Money Monday

"It's always more fun when money and conversation flows both ways."

Monday is always the busiest day of my week. Somehow, money always comes in on Mondays. I don't know why, it just works out that way. Maybe most of our customers write Accounts Payable checks on Thursdays or something.

The past few weeks, it seems like I've been writing a ton more checks than I've been depositing. We're in the middle of adding 2,000 sq. ft. to our building, we recently bought the important parts of an airplane that will fly no more, we're brokering some parts that are expensive - and we have to buy them before we sell them. I've got a new server on the way, which I actually bucked the system and ordered before the old one dies. Business is good, but circumstances over the past few weeks have - well, let's just say my butt's been a little puckered.

Unfortunately, the deal with my job is that these kinds of problems are mine and mine alone. I don't tell anyone else about them because if they get concerned about cash flow, they make decisions differently than they normally do, and that almost always costs money in the end. So, it is my cross to bear when things get turned upside down from time to time.

This upside down economics evidently works fine for the government. I don't understand how, but somebody evidently does. But I do know that it doesn't work for our little business. I've been waving my Harry Potter wand over the computer screen every morning for the past couple of weeks, counting on timing to work out right.

Today especially, I want to say "Thank You" to all of our customers who paid their bills on the past couple of Monday's. You have really helped Monday to be my favorite day of the week!

(Now my bro wants to buy a new hot tub. Sheeesh!)

'Not Yes' Usually Means 'No'

"Failure to answer the question is an answer all by itself."

A couple of days ago, I posted some comments about saying "Yes" on purpose, knowing full well that saying "Yes" to one thing automatically says "No" to many other things. My exhortation was to say "Yes" when it's appropriate, but be aware of what you're saying "No" to in the process.

Today, I am reminded of another principle about good decision making: For a decision to be a good decision, you actually have to make one. Failure to do so is every bit as much of a decision as either "Yes" or "No" - and the decision usually turns out to be "No". Hem-Hawing around, scratching your nuts, watching the baseball fly right over your head while you try to decide whether or not to catch it is a decision by default.

I am convinced that more decisions are made through indecision than by any other method. It's the cheesy-easy out. If you don't decide then (you think) you're not responsible for the outcome. If the result of something doesn't turn out to be the very best answer, one can always say, "It's not my fault, I didn't make that decision". Yeah, you let indecision make it for you. That's smart.

There are about a zillion causes of indecision. They range from needing someone else's approval, fear of doing the wrong thing, a feeling that the planets aren't lined up exactly right (or some other set of ambiguous factors) so you can't decide, not enough time to think it through, etc. Meanwhile, the whole universe sits and waits on you to figure out what you're gonna do until indecision decides for you and takes you off the hook.

Personally, I think things would be better if people would look at their choice, make a decision - and if they can't say 'yes', just say 'no'. Indecision will probably say 'No' anyway, so take yourself and the rest of the universe off the hook at the same time, and just say 'No' and be done. Sure, you have to accept the consequences of the "No'. You can't claim to be just an innocent bystander. But you and the rest of the whole universe can know that the answer is 'No' and go on, rather than sitting around waiting for you to make up your feeble mind.

And another thing: "Yes, but ..." is no better. "The answer is yes, but these eighteen things have to happen before my I'll really do it." That's also the same as saying, 'No.'

If 'No' is the right answer, just say it. At least have the genital fortitude to say it on purpose. Life will go on, and if anyone will be pissed at you for saying 'No', they're gonna be just as pissed at your indecision.

Damn. More Politics

"Whachagonnado?"

OK, so whazzup in Wisconsin? At first glance it looks pretty simple. Unions want to protect their hard earned sugar tit, and the state legislature says it can't afford them anymore. At second glance, the reason the state can't afford the unions is because they just passed a big 'ol tax cut for small businesses and corporations while cutting funding for all kinds of social programs. At third glance, the problem is that nobody in Wisconsin has the money to afford the state budget. Corporations don't want to pay for it, people don't want to pay for it. Everybody wants somebody else to pay for it.

Well, Wisconsin (and the whole rest of the whole world for that matter), Good Luck With That.

I promise, I'm not picking any fights here. I don't live in Wisconsin, and don't have a dog in this fight. I think there is no good answer. Either the unions lose, business loses or the budget loses.

