The River
Time 2021-11-08 17:06:45Web Name: The River
WebSite: http://www.theriverman.blogspot.com
ID:225736
Keywords:
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keywords: description: The RiverRandom input and output from somewhere on the sandbar.I try to update every 1-3 days, so be sure to check back often for new nuggets of wisdom. If it's still the same crap after 5 days or so, email me and remind me to wake up and post some new stuff. Thanks.Comments and bashings are invited as well. Send me something interesting and I may post it.
The Riverman
You've got some
Lines you quote
Well here's some
Rhymes I wrote
I've got a beard like a model
You've got a beard like a billy goat
Wait it seems like I maybe got that backward
Considering the fact that I lack girl
And you don't,which is weird, what a whack world ( ;) )
When i'm the single one of the River world
Nah, i'm just bein silly
Please don't waste on me a bit o pity
I'm quite content with time spent in this big city
No, really
I'm doin fine
All my doctors believe it, hey
They said I was so happy
That it was time I could leave the place
2013 Ben Tigert
# posted by The Riverman : 9:26 PM | Thursday, December 01, 2011
Open Memo To Occupy [insert location] Protestors
You guys make a lot of good and valid points. You really do. There are many of us out here who agree with a lot of what you have to say, and we'd like to see those things come to be. However, there are among you some who are completely insane. And, frankly, they're making you look bad. If you really want to be taken seriously, you're going to have to get rid of the crazy people. Ok, I know you can't really “get rid of them”. They're not going anywhere, I get it. But you can still disavow them and their often unintelligible rantings.
The other thing I'd like to mention is that there is a problem with, what seems to me to be, one of your primary complaints. You make this same complaint about any of a number of valid issues: wages, health care, the housing crisis, the income gap. All of these things could be argued in various logically sound ways. But, often, you attack them with the oft-repeating refrain of “It's Not Fair!”. You're right. Absolutely correct. It's not fair. None of it is. Not at all. Here's the problem though, no one ever promised you “Fair”. No one. Not "the people", not "society", not the Constitution of the United States of America, God doesn't even promise us that things on Earth will be fair. So, maybe you could drop that complaint?
These are just some brief notes. I hope they help.
# posted by The Riverman : 11:07 PM | Wednesday, October 12, 2011 RIP
2002-2011
always hoped for more
knew it wouldn't come
knew twas bound to fail
knew it is just what it was
feared this day forever
curse the sunrise and the weather
curse the third and fourth one
curse my name in big bold letters
# posted by The Riverman : 11:57 PM | Sunday, August 21, 2011
Politics And Area Rugs
So you’ve just come back from a home furnishing store where you purchased a nice new area rug. This particular rug is reversible. One side is mostly purple and blue tones, and the other is mostly burgundy. Both colors work with your room, but you decide to go with the burgundy side for now.
However, there is a problem. You find out that the rug is infected with anthrax, botulism, and the bubonic plague. Faced with this horrible new information, you make the most logical and sensible choice: you flip the rug over and use the purple side. Right?
No! You drag the whole damn rug outside and throw it in the incinerator and buy a new rug from a different, and non-infected, store.
This is, more or less, the situation we find ourselves in, in current American politics. We have the 2012 POTUS race upon us. We know that, realistically, one of two things will happen when all is said and done. We will have a Democratic president, or we will have a Republican president. The problem is that the two parties are simply two slightly different colored sides of the same infected, infested rug.
But until we, as a nation, face up to the fact that our election system is screwed up, and we get rid of the Two Party System, among other changes, we’re stuck with buying the same damn rug from the same infected, infested dealership and turning it over, over and over again.
# posted by The Riverman : 11:00 AM | Monday, June 20, 2011 No...
...Love is not enough.
# posted by The Riverman : 11:46 PM | Saturday, June 18, 2011 OTC Gold And Silver Trading to be Illegal After July 15
That doesn't mean normal gold and silver trading will be outlawed, but it is, well, odd. This stems from the Dodd-Frank Act, you can check that out here. As for the subject of this post, here's a link. And here's another.
And here's an excerpt from that first linked page:
On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the “Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act” (the “Dodd-Frank Act” or “Act”). The Dodd-Frank Act most likely will bring about sweeping regulatory changes within the financial services industry. However, at over 2,300 pages in length, few people have read this legislation in its entirety. Of those individuals who have read the Act, few can comprehend the implications of such sweeping reform. As a result, I have teamed up with attorney Nicole Kuchera, from Chicago’s Henderson Lyman, to review the content of the Dodd-Frank Act. Through this process we were able to identify some areas of the Act that are most likely to affect Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) regulated entities and National Futures Association (“NFA”) member firms.
