It's not the fall that kills you...

Wake up you lazy slackers!

Realize that we're being used like a cheap crack whore. We've been sold a bill of goods with fear leading the charge. And why you might ask? Because it's the only thing they at the top have left in their arsenal to keep what they have.

We have been duped into voting against our own best interests. And that's just how a minority wants things. They can not continue to bleed us dry without pervasive lies fed to us daily on three major networks. But the world is waking up. It's beginning to realize that those at the top are providing little value for their "services" rendered. What exactly do you do Mr. CEO on a daily basis? In a meeting to decide what you're going to cut to increase the bottom line? Or maybe out for another fishing trip in a far off land? 

These "job creators" have not created one job other than their own. "Senator if you hate government so much you'd like to drown it in a bath tub then just go hang yourself and be done with it".

Let's face it this self imposed "Fiscal Cliff" is like a junky trying to quit. He'll put deadlines on himself till the cows come home but in the end always go out and get that next fix. We can no more wrench ourselves from our current stagnant situation by cutting off programs that aid to the benefit of the whole than try and run a car by syphoning gas from the tank. It doesn't work.  Maybe we could streamline congress. Cut their positions by one half and pay them on an hourly basis. Trim their cushy retirement plans and cut back their hours and see how they like it. They expect us to do just that.

They say they've been working on a budget plan for months now. No you haven't. It's all recorded in the congressional record. You did little more than name some post offices (which by the way may soon close because of your inaction). Bills were brought up that might have had a chance of doing good only to be voted down. You even filibustered one of your own bills. How psychotic is that? And remember senators and congress people society is now well armed and waiting to see what you do next. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that more guns means more people killed or injured. But there you sit waiting patiently for your next lobbyist pay off only they too are worried. They may have goten what they wished for. And like a co-dependent they'll just keep feeding you cash to keep their best interests to heart. What about ours?  

Greed Inc.

Ever stop and wonder why things aren't the way they once were? We think back and ponder what happened to so many great ideas and where they went. The above photo is of a present day small Greek market. Once packed with products ready for sale giving it's owner an average, or better, income. He played by all the rules and I'm sure had hopes of educating his children and maybe passing the family business on to them when he retired. Not so anymore. Greece in its' first round of austerity passed a 29% tax neatly tied to everybody's electric bill. Fail to pay it and the power gets shut off. Now our store owner here can barely afford the tax bill much less buy the needed stock to sell.

There was a time, a long time ago now, that kids growing up were covered by health insurance. There were no long lists of school supplies as nearly everything was provided. As I recall the only items not supplied were cookies for the Valentines day party or items for the science fair. Even then everybody seemed to chip in pot luck style. Those days are long gone but where did they go and what happened? Some would have you believe that it was an evil teacher's union that made off with the funds or that the teachers themselves were making opulent salaries. Truth is companies that once provided support to education aren't. Yes there may be the occasional item funded by a company like a score board or a playground but the bulk of profits are now neatly hidden in an off shore account. Such is the case with Greece. There are entire office buildings in Luxembourg staffed with people who's soul purpose is to find tax loop holes for the worlds' largest companies. But it's worse than that. A company making massive profits in a foreign country somehow looks magically pennyless by merely moving it's stash of cash to more favorable and secretive places.

Who got stuck with the bill when it came due? It sure wasn't the bankers or those on Wall Street. And here we sit on an artificial cliff waiting for the hammer to drop. Like it or not we'll all lose no matter which way this thing goes. If it does happen cuts to programs for the poor and disabled will be immediate. No more unemployment extension and cuts to meals on wheels and school lunches. And as the federal action or inaction filters down to the state levels you'll see fee increases and new taxes to try and cover state budgets. That's a given. That of course will cut deeper into people pocket books and make matters worse. We have seen these exact same scenarios in past recessions. And how exactly did we get out? Either corporations finally broke down and started spending or the government stepped in and created jobs. And damned be the man or woman who says it doesn't. It created your job senator!    

Friday fear pussy

Fear for sale we got what you don't want but you'll buy it anyway.

Spiders make your skin crawl? Or maybe it's snakes. Everybody has their phobias big and small. Did it start with that running away dream when you were a kid? You know. Your feet felt like they had iron weights tied to your shoes and the boogie man was coming and you couldn't get away.

Perhaps the IRS is on your trail. That deduction for your poodle might look suspicious. And Mr. Politician did you kiss butt enough for the donor to part with his bucks? Fears. Everybody's got em. Will the job get done on time? Will the boss notice? Will the boss forget? Will there be a job? Will the plant close? WMDs and terror suspects hiding under beds. Black men red men yellow men old white dudes out to get you. Vicious dogs wild bears angry birds attacking crows something fearful this way roams. And death panels all neatly set to end your life. Food recalls, swallowed balls, watch out that thing 'ill take your eye out. Turkey and fish, peppers, tomatoes and mad cow thrown in for good measure. 

Sal, e coli, aids and herpes if you're afraid of it we got it just for you. Neatly wrapped with black ribbon suitable for strangling. Pedophile, priest, punk, and pervert promoted today for the production price of $999 but today only for $666 plus shipping and handling. Visit the 13th floor for our clearance specials. And don't forget our hurricane tornado uber extravaganza but you better hurry cause they're going fast and they may not last. No rain checks either. A bang up Independence day in December blowout flood fire smoke and water damage end of season clearance. Get it while you can, no refunds or exchanges. Easy credit terms to fit every family budget. Just 25 cents down and the rest in easy weekly payments for 99 years, interest calculated hourly. On taking your phone order by our highly untrained staff in some country you've never learned about in school will attempt to fill your order. Fear not (did I say that? Ha!) the staff can  pronounce the words but has not a clue as to what they mean but will pass your order on the back storage barn complete with leaky roof where another highly incapable team member will fill your order by practicing his field goal attempts in packaging so cheap it would embarrass toilet paper.

And never to forget bank fails later...

