10. Did Lance Armstrong do steroids.
My friends have been saying yes for years. Discovery channel did a documentary on him and why he is such a superior athlete. I'd like to think it's possible for one person to find the will to beat cancer and beat the best cyclists in the world 7 years in a row. even while they ALL did steroids. But something tells me he was prescribed something and it never went detected. the even more cynical me thinks maybe they all knew. I haven't watched the Tour deFrance since.
9. The Feudalization of the American economy.
The top 1% of wealth holders own 41% of all the assets in the country while the bottom 40% own absolutely nothing. Meanwhile, workers are saddled with $12 trillion of national debt, an effective indentured servitude that will bind them to their corporate masters for the rest of their lives. This is the working definition of feudalism, where the rich own everything and everybody else has nothing but their labor and their obligations to their masters.
8. The mysterious disappearance of Clearly Canadian.
When I was younger I loved this new drink. it was clear. it was carbonated and it was flavorful. people seemed to like it. why can't I find it anymore?
7. The lack of a college football playoff.
Even the President agrees. The not so mysterious but very ambiguous formula for ranking teams is a joke and in trouble of collapsing every year, but in the end the BIG schools always win, and they always collect the money. March Madness is so much more fun.
6. Bush knew of 9/11 long before it actually happened.
Three years before Bush took office, the neo-cons' Project For a New American Century called for a "new Pearl Harbor" to galvanize the nation into a war to seize Middle East oil. And even before the event itself, Bush-as-president was warned dozens of times of the imminent attack, the most notorious being the August 6, 2001 Presidential Daily Briefing titled, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S". Amazingly nothing was done to prevent the attack. But even less is it advertised that Bush knew.
5. Why was Arrested Development canceled? And don't tell me it wasn't funny. That show was hilarious. it's STILL hilarious. the DVD's are still selling of the 3 seasons it was on. it's a conspiracy of the highest order. A Fox executive needs to blow the whistle on this one now.
4. What did BP really know about the Gulf Oil Spill.
The biggest story of 2010 and now they can't even find the oil? WTF. Was it as big a deal as CNN made it out to be? Was it worse. Did BP know and not care that a blowout was possible. I want to see those internal memos from the CEOs desk.
3. What really happened to Conan and the Tonight Show.
Did Jay Leno really set Conan up to fail in some evil premeditated retire/unretire plot to banish him from nighttime television? Was it just about the ratings? It seems pretty messed up and Conan sure isn't in any hurry to accept or forgive Leno for any of it. either way. I'm with Coco.
2. Iraq was all premised on lies, yet we're still there.
Saddam Hussein wasn't pursuing Weapons of Mass Destruction. He wasn't involved in 9/11. He wasn't engaged with Al Qaeda. As with the 2000 election hijacking, we know all these things. And we know they were false at the time they were proffered. Yet, there we are, with no intent to leave, our very presence spitting in the face of International Law and the international community we pretend to respect.
1. What the hell was Inception about.
Where they in a dream or not?
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
You Ungrateful little......
Some people are born into wealth. Some people into a shithole. Some people have lives of ease and pleasure. Some have hard labor with cold wet feet. Some guys have all the luck. Yet some still complain they don't have enough, and others are grateful for having indoor plumbing. who is happier?
A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being. Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections.
Happiness is a choice made everyday. changing your thought patterns can change your moods. recognizing all that you have makes all that you don't less meaningful.
People who are grateful tend to be less materialistic, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches and feel more satisfied with their friends, families than those who don't, studies show.
Being grateful also forces people to overcome what psychologists call the "negativity bias"—the innate tendency to dwell on problems, annoyances and injustices rather than upbeat events.
So buck up. man up. quit your bitchin and if it starts gettin tough start playing harder. at least you don't have cholera or syphilis.
A growing body of research suggests that maintaining an attitude of gratitude can improve psychological, emotional and physical well-being. Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. They're also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections.
Happiness is a choice made everyday. changing your thought patterns can change your moods. recognizing all that you have makes all that you don't less meaningful.
People who are grateful tend to be less materialistic, set higher goals, complain of fewer headaches and stomach aches and feel more satisfied with their friends, families than those who don't, studies show.
Being grateful also forces people to overcome what psychologists call the "negativity bias"—the innate tendency to dwell on problems, annoyances and injustices rather than upbeat events.
So buck up. man up. quit your bitchin and if it starts gettin tough start playing harder. at least you don't have cholera or syphilis.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Rules from George Carlin
New Rule: Stop giving me that pop-up ad for classmates.com! There's a reason you don't talk to people for 25 years. Because you don't particularly like them! Besides, I already know what the captain of the football team is doing these days -- mowing my lawn.
New Rule: Don't eat anything that's served to you out a window unless you're a seagull. People are acting all shocked that a human finger was found in a bowl of Wendy's chili. Hey, it cost less than a dollar. What did you expect it to contain? Lobster?
New Rule: Stop saying that teenage boys who have sex with their hot, blonde teachers are permanently damaged . I have a better description for these kids: 'Lucky bastards.'
New Rule: If you need to shave and you still collect baseball cards, you're a dope. If you're a kid, the cards are keep sakes of your idols. If you're a grown man, they're pictures of men.
New Rule: Ladies, leave your eyebrows alone. Here's how much men care about your eyebrows: Do you have two of them? Okay, we're done.
New Rule: There's no such thing as flavored water. There's a whole aisle of this crap at the supermarket, water, but, without that watery taste. Sorry, but flavored water is called a soft drink. You want flavored water? Pour some scotch over ice and let it melt. That's your flavored water.
New Rule: Stop screwing with old people. Target is introducing a redesigned pill bottle that's square, with a bigger label. And the top is now the bottom. And by the time grandpa Figures out how to open it, his ass will be in the morgue. Congratulations, Target, you just solved the Social Security crisis.
New Rule: The more complicated the Starbucks order, the bigger the asshole. If you walk into a Starbucks and order a 'decaf grandee, half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n'-Low, and One NutraSweet,' ooh, you're a huge asshole.
New Rule: I'm not the cashier! By the time I look up from sliding my card, entering My PIN number, pressing 'Enter,' verifying the amount, deciding, no, I don't want Cash back, and pressing 'Enter' again, the kid who is supposed to be ringing me up Is standing there eating my Almond Joy.
New Rule: Just because your tattoo has Chinese characters in it doesn't make you Spiritual. It's right above the crack of your ass. And it translates to 'beef with broccoli.' The last time you did anything spiritual, you were praying to God you weren't pregnant. You're not spiritual. You're just high.
New Rule: Competitive eating isn't a sport. It's one of the seven deadly sins. ESPN Recently televised the U.S. Open of Competitive Eating, because watching those athletes at the poker table was just too damned exciting. What's next, competitive farting? Oh wait, they're already doing that. It's called 'The Howard Stern Show.'
New Rule: I don't need a bigger mega M&Ms. If I'm extra hungry for M&Ms, I'll go nuts and eat two.
New Rule: If you're going to insist on making movies based on crappy old television shows, then you have to give everyone in the Cineplex a remote so we can see what's playing on the other screens. Let's remember the reason something was a television show in the first place is that the idea wasn't good enough to be a movie.
New Rule: And this one is long overdue: No more bathroom attendants. After I zip up, some guy is offering me a towel and a mint like I just had sex with George Michael. I can't even tell If he's supposed to be there, or just some freak with a fetish. I don't want to be on your webcam, Dude. I just want to wash my hands
New Rule: When I ask how old your toddler is, I don't need to hear '27 months'. 'He's two' will do just fine. He's not a cheese. And I didn't really care in the first place.
New Rule: If you ever hope to be a credible adult and want a job that pays better than minimum wage, then for God's sake don't pierce or tattoo every available piece of flesh. If so, then plan your future around saying, 'Do you want fries with that?'
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
U.S. is not the greatest country
Why would foreign car companies open factories in the United States? The plants shouldn't make sense — Americans have to be paid so much more. Last week, BMW announced it was opening a plant in South Carolina. People were lined up for jobs paying $15 an hour. Equivalent jobs in Germany pay $30 an hour. We’re now a bargain.
The theory that Americans are better than everybody else is endorsed by approximately 100 percent of all U.S. politicians, although there is less and less evidence to support it. Democracy requires me to respect the results of the elections. It doesn’t require me to agree with them or to admire the process by which voters made up their minds. In my view, anyone who voted for Barack Obama for president in 2008 and now is supporting some tea party madwoman for senator is just a fool. But the general view is that the voters, who may be fools individually, are supremely wise as a group. Everybody will be talking in the next few days about the “message” that the voters sent. But does anybody besides Jon Stewart criticize the manipulation of that message by the media in the first place?
The 2010 elections, for all their wild witches and teabagger rallies, are basically irrelevant. Some people are voting for calorie-free chocolate cake, and some are voting for fat-free ice cream. Neither option is actually available. Neither party’s candidates seriously addressed the national debt, except with proposals to make it even worse. Neither party’s candidates had much to say about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, except that they “support our troops”. And Americans are still killing and dying in faraway wars. The reason that politicians are silent is because the solution is not what Americans want to hear. Why can’t we have calorie-free chocolate cake? We’re Americans!
There are rules such as, “You can’t have good ice cream without fat” or “You can’t borrow increasing amounts of money indefinitely and never pay it back, because people will eventually stop lending it to you.” No country is special enough to escape these rules.
The belief that we’re the greatest country ever may be self-destructive. If people already believe it’s true, they won’t do what’s necessary to make it true.
The theory that Americans are better than everybody else is endorsed by approximately 100 percent of all U.S. politicians, although there is less and less evidence to support it. Democracy requires me to respect the results of the elections. It doesn’t require me to agree with them or to admire the process by which voters made up their minds. In my view, anyone who voted for Barack Obama for president in 2008 and now is supporting some tea party madwoman for senator is just a fool. But the general view is that the voters, who may be fools individually, are supremely wise as a group. Everybody will be talking in the next few days about the “message” that the voters sent. But does anybody besides Jon Stewart criticize the manipulation of that message by the media in the first place?
The 2010 elections, for all their wild witches and teabagger rallies, are basically irrelevant. Some people are voting for calorie-free chocolate cake, and some are voting for fat-free ice cream. Neither option is actually available. Neither party’s candidates seriously addressed the national debt, except with proposals to make it even worse. Neither party’s candidates had much to say about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, except that they “support our troops”. And Americans are still killing and dying in faraway wars. The reason that politicians are silent is because the solution is not what Americans want to hear. Why can’t we have calorie-free chocolate cake? We’re Americans!
There are rules such as, “You can’t have good ice cream without fat” or “You can’t borrow increasing amounts of money indefinitely and never pay it back, because people will eventually stop lending it to you.” No country is special enough to escape these rules.
The belief that we’re the greatest country ever may be self-destructive. If people already believe it’s true, they won’t do what’s necessary to make it true.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
50% in Gold?
