Pelosi vs. Britney

A quick check of "intellipost" shows that Nacy Pelosi has been leading Britney Spears in the blog race over the past two months. Who says America doesn't care?

The Next President of the U.S.?

POLL: 2008 NOMINEE

Democrats' choice for 2008 presidential nominee:

This just in from CNN

Sen. Hillary Clinton: 28%
Sen. Barack Obama: 17%
Al Gore: 13%
John Edwards: 13%
Sen. John Kerry: 12%
Sen. Evan Bayh: 2%
Sen. Joe Biden: 2%
Sen. Russell Feingold: 2%
Gov. Bill Richardson: 2%
Gov. Tom Vilsack: 1%

Source: Opinion Research Corp. interviews with 472 registered Democratic voters October 27-29. Sampling error: +/-4.5% pts

The Future of Western Civilization?

Once, a long time ago (about 60 years ago) I lived with my family in a house overlooking a lovely litttle lake called "Sparkle". We had many weekend guests at the "Lake House" as we would call it later but for me the most memorable was an Indian gentleman, a real Guru. He spent a weekend with us in the Autumn of 195?. We went onlong walks around the lake, wading through the red and golden leaves, skimming stones over the lake and talking. On Sunday afternoon it had turned cold and gray so we sat together, all of us, parents , my four siblings, Mr Tata, our Indian guest and I. We talked of many things but mostly about the Bomb and the troubles facing our world. Several of our neighbors were building or had already fiinished bomb shelters in their basements and my brothers and sister and I were all practicing air raid drills at school. At a pause in the conversation I asked Mr. Tata about what he thought the chances for peace in the world might be and I remember very vividly his reply. He was doing a headstand when I posed my question and after I asked he paused a while before he said:

" My dear young friend, the only chance for peace that we will ever have in this world will be when we become more evolved and the only way that man can evolve is for him first to become "in-volved". He must be able and willing to focus his mind inward to learn to understand his own actions and feelings truly and objectively
and only then will he be able to truly understand others.
Until we can truly understand each other, there is no hope for peace in the world"

Almost like Diogenes, and his search for an honest man, I have been looking for some sign of evolution since my first meeting with Mr. Tata and like the Atenian philosopher I'm still looking. If there are any at all (and perhaps the Dalai Lama, Ghandi and a few others might ) but it seems hard for me to believe that I would find someone who is truly in-volved in politics today. The very things that draw people to political life in this century would probably repel the "in-volved" person.

Texas Prosecutor Kills Himself in Police Sting

From today's NYT:

TERRELL, Tex., Nov. 6 — A prosecutor in this North Texas town killed himself Sunday as the police tried to arrest him on charges of soliciting sex over the Internet from a person he thought was a 13-year-old boy.
The prosecutor, Louis Conradt Jr., 56, had been caught in a sting operation set up by Dateline NBC, the television news magazine, and an Internet watchdog group called Perverted Justice. An NBC camera crew was outside the house to film the scene when the fatal shot was fired.

How far will the media go to get a story? Or make one?

When Will I die

How Will I Die Quiz You will die at the age of 115 You will die when your underwear gets to tight and cuts off your blood circulation Find out how you will die at Quizopolis.com

In Key House Races, Democrats Run to the Right

From NY Times 10/20/2006
"ASHEVILLE, N.C., Oct. 28 — In their push to win back control of the House, Democrats have turned to conservative and moderate candidates who fit the profiles of their districts more closely than the profile of the national party."

I guess this proves that "winning is everything"

What Myths Are Made Of

Mythical personnae who shape our dreams and our
mightmares

The Future of Blogging

In another corner of the Blogosphere, there's a small site, that provides free hosting for bloggers and is somewhat looser in terms of infrastructure than this one. It has a total of 900 blogs or participating members and there is plenty of opportunity for the members to interact. One of the features is the "Blog Ladder" where everyone can see:

1. Who posted lately
2. How many posts he/she has contributed
   
3. How many times his/her posts have been viewed
4. How many comments have been made to his/her entries.

The winning blog, has 121 entries, that have been viewed 5,227 times and received 593 comments.
The most popular entry of the week, which was posted by the champ mentioned above, Consisted of "And Boom"
The comments were

1. "boom"
2. "boom"
3. "boom, boom, boom"
4. "boom"
5. "developers"
6. "WAIT,WRONG STEVE"
7. "boom...boom..."
8. "boom"
9. "bam, ops thats that other guy"
10. "boom?"

This the way the world ends, not with a "bam" but a "boom"

When I first entered cyberspace, I thought that it would be an exciting adventure in discovery, dialogue and community instead I find "jackass forever"

For the Super-Rich, It’s Time to Upgrade the Old Jumbo Jet - New York Times

For the Super-Rich, It’s Time to Upgrade the Old Jumbo Jet - New York Times
Ever wondered:"What do they do with all that money?"
Here's a clue.

Free Hugs

Free Hugs
After a day of BushSpeak, Korean Bomb & the Foley Follies.
This was a wonderful segue.
When I first started watching the video I felt a little uneasy, like "Oh god, this is goy is going to make a fool of himself" but then it happened! People came and kept coming. Getting hugs, giving hugs. It was truly inspiring!
Give somebody a hug today

Call Me Mythster

Mythster- Modern American: 1) A person who practices the art of mything. One who collects, analyzes, creates and disseminates myths. Myths are attempts to explain or elaborate on the mysteries of everyday life. Our caveman ancestors created the first myths to explain the seasons, the rising and setting of the sun and the origins of life itself. Although the word "myth" is used to describe a fantasy or something that is not true. A true myth is always true when it is created even though it may be seen as untrue later on.
2) The pronunciation of the salutation "Mister" by someone who lisps.

