LDOTR: Walter E. Williams

Walter E. Williams is by far my favorite talk radio fill-in host. He's an economist/professor by trade, and I wish he had pursued having his own show.

Today, he was blunt: Social Security and Medicare will bankrupt this country in the future. Current politicians have zero motivation to solve this problem for future generations.

One of my biggest disappointments with Bill Clinton was his failure to address the problems with Social Security. Watching the Democrats derail Bush's attempts to fix Social Security a decade later was equally disappointing.

Look: the stats don't lie. The Federal Government cannot afford Social Security in the coming decades. This needs to be fixed immediately.

Mr. Williams expressed his lack of faith in the current American public doing anything, going so far as to say that if James Madison had run for President today, preaching the economic ideals of the Founding Fathers,, he would have been "run out on the rails."

Wow Wii: two quick stories

1. I was playing Legos Star Wars with my son, and experienced the whole Master/Padawan learner thing -- part frustration when he didn't follow my lead, part pride when he figured out how to get past a level we were both struggling with.

2. Playing tennis - we were down 2-0. My son kept charging the net and hitting the ball out. I sat down and collected myself before the next game. I decided to turn on the clutch mode inside me. My son must have caught the vibe, because he stopped hitting the ball out. We mounted an incredible comeback and won 3-2.

LDOTR: Jason Lewis

I tuned yesterday afternoon and heard fill-in host Jason Lewis espouse the thing that I've been preaching here - that Government intervention merely delays an economic problem from resolving itself.

Since a talk radio guy was preaching this, I expect it to be ignored. We'll probably a be getting stimulus checks this year. I hope the value of the dollar holds up, so that those checks are worth something!

He also said, "Deflation is good ... Look at the price of gasoline."

Unfortunately, the egg-head Bernanke believes in maintaining slight inflation. Academics basically believe deflation is evil, and low inflation equals stability.

Well, deflation is useless if the value of your currency drops. The way the Fed is printing money these days, that's bound to happen at some point.

Then the egg-head will have hyper-inflation ... Which means rice and beans for us, while Bernanke and Obama dine on meat and talk about how miserable we all are.

Random Questions: Footballs and Doctors

- How is it that the Media gives the NFL a free pass (tm) when the Chargers get into the Playoffs with an 8-8 record and the Patriots are locked out with an 11-5 record? MEANWHILE, baseball's wildcard system is called into question if a division winner has a fewer wins than a team that didn't make it. The percentage difference between 8-8 and 11-5 is HUGE; much bigger than any difference you'd see in baseball.

- When did doctors become the equivalent of mechanics who can't fix an air conditioning system in a car?

LDOTR: Bush vs. Obama

No contest.

I briefly listened to some talk radio this week after a three-week hiatus ... the fill-in hosts were desperately flailing about, talking about the new communist agenda, typical Illinois politics ... and I heard the Golfer talk about the double-standard the MEDIA has shown with Obama, celebrating his golf game and talking favorably about his abs, whereas Bush had to stop playing golf because of MEDIA pressure.

Look at me, talk radio nation: let me explain this as simply as I can, in five words. It is all about personality.

Heck, I'm happy for Obama and his family. I think it's COOL the guy is vacationing in Hawaii, working on his golf game and enjoying the beach. I think it's great the populist's champ is vacationing for all of us. That's LITERALLY how it feels; that's the impression I get from others I've been in contact with this week. There is not one hint of anger or jealousy or bitterness directed at Obama.

On the other hand, Bush ... heh heh. You're kidding, right? Everyone gets mad when they see that buffoon having a good time. It's like he's mocking us.

Look, Obama is likeable ... his personality type (seven) meshes well with the MEDIA and the loud half of the nation. Bush (personality type one) is like an annoying perstering relative or manager who is overly-intrusive and out-of-touch. He's obnoxious. And he can't speak clearly. It's embarrassing, really.

Besides, Bush has managed to kill patriotism in South Florida and other areas with his ill-advised (i.e., Rumsfeld and Cheney) war on Iraq. He managed to flush all that good will he had down the toilet -- sorry, talk radio guys, but you can't blame Keith Obermann and company for that.

***

I gave up on Bush when he appointed Alberto Gonzalez for Attorney General back in 2004 -- Damian can vouch for that. That single appointment told me all I needed to know about what was to come in his second term.

Obama, on the other hand, has appointed professionals for each cabinet post. They all have excellent resumes -- they are no old drinking buddies from back home on his team (at least none that are obvious).

