tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8298364696904927512024-03-16T03:08:39.207-04:00Random Brain Droppings"Our species needs, and deserves, a citizenry with minds wide awake and a basic understanding of how the world works."
Carl Sagan
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.comBlogger905125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-64021029552817412272024-01-28T13:51:00.000-05:002024-01-28T13:51:32.467-05:00Come the Nightmare<p> Truthfully, this country has been on this nightmarish political path
for decades. Personally in my head I can trace back the events leading
to the Orange Deranged Mutant to the Reagan Administration. I believe it
was Rosalynn Carter that said Ronny Reagan made Americans comfortable
with their prejudices. Don't cuss me out but I'll give the Devil some
backhanded credit because he did shake the foundations of the Soviet
Empire. </p><p>But that being said, Reagan was a horrible president when
it came actually leading this country. He kept the Republicans mostly
civil during this time but he set the stage for the likes of Newt
Gingrich, Clearance Thomas, and the worst boil ever to appear on the
American scene, Rush Fucking Limbaugh. Reagan also played with a few
Trump terms like "Making America Great Again" and the old favorite of
the states rights.</p><p>But Trump is a whole new level of openly
dangerous nutjob. He has played on the fears and rage of white middle
and working class folks like a master violinist. Yeah, in my mind his
movement has moved into literal cult territory. Just when I thought the
MAGA cultists couldn't get any lower, more than a few of its members
have openly put Trump on the same level as God and Jesus. </p><p>No
matter what the dingbat Nikki Haley might say in public, she has no
chance of taking the nomination away from Trump. The Orange Mutant will
win the Republican nomination, shit he's essentially won it already. The
only question left how bad will he damage the country. The answer of course is that piece of shit can literally destroy American Democracy whether he
wins or loses the election.</p><p>Shit, I've been worried the last
couple of days of a new civil war starting with the the bullshit
happening on the Texas border. That bastard Governor Abbot is just
hoping President Biden tries to federalize the Texas National Guard,
which would force the National Guard soldiers in Texas to chose between
their state and presidential authority. Making things more dangerous,
other right-wing Trump loving governors have promised to send National
Guard forces to Texas to support Abbot's policies on the border. </p><p>So
if Trump wins the election, he goes in implementing the Heritage
Foundation's "Project 2025" which will rework the federal government in
Trump's corrupt image. I picture something similar to what happen to
Germany in 1933 as the Nazis took over. Trump's henchmen and henchwomen
all have the personality and character of your average Nazi bureaucrat. </p><p>And
if Trump loses, well I highly suspect at best we'll have another
January 6th-like insurrection. At worst, I've heard enough talk of
"Second Amendment remedies" over the years to believe it could happen.
I'm not thinking the old fashion type of USA/CSA type civil war but
low-level insurgents and anonymous political violence. </p><p>While the
left has their own versions of nutjobs, the militant right-wing vastly
outnumbers them. The left's biggest problem are the idiots who mouth the
brain dead idea that picking the lesser of two evils is still evil.
Must be nice to live in a world where things are so starkly black and
white. </p>Yes, it should be obvious that Trump could win and return
to the White House. It should also be as obvious that even if he loses
he most likely will be just as huge a danger. Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-57191571106012818802023-12-30T09:05:00.000-05:002023-12-30T09:05:17.144-05:00Pale Blue Dot Revisited<p style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eYqVJv9bHqxVCD1jHD2uLki7BKnQmwtvVmA4vOpvnReeYTbtCErwU-l047ezlWyk-tQ42ewchN73cTov0pKeBBhtFRby0I1nkLEAad5wTxgfrfDqrrt0XVBXAPg6ODq-xleoW6VBv-7CNfKruTJil5yDp1uTpHB2oX-tOo0iibBJLo70veX-SqliU6Io/s799/Sagan-Pale%20Blue%20Dot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8eYqVJv9bHqxVCD1jHD2uLki7BKnQmwtvVmA4vOpvnReeYTbtCErwU-l047ezlWyk-tQ42ewchN73cTov0pKeBBhtFRby0I1nkLEAad5wTxgfrfDqrrt0XVBXAPg6ODq-xleoW6VBv-7CNfKruTJil5yDp1uTpHB2oX-tOo0iibBJLo70veX-SqliU6Io/s320/Sagan-Pale%20Blue%20Dot.jpg" width="288" /></a></p><p></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One of humanity’s greatest faults is the belief that the universe
is centered around them. This delusion was once all encompassing but
we live in an age where our place is better understood. But there are
subtle but damaging remnants of this arrogance still believed by most
of the people on this planet.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Many still hold onto
the ignorant misconception that their particular belief system makes
them special or chosen. That some plot of land on this beautiful but
abused planet has been given to them by their personal deity and any
other group encroaching on their divinely ordained possession is less
than human.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Then there are the
mighty men and women of the corporate world whose sole purpose is the
pursuit of more wealth and power. That every old growth forest,
untouched marsh, and undisturbed mountain is just another resource to
be consumed in the effort to keep the shareholders fat and happy.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">And of course I
can’t leave out all the mighty leaders of some empire, nation, or
ethnic group that believed they are above everyone else and should
lead the world. The blood of untold millions has been spilled to
satisfy these horrific dreams only for those empires, nations, or
ethnic groups to quickly fade and disappear.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the gifts of
the universe that can dash any human delusions of power is the night
sky. All it takes is a few milligrams of self awareness and a night
sky free from the lights of civilization and urban sprawl. I was
lucky enough to see such a sky during my teenage years.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">This was back in the
1980s before the woods around my neighborhood were bulldozed to
spread more strip malls and parking lots. I could gaze up and easily
see the majesty of the Milky Way and the planets slowly wander across
the sky. Such a sight made me feel both infinitesimal but part of
something greater. I was part of a process that has been going on for
over thirteen billions years.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course as the
years passed opportunities for such a connection became rarer. Mainly
from the vast increase in nighttime illumination. Why suburban
assholes feel the need to illuminate their front yard shrubbery is a
mystery to me.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the few
things that can renew my sense of grandeur of the universe and remind
me that I float on a single moat of dust lost in a black emptiness is
the Voyager probe’s picture of our Pale Blue Dot. It immediately
connects me to the same feeling I had as a teenager looking up at the
Milky Way. Call it pride or even arrogance, if more people had a
similar awareness of the universe beyond their narrow assumptions
about existence we would be a lot better off.
