Humans: Now you know

This is just to0 funny not to share. For some time many of us have wondered just who is Jack Schitt? We find ourselves at a loss when someone says,'You don't know Jack Schitt!' Well, thanks to my genealogy efforts, you can now respond in an intellectual way. Jack Schitt is the only son of Awe Schitt. Awe Schitt, the fertilizer magnate, married O. Schitt, the owner of Needeep N. Schitt, Inc. They had one son, Jack. In turn, Jack Schitt married Noe Schitt. The deeply religious couple produced six children: Holie Schitt, Giva Schitt, Fulla Schitt, Bull Schitt, and the twins Deep Schitt and Dip Schitt. Against her parents' objections, Deep Schitt married Dumb Schitt, a high school dropout. After being married 15 years, Jack and Noe Schitt divorced. Noe Schitt later married Ted Sherlock, and because her kids were living with them, she wanted to keep her previous name. She was then known as Noe Schitt Sherlock. Meanwhile, Dip Schitt married Loda Schitt, And they produced a son with a rather nervous disposition named Chicken Schitt. Two of the other six chidren, Fulla Schitt and Giva Schitt were inseparable throughout childhood and subsequently married the Happens brothers in a dual ceremony. The wedding announcement in the newspaper announced the Schitt-Happens nuptials. The Schitt-Happens children were Dawg, Byrd, and Horse. Bull Schitt, the prodigal son, left home to tour the world. He recently returned from Italy with his new Italian bride, Pisa Schitt. Now when someone says, 'You don't know Jack Schitt,' you can correct them. Sincerely, Crock O. Schitt (1) Comments

Posted: 6/7/2007 6:43:06 AM

Ramble: Whisky's quicker

Sometimes I find it funny what I've written. The previous post was a very small excerpt of a rant that lasted pretty much the whole night. I will rant till the cows come home and then some. My friends will tell you, don't get him started man because he won't stop. I'm also a bit melodramatic and I'm not english. It's because whiskey did it and I was bored. It's a small town with nothing to do today and I wound up with a pint of Kentucky Deluxe. The good stuff. edit: I'm only sort of a capitalist I guess. Not really though. I sell my design work, I sell other stuff, is a yard sale a capitalist venture? Does it have to have stock options to be capitalist? In any case I'm having a yard sale in two weeks. (0) Comments

Posted: 6/7/2007 2:38:34 AM

Humans: May 22nd Fire and Meditation

A call from Don Alejandro Oxlaj, Grand Elder of the Maya, for Global Meditation on May 22 (5 Ahau, Ajpu) Don Alejandro is charged as the primary keeper of the teachings, visions and prophecies of the Mayan people. He is head of the National Mayan Council of Elders of Guatemala, Day Keeper of the Mayan Calendar, a 13th generation Quiche Mayan High Priest and a Grand Elder of the Continental Council of Elders and Spiritual Guides of the Americas. He is also an international lecturer on Mayan Culture. Quote: Don Alejandro gives us this timely message: a call to action, a call to come together and be as one. Don Alejandro will be performing a Sacred Maya FIRE Ceremony in Guatemala, and be joining the thousands of others around the planet during the Break through Celebration. “Brothers and Sisters of all colors, holding hands around the planet on May 22nd 2007, let us reflect on this, let us meditate in our own way, in our own language, according to our own culture or religion, because we have only one Sun to shine upon us equally, one air that we breath and gives us life, one water that we drink and becomes blood in our veins and all live on Mother Earth. She feeds us, she holds us. Brothers and Sisters of all colors, together united in meditation to make conscience to the men in power, governors, politicians, business people: no more war, no more contaminating bombs, no more death. Together we can make a difference.” In the name of the Heart of the Heavens and the Heart of the Earth, greetings to you. In the name of the Maya National Council of Elders, Spiritual Guides of Guatemala, we address the following to you for your great magnetic connections at the global level: The Spirit of the Maya Nation and the Spirit of Mother Earth make us look for ties of friendship with all peoples of the world. The Maya Prophecy tells us “…We will meet for we are one like the fingers of the hand”. We all are children of the Earth, we are flowers of the garden of our Creator coming in different colors, in different shapes, in different sizes, with different aromas; speaking different languages, and each one worshiping and meditating in their own way to the same Creator who has different names according to their own culture. We hope this communiqué reaches all institutions, in private sectors as well as governmental ones; landowners, scientists, and all people in general. Brothers and sisters, there has been over 500 years of extermination in the face of the earth, extermination of humans, extermination of our brother animals and ancient trees, every day at a faster speed. The elders from the National Council of Elders and Spiritual Guides of Guatemala are keepers of mystical and millenary knowledge. Like the birds, tirelessly in their flight, they live to see the prophecies fulfilled. We want to make all people and governments in the world conscientious, and have them analyze and reflect at the situation of the planet in the present time. Let us start by remembering that the Americas were a paradise 500 years ago. Virgin forests, cities of beautiful animals, cities to an innumerable variety of colorful birds, flying in freedom; they provided food for everyone. The waters were abundant and pure; and the people, they lived in their own traditions, guarding their cultures and conserving the beauty of Mother Earth. Our ancestors lived to be over 100 years old, free from contagion and illnesses. They were respectful and obedient to the laws of our Creator. Let us talk now about our present times. We enjoy new advances in technology, inventions that make everyday life easier for us, we all use them, but the negative side is that we are finishing up our forests, and contributing to the contamination of the planet, the rivers are drying out, the waters are being contaminated. Our crops are affected by plagues as well as plagues killing our animals. We are threatened by contagious illnesses, incurable illnesses unknown in the past. Very harmful are the use of chemicals, the insecticides, transgenic seeds, etc. And most of all, these days, the nuclear testing: nuclear bombs and a great deal of war weapons, and the war in itself sterilizing or killing the planet Earth and affecting all living beings. Many people are homeless, children begging in the streets, others are involved in prostitution. Predators are on the rise. Dead people appearing daily in the streets, kidnappings, extortion, shootings in the schools, parents killing children, children killing children, parents raping their own kids. All this is a direct result of the contamination. There is no respect; no respect for life. The authorities sell themselves. The justice can be bought or sold. Now lets speak about the future. We, the traditional Mayan elders, and all indigenous peoples in the world, meditate on the future. We don’t think only for today, the present, we think for tomorrow, for our children, grand children and future generations. We see a dark shadow approaching, a shadow that will cause a lot of harm. It is the great contamination. All this is due to man’s creation. We are digging our own graves. Wars are being transported to other countries; they reason in their speeches it is on behalf of freedom, but the result is more slavery. They speak that it will bring new development, but the result is more hunger for the underdeveloped countries. If we continue like this, the time will come when there are no more soldiers to form battalions. The Maya National Council of Elders of Guatemala ask all nations of the world – their governors and the governed ones – to put a stop to the contamination; and to the big and small enterprises, to find alternatives. We don’t want any more wars, no more death, no more nuclear testing, no more chemicals, because the warming up of the planet is unbearable to Mother Earth. If we don’t change, sooner or later, she will strike back with millions of lives lost. Our Creator created us here over the face of the earth to worship him, to love and respect each other. We all are equal, we are flowers of the earth, in different sizes, of different colors, with different songs, with different smell, but all looking at our Creator, honoring him with different dances, different music, different ceremonies. We all plead to him, we are his children, he is the creator of all that exist, all that we see and all which is beyond our senses. He has given us our life with an intelligence to do well. Brothers and Sisters of all colors, holding hands around the planet on May 22nd 2007, let us reflect on this, let us meditate in our own way, in our own language, according to our own culture or religion, because we have only one Sun to shine upon us equally, one air that we breath and gives us life, one water that we drink and becomes blood in our veins and all live on Mother Earth. She feeds us, she holds us. Brothers and Sisters of all colors, together united in meditation to make conscience to the men in power, governors, politicians, business people: no more war, no more contaminating bombs, no more death. Together we can make a difference. May 22nd 2007 is 5 Ajpu, the Day of Grand Father Sun, he shines upon all of us equally, he doesn’t know discrimination, he doesn’t get lost on his path, he doesn’t get ahead or behind of himself. He gives us warmth, he gives us life. One Sun, one Air, one Water, One Mother Earth. May 22nd 2007 day of Grand Father Sun, Grand Mother Moon. The Maya Prophecy says: “Arise, all arise, not one nor two groups be left behind, together we will see once again the place from where we have come from” Alejandro Cirilo Perez Oxlaj/ Wandering Wolf Grand Elder of the National Council of Elders Mayas, Xincas and Garifunas of Guatemala (0) Comments

