Jane Lake Makes a Mistake

Glenn Ford was a prolific actor, granted mostly before my time, but my parents sure knew his pictures well. It is always a little sad when a celebrity passes away as they represented a segment of your life and even though you didn't know them personally, through their work you feel like you do.

As you hit the new year, magazines typically do a retrospective on who died that year. It usually contains upwards of 50 celebrities who were part of your life in some small way. What's interesting is you usually don't even remember that they died by the time you read the list.

We recently lost Bruno Kirby as you may remember but we have also lost this year already:

Mickey Spillane, Red Buttons, June Allyson, Syd Barrett, Aaron Spelling, Louis Rukeyser, Oleg Cassini, Darren McGavin (I loved the Night Stalker!), Dennis Weaver, Don Knotts, Curt Gowdy, Andreas Katsulas, Peter Benchley, Al Lewis (Bye Gramps!),Chris Penn, Anthony Franciosa, Shelley Winters, and Lou Rawls.

Scary when you list them all out! I don't look forward to seeing the full list at the end of the year!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments

When I first came to New York, I was approached by Scientologists to take their "stress test". Being new to NY, I figured why not. After taking the test, they recommended that I attend a seminar and buy some materials. Having no money, I passed.

Is is a scam? I think to some extent yes because they prey on people in need to fund their organization. And although I do not support the rants of Tom Cruise, you have to admit he has done pretty well for himself. He is successful, healthy, and praises Scientology for it all. As do others.

I think it comes down to some things work for some people and not for others. It is a technique, a gimmick if you will. Not much different than a day timer. It doesn't work for me, and never will. I do believe positive thinking changes your health and outlook. I do believe it is important to be proactive in your life to effect change.

But if you don't believe something will work, it tends to fail, and vice versa. That is why placebos work. I think things like Scientology work for those who believe it will and make it work.

For everyone else, I recommend Ibuprofen.

Posted by L.I.D at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

We live in a world of compromise. Whether it is in relationships, politics, or work there is a constant negotiation to come up with what is fair.

Note that we use the word "fair" and not good or great!

Why do we settle for fair when we all know it can be better? Is it because we assume that if it is great for one person it must be poor for the other? Is it fear of an argument or conflict? Is it that we don't truly value what we believe is the best way?

I think we have all suffered from compromising our values or dreams to accomodate what is deemed as "fair".

Sometimes I think you must stand up for what is right and best and settle for nothing less. That is when everyone ultimately benefits the most. The best idea or plan is not always yours but when it is, convince everyone else, no matter how hard that may be!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments

When I was a kid, I learned the trick to memorizing the order of the planets was:

Men
Very
Early
Made
Jars
Stand
Upright
Nicely
Period

Now with the cataclysmic expulsion of Pluto, I decided to make up my own for the next generation:

Here it is:

Most
Vegetables
Eaten
Marinated
Just
Seem
Unusually
Nutty

And just to keep contoversial:

Many
Vasectomies
End
Miserably
Justifying
Sex-based
Unions
Negative

Posted by L.I.D at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments

I am very dismayed at the approval to provide the morning-after pill over the counter without prescription. It is a big loss for everyone who has worked towards educating our youth on healthy and moral behavior. These are my top 3 reasons why it is a disaster.

1) It will encourage more teenagers to have unprotected sex, resulting in more spread of STD's.

2) Because there will be more unprotected sex and the pill has a 10% failure rate, it will result in increased unwanted pregnancies and thus increased abortions.

3) The way it works is to prevent the ovary from releasing an egg and preventing the uterus from allowing a fertilzed egg to attach. The latter of which is actually aborting a viable embryo. So anyone using it will never know whether they are aborting an unborn child or not.

Once again, the extreme cases (incest and rape) were used to sell an idea that will affect tens of millions of children and result in the death of more innocent lives. The drug companies and Planned Parenthood are celebrating in the streets as their pockets are once again lined with dirty money!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:14 AM | Permalink | Comments

John McCain says that the administration misled the public regarding Iraq in letting them believe the war would be like "a day at the beach".

Number 1: Nobody believed that. There were peace marches everywhere including here in New York where it was made very clear what the implications of war were.

Number 2: This is obvious political maneuvering to distance himself from Bush. I do not respect that at all!

Number 3: In 2004, McCain said, "Our choice wasn't between a benign status quo and the bloodshed of war," McCain said. "It was between war and a graver threat. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Not our critics abroad. Not our political opponents."