Try to make it through half of this, the second half gets a little self promotional and kind of fizzles out.
From the Bill Gross letter to Pimco investors:
Run Turkey Run.....
"They say a country gets the politicians it deserves or perhaps it deserves the politicians it gets. Whatever the order, America is next in line, and as we go to the polls in a few short days it’s incumbent upon a sleepy and befuddled electorate to at least ask ourselves, “What’s going on here?” Democrat or Republican, Elephant or Donkey, nothing much ever seems to change. Each party has shown it can add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt with little to show for it or move our military from one country to the next chasing phantoms instead of focusing on more serious problems back home. This isn’t a choice between chocolate and vanilla folks, it’s all rocky road: a few marshmallows to get you excited before the election, but with a lot of nuts to ruin the aftermath. "
"Each party’s campaign tactics remind me of airport terminals pre-9/11 when solicitors only yards apart would compete for the attention and dollars of travelers. “Save the Whales,” one would demand, while the other would pose as its evil twin – “Eat Whale Blubber,” the makeshift sign would read. It didn’t matter which slogan grabbed you, the end of the day’s results always produced a pot of money for them and the whales were neither saved nor eaten. American politics resemble an airline terminal with a huckster’s bowl waiting to be filled every two years.
And the paramount problem is not that we contribute so willingly or even so cluelessly, but that there are only two bowls to choose from. Thomas Friedman, the respected author of The World Is Flat, and a weekly New York Times Op-Ed author, recently suggested “ripping open this two-party duopoly and having it challenged by a serious third party” unencumbered by special interest megabucks. “We basically have two bankrupt parties, bankrupting the country,” was the explicit sentiment of his article, and I couldn’t agree more – whales or no whales. Was it relevant in 2004 that John Kerry was or was not an admirable “swift boat” commander? Will the absence of a mosque within several hundred yards of Ground Zero solve our deficit crisis? Is Christine O’Donnell really a witch? Did Meg Whitman employ an illegal maid? Who cares! We are being conned, folks; Democrats and Republicans alike. What have you really heard from either party that addresses America’s future instead of its prurient overnight fascination with scandal? Shame on them and of course, shame on us. We’re getting what we deserve. Vote NO in November – no to both parties. Vote NO to a two-party system that trades promises for dollars and hope for power, and leaves the American people high and dry. "
"There’s another important day next week and it rather coincidentally occurs on Wednesday – the day after Election Day – when either the Donkeys or the Elephants will be celebrating a return to power and the continuation of partisan bickering no matter who is in charge. Wednesday is the day when the Fed will announce a renewed commitment to Quantitative Easing – a polite form disguise for “writing checks.” The market will be interested in the amount (perhaps as much as an initial $500 billion) as well as the targeted objective (perhaps a muddied version of “2% inflation or bust!”). The announcement, however, has been well telegraphed and the market’s reaction is likely to be subdued. More important will be the answer to the long-term question of “will it work?” and perhaps its associated twin “will it create a bond market bubble?” "
"Whatever the conclusion, not only investors, but the American people should recognize that Wednesday, even more than Tuesday, represents a critical inflection point in determining our future prosperity. Of course we’ve tried it before, most recently in the aftermath of the Lehman crisis, during which the Fed wrote $1.5 trillion or so in “checks” to purchase Agency mortgages and a smattering of Treasuries. It might seem a tad dramatic then, to label QEII as “critical,” sort of like those airport hucksters, I suppose, that sold whale blubber for a living. But two years ago, there was the implicit assumption that the U.S. and its associated G-7 economies needed just an espresso or perhaps an Adderall or two to get back to normal. Normal just hasn’t happened yet, and economic historians such as Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart have since alerted us that countries in the throes of delevering can take many, not several, years to return to a steady state. "
"The Fed’s second round of QE, therefore, more closely resembles an attempted hypodermic straight to the economy’s heart than its mood elevator counterpart of 2009. If QEII cannot reflate capital markets, if it can’t produce 2% inflation and an assumed reduction of unemployment rates back towards historical levels, then it will be a long, painful slog back to prosperity. Perhaps, as a vocal contingent suggests, our paper-based foundation of wealth deserves to be buried, making a fresh start from admittedly lower levels. The Fed, on Wednesday, however, will decide that it is better to keep the patient on life support with an adrenaline injection and a following morphine drip than to risk its demise and ultimate rebirth in another form.
We at PIMCO join with Ben Bernanke in this diagnosis, but we will tell you, as perhaps he cannot, that the outcome is by no means certain. We are, as even some Fed Governors now publically admit, in a “liquidity trap,” where interest rates or trillions in QEII asset purchases may not stimulate borrowing or lending because consumer demand is just not there. Escaping from a liquidity trap may be impossible, much like light trapped in a black hole. Just ask Japan. Ben Bernanke, however, will try – it is, to be honest, all he can do. He can’t raise or lower taxes, he can’t direct a fiscal thrust of infrastructure spending, he can’t change our educational system, he can’t force the Chinese to revalue their currency – it is all he can do, and as he proceeds, the dual questions of “will it work” and “will it create a bond market bubble” will be answered. We at PIMCO are not sure.
Still, while next Wednesday’s announcement will carry our qualified endorsement, I must admit it may be similar to a Turkey looking forward to a Thanksgiving Day celebration. Bondholders, while immediate beneficiaries, will likely eventually be delivered on a platter to more fortunate celebrants, be they financial asset classes more adaptable to inflation such as stocks or commodities, or perhaps the average American on Main Street who might benefit from a hoped-for rise in job growth or simply a boost in nominal wages, however deceptive the illusion. Check writing in the trillions is not a bondholder’s friend; it is in fact inflationary, and, if truth be told, somewhat of a Ponzi scheme. Public debt, actually, has always had a Ponzi-like characteristic. Granted, the U.S. has, at times, paid down its national debt, but there was always the assumption that as long as creditors could be found to roll over existing loans – and buy new ones – the game could keep going forever. Sovereign countries have always implicitly acknowledged that the existing debt would never be paid off because they would “grow” their way out of the apparent predicament, allowing future’s prosperity to continually pay for today’s finance.
Now, however, with growth in doubt, it seems that the Fed has taken Charles Ponzi one step further. Instead of simply paying for maturing debt with receipts from financial sector creditors – banks, insurance companies, surplus reserve nations and investment managers, to name the most significant – the Fed has joined the party itself. Rather than orchestrating the game from on high, it has jumped into the pond with the other swimmers. One and one-half trillion in checks were written in 2009, and trillions more lie ahead. The Fed, in effect, is telling the markets not to worry about our fiscal deficits, it will be the buyer of first and perhaps last resort. There is no need – as with Charles Ponzi – to find an increasing amount of future gullibles, they will just write the check themselves. I ask you: Has there ever been a Ponzi scheme so brazen? There has not. This one is so unique that it requires a new name. I call it a Sammy scheme, in honor of Uncle Sam and the politicians (as well as its citizens) who have brought us to this critical moment in time. It is not a Bernanke scheme, because this is his only alternative and he shares no responsibility for its origin. It is a Sammy scheme – you and I, and the politicians that we elect every two years – deserve all the blame.
Still, as I’ve indicated, a Sammy scheme is temporarily, but not ultimately, a bondholder’s friend. It raises bond prices to create the illusion of high annual returns, but ultimately it reaches a dead-end where those prices can no longer go up. Having arrived at its destination, the market then offers near 0% returns and a picking of the creditor’s pocket via inflation and negative real interest rates. A similar fate, by the way, awaits stockholders, although their ability to adjust somewhat to rising inflation prevents such a startling conclusion. Last month I outlined the case for low asset returns in almost all categories, in part due to the end of the 30-year bull market in interest rates, a trend accentuated by QEII in which 2- and 3-year Treasury yields approach the 0% bound. Anyone for 1.10% 5-year Treasuries? Well, the Fed will buy them, but then what, and how will PIMCO tell the 500 billion investor dollars in the Total Return strategy and our equally valued 750 billion dollars of other assets that the Thanksgiving Day axe has finally arrived?
We will tell them this. Certain Turkeys receive a Thanksgiving pardon or they just run faster than others! We intend PIMCO to be one of the chosen gobblers. We haven’t been around for 35+ years and not figured out a way to avoid the November axe. We are a survivor and our clients are not going to be Turkeys on a platter. You may not be strutting around the barnyard as briskly as you used to – those near 10% annualized yields in stocks and bonds are a thing of the past – but you’re gonna be around next year, and then the next, and the next. Interest rates may be rock bottom, but there are other ways – what we call “safe spread” ways –to beat the axe without taking a lot of risk: developing/emerging market debt with higher yields and non-dollar denominations is one way; high quality global corporate bonds are another. Even U.S. Agency mortgages yielding 200 basis points more than those 1% Treasuries, qualify as “safe spreads.” While our “safe spread” terminology offers no guarantees, it is designed to let you sleep at night with less interest rate volatility. The Fed wants to buy, so come on, Ben Bernanke, show us your best and perhaps last moves on Wednesday next. You are doing what you have to do, and it may or may not work. But either way it will likely signify the end of a great 30-year bull market in bonds and the necessity for bond managers and, yes, equity managers to adjust to a new environment.
If a country gets the politicians it deserves, then the same can be said of an investor – you’re gonna get what you deserve. Vote No to Republican and Democratic turkeys on Tuesday and Yes to PIMCO on Wednesday. We hope to be your global investment authority for a new era of “SAFE spread” with lower interest rate duration and price risk, and still reasonably high potential returns. For us, and hopefully you, Turkey Day may have to be postponed indefinitely."
From the Bill Gross letter to Pimco investors:
Run Turkey Run.....
"They say a country gets the politicians it deserves or perhaps it deserves the politicians it gets. Whatever the order, America is next in line, and as we go to the polls in a few short days it’s incumbent upon a sleepy and befuddled electorate to at least ask ourselves, “What’s going on here?” Democrat or Republican, Elephant or Donkey, nothing much ever seems to change. Each party has shown it can add hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt with little to show for it or move our military from one country to the next chasing phantoms instead of focusing on more serious problems back home. This isn’t a choice between chocolate and vanilla folks, it’s all rocky road: a few marshmallows to get you excited before the election, but with a lot of nuts to ruin the aftermath. "
"Each party’s campaign tactics remind me of airport terminals pre-9/11 when solicitors only yards apart would compete for the attention and dollars of travelers. “Save the Whales,” one would demand, while the other would pose as its evil twin – “Eat Whale Blubber,” the makeshift sign would read. It didn’t matter which slogan grabbed you, the end of the day’s results always produced a pot of money for them and the whales were neither saved nor eaten. American politics resemble an airline terminal with a huckster’s bowl waiting to be filled every two years.
