The Castration Of America

I grew up in a house with pets. I always remember having a dog and a couple of cats running around from room to room, up the stairs and down, and off into the corner of the living room not stopping until the fat cat meowed for mercy. I have a lot of great memories of my childhood pets and I still like pets. However there are limits that when exceeded I cease to understand the people that coddle their animals.

Now, this whole post was sparked by a story I read about an Oregon couple that called 911 when their cat chased them into a bedroom. Here is the series of events as recorded by the Associated Press (and the 911 recording which is included in the Good Morning America clip):

Palmer says the animal attacked his 7-month-old child after the baby pulled its tail. The child suffered a few scratches on the forehead.

On the 911 call, Palmer tells the dispatcher he kicked the cat "in the rear" to protect his child. Palmer says the animal then "just went off over the edge" — leading Palmer and his girlfriend to barricade themselves, their baby and the family dog in the bedroom for safety.

The cat can be heard screeching in the background of the call as Palmer says in a panicked voice: "He's charging us. He's at our bedroom door." Palmer also tells the dispatcher the cat has been violent in the past.

But here is the real “I s**t you not” aspect of this whole thing, now they are going to hire a therapist for the cat. It wasn’t bad enough that you don’t have the sack to take care of the problem yourself and had to call 911 but now, instead of getting rid of the animal that attacked your child, you are going to pay a therapist to threat the cat for its aggression. I am certain that a therapist is needed in that house and it is definitely not for the cat.

This might be worse than the people who spends thousands and thousands of dollars to extend an animal’s life a few weeks or those that insist on cooking for their pet when they can’t even cook for themselves. This raises the WTF bar in the pet category to a height that I don’t think will be surpassed for a very long time. While this may be acceptable to the fur loving PETA people living in a bubby floating about ten thousand miles to the left of Obama.

This is not normal people. If you sink that much of your financial security into a pet, you have too much money. When you find yourself spending a half our cooking a balanced meal for your cat while you hammer down a Big Mac please see a therapist. If you think spending thousands upon thousands of dollars on your dog so that it will have an additional miserable month of life is normal please do not get another pet. The only thing worse than seeing a pet die is seeing the look in their eyes like they want to die.

But if you need to call 911 because your cat is charging you and hissing at you, you need to grow a set and stop relying on authorities to take care of all your problems for you. Your problems are much deeper than the threat a 22 pound animal poses. Your problem is that ‘you have no marble’ and have no idea what it is like to be self-reliant. You have a serious issue and should probably consider the fact that your actions (or lack thereof) are occupying the time of people who are employed to help others in need not serve the needs of the nutless.

Remember, Bob Barker told you have your pet spayed or neutered. He didn’t tell you to get neutered. Listen a little closer next time and we might not have these kinds of problems.

Unreasonable Expectations and Entitlement

Some of the news that I have heard on the radio on my way to and from work the past couple of weeks has really made me wonder about the mentality of the general population. Some of the many cases that are flowing into the legal system are downright appalling. The sad thing is that much of these insane stories aren’t even a few exceptions to the rule. But I won’t go any further without at least sharing some of the information on each story so let’s start with a lawsuit that has captured a worldwide audience. Here is the BBC News account of a New Jersey teenager suing her parents and, thankfully, losing:

IN ASSOCIATION

A teenager in the US who is suing her parents for cash after leaving home has lost the first round of her legal case.

Rachel Canning, 18, has demanded $650 (£390) in weekly child support from her parents at a court in New York.

The cheerleader also wanted her private school tuition fees, a college fund and her lawyers' fees paid.

Her parents said their daughter voluntarily left home because she did not like their house rules.

Retired police chief Sean Canning and his wife, Elizabeth, said they had asked their daughter to be respectful at home, keep curfews, help with chores and end her relationship with her boyfriend.

At a family court hearing in New York on Tuesday, Miss Canning, from New Jersey, was told her parents would not have to pay child support or her legal costs.

