ilikekicks

AWESOME! 

We have chickens too. About 40 Hens and 6-8 Cocks. Brown eggs are great!

Megan.. you cede my point when you stated this -->

"Oh dear, I must take you to task.  First, Gabriel Garcia Marquez wasn't primarily a journalist, but a Nobel Prize winning novelist.  Of course, he was asked to write in newspapers, but what he did best was fiction."

A Nobel Prize is presently worthless IMO. They are handed out for very strict ' political ' reasons.

Mandela and King both put their lives on the line and stood their ground. They fought valiantly and stood for many. Obama did what before being recognized and awarded? Woodrow Wilson, the guy whom I can directly stipulate having a hand in destroying the global economy from the grave, what great feats did he accomplish? OH YEAH! He went against the will of the people of his nation and tried to get the U.N. established ( League of Nations prior ) and sell-out his own nations republic. 

The ' Nobel Organization ' itself only tells half the story, the side THEY wish to be the truth. Heres an example :

The Vietnam Conflict (1959-1975), was fought between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the United States-supported Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The Southern and American forces were defeated and the war ended with unification of Vietnam under the communist government of the North.

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/facts/peace/

Theres no mention at all of the French and their Colonialism/Occupation starting the conflict. Its all About ' evil America ' and how they ' lost the war ' in the total ' Worldview ' of everything.

A very slanted organization to say the least.

In 1955, the U.S. was in Korea, Not Vietnam. Theres thousands of gravestones in my nation to prove such but the ' Nobel Organization ' wont let those sacrifices get in the way of THEIR version of whos worthy of what.

To get to the point, Toilet paper is more useful then a ' Nobel Prize ' for anything these days.

Bono from the Group U2 has done more humanitarian work in the last 2 decades then many of the politicians they have laid a ' peace ' award to.. yet hes not awarded? Why? 

The gentleman we are speaking of is a relative ' nobody ' which in most instances is the greatest thing of all. Not being in the limelight or centerstage of scrutiny.

The problem with a lot of his work is as you have mentioned : Historical writings and fictional pieces. Its tough to discern ( in some instances ) which is being put forth from him.

I tend to stay away from platforms. Maybe a half-inch one but thats about it, nothing more.

I wish I could pull off a suit a quarter as well as you did! Bravo to you!

-ILK

I must admit that I never really could get anything, or much at least, from One Hundred Years of Solitude.

 

Maybe it's because I am "European"? You two, Megan and ILK, have obviously read him in depth, so it would be interesting to get your take on it.

 

Always keen to hear the views from the other side of the Atlantic divide, although you are obviously sceptical of his works ILK.

Im skeptical of ALL Journalists as the field " in present " really isnt worth a damn. They write what will sell and fill their pockets, ' earning a living ' moreso then putting in an honest writing. For such, they ALL - as in a collective have no credibility until they provide substance through their works.

An example I like to use is how MANY people say ( and Ill quote one of them from a site I used to read but have now found unworthy of my time ) " The conversation of climate change is over! were destroying the planet! ". Well.. contrar to all the SPECULATION put forth by all these great minded scientists, last year was one of the best growing seasons the farm I live and WORK on ( daily ). This year is looking even better! Yet were all told by these people whom write these ' educated ' things that its all going badly. We need to be more ' green '. Im a Farmer, how much ' greener ' can I be? When was the last time these brain-children raised a crop and actually put 14hr days, 9 months ( or more ) a year into their ' study ', a study without actual long term ' hands on '. Its surely more credible then a ' sample ' they use as supposed ' proof ' or evidence.

How about all those idiots whom said Saddam had chemical weapons? Many people are so narrow minded to hang the whole lie around a selected few peoples necks yet anyone can go to youtube and see EVERYONE saying he had them in the late 90's. My, how the ' journalists ' changed that story.

Then theres ' Ethanol '. We have a still here and make our own for use in the equipment and generators. Its WAY less efficient then gasoline and the reason its ' cheaper ' is due to it being subsidized.

Look at all the speculation about that Korean airliner that is unaccounted for. Weeks of the ' media ' covering it.. they STILL dont have an answer for what happened. Lotsa hype and guessing, but nobody knows, why make things up like the pilot intentionally crashing the plane? Then there was something about Russia or China shooting it down.. really? Seriously?

