Really?? Is it really that hard to use your turn signal?
As many of you may have guessed from some of my earlier post, I spend a lot of time in my car. I drive all over town for client appointments, taxiing the kids, taking my wife to and from work, and just to be out of the house. A lot of times it is just me in the car so I get to spend time “sightseeing” as it were; watching all the other drivers, people on the sidewalks, and don’t get me started on bicyclists. (If the hundred or so I see on a daily basis are the norm for the rest, none of them should be allowed on the road! But that is a post for another day.)
Today we discuss the simple use of the turn signal. You know, that thing that the law requires you to use when turning or changing lanes. Way too many drivers don't use their turn signals, some because one hand is holding a cell phone while the other is needed to steer the car. Bit I have seen people drinking coffee and talking on the phone at the same time so I don’t think the lack of a hand is really the problem.
Daily I see countless vehicles weave in and out of lanes without signaling their intent and possibly with very little forethought. Too high a percentage of drivers ignore street markings all together, straddling the lanes as they multi-task or just daydream. Drivers get in their car and seem to believe they are the only ones on the road and to my great horror they drive with that thought in their head.
Let’s do a comparison. If you drive your car at least once a day for more than 10 miles, which applies to most of us, then you change lanes or turn corners at least 5 times a day. This is a very conservative number, I know. So, with this in mind using your turn signal should happen at least 5 times a day. The reason I figure this number out is a friend of mine told me that it was just too much to remember to do each time they changed lanes or turned.
So I asked them, “How many times a day do you use the restroom?”
They guessed maybe 5 times. So I felt it important to ask them if they remembered to pull their pants down or back up each time they went. Needless to say they did not get it.
My point is this, if you can remember to pull your pants down and back up each time you are capable of remembering to use your turn signal.
With that said I think it is pure laziness and rudeness that keeps most people from using their blinkers. Most people just don’t care about anyone else on the road. They drive like they are the only ones out there and that even if they aren’t “who cares.”
Each time you get behind the wheel of a car you are legally required to follow the law but even more than that you are possibly putting your life and the lives of everyone else you come in contact with on the line. Slippery road, road hazards, car malfunctions, or even medical emergencies can all cause you to do something that could injure you or someone else by accident, hence the name “Car accident.”
But driving with no regards to others sharing the roadways with you is not an accident, it is something that you do on purpose. Every one took the driving test, we all know the rules. We all know that turn signals are required by law to be used EVERYTIME we turn or change lanes. So failing to use them is on purpose and as far as I’m concerned any damages or injuries should be considered a planed event.
If you can do something that could have prevented a car collision and you do not to me it is the same thing as you having done it on purpose.
A turn signal is there to alert others around you that you are about to change the direction of that ton or more of metal you are in control of and moving at a great speed. It is there to give others that ability to, in some small way, know your intent and adjust accordingly so as not to get hurt.
I was riding with my youngest daughter the other day and she was trying to change lanes so as not to miss her turnoff. She had her turn signal on and was half way into the lane when this pickup truck comes across 2 lanes, no signal, and almost into the side of her. She moved back where she was and slowed a little as he continued to cut across 2 more lanes, still no signal. As she was catching her breath the guy in the car that she would have ended in front of sped up and pulled over right in front of her with no signal.
The saddest part of all this is neither of these people was even aware that they had almost caused an accident…
Is a life worth more than the second it takes to flip that lever?
Is it really that hard to use your turn signal?
c Shell Franklin
Friday, December 04, 2009
Monday, November 23, 2009
Evolving toward what?
The human race is always striving to better itself, make life easier for all of us. We envision a better tomorrow, a world free of conflict, a world free of wars, and plainly put a easier more comfortable life.
That bothers me!
Are we trying to make life too easy? Are we on our way to the humans in Wall-e?
In today’s day and age we are so obsessed with living longer, saving every possible life and then prolonging them; even if they are only being kept alive by machine. What happened to Darwinism? Have we in our fight for survival made Darwinism obsolete? Personally I think in moving to the top of the food chain and destroying all the predators bigger than us, Mother Nature has just made them microscopic.
Humans, just like all animals, exist for one purpose: to breed. We fight against it, we say we have evolved but it still comes down to women look for a good provider and men look for younger women more capable to bare children. We claim to be interested in higher purposes, such as artistic or scientific pursuits, the fact remains that these are superfluous activities. On an instinctual level we all revert back to what we have done since the beginning of time and that can be broken down into two things: Stay alive as long as possible and Breed as much as possible.
It’s sad, but true. As a kid, I was always under the misguided impression that grown-ups were subject to significant obstacles to achieve the whole “staying alive” thing. But each generation does its best to make sure that the obstacles they had are not there for their children. Then you had to get a job so you could get food and shelter and all that was hard and costly.
But our kids grow up to discover that none of that is true, each generation makes life for the next easier in some way, but the younger generation never sees it. All they know is it has always been this way for them and they want it easier and with less hard work.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the idea of my kids having to go through any of the hard stuff I did, but if they don’t, they won’t learn the lessons I did and I worry what sort of a person they will grow to be. Are we creating bigger problem down the line by reducing smaller ones now? What are we teaching the next generation by removing the things that taught us as we traveled the path?
Are we really doing them a kindness?
I have to wonder if the fittest are really the ones that are surviving in today’s society. Hass the human race become a giant net, dragging along all the genetic flotsam and jetsam that should have long ago been weeded out of the gene pool?
But if our “herd” should have been thinned, why wasn’t it? Is nature allowing us to over populate, under prepare, and just get fat and lazy so she can do a mass thinning?
Why has evolution seemed to have stopped?
Humans have no natural predators, and we allow even the weakest among us to survive and long enough to breed. The human gene pool is becoming more diluted every day.
From this viewpoint I believe we are heading into the twilight of the human species: as our artifices become stronger and stronger, and do more for us, we become weaker and weaker.
We have stopped thinking of a hard day’s work as a good thing. And we are teaching our kids that that laziness is something to strive for.
c Shell Franklin
The human race is always striving to better itself, make life easier for all of us. We envision a better tomorrow, a world free of conflict, a world free of wars, and plainly put a easier more comfortable life.That bothers me!
Are we trying to make life too easy? Are we on our way to the humans in Wall-e?
