Stem Cell Research

Wow! Another forward move by our President today as he signed the bill to further continue research on a highly controversial topic. The topic has been, like gay marriage, the money-making fear word used to give conservatives additional ways to create fear and make some money along the way.

People, what are we afraid of, really? Some say "the embryos that are 'killed' in the process" should not be made to begin with, therefore, we shouldn't do the research, therefore it's a moral issue. Is that too abbreviated? Did I jump too far ahead?

Hell, if it's a "moral issue" why send our troops overseas and lose even one of them? And you know, speaking of morality and so-called faith-based issues, when conservative Christians make statements about the stuff they fear, it is 1. a projection and 2. it always seems to be a black and white scenario. It's all gray.

About faith-based stuff....First of all, killing embryos as though it's right there with abortion. It's always weird to me when people who faith in their God and heaven and hell say it's a "moral issue." Break it down: When does the "soul" form? (Gee this is a lot of quotation marks, but I don't see a way around it.) If dead babies of any life-stage/progress go automatically to Heaven, you know, the place where God is...no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering place.....then what's the big deal?? We're talking about about embryos or even more-so, the research to give more actual living people H-O-P-E - hope for a better life. Those little life-bearing embryos are there for us.

As far as news items go, at least the gay marriage thing will be in the shadows while our focus is steered another direction by STEM CELL RESEARCH. Let's see...we can one day grow new kidneys, hearts or sheep....wait a second..we already grew a sheep. What do you say the odds are we already grew a few babies too? Albeit, highly secret clone babies but real babies nonetheless.

People, whether we vote for such a thing or not, it's happening in the private sector. We may not be able to, via government means, fund going to Mars either, but it will most likely happen in the private sector anyway.

Some preachers will keep you on the edge of your seat, creating things to be afraid of, while they take your money to give you some hope....while others give you hope reminding us that the God we somehow believe in, is always in charge.

Seriously, it never ceases to amaze how we come up with these fear-based issues, especially those that involve human progress and our planet's evolution. It galls me when the government, our government, uses our tax money to do things I completely disagree with. If I had my way, I'd say send me the check-box list of the ways you want to use my money and let me choose the ones I agree with. But fortunately, I guess we get a voice by who we vote for....at least when the polls are not miscounted. Don't get me started. As for this topic, I agree so do it. Use my money so we can all have a better chance for life or at least growing a kidney that someone else did NOT have to donate.

The best thing I heard this morning on CNN came from the woman who said (paraphrased) "....politicians are not the ones who should be telling the scientists what and how to research. We look to scientists to tell us when they ave a good idea of how to help humanity."

The Daily Show

I LOVE the Daily Show. As much as they are comical, the team actually brings the real news all wrapped up in good-natur'd fun.

It is unbelievable how much crap people have to say about President Obama. I mean, if you truly listen he's intelligent, witty and takes his job seriously....oh yeah...and he thinks out of the box. He addresses us in a progressive way. By progressive I mean you don't have to wade through side-stepping bull s**t as we did for the 8 loooooooong years up till now.

I'm happy he's there and I wish people would let the man do his job. Meantime, Jon Stewart will keep us posted on all the real stuff. I love you Jon...in a manly way. And okay....I love Pres. Obama too.

Okay.....well....back to cartoon land.

I'm just sayin'

So my friend says . . .

Paraphrased: "Dude! Okay....I get the blue dog parody thing but...you would-a hit the mark if you actually had done Huckleberry Hound since he WAS the original blue dog. Scooby wasn't....not...nada." (see earlier post)

So I said. "You're on."

Here it is.

B-iiiiird Man!

Time for a little 60s kitsch. If you couldn't already tell, I love cartoons; originally the reason I became an animator. Among my faves are old Hanna-Barbera cartoons. You can imagine how much Boomerang is on in my house. Not to worry, I also love Sponge Bob, Powerpuff Girls, Venture Bros. etc.

Probably the weirdest HB factory work was Birdman. At the height of superhero cartoons in the 60s, NBC had to have their own brand of Space Ghost & Mightor. Sort of the "Shazam!" of its day (okay now we're in the 70s) being that the alter ego would yell out a word and become the super one. Let's note for a second, that Space Ghost never yelled his own name in public. That's just corny. Mighty Mightor is forgiven since yelling his name is kind of a battle cry...am I stretching?? So Birdman flies out of his secret mountain lair and yells "Biiiird Man in his operatic timber.....and we're not sure why. I guess just because it sounds good.

So Boomerang always uses the old HB toons as time-fillers to the next show. The other night, Birdman came on and it had to be the single WORST episode ever. (I'm not talking about Harvey Birdman, Attorney -- it's brilliant.) By the time HB was in to their 1960s hey day, they were really crankin' those babies out. They were probably already shipping stuff out to Mexico or the Philipines, but the drawing continuity was way off model in almost every cut. His head was too big, his body out of scale, his hands were huge...and you know what that means.....I looked for anything to let me know this was not a real Birdman cartoon. At one point I thought, why doesn't Birdman hold up a sign (ala Road Runner) that says "Silly ain't it?"

So in the interest of all that's kitschy, I've continued my entries into 1960s Halloween masks. Everything that had ANY popularity was made into a Halloween costume...still works today right?

Birdman was my next natural choice. Note the usual thing about Halloween costumes is they had to plaster the character name all over it. You couldn't just dress up in these store bought licensed versions. You had to be recognized by adults too. Without the word "Birdman" imprinted who would know what the heck superhero you were. Even Batman had it stamped all over.

I hated that. These days it's called marketing.

The state of "The Economy"

It really bugs me how some people seem to be automatically drawn to using the phrase "in this economy" or one like it. Is it something they actually have studied or have they just heard it on the radio or TV and so use it because they've been told.

