Last Chance Cafe

Cynthia McKinney is the candidate for America's Green Party.

"These 5,000 souls also need some justice too."

I Report: You Decide.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:33 PM | Permalink

If you don't try it you'll never know. And if you fail you pick yourself up and try again.

I try to live by these words having tried plenty of stuff from writing (meh, you be the judge) and sculpting to driving a taxi and a forklift to 3D scanning and rapid prototyping to building a clothing/ shoe store and a bar. And I've just scratched the surface.

I've run businesses in three countries, and though I was successful in putting most of those businesses together to my own satisfaction, only one of them is still operating- and I'm not operating it. All of them failed for one reason or another. I'm looking for my next enterprise, but I'm also buying weekly lottery tickets. This is the state of my frustration.

Though my own writing is short of Pulitzer quality I do enjoy reading the good stuff, and some of the better stuff just went away. Yesterday, on September 30, the New York Sun ceased publication. We are the poorer for it and we won't see its like again anytime soon. It was rather exciting watching them launch and make a go of it, and go they did.

It is small salve that I find myself in good company in failure, but I'll take it.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:21 PM | Permalink

Gwen Ifill, an African-American journalist, is going to be moderating the Vice Presidential debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The commission is a "nonprofit, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) corporation that has sponsored all the presidential debates in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004."

"This is something that a lot of people have been thinking about that no one had thought to write about."

The Breakthrough: Politics And Race In The Age Of Obama

The above is the title of a new book coming out in January written by the aforementioned Gwen Ifill, the quote is from the linked video of her talking about her book. The subject is that of a new generation of black political leaders in the United States. And Obama, in case you didn't get that from the title.

What "a lot of people have been thinking about" and not writing about? Well, OK, but does singing count? (Please see previous creepy entry.) Autobiographies?

I'm not going to automatically apply base motives to Ms. Ifill's apparent belief that she can objectively moderate the upcoming debate, but in order to do that I have to believe that she is just plain stupid. It's either that or she thinks that you and I are just plain stupid.

I'm beginning to think that it's door number two, and that she's right.

Roll me over lay me down and do it again.

Posted by petefredbob at 11:04 AM | Permalink

And I've seen some pretty creepy shit.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:49 PM | Permalink

Ninety-five Democrats and 133 Republicans voted no.

I was disappointed last week when I read that Brazilian President Lula was 'not exactly' cheerleading for the bailout.

"They want to help the banks and not help the poor." Lula said late on Saturday in Sao Paulo during a campaign rally ahead of Oct. 5 municipal elections. "Why give $700 billion to the banks and no money to the poor guys who lost their houses."

"Why" indeed? I love Brazil but 'poor' is a relative term here. 'House' is another relative term. 'Dwelling' may be more appropriate for most Brazilians. The United States has been a shelter for foreign capital as well as foreign human capital for a long time. Maybe it's time to let China lead. They might even beat us back to the moon.

For a taste of what that might be like one could do worse than read Peter Hitchens' latest from Africa, where China has large and growing presence.

Update: Dow closed down -777 to 10, 365 or about 7%. The Brazilian BVSP out of Sao Paolo closed down -4,754.84 to 46,028 or about 9.36%.

Pelosi gave an angry partisan speech right before the vote in which she showed she didn't give a damn about Republican votes (like she's been bitching about for the past week) and couldn't hold her party together. Some leadership.

I'll quote some more from Lula:

Brazil was in a better position to withstand the crisis than it was years ago, the former union leader said.

"I don't want to say we're at ease but ... today we depend less on the United States for our exports," Lula said.

When I was in Brazil a couple of years ago the real traded roughly two for a dollar and was on its way up to a high of around 1.55 for a buck this past August. Today it's back down to around two for a buck. Shopping is good in Sao Paolo for Americans right about now. Maybe that trip to Rio?

Hope everybody's happy.