So, Obama easily wins the comparison at the moment. He has a clean slate and a winning personality.

And, considering how down and negative things are with Bush, Obama has no place to go but up. How much of an improvement he is over Bush is up to him and his Cabinet. I wish them luck.

***

Whether or not the Big O and company destroy talk radio or not is irrelevent; I think they're imploding quite nicely on their own. They can blame themselves for carrying Bush's water for many years instead of bashing his blatant liberal spending plans (and Greenspan's socialist interest rate agenda). Now the MEDIA has successfully linked fiscal conservatives with Bush's policies -- it'll take a few years before the real silent majority forgives the Republican party and lets that go. Can you say betrayal? I can.

Tossing a snowglobe at Florida

Looking over my credit card statements (in what has become a weekly, if not nightly, ritual), I found my insurance company double-billed me. It wasn't there fault; another credit card I was using to pay the bill had to be cancelled and reissued, and when I switched over, they automatically tried to get payment after I manually made a payment to prevent cancellation of the policy.

Anyway, no big deal. The insurance company rep was helpful. What irked me was the following statement from the rep: "due to State of Florida regulations, we are not allowed to refund the amount to your credit card. We will have to mail you a check, which should arrive in 7 to 10 business days."

Excuse me?

What legislator came up with this idiotic regulation?

And what is this regulation supposed to do -- protect me from getting my refund instantly?

I would love to hear the official explanation. I'd love to hear Kermit the frog or George W. Bush explain to me why it's bad for companies to refund money directly to their customer's credit card ... how the public good is served by making me wait two weeks for a refund.

"Well, you see, Mr. Vahl, waiting to get a refund check in the mail will help you reflect on the problem, and encourage you to be more proactive in the future...."

I swear, bureaucrats who read 1984 or Animal Farm in High School must view those books as manuals for how to govern; they must've smiled when George Winston was broken down by O'Brien.

If they read Catcher in the Rye, they probably were delighted when they realized that Holden Caufield was in a mental institution.

Snowglobe Pseudo-paradox and More Skew

So, a pirate can steal an oil tanker, but I can't bring a snowglobe on a plane?

The law-abiding are bound by laws, and the law-breakers are free to break them?

The honest are mocked when they admit a mistake, while the criminal pirate of Aden or Wall Street are rewarded?

"Give a moment or two to the Angry Young Man...."
-- Billy Joel

I think it's time for a Snowglobe Manifesto.

I'd rather have my memories encased in plastic and made in China than built on Madoff's house of lies. Keep your Ponzi schemes and give me cheap goods, because Made in the USA doesn't exist anymore.

I'll help my brothers in Brazil get a bowl of rice and beans before I feed another bailout-supported corporate champagne-sipper.

Buy it:
Made in Japan
Made in Brazil
Made in China
Made in India
Made in Korea

Don't buy from what doesn't exist. Let Madoff's hot air drift away in the breeze.

***

Don't pack your snowglobe in your check-in luggage. Hand your plastic liquid memories to the TSA agent. Make him feel guilty, as I did mine.

He was Asian descent - he knew. He knew.

***

Made in Chile. Embrace it. Love it. You have no choice - "Choice is an illusion." You be too poor to make a choice. Buy that third hand Japanese video game or Mexican Fender Strat, if it assuages your patriotic guilt.

Patriotism? Bush killed patriotism in South Florida. I need a job to afford his brand of patriotism!

***

Don't let the Dilbert drones bring you down. The useful idiots help the three security guards control the 100's in the prison. Ignore them - they cannot be counciled, reasoned with ... They are useful only to the corporate spreadsheet. Let them remain there, imprisoned in Excel, a number and never a man.

***

Snowglobes make me feel peaceful and young inside. Bush took away my peace and youth. I hope it looks good on his Halliburton mantle.

***

"I believe I've passed the age of consciousness and righteous rage. I found that just surviving was a noble fight...."
--Billy Joel

Blue Talon Cult

If you ever visit Williamsburg, Virginia, you have to take a peak into this place.








I asked the waitress what was with the obsession with roosters. She answered, "It's all about the blue chicken."

Snowglobe Insurgent

Another Happy Landing

Another Happy Landing

Wing and a Prayer

Buh-bye, Ga"r"y Love

Never.

Heaven

Stuck in Cincin

Due to flight delays, I had to spend the night in Cincinnati. DELTA was kind enough to hook me up with a stay at the Baymont for $47.

