Tuesday, February 06, 2007
I'm Back
I have been away in blogger land doing all sorts of stuff, but mainly posting blogs on myspace. I may bring some of them over to post here. Have not decided that yet.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Terrorists have won
I am not completely sure about how the new anti-terrorism ideas about no liquids on planes will actually play out in the long run or even how safe we are going to be because of it, but the mere fact we are doing it shows that the terrorists have won. We are changing our society, giving up our ideals and freedoms because we are scared. I am not just talking about a bottle of water on the plane, but much, much more.
The point of terrorism is to make the average person fear the world around them and to change how they live. In the 70’s and early 80’s, communist backed terrorism was designed to show that a capitalist government could not protect you, that only a communist society could. This mainly effected Europe and eventually communism failed, so that treat was gone.
Islamic terrorism seems to have no specific purpose or goal that I can see except to strike fear in the hearts of people. There is no way to win this. We can continue to restrict things we do, to allow our government to ease drop on calls, hold people with arresting them, torture people and the like – and maybe you feel safer. I do not. I am scared of my government. I want to feel safe like the rest of you, but what I see is a democratic government on a steady spiral into a fascist one. Fascism is not Nazi Germany, so do not think that is what I am saying. Fascism is a political belief that the people are there for the government, not the government for the people. Any criticism of the government is treason.
It is now un-American to criticize the President or the GOP – what happened to “I don’t agree with what you are saying, but I will fight to protect your right to say it”? Anyone who questions what we are doing in Iraq or how the government does it job is now vilified. You cannot protest anywhere near the President – supposedly for security reasons, but his supporters can stand right there and cheer? I guess a terrorist would NEVER EVER fake support to get close to his target. We have government talking heads telling us that we must do what they say unquestioningly - to do otherwise is giving aid to the enemy. We are giving our government ever increasing rights and powers, giving up our cherished civil rights without even so mush as a whimper. If this continues, we will one day wake up and find that we are no longer free.
Freedom has a price and unfortunately young men and women are paying that price as are the innocent victims of terrorism. By allowing our government to strip us of our rights and to accept things we never would have dreamed of in the past we are not honoring those who have died so that we may be free – we are selling them out a little at a time.
They have already won.
The point of terrorism is to make the average person fear the world around them and to change how they live. In the 70’s and early 80’s, communist backed terrorism was designed to show that a capitalist government could not protect you, that only a communist society could. This mainly effected Europe and eventually communism failed, so that treat was gone.
Islamic terrorism seems to have no specific purpose or goal that I can see except to strike fear in the hearts of people. There is no way to win this. We can continue to restrict things we do, to allow our government to ease drop on calls, hold people with arresting them, torture people and the like – and maybe you feel safer. I do not. I am scared of my government. I want to feel safe like the rest of you, but what I see is a democratic government on a steady spiral into a fascist one. Fascism is not Nazi Germany, so do not think that is what I am saying. Fascism is a political belief that the people are there for the government, not the government for the people. Any criticism of the government is treason.
It is now un-American to criticize the President or the GOP – what happened to “I don’t agree with what you are saying, but I will fight to protect your right to say it”? Anyone who questions what we are doing in Iraq or how the government does it job is now vilified. You cannot protest anywhere near the President – supposedly for security reasons, but his supporters can stand right there and cheer? I guess a terrorist would NEVER EVER fake support to get close to his target. We have government talking heads telling us that we must do what they say unquestioningly - to do otherwise is giving aid to the enemy. We are giving our government ever increasing rights and powers, giving up our cherished civil rights without even so mush as a whimper. If this continues, we will one day wake up and find that we are no longer free.
Freedom has a price and unfortunately young men and women are paying that price as are the innocent victims of terrorism. By allowing our government to strip us of our rights and to accept things we never would have dreamed of in the past we are not honoring those who have died so that we may be free – we are selling them out a little at a time.
