What an interesting year.
Seems like the even-numbered years have the most surprise in them, while the odd numbered years tend to just be downright shitty. But so much seems to have happened, both good and bad such that well, it's special.
Unfortunately, fucking Blogger has a limitation on the number of labels I can apply to a single post. So because I have so much to bloviate on for 2016, I thought I'd break it down by topic and pontificate.
Because of course, that's what all my millions of devoted readers want!
Music:
Completed two more releases of original material. It wasn't always easy, despite having the ideas, the words, etc. all laid out. Finding inspiration at times was definitely challenging, but somehow I succeeded. It really feels good to see a body of work finally coming together after all these years. I think in 2017, the challenge will be to really record many of these releases and see about finally releasing them (all the while still continuing to write).
And, I finally returned to live performances in a number of venues. A couple were some acoustic sets at some local coffee shops, while another at the end of the year involved some younger folk as part of a rock band effort for some good causes. It really opened my eyes up to the idea that young kids with drive, inspiration, and opportunity can really make something of themselves. I'm sincerely hoping they'll be time to do more of each in the new year.
It was also good to see CV jr finally take up music as well. He's got a good aptitude to sing (and the lungs) - now if only he can channel his attitude.
On unrelated notes perhaps, it was good to see AC/DC back on the road (and in standard tuning!), along with Guns 'n Roses. And Metallica put out a new record that sounds pretty good (at least better than some of their efforts from the mid-to-late 1990's and early 2000's).
Life:
One of the surprises for 2016 was learning I'm going to be a father again. More like shock really - it wasn't something I really thought of. Never really figured the Mrs. and I were really that fertile, but there you go. We'll see what joy that brings to the rest of the family. Of course taking care of a new one requires a ton of money and security - two things I don't have a whole lot of. I did make some headway in my career at work in the sense that I pretty much found a new opportunity and brought to the attention of management. Now we'll see if they come through and do the right thing and get out of my way to make this opportunity a success.
Health and wellness:
At the same time, I aged. Yeah I know, no one gets any younger. But let's face it - by next year I'll be full on into middle age. While I regret all the things I never did, I have to constantly remind myself that there's so much ahead for me to look forward to. Of course I've always had issues with myself. Neck pain, chest pain, skin issues, ingrown hair, body hair, not enough hair, too much hair there (I sound like George Carlin). And even if I'm not looking or appearing the way I want to - or I become an object of ridicule online or to people around me - I really should let that go and not give a fuck. The fact is I'm still me, and I can do what I've always liked to do, and that's what's important.
News and politics:
What can I say? Like many, I'm not happy about the prospect of Trump and right-wing taking over the country again. But on the other hand, they are connected with the establishment, and really it's better to see the disaster coming ahead of us, than have the wool pulled over our heads while it happens. What do I mean by that?
I mean that the country really dodged a bullet in Hillary Clinton losing the election. She really would've been a lot worse for the country than Trump. How so? She was the establishment's choice to oversee the country's dismantling. And I think she along with her supporters really believed in their delusions that it was somehow her 'right' to become President Of The United States. As if it were done by ascension. As a result, had she been anointed into the position the media would've largely hidden the terrible things she'd do in the name of said establishment from public view.
Not to mention that it was an insult to those who legitimately had issues supporting her to be called of all things 'sexist', or that by not supporting her, we were for Trump. What fucking bullshit that is.
Hillary Clinton was no feminist - and she represented white women in the 1% - that's all. I'm honestly glad she didn't win.
Looks like my prediction (Option #1) came true.
She and the Democratic Party really set back forward progression of any progressive movement in the United States for sure.
Here are the four reasons I didn't vote for her -
1) Legacy of poor choices - Her experiences demonstrates both a penchant for a) making really bad choices and b) never really learning from them.
2) She broke the law - the private email server controversy was of her own doing and frankly she should be held accountable.
3) She cheated to get the nomination - this was born out by the Wikileaks capture of the DNC emails. We also know now that the her campaign, the DNC, and the media all colluded together to ensure Sanders didn't win. And all this despite all the corporate cash, establishment backing, kow-towing to Wall Street..
4) She ran a very poor campaign - Her campaign was extremely self-centered and really all about her ("I'm with her" - kind of like "I'm with stupid"). And she offered nothing more than really 'vote for me; I'm not Trump'. No real platform, no real standing up for Americans, no supporting any good cause (had she supported the Standing Rock nation in their fight against DAPL as Jill Stein and Bernie Sanders did, she might have won over some of their supporters).
