8 Minutes On High

Today

September 30th, 2007 by Max

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Wednesday

September 30th, 2007 by Max

Thursday I bought new shoes.  Thursday I bought new sneakers.   This was a reaction.  Wednesday when I had my stress test, I didn’t have sneakers and my shoes … were simply too big.  So I ran on the treadmill in my socks.

Wednesday was a tough day.

100 miles of driving.   3 hours of work.  Blood test.  Echocardiogram.

Thursday was for shopping.

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Broadwing season

September 17th, 2007 by Max

Some of the better pictures from this weekend up on the hill at Franklin Mountain.  http://www.doas.us/franklinmt.htm

There were 124 birds Saturday and 338 on Sunday.  We saw lots and lots of birds, but broadwings are such that many, no, most of them are spotted when they’re going up and you can only see them through binoculars.

A shot like this                   was pretty lucky – but its from a previous year.

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Edgar and Charlie

September 17th, 2007 by Max

So I’m listening to one of my podcasts – in this case – Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me! – and the quips are flying fast and loose as their talking about the president and his mess. Someone says something on the order of Gen Petraeus will say whatever George wants. Watch to see if his lips move.

I thought … that’s amazing. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard people talking about The Dub, when he wasn’t the dummy!

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The other side

September 13th, 2007 by Max

I listened to the president’s speech tonight. Then I listened to comments on it. The commentators were hung up on the presidents assertion that we had 36 countries in Iraq with us. It may be technically true, but most of them had token representation. We are in Iraq. The British were in Iraq. Even a few Spanish and some couple maybe thousand Australians (that’s Aust RA lians mr president, not Austrians). So maybe 4. Maybe 5.

Anyway he said he wanted us in there long term.

Some say he doesn’t want to be held responsible for losing this war. He should be held responsible for all of it. This is HIS war. Mr Bush’s war. George the 2nd’s war.

He’s hidden behind Gen. Petraeus for 6 months. He’s told us to wait for Petraeus for 6 months. He’s told us that this would allow time for the Iraqi government to take hold.

But what I’m hearing is that pretty much all of the participants of the violence over there, don’t want, don’t trust, or outright hate the Iraqi elected government. The national government that is. And that government is paralysed. It simply cannot agree on anything meaningful.

So the Sunni in Anbar have banded against Al-Qaeda. That isn’t because we have more forces in there. At least I think not. Its because Al-Qaeda is killing the Sunni. And of course they are Sunni. But that makes sense when the Shiia in Baghadad are killing the Shiia in Baghadad.

And while they kill each other, none trusts or deals with the National Government.

George told us tonight – in the same speech. That brave Sunni’s have banded together to make the Anbar province safe for Sunni’s. Then he told us the leader of the Sunni group that is fighting Al-Qaeda in Anbar – was assainted by Al-Qaeda in Anbar.

From this we should take heart?

I’m beginning to think that Biden has the only answer. Break it up. Make three states.

And get out!

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Its simple …

September 12th, 2007 by Max

I can’t believe my government.

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September 11th

September 11th, 2007 by Max

This story involves some ethnic profiling.  I get it.  Get over it.  Some of my best friends are Arabs (or are they Semites? I forget).

5:54 A.M. I’m asleep in Huntingdon, PA. Beautiful, cozy, bed and breakfast. I have the alarm setup for 6:30. I know, I’m going to be waking up on the sixth anniversary of the attacks. I must have heard the bang in my sleep. Low. Thunderous, but low low, keep dreaming low. Then another one. I look out over Johnson City and see the results of the second explosion. The NY/Penn Trade Center? Maybe. But it was somewhere near there and it just was destroyed in a huge explosion.

I should say that I could always see that place, and the enormous American flag that flies over it, from my Dad’s house. I think the flag is still there.

In just a bit a car load of Arab looking young men comes flying up the hill and pulls into the house, across Fairview St and two doors up from Dad’s. As it drives by I look into the windows of this small old American K Car station wagon and my red headed old roommate Kevin is in there and my red headed nephew is too. They appear to be struggling to get free. The Arab young men appear to be laughing. I look back at the village. The dust of two huge explosions reddens the air.

I realize that my village is under attack and that these young men have taken my redheads hostage. I quickly try to get my sister and father and someone else who I can’t tell whom it is, into my car.  The adrenaline is pumping as two of them walk down the hill toward us.  One has an AK.

That’s when I wake up.

I work all day at the new site in PA. My boss said I could leave for Sidney after 2:00 if I’m done. At 1:00 I think I’m almost done.  At 3:00 I call the Inn.  “Hold my card.  I’ll be back for it soon.   I have to drive back to the Inn where I stayed, even though the guys at the plant find me a shorter way home the other way.

