Monday, June 30, 2008
Taking a Walk
Had a nice, relaxing day today. I took a bit of a walk around the neighborhood, read a bit and had dinner up at West End Cafe. Going to kick back and read a bit more tonight. I can't tell you how many books I have that I've not read.
Suspicious Package Industry Falls On Hard Times
Suspicious Package Industry Falls On Hard Times
The Bush administration has royally screwed this economy. Even packaging has fallen on hard times!
Betting on a War with Iran
Excellent analysis. American's really need to start educating themselves.I have read some of the comments and it's clear a lot of people don't have a clue. A big hint: U.S.isn't being driven into the ground by any external enemy, it is the corrupt powers within that are "sinking the ship". U.S is going through the same dying process that befalls all empires. 1.Ambivalence torwards public interest, 2.Unaccountability in the govt., 3.Rampant spending on war, 4.Public is uninformed & distracted,etc
Friday, June 27, 2008
Is it REALLY the 21st Century?
My danm Internet is out. Every time we have a bad storm the router has a fit and the internet quits. What is worse, I can't fix it as I don't have access to the dang router. So, here I sit in Starbucks, using some free bandwidth (no, it's outside of Starbucks, they still want you to pay to use thiers). I'll be out of town all day tomorrow anyway, so it's not much of a loss.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Finite Resources
I was reading a letter to the editor in the local paper the other day. The Journal doesn't allow more then on letter per writer per month, so I thought I'd just respond here.
The guy was going on and on about how drilling for oil off the coast of the US would be a good thing and that "liberals" opposed it. What part of finite resources does this guy not understand? We need long term solutions and drilling for more oil is just a short term (at best) fix. We are running out of oil. By "we", I mean humanity, not the US. Solutions must come from long range planning at a global scale if they are to mean anything at all.
The guy was going on and on about how drilling for oil off the coast of the US would be a good thing and that "liberals" opposed it. What part of finite resources does this guy not understand? We need long term solutions and drilling for more oil is just a short term (at best) fix. We are running out of oil. By "we", I mean humanity, not the US. Solutions must come from long range planning at a global scale if they are to mean anything at all.
George Carlin Dies
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Comedian-actor George Carlin, known for his raunchy but insightful humor, died of heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 71.
Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John's Health Center on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. PDT, The Associated Press reported.
Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told the AP.
Carlin was best known for his routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," which appeared in 1972's "Class Clown" album.
When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace, the AP reported. The comedy sketch prompted a landmark indecency case after WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973.
The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices ruled on a 5-to-4 vote that the sketch was "indecent but not obscene," giving the FCC broad leeway to determine what constituted indecency on the airwaves.
"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin said. "In the context of that era, it was daring."
"It just sounds like a very self-serving kind of word. I don't want to go around describing myself as a 'groundbreaker' or a 'difference-maker' because I'm not and I wasn't," he said. "But I contributed to people who were saying things that weren't supposed to be said." Watch Carlin's 7 dirty words routine »
Carlin, who was also an author, was slated to receive the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November.
"In his length career as a comedian, writer, and actor, George Carlin has not only made us laugh, but he makes us think," Stephen Schwarzman, Kennedy Center chairman, said in a statement. "His influence on the next generation of comics has been far-reaching."
In a typical wry response, Carlin said: "Thank you Mr. Twain. Have your people call my people."
Carlin hosted the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" in October 1975.
He played the character of Mr. Conductor on the PBS series "Shining Time Station" and starred in more than a dozen HBO specials. Carlin was also a regular on The Tonight Show.
He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 -- a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (and sometimes hitting all points in one stroke), the AP reported.
"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?"
He won four Grammy Awards, each for best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for five Emmy awards, according to AP.
Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John's Health Center on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. PDT, The Associated Press reported.
Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told the AP.
Carlin was best known for his routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," which appeared in 1972's "Class Clown" album.
When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace, the AP reported. The comedy sketch prompted a landmark indecency case after WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973.
