Here’s how far technology has come in the last couple of decades–I actually used to own most of the items in the top photo at one point or another. Now it sure is easier to carry all of it in the nice, compact package shown in the lower photo…
(This came from W&CIE via the Minimal Mac blog.)
Here, my friends, is an excellent opinion piece by former Libertarian VP nominee and all-around smart guy Wayne Allyn Root. It’s essential reading if you want to see both what’s wrong in our country and the correct attitude we need to adopt in order to begin to fix it. I will pull my two favorite quotes from it, but please go read the whole thing by clicking the link above.
First, what’s wrong and how it has been caused:
This president has damaged the American Dream–perhaps beyond repair. This President has created a bitterly divided society, a nation filled with anger, hate, rage, jealousy and envy. This President (the man who uttered “You didn’t build that”) has created an army of “have-nots” who instead of being inspired to work harder, aim higher, and do extraordinary things, see the successful as the enemy, and merely want to take what we have.
Now, the key advice from his father which is still valid for anyone today:
Forty years ago my butcher father taught me lessons about wealth that led to my extraordinary success in this great country. He said, “Son, I’d love to hate rich people. But no one poor has ever given me a job.” Wiser words were never spoken.
While, sadly, I no longer agree with his dad’s final observation about the Republican party–which in its current state is part of the problem and not the solution–how anyone with a brain can’t see how correct the other observations are is completely beyond me…
I read quotes like this and it only serves to reaffirm the clueless arrogance most Americans (and I’m not referring to K.T. McFarland here, but rather our populace at large) display on the topic: why is it that other countries wouldn’t want to obtain nuclear weapons to protect themselves from the nuclear-armed, 900-pound gorilla known as the United States of America? If we’d quit shoving other nations around when we have no business doing so, then perhaps they’d not have to waste their toil and treasure trying to get the bomb and we’d all be safer. This indictment also applies to the other nuclear “almost-superpowers” like Russia, China and–if we stretch the definition to the breaking point–the Euro countries with nukes.
No, I’m definitely not saying that it’s a good thing that the current despotic psycho of the Kim dynasty has laid his hands on the nuclear golden ticket, just that it’s a not inconceivable reaction to our decades of military adventurism and knuckle-headed foreign policy.
For years I’ve thought that the greatest blessing another country can receive is to simply be ignored by the US government. If the Americans just leave you alone then perhaps you can get on with your own life. In international relations–as well as our personal lives–what’s wrong with just minding our own business? Besides, just think of all the money we’d save…
–Charlie Broadway
–Charles Krauthammer speaking about the POTUS
Never mind the person or the party, this is what politics gets us. No matter who it is, the only thing they really want to do is hold onto their phony-baloney jobs for as long as possible–all while lining their pockets with as much other people’s money as they can get away with. As taxpayers, we are those “other people” and I for one am getting extremely tired of bending over and grabbing my ankles while the ruling class…ahem…grabs my wallet.
This is precisely why the older I get, the more Libertarian I become. Let us joyfully get rid of them all–or at least as many as humanly possible. I feel especially sad for the younger generations who are being sold down the river into tax slavery by–and am I the only one to see the bitter irony–the nation’s first black president and his cronies. After all, it’s the generation of my niece and nephews that are going to be stuck having to clean up following this destruction.
But then again, it’s the younger generation that has sown the seeds of their own future doom by allowing themselves to be fooled into voting these charlatans into office, lured by promises of their own share of other people’s money parceled out in dime-bags by the politcrits–whether for “free” healthcare, college tuition, legalized pot, gay marriage or any other cause célèbre.
I guess I was just in a mood today… 😉
And the Results are in:
I had my annual physical this morning, and the official scale at the doctor’s office put me at 178 pounds. Exactly one year ago on this same date 2012, I weighed 204 pounds. This, of course, means I’ve lost 26 pounds! Most of that since January.
My doctor was effusive with his compliments and I have to say I’m quite proud of myself. Now I just need to keep it going—only 18 pounds ’til I hit my goal…
Where did March go? Wasn't it just last week that I was giddily writing about my month's time off and how much I was going to enjoy it? How much I was going to get done? All my big, big plans?
Sigh…
But now it's April first, and I'm back to work. I am back at Amgen again, though in a different job, in a different department on a different project. This is also only a 3-4 month contract, so that's doable.
I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped (naturally), but did make some important progress on several fronts. My trip to the wargames convention where I had a flea market table netted me just over $2,000 which was kind of a surprise. I've already trumpeted my health and weight successes, and I'm now down to 177 pounds, just in time for my physical on Wednesday. That's 30 pounds less than last year. And the birthday's coming up Sunday.
What was really fun, though, was my trip last week out to the deserts and Central Valley. I left Tuesday morning and drove out to Palm Springs where I enjoyed the historic district, a little outlet mall shopping and a side trip up to Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree. Wednesday, I made my way across the desert the “back way” via Lucerne Valley, Victorville, Boron and Mojave, then over the Tehachapi pass to Bakersfield. This time of year, the scenery through the pass was spectacular—everything green with the poppies and lupin starting to blossom on the oak-dotted hillsides. It was the quintessential central California landscape.
Then I spent the afternoon, overnight and the next day in Bakersfield, one of my favorite places. I really started getting serious about gathering research and information for my novel (which is set there) and generally had a wonderful time. Barbecue dinner at Famous Dave's, evening stroll along the Kern River, a signature Black & White sundae for dessert at Dewar's. Very relaxing, very fun and very informative.
So now it's back to the daily grind. I will continue to ramp up my efforts on other fronts to prep for big changes. I even signed up for a book writing class through the Santa Clarita website which starts on April 10th.
Here are a couple photos from the trip: a shot from my motel in Palm Springs, and the evening sky above Dewar's famous ice cream shop in Bakersfield:
Stay tuned…
journey, not destination 