https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/589991247/some-of-her-parts-a-short-film-by-radical-rhinocer?ref=37fawn

Why It's Important

Posted by L.I.D at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments

Being in the right place at the right time is everything! I only got in one question but I think the answers say it all!

JANE:

Would you rather have a cupcake from the famous Magnolia Bakery in New York or a bag of M&M's?

OBAMA:

First off, I would like to thank you Jane for allowing us to answer questions from someone not on Wall St., but on Main St. I think the question you ask is one which many Americans are posed on a daily basis. I truly believe that this is something I would research in depth before making a rash decision. Yes, people have remarked on the quality of the cupcakes at Magnolia, but on share volume alone, M&M's certainly have a strong following. Who are we really helping by eating cupcakes at a well known, well off establishment who could well afford to give cupcakes away for free? It is the people of Hershey, PA that need to know we are behind them, that we support them, and they need to get out to vote on election day. I am having a rally soon with tens of thousands of M&M supporters and believe me, I plan to make sure that all Americans can continue to enjoy a candy staple for years to come.

MCCAIN:

Jane, Obama just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand at all. I've been to Magnolia Bakery many times in the past 20 years and I have experienced first hand how good these cupcakes are. Yes, M&M's are popular, but I'm not pandering for votes here. I'm giving you the blatant truth. The cupcake wins hands down. Now lets get over to Bleecker Street right now. The cupcakes are on me.

JANE: Thank you both for your candid responses!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

Let's face it. This is the most important event that has occurred in the last 50 years! Every major website had it blasted across its breaking news. Every talk show was centered on it. Front page in every newspaper!

ANNA NICOLE SMITH DEAD!

Can you imagine the folks scrambling right now for the rights to her life story for a book, a movie, or even a broadway show (made into a reality tv show to pick who will play Anna)? Could Pamela Anderson pull it off?

Can you imagine the lawyers trying to figure out what happens to the child, the money, the future royalties?

This is ambulance chasing at its best!

Anna was at best on the fringe of the entertainment industry but as big a celebrity as it gets. Marilyn Monroe reincarnated. This was the perfect example of how marketing and perception rules.

Love her or find her despicable. It doesn't matter. She will continue in death what she was in life - a creation of the media, an exploitation of women, and a sad reminder of what we have all become.

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments

As we approach Presidents' Day (correct to put the apostrophe after Presidents and not President's as most people think!), I think it is interesting to note that, even though it sounds like we are celebrating alll of the Presidents, everyone knows that we are celebrating the birthdays of George Washington, and we throw Lincoln in because his birthday is also in February although it was never a Federal holiday.

And although Alabama celebrates it as Washington and Jefferson Day, I think it is a sad commentary that not a single President since Lincoln has been deemed worthy to be added to the list, or singled out for anything in particular.

I really hope the next President will be the one we look back on and say, "This is someone we must always remember." Unfortunately, it is more likeley we will be saying, "To impeach, or not to impeach. That is the question!"

You can't turn the clocks back and return to an age of innocence, with true leaders and heroes. But you can improve things by not voting for political machines with personal agendas.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments

Posted by L.I.D at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments

As Microsoft rolls out Vista, I must take a mental snapshot of the world that I know today for tomorrow it will be different.

Posted by L.I.D at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments

It was 8 degrees when I left for work this morning. -4 degrees with the wind chill factor.

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

Once in a blue moon (which of course really isn't blue!) there is a presidential candidate that rises above the others as someone you would actually vote for, not because they are the lesser of two evils, but that they would actually make a great President.

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

This morning brought big flakes of snow,
As Manhattan woke from slumber,
They melted quickly don't you know,
And soon had lost their number.

And that's the best the city brings,
For if the snow should stick,
Black and yellow and brownish things
Will begin to make you sick.

Snow is meant for rolling hills,
Where sleds and kids can play,
For kids on streets will give you chills,
throwing snowballs that are grey.

So a mild winter is what I see,
with the occasional pretty flake,
And keep the dreaded doggy pee,
Away from Miss Jane Lake

Posted by L.I.D at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments

I admittedly know nothing about sports, but there is something about the Super Bowl that is hard to avoid.

At work, there are the "boxes". Buy a couple and you are hooked - at least in watching the end of each quarter.

Socially, there are the "Super Bowl Parties" where boys will be boys and girls will be boys.

Whether you watch it for the commercials or the half time wardrobe malfunctions, or for the thrill of watching someone throw a dead cow to a grossly overweight athlete, it is a once a year must for any good American.

Being from Boston, I have to hope the Patriots make it again. It at least makes people think I care. Otherwise, I will claim I got 2 - 2 for my box and watch everyone look so sad for me.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

One technology after another is developed that shows that embryonic stem cell research is Draconian. Between umbilical cord cells, adult stem cells, and now amniotic-fluid stem cells, a high percentage of any potential benefit that embryonic stem cell research might muster, if any, can be investigated using alternative methodology.