Posted by petefredbob at 02:18 PM | Permalink

The first time I paid anything like real attention to the day-to-day crap the government was doing was when I noticed that Frank Zappa was upset with the PMRC. The Parents Music Resource Center was Tipper Gore's pet project that ultimately succeeded in forcing the entertainment industry to put those little warning labels on popular music packages. You remember Tipper Gore don't you? She's Al Gore's wife, the chubby fellow who's currently selling snake oil of the global warming variety.

In a nutshell, for those of you that did not pay attention or who weren't around, here is the raison d'être for the PMRC from the wiki:

The PMRC claimed that popular music, and especially hard rock, punk rock and heavy metal music, was partially responsible for the perceived contemporary increase in violence, rape, teenage pregnancy, and teen suicide.

Most amusingly John Denver testified in front of congress mentioning that classic teenage drug ballad "Rocky Mountain High."

I think of Tipper and her crew of "Washington Wives" (no wonder she was so jealous of Hillary) whenever I hear one of my many liberal friends talk about how conservatives are natural censors—in so many spittle-flecked words, of course. This is usually followed by how the liberal candidate of the moment will save us from this scourge. The record tends to show a different story.

In our current tussle for the top spot our liberal savior is engaged in another jack-booted endeavor largely flying below the radar.

Obama campaign cracks down on misleading TV ads
September 23rd, 2008
The Barack Obama campaign is asking Missouri law enforcement to target anyone who lies or runs a misleading TV ad during the presidential campaign.

Here is a link explaining a bit of what is going on in case the TV station web site moves the video (The link is to the partisan National Review Online, but nobody else seems to be on top of this at the moment).

While this may send another thrill up Chris Matthews' leg, it sends a shiver down my spine. Who needs the FEC when the local sheriff is just down the road? The Obama Truth Squad indeed. Insert appropriate vulgarity [Here].

Update:

Gov. Blunt Statement on Obama Campaign’s Abusive Use of Missouri Law Enforcement

What Senator Obama and his helpers are doing is scandalous beyond words, the party that claims to be the party of Thomas Jefferson is abusing the justice system and offices of public trust to silence political criticism with threats of prosecution and criminal punishment.

More from Missouri's Governor at the link.

Posted by petefredbob at 12:55 PM | Permalink

I like Bette Midler, always have. She's one of those feisty, outspoken, smart-aleck chicks I've always viewed as a challenge as well as pure entertainment. You can just feel the life they've lived and the unspoken, well, sometimes spoken taunt, "Can you keep up with me honey?"

When the mask slips though it can be such a disappointment. I read today that she's decided, Bette that is, to quit touring to help save the planet. It seems she took a look out the back window of the bus and found there were too many trucks full of her stuff following to support the show. "Fourteen trucks. That's a lot of gas," says she.

So she's going to take a gig in Vegas and let the fans come to her. I don't know, maybe some math wiz can do the numbers but, isn't getting one person to an arena filled with a few thousand other people slightly cheaper and easier on the planet than getting those few thousand people to Vegas, even if that one person would have used fourteen trucks?

For one thing, Vegas is in the middle of the desert and unless you're coming from a population center in California and have the time to drive out (in your Prius, of course) you're going to take a plane to get there. That's just the blazingly obvious part but a host of other economic considerations come into it, not the least being Bette has decided the thirteen million bucks she'll earn per year will be sufficient to live on. Here's just one.

So Bette and the casino (whichever one it will be) have done the math and found the answer to be good, but what of the math for her fans? That answer would be of the 'let them eat cake' variety. Let's say you live in Kansas City with a spouse and couple of tax deductions. Bette is coming to town so you get a baby sitter for the night and blow some of that money you've been saving for the new plasma. What the heck? Once in a lifetime and all that. You can still bring the family to the lake for vacation.

You can do your own math about going to Vegas. Forget the plasma, forget the lake and forget the new school clothes. Multiply that by even a small number of fans. The better off fans will still be going to the lake that year so Ms. Midler's planet-saving scheme has just been dumped down her ultra low flush toilet.

I've got nothing against Vegas. I love Vegas. It's fun and flashy and is the ultimate iconic American expression of excess and decadence. They never turn the lights off and the air conditioning never stops. I think Bette Midler and Vegas belong together. And as long as we have Vegas and Bette Midler together crushing some poor desert tortoise atwixt their collective foot and carbon footprint there is hope for America. I just wish these entertainers could keep their feet out of their mouths.

