roman's musings

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T14:40:00.003-05:00

I'm still around.
Have not been able to blog much lately.
Very busy at work. Late nights and some Saturdays and Sundays, too.
It will be 2012 in a few hours..I don't know why that causes a slight increase in the level of anxiety and some sense of melancholia.
After all, it's just another number that happens to be next in line while our stream of consciousness continues unabated.
We decided not to go ballroom dancing, nightclubbing or such this newyear's eve. Just a quiet evening inside and a visit with local friends tomorrow for dinner.
Remy, our three year old Papipoo is lying next to my computer and keeps an eye out for what may happen next. He's always ready to do something, anything.
Just ordered another computer from Dell... a Vostro with the latest MS OS and Intel 7 chip.. to replace the one I am using since it is 7 years old and runs XP (not that there is anything wrong with XP). With the tremendous increase in data being transmitted due to video streaming and the like, it is important to keep up to date with the latest technical improvements.
I'm sticking with Dell since the last three computers gave a good accounting of themselves.
Soon, I'll start to process tax returns for the many friends/clients that keep calling me each year. I guess they like the service I provide.
I hope the Iowa caucuses will hopefully launch Mitt Romney as the strongest contender to replace Obama. Don't get me wrong, I like some of Obama's foreign policies but not his domestic policies. His big government mind-set has not produced the hope and change promised. 45% of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are unemployed. That's very troubling. What are almost half of this age group of young people going to do with their time?
Anyway, we need to get this country back into producing jobs. With stats at an official 8.6% unemployed and supposedly up to 17% not or under-employed.. we need to change course on our domestic economic agenda.
OK, I'm stepping off my soap box for now.
My wish is for all to find peace and renewal of a spirituality that makes us comfortable in our daily lives. Here's hoping for a better year in 1012.

Bruins Win It!

2011-06-16T19:00:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to the Boston Bruins in capturing Lord Stanley's cup. They defeated the Vancouver Canucks in a hard fought seven game series. It's good to have the cup back in Boston after a stretch of 39 long years.
Can one be blamed for losing interest in hockey because of such a long lapse without a competitive team?
Especially when one clearly remembers the early 70's when Orr, Esposito, Cheevers, Sanderson, MacKenzie, Hodge, Cashman and Bucyk (amongst others) dazzled the Boston fans at the old Gardens with excitement galore.
I miss seeing Bucyk's hip checks and watching "swoop" Carlton's long reaching poke checks to clear the puck from an opponent's control. How about Sanderson's penalty killing? WOW, those were the days. I almost forgot how gut-wrenching and heart-stopping these playoff games can be for a loyal fan. I got just a flash of it again during the last seven games.

Unions? Are they outdated?

2011-02-28T16:57:00.008-05:00

Even though I have never been a union member, I would like to sincerely thank those union members of the past for making my time in the workforce a lot easier than it was way back when. They risked and sacrificed a lot to bring about the 40 hour work week, reasonable wages, work safety, etc. I don't know if I could have lasted in those old workplace environments of the pre-union days.
This process of collective labor representation had its roots in England way back in 1807. For over 200 years, brave men and women have defied the very people who held their means of making a living in their hands. The working conditions these unions fought for these last two centuries have resulted in solid labor laws which are now government regulated and strictly enforced.
So why still have unions?
Many critics will state that today's unions keep wages artificially high. These high wages, while highly desirable to their beneficiaries, tend to ultimately place the workers in a position of losing their jobs to outsourced labor in countries with cheaper standards of living. This short-lived union benefit has a foreseeable end game which is the 800 pound gorilla no one seems to want to address. In this modern world economy this trend has accelerated with each global free trade treaty that's signed.
While private unions still serve their constituents by keeping wages and benefits at a "competitive" level with the private sector, public unions are an altogether different story. They should be done away with as soon as possible. Even the greatly revered liberal Democratic president, FDR, stated that public unions should not be allowed to exist. Even back in the 1940's, he understood the conflict of interest public unions represent.
Collective bargaining between public unions and public officials is a system fraught with the temptation to undermine the political process. The injured party is the tax-payer. In typical negotiations, one side agrees to wage and benefit increases and the other side agrees to supply the financial backing for the other side's reelection. In effect, the negotiators occupy BOTH sides of the negotiating table with the taxpayer picking up the ever-increasing tab. I strongly suspect that this cycle of give and give instead of give and take, without thought of future sustainability, has placed the finances of city, state and country in dire jeopardy.
As recent events have shown, the public union membership up in Minnesota (and other places) need to realize that a large portion of private and non-public sector workers have suffered loss of jobs, pay freezes and the burden of paying a much larger shares for benefits these last three years. The ongoing public union protests are like a slap in the face of every non-public union and private sector employee since what is being protested is the duly elected people's representative's attempt to curtail the continuation of a cycle of raising taxes to satisfy the ever increasing "HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING" that public sector union employees are enjoying and are fighting to keep. Most non-public and private sector workers had no choice but to adjust to the present economic slump but these protesters seem to be refusing to even budge in the face of obvious state and city financial budget collapse.
No matter how I try, I just cannot find any reason to sympathize with their protest movement. Whenever self-interest trumps the larger common good, it makes for bad feelings and a kind of "us/them" mindset of partisanship.
The good ride is over, it's time to face reality.

Happy MMXI

2011-01-04T18:07:00.002-05:00

I am still around and hope to blog again on a regular basis soon. Right now I'm moving way too fast to transfer thought into words.
To all my blogging friends, I wish a healthy, joyous and prosperous new year.

Political Gridlock

2010-11-04T17:25:00.002-04:00

Now that the Republicans have taken control of the House of Representatives and brought a larger representation to the Senate, there is one thing we can be certain of for the next two years.
Gridlock!
The combination of Obama's leftist idealism and the hyper-partisan ism of the Democrats and Republicans dooms our political system to grind down to a halt.
As I search my mind, I just cannot conceive of any of these current political actors "reaching out" or "compromising' in any true sense of the meaning of those terms.
Yes, it's true that they are telling us that they will "come to the center" to get needed legislation passed but who believes their words anymore? The public is jaded and has such a low opinion of the political class in total that their words now carry the same weight as used-car salesmen. My apologies to used-car salesmen.
Hope springs eternal, however, and I'm going to be looking for those brave few exceptions in the political arena to "just do their job" and rediscover the true meaning of compromise. Compromise, when one thinks about it, is really the only tool at their disposal to accomplish their sworn official duties.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Health Care

2010-10-07T16:49:00.004-04:00

It looks like the Democrats are in trouble this November.
Losing the House majority looks definite.
The Senate may also be in jeopardy according to some political pundits who claim to know these things.
With renewed strength on their side of the aisle, the Republicans will most likely try to starve (financially) the new Obamacare (aka National Health Care Reform) just passed and just getting under way.
I would like to remind all those hopeful Republicans that while this new health plan may have been "forced" on us by the current administration at a very bad time, economically speaking, it nevertheless has some solid reforms that should stay.
Sure, the dependent coverage extension to age 26 is just plain silly and should be done away with. This is just a government social engineering ploy and all it really accomplishes is to keep young adults infantile and dependent on their parents for another few years. It's ridiculous.
Some reforms, however, should stay.
Among them, abolishing lifetime and annual limits of coverage, pre-existing conditions and keeping many of the preventive care provisions. There are a few others.
Our health insurance system before these reforms was unfair and the long term prognosis will only lead to more and more class hatred and social upheaval due to health services availability for only the well-healed, so to speak.
Don't throw the baby out with the bath water.
There are many worthy and needed reforms in this package. I sense that with some tweaking, a general consensus may be achieved which will strengthen our nation's health system and make it more equitable to a larger sector of the public.
To dump the whole package would anger most of us voters immensely.
I firmly believe that anger would then be heard loudly in the 2012 elections.

The "Special Interest" Curse.

2010-07-18T10:55:00.004-04:00

My country, the USA, is still the most desired place in the world to live, prosper and pursue happiness despite all the bad news seen daily in the media. Our political system is currently under heavy stress, however, and will need every freedom-loving citizen to come to its aid.
We must DEMAND no less than "full disclosure" from all our representatives in order to relieve this stress.
The stress of which I am talking about can be described simply as political pandering by both sides of the aisle to the ever inreasing special interest groups.
Our system of governance is, and has been, under assault from groups which seek special favors and lobby heavily with money and the promise of votes. I am not talking so much about the lobbying efforts by industry and union representatives who may seek general policy direction for their constituents. These efforts usually seek to benefit and improve the entire nation's social and economic picture.
I am talking about groups who are seeking favors aka "mandates" which will directly result in transfers of wealth utilizing our taxing system. Once implemented, these policies most often result in taking money away from not just the very wealthy but working citizens and giving it to groups who claim victim hood in one way or another.

Please do not get me wrong.
Some are legitimate and should be given our full attention and compassion.

Here's the problem.. not everyone is a victim and deserving of "special treatment".
The victim groups have steadily multiplied into an industry of its own. Colleges and universities have created study courses which have lent legitimacy to many groups who were considered "fringe" at best just a few years ago. These groups have evolved into movements claiming to be historically oppressed and thus owed special treatment as victims. Demanding economic and social justice they have become a major factor in the corrupting influence in our present political system.
Here's how it works.
Career politicians need money in order to defeat their opponents. The special interest forces invest vast sums to the candidate for favorable policy decisions. Once elected, political favors and election funds become an accepted quid pro quo understanding.
This political game, winked at as just an oddity for so many years has become so pervasive as to become a corruption serious enough to become a danger to the stability of the entire system. The majority of the populace is starting to recognize this and is becoming agitated.
Now I know what some might say about my little rant and thus miss the point of this piece completely.
Some might be strongly tempted to say; which groups are you talking about?
I am not equipped to make such judgements and even if I made an attempt this would lead us completely off point.
The point is not about the justification of which group to favor or dismiss but the actual long term effect that this relationship between politicians and special interest representatives has on our political system. It has become clear even to the average citizen that our political system has evolved to become just a wealth transfer scheme benefiting those who have found a way to "game" our system. As hard-working taxpayers they feel more and more "ripped off" and are rapidly loosing any respect for Congress and the President not to mention local government.
The Obama team's election promise was "full disclosure". Where is it?
All lobbying money to elected officials should be disclosed no matter its source or value.
The problem is that back room deals and favors for votes are dispensed right in front of our eyes and we are powerless to stop it.
Am I the only one so frustrated?

"Remy" the Papipoo now two!

2010-06-12T16:25:00.006-04:00

Remy eagerly greets me every day I get home from work.
Happy birthday little one.

Here's dad "Otto" and mom "Boo".
They are the proud parents of our Remy.

Ground Zero Mosque

2010-06-07T17:51:00.004-04:00

What's up with the kerfuffle regarding the plans to build on and expand a mosque about two blocks away from ground zero? Lest we forget, ground zero is the site of the 9/11 attack by crazed religiously inspired terrorists. From what I've been hearing and reading, there are voices both in opposition and in favor.
Here's my take on it...
Ground zero and the city of NY has been and remains the focal point of a misguided segment of Islamic religious extremist terrorists' hatred for our way of life. Since Muslim Americans have made the decision to build a large combination mosque and community center makes it clear, to me at least, that they stand with the citizens of New York City and the rest of this great country. It confirms that they stand in opposition to the twisted hatred that resulted in 9/11 and similar attacks.
Why?
Because they are knowingly placing themselves and their worshippers in the bull's eye of the focal point of that targeted hatred.
They are making a statement. They are saying that they believe so strongly in our way of life that they're even willing to become targets of a 9/11-like strike if, God forbid, it should ever happen again. They are willing to risk their own safety to show solidarity with their fellow neighbors regardless of what their religious beliefs may be.
I say welcome them with open arms as if they were our brothers and sisters.

If guns are outlawed only outlaws will...

2010-03-09T16:35:00.005-05:00

Gun ownership is an undisputed right (for most of us) here in these United States. In many states, however, the right to own a gun is left up to the sole discretion of a local official or police chief who can make it very, very difficult if he/she so chooses. This means that a "roadblock" exists even for an upstanding, law-abiding member of the community who may decide to exercise his/her constitutional right to purchase and own a gun for self protection. This "roadblock", while logical and necessary in keeping guns out of the hands of crooks and the mentally unstable, has an undercurrent of unintended consequences. The most notable of these unintended consequences is the intimidation of the general populace into thinking that the barrier to gun ownership is just too great and hence this right is out of their reach. One can readily see how this may lead to a mindset that leaves many good and decent citizens discouraged and defenceless and thus unable to defend their homes and families.
Thus, one may logically conclude that a ban on gun ownership exists without the passage of a constitutional amendment.
This method of "soft abridgement" of our rights must be challenged whenever and wherever it exists. Unfair and heavy-handed restrictions are a serious encroachment on our basic civil rights. The choice to own a weapon should be every law-abiding, mature and responsible citizen's basic constitutional right and this pro-forma ban must be done away with.
Do we just allow everyone to have a weapon? Of course not!
One way to restore this choice and eliminate the unintended soft abridgement is for state and federal government to actively reach out and identify long-standing decent members of the community by the empowered officials or police. Maybe by periodically notifying these constituants of this right by mail or scheduled town meetings on the subject.
Just a further observation on this topic.
Every once in a while, there will be an incident of gun violence and the media and ultra liberal utopianists immediately fall into the usual knee-jerk reactionary call for further restricting gun ownership. The Constitutional amendment guaranteeing this right, by way of many judicial challenges, has been upheld many, many times. This fact does not seem to bother the state-control enthusiasts in the least.
The fact that the overwhelming majority of citizens are responsible and law-abiding and just a tiny minuscule number are either predators or wackjobs does not compute in their odd sense of logic. So what is their liberal/progressive solution to safeguard the public from gun and terror violence? Their solution is to strip away the constitutional rights of the 99.99% of us responsible law-abiding citizens. Not only does this NOT MAKE SENSE but it reflects our federal and local government's lack of responsibly ENFORCING THE LAWS THAT ARE ALREADY ON THE BOOKS. Their excuse... the Constitution was meant to be a "malleable" instrument! I strongly suspect that most people who have any semblance of common sense recognize this just for what it is..an EXCUSE to go the EASY route.
Politicians who treat their jobs as regular 9 to 5's, do not want the complications of upholding their constitutionally required duties. They find it's easier to regulate and control the 99.99% of us into forced compliance than to be burdened by having to faithfully enforce the laws to prevent the crooks and wackjobs from repeatedly defying the laws on our books.
It's the current "low-hanging fruit" theory of both law enforcement and political oversight that ultimately allows career crooks and wackjobs to prey on the rest of us lawful 99.99%.

52% Great Scott!

2010-01-20T18:27:00.013-05:00

Yesterday, being a Massachusetts voter who trudged through the snowy slush and freezing drizzle to cast my vote for Scott Brown, it was a day for the record books. Ted Kennedy's Senatorial seat, now a/k/a the "people's seat", has finally been pried loose from the Kennedy family's control. In some manner or form, the Kennedy family has maintained control of this seat ever since 1952. Is this any way to uphold Democratic principles in our so called Republic? For more reasons than I could ever enumerate here, it obviously is not. However, if there ever was a place for this curious phenomenon, then traditionally liberal "one-party" Massachusetts is its Utopia.
After yesterday's votes were counted, I was so happy, I had to switch to decaf to avoid becoming totally out of control.
Political arrogance and elitism has finally been somewhat stifled and the rest of the "smarter than thou" crowd both locally on Beacon Hill and in Washington D.C. has been put on notice. By electing Scott Brown we, the 52%, made a statement. WE'RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE! We reject outright those political hacks who ignore the public interest while pursuing their own ambitions for higher office and just "going along to get along". We are going to seek out and find those few honest representative hopefuls who think and act INDEPENDENTLY. From now on we must vote out any rubber-stampers who blindly tow the party line whether Dems or Repubs. Only then can we be assured of FAIR representation the way our founding fathers envisioned it and handed it down to us in the form of the Constitution of the USA.
It would be in the people's direct interest to cancel, not permanently, but for at least a few years, their affiliation to either the Democrat or Republican party and become an un-enrolled or independent voter. Just this simple act of defiance will be a giant leap in reducing the ugly lock-step partisanship which is on daily display in local and national government. Further, we should never again allow the political "machine" to become so pervasively controlling and "out of touch" as today's Congress and Executive branch has shown themselves to be.
Backroom deals, bribes, pay-offs and out-of-control spending (of money that isn't even there yet) needs to stop immediately.
An angry 52% of the people of Massachusetts have spoken clearly. The political status-quo cannot continue on its present path of accelerated national political devolution. If we, as a nation, are to retain the hard-earned quality of exceptionalism in all matters of diplomatic, academic, social, economic and security responsibilities we must start immediately to use the power of our vote wisely with informed self-interest and not by overbearing partisan loyalties.

