Coming to Kindle and Smashwords
November 2013
Dec 7, 2011
looks interesting..
Escape From New York goes to outerspace in the new sci-fi flick from French action man Luc Besson. In Lockout, Guy Pearce plays a wrongly-convicted felon who invades an interstellar prison and extracts the president’s daughter in exchange for his freedom
oh please...oh please.....
1 / 1
Newt Gingrich's resurgence comes after his hopes of winning the nomination appeared dead and buried only a few weeks ago
AFP/Getty Images
Dec 6, 2011
Dec 5, 2011
not really surprised...but saddened..
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/dec/03/kurt-vonnegut-biography?newsfeed=true
Kurt Vonnegut's dark, sad, cruel side is laid bare
A biography of the author of Slaughterhouse Five undermines his warm, grandfatherly image
Despite being hailed by so many as a
genius, Kurt Vonnegut felt that the literary establishment never took
him seriously. Photograph: Crescent/Everett /Rex Features
A new biography of acclaimed American author Kurt Vonnegut,
beloved by fans worldwide for his work's warm humour and homespun
Midwestern wisdom, has shocked many with a portrayal of a bitter, angry
man prone to depression and fits of temper.
The book on Vonnegut, who died in 2007, lifts the lid on the writer's private life, revealing a man far removed from the grandfather-like public figure his millions of devotees adored.
And So It Goes was written by Charles Shields, who also wrote a controversial biography of Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird. The book paints a picture of a man who was often distant from his children, cruel to a long-suffering first wife, caught in an unpleasant second marriage and spent much of his later years depressed and angry. "Cruel, nasty and scary are the adjectives commonly used to describe him by the friends, colleagues, and relatives Shields quotes," wrote one reviewer, Wendy Smith, on the Daily Beast website. The New York Times reviewer, Chris Buckley, called Shields's portrayal "sad, often heartbreaking".
Through novels such as The Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle and the classic Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut's career spanned five decades, often working in the science fiction genre, and catapulted him into the canon of great American writers. His work, while often dealing with tragedy, was famed for espousing humanitarian, even socialist values, and often had a strong anti-war, anti-capitalist feel. It is full of references to the virtues of small-town life, volunteer firefighters and the Midwest, especially his home city of Indianapolis.
Yet Shields's book is unsparing in its portrayal of Vonnegut's dark side. It reveals that the writer – whose experience as a PoW during the firebombing of Dresden scarred his psyche for life – had no qualms about investing in firms that made napalm or indulged in a host of other morally suspect activities. He fell out with friends, editors and relatives and had a shocking temper. In later life he appeared deeply bitter and lonely. In the opening part of the book Shields describes meeting Vonnegut just a few months before his death. He describes Vonnegut asking him to look up his name in a dictionary (it was not there) and then look up Jack Kerouac (it was there). "How about that?" Vonnegut then states with a frown. The chapter of Shields's book dealing with Vonnegut's final 15 years of life is called simply "Waiting to Die".
"Towards the end he was very feeble, very depressed and almost morose. I think that slants this book," said Jerome Klinkowitz, an academic at the University of Northern Iowa and one of the world's leading experts on Vonnegut.
"It is a little naive to be surprised by this," said Gregory Sumner of the University of Detroit Mercy, who recently wrote a book exploring Vonnegut's work, called Unstuck In Time. "Personal relationships were difficult for him. He had a lot of survivor's guilt."
Vonnegut definitely had survived a lot. His once wealthy family was impoverished by the Great Depression, causing grim strains in his parents' marriage. His mother committed suicide. His beloved sister died of breast cancer, a day after her husband was killed in a train accident. But the defining horror of Vonnegut's life was his wartime experience and surviving the Dresden bombing, only to be sent into the ruins as prison labour in order to collect and burn the corpses. The ordeal cropped up continually in his work, but most notably formed the basis of Slaughterhouse-Five, the book that made Vonnegut famous.