They need to earn their place, all of them.

I doubt that there are very few people in the US that's even heard of him.

I actually heard of him when I was looking into the entity called ' multiculturalism ' and the whole theme of it. A lot of his ideals are just nonsense. There are some that I do agree with, but for the most part, his writings are flavors of his opinion and not much else.

Awwww so cute!

 

They can get really tame and you can housetrain rabbits too.

With all the trimmings we do on all the plants ( about 35,000 of them ), theres plenty for them to eat. They were moshing about today and I left them some greenery to gnaw on. They split when I was approaching but came right out after I moved back about 10 feet. We put a small water dish out for them and some uncooked carrots from todays dinner.

I'm hoping they stick around.

Thus why I stay out of the ' technology ' fields. Theres always too much to learn/know and it changes too often to be settled into a routine of sorts.

I left one area of work for something totally different and found it quite rewarding. Not rewarding because of the work itself, but a different place with different people. The scenery change can be a welcomed thing even though we feel we might ' miss ' out past area.

It might be good for your soul in doing this move .

But America is what it is because two cultures met everywhere.  And by America i don't mean the US, but the continents.  For example. Mexico isn't Nueva Espana, but what was Mexico still lives.

 

Gabriel Garcia Marquez tried to make sense of what it means to be American (in the two continental sense).  I think you chaps should respect him for that.

Nueva Espana? Tell that to the Aztecs, Incas and others that go unmentioned..

If Marquez wants my respect, he has to earn it, no different then anyone else. Its unfortunate that I CAN appreciate his works, but dont really feel that they should be celebrated as its mostly speculation on his part ( like most ' journalists ' of today ) with tales of grander to put the seams of a ' big picture ' together. The work he has done was done in kind before him and others in the future will do the same thing. Its a cycle.

His efforts can be admired but his ' body of work '.. not so much for me.

Ahh. You're a big softie after all. Or in the pot in three months time.

 

Al

They are quite adorable.. some more pic's of them..

With gay weddings becoming more and more legal in the US we get stories of wedding cake makers who refuse to make one for gay or lesbian couples. This does cause a little inner turmoil as I dislike both the idea of discriminating against someone for any reason, and the idea of forcing someone to do something they wish not to. It would be better if people were free to do business as they like, but that they chose not to discriminate. Too bad this is an idealist situation, and human nature never allows 100% adoption of any ideal.

I came back to reflect on this topic as I was looking for a new pair of sneakers today and stopped by the store mentioned earlier.

The Employee whom didnt like my boots no longer works there. The other girl does and was very friendly.

I DO like your outlook RockPup. The problem most dont see is how they hurt their own ' bottom line '.

We grow plants and raise animals. We sell both. We put in effort/work and perform a task and are paid for it when all is said and done. Outside of regulations that have to be followed, nobody is here telling us what to do or how to do it.

We dont care whom someone worships or whom they speak with as ' we raise and sell things '. Cash is ' green '. It doesnt matter whos hand it comes from. If a chimp staggered in tossing C-notes around we would sell it anything it wanted and be very courteous in doing such!

N.Y. has started to see the ' Gay Wedding Cake ' issues pop up. My opinion is " find a bakery that has a Gay employee or 3 and promote them in the local papers as being friendly to such ideas ". Instead of flaming those idiots whom ( apparently ) dont want the business or the revenues for their efforts, promote those whom do good business and dont even mention the negative ones ( even bad advertisement is still advertisement ).

The only discrimination I can say I have is those whom dont have the funds to buy products. I cant just give away everything.

And as for your pot hole filling episode - - If I pulled that stunt, I'd catch holy hell. As an example, If I had a truck with a snow plow, I wouldn't drop it on the road no matter how bad it was.

Update :

I had to make amends and restitution for the display of faith. The Good lawyer is also on retainer for the local County Operators Union. 2600$ later.. it appears like a ' bad example ' of getting the job done.

To speak of a system where everyone says they are ' helping others '.. yet in actuality, its hindering all progress for such a simple solution for a very small problem..

I left the City because of the REAL problems : too many idiots owning governmental influence and making mandates only to find out it happens in ' small town ' settings too.