I thank her for her time allegedly in public service. I hope she leaves to a private live now takes care of her health.
Despite all this, there was a positive realization. That is, for any type of system of
government to really work, people really need to be involved. They
can't sit on their asses watching other people go about wasting their
lives and their time. One needs to be really involved and really develop
a sense of community with people around them. That's how real positive
change happens. I saw some of that in Bernie Sander's campaign - people
really came out and he delivered a real message that really resonates
with people. A real shame that he was prevented from continuing his run.
But that drive has started, and I can only hope it can be carried
forward by the people who believed in it.
Debunking the Right-Wing Movement:
Make no mistake. She was the right-wing's (and establishment's) Option A, to Trump being Option B. Nothing good will come out of either of them.
Vulturing on Culture:
But don't expect much change to take place too soon, no. We're stuck with an establishment media filled with moronic corporate stenographers, people who call themselves hipsters who really are idiots. And of course, we have so many people caught on in themselves so much (selfie stupidity) - they top all else (Selfie. Cutie. Foodie, Dummy).
It's actually far more serious than that. Somehow I get the feeling it'll get worse before it gets better.
Entertainment:
We lost a lot of people in 2016 - Glenn Frey, David Bowie, George Martin, Burt Kwouk, Carrie Fisher, Kenny Baker, Prince, Alan Thicke, Florence Henderson, Lonnie Mack. Maybe it's just an aging thing, but I find it sad to see so many people go. It's a natural part of life I guess.
But more than that, I really feel like I'm out of touch or not knowledgeable or even interested about really thing that's marketed to entertain. Games, music, films, etc. All of it is really beyond me at times. It's something I'm both concerned and not too concerned about. On the one hand, I don't want to become stodgy and conservative an live in a delusional cocoon of my own making and liking. On the other hand, I know what I like and what I don't really like; and I shouldn't waste time with the latter.
That being said, I think it's a case of maintaining an open mind while at the same time appreciating what I enjoy. I think that's the best way from going bonkers.
So many other topics that I'll leave to some other time.
Misandry - that terrible Ghostbusters remake - total man-hatred. Glad to see hatred fail and fail miserably.
Star Wars - Darth Vader kicks ass!. And Rogue One turned out to be a film that wasn't nearly all 'white woman' as the trailers made it to be.
Travel/Canada - Finally went to Candytown! Short and sweet but fun nevertheless.
Okay, I'm rushing things now, but bottom line is, despite the troubles from this year - I look forward to 2017.
2016-12-31
2016-12-30
A good summary on where things are with the NHL coming to Seattle.
https://nhltoseattle.com/2016/12/29/nhl-to-seattle-2016-news-in-review/
Of course none of it really means a lot - after all, there still isn't a team here.
Of course none of it really means a lot - after all, there still isn't a team here.
2016-12-28
2016-12-27
Goodbye Princess Leia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrie_Fisher
Carrie Frances Fisher[1] (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016)
My first crush. And such a beautiful person to the very end.
Carrie Frances Fisher[1] (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016)
My first crush. And such a beautiful person to the very end.
2016-12-25
Belated Congrats to the Seattle Sounders FC for winning the 2016 MLS Cup!
You'd think there would've been more press about this, even here -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLS_Cup_2016
"With their cup win, Seattle Sounders FC became the first MLS club to not register a shot on goal during regular play, surpassing the record of one shot the club set earlier in the season against Sporting Kansas City.[12]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLS_Cup_2016
"With their cup win, Seattle Sounders FC became the first MLS club to not register a shot on goal during regular play, surpassing the record of one shot the club set earlier in the season against Sporting Kansas City.[12]"
2016-12-24
A step forward for Palestinians in the West Bank?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Security_Council_Resolution_2334
"United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 was adopted on 23 December 2016. The resolution urged an end to Israeli settlements, Jewish-only communities Israel built on lands it captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.[1] The resolution called the settlements "a flagrant violation under international law."[2] "
"United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 was adopted on 23 December 2016. The resolution urged an end to Israeli settlements, Jewish-only communities Israel built on lands it captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.[1] The resolution called the settlements "a flagrant violation under international law."[2] "
Mother Jones - another previously progressive magazine that no longer is.
Just like 'The Nation' -
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/the-legacy-of-mother-jones-is-haunting-mother-jone.html
Given their definite disdain for anyone younger than 40, homeless people, anyone who supported Bernie Sanders, I certainly won't trust anything Clara Jeffery or Kevin Drum says.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/the-legacy-of-mother-jones-is-haunting-mother-jone.html
Given their definite disdain for anyone younger than 40, homeless people, anyone who supported Bernie Sanders, I certainly won't trust anything Clara Jeffery or Kevin Drum says.