Say didn't the FDIC run out of money yet? Be afraid. Be very afraid.
UPDATE: No fails this week but stay tuned as the economy is headed for the cliff.

Cliff meet canyon floor

Interesting how the fiscal doctors in a DC would treat our sickly economy. The patient gets an infection in his foot and the doctors want to cut off a leg. Such is the case of our current situation. Only in this case they don't even have to do the dirty work. It will be automatic. Now even the wall street boys are in a bit of a panic. They know that should the inevitable happen their game of monopoly will come to an abrupt end. It wouldn't surprise me if we start seeing runs on banks as the confidence of the American people fades faster than the setting sun. But that wouldn't be the worst of it. Foreign investors would be running to the hills as well as money sought safer ground. And that's what really worries the boys on Wall Street. They could no longer sell their worthless paper to a world market who once had the confidence to use our greenbacks as a world currency. If you've looked lately even Canada has a more stable currency, but it too is only a U.S. recession away from faltering.

Now before you clutch your last shekels and stuff what remaining "bucks" you have in the mattress a little perspective is due here. It's all a matter of percentages. We think way back when a loaf of bread was a quarter but seem to forget that the average weekly wage was less than $80. What's a loaf cost these days and the average wage is no where near what it once was? To give a real perspective check out this chart below:

  

You will note that we're really no worse off than we were in the 1950s in terms of debt to GDP percentages. And what exactly happened that brought us out of our economic slumps? It wasn't draconian spending cuts but just the opposite. It was a temporary spending increase called "the New Deal" that got us where we are. Even today the effects from that era of spending are still felt in the economy 50 plus years later. Some would credit the turn around of that era to our war spending and to some extent that would be true. We did after all spend the better part of the 1950s rebuilding Europe. But the difference between now and then is that today we have a world market with the lions share of the production going to China. We've lost the bulk of our steel garment and electronics production to foreign countries and are left with low wage service jobs. That is unsustainable in the long term. Look no farther than Greece to see how that'll work out. With no future and carrying a college debt our young people may be stuck caring for their aging parents and living in the house they grew up in if things don't change

soon. 

But what's truly irritating is to know that corporations are sitting on over $2 trillion and refusing to move the economy because nobody wants to blink first. Those at the top the 1% are satisfied to stand pat and wait but if they wait long enough even what they have will slowly disappear. Money is made only by its' use and not sitting in some vault or savings account.

As I mentioned before the budget isn't cast in stone. Congress could easily pass an extension but I suspect this was the plan all along. Let it go off the cliff because that way you get your spending cuts automatically even if you do have to face your military contractors and wealthy donors. The military budget was due to be cut anyway and the wealthy only get a 2% sting on their tax bill. When you have that much money you could probably make up the difference by what's hiding in the couch. But once again it'll be the rest of us who will suffer. Another recession? I didn't think we got out of the last one yet.   

Maggie's drawers and how I got there

Funny how you can be looking for one bit of information and land up in a completely different place as in "how did I get here?".  I remember way back in the dark ages when I was a kid them selling war stamps. The idea being that kids could contribute to paying off the war debt from the prior decade by buying stamps for an album that could be traded for a war bond. The over all idea of both stamps and bonds never really caught on because during the war prices were fixed. People didn't have much savings and weren't about to tie it up for 5 years. 

Checking out rationing and shortages in this rat's maze of web surfing lead to how various states of recessions came about all stemming from oil shortages and major changes in our monetary policies. There was the "Nixon Shock" of the early 70s. How had I missed that bit of info having lived through it? And then there was the oil embargo that caused everybody to drop their speed limits from 75 or 80 down to 65 or 70 even though the requirement was 55. But it was Nixon's dropping of the gold standard that created a goodly chunk of the mess we face today. Prior to that all currencies could be tied to the price of an ounce of gold (side note why is ounce abbreviated oz. there's no z in ounce). What lead to this point in the maze of info gathering? It was a meeting in New Hampshire by the high mucky mucks of finance called the Bretton Woods Accord which established rules for commercial and financial relations among the world's major industrial powers. It also brought about the IMF which was supposed to bridge imbalances of payments. For anyone old enough may recall Nixon's attempt to put the brakes on inflation by instituting price and wage freezes which didn't work after he dumped the gold standard there was also Germany requiring a wheel barrow full of money to buy a loaf of bread prior to WWII. So now any attempts at stabilizing a world economy were now dashed since any government could now print as much money as it saw fit. (Careful what you wish for boys.)

From a layman's perspective we are now at a point where the world's economic situation is such that nobody really has the economic strength to bail out anybody else in this game of Monopoly. And again I wonder how I landed here. Oh yes, this post was supposed to be about the NRA and how they've missed their mark with their insistence of arming the entire populace. That in army parlance is known as "Maggies Drawers".

    

Happy Holidays

Sorry mind is temporarily on leave. Be back tomorrow... maybe.

Twas the night before Christmas... modern style

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the flat

Not a creature was stirring not even a rat.

The socks they were drying all flat on a mat,

In hopes that Santa would bring a new gat

The children were all nestled all snug in their beds 

With visions of Columbine all burned in their heads.

Mamma with her lugar and I with my glock had just settled down in our one room flop.

When out in the back alley there arose such flame 

I grabbed my glock and was ready to take aim

Away to the window I flew like a bash,

Tore down the curtains and broke the glass.

The street light glared on the dumpster below

I could just make out, what looked like a crow

When what to my wondering eyes should appear,

but the pizza delivery guy complete with beer.

With a little old driver, towel on his head

I knew in a moment it must be Achmed

More rapid than sailors his curses they came

Damn Google maps, they must be to blame

Now with arm loads of pizzas his customers he called

Murphy and Johnson and McDonnell and all!

To the top of the stoop! To the end of the hall!

Get em while they're hot or before I fall! 

And then , in a twinkling, I heard on the stoop

The prancing and pawing sounded like a group.

As I holstered my weapon and was turning around,

Achmed knocked on my door, that familiar sound.

