July 26, 2009 archive
Jul 26 2009
Sunday Morning Global Warming Open Thread
Jul 26 2009
CrowleyGate
“News” cycles once again continue to spew forth ad-nausium something about a non-incident. “News” should not include a back and forth diatribe of opinions but it does. When a media system advances and continues to advance something it becomes propaganda. See project Mockingbird.
Jul 26 2009
Docudharma Times Sunday July 26
U.S. mulling private security in Afghanistan
More American troops means more protection needed on bases, convoys
Associated Press
WASHINGTON – U.S. military authorities in Afghanistan may hire a private contractor to provide around-the-clock security at dozens of bases and protect vehicle convoys moving throughout the country.The possibility of awarding a security contract comes as the Obama administration is sending thousands of more troops into Afghanistan to quell rising violence fueled by a resurgent Taliban. As the number of American forces grow over the next several months, so too does the demand to guard their outposts.
The last of the noblest generation
Harry Patch died yesterday aged 111. He was the nation’s final living link to the horrors of the Western Front. David Randall, the last journalist to meet Private Patch, reports
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Harry Patch, the last survivor of the Western Front, and the man who reminded the modern world of its filthy slaughter, died yesterday at the age of 111.His life ended on a fine summer’s morning in his native Somerset, many miles and 92 years from the Passchendaele mud where so many of his comrades fell, and where he, but for the aim of a German artillery officer, so nearly joined them. For decades he kept the sights and sounds of that butcher’s yard to himself. But then, beginning at the age of 100, he began to talk of them. In so doing, he became the very voice of history: the last Tommy, still fighting. But now, his campaign is over.
As the news of Harry’s death filtered out from his residential home in Wells, the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, paid tribute, not only to Harry, but to all the men who fought beside him. “The noblest of all generations has left us,” he said. “But they will never be forgotten. We say today with still greater force, ‘We will remember them’.”
Jul 26 2009
Strange Bedfellows or Business as Usual in Texas?
This from the Lubbock Avalanche Journal on July 25, 2009:
…More than 40 Texas Tech professors have objected in a petition to Chancellor Kent Hance’s decision to hire former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, according to the petition’s creator…
To see the article for yourself, you can go here.
Jul 26 2009
Boot Gonzo says Texas Tech Faculty and Students
If you have not heard, Texas Tech University has taken on Ex-Bush Attorney General Alberto “I Don’t Recall” Gonzalez. According to thinkprogress.org
Gonzales will be a visiting professor leading a course on “contemporary issues in the executive branch” and focusing on “recruiting and retaining first generation and under-represented students.”
Students and angry alumni quickly spoke out, starting Facebook groups and writing scathing editorials. Many of the Texas Tech faculty, however, remained silent.
Not any longer. Approximately 45 Texas Tech faculty members have signed onto a petition calling Gonzales’ hiring “objectionable.” They charge that Gonzales is nothing more than a “celebrity hire” who won’t be worth his $100,000 salary.
Alberto Gonzalez claims that his course will, among other things, highlight the “accomplishes of the Bush Administration”.
I guess that means that classes will be short.
Contemporary issues in the executive branch, such as “how to commit war crimes” and “wiping your ass with the Constitution 101” will be covered in the course, unless Alberto Gonzalez forgets them or pleads the fifth.
And, “under – represented students” must be code language for “We are going to need more batshit neo-conservatives”
We’re gonna need a bigger boat. That way, we can set them all adrift together.
The protest by Students and Faculty has picked up a lot of steam. You can support their boycott of Alberto Gonzalez by joining the facebook group here
Despite the outrage coming from Texas Tech Students and Faculty, Texas Tech chancellor Kent Hance is standing by his hiring of Gonzalez, who he says is a ‘close friend’ of his.
Why anyone would send their kid to a school for thousands of dollars so they can learn re-writing the rule of law from one of the worst liars and crappiest lawyers ever is beyond me. You’d be better off getting your law degree from Phoenix University online.