But there was more to it than just coping with such traumatic situations. In later life, despite being hailed by so many as an American genius, Vonnegut felt that the literary establishment never took him seriously. They interpreted his simplistic style, love of science fiction and Midwestern values as being beneath serious study.
The book will do little to dampen enthusiasm for Vonnegut's work. "He's not a relic of the 1960s. His work is vibrant today even posthumously," said Sumner. "Maybe we just expect too much of our heroes."
The book on Vonnegut, who died in 2007, lifts the lid on the writer's private life, revealing a man far removed from the grandfather-like public figure his millions of devotees adored.
And So It Goes was written by Charles Shields, who also wrote a controversial biography of Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird. The book paints a picture of a man who was often distant from his children, cruel to a long-suffering first wife, caught in an unpleasant second marriage and spent much of his later years depressed and angry. "Cruel, nasty and scary are the adjectives commonly used to describe him by the friends, colleagues, and relatives Shields quotes," wrote one reviewer, Wendy Smith, on the Daily Beast website. The New York Times reviewer, Chris Buckley, called Shields's portrayal "sad, often heartbreaking".
Through novels such as The Sirens of Titan, Cat's Cradle and the classic Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut's career spanned five decades, often working in the science fiction genre, and catapulted him into the canon of great American writers. His work, while often dealing with tragedy, was famed for espousing humanitarian, even socialist values, and often had a strong anti-war, anti-capitalist feel. It is full of references to the virtues of small-town life, volunteer firefighters and the Midwest, especially his home city of Indianapolis.
Yet Shields's book is unsparing in its portrayal of Vonnegut's dark side. It reveals that the writer – whose experience as a PoW during the firebombing of Dresden scarred his psyche for life – had no qualms about investing in firms that made napalm or indulged in a host of other morally suspect activities. He fell out with friends, editors and relatives and had a shocking temper. In later life he appeared deeply bitter and lonely. In the opening part of the book Shields describes meeting Vonnegut just a few months before his death. He describes Vonnegut asking him to look up his name in a dictionary (it was not there) and then look up Jack Kerouac (it was there). "How about that?" Vonnegut then states with a frown. The chapter of Shields's book dealing with Vonnegut's final 15 years of life is called simply "Waiting to Die".
"Towards the end he was very feeble, very depressed and almost morose. I think that slants this book," said Jerome Klinkowitz, an academic at the University of Northern Iowa and one of the world's leading experts on Vonnegut.
"It is a little naive to be surprised by this," said Gregory Sumner of the University of Detroit Mercy, who recently wrote a book exploring Vonnegut's work, called Unstuck In Time. "Personal relationships were difficult for him. He had a lot of survivor's guilt."
Vonnegut definitely had survived a lot. His once wealthy family was impoverished by the Great Depression, causing grim strains in his parents' marriage. His mother committed suicide. His beloved sister died of breast cancer, a day after her husband was killed in a train accident. But the defining horror of Vonnegut's life was his wartime experience and surviving the Dresden bombing, only to be sent into the ruins as prison labour in order to collect and burn the corpses. The ordeal cropped up continually in his work, but most notably formed the basis of Slaughterhouse-Five, the book that made Vonnegut famous.
But there was more to it than just coping with such traumatic situations. In later life, despite being hailed by so many as an American genius, Vonnegut felt that the literary establishment never took him seriously. They interpreted his simplistic style, love of science fiction and Midwestern values as being beneath serious study.
The book will do little to dampen enthusiasm for Vonnegut's work. "He's not a relic of the 1960s. His work is vibrant today even posthumously," said Sumner. "Maybe we just expect too much of our heroes."
Dec 2, 2011
blade runner set...
Ennis House (Los Angeles)
Location for: Blade Runner (1982)
Blade Runner is supposed to be set in Los Angeles in 2019, but one of its most compelling settings is this Frank Lloyd Wright architectural masterpiece from 1924 in the city's Los Feliz neighborhood. The Ennis House, also known as the Ennis-Brown House, serves as Deckard's home and — true to the future predicted in Blade Runner — the mansion began falling into disrepair after the 1994 Northridge earthquake.
