Here’s a great contemporary explanation of two classic economic schools of thought at odds with each other: Keynes vs. Hayek.
The Dude falls on the Hayek side of the fence, but it seems the powers-that-be are Keynes lovers.
It’s amazing to watch this economic battle taking place all around us.
A new study says the key to success is working hard for short bursts and then taking a rest before getting back to it for another short, focused burst.
The King of Naps concurs.
Nature is amazing. Perfection.
Grass…hee, hee. 🙂 Always makes me laugh. Sounds so 70’s. Like Cheech and Chong.
A bit too much of a generalization? Ok, maybe all kids don’t need grass, but this little guy sure did.
This story is starting to make the rounds on the large news outlets. Dad secretly gives two year old son suffering from cancer medical marijuana…and the boy is cured! Alright, maybe not cured as a direct result, but it sure did play a large role.
I can’t even imagine the anguish that a parent feels watching their child suffer from a deadly illness, but to have the medical field dismiss natural medicines – with the potential to at the very least ease symptoms and pain and at best offer a cure – all while flooding that little body with an extremely toxic mix of chemicals is inexcusable.
Is right from wrong really this difficult for our society to figure out?
By the way, this isn’t fringe science, and it’s nothing new. Would you consider Harvard University as fringe? A 2007 study at Harvard University found that marijuana cut the tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduced the ability of the cancer to spread.
All while giving patients the giggles and a desire for Cheetos?
Oh, you’re right, we should stick to toxic chemicals that make us sick and cause our hair to fall out. That seems much safer than a natural plant with much safer and productive outcomes. Way to go science/medical/government. Sure feels like you’re looking out for us and not your own interests. (Can you pick up on my sarcasm? I’m laying it on pretty thick. – Tommy Boy anyone?)
All the while alcohol and tobacco are available at the nearest Kwiki Mart. Seem right to you? Seems like some ulterior motivates may be afoot.
Question authority.
Hats of to this dude for being an amazing dad.
Little Dude is approaching the 11 month mark. Mrs. Dude and I are pretty close to being the proud parents of a one year old. A one year old?! How did that happen? Where did the time go?
Wow. It’s a whirlwind, but it’s so fun, and Little Dude is coming into his own a little more every day.
He’s starting to clap, walking behind a new toy Grammie got for him, and overall enjoying his existence. A super happy guy, which makes me a super happy guy.
Here’s a quick view of L.D. enjoying life…
Are we really building “amusement parks” where we are willing to pay for kids to be exposed to mass marketing/consumerism and work in a mini-world as mini-adults?!
It seems like we are. Kidzania hasn’t arrived in the US yet, but it has locations around the world, and could be in your neighborhood soon.
Here’s Wikipedia’s definition:
Every KidZania is themed as a child-sized replica of a real city, including buildings, shops and theaters, as well as vehicles and pedestrians moving along its streets. In this city, children aged 2 through 14, work in branded activities from bottling Coca-Cola, working in a Crest-sponsored dentist office, and working at a McDonalds restaurant. The children earn KidZos currency while performing the tasks, and the money is kept in the KidZania bank for children to spend at the gift shop and on non-free KidZania activities. The blending of marketing has led The Morning News to dub KidZania as “advertainment”, stating “there is little that’s pretend, and the play revolves around following instructions from the adult Zupervisors.”
Sounds like a blast, right? Pay money to be exposed to marketing and work in menial jobs getting bossed around by Zupervisors for low wages that accumulate in fake banks (that probably lose your money on bad investments) so you can pay for more consumerism. Holy shit?! What’s wrong with us?
Really, I’m going to pay you to allow my kids to wash car windows and pump gas, all while you flash your company logos in our faces?
Adults don’t want to act like adults. Why would we make menial labor and purchasing junk seem like it’s fun for our children? How about some imagination, art, music, reading, physical activity, and god-forbid some non-big-business related fun? A beach perhaps?…and it’s free.
I can feel the brainwashing seeping into our domes…and it’s scary that we’re letting it happen.
