February 29th, 2008 by Max
Also hair nets (at work)
hair nets (for men)
and signs that says Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work. [I really don't think that they were there when I was a kid].
Ah, and yes. No smoking in the lunch room (I know, no smoking areas are everywhere. But remember eating in the cafeteria at work? I remember the blue air!)
Posted in Changes in the World In My Lifetime | 2 Comments »
February 28th, 2008 by Max
John McCain served honorably in a war that America should not have been in. When the leaders of America wanted to escalate that war, they called it an “escalation”.
Enter the Evil Genius Karl Rove. Karl says lets call it a “surge”. Sounds better than an escalation. Both mean adding more troops. Surge suggests success. This group of Bush handlers manipulated language to a virtuoso level.
Some would say they just lied.
But the language is a sidebar to this point: Violence is down in Iraq – but maybe it has less to do with “The Surge” and more to do with the fact that at the end of this year the US is going to have an election!
When things started getting better, is also associated with when the US Congress fell into the hands of the Democrats.
I think the Iraqi ‘government’, and non governmental leaders like Muqtada Al Sadr decided that they would try something besides just blowing things up, when they saw that they might be on their own soon.
I think it was as much the threat of the US leaving, as it was the threat of more US forces coming in, that motivated the Iraqi set of disparate groups, to consider trying to get along!
Not to say that the US forces weren’t a bonus. I heard a story on NPR of the US, soldiers below the rank of Colonel is some cases carrying out back door diplomacy between rival Iraqi groups, even between internal Iraqi enemies, and generating cease fire zones.
Yay for the American troops!
Now lets bring them home and see how well the Iraqi’s can work together for their own self interest!
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February 27th, 2008 by Max
So says my friend Kevin.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/microraptor/
Posted in Other People's Theories | No Comments »
February 20th, 2008 by Max
I feel the need to note that my country is going to shoot down one of its own [failing] satellites with a missile launched from a ship in the Pacific.
I don’t know what to make of this. First. It would be cool! Second. It would be an amazing feat of technology. Third. I could see that it might piss off some of our … lets not say enemies … lets just call them countries that might not trust us as much as some others. Fourth. It might not work. This is a cobbled up anti missle rocket being shot at a SATELLITE. Fifth. This is supposed to be about protecting the children. I suspect it is about protecting our spy secrets. I’ve heard that the missile has to hit the fuel tank in order to explode the deadly hydrazine gas. I’ve heard that this will spread the hydrazine gas. I don’t know the physics of it. I thought falling through the atmosphere would burn things up anyway. If this fuel tank gets hot enough wouldn’t it explode?
Then I read this. I’m drawing no conclusions here. I don’t know what is true …
“The force of a missile hitting an orbiting object is much more violent than the force of a bullet striking a target, or even an anti-aircraft missile hitting an airplane. In the space case, the tremendous speed of the impact carries so much kinetic energy that both vehicles literally explode due to the hypersonic shock waves sweeping through their structures.
“If the missile strike leads to such a disintegration, sharp observers should be able to spot the ice fragments from the fuel tank. As the fragments evaporate in direct sunlight, they could create mini-comets visible from Earth’s surface, lasting for hours before dispersing.”
Posted in Changes in the World In My Lifetime | No Comments »
February 18th, 2008 by Max
My friend Pat has this theory … not sure how to put it … the opposite, or maybe the compliment, or counterpoint to irony … is poetic justice.
Here goes.
Every year, for some time, maybe since 1948? I really don’t know, Iowa and New Hampshire have been testing and molding our political candidates. Iowa and New Hampshire have a disproportionately large say in who gets to be president. [On a side note, maybe that's why we get such mediocre choices - but that's another rant]
So this year, at least for the Democratic Party, other state Democratic Party groups wanted to have more influence. Many of them moved up their primaries and caucuses to try to get the candidates to pander to them, the way they have been pandering to Iowa and New Hampshire ever since who knows when. Some states moved up to Super Tuesday (Feb 5th). Some states wanted to move their primaries to an even earlier date. (I’ll go back at some point and put the dates in here but it really doesn’t matter.)
