Memorial Day weekend, when US citizens remember and thank those who have given service to the country and especially those who have died doing so.

In addition, I wanted to add something I heard this morning from the mother of a veteran. As we go through life we encounter people who have lost someone very close to them, the older we get the more this will happen. Sometimes, out of good intentions, perhaps meaning to be polite, perhaps not wanting to make someone sad, we stop talking about the deceased loved one with the surviving family. Again, I think often this is done with the best of intentions.

This mother said we should never feel we have to do that. She said when friends and family would quite noticeably not mention her son, month after month, it felt to her like her son never existed to them. She knew they were trying to be polite but it hurt her nonetheless. Survivors want to hear about their loved ones on occasion, they want to hear someone else bring them up, mention some way they were touched by the person, or just tell a funny story. They don't want to forget, and they don't want *you* to forget that the person existed.

So next time you have a visit with someone who has lost someone very dear, consider using your voice and your passion to invoke their name and make the survivor smile. You might make their day. It was a different Memorial Day message and one I intend to act on with a couple people I know.

On the other news, for my European friends, it seems far-right movements including UKIP made big gains across the front in the parliamentary elections. Opinions about this probably atrocious development?

Looks like people are now willing to kill in the name of internet memes.

"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook

"Fair trade" turns out to hurt more than help.

"The past is not some static being, it is not a previous present, nor a present that has passed away; the past has its own dynamic being which is constantly renewed and renewing." - Claire Colebrook

Do you still live in TX Doc? I feel pity mixed with admiration for you for that.

For resilience. And for not having killed yourself.

I hope you choose your victims well Tongue

American Student Ends Up Trapped in Giant Vagina Sculpture

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/american-student-ends-trapped-giant-vagina-sculpture-n138311

Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...

^^ Welcome to today's world

“War is peace.

Freedom is slavery.

Ignorance is strength.”

― George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four

"Ignorance and Prejudice and Fear walk Hand in Hand"- Neil Peart

Blacksword wrote:

Dayvenkirq wrote:

Someone on Twitter linked me to this article.

This is just a way of infringing on a civil liberty. They were after privacy, they are after abortion. They might as well be after the right for a dude to lay his eyes on another dude. What's next? The right to take a piss?

A bit of a confused post there...

So what is tour actual position on this. Do you support the protestors right to voice their opinions wherever they want, even in the patients faces, or the right of the pateints to not be harrased and intimidated outside the clinics by bible bashing lunatics?

Genuine question.

What part of it sounds confused to you? This is a straightforward article. And that's actually something I've forgot to mention (so I'm glad you brought that up): the clash between two rights in this particular scenario.

However, it's not the right to express yourself vs. the right of not being harassed (and I haven't heard of the latter; better say the right to express yourself vs. the law against harassment). As far as I can see, it's the right to assemble vs. the privacy and private affairs (which entail abortion). But can you see how those protesters assemble? They are practically walling out patients. So, what is this with the removal of those buffer zones? Isn't standing around a clinic enough, but they have to implicitly tell the rest of the lot: "Hey, no abortions, so s#$%w you." That ruling power in Massachusetts. (I believe something happened with the elections, so now it's probably mostly the Christian right at the seats, but what do I know?)

Now, I have nothing against the right to assemble, but this is f$%king insane (including the part of displaying those disgusting pictures, so thank you so much, the Christian right). People using their rights to counter the rights of others - who would have thunk of it? ... And there is nothing we the civilians can do about it - that's the part that really gets me.

Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 14 2014 at 10:26

News of the day

American Student Ends Up Trapped in Giant Vagina Sculpture