2016-12-20
I wish I had read this article when it first came out ...
... as it summarizes perfectly why no sane progressive should've ever voted for Hillary Clinton.
Also, after learning that it was first published on The Huffington Post, only to be removed - doesn't speak well of them at all.
Also, after learning that it was first published on The Huffington Post, only to be removed - doesn't speak well of them at all.
2016-12-19
2016-12-17
Darth Vader, Dr. Doom, and Darkseid.
I always thought there was a connection between these three characters. Now I know what the connection is - Jack Kirby.
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/why-jack-kirby-is-probably-the-forgotten-father-of.html
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/why-jack-kirby-is-probably-the-forgotten-father-of.html
Well look who's looking to get fired for whistleblower retaliation.
Why, George Ellard - The guy who called Edward Snowden a 'manic thief':
https://shadowproof.com/2016/12/15/nsa-inspector-general-said-snowden-manic-thief-may-fired-whistleblower-retaliation/
https://shadowproof.com/2016/12/15/nsa-inspector-general-said-snowden-manic-thief-may-fired-whistleblower-retaliation/
Jesselyn Radack, a whistleblower attorney who has represented multiple NSA whistleblowers, including Snowden and Thomas Drake, told Shadowproof, “Ellard’s proposed termination for whistleblower retaliation confirms what the whistleblowing community has long known: there were no safe and effective internal channels for NSA whistleblowers like Snowden to use. The case for pardoning Snowden is made stronger given Ellard’s now proven record of retaliation.”
2016-12-15
Quote of the day - 12-15-2016.
Robert Parry -
... even though The New York Times and other big news outlets are reporting as flat fact that Russia hacked the Democratic email accounts and gave the information to WikiLeaks, former British Ambassador Craig Murray, a close associate of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, told the London Daily Mail that he personally received the email data from a “disgusted” Democrat.
Murray said he flew from London to Washington for a clandestine handoff from one of the email sources in September, receiving the package in a wooded area near American University.
“Neither of [the leaks, from the Democratic National Committee or Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta] came from the Russians,” Murray said, adding: “the source had legal access to the information. The documents came from inside leaks, not hacks.”
Murray said the insider felt “disgust at the corruption of the Clinton Foundation and the tilting of the primary election playing field against Bernie Sanders.” Murray added that his meeting was with an intermediary for the Democratic leaker, not the leaker directly.
If Murray’s story is true, it raises several alternative scenarios: that the U.S. intelligence community’s claims about a Russian hack are false; that Russians hacked the Democrats’ emails for their own intelligence gathering without giving the material to WikiLeaks; or that Murray was deceived about the identity of the original leaker.
2016-12-12
Identity Politics RIP? ( .... - 2016).
https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/12/bernie-sanders-nailed-it-on-identity-politics-and.html
Look at the number of media outlets who can't be bothered to read the whole comment -
“It goes without saying that as we fight to end all forms of discrimination, as we fight to bring more and more women into the political process, Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans — all of that is enormously important, and count me in as somebody who wants to see that happen. Right now, we’ve made some progress in getting women into politics — I think we got 20 women in the Senate now. We need 50 women in the Senate. We need more African Americans.
But it’s not good enough to say, “Hey, I’m a Latina, vote for me.” That is not good enough. I have to know whether that Latina is going to stand up with the working class of this country, and is going to take on big money interests. One of the struggles that we’re going to have right now, we lay on the table of the Democratic Party, is it’s not good enough to me to say, “Okay, well we’ve got X number of African Americans over here, we’ve got Y number of Latinos, we have Z number of women. We are a diverse party, a diverse nation....
But, but here is my point, and this is where there is going to be division within the Democratic Party. It is not good enough for someone to say, “I’m a woman! Vote for me!” No, that’s not good enough. What we need is a woman who has the guts to stand up to Wall Street, to the insurance companies, to the drug companies, to the fossil fuel industry. In other words, one of the struggles that you’re going to be seeing in the Democratic Party is whether we go beyond identity politics."
This guy was cheated of the nomination. Had he got it, he would've beaten Trump easily.
Look at the number of media outlets who can't be bothered to read the whole comment -
- TPM
- Vox
- Bustle
- Slate
- The Cut
- The Blaze
- The Observer
- The Guardian
“It goes without saying that as we fight to end all forms of discrimination, as we fight to bring more and more women into the political process, Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans — all of that is enormously important, and count me in as somebody who wants to see that happen. Right now, we’ve made some progress in getting women into politics — I think we got 20 women in the Senate now. We need 50 women in the Senate. We need more African Americans.
