HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Mesquite bbq Prime rib, mashed potatoes & gravy, cranberry stuffing, green beans, yams, and fresh biscuits.

Pumpkin and/or apple pie and mountains of whip cream...

May all share time with friends and family to give thanks...

IRAN (probably) has nuclear weapons

Russia and China fear the publication now of the IAEA's findings could hurt any chance of diplomacy resolving the long-running nuclear row and they have lobbied against it, signaling opposition to any new punitive U.N. measures against Iran.

Iran rejects allegations of atomic weapons ambitions, saying its nuclear program is aimed at producing electricity.

The IAEA has declined to comment on the intelligence it has received from member states, including the United States, pending the release of its report.

But some of the highlights were described in a presentation by David Albright, a former U.N. weapons inspector, at a private conference of intelligence professionals last week. PowerPoint slides from the presentation were obtained by The Washington Post, and details of Albright’s summary were confirmed by two European diplomats privy to the IAEA’s internal reports, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, in keeping with diplomatic protocol.

Albright said IAEA officials, based on the totality of the evidence given to them, have concluded that Iran “has sufficient information to design and produce a workable implosion nuclear device” using highly enriched uranium as its fissile core. In the presentation, he described intelligence that points to a formalized and rigorous process for gaining all the necessary skills for weapons-building, using native talent as well as a generous helping of foreign expertise.

According to the intelligence provided to the IAEA, key assistance in both areas was provided by Vyacheslav Danilenko, a former Soviet nuclear scientist who was contracted in the mid-1990s by Iran’s Physics Research Center, a facility linked to the country’s nuclear program. Documents provided to the U.N. officials showed that Danilenko offered assistance to the Iranians over at least five years, giving lectures and sharing research papers on developing and testing an explosives package that the Iranians apparently incorporated into their warhead design, according to two officials with access to the IAEA’s confidential files.

According to Albright, one key breakthrough that has not been publicly described was Iran’s success in obtaining design information for a device known as an R265 generator. The device is a hemispherical aluminum shell with an intricate array of high explosives that detonate with split-second precision. These charges compress a small sphere of enriched uranium or plutonium to trigger a nuclear chain reaction.

Additional help appears to have come from the father of Pakistan’s nuclear program, Abdul Qadeer Khan, whose design for a device known as a neutron initiator was found in Iran, the sources said. Khan is known to have provided nuclear blueprints to Libya that included a neutron initiator, a device that shoots a stream of atomic particles into a nuclear weapon’s fissile core at the start of the nuclear chain reaction.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/iaea-says-foreign-expertise-has-brought-iran-to-threshold-of-nuclear-capability/2011/11/05/gIQAc6hjtM_print.html

why Michael Moore and Bill Maher should be imprisoned

I seriously wonder why these anti capitalists who have flourished in this republic not only support those that are calling for anarchy, but replacement of our society with a soviet style dictatorship that will tend to every need of every citizen, until it runs aground on its own.

 Bill Maher is  fighting socialism’s status as a four-letter word in America. For some who have had hands-on experience with socialist states, this is total BS, besides being incredibly naive.

So perhaps Maher and his ilk should experience true socialism, with its warm and cuddly side. Confiscate all his wealth for the better good, and tell hime to speak what he wants, as long as he wont might forcible relocation to the polar region..and reeducation to be more pure in his thoughts... 

Gang members in military...

The NGIC is a multi-agency operation -- federal, state and local – headed up by the FBI to bring together intelligence on gangs and gang activity.

Their latest report devotes four pages to the problem of gang members in the military and lists about 50 gangs with members with military backgrounds.

Younger gang members, who do not have arrest records, are reportedly making attempts to join the military, and also attempting to conceal any gang affiliation, including tattoos, during the recruitment process.

The report also specifically relates the 2010 cases of three former Marines arrested in Los Angeles for selling illegal assault weapons the Florencia 13 gang, and a U.S. Navy SEAL charged in Colorado with smuggling military-issued machine guns and other weapons from Iraq and Afghanistan into the U.S.

"Gang members armed with high-powered weapons and knowledge and expertise acquired from employment in law enforcement, corrections or the military may pose an increasing nationwide threat, as they employ these tactics and weapons against law enforcem4nt officials, rival gang members and civilians," the NGIC report says.

Amazing news : Obama Spoke Without Teleprompter?

Now it makes headlines when President Obama doesn't use his trademark Teleprompter.

Wrapping up his three-day bus tour of North Carolina and Virginia today, the president stopped at a Chesterfield firehouse to promote his jobs bill.

 "It is great to be at Fire Station Number 9 with some of Virginia's finest," the president said without the use of his Teleprompter.[No doubt onlookers were stunned- "hey, where's the teleprompter?]

The press pool present felt it necessary to note the lack of the speech-reading device the president prefers to use over note cards. Said the pool report: "One detail from Chesterfield firehouse event: POTUS spoke without a Teleprompter."

Occupy Wall Street - in a 1,000 countries? WTF!

Showing that the people that sit in front of the cameras at the Networks aren’t really journalists, but are merely pleasant looking readers of Teleprompters, Diane Sawyer of ABC News sonorously informed readers that the Occupy-Whatever protests have now “spread to 1,000 countries.”

Speaking of Wall Street, we thought we’d bring you up to date on those protesters, the Occupy Wall Street movement. As of tonight, it has spread to more than 250 American cities, more than a thousand countries — every continent but Antarctica.

Only there’s a small problem with that claim. There are only 195 countries currently on planet Earth.