Posted: 5/22/2007 10:33:32 AM

Humans: A beer and a burrito

They blew it. Late night burritos no more. One hell of a burrito too. Thing is, a cooler full of beer (1 a customer), is not allowed. No license, no beer. Bummer. The law busted em', the new parking lot esque driveway might have given it away. Seemed fairly fair though, who the hell gets drunk off one beer and a burrito? Nobody I know. But, still fair in my book. Not all renegade burrito sales people will limit alkyhol sales if they know they can get away with it. But damn, a beer and burrito is gone. (0) Comments

Posted: 5/5/2007 10:06:28 AM

Outside: Rain

Burped up a black mess it did. The well's doing better now with the rain. In theory two things: Blasting. Someone digging a new well blasting could gunk it up for a bit. Mining co. could also play a hand in that. No registered blasts though. Low water, ouch. It's rained for a few days now so hopefully things'll level up. Everybody was planting, irrigating, yada yada. Good thing it's rained. Good thing for filtration. Life in the country, just another day. Some days it's rainy and foggy and the well just cuts off. Why? Fire ants. The little droves will build a nest under your well enclosure right up into the well. Get between the contacts on the switch and burn it out. No water, no coffee, no coffee sucks. Put on boots and go fix the water. Aint it grand? Honeysuckle is everywhere. Soon the blackberries may show, wild strawberries maybe. It's wine time again. I love wine time. My friend, she has many mints, grapes, and watermelons. She has promised a concoction, but the recipe is secret. I can't wait. (0) Comments

Posted: 5/4/2007 8:02:43 AM

Herb: Cold Glass

A tall frozen beer glass and a blunt is all you need. Take blunt shotgun style, blow into tall frozen beer glass. Amazing ey? The smoke condenses so thickly that it appears to be of liquid nature. Although you can't really 'drink' it, one can tilt the glass back and make your inhale look like a drink. Just some trickery to amaze ones friends :) Just a reminder though: if you actually gulp the smoke, you'll be burping smoke and it could make you kinda nauseus. One way to wreck a cats buzz for shure. Cheers (2) Comments

Posted: 4/23/2007 9:05:47 AM

That guy

I found this black and white litho in a collection of art. There are several of cherub cupid hanging out with the bones of the dead. Strange. (0) Comments

Posted: 4/23/2007 12:28:04 AM

Potion maker

Common strainer from the kitchen: Herb: Various other ingredients: Thumb Magic potion mixes. From time to time I make mixes for the herb. It's just something to add dif flavors and just to have fun really. Some people would say that I'm an idiot and I'm wasting the good stuff. I don't care, it's still fun. Break up your herb like you normally would over the strainer and a metal bowl. Now use thumb to grind it more. All the excess baggage will remain in the strainer, pseudo kief in the bowl. It's just super ground. Mix that stuff up in the bowl with various other spices and herbs. Depending on what the delivery is (cooking vs burning) experiment. On the cooking end of things I'd recommend being more keen to measurement though. (0) Comments

Posted: 4/22/2007 3:28:49 PM

Herb: Monk

I want the litany of colloquialisms that Monk spewed about the 'fields of reefer' on the show on USA. That scene where he is handcuffing himself to the pipe in the onset of 'reefer madness' after the dude sets the fields on fire was pretty funny as well. It dramafied the idiots view of marijuana fairly well I think. Tony Shalhoub should have done black and white ;) (0) Comments

Posted: 2/9/2007 10:37:24 PM

Ramble: Nothing really

Cigarette taxes went up. From Utah Phillips "...all houses belong to cigarette lighters..." Saw a kid I know march off, he's getting 18,000 dollars one day, ...one day. Out in the boonies sits a siren in the moonlight waiting for suitors. Dressed in streaming shadows they come one by one and watch the walls glimmer behind her. She delights in it and drinks deep of herself. A strange dance between worlds in electric eyes. It's ladies night. The fools are dancing to fools music and preying on one another. Sunday many will be praying on one another. It's always an element here, undercurrent deep in the life. Morning comes on the other side. "..miles to go and skies to fly, Hold back the day .." Devildriver. Let him have his pipe and pot. The hermit on the stool watches and grins. It is what it is. (0) Comments

Posted: 2/1/2007 10:37:03 PM

Candles and things

Burning the candle at both ends can be tricky and eventually the wicks meet. Lately I've had several projects land in my lap. While I enjoy the opportunity it also presents a new set of problems. Foremost: When do I sleep? ...and then: What about writing in my blog? I have to put this blog on the back burner for a little bit. I like it but the research I was doing is also going on the back burner. As most of it is historical in nature, it's isn't as pressing as achieving a few hours of snooze time here and there. I will however encourage people to do a little research on their own into how cell phones are made. Where do they come from? What goes into them? What raw materials are required to create these parts? Where do old cell phones go to die? Haven't you ever wondered these things anyway? (1) Comments

