bobc's webetorial

The Internal Fire that Burns Forever

2010-02-28T01:45:00.008-05:00

I just had to come back to this place one more time. I blog other places but this one is special to me. I started it because someone I care for most deeply said I should. I never met her face to face but if I had I know I would be even more enthralled, if that's possible, than I am now.

Watching the movie Titanic, listening to Celene Dion sing, I once more know the power our souls can muster. It is so inspiring to have a love that transcends all things, that came to be in an instant. We may never communicate again but my life will forever be full to overflowing because of her.

So even as the ship sinks...once more I open the door.

Near, far, where ever you are.................

I Just Had To Let It Go

2010-01-01T20:22:00.038-05:00

The days turn into years. Sometime one has to know that the time to let it go has come. As I search for reasons why the time is now, I feel like I'm past understanding anything.

In the years of surfing the Blogs I have made a few cyber-friends and reconnected with some people from my past. But no one is really interested in my thoughts and dreams. They have their own lives and I don't. They are being very nice and give comfort where they can so I am not trying to belittle anyone. One can only hope their lives are a little better for having known or known of me.

In this final article by Ellen Goodman (via) we are reminded we can move on with grace and class if we want to. I will never forget those that befriended me or treat that kindness with anything but the utmost respect and gratitude. At this time in my life that is all I have to give.

I now admonish myself for not becoming a journalist, doctor, lawyer, or something. Instead I let myself become a nobody, a nothing. I can't even garner a few readers in a world full of people that fill the NETZ with every topic under the Sun. The fact that I'm a snail-like typer doesn't help much either.

I will leave this blog in place for the links. Hopefully someone will come across them.
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The Stars That Play With Laughing Sam's Dice

2010-01-01T10:25:00.017-05:00

Looking up at the stars this New Year's Eve a recurring ponder fell once more into my thoughts of the past, present, and future. While reading an article about art in the NYT (HERE) I wondered why am I here and not, physically, able to be with the stars? The capture of time, in an art sense, is a beautiful accomplishment. It does link us to the past, present, and future by way of image and/or word but that link is not physically transverse able. The Universe is so vast yet I can move only slightly in the quantum so as to make it virtually non-existent to me in all but an imaginative, observational way. (like this)

Soon (relatively speaking) we may be able to move corporeally much farther than now, and so the stars will be attainable, but I wonder if our souls and wisdom will expand enough to make that a desirable thing. I hope so.

For now all I can do is wish all of us a happy and fruitful year!

The Bus Seems to be Low on Fuel

2009-12-10T10:53:00.029-05:00

There is a lot of good and bad crap being spewed into the universal compost heap. Some of the gasses that are being created by this deluge can be very useful in keeping the Bus motoring toward a vast vacation spot that is large enough to allow all of us to bask in the Sun of Enlightenment and swim in the Sea of Equality. But as is always the case, some of the gasses just stink like a dead skunk in the middle of the road.

The divisions in this world are not insurmountable by nature. They are merely bumps in the road. But too many riders want the journey to be accommodating to a view of comfort that is myopic and self-centered. Many of us have been bathed in this manner so many times and for so many generations that we can't see anything changing. But it must! The bus is running out of fuel quickly. The old fuel, while propelling the bus for millennium, has fouled the air, the water, the land, and our hearts and minds.

Somehow, if we are to survive ourselves, we need a new fuel for the Bus. Or maybe a truer statement would be an old fuel that has been ignored. EQUALITY ANYONE?

The ease with which oppression of someone else is justified in our minds will be the downfall of civilization. Doing what is right is not easy most of the time. The short term comforts of taking the easy way out benefit so few that they cannot last as we all want to bask in the Sun.

I know, I know. Some will say " It has been this way since the dawn of time!!". I agree. Things have gone so well, why change? Right? But, as I look out my window, watch the news, dream of smelling the Roses, I wonder when the Bus will run out of fuel and we will be forced to walk in the dead skunk gasses...or perish.

I WANT TO BASK AND SWIM...WITH OTHERS...DAMMIT!

Lost

2009-11-07T09:53:00.023-05:00

The events in the news here and here do not make me feel as if we are going to assume any place in the universe than that we already occupy. The fact that these things happen is made more hideous by the way we take them in stride.

We have known since our beginnings, that left to our own devices, that we get lost. Hence our existence as a social being. Besides, it is more fun to be with others most of the time. Though I don't think that misdeeds are new, we now hear about them almost instantly.

The speed of communication is not what concerns me. It is the speed we have become jaded and indifferent rather than seeking to find the causes of our stagnation and spiritual decline. I know that many would say this decline is linked to a decline in this or that adherence to some religious belief or another. But as far back as one cares to investigate religion, it has served as a control mechanism not that much different than a whip.

We need a social system based on equality, wisdom, and truth instead of dogma, greed, and indifference.

Good luck with that!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

2009-10-31T17:25:00.004-05:00

As I watch the horror movie fest today, I thank the Cristian Church. If not for All Saints Day, Nov. 1st, we would not have Halloween as we know it. Well without the capitalist marketing machine's perversion of it anyway. Money seems to trump all in the end it seems.

The Stuck In Time Machine

2009-10-23T14:58:00.011-05:00

When I was still in High School I saw what I was sure was the direction civilization was going. Equality, humanity, and generosity seemed to be the obvious path. Being one of those that always jumped at the chance to be in the future early, I got married at 17, and had 3 children by 25. I became enamored with learning how to manipulate the physical universe at will while I grew as an accomplished soul.

At 45 a divorce threw me back into the mix. Imagine my surprise to find that the world had not only failed too keep up with my journey in many areas, it had actually stagnated or regressed in most, especially woman's rights.

Sure, some things were different than in my mother's and grandmother's day, but those things seem to hide the truth. Much of the liberation of women was a mask that society used to obscure the flaws in status quo. The trickle-down theory of Reagonomics applied to social justice in a hideous way.

It has left me virtually alone because men don't seem to believe misogyny exists or is wrong, and women of semi-enlightenment see me as the enemy because of my genitalia. I seem to exist in a no-win environment as the Time Machine sputters and fails.

It May Be A Dog Eat Dog World, But I like Baklava,

2009-10-21T09:07:00.023-05:00

The competitive nature of people gives rise to many excuses for cut-throat behavior. The notion that there can be only one winner seems hideous to me. Sure, some must lose in a competition. But does that mean that the loser must forfeit the right to exist and the right to try again. If Humans are the top of the food chain why must we act as if we are not?

What has happened to Good Sportsmanship? Being a Good Winner or a Good Loser? I suppose some will tout the fact that we are, indeed, animals. But we are the top dog! I prefer to think that by the virtue of our unique state of existence in the universe we can, and must, act in a more generous (yes some good deeds are done, but they make up a relatively small percentage of the totality of human activity) and less self-centered way.

I am not saying games/competitions are not good. I'm saying we could all do without the feeding frenzy afterward.

Are we worse than all other species? Only Humans kill to make a statement or oppress someone or something.

example here

I stopped to Smell the Roses, But Blindly Drinking the Kool-Aid? I Don't Think So!

2009-10-20T15:43:00.025-05:00

The information environment in the world today is choc-full of good and bad, true and untrue, humble and arrogant. Some of the would-be prophets in the Academy continue to speak in absolutist terms that really show that, no matter how smart or educated or well connected they are, they can't, or refuse to, speak words that do not put themselves ahead of all others. Even when they know they are only one drop of rain falling into an infinite sea.

