Nathan

I cannot wait to see Spiderman 2. I am such a sucker for comic movies.

Just got done letting F911 sink in. What an amazing piece of work. It covers so much ground, but perhaps not as much as some might like- but what is that old saying again?

This movie, not unlike Karate Kid 3, touched me :) Instead of walking out of this one wanting to learn the leg sweep though, I wanted to dare someone to support the Rez. I wanted to punch somebody in the face and I am not generally a violent guy. It is rough though, after watching these great guys who are never going to be the same after these tough days. You can't grow a leg back, you can't forget killing somebody. And the thing is, killing Nazis on the shores of Normandy is one thing, but I think even these guys are starting to see that unfortunately there ain't much honor in this one. Not to say that these are not honorable guys doing their jobs in an honorable way. Confused? Me too.

On reflection though one of the craziest things in the movie to me is just after the election when the black caucus was voicing their concerns to the Senate and calling Senator Gore 'President.' I guess I should have realized that something like this went on after our election was stolen, but WHY THE FUCK DID WE NOT HEAR ABOUT THIS? Our media really is nefarious. To say their asleep is a cop out- they are lazy, this is true, but there are decisions made everyday to not broadcast what needs to be heard. In this way they are consciously neglecting the American Public who have trusted them to do their jobs.

Short story made long, go see this movie. Hopefully it will make you think and I apologize on behalf of our media, but you have to spend $10 to learn about what is happening in our country.

MSNBC - The World�s Most Dangerous Terrorist: "�Maybe he disagrees with him on something, maybe because he wants to be �The Man� himself and maybe for a reason that�s not known to me.� Rumsfeld added that, �someone could legitimately say he�s not Al Qaeda.�"

CNN.com - Kerry�declines to�cross picket line - Jun 28, 2004: "'I don't cross picket lines. I never have,' Kerry said as he left Mass Sunday night at Our Lady of Good Voyage chapel in South Boston."

News: "``Tomorrow I will travel to Turkey for the NATO summit,'' he said. ``Actually, today I will travel to Turkey. Tomorrow is the NATO summit.''


Later, he repeated his blunder - still not getting the schedule right.


``As I said tomorrow I'm going to go to Turkey for the NATO summit,'' he said. ``Today I'm going to Turkey. Tomorrow's the summit.'' "

No replacement for sheer competance.

DimeMag.com: Feature: "'No one will guard me,' Hot Sauce complained after a few minutes of sideline chatter. 'Everyone knows my game here.' "

Walking through the forest I noticed something, a little gnome? No, it seems, just a little man. He seemed lost, confused. It seemed he needed a little help so I decide to let him join me. We walked for miles and he seemed to know his way around the forest well and, it seemed, his confusion quickly passed. He started to seem very confortable, walking there next to me.

After we made it out of the forest and to a clearing it seemed that it was time for us to part ways. Each of us to find our own way. It was a difficult conversation, my little friend did not take it well. His confusion from just hours ago was no replaced with certainty that he needed me and I, him. 'You helped me through the forest, my good man, but now it is time for me to find my own way,' though it was difficult for some reason for me to say these words. He became very animated and seemed to grow, and twitch. The humble, gnome-like man who had helped me through a difficult time now was becoming more goblin like. It was then that I made the firm decision that these were to be our last steps together and just like that he seemed to shrink, and fade away.

I still see him from time to time, in my rear view mirror or in the back of my closet. He looks confused again, lost. Perhaps it is to remain that way. I hope that I do not need him again.

CNN.com - Toxic pollution rose in 2002, reversing trend - Jun 23, 2004: "Toxic chemical releases into the environment rose 5 percent in 2002, marking only the second such increase reported by the Environmental Protection Agency in nearly two decades, and the first since 1997."

MSNBC - CIA insider says U.S. fighting wrong war

"If we split up and I don't win, then everybody'll say, 'Well, if Shaq had Kobe, he would've won.' And if he don't win, it'll be, 'Well, if Kobe had Shaq, he could've won.' That's what everybody will be saying next year ...


"Well, I like my chances better."


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?id=1824721


Rootin for the big fella, Tmac and Ghill.

Charles Barkley: "I haven't had it yet. Maybe when it's all said and done, I'm rocking on my porch, two or three great-grandkids around, everybody's healthy -- that's when I'll be happiest. Because this life isn't about you, man, it's about the people you love."

Question, when were you happiest?

Angel, I hope you get a chance to read this. It isn't everyday that I am a good man. I have my low points. Sadly, the story of my life seems to be real low points.

But just as the graph troughs- it also peaks. As lowest lows, highest highs. I am sorry that I can't be there for you each day in the way that you want me to, but please know that I am with you- always only a phone call or thought away.

Yours, G

check out this scary ass screed... geesh. scary part is who sent this to me.

