the upcoming debate...

I did stop watching the primary debates. They were unsubstansive, silly, and petty. I guess I relied on the recaps the days following them but probably didn't pay much attention to them.

Well, Media Matters feels the same way. They did a review of the debates, Republican and Democrat, and found that there was very little on issues that face the nation.






Truthfully, I have been debating whether I am even going to watch the first of the Presidential debates this Friday. While I would like to see how Obama is going to deal with the attacks on his lack of Foreign Policy experience from Mcpain, who thinks he's the world's foremost authority, I believe the attacks are all going to be based on lies.

I can visualize Mr. McCain totally loosing it, going on the attack and making a scene that proves he could not handle himself cautiously in a major crisis. I can also wait to see it on rebroadcasts or on youtube.com.

besides, there is a new episode of Stargate: Atlantis this Friday. I'm sure it would be infinitely more informative, and I don't miss Stargate: Atlantis.

I could DVR it, but it's just not the same...

monday morning mayhem...

My age has been noticed!

I very quietly confided to my friend that I was having an affair.

She turned to me and asked, 'Are you having it catered?'

And that, people, is the definition of 'OLD'!!!!

campaign button making the rounds right now...





no, i don't want one, but i hope mcpain sees it at least. not that it would make much difference...


psychopath test...

ok, this is one for you to use with not only co-workers but friends.

Read this question carefully, come up with an answer and then scroll down to the bottom for the result.

This is not a trick question. It is as it reads.

No one I know has gotten it right.

A woman, while at the funeral of her own mother, met a guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was amazing. She believed him to be her dream guy so much, that she fell in love with him right there, but never asked for his number and could not find him.

A few days later she killed her sister.

Question:

What is her motive for killing her sister?

[Like I said, give this some thought before you answer]

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Answer:

She was hoping the guy would appear at the funeral again.

If you answered this correctly, you think like a psychopath.

This was a test by a famous American Psychologist used to test if one has the same mentality as a killer. Many arrested serial killers took part in the test and answered the question correctly.

If you didn't answer the question correctly, good for you.


If you got the answer correct, please let me know so I can take you off my email list.

AND make sure you do the same with co-workers or friends who answered it correctly. time is too short...



okay, now that you have a way to make your life safer, you should have a better week.

i hope...


oh, yeah. i'm still scratching my head trying to figure out why that is the correct answer. so you don't have to remove me from your bloglist. i'm safe...

i think... kidding, just kidding... i am safe. a little sorry maybe, but safe...

if you get HBO...

Make sure to watch Real Time with Bill Maher this week. It's great.

I mentioned it in a previous post, but you really have to see the entire episode. It is one of the best he's ever done. It's worth it just to see Andrew Sullivan's face when Maher tells him, "You're not American!" As a note, he did not say, "You are not an American!" Sullivan is a naturalized citizen, and that's a big difference.

Just as I was not born in Ireland or lived in England as Sullivan did, I cannot know all of the nuances of the culture/society. Though my grandparents were British, from Belfast and Liverpool, I only have some understanding through them relating their experiences. It would be the same if it were Spain, Turkey, Somalia, etc.

Click here to see when it is on in your area this week. They rerun it all week on the various HBO stations.

[note: i am not sponsoring an ad here for HBO; i am recommending this episode as a must see if you are at all interested in what's happening in the country.]

if you need reasons to vote...

and to ask five people you know to be certain to vote, watch this video, and make your friends watch it.






did you realize while watching it that there was no mention of Palin? It was made before he picked her as his VP running mate. That decision makes it even scarier. She's more like Tsar George than McCain...

"elitist" is the new racial slur...

Stop and think about it. The Mcpains are taking great pains to label Obama as elitist. This in spite of the fact that McCain is a celebrity whore, owns a lot of property, is married to a very rich woman who sells alcohol, and has a new supporter in Lady Rothschild [see the LA Times article Lady Rotschild Thinks Obama Is Elitist]. I have brought this up in a couple of other posts [it IS about race...; as of late...; it IS about race - part 2...].

After watching Bill Maher last night, I realized and am convinced that ELITIST is being used as the replacement term for UPPITY and one that white folk can identify better than uppity. It's so transparent.

One of the basest fears among older white people is that African-Americans believe that they will become or already think they are better than white folk. This is nothing new nor is it anything others haven't talked about. It can also be said about impressions of Jews that the white folk have. They hold to the Old Country beliefs that have been around for centuries.

The Republicans have always bartered on fear and racism. Willie Horton is a prime example. It may just have cost the Dems the election in 1988; at the least it added to it. The Repubs made a scary picture [to most white folk] of a man and turned it into caricature. The incident concerned Horton, who was on a Massachusett's furlough from prison program who twice raped a local woman after pistol-whipping, knifing, binding, and gagging her fiancé. He then stole the car belonging to the man he had assaulted, but was later captured by police after a chase. The subtle message? Do you want your wife or daughter to meet someone like this on a darkened street? Of course, Willie Horton was black.