Some of the language gets rather technical, but it's worth wading through. Stay strong, my friends.
Buy gold, buy silver, buy ammo.
# posted by The Riverman : 10:16 PM |
2010 = 1980 ?
In 1980, the USSR was 'known' to be a permanent, relatively stable, and growing power. However, within 10 years, it was little more than dust. Eaten from the inside by the parasites of inefficiency and bloated bureaucracy and by the growing power of a middle class and the growing anger of the poor.
Could 2010 turn out to have been China's 1980? The same necessary elements are present and they are moving. To precipitate the reaction, one need only to add heat.
Just a thought.
# posted by The Riverman : 7:54 PM | Saturday, May 28, 2011 A Memorial Day Message
On this Memorial Day weekend, I would like to offer my love, respect, and gratitude to all the members of our Armed Services, be they currently active or be they retired veterans.
You men and women are our best. I thank you for your service.
# posted by The Riverman : 6:59 PM | Tuesday, March 08, 2011 The Supreme Court Actually Decided A Case Correctly
i would like to applaud the Supreme Court for ruling correctly, i believe, and defending the free speech rights of the reprehensible fred phelps cult. they are evil people, and what they say is awful, but they should absolutely have the right to say it. however, rights carry responsibilities.
that is, if i were to have a friend or relative die in war, they have a right to lawfully assemble and protest. but they also have the responsibility of dealing with the repercussions of their free speech. specifically, those repercussions would be multiple contusions and broken bones caused by me.
# posted by The Riverman : 8:33 AM | Monday, January 17, 2011 A Thought
Seek simple joy.
Copyright 2011 Ben Tigert
# posted by The Riverman : 3:03 AM | Sunday, December 26, 2010 The Best MadTV Sketch Ever
# posted by The Riverman : 2:57 PM | Friday, December 03, 2010 Success in the economy!!! Wait...or is it that other thing...?
Aaaannndddd, we are headed back to double-digit unemployment. Late 10 or early 11. Yay us. Did i mention that you should look into buying silver or gold? And you may want to get a passport too, you know, just in case.
# posted by The Riverman : 10:20 PM | Friday, October 22, 2010
Rest In Peace Michael David Larsen, AKA Eyedea, November 9, 1981 – October 17, 2010
We have lost one of the greatest artists of our generation. Eyedea was a hip-hop artist from Minnesota and involved in the Rhymesayers consortium. He was a lyrical genius. His words were both personal and global, brilliant in their rhyme schemes and also poignant. No one writes like he did. No one wrote like he did.
I had the opportunity to attend one of his concerts about this time last year, in Atlanta. The show was under the guise of the group Eyedea and Abilities, a group consisting of Eyedea with his best friend and DJ, DJ Abilities. They had been friends since childhood. I attended the show with my two best friends, my brother, and my friend that I have known since early childhood. The show was fantastic. I found it interesting that he always referred to himself as “Michael”, never “Eyedea”. Don't know why I found that interesting.
After the show, I had a chance to speak with Michael for a couple of minutes. I met a man who was kind, clever, and sad. I greatly admire his work, and I am sad that we have lost such a voice.
May your words resound for ages, Michael.
# posted by The Riverman : 9:38 PM | Sunday, September 05, 2010 Double Dipping
For those of you with whom I speak on a fairly regular basis, you know that I believe we are headed toward the second dip in a double dip recession. For those of you who I do not speak with as often, I believe we are headed toward the second dip of a double dip recession.
The specific, technical definition of a Double Dip Recession: When gross domestic product (GDP) growth slides back to negative after a quarter or two of positive growth. A more basic definition would simply be to say that a DDR is a recession that is followed by somewhat of a recovery, and that recovery is then followed by another recession. I believe we are now in that recovery period before the second dip. Further, I believe that the second dip will be worse than the first one. I sincerely hope I'm wrong here, but I'm not the only person that is thinking this way.
Nouriel Roubini is a Professor of Economics at New York University's Stern School of Business and chairman of Roubini Global Economics, an economic consultancy firm. A recent column for the UK Telegraph quotes him from this year's annual Ambrosetti conference on Lake Como:
The US has run out of bullets [to defend against a DDR]. More quantitative easing (bond purchases) by the Federal Reserve is not going to make any difference. Treasury yields are already down to 2.5% yet credit spreads are widening again. Monetary policy can boost liquidity but it can’t deal with solvency problems.
He's basically saying that the Fed can't fix this. And he's dead right. We're in a mess people.
He goes on to hypothesize that the US growth rate is likely to fall below 1% in the second half of this year, “despite the biggest stimulus in history: a cut in interest rates from 5% to zero, a budget deficit of 10pc of GDP, and $3 trillion to shore up the financial system.” To put things in perspective, at this stage in a normal post-war recovery, the growth rate is generally between 4% and 6%.