And the paramount problem is not that we contribute so willingly or even so cluelessly, but that there are only two bowls to choose from. Thomas Friedman, the respected author of The World Is Flat, and a weekly New York Times Op-Ed author, recently suggested “ripping open this two-party duopoly and having it challenged by a serious third party” unencumbered by special interest megabucks. “We basically have two bankrupt parties, bankrupting the country,” was the explicit sentiment of his article, and I couldn’t agree more – whales or no whales. Was it relevant in 2004 that John Kerry was or was not an admirable “swift boat” commander? Will the absence of a mosque within several hundred yards of Ground Zero solve our deficit crisis? Is Christine O’Donnell really a witch? Did Meg Whitman employ an illegal maid? Who cares! We are being conned, folks; Democrats and Republicans alike. What have you really heard from either party that addresses America’s future instead of its prurient overnight fascination with scandal? Shame on them and of course, shame on us. We’re getting what we deserve. Vote NO in November – no to both parties. Vote NO to a two-party system that trades promises for dollars and hope for power, and leaves the American people high and dry. "
"There’s another important day next week and it rather coincidentally occurs on Wednesday – the day after Election Day – when either the Donkeys or the Elephants will be celebrating a return to power and the continuation of partisan bickering no matter who is in charge. Wednesday is the day when the Fed will announce a renewed commitment to Quantitative Easing – a polite form disguise for “writing checks.” The market will be interested in the amount (perhaps as much as an initial $500 billion) as well as the targeted objective (perhaps a muddied version of “2% inflation or bust!”). The announcement, however, has been well telegraphed and the market’s reaction is likely to be subdued. More important will be the answer to the long-term question of “will it work?” and perhaps its associated twin “will it create a bond market bubble?” "
"Whatever the conclusion, not only investors, but the American people should recognize that Wednesday, even more than Tuesday, represents a critical inflection point in determining our future prosperity. Of course we’ve tried it before, most recently in the aftermath of the Lehman crisis, during which the Fed wrote $1.5 trillion or so in “checks” to purchase Agency mortgages and a smattering of Treasuries. It might seem a tad dramatic then, to label QEII as “critical,” sort of like those airport hucksters, I suppose, that sold whale blubber for a living. But two years ago, there was the implicit assumption that the U.S. and its associated G-7 economies needed just an espresso or perhaps an Adderall or two to get back to normal. Normal just hasn’t happened yet, and economic historians such as Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart have since alerted us that countries in the throes of delevering can take many, not several, years to return to a steady state. "
"The Fed’s second round of QE, therefore, more closely resembles an attempted hypodermic straight to the economy’s heart than its mood elevator counterpart of 2009. If QEII cannot reflate capital markets, if it can’t produce 2% inflation and an assumed reduction of unemployment rates back towards historical levels, then it will be a long, painful slog back to prosperity. Perhaps, as a vocal contingent suggests, our paper-based foundation of wealth deserves to be buried, making a fresh start from admittedly lower levels. The Fed, on Wednesday, however, will decide that it is better to keep the patient on life support with an adrenaline injection and a following morphine drip than to risk its demise and ultimate rebirth in another form.
We at PIMCO join with Ben Bernanke in this diagnosis, but we will tell you, as perhaps he cannot, that the outcome is by no means certain. We are, as even some Fed Governors now publically admit, in a “liquidity trap,” where interest rates or trillions in QEII asset purchases may not stimulate borrowing or lending because consumer demand is just not there. Escaping from a liquidity trap may be impossible, much like light trapped in a black hole. Just ask Japan. Ben Bernanke, however, will try – it is, to be honest, all he can do. He can’t raise or lower taxes, he can’t direct a fiscal thrust of infrastructure spending, he can’t change our educational system, he can’t force the Chinese to revalue their currency – it is all he can do, and as he proceeds, the dual questions of “will it work” and “will it create a bond market bubble” will be answered. We at PIMCO are not sure.
Still, while next Wednesday’s announcement will carry our qualified endorsement, I must admit it may be similar to a Turkey looking forward to a Thanksgiving Day celebration. Bondholders, while immediate beneficiaries, will likely eventually be delivered on a platter to more fortunate celebrants, be they financial asset classes more adaptable to inflation such as stocks or commodities, or perhaps the average American on Main Street who might benefit from a hoped-for rise in job growth or simply a boost in nominal wages, however deceptive the illusion. Check writing in the trillions is not a bondholder’s friend; it is in fact inflationary, and, if truth be told, somewhat of a Ponzi scheme. Public debt, actually, has always had a Ponzi-like characteristic. Granted, the U.S. has, at times, paid down its national debt, but there was always the assumption that as long as creditors could be found to roll over existing loans – and buy new ones – the game could keep going forever. Sovereign countries have always implicitly acknowledged that the existing debt would never be paid off because they would “grow” their way out of the apparent predicament, allowing future’s prosperity to continually pay for today’s finance.
Now, however, with growth in doubt, it seems that the Fed has taken Charles Ponzi one step further. Instead of simply paying for maturing debt with receipts from financial sector creditors – banks, insurance companies, surplus reserve nations and investment managers, to name the most significant – the Fed has joined the party itself. Rather than orchestrating the game from on high, it has jumped into the pond with the other swimmers. One and one-half trillion in checks were written in 2009, and trillions more lie ahead. The Fed, in effect, is telling the markets not to worry about our fiscal deficits, it will be the buyer of first and perhaps last resort. There is no need – as with Charles Ponzi – to find an increasing amount of future gullibles, they will just write the check themselves. I ask you: Has there ever been a Ponzi scheme so brazen? There has not. This one is so unique that it requires a new name. I call it a Sammy scheme, in honor of Uncle Sam and the politicians (as well as its citizens) who have brought us to this critical moment in time. It is not a Bernanke scheme, because this is his only alternative and he shares no responsibility for its origin. It is a Sammy scheme – you and I, and the politicians that we elect every two years – deserve all the blame.
Still, as I’ve indicated, a Sammy scheme is temporarily, but not ultimately, a bondholder’s friend. It raises bond prices to create the illusion of high annual returns, but ultimately it reaches a dead-end where those prices can no longer go up. Having arrived at its destination, the market then offers near 0% returns and a picking of the creditor’s pocket via inflation and negative real interest rates. A similar fate, by the way, awaits stockholders, although their ability to adjust somewhat to rising inflation prevents such a startling conclusion. Last month I outlined the case for low asset returns in almost all categories, in part due to the end of the 30-year bull market in interest rates, a trend accentuated by QEII in which 2- and 3-year Treasury yields approach the 0% bound. Anyone for 1.10% 5-year Treasuries? Well, the Fed will buy them, but then what, and how will PIMCO tell the 500 billion investor dollars in the Total Return strategy and our equally valued 750 billion dollars of other assets that the Thanksgiving Day axe has finally arrived?
We will tell them this. Certain Turkeys receive a Thanksgiving pardon or they just run faster than others! We intend PIMCO to be one of the chosen gobblers. We haven’t been around for 35+ years and not figured out a way to avoid the November axe. We are a survivor and our clients are not going to be Turkeys on a platter. You may not be strutting around the barnyard as briskly as you used to – those near 10% annualized yields in stocks and bonds are a thing of the past – but you’re gonna be around next year, and then the next, and the next. Interest rates may be rock bottom, but there are other ways – what we call “safe spread” ways –to beat the axe without taking a lot of risk: developing/emerging market debt with higher yields and non-dollar denominations is one way; high quality global corporate bonds are another. Even U.S. Agency mortgages yielding 200 basis points more than those 1% Treasuries, qualify as “safe spreads.” While our “safe spread” terminology offers no guarantees, it is designed to let you sleep at night with less interest rate volatility. The Fed wants to buy, so come on, Ben Bernanke, show us your best and perhaps last moves on Wednesday next. You are doing what you have to do, and it may or may not work. But either way it will likely signify the end of a great 30-year bull market in bonds and the necessity for bond managers and, yes, equity managers to adjust to a new environment.
If a country gets the politicians it deserves, then the same can be said of an investor – you’re gonna get what you deserve. Vote No to Republican and Democratic turkeys on Tuesday and Yes to PIMCO on Wednesday. We hope to be your global investment authority for a new era of “SAFE spread” with lower interest rate duration and price risk, and still reasonably high potential returns. For us, and hopefully you, Turkey Day may have to be postponed indefinitely."
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The Best Band in the World
The Black Keys are the best band in the World.
This is not a matter of opinion, but of taste.
The Black Keys write killer material, have outstanding musicianship, produce a cohesive and recognizable sound, and regardless of the genre they are playing have that "transcendent" quality that all "greatest" bands have. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, U2 all sounded familiar while simultaneously sounding completing new.
Watch for Yourself:
This is not a matter of opinion, but of taste.
The Black Keys write killer material, have outstanding musicianship, produce a cohesive and recognizable sound, and regardless of the genre they are playing have that "transcendent" quality that all "greatest" bands have. The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, U2 all sounded familiar while simultaneously sounding completing new.
Watch for Yourself:
Friday, October 1, 2010
Is My eyeball bleeding?
Lately my joints have been cracking and stiff. the knuckles on my index fingers are red and swollen. my eyes are dry from staring at the computer, consuming too much alcohol and being in a windy, dusty environment. The blood vessels in my hands haved constricted and are inhibiting circulation. my fingers also spasm, go numb, and change in color (from whitish to blue to bright red).
Something is tickling my throat, and I cough trying to expel the irritant. It may be postnasal drainage from allergies, or I may have hyperactive nasal mucus membranes sending liquid down my throat. My acid reflux is also irritating my throat and making me cough. Sitting or standing for too long in one position, strains the muscles in my calves and they cramp, sometimes hours later or during the night. I think I have an electrolyte imbalance.
I sweat when I sleep. I lower the temperature in my bedroom at night by opening a window and using a fan. I have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which snoring is accompanied by brief pauses in breathing as I sleep. I get cracks at the corners of my mouth. Excessive lip licking and the dry air has led to very thin cracks.
My urine is a very dark color. Now I either have a urinary tract infection or I am not drinking enough water. A bladder or kidney infection can also cause darker urine, as can renal stones. sometimes my eyes are bloodshot and my gums bleed. Because I grind my teeth my temporomandibular joint, which connects the jaw to my skull, isn't opening or closing as smoothly as it should. it makes a clicking or popping sound. sometimes it is painful which could mean arthritis.
I also may have lupus.
Something is tickling my throat, and I cough trying to expel the irritant. It may be postnasal drainage from allergies, or I may have hyperactive nasal mucus membranes sending liquid down my throat. My acid reflux is also irritating my throat and making me cough. Sitting or standing for too long in one position, strains the muscles in my calves and they cramp, sometimes hours later or during the night. I think I have an electrolyte imbalance.
I sweat when I sleep. I lower the temperature in my bedroom at night by opening a window and using a fan. I have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which snoring is accompanied by brief pauses in breathing as I sleep. I get cracks at the corners of my mouth. Excessive lip licking and the dry air has led to very thin cracks.