I just listened to some belligerent rant from a radio guy in New York (who also doesn't live in Wisconsin or have a dog in this fight). He was for the unions and democrats and against the republicans. I really enjoy, as I always do, the passion. I love seeing people get all fired up about this stuff and make their cases. This guy's case was about a third right and two-thirds bullshit. A cursory Internet search for some of his facts clearly shows he is distorting and manipulating the situation such that it conforms to his rant. (Sounds a lot like some closed minded conservative Christian preachers.) But that's what politics is about, so no foul there.

Then the rant deteriorated in to a name calling session. Anybody who disagrees with this guy is a stupid, mentally incompetent idiot who should not be allowed to vote, eat or even exist. And I'm convinced he really thinks that.

Passion is great. But when you can't think of anything to say except for calling people names, please shut up! Oh, never mind. I''ll just find a different website to explore.

Life For The Fun Of It

"Music to drown by...Now I know I'm in First Class."

I guess the article I read and my previous post, combined with my meager efforts to document why I believe in Christ and the Christian worldview makes my mind drift from 'sex for the fun of it' to 'life for the fun of it''.

In a way am jealous of people who can genuinely think like this. All of the things I lack and strive for would be summarily dismissed if I were able to live life with the singular objective of having fun. I know some really shallow people who pretty much live this way. All that matters is having a good time.

But at what cost?

Saying "Yes" to one thing always automatically says "No" to many other things. Plus, we live in a cause/effect world where our actions are judged by their impact and the repercussions they cause. On one hand, repercussions and effects of my actions would either be fun or I would dismiss them as unimportant (I guess). On the other hand, reactions to my actions could easily cause me more pain then the pleasure I received initially - not to mention the mess they could leave behind in the lives of others.

Many things in my life are not very fun, but they are important to me. I don't want to say "No" to them. Many other things that I think are important are also lacking or missing in my life altogether. But I still don't think I want to say "No" to them either.

I think I want and need to strive to grow, accomplish, learn and achieve. I think that to do less is to be less than human; less than we are created to be. Even though there are periods in life where all I can see are my failures and shortcomings, there are other times when I am very proud of who I have become and who I am growing into.

The only way I think I could buy the 'life for the fun of it' mentality is if I actually believed that life is nothing more that what I see around me and I have no destiny except to die one day. I'm not sure anything could be fun in that context.

But, alas, I wish I had more fun.

Sex For The Fun Of It

"Just a little fun between friends."

I read an article recently about the upside of casual sex. With my background and worldview, I'm not really wired this way. But even though this article is not the first of its kind, it caught my attention. The premise of the article is that gratuitous sex (sex without emotional drama, any real commitment or any connotation other than fun for an hour or two) has no downside, and promotes many good things in the human psyche.

Among the benefits the article highlighted are: Good source of physical activity, Helps maintain youthful (not childish) outlook, Temporary escape from reality, Relief from boredom (which I agree is one of life's biggest problems), Promotes self esteem, Supports the need for conquest and competition, and a Well deserved reward.

I can see where the author is coming from. Personally, I'm long over my image of sex as an expression of religious purity. Standing against sexual immorality is one of the biggest areas of life where conservative Christians show themselves to be entirely hypocritical. But I could also list most of these as benefits to joining a bowling league or playing tug of war with my dog, or riding my new bike around lake Hefner.

The article mentioned the potential for casual sex to lead to unhealthy relationships, but only if one breaks the rules by actually assigning some significance to the activity, which makes sense. The concept of NSA fun specifies 'No Strings Attached'. Attaching emotional strings to this behaviour obviously breaks the most basic rules of the game, and if somebody does that they deserve to get hurt.

Albeit from a great distance, in my observations of sex for fun, there is something I think the article failed to discuss. This kind of sex often (I would say almost always, but I'm not qualified to make that observation) involves an abundance of alcohol and drugs, thus combining three potentially very addictive, self destructive tendencies into one activity. Sex for fun is evidently much more fun if everyone involved is drunk or high. Alcoholism, drug addiction and sexual addictions are hard enough to overcome individually. Put them all together and the outcome is not pretty for anyone and fatal for way too many. All three of these issues are addictive and chronic. Sex that starts off fairly mild  has to get wilder and wilder to maintain the benefits the article promotes. Otherwise it looses its intrigue and becomes nothing more than bowling, bike riding or playing with a dog.