Judge Peter Bogaard warned that her suit could lead to a "slippery slope", asking: "Are we going to open the gates for 12-year-olds to sue for an Xbox? For 13-year-olds to sue for an iPhone?"

The next case is actually one that I don’t really have a problem with but the case speaks more of a problem in our internet based society. Trolling has become a serious issue with little repercussions during many cases. All you have to do is scroll down through the comments on most news stories and you will see a wide variety of comments from all different angles.

While I have no issue with someone having an opinion that they can back up, I do take issue with people that post anonymous comments with the simple purpose of attacking someone else. The question is whether the charges will stand, no matter how distasteful the comments and objectives of the poster really are. One such situation recently came to light on Philly.com which could prove to be an interesting case to follow over the next few months.

A warning to people who post comments online: Anonymous is not forever.

A Philadelphia judge has ordered the owners of Philly.com - who also own The Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News - to disclose the identity of a person who posted a comment online.

The ruling came in a defamation suit filed by John J. Dougherty, the powerful head of Local 98 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

In October 2012, Dougherty sued over a comment posted two months earlier on a Daily News blog that described a public feud involving Dougherty. The comment identified Dougherty by his well-known nickname, "Johnny Doc," and called him "the pedophile."

Dougherty sued the anonymous poster, and his lawyers subpoenaed Philadelphia Media Network, Philly.com's parent company, to supply the person's identity.

Mark Block, a spokesman for Interstate General Media, corporate parent of PMN, referred all questions to Eli Segal, an attorney for the company.

Segal said that after receiving the subpoena, the company contacted the anonymous poster to make sure he or she got notice of the lawsuit and hired a lawyer. He said lawyers for Dougherty and the person who posted the comment presented their arguments to Common Pleas Court Judge Jacqueline F. Allen.

On Feb. 26, Allen ordered the news company to disclose the poster's identity, along with any comments he or she posted from Aug. 10, 2012, through this January.

And finally, the true WTF legal case of the past week that I will list in this post is a case out of Denver, Colorado. This is a case where the only explanation for the audacity of the lawsuit is the fact that marijuana is now legal because you have to be higher than a hippie on the International Space Station. The only other explanation is that the lawyer has a huge set but that can easily be ruled out by the fact that he is able to walk. The inevitable lawsuit is by a man who was saved from certain death during a flood back in September who is suing his rescuers.

This is a complete load of crap and is definitely in the running for WTF of the week. Without further delay, I leave you with this report from the Denver Post about the greed, self-centeredness, and entitlement that exists in the populous…

A Broomfield man who was rescued from his submerged car during the September floods has filed papers indicating he might sue his rescuers and first responders.

Roy Ortiz was rescued by North Metro Fire Rescue District and others who responded to the scene after his car was washed off the road on Sept. 12. He says crews took too long to respond to the accident after he became trapped in his upside-down car near the intersection of U.S. 287 and Dillon Road in Lafayette.

He also claims the road should have been closed, thus the accident that left him trapped in the submerged car would never have happened.

No lawsuit has yet been filed, but Ortiz's lawyer, Aurora attorney Ed Ferszt, has filed a legal document that is a typical precursor to filing a lawsuit against a government agency.

All of these things have to change but, unfortunately, this is not the worst problem that we face in the legal system. But that is another post for another day.

Family Time

 

Every once in a while you have to put things aside and just spend time with family. Today was one of those days when I turned off the computer, got in the car, and head to my parent’s house to meet up with my siblings so we could all spend time together and sit down for a meal. This was one of the big drivers in our decision to move back to the Philadelphia area and but my career on hold for a while.

 

It proved to be a difficult time but days like this are what makes the decision truly worth it. Of course, there have been other things that have happened in the years since my wife and I made that decision that have only reinforced the choice but everything comes back to family. These are also the days that I realize how lucky I am. Too few people have been so fortunate to have a family that they can turn to and that will, within necessary reason, support their decisions.

 

My family continues to be a source of strength in my life as well as a huge sense of pride. We have all taken vastly different paths in life but we have always brought each other along for the ride. No matter where I have gone or what I may be doing, I always know that my family is going to be there to share in the great moments and give me the kick in the rear when things aren’t going so well. If anything, the past two years have been the clearest example of that.