Why continue to utilize methods that are considered by many to be unethical and potentially fruitless when we now have clear alternatives?

1) Monetary gain - grants have been given for embryonic stem cell research. Both the grantors and recipients would lose out on funds already spent.

2) Stubborness - people don't want to admit that all the energy and effort that they put into fighting for embryonic stem cell was for naught.

3) Selfishness - If it will help me one day sooner than I don't care about the ethics!

4) Political gain - many Democrats have used this issue as a stick against their Republican foes, and they wouldn't want to find themselves on the opposite side of the beating!

The bottom line is that given the potential of all of the alternatives, it is an abomination to pursue any further a technique that millions of people in this country believe is killing innocent lives.

Let's all grow up and do what is right!

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

Posted by L.I.D at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments

The other day I crossed the street, not at an intersection, but in the middle. I walked between two parked trucks to get out into the street and peeked out to see if any cars were coming. Just as I stuck my head out, a bicyclist swerved to avoid taking my head off. As luck would have it, I am still here to tell the story, and the bicyclist was okay as well as there were no cars coming.

On Friday, a local 13 year old boy was hit and killed by a Long Island Railroad train as he was going home for dinner from spraying graffiti on the train signal box. He was running across the third of four tracks to beat out a train coming on the third track. What he did not know was there was a train coming on the fourth track as it was blocked by the train he could see.

Both of us did something not quite right, and certainly not smart. For me it is a subtle wake up call, that we are responsible for our own well being and our choices affect not only ourselves, but also our families, our friends, and strangers alike.

Taking unnecessary chances, because of impatience, the thrill, or just plain stupidity is something we all do at one time or another when we are driving cars, crossing streets, or just trying to get somewhere.

Someone out there is telling me to think smart and slow down. I think that is sound advice.

Posted by L.I.D at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments

I got to thinking about life on other planets and how it relates to religions and God. Certainly there is no place in the bible where life on other planets is either supported or rejected.

Why would God want life on only one planet anyway? Maybe the Adams and Eves on other planets didn't eat from the Tree of Knowledge, and snakes still walk and talk. It seems a little like overkill to create a whole universe just to put life on Earth.

I'm not even sure how we know there is nothing outside our Universe. We certainly have no way way of detecting something that might be a googleplex to the third miles away.

What is my point? Well, it seems we are always searching for answers to the big questions. Discovering an advanced civilization on another planet would probably give us more answers (and more questions) than anything we can divine on this little blue marble.

Go NASA!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments

A new year means trying to remember what year it is when writing out a check! Of course, who uses checks anymore?

Anything that can be automatically paid, I do it. All of my monthly bills are paid through an online account. Quite frankly, I'm surprised that checks haven't gone the way of the subway token.

Of course, now the IRS has decided that cash contributions for charitable organizations can not be deducted on your income tax, which means writing a check may be the only viable alternative in some cases. I guess I will be handing out checks to homeless people in the subway stations from now on. I just hope I put the correct year!

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments

To make the Times Square experience more bizarre this year, Target figured out a new gimmick and is supplying the revelers with 3-D glasses so they will see the famous Target logo coming out of the falling Swarovski crystal ball in Times Square on New Year's Eve. I won't even address the commercial ridiculousness of it all.

I went to Times Square one New Year's Eve long ago and believe me once is enough. If you like to stand in the freezing cold for hours huddled around a TV camera with masses of people crushing up against you waiting to scream every time the red light goes on the camera then you have found your dream experience.

Now you get to wear cheap 3-D glasses that will probably give you a headache, will keep falling off and in the worst case scenario you will be seeing bull's eyes for the rest of your life.

Don't get me wrong. I will laugh with the rest of the country as some palooka from Minnesota will swear he is having the best time of his life as 50 people behind him jump in and out of the camera frame.

Happy New Year to all! May 2007 be your bestest year ever, and may 22% of your dreams come true!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments

Everyone likes to play "What would you do if" games until they come down to the two tough basic questions.

1. Would you sacrifice your life to save your (mother, father, sister, brother, husband. wife, child, friend, stranger)?

2. Would you kill 1 person to save 10? 5 to save 100? 100 to save a million?

I will try to tackle these now.

The first question needs to be clarified. If it were a matter of pushing someone out of the way of an oncoming car, I feel instinct kicks in. You don't know for sure if you will be killed. I think if I were related to or knew the person my instinct would be to try to save them at my own risk. I'm not sure if it were a stranger,I would do anymore than yell "watch out!"

If it were the scenario of someone saying choose who dies you or the other person, I would refuse to answer even if that meant my own death. I would not be able to live with choosing the other person and I would feel choosing myself was tantamount to suicide.

The second question is the tougher one, but more clear cut from my perspective. I don't believe there is ever a justification for killing as one life is just as valuable as 100 lives. This is the hypothetical scenario that is used to justify wars, stem cell research, and a host of other evils. Nobody ultimately benefits from this as we have sold our souls to the devil to attain what we believe is a good result. Abortion is the extreme case of this as a life is sacrificed not to even save another life, but to just prevent a difficult or untimely situation.

