It's a great Friday for me. I finally got my Nintendo Wii after watching ridiculous prices on eBay, repeated visits to the usual stores to check on whether one happened to come in that day, and being tempted by the xBox 360 and growing piles of PS3's. I've only put an hour or so on it and it's a blast. I did feel a little silly standing in front of the television swinging the controller like a baseball bat. It wasn't so much the swinging but the missing.

The week wasn't all that great considering I spent most of Monday at the orthopedic surgeon's office getting my shoulder looked at. I had been predicting that he would recommend that the arm be chopped off but he did not. I guess my wife was right. I kind of wish he had because the pain had been pretty bad. It didn't get much better after he stabbed me with about 2" worth of fat gauge needle to inject cortisone and lidocaine into my rotator cuff. That hurt just a little. I still have some other stuff to do to diagnose some other issues with my shoulder, physio, etc. I would love if they can give me a bionic shoulder; something I could mount stuff on like rocket launchers and lasers. That'd be cool. Getting old sucks though.

We've talked about MySpace here before but this week I heard about a lawsuit that has been filed against MySpace and News Corp, the parent company. The plaintiffs are the parents of several girls who have been sexually victimized after meeting the perpetrator on the site. (Read about the suit here.) Basically the theory is that MySpace is responsible for these girls being victimized because the site did not have adequate security measures and those that have been implemented weren't done so soon enough. I absolutely feel for the parents and the victims and believe that nothing justifies what happened to them. What happened to the victims was horrible and I hope they can recover and lead fruitful, healthy lives. Having said that, this is a ridiculous lawsuit on many levels. It is another example of how blame is taken away from the deserving cause and placed on something related but ultimately that is not culpable. It's like blaming the gun for the deliberate act of using it to shoot someone. It's not the object or medium but the person who committed the act. What this lawsuit also represents is the absolving of parental responsibility to parent and supervise and instead holds MySpace liable for the failings or inaction of the parents. There is no doubt that MySpace and the Internet in general has made communication with minors much easier and has made them more accessible to predators. The local shopping mall is still fertile ground for predators to meet their young victims but I understand that MySpace is so much easier. In either case, it is imperative that the parent(s) be involved in the child's life and be informed about the dangers. It just pisses me off when people shirk their responsibility for their own children and blame others. It is the parent's responsibility to educate him or herself about Internet dangers and take steps to protect their child. It might be as simple as asking their child who they associate with or keeping the child's computer in a common area in the house and limiting time on it. I know that even the most diligent parent can have a child who gets in trouble of one kind or another but by doing some of the basic things a parent is supposed to do, so many of these tragic stories can be prevented. Blaming MySpace rather than the predators themselves and accepting some responsibility certainly will do no good.

As much as the Internet has revolutionized communication, good ol' television still does a pretty good job and spreading news, even if it is news that probably shouldn't be spread. This week a man was arrested after two teenaged boys were found in his apartment. One had been kidnapped four years prior. The details are still sketchy but leave it to Oprah to spread the news and potentially damage this victim for the benefit of her show. It's just despicable and the parents of the boy should be smacked upside the head for wanting their 15 minutes of fame, and probably a big fat payday from Oprah. Stand by for the parents exploiting their son for book and movie deals.

Attention all members in Maryland/DC area: Do not go in the water! That unless you are tired of being the gender you were born. In other local news where one of our members might happen to live or work, there are nutjobs in Yucaipa, CA. Psychic or psycho? Two famous psychics So Apple announced the hot new iPhone but is it this hot? Speaking of hot, check out the latest in Australian beachwear. Hey, no tan lines. Don't laugh. It could happen to you. This story is just bizarre and sad. :sad: I hope this dog was not named "Trigger". :eek: This week in "Obvious Observations" news, being clean is healthier than being dirty. Who woulda thunk it??? (I have always wanted to use the "Captain Obvious" smilie.) Finally, David Beckham's move to Los Angeles might not be for soccer but because he and "Posh" have been sucked into Scientology. Step 1: Give Posh a role in Scientology movie.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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