No more hacks, please.

2009-12-28T17:57:00.008-05:00

Can we conclude that it is NOT SAFE to fly?
Our political system of granting political favors to supporters is at fault. Case in point... Obama makes Napolitano chief of homeland security. The problem... she has absolutely no experience.
Napolitano was recently criticised for making the statement that, "The system worked" when referring to an amateurish terrorist attack on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 near Detroit on 12/25/09. She later corrected herself on a morning TV show by admitting to host Matt Lauer that the security system had in fact failed.
This political appointee should resign as soon as possible because she seems to have absolutely no idea what she is doing. She's a political "hack" who can't even give an accurate accounting of events and make basic conclusions.
The fact that an amateur wannabe terrorist was on a plane with an incendiary device over a large city in the US should never be construed as a security "success". She must think the general public is so gullible and dumb as to be incapable of making a logical conclusion based on the facts. Evidently Rahm Emmanuel or someone else who was able to make logical inferences had to clue her in and convince her to make a correcting statement. Obviously, she's over her head.
Had this been a REAL trained terrorist, we would have experienced a tragedy with 300 or so passengers and unknown number of Detroit residents dead.
It's time to end this dangerous political game of appointing inexperienced "hacks" (political supporters) to positions of critical security responsibility. Politicians should never again be allowed to gamble with the lives of their constituents.
Obama, where is the change?

Mind your business!

2009-12-05T20:34:00.003-05:00

WOW, I have not been away from my blog this long since I started blogging so many years ago. What has kept me away so long?
In a word.. WORK! Lots of work crammed into not enough time.
The ongoing financial crisis is global and it has affected many in a negative way. It has not spared me although I think I have a handle on it.
My workplace has had a severe drought of activity which has lasted over a year now. Lay-offs have decimated the company's workforce and we, the blessed working survivors, are trying to be the modern day gods of productivity now that some semblance of economic activity has gradually returned.
In short, activity is up but no new hires!
I guess that's why they call it a "jobless recovery".
If you have ever left your house and had that nagging feeling that you left the back door wide open or left the gas on, you know how I feel each day when I'm driving home from work.
What have I left undone and will it be a problem?
I'm not looking for sympathy, I'm just wondering how wide spread this condition is? If it is widespread, what are the implications concerning the state of mind of all those maxed-out, stressed-out workers out there?
I can't help thinking that there will be some lasting changes even after the economy recovers.
This prolonged state of workplace anxiety must be having some kind of effect on those who truly believe that the buck does stop with them. There is a well known workplace maxim that "if you want something done give the job to the busiest worker".
Where is that busiest worker's breaking point?
Should we be concerned?
I've read someplace that a prolonged state of stress and anxiety in an entrapped environment can cause permanent changes in the way our brains function with results that may irreversably alter one's state of mind. Posttraumatic stress disorder does not present itself on 100% of combat veterans but with the few that it does, the suffering goes on for a very long time with devastating effects on themselves and their loved ones.
Time will tell if this C-PTSD will play out in the same percentile of workers that are asked to do the impossible as in those combat troops.

Obama... Nobel Laureate?

2009-10-09T17:01:00.008-04:00

I really thought it was a joke.
I heard that the Nobel Peace prize was actually awarded 12 days after BHO took office. He hadn't even warmed the chair in the oval office yet and already he is bestowed this honor. This jaw-dropping move by the Norwegian parliamentarians enforces what I have been saying all along. Our new president is stealthily following a course which will turn our nation into a socialist one ala EU. Those EU politicians voted not for what Obama did but what he will, they hope, in time deliver. Massive government with a stifling choke-hold on the economy that will secure a more socialist and anti-capitalist mindset in the populace. Thus steering our nation into a kind of economic malaise typically found in the EU and other left- of-center governments.
Their action of awarding this prize seems to be a direct political intrusion by way of a foreign entity to lobby and influence a sitting POTUS to form and make decisions regarding foreign policy. The award has actually "cheapened" the value and symbolic worthiness of the prize.
I know that some readers might scoff at my insistence that BHO is a closet socialist.
The proof? here's just a few:
*His gift of bailing out the auto makers union with stimulus money.
*His backing of freer rules of unionizing procedures.
*His sacking of a corporate CEO. Govt meddling in private industry, a first by a president, ever!
*His obvious support, despite waffling rhetoric, about a "public health option" which everyone knows, will over time, kill off the private insurance industry due to its inherent competitive edge (gvt financed non-profit).
Yes, even his ardent supporters who were convinced he is a "centrist" are now readily admitting his far left leaning (AKA socialist) agenda.
If you're like me and want to see actual enforcement of the laws on the books by our public employees instead of their ignoring them and blaming their shortfalls on the free enterprise system, start to vote accordingly. Let's not throw out the system that made this nation the most prosperous, free, educated and powerful to ever have existed in human history.
Remember to vote the "career political" bums out next election regardless of party affiliations.. I just hope it's not too late.

Travel Log # 13 Copenhagen to Reykjavik to Boston

2009-09-27T19:10:00.003-04:00

Monday, June 29, 2009

Our flight leaves at 2PM. Big breakfast in the hotel followed by a lot of careful packing due to all the gifts we bought.
Today is Linda's birthday but we'll be traveling most of the day. Linda did some more shopping at the duty-free shoppes in the airport to get rid of most of our remaining Danish Kronen. She bought a lot of liquor and other small items.
The flight back did not seem as long and I guess it's because we were both ready t come home after all this time.
Our little puppy Remy was literally shrieking with joy when we arrived. It practically brought tears to my eyes. We just could not calm him down for the longest time.
It was good to be home again.

Travel Log #12 Copenhagen

2009-09-27T18:01:00.004-04:00

Sunday, June 28, 2009

After a big hearty breakfast, courtesy of the hotel, we had the whole day free to do as we please. This is the last full day here in Europe and we decided to do some serious souvenir shopping.
The first thing we noticed is that a lot of young people are wearing black T-shirts with the words Michael Forever printed in white. We assumed this meant that Michael Jackson had met his demise and it turned out to be the case.
We stopped at an open air flea market nearby and then went shopping downtown.
There were a lot of high school graduates riding around in open air trucks everywhere and making noise and being rowdy but all in good fun.

In the evening we visited the world famous Tivoli Gardens. It is a very old (the oldest?)continuous amusement/ entertainment/ flower gardens/ light show park situated right in the middle of the city. We ate dinner there (a bit pricey but good food). There were some orchestras and music bands playing at different venues. When it got dark, what seemed like tens of thousands of colored lights came on everywhere. It was very festive, indeed.

Travel Log # 11 Copenhagen

2009-09-27T15:33:00.005-04:00

Saturday, June 27, 2009

As you can see, Linda met up with a Viking who, fortunately for us, was friendly and did not brandish his broadsword at us.

We joined our panoramic city tour at city hall square in the morning and saw all the important sites in and around Copenhagen including Christiansborg Palace, Rosenborg castle and of course, "the Little Mermaid".

Later, at 1:30 after lunch, we joined another tour to North Sealand to see the Fredericksborg and Fredensborg castles and also the famous Hamlet (Kronborg) Castle.

Travel Log #10 Hasselt to Brussels to Copenhagen

2009-09-27T13:18:00.012-04:00

Friday, June 26, 2009
Since we had to be at the Brussels airport for a flight to Copenhagen at 10 AM and had to turn in our rental there, we had little time to linger in Hasselt. We left early enough but soon ran into rush hour traffic outside Brussels. This caused us a little worry because as we inched along in painstakingly slow traffic we were running out of time fast. After turning in the car at the airport rental office we scurried to our gate and just made our flight with only minutes to spare. The SAS flight was short and Linda was soon in lively conversation with a young gentleman who was seated next to her. He was Danish but was employed in Brussels and spoke excellent English. He turned out to be a fount of interesting information in reference to Danish customs and the history and character of his countrymen. Since Linda's maiden name is Christensen and her father was Danish, the conversation was non-stop until we landed. We had to exchange Euros and dollars for Danish Kronen and this was quickly done inside the airport. Our driver mentioned that the city hall offices would not be open on the weekend so Linda's ancestry research needed to proceed immediately after our hotel check-in. The Hotel First Vesterbro was centrally located within steps from the Tivoli Gardens and City Hall Plaza.

Linda took off after dropping her luggage and took care of her research at city hall. Judging by the uniforms of some of the guests, the hotel is a favorite of crewmembers employed by some of the world's major airlines. Later in the evening, we strolled into the downtown shopping district and enjoyed a leisurely dinner al fresco near City Hall Plaza. It is here that our guided tours will be leaving from tommorow morning. This large open plaza seems to be a gathering place for huge crowds of tourists, mostly young people, who linger and listen to free outdoor music concerts. Short video here...

Travel Log # 9 Antwerpen,Rotterdam & Amsterdam

2009-09-26T14:12:00.005-04:00

Thursday, June 25, 2009

We left our hotel in Hasselt early for a day trip in our rental car. The drive took us through Brussels and Antwerpen and into Holland. We encountered a lot of small cars moving very fast on the highways. We also encountered some traffic jams especially near the outer centrums of the large cities.
We stopped in Rotterdam and walked into the central downtown shopping area. Sitting outside in the pedestrian plaza, we enjoyed a good-sized American-style cup of coffee while conversing with a couple of young 20 somethings locals. It was warm and sunny and even the locals were surprised at how pleasant the weather was. There was a large food wagon in the middle of the square that sold french fries in paper cones. I had not seen this since leaving Belgium back when I was just a boy. I asked the two locals where the old historical part of city was and they replied there was none. They then went on to explain that during WWII, the German Luftwaffe bombed this strategic port city day in and day out until there was nothing left standing. Hence, Rotterdam had to be rebuilt from scratch.

After a short stay, we drove further up the coast and made it to Amsterdam in about an hour and a half. Amsterdam is not a car-friendly city as there are few places to park in the heart of the city. Bicycles rule! The majority of the inhabitants we saw were young and the scene resembled that of a university town.

We finally parked the car in the outlying business section and walked about but we were too far away to get to the historic city center. After a momentary scare, we did finally find our way back to our car and decided just to tour the city from our car as it was getting late and we had a long drive back to Hasselt. As usual, we wished we had more time to explore this beautiful old city.
The drive back was long and we stopped at a roadside restaurant in Nederweert just north of the Belgian border. The food was good and plentiful and reasonably priced.
We got back late and exhausted.

Travel Log #8 Genk, Waterschei & Gelieren

2009-09-24T17:30:00.012-04:00

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Well, I'm finally back where it all started for me so many years ago. The two places where, as a young boy, I developed an awareness of the world around me.

We left Hasselt and drove the short distance to Gelieren but could not locate the old straw-thatched farmhouse my family left behind to emigrate to the USA when I was just ten years old. Everything was different. After spending what seems like hours driving around and studying maps, we simply could not locate the street called Hoogsij in Gelieren. We then decided to regroup and get our bearings back in Genk and to visit my birthplace and first home in Waterschei in a small coal-mining town called Texas. Unfortunately, Texas was gone! I suspected as much since I used Google Earth and saw only the faint outline of the streets but no buildings. All that was left was a gravel parking lot for a large football (soccer) stadium. I stood at the exact spot where the old house once stood on what was once Fazantstraat #1. We parked the rental car and walked through a small section of woods at the far end of Fazantstraat. I remember many happy days at play here as a child. The mountain of coal tilings, the small pond with lilly pads, and the trail through the woods were still there. It was sunny and warm. There were young children swimming and cavorting in the little pond while others were climbing the mountain which now was overgrown at its crown with trees of every variety. The children looked like they were on a school outing because there were three adults and about 30 children of approximately the same age. We spoke to a caretaker and a couple of local hikers who were happy to share some history about the surroundings. We learned that the little coal mining town was dismantled and removed.

It then was rebuilt as "New Texas' in another location back in the mid-seventies after the coal mines were shut down. After taking a few pieces of coal as mementos from the mountain, we jumped back in the car and made our way to the old railway station on the other side of the stadium. It looked exactly the way I remember it with the same white concrete fence in the picket style and gravel open space in front. We then drove back to downtown Genk where we had lunch in an outside setting and made use of the local laundromat. We then drove back to Gelieren and finally found Hoogsij which is a long winding street. Gelieren is not a town but only a named section of criss-crossing roads. Nothing was familiar. What used to be a very rural area with old farmhouses and wide open fields was now a densely populated street with modern brick homes one after another on both sides. The house that was at the exact number where our old farmhouse stood looked nothing like what I remember. Alas, I guess it is true what they say. You can't go home again. We took some pics at both locations.

For some years before this visit, it was important to me to make this pilgrimage. It was a kind of longing to justify the happy but vague fragments of youthful remembrances. This was supposed to be the centerpiece of this trip. While driving back to Hasselt, I felt a somewhat melancholy and somber mood. I realized then that this place is just a long-lost and faded memory and occupies a much lower prominence in my mind that it had before the trip. Maybe I felt a little disappointed in that there wasn't much left. I am glad, however, that we came to this place even though it is no longer my place.

Travel Log #7 Paris to Brussels to Hasselt

2009-09-20T00:05:00.010-04:00

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

We left Paris in the morning on a Thalys train bound for Brussels, Belgium. This was, without a doubt, the most comfortable ride and meal service I ever had. Coffee and breakfast was excellent. When we got to Brussels there was a momentary state of confusion. It was a huge station and we had to hustle and figure out how to find our connecting train to Hasselt. We did, however, after a few miscues. Note: Always check with the conductor to make sure its the right train as some of these trains arrive within minutes of each other on the same track.

The local train was clean and comfortable but almost empty. After about an hour and a half we arrived in Hasselt. Our rental car office was nowhere in sight and after some inquiries we found out that the office was on the other side of town. The bus dispatcher was kind enough to get us on the right bus and had the driver notify us when to get off. The Eorocar office was a short walk from the bus stop and we must have looked odd walking down the side of the highway on the grass with suitcases in tow. We did get new Mercedes MB with a deisel engine which was perfect because we were going to do a lot of touring.

We soon checked into the Holiday Inn on Kattegatstraat. Later, we had a leisurly dinner at the Blue Olive restaurant a few blocks away. It was a warm evening so we dined in the open air section near the street.

The food was great and went well with a couple of bottles of Cristal.

There was a working cigarette machine in the restaurant which was quite a novelty for us as this has been outlawed at home for quite some time now.

Travel Log #6 Paris

2009-09-19T22:25:00.008-04:00

Monday, June 22, 2009

We ventured down to the Miromesnil Metro station at the corner and were able to figure out how to get to the Citirama tour office in plenty of time for our excursion.
Our trip began with a visit to the Notre Dame Cathedral with its huge stained glass windows. It was interesting to tour the interior because it was very crowded with tourists but yet very quite inside. After a sight seeing tour of the Latin Quarter it was time for lunch at the brasserie accross the street from the tour office.
Since we were just across the street, we walked to the Louvre and began an escorted tour. Underneath the building, there were extensive archeological digs which uncovered and preserved the original ancient castle and its many defences.
After spending a short time in the Louvre we took a ride accross town and visited the village of Montmartre with its famous Sacred Heart Bassilica on top of the hill. I am glad we took the funicular up because it is quite a hike to the top. There is a spectacular view of Paris from this high point and a lot of things to see with its famous artists coop and ancient walled vineyard. We did about nine and a half miles of walking up and down cobblestone streets. Thank God for sneakers.
We left the tour around 5 o'clock and took the Metro back to our hotel.

Travel Log #5 Paris

2009-09-01T10:45:00.018-04:00

Sunday, June 21, 2009.

Since we had to be at the Place des Pyramides tour office at 8:30AM and we did not have enough time to figure out the local Metro underground map maze, we took a taxi and made it there a half hour early. The problem was that we were still on London time and thus were informed that we were instead a half hour late. Our scheduled city tour had already left and the Cityrama clerks were very kind and rescheduled us for the afternoon.

Fortunately, this gave us the opportunity to visit the Louvre, which happened to be just across the street, for the rest of the morning. After a quick snack inside, we were able to spend a couple of hours roaming the huge Denon wing of Italian art masters. Yes, we were able to push ourselves, literally speaking, through the crowds to view that mysterious smile of the Mona Lisa. We were also able to catch a glance at some impressive statuary such as the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace and then rush back to pick up our afternoon tour. Even a cursive appreciation of the endless treasures of the Louvre, the finest art museum in the world in mho, one needs at least a couple of weeks.
Note to myself: On a double decked coach, being early and snagging the front seats on the second level is a prime requisite for quality picture taking and a spectacular panoramic view.

