THE MULLET STRIKES

 When it comes to religion there seems to be no boundaries on how out of control things can get. Religion is usually the drive that makes people do so pretty of the wall thing. Well religion and flat out craziness.

I am not too familiar with the Amish community but I know a little bit about it, and one thing I have noticed is that all Amish men have some pretty impressive beards. They seem to take pride in their beards and I am almost positive that their beards serve some significance to their beliefs. Well not too long ago an article popped up on CNN about four men from a breakaway Amish community that had been charged with committing hate crimes and were denied bond. Apparently the men had cut of the beards and hair of persons that refused to follow the leader of the Amish group named Mullet. 


At first I was like “hmm, maybe they are exaggerating a little bit”, but in the Amish community a man’s beard and head hair are considered sacred. Then I thought about how upset I would be if someone cut my hair off. Not only would I cry but I would be scarred for life. Then another thought popped into my head. Where I work the guys aren’t allowed to have any facial hair except for a mustache. I have realized that whenever any of the guys that I work with get fired, quit or go on vacation, the first thing they do is grow the bushiest beard that they can. It never fails. I have yet to see one guy that has not done it. Beards are obviously a big thing for guys in general. Amish or not.  A little off topic, but I found it a little funny that the leader that people did not want to follow was named “Mullet” haha.

CONDOMS FOR THE WIN?

This world is full of controversy and two main controversies show up in a recent article together. That would AIDS and Porn. Not too shocking to see these two topics being talked about at the same time.  In the porn industry it is not required for the actors and actresses to wear protection when performing the sex scenes. It is required though, that they get checked every so often to make sure that they are healthy. When I say checked, this means blood tests and other test that screen for STD’s. Well in Los Angeles are voting on whether or not condoms will be required in adult film shoots to reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.  The Aids Healthcare Foundation got over 71,000 signatures to make this happen. If this is passed, forcing condoms to be required will become part of the film permit.  This seems harmless for the porn industry, but surprisingly it is something they do not want to agree to. They claim that the use of condoms takes away from the fantasy appeal of their product.  Former porn star Derrick Burts was infected with HIV while working in porn. He states that many of the porn stars would like to use condoms but do not want to go against the wishes of the boss. The money must be very good in this industry to risk getting infected with HIV because your boss doesn’t want you to wear a condom.  AIDS is one of the leading killers in the U.S killing about half a million people.  This alone seems like enough drive to make the porn industry want to start requiring the use of condoms.  This shows that the producers of the porn industry most definitely care more about their money than they do about their performers.

The AIDs Healthcare Foundation targets Los Angeles mainly because it is the basis of the multibillion dollar industry. Porn producers have stated that they would not hesitate to move business out of state or even out of the country if the regulations persist.  It amazes me at how much and how far the producers of the porn industry are willing to go to not use condoms. It seems like the use of condoms would prolong their business if not help their business.  I that maybe the porn industry can meet the Aids Healthcare Foundation and find out how many of their viewers would be affected by the use of condoms in their films. Maybe a poll, survey, or even a test run using the condoms in a few of the movies would give them the feedback to make a wise decision.

THE TORTOISE AND THE HEIR. 20TH CENTURY STYLE

It’s no secret that Japan has a pretty good economy and that they have their stuff together pretty tight. Well apparently they also have money to burn. Literally. So I absolutely love cars. Especially foreign sports cars, and after seeing this story I am about to tell you guys about I about died. So in Japan earlier today 5 Ferraris, a Lamborghini and a few Mercedes-Benz were all wrecked in a pile up. Actually wrecked is an understatement. More like destroyed. This pile up of cars totaled over a million dollars in damages.  So I am sure you are all wondering how this happened. Well the article explains it best:  The group — which Japanese police officials called “a gathering of narcissists” — were driving to a supercar meet-up in Hiroshima, where about 100 vehicles were expected to show. As one driver who was invited along but passed noted, it was unusual for such a drive to take the expressway — where speeds are closely monitored and traffic can be thicker due to lower tolls on Sundays. Even so, the Ferraris were estimated to have been running between 80 mph and 100 mph when the crash happened.