They are doing it again. Only this time they are being much subtler. They think that by pretending that the American electorate is now smart enough to see what is happening fear will work again.

It will.

Maher said on his show last night that he didn't believe that the American electorate is smart enough to see through the b.s. and has repeatedly shown that for the last 30 years of elections. Andrew Sullivan, appearing on the show, said that they are smart enough to know. and see through it all. Maher's response, "You're not American."

The expression on Sullivan's face was priceless and he was speechless. He was coming from the point of view of a person who chose to become an American citizen and who cannot see the subtleties of our history from anything but books and not living it. To what he should be likening it is the centuries old conflict in Northern Ireland. With that he has experience. The situations are quite similar. Rather than color being at the base of the problem, it is religion.

Earlier in the show Sullivan said the key to Obama winning was telling five of your friends who are not bigots to get out there and vote. Maher said to him, "How do you know they are not bigots?" It caught Sullivan off guard briefly, until he stammered something like, "You know your friends." No, we don't!

I mentioned in my post, it IS about race..., of friends I have known for 40 years who said they would not vote for Obama because he is black. I was shocked. I never expected. this They are extremely intelligent and cultured people. They have been married for over 50 years. Maher's point hit home when he gave his response to Sullivan. We don't know.

but..., i am going to agree with Sullivan on one thing. we need to do everything we can to make certain that people do get out and vote.

even if we have to use the tactic that their vote is one against Tsar George, because Mcpain is actually worse! [that's for another discussion, i.e. rant, later]

weekender...

What do you do when you find a dirty car?

(A) Write 'WASH ME?'
(B) Write naughty words?
(C) Doodle?

or









This is artist Scott Wade.







See what he does with dirty cars by carefully and artfully removing portions of the dirt. According to his website, Dirty Car Art, he lives very close to a dirt road in San Marcos, Texas. Check out his site. It's really neat


so, get out there. get your car washed or wash it yourself this weekend. you don't want Scott sneaking up and...

wait a minute. can you sell this stuff?

what would it do to the Blue Book value of your car?



hmmmmm.......................




UPDATE: i didn't find out if the Blue Book value would go up, BUT i did get the car washed. now it's your turn...

an answer to "Where is the President?"

Well, it seems there is a quick response to the question that Chris Matthews asked last night.

Tsar George is speaking at 10:10 EDT from the White House about he economic status.

i wonder if this is in direct response from Matthews asking the question on air, from the Mcpains intervening, from the Republican leadership pleading, or from the man realizing that, though he is lame [as in lame duck] he still has a job to do?

whatever the reason, what he says i'm sure it will be riddled in misconception and promises that can't be realistic.

i'm going to the gym...

an explanation...

i frequently, no always, refer to the current president as Tsar George. there are reasons for this.

while working on my B.A. i majored in History. my main focus was on constitutional history, but since i was also taking Russian Language classes, i took a number of classes dealing with Russian history. one of my Russian teachers actually was a member of the Romanov family and had gone into exile; so she had fascinating stories. i was entranced by the years leading up to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and it's precursor in 1905. in my opinion the entire fault can be laid at the feet of the Romanov's.

there is a quote about Tzar Nicholas II that explains my feelings on the point:

In reality, he was a weak and indecisive man dominated by his wife and isolated from the socio-economic problems of his own country.

though no one can attest to Barbara Bush being dominating, the rest of the quote hits home about the last eight years.

the only thing i see Tsar George being decisive about in the last eight years was going to Iraq. there is another parallel between George II and Nicholas II in this:

The Russians had no contingency plans for a partial mobilization, and on 31 July 1914 Nicholas took the fateful step of confirming the order for a general mobilization. Nicholas was strongly counselled against mobilization of the Russian forces but chose to ignore such advice.

sound familiar?

so, hopefully, you can see why i have referred to Mr. Bush as Tsar George Bushanov. not because of the autocracy he tries to enforce but because as George Santayana said, "Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it." [i even have it at the top right of this website...]

you may also be able to tell my connecting Dick Rasputin as Tzar George's sidekick. you can read about Grigori Rasputin and see the parallel's.

Chris Matthews finally asked the question...

Where is the president? Why hasn't he been on television at 9:00 talking to the American people about what's going on with the economy and trying to assuage their fears?


I have been asking this question for the last few days myself.

Matthews also made the comment that Bush is hiding just like he did with Katrina.

I've been thinking that also.

One of my friends called me on Monday and told me that she had sold all of her stocks and bonds because she was afraid of loosing her retirement savings. She's already retired, so she has more to worry about. She asked me what I thought about what she did. What could I say? I told her that I was standing pat. Historically, the period before a presidential elections is tumultuous for the markets. Yesterday, she called her financial adviser and told her if the sale hadn't gone through, not to let it. Her adviser said that maybe her initial decision might be the best one. {She decided not to sell in the end.]

