A thought or two from last year -
"But I still have my ideas. I still have my friends. I still have my goals and dreams. I still have my wits and the will to improve life for myself, my family, my friends."
So what do I have to build on that this year -
Well I did one thing for sure. I completed writing an album worth of new music. And not just taking existing ideas (words, music, or both) and completing them, but actually coming up with new songs.
Okay - so it wasn't 12 songs. It was more like 10.
Okay - so it wasn't completed by the end of summer. More like the end of the year.
But for me, it's still something. It has really opened myself to the actual reality that when I really focus, and really find the time, and really dedicate myself, I can actually do something useful.
Granted a part of me is going to continue into 2012 to complete 12 songs, but all-in-all, I'm happy about it. Once that's done, the next step will be to get back an begin completing writing all the remaining backlog of songs I already started on some level. This coupled with getting my recording process back on track, and with any luck, I should have turned a number of songs into a full reality.
Still .... there is still much to be wary about in 2012 - such that I don't expect it to be all rosy and bright.
Work continues on. While my boss is pretty good, and I to some extent enjoy what I do, I find myself in the similar position of anticipating another year doing the same work, at the same level, with no possibility for advancement. One key difference though, is that I'm in an environment where networking and partnering are encouraged; where strong working professional relationships are encouraged. And on a personal note, despite not being considered for a recent opportunity, I was recently uplifted by a recent revelation by someone I greatly respect, who's communicated that my work and my reputation are very strong, but that I need to build on that further by continuing the good work that I do.
And there is a handful of initiatives I need to continue on with both inside and outside work.
So that's work and music.
I know I have a couple of personal crises to weather in the coming year. What impact that'll have to me personally remains to be seen.
And I know there are many other parts of the world I should be worried about.
Like if the Keystone XL pipeline were to actually get kickstarted after its current delay - I fear it would be the point of no return in the losing battle to stop global warming.
But as Ned Landers said, "One thing at a time."
2011-12-31
2011-12-22
FAIR's 2011 P.U.-litzers.
Want to know one reason why American society is slowing slipping into non-oblivion?
It’s that the institutions that serve to inform society about events is deliberately mis-informing, and distributing false information.
Case in point – these people – and the corporate masters they work for -
--Wacky Conspiracy Award: CBS's Steve Kroft
--Paul's Not Newt Award: Washington Post's Sarah Kaufman
--Blind Faith in Precision Weapons Award: CNN's Chris Lawrence
--That's Our Newt Award: Washington Post's Dan Balz; New York Times' Trip Gabriel
--Exceptionally Clueless Columnist Award: Washington Post's Kathleen Parker
--The Bosses' Taxes Are None of Your Business Award: NBC News
--False Balance Award: ABC's Jonathan Karl
--SEALS: Superheroes, or Better!? Award: ABC's Chris Cuomo
--The Training Wheels of War Award: NBC's Richard Engel
--'Leeches on Society' Award: CNN's Carol Costello
--Newt Not Far Enough Award: Time's Joe Klein
--Ask a Billionaire About Class War Award: NBC's David Gregory
--Job-Creating Cowboy Award: USA Today's Susan Page; Time
--Tortured Headline Award: New York Times
-- Peculiar Foreign Culture Award: Wall Street Journal
Read more here - http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4449
It’s that the institutions that serve to inform society about events is deliberately mis-informing, and distributing false information.
Case in point – these people – and the corporate masters they work for -
--Wacky Conspiracy Award: CBS's Steve Kroft
--Paul's Not Newt Award: Washington Post's Sarah Kaufman
--Blind Faith in Precision Weapons Award: CNN's Chris Lawrence
--That's Our Newt Award: Washington Post's Dan Balz; New York Times' Trip Gabriel
--Exceptionally Clueless Columnist Award: Washington Post's Kathleen Parker
--The Bosses' Taxes Are None of Your Business Award: NBC News
--False Balance Award: ABC's Jonathan Karl
--SEALS: Superheroes, or Better!? Award: ABC's Chris Cuomo
--The Training Wheels of War Award: NBC's Richard Engel
--'Leeches on Society' Award: CNN's Carol Costello
--Newt Not Far Enough Award: Time's Joe Klein
--Ask a Billionaire About Class War Award: NBC's David Gregory
--Job-Creating Cowboy Award: USA Today's Susan Page; Time
--Tortured Headline Award: New York Times
-- Peculiar Foreign Culture Award: Wall Street Journal
Read more here - http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=4449
2011-12-21
The things people do with the Internet
http://thepropden.aokforums.com/next-vt926.html?start=240
I liked the Darth Vader character too, and while I dig the pictures, even I would have to admit I would not want to devote enough blather to fill up 18 (count 'em 18) pages.
You have to wonder if anyone other than Google will remember this, much less care.
I liked the Darth Vader character too, and while I dig the pictures, even I would have to admit I would not want to devote enough blather to fill up 18 (count 'em 18) pages.
You have to wonder if anyone other than Google will remember this, much less care.
2011-12-19
They may be so, but what can be done?
I ask you Robert Fisk (http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/12/11-0) - what can be done?
2011-12-16
Thoughts about Future Thinking.
So what about this?
Here's the problem as I see it -
Despite living in the 21th century, we are all actually constrained by a way of life that has developed and essentially stopped in the 20th century.
Our systems of governments, standards of business, our transportation systems, even our morals - they're all based and rooted in the past.
And now, we've reached a point where all of these things are now taken over by non-individual entities society has created supposedly to make it easier to function in life - entities whose primary interest in sustainability is solely in terms of profit.
So it's no wonder the human race is dooming itself to eventual extinction.
Even the Internet - something I have long held as one possible tool that could help humanity overcome its need to destroy and pillage for profit by using it's power to inform and empower by application of knowledge - is slowly being destroyed by the very non-entities mentioned above.
The simple fact is, unless there is a way to get pretty much every single fucking sane human being on the planet on the same page, understanding the same information, and thinking, talking, discussing, planning, developing, testing, and implementing long-lasting solutions - together - to all our global problems (number one IMO is global warming) - we as a species will be done for.
Here's the problem as I see it -
Despite living in the 21th century, we are all actually constrained by a way of life that has developed and essentially stopped in the 20th century.
Our systems of governments, standards of business, our transportation systems, even our morals - they're all based and rooted in the past.
And now, we've reached a point where all of these things are now taken over by non-individual entities society has created supposedly to make it easier to function in life - entities whose primary interest in sustainability is solely in terms of profit.
So it's no wonder the human race is dooming itself to eventual extinction.
Even the Internet - something I have long held as one possible tool that could help humanity overcome its need to destroy and pillage for profit by using it's power to inform and empower by application of knowledge - is slowly being destroyed by the very non-entities mentioned above.
The simple fact is, unless there is a way to get pretty much every single fucking sane human being on the planet on the same page, understanding the same information, and thinking, talking, discussing, planning, developing, testing, and implementing long-lasting solutions - together - to all our global problems (number one IMO is global warming) - we as a species will be done for.
2011-12-15
Walmart for President? The House of Halliburton? Sony Senate?
Courtesy of the folks at Walmart Watch -
http://candidatewalmart.org/
Priceless -
"Some might scoff at such a notion, since no major corporation has ever been elected to Congress, let alone the highest office in the land. But this is America-where corporations are considered people and any retail conglomerate can grow up to be President."
Why? It's all because of this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._Federal_Election_Commission
Think it's all so far fetched? We're at a point where corporations already decide such things as naming rights, just so for the opportunity to further market their products on consumers. Where else do you get such stupid things as this?
It won't be that far off. It's happening at an beneath the surface level anyways, so why not be more open I say!
Though there are some who (oddly enough) find this sort of thing, well, fucked up. You don't say.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/12/11186/color-change-targets-alec-corporations
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/12/11176/naacp-denounces-role-alec-jim-crow-esquire-voting-laws
http://candidatewalmart.org/
Priceless -
"Some might scoff at such a notion, since no major corporation has ever been elected to Congress, let alone the highest office in the land. But this is America-where corporations are considered people and any retail conglomerate can grow up to be President."
Why? It's all because of this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._Federal_Election_Commission
Think it's all so far fetched? We're at a point where corporations already decide such things as naming rights, just so for the opportunity to further market their products on consumers. Where else do you get such stupid things as this?
It won't be that far off. It's happening at an beneath the surface level anyways, so why not be more open I say!
Though there are some who (oddly enough) find this sort of thing, well, fucked up. You don't say.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/12/11186/color-change-targets-alec-corporations
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/12/11176/naacp-denounces-role-alec-jim-crow-esquire-voting-laws
2011-12-13
All that effort ...
What do I mean?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference
Read more here -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/11/durban-climate-change-deal?intcmp=239
The President of the Conference, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, stated at the end of the conference: "We came here with plan A, and we have concluded this meeting with plan A to save one planet for the future of our children and our grandchildren to come. We have made history."[3]Really?
Scientists and environmental groups however warned that the deal is not sufficient to avoid global warming beyond 2°C as more urgent action is needed.[4]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference
Read more here -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/dec/11/durban-climate-change-deal?intcmp=239
The grim reminder of the cost of technological innovation supporting our beliefs.
Think nuclear power and the Cold War were a good idea?
Read this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site
Read this - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanford_Site
A huge volume of water from the Columbia River was required to dissipate the heat produced by Hanford's nuclear reactors. From 1944 to 1971, pump systems drew cooling water from the river and, after treating this water for use by the reactors, returned it to the river. Before being released back into the river, the used water was held in large tanks known as retention basins for up to six hours. Longer-lived isotopes were not affected by this retention, and several terabecquerels entered the river every day. These releases were kept secret by the federal government.[4] Radiation was later measured downstream as far west as the Washington and Oregon coasts.[45]
The plutonium separation process also resulted in the release of radioactive isotopes into the air, which were carried by the wind throughout southeastern Washington and into parts of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and British Columbia.[4] Downwinders were exposed to radionuclides, particularly iodine-131, with the heaviest releases during the period from 1945 to 1951. These radionuclides filtered into the food chain via contaminated fields where dairy cows grazed; hazardous fallout was ingested by communities who consumed the radioactive food and drank the milk. Most of these airborne releases were a part of Hanford's routine operations, while a few of the larger releases occurred in isolated incidents. In 1949, an intentional release known as the "Green Run" released 8,000 curies of iodine-131 over two days.[46] Another source of contaminated food came from Columbia River fish, an impact felt disproportionately by Native American communities who depended on the river for their customary diets.[4] A U.S. government report released in 1992 estimated that 685,000 curies of radioactive iodine-131 had been released into the river and air from the Hanford site between 1944 and 1947.[47]
2011-12-12
Top 10 heaviest metal albums ... recorded in standard tuning.
http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2011/07/top-10-heaviest-albums-recorded-in-standard-tuning/
The interesting thing about it, is I haven't heard of some of these bands.
Something to check out during the holidays.
The interesting thing about it, is I haven't heard of some of these bands.
Something to check out during the holidays.
2011-12-10
Courageous young lady -
And contrary to what that idiot said, yes people are listening.
Pretty sober message - http://sustainus.org/component/content/article/631-us-youth-say-q2020-its-too-late-to-waitq
(Thank you ThinkProgress)
Pretty sober message - http://sustainus.org/component/content/article/631-us-youth-say-q2020-its-too-late-to-waitq
(Thank you ThinkProgress)
2011-12-09
The evil of ALEC continues unabated ...
http://www.thenation.com/blog/165077/koch-brothers-alec-and-savage-assault-democracy
Billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch finally got their way in 2011. After their decades of funding the American Legislative Exchange Council, the collaboration between multinational corporations and conservative state legislators, the project began finally to yield the intended result.Read more here - http://www.stand4freedom.org/
For the first time in decades, the United States saw a steady dismantling of the laws, regulations, programs and practices put in place to make real the promise of American democracy.
That is why, on Saturday, civil rights groups and their allies will rally outside the New York headquarters of the Koch brothers to begin a march for the renewal of voting rights in America.
2011-12-08
2011-12-07
What - US trying to start another war?
Yep - first the staged embassy invasion (yeah staged is the term; I wouldn't be suprised if the 'some' in the sentence ' The rally began quietly, but some participants stormed the building, breaking down the door, throwing around papers and replacing the British flag with an Iranian one.' were MI6 or CIA operatives. I personally thought the American version some 30-odd years ago was designed to ensure Jimmy Carter lost the 1980 US Presidential Election, but that's perhaps a different post.)
Now this - BREAKING NEWS: Downed CIA Stealth Drone Marks Another Step Towards America's War On Iran
More here - US-NATO-ISRAEL WAR PLANS TO ATTACK IRAN
Sigh - when the human race finally evolve past the need to kill each other?
Now this - BREAKING NEWS: Downed CIA Stealth Drone Marks Another Step Towards America's War On Iran
More here - US-NATO-ISRAEL WAR PLANS TO ATTACK IRAN
Sigh - when the human race finally evolve past the need to kill each other?