The Ennis House Foundation began a campaign to repair the building that was never truly finished. Businessman Ron Burkle purchased the Ennis House this summer for nearly $4.5 million. (Let's see someone try to afford that on a blade runner's salary.) According to the terms of the sale, Burkle will provide some form of public access to the home at least 12 days out of the year, but even if you're not lucky enough to visit Los Angeles on one of those dozen days, Wright's masterpiece is pretty visible from the street.
While you're there: Visit another beautiful building from Blade Runner -- the Bradbury Building. The Griffith Observatory (featured in The Terminator) is also a lovely place to spend an afternoon; it's open Wednesday through Sunday and admission to the grounds and observatory building is free.
Top photo
I would say there are seven life lessons I learned from "Star Trek" that I take with me to this day. These are lessons I hope to pass along to my own children someday--but for now, I will share them with the interweb.
- The best way to travel is to boldly go where no one has gone before. This is true for vacations, for self-exploration, for life itself. If you want your days filled with adventure, laughter, love, learning and the occasional mind-meld, follow this route.
- The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few--or the one. Sometimes you must make great sacrifices for the greater good. And, like the Genesis device, it will all come back around.
- Expressing your emotions is a healthy thing. Sure, McCoy seemed angry all the time when exclaiming, "Dammit, Jim! I'm a doctor not a mechanic/bricklayer/soothsayer," but he knew that by expressing his anger and frustration it wouldn't get the best of him and he could then perform at his peak capacity.
- When estimating how long a job will take, overestimate--and when you do better your captain will always be impressed. Replace the word "captain" with "teacher" or "mom/dad" and you'll see what I mean. Sure, Mr. Scott might have been telling the truth--maybe it would take six hours to get the warp engines back online in the heat of the battle. Or maybe he was padding things so he looked good. Either way, when the engines did come back on line, everyone was happy.
- Wearing red makes you a target. This is true of cars, dresses and, most especially, shirts. Red gets you noticed--which is good if you want to be noticed, bad if you don't want to end up vaporized.
- When you don't know what to say, pause. It will give you the time to figure it out. Or at the very least, you'll sound like you're being thoughtful. "But....Spock.....why?"
- The most powerful force in the universe is friendship. It's more powerful than phasers, photon torpedos, even more powerful than the force itself. With friends, you can accomplish any task, escape any perilous situation, defeat any enemy--and you get to laugh together when it's all over.
I am convinced that these lessons will serve us all, adults and children, well as we seek out new life, new civilizations, new experiences. In short, thanks to "Star Trek," we may all live long and prosper
Dec 1, 2011
Pope John Paul,Dwight D. Eisenhower and Harry Truman relived secret is out...
Newt Gingrich: I helped defeat communism
Continue Reading
Via ABC News, which was given a partial transcript, Gingrich listed his accomplishments this way:
“I helped Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp develop supply side economics. I helped lead the effort to defeat communism in the Congress.”
Nov 30, 2011
funny....
“Brush With Death” by Corridor Digital is a short action video about a battle between a painter and mysterious graffiti men. The video features some very clever use of visual effects trickery
real steampunk...
Behold, the fearsome Japanese War Tubas, used as "acoustic locators" by the Imperial Army
the ape speaks.....
O.K., I own it, I am a progressive, old school, pro union, butter not guns, support the downtrodden ect,ect.
This September I thought Obama had maybe a thirty percent chance of winning reelection. Maybe....
Numbers stacked against him, nine percent unemployment a hard hurdle to get over.
I feel personally how the economy does during a presidential term is mostly about timing. This year the economy is going to run about 14 trillion, the budget of the US government is going to run around 3.7 trillion any tweaking the congress or the president does will have little effect. We are in a transitional period, manufacturing as first world employment is done. Hey we had a good run, from 1945 when any competition lay in ruins (and we got to rebuild at a hefty profit) till the late seventies when Japan figured out they could turn a wrench cheaper and just as well as us. Now it's China and their work force are starting to unionize and demand better wages and conditions so companies there are now shifting to Malaysia (who can turn a wrench cheaper and just as well as the Chinese) a pattern that will repeat itself anon until we run out of third world hell holes.