Our city tour took us on a cruise of the River Seine with a river view of the Ille de Cite with its famous Notre Dame Cathedral. All around the Champs Elysees, Arc de Triomphe and all the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

It was a warm and sunny day but when we went up to the top of the Eiffel Tower it was very windy. The lifts were fast and the ride smooth. They did charge an extra 5 euros a head to ride to the top but it was worth it.

Travel Log #4 London to Paris

2009-08-29T22:46:00.011-04:00

Saturday, June 20, 2009
NOTE: Be sure to click on these photos to enlarge... to get the true impact of color and scale...

From St Pancras International Terminal, after changing some currency to Euros, we took the Eurostar train via the chunnel to Paris.
We could not ask for a more comfortable ride and before long we were at the Garre du Nord, Paris. A short while later our driver dropped us off at the Arioso Hotel on Rue D'Argenson. The hotel is a traditional 19'th century establishment and as such is very small with five floors and only three rooms per floor. We were at the top and the view was terrific. Light cream colored limestone buildings with tarnished copper rooftops with that distinctive faint patina could be seen all around.
After we settled in, we took a stroll down to the Galeries Lafayette on Blvd Haussmann. This is a huge shopping destination situated in some very historic and architecturally beautiful buildings. It is just about the only place on earth where the perfume counters are located under an amazingly ornate stained glass dome with massive opera size wings on all sides. Breathtaking.
When we got back, it was very late and we ordered room service and were pleasantly surprised by the delicious toasted breads, camemberts and variety of cold cuts. It all went very well with a couple of Carlsbergs.

Travel Log #3 Windsor, Stonehenge & Oxford

2009-08-29T19:31:00.018-04:00

Friday, June 19, 2009 After a quick breakfast in the hotel, we jumped on the tube and retraced our route to pick up our Evans tour. Windsor Castle was spectacular.
I never saw such an accumulation of wealth all in one place.
We could have spent a month in there and not seen all of it.

Then it was off to Stonehenge.
It happens to be the day before the Summer Solstice and all sorts of witches, druids and new age types were clogging the roads leading there.
When we finally got there, it was very windy.
The people around me spoke in hushed tones as if this was a holy place. They spoke in different languages but I could tell they all were in awe of the place.
One could not help but feel humbled by such a very profound experience as to be standing in the presence of such an ancient and mysterious landmark.

Oxford with its many institutions of higher learning was our final stop.
The fascinatingly historical colleges date as far back as the 13'th century.
It was such a visually interesting place with its extremely old schools connected by small cobblestone alleys and lanes.
Our guide made it a point of adding the connection of this place to current popular film with inspired architecture for the recent Harry Potter films.

Travel log #2 London

2009-08-29T16:53:00.016-04:00

Thursday, June 18, 2009 We had to be at the Victoria Coach station to join the Evan Evans city tour at 8:45AM so we had to hustle to get there. We took the London Underground, aka "tube", at Oxford Circus and were pleasantly surprised by how efficient, comfortable and clean the system was. The other riders (full train) were most likely on their way to work and looked pretty much bored. Most were reading about the latest Parliamentarian involved in the housing allowance scandals. No one spoke. A few stops and short walk later and we were there.

We saw and did a lot. Royal Albert Hall, St. Paul’s Cathedral with it’s rich history and interned historical figures, the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, a walk around the various buildings at the Tower of London (lot’s of jewels and what’s with the ravens?), Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, an afternoon cruise down the Thames to see the Houses of Parliament.

We had lunch (fish & chips, what else?) at the Silver Cross, a pub/restaurant which our capable tiger-skin-blouse wearing red haired guide suggested.

She was great, the food, not so much.

We learned a lot and had a blast.

Travel Log #1 Boston to London via Iceland

2009-07-23T16:52:00.012-04:00

Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

With carry-on luggage only, we said "so long" to Missy (the cat) and Remy (the dog). Missy couldn't care less and Remy just kept sticking his head in a Dunkin Donuts cup.
After exchanging some dollars for British pounds, our Icelandair flight left Logan at 9:30PM and arrived in Reykjavik five hours later whereupon we had to change to another flight that whisked us to London's Heathrow in another two and a half hours.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

It was an excruciatingly uncomfortable flight. Given the choice, I would have chosen root canal surgery without an anesthetic. God I hate flying.
We checked into the Hotel Rathbone in the West End, near Soho, at noon.
There was a very inviting and quaint little pub called "The Duke of York", diagonally across the street. Every evening, the pub's well-dressed patrons stand in front in large numbers and quaff down pint after pint and partake in festive conversation until the wee hours of the morning. Its all very well civilized but does tend to get somewhat louder as the evening progresses.
It was cool, overcast and raining off and on during the day. Later in the evening, after a quick excursion to nearby Oxford street in order to get our bearings, find the nearest tube stop and a look in the shops, we returned to the hotel. Being somewhat tired from our trip, we called it an early night. Its definitely a good idea NOT to schedule too much activity on a long-distance traveling day.

If its Tuesday...

2009-06-23T10:52:00.002-04:00

After spending tons of money in London and Paris, we have arrived in beautiful Hasselt, Belgium using the most efficient and comfortable rail system. Paris to Brussels and then Brussels to Hasselt. Just picked up our rental car and checked into the Holiday Inn on Kattegatstraat. It's sunny and warm today and we'll be hitting the town for some shopping and dining. Tomorrow we drive to Genk and visit the two places where I lived as a young boy. I'm charging my camera battery as I hope to bring back some updated photos of the old homestead.
Met vriendelijke groeten,
Roman

Crossing the pond.

2009-06-15T16:12:00.002-04:00

Life's been very hectic lately and about to get even more livelier the next few weeks. It's time to surrender to that restless travel bug.
Leaving for London via Reykjavik 6/16(anything to save a few bucks). Will stay in Soho for a few days (where else?). A cruise down the Thames and Stonehenge are a must. Then its a train ride through the Chunnel to Paris. After taking in some of the sights, sounds and tastes there will be a train ride to Brussels and another to Hasselt and then to my old stomping grounds in Waterschei and Gelieren by rental car. As this is where I spent my tender early years, this is the highlight of the trip. If it's not too far to drive, Amsterdam looks appealing for a day trip. Then a short flight from Brussels to Copenhagen for the remaining time. Going to need to change some dollars for some UK currency (Pounds), lots of Euros and some Kronen. A common currency? Not yet!
Will fly back on 6/29 via Reykjavik.
Plan to have mucho pics for a travel log on this site.

The 5000 Year Leap

2009-05-19T17:09:00.003-04:00

Just finished another great book and recommend it highly.
Have you ever wondered why the USA is the most successful nation in the world? Why do different folks (like me) from around the globe abandon their ancestral homes to come and live here? It's because of our Constitution! It is, by far, the most advanced and thoughtful political and societal document ever devised. This book explains the Founders' thoughts and reflections on the most important features of this document in 28 easy to understand principles.
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, John and Samuel Adams and Lincoln are the Presidents prominently featured along with a varied supporting cast which include Cicero, John Locke and Adam Smith amongst many others. I guarantee that any reader will see the political and economic events that confront us today in a totally different light.

Conservatism's CliffsNotes.

2009-04-03T17:05:00.004-04:00

Roman highly recommends Mark Levin's new book. I was sold after reading only the first few pages.
Picked it up at the local book store after enduring some taunting (but playful)remarks from the two girls at the cash register. They looked out the window after I left...probably to see if I had a gun-rack on my rear window. I'm used to it. This type of behavior is fairly common here in Massachusetts which, along with the United Socialist Republic of Vermont, aspire to join the EU as soon as they're able. Only kidding!
Remember, only by hearing BOTH SIDES can one truly understand.
OK, time to get off the soapbox.

Coming home to roost!

2009-03-01T11:42:00.007-05:00

I don't want to be the wacky guy walking around with the "THE END IS NEAR SO REPENT" sign. Yet I can't refrain from stating an obvious fact. Lately I've noticed, as I'm sure have many others, that sweeping lifestyle changes are taking place just about everywhere around us. Our fundamental core values are evolving at an alarming rate and not for the better. It's starting to have consequences that are very troubling, indeed. Signs of this change are showing up all around us and on a daily basis. There has been a virtual epidemic of so-called successful individuals that achieved positions of trust only to betray that trust for personal aggrandisement and hedonistic goals.
Yes I know that, to some extent, it has always been so but lately this phenomenon seems to have grown exponentially. No area of society has been spared. As our hard-earned savings dwindle and politicians and journalists keep telling us that everything is fine or will be fine, we cannot help thinking that it is not and never again will be. Our hearts are turning to steel and we no longer trust anyone. We have and continue to be betrayed by politicians, CEO's, financial brokers, religious leaders, professors, journalists and yes, even the local contractor who we call to fix our house or supply services.
It used to be that hard work, honesty and sacrifice were honored as virtuous ideals. On the other hand, traits like indifference, laziness, narcissism, greed, dishonesty and their resulting degradation and blight on society was considered to be shameful and thus to be avoided at all cost.
Unfortunately, not anymore.
Betrayal of the public trust has become ubiquitous and most of us are already de-sensitized to it.
Outrage when experienced on a daily basis loses its very meaning.
Many of us might point the whole blame at society's gradual abandonment of religious foundations but that's not at all the whole story. We know that secularism has been on the rise for centuries. I suspect it's more to do with today's postmodern progressive liberal ideals and a sense of moral relativism which has stealthily gained inroads into our culture. I recall a time when most responsible adults identified virtues like integrity, honesty, respect and sacrifice as extremely necessary and fundamental for good citizenship. In a general sense, the perception was that these core basic values and character traits would naturally and logically result in a happier lifestyle for their offspring. A foremost and essential instructing goal, "job one"..so to speak, for most parents was to devote the time and instill these virtues into their offspring during their formative years. Alas, it all started to unravel back in the late sixties and early seventies. In order to maintain a middle income or better lifestyle it became customary and in many cases, necessary, for both parents to be gainfully employed. The time-trusted and fundamental responsibility of child-rearing was either put on the back burner or leased out to others for the most part. Even now, many parents actually believe that our schools and child-care "professionals" have somehow fully assumed the responsibility of guiding children onto the path of good citizenship and virtuous ideals. It appears that the failure to maintain a majority of caring and responsible adults has reached and surpassed a critical mass of societal instability and no one seems to care.
Are our chickens coming home to roost?
The signs are all around us.

Gitmo slated to close.

2009-01-22T18:12:00.000-05:00

The Gitmo prisoners never had it so good. All the visitors (without an axe to grind) reported seeing prisoners treated like kings.
Three meals a day.
The meals consistent with their religious restrictions.
A Qur'an and prayer rug for each upon request.
Clean sheets and towels every day.
Restrictions on the guards to keep quiet during the six prayer periods.
Footsteps imprinted on the hallway floors for the Marines to keep them from disturbing the prisoners.
Daily periods of exercise in the balmy air of a tropical Caribean paradise.
The only thing missing is the virgins.
This fiction of Gitmo being a "stain on the virtue of America" is a disgraceful exaggeration intended for gullible intellectual posers and left wing bloggers who actually believed the fake media narrative and repeated hysterics. One can easily predict that once Gitmo is closed they will just find another excuse to hate the USA. The Bush Hate Syndrome is just another emanation of the same hystrionics.
The vitriolic stance by the press against the victims of terrorism and our efforts to insure against future attacks are both inexplicable and puzzling on many levels. Constant excuses for the perpetrators are proferred in order to stay in lock-step with the PC narrative indoctrination so prevalent in Journalism 101 throughout academia.
Sadly, victims are too quickly forgotten. The lessons of history once again are thought to be way too outdated and out of place with today’s progressive modernism.
This is just another example of moral and ethical relativism running wild. The only ray of hope is that it is a means to an end which must ultimately seal the fate of its adherents.
Side note: I know that some insecure individuals have needed to hate somebody and Bush is an easy scapegoat. Bush bashing at this juncture is like kicking a dead horse, it’s futile, vindictive and unbecoming even of far left liberal progressives.

Welcome #44

2009-01-21T17:25:00.000-05:00

Best wishes to our new commander in chief, Barack H. Obama, new President of these United States.
The inaugural speech was a pleasant surprise. The ideals expressed were much closer to mine than I expected. If the goals stated are serious and genuine, it is certain that support will follow from all decent Americans who believe in justice and equality.
Ideals such as personal responsibility, efforts to rejuvenate our economy by prudent action and accepting as real the global terrorist threat are speaking directly to the majority of thoughtfully aware citizens. Also by acknowledging "God" several times, the increasing trend of moral relativism which is so destructive to our social fiber, is finally being addressed. Not that the poison of relativism is secular in nature but as a social foundation, religion has served as an excellent antidote. Promoting this awareness is a step in the right direction.

Obama nation

2008-11-05T18:07:00.000-05:00

By a comfortable margin, Obama's well-oiled campaign machine propelled him to victory and he will lead the nation for the next four years. He faces a formidable list of expectations from his devoted followers and the money-men who made all the right connections. These same supporters and sponsors, I strongly suspect, will turn on him at the first hint of dissapointment. I can only imagine George W. Bush upon hearing the poll results having an introspective moment while chuckling to himself with the knowledge of how incredibly fickle the nation's constituancy can be.

If I could be so presumptious, my advice to the president elect is as follows:
Mr. President (to be), voting "present" will not cut it anymore. You already know that your over-the-top politically expedient promises cannot realistically be met. Time to ignore the politically partisan advice from Rahm Emanuel and start making the tough decisions because the buck cannot be passed so seamlessly anymore. Like "W", the MSM will inevitably start to ride roughshod over you. That's what they do. The promises you made of no increase(in taxes)for people earning less than $250,000 per year and 95% will see a decrease.
C'mon, really now!
The voting public "bought it" and like a herd of sheep, they responded. Like with Pavlov's dog, you rang the bell and enough of them responded with their votes.
Paradoxically, the racial component in this election was happily in your favor. Admit it, could a white junior senator from Chicago with no experience get this far?
Timing is everything. The Bush administration opened the door for you. In their zeal to safeguard the country after 9/11, they made some politically incorrect hard decisions. They, like many of us, thought them necessary to fight the war on terror. In doing so, they made some glaring miscalculations by stradling the lines of constitutionally protected rights. This honest effort to discharge their duties during a national emergency was immediatly seized upon and used by the opposition party (your party) to bad-mouth them. The Bush administration was vilified daily by a lopsided left-leaning press who had a common vision of making sure that CHANGE occurred. After a continuous barrage of negative reportage that lasted years, the desired result of turning more than half of the country against the party in power was met. This made the public wary of the Republicans, creating a fear of John McCain, a genuine American war hero, that he would continue in the same vain.
To sum it up, the reason you're the president-elect is simply that you're NOT Bush or a Republican, you're black and you have a velvet tongue and lots of charm and charisma.
For the love of this great country, please prove me wrong.

Remy the Papipoo

2008-10-19T22:52:00.000-04:00

Welcome home little puppy. Go ahead and tear up the house, it's OK.

Red Sox go to ALCS

2008-10-07T16:53:00.000-04:00

Congratulations!
From the Boston Globe sports section, celebration pics of David Ortiz, Jed Lowrie and Dice-K. Red Sox prevailed against the Angels to wrap up the series three games to one. Being a member of Red Sox nation, I can very well appreciate the frustration the Angels fans must be experiencing. One thing's for sure, it was a nail-biter 'till the very end. Jon Lester pitched seven solid innings of shut-out baseball and Lowrie's ninth inning RBI sealed it. It's now time to take on the Tampa Bay Rays who have a slight edge over the Sox in regular season play. Tough competition awaits.

