Opinionated Blogs (1,909)

It has been so long since I last wrote and you will really think that I only bring bad news to your door. But where else can I go? Here in my own country nobody takes me serious when I speak. It is true what they say about prophets not being honored in their own land.

A lot of things have changed in Blogland. The trolls and their henchman have left; some by decree and other by own accord. A handful opted to stay on and it appears that they have been civilized now. It is sad that so many honored members of our society have also left for greener pastures. Their contributions to blogtax are certainly missed.

The warring clans of the past have all but buried the axe. By mutual disagreement, they disagreed to agree and as such ignore each other. A disagreement that seems to work rather well in preserving the peace.

We had a long period of peace and tranquility with only a few border infringements during the time. I’m happy to report that the insurgents were rounded up and deported every time before they could do much damage. Such cowards they are! They don’t attack us in the cities where we are strong but rather the remote farm areas where our law enforcement agency cannot police every day.

But all is not well. The Blog economy is in recession and not enough Blogtax comes in to make ends meet. The same blogs have to stay in circulation much longer now than a year ago. It is so bad that some have to pay double and even triple Blogtax to relieve the pressure on the blogs. With the decline in production, our Bitcoin currency has weakened to an all-time low and inflation is running havoc on our national budget.

The people are hungry and they’re getting restless. We have sporadic outbreaks of holy wars, which dampen the economy even further. The saddest part is that these power struggles are not between different religions but between factions within Christianity. Since the unexplained disappearance of Pope Simmo I, there appears to be no clear contender for the position and everybody seems to be competing for the post. The people fear that another holy crusade may be called soon.

To complicate matters, factions within other groups have joined forces in drawing up a petition to request the Emperor to reinstate the lion-feeding program that was initiated by one of his predecessors. The savings on strategic state resources and the increased revenue generated by entertainment tax may well tempt the Emperor to give in to their demands, which brings me to the real reason behind this letter.

With your proximity so close to the capital of the Holy Roman Empire, could you possible ask Emperor Connectus Simplex to summon the bishops and cardinals back to Nicea because the first council he held there in 325 AD (and as those that followed), created more problems than what it solved. There still is no unity or consensus amongst the Christians.

My friend, I must urge you to hurry. The time is short and the workers are few.


A wonderful day to all of you and may the Force be with you.

SistaCallie comments on the blog Turn the other cheek: There were only three comments that were made on this blog, the second and last comments were deleted by blogger. For those who do not know what I said in those comments, you can read for yourself. I had not planned on doing this, because this is but the blogger continues to make claims toward me on her blog AFTER deleting my comments. Praise God I saved my comments on her blog because I knew sooner or later she would delete them which would able her to make claims of things she perceived to be in my statements. I only have two of my posted comments, but the third comment was to in response to another blog, hopefully I will be able to find it.

First comment on Turn the other cheek by SistaCallie...
LJ, My questions to you are, who is suppose to be turning the other cheek for more slapping? The terrorist who are the enemy, or their innocent victims, who are being killed at the hands of the enemy for their creative work whether of mockery or not?... And what does it mean to turn the other cheek for more slapping when up against the enemies who are determined to war against us? Does this turning the other cheek for more slapping apply in such case? You supposedly are quoting what you THINK Scripture is speaking during a time of war, maybe you can also explain its meaning and application in such case as this.

Yes, if we ALL, which include the terrorists, were like Jesus we would not have wars or rumors of wars and especially terrorists. But we're not ALL like Jesus, nor are some even close to being remotely like Jesus, and there is a real enemy out there who desires to kill us. Therefore, does this Scripture passage you recklessly quote apply in such case as this? Where in Scripture does God command us to turn the other cheek to the enemy for more slapping from those who are at war with us? Sounds like another twisted double-meaning message to me, one point you suggest being like Jesus by turning the other cheek for more slapping from an enemy at war, and on the other hand you suggest in your questions:
LJ: TERRORIST- are here to agonize us, torrorize us with or without reason. We already know that. Why wait for some cause or reason to justify declaring war against them? Why don't we commit ourselves on identifying who they are, where they are and expunge them? AFTER ALL IT'S EITHER THEM OR US, RIGHT?

So what's going to be?... do we turn the other cheek for more slapping from the enemy, or does the enemy turn the other cheek for more slapping from the victims they kill for what they assume to be mock.

The concept of justice is one of philosophical thought and discussion. It is a concept that is based on many different points of view including appropriate moral correctness based upon equality, religion, ethics, rationality and fairness enveloped in philosophy, theology, religion and justice as defined by applicable laws which attempt to address applicable punishment. These concepts have evolved from Plato’s work in The Republic through the English writings often referred to Blackstone’s Law, up to the present day and as with a great many things, they are constantly evolving. And let’s not forget that the concept is very culturally dependent, particularly in view of the applicable punishments. In some cultures, capital punishment is considered as egregious as the act of killing; in others it is considered the only justice as quoted often as “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.

