Loose Ends

There was good story on the shut down of a nuclear power plant in the Sacramento Bee on Sunday. It was closed by popular vote 20 years ago. Sacramento Utilities (SMUD) has since gone into wind, solar and preventative means. The article listed one means I never thought of. My wife and I have always been amazed at how many trees there are here, particularly after living in semi-arid Colorado. Well, SMUD planted 500,000 trees to keep it cooler as along term energy plan. It works! I had a long conversation with a treatment geek who works with our firm in Burbank and she was going gaga over the green roofs she had seen in Chicago for cooling. They have been used in Germany extensively and are now finding a home in the Midwest. I am reminded of John Todd's Living Machines he wanted to introduce to urban areas and the greenhouse wastewater plants he conceived. They worked well and had specific application. In fact, for small plants, as photovoltaic cells are further developed, they would work great. Here is another source for living machines. Plants do amazing things. There has been little follow up on the work of Kathe Siedel of the Max Plank Institute as she tried to show which plants preferred which pollutants, or emitted antibacterial and antiviral secretions that could be used to partially disinfect wastewater.

Another item I saw last week were signs over plowed fields stating Congress Caused Dust Bowl. This meant the field was prepped and plowed, but there was no water allocation for irrigation as there just is not enough water for people, wildlife and farming. This year farming is losing. In fact, there was yet another ruling in Congress that fish ladders have to be built so slamon can spawn where they used to. This a means there must be enough water allocated for fish spawning. Apparently it has gotten to the point where killer whale pods are starving because there is no salmon to eat because they have no spawning areas anymore. This is a water battle that will get worse. There were miles of dead fruit trees down I-5 as irrigation is not available. CA is used to redirecting water, draining lakes and rivers, etc for economic advantage This is codified in state law, even for wastewater.

Finally, I see the Supreme Court is stopping the Chrysler sale until it can review the claims of those who are losing investment. This could be a rough one. And will effect GM. This could put a big stop on any economic recovery. Maybe the Court could look at bonuses while they're at it for bankers.

rojo

New American Car Company

So, Roger Penske of Smart car and Indy racing and rental truck fame (he used to be a racer, too, back in the hay day of American sports car racing). Now, an offer sheet for Saturn. He will purchase cars from GM factories until 2011. Then, ??? My guess is he will will have his own engineers or purchase engineered packages from whatever manufacturer will provide the best that he sees. A car company without its own manufacturing arm. Hey, privatization can work or fail miserably. My guess is with his track record, he will succeed.

With all that said, today's music video is a good one from King Crimson



Have a good weekend,

rojo

A Sad Day, GM Declares Bankruptcy

A few words on the subject from Michael Moore.

And a few from me. It is a shame that the bizheads there never caught on to what America wanted and needed. It is a classic case of poor management plus. OMG. First, planned obsolescence. Then, bad cars. Fighting emission and safety regulations. Yet having some of the best engineers money can produce. The culture just sucked. My dad worked for them designed scrapers (Euclid) and dozers. When they were purchased by a West German firm (okay, there is no more West Germany--let's you know how long ago that was), he was amazed at what they had to work with. No more unmuffled deisels using the same transmission as a stressed member for twenty years. You could actually speak next to the machines as they ran, and many transmissions and design possibilities were open. He was happy he had to think again.

The culture sucked. It was all about non-innovation and sales and maximizing profits. Sad that mediocrity could last so long. They weren't always mediocre.

And Michael Moore is right--we could actually diversify and build things that work and are relevant. What a shock.

rojo

Another Fillmore Label Artist

Here is the other Fillmore label artist with Jo Baker as his lead vocalist.







rojo

Sunday Morning, Wake Up!






The underrated Lydia Pense of Cold Blood on vocals.

rojo

How Many Ways Is This Wrong?!

This is from an interview of Chris Matthews by Charlie Rose.

Matthews: Well they don't quite get me. They, I'm first of all a grown up and they resent that, but secondly, and also, I have a job..they don't like that either.(speaking about bloggers, rojo) That's really going to fester them with anger. But when we first went into Iraq and when they set it up this way or not and whether or not Mike Deaver still had his hand in this or not, you know like it all looked good, they all tore down the statues and everything looked great, I thought you know I've been dead wrong about this.

Rose: At that point everything was great.

Matthews: I thought I was wrong, but I thought it was good for the country.

Rose: That...

Matthews: That's what's different. I'm not a lefty now because I said you know, I'd rather be wrong about something this fundamental and have it good for my country that was the right move to go in. And the Charles Krauthammer's and the other smart people and the neo-conservatives that supported the war, I'm glad they're right, because this is good for my country. And for the days right after that when the statues were coming down and the people seemed happy and the Sunnis were on the run, the Shias seemed happy and they hadn't started causing trouble yet, and Sistani was with us and al Sadr hadn't started causing trouble, and everything seemed alright, I was glad for my country.

And so I would say positive things about mission accomplished. I wanted to be wrong. That's why I'm different than these bloggers and people that are so cock sure of themselves. I'd rather have my country succeed than be right. You know I can live with being wrong. I don't want to live in a country that's failed. So I'm different than most people that way. I don't want to just be the smartass that's right all the time. I'd rather be wrong when my country is hurt. I don't want it to get hurt.

Where do you even start? Okay, maybe we start with why Chris thinks bloggers are angry because he has a job. I blog just a little because I too have a job. Mine is treating water and wastewater. You know, public health and environmental protection. If I screw up at my job people get sick.

What is Chris' job? O yeah, to be a journalist. Report the truth. So here he is reporting on what he believes is not right, but good for the country. Like a buffoon he helped cheerlead us into a war by swaying public opinion for the war that was built on false pretenses. Unlike me, where I provide health (hopefully) he sways public opinion with his words. So let's see--he helped get us into a war not because it was right or just, but it would be good for the country. I am sure the 4000+ who have died will share that opinion. As do the hundred of thousand Iraqis who have dies and watched there rather modern country become a hell hole where women have lost most of their rights. And about that war cost never being in the budget--did anyone ever hear Chris bitch about that? No, we can fight a war and shop and run up debt at the same time. The American Way.

One other thing is that didn't anyone see that picking on Saddam was like picking on the local puppy torturer. He was a bad guy. period. So no one could really say we are picking on a good guy. Invading a country with no real air power or anti-aircraft network with airpower is kind of like slapping 3 year olds or puppys. It is no contest. What really sucked is that no one understood the long term ramifications of putting the country back together. The plan was to get their oil and have westrn firms run the oil and the populace could do for themselves. Wonder why they fought back with IEDs?

To me this is even worse than the Faux News Clown Circus. You know they are only seeing things from one side. Chris is supposed to be a serious journalist. Not some kind of buffoon. I am here to say "Chris, you were wrong! and the blood on your hands is as much your fault as the those who came up with the idea to invade a country who had no connection to 9/11." I hope you are proud of your legacy.

Maybe you could start really investigating war fraud, contractor fraud and maybe walk through Iraq and see if you are proud of the death and destruction you helped bring. Me, I will still be angry because you shirked your job. I have a job. I do it so people don't get sick. People rely on me for clean water, for streams that don't kill fish. I rely on you for FACTS. I don't have time to go find them out for myself. That is not my job, it was yours.

rojo

Yesterday While Sick

I listened to NPR over the weekend and here is The Boner (I think) stating they are going to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination. Was not even announced yet and the F word is proudly paraded. The party of NO! indeed.

rojo

Dinosaurs!



or maybe



Had the chance to see Nicky Hopkins play with Jeff Beck and the Airplane. The Airplane had a new band member named Papa John Creach. Here is Papa John and Jorma doing a Blind Willie McTell song



and Papa John with the Airplane off his solso album. Sorry, no video.



rojo

The Ditty Bops

These two did a bike tour one of there last tours and invited fans to ride with them.