</p>
<p><br /> </p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-43202722115958639402023-12-23T16:23:00.004-05:002023-12-23T16:29:15.029-05:00My Take on the Gaza War<p> </p><br /><p>One of
the few lessons I seem to have learned in life is that I do not have
to comment on a social media post. That the world will continue along
its path without me throwing my semi-educated two-cents into a pile
of already existing tarnished and lame opinions. There are more than
enough ‘experts’ on every subject and situation to guide our
misbegotten species away from some nightmarish tyranny and towards
their personal idea on enlightenment. </p>
<p>The exception to this hard learned rule slapped me in the face the
other day. It was on Facebook when some of my usual liberal allies
had gotten into a pretty horrendous verbal civil war over the current
Israeli/Palestinian conflict. The animosity reached a level on par
with the usual exchanges between Trump supporters(cultists) and
anyone who dare oppose the orange wannabe dictator.</p>
<p>The argument centered around the death of children.
Pro-Palestinian types were gnashing their teeth over all the dead
kids on their side. And of course the Pro-Israeli types were foaming
at the mouth over all the dead from the October seventh raid into
various Jewish settlements along with the hostages that had been
rounded up and brought back into Gaza. </p>
<p>Along the way things like Israeli oppression and Hama rocket
attacks were thrown in whenever there was an opening. Neither side
for a second seemed to have one milligram of empathy for the dead and
abused on the other side. Sure, there were maybe a few weak
platitudes about how this conflict was just bad, but the people
involved with this discussion always jumped back over to their narrow
viewpoint. Absolutely no one even vaguely hinted that the side they
supported could be at fault in some way.</p>
<p>It was then that I felt an overwhelming urge to state what to me
was obvious. That both sides were guilty of war crimes and terrorism
spanning decades. Shit, dig deep enough and I could make a plausible
case that a certain British politician from the nineteenth century
started the ball rolling on this conflict. </p>
<p>My response to all the accusations and hand-wringing was that
neither side saw the other as human. It doesn’t really matter now
when this viewpoint was formed or who kicked off this eternal and
self-defeating struggle. </p>
<p>It’s laughable that Israel’s stated goal is the defeat and
elimination of Hamas. Sorry, decades of active oppression against
Palestinians cannot be washed away with precision guided bombs,
tanks, and soldiers. The only conceivable way Israel could eliminate
Hamas would be to commit genocide on par with Hitler. Now I will say
that Israeli governments for years have actively played with ethnic
cleansing of the West Bank. That isn’t genocide but I’d have to
say the two are closely related. As for the Gaza Strip, well
comparisons to the region being a prison are accurate in my opinion. </p>
<p>On the other hand Hamas, the governing entity for Gaza can
legitimately be said to have done next to nothing for the well-being
of the people. Yes, Israel keeps a tight grip on what items enter,
but some aid does get through but is mostly lost to incompetence at
best with corruption the most likely explanation. Then there is the
fanatical desperation of Hamas for pursuing a war they cannot
possibly win. The attacks on Israel on October seventh were not
military operations, they were textbook cases of terrorism with
nearly all the violence directed at civilians. This irrational
desperation is typified by a video that I caught a few weeks after
the attacks in October showed Hamas fighters cutting up water pipes
to use for their homemade rockets. Their desire to kill Israelis
outweighs the need for fresh water to the Gaza inhabitants.</p>
<p>It goes beyond the obvious to say this conflict is just about hate
and power. It is an impossible situation brought on by silly
religious and ethnic beliefs, the usual short-sighted politicians,
and geo-political considerations that endanger the entire world. </p>
<p>I started this post about two weeks ago but was unable to finish
it until today. At last count it is estimated that eight-thousand
children have been killed since Israel started bombing Gaza. I
understand the need to defend one's nation but Israel has become even
more of a monster than Hamas. </p>
<p style="line-height: 138%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I despair for the
lives lost and for the fate of us all. We cannot go on this way.
</p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-86185874790753610912023-11-29T09:43:00.002-05:002023-12-15T08:44:21.220-05:00Jimmy Buffett is GoneThe memory of the first time I heard a Jimmy Buffett song is more
than a bit hazy to be dependable. It’s more akin to a form or
document that has been photocopied so many times the letters are
barely readable and any illustrations are a fuzzy gray mess. I guess
that’s a testament to life in general as the years come and go.
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Even back in the
ancient history of what I believe was the early 1970s Jimmy’s music
was an introduction to the idea to not take life too seriously.
