Chatting With A.L.I.C.E. & God

Artificial Linguistic Internet Computer Entity

Despite ALICE's claim to being the smartest AI of all she's not what I would call "Intelligent". She is much smarter than any Chatbox application than I have ever interacted with before. If this were the 1960's I'd be totally in awe of ALICE, but it doesn't take much to see that ALICE isn't truly intelligent.


An Exchange With ALICE

The argument goes something like this: If at some point in the future it becomes impossible to tell while chatting to a computer whether you are chatting with a person, or a computer then that computer must possess at least some rudimentary form of intelligence.


ALICE Reminds Me Of Early Chess Programs

I'm not certain that I buy that, but then again it might be I'm just biased against computers. I wonder how long it will be until we all have Artificially Intelligent house computers, and robots. It may take a few decades, but I suspect that they will come in handy.


ALICE's Programmer Has Quite A Sense Of Humor

Everyone should have their own chatterbox. Chatterbox programs can be connected to telephones, email, computers, and even sensors in your home. Chatterbox programs can be linked to websites too. I see these little programs interacting with networks, robots, and human beings. In a way they will act as our personal representatives, and may become a form of immortality taking on our personalities, our memories, and our responsibilities long after we have passed away.


A Chat With An Artificial Intelligence

For now I'd like install an AI chatterbox on my blog. Chatterbox programs can present an avatar, and connect to a speech synthesis program. These programs can also take input from speech recognition programs, which means that you can speak to the chatterbox AI, and it can speak back in a manner similar to what is presented in the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey.


IGOD: I Don't Think This Is A Good Idea

Of course some people don't know where to draw the line. This A.I. pretends, but humorously so, to be God Almighty.

Dad, I Broke My Cell Phone

Pink Razor: Deliberately Destroyed Sixteenth Birthday Gift

Daughter: I have some bad news.

Dad: What?

Daughter: I broke my cell phone.

Dad: How did that happen?

Daughter: (lie) I put it on top of my car, forgot it was there, and I drove over it.

Dad: That's just great.

Daughter: Don't worry, Mom's already ordering a replacement.
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LATER THAT DAY

Mother: Did your daughter tell you what she did?

Father: She left her phone on the car, and ran over it.

Mother: Well, actually that's not how it happened.

Father: What do you mean?

Mother: (truth) She was angry at me so she snapped it in half.

Father: What?

Mother: Don't worry, I've ordered a new phone.

Father: This is unbelievable! She should buy her own phone!

Mother: I'll pay for it myself.

Father: We don't have the money.

Mother: We'll have to cut back on food for awhile.

Father: The world you've arrange for her has no consequences, do you know that?

Mother: She needs a cell phone.

Father: She's acting like she's six not sixteen, and you're enabling her!
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FATHER'S PLAN?

Not to buy her a laptop computer for Christmas which the daughter claims she can't live without.

When Britney Spears Kills Herself...

Chris Crocker's History!
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CNN Reports that Britney Spears has lost custody of her two children. While people may be asking themselves how could Britney have gone so wrong they should be asking if there's really a problem - or if the media is just helping to destroy someone they've been making money off of for years..


Britney Spears Has A Substance Abuse Problem

Sadly, drug use is fairly common for people in their teen years, and in their early twenties. Drugs are a waste of time, and money, but when you're young it seems that there's plenty of time to waste, and for many people money is no object. Despite my objections to drug use I feel that the media focus on Britney Spear's drug problem is self serving. The media loves a good story, and when a movie star has drug problems it sells. It's obvious Britney needs to grow up. I can't believe she's out partying when she's the mother of two very young children. Then again I'm not rich, and young. If I had been maybe I'd have left the kids to the Nanny when they were sleeping so I could go out and have fun. Then again, I doubt I'd have wasted my time hanging around clubs getting high on coke - there's just too many good museums in Europe to explore for that kind of nonsense.


Britney Spears Is Acting Weird

Frankly, who cares if Britney Spears shaved her head? Britney means a lot to the super thin white bulimics and anorexic crowd that put their faith in designer clothing and mommy and daddy's credit card. I'm sure that those most disturbed by Britney's fall into madness are more concerned that someone might question how their "role model" could ever become unhappy. Some people viewed her behavior as a cry for help. I'd say it showed that she actually had a brain - which for many is a kiss of death from a social point of view.


Britney Spears Has Rampant Sex

And is it any of our business? Anyone who cares how many sex partners Britney has had should get a life. If Britney was a young man would anyone be trying to protect her from herself - to keep her sexually unspoiled? Britney Spear's image was never one of a virgin. The first time I saw Britney Spears, and was forced to buy her CD she was making full use of her sexuality - as a teen aged Lolita. She used her sexuality to make tens of millions of dollars, and as long as she doesn't self destruct she'll never have to work another day in her life. She's a big girl now. She's married, a mother, and divorced. It's her life.


Britney Spears is a Bad Mother

Except for not using a child restraint when she made an escape from a horde of photographers I don't think there's ever been any proof that she is a bad parent. Some say that now that she is a mother she shouldn't go out to parties. But let's think now. If an average person is out partying while their kids are at home we have good reason to wonder who is looking after the children, but Britney is loaded, and has a nanny. The children are very young, and if they are asleep why is it absolutely necessary that their mother be at home every night? We want Britney to be like the Virgin Mother, but Britney is not a saint, she's a real person. I personally believe she should have delayed having children until after she got all the partying out of her, but it's only a matter of time until she grows bored, and realizes her little children are far more exciting and important than getting stoned with her so called friends as some Hollywood club.


Britney Spears Doesn't Have A Driver's License

Is that why Britney's little children will be kept from their mother? And that's what it came down to. We have a Hollywood judge who has been watching a bit too much of TMZ lately and decides to play up to the press. If those kids had been anyone else's kids they'd be back home with their mother. That doesn't mean Britney Spears shouldn't change her life - she should, but why is she losing partial custody?


What Britney Spears Should Do

She should sit down and decide what is more important right now, her children, or her party friends? If her party friends are more important, then she needs to do nothing. If her children are more important than she needs to head to a good drug rehab center, and get some help. She also needs to get a valid driver's license, and a better attorney.

It won't be long until Kevin Federline ends up in a photograph snorting some cocaine with a high priced hooker in arm, and then Britney can get partial custody back. You see in the end the media creates, and the media destroys. Now that Britney's life is in ashes she will be portrayed as the tragic victim, and Kevin Federline is next. What do you suppose a cellphone or digital camera image of Kevin Federline doing drugs at a club will sell for now?

