Rock On
Things have been very busy in my life of late and I promise to get back to some serious blogging this weekend, but for now, here's another one of my faves...
Predictions Six Days Out
In politics, six days is a lifetime, but I'm going to go ahead and make some predictions for next week.
President: Obama will win by a smaller than expected margin (actual votes) but score a landslide victory in the electoral college.
Obama Wins: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachuesets, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. He'll narrowly miss out on Indiana and Arizona.
McCain Wins: The rest.
US Senate: Democrats will hold 59 seats plus Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), giving them a fillibuster proof majority. Let's hope that Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the biggest ass in the world, goes down to defeat.
US House of Representatives: Democrats will gain 31 seats, giving them a majority that will last decades.
I'll have a more percise prediction the night before the election.
President: Obama will win by a smaller than expected margin (actual votes) but score a landslide victory in the electoral college.
Obama Wins: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachuesets, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. He'll narrowly miss out on Indiana and Arizona.
McCain Wins: The rest.
US Senate: Democrats will hold 59 seats plus Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), giving them a fillibuster proof majority. Let's hope that Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, the biggest ass in the world, goes down to defeat.
US House of Representatives: Democrats will gain 31 seats, giving them a majority that will last decades.
I'll have a more percise prediction the night before the election.
Caught in the Crossfire
The ongoing civil war in the Congo is about to claim more victims. Rebel's battling government troops have captured Virugna Park, home to 200 of the world's remaing Mountain Gorillas. This is just the latest example of what poor stewards of the land we humans are. It's long past time for the international community to act. UN forces need to be sent in immediately to save these precious creatures. I can think of few things more worthy of saving than these magnificent animals. I'm not calling for UN forces to get in the middle of the civil war but guarding the park and keeping the gorillas safe should be a top priority. I've said it many times and I'll say it again, we've had our run, it's time for the human race to go away and let something else give it a shot. We've fucked things up for not only ourselves but for the rest of the world. We are a despicable being that needs to vanish and vanish quickly. STOP HAVING BABIES PEOPLE, JUST STOP.
FROM CNN
FROM CNN
Sarah Palin As President
Love this site: Sarah Palin As President. Click on the link and just run your mouse around the screen. Click on the image when the icon turns to a hand. Be sure to open up the Oval Office door several times as the scene behind it changes.
Also, be sure to check out the Sarah Palin Name Generator to find out what awesome name Sarah would have given you. It seems she would have named me Cue Manhunt Palin.
Also, be sure to check out the Sarah Palin Name Generator to find out what awesome name Sarah would have given you. It seems she would have named me Cue Manhunt Palin.
I'm a Total Geek
It keeps getting pushed back, opening date is now scheduled for May 8, 2009, but regardless, I'll be there for opening night. Here's the trailer...
And here's the official site: Star Trek Be sure to check out the photo gallery.
And here's the official site: Star Trek Be sure to check out the photo gallery.
Girl As Guy
I woke up pretty early yesterday, if 10:30 can be called early, trying to get to the post office before they closed. Alas, they stayed open till 1 so I could have slept in had I known, but I didn't, and so when I awoke, I simply threw on some shorts, a sweatshirt and a hat. After mailing my package, I went over to Mom's and got there just in time. Turns out, she needed to run to the farmers market and then to Oxmoor, one of the upscale malls on the east side. I went of course, always fun to go shopping, but it was all a bit weird, being in guy mode. I have very few of my old clothes left, just a few tee shirts and a sweatshirt or two and I save them for days like yesterday, days when I oversleep, have a few stray facial hairs and don't have time to fix my hair.
We hit Von Maur, Macy's, Fossil, Eddie Bauer, the Apple Store and a few other places but not once did I look at the mens clothes. I felt totally out of place browsing through the women's department, always assuming that people thought I was looking for someone else. After shopping for a bit, Mom and I went to grab some lunch and that's where it got really weird, though I guess it's still pretty good. After being seated, the waiter came over and the first words out of her mouth were "hi ladies, what I can I get you to drink?" Here I was, totally in guy mode, and this guy kept calling me by feminine pronouns.
There are a lot of times when solely in girl mode, I get the "sir" and "mister", but yesterday, totally out as Greg, I get the "ladies" and such. Of course, an hour or so later, the cashier at Lowe's had no doubt about who or what I was. All of which got me to thinking, how is it possible that two people, just minutes apart, saw me as two totally different people? Perhaps it had to do with the setting, I don't know, but when I got home, I took a long look in the mirror and what I saw was Greg, certainly not Kelly.
UPDATE Monday Evening: To add insult to injury, I just went through a local drive thru to grab some dinner. When I placed my order, the guy said "is there anything else I can get you ma'am." Now despite weating makeup, earrings and having my hair actually look pretty damn good, he said to me "Have a good night sir." Ugh!
