Road Rage? Or Knowing How to Drive?

Have you ever been frustrated with another driver on the road? I have. It seems like every day, there is another driver on the road, that makes me wonder how they even passed their driving test and got their drivers licence. Do I have road rage? No! I know how to drive! Let me give you a few examples of road rage causing incidents.

#1 - You're driving down the road, doing the speed limit of let's say...45 mph. Some creep pulls out in front of you and then proceeds to mosey down the road at 35 mph. Come on right!?!

#2 - You're driving down the road, doing the speed limit. You catch up to someone who is again driving under the speed limit. You keep a safe distance behind them, because they keep stepping on the brake, even though there is no one in front of them. The road ahead is clear, yet they keep braking for imaginary animals that they must see running across the road! Just drive! No one is in front of you!

#3 - You're driving down the road, following behind someone who all of a sudden jams the brakes......and turns WITHOUT USING A TURN SIGNAL!!!!

#4 - You're driving behind someone who has their turn signal on for 5 miles....without turning.

#5 - You're stopped at a red light behind a few cars. The light changes green. The first car just sits there, then begins to slowly go through the intersection. GREEN MEANS GO!!!!

#6 - You're again following behind someone who is for some reason going 10 mph under the speed limit. All of a sudden they awake from their stupor and gun it, stepping on the gas and go flying ahead, like "a bat outta hell" as my grandfather would say.

People need to pay attention on the road. Pay attention to the speed limits. If it's 45 mph, don't do 35. Use your turn signals. When the light turns red stop and when its green go. When renewing our drivers licence, we should have to retake our driving test. That way people won't forget the rules of the road. I'd bet half of the people out there wouldn't pass. Am I being too harsh? Do I sound crazy? Do I have road rage? Maybe the people who have road rage are the ones who know how to drive.

JP

Deflate Gate? It's all fixed!

So the New England Patriots under-inflated their footballs for last weekend's AFC Championship game against the Indianapolis Colts. Big deal, the game was fixed anyway. This stuff has been going on since the beginning of time. The NFL is a business. There are billions and billions of dollars on the line with these games. Advertising, betting, food, travel. Everything can be controlled and set up for business. You don't think so? How about that bogus call that went against the Dallas Cowboys, where Dez Bryant clearly caught the ball and tried to stretch it over the goal line? It was ruled a catch on the field. That referee knew the rules. He saw the play. He saw the catch.....but wait! Dallas was about to win. Lets review the play! Call it back! The receiver didn't make a football move. What? What do you mean? He caught the ball and tried to stretch it over the goal line. Now you have to make a football move? They can add on rules as they go. They are coming up with new ones all the time, whenever they need to control the situation. I didn't even want Dallas to win, until I saw that happen. It was one of the most blatant calls I have ever seen.

Lets see what becomes of this "Deflate Gate" situation. The Patriots were already caught video taping their opponents, which is against the rules and now this, right before the NFL's glamour money game, the Super Bowl. Will they be fined? Penalized? It will probably get swept under the rug. If they did something against the rules, they ought to be penalized somehow for the Super Bowl. Ban Bill Belichik from the sidelines. Make him sit in the press box or something. They won't. They'll probably fine them. $50,000 for them is like $50 for us regular people. They don't care. As I said before, there is too much money involved. They may have been cheating all year long for all we know. Could it be a setup? Maybe this whole thing is just a ploy to get more attention on the Super Bowl. People love controversy. It is the major story on every news station in the country. Now, even people who don't care about the Super Bowl will be tuning in to watch deflated balls. It may all be a media diversion. People in the world are dying, starving, freezing and what are we enamored with? Deflated balls.

How can we prove any of this? We can't. We can only sit back and watch the show. While you're watching the Super Bowl next weekend, pay attention to some of the calls being made by the referees, if the game is close. Pay attention to the betting line. See if there are some coincidences, because maybe, just maybe, it may all be fixed.

JP

Don't Miss the Moment with Your Cell Phone

We have become inseparable with our cell phones. We have to know where our cell phones are at all times. How did we ever live without them? How did we survive? We have to constantly be talking, texting, tweeting, skyping. We have to be taking pictures of everything we see. We have to let everyone know where we are and what we are doing and more importantly, we have to keep track of where everyone else is and what they are doing. Hey, look at that rabid raccoon! Let me take a picture and post it on Facebook. Guess what? Who cares! People today are so interested in getting the picture, or video of what is happening that they are missing out on actually living out the moment of what is going on. How many moments NEED to be captured? I've heard celebrities on TV say that fans today worry more about getting a picture, or selfie with them than actually meeting and talking with them. Everything we do in public can now be broadcast to the entire world.