 

Even with something as simple as this blog when there are days when I have a lot to write about and other days when it is a struggle to get things down on the page, I know that it is a means to keep my family up to date as to everything that is going on in my mostly boring but sometime humorous life. By the way, hi mom!

 

That has been one of the ancillary benefits of sitting down at the table and writing every night. It has allowed me to pick up a conversation that we never had simply by elaborating on what was written the night or the week before. At the same time, I know that my views aren’t necessarily shared with everyone in my family but my views are respected and it has never been a point of debate. Again, I know my family supports me even when or views differ and we respect one another for having an opinion (although they will rightfully call me out on my BS on occasion). So I guess in a sense, while certainly not the same as spending time in person, by writing these words I am able to have a little bit of family time every night.

Finding Our Geography

For me and my wife, our next big milestone in our marriage is to find a place to live, some place that we can call home. It is something that we have been searching for over the past several years, really since the day we got married. We have taken a few chances since our vows to achieve this dream but nothing has worked out up to this point. Some places haven’t been satisfying for either of us while others were a split decision. But, in the end, finding home is something that we have to both agree upon.

Over the past several months we have been traveling to various parts of the commonwealth, we have seen numerous small towns and driven down countless streets. While there have been a few that have piqued our interest, there hasn’t been any place that has met all of our expectations for a place where we could see settling down for the long haul. It is not an easy decision to make so we are trying to take our time to find a place.

Our latest debate is whether to stay in our current apartment where the rent is quite reasonable and save for a home or do we incur the expense now to rent in a location where we can feel more at home. We keep going back and forth in this discussion as we are eager to move on from the congestion and confinement of our current surroundings but, at the same time, it would be nice to finally move somewhere when we can have the pride of ownership waiting for us when we unload the truck and open the door. Essentially, do we postpone long term happiness for short term satisfaction and comfort? Either option would be a financial struggle

So, with this back and forth still part of our everyday life, we have been looking for a place that meets both the requirements we have for ‘home’. It has taken a lot of time and a lot of errors but we may have finally found that place. Where? I am not going to divulge that information at this point as nothing is ever final until a move happens. Plus I know of at least a few realtors that read this blog and I am curious as to the theories that will eventually surface as to the locations in the area (the area of consideration has not been mentioned to any of them in the past). However, it is safe to say that it is in-between where my wife and I work and within an easy train ride of Philadelphia.

It should be an interesting time of consideration and weighing our options as our lease is set to expire at the end of May. There may be a lot of changes to start the summer or there could be a continuation of the status quo. I guess you are just going to have to keep reading to find out what happens in the coming months.

How Many Emails Is Too Many?

I know many people that have numerous business cards. We all know people that have multiple cards that they shuffle around in their pocket, their briefcase, or their purse. And while some people may see this as an antiquated form of sharing your information, it seems to only be gaining in popularity. Here is the part where I admit that I am one of those people that still uses the traditional business card. In fact, all four of my cards have a specific purpose and, when you look back, it is interesting to see a glimpse of your personal history when you look back at all of your old cards.

However, the aspect that becomes a bit cumbersome is not the flipping between one card and another. It is on the technology side of things. Each card has an email address and not all my email addresses have business cards. Pretty much everyone I know has two email addresses these days. One for work and one personal. So far, I am up to six email addresses.

There are some days when I miss not having an email address. Remember the days when, if you wanted to talk to someone, you would either call, meet them somewhere, or write a letter? Now, in addition to the email addresses I am constantly shifting through throughout the day there is also all the social media channels that I try and manage. All told, I figure there is about 15-20 forms of communication that is constantly streaming correspondences, updates, notifications, and actual messages that I want to read and respond to. At this point it is a bit of a refreshing change when my phone rings and I am actually able to have a conversation with someone. And given the various duties, jobs, and responsibilities that I enjoy on a daily basis, I never really know what the call will be about.

