Saturday, November 2, 2019

Grandmother Slows Traffic by Pointing Hairdryer at Drivers. A Real Story.



When it comes to protecting their grandchildren or any other children, grandmothers are a force that must be addressed. Grandmothers are able to make the best meals, provide the best memories and tell you things about your parents they didn't want you to know.

“Is it true when you were my age kids called you Cauliflower ear because everyone said your ears were big?”
“Who told you such a thing?”
“Grandma.”
“She said you were really bad at playing hide and seek because everybody could easily find you since you always had gas.”
“I have to talk to my mother. What else did she tell you?”
“She said something about you and dad in a car in the driveway, but I didn't understand it.”
“Grandma told you about that time?
“No, actually I think it was dad.”
“Oh.”

A grandmother in England felt the traffic outside her home was going too fast. She knew the vehicles were traveling too fast had to be forced to slow down. This grandmother didn't wait for law enforcement to act. Armed with a hairdryer, she decided to take action. This grandmother began pointing her hairdryer at speeding vehicles. The cars began to slow down. Grandmother ingenuity triumphs over speeders.

Below are excerpts from the story with my valuable insights in italics.


Jean Brooks,  64, from Nottingham, has racked up more than 12 million views with a video filmed for the BBC of her unique idea to improve safety on her street.
Her neighbours claim they have noticed a remarkable difference since she started holding a hairdryer over her garden fence.

If using a hairdryer to slow down traffic becomes popular, I bet hairdryer manufacturers could begin making it part of their marketing. You could have the radar gun line of hair dryers. They will be able to slow down traffic as well as dry your hair quickly. Is it possible that a new version of radar gun will be developed for law enforcement that can determine a vehicles speed as well as dry a police officer's hair during their downtime? This could lead to a line of multi-use hairdryers able to help with speeding drivers and wet hair all at once.



She had created a cafe in her front garden at home in Hucknall to raise money for Marie Curie Cancer Care, following the death of her son-in-law

While spending time doing this, she noticed cars speeding along the road. A friend told her about an idea originating in France, where someone had pointed their hairdryer at cars to slow them down. 

Oh, the French are some of the most innovative people. This, of course, could benefit law enforcement. If there is a day they forget their radar gun, they can just pick up a hairdryer to slow down traffic. If they ever got the two mixed up, it may not be good.

“Officer, how did you determine my client was speeding?”
“I clocked him from the beginning of the road to the highway sign.”
“According to my client, you used a radar gun.”
“Your client is mistaken. I didn't have a radar gun in the patrol car, I had a hairdryer.”
“Why did you have a hairdryer?”
“I had wet hair. Also, pointing a hairdryer at drivers will make them slow down. It's been done successfully by grandmothers in France and England. Your client didn't even slow down when he saw the hairdryer. He simply ignored the hairdryer and continued speeding.”
“Do you often use the hairdryer in your patrol car to dry your hair?”
“Of course, everybody knows you can't dry your hair with a radar gun.”
“Good point.”

Speaking on the video for BBC Nottingham, Ms. Brooks said: 'Quite simply, by picking up one of these and going like that, I have never seen so many people's brake lights go on - and all it is, is a hairdryer.

'If they don't like it, that's tough. I live here, my friends live here, my friend's children live here and if we can't be safe in our own street, where the hell are we going to be safe in the world?'


It seems if you don't like the attitude of a grandmother using a hairdryer to slow down traffic near where she lives, you are the one with the problem. Grandmother attitude is something that can't be ignored. This could be the beginning of a global move by grandmothers all over the world who will start arming themselves with hair dryers in an effort to slow down traffic in their neighborhoods and make it a safer place to live.


“Is the traffic bad in this neighborhood?”
“Not anymore.”
“What happened?”
“The local grandmothers are armed with hairdryers and started pointing them at people driving too fast in the neighborhood.”
“Did that slow down people driving too fast?”
“Yes, and they are also great cooks so the chocolate cookie and cake consumption in the neighborhood significantly higher when compared to similar neighborhoods.”
“Oh.”

