Way back when in the dim days of high-school, I had a teacher that I (and most of the people I knew) regarded as a bit "off"... She was kind of weird - always spouting something or other, and inevitably concluding with a mostly anti-communist message. We were quite amused at her antics; being young and dumb and wildly misinformed, we couldn't see or belive in the threat she promised- it was 1979 for God's sake, and well... We just didn't give a damn about the "Red Menace".
Whether we gave a damn or not was moot: she was determined. We were required to read and report on George Orwell's "Animal Farm" (and now that I look back on it, it's a flippin' WONDER we were even allowed to).
Anyway... THE POINT:
While this looks promising: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,187179,00.html
I simply cannot imagine the scene where Ms. Pelosi informs the VSO reps of the president's decision to drop his plan without comparing her to Squealer from Mr. Orwell's book.
'Nuff said.
For fun, check out the SparkNotes character descriptions and in-depth analyses for Animal Farm. I dare you not to shiver as you start recognizing some prominent "Americans"...
http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/animalfarm/characters.html
PH
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Friday, March 6, 2009
G.A.S?
Usually in my funny little world "G.A.S." means "Guitar Aquisition Syndrome", or in a broader perspective, "Gear Aquisition Syndrome" (since all guitar players ultimately lust after all kinds of gewgaws & doodads they don't really need).
This time it means something entirely different. After reading the following, you should be able to crack the code...
Pretty much all last year we got to hear how bad things were getting - how the economy is nosediving, the planet is covered in toxic muck, the untenable situation in Iraq, etc., etc., ad-nauseum.
But now (it appears), that things may have been overstated a little bit.
Gas (real GAS, or gasoline if you prefer) is reasonably priced (compared to what it had been). And, oh joy, it seems that the general public is clued in to the fact that the price of gas at the pump has little, if anything, to do with the price of a barrel of oil out of the ground. Could it be that we're finally remembering that WE drive the marketplace and not the other way around?
Just yesterday I watched Greta V.S. quiz an upstart bank president on why his bank RETURNED 360 million dollars of "bailout" money that was thrust upon them by the feds. He clearly stated that they never needed the money in the first place, but accepted it on the "strong recommendation" of government regulators. Since it was sitting around doing nothing for them anyway, they figured out how to give it back and will do so. I bet someone's pissed about that. I sure hope so. I cackled madly thinking about how some Gov agency's feelings are going to be hurt because someone can actually successfully conduct business ethically and refuse "help" they don't need in the first place.
I keep hearing about how the jobless rate is at it's highest since 1983 - but today I read that those numbers are suspect due to a LARGE number of incorrect reports. Why is today any different than yesterday? Did 31,000 people in Texas get a job last night? WTF?
I could go on...
Today, I am much more aware of what's going on in the world around me. I'm a bit ashamed that I've spent so much of my life with my head in the sand... But then again - what did I really miss?
Now that I'm more "in-tune", my blood pressure's up, my seratonin's low, and my mind reels constantly from the sheer stupidity and thoughtlessnessof too many people. Add to that my paranoid conspiracy thought that ALL information provided by the Gov is suspect - I wonder how I can function...
Sometimes it's really hard for me to give a shit.
This time it means something entirely different. After reading the following, you should be able to crack the code...
Pretty much all last year we got to hear how bad things were getting - how the economy is nosediving, the planet is covered in toxic muck, the untenable situation in Iraq, etc., etc., ad-nauseum.
But now (it appears), that things may have been overstated a little bit.
Gas (real GAS, or gasoline if you prefer) is reasonably priced (compared to what it had been). And, oh joy, it seems that the general public is clued in to the fact that the price of gas at the pump has little, if anything, to do with the price of a barrel of oil out of the ground. Could it be that we're finally remembering that WE drive the marketplace and not the other way around?
Just yesterday I watched Greta V.S. quiz an upstart bank president on why his bank RETURNED 360 million dollars of "bailout" money that was thrust upon them by the feds. He clearly stated that they never needed the money in the first place, but accepted it on the "strong recommendation" of government regulators. Since it was sitting around doing nothing for them anyway, they figured out how to give it back and will do so. I bet someone's pissed about that. I sure hope so. I cackled madly thinking about how some Gov agency's feelings are going to be hurt because someone can actually successfully conduct business ethically and refuse "help" they don't need in the first place.
I keep hearing about how the jobless rate is at it's highest since 1983 - but today I read that those numbers are suspect due to a LARGE number of incorrect reports. Why is today any different than yesterday? Did 31,000 people in Texas get a job last night? WTF?
I could go on...
Today, I am much more aware of what's going on in the world around me. I'm a bit ashamed that I've spent so much of my life with my head in the sand... But then again - what did I really miss?
