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.
2011-09-28
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.
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