Laissez-fair consistency

2008-09-18T19:02:00.000-04:00

Not too long ago, we bailed out the financial institutions who gave us the "Savings & Loans" fiasco. After these lenders allowed people to get loans without the usual scrutiny, the government had to take over the mess. Final cost to the taxpayers was 70 billion dollars. It was a failure to properly regulate the financial industry. The ENRON et al scandal again showed that because there was not enough accounting regulations, large corporate firms took full advantage and caused some serious financial scandals. The current financial crisis is once again a direct result of the financial regulators falling asleep at the switch, if they were ever awake in the first place. To illustrate the latest calamity, I can imagine some poor retired senior in a shack in Kentucky was told that even though he does not have a job and can't afford a loan, he can have it anyway. Besides, his shack has been increasing in value over the last few years along with all real estate nationwide and as such his equity over time will allow him to replace his loan with a lower fixed rate. So the senior takes a $50,000 mortgage and fixes up the shack. A year or two later, the somewhat improved shack is suddenly worth way less than before the improvements.
The result: The old man, who can no longer afford the adjustable mortgage which has doubled, loses his house as a result of foreclosure. The mortgage representative has earned a tidy commission and so did the local bank, who managed to re-sell the loan to a mortgage consolidator who, in turn, groups these loans and gives it a fancy sounding name (structured equity security) and re-sells it once again. The winners: predatory lenders. The losers: the old man sans shack and the rest of us when our governments have to make good for these loan guarantees which will have a huge default rate.
Our governments should be more consistent in the application of their "laissez-fair" style economics. Just the way they failed to regulate, they should now NOT bail out the failing financial institutions. This is the only way our politicians will be held to their duty to do their jobs and not rely on the lobbyists who finance their re-elections. The same lobbyists that wind up to be the winners each time there is a financial catastrophe. I get sick to my stomach when I think of this cyclical economic betrayal by those politicians and special interest groups that find the loopholes and cash in. Like kids within reach of the cookie jar they never fail to disappoint.

Modern Patriotism.

2008-07-11T16:25:00.000-04:00

Immediately after the devastating attacks of 9/11, the Bush administration went into a defensive crisis mode. It was, after all, their top priority and most pressing and important responsibility. Fear of another attack permeated the consciousness of US citizens throughout the nation. All eyes and ears were focused on the White House and with every hour that passed we expected, no demanded, our government leaders to first safeguard us from further attacks, secondly find out who was responsible and finally punish those responsible. In order to safeguard us, a series of emergency meetings with the various branches of the intelligence community were held and it was determined very quickly that the main reason for the successful 9/11 terrorist strike was the absence of these spy agencies to communicate with each other AND NOT ENOUGH ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE. To prevent another attack, steps were immediately undertaken to create the DHS to solve the lack of inter-agency communication issue. At the same time, temporary emergency measures were enacted (after all, as far as we knew, we were at war) to gather the actionable intelligence which was so painfully lacking before 9/11. Monitoring of communications between suspect foreign persons and domestic persons was enacted by the spy agencies after government requests with the various communications companies. Under FISA, enacted in 1978 and therefore in the age of snail-mail and wired phones, a secret court would issue warrants to listen in on foreign agents, etc. who were suspected of doing harm to our nation. The set-up of the procedures dating back to 1978 were just too slow and cumbersome to be of any affect in the fast lane of 2001. Everyone, well at least everyone knowledgeable in these matters, knew that emergency measures were needed, needed fast, to insure the safety of the nation. The Bush administration, the spy agency bosses and the bosses of the communications companies knew this and acted to secure their country and their families from what everyone understood and accepted was imminent harm.
The temporary warrantless monitoring was eventually stopped when it became clear that no more devastating attacks were imminent and with some tinkering with FISA, the nation's security can be reasonably assured without having to go to the extreme of issuing warrantless surveilance.
Skip to 2008 and we have the UCLA and politicians who suddenly became experts at Constitutional law, crying for Bush impeachment and law suits against the communications companies that granted the spy agencies access to their equipment.
To me, these warrantless surveillance activities were timely and appropriate and the persons engaged in them were acting in defense of this nation and the very lives of our families.
They are modern day patriots and are deserving of our gratitude.
Barack Obama, however, voted to get rid of the immunity from privacy based law suits against the communications companies and thus would have punished them for defending the nation in time of crisis. In the future event of a national crisis, when these same companies are approached to cooperate with our security agencies, they will balk and refuse cooperation and thus leaving our country vulnerable to terrorist attacks because AGAIN there will not be enough "actionable intelligence".
I commend John McCain for his vote against the back-door Dodd amendment to the new FISA bill and thus preserving the immunity.
I don't agree with McCain on all issues but on this one he made me proud.

Celtics rule.

2008-06-18T15:52:00.000-04:00

Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce (from left to right in photo) along with a superior supporting cast, beat the LA Lakers in game 6 of the 2007/2008 NBA Championship finals, 131 to 92. Actually, they demolished them. The Celtics out-ran and out-hustled their opponents in the second half to seal the victory and to ignite their fans into a frenzy of excitement. After two decades of just average basketball since their last championship, this 17'th title was sweet.
Boston is a sports fan's paradise with recent successful contenders in football, baseball and now basketball.
Not to sound ungrateful but I would love to see a resurgence of the Boston Bruins ice hockey team. In my mind, I keep seeing that magical vision of Bobby Orr suspended horizontally in mid-air in front of the St. Louis Blues goalie after clinching the winning goal.
Was that kind of a thrilling climax, the kind that made one's hair stand on the back of the neck, a once-in-a-lifetime phenomena?
I hope not.

Stormy Seas

2008-05-26T02:41:00.000-04:00

Here is a short video taken Saturday May 17'th from our cabin while our ship, the Norwegian Dream, was being tossed about by rough water in the North Atlantic. We were on our way back to Boston from Bermuda. I don't know how we were still able to get a TV signal.

Bermuda, again

2008-05-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

Sailing on the Norwegian Dream this Sunday, May 11'th from the Black Falcon Pier in Boston. Hope to catch up on some R & R. Will blog again, bigtime, when I'm back. I'll be sure to put my camera to good use.
Fare thee well...

Is anyone voting Democrat?

2008-03-24T18:01:00.000-04:00

The primary race between Obama and Clinton has got to be the most astounding and embarrassing political discourse ever. I have never seen such flagrant race and gender baiting and muckraking. Every day presents a new revelation accusing the other of questionable past associations and insinuations of character flaws and you name it. I admit that it's humorous and enormously entertaining.
Even though I would never vote for either of the Democratic candidates as they are totally unqualified for the most important office at the most critical time, I can't help feeling sympathetic towards all those many voters earnestly wishing for change. My empathy extends to all those who enthusiastically gave their support and vigorously campaigned for one of these candidates. How bitterly disappointed they must feel as day in and day out this primary starts to imitate a TV sitcom. At this stage, we can only assume that both candidates have such utter contempt and built up hatred for each other's camps that they are each willing to drag their party down with them should they fail to get the nod.
Can anyone forgive the obvious and shameful arrogance being displayed by both candidates? McCain's lukewarm conservative supporters won't even have to vote as Democrats and liberal Independents will wind up voting for anyone but Barrack or Hill.
Hey, maybe even a late independent entry might stand a chance.

Romney throws in the towel.

2008-02-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

Mitt Romney, a very decent and likeable fellow, stepped aside today and thus gave up his run for the presidency. To me, he was, without a doubt, the most kindred and like-minded spirit in the race. It is a great disappointment to me that the nation has chosen instead to put their faith in others not as qualified, ready and able to solve the very serious problems we face. If change is what is needed, McCain certainly does not inspire. On the Democrat side, blindly rolling the dice and hoping for the best is not sound decision-making by any stretch of the imagination. Hoping to shed some weird notion of a national sense of guilt by putting a woman or a person of color into the oval office just because it would be a first and way overdue, is certainly not sound judgment. Both Obama and Clinton are but empty suits, er in Clinton's case, a pantsuit. If one imagined this race for the presidency as a genuine competitive business job search, neither would be considered an appropriate prospect based on their qualifications.
The USA is a large and unwieldy organization which needs someone with suitable experience to run it efficiently. Besides Rudy, who has already quit the race,no one else in the field of candidates even comes close to possessing Mitt’s experience in management and succesful decision-making abilities.
So what will we ultimately get?
Most likely, we will get an idealist who has never run anything and will appoint others and thus divorce him/herself from those vital responsibilities. Their decision-making process will be based on how persuasive those stand-ins who hover around the oval office are. Final decisions will result from vacuous “sales pitches” instead of being backed by solid experience in the matter at hand.
For Mitt's inspirational viewpoint on the historical principles of the USA and an honorable exit from the race, here is Mitt’s speech to CPAC. It's a good read and well worth the time.

"TRANZIS"

2008-01-12T23:50:00.002-05:00

Tranzis is a more convenient shortened word for transnational progressives coined by London lawyer, David Carr. This is one term that all conservatives will become aware of as we continue with the speedy process of globalization.
It is, in fact a new social class that is beginning to slowly deconstruct our national identity and ultimately our way of life. Some of the groups responsible for the birth of this movement consist of directors of multi-national agencies, international lawyers, organizers and functionaries of NGO’s, officers of worldwide mega-corporations and international agency officials. With slight differences between them but an overall common goal of establishing a global form of humanitarianism, they are starting to have an influence on the political landscape of many democratic nations. To paraphrase Samuel Huntington, their sympathies and loyalties are reserved for the institutions and ideas that promote its interest instead of the traditional institutions and their own national democracy. They no longer think in terms of cosmopolitan ideologies of democratic humanism. To them, nationalist patriotism is an outdated relic that corrupts international economic development.
Who, might one ask would readily embrace such a new fangled Utopian construct as our civilization’s highest intellectual achievement? After finally recognizing that socialist governmental constructs had proven to be one failure after another, adherents were cultivated in the usual breeding grounds for leftist ideology; university liberal arts majors, cultural institutions and foremost the main stream media. Anyone with strong opinions on the ideals of humanitarian causes is ripe for conversion.
So what’s the problem? Shouldn’t we all be social humanitarians?

Yes, but not at the expense of time proven and dependable institutions which posses both responsibility and accountability to their constituents.
”The Conservatism of the Future” by John O’Sullivan in this month’s New Criterion explains the real dangers of this process better than I could on my best day (note the familiar scenarios):

the shift of power from legislatures to bureaucratic agencies and the courts in domestic politics; the shift of power from democratic nation states to largely unaccountable supra-national bodies from the UN to the European Union, etc; and the development of ideologies that, lagging behind events, serve to justify these relatively new political practices and institutions as legitimate.

To sum up, Tranzi-ism is an ideology that extends regulation over the full range of human activity while exempting the regulators from democratic control by transferring governance from national democratic parliaments to unaccountable bureaucracies in independent agencies, the courts, and supra-national bodies.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-22T17:58:00.000-05:00

From my most humble abode.. I wish all of my blogging friends a joyous and festive Holiday Season. Even though it may seem that we're moving way too fast to stop, do not underestimate the exquisite sense of joy and satisfaction that is gained from the simple act of just s l o w i n g down life's frenetic pace.
Find peace within and it will assuredly radiate to others.

Happy Thanksgiving.

2007-11-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

Next Thursday, while sitting around the dinner table with family and friends, we, as tradition would have it, will introduce and discuss events and developments that transpired during the year. Hopefully, the reason is to express some level of gratitude and thanks for our good health and fortune.
But who are we thanking?
Some choices are fairly obvious. We will thank our parents or guardians for helping us to get to this place and time or maybe thank the family member hosting the dinner. By way of introspection, some of us will thank our deceased parent or guardian or even invoke an abstract entity such as luck, nature or fate. When we do this, we enter into the realm of the spiritual .... for who else can perceive our introspections?
Historically, the truly traditional concept of Thanksgiving identifies God as our great benefactor. It makes sense, in a way, because the inescapable essence of this day is rooted in religious symbolism. It was fairly straightforward and “understood” that only an omnipotent and omniscient entity is worthy (and capable of receiving) such an outpouring of gratitude from so many. As time passes, the spirit of the day is gradually becoming quaint and charming and the religious context quite outdated. Over the years, secular progressive types have been busy cooking up ways to eliminate the concept of a deity from this day. In most public events that honor this day, there seems to be a conscious effort to avoid any mention of God and instead there is a lot of talk about turkeys, sporting events and parades.
It is kind of depressing to see this “holiday”, like all the others, succumb to banal commercialism and entirely lose its fundamental identity.
Should there be something more on "turkeyday" than a day off with beer and a football game?

Red Sox 2007 MLB World Champions

2007-10-29T11:07:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, but this picture from the Boston Globe of Jon Lester's parents congratulating him had a strong emotional affect on me. Their obvious affection for him speaks volumes about strong family ties.
Lester's ordeal with cancer so recently did not hamper his winning ways in the least. Having pitched solidly and propelled the Red Sox to a 4 - 3 win and thus capping a series sweep. He personifies victory over adversity.
Congratulations Red Sox... for a wicked pissa season.

Red Sox lookin real good...

2007-10-22T17:56:00.001-04:00

David Ortiz and Curt Shilling celebrate the Sox's 11-2 win over the Cleveland Indians in the seventh game of the ALCS. The Red Sox captured their 12'th American League Championship. They will go on to play the National League champions Colorado Rockies in pursuit of another World Series Championship. GO SOX!!!!

Bush, fear mongerer?

2007-10-06T02:25:00.000-04:00

Occasionally when I’m bored, I like to look in on the ultra liberal Huffpo blog to see what new inane drivel is being offered there in an attempt at serious journalism.
I was not disappointed when cruising down to the third post I found what looks like a psychoanalytic analysis of President George Bush (sort of) by a Dr. Martha Stout. The good doctor is a clinical psychologist, author and instructor with impeccable credentials from Harvard Medical School, Mass General and other prestigious institutions.
After listing what appears to be her own historically researched 10 typical behaviors of leaders that use Paranoia to keep their minions under their control, she comes to the conclusion that Bush fits each of the ten descriptions and therefore is a “fear mongerer”. Furthermore, she hopes that in 2008, the country votes in someone who is not a fear mongerer. To paraphrase, someone who will not “wage emotional war against us” and “make our worse fears his best friends”.
I wonder if our good doctor ever heard the expression…. Is it still Paranoia if it’s real?
Dr. Stout’s dabbling in political history (an area of study somewhat removed from her field of expertise) makes it easier to understand why from the early days of the 1930’s until the Nazis invaded Poland in the fall of 1939, there was no successful “fear mongerer” who may have derailed Hitler’s rise to power. Countless of millions of innocent lives might have been saved. Were there academic elites with impeccable credentials admonishing the great unwashed masses to be weary of their leaders lest they “wage emotional war against their people”?
That was then. We should have learned a hard lesson from WWII but this lesson seems to have been forgotten far too fast.
Currently, there is a plethora of warning signs and even direct blustering statements from tyrants who want to wipe entire nations of the map. Islamic extremist terrorists have attacked and murdered over 3000 of our neighbors. Is history repeating itself ..... again?
I think the good doctor had better dispense a better prescription and take off the rose-colored glasses

Red Sox looking good!

2007-09-29T05:48:00.000-04:00

Red Sox clinch AL East crown.

Here's a pic of Dice-K

who pitched the winning

game and thanks to the

Orioles late rally beating

the Yanks in OT.

OH.. Happy days are here again....

General Betray Us ?!?

2007-09-11T16:57:00.000-04:00

Has the group MoveOn.org lost their minds completely? Their play on words is a disgraceful attempt to ridicule and otherwise cast completely unfounded aspersions on an honorable and distinguished military general that just happens to be in charge of the most pressing and difficult conflict of the present day.

To evoke the left's position and paraphrase the US Army lawyer back in the McCarthy days some 50+ years ago, I ask the MoveOn people; "Have you no decency? "

For the record, General Petraeus has earned credentials that are beyond reproach and is highly regarded by a broad spectrum of both military and civilian authorities.

I repeat emphatically; "Have you no decency? "

Missy

2007-08-25T17:23:00.000-04:00

Missy soaking up the sunshine after her daily patrol of the back yard.

Denali & Fairbanks, AK

2007-07-22T00:24:00.001-04:00

Travel log entry #6 (musings edition)

On our way up to Denali from Anchorage, we stopped for a stroll at this WWII memorial . When the Japanese Imperial forces captured a couple of the outlying Aleutian islands and were about to build some airfields to be able to be in striking distance to the US mainland, there were many battles to dislodge the invaders at a cost of many lives. The state of Alaska did not wait for a national memorial to be built and built this tribute to those who gave their lives in defense of their homeland. The grounds were silent and

serene.

We checked into the McKinley Village Lodge and soon were picked up by a converted schoolbus to take us to Denali National Park.
The weather was horrible with rain off and on throughout our stay in the park. The trip down the Park Road was very scenic in spite of the weather. We strolled into the woods to see the Savage Cabin, a preserved backcountry log cabin and listen to some of the history of the early settlers.
Unfortunately, this was not one of the few days out of the year

when Mt McKinley was not obscured by cloud cover. No pictures of Mt. McKinley, or in Athabaskan... Denali.. "the high one".

With an amazing stroke of luck, I captured this scene of a lynx in pursuit of a snow hare... OK .. I admit it, it was only a display at the park museum.

Note the big feet on both animals.. kind of like built-in snow shoes.
We spent more time in the museum than in the park environs due to the poor weather. Ah, maybe next time.