I told the Union Bosses to stock their warchests as if I win that counsel seat, I guarantee things will change and they arent going to like it in the least bit. They stated the 2600$ was re-couping the monies their members lost in wages..

How does one collect ' wages ' when they didnt do the work? They didnt do a *&^&%^* thing in regards to patching those holes.. yet they want to be paid for a job they didnt do? " Thats how it is " was what I was told.

No work - no pay IMO. Thats how its going to be.

This thread gives me somewhat of a headache to be honest, but very well stated Shafted, nicely said.

I have the same ' issue ' myself ( headaches that is ).

I understand the ' French ' ( Quebec ) doesnt really care for the British or speaking english, but if *I* were to have a conversation in Hebrew or one of the many Spanish Dialects, I would find a reliable translator just to show some courtesy and to clarify what I was trying to stipulate.

What hurts the most isnt this gentleman's situation, its trying to figure out what he exactly means.

There are many of us whom wear heels, men and women alike, whom have no issues at all. Some are married, some single, some divorced, some gay, some hetero, a few are probably lesbian.. I dont believe ' wearing heels ' has anything to do with our sexuallity as if it did, a majority of us would fall into one category which simply isnt presented by the facts/statistics/viewing of the contributors here.

To clarify to all reading this in regards to my stance..

"I continue to feel that it is an injustice for men to be not normal when wearing heels. I also feel jealous about women that they can wear all they want even men clothes without troubles."

Once more, I envoke the familiar names of Myself, Jeff B, Shafted, Rockpup and some of the many others that we all wear whatever it is we want and I wouldnt say any of us are ' abnormal '. None of us are from the same backround either.

Shafted is from the ' way up there ' North East U.S. and works in Theater.

Jeff B is from the East coast Area. Hes into Anime/Manga.

Rockpup is from Florida and is into Guns and stuff..

Im a Farmer in Western NY..

We have little to nothing in Common in regards to where we live or what we do. I'm Married, Rockpup is in a relationship ( I believe? Its none of my business but I think he may have mentioned it before ). I know Shafted is single ( and wants to mingle ).

Were White, Hispanic, Gay, Black.. Nothing ' Ethnic ' about it..

How are we ' Not Normal '? How do we ' not ' show a pretty diverse group of individuals when viewed as a ' collective ' by others?

*I* Believe Jim102 ( Original thread author ) might feel the same way in some regards but just doesnt posses the intuition of how to present his viewpoints for others to make clarity of his remarks. Im sure he is a ' swell ' fellow, and we might have ideas or insight to what he is trying to convey, but without that clarity, its tough to help him out.

Look, I'm going to say this because it looks like nobody else will.

 

Why are you jealous of women? You have the exact same power to do exactly what they do. They didn't have it easy either, so why do you expect it to be easy for you?

 

Sorry to be so blunt, but it's an old story I've heard way too many times.

SNIP!

Im taking _some_ of what you stated ( but not disregarding all of it ) to re-emphasize what your stating.

*WE*, as in, those of us of with the convex organ area ( IE: not concave ) need to wake up and smell the coffee. Be who we are and not worry about it. As a Nike comercial once stated for a slogan ' Just do it! '. Wear what we want and go out. Dont look back.

Until the effort is made by us as individuals to do such, we shouldnt complain.

I was out doing some cleaning by the green houses and trimming ' hosta ' plants that were mashed down due to the weight of snow.

Low and behold, something ran out from underneath one. I believed it was a field mouse and continued on with what I was doing. It happened again from the same plant, another small entity ran out and over to the next Hosta.

I took a look and it was a pair of tiny baby bunnies! They are sooo adorable and we decided to stop trimming and put them back in their nest as they appear less then 2 weeks old. We set them in a small brick display we have until we were done using the trimmers and after laying new mulch so there wouldnt be any injury to them.

I'll put up more pics when I snag my camera.

Happy Easter to those of you whom celebrate the occasion!

Because he was a fine writer whose work tried to define how the Americas weren't just an offshoot of Europe, but something unique forged out of the meeting of cultures.  You should be proud of him, as Americans in the fullest sense.

He was a *good* writer, but I dont think he realized the full scope of what he was speaking of.