Police and video reports say the wreck began when a 60-year-old businessman from Fukushima driving a Ferrari F430 attempted to pass a Toyota Prius, but instead hit the guardrail. That set off a chain reaction among the cars driving in a tight formation behind the lead Ferrari, eventually wrapping up seven other Ferraris— namely a 360 Modena, F355 and a white Testarossa — along with a Lamborghini Diablo and a couple of high-end Mercedes. Does this sound like a 20^th century version of the Tortoise and the Heir? I mean how crazy is this story? One Toyota Prius caused all of these cars to wreck. To make it even better the Toyota Prius escaped with minor injuries.  Nobody was severely hurt in this wreck. Well not physically at least. I’m sure the owners of these cars weren’t very happy to say the least. I think this is the perfect time to say “Only in Japan”. 

LUCKY AND SMART MONEY

Winning the lottery is probably a dream that everyone has had or thought about at least once in their lifetime. I keep up with the lottery fairly well. Mainly because I work so much and my job sells its fair share of lottery tickets.  I play every once in awhile but of course I haven’t won. Every time someone wins the lottery it is usually not in my state, it is a place that always has winners and it is always somebody that does not need it.  I am not talking about small amounts, but the big jackpots. Like 254 million type jackpots. So recently the Powerball jackpot of 254 million was recently won by three money managers in Connecticut. Oh and to make this better, the 254.2 million was the after tax amount, and it was even the one of the biggest jackpots won in Connecticut.  How ironic?!! Why are they even playing the lottery in the first place? Every once in awhile shows will come on TV about people that have won the lottery and show how their lives have changed. Well surprisingly many of the people that win huge jackpots end up spending the money in bad ways and they end up being in a worse position then what they were in before they won the lottery. A lot of this is because of poor money management. So what happens when money managers win the lottery? I would hope that because of their job titles they would be one of the few people that invest their money and more out of it.

 Also I think that many expected that because these men were money managers that they needed to donate the money. Well these men had made a promise of philanthropy and sure enough they make good on that promise. They are donating the money to 5 charities that assist veterans.  That is very nice of them and not too many people can say that would do this and still follow through with it. Ok even though these men obviously have good jobs I think that should keep some of the money for themselves. The article did not mention if they were going to or not, but I think that rightfully deserve it. I am jealous and yes a little bit bitter that they won, but at the same time they did what everyone else does that plays the lottery, and that was just purchasing a ticket. After thinking a bit I came to the conclusion that the lottery jackpot fell into the right hands.  The men donating this money to charities that assist veterans couldn’t have been a better idea. The veterans in this country do not receive the treatment and assistance that they deserve. Kudos to them!

BAD TEETH BAD FOR BUSINESS

So almost everyone can say that they have been to the dentist at least once in their lifetime. How many people can say that they have been sued by their dentist because of making a negative comment about them? Probably not too many. Well a recent article surfaced where a dentist is suing a patient of hers for writing a negative review about her and her office. . Apparently the patient had some trouble with some paperwork from the dentist’s office and got frustrated causing him to write a negative review about the dentist on Yelp and DoctorBase.  Well the dentist claims that the patient signed a paper “Mutual Agreement to Maintain Privacy”. The patient agrees to sign many papers while he was already under the influence of the numbing agent being used for the procedure. The dentist wrote a letter to the patient as well as the websites asking them to take the negative post against her and her practice. The websites as well as the patient did not remove the article.  I am guessing that this agreement is what lead the dentist to want to sue. The article got me thinking about a lot of things. First, whenever I am looking to try a new service or product the first thing I always do is read reviews. Reviews help out with so many good decisions.  Getting sued for writing a review seems scary and not right. Everyone should be entitled to their opinion.

The lawyer of the patient is defending the fact that his client had every right to say what he did and that doctors and dentist are expected to act in an ethical manner. The dentist is suing on the basis that the patient breached the contract that was signed. I guess it’s hard to take sides in this case because we don’t really know what the agreement said. Also its disturbing that an agreement such as the one mentioned above is even included in paperwork at a dentist office. Why is it so important to maintain privacy? It makes you wonder if the dentist has something to hide. Is that even a routine form to sign? Maybe it is but I definitely haven’t noticed it whenever I have been to the dentist.  One of the comments that were posted was “if someone has to swear themselves to secrecy before having dental work done, then it’s a sign to turn and run”. This person has a very good point. Maybe this dentist has something to hide. What I found funny about this story too, is that the dentist suing the patient made bad publicity for herself with the lawsuit. Maybe she should have thought twice about suing her patient.

GAS PRICE DROP A PERMANENT STAY?