The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices ruled on a 5-to-4 vote that the sketch was "indecent but not obscene," giving the FCC broad leeway to determine what constituted indecency on the airwaves.
"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin said. "In the context of that era, it was daring."
"It just sounds like a very self-serving kind of word. I don't want to go around describing myself as a 'groundbreaker' or a 'difference-maker' because I'm not and I wasn't," he said. "But I contributed to people who were saying things that weren't supposed to be said." Watch Carlin's 7 dirty words routine »
Carlin, who was also an author, was slated to receive the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November.
"In his length career as a comedian, writer, and actor, George Carlin has not only made us laugh, but he makes us think," Stephen Schwarzman, Kennedy Center chairman, said in a statement. "His influence on the next generation of comics has been far-reaching."
In a typical wry response, Carlin said: "Thank you Mr. Twain. Have your people call my people."
Carlin hosted the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" in October 1975.
He played the character of Mr. Conductor on the PBS series "Shining Time Station" and starred in more than a dozen HBO specials. Carlin was also a regular on The Tonight Show.
He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 -- a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (and sometimes hitting all points in one stroke), the AP reported.
"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?"
He won four Grammy Awards, each for best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for five Emmy awards, according to AP.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Young Turks Talk War Crimes
Bush, Cheney, Rice....all of them should be investigated and prosecuted. These people are the lowest of the low.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Home Tonight
Yes, just kicking back at home tonight. Fixed a bit to eat. A little reading, a little blogging. Man, there really is NOTHING on TV Saturday nights. I did a little cleaning as well. Going to hit the bed a little early, I think. Longest day of the year today. Hope everyone enjoyed it!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Dems Fold! Won't Defend Your Rights!
Jesus! Bush is flushing America right down the toilet and the Congress is letting him. Maybe....MAYBE, things will change in 09.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
The Winston Salem Smokers?
Kicked back at a ballgame tonight. Got there a little late and left before the crowd did, but had a nice relaxing time. Looked like Winston was going to win. They are still going to rename the team when they move to the new ballpark next year. I'm willing to bet it will be the "Rhinos" as one of the owners has a history with naming his business after the Rhino.
Hey, how about "The Smokers"? You could have cigarette mascot running around entertaining the kids. Maybe hand out free packs after each game! Ok, maybe not.
Hey, how about "The Smokers"? You could have cigarette mascot running around entertaining the kids. Maybe hand out free packs after each game! Ok, maybe not.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hanging out in the Park
I walked up to Grace Court tonight. It's a nice little park right up the street from me and I was surprised at how quiet it was there. I hung out for a bit. Just sitting on a bench enjoying the sounds of the park. It's amazing that we have this so close to downtown.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Like The Sea People
A thought came to me last evening. Did you ever order those Sea People that were on the back of the comic books. I believe they were brine shrimp or something in reality. Anyway, once you got them you got to put them in a fish bowl, watch them grow, over populate and then die.
That's what is slowly happening to us now. The earth wasn't meant to hold 8 Billion or even 6 billion people. We are using up the world's resources at an alarming and unsustainable rate. Unless we plan on having some plague or massive war to cut the population, we need to change the way we live. We need a better way than capitalism. Something that will promote thoughtful use of what resources we have left, for the betterment of the society as a WHOLE.
No, I don't pretend to have the answer. I'm just trying to provoke some thought and some discussion. What sacrifices we have to make as a society to make the world, the only one we have, a long term home for all of us. Let's not wind up like the brine shrimp.
That's what is slowly happening to us now. The earth wasn't meant to hold 8 Billion or even 6 billion people. We are using up the world's resources at an alarming and unsustainable rate. Unless we plan on having some plague or massive war to cut the population, we need to change the way we live. We need a better way than capitalism. Something that will promote thoughtful use of what resources we have left, for the betterment of the society as a WHOLE.