My urine is a very dark color. Now I either have a urinary tract infection or I am not drinking enough water. A bladder or kidney infection can also cause darker urine, as can renal stones. sometimes my eyes are bloodshot and my gums bleed. Because I grind my teeth my temporomandibular joint, which connects the jaw to my skull, isn't opening or closing as smoothly as it should. it makes a clicking or popping sound. sometimes it is painful which could mean arthritis.
I also may have lupus.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
A long standing dispute.
A friend of mine and I have been having a long-standing argument about whose penis is larger. We've thought of having our girlfriends confirm to the other the exact size, but neither one of us trusts that. I don't want to see his penis and he doesn't want to see mine. I don't want my girlfriend looking at his penis and he doesn't was his looking at mine.
So... We just need a girl to look at both of our penises (individually) and then to tell us which one is bigger.
We can't pay much. $50.
Interested?
Friday, September 24, 2010
Well, today it's orange popcicles.
A regular box of popsicles includes cherry (my favorite), grape (so-so) and orange. I don't like the orange ones. I'm a grown-up and I don't have to eat them if I don't want to. On the other hand I can't bring myself to throw them away and I don't have children or grandchildren living in the area to give them to (assuming they would like them).
I currently have a bunch of orange popsicles in my freezer. If you want them,, let me know. If you are paranoid about them, don't be. Keep in mind they are all "factory sealed" and whoever takes them probably isn't going to end up on the 6:00 news because they were poisoned to death by orange popsicles.
Someone is going to want these things, so you better hurry. If things work out, maybe we could develop a "popsicles are ready for pickup" relationship whereby I send you an E-mail whenever the freezer is full.
Keep in mind that a box of 24 popsicles costs about $4.50 and you are only getting 1/3 of a box...or in this case 1/3 of several boxes. The point is I don't think you should consider driving from Cleveland for the orange popsicles. However, if you do and you are first, I will give them to you.
FAQ:
Q: Are the orange popsicles sugar free?
A: Do I SOUND like someone why buys sugar free popsicles? No, they aren't.
Q. How many orange popsicles are currently available?
A. As of 10:15 on 9/24 I have 17 of them.
thanks for reading
I currently have a bunch of orange popsicles in my freezer. If you want them,, let me know. If you are paranoid about them, don't be. Keep in mind they are all "factory sealed" and whoever takes them probably isn't going to end up on the 6:00 news because they were poisoned to death by orange popsicles.
Someone is going to want these things, so you better hurry. If things work out, maybe we could develop a "popsicles are ready for pickup" relationship whereby I send you an E-mail whenever the freezer is full.
Keep in mind that a box of 24 popsicles costs about $4.50 and you are only getting 1/3 of a box...or in this case 1/3 of several boxes. The point is I don't think you should consider driving from Cleveland for the orange popsicles. However, if you do and you are first, I will give them to you.
FAQ:
Q: Are the orange popsicles sugar free?
A: Do I SOUND like someone why buys sugar free popsicles? No, they aren't.
Q. How many orange popsicles are currently available?
A. As of 10:15 on 9/24 I have 17 of them.
thanks for reading
Friday, September 17, 2010
Would You sexually harrass this woman?
This young and spicy reporter who is the (self-titled) "hottest reporter in Mexico" addressed the pictures she posted on Twitter and the comments she wrote calling the on-field football harassment "an embarrassment" and "uncomfortable"."If a pair of jeans, a white blouse with bottoms is provocative than all the women are provocative because it's very common to dress like this," she said in an all-media interview.
I want to be a reporter and go into a woman's locker room and interview them half naked. I wonder how some of the players would feel.
I was raised to be aware of others and considerate of my surroundings, and I don't think dressing the way she does qualifies as either. Although some players did behave inappropriately or"immaturely", She continues to dress provocatively. But she asks " what's so provocative about a "a pair of jeans and a blouse"? Hmmm. That is a distraction on the practice field, and in a locker room full of young, mostly immature, naked football players - an incident waiting to happen.
What bothers me most is that Men are blamed in a publicity grabbing incident for being Men. Hey, if you got it, flaunt it. But at least give us some fries with that shake.
Coming in November: Masturbation Prohibiton?
These are tense times. The future is uncertain. The Stock Market quivers with indecision. The November midterm elections are approaching. All of this uncertainty has produced some interesting candidates. But in my opinion none more entertaining than Christine O'Donnell from Delaware.
Here are two of her more famous quotes:
1. On the topic of stem cell research and human cloning:
"they are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment."
2. On the topic of telling a lie:
" O'DONNELL: A lie, whether it be a lie or an exaggeration, is disrespect to whoever you're exaggerating or lying to, because it's not respecting reality.
MAHER: Quite the opposite, it can be respect.
MAHER: What if someone comes to you in the middle of the Second World War and says, 'do you have any Jewish people in your house?' and you do have them. That would be a lie. That would be disrespectful to Hitler....
O'DONNELL: I believe if I were in that situation, God would provide a way to do the right thing righteously. I believe that!
MAHER: God is not there. Hitler's there and you're there.
O'DONNELL: You never have to practice deception. God always provides a way out. "
God works in mysterious ways. That's why he gave human brains to mice.
O'Donnell a former abstinence advocate, spent much of the nineties fighting against masturbation and pornography in addition to premarital sex and contraception. And back in the 90s, O'Donnell's appearance on MTV's "Sex In The 90s" TV show, has her claiming that masturbation is equal to adultery. But my favorite line is:
"If he can already please himself, then why am I in the picture?"
Because my mouth can't reach?
Here are two of her more famous quotes:
1. On the topic of stem cell research and human cloning:
"they are doing that here in the United States. American scientific companies are cross-breeding humans and animals and coming up with mice with fully functioning human brains. So they're already into this experiment."
2. On the topic of telling a lie:
" O'DONNELL: A lie, whether it be a lie or an exaggeration, is disrespect to whoever you're exaggerating or lying to, because it's not respecting reality.
MAHER: Quite the opposite, it can be respect.
MAHER: What if someone comes to you in the middle of the Second World War and says, 'do you have any Jewish people in your house?' and you do have them. That would be a lie. That would be disrespectful to Hitler....
O'DONNELL: I believe if I were in that situation, God would provide a way to do the right thing righteously. I believe that!
MAHER: God is not there. Hitler's there and you're there.
O'DONNELL: You never have to practice deception. God always provides a way out. "
God works in mysterious ways. That's why he gave human brains to mice.
O'Donnell a former abstinence advocate, spent much of the nineties fighting against masturbation and pornography in addition to premarital sex and contraception. And back in the 90s, O'Donnell's appearance on MTV's "Sex In The 90s" TV show, has her claiming that masturbation is equal to adultery. But my favorite line is:
"If he can already please himself, then why am I in the picture?"
Because my mouth can't reach?
Monday, September 13, 2010
Everybody knows people with real money don't pay taxes...
Like a heroin addict needs more dope , the US government needs more tax payer money, no matter where they get it. You couldn't give money to a worse lot than those in Washington:
14 trillion in debt, 800 billion failed stimulus , 2 no win no end wars , no way to pay unfunded liabilities , no air marshals, no safe borders ,etc.
Yes the fox is in charge of the chicken coop and the fox says I need your juicy chicken to watch. Are we just stupid enough to give it to them?
On the other hand.
The GOP has never taken care of the middle class. They will block any tax increase for the wealthy. That is their base. The gap between the wealthy and the middle class grew under Republican "leadership", special interest groups were granted every wish and No Bid Cheney took care of all of his buddies. With Karl Rove behind the scenes again using his scare tactics(mosque at ground zero), those that get all of their info from GOP propaganda sources(Rush, Beck, Palin) will send themselves to the slaughter house.
GOP=Greedy Old Politicians.
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
- Adrian Rogers, 1931-2005
“Republicans take care of big money, for big money takes care of them.” - Will Rogers
14 trillion in debt, 800 billion failed stimulus , 2 no win no end wars , no way to pay unfunded liabilities , no air marshals, no safe borders ,etc.
Yes the fox is in charge of the chicken coop and the fox says I need your juicy chicken to watch. Are we just stupid enough to give it to them?
On the other hand.
The GOP has never taken care of the middle class. They will block any tax increase for the wealthy. That is their base. The gap between the wealthy and the middle class grew under Republican "leadership", special interest groups were granted every wish and No Bid Cheney took care of all of his buddies. With Karl Rove behind the scenes again using his scare tactics(mosque at ground zero), those that get all of their info from GOP propaganda sources(Rush, Beck, Palin) will send themselves to the slaughter house.
GOP=Greedy Old Politicians.
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that, my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
- Adrian Rogers, 1931-2005
“Republicans take care of big money, for big money takes care of them.” - Will Rogers
Friday, September 10, 2010
90% of Americans who own pets buy them Christmas gifts.
Nearly half of the people who sell their houses with furniture included will take all the light bulbs out of all the lamps when they vacate the premises.
A person who drives 10 miles to buy a lottery ticket is 3 times more likely to be killed in a car accident while driving to buy the ticket... than... he is to win the jackpot.
80% of Americans say giving personal information (especially their credit card information) over the Internet scares the living shit out of them.
According to Employee Benefits Research Institute 96% of all people who have jobs right now won't be eligible for their full Social Security benefits when they reach age 65.
The average wedding in America costs a staggering $20,000.00.
Few people know it but, you can buy single-disease insurance.
what the fuck is wrong with us?
A person who drives 10 miles to buy a lottery ticket is 3 times more likely to be killed in a car accident while driving to buy the ticket... than... he is to win the jackpot.
80% of Americans say giving personal information (especially their credit card information) over the Internet scares the living shit out of them.
According to Employee Benefits Research Institute 96% of all people who have jobs right now won't be eligible for their full Social Security benefits when they reach age 65.
The average wedding in America costs a staggering $20,000.00.
Few people know it but, you can buy single-disease insurance.
what the fuck is wrong with us?
Friday, August 27, 2010
Bikini-clad strippers
This story just warms my heart.
"WARSAW, Ohio – The strippers, fueled by Cheetos and nicotine, are protesting a fundamentalist Christian church whose Bible-brandishing congregants have picketed the club where they work. The dancers roll up with signs carrying messages adapted from Scripture, such as "Do unto others as you would have done unto you," to counter church members who for four years have photographed license plates of patrons and asked them if their mothers and wives know their whereabouts.
The dueling demonstrations play out in central Ohio, where nine miles of cornfields and Amish-buggy crossing signs separate The Fox Hole strip club from New Beginnings Ministries.
"As a Christian community, we cannot share territory with the devil," pastor Bill Dunfee said. "Light and darkness cannot exist together, so The Fox Hole has got to go."
The Fox Hole encourages customers to check out its $30 private dance special, promoting it on the kind of sign convenience stores use to advertise cheap milk and cigarettes. Out back, letters on a bulletin board have faded away so that "No touching" now reads "ouch."