2011-12-05
Slippery slope to a police state - rule by fear?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Defense_Authorization_Act_for_Fiscal_Year_2012
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1867/comments
"Senate Bill 1867, Section 1032(b)
(b) Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens-
(1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.
(2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States"
While I admit I'm not a US law expert, nor an attorney, it's very hard to ignore the implications of what's written there.
Looking at the word 'requirement' and the contextural placement in the sentences seem imply that it doesn't exist for US Citizens (and resident aliens). So ... to then say it doesn't exist, means there is not justification needed.
It's like the US Patriot Act all over again ... wait .. speaking of that ...
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111010/04043716279/nytimes-sues-federal-government-refusing-to-reveal-its-secret-interpretation-patriot-act.shtml
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110525/15411414434/senators-reveal-that-feds-have-secretly-reinterpreted-patriot-act.shtml
So we have a the US Federal Government concocting an alternate legal system. Seems like all this is the next step in implementing this en masse to its own citizens.
The Trial is slowly coming to life in America.
Commenter toray99 sums it up best -
Talk about a silent next step from democracy to police state. And what's the most painful part about it?
Funny how you don't hear about that in the corporate media?
I do see it in the New York Times, and the BI, but really no where else.
Probably because the establishment has learned long ago, the best way to take away people's collective rights, is to distract them so much to make the forget they even had them; to the point where they simply stop paying attention.
UPDATE - http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/12/the-real-reason-for-obamas-threat-to-veto-the-indefinite-detention-bill-hint-its-not-to-protect-liberty.html
Here's a gem set of statements -
I noted Friday:
The police state started in 2001.
Specifically, on 9/11, Vice President Dick Cheney initiated Continuity of Government Plans that ended America’s constitutional form of government (at least for some undetermined period of time.)
On that same day, a national state of emergency was declared … and that state of emergency has continuously been in effect up to today.
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1867/comments
"Senate Bill 1867, Section 1032(b)
(b) Applicability to United States Citizens and Lawful Resident Aliens-
(1) UNITED STATES CITIZENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.
(2) LAWFUL RESIDENT ALIENS- The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to a lawful resident alien of the United States on the basis of conduct taking place within the United States, except to the extent permitted by the Constitution of the United States"
While I admit I'm not a US law expert, nor an attorney, it's very hard to ignore the implications of what's written there.
Looking at the word 'requirement' and the contextural placement in the sentences seem imply that it doesn't exist for US Citizens (and resident aliens). So ... to then say it doesn't exist, means there is not justification needed.
It's like the US Patriot Act all over again ... wait .. speaking of that ...
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20111010/04043716279/nytimes-sues-federal-government-refusing-to-reveal-its-secret-interpretation-patriot-act.shtml
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110525/15411414434/senators-reveal-that-feds-have-secretly-reinterpreted-patriot-act.shtml
So we have a the US Federal Government concocting an alternate legal system. Seems like all this is the next step in implementing this en masse to its own citizens.
The Trial is slowly coming to life in America.
Commenter toray99 sums it up best -
The difference is that the danger of American citizens being detained without trial as terrorists on frivolous pretexts is an even greater danger now given that the Department of Homeland Security has characterized behavior such as buying gold, owning guns, using a watch or binoculars, donating to charity, using the telephone or email to find information, using cash, and all manner of mundane behaviors as potential indicators of domestic terrorism.
Talk about a silent next step from democracy to police state. And what's the most painful part about it?
Funny how you don't hear about that in the corporate media?
I do see it in the New York Times, and the BI, but really no where else.
Probably because the establishment has learned long ago, the best way to take away people's collective rights, is to distract them so much to make the forget they even had them; to the point where they simply stop paying attention.
UPDATE - http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2011/12/the-real-reason-for-obamas-threat-to-veto-the-indefinite-detention-bill-hint-its-not-to-protect-liberty.html
Here's a gem set of statements -
I noted Friday:
The police state started in 2001.
Specifically, on 9/11, Vice President Dick Cheney initiated Continuity of Government Plans that ended America’s constitutional form of government (at least for some undetermined period of time.)
On that same day, a national state of emergency was declared … and that state of emergency has continuously been in effect up to today.
2011-12-04
Quote of the day - 12-03-2011
Ann Davidow -
One of the most daunting tasks this country faces isn't the deficit or tax policy or how big the government is. Rather it is convincing ourselves and the world that we are a serious people.
...
For many the answer is whoever wins the fast-talking prize or attacks in the meanest terms anyone who disagrees with them. For others religion takes the place of problem-solving in a 'this-world' context. Lately there has been a flurry of what I would call the Stepford-Christian approach. There are probably many other examples but three come to mind, troubling in their hollow repetitious cadence. A golf pro after winning an important tournament thanks "his lord and savior Jesus Christ," a quarterback uses the same exact words after a victorious performance. And, in the course of condemning the president for omitting any mention of God in his Thanksgiving address a critic was asked how he would have spoken and uses the same precise lord-and-savior message too. It's as if a little recording plays endlessly in these people's heads. Who, after all speaks in such an almost gleeful manner not only in professing a particular religious observance but in the exclusionary nature of it?
Read it all here - http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13189
One of the most daunting tasks this country faces isn't the deficit or tax policy or how big the government is. Rather it is convincing ourselves and the world that we are a serious people.
...
For many the answer is whoever wins the fast-talking prize or attacks in the meanest terms anyone who disagrees with them. For others religion takes the place of problem-solving in a 'this-world' context. Lately there has been a flurry of what I would call the Stepford-Christian approach. There are probably many other examples but three come to mind, troubling in their hollow repetitious cadence. A golf pro after winning an important tournament thanks "his lord and savior Jesus Christ," a quarterback uses the same exact words after a victorious performance. And, in the course of condemning the president for omitting any mention of God in his Thanksgiving address a critic was asked how he would have spoken and uses the same precise lord-and-savior message too. It's as if a little recording plays endlessly in these people's heads. Who, after all speaks in such an almost gleeful manner not only in professing a particular religious observance but in the exclusionary nature of it?
Read it all here - http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13189
2011-11-30
Interesting ...
http://www.disinfo.com/2011/11/the-neuroeconomics-revolution/
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111122155856959773.html
... though I wonder if we'll learn anything significant enough to save the species from permanent extinction.
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/11/20111122155856959773.html
Much of modern economic and financial theory is based on the assumption that people are rational, and thus that they systematically maximise their own happiness, or as economists call it, their "utility". When Samuelson took on the subject in his 1947 book, he did not look into the brain, but relied instead on "revealed preference". People's objectives are revealed only by observing their economic activities. Under Samuelson's guidance, generations of economists have based their research not on any physical structure underlying thought and behaviour, but only on the assumption of rationality.
As a result, Glimcher is skeptical of prevailing economic theory, and is seeking a physical basis for it in the brain. He wants to transform "soft" utility theory into "hard" utility theory by discovering the brain mechanisms that underlie it.
In particular, Glimcher wants to identify brain structures that process key elements of utility theory when people face uncertainty: "(1) subjective value, (2) probability, (3) the product of subjective value and probability (expected subjective value), and (4) a neurocomputational mechanism that selects the element from the choice set that has the highest ‘expected subjective value…'"
... though I wonder if we'll learn anything significant enough to save the species from permanent extinction.
29 years ago today ...
... the greatest selling record of all time was released ...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(album)
Released November 30, 1982
Listening today, that record has so much in it, and is still ahead of today's music in terms of songwriting, performance, adn produndion. It has so much life and energy in it, things that have been missing in music the last 10-15 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(album)
Released November 30, 1982
Listening today, that record has so much in it, and is still ahead of today's music in terms of songwriting, performance, adn produndion. It has so much life and energy in it, things that have been missing in music the last 10-15 years.
2011-11-28
"I'm sorry"
No term in the English language (in my mind at least) has become more superficial than this one -
Why, you may ask?
Long ago - okay when I was a kid - I was taught that you said this when you did something wrong, did something to hurt someone and you didn't mean to, and most importantly, that how you expressed it indicates your feelings of sorrow and genuine concern over what you caused.
Expressing something that when one in fact does something wrong I learned is a sign of maturity and honest concern for a fellow person.
No longer.
Nowadays, people use it in every possible way and with every other possible intonation possible. Except as it was orignally intended
And don't give me this crap - we all know women love to hear the words from a man. Just look at the mounds of stupidity in the comments here. I think it's really a form of an ego-power trip many women like to play on men. To me it's self-defeating. What value is there in it if there is no genuine feeling behind it? It's just paying lip service to one's power trip.
But really, someone constantly apologizing to me for every little thing and even things they didn't do, doesn't make me like or respect the person even more. Quite the opposite, it tells me a number of possible things -
15. Not shaving
Tell her that you're growing a beard to make up for neglecting your own male instincts, ever since you've been paying extra attention to her sensitive needs.
14. Stiffing a despicable waiter
Tipping is not a requirement. It's an option that you have when a waiter provides good service. So if you ever have the pleasure of being served by a waiter who hits on your woman or makes you look bad in front of her, don't leave a tip and don't apologize for it.
13. Working hard and coming home late
Crying to your wife, "I'm sorry for ignoring your needs and working harder and staying late at work so that I can pay for your expensive Gucci shoes, diamond anniversary ring, and mink fur coat" just doesn't sound right.
12. Looking at beautiful women
Try to avoid doing it in front of her, but don't apologize if she catches you. She's also looking at others when you're not around. Just let her know that you appreciate beautiful things.
10. Checking the restaurant bill twice
No one's perfect and waiters do make mistakes with bills at times, so if you're paying for it, don't apologize for giving the bill a second glance.
9. Not checking with your spouse or girlfriend
Women like it when men are spontaneous. So the next time she gets mad at you for not consulting with her first before making plans, tell her, "Oh, but it's so impulsive, and I know you like spontaneity."
7. Being rude to one of your wife's friends
She'll probably be the reason for your marriage's failure, so you may as well be rude from the start.
6. Not calling
You shouldn't make a habit of forgetting to call your ladybug, but you don't need to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness when you do. The next time it happens, tell her you forgot.
5. Leaving the toilet seat up
Tell her that you'll put the toilet seat down when you're done doing your thing, if she puts it back up when she's done doing her thing.
4. A wandering eye... in public places
As long as you aren't too obvious and refrain from drooling this shouldn't be a problem. After all, you can't walk around with your eyes closed all the time.
3. Quick performances
It happens to the best of them so don't worry too much about this. If you didn't last as long as she would have liked you'll do better next time.
I'm sorry
Why, you may ask?
Long ago - okay when I was a kid - I was taught that you said this when you did something wrong, did something to hurt someone and you didn't mean to, and most importantly, that how you expressed it indicates your feelings of sorrow and genuine concern over what you caused.
Expressing something that when one in fact does something wrong I learned is a sign of maturity and honest concern for a fellow person.
No longer.
Nowadays, people use it in every possible way and with every other possible intonation possible. Except as it was orignally intended
And don't give me this crap - we all know women love to hear the words from a man. Just look at the mounds of stupidity in the comments here. I think it's really a form of an ego-power trip many women like to play on men. To me it's self-defeating. What value is there in it if there is no genuine feeling behind it? It's just paying lip service to one's power trip.
But really, someone constantly apologizing to me for every little thing and even things they didn't do, doesn't make me like or respect the person even more. Quite the opposite, it tells me a number of possible things -
- The person tends to do a lot of wrong things, which could indicate some cognitive problem
- The person is trying to cover up for something really big that they're not telling you
- The person is completely superficial and really doesn't give a rat's ass how you feel. Consequently they are using the term simply as a license to do whatever the fuck they please
- Some combination of the above.
15. Not shaving
Tell her that you're growing a beard to make up for neglecting your own male instincts, ever since you've been paying extra attention to her sensitive needs.
14. Stiffing a despicable waiter
Tipping is not a requirement. It's an option that you have when a waiter provides good service. So if you ever have the pleasure of being served by a waiter who hits on your woman or makes you look bad in front of her, don't leave a tip and don't apologize for it.
13. Working hard and coming home late
Crying to your wife, "I'm sorry for ignoring your needs and working harder and staying late at work so that I can pay for your expensive Gucci shoes, diamond anniversary ring, and mink fur coat" just doesn't sound right.
12. Looking at beautiful women
Try to avoid doing it in front of her, but don't apologize if she catches you. She's also looking at others when you're not around. Just let her know that you appreciate beautiful things.
10. Checking the restaurant bill twice
No one's perfect and waiters do make mistakes with bills at times, so if you're paying for it, don't apologize for giving the bill a second glance.
9. Not checking with your spouse or girlfriend
Women like it when men are spontaneous. So the next time she gets mad at you for not consulting with her first before making plans, tell her, "Oh, but it's so impulsive, and I know you like spontaneity."
7. Being rude to one of your wife's friends
She'll probably be the reason for your marriage's failure, so you may as well be rude from the start.