He was dressed all funny with turban and hat

I knew in a minute he was no rat

An arm load of pizzas he flung from his sack

But I had no money, he'd have to come back

His eyes how they glared blank as mack

you'd have thought he'd smoked a bowl full of crack. 

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

"You been drinkin again?" I said, "With that broad Mary?"

His droll little mouth how it looked rather queer

When I said what I did he gave me a sneer.

His kids he had brought they squirmed and slithered,

Mom must be sick and he'd found no sitter.

The cigar he held tightly in his teeth 

And he dropped ashes around, and about my feet. 

Tall and slender he was quite a sight

Must give bums and hobos a goodly fright.

But soon I realized there was nothing to dread,

He was neither a terrorist nor even a Fed.

But he spoke not a word but only a grumble

when he looked at his order book for which he fumbled.

As he rounded up his spawn, down the hall they did dash

He knew there'd be no tip I was out of cash

To the stoop to the steps they did race each and all

and as he drove out of sight he bellowed 

"Infidels you are all!"

What a strange little fellow.

No meatballs for you Santa

Not the exact display but one close to it was this creature quite well done in a large picture window. Now if anyone didn't know the reference they might have mistaken it for a crab but it's not. This is the flying spaghetti monster with all his noodley goodness. I just love snark. And along with this I found the monster prayer that goes with it. Enjoy.

And it only goes to show that most people will believe a lie before they believe the truth. After all Santa Claus can not visit a billion childrens' homes unless he could defy the laws of physics but don't let that stop the monkeys from believing. Now put on your smiley faces damn it before the Bad Santa arrives. He'll be slogging through the oil sands any time now just to make your holiday worse. And leave oil stains on your carpet to boot.

Now tell me would you really trust a dirty old fat white haired guy in a dirty red suit smoking a pipe wanting your kids to sit on his lap?

Ho! Ho! Ho! ... Not you peons

Jeez I guess you can't do anything anymore. Went out to look at all the "holiday" lights (take that Glenn Beck) and what an excursion. Got slightly lost finding the area. Need to 'find' an area these days because so many are so poor they can't afford the electric bill come January (best to save that to heat the house). As we realized we missed a turn pulled into a gas station for directions only to run over an oddly placed curb and blow a tire. Back on the road 1/2 hour later with directions (don't always trust google maps the locals know better) and missed a turn once again. Finally found the entrance to the area neatly hidden but inconspicuously marked with an overhead display of Santas riding a carrousel. The road in this area wasn't particularly narrow but with parked cars on both sides of the street in places it made for that "you go, no you go" routine. We peered upon Frostys and reindeer and santas all decked out in lights of red, green, blue and purple. One seeming to be greater than the next. As we continued on to  what seemed to be nearly a half mile you could just about tell the income level just by the displays or lack there of. We turned around to make another pass up a hill and on another street playing once again the dodge traffic game. Waiting at one particular log jam behind a parked car for the other direction to pass who should show but Santa driving a big white 4X4 raised a bit hogging the road as if he owned it. As he passed he looked down at our tiny econo car and gave us a sneer.

I can think of rhyming poetic lyrics to finish this out but with the christmas spirit all but played out save it for next year when things might be better. My only hope now is that that Santa gets an IRS letter. Merry Christmas to you too pal.

(I'll save a description of some of the more interesting displays of lumination for later)

Friday Pussy and the cliff

Now if there was sand on the table we could call her "sandy claws". :-)

Thought about posting a pussy falling off a cliff but as we all know they land on their feet unlike our economy or the end of the world. So now that the youngsters have gone home after doing nothing in congress we can all look forward to licking the grease from the turkey platter come January because that's about all we'll have left for "fixins". Amazing. Now the head of the IMF is saying that the austerity programs might have been a bit much. Gee did he start by watching the Christmas Carol backwards or something. I'm sure the Greeks would love a lump of coal in their stockings at this point. It might keep them warm this winter. But it looks like they won't even have that. Imagine being sick and begging to be let into a hospital where the cleaning staff was let go, the doctors hadn't been paid and you had to bring your own sheets and blankets. Such is the fate of Greece.

Guess the end of the world thing didn't happen because I'm still here inspite of enough trials and tribulations. But fear not I'm sure the new year will bring more mayhem complete with Youtube videos. So what will it be? An Astroid? Earthquake? Flood or typhoon? Or maybe that CERN project will create a gigantic black hole and swallow us all up whole. The decade is still young. But we are our own worst enemies. If mother nature doesn't finish us off we'll do it of our own accord.

You realize of course that our own economic situation is totally artificial. They (meaning the monkeys in congress) could if they wanted to solve the problems with a stroke of a pen. My best guess is that if this thing doesn't fall off a cliff then they'll just cancel the budget cliff and extend the talks. This was all only fabricated because those at the top can continue to rake in the bucks until something is actually done. Even then the deck is stacked in their favor. There'll be no end to derivatives or hedge funds that got us into this mess. And more money will be stolen from pensions and wages will continue to decline. After all they don't make money anymore from the sweat of our brows. It's all made from selling debt and promises or more aptly put worthless pieces of paper.

Bank fails later as usual Mr. Scrooge.
UPDATE: No bank fails this week.

Bah! Humbug indeed

"Are there no prisons?" "Are the workhouses still in operation?" Not the exact quotes but it got me to wonder what conditions were like way back then. What poor souls had to endure in life when their economy took a dive. It was an odd time indeed to say the least. Some background. The Black Plague had just wiped out much of the population of Europe as we all know but then what? It created a labor shortage just as the industrial revolution was about to begin. What to do with the poor? Laws had been enacted before to deal with the problem with little success. Draconian in nature they called for the beating of vagrants and on a second time round an execution although few if any were carried out of the latter. The Poor Laws were eventually seen as the answer. A tax on incomes and goods was to pay parishes to build these quarters and pay for their nutrition and creature comforts if they could be called that. But there was a condition to all of this. The quarters and food was not to be greater than the least of the lowest class laborer. All accounts of this system of institutions seem to be the same and they weren't pretty.