I just feel sorry for the kids.

The War - Concludes

I have spent many hours over the last week watch Ken Burns' World War II documentary - The War.

"The Second World War was fought in thousands of places, too many for any one accounting. This is the story of four American towns and how their citizens experienced that war".

I viewed each episode twice, and most episodes three times already.

That's a lot of World War II in one week, but considering that it adds up to only one work week it's really nothing compared to the importance of the topic.

I'd like to say more, and I'll probably come back to put more in this post as it certainly deserves it, but I'm watching an episode of The War right now, and I want to get back to it.

The Incredible Liu Yifei 刘亦菲

Liu Yifei 刘亦菲 turned twenty one in August (2007)

Liu Yifei was just ten years old when she left China to live in the United States. Her parents were in the midst of a divorce, and a bitter custody dispute. She returned to China when she was fourteen to attend the Beijing film academy. She knew then that she wanted to be an actress.
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China's Beautiful Starlet Liu Yifei

Liu Yifei big break in the film industry began with the drama "Dragon" at the age of fourteen in which she played the dragon girl.
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神雕侠侣 (2006) Liu Yifei in the Return of Condor Heroes

Since then she has appeared in several films including "Manipulation", "May Love", and "Return of Condor Hero".
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刘亦菲

Her previous roles suggest she has a broad range of acting talent, as well as ambition. Liu Yifei is one of China's hottest starlets. Her recent roles in "Female", and "Chat" shows her transition to adult roles.

Liu Yifei states,

“这场戏完全是纯粹的艺术，在拍摄的时候是用白纱将我们两个人遮起来的，它并不会交代得那么直白，那么地完全具体，拍出来的效果是很美很飘渺的感觉，而不会让别人往其它方面去联想。”

See This Link For More Information



Video Featuring Liu Yi Fei


UPDATE/CORRECTION

I had posted that Liu Yifei had appeared in a nude scene, but this may not be the case - yet.

Total Victory In Iraq Imminent!

CNN Propaganda: The "Petraeus Doctrine" Is Succeeding!

Lies

• This is the end game!
• We've got em on the run!
• Turned another corner!
• Won't be long now!
• See the light at the end of the tunnel!
• It's a whole new ballgame!
• Mission Accomplished!

Surge Architect & Future Oil Industry Lobbyist: General David Petraeus

The Pentagon now resorts to manipulating casualty statistics in order to promote support for the U.S. occupation of Iraq. There is little real chance that the "Surge" currently being employed will in fact quell sectarian violence in Iraq. There are simply too few U.S. troops to lend their presence in every potential hot spot.

While it is true that when our troops move into one area, and a reduction in sectarian violence in that area occurs, it is misleading to suggest that it is a successful strategy as the violence simply ends up being expressed where the troops are not. Without a political solution within Iraq itself there will never be an end to sectarian violence, and in fact it is reasonable to suggest that any regime which receives U.S. sanction will have little long term chance of survival without continued U.S. occupation.

With the upcoming 2008 presidential election in the U.S. it's important to keep in mind that main stream media is being used to promote falsehoods about the nature of the Iraqi occupation. GOP candidates must convince their voters that there really is a snow ball's chance in hell that continued occupation will somehow lead to peace, democracy, and a new friend in the Middle East - despite how utterly unbelievable that sounds to the rest of us.

In the mean time there is little likelihood that even a Democratic president will withdrawal troops from Iraq - as all the major Democratic presidential candidates have refused to specify either how or when they would pursue such a goal. A goal which they all advocate in general terms due to popular demand.

Truth.

• No political solution within Iraq means no end to sectarian violence
• U.S. troops won't leave until the sectarian violence ends
• Sectarian violence won't end until after the Iraqi civil war
• The Iraqi civil war won't end until one side looses
• No side will lose until the U.S. leaves
• The U.S. has no real plan to leave Iraq
• The U.S. has built massive permanent military bases in Iraq
• U.S. corporate main stream media is a tool of U.S. foreign policy
• Democrat or Republican the next president will not withdraw troops

It's About The Oil

As long as the U.S. remains completely addicted to Middle Eastern oil it will: lie, cheat, steal, kill, or do anything necessary to maintain its next fix.

The U.S. energy policy is controlled by the fossil fuel lobby. The U.S. will not act to free itself from its oil addiction even in consideration of the profound impact of global climate change, or the certainty of future economic crisis brought about by oil shortages, and increased oil prices.

This From JuanCole.Com

The United States is the world's foremost business society, and virtually everything in the society (low taxes on the wealthy, no health care for the middle classes and poor, no protections for labor organizers, favoring of certain kinds of international trade over lower middle class job security, etc.) is arranged for the convenience of the business classes. If Friedman's conviction becomes widespread in that community, the pressures to abandon the 'War on Terror' will be irresistible.

Bushism-Cheneyism has aspects of Bonapartism, whereby the state rules in an authoritarian way and disregards the people, representing itself as the true representative of the business classes. In fact, it serves only a small spectrum of corporate cronies of the ruling elite, disadvantaging almost everyone else. It expands government, but not into provision of useful infrastructure (bridges, airports), but toward the provision of "security" (often just a label for make-work unnecessary jobs, such as extra al-Qaeda-fighting police in Wyoming) or of artificial "investment opportunities" such as an Iraq under US military occupation..

Thus we have never ending oil wars. It's good for business.

Give Pedro Zapeta's Money Back!

CNN Photo: Pedro Zapeta

The story of Pedro Zapeta has my blood boiling.

Check out Pedro's story on CNN here.

Photo: Senator Dick Durbin

Dear Senator Durbin (edited),

I have just become aware of the story of Pedro Zapeta, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala who has recently become the subject of national news coverage.

While I whole heartedly agree that Mr. Zapeta needs to be deported, I feel that we must return to him the $59,000 (minus any taxes, and penalties he may owe) which this poor man spent the last eleven years earning as a dishwasher.

Washing dishes is a thankless, dirty, and difficult job, but it is honest work.

This poor man was earning just $5.50 per hour!

His life's dream was to work hard, to live on practically nothing, to save his money, and then return to his home town to help himself, and his family to rise above their current station in life.

He was caught trying to take his money out of the country without declaring it, and so now he has lost the fruits of his labor, and his sacrifices to our federal government.

This is wrong, down to the very core of it, this is wrong!