The ' Americas ' werent forged out of ' the meeting of cultures ' at all. The ' Americas ' were forged out of desires to be anything but ' Europe ' of the past. a ' Brave new way ' as it was described in some timeline of history.

As it is with other ' writers ' or ' Journalists ' , he had his view and not much else outside of it. A narrow-scope from his own point of view which he wrote about in great detail in ways of much superior etiquette. 

MLRosePlant : Im digging those loafers for some reason. Dunno what it is about them, but I could see myself owning something of the sorts in the future.

JeffB :

One thing is for certain and its well known by ANYONE whom watches porn : Those ' pleasers ' are seen on all the ' porn stars ' and ' dancing poles ' around the states and have a very bad stipulation of making the wearer being implied to ' cheap ', ' trashy ', a ' slut ' or a ' corner worker '. 

Its tough to find heels that actually work for men. They arent made for us to begin with and finding something that says ' im just normal ' is one thing, but to just say ' F-it! You will all accept that I wear these shoes.. ' and to not expect people to laugh.. Whatever happened to earning acceptance or our way?

I probably hurt someones feelings for saying the obvious, oh well.

I decided that instead of using the ' stereo-typical ' type of classification, I would make something based in FACT. 

The ' Pleasers ' I used for the experiment are in fact used as ' jackstands ' now. Ive used them on a golfcart, ATV's, riding mower and other lighter items around here. Those shoes arent slutty, cheap, trashy or even FUGLY.. they are ' useful jackstands ' with the science proving it .

If someone doesnt like the term ' jackstands ', they need to disprove the fact that they arent used as such by myself .

I find the term jackstand as a truthfui term as not everyone whom wears those shoes are actually trashy, cheap, involved in poledancing for a living, a porn actress or living with a mattress tied to their back working corners.

So, finally got my first pair of red stilettos (and a more really light pink/skintone color). Wasn't a huge fan of the idea of wearing lipstick red shoes but they actually look better than i'd expected.

 

Probably not the best to take a picture on a red glass table but whatever. They were on sale and cheap so I bought 2 pair and the brand is turkish i believe (issimo, the i has a diacritic and all i know of turkish is that i is nothing like latin i but i digress). They fit well enough at the end of the day and aren't weird to walk in despite the really high heels. Now I just wish I woulda bought more of the other colors on sale. Oh well. Anyway pictures:

 

I like those. Im getting inspired to maybe find a pair of ' nude ' or ' natural ' colored pumps.

Municipal workers are really afraid that if they are too efficient they'll work themselves out of a job. I am very curious about if there will be any backlash from city officials about your interfering. There is bound to be some laws or ordinances , complete with penalties, that you've broken by filling in those potholes. Good campaign points. How much money you saved the community by fixing them yourselfe.

I was contacted yesterday morning. Someone bitched already about filling in the holes. Typical union idiots and teh guy they support not liking someone whom actually FIXED a problem.

Im thinking about sending them an itemized bill. 

I thought it was funny that he could get personal about your shoes but something that really mattered like drunk driving was off limits.

I try explaining to people whom complain about the whole ' left ' and ' right ' senario and how they will believe in one side and over-look the other when they are the same f-ing idiots whom all do the same damn crap yet people will give one a pass and say bad things about the other..

They are all worthless.

I dont WANT to run for office, I surely have better things to do with my time, but someone needs to do something and I was sorta compelled to do it. Im new ' out here ' and feel I need to earn my keep.

Please keep us informed as to the progress of your race. I, for one , am constantly amazed at the lack of commen sense applied by town officials when it comes to fixing community problems.

The ' Town Officials ' and ' Government ' are what the problem is at its core. Theres a very simple fix for most things yet there is a ' rule ' or ' regulation ' that has to be enforced, sometimes 50 of them depending what the task is.

I went and filled those holes in. It didnt take long for the county folks to come along and complain saying it was ' their job ' and some of their guys lost ' overtime ' because of it.

I asked them why it took them since last fall to do their job?

" Nobody told us about the holes! We never received a work order! "

One of them lives ON THAT ROAD! They never knew about this? They have to wait in order to get something done?

Its stupid. Its dumb. Its Bloated. Its doomed to failure from the get go.