In simple, justice is man’s way for dealing with that which is perceived as unfair, unjust, and must be answered, and there in lay it’s greatest flaw. One would hope that there could be some form of standard, across the board, by which all could & would be judged. The very nature of our societal differences makes that all but impossible. The fact is, we are all different. We think differently; a balance of our own ideas, ideals, and mixed with those concepts taught to us as children. And if that were not enough, cultural differences can make a major difference in how justice is administered.

Oh yes, and let’s not forget that little fact of just how many people have faced capital punishment only to be found completely innocent years, decades, even centuries later because of some scientific or other revelation that nobody saw coming. Often those facts are based upon DNA evidence, often referred to as the one and ONLY scientific evidence that exists. That is said because all other forms like finger prints, voice prints, etc. were all developed and administered by people outside of the strict scientific community. While much of these tests and “evidence” is based upon high probabilities, it is rarely conclusive, in fact the “point” system used for fingerprint analysis as been lowered as a standard in order to make identification easier. Easier? Really? Yep, there are more than a few cases overturned because of questionable results and that is excluding shoty lab work.

Justice begets punishment and punishment begets … well, that’s a good question, isn’t it? In America a thief might get a few months jail time and probation. In Mexico he could be thrown in a rat hole of a prison to rot for any number of years, In Spain he could loose the hand that did the evil act and in other Arab countries it is a matter of simple execution. How do you know? How do you judge and more important, who should judge?

All of this comes out of my observations of recent news. Should the perceived “insult” of a religious figure result in public execution? Should those performing the execution be equally publicly executed? Why should the thing that makes us laugh also get us killed? If perceived figures that represent God, regardless of their name, be “off limits”, then why was mankind given a sense of humor or the ability to laugh? There are so many of these examples, yet there are very few answers other than hate and butchery. It causes a person to wonder, Is this God of ours, yours, and everyone else’s just running a massive experiment? Is it some test to determine who is indeed good and who is bad? If he gave us a brain to figure it all out, couldn’t he have left us better reasoning and a “book for all” regardless of language, religion, or perception? This is a prayer I offer now and then; I’ll let you know when I get an answer …..

The neighbor's dog woke me and I cannot complain too much about it because it was probably my cat that disturbed him but now I cannot sleep.

I was never much good at counting, and those sheep are too fast over the fence so I tried reading for fifteen minutes but the sleep refused to come.

Is there anybody who can sing me to Lala Land?

Developed by Walter Mischel in the late 60’s and conducted as a study at Stanford University in 1970, the test was rather simple. Take a child seated at a table. In front of them place a marshmallow and offer the child a choice between one marshmallow now, or wait approximately 15 minutes and receive two. In follow up studies the researches found that children that were able to wait longer for the preferred reward tended to have better life outcomes as measured by SAT scores, educational attainment, body mass index and a host of other life measurements. Simply put, those that waited longer had better self control, self determination, etc.

There are numerous web sites that talk about this. Personally I like the more clean and direct approach of the one found on Wikipedia, but all are very relevant. What got me interested in this was that the approach, based upon lessons learned, is now being used in a number of schools to help develop more self control in children that initially exhibit very little, if any self control. Yes, that’s right. They are showing that self control can indeed be taught to those that seemingly have none.

The significance here can be seen in everyday life all around you. Our country is currently embroiled in controversy because of apparent race issues vs. police issues. One simple thought is that, if you boil it all down, what we have here is a self control issue (perhaps on steroids) on many different sides. Seriously, look at the issue in Mo. A young man, unable to control himself, stole from a store, confronted an authoritarian figure several times and ended up dying because of it. At the same time, another young man, given a good deal of training & equipment, confronted another young man, lost his composure, acted impulsively (or as he was trained, some would say), and ended up taking a life when other measures could have been used.

Now, lets not get into a debate over the specific’s of that situation; there are many more that are similar to it also in the news. The point here is that, as in real life everywhere, we have a great many people that simply do not practice basic self control; yet we still have the ability to learn it. Up until seven years ago I never worried about a diet or self control, I ate whatever I wanted and never gave it a second thought. At the age of 52, diagnosed with diabetes I was faced with a risk/reward decision. Continue as I had and loose feet, legs, hands, eyesight and eventually my life much earlier than I should … or learn to practice self control in my diet, exercise, etc. and live substantially longer. I am now practicing that self control, not perfectly, in fact there are some days it is quite a battle but I know I can do it. I have a friend that is facing that same battle with alcohol and gambling … two VERY powerful foes, yet he has taken control of his life and while his daily battles are at least as great as mine, he continues to be successful.

