Whose In Charge

Back another of my blog's pet topics, poor parenting.

There is a story on Foxnews.com about a German mother and father who allowed their 12 year old boy to undergo hormone treatments allowing him to become more female. This includes growing breasts and wearing makeup.

What 12 year old is capable of making any decision passed what color sox to wear? If this boy truly believes he is a girl trapped in a male body then let him wait till he is truly old enough to make such a life changing decision.

And then there are the parents.

As a parent I've had days when my kids, both younger then the boy in question, have begged me for something until I'm willing to do almost anything to quiet them down. However, when they are asking for something foolish I know it's my job to say no and stick to it. I wonder how many rounds of "I wanna be a girl" these parents went though before they caved? Not that it matters because there should be no limit.

I suppose the only saving grace in this situation is the parents didn't pay for the operation that would have made the change permanent.

Global Warming

One of my very few hobbies is the weather. With the Northeast part of the US in a cold snap, after having been spring-like warm for most of December and January I thought it might be interesting to see what weather experts think.

I've had a couple of email conversations with some of the weather forecasters at Accuweather.com on this topic. I was interested in whether they believe global warming is manmade or simply a phase in the Earth's life like the ice age. Accuweather's Elliot Abrams said he does believe the world is warming, but is not sure why, the same response came today in a blog entry from Dr. Joe Sobel.

Sobel calls himself a skeptic on Global Warming without stating if he means its a natural occurrence or if it's just not happening. But what was interesting is how he worries that the issue is being politicized at the expense of good science being conducted.

I tend to believe it is happening, but I think it's mother nature doing the damage. However, I totally agree with Sobel on the politicis of the issue. When the president, with his direct ties to the fossil fuel industry, states there is no problem his belief is taken with a large grain of salt. It behooves him to defend his former industry and the people who pour money into the Republican election coffers. When the president's opponents take the opposite stance it appears to many that they are simply trying to score political points. I'm sure this situation is impossible to get away from, but once something so important becomes an election talking point we are doomed.

Please Read This Post

http://largebillpontificates.blogspot.com/2007/01/required-reading.html

Discussion later

Battlestar Galactica Belongs On Friday Nights

At one time in my life Friday night was a big deal. I would go out, drink to much, get wild and crazy, etc. Now, although I'm loathe to admit it, I'm more or less passed all that, with the occasional exception of course. What replaced my carousing ways over the last few years was Battlestar Galactica. Yes I know that is pathetic, but at my age it's not so bad.

Every Friday night I could look forward to the show and that gave me a great deal of satisfaction. Now for some reason the powers that be at the SciFi Channel moved the show after its mid-season break to Sunday night at 10.

Yech.

This has not only killed what little social life I normally have, but the show has to much energy to be viewed late on Sunday. Sunday at 10 is for shows your mom would like to watch. Father Dowling Mysteries or Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, not a great science fiction epic.

Will David Beckham Save U.S. Soccer?

That is an easy question to answer. NO.

It does not matter who plays in the United States, soccer will simply not catch on as major American spectator sport and I say this as a person who really likes the sport. I played it in high school and college and my kids play. However, I hate, hate, hate watching it on TV. It is boring as can be compared to most other major Americab sports.

I know baseball is not always super exciting, but with every pitch something can happen. Anyone who watched the last World Cup mostly saw the ball getting turned over at midfield or short rushes toward the goal that ended with a miss. The scoring is simply to far and in between to satisfy fans in this country.

The real joke with Beckham coming here is he will take up much more space on the celebrity gossip pages then the sports pages. I also predict that his marriage to Spicy Posh will end within two years, as few celebrity marriages in LA last very long.

Sign Me Up

This is a great idea. Create an international military force to save the people of Darfur.

Of course this is what the UN is supposed to do, but as the piles of corpses around the world can attest the UN does not truly care about saving lives. Not one bit.