I Survived the Mayan Apocalypse

Somebody? Anybody? Nobody?

‎This blogger just watched an hour of CNN with no mention of Casey Anthony, Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Paris Hilton or Donald Trump. Perhaps the whole Mayan Calendar end-of-days prediction is wrong?

Solving the Greatest Mystery of Our time : The Mayan Calendar (Paperback)

Countdown to the London Oympics

"Most other competitions are individual achievements, but the Olympic Games is something that belongs to everybody." ~ Scott Hamilton

Official Olympic Games Countdown Clock, Tiananmen Square, Beijing (June 2008).

Official Olympic Games Countdown Clock, Trafalgar Square, London (March 2012).

Photos by Peter Rimar.

Uff-da?

When this blogger was searching for a new home, two places ranked at the top of my personal wish list: Hawaii and North Dakota. To be honest, IF this blogger had won the lottery, I'd be writing this post from Waikīkī beach.
Anyhow, according to the latest Gallup-Healthways poll measuring overall well-being, despite it's rather long winters, North Dakota Ranks #2!
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Billboard in Grand Forks, North Dakota (July 2010). Photo by Peter Rimar.

If your definition of a small town is one that doesn't have a bar, you are a North Dakotan. And yes, most folks in North Dakota are cupcakes and coffee nice.

Are you a snob?
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Class Warfare in 2012?

New Studies Determine Which Social Class More Likely to Behave Unethically?
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"The increased unethical tendencies of upper-class individuals are driven, in part, by their more favorable attitudes toward greed. These findings have very clear implications for how increased wealth and status in society shapes patterns of ethical behavior, and suggest that the different social values among the haves and the have-nots help drive these tendencies."
~ Paul Piff, a doctoral student in psychology at UC Berkeley and lead author of the paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read More...

Definition of Vasectomy?

[vuh-SEK-tuh-mee]
noun: a 30 minutes of less surgical procedure intended to provide a permanent method of male birth control (see contraceptive)

"When we talk about giving fetuses constitutional rights, the flip side of that is forced birth. We are talking about the government forcing women to carry a pregnancy to term and then give birth. So in the same week we have Republicans tearing their hair out and making a big public show about Obama intruding into people's personal religious lives, we have lawmakers in Virginia passing a state sanctioned rape law. The hypocrisy is mind boggling." ~ Chloe Angyal on MSNBC (2/18/2018)


Is it really 2012?
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Republican birth control stance not politically smart?
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Original Photos by Peter Rimar


Update: Virginia scraps requiring invasive pre-abortion procedure?
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"The human capacity to care for others isn’t something trivial or something to be taken for granted. Rather, it is something we should cherish. Compassion is a marvel of human nature, a precious inner resource, and the foundation of our well-being and the harmony of our societies. If we seek happiness for ourselves, we should practice compassion: and if we seek happiness for others, we should also practice compassion." ~ Dalai Lama 
Google+ comment posted on 2/3/2012

SOPA & PIPA?

Did someone "set fire to the rain"?

Wikipedia joins blackout protest at US anti-piracy moves?
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(█ ) ███ ██████ ██ ██ click "Share" ██ ██ ████ ██████ ██ ████ ██ ████ ██████ ██ ████ ██ ████ ██ ████ ██ ████ ██ ████ ██ ████ ██.
This posted blog comment has been found in violation of H.R. 3261, S.O.P.A and has been removed.

SOPA/PIPA Update:
Before Google's and Wikipedia's Blackout on January 18th, only 31 Congressman were against these specific pieces of legislation. On January 19th, with a firestorm building around the halls of Capital Hill, 101 Congressman quickly issued statements against SOPA/PIPA. 

Welcome to the new political world order?

Predictions for 2012?

Television, radio, and newspaper journalists (from all shades of the political spectrum) engage in Ambulance Chasing. Basically, when deciding which major news stories to cover, "if it bleeds, it leads".

Inevitably, WARS and natural disasters top the list of major world events actively covered by the media. Raw human suffering naturally creates powerful images which help to remain us of our own inevitable mortally.

Beyond the so-called end-of-days predictions about the Mayan Calender or Radio evangelist Harold Camping's continued incoherent ramblings about The Rapture, a laundry list of news worthy possibilities makes forecasting world events for 2012 (pause) predictable.

This year, this 3rd Rock from the Sun will experience one or more of the following natural events: avalanches, earthquakes, famines, floods, heat waves, hurricanes, lightning strike, tornadoes, Tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and wildfires. It's not complicated. While it's possible some future government funded, technological advancements may take the mystery out of forecasting recurring biblical events, in 2012, this blogger can confidently predict natural disasters around the world will change the lives of millions of people.

So, what about the future prophecies of Nostradamus' quatrains?

This French Apothecary recognized one important thing about human nature: Man is a politically motivated sexual animal.

There will be at least one SEX scandal in 2012?

Speaking of politics, 59 countries will hold national elections, referendums or plebiscites. Democratic elections will take place in the United States, Russia, Mexico, India and France. The People's Republic of China will hold it's 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people will experience an already predicted change in it's top leadership. Additionally, Egypt and Venezuela are slated to hold elections.

Next month, the United Kingdom will observe Queen Elizabeth II's 60 years on the throne. This summer, London will host the Games of the XXX Olympiad.

There will be monthly stories about Internet Privacy, Facebook and Google. And finally, somebody, somewhere in the world will upload a cute baby video to YouTube.

If you enjoyed 2011, fasten your seat belts. Using my politically neutral Magic 8-Ball, this blogger can write with confidence that the events of 2011 were just a prelude to what's in store for our wonderful world in 2012.


Ten 100-year predictions that came true?
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Political Quote of the Week?

"I've suggested that the Democratic slogan this year should be we're not perfect but they're nuts."
~ Congressman Barney Frank (D-Mass)
on MSNBC's The Last Word w/ Lawrence O'Donnell