In a sad little twist, have you ever noticed that too many calls these days, and I am guilty of this at times, are a means to confirm that an email was sent? Some days I would like people to embrace just a single thin strand of patience and wait for me to reply. It makes you wonder if, with all these communications streams deluging us with data whether it is too much. The fact that we have to use two forms of communication to relay a single message just isn’t right.

I honestly don’t know what needs to change. There is going to have to be either a slowdown in the adoption of new social media channels or we are going to have to learn how to filter out the unnecessary traffic and focus on the important tidbits scattered throughout our inboxes. For now, I will continue doing my best to keep everything up and running and keep the ebb and flow of communications going. And, of course, I will keep blogging about the random topics that come to mind.

Making Masonic Memories

 

Tonight, for the first time, I felt comfortable at the Secretary’s desk during our stated meeting. So much so that I feel as though it is my desk at this point. Are there still rough patches during the meeting? Of course there are but I have gotten a lot better at quickly smoothing them out and moving on to the next item. And all of this couldn’t have happened at a better time as the District Deputy Grand Master was in attendance. This was an unofficial official visit that was rescheduled from last month.

In addition to the usual reading and approving of the minutes and the bills, we also had a lot of petition work to be done as we, thankfully, had three petitions that needed to be voted on. Getting though everything efficiently and in the proper way was a gratifying experience especially when I caught the approving glances from some of the long standing Brothers in attendance. Knowing that, in their eyes, I am doing at least a good job keeping things running smoothly really means a lot when you consider the fact that they have seen Masons come and go over the past 40+ years. After all, I am only just the most recent person to be elected into this office and with it comes the responsibility to uphold the values of masonry and the legacy of the lodge (along many other things to which I swore when I took the oath of office).

One of the responsibilities bestowed upon all officers in any lodge is to provide a positive example to all members of the lodge especially those newly made masons. The one time during the evening when I was caught off guard was when the District Deputy Grand Master asked myself and another brother to stand at the front of the lodge and face the brethren. It was at that time when I received my Master Builder Award from the Grand Lodge of Pennsylvania.

This award is earned by newly made masons when they meet certain educational requirements and demonstrate their continued involvement in their lodge, their district, and freemasonry in general. There is a two page check list which must be completed and approved in order to earn the honor. It was a great experience to receive the award and one that I will never forget, especially when I could see many heads nodding in agreement when I gave my very brief acceptance speech.

This award should be the goal of every new mason. If you have given the proper thought and consideration in your decision to become a mason and you are committed to embracing freemasonry, the requirements set forth should even be a challenge. It is the standard to which we should hold ourselves as we start our masonic journey and the example we should set for others who have decided to join our fraternity.

So tonight was an excellent experience and another moment that I will never forget. I am looking forward to the next moment and I am looking forward to guiding new brothers through the process in order to obtain this honor and know the sense of pride that it brings to your masonic life. For now, I am going to enjoy the moment and appreciate all that I have experienced in Masonry throughout my first year.

Sometimes The Second Choice Is Better Than The First

I forget what I was watching last night but I had the thought that we all get sometimes when watching a television show or movie and that is what if someone else were to be cast in that role? I am not talking about the characters being replaced on a show like Charlie Sheen taking over for Michael J. Fox or Joe Mantegna replacing Mandy Patinkin. I am thinking more about the iconic roles. It is something to think about.

First let’s start off with a couple of warm up ‘nearly cast’ moments:

• Sean Connery was originally offered the role of Gandalf in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy but declined.

 

• Bette Midler turned down the role of Annie Wilkes in the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s novel ‘Misery’. Kathy Bates would ultimately win an Oscar for the role. I guess it was too large a leap from Beaches to Misery.

    

• Another notable decline was when Will Smith was offered the role of Neo but turned it down. I guess he picked the wrong pill.  

Some movies would have been completely different:

• When casting the movie The Godfather, studio executives wanted to cast a well know actor in the role of Michael Corleone. Specifically, they wanted someone like Warren Beatty or Jack Nicholson to fill the role. It is for this reason that director Francis Ford Coppola nearly got fired for his choice of Al Pacino who was an unknown commodity at the time.