A fun band.

rojo

Nice Work If You Can Get It!

and this from the ass who wants to secede. Easy to take millions for yourself of government money.

rojo

I'm Not Dead Yet....

I have been travelling and putting in way too many hours so I have not posted in a long time. here goes--

Congratulations to Natalia Rudiak for winning her populist race for Council in Pittsburgh!

John Boner of Ohio (oops, did I spell that wrong. too bad, Mr. Bronzeface) wants a bipartisan investigation into torture and Nancy Pelosi because the CIA would never lie. He's right. Let's start by investigating torture in a purely apolitical manner and see if any laws were broken. Then prosecute whoever gets caught in the web. Gut feeling tells me that is why Mr. Cheney is in the news speaking so much. If torture is ever investigated then someone in the previous administartion goes down! period. Just today Gonzalez was listed as the source of approval for torture before he worked for the Justice Department, back when he worked for the White house. oops. Someone had to give him the green light to say yes.

GM and Chrysler are closing so many dealerships that 100,000 will be out work soon. That really sucks! and yet the asshole who was in charge of GM can't be gotten of payroll yet until his perks are squared away. There is really something wrong with that.

Finally this little gem. Global warming effects the world! not just us white folk in the U.S.

Music of some sort tomorrow. Promise.

And I saw Lou Dobbs tonight while working out. You would think after his report the whole of U.S. crime is caused by illegal immigrants. Every story ended with "...and they were illegal immigrants."

rojo

On TV Last Night



and how about that bass player, Tal Wilkenfled!!!



rojo

A Friday Toone

I stopped in a Starbuck's yesterday for some tea--don't laugh, coffee and I don't get along and they were playing Talking Heads. I said to myself--boy, why have I never posted scenes from the BEST CONCERT VIDEO ever--Stop Making Sense. I mean how can you not watch this and not want to dance???!!!!!

So this morning I see Crooks and Liars posted Life During Wartime.

Here is more to start the day



from the quirky Psychokiller performed with boombox to this



It is well worth getting your hands on the DVD and having a party!!!!!!! Hey, they even have Bernie Worrel from PFunk in the band.
Even if the 25th anniversary DVD takes two of my favorite toones of the VCR version and places them in extra.

Happy Friday!

rojo

oohh one more

Let's Make the World a Better World

Okay, it is time to quit fixating on how Ms. PreJean's boobs have miraculously grown and gotten rounder as she embraced God and opposite marriage.

And how the insurance companies pledge to give up $2 Trillion dollars just to stay viable (makes you wonder how much they really make if $2 trillion is chump change?). Do ya think we need single payer when that much is chump change. OMG.

And GM is going to file bankruptcy. Yeesh. A sad, sad saga of mismanagement when you basically OWN the market place and then how to lose it. I bet the executives made more money in bonuses pissing away the market share then I will make in my lifetime. Maybe I should have gone to General Motors Institute when I was excepted. Naw, let's go live in a commune. D'oh. One of my better moves. Brilliant!

So, to change your day--

Water Stuff

Two things of note--

CA representative scorches Arnold and asks for his resignation because he can't pull water out of his ass. Actually, because he cannot make water appear to satisfy the endangered species act, Delta food fish like smelt with heavy spring needs, fall flows for the almost extinct salmon, irrigate Central Valley farms and supply LA and San Diego with water from the Sacramanto and San Joaquin rivers. The state water laws and water rights were assigned when the state had 18,000,000 residents. Now it has 38,000,000, more crops like grapes and orchards which need constant water and less water to boot. Yes, conservation could help. Sacramento alone uses 280 gallons of water per person per day. The national average is about 150. Wastewater effluent is seldom treated to tertiary levels. If it were, it could be more easily used. There are a whole class of wastewater plants called WDRs where basically the water discharged evaporates or soaks into the ground. Could be used for reuse.

And really, how many people can CA supposrt with limited water resources? Grow up representative and realize that the problems are bigger than your district not having enough water.

In Texas, 20+ whooping cranes died because of drought. Not enough clean water to supply food. And too many water use rights to keep water flowing for wildlife. I won't even comment on how archaic water use laws are in this country. Wildlife is not even considered. Just Googlke Tulare Lake and see how well it was preserved, or ask why the river in Chicago had its flow sent to the Mississippi instead of Lake Michgan. I am sure the residents of lake Michigan will just love the grass carp as they migrate up the Mississippi drainage. Just like Lake Erie loved the lamprey as it came up the St. Lawrence Seaway.

rojo

Who Knew?

Now this is really interesting stuff. We have no idea what endocrine disruptors do in the long run. WoW!

rojo

Saturday Thoughts

I know that while we have had many good chuckles over "teabagging" and 2M4M.com. Cooper Anderson's line about having a mouthful was classic, as was Dave Shuster's line about needing a Dick Armey. One thing the April 15th demonstrations did prove was that you could really raise a ruckus if you have a TV station for your propoganda. Fox did a great job fomenting opposition to the administration and organizing everything. They are very happy having a 30% audience of discontent. It allows them to sell advertising and they are a rabid 30% at that.

The demostrations were dissed because they did not have a central theme. They were incorrect about tax rates. They were doing the work of power barons who are very rich. They were angry white guys and their dames. States want to secede. Or split up. You name it, the criticisms piled on. One very common theme was anger and discontent. And it is about 30% of the US population. It doesn't take very long to get that to upper 30% or 40%. From there it no longer is just angry mobs, but a very viable political movement.

from Americablog today-

"It also cuts to the heart of the argument that Ariann Huffington makes about the Republicans possibly capitalizing on the populist anger around the country. The Democrats are dangerously close to crossing the line (if they have not already crossed) and losing the public."

It really doesn't matter if the movement is republican, conservative or libertarian. These are folks who are angry about not being in power, not feeling power (say what you will, but the ability of the right to make people feel related to rich folks and those in power and make it a populist movement that votes against its own best interest is phenomenal!!!!!) and they are willing to voice it and follow ANYONE who will LEAD them, even if it is againast themselves. They want Daddy to tell them it will be all right and that their Daddy will beat up anyone who does not love them.

And when these populists hear that there are bonuses for bank dudes who they know in their hearts did not earn the money and have caused them pain, they are willing to lash out. The uncoordinated spasm of the "teabagging" was manufactured and disjointed. All they really know in their heart of hearts is that they do not like (very vociferously) what is going on. They have a TV network, they have rallying points, all they need is a leader.

If the economic recovery does not happen fast (and it really shouldn't, it was long time in the making and has many factors to be corrected, if they all can), they will be angrier. It does not matter who caused it. They have a public mouthpiece. Fox really could care less. They know they have a captive audience and are playing to them. They know what schtick to lay down to keep it. All they need is a leader to coalesce that anger.

America needs more than anger!!!! It needs a plan. It needs a country based upon the love of others and truth and goodness. Mom and applepie really were symbols of love and fecundity. These are being blasted apart, yet are part of the country I love and envision.

Do not underestimate hate, as opposed to rational thought. The heart moves quickly and draws on symbols more than planning. The country I love and its possibilities can dissolve if the public foment ever finds an effective leader.

rojo

A meme

Hell of a meme, my choices:

1986 Inductees

Buddy Holly–”Peggy Sue”

Chuck Berry–”Johnny B. Goode”

Elvis Presley–”Jailhouse Rock”

James Brown– Okay, the man is a pig, but the horns and his voice on the laughable title "Sex Machine" are funk at its best.

Jerry Lee Lewis–my first 45-"Great Balls of Fire"

Little Richard–”Tutti Frutti”

Ray Charles–Too many to mention

The Everly Brothers–”Wake Up Little Susie”, my 2nd 45.

1987 Inductees

Aretha Franklin–”Respect”

B. B. King–"My Little Angel", you should see her spread her wings.

Roy Orbison–”Pretty Woman”

Smokey Robinson–too many hits and my third album

1988 Inductees

Bob Dylan–"Tangled up in Blue"

The Beach Boys–Kill me now!