In today’s day and age we are so obsessed with living longer, saving every possible life and then prolonging them; even if they are only being kept alive by machine. What happened to Darwinism? Have we in our fight for survival made Darwinism obsolete? Personally I think in moving to the top of the food chain and destroying all the predators bigger than us, Mother Nature has just made them microscopic.
Humans, just like all animals, exist for one purpose: to breed. We fight against it, we say we have evolved but it still comes down to women look for a good provider and men look for younger women more capable to bare children. We claim to be interested in higher purposes, such as artistic or scientific pursuits, the fact remains that these are superfluous activities. On an instinctual level we all revert back to what we have done since the beginning of time and that can be broken down into two things: Stay alive as long as possible and Breed as much as possible.
It’s sad, but true. As a kid, I was always under the misguided impression that grown-ups were subject to significant obstacles to achieve the whole “staying alive” thing. But each generation does its best to make sure that the obstacles they had are not there for their children. Then you had to get a job so you could get food and shelter and all that was hard and costly.
But our kids grow up to discover that none of that is true, each generation makes life for the next easier in some way, but the younger generation never sees it. All they know is it has always been this way for them and they want it easier and with less hard work.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like the idea of my kids having to go through any of the hard stuff I did, but if they don’t, they won’t learn the lessons I did and I worry what sort of a person they will grow to be. Are we creating bigger problem down the line by reducing smaller ones now? What are we teaching the next generation by removing the things that taught us as we traveled the path?
Are we really doing them a kindness?
I have to wonder if the fittest are really the ones that are surviving in today’s society. Hass the human race become a giant net, dragging along all the genetic flotsam and jetsam that should have long ago been weeded out of the gene pool?
But if our “herd” should have been thinned, why wasn’t it? Is nature allowing us to over populate, under prepare, and just get fat and lazy so she can do a mass thinning?
Why has evolution seemed to have stopped?
Humans have no natural predators, and we allow even the weakest among us to survive and long enough to breed. The human gene pool is becoming more diluted every day.
From this viewpoint I believe we are heading into the twilight of the human species: as our artifices become stronger and stronger, and do more for us, we become weaker and weaker.
We have stopped thinking of a hard day’s work as a good thing. And we are teaching our kids that that laziness is something to strive for.
c Shell Franklin
Friday, November 13, 2009
A waste of time and money?
This is going back, sort of, to my earlier post about consequences but here I am going to show you what has happened because of the lack of consequences.
By the end of 2006 roughly 1 in every 31 adults in the United States was in prison, jail, on parole, or supervised release, according to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
During the late 1970s, there were about 268,000 inmates in prisons spread throughout the 50 states. Shockingly, by the end of 2006, there were over 2.4 million.
With such an increase you would think the crime rate would be down but it wasn’t. Even with that many people in prisons the crime rates remain as high if not higher.
Now here is where it gets good. In 2001, the average inmate cost over $22,500 annually, or about $62 a day (BJS). So today I am assuming the cost is even higher, but I will use that number for now.
Of the 2.4 million, over 20,000 inmates, spread across 30 states, are kept in lockdown and complete isolation in a 10-foot by 14-foot room for 23 hours a day, with one hour of exercise.
These people the “worst of the worst”—prisoners who, given the current system, could not follow the laws of government nor the rules of lower security prisons. Virtually labeled unfixable, these criminals will live out their lives in solitude—with little hope they will change.
So, let do some math here 20,000 people locked in cells for life, no chance of ever getting out and it is costing the taxpayer’s $62 a day.
Wait for it…
$1,240,000 a day, every day! That’s $452,600,000 a year!
Does anyone else see a problem here? Why if a person has been declared so bad for the world are we wasting so much to keep them alive? Not a productive member of society, never will be, and might never have been.
Oh and get this, prisoners have started suing state and federal governments for inhumane conditions, stemming from the problem of overcrowding. Often, believe it or not, the inmates win, with the courts ordering the institutions to clean up their acts.
Now let’s ad in the ones might get out, those that the system says may be able to be rehabilitated. Today’s prisons have three basic objectives: punish a criminal by taking away his time, remove him from society (in an attempt to remove crime as well) and rehabilitate inmates to become better functioning members of society upon release.
I say it has failed in all 3. Today’s prisons give inmates nothing but time, they take classes, get degrees, body build, and the worse part; socialize with more criminals.
Correctional facilities are becoming “colleges” for criminals. Inmates are housed with other offenders, they have time to discuss, learn and hone their abilities, including learning how to better escape capture. Rather than being rehabilitated, prisoners are released, only to commit criminal acts again—but now more effectively.
Of the prisoners released in 1994 (the most recent nationwide study by the BJS), 67.5% were rearrested within three years.
I would bet this percentage has increased since that time.
America’s prisons are a failure and produce no tangible results. They just don’t work.
We have raised a generation that believes it can get away with anything, and it’s right. We have lawyers that will defend the guilty to make a profit. We have people and groups that want to make prisoners, which would just as soon shoot them, more comfortable. And I will throw this one in just because it creeps me out. We have websites dedicated to women who want to date criminals, the worse the better…ewwwww!!
How did we get here? What group of “Oh, we can’t do that, it’s too harsh!” brought us to this point and can we fix it?
A friend of mine said to me the other day that he was afraid of what this country was going to be like for his grand kids. Sadly he was more concerned about what the government was spending money on.
We have our heads stuck…in the sand. We are so concerned with the minute details that the bigger picture has become a mess. We need to start at home, fix our kids, yes, WE need to fix OUR kids. Not the school, not some church or community organization. Each one of us.
Teach them there are consequences and enforce them!
And to the older ones, the ones that didn’t get that taught to them at home. Stop babying, punish then fast and hard and publicly.
Shoot the first one that gets out of line, the rest will fall in line quickly…
c Shell Franklin
This is going back, sort of, to my earlier post about consequences but here I am going to show you what has happened because of the lack of consequences.
By the end of 2006 roughly 1 in every 31 adults in the United States was in prison, jail, on parole, or supervised release, according to the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
During the late 1970s, there were about 268,000 inmates in prisons spread throughout the 50 states. Shockingly, by the end of 2006, there were over 2.4 million.
