Chewing Tar: Yummmmmmy

When I was a kid we used to look for shiny black globs of tar bubbling up from the pavement, or find a crew who were patching or surfacing roads with tar. We would then tease a lump off the road and chew it. Yup, chew it. Like gum only it tasted better. We survived (Although one of those guys drowned surfing. Can we make a tar connection? Doubt it.) into old age without any harmful side effects. Any else out there ever chew tar? It turns out that lots of people have chewed tar. Road tar, roofing tar, pine tar, spruce tar and just about every other kind you can think of. And the universal opinion is that it is better that chewing gum.

The thing is, I don’t know if the tar used today to patch roads is the same stuff as when I was a kid. So, I won’t go so far as to recommend that you try it. Really too bad, though. Chewing tar was a grand way to augment any activity.

I started on this because I read a research study that showed living near a coal tar sealed road increased the likelihood of getting cancer. Bullshit, my brain said, I used to chew the stuff. From there proceeded the above side trip to memory land.

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Information:

Article citation: E. Spencer Williams, Barbara J. Mahler, Peter C. Van Metre. Cancer Risk from Incidental Ingestion Exposures to PAHs Associated with Coal-Tar-Sealed Pavement. Environmental Science & Technology, 2013; 47 (2): 1101 DOI: 10.1021/es303371t

Dangerous Bastards and Love Fist

Love it. Used it before.

Sometimes, my mother pokes her head out and reminds me just whose son I am. Here she goes again: sick and tired. She was frequently "sick and tired" of something. I grew up avoiding being sick and tired of things. Pissed off. Angry. Mad as hell. And more, but not “sick and tired.”

So when I just thought this: I am SICK AND TIRED OF WHITE MEN CONTINUALLY PUSHING ABORTION RESTRICTIONS; I thought "uh oh. Here comes Mother."

But I really am sick and tired of this. The Florida legislature just yesterday (3/27/13) had 3, count'em three, abortion restrictive bills in committee. Where the hell do these WHITE MEN get the right to pontificate to the entire population of Florida about whom, when, why and how a woman should deal with a personal reproductive process.

Don't give me the religious crap. We supposedly live in a "separation of church and state" country. They are personally offended. Not offended enough to plan for a rigorous education or healthcare system for children born today. Not rigorous enough to plan and implement a really healthy anti starvation program for the children born to poor parents No, just no abortions.

Answer this question: How do you keep em' down on the farm? How do you keep them down? Pregnant in the summer and barefoot in the winter. Who? Why poor people of course. Minorities. Poor whites. Load them up with children to keep them down. And poor.

You think wealthy or even middle class people won't find a way to have an abortion if needed or wanted? You are nuts if you think that. Who won't get them are poor minorities and poor white people.

So yes, I am SICK AND TIRED of these sanctimonious bastards always carrying the flag for the unborn, while ignoring the born. What asshole bastards. And (what a surprise) mostly they are Republicans and Religious conservatives. Bastards cover it pretty well. No, dangerous bastards is even better. No. Wait. Dangerous self-serving rich bastards. No. Oh, what the hell. You get it.

 

 Image: http://webwonks.org/misc/gary/fileball/BastardChild.jpg

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Eagle Sighting!!

Yesterday, Sal and I were sitting in our kitchen looking out the picture windows into the back yard. Suddenly, a very large dark bird swept through the trees, plucked a squirrel off a branch, and then dropped it. The bird landed in the next tree, and for about 10 minutes stayed in plain sight while it changed positions and looked around. Finally it flew off. Whew, what a lucky squirrel.

The bird was an immature Bald Eagle. Fully grown but still no white head. And right in our back yard. What a treat!!! The picture above isn’t the one we saw, but it is exactly like it. We didn’t even think to take a photo; just watched and enjoyed.

Image: http://ckspc.org/Images/Immature-eagle.jpg

Sanctity of Marriage my Ass.

Listen to the whining, wheedling and sanctimonious pronouncements by the religious establishments about the sanctity of marriage and you would think that a bolt of lightning would evaporate anyone violating the “sacred vows” of marriage. IT DOESN’T HAPPEN PEOPLE!!!! For a number of reasons actually. Mainly it doesn’t happen because marriage isn’t sacred. It doesn’t come from god. Or God. Or Allah. It comes from the heart. It is a commitment to go through life as a couple, facing together what either couldn’t or wouldn’t face alone. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. And you don’t need marriage to produce children. Witness the millions of single parent homes and non-married mothers. And you don’t need marriage to raise a child either.

Two parents do make things better sometimes, and worse sometimes. Depends on the parents. Two mothers or two fathers have the same chance of being good parents as two parents of oppsite sex. Maybe even a better chance since it takes more determination to be parents in the first place.

So don’t through the old “Sanctity of Marriage” crap in my direction. I have seen many, many so-called normal marriages fail for many different reasons. I have yet to see a bolt of lightning.

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