2009 Arrives

In most areas of the world, 2008 has ended and 2009 has begun. In my corner, '09 will arrive in about 27 minutes. With a new year may come new uncertainties as if the worlds needs more of those right now. There is one certainty that many Americans and many around the world wait for with baited breath--the inauguration of Barak Obama to the office of President of the United States. January 20th will be a great day but for now let us all usher in a new year with peace and hope in our hearts.

Happy New Year!

A New Era Begins

This is an historic night. The senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, has been elected the 44th President of the United States of America. I have no words for this night... no words.

Creative, Inspired Art in Uninspired Denver and other stuff

This image is part if a story from latimes.com and you can read the story by clicking here. Paul Trujillo, the young man to the left in black, and two of his friends created the mural on his grandparents' fence, with their permission and support, in Denver CO. When the mural was brought to the attention of Denver city officials and city officials examined it, they sent a letter to Paul's grandparents saying it had to be removed or they would face a $150 fine, which would increase over time.
I found this story this morning and once I read it here's what I thought: "How stupid of Denver officials.", "Since when is the word, 'VOTE' illegal?", and "It's on personal property!". These were the first thought I had. Another thought I've had in regard to this story is: "Are Denver trying to stomp out creative art?" Because it is creative and inspired, at least in my opinion. However, please click the link above, read the story and form your own opinion.

As for other events, Wall Street apparently still hasn't gotten the message from Washington that the $700 billion bail out bill passed, was signed into law and that there was a "rate cut", I think refers to the interest rate, because the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell another 189 points today. Well maybe Wall Street will get the message tomorrow

Also I just saw a headline on cnn.com that the New York Federal Reserve Bank is going to lend AIG another $37.8 BILLION of TAXPAYERS' MONEY!!!!!!! WTF!!!! The money the Fed is giving to AIG isn't even a loan! My understanding of the article, which you can read here, is AIG will give the Fed something called 'investment-grade fixed-income securities', which AIG originally gave other instutions for a fee, who are now giving them back to AIG for refund on the fee they were charged. GGRRRRR!! All of this, on top of the fact, which we the public just learned from a congressional committee, that within days of the initial $85 Billion bailout for AIG, some of their executives went to a resort and spent over $400,000!!! Those executives should be FIRED on the spot and the people at the New York Fed should be bitch-slapped!!! Geez, I'm pissed!

Ok, I'm going to quit before I write something that I'll regret. Everyone out there that is eligable to VOTE, should VOTE on Nov. 4 and "Live long and Prosper".

A Day of Financial Horror

I'm not sure what to say about this disasterous day in the US financial system. Millions of Americans have lost thousands of dollars or perhaps even every single penny they had invested in the markets after the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 777.68 points, nearly 7%, or $1.2 trillion(according to a CNNMoney.com article), of its value today. Today's plummet, the largest in history, is a continuation of the financial system's meltdown which, has a long and complicated past. The huge loss is, in part, the result of the U.S. House of Representives' rejection of legislation that potentially would have assisted corporations with large amounts of troubled assets so they would be able to get more credit. This legislation entitled "The Emergency Economic Stablization Act of 2008", better known as "The $700 Billion Bailout Plan" was devised by Henry Paulson, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, and other financial personnel in the Bush Administration. With the defeat of the legislation and the huge loss on the Dow, I think no one has any idea what will happen next. I guess we'll all have to wait and see with baited breath.

It is also worth noting in this post the passing of an acting legend. Paul Newman, known for his role in "Cool Hand Luke", "The Sting" and "The Color of Money", died this past Friday (9-26-08) after a long battle with cancer at the age of 83. Not only was he a legendary and Oscar-winning actor but he was also a great philanthropist. The company that bears his name, "Newman's Own", has donated all of it's profits, more than $200 million, to various charities around the world. He will be sorrily missed.

Finally, with the financial crisis that is going on, the outlook for many in this country is bleak, but remember that there is HOPE. To quote Tim Allen's character in "Galaxy Quest", "Never give up! Never surrender!" To all of you out there, Remember to VOTE on November 4th, at least in the USA, and "Live long and prosper".

The DNC comes to a superb close

After four days, tonight at Invesco Field in Denver, CO, the 2008 Democratic National Convention came to an end with the U.S. Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama accepting the nomination for President of the United States of America. Senator Obama accepted the nomination on an important anniversary.

