Tsumani Tragedy
Now Playing: Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything About You

Just the usual observations. A horrific tragedy that continues to build in number and scope. I got an inkling of this soon after the first earthquake hit. I knew enough with my few science classes in school to watch for the possible tidal waves. First read about it on the web then stupidly turned to the news stations to find absolutely nothing there. Went to bed, got up and started to read about the climbing death toll. A death toll I- with my few science classes from those school days - knew were just too low based on the size of the earthquake and from where the reports were starting to trickle in from. From India to Thailand. Next morning the foul cable news channels were in their morning chat shows and only broke from their usual merriment and gaiety to report that some sort of tidal wave, covering many countries had killed some thousands of people- and importantly four or five americans were reported dead. -Then back to the laughing and other clueless evidence of the insipid vapid people in charge of the newsertainment channels. By this time, the alternate news sources I follow were leading me to blogs in Thailand, India, Malaysia, and other places where I got eyewitness reports of the death and destruction. People had pictures up and were giving the elevated death tolls from their homelands or from where they were visiting. Typically, our news sources were slow to move their lumbering all seeing eyes toward where the news was and is happening. And me, in my few years on this planet can say that it has always been thus. Back before the internet and cable news and twentyfour hour access to media the best chance to get news ahead of the networks and newspapers was to listen on shortwave to the BBC, Radio Moscow and whatever other stations faded in and out across my radio dial.

Merry Christmas-
Topic: Mysteries of Life
Was in a store a while ago and glancing down at the CD portion of the place. Saw A box set for 'Big Country' - the scottish band, from around the 80's. New Wave pop music. The box set, a whole section of them, sitting in the country music section. Those 'Big Country' box sets been sitting there in the country section for a while now. Sigh.

I am watching another japanese language horror movie, "Dark Water." It's got me jumping all over the place, these japanese movies are really really scary. Scary and disturbing. Watched Ju'on last night and am still feeling creeped out by it. I've always been partial to japanese culture and will watch most any subtitled movie I can, usually campy, samuri or fun pop types. But these japanese horror movies seem more real and so the things that are frightening are really more frightening than anything in any english language horror I've seen. Hack and slash movies feel insulting to me and I won't even watch them, they seem to be for people who derive pleasure from watching women frightened and then slashed/hacked to death. Not a thing I find even slightly entertaining and in truth I think they should be treated as obscene and ultimately banned. But that's just me. Other english language horror movies follow the same formula, a bunch of people, a house, whack whack, characters dead before you even have a clue as to what is going on or can even begin to care about them. Boring- waste of time. Let's see, the other boring horror movie is a big house, uptight people, a slow incomprehensible story and then, hard to remember- I'm gone doing something else by then. AH well.

Speaking of DVD's, a non horror movie I've happily watched to feel some of the spirit of the season is my favorite 'Holiday Inn' - Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire. A wonderful, sweet movie with a charming memorized plot and fun songs that I spent a good long time finding the dvd of. Great show and I think even the remake, 'White Christmas' is on tv Christmas day. Nothing better that that. Got the White Christmas this time.

Prism

Some things just speak for themselves. Right now I'm waiting for this picture to tell me something. Right now I'm a sore fellow. Back to the gym and even with a moderate routine I find myself sore and in pain. Nothing for it but to make it to the gym again tomorrow.

The Sum Total of My Knowledge
Now Playing: Girls of Angeli - The New Voice of the North
Topic: Mysteries of Life


Every once in a while I find it necessary to remind myself that I really don't know a darn thing. An important exercise in humility that helps keep you from blinding yourself to other points of view and other interpretations of what you know and what you think you know. My internal generalizations about people - cruel and uncaring for the most part was put to the test the other day. I was walking, just walking and for some unknown reason my legs just folded up on me. Unknown because I don't particularly want to know whatever sort of palsey is grabbing me. I crumpled down to the ground and an older man was there before I was done falling. Genuine concern and worry for me, a complete stranger to him. It was very nice and reminded me what I sometimes forget, that it's better all around to be smiling and to have real compassion for people. It's better to pass that around than the grumpy thing.