They have already won.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
USA Number 1?
I love being an american, but we, as a nation are failing miserably.
America by the numbers
by Michael VenturaFebruary 23, 2005 as published in www.citypages.com
No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion that the USA is "No. 1," "the greatest." Our broadcast media are, in essence, continuous advertisements for the brand name "America Is No. 1." Any office seeker saying otherwise would be committing political suicide. In fact, anyone saying otherwise will be labeled "un-American." We're an "empire," ain't we? Sure we are. An empire without a manufacturing base. An empire that must borrow $2 billion a day from its competitors in order to function. Yet the delusion is ineradicable. We're No. 1. Well...this is the country you really live in:
*The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).
*The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
*Twenty percent of Americans think the sun orbits the earth. Seventeen percent believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day (The Week, Jan. 7, 2005).
*"The International Adult Literacy Survey...found that Americans with less than nine years of education 'score worse than virtually all of the other countries'" (Jeremy Rifkin's superbly documented book The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream, p.78).
*Our workers are so ignorant and lack so many basic skills that American businesses spend $30 billion a year on remedial training (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004). No wonder they relocate elsewhere!
*"The European Union leads the U.S. in...the number of science and engineering graduates; public research and development (R&D) expenditures; and new capital raised" (The European Dream, p.70).
*"Europe surpassed the United States in the mid-1990s as the largest producer of scientific literature" (The European Dream, p.70).
Nevertheless, Congress cut funds to the National Science Foundation. The agency will issue 1,000 fewer research grants this year (NYT, Dec. 21, 2004).
*"The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens" (The European Dream, p.80). Excuse me, but since when is South Africa a "developed" country? Anyway, that's the company we're keeping.
*Lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary American deaths a year. (That's six times the number of people killed on 9/11.) (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005.)
*"U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower" (The European Dream, p.81). Been to Mexico lately? Does it look "developed" to you? Yet it's the only "developed" country to score lower in childhood poverty.
*Twelve million American families--more than 10 percent of all U.S. households--"continue to struggle, and not always successfully, to feed themselves." Families that "had members who actually went hungry at some point last year" numbered 3.9 million (NYT, Nov. 22, 2004).
*The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
*Women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
*The leading cause of death of pregnant women in this country is murder (CNN, Dec. 14, 2004).
*"Of the 20 most developed countries in the world, the U.S. was dead last in the growth rate of total compensation to its workforce in the 1980s.... In the 1990s, the U.S. average compensation growth rate grew only slightly, at an annual rate of about 0.1 percent" (The European Dream, p.39). Yet Americans work longer hours per year than any other industrialized country, and get less vacation time.
*"Sixty-one of the 140 biggest companies on the Global Fortune 500 rankings are European, while only 50 are U.S. companies" (The European Dream, p.66). "In a recent survey of the world's 50 best companies, conducted by Global Finance, all but one were European" (The European Dream, p.69).
*"Fourteen of the 20 largest commercial banks in the world today are European.... In the chemical industry, the European company BASF is the world's leader, and three of the top six players are European. In engineering and construction, three of the top five companies are European.... The two others are Japanese. Not a single American engineering and construction company is included among the world's top nine competitors. In food and consumer products, Nestlé and Unilever, two European giants, rank first and second, respectively, in the world. In the food and drugstore retail trade, two European companies...are first and second, and European companies make up five of the top ten. Only four U.S. companies are on the list" (The European Dream, p.68).
*Three million six hundred thousand Americans ran out of unemployment insurance last year; 1.8 million--one in five--unemployed workers are jobless for more than six months (NYT, Jan. 9, 2005).
*Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea hold 40 percent of our government debt. (That's why we talk nice to them.) "By helping keep mortgage rates from rising, China has come to play an enormous and little-noticed role in sustaining the American housing boom" (NYT, Dec. 4, 2004). Read that twice. We owe our housing boom to China, because they want us to keep buying all that stuff they manufacture.