The coverage of these disjointed, hollow, and pointless Occupy-Whatever protests have received is far more positive and extensive than the Tea Party protests ever got. This particular report is a perfect example of this bias.

While Diane Sawyer pumps up the viewers into stating that “1,000 countries” are now supporting the Occupy-Whatevers, her report goes on to indulge in class warfare meant to make anyone that doesn’t earn a million dollars hate everyone that does.

This is a perfect example of why I read a lot news sources...someone told me once if you shift thru enough shit, eventually the truth becomes apparent...

Bill Clinton comments

President Bill Clinton appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman last night and discussion of the Occupy Wall Street protests proved to be as interesting a recap as one might expect. The former president was generally very supportive of the movement, however he did not seem entirely impressed with the specific message currently coming from the protestors, summing up by saying “you need to be for something, not just against something,” before drawing comparisons to both the Tea Party and the Arab Spring.

weird...I guess not all Democratic politicians are insane...

Fall Roadtrip

For about the last 15 years, my honey and I take a week off in the fall and again in the spring to travel. This started with us looking for a place to retire to, which now seems like even more of a pipe dream than before.

We have decided we like Flagstaff Arizona, but probably won't move there. We are too addicted to the ocean...wading into the surf, walking on the beach, just falling asleep to the sound of waves(in contrast to traffic noises, sirens, etc.). So we have travelled the west coast, from southern California to the Canada border.

This trip wasn't one of searching, as much as a return to someplace we found relaxing- near Newport Oregon.  Several days there was relaxing, then down the coast to Fort Bragg CA for a couple of days, and then home.

I have to say that as pretty the Oregon coast is, nearly every time we have been there is the same weather, rain, drizzle, rain. Winter, fall, spring, even in July.

So it seems we are leaning more and more towards the northern California coast...

I got to laugh or I'd cry

Obama Hails ‘Intercontinental Railroad’… Again

By Doug Powers  •  September 23, 2011 09:47 AM

Yesterday, President Obama promoted his “jobs bill” at a bridge that might not even be eligible for jobs bill money. Andrew Malcolm at Top of the Ticket noticed something during Obama’s latest “Bridge to Bankruptcy” speech that would be much more widely reported if Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin had said it: the Transcontinental Railroad has become the Intercontinental Railroad:

“We’re the country that built the Intercontinental Railroad,” Barack Obama.

That’s what the president of the United States flat-out said Thursday during what was supposed to be a photo op to sell his jobs plan next to an allegedly deteriorating highway bridge.

A railroad between continents? A railroad from, say, New York City all the way across the Atlantic to France? Now, THAT would be a bridge!

It’s yet another humorous gaffe by the Harvard graduate, overlooked by most media for whatever reason. Like Obama saying Abraham-Come-Lately Lincoln was the founder of the Republican Party. Or Navy corpseman. Or the Austrian language. Fifty-seven states. The president of Canada. Etc.

The “Intercontinental Railroad” gaffe might be overlooked by most of the media because they’re used to hearing it referred to that way. Back in February, Obama said the same thing. At this point it’s probably easier for Obama’s staff to try and get all the history books changed to match what their boss is saying rather than tell him he’s been getting it wrong.

Speaking of an Intercontinental Railroad, just think about how many jobs could be created by building such a thing to span continents. I know, I shouldn’t joke around like that, lest somebody in power think it’s a good idea.

I guess i just don't care anymore...

So let the complaining begin

What's the point of interacting here with anyone? Trade jokes, recipies, insults, political banter? Is that all this is good for?

I guess so. Nobody leaves comments on my guestbook, and usually not more than 3 people bother to read the postings I make which some of are actually good, even for me. But unlike a few years ago, there seems to be the constant urge to move on to something else.

Technology- we all used to have desktop computers, then laptops were hot, then netbooks, now tablets are the rage. Some people are so addicted they have them all, like me.

Desktop, multiple laptops, a netbook, and tablet...not to mention work provided blackberry...

and as the technology changes, so has the social media, from AOL Homepage, to Yahoo 360, to Multiply and its many siblings, to Facebook and Twitter.

Aging...you know you are old when you dont understand TV commercials anymore. There is a commercial for a smartphone where the guy is changing a baby's diaper and talking w a freind about a football game he didnt see, and he uses the phone to access a video of the game so he can make relevant comments, when his wife appears, and he says to the caller "I gotta bounce"...I understand that to mean "I have to leave",  I have never heard that expression used by real people in conversation though, ergo proof positive I am old...

another sign of aging, I realize I have become a story teller. When an employee comes in and talks to me, I usually have a experience based story, and proceed to tell it, quickly realizing that the glazed look on their face is an indicator they didn't really want to engage in lengthy conversation...so the other day I told them when that happens all they need to do is say they need to go back to work. Although, since the youngest employee I supervise is 49, we are not a young group, so we all sometimes drift into "I remember back in ..."

Health...lets dont go there. Too many pills, aches and pains, etc.

 

Politics-Pawlenty backs Romney

interesting development, as former Gov Pawlenty, who coined the term Obamneycare, is now endorsing Mitt Romney. He denies it, but rumor is he did this to be VP

So is it Romney next year versus Obama, or ??? 

9/11

Grief is the most patient and persistent of all of life’s companions.
It is an ancient, universal power that links all human beings together.

-Molly Fumia

Viewpoint

Ah yes my old maxim bears its truth. What maxim?

People are either a) stupid or b) ignorant.  Ignorance can be over come by information, while stupid can't; stupid is.

Stupidity is a lack of intelligence, understanding, reason, wit, or sense.