But it’s not good enough to say, “Hey, I’m a Latina, vote for me.” That is not good enough. I have to know whether that Latina is going to stand up with the working class of this country, and is going to take on big money interests. One of the struggles that we’re going to have right now, we lay on the table of the Democratic Party, is it’s not good enough to me to say, “Okay, well we’ve got X number of African Americans over here, we’ve got Y number of Latinos, we have Z number of women. We are a diverse party, a diverse nation....
But, but here is my point, and this is where there is going to be division within the Democratic Party. It is not good enough for someone to say, “I’m a woman! Vote for me!” No, that’s not good enough. What we need is a woman who has the guts to stand up to Wall Street, to the insurance companies, to the drug companies, to the fossil fuel industry. In other words, one of the struggles that you’re going to be seeing in the Democratic Party is whether we go beyond identity politics."
This guy was cheated of the nomination. Had he got it, he would've beaten Trump easily.
Latest corporation to screw people over.
Prudential Financial.
https://shadowproof.com/2016/12/12/wells-fargo-fake-accounts-scandal-spreads-life-insurance-business/
Here's the worse part -
https://shadowproof.com/2016/12/12/wells-fargo-fake-accounts-scandal-spreads-life-insurance-business/
Prudential Financial announced it would suspend the distribution of a low-cost life insurance policy through Wells Fargo. The low-cost life insurance policy, called MyTerm, had been promoted by Wells Fargo since 2014 throughout its large number of retail banking outlets.
The suspension comes shortly after a wrongful termination lawsuit was filed by three former Prudential employees, which alleged that Wells Fargo employees signed up customers for MyTerm life insurance policies without the customer’s knowledge to hit sales goals. The plaintiffs, who worked at Prudential’s corporate investigations division, claim their reports of the fraud led to their termination because Prudential management did not want to take any action that could damage its business with Wells Fargo.
Here's the worse part -
In all, over 5,000 low-level employees have been terminated and are likely never going to work in banking again, while the CEO and the executive responsible for managing the program, Carrie Tolstedt, will walk away with millions upon millions of dollars.
2016-12-11
Hillary Clinton=bourgeois feminism? Elite feminism, perhaps? How about white feminism?
Is it really even acceptable to use the term 'feminist' with Clinton at all?
https://shadowproof.com/2016/11/25/overcome-elite-white-feminism-after-election/
https://shadowproof.com/2016/11/25/overcome-elite-white-feminism-after-election/
2016-12-10
2016-12-09
2016-12-07
2016-12-05
A cautious victory for the Sioux?
http://www.mynews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2016/12/4/army_engineers_rejec.html
Army engineers reject Dakota Access pipeline easement
2016-12-02
Before Flint, East Chicago and Newark, there was Smeltertown.
https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/flint-east-chicago-there-was-smeltertown?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=story2&utm_campaign=email
Seminal research done on Smeltertown in the 1970s by the Centers for Disease Control found that 62 percent of children 10 and under living within one mile of the smelter had blood lead levels considered to be “evidence of undue lead absorption.” The residents of Smeltertown would be the first American community to face the grim prospect of lead exposure and its consequences—but they wouldn’t be the last. The communities of Flint, Michigan, the West Calumet Housing Complex in East Chicago, Indiana, and the schools in Newark, New Jersey, are just three of the most recent examples.
On days like this ..
... I try to remind myself of three things when getting screwed over by large corporations that make a shit-ton of money, but never seem to reward me -
- Never hate the people - When you do, you see them as less than human. That contempt can really fuck up your judgment which can lead to a messed up future. When being screwed over, remember that's it's a large company, and even though it consists of people, it's all done in the name of that company.
- Be professional - As personal as things can be, always treat it like business, which means be a professional always. It may hurt a lot on the inside, but you should not let it affect what you need to do, and how you do it.
- Think about others - As bad as things may be in the sense that those around you or above may be basking in their rewards (just or otherwise), always remember that things can always be worse; and they usually are for others around you.
2016-11-30
Quote of the day - 11-30-2016.
Steve Easterbrook (from Serendipity) -
The ability to identify a causal relationship in a controlled experiment has nothing to do with the statistical model used—it comes from the logic of the experimental design. Only if the experiment is designed properly will statistical analysis of the results provide any insights into cause and effect.