Since the delay was due to weather, there was no meal voucher involved. The Holiday Inn next door had a ten dollar Quesadilla, so I survived.

Now I'm at the airport ... Security check was smoother, as I did not buy any more snowglobes.

I still can't believe that I didn't realize that a snowglobe = liquid. Had it occurred to me, I would have packed it with the checked-in luggage where it belongs ... As Damian pointed out, I play by the rules.

I despise my limitations.

At any rate, I spoke to the wife and kids twice last night - Bubba called me the second time! I thought that was cool. Other than that, I hid in my hotel room until this morning, to catch my flight..

Reflections on the ceiling

Last shot of Rich Mon'd, from yesterday.

There are CL stalkers sprinkled throughout the airport, lurking on their laptops and mobile phones.

Actually, I'm sure they are innocent web surfers, pure as the driven snow.

[RANT] In other news....

A cabbie tried to charge me $21 for using a credit card to pay my fare, when a cash payment was only $11.

"Excuse me?" I yelled.

Of course I had to spend my last bit of cash in order to avoid the $10 fee.

Great job: GROOME TRANSPORTATION. I guess the phone call the night before confirming I could pay the $11 fare with credit card meant nothing.

A corporation's word is hot air.

I love airports: $3 for orange juice; cabbies who demand cash....

***

When I went to check-in my one piece of luggage ... Ta-da! $15 fee.

It was free to check-in one bag three weeks ago.

So ... I struggle to comply with my airline's rules, and my reward is another fee.

I thought those luggage fees were going away with the drop in oil prices.

Somewhere, I hear the D-generation X intro: "Oh, you didn't know?"

Great P.R. move DELTA.

No wonder people talk bad about airlines.

TSA does a great job

Just wanted to give a quick "shout out" to the Richmond TSA. They caught me trying to sneak a small snowglobe unto my flight. The TSA was very nice, patiently explaining that I would have to go back out, beg my airline for mercy, and I still might not get my snowglobe aboard the flight.

"You mean I'd have to go through security AGAIN?"

"Yes, sir."

I asked if there was a FedEx at the airport (surely I'm not the only evildoer trying to smuggle snowglobes on planes). He said no.

Well, again, I'd like to thank the TSA for doing such a fine job with me. I saw the error of my ways and left the snowglobe with the security guard.

Long live Big Brother.

I mean, God forbid someone forgets that liquids includes snowglobes, and doesn't pack it with the checked-in luggage. It's like a real-life riddle, and I failed.

I deserve this. I see the error in my ways.

Long live Big Brother. B.B.! B.B.!

XM-Sirius Merger Bull

Just a quick thought: a new XM-Sirius commercial just ran, where if you were a Sirius customer, you can get "Best of XM" free for one month, and vice versa.

So much for cost reductions for satellite radio customers.

So much for regulators protecting consumers.

Another corporation lies. No wonder they have such a negative image as a group.

Glad I'm not a customer of satellite radio.

More Mementos

Mini menus ... Maps ... Jettisoned.

Mementos

Maps of Virginia and Williamsburg ... Croaker's Spot menu ... Jamestown settlement guide ... Leaving it all behind.

Smoke on the Horizon

Coming home tomorrow....

In Memoriam: Dave Smith

Here are some quotes from the mlb.com article announcing the sad news of Dave Smith's passing:

"A real stalwart" -- Tal Smith

"He had one of the great changeups in the game -- such an effective pitch. He could almost tell hitters it was coming, and they still couldn't hit it." -- Alan Ashby

"I didn't know anyone that didn't like Smitty." -- Jim Deshaies

"I'll take Dave Smith as a closer over Billy Wagner any day of the week, and twice on Sunday." -- Tony Vahl

Issue #300

Poem: Dreams Get Worked

"Palin is an idiot"
"Obama is smart"
Cardboard cutout descriptions
Meaningless, vapid

Maddoff deceives Speilberg
Who is the genius?
Who does this inspire?