Those are my answers and I hope I never have to make any of those decisions in my lifetime, but I feel it is always good to know in the back of your mind what your answer would be.

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

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

The 2006 Weblog Awards are over and I tied for last place! There is something quite nice about not owning last place. It was actually very fun being a finalist and congratulations to all of the winners and thanks to everyone who voted for me.

In regards to the cheating controversies, I will just say that if it can be done online it can be done in the real voting booths, so whoever wins the Presidency in 2008, we can just assume they cheated. And whoever ties for last place should be crowned the victor!

Just my humble opinion.

Posted by L.I.D at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments

Please vote for me in the 2006 Weblog Awards for Best New Blog. You can vote once a day!:

VOTE FOR JANE!

I am certainly one of the benefactors of the online shopping world.

I order food from FreshDirect. I order drugstore stuff through Drugstore.com. I order books through Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com (depending on price and coupons). All of my Christmas presents and Hanukkah presents were bought online.

True, I haven't left my bedroom since 1995, but its sooooooo comfortable.

I used to go into a large department store and within 10 minutes, I would be weak and dizzy. Maybe that's why I always needed socks and underwear. I never lasted long enough in the store to get them. I needed to prioritize when I went to a store. Only the first couple of items got bought as I faded out so quickly.

But now there is macys.com, bloomingdales.com, ninewest.com, and victoriassecret.com. The list is virtually endless (no pun intended!).

Malls and department stores still seem to be thriving but I have no idea why.

Now if I could just get cash online! No more ATM machines!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:27 AM | Permalink | Comments

Please vote for me in the 2006 Weblog Awards for Best New Blog. You can vote once a day!:

VOTE FOR JANE!

We all make mistakes and face the consequences. The challenge is in not trying to defend yourself. The choices you have when you make a mistake are to blame someone else, try to justify it, lie about it, deny it is a mistake, or own up to it.

Presidents face this issue in the most public of ways. President Clinton tried them all and found owning up to it actually got him off the hook. Yes, sometimes there are consequences to admitting a mistake, but I think it always brings you to a better place. I think President Bush made a mistake regarding Iraq and he is taking the deny it is a mistake route. He will own up to it twenty years from now I'm sure.

I have certainly experienced many mistakes in my life and have tried any and all of the above. Sometimes the hardest part is owning up to the mistake to yourself. After all, you are your own hardest critic. As we approach the new year, I need to make a note to myself to face up to my mistakes quicker and with more resolve next year. Keeping an internal clean slate keeps Jane healthier, hopefully wealthier, and definitely wiser.

Posted by L.I.D at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

Please vote for me in the 2006 Weblog Awards for Best New Blog. You can vote once a day!:

VOTE FOR JANE!

I was never the best in popularity contests. The only office I have ever held was Vice President of my High School math club, and interestingly enough, I was out sick the day of the voting!

As the 2006 Weblog Awards progress, and I am scrambling to keep out of last place, I realize that getting votes in a small competition like this is a tiny taste of what it must be like to run a presidential campaign. When you are an unknown going into a race, it is at best a shot in the dark. But it does happen.

Now if I could just smear all of my competition on the front page of the NY Post!

Just kidding!

There is certainly some super quality and good looking blogs up against me. I will say in my defense that I have a certain style that sets me apart from the typical blogs that you see including my competition. If I could just convince a couple of thousand people out there to vote for me.

Hey, Howard Stern, could you plug me on your radio show? That should be good for a few hundred thousand votes. Hmmm...not a bad idea!

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

Please vote for me in the 2006 Weblog Awards for Best New Blog. You can vote once a day!:

VOTE FOR JANE!


Deal or No Deal, 1 VS 100, and Show Me The Money are the next generation of game shows. Glitzy sets, big money, and attractive models set these new shows apart from the classics like Jeopardy! It is like Wheel of Fortune on Red Bull.

Deal or No Deal requires zero skill and allows contestants to make completely uneducated decisions and walk away with $100,000. Pick a suitcase from 1 to 26 from an attractive model (I aspire to hold suitcase 22!) and start getting offers to sell your suitcase from a mysterious banker.

Dumb, Corny, and not as fun as Lets Make a Deal, but if the contestant is wacky enough, it can be worth watching.

1 VS 100 is not long for this world. No attractive models, just 100 mob members that have included Ken Jennings (from Jeopardy fame) and Kevin Federline (from spousal fame). They have already changed the rules to try to revive it, but too many commercials, average intelligence of the contestants, and questions that are either too easy or too hard make it the Biggest Loser!

That leaves us with Show Me The Money! Hosted by none other than William Shatner, this show actually requires some intelligence from its contestants. Mr. Shatner has a history of being in the right place at the right time, and even though he is a bizarre host, this just might work. The Million Dollar Dancers are reminiscent of the Fly Girls from In Living Color (J Lo's launching pad!). You can't quit when you are doing well which makes it more interesting. If they can find great contestants I predict this one will be around for awhile and Jane Lake will someday be saying:

SHOW ME THE MONEY!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:36 AM | Permalink | Comments

I am a finalist for Best New Blog! I now know how Scott Savol felt on American Idol. I nominated myself as a lark, but didn't expect to make the finals. But now that I'm in it, I want to win it!