On this very same day 45 years ago, in 1963, a young preacher from Georgia named Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke to thousands in the National Mall in Washington, DC, speaking of a dream... a dream where his children were not "judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

I watched Senator Obama's acceptance speech and was impressed. I am impressed with him even more so now then when I voted for him in the Missouri Primary. However, regardless of party, a man or woman who is elected President can make all the promises he or she wants and state what he or she intends to do during his/her campaign but Congress creates our laws via legislative bills. In order for the goals of an Obama (or McCain) presidency to be fulfilled the Democrats (or Republicans) must have very strong majorities in both houses of Congress. Bipartisanship helps but will not always work.

I end this post with a simple word: VOTE.

The Passing of a Comedic Icon

First I need to acknowledge the fact that this the first entry that I've made in more than two months and that a lot of events have occurred in that time. In very early May, a cyclone hit the country of Myanmar (Burma), resulting in great loss of life. The aftermath and the lack of response and interferance by its government for aid to reach the victims angered the world. In mid-May a massive and destructive earthquake hit central China also resulting in a great loss of life. These two events have been very tragic. Between the two more than 100,000 to 150,000 people have died.

Here in the US, particularly in the middle of the country, there has been huge amounts of rain which has caused rivers to rise. The Cedar River in Iowa flooded more than 400 blocks of Cedar Rapids. This river and the Iowa River flow into the Mississippi River. As the Mississippi rose, it broke levees protecting several towns in Illinois and Missouri. The Mississippi is expected to crest in St. Louis Wednesday morning at 37.2 feet, which is 7.2 feet above flood stage. These flood waters, which have already caused more than $1 billion in damage in Iowa have a long way to travel and will affect many more towns and cities in the days and weeks to come as it makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

I also need to acknowledge the death of Tim Russert of NBC, who died on June 13, 2008 at the age of 58. As the host of NBC's Sunday news program, Meet the Press, he conducted no-nonsense interviews with many political figures from across the country and was well known also for his analysis of issues and elections. He leaves behind his wife and son and extended journalism family.

Now that I've gotten caught up, in a manner of speaking, this post is written to acknowledge the passing of a comedic icon. George Carlin died yesterday in Los Angeles from heart failure at the age of 71. You can read about his passing at the websites of the major news organizations by following the links below:

cnn.com
cbsnews.com
msnbc.com
abcnews.com
foxnews.com

George Carlin was not your ordinary comedian, he was a Grammy award winning, Emmy nominated comedian. He was an author and an actor. His comedic commentaries on politics, religion and society made people think.
But of course he is known for saying "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television". He said these words at a show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for the first time, which led to his arrest and being charged in 1972. The charges were dropped but that was not the end of it. Eventually a legal case involving the Federal Commmunications Commission and the owner of a New York City radio station went to the US Supreme Court. The Court's 5-4 decision basically stated that the language in George Carlin's "Seven Words" routine were indecent but not obscene and the FCC could determine what was indecent and what wasn't. Earlier this year, the Associated Press quoted Mr. Carlin saying, "So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of." You can read more about George Carlin's life and the court case involving the seven words at Wikipedia. George Carlin will be sorely missed.

Virginia Tech remembered, the Pope comes to America and other stuff

Tomorrow marks the first year anniversary of the Virginia Tech massacre, which lead to the deaths of 33 people, including the shooter. It is the deadliest school shooting in American history. College and university around the country will more than likely have some form of remembrance service, I would think.

Earlier today Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Holy Roman Catholic church, arrived at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC to begin a six day tour, two city tour. It is the first US visit for the Pope. Even though I'm not Roman Catholic, I should at least acknowledge the fact that he is here. He is the inspirational leader of millions of Christians around the world. I hope has a safe tour here in the US and a safe journey back to the Vatican.

I was visiting cbsnews.com and read a story, which was an exclusive eariler this morning on CBS This Morning. Apparently a 15 minute film exists of the actress Marilyn Monroe, who died in 1962, performing a sex act on a man during the 1950's. At the time, the FBI apparently analyzed the film, attempting to determine who the man in the film was since his face did not appear in the film according to one of the two video clips that accompany the article, which you can read here. They suspected it was either JFK or his brother, Robert. I say, "Who gives a FRAK!". I mean, come on. According to the article, the film in question was in the possession of the son of an deceased FBI informant who made a copy of the original, which is still classified. Here are some questions that I thought of that should be asked, but will never be answered: Why did they need the film to begin with? Why was it so important to ID the guy in the film? For all anyone knows it could have been baseball player Joe DiMaggio, who she was married and divorced to in 1954 or playwright Arthur Miller, who she was married to from 1956 to 1961. Also, why does the FBI still have the original, much less have it still classified? I realize there are people who do care about Miss Monroe and her image even if she has been dead for 45 years so I'm not going to dwell on this topic anymore, especially since I have never seen a single one of her films... maybe I should. Oh, well. Enough of that.