A brief description and then an actual account from a woman who was hired to check on the conditions. An undercover operation paid for by a local newspaper.

The "casuals" as the poor were called arrived at the gates of the workhouse before 6 in the evening and lined up at the gate for inspection. A caretaker, usually a former resident, took vital information such as name age and occupation if any. Once interviewed they would proceed to an area to disrobe bundle their clothing to be locked away for the night. A bath tub or two provided less than adequate cleanliness as the water was not changed between baths and one tub might be used by as many as twenty people. Upon bathing the casuals were handed night shirts and sent to their sleeping area for their evening meal. Most sleeping areas were nothing more than a long hall with canvas hammocks strung between four hooks about 8 inches off the floor and six inches apart. Any movement by anyone would set all the hammocks in motion. If not hammocks then straw beds with thinly woven covers or just a rug on the floor complete with house vermin. Dinner consisted of a watered down unsalted potato soup and a lump of bread and maybe a bit of old cheese. Nothing was put to waste as even the leftover food from the sick section was served up the next day. Often the gruel was made from old milk that was again heated and served the next morning. Work consisted of either breaking large rocks into smaller ones used for road beds or unraveling rope strands to be resold.

And on to an actual account:

At this time the night was indescribably dreadful. There lay the women, naked and restless, tossing about in the dim gaslight, and getting up from time to time in order to shake off their disgusting tormentors, which speckled their naked limbs with huge black spots. When the old man came in, he motioned to me to lie down and go to sleep, but I told him I dared not, for the vermin were so bad. "Ah," said he, "you are not used to it." About twelve o'clock the closeness and heat of the room became intolerable, and every one began to feel ill and to suffer from diarrhoea. Several were drawn double with cramp, and I felt sick and ill myself. The children began to cry constantly, and seemed extremely ill. From this time the closet was constantly occupied by one or another, and the stench became dreadful. "So help me God," said one, "I will never come here again. I would rather go to prison a hundred times." Another said, "Hold your tongue, you — fool, or he will hear you." Another groaned for a little brandy, with language too dreadful to repeat; and some one else added, "If you were dying, you would get none here." For myself, I suffered more than I can say, and as long as I live I shall never forget the horrors of that dreadful night. No wonder there is cholera at the East of London, for it is generated every night in the Whitechapel casual ward.

Fortunately Mr. Scrooge turned a leaf before it was too late. Hopefully our dear leaders will do the same but I'm seeing quite a few similarities from days long gone by.

Police report - Disturbance call

Seven swans a swimming

Six Geese a laying

Four colly birds    (yes it's actually colly I looked it up)

Three French hens

Two turtle doves

A partridge in a pear tree

And you think your true love is going to want to clean bird cages and poop all day? Not!

Then there's the noise:

Twelve drummers drumming

Eleven pipers piping

Nine ladies dancing (wonder if they brought their own brass pole?)

Yeah throw a party with that lot and see if the police don't show up.

And how do you get 10 Lords to leap? Must keep a bunch of lobbyists in the hallway. And who's going to pay for this shindig? It'd cost a fortune so I guess only guys like Mitt Romney might be able to afford it. 

So while this lot is down at the 5th precinct trying to sort out the disturbance don't forget your boxing gloves for December 26th Boxing Day in Canada. :-)

Actually this is said to have come from a little memory game in France around 1780. Back then the penalty was said to be a kiss or sweet for forgetting. But I'd bet that you can find a drinking game version on most college campuses these days.

It's gold you fools!

Somewhat like watching a dog chase it's tail we see the gold rush (not exactly in that much of a hurry though) of the 21st century. Somebody forgot to read their history there. If they had they'd realize that all but a handful went bust trying to seek the elusive element. But that never stops a body with "the fever" with a stern look of determination for a rages to riches dream that any sane person would laugh hysterically at in a Klondike minute. Paying off a second mortgage on the family home will seem like a trip to the dollar store when papa comes home lightin smokes with hundred dollar bills. That's the drunkards' dream talking and not reality. But fools are destined never to study their history. It was such a boring class. More fun to imagine Mary Sue naked or what the boys were going to do Friday night after the big game. Can't let that stop a fool that's got a mid life itch and a hope for an encore performance of post pubescent glory ... ah remember those days? How hard could it all be? I mean digging some dirt that is. Should be able to strike it rich and be back before Easter's Sunday Service right? But reality soon sets in when the "miners" realize that gold may be abundant but it costs so much because it's not that easy to extract and there are no guarantees it's there in the first place. Tougher men have been brought to tears with dreams dashed on the rocks of reality. Yes we guys do get some wild ideas but it's only a testosterone rush with thoughts of lounging on a sandy beach, a drink in hand and a buxom blonde by the side. Just one more shot of fantasy back in the days at the end of the game when the quarterback reared back chucked the Hail Mary and there you were open in the end zone. But now it's "crap am I getting a bald spot" and "how come these jeans done fit anymore?" "Yeah I could probably beat you at the hundred yard dash." Ha who are you kidding? You get winded walking up two flights of steps and your mustache is turning gray. Body parts are sagging in places you never thought they could and you tell your kids to turn up the volume because you can 't hear it. Let's face it we all land up blind deaf and stupid after mother nature's had her way with us. But let's give it one last shot before the undertaker closes the lid. What do we have to lose?

But I thought this was supposed to be about Christmas. It is ya dummy see the rings the gold ones five of them? And if you're looking for them no need to claw dirt they're probably in the back of the jewelry box.

Who let the crazies out?

I hate to do three blog posts in a row about the same subject but...

Looks like the crazies are crawling out from under the rocks. We barely get all the information on the Newtown situation and grieving has only just begun when some idiots just have to try and capitalize on someone's suffering.

As in:
A Catholic church received a bomb threat prior to a memorial service for several of the victims. No bomb was found but the church was closed for the day.
In Indiana a man threatened to do a repeat performance of the school shooting in his area.
In Sedro Woolley, Wa. a 19 year old threatened to kill at schools within a 100 mile radius of his town if the government threatened to take away his guns. (No problems there kid you just showed you aren't responsible enough to own a gun.)

