twenty banks getting the hot cash injections

um, dayum !!!

- - - from reuters factbox: http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idINN2837471720081028
 

 Oct 28 (Reuters) - Twenty U.S. banks have signed up for the
 government's offer of a cash injection, in addition to the nine
that joined the program initially. The injections are a bid to
revive the sector, which has suffered since lending has dried
up and many loans have gone bad.

 The U.S. Treasury Department plans to provide funds for 20
to 22 lenders in the current round of the $250 billion bank
recapitalization program.

 Nine of the largest U.S. banks said they will receive the
first $125 billion of capital infusions two weeks ago:

 Bank of America (BAC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)/Merrill Lynch (MER.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) $25 billion

 Citigroup (C.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                               $25 billion

 JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                   $25 billion

 Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                      $25 billion

 Morgan Stanley (MS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                         $10 billion

 Goldman Sachs Group (GS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                    $10 billion

 Bank of New York Mellon Corp (BK.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)           $3 billion

 State Street Corp (STT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                     $2 billion

 Since Oct. 24, the following banks have said they will take
part in the program:

 PNC Financial Services Group Inc (PNC.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)    $7.7 billion

 Capital One Financial Corp (COF.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)          $3.55 billion

 Regions Financial Corp (RF.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)               $3.5 billion

 SunTrust Banks Inc (STI.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                  $3.5 billion

 Fifth Third Bancorp (FITB.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                $3.45 billion

 BB&T Corp (BBT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                           $3.1 billion

 KeyCorp (KEY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                             $2.5 billion

 Comerica (CMA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                            $2.25 billion

 Northern Trust Corp (NTRS.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                $1.5 billion

 Huntington Bancshares (HBAN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)              $1.4 billion

 Zions Bancorp (ZION.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                      $1.4 billion

 First Horizon National Corp (FHN.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)         $866 million

 City National Corp (CYN.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                  $395 million

 Valley National Bancorp (VLY.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)             $330 million

 UCBH Holdings Inc (UCBH.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                  $298 million

 Umpqua Holdings Corp (UMPQ.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)               $214 million

 Washington Federal (WFSL.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                 $200 million

 First Niagara Financial Group (FNFG.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)      $186 million

 HF Financial Corp (HFFC.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                  $25 million

 Bank of Commerce (BOCH.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)                   $17 million

 NOTE: Old National Bancorp (ONB.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said it has won
 preliminary approval for $150 million but has not decided
whether to participate. Provident Bankshares Corp, the parent
of Baltimore-based Provident Bank, also said it has been given
preliminary approval but has not decided whether to
 participate.

 West Bancorp (WTBA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Friday it was seeking
 shareholder approval to raise between $12 million and $36
million under the Treasury program.

 FirstMerit Corp (FMER.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Tuesday it was deciding
 whether to participate. Paul Greig, chief executive, said he
expects the Treasury's investment in FirstMerit would be $80
million to $250 million. Sterling Bancshares (SBIB.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) also said
 it was considering participating in the program.

- - -

where do i sign up ???
:-/

hello everyone, my name is Tee, and i'm a wingnut...

:)
yes, i was just sitting here at work, and i figured it all out;  my life.
i'm a wingnut.

i sit out here in the fringe, and i read articles about ghosts, and ufos, and rothschilds causing the collapse of amerika...
and i giggle, and grin, and love every minute of it.
i send emails to friends about shtuff like that too.

and i swear, if i was drinking some guiness, i might get up and speechify about it.
maybe.
;)

abby normal, yep, that's me.
might have to start a new blog...
:P

strange dreams, stranger reality...

so, i had some strange dreams over the weekend, didn't really sleep very well.
the one with the most vivid picture, was of a mob or riot out in front of my house.
8-O

seems like i was waking up all weekend... :(

and reality?
hrm, most of the world seems to be melting down economically: http://money.cnn.com/2008/10/27/markets/world_markets/?postversion=2008102714
from something our country is being blamed for: the housing bubble bursting?  the hedge fund shtuff?  the bailout?  all of the above?

will the President's Working Group on Financial Markets save us?  or just prop it up with a fish and a stick?
http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/manipulation.php

oh, and i saw W. on friday.  it was fun.  it was scary.  it was long. 
i think Laura should write a "tell-all" later on...
;)

all in all, i'm glad the mothership didn't come to "alabama" and save us on the 14th...
:P

me reminding myself

"If we don't believe in freedom of expression for
people we despise, we don't believe in it at all."

-Noam Chomsky

Mr. Bean?

"This is a once in a lifetime crisis, and possibly the largest financial crisis of its kind in human history,"
Bean told the Scarborough Evening News.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081024/bs_nm/us_financial5_150

sorry, that just made me laugh!

how to remove fluoride from drinking water

on about.com:
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/a/removefluoride.htm

gasp! phoenix was fluoridated starting in 1989

excerpt from here: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119997460/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

- - -

On January 31, 1989, the city council of Phoenix, Arizona, voted to approve water fluoridation. Despite a small number of campaign participants and a limited budget, profluoridationists launched a successful 16-month effort that included novel marketing techniques, intensive collaboration with media representatives, and an aggressive challenge of the antifluoridation movement. Public support was garnered through an advisory petition effort and positive media coverage; political support resulted from a carefully orchestrated educational strategy that included expert testimony and comprehensive reference materials. With a population of approximately 1 million people, Phoenix is the ninth largest city in the country and, until the measure was implemented, the third largest nonfluoridated city.

X(

fluoride & the pineal gland

this really isn't wooist material, it's some serious scientific research, from what i can tell:

http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/pineal/
http://www.fluoridealert.org/fluoride-statement.htm

just do a google on it: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=fluoride+%2B+%22pineal+gland%22&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

scary.