Posted: 10/1/2006 8:25:48 PM

Ramble: Birds

The question has been asked: what did the little bird tell me? It isn't so much a series of words or some great epiphany inducing proclamation, nor did they offer me the red or blue pill. It was simply taking a step out of my country and looking at it from the outside. Subsequently, I was forced to deal with the image of what an 'American' is and what America is. From the outside it only prompted more curiosity and a desire to find out more. That's all. It's relatively simple but I had never quite looked at it like that. I wish more people would take a moment,even if not phsyically, to step outside the bubble and have a look. That is my reasoning for posting information, ideals, and thoughts that seem to be counter to the status quo (whatever that really is). It's just a matter of fleshing out what it means when we say our 'way of life'. So, I'm writing a series of articles to help do just that. I have my opinions and I have certain facts I think people should know about so they can form their own. Also the internet is highly propagandized. Funds are spent to make sure there is a presence out here that pushes the party line, distorts the truth, and works to disenfranchise and marginalize any real attempts at discovery. As an educated person and a lover of freedom I feel I would be remiss in my role as a citizen and human if I were to not share information that I've discovered, especially in light of the afformentioned tactics put on by our government. It's simple really and goes back to another catch phrase "If you've got nothing to hide, what are you worried about?" (0) Comments

Posted: 9/20/2006 9:57:22 PM

Brainstorming: google mp3's

How To Find MP3's with Google This How-To will teach you how to use google to find mp3s. This How-To will be highly pragmatic and will focus on the hows and not the wherefores of the various search strings. Written by my_haz ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Index ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 0) Key 1) Directories 2) Xitami Servers 3) Directory Listing 4) Andromeda Servers 5) Zina Artists 6) Apache mp3 Servers 7) Individual Songs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 0 - KEY ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You this are just some definitions I will use below. [Directory String] can be any of the following : 1) "index of" 2) "last modified" 3) "parent of" [file type] can be any of the following : 1) "mp3" 2) "shn" 3) "wma" [mp3 name] can be any of the following : 1) the name of the album in quotes 2) the name of the artist in quotes 3) be daring and leave it blank and have lots of links 4) be creative! [limitors] 1) -html -htm -php -asp -txt -pls (inurl:) is optional and may be omitted and in fact most be omitted if not using a search tool other than google. (intitle:) can be used in place of (inurl:) and has a similar effect again you must be useing google. (-filetype:txt) adding this to the end of your search string can filter some false positives. (-playlist) adding this to the end of your search string can filter some false positives. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 1 - Directories ---------------------------------------------------------------------- These are the most common way that mp3s are stored on the www, you should try these strings first. String Format : Type 1 : [Directory String] + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Type 2 : [Directory String] + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Type 3 : [Directory String] + [file type] + [mp3 name] + [limitors] Example Strings : - intitle:index.of + mp3 + "grandaddy" -html -htm -php -asp -txt -pls - "index of" + "mp3" + "radiohead" -html -htm -php - "index of" + mp3 + "grandaddy" - "index of" + inurl:mp3 + "beatles" -txt -pls - "index of" + intitle:mp3 + beatles - "last modified" + "shn" + "dylan" - "last modified" + inurl:shn + "bob dylan" - "parent of" + inurl:wma + "grandaddy" Suggestions : - Try (intitle:index.of + "mp3" + "band name" -htm -html -php -asp) first it is usually the most effective. Another Little Trick: - If you have been getting alot of results on google but the pages don't seem to be there try adding dates and the "apache" string to your search i.e. - intitle:index.of + mp3 + "grandaddy" -html -htm -php -asp apache feb-2005 - intitle:index.of + mp3 + "grandaddy" -html -htm -php -asp apache 2005 or if you just want a big list of mp3' doing a search like this everymonth - intitle:index.of + mp3 + -html -htm -php -asp apache mar ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 2 - Xitami Servers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- String Format : Type 1 : "xitami web server" + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Type 2 : "xitami web server" + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Example Strings : - "xitami web server" + "mp3" + "radiohead" - "xitami web server" + intitle:shn + "beatles" - "xitami web server" + inurl:mp3 + "magnetic fields" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 3 - Directory Listing ---------------------------------------------------------------------- String Format : Type 1 : "directory listings" + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Type 2 : "directory listings" + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Type 3 : "directory listings of" + (inurl:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Type 4 : "directory listings of" + (intitle:)[file type] + [mp3 name] Example Strings - "directory listings" + "mp3" + "radiohead" - "directory listings" + intitle:shn + "beatles" - "directory listings" + inurl:mp3 + "magnetic fields" - "directory listings of" + "mp3" + "radiohead" - "directory listings of" + intitle:shn + "beatles" - "directory listings of" + inurl:mp3 + "magnetic fields" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 4 - Andromeda Servers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- String Format : Type 1 : "scott matthews" + andromeda + [mp3 name] Type 2 : "scott matthews" + andromeda + [file type] + [mp3 name] Type 3 : "powered by andromeda" + [mp3 name] Type 4 : "powered by andromeda" + [file type] + [mp3 name] Type 5 : inurl:andromeda.php + [mp3 name] Type 6 : inurl:anromeda.php + [file type] + [mp3 name] Type 7 : "scott matthews" Type 8 : "powered by andromeda" Type 9 : inurl:andromeda.php Examples : - "scott matthews" + andromeda + "radiohead" - "scott matthews" + andromeda + "mp3" + "fitter" - "powered by andromeda" + "gradaddy" - "powered by andromeda" + "mp3" + "just like women" - inurl:andromeda.php + "shn" - inurl:anromeda.php + "wma" + "dylan" - "scott matthews" - "powered by andromeda" - inurl:andromeda.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 5 - Zina Artists ---------------------------------------------------------------------- String Format : Type 1 : "zina artists" Examples : - "zina artists" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 6 - Apache mp3 Servers ---------------------------------------------------------------------- String Format : Type 1 : "stream all" + apache + [mp3 name] Type 2 : "stream all" + apache Type 3 : "shuffle all" + apache + [mp3 name] Type 4 : "shuffle all" + apache Examples : - "stream all" + apache - "stream all" "shuffle all" mp3 - "stream all" + apache + radiohead - "shuffle all" + beatles ---------------------------------------------------------------------- = Section 7 - Individual Songs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Format : [mp3 name].mp3 -playlist -filetype:txt Examples : - "ok_computer_live.mp3" -playlist -filetype:txt - "*ok_computer*.mp3" -playlist -filetype:txt - kid*a.mp3 -playlist -filetype:txt I'm not sure where I copied this from but hey, it could come in handy, ya never know (0) Comments

Posted: 9/20/2006 9:01:23 AM

Humans: The Way It's Always Been Done

The Way It's Always Been Done 1. Start with a cage containing five apes. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put stairs under it. Before long, an ape will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. 2. As soon as the ape touches the stairs, spray all the apes with cold water. After a while, another ape makes an attempt with the same result - all the apes are sprayed with cold water. 3. Turn off the cold water. If, later, another ape tries to climb the stairs, the other apes will try to prevent it even though no water sprays them. 4. Now remove one ape from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new ape sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the apes attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted. 5. Next, remove another of the original five apes and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The former newcomer now takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. 6. Again, replace a third original ape with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four apes that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest ape. 7. After replacing the fourth and fifth original apes, all the apes which have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no ape ever again approaches the stairs. Why not? BECAUSE, that's the way it's always been done around here. (0) Comments

Posted: 9/19/2006 2:10:20 PM

Way of Life :: Change: The beginning of dialogue.