Voting starts tomorrow for 10 days. You can vote once a day, so please try to vote for me all 10 days as I think I will need that support to have a realistic chance to win.

You like me! You really like me!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

Is it me or did they stop making toys that don't overstimulate kids? Looking for Christmas presents that are appropriate for kids gets more difficult each year.

Toys like the yo-yo, the hula hoop, a jump rope, an etch-a-sketch, jacks, and marbles are eternal classics. Now if it doesn't talk, move, interact with TV, or sing it is BORING!

I remember as a kid putting a playing card in the spokes of my bicycle to make a cool noise as I rode. Now I would just press a button to sound like a jet plane, a motorcycle, or press another button to hear 1 of a hundred tunes (not that I wouldn't have an ipod in my ear anyway!)

I think we are creating a society of overstimulated technophiles who are losing touch with the ability to revel in the beauty of a perfect aggie. You hear a lot more about anxiety and depression today then you did 10 years ago. Could this be a result of the loss of simplicity?

Will toys someday have warnings on them from the Surgeon General saying "This toy may be hazardous to your psyche!" I think maybe they should.

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments

Don't you hate when bloggers use their blogs to promote "get rich quick" schemes, or things that you sign up for and get spammed for years to come.

Ever since Blogmad announced their prelaunch of Exlinks, I see links to it on every blog from here to Timbuktu. Nobody even knows what it does or if it will work! I have not promoted it on my blog not because I think it is a scam, but only because every other blogger already has signed up and is promoting it. I have signed up 75 referrals just in case it turns out to be something worthwhile!

So just to be a little different, I thought I would share two programs that are also just starting out, are free to join, never cost you anything and potentially could provide you with decent extra income. And before anyone screams "pyramid scheme", let me point out that programs that don't cost anything to anybody can not be a pyramid scheme by definition!

The first is AGLOCO. This company was setup by Stanford MBA's trying to capture a nice chunk of the online advertising market. Basically they give you a viewbar, which you get paid to use for 5 hours a day. You also make money for every referral that uses the viewbar as well. You also get shares in their IPO if it makes it that far. They have a nifty referral calculator that will show you that you will potentially make 6 figures with a decent referral base.

Check it out here:

AGLOCO

The other site is similar. It is called Take The Internet Back. Like AGLOCO, there is no cost to you, you get free downloads, a share of the advertising revenue and points which become stock shares for reading emails and referring others.

Check it out here:

Take The Internet Back

I like these programs that with a little work you can build a few extra paychecks a month. It really does add up.

Sorry for the shameless promotion, but for those of you that sign up, I really do hope that you make a lot of money!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:26 AM | Permalink | Comments

Jessica and Nick, Jennifer and Brad, Hilary and Chad, Britney and Kevin, Reese and Ryan, Pam and Kid. Lets face it. Celebrities get married so they can have a big party. Their concept of marriage as a lifetime commitment is nonexistent.

It is ironic to me how the entertainment world will fight for gay marriage and rights when they don't even have a clue about traditional marriage. I think these "teen role models" make a mockery of love and marriage and flaunt it in front of teenagers and young adults that are easily influenced by their "turn it on, turn it off" relationships.

I think we need to take a hard look at divorce in this country and consider making it a lot harder to do so. Marriages of convenience, of impetuousness, of lust need to be overhauled.

I think you should be required to take a test about your spouse when you get married. If you get less than 80% correct the marriage is annulled. No prenups allowed!(sorry Donald) Divorce must be voted on by jury and should no longer be rubber stamped.

Maybe if we make it harder to both get married and get divorced, we can return to the true intentions of this institution, love and commitment.

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments

I am back!

Although it is always a disappointment when vacations end, coming back to work can be like a fresh beginning. For a solid three hours you feel like you have energy and desire to be better than ever. Unfortunately a week of vacation only buys you three hours of this illusion. By lunchtime, the work and all of the headaches make you ready for another vacation.

The good part about this time of year is you get back just in time for the holiday parties, holiday food baskets sent by clients, more vacation not too far away, and everyone attempting their part at good cheer.

If it only lasted past Christmas!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:40 AM | Permalink | Comments

I am on vacation this week but I figured I would try to fit in a little poem:

Worrying
by Jane Lake

Don't worry about your future, it inevitably will come,
Don't worry about your past, as living there just might be dumb,
But especially don't worry about the things you don't control
as twenty one times out of twenty two, you tend to reach your goal.

Worrying just slows you down, and worries those around you,
Calm and steady wins the race and this just isn't my view,
but it's important enough to say again, for most of you don't listen.
Hakuna Matata says it all and helps your life to glisten.