With such an increase you would think the crime rate would be down but it wasn’t. Even with that many people in prisons the crime rates remain as high if not higher.
Now here is where it gets good. In 2001, the average inmate cost over $22,500 annually, or about $62 a day (BJS). So today I am assuming the cost is even higher, but I will use that number for now.
Of the 2.4 million, over 20,000 inmates, spread across 30 states, are kept in lockdown and complete isolation in a 10-foot by 14-foot room for 23 hours a day, with one hour of exercise.
These people the “worst of the worst”—prisoners who, given the current system, could not follow the laws of government nor the rules of lower security prisons. Virtually labeled unfixable, these criminals will live out their lives in solitude—with little hope they will change.
So, let do some math here 20,000 people locked in cells for life, no chance of ever getting out and it is costing the taxpayer’s $62 a day.
Wait for it…
$1,240,000 a day, every day! That’s $452,600,000 a year!
Does anyone else see a problem here? Why if a person has been declared so bad for the world are we wasting so much to keep them alive? Not a productive member of society, never will be, and might never have been.
Oh and get this, prisoners have started suing state and federal governments for inhumane conditions, stemming from the problem of overcrowding. Often, believe it or not, the inmates win, with the courts ordering the institutions to clean up their acts.
Now let’s ad in the ones might get out, those that the system says may be able to be rehabilitated. Today’s prisons have three basic objectives: punish a criminal by taking away his time, remove him from society (in an attempt to remove crime as well) and rehabilitate inmates to become better functioning members of society upon release.
I say it has failed in all 3. Today’s prisons give inmates nothing but time, they take classes, get degrees, body build, and the worse part; socialize with more criminals.
Correctional facilities are becoming “colleges” for criminals. Inmates are housed with other offenders, they have time to discuss, learn and hone their abilities, including learning how to better escape capture. Rather than being rehabilitated, prisoners are released, only to commit criminal acts again—but now more effectively.
Of the prisoners released in 1994 (the most recent nationwide study by the BJS), 67.5% were rearrested within three years.
I would bet this percentage has increased since that time.
America’s prisons are a failure and produce no tangible results. They just don’t work.
We have raised a generation that believes it can get away with anything, and it’s right. We have lawyers that will defend the guilty to make a profit. We have people and groups that want to make prisoners, which would just as soon shoot them, more comfortable. And I will throw this one in just because it creeps me out. We have websites dedicated to women who want to date criminals, the worse the better…ewwwww!!
How did we get here? What group of “Oh, we can’t do that, it’s too harsh!” brought us to this point and can we fix it?
A friend of mine said to me the other day that he was afraid of what this country was going to be like for his grand kids. Sadly he was more concerned about what the government was spending money on.
We have our heads stuck…in the sand. We are so concerned with the minute details that the bigger picture has become a mess. We need to start at home, fix our kids, yes, WE need to fix OUR kids. Not the school, not some church or community organization. Each one of us.
Teach them there are consequences and enforce them!
And to the older ones, the ones that didn’t get that taught to them at home. Stop babying, punish then fast and hard and publicly.
Shoot the first one that gets out of line, the rest will fall in line quickly…
c Shell Franklin
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Welcome to all you new readers and thank you to f8hasit for the awesome award. I’m kind new to this so if I put it on my page wrong please let me know.
Next; today’s memories I kind of blame on Heather. Only partially, I can never get these things out of my head, ask my wife I talk about them all the time.
Let’s all take to one knee and bow to the greats, Sid and Marty. These two men single handedly shaped a lot of our childhoods. Gave us people to look up to, moral codes to live by, and entertained us for hours.
Who are they, for those asking?
“Sid and Marty Krofft are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs, throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. They are largely known for a unique brand of ambitious fantasy programs, often featuring large-headed puppets, high-concept plots, and extensive use of low-budget special effects. The team also dominated the arena of celebrity music/variety programs during the period.” – Wikipedia
Memories coming back? Well I’m about to flood you with them so hold on...
The one most remember is ‘Land of the Lost(1974).’ It was the adventures of the Marshall family (father Rick, his son Will, and younger daughter Holly) who get sucked into an alternate universe inhabited by dinosaurs, a primate-type people called Pakuni, and aggressive humanoid/lizard creatures called Sleestak.
This show was great not only visually but it had an underlying message. It showed kids that adventures happened when least expected and to normal people. It also let kids see there was danger everywhere but also beauty and fun. It taught kids to think on their feet to stay one step ahead of the dangers in their life. We also go to meet the Enik, he appears to be one of the bad guys but proves to be a help at times; teaching kids to look deeper than just what is on the surface.
Sid and Marty were great, they taught and entertained on a low budget and it didn’t matter. We all loved and hated the characters in the shows; we saw their flaws and their strengths. When they made mistakes they owned up to them and dealt with the consequences. And no matter how bad it got they were still happy with what they had because they had others who cared with them. I wish TV and movies were like this today.
Oh well, time to list the rest so we can all sigh and have happy thoughts. Make sure you click on the links; I will try to get some clips from all of them.
H.R. Pufnstuf (1969) was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet, program. It was fairy tale of good versus evil and centered on a shipwrecked boy named Jimmy. As an 11 years old boy Jimmy takes a ride on a mysterious boat to kooky Living Island, home of dancing trees and singing frogs. The Mayor of Living Island was a friendly and helpful dragon named H.R. Pufnstuf. Jimmy had been lured to the island with his friend, a talking flute named Freddy, by a magic boat which promised adventures across the sea. The boat was actually owned and controlled by a wicked witch named Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo who rode on a broomstick-like vehicle called the Vroom Broom.
The Bugaloos (1970) was a live action puppet show and the Bugaloos were a musical group comprised four British-accented teenagers with antennae and wings, who lived in Tranquility Forest and had their own rock band. They wore bug-oriented outfits which allowed them to fly, and were constantly beset by the evil machinations of Benita Bizarre, who was covetous of the Bugaloos’ musical prowess.