Here's what I see happening. In the next 30-50 days, I'm looking for a 2-6% correction (that is, a drop) in the US markets. I'm also expecting DEflation. This deflation will be overcompensated for, which will bring about INflation. I expect the unemployment rate to remain stagnant for a few months, but I expect it to start slowly increasing again. I believe that the second dip will be worse than the first. Will it be a depression? I don't know, part of that depends on how you want to define depression. But I really don't know.
I'm not trying to be pessimistic, I'm just trying to be realistic. But, again, I will be very happy to be wrong.
Have a great Labor Day weekend, my friends. Much love to all.
# posted by The Riverman : 6:44 AM | Sunday, February 07, 2010 SAINTS WIN!! SAINTS WIN!!!!
the New Orleans Saints made it to, and won, their first Super Bowl today! WHO DAT!!!
# posted by The Riverman : 8:46 PM | Wednesday, February 03, 2010 Lazy Clip Art Comics #3
# posted by The Riverman : 8:36 AM | Saturday, January 23, 2010 On the Earthquakes in Haiti
Nigh on 3 in the morning
and here our power's still on
3 days ago come tomorrow
the fault lines, they groaned,
and shuddered and shouted,
the earth murdered thousands.
but still i hear questions of blame and about
who did/didn't do this thing or that one
which meeting was muffed and which bill was flattened
to fatten the fattest of fat cats or not
or the changing of insurance rates, well the lot
of all those spin talking heads can all burn, yes they'll burn
burn bright and burn long, as far as i am concerned
and one need not commission a poll to be shown
that the truth is the mangled bodies and bones
and small bony children, fighting for food
after their parents were crushed 'neath a roof
and you dare, and YOU DARE, to make this politic?
may you burn long and bright, as we and God tend the sick
Labels: earthquake, Haiti, poem, poetry, politics
# posted by The Riverman : 8:35 PM | Tuesday, December 08, 2009 The Tiger Woods Thing: My 2 Cents
Let me preface my comments with the following: I don’t much care about professional golfing or professional golfers. I have for some time, of course, been aware of who Tiger Woods is, and I know he is a fantastic golfer. (I’ve also heard of Jack Nicklaus and Paine Stuart and a few others) But I can’t stomach more than a couple minutes of watching the stuff, and I never have any clue who is winning or leading in the whatever-it-is championship. I do somewhat enjoy playing golf, I just righteously suck at it. I also enjoy golf of the electronic variety, having only a few moments ago taken a break from my 2-under-par game at Bethpage in Tiger Woods 10. Ok, done with that.
Now, I don’t really care about any of this mess. My comments aren’t even really about Mr. Woods’ affair (pun intended), but really the coverage of it. Here’s the thing; I am so frickin sick of pundits and other assorted idiots referring to this mess as Tiger Woods betraying “us”. What the hell? The argument is that he, and his handlers and sponsors etc. played him up to be this goody goody family man who also is a great golfer. First, I’m not aware of this “image” being so highly touted. Again, as I said, I don’t keep up with the golfing world, so maybe I’m missing something. But as I see it, it’s less of a matter of him being portrayed as a saint, as it is simply not mentioning his sins.
Ah yes, his sins. He has, ahem, “allegedly” had affairs and has, recently, “allegedly” gotten caught by his wife. Ok, and people are surprised by this why? I’m not, by any means, saying that it is right or good, but the fact remains that, more often than not, rich and/or famous men have affairs. Actually, a study was published in a 2000 issue of the Journal of Marriage and Family that showed that the more money one made, the more likely he was to cheat on his wife. J. Treas and D. Giesen, found, in a piece titled "Sexual Infidelity Among Married and Cohabitating Americans", that individuals earning $75,000 or more per year are more than 1.5 times more likely to have had an affair as those earning less than $30,000 per year. Quite interesting, but again, not surprising.
Ok, so he screwed around. That was bad, and I do feel sorry for his wife and family. I get it. But a betrayal of “us”? I still can’t get there. He most certainly betrayed his wife and family. But I can’t see how he owes “us” anything at all. He may have betrayed his sponsors, as most of those sorts of contracts contain a morality clause. The same goes, perhaps, for the PGA. But you and me? Nope. The only ones that I can see being so terrifyingly offended by Woods’ infidelity are those who saw him as somehow more than a mortal anyway. And THAT is the problem here. Not Woods’ transgressions, but the fact that there are people who saw him, and who see anyone actually, as more than a man, a creature virtually guaranteed to transgress.