Okay here's a novel idea. Let's set up a gun registry but not the one you might think. Rather than treat law abiding citizens like criminals we make a national data base of these crazies. Free speech is all fine and good but you still aren't allowed to yell fire in a movie theater when there is no fire.

Now if nothing major breaks I'll try and get back to writing my feeble attempt at Christmas humor. Keep in mind that any posts of that snarky nature are just satire and not to be taken seriously. All sales final, void where prohibited and if priapism  lasts for more than four hours seek medical attention immediately, may cause vomiting and/or diarrhea .

Good grief

Gunman kills 2 in Oregon mall on Tuesday

Elementary school shooting on Friday with 26 dead.

Birmingham Alabama hospital shooting 2 injured gunman shot dead Sat.

Police had a busy day in Alabama as they shot and killed two other gunmen one of which had killed three more in a mobile home park earlier in the day. Sat.

Las Vegas  - Employee shot and killed gunman kills self  Sat. 

California mall - man fires 50 rounds before being captured no injuries Sat. 

So what does Michigan do? It passes a law to permit the carrying of guns in once restricted places like schools, churches, day cares and stadiums. Just what ya need at a day care right? After all those toddlers just might be packin heat ya never know. And let's see what an angry soccer mom has to say when she's looking down a barrel of a 45 automatic. Back to your seat lady. Unless of course she's packin too. Then it'll start to look like the shoot out at the O K corral.

Once you had to do the duck and cover drill for a possible atom bomb attack. Now it's a duck and cover for a deranged gunman. I think we know which has the better odds of happening. Forget the terrorists. We have seen the enemy and it's us. But it's really all about the attitude in this country. Somehow we've gotten it into our thick heads that brute force always wins the argument right or wrong. It's been drilled into our heads from TV and movies as well as our own politicians. A fist fight turns into a knife fight that turned into a gun fight that turns into a war with bigger and bigger weapons. It's gotten to the point that we're more adept at killing people than fixing any appliance or healing a sick person. Sorry but I'm not buying into a Klingon culture (you know the warrior race from Star Trek). We have not been taught negotiating skills and we're so lazy that we wouldn't bother to get up off the couch to change the channels anymore. Why would we think of the effort when the click of a remote button or a squeeze of a trigger is so much easier?

And as I said in the earlier post this isn't going to get better any time soon. There's a percentage of the population that's bordering on the edge and it's not looking like it's taking very much of a push to get things rolling. 

What's the solution? Well for starters the Brady bill being reinstated might do a bit of good. It ended the ownership of assault rifles at least for a time. It also required a background check at all gun outlets including shows. It's not the end all but it is a start. But over all the attitudes must change. We have after all the distinction of having the most gun deaths of any industrialized nation.

Guns and butter minus the butter

Economic theory aside the initial intention of the second amendment was to permit common folk to be able to hunt for food, protect themselves from wild animals and provide for an armed force when necessary. Deer hunters are few and far between these days. It's rare to see a wild animal in most cities or towns and our military has progressed way beyond muzzle loaders and will be more than willing to provide you with the latest hardware should you choose to join.  I'm sure our founding fathers could never have guessed the sheer increase of our population or how far we've come in our killing capabilities. Back then it took several minutes to properly load a weapon, enough time to consider the consequences maybe?

But guns really aren't the problem. It's the fact that no one will own up to the fact that some people shouldn't own a gun. We would never think of giving a toddler a gun yet even people with mental issues have that right. And arming everybody will not solve the problem. How do you know if the guy in the coffee shop with a 45 strapped to his belt really knows how to shoot it? And who'd want to attend a movie knowing that even half the audience was packing? So training is the first issue. There are no training requirements which is silly for something that can kill. We have stiffer requirements for some power actuated tools than for guns. It makes no sense.

With our population density I see no need what so ever to own an assault rifle. They may be fun play toys for the gun crowd but they'd be better off limited to some type of amusement park set up for that activity. No sport in taking down a deer with an AK-47 either.

And now for the bad news. With budget cuts the types of people committing these crimes are about to flood our streets. Mental hospitals are about to unleash a bunch of people along with those who were in drug treatment programs. I seriously doubt our emergency rooms will be able to handle the increase in both mental cases and the victims of their actions. A movie theater a mall and a school are just the beginnings. This will get worse. Responsibility, training, a good gun cabinet and some tightening of the laws might go a long way to preventing at least a few future tragedies.     

Friday pussy and the Christmas carol the fractured variety

UPDATE: Kitty had no idea what was about to transpire in Connecticut before she showed her ugly mug. She therefore takes back everything she said. A better wish might be some tasty fish heads.

Oh the weather outside is frightful.

Cyclone flattens homes in Samoa 3 dead

But the fire is so delightful

Delaware fire kills 1 injures 3

And since we've no place to go

Man killed in Concord homeless encampment

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Woman facing blizzard death records goodbye

It doesn't show signs of stopping

Dakota blizzard piling 3 foot high drifts

And I've bought some corn for popping

Corn futures sharply lower

The light are turned way down low

Glenn Dale Elementary closed due to power outage

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Blizzard warning issued for Mitchell area

Bank fails later...
One bank in MO failed this week.