Where's the Egg Nog? The Meaning of Christmas
Now Playing: The Beatles - From Me To You
Topic: Mysteries of Life
To say that I generally loath Christmas is a gross understatement. At no time of the year do you find more people who are grumpy, nasty and generally of a foul nature and disposition as during Christmas. As I search for the meaning of life one of the constant sources of information about life comes from living it. Well, yesterday was a day I had a few errands to run and as it is approaching Christmas I know in my mind and my soul that the quality of the experience is something I would as soon avoid. Well, I found myself in a Toys R Us with a few items. I hand over my cash and prepare for the mental challenges that come with attempting to make sure the person doesn't shortchange me but first she, - with her hand on the register/keyboard asks for my phone number. Mind you, I paid cash for these non explosive, noncontroband, non controlled items. But have no fear, in the speed it took those words to exit her lips and vibrate along the inside of my eardrums a loud NO exited from me. Momentarily stunned by my refusal to kowtow to the great intrusive advertisement machine that is American commerce she didn't know what to do. So of course, I said NO again, a bit more loudly. Then I went into my MoJo JoJo imitation. I reiterated in different words the meaning I meant. Which is to say I said it again, NO, Null, none, there will be no phone number of mine for you to put into your computer so that some automated marketing computer can call me on the phone I pay for at any time the computer thinks I might be interested in the latest sale of Bionicles at my local Toys R Us. Congratulations, you have joined Radio Shack as a store I will not enter again willingly. AH, I was soo very mad.

Well, why should my day change at all. I went to a food store in search of a few items to make my meal complete. Some asparagus and some portabello mushrooms. And wouldn't it be nice to have some eggnog. Some nice thick, once a year eggnog. Well let's see, I see about twenty varieties of Soy Milk. There is ah, soy milk, vanilla soy milk, very vanilla soy milk, very very vanilla soy milk, chocolate soy milk etc and so forth. Where is the local dairy eggnog? What the heck? Can't find a bit of it. Even in those occasional places where all of the items in an area are gone. I diligently check those tags, nope, more soy milk varieties. No eggnog. NO I don't count that canned eggnog. But there it was, canned eggnog. I can't believe this. No eggnog. Now I'm grumpy. I stand in line contemplating the wicked gods who would abscond with the eggnog in the universe. A bit of a line in front of me. What do I care. But then some smarmy greasy headed fellow with a clip board excuses himself to a person in front of me. Excuse me mamn? Would you mind answering a few questions? The lady, taken aback as are we all when accosted by strangers in line at the grocery store fumbles with her words and mutters something that sounds like a gurgle which the question asker takes to mean yes. He looks down at his clipboard and asks her whether she prefers chicken or meat? Ahh, chicken she says. Another consultation with his clipboard, do you like Pepsi or Coke? She answers whatever she answers and he thanks her then moves on to the man in front of me. A large large man. This large fellow, apparently a victim of the courtesy training which leaves people vulnerable to answering the questions of annoying strangers is annoyed but still he answers all the questions asked by clipboard boy. Me, I have passed that stage of my life sometime ago. The stage where I allow people to impose upon me with such space and time assaults where I am left feeling imposed upon and angry for not standing up for myself, much the way the two people in line ahead of me were feeling at that moment. 'Excuse me si..' says clipboard boy. "NO, NO NO, - do not bother me, leave now." says I. Clipboard boy, actually a man- scurries away leaving the rest of the line alone by reason of my brave stand. I feel the large broad back of the large broad man ahead of me sort of clench further. I see he values courtesy a bit higher than the invasion of his own space. He likely sees me as some rude loud mouth cave dweller. Well, I turn and hold a very nice conversation with the older lady behind me in line. and by the time he gets to the counter he is most likely confused and puzzled by what he thinks of me. Ah well. I'm still confused and annoyed about the eggnog.

And while I don't much like what Christmas has become I still actually know what it is. And I appreciate the sentiments involved in the meaning of Christmas. Like the Bedford Falls feel to Niceville in the Christmas lights picture below. Here would be a picture I took at the Dayton Art Institute this last summer. I think this guy has something to do with Christmas. :-) I'm Buddhist myself.