The Superior Man, The Way, and Other Stuff

reading a book, several actually, but this one is bugging the hell outta me.
i'm finding it really hard to read more than a chapter at a time (short chapters actually),
becuz i get upset with what the author is saying...

The Way of the Superior Man
A Spiritual Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Women, Work, and Sexual Desire
by David Deida

first a little background: i've never understood women, not my wife, not any of my girlfriends, not my teenage daughter.
i accepted that as a given.  and i embraced a quote from The Last of the Mohicans movie:
(actually it's a scene)
Hawkeye: My father warned me about you...
Cora: Your Father?
Hawkeye: Chingachgook, he warned me about people like you.
Cora: Oh, did he?
Hawkeye: He said "Do not try to understand them".
Cora: what?
Hawkeye: yes, and, "do not try to make them understand you. That is because they are a breed apart and make no sense".

* it seemed like a good philosophy for men, concerning women...
:)

second, one of the concepts in the book is that there are masculine and feminine traits,
manifesting in both the male and the female, meaning you can have masculine males and females,
and feminine males and females.  and somehow attractiveness of one for the other depends on that, i guess?
maybe i'm getting that part wrong, but i didn't quite get that. 
ie. conan isn't attracted to the princess, he likes the warrior chicks.
(but maybe that's just my interpretation)

third, after reading a few chapters, i got the impression (which became a bias), that he wrote this book for chicks,
so they can wave it at their man, and say "see?!!  yer supposed to act like this!"
(actually my bias goes further; he wrote it for the women who read romance novels, and want their man to act like the guy on the cover).

so, i've started taking a very cynical view of the book, as you can see.
i mean, i get the part where he's saying we should all be true to our core purpose.
but he kinda alludes to the idea that if you don't know your core purpose yer wasting yer life.

and i completely and selfishly disagree!  ever try to find out your "lifes true calling" ?
it's a fucking painful process!  and the entire time, you have a life to live, a job to do, and perhaps a family to raise.
i think someone once said "when my true calling comes, i'll do that, until then, i'll do what i have to do..."
not everyone has the luxury to seek out their calling, or have it tap them on the shoulder when they're hanging out at the maltshop.

there are other concepts in the book that are bugging me, like "the masculine penetrates the world", and "the feminine nurtures the hearth",
or that a woman complains in order to "test" your ability to stay focused on your purpose...  but i'll just leave those alone for a bit.
i'm not even halfway thru the book, lol.

to me, male & female are two halves of a whole, shiva & shakti.
we switch top & bottom, lead & follow, very much the living yin & yang...
we are truly the sun & the moon, interacting yet never understanding.
it seems simple.  to me.

*yawn* - it's getting late.  too late for these thoughts.  big glass of wine too.  kinda losing my thread, lol.

finally:
i've been alone.  i've been in relationships, good & bad.  i have old & new friends.  i have family and children.
i try to stay centered, to provide for those i'm with and responsible for, to laugh and love and care for.
occasionally i fall off center, and do or say things that hurt those i love, after i try to make amends.
i hope that is enough.

don't panic.
all is well.
peace be with you.

tax chart mccain v. obama

interesting...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4047592

an economic tipping point?

this is just a marker, so i know when i read about "an economic tipping point".

in short, i read alot of strange crap, online & in books.  (someone called it "that woowoo shit" once, a good term).
i've always been fascinated by "fringe ideas", and i guess it's my way of getting a cheap thrill.
i don't watch alot of tv, or horror films, so i guess i can be forgiven for this, yes?

so, this morning, i happened on the term "economic tipping point" on urbansurvival dot com.
basically, it's the point when a recession tips into a depression, due to consumers saving instead of spending.
and the author, george, is surmizing that the mainstream media isn't covering it yet,
and the gov't isn't talking about it, hoping it will go away.

on another note, over the weekend i took the twins and my stepson to breakfast with my parents.
it was pretty good, other than the normal modification of my own behavior, which happens on these occasions.
they had gone to D.C. for a Navy reunion, and had lotsa pictures and brochures from the sites.
very cool stuff.  my favorite picture is of Audie Murphy's gravestone.

and some pertinent advice from my dad, on the economy: "don't be scared, look for opportunity".
smart man, my dad.
;)

off to work...

forbes: most overpaid bosses

it's a slideshow:
http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/03/overpaid-bosses-ceos-lead-07ceo-cx_sd_0503overpaidceo_slide_2.html?boxes=custom

big paychecks article:
http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/03/ceo-executive-compensation-lead-07ceo-cx_sd_0503ceocompensationintro.html

just fyi, i'm kinda curious about what the fatcats made...

metal quotes on yahoo

http://finance.yahoo.com/futures?t=metals

VIX

first,
understand the VIXs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VIX
then,
look at the quote: http://finance.yahoo.com/lookup?s=VIX

fivethirtyeight & nate silver (tag as politics)

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/
and an article:
http://nymag.com/news/features/51170/

the final debate last night

i almost posted last night, cuz i was pissed...

it wasn't the debate that irritated me, i enjoyed it, both candidates were fairly wellspoken, hit key points, etc.
it wasn't even the neverending references to joe the plumber. 

it was that i watched the debate on fox news.

and they have this talking-head; shepard smith - who is the biggest tool i've ever seen.
his comments and snide manner, after the debate, totally pissed me off.
last night, i used alotta foul language, and many bad wishes were thrown his way.

this morning, eh, i don't care to do that.
but i do hope someone smacks his smarmy face.
hard.  the shmuck.

calf cramp

ow ow OW !!!
at work, getting a freakin calf cramp!