What do obesity and gas prices have in common? There are steadily increasing with little to no improvement. That was an attempt to make a joke by the way, but it is so true. Ok well it was true. Gas prices for the past few years just keep increasing and increasing, but this month they have done something a little different. So I am pretty sure that everyone has noticed that the prices at the pump have dropped and have kind of stayed at the price it has dropped to for some time now. Many may have thought that gas went down because of the holiday weekend and would go up soon after but surprisingly it has not. Even more surprisingly is that the week of Thanksgiving, the price of oil went up significantly but gasoline on the other hand did not. It is easy to assume that gas and oil go hand in hand, but actually there are many factors that make the prices in the two acts differently. Things such as taxes, distribution and refining costs usually contribute to the prices in gasoline. For those that follow the stock market fairly closely may have realized that in some cases when crude oil prices go up that gas prices seem to follow. Not right away but a few months after. On the other hand crude oil is used for many other things other than just gasoline.

Many seem to disagree with the article about gas prices and oil prices not having a direct relationship. One person commenting on this article stated that in his state of Atlanta Georgia, when oil prices go up the price of gas changes instantly without the other expensive gas running through fully. He then stated that whenever gas goes down it is more gradual than then when it goes up. It almost makes you wonder if there is some direct control to the prices of gas. While the prices of oil cannot be all that controlled it is easier to control the prices of gasoline. Well it seems like it would be. I think that most people have adjusted to the high gas prices by changing how much they drive, carpooling and probably even cutting back on activites that would cause for using more gas. It seems weird to think that 2.99 is a low price for gas, but hey I’ll take it. It’s nice to get change back when putting gas in my car. So it’s making a difference somewhere.

I WORK IN FAST FOOD. DOESNT MAKE ME YOUR BITCH

If you have ever considered robbing or even having an altercation with anybody that works for Dominos Pizza or McDonalds you should probably think twice about it. These workers definitely know how to defend themselves. A Pizza Hut delivery driver was on a routine delivery when he suspected that something was not right. When he went to knock on the door of the house that had called for a pizza no one answered the door. He started to go back to his car growing suspicious and then noticed two men coming from behind his vehicle. Long story short the men attempted to rob the delivery and he pulled a gun on the men. The delivery driver did nothing wrong by trying to protect himself and wasn’t even charged. Now a similar story involves a McDonald’s cashier that was attacked by two customers after he questioned a fifty dollar bill that one of them handed him. The cashier was slapped and chased behind the counter of towards the kitchen where he recovered a metal object and started swinging at the customer with it. One woman suffered lacerations to the face and head while one woman suffered a fractured skull and a broken arm. The whole thing was captured on cell phone including the cashier being chased by the women. Well both of these stories are similar in more than one way.  Both of the victims were not charged with anything. The McDonalds cashier was indicted after the jury saw that he was only defending himself. Now the messed up part of the Domino delivery driver’s story is that he was fired for going against company policy. This sends a bad image on Dominos end. They fire one of their employees because he defended himself against being robbed and possibly even murdered. What makes this story even better is that the two suspects weren’t even injured in this situation. Now with the McDonalds cashier, this employee was physically attacked by two women who are facing charges for disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing.  He clearly had reason to attack the women back and defend himself. Even though it has not been said yet that the employee has been fired, he may face termination if he too “violated company policy”. Incidents like this almost make it seem like its ok for people to commit crime and possibly get away with it. I guess the good thing is that both of the victims in these stories weren’t charged with anything.  

SIDE OF TOY WITH THAT FAT?

So despite the way the economy has been these past few years, the fast food industry does not seem to be suffering very much. McDonalds in particular seems to be fairly well. As a matter of fact their stock can prove just how well McDonalds is doing. Well I came across this story about McDonalds in San Francisco starting to charge for happy meal toys. This made me laugh. My first thought was wow, there are going to be so many upset parents lol. I know many parents that bribe their children to eat by getting them happy meals because it comes with a toy. There was a law passed that fast food restaurants will no longer be able to give away free trinkets, action figures and other toys unless their food meets nutritional requirement. A parent ordering a happy meal from one of the 19 McDonalds locations in San Francisco will have to request a toy as well as pay an extra ten cents. This does not seem to threatening to me. Maybe a dollar extra, but not ten cents. Yes money is tight these days, but paying an extra ten cents to get a toy in a happy meal isn’t putting a dent in any parent’s pocket book in my opinion. This may be an attempt by the FDA to control obesity but they need to try a little bit harder. Childhood obesity is also an increasing issue with little to no improvement. Places such as McDonalds contribute to this. McDonald's kid's meals do not meet the law's nutritional standards. The meals have to be less than 600 calories and contain fruits (a half-cup) and vegetables (3/4 of a cup). They must have less than 35% of the total calories coming from fat, less than 640 milligrams of sodium and less than 0.5 milligrams of trans fat.