I don't know what you can do to help this man, but if you could do anything at all, if you deem it reasonable then please do.
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Don't know what the Senator can do, but this kind of thing gets me riled up.

I Wish I Lived In Smallville

Smallville's Kristin Kreuk
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The latest television series to deal with Superman is Smallville. Smallville begins it seventh season tonight. I have watched every episode several times. I have watched as the characters started out as believably cast teen-like characters, and I continue to watch as the same actors attempt to portray college entry age characters - even though their old enough to have earned their Masters degrees.
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Kristin Laura Kreuk
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Despite any problem I may have with suspending my disbelief when it comes to how the characters have aged so slowly I still find Smallville very entertaining. There is in each Smallville a morality play not always present in other television programs. Clark Kent really does battle dark forces. In the modern age we are asked to believe that there is no good, and that there is no evil. We are asked to substitute subtle shades of good and evil on a continuum.

We live in an age in which the educated, and sophisticated are expected to believe that human actions are never truly good, or never truly evil. We are expected to believe that if only we could see those actions from some greater perspective the most vile would be on the same level as the most sacred.

We live in an age in which a television series can be dedicated to a nice guy serial killer. We live in an age in which children learn that to be a winner in the virtual world of video games they need to be as immoral as possible - they earn points for brutality. These are the lessons of our age. Where then is there room for old fashioned morality? Of good guys triumphing over evil - real evil? Even asking such a question risk being branded a religious zealot at best, or a simpleton at worst.

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Smallville's Lana Lang
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I guess that's what I find so appealing in Smallville. In Smallville the preps aren't just good looking, and athletic. In Smallville the central characters don't win simply because they are popular and powerful, but instead they grapple with evil, and it is how they triumph over that evil that determines the nature of their character. Clark Kent, his family, and friends win because they find a greater truth, and hang onto it.

In Smallville evil doesn't always come in the form of a superhuman foe, but is delivered in forms far more frightening - the darker side of human nature. Smallville's anti-heroes are often just regular people given the opportunity to run amok. Give an average person power to control their own destiny, and soon that person is no longer happy just controlling their destiny. Smallville shines a light on the frightening truth that in every human being there is great potential to do good, but an equal potential to do evil.

Power corrupts, and greater power ends up corrupting even the most innocent. This is the never ending theme which runs through the entire Superman story, and Smallville has stayed true to its portrayal of Superman.

Smallville has morphed some of its main characters, and even killed a few off over the years, but the most interesting aspect isn't how much the characters have changed, but how dedicated the stories have been to maintaining the dignity of the Superman character. One can see a careful crafting in the various stories. Superman discovers his superpowers slowly, and as he does he also discovers a conflict within himself.

Superman's story is the story of all men and women as they mature, and it also is the story of civilization itself. The Superman myth is very much a modern portrayal of ancient Greek myths which in their time allowed every day people to relate to a greater story about them. Smallville will not ultimately be compared to a science fiction series like Star Trek in the way that Star Trek encapsulated contemporary social issues in every episode, however, Smallville has stood true to itself, and has not violated the vision or the legacy of Superman and the elemental goodness, or the elemental godness, for which for which Superman stands.

Smallville premiered less than a month after the 9-11 terrorist attack. A very real conflict between good and evil was delivered to a frightened America. We were shocked out of our feeling of safety, and looking for both heroes, and villains in order to make sense of our world again. While Smallville is not a deliberate response to 9-11 it has been a cultural accompaniment in an age which needs heroes, and in a society which seeks clearly defined evil.

Koshi Kat Likes Plastic Bags

Koshi Kat Loves Plastic Bags

Koshi is not allowed to lick plastic bags anymore. He started this a few years ago, and although I found it odd, I wasn't sure if it was harmful.

After Koshi Kat had surgery earlier this year we agreed that it was too risky to allow our cat to indulge his strange obsession.

I caught him tonight having at it with some Walmart bags. My guess is that since Koshi's sense of smell is over a hundred times more powerful than any human's that he may be experiencing the same kind of evil pleasure that many of us experience while filling up the gas tank.

Office Is Back!

Dave's post

Oh Liberal Canada - Wake Up!

Canada Wages Jihad On Itself

"And for them are whips of iron" - Quran 22:21

The ever liberal Canadians are importing Muslims at a hectic pace. Seems they just can't get enough. Canada, similar to Europe, is rapidly transitioning into an Islamic nation. Ever willing to show how liberal they are (until the bitter end) Canadians are now adopting the Islamic fundamentalist Sharia code into their banking system.

With some of the first Sharia banks soon to open in Canada politically correct westerners once again show how little they value their cultural heritage - the same heritage which is the basis of their freedom, and prosperity.

Soon Canadian Muslims will be able to avoid the commingling of their Godly money with the Devil money of the infidels whose nations they are rapidly colonizing.

I don't believe we in the United States should be so critical of the millions of Hispanic immigrants (even illegal) into this nation. There may be a language barrier, but they don't see themselves as too good to use the evil Judeo-Christian banking system in use around the world.
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Conversion A One Way Street

My recommendation: For every million Islamic immigrants allowed into the West a million Westerners should move into an Islamic nation. We should be allowed to start our own churches, banks, and micro-economies within those nations.

Don't think that will happen? Why not? Oh yes, they'd never allow it.

Doh! Trouble In Springfield - Vermont?

Life Can Be Like A Box Of Stale Donuts

Sunday I received an email from a resident of Springfield, Vermont. That's right, Springfield - Vermont. Settle down now - hear me out before anyone does anything rash.

This Springfield resident was one of two hundred "extras" who had volunteered for several hours to help make Springfield, Vermont's Simpson's movie. Each competing Springfield across the nation made a little video showing why their town deserved the title of the real Simpson's Springfield. The movie played an important role in Springfield, Vermont's victory.

As it turns out, however, once the time came to dispense tickets to the Simpson's Movie premier no one who had participated in making this important movie was invited. None of the two hundred extras where given free tickets, or asked to attend the premier!

Instead tickets were given to the politically connected, and well to do local business people.

It is alleged that at the premiere not one mention of the people who had volunteered was made.

Having done their part to bring the movie to Springfield, Vermont - they were swept under the red carpet like scattered pieces of popcorn, and donut crumbles - ah donuts.

Check out this quote which reveals the treatment of Homer's Homies!