been trying to walk/run a little bit the past couple of weeks, along the canal.
and almost every time, i get these weird cramps in either or both of my calves.
it's not where i would expect a cramp to be, it's like it's in the soleus, not the gastroc.
i think maybe it's cuz i have a weird jogging gait ?
crap, i dunno.

i've tried different stretches, i've tried warming up - nothing helps.

i only walked about 1.5 miles yesterday, and i noticed the cramp starting, but it didn't hit. 
now it's here, and i'm stretching that bitch, but it won't let up.
X(

doing a wall pushup stretch doesn't hit this cramp.
doing a bent knee stretch, pulling my toes back doesn't hit it.
doing legs straight stretch or hurdlers doesn't hit it either.

standing on one leg, gently swaying forward and back, stretches it...
is that weird ?

yes i drink water, yes i eat bananas, yes, i'm totally outta shape.
ow.

october 14th, 7 days after...

that title is a little cryptic today...

no real reason.  well, one reason might be that i've been reading too many woowoo sites this past weekend.
and i read ben stein in the nytimes site this morning: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/business/12every.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin
so many ppl are thinking along the same lines.

things i'm thinking about:
- 2 wars & another looming
- elections, lies, & spin
- financial meltdowns, outright lies, and the will of the people
- really huge ufos
- sex

the G20 is meeting?

the G20?  wow!

"The G20's members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. "

don't read this

spent some time reading other ppl's blogs tonite, good stuff !
and then i came back to mine: not so good.

not sure what happened, but i don't like reading anything i've written this year.
yeah yeah, i got tired of blogging, burned out, whatever.

well, my excuse (i have many) is:
that i was just using this to capture thoughts and events,
not really putting any heart into it.

good excuse eh?
might be the same one for the other parts of my life that i'm currently so disappointed in too?
:P

dreaming

not last night, but the night before, i had several dreams that i remember bits of...
i wonder what it means to dream about helping a friend pack for a trip?

ceo list

from an article on abcnews: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/Economy/story?id=5876413

ABC News, in collaboration with James F. Reda and Associates, complied a list of some of the companies in the headlines today and looked at just how much money some of these CEOs are taking home.

	CEO	Cash Salary	Stock, Other Pay	Total Pay
Lehman Brothers
2007	Richard Fuld	$5,000,000	$66,770,000	$71,770,000
2006	Richard Fuld	$7,000,000	$55,323,679	$62,323,679
2005	Richard Fuld	$14,500,000	$89,500,000	$104,000,000
2004	Richard Fuld	$11,000,000	$24,300,000	$35,300,000
Morgan Stanley
2007	John Mack	$800,000	$16,431,500	$17,231,500
2006	John Mack	$800,000	$6,321,000	$7,121,000
2005	John Mack	$337,534	$30,000,000	$30,337,534
Goldman Sachs
2007	Lloyd Blankfein	$27,600,000	$15,500,000	$43,100,000
2006	Lloyd Blankfein	$27,800,000	$15,700,000	$43,500,000
2006	Henry Paulson	$129,087,000	$34,900,000	$163,987,000
2005	Henry Paulson	$600,000	$3,363,422	$3,963,422
2004	Henry Paulson	$600,000	$11,660,000	$12,260,000
Bear Stearns
2006	James Cayne	$17,300,000	$14,800,000	$32,100,000
2005	James Cayne	$12,900,000	$10,300,000	$23,200,000
2004	James Cayne	$10,200,000	$9,500,000	$19,700,000
Merrill Lynch
2007	John Thain	$15,800,000	$0	$15,800,000
2007	E. Stanley O'Neal	$584,000	$161,000,000	$161,584,000
2006	E. Stanley O'Neal	$19,200,000	$45,116,327	$64,316,327
2005	E. Stanley O'Neal	$14,800,000	$3,120,000	$17,920,000
2004	E. Stanley O'Neal	$700,000	$16,766,448	$17,466,448
Washington Mutual
2007	Kerry K. Killinger	$1,000,000	$3,468,625	$4,468,625
2006	Kerry K. Killinger	$5,100,000	$17,153,715	$22,253,715
2005	Kerry K. Killinger	$4,600,000	$8,876,608	$13,476,608
2004	Kerry K. Killinger	$2,900,000	$12,335,416	$15,235,416
AIG
2007	Martin J. Sullivan	$10,200,000	$5,647,439	$15,847,439
2006	Martin J. Sullivan	$16,900,000	$5,838,656	$22,738,656
2005	Martin J. Sullivan	$7,750,000	$159,000	$7,909,000
2004	M.R. "Hank" Greenberg	$1,400,000	$12,002,880	$13,402,880
Fannie Mae
2007	Daniel Mudd	$3,200,000	$5,200,000	$8,400,000
2006	Daniel Mudd	$4,400,000	$2,290,000	$6,690,000
Freddie Mac
2007	Richard Syron	$5,590,000	$0	$5,590,000
2006	Richard Syron	$5,150,000	$0	$5,150,000

Un-Freakin-Believable...

Opus

just a blurb about Berke Breathed, retiring his strip: Opus.

from this article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081008/ap_on_en_ot/people_berkeley_breathed;_ylt=AkVLr3_G29m3eSjJUFzPIRGs0NUE

This time, Breathed says, the ending is really for good, if not his own. Breathed believes the tone of America's public and political discourse is headed in a dark direction, with the next president — whoever is elected — facing problems that will "belie palatable solutions." Inevitably, he said that would color his art.

"I'm destroying the village to save it. In this case, a penguin," Breathed wrote. " ... We are about to enter a rather wicked period in our National Discourse ... bad enough to make what we're in right now seem folksy and genteel. The ranting side of my cartooning impulse will destroy the thing that makes Opus comfortable for his readers. And me."