I went out and filled some pot-holes this morning. Some were pretty brutal.

There are some real asshats out there. A couple passer-bys stopped while I was filling those holes and said it was ' about time ' as they were bad this past fall and SHOULD have been taken care of before winter.

Wow, the democrat lawyer guy just loves government control of everything doesn't he. Seems to be doing his best to be an obstructionist.

..and the other guy is.. Hes a really nice guy, very like-able.. but hes just somewhat clueless/lost.

Hard to have power over people if they think they can handle issues without their help.

VERY true. Most of the people out here are very independent. They grow and barter for their food/meats. Just about all of them hunt/fish. Its very ' old school '. The internet isnt a ' necessity ' and in some instances isnt used at all. Cell phones.. most dont have them.

The town board has 3 members that ' need to go ' in my opinion. The board should be used for zoning, fixing the roads and town planning. The folks dont want to be ' bothered ' by anyone.

As some of you may know, Im running for a local Town Seat. Tonight was the first of 2 ' debates ' or ' meet and greets ' as they are called.

Theres 3 people running for the Seat. Myself on a self-claimed ( non affiliated ) ' Libertarian ' line, A democrat and a ' Religious Republican ' as I call him.

For starts, I was wearing a long white collar shirt, pair of jeans and a pair of NineWest ' pinktop ' booties ( wedges ). The democrat is a high-end lawyer and was in whats known as a ' power suit ' ( he came from HIS law office where he basically lives directly to the meeting ). The ' Religious Republican ' is actually a Weslyan layman of somekind ( I dont really know him, he just joined the fray this past week ).

In taking questions, our differences were QUITE different. The topic of what I was wearing on my feet was added in along the way.

This isnt the whole thing, but part of it.

#1.) Theres a lot of roadwork and potholes on rt240 and its hurting cars, when is something going to be done about it?

RRGuy - ' whats normally done? Im sure there is a process that can be used to address that '

Lawyer - ' I dunno whom is contracted to do such but I think we should contact the town super intendant immediatly so his people can get right on it '

Me - ' Contact the Super? Your on the board already, you have his cell number in your phone.. no better time then now.. '

Lawyer - ' Nice try, but ewndless you have an immediate fix I suggest.. '

( I cut him off )

Me - I have a 950a loader, millions of tons of gravel, if you want to delay this meeting till tomorrow, myself and my brother can get out there and fill those holes right now, probably faster then it will be for you to figure out the "process" or whatever regulations you need to go through in order to get something done.

Lawyer - Maybe if you spent less time shopping for womens shoes.. damn trannies..

Me - Maybe if you were doing the job you were elected to do instead of making millions as a lawyer and not paying a dime to keep those roads fixed, the issue might have been addressed already.

We were advised to put off answers for that one and see individuals on a one-on-one basis for answer.

The next thing that was really ratteling was about the NYSafe Act.

RRGuy - well it is said that murdering is a sin and killing our brothers wrong. Violence isnt the answer. Outside of hunting, those kinds of things shouldnt be promoted..

Lawyer - Nobody should have guns.

Me - You sound like a redcoat or a turncoat, you can decide which best reflects your position..

( lawyer cut me off )

Lawyer - Lemme guess, your all for people owning those assault weapons and large capacity magazines and having all kinds of explosives.. Typical anarchist you are.

Me - Yep. You are 100% correct. So long as individuals dont harm anyone but themselves, I dont care what they own. Its none of my business. What you purchase is YOURS. What I purchase is mine. 2 years ago, you were busted for a DWI, yes, I looked at your ' record ' outside of voting. You damages 3 parked cars in the process. Did you own up to paying for fixing those cars because you were irresponsibly drink or did your insurance pay for it?

Lawyer - THATS PERSONAL!

Me - and you werent? Get a clue! You dont even live out here, just own a bunch of property and dont pay any taxes for it because you hold a seat with the town and have that exemption. I bet after you loose that seat, you'll sell it all off to a developer and buy a few more townhouses in the city.

Lawyer - I dont own any ' townhouses '.

Me - Sorry, they might be called condo's. My improper wording. Quite nice and expensive with a view of Niagara Falls.. I bet you pull thousands a month in rent for those.