"The economy" is a fantasy; a mere concept. If you believe what anyone says about it, especially about spending money, you feed the misunderstood concept like a weed. I'm not saying if you're making less money or are out of work you should charge your life on a Visa card, but I am saying the economy happens because of you, me and everybody. The consumer rules by what we spend, what we don't spend and who/what we support by our dollars. We actually have real P-O-W-E-R!

We could have greener cars if we sacrifice driving gas guzzlers. We change our world by what we buy and the decisions we make every minute of every day. But we have to think first and some of us think we have to be told what to do next. Pity.

The manipulation may be well-intended, BUT it is the consumer who decides how she/he spends. I guess I just want everyone to be comfortable and faithful that everything is going to be fine and the Universe, God will take care of Y-O-U. So don't panic.

The upside? The greatest thing our wonderful President is asking us to ask ourselves is to "roll up your sleeves," "get to work," and "stop buying things you don't need." We have been spoiled as a nation...we have been brainwashed to "keep up with the Joneses" whoever they are. We have been a Saks Fifth Avenue junkie for too long...and you know what I mean.

There are many ways to find your own bliss; a bliss that costs very little to nothing. That is finding the things that make you happy from within, the things that don't hypnotize you into buying something you don't need.

We're going to see many stores and businesses close. People will lose their jobs, but they will find new ones. We be forced to actually THINK about what we really need and it is long overdue. I include myself; one who used to buy shirts, cocktails, comic books, magazines, toys and so on just for the color alone.

We are being called to a simpler life; one that doesn't dictate our happiness based upon the last purchase of meaningless crap we just bought.

We CAN do this. It is easy. But first consider that a change of a lifetime happen is permanent when it is practiced regularly. I preach to myself.

Thank GOD for a president who inspires us to think, do and be better people, by being these things first.

We're watching you Mr. Prez.

After-life Tour Guide

Recently, I accepted the possibility that my dreams are a window to other dimensions, not just my brain working out the kinks for the previous day or recent past. I have allowed myself to look at my dreams as visits to other parallel worlds none of which I can either prove nor disprove.

Through this I have been able to begin experiencing lucid dreams, that is, dreams I can pick up from where I left off, usually from the same nights' dream. It's a fun journey and if your one who usually has positive, happy dreams, I highly recommend as an experiment for you.

While I'm continuing, I've been thinking about the afterlife and what it might be like. First I assume it could be very personalized, giving each dead person their own mystical take on the way they feel things ought to be.

In any case, when we die, I feel there has to be some sort of transition period; a time when we adjust to our new surroundings and become acquainted with the here-after. Make sense? Since we all have functionality of one kind or another...either jobs or things that occupy our time, it seems like an interesting spiritual aspect of functionality after we're no longer living in this physical realm.

One job I'd like to have would be the tour guide, showing freshly dead people their new home and the ins and outs of living in the new dimension...or at least in "a" new dimension, if millions upon millions of them co-exist anyway.

Maybe it would look something like this.

Hi my name is Charlie. Welcome to the after-life; a creation of your own unique design, desires and tastes. While the over-all look and architecture of your new home is what you'd like it to be. There are a few laws in place that are consistent with each personal utopia dimension AKA Heaven.

1. You may not time travel since time here does not exist.

2. You may visit with anyone you can think of, not only those who have already past but you may enter into living human's dream world as they sleep, approach mortality, or are unconscious.

3. Your travels are not limited to Earth and human beings minds; you may travel anywhere in the Multiverse.

4. Any appearances you make to living people may only be to help them learn, evolve and have better lives, whether they choose to follow your example, action or advice.

5. Travel comes to you as easy as a thought or a blink of an eye. You can go as slow as you want or blink through as fast as you can imagine or faster.

6. No matter what problems you had faced while you lived, you still have the opportunity to think and perhaps resolve old human issues without the crude matter that made up your mind and body. Now you are pure Spirit, free to enjoy all of Creation as your Spirit is meant to be.

7. What are you waiting for? Go.

Any of these things might be told to you from a former spouse, close friend or relative. What do you think your after-life will look like?

Post blogging blues

I am missing my blog community and just plain writing. The month of January I was sick with a chest cold....had it twice...and still I had lots of work, which is good.

I am delighted to have a new president and yet still amazed at how people are so accepting, even my Republican friends. I am also amazed at his use of the English language, his intellect and matter-of-fact way he has of handling anything. I know he's not perfect, but he is the complete opposite of what we had for eight years. The weird thing is, I got so used to watching Jon Stewart rip W, I'm afraid their comic material will be lacking for decent "slam content." There's always Steven Colbert Report, tho. Goody.

I've seen some cool new things on History and Science Channel...both coming up with new programs and continually updating their science data. I'm looking forward to a new show called "How The Earth Was Made." I've seen two versions of this before, but evidently they have enough material to have created a series. Cool.

Tonight I caught up with Smallville. (SPOILER ALERT) A classic comic villain "The Toyman" made his debut. Plus we got a lot of a shirtless, hunky Green Arrow in the hospital. And finally Lana has to leave again. All that eternal smooching and "I love yous" was starting to get to me again. Clark even bangs her at the beginning via sound effects through the wall. My "chick-flick loving" partner even said "ENOUGH ALREADY!" Agreed. Kristen is a fantastic actress, but sorry, I'm a superhero geek from the word "GO!" and I need me some super powers and costumed heroes...kissin' or not! Yeesh.

Meanwhile, at our company...that's the two of us.....we're creating a graphic Time Line showing overlapping Bible characters (some real, some fictional-since we're not literalists) along with world events and real people. It's very fun, for example, to see when the Polynesians first settled in Hawaii and other highlights of the 3rd Century. Can you say ka'mana'wanalaya?