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| Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 |
nebris
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2:07p |
Spam Name of The Month Acyme Limupahyculy Current Mood:  Who? |
nebris
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1:15p |
Empire of Consumption [text] August 15, 2008
BILL MOYERS: Welcome to the JOURNAL.
America's in a pickle. Our friends, the Russians, with whom we were about to conduct joint military exercises, decided instead to attack some of our other friends, the Georgians, who not only aspire to democracy but control access to lots of oil and pipelines in which American energy companies have huge investments. But when President Bush demands Russia go home and leave Georgia alone, his pal Vladimir Putin - the modern Russian czar - gets that sardonic smile on his face.
He knows that American troops are spread so thin in Iraq and Afghanistan that Uncle Sam more resembles Gulliver, tied down by too many commitments, too much hubris, and too many mistakes, than he does to Superman. It's a pickle and a predicament, and it's serious.
The limits of American power have never been more vividly on display. That's the subject of my conversation this week with Andrew J. Bacevich. Here is a public thinker who has been able to find an audience across the political spectrum, from THE NATION or THE AMERICAN CONSERVATIVE magazines, lecturing to college classes or testifying before Congress.
( Bacevich speaks truth to power, no matter who's in power, which may be why those of both the left and right listen to him. ) |
nebris
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12:19p |
Empire of Consumption Is an imperial presidency destroying what America stands for? Bill Moyers sits down with history and international relations expert and former US Army Colonel Andrew J. Bacevich who identifies three major problems facing our democracy: the crises of economy, government and militarism, and calls for a redefinition of the American way of life. Watch The Episode Current Mood:  thoughtful |
nebris
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8:48a |
George Carlin: ..this is a bit more raw than his HBO shows.. Current Mood:  amused |
nebris
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6:29a |
"Punishment Park" (1971) ![[info]](http://www.commiejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) doll_meat reminded me of this film, which, as I said to her, I probably had not thought of since before she was born. Read its WiKi.
Current Mood:  contemplative |
| Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 |
nebris
|
9:44p |
NATO Tells Russia, No ‘Business as Usual’ From The NYT
By HELENE COOPER
August 19, 2008
BRUSSELS — NATO foreign ministers strengthened their ties to Georgia on Tuesday and called for Russia to observe a cease-fire and withdraw its troops immediately, vowing that until it does the alliance “won’t continue with business as usual” in its relations with Moscow.
But the NATO ministers, at a rare emergency meeting, failed to agree on any specific punitive measures, despite pressure from the United States that NATO at least threaten Russia with unspecified “consequences,” and pleas from the Czech Republic, Poland and NATO’s Baltic members that it take a tough stand.
Instead, ( NATO issued a tepid response... ) Current Mood:  cynical |
nebris
|
3:46p |
Today's Pig=Tommorow's Bacon Generally, I get along with cops, but, frankly, I'm getting pretty sick of most of their behavior. Current Mood:  angry |
| Monday, August 18th, 2008 |
nebris
|
6:07p |
'Liar loans' threaten to prolong mortgage crisis From The AP
By ALAN ZIBEL, AP Business Writer
Mon Aug 18, 5:50 PM ET
In the mortgage industry, they are called "liar loans" — mortgages approved without requiring proof of the borrower's income or assets. The worst of them earn the nickname "ninja loans," short for "no income, no job, and (no) assets."
The nation's struggling housing market, already awash in subprime foreclosures, is now getting hit with a second wave of losses as homeowners with liar loans default in record numbers. In some parts of the country, ( the loans are threatening to drag out the mortgage crisis for another two years. ) Current Mood: cynical |
nebris
|
7:11a |
Primary Cause of Personal Bankruptcy in America. Georgia is a fucking distraction. Current Mood: cynical |
| Sunday, August 17th, 2008 |
nebris
|
12:49p |
Ay Luv Mah Brane
Socially Smart
As a socially smart person, you are best with others in real-life situations. This type of intelligence is closely linked to being 'street smart.' Theories and such are not much concern: the things that matter tend to be those which you can see, feel, touch - what you can really experience. This knowledge comes to you both out of a natural knowledge, as well as learning from the situations you find yourself in.
60% applied intelligence
20% natural intelligence
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Take this quiz at QuizGalaxy.com
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So where's the other 20%? Up my ass? |
nebris
|
12:48p |
CASH FOR GOLD USA Current Mood: You better laugh! |
nebris
|
12:47p |
Thoughts On Fearful Americans or Nebs Has Always Been A Fucking Smartass ~I have read how when some folks here in the good ol' US of A heard that 'the Russians had invaded Georgia', they thought that meant our Georgia, ya know the one between South Carolina and Florida, the Peachtree State.
I'm sure that you, my loyal readers, have some idea of the contempt with which I regard such ignorant idiocy. People that profoundly uninformed should be disenfranchised forthwith as far I as am concerned. But my views on standards for access to The Franchise are another story.