Subject: I NOW Know Why
>
>I sat in a movie theater watching "Schindler's List," asked myself,
>"Why
>didn't the Jews fight back?"
>
>Now I know why.
>
>I sat in a movie theater, watching "Pearl Harbor" and asked myself,
>"Why
>weren't we prepared?"
>
>Now I know why.
>
>Civilized people cannot fathom, much less predict, the actions of evil
>people.
>On September 11, dozens of capable airplane passengers allowed
>themselves
>to
>be overpowered by a handful of poorly armed terrorists because they did
>not comprehend the depth of hatred that motivated their captors.
>
>On September 11, thousands of innocent people were murdered because too
>many Americans naively reject the reality that some nations are
>dedicated
>to the dominance of others. Many political pundits, pacifists and
>media
>personnel
>want us to forget the carnage. They say we must focus on the bravery
>of
>the rescuers and ignore the cowardice of the killers. They implore us
>to
>understand the motivation of the perpetrators. Major television
>stations
>have announced they will assist the healing process by not replaying
>devastating footage of the planes crashing into the Twin Towers.
>
>I will not be manipulated.
>
>I will not pretend to understand.
>
>I will not forget.
>
>I will not forget the liberal media who abused freedom of the press to
>kick our country when it was vulnerable and hurting.
>
>I will not forget that CBS anchor Dan Rather preceded President Bush's
>address to the nation with the snide remark, "No matter how you feel
>about him, he is still our president."
>
>I will not forget that ABC TV anchor Peter Jennings questioned
>President
>Bush's motives for not returning immediately to Washington, DC and
>commented, "We're all pretty skeptical and cynical about Washington."
>
>And I will not forget that ABC's Mark Halperin warned if reporters
>weren't informed of every little detail of this war, they aren't
>"likely
>-- nor should they be expected -- to show deference."
>
>I will not isolate myself from my fellow Americans by pretending an
>attack on the USS Cole in Yemen was not an attack on the United States
>of
>America.
>
>I will not forget the Clinton administration equipped Islamic
>terrorists
>and their supporters with the world's most sophisticated
>telecommunications equipment and encryption technology, thereby
>compromising America's ability to trace terrorist radio, cell phone,
>land
>lines, faxes and modem communications.
>
>I will not be appeased with pointless, quick retaliatory strikes like
>those
>perfected by the previous administration.
>
>I will not be comforted by "feel-good, do nothing" regulations like the
>silly, "Have your bags been under your control?" question at the
>airport.
>
>I will not be influenced by so called,"antiwar demonstrators" who
>exploit
>the right of __expression to chant anti-American obscenities.
>
>I will not forget the moral victory handed the North Vietnamese by
>American war protesters who reviled and spat upon the returning
>soldiers,
>airmen, sailors and marines.
>
>I will not be softened by the wishful thinking of pacifists who chose
>reassurance over reality.
>
>I will embrace the wise words of Prime Minister Tony Blair who told the
>Labor Party conference, "They have no moral inhibition on the slaughter
>of the innocent. If they could have murdered not 7,000 but 70,000,
>does
>anyone doubt they would have done so and rejoiced in it?
>
>There is no compromise possible with such people, no meeting of minds,
>no
>point of understanding with such terror. Just a choice: defeat it or
>be
>defeated by it. And defeat it we must!"
>
>I will force myself to:
>
>-hear the weeping
>-feel the helplessness
>-imagine the terror
>-sense the panic
>-smell the burning flesh
>- experience the loss
>- remember the hatred.
>
>I sat in a movie theater, watching "Private Ryan" and asked myself,
>"Where did they find the courage?"
>
>Now I know.
>
>We have no choice. Living without liberty is not living.
>
>-- Ed Evans, MGySgt, USMC (Ret.)
>Not as lean, Not as mean, But still a Marine.
>
>Keep this going until every living American has read it and memorized
>it
>so we don't make the same mistake again.

ESPN.com: Page 2 - True story: "Think about team uber alles, and about how The Story, with their emphasis not on superstars but on cohesion and commitment, might just be the story for a long time to come."

ESPN.com: Page 2 - Leaving it all on the floor: "'You wouldn't understand.'"

He had so much more to say.

ESPN.com - GEN - Ralph Wiley, an original Page 2 columnist, dies: "Ralph Wiley, one of the original Page 2 columnists and former senior writer for Sports Illustrated, died Sunday night of heart failure. He was 52 years old."

Sad day. He was an amazing writer and seemed to be a great man.

MSNBC - Intelligence: The Pentagon�Spying in America?: "Without any public hearing or debate, NEWSWEEK has learned, Defense officials recently slipped a provision into a bill before Congress that could vastly expand the Pentagon's ability to gather intelligence inside the United States, including recruiting citizens as informants."

Newsweek is back to doing work. Investigative reporting (did I spell that right?)

It's a Shame About Ray - The passing of an American musical icon. By Stanley�Crouch: "But perhaps what Ray Charles did with all of his authority was help make the country and the world as blind as he was. Charles was one of those special few who expands the democratic experience by proving that neither color nor a handicap mean that one is less a man or less a woman. We couldn't ask more of a person in 73 years. He used every second."