*Sometime in the next 10 years Brazil will probably pass the U.S. as the world's largest agricultural producer. Brazil is now the world's largest exporter of chickens, orange juice, sugar, coffee, and tobacco. Last year, Brazil passed the U.S. as the world's largest beef producer. (Hear that, you poor deluded cowboys?) As a result, while we bear record trade deficits, Brazil boasts a $30 billion trade surplus (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
*As of last June, the U.S. imported more food than it exported (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
*Bush: 62,027,582 votes. Kerry: 59,026,003 votes. Number of eligible voters who didn't show up: 79,279,000 (NYT, Dec. 26, 2004). That's more than a third. Way more. If more than a third of Iraqis don't show for their election, no country in the world will think that election legitimate.
*One-third of all U.S. children are born out of wedlock. One-half of all U.S. children will live in a one-parent house (CNN, Dec. 10, 2004).
*"Americans are now spending more money on gambling than on movies, videos, DVDs, music, and books combined" (The European Dream, p.28).
*"Nearly one out of four Americans [believe] that using violence to get what they want is acceptable" (The European Dream, p.32).
*Forty-three percent of Americans think torture is sometimes justified, according to a PEW Poll (Associated Press, Aug. 19, 2004).
*"Nearly 900,000 children were abused or neglected in 2002, the last year for which such data are available" (USA Today, Dec. 21, 2004).
*"The International Association of Chiefs of Police said that cuts by the [Bush] administration in federal aid to local police agencies have left the nation more vulnerable than ever" (USA Today, Nov. 17, 2004).
No. 1? In most important categories we're not even in the Top 10 anymore. Not even close.
The USA is "No. 1" in nothing but weaponry, consumer spending, debt, and delusion.
America by the numbers
by Michael VenturaFebruary 23, 2005 as published in www.citypages.com
No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion that the USA is "No. 1," "the greatest." Our broadcast media are, in essence, continuous advertisements for the brand name "America Is No. 1." Any office seeker saying otherwise would be committing political suicide. In fact, anyone saying otherwise will be labeled "un-American." We're an "empire," ain't we? Sure we are. An empire without a manufacturing base. An empire that must borrow $2 billion a day from its competitors in order to function. Yet the delusion is ineradicable. We're No. 1. Well...this is the country you really live in:
*The United States is 49th in the world in literacy (the New York Times, Dec. 12, 2004).
*The United States ranked 28th out of 40 countries in mathematical literacy (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
*Twenty percent of Americans think the sun orbits the earth. Seventeen percent believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day (The Week, Jan. 7, 2005).
*"The International Adult Literacy Survey...found that Americans with less than nine years of education 'score worse than virtually all of the other countries'" (Jeremy Rifkin's superbly documented book The European Dream: How Europe's Vision of the Future Is Quietly Eclipsing the American Dream, p.78).
*Our workers are so ignorant and lack so many basic skills that American businesses spend $30 billion a year on remedial training (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004). No wonder they relocate elsewhere!
*"The European Union leads the U.S. in...the number of science and engineering graduates; public research and development (R&D) expenditures; and new capital raised" (The European Dream, p.70).
*"Europe surpassed the United States in the mid-1990s as the largest producer of scientific literature" (The European Dream, p.70).
Nevertheless, Congress cut funds to the National Science Foundation. The agency will issue 1,000 fewer research grants this year (NYT, Dec. 21, 2004).
*"The U.S. and South Africa are the only two developed countries in the world that do not provide health care for all their citizens" (The European Dream, p.80). Excuse me, but since when is South Africa a "developed" country? Anyway, that's the company we're keeping.
*Lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary American deaths a year. (That's six times the number of people killed on 9/11.) (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005.)
*"U.S. childhood poverty now ranks 22nd, or second to last, among the developed nations. Only Mexico scores lower" (The European Dream, p.81). Been to Mexico lately? Does it look "developed" to you? Yet it's the only "developed" country to score lower in childhood poverty.