Below is a link to the article


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Friday, November 1, 2019

The Benefits of Procrastination. A Real Story


I confess I am a person who likes to put things off until there is no other choice. When my wife was visiting her sister, I only mowed the lawn when some neighbors threatened to call authorities and require I get a permit for growing a forest in a suburb. I told them I will get to mowing it. I also could probably hide in my overgrown lawn and nobody would find me. I eventually broke down and mowed it before my wife came home. I actually finished a few minutes before her car got to the driveway, but I did get it done. It now seems an effort has been made to discover the benefits of procrastinating. I support this effort. I would like to know of any benefits I have not yet experienced. I do plan to read the study one of these days. I just have to get around to it, so just give me some time.

Below are excerpts from the story with my valuable insights in italics.


Some researchers define procrastination as "a form of self-regulation failure [...] characterized by the needless delay of things one intends to do despite the expectation of negative consequences."

I can say this is true. If you have to pay your own taxes to the government, I can tell you procrastinating can get expensive. Governmental tax agencies are not staffed with understanding people who say don't worry about it, we know you're good for it, so get it here when you have the time. No, these are people who say give us the tax you owe or you will owe even more taxes and if you take your time too often you will owe even more taxes.

“You were late paying your taxes. You owe more money.”
“I have a medical condition.”
“What medical condition?”
“I suffer from procrastination maximums syndrome. My mind is programmed to be late with things. I can't help it. I'm a victim. I think it is a genetic disorder.”
“Now you have to pay even more money.”
“Why?”
“As per tax code 2234 (3430) lousy excuse story for not paying taxes on time fine.”
“Oh.”


Why do we procrastinate?
When referring to procrastination, some people may think of it as poor time management, an inability to organize and prioritize tasks, meaning that we do them at the last minute, or even past their deadline.

Increasingly, research has shown that procrastination is, in fact, a complex, often maladaptive reaction to various perceived stressors.

(Sarcasm Alert)

You are damn right. I'm as complex as anyone. If there is someone who reacts maladaptively to stressors it is me. I've never met a stressor that didn't cause me to go into full-blown procrastination mode. I could be minding my own business and my wife could be upset because I didn't do things around the house or buy things she requested I buy for dinner or remember she was in the hospital. I only know how to tell her I'll get to it or it's no big deal or its routine surgery so it's not big deal. Do I get any understanding? No, I get a wife who doesn't understand how I can't help but react maladaptively to her unique brand of a stressor. Not only does she lack understanding, but my wife has been known to say some rather unpleasant things. Life can be so unfair us suffering from the affliction of procrastination maximums syndrome.


One study published in Personality and Individual Differences in 2017 also found a link between creative ideation (coming up with creative ideas) and active procrastination. It suggested that among 853 undergraduates at Chinese universities, "active procrastinators" may be more prone to creativity.

Hey, if I know one thing about us active procrastination types, it is that we are some of the most creative people in the world. It is a requirement for being a successful procrastinator at any level. This is easily explained. We procrastinator types spend a lot of time creating reasons for putting off doing things. A non-procrastinating type just does things and doesn't have to be creative. Us procrastinating types must come up with the most creative excuses and make them believable.


“Why didn't you fix the basement door like you agreed to do?”
“I never said I wouldn't fix it, I just didn't specify when I would get it done. I'll get to it.”
“You said you'd do it today.”
“I may need an extension beyond today. I'll fix it, there is no need to worry.”
“An extension?”
“I'm busy doing things today.”
“Like what?”
“I have to figure out a reason to be late to work tomorrow. Then, I have to figure out a reason to be late with my reports. After that, I have to figure out a reason to be late for the business lunch meeting. I have things to do today.”
“Why don't you just get to work on time, get your reports in on time and go to the business lunch meeting on time.”
“It is obvious you lack the creative skills necessary to be successful at procrastination. It is more than just a lifestyle for us, it is a calling that makes us feel pride. When we get around to feeling proud of it. It's on my list. I'll get to being proud about being a procrastinator eventually. It'll happen one of these days. Sometime in the future, when we get to it, we'll even have a procrastinator's Hall of Fame. I'm sure of it.”