The Beatles–Oh my, where to start. How about the album side with "The Sun King" off of "Abbey Road"

The Supremes–”Stop! In the Name of Love”

1989 Inductees

Otis Redding–”(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay”

Stevie Wonder–"Just Enough for the City"

The Rolling Stones–At one time the greatest Rock and Roll band ever. Now the greatest Geritol commercial. Sorry Mick, flailing old man arms with loose skin doesn't cut it. But "Live With Me" or "Bitch" or "Brown Sugar" or "Can't you Hear Me Knockin'".

1990 Inductees

Simon and Garfunkel–Eh, a good group to make chicks think you are cool

The Kinks–”Lola” or "Top of the Pops" or "(Lazing) on a Sunny Afternoon" or "Well-Respected Man About Town"

The Who–"I'm Mobile" or "Live at Leeds!" one of the best live albums ever!

1991 Inductees

Ike and Tina Turner–"Proud Mary"

The Byrds–so many songs so little time, "Wasn't Born to Follow", "Have you Seen Her Face" and "Sweetheart of the Rodeo"

1992 Inductees

Johnny Cash–I don't know his stuff that much

The Jimi Hendrix Experience–"Electric Ladyland"

The Yardbirds–“For Your Love” or "Shapes of Things". How many bands have had Clapton, Beck and Page?

1993 Inductees

Cream–"Crossroads"

Creedence Clearwater Revival–”Bad Moon Rising”

The Doors–a Berthold Brecht song, "The Alabama Song"

Van Morrison–"Cleaning Windows"!!!!! and many more

1994 Inductees

Bob Marley–"Lively Up Yourself"

Elton John–"Bennie and the Jets"

John Lennon–”Imagine”

Rod Stewart–"Cut Across Shorty"

The Animals–"House of the Rising Sun"

The Band–"Stage Fright"

The Grateful Dead–"Shakedown Street", "Scarlet Begonia", "Franklin's Tower", so many toones. Never has a band been more inspirational or self-indulgent. Depends on the day.

1995 Inductees

Frank Zappa–"Flower Punk", Mudshark", B'Wana Dick"

Janis Joplin–"MOve Over"

Led Zepplin–Golly, where to start. Without them there would be no metal.

Martha and the Vandellas–”Dancing in the Street.”

Neil Young–"The Loner", "Mr. Soul"

The Allman Brothers Band–"There's a Man Out There" best slide guitar around.

1996 Inductees

David Bowie–"Young Americans"

Gladys Knight and the Pips–I am sorry, I like them, but I cannot hear them anymore without thinking of the Gary Trudeau parody "The Midnight Train to Cranston"

Jefferson Airplane–"3/5 of a mile in ? seconds", the live version

Pink Floyd–"Several Small Furry Animals Grooving in a Cave with Some Picts" or "San Tropez"

The Velvet Underground–"Heroin" or "I'm Waiting for the Man"

1997 Inductees

Crosby Stills and Nash–"Suite for Judy Blue Eyes"

Joni Mitchell–"Free Man in Paris"

Parliament-Funkadelic– “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” or "Spotlight"

The Bee Gees–"Satuday Night Fever"

The Jackson Five–“ABC.”

1998 Inductees

Fleetwood Mac–"Oh Well"

Santana–The whole "Abraxas" album. one of the best albums ever!

The Eagles–who cares

The Mamas and The Papas–"Words of Love"

1999 Inductees

Billy Joel–"Village Green"

Bruce Springsteen–”Born to Run”

Dusty Springfield–”Son of a Preacher Man”

Paul McCartney–I have no idea what his solo career wrought

2000 Inductees

Bonnie Raitt–best slide guitarist in the league of Ry Cooder, Lowell George, Duane Allman. Anewer toone is "Gnawing on It"

Earth, Wind, and Fire–”Shining Star”

Eric Clapton–"Layla"

James Taylor–a duet with Dire Straits guitarist, "Sailing to Philadelphia"

2001 Inductees

Aerosmith–”Walk This Way”

Michael Jackson–Wow, many, many songs. His live "Billie Jean" was incredible.

Paul Simon–”Kodachrome”

Queen–”Crazy Little Thing Called Love”

Ritchie Valens–”La Bamba”

Steely Dan–too many to mention, but "My Rival", "Hey Nineteen", "FM" or "Cousin Dupree"

2002 Inductees

Ramones–“I Wanna Be Sedated”

Isaac Hayes–"Shaft"

Talking Heads–Go see the movie "Stop Making Sense" or rent the DVD and dance!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers–"American Girl"

2003 Inductees

AC/DC–who knows

Elvis Costello and the Attractions–"Watching the Detectives"

Righteous Brothers–”You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling”

The Clash–"Lost in the Supermarket"

The Police–”Murder by Numbers”

2004 Inductees

Bob Seger–”on Mainstreet”

George Harrison–I don't know on his solo stuff

Jackson Browne–"Play, Just a Little Longer"

Prince–”1999”

ZZ Top–”Sharp Dressed Man”

Traffic–"Light or Leave Me Alone", "Feelin' Alright"

2005 Inductees

The Pretenders–"I went to Ohio and my town was gone"

U2–You know, I know no names of their toones. How bad is that, even though I can sing them when they are on the radio. and good, my my!

2006 Inductees

Black Sabbath–why, God, why

Blondie–“Rapture.”

Lynyrd Skynyrd–"Give me Three Steps"

Sex Pistols–cultural phenomenon

2007 Inductees

Patti Smith–Again the name escapes me, but the benediction "She is blessed among women" makes me break out in goosebumps no matter how many times I hear it.

R.E.M–“Losing My Religion”

Van Halen–”Beautiful Girls”

2008 Inductees

John Mellencamp–I don't know, "Fire and ??"

Madonna–"Ho;iday"

2009 Inductees

Jeff Beck–Oh My Gawd! Where to start. A veritable guitar god. His group with Nicky Hopkins, Ron Wood and Rod Stewart were amazing. But "Train, Train" is probably my favorite.

Metallica–never heard them, honest.

and isn't Little Feat there somewhere. "Waiting for Columbus" is one of the best live albums ever!!!!!

rojo

I had my first discussion yesterday with two people who are taking off work to go to "teabag" events today. They were complaining how the federal government raised their tax rates with the new administration and were taking their money. So I had to ask how much money they made. Reticent to tell me, I asked if they were between $75,000-150,000. Well, yes. Okay, I told them I know their income tax rates went down at least 10%. No, it did not and the federal government was going to feel their wrath. I asked them to use the Google. Ooops. Well, then it is the sales taxes that went up and the federal government will hear their wrath. So I had to ask who levies sales taxes. Is it the fed or the state? Well, then it is their property taxes that went up. I asked if that was the federal government, state or county that assessed those taxes.Well, then it was the raised gas taxes in CA.

So then I had to impishly ask if there was a relation to the teabagging and their chriches. Well, yes they heard about that at church. I then, about 15 minute later, asked if anyone had seen the NOM "gay marraige is a storm and the rainbow coalition is going to solve it." ads. Why, yes, we talked about that at Church. I then asked why the known abbreviation for the NOM ad was 2M4M.com. Why yes it was. Many laughed and the question was asked, why is that funny? We are against gays. Bless Bonnie's heart. She finally had to ask if there was any relation between the 2M4M organization and teabagging. That either got laughs or blank stares from people if they could not draw the correlation. We gently had to explain that you need to know some of the colloquial meanings if the abbreviations are going to be used by a church in its sermons. I am reminded of the old Catholic joke about a priest's first sermon--There will be a peter pull at Saint Taffy's. Except that was a joke. And these people vote. Oy.

Or as David Shuster summed it up on MSNBC, "if you are going to millions of teabaggers together (today), you better have a Dick Armey." in reference to one of the organizers, of course.

rojo

Oldies that have no political relevance currently, but are just so damnably good dance songs!

the first only comes up with a link.