No, I don't pretend to have the answer. I'm just trying to provoke some thought and some discussion. What sacrifices we have to make as a society to make the world, the only one we have, a long term home for all of us. Let's not wind up like the brine shrimp.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Kicking Back Tonight
For a change, I'm staying in tonight. I thought about going out, maybe to Speakeasy or some other place downtown, but I think I'll just kickback with a book and get a little reading done. I'm always complaining about my lack of time to read anyway. Had a pretty good storm earlier. We really need the rain around here.
Tomorrow? Well, I do have a couple things to do. I need to pick up Alex's birthday present, look for some sandles, brunch....Hopefully it'll be a nice slow day.
Tomorrow? Well, I do have a couple things to do. I need to pick up Alex's birthday present, look for some sandles, brunch....Hopefully it'll be a nice slow day.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Impeachment of George W Bush
Kucinich's case: the 35 points
Article I
Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq
Article II
Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression
Article III
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War
Article IV
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States
Article V
Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression
Article VI
Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114
Article VII
Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.
Article VIII
Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter
Article IX
Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor
Article X
Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes
Article XI
Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
Article XII
Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation's Natural Resources
Article XIIII
Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries
Article XIV
Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency
Article XV
Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq
Article XVI
Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors
Article XVII
Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives
Article XVIII
Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy
Article XIX
Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to " Black Sites" Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture
Article XX
Imprisoning Children
Article XXI
Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government
Article XXII
Creating Secret Laws
Article XXIII
Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act
Article XXIV
Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment
Article XXV
Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens
Article XXVI
Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements
Article XXVII
Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply
Article XXVIII
Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice
Article XXIX
Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Article XXX
Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare
Article XXXI
Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency
Article XXXII
Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change
Article XXXIII
Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.
Article XXXIV
Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001
Article XXXV
Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders
Article I
Creating a Secret Propaganda Campaign to Manufacture a False Case for War Against Iraq
Article II
Falsely, Systematically, and with Criminal Intent Conflating the Attacks of September 11, 2001, With Misrepresentation of Iraq as a Security Threat as Part of Fraudulent Justification for a War of Aggression
Article III
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction, to Manufacture a False Case for War
Article IV
Misleading the American People and Members of Congress to Believe Iraq Posed an Imminent Threat to the United States
Article V
Illegally Misspending Funds to Secretly Begin a War of Aggression
Article VI
Invading Iraq in Violation of the Requirements of HJRes114
Article VII
Invading Iraq Absent a Declaration of War.
Article VIII
Invading Iraq, A Sovereign Nation, in Violation of the UN Charter
Article IX
Failing to Provide Troops With Body Armor and Vehicle Armor
Article X
Falsifying Accounts of US Troop Deaths and Injuries for Political Purposes
Article XI
Establishment of Permanent U.S. Military Bases in Iraq
Article XII
Initiating a War Against Iraq for Control of That Nation's Natural Resources
Article XIIII
Creating a Secret Task Force to Develop Energy and Military Policies With Respect to Iraq and Other Countries
Article XIV
Misprision of a Felony, Misuse and Exposure of Classified Information And Obstruction of Justice in the Matter of Valerie Plame Wilson, Clandestine Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency
Article XV
Providing Immunity from Prosecution for Criminal Contractors in Iraq
Article XVI
Reckless Misspending and Waste of U.S. Tax Dollars in Connection With Iraq and US Contractors
Article XVII
Illegal Detention: Detaining Indefinitely And Without Charge Persons Both U.S. Citizens and Foreign Captives
Article XVIII
Torture: Secretly Authorizing, and Encouraging the Use of Torture Against Captives in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Other Places, as a Matter of Official Policy
Article XIX
Rendition: Kidnapping People and Taking Them Against Their Will to " Black Sites" Located in Other Nations, Including Nations Known to Practice Torture
Article XX
Imprisoning Children
Article XXI
Misleading Congress and the American People About Threats from Iran, and Supporting Terrorist Organizations Within Iran, With the Goal of Overthrowing the Iranian Government
Article XXII
Creating Secret Laws
Article XXIII
Violation of the Posse Comitatus Act
Article XXIV
Spying on American Citizens, Without a Court-Ordered Warrant, in Violation of the Law and the Fourth Amendment
Article XXV
Directing Telecommunications Companies to Create an Illegal and Unconstitutional Database of the Private Telephone Numbers and Emails of American Citizens
Article XXVI
Announcing the Intent to Violate Laws with Signing Statements
Article XXVII
Failing to Comply with Congressional Subpoenas and Instructing Former Employees Not to Comply
Article XXVIII
Tampering with Free and Fair Elections, Corruption of the Administration of Justice
Article XXIX
Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Article XXX
Misleading Congress and the American People in an Attempt to Destroy Medicare
Article XXXI
Katrina: Failure to Plan for the Predicted Disaster of Hurricane Katrina, Failure to Respond to a Civil Emergency
Article XXXII
Misleading Congress and the American People, Systematically Undermining Efforts to Address Global Climate Change
Article XXXIII
Repeatedly Ignored and Failed to Respond to High Level Intelligence Warnings of Planned Terrorist Attacks in the US, Prior to 911.
