Hathor - Sekhmet

Post 9/11

2011-09-26T10:16:00.000-05:00

A few thoughts. In 10 years we now have hundreds of pseudo experts on Islam. Americans have become more xenophobic and fearful. Empathy for the First Responders has become resentful. None of this mitigates the threat of terrorism, but threatens our rights as citizens.

O Mary don't you weep

2011-05-30T10:39:00.000-05:00


Philadelphia National Cemetery

For those who fought and served for freedom, we appreciate you service and sacrifice and mourn the many losses. For the survivors, this old Negro Spiritual.

Huntsville Police Dept Blue Notes 5 Singing at The VBC.

Still Here

2011-04-17T16:32:00.000-05:00

I'm back to civilization. I am sick and have had no assess to technology at any facility. My cell phone had been my only way to do business.

Finally have gotten celluar conncetion to my computer and connected.

I didn't have anything to say before I got sick, mid-January, but I have a post in the works about Health Care.

This is not exactly civil disobedience

2010-11-19T09:45:00.000-05:00

I do think the scanning and pat down policy by the TSA that is required to fly violates my privacy, but I have to fly rather than use longer transportation because it is easier to deal with any health problems that may arise while traveling. I will opt out of the scanning and take the pat down. I am not sure it will be anymore invasive than being at the oby-gyn. For those who would prefer to be scanned, you can't find out what type scanner that will be used from the airport nor the TSA web sites. I wonder would they even know at the airport.

I was thinking if enough people would opt out for the pat down, it just might slow down the security flow, airline departure and commerce. This might get the TSA to rethink it security policies: money talks better. I see nothing that is going on now, that will change their minds, although they have rethought their policies regarding pilots. That fact that you can be fined for basically deciding you don't want to fly and opt out of both the scan and pat down is ridiculous. It says you disrupt security and cause gaps, what BS. This whole policy's validity is like "Because, we say so."

Lets clog the system.

Do You Say Happy Veterans Day

2010-11-11T08:09:00.000-05:00

Or, we appreciate your service. Or, put our money, time and effort where our mouths are and truly support the needs of our troops and veterans.

2010-11-02T01:00:00.005-05:00

VOTE
TODAY

Real Congress of DC TV

2010-11-01T13:12:00.000-05:00

A reality show that I would watch faithfully, would consist of randomly picked people from congress having to earn the salary of their state's minimum wage and ask to live in their district, providing for their family if they have one. They would first have to find a job that pays minimum wage, and manage to keep it for three months. They would have to find housing, pay rent, buy groceries, pay utilities and transportation. If they can't afford it, their spouse has to find a minimum wage job. I'll think they will find they are not working with teenagers, that the management doesn't care if they are educated or how hard working they are and that they may be fired for insubordination if they offer a valid suggestion. They may have to work offset shifts in order to have one parent in the house with the children, since day care will probably be out of reach. Of course they must change the way they look, no styled hair, no makeup, no contact lenses, silk ties, scarves, expensive watches or earrings. Whatever it takes to make them look average, can't have them be discovered. I'm not sure as part of the series they should be able apply for some government assistance or be able to use food banks. If it would come to where they would need the extra support to prevent starvation, they would leave the show. Am I being too harsh or would the show be to short lived?

I wonder how successful they would be. Would they know where to look for a job, where or how to shop cheaply, how to prepare nutritious meals or how to keep their energy cost down. Would they know how to do the things they complain that poor people don't know how to do. It would be interesting to see just what their complaints would be. Would they say that what is happening to them is an anomaly or that there many people in the same boat they are. If they have never had any empathy with those who were less fortunate, will this change their attitude? If they did have empathy previously, will they better understand what governments role in providing services should be.

Come to think of it, I think this show should include the policy makers from the think tanks,too. My favorite candidate for the show would be Newt Gingrich going back to Carrollton, GA. I think that this would be very entertaining.

Bitch, bitch, bitch, bitch...

2010-10-08T12:44:00.000-05:00

When the President purposed that Green Jobs would put people back to work; I heard a lot of "Bah! Humbug." Now there is a chorus to create jobs. Mostly bitching about the Obama administration, even though a jobs bill has been signed to provide incentives to business to hire new employees.

More bitching, but if not Green Jobs, what. Ideology is not a business that can hire millions of people. It only has a few spots for pundits. Political theory is not a practical idea, there has to be something made or a service provided: something tangible that be bought and sold or even bartered.

I would like to hear of some idea for a workable solution to get people back to work, no diatribes on the free market or communism, just what will be the next industry that will produce jobs. Jobs that will stay in the United States.

The week that is - 09/05/2010 -09/11/2010

2010-09-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

On this day I am thinking about the horrible acts of violence that occur every day. Ones whose date isn't marked, but still the violence takes many victims. I saw this article where a bombing strikes again in Pakistan when half its population is under water last week and then again this week. We can see that vengeance and evil purpose out weighs any compassion. Civil Wars continue and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo rape is a weapon of choice. There is a report from the UN that there were approximately 500 women raped during July and August, I am fairly certain that this continues now. Almost daily in neighborhoods across the US there is a shooting or murder, for some citizens it is like living in a war zone. As my mind drifts I begin to think of the victims of the attack on September 11, 2001; I wonder just how many had immigrated to leave such violence and how many lived in violent neighborhoods here. I also wonder how many of the victims families still struggle in stressful conditions.

Every year we mark this date, while the atrocities continue around us. Perhaps each day we should mourn for victims of violence. Think of the consequences to humanity and ponder preventive solutions.

Whose dead are more precious?

2010-09-06T19:03:00.001-05:00

In some sense I am always asking that question. When I see the effort to find the murderers of law enforcement officers as compared to an average citizen; the attention given some victims and not others of horrible acts and the offense of Islam given over the consideration of military lives.

When many are screaming about the insensitivity of an Islamic cultural center two city blocks from "ground zero," why do they not understand why the military doesn't want this church burning the Quran?

Friends with benefits

2010-09-04T08:51:00.001-05:00

When you see this in a personal listing, what does it mean? Does it mean someone with whom you can talk to, have a few drinks with, share flea market shopping or go to some events and with that you get sex with no commitment? The last part is a certainty, but the first part of that last sentence is what I'd like to change. I might not need someone to talk over a drink or coffee and I could do a lot interesting stuff on my own; but at a certain age, a woman may not be as physically able to fix things around the house as she once was.

This what I'd like to see.

Man with TOOLS seeking woman to be FWB.

Stranger in a strange land

2010-07-04T00:00:00.003-05:00

I can't exactly put my finger on it, but it seems that certain Americans are becoming strangers in their homeland. Those who seem to hold the microphone insist they are the true Americans or patriots. They speak of liberty as if they own the word and no one else understands freedom more than them. They worship the service of the military almost as a fetish. They create songs, hold rallies and empty their pockets, they do everything, but serve themselves. It is also odd to hear their lack of understanding of what it takes to be citizens. The meaning is inconsequential, until they describe the stranger, the other, the alien.

Patriotism has become a notion, similar to becoming consumed with the spirit at a revival. When I hear someone greeted as a good American, because they both agree on the same ideology, I think then what must I be.

I don't think I am a bad American. I think I understand why and how this country came to be. I fulfill what I consider my civic duty, and I understand the way government works and how it officials are elected. I even understand the concepts in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. I also think that in our system of government a diversity of opinion is necessary.

I wonder if this alienation will continue, every day there seems to be a new stereotype created; not just for the other, but for themselves.
Today, when the Declaration of Independence is read, will the words be listened to and fully understood without personal prejudices; prejudices of the author, the times or the circumstances? Will they see it as an idea, greater than that moment?

www.archives.gov July 3, 2010

The Declaration of Independence: A Transcription

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

Sekhmet's Lament

2010-07-02T08:28:00.000-05:00

It has been a while since I have spoken of the war in Afghanistan. I have not been paying too much attention, for I had not been aware that there was a timetable set to draw down troupes next year. This became highlighted recently with the incidence of the improper conduct of General McChrystal.

I knew basically that President Obama was following in the footsteps of the last two presidents, in assuming that the US has to nation build in order to fight or find the terrorist. The gives the US an out and supposedly prevents these wars from becoming like Vietnam. I am not sure if it is the Americans or the foreign policy juggernaut and the current pols that wanted these wars to have been great versions of morality plays; democracy versus communism, now, democracy versus the Islamist. I never saw nation building as a strategy to bring down Al Qaeda. I think our mission should have been strictly to destroy Al Qaeda and capture Osama bin Laden and his top cohorts and bring them to justice. I believe this should be our only purpose in the Afghanistan region. It is the United States responsibility, we were attacked. If I were a stranger observing this war I would assume that the US was protecting the Afghans and Iraqis, that the US was fighting their wars.

Taking this path, the US has put itself in less ethical position than its wants to present to its citizenry. We have lost the mission and made contracts with the devil in order to save face with the world and hope that others can contain the Islamist terrorist.

Seven Years

2010-06-17T05:44:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: If you saw this here Tuesday you are right. I was wrong; the anniversary is today June17, 2003. At least I got the year right. Another senior moment. Having too many lately.

Today is the seventh anniversary of my kidney transplant, ~~June 15, 2003. It is a same day anniversary,~~ although I don't know what time; it was sometime after 4 pm.

My kidneys were destined to fail, I had Polycystic Kidney Disease and in my late thirty's my kidneys began to loose function, however very slowly. When in my mid-fifties the deterioration sped up and my kidney function was monitored very closely. The worst side effect from the disease was hypertension, not until I approached the need for hemodialysis that I became very exhausted. I didn't loose any work, even when I started dialysis December 10, 2001. Since I knew that I would have dialysis, I had had surgery earlier that year to create an access, a Arterio-venous fistula. I am glad it was done early so that I didn't have this.

I got called the evening before, so that they test 27 vials of blood, to match as many antigens and confirm my blood type. Sent home about 1:00pm, there were others tested for this set of kidneys. They came from a cadaver and were put on a pump to keep them viable. Called again the next morning for more test, then late that afternoon I was prepped to go into surgery.

Surgery didn't seem eventful but my whole body was swollen and red, a reaction to the unknown kidney. Then started the daily measurement of liquid I took in, the urine I expelled, the taking of my weight and temperature. While in the hospital, blood test and inter-venous pain killers (morphine pump at first). The medication; humongous sized immunosuppressant pills, huge doses, an anti-biotic and anti-viral, insulin and heparin shots. I seemed to be recovering well and I was out an about, then I began to feel more pain, very painful cramps on the side where my kidney is. I complained and only one doctor thought that I should get an ultrasound to check to see if any leakage in my abdomen. Somehow his recommendation got lost. I was schedule to go home in two days and that was that, even though the pain was getting worst. After going home the pain became extreme and I began to lose my voice and throw up when I spoke. During my first visit four days later, I could barely speak and my sister had to explain how much pain I had been in, then the doctor decided to put me back in the hospital to do an ultrasound. They found that the Ureter of the transplant was leaking and they had to drain the urine from my body. Three days later on a Tuesday, I had another surgery. They took the Ureter from my kidney and attached it to the transplant. They completely removed the transplant Ureter, because it was necrotic. The surgery went well, but they cut through the same scar and the nerves were so damaged I couldn't get my legs to move right for a few days. I am still numb right over the transplant.

Even though the transplant has given me the ability to live better, at times it has seemed like that the treatment has been worst that the disease. Constant diarrhea and the onset of type 2 Diabetes from the types of meds I take. The osteoporosis resulting from the massive doses of Prednisone to keep me from rejecting the kidney, has exasperated the back pain I have had of late. When I had my native kidneys removed, that resulted in having to have another surgery to repair a hernia. Four surgeries within five years killed my stomach muscles, another factor of my back pain. I am now going to physical therapy to strengthen my core. Hopefully, year fourteen will be an anniversary like this, but without anymore side effects of the transplant.

Jobs

2010-06-16T11:16:00.000-05:00

I saw an interview with one of the oil workers in the Gulf. He was upset that there was a moratorium on drilling offshore. He saw his lively hood going down the drain. It is sad to think that the company town or region is back; where one industry has most of the jobs and if that industry chooses to leave or doesn't thrive, thousands of people are jobless.

Over the pass two years many have loss their jobs and there is this clamor to do something to create jobs. My question, where are those jobs going to come from? Can thousands of fast food, telemarketing, home health aides and retail sales jobs feed all these people and stimulate the economy? During the financial crisis, the financial sector and banks shrunk in size, although they became huge in the percentage of the market share. With technology, they don't need the same number of people to run those businesses. It is not that man is being taken over by machines, it is that in the US, hardly any thing is manufactured anymore.

I have always wondered just how many vending push carts would actually make money. Entrepreneurship is fine, but there have to be major businesses that employ a huge amount of people, in a population this size. Some politicians talk of how small businesses would solve the unemployment problem, as if this is 14th century Bruges. Quite often when an idea is developed, it is implemented overseas. The free trade treaties have not produced a balance of trade nor had it produced enough jobs for all parties. The economic world now is running on theories and ideology, not pragmatism. Some think that capitalism in its essential laissez-faire form is necessary to a democracy; as if this system was running like a machine, no human involvement what so ever.

In this new order there can be no restrictions to keep jobs in this country. However, one way survival may be possible, would be to finds ways to create small self sufficient communities. People within these communities would grow food and produce dairy locally and perhaps barter for local services such as plumbing, carpentry, electrical, landscaping and painting. It would also include reducing dependence upon technology. Thus, creating a community with a reduced cost of living, so that the few jobs they have or the hit many will take in their salaries, can allow for that American dream.

Memorial Day - National Cemetery Philadelphia

2010-05-31T14:27:00.002-05:00

This morning I thought that I would take pictures of the Philadelphia National Cemetery decorated. There were a few people visiting, but no flags. I hadn't heard why there weren't any, but it had been announce on the radio early last week. While I was there, I stayed for the Observance, which was organized by the Philadelphia County Council of the Disabled American Veterans. I took a few pictures of the ceremony and the cemetery.

In each picture, a flag among many graves. Click on the bottom picture, the flag is in the center below tree. I didn't feel right, walking over the graves to get closer.

A broader view.

Ceremony

I missed the Color Guard and the gun salute. I had run out of memory and had to delete some pictures in order to get these. Most veterans here were my generation or older. The members of the Disable American Veterans seemed almost a rag tag bunch, but all had such purpose and bemoaned the fact that there were no younger veterans. I found myself pissed that there not had been flags placed at each grave and hopefully can find and join some group that will do it next year. The picture above is the place the most recent veterans have been buried.

The ceremony itself was perfunctory, but the place is moving. It was a totally unexpected experience to be among the dead, veterans of war, since the Civil War.

I think I got a gig

2010-05-15T00:18:00.000-05:00

I think I...

How does this happen?

2010-05-11T10:41:00.001-05:00

The last recall on Romaine lettuce seems incredulous. Has any farmer learned from previous contaminated produce? I could fathom how this happen in some other countries where they washed produce in water that wasn't treated properly, but this happened in Arizona. Don't we have clean water standards? Contamination from handling? Who's watching?

Pet Peave

2010-05-03T11:25:00.002-05:00

I have noticed lately that there seem to be a lot of ad campaigns against the mistreatment of pets. I began to wonder if people value animals more than children, since I have seen relative few ads to help abused children. Another ad came on this morning about abused pets and for some reason it irked me more that at other times. We know in this society what lies ahead for an abused child. Also we know that there may not be good outcome resulting from children who are homeless or go hungry or in very unstable situations. I do know that there are organizations designed to help children in need, but they don't seem to get the word out or have a celebrity pleading with you to help them.

Even though, I am not a pet person, I don't think animals should be mistreated, but I don't think animals should be put ahead of people. When I had expressed that to a co-worker, I was asked why couldn't we advocate for both. I feel that if humans worked on their own problems and eliminate our destructive nature toward other humans, we wouldn't have pet abuse or mistreatment of other animals. This is not to say that we should do nothing about the abuse of animals, it is just that I don't think it is where most of our charity should be placed.

Audition

2010-04-15T23:39:00.001-05:00

When I was in high school I played in the band. During football season and parades I played an alto Saxophone and for concerts I played Oboe. My senior year I was entered into a competition to play in a student orchestra, sponsored by the city's Symphony Orchestra. My band teacher selected a piece for the Oboe. I don't remember what it was, but I didn't like it. I did practice because I wanted a chance to play in an orchestra. It was extremely technical and difficult to play, but I thought I had mastered the technique. I didn't get a chance to find out from the Symphony's players or conductor, because my band teacher told me that I wasn't good enough and he would not allow me to audition.

One might be thinking that he was right, but I had formal music training since I was five and had played a wind instrument for six years and three on the Oboe. I had been exposed to classical music before I started taking piano lessons. I may not have been good enough, but I was good enough to audition. If I had failed, I would have had the experience and exposure. In college, this would have given me the confidence to play well enough in the University's orchestra to perform with them.

I thought about this now, because I still want to play, now that I'm retired and I have to start over. Buy an instrument, take lessons and hope that I can attain the facility I had in high school. I do think that I have a better grasp on music interpretation now that I'm older, which I hope will make others willing to play with me.

I think of the reason I was not allowed to audition, it is that I would have been among the first; the first Negro, that burden of perfection. During that time, that is what Black people wanted to send out into the white world. Yes it was well known that you had to be twice as good or work twice as hard to get that position or recognition, but I wonder how much talent has been stifled, because of some ill conceived notion of not being perfect.

Today forty years later, we are still remarking about the first Negro, which gives the impression that Black people have hardly made any strides. Reflecting on my audition, I am beginning to think that the celebration of the First sends the wrong message.

That student orchestra wasn't filled with white prodigies, they were musicians. Most would never have solo careers or play with the New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra or The Chicago Symphony, but they might have had careers in music, staying in their small town, playing with the local orchestra or ensembles.

Living in the last half of the 20th century

2010-04-01T08:48:00.001-05:00

The one thing about living half a century in the 20th was to see the quickness of change that technology brought and how the public discourse has changed. I was reading this post at The Strange Death of Liberal America, "Can Right and Left be friends?" which made me think about a childhood friend, an adult neighbor, who had many discussions with my dad about politics. He was a Republican and my dad, a Democrat. The conversations never got toxic, didn't create the animus that seem to be so prevalent today. I also thought about a college friend who didn't seem to be so rigid, as to get angry when he was challenged, but forty years later had seem to have gotten ultra sensitive to any criticism. Then as one thought leads to another, I thought back to my childhood when there was not such a bridge between the Black Republican and Democrat. When Edward Brooke was a senator, we were all proud.

The generation gap was created during this time, which I never understood. Sometimes I think it was a media intervention. I could not fathom why there was so much controversy over the music. Rock seem to me to have the same roots as swing. When I said I had an adult friend, it didn't go beyond the boundaries of adult and child, but I could talk to this person about most things. I remember another neighbor who would give me cookies or something to drink and sit on the porch and chat with me. At five I was treated with respect as if I had been twenty. As an adolescent I rebelled against my parents, but not to a point where there was a riff. I think when I grew up the expectation was that you would become an adult when you graduated from high school, so you were expected to be more responsible at an earlier age; no long transition into adulthood.

The advent of PC language, the increased sensitivity of groups, the idiocy of group think, the expansion of addictions, the constant talk without substance, seem to be inventions of the last half of the 20th century. I can't say I would have liked to have lived in other times, but I would have liked the civility of my childhood to have lasted a little longer.

24 redux

2010-03-12T12:09:00.000-05:00

Is this an instance where fat old men were wishing they were Jack Bauer?

Karl Rove defends waterboarding

Rant #9

2010-02-25T11:52:00.000-05:00

Intrigue - n. - a mysterious or fascinating quality

Concise Oxford English Dictionary

So is everybody that is a celebrity, politician or interesting person intriguing? People magazine started it and now CNN has a feature called Intriguing People.

In a blink of an eye

2010-02-17T17:04:00.010-05:00

Beaver Creek, Colorado

Reminded by a friend's post describing the decent of Franz Klammer in his Gold Medal downhill race in the 1976 Olympics. I remember that run; it was exciting to me. It inspired me. I wanted to learn to ski. Soon forgot the desire, with the stuff of life happening.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kayaktherockies/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

Reading that post, rekindles my desire; but in the blink of an eye, almost 35 years have passed. Now my body is broken.

Landmark

2010-02-14T11:53:00.000-05:00

Waiting on this day, to know if I've been forgotten.

The New Year

2010-01-17T09:38:00.000-05:00

It is already into the mid of January and I am not well. I had another round with back pain and a knee injury flare up. Both had me flat on my back, unable to move and in much pain. Have been laid up so much these past months that I am week and cannot walk very well. Lost weight and muscle and I'm feeling much older than I should. I wonder if I will ever feel as I did ever a year ago.

As it is, I haven't felt like blogging. I don't want to shut down this blog just yet, because I may in the future feel I need to speak.

To those that have visited: Have a Happy New Year

2009-12-25T00:01:00.018-05:00

----- Merry Christmas -----

Lost

2009-12-18T00:57:00.000-05:00

What ever changes Google has made recently, has changed my ability to have the widgets I want on my iGoogle page and this blog. I am too lazy to investigate, even though I am irritated that I can only use widgets that are for Gen X,Y or whomever Google thinks are their followers (zombies).

The Harvest Feast

2009-11-26T08:04:00.000-05:00

The first Thanksgiving a creation myth of America, reinvented in many ways. One to suit each century. The myths change and Thanksgiving is looked upon as the bountiful feast celebrating the appreciation of life, love and family. Thank goodness for that.

Happy Thanksgiving

What to do

2009-11-25T23:51:00.000-05:00

When I was a preteen I wanted to be a test pilot. I got my first pair of glasses at 12. Pilot dream died and the next best thing was to be Nuclear Physicist. Going to a piss poor high school ended that dream in my freshman year. I did take music lessons all through school, learn to play piano, sax and oboe. Tried out for college orchestra, not good enough. Thought I could get a cush job in the Army when they had tryouts for the WAC band, too bad, three days before they remove a wisdom tooth and I couldn't blow a note. No second chances in the military. Such as my life as been all failed dreams, my last, getting a degree and it not counting for anything; no new job or promotion. People are always comfortable with the way you were.

So now I am retired, the media says it time for me to reinvent myself. The question is how. I am not one who is fortunate to say 60 is the new 40. My body rebels against that. I'm alive without dialysis, but being a kidney transplant patient is still not without its problems. It also takes resources, which I have little for the first year and with utility cost doubling almost every year, inflation and my drug cost; additional income will get sucked up.

Volunteer? No! I given too much out of duty, not for emotional reward. I get nothing out of it. I was intrigued for a while and thought I might enter into a teaching program. My application was accepted, but I bailed out, because it was really designed for young teachers. I would have had to complete a masters in three years while teaching, full time. Too much work to be retired.

I can't stare at the wall, but what to do?

Wedding

2009-11-21T09:03:00.001-05:00

Salto de Sete Quedas - Brasil
Creative Commons Some rights reserved

mario cesar mendonça gomes' photostream

Oft times I live my life in daydreams, which I learned never come true, but somehow they make me happy during the moments I create them.

I fell in love at first sight. True. I am not sure I will ever see him again. True.

During our first encounter I told him I had wanted to see the largest waterfalls of the world during my retirement. During that conversation he told me of a waterfall in South America, which he thought was a most beautiful place. I thought then if our relationship developed, perhaps I could ask him to take me there. I don't remember where, only the visualization of the place. All true.

I have not been able to do very much this past month, so I am left to the internet and the roaming of my mind. True.

He comes to be my lover, we laze around, get our houses together, and travel locally a bit. Finally I ask, can we visit that water fall. He a bit reluctant, but says will we do it.

We are at this waterfall. Its awesome, quite different than Niagara. Our vantage point is high as I imagine with the waterfall somewhat lower elevation parting a very wide gorge through the mountain. Its devoid of the rushing voices of tourist, only the thunder of the falls. As we watch and listen to the falls I feel so joyous that tears come to my eyes. He holding me close, I don't hear the words, but see the ring. I want this. Say yes.

First conversation, made it very clear he had no intention of ever getting married again. True.

I want to get married at this place. we find a way to hook us up to a webcast so friends and family could be present. Then upload to YouTube later for those that missed it. He finds some old acquaintances to be witnesses.

He has a suit and shirt, no tie. He looks fabulous. He cuts quite a figure, still has a tight body. Me? I have little hair, totally gray now, covered with a flower garland and a gauze like shapeless summer dress. I'm wondering, if I'm too old for the dress.

The wedding vows take place at sunset, with our silhouette in the camera. then as we kiss, a song sung in the native language of love, only the female voice. A haunting sound again the backdrop of the falls. We then turn to the camera an tell every one we will visit soon, then good bye. I can't stop smiling.

The day dream not long enough. My retelling may seem trite, but it is a way for me to replay the dream and momentarily have hope. I've been in so much pain the last few weeks. He tells me he is on the road working, that he thinks of me and is looking forward for some time together; that is when he writes. True.

The only true thing that I know is that I fell in love at first sight.

Been sick

2009-11-20T00:09:00.000-05:00

Still having health problems. Haven't been able to form any kind of post, although there have been a few things on my mind. I have made short comments on others blogs, because it didn't require the same thought process. Hopefully my mind and body will be back soon.

Tomorrow

2009-10-21T17:53:00.001-05:00

Of unknown purpose

I'd embark on the journey

Lead by your heart sound

A few good men

2009-10-07T11:32:00.003-05:00

In some places there are calls for discussions among groups to discuss how to stop the violence in the community. The latest calls have been sparked by the death of Derrion Albert. His death has even gotten the attention of the Obama administration. The Attorney General and the Education Secretary are in Chicago this week to meet with the Chicago's Mayor and officials to develop strategies to combat the violence.

There has to be a way that we can solve problems without commissions, round-tables or summits. I think by now studies, talk, statistics and research have covered all the causes and solutions. One big problem is implementation. I do not mean there has to be no organization, but I do think there should be direct confrontation with the young people who engage in violence by adults that are not law enforcement. However, these adults should not be easily intimidated. It would be advantageous if someone from the military would volunteer.

Laissez le Bon temp rouler

2009-09-14T21:59:00.004-05:00

History and Culture of New Orleans. Aired tonight in my city on PBS. Try to find a broadcast in your area. I think you may also learn something new.

Faubourg Tremé: The Untold Story of Black New Orleans

The conundrum

2009-09-12T08:00:00.001-05:00

I was describing the circumstances, in which I received a kidney transplant. The person I was talking to had a hard time saying the word cadaver. You see, I had a transplant from a cadaver or dead person rather than from a living donor. The person also realized that the persons body may have been kept "alive" until the kidney was removed. My donor did not die an accidental death, but from some disease. I was not told from what. I was also told that the kidney was put on a pump to lengthen it's viability. After I had the transplant, cell death, Necrosis did occur at point the ureter was attached to my bladder. I had to have another surgery ten days later to have it removed and replaced with my own.

I took high school biology in 1959. One of the dissections we had to do was to remove the heart of a gold fish. We had to dissect in such a way that the heart remain beating in order to get a grade. We had discussions about the nervous system, voluntary and involuntary muscle movement. At this time there had not been the first heart transplant, but the fact that you could remove a heart still beating was significant.

The first kidney transplant had been from a live donor and from an identical twin several years before the first heart transplant. The heart transplant patient has no choice but to have a cadaver donor. It still makes many uncomfortable talking about transplants, because for most transplants, someone has to die. Among other reasons, to make transplants possible, there had to be an acceptable point in which the person is living or dead, not if the persons cells are alive and healthy. When death of the brain determined death of the person, rather than when the heart stopped beating and breathing stopped certainly helped in accessing more viable organs for transplantation. The notorious case of Terri Schiavo demonstrated the problems some still have with the definition of life. Cases like this make some of the public fear being transplant donors.

Perhaps it seems that I am presenting slightly disconnected facts, but I think these are relevant to the thinking of what is life and death. Science and technology advances have created new ethical problems that our society has to cope with.

Postmillennial

2009-09-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

Many thought that the major disaster of 2001 would be January 1, but instead it became September 11. In these years after the turn of the century's pivotal event, the world seems to be in a time warp. I feel like I am living in my childhood during the fifties. The odd behavior of this nation, for the first time having to deal with erratic behavior of terrorist, has reverted to old habits. The suspicion, fear, which have led to witch hunts, and the comfort in xenophobia and racism has grasps many of our citizens. The war on terror has once again lost sight of its purpose, while many tire of it and eight years later there is no justice for the victims from the collapse of the World Trade Center Towers.

We should have burned down this sucka in 1968.

2009-09-06T08:06:00.008-05:00

Calmer voices eventually prevailed.

I'm at my last nerve. I feel as I did then. There has been a line crossed, the consequences are unknown.

Glen Beck and his forces have successfully destroyed one of President Obama's advisers, because the Color of Change was waging a successful campaign to boycott Beck advertisers. What is unusual, that person had not been affiliated with the group for two years, but no matter, any proxy for Obama is good enough. In their minds it doubly justifies their righteousness, since Obama's intention is to poison the minds of children. I guess it is not right for Black folk to boycott like the folks who boycotted Whole Foods. The response to that, was to create a buycott; not destroy the organizer life. You know different standards for different folks.

This concerted effort to portray Obama as a stealth agent of Al Queada , Lenin and Trotsky, Hitler and Goering, and Chairman Mau and giving credence to every nut case and encouraging them to "take back the country" is making me believe that passive resistance and civil discourse will not be a solution next time.

I am at my last nerve.
I am close to lighting a match.

Oboe da Caccia

2009-09-06T00:13:00.005-05:00

As I get older I learn about things that I thought I should have when I was younger. In high school I played Oboe. I knew of the English Horn, and a B-flat version, but never heard of the Oboe da Caccia. I just learned of this instrument watching a YouTube upload of Bach's St.Matthews Passion. It looks as if someone is playing a goose. The two instruments come in about three minutes into the video with the soloist.

Here is the Koopman - Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Soloists playing:

Bach - Matthaeus Passion - 58-59-60-61

Economics is not science

2009-08-20T20:04:00.002-05:00

I had two survey courses in Economics, maybe not enough to make this statement, but I have been immersed in math at times and feel that economics is more closely related; a cross between math and psychology. I had never been able to argue why it is not science. I cannot say that he thinks as I, but a fellow blogger, Emil Jung has wrote a post which perfectly describe my thoughts. I can not adequately paraphrase his post, Proof, not truth . It is written so that I would have to quote the whole post. Follow the link.

There are those that follow a specific theory of economics as if it is the absolute truth and think that the unfettered free market will solve all problems of society. It is interesting that when the markets failed recently there was never a question that somehow they could not rely on their economic theory, only that there were variables that kept it from being a true market. Okay lets look at the variable, a mathematical term. They can prove a specific outcome if every variable is known and when it applies to science, experiment has to define these variables. In a sentient world where there is consciousness outside of the natural world, those variables can change in an instant following no particular pattern. Human behavior is not like Quantum Physics. The best predictor of human behavior is another human not mathematics. In the PBS series, The Ascent of Money, Niall Ferguson interviews a top hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin. He describes how mathematics and intuition plays a role in assessing risk. Here is the interview, it is within the first three minutes of this video.

Risky Business(A Financial History Of The World)

To protest what?

2009-08-17T23:40:00.003-05:00

If it is legal to openly carry an assault weapon in public, then why is it a protest to do so. I see it as a threat, not a protest, to do so in the line of site of the President.

As they say, gun don't kill people, people do. Well, I think some of those people would.

Why is this?

2009-08-12T19:13:00.003-05:00

It seems that even the mention of President Obama in any context evokes seizures and spastic utterings. These were the White House Choices of the Medal of Freedom, as with any administration's.

I was surprised at the comments.

Patient No.5

2009-08-07T17:11:00.002-05:00

Patient No. 5 - I am here for my 2 o'clock appointment.
Receptionist - Sign in and have a seat.

5 minutes later

Receptionist - Patient No.5!... I need your referral and Insurance ID.

Patient No.5 - My referral should be in the system.

Gives receptionist ID and she says, " Sir, you will need to call your doctor, because it is not in the system and have them fax the referral to us.

Patient No.5 calls his doctor and his receptionist tells Patient No.5 that their last submission has been rejected, because his insurance has been canceled. He tries not to lose his cool and ask that his records be checked again. Again the same answer. He is seeing the doctor for a test, he'll see if he can be billed for the test until he straightens his insurance out. The receptionist tells him they cannot bill but he could use his credit card. Wishing not to use his card, he cancels this appointment and reschedules, with the hope that everything will be OK by the time of the next appointment.

When he arrives home and listens to his voice mail. He had missed his doctor's call. He knew that his employer had change their coverage, didn't change insurances, though. How did he fall through the cracks? It must be that the stars had converged to create this bad karma.

Patient NO.5 calls insurance company and tells the representative what has happened. The rep gets his personal information, pulls up the account and tells him that he's been dropped because of a pre-existing condition,

Patient No.5 - That can't be, I have not changed companies, there is a law.

Ins. Rep - Sir, that has not been the case since 2012, regulation governing health insurance had been rescinded. We sent you that info, when we sent your statement of benefits.

Patient No.5 - I want to speak to No. 1.

No.2 - May I help you, Sir.

Patient No.5 - Are you No.1?

No.2 - No! ...

Patient No.5 thinks to himself that he fairly well off, he will do some shopping and after all there is Medicare. Hangs up, downloads a list and proceeds to call the first. The list is rather short, since in the last decade there has been much consolidation. After he's interviewed by the last on his list, he realizes that he can not afford the coverage to include his precondition or he cannot be insured. Since he is 65, and he thinks that program has to take him, although he abhors public insurance, but he has no choice, that test is essential. He calls and finds out that the age he would be eligible had been raised to 70. He had not been paying attention, since what he favored, free market health care with no government influence to skew the system, lower to no taxes on his income and the government he longed for was in power.

Hospital Clerk - PATIENT NO.5!

Patient No.5 - YO!

Shouting is necessary to be heard over the crowd.

Urban Renewal

2009-08-06T18:20:00.008-05:00

In recent years "Urban Renewal" had been tagged "Black Removal," because most neighborhoods that were effected were Black, usually mixed income. When I was young most black people hadn't caught on to the gimmick. We truly believed we would get a fair price for our property and that when the highway was built there would be new homes built and low income and moderate housing would be in the mix. This was supposed to improve the neighborhood. In my home town, there were a few apartments built and homes for the aged, but no invigorated neighborhood; that didn't happen until 40 years later when gentrification came. In order to fill in the highway for over 50 miles, not only were homes razed, but two hills. The terrain was totally changed, so the 8 square block area in which I lived disappeared. I can not drive or walk by the old house, show my son where I went to elementary school or walk around the river where one hill was cliff like. I think the pictures that my father had taken years earlier in the thirties were thrown out when my parents had to move to assisted living. There may be one surviving picture of my younger sister and bother with our cousin in front of the house. Not only did that change the neighborhood, the highway changed the city from a walking city to a city like the suburbs. It also disperse black people and created new neighborhoods that would further isolate the poor and create instability. Over time even those neighborhoods became gentrified and the poor Black folks seem to disappear.

I can not go home.

A reader had sent me an e-mail to tell me about a neighbor who had suffered form being displaced from New Orleans and recommends that I read this article, Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans. The author William River Pitt, describes the feeling of missing his home and describes the events surrounding hurricane Katrina, then laments the hole left in the Ninth Ward and how New Orleans has changed since this catastrophe.

What does it mean to miss New Orleans? It means knowing that one of the most golden citadels of our shared history - a cradle of multiculturalism, the birthplace of jazz, seed corn of so much that is America - was allowed to die of neglect, disdain, racism, greed and simple stupidity right before our eyes. A city stands where New Orleans once was, but it is not New Orleans, not really.

After Katrina there were many blog voices bashing the poor with all the trite, racist and ignorant assumptions. There was no understanding of the make up of the population of New Orleans, it was seen as a Southern Disneyland, albeit a salacious one. They didn't see any middle class folk as victims of the storm or how most could not rebuild, because insurance companies reneged. They were also blind to folks that were working class or working poor who owned and lost property to the hurricane. They projected the whole of the city as dependent and helpless, because they have been coddled by the government. Their code words implied black folk on welfare, undeserving of any help. This prevented many from seeing victims as they were. This was done while some were saying donate to the Salvation Army or Red Cross. The survivalist came out of the woodwork convinced they would have been heroes. These were such strange messages. I am not saying that there not any bloggers who were speaking the truth about the victims, but it was far too much Katrina victim bashing. I think it had a great impact on how the city was treated and the ineffective governing and policy making could always be shifted to the moral failure of the citizens of New Orleans. I have seen this theme reoccur over four years and expect to see more of it as the anniversary gets close.

William River Pitt said: "All that was the city, all that it gave this country, and so many of the people who lived there, are gone forever. " His city has disappeared. In time, I think sooner than forty years it will become gentrified and the folk who lived in the Ninth Ward will have disappeared and been fogotten. A highway will not have caused Urban Renewal, but a Cat 5 hurricane.

HT JK

As the day goes on, the angrier I get

2009-07-24T22:05:00.005-05:00

Salvidor Dali. Crucifixion or Corpus Hypercubicus.1954

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

This morning a white blogger whom I know and a white co-worker were upset over the President's words. I guess many white people were offended or felt embarrassed. This afternoon the President had smoothed over his words.

12 hours they were upset. You know I been upset by racism since I was four. Sixty years and when I have a tendency to forget, there is always something, someone or some incident to remind me.

There was nothing to smooth over. Apparently they didn't understand that the president qualified his statement or the difference between an adverb and a adjective. This is not Jim Crow or slavery where we always, in fear of harsh repercussions, had to make sure white folks were never slighted or even slightly offended.

Black folks are often told that we are way too sensitive. White folks should practice what they preach.

Intuition

2009-07-11T09:52:00.003-05:00

noun
the ability to understand something immediately, without the need for conscious reasoning.
Concise Oxford English Dictionary

This is not a paranormal ability, the understanding comes from experience. From the day we are born our minds are learning, creating connections, and storing important survival knowledge. Our eye give us cues that we are getting close to an edge of a precipice, our noses tell us where there is smoke there's fire and we feel heat as we approach something hot.

We usually don't think of emotion as a sense, but we learn from our reactions to words and deeds, a way to avoid the unpleasant actions. The caustic intonation, the contortion of a face and an aggressive body movement have been learned as a source of distress.

When everyone has been hardwired, so to speak, why do some people have to be smacked in the face with an action, to believe what others have been intuitively saying?

Imagine Today

2009-07-04T06:52:00.009-05:00

Draft of the Declaration of Independence
More about draft

This document was written on this desk in 1776.

Portable Writing Desk

Imagine Today

Bamboo Laptop

HT: The Strange Death of Liberal America

Michael Jackson August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009

2009-06-26T17:08:00.004-05:00

Keyboard
destitute_films
Creative Commons Some r ights reserved

Let his light never be extinguished.

Be careful for what you wish for.

2009-06-17T18:30:00.005-05:00

I have read some information about the election in Iran and the protest that have followed. Granted that I don't believe the elections were fair and I am upset about those murdered, but I would be cautious in supporting their cause.

There are many blogger who see this as a call to democracy and freedom, the Green Revolution. They see the government's repression as naturally giving the protesters righteousness. I have no problem of those who give the protesters the means to speak, but outside of understanding that they think they have been robbed of an election, I have no idea what kind of government they want.

I question who is this reformer; is he indeed a reformer or the lesser of two evils who would give only superficial appearances? I remember the fervor in which the young people and women embraced the Ayatollah Khomeini after the repressive regime of the Shah. What followed was a disaster in my eyes, something I could not support. The cause just replaced one form of oppression with another. It was another set of people being murdered, not so much of the old political dissidents, but women.

A more rigorous examination.

And your point is?

2009-06-13T10:33:00.007-05:00

After the shooting at the Holocaust Museum and the murder of one of the guards, Stephen Tyrone Jonhs, I see responses from bloggers like this and this.

A man is murdered and their response is blame the Negro.

I'm Cold

2009-06-09T21:46:00.002-05:00

Today was rainy and warm. At times a heavy downpour. It was the kind of rain one could enjoy sitting on a screened-in porch. The rain was not the kind I wanted to drive in, but none the less I had too.

When I entered my building it was cool and soon as I walked back to my workstation the cold temperature and dampness hit me. A few hours latter, my legs were achy. Later that afternoon I noticed the temperature, 69 degrees F. For me this is cold. It isn't like being outside with the sun shining, generating a little warmth on my skin. It is like being in a cold rain, soaked to the skin.

All day I kept thinking about retirement and that soon I can be warm or be able to keep warm. I was seriously thinking about going to personnel and signing the papers to retire, although I have three months to go. The nineteen years I have work at this place I have hardly ever been comfortable. I am cold all year long. The older I get the less I can tolerate the coldness. I have always tolerated a lot of heat as long as the humidity was low. I grew up without air conditioning and remember the Five and Dime had only ceiling fans in the summer. Now everywhere seems super cold in summer. As for work, I'm sick and tired of being sick and cold.

They could have gone to Paris.

2009-05-30T22:24:00.004-05:00

The President and his wife had a date in New York City. Michelle and Barack Obama have had dates as a married couple before he became president. Perhaps this has help keep their marriage sound. So why is the RNC, with many of their spokesmen known for serial monogomy, complaining?

UPDATE: I spoke too soon.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T07:09:00.004-05:00

Twenty-three sets of helmets, rifles, boots, and dog tags represent 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade Marines killed during the Iraqi war. A Memorial Day service honoring those Marines was held on the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge. The Kearsarge is currently returning home after deploying Jan. 12, and is expected to arrive at her homeport in Norfolk, Va., in late June. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alicia Tasz

Defend America Photo Essay - Tribute to Fallen Comrades

May 2003

Reasoned Rebuttal

2009-05-24T11:31:00.004-05:00

Colin Powell answers Dick Cheney on his political party affiliation and the state of the Republican Party.

Colin Powell On Face The Nation Part 1 Of 2 May 24, 2009

Colin Powell On Face The Nation Part 2 Of 2 May.24, 2009

UPDATE: I replaced the CBS video with these from YouTube, because it started play when blog opened. I thought it would be distracting when other post added.

The New Race Hustlers

2009-05-16T19:00:00.003-05:00

These are people who comment on black blogs, that change the subject to race, no matter the subject of the post. That subject on race must not discuss racism either, but must always speak of the problems of the black community as if they are the messengers sent by a higher power. They also see themselves as having the greater authority, than any one else. This is the case, when their only experience with the black community is the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can not tell them that you live in a neighborhood with other black people and it is stable, clean, quite and crime isn't entrenched. You can not tell them that there are single parents who have children who aren't thugs, go to school, well mannered and well behaved. Or that blacks don't commit a higher percentage of crimes, but they are not as likely to get probation as someone who is not black.

These new race hustlers are intent on everyone staying on target that blacks are some aberration of society. This is in the guise of wanting to be helpful and concerned. They will not acknowledge our humanity and become distraught if our lives move outside their prejudices. Black life can not be more than what they define it to be.

A Bunch of Wires

2009-05-16T18:45:00.003-05:00

I could document the post and comments I see on blogs, but I think those who would agree with me already know this and those that don't, wouldn't believe me anyway.

I do think the most paranoid people on earth are bloggers. Has the internet provided validation to many conspiracy theories and the incubator for more? Maybe the geek mentality dominates, in that they think their ideas are always suspect to others outside of their sphere?

Thoughts

2009-05-10T05:38:00.003-05:00

Sometimes I think about things that I know, but don't think of often. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day, the Andromeda Galaxy, is about 2 million light years from us. I was thinking that Star Trek never traveled to Andromeda or ever outside our galaxy, The Milky Way.

FYI

2009-05-04T19:24:00.003-05:00

President Bush's FY09 Budget doesn't end until September 30, 2009, with the expectation of a 1.75 trillion dollar deficit.

ENVY

2009-04-18T23:39:00.003-05:00

What do you do, when you don't have a grass roots movement or a young charismatic leader and your persons of color have failed you?

TEA PARTIES

`Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. `I don't see any wine,' she remarked.

`There isn't any,' said the March Hare.

`Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it,' said Alice angrily.

`It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited,' said the March Hare.

`I didn't know it was YOUR table,' said Alice; `it's laid for a great many more than three.'

`Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.

`You should learn not to make personal remarks,' Alice said with some severity; `it's very rude.'

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he SAID was, `Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'

`Come, we shall have some fun now!' thought Alice. `I'm glad they've begun asking riddles.--I believe I can guess that,' she added aloud.

`Do you mean that you think you can find out the answer to it?' said the March Hare.

`Exactly so,' said Alice.

`Then you should say what you mean,' the March Hare went on.

`I do,' Alice hastily replied; `at least--at least I mean what I say--that's the same thing, you know.'

`Not the same thing a bit!' said the Hatter. `You might just as well say that "I see what I eat" is the same thing as "I eat what I see"!'

`You might just as well say,' added the March Hare, `that "I like what I get" is the same thing as "I get what I like"!'

`You might just as well say,' added the Dormouse, who seemed to be talking in his sleep, `that "I breathe when I sleep" is the same thing as "I sleep when I breathe"!'

`It IS the same thing with you,' said the Hatter, and here the conversation dropped, and the party sat silent for a minute, while Alice thought over all she could remember about ravens and writing-desks, which wasn't much. (an excerpt)

Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. by Lewis Carroll. Chapter VII: A Mad Tea Party

TAX DAY

2009-04-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

Tax Man

Miracle Medicine

2009-04-10T22:34:00.004-05:00

Today I have run into yet another comment about sugar being better than corn syrup . I think it is replacing the premise that honey is better sugar. Each claiming the other to be poison or unhealthful. It is the same pseudo science that makes natural better than chemicals. When I hear this, I want to say that snake venom is natural. Some people do not seem to know that every thing is made from chemicals and that something that does not naturally occur may not be harmful. It is not a given than chemical compounds made by humans are always harmful. The types of sugars that human ingest, are different only in how we may use them in food, which may hide calories (degree of sweetness per calorie) or taste differently, but not how we metabolize sugar. I am not saying that we should not be concerned about how food is processed or something like why whole grain is better nutritionally or metabolized more slowly, but I do think we need to know more about the science. I also know that those old home remedies work for illnesses. What bothers me is when people give advice about serious health problems to others based on the popular pseudo science of the day. The role of placebo may have had a positive effect upon them, but I have seen where their belief didn't jive with the outcome. I once overheard a patient's vitals being taken and the nurse telling the patient that their blood pressure was extremely high. The patient was protesting that this couldn't be the case, because of the herbs being taken. The nurse took the blood pressure several times to double check. The patients pressure so high, the nurses proceeded to admit the patient to the hospital. As most of my consistent readers know I have a kidney transplant and before that I was on Dialysis. At one Dialysis unit we had patient meeting, to talk about diet, other health problems and type of care we were getting at the Dialysis unit. When one has kidney failure, a lot of functions stop, beside the kidneys filtering the blood, it controls the calcium, potassium and produces a hormone which tells the bone marrow when to produce red blood cells. To minimize the effects, one has to control their diet and fluid intake. Diet is essential, especially if you are diabetic too. At one of the meeting, I hear one dialysis patient, say that he was replacing parts of his diet by taking herbs. I was disturbed by this , because what you ate created a delicate balancing act to maintain proper level of sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorous, otherwise dialysis could not be effective. Since I have had the transplant I have become diabetic and once again diet is number one. Carbohydrates and sugar have to be watched, instead of counting calories I have to count carbohydrates(includes sugar); so many grams each meal. Since carbohydrates break down into sugar, it really doesn't matter what flavor it is. Corn syrup, honey, white sugar, brown sugar, refined or not, doesn't matter. I can't have more whole grain carbs; the only reason to eat whole grain carbs is because they don't dump sugar in your system as fast, but the total sugar is the same. You see our bodies are not as conflicted as our brain. It uses biochemistry to keep our stuff straight, when it sees a molecule of sugar, it reacts with it, without knowledge of origin. That comment's premise; that if one's blood sugar was increasing that using sugar instead of corn syrup would be helpful. This was just one substitute, there were other sugar sources that were suppose to be better, corn syrup was poison. This really disturbed me, because there are many people who are predisposed to diabetes are caught up in the pop science of the day and will jeopardize their health, because they will not get the proper medical advice or treatment.

A point of view

2009-04-04T01:00:00.000-05:00

25 years later Julian Bond wrote this in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/special/mlk/perspectives/reflections/bond.html

You would think

2009-04-03T21:05:00.003-05:00

Edward W. Brooke III would be the elder statesman of the Republican Party. But do they think?

Take It Back

2009-04-02T20:34:00.004-05:00

Let all bloggers who lean to the left, consider themselves liberal or progressive, add Liberty to their name for at least one post.

Liberty Hathor

My take on what happened - I think easy to believe;)

2009-03-22T13:59:00.006-05:00

Since I have not been posting very often, mostly because of new back problems and a cold virus which kept me off my feet for over a week, I want to catch up a little with thoughts that have been running through my head. I have been making some comments at other blogs, but haven't mustered the energy to post here. This post consist of comments I made on other blogs.

This comment I made at Gypsy Scholar in response to this post, Professor Jasper Kim on the Financial Crisis, is my take on the financial crisis.

I think it was the speculators that got over their heads, more so than the immigrants and poor people, but blaming those people is so gauche. That did not create the financial crisis, it was that funny paper that banks bought and sold, formerly known as MBS', CDO's, CDS' and other derivatives. People made money hand over fist on these sales and the banks and other financial institutions were stuck with the bad paper, most of it far removed from the original mortgages. Even if every mortgage had been paid, eventually the worthlessness of some paper would have caused failure. No one will say it but Bernard Madoff was not the only one running scams. This is my view of the financial crisis, which I think is as true as anyone else's. I came to this conclusion based on listening to what the economist, bankers and pundits have said, not on any knowledge of economics.

For those not familiar with the acronyms MBS = mortgage backed securities, CDO = collateralized debt obligations, and CDS = credit default swaps .

At another blog, ResurrectionSong, I commented yet again where most think they know what will work to solve the financial crisis. This is a response to another comment.

"I’ve yet to hear one piece of regulation that was axed that contributed to the mess, and I’ve yet to hear one plausible alternate history where this mess wouldn’t have happened. (Emphasis on plausible.) “

You see I have read another blogger who says the opposite, whom should I believe? My common sense tells me that I don’t have enough knowledge to discern that. It also tells me that anything said here as a solution, has a high probability of being as right as the President’s proposals. Its all ideology, because you have no proof as to what will work. We have never seen in our history the exact same problem with opposite solutions. Many say what FDR did prolonged the depression, but there isn’t any proof, just a best guess that fits into a particular ideology.

We live in an era of bullshit, because we do fear the unknown, that outlier.

I also would say this also is an era of financial ignorance. We all have our take on what happened, like me, but like most, I can't propose any solutions. There may be some who know enough to provide a real solution, but we would not recognize it if we saw it? For some that would be because of ignorance and others, because it went contrary to their ideological beliefs. I really wish we could have an unbiased scientific approach to this financial crisis.

Terrorist attack a transformational act?

2009-03-22T11:21:00.006-05:00

I was reminded of Ron Silver's death last week and thought of a tribute of another blogger. This said by R. G. Combs.

But after the 9/11 attacks, Silver had the courage and wisdom to rethink his own long-held beliefs, and — despite the hostility of the Hollywood community to which he belonged — he clearly, articulately, and passionately defended his new view of the world time and time again. For that, I greatly admired him. And I'm very sorry that he's gone.

I am thinking why would the attacks of September 11, 2001 push someone to change their political beliefs. There was no label when Al Qaeda claimed the attacks. In all of their messages, I have clearly understood their purpose is to kill Americans. A message also more religious than political. I didn't think infidel meant Democrat or Republican. Osama bin Laden's views of America had been shaped by both Democratic and Republican administrations and policies. Since the Republicans were in charge of the government, who else was going to lead the response, but George W. Bush. His leadership in this could not be compared; for no other president had had the same circumstances. If one admired Bush's response, it could only be to his response as a man, not of his party.

There were a few liberal voices, blaming terrorism on America's policies, but the majority of Democrats gave Bush everything he asked for, until his re-election and much afterward. The world view of the Republican party could not have changed the event, because it was under their administration with their world view that escalated their assistance and armed Osama bin Laden in his fight against the Soviets. Their only concern was to fight the Evil Empire, not the democratization of Afghanistan. If one thought of the Republicans as the only ones with neo-con sensibilities, there were Democrats that were complicit in arming the rebels and osculating the Afghan war with the soviets.

I have given my reasons why I think that one would not have had reason to change their political beliefs, so I can only assume that emotions cause by the attacks on September 11, were so strong that fear became their guiding force. I am one that also believes that neither war in Afghanistan nor Iraq has made us any safer; considering how few people it took to bomb the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19,1995 and those people did it for totally different reasons than Al Qaeda.

If beliefs have been held and molded most of ones life, terrorism becomes a transformational act when your intellect has been disturbed, such that your ideas change suddenly; I would say that the terrorist have achieved their purpose.

Optical Illusion

2009-03-15T00:05:00.002-05:00

The Second Amendment

Grubs and Mushrooms

2009-03-14T07:45:00.001-05:00

If you view the Astronomy Picture of the Day, everyday, on my sidebar, you eventually get to realize how vast the size of the universe. Man's ego cannot make us small, even though we are. In a religious sense some of us see an end, but that also includes the universe, not just the end of man. The rest of us do not see the end of man as a species. We think our technology, our humanness, that our ability to adapt will kept our species from becoming extinct or at least marginal.

Technology whether simple or complicated require resources. The simple tools of farming; plow, pitchfork, shovel, wagon, and a working animal, can not produce any crop if the soil is spent. When there is virtually little fuel left, it would more likely to use it to keep us warm and for cooking, than for reprocessing or reclamation. Machines will wear out and lie dormant, when parts can't be made to repair them. Innovation can also lie dormant for centuries. We have seen where in certain religious or political climates, innovation has been stifled on purpose.

We never think that this will happen. We think we can change the environment, slow global warning or we don't think of it at all. We hardly ever think of slowing ourselves down. As we grow in population we will pave over topsoil and move our food supply to each country until there is none left. Only in a crisis do we think grow locally. So far the crisis hasn't lasted long to influence all of us. We will shift out energy resources for oil, but when that happens, our use will be as great. Not to worry, there is plenty of wind; not thinking that the transmission of energy still takes its toll on resources, the copper, the fiber, the machines.

There will be creatures that will adapt without technology, that will live in the niches of the environment humans have left. We have to learn that innovation and technology can not always save us or we may fall into that niche, where we will be eating grubs and mushrooms.

If there were no other debt since September 30, 2008

2009-02-24T21:59:00.005-05:00

There would be a little over 10 trillion dollars in Public Debt for the U.S. and as they say now, our grand children will be paying for that The budget deficit last year was $455,000,000,000.(page 7 of this GAO report) From Federal fiscal year 2000 to 2008, the public debt has nearly doubled.

Did a cat have the Republican's tongues the past eight years? Will our grand children notice the increase from the Obama administration?

Congratulations, Mr. President!

2009-01-20T23:44:00.005-05:00

It is at the end of a long day. I remained mostly unemotional through the ceremonies, until an Italian American co-worker told me that he was proud to be an American today. Then the tears started to come, but I held them back with a smile. I watched most of the day and had to see the First Lady's gown. I, like most people who voted have no expectation that President Obama will walk on water, contrary to those who are without understanding. I only wish the President the best.

Post Racial?

2009-01-19T09:14:00.003-05:00

Recently much has been made of the progress from Martin Luther King Jr. 's time and Barack Hussein Obama's inauguration tomorrow.

Last year reading, seeing and hearing these kinds of comments, I wonder.

Hatred at Palin Rally in Johnstown, PA

This reminded me of the kind of anger and taunts experienced when desegregating lunch counter, schools, and during peaceful protest marches.

The last words of M. L. King's, March on Washington speech are not yet self evident.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

I Have a Dream - Address at March on Washington

The Party of Lincoln - The Betrayal

2009-01-11T09:36:00.009-05:00

Quite often the question to Black folk asks why we support the Democratic party when there have been racist among them. Mostly asked by folk who are Republican, as if there were no racist among them, especially in the south. Perhaps a reasonable question, since the first party of Black folk was the party of Lincoln. As I see it, there are two answers to this question; after the Great Depression, Black folk who could vote, voted their self interest and the betrayal by the Republicans.

Weighing in cotton. Pulaski County, Arkansas. Oct. 1935.

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

What Republican forget, is during the Great Depression most Blacks lived in the south. Their jobs were mostly dependent upon service in middle class and rich white homes, share cropping and picking cotton. For the most part, they were poorer than the poorer whites. Most of their destiny was dependent upon white people's fortunes. People without, can not depend upon ideology to provide for them and the programs of FDR offered, appeared to them a better way than do nothing market theory. Still there were many Blacks who remained, quite a few because they were comfortable with the changes that had occurred since Reconstruction. They believed in self determination and the free market model, but they also were aware of the inequality of Black people and the need to be your brother's keeper at times.

The March to Montgomery
March 25, 1965

There is no doubt from the sign in the picture, that "States Rights" is synonymous to "Racial Integrity". It is very clear that it is a code word meaning to keep segregation. That was the Republican Party's stance on desegregation "States Rights." Trying to take the high road with ideology, when every southerner knew what that meant. The liturgy of the racist Democrats, Dixiecrats, who had tainted the Republican Party when they moved their party affiliation. When they were accepted with open arms, that was the final betrayal of Black folks after it became too hard for Republicans to support Black folk after Reconstruction. More recently they have perfected Black bashing, as part of their fight in the cultural wars. It is interesting that those asking the question don't see this or realize that even though some blacks may be conservative, their reaction to racism trumps any other ideology.

When I'm Sixty Four

2009-01-10T19:24:00.004-05:00

It will be thirteen days.

When I'm Sixty-Four - with Lyrics

I will be 64 in a few weeks. I am amazed how fast I have gotten here in spite of the fact that many horrific years seemed to have moved so slowly. The Beatles song When I'm Sixty Four poses the questions of love, when time has changed us. When you are young, you might have thought the mind ages with the body. By the time I was forty I knew this was not true, becoming mature is not the same as aging. I still have the same intellect, curiosity, desires and needs as I did at 25. Unfortunately, the body does age and changes so much. Since I have not grown old with someone, I wonder if anyone can love, need and feed me.

2009

2009-01-01T06:00:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year,Y'all

No resolutions. No predictions. Only one wish for the world. Quite and Peace!

Amen - Christmas Spiritual

2008-12-25T00:59:00.002-05:00

"Amen" - Gospel Christmas

Follow link for more info on concert.

~ Merry Christmas ~

Odetta: Rest in Peace

2008-12-04T20:50:00.005-05:00

Best said by Christopher Chambers on his side bar at Nat Tuner's Revenge.

Odetta - Midnight Special [1957 studio recording] (1930-2008)

2008-11-27T11:38:00.005-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving

One of My Favorite Things

2008-11-27T11:33:00.002-05:00

My Favorite Things/ John Coltrane

Hurry up and Wait

2008-11-11T08:53:00.004-05:00

Hurry up and Wait

It's an expression long associated with life in the armed forces: the endless lines, the delays while an assignment is being readied, the long night before a major battle, and finally, the anticipation of final orders. For some who serve during war, the sounds of battle remain tantalizingly distant, as they are left waiting stateside for the duration.

This the beginning of a section of the Library of Congress, Veterans History Project. This project features many veterans stories. These stories describe not only the heroic, exciting, transforming but also the mundane. One story, Irving Oblas' features a quote which is the essence of Hurry up and Wait. I and others have waited months for orders, being in that netherworld of doing odd jobs and many platoons learning the glory of raking sand. There was that anxiousness during Viet Nam from soldiers I knew, on where they would be assigned. The draftees who would rather be elsewhere, submitted to the mundane. If orders came for Viet Nam, they would sigh, but never the less would selflessly serve.

The President Elect - Barack Hussein Obama

2008-11-05T00:49:00.003-05:00

WOW!

I had not been one of those who thought it would never happen in my lifetime, until recently when I entered the world of the net. Things said here and groups devoted to keep racism alive and well, abounded. I never underestimate the influence of such rhetoric and I didn't know how much it would influence an election. I didn't want Barack Obama to win because he was black, but I didn't want him to lose, because of it.

I don't have expectations that the world will instantly change or that Barack Obama will be able to govern extraordinarily, but I know that it will not be an ad hoc, seat of the pants, let see where that goes, presidency. Peoples liberties won't be abridged, the US will not become communist and terrorist will not be sleeping in Lincoln's Bedroom.

I don't have much more to say, but to say I am truly proud today.

2008-11-04T00:01:00.000-05:00

VOTE

Are there not enough issues?

2008-10-23T22:54:00.002-05:00

I have recently encountered a new blogger strategy for McCain Campaign. Using anecdotes, rumor, and a little factual information to say Obama supporters are naturally thugs or that thugs have Obama's support. What gets me, is the anger behind this, while the bloggers are trying to pretend to be disinterested and intellectually honest.

The Event - The Vote

2008-10-21T16:17:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday my sister sent picture's of her, her mom and daughter voting early; she entitled the pictures 3 generations for Barack Obama. In some of the pictures they are smiling and standing proudly all dressed up. I really didn't think anything of them voting on a Saturday, dressed up, until I saw African American Political Pundit's post about a 106 year black woman voting in Atlanta, she was dressed up too. I do not know if many people dress up to vote, but I do feel the vote is worthy. It isn't even necessary to single out this election, it is always a historical event. Me? I'll trudge in before I go to work, probably looking like a ragamuffin, since the work I do, its best not to wear something that could get ruined; but then, what is important is that I have voted and it counts.

I need a hugh platform

2008-10-18T09:45:00.006-05:00

Yesterday I head this woman interviewed about whom she would vote for. One of her reasons as to why she would vote McCain/Palin, she said she could not vote for someone who was named Obama; that his mother was an atheist, his father a Muslim and his Christianity was not in the Bible. I felt like she wrapped up all the stereotypes in that one name.

This made me want to shout from the world stage, that if the African slave had kept their real names, Barack Hussein Obama would be as common as Andrew Jackson. Also that many versions of Christianity had justified slavery and Jim Crow and had created schools in Virginia to subvert desegregation.

The story where I saw the interview was broadcast last night on PBS' NOW called Virginia's Vote, the lady's comment comes near the end of the segment.

Deja Vu

2008-10-11T06:41:00.006-05:00

When you live long enough, you get to see history repeat itself. In my childhood, the fear was Communism and if the Russians would use the Bomb. A national paranoia was stirred up by Joseph McCarthy and his hearings that tried to weed out Communist in every faze of life, even though is was legal to belong to the Communist Party. In the south with an emerging civil rights movement, the white southerner in order to discredit civil rights leaders, tagged them communist. It must be a communist conspiracy and instigators who came south to stir up their Negroes. This could then be presented to the nation as acceptable rhetoric as why it was justified to vilify civil rights and shroud their racist attitudes. The strength of the civil rights movement did push the white southerner to show his real intentions.

Fifty years later, terrorism has replaced communism. There are no McCarthy hearings now, but bloggers and the McCain's presidential campaign are stirring up the paranoia. The intellectual rhetoric of the bloggers is falling apart on the ground, where the McCain's campaign is creating suspicion, mistrust and inciting violent outburst. A terrorist is the Democratic nominee.

McCains dangerous game backfires as nutjobs scream "Kill Him"

DN! "KILL HIM!!![OBAMA]." PALIN SAYS NOTHING IN RESPONSE.

So easy to lead the silent bigots into revealing themselves, just as the segregationist move from "communist instigator" to "uppity nigger," saying "he's an Arab" probably implies the same.

Palin proved she's common

2008-09-26T10:17:00.002-05:00

Yesterday.

They all look alike

2008-09-20T11:33:00.002-05:00

Or is it "Birds of a feather..."

Is there nothing new under the sun?

2008-09-13T10:22:00.005-05:00

Twice this week I have been told that since the events on 9/11, partisan politics has been stronger than ever. Divided to the point where we have become two countries; Us and Them. This morning I saw an educational project on TV which gets students involved in solving problems. Some novel ideas were presented to some old problems, which made me think that in the future, there has to be a new approach to government and problem solving in order to maintain the integrity of this country. I had once thought that the constitution was a document that would forever be the idea. The parties quarreling does not reflect that we are now in the 21th century with problems no eighteenth century person could have imagined. We as a society do not even define the role of government in maintaining a civil society. We are stuck, in trying to define ourselves by the past. I would hope that our youth find a different approach to government and be wary of ideology guiding their creativity. Our technology is new under the sun, that is in human history, so why not our philosophy and politics.

The Unanswered Question

2008-09-11T21:50:00.001-05:00

Charles Ives

This Year

2008-09-11T00:01:00.006-05:00

Seven years have passed, grief and anger have subsided in the nether regions of the mind, but this date always reminds me that no one has yet to pay for committing this crime. Over five thousand dead, the victims, our casualties and untold tens of thousands civilians dead; in our government's pursuit of its agenda. I do not say War on Terrorism, because the Al Queda we were told that were responsible; still alludes us. The second in command in Iraq and the chauffeur is all we had? It seems that Osama Bin Laden will die a natural death, because our war has become a War on Civilization, not a war to bring Justice for all the dead.

Dynasty Update

2008-09-06T10:17:00.002-05:00

BBC News headline: Bhutto's widow wins presidency

An update to my post Dynasties.

Dagny Taggart she ain't

2008-09-05T21:01:00.001-05:00

Sarah Palin is being adored because to some she is the embodiment of their fantasy woman, Dagny Taggart, the brash individualistic heroine of Atlas Shrugged. This seems especially evident since the Republicans didn't have a counterpart to Barack Obama.

I have gotten old enough, where the allusions I make are not understood, but I did have to say this.

Experience

2008-09-01T12:23:00.003-05:00

In situations at work, when a decision needs to be made, and senior management will not step up to the task; I am often heard saying

"How do they manage their personal lives, if they can't make a decision?"

Sometime in family situations, decisions have to be made that affect lives profoundly. There is no one else to do it. It may not be a right decision, but most of us will make the best decision with the choices we have.

My initial issue with Sarah Palin was wondering if her governance would lead to more imposition of religion on the state, since she wold have a high probability of becoming president if the McCain-Palin ticket won.

After reading articles about Palin and blog about the rumors about her pregnancy, her judgment after her water broke, this late breaking disclosure of her daughters pregnancy, I am now clearly questioning the maturity of her experience. I am not blaming her for her daughters pregnancy, but you would think she would have told this to John McCain. It has been 4 days that the rumors have been floating, so why had it taken so long to explain her daughters pregnancy.

H/T Plezworld & News

Old and singular

2008-08-24T19:02:00.008-05:00

I have been called bitter, because I thought I had deserved more in life and said so. I am invisible, because I am older and I am also singular.

I became a singular person during my last marriage, I can’t really say how this happen. I have never been an outgoing sort of person, but I had had a few friends before.

I thought I would take a vacation and now I find that I am penalized for being singular. The better bargains are for double occupancy.

Too old to get a date, but not quite old enough to get those senior discounts.

My View

2008-08-17T06:28:00.004-05:00

This is not a proper forum; the inverview at at Saddleback Church of Senators Obama and McCain by Pastor Rick Warren. I think this is quite different, than a candidate attending a church and giving a speech.

We stop the fiddlers

2008-08-16T20:28:00.002-05:00

While all the philosophical bull about health care is going on, in the think tanks, blogs and the presidential candidacy; people are being made poor and dependent, trying to stay alive. Quite often loosing their dignity and abused by the personnel helping them get through the paperwork. I think the worst is losing what you have worked for, and change in the quality of life, as poverty, not illness, brings. In the mist of surgery, chemotherapy, pain medications and other sticks, jabs and tests; coherent decisions have to be made more about your finances, than what you are required to do for your illness.

Space Travel, a thought

2008-08-16T20:27:00.007-05:00

The Bubble Nebula from NOAO

Credit: Brad Ehrhorn & Adam Block, NOAO, AURA, NSF

While I was watching the preparation and launch of the last Martian Lander Phoenix; I began to think of a spacecraft powered by a CERN accelerator. CERN had been in the news lately because it was ready to come online, and some scientists think the experiments will be unsafe. It is suppose to create new particles and perhaps mini black holes. I was thinking if the could create mini black hole perhaps it might manipulate gravity such that it could use the effects of gravity to propel matter with high mass. Create a bubble of anti-gravity around an object that could of bounce off earth’s gravity. Like when you push magnet together of opposite poles and let go, they fly apart; I should say repelled. The problem would be to get a portable accelerator and figure how to power it. I am sure that we can figure how to create the anti-gravity, by finding particles with this property.

You see I imagined the space ship and the sound as if I had seen it in the future.

When the race of spades is the largest trump card

2008-08-03T11:36:00.006-05:00

Just saw this article Graham: It's a "lie" to Say Obama Not Injecting Race into Campaign.

“To say that Barack Obama did not intentionally inject the idea of his name and his race is a lie,” Graham said in an interview on "Fox News Sunday."

“There is no doubt in my mind that Sen. Obama is trying to suggest that he is the victim of something,”

The only people that have ever said the word race are Obama's detractors and those who are calling out the right's antics.

Once again the Race Card is being played by white folks as a trump card to win this election. They don't think "drilling for oil" is a big enough issue to make folks pull that lever for McCain.

A Manufactured Crisis

2008-07-31T22:47:00.012-05:00

The crisis of the food supply dwindling, due to the use of grain to make ethanol. The politicos saying that Mexico will starve, their will be less grain to supply the hungry of the world. Grain will be priced out of the market for poor countries.

The crisis would become so, because of the money manipulators, placing all their bets on grain, specifically corn.

The one thing politcos can't change is sugar and cellulose can can be made into ethanol.

Fermentation of sugar

C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2 CH₃CH₂OH + 2 CO₂
sugar --> ethanol + Carbon Dioxide

Wikipedia:Ethanol

Cellulolysis (biological approach)
There are four or five stages to produce ethanol using a biological approach:

A "pretreatment" phase, to make the lignocellulosic material such as wood or straw amenable to hydrolysis,
Cellulose hydrolysis (cellulolysis), to break down the molecules into sugars;
Separation of the sugar solution from the residual materials, notably lignin;
Microbial fermentation of the sugar solution;
Distillation to produce 99.5% pure alcohol.

Wikipedia: Cellulosic ethanol

There are more than a few sources of sugar and cellulose, for example, sugar beets, switch grass, sugar cane, and garbage. This a scientific fact, corn is not the only source of ethanol. The politicos cannot manipulate that chemistry reaction to suit their purposes, like they do with the science of Global Warming. Today I learned that the lowly plant, Algae can produced ethanol.

It was refreshing to hear Senator Obama say we should look to Cellulosic sources other than food stocks to produce ethanol. He mentions switch grass and wood chips as a source during his interview at KY3 Political Notebook while he was visiting Missouri. View his answer during the interview answering the question, What's his position on mandating ethanol?

H/TNot Right About Anything

Beware! Black and White World

2008-07-08T21:58:00.004-05:00

The fear that collectivist will create the next Nazi like regime exist.
Creates fear in this persons mind, that it will be the individualist who actually does this.

In defense of liberty, their idealism so perfect, that imperfection can not be.
They will demand that I see.
O me, an imperfect being, a person oppressed.
My liberty suppressed.