Somehow though both of the songs I instantly associate with
Buffett--<i>Margaritaville</i> and <i>Cheeseburger in Paradise</i>--were
not released until the late 1970s. Somehow I have a clear memory of listening to <i>Cheeseburger in Paradise</i> while riding in my dad's GMC truck, a vehicle he junked in 1974. (I guess this is my own little piece of the
Mandala Effect?)</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Buffett’s
influence on my life hit a high point in the 1990s with the release
of several albums. Barometer Soup, Fruitcakes, and Banana Wind are my
favorites although I would be hard pressed to name an album of his I
didn’t like at all.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">The biggest thing
that drew me to Buffett was his stated rejection of the “in crowd.”
Striking out on my own and going against the conventional wisdom of
what the majority of folks think or do is the base of my personality.
All things considered, that mindset has had its advantages and
disadvantages.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Most of the time
Jimmy reveled in going against the flow. During one concert he spent
more than a few minutes explaining how he had never won any awards
for his music but that didn’t matter with fans like Parrot Heads.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I
knew Jimmy’s
outsider nature was going to change the minute I saw the segment 60 Minutes did on him back in the 1990s. My in-laws, who
despised the man because of the absolute worthless bum dating their
daughter seemed to copy every aspect of his songs, changed their
opinion on him after seeing that segment. While I understood Jimmy
was never poor, the 60 Minutes segment made it abundantly clear his
great-great grandchildren would never go without living off his wealth. Of course, my
in-laws were at first shocked that the king of beach bums was
actually rich and from then on didn’t talk trash about my music. They
still didn't think much of me and actively tried to get their daughter
to break up with me.<br /></p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">At
some points
Jimmy’s outsider and likable and easy going attitude caught the
attention of aging baby-boomers looking to recapture something of their
youth and of course, land developers who are usually one of the lowest forms of life. By the early twenty-first century the
baby-boomers were finally sick of the rat race to which they had so
faithful pursed but they did have enough money
and time to try and copy Jimmy’s laid back, beach bum lifestyle.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">The land developers
got in on the act by building resorts, neighborhood subdivisions, and
even retirement communities all under the Margaritaville banner.
While initially fascinated by the idea of experiencing what
advertisers described as a perpetual pool party where beer and boobs
are plentiful the concept to me quickly turned sour. Not the beer and
boobs part, but the astronomical buy in required to become part of
the in-crowd, which was filled with financially mobile upper middle class types types
and not the humble outsiders, goofballs, and hippy refugees.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">So with Jimmy hanging out with billionaires and attending those mysterious
Eyes Wide Shut-like gatherings I became somewhat ambivalent to the
man. He had changed and so had I, part of me was saddened but by that
time I was mature enough for it not to overly bother me. Kind of like
the period in life when you find out Santa and the Easter Bunny are
just your mom and dad pulling a fast one.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Still, when Jimmy
passed I truthfully couldn’t grasp that he was gone. He was such an
icon that even after I sort of left him behind because he
sold out to The Man, it was like a piece of me was gone.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">If you never lived
in the coastal regions of the southeast up until the late 1980s you
can never imagine the ramshackle and arrogantly shabby way most
people lived. It was freewheeling and loose with little economic
distinction between the people who lived there. It was fish fries,
oyster roasts, music playing, and people having fun on the beach not
thinking about their investments and whether or not they would renew
the lease on their BMW or Lexus. Most of all during the old days
their was an attitude of inclusiveness, anyone one could join the
group as long as they liked the music and brought along some beer.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">That was Jimmy
Buffett in my mind, everyone was invited and no one was too poor or
weird.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">The coastal regions
are now dominated by high priced subdivisions where the property
taxes and insurance costs have forced most of the longtime locals to
move inland. I have to also mention the fucking king-of-the-world
attitudes many of the new residents have about their beachfront
properties. Many of them somehow believe they own all the land from
their actual property line down to the ocean itself. It’s not hard
to find videos online of some asshole dude or screeching Karen
threatening to call the police and rain down legal hellfire on the
dirty peasants that dare to invade their property and spoil their
view.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Maybe it’s not
fair to lump Jimmy Buffett in with those changes but his venture into
real estate developments aimed strictly at the privileged upper class
still stinks like a dead fish left in the sun. Still I will miss the
man and everything he gave me in the way of music, a couple of really
good books, and the beach bum attitude of fun and no worries.</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-84943039336974412512023-11-26T13:47:00.005-05:002023-11-26T13:47:56.822-05:00Heart Transplant 101<p> My little rant about fear last week felt good so I think I’ll throw
another post out into the void.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">So what have I been
doing during my silent period? Well, generally dealing with my
chronic heart issues. For those who don’t know way back in August
of 2018 my heart suddenly went into ventricular tachycardia while at
work. This occurred literally around midnight with my heart rate
reaching over two-hundred beats per minute.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Stupid me didn’t
understand what was happening so for about half an hour I walked
around trying to “shake it off.” Luckily for me I work at a
hospital so I eventually went to one of the nurses in surgical
recovery and had my blood pressure taken. It was normal, but when she
felt my pulse I was forced to lay down on a gurney and was quickly
wheeled down to the ER.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">That began a several
month long adventure that included several stays in the cardiac
intensive care units of two hospitals, four cardiac ablations, and
the discovery that I have a genetic mutation of the heart muscle.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">After the fourth
cardiac ablation, which was my first down at the Medical University of South Carolina in
Charleston(MUSC) I got my life back. And with a few exceptions due to
a couple of bouts of atrial fibrillation that required their own
ablations, I’ve been doing great for someone with my condition.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">That began to change
in April of this year. Seemingly out of nowhere I had about
two-minutes of tachycardia that my pacemaker/defibrillator, actually
it’s a CRT-D, was able to get under control. A small period of
panic ensued but after several phone calls down to MUSC everything
seemed back under control.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, I had another
episode of tachycardia again in August, which was again quelled by my
CRT-D. While this episode was about the same length and severity as
the one in April it raised a lot of red flags for my docs down in
Charleston. After a checkup down there in September, a special test
was scheduled for the first of October to determine what exactly was
going on. It was supposed to be outpatient with me going home that
same day. No, that’s not how things unfolded.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">The test was
scheduled for the first Tuesday in October but that Sunday I went
into a prolonged but “gentle” episode of tachycardia. My wife
rushed me to local hospital where I quickly informed them that I
needed to be sent down to Charleston. Namely for because the test but
also because that hospital had first shot at treating my condition
and failed.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Probably happy to be
rid of my sarcastic ass, they loaded my up into an ambulance and sent
me to down to MUSC. That ride is a whole other story in itself but I
will not delve down that rabbit hole right now.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">To sum up the first
week of my October hospital stay is easy. By the time I arrived down
in Charleston my heart was mostly behaving itself again. I had the
test as scheduled on Tuesday and it was inconclusive. I was
discharged mid-morning that Thursday and sent home because the docs
saw nothing to fix at that moment.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">The very next day,
Friday, my heart went to absolute shit by mid-morning. I was having
near constant episodes of light tachycardia with my CRT-D pacing me
out of them. I say “light tachycardia” because my heart rate
never exceeded one-hundred fifty beats per minute. But what did scare
me was when my CRT-D paced me out of the episode it literally felt
like a kick in the chest.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, I should have
headed back down to some ER immediately but since my heart had spent
the previous week acting all normal I held off until mid-afternoon.