Happy Thanksgiving to All!

Posted by L.I.D at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

Certainly one of the top 5 games ever invented is Scrabble. I am a social Scrabble player and do not aspire to competition levels. I do however make an effort to keep up with the authorized Scrabble two letter words.

With the release of the fourth edition of the Scrabble Dictionary, there are now five new two letter words (total of 101) that will dramatically affect game play.

They are FE, KI, OI, QI, and ZA. Previously there were no two letter words with Q or Z and F was just FA and K was just KA. FE, KI, QI, and ZA all take S's. OI does not.

I am most excited about ZA (short for pizza)!I love pizza and I love getting the letter Z!

QI (the vital force in Chinese thought, same as KI) will also have a major impact as many people get stuck with the letter Q at the end of the game. Now there is a much higher chance of using it.

So anyone that wants to play me, please memorize the 101 two letter words first. I don't want an unfair advantage!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments

There was an article in the New York Times ten years ago mocking the need to recycle and the people obsessed with the need to.

I reference it here for your review:

RECYCLING IS GARBAGE!

It caused quite a controversy and was rebuked by many, but quite frankly I have to admit that what Mr. Tierney says makes a lot of sense, and is worth revisiting. To sum up if you don't have time to read it, the conclusions are that recycling takes jobs away from rural areas that need it most, increase costs to the consumer, saves a minimal amount of land, and does nothing for the environment.

I find that this is another example of someone being right at the wrong time. Recycling is a feel good activity and adults and children alike relish in the theoretical benefits. It is big business and thus has a large enough lobby to make Mr.Tierney look questionable if not downright ridiculous.

But we have seen time and time again that it is easy to distort facts, mislead the American public, and hide the truth (yes, I am referring to abortion!).

I have not recycled for a year or so and I have to say I feel pretty good about it and makes my life just a little bit easier. Sometimes I think we just need to question things that are many times shoved down our throats.

By the way, today is America Recycles Day!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments

Here we are approaching the beloved holiday of turkey farmers and cranberry boggers alike.

I must say it is difficult for a vegetarian to fully appreciate the immense slaughter of innocent fowl in order to give thanks for what we have. Sure there is Tofurkey (which is decent, not great) and enough veggie side dishes to plump up the slightest of us. Sure it is great to get together with family and friends. Sure it is a day off of work.

But between the traffic, preparation, eating too much, and did I mention traffic, I'm not sure it is all worth it.

It is also somewhat ironic that we commemurate the suffering of the pilgrims (anyone that has been to Plymouth Plantation can attest that it is not the French Riviera), and the taking of land from Native Americans by gorging ourselves until we need to lie down.

I think what we need to do is modernize Thanksgiving. Be thankful for peace, family, friends etc. Make macaroni and cheese the main dish as its place as the best comfort food is long coming. Give people a choice of 4 optional days to celebrate it to enable a lessening of traffic on any 1 day. Everyone should get a massage on Thanksgiving so that they are fully relaxed and energized. NO TV!

Anyone with me?

Posted by L.I.D at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments

How many excuses do you make every day to avoid doing something? Ten? Fifty? Over one hundred? I think you would be surprised to find out the tally if you actually sat down and counted. But I’m sure you have something better to do than to count your excuses. Go fix something to eat. Go and do your laundry. Lie down and rest for a few minutes.

Welcome to the world of excuses!

Most people don’t even realize they are doing it. Doing your laundry is doing something. How is that an excuse? Well, it isn’t always. It is one thing to do your laundry at 9am according to plan, but for it to pop into your head to do your laundry because someone asks you to do something for or with them is just an excuse. Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not saying planning gets you out of the excuse business. Some people are so smart that they plan their excuses far in advance.

But I digress.

Do any of these excuses sound familiar?

I have a headache. I’m tired. I’m swamped. Let me get back to you tomorrow. My dog ate it. I missed it by a minute. I thought it was Wednesday. I just can’t find the time. If I only had the energy I had ten years ago. Later. None of this makes sense. We don’t have the resources. It cost too much. Why should I? You don’t need it. I thought I checked it. I thought I had enough time. Why can’t you do it? I don’t like to exercise.

This is just a short list of what is nearly an infinite array of possible excuses that you either use, or have used at some point in your life.

What is my point? Why should you care?

Because I put it to you that only the smallest fraction of your potential is being realized. Have you ever failed in anything? Did you ever not get the job that you wanted? Did you ever come up short at the wrong time in your life?

Excuses stop people from doing. It is doing that allows people to succeed. The best that you can do with making excuses is getting by. For some people, getting by is enough, but I like to think that we are here to maximize our potential and make a difference in our work and our personal lives.

How many things have you not done in your life because of an excuse. Is it the book that you didn’t write? Is it the trip that you never took?

Excuses come in all shapes and sizes. They are used in the workplace, in your personal relationships, and with yourself. Making excuses for not exercising or for why eating that second piece of cake is okay is the tip of the iceberg in hampering your achievements.