It is evident that our present course, as the body of humanity occupying this planet as a whole, is becoming quite chaotic. Resources are shifting, war ravages the world, idealisms and loyalties are brought into question. This mass framework of wires, chips, and electricity allow us to look further into the minds of our distant kin than ever before.It is what we have to speak out into a world and at least for the moment make our two cents known. It's no wonder that with it comes the clashing of thoughts, the power struggle of rhetoric and dialogue. There cannot be dialogue between the many faces of the world without some conflict. The idea that we can all just simply 'get along' is a pleasant thought, but it could never come to fruition without a few heated arguments. That is a personal take but I believe it. Taking it to the next step is the beginning of dialogue. It is here that we look for commonalities. It's easy to find relation in everyday things like walking in the sunshine, stubbing ones toe, not wanting to go to work, or having a birthday party. Larger ideals are much harder to tackle because they are abstract paradigms lodged into the psyche. Even with the afformentioned everyday experiences certain images and emotive responses occur that produce likeness in how we percieve our world. For some the larger ideals are closer and more succinct. For others they may be nothing more than an image across the television screen. That is the reality we have to face today. I believe we need to come to dialogue as a body. When coming to the table as bodies;however, we also represent embedded ideals, philosophies, and experiences much like a single person. I'm an American. Much of my life is rather droll actually. It is true that we Americans enjoy a rather lazy and inconsequential life for the most part in my range of income. There are those who enjoy less 'things' and those who enjoy more. However; an old bum once told me "America will not let you starve". That's true, it's damn near impossible to starve on the streets of America. I drive around in a car and I can go about two blocks and buy a hamburger half the size of your head. I can rent the latest flick, get some pizza and beer, and have a grand time just about anytime I want. But, for the most part, it is rather unexciting. There's not much to do in my immediate locale. That's the story of alot of people actually. When delving into my way of life; however, the old adage' "where it ends, usually depends on where it starts" comes to mind. As an American much of my way of life is directly dependent on a number of resources and trade flow. For most this is so distant that it plays no significant role in their day today routine at all. The invisible structure so to speak of economics and trade. It gets tricky. For the average American, understanding how exactly their way of life has come to be is a drag and they would rather not bother. That is a personal take but I believe it. Unfortunately, this does lend to great misconceptions and directly influences any real chance at dialogue in relation to greater ideas. We do live in a bubble of sorts, but we all participate in it as well. That is the only route to sustaining a 'way of life'. I make no bones that my life directly results from this greater schema. I do take insult however; when I am accused of aiding terrible people or being not of the country I grew up in. Of course I am American, I have never been anything else. There are those who might believe aliens could be involved but I wouldn't give them much salt. Rather than banter extremes,however; this can only be used as a vehicle for dialogue. We can discuss the source of our way of life, how we obtain the supplies to run it, and maybe even changes to it. Doing that can be rocky but really, why not? What is the direct result of our way of life, what are the benefits, what are the downfalls, and what; if any, changes should we make? Calling for an honest assessment of possible leaks in the ship is far from fringe nor crazy, it's common sense. Next Post: Cell Phones: Good to Go (1) Comments

Posted: 9/18/2006 5:20:37 AM

Brainstorming: Good Reasons to Ride a Bicycle

There are several reasons to utilize the bicycle. It was a great invention when it first came to be and has only become progressively more useful as a method of transportation. Bicycles only require one type of fuel which is freely available. Navigation on a bicyle is limitless. When using a motor powered vehicle,almost everything is at right angles. Bicycles are easy to repair. If your bicycle breaks down most parts and tools are fairly inexpensive and easy to learn how to use. Major repairs are often quick and painless and will not leave you calling for another bicycle to haul you off. You can fit more bicyles in any given space than most motor powered vehicles. Bicycles are easy to store and produce little extra mess. It's also much easier to ride next to another bicycle. Most major bicycle accidents produce no mortality rate except in rare cases (see #2). You do not have to pay someone to be allowed to drive a bicycle.(excepting certain countries) You can ramp a bicycle into the air and this is perfectly acceptable driving behavior. When buying a bicycle you don't have to pay someone else plus the seller to buy it. When buying a used bicycle it is much easier to tell if it is a lemon. You can put stickers on the windshield. Also, you can supplant the bicycle in this list for any number of methods of transportation such as the skateboard,roller blades,tennis shoes, and etc... (0) Comments

Posted: 9/14/2006 8:19:49 PM

Spidey Sense

Excerpt From Amazing Spiderman (v2) #36 The WTC issue Written by J. Michael Straczynski ...What do we tell the children? Do we tell them the evil is a foreign face? No. The evil is the thought behind the face, and it can look just like yours. Do we tell them evil is tangible, with defined borders and names and geometries and destinies? No. They will have nightmares enough. Perhaps we tell them that we are sorry. Sorry that we were not able to deliver unto them the world we wished them to have. That our eagerness to shout is not the equal of our willingness to listen. That the burdens of distant people are the responsibility of all men and women of conscience, or their burdens will one day become our tragedy. Or perhaps we simply tell them that we love them, and that we will protect them. That we would give our lives for theirs and do it gladly, so great is the burden of our love. In a universe of Gameboys and VCRs, it is, perhaps, an insubstantial gift. But it is the only one that will wash away the tears and knit the wounds and make the world a sane place to live in..... .....A world which will not require apologies to children, but also a world whose roads are not paved with the husks of their inalienable rights. Moi:What do we tell the children now? It seems that we are telling them evil has a foreign face, that they must kill in order to spread 'freedom' and 'democracy'. Look what our leaders have done in the aftermath of that fateful day and look hard into how they used the American people and manipulated that spirit to their own ends. Our nation is to blame as well for great bloodshed of innocents: mothers, children, fathers, who had nothing to do with our tragedy, who's only desire is to live a free and peaceful life. Our leaders have taken these dreams and turned them into a railroad train to destruction and many of the citizens of this nation go along so willingly into that fray, into that insanity as if it is from god himself that they be ordained the only ones free, that we must kill all who oppose our idea of freedom while wealthy individuals line their pockets with money paid for in blood, disease, hunger, poverty, and the large scale destrucion of our very planet. While those very same lead their own lambs to the slaughter. Souless, greedy, insane, they are not heroes but rather the villains and we would do well to remember that. In this universe of videogames: here's a short bit from the U.S. Army video game faq to parents: Q: Why are you doing the game? A: it is part of the Army's communications strategy The Army's game is an entertaining way for young adults to explore the Army and its adventures and opportunities as a virtual Soldier. As such, it is part of the Army's communications strategy designed to leverage the power of the Internet as a portal through which young adults can get a first hand look at what it is like to be a Soldier. The game introduces players to different Army schools, Army training, and life in the Army. Given the popularity of computer games and the ability of the Internet to deliver great content, a game was the perfect venue for highlighting different aspects of the Army. Firms such as Toyota have used games for this educational purpose with considerable success. Q: Is this a recruiting tool? A: it provides young adults and their influencers with virtual insights about the Army The game is designed to provide young adults and their influencers with virtual insights into entry level Soldier training, training in units and Army operations so as to provide insights into what the Army is like. As in the past, the Army's success in attracting high-potential young adults is essential to building the world's premier land force. With the passage of time, elimination of the draft and reductions in the size of the Army have resulted in a marked decrease in the number of Americans who have served in the Army and from whom young adults can gain vicarious insights into the challenges and rewards of Soldiering and national service. Therefore, the game is designed to substitute virtual experiences for vicarious insights. It does this in an engaging format that takes advantage of young adults' broad use of the Internet for research and communication and their interest in games for entertainment and exploration. Q: Should children 13+ be exposed to what the Army does? A: young adults can see how our training builds and prepares Soldiers to serve in units in defense of freedom. In elementary school kids learn about the actions of the Continental Army that won our freedoms under George Washington and the Army's role in ending Hitler's oppression. Today they need to know that the Army is engaged around the world to defeat terrorist forces bent on the destruction of America and our freedoms. The game provides a virtual means to explore a variety of Soldier experiences in basic training, advanced training, and training missions in real world Army units, so that young adults can see how our training builds and prepares Soldiers to serve in units in defense of freedom. "Freedom, liberty, democracy, death' repeat after me 'Freedom, liberty, democracy, death' the chant goes on. (1) Comments