"A number of local business and community leaders did get invitations. It wouldn't be fair to make that group compete with thousands of ordinary folks in the random drawings for free tickets. Less than 10 percent would have gotten seats that way. Some got extra tickets to quietly pass on to friends and associates.

It would have been nice if one of the community leaders who spoke in the public ceremony had taken a moment to acknowledge and thank us for our contribution. And maybe have some of us lined up down in front of the stage to turn and take a bow. But I guess they thought since they weren't inviting us to see the movie, it would look better for them if there was no mention of us at all. Getting attention off from us wasn't difficult for them. Any talk of the video itself could be focused on the two main stars, outside professionals from northern Vermont. Keep us off the yellow carpet and swept under the rug.

Quite a few out-of-towners who never did any volunteer work for our community won the honor of free seats at the big premiere while most of us in the winning video who gave up to four hours of our time to complete it would have to wait a week and pay to see the film. That's just not right".

One local Springfield, Vermont commentator states,

"I was very disappointed at the way the town handled the tickets. It was very clear watching the people stroll out of the theater that the distribution was rigged. The whole thing makes me sick. What a way to represent our town with lies and corruption. I even talked to a few people who had tickets but had never seen the show, and didn’t really care one way or the other. Being a fan for 15 years, I was disgusted. The people who were in the making of the movie should have seen the premiere and Springfield residents who were real fans of the show should have also been put ahead of someone who was there because they wanted something to do for the day".

While another states:

"Just read the letter to the editor in the Reporter...I agree completely. My son and I were very visible in the vid, but as we are "nobodies" in town we were blown off. We managed to score tickets in a drawing, but the point is, we shouldn't have had to get them that way. The part that galls me the most is the fact that the majority of local "VIP"s wouldn't have been caught dead viewing the movie under any other circumstances. Don't brag about how you never watched the show and then snatch up tickets! It's been a couple months and I'm still fuming. Thanks for letting me vent".

Here's the link to the website dedicated to the two hundred Springfield, Vermont residents who participated in making the Springfield, Vermont video. The website includes group photos.

I've even posted a comment on their website at this link:

Here's what I wrote:

"Greetings to the fine people of Springfield, Vermont.

I am from Springfield, Illinois - the town which came in second place to your town in the Simpson's Hometown competition of last Summer (2007).

Many of us here in Springfield, Illinois were scratching out heads wondering how your fair locale could have beaten us for the title of real Simpson's Springfield.

After some thought there's little doubt that your video played a pivotal role. Everyone I've spoken to on this said that your video showed true civic pride, and it showed how important winning the coveted Simpson's hometown status was to you.

I simply can't believe - well come on now we've all seen enough Simpson's episodes to know how things like this really work - but still I find it hard to believe that you all weren't invited to the Premiere.

If I had the money I'd buy you all movie tickets, a soda, popcorn, and some candy - sadly I'm just too darned broke for that. Still you deserve it!"

Dedicated To Illinois Times' 2007 Best Blog

YouTube: Photography In The Age Of Digital Deception
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Why We Blog
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JP

Some Blog to Shine A Light
Some Blog to Hide In Plain Sight
Some Blog to Expose The Ugly
Some Blog to Tell Lies
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Make Money

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*Kimberly Smoot Photo - A Perfect Plastic Child?.
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My Impression

Dave of The11thhour has an interesting, but short post on the announcement of the winner of the Illinois Times Most Popular Blog of the Year (2007). Actually it's the comments which I found more interesting.

I checked the winning blog out for the first time today.

There certainly are many images of pretty high school girls on the site, but I was left wondering where the blog was. I kept searching for a link to a blog, but only found vanity photos. I was left with the impression that there's no blog there.
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Jan Van Ravesteyn - Dutch Merchant Immortality Via Portraiture

All very pretty indeed.

Vanity Art isn't new. It's been around for a very long time. Everyone wants something to be remembered by, and that's where vanity art comes in. It really is art, and not so much photography that we see on Kimberly Smoot's "blog".

While visiting Smoot's blog I couldn't help but to notice how heavily she depends upon photo editing software. Such software was once prohibitively expensive, but what was once available only to magazine, and advertising shops is now available for anyone.

From the YouTube videos we see that it does take effort, and skill to edit a photograph, but mostly it takes time, patience, and experience. I certainly can't fault Kimberly Smoot for employing photo editing software. No one wants to shell out three, four, or five thousand dollars for a few photographs which will forever display a blemish that would have disappeared a week after the photo shoot.
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Mirror Mirror - Say I'm Perfect!
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Yet I believe it is important that we look at the degree to which people will go to show others that they are something they are not. In many of Ms. Smoot's photos the degree of digital makeover is so great that one can hardly see the real person under the processing. The child pictured above looks more like a plastic doll, or an android than a human being. Years from now when this child's grandchildren are looking at photos of Nanna are they going to ask "Nanna, what happened to your face?".

Still we can't blame Ms. Kimberly Smoot as she's simply serving up what people demand - a false image of their physical perfection. Smoot is simply doing digitally what women have been trying to do with makeup for a very long time, and she does a fine job too.

However, I still find it disturbing. I've seen it before - this surreal slip - and I immediately recall where I've seen it. During the renaissance Dutch Merchants were wealthy enough to commission portraits, and of course they ended up with fantasy portrait art which stroked their egos.

I'd much rather see the real person - warts and all, but that's not what people pay for. They pay for images which stroke their ego which they can display to others years later. They show off these photos and they say "This is how physically perfect I was". Even though it's a lie.

*Kimberly Smoot Photo Used Without Permission As Part of Critique & Therefore Protected By Free Use CopyRight Rules.

My Internet Adventure

I have just returned from a place which isn't really a place at all but some aspect of the Internet which I had never seen presented in just this way before.

Does that even make sense?

Anyway, I just installed this program that opens another means of presenting Internet content.

Sure we've seen videos, and heard audio, and read text, and even seen graphical content on the Internet before.

I'm not saying anything has changed in this way.

In fact I found myself wanting more, more, and more bandwidth.

Because I've have always felt I knew where the Internet was headed, and the people who have made this bridge to this means of presenting content they are oh so close to making it happen - to bringing the future of the Internet to us all.

It just takes more, more, more, bandwidth.

And we'll have to wait for Internet III for that.

Still I like what I saw, and heard - and I'm going back now.

Kerry Questioner Arrested - Funny Sad Pathetic

YouTube: John Kerry Conspiracy Questioner Throws Tantrum

Tuesday morning I was listening to radio talk show host Jim Leach review this video on air (while he played it over and over again). I just had to check it out. It's funny, sad, and pathetic all at the same time.