The other reminds me of the early days of the 2008 campaign where right wing relatives were sending me Baracky Obamie emails. Honest.
At least Barack and Michelle did not come down in the Mothership brandishing Bop guns!



Dr. Dre calling from chronic control. hee! BTW, this is one of George Clinton's best albums and can be had on amazon routinely for about $1. I have worn it out at least three times.

and here is what the bop gun can do.




start the day shakin' that booty.

rojo

Quotation for the Day

"Half the trick to living large...is the living part."

Jilly from the Newford universe as presented in Charles deLint's The Buffalo Man.

Have a great day!

rojo

Water News and Climate Change

Here is one of the most comprehensive water and climate change compilations I have seen. Enjoy. and warning--there is a lot of stuff there.rojo

Words of Porn, Soft and Tender Won't Win a Girl's Heart Anymore


From the Colorado Springs Gazette--

Focus on the Family narrator arrested for luring teenage girl for sex on Net

By Ernest Luning 4/6/09 1:57 PM

A Colorado Springs man who narrates the Bible in Spanish on CDs and works in the Spanish broadcasting department of Focus on the Family appeared in court Monday in Golden on two felony counts of using the Internet to lure a 15-year-old girl for sex, The Denver Post reports.

Juan Alberto Ovalle, 42, was arrested Friday when he drove to Lakewood to meet the girl — who turned out to be an undercover officer — after discussing various sexual acts he wanted to perform with her, the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said.

Ovalle, a native of the Dominican Republic, is listed as the “Voice Narrator/Artist” of the Spanish Reina Valera Biblia, available on 64 CDs, and can be heard here discussing an upcoming Focus on the Family conference with directors of the evangelical empire’s outreach to the Spanish-speaking community.

Juan Alberto Ovalle in his booking photo on charges of Internet luring.

Ovalle “came to know the Lord at the age of 14,” according to a Web site offering his Spanish Bible narration for sale, and founded Spanish Christian Audio in 2001 to “help Christian organizations with their audio needs.”


After first encountering the officer who was posing as a 15-year-old girl on the Internet last week, Orvalle made “sexually graphic statements in a chat room to a person he believed to be an underage teen,” the district attorney’s office said in a release. When the undercover officer said her mom wouldn’t be home the next day, Orvalle said he was “horny” and made arrangements to come to her house, according to an arrest affidavit.

Read the details provided in the Juan Alberto Ovalle arrest affidavit here.

Jefferson County District Attorney Scott Storey touts the arrests, since 2005, of more than 235 adults for attempting to meet children and teens for sex. The arrests are part of an ongoing sting operation funded in part by private grants to a nonprofit to fund the Child Sex Offender Internet Investigations Unit. In addition to investigations, the program pays for Cheezo, a 5-foot-tall “fuzzy yellow lion mascot,” who travels to schools to warn children about the dangers of Internet luring.

Ovalle appeared in court Monday on two felony charges — criminal attempted sexual assault on a child and Internet luring of a child –and is set to be formally charged Thursday morning, said Pam Russell, spokesperson for the district attorney’s office. His bond was set at $25,000 and he remained in custody Monday afternoon, she said.

If Bible verses don't get you a date, try lewd sex act talk. Looks like it got him a date with Bubba. I can hear the need for a Dobson repgrogramming special now.

rojo

Sunday's Toonage






rojo

Saturday Morning

Time to get motivated!



OMG, the bass! and one of rock's best screams.

rojo

JFC, Is Nothing Sacred?

CDC: Rocket fuel chemical found in baby formula

By MIKE STOBBE – 18 hours ago

ATLANTA (AP) — Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what's considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient, a government study has found.

The study by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked for the chemical, perchlorate, in different brands of powdered baby formula. It was published last month, but the Environmental Working Group — a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy organization — issued a press release Thursday drawing attention to it.

The chemical has turned up in several cities' drinking water supplies. It can occur naturally, but most perchlorate contamination has been tied to defense and aerospace sites.

No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of perchlorate can affect thyroid function. The thyroid helps set the body's metabolism. Thyroid problems can impact fetal and infant brain development.

However, the extent of the risk is hard to assess. The government requires that formula contain iodine, which counteracts perchlorate's effects. The size of the infant and how much formula they consume are other factors that can influence risk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, aware of the debate over perchlorate in food and water, has not recommended that people alter their diet or eating habits because of the chemical.

The study itself sheds little light on how dangerous the perchlorate in baby formula is. "This wasn't a study of health effects," said Dr. Joshua Schier, one of the authors.

The largest amounts of the chemical were in formulas derived from cow's milk, the study said.

The researchers would not disclose the brands of formula they studied. Only a few samples were studied, so it's hard to know if the perchlorate levels would be found in all containers of those brands, a CDC spokesman said.

"This study provides no data on potential health effects of perchlorate. Health authorities continue to emphasize that infant formula is safe," said Haley Curtis Stevens of the International Formula Council, which represent formula manufacturers.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it was considering setting new limits on the amount of perchlorate that would be acceptable in drinking water. A few states have already set their own limits.

The agency issued a statement Friday saying perchlorate exposure is a serious issue and "a top priority" for EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. EPA officials expect to announce a decision soon about future steps in dealing with the chemical.

The EPA has checked nearly 4,000 public water supplies serving 10,000 people or more. About 160 of the water systems had detectable levels of perchlorate, and 31 had levels high enough to exceed a new safety level the EPA is considering.

From the CDC website. Bold and Italics are mine and show that this stuff is showing up in cow's milk because it is in water systems, in well water and how it gets there remains a mystery. Some of it is naturally occurring, but in other areas it is left over rocket fuel that has seeped into an aquifer and flows underground. Jargon in the business is nicely calling it a plume of pollution. Basically, we are fouling our own nests and no one can say what will be the result of this. I think perhaps we have a higher incidence rate of autism and ADD and ADHD than the rest of the industrialized world. This always carries price. What's a few brain lesions when compared to profit?

rojo

Music for the day



rojo

From the Lighter? Side

From thisiswhyyourefat.com

The Porkgasm

Bacon strips, bacon sausage, ham sausage, ham slices, smoked pork sausage and roasted pork belly surrounded by ground sausage shaped into a pig, wrapped in bacon and roasted. Garnished with chili ears and tail.

(submitted Zach Spier via porktopia)

rojo

Government Bail Outs Finally Cause Management Changes

GM ex-CEO Wagoner is gone as part of the fall out from a government bail out. and Chrysler looks like it will enter a strategic alliance with FIAT. Obama even commented that management had to change, but in the endless succession of bail outs this is a major change, the CEO is gone. There was no room anymore for business as usual. Regardless of Congressman Dingle's influence. I am hoping that this marks the development of cojones for Geitner and TARP recipients will have to change their styles or be gone too. Considering that GM had to lose its CEO, Chrysler does not have to do that much. It is still a shock that this happened.

Imagine if you worked for Chrysler. 1) Bought by Benz. 2) Let go by Benz. 3) Bought by Cerebrus. 4) Working with Fiat?. From Benz to Fiat. wow! Let's face it. Chrysler had the Hemi and was relying on a hope that niche market big engine motorheads would lead the company back to profitability. Big cars and big engines have a higher profit margin per car sold than small cars. see Ford and GM marketing SUVs with the enthusiasm of revivalist preachers. Trouble is gas went ot $4 per gallon and people could not afford the gas for their hemis. Say it slowly so motorheads can enjoy their short-lived stiffies. hemi. When you have company that can only afford one strategy and it is out of step with the times and costs of $4/hour gas, you've got a problem.

Chrysler as we know it is gone. Can GM survive is the question?

rojo

Get Your Mood Changers Here!

No, I am not talking about the outside of a String Cheese Reunion show.