*Twelve million American families--more than 10 percent of all U.S. households--"continue to struggle, and not always successfully, to feed themselves." Families that "had members who actually went hungry at some point last year" numbered 3.9 million (NYT, Nov. 22, 2004).
*The United States is 41st in the world in infant mortality. Cuba scores higher (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
*Women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe (NYT, Jan. 12, 2005).
*The leading cause of death of pregnant women in this country is murder (CNN, Dec. 14, 2004).
*"Of the 20 most developed countries in the world, the U.S. was dead last in the growth rate of total compensation to its workforce in the 1980s.... In the 1990s, the U.S. average compensation growth rate grew only slightly, at an annual rate of about 0.1 percent" (The European Dream, p.39). Yet Americans work longer hours per year than any other industrialized country, and get less vacation time.
*"Sixty-one of the 140 biggest companies on the Global Fortune 500 rankings are European, while only 50 are U.S. companies" (The European Dream, p.66). "In a recent survey of the world's 50 best companies, conducted by Global Finance, all but one were European" (The European Dream, p.69).
*"Fourteen of the 20 largest commercial banks in the world today are European.... In the chemical industry, the European company BASF is the world's leader, and three of the top six players are European. In engineering and construction, three of the top five companies are European.... The two others are Japanese. Not a single American engineering and construction company is included among the world's top nine competitors. In food and consumer products, Nestlé and Unilever, two European giants, rank first and second, respectively, in the world. In the food and drugstore retail trade, two European companies...are first and second, and European companies make up five of the top ten. Only four U.S. companies are on the list" (The European Dream, p.68).
*Three million six hundred thousand Americans ran out of unemployment insurance last year; 1.8 million--one in five--unemployed workers are jobless for more than six months (NYT, Jan. 9, 2005).
*Japan, China, Taiwan, and South Korea hold 40 percent of our government debt. (That's why we talk nice to them.) "By helping keep mortgage rates from rising, China has come to play an enormous and little-noticed role in sustaining the American housing boom" (NYT, Dec. 4, 2004). Read that twice. We owe our housing boom to China, because they want us to keep buying all that stuff they manufacture.
*Sometime in the next 10 years Brazil will probably pass the U.S. as the world's largest agricultural producer. Brazil is now the world's largest exporter of chickens, orange juice, sugar, coffee, and tobacco. Last year, Brazil passed the U.S. as the world's largest beef producer. (Hear that, you poor deluded cowboys?) As a result, while we bear record trade deficits, Brazil boasts a $30 billion trade surplus (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
*As of last June, the U.S. imported more food than it exported (NYT, Dec. 12, 2004).
*Bush: 62,027,582 votes. Kerry: 59,026,003 votes. Number of eligible voters who didn't show up: 79,279,000 (NYT, Dec. 26, 2004). That's more than a third. Way more. If more than a third of Iraqis don't show for their election, no country in the world will think that election legitimate.
*One-third of all U.S. children are born out of wedlock. One-half of all U.S. children will live in a one-parent house (CNN, Dec. 10, 2004).
*"Americans are now spending more money on gambling than on movies, videos, DVDs, music, and books combined" (The European Dream, p.28).
*"Nearly one out of four Americans [believe] that using violence to get what they want is acceptable" (The European Dream, p.32).
*Forty-three percent of Americans think torture is sometimes justified, according to a PEW Poll (Associated Press, Aug. 19, 2004).
*"Nearly 900,000 children were abused or neglected in 2002, the last year for which such data are available" (USA Today, Dec. 21, 2004).
*"The International Association of Chiefs of Police said that cuts by the [Bush] administration in federal aid to local police agencies have left the nation more vulnerable than ever" (USA Today, Nov. 17, 2004).
No. 1? In most important categories we're not even in the Top 10 anymore. Not even close.