Posted by petefredbob at 09:49 AM | Permalink

Gawker just published the contents of Sarah Palins' Yahoo email account including her contact's addresses. I'm looking at it right now. According to Gawker:

I guess we'll have to blow up the internet now?

Very funny.

Sometimes you need to know what side somebody's on and what they really think.

Gawker is not on my side, your side or on privacy's side. They are not Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Green. Again, they are not on your side. Their actions have spoken no matter what other cute crap spills from their lip-sticked mouths.

They have just thrown in with the spammers. I hope somebody goes to jail.

Most personally disappointing to me is that Ken Layne seems to be ok with it. He writes:

Oh hey, like every other Republican official in America, Sarah Palin tried to hide her dirty work (and stupid family pictures) by using free Yahoo email accounts.

Ken? I finally get it. I'm a little slow, but I finally realize that Republicans are Hitler and Democrats pure as the driven snow. With bunnies. Because of this anything that anyone does is ok as long as it's used against a GOP candidate. I hope you sober up soon.

Way to go assholes.

Posted by petefredbob at 07:30 PM | Permalink

By the end of the day on September 11 of this year I hadn't finished with this so I didn’t post. I can't prepare these things, I have to write in the moment and sometimes that moment passes. But I've changed my mind, and, I've decided to backdate this entry and make it look like it was published on the eleventh for archival purposes.

Today is September 15.

Seven years. I've done a lot of stuff in seven years. I remember figuring out that I wasn't just watching some awesome special effects thing on some morning show. The first tower was down by the time I got my coffee fixed.

If there's one thing I've learned about myself in the time since is that no matter how much I want to express my feelings about what happened and what I want to happen is that it comes out all gibberish. Prose is not enough and I do even less well with poetry. But I still need to try.

The rest is after the jump.

Continue reading "A Late Entry" »

Posted by petefredbob at 11:00 AM | Permalink

It seems painfully obvious that Microsoft has dug themselves into a hole and they need some help getting out of it. The Mojave Experiment was so transparent that heads should roll, and considering the stakes, maybe literally. Telling people they are stupid for not buying your product may not be the best marketing strategy. The second smartest computer guy I know tested Vista in Beta and warned me off of it. (The first smartest guy was raised on Unix.)

That said I think the Seinfeld/ Gates commercial was a real work of art.

Aside from its entertainment value it tells the story of Bill Gates and Microsoft and their history with Apple and Steve Jobs. Let's break it down:

Continue reading "Windows or a Window?" »

Posted by petefredbob at 02:09 PM | Permalink

Somebody that I've always considered a phony, Dr. Phil, took on the role of defending Sarah Palin on Dave Letterman's show the other day. Well played Doc. You are a gentleman. I don't know what's happened to Dave.

Perhaps not so surprising, Oprah, Dr. Phil's benefactor, has refused to interview Palin on her own show. This, after showcasing Obama to much hoopla. A show for and about women is shutting out perhaps the one woman in America that women want to know more about.

I'm not her audience, but it sounds like she doesn't think much of who is. If Ellen DeGeneres had any balls she'd step up.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:05 PM | Permalink

Good stuff.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:59 AM | Permalink

Caught a bit of Fred's speech and Lieberman's shtick. Newt Gingrich is big time pro Sarah. Republican pooh-bas are still lukewarm except for Bill Kristol who was an early Sarah advocate. Through all of it, the base, the Republicans on the floor, especially the women on the floor, are going cross-eyed while waiting to hear from Sarah. Unless she burns a cross on the stage and offers her teenage daughter's unborn child up for a pagan sacrifice they're going to have to repair the roof on the joint.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:42 PM | Permalink

When McCain announced that he would reveal his VP pick on the day after Obama's acceptance speech everybody yawned. Yawned because it was such a boring old play to try and steal Obama's thunder. How did McOldMan think he could upstage the O with such a cheap trick, especially as he was going to pick a rich newscaster with many houses? Psyche!!!