Lawyer - that has nothing to do with the conversation at hand!

Me - Correct! But it has insight to how narrow your scope of reality is. You know nothing about those potholes people hit daily yet your one of the people whom is to be called for such a thing. You say the people out here shouldnt be allowed the tools need to get rid of varmit that trash their fields and maybe let them put meat on the table for dinner.. all while not living here, getting a tax break and wearing a very expensive suit and laughing at my low-brand womens shoes. You dont see how laughable that is.

Once again we were told to ' knock it off '.

The last thing that was asked was about signs for the highway. The local business association wants to put up signs on the off ramps saying where hotels and the shopping district are. They have them for lodging and for the ski-resorts in the area.

RRGuy - Why not? It doesnt harm anybody?

Lawyer - It would be a cost we would have to look into and something we would have to see if our resources could handle.

Me - Jeff ( name deleted ) has his fabrications shop on Baker road. Ask him to make the signs, he already makes the signs for the county. Whatever they cost, he could just write off on his tax liability for the materials and maybe ask for a time donation on his part as his place is in the business district, its advertising for him and his work. We have the people HERE whom can get the job done and do it right the first time. Take an afternoon, sit down with Jeff and those involved at the diner and go over what needs to be made and where it has to be put up. Summer is coming and the town youth program that hires the kids could be contacted for installation. Weve all put up fence posts on our farms or ones we worked on growing up.. its not brain science here..

Lawyer - Theres regulations that need to be followed! Theres a process for..

( I cut him off ) 

Me - Yeah, a process and 9 million pages of paperwork for everything. THAT is the problem. THAT is why nothing good is ever achieved. Thats why things are so damn expensive and inefficient.

One of the people in attendance asked if we would disclose out ' financials ' so I emptied my pocket on the table in front of me.. 35$ and some change. I told them I have my W2's for the last few years at my home and if they want, I would photocopy them and post them on the light poles running down mainstreet.  People laughed but I advised them I was serious. 

Make no mistakes, the Guy with the wedge booties broke one off in the ass of that Lawyer this past night .

Tomorrow morning Im taking a dump truck of gravel and the Gehl out and patching some holes. I dont think anyone will mind.

KrazyKev64 : The problem is it only takes a very small twist in the ankle and the elevation and gravity work against you. Your ankle will suffer catastrophic failure and not be able to support the heavier weight.

Well you'd best be sure and grow some tobacco for Meg and some grapes for me and be jolly nice to us and our band of pirates when we descend on your ranch post economic apocolypse. Unless of course you want us to pillage.

I could give you many ' calibres ' on why not to even think of pillaging. No need to do such as a warm invite is there for most of those whom I associate with.

Tobacco? I dont grow it. Dont have the climate here for it. Grapes though.. Im going to start a vineyard this year and plan on trying to make some wine.

The only thing I really need to get hip on is to get an ethanol generator setup going or a big array of panels. The barn roof has 2 sides that are both 320x80feet of surface area. I bet I can get a LOT of panels on it

Questionable whether a leader is such a good thing.  It pays to remember what fuhrer and duce mean.

Toss in Pelosi, Reid, Obama, Bohner ( intentionally mis-spelled ), Cuomo and a few others to that list..

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Amanda on this. We haven't really recovered from the last two recessions in some parts of the country, and I can see us slipping into another somewhere around the next Presidential election.

 

Hard to guess whats going to happen. It's just like being in the kitchen, Good ingredients, a good recipe, and it still doesn't smell right.

This is about 40-50% of the reason why I am really happy I moved ' out here ' and its 75% of the reason why Im running on a local level.

The U.S. dollar over the last 8 years has become ( close to ) worthless. Its over printed and the borrowing and spending just wont stop. Too many promises and too many groups of people to buy off in order to ' control things '. 

I have greenhouses, a farm, cows/heffers, hogs, chickens.. Its a security blanket that no " dollars " can replace.

The only real ' leader ' in the world right now is Putin ( Imagine that! ). I dont like the guy nor his policies, but damn if he doesnt take a stand and stick with it.

"Anyway you Americans are shortly in for such a hefty economic blow, you'll not give a damn about who's in or who's out. "

Sad but very true!

Diggin the other eye Miss Amanda