Albert Emanuel Hall
Now Playing: ERA - The Very Best Of


This would be a picture of Albert Emanuel Hall, formerly the University of Dayton School of Law before the Joseph Keller Hall was built right next to it. A sweet little building, intimate and one in which I had my own office in the basement. With a couch, desk and even a door. When we went to the Keller Hall the fraternities and the other organizations shared a big, modern nonprivate room with computers and cubicles and such. Ack - most annoying.

University of Dayton School of Law
Now Playing: ERA - The Very Best Of
Topic: Law


A visit to the University of Dayton grounds and I managed to take a better picture of the Law School. Actually got pictures of the old and the new. Have to prepare the old boy for this site as well. Big and modern and a wonderful place all in all. I walked around the grounds looking for some planted tree or some bench or something that noted and memorialized Professor Brown who died shortly after I graduated from there. He taught Corporations and was sick back then. I didn't find a bench or tree, perhaps I didn't look hard enough. It would be a shame if he isn't remembered there. It would be a shame likewise if Andy Johnson wasn't remembered at the school.

Christmas in Niceville
Now Playing: ERA - The Very Best Of
Topic: Mysteries of Life


Who says I never update this page? Actually, I do more blogging via my place over at Blogger - which you can find a link to from my websites front page. (over at - www.gadlaw.com) It's for the more immediate replies from world events and issues that I am interested in such as the death penalty and the gathering threat from China. A rough trip through Tennessee as usual, both ways come to think of it. Not cause of the tiny tiny mountains they have but because of my memory of seeing a girl fall out of a SUV vehicle. This happened a few years ago and it saddens me whenever I drive those very roads again. Melancholy memories all around. Anyhow, a nice picture or two of the Christmas lights for the nice little town of 'Niceville' - The alert viewer will notice the word scrabble possibilities available when one takes a few of the lights from a few of the letters. With a few unscrewed light bulbs you can have a 'City of Evil' ready for your satanic rituals and general Hammer horror show. Quaint little place though.

Aha-Bush wins as I predicted
Now Playing: Every news source I can find
Topic: Politics
Well goodness gracious. It was close, but not so very close. My instincts were correct and my October 27th prediction of Bush as the winner was dead on. And now of course it's the long and sometimes messy last gasp happening now. Ohio is being contested as of the moment I write this. The networks are being gun shy and not calling New Mexico and Nevada which are clearly Bush wins which is simply ratings bait. It was fun, I wanted to watch the Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center painted over but NBC was so slow and hardly ever went back to that live real graphic. I did appreciate the banners down the side of the building at NBC to, pretty cool. That was great. Like all good americans I flipped channels around to the various news stations and networks, certainly no commercial touched my eyes. I had to stop and watch Gilmore Girls cause it's my favorite show and the news wasn't going anywhere.

Mostly FOX News for me as whenever one of the other networks got annoying or put a shrill political hack on I changed to another channel. Susan Estrich was particularly shrill and annoying and clearly not in touch with reality at the late hour when the writing was on the wall and the need to be an advocate was no longer a valid reason to act like a well, a shrill political hack which is what she is. Britt Hume was great, very laconic and not letting any of the talking heads get too very stupid. I'd flip over to see CBS for a moment to see if Dan Rather would melt down and look into the camera to say 'courage' or go into a little homespun story about how the truth of the universe could be grasped by watching the behavior of cows under the stars on the range and how that related to the quiet inner struggles of Senator Kerry. Peter Jennings, perhaps they didn't have enough shiny lights on their election coverage set because I don't remember stopping over there for a minute. Flipping over to The Daily Show I saw Stewart cry a bit, saw Sharpton whine a bit and heard Stewart shout out a plea to Sharpton to quit being a partisan political hack for just a minute since all the polls were closed and there was no earthly reason to keep spouting the talking points. Ahhh. Then I had had enough of that and back to Britt Hume's sleepy self as they wondered if there were going to be enough provisional votes in Ohio to make a difference. Ah- the cool part of the night was seeing Daschle lose. He's such an arrogant ass and it always frosted me when he'd be there smugly making a point. Perhaps the homestead in DC as opposed to a home in his home state didn't quite sit well with the good people of South Dakota. They saw what was true, that Daschle had gone native (beltway) and was not in touch with the people of his home state.