6. Not calling
You shouldn't make a habit of forgetting to call your ladybug, but you don't need to get on your knees and beg for forgiveness when you do. The next time it happens, tell her you forgot.
5. Leaving the toilet seat up
Tell her that you'll put the toilet seat down when you're done doing your thing, if she puts it back up when she's done doing her thing.
4. A wandering eye... in public places
As long as you aren't too obvious and refrain from drooling this shouldn't be a problem. After all, you can't walk around with your eyes closed all the time.
3. Quick performances
It happens to the best of them so don't worry too much about this. If you didn't last as long as she would have liked you'll do better next time.
2011-11-24
Dooming us all - a grim reminder of the consequences of the 1%.
(Courtesy The Disaffected Lib)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/20/rich-nations-give-up-climate-treaty
This is what happens when our societies are controlled by right-wing establishments beholden to non-person entities like governments, conglomerates, corporations, foundations, militarises, and others who have no legal or moral accountability to anyone in the societies they claim to serve. They see every person as a nothing more than a fucking number in their database, representing their level of product consumption, and how they squeeze as much money from them further, as quickly as possible. And often times, many of these entities either control other entities to the point of placing their interests over others, or they span across several entities (e.g. a multi-national conglomerate) that they are effective immune to any kind of rational discourse.
The iron triangle of government, industry, and military has a stranglehold on our future, and freed from any kind of accountability or reality, are slowing pushing us all to an inevitable demise.
This is also the result when the so-called most powerful and richest nations are allowed to dictate to everyone else our own fate.
Even if such an agreement were to actually happen at that time, I fear it'll be too late. The damage done to the planet will be irreversible.
It's very hard to escape the conclusion that none of the entities described above are ever really going to provide any kind of answer or solution to the coming - irreversible - crisis facing all of us. And like a cancer that couldn't care if the patient dies, it pursues it's own financial, political and military interests with virtually no thought or care or concern to any one's actual future, including really their own.
What is the answer?
Our previous centuries of instruments of society - like the entities described above - are products from a day and age where they simply don't scale. They simply don't have the capacity to really aid all peoples in all societies on either a global or long-term way.
The only thing I can think of is - the people of the planet, the overwhelming populations must find a way across all nations, states, provinces, regions, cities, towns, and so forth to unite with the scientists, engineers and the like a implementing a lasting solution to save the planet - on our own. We must find a way to come together and work together as a single planetary guardian - and solve this problem on our own.
To that end - we must find a way for this global society to communicate together, speak effectively the same language of understanding of the complex nature of the problem, and devise a long-lasting solution. It's a very difficult task.
And even if this were to happen - is there really a solution? I mean let's face it - this problem was caused by us. Our consumption of fossil fuels, our cars, our planes, trains, boats, our roadways; the solutions to our development from previous centuries now threaten our common future demise now. How does one simply rip out centuries of development and replace it with something far less damaging? Telling people to simply stop driving cars and ride bicycles isn't the answer.
And ... even if magically there were a solution and the will to implement it - and it could be done in spite of the efforts of the establishment entities above likely doing everything to stop it - could such a thing be implemented successfully, and in time? Have we reached a point of no return already?
I don't have the answer to any of these questions. Admittedly my own personal problems leave me very much a hypocrite in that I'm unable to really contribute anything meaningful or positive to solving the problem myself.
Like a lot of people, I have many grave concerns, many problems of my own, and very little time to solve these larger issues, let alone straight focus.
I guess right now, the only thing I have going - is that I know that our current way of life is really no way of life at all. We're on a path to demise, and maybe not my generation, but the next one, and the next one, and the next one, will really start to see all our last millenium's worth of global destruction.
That's all I know - I wish there were more.
Rich nations 'give up' on new climate treaty until 2020
Ahead of critical talks and despite pledge for new treaty by 2012, biggest economies privately admit likelihood of long delay
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/nov/20/rich-nations-give-up-climate-treaty
This is what happens when our societies are controlled by right-wing establishments beholden to non-person entities like governments, conglomerates, corporations, foundations, militarises, and others who have no legal or moral accountability to anyone in the societies they claim to serve. They see every person as a nothing more than a fucking number in their database, representing their level of product consumption, and how they squeeze as much money from them further, as quickly as possible. And often times, many of these entities either control other entities to the point of placing their interests over others, or they span across several entities (e.g. a multi-national conglomerate) that they are effective immune to any kind of rational discourse.
The iron triangle of government, industry, and military has a stranglehold on our future, and freed from any kind of accountability or reality, are slowing pushing us all to an inevitable demise.
This is also the result when the so-called most powerful and richest nations are allowed to dictate to everyone else our own fate.
Even if such an agreement were to actually happen at that time, I fear it'll be too late. The damage done to the planet will be irreversible.
It's very hard to escape the conclusion that none of the entities described above are ever really going to provide any kind of answer or solution to the coming - irreversible - crisis facing all of us. And like a cancer that couldn't care if the patient dies, it pursues it's own financial, political and military interests with virtually no thought or care or concern to any one's actual future, including really their own.
What is the answer?
Our previous centuries of instruments of society - like the entities described above - are products from a day and age where they simply don't scale. They simply don't have the capacity to really aid all peoples in all societies on either a global or long-term way.
The only thing I can think of is - the people of the planet, the overwhelming populations must find a way across all nations, states, provinces, regions, cities, towns, and so forth to unite with the scientists, engineers and the like a implementing a lasting solution to save the planet - on our own. We must find a way to come together and work together as a single planetary guardian - and solve this problem on our own.
To that end - we must find a way for this global society to communicate together, speak effectively the same language of understanding of the complex nature of the problem, and devise a long-lasting solution. It's a very difficult task.
And even if this were to happen - is there really a solution? I mean let's face it - this problem was caused by us. Our consumption of fossil fuels, our cars, our planes, trains, boats, our roadways; the solutions to our development from previous centuries now threaten our common future demise now. How does one simply rip out centuries of development and replace it with something far less damaging? Telling people to simply stop driving cars and ride bicycles isn't the answer.
And ... even if magically there were a solution and the will to implement it - and it could be done in spite of the efforts of the establishment entities above likely doing everything to stop it - could such a thing be implemented successfully, and in time? Have we reached a point of no return already?
I don't have the answer to any of these questions. Admittedly my own personal problems leave me very much a hypocrite in that I'm unable to really contribute anything meaningful or positive to solving the problem myself.
Like a lot of people, I have many grave concerns, many problems of my own, and very little time to solve these larger issues, let alone straight focus.
I guess right now, the only thing I have going - is that I know that our current way of life is really no way of life at all. We're on a path to demise, and maybe not my generation, but the next one, and the next one, and the next one, will really start to see all our last millenium's worth of global destruction.
That's all I know - I wish there were more.
Overheard on a bus - 11-22-2011.
Belated edition -
Black female with somewhat fake curly hair arrives on bus and from her first steps, proceeds to shower the entire bus with her diatribe about her sister some unfortunate person (or equally moronic individual; or both) named Alana. Highlights include -
Black female with somewhat fake curly hair arrives on bus and from her first steps, proceeds to shower the entire bus with her diatribe about her sister some unfortunate person (or equally moronic individual; or both) named Alana. Highlights include -
- Sister's name is Brittany (sic)
- Sister has slept w/ Vitrin (sic) and a host of other guys
- Has had two abortions
- The person herself is infalleable despite admitting she's herself is getting kicked out of her own apartment
- Brittany makes up stories; bitches about her life living in Florida, but was apparently only born there, grew up in Alaska instead
- Brittany's truck was recently impounded, and had made the claim that Alana herself had loaned her $100
- Brittany uses people, lies - though the caller herself never lies (okay she lies when she has to, like when she's carrying on with a couple of guys)
- Mother knows Brittany is like this
2011-11-19
Now this is more like it.
Somebody actually doing something -
(Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy)
http://teddeutch.house.gov/UploadedFiles/DEUTCH_036_xml.pdf
gotta love that acronym - OCCUPIED
“No matter how long protesters camp out across America, big banks will continue to pour money into shadow groups promoting candidates more likely to slash Medicaid for poor children than help families facing foreclosure,” said Deutch in a statement provided to ThinkProgress. “No matter how strongly Ohio families fight for basic fairness for workers, the Koch Brothers will continue to pour millions into campaigns aimed at protecting the wealthiest 1%. No matter how fed up seniors in South Florida are with an agenda that puts oil subsidies ahead of Social Security and Medicare, corporations will continue to fund massive publicity campaigns and malicious attack ads against the public interest. Americans of all stripes agree that for far too long, corporations have occupied Washington and drowned out the voices of the people. I introduced the OCCUPIED Amendment because the days of corporate control of our democracy. It is time to return the nation’s capital and our democracy to the people.”
(thank you ThinkProgress)
(Outlawing Corporate Cash Undermining the Public Interest in our Elections and Democracy)
http://teddeutch.house.gov/UploadedFiles/DEUTCH_036_xml.pdf
gotta love that acronym - OCCUPIED
“No matter how long protesters camp out across America, big banks will continue to pour money into shadow groups promoting candidates more likely to slash Medicaid for poor children than help families facing foreclosure,” said Deutch in a statement provided to ThinkProgress. “No matter how strongly Ohio families fight for basic fairness for workers, the Koch Brothers will continue to pour millions into campaigns aimed at protecting the wealthiest 1%. No matter how fed up seniors in South Florida are with an agenda that puts oil subsidies ahead of Social Security and Medicare, corporations will continue to fund massive publicity campaigns and malicious attack ads against the public interest. Americans of all stripes agree that for far too long, corporations have occupied Washington and drowned out the voices of the people. I introduced the OCCUPIED Amendment because the days of corporate control of our democracy. It is time to return the nation’s capital and our democracy to the people.”
(thank you ThinkProgress)
2011-11-17
If we only knew ...
this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamboat_Willie) would've led to this - the largest conglomerate in the world; so large .... that is has it's own Wikipedia criticism page - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_The_Walt_Disney_Company ...
... then maybe none of us would've thought it cool -
"Steamboat Willie premiered at Universal's Colony Theater in New York City on November 18, 1928."
... then maybe none of us would've thought it cool -
"Steamboat Willie premiered at Universal's Colony Theater in New York City on November 18, 1928."
2011-11-15
Quote of the day - 11-15-2011
"This is the same kind of repression that the Arabs faced earlier. If we faced a powerful external enemy, these repressive acts could well serve as a pretext to war and regime change, as Libya experienced.
But we don't, and our governments feel safe in doing what they want.."
IanMacallister111
More here - http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/11/15/occupy-ny-park-cleared.html
But we don't, and our governments feel safe in doing what they want.."
IanMacallister111
More here - http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2011/11/15/occupy-ny-park-cleared.html
2011-11-13
Arbitrage - article in The Awl.
Not only does this make me not want their products, but frankly I don't want to go anywhere near any 'fast-food' business.
http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/a-conspiracy-of-hogs-the-mcrib-as-arbitrage
http://www.theawl.com/2011/11/a-conspiracy-of-hogs-the-mcrib-as-arbitrage
Arbitrage is a risk-free way of making money by exploiting the difference between the price of a given good on two different markets—it’s the proverbial free lunch you were told doesn’t exist. In this equation, the undervalued good in question is hog meat, and McDonald’s exploits the value differential between pork’s cash price on the commodities market and in the Quick-Service Restaurant market. If you ignore the fact that this is, by definition, not arbitrage because the McRib is a value-added product, and that there is risk all over the place, this can lead to some interesting conclusions. (If you don’t want to do something so reckless, then stop here.)
The theory that the McRib’s elusiveness is a direct result of the vagaries of the cash price for hog meat in the States is simple: in this thinking, the product is only introduced when pork prices are low enough to ensure McDonald’s can turn a profit on the product. The theory is especially convincing given the McRib's status as the only non-breakfast fast food pork item: why wouldn't there be a pork sandwich in every chain, if it were profitable?
Fast food involves both hideously violent economies of scale and sad, sad end users who volunteer to be taken advantage of. What makes the McRib different from this everyday horror is that a) McDonald’s is huge to the point that it’s more useful to think of it as a company trading in commodities than it is to think of it as a chain of restaurants b) it is made of pork, which makes it a unique product in the QSR world and c) it is only available sometimes, but refuses to go away entirely.
If you can demonstrate that McDonald’s only introduces the sandwich when pork prices are lower than usual, then you’re but a couple logical steps from concluding that McDonald’s is essentially exploiting a market imbalance between what normal food producers are willing to pay for hog meat at certain times of the year, and what Americans are willing to pay for it once it is processed, molded into illogically anatomical shapes, and slathered in HFCS-rich BBQ sauce.
2011-11-10
Off for the weekend.
Yeah, I figure to take 11-11-11 off.
In the meantime, Ms Klein has something very long and very important to read through -
http://www.thenation.com/article/164497/capitalism-vs-climate?page=full
See you all next week.