I intend to take some more time and write some more for this blog column, but I'll get to it eventually. When reading a blog column by someone who suffers from procrastination maximums syndrome, you need to have patience. You should also realize if you were this creative, you would be one of us procrastinator types and read this blog column eventually when you get to it.

Below is a link to the story.


https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325108.php

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Thursday, October 31, 2019

Halloween Celebrations in Other Countries. A Real Story.



Halloween is that one great day of the year when kids get dressed up in costumes and go from door to door in their neighborhood and get free candy. For candy manufacturers and companies who make, sell or rent costumes, this is a huge holiday. If you ask the average child who is going from house to house and wearing a costume why they are doing this you will find they aren't really into the big picture o Halloween. Children are focused on Halloween parties, wearing costumes, getting free candy and ignoring people who ask them why they are doing such a thing. We are not the only nation with greedy capitalistic companies willing to make increased revenue by exploiting a holidays nobody knows much about and only want to celebrate and have fun. There are other countries who have their own unique way of celebrating Halloween.

Below are excerpts from the story with my valuable insights in italics.



DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS // MEXICO

The holiday is celebrated with in-home altars full of fruit, peanuts, turkey, soda, hot chocolate, water, stacks of tortillas and a special holiday bread called pan de Muerto (bread of the dead), which are left as offerings for weary ghosts. For the souls of children, families leave out toys and candy, while adult souls receive cigarettes and shots of mezcal.

It seems if you are a dead person in the United States who wants to celebrate Halloween, you might want to head south of the border. There it seems they take care of the dead and offer them things. It seems very age appropriate. The souls of children get candy and toys. Since they are no longer among the living, they can have all the candy they want. I don't know if the souls of children can get out of control after having too much candy, but its the dead parents that will have to deal with it. I like the shots of mezcal and cigarettes for the dead adults. I suppose you can smoke all you want when you're dead because it's not like smoking will kill you. Shots of mezcal and ghost kids wired up on candy. Dead people probably love Mexico.


THE HUNGRY GHOST FESTIVAL // HONG KONG
On the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which is around mid-August to mid-September, the people of Hong Kong celebrate the Hungry Ghost Festival. The festival is a way to “feed” these spirits both the food and money they need for the afterlife. It’s part of a larger month-long celebration that also features burning paper and food offerings.

The attitude to take care of the dead even stretches to places like Hong Kong. I wonder what kind of food you would provide a ghost? I suppose it doesn't matter if a ghost has a food allergy because it's not like the food will kill them. Maybe the eat goulash. (Oh, forgive me for that one.) I like the idea of offering spirits money. Is there a specific monetary exchange rate between here and the afterlife? Exactly how much would an American dollar be worth in ghost currency? I wonder what pictures ghosts would have on their money? If a ghost can't pay their bills and tries to commit suicide, I wonder what happens to them. Makes you wonder if there is such a thing as a ghost lottery.


OGNISSANTI // ITALY
Better known as Ognissanti, the festivities usually begin a couple of days before, when people begin leaving fresh flowers—generally chrysanthemums—on the graves of departed loved ones, as well as complete strangers, turning the country's cemeteries into a beautiful display of colors. Italians also pay tribute to the departed by putting a red candle in the window at sunset and set a place at the table for those spirits they hope will pay a visit

As a kid who grew up in the United States, I would find this Halloween celebration a bit disappointing.

“Are we going to go house to house and ask for free candy?”
“No, we are going to go to the graveyard and put chrysanthemums on the graves of our departed loved ones. We also put flowers on the graves of strangers.”
“Then we go and ask for free candy from different houses?”
“No, then we put a red candle in the window at sunset.”
“Well, once it's dark can we then put on costumes and go and ask for free candy from the different houses?”
“No, we set a place at the table for a spirit we hope will visit.”
“I'm wondering about something.”
“Why we don't celebrate Halloween like they do in the United States?”
“No, I'm wondering how Italian costume makers and stores that sell or rent costumes make any money without celebrating Halloween like in the United States. I'm sure the companies who make and sell candy don't do too well either. I do like one thing.”
“What?”
“Having a séance at dinner for family spirits.”
“Oh.”


