fuckin horrible obit by the way. sorry amy. 
seriously. if you have not read them yet, your life has not reached anywhere near it's pinnacle. got to love sarcasm when it's dressed up like this on the interwebs. i admit, i may be one of a very small circle that finds this funny. but i stand by my convictions.
interwebs tells me jg ballard died today. searched for this article which i read some years back. contained a favorite quote. Modernism lacked mystery and emotion, was a little too frank about the limits of human nature and never prepared us for our eventual end.fyi penguin, that house is listed here. nice pics.
What is most striking about her is that she seems perfectly untroubled by either curiosity or the usual processes of thought. When answering questions, both Obama and Joe Biden have an unfortunate tendency to think on their feet and thereby tie themselves in knots: Palin never thinks. Instead, she relies on a limited stock of facts, bright generalities and pokerwork maxims, all as familiar and well-worn as old pennies. Given any question, she reaches into her bag for the readymade sentence that sounds most nearly proximate to an answer, and, rather than speaking it, recites it, in the upsy-downsy voice of a middle-schooler pronouncing the letters of a word in a spelling bee. She then fixes her lips in a terminal smile.the author speaks my mind. (thanks unk)
needed to remind (inform) a friend about the u.s. training of the mujaheddin in the 80s. this person had totally forgotten about the recent history leading up to what happened in sept '01. folks do not seem to grasp the extent to which the u.s. stirs the pot nor the consequences therein. excerpt: The last word goes to Zbigniew Brzezinski: “Prior to the devastating September 11 attack on the twin towers of World Trade Center, US ruling-class figures remained unrepentant about the consequences of their dirty deals with the likes of bin Laden, Hekmatyar and the Taliban. Since the awful attack, they have been downright hypocritical."because clearly we have the situation under control.
In an August 28, 1998, report posted on MSNBC, Michael Moran quotes Senator Orrin Hatch, who was a senior member of the Senate Intelligence Committee which approved US dealings with the mujaheddin, as saying he would make “the same call again”, even knowing what bin Laden would become.
"It was worth it. Those were very important, pivotal matters that played an important role in the downfall of the Soviet Union."
"What was more important in the world view of history? The Taliban or the fall of the Soviet Empire? A few stirred up Muslims or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the Cold War?"
i'm going to quote nearly the whole thing because i can't decide how best to paraphrase him, and frankly i'm not in the mood to write anything novel on the sad state of affairs. all i can say is the general voting public in this country has fallen to the level of a numb trash tv addict no longer capable of seeking and learning new information, formulating intelligent and (god forbid) well-read opinions, or functioning in society as a responsible/respectful citizen. ...In the past I have written about the "spiritual discipline against resentment." Well, after watching the Republicans it is easy to see they have no spiritual discipline whatsoever - in fact, Governor Palin's speech and most of the other sneering rants that oozed from the podium were the spiritual equivalent of resentment stoking. The R's have taken a page from the very worst identity politics of begrudged charlatans like Al Sharpton and and are now claiming to be the victims of terrible, condescending "elites and the media." They wear their alledged victimhood like thorny crowns, whining about their mistreatment. Never mind the fact that the so-called conservative movement has held sway in Washington for most of the past thirty years, and that Fox News and dozens of other media outlets are little more that propaganda machines for Republican party. Meanwhile, the Democrats have passively allowed the Republicans to engage in disasatrous wars and drive the nation ever deeper into debt while the so-called "media elite" has gone along for the ratings ride. What we witnessed last week was McCain's final capitulation to the very same "agents of intolerance" (his words) who once savaged him, spreading lies about the legitmacy of his daughters, his sanity, even his sexuality. So much for McMaverick! I thought mavericks weren't supposed to sell their souls.link
We need to be very clear about this, the alleged "conservative" movement is now a sham that has disintegrated into corruption and cronyism while diminishing American power in the world and bringing our economy to its knees (if not the knees of the nations that actually own us!) Real conservatives don't tax their grandchildren. Real conservatives don't cheat veterans. Real conservatives don't ignore the constitution. Real conservatives don't pillage the earth without a care for tomorrow. Real conservatives don't whine and wring thier hands about how put-upon they are. The truth is the Republicans are not "conservatives" at all, they are reactionaries. The party of Lincoln has become the party of George Wallace and Elmer Gantry - a shot-gun marriage of old fashioned greed and willful ignorance that is whipped into a froth of bitter resentment every four years. Governor Palin is George W. Bush in a skirt - a pretty smokescreen of train-wreck family values happily allowing herself to be used as a distraction designed to make people bury the hope for real change under a smoldering pile of fake resentments. While preaching bi-partisanship, McCain has chosen the low road of divide through fear politics. Shame on us all if he succeeds.
