Hold fast, run free – the blatherings of CBCalvin
When I was in High School, my older brother played guitar and listened to records of guitar players. He especially liked a 45 by Les Paul and Mary Ford – How High The Moon. He played it as the signature song for his pretend radio show.
Les Paul, invented more stuff for musical performance and recording than most people have items in their kitchen.
Les Paul, always the accent, the spark, the zing.
Les Paul, now missed.
After beating up the auto executives for flying to Washington in their company’s jets, Congress has quietly added a cool $200,000,000 to the appropriations bill to get a 3 luxury jets more than the Air Force had requested. Our Air Force provides the aircraft to fly the President and Congress. We taxpayers of course fund it. At least with the auto execs, the stockholders (owners of the company) are the ones that pay. The jets are used by military and government travelers but apparently the problem is when the holidays come, some members of Congress can not get a seat.
Heard this song from REM on World Cafe. Had a flashback to the the library hour when the librarian read Five Chinese Brothers, a similar story, aloud to the gathered children including me. We read it to our kids. Younger folk may have heard the Seven Chinese Brothers with watercolor illustrations. If we recognize the talents of all of our neighbors and brothers, it will help us all to achieve our maximimum,
Things published on the web can be considered libel. If untrue statements are published, the author could be subject to damages. Tweets may be considered published statements. Check your privacy settings, verify your facts. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. Some folks have no sense of humor.
[Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) aka Cash for Clunkers was a dumb idea to begin with. Now the bozos in DC are talking about adding to it. I say how about some rewards for those folks who were smart enough to buy a car that gets good mileage and maybe a dope-slap for those who were dumb enough to buy, say, a Hummer. I have been driving a car that gets better than 26 mpg for 14 years. I could use a little help buying a new car that gets even better mileage. Instead, I get to help a gas-waster get a slightly less wasteful new car. The program should only apply to new cars that get 35 mpg or better and it should apply to all comers who have been driving the old vehicle for 3 years or more. Or even better, just forget the whole Cash-for- Clunkers-subsidies-for-the-thinking-impaired idea altogether.]
I had set the above post to publish 4 hours from now. The news on the way home implied there was some sort of crash program to make more Cash-for-Clunkers. I guess I underestimated the ability of the current House to pick my (and your) pocket. Zippered pockets is my fashion prediction. You are going to need them.
Kittens are too cute. These kittens are 4 cute. Two boys and two girls. Mama was torn up by some animal. Found by a greenskeeper and brought to shelter.
From various sources that I have seen, there was no coup in Honduras, rather an orderly execution of legal proceedings to enforce existing law. Honduras, having put up with dictators who cannot let go (Samoza family), put a clause in its Constitution that presidents serve 1 term. If the president tries to change the law, he is out. It is in the constitution. Former president Manuel Zelaya tried to have a referendum to change the law. When the referendum was was ruled unconstitutional, he was going to hold the vote anyway as a “non-binding” referendum. The Honduran Supreme Court ruled that the former president was trying to change the law and was therefore to be removed from office. He was removed. Previously scheduled presidential elections to follow.
The Obama administration seems kind of thick here. They lifted the visa of the Honduran Supreme Court Justice that signed the removal warrant along with the visas of a couple of others. President Obama may be on the wrong side of of the rule of law. Perhaps the President is getting bad advice from a poor lawyer on his staff. Perhaps that someone needs to be in private practice instead of messing up the hemisphere.
And has unfriendly service besides. I heard the song behind this video on All Things Considered. An e-mail newsletter from Flight Aware jogged my memory so here is the video.
The last time I flew United Airlines, I was flying to a job interview with them. I did not know whether I was being treated liked dirt because something on my ticket let them know I was flying to headquarters or I was just another passenger to be treated like all the others. Still, I would rather fly United than Delta or American.
In this YouTube clip, the host of the British Top Gear show gets a ride in an U2.
“Stupid” is the right word, even as used by the President to describe the Cambridge incident. The President is also correct in saying he should have been more calibrated. Perhaps the accurate calibration would have avoided public comment. There is way too much heat in this issue and plenty of stupid all around.
Sgt. Crowley should get some additional training defusing tense situations.
Sgt. Crowley’s Captain should make sure that he (and others on his team) get that training.
Cambridge City Council should make sure that the the appropriate funding and budget are available.
Mr. Gates should get some rest after a long trip. He should also work on being patient with those who have difficult jobs.
Hopefully Mr. President, Mr. Gates, and Sgt. Crowley will be able to enjoy a beer in the White House and have a great time at taxpayer expense. (President’s discretionary budget).
Full disclosure: I am related to some Crowley’s and no Gates or Presidents that I know of.