I Love A Man In A Uniform

NAZI Mass Rollcall - Nothing can match the feeling I get when I see a man wearing a uniform.


Gang Of Four - I Love A Man In A Uniform (July 31, 1982 Live)

Time with my girl I spent it well
I had to be strong for my woman
You must be joking, O man you must be joking
She needed to be protected

The good life was so elusive
Handouts, they got me down
I had to regain my self-respect
So I got into camouflage

The girls they love to see you shoot

I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform

To have ambitions was my ambition
But I had nothing to show for my dreams
Time with my girl I spent it well
You must be joking, O man you must be joking

The good life was so elusive
Handouts, they got me down
I had to regain my self respect
So I got into camouflage

The girls they love to see you shoot

I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform

I need an order
Shoot, shoot
I need an order
Shoot, shoot
I need an order
Shoot, shoot
I need an order
Shoot, shoot

To have ambition
Was my ambition
Time with my girl I spent it well
You must be joking, O man you must be joking

The girls they love to see you shoot
The girls they love to see you shoot

I love a man in a uniform
I love a man in a uniform
They love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform

The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform
They love to see you shoot

The girls they love to see you shoot
I love a man in a uniform
They love a... they love a... they love a
They love to see you shoot

Beautiful Macaws Thank You For Visiting

Near Springfield Illinois - A Couple For Life, These Two Macaws Need To Fly South

I can't really tell you exactly where I took the photograph I share with you here on my blog tonight for that's a secret, but I can say that I have appreciated greatly the opportunity to come so close to two such magnificent creatures. With freezing cold temperatures solidly upon us here in Central Illinois it is quite rare for large tropical birds to be fluttering about.

With temperatures in the 30s I want so badly to be able to "capture" these two Macaws, and turn them over to an organization that can locate them in a warm and hospitable place.

And while my heart soars to have come within feet of these beautiful tropical birds, birds which live up to 75 years, and are as intelligent as four year old children, I can also say that my heart breaks for them too.

I tried feeding them, but they're not so interested - in our hamster's food. They just seem to like the darkness, and the quiet of their undisclosed location.

I talked to them. I told them that they need to fly south to the son of their now deceased owner.

They are such a close couple, and they made some trilling sounds as I spoke.

And so beautiful too.

To my regular readers, please no guesses where these birds are. There are many bad people in this world, and we need to protect these incredible creatures - and hope, and pray that some organization raises the money to have them captured, and sent far far south of this frozen Midwestern town.

Funnel Clouds Over My House

Jerome, Illinois

Sometimes I suspect that "You Know Who" has it out for me, and my family - but it's probably just that I live on the South and West side of town.

Ran to the window, and watched as two funnel clouds swirled overhead, and headed right in our direction. The winds picked up fiercely, and a large limb came crashing down from a tree in our front yard.

Just as the fierce downdrafts hit two teenage girls came visiting, and I immediately opened the door, and let them in - friends of my daughter.

We continued to watch from inside as the wind and rain pelted the house.

Anyway, that's my report from Jerome, Illinois.


NOW IT IS BLUE SKY!

Tornado Warning

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LINCOLN IL
1153 AM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009

ILC107-167-081715-
/O.CON.KILX.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-090308T1715Z/
LOGAN-SANGAMON-
1151 AM CDT SUN MAR 8 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1215 PM CDT FOR SOUTHERN
LOGAN AND NORTHEASTERN SANGAMON COUNTIES...

AT 1147 AM CDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR CURRAN
AT 1144 AM.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 2 MILES NORTH OF LELAND
GROVE...OR ABOUT 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF SPRINGFIELD...MOVING NORTHEAST
AT 60 MPH.

PEOPLE NEAR THESE LOCATIONS ARE STILL THREATENED...
  SHERMAN...
  WILLIAMSVILLE...
  DAWSON...
  SPAULDING...
  RIVERTON...
  BUFFALO...
  CORNLAND...
  ELKHART...
  BROADWELL...
  MOUNT PULASKI...

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 55 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 92 AND 121.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 72 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 97 AND 113.

A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND AND IS LIKELY CAUSING DAMAGE. EVEN IF THIS
TORNADO DISSIPATES...THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE ADDITIONAL TORNADOES AT
ANY TIME. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADIC STORM...TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY!

LAT...LON 3997 8918 3981 8949 3973 8966 3984 8977
      3996 8960 4011 8943
TIME...MOT...LOC 1651Z 232DEG 54KT 3984 8962

$$

SHIMON

It's 12:34 on 3/6/9

What does this mean?

Not so sure.

O.K. I've Been Watching Hulu

Not that I'm not interested in blogging, but I have been watching all kinds of great content at www.hulu.com

Larry Sanders Show
Star Trek - Original Series Remastered

along with new series that are currently in production.

I've been working my way through months of my favorite shows including

House
The Office
Heroes

etc.

Hulu is I guess the future of video content on demand.

Run a search, pick your videos, and watch - for free.

Anyway I'm sure to become bored, and I'll blog more then, but for now

Periscope down, and

Dive
Dive
Dive

back to Hulu

Reader Soon To Join Local Blogosphere

So you just bought your new PC. Well, good for you! And you told me that you want to start your own blog. What a fine plan that is.

Anyway, this special note is to one of my long time "secret" readers who may soon be joining the local blogosphere.

Oh yes, about your suggestion to do more UFO type stories - I'm still considering that one.

THANK YOU GEICO!

I have been with another (I won't name them yet) insurance company for many years, but tonight I FINALLY checked GEICO out, and I was floored to find out that I could actually increase my level of coverage, decrease my deductibles and save - yes SAVE nearly $70 per month!

That's over $800 a year!

I have one of those smiles on my face, that I just can't get rid of.

I am so HAPPY!

Thank you GEICO!

Racist Obama Chimp Assassination Cartoon

I'll be happy when white people are a minority in the U.S. The world will be a better place then.

Ignorance, intolerance, and the downright evil pursuit of power has lead some to believe that race should be used as a weapon.