Money grubbin slackers

The irony of it all. Mitt Romney was willing to make a bet of $10,000 during the primary. I can't recall off hand what it was about but by the very fact that he was willing to consider that amount of money trivial gives one pause to wonder. Why all the fuss over a paltry 2% increase for taxes for the most wealthy? On $250,000 that comes out to $5,000 or half what Romney was willing to bet. Even at $1 million dollars it would be $20,000 and that's only after the two hundred fifty thousand dollar threshold was reached. I recall some years back getting a notice from the city. They were going to install a sidewalk near my place and an assessment was about to be issued. I wondered and worried a bit about how much this was going to cost. I had visions of having to scrape together hundreds of dollars at a time I could ill afford it. When the bill came due it amounted to just $17. Imagine that. You couldn't install a sidewalk yourself even if it was only your percent of the job. But if the job is spread out amongst enough people with no shareholders to account to and no profits to worry about then things can be done cheaply and benefit the whole. So what the American people are asking them (the wealthy) to do will cost them no hardship. They probably drop as much at a casino and think nothing of it. And yet here we are facing not only economic losses by the lesser of society but a loss of trust by the rest of the world. Never in our history has our financial position been downgraded yet we've seen this happen for the first time last year. Canada's money is now more valuable than ours. And you think those at the top do their fair share of the work load. Think again. I once worked for an outfit and only saw the top guy once in three years I worked there. And their "main office" wasn't much bigger than a living room. He spent most of his time fishing on his boat somewhere and was too cheap to replace broken equipment. Yeah you can see my respect for the upper 1%.

Some holiday music to get you in the mood

All I want for Christmas is a job

Angels we have heard are high

Away in a cheap motel

Blue (balls) Christmas

Oh cum all ye faithful

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer (was booked for public intoxication)

Silent Night (was broken with the sounds of gun fire)

What child is this? (ah don't you know the father? tramp!)

While shepherds watched their flocks (the boyz in the hood were boosting your stereo)

Holly Jolly Christmas (is when you mix ecstasy with your egg nog)

Ah Christmas that most unique time of year when people buy crap they wouldn't think twice about buying the rest of the year. I'm sure uncle Harry doesn't need an electric nose hair tweezers even though his nostrils could compete with the Smith Bros. beards. And for the life of me I see no point of a Chia pet. In a couple of months it'll sit on a window sill all brown and ugly collecting dust.

We reach a saturation point of materialism in which the only needs left are to replace some worn out underwear or a frayed winter coat. But the madness continues until extra storage comes into play. That's when you know there's a real problem. When you have so much junk that the closet won't take one more trinket it's time to seek help. Why did you save that hat from Jr. high? Thought it might be a cute item to give to the grand kids only you aren't going to be around to see them cause the kids moved back home.

My contention is that we could outfit an entire country and never miss a thing. I have for the most part furnished my place with the leftovers of people's forgotten lives. And good stuff too. Demolition work had its' perks. But at some point it all becomes a burden, a psychosis of the collection of things. My problem is that by the time I get finished with something like a piece of clothing it wouldn't even make a good dust rag. And no I'm not about to run all over town seeking out a fiber recycler. Too much effort there.

So let's all go wassailing and pervert a few more ditties before the cock crows. Even that sounds naughty. Hey baby want to wassail?

He's makin a list, checkin it twice

Okay kiddies what's it going to be this year the evil Krampus or the evil pedophile Nikolo?

Ooow forget the coal, more cat tails please. And so this is how little Johann grew a fondness for z S&M. He was a bad bad boy from there on out.

And if you thought this little tale of slackery was any good just wait for the Xmas special coming to a blogspot near you. Until then stay tuned for more exciting adventures from yesteryear in the never ending saga from casa Demeur. Thrills spills and chills and no bitter aftertaste. Well maybe a little.

Hey and what's Nikolo doing with his hand in his robe?

Fukushima revisited

Worker in what appears to be a decontamination room with fully encapsulating radiation suit.

I have to admit my knowledge of radioactive materials is limited. Yes it was covered briefly in my hazardous waste training but only the basics. The reason is simple. Workers who deal with the stuff must go through an additional 120 hours of training beyond the basic 80 hour Haz Mat course and even then I'd be certain they would be supervised closely by more experienced workers for a time. It takes about 3 years of field work to get good at most hazardous waste jobs so I can imagine the experience when dealing with radioactive materials.

But as I said we were taught the basics. Simply put a paper tyvec suit would protect you from alpha radiation. A metallic poly suit would protect from beta radiation and you'd better have a heavy lead suit when dealing with gamma radiation. Even then there are no guarantees with the latter. So my roll would be more of a support person in the event of a nuclear disaster like Fukushima. It would be a different story with a dirty bomb. But let me put your fears to rest on that front. The bulk of the contamination of a dirty bomb would be alpha radiation where a simple mask would protect most people. And the bulk of the damage would be more psychological than physical. I therefore might be called in to begin a lengthy process of vacuuming several city blocks with a HEPA vacuum. And I'm sure under the supervision of numerous government eyes and monitors. I recall the anthrax clean up and how it proceeded. Quite impressed with that operation as nothing like it had every been done before.

But now we have Fukushima that's been wiped from the headlines with more pressing things like an economic meltdown. Out of sight out of mind seems to be the order of the day. But the reality is that this catastrophe continues and governments and media are white washing the truth. Until recently everything looked as if it was going along nicely. A company had been commissioned and was working to contain the contaminants. "Clean up" as they call it. But there are some ugly facts now coming to the light of day. Truth has a way of seeping through the cracks of a cover up. In this case the primary company responsible for the clean up efforts has hired subcontractors or to put it more aptly borrowed workers from other lesser environmental companies in the country. While we might think nothing of that little fact in our country it's against the law in Japan. Their worker safety rules aren't up to our standards when it comes to who's responsible in the event a worker gets injured. But putting that issue aside the lesser workers were asked to cover their dose meters with lead strips in order to give lower radiation readings. That's something that would be considered criminal here in the U.S. and I'm sure in Japan as well. Charges have been brought but that's not the only issue here. It's who was responsible for the oversight of this project and what misinformation was presented to the general public as fact that's important.

Scientists from all over the world are there giving their expertise but the public is still being kept in the dark about the ongoing dangers present. One of our own university professors here has gone there many times studying the effects on insects and animals and comparing that to the Chernobyl disaster. His preliminary conclusions are that the public is being lied to with respect to radiation levels and their effects on wildlife. He has detected radiation levels far higher and as far away a Tokyo than what's being reported. Should we be surprised? But the real issue here is not only the higher levels but the effects of long term exposures to men and beast. There is a Chernobyl museum a sort of monument to the effects of the disaster in the Ukraine. In it they have a bear born with the deformities one might expect. Warning the next image you see might be disturbing but the truth can be ugly.