Lidsville (1971) was a show involving a teenage boy named Mark who fell into the hat of Merlo the Magician and arrived in Lidsville, a land of living hats. The hats on the show are depicted as having the same roles as the humans who would normally wear them. For example, a cowboy hat would act and speak like a cowboy. The characters' houses were also hat-shaped. The villain of the show was a magician named Horatio J. HooDoo.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973) centered around two brothers, Johnny and Scott Stuart, who discover Sigmund, a friendly young sea monster who had been thrown out by his comically dysfunctional undersea family for refusing to frighten people. The boys hide Sigmund in their clubhouse, and wacky hi-jinx ensues as they attempt to elude Sigmund’s relatives and the boys' housekeeper.
Far Out Space Nuts (1975) was about a seemingly dim-witted but uniquely clever maintenance worker employed by NASA, and his grumpy, short-tempered co-worker. While loading food into various compartments to prepare a rocket for an upcoming mission, Barney instructs Junior to hit the "lunch" button, but Junior mistakenly hits the "launch" button. The rocket blasts off and takes them on various misadventures on alien planets.
The Lost Saucer (1975) was about two time-travelling futuristic androids named Fi and Fum who land their flying saucer on present day Earth. They inexplicably invite a young boy named Jerry and his babysitter Alice to check out the interior of their craft. As onlookers begin to gather, the two androids become nervous about attracting attention, and abruptly take off with Jerry and Alice. The flying saucer has the ability to travel through time, and the controls which allow the androids to specify an exact date becomes damaged, thus preventing the androids from returning Jerry and Alice to their rightful time and place.
Dr. Shrinker (1976) was a mad scientist who creates a shrink ray that can minimize anything. Three young adults named Brad Fulton, B.J. Masterson and her brother Gordie Masterson, crash land their plane on an island. As they make their way to the only house on the island, they meet the aptly named Dr. Shrinker and his assistant, Hugo. Dr. Shrinker, in an effort to prove that his shrinking ray works, shrinks the three people down to six inches tall. The remainder of the series was different efforts by the 'Shrinkies' to get unshrunk, while Dr. Shrinker and Hugo want to catch the trio so that they will have physical proof that the ray works when they sell it to whatever world power wants to buy it.
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (1976) followed the crime-fighting exploits of female caped crusader Electra Woman and her teen sidekick Dyna Girl. In each episode, the duo would don skintight spandex, hop in the Electracar and use an array of technically advanced gadgets to thwart an eclectic collection of super villains. They are assisted by Frank Heflin, a scientist who stays at their "ElectraBase" while keeping in continual contact with the pair through their "ElectraComps". This program playfully (but deliberately) lampooned the superhero combo of Batman and Robin, taking many of its cues from the earlier Batman television series.
Wonderbug (1976) was the alter ego "Schlepcar" and was an old, beat up, conglomeration of several junked cars that looked like a rusty dune buggy. Like Herbie of Disney movie fame, Schlepcar was alive and could drive itself, and could also talk in a mumbling voice. It was found in a junk yard by teenagers Barry, C.C. and Susan. Schlepcar transformed into the shiny metal-flake orange Wonderbug when a magic horn was sounded. In his Wonderbug identity, Schlepcar had the power of flight and was able to help the three teens capture crooks and prevent wrongdoing.
Ok, and lastly now that my brain is in it’s happy place, there was also The Shazam!/Isis Hour. Though this was not a Sid and Marty production, it was a Filmation, these two shows were campy but awesome and once again taught lessons.
Shazam! (1974) is about the teenager, Billy Batson, who granted the power, by the Immortals, to summon awesome forces at the utterance of a single word . . .SHAZAM!. . . a word which transforms him in a flash into that mightiest of mortal beings, Captain Marvel! Billy and his guardian "Mentor" were nomads, traveling around the country in a recreational vehicle. There were no supervillains and no violence in this series; the hero, both as Billy and as Captain Marvel, would find himself helping people out of precarious situations they'd gotten themselves into by doing things they shouldn't have. At the end of each episode, either Billy or Marvel would address the TV audience with a moral based on that show.
The Secrets of Isis (1975) is about a high school science teacher who found an ancient mystical amulet on an archeological dig in Egypt. The amulet belonged to Hatshepsut, an ancient Egyptian Queen and it gave the wearer the powers of Isis. Andrea, by virtue of being able to open the casing in which the amulet rested, was recognized as an heir to Isis's secrets. Whenever Isis was needed, Andrea would reveal the amulet and incite an incantation ("Oh Mighty Isis!") and she would be transformed into the goddess Isis. Unlike other superheroes who responded when people called their name, Isis often came to the rescue of people who didn't call for her, arriving in the nick of time and encouraging the wrongdoer to see the error of their ways through self-reflection, this was mostly high school students who find themselves endangered due to unwise choices. At times Isis/Andrea would wink at the camera or otherwise acknowledging the audience at applicable moments and had the "moral" segment at the end of each episode as well.
Wow! wasn't that fun! I could of gone on but those are the ones that I remember the most. All of these have some great actors in them from Billy Barty (willow) to Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of our lives) and tons more. As you can see i found all the clips on YouTube, go look up some of your old favorites.
c Shell Franklin
http://www.designonastick.com/
Next; today’s memories I kind of blame on Heather. Only partially, I can never get these things out of my head, ask my wife I talk about them all the time.
Let’s all take to one knee and bow to the greats, Sid and Marty. These two men single handedly shaped a lot of our childhoods. Gave us people to look up to, moral codes to live by, and entertained us for hours.
Who are they, for those asking?
“Sid and Marty Krofft are a sibling team of television producers who were influential in children's television and variety show programs, throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. They are largely known for a unique brand of ambitious fantasy programs, often featuring large-headed puppets, high-concept plots, and extensive use of low-budget special effects. The team also dominated the arena of celebrity music/variety programs during the period.” – Wikipedia
Memories coming back? Well I’m about to flood you with them so hold on...
The one most remember is ‘Land of the Lost(1974).’ It was the adventures of the Marshall family (father Rick, his son Will, and younger daughter Holly) who get sucked into an alternate universe inhabited by dinosaurs, a primate-type people called Pakuni, and aggressive humanoid/lizard creatures called Sleestak.
This show was great not only visually but it had an underlying message. It showed kids that adventures happened when least expected and to normal people. It also let kids see there was danger everywhere but also beauty and fun. It taught kids to think on their feet to stay one step ahead of the dangers in their life. We also go to meet the Enik, he appears to be one of the bad guys but proves to be a help at times; teaching kids to look deeper than just what is on the surface.
