April 30, 2015

Jackie Evancho and Andrea Bocelli-Time To Say Goodbye

filmed off the screen live in Bangkok but sound quality is ok enough. Edited to add: I found this in my Gmail inbox because I subscribe to Jackie Evancho's fanpage, sadly, I was not the fortunate person who filmed this.

April 29, 2015

Seeking a discussion/information on drivers licenses.

I have a brother, Jeff, who is diagnosed schizophrenic, he calls it telepathic-that the doctors know NOTHING about his actual issues. Jeff is cared for/looked after by our other brother Ron, who handles all of Jeff's finances and pays Jeff's bills. I assist Ron with Jeff where I can. It is important to note that Jeff refuses to take any meds for schizophrenia because as I mentioned, he doesn't believe he has this condition.

Jeff has a drivers license, he got it years ago when the schizophrenia wasn't so bad and it gets updated periodically by Jeff and Ron. Ron helps Jeff with that update because Jeff throws a fit if he can't have a drivers license. So far, Ron won't let Jeff know that there is ample money in Jeff's bank account to buy a car. Jeff constantly comes up with grand money making schemes in order to get a car but Ron and I use subterfuge best we can to keep that from ever happening.

Local law enforcement already know who Jeff is, (thanks to his intolerant neighbors). The cops don't pay Jeff visits when there are complaints because they consider Jeff mentally handicapped but harmless. When there are complaints, the cops just call up Ron and ask him to go deal with Jeff.

If you knew Jeff, it would be obvious to you why he should not be licensed to operate a motor vehicle. He has only partial grasp on reality. Further and truly boggling is the fact that should Jeff choose to get one, he could get a firearm too! No, I do not want this to be a gungeon worthy discussion, I am instead interested in hearing about our system, a system that would allow the handicapped out on our roads and highways. Are there ways to keep the 'Jeffs' of our society from getting a drivers license? In Washington State auto insurance is a requirement, could a case be made that Jeff is uninsurable? Is this something that the citizenry of our state, maybe even our nation need to be seeking legislation about?

April 22, 2015

If TPP, then can I sue the American Government?

From what I am hearing, TPP will give Big Business/Multinational Corporations the ability to sue foreign governments over those governments' laws that hinder their abilities to do business/make insane amounts of money.

As a very small time Washington State pot grower it would enhance the hell out of my business if I can market my products in states the U.S. Government forbids me from selling to. Furthermore I am clearly being negatively impacted by my not being able to transport my products across state lines to Colorado. If 'Big Tobacco' can sue Uruguay: http://action.sumofus.org/a/uruguay-philip-morris/? over theoretical losses to their business, why can't 'Little Pot' do the same thing to the US Government?

(I'll check back here after mowing my lawn on the off chance V. Bugliosi decides to take up chknltl vs U.S. Government)

April 18, 2015

Lindsey Stirling featuring the 'Landfillharmonic'.

I am a fan of Lindsey Stirling for a number of reasons, one of which is her work with kids. Here she teams up with a group of children from Paraguay known as the Land Philharmonic. They are impoverished kids from Paraguay who with a music instructor pieced together their instruments out of bits and pieces of garbage found in their local landfill/dump. The background music is done by these kids and they show up midway in the video. Lindsey almost always has a bit to say at the end of her videos, this one is most worthy of listening in to. The second video is a 13 minute short documentary, equally inspiring.

and the 60 Minutes story on the Land Philharmonic:

April 17, 2015

My family needs advice re: our schizophrenic/manic/depressive brother

We are currently seeking advice from the VA medical center at American Lake Washington but frankly we just don't know what questions to be asking.

My brother Jeff served in the Navy for two years, 77 thru 79 I think, but definitely NOT during war time. While in service he had a surgery done to his nose and almost immediately came down with scarlet fever type symptoms. He describes how he had a fever OVER 109 degrees sustained, that the doctor told him it likely caused brain damage. He further describes how his skin all peeled off, that he was force fed intravenously and had to sleep on a bed of cold water. A few months after he recovered from this he was mysteriously discharged from the navy for "Other Good And Sufficient Reasons When Determined By The Secretary Of The Navy", a discharge that we think is of the Under Honorable Conditions variety.

Since his discharge my brother's mental state has deteriorated to a point that those who spend any time with him can easily see that he has little grasp of reality. He claims that he is 'Space', that he is 135 billion years old, that there are "decoherent beings" in a constant dialog with him (that won't shut up), that he wants to go home, (um...your guess where home is is as good as mine here). Furthermore he wears leg wraps made of sticks, wires, empty butane lighters and dead batteries. Around his neck he wears a typical household smoke detector which has fastened to it bits of glass, more empty cigarette lighters, bits of rocks and other whatnots. His yard is equally bizarre, which annoys the hell out of his neighbors, and rocks, trees, sticks and bits of glass all talk to him. That's my brother, we tell folks that Jeff sees life in a way nobody else I know of has access to.

It seems likely to me that the Scarlet Fever triggered all of this. Jeff's doctors at the VA acknowledge that he is schizophrenic but they won't go any further than to prescribe him medications that Jeff utterly refuses to take. Jeff claims that these doctors can not treat him for being 'telepathic', that treating him for schizophrenia is a waste of everyone's time. His doctors are now threatening to withhold any further meds from him, they want him instead to report in for shots but my brother refuses this too.