  

And this continues in Chernobyl to this day some 27 years later as animals and people migrate back into the contamination zone. Only four months after the disaster in Japan signs were put up not to warn residents to stay away from the beaches around Fukushima but to invite people to enjoy a good swim and the sun in an area that should have been banner taped off as an exclusion zone. With tides and currents it's certain that detection levels would be very hard to accurately be determined. And we know that much of the contamination went into the ocean. The long term effects will be felt for generations to come.
I will spare you the scientific details as only those who deal with the stuff on a daily basis know the exact safe radiation levels even if they were required to hide the facts. It is safe to say that the levels are much higher than reported and again that the effects will be felt for a long time to come.

AH HA!

Monkey seen wondering around an Ikea store in a designer coat. Humm now I know where the republicans shop.

Speaking of which I may have found the cause.

Could microscopic parasites have the ability to take control of a human being? Scientists are starting to think so.   

So this explains republicanism! It all fits. The symptoms:
Lack of empathy.
No self preservation instinct
Less altruistic
Lack of fear
Non diplomatic
May cause or increase schizophrenia

Now if we could only find a cure.

My god can beat up your god... infidel

No banks took a hit this week but that doesn't mean other things didn't get hit. Here we see an unexploded bomb from Syria. Imagine that hitting your house. And even if it didn't go off it could do some serious damage. I like my duds of the milk variety thank you very much. Aside from the greed and tribal differences stirring the hatred and fighting in the middle east we have something as old as Methusela making for unpleasant mornings filled with rockets and dead women and children. That'd be religion. It's almost an illness when you think about it. All centered around superstitions of an ancient era when men danced around a fire hoping for a better hunt the next day. I'll explain.

 I used to be a somewhat religious guy but then I had a bout of sanity and all that changed. Like it or not we function as self serving and self protecting organisms in a finite universe. We always wonder where we come from but that question will never be answered. There are no scientific instruments to measure heaven or hell. No Ghost Busters gizmos to measure ectoplasm or the coming of Zool. And there's something that gets echoed several times through out history farther back than the days of Jesus. A concept that some martyr died and will some how magically come back to grace our presents. The idea has been repeated several times even before Jesus. It won't happen. Not unless Doc actually did invent a time machine and Marty shows up on your door step looking for his sports magazine.

 So in our feeble attempt to make sense of this world we call life, superstitions were born. It's our poor attempt at trying to seek logic only too much of it was illogical. Dancing in a circle isn't going to make the crops grow no matter how fervent the effort. And yet like Charlie Brown we always seem to fall for it. It must give some sense of satisfaction or comfort or it wouldn't have prevailed this long. And there's always an excuse when things don't go as planned. Must not have danced long enough or shouted loud enough so we'll have to try harder the next time around. And when that doesn't work we can blame it on some outside force or forces. Remember we were polytheistic before the monos came into being. And the head banging against the wall continues until somebody gets the bright idea that the crops need water and there's a river not too far away.

 Somewhere ingrained in our being is a touch of selfishness. Call it self preservation but it is always at odds with preserving the group as a whole. It creates many moral dilemmas but more so is the motivating factor of fear. I'd almost be certain that the first fear was that of the lack of food and water. But it is the unfounded fears that create the biggest problems. It's that perception that the plants might fail or the river might dry up that can wreck havoc with our ability to think rationally. And hence superstitions were born. It was only a coincidence that shaking a rattle at the clouds produced rains but if it worked once why not try it again? And so rituals were started that soon developed into a religious heirachy we see today all based on things not seen unknowable or illogical.

 Researchers say there's a spiritual part of the brain. I say it's a part of the brain that's trying hard to make sense of the physical world with abstract ideas and not coming up with any good explanations. I might have bought into the religious trap had it not been for the fact that people were tortured and killed for believing scientific facts. And even today there's an arrogance of self righteousness complete with more blood shed and suffering that pervades all religions. Just study your religions' history past and present if you don't believe me. There may be altruistic concepts gracing the brands but that's just the window dressing to get you in the door. Inside it's a different story when the skeletons come out of the closet.

 I've heard some pretty stupid things come out of the mouths of religious people. Most of it about scientific facts. Well here's one for you Sparky. Had it not been for the fact that a few daring souls stepped away from the pulpit and decided to find out things for themselves then technology wouldn't have advanced. The sun doesn't revolve around a flat earth no matter how much you might want to believe it. Global warming is quite real. The earth is more than 6000 years old and computers aren't evil.

Friday Pussy no egg on her face

There was almost something done in congress yesterday. Ha! And we all thought they did nothing all day. I take that back they did basically nothing. Laying the trap Harry Ried permitted Mitch McConnell to bring forth a bill concerning the debt ceiling. It would have given the president the power to raise the debt ceiling without congressional approval. Why would McConnell agree to such a move? He figured that the senate would not have enough democratic votes to pass such legislation. Reid pulled a quick one by demanding passage with only 51 votes instead of a 61 vote super majority.  McConnell was therefore forced to filibuster his own bill. Talk about psychosis. Careful what you wish for Mitch you just might get it.

Now for anyone following this three ring circus the congress has exactly three days left to hash out of budget before we all go crashing off a cliff. Rumor has it that the republicans are waiting for it to all come crashing down before they'll do anything. Which means next year. Now if that's their plan they'd better think twice about that. It would mean sending the economy into a recession, lowering our credit rating and massive automatic cuts to everything from the military down to the disabled. And that's not to mention what it would do to the world economy. Everyone seems to be on the same page on this issue. Business doesn't want a crash. Wall Street couldn't play their games and the average working stiff would see his taxes raised to boot. And we'd all know who's fault it would be. The president made his offer and the republicans made their counter offer which was the same Romney Ryan plan they pushed for the last year that America hated and voted against. Bank fails later

Stick a fork in it it's done

Interesting news day yesterday. So much going on that I didn't post. Some up front in your face issues that of course made the top of the top headline news. Some obscure items just as important that never saw the light of day.