In the meantime, Ms Klein has something very long and very important to read through -
http://www.thenation.com/article/164497/capitalism-vs-climate?page=full
See you all next week.
2011-11-09
Yes, but what next?
http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011114508/occupy-movement-spreading-and-growing
Great, but how does this translate into something meaningful for 99% they represent?
Great, but how does this translate into something meaningful for 99% they represent?
2011-11-04
Very glad to see Buzzflash is still running.
http://blog.buzzflash.com/node/13125
Keep at it folks. The world needs you to keep doing what you do.
Keep at it folks. The world needs you to keep doing what you do.
2011-11-02
Lost in the shuffle
Think the US has forgotten about getting retribution on Assange?
Think again -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/nov/02/julian-assange-loses-appeal-extradition
And of course, there's the double-standard that the accused in this case is known, but of course, the accuser is not.
Think again -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/nov/02/julian-assange-loses-appeal-extradition
And of course, there's the double-standard that the accused in this case is known, but of course, the accuser is not.
Quote of the day - 11-02-2011 - "plutonomy and a precariat"
Noam Chomsky
Context:
Relevance:
Bonus:
Context:
...A couple of years ago [Citibank] came out with a brochure for investors. They urged investors to put their money in what they call the “plutonomy index.” The world is dividing into a plutonomy, the rich and so on. That’s where the action is. They said their plutonomy index is way outperforming the stock market, so put your money into it. And as for the rest? We set them adrift. We don’t really care about them and we don’t need them. They have to be around to provide a powerful state to protect us and bail us out when we get into trouble, but they essentially have no function. It’s sometimes called these days the “precariat,” people who live a precarious existence at the periphery of society. It’s not the periphery anymore...
Relevance:
...Well, now the world is indeed splitting into a plutonomy and a precariat, again in the imagery of the Occupy movement, the 1 percent and the 99 percent. The plutonomy is where the action is. It could continue like this, and if it does, then this historic reversal that began in the 1970s could become irreversible. That’s where we’re heading. The Occupy movements are the first major popular reaction which could avert this. It’s going to be necessary to face the fact that it’s a long hard struggle. You don’t win victories tomorrow. You have to go on and form structures that will be sustained through hard times and can win major victories.
Bonus:
...There are very dangerous developments in the international arena, including two of them which are kind of a shadow that hangs over almost everything we discuss. There are, for the first time to human history, real threats to peace and survival of the species. One has been hanging around since 1945 and it’s kind of a miracle we’ve escaped it and that’s the threat of nuclear weapons. That’s a threat that’s being escalated by the administration and its allies. Something has to be done about that or we’re in real trouble. The other, of course, is environmental catastrophe. Every country in the world is taking at least halting steps toward trying to do something about it. The US is also taking steps, namely to accelerate the threat. The US is now the only country that’s not only not doing something constructive…it’s not climbing on the train. It’s pulling it backwards.
2011-10-31
Okay so how did my recent musical experiences really go?
So, does anyone want to know about my recent musical experiences?
Well, I’ll tell you anyways.
Music is something I enjoy immensely. Playing, listening, performing, you name it, I love it. And perhaps most important to me – I enjoy getting my own music out there for people to listen to. It’s something I rank up there with sex, good food, and working out.
But somehow over the last few months, it’s become a case where what I enjoy had become my own personal nightmare, for a number of reasons.
Months ago, I was asked to perform for an ensemble group of a non-Caucasian background. I had actually performed for this band some years ago as one of its ‘core’ members, and had also performed for it during the middle-half of the last decade. Initially I was asked to play on a handful of songs, and was told that all the songs had chords worked out. I simply had to come in and play. Despite my instincts telling me otherwise, I went for it.
I posted about this before, but now I'd like to provide some more detail, as, well ...let's just say you might be able to sense some patterns.
How naïve I was. Or more like age and time had made me forget the reasons why I stayed away from this whole scene.
Within five minutes of walking into the first rehearsal, I was treated like a consultant in an IT company. I felt like I was treated like a dumb terminal whose job is to just execute when called. Except, none of the chords for most of the 20+ songs were actually worked out. The fellow who was initially playing guitar and bass – while a nice guy - wasn’t able to come up with the correct chords for the majority of songs. And none of the other musicians were able to do the same.
So, I took it upon myself to help the cause by working that out on the majority of songs. I should’ve known that in doing so, I’d be open to criticism and arguing over whether what I was coming up with was correct. I didn’t mind that, so long as we resolved the issues and moved on. But some folks were in a mood to keep attacking, arguing and keep criticizing – a part of me thinks they were threatened by someone who had been there before, who knew what they were doing, who was pretty good at this stuff, suddenly telling them that what they were doing was wrong and so forth. It seems after all these years, the disease of ‘Leadsingeritis’ has claimed another band. On top of that apart from a couple of people, no one was really taking any initiative to be on time, to make an effort to really practice. Some even took the opportunity to goof off, make jokes.
While a lot of what I describe is cultural, in my mind it was dishonorable and disrespectful to people like me who were sincerely trying to make an effort and putting on the best performance possible. My view - as selfish as it has been deemed - was that regardless of all the planning, marketing, song selection – they are important – none of all those other things mean much if our performance on stage as a band sucks.
But no one seemed to want to really listen to me when I’d raise an issue over something. Okay one other person was concerned, but this person though a vocalist, was not someone who played an instrument, or performed percussion. And, the person only sang a limited number of songs. Whereas I was being drawn into every single song, and now being held accountable for when the song went wrong, or didn’t sound like the recordings. Of course one reason for this was we were lowering the scales on some tunes because some singers couldn’t be bothered to make an effort. On top of all this, whenever I made a mistake - which were admittedly numerous- or could not play a part, I felt like they were on me like a shadow (“Were the chords right?” “You missed something”. “That’s not there”. Etc.). Of course my own limitations in my playing opened up the opportunity for others to say “Hey, we’ll just play that on keyboards”, with the subtle implication that I wasn’t good enough.
Now let’s be honest - a part of me knows they were right to a large extent. At the same time, I never advertised myself as someone who can play guitar solos, but somehow that’s the standard I was now being held to. On top of that, most of the songs actually featured 2-3 guitar parts going at the same time. In that context, there were a number of songs where people were (now) suddenly playing Monday morning quarterback and now willing to have the parts played on keys or so forth. I suspect this was because they could see how limited a musician I really was, and that meant I could be attacked. Which of course makes me look like a complete fool on stage – it’s kind of dumb to be a guitar player on stage and having parts being played by some other player on a completely different instrument. That’s like a singer being onstage and pretending to sing, while a process is actually doing the work (hey now – isn’t that how auto-tune works?!).
It didn’t help that I didn’t speak the language, and wasn’t a native resident of the country. Maybe I’ve been just acutely paranoid all my life, but it was hard to escape the feeling that once again, I’m being treated like an outsider. This is how it felt at the time, as it had many times before.
And of course, when it came to the day of the show, I was being admonished for having a buzz in my amp on stage. Never mind that I told the sound guy to run the signal from the effects unit, not the amp. Of course, then pretty much the whole band looked at me, as if I was the problem.
Then the show finally started. Of course I could’ve used more practice and been more prepared. I had fun, but listening to the recordings afterwards (not to mention seeing the pictures of myself) made me cringe.
So after reading through that whole diatribe – you’d think probably a couple of things –
• Why put myself through this – what was the point?
• Will I have learned anything from this?
Regarding the first question - Maybe I enjoy being abused, embarrassed and constantly being told I’m wrong. I think I did it because after the recent experience of being treated like a living piece of shit in front of my own family by a fucking useless excuse of a human being, I felt mentally and emotionally I needed to get back to doing something (well anything) that made me feel somewhat better about myself. At the time, I felt that was music. In retrospect, what I should’ve been concentrating on was my own music, as opposed to something I didn’t create. But at the time, I felt in order to move forward with that, I needed other musicians, and in order to get access to those, I needed to get myself out there, establish a good playing reputation, and make a name for myself. I think that while I succeeded in some respects, there were others where I didn’t.
Which leads to the second one – No, I clearly didn’t learn anything.
Why?
Because right after this guess what? I did another type of show, with another band, and had pretty much the same experience. Admittedly I got this show because of my performance from this last one. And while the experience was similar, one key difference was that the bandleader was a nice guy, and was willing to listen to me without prejudice. While I had similar stress levels, my role was largely bass playing. Plus we did a number of songs where I could actually sing back-up, and had a great time.
The unfortunate side-effect of that was … when the original band came back and said they wanted to perform another show for a different organization, I was stoked from this show such that, I think I was blinded to the risky nature of what was actually being proposed. Not to mention that the concert was actually the last event listing of show events being presented. There would be no drums. There would be no ethnic percussion. So the idea came to use songs from the previous year’s performance as filler (all the chords were there, I was told – you’d think a red flag would’ve gone off in my head; it did, but I ignored it), while doing a few songs from the last show. It sounded good in email, and I conditionally accepted. I was only available for a limited number of practices. Plus I assumed their chords would be useable for this show.
I was wrong on both counts. Yeah I don't learn.
Of course the fucking chords weren’t correct. I’m not knocking people who worked on them – they did their best. But the bottom line was, they weren’t coherent enough to be able to perform for the show. On top of that, someone in the band decided to sneak in a couple of new songs.
I was told there’d be no pressure on me. That is, any parts I could not play, they’d just pick up on keyboards or whatever. As if that somehow was supposed to make me feel better – remember that who bit about being on stage looking like a total idiot while someone else is playing (recall the auto-tune comparison)?
But what can I say? I accepted before actually verifying the quality of chords and work involved. It was a classic bait-and-switch routine, and I fell for it. I didn’t think it right to suddenly turn around and withdraw.
And of course, once again, despite the chords being written by someone else, despite not knowing all the songs fully, who were they turning to figure things out, to complain when things were not sounding right? Why me of course!
I did decide to do something different though.
I’d been so negative about the whole thing, that I was reminded that I should spend less time being so critical, and more time being positive and accepting about what people can and will do. And in doing so, I should spend more time improving my own abilities and attitudes towards others, instead of being constantly upset and stressed about it. And I was – to a certain point.
But wait, there’s more!
Because of my apparent outsider status, I was not allowed any input into the sequence. Had they done so, I would’ve inquired about the other events being performed before us. The reason was that these events and their results would set the tone for the audience gauge on how well they’d receive our concert. Because of a number of delays in the sound check, and the organizers allowing an unprofessional dance troupe to prance on-and on, despite not being organized, we went on much later than expected. And on top of that, a % of the audience had left due to impatience. What group remained wasn’t very receptive to our initial numbers, which were not of the energetic/dance variety. So in the end, we cut a number of songs. On top of all that …
On one of the songs, the singer had a ‘someone-else’ singing backup, who wasn’t going to be at this show. Beforehand he expressed that he was concerned about singing alone. When I asked him what could be done to help him, he suggested if someone else could sing the backup, that’d ease his stress. So I offered to do it.
Right before we started the song, I went up to the microphone to sing. I was greeted by some not-so-friendly non-amusement by some of the other singers who were standing there to do other things - except actually sing. But in the end, I ended up singing backup. Sure the sound wasn’t the greatest, but I think it went okay. That singer was very grateful.
However I suspect this has created an impression in many of the band members’ minds that I was trying to ape their routine. As a result, some band members have basically refused to speak to me since. Ironically that actual singer in question was grateful.
So what have I really accomplished, other than look stupid on stage, play things incorrectly, be disliked by band members, and worst of all, not focus on my own musical development?
...
I’ve been told that with these kinds of bands, they are like ‘family’. That is, it’s expected that people act a certain way, but in the end, they come together for a cause, and they stick through it.
The problem I have with this is that’s never ever been my experience. And what does ‘family’ have to do with it? It seems to me that term is just being used as a way to protect ignorant and stupid behavior; often times people like me end up on the receiving end for. And it goes back to not being a native resident or speaker of the languages in question. In a lot of peoples’ minds (I suspect) I’m not a real native, and therefore not worthy of this kind of familial kinship. I see it as they treat me more like the family butler or chauffeur, or worse, and untouchable.
Maybe I should finally wake up and finally learn from all these experiences. I’m not a saint; I don’t claim I’ve acted perfectly. But not being a saint doesn’t excuse the crappy behavior directed at me. Maybe I should finally realize that the respect and attention I want isn’t going to happen in these areas.
It’s really frustrating though. While I’ve gone down the path of writing again, I’ve fallen short of my goals, despite having a number of ideas to collect from. And that’s the problem – I’ve failed to use the tools I have in front of me to better use. Instead of documenting only finished songs in one journal, what I should be doing is keeping 2nd journal and placing all my ideas in one place, for use in documenting them in the 1st one.
So, perhaps all is not lost.
And … there’s still a chance I might finally learn some lessons and take them to heart.
We’ll see.
...
Why does this all matter? Am I self-absorbed? Do I suffer from some sort of martyr complex? Aren’t there more important things in life?