http://gadlaw.blogspot.com/
Trying to use Blogger which, with the little add on in my Firefox browser allows me to comment on articles and news items more directly. Check it out gadlaw's blog

Gilbert's Party Barn
Watching the election these days is like trying to watch a ping pong match. The ball is spinning back and forth faster than I can keep track of it and I'm pretty sure it'll just get faster at least until the election on Novembe 2nd. Watching the polls, listening to the commentators in their shark like frenzy and somehow trying to gather enough information to see how things are really going. It's a given that the media will do what it always does in elections of this magnitude - they'll spin it and twist it and make it seem like it's a neck and neck, too close to call event that we must all tune into every minute of every day in order to catch that nuance, that slight change of direction that will give us what we all want - a clue as to what will happen before it happens. Ford and Carter, Carter and Reagan, Reagan and Mondale - all of them were reported as being neck and neck, too close to call as the date of the election came up. In reality it was rarely the case and there followed the usual reports of self reflection wondering 'how did we get it so wrong?' If it's the same here then (and there is no reason to think that it isn't) just going by that historical behavior of the media I'd say Bush wins going away.

The news and the way the news is slanted these days reminds me of way back in the day listening with fascination the shortwave radio broadcasts of Radio Moscow. I'd listen to the Radio Moscow news reports and hear things that were directly opposite to the news I would hear through the news sources I had come to know. Walter Cronkite and the others seemed to be impartial and honest and being no idiot I would gauge the various news reports and commentary and opinions I would get from the differrent sides. I knew the political situation and the death struggle that was going on in the world and I knew it was completely serious. It gave me a critical eye and ear when listening to the news. I knew for a fact that some people giving me the news weren't being truthful and honest and had their own agendas. This training has given me a cynical viewpoint that is backed up with the sad reality of the state of our ability to get news.

I watch CBS and the New York Times trying to run a gotcha against Bush the day before the election. I see 'news' people lining up on each side to scream at each other and to us that this is true or that is true. I hear people on the same side of an argument saying the exact same thing - spouting 'talking points' rather than giving their honest thought out opinions and thoughts. It's all yelling and shouting and nothing gets discussed and examined. Think in soundbites, make your decisions based on who loves America more than the other and remember that your opinion is based on hearing the ten second sentences on the matter that have been drilled at you time after time again. Whoever has the best soundbite or commercial wins. Not who is best, who has the best plan or ideas to help make things better. It's all crap.

William Shatner's Album- Has Been
Now Playing: William Shatner's Album- Has Been
Topic: Music
Listening to the William Shatner Album. It's freaking great. I mean really. Songs like 80's and 90's alternative music, garage rock with lyrics you can understand. Not a bad song in the bunch. The song 'Common People' reminds me of a alt song where the fellow sings about the women in his life- sings/talks like this song. (I'll be driven nuts until I can remember that song and get a copy of it) And like that badly described song, this one resounds with words of truth. 'That's Me Trying' is a father talking to an estranged daughter, trying to connect but not being apologetic for his life. His reply to the sometimes vicious humor at his expense is 'Has Been' - where he says to his critics that at least he's had a life where critics are basically those without a life of their own who get their joy from belittling others. True words. 'I Can't Get Behind That'- a shouting beat poet type of rant against the crap of life. It's all great. The small heartbreaking song 'What Have You Done' which I think is about him finding a drowned member of his family is too hard to listen to again. But it's real. And the song 'Real' is an answer to his Star Trek fame where he says thank you for the love and while a part of him is Captain Kirk, he's a real person and can't save the world as his character has. A warm song, a great album.