ALL SAINTS' DAY AND ALL SOULS' DAY // Germany
Germany has its own tradition: Many hide their kitchen knives so that returning spirits won't be accidentally harmed (or use the same knives to harm the living).

I have to admire Germany's dedication to knife safety during Halloween. It is important to consider the health of returning spirits who could accidentally be harmed by a knife. I wonder if German homeowners insurance policies cover such incidents. I think them being dead would eliminate any possibility of a ghost lawsuit for negligence based on a living individual's unsafe knife storage. It's not like the spirits could get killed. They must have some pretty harsh spirits in Germany who use knives against the living. It's a good thing these German spirits aren't' into running people over with cars. If that was the case, car insurance in Germany would be really expensive.

Below is a link to the story.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/506197/12-halloween-traditions-around-world

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Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Electronic Devices Designed to Know What You are Feeling. A Real Story.



I have never warmed up to many different electronic devices. I don't like electronic devices that talk to me. During the years, I've gotten into too many arguments with my GPS over directions. It always thinks it knows the best route, but when I tell it I'm going a different way, it just keeps talking and disagreeing with me. I've screamed at my GPS to shut up, said some very disparaging things about its voice and even told it I was not its first owner and I had no idea how many men had used it. It keeps talking to me like it is not even listening to a word I say. At times, it feels like we're married. Now, there is an effort to develop electronic devices that can tell you what you're feeling. I don't think this would work too well with me.

“Will you shut up, I'm going the back way to my friend's house.”
“Turn right at the next intersection.”
“No, I told you I'm going down Ron's driveway to Ed's driveway and then back onto the road. It will cut out at least twenty minutes on my trip.”
“You seem angry.”
“You seem to to be one GPS unit that does not know how to shut up.”
“Could you have suppressed anger issues because your mother screamed so much when you were learning how to drive?”
“Hey, that shows how much you know, my mother, father, and dog screamed all the time when I was learning how to drive.”
“Maybe you should learn how to drive.”
“Maybe you should learn how easily you can be disconnected and sold for parts.”
“You have not reached your final destination and I don't care.”
“Good.”


Crum, who is the chief scientist at Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco, CA, and an adjunct professor at Stanford University in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, defines empathetic technology as "technology that is using our internal state to decide how it will respond and make decisions."

So now there is a type of technology that will try to determine how we make decisions and respond. Will we be sitting in our living rooms someday and watching sports when Alexa will tell us there is a 79 percent chance we are excited about the game we are watching, but are feeling anxious because our team is losing. If I heard this, it would not be beyond me to commit Alexa-side. I may try to discover if Alexa can answer questions after surviving someone beating it with a baseball bat. Using Alexa for target practice may do well. You could ask if it had any last words before hitting filling Alexa full of lead. It just seems we have enough aggravation in our lives, we don't need electronic devices focusing on our feelings. Unless they come out with a version of Alexa you can beat and vent your frustration. It would probably be a huge selling item. They could call it Beat on Me Alexa.


How much sweat a person's skin secretes, as well as the changes in the electrical resistance of the skin can predict "stress, excitement, engagement, frustration, and anger."

Furthermore, humans exhale chemicals, such as carbon dioxide and isoprene, when they feel lonely or scared. In fact, in the TED talk below, Crum had tracked the carbon dioxide that members of the audience exhaled when they watched suspenseful scenes from a thriller movie.


(Sarcasm Alert)

I wonder what predictions are made when a person comes in from mowing the lawn and is covered with sweat? It wouldn't take much to predict feeling tired and wanting to take a shower in this situation. Could you sit outside on a hot day, as sweat forms on you, and have an electronic device falsely accuse you of being angry? Is it possible to be exercising and have an electronic device falsely accuse you of feeling stress? Maybe the device could be designed to detect when a human is feeling anger and stress at being around such an annoying electronic device?