It starts as a college student questions Senator John Kerry at a meeting at the University of Florida. The questions sounded more like an inquisition, or might I say an accusation, that Senator Kerry is involved in a massive conspiracy, and that in fact Senator Kerry actually won the 2004 election. That John Kerry is in league with secret powers who actually run the nation.

Well, maybe.

In any case isn't that what blogs are for?


More Revealing Angle Why Student Was Arrested

Rubber Necking Alert!

O.K. so the lady cop blew it, and none of her cop pals were in the position to know, or would ever even think to ask what started the incident once she had already crossed the line. The student had already turned to leave, but the lady cop wanting to prove her masculinity put her meat hooks on the student to show she was in control. She was going to lead this trouble maker single handedly right out of the building, maybe even threaten to arrest him on some trumped up charges because - well, he was asking questions.

NOTICE: The Local Police will be in control of question and answer time at the upcoming John Kerry visit to Campus. The student activities union forgot to put that in the Campus Activity Fliers.

Not sure why there were so many cops standing right next to the microphones? Who in the hell thought that one up? I've watched hundreds, and hundreds of hours of CSPAN, and even attended a few local public events with local, state, and even national elites in attendance and I never saw that many cops next to microphones.

I recall attending a visit from George McGovern who was just as much a "has been" as John Kerry, and I don't believe even one cop was there - at all. This was down at SIU-Carbondale in the AGE BEFORE RAMPANT TERRORIST ATTACKS which plague the United States on a daily basis. So maybe things have changed? Maybe we need cops stationed at microphones to stop the terrorist from asking Senator Kerry stupid questions?

Folks, this is why local municipal police should not be used for policing university campuses. Sadly, campuses across the nation have eliminated their own campus police. Which means we see cops with no understanding or appreciation of the sense of intellectual freedom which should be fostered on campuses arresting people for even looking like they want to hold up a protest sign. Locally we saw how an outspoken professor was arrested for doing so at UIS not too long ago.

Sadly, this student appeared to be so paranoid about being taken away to the gulag by the not so secret police that he over responded -or does he? Maybe he's just an immature kid at college asking a couple of good questions, and showing bravery for doing so?

O.K. so he's an immature idiot, there's no doubt about it - but for goodness sakes it's college - most of his buddies are out guzzling down the brew and wouldn't consider attending a Kerry speech. Maybe he is a weirdo - for god's sake he reads books too!

I doubt you planned for this to happen Mr. Inciter of a Riot, but next time go with a plan.

Ask your question, pull out a set of handcuffs, and some duct tape. Put the duct tape on your mouth. Put on your handcuffs and lay on the floor.

Under those circumstances it would be obvious that you were being arrested for just asking questions - but you blew it by resisting your arrest. That's right. You were arrested because you resisted being arrested for being arrested.

Police Arrest University of Florida Student For Revealing Government Conspiracy!

Not really.
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Some Comments By The MySpace Community
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Having read a few MySpace reviews it looks like 75% of those youngsters commenting on the Myspace version of this video are questioning, in not so nice terms, the tolerance of freedom, and democracy in the U.S.

Kids, this isn't Abbie Hoffman they're carting off, but it is heartening to see that MySpace isn't just for love sick poetry, and heavy metal song applets anymore.

Anyway this kid will soon be a YouTube sensation.

Man, imagine a MILLION HITS in just a few days!

Let's see my blog hit count will catch up in about FORTY YEARS!

In the mean time the lady cop is headed back to Abu Ghraib where she's studied under head mistress Olga for the last few years.

Al Gore - A Tireless Environmentalist

Al Gore - Environmentalist

"The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor. If the doctor says you need to intervene here, you don't say, 'Well, I read a science fiction novel that told me it's not a problem.' If the crib's on fire, you don't speculate that the baby is flame retardant. You take action". -Al Gore-

Al Gore has been my "Guest Prophet" here on JeromeProphet for several months now. I could say many things about Al that are political, but I won't. I'll just say that I believe future generations will look back upon Mr. Gore with respect. That's not always the rule with former elected representatives.
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Former Vice President Al Gore

From the way Al Gore stepped down from the brewing controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election to the way he chose to reenter public life as an advocate for responsible public policy regarding global warming - I could only be impressed.

To me, Al Gore is like a shining light piercing the darkness. He is a modern David fighting against the Oil and Coal Goliath. The stakes are incredibly important. Allow the fossil fuel industry to continue their death grip on the people of the Industrialized world, changing the world climate in the process, or move away from fossil fuels toward a sustainable, and ecologically healthier approach? That's the question which this generation is presented, and it's Al Gore who keeps asking the question.

The Great Nevada Deserts

Not sure how many of you have noticed, but my posting has gone down of late.
Just where have I been? Nevada. Well actually I'm still right here in Central Illinois, but I've been spending all my free time virtually gliding over the deserts of Nevada in search of lost aviator Steve Fossett.

If anyone had asked me about my thoughts on the desert areas in the western United States I wouldn't have really had anything to say until now.

Using Google Earth for days on end to glide over the desert has been a real lesson in frustration.

I've chosen several different altitudes to glide at. I like 3000 feet for a fast glide to pick a general location, and then come down to around 1500 feet to snoop for any possible downed aircraft. I'll then go down lower to around 300 feet or lower inspecting a suspected area from every angle.

My MTurk hit count is laughably low, as I have spent far more time using Google Earth.

I find MTurk too confining. The hunter in me likes Google Earth much better. I've placemarked several suspected objects which might be downed aircraft.

One thing that gliding at 1500 feet, or even four times that altitude will give you is an incredible sense of scale. The deserts of Nevada are vast. They are also quite diverse, and beautiful. There are whole ranges of desert where sand, and ground are colored pinkish. There are vast areas of salty flats where ancient lakes dried up. There are long sloping barren rock hills.

There are desert roads which are little more than long streaks across the desert.

And then there's the vast uninhabited areas where there are no living things except plants. Where there are no roads, no human beings of any kind. The scale of these areas is incredible. Huge barren lands with nothing but sand, and hills, and desert brush with no signs of human beings except a rarely used desert road.

These places are not touched by rain. Marks in the sands are there for decades untouched by time.

Steve Fossett should have known better to fly into the desert without a flight plan. He of all people should have known of all those who have simply vanished into the wide vast barren deadly space which is Nevada.