Our President has been labelled stupid. He clearly is borderline insane, if you accept Einsteins definition:

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Albert Einstein

Most people i think fall into the ignorance mode from time to time, until they learn something on a topic, and then move out of ignorance to knowledge, unless off course they really are stupid.  Some people never will "get it".

I am not talking about things political, or religious, because differing opinions about those topics often leads to calling names, which is irrational.

For example, I believe there are a multitute of people running for president in 2012 that would be better at that job than the current incumbent. Thats my opinion. If you disagree, thats your opinion, so why resort to name calling? Thats what we call it, agree to disagree.

 

Remembering 9/11 - 9 days out

Watching some of the programming on National geographic Channel, it still mystifies me how people can discount what happened and persist in believing in conspiracy theories...

Even if I don't trust what I watched on TV that morning, while a stunned newscaster bumbled along as we watched a plane speed into a building on national tv, I certaining trust my cousin, who was in the World Trade Tower. He was looking out the window from his office at the buring tower across the way, and saw a plane head towards the building he was in.  That he survived along with countless others is still something I am thankful for.

So dont try to tell me it was a government conspiracy. Thats total BS. Rogue remote control airplanes? Please.

 My cousin lost several friends and colleagues.

Blog and reality

I have been plugging away at this blog on a semi regular basis since December 2005...at first on Yahoo 360, then later migrating to Multiply.

The lack of interaction, comments especially, has lead me to explore why. I think its because I am boring, maybe too opinionated, or what?

Anyway, I doubt I will post with increased regularity given the total absence of any meaning to it anymore. I mean when people write comments and tell me I am full of it, that's one thing, but I doubt I've more than a dozen people look at any of these writings, so I am mostly doing this for myself, and frankly a private journal is not what I had intended here.

So while I am not going to quit, I guess writing a few times a month is about has good as it will get.

I used ot enjoy the  debate here about different political topics, but since I now work for a uber-liberal lefty atheist, I have my hands full daily representing the libertarian and time to time conservative viewpoints, only because no one else will where I am, they are afraid to become engaged w the boss.

I would be afraid too except the people above him (my boss) like me, and the people under me all are secretly cheering me on, I supposed tired of years of mental abuse for not agreeing on everything. That absence of views is stifling, regardless of views.

Being overweight and age in slowing career

As a senior manager in a large firm, my being overweight has not so far overcome the abilities I have to move upward, and I dont think that it will. Currently closing in on 58 years of age is more likely to be the bigger liability, has many making the decisions are younger, and some are outwardly hostile to older workers. I have heard them discuss why people don't just retire countless times. So I have being a woman, being overweight and being over the hill all working when i go into a review. Luckily our CEO is a woman in her 60's, so maybe I can still go upward. I sure would like to.
Allthough being at the top (literally my office is near the top of the building) can be different.

Where's my clothes...really about people and honesty

I have found that writing in my blog about politics usually gathers response from readers, either pro or con. Writing about my life, usually not so many comments, if any.
I take that to mean I must be boring, at least my writing is boring, since I don't resort to sensationalism(much), to make my point, if there is one.
I suppose people are telling me something with their silence, like maybe I need to shut the hell up. I mean i can drone on and on with the best of them, and quite well on many topics. IMHO
I read other a lot of other blog here and elsewhere, some are very good, while others are quite conversational in format...I don't know what my style here is, but it sort of the way I talk. In snippets, like I have A.D.D.
My brother has that, and a woman I worked with said I must have it, the way I jump around from topic to topic...perhaps, although a professor once told me it showed what an unconventional thinker I am...which is probably how I got to be where I am career wise, since I tend to see things from a different viewpoint.
Back to other peoples blog though, I read them and then see all the comments , usually gushing with praise about what a wonderful post this is, or you are so talented at writing, or By golly I agree with you, and I wonder if all that congratulatory pat on the back stuff means is mean with sincerity, or is just , you know, BULL. So I guess since I don't find a lot of that on my blog, then my audience shy away from being nice for niceness sake (especially a couple of readers) and lets the silence of their short commentary stand to tell me what they think sincerely. That is probably a good thing, absolutely better than syrup.
Today's picture: Its kind of how I see politics, the naked lady standing there and nobody says a thing, until someone says "Hey lady, where's your clothes".

My work week...modern corporate life...YUCK

Like I have said here before, I started a new job in March as a manager with a large firm.

My boss is a senior manager, and he reports to our division chief, who reports to the CEO, who reports to the Board of Directors.

The division chief and CEO are both women, so you would think he is attuned to relating to women at work. So I was surprised when he went off on me recently, telling me in a not so hushed tone within hearing of my staff that I needed to learn my place because I had authorized something I felt important for a staff member.

After I confronted him in his office the next morning, and calmly explained my rationale and uncomfortably with how he handled that, he said he “may have acted inappropriate” and then was quick to add he realized it might be difficult for me coming into the firm and stepping into a position that had been vacant for so long.  My immediate thought was “what the f@ck”...

I went back to my office and thought about this, and wondered what jobs are out there, in case this didn’t work out. As we all know, the job market sucks, and my online search showed me that locally things are pretty bleak. So I am resolved to stick it out, although I am going to continue looking for opportunities to move up.

OK, so now things start going weirder. I say that because my sense of value at work, and whether I have a reputation for being good at what I do or not is important to me. My resume says a lot that gets me in the door, but it’s my abilities that keep me employed. And if my boss doubts me already, how can this work out?