We visited Jeff King's Goose Lake Kennel A/K/A Husky Homestead. Jeff is a four-time Iditarod Champion. Here's
Linda with one of the husky puppies. They were adorable.

Jeff and his crew are real masters at the sport of dogsledding
and showed us his training techniques and judging from his
recollections of his early days in this sport, he truly loves the

sport and treats his dogs with care and compassion.

We traveled in luxury from Denali to Fairbanks on the famous
Wilderness Express railcars. This is a two story railroad car that has a wrap-around glass upper viewing coach with wide comfortable seats and full bar with gourmet dining on the lower level. The prime rib was excellent.

The scenery was fantastic. This photo shows the Nenana River deep down in the gorge. The viewing was great all the way into Fairbanks.

While in Fairbanks, we stayed at this place on the banks of the Chena River. A lot of younger people sign up for trips to Denali where they will camp out for a couple of days and stay at a lodge the 3'rd day, etc.. Sounds great, this way one can get a good hot shower and comfy bed every 3'rd day.

Since it was Sunday, not many places were open in downtown

Fairbanks. We had lunch at this place. Burgers and fries but not bad. The help consisted of young college girls from the University of Alaska just outside of town.

Note the flowers cascading from their window boxes. Everything was in bloom while we were there.

This is the Unknown First Family sculpture located at the Golden Heart Plaza. It is surrounded by comfortable wooden bench style
seats. After scouring the downtown area, it was great to just sit here and listen to the water fountain as the splashing of the water was hypnotically soothing. As I sat there, I felt the sun on my neck and realized that it was hot. Temps were around 80F.
This sculpture was an example of wisdom in public statuary. By calling the first family "Unknown", the sculptor honored both the native indians who settled here eons ago and the first modern settlers.

These flowers surrounded the entire plaza. They were everywhere. Had I more time, I would have taken hundreds of flower pics.

The Chena River runs right beside this plaza. It is also a glacially fed river and has a dark sandy appearance as it is filled with fine silt. The river is wide here so it looks very peacefull but in areas where it narrows, it looks like wild rapids with continuous white water.

We visited the Eldorado Gold Mine and saw a real active gold mine in operation. Our effort at panning produce a combined $26 worth of gold after we had it weighed. Sorry, no nuggets, just some flakes. At the weigh station, there was a display with a 28 ounce nugget (approx worth $20,000+) which they graciously let us handle (but only near the counter).
Later I snapped this picture of this Piper Super Cub landing near the Riverboat Discovery on the Chena River. It seems almost evryone here owns a truck and a plane. The riverboat made its way past Susan Butcher's (Iditerod Champion) homesite and on to

the Chena Athabascan Village on the huge Tanana River.
Here is a raindeer (AKA Caribou) that was one of many at the Chena Village. They were very uncomfortable today due to the heat (close to 80F) and no wind. Those antlers must weigh a lot.
At the village there were many displays of routine daily activity of a typical Athabascan village both past and present. All the guides were Athabascan natives.. mostly young college-aged girls.

Well that's it. We took an Alaska Airlines flight from the Fairbanks airport to Seatle. I took this last pic from the plane as we cruised at 30,000 feet above the Coast Mountains in British Columbia.

Left Fairbanks at 4PM Monday and landed in Boston Tuesday 7AM in dense ground-clinging fog. A nerve-wracking landing.

Seward & Anchorage, AK

2007-07-21T22:30:00.001-04:00

Travel log entry #5 (musings edition)
We said goodbye to the Radiance of the Seas here in Seward.
It was early in the morning and we hopped aboard a bus which will wisk us to Dinali with a quick stop-over for lunch in Anchorage. We saw nothing of Seward but managed to get a pic of the section of the ship where our cabin was.

To get to Anchorage from Seward by road, there is an obstacle
which needs to be by-passed adding about an hour to the drive. It's called the Turnagain Arm. It is an offshoot of the Cook Inlet.
From March to October, 1778, Captain James Cook under instructions from the British Admiralty, cruised from Vancouver Island to the Arctic Ocean looking for the illusive Northwest Passage. This inlet was aptly named since both the ships commanded by Cook, Resolution and Discovery, had to "turn again" when they were blocked by land. After his fruitless search, Captain Cook sailed back to Hawaii were he met his demise just five months later.

Our timing was right and we managed to catch a shot of a tidal wave(tidal bore). Note the thin white line stretching accross the inlet. When the tidal forces are at peak, one can

surf the wave all the way inside the inlet.

Here's Linda with bags of souvenirs (ulus) and a polar... er brown bear on 4'th Ave in downtown Anchorage. We had very little time there so we grabbed a couple of raindeer hot dogs. They didn't taste like chicken, they tasted like ballpark franks, actually.

Here's a pic of old city hall, now a visitor center. The flowers used in the public spaces are an amazing explosion of colors.

It's as if the growth cycle is at full speed... condensed in the seasonal duration but given reprive with endless daylight.

This is the biggest and busiest city that we have encountered in Alaska so far.

Icy Strait Point & Hubbard Glacier, AK

2007-07-19T22:03:00.000-04:00

Travel log entry #4 (musings edition)

Pristine Alaskan wilderness. Even though it was cool and rainy, we combed the beaches for some souvenir pebbles and shells with some great finds. This is the site of an old historic cannery built in 1912 and is in close proximity to the town of Hoonah (population 800).

A short hike through these old growth woods was

full of surprises.

It was cooler and it rained off and on. The Tlingit people kept the traditional wood chip fire going on the beach and invited us to join them. We joined them in placing our cedar wood chips in the fire and thereby sharing in the legacy of all those who set foot on these shores. After some small talk we rushed to a small eatery and remained inside until we warmed up.

We tendered back to the ship and found this. It was another towel creation which looked like an aardvark wearing my sunglasses and relaxing on our bed.

The next morning we arrived at the Hubbard Glacier, 1,350 square miles of blue ice. The captain announced that there was a small earthquake in the area (4.2 rs) and much ice debris choked the inlet to the glacier. He promised to do his best to get us in close.
Here is a pic showing the bow of the ship as we cruise into the inlet. At this point we are about two miles out.

This is as close as we could get. Within a half mile or so. It was very cold here with wind chills that made my stay outside short. While taking a few shots from the bow I heard continuous thunder and very loud rumbling noises in the distance. The sound, I learned later, was the result of the constant cycle of blockage and release movement of this massive river of ice over bedrock.
There were some house-size chunks of ice but the captain was able to stear around the bigger ones.

After an hour outside freezing, I ran inside.

These two pics were taken from the dining room

while enjoying a hot breakfast and thawing out.

One can see the leading edge of the glacier on the right side.
The captain was doing a couple of complete slow turns (360's) so that everyone aboard was able to view this amazing wonder.

On our second rotation, I snapped this pic. The little orange craft was a rescue craft dispatched by our ship in a practice/training run. It also had a film crew aboard to capture scenes for an upcoming movie. Sorry, didn't get more details.

While here, there were representatives from the local native indian tribes. They informed the ship over the intercom system facts about the glaciers and a brief history of their people.

We got to meet and chat with them a little later. Here is Linda with them in their tribal regalia. She is wearing a kind of tribal shawl made from a fur-bearing animal. It was placed on her shoulders as a symbol of tribal protection. They told us that they believed that tribes such as the Apache and Navajo are distant cousins and continued south during the ice age migration over the Bering Strait.

Skagway, AK

2007-07-17T22:38:00.000-04:00

Travel log #3 (musings edition)

If it's Tuesday, this must be Skagway. This is a small town with a small airport. Back in 1897, this was the staging point for 100,000 men and women to reach the Klondike Gold Strike at Bonanza Creek, Yukon Territory in Canada. The gold fields were over 70 miles from this town. Skagway was the closest point with a harbor at that time. The problem was that in order to get to the gold field, the gold seekers had to get themselves and their supplies through some of the most perilous landscape imaginable. The White Pass route into Interior Canada was such an obstacle that only 30,000 to 40,000 actually made it to the Klondike and only about 4000 struck it rich. The most notable attraction here is the famous White Pass & Yukon Route railroad which traverses the perilous landscape all the way to Whitehorse, YT, some 110 miles inland. A traveler cannot come here and not take the ride on this incredibly scenic route in restored antique passenger cars. So we did just that and were able to get a few good pictures.

We were sure glad they built a more modern bridge a little bit further down the line. This one was not looking too good.

This is a small glacial lake at the higher elevation

about the 26 mile point near Fraser, British Columbia. It's a good thing that we had our passports, the RCMP's looked like they meant business.

Many of the journalists that came to cover the gold rush never quite made it to the Klondike and were forced to turn back. They had to report something.. and hence the name of this town just outside Skagway. Some reports were so outragiously exaggerated and complete fabrications that the locals decided on a most appropriate name and it stuck. People in period costume entertained the visitors with song and dance and there was more baked salmon and more..you guessed it... Alaskan Summer Ale.

Back in town, we toured this place. Yes, it's a vintage period brothel in the middle of town. I told you they cherish these places here.

The dolled-up "madam" of the house, showing way too much cleavage, took us upstairs, so to speak. There our small group was treated to some wine for the ladies and Alaskan Ale for the men. The rooms were tiny (just enough for a bed and dresser with large mirror and no windows). I soon found myself to be the victim of one of the madam's raunchy jokes during the tour... something about taking only a couple of minutes... when explaining the "trade". HA HA HA. Ok, it was funny.

Back on the ship, we find this towel elephant.

Linda cracked up.. I think it's a little creepy.

Judging from previous cruises we took, this one wasn't bad.

The ship's captain was kind enough

to anchor just a short distance away and we were able to watch the fireworks display. Sorry no fireworks pictures. This one shows the harbor as we sailed away. Note that this was near midnight and it never did get completely dark.

Juneau, AK

2007-07-15T20:39:00.000-04:00

Travel log entry #2 (musings edition)

Named after Joe Juneau who discovered gold there back in 1880, it is now the capital of the state of Alaska. Under Russian rule, the seat of government was Sitka situated SW about 100 miles away. Interestingly, this city is accessible only by ferry, boat or plane. No roads lead in or out of town. Reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode where people kept winding back in town no matter where they went. Nestled between Mt Juneau and Mt Roberts, it is the 3'rd largest city in Alaska. Still rather overcast, we visited Mendenhall Glacier which offers visitors the convenience of access without much of a hike. It has a glacier lake where there are tourist and park facilities. Walking along the shore, we noticed that the water appeared muddy. It was full of suspended fine grain stone dust from the crushing weight of the glacier grinding its way over mountains of solid rock. This is a common theme since most rivers here are glacier fed. After spotting some small beached icebergs which "calved" off the glacier, we saw a fellow tourist chewing on a piece that he broke off. His wife exclaimed in a panic-filled voice "Did you just eat that?!?" Ancient germs, anyone?

The visitor center has a giant glass-walled observation deck where glacier gazing and drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee just seem to blend together harmoniously.

On our way back to town, we stopped at the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. At the site of an abandoned gold mine camp in the middle of the woods, we partook of some King Salmon baked over an open fire and topped with a kind of sweet sauce. Alaskan Summer Ale ... the perfect accompaniment. We ate sitting on wooden benches underneath open-air log constructed buidings listening to a local folk singer singing and playing her guitar. This picture is of a mountain fed river that is typical of where gold was panned for. This was a short hike from the salmon bake. We will get a chance to devote some time to panning for gold later. I think I'm catching gold fever.

Back in town, we went up Mt Roberts on the Tramway to the top where we hiked some easy trails and spotted some Bald Eagles whizzing by. The views from the top were magnificent and we learned some Tlingit expressions at the Mr Roberts Pavillion. "Gunalcheesh" .. Thank you. Also, within the Tlingit nation, marriage is always between diferent clans such as the Eagle and Raven clans. Note the word "eagle" on the side of the tram.

Since we still had not passed out from exhaustion, we thought we'd get a couple of drinks in town before going back to the ship.

The Red Dog Saloon, a honky-tonk establishment with an old fashioned piano man whose job it is to lead the patrons in sing-a-longs of popular period songs and off-color jokes was

the theme. That's Mrs roman A/K/A Linda, striking a pose at the left side of the doorway. Atten-hut! It was crowded so they seated us with two other couples from southern Illinois. Soon enough, we were singing and drinking and being rowdy (Alaskan Summer Ale).

Drinking a lot. The piano man was uniquely

qualified and skilled at his craft.
Here's a pic of the inside with piano man.. note the sawdust covered floor and arm-bending chug-a-lugging patrons.

Ketchikan, AK

2007-07-14T22:11:00.001-04:00

Travel log entry #1 (musings edition)

Ketchikan .. The first stop our ship "Radiance of the Seas" made sailing north from Vancouver while cruising the Inside Passage.
It is Sunday, July 1'st and its overcast, cool and wet. This area is a temperate zone rain forest area. The native Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian indians are culturally similar to indians in Washington and Oregon but their languages are different.

When the clouds occassionally break and a sliver of sunshine pours in, the natives call this phenomena a "blue cloud". Totem poles are not religious, unless, of course, "nature" is considered a deity. Instead they represent an emphatic statement similar to a public record describing both their history and their mythology. Even though it was rainy and overcast, the Tlingit natives displayed warmth, enthusiasm and pride in their heritage. Potlatch Totem Park and Totem Heritage Center are places where a visitor can learn and

experience this rich culture directly from the natives.

In the afternoon, the sun finally peeked through

while we strolled historic Creek Street with its

infamous red light district and bawdy past.

Fine looking ladies dressed in period costume with feathered boas beckoned us in for a $5 tour of "Dollie's House", a well preserved but long-time defunct brothel. We passed on their invitation knowing that these old-time houses of ill repute are cherished in every town in Alaska and we will visit one later in Skagway.

Since this is the Salmon capital of the world and the creek was running fast and wild, try as I may, I didn't spot any salmon swimming upstream. Maybe they finally caught on to the idea of waiting for calmer waters?

Downtown modern Ketchikan with its 70 (last

count) jewelry stores. If a tourist comes here and just goes kayaking, ATV riding or floatplane

bear-viewing without taking in the native heritage sites, they will be missing a great deal.

Besides, those things can be done just about anywhere these days.

We did buy some warmer clothes and the usual embroidered hats and T's. I even hung a pair of binoculars from my neck to round of that special "tourista" look. Walking around downtown with binoculars... what was I thinking!

Alaskan Summer Ale... nectar of the gods!

Alaska

2007-06-24T22:45:00.000-04:00

Traveling .... checking out the not-so permafrost. Hopefully be back July 11 with pictures of a few glaciers and Mt McKinley. Hopefully I won't have to cut open any wolves to defrost my hands.. apologies to Jack London.

Demoralization

2007-06-09T22:04:00.000-04:00

A former KGB agent tells of a program of psychological subversion implemented in the USA back in the Andropov days. Interestingly, a lot of what he claims is readily recognizable in many left leaning elites both in government and academia. The YOU TUBE piece is very interesting indeed.
Are the far fringe left liberals amongst us mindless zombies programmed to fulfill the Marxist/Leninist agenda? This is akin to a really bad "B" movie story line.... but it still makes one think.

SYRIA, Land of the Free!

2007-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

Another clear and resounding ring of freedom's bell has resounded for all the world to hear.

This news will bring tears of joy to all freedom loving peoples everywhere. Last week, in a national referendum, Syrian President Bashar Al Assad secured an overwhelming vote of approval for continuing his presidency for another seven years.

Amazingly, voter turnout was an astounding 92% of the Syrian population with Bashar capturing an overwhelming 97% of the vote.

Of course, he ran unopposed and the polling figures could not be independently confirmed.

Goodbye Tony Blair and Thanks.

2007-05-17T17:36:00.000-04:00

Many years from now, Tony Blair, along with George Bush, will be recognized as "heroes" and visionaries in the global war on terror. They gave up their political ambitions in an attempt to beat back the terrorist agenda to wreak havoc on the western world. Both have suffered greatly politically and personally for their beliefs and convictions. They did not shy away from their primary duty as heads of state to defend their nations and their people's way of life. They knew this war on these terrorists is not just about Al Qaida and Bin Laden, it is an unconventional and brutal world wide extremist religious movement that has been picking up momentum for the last 20 years or so with no end in sight. It is not going to end when Blair and Bush leave the stage. They were extremely hamperred in their mission by trying to fight this war under the weight of Geneva convention rules with conventional troops and outdated tactics. No force, no matter how powerful and sophisticated, can win a war when it follows ALL the rules while the other side ignores them completely and goes so far as to raise their offspring, like cattle to slaughter, to commit suicide for their cause. Asymmetric warfare must be met with a like kind response or else we might as well submit and surrender because we will just be fighting a delaying tactic and a very slow retreat.