I suppose if you track carbon dioxide from people watching a movie, you know all there is to know about people feeling scared or lonely. If they are really scared, it may not be carbon dioxide that is in the air. It may be someone who needs to change their pants. I just imagine telling someone they are lonely and when they disagree, someone tells them an electronic device has measured their carbon dioxide and according to the electronic device they are lonely. A person could say they had too much garlic for lunch and that always provides a false reading.


We are moving towards "the era of the empath," as Poppy Crum has dubbed it — an era where "technology will know more about us than we do," but also an era where we will know more about each other than ever before.

So, a machine will know more about you than you know about yourself. In the future, we could be living in a world where you say your favorite color is blue, but an electronic device tells you it is red. You say you hate liver, but an electronic device tells you it is your favorite food. An electronic device tells you that your love of math is a good thing no matter how much you tell your electronic device you enjoy art much more. The future will be more than having electronic devices telling us our feelings, it will be like having an electronic parent treat you like you are a perpetual teenager for years. I don't see this as something that is mentally healthy.

"[AI] is often feared because people think it will replace who we are. With empathetic technology, AI can make us better, not replace us. It can also assure us and our doctors that the interventions they prescribe are actually solving the problems we have.


I disagree. This is not the reason people fear AI. It is feared because there will always be individuals who actually value the opinions of an electronic device over those of a human being. The worst fear of all is not being able to turn off AI, or the people who try to tell us how great it is to have our feelings interpreted by machines. AI is making it so people don't have to think, they let AI do it for them. It is developing into an unhealthy dependence.

I'm sure all of my electronic devices will now band together and try to force me to see things their way. I may never be forgiven for the GPS in the electronic recycle bin incident, but the devices in my home will just have to learn to live with it and consider it a warning.

Below is a link to the article.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324965.php

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Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Visit the Disgusting Food Museum. A Real Story


When I was a kid, going on a field trip was an exciting time. We would go and see the zoo, a science center as well as the museum and more. Museums had neat things like rocks, dinosaur bones, moon rocks and more. Part of our visit always involved a trip to the gift shop. This was a special place where we could spend money cheap stuff including everything from a dinosaur bone key chain to a fake moon rock with a picture of the moon behind it and more. Things are sure different now. In Los Angeles, there is the disgusting food museum. I remember growing up what adults thought was disgusting to us kids often seemed sort of neat. Putting ketchup on macaroni and cheese could make my father nauseated and was forbidden. I once put mustard on my french fries. My parents felt I may have some sort of food preference disorder I inherited from my cousin who lived in Eastern Europe. I don't know what it would be like to visit the Disgusting Food Museum, but I bet they have some really neat and cheap things in their gift shop based on their displays.

“Uugh, this is a picture of macaroni and cheese with ketchup. That is disgusting.”
“Do you not like it?”
“No, but my son will love it. I'll take two and throw in that picture from Eastern Europe of french fries with mustard.”
“Oh, okay.”

Below are excerpts from the story with my valuable insights in italics.


Escargot. Cow brains. Turtle soup. Rocky Mountain oysters. Depending on where a person’s from and what culture they were raised in, these foods either sound delicious or supremely unappetizing. Then again, lots of Americans subsist on deep-fried nuggets of molded pink meat slime, so what qualifies as disgusting is pretty subjective. But there’s an old rule of thumb in the food world: Never yuck someone else’s yum.

They forgot a few things my father would eat. He would dine on something called tripe. Should you have had the benefit of never experiencing this type of food, it is the lining of a cow's stomach. I was told tripe was for the discriminating palate and was made into the French dish Andouille. There are many things people eat if you cook it and put a French name to it. It is almost like you can prepare any disgusting animal or animal part, but if you put a French name to it, the dish is refined. That is probably the reason people are willing to kick out some serious cash for cooked snails known as Escargot.