The current Happy Meal consisting of a hamburger, kid's-size fries and a cola would meet the calorie, calories from fat, sodium and trans fat requirements under the San Francisco law. It would contain 500 calories, 125 calories from fat and 600 milligrams of sodium. But it would not meet the fruit and vegetable quota. The pickle and onion on the hamburger does not come near the required ¾ cup of vegetables. The French fries do not count as a vegetable, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. McDonalds will not be the only place affected by this law in San Francisco. Every fast food chain will be required to either change their food or charge for toys in kid’s meals. If this is effective maybe this law will be passed in other states other than just California. The long term goal is to get children’s eating habits on a healthier track but in order for this to work the FDA may need to be a little more strict.

PERSONAL ASSISTANT....I NEED AN ABORTION CLINIC...OH YOU CANT FIND ME ONE...

The iPhone is a pretty big deal, and what’s an even bigger deal is the iPhone 4s that was just released this year in October 2011. What’s a good product without a little controversy behind it? So apparently the iPhone 4s has this thing called Siri. Siri is a female personal assistant that can find almost anything that you are looking for. Well almost anything. Apparently the female personal assistant has some personal opinions too. An article popped up on Yahoo! News the other day about the Siri not being able to direct someone to an abortion clinic. The American Civil Liberties Union asked for people to send emails to Apple saying that if Siri can help someone locate Viagra then she should be able to help locate contraceptives and an abortion clinic. They are not trying to imply that Apple is intentionally biased against abortion clinics but they find it rather disturbing that Siri is easily able to locate an “escort” but not the “pill”. This article was kind of funny to me.

 Americans are so sensitive and touchy when it comes to topics such as gay rights and abortion and so on. It makes sense to be sensitive but at the same time Americans should not be so gung ho to assume people are doing things to intentionally harm another or disrespect another. I think that this whole thing was not done on purpose and probably just was not considered by the maker of Siri. I do not use Siri but I use things similar to it such as Google, White Pages and so on, that are supposed to help you locate certain things. When I use these apps I am not always guaranteed to get the results I want. It may be disappointing, especially to someone who is in desperate need of something. I am guessing if someone is trying to locate an abortion clinic then they were probably in pretty desperate need. I mean, you only have a certain window of opportunity to get an abortion anyways, but seriously. How many people do you think are going around getting angry at Google for not locating a place that sells a certain type of shampoo or something? I guess that if Apple is going to use something like Siri, than they should make sure it is able to perform in every way. Who’s to say that Apple intended for this to happen? If Apple were to include abortion clinics in Siri’s search I can almost guarantee that there would be an article criticizing Apple for it. Apple is a very strong company with a lot going for it. One function on the iPhone 4s will not be the end to a company such as this one. When people are out shopping for their Christmas presents and making their Christmas presents and adding the iPhone 4s to it, I am pretty positive they will not be erasing it from their lists because Siri won’t be able to locate them an abortion clinic. Nice try though.

BOUND TO GET SCREWED ONE WAY OR ANOTHER

So not too long ago there was an article in the newspaper about a guy who was arrested for “harassing prostitutes”. What made this article even more interesting and hilarious is when the man called the cops himself because he wanted a refund from the prostitutes. The 26 year old man had found two girls on the internet and apparently had sent photos of themselves to the guy. 

Well when the guy met up with them he was said that they did not look like the same girls in the pictures and was very upset. I am guessing that the man had already given the girls money and then decided that he didn’t want them anymore. He then proceeded to call the police and said that he wanted to report a robbery. He stated that he requested a refund and the girl had told him no refunds and left. The guy was then arrested for harassing a prostitute and was put in jail. This story cracks me up for various reasons. For one prostitution is illegal. This man was arrested for “patronizing a prostitute”, and was charged.. I did not know it was a crime to harass a person that is already committing a crime lol. Two this guy is pretty funny for calling the cops and requesting a refund for a “call girl”.  This man just made life harder for himself. Especially for being so stupid haha. One way another this guy was bound to get screwed… lol. Get it?!