Take the case of Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel. His NFL debut bombed. He played horrible. Was he out partying too much? Maybe, but then again maybe not. But, whenever he is in public, people are taking pictures and videos of him. He may go out and have one beer and someone will take a picture and say it was his 15th. The next thing you know, it is all over the news and on every website. The kid is 22 years old. I'm sure he's not the only NFL player who is out partying. Are people not allowed to live their lives on their own time? Is this not a free country? The world has become a scary place, now that we have to be looking over our shoulders to see who is taking pictures, or videos of us and then posting them to who knows what.

Its a good thing they didn't have camera phones when I was 22. Me and my buddies were flying to Las Vegas and living it up. I have enough goofy stories to write a book, but I'll stick to this blog. My point is, pictures of me could have been posted all over too back then and someone could have made up all kinds of nonsense. That's why we have to take a stand. We have to change our culture before it is our downfall. The next time you're eating that delicious whatever, take your time and enjoy it, instead of worrying about taking a picture of it, so someone can see it real time. Your friends and family care about you, not about what your food looks like. The next time you see something funny, amazing, or beautiful, take a step out from behind your cell phone, look at it with your own eyes and enjoy it. Don't miss the moment with your cell phone.


JP

Something Out Of Nothing Ain't So Plain To See

Have you heard about the recent controversy over scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson's Christmas tweet? He asked a question about people knowing if there was a man who was born on December, 25th, who by the age of 30, would change the world. Issac Newton. Many Christians were outraged by this comment, saying that it was disrespectful. Tyson said he was just trying to get people to learn about Issac Newton, The fact is, many scientists today do believe in God and science. Others, do not. The question I have is, how can you get something out of nothing?

There is the belief that we were all brought into being by some cosmic explosion billions and billions of years ago. How many billion? No one knows. The Big Bang Theory. Molecules and atoms and gasses and particles all colliding together out of nowhere. Why? How? Where did these molecules and atoms come from? Who made this couch I am sitting on? Some manufacturer. I can prove it. Someone designed it. We have no problem in knowing those things, but who made us? The Big Bang? This cosmic dust that existed out of nowhere, formed all of the intricacies of the human body? With our breathing, supplying oxygen to our blood, our muscles, nerves, organs, not to mention our eyes and brains all working together simultaneously, just happened out of thin air. Well then there is evolution. We evolved from a piece of slime, that turned into a fish, then a lizard, then a horse, then a monkey, then man. Now, I do believe in evolution as far as species changing. Man is changing every day. Over time, we have changed physically. The first humans lived in nature and didn't have toothbrushes, nail clippers, forks and knives, or razors and had to live in the elements. If I didn't shave or clip my toenails for 6 months, the scientists would think that they had found sasquatch. 

Science is still looking for the "missing link", between apes and man. They won't find one, because they are two separate species. We may look different than we did at the beginning, but we are still two different species. Close yes, but different. Monkeys are not turning into people these days, although there are some funky looking people walking around. There is too much order in the universe, for it to have just started up out of nowhere. Have you ever thought about the moon and it's gravitational pull on the earth? If it wasn't for the moon, the earth would be a mess. How about the earth's magnetic field? If it wasn't there, the solar flares from the sun would fry us. But this too came from the Big Bang by chance right? Oh boy, did we get lucky or what? When people say that religion is a nice story, that the Bible is just that, a story book, what proof do they have? There is proof to the Bible. These people existed. Jesus existed. It is real history. The Big Bang Theory is the real fairy tale. It's a made up story, with made up proof. It's not the Big Bang Fact. We have a history. Where does the universe end? Why is it there? What are all of those stars and planets and galaxies? Some things we just aren't made to know. What I do know, is that it didn't just come out of nowhere. So, I ask you again, how do you get something out of nothing?

JP

The new Martian Dollar?

Have you seen the news lately? Supposedly, our government has cut back funding for Nasa and the space program. Is this true? Probably not. There are secret projects going on, that we could only dream about. Who knows where our space program has taken us too. Some say, we have colonies and out post stations on the moon. One guy wants to one day start a colony on mars. His name is Elon Musk. He is the founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, which makes electric cars. He also was the creator of PayPal, and other companies, which he sold for billions of dollars. Is he wasting his money with these projects? And, more importantly, will he be allowed to carry them through?

Look up some of these electric cars that Tesla Motors is designing. They look super cool and can out perform most gas powered cars. Goodbye high gas prices? Nope. The problem is, the powers that be wont let this happen. What about all of the oil? What about all of the oil lines and drilling? It's what runs the world. Have you ever heard of a guy by the name of Tom Ogle? He was the guy that got 100 mpg in 1978 from his Ford Galaxie by removing the carburator. Another guy designed a carburator, that got 200 mpg. One ended up being found mysteriously dead and the other went missing, never to be found. Why? Because if these inventions were used, we wouldn't have to pay these high gas prices and fill our tanks all the time. How long have cars been around now? We have all of this technology in the world today, yet we can only improve the mpg in cars by a couple miles in the lsst how many years. Yeah right.