Sid and Marty were great, they taught and entertained on a low budget and it didn’t matter. We all loved and hated the characters in the shows; we saw their flaws and their strengths. When they made mistakes they owned up to them and dealt with the consequences. And no matter how bad it got they were still happy with what they had because they had others who cared with them. I wish TV and movies were like this today.
Oh well, time to list the rest so we can all sigh and have happy thoughts. Make sure you click on the links; I will try to get some clips from all of them.
H.R. Pufnstuf (1969) was the first Krofft live-action, life-size puppet, program. It was fairy tale of good versus evil and centered on a shipwrecked boy named Jimmy. As an 11 years old boy Jimmy takes a ride on a mysterious boat to kooky Living Island, home of dancing trees and singing frogs. The Mayor of Living Island was a friendly and helpful dragon named H.R. Pufnstuf. Jimmy had been lured to the island with his friend, a talking flute named Freddy, by a magic boat which promised adventures across the sea. The boat was actually owned and controlled by a wicked witch named Wilhelmina W. Witchiepoo who rode on a broomstick-like vehicle called the Vroom Broom.
The Bugaloos (1970) was a live action puppet show and the Bugaloos were a musical group comprised four British-accented teenagers with antennae and wings, who lived in Tranquility Forest and had their own rock band. They wore bug-oriented outfits which allowed them to fly, and were constantly beset by the evil machinations of Benita Bizarre, who was covetous of the Bugaloos’ musical prowess.
Lidsville (1971) was a show involving a teenage boy named Mark who fell into the hat of Merlo the Magician and arrived in Lidsville, a land of living hats. The hats on the show are depicted as having the same roles as the humans who would normally wear them. For example, a cowboy hat would act and speak like a cowboy. The characters' houses were also hat-shaped. The villain of the show was a magician named Horatio J. HooDoo.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (1973) centered around two brothers, Johnny and Scott Stuart, who discover Sigmund, a friendly young sea monster who had been thrown out by his comically dysfunctional undersea family for refusing to frighten people. The boys hide Sigmund in their clubhouse, and wacky hi-jinx ensues as they attempt to elude Sigmund’s relatives and the boys' housekeeper.
Far Out Space Nuts (1975) was about a seemingly dim-witted but uniquely clever maintenance worker employed by NASA, and his grumpy, short-tempered co-worker. While loading food into various compartments to prepare a rocket for an upcoming mission, Barney instructs Junior to hit the "lunch" button, but Junior mistakenly hits the "launch" button. The rocket blasts off and takes them on various misadventures on alien planets.
The Lost Saucer (1975) was about two time-travelling futuristic androids named Fi and Fum who land their flying saucer on present day Earth. They inexplicably invite a young boy named Jerry and his babysitter Alice to check out the interior of their craft. As onlookers begin to gather, the two androids become nervous about attracting attention, and abruptly take off with Jerry and Alice. The flying saucer has the ability to travel through time, and the controls which allow the androids to specify an exact date becomes damaged, thus preventing the androids from returning Jerry and Alice to their rightful time and place.
Dr. Shrinker (1976) was a mad scientist who creates a shrink ray that can minimize anything. Three young adults named Brad Fulton, B.J. Masterson and her brother Gordie Masterson, crash land their plane on an island. As they make their way to the only house on the island, they meet the aptly named Dr. Shrinker and his assistant, Hugo. Dr. Shrinker, in an effort to prove that his shrinking ray works, shrinks the three people down to six inches tall. The remainder of the series was different efforts by the 'Shrinkies' to get unshrunk, while Dr. Shrinker and Hugo want to catch the trio so that they will have physical proof that the ray works when they sell it to whatever world power wants to buy it.
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl (1976) followed the crime-fighting exploits of female caped crusader Electra Woman and her teen sidekick Dyna Girl. In each episode, the duo would don skintight spandex, hop in the Electracar and use an array of technically advanced gadgets to thwart an eclectic collection of super villains. They are assisted by Frank Heflin, a scientist who stays at their "ElectraBase" while keeping in continual contact with the pair through their "ElectraComps". This program playfully (but deliberately) lampooned the superhero combo of Batman and Robin, taking many of its cues from the earlier Batman television series.
Wonderbug (1976) was the alter ego "Schlepcar" and was an old, beat up, conglomeration of several junked cars that looked like a rusty dune buggy. Like Herbie of Disney movie fame, Schlepcar was alive and could drive itself, and could also talk in a mumbling voice. It was found in a junk yard by teenagers Barry, C.C. and Susan. Schlepcar transformed into the shiny metal-flake orange Wonderbug when a magic horn was sounded. In his Wonderbug identity, Schlepcar had the power of flight and was able to help the three teens capture crooks and prevent wrongdoing.
Ok, and lastly now that my brain is in it’s happy place, there was also The Shazam!/Isis Hour. Though this was not a Sid and Marty production, it was a Filmation, these two shows were campy but awesome and once again taught lessons.
Shazam! (1974) is about the teenager, Billy Batson, who granted the power, by the Immortals, to summon awesome forces at the utterance of a single word . . .SHAZAM!. . . a word which transforms him in a flash into that mightiest of mortal beings, Captain Marvel! Billy and his guardian "Mentor" were nomads, traveling around the country in a recreational vehicle. There were no supervillains and no violence in this series; the hero, both as Billy and as Captain Marvel, would find himself helping people out of precarious situations they'd gotten themselves into by doing things they shouldn't have. At the end of each episode, either Billy or Marvel would address the TV audience with a moral based on that show.
The Secrets of Isis (1975) is about a high school science teacher who found an ancient mystical amulet on an archeological dig in Egypt. The amulet belonged to Hatshepsut, an ancient Egyptian Queen and it gave the wearer the powers of Isis. Andrea, by virtue of being able to open the casing in which the amulet rested, was recognized as an heir to Isis's secrets. Whenever Isis was needed, Andrea would reveal the amulet and incite an incantation ("Oh Mighty Isis!") and she would be transformed into the goddess Isis. Unlike other superheroes who responded when people called their name, Isis often came to the rescue of people who didn't call for her, arriving in the nick of time and encouraging the wrongdoer to see the error of their ways through self-reflection, this was mostly high school students who find themselves endangered due to unwise choices. At times Isis/Andrea would wink at the camera or otherwise acknowledging the audience at applicable moments and had the "moral" segment at the end of each episode as well.
