We'll Succeed - Unless We Quit?

Olbermann: Lessons from the Vietnam War

Dave at The11thhour relates his concerns over plans to deploy even more troops to Iraq. Is more better? Has President Bush listened to the American people? Has he learned anything from November 2006 Midterm elections? Probably not.

I've including an excellent video from MSNBC Countdown's Keith Olbermann in which Olbermann states,

"Mr. Bush, there are a dozen central, essential lessons to be derived from our nightmare in Vietnam, but “we’ll succeed unless we quit,” is not one of them".

While watching (CSPAN) the imperial styled Full Honor Review ceremony, held for the now former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, I couldn't help but be reminded of President Nixon's inauguration ceremony in which he insisted that regal trumpets blare in the fashion of the Roman Empire.

Rumsfeld's departure seemed a surrealistic denial of his failure in Iraq. At least Richard Nixon left the White House in a low key ceremony which imparted some dignity to the occasion. I guess this was too much to expect from the Bush Administration which is still in the process of promoting the war in Iraq.

As the Bush administration distances itself from the reality of its failed Mideast policy it has chosen to blame everyone, and every institution but itself. Who else could be to blame if not for the liberal media, and a gullible public?

While the jig is up on the Iraq war, as long as a departure from Iraq can be stalled there is still big money to be made by Bush, Cheney, and company. Just knowing that should make it clear that we won't be seeing any serious reductions in expenditures of blood, or treasure in the next two years.

The Christmas Tree Stand That Saved My Marriage

Video Of Bowling's Last Stand - Christmas Tree Stand

The featured video touts my favorite Christmas tree stand. This Bowling's Last Stand Christmas tree stand is perhaps one of the wisest purchases I have ever made. I bought mine eight years ago for around one hundred dollars. This stand makes setting up large trees a breeze, and I'm certain has saved me hours of wrestling around with the Christmas tree each year. This tree stand is so rugged that I'm certain it will be around long after I've met my maker.

Bowling Enterprises, located in Bear Lake, Michigan is owned, and operated by Floyd Bowling Jr and Floyd Bowling Sr. Check out their website.

Is this an advertisement? Not really!

I don't have anything to do with Bowling Enterprises, but I do like small American owned, and operated, companies that turn out superior products.

Bowling Enterprises makes a far superior Christmas tree stand than any of the flimsy Chinese made stands - the only kind of stand that you'll find at your local China-Mart Store.

So buy the best, and buy Midwest!

Update:

Here's an email which I sent to one of the good folk at Bowling's Enterprises.

Patti,

Your product is undeniably the best stand on the market. I've checked your website out, and see where you offer several other stands. I've seen some of your other models in use too.

I've always been amazed at how people will spend a hundred dollars on a tree, and then get home, and spend hours trying to just get the tree in the stand properly. Sometimes they never do!

We have this little trick where we leave the plastic mesh on the tree. We put a little indentation with a screw driver in the middle of the trunk, and lift the tree into the Bowling's Last Stand. We then twirl the tree around ( I walk in circles with the tree) a few times until it sinks into the center screw.

With the tree still in the plastic mesh my wife has no trouble holding the tree upright, while I tighten the screws below.

It works like a charm year after year!

We then back away to see if the tree is standing straight, and then use scissors to cut the mesh in half, and simply pull the remaining mesh away from the tree.

I feel that the method we use would not work with any other tree stand but yours. Why? Because when the mesh catches on your tree stand it has no effect. If I tried this on an inferior tree stand it would tip the tree over, or possibly break the stand.

Leaving the mesh on until the last moment leaves the tree undamaged.

Most importantly the the tree is aligned as straight as it can be.

There's no fighting, nor any of the "blame game" which used to take place every year before we bought our Bowling's Last Stand.

Christmas is supposed to be a celebration, and installing a tree on an inferior stand led to all those little remarks. You know the kind, "Well, you were supposed to hold the tree upright", which would always lead to the inevitable response, "I did, but you must not have screwed in those screws right".