We hit Von Maur, Macy's, Fossil, Eddie Bauer, the Apple Store and a few other places but not once did I look at the mens clothes. I felt totally out of place browsing through the women's department, always assuming that people thought I was looking for someone else. After shopping for a bit, Mom and I went to grab some lunch and that's where it got really weird, though I guess it's still pretty good. After being seated, the waiter came over and the first words out of her mouth were "hi ladies, what I can I get you to drink?" Here I was, totally in guy mode, and this guy kept calling me by feminine pronouns.
There are a lot of times when solely in girl mode, I get the "sir" and "mister", but yesterday, totally out as Greg, I get the "ladies" and such. Of course, an hour or so later, the cashier at Lowe's had no doubt about who or what I was. All of which got me to thinking, how is it possible that two people, just minutes apart, saw me as two totally different people? Perhaps it had to do with the setting, I don't know, but when I got home, I took a long look in the mirror and what I saw was Greg, certainly not Kelly.
UPDATE Monday Evening: To add insult to injury, I just went through a local drive thru to grab some dinner. When I placed my order, the guy said "is there anything else I can get you ma'am." Now despite weating makeup, earrings and having my hair actually look pretty damn good, he said to me "Have a good night sir." Ugh!
He's Going To Blow
If McCain can make it through the next hour without his head exploding, I'll be totally surprised. The man is incredibly unhinged and his temper is legendary. It's only a matter of time till McCain reaches across the table and slaps Obama across the face.
These People Are Deranged Idiots
Check out this video from a McCain rally on Thursday. These people are beyond delusional and are simply idiots. It makes my Bush Hatred look tame in comparison.
ITEOTWAWKIAIFF
Each day, you sort of think that it can't get any worse and then it does. Today brings more evidence that the global economy hasn't reached bottom. If there was any doubt that the party was over, it's gone now.
DOW TANKS- Wall Stree takes a beating as the Dow falls nearly 700 points and the Standards and Poor 500 is off 40% from it's peak last year.
US TREASURY WARNS OF MORE BANK FAILURES- And this surprises who?
ICELAND COLLAPSES- Iceland seized control of the last bank and stopped trading in a last ditch effort to keep the country from ceasing to exist. To give you an idea of how bad it is there, the banking system has $61 billion in liabilities or $200,000 per resident. Sounds nice, doesn't it?
JAPAN AND HONG KONG TANK- Asian stocks are opening to huge, huge losses.
PAKISTAN FACES BANKRUPTCY- If only they didn't have a rather large arsenal of nuclear bombs.
The list could go on and on forever but I think you get the picture. If there is any kind of silver lining, it's that the price of a barrel of oil continues to fall. As the global economy continues to contract, demand for oil will collapse and prices will continue to fall, thus delaying, ever so slightly, the real impacts of peak oil.
Undecided Voters?
As I sit here on my sofa watching the latest Presidential debate, I got to wondering about the undecided voters assembled there tonight. I guess the thing I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that some voters still don't know who they are voting for. If at this late point in the campaign, you can't make up your mind, well, you don't have any business voting. We could not have two more different candidates, each offering a very distinct platform for the next four years, and somehow it's still not enough to go on? I just don't get it and it pisses me off.
Losing My Religion
For most of my life, I avoided church like the plague. Very few things about religion ever made sense to me and throughout life, I've always questioned the existence of a Supreme Being. So much of what is wrong with the world is the result of religion, or more specifically, relgious nuts. Violence against women, wars, slavery and bigotry have all been justified by a Bible, Koran or other religious text. So imagine my surprise when I began attending church four or five years ago. I'm not sure what it was that brought me to those doors but for a long time, I really did enjoy it. The church I found was a lovely place that welcomed all and preached not about hate and hurt and bigotry but about love and peace and acceptance.
During those years, I officially got baptized, became a Deacon and for all intents and purposes was an integral part of the church. I enjoyed going, the people were and are wonderful and it just seemed very comfortable. But this year, something happened and as suddenly as I started going to church, I stopped. The last time I walked through those doors was early May and though I've thought about going back from time to time, the truth is, I just don't want to. I suppose part of it has to do with the fact that I was becoming increasingly bored with services. Each Sunday seemed to be the same and it got to the point where I just dreaded going the next. At the same time, I began to critically think about religion again and what I found troubled me. In short, I sort of quit believing.
Last night, I told myself that I was going to go back and see if maybe things had changed. I did set my alarm, laid out some clothes and felt convinced that this would be the Sunday that I returned. Alas, it didn''t happen. I did get up. I did think about it. In the end, I felt like a better use of my time would be to go back to bed and that is what I did. Oddly, I don't feel bad about that. I'm beginning to think that church and me just don't go together, sort of like oil and water. I do miss the people there, I really do, but so far, there just hasn't been anything to make me go back. Strange.
UPDATE: I guess I should have mentioned that a big part of my never going to church has to do with a lot of lingering anger over the gender I was born. As a small kid, I used to pray every night that I would wake up a girl and when that never happened, I found myself feeling nothing but anger. Of course that's not a logical thing to do but being a kid, things aren't always so logical.