Dreams got worked

Free movies on the web
Lazy Man's Ethics
is embedded in
modern technology

No integrity included
Patriotism excluded
Shoe-throwing Saddam lover
gets more love
than ill-spoken Bush

Yet we laugh

If you are blind and famous
you will be mocked by SNL

And we laugh at Patterson

If you stumble over words
you will fall

And we will verbally stomp you

Somebody hit the esc button
the images are skewing
the system has crashed

Hospital calls for a reboot
I say yes
send the patient in
start this mother over

WE
need
hope
and some spare change
Believe
Victory

Blago-sphere CNN
Jackson Informant
Smoke and fire

Obama
Mr. Asbestos
Fire-proof President
Flames can't touch
He keeps it cool

Thank God the MEDIA loves him
embrace the anti-matter
give that reboot a big hug

We're stuck here
Might as well embrace it
RAW reality

We need
Kosmic Lordz

Caroline Kennedy Enneagram Type

I have just received a text message from Dr. Richard Hoffman. He has officially declared that Caroline Kennedy, the would-be successor to Hillary Clinton in the U.S. Senate and heir to Camelot, is an Enneagram personality type five. He did not provide any further details.

Other famous fives include Dana Scully, Bruce Banner, Lex Luthor, Albert Einstein, Randy Johnson, Michael Eisner, Bill Gates, Evil Lynn, Dr. Manhattan, the Sorceress of Grayskull, and Japan.

Christmas at the Omni

The folks at the Omni sure go out of their way to get into the Christmas spirit! Here are photos of their efforts, including exclusive photos INSIDE the big Christmas tree!

As of this post, there have been no CL encounters within the tree. ATB agents are standing by to make arrests, if necessary.

Issue #296

The Day after the Day the Earth Stood Still

Well, I saw it at the local IMAX dome -- that was an experience in and of itself. They project the movie unto the dome of a planetarium here. I felt like I should have been lying down watching it. It was cool, but the bigger IMAX theatres are better. The sound wasn't overpowering like the Fort Lauderdale IMAX, which is probably a good thing.

Rotten Tomatoes gave it a 24% rating -- here's my take: If you're dying to see updated special effects for this movie, okay. If you are a Keanu fan, go see it. If you think Jennifer Connelly is cool, go see it. If you want to see Will Smith's son play a typical teenager to the hilt, go see it.

The movie is respectful of the original, while doing it's modern take. They paid homage throughout the movie, which was cool.

[SPOILER ALERT]

If you hate the movie, I don't blame you. GORT was cool but he didn't get enough screen time (sound familiar, Godzilla fans?) ... and the whole nanobot-locust (and overall biblical themes, like Klaatu healing people) thing was cool, but it does raise a myriad of question that someone like Dwight from the Office could go crazy over. I can imagine standing next to the water cooler, deciding whether I should no-prize his critiques or not. No thanks.

I did like the asian guy who I guess was a John the Baptist kind of character to Klaatu's Jesus. Unfortunately, he displayed logic that would drive Dwight crazy. He sentences humanity to death (the anti-John the Baptist) and then says he loves humans and wants to die with them. I won't even try to no-prize it with a Kirk-Spock analogy.

I also miss the revelation where GORT is revealed to be the police in charge, and how Klaatu's people (and the rest of the universe) gave up their freedoms in order to have peace. To me, that would have been an appropriate topic to bring up in these times ... oh, well. Missed opportunities are not my problem. I know that would have been in my script ... not the lame analogy between Christopher Columbus and Klaatu.

When an annoying character like the one played by Kathy Bates gets too much screen time ... damn.

Overall, I did enjoy the experience. I got to hang out with some visiting family, and it was an enjoyable evening. I can't wait to see it again on TNT ten years from now.

Here were some random comments:

"The screen gave me a headache!"

"I didn't feel the movie."

"It was all right."

"It's not the Fort Lauderdale IMAX."

The Haitian Sensation, on attending his first sci-fi movie: "I understood the first few minutes, and then I was lost."

"What. It was good. It was good."

It be rainin' in Richmond

I wonder if the "World's sexiest vampire" is in town today. Wouldn't want him sparkling in the sun.

I really wish I could have translated that line into a parody, but I couldn't. It already was a parody!

I'd like to also give a shout out to famous producer Ken ... See you in court. Yeah, right.

Rain in Richmond

Hospital bumps Vahl on books list

Bookmarks: Hospital, left, has been at the top of the list a total of 145 times; Tony Vahl, 67 and counting.

M.O.T. NEWS

Tony Vahl, the American author who is often called the new Damian Hospital, has been bumped from the top of M.O.T. NEWS's Best-Selling Books list - by Damian Hospital.

The Tales of Moonbot 4, Hospital's collection of five sci-fi tales, will enter the list Thursday at No. 1.

Moonbot, Hospital's first book since he wrapped up the Realtor series, went on sale last Thursday with a first printing of 4.2 million copies.

Even though Hospital has loosened Vahl's iron grip on the top spot, Vahl's teen fantasy novels remain sizzling hot, thanks to the hit movie adaptation of Sunlight, the first book in the series.