I suppose it matters because it’s something I enjoy. And more importantly, despite all the troubles and responsibilities in life that I have to continually attend to and be accountable for, music is something that makes me feel good. I feel like I’m accomplishing something.
I likely am somewhat self-absorbed. A part of me though looks at it as being proud of what one has, and what one can do. I guess a part of me believes that I do have some talent and some skills and some interests and desires and drive such that I think I have what it takes to succeed making my life better through it. I’ve written enough songs such that I know can do it.
I admit that I’ve gone through such experiences as described above enough times that you’d think I’d be more wary. And maybe I’ve done these things because a part of me feels it’s in a small way an opportunity to get closer to the culture I otherwise have been alien to.
Sure there are important things in life. Sure there are things in this life that need that attention I mentioned a moment ago. I always remind myself that you can never get that moment back, that you should always play that chord, that riff, sing that line, beat that drum as if it’s your best and our last. It’s that kind of intensity and passion that I strive for. I cannot stop global warming alone. I cannot achieve world peace alone. I cannot stop hatred from spreading, or war from destroying alone.
But perhaps through things I love, things I enjoy, I’d be in a better position in my own life to better address those kinds of issues, perhaps with other like-minded people.
Perhaps there is a better way. Perhaps it’s not too late to find that. But in the end, I feel that what makes you happy, what you strive to pursue, what brings people together to solve our problems and in turn, make our collective existence happier in better, makes it all worthwhile.
Well, I’ll tell you anyways.
Music is something I enjoy immensely. Playing, listening, performing, you name it, I love it. And perhaps most important to me – I enjoy getting my own music out there for people to listen to. It’s something I rank up there with sex, good food, and working out.
But somehow over the last few months, it’s become a case where what I enjoy had become my own personal nightmare, for a number of reasons.
Months ago, I was asked to perform for an ensemble group of a non-Caucasian background. I had actually performed for this band some years ago as one of its ‘core’ members, and had also performed for it during the middle-half of the last decade. Initially I was asked to play on a handful of songs, and was told that all the songs had chords worked out. I simply had to come in and play. Despite my instincts telling me otherwise, I went for it.
I posted about this before, but now I'd like to provide some more detail, as, well ...let's just say you might be able to sense some patterns.
How naïve I was. Or more like age and time had made me forget the reasons why I stayed away from this whole scene.
Within five minutes of walking into the first rehearsal, I was treated like a consultant in an IT company. I felt like I was treated like a dumb terminal whose job is to just execute when called. Except, none of the chords for most of the 20+ songs were actually worked out. The fellow who was initially playing guitar and bass – while a nice guy - wasn’t able to come up with the correct chords for the majority of songs. And none of the other musicians were able to do the same.
So, I took it upon myself to help the cause by working that out on the majority of songs. I should’ve known that in doing so, I’d be open to criticism and arguing over whether what I was coming up with was correct. I didn’t mind that, so long as we resolved the issues and moved on. But some folks were in a mood to keep attacking, arguing and keep criticizing – a part of me thinks they were threatened by someone who had been there before, who knew what they were doing, who was pretty good at this stuff, suddenly telling them that what they were doing was wrong and so forth. It seems after all these years, the disease of ‘Leadsingeritis’ has claimed another band. On top of that apart from a couple of people, no one was really taking any initiative to be on time, to make an effort to really practice. Some even took the opportunity to goof off, make jokes.
While a lot of what I describe is cultural, in my mind it was dishonorable and disrespectful to people like me who were sincerely trying to make an effort and putting on the best performance possible. My view - as selfish as it has been deemed - was that regardless of all the planning, marketing, song selection – they are important – none of all those other things mean much if our performance on stage as a band sucks.
But no one seemed to want to really listen to me when I’d raise an issue over something. Okay one other person was concerned, but this person though a vocalist, was not someone who played an instrument, or performed percussion. And, the person only sang a limited number of songs. Whereas I was being drawn into every single song, and now being held accountable for when the song went wrong, or didn’t sound like the recordings. Of course one reason for this was we were lowering the scales on some tunes because some singers couldn’t be bothered to make an effort. On top of all this, whenever I made a mistake - which were admittedly numerous- or could not play a part, I felt like they were on me like a shadow (“Were the chords right?” “You missed something”. “That’s not there”. Etc.). Of course my own limitations in my playing opened up the opportunity for others to say “Hey, we’ll just play that on keyboards”, with the subtle implication that I wasn’t good enough.
Now let’s be honest - a part of me knows they were right to a large extent. At the same time, I never advertised myself as someone who can play guitar solos, but somehow that’s the standard I was now being held to. On top of that, most of the songs actually featured 2-3 guitar parts going at the same time. In that context, there were a number of songs where people were (now) suddenly playing Monday morning quarterback and now willing to have the parts played on keys or so forth. I suspect this was because they could see how limited a musician I really was, and that meant I could be attacked. Which of course makes me look like a complete fool on stage – it’s kind of dumb to be a guitar player on stage and having parts being played by some other player on a completely different instrument. That’s like a singer being onstage and pretending to sing, while a process is actually doing the work (hey now – isn’t that how auto-tune works?!).
It didn’t help that I didn’t speak the language, and wasn’t a native resident of the country. Maybe I’ve been just acutely paranoid all my life, but it was hard to escape the feeling that once again, I’m being treated like an outsider. This is how it felt at the time, as it had many times before.
And of course, when it came to the day of the show, I was being admonished for having a buzz in my amp on stage. Never mind that I told the sound guy to run the signal from the effects unit, not the amp. Of course, then pretty much the whole band looked at me, as if I was the problem.
Then the show finally started. Of course I could’ve used more practice and been more prepared. I had fun, but listening to the recordings afterwards (not to mention seeing the pictures of myself) made me cringe.
So after reading through that whole diatribe – you’d think probably a couple of things –
• Why put myself through this – what was the point?
• Will I have learned anything from this?
Regarding the first question - Maybe I enjoy being abused, embarrassed and constantly being told I’m wrong. I think I did it because after the recent experience of being treated like a living piece of shit in front of my own family by a fucking useless excuse of a human being, I felt mentally and emotionally I needed to get back to doing something (well anything) that made me feel somewhat better about myself. At the time, I felt that was music. In retrospect, what I should’ve been concentrating on was my own music, as opposed to something I didn’t create. But at the time, I felt in order to move forward with that, I needed other musicians, and in order to get access to those, I needed to get myself out there, establish a good playing reputation, and make a name for myself. I think that while I succeeded in some respects, there were others where I didn’t.
Which leads to the second one – No, I clearly didn’t learn anything.
Why?
Because right after this guess what? I did another type of show, with another band, and had pretty much the same experience. Admittedly I got this show because of my performance from this last one. And while the experience was similar, one key difference was that the bandleader was a nice guy, and was willing to listen to me without prejudice. While I had similar stress levels, my role was largely bass playing. Plus we did a number of songs where I could actually sing back-up, and had a great time.
The unfortunate side-effect of that was … when the original band came back and said they wanted to perform another show for a different organization, I was stoked from this show such that, I think I was blinded to the risky nature of what was actually being proposed. Not to mention that the concert was actually the last event listing of show events being presented. There would be no drums. There would be no ethnic percussion. So the idea came to use songs from the previous year’s performance as filler (all the chords were there, I was told – you’d think a red flag would’ve gone off in my head; it did, but I ignored it), while doing a few songs from the last show. It sounded good in email, and I conditionally accepted. I was only available for a limited number of practices. Plus I assumed their chords would be useable for this show.
I was wrong on both counts. Yeah I don't learn.
Of course the fucking chords weren’t correct. I’m not knocking people who worked on them – they did their best. But the bottom line was, they weren’t coherent enough to be able to perform for the show. On top of that, someone in the band decided to sneak in a couple of new songs.
I was told there’d be no pressure on me. That is, any parts I could not play, they’d just pick up on keyboards or whatever. As if that somehow was supposed to make me feel better – remember that who bit about being on stage looking like a total idiot while someone else is playing (recall the auto-tune comparison)?
But what can I say? I accepted before actually verifying the quality of chords and work involved. It was a classic bait-and-switch routine, and I fell for it. I didn’t think it right to suddenly turn around and withdraw.
And of course, once again, despite the chords being written by someone else, despite not knowing all the songs fully, who were they turning to figure things out, to complain when things were not sounding right? Why me of course!
I did decide to do something different though.
I’d been so negative about the whole thing, that I was reminded that I should spend less time being so critical, and more time being positive and accepting about what people can and will do. And in doing so, I should spend more time improving my own abilities and attitudes towards others, instead of being constantly upset and stressed about it. And I was – to a certain point.
But wait, there’s more!
Because of my apparent outsider status, I was not allowed any input into the sequence. Had they done so, I would’ve inquired about the other events being performed before us. The reason was that these events and their results would set the tone for the audience gauge on how well they’d receive our concert. Because of a number of delays in the sound check, and the organizers allowing an unprofessional dance troupe to prance on-and on, despite not being organized, we went on much later than expected. And on top of that, a % of the audience had left due to impatience. What group remained wasn’t very receptive to our initial numbers, which were not of the energetic/dance variety. So in the end, we cut a number of songs. On top of all that …
On one of the songs, the singer had a ‘someone-else’ singing backup, who wasn’t going to be at this show. Beforehand he expressed that he was concerned about singing alone. When I asked him what could be done to help him, he suggested if someone else could sing the backup, that’d ease his stress. So I offered to do it.
Right before we started the song, I went up to the microphone to sing. I was greeted by some not-so-friendly non-amusement by some of the other singers who were standing there to do other things - except actually sing. But in the end, I ended up singing backup. Sure the sound wasn’t the greatest, but I think it went okay. That singer was very grateful.
However I suspect this has created an impression in many of the band members’ minds that I was trying to ape their routine. As a result, some band members have basically refused to speak to me since. Ironically that actual singer in question was grateful.
So what have I really accomplished, other than look stupid on stage, play things incorrectly, be disliked by band members, and worst of all, not focus on my own musical development?
...
I’ve been told that with these kinds of bands, they are like ‘family’. That is, it’s expected that people act a certain way, but in the end, they come together for a cause, and they stick through it.
The problem I have with this is that’s never ever been my experience. And what does ‘family’ have to do with it? It seems to me that term is just being used as a way to protect ignorant and stupid behavior; often times people like me end up on the receiving end for. And it goes back to not being a native resident or speaker of the languages in question. In a lot of peoples’ minds (I suspect) I’m not a real native, and therefore not worthy of this kind of familial kinship. I see it as they treat me more like the family butler or chauffeur, or worse, and untouchable.
Maybe I should finally wake up and finally learn from all these experiences. I’m not a saint; I don’t claim I’ve acted perfectly. But not being a saint doesn’t excuse the crappy behavior directed at me. Maybe I should finally realize that the respect and attention I want isn’t going to happen in these areas.
It’s really frustrating though. While I’ve gone down the path of writing again, I’ve fallen short of my goals, despite having a number of ideas to collect from. And that’s the problem – I’ve failed to use the tools I have in front of me to better use. Instead of documenting only finished songs in one journal, what I should be doing is keeping 2nd journal and placing all my ideas in one place, for use in documenting them in the 1st one.
So, perhaps all is not lost.
And … there’s still a chance I might finally learn some lessons and take them to heart.
We’ll see.
...
Why does this all matter? Am I self-absorbed? Do I suffer from some sort of martyr complex? Aren’t there more important things in life?
I suppose it matters because it’s something I enjoy. And more importantly, despite all the troubles and responsibilities in life that I have to continually attend to and be accountable for, music is something that makes me feel good. I feel like I’m accomplishing something.
I likely am somewhat self-absorbed. A part of me though looks at it as being proud of what one has, and what one can do. I guess a part of me believes that I do have some talent and some skills and some interests and desires and drive such that I think I have what it takes to succeed making my life better through it. I’ve written enough songs such that I know can do it.
I admit that I’ve gone through such experiences as described above enough times that you’d think I’d be more wary. And maybe I’ve done these things because a part of me feels it’s in a small way an opportunity to get closer to the culture I otherwise have been alien to.
Sure there are important things in life. Sure there are things in this life that need that attention I mentioned a moment ago. I always remind myself that you can never get that moment back, that you should always play that chord, that riff, sing that line, beat that drum as if it’s your best and our last. It’s that kind of intensity and passion that I strive for. I cannot stop global warming alone. I cannot achieve world peace alone. I cannot stop hatred from spreading, or war from destroying alone.
But perhaps through things I love, things I enjoy, I’d be in a better position in my own life to better address those kinds of issues, perhaps with other like-minded people.
Perhaps there is a better way. Perhaps it’s not too late to find that. But in the end, I feel that what makes you happy, what you strive to pursue, what brings people together to solve our problems and in turn, make our collective existence happier in better, makes it all worthwhile.
2011-10-30
An interesting entry to read.