 

• Mickey Rourke won critical acclaim for his portrayal of Randy the Ram in 2008's The Wrestler. He can thank Nicholas Cage for ultimately deciding that he wouldn't be able to get into the right shape by the time filming was to start. Cage actually initially accepted the role and even began research by attending wrestling events.

 

• Back to the Future would have been a completely different cinematic experience had the role of Marty McFly not been completely reshot when Michael J. Fox became available. While Fox was the original choice for the role, a scheduling conflict (he was starring in the television show ‘Familiy Ties’ at the time) originally prevented him from playing the iconic role. The producers turned to Eric Stoltz and his method acting ways to fill the role but ultimately decided after 5-6 weeks of filming that he was not the right person for the job and persuaded Fox to come aboard. The movie was reshot and the rest is history.

 

• The movie Ghostbusters has a number of re-casted parts. If John Belushi had not passed away, he would have played Dr. Peter Venkman as the part was ultimately written for him. The roles of Winston Zeddmore and Louis Tully were also written for specific actors namely Eddie Murphy and John Candy. It would have been quite the interesting movie if those three actors filled the screen.

 

• After an impressive audition, Kurt Russell nearly got the part of Han Solo. Nick Nolte and Christopher Walken also auditioned for Han Solo, Cindy Williams and Jodie Foster were considered for Princess Leia, and Robby Benson screen tested and nearly got the part of Luke Skywalker.

 

• While many actors have played the role of Batman, there is an even longer list of those who were nearly cast to play the role of the caped crusader. Before agreeing on Michael Keaton for the role, Warner Bros. wanted, at varying times Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Bill Murray and Pierce Brosnan. Frankly, they all would have been better than George Clooney and, most likely, Val Kilmer. While Tim Burton’s ultimate decision to cast Keaton was met with shock by the movie-going public it turned out, he was a perfect Bruce Wayne/Batman. On a side note, Robin Williams has been the first choice for two Batman villains (Joker, Riddler).

 

• Early in his career, Tom Selleck had a difficult career decision to make. He had two offers in front of him. One for a television show called Magnum P.I. and the other for a starring role as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. While Selleck became a television star and has had a very successful career, he had never been able to successfully cross the divide and become a box office star. For those of you scoring at home, this makes 2 come from behind victories for Harrison Ford.

 

• From two successful second chances to two missed opportunities. Molly Ringwald had a bright future ahead of her after a string of hit movies in the 80’s including “Pretty in Pink”, “Sixteen Candles”, and “The Breakfast Club” but she soon found out that it is not so easy to transition into truly adult movie roles. Of course, it didn’t help that she turned down the roles of Vivian in “Pretty Woman” and Molly in the movie “Ghost”. Things may have been quite different if she had taken on those types of career defining roles.

There are many more ‘what if’ type of casting moments but there are also the WTF kind of casting considerations that we can all be thankful they never happened the way they originally supposed to. Consider these choices:  

• John Travolta gave two roles to Tom Hanks. In 1994 Travolta chose to star in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" which meant he had to turn down the role of Forrest Gump. Of course, if Michael Madsen had accepted the role of Vincent Vega, Travolta wouldn’t have had a conflict and Hanks may have never won the Oscar. Years later, he also turned down a role in ‘The Green Mile’ which again went to Hanks. You would think that after that kind of generosity they would be bosom buddies.

 

• Mel Gibson was offered, and turned down the title role of Maximus in the 2001 Best Picture Academy Award winner “Gladiator”.

    

• O.J. Simpson was originally offered the role as The Terminator but producers later reconsidered the offer when they deemed him ‘too nice’.

Can you imagine that trifecta of feces? Those iconic movie roles could have been lost to mediocrity had the casting gone as originally planned. It just goes to show that change is sometimes good and no matter how crazy of a ‘what if’ scenario you come up with they will, most likely, not even come close to the near misses of reality.