The national Democratic Party drew a line. This date and no earlier. They wanted Iowa and New Hampshire to hold their position with the party, of high status. Irrespective of whether or not that should be, it was the rule.
The great state of Michigan’s (you’ll hear that preface a lot come convention time) and the great state of Florida’s state Democratic Party leaders, voted to have their primaries earlier than they were allowed to have them, by the larger party as a whole. The party said if you hold your early primaries, we won’t count the delegates that you select. The states said, “right” and held their primaries early anyway.
The Candidates, in support of the party officials said “we’re not going to campaign in those two states”! Though in truth, Hilary managed to be the ONLY one on the Democratic ballot in Michigan, they did not campaignin these two states.
[side note: Hillary won Michigan and Florida. Even went to Florida and held a 'win' party.]
Now the candidates have been through more than half the primaries and caucuses, and they are both about half way to the nomination. Virtually tied with a likelyhood that if this even split keeps up, neither will be able to win the nomination!
Thus the question becomes what to do with the delegates from Michigan and Florida who were not elected in any event sanctioned by the party!
Would it be IRONY? If Michigan and Florida were to decide the nomination after all? Or would it be POETIC JUSTICE!?
Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »
February 17th, 2008 by Max
Its funny. Last year I was totally freaked out by the number. I know its psychological. This year, not so much freaked out. This is a better number?
Posted in Max's Theories | 1 Comment »
February 16th, 2008 by Max
I’ve got a lot of learing to do in Photoshop. Here is just one of todays 300+ pictures of eagles.
It takes a lot of time, once you’ve photographed them. Just to look at all and before you open photoshop. More to follow.
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February 15th, 2008 by Max
Its not here yet. Or is it. Yesterday I got out of work at 5:30 and the last traces of sunlight were sneaking behind the mountain. That may sound sad to some people. It was invigorating to me. It’s been a while since it was full day when I got out of work.
Its the light. I noticed it in the afternoon in the corridors at work. Just through the big windows at the side of our building the light outside, was improving the light inside. If you’ve taken enough pictures, one day it dawns on you that light is everything. You can feel the rightness of the light. A picture that you’ve composed perfectly, you might not even shoot if the light isn’t right. Now that you see the light.
Soon we’ll have better light. I’m thinking spring light, maybe right around the equinox, is the best light of all. I’ll see I guess. Someone knows already. Someone who isn’t me. But for me, right now. The light is getting better.
Its a sign of spring.
And spring is the best time of all!
Posted in Arts, Max's Theories | No Comments »
February 15th, 2008 by Max
http://2008uscandidate.com/2008/02/14/explaining-the-ron-paul-phenomenon/
This place, pulled a quote, from my blog, into this blog. Now I don’t know if this will create some infinite loop, but I have to link, to this link, that linked to me! Cool! I’ve been quoted! Cool!
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February 13th, 2008 by Max
She’s 40 today! And she’s not the only one.
Happy Birthday Linda! She’s a different number…
Happy Birthday Giselle Valone Koehler. She’s that number plus 1!
Happy Birthday Andy Catanzaro … Who knows how old or where Andy is? But who could forget him stuck there on that fence!
There’s at least two more people who have a birthday today that I know … but I don’t remember which two …
Happy Birthday one and all!!!
Other famous Feb 13s …
Chuck Yeager
Kim Novak
Peter Tork
George Segal
Oliver Reed
Stockard Channing
Jerry Springer … well, they can’t all be good ones!
Sal Bando
Mike Krzyzewski
Peter Gabriel
Penelope Ann Miller
Henry Rollins
Mats Sundin
… just to name a few.
Posted in Social Commentaries | 1 Comment »
February 12th, 2008 by Max
http://csapodcast.blogspot.com/
This week I’ve been listening to a wonderful new podcast. Its just a couple of guys talking to everyone about anything.
What a great show.
AND
They take the high road!