“Oh, tell me garcon, what is the special tonight?”
“Ah, monsieur et madame, our special of the house tonight is cerveaux de vache served with a white wine sauce, a vegetable and cheese potatoes.”
“Wait a minute, isn't cerveaux de vache cow's brains?”
“So it is, maybe I could interest you in some jarret de cochon.”
“Hey, isn't that pig's knuckles?”
“Yes it is, but it is prepared like all tasty French cuisine and comes with a French sauce and an appetizing French name.”
“Okay, we'll take two.”
“Excellent choice monsieur et madame.”


Consumed in China as a health tonic for ailments including asthma and liver diseases, the drink recipe requires a handful of day-old, blind, and hairless baby mice that are drowned in a vat of rice wine and aged for up to a year. Critics have described the brew as tasting like gasoline, with an aftertaste of rotting animals (which makes sense). The smell is pungent and not for the faint of heart. Don’t expect to find this concoction on the wine list of your local Chinese joint.

I think if I had to drink a concoction made from hairless and blind baby mice, I may choose to have liver disease or asthma. I realize these are not just any hairless and blind baby mice, these mice have been aged for a year in rice wine. I wonder if they have exterminators in China going around with vats of rice wine in their vehicle so they can have a side business selling liver disease and asthma cures. They could tell potential customers, they won't just exterminate the mice in their dwelling, they'll exterminate their liver disease and asthma as well.


Sheep Eyeball Juice
Also known as a “Mongolian Mary,” this concoction is prepared using tomato juice and pickled sheep eyeballs, and is a hangover helper said to Genghis Khan. The jelly-like organs suspended in the drink are said to be highly nutritious when consumed in generous helpings.

(Sarcasm Alert)

I suppose if you wonder why Genghis Khan was able to conquer so much of the world, I believe sheep eyeball juice was probably part of his success. You may be one tough soldier, but you probably don't know tough until you've had a generous helping of sheep eyeball juice. I'm sure it works to cure hangovers. I doubt someone such as Genghis Khan would tolerate anyone giving him a concoction that didn't work. He may then have had, the idiot who provided me a faulty hangover cure eyeball juice. It's good to know that sheep eyeball is something that is nutritious. I would hate to think legions of blind sheep lost their sight in Mongolia for nothing.


Fruit Bat Soup
This delicacy from Guam may reek heavily of urine, but the sweet, final product is purportedly so rewarding that the native Chamorro people had nearly hunted the flying mammal to extinction. Exotic food connoisseurs beware—the bats can be carriers of dangerous toxins which, when consumed by humans, may lead to neurodegenerative disease.

So, I guess if you can get past the smell of urine, it is something great to have as a snack or as part of a meal.

This makes me wonder if the Chamorro people are immune to the dangerous toxins found in the bat or if they love it so much, they're willing to risk developing a neurodegenerative disease. I suppose it is sort of like eating Spam. You know it may not do wonders for your health, but when cooked over an open fire, it is difficult to resist. Twinkies are similar, but with all the preservatives it has, I often wonder if it could be helping preserve those of us who eat them.


“What smells like urine?”
“Dinner.”
“Oh, we're having fruit bat soup again?”
“Yes, with spam and Twinkies.”
“Those things are so disgusting. Give me my urine smelling fruit bat soup and that is all I want.”
“We are cooking the spam over an open fire.
“Okay, I'll have some.”

Below is a link to the story.

https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/disgusting-food-museum/

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Monday, October 28, 2019

Man Arrested in China for Giving Dogs Illegal Names. A Real Story




I have heard some names for dogs that I thought should be made illegal. There was a person who gave his dog the name of Dog. That lack of creativity and effort should be at the very least a misdemeanor. I knew a man who had a rather terrible divorce and named his dog after his former mother-in-law. When I asked him why, he said because his dog was a real bi#%h, just like his former mother-in-law. That should be worthy of a fine and probation. A guy in college named his dog Happy Henry Hump-a-lot. I believe that should be a felony and come with jail time. What I've written about punishment is fictional. It has nothing to do with real laws. In China, things are a bit different. A man was arrested by police for giving his dogs names that were illegal. There are a lot of things to make illegal, I think making laws to cover the naming of pets is a bit extreme. I do think there could be an exception made for someone naming their dog Happy Henry Hump-a-lot.