History, particularly Franklin D. Roosevelt, records that December 7 is "a day that shall live in infamy..." but what about yesterday, April 14. History records some tragic events on April 14. I bring this up 'cause I remembered that the Titanic hit the iceberg during the night of April 14, 1912 and sank in the very early hours of the next day. So I looked at Wikipedia, discovering (and remembering in the process) that US President, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on that day in 1865 and also on that day in 1970 an oxygen tank exploded in the service module of the Apollo 13 capsule preventing the Apollo 13 astronauts from landing on the moon but not from getting home. So is April 14 infamous or not... you decide.

Last two things then I'm done. I hope everyone has gotten their taxes done, since it is Tax Day here in the US and that the St. Louis Cardinals are currently in first place in the NL Central. To everyone out there, "Live Long and Prosper."

Mother Nature is still schziod… and other news

First off let me say that this blog entry is being written on Monday, March 24 at about 6:25AM. With no internet connection it’s being posted on Tuesday, March 25.

Flood waters from the Meramec River have been receding for the last few days except in Arnold at the confluence with the Mississippi. In Eureka the river crested at 40.06 feet during Friday. Some home and business owners in Pacific and Eureka were able to return to check for damage yesterday and others would return today. State Highway 141 at I-44 which closed Thursday reopened early today. The flood waters had been so bad at that MODOT (Missouri Department of Transportation) had to put out concrete dividers and sandbags to keep 44 from going under, fortunately it never did. Yesterday’s weather was just flat out screwy. It snowed off and on majority of the day. Not only did it snow but there was sleet and sun! This is just nuts. Oh well, typical Missouri weather.

In other news, the men’s basketball team of Washington University in St. Louis won the NCAA Division III championship for the first time on Saturday in Salem, VA. To continue with sports for a bit, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 14-4 in one of the last Spring Training games. At the end of this week, the Cardinals will play two exposition games in Springfield against their Double-A club, the Springfield Cardinals.

Unfortunately there is another reality that all Americans are having to face. Late last night (Monday in Iraq) the 4000th soldier was killed in Iraq, when four soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb.

Post Rain Havoc

With all the rain Missouri has had over the last 24-48 hours, many rivers have flooded, going over their banks. As a matter of fact, the President has declared 70 counties and the the City of St. Louis, Federal Disaster areas. That's more than 60% of the state! Some rivers, like the Finley River in Ozark, MO or the Gasconade River in Laclede County, which closed I-44 overnight, are receding but there are other rivers closer to St. Louis, such as the Meramec River, which will not reach it's flood crest hight until as late as Sunday morning. In my hometown of Pacific, MO the Meramec is expected to crest at 31.5 feet Saturday. This isn't a record, which was set in 1982, but it will be bad for the folks that live near the river in Pacific and for people all over Missouri that live near these flooded rivers, creeks and streams. It's like '93 all over again and for some even worse, but many people did heed the warnings, such as those in Pacific and got out. Well, that's all I got. To all of you out there, "Live Long and Prosper".

A legend passes and the weather sucks

First and foremost I have just read about the passing of a sci-fi literary legend. Arthur C. Clarke, author of the book and co-writer of the screenplay, 2001: A Space Odyssey, has died at the age of 90. My condolences go out to his family, friends, and many fans around the world.

Here in southwest Missouri, along with a large portion of the Midwest, it has been raining... and raining... and raining. It's been raining so much and so hard around here that at least three public school districts were closed today because of flash floods. This is getting ridiculous! On top of all the rain we've had so far over the last 24 hours, we still getting more tomorrow. There have been many water rescues, unfortunately, at least 3 people have died here in Missouri from the floodwaters, one right here in Greene County. All of this rain is supposed to end either late tonight or the wee hours of tomorrow with gradual clearing to mostly sunny skies tomorrow with a high of 52 F. I've told people that Mother Nature has become scizoid. She has just lost her mind. I don't get it. Oh, Well. Anyway that's all I got. To all of you out there, "Live Long and Prosper."

