Whew I am not a cold-hearted mean, cruel, evil, amoral individual. Anyone who knows me knows I love seafood. Yummy! Being fathers day guess who gets to pick dinner. Woo hoo!

One draw back about seafood that haunted me in the back of my mind. To cook shellfish they take the crab or lobster, and throw it in a pot of boiling water alive. Some claim to hear it go EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Being the overtly macho guy I am, I think that is terrible I can’t do that to a living thing!  You can hit it between the eyes with an ice pick before boiling, but I doubt many go to the trouble.

Hurrrray for research, and the evidence. A meta-study of literature, EKG & brainwave studies show that they do not suffer. Crustaceans are relatively unchanged for over a billion years, they survive as is and had no reason to change. They are in no way direct ancestors.  More importantly they are nothing more than bugs we are not grossed out eating.

Their nervous system is primitive and it has a nerve bundle not a brain. It can do very very simple learning, but most of its reaction is instinct not thought. So when it thrashes for a few seconds it is reflex not suffering, the nerves and brain cannot register pain, just a rapid temperature change.  The screaming sound is steam going through the shell. Where a higher animal would be terrified, a lobster can’t be, it is not equipped to be.

Yes much of this research was to investigate PETA claims. PETA claims that dropping a pig or a dog into boiling water is the same as a lobster. No it is not, a dog or a pig will suffer and be terrified as they are highly evolved animals with excellent brains and nervous systems. So PETA’s full-page ad is essentially bunk. Say straw man!

I support not being cruel to animals, but when we can eat with no more guilt than squishing a spider, that is different.  A cabbage feels no more suffering being picked, than a lobster being cooked. Crabs are essentially spiders, actually less evolved than spiders. Spiders are much more intelligent tests have shown, some scientists wonder why they never became sentient, they are predatory and can grasp like our early ancestors did, and they do think strategically. (Cold bloodedness and un-evolved respiratory system is probably the answer to no higher evolution)

So pass the plate and some drink, I am not an evil bastard for enjoying my seafood.

Just the Facts!

I used to think that when you wanted to watch drama you would rent or tune into the appropriate program. It seems stupid drama has taken over everything including news programs. Another popular topic this election year is that news media stinks with bias. 

Here is a silly yet somewhat accurate to the style news reports these days

Newsguy: Hello our breaking story at the top of the hour is that the president farted today while in a meeting with the vice president, secretary of defense, and the joint chiefs, lets go to our Washington correspondent.

Washingtonguy: Thank you, yes it is confirmed that while meeting with the vice president, the secretary of state, and the joint chiefs, the president ripped on through his trousers. It was reported to be five to seven seconds long, reverberated his chair, and smelled like sulfur and burnt tires. The secret service escorted the officials out of the Oval Office, and supervised while fans were placed in the office and windows opened. The meeting returned after an all clear was signaled and the Lysol dissipated.  Terrorists are not, I repeat terrorists are not suspected in altering the presidents diet.

Newguy: Thank you, now joining us to sort out what this all means is someone from each party, one of those, and one of these.

One of those: The president handled this appropriately and with honor. The president is only human and this will happen.  What we do need is a committee to establish a flatulence committee so we can have a national presidential gas plan. We would be able to run the country if that other party would shut their yaps.

News guy: Now we will hear from one of these

One of these:  This president is a disgrace, this is proof he talks out his butt.  What is next for this administration pooping in meetings? Will the president meet with the prime minister of Canada, drop his drawers and crap all over him? Where does it end. If that other party had not blocked our crap bill this would not happen. They need to shut their yaps!

Sheep person1: Can you believe those idiots attacking the president!

Sheep person2: What a useless president, talks out his butt sheeze!

Average person: Why did the president call for a meeting with the VP, and the joint chiefs? What did they talk about? What are they planning to do? Hello? Anyone?