I've always viewed self esteem as the same thing as self worth. Self esteem comes from being of some value to the world at large, from contributing something positive to life on earth. Self esteem doesn't come from a certain activity, or something that I do. Self esteem comes from who I am as reflected (documented, made real) by what I do.

So how would being some drunk asshole's 2:00 AM booty call give me self esteem? Having self esteem is a different thing from feeling pleasure. Pleasure is no more a substitute for self esteem than food that smells good is a substitute for food that tastes good and is good for you.

I guess I just live on a different planet then the author of this article or those who think this way. I've only really been sexually attracted to people who I respect, admire and am proud of. Cute guys are everywhere, and they're fun to look at, but I don't really want to take one home. I don't like being drunk or high. But I long to connect with someone I admire who also respects, admires and is proud of me. Really good, frequent, productive, passionate, intimate sex would be but one of the benefits to that kind of relationship. I sure which I could find one.

It's A Sun Fart!

"What were you doing at 7:56 PM on Valentine's Day?"

Whatever it was, it probably wasn't nearly as dramatic as the sun above. Evidently, there was a large coronal mass ejection (CME) from the sun's southern hemisphere, resulting in an X-Class solar flare. The 'gas' of charged particles and radiation blasted toward the earth at 560 miles per second, and started interfering with radio transmission in southern China as early as Monday. Impact from the solar flare is expected to continue through today. Radio transmissions, satellite communications and power grids around the world are vulnerable to this storm.

Some potential damage estimates are as high as Two Trillion Dollars in the U.S. alone. (Damn. So much for my tax refund.)

So I'm sitting here this morning trying to remember the last time I had a good old fashioned CME. I guess I won't share that story. Let's just say it was ... oh, let's just not say! (But it wasn't a billion miles wide.)

In a way, it's kind of awesome. The power of it all, the frailty of life on earth when looked at from a cosmic perspective, the way events like this dwarf any political, environmental or social problems we can think of here. Not even global warming is a match for a well timed sun fart.

In a way, events like this remind us that each day is a gift - not just for each of us individually, but for the planet as a whole. We really need to spend a lot more of this time-gift loving each other instead of criticizing, helping each other instead of fighting and enjoying each other instead of hating. Life is too short, too precious and too fragile to live the way our society lives.

And in a way, it reminds me to have a sense of humor. There's no arguing with the end of the world if and when its time comes. And I can think of a zillion and three really funny jokes to put here. I'm sure you can think of them too, so take a minute and enjoy each one.

"Time For A Change"

"Some listen to music that matches their mood. I listen to music to SET my mood."

I have always loved music. I played trombone through high school and college. I never could see well enough to be able to play professionally, but since way back in my life, I have always had a deep appreciation of many different kinds of music.

Music, more than any other single thing I can think of, has the power - without a word being spoken - to change the very essence of our emotional state. I listen to music, as with most things in life, on purpose. In the same way that some people take Advil to get rid of a headache, I am very liable to play a single song for an hour to drive away the voices and renew and re-establish myself. I have to do this to my brain every few months, and it's really enjoyable for me.

Probably my all time, number one head and shoulders above the rest song for doing this is Time For A Change from Kenton '76 by Stan Kenton. Trust me. This is worth every bit of 5 minutes, 54 seconds of your day:

'Yes' to One is 'No' to Many

"Let your 'Yes' be Yes and your 'No' be No. "

My nieces and nephews are not Borg, but it's easy to refer to them by their order of entry into this old world. Three of Six is growing up and trying to find his place in the world. He's a really smart kid, but he's having a really hard time with the concepts of being a grown-up. He's gonna make it. But he's making the journey harder than it needs to be.

I've been working on him. We've talked about the two seemingly contradictory concepts of "Teach us Lord to number our days, that we may present to you a heart of wisdom", (Concept: make each day count for something. Don't waste them, count them and make each one important) vs "If the Lord is not the builder, the builder builds in vain", (Concept: It is better to wait and move intentionally than to let chance direct your life.)

We've talked about the concept that if a man likes to eat, likes to play and likes to spend, then by definition, he likes to work. Because without work there is no food, play or spending. A fool says, "I like to party but I hate to work." 