The White "Right" Wing in the U.S. has always relied upon such tactics. Race based attacks are just another arrow in the quiver.

The recent racist Obama-Chimp cartoon created, and published, by the New York Post is just another example of how low people will go to do whatever they feel must be done to hold onto power.

Let us all be warned that neither the U.S., nor the world, is past racism. As long as there are evil people willing to use race as a means to divide us, and as long as we let them, racism will be around to haunt us.

It wasn't too long before President Kennedy was assassinated that members of the right wing fringe were promoting assassination as a way to solve the Kennedy problem.

The right wing, far more than the left, has always felt that it was justified in killing whomever it wanted - justified in doing so by God.

If I were a cartoonist I'd sketch a cartoon reply showing a couple of firemen spraying a hose on the smoking embers of the New York Post headquarters.

The caption would read "Trash Heap of History".

Maybe I could get Chris Britt to draw it for me?

Star Trek The Movie Official Trailer

Star Trek The Movie - Official Trailer

I was going to post this a month ago, but forgot so here it is.

After watching this trailer over, and over, and over again for hints on what the movie will look like all I can say is - looks good!

The mixture of the "old" music, and the new style (interior) Enterprise is very interesting indeed.

Looks like Uhura, and Kirk spend some time in the sack?

And we have a cameo with Leonard Nimoy - shiver.

This Story Is Too Strange

Now who would want to kill a harmless little chimp?

Now that was my first question as I began to read this rather weird story of a chimp gone wild. Turns out our simian friends can be very smart, and very dangerous.

This article with my added commentary taken from CNN

(CNN) -- A woman has been hospitalized with serious injuries to her face, neck and hands after a pet chimpanzee attacked her at a friend's home in Stamford, Connecticut.

Travis is shown in 2003, when he escaped and "wreaked havoc" on the streets of Stamford, Connecticut.

My first question is - I thought owning chimps was illegal?

Charla Nash, 55, had just arrived at her friend Sandra Herold's house when the chimp, named Travis, jumped on her and began biting and mauling her, according to Stamford Police Capt. Rich Conklin, who said the attack was unprovoked.

Herold had called Nash over to her house to help get Travis back inside after he used a key to free himself from the house.

Now we have to worry about Chimps learning to use keys?

After the attack, Herold was unable to pull the primate off her friend. She then called 911 before grabbing a butcher knife and stabbing the chimp, who police said was like a child to her.

Stamford police shot the chimp multiple times when he ripped off a side mirror and tried to enter a police cruiser, Conklin said. Travis returned to the house and died inside.

At first I thought why shoot him just because he was trying to get into a police car - then I realized - it was the keys - what if he also had learned how to start the police car, and to drive?

Conklin estimated Travis to be in his 20s, weighing close to 200 pounds.

This was not a little chimp at all.

The police captain also said this isn't the first interaction his officers have had with Travis -- the chimp escaped in 2003 and "wreaked havoc" on the streets of Stamford for a couple of hours.

In 2005, a different chimp escaped from California's Animal Haven Ranch and chewed off a man's nose and genitals.

O.K. I guess it's o.k. to shoot chimps if they are going to chew off your nose, testicles, and penis!

During an interview after that attack, wildlife expert Jeff Corwin told CNN's Anderson Cooper that chimpanzees are "absolutely powerful."

"It's often said that an adult chimpanzee weighing in at 150 pounds is three to seven times stronger than a human being," Corwin said.

But this old lady was allowed to have this super powerful creature as a child?

"The thing about chimpanzees is, we sort of look at them through our rose-colored cultural glasses of the cute little chimp in the 'Tarzan' movie. Those are very young chimps. Chimps grow up, they become very powerful. They are very complex in their behavior. They have a whole range of emotions, including violence and anger."

Film To Use JeromeProphet Photo

I just received word that a photograph which I captured, and posted to my blog, will end up in a documentary called "Carbon Nation".

Great name for a documentary, and no, it's not about soft drinks, instead the film focuses on global warming!

If you want to learn more, and would like to watch the trailer go here:

http://www.carbonnation.tv/

Global warming has been a topic of many of my blog post, and so it comes as a pleasant surprise that one of my photos was deemed as worthy of such an important project.

As regular readers may recall last year one of my photographs was included in a book titled, The Physical Lincoln, which is available for sale at www.physical-lincoln.com

I can hardly wait to see "Carbon Nation"!

Rich People Can Afford Ideology

A simple fact: If I had a billion dollars all in $100 bills, and placed each bill in a mayonnaise jar, and then buried those jars about town - leaving it up to the people to find and unearth those jars - allowing all those money finders to spend their new found fortunes as they like - this would in fact create jobs, and would result in a multiplier effect in the billions of dollars of economic activity.

All this Republican nonsense about how horrible Barack Obama's stimulus plan is is simply class warfare. The rich want to see the middle class fall into poverty, and then they can rule over them. There's no doubt about that.

For the rich an economic downturn is simply a bargain basement sale in which the rich get richer, and the middle class sell their family's china.

The entire amount should be spent on infrastructure, and it should be spent as soon as possible.

Murder Your Children With Peanut Butter

In the United States parents care so little about their children that they feed them contaminated food.

And if anyone complains that people are getting sick and dying, those who make the poison food can be fined $1000.

The price of an American child's life is $1000.

The United States - the greatest nation on Earth.

Be like us everybody, or we'll send our troops your way and kill your children too.

Finished Filing My 2009 Income Taxes!

God almighty, I hate it when I have to pay both the federal and state government!

The double whammy!

It sucks.

If I had the money I'd dump some last minute 2008 contributions into my IRA to reduce my 2008 AGI, but I have to buy a car for my daughter in the coming weeks, and I can't afford to do both.

One thing that took me by surprise this year is that the Child Tax Credit ends in the year in which your child turns seventeen. That's a thousand dollars right there in the IRS column - argh. I would have thought the credit would have extended to age eighteen.