The USA is "No. 1" in nothing but weaponry, consumer spending, debt, and delusion.
Monday, August 14, 2006
I love my job - I think
It amazes me how much trouble people can get into and how fast things can spiral out of control. I had a client who came to me to discuss the chances of challenging a property settlement agreement he signed during a divorce. He did not have an attorney and agreed to what ever she wanted because he loved her. I quoted him a price and he walked away. Fine and good, as this happens a lot. Our firm is not the cheapest in town, nor is it the most expensive.
Several weeks pass and this guy’s dad and brother come to see me. Seems junior is in jail for simple domestic violence, a misdemeanor, and can I help. I quote a price and they come back with the money. We bail him out only to find the charges have been changed – Felony domestic violence, Aggravated assault and breaking and entering. We all talk and I have to increase the cost of defense, which dad pays.
It seems junior decides to go over and get his kids and some things out of the house. This in not in dispute. The house is no longer his as he has signed over all rights to it in the divorce. This also is not in dispute. He puts his kids in the truck, and then enters the house either by invitation or by kicking the door in, who knows. The he goes upstairs to get the kids clothes, or other items. Take your pick. The ex-wife is beating him the entire time. She either falls down the stairs or is pushed. Next the new boyfriend hits junior with something. This is not in dispute. At some point Junior pulls a gun (maybe) before he leaves. The police arrest him a mile or two down the road and find the gun. It is unclear if it was loaded. Junior claims it was just under the seat like it has been for years – ex-wife set him up. An ambulance takes ex to hospital and there are a pretty good set of color photos of her bruises and black eyes. Junior admits to going into the house and to fighting with her, but not to the gun. He is unclear about the stairs.
I do my lawyer magic, work with the DA and get what I think is a great result literally the day before trial – instead of 25 years in Parchman Prison junior will get non-adjudication. This means he enters a plea of guilty, pays a fine and is free to go as long as he keeps his nose clean for the next 5 years, at which time the charges are expunged from his record. I am the best thing since sliced bread. We now go to work fixing the divorce records, I get his child support reduced from $1200 a month (about 70% of his take home) to the correct amount, around $400 a month, get him more time with his kids as well as some other things. Man I am wonderful!
He is happy as punch until he loses his job because his criminal records correctly show he is in a pre-trial diversion program.
Now I am the worst attorney in the world. He did not do it and we should have gone to trial. He, to this day, cusses me I am sure. He could have done a better job on his own he tells anyone who will listen. Lawyers are all cheats
BTW the final legal fee was 6 times the fee I quoted to help him straighten out the mess he made by signed the original divorce papers.
Not sure there is a point here, just something I remembered today talking to another criminal client about non adjudication.
I love my job
Several weeks pass and this guy’s dad and brother come to see me. Seems junior is in jail for simple domestic violence, a misdemeanor, and can I help. I quote a price and they come back with the money. We bail him out only to find the charges have been changed – Felony domestic violence, Aggravated assault and breaking and entering. We all talk and I have to increase the cost of defense, which dad pays.
It seems junior decides to go over and get his kids and some things out of the house. This in not in dispute. The house is no longer his as he has signed over all rights to it in the divorce. This also is not in dispute. He puts his kids in the truck, and then enters the house either by invitation or by kicking the door in, who knows. The he goes upstairs to get the kids clothes, or other items. Take your pick. The ex-wife is beating him the entire time. She either falls down the stairs or is pushed. Next the new boyfriend hits junior with something. This is not in dispute. At some point Junior pulls a gun (maybe) before he leaves. The police arrest him a mile or two down the road and find the gun. It is unclear if it was loaded. Junior claims it was just under the seat like it has been for years – ex-wife set him up. An ambulance takes ex to hospital and there are a pretty good set of color photos of her bruises and black eyes. Junior admits to going into the house and to fighting with her, but not to the gun. He is unclear about the stairs.
