The relationship between Russia and Georgia is long and complicated going back to the 1700s. Russia has protected (at one point saved from extinction) Georgia in the past. In the last decade they have also violated Georgian air space to attack terrorists.

Since the turn of the century the military budget of Georgia increased 300%. In addition NATO supplies weaponry.

Georgia's attack on South Ossetia started the current escalation from Russia to protect their terriroty. They broke the 1992 pact between Georgia and Ossetia and Russia went in to defend Ossetia.

Both sides are putting out propaganda viewing the other with accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

Putin uses what many consider to be excessive force to protect Ossetia. Their is a beliefe this is a pre-emptive action by Russia due to Georgia's attempt to join the UN.

I also believe this is not the business of the US besides expressing their views. The humanitarian aid being provided by the US is providing a diplomatic nightmare and will end with more problems in the end then the US is currently expecting.

Either this could lead to a third simultaneous war (highly doubtful) or US posturing that shows they are impotent in the matter and are being blowhards who mettle in other countries business.

Their is a conspiracy theory floating around that Bush is taking advantage of the current situation to make the presumptive Republican nominee more appealing to the voters with his foreign policy experience and the perceived notion the Democrats are doves while the Republicans are hawks.

I do not understand the US media and governments denunciation and portrayal of Georgia being the innocent and Russia being the sole root of the problem when neither sides hand are clean and Georgia's attack on Ossetia.

As i see it Russia will achieve their goals and the global community will only be able to gnash their teeth as they watch.

**********

Putin is an extremely charismatic leader who has a stranglehold on the country yet is exceedingly popular. Technically he is not Russia's leader but that is a thinly veiled belief.

What I can't wrap my brain around is the threat of nuclear attack on Poland at all. Yes the comment was if there is a war with Russia and Poland on differing sides but still. Putin is starting to worry me. Just the hint of nuclear action by any capable country goes beyond being provocative against any and all countries who take exception.

How can I save my little boy from Oppenheimer's deadly toy
There is no monopoly of common sense
On either side of the political fence
We share the same biology
Regardless of ideology
Believe me when I say to you
I hope the Russians love their children too

Russians
Sting

Then again this is their Cuban Missile Crisis. How would we feel about someone putting missiles on our doorstep as we are doing in Poland.

My mind reels froms the threat of nuclear attack by Putin. Yes the comment was if there is a war with Russia and Poland on differing sides but as a child who grew up during the Cold War this is all chillingly real.

~The Dad

Just came back from the grocery store. The Mrs. is a bit under the weather so I had to pick up some over the counter meds along with the usual suspects (forgot my damn milk though, /sigh).

We are walking through the produce department to pick up bananas for the MNA. They help keep her regular, are healthy and she loves them. I jokingly turn to her and say,"You are a banana nose!"

She monkeys back at me,"YOU are a banana nose!"

In mock shock I reply,"How can you call me a banana nose like that?"

Without skipping a beat she states,"Because it's easy."

Now I know how Rodney Dangerfield felt.

**********

Further along in the trip we are walking through the cereal/candy aisle. Between chocolate coated sugar bombs and gummy bears I wasn't sure which was which.

The MNA has been raised to eat healthy. She doesn't do the pre-packaged, sugar inundated food/drink marketed at young children. Moms (The Mrs.) makes homemade bread of different varieties (zucchini bread is MNA's favorite), drinks skim milk, our own grown veggies, meat from a local organic (no pest/hormones/anti-biotics) farmer, etc.

We are not raising one of the growing trend of fatties that exude sugar from their ears.

The MNA did my wife's heart proud. She looked around the aisle quizzically and asked,"Where are we?" Even my fat ass (who resembles the type of child described earlier) thought that was cool.

Raising your kid to have a better life then you doesn't mean spoiling them. It means teaching them what is right. Eating healthier and eating until sated, not full are things my wife and I are big on. I do not wish my kid to be a fat ass like dear old dad.

Don't get me wrong. She has treats. Yes many of them are healthier but we also make home made ice cream and pick up candy now and then. They are just treats, not a way of life.

My ulterior motive is simple. I need someone to push my ample buttocks around in a wheelchair when I'm old and drooling on myself.

**********

The MNA is potty trained when awake. We are now working on the when sleeping part. We started 2-3 nights ago. She has gotten out of bed to crap once and that was killer.

The trick it seems was to move her from diaper to pull-ups. They make it easier for her to do on her own and then call for mom and dad for either butt cleanup or to get her TP.

She also knows they are special to sleep in since big girls don't wear diapers to bed. Even bigger girls wear panties but that is down the road. One mess at a time.

I'm getting sooo close I can smell it. One day I will never have to clean her crappy butt again.

Oh to dream.

~The Dad

I am a fan of true journalism. Those guys/gals who pursue this craft have my respect and thanks. From Watergate to covering the local PTA meeting they bring parts of the world to you that would have passed you by without them.

I do not mean biased crap journalism like Fox News. I am referring to unbiased news hounds who go all out and even have put it all on the line for the endless pursuit of the story.

On February 14, 1980 Mr. Walter Cronkite retired from his anchor chair for the evening news. Ever since then the US news media has been dumbing down and compressing to be sexy sound bites for the ever shortening attention span of the average consumer.

In 1982 the newspaper USA Today was launched. They perfected the big pictures, shiny graphics, short article news delivery. This was a sharp contrast to the old staid newspaper filled with 80% or more words with small pictures interspersed throughout.

I like to compare this to giving the average person seeking entertainment the choice of reading Douglas Adams or Dr. Seuss. They both deliver entertainment, They both have their place just with differing levels of depth and time commitment.

So as the decades continue their never ending march towards tomorrow the US adapted to less in-depth journalism and shiny pictures.

With the advent of online news even more information was available then every before with near instant results. The double edged blessing/curse of online news is the fact people can use this style of media dissemination with such precision they miss the general news.

If you picked up a mid-nineteenth century newspaper to read an article of interest you were still exposed to multiple stories on various topics just by glancing at the front page. For example when you picked up a newspaper on December 8, 1941 to check the standings of your favorite sport's team you would have learned by glancing at the front page that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor.

With the way news is online now if you are interested only in a given area of news you can got to sites dedicated to that topic and miss the rest. It is a great irony with the most information available since journalism began people have become more insular in their news consumption.

This has also created the 24 hour news cycle. Between cable news and online news you are never far from knowing what is happening when. The problem this creates is how to fill the moments of lame that pop up now and then and you have to come up with something, anything of interest to keep the viewers locked in.

So instead of putting out quality it is all about quantity. No matter how mind numbingly devoid of content they have to put forth something to keep viewer attention.

How else would a Paris Hilton, a person who is famous for being... famous, exist in the national spotlight? Is it really anyone's business that while in college President Bush's daughter partied?

Instead of allowing journalism to limp along and ruin the good will and respect earned in the past I am pronouncing it deadt. As of right now journalism is dead. Pay your last respects by turning off the tv/online news and reading your local newspaper tomorrow one last time.

~The Dad