Thanks for pointing it out doc.

American Prospect Online - ViewWeb: "They'd like you all to love each other. They'd like you all to treat each other as equals. They're really serious about you all being stewards of the world you were handed, so watch out for the rivers and the ozone layer. "

Thanks Atrios. Thanks Pierce.

I wrote to Howard today, sorry Angel, about the question he asked on the show today: Why did Clear Channel just pay off the FCC so quick without fighting it or nothing? Well, I agree with Howard that it is partly about him, but he must also know that there is something bigger than him right now. $$

So why might CC depart with $$? Maybe they are not. Maybe this $$ that they passed to the FCC is a thank you to them for opening the market up to them (CC) owning more stations, more newspapers, more media (remember that? it wasn't too long ago- you probably even phoned your Congresswoman about it but they seemed to change the rules anyway.). Nah, maybe it isn't.

Work was awesome today! No, just kidding. It was the same as the last 6, 12, 15? months. A little voice running through the head again and again: 'What the fuck am I doing here? There isn't any work for me to do.' Cube neighbor, Capec, took off early in the morning for the whole day. Other cube neighbor did somewhat the same, but his departure was announced as 'errand.' Riding up in the elevator after lunch some of our coworkers were like, 'Whats new with you guys?' They are on about the same level as us so they knew just as all of us know now: it was a joke. It has been for a good 6, 12, 15? months. Had a good laugh :)

Later my beautiful reader.

Salon.com News | Reagan blasts Bush: "Reagan, who says the label 'progressive' would fit him, does not belong to a political party. 'I'm certainly not a Republican; I couldn't belong to any party that had leaders like Tom DeLay. And the Democrats are too busy trying to out-Republican the Republicans.' "

Agreed, my good man. Great article- read it when you have a chance.

I am back because I am so fucking bored here at work it is incredible. None of my co-workers are here due to a little BBQ party up in the city that I wanted to go to, but didn't want to deal with the traffic hassle (there is a protest in SF today over biotech I understand).

Email is down. My friend Gary is unresponsive to my pleas of 'talk to me you fucker!' via IM so here I am, bothering you, my one loyal reader.

You know what is funny? I always think about great things I want to write in when I am laying in bed trying to fall asleep, but then I wake up, have some time and I write this meaningless bullshit. Just a funny observation of mine.

Heard that this chick Valerie might be able to help me get off this boat here soon. I am not sure I am too excited to go to the new company, but 1. It has to be better than this BS that I have been doing for way too long and 2. More $$?

Anyway, hug a tree and have a fucking good day my friend. Peez.

Sun Bloggers

Wave of the future.

MSNBC - Kerry to suspend elements of his campaign: "�I wish, just as I wished for my own daughters on their graduation day and just as your parents wish for you today, that we could send you out into a world of peace, a world of justice, a world that is fair and free for every person on this Earth,� Kerry said in the text. �Yet we know this is not our world. Your generation will face great challenges, and you will find, as you already have, that life brings setbacks as well as success, hardship as well as hope.� "

TomPaine.com - An Eye On Power

Power is a crazy thing eh?

I ask because it is something that has been weighing heavily on my mind. Where does power come from? Do I have any? I hope the answer is yes and sometimes I think I do, but then, no. Am I being steered or am I steering? Which are you doing?

These days at work I wonder who has the power. Dragon Lady thought she had it for a while, but ah, power is fleeting in an atmosphere like this, no? It is so transitionary, so like her cigarette smoke- impossible to handle, often unhealthy.

Our team worked to unseat some of our leaders who were doing a terrible job by any measure and guess what? It fucking worked. Unbeeeelievable to me. Simply unreal... does this ever happen? But the highs come back down so quickly no? So much so that I might feel even lower now than when I was under the Dragon Lady's thumb, but in an oddly different way.

Let me explain. Over the last few weeks we had our VP walked out of the building. You have read that right. WALKED OUT. Fucking unreal, still can't believe it. Anyway, had her walked out then had the Dragon Lady pretty much pushed to the side (pushing karma? :) only to have this other team to take over. Well respected folks from a different group took the reins- seemed to have a good idea of what they were doing and presented their ideas well to me.

Since then they have worked to sideline and keep most of us in the dark about where we are headed and how we can help. The very people who worked to move new leadership in are now not being recognized as the thought leaders that they are. Who are? Damn good question. They are using input from a combination of their old people (Sphynx and Flama) and those who gained the most from the previous 'leadership'. People who got promotions and offices from the terrible VP and Dragon Lady are now steering the boat... Hmmmm.

Let's take a step back and think about this. Let us realize a couple of things, namely that the power that we now have is that we are totally integrated and should be pursuing new, exciting ways to make us successful. However they are going back to their comfort zones and places where things are easy (and unsuccessful).

Who holds the power? Those that are not afraid to be successful.