This is what is going on in the minds of Americans right now. They are scared. Hell, I'm scared. What control do I have? On paper, I lost over $20,000 in the last three days. My pensions will get me through the basics, but what if something catastrophic happens? And I don't have any kids. What about people with families?

There is another set of questions that need to be asked. Where is the money for Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, AIG and the others coming from? Most of the money Tsar George Bushanov and his Duma are using for the war in Iraq is coming from China and being sent directly to the Middle East. The United States has become nothing more than a money launderer.

Also...

How much of the reserves has been used with nobody's knowledge? Have they been raided? Has the funding of major programs been used for things other than what they are intended?

There are too many unanswered questions. What scares me more are the questions that haven't even been asked, because we don't even know what they are yet.

The election campaign is going nowhere. Neither side, as far as I'm concerned, is really addressing what's happening. Mcpain has flopped on all his flips. Obama has been drifting at sea for the last couple of weeks, trying to make an innovative primary campaign into what the liberal wing of the Democrats wants and afraid that maybe the beliefs he espoused won't work in a national way.


The way I'm thinking right now is that there is fear that there will be a Democratic president. There is fear that there won't be a Democratic president. When given a choice, the American electorate goes with what they know rather than what they don't.

Hey, it's time to s*** or get off the pot.

herding...

found this over at BETTER PROJECTS. it reminds me of a lot of things - the war, the economy, the election, the government, etc, etc, etc...., but most of all it reminds me of where i used to work - in schools...





on my desk in my office, i had a miniature orange traffic cone that said,

Getting anyone to do anything around here is like trying to herd cats.

it's impossible to herd ONE cat let alone a... what do they call a group of cats? i know whales swim in a pod. hmmmmmm?

Fwd: OK... NOW i GET IT... IT ALL MAKES SENSE...

this is an email I received from a friend. I don't know where it originated, but it is worth people reading it. I forwarded it to all my friends and thought posting it would help getting it out to more people. if you want, copy and forward it to your friends.

This took some figuring out:

If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."

Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

Name your kids Willow, Trig, and Track, you're a maverick.

Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with more than 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with fewer than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

If your husband is nicknamed "First Dude," with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

like i said, pass this on if you think your friends or family need clarification about the candidates. it's clear to me who has the pulse on the issues...

"GOP Vetting Emporium"

this video is from friend's son and daughter-in-law who are great. they are members of a group called PSA - Public Service Administration: Election 2008. Check out the site.

you may recognize Nyima from the show Girlfriends, she had a recurring role one it, and Josh from Second City.

economic mess and the 2008 election...

i have one thing to say about the mess happening with first the housing/mortgage problem and now the financial situation...

if Obama doesn't get on board right now with the catch phrase "Smart Government, not big goverment.", he deserves to lose the election...

well, maybe i have something else to say...

if Mcpain is elected in November, the electorate in the United States deserve what ever happens...

more on my thoughts why later...

now THIS just may be the best blond joke of the year...

A blonde calls her boyfriend and says, 'Please come over here and help me. I have a killer jigsaw puzzle, and I can't figure out how to get started'

Her boyfriend asks, 'What is it supposed to be when it's finished?'

The blonde says, 'According to the picture on the box, it's a rooster.'

Her boyfriend decides to go over and help with the puzzle.

She lets him in and shows him where she has the puz zle spread all over the table.

He studies the pieces for a moment, then looks at the box, then turns to her and says,

'First of all, no matter what we do, we're not going to be able to
assemble these pieces into anything resembling a rooster.'

He takes her hand and says, 'Second, I want you to relax. Let's have a nice cup of tea, and then ...' he said with a deep sigh, . .. . .. . .

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'Let's put all the Corn Flakes back in the box.'




maybe i should start a voting contest to determine the one i've posted is the best this year. i gotta think about it...

monday morning mayhem...

best short joke this year


A 3-year-old boy examined his testicles while taking a bath.

"Mom," he asked, "Are these my brains?"

"Not yet," she replied.


i can definitely agree that this just may be the best short story of the year...


let's have another beer!!!

THE BUFFALO THEORY

In an episode of 'Cheers', Cliff is seated at the bar describing the 'Buffalo Theory' to his buddy Norm. I don't think I've ever heard the concept explained any better than this.

"Well you see, Norm, it's like this...A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members. In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. "Now, as we know, excessive drinking of alcohol kills brain cells. But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. And that is why you always feel smarter after a few beers."


i think in psychoanalysis they have a more technical name for this theory.

just wait a minute, let me have another beer and i'll think of it...

oh! i don't drink beer. i drink gin. this may take awhile...

The Fly Story...

You have to wait a few moments before it starts.
Just sit back and enjoy,
no scrolling & no clicking...

to how many people at work do you want to show this?

have a great week...