Princess, Little Dude, please don’t ask; Kidzania is off limits.
Perhaps “Say It Ain’t So” needs to be a new regular installment for the Dude….an area where I wax poetically about the ways of the world. Eh, maybe not.
This works. I’ve been using the same razor for a month. For reals.
The Dude would not steer you in the wrong direction.
Only one way to find out…give it a whirl.
Little Dude Easter Bunny
Happy Easter from the Dudes. Little Dude makes one heck of an Easter Bunny.
We had some gorgeous weather and made our first trip to the beach for the spring season. The good news is Little Dude is not afraid of the water. The bad news is Little Dude is not afraid of the water.
In case you’re wondering where the Easter Bunny comes from, Newser has you covered…those crazy pagans.
The internet is full of urban legends and conspiracy theories.
Ever heard the one about Mr. Rogers being a tattooed military sniper with a number of confirmed kills? Yep, that’s an urban legend floating around the tubes of the interwebs.
Luckily the internet giveth and taketh away. It’s a feeding ground for rumors, but also for debunking rumors. Enter Snopes.com; the internet’s rumor clearing house.
Snopes confirms that Mr. Rogers was indeed a mild mannered, aged gentleman with no military background. Another victory for the power of the internet.
I’ve been slowly turning our yard into a garden oasis for the past couple years. I’m not sure Mrs. Dude would describe it with those words, but “garden oasis” is how it appears in my mind.
As part of my ongoing garden research, I started following a blog titled “The Archdruid Report.” I have no idea how I found it, but it’s interested me enough to keep me hooked for a few months. Mainly because the author has an extensive background in the conservation movement of the seventies and shares great gardening projects.
But as I’ve read the author’s work, it’s become clear that he holds some drastic opinions. Opinions about where our culture and our world are heading. These opinions center around the author’s belief in the fact that the world has passed the point of “peak oil.” As a result, there are an endless list of problems facing the world, and a significant level of distrust for the powers-that-be that have their own interests in mind.
These strong beliefs have benefited me by motivating the author to share his opinions and conservation techniques on the blank canvas of the internet, but how accurate are the beliefs? Where’s Snopes when you need it?!
The Dude has his own opinions on the direction of modern culture, but I haven’t taken the time to form an opinion on peak oil. I’ll admit it is an interesting topic, but there’s no easy answer…at least not with the incomplete information governments are willing to share and the “spin”that inevitably pours from political and big business cake holes. I’m sure science could form an educated opinion, but good luck avoiding political and big business influence to get to that opinion.
It’s a subject that I’ve consciously avoided. So I read the blog for it’s gardening and conservation tips, and it is well worth the time. But the author is a good writer, and his opinions seem well-informed. It’s difficult to remain entirely uninfluenced.
But last week I came across this article from Popular Science that reminds me to keep an open mind. Based on my Wikipedia research, Popular Science is a pretty well respected science publication. It’s no Snopes.com, but at least worth considering.
So, oil not made from dead dinos?! Sweet education system. Seems like we learn a lot of “facts” during our educational indoctrination, but I’m not sure we understand the definition of “facts.” Facts should be absolutes, right? Especially when the entire world seems to be built upon those “facts”?…i.e. petroleum and it’s limited availability.
The world is too much of a mystery. The Dude is sticking to his gardening.
I’m not going to buy the peak oil he’s selling, but I dig his gardening tips (ah, great pun!); the Archdruid says birds are good for the garden. Tree swallows to be specific. They eat flying insects.
Seems like a good idea to me. A great opportunity for a little DIY project and some added wildlife to the oasis.
I consulted a couple websites for design, and away we go….
Come on trees swallows, won’t you be my neighbor?
The Easter Bunny made an early delivery – thanks Nina ;). The Boy was in need of some sort of swinging apparatus, and the giant bunny carrying colored eggs came through big time.
Here’s a quick video of the Maiden Voyage. Little Dude clearly digs it…but not enough to stop eating.