We have to support our children to that age, and they get much more expensive to support as they get older, so why does the credit end at sixteen? Probably some damned Republican lawmaker at work. I can hear him now, "Gotta get em' into the army. We don't want to coddle the little bastards".

Lizard May Live To 200

I find this astonishing. I just read an article on cnn.com about a 110 year old lizard which may live to age 200.

Some creatures live much longer than humans do. Certainly this fact shows that there must be a way to extend the human lifespan well beyond the limited 120 years that very few ever realize.

I've said this before, and I'll say it again, we're very short lived creatures struggling against all odds to survive as a species. By the time we as individuals mature enough to have gathered some wisdom along comes the grim reaper to harvest us away. Is there any wonder why our societies are such violent, and sex obsessed affairs, or why we act as beast concerned mainly with territory, and reproduction?

Reduce the world population, advance technology, extend lifespan, increase the standard of living, create a planetary society, and colonize space - this is the way for the human species to survive. Otherwise we're just waiting around long enough to either destroy ourselves, or to be destroyed by a comet or asteroid.

No Central Heat Tonight

As I was sick today I stayed in bed, and kept under the covers. When my wife got home from work she immediately noticed that the temperature in the house had dropped to 63 degrees, and asked me to get out of bed to check the central heating unit.

We've had someone over tonight to look at it, but the part won't be in until the morning, and so tonight we'll be using some space heaters to keep the place warm.

The one I have in the master bedroom is doing a great job keeping the room just at the right temperature - not too hot, not too cold, but I wonder about some of the other rooms in the house.

I wonder about the cats. I guess they'll be o.k. Then again, maybe we better make sure they're in a warm bedroom tonight.

Been Sick For Several Days

Monday I was feeling mighty tired, so tired in fact that I knew I was coming down with something. I warned everyone at work not to come too close to me as I didn't want to give them what I had - even though I wasn't sure what I had - or if it would get worse.

Early Tuesday morning I awoke in bed in the middle of the night and realized I had a sore throat. I then fell back to sleep. When I awoke later I found that my sore throat had spread into one of my ears.

When my alarm went off later that morning I realized I was too sick to come into work, and so I called in sick. I slept Tuesday morning away, and upon waking in the afternoon I immediately realized that the infection had moved into my nasal passages. I couldn't breath through my nose at all.

With each breath I took through my mouth my throat became drier, and drier, and the pain became worse, and worse.

I also felt very tired, and so I slept, and slept.

I took some OTC antihistamines, a decongestant, Tylenol, and some Fluticasone Propionate.

I finally got up, and made myself a sandwich and some hot chicken soup, and watched a little television just before sunset.

I then went back to bed, and watched some television, and fell asleep.

This morning I woke to much the same tiredness, and chills I had had on Tuesday morning, and I carefully thought about whether it would be worth my trying to make it into work.

My employer may give us sick days, but they sure as hell don't want us to use them. After you take even a fairly conservative number of sick days you can forget about getting a larger raise.

And so there I was this morning still quite sick, agonizing over whether I wanted to get well, or get a pay raise.

I decided that my health was more important.

What with the economy I seriously doubt I'll be getting a raise anyway, so I called in my second day in a row.

I had an old friend who worked at LRS, and he told me long ago that LRS doesn't have sick days. They don't record a sick day at all, because they just don't want you coming in sick, and making other people sick.

That's the way it was at my last employer, but the one I have now essentially discourages people from taking sick days, which is a form of encouraging sick people to come to work and spread their diseases to the rest of the staff. Save a few hundred dollars here, and cost the company thousands in lost productivity I always say.

I'm glad I stayed home, because my sore throat is gone, and my ear feels clear of any infection. I have some nasal congestion and drip, and it's causing me to cough a great deal. But other than some residual weakness, and some sadness over my loss of a pay raise I feel able to go back to work - missing only two days.

Oh yes, I have one minor gripe - my ribs - I've been coughing so bad that I pulled a muscle, and whenever I cough I have to brace myself because the pain is intense and sharp.

Blago On Larry King Tonight

Oh please give us a break Governor Blago-bitch. You were a crook before, you're a crook now, and an appearance on CNN's Larry King show won't win over anyone's hearts and minds.

I wonder if the State of Illinois will be in any way paying for you to appear.

Now for those who don't know what I'm talking about - my state's governor has been under criminal investigation for years. During the course of that investigation, the prosecutor, who had federal court approved wiretaps installed in our good governor's office recorded the governor saying he was trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat which Barack Obama had just vacated.

And this charge is just the tip of the iceberg.

The whole process of the Governor's disposal is dragging on in what seems like slow motion, and now we must witness this egomaniac cast his spin on the Larry King show.

It's just adding insult upon injury to the people of the state of Illinois.

Buying A Car Soon In Central Illinois

Been searching the Internet for interesting auto deals. Going to buy a used car to replace the Cavalier my daughter used to drive. A cab driver totaled this car right in our own driveway.

So now I'm spending hours reading about specific makes and models, and eventually will start taking some test drives.

One disturbing detail which I noticed while searching the inventory of used car lots is that in many of the photographs on these car dealer's websites the photos were taken when green leaves were still on the trees in the background.

Many of these cars are just not selling - especially the minivans - I wonder why?

Could it be the fear that gasoline prices will eventually head back up when the global recession begins to lift?

Or could it be the credit crunch?

Or both?

Probably both - which makes me nervous about buying another car.

The Sell Off Continues

Work has been non-stop hectic. Those who held off waiting for an upswing from September are now selling out of the market.

Additionally the numbers of investors simply cashing in due to necessity, such as unemployment, underemployment, and the credit crisis, has increased.

The sense of confusion over whether to ride the market out, or to seek safer shores has caused people to make costly decisions which appear to be counter to their long term interest.

The emotion, the sense of panic, the financial pain, has worn me out.

I keep waiting for things to settle down some. But I don't see it happening.

Not anytime soon.

Which is why I blog less, and less these days. I feel exhausted dealing with the public.