Below are excerpts from the story with my valuable insights in italics.


A dog breeder in eastern China was detained by police on Monday after giving his two dogs "illegal" names that refer to government and civil service workers.

I guess government and civil service workers in China don't have much of a sense of humor. I wonder if he gave his dogs names like government office zombie or bumbling bureaucratic bulldog. I suppose the Chinese government would not appreciate naming a dog the kick-back Keeshond or corrupt Kuvasz. With my sense of humor, China would have me in jail before you could say, Pekingese political pundit.

The dog's names ended up attracting controversy because "Chengguan" are officials employed in urban areas to tackle low-level crime, while "Xieguan" are informal community workers such as traffic assistants, according to the BBC.

Zhangzhou Police said on Chinese social media site Weibo the information was "insulting law enforcement personnel," and prompted an investigation to be launched.


I guess the law enforcement personnel in China are a little sensitive. I don't think anyone would be offended here if we called our dogs magistrate or traffic cop. Here, it may be considered a sign of respect. It is so crazy in the United States, someone could name their dog after a police officer and then invite the police officer to the dog's birthday party. It could be complete with balloons, games and more.

Authorities added that "in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Public Security Administration Punishment," the man must spend 10 days in an administrative detention center.

A police officer told the newspaper Beijing News that Ban had been increasingly provocative on his WeChat account and his actions had "caused great harm to the nation and the city's urban management, in terms of their feelings," according to the BBC.

I can only imagine spending 10 days in jail because the government didn't like what you named your dog. It could be a problem if you named your dog nuclear launch code and had the launch code number in their collar, but other than that, I don't think it should be a problem. What kind of country has great harm because of what some guy names his dogs? Maybe the Chinese government should take into consideration the harm to the feelings of this man who is only guilty of giving his dogs the wrong names. Maybe we should consider how this makes the dogs feel. I'm certain the man is not brimming with joy and mirth over it. They are just dogs minding their own business being dogs, doing dog stuff and their owner is put in jail because of what he named them. These dogs are probably going to have to be in doggy therapy for a long time after this is over.


Ban, who local media outlets reported as being remorseful over his actions said he had just given the dogs the names "for fun."
"I don't know the law, I don't know if it is illegal," he told Fuyang News.

Interesting how it was reported by Fuyang News. I bet we have some news outlets in the United States providing some Fuyang News, and it is not a good thing. I don't understand why he couldn't get off with a warning.

“Sir, did you name your dogs after traffic assistants and magistrates?”
“Well, I guess I did, See, where I live we have this traffic cop who looks just like a bulldog, I thought the name fit and I named my bulldog after him.”
“Why did you name your other dog magistrate?”
“Oh, well, that dog, yeah, see, it just doesn't poop as he should. He's always full of crap, so I thought magistrate would be a good name for him.”
“You have done serious harm to our country and our government in terms of their feelings. I sentence you to 10 days in jail.”
“Why? You guys have all the money. Why don't you just get them therapy if they're so upset? Maybe join a feeling hurt by having a dog named after you support group. If they're so fragile, they get upset over having a dog named after them, they need help. I hope you never find out what I named my cat and goldfish.”
“What?”
“Never mind, I'm tired of dealing with a bunch of fuyang governmental bureaucrats.”

Below is a link to the story.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/china-dogs-man-detained-illegal-names

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Sunday, October 27, 2019

Sumo Wrestlers Paid to Make Babies Cry. A Real Story.