Very important too, since it has much to do with reading itself, and its electronic future -
http://welcomebacktopottersville.blogspot.com/2011/10/collusion-continuum.html#links
Fucking assholes at Amazon.
http://welcomebacktopottersville.blogspot.com/2011/10/collusion-continuum.html#links
Fucking assholes at Amazon.
2011-10-28
Yeah, that's what I always suspected.
http://www.fair.org/blog/2011/10/28/the-nonconspiratorial-worldview-of-michael-gordon/
Wow, this Gordon guy sure comes off as a closeted right-winger, doesn't he?
Priceless.
But wait - there's more!
The Glaspie meeting with Hussein has been pretty well-known for years. As FAIR pointed out in 1991, Glaspie's apparent message to Hussein was that the United States would not actively object to Iraq invading Kuwait.
One of the WikiLeaks cables that was recently released covered that meeting. And from that account, it's not clear that Saddam Hussein misread anything. As Harvard professor Stephen Walt wrote back when the cable was released:
Wow, this Gordon guy sure comes off as a closeted right-winger, doesn't he?
Gordon calmly explains, free of a conspiratorial mind-set, that Iran/Contra was just an operation "to open a private channel to the new leadership in Tehran and to generate secret profits that could be sent to Nicaraguan rebels. " You know, the way any superpower funnels support to a terrorist group. No big deal.
Priceless.
But wait - there's more!
The Glaspie meeting with Hussein has been pretty well-known for years. As FAIR pointed out in 1991, Glaspie's apparent message to Hussein was that the United States would not actively object to Iraq invading Kuwait.
One of the WikiLeaks cables that was recently released covered that meeting. And from that account, it's not clear that Saddam Hussein misread anything. As Harvard professor Stephen Walt wrote back when the cable was released:
a careful reading of the cable suggests that Saddam could have easily interpreted Glaspie's conversation, along with other statements by U.S. officials, as a sign that the United States was not strongly committed to protecting Kuwait."Gee, I wonder how anyone could misinterpret "an Iraqi attack on Kuwait would not draw a U.S. military response." ? More like bold-faced lying to me.
2011-10-27
Peak Oil
I should be ashamed of myself for not following some of the blogs I list on my site.
Here's a gem of a picture -
Source: Transition Canada Blog.
Here's a gem of a picture -
Source: Transition Canada Blog.
2011-10-24
Fuck - why?
Does the American media have any original ideas in terms of what entertains filmgoers?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(2011_film)
Oh but wait, this is a prequel to the actual remake. That makes everything alright then.
It's times like this I wish I went to film school. I have lots of ideas, but know nothing about how to turn them into finished stories which can be filmed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(2011_film)
Oh but wait, this is a prequel to the actual remake. That makes everything alright then.
It's times like this I wish I went to film school. I have lots of ideas, but know nothing about how to turn them into finished stories which can be filmed.
2011-10-20
The disconnection in a story, and the distortion of reality it presents.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Muammar_Gaddafi
On the one hand ... the United States and France had a clear role in what happened .... (items noted in bold below)
On the other hand ....
Dictatorial and violent? Didn't we see just a moment ago that the French were involved in the operations that led to this guy's death?
But wait, it gets better...
Yeah, launching drone missiles isn't tyranny?
Look, I never liked the guy. For as long as I can remember he was pretty much a dictator and a lunatic. That's not the point though.
What makes what these two countries' action any less than what's described? Frankly I see the hypocrisy of the whole affair will largely be lost on most folks.
(Note - this is based on the story in it's current state from the link above. I'm sure over time, this will have changed, and all for be forgotten).
On the one hand ... the United States and France had a clear role in what happened .... (items noted in bold below)
On the morning of Thursday, 20 October, Gaddafi made a last-ditch attempt to escape in a convoy. At 8:30 a.m.[4] the convoy of vehicles carrying Gaddafi and his army chief Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr was hit by a French Air Force air strike about 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of Sirte, killing dozens of loyalist fighters. The convoy was also hit by a United States Air Force Predator drone, which fired a Hellfire missile in conjunction with the French attack.[5] French Defense Minister Gérard Longuet stated that the French forces fired a warning shot that stopped the convoy's escape, but did not destroy it.[6]
On the other hand ....
·
Dictatorial and violent? Didn't we see just a moment ago that the French were involved in the operations that led to this guy's death?
But wait, it gets better...
·
Yeah, launching drone missiles isn't tyranny?
Look, I never liked the guy. For as long as I can remember he was pretty much a dictator and a lunatic. That's not the point though.
What makes what these two countries' action any less than what's described? Frankly I see the hypocrisy of the whole affair will largely be lost on most folks.
(Note - this is based on the story in it's current state from the link above. I'm sure over time, this will have changed, and all for be forgotten).
2011-10-17
How nice: Blogger helps bloggers with ... a blog!
http://knownissues.blogspot.com/
Gold star for them.
Too bad it doesn't help me - I still can't post to my blog with my gucci smart(ish)phone due to bx-related errors.
Gold star for them.
Too bad it doesn't help me - I still can't post to my blog with my gucci smart(ish)phone due to bx-related errors.
2011-10-14
The new arms race
As if the previous ones weren't enough.
http://www.thenation.com/article/163923/cyber-arms-race-has-begun
http://www.thenation.com/article/163923/cyber-arms-race-has-begun
Individuals, companies and governments are constantly under cyberattacks whose origins are uncertain at best and usually unknown. The great majority of these are opportunistic. Hackers send out viruses that report back to them when they have entered a computer whose owner has failed to install or update antivirus security systems. But just as it is hard to identify where the attack is coming from, it is also very difficult to know why it is happening.
2011-10-13
Those bastards at ALEC are at it again
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2011/10/11053/alec-and-coca-cola-classic-collaboration
Priceless bonus comment -
"Let's keep in mind that we are paying for this in the form of crop subsidies as well - high-fructose corn syrup needs a purpose after our government pays our farmers to produce nothing but this nutritionally-void commodity. What a better way to use all that surplus than to supply the beverage industry with it's main ingredient? Subsidies to provide us with a "totally unessecary and worthless product". "
Priceless bonus comment -
"Let's keep in mind that we are paying for this in the form of crop subsidies as well - high-fructose corn syrup needs a purpose after our government pays our farmers to produce nothing but this nutritionally-void commodity. What a better way to use all that surplus than to supply the beverage industry with it's main ingredient? Subsidies to provide us with a "totally unessecary and worthless product". "
2011-10-12
My new favorite escape site.
http://www.beatlesbible.com/
It's a very well-done site, and it's clear the owner has a great love of all things related to The Beatles. It's very in-depth, but at the same time, very easy of just about anyone to begin learning about them.
I don't care what anyone says. Just about any variation on pop and rock can be traced back to them. And while many can claim that Elvis was the first true rock 'n roll star - while he was a great singer and performer - The Beatles were both that, plus the originators and performers of the music they created.
This site details all that, and more.
Check it out some time.
It's a very well-done site, and it's clear the owner has a great love of all things related to The Beatles. It's very in-depth, but at the same time, very easy of just about anyone to begin learning about them.
I don't care what anyone says. Just about any variation on pop and rock can be traced back to them. And while many can claim that Elvis was the first true rock 'n roll star - while he was a great singer and performer - The Beatles were both that, plus the originators and performers of the music they created.
This site details all that, and more.
Check it out some time.
2011-10-10
To plan for a better future ...
... sometimes we have to learn from the past.
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/10/moving-beyond-war/
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/10/10/moving-beyond-war/
2011-10-07
Another gig
Yes, somehow I got myself roped into another gig. More cover tunes (when will I ever learn?), close to 25 to be exact!
I have an entry coming up about the whole experience (one that builds on the my previous show thoughts).
Stay tuned ...
I have an entry coming up about the whole experience (one that builds on the my previous show thoughts).
Stay tuned ...
2011-10-04
Forget all that Mad Men bullshit about what the '60's were like ...
... with all its revisionist and misandric bullshit.
If you're into fantasy and the 1960's, this is worth noting - on this day back in 1962 ...
1962 – Dr. No, the first in the James Bond film series, was released.
If you're into fantasy and the 1960's, this is worth noting - on this day back in 1962 ...
1962 – Dr. No, the first in the James Bond film series, was released.
2011-10-03
The story the American traditional media is trying in vain to have people ignore.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupy_Wall_Street
How much do you wanna bet much of the violent actions that have come about, have been instigated by the police, or are FBI plants in the crowd; all for the purposes of discrediting the movement among the American public?
How much do you wanna bet much of the violent actions that have come about, have been instigated by the police, or are FBI plants in the crowd; all for the purposes of discrediting the movement among the American public?
2011-09-28
Dream Job = oxymoron.
For me at least it is.
My dream is to not be working.
Okay - what I mean is, what I enjoy doing, what makes me happy, what makes me successful, shouldn't really be work.
My dream is to not be working.
Okay - what I mean is, what I enjoy doing, what makes me happy, what makes me successful, shouldn't really be work.
2011-09-21
The other execution of the day
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHzIA3ytZIHcJVxmefFNs9DYX9ZQ?docId=CNG.bf51fd259343ad1c049430a593390107.91
I ask myself - is this really justice for James Byrd? Is killing this guy ever going to bring Byrd back?
Was Brewer ever remorseful?
To me, it's not much different that the Troy Davis thing (though in that case, American Justice demonstrates it's horrible failure by taking more than 20 years to make the wrong decision). It has nothing to do with innocence or guilt.
Killing is wrong - regardless of whether done by one, or by all.
I ask myself - is this really justice for James Byrd? Is killing this guy ever going to bring Byrd back?
Was Brewer ever remorseful?
To me, it's not much different that the Troy Davis thing (though in that case, American Justice demonstrates it's horrible failure by taking more than 20 years to make the wrong decision). It has nothing to do with innocence or guilt.
Killing is wrong - regardless of whether done by one, or by all.
Amazon: modern slavery with a 21th century corporate twist.
Everytime one clicks on a link from their site, or orders something from them, this is what you are supporting and propping up.
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/315-19/7500-inside-amazons-sweatshop
If that isn't a description for modern corporate slavery, I don't know what is.
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/315-19/7500-inside-amazons-sweatshop
If that isn't a description for modern corporate slavery, I don't know what is.
2011-09-20
If I were Troy Davis right now ...
... this is what I'd say to those about to kill me -
Someday in time, perhaps in the not-too-distant future ...
... when the facts surrounding what really happened become known. ...
... they will confirm what I say here and now - and what
I've always stated - is correct.
That is - I didn't commit the crime for which I've been convicted of.
I'm an innocent man being put to death for something I didn't do. And that
the real killer is still out there.
It appears now - at this moment - that time will not arrive to save me.
But perhaps in the future, it will exonerate me.
And when that happens ... and when this becomes known ...
... when those who have asserted and insisted and fought to maintain this
injustice against me and the vicitim are finally found to be in error ...
... I can only hope that whatever deity they believe in ... grants them far more
mercy than I will have been granted here, now, and forever.
Someday in time, perhaps in the not-too-distant future ...
... when the facts surrounding what really happened become known. ...
... they will confirm what I say here and now - and what
I've always stated - is correct.
That is - I didn't commit the crime for which I've been convicted of.
I'm an innocent man being put to death for something I didn't do. And that
the real killer is still out there.
It appears now - at this moment - that time will not arrive to save me.
But perhaps in the future, it will exonerate me.
And when that happens ... and when this becomes known ...
... when those who have asserted and insisted and fought to maintain this
injustice against me and the vicitim are finally found to be in error ...
... I can only hope that whatever deity they believe in ... grants them far more
mercy than I will have been granted here, now, and forever.
2011-09-19
This would be a lot more funnier if it weren't so truthful
http://www.theonion.com/articles/well-i-guess-ill-just-take-my-business-to-another,21357/
The sad reality is, for many businesses and industries, this is exactly the way they see their customers. Just interchangeable sets of numbers that drive their bottom dollar. And as long as a certain percentage of them return - even every so often - in the end, it doesn't seem like it matters much.
The sad reality is, for many businesses and industries, this is exactly the way they see their customers. Just interchangeable sets of numbers that drive their bottom dollar. And as long as a certain percentage of them return - even every so often - in the end, it doesn't seem like it matters much.
2011-09-18
Quote of the day - 09-18-2011
"I refuse to believe that corporations are people until Texas executes one."
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1962067
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1962067
2011-09-14
The disappearing American middle-class ...
... Proctor and Gamble ... just the latest conglomerate to be more direct about it.
(h/t to naked capitalism)
2011-09-12
Here we go again - and yes it will get worse
Arctic sea ice hits record low
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/09/12/science-arctic-sea-ice-record.html
"The amount of sea ice covering the Arctic is lower than ever before, satellite data show.
The Arctic sea ice hit a record low of 4.24 million square kilometres on Sept. 8, breaking a previous record set on Sept. 16, 2007 by 27,000 square kilometres, the Physical Analysis and Remote Sensing Images unit at the University of Bremen's Institute of Physical Analysis reported in a news release."
But wait, there's more!