At this point we are considering taking Jeff to civilian doctors because we feel that the VA may be unable or possibly unwilling to help.

The advice we seek:
Is there any way we can get help upgrading Jeff's mysterious discharge to a medical one and if so would it grant him any additional medical disability benefits? IMHO Jeff should be institutionalized or at the very least our government should be helping us take care of him. We have his medical records, sketchy as they are they do confirm much of Jeff's story. That said, we can not find out why Jeff was discharged from the Navy, nor does he have any idea why it happened. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

March 15, 2015

Need help regarding gender choices in MMOs, maybe help in how I handled a child online too.

Although at age 60 and a gamer since HALO 1 came out I am new to the world of MMOs. When Destiny came out I could either not play it or join in with countless other gamers in this MMO. So I took the plunge and signed up. I am male but years ago I started using female characters where I could in my RPGs, (I mainly like RPG's and FPS's). In Destiny I chose to run 3 female characters. Sadly today, my choice to run females may have just traumatized a 13 year old young man.

The story is as follows:
When I signed up for Destiny I went ahead and filled out my personal bio, stating clearly that I am a 60 year old Viet Nam Era "MALE" vet. Soon after signing up I discovered that I was having a glitch in the game, (still am btw), and added to my bio that I would appreciate any help in fixing that glitch. Destiny has been out a few months now and this glitch prevents me from maxing out my three characters. When other players try to get me to participate in non-solo activities I inform them that I can't, that I have this damned glitch. Should they ask further I explain it further and request any help. So far nobody has offered any help.

Yesterday a fellow player tried to befriend me, I was burning dinner so I told the player that I couldn't chat, that I had to go, and then I logged off. This morning I left this player a message stating the usual that I would make for a lousy friend because I couldn't participate in team things, besides which I didn't even have a microphone, (mic's seem to be a standard request for those team get-togethers). The gamer persisted saying a mic was not necessary. I tried to explain to him/her that I truly wasn't interested in anything other than soloing, that I was happiest doing just that, A couple hours later this player starts asking me tons of questions, (it was kinda annoying because it's hard to keep ducking into hidey-spots to chat while being shot at). Eventually this player said he thought it strange that I was such an experienced gamer and yet such a shy 'girl'. Well that made me go huh?!? in a big hurry so I texted back setting the record straight, that it was in my bio: 60 year old MALE!, that furthermore, after years of gaming I had switched to female characters because I got tired of seeing the backside of my macho-male characters. I get back WTF! When I ask "Huh?" He returns "That's weird, I am 13 bro!"

Well now I am shocked. FWIW up to that point I was sorta thinking I had someone from BUNGIE, (Destiny's creator) asking me stuff about my gaming, my glitches and stuff like that but being coy about it. I even asked outright during our conversation if the person I was talking to was an employee of Bungee and got back "No, just reporting your bugs to Bungee" After hearing that I was talking to a 13 year old, I got REAL CAREFUL with my next response because #1 I did not want to traumatize him further and #2 I didn't want him or his parents thinking I was some kind of internet creep out fishing for kids! I apologized for any misunderstanding, I suggested that should anyone in the game offend him that he needs to hit the ignore button and I ended with my goals all along being that I wanted help with my glitch, that I sincerely meant nothing else. I apologized again for the offense and hit the send button.

It's been about an hour now and I've not heard back, (a good thing I hope), so I have to ask fellow gamers here: Is it non-customary or even strange to use a gender opposite yours when playing in an MMO? If so, it may explain some other issues I have been having, specifically periodically Destiny male character-players shooting at me and bashing me with swords and etc. for no reason that I can discern. (It has no affect, we can not harm each other at all, our bullets and such only hurt the bad-guys).

March 12, 2015

Need a smile? Blond and 'dumb' and quite proud of it!

Blast from the past warning but guaranteed to make you smile:

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Hopefully you now understand that I meant no disrespect with my title. Goldie Hawn puts the 'A' in 'Adorable' here.

February 27, 2015

Jackie Evancho: My Immortal

Today felt like a good day to post a song, this one:

"My Immortal"


I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears
And if you have to leave
I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

[Chorus:]
When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand through all of these years
But you still have all of me

You used to captivate me by your resonating light
Now I'm bound by the life you left behind
Your face—it haunts my once pleasant dreams
Your voice—it chased away all the sanity in me

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

[Chorus]

I've tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone
But though you're still with me
I've been alone all along

[Chorus]

...me, me, me.

January 21, 2015

Just a couple of kids at a football game:

I ran across this just now, it had DU Lounge written all over it. Enjoy
http://q13fox.com/2015/01/19/packers-fan-writes-heartwarming-thank-you-to-seattle-that-might-bring-you-to-tears/

October 1, 2014

Gov. Perry. Now that you have Ebola in your state are you willing to expand on Health Care?

Question needs no further explanation, needs a response from Gov. Perry.
(edited to add: Thank you Thom Hartmann for suggesting this be asked of Gov. Perry)