I sent the explanation to someone who asked me the meaning of my e-mail address but it

is not totally mythical. I have been collecting, analyzing ...myths for most of my life. I have created a few and been fascinated by more. Most of our great American Myths seem to have become "untrue" recently. No more" streets paved with gold", "rags to riches", "Any boy can become president"or "Land of Opportunity etc.
But they were true and inspiring "Once upon a time"

TIME.com: What Makes Us Different? -- Oct. 9, 2006 -- Page 3

TIME.com: What Makes Us Different? -- Oct. 9, 2006 -- Page 3 More scientific evidence to indicate that the Creationists are merely retarded monkeys

G.O.P. Aides Knew in Late ’05 of E-Mail - New York Times

G.O.P. Aides Knew in Late ’05 of E-Mail - New York Times
The corruptive influence of power and the inevitable result. Six terms made Foley think he was invinceable.
Until now.

In Setback for Democrats, Incumbent Wins Republican Senate Primary - New York Times

In Setback for Democrats, Incumbent Wins Republican Senate Primary - New York Times
In Politics as usual it's "Business as usual" Chafee is to the Republicans what Strom Thurmond was to the Deomcrats.
He's a good guy. Even if the Democrats won the majority in the Senate, would they know what to do with it?
"A pox on both their houses"

Updike, Roth and Marquez look at Aging

It was the title of Gabriel Garcia Marquez latest novel that caught my attention when I was perusing the New York Times Sunday Book Review . "Memories of My Melancholy Whores" promised something quite different from the Columbian Nobel Prize winner. I got a copy from Amazon and gulped it down like a cold beer in July. Later, I re-read many passages and savored the delicate flavor of this short novel.

Next, my wife brought home "Everyman" by Phillip Roth who, according to Wikipedia "is arguably one of the most decorated writers of his era (circa 1934- til present) "Everyman", like "Memories of My Melancholy Whores" by Marquez is a story of aging and death but where Marquez retains a light and humorous approach to the subject throughout his story, Roth's Everyman is crammed with pain, pessimism and death. Updike's opus "Bech at Bay" was published in 1998 when the poet was the author was only 66. Perhaps we can excuse the rather sophomoric tone of the book to the writer's youth. Since then he has written several more books including "Villages" which I read last year and found little in it of interest.

Three authors, close in age, writing about the same issues, contrasting styles and viewpoints but in the end sharing a common preoccupation with their loss of powers and virility. Roth's character still trying to seduce young women from the steps of his nursing home, Updike's Beth starting a new family with his 30-something partner and Gabriel Marquez finally consummating his affair with his melancholy virgin whore on his 91st birthday.

Since I'm a contemporary of all three authors, I can relate directly to their situations. The invisibility, frustration and impotence of humoristicly named "Golden Years". Do we not "Go gentle into that good night" or adjust, accept and ..."fade away..."?

The I’m-Not-Ugly American - New York Times

The I’m-Not-Ugly American - New York Times
This summer was the first time in 50 years that I felt real resentment about my nationality but then again maybe some young French people just resented my age. "Ugly Old American"?

The Greatest Poets of the 20th Century

Thoughts on The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost « ‘The Road Lestraveleded’

T.S. Elliot, was certainly one of the greatest poets of the 20thth Century along with W.H. Auden, Allen Ginsburg, Ezra Pound, Ted Hughes, Langston Hughes, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Robert Frost , Dylan Thomas,and a.e.Cummings.
T.S. Elliot, more than any of the others successfully conveyed the "angst und drang" of the century. Tedious frivolity and meanlingless communication were frequent subjects of his poems but there was as well a strong trace of Buddhist feeling to most of his latter works.
Ginsburg conveyed the desperate frustration and sadness of his era in "Howl".
Auden suggested the ennui of the pre-war era.

No one, so far has suggested nominees for the "20 th Century Poets Hall of Fame"
Any takers?

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com

Oddly Enough News Article | Reuters.com
Jeremiah Compton, a high school junior who plays in a local metal-and-punk band, agreed. "It's just that we're bored and expressing our right,"
HS students in Brattleboro VT. are doing hula hoop & more w/o clothing.
WHY NOT?

Nonconformity Is Skin Deep - New York Times

Nonconformity Is Skin Deep - New York Times: "And thatÂ’s the most delightful thing about the whole tattoo fad. A cadre of fashion-forward types thought they were doing something to separate themselves from the vanilla middle classes but are now discovering that the signs etched into their skins are absolutely mainstream. They are at the beach looking across the acres of similar markings and learning there is nothing more conformist than displays of individuality, nothing more risk-free than rebellion, nothing more conservative than youth culture.

Another generation of hipsters, laid low by the ironies of consumerism."

That about says it all folks. Except for another view of the tattoos; one from a guy who spent a couple of years taking photographs of tattooed and scarified people in Africa, Polynesia, America and Europe. I haven't seen his book yet but I can imagine it and I was impressed by a remark he made on Public Radio when asked if he had
any idea people mutilated their bodies and he said that it was all about "affiliation". Anybody remember the Mexican-American street gangs of East L.A. where every member had diy tattos on his hands and fingers?

The New York Times > Washington > Image > Graphic: Perceptions of the President, Terrorism and the War

The New York Times > Washington > Image > Graphic: Perceptions of the President, Terrorism and the War
But does anyone really care?