The drama about children:
There appears to be an issue in the media regarding unruly children in public places, and I thought I would weigh in on the matter.
Let me start by saying, "everything in moderation." Honestly, I don’t think anyone has a problem with well-mannered, or temporarily unruly, children in public places, but many of the children of today are a different story altogether.
Where are the parents? Is a refrain that’s heard over and over and never seems to be answered. There’s this entitlement mentality creeping around in society today, wherein many parents seem to think that the fact that they have children, and a "family," gives them special status. Somehow other people should be made to make sacrifices for their special status.
It’s strangely ironic, since many of these same parents had the entitlement mentality long before they ever had kids. The fact that they had kids just prolonged their insanity. At some point in their single years it should have dawned on them that they are not entitled to anything, that most people have to work for their achievements, but just as the realization was creeping over them they squirted out a couple of puppies and went on with their folly.
I hate to have to be the one to break the news to most of you parents, especially since I’m single, but parenting is a full-time job. You decided to have children, or stupidly did nothing to plan otherwise, and now you can do your job of tending to them.
I understand the whole "it takes a village" mentality, but that presupposes an interest in the village prolonging this ridiculousness. The fact that there are a number of people and businesses willing to stand up to you people should indicate to you that the village does not approve or condone of your err in child raising regardless of what you think.

Midlife-Crisis Unveiled:
I can’t say I know the truth of it for everyone, but I’d bet there’s a good amount of guys that feel the same as myself. The source is just a lack of patience, or tolerance, for all the bullshit. Life is too short to put up with the anxieties, or pretend to be something you’re not.
At a certain point, I would assume it’s late thirties/early forties, most guys take a good, hard look at themselves and where they’re going, or what they’re doing and think – WTF?! Why do I put up with this shit? What’s my due? Inevitably they have to satisfactorily take stock of their lives, and answer that question.
Adjustments are to be expected; either the situation is altered to a more equitable solution, or it is dissolved. Furthermore, the male in question is less likely to involve himself in situations that he no longer finds equitable.
We always here the sob story of a woman who says, "he ran off with some bimbo."
Yeah, that’s a reality. He got tired of all the anxiety and drama and found a situation more equitable. Granted he may have the same anxiety and drama from the "bimbo," but he's obviously willing to trade the inequality for the appearance.
Let’s face it. This is not hell, and if we are victims at all it is free will that we are enslaved to. If you have chosen the situation in which you find yourself, your complaints are yours to reconcile.

Changing times…
At what point in our lives do we take the blinders off and live with what’s in front of us? For the longest time I had this idea that there was some kind of ideal out there. I traveled around, tried a lot of different things, and probably came to the same conclusion that a lot of people come to. There is no ideal: life is about compromise.
We can struggle against compromise and fight for our ideals, but in the end it comes to all of us. Change is inevitable. Either you move with it, or you die off as a result of it.
I like to imagine a life more glamorous than my own, but that’s all that it is – images. Reality is more conventional.
Could it be that I’m responding to the pressures of my demographic? It’s a possibility, but then no one likes to think of himself or herself as "average."
In the end we’re all a product of nature and nurture – both of which instruct us to be fruitful and multiply.

Courtesy…
I can’t help but wonder about the nature of courtesy. Is there less of it these days, or is it something that you tend to notice more as you get older?
Ok, a story:
I went out on a date the other night with a fairly attractive girl. I thought we were having a pretty good time, but she abruptly decided it was time to go home. I probably got the wrong idea because she asked me to take her home – if she didn’t trust me to some degree, she probably wouldn’t have asked. So, having this idea that we had a pretty good time, I called her to ask if she’d like to go out again. I got no response. She complained about her phone not working when we were out, so I sent an email; again, no response. Now, I’m not an idiot. I get the hint. But, I’m also a big boy. Do we really need to play these ridiculous games? Why can’t we just call, or message, and say "you’re a decent person, but I’m looking for something else."
Yes, I had a similar situation, and no I didn’t have the guts to contact the other person directly. I sent her an email.
Is it really so hard? Are we really that selfish? I suppose I’m just in a minority in that I actually think beyond myself. I don’t know…

Ok, it’s pretty clear to me that something is going on. I can’t help but wonder if this occurs cyclically, or not. The U.S. appears to be moving in a conservative bias, while the rest of the globe pursues liberalism. The U.S., however, is a country that was founded on liberalism while the rest of the globe has always had conservative tendencies. So, what does this situation suggest of our current circumstances?
Are we regressing, or is the rest of the world advancing? I suspect that U.S. strength will shortly be sublimated to the rest of the world. We are in the process of seeing economic empowerment in the rest of the world while U.S. resources are squandered in pursuit of an "ancien regime," and unsustainable economic policy.
What now? How long can this continue?

Where are we now? In truth, who the hell cares?! I think, for the most part, we’re just wallowing in ignorance. It’s entirely reasonable to assume that any "news" you get these days is anything but, so where does that leave us?
I heard a program called "Counterspin" by the watchgroup F.A.I.R. the other day on Philadelphia radio, and I was impressed. No, they didn’t really report anything "new," but they did give the important background sorely lacking in mainstream media. If anything, it was a welcome surprise.
It’s a sign of the times too when you try to punch up those criteria for a search and Yahoo gives you the results but will not link to them. As an adult who did not live through the McCarthy era, I wonder if it was anything like now. Are patriot and commie interchangeable?