"The record could "even be undercut in the next weeks," the release said, as sea ice is continuing to melt."
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2011/09/12/science-arctic-sea-ice-record.html
"The amount of sea ice covering the Arctic is lower than ever before, satellite data show.
The Arctic sea ice hit a record low of 4.24 million square kilometres on Sept. 8, breaking a previous record set on Sept. 16, 2007 by 27,000 square kilometres, the Physical Analysis and Remote Sensing Images unit at the University of Bremen's Institute of Physical Analysis reported in a news release."
But wait, there's more!
"The record could "even be undercut in the next weeks," the release said, as sea ice is continuing to melt."
Seriously George - why?
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20100085-1/lucasfilm-changes-original-star-wars-trilogy-again/
Why George?
Can't you just leave things alone?
Or really, if you are so hung up about changing things in movies you made almost 30 years ago, why not just re-make the films using complete CGI?
Why George?
Can't you just leave things alone?
Or really, if you are so hung up about changing things in movies you made almost 30 years ago, why not just re-make the films using complete CGI?
2011-09-11
Dream Killers and Growing Up.
Tom Leykis has for years said that wives and kids are 'dream-killers' for men, in that they essentially take up so much of a man's time on the responsibilities of taking care of them such that he doesn't have any time to pursue his own ambitions.
A very similar notion is played out in the idea that kindergarten is the first real aspect of life where a child's innocence is lost (i.e.where they have to start growing up), and where things like independant thinking, and creative innovation are stifled.
While I agree with both of these to a large extent, I don't fully do so.
I think that each condition is really a test of one's resolve; a way of really determining whether one has will, the fortitude, and ... is willing to do what is necessary to see what they desire come about.
For me, it goes back to something Jock Ewing always said -
A very similar notion is played out in the idea that kindergarten is the first real aspect of life where a child's innocence is lost (i.e.where they have to start growing up), and where things like independant thinking, and creative innovation are stifled.
While I agree with both of these to a large extent, I don't fully do so.
I think that each condition is really a test of one's resolve; a way of really determining whether one has will, the fortitude, and ... is willing to do what is necessary to see what they desire come about.
For me, it goes back to something Jock Ewing always said -
Any man can win when things go his way, it's the man who overcomes adversity that is the true champion.
Of course, life would be easy without them. To be born without having to really deal with those things can sometimes make one take things for granted.
To me, that is what 'dream-killers' and 'growing up' all about. They are are road-blocks meant to test our passions and pursuits - are we really determined to succeed despite having these things thrown in your path.
2011-09-09
Wow, looks like W wasn't the only right-winger who stole elections.
I always thought it was suspicious that the Iranians delayed releasing the American hostages until the day Ronald Reagan actually was sworn in as President Of The United States. I found it even more so, that his Vice-President (George Herbert Walker Bush) was once a director of the CIA.
There was also this pesky, nagging thought in the back of my head, that some of the Iranian radicals behind the group that overthrew the Shah had ties to the CIA.
Still ... all just conjecture, right? It's not like that had any impact on the 1980 US Presidential Election, right?
Well ...
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/09/09/bushs-october-surprise-file-in-dispute/
Wow ...
"The National Archives is reconsidering its initial refusal to release Secret Service records regarding the whereabouts of George H.W. Bush on Oct. 19, 1980, when the then-Republican vice presidential candidate is alleged by some witnesses to have secretly traveled to Paris for illicit meetings with Iranian officials.
Gary M. Stern, general counsel for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), told me that a “serious review” is under way regarding my complaint that an earlier decision – to withhold that information out of concern for the safety of Secret Service agents – made no sense.
Stern said a decision is likely in the next couple of weeks, a time frame that suggests that Bush’s approval is being sought before any final decision is reached. Under existing rules, Bush could assert executive privilege to prevent a release, but that could be overturned by President Barack Obama or the White House counsel’s office.
For the past two decades, the senior George Bush has resisted releasing this information, even when it was sought by congressional investigators in 1992 as part of an inquiry into whether Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign went behind President Jimmy Carter’s back to delay release of 52 Americans then held hostage in Iran, the so-called October Surprise controversy.
Though redacted Secret Service reports were released in the early 1990s showing that Bush was taking that weekend off in Washington (with two non-public visits on Oct. 19, 1980), key details of those movements were whited-out, including the destination of an afternoon trip."
Why is it I'm not surprised that a cheating family is behind much of the disasters that have hit America?
There was also this pesky, nagging thought in the back of my head, that some of the Iranian radicals behind the group that overthrew the Shah had ties to the CIA.
Still ... all just conjecture, right? It's not like that had any impact on the 1980 US Presidential Election, right?
Well ...
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/09/09/bushs-october-surprise-file-in-dispute/
Wow ...
"The National Archives is reconsidering its initial refusal to release Secret Service records regarding the whereabouts of George H.W. Bush on Oct. 19, 1980, when the then-Republican vice presidential candidate is alleged by some witnesses to have secretly traveled to Paris for illicit meetings with Iranian officials.
Gary M. Stern, general counsel for the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), told me that a “serious review” is under way regarding my complaint that an earlier decision – to withhold that information out of concern for the safety of Secret Service agents – made no sense.
Stern said a decision is likely in the next couple of weeks, a time frame that suggests that Bush’s approval is being sought before any final decision is reached. Under existing rules, Bush could assert executive privilege to prevent a release, but that could be overturned by President Barack Obama or the White House counsel’s office.
For the past two decades, the senior George Bush has resisted releasing this information, even when it was sought by congressional investigators in 1992 as part of an inquiry into whether Ronald Reagan’s 1980 campaign went behind President Jimmy Carter’s back to delay release of 52 Americans then held hostage in Iran, the so-called October Surprise controversy.
Though redacted Secret Service reports were released in the early 1990s showing that Bush was taking that weekend off in Washington (with two non-public visits on Oct. 19, 1980), key details of those movements were whited-out, including the destination of an afternoon trip."
Why is it I'm not surprised that a cheating family is behind much of the disasters that have hit America?
2011-09-07
Well what do you know?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_fatigue
Perhaps this explains all my bad decisions in life ... :)
Perhaps this explains all my bad decisions in life ... :)
2011-09-04
What horrible fucking crap the American Establishment via the US Government has done in the name of freedom.
Next time you see some asshole from the right-wing, a conservative, a Tea-bagger, a libertarian, or even an admitted member of the Republican Party or some devout religious group, or any other nature tell you that that the war in Iraq or any other place was justified, point them to this (h/t to Buzzflash)-
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/08/31/122789/wikileaks-iraqi-children-in-us.html.
"A U.S. diplomatic cable made public by WikiLeaks provides evidence that U.S. troops executed at least 10 Iraqi civilians, including a woman in her 70s and a 5-month-old infant, then called in an airstrike to destroy the evidence, during a controversial 2006 incident in the central Iraqi town of Ishaqi.
The unclassified cable, which was posted on WikiLeaks' website last week, contained questions from a United Nations investigator about the incident, which had angered local Iraqi officials, who demanded some kind of action from their government. U.S. officials denied at the time that anything inappropriate had occurred."
WARNING: What you see there isn't for the faint of heart.
And just in case the owner of the link is somehow compelled by subordinates connected to the very same elements to remove or redact what they orignally claim (or it conveniently comes out that the picture was faked) - read this by-line under the photograph -
"This cell phone photo was shot by a resident of Ishaqi on March 15, 2006, of bodies Iraqi police said were of children executed by U.S. troops after a night raid there. Here, the bodies of the five children are wrapped in blankets and laid in a pickup bed to be taken for burial. A State Department cable obtained by WikiLeaks quotes the U.N. investigator of extrajudicial killings as saying an autopsy showed the residents of the house had been handcuffed and shot in the head, including children under the age of 5. McClatchy obtained the photo from a resident when the incident occurred."
A part of me would like to get drunk or throw up, but frankly what would that do? No alcohol, drug or any other kind of vice will erase what I've seen.
This isn't war.
This isn't protecting anyone's freedom, let alone ours.
This isn't even terror.
This was cold-blooded murder and cover-up. And it was done on behalf of every American, not just the ones who supported this war, but all of them.
While it's one thing to be reminded that there are always innocent people in any conflict whose lives are 'caught in the middle' or destroyed 'accidentally', neither is the case here (whether that's really true or just made-up bullshit by chickenhawk types is a separate, but otherwise irrelevant issue now). The difference here is that this was a pre-meditated act against people (children) who had no involvement, no concept, no understanding of what was going on, or why this was happening, and never had a chance at life at all - all of which was committed on our behalf, with our money.
And ... we as readers have the evidence in front of us, backed by what the US Government communicated to its embassies, and what the media outlet's own investigation and data findings back up.
What does George W. Bush have to say about this?
What does Dick Cheney have to say about this?
What does Donald Rumsfeld have to say about this?
What to Powell, Rice, and every other member of that illegitimate administration have to save about this?
What does Barack Obama have to say about this? Or Joe Biden? Or Christine Gregoire, or any other Democrat for that matter?
I frankly don't know who are worse - the idiots who would continue to justify it - not knowing the photo and evidence existed - and would defend it still after the fact; or ... those who've known all these last five years and stayed silent?
What does that say about them?
What does that say about those like me who didn't know, or those who were too absorbed by Lady Gaga, or Jersey Shores, or the latest Disney crapfest which continue to turn us all into mindless consumers of stupidity; and allow all of this to go on and on? There's no point in bellowing on and on about how we are becoming an entertainment consumer society of increasing intellectual decay and permanent decline - we're there; and have been there for sometime.
I frankly have no answer. I honestly don't know if there is one.
I will say this however. It's a lot easier to hate a nation of people, or a group or culture when they are just random statistics you read about or data points in one's head to justify a point of view.
It's a lot harder to do that, when those random people's dead faces are in plain view forever, and when such people have names.
Maybe it's that part of me that is inside that likes to believe I have empathy. Maybe it's the part of me that's a parent and father; what if those were me and my family there? If we were a different race, living in that place, that'd be me and my family there - would anyone care about us? Would anyone be as affected by the loss?
And what can be said about people, who ... despite all that, still insist it was (and is) justified?
How many other events of a lesser or greater magnitude have occurred?
What will it take for anybody to to something about it?
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/08/31/122789/wikileaks-iraqi-children-in-us.html.
"A U.S. diplomatic cable made public by WikiLeaks provides evidence that U.S. troops executed at least 10 Iraqi civilians, including a woman in her 70s and a 5-month-old infant, then called in an airstrike to destroy the evidence, during a controversial 2006 incident in the central Iraqi town of Ishaqi.
The unclassified cable, which was posted on WikiLeaks' website last week, contained questions from a United Nations investigator about the incident, which had angered local Iraqi officials, who demanded some kind of action from their government. U.S. officials denied at the time that anything inappropriate had occurred."
WARNING: What you see there isn't for the faint of heart.
And just in case the owner of the link is somehow compelled by subordinates connected to the very same elements to remove or redact what they orignally claim (or it conveniently comes out that the picture was faked) - read this by-line under the photograph -
"This cell phone photo was shot by a resident of Ishaqi on March 15, 2006, of bodies Iraqi police said were of children executed by U.S. troops after a night raid there. Here, the bodies of the five children are wrapped in blankets and laid in a pickup bed to be taken for burial. A State Department cable obtained by WikiLeaks quotes the U.N. investigator of extrajudicial killings as saying an autopsy showed the residents of the house had been handcuffed and shot in the head, including children under the age of 5. McClatchy obtained the photo from a resident when the incident occurred."
A part of me would like to get drunk or throw up, but frankly what would that do? No alcohol, drug or any other kind of vice will erase what I've seen.
This isn't war.
This isn't protecting anyone's freedom, let alone ours.
This isn't even terror.
This was cold-blooded murder and cover-up. And it was done on behalf of every American, not just the ones who supported this war, but all of them.
While it's one thing to be reminded that there are always innocent people in any conflict whose lives are 'caught in the middle' or destroyed 'accidentally', neither is the case here (whether that's really true or just made-up bullshit by chickenhawk types is a separate, but otherwise irrelevant issue now). The difference here is that this was a pre-meditated act against people (children) who had no involvement, no concept, no understanding of what was going on, or why this was happening, and never had a chance at life at all - all of which was committed on our behalf, with our money.
And ... we as readers have the evidence in front of us, backed by what the US Government communicated to its embassies, and what the media outlet's own investigation and data findings back up.
What does George W. Bush have to say about this?
What does Dick Cheney have to say about this?
What does Donald Rumsfeld have to say about this?
What to Powell, Rice, and every other member of that illegitimate administration have to save about this?
What does Barack Obama have to say about this? Or Joe Biden? Or Christine Gregoire, or any other Democrat for that matter?
I frankly don't know who are worse - the idiots who would continue to justify it - not knowing the photo and evidence existed - and would defend it still after the fact; or ... those who've known all these last five years and stayed silent?
What does that say about them?