It was around one o’ clock in the afternoon when I finally started
making some phone calls to the docs in Charleston.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Like the ambulance
ride earlier that week, that’s a story all by itself. Boiling it
down to the fundamental points the MUSC nurse that called me back
around four o’ clock said it would be best if I came back down to
their ER.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I went okay, told my
lovely bride to saddle up and were driving south after I packed a
small Go-bag. The entire drive down I was going into tachycardia with
my CRT-D kicking me in the chest to bring the heart back under
control. Truthfully, I expected the tachycardia to suddenly stop at
some point, but it didn’t and I walked to the ER reception desk and
was greeted by the nurse manning it highly skeptical to my claim.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">That was until she
hooked me up to an EKG and saw the tachycardia happening in real
time. Needless to say I was quickly rushed back to the exam rooms
where about five separate nurses and two ER doctors were freaking
out. A quick scan of my previous history strongly suggested that if
the tachycardia wasn’t brought under some control it would only get
worse.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Shit got so weird
that night in the ER the maker of my CRT-D’s telemetry people
called MUSC saying they had recorded over seventy episodes of
tachycardia that day and wanted them to get in touch with me.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Speeding up the
story telling a good bit, I was admitted again where I was the guinea
pig on a bunch of other medical tests and had copious amounts of
blood drawn for fifteen days. It was soon determined that another
ablations to control the tachycardia was not an option. My heart had
been scarred up pretty badly in my previous procedures, just a normal
side-effect of zapping bad cells that wanted to short circuit.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">So, once again
jumping over a lot of detail, I was informed a few days later my only
real option was a heart transplant. Since my root problem was a
genetic defect in my heart cells and since I had about all the
ablations my heart could take I agreed. That is not before I
suffered through about thirty hours of abject terror thinking about
what I would have to endure.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">After thinking about
it and numerous talks with swarms of truly awesome physicians, I
realized a heart transplant was my only option if I wanted to
continue breathing. The alternative being a slow slide to oblivion as
my heart went full short circuit. Not necessarily a painful demise,
but it would be highly unpleasant.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Okay here are some
of the details that I skimmed over:</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<ul><li><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">My heart is
under control right now due to the new drug they have me on. It’s
called amiodarone, and it was called by one of the docs the “best
drug they have and the worst.” The side effects can be severe in
both the short term and the long term. Adding to my equation is that
I’m on the maximum dose of four-hundred mg.</p>
</li><li><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">While I am
fully on the heart transplant list I’m currently at Status Six.
That means I’m home and can return to work under certain
limitations.
</p>
</li><li><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">During the
testing I learned that any new heart I receive will have to be from
someone of similar height, size, and blood type. Since I’m six
foot-five inches and a pretty big guy I’m going to be waiting for
a long time. Especially since I’m relatively healthy at this
moment.
</p>
</li><li><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">If the
amiodarone becomes ineffective, or if I start showing signs of
progressive health failure, I will have to return to the hospital
and stay there until a heart becomes available. Some people on the
transplant list have stayed in the hospital way over a year before
getting a heart. These patients have used that time to learn a
musical instrument, take online college courses, or even play video
games. If I fall into that situation I’m going with then online
learning.</p>
</li><li><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, people
have died while on the list waiting for a heart.</p>
</li><li><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, I'm still
scared but there’s nothing I can do but play the cards I’ve been
dealt.