Wow! wasn't that fun! I could of gone on but those are the ones that I remember the most. All of these have some great actors in them from Billy Barty (willow) to Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of our lives) and tons more. As you can see i found all the clips on YouTube, go look up some of your old favorites.
c Shell Franklin
http://www.designonastick.com/
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
What happened to the consequences?
My oldest daughter said this to me tonight, “If every person that J-Walked was hit and killed, in a few years no one would even consider doing it.”
Such a brilliant statement and it got me to thinking, what happened to the consequences? The consequences for everything. As I child we were taught if you broke a law you would be punished for it.
Now I don’t believe people believe that. People believe that if they know the right person, pay enough, or can be the biggest bully you can get away with anything. And what is sadder is we are passing this belief down to our children.
Whatever happened to shame? Whatever happened to disgracing your family name? There was a time in America where you did something wrong, you’d have to face the music. You were brought before your friends and neighbors and made to account for what you did.
Our children are growing up now with a sense that they can do or say whatever they want, whenever they want, and suffer no consequences.
We need a even system where no matter who you are, how much money you have, or who you know makes no difference.
Equal punishment for equal crime.
And there need to be a list, something to put in people’s faces that says you do X, Y will happen to you. Then act on it, do it every time, no exceptions, and it has to fit the crime, in the olden days your stole you lost a finger.
Oh, and it needs to be done publicly. Public humiliation is a great motivator. Public flogging on the courthouse steps once a week would do a lot to lower the crime rate.
America’s crime rate has been increasing at the same rate as the punishment levels have been dropping. As a child I remember getting spanking in school, I remember my mother spanking in public, and I remember it was safer to be out at night then and there was less crime. I see a pattern there, why doesn’t anyone else.
We have become a country of whiners. I’m sure everyone has gotten this in their email at some point, but did you really read it, really understand what it meant?
“Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!”
Now days it is not our parents bailing us out, it is some person that knows nothing about us, our family values, or what our parents think should happen. The bleeding hearts and the whiny, crybabies that “KNOW” what is best for us and everyone else.
Why are we listening to them? Do most even realize what they have done to this great country?
We need to overhaul our legal system, our schools, and in some case our media because people that just need rehabilitation are filling our prisons and the ones that have done things so bad they will never see freedom we are paying to keep alive. What ever happen to being a productive member of a community? If they will never be set free, life in prison SHOULD NEVER be an option.
Sexual predator = Castration. Pedophile = Castration and hard labor. Murderer = Firing squad. Let people watch, put the fear of this happening back into people. We would save the taxpayers’ money and we would have a safer society.
If people were afraid of the consequences the number of people committing the crimes would go down. I hear all the time that we have a system built on “fairness” I think it is built on “fear” we are so afraid of making a mistake that we have made the system useless. If a person is not afraid of the consequences or believes he can fight them and win, then what is to stop him from doing the crime?
And lastly, if the adults in this country have no fear of the consequences and are constantly fighting to lessen them, what are our children learning from that? Why should a child obey rules if everywhere they look no one else is?
If our child see us break a rule, whether once or multiple times, even something as simple as speeding what have we taught them? Not to mention you have no right at that point to be mad at them for breaking rules you break.
c Shell Franklin
http://www.designonastick.com/
My oldest daughter said this to me tonight, “If every person that J-Walked was hit and killed, in a few years no one would even consider doing it.”
Such a brilliant statement and it got me to thinking, what happened to the consequences? The consequences for everything. As I child we were taught if you broke a law you would be punished for it.
Now I don’t believe people believe that. People believe that if they know the right person, pay enough, or can be the biggest bully you can get away with anything. And what is sadder is we are passing this belief down to our children.
Whatever happened to shame? Whatever happened to disgracing your family name? There was a time in America where you did something wrong, you’d have to face the music. You were brought before your friends and neighbors and made to account for what you did.
Our children are growing up now with a sense that they can do or say whatever they want, whenever they want, and suffer no consequences.
We need a even system where no matter who you are, how much money you have, or who you know makes no difference.
Equal punishment for equal crime.
And there need to be a list, something to put in people’s faces that says you do X, Y will happen to you. Then act on it, do it every time, no exceptions, and it has to fit the crime, in the olden days your stole you lost a finger.
Oh, and it needs to be done publicly. Public humiliation is a great motivator. Public flogging on the courthouse steps once a week would do a lot to lower the crime rate.
America’s crime rate has been increasing at the same rate as the punishment levels have been dropping. As a child I remember getting spanking in school, I remember my mother spanking in public, and I remember it was safer to be out at night then and there was less crime. I see a pattern there, why doesn’t anyone else.
We have become a country of whiners. I’m sure everyone has gotten this in their email at some point, but did you really read it, really understand what it meant?
“Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law. Imagine that!”
Now days it is not our parents bailing us out, it is some person that knows nothing about us, our family values, or what our parents think should happen. The bleeding hearts and the whiny, crybabies that “KNOW” what is best for us and everyone else.
Why are we listening to them? Do most even realize what they have done to this great country?
We need to overhaul our legal system, our schools, and in some case our media because people that just need rehabilitation are filling our prisons and the ones that have done things so bad they will never see freedom we are paying to keep alive. What ever happen to being a productive member of a community? If they will never be set free, life in prison SHOULD NEVER be an option.
Sexual predator = Castration. Pedophile = Castration and hard labor. Murderer = Firing squad. Let people watch, put the fear of this happening back into people. We would save the taxpayers’ money and we would have a safer society.
If people were afraid of the consequences the number of people committing the crimes would go down. I hear all the time that we have a system built on “fairness” I think it is built on “fear” we are so afraid of making a mistake that we have made the system useless. If a person is not afraid of the consequences or believes he can fight them and win, then what is to stop him from doing the crime?
And lastly, if the adults in this country have no fear of the consequences and are constantly fighting to lessen them, what are our children learning from that? Why should a child obey rules if everywhere they look no one else is?