If WMD's were found in Iraq, Bush and the Republicans would have had a ticker tape parade down 5th avenue! It is only because they were not that this has blown out of proportion. Not that I would have been happy about that either!

I am looking for the Presidential candidate who will say "war is wrong, period, and I as President will keep our country and its people out of any war, and use every other peaceful means in my power to resolve conflict."

Any takers?

Posted by L.I.D at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments

As you know 22 is my favorite number, so today can not possibly be the end of the world! Just thought you might like to know for planning purposes.

I don't know what all this talk about a hidden Imam is all about anyway. She has been modelling for years and is now pushing a line of cosmetics! Don't these people see magazine covers?

Well, now that I found her, everybody can rest peacefully and enjoy one of the luckiest days of the year. The big TWENTY TWO!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments

My mom unfortunately is no longer here with me on Earth, but her spirit surely lives on.

Two memories stick out for me.

There was once a traveling carnival across the street from our house one fall and my mother and I walked over. They had one of those games that you shoot the water into a clown's mouth and blow up a balloon until it breaks. The first one to break the balloon wins. We spent hours together playing and winning cheap stuffed animals and trading up. My mother was a kid again, and it was beautiful to watch.

My mother's other passion was bingo. I have many a fond memory sitting in a smoke-filled room with a ridiculous number of bingo cards in front of us and winning the cover all for $500. My mother would wrap the winnings in tinfoil and put it in our freezer for a rainy day. It was her secret stash.

Memories like these keep my mother alive inside me, and I wouldn't be surprised if I start wrapping money in tinfoil soon also!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:29 AM | Permalink | Comments

It's kind of funny how the winner of America's Got Talent turned out to be a singer, Bianca Ryan (albeit 11 years old with the voice of a 25 year old!). After all the fun "acts" including jugglers, magicians, quick change artists, and of course Leonid the Magnificent, it would have been nice if some kind of specialty act actually won.

Maybe it just says that what people actually like and want are good singers. Maybe American Idol should expand their age requirements to something more like 10 - 75 years old. Let's find out whether Taylor Hicks could actually beat Bianca Ryan or Rapping Granny?

Talent/Singing shows have been around since the advent of television (remember Star Search?) and even though American Idol is touted as a phenomenom, I think it just speaks to the fact that America just likes to be entertained.

Posted by L.I.D at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

You look at the recent headlines and you realize The News has become a mishmash of horrific events, meaningless gossip chatter, and updates on cold cases. This morning I see:

Is the JonBenet Ramsey case solved? - Have we heard the last of this one? Tune into Nancy Grace for the same news over and over again.

Jennifer Aniston denies she's engaged - Who cares?

Double-headed animals on exhibit - Why?

U.S.-led strike kills Afghan police, Car bomb kills 7 in Baghdad slum - Do we have to see this every day?

Jury finds Merck failed to warn of Vioxx dangers - We need our fix of failed corporate compliance to round out a complete day of news!

I would love to see this headline someday:

No news today - off having a picnic.

Posted by L.I.D at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments

As you can see by my site, I have tried various ways of making money on the internet. My parameters for what I try are as follows:

No cost to join
Typically residual income
No cost to promote

I have had minimal success and earn $25 - $100 a month from some of the better ones and $0 - $25 a month from 95% of the rest. Collectively, it adds up but I would love to find the one big one! A lot of people think Google Adsense is the be all and end all, but unless you have ginormous traffic, it seems to be piddling.

Surprisingly enough, one of my best money makers is Free Lotto

FREE LOTTO!

Get 30 tickets free every day! No cost to you at all. It is the oldest free lotto site on the internet! It is rare that you can promote something that cost nothing for someone to join and you still make money. Yes, you only make $1 per person, and $2 per affiliate but when something is free the numbers begin to fly. I typically make $25 - $50 a day with minimal effort. Unfortunatley there is no residual income, but you can promote it in Canada, Australia, and the UK as well as the US so it is actually possible to get a million sign ups, and make $1 million.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

Have you ever taken note of being in a crowd of people and everyone is silent and then a loud bodily noise is involuntarily emitted by the least likely of people? It inevitably is laughed at by all including the embarrassed perpetrator.

Or have you been in a classroom and the inattentive student is asked a question by the teacher and the response is as ridiculous as you could imagine?

These are the moments that I treasure, for the special times when ridiculousness rules is when everyone forgets their problems, concerns, and seriousness that sometimes overwhelms ones life.

Part of what makes blogging fun is the ridiculousness of some of the comments where they complete miss the point or twist your comment to create a platform for their own dissertation.