It's simple, really. Take too many drugs and it comes out your urine and feces. Take unnecessary drugs, the same. And guess what? It goes down the toilet and into the water. Wastewater plants are designed to remove some solids and process the organic demand and sometimes removes nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus), but pharmaceuticals, metals, not so much. So these come out in the discharge and in coastal areas this discharge is taken in by filter feeders (shellfish). Guess what is in their cellular mass. Great!

At least I ate my dosage of anti-depresseants at one of my favorite restaurants last night in Brentwood, CA in the Delta. Shutter's Brasserie. Yahoo! If you are ever in the area....worth the trip.

Rojo

When Yes Means No

from today's NY Times:

"Mr. Cuomo did not name the bonus recipients, but the numbers are eye-popping, given A.I.G.’s fragile state. The highest bonus was $6.4 million, and six other employees received more than $4 million, according to Mr. Cuomo. Fifteen other people received bonuses of more than $2 million, and 51 people received bonuses between $1 million and $2 million, Mr. Cuomo said. Eleven of those who received 'retention' bonuses of $1 million or more are no longer working at A.I.G., including one who received $4.6 million, he said."

Why in the hell don't I have the brain power to find a job where retention bonuses are paid in the millions of dollars and you are allowed to not work there to receive said retention bonus.

Doesn't retention bonus imply you are required to work there? I know economists speak a differnt variation of English, but...

rojo

Hey man, pull my finger!

These guys are like the obnoxious uncle you meet at family reunions.

I had to copy this post from Joe Sudbay at americablog.com--

"Wonder what is taking up the time of top officials at banks rescued with your tax dollars? You'd like to think they're all hunkered down trying to solve the crisis they created with help from George Bush and the GOP. According to Reuters, avoiding the salary caps is a top priority right now:

Anticipating restrictions on bonuses, officials at Citigroup Inc and Morgan Stanley are exploring ways to sidestep tough new federal caps on compensation, the Wall Street Journal said.

Executives at these banks and other financial institutions that received government aid are discussing increasing base salaries for some executives and other top-producing employees, the paper said, citing people familiar with the situation.

The discussions are at an early stage, partly because the government has not yet issued specific rules on the bonus payments that will be allowed at companies that received aid under the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program, the paper said.

Seriously, these people are tone deaf. They do not realize how hated they are in America right now. And, they aren't doing anything to ameliorate the situation. Instead, they're making it worse.

According to that same recent Congressional testimony, Citigroup got $45 billion in TARP funds while Morgan Stanley got $10 billion in TARP funds. Here's the video:

Citigroup has another big problem on its hands, as Think Progress asks "Did Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit lie to Congress about his compensation?" In that video above, Pandit told a Congressional committee, under oath, that his salary in 2008 was $1 million with no bonus. But, the actual total appears to be well over $10 million:

The $10.82 million in total compensation for 2008 consisted of $7.73 million in sign-on and retention awards, a $958,333 salary, $9.84 million of stock and option awards and $16,193 of other compensation.

Given everything else we've learned about the ineptitude of our top bankers, it's possible Pandit doesn't know the difference between one million and almost eleven million. Possible, but not likely. "


Okay, enough of this crap!!!! Quit trying to pretend like you give a shit about America or anything else. Just like AIG needing to keep people around because they understand the financial derivatives market so well they almost took them to bankruptcy, like maybe after driving the car off the cliff and having your brother fix the car for you, you shouldn't figure out how to take his money to buy you another car, too. You've already proven you can't drive and are lucky to be alive. Just go away.

The words nationalize keep coming back to my little forebrain. Nationalize, Nationalize, nationalize. Make these bastards understand they owe allegiance to a country. They are not masters of the universe, but actually do have a responsibility to the greater good over and beyond themselves!!!

I knew a man once who won a Dick Cheney award for business man of the year (honest, had to go to Washington and rent a tux and everything). He gutted his company and then asked for a golden parachute after doing things I can't talk about. The gall of these people.

rojo

Wow! Oh, Wow!

Yes, normally it cars, water news and toones. Or laughing uproariously as Jon Stewart cleans the clock of Jim Cramer.

But two nights ago I was walking through my house with Keith Olbermann on in the background and I heard him mention to Howard Feinman executive death squads that report to Dick Cheney. I stopped in mid stride and tried to breath. Here, in America, death squads? WTF? The following are last nights reports as more details and analysis came out.









I look at this and cringe. The implications are monstrous. Granted, not as many people disappeared as did during Pinochet's reign of terror. And I am not naive enough to believe the US did not overthrow a duly-elected democratic government in Iran (hmm, I wonder why they are mad at us) and Chile. Yes, we did. And we should do better and NEVER do anything like this again. The talk is now that there may have been ten targets out there in foreign countries.

And the CIA was operating in the United States. On its own citizens.

Okay, maybe I am little crazy and suspicious, but it sounds to me like the last administration took advantage of a disaster in order to grab MORE power. Warrantless wiretaps on citizens soon followed 9/11. Okay, it actually preceded it. So thye were a paranoid group, to say the least. And records of who they were wiretapping still remains a mystery. Not being a generally trusting soul, I ma guessing that is one way the 2004 Presidential race was run. The republicans seemed one step ahead because they were stealing information. No question in my mind. The "Decider Commandeer Guy" was too much a buffoon who appointed similar true believers and idiots to most posts. Cheney was shrewd behind-the-scenes manipulator. Ashcroft ran away because he knew who he would have to prosecute. Hence, Alberto the Clown.

But then I start thinking about things that happened in the US. Ken Lay states he will testify to save his ass in his prosecution and damned if he does not commit suicide. The DC Madam states emphatically that if she is ever found dead, it will not be suicide. Then she is found dead from suicide. Paul Wellstone dies in a plane crash. Ted Kennedy was to be on that plane, but something came up. Mike O'Connell was going to testify on what happened to the White House emails and why the Ohio election control was given by the Ohio State Election official to the same server that runs the Republican Party servers in Tennessee (oh yes, the fix was definitely in in 2004.) Oops, he died in a plane crash. Too much coincidence. It's like talking to a teenager and seeing the same pattern over and over again. You they did something, but don't have the time and wherewithal to prove it. You know it is there.

Do we need a Truth Commission. Oh My God YES!!!! and no immunity. as a constitutional lawyer stated recently, the US was a dictatorship for seven years and few knew it.

rojo

Think as You Drink

I came across quite a few good articles today on water that I would like to share with you. The first is the formation of a committee to study water and energy. Great news!!! Outside Loveland, CO there is Flatiron Reservoir and Pinewood Reservoir where they pump water uphill at night during low energy demand and let it flow back down the pipes during demand hours, giving a net demand. This is very unusual in water storage and energy production practice. But getting water places (for example, that water comes from the other side of the Rockies and is transported via tunel under Rocky Mountain National Park) and treating wastes costs a ton. Almost all water treatment costs are electricity. Wastewater treatment costs are the same, giving impetus to cogeneration by anaerobic digestion. That is where raw waste solids are anaerobically decomposed in a digester and the gasses run generators lower the power demand of the waste treatment facility. The waste solids are then normally used for fertilizer that is distributed, Millorganite from Milwaukee is a commercially known brand.

Another has to do with climate change and water in the western states. Believe me, if the rain and snow patterns continue to change in the West, or in the Rockies, Vegas and LA, to say the least of the people in Mexico to whom the US had to guarantee clean water too will be hurting. Yes, The US had to build a plant to desalinate what little flow of the Colorado Rover made it to Mexico. In CA, there have been extreme issues with salmon spawns because of the change in rainfall patterns. and there have been pelican deaths aplenty this year in CA. The following article details many aquatic bird deaths and ties it to global warming.