What that type of foolishness reminded me of was something from my childhood. That I was probably born precocious will come as no great surprise to those of you who have been paying attention.
In the summer of 1961, Mumsie took me back to the UK for the first time. EP also came along as he had a photo shoot in Paris that August. That was the excuse for the trip actually.
They stayed a few weeks. Grandmum wasn't particularly keen on EP, him being the 'pushy little Jew' and all. Grandad was indifferent to him as I was his focus, the only male child on his side. I looked like an emotionally animated version of those children from Village of The Damned. lol Straw blonde hair styled in a bowl cut and a pug nose, ein kleiner ubermenschen.
I realize now that I was quite the little Prince and not the sweet naif of Saint Exupéry either. I was an imperious little beast, telling English station masters that they were Public Servants and therefor I was their boss and other such princely beastliness. I fell quickly into the British Class System and my Upper Class English accent returned with a vengeance.
These things took place while I was on my own with the Grandparents. Mumsie and EP had gone off to Paris and I was free to be myself, by Gadfrey. Ha! Might be the happiest days of my often unhappy childhood.
I suppose as I grew up under EP's oppressive regime I began to feel more The Prince in Exile. But as usual, I digress...and I don't wish to whine.
Back then I was a very big fan of aircraft spotting books and the like. I found that one of the boys there in Colindale, Mumsie's old 'hood, was a fan of train spotting books, so off we went to 'spot', which is how I came to put the above station master 'in his place'.
There were many more little adventures that summer, but I'll relate those some other time. The one that first came to mind was at the end of that summer, when we were returning home on the SS United States. It was my first and unfortunately only time on an ocean liner. I was very excited of course.
We left Le Harve on a bright and beautiful morning in early September. I stood on the stern that afternoon as we passed Lands End. Looking out at our wake, I saw an aircraft approaching. Even at a distance, I recognized its silhouette; a Fairey Gannet.
But an American woman standing next to me squawked in fear, “Oh My God! Is that a MIG?” She was a little older than my mother, with a small blonde bouffant and a sleeveless yellow sundress. And she was deeply afraid.
I said, “No, it's a Royal Navy anti-submarine aircraft.” Exactly those words as that is how they were stated in my little aircraft spotting book.
She looked at me uncertainly, but with a slight hope of relief. “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I said with solid authority..and a proper English accent, to boot. “It's a Fairey Gannet.”
By now the Gannet was flying past. “See,” I pointed to the fat radome upon its belly. “That's it's radar underneath.” The British roundels on its fuselage were now clearly visible as well.
She smiled at me with a profound relief. “Thank you, young man,” she said, hand to her bosom as if restraining vapors. I think my smile may have betrayed my age, as she blinked a bit when she actually looked at this nine year old boy who had just 'saved' her..
In retrospect, that was a Peak Experience for me. And my first conscious memory of being smarter than an adult, a realization that increased exponentially with time.
When I read about the confusion over Georgia's, I heard that woman's voice from forty seven years ago crying out in fear, “Oh My God! Is that a MIG?” That memory makes me both smug and depressed. Current Mood: contemplative |
nebris
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12:46p |
I Can Relate ~This movie was a window into out collective National Psyche. Did anybody really look? I mean besides DHS. Current Mood:  Now I Want Some Breakfast |
nebris
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12:45p |
Nebs <3's Mandee  Current Mood: Le-Le does too |
nebris
|
12:44p |
Quote of The Day
"Even on the highest throne in the world, we are still sitting on our ass." ~Michel de Montaigne, 'De l'experience' 1580-88 |
nebris
|
12:43p |
Henry Charles Bukowski (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994)
Happy Birthday, ya ugly fuck! |
| Saturday, August 16th, 2008 |
nebris
|
11:51a |
'Laser jumbo' testing moves ahead  Click on ImageA US military plane equipped with a powerful laser has moved a step closer to becoming a viable weapon. |
nebris
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11:50a |
Take your robot pill now  "The NanoRobotics Lab at Carnegie Mellon University has come up with a medical robot that can be swallowed, and is then able to be controlled from outside the body. The device has small arms with adhesives that can attach to slippery internal surfaces, which has previously proven difficult. Once inside the body, it can be used to view damaged areas, deliver drugs, as well as biopsy questionable tissues, and possibly even be used to cauterize bleeding wounds with a small laser. The device could be stopped, and even reversed to get a better look at areas that may have gone unnoticed otherwise. This would be a major advancement in diagnosing intestinal problems, and could lead to potentially life saving treatments. Did we mention that it has lasers?"..via Hackaday.com |
nebris
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11:22a |
We're Almost There Now  |
nebris
|
11:21a |
Bystander Apathy Current Mood:  apathetic |
nebris
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9:02a |
Could the Russia-Georgia conflict jeopardize U.S. space plans? From Scientific American
Aug 15, 2008
By JR Minkel
Here's a scenario that might be going through the minds of NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff and his two fellow Russian crew members on the International Space Station (ISS).