I’ve always had a problem with the idea of seeing peoples as idols or heroes. There are certainly people I admire and respect, but none I idolize. None I worship.
This sort of idolization of stars, athlete or otherwise, is for small children and idiots. I would argue that even small children should be dissuaded from this. You’re only going to be let down by your expectations. Not betrayed by the people because they turn out to be human; you’ve only betrayed yourself by looking to others for greatness, rather than looking inward.
# posted by The Riverman : 2:31 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2009 I Need A Hobby Too...
# posted by The Riverman : 9:32 PM | Monday, September 14, 2009
State of the
Psychologically, ideologically, we are a failed state. We are a nation adrift. Yet we maintain our
Change. Obama promised change. And now, even his most ardent supporters are becoming disillusioned at the lack of it. At his indecisiveness. At his lack of plan, a backbone, for his great behemoth of a vision. But what is the alternative?
The alternative is a rudderless Republican congregation, lacking not only a rudder, but even a captain. A party with no leader to deliver its message, but, no matter, it has no message to deliver.
And yet, we should not be hopeless.
Or should we.
# posted by The Riverman : 10:13 PM | Sunday, September 13, 2009 My Response To The Discussion In General, To Wick's Comment In Particular
First, her comment:
I can't tell you guys how many times you've brought up issues in this blog that I'm learning in class. It really makes me feel like the kiddie tagging along with the big people, and I probably have no business touching this kind of thing, seeing as how I don't understand government systematics and details, but I'm going to sneak in my not-even-worth 2 cents here (I actually just read an ethics book, unfortunately it was Peter Singer's, the child-rapist-looking asshole, and he talked about this issue more of less).
All in all when it comes down to it, isn't it ethics? Torpid obviously has a strong sense of helping people in need in a way that it actually makes a difference, and encouraging others to do so as well. Of course we'll never have a utopia, you can take a look at basic ecology and know that nature, and the design of life on this planet as we know it, has a system of living and dying, population rising and falling, new species and extinct ones, and competition for resources. Now it wouldn't be fair to use this to excuse not helping anyone ever, but it's just a way to point out we'll always have resource issues, people will always be in need (and doesn't the definition of what condition to be able to live and not live in fluctuate?).
But as Torpid's example said, what's the priority? Personal life pleasures or helping someone? I think all of us have scales of compassion vs guilt, and they usually keep us in check, but who's to say you can't help just by living a less wasteful life (tie in to the efficiency talked about earlier)? I look around and see so much wasted...and I know all the food from this campus that's thrown away could feed a great deal of the homeless in downtown St. Pete. But I haven't made it my mission to make a petition or organize meetings, talk to the dean of the school, or set up a system with a homeless shelter. As RM said earlier, we should help how much, to what extent? Responsibility is a tricky beast, and when it comes down to it, perspective is the whip that controls it.
Maybe I'm missing the whole point here, and that as Americans and the extremely generalized things we believe in, we 'should' make sure that charity has a more flawless way to distribute supplies. I guess I don't know.
I'd like to say I'd help someone who needed it if I saw it, and I can't explain how embarrassed I get by the display of wealth in my family, but I haven't been faced with a lot of situations. In the end I guess I just agree with what you guys said...sorry for the side rant.
Wick | 09.12.09 - 11:46 am |
and now, my response to her, and to the quandary in general that we have been discussing:
well, you know, we try to help :) and as always, there are no needs for apologies.
as usual, my friend, i'm afraid you self yourself short. you've shown here that you have quite a grasp on the issues at hand. believe in yourself. i do.
responsibility...yes, tricky indeed. but who says i have any responsibility to anything or anyone? the law, the threat of punishment? my morals? morals are subjective, and fear of pain is a terrible motivation for philanthropy.
my point being, i suppose, is that there is no 'right' answer here. as you said, definitions of a good or, at least livable, life are in flux. but so are the definitions of most everything else we're discussing here. what is poverty? what is wealth? what must a society provide to its downtrodden to be seen, and to actually BE, a good and noble society?
that last question is, as i see it, the crux of the matter here. and i can't see any system of logic which would allow us to reach one final and true solution that is agreeable to everyone. there is too much emotion involved, too much subjectivity. for all practical purposes, there is no objective reality to this.
so, what do we do? do what you believe is right. volunteer at a soup kitchen. start a letter writing campaign to Congress to increase welfare disbursements or food stamps or Medicaid. in the end, as with most things, moderation will out. the extremes will yell, and as their echoes receed towards the middle, they meet action. and that action, as it always is, will be a compromise.
and, as someone once said, a good compromise pleases no one.
good night, my dearest friends. and sweet dreams.
rm
# posted by The Riverman : 11:07 PM | Your Government At Work
see more Fail Blog
House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, far right, speaks while colleagues play solitaire on their computers as the House convenes to vote on a new budget for the fiscal year in the Capitol, in Hartford, Conn., Monday, Aug., 31, 2009.