So now the weirder part

First, I get an industry award for something I did before coming to my current firm. My boss mentions it to his boss, and the next thing you know I am invited to the divisional staff meeting, to talk about the award, show off my plaque, etc.

Then last weekend, my boss wrenches his back badly, and so I am emailed Sunday that I will take over for a couple of days while he recuperates…OK, no biggy.  

Only by Tuesday, he is not better, he is worse, and is now on some pretty strong drugs, as evidence by the cryptic emails he is sending to me and staff. Eventually his boss calls him at home and recommends he let me run things for the rest of the week, and stop emailing everyone…and recuperate.

So by Wednesday he has considered this, and sends me and her email saying he is so very glad I am there to fill in, and will stay home. She replies (to him and a cc to me)

“I have every confidence in Canice, who has been doing an excellent job in your absence. I have heard nothing but good things about how she is handling things in your absence. See you when you are feeling better”

Mind you this last week my senior worker has been out on vacation, my most skilled writer and planner were in training classes until Wednesday, my technology expert was out Monday, so all week I have been handed a less than full staff to do our normal work, plus be his stand in.

All I know is by yesterday afternoon, I was ready for the weekend.

Besides all this, during this past week we got one of those corporate wide emails which I hate (HATE them, so impersonal) that is written like a memo and simply says its from the CEO (Office of the Chief Executive):

From:                              CEO <corpnotifications@****.com

Sent:                               Friday, August 26, 2011 4:25 PM

To:                                   All employees

Subject:                          Salaries and Bonuses

All of us are aware that the national economy has had its difficulties over the last several years, which have caused us all to tighten our belts. Just as you and your family have had to adjust to changes in the economy, **** Corporation has had to consider the changing economy, our needs and the needs of you, our valued employees.

To assist employees in planning their personal finances, the Board has reviewed the salaries and bonuses schedules, and revised them to include a one-time corporate wide salary adjustment of 3.8% effective November 1, 2011. The Board has also voted to include a supplemental increase to the top salary step of all salary ranges in the form of a cost of living increase not to exceed 3% in November 2013.

The Board has suspended all bonus and incentive programs indefinitely….

Most of my staff had already left for the day when this came out, but the one guy remaining read this and came storming to my office …apparently before the downturn, they were handing out bonus money which varied between 4-8%...so he thought this actually was a cut…he was sort of offended actually.

And I just love that something they voted on last week is being released to employees the last Friday of the month at almost quitting time…

OK, so I made it through the week…let’s see how next week goes J

Work week worries, or how am I doing??

Like I have said here before, I started a new job in March as a manager with a large firm.

My boss is a senior manager, and he reports to our division chief, who reports to the CEO, who reports to the Board of Directors.

The division chief and CEO are both women, so you would think he is attuned to relating to women at work. So I was surprised when he went off on me recently, telling me in a not so hushed tone within hearing of my staff that I needed to learn my place because I had authorized something I felt important for a staff member.

After I confronted him in his office the next morning, and calmly explained my rationale and uncomfortably with how he handled that, he said he “may have acted inappropriate” and then was quick to add he realized it might be difficult for me coming into the firm and stepping into a position that had been vacant for so long.  My immediate thought was “what the f@ck”...

I went back to my office and thought about this, and wondered what jobs are out there, in case this didn’t work out. As we all know, the job market sucks, and my online search showed me that locally things are pretty bleak. So I am resolved to stick it out, although I am going to continue looking for opportunities to move up.

OK, so now things start going weirder. I say that because my sense of value at work, and whether I have a reputation for being good at what I do or not is important to me. My resume says a lot that gets me in the door, but it’s my abilities that keep me employed. And if my boss doubts me already, how can this work out?

So now the weirder part

First, I get an industry award for something I did before coming to my current firm. My boss mentions it to his boss, and the next thing you know I am invited to the divisional staff meeting, to talk about the award, show off my plaque, etc.

Then last weekend, my boss wrenches his back badly, and so I am emailed Sunday that I will take over for a couple of days while he recuperates…OK, no biggy.  

Only by Tuesday, he is not better, he is worse, and is now on some pretty strong drugs, as evidence by the cryptic emails he is sending to me and staff. Eventually his boss calls him at home and recommends he let me run things for the rest of the week, and stop emailing everyone…and recuperate.

So by Wednesday he has considered this, and sends me and her email saying he is so very glad I am there to fill in, and will stay home. She replies (to him and a cc to me)

“I have every confidence in Canice, who has been doing an excellent job in your absence. I have heard nothing but good things about how she is handling things in your absence. See you when you are feeling better”

Mind you this last week my senior worker has been out on vacation, my most skilled writer and planner were in training classes until Wednesday, my technology expert was out Monday, so all week I have been handed a less than full staff to do our normal work, plus be his stand in.

All I know is by yesterday afternoon, I was ready for the weekend.

Besides all this, during this past week we got one of those corporate wide emails which I hate (HATE them, so impersonal) that is written like a memo and simply says its from the CEO (Office of the Chief Executive):

From:                              CEO <corpnotifications@****.com

Sent:                               Friday, August 26, 2011 4:25 PM

To:                                   All employees

Subject:                          Salaries and Bonuses

All of us are aware that the national economy has had its difficulties over the last several years, which have caused us all to tighten our belts. Just as you and your family have had to adjust to changes in the economy, **** Corporation has had to consider the changing economy, our needs and the needs of you, our valued employees.

To assist employees in planning their personal finances, the Board has reviewed the salaries and bonuses schedules, and revised them to include a one-time corporate wide salary adjustment of 3.8% effective November 1, 2011. The Board has also voted to include a supplemental increase to the top salary step of all salary ranges in the form of a cost of living increase not to exceed 3% in November 2013.