"A mad penguin, like a mad cartoonist, isn't very lovable. I like him the way he is now," he wrote.

interesting comment about our times, from B.B - i'm both sad and happy.

not quite random musings

i took a little time to reflect on what i've been posting on this blog lately.
and, most of it is links to other articles, and brief blurbs on things i don't really care too much about;
while they are important, most of it is simply distraction.  an awful lot of FUD (fear, uncertainty, distraction).

so, i think i should apologize:  sorry!

all of it reflects my mindset lately: cluttered, distracted, scared - even depressed, i suppose.
my house is just as cluttered.  my yard is a wreck.  my truck is a mess.
all of it needs my attention...

time to stop distracting myself with all the little things.
and spend some time getting my life in order.
so, i can start living again.

or something.
;)

Asteroid 2008 TC3

apparently, there is an asteroid ( a small one ) hitting the earth tonite...

from http://spaceweather.com/

A small, newly-discovered asteroid named 2008 TC3 is approaching Earth and chances are good that it will hit. Steve Chesley of JPL estimates that atmospheric entry will occur on Oct 7th at 0246 UTC over northern Sudan.

8-0

sherman on youtube

here is just one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOlYa0G0erg&feature=related

and another:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uha0DY3O0ng&feature=related


:(

o.m.gawsh! - brad sherman

here is a frightening bit of news:

Rep. Brad Sherman says he has been told that there will be Martial Law if bill is not passed - FEAR MONGERING is how our laws are being forced on us.
http://digg.com/business_finance/Rep_Brad_Sherman_Congress_told_Martial_Law_if_vote_is_NO

Debate Transcript

here: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/02/debate.transcript/

Socialism U.S.-style

a good article from monday:
http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersComService4/idUSLM71801220080922?sp=true

two things popped out at me (one from the article and one from the comments):
a. phil gramm
b. 109 pages - wtf?

Did they add in a few tubes of KY?

i guess the bailout is gonna get rammed in...
with a bunch of add-ins, like kids wooden arrows - wtf?
bummer.

anyone remember the keating 5 ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keating_5

400 people?

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/1/163632/834/411/616918

an excerpt from that Time article that strikes thru my heart...

"Follow the money. Average Joes and Janes are not the holders of the other side of complicated, over-the-counter derivatives contracts. Rather, hedge funds are the main holders. The bailout will involve a transfer of wealth — from the American people to financial institutions engaging in reckless speculation — that will be the greatest in history."

X(

Time: Let Risk-Taking Financial Institutions Fail

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0%2C8599%2C1845209%2C00.html?cnn=yes

A Letter About Sarah Palin from Anne Kilkenny - link

interesting read...
http://mudflats.wordpress.com/2008/09/04/a-letter-about-sarah-palin-from-anne-kilkenny/

McCain: Melting Down

it's a little bit sad to watch him, his running mate, and his entire campaign, melting down...
i may be wrong, of course, but it's usually the team that is losing, that starts taking a few cheapshots out of frustration.
it's a poor team that starts bitching at the ref, their own players, and any other easy target available.

a team with class, wins and loses with dignity and grace.

oh wait, this is politricks...
;)

And, at the end of the day...

Stocks plummet in largest one-day point drop ever

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/wall_street;_ylt=AsfdO1xRVcSFqtS8lV3Bobis0NUE

wow.
we.  are.  SO.  effed.
:)
# end

Bailout Protests on the Web

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/sep2008/db20080924_430418.htm

Rep. Marcy Kaptur: "Let's Play Wall Street Bailout"

i applaud Rep. Marcy Kaptur on her view, her words, and her action...

a small excerpt from her fiery speech:
You have perpetrated the greatest financial crimes ever on this American Republic. You think you can get by with it because you are extraordinarily wealthy, and the largest contributors to both presidential and congressional campaigns in both major parties.

awesome!


and on the Daily Kos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/23/14159/5504/484/607684

tantra

so, i had a great time at a friends tantra talk last night.
:)

it was just a talk, and some Q&A, but centered around her teachers viewpoint.
we all talked alot about the sex, as in tantric sex.
and a good time was had by all !
mentally, of course.
;)

afterwards, a couple played some great music.

ps. no, i don't practice tantric sex, i was curious.
given the opportunity?  maybe probly!
lol

common cause

from an article here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-09-24-lobbying_N.htm
citing a report from Common Cause, a watchdog group...

The report cited a 2005 amendment defeated in the Senate, 40-58, that would have curbed predatory lending. No Republicans supported it, Senate records show, and four Democrats voted against it, including Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential nominee. His running mate, Barack Obama, voted for it. Republican nominee John McCain voted against it.

In an interview, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who sponsored the amendment, noted that opponents warned that the measure would have driven Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
out of the business of subprime lending, which "could have averted this crisis."

Durbin said the bill didn't pass because "there was a lot of money being made — and the people who were making money in this subprime mortgage mess, many of them were major contributors. That, unfortunately, is a major factor in the decision-making process in Washington."

oh.  man.  3 years ago?
X((

a little scared

so, watching all this economic turmoil unfold, and talking with friends & coworkers,
has gotten me more than worried, i'm actually a little scared.

this is more than what they are saying.  it might be just a feeling.
i think the media isn't reporting what's really happening.
and i don't think they can fix it yet.

should i go buy popcorn?
or ammo?
lol

peace.  love.  harmony.
keep the good thoughts flowing!
:)

is this opinion?

from that above article:

"For a lot less than $700 billion, we could refinance every mortgage in America that is at risk of foreclosure. Along the way, we could keep people in their homes and shore up the collapse in housing prices. Paulson's plan does neither. Markets would begin loosening up, as in Paulson's plan, but the route would be bottom-up rather than top-down. Homeowners would be the primary beneficiaries rather than the incidental ones. With Paulson's approach, the wave of foreclosures continues, reducing the likelihood that the government gets its money back."

sounds correct, sadly, grrr...