The use of such rhetoric serves to alienate rather than foster. While it is true to say that some statements may make sense in one construct, it is dishonest to believe that there is only ONE way to view something (your way) and that it is fact rather than a matter of opinion. It is even more dishonest to state things as though they can be proven when, in fact, they can't. Facts not opinion are proof of something. And conclusions based on facts may still be wrong or incomplete. Only those that consider themselves omniscient and omnipotent make their opinions count as fact.

Saying that something does not evolve because it does not jive with a narrow, cherry picked, dismissive of all other permutations, meaning, is a crime against knowledge.

If one says the earth is not round and you can prove it, that statement is just wrong. To say the earth is not round because it has mountains, valleys, oceans, and flat lands, is an incredibly dishonest trick of logic.

So drink the Kool-Aid if you want to. As for me, I'll wait to see who dies before sipping. What grieves me most when people act like a god, is so many people say "I don't know if what they say is true but I will take it as fact because they are such a great speaker".

Drink up sheep!

The End of the Line

2009-10-15T18:19:00.020-05:00

Some people talked of the math 40 years ago. The fact that the geometrical progression that is the mainstay of the global economy and global population would someday reach tangent. We seem to be there. One does not need to be a rocket scientist, or even a Nobel economist, to see that things are not good and no one knows what to do to next.

The so called experts are stumped. Many of the so called enlightened focus on things that, while of meaning if we survive, skirt or ignore our current heading. What good is being a brilliant Harvard lawyer, or a wealthy VC, or a Media scholar, or etc., etc., if civilization tanks?

I know some refuse to believe the math yet use the same numbers to pad their conscience. Faith in God maybe, faith in ones own infallibility nope! And never, never in the words of those that would throw you under the bus so they can ride.

As the rise in the stock market is touted as a sign that business as usual is our salvation, The World sinks farther and farther into a muck that is consuming us. No amount of wishful thinking, or clever economics, or brilliant lawyering can negate the basic math involved. 1+1=2. Gometric progressions eventually reach tangent.

Run Silent,Run Deep

2009-10-04T09:36:00.004-05:00

I know, I know! As a crazy person my train of thought rides on invisible tracks. The final stop on this particular trip is the joy of silent movies. On TCM on Sunday nights there are, for your perusal and education, silent movies. As a movie FANatic, it is exciting for me to see the ubiquitous information culture we live with preserve and resurrect these gems from the beginning of filmdom.

Letterman, Polanski, Sanford, Edwards, Kate...SHEESH! I need a good silent film to set my world riight!

Communist Capitalsts or Capitalist Communists?

2009-10-01T16:36:00.005-05:00

China now has a class of billionaires! The global economy is non-political in its use of people to produce wealth. Greed is good is the mantra whether you're totalitarian or not. The dictatorship of the proletariat is no longer the focus of China. Money is.

check it out here

Wireless news from Wired

2009-09-30T09:48:00.001-05:00

The games people play. Who is in control here?

A different view of things

2009-09-30T09:31:00.001-05:00

Liz Losh at Virtualpolitik talks about digital worldshere

A new dawn for me

2009-09-30T09:04:00.005-05:00

Polanski

I have resisted riding on the coattails of other people. But it seems that linking is the only way for me. So here goes. Ann Bartow at FLP, among many others, has a great post up about the Roman Polanski saga. So does Dr. Socks at Reclusive Leftist.here

The fact that this is causing a debate at all is troubling.

We, the sheep, reserve the inalienable right to follow other sheep off the cliff

2009-09-12T11:01:00.013-05:00

HOAX

While a fake story went viral, for a publicity stunt, real danger was moved into the background. Although in days past I viewed publicity stunts as a tolerable necessity of the few to many form of communication, this sucks. But stories such as this hoax demonstrate how greatly the threat of unethical behavior's use, lies, and propaganda, and such, effect or lives at the speed of light regardless of our participation in spreading them.

Unfortunately the internet is no better and no worse a citizen, a friend, a teacher than we. After all, we are the internet.

WOODSTOCK!!!!!!!!!WE ARE STARDUST!

2009-08-09T18:31:00.022-05:00

In 1969 I was a 15 year old heavily invested in the Hippie-counterculture-revolution. Much to the embarrassment of my conservative Republican parents. I mean I was smart, visible, and vocal. At the time, in my small Up-state N.Y. town, that made me a member of a rather small, somewhat ostracized group. Even among the kids I went to school with. But that all changed after Woodstock.

Let's see. 1969. Moon landing, Woodstock, Viet Nam, civil rights marches, aftermath of RFK shooting, Nixon, SDS, Weathermen, uderground comics and newspapers, rallies, Beatles, Moody Blues, Stepppenwolf, Cream, Pink Floyd, Ginsberg, Leary, bell bottom jeans, Tie-dye, fighting for the 18 year old's right to vote, moratorium, co-ed dorms, pot, hash, acid, speed, etc., etc.. Yup, things were burnin' for sure!

Playing in a band at the time put us in constant danger. Being a vocal leader was even more dangerous. The school board would not let us play at the school unless they had final aproval of our play list. So we became officers of a local youth group and covinced them to start a Friday and Saturday night coffeehouse for kids, mostly so we had a place to jam.

After Woodstock, most of the then powers-that-be saw that there was no stopping the changes that were coming. But mistakes were made by all sides.

GOVT . VS. SPORTS

2009-08-09T11:52:00.003-05:00

The news of a nearly 15 million dollars a year for a sports figure is scary. I guess we can't complain if we get what we ask for. I mean, we all know a good pitcher, batter, or fielder is worth way more than a good president, senator, or congressman...RIGHT?

Health care reform

2009-08-09T10:21:00.025-05:00

The state of the debate on what is the best way to advance Health care in the U.S. is falling into a deep pool of manufactured tar. Each step unable to shake off the blackness of age-old biases that have plagued us...well, forever it seems. Private vs. govt., access vs. cost, ability to pay vs. need. Spin spewed by all sides uses the same old debate tactics that a high school debate team would use.

This should not be a debate but rather a discussion. The use of inflammatory rhetoric mixed with a little bit of truth is the surest way to make sure there is an argument instead of an answer. No doubt some see this as the way, but some don't.

No one really wants to die yet all too many see themselves as the arbitrator of life and death. They scream "NOT ME, NOT ME!" when it is their time, and also scream "LET THEM DIE AS LONG AS IT IS NOT ME!" and "WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMEONE ELSE?"

Since we all in reality, both economically and politically, depend on each other in a completely inseparable way, what is best for all makes sense. The trouble seems to be what it always is...GREED!

Wanting more than one's share is a trait of very young children. But it seems many of us return to the mindset that existed before we were taught the need for sharing. Or we see sharing in the context of "First I get WHAT I WANT, if there is any left I'll give some to you."

Human Nature...scary! Good thing we have common sense and the Rule of Law!! Oh wait.......

Wild Child

2009-08-01T20:00:00.017-05:00

Well, I've come back against my intentions. After jetting around the blogs for a while now, I have come to the realization that my kind of wild is not appreciated in the on-line landscape much. I mean my poetry is tolerated but not embraced. If I go to an intelligent academic site my lack of degrees leaves me out of the loop. And the sicko sites have no idea how far 3000 light years from home really is. Besides, my brand of sickatude is far too reaching for the normal kind of incrustitude to fathom. I mean come on, nasty language and sex talk is so junior-high.

