Ok, I usually don’t go into politics too much. I learned one thing from my mom growing up and it’s this: there are two things you never discuss unless you’re looking for a fight; religion and politics. And there’s a good reason those lead to arguments. Both of these topics are so connected to our inner nature and personality that the second someone says their own view of religion or politics is better or that your views are wrong, we immediately go on the defensive. As you should because if you don’t you are not a person of strong conviction.

That being said, I have to just sit back and marvel at the political landscape over the past year. I guess I’m a political moderate. I agree with the Republicans on certain issues and Democrats on others. Because of that, I don’t take offense when one party calls out the other. The recent senatorial race in Massachussetts is a prime example. I have a friend who lives near me in the midwest who had some choice words for the people of MA due to the election results. His anger stemmed from the effect it would have on the healthcare debate. I have another friend whose mother is a government employee and is facing some health issues. There’s a lot of bureaucratic red tape this poor mom is dealing with, and as a result, my friend doesn’t want to see government healthcare. Now, in his State of the Union Address, President Obama calls out the Supreme Court for a decision they made recently. This caused a visible reaction from one of the justices. Of course, the justice is going to disagree otherwise he wouldn’t have voted the way he did in the case. Like the title says, politics is fascinating to watch. I believe in the democratic process, but boy, does it get funky sometimes.

I don’t post this to lessen the seriousness of computer viruses or the need for good protection.  But, I know a few people who go overboard in terms of sending warnings.  So, I think this parody from “Weird Al” Yankovic is quite humorous.

I beleive that life is interconnected in a way that lessons for one aspect can be taken from other aspects. Foxnews.com ran a slideshow story about older male celebrities and the cosmetic surgery they’ve had done. According to Fox news, all the men they selected are candidtates for the worst results ever. After going through their nominees, Mickey Rourke is the one I wholehartedly agree with.

If you remember what he looked like when he first broke into the scene, you will definitely notice the differences.

So, what is the lesson?  The choices you make can have drastic effects on your life.  Now, some decisions and choices are such that you can reverse the effects or mitigate them, but some are not like that.  Any big decision you get set to make, take a second and think of ANY consequences that you might encounter as a result of this decision.  If you’re ok with dealing with any negative feedback, then go for it.  If a consequence scares you a little, put the decision off for a while.

I was reading an article earlier today from Darren Rowse about blog posts. Bascially, I wanted to see what others are saying about post length. What Darren says is quite interesting.

If you plane to post something, ultimately the determining factor is the topic you pick for the day.  Some may say that long blog posts are are sure way to turn people away, but if you are writing a post on something that’s more detailed than normal, you’re going to need a longer post.  In general, keep normal posts under 1000 words.  You can get more great ideas by reading the entire post here.

With Haiti devastated, organizations worldwide have sprung into action.  Websites have been setup to collect monetary donations from anywhere there is internet access.  That’s what humanity is all about.  As a global community, reaching out to others in times of crisis, whether it is by donating time or money.  You can give to the relief effort by pledging here.

Hey, if you’re looking for more readers, try cross promoting your blog.  What I mean is write a blog post.  Then if you have a Facebook or Twitter account, mention it there and post a link to your recent post.  This will increase the possibility of capturing someone’s attention, even if they might know you.

If someone you know reads your post and leaves a comment, one of their friends might find out about it and read it too.  Here’s what I know; you’re not guaranteed this kind of result if you post on Facebook, but you are guaranteed no results if you don’t post on Facebook.

Who gets paid to come up with this kind of stuff?  I would love to make the money for doing this.  Someone from foxnews.com decided it was time to think about how a remake of Gilligan’s Island would be cast.  There isn’t a remake that I know of in the works; they just decided to do this for fun.  And their casting is inspired to say the least.  For the part of Gilligan, they selected Michael Cera of “Juno” and “Superbad” fame.  That’s inspired casting.  Who they picked for the Skipper is even better.

That’s right, the original James T. Kirk.  Not only is there a physical resemblance, but the idea of Shatner in this kind of a role would be perfect.  I would only take issue with their choice for Ginger.  I think Laura Prepon (Donna from “That 70′s Show”) would be the ideal Ginger if she lets her red hair come back.  That would mean Ginger would no longer be an airhead movie star, but one that is sassy.  I’d pay to watch this movie.

The great thing about blogs is that they can be much more than just an online diary or advice column. The internet’s capability to handle images, movies and other media means that your blog can contain so much more than just text. And with so many blogs competing for readers, you need to take advantage of all the internet has to offer.  Let the internet get its teeth into you.

photo from clicksense at Flickr.com

Thanks to Tony Hue for the idea.

At least I laughed.  Apparently, according to msnbc.com, NASA officials discovered small amounts of cocaine in one of the facilities at Kennedy Space Center.  So, while the shuttles are getting worked on, the workers are getting worked up.  Don’t get me wrong, space travel is the future and it’s a dangerous undertaking, but the idea of NASA employees doing drugs is a little on the humerous side.

This comes from MSNBC.

They released a story today listing 7 bad bedtime habits.  These usually keep people awake instead of helping them get to sleep.  One habit is reading a book.  Now, I like reading books, and I prefer the actual physsical book as opposed to an e-book, but reading puts me into a relaxed state that naturally puts me to sleep.  In fact, I can’t read a book during the day as it is a surefire way to get me to take an afternoon nap.

One habit they listed that I totally agree with is Facebooking in bed.  I enjoy Facebook and use it to keep track of distant friends, but doing so late at night is just not good.  It’s like flipping through the TV late at night when you know you should be sleeping.  Blogging is the same way.  Your ideas can wait until morning.  Your sleep and the benefits from sleeping mean more than what your blog says or your Facebook status.