Objectively Obama has done well. January 1st, 2008 the economy was shrinking at six percent, we were losing 400,000 thousand jobs a month, the financial, housing and car manufacturing industries were on the verge of collapse and Osama was thumbing his nose from his summer place in Pakistan. Things are better the banks and auto industry has stabilized (housing going to take a generation, sorry) we are adding jobs and Osama sleeps with the fishes(literally) but to be honest things still suck. So if meat gravy is watery and your name is on the sign it doesn't make a difference if you made it or not you not goin to move pasta.
Which brings me to what is happening now. I suspect that when the President is alone in the oval and reads the polls that have Gingrich ahead in South Carolina and within closing distance in New Hampshire, that for a moment he feels warm and fuzzy inside. Considering the fetid field Gingrich rose out of there could not be a more flawed and handicapped foil to beat Rommney over the head. All the Republicans had to do to win was pick someone who could put a coherent sentence together and not zip his dick up in his fly onstage and it was a easy walk into the endzone.
Go Newt Go.....
Nov 26, 2011
Nov 23, 2011
Happy Thanksgiving....
What's the differnce between a Mexican and A Texan?
Which way you crawl under the wire for a better way of life...
WWII vet gets his medals with help from boy, 8 (fantastic)
http://www.usatoday.com/
ROCKPORT, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- Another veteran finally has his medals from World War II, thanks to the work of some good friends.
94-year-old Roland Richards was awarded his medals in a ceremony Thursday in Camden. Richards says he's really too old to be getting medals, but no one else thought so --especially his eight-year old neighbor, Thor Gabrielsen. Thor and his parents live across the road from Richards and have become friends. When Thor's mother learned Richards had never received his medals, the boy decided to write a letter to U.S. Senator Susan Collins to make things right.
Richards was drafted into the Army in 1942, and became part of the "port battalion" unloading ship convoys-first in North Africa, then Sicily, Italy and finally in Marseilles, France, where he also drove truckloads of ammunition toward the lines. He returned home to Maine three years later and went back to civilian life, like many of the millions who served in that war, Richards' medals simply were never sent to him. Congressional staff members say it can be a challenge tracking down the needed records to prove the service, but in this case it apparently happened quite rapidly. The Senator responded, and worked with the Army to obtain the proper medals and citations. Roland Richards was awarded the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the World War Two Victory Medal-a victory he helped win sixty-six years ago.
Asked why he started the whole chain of events, Thor Gabrielsen said, "I thought he deserved to get his medals."
Asked why he started the whole chain of events, Thor Gabrielsen said, "I thought he deserved to get his medals."
Nov 22, 2011
sleek....GroundBot, A Spherical All-Terrain Surveillance Robot
GroundBot by Swedish robotics firm Rotundus is an all-terrain, amphibious surveillance robot in the shape of a bug-eyed sphere (video). Roughly the size of a car tire, the robot moves silently at up to six mph. GroundBot houses two cameras which provide a stereoscopic view to its remote operator. Rotundus notes that the current version “cannot house robot arms or weapons.” Maybe in the next release.
The spherical design is simplicity itself. With its large circumference, GroundBot takes all kinds of terrain in its stride. And yet its appearance is friendly and unthreatening.
Inside, all cameras and sensors are sealed off from the outside world. This means that they are protected from bangs and knocks. In addition, the outside world is protected from potential electrical sparks when GroundBot is investigating gas leaks
janitors actually provide a service and are useful to society unlike this mouth breathing goober....
Newt Gingrich's Cavalier View Of Janitorial Work Challenged By Facts
WASHINGTON -- Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich argued at an address at Harvard University last week that American school systems should fire their unionized janitors and let underprivileged children do the work instead, according to a report in Politico.
The upshot of the plan? The kids would learn life skills, and taxpayers would save money.The logic for such an argument would seem to rely on two premises: that janitors are currently being overpaid for their work, and that their job is so easy a child could do it.