I didn't see Dubya's speech last night

but here is an article about what he left out:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2008/09/25/BL2008092501776.html?hpid=opinionsbox1

interesting times

unless you haven't heard of it, "may you live in interesting times" is supposed to be a chinese curse.
( i haven't checked it out on snopes or elsewhere )

our gov't is amazing these days.  or at least amazingly something-something.
the world is holding it's breath, collectively, to see if we implode, me thinks.

the ice is melting, the ice is melting! 
uh, but then the old farmers almanac is predicting a mini-ice-age?
cool!  figuratively and literally!  /snicker

had a great dream last night,
woke up in a great mood, can't remember too much of it.
but it is keeping me grinning all day long.

yep, it is now soccer season,
but since i'm not coaching this year,
it's not stressing me out.

ps. happy birthday jules.

Bush Urges Quick Passage of Bailout Package

shouldn't that particular sentence, be a WARNING now?
slam it thru?  cuz king george says so?  wtf?

WAKE UP!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/22/AR2008092200186.html?hpid=topnews

another article:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/politics/bulletin/bulletin_080922.htm

and a quote from it:
Under the headline "Dems Say They Won't Get Fooled Again," The Politico reports, "Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) says he's seen this movie before: The Bush administration, citing an unprecedented national threat, puts the hammer on Congress to ram through gargantuan legislation with a minimum of review -- and the murkiest of repercussions."

The Economy? pfffft - THEY RUINED CHOCOLATE!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26788143/

Panic of 1907 vs. Panic of 2008

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_of_1907

Web of Debt article - fantastic info

http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/its_the_derivatives.php

What's Next?

well, it looks like greed & the government of king george has killed our country.

lotsa disinformation in the news, scare tactics, smoke, and hand-waving-freak-outtery.
basically, it's been out of control since march of this year (bernanke).
and now the government is gonna go on recess?

Fannie & Freddie

so, our gov't has bailed out the largest mortgage companies in the nation.
and, therefore, is now THE largest mortgager... right?

and, since i pay taxes, aren't i therefore responsible for paying off this bailout?

or, does that mean i now own some very small fraction of every mortgage they had?

if i have a house, am i paying myself back?
or am i loaning myself money?
i'm really confused.

are you?

i love quotes

John N. Mitchell

"Frustrated love has been the incentive for many great works. "

"Let us be tried by our actions. "

"Not much more can happen to you after you lose your reputation and your wife. "

"Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us. "

"You can't pick cherries with your back to the tree. "


and my fav of the day:

"The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire. "

Penn

Penn Jillette is a funny guy...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/02/jillette.presidency/index.html

Hanna, Ike, & Josephine

<iframe width="220" height="480" scrolling="yes" src="http://www.noaawatch.gov/widgets/hanna.htm"></iframe>
<br>
<iframe width="220" height="480" scrolling="yes" src="http://www.noaawatch.gov/widgets/ike.htm"></iframe>
<br>
<iframe width="220" height="480" scrolling="yes" src="http://www.noaawatch.gov/widgets/josephine.htm"></iframe>
<br>

Eisenhower Leaves the GOP

excerpt from Susan Eisenhower's article at The National Interest...

I have decided I can no longer be a registered Republican. For the first time in my life I announced my support for a Democratic candidate for the presidency, in February of this year. This was not an endorsement of the Democratic platform, nor was it a slap in the face to the Republican Party. It was an expression of support specifically for Senator Barack Obama. I had always intended to go back to party ranks after the election and work with my many dedicated friends and colleagues to help reshape the GOP, especially in the foreign-policy arena. But I now know I will be more effective focusing on our national and international problems than I will be in trying to reinvigorate a political organization that has already consumed nearly all of its moderate "seed corn."  And now, as the party threatens to trivialize what promised to be a serious debate on our future direction, it will alienate many young people who might have come into party ranks.

My decision came at the end of last week when it was demonstrated to the nation that McCain and this Bush White House have learned little in the last five years. They mishandled what became a crisis in the Caucusus, and this has undermined U.S. national security. At the same time, the McCain camp appears to be comfortable with running an unworthy Karl Rove–style political campaign. Will the McCain operation, and its sponsors, do anything to win?

This week, I changed my registration from Republican to independent. The two political parties as they exist today, and the partisanship that they foster, reflect the many fights of the cold war, the Vietnam era, the post–cold war and the 9/11 periods. Today we are in a different place altogether, where our security as a nation is challenged not just from abroad but also close to home. The energy, health-care and financial crises threaten our national prosperity and well-being, just as surely as any confrontation overseas or an attack by radical terrorists.

[emphasis mine]

- - -

pretty brave thing to do...
/applauds

Olympic Womens Soccer

US Women win GOLD !!!

excerpt: "The U.S. women won their third gold medal awarded for women's soccer in four Olympic tournaments by edging Brazil, 1-0..."

yes!
:))

echoing in my mind this morning

from Fight Club:

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in the bank.
You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet.
You're not your fucking khakis. You're the all-singing, all-dancing crap of the world."