The four books in Vahl's Sunlight series -- Sunlight, Moonlight, Nightlight, and Breaking Lamp -- will be Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5 on Thursday. At least one of the four books in the Sunlight series has been in the M.O.T. NEWS's top 10 every week since 1999. Books in the series have claimed the No. 1 slot 67 times, including six consecutive weeks this summer.

Hospital's last book, The Realtor and the Final Closing, was published last year. His books have not been on the best-seller list since February but have spent 145 weeks at No. 1 on the list since 1994.

"It's probably safe to say that they are drawing people into stores," says Ed Smithfield of the American Bookseller Association, the trade group for independent booksellers, who have had success with Vahl's and Hospital's books. "It helps the whole publishing industry if any publisher has a big hit. It was great when the Realtor was out there. We hope (Vahl's success) will be good for everybody, too."

Countdown to Day the Earth Stood Still

Can you spot the clip-ons?

Stylin' and profilin'

Jolan Besana Free at Last: Filipino released by Solomia Pirates

Making his way to Manila, family man and my wife's brother-in-law, Joland Besana is free at last. Let us all take the time to celebrate his return.

"Although they provided us food, the sound of the cocking guns and sight of them being pointed at us was a horrifying experience. Those were torturous and painful days that we'll not forget very soon."

"I could not imagine dying without seeing my children. I used to hear of hijacks, but had never experienced it. But I kept praying we all get home safely. When they captured us, they demanded our mobile phones and money."

"I hid my wedding ring, but started wearing it only after the pirates started being friendly, but they took it days before we were released."

Alice in Art Gallery

Snow Flurries

Richmond: Feel the History

I'd like to take the time now to share something I've been feeling most of the year, which was heightened after the September $700 billion bailout: I feel like a tourist travelling time.

In other words, the time and era I was from no longer exists, or I've left it behind ... whatever. I feel like someone whose gone back in time to the 1920's, or to some future that was a mere distant calendar date when I was a child.

I could not where I would be in 2008 when I was a child. Sure, I could dream of abstract future scenarios, but I never saw my place in any of it when I was a boy. My future was "Clouded."

Well, now that I'm here, it's certainly beyond my wildest dreams. I'm happily married, have kids, am part of a larger family that is close-knit, have a good job ... I couldn't ask for more.

I also have access to creative outlets like this blog ... I can play guitar ... record original tracks ... and I have friends to collaborate with, like Damian and our mutual friend Billy.

I am now a proud homeowner. I own not one, but two cars! If my teenage self could fast forward in time to see how things turned out, I'm sure he'd be "Amazed." However, such a glimpse could not happen. It was far better to not know what was coming and be pleasantly surprised than to have a clear picture and play it out like an actor on stage.

So ... when I talk about this feeling ... that I'm a man viewing current events unfold like a time traveller, I'm not speaking about anything personal, or a longing to go back to the way things were. I'm happy to move forward.

I just see all these news headlines, and all the stuff going on around me ... and I feel like it's all beyond my control ... as if it's a history that's already played out. It's like my vote doesn't count, or my voice cannot be heard through the din of millions of bloggers clicking away.

I once thought I could "Make a difference," or "Change the world." Damian and I both thought that, once ... but we gave that up a long time ago. However, it now feels like things are on auto-pilot ... like we're in the midst of cyclical events, and all we can hope for is to influence the result by pushing as hard as we can, nudging things ever so slightly.

While we are an individualistic society here in America, there is a collective shift in attitudes that no individual can control. The best a leader can hope to do is steer it, and even that might not be possible.

I am hopeful for the future ... I just feel like I'm watching from the stands.

I am certain things are going to turn around. I watched Cramer tonight on CNBC, and he had some great ideas about how the Government can buy up these "Toxic assets," and how the Fed is going to push to lower mortgage rates. There are solutions out there. There is hope for an end to this economic malaise we're in.

Anyway, I'm rather happy, and I thought I'd share.

No Monsters on the Horizon

Richmond and CL

"Saw you today taking photos with your blackberry...."

Yes, even Richmond Virginia has perverted sickos who secretly wish Godzilla would pop out of the water and eat Caracas for lunch while Medvedev was in town. They do sick things while watching Carl Sagan on raw.dailyskew.com.

No hope. No hope.

Done!

We need Mothra! Or the Toho Frankenstein!

Long live Damian's monster movie reviews!!!! WOOoooooooh....