"No little girl is growing up like, `I wanna do a pole trick,'" said Anny Donewald, a former stripper who lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., and ministers to dancers, prostitutes and porn stars."
I might have to take a road trip to lend my support. God Bless America.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Best Grandfather Ever?
Grandfather Attempts to Smuggle Pot into Jail
Ohioan Richard Heritz was arrested earlier this month for smuggling marijuana into the Warren Correction Institution for an inmate. The thing is: Richard Heritz is 85. And the inmate who was supposed to receive the weed is his grandson, Gregory.
What was the last present your grandfather got you? Was it a birthday check for the same amount of money as your age? Maybe some socks? It was probably not 22 grams of pot:
What was the last present your grandfather got you? Was it a birthday check for the same amount of money as your age? Maybe some socks? It was probably not 22 grams of pot:
"Richard Heritz, of West Chester Twp., stepped onto the grounds of the Warren Correction Institution Aug. 13 to visit his grandson. Gregory Heritz had been incarcerated at the prison for two years, and had eight more to come from a burglary conviction out of Butler County, according to prison records.
Before Heritz saw his grandson, he was pulled aside by state troopers, who were acting on a tip they had received. A few hours later, Heritz was behind bars as well, accused of attempting to smuggle marijuana onto prison grounds."
[Dayton Daily News]
Would your grandfather do this for you? SHOULD your grandfather do this for you?
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Blago & the State
1. If you are reading this in an email, please read it from my webpage.
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
listen to the music. vote in the poll. and make a stupid comment after the blog.
jesus christ. is that too much to ask?
1. I've become interested in this Rod Blagojevich 2nd act. The FBI tapes are fascinating as well as infuriating in the level of corruption. He flat out states that the BEST person for the job is not an option because they don't benefit him politically. But the FBI also jumped the gun in their investigation. why? who were they protected from BUYING that seat? or where they simply trying to ensure THEIR man got the appointment? In one file he is talking about holding back money for pediatric doctors as a bargaining tool.
2. New York City is infected with bed bugs. My sister lives in New York City but is visiting Ohio now. She told me that she can check her apartments status on the Bed Bug Registry through an app on her I-phone. We can't monitor illegal aliens coming across the border but we can check up on the bed bug status through a phone.
3. This democrat vs. republican crap has become tiresome. What has either party done for YOU lately? We've been sold put by both parties but we continue to cling to the hope that one or the other will save us. Can't we get it through our heads, that they are two sides of the same coin? Neither party answers to us. They get their orders from the corporations. Is it their aim to remove our borders, shred our constitution and eliminate the middle class? If so, it's working. It may already be too late. We are so distracted by TV sports, who won on American Idol, and when Lindsey Lohan gets out, that we are are oblivious to it. Sometimes I think we might wake up too late and find ourselves under martial law. Are we too tired to just turn off the boob tube and the crap it tries to spoonfeed us? Do we want more shiny new things so badly, that we are driven to distraction at the cost to our own well being. How hard will we continue to work to buy more stuff. even if that stuff keeps getting more and more expensive.
what will it take for us to get our priorities straight?
do we even have priorities?
“If you're losing your soul and you know it, then you've still got a soul left to lose” - Bukowski
“Sometimes you just have to pee in the sink.” - also Bukowski.
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
listen to the music. vote in the poll. and make a stupid comment after the blog.
jesus christ. is that too much to ask?
1. I've become interested in this Rod Blagojevich 2nd act. The FBI tapes are fascinating as well as infuriating in the level of corruption. He flat out states that the BEST person for the job is not an option because they don't benefit him politically. But the FBI also jumped the gun in their investigation. why? who were they protected from BUYING that seat? or where they simply trying to ensure THEIR man got the appointment? In one file he is talking about holding back money for pediatric doctors as a bargaining tool.
2. New York City is infected with bed bugs. My sister lives in New York City but is visiting Ohio now. She told me that she can check her apartments status on the Bed Bug Registry through an app on her I-phone. We can't monitor illegal aliens coming across the border but we can check up on the bed bug status through a phone.
3. This democrat vs. republican crap has become tiresome. What has either party done for YOU lately? We've been sold put by both parties but we continue to cling to the hope that one or the other will save us. Can't we get it through our heads, that they are two sides of the same coin? Neither party answers to us. They get their orders from the corporations. Is it their aim to remove our borders, shred our constitution and eliminate the middle class? If so, it's working. It may already be too late. We are so distracted by TV sports, who won on American Idol, and when Lindsey Lohan gets out, that we are are oblivious to it. Sometimes I think we might wake up too late and find ourselves under martial law. Are we too tired to just turn off the boob tube and the crap it tries to spoonfeed us? Do we want more shiny new things so badly, that we are driven to distraction at the cost to our own well being. How hard will we continue to work to buy more stuff. even if that stuff keeps getting more and more expensive.
what will it take for us to get our priorities straight?
do we even have priorities?
“If you're losing your soul and you know it, then you've still got a soul left to lose” - Bukowski
“Sometimes you just have to pee in the sink.” - also Bukowski.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
JetBlue Flight Attendant
the story that has drawn my attention is the JetBlue flight attendant that made some interesting choices with his retirement announcement. He coursed out a passenger, grabbed two beers from the beverage cart and opened the emergency exit and slid down the big yellow slide. Before he left he gave an expletive laden good bye speech. His story to his lawyer claims the gash on his forehead came from a rude passenger who stood up before the plane had come to a complete stop.
but now i have come across different versions of the story. the Wall St. Journal claims that HE started the fight. that several passengers said he was belligerent at the beginning of the flight. i don't know who to believe. the flight attendant was also reported to be out of drug and alcohol rehab. so what happened? did he fall off the wagon? did the head accident cause the meltdown? i'm not sure. but what interests me is the public's response to this story in making him out to be a hero.
Is this guy really a hero?
What percentage of attendants have college degrees?
This guy was out of drug and alcohol rehab.
He curses out the plane. Steals two BEERS then deploys the emergency shoot?
I've dealt with the public before.
If the woman was the problem, there are certainly better ways to deal with it.
Is it because so many of us are just teetering on a similar meltdown?Are so many of us living lives of quiet desperation that we are one incident away from snapping? Is it our society? Or is it just humanity's 10,00 year old brains trying to cope with modern society's rules? Are outbursts like this at least better than suicide bombers blowing up cafe's?
yeah I guess so.
here is what Bukowski says:
The Shoelace, copyright Charles Bukowski, 1972
a woman, a
tire that’s flat, a
disease, a
desire: fears in front of you,
fears that hold so still
you can study them
like pieces on a
chessboard…
it’s not the large things that
send a man to the
madhouse. death he’s ready for, or
murder, incest, robbery, fire, flood…
no, it’s the continuing series of small tragedies
that send a man to the
madhouse…
not the death of his love
but a shoelace that snaps
with no time left …
The dread of life
is that swarm of trivialities
that can kill quicker than cancer
and which are always there -
license plates or taxes
or expired driver’s license,
or hiring or firing,
doing it or having it done to you, or
roaches or flies or a
broken hook on a
screen, or out of gas
or too much gas,
the sink’s stopped-up, the landlord’s drunk,
the president doesn’t care and the governor’s
crazy.
light switch broken, mattress like a
porcupine;
$105 for a tune-up, carburetor and fuel pump at
sears roebuck;
and the phone bill’s up and the market’s
down
and the toilet chain is
broken,
and the light has burned out -
the hall light, the front light, the back light,
the inner light; it’s
darker than hell
and twice as
expensive.
then there’s always crabs and ingrown toenails
and people who insist they’re
your friends;
there’s always that and worse;
leaky faucet, christ and christmas;
blue salami, 9 day rains,
50 cent avocados
and purple
liverwurst.
or making it
as a waitress at norm’s on the split shift,
or as an emptier of
bedpans,
or as a carwash or a busboy
or a stealer of old lady’s purses
leaving them screaming on the sidewalks
with broken arms at the age of 80.
suddenly
2 red lights in your rear view mirror
and blood in your
underwear;
toothache, and $979 for a bridge
$300 for a gold
tooth,
and china and russia and america, and
long hair and short hair and no
hair, and beards and no
faces, and plenty of zigzag but no
pot, except maybe one to piss in
and the other one around your
gut.
with each broken shoelace
out of one hundred broken shoelaces,
one man, one woman, one
thing
enters a
madhouse.
so be careful
when you
bend over.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Joe Legal vs. Jose Illegal
From my blog: http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.
Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".
Ready? Now pay attention...
Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.
Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or $31,200.0
0 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $24,031.00.
Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per year.. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $9,631 .00.
Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays out that $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $ 31,200.00.
Jose Illegal receives a $280.00 per family member/ month federal CASHAID for four family members . Jose Illegal has $ 43,200.00.
Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal now has $7,231.00.
Jose Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and still has $ 43,200.00.
Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, etc.
Jose Illegal has to make his $ 43,200.00. stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.."actually Jose illegal doesn't pay for most utilities in many states as he gets county assistance to pay the bills and his late fees"
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work. "and pays a higher tax rate if he earns above a certain amount"
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.
Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a government sponsored lunch. Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.
Joe Legal works in construction, has a Social Security Number and makes $25.00 per hour with taxes deducted.
Jose Illegal also works in construction, has NO Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".
Ready? Now pay attention...
Joe Legal: $25.00 per hour x 40 hours = $1000.00 per week, or $52,000.00 per year. Now take 30% away for state and federal tax; Joe Legal now has $31,231.00.
Jose Illegal: $15.00 per hour x 40 hours = $600.00 per week, or $31,200.0
0 per year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes. Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays medical and dental insurance with limited coverage for his family at $600.00 per month, or $7,200.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $24,031.00.
Jose Illegal has full medical and dental coverage through the state and local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal makes too much money and is not eligible for food stamps or welfare. Joe Legal pays $500.00 per month for food, or $6,000.00 per year.. Joe Legal now has $18,031.00.
Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for food stamps and welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.
Joe Legal pays rent of $1,200.00 per month, or $14,400.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $9,631 .00.
Jose Illegal receives a $500.00 per month federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal pays out that $500.00 per month, or $6,000.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $ 31,200.00.
Jose Illegal receives a $280.00 per family member/ month federal CASHAID for four family members . Jose Illegal has $ 43,200.00.
Joe Legal pays $200.00 per month, or $2,400.00 for insurance. Joe Legal now has $7,231.00.
Jose Illegal says, "We don't need no stinkin' insurance!" and still has $ 43,200.00.
Joe Legal has to make his $7,231.00 stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, etc.
Jose Illegal has to make his $ 43,200.00. stretch to pay utilities, gasoline, and what he sends out of the country every month.."actually Jose illegal doesn't pay for most utilities in many states as he gets county assistance to pay the bills and his late fees"
Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after work. "and pays a higher tax rate if he earns above a certain amount"
Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.
Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a government sponsored lunch. Jose Illegal's children have an after school ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.
Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same police and fire services, but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.
Monday, July 19, 2010
People I hate
People I hate:
Guys that initiate fist bumps.
people that have downloaded ringtones.
people that quote Ron Burgondy in Anchorman
people that say "we're pregnant"
people that smell the cork at a restaurant.
or use the phrase "spoiler alert"
or use text abreviations like OMG and TTYL in real conversations.
people who say "I need my starbucks"
dudes that use the word "sick" as in cool.
people whose kids are on their voicemail message.
any white person with a tattoo in Asian Lettering.
anyone with a bluetooth headset left in ALL THE TIME.
more to come.....
Guys that initiate fist bumps.
people that have downloaded ringtones.
people that quote Ron Burgondy in Anchorman
people that say "we're pregnant"
people that smell the cork at a restaurant.
or use the phrase "spoiler alert"
or use text abreviations like OMG and TTYL in real conversations.
people who say "I need my starbucks"
dudes that use the word "sick" as in cool.
people whose kids are on their voicemail message.
any white person with a tattoo in Asian Lettering.
anyone with a bluetooth headset left in ALL THE TIME.
more to come.....
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Kagan exercises
Don't
Je Wish
you had
33% of the Supreme Court
and Don't Je-wish
you had 15% of the senate
with only 2% of the population?
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
Je Wish
you had
33% of the Supreme Court
and Don't Je-wish
you had 15% of the senate
with only 2% of the population?
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
Friday, June 18, 2010
amusing
i found this video today.
for some reason I was amused by it.
what exactly is he laughing at?
such a curious thing.
almost zen like.
it would probably be easier for you to view the video if you went to my blog....
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
for some reason I was amused by it.
what exactly is he laughing at?
such a curious thing.
almost zen like.
it would probably be easier for you to view the video if you went to my blog....
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
Friday, June 11, 2010
Ramble.
"Over-parenting" is rampant. people want to parent OTHER peoples kids now. the world is a very dangerous, risk filled world and today's parents are either truly scared of life, or have been tricked by modern marketing that life is a bug and germ filled, bike accident waiting to happen. kids don't play baseball anymore because it's dirty and they get grass stains and MRSA. Guitar Hero or bowling on the Wii are just as much fun. so they protect and protect their little eggs.
is that what life is? a series of "least dangerous" decisions? where is the risk? where is the gamble? it seems to me that when looking only at the small decisions in front of you, you are like a rat in a maze. funny, there were times driving in las vegas that I felt like a rat in a maze. almost every route you took in las vegas had walls. as soon as you left your driveway you were in a maze of walls. every house had walls around the back yard. there were walls to the exit of each neighborhood. there were walls around each neighborhood. with gates that would open and close automatically. it was insane just to go to the grocery store. i think it made me listen to the wierdest avant-jazz music during this period. Incorporating electric organ into the mix. you've probably heard of the group 'Mediski, Martin & Wood'. these guys were even more out there. Their name was Zony Mash. man if I could have seen them in concert. (I don't think they tour anymore). I'm going to try and find them and add them to my playlist. check em out if you feel like exploring a saltwater taffy-like experience to circus music.
but i digress.
Back to the walls and mazes of Las Vegas. there where wall routes to the store, to the gym, to the gas station, to burger king. every place you wanted or needed to go in your car was located at the end of a series of left or right turns. stop lights where everywhere. in maddeningly close intervals too. sometimes you'd stop, then go 20 ft and be stopped by another red light! but there was one place to go to that had the coolest route no matter which side of town you were on....
The Strip.
no matter which outskirts of town you found yourself in. Summerlin, Green Valley, Southern Highlands, you had a cool trip to the strip. maybe because every route to the strip involves taking a main highway. the 515, the 215, 15, or the 93/95. you had 5 lanes of sheer speed. in my 10 yrs there, I only started seeing cops and accidents in the last 2. before that it was like nascar out there. the capacity of the outer beltways was much higher than it needed at the time. and therefore there were NO cops patrolling or speed trapping or hiding behind cement barriers. it was just pedal to the medal for your entire trip. and the outer beltway had twists and curves and banks over hills. go SpeedRacer go. and i didn't see any accidents. i can't remember one bad one in the first 8 yrs. not one ambulance. but maybe that's just my perception. i always had two hands on the wheel and pressed in to the back of my seat. there were countless nights when I would crack triple digits on the speedometer. FOR 10 MILES. at midnight. pitch dark. and the orange streetlamps lit the way. on my way home from the strip, the mountains made it so you couldn't see anything. it was as if you were driving into the void. the Orange Gatorade lit highways all drove into some blue wall as if a speederbike in TRON. it was a blast. it's midnight and it's 75 degrees out. the top is down and the wind is blowing by at 100 mph. the radio is cranking whatever crazy jam from the 1972 Grateful dead bootleg i picked out. its madness. your brain gets super oxygenated from the air rush. sometimes i would purposely miss my exist just to keep driving. it was fun. can I be any clearer? but then there was the Spaghetti bowl. and it was a cement version of exactly that. cement linguine going over and under and clogging with traffic and construction. it was at capacity most of the time. there was no zigging or zagging here. it was more like : as soon as you see your exit start getting over at least a mile in advance. and be careful of the screaming white panel van coming up over your right. it's in the merge lane but the driver is going for it. suddenly you're down to 1/4 mile to your exit and you've got to get over 3 lanes! I just downshifted and revved it high zapping past a couple Corolla's and a Sentra. just to make it in time. not so fun.
driving in the country is like the difference between the boardgames Chutes & Ladders to the city's Mousetrap design.
to be continued.....
is that what life is? a series of "least dangerous" decisions? where is the risk? where is the gamble? it seems to me that when looking only at the small decisions in front of you, you are like a rat in a maze. funny, there were times driving in las vegas that I felt like a rat in a maze. almost every route you took in las vegas had walls. as soon as you left your driveway you were in a maze of walls. every house had walls around the back yard. there were walls to the exit of each neighborhood. there were walls around each neighborhood. with gates that would open and close automatically. it was insane just to go to the grocery store. i think it made me listen to the wierdest avant-jazz music during this period. Incorporating electric organ into the mix. you've probably heard of the group 'Mediski, Martin & Wood'. these guys were even more out there. Their name was Zony Mash. man if I could have seen them in concert. (I don't think they tour anymore). I'm going to try and find them and add them to my playlist. check em out if you feel like exploring a saltwater taffy-like experience to circus music.
but i digress.
Back to the walls and mazes of Las Vegas. there where wall routes to the store, to the gym, to the gas station, to burger king. every place you wanted or needed to go in your car was located at the end of a series of left or right turns. stop lights where everywhere. in maddeningly close intervals too. sometimes you'd stop, then go 20 ft and be stopped by another red light! but there was one place to go to that had the coolest route no matter which side of town you were on....
The Strip.
no matter which outskirts of town you found yourself in. Summerlin, Green Valley, Southern Highlands, you had a cool trip to the strip. maybe because every route to the strip involves taking a main highway. the 515, the 215, 15, or the 93/95. you had 5 lanes of sheer speed. in my 10 yrs there, I only started seeing cops and accidents in the last 2. before that it was like nascar out there. the capacity of the outer beltways was much higher than it needed at the time. and therefore there were NO cops patrolling or speed trapping or hiding behind cement barriers. it was just pedal to the medal for your entire trip. and the outer beltway had twists and curves and banks over hills. go SpeedRacer go. and i didn't see any accidents. i can't remember one bad one in the first 8 yrs. not one ambulance. but maybe that's just my perception. i always had two hands on the wheel and pressed in to the back of my seat. there were countless nights when I would crack triple digits on the speedometer. FOR 10 MILES. at midnight. pitch dark. and the orange streetlamps lit the way. on my way home from the strip, the mountains made it so you couldn't see anything. it was as if you were driving into the void. the Orange Gatorade lit highways all drove into some blue wall as if a speederbike in TRON. it was a blast. it's midnight and it's 75 degrees out. the top is down and the wind is blowing by at 100 mph. the radio is cranking whatever crazy jam from the 1972 Grateful dead bootleg i picked out. its madness. your brain gets super oxygenated from the air rush. sometimes i would purposely miss my exist just to keep driving. it was fun. can I be any clearer? but then there was the Spaghetti bowl. and it was a cement version of exactly that. cement linguine going over and under and clogging with traffic and construction. it was at capacity most of the time. there was no zigging or zagging here. it was more like : as soon as you see your exit start getting over at least a mile in advance. and be careful of the screaming white panel van coming up over your right. it's in the merge lane but the driver is going for it. suddenly you're down to 1/4 mile to your exit and you've got to get over 3 lanes! I just downshifted and revved it high zapping past a couple Corolla's and a Sentra. just to make it in time. not so fun.
driving in the country is like the difference between the boardgames Chutes & Ladders to the city's Mousetrap design.
to be continued.....
Sunday, May 23, 2010
I need your help.
I need your help to make people aware of the dangers of second-hand flatulation. Among other things, it is known to cause respiratory arrest for short periods of time. This can be life-threatening! I have experienced this myself and it was terrible. I believe we need to have flatulation-free zones in malls, retail stores, restaurants and bars, maybe no-flatulation action days as well. I hope you'll join me in the fight against this silent but deadly killer!
please visit the link below to my blog. I need u to see something...
it is super-iffic.
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
please visit the link below to my blog. I need u to see something...
it is super-iffic.
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Next Big Thing : The I-Brain. Avatar.
The human brain contains roughly 100 terabytes of information. That's not that much when you consider it. The question isn't how to store it, but how to access it. You can't download a personality. There is no way to translate the data. But the information being held in our heads IS available in other databases. People leave more than footprints as they travel through modern life. medical scans, DNA profiles, psych evaluations, school records,emails, recordings, video, audio, cat scans, security cameras, test results, shopping records, talent shows, ball games, traffic tickets, restaurant bills, phone records, music lists, movie tickets, TV shows, and prescriptions for birth control.
Are memories stable, accessible, re-creatable?
I think so.
But is a person any more than just usable data?
Do you ever feel like just a programmed mix of all that data?
an AVATAR of yourself?
What if you are nothing but an avatar for someone ELSE'S image of who you should be?
you just don't know it yet.
--------
thanks for reading but please visit my blog site to vote on my weekly poll.
http://life-death-and-thevoid.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 9, 2010
WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD?
Video phones are on their way. After almost 50 years of promising them, "they" are finally on the verge of delivering. flying cars? no. jet-packs? not yet. video phone? yes. basically, it's iphone + skype = way to many shots up peoples noses.(test groups have shown a habit for going "up nostril"). it appears that the movie Brazil, got something right (one of my fathers favorites, I personally think it got more wrong than right). But I digress.