The negative psychological effects of making excuses will follow you around and ensure that you will not live up to your potential. Guilt and denial will become your mantra faster than you can blink an eye.

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

Posted by L.I.D at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments

I was the only person at my voting location this morning. Keep in mind that I am in NYC and this was during prime morning time to vote! If any of my candidates win by 1 vote, I will be especially proud of myself.

It is truly terrible to live in this country and not vote. It is one of the few rights we have that should be exercised whenever possible (but only vote once per election!)

I'm not sure I have ever voted for a winning candidate in NY but someday it will happen. The tides are turning and the amount of money a candidate has will someday be irrelevant.

Personally, I think all candidates should be given an equal budget to campaign. Why should anyone have a monetary advantage?

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

I am saddened that people feel that the death penalty accomplishes anything more than proving that mankind has not yet learned the meaning of love or mercy.

Killing other humans makes us no more than premeditated savages. Saddam Hussein (once just an innocent boy as you can see in the picture) probably was responsible for many horrific crimes, but spending the rest of his life in prison is the only viable humane punishment we know.

How can we expect our children to grow up to believe it is wrong to kill, use guns,and solve problems with violence when we as a society support the death penalty, war, and the right to have an abortion?

I think what we really need to do is to start killing as many people as we can with KINDNESS! Only then will future generations inherit a world worth its weight in milk and honey.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments

Heroes is the latest hit on NBC. I have mixed views on this show. Unfortunately it appeals to children and this is definitely not a show that anyone under 13 should ever see. Attempted rape, dead bodies with missing brains, heroin addicts, a nuclear explosion in New York, internet porn and of course politicians all make this an R rated show by any standard.

But I have to admit the science fiction plot of the show and the laughable naivete of the character Hiro make it decent entertainment. I just wish Hollywood would realize that all of the above mentioned negatives only detract from the show, not enhance it.

I will stick with it for Season 1 just to find out how they save the world, but if they don't clean up their act, they will definitely lose me, and probably many others after that.

Posted by L.I.D at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

How could I talk about the moon without saying a little something about the ocean whose tides are affected by the moon.

It is quite apparent how powerful and awesome the ocean is, but did you realize that half the oxygen we breathe comes from the ocean.

To get an interesting perspective, view this short film:

Go to

Breathing Oceans!

Click ok to authorize it will play full screen

Posted by L.I.D at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

Everyone learns early on that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. But where and when does the moon rise and set. For Halloween I thought I would give a little moon lesson.

I know whenever I am looking for the moon, I just look up and start spinning around figuring I would find it eventually.

So curiosity made me educate myself about this wondrous orb.

The moon orbits counterclockwise around the earth, so it is 12 degrees further to the left (if you are in NYC) every day and depending on where the sun is determines the phases of the moon. It also depends on where you are on Earth. For this lesson, you are in NYC. So here are a few interesting moon facts.

Interesting enough, the only time the moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise is when there is a full moon. It is the highest in the sky at midnight.

A first quarter moon, for example rises at noon and sets at midnight and is highest in the sky at sunset.

Clearly, there is a misconception that the moon is a nighttime phenomenom. I know whenever I see the moon during the day, I always thought it was some sort of fluke, but you are actually just as likely to see the moon during the day as at night!

Well, that's enough learning for today.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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

I know this is old news, but I wanted to wait for the fire to die down before commenting.

I don't have Parkinson's disease or a serious spinal injury or know anyone personally that does. That does not mean that I am not sympathetic to the suffering and despair experienced by those that do.

I am thrilled when innovative cures eliminate any disease or injury. I would support any research that does not involve taking human life to do so.

Embryonic stem cell research takes human life. Period!

Fertility treatments have created embryos that were frozen. This is a separate and also misguided issue. The procedures should never have been allowed to produce more embryos than the couple was willing to put back in the uterus. This should be corrected going forward although I don't hear anyone talking about that.

Now people act like there are "excess" embryos that will just be trashed. This doesn't have to happen. Embryos can be adopted by other couples who need them. There is never a circumstance where we must destroy an embryo!

The really sick aspect of all of this to me is that embryonic stem cell research has had no success at all in remotely doing what it proposes to do. In fact, I read yesterday that stem cells put in mice to alleviate Parkinson's disease did just that, but as a side effect created tumors! It is all theory, and weak theory at that.

We have made huge strides in medicine in the past fifty years without killing other humans. Why are people so willing to start now? A big part of the reason is that people like Chris Reeve and Michael J Fox whom people know and respect say it is a good thing. What one has to realize is that even respected intelligent people can be horribly wrong.

Posted by L.I.D at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

I read an article about how theme songs like those for Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air are a thing of the past. Our fast forward society has lost their patience for the same 2 minute rendition every week. They need action and they need it 5 seconds after the commercial break.

I think it is a shame as some of those tunes are as part of American culture as apple pie and half-caf lattes.

I thought it would be appropriate to establish my own theme song, so here it is.