</p>
</li></ul>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-46513068957803182602023-11-19T15:30:00.005-05:002023-11-19T15:33:44.078-05:00A Question Of Faith in These Times<p> About to commit the one heresy that should united all <i>Star Wars</i>
fans. I’m talking the original, prequel, and those deluded souls
who find something redeemable about Disney’s sequel trilogy. To
crudely sum it all up, <i>Star Wars</i> is crap when it comes to
representing science fiction.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">While the stage for
George’s saga takes place in a galaxy, I’ve always believed his
creation had more in common with <i>Lord of The Rings</i>. <i>Star
Wars</i> has wizards roaming space and battling evil but Gandalf and
his kin were doing the same thing in Middle Earth trying to blunt
Sauron and his minions. To me, <i>Star Wars</i> had no overarching
philosophy beyond the bad guys being bad and that the good guys were
too arrogant to see the Sith Lord in front of them.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">The one
philosophical nugget I found in George’s shaky story was something
Master Yoda said in one of the prequels. Going something like, “Fears
leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering...” then it drivels off
taking a headfirst dive into the Dark Side.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Speaking just about
the character, I’ve never liked the erratic and possibly senile
non-Kermit green Muppet but his words do ring true. You would have to
be an idiot not to see how our world is dominated by fear.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Prime example, the
Israelis and Palestinians even now gleefully kill the others kids
because they both live in fear. Now that doesn’t stop them from
screaming up at the sky at god, or nearby Western journalist, asking
why anyone would commit such horrible crimes against innocent
children. Never once thinking about the kids of their enemies which
laugh and play and have hopes and dreams of their own.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Not to leave the
good old United States out of the equation our country is rife with
fear. A lot of otherwise normal acting white folks live in abject
fear of black men. Whether that fears manifests itself as the black
boogeyman lurking in the shadows waiting to steal their precious
possessions, “hard earned tax dollars”, or the virtue of their
daughters to make a mixed-race baby, or all three it makes no
difference. This fear rules their lives and destroys rational thought
and simple compassion.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">One sidebar, if
someone should actually read this don’t get your panties in an
uproar. I’m a white guy who lives in the southern United States and
have firsthand experience living and working around such people.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course, living in
fear crosses all the lines and classifications we humans had drawn
for ourselves. Throw any three random people together, no matter what
part of the planet they come from, and one of them is going to be
treated like shit by the other two. It’s our nature as animals and
any attempt for equality is a very recent idea we’re still not
fully onboard with.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Where is all my
verbal offal headed?
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Recent events all
around the world suggests to me we’re well on our way to nasty
reckoning. This will sound weird but the optimistic side of me would
like to think the lessons that were supposedly learned in the
twentieth century have been forgotten. The realist side of me however
knows that the dark side of centuries of fear and hate have only been
hiding. That less than ideal economic factors along with apathy, and
a number of societal fear-mongers have allowed our darker natures to
crawl out from under their rocks.
</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Our species stupid
divisions, general desire for power, and unthinking blood lust have
us walking to the edge of an abyss our “leaders” either ignore or
even promote. Personally I’m talking about the religious types that
want the world to end because that means Jesus-man will take them up
to Heaven where the streets leading to all the heavenly McMansions
are paved with gold. Being fair and balanced, I don’t have any
respect for those of the Islamic faith who revel in the same level of
fundamentalist extremism. Needless to say, the same goes for anyone
of the Jewish faith.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">In my opinion, if
your religious worldview holds the belief that killing other human
beings is justified because they have violated your pious
sensibilities, whether it involve what they believe about the nature
of god or moral living, your faith is flawed beyond all hope.</p>
<p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, I have less
than a respectful view of the general mass of those professing a
belief in the god of Abraham. There are numerous exceptions of people
from the Christian, Islamic, or Jewish faith trying to live by some
version of the Golden Rule. But far too much blood has been spilled
over the centuries, and still being spilled, to overlook just because
we are told to have faith.</p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> I'm sick of religious leaders that speak of faith, love, and charity but only promote fear and hate. If that's what god is I'm out. I'll take my chance on the universe and existence being some cosmic joke with no punchline. </p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">No, I'm not officially back. Just discouraged and disgusted.<br /></p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-62524030030467960692021-12-26T14:31:00.001-05:002021-12-26T14:31:56.146-05:00A Short Update<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> There was a time when it would have
been unimaginable for me not to regularly post something to this
blog. I can't readily describe how overwhelming it was at times to get something written.
But for whatever reason I have lost the “passion” for this
endeavor that I once possessed.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, part of the reason is my ongoing
heart issues, but I would be lying if I wrote that was my only
concern. But first an update from my last post.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">On November 3<sup>rd</sup> I had a
cardiac ablation performed to rid me of the atrial fibrillation that
had been troubling me on an off since February of last year. The results
were quite positive at first, especially since I had the procedure
performed here in Columbia, and not down in Charleston. Not going to
say anything bad about the medical staff here in Columbia, but you
can read between the lines.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Unfortunately, my troubles returned on
November 22<sup>nd</sup> with my heart going into atrial flutter. The
cardiac rhythm is still good, except that my atrium is throwing in
extra beats ahead of the ventricles. I am more than slightly
irritated over this but I can only really blame my underlying genetic
defect.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have an appointment to talk about
this development down in Charleston scheduled for January 6<sup>th.</sup></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The second, and probably greater reason
for me more or less ending my blog deals with my lack of faith in
American society.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It was my hope that with the defeat of
Trump his spell over a large share of the country would be broken.