Canada
An activist group called Comer is suing the government over the fact that it shifted its' central federal financial system to private corporations. The framework for this started in 1974 when the country joined with the G8. It was a requirement to join. In essence Canada sold out it's sovereignty. The Bank of Canada gives very low interest loans to private banks and corporations who in turn loan the money to Canadians at high interest rates. Prior to 1974 all loans made by the government went for things like building the highways and railroads and the funds went back with interest into the countries coffers. All of this privatization is against their constitution.

Egypt
With a referendum fast approaching on their newly written constitution protesters took to the streets in mass. Anti presidential protesters clashed with the Muslim Brotherhood who support their newly elected president Morsi. Morsi in essence gave himself ultimate powers over the country and now appears to be the new dictator. But not if the protesters have their way. It was reported that several of his ministers resigned. From a broad perspective this is looking much like the 21st century at odds with the 13th century. But one has to wonder if there wasn't some outside assistance in these riots as the country has shifted from secular to Islamic.

Syria
The fighting is getting very intense as the FSA has gained ground in cities like Alepo and Damascus. It has been rumored that chemical weapons have been rolled out and are being readied for use. I seriously doubt that these weapons will be used especially in an urban area. First they are difficult to control. Changing wind conditions can render them useless and as scary as they may seem it is easy to protect oneself from their effects. It was also reported that more have defected from Assads' army.

Our U.S. congress
Once again no deal much less even talks about the budget. So I think it's a given that this country will go off the cliff. Congress has after all only three days to hammer out an agreement and they aren't even talking. There is also the issue of the debt ceiling something Obama said he would not negotiate on (Homey don't play that game!). If that's the case and no deal is reached I hope he's prepared to institute the 14th amendment which says basically that the bills must be paid even if the president has to do it by executive order.

So this should be an interesting three or four weeks as we sit here watching the world implode. Film at 11.

You little rascals can't fool me

Amazing what they'll try to scam you with these days.

Okay we've all gotten our fair share of viagra and weight loss email spam. And yes I'm even getting some Australian outfit spamming my comments at times ( I think they sell shoes or something). But the latest incarnations in the inbox are getting very creative. We have:

Rejection of your tax appeal (Interesting seeing as how I've never had trouble with the IRS...ever)

Re: Scan from a Xerox W. Pro # xxxx  (sorry I ordered nothing from you guys and I don't do Windows)

Re: Leslee - Copies of policies (what policies? Mine are in the file cabinet )

Re: End of Aug. Stat. Required  (Sorry I'm not a mathematician statistically speaking)

Re: Wire transfer (Oh I'll take that just put it in my Swiss account)

RE: Wire Transfer cancelled (Darn I knew it was too good to be true)

Fwd: Changelog New (I like the old log just fine thank you)

Lastly we have Gretta Lauren wanting to sell me penis enlargement pills. Gee Gretta I didn't think it was that small.

But there's one more issue to be dealt with here. Some sneaky bums are using blogger names in their addresses. Nice try guys but we gotcha.

Yet more news you can't use

It's official they'll now take Charlie for the canned tuna. Who's feeling sorry now Charlie?

No global warming?

Two top head lines - Scientists are measuring the polar ice melt. Ice sheets melting at poles faster than before.

(Gee BP might not have lied when it said it  had a plan to protect the walruses in the Gulf of Mexico) ( And the good ole boys down in Georgia might be surprised when they can apply for a white bear hunting license.)

Pacific nations alarmed by tuna overfishing

Let me see, you have Cambodian anglers spending the better part of their lives (24/7) on a boat hauling in tuna. The Australians corralling so much blue fin that the season now runs in minutes rather than days. Add to that the Japanese who'll pay a couple hundred thousand for one fish. Is it any wonder? Forget chicken of the sea soon it'll be more like caviar of the sea. Same things have happened off our northeast coast with cod and lobster. Ten bucks says that Maine lobster on your restaurant dinner plate came from somewhere else. 

A Norman Rockwell painting from WWII was sold at auction which got me to thinking what sacrifices were made then and now. Back then there were metal drives and tire drives and all manner of rationing to pay for the war efforts. War bonds and even stamps were sold up into the late 1950s to cover the costs. Today we have yellow ribbons made by chinese peasant workers slapped on the backs of gas guzzling SUVs. But lest I forget the fine folks who tanked the economy, and made off with our home equity and the better part of our retirements. Today when Johnny came marching home looking for a job he found Jose already had the job and Jody made off with his wife or girlfriend. That is if the bank hadn't already foreclosed on his house too. And they tell us all this debt will be slapped on our kids and grand kids. Yeah right pal. Not when the kids moved back home along with the parents because they can't find a job either. And what of our Johnnys coming home. What do they have to look forward to? Point man for an insurgent patrol or IED disposal tech does really translate well for a job application for nurses aid or hospital orderly. Forget flipping burgers Johnny, Jose's wife got that job.

A private rail bridge collapsed this week in NJ causing the release of vinyl chloride gas.

I'll be the first to admit that that's very nasty stuff. I was once required to take a sample from a drum of wastewater suspected of containing that chemical. I was fortunate enough to have an industrial hygienist with me to monitor the situation. Had there been any of the chemical present we could not proceed with the sample gathering. Even at low levels requires full encapsulating suit with air tanks. Yes it's that bad.

But the real issue here is the state of our infrastructure. This bridge was a private bridge know to have problems. It had collapsed once before just 3 years earlier. It is an iron structure built in 1867! But the problem is the inspections. There are no set requirements for inspections unless a problem has been detected and reported. And you know companies won't report anything wrong if it involves a lot of money. A hands on inspection can cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Yet here we sit with the average age of our bridges at 43 years. The latest report is that 18,000 bridges in the U.S. are near the dangerous stage, old and need of maintenance or replacement. And once again our politicians turned their backs on the problem by underfunding the highway bill.