Sung to the tune of "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands"

If you're itchin' for the info, read Jane Lake,
If you need the latest pronto, read Jane Lake,
If you have to spend your morning doing something that is boring,
It is better if you look here, read Jane Lake.

Forget about your worries, read Jane Lake,
You'll know the latest stories, read Jane Lake,
Drop on by and post a comment, and then share your latest torment,
You will be a better person, read Jane Lake.

Posted by L.I.D at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments

The theory of saving money is great! Sock away money in a 401k plan tax deferred. Invest in real estate, the stock market, etc and grow your way to a comfortable retirement villa in [pick your dream city].

The reality of saving money is another thing. The stock market just hit levels that it reached 5 years ago. Adjusted for inflation, you'd be down 16% if you tracked the market!

The plan also assumes you never lose your job, never dip into your savings, never have children, never live through a down stock market or real estate market, never go on vacation, never buy Christmas gifts (in NYC, doorman gifts alone can run $200 - $300), never lose money gambling, never buy gas, never take a loan, never do anything fun, and most importantly, never answer an e-mail from a Nigerian offering a lump sum of money for your bank information.

This is probably a good time to remind everyone to donate to my 5 billion dollar quest. There is no better savings than money donated to you through Paypal.

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

I am a drug addict. I have 1 or 2 cups of coffee every day, and I take acetaminophen at the first sign of a headache.

Am I a bad person? Should I be in rehab?

Clearly, nobody would fault me (except for maybe Tom Cruise). Caffeine is legal, safe (and maybe healthy) if taken in moderation. It saves people from crashing their cars late at night, and goes great with biscotti.

Same with acetaminophen. No side effects. We give it to babies, and it goes great with a glass of water.

I know people that don't drink caffeinated beverages and don't take over the counter medicines either. They are always tired with a painful grimace on their face.

Just kidding! Exercise and healthy eating are much better drugs than either coffee or headache remedies, but I am not always "on the wagon" so to speak.

I wish I were stronger willed (and got better sleep!), but we are who we are. With the complexities of life, work, and family, it is difficult to say no to drugs that help you get through the day easier and are so widely accepted.

Posted by L.I.D at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments

According to the National Enquirer, O.J. Simpson is being paid $3.5 million to write a book about the "hypothetical" murder of his ex-wife and her friend. And from what they say, it is eerily plausible.

Okay, we all know that this trial brought to light the sketchiness of a murder trial based on circumstancial evidence. The vast majority of those who watched the trial felt that O.J. was guilty, and I can't say I felt otherwise. But the bottom line is I'm not sure I could have found him guilty beyond a shadow of a doubt either.

And I greatly prefer to err on the side of letting a guilty man free than sending away an innocent man for life.

If he is innocent or guilty, hypothetically or not, I feel it is a sad commentary that the story is still being exploited for his benefit.

However, there would be a certain sense of closure if he just came out and said, "I fooled you all. I did it and there's nothing you can do about it now."

Posted by L.I.D at 8:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

Music is certainly a big part of our culture and our humanity, but singing in particular I find to be both uplifting and relaxing. Children love when you sing to them. Karaoke is as popular as ever.

Whether it is singing in the shower, or at the top of your lungs on a mountaintop far from where anyone could hear you, singing is therapeutic and fun.

Even if you can't hold a tune, you can find times and places to sing. Birthday parties, baseball games, and concerts give anyone the opportunity to sing soft or loud, good or bad, and be part of the festivities.

I am partial to "Vienna" by Billy Joel. Just humming a few verses can turn my mood around from sullen to motivated. The power of song is within each of us. Take advantage of it and let your vocals vibrate!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments

Living in the United States, and especially in New York City, we take ethnic diversity for granted. Out of the 300 million in the US, 43 million are Hispanic, 38 million are Black, and 13 million are Asian.

I always thought, probably because I am US centric, that Europe was similarly broken down. I was quite taken aback to discover that in Europe, the breakdown is quite different.

In France, out of 59 million only 1.5 million are Black
In Germany, out of 82 million only 250,000 are Black and there are only 40,000 Jews (not too surprising).

What does this all mean? Why do I care?

I'm not sure. It just makes me think that a topic that is such a hot button in the US, may be seen quite differently around the world.

Just one of those hmmm... realizations!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments

It is nice to know there are people out there that I have never heard of that are making such a huge impact on our world. Until today I had never heard of Muhammad Yunus, and then I find out he is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for lending money to the poorest of the poor in a grassroots drive to end world poverty. He and his bank, Grameen Bank do not require collateral.

I would love to see this replicated around the world, as it truly rewards the people who have the will to work for a decent life and escape what they may have considered to be an inevitable life of poverty.

It is people and actions like these that truly inspire me to think about creative ways to help others. It shows that you don't have to start big to make a big impact.

Posted by L.I.D at 9:04 AM | Permalink | Comments

From early childhood, the natural instinct to blame others emerges. Ask a child who broke the vase and he/she will immediately look around to see who else could be fingered.

