killing of a beautiful six-year-old girl in Boulder, Colo. The first was the suddenly widespread revelation of the existence of children's beauty pageants — in which JonBenet was entered time and again by her former beauty queen mother, Patsy. Public fascination and repulsion over the makeup, costumes and prepubescent swimsuit competitions at times overshadowed the crime of child murder itself. The second development was the tenacity with which observers and large segments of the public held on to suspicions that JonBenet's wealthy family had something to do with her death. The murder was discovered the day after Christmas 1996 and to this day no credible suspect has been arrested, despite the high-profile false confession of teacher John Mark Karr. In the meantime, Patsy Ramsey has died of cancer. But those who view her with suspicion have not relented.

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TIME Magazine posted this article online several years ago, along with a list of 24 additional notorious crimes that I have been posting and will continue to post every Saturday on my blog.  Hope you enjoy.

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To read the previous 19 crimes - click my logo below.

 

Everybody Talks by Derik Nelson

Meet Derik Nelson, as he covers "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees.  I absolutely loved his rendition of this song and had to share it with you. 

Enjoy and have a Happy Friday!

Isn't This The Truth? Joffrey Bieber

I'm Laughing My Ass Off right now, but isn't this the truth?  Thank you David over at WoW and Joffrey Bieber for sharing these hilarious pics.  Absolute genius!

Because you know Joffrey and Justin are one and the same.  For those who don't know who Joffrey is, I explained it earlier.

Check out the Joffrey Bieber Tumblr here.  Enjoy.

This Is Pure Evil

I'm sorry, but these pics are just pure evil.  It's just not right. LOL.

Does this constitute as trolling?  Otherwise I would have posted them as Trolls of the Day.

How Much Food Can You Buy For $5 Around The World?

From the same folks who showed you what 2000 calories looked like, Buzzfeed shows us what $5 can buy us in different countries.  I mean, I knew $5 could buy me 8-1/2 lbs. of bananas here in the States, but I didn't know it could buy me 25 lbs. in Ethiopia.  In Russia you could buy 2 Big Macs for $5, but in Sweden only 1/2 of one.  Pretty crazy, huh?

Post Secret Fridays - Issue 114

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard.

See More Secrets. Follow PostSecret on Twitter.

Want to see older Post Secret Friday issues?
Click my Post Secret Logo Below.

Loving One Another - Issue No. 025

North Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas and Austin

LOL...North Texas, South Texas, East Texas, West Texas and Austin. We would then move to the free state of Austin. I always love his videos.  I'm referring to my partner, Peter's recent posting of "Can Texas Secede From The Union?"  The video was so smart and hilarious.

Yeah, I could definitely see many of our out of state liberal friends wanting this state to leave. Hell, sometimes I can't even stand many of its' ill conceived policies run by an idiot that was voted in by idiots. The fact is though that with its' faults it also has many promises like lots of available area to live, work and start a family in a climate that's lovely minus the occasional hurricane and constant humidity. This with its' thriving economy, and promise of jobs and lower taxes and costs of living, many outsiders have flocked to this state in a mass migration.

The great news is that the people that are moving are coming from more expensive and liberal states, and they are not ashamed to bring their views with them. This state can only be the crazy conservative state for so long before its' changing population starts voting the other way, turning the state blue. It will happen. If things like gay marriage and immigration rights are no longer a party issue then it won't be too long before the conservative religious parts of the republican party just stop voting, as they're threatening to do now. Once that happens, along with cultural changes and time, Texas will be a thriving liberal state and Rick Perry will be a relic from the past. We will party when that day arrives.
 
I cannot wait. Texas will not be its' own country. It's heading in the complete opposite direction to one day be just like the other large, liberal states in our country, and there's nothing that these conservatives can do about it except move. Problem is that the only countries that still share their views are third worlds parts of Africa and the middle east, and last time I checked most bible belt religious fanatics don't really like black or brown people. They could build a space ship and colonize another planet in their conservative image, but that would mean they'd have to believe in science first to actually accomplish such a feat. 

The only option I could think of left would be if God himself came down and brought them all up to heaven, which I'm sure they're all hoping for. Only, last time I checked, God didn't approve of haters. Tough luck people. Sucks to be you. Your time has past and our victory is nigh! Someone hit the play button to Kool and the Gang's "Celebration" already. 

Do Your Squats - It Will Show

Just in case you didn't know.  Doing squats on a daily basis, every other day, or once a week will strengthen your body in more ways than one.  

Look at all the major muscle groups your body is working when you do squats.

Image courtesy of Houston Trainers

How Ink Is Made

From the sound of it, making ink is a pretty tedious process.

Peter Welfare at the Printing Ink Company shows us how color and ink are created from the raw ingredients of powder and varnish.

This is a pretty cool video, and everything designers and printers need to know about the process, the challenges and joy of ink making.  Check it out.

Just Because - Francisco Lachowski

I posted these because you can never have too much of a good thing.  And well, the gay boys who read my blog can't help but admire beauty, and Francisco Lachowski is one of them.