To me being wild meant no stones unturned. From quantum mechanics to drinking games. From spiritual manifestations to Frisbee. From the beach to the mountain tops. From a broken down Econoline to a DeLorean. Ragweed to Clinical LSD 25. No stone unturned indeed.

So here I am. 2009 and the world still in the chaotic throws of self delusion. The global economy is showing the signs of rot brought to us by our own greedy behaviors. Oppression seems to be the only mantra the weak in wisdom can imagine to get the upper berth on the train. Worse yet, no one really knows where the train is going, or cares it seems. All most want is the top bunk for the ride and to ride with as little self effort as they can. This attitude would be almost tolerable if it were not for the fact that for some to ride in the top bunk, others must be banished from the train entirely.

This dog is tired. I need a soft, dry place in the woods to sleep, forget for a while, eat some fresh fruit, and try again tomorrow. I am still wild but no longer a child!

Into the Void

2009-03-15T11:16:00.005-05:00

There is no reason for me to be here. I don't have the knowledge or charisma to get and sustain any interest, connection, or whatever it takes. Thanks to the few. If anyone comes here check out the blog-roll. Sorry for not being worthy.
Do not think of me as weak or wishy-washy or anything less than strong, fearless, and bold. Just gentile with the world and forgiving of failures as I would hope the world would forgive me.
I will retreat to Bob's corner, look out my window, and ponder.

The Music to the Story in Your Eyes

2009-03-14T22:55:00.017-05:00

It's late and I'm tired of watching a lame-ass movie about a killer giant squid that wrecks a small fishing town while emotional people point fingers at each other. I get enough of this nonsense on the evening news. The economy as a giant squid...now there's a mental image for you!
For some reason I don't fit well with the Internet crowd. Staying here and distance learning may be all there is for me.
Watching Madoff go to jail, seeing Buffet's fortune shrink to a mere 30 billion, looking into the saddened eyes of day-traders as they try to stave of well deserved losses by manipulating the Dow, etc., etc. would be entertaining if it wasn't accompanied by news of the disappearing chances for the middle class to survive. And the global plight of the poor and starving caught in the jaws of the power hungry is making me sick.
How do we solve this mess? If one listens closely you can hear the mantra of the people that lead us here. Same-old same-old. As for me, I don't think so. We need something of a change. I'm not talking of a change in political party, I'm talking change in what we want for a future.

Use, misuse

2009-03-07T19:10:00.018-05:00

Some time in the past the credo of more knowledge is good came into being. In some cases this is true but the reality is knowledge is only as good as the purpose it serves. Or more accurately, the results of that service. This leads to the postulate that knowledge is neither good nor bad. It is benign until it is applied.

The lack of knowledge falls into the same crucible of benign existence. What we don't know may help us or hurt us depending on ourselves and others in the context of the results of not knowing. Since we will never know everything, this is as it should be as long as one acts with knowledge that both sets can be used for good as well as bad results.

This would be where wisdom comes in. And wisdom has to include not just our desires but the needs of our neighbors. Not to include the welfare of all is not wise. It's greed.

To many people assume that the knowledge they possess makes them special. This assumption is both arrogant and wrong. This perverse attitude shows up everywhere. Some of the smartest people I know of are the worst offenders. They can not help themselves mostly because they are not perfect. But even when they know that fact it seems easy for them to dismiss their dishonesty because they believe the amount of knowledge they possess makes it alright. They become defensive when challenged. Hard to disguise when you're crippled inside.

On that score, we ALL limp through life. The best of the best is still a cripple. Best to be wise and be honest. Don't try to hide the fact that you are human and therefore not perfect. You can fool some of the people all the time, all the people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time.

Dust in the wind

2009-03-07T10:46:00.020-05:00

While reading about DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS I became mad at myself. Not for things I did or didn't do, rather that I am not able to help people see that the way the world is is not how it has to be. The self-interest, the greed, the violence, serve only to perpetuate self-interest, greed, and violence. Some understand, most do not.

Being that, in the end, we are all just dust in the wind any thought of the future seems unimportant compared to today. In fact, since Today creates the future, Today needs all of our efforts to get it right. To push responsibility and/or judgement on an afterlife is the easy way out. So is thinking that no divine judgement will stop us from doing as we please.

How we treat each other today will influence how we treat each other tomorrow. The operative word here is EACH. No exceptions, no excuses, no justifications, no self preservation, just love in boundless equality.

Why people can't see that or act that way is beyond me. Is it that the way things are is so great that no one gets the short end of the stick? No one has any complaints that make sense? I don't think so.

As the global economy hiccups, maybe collapse, our eyes should open. As violent atrocities fill our world, our eyes should open. As the planet faulters in it's ability to sustain us, our eyes should open.

Doing the right thing because it is right may not be easy, but it is right for today, and therefore the future.

OPEN YOUR EYES!

Days , like chordwood, burn and keep me warm, untill there is no more in the pile. Then the fire goes out.

2009-02-28T12:07:00.022-05:00

Watching the wheels of the world go round and round I see my pile of wood diminish relentlessly. Sometimes I think I have found someone to share fires with but I am wrong. It seems to always end because of me. I am just not the kind of person others want. Ce la vi, I guess.

The US. stimulus bill goes into effect amid the usual party lines. The hypocrisy on all sides gives me pause. Civilization is doing what it has always done. Flying blind. Billions of dollars are being gambled at the least, our lives, and our children's lives, at the most. No new thinking from anywhere. This flaw in civilization might be rectified by enlisting and listening to voices of people traditionally kept out of the loop of power.

The use of the death of someone as a reminder of that person may serve a useful purpose, it may not. Not my call. But all to often I see a death used in an effort to rally people's emotions for or against a cause. This too may be a good thing, but many times it is used in a cold, calculated way to get us in a frenzy. Making decisions when all worked up may not be the best way to see and act upon the truth. Mob mentality is why we have the rule of law, in most cases anyway. Yes, there must be times when the rule of law is wrong or misapplied. A good reason not to have a death penalty, don't ya think?

Don't think twice, it's alright

2009-02-25T22:16:00.002-05:00

Alright. I have tried to get educated on women's rights but it seems I will never know what's what. So for now I will rest my brain and wander. I know wandering is not the way to gain readers so I will look for a focus as I travel.

Staying on the path is not easy

2009-02-22T09:03:00.014-05:00

Being of a mind that equality belongs to all it behooves me to listen. But listening is only half the journey I have in mind. Speaking out about injustice can be met with intolerance. Though I fully believe in the feminist cause, sometimes I find myself in a no win position. A critical examination of things sometimes reveals flaws. The passion people bring to a subject can cause them to be defensive or intolerant. In most cases this kind of behavior can be understood by looking for the cause. In the case of women's rights it is easy to see why. For millennium men have enforced a stereotypical, male-centered order in the world. IMHO, this view was always far short of the truth.
The sometimes radical posture of change can morph into a single-minded pursuit and leave behind objective reasoning. "I'm always right" is false, no matter the person or the cause.
The ability to flow, to change, to be flexible seems all too often what we want from others, but pride ourselves in not being so. I'm not saying one should not stand up to injustice, I'm saying one should ALWAYS stand up to it. This would include when it flows from ourselves.
Telling ourselves that we have the right to treat others as bad as they treat us breeds a battle that no one wins.
In other words, lead don't push. If some don't follow, examine your path. Be your own harshest judge, not the most lax. If your path is true, leave the non-followers to catch up when they wake up. And remember, "This above all, to thine own self be true. Then it must follow, as the night the day, thou cans't not be false to anyone." Or some such wisdom. Tell yourself the truth always. Self interest is not always the truth. Revenge or retaliation seldom is.
Be strong but fair in all things if that is how you wish to be treated.

Confession

2009-02-21T01:01:00.003-05:00

The time comes in most people's lives when one must be honest with oneself, and thereby others. I am not a real BLOGGER! I just play one on TV. My only claim to fame is my Fozzy bear PEZ dispenser and my pet triceratops skeleton named Franky.
Please don't hate me because of this deception. I never set out to be a charleton, but, Damn, it felt so good!

Have you ever seen the rain coming down on a sunny day?

2009-02-18T10:51:00.008-05:00

As the days of a new administration tick into the past we see a lot of bickering in D.C.. It seems nobody is right cause eveybody's wrong.
Over at Dissenting Justice the posts and comments, although civil, represent the huge divide that exists. Dissent is a good thing as long as it acknowledges that, it to, may be wrong. Or maybe incomplete in the evaluations and conclusions employed.
The intellectual approach to politics is a somewhat novel facet in the world. The human need for power trumps most attempts to do the right thing. People equate being wrong with a position of lesser power, and thereby are reluctant to compromise. Of course, the battle for control is nothing new.
Dems, Repubs, Green, Libertarian, et al, vie for control not real justice.
Moving around The Netz, one sees, if one cares to look beyond the end of one's nose, the schism that has flourished since the dawn of humanity given it's loudest voice to date. The use of ubiquitous communication is a window into our souls much as language is but farther reaching, and at first glance, more anonymous.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

2009-02-13T19:19:00.002-05:00

DON'T FORGET PRESIDENTS DAY EITHER!

Freedom to be free from others' views on freedom

2009-02-04T21:55:00.037-05:00

It has been a long and winding road. As far back as I can remember (which for me, luckily, is quite far) the road ahead of me was different. Many times I didn't know where I was or where I was going. I just knew the road was the one I should take.
The fact that others would follow me was a great burden for me. "Don't follow me" I would say, "I may just be wandering". Which, of course, was mostly true. And I didn't feel that, if I made a mistake, (which I often did!) anyone should suffer with me. I must admit though, sometimes, I succumbed to the leader thing. It was a heady experience, at Ten, to have an army of kids at ones command. Having a General's privileges was very seducing.
The last 40 years have been both an advancement in some ways, and a stagnation in others. While technology pursued a path of increasing wonders, much of human interaction seems to be happy with a plateau of status quo. War, oppression, ideology, religion, economics, politics, and so on are locked into a battle of privilege and dominion that is prehistoric in stature and purpose.
Many of the people I talk to believe that the end of times is upon us and that their religious beliefs must be followed to reach a heavenly outcome. Some see doom as the consequence of all human efforts. There are also those that see no end in sight. What I see from these views is the abdication of responsibility.
We may continue, we may not. But, it seems to me, if we wish there to be a posterity we must take it upon ourselves to create the opportunity for it to exist. That would mean that all things must reach their outcomes naturally, without the arrogant attitude that only we know best. Unless we are the creator of all things, in which case why not end all injustice and suffering now.
But, in our heart of hearts, we all know, we are not the creator of all things, we all want to live as long and happy as possible, and none of us knows the truth of creation or the end. In that context, I suggest we act and think as if time will be eternal, and judgement will come, right or wrong, from our neighbor. Not ourselves, not God.

An example of our ability to be at once, at the mercy of nature, complicit in catastrophe, and compassionate beyond measure, I recommend the well publicized picture of the firefighter and the Kuola bear from the disaster in Australia. Gives me hope for the future.

Blog the day

2009-01-20T21:44:00.016-05:00

The number of blogs is too big to cover by one such as me. The subjects of blogs are as diverse as are the people of this planet. They can emote on many topics, a few, or just one. They can be funny or serious. Some are intensely personal, some are clinical in nature. And, of course, some are a little of both.
I should have known better than to be attracted to much to bloggers. They have their own lives. If I wanted to be a real person to someone online, social network sites are the place to look for people looking for people. Blogging is more of an intellectual exchange that may lead to more but that is not the purpose most people blog. With that in mind, I will curb my attachments.
So I screwed up! So shoot me!
The amount of PhDs, Masters degrees, and other levels of education, that can be found on the Web on just about any subject makes someone like me feel very, very small indeed.

Over at the new site of The Center for Reproductive Rights there are many posts and links of an importance to those that wish to see the world align. The world needs to think of the world, not just self absorbed dogma. The age old norms and beliefs are no longer valid in most cases. Even when taken in a religious context, the number of humans, the available resources, and just plain common sense, make updated thought a necessity. If freedom is to prevail over oppression, then wisdom must defeat wishful thinking and/or force. It would seem the first place to update is in the area bodily freedom and health. Why do some seek to impose their beliefs and traditions on others thus denying freedom. Doesn't freedom include making mistakes as long as those mistakes don't cause someone else to loose something of value to them, like freedom.
look here

Can't we all just get along

2009-01-11T13:17:00.008-05:00

Gaza article here The global feuding is continuing to thrust civilization backwards. No one is willing to lay down their arms first. The main argument is always the same."We are just protecting ourselves!" "They will kill us if we put our weapons down first!" What? I guess it is better to die for war than to die for peace. In my book, your still dead. Has anyone ever heard of passive resistance? What does it matter if one dies fighting or dies refusing too cooperate? Just limiting your losses by killing does not do much in the long run but eventually give the enemy resolve. I know, moving into the LIGHT is scary after one's eyes have grown accustomed to the dark. But in the light there is less of a chance I will trip over something, fall in a hole, bump my head, or something. Demonstrations for all sides...debates at The U.N.. Planes, rockets, blocking aid, pictures of injured children! Yet no one sees the folly!

Meet the Press

2009-01-11T11:02:00.010-05:00

Today was not much different than my Sunday mornings for the last 35 years or so. Breakfast, coffee, wash up, and Sunday morning TV. This almost always includes Meet the Press. The talk of political ideology and specific candidates was refreshing. It was minimal. The PE (Obama) was mentioned, but more as an articulater of the people and good-message role model rather than a Mister Fix-it or Messiah. The statistics of who has been the beneficiary of the increase in wealth in this country, and most others, and who and what has been short changed are dismal for we average citizens. 90 percent of the total value of pay raises over the last 25 years has gone to the wealthiest 10 percent. Of that, 1 percent got 60 percent of the increase. 1/10 of 1 sspercent got 35 percent of the most increase in wealth! Meanwhile our bridges and roads crumble, our schools lack proper funding, etc.. Bill Cosby brought up a statistic that sums up the kinds of change that needs to occur in our mind-set, of which BO is just a paid spokesman. Undereducation leads to crime. If it takes $8000 dollars to educate someone, $42,000 to keep them in jail. It would seem a better investment to fund education than prisons.
This statistical conversation went on to include parenting, reponsibility, and host of vital topics that raise the bar for political shows. Well done Mr. Gregory et al!

WORDS are important, but so is INTENT!

2009-01-03T13:52:00.002-05:00

NO ONE SHOULD BE SUBJECTED TO ANY BEHAVIORS OR LAWS THAT IMPEDE THEIR SURVIVAL FOR ANY REASON, PERIOD. I know the WORDS stated here will be dissected, analyzed, and/or dismissed. But the intent is clear!

2008 et finis

2008-12-31T11:22:00.024-05:00

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues its march to nowhere, Blagojevich appoints a good man and former opponent to Senate seat just to piss people off, financial catastrophe, coal waste spill, food shortages, glacial melting, rise in idiot population, cat box malfunction, Time Warner cutting 18 channels, ex doing great, been foolish myself, the long and winding road is a dead end, some good friends pass, the use of fossil fuels continues, fossil fools continue, human rights in most areas of the world suck, Madoff made out, pirates on the high seas emboldened, Cholera epidemic, extinction quickens for many species, young Turks act like turkeys, civilization moves in reverse ratio to technology, thieves get taxpayer money with handshake and a blowgun with poisoned darts, self loving smart people believe in their own infallibility and dismiss such as me, self honest smart people give me a chance but I fail to make the grade, the only feet on this path are mine, I am forced to eat chocolate over and over to save the world, so it goes, on and on, same old same old.

Happy New Year, anyway.

And to those that know who they are, THANKS!

Oppression stinks

2008-12-27T10:08:00.009-05:00

Oppression of girls that want to attend school under Taliban rule is reaching despicable new heights. While reading of this in a BBC ARTICLE ON-LINE, I was shocked to the core that any human can believe that the suppression of ANY human rights is a good thing, let alone the rights of half of the population. I'm not a revered or cited philosopher, but damn!

The Change Dilemma

2008-12-06T22:32:00.006-05:00

The dilemma of change seems to be "you're damned if you do and damned if you don't." When someone brings up something someone said last year, or 5 years ago, or 15 years ago, and ignores what they are saying today, a fatal flaw is exposed. Not in the person being trashed for past missteps, rather in the person doing the trashing. When this happens to me (and for sure it does), all I can say is I have changed, evolved since then, have you?
Being of a fixed mind has mixed results as does being too pliable. I guess wisdom is knowing when to be which.

I have more than what I wanted, but less than I could have had if I had started long before I did

2008-12-06T19:31:00.008-05:00

The blogosphere can be a great place to hang out, learn things, keep track, make friends, discuss all manner of things. It can also be the source of great evil. It can also be heartbreaking.
When I first entered The Sphere I felt sure I could handle the twists and turns that were sure to come. Now I'm not so sure. I find the loss of a friend on the internet to be more devastating to me than I could have imagined. More than in real life it seems. I may never know why someone chose to dismiss me, if it was me or them, or if it was just the result of circumstance.
In the real world I can investigate far more easily than I can online. Sure, there are ways to glean some things, but that assumes the gleanee has posted all the pertinent facts.
Without the benefit of face to face encounter, it is way more difficult for me to know what and who to miss...or for that matter, to love.

Kashmir

2008-12-06T17:32:00.007-05:00

Kashmir has been a flash point since my junior high days. We were taught that the India-Pakistan dispute was religious in nature and that the mountainous land was of a secondary concern. The battle was for the souls of the people.
While talking to a friend from Pakistan, he brought up the subject. When I tried to show my impartiality on the religious front he started to laugh. "Not all of us want to kill you!" he said. He informed me that the powers at the top of the struggle were fighting over dominion, and thus control, of something much more important to humanity than religious belief or people or land. I thought for a minute then asked "What is so important?" WATER! It seems the industry and agriculture of the area is acutely dependent on the yearly runoff of the melting snow from the Himalayas. Who ever controls the water controls everything. Hmm, water for thought.

Mumbai, Walmart, Bagdad, Etc.

2008-12-01T17:03:00.018-05:00

By now most of us have heard. The violence designed to get our attention has succeeded in doing so. Although I doubt it will change much in the scheme of things, I see an uptick in recruiting people willing to kill and/or be killed. Same old same old.

The Might Makes Right thought process is old school, has never brought lasting peace or enlightenment, yet many still cling to it. Unfortunately for those that do, the people that benefit from this failed mind-set sit protected and secure because they know the outcome will be the same old same old.

History is a chronicle of failure. To be sure there has been momentary times of what some would call victory, but it doesn't last because some one is getting screwed and will eventually fight back in some way. Same old same old.

Whether it is the oppression of people, animals, or the planet, we all lose in the long run. And it seems our run is just about up.

There has been people, signs, results, etc. that have warned us about where we will end up if we follow this path since the dawn of time. We either disbelieve, or become carelessly complacent, or act just plain stupid. At our own, or the future's, peril.

The time has long since come to act as one people for the benefit of all people. Do I think we will? Not if we continue our insanity. Ben Franklin described insanity as doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results.

Current reads

2008-11-14T19:06:00.003-05:00

Sigmund Freud-On Dreams
Haunted Inns of Britain and Ireland...Richard Jones
The Evil Men and Women in History...Miranda Twiss
Egypt- Past and Present
Pharaohs...Aude Gros de Beler

Brave New World

2008-11-05T12:28:00.003-05:00

Well, BO WON. The American people have given the chance for a much needed change to bloom. The next few months will show how that change will manifest or if change will elude us once again. Remember, HE WORKS FOR US, not the other way around.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2008-11-02T19:48:00.011-05:00

At places on the Web such as listed to your right, one finds the most extraordinary folks. I don't mean that there are not fine people in many places or that those connected to the few places I have mentioned are perfect.
The people involved at most of these sites and others have definite views on the election in the US. The economy, health care, human rights, the global community, and more that have been front page in most evryone's mind. Think before you vote. And don't just think of yourself.

Zoom-Zoom-ZOOMA-Zoom!

2008-11-01T21:06:00.020-05:00

I have spent the last year zooming around the blogosphere and the Netz learning my way around so to speak. Much of what I found is the same old-same old chatter you find at any card game, corner bar, or family picnic. There are the same people online as one finds in any neighborhood.
Now that my love affair with TIBU is ending, and my relationships with other sites grows, solidifies, or just comes into being, I hope to discuss more things of interest and provide more links. Of course I could go down low to increase page loads, but for now I'll just sit in my corner and play with myself.
The immense size of the Internets brought me to a mistaken conclusion about readership. I thought that because so many people were online, it was a forgone conclusion that SOMEONE would come here. I missed the obvious fact that many people meant many sites. Since people, including me, have limited time to surf, many sites go unnoticed because of logistics not content. Readership seems to develop when content overpowers logistics over time. That is of course unless your content is totally RAD to some in the first place.
Oh yeah, using tags and key-words is a neat trick too. We'll get to that in due course.

good-bye TIBU

2008-11-01T20:57:00.001-05:00

TIBU will cease operations in Feb, 2009. It's been REAL!

Miles to go before we sleep

2008-10-04T07:46:00.013-05:00

The shaky promises from our so-called leaders bring on nightmares anyway, so maybe sleep's not a good thing right now. Bush, Paulson, Obama. McCain, Pelosi, Reid et al are giving us all Agata. The light at the end of the tunnel seems to be moving farther away, not getting closer.
The chaos of direction is of a particular concern being at the confluence of time, resources, and patience. After 230 plus years, America is poised to go down in flames if we can't move beyond tantrums, self-denial, selfish adherence to a perceived privilege decreed by God, and other such divisive views.
America must act like a leader. This does not mean believing we always know what's right, rather that we are not adverse to identifying a mistake and correcting it. Even, or especiialy, when it's our own.
Preaching to an empty room may be an exercise in futility in some respects, but it helps me work out my focus so, in the rest of my life, I can see a little clearer.

Putting All the Eggs in One Basket

2008-09-28T06:54:00.020-05:00

Everyone is weighing in on the bailout of the financial system. $700 billion worth of eggs. The systemic meltdown exposes a basic flaw in the practice of capitalism. The pursuit of market share has put at risk the very thing that gives us true resilience. The spreading of wealth's future to a multitude of minds and interests. The mantra of big business, "free enterprise", is used to disguise the real focus of conglomerate business. "MARKET SHARE". Dominance mentality along with self-serving actions of the controlling boards have subverted the American Dream for most Americans. Sure those that own stock feel that they own something. They do, the risk. Our governments, as well as our minds, have been blinded by so-called experts and pretty rhetoric. While economic power has been consolidating, we, the people, have been kept mesmerized. The carrot of "you too, can be a captain of industry" belies the fact that the powers that be are reluctant to give up market share or confine themselves to a place that gives everyone a place in the sun. The citing of providing jobs as a reason to allow the consolidation of wealth is predicated on the notion that those jobs would not exist or be created by the people whose effort and money support the system. Does anyone truly belive that out of a population of 6 1/2 billion souls only a thousand or so know what's what, or have any talent beyond being sheep.
The meltdown of the financial markets, the decline in the housing market, the need for a huge govt. bailout should serve a a warning. Inter-conectivity is not the same thing as the consolidation of wealth.
The remnents of the American Dream rot away with the corner store that has been closed because the cost of that dream is set by those interested in dominating market share and thereby people's lives. They want us all to give up our independance and work for them so they can do whatever they deem in THEIR best interest.
Go Walmart!

Is the U.N. our last hope?

2008-09-24T13:25:00.003-05:00

Maybe it should be!
here

The New War for the future

2008-09-24T12:56:00.003-05:00

The future is at stake. The sides have little interest in anything but control and power. Somalia is but one example of how the (our) future is being determined.
future games here

Shootings in Finland

2008-09-23T22:47:00.002-05:00

Sad, sad, sad! While reporting this, the news also informed us that Finland was third in per capita number of guns behind the US. and Yemen. Finland said new gun control measures are forthcoming. This is the second mass shooting in Finland schools recently.

We are paying, why aren't we included

2008-09-23T21:43:00.003-05:00

I find it hard to digest the Bush need for power. Now his Secretary of the Treasury wants to use the failing financial policies he himself helped create to force the people to grant more, invisible, unquestionable, dictatorial type powers than anyone since Alexander Hamilton has had. Why should we think he will fix things? Because he says so? Maybe if he gives back some of the millions he has reaped, while the little people have lost, the last 8 years.

New Agenda post

2008-09-23T20:46:00.001-05:00

politics in action

Slate-cartoons

2008-09-23T19:12:00.003-05:00

Not all of these cartoons express my feelings, but it is good to see what's what with people of influence!catoons,SarahPalin

Bailing a sinking ship

2008-09-23T18:52:00.001-05:00

here we go

NEW WAY, NEW DAY

2008-09-23T18:30:00.003-05:00

The owners of the X-FILES may come after me. This little hole in the wall blog has no readers but me, so I don't see how I can damage their brand. If they insist, I will change the subtitle and comply. The fights over intellectual property are beyond any strength I may have.

Change

2008-09-23T18:24:00.001-05:00

Well, by now I have written enough about me. I will be blogging and linking to things more important.

SIVACRACY

2008-09-19T16:59:00.002-05:00

As SIVACRACY closes it's doors, a great feeling of loss and change floods into me. It seems the next step in the evolution of THE NET is here. What is next? One can feel Siva and the rest of the team in every digital breath that is taken by the rest of us. No amount of thanks can express the debt to or depth of the influence of Sivacracy. The next steps were made possible by such as this forward thinking, pioneering, fun, serious, wonderful place. THANKS SIVA! Although the link to SIVACRACY has been removed from this site, I hope the archives there will survive.

Olympic poitics

2008-08-19T15:27:00.003-05:00

It is half-way through and already I'm tired of the endless commentary and speculation. Would it be too hard to just let the atheletes do their thing?

Below the suface

2008-08-04T18:02:00.018-05:00

I suppose there are some things we should get straight first. I am suffering from MS so I have nothing to lose or gain in writing this. This means outside bias holds no sway over over the opinion or conclusions I reach. Second, it is up to the rest of the world to decide, or recognize, if any value resides it the thoughts expressed. Third, any use, change, aggregation or any use whatsoever of the words or thoughts in this writing piece is not only given permission, but encouraged. Let me state that again so no ambiguity exists. Anyone may use any part of anything I write in anyway with or without citation. And fourth, since few if any will read this, there is no fourth.
The political climate in the US. is heating up as the November election looms in the worlds mind. The world is also focusing on the global economy. Some are concerned with protecting, at any cost, the system that provides them privilege. Some are trying to wrest this privilege for themselves at any cost. There seems to be little difference in the feelings of superiority of anyone's entitlement, no matter the geographic, religious, or cultural landscape. The only difference seems to be the way in which this selfishness takes it's form, how it hides, and how much depravity the privileged are willing to visit upon the unequally privileged. How much revenge is involved from both sides of the privilege coin is also a big factor in global venom.
Watching the news tonight there were some vivid examples of our willingness to believe in our own entitlement..

Dr. Randy Pausch

2008-07-25T19:43:00.003-05:00

A loss that keeps on giving. Dr. Randy Pausch Died

PUMA

2008-07-24T15:38:00.002-05:00

Party unity my ass! This election cycle is shaping up to be one of the wildest in recent memory. This has energized the electorate to vote in record numbers. Too bad it's not about picking the better of two goods!

Cartoons and stuff

2008-07-24T00:13:00.002-05:00

Slate...cartoons about Barrack
Wired...story on Hawking's children's book
I now know I can not write for others to read. So I'll write here, if at all.

Water on Mars

2008-06-20T20:08:00.001-05:00

The expedition to find water seems to have succeeded

Tim Russert

2008-06-15T01:10:00.001-05:00

The sudden loss echoes our own mortality. The loss of anyone is to be seen in the context of life.

Blowing in the wind

2008-05-29T16:39:00.006-05:00

Well, the blogging world has not been a good place for me. Some of my experiences with it have been great to be sure. But even the good cannot fill the void. I have met some of the finest people I have known, others show no interest. I don't think I can handle the world of non-commitment that exists in a purely virtual engagement. At least as far as a participatory role for me.
There will be few personal posts from this point on. The concentration will be more on current events and links. But since there are no views but mine, who knows.

Writing as therapy

2008-04-01T18:46:00.002-05:00

For me the words heal what ails me. Sort of like talking to oneself, without the stigma.

Big Bang

2008-02-24T18:53:00.010-05:00

With the successful shoot-down of an ailing spy in the sky, the U.S. has demonstrated to the world that we can get where ever you are. The reasons given for this action are varied. The reason that concerns me most is the effort to conceal the contents from the world. Some say we need to keep our surveillance methods a secret. Secret from who? In this day and age most countries that we keep track of can already tell if we are keeping track of them. Unless you fear a military invasion and occupation, this is a farce. And anyone with that fear is living in the last century. Does anyone really think a foreign power is going to attack us that way. And even if they did, does anyone think the people will just surrender and cooperate? Good luck with that! Iraq has shown us that force cannot bring victory in these times.

Sad but true

2008-01-18T20:39:00.000-05:00

"I've done every thing I know to try and make you mine...and I think I'm going to love you for a long, long time."
Back to the shadows for me. The writing I have been doing has been a great learning experience in more ways than one.

Back home

2008-01-09T00:19:00.000-05:00

Been trying my hand writing for the world. Not much interest in what I have to say or how I say it. The world has spoken and I hear them loud and clear.

caught in the net

2007-11-18T09:02:00.000-05:00

a recent news story tells the sad story of the victim of cruel and anonomous behavior on MySpace. A young girl became estranged from her best friend and sought out friends on MySpace. I have heard many use such incidents as some sort of indictment of the internet. I know, I know, I get a little preachy. The net is just a tool. The same as a shovel or a car. You can wack someone over the head with a shovel and take thier money. The same shovel can dig a hole. In fact, the shovel can do both and then be used again and again. So the blame for any evil is on us, not the tool.

TIBU

2007-11-11T15:30:00.000-05:00

I have spent CONSIDERABLE amount of time reading and writing on a site for writers. The stuff I write is noticed by a few but mostly I am shunned. I don't know why this is so but I can deal. Most of the writing is very good, in my opinion, so it must be mine is not up to snuff. Or maybe it was something I said or didn't say, I don't know. Writing for the world can be bruising if one does it for praise. Lucky for me that is not why I write.
Someone put up a post there desribing the famous crossed swords in Bagdad. We should all read it.
Thisisby.us
Brakeformoose

hoping for change, but not holding my breath

2007-11-07T15:49:00.000-05:00

Well this year's elections in my home town have brought a change in many faces. Mayor, council, projects, committees and more. The ads try to convince us of the different future in store for everyone. But, we've heard it all before. We shall see. Getting elected seems to be a matter of who can promise the most. In an old Gilligan's Island, Gilligan is told by a political insider to promise the people "Dis,Dat and dee udder ting" and the assembled crowd cheers wildly when he does. Sound familiar?

broken health

2007-11-04T08:56:00.000-05:00

In a letter to Sen. Wayne Allard (R) of Colorado Thomas Weiss, M.A., C.N.A. brings to the forefront of discussion the plight of patients, Nurses and Certified Nursing Assistants in the environment of the greedy corporate takeover of public health care. The amount of qualified people being driven out of these fields can be traced to the ever increasing involvement of the huge profits to be made as "The Boomers" retire. The moves of big business and their efforts to get profit enhancing legislation is lowering the value of human life to merely the bottom line of a profit/loss balance sheet. Where once those who owned a nursing home also owned the responsibility of patient care, this is no longer the case. Now thru changes in our laws, the levels of corporate structure and ownership make it all but imposable to find who is really in charge. Some of the largest owners of nursing homes own as many as 300 to 400 homes. This is made possible by the cozy way laws are snuck into our lives under the banner of "privatisation". Is your life and the lives of your loved ones really better than they were pre-REAGANOMICS and the trickle-down theory?

been a while

2007-10-27T11:42:00.000-05:00

I have been spending considerable time reading and writing at one of the on-line sites for those that wish to hone their skills. I must say, I have a long row to hoe to be published, especially in this way.
The fire in San Diego reveals much of our arrogance and folly. 500,000 plus acres burned, thousands of homes and businesses destroyed, at least one alleged arsonist shot dead. Let us hope this the result of the convergence of natural weather with our own stupidity and not the work of those that would seek to exploit our obvious vulnerabilities to advance our total destruction. Military might and sophistication can't protect us any more. Truth and justice must be the American way. A new way(or an old one reapplied) is the only way to a united Earth. We should live so long!

if this math is correct, WTF are we waiting for?

2007-10-20T12:20:00.000-05:00

Over at MOTHERJONES in an article Iraq 101, the statement was made that it is estimated that it will cost $20 billion to rebuild the oil industry in Iraq but only $6.6 billion to provide every home there with solar power. After Iraq can we save the US. from the evils of oil next? Oh, I forgot, capitalism means never reaching the point of economic freedom for the masses!

Technological Singularity, here or not here

2007-10-20T09:29:00.000-05:00

Reading some articleshere, I asked myself a question. Is this event in our past or still in our future. Those that remember the movie "Colossus, The Forbin Project" know that this has been an eventuality for some time. While I do not fear the machines per Se, I am highly skeptical of the humans that wish a cyborg-like existence for all of us. There are those that foresee this event as coming somewhere between 2005 and 2030. But since there are entities(commercial, governmental, diabolical etc.)that have been working toward this for many, many years, it may have already happened but we have not been told. What ever the case, I do hope the AI uses itself more like Asimov's guardian of a radioactive Earth and not THE BORG on Star Trek, The Next Generation. BTW, the link above may take a few seconds to work, please be patient.

to change or not to change?

2007-10-13T10:26:00.000-05:00

Sometimes change is good. Sometimes not. But change is life. And even things in our world that are not "animated" are described as having a life, The river, the mountain, the desert, etc. all have a cycle and thus a life. It is foolish and selfish to think that change in all things can be stopped or is not necessary. This applies to civilization as well. Since change will come anyway, it is a must for us to look ahead and see to it that it is of benefit to all.

It's the water, stupid!

2007-10-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

Water is life. A children's show from a while back had a particularly intuitive set of words we would all be wise to learn. "The Earth's a big blue marble when you see it from out there...the sun and moon declare...our beauty's very rare!" The picture of the Earth taken from space showed, indeed, how beautiful and vibrant the Earth is. What makes it so you ask? Is it the act of Civilization? Politics? Religion? Capitalism? Communism? Conservatism? Liberalism? Feminism? No to all the above. It's the water. Life itself is all about water. This truth demonstrated to me again in a NYT's article about China. It seems the phenomenal economic growth it is enjoying is coming at the possably irreversible depletion of it's ground water. Water tables in the north are going down 3 to 4 feet a year. The whole of the water supply shows signs of 30% to 75% contamination. As anyone that visits CHINA, or India, or Africa or anywhere will tell you, the water stinks with our waste. I do not see civilization curbing the misuse of this planet even though we know we must if we are to survive here. That is why, in our heart of hearts, we also know we must find another home in the cosmos. Why? It's the water, stupid.

The US. military, not to be trusted to do a good job, even for and by themselves?

2007-10-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

The use of private armies by the US. sends the message that our military is incapable of providing well trained personnel. Why is this true? Is President Bush saying that the brave souls he sends to die are not worthy of his trust. Is he saying that vast amounts of money can only be trusted to give satisfactory results when given to those that seek to profit from his intentions. We the People foot the bill in more ways than one, yet HE decides who will profit and who will just die.

Sputniik

2007-10-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

50 years seems like a life time. Hey, for me it is. In the context of time, 50 years is but an eye blink. For me it is most of the time I will experience. But the last 50 years have ushered in either the end of the beginning or the end of it all. We have within our grasp nothing less than everything. Sure, much time and effort remains until the full utilization of space by us is so commonplace that it is no longer a topic. It will just fade into our lives as fire has done. But unlike fire, who's origins are lost to us, the time and date of Sputnik will be known and spoken of forever.

Burma

2007-09-29T09:37:00.000-05:00

The recent developments in the country formerly known as Burma bring to the forefront several disturbing things. The obvious fight that continues for freedom from the junta that rules there is but one. Underlying all that is going on is the foot-dragging way the supposed democracies of the world respond and act. Too often economics takes precedence over political will and human rights. It would seem to me that complete economic isolation would have a much better chance of effecting change. While in the short run this kind of action would cause hardships on the people of Burma and all her trading partners, if the world (us) is really serious in its beliefs this would be a small price to pay when compared to continued repression. Freedom isn't free. Not even for those of us already living with it, sort of. As long as wealth and our own comfort come first, freedom for all comes last. The global economy must not rely on hypocracy to advance. The global mantra must be "ONE FOR ALL AND ALL FOR ONE"

the Star Trek world we want

2007-09-23T16:12:00.000-05:00

Over at the ReclusiveLeftist Dr. Socks gives what I think is the clearest path to the gender neautral world here, comment 50 scroll down the #50 comment. She talks of the need to abandon the old to have the new.

define illegal for one and all

2007-09-22T08:16:00.000-05:00

Every time the subject of illegal immigration comes up the term illegal seems to fade from view. What is it about coming to the US. that makes being illegal desirable to being legal? What makes this even possible? The health care system? The willingness of business to provide illegal jobs? The American consumer's willingness to look the other way as long as they get things cheap? A capitalist system that puts profit above the law? To require a full accounting of those that get paid, those that pay, those that receive medical treatment and so on may scare those that are in violation but just maybe an above board approach to this problem is the only way to keep the front door open while shutting the back door...Some make noises about losses of freedom, government intrusion into our private lives and all the usual rhetoric. But what about MY freedom, MY government and MY private life? Are we to be held captive to those that abuse our system for fear of being called politically incorrect or subject to economic threats? If you want to dance to our band, buy a ticket. At full price!!

the hipocracy of it all

2007-09-19T11:09:00.000-05:00

the federal reserve has taken drastic measures to smooth out the ripples in the banking and real estate markets before the economy as a whole hits the Crapper. The unspoken truth of this move is the benefit to those that were mostly the beneficiaries of the actions that caused the problems in the first place. Those that speak the loudest about the evils of taxes seem to have no qualms about having taxpayers and our government bail out their sorry asses because they set up and abuse a system that holds most of the people hostage to their excesses.

stumbling

2007-09-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

great article at WIRED about the ongoing online spying, by our government and corporate entities.

test 3

2007-09-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

one more time for good measure

test 2

2007-09-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

funny but true

testing

2007-09-10T15:33:00.000-05:00

check here

slip up or slippedout

2007-09-08T09:30:00.000-05:00

In a NYT article Fred Thompson, talking about the economy, said that what is now a worrisome unemployment level used to be considered "full" employment. He also said that nothing is sustainable forever. Does that include profit growth that is larger than population growth? As some revel in the Dow's advance, they must not be doing ALL the math. If profit growth, real profit, is larger than population growth the only place this growth can come from is increased productivity per worker. We are seeing the use of the exploitation of resources and people to produce wealth for some but we have reached the end of that line in many ways.
As anyone that remembers high school math will tell you "A geometric progression will eventually reach tangent" Unfortunately for those of us living today this is a fact that those that came before us ignored. The economic progression must be in stasis with population if we are to survive as a civilization and a species.

chickens with thier heads cut off

2007-09-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

The impending resignation of Senator Craig is telling on so many levels. What is going on?

blame game

2007-08-27T19:29:00.000-05:00

As the recall of food and toys from China continues, the blame game heats up. The Chinese, Mattel and others are taking turns making sure they are not alone is this. As for me, I would put the blame on the root cause that makes them all partners. GREED!!!

wool

2007-08-26T07:40:00.000-05:00

Yup, uh-huh, gotta be!
When reading a NYT's article on Countrywide's finacial woes all I could think of were two old phrases. "Love of money is the root of all evil!" and "Capitalist Pigs!" The examination of lending practices and the profit generating services as well as the use of SPVs gives a clear picture of greed gone wild. So many truly believed they were getting something for nothing. Well now it seems that was true for only a few and even that required most of us to lose.
That's wool over our eyes folks! Now the question becomes "Who put it there?"

blah blah blah

2007-08-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

reading the whining of retailers of HDTV is getting old fast. They complain of slumping profit margins due to intense competition and wise consumers. Is this not free market capitalism at its best? How long do they expect to fool people? Extended warranties, useless service contracts and add-ons can only generate profit for a limited time before the consumer realizes they are getting hosed. Shame on us for being observant.

so it goes

2007-08-25T14:15:00.000-05:00

the move by John Edwards to focus some of his attack on Sen. Clinton's supposed failure to get health care reform could backfire. With a Republican majority in both houses of Congress at the time (Newt and the boys) and the reluctance of many Americans to follow a woman into battle, I would look closer before assigning blame.

ala JohnBoy and Billy

2007-08-25T11:21:00.000-05:00

During the time I spent living in Florida, someone introduced me to this radio program. I must admit that I found much of it very funny. But much of it bore a pervasive kind of thinking that was foreign and upsetting. Mostly the opinion that the people that did not subscribe to Southern thought were doodoo heads. I hope the world can move beyond the need to be regional in ones loyalty and be truly one people. This is not to say we must all be copies of one another, but some virtues ARE universal in scope while some biases ARE universally wrong.

advertising mysagany

2007-08-25T10:30:00.000-05:00

The post about the Nike ad at FEMINIST LAW PROFESSORS shows how self perpetuating and subliminal inequality can be. Even those that try to fight it can be browbeaten into submission if we allow it to continue.

maybe soon they will get the message

2007-08-25T08:07:00.000-05:00

It's sort of like proprietary ownership of the right to drink. Once one buys a beverage, one can drink it, save it or switch brands at will. Not so with your phone. The substancial cost of changing carriers makes it all but impossable to make decisions for oneself. The breakup of AT&T was an effort to thwart the stiffled competition of the phone. Since that time some things have changed but not the desire to limit the power of big business. Witness the fast spreading news of how to hack the IPHONE. Be assured that it is a crime. The trouble is many see the preditory marketing traps of the big boys as the bigger injustice. Sort of like "Tank Girl's" dept. of Power and Water.

turn the page

2007-08-24T22:01:00.000-05:00

after a little soul searching, I will now write about things that do not involve me personally anymore, much. For a while now I have been enamoured with someone well beyond my reach. An unrequited love affair if you will. So strong is my attraction that I may be acting a little goofy. Who am I kidding, very goofy. This person is probably aware of my idiocy. Being way to nice to just tell me to fuck off, they just continue to be kind. It is up to me to grow up and turn the page. Too bad for me, too bad for them, too bad.I don't know when or why but the tone of our exchanges changed. Where there was once interest and the sharing of life's meaningful topics, there is now polite conversation. I know this is due to my words in some way so I will limit what I say to them.

mines and people

2007-08-22T10:28:00.000-05:00

working below the surface is a very scary thing to most of us. Blessings to those that do.