Debunking conspiracies.

2007-04-13T17:52:00.000-04:00

I admit it, I love hearing and reading about the paranormal and supernatural. I'm also beguiled by all the popular and fantastic conspiracies. The 1969 moon landing was a movie set. Our government staged the 9/11 terror attack on the twin towers. "Nessie" occasionally cruises the Loch. Spirits of the dead haunt certain establishments. Vampires and werewolves roam the back alleys after midnight always just out of our line of sight.
When I get too involved with this area of dubious concern, thankfully, there is always someone with a much more logical perspective to set me straight. Just when I start to be persuaded that there may be something of substance in this that is worth considering, someone with a firmer grasp on reality comes along and pulls me back from the abyss. First it was James Randi. Here is a guy who put his money where his mouth is. A standing offer of one million dollars if any paranormal phenomena can be repeated under a controlled environment.
Just today, I was happy to discover Bill Whittle's "Seeing the Unseen" targeting all those of us that possess gullible natures and are occasional escapees from reality. Whittle, as usual, shows why he is a very entertaining and insightful writer and gifted observer of what is actually there.

Hillary-ous!

2007-02-12T17:43:00.000-05:00

How about a little political humour? Hat tip to Mike D.

The hanging controversy.

2006-12-31T15:10:00.000-05:00

Why the quasi-philosophical debate and bickering about whether to keep Saddam Hussein alive or string him up?
The Iraqi people hung him and two others just the same way as they do to many others found guilty of heinous crimes on an almost daily basis. The death penalty there is ordinary and customary. The court proceedings, after initial condemnation by the MSM as unsophisticated and backward, are now being judged by many as praise worthy and in the very least adequately sufficient to prove guilt or innocence. Why can't we just accept that this is their way of dispensing justice? Is it our view that the process is backward and in need of updating? We must keep in mind that this is a nation where the very first laws were actually codified some three thousand years ago at a time when "western" justice was whatever the strong said it was. It is time to end this elitist attitude that our sense of justice is better than theirs and respect their decision to mete out justice which has been honed over three millennia.
In retrospect, it now seems that a mistake was made when Saddam was taken "alive" out of that spider hole. His recent and unsuccessful request for a firing squad execution over such an ignoble end as hanging, clearly indicates his wish for an honorable military style end. Those original captors could have granted his wish and also those of the rest of the world by going in with guns blazing.

Death by Hanging

2006-11-06T04:18:00.000-05:00

Saddam Hussein is, without a doubt, a modern day murderous tyrant who terrorized an entire nation. Had he not been deposed by the coalition forces three years ago, he would have continued his cruel and despotic rule indefinitely. Not only that, but his murderous sons would have magnified the terror three fold and insured this nightmarish legacy would continue even further into the future. For the countless victims of their crimes it is appropriate and just that their lives should be cut short. The sons have already paid their debt and now the final chapter must be written. Yes, there is no place on this earth for monsters like Saddam Hussein who with the stroke of a pen condemned hundreds, if not thousands, of men, women and children to agonizing death. We cannot in good conscience look through Hussein's eyes and contemplate mercy. We must look, instead, through the eyes of the many victims and recognize the unspeakable horror moments before death mercifully claimed them. Those victims, whose bones are scattered under the sands surrounding Baghdad, implore us to shed no tears when the hangman does his deed.

The Architect.

2006-10-30T04:02:00.000-05:00

Is Karl Rove a plus or minus for the USA? His political genius is evident by the mere fact of his villification by the left. The press has been having a field day accusing him of everything short of eating babies. What is it about him that creates such heated and passionate feelings even after he was completely cleared in the Valarie Plame fiasco?

UPDATE: 11/4/06
UPDATE: 11/4/06

Question: What does Karl Rove and the events concerning the disgraced Rev. Ted Haggard have in common?
Answer: NOTHING
Don’t tell that to Martin Lewis. His amazing aptitude for creating negative political associations where none previously existed is astounding. His attempt at humorous analogy is nothing more than a poorly constructed cheap shot.
Huffpo's standards have reached another all time low.

Scary car.

2006-10-28T07:07:00.000-04:00

Just traded in my seven year old huge gas guzzling clunker equipped with a V-8 engine for something a little newer and environmentally friendlier. In the spirit of Halloween I could'nt help but think about the fact that some cars are, well, scary. You know, the kind that make you wonder what kind of person would design, and worse, what kind of person would buy and drive it.
"What were they thinking?" springs to mind.
From Tom & Ray Magliozzi's Car Talk "Top 10 Scary Cars" here is the one that scares me the most:

2004 Hummer H1
Scary for: Society, the environment and therapists

When you stop to think about what kind of person would buy a Hummer, you begin to worry about the future of our country. This is a person who feels so inadequate inside that he has to drive around pretending the 82nd Airborne will be backing him up in his next argument over a parking space. On the environmental side, the Hummer burns through resources like there's no tomorrow. And if enough idiots keep driving them, there won't be.

Intended terror victims or racists?

2006-09-20T20:23:00.000-04:00

Let me share an observation with you which was inspired from recent visits to various blogs and their comments sections. As a reason/excuse/explanation (pick one) for recent plots and actual horrific attacks on “western interests” and innocent civilians by groups of Islamic terrorists, a few progressive bloggers plus some of their commenters have appointed themselves to be apologists for the Muslim faith and are going so far as to try to squelch any debate by employing offense as a substitute for defense. While most everyone knows that Islam is a respected world class religion with over a billion practitioners who just want to live in peace, it hardly needs these few individuals to defend it everytime its name is even mentioned. Many bloggers who follow current events and write about their fears and apprehensions are doing so because they are genuinely concerned. As concerned citizens of a country who has been singled out publicly by various Islamic inspired terror groups who are busily concocting ways to target and kill the largest amounts of innocent men, women and children, it is not unreasonable to see the results of this terror being made manifest in many fearsome dissertations by various bloggers and a multitude of commenters. Occasionally I am shocked and deeply saddened by a few commenters, mostly with anonymous and non-identifiable credentials, making light of these expressed fears and insulting the authors of same. Their modus operandi are varied but two methods are being utilized most often and effectively.
The first method I’ll call the “odds” argument. It goes; “Don’t you know that the chances of being a victim of these terror groups is “infinitesimally small”? “You have a better chance of drowning in your bathtub or getting hit by lightning than becoming a terror victim”.
The problem with this argument is that it only takes into consideration what has happened and is happening right now with absolutely no regard as to what may develop in the future if the problem is not addressed in some way. Here is a revelation; we do not live in a futureless dimension. As technology advances and many forms of WMD’s become readily available and buildable, those odds may start to become very worrisome indeed. A small compact “nuke” or dirty bomb can kill the inhabitants of a whole city. What are the odds that the terrorists will remain “insignificant”? Do we in the meantime do and say nothing?
The second method I’ll call the “bunching all of Islam” ploy. Here, whenever someone complains that these attacks are primarily by Islamic fanatics (which is true) with the hope that the overwhelming majority moderate Muslims will sympathize with the victims and join in condemning the terrorists, these apologists call us bigots, racists and hypocrites. This method utilizes the tactic of subversion by intentionally misinterpreting any mention of Islamic terrorists groups as a racist remark against all of Islam. So if one writes that a group of Islamic terrorists plotted to bomb an airliner they will completely disregard the words group and terrorists and claim this to be a racist slur and an insult against all of Islam.
Employing these tactics the apologists attempt to obfuscate the true intent and create an aura of confusion against entirely appropriate fears and concerns by those who are the legitimate intended targets of these Islamic terrorist groups and thereby hoping to nullify such concerns and dismiss them as unworthy of mention.
Instead of joining in the condemnation of these vile and horrific acts, these individuals add insult (literally) to injury.
These apologists have no faith in the ability of other bloggers and commenters to be able to discern the difference between the few fanatical Islamic terrorists which are sowing the seeds of terror and the overwhelming majority of peace loving Muslims. Another revelation; the vast majority of us bloggers are not ignorant misinformed cowboys but concerned citizens with genuine security issues for the future of our families and our way of life.
Most of us do understand that the few individuals who make the mistake of vilifying all Muslims for the actions of the few misguided terrorists need to be corrected immediately to prevent any kind of backlash from occurring but that does not apply to everyone who writes the word Islam or Muslim in the same sentence as the word terrorist.
An understanding of the basic fundamentals of law and order should be sufficient for all members of today's modern civilized society to vilify the terrorists instead of making ad hominem attacks on the intended victims.
I always thought this was an “understood given” but I guess I can’t assume anything anymore in this new and supposedly improved "progressive" age.

Where is Rove's apology?

2006-09-07T21:05:00.000-04:00

A tempest in a teapot. Much ado about nothing. I could recite a few more well known thespian phrases describing the Wilson-Plame fiasco but we all know partisan political trash when we encounter it. All the far left wing liberal publications and blogs who have been continually vilifying Karl Rove for "outing" Valerie Plame should now offer some kind of apology or at least a "correction". Recently revealed facts do not support the accusation and a reddish hue is setting into the cheeks of some of the loudest proponents of this baseless journalism. Their almost pathological mantra of continuously stating as undisputed fact that Valerie was an undercover CIA agent and Rove, that most evil rascal, "gave her up" without a second thought.
Who is they? The New York Times, LA Times, Boston Globe and just about all the left wing blogs.
There is a bunch more but who really cares at this point? The damage is done. No retraction, even if offered, will erase from the general populace the egregious partisan assumptions based on nothing but a seething hatred for the Bush administration. Are these the learned and respected professionals of the MSM and blogosphere who are supposed to be endowed with heaps of journalistic integrity? I am not going to hold my breath waiting for sincere introspection and an honest "mea culpa" from this lot. In their left wingnut world all is the way it should be. No mistakes were made. Move along, nothing to see here...

Technical difficulties.

2006-08-22T19:33:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, while furiously tapping on my keyboard and getting fellow bloggers "riled", which is never my intent but just seems to happen anyway, I suddenly lost my internet connection. After spending an extraordinary amount of time evaluating every possible software issue, I traced the problem to a 4 port Linksys router. The router after 6 years of faithful service is no longer "routing". My better half has the "host" system and my "client" system just piggybacks off her system. Strangely, I have been planning to buy a new router but it just seems that I never have the time. If it's not this it is that. Maybe it is because there are alternative systems available to me like the host computer and the one at work. If these alternatives were not available to me, I would have solved this problem a long time ago. I think there is a lesson in all this. Can't think of what it is, though.

A secular viewpoint.

2006-08-11T14:54:00.000-04:00

Wafa Sultan is a secular Syrian-American psychiatrist who currently resides in California. She tells it like it is on Al Jazeera in an interview back in February. Her interview is one of the best examples I have seen of someone calling for reformation of the Islamic faith. The woman is a magnificent speaker and expresses herself rationally and is not in the least flustered by her older scholarly opponent who repeatedly calls her a heretic and tries to intimidate her. I must commend her courage but also fear for her safety. So many individuals, who write or speak out against the injustices of fundamentalist Islam wind up being hurt or killed by religious fanatics.
Listen to her words, they are truly inspiring.

Are we safe?

2006-07-27T17:52:00.000-04:00

Reading this AP piece prompted a thought about a peculiar phenomena in our nature. The piece describes an Israeli citizen in Kiryat Shmona, a border town on the war-torn frontier with Lebanon. Her business property has just been heavily damaged by a Katyusha rocket and is on fire but she insists on running into the property to retrieve some things at great risk to her life and limb. When she finally comes back out, she has an arm full of papers. Life must go on, you know. It's amazing sometimes, the things people do in order to preserve a semblance of order in their lives. In this case instead of preserving the most precious thing, her very life, and immediately run for shelter, she acts in this rather odd manner.
I kind of understand it, though. We all want to maintain the routine of our everyday existence. Any disruption to this status quo is a trauma to our sensibilities. During strife of any kind, war, earthquake, flood, where our life is so badly disrupted, we say and do things that we hope, in our minds, will reset or recapture the very same conditions that existed before. Change the channel because this reality is not pleasant any more.
I fear that we are all a little guilty of this type of introspective mind game. A kind of self-censoring which prevents us from fully appreciating what the future has in store for us. Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Lebanon, Al Qaeda, Hizbollah, etc. When the news media consistently reports bad news day after day which logically should lead us to some very unpleasant conclusions for the future, we simply ignore it. No disruptions are allowed in our routines. The news is unpleasant so just change the channel. Everything is OK and we are safe and secure again. Gotta get some sleep.. need to get up early and get to work.

Is it a war or not?

2006-06-30T13:44:00.000-04:00

It is time that we make a decision? Are we in a genuine all out war with the Al Qaida type religious fanatics or not? It seems that the majority of the west is still very confused on this issue. On the one hand we have liberal minded intellectuals de-emphasizing the attacks. They say it really is not a war but just some kooks protesting our colonialist aggressions and thirst for their oil both past and present. These terrorists just happened to get lucky with some hi-jacked planes. Local police action will take care of the problem. Maybe, they say, in some ways, we brought this upon ourselves! No need to change our lifestyles.
Then we have the conservative intellectuals trying to "circle the wagons" in order to prevent future attacks. They place themselves alongside our military and are the sheepdogs protecting the sheep from the wolves. Sounding the alarm loudly but blocked at every turn by the liberals claiming over-reaction.
I confess, I'm with the wagons bunch. I value mine and my family's lives and I have no doubt there will be more attacks.
Fact: We, the west, were attacked repeatedly by certain followers of the Islamic faith who have interpreted the Koran to their own evil ends which include a seething hatred for most of our western values. These people do not value human life and do not distinguish between civilian or military, young or old, their own or others. They do not follow Geneva Convention rules or even basic rules of human rights of any kind. They do not even communicate in any sense of the term "good faith" since even lying and every kind of corruption is approved and commended by their personal spiritual advisors and teachers as long as they interpret their actions as advancing their idea of Islam.
Unknown: How many of these anti-western terrorists are out there? Less than 1% of all Muslims? 20%? More? The key is dialogue between intelligent leaders of Islam and the west. Human nature is such that if the affront of terror is on a sufficiently extreme and devastating scale, the ultimate backlash , I fear, will be such as never seen before in the history of mankind. The few corruptors can cause the many innocents to be sacrificed. No sane human being wants that.

NAU, fact or fiction?

2006-05-31T18:02:00.000-04:00

NAU “North American Union”.
There has been some talk, mostly rumors loosely based on finely filtered official press releases that the leaders of Mexico (Fox), US (Bush) and Canada (Martin) discussed more than what is recorded in the official transcripts. The "official report" states that the meeting in March '05 in Waco at Baylor University was to revitalize NAFTA and shore up a few associated issues. The rumor has it that informal discussions were held to explore the possibility of forming an “EU” style cooperative entity. This scheme involves more than just a free trade association like NAFTA. It encompasses open borders with free and open migration for citizens of all three countries, formation of a “union” parliamentary style government with a new “constitution” and all the administrative trappings (like a combined military force and judicial and executive powers and sovereignty). New currency would be introduced such as the “pesolar” as the dollar and peso would be phased out.
While I cannot find any corroborating news features on this rumor in the MSM, I can file this under the heading of “sheer speculation”.
I don’t think the public is ready to accept something like this at this time. Some of us might object due to nationalistic pride.
If it happened in Europe, why not here?
It does, however, place recent governmental activity in perspective. Some curious news events recently would lend some credence to this rumor. (1) The Bush administration having to be literally forced by outraged citizens on both sides of the aisle to act on the border issue. (2) The "elites" in the Senate want a "watered-down" border settlement with amnesty for illegal aliens claiming the term "illegal" does not apply to them. (3) The Mexican government’s recent focus on strengthening their southern border.
Can this rumor be credible?