Inauguration of Barack Obama

Inauguration of Barack Obama

I'm so excited I can't sleep. O.K., that's an exaggeration, I did get five hours of sleep, but I couldn't go back to sleep, after giving into the temptation of turning the television on to check out some of the Inauguration coverage. This makes me wonder how much sleep Mr. Obama has had, for it must be tough to sleep on the night before such an exciting event.

Streaming Media

I'm going to try and watch the event live from work, but I suspect many others will be too, and there's one thing about bandwidth - there's only so much to go around. There will be dozens of people, maybe hundreds, trying to watch the show via streaming audio-video, and that gobbles up bandwidth. I'm sure the IT network people will notice how slow the Internet will become, and they might block streaming content for today if things get too slow.

The Speech

I'm sure Barack's speech will be a good one, he's a fine writer, and orator. I hope he keeps it short and sweet, and doesn't get too detailed about his economic plan. He needs to stay lofty, and inspiring - and I'm sure he, and his speechwriters know this.

The Dress

Much concern has been expressed about what dress Michelle Obama will be wearing. It's kind of silly, but I hope she wears something red. Then again, maybe a blue dress. O.K., I'm just kidding - I really don't care - maybe something yellow?

The Wheel Chair

I see where V.P. Dick Cheney is going to be in a wheel chair for the event. What an odd image. Sort of Strangelovish - is that a word? He needs some leather gloves and a cigarette holder too.

Bush

I am so very glad that these are the last few hours of the George Walker Bush administration. Despite the generous spirit which Barack Obama has lent the whole transition, even saying some kind words about Bush, I really can't stand Bush - at all, and want to see him gone from the world stage, and I'm sure I'm in the majority when it comes to such feelings.

Main Stream Media

I've been watching a great deal of coverage. I watch MSNBC more than CNN during prime time, but I watch a great deal of CNN too. I like CSPAN for it's slower, quieter, and more thoughtful coverage. CSPAN's way of covering events like this allows me to feel like I'm actually there. They take cameras to such events and just leave them on. The History Channel has been televising some excellent documentaries about the Presidents, Washington D.C., and the White House. I have found this whole event massively interesting and educational.

Security Concern

While I doubt anyone will get close enough to Barack Obama to assassinate him today I do have concerns about the crowd. There doesn't seem to be a way to protect such a massive crowd. I'm guessing that no one in the crowd believes they are being protected, and they'd be right for the most part. So if moments before, or after Barack takes the oath of office we hear reports of explosions and hundreds of casualties in the crowd I won't be surprised.

I suspect that there are thousands of under cover police in the massive crowd, but what can they do? At most they can use some kind of zonal defense, and profile people. That's right they must use racial profiling. White faces, and dark black faces are overlooked, while brown Middle Eastern faces lead to further investigation.

I would gather that every Middle Eastern face in the crowd leads to a cursory investigation, a scoping out so to speak. Is this person alone? Is this person nervous? How does this person react to being stared at? Or being bumped? Fail the test, and I guess it would lead to an accidental shove or trip, and a pat down.

Just thoughts since I really don't know, but how else could the crowd be protected once it reaches such a massive size? Oh, and this would have to be ongoing while the crowd arrives, because once you have that many people in a large space the operation would probably change to using television cameras to check faces from a distance.

Just hope nothing happens, but the truth is anyone can get into the United States by simply walking in from its southern border, and there are probably terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S. waiting to cause havoc at an event like this one.

King & Obama - A Renewal Of American Pride

U2 - Pride - In The Name Of Love

King & Obama - A Renewal Of American Pride

What an incredible feeling I am having. Monday, January 19th, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
This year there's something special about MLK Day arriving just one day before Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration on January 20th, 2009!

I have Monday (MLK Day) off from work, and wish I could take Tuesday off as well to see the Inauguration on television live, but I can't since the Stock Market is open Tuesday. If we're slow at work, I'll watch some of the ceremony on the Internet from my PC.

History is in the making, and I'm so excited! I've been watching the news coverage today of the Obama-Biden train ride from Philadelphia through Baltimore, and on to Washington D.C. That


Moses and Joshua

Martin Luther King has been likened to Moses for African Americans, but I feel he was an American Moses leading Americans of all races out of a very horrible place and toward a better, and more survivable future. However, this year I can truly see how Martin Luther King Jr. was a Moses for entire world.

In his last speech Dr. King spoke of having reached "the mountain top", just as Moses had, and King spoke of looking out over the promised land, as Moses had been allowed to see it. Both Moses and King had led their people to the very edge of the promised land, allowed to see it, and then denied entry while their people continued on.

Barack Obama refers to his generation as the Joshua generation - the generation that came after the Moses generation. The Joshua generation prospered from the benefits of entry into the promised land, and American blacks, despite continued economic inequalities, are beginning to reap the benefits of their hard fought entry into mainstream America.


Pride Renews

We in America are witnessing the beginning of a new chapter in politics, and history. African American parents can tell their children that if they study hard enough, and work hard enough that they can achieve anything they put their minds to. That is the new reality in America, and people of every race, creed, national origin, ethnicity, and even sexual orientation should take to heart that America is a nation capable of positive change, and inclusion.

We in America have finally realized the promise of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution.

We have a long way to go in making perfect our social compact, but I at this point in my life feel a sense of optimism, and hope for this nation - a sense of pride that is long overdue.

Bush - Just Go Away

One can only pray that Bush will be the worst president this nation has ever seen.

The clown king - el presidente - continues his pathetic attempt to leave office on good terms - just ain't gonna happen.

You realize dear readers that we can respect, and love the people of the United States and its institutions, while detesting George W. Bush?

It's possible, guilt free - I know - I and millions of other Americans have done it for years.

He meant well? Oh please he knew what he was doing, and he just didn't give a damn.

Enough said.

Just go away Bush.

Happy New Year?

What exactly do we mean when we wish someone a happy new year?

I believe that most people are mistakenly wishing that their friend has a happy New Year's Eve, or maybe at most happy New Year's Day.

When in fact wishing someone a happy new year is wishing that person has a happy new year for the entire upcoming year.