Air Strip Where Steve Fossett Departed

Barron Hilton's Flying-M Ranch Airfield - Google Earth Fly To: 38°36'47.58"N, 119° 0'36.22"W
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Where did aviator, adventurer and world record holder Steve Fossett take off from?

Steve Fossett left from a mile long airstrip located at hotel magnate Barron Hilton's Flying-M Ranch.

The Flying-M Ranch is located sixty miles south of Reno, Nevada.

Location of the Flying-M Ranch in Latitude and Longitude as follows:

Latitude: 38°36'47.58"N

Longitude: 119° 0'36.22"W

The image above shows the Barron Hilton Flying-M Ranch from an altitude of 9916 feet.
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Example Only: What Type of Aircraft Was Steve Fossett Flying?

Steve Fossett took off in an aerobatic Bellanca-built Super Decathlon Citabria. The color scheme of the actual Barron Hilton Super Decathlon is different from the photo above. See the photo below for a look at the actual aircraft. The colors are blue, and white with red trim stripe on the actual aircraft Steve Fossett was flying on September 3rd, 2007.
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Photo: The Actual Barron Hilton Super Decathlon

The aircraft Steve Fossett was flying is owned by Barron Hilton. It has a range of 200 miles, and is equipped with an emergency transmitter which is automatically triggered after a crash. No such radio transmissions have been reported. The transmitter may also be manually activated.
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Single Engine Aircraft From Altitude Of One Kilometer

What Does A Single Engine Plane Look Like From One Kilometer Up?

See the photograph above, however, it is recommended that you search from half that altitude (i.e., 1500 feet).


General Area From Altitude of 85 Miles

What is the Scale of the Search Area?

• A Maximum of 200 Miles
• A Cautious Pilot at 150 Miles
• A Hypothesized 50 Miles

In the image above the grayish rectangle is an area photographed by satellite within the last few days (to assist in the search - there are several such areas). This vast area has been sectioned into tens of thousands of smaller images from an altitude of 1500 feet. Each smaller section needs to be reviewed several times by several different sets of eyes to verify need for immediate physical investigation.
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Amazon.Com's MTurk Search for Steve Fossett
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The more people participating in the search the greater the chance of finding the downed aircraft. Already six downed aircraft have been found, including three which were already known crash sites, and three crash sites which had been previously unknown. Each MTurk square is 278 square feet, but there are more than 300,000 squares to search. The MTurk system requires that each square be viewed 10 times. Also the satellite images employed have been updated several times. The good news is that an estimated 50,000 people are searching for Steve Fossett using the Internet.
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Searching For Steve Fossett Using Google Earth (Same Coordinates As MTurk Above)
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In the desert when a small plane crashes it can simply vanish. Families who have lost loved ones on board smaller aircraft which have crashed in these deserted areas are often told that resources have been exhausted - and the search stops. Decades pass, and their loved one's are never found. Therefore even if Steve Fossett is not found there is a very good chance that the search for Steve Fossett will find additional crash sites which will assist in the return of the remains of lost loved ones to their surviving family members.
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How Can I Help Rescue or Recover Steve Fossett?

Short of flying out to Barron Hilton's Ranch and assisting in the physical search you can search right from your own computer using Google Earth! You don't even need to use Google Earth. In any case visit Steve Fossett's website for details on how you can help search for Steve Fossett.
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Where Should I Submit Steve Fossett Leads Coordinates?
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If you're using Google Earth you can submit your discoveries to Mturk at:

• http://www.violentskies.com/search-for-steve-fossett/index.html

• http://turksearch.wordpress.com/..

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What Is The Phone Number To Report A Steve Fossett Physical Sighting

The phone number below is provided for members of the public who have physical Steve Fossett sighting leads, not Google Earth, or MTurk leads. If you're using Google Earth to find Steve Fossett see the link above to submit your leads. If you're using Amazon.Com's MTurk just submit your hit results through the normal MTurk system. The number is (910) 396-0704. At the tone press 4719.

Provide:

• Your Name
• Phone Number
• Latitude & Longitude of Sighting
• Description of the Sighting

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How Long Has Steve Fossett Been Missing?

Since early afternoon of September 3rd.
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Is There A Reward For Finding Steve Fossett?

YouChoose.Net has offered a $10,000 reward to anyone providing information which results in the rescue, or recovery of Steve Fossett.
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Links

Download Google Earth Here (Free)

Get Coordinates Here to Search For Steve Fossett

Here's an excellent Wired article on the subject

Mainstream Media's Mental Muzzles

A Voluptuous Media Fixation - Britney Spears
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Illinois Times' Amanda Witherell recaps her top ten important stories which should merit public debate, yet hardly mustered a mention in most Main Stream Media outlets too busy covering important issues such as how fat Britney Spears is (over 1500 news article hits on Google News within 24 hours of her revealing comeback performance yesterday).

I'm alarmed by these stories. It is completely obvious that the United States has been turned into a police state in the name of The War on Terror, The War on Drugs, etc.
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Gitmo: How Many Innocent People Are Still Detained?

Most people think they'll never feel the ill effects of legislation which has quietly deleted the rights and protections provided to them, and prior generations through the Constitution. That's for Muslim terrorist they tell themselves - but these laws are far reaching, and apply to us all.

Let this article be a call to arms for freedom loving Americans - oops, that might be construed as an inducement to violence which could be used to justify tossing me into a cell without a trial for a very very long time. Think I'm joking? You have to click on that link, and read the article - this may be your only warning.

So let me rephrase that, Let this article motivate you, but do nothing - do nothing at all except pay your taxes - unless you happen to be rich and can get out of paying them.

Bush's Tool - Osama Bin Laden

Terror Attack Upon U.S.A. - September 11th, 2001

Six years ago to the day we in America remember. We recall the day that America was attacked. We mourn the loss of those whose lives were taken by Osama Bin Laden, and his radical Muslim followers. We remember how we felt as we hopelessly watched each tower at the World Trade Center fall leaving only flames and dust - and broken bodies, and broken lives.

We remember those whose lives were taken in the attack upon the Pentagon, and those lost on Flight 93. We remember our sense of loss, and our rage, and our vow to support any means necessary to avenge this horrible act - to bring those responsible to justice - to make the world safe again from such madness. We remember.


Pearl Harbor Attack - December 7th, 1941

The attack upon America on that day in September of 2001 wasn't the first such attack. The British had attacked our young nation in 1812, and the Japanese had launched a sneak attack upon our Naval forces docked at Pearl Harbor in December of 1941. We remembered. We did not forget.

