Thursday, July 31, 2008
Eclectically Fitting
Found here. Sharon and I went to college together. What she learned stuck and then some... She's a brilliant woman of deep faith. Takes some awesome photos too.I pretend that she doesn't know who I am. The whole anonymous blog thing you know.
From My Wisdom.doc
My old philosophy professor Norman O. Brown would periodically interrupt his lectures, tilt his head upward as if tuning into the whisper of some heavenly voice, and announce in a mischievous tone, "It's time for your irregular reminder: We're already living after the end of the world. No need to fret anymore." The implication was that the worst had already happened. We had already lost most of the cultural riches that had given humans meaning for centuries. All that was going to be taken from us had already been taken. On the bright side, that meant we were utterly free to reinvent ourselves. Living amidst the emptiness, we had nowhere to go but up. What remained was alienating, but it was also fresh. Use these ideas as seeds for your meditations. You can apply them to both your personal life and the world at large. Rob Breszney, August 2006
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sugar Ray - Every Morning
With video. Really like this song, except they ripped off a rift from Malo's tune, Suavecito, without attribution. For shame.
Site where this was found offers all kinds of music videos.
HT: The Pre-Surfer
Site where this was found offers all kinds of music videos.
HT: The Pre-Surfer
Bennigan's
The Bennigan's restaurant chain unceremoniously closed down yesterday, along with their sister Steak 'n Ale. Fond farewell to both I guess. No wonder. Many can barely afford to eat well at home anymore.
But I did this for you fair non-readers, in case you ever get a hankering for dying by chocolate.
But I did this for you fair non-readers, in case you ever get a hankering for dying by chocolate.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Be Amazed
If you've heard/seen it here first, send your friends here. (Good for the blog and all.)
HT: Fred
Follow The Money - Congress
Q: "Why would someone raise millions of dollars and spend millions of dollars to win a job that pays $169,300 annually?"
A: "Public Service," "To give back."
Comment: My California ass.
New label added today: Curmudgeonability
HT: MGF
A: "Public Service," "To give back."
Comment: My California ass.
New label added today: Curmudgeonability
HT: MGF
Some Philosophy of Ralph
I hesitate to call this the philosophy of Ralph, because I'm sure that there is more to it (him?) than meets the eye.
Mr. Cherry hosts a delightful blog and shares all sorts of good tunes and good writing with his people.
Fridays there are a bitch if you are watching your weight.
Mr. Cherry hosts a delightful blog and shares all sorts of good tunes and good writing with his people.
Fridays there are a bitch if you are watching your weight.
Africa
Poignant article from a self-confessed less-than-truthful Irish journalist who reported from the famine-ridden African country of Ethiopia in the 80s. He describes the African continent's population explosion that will probably do the more damage than any big big big big bomb.
I am not innocent in all this. The people of Ireland remained in ignorance of the reality of Africa because of cowardly journalists like me. When I went to Ethiopia just over 20 years ago, I saw many things I never reported -- such as the menacing effect of gangs of young men with Kalashnikovs everywhere, while women did all the work. In the very middle of starvation and death, men spent their time drinking the local hooch in the boonabate shebeens. Alongside the boonabates were shanty-brothels, to which drinkers would casually repair, to briefly relieve themselves in the scarred orifice of some wretched prostitute (whom God preserve and protect). I saw all this and did not report it, nor the anger of the Irish aid workers at the sexual incontinence and fecklessness of Ethiopian men. Why? Because I wanted to write much-acclaimed, tear-jerkingly purple prose about wide-eyed, fly-infested children -- not cold, unpopular and even "racist" accusations about African male culpability.
The West to the rescue! (Again.) Read through it all.
HT: Vox Day
Monday, July 28, 2008
Leaders In Denial
The Model T was introduced in 1908, and over the next two decades the Ford Motor Company sold more than 15 million of these cars. But by 1927 sales had flagged so severely that Henry Ford dis-continued the line in order to retool his factories for its successor, the Model A. To make the change, he shut down production for months, at a cost of close to $250 million. This chain of events was disastrous for the company, because it allowed Chrysler’s Plymouth to gain market share and permitted General Motors to seize market leadership.
Why did Henry Ford, who was such a visionary in the industry’s infancy, fail to see that the Model T was about to run its course and that a smooth transition to a new vehicle was essential? Evidence of his signature model’s declining fortunes was everywhere apparent at the time. But Ford dismissed sales figures documenting the Model T’s declining market share, because he suspected rivals of manipulating them. One of his top executives warned him of the dire situation a detailed memorandum. Ford fired him.
Tedlow, Richard S.. Harvard Business Review, Jul-Aug 2008 Issue
Why did Henry Ford, who was such a visionary in the industry’s infancy, fail to see that the Model T was about to run its course and that a smooth transition to a new vehicle was essential? Evidence of his signature model’s declining fortunes was everywhere apparent at the time. But Ford dismissed sales figures documenting the Model T’s declining market share, because he suspected rivals of manipulating them. One of his top executives warned him of the dire situation a detailed memorandum. Ford fired him.
