It was announced today that the State Department won’t be renewing their contract with Blackwater in Iraq. This is a huge relief for anyone (like me) who has read Jeremy Scahill’s frightening expose of the company. It chronicles the company’s rise along with the extremely disturbing trend toward privitization of our military.
Nice move, Hillary!!
A good read: Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army
Check out this parody ad on the US auto bailout from BuffaloBeast.com. Folks, I think that just about sums it up. Of course it’s nothing compared to the financial bailout. I don’t even know what I think about these bailouts, to be honest. The argument is that everyone suffers if these drag the whole economy down, but isn’t the whole economy going South anyway? Now, as it sets in just what kind of recession we may be in, doesn’t it seem stupid that the first thing we’ve been doing is pumping money into the worst offenders out there? In the case of the banks and Wall street, one could argue that these are the actual folks who got us into the mess. Let them burn. As we have seen, they continue to reward themselves with bonuses even as they seek aid. Obama is right to call it “shameful,” but isn’t it even more shameful that we are duped into thinking the only option is rescuing these companies? Let the companies benefit which can be profitable. There’s gonna be blood loss anyway.
Last week was about the most up and down week in my life. More accurately, it was down and up. Thursday I learned that I was being laid off. This wasn’t entirely a surprise, as my application had been slated for retirement in June. As the application administrator, I expected that I would be there right up to the end. Well, that ugly merger in the news changed everything. They decided to pull the plug sooner, and as a result I got my walking papers. I was given one day to clear out my computer.
On Friday afternoon at 3pm, I was still instant messaging a colleague when my access was cut. I knew it was coming, but the error message still cut me deep. ‘Access denied.’ The IM logged me out, homespace access denied, email denied. Time to turn off the computer and take a deep breath.
I was still taking that deep breath when a call came in at 6pm. It was our broker. “Congratulations!!” he screams. “The day has finally come!!” The offer we placed, and had been waiting on for 3 months, has been accepted. We are in escrow. Wow. What impeccable timing. OMFG this has got to be some kind of joke. Nope. It’s happening. So much for enjoying some time off…
A friend of mine wished me a happy ‘Obama Dawn’ over the holidays. I’d not heard the expression, but I like it. A new dawn. I love how much excitement there is over the inauguration. Now of course I’m biased, but it really seems to be more than just partisonship behind the excitement. Consider the contrast between this and the 2001/2005 events, where Bush was met with massive protests and his car was egged. I doubt there will be protests this year, because everybody seems ready for a change. I really hope Obama is the man to bring it. Beyond anything else, I really do feel hope. Hope for the dawn of a new era. A new ‘Obama Dawn.’
I stumbled on a funny site - the Inauguration Speech Generator. I encourage you to give it a try to before reading my results below. And, just for the record, I didn’t peek at the text before entering my words!
Today, 9 weeks to the day after unintentionally inventing a memorable new skateboarding maneuver - the hopefully-never-to-be-repeated kick-flip varial instant tibia fracture, I clocked my first solid hour running. Words can’t describe how nice it feels to be back.
Effective today, I’m officially taking myself off injured reserve, and going back to fighting crime, corruption, and poor manners. Though I may only be able to run for an hour so far, I doubt this will limit my effectiveness. In my experience, criminals have very poor cardiovascular fitness.
To all villians, scalawags, ne’er-do-wells, and rabble-rousers: You have been warned!!
I read today that the National Safety Council is calling for a complete ban on cell phone use while driving. And not just driving without a handsfree device - they want to ban all phone communication while driving. I’m sure there are a million groups who will cry foul and claim that it’s somehow our right to talk on the phone while driving, but I, for one, would absolutely support this measure. The NSC’s press release cites a Harvard study estimating that 6 percent of all crashes are the result of cell phone use - that’s 636,000 crashes annually and some 2,600 deaths.
Sure, I would be bummed that our new handsfree speakerphone would no longer serve much of a purpose. But really, how could one NOT be shocked by the number of accidents? I’d be curious if there are stats available for accidents w/handsfree devices versus those without…
My longtime friend Kathleen just sent me this background picture. I love the colorful sky seen through the frozen branches.
My hometown has seen 96 inches of snowfall so far this year. Oh, what I would have given for that kind of snow when I was a child…
Looking at the mounds of snow in this picture, all I can think of is how massive we would have made our snow fort. In a fort this big, we would probably have snowball fights inside our fort, with various factions battling for control. There would probably be smaller forts inside the fort, and possibly even forts inside those forts.
As part of any great snow fortress, there would need be an armory, with dozens of perfectly-formed munitions, just waiting to be thrown. Keeping the location of the armory a secret is very important, so we would never allow an enemy into our base. Of course, there would be enemy forts all around, so we would need to focus both on defending our fort and devising some genious ways to attack those around us. I think some sort of snow cannon would need to be constructed. Perhaps a rubber tubing water balloon launcher could work…
I think I’m just way too conservative when it comes to ordering food. To be clear, I’m not a picky eater - I’ll eat most anything that I am served. But, that’s different from ordering. I’ve heard someone say that they’d like somebody else to pick their clothes out because they like what others wear more than their own tastes. Well, I feel the same way about food. I wish someone would order my meals for me, because I rarely pick anything exciting.
Today I was served pork ribs, and oh, it was a sweet, tangy, finger-licking fantasy. It was unexpected, and it really made my day. Not because ribs are such a big deal, but for the simple fact that I never go big and get the ribs, or the filet, or the seafood, or whatever is the special - not even when the occasion’s special. I order the chicken breast way too often, and I should be arrested for that. I mean, here I am at a restaurant where I can order a hundred different things, and I order the thing I can make for myself at home. What gives??
I think I need to come to terms with the fact that I’m a boring eater. There, I said it. I’ve admitted it. Is that even a thing? Is there any way to recover??
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