Imminent Terrorist Attack-
Topic: Politics
As the date for the election comes closer like many people I forsee there being a big terrorist attack on US soil.You don't have to be a rocket scientist to understand that the islamic fascists responsible for terror attacks on the US and on US allies and interests would dearly love to create as big and spectacular an attack as was the World Trade Center attack. And barring the logically eventual nuclear attack on New York/New Jersey the possibilities of a large attack on soft targets with a minimum of terror volunteers is fairly high. Perhaps they cannot mount an air attack again although there are always those disquieting reports of people easily getting through airport security with fake bombs and knives and such. Understandable what with the zealous disarming of grandmoms of their cross stitch needles, crochet needles and everybody else of their inch long swiss army knives and toenail clippers. But the attack through airplanes might be stopped simply because of the sheer horrific difficulties in simply getting on a plane. Airplane travel is made safer by the very fact of it's difficulty and painfulness.

So that leaves the various soft targets to be thought of. There is one US Senator, Mark Dayton of Minnesota who has closed his office in D.C. on the fear that there will be an attack on the Capitol between now and the election. He made this decision after Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tennessee recently briefed lawmakers on a "top-secret intelligence report on our national security," which was presumably enough of a scare that Senator Dayton thought it prudent to keep him, his family, staff and constituents safe by keeping them out of the Capitol. Well, it was Trumans Presidency when some Puerto Rican Terrorists got into the Congress but that isn't likely.

What could be the soft targets in D.C.? Humm, this sounds more like someone rolling up with a bug truck bomb somewhere in the area. Perhaps a number of them at once which is a al Qaeda speciality. They can't get near the White House, Capital, Senate, House or Supreme Court with such trucks. Perhaps smaller car bombs at a number of polling places at once. This would create a good deal of confusion and nobody would know if there were more to come. If they had ten people, less than there were in the World Trade attack, one to each Polling place in New York, D.C. San Fransisco, Denver, Chicago and so on and boom- horrific and massive confusion and terror on the day that we would be out voting. Very low tech, big bang for the buck. Problems with that include getting bomb materials- I doubt that it's that easy getting fertilizer these days, perhaps it's easier getting the materials in Canada and that would still put most of the logical targets in range. Other problems being that there would be quite a number of people out there just waiting to get caught for something. Hard to judge that. Still, ten guys with machine guns in different polling places at the same time would be possible. Bad for the terrorists- easier to get intelligence from the bodies, you can bet that US Special Forces would be going up those chains in a minute. (people, places etc)

Schools? Well. Polling places are often at schools so it seems like they would pick school polling places or large elementary schools. The Chechens showed how relatively easy it is to secure a building full of children. I'd be worried about that being possible. Elementary Schools have everything terrorists could want, easily controlled people, something that we all care about and something easy for them to get to.

Military bases in the area, Andrews AFB, Fort Meade, Quantico, Naval Academy and so on. No, these cowards are better at attacking unarmed people, women and children and wouldn't come close to anybody who could defend themselves. They can't get a big enough bomb down in the Metro to cause any harm. Crystal City Mall, well it would have a lot people in it but they would have hard time sealing that Mall up with their hostages if they went that route.

It's all very sobering to think about, I hope the authorities are thinking about it and doing something about it.

Absentee Ballot Land
Topic: Politics
Jeb was kind enough to send me a request for my absentee ballot. I care, I don't care. I waver back and forth. I'm interested in the whole sport of politics and usually enjoy watching the battle. There is always plenty to be mad about, someone did something wrong, enough to remember and enough to sway me this way or that. Ahhh, listening to the lies being spewed back and forth, lies with straight faces, distortions and spins and you know neither one deserves a vote. I suspect that neither one of them will get many votes. People will go out and vote against the other guy. Sad really.

Nothing Special
Now Playing: Basia - Best Of
The older I get the less I know. The further you go out in the scheme of things, the less important things are. My Broncos, the Denver Broncos, are 4 and 1. Not very important in the scheme of things. Just a football team from a place I used to live at. Still and all, it provides a small sense of satisfaction when I listen to them on the radio and they win the day. All good. Listening to A Prairie Home Companion every Saturday, or most every Saturday is another not very important, important bit of my life. I can remember back to living in Japan and listening to that radio show while I would be busy in the kitchen chopping vegetables for dinner. I reflect back on that while chopping vegatables for dinner today, far from Japan. Nothing all that special or important, but a few of the bits of life that connect me to the past and to the future.