# posted by The Riverman : 6:09 PM | Saturday, September 12, 2009 More of a General, Rather Than a Specific, Exhortation
Do not hate, but do not forget.
# posted by The Riverman : 1:37 AM | Friday, September 11, 2009 Reply To Aaron From TT, Too Big To Post In Comments
First, Aaron's comment to which TT is responding
Wehell, i do agree with you that individuals should, on some basic level, take matters into their own hands when it comes to helping others, and if govt. helps to facilitate this process, and possibly inspire it, then i am all for it; and i am not opposed to personal volition being a major instigator of aforementioned charity, but i feel we, as an enlightened and ever increasingly liberal society, must take it upon ourselves- ie our govt.- to give a hefty push in the direction of what some know to be right in terms of domestic policy- universal healthcare.
But, really, how are we, in this ever increasingly fast paced world market we operate in, supposed to find time in the day to go help someone with something as specialized as healthcare? It would decrease productivity on many levels when we are in dire need of it. When we install govt. programs to take care of the poor, we are just doing the inevitable- outsourcing charity. We outsource everything these days- everything- and not just businesses, either. Manual laborers, food service employees, accounting, production of computers, etc, etc. Those are examples of how we are becoming more specialized as a society, which means we dont have time to putt around on things like charity.
Not to say charity is bad- not at all. Just take a year or two after college to volunteer nationally or, dare i say it, internationally. All arguments about not wanting the govt. to take more of your money, mainly because it is inevitable, aside, i feel this is a noble cause. It is the mark of a truly enlightened society, i feel, to help every one in the populace it can, and it is the responsibility of that populace to bear the burden.
And that is my 27cents. I know with you being a libertarian and all that we will disagree on this, but its the way i feel. Still got mad respec for your, highly nuanced, and intelligent ideas. The floor is yours, sir. haha.
Response to Aaron regarding the incarnation of outsourcing and specialization in charity:
"When we install govt. programs to take care of the poor, we are just doing the inevitable- outsourcing charity. We outsource everything these days- everything- and not just businesses, either. Manual laborers, food service employees, accounting, production of computers, etc, etc."
- Outsourcing and specialization do not require centralization.
- As I recall, outsourcing has had some rather negative effects in the U.S. when it comes to the lower economic classes.
- On the other hand, if outsourcing is such a great solution, and since said outsourcing is performed from an expensive source to an inexpensive source, maybe we should outsource public education too. We could bus all of our kindergartners down to Ecuador, and bring them back when they're in their mid-twenties (or late teens since they are presumably so much more efficient). I'm sure that would work out well.
- As for specialization, it's great if we're talking about only surgeons performing surgery or only experienced banjo players playing the banjo in public. Even choosing to invest in some individual or organization that you believe is providing a worthy service is, to my mind, an admirable decision. But, outsourcing the very selection of charitable organizations or individuals to some other individual or organization seems a bit, well, apathetic. If you have no control over the use of that money and do not care to have any control over it, but rather, you simply assume it is being used in an acceptable manner (based upon your own definition of acceptability), did you really give in order to help, or did you give to assuage guilt? If that money is in fact used "for a good cause," then I am glad, but you have no guarantee of that, and you do not seem to desire one. Your solution really only simplifies your interface to it. You are merely pushing the complexity (and I would argue the responsibility) onto others.
- Who indeed has the time? And yet, I would venture to guess that you eat most days, which takes time. You may even take vacations. Why not? You've worked for them. You've earned them. But, what is the priority, your Alaskan cruise or the kid that is going to die tonight in Atlanta from malnutrition? Well, if we all have a responsibility to help others, how is it that the act of moving money around, in hopes of somehow at some point positively affecting the life of someone somewhere who may or may not need it, able to magically remove that responsibility? If you are required to help the less privileged among us, doesn't that require or at least imply your responsibility to ensure that you and your money are in fact helping? If so, what metrics do you use to judge choices you have paid others to make on matters you are unlikely aware of concerning people you have never met regarding situations you likely don't even comprehend? Does charity require a college degree to comprehend? Must you be an engineer to discern the inner workings of this aged groaning old mechanism? Is charity a mysterious black box to be poked and prodded in order to analyze the response, waiting for that wonderful day on which we finally unlock its mysteries? Wow, it really shouldn't be that complicated.
- Find someone with a need, and help provide for the need. When approached by someone with a need, help provide for the need.