Lawmakers warned this week that escalating tensions with Russia may leave the U.S. without ready transport to the ISS after NASA retires the space shuttle fleet in 2010.
The space agency does not expect the shuttle's replacement, the Orion — an Apollo-like craft being developed as part of the Constellation program — to be ready to fly until 2015. NASA's plan was for the interim was to use Russian Soyuz craft (left) to send up crew and cargo to the $100 billion station.
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson (D.-Fl.) sounded the alarm on Tuesday that Russia's encroachment on contested Georgian territories jeopardizes that plan, which depends on Congress renewing a waiver to a 2000 law that prohibits American contracts with countries that have helped Iran or North Korea with their nuclear programs.
"In an election year, it was going to be very difficult to get that waiver to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to an increasingly aggressive Russia, where the prime minister is acting more and more like a czar," Nelson told the Washington Post. "Now, I'd say it's almost impossible."
Congress waived the law once already in 2005, allowing NASA to negotiate a $719 million contract with the Russians to use the Soyuz until 2011.
NASA is playing it cool. The space agency "has no reason to believe that it will be unable to rely upon Roscosmos-provided Soyuz vehicles for future ISS activities," spokesman Michael Curie told CNN.
Even if the waiver passes again, Nelson told Florida Today there's still the concern that with no competing service to space, Russia may end up "denying us rides or charging exorbitant amounts for them."
Then factor in the spotty performance record of the single-use Soyuz: it came down too steeply and landed well off target in an April return flight from the ISS carrying U.S. astronaut Peggy Whitson. NASA is working with Russian engineers to identify the cause of the problem and correct it.
So what's the backup plan? That's the problem, experts said: There isn't one. Getting Orion ready faster isn't in the cards. NASA this week confirmed a report leaked last month when it announced that flat budgets and technical problems would delay testing of Orion until late 2014.
Extending the shuttle program would require a change of course from lawmakers. The Post notes that NASA has already begun laying off shuttle staff and has stopped buying parts for the aging fleet.
Assuming that diplomatic relations between U.S. and Russia do go south, might this be an opportunity for SpaceX, the commercial space delivery company founded by ex-PayPal billionaire Elon Musk? The company is developing rockets in two sizes to launch satellites and take cargo to the ISS.
The smaller Falcon 1 rocket failed its third test in a row two weeks ago. But it did successfully test fire the multi-engine first-stage of the larger Falcon 9. Current Mood:  shit... |
nebris
|
3:23a |
And it's Death Day in Menphis |
nebris
|
3:00a |
The Peterloo Massacre: August 16th, 1819 The Peterloo Massacre (or Battle of Peterloo) occurred at St Peter's Field, Manchester, England, on 16 August 1819, when cavalry charged into a crowd of 60,000–80,000 gathered at a meeting to demand the reform of parliamentary representation.
The end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 had resulted in periods of famine and chronic unemployment, exacerbated by the introduction of the first of the Corn Laws. By the beginning of 1819 the pressure generated by poor economic conditions, coupled with the lack of suffrage in northern England, had enhanced the appeal of political Radicalism. In response, the Manchester Patriotic Union, a group agitating for parliamentary reform, organised a demonstration to be addressed by the well-known radical orator Henry Hunt.
Shortly after the meeting began, local magistrates called on the military to arrest Hunt and several others on the hustings with him, and to disperse the crowd. Cavalry charged into the crowd with sabres drawn, and in the ensuing confusion, 15 people were killed and 400–700 were injured. The massacre was given the name Peterloo in ironic comparison to the Battle of Waterloo, which had taken place four years earlier.
[Source] |
nebris
|
1:24a |
Interesting...I Answered This One As Honestly As I Could Your result for The Perception Personality Image Test...
HFDS - The CoachHumanity, Foreground, Detail, and Shape
You perceive the world with particular attention to humanity. You focus on what's in front of you (the foreground) and how that is affected by the details of life. You are also particularly drawn towards the shapes around you. Because of the value you place on humanity, you tend to seek out other people and get energized by being around others. You like to deal directly with whatever comes your way without dealing with speculating possibilities or outcomes you can't control. You are highly focused on specific goals or tasks and find meaning in life by pursuing those goals. You prefer a structured environment within which to live and you like things to be predictable.
The Perception Personality Types:
 Take The Perception Personality Image Test at HelloQuizzy Current Mood:  calm |
| Friday, August 15th, 2008 |
nebris
|
2:04p |
“I await with great anticipation” she said Nebs: “Oh, you are going to so get spanked!”
Savanna: “Did you say you're gonna spank me?
Well, I'm ready, 'cuz I've just unbuttoned my jeans and wiggled them past my hips, and down to my knees. Now grab me and place me over your lap, pull my sheer panties down, and start spanking my bare arched ass.” ;o)
( And that led to this... ) Current Mood:  pleased |
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