There is a viscious cycle that has started. It takes a lot of energy to pump water to the deserts of the arid west, making them livable. This includes a geographic area from Arizona, to Vegas to LA. It costs a lot to produce the energy that produces 90% of the world's almonds and over 50% of the US vegetable and fruit crop. Just think of energy required to pump water from Sacramento to San Diego to grow avocados. The annual diversion of water in the California Aqueduct alone is 2.6 million acre feet. An acre foot is roughly 326,000 gallons and a gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds, or 8.5 trillion pounds of water. I am really tired, but given a rise of about 4000 feet, and 68% combined motor and electrical efficiency giving you a demand of 1.8 million killowatts, if the water were only pumped once on that journey. It is not and there are two other canals that almost as big. The power usage is at least 8 times that amount, just for pumping. And as fresh water grows more scarce, desalinization looks good, but almost all its costs are electrical. It is very, very expensive. It is far cheaper to treat raw poop to drinking water and far less energy intensive. As long as we rely on fossil fuels to produce energy and it takes enrgy to move water and increased CO2 production leads to more warming, we are in very viscious cycle. Just to keep up the lifestyle we have grown accustomed to requires renewable and nonpolluting energy.

Mr. Cheery couldn't get this narrative the way he wanted because he was too tired, so good night and pleasant dreams.

rojo

Racism and America

I have been worried about racist attacks since the Denver convention when a couple of racist meth heads were picked up with the well-thought out plan of Kill Obama and a couple of rifles. No scouting, no hotel rooms with a view. None of that. Just some Aryan meth heads. Now this.

Why do racists hate America?

Ow.

rojo

State's Rights?

I was kind of pleased that CA is thinking of legalizing marijuana and taxing it. Get rid of debt, lower the criminal element and kick a whole bunch of dudes out of prison. State's rights in action. Then I see this. and wonder about state's rights. maybe I should just be wondering about the rights of dumb-asses.

rojo

Hey Moogs, Would You Buy That for a Quarter?!

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Bernie Madoff is accused of fleecing his clients out of billions, but he said Monday he shouldn't be forced into the poorhouse.

His lawyers are arguing that Madoff should be entitled to keep the $7 million apartment he's currently being held in while under house arrest and $62 million, including $45 million in municipal bonds.

Court papers filed on Monday state that Madoff and his lawyer say the Manhattan penthouse and the millions held in accounts of Madoff's wife, Ruth, are not subject to seizure.

The court papers say Madoff claims the apartment and the money are unrelated to a $50 billion fraud Madoff has been accused of carrying out.

Yes, this is money he made honestly. He says it so it must be true. The $50 billion? He must have blown on fast women and cars. Yet another case of how stupid do you think we are.

If he only bought his house in Florida, it would have been untouchable.

rojo

Rant O' the Day

From The Complete Social History of LSD...

This quotation concerns the internal testing of LSD on CIA agents and the unexpected results.

"...there were times when CIA agents found themselves propelled into a visionary world and they were deeply moved by the experience. One MK-ULTRA agent wept in front of his colleagues at the end of his first trip. 'I didn't want to leave it,' he explained. 'I felt I would where I wouldn't be able to hold on to this kind of beauty.' His colleagues assumed he was having a bad trip and wrote a report stating the drug had made him psychotic."(p. 30, Lee and Shlain)

Here a man has what for him was a mystical experience. He saw beauty in the world. Later, he admits to feeling oneness with the universe so he is labeled psychotic. GRRRR. What kind of small minded pissant ( I am being polite here!) Religion may have been defined as the opiate of the masses and spiritualism and New Age pursuits as hoaxes. Meditation as a means of sleeping wakefully. Sweat lodges as a means of purification and altered perception are pure evil. yeah, sure.

How sick a shithead must the person be to judge that as psychotic while he justifies his experiments and the invasion of Vietnam (substitute Iraq if you would like) as normal and great achievements. I definitely would never want to be normal if that type of judgment and achievement are normal. It is twisted. It is perverse!!!! If I ever felt a relaxed and continuous oneness with the universe, don't label me as psychotic. What more could you want? Universal love and creation. Can't have that, need killing and death. Move on nothing to see here.

I wonder when it may ever dawn on many of these overachievers that they are partaking in a death cult the likes of which this world has never seen. Yes, the Funky Western Civilization is a death cult (aside from a dance hit), where the foundations are the ground bones and dried blood of those sacrificed to build power structures. And how many think they are really spiritual? Sad, how spiritual oneness is condemned as psychotic.

rojo

Why Does Bill Kristol Hate America?

from Americablog-

"Greg Sargeant over at The Plum Line has gotten his hands on a memo Bill Kristol wrote to his party in 1993, urging them to oppose Bill Clinton's health care plan because - well - it might work. And then all the newly healthy people might like government and see that it could actually do something good for them. Ben Smith summarizes the long memo:

The memo warns that a successful Clinton plan could badly damage the GOP by improving Americans' relationship with government, and makes the case for total, uncompromising opposition based on what would become the "Harry and Louise" campaign, focused on the damage the changes could do to citizens' relationships with their doctors.

The only way that the plan would improve America's relationship with government would be if it worked. Think about that. The GOP ultimately opposed major legislation that would have benefited every American because the legislation might have actually worked. You don't just see parallels to today's Republican party, they're doing exactly the same thing. The GOP is terrified that Obama agenda, from the stimulus plan to health care reform, might actually work. Then Americans would see that - surprise - government can work for the people. And where would we be then, if our government actually started making a positive difference in our lives? Better to vote Republican and ensure that never happens."

Isn't it nice to know people actually get their rocks off by staying in power, damned the consequences to others. Is Bill Kristol and American? or something else?

I'll get back to water issues tomorrow morning.

rojo

Today had a great front page article on the California water problems and its impact on the Central Valley, in terms of farming and unemployment, which is up to 40% in farming communities now. This state is in the third year of a drought and even if it gets lots of late season snow and rain, the reservoirs will be at less then 40% Currently Folsom Lake is at 25%. This is the largest dam on the American River and feeds many cities with raw water for the potable system, as well as controls the flow to the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta. Keep in mind, this is the same Delta where this year there is so little water, the State Water Resources Control Board is trying to decide if the smelt (the main feed fish in the Delta for larger species such as bass and salmon) should have a spring water flow allowing them to spawn, or an autumn flow allowing salmon to spawn. Which species needs to be pushed close to extinction (no joke, that is how bad it is)? Glad I do not have to play God myself with that decision. In the interim, the population has grown by 3,000,000 since the last drought and many acres of land have been placed into fruit and nut trees, or vineyards, which require annual water and cannot be allowed to go fallow, as they will die. So the State has to balance pumping water from the Delta to San Diego, LA and the Central Valley for farming, as well as keeping water for the fish and a flow to the sea. Except there is no water. Everyone needs to read Cadillac Desert to see how California and particularly LA have overstressed any natural system in CA in an attempt to urbanize, feed the country and grow economically in a desert. Unbelievable read and it really shows how overbuilt this fake paradise is.

My wife got to see the big canals for the first time last weekend as we drove to scenic Bakersfield (home of the Drillers, honest, that is the high school nickname and has more to do with oil than teen age hormonal pursuits). The canals have more flow than most rivers on the Front Range of Colorado. Yes, they pull more water out of a delta system than CO relies for life. I am not naive enough not to realize that Boulder, Ft. Collins, Greeley et al could exist oin their present form without taking water from the western slope and bringing it through the Rockies (there is one hell of tunnel under Rocky Mountain National Park from Grand Lake to Estes Park) to bring water to the front range.

We wil be having a fresh water crisis in America soon if global weather patterns continue to change. Just last year, Georgia tried to move its State line just a little north into Tennessee to grab river water as Atalata was going dry. Then they tried to divert Great Lake water through the Misssissippi drainage to Georgia. Israel tried to buy water from the Great Lakes to ship to Israel (they use immense baggies to ship fresh water over the ocean. google it, honest).The Aral Sea in Russia has been drained for cotton farming. This has led to health problems as the desert has grown with sea levels dropping, and the resultant dust storms have caused numerous health problems. Fishing boats there are so far out of the sea, they cannot be salvaged. That is how fast it has dropped.

