What you should and shouldn't worry about

Here's an interesting article from a humorous but occasionally serious site (their movies section is the best if you want to laugh).

"The 6 Most Over-Hyped Threats to America (And What Should Scare You Instead)" are:
1. Al Qaeda in Iraq
2. Gay marriage
3. Gas prices
4. Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad
5. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez
6. SARS and bird flu, etc.

The things you should actually worry about, according to the article:
1. Shia militants (e.g. al-Sadr)
2. Radical leading homophobes/pedophiles/creeps like Mark Foley and Ted Haggard
3. Global warming (what's a few extra bucks if your planet's about to flood?)
4. Iran's real leader, Ayatollah Khamenei
5. North Korea's Kim Jong-Il
6. Tuberculosis and other current havoc-wreaking diseases

Fear is especially prevalent these days, isn't it?

One caveat of this article I would like to point out: bird flu is something companies, governments, and individuals should prepare for. While it has only killed a negligible amount of people at this point, if it mutates to the point where human-to-human transmission is possible there could be a serious, far-reaching pandemic. In the case of potential disasters like the H5N1 virus, be prepared, but not scared.

We do need to be prepared for a H5N1 pandemic; we need to continue research into vaccines, monitoring cases worldwide, and getting ready, just in case. However, panicking about something that might happen — i.e. the mass transmission of avian flu world-wide — is something we should refrain from.

The summer before last I spoke briefly to an official with the WHO or CDC (I cannot remember which; I just happened to meet her in a dining area before seeing a play) said that there is potential for H5N1 to mutate and cause a mass human pandemic. However steps are being taken and need to be continued to prevent the impact of such a pandemic. It's not the end of the world.

If we worry senselessly and constantly about H5N1, meteor strikes, or global warming, which all have the potential to wipe the human race from the earth, what's the point in living? What we can do is take action on those important issues, and press our governments to do the same. Fear leads to inaction, and if it's action people want, than it's best that the media and groups pushing action on pressing issues don't exaggerate issues to apocalyptic extremes.

Sometimes satire — like the Daily Show or the Colbert Report — can offer more insight and thought-provoking information than the mainstream (American) news, while remaining entertaining.

Updated to include more on the whole bird flu issue...

Ya think?

Sarcasm about the obviousness of today's headlines.
* Purported Iraq al Qaeda tape to US: Jihad not over — duh.

* Israeli gay pride rally meets opposition from Orthodox religions — never would have guessed that!

* Blair: home grown terror threats may last 'a generation' — and you had nothing to do with it, did you (at home or abroad)?...

* Rumsfeld: Iraq war not going to well — hmm, that sure wasn't obvious.

technorati tags: blair, rumsfeld, donald+rumsfeld, tony+blair, jew, israel, gay, homosexual, terrorism, al-qaeda, iraq, news, politics, current+affairs, humor, in+the+news, sarcasm, analysis, in+perspective, clearthought

Borat gets sued

I just thought this was kinda funny:
Humiliated frat boys sue 'Borat' (AP/Yahoo! News):

AP: SANTA MONICA, Calif. - Two fraternity boys want to make lawsuit against "Borat" over their drunken appearance in the hit movie.

The legal action filed Thursday on their behalf claims they were duped into appearing in the spoof documentary "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," in which they made racist and sexist comments on camera.

technorati tags: borat, humor, funny, news, entertainment, clearthought, in+perspective

Funny cat pics

In the mood to laugh?
To describe these pictures I would use one word: hilarious. (Especially the car cats, the emo cat, the crazy cat, the shower cat, and the karate cat.) While some of the captions are just dumb, many complement the humor of the cat's situation as the pictures were taken. I do wish that the people of the site (aptly named Kontraband) gave credit to those who took the pictures...


Here are two fun — but nothing like the ones on that site — pictures that I have taken of my Devon Rex mix kitten, Mouse:


technorati tags: cat, funny, humor, pictures, kontraband, laugh, in+perspective, clearthoughtCategories: humor, funny, pictures, cat

Anything is possible...

You know the saying 'anything is possible'?


Gotta love the spin doctor rhetoric and point-dodging that this administration has exacted! "Mission accomplished" has turned into mission 'still possible'.

technorati tags: iraq, humor, in+the+news, clearthought, in+perspective, bush, politics

Now this is what I call irony...

I check my mail, see that the UNSC has imposed sanctions on North Korea, and above is a targeted Expedia advert for hotels in North Korea! For some reason, I doubt N. Korea is the hottest vacation spot at the moment (or ever)...

Funny and ironic — you can tell that the Google ads are computer generated.




technorati tags: sanctions, news, north+korea, UN, united+nations, security+council, korea, irony, humor, gmail, ad, screenshot