Article XXXIV
Obstruction of the Investigation into the Attacks of September 11, 2001
Article XXXV
Endangering the Health of 911 First Responders
Grandfather Mountain
I did a day trip up to Grandfather Mountain recently. It was a nice drive. Lots of trees shading the road from Blowing Rock to the mountain. Very beautiful day. Quite a few people there, but not overly crowded. Just a very nice trip and relaxing.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
What Happened to Spring?
Damn, it's hot. Supposed to be about 99F today (it's already 91 and only 11:00 am). It was a nice, cool spring up until a few days ago. This heat makes me not want to do anything at all. I skipped going out to the gallery crawl last night. I had no desire to be out in the heat.
Summer and Winter are my least favorite times of the year. At least the days last longer in the summer. I hate when it gets dark at 6:00 pm in the winter. Well, I'm off to a movie and trying to have a relaxing day.
Summer and Winter are my least favorite times of the year. At least the days last longer in the summer. I hate when it gets dark at 6:00 pm in the winter. Well, I'm off to a movie and trying to have a relaxing day.
Friday, June 06, 2008
My Future PC
So, I've had some time to digest Vista and I'm not impressed. Currently, I'm using a Toshiba laptop running Windows XP and it does what I need it to. I see no need to upgrade to Vista anytime soon. In fact, I'm going to use this baby until it finaly dies.
Once it does die, I won't be doing Vista. I've been checking out the MacBooks and I think that will be the way I wil go. Now that Macs will run my old PC programs, I see no reason to go with Vista. I find Vista very slow and a big memory hog. Also, I like what I see with Mac. I like the layout on the desktop, the programs and the fact that it just plain works. Anyone wanna give me one for my birthday?
Once it does die, I won't be doing Vista. I've been checking out the MacBooks and I think that will be the way I wil go. Now that Macs will run my old PC programs, I see no reason to go with Vista. I find Vista very slow and a big memory hog. Also, I like what I see with Mac. I like the layout on the desktop, the programs and the fact that it just plain works. Anyone wanna give me one for my birthday?
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Obama and the VP Hunt
Well, it's time for Obama to pick a VP. I'm sure he's going to take some time to do this. I did see his appearance with Jim Webb on CNN today and I think Webb would be a very good pick. He REALLY puts Virginia into play for the general election. He's also thought of as a more "middle of the road" Democrat that would appeal to Independents.
Really, I'm not sure how much it's going to matter. At this point, Republicans have things so screwed up that I don't think there is any way McCain can hope to win.
Really, I'm not sure how much it's going to matter. At this point, Republicans have things so screwed up that I don't think there is any way McCain can hope to win.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Monday, June 02, 2008
The Last Tuesday
Well, this looks to be it. Some super delegates are starting to declare for Obama. Tuesday, 28 governors are going to be meeting with Obama for lunch. Hillary is going to be giving a speach in New York tomorrow night. It really sounds like the writing is on the wall, the fat lady is tuning up, whatever. Now it's time to unite and kick Republican ass.
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