Sometimes the right response is a little too late

This happened about two years ago on a transit bus in a major American city…

Scene: Passenger with a baby strapped on her chest was speaking very loudly on her cell phone. The bus driver requested she tone down her volume. Passenger refused and claimed she was not disturbing anyone. Driver said it bothered her and requested that other passengers speak up. No other passenger was willing to publicly speak up in the face of the cell phone toting bully of a passenger.

Appropriate response by a passenger: Please do not distract the driver from her job of navigating this bus through traffic. I am sure that you, like everyone else on the bus, want to arrive at your destination safely.

Related to recent assassinations

Related to recent assassinations

The recent murders of the prison official in Colorado and district attorney and his wife in Texas <http://www.npr.org/2013/04/02/176035798/experts-prison-gang-reach-increasingly-extends-into-streets>; <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/family-from-hell-the-rise-of-the-aryan-brotherhood-8563520.html> brought a few issues to mind…

-Were the guns used in those shootings obtained legally? What rules/laws permitted those gun acquisitions? What was the role of the NRA in supporting or obstructing the rules/laws in question?

-I also wonder if militia groups have caches of weapons, their legality and the role the NRA played in the rules/laws that permitted such stockpiling.

-Is has been speculated that prison gangs are responsible for these murders… what is the prevalence of prison gangs in government runner prisons compared to privately operated prisons?

What if…

- All laws passed by the federal government have to be fully funded. If not fully funded for some period (1-2 quarters), that law will be considered obsolete, defunct, and removed from the law books. There can be no picking and choosing of funding/defunding specific amendments.

- All lawmakers at all levels of government are only paid the fraction of their salary not funded by borrowing. For example, locale whose budget involves borrowing 50% of their spending can only pay their lawmakers 50% of their salary. This would also be reflected in their retirement benefits. Other government workers would not be affected because _only_ lawmakers can make widespread spending decisions which affect and extend beyond their entire constituency.

Would lawmakers construct more thoughtful laws and request more constructive rules?

Homemade bubble solution

3-4 parts clear liquid dish detergent
1 part clear shampoo (not conditioning)
5-8 parts water

It's been many years since I've used this recipe so I don't remember the precise proportions. I would recommend mixing a batch with the smaller amounts (3 parts dish detergent and 5 parts water) to start with. Add more dish detergent and water to get your perfect bubble formula. Shampoo is the secret ingredient; it has glycerin which stabilizes bigger bubbles.

Why big powerful muscle guns whose sole purpose is to kill people?

Why do the gun lobby and gun manufacturers persist in attempting to market their most destructive products on the civilian market? I understand the justification for research and development of new and improved weaponry for law enforcement and war making (although I don't like it)… but are weapons of war, capable of mass carnage, necessary for hunting or personal defense? In light with our second amendment right to bear arms, in this day and age, the most effective defense against political oppression is the argument of ideas, not physical aggression.

I would suggest that gun makers develop their experience into other related directions; for example, support and promote the sport of target shooting as a pastime suitable for all ages. Make sports equipment capable of accurately hitting a target from a distant trajectory which dissolve on impact so they are minimally injurious to humans. In essence, make the sport as ubiquitous as darts or pool. Additionally, take advantage of the popularity of first person shooter video games… create novel and imaginative shooters or develop narratives for girls… In the video game market, imagination is more limiting than public opinion and government regulation.

Co-op grocers

This is a call for those interested in social justice and sustainability to forgo giving custom to boutique grocers such as Whole Foods or Dean and Deluca and instead seek out local grocery co-operatives or employee-owned grocers. There are a number of reasons for this, mine are: (1) The prices at co-op grocers are generally not higher than at boutique grocers. (2) They are often more responsive to customer requests. (3) They often carry the same or similar inventory as boutique grocers. (4) They attempt to source locally and consider organic/environmental/sustainability issues when determine what items to stock. (5) They are locally owned. (6) They tend to pay their employees a living wage.

For the record, I am not a perfect model of socially responsible grocery shopping, I spread my grocery shopping around several sources. The factors which influence my food decisions are the following (with no discernible priority): availability, condition, convenience (car, walk or public transportation), and price. With that in mind, I patronize four independent ethnic markets and one large chain grocer within my immediate walking (one mile) distance (1-2 times per week); several ethnic markets and independent market stalls by public transport (every 2-4 weeks); one large chain ethnic grocer by car (every 2-4 weeks); and a co-op grocer within distant walking (2-3 miles) distance (every 2-3 months). Given my druthers, I would frequent the co-op more often but as it is, I currently live too far away.

Sources of record

I love dictionaries. I own several and frequently use them to look up definitions and check my spelling (here's a recent source of confusion: pallet, palette, palate). Like with any Wikipedia entry with its embedded links, I get engrossed following word ladders and references throughout the dictionary and lose track of my original inquiry.

Overall, I have found that the major dictionaries (Webster's, American OED, American Heritage) proffer very similar definitions. That being said, I am often confused by the word usage by the news media, especially right leaning media. I was once informed that all arguments are semantic and it's true when you think about it. So I would request that all news providers name their dictionary and general reference of record. I want to know what they mean when they report someone has prevaricated, fabricated or lied. What is socialism, communism, fascism, Nazi-ism and feminazi? The reporting of various news sources (be they mainstream, left or right leaning) is so frequently diametrically opposed that they seem to be speaking different languages. If a mission of news sources is to inform, then we consumers need to know what language is being spoken.