- Tyler Durden


not sure why i'm in this mood.
:-/

Heraclitus' River

Upon those who step into the same rivers, different and again different waters flow.
- Heraclitus

African Grey

read something in a fiction book about african grey parrots.
so, i googled...

first post i looked at.

olympics

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/news/2008/08/080815_sandell_protest_village.shtml

what is love?

seems like a silly question to be pondering while i get ready for bed...
it's late, almost midnite.  didn't do much this weekend, my kids were at their moms house.
so, i was alone.

so, back to the question: what is love?
(not the night at the roxbury song, lol)

i've been in love, and i've loved, and i've made love.
but, just for a second i'm pondering, what is it?
cuz it can be fleeting, and fickle, it flourishes and fades, but can it be forever?

i love my dog, and my kids, a few of my friends, and even my exes.
but, those are all different meanings for love, right?

here is the wikipedia link for Love, and the basic description:
Love represents a range of human emotions and experiences related to the senses of affection and sexual attraction.^[1] The word love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction. This diversity of meanings, combined with the complexity of the feelings involved, makes love unusually difficult to consistently define, even compared to other emotional states.

it clears up nothing for me.
/shrug

perhaps, it takes a poet to truly express what we want to know about love?

i think i'll go dream on it.  goodnite.

ENGINEERS' DREAMS - [7.14.08] By George Dyson

found this on slashdot, and i laughed at the "too technical for fiction magazines, and too fictional for technical magazines"...
enjoy!

ENGINEERS' DREAMS [7.14.08]
By George Dyson

Edgar Mitchell on Kerrang

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24070088-13762,00.html
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhNdxdveK7c

Eisenhower's Farewell Address is Ringing...

As we peer into society's future, we – you and I, and our government – must avoid the impulse to live only for today, plundering for, for our own ease and
convenience, the precious resources of tomorrow. We cannot mortgage the material assets of our grandchildren without asking the loss also of their
political and spiritual heritage. We want democracy to survive for all generations to come, not to become the insolvent phantom of tomorrow.
- Dwight D. Eisenhower

The Long Now

ever think about time?  how long ago?  back to jesus? 
how long forward?  forward to prince lucas of tanith? (scifi reference)

well, danny hillis has a clock, a 10,000 year clock...
it bonged twice on january 1st, 2000.
and he's gonna build a big one, cool huh?

wonder if there is an easter egg for 2012?
;)

monkey dream...

ugh, i dunno if this is gonna be funny when i wake up...
just had a dream, and i woke up, cuz i had to pee.

ok, so, in my dream i'm one of several guys who is filming a reality thing, behind the scenes shoot, of a band.
(no i'm not a musician, it's a dream, follow me here)

we take the stage, somehow the 3 guys morph into actors, i think it's jack black on lead guitar, that guy he did
the movie with (where they don't want the americn pi guy to marry the hot controlling beesh) on rhythm,
and me / keanu reeves on base and drums (really weird huh?), and the cameras roll...

jack gets an introl solo, david? gets a solo and a spotlight, then keanu (me) runs on stageright,
crosses the whole stage playing ripping base solo (?) with a single white drum slung across his back,
spotlight following him across the stage to a huge drumkit setup with a curtain behind it.
and a little drum kit to the right.

sitting at the huge drumkit, in the spotlight, is a monkey, a young chimpanzee ( iwatched gramma's boy the other day ).

the monkey tears into a fabulous drum solo and i (keanu) go sit down at the little drumkit and start ripping the same solo too.
the monkey stops, gets pissed and starts smashing all of the drums, throwing them around, throws the sticks into the audience,
and rushes downstage to where i'm at and takes away my sticks, and throws them into the audience.
pause.

keanu (me) reaches backwards over his shoulders, grabs two more sticks from outta a hidden thingy,
triumpantly raises them in a V and starts hammering drums again!
monkey grabs sticks and howling throws them into the audience again!
smashes drumset, throws around.

keanu(me) stands up, pulls single drum around, pulls sticks from hidden pouch,
starts running thru some kinda cool solo from that drumcorp movie.
monkey goes nuts, grabs sticks, throws, tears drum off, jumps into it smashing the skins,
pulls it up around him, depression barrel style, and runs offstage, spotlight following.

moment of silence, all pause, i wake up.

this seems funny now, i can't believe i actually got up and typed it in...
/yawn
going back to bed...

another day, more smoke from the bush...

king george says: respect mah authoritaah!

Friday, July 18th - Full Moon

hrm, an interesting full moon this month...

check out the guru's Grace Light information.

ever hear the phrase "do no harm"?

it's like they are trying to cram thru every single obligation to their dark supporters, in the next 5 months...

from this CNN article...

also:
"In his statement last month, Bush also renewed his demand that Congress allow drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,
clear the way for more refineries and encourage efforts to recover oil from shale in areas such as the Green River Basin of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming."

i wonder if this administration ever heard the phrase "do no harm" ?

the electric mini cooper petition

first, i saw the EV mini article...
cool!
then, i saw the disclaimer...
bummer!!
finally, i see some guy getting mad, and starting a petition...
awesome!!!

here it is.

Pickens Plan

this makes me happy: Pickens Plan.

it's not really that i buy into the rhetoric, but i'm happy to see someone,
anyone, really make a serious jab at renewable energy, and the media bite it,
rather than all the doom & gloom that they typically "sell papers" with.

so, next we need the big B.G. to throw some of his enormous wealth into the fray.
and why would i think that's important?  cuz he's another media darling.
and he's supposedly close friends with Buffet, another wizgaffer.
toss in a few mouthy actors, too.

it may be too late, i dunno (some of those youtube ppl think so).
but once we get a little momentum, who knows?
the tipping point may have been reached,
but until the snow drifts in phoenix,
i think there's hope.

read between the lines

there is more than a little bit of wrongness in this.

the fed is bailing out the corporations who effectively caused the problems.
nobody is bailing out the people who have lost their homes due to shady lending practice.
these bailouts were available immediately.  tell me those in foreclosure are getting immediate relief.
i personally know ppl who are in trouble now, due to those criminal refi's.

how many of you lost 10's of thousands of dollars in the tech-bubble burst?
how many of you invested what you had left in property thinking it would be safe?
how many of you are slowly slipping down that slippery slope?

we are slowly & surely heading toward the feudal state.

who's running the show?

sorry, i have to point this article out...

to me, this isn't politricks, it's much deeper.
it's at the core of our existence.