The way I see it the expression is somewhat goofy.

We guzzle down some booze, gather together to watch some common events, and pretend we care so much about other people that we start making wishes.

And just what is a wish? Is it a magical incantation? Does it carry any weight at all in this world?

And if we really cared at all wouldn't it be better to wish people a happy life?

Why is it that the only time we wish people a nice life - it's meant in sarcasm, "Have a nice life", and it's used when we're telling that person good bye?

Anyway, that's it for me tonight.

I had some bubbly, and too much food so I need to sleep it off now.

Happy Nice Life Everyone!

Virtual Particles Revisited

Note to self, virtual particles have in fact been confirmed, via the Casimer Effect (see PhysicsWorld's The Casimir effect: a force from nothing, 2002).

In this "effect" we find verification of the probabilistic nature of the quantum world. Particles simply pop into existence, and then back out of existence. Proven.

While the Casimir effect is a label for a force which exist at a quantum level I wonder if the Casimir effect could be sensed, or even manipulated, at a larger classical scale.

If the Casimir effect could be verified at a cosmic scale then that discovery could be used to support the argument that what happens at the quantum scale continues in fractal fashion into the classical large scale world.

I'm sure I'm not the first person to ask this question, and my next step is to search around on the net to see if any research has been done to see if the Casimir effect has been detected on a classical scale - perhaps with low frequency large wavelength electromagnetic waves, or if the Casimir effect could play a role in the discussion of dark matter and dark energy.

Getting Reamed On Text Messaging Cost

Interesting article in the NYTimes on how cellular text messaging works.

Turns out that the digital systems that the cellular carriers use sandwich text messages within packets of data that are already required for a cellphone to keep in constant touch with a cell tower.

That's right, the cellular companies aren't using any extra bandwidth at all to accommodate text messaging.

The cost of providing text messaging is very very very small and yet the cellular companies are charging customers big time.

In fact the cellular carriers are making so much money on a service that is costing them so little that none of them are prepared to release the actual numbers on this incredibly profitable area of their operations.

Now this might seem unimportant - so what if Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all charge from fifteen to twenty dollars per month for unlimited texting, or around 20 cents per text outside a package?

Right?

Wrong!

Since the cost to the carriers is very, very, very little this would imply that competition would drive the price that the carriers charge down - but this hasn't happened at all.

Which means - you guessed it - price fixing - which is illegal.

The carriers are facing dozens of class action lawsuits, and in the future we should see some rebate checks headed our way, as well as a reduction in the cost of texting, and a probable increase in the portion of our cellular bills for other services - because in the end - we is screwed.

Winter Rain Storm Pain and Sleep

Joint Degeneration From Age Ten

I have had arthritis for decades now. In my early twenties, my knees were so rife with arthritis that I was advised by my sports medicine doctor, my general practitioner, and an orthopedic surgeon, that I had the joints of a very old man.

I skipped the surgery hoping for a cure, or some better form of treatment - hoping that the pace of medical science would result in unimagined ways to alleviate my condition.

Years before I even linked the word arthritis to the non stop joint pain, the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, the feverishness, and the fatigue, I suspected it was going to be a lifelong malady. No matter how many anti inflammatory pills or hot showers I took the pain would return.

I could feel sharp jolts of pain in my neck, and my knees at first - and I'd run to the television to check out the radar screen, and would learn what I already knew, that a thunderstorm was coming. I soon realized that a storm could be a hundred miles away, and that I could still be affected by it. I couldn't believe that I was experiencing the same symptoms that elderly people often complained about on television programs and commercials.

As the years passed the joint degeneration spread to my fingers, back, shoulders, and hips.


In Search Of Pain Relief - Legal And Not So Legal

Some days the pain was so great that I would take ten to twenty ibuprofen tablets in a day and the natural result was ulcers.

I'd tell myself that prescription strength ibuprofen was one gram, and that directions for post operative pain was one pill every eight hours, and so I could safely take fifteen over the counter capsules - knowing that it wasn't a good idea - not in the long run.

Every once in awhile I would "score" some prescription pain medicine from a friend or relative. I'd take the medicine, and all the pain would go away. Tears would come down my face in relief. My body is so rife with crunchy joints that my brain simply must produce a great deal of its own pain killers, and this works relatively well, but the sensation I get when I take a powerful pain killer is this - it is like going back in time to when I was a child. My body feels good again - no pain at all.

The elation of feeling no pain is nothing short of ecstasy. This is how I felt up to my middle teens. And I ask myself why I can't just stay pain free, why I can't be allowed to stay on some powerful pain killer which would make my pain go away. Yet it isn't very long into such a feeling that I come to know my own nature, and decide it is best to feel the pain - that any pain pill yet devised would render me an addict - and thus I chose pain over slavery.

I have never asked a doctor to prescribe such pills, because I know what would happen. I know I'd end up abusing them for I have experienced the rapidity of tolerance. Take one pill at first, and soon I'm up to many more. That's the downfall of narcotics - anyone in pain will take so many that they'll eventually kill themselves taking such a drug to eliminate their pain.

I did once ask for a renewal on a prescription for a steroid I was taken for my back pain. The doctor told me that I would have to wait for several months before prescribing them again, so I never asked for steroids again, but I did start to look around for steroids over the Internet.

I soon realized that my craving to be pain free would drive me to finding, and purchasing steroids over the Internet, and so I stopped searching, and never bought it. Steroids are remarkable, but I've never known anyone taking them who hasn't had a personality change.


A Safe, Legal, Effective, Healthy Treatment For Pain - Fish Oil

In recent years I have found a pain medicine that is safe, with no known toxicity, has many positive side effects, very effective, and inexpensive. I'm talking about fish oil. Combine fish oil and glucosamine chondroitin and you have the perfect combination for joint pain. Fish oil can be taken all by itself, and it is such a remarkable anti inflammatory that you can take it for injuries, head aches, and arthritis.

Last night, feeling the shift in barometric pressure, and perhaps the lightning strikes from miles away, I knew I had to take plenty of fish oil, and so I doubled my daily dose to twenty fish oil capsules. That's eight grams of Omega 3.

