Tuesday, February 28, 2023
"Would you like to go ahead of me?"
Often, when shopping at Aldi, I like to ask the person with 5 items behind me if they'd like to go in front of me. The person always seems pleasantly surprised, and says, "Yes! thanks!"
They never say,
"No, that's all right. It will take me at least twice as long to buy these 5 items than it will take you to buy your cart full. You see, besides simultaneously using my phone while at the checkout, I will be using 3 different methods of payment, and each will take at least 2 minutes. Then after my transaction is finally over, I'll remember that I need to buy a bag. Then I will be slowly removing my items from the same cart that the cashier is putting your items into. So, no, I'll stay back here and wait."
They never say,
"No, that's all right. It will take me at least twice as long to buy these 5 items than it will take you to buy your cart full. You see, besides simultaneously using my phone while at the checkout, I will be using 3 different methods of payment, and each will take at least 2 minutes. Then after my transaction is finally over, I'll remember that I need to buy a bag. Then I will be slowly removing my items from the same cart that the cashier is putting your items into. So, no, I'll stay back here and wait."
Sunday, February 26, 2023
Saturday, February 25, 2023
Thursday, February 23, 2023
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Tuesday, February 21, 2023
Saturday, February 18, 2023
Friday, February 17, 2023
Kai Music Journey
Families are complicated. Sometimes "close family" isn't so close. Sometimes you meet family you didn't know you had. Marrying a Hmong woman hasn't always been easy. Sometimes I feel the need to maintain my personal culture, while being pressured to follow foreign ideas. Things like 3-day Hmong funerals test everyone.
But after three Hmong funerals for close family in 2022, I learned, relearned and learned a third time that I have (Hmong) cousins in Milwaukee. And one of my young nephews, endured a health crisis that left him blind. But it also left him, and his family determined. Kai has now set off on a journey. Journeys always lead to somewhere. I invite you to watch (on Facebook) Kai Music Journey.
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Removal of Police from Schools = Fail
Pay attention now those of you who thought it was a good idea to remove police liaison officers from schools...
Tuesday, February 14, 2023
Sunday, February 12, 2023
George Santos Wins Super Bowl!
George Santos! You just won Super Bowl 57! What are you going to do next?
Saturday, February 11, 2023
CuTRis Shoots Object Over His Yard
CuTRis Shoots Object Over His Yard
UnAssociated Press
February 11, 2023
At 1:00PM CST today, CuTRis using a slingshot, reportedly fired at an unidentified object flying over his yard in St. Paul, Minnesota. It may have been a Chinese Spy balloon, the Goodyear Blimp, or possibly a sparrow. The object was hit, and reportedly flew in wide circles before crash landing in the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South Carolina. The U.S. Navy is not looking for the wreckage at this time.
Friday, February 10, 2023
Stop the Tactic of Dehumanization
I have been thinking about the tactic of dehumanizing an enemy. It has long been used in warfare to make it easier to legitimize harming and killing other people. It starts with language. By calling your adversary an animal, particularly something like a rat, you begin the process of conceptualizing people as vermin. From there, the propaganda generally transforms into pictures, these might include political cartoons--but with the advent of computers, people have gotten very creative. The images are often dismissed as humorous, but the level of acceptability keeps getting pushed to more extremes.
There tends to be a lack of reality in the propaganda of dehumanization. It is about changing the viewpoint of the population to seeing a person or more likely a group of people, as inferior and not deserving basic human rights. Truth is not important.
While it has been in the realm of politics, more recently, perhaps with the rise of Donald Trump, dehumanization reached new heights in politics in the USA. Some people show no restraint in name calling and blaming others unjustly. Combining that with the growing use of social media, it has pushed the tactics of dehumanization into daily communications over social media and biased news sources. Once the language and images have painted the adversaries as subhuman, physical violence becomes the avenue for deranged individuals to convince themselves that they are doing something about the perceived threat.
We can stop this ugly trend by rejecting the offensive language, insulting images, and blatant lies and fabrications. Use your better judgment before participating in the hate. We owe our children a better world than that.
-KJC
There tends to be a lack of reality in the propaganda of dehumanization. It is about changing the viewpoint of the population to seeing a person or more likely a group of people, as inferior and not deserving basic human rights. Truth is not important.
While it has been in the realm of politics, more recently, perhaps with the rise of Donald Trump, dehumanization reached new heights in politics in the USA. Some people show no restraint in name calling and blaming others unjustly. Combining that with the growing use of social media, it has pushed the tactics of dehumanization into daily communications over social media and biased news sources. Once the language and images have painted the adversaries as subhuman, physical violence becomes the avenue for deranged individuals to convince themselves that they are doing something about the perceived threat.
We can stop this ugly trend by rejecting the offensive language, insulting images, and blatant lies and fabrications. Use your better judgment before participating in the hate. We owe our children a better world than that.
-KJC
Tuesday, February 07, 2023
State of the Union... One Side Clapping..
State of the Union... One side clapping, one side sitting angrily. Just like the people who have to tell you that you're wrong and not as smart as they are if you have a different view. It's just more polarized hatred. It's destructive. It needs to stop. We can't change others, but we can change ourselves.
Sunday, February 05, 2023
Saturday, February 04, 2023
George Santos Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon
George Santos Shoots Down Chinese Spy Balloon
UnAssociated Press
February 4, 2023
Earlier today, it was reported that George Santos shot down the Chinese spy balloon, using a missile he keeps in his pants for use on these occasions.
Friday, February 03, 2023
CuTRis Flys Balloon Over China
CuTRis Flys Balloon Over China
UnAssociated Press
February 3, 2023
After learning about a Chinese spy balloon over Montana, CuTRis bought a helium balloon from Dollar Tree, that says, "Happy Birthday." He is now flying it over China. When asked why he is doing this, CuTRis shrugged and said, "just to freak them out."