Our litigious society continues this process for any and every accident that occurs. Slip on a broken egg in a supermarket and watch out! The list starts with the supermarket, the egg company, and the employee who dropped the egg, and continues on all the way to the farmer whose chicken produced eggs with shells to thin to withstand the fall.

There are two issues here:

First, people need to take responsibility for their own actions. One should not depend upon the color of a traffic light to cross the street. You must also look around and use good judgement

Secondly and most importantly, the more productive results occur when blame is put aside and people work together to improve the overall situation. Make things safer. Avoid the urge for revenge. Resist the temptation of monetary compensation. Move forward with positive intent, and I believe we all will prosper.

I entered this in the Philosophy Blog War. Pleases vote for my entry here:

VOTE FOR JANE!

Posted by L.I.D at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments

The wonderful season of Halloween, now a little over 3 weeks away gives me the wonderful excuse to go out and buy bags of my candy faves. Of course, by Halloween they are all gone and I have to give out money instead!

Here is my Ode to Halloween:

Halloween will make me reborn,
Kit Kat Bars and candy corn,
Pumpkin pie and costumed kids,
All my dieting on the skids.

Parties and decorations galore,
Snickers, Mounds, and so much more!
No other day is all about fun,
Nobody cares if Jon Stewart will run!

Let's all try to capture this mood,
for the rest of the year I shall not brood.
For Halloween is a happy fix,
Now let's get shopping for licorice sticks!

Posted by L.I.D at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments

Another slippery slope situation. Allow anyone to have a nuclear bomb and inevitably, more and more want to join the club.

Nobody in their right mind wants a nuclear bomb and less than nobody would ever want to use one, but if you don't have one, boy do they look good.

There is nothing like a bulky shiny bomb that can kill hundreds of thousand of people to show off on your mantel.

WHY? WHY? WHY?

I think it is time to stop threatening countries who want them, and once and for all get rid of them all. Saying nobody can have one makes it a lot easier to control. Sure some country may try to hide one in their back yard but with modern technology, I bet we can find them all and destroy them. I would feel a lot safer thinking that there may be 1 or 2 bombs floating around that we haven't found rather than waiting for the day for one crazy person to set off a world ending nuclear disaster.

The United States should stand up first and volunteer to destroy them all.

After all, what you don't have can't hurt you!

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

It is interesting to me how people so readily accept that there are some people with psychic abilities when nobody has ever proven that they have them.

The obvious proof would be the ability to pick the winning lottery numbers (if you can do this, please contact me immediately for a consultation!), or predict anything with reproducable results.

Now I will admit that at times I feel like I have the inside track on things, but statistically speaking it could all be coincidence. So what I would like to do here is make a few predictions to see what happens.

I would also ask any of you psychics out there to post some predictions as well (near term please, I'm not interested in anything more than 3 months out).

Who knows, maybe I will discover the first real one. Maybe it's me!

Prediction 1 - Mets win World Series in 6 games
Prediction 2 - Hurricane Leslie will be at least Category 4 and hit Florida (sorry!)
Prediction 3 - Mel Gibson will be arrested again

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

Go to any playground or park and you will see parents teaching their children how to share. "Ashley, let Jason play with the ball now" or "Oh, Amanda, that is soooo nice to share your grapes with Allie"

But what happens when you become an adult? Could I go up to someone in the street and say, "Oh, those m&m's look good. Could I have some?" After I post bail, I would be forced to buy my own m&m's!

Ironically, the only adults that seem to have learned their childhood lessons are smokers. "Hey, buddy, could I bum a cigarette?" "Sure, here's two, need a light?"

"Hey buddy, could I bum a stick of gum?" just crosses the line. Adults are pretty fixed in what is mine and what is not yours.

After all is said and done, maybe it should be the children teaching the adults, "Hey mommy, let Ricky's mom drive the car now."

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

I would like to start by saying in a nation of 300 million people, it is not difficult to get a list of 5,000 people who believe anything you want. You want a list of 5,000 people who believe the moon is made of cheese, I bet I could get it!

Having said that, Ms. Magazine is publishing a list of 1,016 women who had abortions and are "proud" of it. (There will be the complete list of over 5,000 names online)

Now everyone knows how I feel about abortion, but I do not think this is about abortion. It is about selling magazines and the exploitation of women. It is also about taking a small percentage of outliers and portraying it as mainstream thought. Tens of millions of women have had abortions. Five thousand names is a dust speck!

A survey that came out last year showed that the suicide rate among women who had an abortion was six times higher than for women who had given birth in the prior year and double that of women who had miscarriages. Why isn't MS. listing the tragic names of women that have taken their own lives as a result of having an abortion? Or the names of women that have died from complications from the procedure?

And what about the tens of millions of unnamed innocent unborn children that have suffered the most? When will they get their say?

MS. Magazine has crossed the line from my perspective. They and every company advertising in that issue should be boycotted! We should not stand for or tolerate media manipulation for their own economic gain.

Posted by L.I.D at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments