Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Vote Like You’re ACORN
Monday, January 5th, 2009Hey, I told you guys that I’m nominated for Best Individual Blogger. Here’s the deal. I just don’t want to be embarrassed. So, if you could please vote once a day, I’d be grateful.
Go here and vote. I’ll keep this little tag up until voting closes.
Australia Day Three
Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008Today the weather has turned humid, alternately rainy and gray and sauna-like warm. It was a good thing we took the Ferry across the harbor to Manly Beach yesterday when it was hot, windy and clear. The harbor is carved out of hillsides all around crammed with homes facing the water. It reminded me of pictures of Crete in a way (I’ve never been there). It’s rocky and mossy-looking, with squarish homes punctuating the surface.
The Sydney Harbor Bridge provides a focal point for Sydney much in the same way the Statue of Liberty does for New York City. You can see it from everywhere and orient yourself that way. My sister has implored me to do the Bridge Climb across the top of the bridge. I am a weenie and terrified of heights and I really do NOT want to do this. They hook you to a cable and you’re stuck walking in line until the thing is over. There is no way off. There is no way out. Did I mention that I’m afraid of heights? Right now, I’ve assented to try it, but I can’t think about actually doing it or I’ll freak out.
Within sight distance of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the most iconic Australian structure, The Sydney Opera House points toward the ocean, full sail. It is dazzling and dramatic and calls to mind a new American feat of engineering and art the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. I’m curious to see the Sydney Opera House up close. Where the Disney Concert Hall is tactile and beautiful even microscopically, the Sydney Opera House strikes me as a piece of art best viewed from a far-off perspective. I don’t know if that’s true yet. We plan to go while we’re here–maybe to see Madame Butterfly. If not, hopefully at least a tour. The engineering must be incredible. There are three pieces of architecture that I’ve most wanted to see and this is one of them. The Disney Concert was another–I was so moved just by it’s beauty and magnificence that I bummed a weekend off an LA friend to go see it. The Sydney Opera House is now going to be checked off the list. The last building I doubt I’ll ever see in person.
I have lots of pictures for you, but I’m having trouble with uploading them. Growl. Hopefully, I’ll figure it out.
Today, we laid low. Took walks down town and walked/runned the Bay Walk/Run an 8K loop around, you guessed it, the bay.
Well, I’ll finish here. Frustrated as heck about the picture deal. I’ve got lots of them. Tomorrow I’m getting together with an old college friend and a colleague. Two separate meetings. Should be fun. One, at least, will involve generous amounts of alcohol. The other will involve exploring the town Double Bay.
Tamm The Traitor
Wednesday, December 17th, 2008You know the NSA’s wiretapping permission? They get to listen in on foreigners blabbing about killing Americans and plotting badness. It’s how the Indian government knew about the Bombay bombing plot ahead of time but did nothing about it (small detail).
There are government agents sitting around listening to these inane conversations and they have to sort through the general infidel talk and find credible threats. Sometimes these terrorist jokers call an American citizen.
People concerned about civil liberties (and who isn’t) don’t like the idea of some government guy listening in on their scintillating conversations. On the other hand, there won’t be civil liberties to protect if there is no civilization because freaking death loving jerks obliterate it.
Well, a dude inside the NSA didn’t like the secret wiretapping of anyone, forget Americans, and “blew the whistle”. And by blowing the whistle, I don’t mean that he went to another agency big wig. He went to the ethical arbiter The New York Times and now, he’s explaining himself in Newsweek. From Wired (via Glenn Reynolds):
Opinions are divided on whether Thomas Tamm, the original source for The New York Times 2005 story on the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping, should be prosecuted for revealing classified information. Tamm is a former justice department prosecutor.
You know what? Tamm belongs in jail. He’s no patriot. He’s a traitor. His actions tipped terrorists and put soldiers in harms way. Screw him. This whole thing just angers me to no end. When you’re at war, and America and the whole of the democratic world is at war, you use what technology you can to help your side win.
I know there are complexities here and it I’m not tone-deaf to the concern over an individual’s right to privacy. Still, I don’t give a hot damn about a terrorists right to privacy. And if he calls America to talk to brother Hussein Mohammed, I want to know that too. When you’re buddies with a terrorist, you become suspect. Associations do matter (note to Barack Obama) and they can be leads to preventing crime.
Do Americans think that we’ve been attack-free for lo these many years because threats don’t exist? They exist. And they’re stopped. And they’re stopped by means such as the warrantless NSA programs. And I’m sorry it offends Mr. Tamm’s sensibilities. Too. Damn. Bad. This is a s time when you go through the proper channels or you shut the hell up. Newsflash Mr. Smartypants, this isn’t theoretical constitutional law here, lives are involved.
Okay, rant over. At Wired, they have a survey to decide which side is right. Go vote.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews.com
Democratic Illinois Governor Arrested For “Corruption Crime Spree”
Tuesday, December 9th, 2008Money, power, unions, intimidation all contributed to what U.S. Prosecutor Fitzgerald called a “corruption crime spree”. Interesting. I thought the era of corruption was over, you know with Democrats in charge everywhere. A comprehensive article written by Natasha Korecki of the Chicago Sun Times is worth reading in its entirety:
Fitzgerald described the situation by saying: “We were in the middle of a corruption crime spree and we wanted to stop it.”
The complaint contends Blagojevich, a Democrat, threatened to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Co. in connection with the sale of Wrigley to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members critical of Blagojevich.
The governor is also accused of obtaining campaign contributions in exchange for official actions — in the past and recently in a push before a new state ethics law takes effect Jan. 1.
Blagojevich, 51, and Harris, 46, both of Chicago, are each charged with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. They were charged in a two-count criminal complaint that was sworn out on Sunday and unsealed today following their arrests, which occurred without incident, the feds said.
A 76-page FBI affidavit alleges that Blagojevich was intercepted on court-authorized wiretaps during the last month conspiring to sell or trade Illinois’ U.S. Senate seat vacated by Obama for financial and other personal benefits for himself and his wife.
At various times, in exchange for the Senate appointment, Blagojevich allegedly discussed obtaining:
• A substantial salary for himself at a either a non-profit foundation or an organization affiliated with labor unions.
• Placing his wife on corporate boards where he speculated she might garner as much as $150,000 a year.
• Promises of campaign funds — including cash up front.
• A cabinet post or ambassadorship for himself.
On Dec. 4, Blagojevich allegedly told an advisor that he might “get some (money) up front, maybe” from Senate Candidate 5, if he named Senate Candidate 5 to the Senate seat, to insure that Senate Candidate 5 kept a promise about raising money for Blagojevich if he ran for re-election.
Fitzgerald clarified that Obama wasn’t connected. Huh. Time will tell. It was only Obama’s Senate seat that was being haggled over, after all. How would he possibly be involved?
More unfair guilt by association, no doubt. I’m guessing there will be lots more of that. And remember, the press refused to engage Obama about all this before the election. This is likely the first you’ve heard of it if your main news source is the mainstream media. Won’t be the last. Will Americans feel betrayed or will they want it to all go away?
Thank You
Thursday, November 27th, 2008Happy Thanksgiving family, friends, and readers. I am grateful for you and your love and your support.
Technology can be used to disrupt relationships or it can help create them. I feel fortunate to live in a time where amazing people from all over the world can connect. So many have become my friends. Thank you!
Bill Clinton Joins Obama’s Team
Wednesday, November 26th, 2008Iowahawk reports:
WASHINGTON DC - Ending weeks of speculation and rumors, President-Elect Barack Obama today named Bill Clinton to join his incoming administration as President of the United States, where he will head the federal government’s executive branch.
“I am pleased that Bill Clinton has agreed to come out of retirement to head up this crucial post in my administration,” said Obama. “He brings a lifetime of previous executive experience as Governor of Arkansas and President of the United States, and has worked closely with most of the members of my Cabinet.”
Clinton said he was “excited and honored” by the appointment, and would work “day and night” to defeat all the key policy objectives proposed by Mr. Obama during the campaign.
No wonder the old Democrat guard are thrilled while the Progressives are hyperventilating. Some on the Left have adopted pragmatism sooner than I would have thought possible. I can understand why, though. Idealism doesn’t work in Washington. Leave your souls in the hinterlands, folks, or else it will be ripped from you once you darken the city gates. Believe me, I know, it’s been eight years of pragmatic, soul-crushing hell. I wonder if being in charge of everything will be as frustrating for grass-roots Democrats as it was grass-roots Republicans.
Another thought. You know, we keep hearing that the Right needs to emulate the Kos Kids. But why? They worked their butts off and were paid lip service by the powers that be. If the right is to have a Right-roots effort, I want it to affect real change not some symbolic victory where the leaders kiss butt and then ignore their supporters.
In the case of the Netroots being dissed by Obama. Well, that makes me like him more. But the proof is in the policies. We’ll see. It’s good that he’s brought on Bill Clinton. The ship is righting itself as we speak.
Cross-posted at RightWingNews and The Houston Chroncle.
Depressed? Turn Off The TV
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008Each year, people head into shorter days, get bored, turn on the tube, get more depressed and then new research comes out saying that when days get shorter, you’re bored, and then you watch more TV, you get depressed. Still it’s worth noting that watching the one eyed monster [a reader informed me that this is a naughty euphemism to which I say,"To the pure, all things are pure", but since most of you are not pure, I shall pick a new metaphor] boob tube excessively rots your brain, saps your energy, and makes you miserable.
Here’s the latest:
The University of Maryland analyzed 34 years of data collected from more than 45,000 participants and found that watching TV might make you feel good in the short term but is more likely to lead to overall unhappiness.
“The pattern for daily TV use is particularly dramatic, with ‘not happy’ people estimating over 30% more TV hours per day than ‘very happy’ people,” the study says. “Television viewing is a pleasurable enough activity with no lasting benefit, and it pushes aside time spent in other activities — ones that might be less immediately pleasurable, but that would provide long-term benefits in one’s condition. In other words, TV does cause people to be less happy.”
So there you go. The cure, people, is socializing. The internet is really a social network. So, for your health, you should read my blog more.
H/T John Little
The Post Wherein I Agree With A Huffington Poster About GM
Thursday, November 13th, 2008Watching GM decline has been part of my family’s legacy. I’m a GM brat and many of my friends had dads who worked the line, were engineers, or somehow supplied the car companies. I’ve written before about watching Michigan die and this hasn’t been a sudden death. Ricky Van Veen shares a conversation he had with his dad:
Dad: Your point that GM is a health care charity is exactly correct. When companies are businesses they do well and make money and everybody thrives. When I was a kid all my health care costs were provided by GM, never a nickel out of my parents’ pocket. GM was referred to as Generous Motors. Our country lived in the immediate post-war era which is almost incomprehensible to people today. No foreign competition (it’s hard to make stuff when someone is dropping atom bombs on you). Our country had a surplus of everything. A 4-year old car was usually in the junk yard or sold to used car dealers from the South. They called it planned obsolescence. All natural resources imaginable.
So the unions said we want more and we really don’t want to work and you can’t really fire us or we will strike and you will be out of business. I know — I was there on the production line turning out crap as a member of the union. So the companies treated the unions the way the drug dealer treats a high priced lawyer - merely a cost of doing business. All were happy for a while.
But as you know that scene did not last forever. But both parties lived in never never land and pretended that all would be OK forever.The government did not help matters either.
Now, Americans are supposed to bailout (give cheap loans to) another failing industry. This will, of course, reward bad behavior. No one wants to see GM die, but does it deserve to live?
No Candidates Want To Talk About Health History
Monday, October 20th, 2008The New York Times reports that the candidates, all of them, have been less than forthcoming about their health histories. The most information shared has come from McCain–the old guy recovering from skin cancer. Most interestingly, Barack Obama and Sarah Palin have been the least open. Obama gave a one page letter and Palin has given nothing.
So a poll about health histories. How important do you think they are?
Cross-posted at Right Wing News
Dr. Melissa
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