The nation's janitors, unionized and non-unionized alike, would probably disagree.
The mean wage for a janitor working in an elementary or secondary school is $13.74 an hour, or $28,570 per year, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average pay is significantly less for janitors working at private buildings, which comprise the vast majority of janitorial jobs: $10.56 per hour, or $21,960 a year.
The latter annual salary is below the poverty line for a family of four, according to the federal government's most recent poverty guidelines. It also happens to be less than the self-renewing monthly retainer that Gingrich enjoyed as a consultant to Freddie Mac between 1999 and 2002, according to Bloomberg.
Despite its relatively modest pay, a janitor's job isn't as easy as Gingrich seems to think it is. According to the Labor Department, a janitor needs to be able to carry out a long list of duties and repairs during a typical day: Mop and polish floors, handle dangerous chemicals, even perform basic electrical and plumbing repairs. At schools, they also need to interact well with children and, at times, clean up their vomit.
A janitor's job is also more dangerous than most American occupations -- and hardly fit for children, according to the Labor Department's description of the work. Janitors, it notes, "may suffer cuts, bruises, and burns from machines, handtools, and chemicals. They spend most of their time on their feet, sometimes lifting or pushing heavy furniture or equipment. Many tasks, such as dusting or sweeping, require constant bending, stooping, and stretching."
A spokesman for Gingrich's campaign could not immediately be reached for comment.Gingrich made his remarks on unionized janitors to an audience that should know quite a bit about the subject. After long negotiations, Harvard's janitors, who are represented by the Service Employees International Union, just ratified a five-year contract with the school this past weekend, having received public support from much of the student body.
The contract includes what the SEIU has described as a "groundbreaking" childcare allowance worth up to $5,000 each year for workers, as well as a modest but important 3 percent annual raise, helping janitors' salaries keep pace with the ever-rising cost of living. The agreement also caps the percentage of janitors that Harvard can use through contractors, thereby stemming a trend that has helped erode workers' pay and benefits in the services industry and other blue-collar fields.
At Harvard, Gingrich said his plan to put kids to work as janitors would help them "begin the process of rising" in society. And the contract won by the unionized janitors appears to do just that for workers and their children. One of the perks in the agreement allows janitors to take advantage of a tuition assistance program, letting them pursue Harvard degrees or continuing education classes at a discounted rate. That benefit, presumably, could lead to better jobs and brighter futures for the janitors and their families
finally my nephew Pol Pot will have someone to play with...
Adolf Hitler Campbell Custody Dispute: Heath And Deborah Campbell Want Their Baby Back 
NEWARK, N.J. -- A New Jersey couple who gave their three children Nazi-inspired names is due in court Monday to try to regain custody of their newborn.
Heath Campbell, left, with his wife, Deborah, and son Adolf Hitler Campbell, 3, pose in Easton, Pa.
NEWARK, N.J. -- A New Jersey couple who gave their three children Nazi-inspired names is due in court Monday to try to regain custody of their newborn.
Heath and Deborah Campbell's lawyer says state child welfare officials took custody of the child named Hons after he was born Thursday at Hunterdon Medical Center.
The state took custody of the couple's other children nearly two years ago, saying there were in danger because of previous violence in the Campbell home.
Their parents made headlines in 2009 when a supermarket refused to decorate a birthday cake for their son, Adolf Hitler. His siblings are named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation and Honszlynn Hinler
The state took custody of the couple's other children nearly two years ago, saying there were in danger because of previous violence in the Campbell home.
Their parents made headlines in 2009 when a supermarket refused to decorate a birthday cake for their son, Adolf Hitler. His siblings are named JoyceLynn Aryan Nation and Honszlynn Hinler
I think my sister could have her shower here....
HR Giger Bar at The Museum HR Giger
By EDW Lynch on November 21, 2011
The Museum HR Giger Bar is a stunning bar designed by artist HR Giger (the designer of the Alien film character). The bar is located at Museum HR Giger in Gruyères, Switzerland (see a brief video of the bar by z0wye and a flickr photoset by Alejandro Pérez). Another Giger Bar is located in Chur, Switzerland
duh.....