- If your response to someone that asks for money is "I gave it to the government to give to you. Go talk to them." then I do not think charity is really your concern.
~Torpid Tyrant
# posted by The Riverman : 5:11 PM | Wednesday, September 09, 2009 A Post From TT
a response to Sanford that got way too long for the comments
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a Beck fan. Way back before he killed that puppy live on the radio.
Granted he's quite excitable, but I find it easier to appreciate a man that prefaces unlikely predictions with the admission that he might be wrong over a man that publicly flaunts his own childhood struggles in an attempt to gain credibility while simultaneously proclaiming his sorrow for the next generation and claiming a some righteous desire to eradicate the very hardship that made him what he is.
...imagine a segue into health care here...
Legislation is a poor substitute for cultural change. If you find someone that needs help, help them. If the threat of arrest for tax evasion is the only way to procure funds to help those in need, we have much larger problems, problems that will simply not be fixed by any added statute.
That is not to say that we already live in a utopia. Rather, there is no utopia. There will be no utopia. Striving for a better world is admirable, but gamble with your own property. Accountability will either sharpen your senses at first or dull your pride in the end. I suppose it is a hackneyed reference, but our right to the pursuit of happiness is not a guarantee of success. Nor does the right to life imply any particular quality of that life. It is liberty that gives you permission to embark on the former and thereby define the latter.
The largest hurdle I run into in the area of charitable giving is the fear of being swindled, taken, cheated. And, that fear will by no means be lessened by the helping hand of Father Government. And yet there is comfort in the assumption that the people redistributing my money "must" be doing so lawfully since they are government employees and are thereby directly accountable to the laws that our own representatives (or at least a majority of them) agreed upon (assuming they read all of the bill and researched current relevant law and precedent that might affect the interpretation of the text therein). Perhaps I should then say that we need more legislation to somehow make me safe from thieves and free to give to anyone that asks, secure in the knowledge that if they ask then they must have been approved by the board in charge of such things. How very complicated that simplicity would be.
In general I find efficiency to be a very good thing. Lithium based battery, better solar panels, sterling engines (not necessarily efficient conversion, but better than the relative nothing we have currently when it comes to affordable heat harvesting), algae ponds for CO2 utilization, et al. Great stuff. And yet there seems to be some important loss between an novel and the sparknotes for the novel. It's the same plot, the same characters. They're neatly organized and sectioned and titled. If efficiency is the highest goal, sparknotes should be better. Perhaps a synopsis or abstract does seem better to you, reader. However, based upon the popularity of the Harry Potter series for example (even with grown men, sad to say) I believe it is reasonable to conclude that there is some non-trivial portion of our society that does seek a deeper, albeit less succinct, experience when it comes to human stuff (pardon the scientific jargon).
Human life is complex. Even if you believe there is a simple motivation at the root of life, be it self-preservation, pleasure, fear, or something else entirely, to assume that a simple rule set inherently assures simple behavior is madness. Consider fractals or the various examples presented in I Robot (the book, not the movie).
We are not in and will never attain a Utopian society.
Human lives will be complex and imperfect leading to at least one of the following: discomfort, pain, agony, and death. If troublesome complexity exists in your own life, what makes you think that strangers hired by other strangers are more qualified than you to deal with it. More importantly, what makes you think that it should be their problem?
If you think we should help those who cannot help themselves, then do so yourself, encourage others to do likewise, and debate those that disagree. Don't whine to the government to "do something about it." Coward! If people are starving in your neighborhood and the government truly has the power to change their lives and you desire "something" to be done, then it is currently your fault that they are starving. There is nowhere to hide. How do you have the authority to lay blame and the immunity against it? There is no god-code here. This isn't Warcraft: Orcs ">Something Like This
# posted by The Riverman : 1:08 PM | Friday, August 28, 2009 The End Of The False Recovery Is Neigh
as most of you know, i've long held the belief that this would be a "W" or double-dip recession. we are currently in the false recovery part of it, but the second dip is coming guys. get ready.
i'm sure you all know what a leading indicator is, right? if not, a leading indicator is:
An economic indicator that changes before the economy has changed. Examples of leading indicators include production workweek, building permits, unemployment insurance claims, money supply, inventory changes, and stock prices.
the Baltic Dry Index, "is a number issued daily by the London-based Baltic Exchange. Not restricted to Baltic Sea countries, the Index tracks worldwide international shipping prices of various dry bulk cargoes". it is a much observed and respected leading indicator and it is falling at a quite noticeable rate, just like it did around December last year. don't just take my word for it, check it out:
Baltic Dry Index Down 45% From High in June
BDIY:IND BALTIC DRY INDEX via Bloomberg
The most obscure but perhaps the most important economic indicator we've got
other leading indicators are tracking down as well.
i really, REALLY did not want to be right about this.
