The Villainization of the Human Race

Something has been going on for a while and I'm wondering if I'm the only one who has noticed it. I have seen on no less than two separate TV shows a reference to the atrocities of man with someone shaking their head in wonder of how bad the race as a whole is.

I call it the “Villainization of the Human Race.” What it basically boils down to is the way some talk about humans as if they are the worst thing that could have happened to our planet. Yes, that's people saying that the world would be better if "we" weren't in it. Better for whom?


The argument has been made over and over again that people, human beings, mankind, whatever label you want to put on "us" are the cause of wars, famine, climate change, air pollution and so on and so forth. Some of this is true in theory but let me try to put it in a bit of perspective.


“Man causes air pollution which in turn causes climate change.” This is not a blog to bash those that believe in climate change. That's up for you to decide and live by accordingly. What I want to hopefully show is that "nature" causes climate change all on her own. Yes, mankind may have contributed to it but so did...the domestic animal population. Did you know that this population has grown 0.5 to 2.0 percent PER YEAR during the last century alone? This statistic covers animals such as sheep, goats, camels, cattle, and buffalo. These animal types give off methane emissions when their food is broken down in one of the 4 chambers of their stomach and is combined with bacteria, a natural process.


Methane gas emissions have also been found significantly in the wetlands of Canada, Russia and the Arctic as well as rice paddies in Asia. Again, this happens naturally from bacteria that are found in these areas. So, while we as humans do contribute to this trend there is nothing to stop it from occurring in nature.


“Humans are responsible for the extinction of animals and plant life.” A less popular message is that since 1973 and the passage of the Endangered Species Act thousands of animal species have been saved due to conservation efforts. Many more plants species have also been saved due to education and replanting all over the world. This replanting has been done by people.


“Man is a violent creature.” There is no doubt that mankind has been fighting almost since day one. Humans have been known to fight over territory, dominance over others, in the name of justice and even in the name of love.

Social hierarchy is documented in many animal species to establish dominance and to establish mating rights among the dominate males. The Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep are well known for their long curled horns and epic, sometimes bloody battles. Elephants are also known for fighting for their chosen mate but usually inflict less injury. Lions of course fight for both territory and food. Males will challenge intruders often fighting to the death with the victor taking over dominance of the territory and the pride while females will fight off other females. Even animals that you would not think of as violent, such as rabbits, have been reported as fighting to the death over territory. So while war and fighting is not a pretty, happy thought, it is a part of nature.

Lastly, what about the good that mankind has done? We have discovered ways to plant food where it couldn’t be planted, aiding starving nations; found ways of re-routing water to provide it for drought laden areas. Penicillin, and medicines for treating cancer has been discovered by people. Inventions such as the light bulb, electricity, cars and yes even the internet have come out of the brain of man. Not to mention movies and music! So while we have our moments of stupidity, lack of control, jealousy and greed, man as a whole is a wonder to behold. To be able to think, to work at and solve a complex problem of any kind, to love and be loved. I can’t see any reason that the world would be better off without us. Can you?

Do You Know Me?

Just how well do you know your online friends? I'm talking about the ones you have never or may never meet.

You may talk to them via your social network of choice. You may have seen pictures of them and their families. But do you really know them?
 
You may have been corresponding with them via email for years and never heard the sound of their voice.

Can you know, really know, someone who you have not had face to face contact with?

Do they talk with a lisp, or have an accent of some kind, or if maybe have a nervous twitch?

Would they look you in the eye when they talked? Do they throw their head back or politely cover their mouth when they laugh?

Are they the kind of person that smells so good their scent lingers in a room after they are gone? Do they get a mischievous twinkle in their eye when they are telling a joke with a straight face?

For instance, did you know that I talk with my hands? Well, I do. I've been told it's called speaking demonstratively, if that's even a word. I have also been told it's the sign of a creative mind, I don't know if that's true or not. I do know if I sit on my hands while having a conversation with someone it's incredibly difficult for me to form a complete sentence. Ask anyone who has seen me speak in public how I can't keep my hands still when I speak. Would that drive you crazy if we ever actually met?

There is obviously nothing wrong with online friends. I have lots. Several that someday I would love to meet. But I wonder just how well we really know each other. And better yet, would we still be friends if we had met "in real life" first.

My point is this...our little "quirks" are part of our make-up. A real part of who/what we are. Do you truly know someone if you don't know their quirks? And would meeting them, quirks and all, make a difference in your friendship?

The Great Bathroom Project.

After turning over in my head what to write about I finally decided on letting people know why I delayed my new site in the first place.

I had been wanting to re-do our front bathroom for years. It was terribly outdated and in desperate need of a paint job.  As you can see here…

So we (aka Bob) pulled out everything except for the bathtub and went for it. First, the paint job…My problem is that I’m a visual person so choosing what color scheme I wanted to go with just didn’t work to put samples on a wall and see what looks best. So I took a deep breath and narrowed the final colors down to three. All a shade of blue/gray/slate in various hues from very light almost white to very dark. Taking my life in my own hands I showed them to Sean and asked his opinion. If I was going down I was going to take someone with me. He courageously  selected the medium toned sample called “Courtyard Shadow”. What do you think?

 

Next, one of the MUST changes was to move from a simple shower curtain to sliding shower doors. Looks good yes?

With those hurdles passed we moved on to the biggie. Fixtures. I had wanted to move to darker tones since previously we had light wood and wood-like fixtures. They were fine at the time but were now very dated and some were actually disintegrating. I’m talking literal pulp, ewww! Bob had been online looking at vanities and found one that he really liked. Again, being the visual person, I wanted to see what it looked like “for real” not just a picture. So off we went and you know what? It was perfect! We found the vanity and matching cabinet in a beautiful espresso color, along with new lighting that leans toward the antique. I think it adds just the right touch…

 

 

Miraculously the entire project only took a couple of days from the purchasing of all the supplies until the first shower was taken.  

I'm actually very proud of it. Nothing leaks, it's fully functional and I'm no longer embarrased to have guests use it.

This is it. My first official blog.

My mother always told me to never put on paper what you don’t want someone to read. So with that in mind the idea of putting my thoughts online for the world to see is a bit daunting. Not that I have any illusions of grandeur by anticipating being read by thousands or even hundreds of people. But the thought that people CAN read it if they want or if they stumble across it on the World Wide Web does make me stop and think twice about what I’m going to put here. At times my writings will be about family (as with my next blog The Great Bathroom Project), sometimes I will get personal letting you know my feelings on a particular topic of choice, or it may be a commentary of a news item that catches my eye. With the political dynamics of the day there will be plenty of fodder to choose from.

There has never been a time, in my political experience, where there was more of a need to research, stay informed and speak out. This is also the first time in my life that the fear of being ostracized for speaking my mind is overwhelmed by my bone deep belief that I am doing the right thing.

This will not necessarily be an anti-Obama, anti-Democrat blog. My hope is to write about the facts and let people make their own conclusions. But, with that being said, I have no problem stating where I differ with Obama, Progressive/Liberals and those who wish to give up our rights and freedoms to foreign powers or governments. You will never doubt where I stand on whatever issue I'm writing about.

To the right you will see a slideshow of my most favorite place on earth...Scotland. There is nowhere in the world like it and it is what I truly would call God's Country. It's peaceful, it's slower paced and it's where I would live if I had a choice about it. I hope you enjoy the pictures I selected. Check back again as I will probably update them adding new views from different trips.

Now, you have a brief idea of what to expect. I do welcome comments of any kind. Knowing that people are reading and care enough to have something to say about it is why I'm here.