I know he lacks direction, or a vision for what his life should be or where he should go from here. I want to help him develop one, or at least give him a safe place from which to figure it out. I have a heart to help, and resources to provide until the wires in his head grow together and the circuit is complete. I don't want to yell at him or give him a bunch of pass/fail ultimatums. I want him to get his feet underneath him, take those first few steps and embark on a life that adds to more than it takes from the world, and produces the rewards and benefits this particular nephew deserves.

So far, it just ain't kicking in. 

Maybe it's time for the "Yes usually means No" concept. Almost always, saying 'Yes' to one thing means saying 'No' to many other things. Three of Six has trouble saying 'No' to people. Maybe I need to show him that every time he says, "Yes", he also says, "No". It's not a question of being strong and saying, "No" sometimes. It's a case of saying, "Yes" to the right things. That automatically says, "No" to everything else.

"Yes" to the Night says "No" to the Morning.
"Yes" to the party says "No" to the career.
"Yes" to the whore says "No" to the (future) wife.
"Yes" to the friend who needs money says "No" to the people you owe.
"Yes" to the hangover says "No" to the renewal each new day brings.
"Yes" to the wrong says "No" to what is right.

Maybe it's time for me to teach him that almost every time he says, "Yes" he also says, "No", and to encourage him to be aware of what he is saying "No" to before he says "Yes" to anything else.

At Least It's Red and Good for the Heart!

"I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike."

It's Here! Yep, it's that time of the year when the whole universe pokes fun at all of us single people who have nobody to spend Valentine's Day with except their own sorry selves. All of the couples in the world go do stuff, buy each other presents and enjoy each others' company while people like me sit around and wonder why we're not good enough.  Thank God it's only one day.

You'd think after so many years I'd get used to the ritual and find something to do with myself on at least this one day. But alas, another one comes, and another, and another...

Well, this year I've decided to rebel. I bought my own self a Valentine's Present. And it's really pretty, and red. And it's good for the heart - or so I hear. I guess the saying, "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger" applies.

I bought myself a 2010 Fuji Sunfire 3.0 Bicycle.

It has 24 gears (of which I'll probably use three), and the guy that sold it to me said all kinds of good things about it.

I haven''t been on a bike since the early 90's, when a friend of mine talked me into going on a 40 mile ride. It about killed me, but I made it almost all the way. My friend went on ahead and was run off the road by a Texas redneck in a beat up old pickup. He wasn't hurt too bad, and I didn't have to ride back!. It all worked out.

But Oklahoma City has been working hard to develop some really nice bike trails throughout the city. There's one around a local lake, another that connects two city lakes, another that follows the river through the city and several more. Since I'm paying for it through my sales tax cotribution, I might as well enjoy it.

And I need to get out. I need to enjoy the lake, fresh air and exercise. Especially since I don't have anyone else to spend Valentine's Day with.

MIQ #2: The Missing Ingredient - The Main Ingredient

"Something wonderful happened and now I know, He Touched Me and made me whole "

Surely there is something deeper, some more meaningful, substantial reason why I am a Christian besides the fact that I happen to like it - like I like green beans or jazz music. In a way it seems to be the nature of life that I have to choose a worldview (or have one chosen for me). But in another way, that seems backwards. I don't choose gravity, it just is. If I decide not to submit to it and try to fly, it just is (and I fall on my butt). I can like it, hate it, argue with it, ridicule it or surrender to it, and it just is.

Truth should be like that, and many times it is exactly like that. My mind tells me that a universally objective worldview should be this way too. Acceptance or rejection of it is irrelevant. It just is. From a certain point of view, if it has to be accepted, sought out or distinguished from the competition, it is already disqualified as universally objective.

On the other hand, truth only really exists in the context of a worldview.

8+5=13  so long as we're working in the decimal system. In a hexadecimal system, 8+5=D. In binary math, the same equation looks like 1000+0101=1101. The numbering system we use doesn't really change truth, only the way expressions are represented. But our worldview becomes our numbering system. Everything around us is understood in terms of our worldview, including truth.

For example, if I asked a hundred people a True or False question like, "True or False: 13=D=1101," probably all hundred people would answer "False" and think the question is nothing more than jabber. All hundred would be wrong. The expression is True (universally and objectively), but one must know this truth in the context of decimal, hexadecimal and binary numbering systems.

How then could we ever find universally objective truth, or a universally objective worldview?