Tedlow, Richard S.. Harvard Business Review, Jul-Aug 2008 Issue
Sugarbomb - Posterchild For Tragedy
From a mostly obscure pop band and their album Bully from September 25, 2001. The timing for this release could not have been much worse, could it have?MP3 File
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Rascal Flatts - Bless The Broken Road
(Click on pix for a peek inside our chapel.)By request. Sung by the lovely and talented Cindy W. at our wedding.
MP3 File
Friday, July 25, 2008
Arnold's Management Technique
Reduce all of CA's state employees' pay to the Federal minimum wage until the budget stalemate passes.
Obviously the Governator has forgotten that "our employees are our most important asset."
Or does that only apply in the private sector?
(He'll never do it, by the way)
My little illustration up there. Metal on metal. Yow!
HT: Drudge
Van Morrison and John Lee Hooker - Wasted Years
From his Too Long In Exile album in 1993. Also it appeared in the album Together full of songs performed by the two of them.
I love the "now Van...."
Update: Song removed see comments. Van has always been known to be temperamental and moody. So might be his friends. E.
I love the "now Van...."
Update: Song removed see comments. Van has always been known to be temperamental and moody. So might be his friends. E.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Everyone's Welcome
Too inviting not to stop on the way home this evening during twilight to shoot a few.Even Obama Gets Tired
July 22, 2008 2:35
"Let me be absolutely clear," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said today at a press conference in Amman, Jordan. "Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain...administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change."
How true.
Reported here.
"Let me be absolutely clear," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said today at a press conference in Amman, Jordan. "Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain...administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change."
How true.
Reported here.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Leonard Cohen - Democracy
Just needed to hear from my Field Commander tonight. From The Future, 1992. CM introduced me to his greatness way back when.
MP3 File
MP3 File
David Sedaris - 96% Truthful
Interesting interview with the fabulously funny Sedaris.
HT: The New Shelton Wet/Dry, back from holiday.
HT: The New Shelton Wet/Dry, back from holiday.
545 People By Charly Reese
My father-ex-law sent me this yesterday and it was perfect timing. It was just after I heard this, PACs Put the Fun In Fundraising, on Marketplace last evening.
If you are a true non-reader, this will work for you. Listen instead!
The story was a semi-blood-boiler for me.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Trashcan Sinatras - Weightlifting
From Wisdom.doc
For years I have been keeping a document, now 45 pages, of stuff I run into or runs into me in my (usually) online travels. Most of what's in the document was cut from somewhere and pasted in.
Call this a new feature, but from time to time I'll share something from the document for your non-reading pleasure.
Let's begin:
How did it come to be that what we call the news is reported solely by journalists? There are so many other kinds of events besides the narrow band favored by that highly specialized brand of storytellers. Indeed, there are many phenomena that can literally not even be perceived by journalists. Their training, their temperament, and their ambitions make vast areas of human experience invisible to them.
"Ninety-six percent of the cosmos puzzles astronomers." I loved reading that headline on the CNN website. It showed that at least some of our culture's equivalents of high priests, the scientists, are humble enough to acknowledge that the universe is made mostly of stuff they can't even detect, let alone study.
If only the journalists were equally modest. Since they're not, we'll say it: The majority of everything that happens on this planet is invisible to them.
Rob Brezsney from Pronoia
Call this a new feature, but from time to time I'll share something from the document for your non-reading pleasure.
Let's begin:
How did it come to be that what we call the news is reported solely by journalists? There are so many other kinds of events besides the narrow band favored by that highly specialized brand of storytellers. Indeed, there are many phenomena that can literally not even be perceived by journalists. Their training, their temperament, and their ambitions make vast areas of human experience invisible to them.
"Ninety-six percent of the cosmos puzzles astronomers." I loved reading that headline on the CNN website. It showed that at least some of our culture's equivalents of high priests, the scientists, are humble enough to acknowledge that the universe is made mostly of stuff they can't even detect, let alone study.
If only the journalists were equally modest. Since they're not, we'll say it: The majority of everything that happens on this planet is invisible to them.
Rob Brezsney from Pronoia
The Smartocracy and One's Ability...
or not, to talk to the plumber.
Along the same lines, there's a viral email that circulates around about every 6 months that reminds people that they should never be so high and mighty (and smart?) that they are ignorant of the name of the person who empties their trash daily.
What I think about the matter has been posted on here.
Self-importance really irks me for some strange reason. But don't think I didn't get a hint of how easy it could be to cop that attitude as I cruised Cape Cod, top down, in the Beemer Z4 and, I might add, with a wicked hot wife. (She'll love that.)
HT: Vox Populi
Tears For Fears - Sowing The Seeds of Love
From their album of the same title, 1989. I think this song is quintessentially Beatleseque. Have loved it since the very first time I heard it. The whole album is very very good. I never get tired of telling that my first CD ever was these guys, Songs From The Big Chair. When I heard the pristine and clean beginning percussion on the opening song "Shout"