Posted in Arts, Changes in the World In My Lifetime, Max's Theories, Other People's Theories, Social Commentaries | No Comments »
February 12th, 2008 by Max
I just watched a bit of the Frontline on the history of the Mormons. I once talked with a young man who had made his two year mission. He KNEW the truth. It was a great sense of strength for him.
I wonder about religious people. Muslims, the real dyed in the wool ones. The Hassidim (did I spell that right?). The Jehovah’s. The Evangelicals. The Nuns I saw on last night’s public television. (Is public television being taken over?).
I think it was Bill Maher who first said. They’re all bat shit!
[The nice thing about the Christian ones, is that they believe in peace!]
Posted in Max's Theories | No Comments »
February 9th, 2008 by Max
Watching Secret Window just now, that ‘come in late, leave early’ directive for writers, popped into my head. I kinda like to read writers writing about writers. Garp jumps to mind.
Secret Window – Grand Slam Productions – 2004 – David Koepp
A north eastern writer is haunted by the sudden and threatening appearance of a strange man from Mississippi who claims the writer has plagiarized one of his stories.
Johnny Depp plays Mort Rainey, a soon to be divorced writer, struggling alone in his cabin in the woods on a lake somewhere ‘upstate’. In a surprise (sic) move, Depp is charming as Rainey! This is not a funny movie, but there are moments that will bring a smile such as when Rainey chastises his old dog for having cataracts.
John Turturo brings a threatening, but controlled stranger named Shooter to the screen visiting the house on the lake. It seems they have both written a story about a house with a secret window overlooking a secret garden. Rainey’s lake front cabin is just such a house. Turturo wants justice and justice alone will do. In this case, justice means fixing the story!
Rainey is the original author, and sets out to prove just that to Shooter, who goes from seemingly threatening to actually being a threat to Rainey, when he puts a screwdriver through the author’s beloved dog.
The plot moves on from there, picking up steam, jumping through the tale of this writer’s past life, and current dilemma, leaving destruction as it goes.
This movie is about plot, and it advances each step by ‘coming into a scene late and leaving early’, (as good writers will) thus increasing the tension and increasing the suspense. This movie is violent, even briefly graphic in a couple stops, but as in any good suspense movie it is the sense of impending doom that holds you fast.
The whole cast is outstanding with Maria Bello as the torn, soon-to-be ex wife. Crisp phone dialogue works here as we see that the couple once loved each other deeply. The writer is almost nurturing when she calls him. Tim Hutton is perfect as the protective, yet still and outsider, new beau.
Len Cairiou somehow hits good notes as the sheriff, despite the fact that he is written as nearly senile at first and the classic wizened old village sheriff later
The screenplay was written by the director David Keopp, based on … yes … another novel by Stephen King. I don’t know why I don’t like Stephen King, because he sure can string a suspense story together!
Not a show for the little ones … but fellas … its a great movie to get the ‘fingernails in the arm!’ and that’s a good thing.
Rent it.
Posted in Arts | No Comments »
February 9th, 2008 by Max
So much for Blogging everyday. I got so involved in last nights podcast [www.csapodcast.blogspot.com] that I forgot to blog last night. Its actually hard to blog everyday!
and
I missed Monk!
Posted in Blogroll | No Comments »
February 7th, 2008 by Max
1. I’m sick. It always happens when I’m stressed. My trip to Toronto stressed me.
2. I stayed home all day and watched tv. PLEASE … solve the writer’s strike.
3. I was challenged by a Pastor, to defend Darwin.
Some week so far!
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February 6th, 2008 by Max
It was not a statement that I made, when I went into the polling place after work. It was a dream that I dreamed. That dream was not about a man. That dream was about a world.
I’ve seen what a man can do to damage and destroy. I’ve seen cynicism and greed.
I dreamed about the good that one man can do within the world, to heal, to progress, to unite. I dreamed of one world where people imagined the best in the other person, whom ever he was or where ever she was in that world.
My friend Diana told me once that there are only two emotions.
I’d rather love the world, than fear it.
Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »
February 5th, 2008 by Max
Yeeeee ha!
I love Democracy.
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Countless Screaming Argonauts