Unfortunately, for some scientific questions, experimentation is hard, or even impossible. Climate change is a good example. Even though it’s possible to manipulate the climate (as indeed we are currently doing, by adding more greenhouse gases), we can’t set up a carefully controlled experiment, because we only have one planet to work with. Instead, we use numerical models, which simulate the causal factors—a kind of virtual experiment. An experiment conducted in a causal model won’t necessarily tell us what will happen in the real world, but it often gives a very useful clue. If we run the virtual experiment many times in our causal model, under slightly varied conditions, we can then turn back to a statistical model to help analyze the results. But without the causal model to set up the experiment, a statistical analysis won’t tell us much.
Best selling record of all time was released on this day in 1982
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(Michael_Jackson_album)
"Thriller is the sixth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records. In just over a year, it became—and currently remains—the world's best-selling album, with estimated sales surpassing 65 million copies.[1][2][3][nb 1] "
"Thriller is the sixth studio album by American singer Michael Jackson, released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records. In just over a year, it became—and currently remains—the world's best-selling album, with estimated sales surpassing 65 million copies.[1][2][3][nb 1] "
2016-11-29
What? Hillary to run in 2020?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2020
Really? Hasn't she done enough to destroy Progressivism in America?
Really? Hasn't she done enough to destroy Progressivism in America?
2016-11-28
Another Presidential election to follow.
No, not the US one, despite what some may say ...
I mean this one -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_presidential_election,_2016-17
I mean this one -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_presidential_election,_2016-17
Boycott Scamazon.
Looks like Bezos' corporate bitch is projecting it's own self again -
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/11/27/washington-posts-fake-news-guilt/
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/11/27/washington-posts-fake-news-guilt/
2016-11-27
Weekend ended.
Man, too many burgers, too much pizza, lotsa beer.
Not enough sex - though there's never enough to satisfy me.
Still, it could've been worse.
Vancouver was nice and rainy - lots of hot women. Nothing but eye candy though.
Not enough sex - though there's never enough to satisfy me.
Still, it could've been worse.
Vancouver was nice and rainy - lots of hot women. Nothing but eye candy though.
2016-11-25
2016-11-23
A great day in history for science and understanding.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species
On the Origin of Species (or more completely, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life),[3] published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Darwin's book introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. It presented a body of evidence that the diversity of life arose by common descent through a branching pattern of evolution. Darwin included evidence that he had gathered on the Beagle expedition in the 1830s and his subsequent findings from research, correspondence, and experimentation.[4]
On the Origin of Species (or more completely, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life),[3] published on 24 November 1859, is a work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Darwin's book introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. It presented a body of evidence that the diversity of life arose by common descent through a branching pattern of evolution. Darwin included evidence that he had gathered on the Beagle expedition in the 1830s and his subsequent findings from research, correspondence, and experimentation.[4]
An interesting idea.
Always thought Metallica sounded better in standard tuning-
Sounds more like one of Hetfield's kids singing though.
Sounds more like one of Hetfield's kids singing though.
2016-11-22
Which name will the Las Vegas NHL franchise go for?
"... Desert Knights, Golden Knights or Silver Knight ..." ?
Hard at times to believe how life can work.
Take today (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_22) for instance.
Looks like both Blackbeard and JFK were killed on this date in respective years.
Looks like both Blackbeard and JFK were killed on this date in respective years.
2016-11-21
Interesting ... about Gabbard.
https://consortiumnews.com/2016/11/21/trumps-tulsi-gabbard-factor/
The mainstream media commentary has almost completely missed the potential significance of this start-of-the-work-week meeting, suggesting that Trump is attracted to Gabbard’s tough words on “radical Islamic terrorism.”
Far more important is that Gabbard, a 35-year-old Iraq War veteran, endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primaries because of his opposition to neocon/liberal-hawk military adventures. She starred in one of the strongest political ads of the campaign, a message to Hawaiians, called “The Cost of War.”
Sorry Mr. Neiwert ...
But you lost me the moment you quoted Media Matters, and site run by a known and avowed Clinton supporter (via his Correct The Record site).
The OIG report makes it very clear Hillary Clinton broke several State Department regulations and violated several laws -
As far as I'm concerned, she violated and broke any federal laws pertaining to the two agreements she signed on 01/22/2009 regarding the handling of classified information by keeping a private email server, which was subsequently hacked -
- The non-disclosure agreement (NDA) concerns “sensitive compartmented information” (SCI), which is a type of “top secret” classification.
- The very first paragraph of the “Classified Information Nondisclosure Agreement” she signs states, “As used in this Agreement, classified Information is marked or unmarked classified Information.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)