Now that I'm more "in-tune", my blood pressure's up, my seratonin's low, and my mind reels constantly from the sheer stupidity and thoughtlessnessof too many people. Add to that my paranoid conspiracy thought that ALL information provided by the Gov is suspect - I wonder how I can function...
Sometimes it's really hard for me to give a shit.
Friday, January 23, 2009
WTF!!???
Oh god... I just can't...
Oh wait - YES I CAN:
All of you are going to be sorry I obtained and read "Ted, White, and Blue - The Nugent Manifesto". I've always admired my Uncle Ted for his bodacious, atrocious, balls-to-the-wall Rock & Roll. Now he's got me pissed off enough that I believe I'm just not gonna keep my mouth shut anymore.
Here's a little "feel good" story I ran across. It doesn't look like much, and many will wonder why I waste my time looking at this crap when I could be examining weightier issues. Read, and come back for my rant:
http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=903780
Man, I'm nauseated...
SINCE WHEN is it NOT the point to WIN a sporting event? I could see a point if the winners had cheated, but by all accounts they did not. They played fair and they played well.
What the hell do the words "Shameful", "Embarrasment", "Victory without honor", or "Bad judgement" have to do with this game? WTF?
I tell ya... What's shameful and embarrasing is that a team that plays so well isn't allowed to win. Victory without honor? Someone's been watching too many Kung-Fu reruns - there ain't no such thing in a fair game. It appears that the only bad judgement exercised was by the league and the losing coach, for allowing such a loser, suck-ass team to be matched against Ace players in the first place.
This is an A-one, first class example of the direction our entire country is heading. Other REALLY good examples are Vietnam and Iraq. Our fightin' girls and guys haven't been allowed to do their jobs (kicking ass - which they're eminently qualified to do). Someone (not me, and probably not you) decided that to allow them to take the necessary action to REALLY end these wars and bring everyone home would be "shameful", "embarrasing", "without honor", and "bad judgement". Bullshit. Vietnam should now be a denuded crater filled wasteland. Iraq should be a toxic radioactive sheet of molten glass.
But I digress...
These girls - who bested a lesser prepared team should not be made to think that their superiority renders them in ANY way inferior or without honor. They practiced, learned to function as a team, executed the game (battle) plan, and beat the pants off the other guy. They paid their dues. They earned and deserve their victory. The fact that they beat them so badly should be icing on the cake.
But no... Instead, they are being penalized for being TOO GOOD.
Son of a bitch...
The old adage "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." only applies to actual fairness (playing according to the rules), and giving your best effort - no matter what the outcome. If both sides gave their best effort and played according to the rules, the victory (and the loss) is deserved.
If I was on the losing team I'd be supremely pissed - not that we'd lost, but that our opponent took pity on us and told us "We're sorry we're better than you."
Oh yeah?
Go fuck yourselves. I'd rather lose.
I blame the school's headmaster, the director of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, the mother whose daughter plays for Dallas Academy, and anyone who allows "mercy" or "golden" rules in sporting events.
The only bright spot in the entire ordeal is the Dallas Academy freshman, who stated: "Even if you are losing, you might as well keep playing. Keep trying, and it's going to be OK." If that attitude is indicative of the studentry Dallas Academy turns out, I wish MY kids went there.
Final score:
The Covenant School - 0: For pandering to the notion that to excel in ANY endeavor is wrong.
Dallas Academy - 100: For giving it their all, sticking it out to the end, and "losing" with grace and dignity.
THAT is sportsmanship.
UPDATE - 1/25/09:
My hero for the day: http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=904726
Peace be with you.
PH
Oh wait - YES I CAN:
All of you are going to be sorry I obtained and read "Ted, White, and Blue - The Nugent Manifesto". I've always admired my Uncle Ted for his bodacious, atrocious, balls-to-the-wall Rock & Roll. Now he's got me pissed off enough that I believe I'm just not gonna keep my mouth shut anymore.
Here's a little "feel good" story I ran across. It doesn't look like much, and many will wonder why I waste my time looking at this crap when I could be examining weightier issues. Read, and come back for my rant:
http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=903780
Man, I'm nauseated...
SINCE WHEN is it NOT the point to WIN a sporting event? I could see a point if the winners had cheated, but by all accounts they did not. They played fair and they played well.
What the hell do the words "Shameful", "Embarrasment", "Victory without honor", or "Bad judgement" have to do with this game? WTF?
I tell ya... What's shameful and embarrasing is that a team that plays so well isn't allowed to win. Victory without honor? Someone's been watching too many Kung-Fu reruns - there ain't no such thing in a fair game. It appears that the only bad judgement exercised was by the league and the losing coach, for allowing such a loser, suck-ass team to be matched against Ace players in the first place.