# posted by The Riverman : 4:11 PM | Thursday, May 07, 2009 What The Hell?
there is simply no excuse for this sort of thing.
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/5049867
OXFORD, N.C. — Sixteen-year-old Ashton Lundeby's bedroom in his mother's Granville County home is nothing, if not patriotic. Images of American flags are everywhere – on the bed, on the floor, on the wall.
But according to the United States government, the tenth-grade home-schooler is being held on a criminal complaint that he made a bomb threat from his home on the night of Feb. 15.
The family was at a church function that night, his mother, Annette Lundeby, said.
"Undoubtedly, they were given false information, or they would not have had 12 agents in my house with a widow and two children and three cats," Lundeby said.
Around 10 p.m. on March 5, Lundeby said, armed FBI agents along with three local law enforcement officers stormed her home looking for her son. They handcuffed him and presented her with a search warrant.
"I was terrified," Lundeby's mother said. "There were guns, and I don't allow guns around my children. I don't believe in guns."
Lundeby told the officers that someone had hacked into her son's IP address and was using it to make crank calls connected through the Internet, making it look like the calls had originated from her home when they did not.
Her argument was ignored, she said. Agents seized a computer, a cell phone, gaming console, routers, bank statements and school records, according to federal search warrants.
"There were no bomb-making materials, not even a blasting cap, not even a wire," Lundeby said.
... continued here.
# posted by The Riverman : 3:37 PM | Thursday, April 23, 2009 Gold
I am all the more bullish on gold. not only is it, as it has always been, an exceedingly safe investment, it looks like it will be a better and better investment as the next year or two go on.
Inflation seems to be the mode of the day, and it will continue. and seeing that the government will most likely simply try to inflate our way out of debt, as that is basically the only option they've got, i don't see inflation going down appreciably any time soon.
# posted by The Riverman : 3:57 AM | I'm Still Alive!
Yes i am, just still lazy too.
i have a twitter account now, so feel free to join up and follow my tweets on Twitter; my username is TheRiverman81. See ya there!
# posted by The Riverman : 3:56 AM | Monday, March 09, 2009 Beware The Bear Rally
Be aware, be vigilant, be alert. I believe a Bear Rally is coming. The best thing to do is just to be aware of the possibility and what to look for. To help with the latter, here are a couple of links:
http://www.investorgeeks.com/articles/2008/03/11/selling-into-a-bear-market-rally-is-wrong/
http://www.cnbc.com/id/27333422
Keep a stiff upper lip, soldiers. Much love to all.
# posted by The Riverman : 8:51 PM | Saturday, January 24, 2009 Happy Late 200th Birthday Edgar Allen Poe
January 19, 1809 - January 19, 2009
in commemoration of Poe's Bicentennial, I will be posting shortly an mp3 of me doing a dramatized reading of one of his short stories. i haven't decided which one? if anyone has any requests or suggestions, please comment and let me know.
much love to all.
# posted by The Riverman : 11:15 PM | Friday, December 26, 2008 There Are Parading Bulls In My Room
Rally Around The Family With A Pocket Full Of Shells
Thus Playeth The Sanford.
# posted by The Riverman : 8:29 PM | Wednesday, October 29, 2008 Voter Fraud Is Not Just Someone Else's Problem
you can find the whole story here. i've posted an excerpt below.
Voter rolls stuffed with dead and absent registrants
By Bert Case
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) - Mississippi's voter situation is hard to believe. Places like Madison County have over 123% more registered voters than people over the age of 18.
Sue Sautermeister, First District Election Commissioner in Madison County, tried to purge the rolls, but ran into trouble when it was discovered it takes a vote of three of the five election commissioners and the purge cannot take place within 90 days of a federal election.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann is the first to admit the situation with voter registration in this state is terrible.
"It is terrible," he says. "Combined with the fact that we don't have voter ID in Mississippi, anybody can show up at any poll that happens to know the people who have left town or died -- and go vote for them."
the story continues at the WLBT website.
# posted by The Riverman : 8:56 AM | Saturday, October 18, 2008 To Whom It May Concern:
Please allow me to clear up a few misconceptions about our two Presidential candidates and the GOP Vice Presidential Candidate.
McCain / Palin
McCain was not brainwashed to attack the US, or brainwashed at all, while he was a POW in Vietnam.
McCain did not father an African-American child.
Palin did not cut funding for Special Needs Education in Alaska. Not by 62%, not at all.
Palin did not demand, suggest, or ask that books be banned in the Wasilla Public Library.
Palin was never a member of the Alaskan Independence Party.