The Board has suspended all bonus and incentive programs indefinitely….

Most of my staff had already left for the day when this came out, but the one guy remaining read this and came storming to my office …apparently before the downturn, they were handing out bonus money which varied between 4-8%...so he thought this actually was a cut…he was sort of offended actually.

And I just love that something they voted on last week is being released to employees the last Friday of the month at almost quitting time…

OK, so I made it through the week…let’s see how next week goes J

Whatever, I mean that

   I have found that writing in my blog about politics usually gathers response from readers, either pro or con. Writing about my life, usually not so many comments, if any.

I take that to mean I must be boring, at least my writing is boring, since I don't resort to sensationalism(much), to make my point, if there is one.

I suppose people are telling me something with their silence, like maybe I need to shut the hell up. I mean i can drone on and on with the best of them, and quite well on many topics. IMHO

I read other a lot of other blog here and elsewhere, some are very good, while others are quite conversational in format...I don't know what my style here is, but it sort of the way I talk. In snippets, like I have A.D.D.

My brother has that, and a woman I worked with said I must have it, the way I jump around from topic to topic...perhaps, although a professor once told me it showed what an unconventional thinker I am...which is probably how I got to be where I am career wise, since I tend to see things from a different viewpoint.

Back to other peoples blog though, I read them and then see all the comments , usually gushing with praise about what a wonderful post this is, or you are so talented at writing, or By golly I agree with you, and I wonder if all that congratulatory pat on the back stuff means is mean with sincerity, or is just , you know, BULL. So I guess since I don't find a lot of that on my blog, then my audience shy away from being nice for niceness sake (especially a couple of readers) and lets the silence of their short commentary stand to tell me what they think sincerely. That is probably a good thing, absolutely better than syrup.

Today's picture: Its kind of how I see politics, the naked lady standing there and nobody says a thing, until someone says "Hey lady, where's your clothes".

Capitalism reality

Realizing that any socioeconomic system can be corrupted, I long ago decided that capitalism probably was the best, because with enough effort, you can at least earn a decent living...yet I still am forced to work with people who insist our system is the Worst...must be nice to pull in a fat salary and then complain about the system...

Watch this and maybe learn a thing or two...

 

Obama's Vacation

All day on the radio and TV, and then into the evening, commenter's complain about Obama's vacation. The liberals defend it has totally appropriate, poor man deserves it. Others denounce his vacation, especially the haughty destination... 

All I can relate to is my own life experience, which tells me I put off plenty of vacations when my job was in the crapper. When projects are late, going over budget, my vacation plans have had to take second place. I was obligated to get things straightened out...then maybe take a break. I guess I just don't understand...silly me.  

 

Thanks Mr. Presidente

Sickening news out of China

Add now to the heinous activities those recently revealed by South Korean journalists.

“China’s New Lucrative Business: Dead Babies Turn into Stamina Booster Pills

 A South Korean SBS TV documentary team accuses Chinese pharmaceutical companies of selling dead baby pills as stamina boosters.

The ground baby powder is put in the capsule, ready to be sold as stamina enhancer, according to the SBS team. The team reveals that the truth behind the dead baby pill is horrific and disturbing.

Chinese hospitals and abortion clinics that are connected to the business immediately notify pharmaceutical companies when a baby dies, mostly because of a still birth or an abortion.

The next step in this highly secretive process is putting the corpses in a medical drying microwave and grinding them into pills. The ground baby powder is then put in a capsule, ready to be sold as a stamina enhancer, according to the SBS team.

The Korean team acquired the dead baby capsules and ran DNA tests on it. The test results reportedly indicated the pills were 99.7 percent human. The test also found hair and nail remnants, and even the gender of the baby could be identified.

http://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/articles/193371/20110805/china-dead-baby-pill-stamina-booster-cannibal-placenta.htm

Quote of the day

AUGUST 9, 2011

Is Obama Smart?

A case study in stupid is as stupid does.

By BRET STEPHENS

"Much of the media has spent the past decade obsessing about the malapropisms of George W. Bush, the ignorance of Sarah Palin, and perhaps soon the stupidity of Rick Perry. Nothing is so typical of middling minds than to harp on the intellectual deficiencies of the slightly less smart and considerably more successful.

But it takes actual smarts to understand that glibness and self-belief are not sufficient proof of genuine intelligence. Stupid is as stupid does, said the great philosopher Forrest Gump. The presidency of Barack Obama is a case study in stupid does. "

Time to defund politican salaries...

"The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States." -- U.S. Constitution, Article 1, Section 6

From 1789 to 1855, members of Congress received only a per diem (daily payment) of $6.00 to $7.00 while in session, except for a period from December 1815 to March 1817, when they received $1,500 a year. Members began receiving a regular annual salary in 1855, when they were paid $3,000 per year.

During the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin proposed that elected government officials not be paid for their service. Franklin’s proposal won little support. As you might guess, an automatic raise for Congress annually is coming as millions of American workers are giving up their cost-of-living raises in an effort to save their jobs...

Bumper stick for our times

I bought this and put it on my Jeep...

I don't hate Obama...I loathe him.

 

I used to believe it was extremely unlikely we would ever elect a President more inept than Jimmy Carter, yet here we are...

NASA - The Shuttle

Atlantis sitting on pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center

Excerpt from poem by Howard Nemerov

Witnessing the Launch of the Shuttle Atlantis

"So much with noise and smoke and rising clear
To vanish at the limit of our vision
Into the light blue light of afternoon—
Appeared no more, against the void in aim,
Than the flare of a match in sunlight, quickly snuffed."