When my child was young, she had no problem crying. It was a skill she perfected at an early age and only improved upon as time passed. I have had friends with large families with an ability to block out the crying of many young children at the same time. Trying to avoid their children crying is a major activity in their home. I've not known of any child who needed to be motivated to cry. I have always believed that babies crying was a natural part of having children. In Japan, they have a different view of babies crying. These must be some very strong babies as sumo wrestlers are paid in Japan during a festival to make babies cry. I wonder why a sumo wrestler is necessary. Most babies will cry if they're hungry, thirsty, tired or need to be changed. I would be shocked if the sumo wrestler changed, fed or rocked the crying babies to sleep.

Below are excerpts from the story with my valuable insights in italics.


Japanese parents believe the ritual will scare away demons and bring their children good health

For most new parents, stopping their child from screaming is a daily ordeal, to be endured rather than enjoyed.

But in the Nakizumo baby contest, the aim is the opposite.

Sumo wrestlers are employed to bring the babies to tears, in order to drive away evil demons.

I'm sure many parents believe they had children who seem to cry like they were possessed with evil demons. This seems to be very evident when some children reach their teenage years. So, Japanese people pay sumo wrestlers to make their babies cry and make evil demons go away from their progeny. I wonder how much a sumo wrestler gets paid to make a baby cry. Does a sumo wrestler with more experience at making babies cry cost more than one with less experience? I'm sure it's very important you are able to pay a sumo wrestler prior to engaging their services. Is it required for sumo wrestlers who make babies cry to join a union? I don't know what it would be like to have a sumo wrestler collect past due money from you, but I would not want to have such an experience.


It’s based on the Japanese proverb “Naku ko wa sodatsu”, or “crying babies grow fastest”, and parents believe the event brings good health to their children.

The sumo wrestlers pull faces, make noises and jiggle the babies, in order to get their child to cry the fastest.

They shout “Naki”, meaning “cry” in Japanese, in a literal attempt to make the babies weep.


If crying babies did grow the fastest, my child would have reached maturity by the age of three. I am a bit surprised that having a huge man scare your baby until it cries is considered a way to provide your baby with good health. Is a screaming baby considered equal to some type of childhood vaccination? I'm sure it would be worth the experience to see the sumo wrestlers, jiggle babies and make faces at them. I'm an adult and if a huge sumo wrestler yelled at me to cry, the tears would begin to flow. How do you determine the fastest crying baby? Is there a world record crying baby? Is there a crying baby Hall of Fame? I wonder about so many things.


The first baby to cry is declared the winner, but if both start crying at the same time, the louder baby wins.

Once they begin to sob, they are held up higher to increase the strength of the blessing.

I wonder if they have ever had a challenge to the winner and an official was required to review a video to determine the decibel level of the winning crying baby and its challenger.

It could be an intense moment when crying babies and sumo wrestlers need an official carefully reviews a video to determine the winner.

“Upon further review, we have determined the challenger did cry first by a few seconds and was a decibel level above the declared winner.”

The official then runs from the area chased by a sumo wrestler holding a crying baby.

I'm sure thing can get intense during these competitions.


If the child doesn’t cry, laugh or fall asleep, the referee, or gyoji, puts on his devil mask to speed up the proceedings.

The 400-year-old ritual takes place all over Japan but is most famously performed by the student sumos of Tokyo’s Sensoji Buddhist temple.

The Nakizumo contest is held at the high point of spring, which coincides with Japan’s Children’s Day holiday.


I'm impressed with the attitude all children will cry. A rookie sumo wrestler can't get a baby to cry by yelling at it, it's no problem. He may not win, but an official will put on a devil mask in an effort to terrify the child. If I were to watch all of this, I would start crying and looking for a place to have some sushi. It would be my comfort food.

It's good to know sumo wrestlers making babies cry is a tradition that has been happening for hundreds of years. You have to wonder if some Japanese politician hundreds of years ago was mad at some sumo wrestlers and told them as punishment they had to make babies cry. If they don't make them cry, an official will make the baby cry. One way or another, there will be crying babies. I believe this an idea by a person who did not have children or really disliked sumo wrestlers.

Below is a link to the story.



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