Obama
Obama is not a Muslim.
Obama was born in the United States, Hawaii to be exact.
Obama does sing the National Anthem, he does say the Pledge of Allegiance, and does place his hand over his heart while reciting it.
Obama is not a secret terrorist spy.
Obama does not support Hamas, Islamic Jihad, etc.
Obama is not gay.
i hope this helps to clear up some things. if you're going to vote, please vote on the issues, and not based on this bovine excrement.
thank you
# posted by The Riverman : 2:04 AM | Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Now This Is Just Getting Silly
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/30930849.html
Poll workers clash at Falls nursing home
Police, elections board investigate alleged assault over marked ballot
By Stephanie Warsmith
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Tuesday, Oct 14, 2008
Poll workers from opposing sides in the presidential race apparently clashed in a physical altercation Friday at a Cuyahoga Falls nursing home when one accused the other of improperly marking a ballot.
George Manos, the 75-year-old Republican, told police that Edith Walker, the 73-year-old Democrat, jumped on his back and struck him in the head three to four times with her fists. Manos said two other elections workers had to pull Walker off his back, according to a report filed with Cuyahoga Falls police.
Cont'd
http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/30930849.html
# posted by The Riverman : 10:59 AM | HAHA!!!
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2798">Chambers' suit against God tossed out
BY Christopher Burbach
World-Herald Staff Writer
You can't sue God if you can't serve the papers on him, a Douglas County District Court judge ruled in Omaha Tuesday.
Judge Marlon Polk threw out Nebraska Sen. Ernie Chambers' lawsuit against the Almighty, saying there was no evidence that the defendant had been served. What's more, Polk found "there can never be service effectuated on the named defendant."
Chambers had sued God in September 2007, seeking a permanent injunction to prevent God from committing acts of violence such as earthquakes and tornadoes.
Although the case may seem superfluous and even scandalous to others, Chambers has said his point is to focus on the question of whether certain lawsuits should be prohibited.
"Nobody should stand at the courthouse door to predetermine who has access to the courts," he said. "My point is that anyone can sue anyone else, even God."
Chambers, an avowed atheist, said he decided to make that point after at least two attempts in the Nebraska Legislature to limit "frivolous lawsuits."
Though I must say, if the purpose of this lawsuit is what the guy says it is, then huzzah for him. Hope it works...
# posted by The Riverman : 10:56 AM | Tuesday, July 08, 2008 Wow...I'm Glad All Our Leaders Walk-The-Walk Too
Today at the G8 Summit, World leaders had an eight-course dinner before talking about the worldwide food crisis.
Some excerpts:
The Prime Minister was served 24 different dishes during his first day at the summit – just hours after urging the world to reduce the "unnecessary demand" for food and calling on British families to cut back on their wasteful use of food...
...The dinner consisted of 18 dishes in eight courses including caviar, smoked salmon, Kyoto beef and a "G8 fantasy dessert"...
...The dinner came just hours after a "working lunch" consisting of six courses including white asparagus and truffle soup, crab and a supreme of chicken...
Continued
Labels: irony, politics, world
# posted by The Riverman : 12:44 AM | Sunday, June 08, 2008 Chris Rock Got Statutory Punk'd!
(my sincerest apologies for the lame pun-ing there)
From breitbart.com
Celebrity funnyman Chris Rock was the victim of a practical joke while on tour in South Africa, after being pranked with accusations he had sex with a British minor, a prosecutor said Saturday.
"It was a hoax, it was for one of the US (United States) reality television programmes," said National Prosecuting Authority spokesman Tlali Tlali.
The US comedian, who is on his "No apologies"tour in the country, was duped by rumours he was about to be arrested for sexually assaulting a minor in Britain.
"They pulled one on him, information got to him that the South African Police Service was going to arrest him. Acting on that information he quickly approached lawyers who brought an urgent application at the Johannebsurg High Court where judgement was in his favour," Tlali told AFP.
Tlali said Rock had sought clarification on the charges to be brought against him.
A fake prosecutor, one of the cast members for the television show, appeared in court Monday urging that Rock be taken into custody, however the judge ruled he could not be arrested or detained without a proper warrant.
"This one went far, it must have been organised quite carefully," said Tlali, who said when prosecutors discovered the following day it was a prank there were mixed reactions with some slamming it as a waste of time, while others saw the funny side.
It was not known which television show was behind the prank.
You know, I just can't imagine caring enough about a joke to take it that far (literally and metaphorically that far). I would like to know who pulled this off.
# posted by The Riverman : 8:37 AM | Saturday, May 24, 2008 I Luv Hanidee!!!
u r soooo cute and awesome in this vid! i luv you!