During those years, I officially got baptized, became a Deacon and for all intents and purposes was an integral part of the church. I enjoyed going, the people were and are wonderful and it just seemed very comfortable. But this year, something happened and as suddenly as I started going to church, I stopped. The last time I walked through those doors was early May and though I've thought about going back from time to time, the truth is, I just don't want to. I suppose part of it has to do with the fact that I was becoming increasingly bored with services. Each Sunday seemed to be the same and it got to the point where I just dreaded going the next. At the same time, I began to critically think about religion again and what I found troubled me. In short, I sort of quit believing.
Last night, I told myself that I was going to go back and see if maybe things had changed. I did set my alarm, laid out some clothes and felt convinced that this would be the Sunday that I returned. Alas, it didn''t happen. I did get up. I did think about it. In the end, I felt like a better use of my time would be to go back to bed and that is what I did. Oddly, I don't feel bad about that. I'm beginning to think that church and me just don't go together, sort of like oil and water. I do miss the people there, I really do, but so far, there just hasn't been anything to make me go back. Strange.
UPDATE: I guess I should have mentioned that a big part of my never going to church has to do with a lot of lingering anger over the gender I was born. As a small kid, I used to pray every night that I would wake up a girl and when that never happened, I found myself feeling nothing but anger. Of course that's not a logical thing to do but being a kid, things aren't always so logical.
Congratulations, You Now Own Big Shitpile
Congrats to everyone as we all now own a piece of Big Shitpile. In predictable fashion, the Dems caved to Mr. 27% and gave him everything that he wanted. $800 billion disappeared today, all for no reason at all. Of course it's all most likely nothing but fake money, the government being broke and all. The truth is, this bailout plan will be about as successful as the Iraq war has gone. A week from now, the markets will still be in the toilet, the credit market will still be frozen, the same banks will be on the verge of going under, more people will have lost their jobs and America will have sunk lower and lower. Of course, we won't be alone. Europe is on the verge of going under as well, Ireland, Iceland, Greece and Portugal being the first to go with Italy and Spain not far behind. The Brits are panicked, Germany now appears to have bought into Big Shitpile and eventually the Chinese are going to want to be paid back.
As bad as things are, they will probably get much worse. The dow at 10,000 is just arond the corner and we should drop below that in the next week or two. The Christmas shopping season is sure to be horrendous as most Americans struggle to just pay the bills they have now. Home prices will continue to free fall and more and more Americans will find themselves owing more than their homes are worth. Any homes on the market will just sit there as banks refuse to make loans. The same goes for Detroit as banks aren't about to lend money (i.e. car loans for buyers) to anyone but the most credit worthy. I still stand by my prediction that next year will see either General Motors or Ford fail and be bought out by Honda, Nissan or Toyota. The airlines continue to flirt with insolvency as high oil prices make profitablity impossible. The days of air travel are almost over.
Lest you think it's all bad news, well, it is. With Peak Oil upon us, we simply will not have enough energy to ever repay all of this debt. Our economy will continue to falter, falling more and more each year as the world comes to grips with a low energy world where growth is no longer possible. The governments of the world will do whatever it takes to some how prop up business as usual but much like this current crisis, they will fail. Oh, all the stops will be pulled out, the powers that be will try everything to keep things going but the truth is, it just won't happen. Hell, we'll be lucky to keep the lights on, much less make an economic recovery. As always, will the last person left turn out the lights, it's been one hell of a party.
As bad as things are, they will probably get much worse. The dow at 10,000 is just arond the corner and we should drop below that in the next week or two. The Christmas shopping season is sure to be horrendous as most Americans struggle to just pay the bills they have now. Home prices will continue to free fall and more and more Americans will find themselves owing more than their homes are worth. Any homes on the market will just sit there as banks refuse to make loans. The same goes for Detroit as banks aren't about to lend money (i.e. car loans for buyers) to anyone but the most credit worthy. I still stand by my prediction that next year will see either General Motors or Ford fail and be bought out by Honda, Nissan or Toyota. The airlines continue to flirt with insolvency as high oil prices make profitablity impossible. The days of air travel are almost over.
Lest you think it's all bad news, well, it is. With Peak Oil upon us, we simply will not have enough energy to ever repay all of this debt. Our economy will continue to falter, falling more and more each year as the world comes to grips with a low energy world where growth is no longer possible. The governments of the world will do whatever it takes to some how prop up business as usual but much like this current crisis, they will fail. Oh, all the stops will be pulled out, the powers that be will try everything to keep things going but the truth is, it just won't happen. Hell, we'll be lucky to keep the lights on, much less make an economic recovery. As always, will the last person left turn out the lights, it's been one hell of a party.
First Taste of Fall
For the first time since April, I was able to turn my air conditioner off (save for the five days without power). A pretty strong cold front brought high temperatures in the low 60's with mid 40's forecast for tonight. Fall always seems to have a hard time taking hold around here and this year has been no different. After a couple of cool days, temps are expected back in the 80's this weekend with lows in the 60's. We've still got a month or so of warm weather, especially during the day and no doubt the air conditioner will be back on in a few days. Yes, summer isn't quite over yet but for a day or two, it feels a bit like fall around here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