I do my lawyer magic, work with the DA and get what I think is a great result literally the day before trial – instead of 25 years in Parchman Prison junior will get non-adjudication. This means he enters a plea of guilty, pays a fine and is free to go as long as he keeps his nose clean for the next 5 years, at which time the charges are expunged from his record. I am the best thing since sliced bread. We now go to work fixing the divorce records, I get his child support reduced from $1200 a month (about 70% of his take home) to the correct amount, around $400 a month, get him more time with his kids as well as some other things. Man I am wonderful!
He is happy as punch until he loses his job because his criminal records correctly show he is in a pre-trial diversion program.
Now I am the worst attorney in the world. He did not do it and we should have gone to trial. He, to this day, cusses me I am sure. He could have done a better job on his own he tells anyone who will listen. Lawyers are all cheats
BTW the final legal fee was 6 times the fee I quoted to help him straighten out the mess he made by signed the original divorce papers.
Not sure there is a point here, just something I remembered today talking to another criminal client about non adjudication.
I love my job
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Beer or gasoline?
I heard a new country song today by Chris Young (I've never heard of him either. The song was about the choice between buying a six pack of cold beer of buying gas for his truck. Thankfully this is not a choice I have to make, but it did get me to thinking about the price of gas.
I paid $2.98/gal for the "cheap" grade. I can recall it being $0.69 when I moved from South Carolina to Mississippi in 1998. Admittedly a lot has changed since then both in my life and the world. I got married and divorced, had a child and earned a law degree, but the increase in gas is outrageous.
And it is going to get worse, much worse before the end of the summer. I got word last night from a person who would know that the BP gas pipeline in Alaska will be shut down at least 6 months, not the two months announced earlier this week.
Back to the beer or gas choice - funny song, but lets change it a little. The real choice is coming - food or gas. My office is about to lose some staff due to the cost of gas - costs them more to drive to work than the benefit of a paycheck. Now is is an attorney, who makes good money not a lower income laborer. So if she is feeling the pinch, others have got to be.
I expect that you will see the political hacks impose a price cap on gas soon - but keep in mind these are them hacks who have known for decades that gas is limited and we are using it at an ever increasing rate, but have failed to meaningfully explore other options. Our government (USA) has subsidized the oil industry at a rate about 10 to 250 times the amount given to researchers looking for alternative fuel sources. (depending on your source).
We KNOW that Brazil has been able to make an alternative fuel source, similar to Ethanol, but based on sugar rather than corn, AND that Ford makes cars for Brazil that can run on both - so you can buy gas or the other fuel depending. WHY NOT HERE?
It seems the village idiot we elected has only one solution in mind - drill in ANWAR. Oh wait, the invasion of Iraq was supposed to ease the gas burden by allowing that oil back onto the market which would take care of the funding the reconstruction of Iraq. I guess all of that oil got lost with the WMD.
Just my thoughts.
I paid $2.98/gal for the "cheap" grade. I can recall it being $0.69 when I moved from South Carolina to Mississippi in 1998. Admittedly a lot has changed since then both in my life and the world. I got married and divorced, had a child and earned a law degree, but the increase in gas is outrageous.
And it is going to get worse, much worse before the end of the summer. I got word last night from a person who would know that the BP gas pipeline in Alaska will be shut down at least 6 months, not the two months announced earlier this week.
Back to the beer or gas choice - funny song, but lets change it a little. The real choice is coming - food or gas. My office is about to lose some staff due to the cost of gas - costs them more to drive to work than the benefit of a paycheck. Now is is an attorney, who makes good money not a lower income laborer. So if she is feeling the pinch, others have got to be.
I expect that you will see the political hacks impose a price cap on gas soon - but keep in mind these are them hacks who have known for decades that gas is limited and we are using it at an ever increasing rate, but have failed to meaningfully explore other options. Our government (USA) has subsidized the oil industry at a rate about 10 to 250 times the amount given to researchers looking for alternative fuel sources. (depending on your source).