Posted: 9/14/2006 1:15:22 PM

Way of Life :: Everybody must deal with Disney

A fascinating piece of art from the Subvertise archives (copy left) "It doesn't matter whether it comes in by cable, telephone lines,computer or satellite. Everyone's going to have to deal with Disney" Disney Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner (1) Comments

Posted: 9/13/2006 7:38:10 PM

Report on Evacuees : Go to Jail :)

Palast Charged with Journalism in the First Degree September 11, 2006 by Greg Palast It's true. It's weird. It's nuts. The Department of Homeland Security, after a five-year hunt for Osama, has finally brought charges against Greg Palast. I kid you not. Send your cakes with files to the Air America wing at Guantanamo. Though not just yet. Fatherland Security has informed me that television producer Matt Pascarella and I have been charged with unauthorized filming of a "critical national security structure" in Louisiana. On August 22, for LinkTV and Democracy Now! we videotaped the thousands of Katrina evacuees still held behind a barbed wire in a trailer park encampment a hundred miles from New Orleans. It's been a year since the hurricane and 73,000 POW's (Prisoners of W) are still in this aluminum ghetto in the middle of nowhere. One resident, Pamela Lewis said, "It is a prison set-up" -- except there are no home furloughs for these inmates because they no longer have homes. To give a sense of the full flavor and smell of the place, we wanted to show that this human parking lot, with kids and elderly, is nearly adjacent to the Exxon Oil refinery, the nation's second largest, a chemical-belching behemoth. So we filmed it. Without Big Brother's authorization. Uh, oh. Apparently, the broadcast of these stinking smokestacks tipped off Osama that, if his assassins pose as poor Black folk, they can get a cramped Airstream right next to a "critical infrastructure" asset. So now Matt and I have a "criminal complaint" lodged against us with the feds. The positive side for me as a journalist is that I get to see our terror-busters in action. I should note that it took the Maxwell Smarts at Homeland Security a full two weeks to hunt us down. Frankly, we were a bit scared that, given the charges, we wouldn't be allowed on a plane into New York last night. But what scared us more is that we were allowed on the plane. Once I was traced, I had a bit of an other-worldly conversation with my would-be captors. Detective Frank Pananepinto of Homeland Security told us, "This is a 'Critical Infrastructure' and they get nervous about unauthorized filming of their property. Well, me too, Detective. In fact, I'm very nervous that this potential chemical blast-site can be mapped in extreme detail at this Google Map location What also makes me nervous is that the Bush Terror Terriers have kindly indicated on the Internet that this unprotected critical infrastructure can be targeted -- I mean located -- at 30º 29' 11" N Latitude and 91º 11' 39" W Longitude. After I assured Detective Pananepinto, "I can swear to you that I'm not part of Al Qaeda," he confirmed that, "Louisiana is still part of the United States," subject to the first amendment and he was therefore required to divulge my accuser. Not surprisingly, it was Exxon Corporation, one of a handful of companies not in love with my investigations. [See "A Well-Designed Disaster: the Untold Story of the Exxon Valdez."] So I rang America's top petroleum pusher-men and asked their media relations honcho in Houston, Marc Boudreaux, a simple question. "Do you want us to go to jail or not? Is it Exxon's position that reporters should go to jail?" Because, all my dumb-ass jokes aside, that is what's at stake. And Exxon knew we were journalists because we showed our press credential to the Exxon guards at the refinery entrance. The Exxon man was coy: "Well, we'll see what we can find out. Obviously it's important to national security that we have supplies from that refinery in the event of an emergency." Really? According to the documents our team uncovered from the offices of Exxon's lawyer, Mr. James Baker, the oil industry is more than happy to see a limit on worldwide crude production. Indeed, the current squeeze has jacked the price of oil from $24 a barrel to $64 and refined products have jumped yet higher -- resulting in a record-busting profit for Exxon of nearly $1 billion per week. So this silly "criminal complaint" has nothing to do with stopping Al Qaeda or keeping the oil flowing. It has everything to do with obstructing news reports in a way that no one would have dared attempt before the September 11 attack. Dectective Pananepinto, in justifying our impending bust, said, "If you remember, a lot of people were killed on 9/11." Yes, Detective, I remember that very well: my office was in the World Trade Center. Lucky for me, I was out of town that day. It was not a lucky day for 3,000 others. Yes, I remember "a lot" of people were killed. So I have this suggestion, Detective -- and you can pass it on to Mr. Bush: Go and find the people who killed them. It's been five years and the Bush regime has not done that. Instead, the War on Terror is reduced to taking off our shoes in airports, hoping we can bomb Muslims into loving America and chasing journalists around the bayou. Meanwhile, King Abdullah, the Gambino of oil, whose princelings funded the murderers, gets a free ride in the President's golf cart at the Crawford ranch. I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, Matt and I look pretty good in orange. A personal request to readers. Many have written to ask what can be done to protect Matt and me from becoming unwilling guests of the State. First, this ain't no foolin' around: Matt and I are facing these nutty charges. So spread the info. We believe that getting the word out is the best defense. Second, call Homeland Security and turn us in. They seem to have trouble finding us. If you get a reward, you may choose to donate it to the Palast Investigative Fund, a 501(c)(3) educational foundation which supports our work and pays our legal fees. Third, ask your local library to order our book, Armed Madhouse: Who's Afraid of Osama Wolf? Homeland Security now reserves the right to read over your shoulder at the library; therefore, the more our agents are forced to read this subversive material, the more likely we can convince them to come in out of the cold. All kidding aside, we do ask you to request your library order the book: not everyone can afford to purchase this hardbound edition. Our thanks to Amy Goodman at Democracy Now! and the folks at LinkTV for broadcasting our report from New Orleans and the Exxon refinery. And to Gil Noble, host of the ABC Television's Like It Is, our Courage in Journalism award for broadcasting our report on his network's New York affiliate. Catch Gil on WABC every Sunday at noon. In response to a deluge of requests for a copy of the New Orleans documentary, we are preparing a DVD which you may order at http://www.gregpalast.com/premiums.htm You may change your email address or unsubscribe from the newsletter member page. (If you don't have a password for the member page, you can have one sent to you.) (0) Comments