What does that say about those like me who didn't know, or those who were too absorbed by Lady Gaga, or Jersey Shores, or the latest Disney crapfest which continue to turn us all into mindless consumers of stupidity; and allow all of this to go on and on? There's no point in bellowing on and on about how we are becoming an entertainment consumer society of increasing intellectual decay and permanent decline - we're there; and have been there for sometime.
I frankly have no answer. I honestly don't know if there is one.
I will say this however. It's a lot easier to hate a nation of people, or a group or culture when they are just random statistics you read about or data points in one's head to justify a point of view.
It's a lot harder to do that, when those random people's dead faces are in plain view forever, and when such people have names.
Maybe it's that part of me that is inside that likes to believe I have empathy. Maybe it's the part of me that's a parent and father; what if those were me and my family there? If we were a different race, living in that place, that'd be me and my family there - would anyone care about us? Would anyone be as affected by the loss?
And what can be said about people, who ... despite all that, still insist it was (and is) justified?
How many other events of a lesser or greater magnitude have occurred?
What will it take for anybody to to something about it?
TalkingPointsMemo asks a very good question of Standard and Poors ...
Why Is S&P Giving Subprime Bonds A Higher Rating Than U.S. Debt?
"U.S. Treasuries -- widely believed to be the safest investment in the world -- don't make the cut, but subprime mortgage investments do? What gives?
Subprime mortgage-backed securities are the same class of assets that fueled the housing bubble and triggered the 2008 financial crisis. According to a 2010 report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the main ratings agencies fell over themselves to give these bonds AAA ratings, then abruptly downgraded them to junk status after mass mortgage delinquencies made maintaining the false ratings untenable. "
"U.S. Treasuries -- widely believed to be the safest investment in the world -- don't make the cut, but subprime mortgage investments do? What gives?
Subprime mortgage-backed securities are the same class of assets that fueled the housing bubble and triggered the 2008 financial crisis. According to a 2010 report by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, the main ratings agencies fell over themselves to give these bonds AAA ratings, then abruptly downgraded them to junk status after mass mortgage delinquencies made maintaining the false ratings untenable. "
2011-09-03
Quote of the day - 09-03-2011
"Wouldn't a more pertinent question be is addiction and depression a result of being expected to play the role of enforcer in the NHL?
Hockey could be a truly exciting game with no need for the thuggery exhibited in todays game. Get rid of the goons and cheap shots; bring back the excitement.."
From Ogham6
How about media institutions like the CBC stop referring to players in the NHL with titles that don't exist, like 'enforcer', or that other pathetic Don-Cherry-idiocy 'tough guy'. Neither of those are actual positions in the sport.
Hockey could be a truly exciting game with no need for the thuggery exhibited in todays game. Get rid of the goons and cheap shots; bring back the excitement.."
From Ogham6
How about media institutions like the CBC stop referring to players in the NHL with titles that don't exist, like 'enforcer', or that other pathetic Don-Cherry-idiocy 'tough guy'. Neither of those are actual positions in the sport.
2011-08-31
Finally the US Government shows some balls.
Feds block AT&T's buy of T-Mobile - Posted: 08/31/2011 10:35 AM.
On an unrelated note -
It's rather distressing to see poor grammar in of all mediums, a newspaper.
'Buy' in this context is being used incorrectly, as it's a verb, not a noun. Moreover, they haven't actually bought T-Mobile, so even the tense is wrong.
'Proposed Purchase' or 'Intended Acquisition' would be suitable terms.
On an unrelated note -
It's rather distressing to see poor grammar in of all mediums, a newspaper.
'Buy' in this context is being used incorrectly, as it's a verb, not a noun. Moreover, they haven't actually bought T-Mobile, so even the tense is wrong.
'Proposed Purchase' or 'Intended Acquisition' would be suitable terms.
2011-08-30
Quote of the day - 08-30-2011
Once again, courtesy of Mr. Glenn Greenwald. What he says is so obvious and so true. And the fact the society needs reminding of this is a testament to how far down the path of forgetfulness we've gone, and the disastrous consequences of doing so -
"The evidence is overwhelming... that Dick Cheney is not just a political figure with controversial views, but is an actual criminal, that he was centrally involved in a whole variety not just of war crimes in Iraq, but of domestic crimes, as well, including the authorization of warrantless eavesdropping on American citizens in violation of FISA, which says that you go to jail for five years for each offense, as well as the authorization and implementation of a worldwide torture regime that, according to General Barry McCaffrey, resulted in the murder -- his word -- of dozens of detainees, far beyond just the three or four cases of waterboarding that media figures typically ask Cheney about,"
Context? Read here - http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/former-bush-official-promises-testify-if-som
"The evidence is overwhelming... that Dick Cheney is not just a political figure with controversial views, but is an actual criminal, that he was centrally involved in a whole variety not just of war crimes in Iraq, but of domestic crimes, as well, including the authorization of warrantless eavesdropping on American citizens in violation of FISA, which says that you go to jail for five years for each offense, as well as the authorization and implementation of a worldwide torture regime that, according to General Barry McCaffrey, resulted in the murder -- his word -- of dozens of detainees, far beyond just the three or four cases of waterboarding that media figures typically ask Cheney about,"
Context? Read here - http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/former-bush-official-promises-testify-if-som
2011-08-29
Is it just me?
Or have things really taken a turn for the worst at Mini-Microsoft?
Behold - https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7555958&postID=7724554116624746518
But here's something interesting -
10 Sensible Things Microsoft Is Too Stupid To Do:
1. Move all online properties including Bing, Live, Skype and O365 into a separate company and float it, initially 100% MS owned. This entity owns its P&L and either sinks or swims.
2. Buy Nokia. Against iOS and with Google's MOTO purchase, not owning end-to-end HW and SW experience spells doom for WP 7.
3. Make E&D including Nokia a separate company and float it, initially 100% MS owned. Again, this entity owns its P&L and either sinks or swims.
4. Demote Ballmer to head of WW sales. Move Turner to the role he is best suited for, Chief Bureaucratic Officer, or better still fire his ass and get someone to run operations.
5. Hire a real CEO with similar deal Tim Cook got - 1/2 billion $ vesting over 10 years.
6. Terminate idiotic 'curve' BS. Hire a top-notch HR consultancy to fix the review system. Let LisaB spend more time with her family, and hire a real HR VP, not some 20 year product group hack.
7. Double dividend
8. Remove stock awards and pay market rates.
9. Remove current Board and get some people who actually can find their ass with ONE hand.
10. Completely review the software development practices, which currently are unable to create products customers want to buy.
Monday, August 29, 2011 9:06:00 AM
I would add one more key thing - hire some actual testers who spend their time you know, testing the software, instead of being coders who develop code to mimic testing the software.
Behold - https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7555958&postID=7724554116624746518
But here's something interesting -
10 Sensible Things Microsoft Is Too Stupid To Do:
1. Move all online properties including Bing, Live, Skype and O365 into a separate company and float it, initially 100% MS owned. This entity owns its P&L and either sinks or swims.
2. Buy Nokia. Against iOS and with Google's MOTO purchase, not owning end-to-end HW and SW experience spells doom for WP 7.
3. Make E&D including Nokia a separate company and float it, initially 100% MS owned. Again, this entity owns its P&L and either sinks or swims.
4. Demote Ballmer to head of WW sales. Move Turner to the role he is best suited for, Chief Bureaucratic Officer, or better still fire his ass and get someone to run operations.
5. Hire a real CEO with similar deal Tim Cook got - 1/2 billion $ vesting over 10 years.
6. Terminate idiotic 'curve' BS. Hire a top-notch HR consultancy to fix the review system. Let LisaB spend more time with her family, and hire a real HR VP, not some 20 year product group hack.
7. Double dividend
8. Remove stock awards and pay market rates.
9. Remove current Board and get some people who actually can find their ass with ONE hand.
10. Completely review the software development practices, which currently are unable to create products customers want to buy.
Monday, August 29, 2011 9:06:00 AM
I would add one more key thing - hire some actual testers who spend their time you know, testing the software, instead of being coders who develop code to mimic testing the software.
2011-08-28
Stupidity observation for the day.
http://notebooks.phantascene.com/2011/07/portland-punch/
"I picked up a bottle of Portland Punch in the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. This is a one quart bottle of highly condensed loganberry and raspberry flavoring for creating fruit juice – just add water."
Oh but wait, it gets better.
"The Portland Punch has all of the things you would expect in juice concentrate: high fructose corn syrup, water, fruit juice, and natural and artificial flavorings."
Yeah, from HFCS you cannot create fruit juice. Are there people this fucking stupid in the world?
"I picked up a bottle of Portland Punch in the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. This is a one quart bottle of highly condensed loganberry and raspberry flavoring for creating fruit juice – just add water."
Oh but wait, it gets better.
"The Portland Punch has all of the things you would expect in juice concentrate: high fructose corn syrup, water, fruit juice, and natural and artificial flavorings."
Yeah, from HFCS you cannot create fruit juice. Are there people this fucking stupid in the world?
2011-08-24
Gee ... just when you think the tech world can't top itself.
First - the number one PC maker decides to bow out.
Then the number two software company is actually considering buying the number one PC maker.
But wait - there's more!
There's this -
Then the number two software company is actually considering buying the number one PC maker.
But wait - there's more!
There's this -
Steve Jobs Resigns as CEO of Apple
2011-08-23
Assholes doing moronic things at the beach.
So over the weekend, I took the family to one final hurrah at the Pacific Ocean coast. The kids love being out on the beach, the water, the sun, and the wind; though the latter got too much such that we ended up leaving.
But besides that, there some other things I found annoying that seem to once again confirm the that stupidiots when out in full force, are the biggest enemy to all things good and positive.
Fortunately for me, and for readers, I finally joined the 21th century and recently got a phone with a camera built into it!
This guy and his son show up and park their SUV no more than 50 feet away from us -
I swear the guy chose the wrong place to park. Seriously, this cannot be more ironic -
On top of that, the guy didn't have his Discover Pass. And he took his son fishing - probably didn't have a fishing permit either. Yeah, what a fine example to set for a child.
To be fair, this wasn't the person stupid enough to be driving out on the beach -
And of course there was this stupid creature running loose foraging for our food, courtesy of its equally stupid owner not more than another 50 feet away-
Yeah - it wasn't there to say hello. It saw our cooler and made a beeline for it. I just happened to get in its way. Later I saw it marking various property of other beachgoers (nice). It tried to come back later, but after I threatened it with violence, it learned to stay away.
Some may think that pets only do what their owners allow them to do, but I assert there is a strong correlation between a stupid pet and a stupid owner. Forget the fact that the animal isn't on a leash, which is against state part rules, such creatures run around bothering people who just want to be left alone, barking, shitting, marking everywhere, and causing no end of trouble to folks like me who are just minding our own business, and didn't ask for this crap.
But the best part?
Not a single state park official in site to enforce any of this.
Of course, they spent a ton of time looking for those damn Discover passes on all the cars in a variety of state parks. Just not the guy up top, and apparently not at the park we went to. And I guess they chose to not enforce any other laws that day too.
It's not the laws (well many laws are unjust, but that's another matter).
It's not the people (there are stupid people everywhere, just as they are idiots, and then there are assholes).
But institutionalized moronicism is truly fucked up.
But besides that, there some other things I found annoying that seem to once again confirm the that stupidiots when out in full force, are the biggest enemy to all things good and positive.
Fortunately for me, and for readers, I finally joined the 21th century and recently got a phone with a camera built into it!
This guy and his son show up and park their SUV no more than 50 feet away from us -
I swear the guy chose the wrong place to park. Seriously, this cannot be more ironic -
On top of that, the guy didn't have his Discover Pass. And he took his son fishing - probably didn't have a fishing permit either. Yeah, what a fine example to set for a child.
To be fair, this wasn't the person stupid enough to be driving out on the beach -
And of course there was this stupid creature running loose foraging for our food, courtesy of its equally stupid owner not more than another 50 feet away-
Yeah - it wasn't there to say hello. It saw our cooler and made a beeline for it. I just happened to get in its way. Later I saw it marking various property of other beachgoers (nice). It tried to come back later, but after I threatened it with violence, it learned to stay away.
Some may think that pets only do what their owners allow them to do, but I assert there is a strong correlation between a stupid pet and a stupid owner. Forget the fact that the animal isn't on a leash, which is against state part rules, such creatures run around bothering people who just want to be left alone, barking, shitting, marking everywhere, and causing no end of trouble to folks like me who are just minding our own business, and didn't ask for this crap.
But the best part?
Not a single state park official in site to enforce any of this.
Of course, they spent a ton of time looking for those damn Discover passes on all the cars in a variety of state parks. Just not the guy up top, and apparently not at the park we went to. And I guess they chose to not enforce any other laws that day too.
It's not the laws (well many laws are unjust, but that's another matter).
It's not the people (there are stupid people everywhere, just as they are idiots, and then there are assholes).
But institutionalized moronicism is truly fucked up.
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