But, there is a way to solve this problem. We can save the fragile little minds of a whole class of law students by doing something today.
Investigate and Prosecute Bush/Cheney/Gonzalez et all for War Crimes.
War Criminals don’t take Sunday’s off, and neither should we.
You can find contact information for AG Eric Holder and President Obama beneath the fold. Send them an E-Mail this Sunday and demand a strong, independant Special Prosecutor who will go all the way in the fight to clear America’s name and prosecute the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Bush/Cheney Regime.
And, of course, YELL LOUDER!
Just don’t write the e-mail to AG Holder in all CAPS.
Jul 26 2009
I`m a nice guy
I stopped at my local market after a hard week at work this late afternoon.
I usually post my distraction essay on Fridays, but had a heavy work schedule this week.
I`m self employed & have been for thirty plus years around the world.
When I got to the market, I was distracted by these offensive images.
I went & parked my truck & approached the people manning this little booth & confronted them about their disgusting display.
Being simply a DOFH(dirty old fucking hippy) they seemed to simply try & laugh me off.
I told them I would be back within 20 minutes to take photographs of them & their display, which was met with more derisive chuckles.
At that point, a man in a blue cap, (he is in the images) walked by & told me, he was proud that at least someone was in their respective faces.
He wondered how the market could allow this.
I told him it was a ‘Free Speech’ issue.
He was quite surprised at that.
I had him follow me into the market, (a quite large Pavilion , btw) to confront the manager, a person I`m familiar with, who is also likewise with me.
He stated, as I had told the “blue cap guy” that the market was powerless, because the property outside the market was public space, & free speech rules applied, but that the market did non endorse the ‘petitioners’ outside.
Within 15 mins. I was back with my camera, & announced my return.
I immediately noticed that these three men, moved out of the picture frame.
I told them to please move closer together so their “moms” could have a shot of them with Adolf Obama in the frame, since I was going to post the images of them online today.
I eventually shamed them into the frame.
I may seem mellow recounting this but I was stopping passersby & asking them if the Adolf Obama poster offended them.
Almost all were disgusted, but some may not have “glommed onto ” or “Grokked” the idea.
I kept shaming them into getting into the frame by arguing that if their “health care” argument was so persuasive, they shouldn`t have to revert to vile caricatures, nor depictions of Obama.
That started the Obamabot argument.
I asked them if they were here now, where had they been for the last eight years at “my” market.
The next part was that I didn`t have a sense of humor, so I told them that I was also a “stand-up comic”.
I told them their dismissiveness (of me) was really a true measure of their lack of commitment to their cause,(whatever it was besides being offensive)
Oh Oh! here comes a lowrider with four “Brothers” (I won`t call them “OG`s since I`m not a profiler, but I moved to their car, & asked them for an opinion.
They mentioned, “you mean those fools with the Nazi Obama, we`re cruising to do a “drive-by on them”.
I instinctively knew there would be no shooting, so I told them to not use that terminology,”Please”.
The carload of “gangsters” laughed at my comment, both knowing we both knew who we were, & familiar with our status, in the eyes of outsiders.
I kept stopping people going in & out of the market & asking them to comment.
I know most of the people in the area, & if I don`t know them, they know me, (or about me)
These three guys are now demanding that I do a stand-up routine, but as Jon Stewart said,”I`m nobodies` monkey.
This transpired throughout maybe 20 minutes.
(that means I`m real pissed off). IOW`s I usually don`t have time for “morans”
A lady comes out of the market & says, “Tony, are you doing a story on these idiots for the local paper?”
I told her, what a great addition to my purpose, but would you please tell the aforementioned idiots how you know me.
Her name is Justine, & she told these “guys” that 30 years ago at this same location where she had a kiosk, that I`d bought roses for everyone working in the area, that didn`t get time off to serve customers who needed their services,
She told them, (& I blush) that the last person they should ever hope to be dismissive of was me.