Independance Day

every 4th of july, my mind wanders to thomas jefferson,
one of the founding fathers of our great country.
( and whom i admire quite a bit ).

i was googling for some good t.j. quotes, to throw on the blog here,
and i found this site: Quotes Daddy (http://www.quotesdaddy.com/author/Thomas+Jefferson)
it's very cool...

here is my selected quote for today, from that site:
"Do you want to know who you are? Don't ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you."
~ Thomas Jefferson

happy fourth, my friends.
peace,


ps. kids and i went to see Hancock last night, good fun!
are they kali and kulkan? 
that's my guess.

it's Broccoli - eat it!

so, i wonder if i can still have it smothered in cheddar?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080702/hl_nm/cancer_prostate_broccoli_dc_1

Wowzers! Who's been looking into my cluttered bedroom?

not to mention my messy car...

here's my horoscope today:
- - - - - - - - - -

July 02, 2008

Taurus (4/20-5/20)

Having a messy car or cluttered bedroom isn't exactly the end of the world, but this kind of disorganization in your physical world could be symptomatic of some disorder in your emotional world. Make an effort to pick up after yourself today and get things nice and tidy. You will find that once you do, your inner thoughts and worries should line up in a neat and orderly fashion, too. Learning how to feel better sometimes requires learning how to live better.

:-/

earth changes

i used to follow an earth changes newsletter (gordon somebody?), over 10 years ago.
and if i remember correctly, they had shown some kinda relationship,
between earthquakes occurring in 3s... (dunno if it's tectonics)

1st - down around indonesia
2nd - south america
3rd - westcoast of usa

and i see on the earthquake watch widget (igoogle), that the first 2 have occurred recently. 
i don't know if that pattern of 3s still fits.  i hope not.
just popped into my head, seeing the widget this morning.

:(

ok, this just seems dumb

maybe i'm missing the issue, but why *stop* new applications for 2 years for environmental studies?
when the rest of their administration is opening up new drilling areas, *known* to be environmentally damaging?
i blame george.

see:
http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/321400439/article.pl

deez and doze...

wow.  just wow. 
check out 'The Deez' news: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080625/bs_nm/exxon_valdez_court_dc_5

i'm sorry, but our country is asleep.
we are allowing, nay, encouraging king george, his cronies, his jester court, to new heights of audacity.
i am just as responsible, as i hide my head in my tv,
and my video games, and my doubleshot, white-chocolate, morning latte,
which costs the same as a gallon of gas, so must be a bargain, right?

i tried to fill up the tank of my gas-guzzler this morning,
but, my CC limit is only $75,
so the pump shut off.

back to my quiet desperation...
/sigh

how long will we allow this?

craig from craigslist has a good post: http://www.cnewmark.com/2008/06/are-the-telecom.html#trackback

the love guru

mike myers may be a genius!
seriously!  i'm not saying comic genius, no.
(yes, i think he's funny, in a wonderfully sophomoric way)

but, i'm thinking more in the way of his spoofing, it's all snickery goofiness on one level,
and then there is another level, which i only got, sitting in the movie my kids invited me to,
so that they could actually get a ride, but not sit with their dad, cuz their friends were there.
(yes, i am the dadtaxi)

on other fronts, i actually rode my bike again, after getting a new tube for the rear,
for the *third* time!  gasp!  exercise!  shock!  disbelief!  acceptance!  resignation!

oops, forgot... bought a bike, planning to ride to work, got a flat on the canal, 2nd time i rode.
bike gathered dust for a week or so, standing in the kitchen, where i left it so that
i would actually take care of it quickly, but instead stepped around it daily...

well, better go shower and head to work a little late.
which is what i get for reading other peoples blogs,
and then the links they link to.
but it's fun and edumacational !

peace, my friends.

new job

so, started the new job on monday...
working with a couple of friends that i've worked with before at other companies.
seems pretty cool, so far.

dang irish temper

we had a *come to jeebuzz meeting* with the GM, the Directors, and the Devs,
and words were said, and they were somewhat abusive, and told us things
"were not really our business" and we "didn't see the big picture".

and i got riled up, made the mistake of "telling it like it is".
was told straight to my face "we need to stop this moronic ignorance",
so i got up & walked out, packed up my stuff, and left.

dang irish temper.
:)

synchronicity

i think of synchronicity, when something happens in my life, and it might be a coincidence, but it seems so *right*.
like, you dream about a friend, then see them the next time you go out to breakfast with your parents.
even tho they don't live by you, and *just happened* to go there that day...

maybe those friends see us in our dreams, and we agree to meet ?

i wonder if i intentionally said before i went to bed every night: "i want to dream of this person",
would they hear me?  would we meet in our dreams?  interesting thought...

i try to fly in my dreams too, but i never remember it, lol.

:)

Another Year for Me...

well, turned 44 yesterday...

my kids & parents took me out to breakfast.
my dad asked: do i feel 44? - i said no, i still feel 16 on the inside.
he kinda winked, and said - me too.

later, my kids took me to see Iron Man - awesome!
all in all, a pretty nice day.

synchronicity in the street.