Posted: 9/13/2006 4:52:22 PM

Americas Empire of Bases

hi there kiddies America's Empire of Bases by Chalmers Johnson As distinct from other peoples, most Americans do not recognize -- or do not want to recognize -- that the United States dominates the world through its military power. Due to government secrecy, our citizens are often ignorant of the fact that our garrisons encircle the planet. This vast network of American bases on every continent except Antarctica actually constitutes a new form of empire -- an empire of bases with its own geography not likely to be taught in any high school geography class. Without grasping the dimensions of this globe-girdling Baseworld, one can't begin to understand the size and nature of our imperial aspirations or the degree to which a new kind of militarism is undermining our constitutional order. Our military deploys well over half a million soldiers, spies, technicians, teachers, dependents, and civilian contractors in other nations. To dominate the oceans and seas of the world, we are creating some thirteen naval task forces built around aircraft carriers whose names sum up our martial heritage -- Kitty Hawk, Constellation, Enterprise, John F. Kennedy, Nimitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, John C. Stennis, Harry S. Truman, and Ronald Reagan. We operate numerous secret bases outside our territory to monitor what the people of the world, including our own citizens, are saying, faxing, or e-mailing to one another. Our installations abroad bring profits to civilian industries, which design and manufacture weapons for the armed forces or, like the now well-publicized Kellogg, Brown & Root company, a subsidiary of the Halliburton Corporation of Houston, undertake contract services to build and maintain our far-flung outposts. One task of such contractors is to keep uniformed members of the imperium housed in comfortable quarters, well fed, amused, and supplied with enjoyable, affordable vacation facilities. Whole sectors of the American economy have come to rely on the military for sales. On the eve of our second war on Iraq, for example, while the Defense Department was ordering up an extra ration of cruise missiles and depleted-uranium armor-piercing tank shells, it also acquired 273,000 bottles of Native Tan sunblock, almost triple its 1999 order and undoubtedly a boon to the supplier, Control Supply Company of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and its subcontractor, Sun Fun Products of Daytona Beach, Florida. At Least Seven Hundred Foreign Bases It's not easy to assess the size or exact value of our empire of bases. Official records on these subjects are misleading, although instructive. According to the Defense Department's annual "Base Structure Report" for fiscal year 2003, which itemizes foreign and domestic U.S. military real estate, the Pentagon currently owns or rents 702 overseas bases in about 130 countries and HAS another 6,000 bases in the United States and its territories. Pentagon bureaucrats calculate that it would require at least $113.2 billion to replace just the foreign bases -- surely far too low a figure but still larger than the gross domestic product of most countries -- and an estimated $591,519.8 million to replace all of them. The military high command deploys to our overseas bases some 253,288 uniformed personnel, plus an equal number of dependents and Department of Defense civilian officials, and employs an additional 44,446 locally hired foreigners. The Pentagon claims that these bases contain 44,870 barracks, hangars, hospitals, and other buildings, which it owns, and that it leases 4,844 more. These numbers, although staggeringly large, do not begin to cover all the actual bases we occupy globally. The 2003 Base Status Report fails to mention, for instance, any garrisons in Kosovo -- even though it is the site of the huge Camp Bondsteel, built in 1999 and maintained ever since by Kellogg, Brown & Root. The Report similarly omits bases in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, and Uzbekistan, although the U.S. military has established colossal base structures throughout the so-called arc of instability in the two-and-a-half years since 9/11. For Okinawa, the southernmost island of Japan, which has been an American military colony for the past 58 years, the report deceptively lists only one Marine base, Camp Butler, when in fact Okinawa "hosts" ten Marine Corps bases, including Marine Corps Air Station Futenma occupying 1,186 acres in the center of that modest-sized island's second largest city. (Manhattan's Central Park, by contrast, is only 843 acres.) The Pentagon similarly fails to note all of the $5-billion-worth of military and espionage installations in Britain, which have long been conveniently disguised as Royal Air Force bases. If there were an honest count, the actual size of our military empire would probably top 1,000 different bases in other people's countries, but no one -- possibly not even the Pentagon -- knows the exact number for sure, although it has been distinctly on the rise in recent years. For their occupants, these are not unpleasant places to live and work. Military service today, which is voluntary, bears almost no relation to the duties of a soldier during World War II or the Korean or Vietnamese wars. Most chores like laundry, KP ("kitchen police"), mail call, and cleaning latrines have been subcontracted to private military companies like Kellogg, Brown & Root, DynCorp, and the Vinnell Corporation. Fully one-third of the funds recently appropriated for the war in Iraq (about $30 billion), for instance, are going into private American hands for exactly such services. Where possible everything is done to make daily existence seem like a Hollywood version of life at home. According to the Washington Post, in Fallujah, just west of Baghdad, waiters in white shirts, black pants, and black bow ties serve dinner to the officers of the 82nd Airborne Division in their heavily guarded compound, and the first Burger King has already gone up inside the enormous military base we've established at Baghdad International Airport. Some of these bases are so gigantic they require as many as nine internal bus routes for soldiers and civilian contractors to get around inside the earthen berms and concertina wire. That's the case at Camp Anaconda, headquarters of the 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, whose job is to police some 1,500 square miles of Iraq north of Baghdad, from Samarra to Taji. Anaconda occupies 25 square kilometers and will ultimately house as many as 20,000 troops. Despite extensive security precautions, the base has frequently come under mortar attack, notably on the Fourth of July, 2003, just as Arnold Schwarzenegger was chatting up our wounded at the local field hospital. The military prefers bases that resemble small fundamentalist towns in the Bible Belt rather than the big population centers of the United States. For example, even though more than 100,000 women live on our overseas bases -- including women in the services, spouses, and relatives of military personnel -- obtaining an abortion at a local military hospital is prohibited. Since there are some 14,000 sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults each year in the military, women who become pregnant overseas and want an abortion have no choice but to try the local economy, which cannot be either easy or pleasant in Baghdad or other parts of our empire these days. Our armed missionaries live in a closed-off, self-contained world serviced by its own airline -- the Air Mobility Command, with its fleet of long-range C-17 Globemasters, C-5 Galaxies, C-141 Starlifters, KC-135 Stratotankers, KC-10 Extenders, and C-9 Nightingales that link our far-flung outposts from Greenland to Australia. For generals and admirals, the military provides seventy-one Learjets, thirteen Gulfstream IIIs, and seventeen Cessna Citation luxury jets to fly them to such spots as the armed forces' ski and vacation center at Garmisch in the Bavarian Alps or to any of the 234 military golf courses the Pentagon operates worldwide. Defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld flies around in his own personal Boeing 757, called a C-32A in the Air Force. Our "Footprint" on the World Of all the insensitive, if graphic, metaphors we've allowed into our vocabulary, none quite equals "footprint" to describe the military impact of our empire. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers and senior members of the Senate's Military Construction Subcommittee such as Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) are apparently incapable of completing a sentence without using it. Establishing a more impressive footprint has now become part of the new justification for a major enlargement of our empire -- and an announced repositioning of our bases and forces abroad -- in the wake of our conquest of Iraq. The man in charge of this project is Andy Hoehn, deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy. He and his colleagues are supposed to draw up plans to implement President Bush's preventive war strategy against "rogue states," "bad guys," and "evil-doers." They have identified something they call the "arc of instability," which is said to run from the Andean region of South America (read: Colombia) through North Africa and then sweeps across the Middle East to the Philippines and Indonesia. This is, of course, more or less identical with what used to be called the Third World -- and perhaps no less crucially it covers the world's key oil reserves. Hoehn contends, "When you overlay our footprint onto that, we don't look particularly well-positioned to deal with the problems we're now going to confront." Once upon a time, you could trace the spread of imperialism by counting up colonies. America's version of the colony is the military base. By following the changing politics of global basing, one can learn much about our ever larger imperial stance and the militarism that grows with it. Militarism and imperialism are Siamese twins joined at the hip. Each thrives off the other. Already highly advanced in our country, they are both on the verge of a quantum leap that will almost surely stretch our military beyond its capabilities, bringing about fiscal insolvency and very possibly doing mortal damage to our republican institutions. The only way this is discussed in our press is via reportage on highly arcane plans for changes in basing policy and the positioning of troops abroad -- and these plans, as reported in the media, cannot be taken at face value. Marine Brig. Gen. Mastin Robeson, commanding our 1,800 troops occupying the old French Foreign Legion base at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti at the entrance to the Red Sea, claims that in order to put "preventive war" into action, we require a "global presence," by which he means gaining hegemony over any place that is not already under our thumb. According to the right-wing American Enterprise Institute, the idea is to create "a global cavalry" that can ride in from "frontier stockades" and shoot up the "bad guys" as soon as we get some intelligence on them. "Lily Pads" in Australia, Romania, Mali, Algeria . . . In order to put our forces close to every hot spot or danger area in this newly discovered arc of instability, the Pentagon has been proposing -- this is usually called "repositioning" -- many new bases, including at least four and perhaps as many as six permanent ones in Iraq. A number of these are already under construction -- at Baghdad International Airport, Tallil air base near Nasariyah, in the western desert near the Syrian border, and at Bashur air field in the Kurdish region of the north. (This does not count the previously mentioned Anaconda, which is currently being called an "operating base," though it may very well become permanent over time.) In addition, we plan to keep under our control the whole northern quarter of Kuwait -- 1,600 square miles out of Kuwait's 6,900 square miles -- that we now use to resupply our Iraq legions and as a place for Green Zone bureaucrats to relax. Other countries mentioned as sites for what Colin Powell calls our new "family of bases" include: In the impoverished areas of the "new" Europe -- Romania, Poland, and Bulgaria; in Asia -- Pakistan (where we already have four bases), India, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and even, unbelievably, Vietnam; in North Africa -- Morocco, Tunisia, and especially Algeria (scene of the slaughter of some 100,00 civilians since 1992, when, to quash an election, the military took over, backed by our country and France); and in West Africa -- Senegal, Ghana, Mali, and Sierra Leone (even though it has been torn by civil war since 1991). The models for all these new installations, according to Pentagon sources, are the string of bases we have built around the Persian Gulf in the last two decades in such anti-democratic autocracies as Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Most of these new bases will be what the military, in a switch of metaphors, calls "lily pads" to which our troops could jump like so many well-armed frogs from the homeland, our remaining NATO bases, or bases in the docile satellites of Japan and Britain. To offset the expense involved in such expansion, the Pentagon leaks plans to close many of the huge Cold War military reservations in Germany, South Korea, and perhaps Okinawa as part of Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld's "rationalization" of our armed forces. In the wake of the Iraq victory, the U.S. has already withdrawn virtually all of its forces from Saudi Arabia and Turkey, partially as a way of punishing them for not supporting the war strongly enough. It wants to do the same thing to South Korea, perhaps the most anti-American democracy on Earth today, which would free up the 2nd Infantry Division on the demilitarized zone with North Korea for probable deployment to Iraq, where our forces are significantly overstretched. In Europe, these plans include giving up several bases in Germany, also in part because of Chancellor Gerhard Schröder's domestically popular defiance of Bush over Iraq. But the degree to which we are capable of doing so may prove limited indeed. At the simplest level, the Pentagon's planners do not really seem to grasp just how many buildings the 71,702 soldiers and airmen in Germany alone occupy and how expensive it would be to reposition most of them and build even slightly comparable bases, together with the necessary infrastructure, in former Communist countries like Romania, one of Europe's poorest countries. Lt. Col. Amy Ehmann in Hanau, Germany, has said to the press "There's no place to put these people" in Romania, Bulgaria, or Djibouti, and she predicts that 80f them will in the end stay in Germany. It's also certain that generals of the high command have no intention of living in backwaters like Constanta, Romania, and will keep the U.S. military headquarters in Stuttgart while holding on to Ramstein Air Force Base, Spangdahlem Air Force Base, and the Grafenwöhr Training Area. One reason why the Pentagon is considering moving out of rich democracies like Germany and South Korea and looks covetously at military dictatorships and poverty-stricken dependencies is to take advantage of what the Pentagon calls their "more permissive environmental regulations." The Pentagon always imposes on countries in which it deploys our forces so-called Status of Forces Agreements, which usually exempt the United States from cleaning up or paying for the environmental damage it causes. This is a standing grievance in Okinawa, where the American environmental record has been nothing short of abominable. Part of this attitude is simply the desire of the Pentagon to put itself beyond any of the restraints that govern civilian life, an attitude increasingly at play in the "homeland" as well. For example, the 2004 defense authorization bill of $401.3 billion that President Bush signed into law in November 2003 exempts the military from abiding by the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. While there is every reason to believe that the impulse to create ever more lily pads in the Third World remains unchecked, there are several reasons to doubt that some of the more grandiose plans, for either expansion or downsizing, will ever be put into effect or, if they are, that they will do anything other than make the problem of terrorism worse than it is. For one thing, Russia is opposed to the expansion of U.S. military power on its borders and is already moving to checkmate American basing sorties into places like Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The first post-Soviet-era Russian airbase in Kyrgyzstan has just been completed forty miles from the U.S. base at Bishkek, and in December 2003, the dictator of Uzbekistan, Islam Karimov, declared that he would not permit a permanent deployment of U.S. forces in his country even though we already have a base there. When it comes to downsizing, on the other hand, domestic politics may come into play. By law the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closing Commission must submit its fifth and final list of domestic bases to be shut down to the White House by September 8, 2005. As an efficiency measure, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld has said he'd like to be rid of at least one-third of domestic Army bases and one-quarter of domestic Air Force bases, which is sure to produce a political firestorm on Capitol Hill. In order to protect their respective states' bases, the two mother hens of the Senate's Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee, Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and Dianne Feinstein, are demanding that the Pentagon close overseas bases first and bring the troops now stationed there home to domestic bases, which could then remain open. Hutchison and Feinstein included in the Military Appropriations Act of 2004 money for an independent commission to investigate and report on overseas bases that are no longer needed. The Bush administration opposed this provision of the Act but it passed anyway and the president signed it into law on November 22, 2003. The Pentagon is probably adept enough to hamstring the commission, but a domestic base-closing furor clearly looms on the horizon. In his notorious "long, hard slog" memo on Iraq of October 16, 2003, Defense secretary Rumsfeld wrote, "Today, we lack metrics to know if we are winning or losing the global war on terror." Correlli-Barnett's "metrics" indicate otherwise. But the "war on terrorism" is at best only a small part of the reason for all our military strategizing. The real reason for constructing this new ring of American bases along the equator is to expand our empire and reinforce our military domination of the world. Chalmers Johnson's latest book is ' The Sorrows of Empire: Militarism, Secrecy, and the End of the Republic' (Metropolitan). His previous book, 'Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire,' has just been updated with a new introduction. (1) Comments