Another twenty fish oil capsules (four more grams of Omega 3) today and I'm for the most part pain free (actually, that's not true) compared to what I would have experienced if I had not taken them.

I don't have to worry about damage to my liver from fish oil, nor the damage to my stomach that aspirin or ibuprofen would have caused - with the added benefit of reducing my triglycerides.

So with the intense winds, and freezing cold rain my major symptom was some low level pain in every joint in my body, and the overwhelming desire to sleep so as to avoid the pain.

In fact my entire family is asleep now, including our cats.

It's not like there would have been much of a loss - this cold dark horrible day, it's better to sleep through it, and pretend it never happened.

Just hibernate, and wake up on one warm Spring day, crawl out of my den, and go eat some fish - love that fish oil.

Oh My Oh My

A Wondrous Place

Merry Christmas everyone.

Christmas Vistor's Guide

Guide To Welcome Christmas Visits

I thought I'd write up a list of suggestions which I feel would help everyone around the holidays. This list of suggestions is the result of years of experience of either having visitors over for the holidays, or in being a visitor myself. So here goes - JeromeProphet's Christmas Visitor's Guide.

Call Ahead - preferably earlier rather than later. Calling up at the last moment or actually showing up on someone's door unannounced is a really big no-no. Show your host some common courtesy around the holidays. Christmas can be a stressful and demanding day, and showing up unexpectedly can create havoc.

Stay Polite - If you're visiting try not to make smart remarks about your host's Christmas tree, or holiday decorations. Try not to make jokes at the expense of your host either. Don't turn your visit into a sit down comedy routine, or a "roast the host" event - it leaves a bad and lasting impression. Your host may smile and laugh at your snide remarks, but probably only out of politeness.

Reciprocity - Ask yourself if you ever invite your host over for the holidays. If you don't then there's probably an issue that your host is painfully aware of too.

Be Honest - If you find yourself feeling like you have to visit, then don't. Your host will know if you really don't want to be there. Breezing in, and out of a visit just for politeness sake is both apparent, and insulting.

Don't Be A Pig - Leave some food for your host after you leave. Just because they offer you the tray doesn't mean you have to empty it.

Don't Be A Drunk - This applies for how you show up, and how you leave. Don't show up at your host's door drunk, or even tipsy, And don't stumble out drunk either. If you're inebriated then you're more likely to be rude - no matter how funny you think you are. And if leave drunk you probably overstayed your visit, and probably broke every rule in this list I've prepared. Additionally, drinking and driving is against the law.

Don't Overstay Your Visit - Around the holidays your host probably has many places to go, people to see, and things to do - it can't all be about you. Remember that your host might have attended church the night before, or woke up early to open presents.

Keep Your Promises - If you say you'll visit then do. Sneaking into town, and visiting one friend and not another usually gets around - and if you promised a visit and blow it off under such conditions - it makes you look discourteous and contemptible - a big no-no around the holidays.

Be Consistent - Don't "play friends" up until November each year only to find yourself looking for a way to get a good feud started so as to eek out yet another year without having to do an invite for the holidays. Sure by February you'll be on "good" terms with your "friend" again, but after a few years it become painfully obvious what the truth of the relationship is. This includes the "Holiday Disappearance Act". If you're in touch with a "friend" ten months out of the year, but find yourself just "too busy" to send an invite, or to return that RSVP - it's obvious - there's a problem.

Holidays create false expectations and demands for how people are supposed to act. After watching hundreds of hours of holiday programs, and holiday commercials, most people feel that at the very least they are required to visit, or take on visitors. This ritual, while intended to reaffirm familial bonds and ties of friendship can create stress, and sometimes do more harm to relationships than good.

How do you tell an old and beloved "friend" that he's obnoxious and you use him only because you're bored, or tell your neighbor that he's a loudmouth drunk at parties, or tell an Uncle that you don't like him because he fondled your cousin? How do you tell your "old buddy" that he's below you socially, and that your old friendship now makes you look bad in front of your wife, and new friends? How do you confess that your husband can't stand her husband? How do you explain that you feel disgusted that your friend has gained weight, and that you're ashamed of him? How do you tell the truth about the way you feel, when you feel guilty about how you feel - especially during the holidays?

Relationships which may have hung by a thread for decades can be put into danger due to the expectation that those relationships be more than they'll ever be.

The bit tongue, the tense smile, the rushed glass of wine may work well in the short run, but without some rules guiding how hosts and visitors should behave feelings can get hurt, and territory can be invaded leading to regrets.

The key to JeromeProphet's Christmas Visit Rules is politeness. The Golden Rule is at the heart of politeness. When hosting and visiting for the holidays ask how you would want to be treated if you were in the other guy's shoes? Would you want someone to show up announced? Would you want someone to make snide remarks at your expense in your own living room? The answers are obvious.

Being a good host or visitor is all about respect. If you don't have it, then don't try and fake it.

Writing With Priskers

Between my outstretched arms lay my cat Priskers. She has her left paw curled slightly so that her claws are gently pressing, anchoring, into my left thumb - but there is no pain. My left wrist pressed down ever so gently upon the side of her tail.

She and I are pals, we're family, we're warmth for each other on this frigid cold night, a night with howling winds so rough that they could kill.

Priskers always seems to know the best place to curl up, and positing herself just in front of the keyboard forces me to either push her out of the way, or to adjust to her presence.

She's a nice cat.

Oops, she is up now, and heading to her water bowl which I just refreshed an hour ago.

And now, it is time for me to crash.

World Economy on the Edge of Disaster

I don't believe many people understand just how close the U.S., and world economy, is to the edge of a very deep drop into what could turn into a protracted recession. When I say that I don't mean to sound like an expert, because I'm not, and I'm also aware that the U.S. has already been in a recession for a year now, but from everything I've read it looks like the most serious economic crisis in my lifetime - nothing compares - short of the Great Depression.