Now turning sewage into drinking water is a big issue. You have to find water somewhere. This is not really a bad idea, and is much cheaper than turning salt water into fresh. Reverse osmosis is just an expensive process usiing lots of electricity to pump water through semi-permeable membranes using high pressure pumps. Now water laws in many states will have to catch up to this practice. In CO, I think that you may own water rights, but it is expected that you will return at least 85% of the water in your area back to streams, after first turning into drinking water and then processing the sewage. CA has no such laws.

There will be the problems of pollution if this is to become a common process (and it will, believe me--it is one of the reasons I really love my field, the alchemy of turning shit into clean water is really, really cool.) Coomon pollutants such as ammonia and phosphorus are tightly regulated in some states. CA is at least twenty years behind the curve because they believe in the economic benefit of communities and that the solution to pollution is dilution, the old engineers' chant. In other words, they will force higher treatment because it costs too much. And their water law would allow Sacramento to sell its treated sewage to the highest bidder, whether it leaves the Sacramento drainage or not. Time is short right now, but the Scaramento Bee has a great article on this today. I don't have time to find the link.

In fact, work is calling so I will continue this later...

rojo

Car Stuff

Toyota Prius has won an award for Consumer Reports magazine for a new award, Best Car Value. I have driven them. I own a Honda Hydrid. The Prius is a wonderful car, even better than mine. I just couldn't afford a Prius with no money down at the time.

And GM has lost $82 billion in the past four years. OW!!!!! It burned through $6.4 billion in the 4th quarter 2008 alone, including $4B from the bail out. What a conumdrum. They deserve to fail, but if they do, 3,000,000 become unemployed. They expect to burn through $14B this year, the losses are staggering and will need more governement assistance.

Yeesh. What do you do? Who wants Hummer? Who wants Saturn? I actually went to purchase a Chevy Malibu when I purchased my Honda. I drove both. The Malibu Hybrid had fold down rear seats, more power and was roomier. But it just felt cheesy. and the mileage was 30 mpg! I get 45 in my Honda. What a drag. I even had a GM employee discount and it still did not make it worth it. and the sales staff sucked. Here, wait and my manager can make you a better deal. Then the sales manager may sweeten the deal. Oh but that has to approved by the bigger manager. Fire some of the fucking managers, make the cost lower and you might have a deal, idiots. I bought my Honda at the dealership, but did most of the heavy lifting, including pricing and credit approval in line at home drinking tea. Probably in my sweats or shorts. Comfy and easy.

rojo

The Kiddie Table

After seeing Bobby Jindahl last night I almost felt sorry for him. Kind of like a little leaguer facing Randy Johnson in his prime. Except, I had to remember he exorcised the eeveel spirits out of his college sweetie. Just what we need is an exorcist in the White House, or any level of government. "Throw her in the water and if she floats, she is a witch and we will kill her. If she sinks and drowns..." Great, huh. And he had to follow someone who gave one of the best speeches since Kennedy. Go back to the kiddies table, the adults are here.

Also, Media matters put out a list of congress members who voted against the jobs bill. Maybe it is time for area activists to pull out recall petitions for these lucky guys, or anyone who voted against jobs. That might put the fear into some of the more provincial types.

rojo

It's A DayQuil Kind od Day!

After a fun-filled three days in Las Vegas, the most unreal town in America, I have have to do routine work. I did have a desultory epiphany or two there. 1) As much fun as the water show was to observe at the Bellagio, I had to wonder how the nature spirits of the desert really like having such egregious disregard for their home. I mean a water wonderland in the desert? How fitting! and I observed this with fellow water and wastewater operators, so we all walked away going "ooh" and later realized we were all thinking how many psi the pumps had to develop to get that height, what type of solenoid valves are being used to withstand the pressure and such. In fact, I was relieved that I was not the only nerd/geek wondering that. The questions came up as we relaxed in the bar afterwards.

2) Had dinner and drinks in Margaritaville. It is amazing that flip flops, shorts and hawaiian shirts (oh yes, and booze--no one mentions weed, or other drugs even though there are LOUD videos of Buffet and other jambands being pumped out continually. No one smokes weed at a String Ceese show) have been turned into a glorified life style, which attracts so many people for a brief drunken break into their routine lives. combine that with mediocre food and more booze and a floor show with men on stilts, a pirate captain and a bikini clad babe whose arms were better developed than mine--the show repeats every X amount of minutes and the babe changes her bikini, fake blonde hair still the same. Part of the floor show is to raise your drinks and chug. Imagine a bar that features ritualized drinking. what a great business plan.

More honest than Hooters, home the great wings! and I read Penthouse for the articles.

Well, I dive through life today in a Dayquil haze and try my best at mitigating the fines of a sewage overflow my firm had nothing to do with--a city broke a sewer line and fixed it themselves, did not tell us and the County and EPA found out about it and asked us. Boy, did we look honest when we said "What?" We really did not know.

Before I go through that maze, I have to comment on the Swiss Bank and the scandal brewing there. They had code words for country of currency origin, animal names for denominations, really cool superspy stuff. But now the FBI wants them to turn over to the IRS the names of investors to see who was evading taxes in fake corporations that they set up. They made no bones about setting up fake corporations for tax-free investment for offshore profits.

Wait, wasn't that Phil Gramm's (McCain's economic advisor) bank and employer?

Kind of makes you wonder who invested in off shore accounts and tried to dodge taxes? Democrats or Republicans? Middle class (I know everyone in my family has a swiss bank account, how about yours?) How many of each? Upper class, lower class or Bush's base (upper 0.5 of 1%, as he joked). So who is using what are called the commons (defense, roads, subsidy for Post Office, etc.) in a disproportionate way as they try to escape taxes that pay for them? Another way of putting it more bluntly, who hates America and really is unpatriotic by being a greedy bastard and not paying their fair share? the lower classes or the mega rich? Yes, these are class generalizations and many in lower classes would do this if they could and many rich folk set up great trusts and things, but....

I hope they make the unpatriotic bastards serve time for tax evasion during a time of war!!!!!!!!!!

rojo

Is This Car News or a Management Rant?

"There was anger today as BMW confirmed that 850 jobs were being cut by ending weekend working at its Mini car plant near Oxford.

The cuts will mostly affect agency workers when they come into force from 2 March when the plant begins operating five days a week, instead of the current seven.

Union sources said workers booed and threw apples and oranges at managers after being told they were losing their jobs.

Agency workers leaving Cowley this morning expressed their fury at being given just one hour's notice of the redundancies.

"It's a disgrace. I feel as though I've been used," said one worker. "We should have been given one month's notice, not one hour."

Axed agency staff were given the grim news in meetings at the factory following weekend speculation that hundreds of jobs were to go.

Almost a third of the Cowley workforce are agency staff and some complained today they would not receive any redundancy pay.

The contract staff, who have few employment rights, were brought in to work alongside full-time employees on the production lines, which built 230,000 vehicles last year."

This story bothers for a number of reasons. The first and foremost is my business experience and my past bosses. I had one that in a managers' meeting, stated "Hire more women, they will work for 15% and raise our margins." another always wanted us to hire temps so we did not have to pay benefits, or at least delay the payment of benefits. and here we have contract labor (temps) working alongside full-time employees. This story does not give enough details. Were they hired to make Minis while the market was hot, soon to be discarded? Were they paid more than full-time workers to make up for no benefits? What were the promises made to them as they were hired?

Temporary workers should not be used as "scabs" to fill labor needs, and raise profit margins because they are paid less. That is unethical and shows no integrity of character. They are a viable labor alternative for short-term from a management stand point. Still, they need respect. Contract labor has become a predominant cheaper labor source because they seldom get benefits and can be discarded like "things". Workers are people and as such deserve a level of treatment that you would provide to a family member. Management wonders why morale is down. Because workers are treated as things. not people. They can sense this. The subconscious is an amazing organ of perception. (I won't go off on this today, but many drug and alcohol problems are brain chemistry, but others are an attempt at shielding and self-medication because subconsciously people can feel how vicious others really are.)