I have thought about this a lot, and I can only find two possibilities. 1. This whole discussion really is jabber, and the Default Answer is the only one we can ever really have. Or 2. The Universally Objective worldview, and its subset of truth, has to help me find it. It has to connect with me in a proactive way that I can understand its point of view and accept (or reject) it.

I don't see any way around it. And Christianity excels like no other worldview in providing this connection.

Let me try to say this more simply: In order to see something with my eyes, two things have to happen. First I have to look. If I'm not looking, I will not see. Second, I have to be able to see. If I look but just don't have the ability to see, I will never see. I can control the 'looking' but I cannot control my ability to 'see'. Life has to provide that.

Same with a worldview. I have to choose one. And the right one has to make itself known to me. Both ingredients are necessary in order for me to find the right one (other than the Abyss). The basic Christian story is that Christ came from God to show God to us and become in His own person the very path to God and God's universally objective worldview. (Remember that for now all worldviews get to tell their story. We'll worry about rippig them apart later.)

What worldview has a better mechanism for reaching out to humanity than tthe Christian worldview? The answer is easy: None.

MIQ #2: Backwards! !sdrawkcaB

"I once was lost but now I don't know where I am, Was blind, but now I can't see."

So the good news in my quest is that after comparing Christianity to other ways of looking at life, I am more convinced than ever that I've made the right choice. The bad news is that I realized I embraced Christianity (or my perception of it) because it represents MY worldview. It is everything I want it to be and more. Even where I fail to live up to Christian ideals and principles, I agree with and want the ideals. One of the benefits to Christian thinking is that it keeps me growing, keeps me engaged.

But surely there is something deeper, some more meaningful, substantial  reason why I am a Christian besides the fact that I happen to like it - like I like green beans or jazz music.

Besides, one of my biggest pet peeves with church is when some preacher takes his opinion, goes to the bible and finds some obscure scripture to support, justify or give credence to it, and then preaches it as universally objective truth. This is so wrong and has been the source of a whole lot of error over the centuries. Plus, it hurts a lot of people and doesn't honor Christ or a good God at all.

These guys aren't preaching God's word, they are preaching their dumb-ass opinions, cleaned up and made palatable because they disguise it with scripture. Whenever I have to give my dog medicine, I hide the pill in a piece of bread or a bite of weenie. The dog eats it really fast thinking it's a hot dog and never knows it just swallowed some drug. I'm not a dog and it makes me mad to be treated like one.

Surely, the years of study and growth in my own Christian walk don't amount to just the same thing!

My quest is to document why I believe in this, not why I like it. The process is to find 'that than which nothing greater can be conceived'. I see no way around the fact that I will by definition adopt a worldview and live by it (whether I do this on purpose or not). I think it is in my best interests to do so by choice, not by accident. I look at the available worldviews and let them tell their own stories. I choose the one with the greatest destiny; the one that offers the most, makes the most sense and promotes the highest ideals I can imagine. So I choose Christianity - on purpose with a good heart. And I believe my choice is right.

And that takes me right back up to the top of this post, and starts an endless loop.

There is something missing: A facet of the 'right' worldview that I'm overlooking. Who am I to say what is the 'right' way to look at things anyway? The process and the outcome seem backwards!

Then I realized what is missing, and that it is at the very heart of Christianity.

A Thousand Words...

"Sometimes I just talk too damn much."

Since we're expecting another 6-12 inches of snow, I thought a beautiful ocean scene would be appropriate.

Focus on Fido

"It's just a damn dog. If it dies, get another one."

A few weeks ago, there was an article on Yahoo about what kinds of dogs need which kinds of sweaters to stay comfortably warm in the winter. The article was apparently written with the same passionate profoundness that a good journalist would use when writing about something of actual importance. 

For some reason, the whole thing came across as funny as hell to me.

Then I got down to the message board at the bottom, and discovered several hundred comments from people with additional advice not covered by the article itself, along with a whole bunch of specific stories about how some dog really loves its particular winter outerwear. Of course there were also a few people making jokes about the article, some of the dog stories, etc.

So, being in a bit of a smart-ass mood anyway, I added my two cents, and pointed out that these were just dogs. If they died, people could just get another one. Boy, did I ever not know what I was in for.