Let's try to all be a little more ridiculous. I think it can only help!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:59 AM | Permalink | Comments

On Sunday morning, February 22, 1948 , in anticipation of Israel's independence, a triple truck bomb was detonated by Arab terrorists in what was then the Jewish section of Jerusalem . Fifty-four people were killed, and hundreds were wounded.

Terrorism isn't new and we don't live in a different world post 9/11.

What is new is that we now have more years of history that show that terrorism has never helped any terrorist's cause, has killed and injured ridiculous numbers of innocent people, and has brainwashed a generation of children that it is an inevitable part of our lives.

We urgently need to take a different tact, for the methods we have pursued have only resulted in more unfortunate deaths and continued terrorism. We need to look at terrorism like a disease and figure out how to cure it rather than treat the symptoms.

Education I believe should play a major part, and we as a world should be sending teachers into any country that breeds terrorism and educate their children before it is too late. There should be rewards offered to anyone in any country that uncovers terrorist activity. A world intelligence agency should be established that has access to every countries security databases to eradicate terrorism at its origins.

I don't have all of the answers, but I do know that unless activities like I am suggesting are implemented, we will be having the same conversation 50 years from now!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments

Before I start this rant, I would like to say how thankful I am for the thwarting of the terrorist plot in London and I pray that plots continue to be uncovered before anyone is hurt.

Now on to humor. Kind of. Last night was the crowning of The Last Comic Standing - Josh Blue. Josh has Cerebral Palsy and most of his act pokes fun at the side effects of the disease including his speech and uncontrolled movement. I am glad he won, not because he was necessarily so funny. (I would give him a 7 out of 10), but because he seems like a nice guy. Now let's be clear. If I told the same jokes, I would be labeled as insensitive and cruel. That seems to be a pattern with stand up comics. Fat comics do fat jokes. Black comics revel in the hilarious (not really) fact that black folks are profiled for crimes.

My question becomes is this funny, or is it another way for people to "get away" with inappropriate humor. Most comics on The Last Comic Standing are bleeped at one point or another and that is after cleaning up 99% of their acts. If you go to see stand-up you will be barraged by swears, body parts, insults, and more.

Many years ago, Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes got caught telling a joke about a certain racial group and watermelons. (You are probably smiling already, you sick puppy!). He wrote it off as what happens to ideals as you get older and are exposed to the ugliness of everyday life. I was just disappointed.

Go to any joke site online and you will find categories such as lawyer jokes, dumb blonde jokes, etc. that ridicule people, professions, and even disabilities (mommy, mommy jokes). Not to mention a child falling off a chair and hurting himself can be Americas Funniest Video.

I think it is time we use more discrimination on what we call funny, and realize that there is a pool of humor out there (take Jerry Seinfeld, for example) that isn't insulting and derogoratory.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments

YOU LOST! Take it like a man and start doing the talk show circuit and speaking engagements. This goes to show my point. One minute you are a Democratic and the next minute you transform your ideology because you lose. It's a sham and if you run in November, you waste people's money and time, and will most probably lose again.

Sometimes you are just on a losing streak, and I think its time for you to see the pattern. I don't intend to be mean here or spiteful, (in fact I would rather a Republican wins in November) but it is getting ridiculous how every election is getting more and more contentious, and the losers can't just walk away. They have to go through every hoop possible to try and reinvent our political system.

If you don't watch out, the Janelakian Party will run against you!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments

Many people will argue an issue based on its merits. Unfortunately, we are a world that prides itself on finding loopholes, abusing laws, and taking everything to the nth degree.

Just to take two issues for an example:

Most people when abortion was debated during Roe V Wade times wanted for women to have the ability to have an abortion if it would save the life of the mother. This is a sensible argument. What happened in our system is "life" became "health" and "health" became economic, mental, or physical. In other words, we got abortion on demand. In actuality, the best way to save the life of the mother in most cases when necessary is giving birth to the baby, not aborting it.

The second issue is embryonic stem cells:

People argue that allowing creation of embryos to destroy them for stem cells will cure some of the most horrible diseases. A difficult trade off at best to sacrifice lives to better others.

But let's not forget the slippery slope!

Today I read in Barbados for a mere £15,000 , you can get anti-ageing stem-cell injections made from aborted fetal tissue. The past 12 months have seen this popular holiday resort become the stem-cell capital of the developed world, treating hundreds of patients in a year. The upmarket clinic opened last year in one of the island's most luxurious hotels - Villa Nova - after Ukrainian stem-cell researchers, who have been secretly pioneering stem-cell studies with aborted human fetuses for 20 years, teamed up with U.S. investors backed by the Caribbean tourist industry.