If our child see us break a rule, whether once or multiple times, even something as simple as speeding what have we taught them? Not to mention you have no right at that point to be mad at them for breaking rules you break.
c Shell Franklin
http://www.designonastick.com/
Monday, November 09, 2009
I just called to listen
Have you ever called someone just to talk or had someone call you just to talk? Well most of us have.
Most of us only pick up the phone because WE have something to say, isn’t that kind of selfish?
I come from a pretty large family; seven kids and my parents. They live on the west coast for the most part, ranging between San Diego, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Medford, Oregon and Portland, Oregon, with my parents in between. I live in Ohio, keeps the peace that way.
My mom calls me to talk, cry, laugh, and generally communicate with someone. My brothers and sisters all seem to “Know” what is best for them, one of the reasons, in opinion they moved so far from the rest of them last time.
Knowing most of my family and reading about them on Facebook, Myspace, and through email I know they have things that my mother doesn’t know about in their lives. And that’s fine, everyone has secrets. I’m not sure why but I just don’t care if people know about me, hence the blog.
But I listen to my mom when she calls or I call her (not as often as I should). But from listening to her they really don’t spend the time to listen to her. They call her to tell her what is happening in their lives and those around them.
My father has been in and out of the hospital lately, pacemaker and other stuff; his birthday was just last week; he’s in his mid 70’s. He has never been a big talker, get out what’s needed and or important and end the conversation. I think that is where my siblings get it from.
Mom on the other hand likes to talk and having moved a distance from everyone they knew a few years ago, the phone is her biggest form of communication.
So when she called me the other day to talk and started asking me what of their stuff I wanted when they were gone it was a bit sad, and creepy. I told her to go sell it all and spend the money of them, not to just save things because someone wanted it. I would rather they were off having a good time, enjoying themselves than saving things that others “wanted when they were gone.”
But all this got me to thinking, when was the last time I called someone not because I had something to say or was returning a call, but just called so they could talk?
Same to you, have you ever just called someone to give them a chance to ramble at you, no time limits and no other reasons that made you call?
No opinions on what they say, no reason you need to get off the phone, and only one thing on your mind, listening to them.
It’s at this point that my fingers start to go into the rant about my siblings and why they should call and listen to mom more, why they don’t know what is best for mom and dad more than mom and dad do. But then I am reminded that their side of that discussion goes “You have nothing to say, you moved so far away that none of us even know your family.”
So I won’t go into that. I will briefly point out that for most of my adult life the only time I heard from one of them was if they needed computer help, and I will leave it at that.
Are we all really too busy to pick up a phone, send an email, or text message?
Do we not talk for fear of arguing? Not being able to just accept the other person and what they do or don’t do in their lives? People fit into the friends and family category because at some point we decided that they were such a big part of our lives that we put them in that category. And not all relatives fit in that category; they’re just not close enough.
Life gets in the way at times but it never really stays there. Ever find yourself thinking about someone you haven’t or heard from in a long time? What happened, did you grow apart, become too caught up in life, or just get lazy?
Life is too short to not talk to someone because of a difference of opinion, religion, chose of partner, or any other reason!
Reach out and touch someone and let them touch you back.
Thanks
Often during troubled times,
we forget to say “Thank you”
The shoulders we have cried on,
the ears we have confessed to
The arms in which we have found comfort,
or the hearts that said “I love you”
So, when the tears have all dried,
and the heart is content
Remember to thank them,
and let them know what their love meant.
c Shell Franklin
www.designonastick.com
Have you ever called someone just to talk or had someone call you just to talk? Well most of us have.
Most of us only pick up the phone because WE have something to say, isn’t that kind of selfish?
I come from a pretty large family; seven kids and my parents. They live on the west coast for the most part, ranging between San Diego, California, Las Vegas, Nevada, Medford, Oregon and Portland, Oregon, with my parents in between. I live in Ohio, keeps the peace that way.
My mom calls me to talk, cry, laugh, and generally communicate with someone. My brothers and sisters all seem to “Know” what is best for them, one of the reasons, in opinion they moved so far from the rest of them last time.
Knowing most of my family and reading about them on Facebook, Myspace, and through email I know they have things that my mother doesn’t know about in their lives. And that’s fine, everyone has secrets. I’m not sure why but I just don’t care if people know about me, hence the blog.
But I listen to my mom when she calls or I call her (not as often as I should). But from listening to her they really don’t spend the time to listen to her. They call her to tell her what is happening in their lives and those around them.
My father has been in and out of the hospital lately, pacemaker and other stuff; his birthday was just last week; he’s in his mid 70’s. He has never been a big talker, get out what’s needed and or important and end the conversation. I think that is where my siblings get it from.
Mom on the other hand likes to talk and having moved a distance from everyone they knew a few years ago, the phone is her biggest form of communication.
So when she called me the other day to talk and started asking me what of their stuff I wanted when they were gone it was a bit sad, and creepy. I told her to go sell it all and spend the money of them, not to just save things because someone wanted it. I would rather they were off having a good time, enjoying themselves than saving things that others “wanted when they were gone.”
But all this got me to thinking, when was the last time I called someone not because I had something to say or was returning a call, but just called so they could talk?
Same to you, have you ever just called someone to give them a chance to ramble at you, no time limits and no other reasons that made you call?
No opinions on what they say, no reason you need to get off the phone, and only one thing on your mind, listening to them.
It’s at this point that my fingers start to go into the rant about my siblings and why they should call and listen to mom more, why they don’t know what is best for mom and dad more than mom and dad do. But then I am reminded that their side of that discussion goes “You have nothing to say, you moved so far away that none of us even know your family.”
So I won’t go into that. I will briefly point out that for most of my adult life the only time I heard from one of them was if they needed computer help, and I will leave it at that.
Are we all really too busy to pick up a phone, send an email, or text message?
Do we not talk for fear of arguing? Not being able to just accept the other person and what they do or don’t do in their lives? People fit into the friends and family category because at some point we decided that they were such a big part of our lives that we put them in that category. And not all relatives fit in that category; they’re just not close enough.
Life gets in the way at times but it never really stays there. Ever find yourself thinking about someone you haven’t or heard from in a long time? What happened, did you grow apart, become too caught up in life, or just get lazy?
Life is too short to not talk to someone because of a difference of opinion, religion, chose of partner, or any other reason!
Reach out and touch someone and let them touch you back.
