Friday Funny

You know those "shame on [insert company name here]" big banners that are often used by non-unionized workers to protest the unfair treatment of actual union workers? Well, this car dealership in Wichita clearly gets the insanity of it all.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Correcting Political Correctness

I don't like getting too political here on the blog, as I find it often leads to debates.  Not that there's anything wrong with debating, but I've found it can quickly turn into a battle of convincing versus actual debating and that's not why I created this space.

That being said, I felt I had to share this little tidbit of news from my hometown, Seattle.  Apparently, Easter eggs can no longer be called such in public schools or in parks, as the word Easter implies a religious affiliation and I guess that's a big fat "no no" these days.  Thus, Easter eggs are now being referred to as "spring spheres," which in my opinion, sounds utterly ridiculous.  To me, that phrase implies a pagan affiliation, which is no more politically correct than a religious affiliation.

If you have a chance to read the article, I highly recommend it.  The saving grace (pun intended?) comes toward the end, when political correctness is put aside and children call out these little spheres of spring for what they really are - the answer just may surprise you.

Project "Remember Me"

Okay, time to get serious for a minute.

The United States Memorial Holocaust Museum has launched project "Remember Me" in an effort to help identify thousands of Jewish and non-Jewish children left uprooted and orphaned in the aftermath of World War II.  (see photos below)

The goal of project "Remember Me" is to learn who these children are, find any of their surviving relatives or friends, and let their stories be told so as to raise awareness about the atrocities of genocide. Of course there is a sense of urgency in getting to the bottom of these photos, as the number of living Holocaust survivors dwindles every year. 

You can learn more and assist in this inspiring project by visiting http://rememberme.ushmm.org/ .

The World's Most Typical Person?

National Geographic Magazine has a fabulous video up on YouTube that lends itself to the idea that perhaps multiculturalism isn't a failure afterall. Perhaps we're all a lot more similar than we'd like to think?

A Good Deed Goes Punished

I'm a few days late with this one since it's been floating around the web for a while, but I only came across it this morning.

The equivalent of the Supreme Court in the U.K. has ruled that "gay rights take precedence" over Christian beliefs.  The ruling stems from a case involving foster parents who were brought to the high courts over charges that their religious beliefs were interfering with their foster children's upbringing.  Namely, the couple believes that marriage should only be between a man and a woman, as many Christians tend to believe.  As such, the court wants to enforce a ban which prevents the couple from ever being able to take foster children into their home again.

I'm not posting this to make my views known on gay marriage, though I'm sure that post will come at some point.  I'm posting this because it is absolutely deplorable that a high court should have any control over how parents get to raise their children! When the government controls individual, domestic issues like parenting without consideration of the will of it's people, the idea of living in a free society quickly perishes.

I feel so blessed to be a citizen of a country where my freedom and individual rights are protected under the law, but the U.K. does not have a Constitution, so unfortunately, these foster parents have no recourse.  Even though they have successfully helped to raise 15 foster children over the course of their lives, their good deeds have been stripped away with the drop of an unrighteous gavel.  It's all so unfortunate...

Their Force Is Strong!

According to this article by the Yorkshire Evening Post, anyone who wants to claim their religion as "Jedi" will be able to do so in the 2011 U.K. Census.  During the last poll, about 400,000 people listed their religion as such. The dedication of Star Wars fans never ceases to amaze me!

James Bond Would Be Proud!

Behold the smallest and perhaps most charming aircraft ever to grace the skies.   It's interesting to think that intelligence officials will be trained to fly this thing properly.

In The Company of Heroes

It's years old by now, but if you haven't watched HBO's Emmy Award-winning mini-series, Band of Brothers, you're missing out.  It follows the story of Major Dick Winters, a decorated American military officer, who bravely leads his men through D-Day and temporary occupation of the Eagle's Nest,  Hitler's secret retreat in the mountains of Germany.  I highly recommend renting this series through Netflix or what have you.  I guarantee you will laugh, you will cry, and you will likely more fully understand what our men had to endure during World War II.  I know I certainly did.

Sadly, the Washington Post reports today that Major Dick Winters has passed away at the age of 92.

He is and always will be one of America's finest...


(Clip provided by Band of Brothers/YouTube; Major Winters weights in on whether or not he's a hero.)

Future Politician?

At some point during the fifth grade, I'm pretty sure I could recite all of the Presidents of the United States without hesitation, but little Charlotte is only two years old!   Watch as she's quizzed by her father and fires back (most of the time) with complete confidence.

The End Of The Pint?

Cheers!

If British lawmakers have their way, pubs across the UK will soon be serving "schooners" of beer in addition to traditional pint and half-pint sizes.  A schooner is essentially two-thirds the size of a regular pint, or similar to a "grande" in coffee-speak.  The decision to switch things up is apparently based on growing consumer demand, but not everyone is happy about it, particularly wine lovers.

I don't know about you, but "Let's stop for a quick schooner" just doesn't have the same ring to it as "pint."

Read on...