What is wrong with management that people are treated as disposable things? and why is this taught as a viable alternative to offering full-time jobs with benefits to workers? I can think of many "Joe" jobs my daughter has had that offer full-time employment when available, but employment often stays with 10 people working 24 hours/week so they don't have to offer benefits. And then employers wonder why they get ripped off by ungrateful employees!

Many companies now offer benefits after 90 days of employment, but if you hire an employee as a temp, or less than full time, that time does not go towards the 90 days. Bend over and spread them, we want to use you.

Sometimes management training and policies in this country just offend me.

rojo

Well, there will be no car czar, but a Presidential commission. Yep, to oversee the bailed out GM and Chrysler a committee oversee some of the worst run businesses in the world. Well, Wall Street is so poorly run that they deserve complete nationalization and firing of all the yahoos who ran it into the ground. I am sure there are plenty of talented business grads who could do no worse for a lot less money. Here is hoping the committee has LABOR representation. Otherwise the workers will be screwed and the unions broken. If that happens, kiss the vestiges of a middle class good bye!

and in other news, the Associated Press has stated that there is a whole bunch of life under the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans and ice caps that were unknown. Thousands of species. One specializes in eating snails. How slow must a snail move in that cold of water, one dares to ask? and if they get in your plankton garden, how do you place a saucer of beer there? Here is a link from the Canadian Press. and one with some pictures.

rojo

Too good a story not to be true-



rojo

The Two Americas

Honestly, I read the news today and wonder why there are two sets of rules for Americans based upon the economic class that they are from. I wondered this a long time ago during the Jon Benet Ramsey murder investigation. What would have happened to me if I said I would not respond to the police or "come downtown". The Ramsey's have said no and were honored. Try this as an Hispanic in East LA. Think it would work?

And now we have a clown,(sorry, no makeup) on the Falafel King's show stating that if the truth of the Bush administration and if the laws they broke were released for the public to know, it would be deadly. Huh? But they should be honored as heroes. Hello, they committed genital mutilation on at least one person. Genital mutilation--such a nice way of saying slicing up someone's dick and nuts with a knife. It sounds so less coarse because it was done with a scalpel, obviously making it professional. Oh My God!!!!! How do you get out of bed in the morning.

And now Conyers subpoenas Rove for the THIRD time through his lawyer, but his lawyer and the lawyer's assistant just can't reached until after the date of the subpoena. How convenient. Try that with your local court. Given the size of the game they are playing, there must be something to hide.

So, who has the stones to find the arrogant son of a bitch and let him meet Bubba in a dark cell somewhere? Or in Rove's case (and I firmly believe this), a woman. It is still a pet theory that the past administration had many sexual identity dysfunctions that came out in torture and bullying as a means of satisfaction, gratification and really was an expression of sublimation.

and on the other end of the spectrum, you can't pay for the cost of your registration, you lose your car, that was doubling as your house because you lost your roommate to cancer and can't afford the rent by yourself.

There is a large disconnect in America today!

rojo

And I quit writing for a while about the auto industry--There has been so much news. Toyota lost 30% of its sales, GM 49+%, Chrysler over 50% and GM is laying off 20,000. OW! An average worker makes $70,000-$80,000 with bennies. An average bonus on Wall Street is over $1,000,000 or about 15 workers.

Why Getting things Done Quickly Matters

This is part of a stream of comments that came from my other blog--

It is just maddening. as with any new boss, Obama had a 2-4 week window to get most of his new programs passed and in place. Then public opinion maybe could help push for more. His insistence on bipartisanship instead of civic duty is ridiculous. The lackeys who are obstructionist need to be called out in public by name, as well as defining the consequences of their action in a way even the village idiot can understand. The republicans are just gettting to grind everything to a halt because if these reforms and public works projects do help stimulate the economy; Reagan, free markets, Ayn Rand and Friedman are no longer saints, but discredited philosophers who just spout off. They cannot afford that as it discredits their party and its dubious achievements over the past 30 years.

Yes, we are living in bizarro world, except they don't speak backwards. Joe the Plumber, fresh from his stint as a reporter, where he said reporters should not have access is now political consultant to the GOP and Sarah "Caribou Barbie" Palin is a leader. And Rush is the de facto propagandizer.

Goldwater and Buckley must be shitting in their graves! It has come to this, an airport named after St. "Get Rid of Government" Reagan, who broke the air traffic controllers union (to hell with safety, seems like the kind of job for OJT). Making burgers is now manufacturing jobs in labor counts.

And I thought my acid dreams from the 60s were unbelievable.

I did not include the links. look up this sorry state of existence for yourself.

On another issue, I went to see the orthopaedist today and he said no more injections on my left knee. Replace it when my pain tolerance has hit its limit. I already moved to a one foor house becasue stairs were too much and walking 0.5 miles requires icing and a beer ot three. My boss asked for 6 more months. We'll see.

rojo

I Have a High School Hall Pass

Will that work? Can I get a pass to go anywhere and do anything with that?

To me the biggest story of the day was not the legislation that allows more than 180 days before you sue your employer for being underpaid because of gender, or the stimulus package, but this load of crap.

How can Karl Rove, the Kingpin of Crime, aka "doughboy" or one of the Gucker and Gannon butt boys (no proof, just conjecture), be given executive immunity on things he said he was not involved in? And after he no longer works for the Executive? If he knew nothjing and was not involved why would the President make sure his counsel gave Doughboy a hall pass. He was just covering his ass. this is not hard to see. If Rove ever had to testify, we would know how illegal everything was, including the rigged 2004 election. Anyone with any street smarts knows this.

Perhaps the bigger question is if that hall pass is seen as not applicable, what country will protect Rove or will he meet Kenny-boy Lay? (I know this is insensitive to the Lay family, but I have had questions about his untimely demise and if he really was depressed enough to commit suicide, I sincerely apologize to his family.)

rojo

A song about a van



rojo

The first is that Obama is going to let CA have stricter emissions standards and that will impact the US car market by making manufacturers meet them. This is in many news sources so I really have not added a link. But, In a few of the stories i have read, it states that this is using existing technology to reduce emission standards (narrower tires at higher pressures, variable valve timing, 4/6/8 engine run options). It also states that this will add $1400 to the cost of each car, make US cars non-competitive and end the world as we know it. Okay, I made the last part up.

I have to question that if this is existing technology, why it would add so much to the price of a car. Okay, the 4/6/8 option would becasue of the controls. Variable valve timing is only used in premium models and many foreign cars. Or is it this just more of the same news details leaked by manufacturers and lobbyists to back the regressive position that has gotten Amerian car manufacturers where they are today, with two of the Big Three needing government handout.

The other story is that American Honda is moving some jobs to China. It is the end of the world as we know it tone that bothers me, If you were making something at point A and they were not selling and you had to ship the product to point B 14,000 miles away, yet you could make them there at existing factories by expanding them, what is the smart and prudent business choice? This is not rocket science. There is an expanding market in China. Why should this surprise me that manufacturing is moving there?

This is the same principle as sustainable agriculture. Buy local. Because we were buying cars from Japan, they came here to build factories. It is not our right as god-fearing Americans that all factories be built here. What really should be the question is how to get the American economy rolling again to make sure we have people who can afford to buy a car.

rojo

New Energy in Spain

I'll take a day away from the auto manufacturing and sales news to look at solar power in Spain. This looks interesting and wonder what Nevada could provide, other than a bomb testing site for the military. Combine this with increased wind power and we have better national security, because we become less reliant on purchasing energy for our life style. As Americans, we use lots of energy per capita.

On a personal note, it is time for me to try vermiculture and see if it is a useful household methodology. I am going to buy the parts for the bins this weekend, I hope.

rojo

Why Not?



rojo