St. Georges, Bermuda

2006-05-20T12:21:00.000-04:00

Well, we're off to sunny Bermuda from dreary, overcast and wet New England. Sailing from Boston on the Norwegian Majesty tomorrow. I am looking forward to being a lazy, alcohol imbibing, sunburned lay-about for the next eight days. I will go on my bi-annual scuba dive and hopefully withstand the searing pain as my eardrums implode. It's worth it though, there are just no words to describe that other world beneath the waves. The 200 or so sunken ships, that met their unfortunate fate on the coral shoals surrounding the island, make it exciting. Especially since these ships started coming to this island way back in the 1500's and most of them are in shallow waters. No fear of the "rapture of the deep" here. Beware though, the authorities do not allow us tourists to cart away any "souvenirs" (artifacts) from these wrecks and if you have a well stocked "goody bag" be prepared to give it up and await a full cavity search after your dive (only kidding). These wrecks are considered a national treasure and are guarded jealously.
Bermuda is a very expensive island to visit. The best deal (for those of us with limited resources) is to visit on a cruise ship. That way your lodging and meals are already paid for and all you need to spend money on are souvenirs, booze and side excursions. It is the most "civilized" place on earth with no real "poor" sections anywhere. It's middle-class and up!
I will take pictures and try my hand at posting them here when we get back. If using the ship's internet is less than $100 a minute, I will post from the ship.
Oh, BTW, for you folks who do not scuba dive, there is a side-excursion on a boat that offers a "helmet dive". Highly recommended but do accept and wear the "shorty" wet suit when offered. Keep in mind that this is the North Atlantic and at 20-25 feet under, it gets cool fast. It's a tethered dive with continuous air flow to a helmet which rests on your shoulders. The helmet has a clear glass face shield and the person can "walk around " under water and look like one of Captain Nemo's guests in that old Hollywood depiction of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Underneath the Sea".
Anyway, till then, Cheerio, blog mates.

Absolutely Discriminating

2006-04-22T11:31:00.000-04:00

(WARNING..THIS POST MAY BE EASILY MISCONSTRUED UNLESS READ WITH AN OPEN MIND)
Today’s proponents of Political Correctness are pushing the concept of being unconditionally and absolutely non-discriminatory in our every-day social dealings.
Must we treat everyone we meet equally? Is this even possible? Should I treat the guy in the next car who has just cut me off in traffic and gave me the finger, with the same care and respect as my best friend? Of course not. The absolutists in the PC crowd are pushing this "equal no matter what" agenda as if it's a given. This agenda is manifest as social pressure to conform to their interpretation of new custom.
To quote John Stuart Mill, "One who does anything because it is the custom makes no choice".
From early childhood on we learned that we form bonds and relationships with family, friends and associates just by interacting with them. We start not to treat them equally and we develop a discriminating sense of who we are more comfortable to be in the company of. “I like John, we get along great and he’s my best friend. Bill’s OK but I’d rather hang around with John.” Is this sense of discrimination OK or because of its sense of exclusivity, is it in fact a form of prejudice?
Was this a natural process with positive potential or was it in fact pathology leading to eventual racism? Is being comfortable around like-minded friends and relatives now a form of racism through exclusion? I think not.
Not many years ago, the term “discriminating taste” carried a positive connotation. Now, anything with the word discriminate carries instant rebuke from the PC crowd. It is as if the very nature of our “freedom to choose” is being hi-jacked. If we choose and make the “wrong” (in their view) choice, even if it is right for us, we are immediately branded by the absolutists as weak minded and maybe even racist and to suffer everlasting guilt for it.
My suggestion: Don’t fall into their trap. There is a difference between being discriminating and being prejudiced. We should never confuse the two.
Go ahead and continue to discriminate, not because of skin color, ethnicity or religious factors, but because of the person's worthiness. To be discriminating in our choices is part of our nature just the same as the qualities of fairness, generosity and respect for our fellow man.

A dream of heaven?

2006-04-06T18:14:00.000-04:00

Christie's just sold JMW Turner's rendering of a Venice canal scene circa 1841. It is called "Giudecca, La Donna della Salute and San Giorgio". I have seen some paintings by renowned artists in my day but this one is in a league truly of its own. Words could never be enough to describe the feeling of complete serenity this work conveys. It's like a most vivid dream in Technicolor. Truly a masterpiece. This is one time that (IMHO) the amount of $35.8 Million US seems like a fair price. I can't stop staring at this painting. If only I had another $35.85 mil US lying around, I would have this hanging on my living room wall and forego the latest episode of "Deal or No Deal".

REFUND! That's what I'm talkin' about!

2006-03-19T07:22:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm happy to report that I got through another tax filing season with some semblance of my sanity intact.
Recent studies in the field of issues dealing with memory and reason tell us that if we keep our minds sharp and alert by performing tasks that challenge our cognitative functions constantly, we will preserve these functions well into our senior years. Doing your own taxes is definitely a good example. As a matter of fact, it may be a little overkill.
Thank you President George Bush for keeping the tax rates at a "reasonable" level. Now start figuring a way to get most of our troops out of Iraq as soon as possible because I have a feeling that the "piper will need to be paid" for this (mis)adventure? sooner or later. A 9 TRILLION dollar deficit is about $30,000 (+ -) for each working family in the USA, if I'm not mistaken. I hope the Chinese don't call on us to pay those notes anytime soon. If they do, we'll be "up the creek without a paddle".
Is there such a thing as a politician who is fiscally responsible? Is it even reasonable to expect this?

Tax Time

2006-03-07T18:17:00.000-05:00

To my good friends in the blogosphere, I am in the process of doing my taxes. So far I have only just been able to gather the assorted documents necessary. I have also loaded up my spiffy new Tax Cut program. Since I am VERY detail oriented (cross the T) I will have the bottle of Excedrin Extra strength formula container standing by. There will be at least two or three late nights (till 3AM) of agonizing over deductions, earnings, depreciation, capital gains, dividends and the list goes on. I don't know how but somehow it all boils down to either a little smiley face or frowny face (the bottom line).
Here is a suggestion to the IRS for next year's 1040EEZZEE FORM. It's got only two lines so it really is easy:

1. HOW MUCH DID YOU EARN? ____________
2. SEND IT IN.

Well maybe not that easy.
Anyway, bear with me, I'll post again soon... PROMISE.

Terror ports?

2006-02-25T08:10:00.000-05:00

What's all the hubbub about our ports. It was OK when the Brits were administering them but now when a Arab owned firm takes control, its not OK? Hey, look at it from THEIR side for a second. Western oil, mining, and other corporations have been practically running their governments for them for the last umpteen years. With the exception of a few radical fundamentalists, THEY have accepted OUR unique Western "administration" for the most part. When it comes to administering a number of ports here, all of a sudden it's "they're all terrorists". These Emirates have kooks within their populace just like we have kooks in ours. Can we control all of the kooks here? Of course not!
So why are we so up-in-arms because a couple of terrorists were from there?
It makes no sense.
Look, this is a business deal. That's it!
Security will still be under US control and I am sure that because of this media spotlight, there will be even more security considerations.
We want to be multicultural and have THEM be more like US but yet we are condemning all Arabs because of a few kooks.
It's political grandstanding time using patriotism as the "hook". Except now, for a change, it's also a lot of Democrats using this ploy to gain "brownie points".
Its hypocrisy at its worst.

Riot

2006-02-17T16:37:00.000-05:00

The rioting going on in many cities in the predominantly Muslim countries over the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper should not be viewed as a unique event. Rioting due to some kind of grievance has been a common occurrence in countries all over the world throughout history. The people that are most affected by the rioting are usually the poor or disadvantaged who happen to live in those parts of the cities where the rioting takes place. Even though these rioting people believe that through their acts of violence and destruction, they are making a bold statement against their perceived oppressors, they are only hurting themselves. Each shop or business that is affected will most likely not resume doing business there again because of the increased risk of recurrence.
In 1992, the Los Angeles riots, caused death and destruction so severe that even now almost fourteen years later, many of the stores and businesses have never returned. In South-Central, there are still shells of burned-out buildings that remain unchanged and makes this district look like a war zone. Supermarkets and other stores, which were looted, never re-opened. Who were the losers in this? The people who lived there. They had to travel very far to get basic services like shopping for groceries, banking, a haircut, etc. Not only that but the jobs that these businesses provided were also eliminated causing further hardship.
It has always amazed me how stirred-up violent passions can be so destructive. It is a process where the rioters are, in effect, punishing their very own families and neighbors by their actions. The problem is that the people that suffer in the aftermath are always the people that are the most vulnerable amongst us and in most cases they do not even know why the rioting took place in the first place.
I don't mean to criticize those who boycott and protest but when there is violence, destruction and death, it just does'nt make any sense.

What and Where.

2006-02-08T18:45:00.000-05:00

A tag from one of my favorite fellow bloggers, Fahd Mirza, has prompted me to divulge some things that may give some insight to who I am.

Four jobs I've had:
Taxi Driver (Checker- Boston)
Sidewalk vendor of sweets/nuts (Haymarket- Boston)
Part time campus security officer-Boston College
General Manager - Commercial Printing

Four movies I watch over and over:
2001, A Space Odysey
Blade Runner
The Constant Gardener
War of the Worlds

Four places I've lived:
Genk, Belgium
Waterschei, Belgium
New York, New York, USA
Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Four TV shows I watch:
Saturday Night Live (if I'm awake)
CSI (all of them)
Crossing Jordan
Night Stalker

Four places i've vacationed:
Antwerp, Belgium
Hawaii (Maui)
Antigua, West Indies
Can Cun, Mexico

Four websites I visit daily:
All my links (well, almost daily)
Boston.com (news)
Wikipedia (resource)
Russia- Special Radio 6'th Button (music)

Four of my favorite foods:
Italian Ice (lemon slush)
KFC (crispy)
French Fries (MacDonald's)
Fried Fish (any kind)

Four places I'd like to be right now:
The last three where I vacationed plus Kauai.

Six folks I would like to tag:
Everyone that I dare to tag has already been tagged so I will
defer this part to a later date (promise).

Not funny!

2006-02-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

It is sad to learn about devout Muslims getting killed here and there on a daily basis protesting the cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad. It is also equally sad that there is violence and destruction being perpetrated by some Muslims in reaction to these cartoons.
Disrespect for religious beliefs as expressed in today's media had not yet reached the Muslim world before these cartoon depictions were somehow widely distributed outside Denmark. The distribution into the Muslim world needs to be investigated closely due to how it agitated and fomented rioting by the populace. Who gains from inciting these riots?
We, here in the West have had our religions insulted many times in the guise of "artistic expression". A couple of notable examples; the Madonna painted with elephant dung or the crucifix in a jar of urine by Maplethorpe. To make matters worse, the promotion of this "art" was paid for with our tax money. We have been gradually numbed and desensitized by these exhortations of "free speech" to such a point that the words "blasphemy" or "sacrilege" mean little to nothing. We have had our religious innocence gradually stripped away over the years. This process, however, is being exposed to the followers of Islam so quickly that they are reacting to this shock with anger and frustration. It's almost as if someone screamed "fire" in a crowded theatre and caused uncontrollable panic but in this case instead of panic it produced outrage and shock.
These cartoon depictions might not seem a worthy reason for rioting and violence to us here in the West but who are we to judge the religious fervor of devout Muslims? What could the world possibly expect after distributing such provocative images? Yes, I believe in free speech but the dissemination of these images outside of Denmark was irresponsible to the point of being criminal.

Country Justice

2006-01-28T11:20:00.000-05:00

I recall a story which was told to me a long time ago over a few beers at a local "lounge" near Rumford, Maine. It sounded like one of those "urban legends" but actually not taking place in an urban setting. It stuck with me all these years like some profound life lesson absorbed.

"There were two single middle-aged men who lived across the road from each other in the sparsely populated woods of Maine. Abe and Bob would wave and say hello to each other almost every day. As was the norm, each neighbor heated his home by use of a wood burning stove. The winters get to be very snowy and bitterly cold up in Maine and as such provisions have to be made, early enough in the fall, to have sufficient fuel to burn. This is important because it is not very enjoyable to have to cut, split and stack wood when the temperature hovers way below the freezing mark. Wood tends to have the consistency of concrete when very cold.
Abe was very conscientious and spent several week-ends of hard labor to make sure he had plenty of firewood. Neighbor Bob, however, spent much less time and thought he could get by with a minimum supply hoping it would be a mild winter.
By February, Abe realized that for some strange reason, his supply was disappearing faster than he had planned. He immediately called the local supply house and at great expense had several cords delivered to ensure a sufficient supply. By the end of February, Abe was shocked to find that once again his supply was disappearing faster than should have been possible and came to the realization that there must be thievery in play.
Justice is hard to come by in the woods especially when it involves "petty" crime. The local constabulary would be insufficient to identify and stop this outrageous violation of property rights.
Abe would have to resolve this problem himself.
He went and retrieved a piece of firewood, shaved a piece off the surface and set it aside on his workbench. He then hollowed out a space inside the wood and cut a stick of dynamite , taking great care to insure that only a quarter of it was used. He placed the segment of dynamite into the wood and glued the surface shaving back into place. To ID this piece of firewood he rubbed one end into the dirt and re-positioned it on his stack.
A week later, sometime in the wee hours of the morning, Abe was awakened suddenly by a loud explosion from across the street which was followed by sirens from the local volunteer fire department.
Abe smiled, fluffed his pillow a couple of times with his fist, rolled over in his warm bed and went to sleep."

Do we need Philosophy?

2006-01-14T20:14:00.000-05:00

Is it necessary? I don't think so.
It cannot even be properly and accurately defined. The term comes to us from the ancient Greek and means "love of wisdom". The thing is, however, that wisdom comes to us gradually and naturally whether we "love" it or not. Some say it is a method of rational critical thinking in a systematic and logical way. I think that people are born with this method already hardwired and in place. They may not be able to define it so succinctly but the method is "in use" whether we are exposed to Philosophy or not. Yes, it is interesting to learn and read about how the great "thinkers" of our past viewed their existence. It's fun to "connect" on fundamental levels with someone who existed thousands of years ago.
It's purely optional, IMHO, and should not be taken so seriously. Countless many have lived full and satisfying lives without being exposed to this academic interpretation for rational thought.
Can it help? It can if one finds joy in arguing and criticizing fundamental beliefs held "on faith" (on trust) by many.
Yes, enjoy the option but don't loose any sleep over it. Keep in mind that Philosophy's goal of discovering the absolutely fundamental reason of everything is a mirage. The closer you get, the more it fades away.

Enslaved by Ignorance?

2006-01-07T14:18:00.000-05:00

Spinoza said "If men may become enslaved by their ignorance, uninformed freedom of choice may take the road to disaster".
The government of the USA is described as a Democratic Republic. What do those two words really mean? Well, as most of us, I have not dwelt on this question much since those civic classes in high school.
Democracy is the "rule" by the majority of adults governed and a Republic is when the titular head of state did not acquire his position by heredity. Very simple concepts to remember. I wonder, though, if we really examined these concepts against what the reality is, can we still hold fast to our political identity? I am sure these two concepts have been debated ad infinitum on many academic levels. To what degree can each concept be held before it looses its true meaning or essence?
A Democracy requires good stewardship by "adults". An adult is someone who is of a legal age. That requirement seems skimpy to me. I know many adults who have reached maturity and have never voted and could not care less who is in charge of our government. So maybe we need to be "informed" adults to be good stewards of Democracy. Unfortunately, it is in our nature to be comfortable and as such we are creatures of habit. We tend to congregate towards like-minded friends, associates and even our sources of news media. We love to have our beliefs reinforced. It's comfortable and sometimes even pleasurable. "Birds of a feather flock together." Consensus is the mind magnet that blinds us to reality. Why upset this comfortable zone we're in by listening to opposing viewpoints? Because it is our duty as informed thinking adults to be open to all possibilities. To be good stewards of Democracy we need to break out of our comfort zone and actually consider "other" ideas. It takes effort.
Are our votes shaped by informed unbiased ideas or are we being "herded" by our own comfortable consensus and just "going along" because all our friends are of one mind?
If we dwell only on our side of the idea fence, is this not a self-imposed enslavement to ignorance? Thank you Benedictus. Point taken.
Do we have a Democracy? Hmmm.
How about the word "Republic".
Do we qualify?
Saddam and Uday? That definitely was no Republic.
No way, not here, not that kind of "all in the family" politics.
Can it be that we have an identity crisis going on? It is starting to look more like a modified monarchy when we examine the actual reality.
First it was Bush #1 and now it's Bush #2. Bill first and now, possibly, Hillary?
What's going on here?
I can't imagine that out of a possible three hundred million, we have to settle for sons and wives of past presidents.
It's just not logical to me that these are the best qualified candidates for the job.
I like the term Modified Democratic Republic, it has a nice modern ring to it.

Constructive criticism?