So far his actual pick seems to have accomplished all the right things: Thunder? What thunder? The O campaign should sue Zeus for shoddy workmanship on the temple. Better, it has created consternation amongst the Republican cognoscente. I haven't seen this many furrowed brows since Edward married Wallace.

The loyal opposition's response has been mouth foaming conspiracy theories about faked pregnancies coupled with serious criticism of her bangs and a fake smear website from an Obamabot. Sweet.

All this plus the most important thing: unmitigated joy from the rank and file. To say that McCain's support from the base has been soft is an understatement, which, added to the Bradley effect has had people weirdly confused (including McCain's people I would think) about the neck and neck polling for the past few weeks. I certainly hadn't planned on voting this cycle, and the race belongs to those who show up.

So, I'm interested again, and will be watching how McCain uses this unique "Mrs. Smith goes to Washington" pick. It won't take long to see if he muzzles her- or, starts picking up on her themes. If he listens to his wife it will be the latter.

With that hope in mind- and before reality comes again to crush my post Fred Thompson soul- I offer the following public service of introducing the next Vice President of the United States to those who are looking for more detailed information.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Sarah Palin.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:55 AM | Permalink

When you see the poor bastards in bright orange vests along the roadside picking up garbage, chances are that they have committed some offense against society. They have been impressed, dragooned, Shanghaied, convicted. They are not there willingly. Some, you can have no doubt, have asked the 'judge' that they may serve their time in jail and have been denied. This is punitive embarrassment my friends, every bit as humiliating as being pilloried or bound in stocks in the middle of some eighteenth century town square.

They are not murderers nor have they been found guilty of aiding and abetting the enemy. We're talking about the common shoplifter and lunch time imbiber found to have been behind the wheel at around point-oh-eight. They are not threats to the Republic but as a society we have found them wanting in social grace and have determined to make them pay. As they have committed offense to the community we find it just that they perform a service to the community in return.

My friend Gail has just returned from a trip to the Southeast where she witnessed a chain gang, I believe she said in Georgia. I remember from my childhood driving from Jersey to Florida with my parents on the Disneyland route and seeing the same thing. How much could the contrast be- a three-day pass to the happiest place on earth or working in the hot sun chained to the fella next to you? Here in California we are chain-free, but I'm guessing that the gang in Georgia might include an offender of a slightly higher caliber.

Today, people aspiring to rule our country, want to turn us all into a virtual chain gang. They want to require our youth to be legally committed to community service for a certain number of years. Aside from the insane economics of it all I would personally like someone to explain to me what part of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" that this addresses? In what sense is this liberal or progressive? How is this conservative? Is this really the middle of the road or moderate position?

These are rhetorical questions of course, for as a society we've gone beyond what the communists and socialists had planned for us. We're calling for our own mass enslavement, and liking it. We have a duty to the State, not for the defense of our nation and our way of life, but for the principal of it. That the State exists is reason enough to serve it. The same folks who said the draft was wrong and are repulsed by our volunteer military yet call for obligatory service to the State for other correct purposes.

It's not a joke anymore. I see us looking at a critical mass where we will need to fight for every scrap of liberty we have left.

Am I going over the top on this? Is it hyperbole? I personally don't think so, but I do feel like Cassandra. As a small demonstration as to how mainstream this movement is I offer the following criticism of John McCain for his lack of zeal in this regard by Ben Adler published on the Politico web site on July 13th of this year:

John McCain, who’s predicated his presidential run in no small part on his distinguished military record, frequently exhorts Americans — and especially young Americans — to serve their country. Despite that appeal, he has yet to offer any proposals to expand or transform national service outside of the military.

Barack Obama, by contrast, has proposed dramatically expanding Americorps and the Peace Corps, adding 65,000 members to the military and creating an annual $4,000 tax credit for post-secondary education in exchange for 100 hours of community service.

Ouch, that must have hurt, because it rated a response:

"John McCain has constantly spoken to the need for young Americans to serve a cause greater than their self-interest," said McCain spokesman Joseph Pounder. "McCain's campaign is all about a cause greater than yourself," echoed Jessica Colon, chairwoman of the Young Republican National Federation.