God speed Atlantis, safe journey....

why I despise Bill “I am a sack of lying BS” Maher

Why Liberals have short term memory (Which is why I despise Bill “Bullshitter”Maher)

Liberal fan of Maher=Clueless forever: One who looks for political guidance from a stand-up comic.

Bill Maher Says IMF Rape Scandal a “Teaching Moment” to Extol the Virtues of Socialism to “Teabaggers”…“This could be a teaching moment, could it not for the teabaggers?” Maher declared. “Or maybe all of America — who don’t understand that socialism doesn’t mean we’re going to come to your house and make you work on a collective farm. You know, in Europe, socialism is just another political party and it doesn’t mean that we’re against making a profit. It just means that government takes over certain things like hospitals and prisons, and the military, schools — and things that should not be run for profit.”

·         My health care is provided by a not for profit, and they do just fine without the government telling them what to do…

·         Government runs prisons, with unionized employees, accounts for a big chunk of California’s budget, and budget woes…

·         I can’t talk for everywhere, but in my area, private schools lead in test scores, number of students that go on to college, and have less disciplinary issues…so much for government run schools…(and they use the money better than public schools do)

About the only thing I think he may correct is government run military…

 

Debt Crisis Management...

If I had a dollar for every time that capitalism was blamed for the problems caused by government I'd be a fat filmmaker with a baseball cap.

Leading global economists are warning that the US will lead industrial nations in decline over the next 2 years if we can not curb our wasteful ways...

One proposed solution"..cut military spending by 10%, no pension or health care for politicians serving less than 16 years in office. 8% luxury tax on salaries and bonuses over $5 mil, 1% import tax, 1% fed excise tax on security trades, eliminate earn income credit, reduce child tax credits, cap family welfare  so people quit having more kids to have more income. cut agriculture and energy subsidies. And quit leading the fight in every battle around world...after all that we would again have a surplus to start fixing our debt issues..."

While I can agree with most of that, I think there should be no pension or health care for politicians period...serving the people should mean you don't do so to end up on easy street for life...while I disagree with permanent punitive taxes like the one on salaries and bonuses, I can see 8% on salaries and bonuses especially over a specific amount, as long as it applies across the board to everyone, not just certain segments of the population. I would like Michael Moore to get levied 8% on his $200 million to start with, along with loudmouth Bill "Douche-bag" Maher...

A lot of these austerity measures could be forgone if the 15% unemployed in this country had a job...and therefore able to pay taxes.

My other solution, which my liberal friends roundly denounce me for, is if we are all in this together (their words) then why aren't we all paying taxes..? I pay a butt load of taxes, on my salary, property, pets, just about everything.

My brother-in-law gets back every cent deducted for federal and state tax from his salary, plus gets more (for who knows why)...all I am saying is there really should be a minimum tax on everyone. Which is why a national sales tax makes a hell of lot more sense to me than income tax...that way you tax spending, not earning or savings...

Memorial Day 2011

Dysfunctional

Dysfunctional

Here is a job the US Government seems to think I would be interested in (based upon an application I put in more than 6 months ago when looking for a job)

Job Title: IT Specialist (Information Security)

SALARY RANGE: $81,225.00 - $182,790.00 /year

This is a Direct Hire action. Direct Hire Authority (section 1312 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002) allows agencies to appoint candidates directly to occupations for which the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has determined that there is a severe shortage of candidates or a critical hiring need for certain occupations, grades, and/or geographic locations. Agencies may appoint without regard to Veteran's Preference.

OK, so I am interested in the skills they are looking for, that justify such a salary…

(These are what are listed- and what made me think, something’s wrong here)

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: You will be required to complete narratives for the below listed KSAs in the occupational questionnaire for this announcement.

·         Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing.

·         Knowledge of information systems security operations, techniques, and standards.

·         Knowledge of information systems security operations, techniques, and standards.

·         Ability to communicate in writing.

·         Ability to plan and execute work.

·         Knowledge of computer languages, security utilities, and penetration testing methods.

·         Ability to plan, develop, and implement information technology guidelines an policies.

·         Ability to research and analyze technology problems, issues, and program requirements

OK, so first off, what exactly does “Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing” mean? Body language? Talking?

Second, does living in NYC or Washington DC really warrant paying between $39 to $87 an hour?

 Really...?

Modern Economic theory, Obamanomics

Liberal, progressives, (e.g. Chris Mathews and that scum Ed Schultz to name a couple) have a  perspective about national economics ( i.e Obamanomics) that "we didn't spend enough"...to expalin the persistant economic malaise.

Well, I know if I go to the casino and hope to win and lose my paycheck, I screwed up.

If I happen to win, I think "Goody, now I will spend more AND win more " which is based on experience (winning) but not sound logic. Knowing that statistical probability has more to do with winning is why Las Vegas casinos clear billions each year. The way Obama is spending in my view is no different. He is betting that eventually he will win economically, and therefore win reelection. Yet nearly three years of squandered money has only resulted in our country looking like a bunch of drunks at the bar spending every penny and then asking for a tab...think about it.

Remember:

You can be ignorant, learn about something and then no longer be ignorant or

You can be ignorant, learn about something and then say "fuck it" and go back to being a dumbass.

Your choice. 

Speaking about dumbass, here are some Ed Schultz quotes:

"...I think [Obama] is on the footstep of greatness." "Obama Should Act Like A "Dictator"

Seriously Ed, seek help, now!