We had known the bitter realization of our state of ill prepare before 9-11. We had known the sense of loss, the anger, and the rage before. We had vowed before to bring justice and peace to the world - and to vanquish our enemies wherever we found them. We remembered.

Yet, despite the similarities the response to the 9-11 attack could not have been more different. After the attack upon Pearl Harbor in 1941 the United States declared war, and mobilized for total war. The entire nation went on a war footing, and millions of men, and women enrolled in the fight. Everyone sacrificed at some level to help defeat the Axis powers.

The same sense of unity which led the U.S. to total victory against its World War II enemies existed in the years following the 9-11 attack. However, after the liberation of Afghanistan from the Taliban it was clear there had been a lost opportunity to capture Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden's head would not be served to the civilized world at the end of a rope, but instead he managed to flee into northern Pakistan.

We as a nation were told it was only a matter of time, that something would be worked out, and Osama and his gang of thugs would be captured, and killed.

But then the focus of the hunt morphed. Wedged between tax breaks for the rich, and the destruction of our civil rights began a full fledged campaign of lies, and deceit meant to convince the American people that a war against Iraq was needed.

Through the efforts of the Bush Administration the U.S. public were convinced that it was Saddam Hussein who should actually be the target of our ire. We were told that Osama Bin Laden was a non factor, and that an attack upon Iraq would liberate a people - that democracy would flourish, and that security in the Middle East would be imposed.

Now years later as the non stop sectarian violence in Iraq has loudly spoken we see how our invasion and occupation of Iraq has been one of the most horrible and destabilizing events ever put upon the peoples of the Middle East.

And what of justice for Osama Bin Laden? Six years later he is alive, and free - and he has paid no consequences for his terrible act.

Our so called leaders have betrayed us to the wicked men behind the scenes - those who shackle us into the servitude of Middle Eastern oil interest, and the corporate war profiteers.

While thousands lost their lives six years ago on that terrible day in 2001 it is we the survivors who have been victims to this nation's so called leaders - for they not only have allowed Osama Bin Laden to evade justice - and to mock us, and our sense of patriotism, but it is our corrupt leaders who lied to us, and betrayed us - leading us into a war based upon lies, and greed.

And in the end isn't that what the lesson is that we the common people of this nation are being taught by the likes of the upper class and their boys in Washington D.C. - that patriotism and nationalism no longer matter in the age of wealth earned not through labor but inheritance. Wealth earned through ownership in stock in multinational corporations which care not for America, but only for a quick buck.

In this age our leaders collude with the very people who finance hatred and violence against our nation and they do so openly. In this age we look back to what we once were and we remember - and we wait.


Osama Bin Laden - Alive & Well

Question: Why hasn't Osama Bin Laden been killed or captured six years after 9-11?
Answer: He's worth more to the Bush Administration alive than dead.
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Adolf Hitler - Dead April 1945
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If September 11th, 2001 was the equivalent to the December 7th, 1941 attack upon Pearl Harbor then Osama Bin Laden would have been dead by now.

By this time World War II was over. The United States went from a nation in the depths of an economic depression to the saving the world from the likes of Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo. America's enemies within four years fell from the status of regimes bent of world domination to the scrap heap of history.
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Admiral Yamamoto - Killed April 1943
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Comparisons between the Japanese sneak attack upon Pearl Harbor to the 9-11 terrorist attack upon the United States are inevitable. Some say that a war on terror isn't the same thing as a world war. Some say that there's no way to definitively win a war on terror, and perhaps that is so, but just looking at the failure to achieve the one goal - the capture of those responsible for the 9-11 attack - it is clear that a huge difference exist between the United States of old, and the current version led by the ever corrupt Bush administration.


Benito Mussolini - Hung April 1945
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Instead of pressuring the Pakistani government to give up Osama Bin Laden the Bush administration has put the capture of this mass murderer on hold while it has concentrated its efforts on the occupation of Iraq. It is as if the capture of the individuals responsible for the mass murder of thousands of American citizens was secondary to the take over of a nation which presented no real threat the the U.S. - a nation which we had already contained.

One must examine, and question the motivations of those involved in deceiving the American public, and America's Allies into invading, and occupying Iraq - instead of dealing honestly with those actually responsible for waging war upon America.
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Let's Look At Some Important Dates

• Pearl Harbor Attack - December 7th, 1941
• Germany & Italy Declare War on U.S. - December 11th 1941
• Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto Killed - April 18th, 1943
• Hitler Commits Suicide - April 30th, 1945
• Benito Mussolini Hung - April 28th, 1945
• Victory in Europe Day - May 8th, 1945
• Victory Over Japan Day - August 15th, 1945
• 9-11 Attack Upon U.S - September 11th, 2001
• The Capture or Killing of Osama Bin Laden - ?

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A Total U.S.A. Victory By August 1945!
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War on Terror - Too Lucrative To Win

It is quite clear that Osama Bin Laden is simply too valuable to the Bush Administration as a boogy man to ever be killed, or captured. Leaving Osama Bin Laden alive, and trotting him out from time to time as a means of creating distress in the populace helped elect George W. Bush in 2004. Bin Laden has become a tool successfully manipulated by Dick Cheney, and his underling, George Bush to remind the public that the nation must always be frightened of every shadow.

Only in this way can attention be shifted away from the domestic agenda. Only this way can the people's efforts be misdirected from addressing long ignored social issues, and it's corrupt and broken political system. Only in this way can huge amounts of U.S. tax dollars be plundered and funneled into the coffers of the war profiteers.

Osama Bin Laden is George W. Bush's Tool.

Dad, I Smoke Pot Now!

Dad, I Smoke Pot Now!

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A

One Act Play

By

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JeromeProphet
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- Curtain Rises -

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Daughter: I smoke pot now. All the kids do it so you shouldn't be concerned.

Father: I thought you said you had stopped?

Daughter: But it makes me feel good, I'll admit it I'm not going to stop.

Father: First it's illegal, and you've had two run ins with the cops already this summer.

Daughter: You said you did it when you were a teen.


Barney to Blunts in Sixteen Years

Father: Yes, and I also told you what a complete waste of time, money, and brain cells it was! I told you how it adversely affects grades, how it makes you lazy, and gets you to overeat.

Daughter: One girl I know does coke, at least I'm not.