This is an A-one, first class example of the direction our entire country is heading. Other REALLY good examples are Vietnam and Iraq. Our fightin' girls and guys haven't been allowed to do their jobs (kicking ass - which they're eminently qualified to do). Someone (not me, and probably not you) decided that to allow them to take the necessary action to REALLY end these wars and bring everyone home would be "shameful", "embarrasing", "without honor", and "bad judgement". Bullshit. Vietnam should now be a denuded crater filled wasteland. Iraq should be a toxic radioactive sheet of molten glass.
But I digress...
These girls - who bested a lesser prepared team should not be made to think that their superiority renders them in ANY way inferior or without honor. They practiced, learned to function as a team, executed the game (battle) plan, and beat the pants off the other guy. They paid their dues. They earned and deserve their victory. The fact that they beat them so badly should be icing on the cake.
But no... Instead, they are being penalized for being TOO GOOD.
Son of a bitch...
The old adage "It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game." only applies to actual fairness (playing according to the rules), and giving your best effort - no matter what the outcome. If both sides gave their best effort and played according to the rules, the victory (and the loss) is deserved.
If I was on the losing team I'd be supremely pissed - not that we'd lost, but that our opponent took pity on us and told us "We're sorry we're better than you."
Oh yeah?
Go fuck yourselves. I'd rather lose.
I blame the school's headmaster, the director of the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, the mother whose daughter plays for Dallas Academy, and anyone who allows "mercy" or "golden" rules in sporting events.
The only bright spot in the entire ordeal is the Dallas Academy freshman, who stated: "Even if you are losing, you might as well keep playing. Keep trying, and it's going to be OK." If that attitude is indicative of the studentry Dallas Academy turns out, I wish MY kids went there.
Final score:
The Covenant School - 0: For pandering to the notion that to excel in ANY endeavor is wrong.
Dallas Academy - 100: For giving it their all, sticking it out to the end, and "losing" with grace and dignity.
THAT is sportsmanship.
UPDATE - 1/25/09:
My hero for the day: http://highschool.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=904726
Peace be with you.
PH
Friday, January 16, 2009
Alfred Hitchcock Presents:
THE BIRDS!
Man - I'm speechless.
Pretend you're a goose flying along with your brothers, just migrating along the same way your ancestors of thousands of years have done. All of a sudden...
Now read the story again.
If you're a TIME subscriber - perhaps you should reconsider. I mean really...
Man - I'm speechless.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090116/us_time/08599187217500
If you're scratching your head trying to figure out why this story chaps my ass:Pretend you're a goose flying along with your brothers, just migrating along the same way your ancestors of thousands of years have done. All of a sudden...
Now read the story again.
If you're a TIME subscriber - perhaps you should reconsider. I mean really...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Uh-Oh, I Read a Newspaper Again...
In the news: The Federal Proposed Cow and Pig Gas Tax
http://www.millardccp.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=187&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2812&hn=millardccp&he=.com
This is only one example of a story brought to my attention through my local paper. I looked at several stories on the Internet and found them to be pretty much the same. The knee-jerk reactions from those in the cattle raising biz is that the EPA is planning to institute such a tax. The EPA is back-peddling and claiming that no such plans are being made, but that the possibility of such a tax has been announced to encourage public debate on alternative methods of regulating GHG emissions.
My spin? - It's obviously a further measure to control the population by keeping us weak. Artificially raising the price of our food will help to keep the poor in the poorhouse. Not to mention that it's hard to maintain the fight when you're malnourished...
Next: Report: Web Safer For Kids Than Previously Feared, Still Lacks Safeguards
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/37560449.html
Um... Oh, really?
And finally, the one that simultaneously chaps my ass, scares the crap outta me, and perhaps puts me in a sweet entrepreneurial position:
http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation.htm
Don't let this happen. I'll be more than happy to trade you ammo for food/services in the bleak (and apparently not-too-distant) future, but I don't wanna have to...
XOXOXO
PH
http://www.millardccp.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=1&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=187&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2812&hn=millardccp&he=.com
This is only one example of a story brought to my attention through my local paper. I looked at several stories on the Internet and found them to be pretty much the same. The knee-jerk reactions from those in the cattle raising biz is that the EPA is planning to institute such a tax. The EPA is back-peddling and claiming that no such plans are being made, but that the possibility of such a tax has been announced to encourage public debate on alternative methods of regulating GHG emissions.
My spin? - It's obviously a further measure to control the population by keeping us weak. Artificially raising the price of our food will help to keep the poor in the poorhouse. Not to mention that it's hard to maintain the fight when you're malnourished...
Next: Report: Web Safer For Kids Than Previously Feared, Still Lacks Safeguards
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/37560449.html
Um... Oh, really?
And finally, the one that simultaneously chaps my ass, scares the crap outta me, and perhaps puts me in a sweet entrepreneurial position:
http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation.htm
Don't let this happen. I'll be more than happy to trade you ammo for food/services in the bleak (and apparently not-too-distant) future, but I don't wanna have to...
XOXOXO
PH
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