What I have been doing, in case you wondered

Hello again

I have not written anything for a while, not really interested discussions about current affairs. Point of fact, I have gotten tired of being in discussions where no matter how rational the discussion is to start, emotions usually flare up. This is usually where the name calling starts.  this is where I am usually accused of either being too soft on the liberal commie bastards, or I am a racist capitalist (these words seem now to be part of the left language as a pejorative conjunction, as in racist capitalist elitist)

So other than a missive about bin Laden’s demise, I have not been here for a while.

Finally, something good to talk about  - My work

Finding myself hired as a manager, I knew I would have people actually reporting to me. What I had forgotten these last 15 years is when I said for them to do something, unlike being a project manager (which was more akin to being a lead worker) my words actually cause things to happen.

What I really am surprised by are a couple of things.

First, I had no idea the management benefits differed so much from the employees. My last job I was a Project Manager, which really was more a consultant/analyst job, and as such was not considered management. And the managers there got treated pretty poorly, so who wants to be one, right?

My new job, a national firm, apparently is one of the companies you never hear about, and won’t from me either. Our disclosure policies are pretty tight, due to the amount of proprietary knowledge our people are given access to. Sufficed to say, aside from a nice office high up near the top of the building, there are other things they do for management…no bonuses, but other things that help. Like 401 matching, or taking out the health insurance cost before taxes…stuff I was unaware they did. Which last payday made me smile for the first pay day in about 3 years…seriously

The other thing is my actual work. My staff is all pretty self-directed, only come to me when they have issues. So I get to go to a lot of meetings. A LOT.

All these meetings are about a big project to update the database system….

I was discussing w my boss the amount of discussion and explaining I was doing in these meetings with others in the group. About my utter disbelief at how either unaware or not current some of the people are with current technologies. He smiled, and said “That’s why we hired you”

Suddenly it clicked…how I had apparently been selected over dozens of other applicants. …all my work experience had fit together in a mosaic they thought gave a good background to someone who could voice concerns about development of a new project that otherwise would be obsolete before it was built. 

Not like I am some IT guru. But I know the technologies are out there to do a lot of what many of these people are terming impossible…simply because they don’t know. And so its my job to educate them, to get them to see beyond what they know to what they would rather have, and let the vendors see if it can be done...

My boss told me some of the big shots have heard of this impertinent woman stirring up things…he seemed to think it was a good

US FORCES KILL BIN LADEN

Americans celebrate in the streets this evening upon news Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by US Forces...'Justice has been done' - Osama bin Laden dead, Obama announces

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/nationworld/report/050111_bin_laden/justice-has-been-done-osama-bin-laden-dead-obama-announces

 

Obamanomics

Paul Ryan's budget proposal is geared at debt reduction.

 Obama's plan (and that's a big if) essentially revolves around repeal of tax cuts and some debt reduction and a lot of fear mongering about the evil Repubocrats...

So lets go with the numbers from Obama- tax the crap out of those evil rich MFers, and solve our problems. OOPS, doing that only raised 700 billion in 10 years...(for you math geniuses, avg 70 billion a year). Our debt is going up between 1.6 and 2 point TRILLION something a year, and is projected to do that in the (God forbid) second Obama term all the way out to 2019... So if 1.6 trillion is the gap (1600 billion per year) when will the 70 billion a year pay it off. (That's not including the 46 trillion shortfall estimated for programs like Medicare, Social Security, etc. These will begin snowballing into bigger an bigger debts starting in 2017)

Never. That's when, never.

That's why Standard and Poor is suggesting the US credit worthiness is shaky. That's why Moody's is likely to do the same.

If you are using 90% of your income to pay the bills, you don't have much for a rainy day. The USA government CBO estimates that based on policies enacted in 2010, the US economy will decline by average of 1.3 percentage points per year... and a a slower economy means all our financial problems get worse.

I don't know that the Ryan plan or any plan can stop our slide into fiscal insolvency, but I have a good idea that Obamanomic is worse...

Meanwhile, let me tell you about the return of $4.21 a gallon regular...gee, get a pitiful pay raise and spend all of it on gas...

Election 2012 starts...

Well, the White House resident has announced he is seeking re-election...gee, there's a no brainer, and i refer to not only the fact that he announced it...

So in contrast, we have Romney saying he launches his exploratory committee...while trying to sound Reagan like, I am not sure enough people would vote for him because of his Massachusetts Health-care plan, his mormonism, or whatever...you all know I think BO gives pinheads a bad name. So as the election nears, look for my postings to get more and more POLITICAL...

 

What, me lie?

Cognitive dissonance is that uncomfortable feeling caused by holding conflicting ideas simultaneously. I wonder if the White House resident, or any of the loopy people in congress, understand you cannot on the one hand double the national debt in 2 years, and propose another doubling in the next 2 years and at the same time sincerely state you propose to cut the very deficit you are ramping up.

From the Washington Post "Americans may ask which is the real Obama, the politician who embraced the biggest stimulus package in the nation’s history, a bailout of the banks and a takeover of the automobile industry, or the one who on Friday hailed the new budget deal as including “the largest annual spending cut in our history.”

Burnt bridges?

You of course have heard the expression “burn a bridge”.  As in doing something that pretty much guarantees you will not be welcome back.

 

So here now is a tale of such events.