As I look around me I see so very many examples of this exact situation every day, now seeing it clearly for what it is, I much more greatly appreciate it. My only regret is, as my father put it so well, I am unable to unscrew the top of so many heads and just pour the knowledge in there. So, my fellow “oldsters”, rejoice in the fact that yours is the power that comes from “knowing” and even if you are never able to convince anyone else, you will be content in the fact that you have figured it out. Occasionally you will be rewarded by a younger one that will actually listen and learn from your experience. Be it ever so rare, savor the moment, it is greater than all the marshmallows you could possibly eat!

I was brought up to see the good in people and as a result, I have been deceived and lied to more than often. I was always prepared to believe a person until given enough reason not to believe him any more.

But this is no longer so. I don’t know exactly when this change came about but it was with some mild shock that I came to realize that I no longer trust people. Sometimes I even doubt people who had never given me reason to do so.

Of course, I never tell people that I don’t believe them; nor do I alert them by probing for the truth. A liar at ease will soon betray himself.

Having been a college lecturer for more than 20 years I had to listen to countless excuses why a task was not completed in time or why a lecture was missed. I did not take such lies personal; they were gambling with their own futures, not mine. Being the keen observer of people that I am, I learned the telltales of a lie with time.

Liars will often place extra emphasis on the denial by the use formal language and will unconsciously send signals of anxiety by adjusting a tie or touching the hair. They may unconsciously smile when they believe that they have deceived you again. Sweating may also be a sign but the person may just me nervous.

They tend to give too much information in an effort to cover up their lies. They will have problems repeating the events around the lie in reverse sequence because it did not happen that way.

They will often repeat the entire question before starting to reply to it. This is to buy time to think about what to say. A person speaking the truth will maintain eye contact for about 60% of the time while a liar will often keep eye contact for much longer in an effort to create an image of honesty.

True emotions ‘leak’ through the best disguise when lying and is best witnessed when a person nods his head while denying something or shake it when confirming. Your body will often betray a lie. Liars often change their vocal tone when lying and will be hesitant in their speech.

A liar will subconsciously point his feet to the exit and will attempt to place physical barriers, (like water jugs or glasses) between himself and his questioners.

Unlike a liar, an honest person – when falsely accused – will be furious. However, they will still be co-operative and helpful while interrogated.

You will probably never see all these signs at the same time but when you see two or three the warning lights should flash. More than that and you can safely assume that you are being lied to. However, knowing that you are being lied to, is only part of the problem. Getting to the truth is another matter and this is where I play dumb and wait for the truth to surface.


Greeting to all of you from a hot and sunny Capetown.

Is it just me or is there an inordinate amount of creepy dudes on this site? I think this site should publish the names of the scammers out in the open so they won't collect anymore crucial information to add to their secretive lists they're working on daily. I'm aware that they will probably create a new improved version of scum and repopulate once again but someone should be proactive regarding the matter.

How do you feel?

If you think that attractive people have it easier then you are absolutely correct. Being attractive is an advantage that should not be taken lightly.

Research has proved that attractive people are perceived to be smarter, more successful, more dominant, more sociable, more trustworthy, more pleasant, and mentally more stable than less attractive people are.

It is said that a good-looking child gets more attention from his parents than his/her uglier siblings do. Scientists believe that parents unconsciously spend more time with their more attractive children because they are seen as better genetic material.

Teachers show preference to more attractive learners as they see them as more promising. Because they get more attention, they work a bit harder, and their work is graded a bit more lenient, they have a better chance of getting bursaries.

Attractive job applicants have a 30% higher callback rate for a second interview. Attractive employees are seen as more valuable as they are thought to project a more favorable image of the company. As such, they usually earn up to $5000 more P/A compared to their less attractive colleagues. So yes, it pays to be attractive.

When charged with a crime, an attractive accused is more likely to be perceived as not guilty. However, when found guilty of embezzlement, swindling, or fraud, attractive people are mostly punished more severely. Justice is not blind, merely biased.

But all in all, an outer appearance is but skin-deep and must perish at some stage while the inner beauty will prevail. If you are not attractive, do not despair for you are sure to have other assets to offset the unfair advantages of a pretty face.


A great day to all my friends (and everybody else) out there.

I had a friend at work, she gets on my nerves so bad many times,her dreams, fears, joys, sorrows, desires and defeats, oh well she has her desk across from me, and everyday its just tormenting.

Just imagine, trying to listen to someone and do something that needs your full concentration, I wonder if the battery ever runs dry.

If she was my age, I would have to shut her up right there and then but she was like 12 years older than I am so I had to
sit there and listen to all her shit,,,,

My current job is very toxic....THe management and Chef's are allowed to abuse the waiters and waitresses.....Leaving work leaves one drained and empty. I am a very patient person...but, of course I am looking for a new position in a different job. Do you work in a toxic environment and how do you cope??? (See my blog on energy vampires...)