The aim was to attract wealthy British and American stem-cell tourists for treatment, avoiding the strict ethical barriers to such treatment enforced in Europe and America. The clinic is so busy it has a waiting list of more than 1,000 patients for cosmetic treatments and has treated dozens of British women.

Of course this practice is experimental at best, and completely unfounded at worst.

Lesson:

We must be very careful what we wish for because most of the time we get something very different!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments

Clearly, the two party system in our country is completely outdated. Nobody's views are actually encapsulated by either the Republican or Democratic party. Each party shifted their views overtime to please their constituency ultimately creating a mishmash of contradicting stances on important issues.

I would like to create the Janelakian Party and these are my top four platform issues:

1) Pro-life (anti-abortion), overturn Roe V Wade.
2) Anti death penalty
3) Pro gun control
4) Pro-peace (anti-war)

Feel free to ask me my stance on any other issue. I would be glad to respond. It is time to create a party that you are either for or against and not have to choose the lesser of two evils.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments

I thought a nice non-controversial subject may be in order. My favorite seasons in order are spring, fall, summer, and winter. I don't think I am unique here, but this is my reasoning.

Spring is the best because you just got through winter which is the worst so in comparison it seems that much better. School ends, season finales on tv, and flowers. It doesn't get any better.

Fall is second because it's cooler than summer. It feels like a new beginning and the changing colors of the leaves are incredible. New tv shows, Halloween and Thanksgiving. This is a time for family and friends.

Summer is not as great because it gets too hot and humid. I am not a water person and everything seems on hold waiting for fall. Reruns, parade holidays (July 4th, Labor day), and sunburn take away a lot of points.

Winter is the worst because when it is below 20 degrees, it is just too cold to enjoy anything. You are trapped inside and always looking for something to do. Decent holidays, fun in the snow (as long as its not too much), and hot chocolate save an otherwise brutal season.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments

People like to hear themselves talk. Nothing new here, but watching TV shows like Nancy Grace, you have to wonder what are we coming to. The other night Amy Smart put Nancy in her place for asking sensitive questions that drudged up memories Amy didn't want drudged up. It was a Kodak moment watching Nancy stumble through a forced apology. "Good" reporting on shows like this has been reduced to asking inappropriate questions to bereaved people to illicit a reaction.

Nancy was a lawyer and therefore qualifies as an "expert" in every criminal case know to man. She has a loud voice which is used frequently to overshadow her guest "experts". Entertainment has taken on a sick slant that should be scrutinized by a discerning viewer. I hope shows like these are a passing fad and we will tire of watching and washing dirty laundry in public.

Posted by L.I.D at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments

I was a natural science major in an Ivy League college and I learned two things.

1)Science is flawed and rewritten every day.

2)Science is 1 part chemistry and 2 parts alchemy

Let me explain myself. Medical breakthroughs have extended lives, but mostly necessary because artificial and synthetic scientific inventions like pesticides, food additives, etc had shortened lives.

People use science as an excuse to denounce God but assuming God is all powerful, he can make scientific tests like carbon dating work even if it is completely innacurate. We would have no way to know the difference. Anyone who has hallucinated will tell you that what they see and experience is completely real even though it does not exist. I believe science is an hallucination created by God to make our world look ordered but may very well be a complete sham that we someday will see clearly.

Evolution Vs Creation, Stem cells, Cloning, Abortion and more are all issues that have been clouded and manipulated by scientists that have professional and economic reasons to overlook the most basic moral and religious arguments.

On one hand, science has given us great tools to explore our world and universe, but on the deformed other hand, it has also given us false hope and perceptions that cloud our very souls.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments

Mel Gibson portrays brutal violence in almost all of his films.(Mad Max, Braveheart, Passion of Christ, etc.) Whether or not he couches it as historical truth, religious calling, or artistic filmmaking doesn't change this. I don't know Mel and I don't know his motives, but his anti-semitic comments, his alcoholism, and his proclivity towards violent films don't paint the prettiest picture.

There is good and evil in this world and it is easier than most people think to recognize the difference. If Mel can not recognize the difference then he has failed as a filmmaker, a Christian, and a role model.

If he wants to redeem himself now, he would need to reinvent himself completely. It has been done before (Dr. Bernard Nathanson)and can be done again!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:12 AM | Permalink | Comments