Posted: 9/13/2006 3:32:12 PM

Ramble: New Rules

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY: Company Policy: Dress Code It is advised that you come to work dressed according to your salary. If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise. If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise. If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise. Sick Days We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work. Personal Days They are called Saturday & Sunday. Bereavement Leave This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend to the arrangements. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early. Toilet Use Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet. There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the "Chronic Offenders category". Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sanctioned under the company's mental health policy. Lunch Break Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy. Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure. Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast. Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere. (1) Comments

Posted: 9/6/2006 10:03:46 PM

Herb: Grass

The origin of the 'Shotgun' taken from GRASS: The Movie What a great film in my book. Although not as straightforward academic as other docs on the subject, it takes you for a wild ride. The history of Marijuana prohibition in this country ( and the globe over) is sickening. One day, I hope, the human race will wake up and realize that we do not need to be herded like so many cattle. That;however, requires some insight and at present is contraindicated by mass naivette. It is what it is and many people would never even look past the title of this movie let alone grasp the larger scope of it's context. The future is full of trained monkeys on ropes. Consume everything, or die trying. (0) Comments

Posted: 9/5/2006 7:30:57 AM

Brainstorming: Hotlinking Chumps

I suspect somebodies hotlinking my stuff. Not particularly the graphics used here but some others so I'm setting all my profiles, blogs, etc.. that use the host to default again. No biggie, I'm a fan of just using colors/tables anyway. edt: well kinda default .... lol (0) Comments

Posted: 8/29/2006 9:55:06 AM

Brainstorming: Free Energy

DUBLIN (AFP) - An Irish company has thrown down the gauntlet to the worldwide scientific community to test a technology it has developed that it claims produces free energy. The company, Steorn, says its discovery is based on the interaction of magnetic fields and allows the production of clean, free and constant energy -- a concept that challenges one of the basic rules of physics. It claims the technology can be used to supply energy for virtually all devices, from mobile phones to cars. Irish company challenges scientists to test 'free energy' technology Free Energy: The Race To Zero Point (1) Comments

Posted: 8/22/2006 5:44:55 PM

Brainstorming: Privacy Tools from EPIC

I got this in a bulletin elsewhere and decided to repost it here as well. all around in todays world .... que sera EPIC Online Guideto Practical Privacy Tools EDT: I decided to clear off the list because it was taking up so much space. But if you're interested in guarding your privacy and protecting yourself online click on the link. (0) Comments

Posted: 8/21/2006 4:13:48 PM

Music: Goodwill Find

I scored this CD at the local Goodwill. Sometimes I find the coolest stuff in there. The gentleman responsible is David Fanshawe. It's "Kenya & Tanzania: Witchcraft & Ritual Music". "Music and Travel is my trade mark Life is my source of inspiration Life inspires me to create I am a Composer and Explorer" David Fanshawe Serendipity strikes and I have a new composer/producer to look for. (0) Comments

Posted: 8/21/2006 1:15:09 PM

This is Lobo

This is the comic book character I was talking about. Certainly not for the kiddies though. The Wikipedia entry on Lobo is pretty in depth and has alot of info on how Lobo came about etc... He's definitely one of my favorite Comic characters. edt: add, the short film listed in the wikipedia entry is hilarious methinks but embedding has been disabled from youtube (0) Comments

Posted: 8/20/2006 10:31:33 PM

Humans: Great Night

What a great night. I've never met a woman who truly enjoys watching horror movies. I have now. Pizza, wine, and gore. What a trip. Living in the south can be weird. People are constantly under the watch of their neighbors and the church. Whatever church they choose to subordinate themselves to also creates subtle cliques. But that's another story. Living here is strange at times and it's great to meet someone who isn't so bound up in twisted dogma. Naturally, we will burn in hell for the things we do. Bad Bad Bad I read a comic once though. It was Lobo. Lobo dies and goes to hell. Lobo loves it, he loves it so much and is having such a great time that the devil kicks him out. This of course makes Lobo happy as well but the devil sends him back with his head but the body of a woman. That was one of my favorite Lobo comics. ... and I'm off to go eat Chinese so the list of good reading material and some excerpts is on hold.. yada yada (1) Comments

Posted: 8/20/2006 2:10:11 PM

Humans: Hi there

Big Brother Outsources (0) Comments

Posted: 8/17/2006 4:19:54 PM

Brainstorming: Robo One 2006

Cool, here it is, the video of the wrestling robots. These robots kick ass. (0) Comments

Posted: 8/14/2006 9:48:31 AM