Big Dog

check out this link, amazingly cool and a little spooky...
http://xavierthoughts.blogspot.com/2008/03/bigdog.html

(big dog is from boston dynamics)

Bernanke Points...

"Far too much of the lending in recent years was neither responsible nor prudent," he said.
"The terms of some subprime mortgages permitted home buyers and investors to purchase properties beyond their means,
often with little or no equity.
In addition, abusive, unfair or deceptive lending practices led some borrowers into mortgages that they would not have chosen knowingly."
- New York Times

2012

just an interesting read on 2012: http://www.levity.com/eschaton/Why2012.html

Today

today is friday.
listening to the barenaked ladies on the headphones, sitting at my desk at work.
no plans.  no goals.  no agenda.

i have a *huge* grin on my face.
it's a beautiful day.

peace.

Thoughts on Life, Currents, and Nothing

life today seems to have unknown meaning, like my brain is trying to connect dots on a very large piece of paper, starting from the center...

things seem good.  i'm healthy, my kids & parents & sibs are healthy.
yet, there was this feeling, now passed, that death had been around, peeking over my shoulder.
not something specific to me, but as if someone was watching with interest.
like when a deer feels the eyes of the hunter on it, and glances up, before spooking, i guess.

i think i posted about my issues with being 40-something.
how i was experiencing some things, extra-natural things, and have been seeing things for a few years.
maybe i related that c.g. jung wrote about something similar, during a schizoid period in his life.
lol, perhaps it's just some weird change in the chemical ocean my brain is swimming in?

i am a mastless ship, moving with currents in the air and water.  without a destination or plan.
it seems right to be here, at this point, my rudder untended, whacking back and forth depending on some impetus.

oh, things are fine.  i have a job.  i'm coaching 2 soccer teams.  i'm good. 
really.

onto nothing.  as a meaning, i guess.  can a life know anything about what it should be?
i've thought i was waiting for something for so long, and nothing has happened.
which i guess is good, right?
cuz if something had happened, maybe my journey here would be done.
i'd have accomplished whatever it was that i set out to do.
and then, goal met, i would move on.
but, nothing.

so, i'm still here.
maybe for awhile...
:)

Missing Someone

i do not mean this to sound pitiful, or pining...
but, i'm missing someone.

someone who came into my life again, after 20-something years,
who talked to me about everything, and i to her,
about family, and children, and husbands & wives, and things missed,
and who i found i cared deeply about. 

she's my friend, and i miss her.
and i respect her silence.


peace.

Kids Fulltime

well, my ex decided that my kids should come stay with me.
she said she couldn't deal with the teenage attitudes.

i can.

so, they came to stay with me last night.  woot!
:)

Pink for President

ever think about the lyrics to pink's song "dear mr. president" ???
i have new respect for this lady (and i luv the new cd)
...

here they are:

Dear Mr. President,
Come take a walk with me.
Let's pretend we're just two people and
You're not better than me.
I'd like to ask you some questions if we can speak honestly.

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?
Who do you pray for at night before you go to sleep?
What do you feel when you look in the mirror?
Are you proud?

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Can you even look me in the eye
And tell me why?

Dear Mr. President,
Were you a lonely boy?
Are you a lonely boy?
Are you a lonely boy?
How can you say
No child is left behind?
We're not dumb and we're not blind.
They're all sitting in your cells
While you pave the road to hell.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?
And what kind of father might hate his own daughter if she were gay?
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way from whiskey and cocaine.

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?
How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Can you even look me in the eye?

Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you 'bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
You don't know nothing 'bout hard work
Hard work
Hard work
Oh

How do you sleep at night?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Dear Mr. President,
You'd never take a walk with me.
Would you?

october...

already?
hard to believe, soccer is here, and it's crazy again.
*sigh*

small grey pebbles...

yesterday and today, after getting out of the shower and drying off,
i found a small grey pebble on my shoulder...
yesterday on my right.
today on my left.

really smallish, about 2mm, maybe...
balanced, almost delicately, about halfway from neck to shoulder, both times.
funny that i didn't notice them, until i looked in the mirror.

yesterday, i just flicked it off, thinking it was from the towel.
today, i tried to pick it up, but it slipped outta my fingers, and fell to the tile.
i heard it bounce once.

i couldn't find it.
weird.

Scooter Skates

actually, i think this is good...

shown in another light, we might see that Scooter is just the loyal scapegoat of a corrupt organization.
i wouldn't want him to burn for his boss's or his boss's boss's crooked indiscretions.

is it moral?  i dunno.

is it right?  probably not.

is it just?  might be.

basically, we can expect the other team to jump all over it, raise a big stink,
to get as much mileage (and money) out of this as they possibly can.
is that moral?  is that right?  is that just?

remember they all are playing a game.
;)

skullet !!!

ok, here's a fairly recent pic of my goofy mug...
(note the regal profile, the classic lines, the... skullet)
;)


hi chrisy!

a waking dream...

after yoga the other night, had a waking dream...

I saw a soldier, who saw the Light of god.  Not my god, not your god, but God.
The soldier then cast down his weapon, and his brothers saw him and were astonished.
And they laid down their weapons too.  Looking at him, they too saw the Light.

Their enemy saw this happen, and rose up, thinking to overwhelm them.
Yet the light caught them too, and their weapons dropped, forgotten.

All these soldiers, they walked together, and away...
And the Churches of Men were afraid.


- strange dream.
peace.

People - Change is needed

first, look at: http://www.43things.com/

then, think about this: are you doing work that you enjoy?

(currently, i am not, that's where i'm coming from)

finally, tell me how you would change...
;)

thanks!

hiya dex!

another sweet pirate lass !  yarrr!