What really drove this reality home was watching a documentary made by, and broadcast last week on, the History Channel of all places. After months of personally talking with hundreds of people from all across this great nation of ours tell me how bad things were where they live, and after reading hundreds of articles dealing with the economic decline the truth came together watching the History Channel's, Crash: The Next Great Depression, an excellent documentary which compares the Great Depression with the situation we currently find ourselves in.

In fact the situation is so frightening that I don't believe most people know just how dire the situation is.

For several years I've shared my opinions about the Bush Administration, and how the economy was a "sham economy", and I knew eventually something had to give. I formed that opinion several years ago while watching an early morning CSPAN broadcast in which a writer took calls after a long discussion of Bush Administration economic policy.

The general message was clear, our economy was in high gear, and everyone was happy for the moment only because a flood of foreign investment was financing the Real Estate Bubble. The question was put - as to what would happen if that financing ever came unraveled, and at that time it was clear that no one even wanted to consider what would happen.

We now live in the worst case scenario, a scenario in which banks no longer want to loan out any money.

And at this point no matter how much money has been used to bail out these lending institutions, nor how low the prime interest rate is - no one wants to part with their cash - for fear of loaning money to an institution, company, or individual which might not be capable of paying back those loans.

And thus, the economy itself is grinding to a halt. We haven't seen it yet, but if not for the actions of the federal government the U.S. economy would completely collapse.

And that is not an exaggeration - which is scary as hell.

Stomach "Flu" Floating About Springfield, Illinois

First of all the term "flu" to describe an intestinal parasite or virus is a misnomer, but that's how I'll refer to it in this post. Starting early last week my teenage daughter said she wasn't feeling well. We suspected it was a hangover, but after several days when it wouldn't go away we suspected either a bacterial or viral infection.

My daughter being sick is nothing new. Her party girl lifestyle being what it is has made her our family's "Canary in a Coal Mine", and so if something is floating about Springfield, Illinois - she's had it.

And so when she started puking her guts out and missing school, and after we eliminated hangover, we suspected a virus or bacterial infection.

It has been here, at least in our household, ever since.

I've felt it deep within the pit of my stomach - or is that an ulcer, and I've felt it in my sense of fatigue - or is it just stress, and in the lingering tingling sensation of warmth upon my skin. Yet for the most part it has subsided without doing any damage to me. I suspect I must have been visited by this bug before, perhaps in another strain, but that I have some degree of immunity to it.

However, this morning my wife has been sick as a dog. It is probably related to her experience of having to worry about her daughter coming back home last night, and then dealing with a drunken, high, and abusive teenage girl. That's a lot of stress to handle at five in the morning.

My prior post relates our story of having to wait until four thirty in the morning for our teenage daughter to show up home after a night of drinking and pot use - and - realizing that this party girl drove back from her latest motel party while under the influence of alcohol.

So now my wife is showing all the signs of this stomach flu, and it has proven to me that this intestinal flu was just smoldering, and waiting for a chance to rear its ugly head again.

My wife has called a pharmacist for some quick, free, and unofficial medical advice, and it turns out that other folk in Springfield, Illinois have been hit with this stomach flu too.

So folks make sure to keep your stress levels down, get plenty of sleep, and wash your hands before putting them in contact with your mouth or anything that is heading that direction.

It might be an airborne pathogen so I'd suggest some other measures as well - but it involves not kissing on the lips, turning your vents on to bring a greater level of fresh air into your house, and generally acting like a germ freak, which probably beats hanging out at the toilet with diarrhea, and vomiting a lot.

Springfield, Illinois Saved From Ice Storm

The December 19th 2008 ice storm that has hit Springfield, Illinois devastated surrounding communities in Central Illinois wreaking havoc on transportation, communication, and electric transmission lines. However, the city of Springfield's electric grid was left mostly intact while millions in surrounding communities find themselves in fear of being cast into the dark and freezing cold of winter.

The difference that residents of Springfield, Illinois enjoys is its municipally owned power company (City Water Light and Power or CWLP for short) which years ago made the tough decision to decline building a new coal burning 200 megawatt power plant to replace its aging coal burning plants. CWLP opted instead to subsidize the installation of tens of thousands of housetop solar power generators, and a mega state of the art greenhouse to produce the city's growing electric and fuel needs.

Over 90 percent of homes and businesses produce solar or wind generated electricity with most selling power to CWLP during the day, which in turn allows CWLP to sell surplus electricity to other communities.

Even smaller homes in poor neighborhoods generate enough power in winter to heat their homes and provide hot water for bathing and cleaning, and this is true due to the way that homes are connected to the electric grid, and because City Water Light & Power spent the last decade spending over a hundred million dollars helping homeowners, and landlords insulate their homes.

The project is expected to pay for itself over the next two decades as energy prices rise throughout the state. CWLP is able to sell most of its surplus electricity to other communities which still rely upon coal generating plants.

CWLPs Phase II initiative set to begin in 2012 will see the installation of wind turbines which combined with the CWLP solar farm will allow for CWLPs coal fired power plants to be decommissioned by 2020 making Springfield one of the first cities in Illinois to go carbon free.

Additional heat containment facilities are already being planned in order to store the hundreds of tons of salt that is electrically heated during the day, and then used to create steam at night to power CWLPs electric turbines.

CWLP also produced enough heat to power and heat several massive greenhouses which are used to produce hundreds of thousands of gallons of biodiesel which are used by the city's state of the art mass transit system.

Springfield, Illinois' commitment to reducing its carbon footprint has earned it an international reputation, and has increased its tourism industry bringing millions of dollars from so called eco-tourism which has lead to a revitalization of its historic city center.

Finding: Spore Is Stupid

Here's an update on Spore. It's a dumb game. I like the concept. I like the graphic editor. And I like some aspects of the game, but overall the game is boring.

You end up doing the same thing over and over and over again.

Definitely needs some expansion packs, and they'd better be really good ones or else I'll probably never play it again.

However, having said all that I think it was worth the purchase price, but I don't play it much anymore.