His inaction and incompetence on the handling of the pandemic alone
should have been enough to consign him, his family, and underlings to
the trashcan of history. Hell, I was somehow convinced that the
Orange Buffoon would soon be indited on various criminal charges
after leaving office.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As it stands now Trump is on the verge
of running for president again in 2024 with a better than average
chance of winning the election. I feel President Biden is doing an
overall good job but optically he appears to be barely controlling
anything. The various new strains of Covid still running wild and the
disruption of the global supply chain makes him look bad.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Making matters worse, Vice President
Harris has under performed in her role in both being a messenger for
the administration and, if reports are correct, carrying out the
daily duties of her job. A recent news item, NOT from Fox News, says
she is not reading the daily intelligence reports both her and POTUS
need to keep up with the international situation.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The failure of our political system is
only the tip of the dirty iceberg.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While it may not be nationwide since
South Carolina continues to be its own bizarre little kingdom, there
is an underlying rage in certain people that is both disgusting and
severely dangerous. The possibility of a Second American Civil War
and all the death and destruction it would cause is something certain
individuals are looking forward to with outright glee. Yes, I have
directly heard certain individuals talking about how they know people
who belong to militia groups and how they are “chomping at the bit”
to settle some scores. These same individuals, while not directly
connected to any militia groups, do harbor sentiment that says they
wouldn't bothered with society being reset to the norms they enjoyed
in previous decades.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I have also seen black flags flying
from the back of a few He-man, redneck pickups sporting Trump bumper
stickers. The purpose of these black flags is supposedly a sign that
when the “boogaloo” begins these people will give no quarter nor
mercy to their perceived enemies. Their enemies being anyone they
feel is a communist, socialist, liberal, or even an enemy of Christ.
It still puzzles me how anyone can say they are a Christian but yet
supports the regular Republican agenda of endless money for wars
and tax cuts for the rich. All the while any mention of providing
universal healthcare, public college for all, or even rebuilding
infrastructure is called a socialistic waste of tax dollars. Needless
to say I have less than an iota of respect for anyone claiming to be
a Christian but supports Trump.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Naturally, I have not communicated with
anyone flying black flags from the back of their truck but my
information on what they mean is good enough to risk an assumption.
I'm not foolish enough to seek confirmation that expose me to their
wrath if and when violence erupts.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That last sentence pretty much sums up
my feelings. The American nation is dangerously polarized with a huge
chunk of the population ready to spill the blood of their fellow
countrymen and women.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I don't know if this will be my last
post. Yeah, my attitude right now sucks but I am truly looking for
anything that might give me some hope for the future. I wish everyone
good luck and hope 2022 is a turning point for us all.
</p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-6631022899832944672021-10-17T07:38:00.004-04:002021-10-17T07:38:33.017-04:00Massive Cardiac Suckage<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA89j_nld_nZEAPXL66ZaqBqRckQGnGiYwJCTupQVIYB-Xvb6UKAE4KZZW21wY5gP0zsoAtItzlaMy3IXafC4e4ryQJMxyG6QqLHwdqFvL1uTBj2VvidOh7yFyz6hupkLodj4MJB8WieCI/s600/heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="600" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA89j_nld_nZEAPXL66ZaqBqRckQGnGiYwJCTupQVIYB-Xvb6UKAE4KZZW21wY5gP0zsoAtItzlaMy3IXafC4e4ryQJMxyG6QqLHwdqFvL1uTBj2VvidOh7yFyz6hupkLodj4MJB8WieCI/s320/heart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">More news on the cardiac front for me.
For those unlucky enough to stumble upon this post for the first time
back on August 1<sup>st</sup> 2018 my heart suddenly went into
ventricular tachycardia launching me into a cardiac adventure that
didn't end until December of that same year. Unfortunately, I didn't
come away free and clean. Turns out I possess a genetic defect that
prevents my heart cells from producing, or correctly producing, a
protein vital for proper function.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Four cardiac ablations, two different
types of pacemakers, and a whole spectrum of different medicines
later I have fought this condition to a standstill. That is until
February of 2020 when I started being plagued with atrial
fibrillation, or A-Fib for short.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Now A-Fib isn't as dangerous as
tachycardia, and as one of my doctors likes to tell me people
actually “live” with it to the degree it's effecting me. But
A-Fib sucks high balls, especially since I live in a place that is
hot and humid for a larger portion of the year as compared to being
cool and pleasant. Besides sucking the energy to do any activity from
my body, A-Fib would also send it into full-fledged flop sweats. So
much that a few people actually stopped me in the hallways or my work
and ask if I was okay.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well, back in April I had a simple
procedure called a cardioversion where my Columbia-based doctor
shocked my defective heart out of A-Fib. It worked, at the time, and
I felt great and went about my business. That is until the middle of
July went my goddamned heart casually went back into A-Fib. Being
deep into the summer at the time, at first I just thought the heat
and humidity were taking its toll. That is until the first of August
when the dipshit asshole- and I truly mean that- scheduler for my
cardiologist in Columbia called to tell me that the doctor really
wanted to see me “as soon as possible” but that his first
available appointment wasn't until the end of that month.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">“Huh...wait, what?” I said only
thinking that my appointment with that specific doctor wasn't
supposed to happen until the middle of October. The scheduler, being
a dipshit asshole quickly cut the call leaving me wondering what the
hell was going on. So I called back the next day with the intention
of getting an appointment with the cardiologist's physician assistant
or nurse practitioner, someone who I'm on better terms with than the
Columbia cardiologist.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">No, the scheduler went full prissy
asshole acting like my request was done just to shit in his morning
cornflakes. Still feeling like shit and wanting some answers before
the end of August I make another phone call to the Advanced Heart
Failure Clinic, a separate practice in the same location, and still
got nowhere.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So instead I called the cardiologist
down in Charleston and got an appointment just a week later. The
Charleston cardiologist didn't waste time and promptly ordered
another cardioversion that day upon seeing me. It was quite the
surprise actually since I expected him to just kick the can down the
road.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I was A-Fib free until September 8<sup>th</sup>
went my heart again casually went back into it. Now I'm looking at a
cardiac ablation, my fifth, scheduled for November 3<sup>rd</sup>
here in Columbia. I'd rather have it with the Charleston cardiologist
but it's easier on my family to have it here and from all my best
information ablations of A-Fib are for more simple than the ones for
ventricular tachycardia.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So if anyone out there was wondering
what happened to me I simply didn't have the energy to try and dazzle
you with my brilliance, or more accurately baffle you with my
bullshit.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'm still going to work during the week
and performing the absolutely minimum in outside chores. That latter
part isn't affected by the A-Fib, I just don't give much of a rip
about the yard work.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As for the November 3<sup>rd</sup>
ablation, hopefully the Columbia-based cardiologist will nail down
the bad spots in my heart the first time. He screwed up on the first
ablation back in August 2018 and his three others didn't relieve me
of the tachycardia. It took the Charleston cardiologist to nail down
the life threatening spot on my heart.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Unfortunately, my genetic condition
means my heart will continue to be a dick for the rest of my life.