Thanks
Often during troubled times,
we forget to say “Thank you”
The shoulders we have cried on,
the ears we have confessed to
The arms in which we have found comfort,
or the hearts that said “I love you”
So, when the tears have all dried,
and the heart is content
Remember to thank them,
and let them know what their love meant.
c Shell Franklin
www.designonastick.com
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Can't fix stupid
When I think of all the “idiots” I’ve dealt with in jobs, none of them considered they were the idiots. After all these years and so many clients, bosses, and coworkers, I am more convinced than ever that these "special" people think they are doing an adequate, if not better, job each day.
Don't laugh but the person in the office or cubicle next to you or even people attempting to run the whole show may very well be one of these "idiots" and they no clue what the rest of you think of them.
Idiots come in all shapes, sizes, and positions. They can be CEOs, secretaries or engineers. They can be bosses, assistants or salesman. Those afflicted, for the most part, don't even feel the symptoms. Sadly, it is the rest of us that suffer the pain of our idiot coworkers. The sad but important thing to remember is you can’t you fix stupid!
Idiot bosses are the mutant hiccups of organizational evolution, with cockroach-like immunity to calamities that wipe out truly talented and creative people. Have you ever found yourself thinking “I’ve got nothing to really be pissed about but when I step into work I feel like my whole world is crashing down?” You feel a kind of anxiety or something. You can only put it down to the fact that, at other times, your body naturally does this as some kind of defense, to enable you to cope with the idiot/s you work with for 8 hrs a day.
But I find that even worse than an idiot boss is a clueless boss. This person is highly intelligent, can be a nice guy, but chooses not to be. Has to reword everything you write, tell you what you were thinking and how it was wrong, and constantly slows down the forward motion of a business simply because it is “not the way he envisioned it.”
They have specific words of phrases they have to fit into every written document. They think that by just placing their name and/or picture on things people will flock to purchase from your company. They criticize their employees constantly and always believe you have nothing more important to do than whatever they are currently wanting you to work on. They have to question each time you are ill and why did it take you so long to get better. They, making way more money than any of us, just can’t understand how you could have car trouble but don’t get it when you look at them weird when they ask you to take their car, on company time, to be looked at by the dealership.
The clueless boss will actually believe they know and understand you; I have even had them sit me down and try to explain me to me. Laughably inaccurate as it was it just let me know just how clueless they truly were.
And one of my favorite ways to know you have a clueless boss, no matter how little work they are actually doing they truly believe you can do more than you currently are, because they are swamped with “other things.”
My current boss can be an idiot at times but he is working on it and tries to ask humbly for help when he finds himself in to deep. He does have a few statements to live by that he spouts off a lot.
His favorite two are “Plan to be early and you are never late,” and “It is better to know where to find information that to try to have it all memorized.”
As my own boss we seem to get along ok, he threatens to fire me and I threaten to quit at least once a day but I can live with that.
I started this several days ago and was thinking of not posting it, worrying about how some would take it, but decided to just do it anyways. If you are finding this hits home, maybe you are one of the idiots I spoke of, work on it, you don't have to stay that way.
Ok, for those of you who want to read or add to some of these websites; here they are, enjoy them.
http://mybossisanidiot.com/
http://www.workrant.com/
http://www.iworkwithfools.com/
c Shell Franklin
http://www.designonastick.com/
When I think of all the “idiots” I’ve dealt with in jobs, none of them considered they were the idiots. After all these years and so many clients, bosses, and coworkers, I am more convinced than ever that these "special" people think they are doing an adequate, if not better, job each day.
Don't laugh but the person in the office or cubicle next to you or even people attempting to run the whole show may very well be one of these "idiots" and they no clue what the rest of you think of them.
Idiots come in all shapes, sizes, and positions. They can be CEOs, secretaries or engineers. They can be bosses, assistants or salesman. Those afflicted, for the most part, don't even feel the symptoms. Sadly, it is the rest of us that suffer the pain of our idiot coworkers. The sad but important thing to remember is you can’t you fix stupid!
Idiot bosses are the mutant hiccups of organizational evolution, with cockroach-like immunity to calamities that wipe out truly talented and creative people. Have you ever found yourself thinking “I’ve got nothing to really be pissed about but when I step into work I feel like my whole world is crashing down?” You feel a kind of anxiety or something. You can only put it down to the fact that, at other times, your body naturally does this as some kind of defense, to enable you to cope with the idiot/s you work with for 8 hrs a day.
But I find that even worse than an idiot boss is a clueless boss. This person is highly intelligent, can be a nice guy, but chooses not to be. Has to reword everything you write, tell you what you were thinking and how it was wrong, and constantly slows down the forward motion of a business simply because it is “not the way he envisioned it.”
They have specific words of phrases they have to fit into every written document. They think that by just placing their name and/or picture on things people will flock to purchase from your company. They criticize their employees constantly and always believe you have nothing more important to do than whatever they are currently wanting you to work on. They have to question each time you are ill and why did it take you so long to get better. They, making way more money than any of us, just can’t understand how you could have car trouble but don’t get it when you look at them weird when they ask you to take their car, on company time, to be looked at by the dealership.
The clueless boss will actually believe they know and understand you; I have even had them sit me down and try to explain me to me. Laughably inaccurate as it was it just let me know just how clueless they truly were.
And one of my favorite ways to know you have a clueless boss, no matter how little work they are actually doing they truly believe you can do more than you currently are, because they are swamped with “other things.”
My current boss can be an idiot at times but he is working on it and tries to ask humbly for help when he finds himself in to deep. He does have a few statements to live by that he spouts off a lot.
His favorite two are “Plan to be early and you are never late,” and “It is better to know where to find information that to try to have it all memorized.”
As my own boss we seem to get along ok, he threatens to fire me and I threaten to quit at least once a day but I can live with that.
I started this several days ago and was thinking of not posting it, worrying about how some would take it, but decided to just do it anyways. If you are finding this hits home, maybe you are one of the idiots I spoke of, work on it, you don't have to stay that way.
Ok, for those of you who want to read or add to some of these websites; here they are, enjoy them.
http://mybossisanidiot.com/
http://www.workrant.com/
http://www.iworkwithfools.com/
c Shell Franklin
http://www.designonastick.com/
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