she kills moose. she hates cats. she'd rather eat polar bear than put them on the endangered species list (after all, she doesn't believe in human-caused global warming). only 1 of the 4 says she'll vote for her. 3 of the 4 are pro-choice and don't support palin's pro-life stance. at the end of the interview the group of friends who calls themselves the 'elite 6' state proudly how diverse they are. huh? what's diverse about being elite white middle aged middle class hockey moms? do you believe they identify with anyone who is not of that demographic? link
"Most of my experience with him was living across the hall from him. He was well known by his classmates and everybody that knew him as a very volatile guy and he would blow up and go off like a Roman candle at any possible time. He was very sensitive and touchy... John McCain is not somebody that I would like to see with his finger near the red button."
normally i am unfazed by celebrity endorsements or rants, but these days i'm reading anything and everything i can about this woman because she's a political nobody who could soon become our vp and potentially the pres'. so i stumbled upon this nugget tonight. not only is matt damon cute, he makes a solid point that's been brewing in my head since august 29 and takes a nice jab at oh-so-wholesome disney and makes a dinosaur joke. it's fabulous. the point that the media's avoiding: what if mccain, self-admittedly old as dirt, kicks it during his term and we get stuck with president sarah hockey mom palin. this woman has no friggin credentials. is anyone paying attention?
I need to know if she really thinks that dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. I want to know that, I really do. Because she's gonna have the nuclear codes.watch the video. it's worth it.
"God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gasline built. So pray for that."and mccain: huh. i got an idea. let's endorse the sturgis motorbike rally and win fans by offering up my trophy blonde - uh i mean arm candy - darnit i mean wife - for an absolutely degrading beauty contest.
"I encouraged Cindy to compete," he told the crowd. "I told her [that] with a little luck, she could be the only woman to serve as both the first lady and Miss Buffalo Chip."
do i get extra points for symmetry?
There are 3 of us, my sister from Manchester, England, my wife and I from Vancouver, BC, here spending time with our 82 year old father in a nursing home in Austin, Texas, dying of bone cancer. Our stay is indefinite, and we are relying on faith in God to help us through this ordeal. We can afford $500+ per month for a room with two beds with utilities included, and internet access would be nice as I am maintaining church website. Also willing to pay or work in exchange for accomodation. I am experienced in all areas of computers, webmaster, carpentry, electronics, engineering and a great handiman. My wife, [x], extremely clean, has accounting, booking keeping, computer and baby sitting/nanny experience. My sister, [x] has teaching, music, banking, child-care center and computer experience. Thanks.
Hello Renter
I saw you advert on CL,and i thought i should let you know that i am interested in it cause the fee to be paid and location sounds great to me as it is has almost what i am looking for in a place to live.
My name is [FIRST LAST IN ALL CAPS],a Hummanitarian nurse and also a make up artist,but keep my other job as part time/or i should say one of my hobbies
A little about me,i love to live with clean people,caring,responsible,neat type. I'm 5"7' straight,I will love to move in as soon as possible, but it all depends on the availability of the room,I speaks French and English, so you have the chance to learn french ,i am an interesting person to live with,I'll let You know more about me if i am to rent the particular room that you have to offer ,all i will want to know if the availability of the place
I will be anxiously waiting for your email ,I want you to know that i really need the room now and i am the serious type paying rent ,when emailing me please tell me more about the place if you have any and please tell me more about the place..
Kind Regards
[x]
Dear [kitty]:
I just wanted to see how you were doing. I am sorry that you were released this morning. I cannot imagine your sadness and disappointment. However, please know that it was a great honor working with you. It is indeed such an uncommon occurrence to encounter someone like you who has both the tenacity and moral integrity in a R&D environment. I will miss you tremendously. And my sadness of your departure is great. Please know that [*] and I will be praying that you find employment quickly. And please feel free to contact me if you need anything at all. Have a blessed day.
[officemate]