New Orleans has a new drink to replace the hurricane. it's called "The Oil Spill". Yes. it's Jaegarmister and saltwater garnished with a shrimp! ooh yummy. I can remember having only 1 1/2 hurricanes. The second half of #2 is somewhat of a blur which includes a jazz band, too many beads, and discovering my girlfriend flashing the people on the balconies. Pretty much what every Mardi-Gras edition of Cops looked like, minus the horse.
The earth is bleeding oil. BP is sending robotic submarines down to the Gulf floor to try and stop the bleeding. or they are going to drop a giant Cement dome over the whole thing and suck out the oil with a straw. keep driving that SUV.
The stock market bounced like a superball on concrete on Thursday. My account was down $8. The account my father manages was up big. and he spent half the day on the friggen soccer field. oh well I spent most of the day outside, on the back of a truck, in a barn and down by a couple of lakes. (that enough prepositions for you?). until my friend frantically texted me that the Dow Jones was down 700 pts! yikes. I took a pause and turned on the tv. People in riot-gear with white helmets where clubbing some dude in a bright yellow shirt. first they knocked him down, then they gave him a couple stick shots to the rib. smoke. fire. a photographer takes a couple club shots. they pushed this one guy down and into a telephone pole and he tripped on the corner curb. then he just sat there and the white helmets left him alone. the people of Greece want some money. they are so used to the steady government teet-milk, take it away and they take to the streets. One-third of everyone employed in Greece works for the government. The U.S. government is not set up to be your parent, spouse, baby-sitter, caretaker or charity. The U.S. Constitution was written to protect the smallest minority group — the individual. This individual has the freedom and right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. If you are not willing to put in the time and commitment, then you will most likely not be able to afford a home, car, vacation and even health care. Luckily, there are many charitable organizations and individuals abound to assist the needy. No one dies or goes hungry unless it is his or her choice. And that is the keyword — choice.
New Orleans has a new drink to replace the hurricane. it's called "The Oil Spill". Yes. it's Jaegarmister and saltwater garnished with a shrimp! ooh yummy. I can remember having only 1 1/2 hurricanes. The second half of #2 is somewhat of a blur which includes a jazz band, too many beads, and discovering my girlfriend flashing the people on the balconies. Pretty much what every Mardi-Gras edition of Cops looked like, minus the horse.
The earth is bleeding oil. BP is sending robotic submarines down to the Gulf floor to try and stop the bleeding. or they are going to drop a giant Cement dome over the whole thing and suck out the oil with a straw. keep driving that SUV.
The stock market bounced like a superball on concrete on Thursday. My account was down $8. The account my father manages was up big. and he spent half the day on the friggen soccer field. oh well I spent most of the day outside, on the back of a truck, in a barn and down by a couple of lakes. (that enough prepositions for you?). until my friend frantically texted me that the Dow Jones was down 700 pts! yikes. I took a pause and turned on the tv. People in riot-gear with white helmets where clubbing some dude in a bright yellow shirt. first they knocked him down, then they gave him a couple stick shots to the rib. smoke. fire. a photographer takes a couple club shots. they pushed this one guy down and into a telephone pole and he tripped on the corner curb. then he just sat there and the white helmets left him alone. the people of Greece want some money. they are so used to the steady government teet-milk, take it away and they take to the streets. One-third of everyone employed in Greece works for the government. The U.S. government is not set up to be your parent, spouse, baby-sitter, caretaker or charity. The U.S. Constitution was written to protect the smallest minority group — the individual. This individual has the freedom and right to pursue life, liberty and happiness. If you are not willing to put in the time and commitment, then you will most likely not be able to afford a home, car, vacation and even health care. Luckily, there are many charitable organizations and individuals abound to assist the needy. No one dies or goes hungry unless it is his or her choice. And that is the keyword — choice.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
My Souls Journey
To let go of the fear and anger which imprisons the heart.
To relinquish all childish expectations and live joyfully in the world as it is--
not as I wish or imagine it to be.
To be free of the ever craving ego.
To be released from the endless hungers of the body.
To see good in others.
To see good in everything.
To die without death and merge my consciousness into the cosmic see from which I came.
To create a weekly blog that can compete with YouTube videos like this:
Almost 2 million friggen views?
This is my soul's journey.
To relinquish all childish expectations and live joyfully in the world as it is--
not as I wish or imagine it to be.
To be free of the ever craving ego.
To be released from the endless hungers of the body.
To see good in others.
To see good in everything.
To die without death and merge my consciousness into the cosmic see from which I came.
To create a weekly blog that can compete with YouTube videos like this:
Almost 2 million friggen views?
This is my soul's journey.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Fooseball terminology
We recently added a fooseball table to the basement. Immediately El Duche began making up words to describe the action.
"Cluck" : although typically known as the sound a duck makes, El Ducherino meant it as a combination of chuck and clack I think. which is kind of what he does with the fooseball and the ensuing sound it makes as it hits the wall.
"Minigle" : El Duchante made up this word while describing a particular play. Apparently it means to delicately manipulate the fooseball between two of your players before accidentally knocking it into your own goal.
I will keep you updated on any further Esperanto.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Blogger annoyed by all the News. Blogs his brains out.
Obama and Congress are looking for a scapegoat.
There is a Volcano in Iceland spewing Ash over Europe.
Another coal mine collapsed killing 29 people.
Toyota is recalling another 600,000 minivans.
B.F.D.
Its easy for the ruling class to take advantage of perceived and actual problems by introducing solutions that do not truly benefit the public. Instead, these solutions only advance the agendas of the elite. It is a great way to persuade the citizenry to accept something that is actually not in their best interest. (Tea Party teabaggers listen up).
Americans can't get their minds around finance so they argue talking points and simplistic reactionary crap instead of seeing who the real enemy is. They blame Bush. They blame Obama. Neither one of them told you to buy a house you can't afford, three SUV's with DVD players and whatever else it took to make you feel good about yourself. This same banking system has been alive and intact forever. It played both sides of the Civil War against each other and came out rich and has continued the tradition to this day. JP Morgan and the Rockefellers stack the decks, shape what is taught in schools, sell the people the 'issues' we fight over, and sit back making billions while we run in circles.
Now Goldman committed FRAUD? What fraud? In a market where one side shorts and another goes long. Only one will get it right. The dealer stands in the middle and facilitates the trade. Just like Vegas baby. It allowed two parties to take different sides of a trade. One bet correctly that credit would be downgraded while the other firms were wrong on housing.
Goldman is a scapegoat for the government's infusion of credit into the housing market and the bubble that followed.
There is a Volcano in Iceland spewing Ash over Europe.
Another coal mine collapsed killing 29 people.
Toyota is recalling another 600,000 minivans.
B.F.D.
Its easy for the ruling class to take advantage of perceived and actual problems by introducing solutions that do not truly benefit the public. Instead, these solutions only advance the agendas of the elite. It is a great way to persuade the citizenry to accept something that is actually not in their best interest. (Tea Party teabaggers listen up).
Americans can't get their minds around finance so they argue talking points and simplistic reactionary crap instead of seeing who the real enemy is. They blame Bush. They blame Obama. Neither one of them told you to buy a house you can't afford, three SUV's with DVD players and whatever else it took to make you feel good about yourself. This same banking system has been alive and intact forever. It played both sides of the Civil War against each other and came out rich and has continued the tradition to this day. JP Morgan and the Rockefellers stack the decks, shape what is taught in schools, sell the people the 'issues' we fight over, and sit back making billions while we run in circles.
Now Goldman committed FRAUD? What fraud? In a market where one side shorts and another goes long. Only one will get it right. The dealer stands in the middle and facilitates the trade. Just like Vegas baby. It allowed two parties to take different sides of a trade. One bet correctly that credit would be downgraded while the other firms were wrong on housing.
Goldman is a scapegoat for the government's infusion of credit into the housing market and the bubble that followed.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Made up words....
I am trying to make up a new word, one so good it quickly becomes part of the fabric of our culture. That would be something. People everywhere using my word to express a feeling they had. Here are a few of my ideas, and an example of their proper usage, for your consideration.
Minigle- Our beloved El Duche made up this word while playing fooseball the other night. Apparently it means to delicately manipulate the fooseball between two of your players before accidentally knocking it into your own goal.
gridlove - A fantasy that occurs when you glance at the person in the car next to you in a traffic jam and are momentarily convinced that they are the answer to all your hopes and dreams. Were her feelings real, or were they just gridlove? She didn't care. She just prayed that her lane would catch up to his.
sortalebrity - This one is credited to James Grim. He defines it as :"anyone that is only famous enough to get on a Celebrity Reality Show."
doorgasm - The feeling of relief and pleasure when the person you had sex with finally goes home. I feigned a bittersweet smile as she walked out of the bedroom, then was rocked by a powerful doorgasm the second I heard her car start.
homortified - The uncomfortable feeling straight men have when they're watching porn and are momentarily turned on by the wrong ass. George was so homortified that he was forced to use his own imagination.
girinal - An upright urinal that ladies can also squat over. (I heard this someplace else, but want to further it's advancement into our society).
Feel free to use them.
Minigle- Our beloved El Duche made up this word while playing fooseball the other night. Apparently it means to delicately manipulate the fooseball between two of your players before accidentally knocking it into your own goal.
gridlove - A fantasy that occurs when you glance at the person in the car next to you in a traffic jam and are momentarily convinced that they are the answer to all your hopes and dreams. Were her feelings real, or were they just gridlove? She didn't care. She just prayed that her lane would catch up to his.
sortalebrity - This one is credited to James Grim. He defines it as :"anyone that is only famous enough to get on a Celebrity Reality Show."
doorgasm - The feeling of relief and pleasure when the person you had sex with finally goes home. I feigned a bittersweet smile as she walked out of the bedroom, then was rocked by a powerful doorgasm the second I heard her car start.
homortified - The uncomfortable feeling straight men have when they're watching porn and are momentarily turned on by the wrong ass. George was so homortified that he was forced to use his own imagination.
girinal - An upright urinal that ladies can also squat over. (I heard this someplace else, but want to further it's advancement into our society).
Feel free to use them.
What is "Organic" ? and is it better for you.
What is "Organic" ?
According to the USDA: "Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and is produced without using most conventional pesticides, fertilizers mad with synthetic ingredients , sewage sludge, bioengineering: or ionizing radiation." Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come from animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.
Why are Organic foods more expensive?
The government subsidizes large-scale farming companies, which leaves out nearly all organic farmers. So basically, your tax dollars have already paid for a portion of the conventionally grown food you buy.
Chemical pesticides and fertilizers are less expensive and less time consuming than organic methods. Organic feed can cost twice as much as conventional feed.
Modern methods produce higher yields with less land. As a result, organic farming brings a smaller yield at a higher cost. That cost gets passed on to the grocery stores, since bulk discounts are difficult for organic farmers.
Is Organic food better for you?
Currently, there are NO studies which say unequivocally that organic food is more nutritious. Although researchers at U.California,Davis, report that organic tomatoes have higher levels of phytochemicals and vitamin C than conventional tomatoes do.
