Album of the weekend

Stryper-To Hell with the Devil

Stryper is an amazing band. Not just an amazing Christian band. Sure, they are without question the most overtly Christian metal band out there, and they are the daddies of the Christian metal movement-but to label them just as a "Christian band' is to marginalize them. One of the greatest comments I've read on FB was someone saying "I'm an atheist, but Stryper is one of my favorite bands." Wise man.

"To Hell with the Devil" is their most well known song, and with good reason. It's their best song and it is their anthem, the one they usually play during an encore. The other big hit off the album, "More than a Man" is also iconic for them. Sadly, this song has their power ballad "Honestly" and it is probably the one song that people who don't now anything about them enjoy. Like all other power ballads, it's not my thing, but if you enjoy that sort of thing, you might like this one. Overall, this album is worth a download, even if you don't like Christian rock/metal.

New York to ban declawing cats

Perhaps the only intelligent law to come out of New York state. A bill is being debated and it would ban the declaring the cats.  First off yes, I hate cats. I think they are annoying, lazy and relatively useless to society. I also know that few people are more sensitive than cat owners-so flame on. I'm a dog guy, not a cat guy.

But I could not be more in favor of this law.

Declawing cats take away their best protection against predators and leaves them defenseless, not to mention that the actual process of declawing cats is incredibly painful. If you choose to declaw a cat, you owe it to them to make them strictly an indoor cat (which you should also do, given that outdoor cats generally live much shorter lives). You don't have to like cats to view this law as a huge positive.

Netherlands teen "euthanized"

A Netherlands teen was euthanized due to the "unbearable pain" she has dealt with because of being sexually assaulted as a child.  If it even needs to be said, my heart breaks for the child, the parents, and frankly, they euthanized the wrong person. The one that needed to be put down was the monster who raped her.

I'm actually in favor of euthanasia. If you are in unspeakable pain with a terminal illness then yes, you should be legally allowed to end it, and yes, it's moral to do so. I truly, truly don't understand people who want to prolong the inevitable and watch the person suffer. In fact, when someone passes away after a long illness one thing you often hear is "Well, at least they are better off." Yes, they are, and if you are against euthanasia you need to ask yourself why you insist on keeping them here in horrific pain for days, weeks, months...or more tragically, even years.

But I'm not stupid either. Stories like this trouble me deeply. She's young, so young, and her making the choice to end her life at such a young age in nothing short of devastating.

Tattoo plagiarism

Remember the TV show Ink Master? I follow a guy on Facebook who was on the show, his name is Aaron Is. A great tattoo artist from Tampa. I've never gotten tattooed by him and I don't know him personally, for the record, but I admire his artwork.

He has posted a few times about people copying other tattoos as their own. One was a local person, and this one won a contest with a tattoo that looks very much like a tattoo he didn't design. Sure, he added a snake to it and turned her head around, but other than those changes the tattoo is the same.

I'm not sure that plagiarism is illegal-but there should be consequences. It's easier to copy and paste in the world of the internet, but on the flip side it's easier to be called out for it as well. 

CTE and football players

I was reading up about a football player named Richie Incognito. This guy has a history of nasty behavior and inappropriate conduct and yes, he should be banned from the NFL. He won't be, because pro sports doesn't really have any morality. Even my favorite sport, baseball, is lacking in that area. If you are talented, then you can get away with thuggish behavior. To be fair, it's a rule in life, not just in sports.

A friend mentioned to me that this guy might have CTE, the brain disease that is caused after repeated hits to the head. I have no doubt that this guy has serious problems, but you want to know a dirty little secret? That isn't an excuse for his behavior. Just because you have a debilitating and tragic brain disease doesn't mean you act like a bully or a thug. The blunt, uncomfortable truth is that your personal problems, no matter how tragic, don't give you the right to inflict pain and misery on others.

Scripture Sunday Alma 34:33

I agree that the end of the world probably isn't coming any time soon.  Yes, I know that every single generation in the history of civilization has thought that they'd see the end times. So no, I don't think that the end times will come in my lifetime. Of course though, as a believing Christian, I do believe they will come eventually. And we better be ready.

This passage begins with "I beseech to you that you do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end." If you do procrastinate, you might be too late. When the truck comes barreling down the highway your first/last thought won't be "Hey, I wonder if this Jesus guy was telling the truth ?" So you better start thinking about this beforehand. The passage ends with "if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed." Alma seems to be warning us about the truck coming down the hill and us running out of time.

For the record, I'm having problems with Spectrum yet again so if any blogs are late, blame them. 

Tae Kwan Do diares III

So, like I mentioned before I'm taking Tae Kwan Do classes after many years of taking Ed Parker karate, many years of taking a break from martial arts, and many years of sitting on my ass doing nothing staring at the ceiling and wonder what character to create in Fallout while I smoke weed and blast Megadeth. I'm an orange belt now (Yay! Seven months of commitment!), and no, I'm not saying that I'm ready to enter a Mortal Kombat type tournament. In fact, I just got knocked down three times last night in a sparring contest.

Oddly, it didn't hurt my pride to get beaten so badly by someone who is 15 years old or so. First off, the kid was a higher belt than I am. Secondly, I am one hundred percent positive that the kid could have kicked the ass of anyone reading this. I'm glad I showed up and got maybe one or two kicks in, thus scoring a point. The final score would have been 200-2 in his favor, that's for sure.

It's weird to get into a fight, even in a highly controlled environment. I haven't been in a fight since high school, and because I was small and frail and weak, I got whipped. No one came to my aid either, so I probably deserved to lose back then. Now, it's a totally different world and yes, I wonder why I'm doing it too.

I'll keep you updated on the continuing journey.