BlueAsh's Comments (701)

“I am not sure what the assumptions for this article are: When someone works for pay, he/she must WORK, whatever that may entail. Nowadays, in southeast Ohio, there are people who knock on doors to offer to do ANY work, which mostly ends up being rough physical labor such as cutting down trees. God knows how many doors these people must knock to get someone to give them something to do. I have a lot more respect for them than those whining over how hard it is to work for amazon.com. Trying knocking on doors for a change and see what that'll get you--after all, amazon.com is not holding anybody hostage.

Don't blame on technology or anybody else: If all of amazon.com's employees still worked on farms, they'd be doing a lot more than walking a few miles and lifting heavy stuff--and NO overtime pay. In a bad year, draught, flooding, hail, or what-not, who would they sue then?”

“Did the cigarette companies get sued because there was evidence that the cigarette companies had concealed information regarding the additives in packaged cigarettes?”

“I believe the jury awarded the women a couple of million dollars.”

“This is the type of "survey" that raises more questions that it answers.

Did this survey collect information on the iPhone users' educational background? Perhaps they value cool gadgets more than degrees because they have those degrees under their belt already.”

“Is this for real? Sounds like something published by the Onion.”

“Amen!”

“What a bogus article! Such a complex issue reduced to a few numbers.

Did the author thought about other possibilities? Perhaps people take up odd jobs on weekends to make ends meet? Perhaps people can connect to their god(s) without necessarily through the church?

Can someone tell the author to read "How to Lie with Statistics"?”

“The way things are going, the Obama admin. doesn't have to do a thing--just let the likes of Condi and Cheney dig their own graves! What struck me with Condi's remarks, aside from her Nixonian claim, was how unaware, how totally oblivious, and how belligerent she was to what's going on. Sure she pointed her finger at Bush, but she didn't feel threatened enough to want to keep silent on the issue of torture.

Some are impatient with the Obama admin. for not moving fast enough, but I heard a comment by a federal judge interviewed on MSNBC, that setting up a grand jury would work to the advantage of Bush and Cheney--many would use the grand jury investigation as an excuse not to speak out, and that would allow the story be buried (under something really important, like Michelle Obama's veggie garden). To allow the "story" stay in the public discourse, the interviewee stated, would make it possible for people to speak out and for more details to come out.

Condi seemed to have just validated that. So I say, keep off the grand jury investigation and let them neocons talk!”

“So when will scientists come out and say, once and for all, that all creatures in the animal kingdom have far greater intelligence than we've given them credit for? And when are we going to treat other creatures as we treat other humans in a (civilized and orderly) society?”

“That's a good one--you just know that Merkel was thoroughly enjoying it! :-)”

“The first time I saw the dog leading ahead of the kids and Mrs. Obama, I knew they had no idea how to train a dog. Perhaps it is time to get a trainer in, such as Cesar Milan, and become an example for new dog owners all over the country. I love the Obamas, but, for heaven's sake, don't blame the dog.”

“It's time to look into these "sports" and the unnecessary suffering brought on the animals themselves as well as animals connected to these so-called sports. Vicks got convicted for dog fighting, and rightfully so. What about these horses, the "wet-nurse" horses and their fouls cruelly taken away from them (so they can nurse the purebreds)?”

“I agree whole heartedly!”

“These tea-bagger parties aren't "spontaneous" grass-roots events. Some Republicans in Congress talked about expecting something big related to tea parties--quite some time ago.

What's amazing is that they actually get coverage. Remind me of the anti-war protest in Washington, D.C. in 2003--over a million people protested against the war, and that evening, they shared equal tv time with a handful Bush supporters.

What's wrong with this country's media?”

“It's about time!”

“As I am writing this, my dog, a German Shepard/Husky mix, is getting prepped for surgery to remove a bladder stone. She is two and a half. We got her since she was a puppy. We all are convinced she understands English. She tries so hard to please and to do the right thing that muddy paw prints, half-chewed carrots, or a fresh bone on the carpet seem to be a minor price to pay.

I try not to worry, but why are good vets so hard to find? I got the distinct feeling that, to the vets, I might have dropped off a lawn mower. They were not going to operate on her till afternoon--by which time Coco would have had no food for 12 hours!

Do the veterinarian schools teach ethics? Do they evaluate students' psychological fitness to be vets? Or is this all about money?

We once had a wonderful house vet. Dr. Brown helped put down our 17-year old dog in such a thoughtful, gentle manner that I can only wish I'd be so lucky as the dog when my time comes.

Years ago, a vet strongly recommended surgery to remove a ball-shaped object from the stomach of our cat. We should have known better -- the vet also mentioned, casually, that sometimes they'd open up a cat and find nothing in the stomach. He said, "We call this 'airing the gut'."

It pains me to remember that!”

“Don't plan too far ahead--she may self-destruct before the next cycle.”

“He's got bigger battles to fight at the moment. But unlike Bill Clinton, Obama not only admits that he's smoked marijuana, but that inhaling "was the point." When you think about it, it is quite significant that his admission played little part in this recent election, whereas it almost became a major issue for Bill Clinton. So time does change.”

“A couple of months ago, a dozen 20 year-old college students spontaneously got into a heated debate over the merits/pitfalls of legalizing marijuana--part of the same debate in which many of them reminded the others that candidate Obama was a secret Muslim.

I was really shocked by how these otherwise politically conservative youths openly mocked the war on drugs.

At first, there was something incongruent (to me at least) about voting Republican and supporting the legalization of marijuana. Yet, these 20 year-olds, who practically supported every single (right-wing) conservative cause on the ballot, saw nothing unreasonable, let alone wrong, about the legalization of marijuana.

That's when I realized that the election was only the tip of the iceberg of how out of touch with reality these Republican loonies and the right-wing extremists were with this country. Either that or these right-wing conservatives were total hypocrites. Or both.”

“My thought exactly!”

“I agree with much of you say in the article except when you say that "we really have no formal training in parenting."

Is there such a thing as "formal training for parenting"?

Perhaps you were being sarcastic. But "formal training" conjures up the idea of the "correct" way of parenting, and it puts the emphasis on the method, not the substance.

Perhaps it is us, the parents, who are not good role models, not what we consciously teach our children.”

“True, but not as mind-boggling as Alberto Gonzales as the AG for the country.”

“I actually don't think Obama uses the word "but" cleverly to evade confronting a controversial issue. He is a complex thinker who sees many dimensions to a problem and has, from the very beginning, refused to reduce complex issues to a soundbite.

It is fortunate that people in this country, at this moment, are very receptive to complex thinkers (perhaps out of fear and anxiety). The fact is, those who are in the media, politics, or education should encourage people to learn to appreciate complexity in life and encourage people to think higher level thoughts.

Otherwise, sentence diagrams mean absolutely nothing.”

“Only this deep in sh*t.”

“Right on and well done! I already know you were ahead of the curve when you stood up for Obama, but what a big heart you have!”