When they surveyed college aged people about news and a majority got their daily news from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert the news organizations did not think of it as a wake up call, but when on the attack, calling Stewart and college kids idiots. Jon Stewart never claimed to be news, he is on Comedy Central, he is satire. All he does is play back what politicians say, and it is so ridiculous it is funny. It seems claiming to be satire gives him some honestly and credibility so people watch it, figuring it is no less accurate.

It must be that someone well dressed relaying facts is too boring to sell advertising. People think news should be like Indiana Jones, flashy, exciting, and to hell if it is real or not. When a topic is who has the sexiest news reporters, well you see the news in not the issue, entertainment is.

Others do not want to hear facts and draw their own conclusions. They want the facts to support their conclusions true or not. They want the truth packaged in a pretty little box, with a pretty ribbon, so they never have to open it and look inside. Their little bubbles all secure and happy, the happy bubble of denial, instead of knowing it might pop, and being able to adjust real life with real information.

People want drama, emotion, and to call others idiot. It is exactly like that moment of hate Orwell warned us about in 1984. Trained journalist with ethics review processes have been replaced with pundits.  Pundits then say the most outrageous stuff to “piss off” the other side, then the other side responds, on and on we go. There is a market for that, but it should not be considered mainstream news.  People do not trust the news, yet we need to make important decisions, black market news is getting popular, but as with any information buyer beware. Provided one does think and not just blindly accept any info to keep their happy little bubble intact.

Truth is not a purchase decision, you can’t say I paid for truth I get what I want, it had best say what I want or it is not the truth, I want it all, and I want it now! Truth is not a made to order commodity with pretty colors and fancy widgets. Truth requires a validity process to check integrity, check the facts to support the conclusion, and potential falsification must be admitted. Truth can be ugly and one must face that, but when the truth is pretty, you can know for sure it is real, thus the beauty is more than skin deep.

And that’s a fact jack!

Something that has always made me uncomfortable on May 3^rd is that my wife’s and my father’s birthday are on the same day.  It has gotten a bit worse over the years and drives me batty. 

First off my parents no longer are married and do not live together, actually they do not speak and have disowned each other.  My father and Becky do not really get along either, and my step mom and Becky are not going to be close. All tolerate each other and work to get along for the sake of the rest of us. We appreciate and understand this.

Each year about a week or two before this day my father will ask if we are coming to his house to celebrate birthdays.  Of course one would ask this it is only logical.  What makes it awkward for me is that I am my father’s only son, and hate to not be there. However obviously I am my wife’s only husband. (Unless she has news for me ha ha) I hate the thought of leaving someone out on their day.

I do feel I have a stronger obligation to my spouse. Her comfort, safety and well being are my responsibility. So it is a given one would indulge their spouse on their birthday.  Most of the time my wife wants my mom to come over, and they go shopping and have dinner at a restaurant. That is a very reasonable request for one’s birthday, and my mom likes doing that. 

However me knowing this I dread the call from my father, and begin to think of alibis to decline going to his house without insulting.  I know he would be unintentionally hurt knowing Becky wants to see my mom (her mother in law) and not bring the grand kids and such and celebrate at his house.  But again my obligation is to my spouse first. I send a card, and gift, and am sure to call him. I also place high on the list to get see him soon. It is the best I can do, but I still feel bad.

I really need to stop the alibi thing, because it is dishonest in all reality. It might be a white lie to save feelings, but if something has lie in it’s name, that makes what it is academic.  Grey area is for politician and defense lawyers who play games something is true, or it is not true. I should just suck it up and say what her plans are, what I intend to do, and when I plan on seeing my father again. Polite but “this is how it is” sort of thing.

I did not set out to marry someone with the same birthday, I did not cause my parents to part ways, so any issue is not my fault. My father has a large stepfamily to spend this day with so there is no loss.

Of course lying is not any solution. How can I be a good spouse, a good father, a good health professional, or even a good person if I am a liar?  If you tell lies, the only logical conclusion is that you get exposed as a liar. Then any thing you have said, any thing you say, or anything you say in the future is questioned because those who must count on you exposed you as a liar.  (Crying wolf)

I it seem there really is not any moral dilemma, just correct action, and me cutting through the crap.