Even worse was round two, "Do you want to try to adjust it?"

Which would almost always make the tree even worse, and then lead to a further round of the blame game!

Now all of that nonsense was before I bought your stand. I can absolutely, and honestly say that we have never had any reason for any of that since getting your stand.

Spending the extra money to buy your stand ended all of that - essentially for the rest of my life - because that stand is so well made it will last longer than I will. I'll have to include it in my will!

So thanks for showing that American made products are as good as they were in the old days.

Feel free to provide a link to that blog post of mine if you wish, that would be an honor, and may God bless you folks.

Merry Christmas!

Priskers In The Sun

Priskers In Winter Sunlight - Jerome, Illinois - December 15th 2006

They have that certain something
You'd only recognize it if you look
There's a personality in there

They'll treat you with acceptance
They will give you all their love
They will never question why

GotShoo Link Added To Blogroll

I added GotShoo to my blogroll today. Looks like an interesting site, with regular updates.
GotShoo is also the talent behind Springfield's newest service to the blogging community - Spfldbloggers.

Spfldbloggers is at this moment very much a work in progress. Shoo has now implemented a feed aggregator. The banner logo has been replaced! An improvement too, I might add.

From this:


Spfldbloggers banned "beta banner"


To this:


Spfldbloggers intro banner


An Artistic Review Of The Now "Banned" Beta Banner?

In reviewing Shoo's artwork I first noted his employment of crayon like colors, and themes. The banner included child like symbolizations of simple visual icons such as birds, sun rays, and clouds. At the center of the piece is a dome, presumably the Illinois State Capitol. Three contemporary Springfield, Illinois celebrities are featured encircled in bright crayon circles. The three photographic images include, the current (2006) Mayor of Springfield, Illinois, Tim Davlin, and two contemporary Springfield, Illinois television celebrities, WICS' Gus Gordon, and Jerry Lambert.

The "beta banner" evoked a humorous response from this reviewer, in that it looks as if it could have been created by a six year old child. Still the banner employed juxtaposition of photographic elements with simple graphic art. It juxtaposed the sophisticated images created by those seeking to persuade (the corporate, and political world), with the honest child like graphics. In this sense the artwork wasn't without total merit.

Local artist & writer, Shoo, stated on his online journal that he received a request to discontinue use of his artwork on his website due to a legal threat made against him - by what, or whom he doesn't say.


Spfldbloggers Service - A Review

With feedlinking providing updated posting information Spfldbloggers will make it easy to see what's going on in the Springfield, Illinois BlogoSphere without actually having to visit any of the listed blogs! A real time saver!

A bit of local blogosphere history would reveal that Marie at Disarranging had developed, and retained an authoritative blogroll history links page at her site.

Here's a link to her old list, and a link to her new list. Marie has tipped her hat to SpfldBloggers by linking to SpfldBloggers as her new list. Quite an honor Shoo.

My Eerie Blog

My Eerie Blog

Dedicated to Dave of The11thhour.
May it inspire you.

Dave Heinzel Challenges Gus Gordon To A Duel!

I recently added Dave Heinzel's blog to my blogroll, and so I was amused to discover that we each recently wrote about WICS Channel 20's Gus Gordon.

Heinzel states that Springfield, Illinois is just too small for the both of them, and has challenged Gordon to a duel! Heinzel states,

"So a time will soon come that I will be forced to face my antagonist and engage him in a duel. A duel of wits. A witty duel where only one man will remain standing, and the other will be forced to retire to his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio".

Here's the link to Dave Heinzel's humorous post on my favorite weather caster Gus Gordon. Heinzel's post has already gathered eight comments, while my post has yet to inspire even one comment.

Springfield, Illinois' Gus Gordon Production Company

One of the first post I ever wrote for this blog was a funny little story which a former coworker had told me in which he had met Gus Gordon the locally famous weather man for WICS 20. In the story I recount how my friend had gone to the Muni, and ended up sitting next to Gus Gordon. My friend had noticed it looked like rain, and brought an umbrella along, and when it started to rain he pulled out his umbrella. He said that poor Gus was getting soaked for want of an umbrella. Never one to miss a good dig, my coworker looked over at Gus, and said, "Well I guess you must not have watched the forecast". He claims Gus gave him a bad look.