Missouri State discharges B-ball Coach

In a move that did not surprise many in the Springfield area, during a live press conference, Missouri State's University President, Dr. Michael Nietzel and Athletic Director, Bill Rowe, publicly discharged Barry Hinson from his duties as Head Coach of the Men's Basketball program after holding the position for nine seasons. Even though I'm not an avid fan of Bears basketball, it's an unfortunate and sad event that's occurred. Overall, I think most fans supported Hinson, despite not getting into the NCAA tournament, which for some was the linchpin for a successful team, in their eyes. There had been two opportunities to get into "The Big Dance" during Hinson's tenure. These opportunities were "at-large" bids and both were denied.

In the time I've been associated with Missouri State in one way or another, Barry Hinson has been THE coach of Bear's basketball. It will be very strange to hear different name associated with the position of head coach of Missouri State Bears men's basketball. Despite Hinson's departure, there is no animosity between him and Nietzel & Rowe. As a matter of fact, the university president stated during the press conference today that he considered Barry a friend and colleague now and in the future. As for the future, as related to men's basketball at Missouri State, we will all have to wait and see what unfolds.

That's then end to this entry. So, to everyone out there "Live long and prosper."

Chaotic Ramblings Return

It has been more than two and a half years since my last post and far too much has happened to be mention in detail especially since my mind is half empty. :D (Sorry, couldn't resist). Where to begin... There is just too much. I guess I could start with baseball since the 2008 season is about to start in a month. St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series in 2006! Also that year, I worked concessions at Hammons Field during in home games. It was a fun, but exhausting experience. That summer there was at least 3 rain outs that I can remember and one night, lightening actually struck the facility. In 2007, the Springfield Cardinals nearly won the Texas League Championship. This year, the Springfield Cardinals are hosting the St. Louis Cardinals for two exhibition games near the end of the month. There were a little over 6,000 tickets available recently for these games and they were gone in 12 minutes!

Since before January of this year, numerous candidates had been running for President of the United States. Many of these candidates have dropped out for various reasons. Now, the presumptive Republican nominee is John McCain, who is currently serving as a US Senator from Arizona. On the Democratic side of the election, it is currently a toss-up for the nomination between the Senator from New York and former First Lady, Hillary Clinton and Illinois Senator Barack Obama. We as a nation may know who the nominee is after the Pennslyvania primary in April or we may not know until the actual convention. Oh well. Who ever gets the nomination will need a hell of a lot security, if they don't have it already.

Being from the St. Louis area originally, I keep my eye on the news up there. Recently a local man from one of the suburbs died of injuries he received after being ran over by a car driven by a couple who had just stole a tip jar from a Starbucks which has less than $5 in it. The perpetrators have been caught. However charges haven't been filed yet because intent has to be established on whether or not the suspects intended on killing the man that was attempting to prevent the theft. You can read about it at www.stltoday.com, which is the website for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper. I think it's quite sad and I hope the suspects are found guilty and sent to prison for a long time.

In my own life over the last two and half years, a lot has happened. I'm still living In the same apartment I moved into in '05. I'm still working for the same place that I have been since before I even started this blog but gained more responsibilities and more hours but not full time hours, which still sucks in a way. Academically, I still am not finished with my bachelor's degree in computer information systems, but I am getting closer. The class I'm in right now should be my last. It's an independent study course but it's also an academic service project. Basically I go to one of the local public schools and be a walking help desk. I can honestly say that this class has been an enjoyable experience, so far. In January 2007, there was a major ice storm in southwest Missouri and a few days after it, I broke my left leg fall on the ice outside a friend's apartment. I was off of work for two and a half months, which really sucked and I am still dealing with the consequences to this day. Of course, I'll be dealing with it the rest of my life. This was a card that life dealt me at the time.

Another card that life dealt me more recently was getting the chance to go to an technology expo hosted by a branch of the local library. It was an all day event with seminars ranging from ethics in the information age to computer security for non-geeks to facts about e-waste. The organizations that sponsored the event gave out door prizes to those attendees that entered their names at the end of each seminar with a grand prize awarded at the end of the expo. This grand prize was a Toshiba Satellite laptop donated by the local Best Buy store. The lucky winner of this laptop is me. I was very surprised that my name was drawn and I'm more than pleased with the laptop.

Well, that's all for now. I hope to update the blog a lot more often then I have but one can never tell. To everyone out there, "Live Long and Prosper."