And what about being able to go to mars? Will Elon Musk and SpaceX, be able to pull this off?  The French have a program in the works called Mars One, in which they will send astronauts on a one way mission to Mars, to try to inhabit and colonize the planet. Who are they going to brainwash into taking that trip? Yeah, go to mars, you'll love it there...you won't want to come back....naaah. There has to be some reason that this Elon Musk is taking this to task. To make more money? He's already a billionaire. Does he want to get off the planet, before some catastrophe, or nuclear war happens? Who knows. One day, when man does make it to mars, if we haven't already, we'll know one thing for sure. There will have to be a martian bank, to hold all of the new martian money that the powers that be will be rocket laundering back and forth through space.

JP

Coffee and Donuts: Your brain says yes!

What would you choose as your last meal, if you were next up for the electric chair? I'll tell you what I would choose. A cup of coffee and a white frosted creme stick. That's right! You can have the steak, or lobster, or whatever most people would say they would enjoy. No two things on earth go together better than coffee and donuts. The two words are synonymous with one another. I am not a serious coffee drinker, but when you have a cup of coffee with a donut, it seems that everything is right with the world. Dunkin Donuts for example used to be all about the donuts. Not anymore. Now, they are known more for their coffee. The coffee sells more than the donuts. The question is, who would go into Dunkin just to get a cup of coffee without a donut? Not me. That would be impossible. Why? Our brains are telling us that we need the two together. It may just be a scientific fact! I have found the proof! Read it for yourself. I'm going to read it again, while I have another donut.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-brain-food/201010/how-coffee-and-donuts-enhance-memory

JP

A Caveman Parent in 2014

Parenthood in 2014 is a much more complicated situation then it was when when I was a young child in the late 1970's and early 80's. Things were much simpler then, as my parents would say it was for their parents when they were growing up. Today, we have to worry about every minute detail of our children's lives. Children's lives are fragile, yet they are much more resilient than we give them credit for. Every time my son, or niece, or nephew falls down and bumps his, or her head, I'm ready to freak out. I shouldn't though, as bumps and bruises are going to happen and I want my little boy to be tough. Once, my grandparents were babysitting me when I was 3, or 4 years old, and I was running through my parent's dining room and came around the corner and gashed my head open on the corner of the hutch! I was bleeding like a sieve and my grandfather doctored up some sort of butterfly bandage to put on my head. I was fine and there was no need for panic. Society and the so called "experts" today try to brainwash us into thinking differently.

Walk down the isles of Baby's R Us and you'll see all kinds of ridiculous items. They have wipe warmers, so that the baby wipes aren't too cold when you go to wipe your baby's butt. Come on! My mother used a fine grade sandpaper to wipe my butt. And she probably kept it in the cold basement too! But, people are buying them. Yeah, I admit, my wife and I thought about it. We want our children to be comfortable today at all costs. I came home from work one day and my wife had the thermostat set on 78 degrees, because she said it felt cold for the baby. Here goes a $1,000 gas bill this month. Once, I came home from work and told my wife to get her coat on. She asked if I was taking her out to dinner. I said no, I'm turning the furnace down!

Nowadays, children are supposed to wear bike helmets. I never did. We never got any sort of brain damage from crashing our bikes. It's getting out of hand when you see an adult with a bike helmet and a fanny pack huffing and puffing down the street. But, when my child starts riding a bike.....he'll probably be wearing a helmet. Parents today are "babying" their children in the wrong areas. How we discipline our children today is an example. My parents spanked my sister and I. I will spank my child. It's our choice. I believe in spare the rod and spoil the child. I want my child to be disciplined. Will it be hard for us? Of course, but we'll be explaining the whys to him with love. Some parents don't believe in spanking, yet believe in letting their kids "cry it out" at night. Coincidentally, they are the same ones buying the wipe warmers for their kids. I feel differently. When they are crying at night and wake up scared is when they need to be babied. Some so called experts say holding your child too much will spoil them. How do you spoil a baby? On the other hand, these same so called experts claim that prehistoric cavemen held their children whenever the child needed comfort, which resulted in them growing up happy and healthy. They would breastfeed their children for an extended time, which would give them a stronger immune system, which they needed in their harsh environment. Maybe we need to go back to that idea. Children today have to grow up so fast in this digital age. Preschool starts earlier, kindergarten is now a full day, instead of 1/2 days like when I was in school. Kids today don't know what a fight is. They have to worry about cyber bullies. It will only get worse.

I will try to instill all of the old fashioned ideas and customs into my child, he'll need them in today's world. However, whenever he wants to be held, I'm going to hold him. If he cries for me, I'm going to get him. I won't let one minute go by, where I'm not thankful to be holding him in my arms. Every moment is precious. They grow so fast. I know that soon enough, he will be up and dressed and walking out the door, not wanting a hug and I'll be left wondering where the time went. I hope these other parents realize these things, when they hear their children screaming for them at night. Maybe I'm wrong. Call me a caveman parent in 2014.


JP