If you don't see the twisted logic of this yet, please allow me to introduce you to Service Nation.

ServiceNation [sic] is about an America that is ruggedly idealistic, compassionate, and above all committed to the idea of shared sacrifice in pursuit of America’s boldest promise: liberty and justice for all.

America's boldest promise: shared sacrifice in pursuit of liberty and justice for all. Sorry, that's not my country, that's not my vision and those aren't my ideals. I'm all about the original idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Is that selfish? If you think so you are my problem.

What to do? I haven't a clue, but I've only just touched on this lemming like movement to mass self-flagellation. For those of you who think we have a choice in all of this I would direct your attention to the first of this year's Presidential debates scheduled for September 11th in New York City. The forum will be called "A Nation of Service" and will be sponsored by the previously noted and linked Service Nation organization. John McCain is quoted as saying:

“I am pleased to be participating in the ServiceNation [sic] Summit in New York City. The Summit will be an important remembrance of those that made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country and others as we focus on how to inspire others to serve causes greater than their own self-interest through national and community service."

Perhaps McCain calls out "those that made the ultimate sacrifice" because they're not here to defend themselves anymore. I know that I certainly didn't volunteer three years of my young life so that I could force others to clean bedpans and such, but then I'm not dead yet so I lack moral superiority.

So much for the Republican position, so, where does our Democratic candidate stand on this issue?

On July 2, 2008, in a speech at Colorado Springs, Barack Obama (as presumptive Democratic Party nominee) made another reference to such legislation when he called for the creation of a "national civilian military service" by saying: "We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." Obama then went on to explain his vision of a national service program similar to the one he outlined in the MTV/MySpace forum, saying he would make federal assistance to schools contingent to school districts establishing service programs, with a goal of 50 hours of service per year for middle school and high school students, and 100 hours of service per year for college students.

So that, my fine feathered friends, is how it begins. A vote for Obama is a vote for enslavement, or more properly, for indentured servitude, for our publicly educated youth.

To the youngsters that may one day stumble across this lost diatribe you'll now know that if mommy or daddy can't buy your way out by sending you to a privately funded school you will be a tool of the State. A little baksheesh may get you a plum position lording it over your fellow tools, but you'll still be a tool.

What was your offense that got you here? You were born to a wannabe tool.

For my Republican friends I would like to ask how the hell is throwing your support behind McCain going to make any difference with a Democratic congress when he's ready to bend over for these people on September 11th? Is this what being a "Maverick" means? There's a place where the sun don't shine and I hope you're all comfortable up inside there. You will deserve it.

Posted by petefredbob at 12:08 PM | Permalink

Nasa is working with its international partners on the space station, including Russians, to find out how the virus got on board, it said.

From a Telegraph UK story Computer virus infects International Space Station laptops.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:52 PM | Permalink

ROFLMAO

Posted by petefredbob at 08:15 PM | Permalink

Maybe it's me, but from the first day I haven't been able to easily figure out the Olympic TV viewing schedule on NBC. Which events are recorded, which are live, which NBC 'channel.' I've just spent 30 minutes trying to figure out when and where to watch the Men's basketball gold match live. This is what nbcolympics.com tells me, after digging through a bunch of crap to the results and schedules page:

08/24 14:30PM
Men's Gold-Medal Game - Game 76
Spain vs United States
Alert me
Preview
Scheduled

Yeah, no kidding it's scheduled. But that is China time, how about a little help for back here in the good old US of A? So counting backwards I get 11:30 PM the night before (tonight 08/23) Los Angeles time. And what is it about 14:30 PM? Is there such a thing as 14:30 AM? In case the rocket scientists at NBC missed it you can either say 14:30, or 2:30 PM.