I'm now playing Morrowind - well, sort of - I just started. Love the graphics, and the concept.

We'll see how long it takes me to become bored of it.

I'm playing an older version, and I could I guess find newer version selling in some discount bin, if I need to. Also there's Oblivion, which I believe is the newest advancement in this series.

Favorite Verizon Wireless Online Feature

I love the "new" self service feature on the Verizon Wireless website!

Which feature is that?

Deactivati0n!

That's right, if you have Verizon wireless you can deactivate one, or more, of your phone lines right from your PC.

And you can reactivate the phone line using the same page.

And it's very simple to do.

Nothing more thrilling than deactivating a teenager's phone service after they repeatedly ignore your text messages, and voicemails.

Sure has put the power back in the hands of the account owner (i.e., Mom and Dad).

Let Go Of My Blago!

I wonder if the town's folk of some Serbian village - a village of once proud Blagojeviches - now live in shame?


Once Proud Relatives

That's my Uncle's grandson!

My second cousin is a very powerful man in the U.S.

He got his hair from his mother's side of the family.


And Now

Don't remind me.

Who knew?

He's your side of the family, not mine!

Blago It Is Time

For you to go.

Dear Online Diary Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I don't mean to neglect you, it's just that I've been so very busy of late.
Work has been intense. It seems like a perfect storm - economic - has hit.

People are having troubles financing their Christmas, and so they have chosen to take loans, and withdrawals from their nest eggs.

And so nonstop work.

It won't end there as there is a mad rush at the end of each year to meet certain IRS deadlines which will result in more stress, and then the forth quarter financial statements go out, and then tax filing statements go out, and then - the cycle repeats itself.

So I come home tired - each day.

And that's when the hell really begins.

Tonight the Princess has cramps. Princess has cramps because she ate an entire bag of Sun Chips.

A big bag of Sun Chips.

And now it is late, very late, and Princess has her mother scrambling around fetching a vomit bag, and Tylenol just as if Princess were four years old - when in fact Princess is a self centered party hardy teen age girl that plans to blow off her Psychology final tomorrow.

And laughed about it when I told her she needed to go to sleep, and go to school tomorrow.

Oh well. So now I blog to tire myself out, and fall asleep.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Winter Lawn Mowing

As strange as this might sound I must report that as I write this post I am listening to the drone of a lawn mower. At first I barely noticed the sound. That summer sound that drifts through the walls in a low drone - a sound that is reassuring and yet nagging at the same time.

About five minutes into the experience it dawned upon me - that same feeling of guilt - of fear - that my wife would begin nagging me to mow our lawn too.

Hey, the neighbors are out mowing their lawns so I better damned well get out there and mow the lawn too! And my mind scrambled for excuses - our lawn doesn't need mowing yet - it was just last week -

no it was several months ago - hey, wait a moment - what the hell is our neighbor mowing his lawn for?

So I got up out of a perfectly warm bed, and walked over toward the window, and carefully peeped out. And there one of our neighbors was (still is) bundled up in winter coat and hat mowing the lawn.

I notice he is mowing over leaves.

"Maybe that's it?" I thought, maybe he's mulching up his leaves, but he's not using a mulching bag, and the leaves are flying back onto his lawn - in smaller pieces, of course.

Maybe he's trying to clear his yard of leaves?

But that couldn't be it either could it? Our yard is covered with a sea of leaves and so too is his other neighbor's yard.

With winds gusting up to 50 MPH today it is nothing short of insane to think that he could keep his lawn free from leaves today.

Is my neighbor insane - or just terribly terribly bored?

I wonder if he'll be out using his lawn mower on the snow that is expected for tonight?

Real Men's Rock

Michael - Franz Ferdinand

This group rocks. From what I've read we need not make any assumptions about the band member's sexual preference - one way or another, because we'd probably be wrong. Supposedly a few of the band members were really wasted one night, and started dancing with each other in a most homoerotic manner thus leading to the creation of the song. Love the style of this group as it reminds me of early 1980s alternative rock.

The tame video version lyrics

This is where I'll be so heavenly,
so come and dance with me Michael
So sexy, I'm sexy,
so come and dance with me Michael
I'm all that you see, you wanna see,
so come and dance with me Michael
So close now, so close now,
so come and dance with me, so come and dance with me, so come and dance
with me.

Michael,
you're the boy with all the leather hips,
sticky hair, sticky hips,
stubble on my sticky lips

Michael,
you're the only one I'd ever want
only one I'd ever want
only one I'd ever want
Beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor

Michael,
you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore
Michael,
waiting on a silver platter now ... and nothing matters now

This is what I am, I am a man
so come and dance with me Michael
So strong now, its strong now
so come and dance with me Michael
I'm all that you see, you wanna see
so come and dance with me Michael
So close now, its close now,
so come and dance with me, so come and dance with me, SO COME AND DANCE WITH ME

Michael,
you're the boy with all the leather hips,
sticky hair, sticky hips, stubble on my sticky hips

Michael,
you're the only one I'd ever want
only one I'd ever want
only one I'd ever want
Beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor

Michael,
you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore
Michael,
waiting on a silver platter now ... and nothing matters now

Michael,
you're the only one I'd ever want
only one I'd ever want
only one I'd ever want
(twice)

Beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor
Michael,
you're dancing like a beautiful dance whore
Michael, waiting on a silver platter now, nothing matters now, nothing
Matters now but you

YEAH


Discography

Albums

• Franz Ferdinand (2004)
• You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
• Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)

Singles

"Darts of Pleasure" · "Take Me Out" · "The Dark of the Matinée" · "Michael" · "This Fire" · "Do You Want To" · "Walk Away" · "The Fallen / L. Wells" · "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" · "Lucid Dreams" · "Ulysses"

Group Members

Alex Kapranos
Nick McCarthy
Bob Hardy
Paul Thomson

Origin

Glasgow Scotland

Sources for much of this: Wikipedia, with images being lifted off the net - so assume it's all copyrighted just like the video, and lyrics certainly are. I'm free-using them here for a type of promotional review.