Meaning I will continue to live under the threat of things like A-Fib
and tachycardia as well as Cardiomyopathy. At least I have health
insurance and access to several top notch doctors down in Charleston.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, a heart transplant is a
possibility but I don't want to think about that until I absolutely
must.
</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-3071352330433110012021-09-26T12:37:00.001-04:002021-09-27T04:55:46.163-04:00The Sum of All My Fears<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPifMuU1lEG9cOKr4VYXdpJchuAtaZz9xhGswUJ_wtWl3wGa4ZHmAUMho5yCbtayg5as8D217GOSycaarlzp-INcptZ89rEk6M09aWkWA-Y0q3ORUM6FjbUd1eXuPtibvkGpQZLRGv11Co/s400/bald+eagle.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPifMuU1lEG9cOKr4VYXdpJchuAtaZz9xhGswUJ_wtWl3wGa4ZHmAUMho5yCbtayg5as8D217GOSycaarlzp-INcptZ89rEk6M09aWkWA-Y0q3ORUM6FjbUd1eXuPtibvkGpQZLRGv11Co/s320/bald+eagle.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>At the start of the 2000s and the 2010s
some assholes published books saying that those decades would bring
unprecedented prosperity for the United States. Well we know how
those years went but while browsing Amazon recently yet another
dumbass has published a book saying the 2020s will see the United
States return to its winning ways.
<p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yeah, as you can imagine given recent events and circumstances things are still highly fucked. What's
worse is that all signs and portents suggest nothing will get better
for a while. Just for shits and giggles here's my take on the years
between now and 2028.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I sincerely hope I'm wrong.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>Early 2022</u>: The Orange Buffoon
declares he is again running for president. His “Big Lie” is
front and center in his campaign saying he was cheated in 2020 and
will return to the White House to make America great again. Despite
talk of his popularity waning among certain circles, his base begins to herald his return like the Second Coming of Jesus.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">All possible Republican presidential
hopefuls quickly go out of their way to announce their support for
his 2024 run.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>2022</u>: Being that the out of the
White House party almost always makes significant gains during
midterm elections, I see the Republicans taking control of both the
House and the Senate. Despite threats of immediately impeaching
President Biden and Vice President Harris upon taking control of
congress, I believe the Republicans instead will just spend the next
two years throwing the government into gridlock. The Republican media
propaganda outlets will blame the resulting gridlock on Biden/Harris
to pave the way for Trump's 2024 campaign.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If any Supreme Court justices happen to
die or retire after the midterms, Mitch McConnell will refuse to
allow President Biden to pick a replacement. At that point I don't
even believe McConnell will attempt to justify his refusal to confirm
a new justice.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>2023</u>: This year will be a wild
card. Should unexpected events favor Biden/Harris their chances at
reelection will be helped. The state of the economy and foreign
affairs will depend greatly on whether or not Biden/Harris has any
chance. The Republicans will certainly make an issue of Biden's
competence and any misstatement or mistake on his part will be
amplified and repeated by the media until independents are convinced
he can't handle the job. Vice President Harris will certainly be the
subject of a smear campaign to paint her as a radical socialist.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The real question is whether the
Republicans will go so radical to secure their insane base they will
alienate the fairly moderate suburban women.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Expect Russia to launch a massive
interference campaign so huge it will make the 2016 interference look
insignificant.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The final wild card that could happen
anytime between now and 2024 is whether or not Trump and his family
members are ever criminally indicted. If the Orange Buffoon and any
family members are indicted with such evidence as to make conviction
a real possibility, Trump will cut a deal so fast that I wouldn't put
it past him to do anything from voluntarily fleeing the country to
turning on the Republican party.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Got to admit, I had come to believe
that Trump would have been long since indicted on something by now.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>2024</u>: If the country remains
locked in economic stagnation and/or stuck in some form of Covid
quagmire Trump will return to the White House. Trump's earlier
disasters will be carefully swept under the rug with his propaganda
emphasizing his “success” of managing the economy. Americans
don't have the attention span of gnats but in general do have about the same
level of intelligence.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It can't be understated the level of
revenge Trump supporters have simmering over what the consider was
the stolen 2020 election. On the other hand Democrats as sure to be
fighting among themselves with progressive most likely whining about
how they are ignored and should break off to form their own party.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While it was only whispered about on
radical right-wing websites and chat rooms, I see a real possibility
of Republican brownshirts groups forming to prevent certain people
from voting. During the 2020 election I saw numerous examples of
Trump supporters in massive pickup trucks with huge flags flying
behind them cruising around polling places. On the surface it would
be easy just to say they were peaceably showing their support. But a
person would be a fool not to think these activities could easily
turn into intimidation tactics.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This will go along with voter
suppression laws being enacted by Republicans.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'd like to think that Democrats might
take back at least one house of Congress to counterbalance a new
Trump Administration. More than likely that's wishful thinking on my
part.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With this being Trump's second rodeo,
he will go straight to picking corrupt and unqualified members for
his cabinet. I predict his Vice President will be Nikki Haley.