Now, considering this is the NBC web site how about a little info on which channel, eh? So jumping through the hoops punching in my zip code and satellite provider, then to which sport, and then to which event, I get this:

Men's Basketball
Gold-medal game: USA vs. Spain.
9:00p - 9:00a (8/24)

OK, so sometime between 9PM on the 23rd and 9AM on the twenty fourth there will be a game in there. But this is listed on the 'Basketball Channel', not the local NBC affiliate. For that station I find this:

9AM to 3PM
Daytime
Women's basketball gold-medal game: USA vs. Australia (LIVE ET/CT). Also, gold-medal finals in individual rhythmic gymnastics, team synchronized swimming, boxing and flatwater canoe/kayak.

For CNBC I get this:

9PM- 11PM
Men's Basketball
Bronze-medal game: Argentina vs. Lithuania (LIVE ET/CT).

Why all the complications Pete? Why don't you just go to the TV Guide on the web where you usually go? OK, but I tried that back at the beginning of the Olympic coverage and found it so frustrating that I just gave up until today when I really want to watch the basketball thing like every other person in the world.

11:30PM
Olympics: Men's basketball, boxing, mountain biking, table tennis.

Get that? And that schedule runs to 4AM. Now, if you click on the listing:

Kobe Bryant faces Los Angeles Lakers teammate Pau Gasol as the U.S. "Redeem Team" meets Spain in the men's basketball final. Also: medals are awarded in boxing; track and field (men's javelin); men's table tennis; and men's mountain biking.

One might forgive my naiveté in assuming that at 11:30PM (remember my earlier math) I would turn on the TV to find the US men's basketball team, but nowhere does it tell me in the listing that the game is 'live.' This might be an important bit of information, especially considering that the other listings note (LIVE ET/CT).

So, is NBC going to screw us again like they did during the opening ceremonies? That is where my money is going. It would be a delight if they prove me wrong.

Update: 11:44PM- All is forgiven. Great game so far.

Posted by petefredbob at 01:41 PM | Permalink

"It goes against the whole spirit of the Olympics," Leeflang said. "The spirit of the Olympics is to come together in the spirit of fair play. A small country like ours, we did not come here as victims. I think it's a pity for a big country like the United States to make such a small statement."

Omayra Leeflang, Sports Minister for The Netherlands Antilles

Usain Bolt from Jamaica had just stunned the world with a record-breaking victory in the 200 meter foot race followed by Churandy Martina of Netherlands Antilles and Wallace Spearmon of the United States. During the celebrations the Olympic officials were reviewing the race and noticed that third place contender Wallace had stepped out of his lane and was therefore disqualified. So far, so good.

Our offense happened while our own officials were reviewing the reviewers and found that the second place contender from the Netherlands Antilles also stepped out of his lane. Oops.

Posted by petefredbob at 09:30 AM | Permalink

Seems my bullshit detector isn't totally whacked as my take from this post really was the smell of desperation. The New York Post reveals that T. Boone Pickens took a 34% whack upside the head betting wrong on oil through his BP Capital fund.

T. Boone Pickens has been an oilman for nearly 60 years, but all that experience counted for little last month as the well-schooled octogenarian tycoon took a beating on oil and natural gas bets, The Post has learned.

It's not that I don't feel sorry for him, after all congress was seriously floating a windfall profits tax and a crucifixion scheme for speculators and he had to position himself somewhere, but—windmills? C'mon.

What's worse is that the Russians might actually have realized what was coming, which goes a long way to explaining their most recent excellent adventure. One may want to remember the entire current oligarchy is based on maximizing oil profits.

So what was the news on Friday August eighth? Besides My Silk Pony massaging the timeline of his adventurous penis?

Light, sweet crude for September delivery settled down $4.82 to $115.20 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It was the lowest close since May 1, when oil finished at $112.52.

Oh yeah, Russia invades Georgia while Putin enjoys the opening ceremonies in China.

So as the American electorate wakes up to find that Peak Oil has lost its appeal (with the seemingly daily discovery of more dinosaur juice, a good portion of it in our own back yard), the markets decide to yawn while W talks tough and Vladmir looks ill. It's a topsy turvy woild.

So I think it's time for the Café's first ever cheesy online poll.

Posted by petefredbob at 10:32 AM | Permalink