Justine knows some of my other secrets.
So in closing, I have not had time to prepare my “Distractions” that I so love to offer all of you here, but was so distracted by these offensive images, at my own market, (we are possessive aren`t we) that I spent my time elsewhere, (here)
In lieu of those usually posted distractions, see if you can find me in the background of these images.
Have a great weekend, & I`m always in the background,, Yelling Louder.
Shamed into stupid,(for his mom)
The large guy in black with “evil horns” finally opened up a bit but shame will do that.
If your argument is that good, make it merit, not on offensive imagery.
Jul 26 2009
UHC vs UHC, my story
I’ve finally getting some late season head-way on my organic garden. I was pretty much out of it from the end of April to the beginning of July with pneumonia. Add in underlying lifelong asthma and it really slows you down. Today’s the 25th and I’ve had a full eighteen days in a row of health. It feels good.
The increased garden work has allowed me time to follow up on some blatant fraud being committed on me, Jordan Hospital (Plymouth, MA) and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston). United Health Care is committing clear and open fraud in refusing to honor their contract with the hospitals and me and my wife’s employer (our health care insurance source).
A big H/T to D Wreck for the post a few days ago on UHC, the Heritage Foundation, the Lewin Group Study and Ingenix. I had no idea how incestuous the corruption circle can be. I’ve been on the phone to my congressman’s office four times this week wrt the Universal health Care bill. The following is a letter to William Delahunt (D-MA) with some short stories of my plight (only a very small part of it wrt UHC) and some observations from past managerial experience a IBM/Lotus and a look at the opportuinty cost to our national productivity and GDP that is lost to time spet dealing with these intentional fraud artists who claim to be honest corporations offering reasonable health care coverage at competitive prices.
The lies and corruption are beyond comprehension. The letter follows after the jump. Feel free to cut and paste from it, forward it or cross-post it. It is Now or NEVER. I hope you are all doing what you can this week before the bozos go home for vacation. Also, track down any pubic appearances they make in August and be sure to show up and let them know just how you feel. Call their local offices and ask for some face time. Remember, they work for you. They are the paid help. You are the boss. Don’t let them intimidate you.
Change harder! Yell louder! Get right up in their faces! Make it happen! Do not wait for someone else to do this for you! Get off your butts!
Jul 26 2009
Friday on Saturday, A Tale
As this tonight is my third “Weekend Anthropology” Essay, I guess it’s officially a Series now. heh. Here are links for the previous essays, last week and the week before.
What I’m hoping to do with these is share some little discovery, a tale, a story or myth, of the “Folk” genre, global, multi-cultural, that relates in some way to our current struggles and living.
The tale I have for you tonight (below) is a Friday’s Eve story from Iran/Middle East that I share to show my support and solidarity for “the Global Day of Action on July 25th so the citizens of the world can stand together for:
* Civil and human rights for the people of Iran;
* Stopping the abuse of power-the imprisonment, torture and killing?.
* Solidarity with the Iranian people.To our Iranian brothers and sisters: We have heard your voices, and you are not alone.
I’ve decided to open each essay with a prayer or blessing, to be sure Trickster gets his due set the tone. 😉
Atoni (Choctaw)
The track of the sun
across the Sky
leaves its shining message,
Illuminating,
Strengthening,
Warming,
us who are here,
showing us we are not alone,
we are yet ALIVE!
And this fire……
Our fire…..
Shall not die
of the shrine of Sufi Saint Bah-ud-din Zakria in Multan, Pakistan
on Wednesday, July 22, 2009.
Jul 26 2009
What’s for Dinner? Swiss Steak Edition, with a nod to Vegans. 20090725
Good evening! Ek asked me to post tonight. I am pleased to do so. It has been a long time.
Tonight we are going to talk about a very quick (as far as preparation time goes) and fairly inexpensive main dish. Traditionally, it is made with meat but it does not have to be. The results will be somewhat different, but still very good.
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