It was about a year after posting that cute story that I ran into Gus Gordon. I was walking with Randy of Photos-Etc, and we were headed over the Abe Lincoln Home to shoot some photos of the area in the snow. It was snowing pretty heavy as we walked down sixth street.

It was just in front of the Hoogland Center for the Arts that we ran into Gus Gordon. He was talking with another gentleman at the time.

I introduced myself to Gus, and mentioned that I had a post on my blog about him. To my recollection Gus was very polite, and had a good sense of humor. Gus said that he had actually read the post, and wanted to add just one note of correction. He stated that although he didn't recall the actual incident, that it may have happened, although he said he would never have given anyone a bad look. And that was that. Randy, and I continued on, and took some nice photographs of the Abe Lincoln home in the snow - some of which were posted.

I also received a comment on the Gus Gordon post which stated that Gus Gordon's first name is William, and that his middle name is Agustus - the source of "Gus".

And so I have been wanting to post an update on Gus Gordon ever since. Gus has a theater production company called Gordon Productions. I'm including a link to it now in honor of Gus Gordon.

Blevins' Mind Demons

Springfield, Illinois Web Journalist Palmer Blevins has asked for his readers comments on the subject of spiritual possession.

I'm posting my comment below.

With biblical possession we're looking at an observation, and understanding of an observation that dates to a time before the age of western science.

So how much of the phenomena of possession is understood via western science, and how much remains to be discovered?

There's also the spiritual, and religious approach to understanding such phenomena. Should any of that be factored in?

I'd tend to completely dismiss religious explanations, except I believe that in this case, at this point in time, western science has yet to grapple with several very important issues relating to human cognition, and behavior.

The scientific method, and the peer review process, remains unchallenged as a method for the development of human knowledge of the material world, yet human beings have only used this method for a very short time.

In the mad rush of eschewing anything seen as spiritual the whole realm of the spiritual has been cast into disrepute, and little scientific research has been funded in the field of parapsychology.

However, this state of neglect is about to change.

The coming age of quantum computers depends upon an understanding of types of quantum interactions which will most likely lead toward a greater understanding of how the brain works.

Science may soon verify that consciousness is the result of quantum interactions which incorporate non local input.

In fact the development of artificial intelligent computers may depend upon such interactions.

In any case huge amounts of money, and resources will soon be thrown into the development of logic devices of which their designs will depend upon a greater understanding of quantum forces than ever before.

One of the most profound obstacles to understanding quantum scale phenomena is the notion that what is seen at the quantum scale is necessarily confined to the quantum scale.

The next generation of computer scientist, engineers, software designers, communications specialist, and those studying logic will by necessity open the doorway to a future in which our "modern" classical understanding of causality, and locality will be challenged.

And how does this apply to the subject of possession?

If the brain is in fact a quantum computer, and if the brain is in fact networked within the supraluminal field, then spiritual possession may be not only be scientifically verifiable, but also rationally, and scientifically understood. We're about to find out.

Hep Koshi Kat Hangin With Kerouac

Hep Koshi Kat Hangin With Kerouac

Koshi Kat in deep kat funk
Diggin the rap

Honey & Quinine - Good Mix

Illinois Times contributer Job Conger has resumed blogging!

His smart looking WordPress blog is as much of a joy to look at as it is to read.

Job Conger is a prodigious writer, and offers commentary on a broad variety of topics. While Job is known in Central Illinois for his regular contributions to the Illinois Times, among the Springfield literary and art community Job is best known for having authored several books on the poetry of Springfield's legendary poet Vachel Lindsay.

Job Conger is quite literally a "word machine", and now visitors to the blogosphere can make full advantage of Job's insights, and literary contributions by visiting Honey & Quinine.