 

I worked at company X for well over a decade, and rose through the organization. My last job there was what they call a development type job, meaning that if you do well, they make your job permanent, and if not, well then you go back to the job you had before.  In my case the boss (Let’s call her Jane) failed to get the position funded, so towards the end of the 3rd budget year, her boss told me I would be going back. Now at this point I decided that was not an option, and since other companies were hiring, I went for it. Got pretty much the same salary and benefits, and was a good opportunity. My boss (you remember, the one that forgot to get my job funded) was happy for me.

 

 The new job was great, gained a lot more experience, worked with great people. But alas, all good things come to an end, and the company began the slow circle around the drain starting in 2010. So, I started looking around again, and interviewing, etc.  I even asked about a job back at the old company; even though my rule #3 is ‘Never go back’, a rule I have broken one other time in the past. To my surprise, they hired me back, so I went.

Here is where it gets real weird. 2 weeks into my return to company X, another company I had interviewed with called, and wanted me to meet with their executives. I did, and at the end of the day, they offered me the job. With a substantial raise, nice corner office with view of the city, small staff with room to grow as they launch a new project; I was torn.  Do I bail out on the people that just re-hired me, or do I take an opportunity to maybe move my career along and in the process maybe make a little more money so I can save for retirement. The kicker was when they called again and said they would also pay for most of my benefits. So besides a nice place to work, more money, I could keep more of it since they were paying for benefits (mostly anyway). I agreed, but told them I needed to give a minimum of two weeks’ notice. They agreed.

I gave notice by scheduling a meeting with my boss, who was shocked but said he understood, who could turn down such a great offer.

 

As the day came for me to leave, we met again to discuss things, and I assured him I understood the pressure on him for re-hiring me and then I leave, but I seriously had no idea the offer was coming. I had not heard from them in months, and that is not an exaggeration. He told me he did catch some crap from the big shots, but for me not to worry about it.

 

So now I am at my new job, and everything is pretty much great. One of my pals at Company X and I are chatting on the phone, and she lets out that “Jane” has been telling everyone at Company X that she tried to warn people re-hiring me was a mistake, that I would be leaving, “just like she did me”…ok, SO that’s not exactly how that went down, so what’s up with the assertion I bailed out? She never lifted a finger to help me out, and now she is spreading this garbage?

 

So today, I contacted my pal, and told her hearing that bit of news actually didn’t shock me; it reaffirmed my low opinion of Jane as a manager. She laughed and told me that that was everyone was saying, her petty behavior was only reaffirming her own shortcomings.

If we honor their service, how about a job?

Prior to me joining my current employer, they had made the decision to hire another person in the unit I would manage. The boss decided this would be a good job to give the new manager, which in this case turns out to be me.

I was handed a pile of applications and told to devise a rating system based on company needs and policies…so I reviewed what they had advertised for, and then reviewed a bunch of hiring policy statements.

 

 

Then I did a spreadsheet, and delegated points for things like being a veteran (1 pt), key skills and abilities (10 pt), practical experience(10 pt) and education- degrees and certifications (10 pt).

I then reviewed each application, looking to see how they described things they had done, writing style, and the items in my point scale.

I think the top candidate had 26 pt and got an extra point for being a veteran.

The boss asked why we should care about if they were a veteran, that it’s unrelated to the job.

I replied that a veteran has demonstrated ability to absorb training, self-reliance, judgement, discipline and every veteran I know had hired in my career turned out to be a worthwhile hire. He shrugged and said , “well, OK”.

That people in this country think veterans are unworthy of any benefit at all in hiring is sad. It also is illegal.

 The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA, 38 U.S.C. §§ 4301 – 4335) is a federal law. Part of the law states that its intent to “to prohibit discrimination against persons because of their service in the uniformed services”. Although many believe this applies only to reservists and National Guard called to active duty, another section of the law says no, and says “A person who … has performed… an obligation to …service in a uniformed service shall not be denied initial employment”

Sorry for the employment law lesson, but the above experience apparently is not unique to my company, because on the news they were discussing “rampant unemployment among the nations veterans” and one of the commentators said “Frankly that these people are unemployed in these numbers demonstrates a lack of respect for what they have done for this country”

 

I think enough said.

The Un United Sovereign sub-states of Amerika

I was looking out the window of the high rise I work in now, at this grand flag atop a neighboring building, and wondered how in this politically incorrect world such a huge flag could be flown.

I stood for a moment, and then started to say the pledge of allegiance, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

A smile came over my face, as I recalled how proud I was as a child to say those words from memory.

I heard something behind me, and turned to see two young men, probably in their 20’s , had been walking by and stopped to stare, and so I asked if there was something. They got a embarrassed look and scurried down the aisle.

My new assistant came in and asked what I was doing, and I told her. She smiled and said they probably had never seen someone doing the pledge like that, other than at a ball game or something.  And that made me sad.

Things I never envisioned are reality in this land. I guess that makes me old, maybe stupid, or both. I never thought this country would become so turned against itself. The sense that we are all Americans seems supplanted with multi-culturist correctness that makes me want to be ill.

People are afraid say much of anything to each other, even hello. Children fear strangers as potential molesters; police are reviled as uniformed thugs; military service is thought to be something only the less educated seek to do.

My husband has a Master’s degree, and yet when he would talk to people about his service, they (seriously) would ask if that was the only job he could find…such is the rewards of service.

In my office, none of the older men were ever in the military, which I find odd. NOT one. All are in their late 50’s or early 60’s, which means they were in their late teens during end of Vietnam.

Yet in my dad’s generation, WWII and Korea, it seems ALL the men in the family and all my dad’s friends had seen service.

But as they say that was then, this is now. To me, a lot of “now” is overrated…

Me personally think we need to dial back the clock to say 1980, and  get out of this malaise...