At 4:00 I leave. Hustle back to pick up my card. An amazing place this.   A woman has been waiting for me since 3:00. When I get there she gives me my credit card and warm cookies. (this part is not a dream.) I drive down the long tree lined driveway and out into the Pennsylvania hills where I struggle to find my way home. I change routes when I find I’m driving south on 144 instead of east on 322. I change my route since there’s no way I’ll get home in the light, and take the interstate through Scranton. I meet rain, traffic and construction in Scranton. I’ve never been through it when there wasn’t construction.

Finally I’m home. I grab my things and get out of the borrowed mini van. The last thing I see, before I pull out the keys and exit the car, a light on the dash … 9:11!

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A Quick Take on General Petreaus’ Report

September 11th, 2007 by Max

The general presents a thoughtful, sophisticated answer to a massive complicated question.

He came off well. And in a sense he brought good news. The troops will be brought down to pre- escallation (they called it a ‘surge’) levels by next summer.

But didn’t he just HAVE to bring some of these troops home. They’ve been extended already.

Still there is the small success in Anbar Province. But lets take a look at that. I saw a British reporter for CNN tonight, in Al-Anbar saying that a tribal warlord type (I don’t remember his name) was providing security and working with the United States to bring peace to the area. With the help of the US this guy has brought acts of violence down, says the reporter, from an average of 100, to about 7 (I missed the time span it was probably a month).

The thing is – this guy doesn’t support the Federal Government of Iraq. What happens when the army comes to town and tells him what to do and he says no? Local security is happening. Villages are attacking, and defending against Al-Queida. That’s good. But what happens when the regional authorities, start fighting the National Government?

We need some luck. We’re walking a very fine line supporting the National Gov on one side and the people that don’t trust them on the other. And we’re giving them both, guns and training.

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A few decent photos of a Northern Harrier

September 10th, 2007 by Max

I saw this guy while I was driving.  By the time I had the camera setup … I couldn’t find him anymore.  But these are ok. 

They’re in the correct order.

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The Superbowl

September 9th, 2007 by Max

I was 9.

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A Problem for Liberals

September 7th, 2007 by Max

Here’s the thing. Not only do I think George Bush is an idiot. And I think he’s a bad guy, in as much as I think that he’s really really hurt the country that I love (as well as Iraq), and I think he’s damaging the presidency itself in all of his power grabs, and I think he’s actively trying to tear down the New Deal (or at least I think Dick Cheney is doing all this and George is just going along); I as a good American, and as a friend of people who have children in Iraq – I …

Hope his policies succeed. In Iraq at least. If it means that he brings the children home, safely, sooner.

Of course I can’t trust him. He lies. And for all the sympathy that I feel for Tony Snow – professional liar – who tortures the truth far worse than Bill Clinton could imagine! And for all the other liars, professional and accidental such as The Evil Karl Rove (professional liar) and someone like Harriet Myers (am-mature) I can’t believe…literally cannot believe what the administration (that includes Cheney) is telling me…

Whatever the truth about Iraq is …This I know: I hope …  fervently, passionately, that things get better.

If it made George the 2nd, look good, I don’t care.  I just want things to get better over there.  Soon.

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Brian’s First Rule

September 6th, 2007 by Max

My friend Brian came up with a sequence of rules to explain human actions in this world.  He calls them Brian’s Rules of Social Dynamics.

The first rule, is the important rule.

It explains everything.  If you have ever asked yourself “Why would someone do THAT!?”

Brians First Rule of Social Dynamics: 

“People are stupid.”

It explains so much.

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Today on Franklin Mt

September 4th, 2007 by Max

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What to say back #1

September 3rd, 2007 by Max

Next time you hear someone saying “September 11th changed everything” …  tell them “July 4th changed everything”!

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God, please save me from Michael Kay – or was it John Sterling!?

September 3rd, 2007 by Max

Can’t we get rid of these two awful announcers?

I go back and forth in my own mind, trying to decide which one I hate more. Right now, its John Sterling. He’s so self righteous. He hogs the airwaves. (I like Susyn Waldman and I’d like to hear what she has to say. John just rolls along as if she wasn’t there). His signature call … that stupid “Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Yankees Win!” emphasises the definite article ‘the’.  Nice.  How about emphasising the noun?

And he’s obsessed with predicting the future. “If this happens the Yankees have that wrapped up.” “Joe is likely to take him out here, because Nieves can’t hit a lick”  Listen to how many times he tells you what is going to happen.   Just report the game.

Or … just …

SHUT UP!

Now as for Michael Kay, well someone got him to stop whining about the time of the game – so he’s got that going for him, which is nice – but he’s too arrogant even still.  And he argues too much.

SHUT UP!

Lemme watch the goddam game. Where’s Frank Messer?

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