Things that make you go... Hmm

Sometimes I wonder about the origin of common sayings. For instance, "The cops really manhandled that guy" or "Nice girls don't like to be manhandled".

Exactly what part of the body is the "manhandle" and is it appropriate to discuss in polite company?

Things that make you go... Hmm

Have you ever wondered why you can't tickle yourself?

Never thought about it?

Well, give it a try. We'll wait...

See, you can't do it, can you?

I guess there's more to tickling than the simple physical sensation.

I was thinking of other things you can't do to yourself and I almost mentioned that you can't really scare yourself. But that's not really true, is it?

Swiss Holiday... NOT Father's Day

National holidays can tell you something of a nation's identity - how the people view themselves. Consider the romanticized version of the English Pilgrim's experiences in Plymouth, MA that Americans celebrate as Thanksgiving each November. Several commonly-held beliefs about those events are open to criticism or alternative interpretations, yet Americans choose to celebrate the day as one of religious freedom, family gathering, perseverance, unity, and other virtues. To an outside observer, though, it could very well appear to be a more exemplary of American consumerism than of American values (assuming, of course, you choose not to believe that excessive consumerism is not a core American value).

Another example is the fervent celebration of worker's rights on May Day (May 1st) in France and elsewhere. Unlike the US Labor Day, May Day is notably more politically charged, including many demonstrations, strong union presence, near universal observance across the country, and clear undercurrents of socialism and the extreme political left.

You can also tell something about a nation and its people by the holidays they choose not to observe. For instance, Father's Day. Switzerland does not celebrate Father's Day. The Swiss do observe a day to honor fatherhood of a sort and, not surprisingly, it is religious in nature. The closest equivalent to Father's Day in Switzerland is the Catholic observance of Saint Joseph's Day in mid March, the day they honor Joseph, the husband of Mary and adopted father of Jesus.

In my opinion, the reason a real Father's Day is not observed in Switzerland is telling of the nation's priorities. In my opinion, the Swiss honor mothers, but not necessarily women. What I mean is that this nation values women for their role as mothers, but not for much else. On the flip side, men are not primarily respected for their roles in parenting children, but in providing for their family and fulfilling their responsibilities to their communities. Of course, that is simply my opinion.

Happy Father's Day.

Things that make you go... Hmm

The only time you hear someone respond "Don't mention it" is after someone else has already mentioned it.

That's kinda silly, don't you think?

If you don't want to sound silly you should say "Don't mention it" before the other person mentions it. That wouldn't be silly at all.

Out of the mouths of babes...

I set the timer on our television so our boys won't watch too much and it was about to expire recently, so Aidan asked Stephanie just after she arrived home from work to fix it so the show wouldn't turn off.

He them came over to me and said, "Mommy is a better mommy than you are, Daddy."

My only reply was, "Yes she is, kiddo, but not in the way you think."

Steph pumps up on the web

Stephanie's personal trainer maintains a website [www.fit4morefun.com] and asked "Dr. Stephanie", as he refers to her on the site, if he could include her photo in his gallery of clients.

You can see her lifting weights and crunching her abs here.

The gist of the German commentary beneath her photos is that by including weight-lifting in her fitness routine, she expends a lot of calories and burns fat even after her work-out because it encourages her metabolism to convert stored fat into energy. I assume she must be in the midst of doing deadlifts because he also says this is the best exercise for the legs, lower back, and hiney. And ab-training on the ball is fun and an excellent exercise assuming it's done correctly.

Two of the other clients featured are co-workers of hers. The trainer, Roger, used to be a competitive body builder and you can see a few of his photos from 20 years ago here.

Things that make you go... Hmm

Why is it that people always say "No offense intended" right after they say something that couldn't be interpreted as anything other than offensive?

For example, if you follow a statement like, "You are a dumb ass", with "No offense intended" that just confuses matters. Who's really the dumb ass? You for saying something dumb like, "No offense intended", or the other guy for whatever reason you called him a dumb ass in the first place? It's far better to leave your offenses exactly as you intended them so it's very clear who the dumb ass is.

If you feel compelled to couch such a statement, it might be better to say "With all due respect, you are a dumb ass" because everybody knows that whatever follows "with all due respect" is never, ever, in the least bit respectful.

Lisa Simpson and the London Olympics

The unveiling this week of the winning logo design for the 2012 summer Olympics in London has caused a great deal of public outcry in Great Britain. Initial response has been overwhelmingly negative.

Organizers were trying to target a younger audience with the "hip" design that is supposed to capture the vibe of the graffiti which can be seen all over the city, but they have received harsh criticism from many corners.

I heard an artist/designer criticize the fact that the logo expresses disharmony and division rather than unity and cohesion, a common ideal of the Olympic games. London's own mayor says this design is a "catastrophic mistake" and said the designers should not be paid.

Others have noted that it does not represent the city in a positive way and, if not for the printed word 'London', nobody would be able to connect this design to the city. Many past Olympic logos have included some identifiable motif of the host nation, as did London's own 1948 logo the last time they hosted the Olympic games which prominently featured Big Ben in the background.

Yet another criticism is that, when displayed in a flashing television ad, the logo has induced epileptic seizures (at least 22 cases have been reported) in some with photosensitive epilepsy.

Someone pointed out to me that the logo looks an awful lot like Lisa Simpson doing a Monica Lewinski impersonation. I couldn't see it until he pointed it out and now I can't see anything but.

Things that make you go... Hmm

What if... instead of 8 tentacles, octopuses (the term, octopi, is technically incorrect) had 6 or 10? Would we call them Sexapuses? Decapuses? Both words sound like they could refer to something other than a marine animal.

Oppressive Communism & GeeDubya.

Steph's parents just got back from a 2-night jog over to Prague during their visit with us. They absolutely loved the city and, like us, would recommend everyone add it to their lifetime list of travel destinations.

In my opinion, Prague should be counted among the "great cities of Europe" alongside Paris, Rome, London, Vienna, and a few others.

I just wanted to share this ad they noticed on the back of a tourist map. It is for the Museum of Communism. The Czechs are not in any way celebrating the communist years any more than American celebrate our Civil War or the institution of slavery, they are simply remembering it.

Take a close look at the tag line -

PARANOIA, PROPAGANDA, MILITARY INVASIONS.
NO, IT'S NOT GEORGE W'S AMERICA.

It is funny, yet sad. The foreign policy position of this administration & its attack on civil liberties in the name of securing our national interests is nothing new in other parts of the world. They lived through decades of similar regimes and are still paying the price.