2006-01-03T15:18:00.002-05:00

When I read this piece in the Boston Globe this morning, I wondered whose agenda such statements advance. Democratic Rep. John Murtha being interviewed on "Nightline" said he would not join the armed forces of our country today because of our involvement in Iraq. Murtha, being a decorated Vietnam era Marine, commands great respect and gratitude for his noble service to our country. It struck me, however, that his remarks carry a lot of weight and will more than likely have some effect on this country's ability to attract enlistment in our armed forces.
It is troubling when considering that we are in the midst of fighting a war on terror. Have some of us already forgotten the devastating attack on our soil on 9/11? Is this just another anti-war critique that is designed to speed our exit out of Iraq? If that is the intent, why take this course of criticism which will undoubtedly have the effect of weakening not just our country's resolve but actually undermine our nation's initiatives and our ability to carry out our military options? I can't help but think that this is not helpful to our soldiers or our country's efforts worlwide, not just in Iraq. Rep. Murtha and some leading Democrats have recently been accused of having a "defeatist" attitude and for promoting failure in our country's efforts to stop terrorists from setting up safe havens.
Statements like these are apt to lend credence to those accusations.

Goodbye 2005, welcome 2006.

2005-12-26T18:39:00.000-05:00

Goodbye 2005.
It's during this last week of the year that I start to contemplate and reflect upon events that have transpired and people of note that have passed on.
Out with the old and in with the new.
As far as the old is concerned, every television station is cranking out their version of a "look back" with retrospective commentary and video clips.
The year 2005 was a busy year. Probably not any busier than previous years but so well covered by the media that it seemed that there was a non-stop series of natural and man-made disasters, tragedies and scandals.
A tsunami which claimed over 200,000 lives. An earthquake producing an estimated death count of over 100,000. Staggering numbers too high to rationally contemplate. Other well-covered events included Hurricane Katrina, the death of Pope Paul II, a report that an estimated 30,000 Iraqi plus over 2,100 US deaths so far in the WOT and removal of the Saddam regime. Governmental political squabbling taken to such an extreme that it would have our country's founding fathers shaking their heads in disbelief if they were around today.
These were not the good old days.
What will 2006 bring us?
Is the expansion of China's economy going to bode well for the average US worker? If we worried about manufacturing jobs drying up when NAFTA went into effect, this should really remove any doubt. Lay-offs in manufacturing will continue.
The budget deficit is completely out of control. Are the chickens coming home to roost soon? Stay alert on this one because it will have severe consequences.
When will our troops start to come home from Iraq and Afghanistan? Rumors are flying that at least the next rotation may not be replaced with a full complement. We should be that lucky. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Will Pat Robertson make some more outlandish predictions invoking the wrath of God on sinful cities? Please Pat, cool it for all our sake.
Will the far-left wing of the Democratic Party continue to worry more about suspected terrorists' rights than they do about our right to a safe and secure homeland for our families? Yes, as long as George Bush is still in office.
Will Google diversify even further? How about pharmaceuticals or medical services besides the books, classifieds, music, videos, mail and blogs.
Are the NY Yankees going to dominate baseball for the next five years with the recent acquisition of Johnny Damon? I don't think so. It may give them a slight edge but as recent history has shown, no guarantee. I will again root for the "less than rich" underdog teams in MLB and continue to hate the Yankees (except for Jeter).
Will the White Sox repeat? Maybe, but I'm rooting for the OTHER Sox!
Go Red Sox.

Good news? Dems.. NEVER!

2005-12-18T05:20:00.000-05:00

Just like the Grinch who stole Christmas, the hard-core left wing media leaders have another hyped "news" item to counter the successful and joyous Iraqi election event. The New York Times is again "sticking it" to the Bush administration and in direct extension, our country's efforts in the War on Terror and international reputation. One can recognize that this type of anti administration hype, when chronic, does extend its scope of effect and collateral damage to us as citizens of this country. I am all for "freedom of the press" but when there is a concerted effort to consistently put the government in a bad light, one has to wonder what the underlying agenda is. We are again being insulted, subtly and by extension, by these obvious and irresponsible partisan journalistic tactics and underlying anti-American bias. Yes, anti-American! It certainly is not pro-American, is it?
If we were playing soccer and these journalists were on our team, we would loose every match because they would make sure of that outcome.
This "earth-shattering" news flash from MTV, which is totally reliant on the Times piece, is just another hyped scandal in a series of attacks on the Bush administration.
Young Americans, take note: Bush OK'd spying on Americans.
What actually happened is that shortly after the devastating attack of 9/11, the Bush administration OK'd surveillance on communications between suspected terrorists overseas with their US sources by the NSA without the usual time consuming process of obtaining judicial warrants as a rapid response to confront any impending terrorist attacks. A logical, legal and necessary move to safeguard the country's citizens. Congress was consulted on this and all was OK. In 2004 this process was ended since it was no longer needed.
So why is this suddenly such an affront to our civil liberties?
BECAUSE THE LEFT NEEDS TO GET THE SUCCESS OF IRAQI ELECTIONS OFF THE FRONT PAGES ASAP. God forbid should the public at large get the impression that our country did something right and by extension give the Bush administration some credit.
Now, I know that some readers might say; "well that's just politics". I say, its the type of politics that drags the USA (and us as citizens) through the mud. It's an affront and an insult because it lowers our country's esteem and in extension, our very own dignity.
I am going to make a prediction here. Readers take note.
The next time there is a news report of some favorable outcome which reflects positively on the Bush administration there will be a "counter" news flash with something/anything of a negative nature which will remove and squelch the good news. Let's see.. I know. We start pulling some troops out of Iraq.... Lefts response: "Not quick enough, not enough troops."
It would be laughable if it wasn't so tragic for this great nation.

History in Iraq.

2005-12-15T18:16:00.000-05:00

Today is a historical day for the people of Iraq. They left their homes and walked to polling stations to cast their ballots. As is their custom, entire families took the time to express their wish to have a voice in the outcome of who will represent them. Consider that this ancient land known as the "fertile crescent" where Ur-Nammu and Hammurabi so many thousands of years ago decided to codify rules of behavior into the first recorded set of laws.
These families are taking a heroic step into a direction that will ultimately bring stability to their lives. It will not happen overnight but I sense that they know this and are willing to give it a try. This process will put in place an elected form of government which will represent their constituency for four years. After that time, the people of Iraq will decide again and by doing so perfect the process even more.
I salute the Iraqi people for their courage, wisdom and sacrifice and hope that their efforts will produce freedom and happiness for their children.

Merry Christmas.

2005-12-14T07:35:00.000-05:00

Here is a link that is very much worth going to. It was forwarded to me just the other day. It's a 3 minute show so enlarge the page, turn up the sound and enjoy this choreographed display of artistic ingenuity.
Anyone know the music?

Friend or Foe?

2005-12-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

Are Senator John Kerry and DNC Chairman Howard Dean aiding and abetting our country's enemies?
We are currently in a global war on terror. This war has been taken to the places where the extreme elements of Islamic fundamentalism manifest themselves the most. Afghanistan and Iraq. The US troops stationed in these areas need our support and encouragement because they are risking their lives for us and the Afghan and Iraqi people. What they don't need is politicians back home saying things like "the war cannot be won" and that they (our troops) are "terrorizing women and children".
I would like to address these two distinguished gentlemen as follows:

Senator Kerry, for your information, dangerous terrorist infiltrators that hide in residential areas still need to be pursued and captured. This means that searches sometimes have to be made in these residences for possible hiding places. Occasionally this has resulted in the annoyance of the local populace. Your comments that they are terrorizing women and children is an over-exaggeration just to gain some cheap political points at the expense of our troops. This is just another one of your comments that negatively impact on our country.

Doctor Dean, your comment about "the war not being able to be won" can only be described as "classic defeatism" which will result in lowering the morale of our troops. It also sends a message to our enemies. The message? Stay the course, the will of the American public to fight terror is on the wane.

The USA needs every friend it can get these days but with friends like these, who needs enemies?

Dark Energy, should we worry?

2005-12-03T08:26:00.000-05:00

It was recently confirmed by more accurate measurements that a phenomenon described as "dark energy", first observed a couple of years ago, is affecting gravity in such a way that it accelerates the expansion of the universe. This newly discovered expansion "effect" has galaxies racing away from each other at rates much faster than previously determined.
For a while now cosmologists took it for granted that the universe would end in one of two ways.
The "Big Chill" has the universe expanding forever. A dark and cold destiny as the stars would gradually disappear from the visible plane and matter itself would disintegrate and drift apart into ever more minute components.
The "Big Crunch" has the universe expand to a critical point and then implode into what can only be described as a super dense accumulation of "all that ever was".
Take your pick.
Gravity sucks, at least that is what Einstein's theory of relativity tells us. Energy and matter (stuff) creates gravity. The more stuff, the more gravity lets itself be known. If there is a small amount of stuff in the universe, there may be just enough to keep the expansion going endlessly resulting in the big chill. If, however, there is a lot of stuff,in other words, a lot of gravity, the expansion may cease and the process is reversed into a big crunch.
Now comes this dark gravity to instill another dimension of doom and gloom. Should this news disturb us in some way or should it merely be a curious scientific point of interest?
It does spark a hint of sadness, though. I guess the sadness is really the acknowledgment of mortality. Not our own but for the world.
Hey, but cheer up! We're talking BILLIONS of years here, so "break out the booze and have a ball. If that's all there is."
Yet, after all is said and done, there is another aspect to all this that is to be considered. This aspect depends on how we view our very own existence and our belief (or lack of it) in a creator. Belief in a creator does tend to change everything.

Gas prices and politics.

2005-11-28T17:41:00.000-05:00

When Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and knocked out approximately 30% of our oil refineries, the price of gasoline went up so high that consumers were outraged.
Who was the person that was vilified for this? George W. Bush of course. The reason given was usually some vague reference to his "cronies" and Haliburton. The common perception being that Bush and the Republicans control all aspects of the price and distribution of oil and its by-products.
After seeing this piece in the Wall Street Journal, the truth has more to do with partisan politics than that of established common perception. It is often very difficult to point to one specific cause for the price hikes. In this case its no long reach to deduce that a large part had to do with our refinery capacity (or lack thereof). After being blamed in large part for these price hikes, the administration has put forward a bill to speed up the process to approve and build more refineries at abandoned military bases. A logical move when one considers that hurricanes will more than likely strike again in the coming years, no new refineries since 1976 and the bases are just sitting there.
So you would think that it would sail right through, right?
NO WAY, it was blocked by the Senate Environment Committee; excerpt from the WSJ linked above;

"Noting that a House-passed bill to streamline refinery permitting also failed to get even one Democratic vote, Mr. Inhofe concludes the nation's refinery policy is now being held hostage to partisan politics. "In the next election, high gas prices will be one of the Democrats' big campaign issues."

This is classic Democratic partisan tomfoolery. The reason I focus on the Democrats is two-fold. One, the hypocrisy of blaming the other side and two, the lockstep nature of the unanimous votes. Next year when another hurricane hits the gulf, they will be the first to point the finger (and give it)to the Bush administration. In other words, block any proposal that is Republican conceived, no matter how critical, just to make sure that there is no chance of favorable press for the "opposition".
As usual, we, the average working stiffs are the pawns in this political game of one-upsmanship. We are going to have to budget another 30 to 50% more for gas money during the next hurricane season. Its amazing how the constituency's needs of these Democrats gets so little consideration and the depth of how low their regard is for the public which they swore to serve. Such arrogance should be remembered by every voter in the next election.

Thanksgiving and God.

2005-11-23T17:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving.

Here is something from the original proclamation that should be read by every member of the ACLU, the PC crowd and atheists who are constantly complaining about references to God in public discourse. The same crowd who wants to seculerize these United States to a point where the mere mention of God would be punishable by law.

"Do hereby recommend to the inhabitants of these States in general, to observe, and request the several States to interpose their authority in appointing and commanding the observation of THURSDAY the twenty-eight day of NOVEMBER next, as a day of solemn THANKSGIVING to GOD for all his mercies: and they do further recommend to all ranks, to testify to their gratitude to GOD for his goodness, by a cheerful obedience of his laws, and by promoting, each in his station, and by his influence, the practice of true and undefiled religion, which is the great foundation of public prosperity and national happiness.
Done in Congress, at Philadelphia, the eleveth day of October, in the year of our LORD one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, and of our Sovereignty and Independence, the seventh."

Time to start pulling out?

2005-11-19T23:10:00.000-05:00

Many Democrats have been calling for a withdrawal of US troops from Iraq for some time now. Senators Kerry and Kennedy have been repeating this so often that it has become too predictable and shrill. Now we have another voice which has been heard loud and clear. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) wants troops out within six months. I have the utmost respect for this man but it is not a good strategy to announce dates of troop withdrawals. Our enemy can sit back and gather their forces and once we are out they can pounce to disrupt the fledgling Iraqi government.
I know this might shock some readers that have followed my posts lately but the idea is starting to sound tempting. Oh, I don't propose we "cut and run" but at least the government should be drawing up plans for an orderly withdrawal as the Iraqi army and police start to take charge. I know that there can never be a pronouncement that specifies when and how many troops are going to be removed. This proviso should be clearly spelled out by the administration and the popular media should cooperate in this effort instead of playing partisan politics and seeking pronouncements which will endanger our troops who are in harms way.
Our troops have been targeted by the insurgents and too many are dying and being wounded. These insurgents have been identified as being mainly Sunnis from the previous ruling Baathist regime with a few Al-Zarqawi Islamic terrorists. They are making "hit and run" attacks which have been devastating to our troops. Some Sunnis are finally starting to cooperate, although grudgingly, in the political process. They finally are starting to realize that in order to safeguard their "tribal" portion of Iraq, there is really no other alternative.
I fear that as far as Al-Zarqawi, Bin Laden and like-minded terrorists are concerned, their nihilistic cause is one which will be a curse on the civilized world for the foreseeable future. Their insatiable penchant for killing has no end because they have set no goal to be achieved in order to stop their "mission".
The only way to combat them is by cooperative international intelligence agencies to ferret them out, capture and try them in an international tribunal. The USA is going to have to stand back somewhat. We cannot be the ones carrying the ball all the time. It's time to get the bench warmers in the game.

It's about time.

2005-11-12T11:38:00.000-05:00

Mr. President, what took you so long? You should have come out swinging a long time ago. I guess it's better late than never.
These highlights of your speech say it clearly:

"While it is perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs. They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein.
They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. Many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: 'When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security.' That's why more than 100 Democrats in the House and the Senate, who had access to the same intelligence voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power.
"The stakes in the global War on Terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who send them to war continue to stand behind them. Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. And our troops deserve to know that whatever our differences in Washington, our will is strong, our Nation is united, and we will settle for nothing less than victory."

So, 100 House and Senate Democrats also agreed to remove Saddam Hussein. Funny, but I did not see that reported with the same intensity and consistency as the "Bush lied" accounts. As a matter of fact, I did not see it reported at all with the exception of a few conservative bloggers and few, if any, MSM reports.
The far left Democrats still don't get it or just refuse to get it. It's a Global War on Terror and the US has its troops on the front lines of this conflict. Islamic radicalism is attacking our way of life! It's more than just politics as usual.
I understand how political capital is created on both sides of the partisan divide by the use of the news media. A news media that has as much restraint as a flea sizing up a dog's back.
However, when facts about how the decisions to go to war are distorted by the far left in such a way as to undermine the government's efforts, it's behavior that borders on insanity. Repeating the same false and scurrilous accusations over and over and over using every possible media outlet and hoping that they will "stick" is disturbingly obvious. It's sad and discouraging to find that many mainstream Democrats are "going along" with this tactic. This kind of outrageous finger-pointing partisanship can only strengthen the terrorists' resolve as they sense chaos and confusion on our homefront.
Let's hope that all the dramatis personae of this crisis will find their way back to more altruistic endeavors instead of the narrow and self-indulgent groupthink that is being offered as a benefit to the public good.

They are always waiting.

2005-11-09T22:55:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, on Saturday, I found myself raking mounds of leaves onto a piece of canvas resembling a king sized bed sheet. When the pile was sufficiently high and occupied every square inch of the sheet I would drag it to a low lying area way in the back of my yard. I keep dumping the leaves there. A huge amount of Oak, Maple, Ash leaves plus pine needles are always waiting for me. They are very familiar to me because this is a routine I repeat for four weekends every fall. Twenty years. The funny part is that by the time all the leaves are piled out back it looks like a small mountain. Then it all sinks down to the original level when Winter's rain and snow rest on it.
Even though I wind up with a sore back I actually enjoy the monotony of this routine. The cool crispness of the air, the smell of wet leaves like moldy mushrooms and neighbors saying "that time of the year again, eh?". I always get that deja vu thing going just like in the movie Groundhog Day. I hated it the first few years but now I enjoy and savor every minute of it. It's a Zen thing now. I work and work and before I realize it's getting dark and I rush to finish. I never just finish, there has to be a mad rush to complete something before the day is done. Then when its too dark, I finally relent and leave the field of battle. Once I'm in the warm confines of the house, I think about how I'll finish tomorrow.
The leaves are waiting.