We KNOW that Brazil has been able to make an alternative fuel source, similar to Ethanol, but based on sugar rather than corn, AND that Ford makes cars for Brazil that can run on both - so you can buy gas or the other fuel depending. WHY NOT HERE?
It seems the village idiot we elected has only one solution in mind - drill in ANWAR. Oh wait, the invasion of Iraq was supposed to ease the gas burden by allowing that oil back onto the market which would take care of the funding the reconstruction of Iraq. I guess all of that oil got lost with the WMD.
Just my thoughts.
Friday, August 11, 2006
blogs
One of the great things about a blog is the ability to post your inner most thoughts and feelings with out really having to tell anyone. You can write about your family, friends and relationships without any real fear that they will find out, or that you secrets will become public. It is almost like a free therapy session.
This is on of two that I have. this one has very little identifying information on it, but I could be found out if you really wanted to look. My other has a lot more personal info, but it is in a secure site for that purpose.
This brings me to my point. As I have written I read other blogs, in particular, the girl with a one track mind. Despite the title, it is not only a sex blog, but also has her observations of life. She has been writing for a few years now and is quite good. In fact she writes well enough to have a book published. She HAD done all of this anonymously for many of the same reasons I just mentioned. Now maybe she was naive to believe that she could remain anonymous after her book came out, but appears to have been her plans. Anyway a tabloid type paper “outed” her with surprise photos and a typical tabloid article. The upshot is her friends and family, as well as co-workers and former lovers know have access to her diary.
I know this is the chance you take by placing your blog online, but did the world really need a newspaper to do this? At a time when there is REAL news such as escalating price of fuel, corruption in government and at least 5 major armed conflicts (Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, the Sudan and new violence in Somalia – there maybe more).
I do not have the answer, just my personal thoughts.
This is on of two that I have. this one has very little identifying information on it, but I could be found out if you really wanted to look. My other has a lot more personal info, but it is in a secure site for that purpose.
This brings me to my point. As I have written I read other blogs, in particular, the girl with a one track mind. Despite the title, it is not only a sex blog, but also has her observations of life. She has been writing for a few years now and is quite good. In fact she writes well enough to have a book published. She HAD done all of this anonymously for many of the same reasons I just mentioned. Now maybe she was naive to believe that she could remain anonymous after her book came out, but appears to have been her plans. Anyway a tabloid type paper “outed” her with surprise photos and a typical tabloid article. The upshot is her friends and family, as well as co-workers and former lovers know have access to her diary.
I know this is the chance you take by placing your blog online, but did the world really need a newspaper to do this? At a time when there is REAL news such as escalating price of fuel, corruption in government and at least 5 major armed conflicts (Iraq, Israel, Afghanistan, the Sudan and new violence in Somalia – there maybe more).
I do not have the answer, just my personal thoughts.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
To Damn Hot
It is too damn hot. The past few weeks here have been unbearable- high heat and high humidity. For those that might not understand the effects of that combination I will try to explain. Most states with high heat, such as Nevada, have what seems like “oven” heat, you can feel the heat directly on your skin, feel your skin cooking, but it is not oppressive (in my opinion), on the other hand, the Southeast tends to have sweltering heat. It feels like you can touch the heat - it is as if you can swim in the oppressive heat. I liken it to being boiled, you feel hot, but not real feeling that like you are getting cooked. I imagine it is what a lobster feels as if is cooked.
Anyway the heat has been so bad that I have actually turned down sex due to it being too hot. That is how hot it has been. I do not think my indoor temperature has been below 80 this week and my AC has not stopped running.
(Written 8-6-06)
Anyway the heat has been so bad that I have actually turned down sex due to it being too hot. That is how hot it has been. I do not think my indoor temperature has been below 80 this week and my AC has not stopped running.
(Written 8-6-06)