Within six minutes, thirty-seven people clicked the 'thumbs down' button beside my comment, and Yahoo hid it because of 'low user ratings'. (I only got three 'thumb's ups'.) In addition, there were several very colorful replies to my comment. One nice lady suggested that I should be incarcerated and tortured for the rest of my life. One guy offered to kick my ass. A couple of people suggested that I spend the rest of the winter outside with no protection and see what it is like. All of this, of course, just made me repeat my comment and the cycle repeated itself - several times.

Rumor has it that I will be a subject on America's Most Wanted some Saturday in the near future.

Since then, I have noticed a dog story every few days on either Yahoo or AOL. One was about which chew toys were safe. Another was about keeping old dogs strong. I can't remember the other few.

Daddy's Little Girl - Off Switch Engaged

Don't get me wrong. I love dogs, and I have a very sweet, very intense Jack Russell (who goes outside in winter without a coat and hasn't died. And if she does, I'll probably get another one.)

But it is interesting to me that in a world where so much is going on that is actually important and ignored by most people, how so many of us can be moved to such intensity by an article about a doggie sweater.

The world has gone mad, I tell you. The world has gone mad.

MIQ #2: Heinz 57

"Salagadoola mechicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo.
Put 'em together and what have you got? Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo"

In my quest to figure out why I believe in Christ, "Why am I Christian?", I looked at several 'competitors' to see what they had to offer. I figured I would either justify my decision to believe in Christ or find a better answer. I looked strictly at the benefits of each worldview I studied, and didn't really try to criticize any of them. I wanted to hear each of their stories, and see what life might look like from their perspective.

In a way, the project was successful. The good things that I saw in other worldviews were even better in Christianity. The perfect peace that Buddhism seeks as Nirvana, Christianity contends has been given already. The 'higher level of life' promoted in Illusions is more precisely documented in Christianity. Our state of being is Spirit, confined in a physical body for a time, destined to lay it aside for an immortal body in an eternal home that is not here. The freedom without boundaries set forth in the Abyss is not as appealing as the freedom to seek and do right without condemnation or judgement when I screw up or fail. (This paragraph could be 16 pages long, but hopefully you get the point.)

I discovered that even in the presense of other ways of looking at life, I like being Christian. I identify with the benefits of it, and embrace the responsibility. It feels right, and I want it.

Then I realized I got it exatly backwards.

I embraced Christianity (or my perception of it) because it represents MY worldview. That which I am, want to be and want not to be are expressed in the Christ story and the biblical worldview - even to the point of not wanting to be gay. I wasn't trying to be an expression of Christ in this world. I was allowing Christ to be my expression of everything I saw as good.

Hmmm. I'm sure my exposure to Christianity had a lot to do with the way my worldview developed. But so did my parents, Captain Kirk, Sgt. Joe Friday, my high school History teacher and a zillion other things. I was just a mutt. a mix of a whole lot of different breeds of philosophies, ideals, lifestyles and opinions. Some of them came from the bible, if I liked them. Some of the came from Cinderalla's fairy god mother.

This, I decided, is not what being a Christian should be. And I better think about this a whole lot more.

Hundreds Gather for Global Warming Protest

"It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry.
The sun so hot I froze to death, Susanna, don't you cry "

I'm not sure what I think about Global Warming. I don't trust the science, especially after the ozone fiasco in the '70's. But it seems like things are changing (and perception is reality).

Then there's the question as to whether change is a good thing or bad. If you live in Northern Canada, change might be good. An island in the south Pacific that's only a few inches above sea level anyway might be a place to avoid.

Then there is the evidence. We're having the coldest weather in Oklahoma in the last 20 or 30 years. That doesn't sound like global warming. But the U.N. says the global average temperature is rising. It must be really hot someplace right now. Science says hotter than normal weather and colder than normal weather are both signs of global warming. It seems to me like almost every year will be hotter or colder than normal.  I don't see how looking at weather patterns over the last 100 years of the 4.5 billion years of earth history can indicate a trend. The sample is too small.

Or is this whole Global Warming thing like driving a car. Anyone who drives faster than me is a maniac. Anyone who drives slower is a moron. Therefore the world consists entirely of maniacs and morons. If the weather is too hot, I tend to blame global warming. If it's too cold, I scoff at the idea.

So, here's the question: Is the picture above cynical? Or are these guys really worried? Whichever it is, I think I agree with them.