Organic fertilizers and pesticides are not necessarily safer than their counterparts. Some types contain high levels of pathogenic bacteria, salmonella and E. coli. Organic farmers are allowed to use copper solutions that leave copper residue in the soil.
Some organic farmers use non organic manure!
The USDA has been pressured to allow non organic ingredients in certified organic foods including 19 food colorings, two starches, casings for sausage and hot dogs, gelatin and fish oil!
Basically the whole organic industry is a work in progress. The best method seems to be to buy local and know your farmer. That way you can ask them how they make the food you eat.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Does the Ipad suck? or do I care about anything in the news?
What's on everybody's mind and why aren't I interested in it?
I'm sure there is a website out there right now that has embedded the word "ipad" secretly hidden in it's code somewhere that is attempting to gain higher search engine result listings on Google and yahoo and Bing. the website itself will probably be nothing but cheap and obnoxious advertising for Apple products or products that suck off of Apple, such as the bluetooth market, or the iphone cover market. there are some covers out there more expensive than an Iphone itself!! but the biggest leach seams to be At&t. who has taken advantage of their sole service company deal for the iphone, and frustrated millions. or so I hear because I'm with Verizon. and really I'm not to surprised one way or the other with the service I get from them. they provide their mega-lifestyle-service for whatever fad or gadget they are tricking us into thinking we need.
I want to know more precisely what our actual increase in productivity is using the newest technology. i know in farming, technology has practically made us who the world is today. without the increased productivity in farming and agriculture, we couldn't FEED this many people, period. end of discussion. now you may argue whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm just analyzing technology and productivity here. and in farming, a gas powered tractor is much more efficient than a horse. by a long shot.
But does an Ipad make you THAT much more productive than your current laptop? Will cloud computing be the future path of applications and all those USB and Ethernet wires you have behind your desk be a thing of the past? For the past couple months it's been All Apple, all the time. Is there ANY part of our culture it doesn't have a hand in? is it a coincidence that Steve Jobs is looked at from the cult leader angle, much more than Bill Gates or Donald Trump even? it's a fact that there is a cult around Steve Jobs. people wait in lines on concrete for DAYS to buy the next gadget that Steve Jobs tells them they need. and i know this perspective is nothing new. because if apple's products actually make people BE more productive than non-apple product using people, they've got an obvious point. but from my perspective (I own NO apple products myself) it seems that apple is very good at making people FEEL more productive. they LOVE their apple products. so are they actually more productive or just feel like they are? and really, does it matter? because every other big player in our culture from google, to facebook, to activision-blizzard (they make guitar hero, world of warcraft, and Call of Duty) are either working with apple or competing against them. the ipod started it, then the iphone dug them in. now they're going after the laptop computer market and the next target is the TV market. yes. iTV is coming.
Ugh, I'm so sick of it. I can't even get high speed internet service where I live. I can't help but ask: Is life passing me by? If I don't sign on to the apple technology train now, will I find myself lost and helpless in 20 years? I'm afraid I won't be able to go grocery shopping in the future without first pre-sending my grocery list to the store via a super app. that has all my products pre-shopped for me. wait. with amazon-grocery.com why would I even need to leave the house at all? I can just receive all the culture that they feed me through my internet/phone/tv connection. and just go back and forth to work. is that what kind of society we want? I know several people right now that their whole lives are home/work/store. and ALL of the culture they experience is given to them through the TV or Internet. period.
I don't give a fuck about Tiger Woods. I don't care about Sandra Bullock and her cheating husband Jesse James. I don't care about American Idol, or the Biggest Loser. I am slightly interested in Anna Paquin announcing she is bisexual. Because why do celebrities tell the world these things? Personally, I think she was playing an April Fool's joke on everybody.
Either way, what more is out there besides Pop culture and gossip? Is that ALL our culture has to offer? nothing of substance, just enticements to consume more?
You tell me. How much is technology, apple, or television embedded in your life? how do you find the music you listen too, and the tv you watch? is it given to you or do you actively seek it out? Are you an active participant in your culture or do you just consume whatever stuff they put in front of you?
I'm sure there is a website out there right now that has embedded the word "ipad" secretly hidden in it's code somewhere that is attempting to gain higher search engine result listings on Google and yahoo and Bing. the website itself will probably be nothing but cheap and obnoxious advertising for Apple products or products that suck off of Apple, such as the bluetooth market, or the iphone cover market. there are some covers out there more expensive than an Iphone itself!! but the biggest leach seams to be At&t. who has taken advantage of their sole service company deal for the iphone, and frustrated millions. or so I hear because I'm with Verizon. and really I'm not to surprised one way or the other with the service I get from them. they provide their mega-lifestyle-service for whatever fad or gadget they are tricking us into thinking we need.
I want to know more precisely what our actual increase in productivity is using the newest technology. i know in farming, technology has practically made us who the world is today. without the increased productivity in farming and agriculture, we couldn't FEED this many people, period. end of discussion. now you may argue whether that's a good thing or a bad thing, but I'm just analyzing technology and productivity here. and in farming, a gas powered tractor is much more efficient than a horse. by a long shot.
But does an Ipad make you THAT much more productive than your current laptop? Will cloud computing be the future path of applications and all those USB and Ethernet wires you have behind your desk be a thing of the past? For the past couple months it's been All Apple, all the time. Is there ANY part of our culture it doesn't have a hand in? is it a coincidence that Steve Jobs is looked at from the cult leader angle, much more than Bill Gates or Donald Trump even? it's a fact that there is a cult around Steve Jobs. people wait in lines on concrete for DAYS to buy the next gadget that Steve Jobs tells them they need. and i know this perspective is nothing new. because if apple's products actually make people BE more productive than non-apple product using people, they've got an obvious point. but from my perspective (I own NO apple products myself) it seems that apple is very good at making people FEEL more productive. they LOVE their apple products. so are they actually more productive or just feel like they are? and really, does it matter? because every other big player in our culture from google, to facebook, to activision-blizzard (they make guitar hero, world of warcraft, and Call of Duty) are either working with apple or competing against them. the ipod started it, then the iphone dug them in. now they're going after the laptop computer market and the next target is the TV market. yes. iTV is coming.
Ugh, I'm so sick of it. I can't even get high speed internet service where I live. I can't help but ask: Is life passing me by? If I don't sign on to the apple technology train now, will I find myself lost and helpless in 20 years? I'm afraid I won't be able to go grocery shopping in the future without first pre-sending my grocery list to the store via a super app. that has all my products pre-shopped for me. wait. with amazon-grocery.com why would I even need to leave the house at all? I can just receive all the culture that they feed me through my internet/phone/tv connection. and just go back and forth to work. is that what kind of society we want? I know several people right now that their whole lives are home/work/store. and ALL of the culture they experience is given to them through the TV or Internet. period.
I don't give a fuck about Tiger Woods. I don't care about Sandra Bullock and her cheating husband Jesse James. I don't care about American Idol, or the Biggest Loser. I am slightly interested in Anna Paquin announcing she is bisexual. Because why do celebrities tell the world these things? Personally, I think she was playing an April Fool's joke on everybody.
Either way, what more is out there besides Pop culture and gossip? Is that ALL our culture has to offer? nothing of substance, just enticements to consume more?
You tell me. How much is technology, apple, or television embedded in your life? how do you find the music you listen too, and the tv you watch? is it given to you or do you actively seek it out? Are you an active participant in your culture or do you just consume whatever stuff they put in front of you?
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Getting Older
When I lived in Las Vegas, every year on my birthday, I would treat myself to a haircut and something called a 'Royal Shave' at a place called The Art of Shaving . Yes it was a "Barber Spa" and yes it cost $125 with the skin treatment. At this distinctly masculine spot in Mandalay Bay, men can treat themselves toa 45-minute Royal Shave. You recline in a leather seat in a room filled with dark wood tones and cool jazz sounds—it's a scene that is inherently relaxing. The Royal Shave begins.
First comes a hot towel treatment to open your skin's closed pores. Then your 'master barber' massages your face with a pre-shave oil—this protects your skin and softens wire-stiff whiskers.
Next, warm shaving cream—whipped up with a badger-hair brush—is lathered onto your cheeks and neck. Then the master barber makes the first course, going with the grain of your beard. Your face is then lathered for a second time and the barber shaves against the grain of your beard.After these dual shaves, the barber applies a rejuvenating and cooling after-shave. He then removes this with a cold, lavender oil-infused towel wrap. It's still somewhat masculine. I was usually fast asleep at this point.Finally, your face is spritzed with bracing cold water and rubbed with a protective after-shave balm. This usually woke me up.At the end of this experience, your face is incredibly smooth . You feel wide-awake and energized. You smile with ease.
Feeling wide awake and energized I was ready for the evenings dinner. For the last few years my girlfriend treated me to KOBE beef. Kobe beef refers to beef from the black Wagyu cattle, raised according to strict tradition in Japan, and often considered a delicacy. Kobe beef is renowned for its flavor, tenderness, and fatty well-marbled texture. Kobe beef can be prepared as steak, sukiyaki, shabu shabu, sashimi, teppanyaki and more. I ordered the steak. Smooth, velvety, incomparably sweet with a subtle tang of flavor that lingers on the palate. One steak cost $180. Every year it was the best meal of the year.
This year I got a $9 dollar hair cut, and treated myself to the "Trifecta" of American cuisine. I ate a flame broiled burger from Burger King, a large fry from McDonald's and a Frosty from Wendy's. Luckily all 3 drive-thrus are right next to each other. It cost $6.32 . It was pretty good.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Life Is Intolerable
As best as I can tell, life is intolerable. Oh, not always of course. A case can be made for all the big wonders and little blessings and blah, blah, blah. But when you really boil it down, our entire existence rests on a few really ugly premises. First, life, and by that I mean the big life, life with a capital L, must ingest other life in order for it to remain life. Or, put another way, in order to witness the miracle of creation, we must continually eat, and then poop out, a little bit of that miracle. Second, one of the charming side effects of sentient life is emotional pain. The fact that dead and fermenting plant life creates alcohol - a terrific anesthetic for emotional pain - might cause one to think that this is, by nature, a compassionate universe. Think again. Keep dulling that pain with booze and you wind up, if you're lucky, in a church basement sharing your tears with complete strangers. If you're not lucky, you wind up on a waiting list for a motorcyclist's liver. And finally, there is the ever-present knowledge of death. In order to "more fully appreciate the gift of life," we all get to ponder a violently sudden or slow and agonizingly painful descent into oblivion -- after which our beloved bodies turn into the stuff of nightmares. Which brings me back to my original premise: life is intolerable. But rather than go gently into that creepy night, I've decided to listen to you and want your perspective on life. Am I a cynic? I glass half-empty kind of guy? Comment and make your voice heard before you're dead and your vocal chords are being eaten by a swarm of disgusting bugs.
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