What's the Deal with Cable TV?

I know one of the supposed advantages of cable shows over network shows is the ability to show more nudity and sexuality, but, really, is it necessary to show so much so often for no other purpose than you can. I just received the first disk of "Game of Thrones" via Netflix and there was a scene of full backside nudity of a young lady as she walked toward her awaiting bath that seemed to really not push the story or plot line forward one iota. There were several other scenes of sexual activity that did little, either. There is a way to do this without actually showing anything. I mean I am not opposed to the human body or its various parts, but I do wonder if this is doing our youngsters any good to parade all this sex about like it means very little. 

Peak a Sneak at the Snake

In my profile, I mention that I am photographer. This is my current personal favorite of all my works:

This image was taken at a rest area on the road following the Snake River upriver from the Lewiston/Clarkston area where the Snake pours into the Columbia. I used a photographic process called HDR which combines 3 identical images taken at different exposures that is supposed result in a photographic image that equates what the eye actually sees. I have many fairly good works for sale. You can find them here. I love sales, so if you find something you like, contact me directly. I'll explain why this is preferable upon your contact.

Change of Life

No, I am not going through male menopause, or if so, this has nothing to do with that matter. It deals more with the way the world has changed over my half decade plus of life, thus far. When I was just a tad, we had a B&W TV with only two channels. In Abilene (Texas USA), one of the channels was the NBC affiliate and the other showed either the ABC show or the CBS show, depending on the preference of their program director. Color TVs did exist at the time, but it was a few years before my dad's income increased to the point that we could afford one. I suppose that fact is one of the reasons I have never grown tired of B&W television programs and movies. I never dreamed, however, that a day would come when I would have access to over 600 channels, record almost anything off of any of them for later playback, rent or purchase almost any movie and a lot of good TV series, and be able to stream shows right off the internet onto my screen. This is only the tip, however, of the iceberg of media that has come about.

Take something as simple as the telephone. I thought the advent of being able to own your own phone instead of renting the base black model that was supplied by THE phone company was going too far. I mean it was just a way to call and receive calls ... what difference did it make if it was a princess model or Mickey Mouse. Then came the answering machine ... and you knew often of who had called while you were away and less often, why they had called. And, after awhile, you got a pager, so people could interrupt your day with requests for communication. Whoo hoo, and all you had to do was find the nearest phone booth and hope you had a dime. In the eighties, I actually knew a person or two who had a cellular phone ... a giant monstrosity that looked like the old walkie-talkie units we used in the Army the previous decade. I finally got one in the mid-nineties and now have a two generation old iPhone that bombards me with email, text messages, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and a myriad of other sorts of communication all day long. It simply boggles my mind that I am so overwhelmed with information on something I can carry in my pocket. I have done Facetime with my nephew and was impressed with the capabilities of that function. None of my friends seem to agree with my assessment that it will not be too far into the future that actually going to court and visiting with clients will be done in person, but will likely be done via some electronic means from the comfort of your own home, fishing boat or golf course.

Then comes my vision of the day without DWIs. Seriously, folks, I actually envision a day in the not too distant future whereby it will make no difference if you are falling down drunk ... you'll always make it home safely, as all cars will be guided by GPS and satellites (if cars still exist at all) and all you'll have to do is be able to instruct the guidance system to take you home. You are then free to pass out, if you should so be inclined.

I won't bore you with microwave ovens, calculators, PCs and the advent and growth of the internet, and the many other things that have been invented, created or whatever to make us fat and lazy. (I did foray into gaming systems but find I am overwhelmed with the number of games that are available via internet so will make no further mention of the development of such from the Atari console to the xBox and Wii systems of today.)

Just Say No -----

Ever since the days of the Reagan administration, the call word when it comes to drugs is to "just say no to drugs." A friend of mine (another criminal defense attorney), a while back, twisted this around a bit and sported a bumper sticker that read "just say no to searches." In my criminal defense practice, I way too often find that my clients have consented to a search of their vehicle or their person. When I inquire why, I find most thought they had to consent if asked to do so. Such is not the case. The 4th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids unreasonable searches and seizures. In most cases, before the police are allowed to search a vehicle (without consent) is if they have probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed and that some evidence of that crime will be found. There are some exceptions, however. The police do not have to have probable cause or even a suspicion of criminal activity in order to approach a citizen. In doing so, they have the right to pat the person down for weapons simply for their safety. However, if they find a weapon, of course, this might lead to an arrest and may open the door for a search incident to arrest or an inventory of the impounded vehicle wherein evidence of additional crimes may be found. This is not to be a primer on search and seizure law -- as I could hardly cover the entire of the volumes of case law dealing with the 4th Amendment -- it is simply to make three points: First, as a citizen, I urge all to follow the laws of the United States and all other jurisdictions; Secondly, I want to advise you to still "just say no to drugs"; and lastly, as a criminal defense attorney, I would like to advise all people to always tell the police to get a warrant. Consenting to searches is not required and often may defeat the efforts of a defense attorney to protect your rights.

The Internet and Privacy

First of all, allow me to postulate this premise: nothing is anonymous or secret if posted on the internet. Despite any attempt you may make to shield certain parts of what you do on the world wide web, a good forensic investigator coming into possession of your computer, a good attorney with enough subpoenas, or the press can likely discover anything you ever wrote, posted, or shared anywhere. It is so much easier, however, if you are sharing your partying styles, illegal activities, and sexual proclivities on such social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, and the like. Just because you limit your views to friends, family, and the like, people are constantly sharing this and that they find here and there, and the next thing you know, everyone knows your business. I have seen more and more seminars advertising how you can use social media in divorce and criminal matters, so the legal community is catching on. Another thing is that once it is posted, it is hard to take it back. With so many servers in so many different countries, a search may turn up something you thought you deleted years and years ago. I have learned this recently when something I wrote several years back on a site that was supposedly, according to my friend who owned the server, was completely eradicated about a strange walnut brought an email from someone who had found something similar.