Fox News Viewers Know Less Than People Who Don't Watch Any News: Study
Fox News viewers are less informed than people who don't watch any news, according to a new poll from Fairleigh Dickinson University.
The poll surveyed New Jersey residents about the uprisings in Egypt and the Middle East, and where they get their news sources. The study, which controlled for demographic factors like education and partisanship, found that "people who watch Fox News are 18-points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government" and "6-points less likely to know that Syrians have not yet overthrown their government" compared to those who watch no news.
Overall, 53% of all respondents knew that Egyptians successfully overthrew Hosni Mubarak and 48% knew that Syrians have yet to overthrow their government.
Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson, explained in a statement, "Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News. Rather, the results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all."
This isn't the first study that has found that Fox News viewers more misinformed in comparison to others. Last year, a study from the University of Maryland found that Fox News viewers were more likely to believe false information about politics
The poll surveyed New Jersey residents about the uprisings in Egypt and the Middle East, and where they get their news sources. The study, which controlled for demographic factors like education and partisanship, found that "people who watch Fox News are 18-points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government" and "6-points less likely to know that Syrians have not yet overthrown their government" compared to those who watch no news.
Overall, 53% of all respondents knew that Egyptians successfully overthrew Hosni Mubarak and 48% knew that Syrians have yet to overthrow their government.
Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson, explained in a statement, "Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News. Rather, the results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all."
This isn't the first study that has found that Fox News viewers more misinformed in comparison to others. Last year, a study from the University of Maryland found that Fox News viewers were more likely to believe false information about politics
Waiter, this steak tastes like sh**....
Mankind's food chain may become a loopMankind has come up with all sorts of ideas for new meat sources from cloned animals to chowing down on insects, but this idea may be the most outlandish yet.
The Tokyo Sewage service in Japan serves over 13 million people over approximately a 2,200 square kilometer area. It approached Mitsuyuki Ikeda, a researcher from the Okayama Laboratory, with an unusual problem -- it had too much "sewer mud" (also known as human excrement).
It turns out human excrement is a breeding ground for scores of bacteria. So Mr. Ikeda cooked up an unusual solution -- make food [video] out of the feces.
The first step is to cook the bacteria, killing them, and to extract their proteins via separation techniques according to Yahoo News. Soy protein is added to enhance the flavor. The meat mixture travels to a "reaction enhancer" (likely a chemical reactor of some sort) where it turns into a textured "meat" and is then extrude through an "exploder".
The delicious "steak" is even finished with red food color to give it a comforting hue. Mr. Ikeda claims that in initial testing people found the feces steak to taste somewhat like beef.
Mr. Ikeda is afraid the main obstacle to deploying excrement meat to the masses is the "psychological barrier." He states, "I admit that few people would be keen to eat it knowing its made of human excrement."
Indeed, the concept of "fake" meat alone is hard for some to swallow. Taco Bell was recently sued when diners discovered that its beef mixed "fake meat" filers with real meat.
How much would the "meat" cost? Mr. Ikeda comments, "As far as the cost is concerned, because at the moment it includes the cost of research our artificial meat is 10 to 20 times more expensive than normal meat. But once the research is complete and it's put on the market, we'll probably be able to price it at roughly the same level as normal meat."
The new "meat" is also healthier than traditional meat as it’s an ideal mix of 63% proteins, 25% carbohydrates, 3% lipids and 9% minerals. The small fat content, in particular makes the feces steaks healthier than their animal counterpart.
The new meat would also cut down on the greenhouse gas emissions, which traditional livestock produce. In that regard it could even earn "carbon credits" helping its price to be cheaper than animal-derived meat.
The idea may sound crazy, but consider that Japan is no stranger to fine meat products. Its Kobe region beef is renowned by connoisseurs worldwide for it's delicious flavor.
And as the band Pink Floyd famously sang, "If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat
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