OK, here I am watching CSI: Miami, and I realized that the name of one of the murder victims is the same as one of my friends from University. Creepy.
Still getting all your news from TV, newspapers, and radio? Are you really so naive as to believe that what you see/hear is in any way unbiased and without ulterior motive? (Did you ever notice that naive is Evian spelled backwards?) Media companies are, first and foremost, BUSINESSES, whose goal is to make money, not provide information. And since our politicians are so dependant on the media for their success, guess who sees favour in the eyes of the lawmakers? The lesson here is to learn to take everything with a grain of salt. Think about WHY they are telling the story, and the way they’re chosing to tell it. And most importantly, actually put some thought and effort into educating YOURSELF about daily events. Find sources of truly independant (if that even exists), or at least alternative, viewpoints. Thankfully, the internet has provided a plethora of interesting and stimulating founts of information. A great place to start is the Guerrilla News Network. Now I’m not saying that they are any less biased, but it does offer you the other side of the spectrum. Once you’ve opened your mind to both sides of the information equation, you get to start scratching at the wonderful world of the truth… somewhere in the middle. It’s called thinking for yourself, a bit of a foreign concept for most, and definitely not what many would like you to start doing (all the more reason to, IMHO). Good luck, try not to hurt your brain (remember what I said about stretching?).
Now, on the other end of the intelligence spectrum: ever see Married… With Children? One of, if not THE, greatest sitcom(s) ever!! They invented the “slob-com”, the idea of a TV family that wasn’t all sunshine and smiles. And the king of all TV dads, AL BUNDY, set the standard for the self-pitying deadbeat loser. Ed O’Neill is a truly amazing comedic actor, and if you ever caught him in any of his post-Married projects, I think he proved himself more than capable in other worlds as well. Well Happy Birthday Ed! In honour of this great man and all the inspiration he has given us, I present BUNDY PUNCH: 1 1/2oz Bundaberg Rum (sugarcane rum from Australia), 1/2oz Cointreau, 2oz OJ (careful, it’ll kill ya!), 3/4oz grapefruit juice, 2tsp Coconut Cream, 2tsp Grenadine. Shake over ice, pour into a cocktail glass (over crushed ice ideally), top with a splash of 7-up. This drink went over very well, though I think it would have tasted better with pinapple juice instead of grapefruit. Here’s hoping I get the chance to share a few of these with The Man one day.