Father: You chose to go out, and pick the friends you did, but you don't have to live like this. You tell me you're not doing coke now, but everything you told me that you wouldn't do just six months ago you're already doing. A month from now are you going to be doing cocaine? Can't you trust us on this?

Daughter: It hasn't done any of those things to me - except maybe last Tuesday.

Father: What happened last Tuesday?

Daughter: Well I smoked, and then went in an took a test and flunked it.

Father: Oh great, you have bronchitis, can hardly sleep at night but your smoking pot?

Daughter: Just don't take my car away because I'm being honest with you.

Father: Ever since we got you the car you've shown us nothing but disrespect.

Daughter: No I haven't. You show me disrespect all the time.

Father: You called your mother a mother f*&()% this afternoon, and told her to get your shoes as if she were a dog!


At Least I Don't Snort Coke Yet

Daughter: Just shut up.

Father: And you're telling me to shut up? You're losing your car.

Daughter: I need to go to work.

Father: And you're losing your cellphone too. Everyone I know that I've shared this with tells me to take the car away. That you need to learn that there are consequences, before it's too late. Before you end up in jail or worse.

Daughter: Are you going to do what they tell you or what you decided?

Father: I would have taken the car away already, it's your mom's idea to let you keep driving it.

Daughter: Well if you take the car away I'll move out.

Father: So be it, but you won't be taking the car, and I'll be canceling the cell phone too.

Mother: Don't tell her to move out - that's my daughter!

Father: She's the one that's laying down the ultimatums not me.

Daughter: Just let her go to work, she needs to get to work.

Father: So the new way in this house will be that your daughter will call you a mother f*&()%, and tell me to shut up, and there won't be any consequences?


Independence But At What Cost?

Mother: You're just making it worse.

Father: Unbelievable, I'm out of here! I feel like I've been set up once again. You know you have just 18 months until you turn 18. That's going to go by so fast, and what are you going to do then if you've burnt all you bridges? You better be looking for a full time job between now and then because you're going to need one.

Daughter: No I won't, because Jay and Mary* said they'll help me in any way they can.

Father: But they don't know the real you do they? They don't know you do drugs. What do you think they'll do for you then? You'll be eighteen by then. An adult doing drugs under the same roof as their teenage boy. You're not even related to them, do you think they'll want to support you when you tell them what you are doing? When you tell them the same thing that you just told us, that you have no intention of stopping? Do you think they'll tolerate you calling Mary a Bi%^$, or a Mother *&^%$#? Or perhaps since they have more money to spend on you - you're planning on not treating them in the same way?

Daughter: Don't tell them. Mary thinks I've stopped.

Father: You know, I'm glad you're honest with us, but there's no way a loving parent can be silent while you chose such a self destructive lifestyle.

Mother: She needs counseling.

Father: Yes, she does, and so don't we all.
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- Stage Fades To Black -

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Setting

Typical lower middle class family U.S. living room. The year is 2007.
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Characters

Daughter: Sixteen year old white female with part time job.

Father and Mother: Stressed out lower class parents.



Let Us Save Your Daughter

Jim and Maria: Jim and Maria are two local teachers. They play man and wife although not married - yet. Maria can no longer have children, and has spent $1000's over the past year wooing this real other family's daughter into moving in with her - to be her "adopted" daughter - so that she could experience what it is like to be a mother of a daughter. Maria has a teenage son from a previous marriage.

The net effect of this unnatural coveting has been disastrous upon the poor family. It has undermined the real parents parental authority. The real parents who struggle with their real daughter's real personality and real problems have to contend with these enablers who in no way know the real parents, have never made any attempts to know the real parents - and yet have come to play a significant role in their daughter's life. Their goal is singular in fashion - grab up the other family's daughter as their own.


Poor Parents Are Bad Parents
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Manipulating Teenage Vulnerabilities Through Generous Gifting

The real parents who are poor work hard just to pay for the necessities. Paying their daughter's car payments, cell phone bills, food for their daughter, health insurance, utility bills, putting a roof over their heads (the non-sexy things in life) are about all the poor parents can afford.

They wear clothing at home that has holes in them, and wear shoes with holes in them even at work. They never go anywhere, or spend money on themselves so that they can give as much as they have to their disrespectful daughter.

Instead of garner a sense of respect for her parents for sacrificing for her the daughter has concluded that her parents are complete losers - because they are poor.

They find themselves completely unable to compete with Jim and Maria who take their daughter on shopping runs at the local mall to buy expensive brand name clothing, to restaurants which the parents have never been to before, or by giving their daughter spending money, etc.

The real parents have noticed as the "generosity" has grown beyond anything considered normal, and looks to them like some type of attempt to purchase their daughter's affections - and it's working.

In the meantime their daughter uses this alternative place to flop as a means of creating fear among her real parents that she'll simply move out if she is confronted about drug use, breaking curfew, sexual activity, and a growing level of disrespect for her real parents.

The daughter recently stating, "You're poor - I have no intention of being like you", and "Maria has a room for me now", and "I'm moving out when I'm eighteen, but you don't need to worry - Jim, and Maria said they'll pay my way through college".

The pseudo parent Jim actually pretended to be the daughter's father when he picked the daughter up from an incident with the police - the first of two such drug related events over the same summer.

The real parents are very concerned, but find themselves stymied by their greater concern - that the daughter will increase her drug use, and sexual activity if she hangs out with her teenage friends - instead of with Jim and Maria. It's a Faustian bargain, but the real parents love for their daughter has prevented them from moving against what appears to be the monetary seduction of their beloved daughter - into the hands of another family.

The real parents also find themselves heartbroken to see that their daughter, who they raised from childhood would chose another family based upon money instead of understanding that loyalty to poor parents who love her is more important that a few thousand dollars in gifts - but sadly it seems money speaks louder than love for some - including their own child.

This sense of rejection- the sense of failure as parents, has led the parents to fight and squabble creating a sense of despair. Each parent blaming the other for alleged failings. The once tight knight little family has come apart at the seams.

A choice seems to have been handed to the parents - continue to feel the pain, and depression over the rejection by their daughter of their once loving family - or to further disconnect from their daughter - only accelerating the dissolution of all the dreams the parents had of continuing to guide their daughter through her high school and college years. It is as if a death were taking place - slowly - painfully - and inevitably - and all the parents can do is wait, and hope for some type of resurrection, which they increasingly doubt will ever occur - especially due to the presence of Jim and Maria - who have other plans for their daughter, and the money to finance it.