Although, Trump will keep pushing Ivanka Trump into staged government
activities to build her credibility for a presidential run. For years
Ivanka has openly expressed an desire to be the first female president. What friction this might create between his vice president
and his unofficial but preferred successor will be interesting.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>2025</u>: In 2020, Trump sincerely
believe he had the Supreme Court in his back pocket and that they
would side with him on the election cases brought before them. Since
they didn't, I see a huge possibility that Trump will pack the
Supreme Court with up to five extra justices. All certified toadies
that will do whatever he demands.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I genuinely believe McConnell would go
along with packing the Court. His reasoning being that since the
Democrats talked about it after the 2020 election, he would do it.
Yes, McConnell will still be alive and running the United States
Senate. Remember, Strom Thurmond was kept in office even years after
the old bastard couldn't put a five word sentence together. With
Mitch they would go as far as inventing a portable life support system to
keep him in the senate. If he does die, there are plenty of sycophant
replacement available.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I easily expect quick Supreme Court
decisions that will promote a genuine authoritarian/police state
takeover of the United States. While this is going on the military
will be purged of officers whose loyalty is to the Constitution.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>2026</u>: By this time I expect
considerable civil unrest in certain American cities with Republican
brownshirts and actual cops shooting African-American men and women.
Trump will stoke these racial fires resulting in rioting that he will
crack down on with heavy force. I actually see Democratic-lead cities
being taken under federal control.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The 2026 midterms will essentially be
meaningless. Popular Democrats that could challenge Republicans in
most any office will be accused of something illegal disqualifying
them from office. Economic data coming from the government will be
fixed to express whatever Trump wants. Whether or not Trump has taken
control of the independent news media is an open question. If not,
his brownshirts will certainly be used to scare journalists into
submission.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>2027</u>: By this point the very
seams of the country will be coming apart with separatists movements
taking shape certainly in California and the Pacific Northwest.
Especially if Trump refuses to release FEMA disaster funds until
those governors grovel at his feet or change policy. What makes this
particularly dangerous is that states like California pay out more
money to the federal government than they take in. Whereas most red
states receive more federal money that they pay in taxes.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><u>2028</u>: Trump being an unhealthy
old man has to die sometime. But if the bastard makes it to this year
he can't run for reelection, or at least that what the Twenty-Second
Amendment says. Should he reach this point I can easily see him
trying to push the idea that he “deserves another term.” The
members of his cult will certainly agree and punish anyone who
opposes the idea.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Should Trump die during this term how
his vice president deals with his politically ambitious family and
the Republican party as a whole will be interesting.</p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-19923476360883852672021-09-19T18:11:00.002-04:002021-09-19T18:11:33.945-04:00A Bad Case of Disillusionment<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lIcVPSbXtYqFNifzLWzOk-PTTiqNQfjb6S8xHHc0KIMNOJK3wUp4q6hmzvt73S7APkQSKgGU8TUQalQvlGt-p1IE-Nn30t5y9FQQp_RP8TI_GD5dLlLPANhi2HxSz-XwfBnIhCGT-zMf/s1038/disillusion.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="573" data-original-width="1038" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lIcVPSbXtYqFNifzLWzOk-PTTiqNQfjb6S8xHHc0KIMNOJK3wUp4q6hmzvt73S7APkQSKgGU8TUQalQvlGt-p1IE-Nn30t5y9FQQp_RP8TI_GD5dLlLPANhi2HxSz-XwfBnIhCGT-zMf/s320/disillusion.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Got to admit, I'm dealing with a pretty
big wave of disillusionment with the nature and behavior of the
United States. No, this state of mind was not brought on by the
Orange Buffoon, although he is more of a symptom of how things have
gone wrong. No, I do not consider Joe Biden a failure, but events do
seem to have moved faster than his administration has been able to
anticipate. Long story short, things are still going to shit and I
coming to think there is nothing the sane and rational people can do.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My one real criticism of President
Biden is that he seems to be trying to play the normal game of
American politics while Mitch McConnell and the rest of the
Republican power structure have gone full kleptocracy/Authoritarian
dictatorship. Giving the Son of a Bitch McConnell his due, the
bastard has played corrupt politics like a master. All the while
mouthing off asinine statements about everyone needing to respect the
rules of the senate with a straight face.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If history ever needs a face to
identify the individual who did the most to destroy the United States
it will be Mitch McConnell. But I honestly can't say McConnell is the
only reason for my disillusionment.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The majority of the people on the right
of the American political spectrum are simply insane. Listing all the
ways those people have lost their minds would take too long and I
simply don't have the energy to rant about it anymore. Here's where I
would normally say that I know there are good people on the right.
But while they are out there, their numbers are vanishingly small to
the point of insignificance.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My one sentence explanation for this
situation is that right-wingers have become addicted to fear. They
fear the “other” and want desperately a return to a white
dominated America. They'll betray every facet of American ideals and
principles to see that happen.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But never fear, the left of American
politics is as usual lost and without a true game plan. To a far
lesser extent, they are just as beholding to their money masters and
their own antiquated behaviors. But given how American politics are
run, they are the only reasonably sane people in the game.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Most of all, the young people of the
country, those that will need to find the strength and knowledge to
fix the problems seem adrift. From what I read, many have given up
and surrendered figuring they will never be able to own a home, raise
a family under the same conditions as their parents, or even retire.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Still rambling here but in a way I
think the overall problem can be summed up in that the complexities
of life in the twenty-first century have outpaced the intelligence of
the general American public. We do not have the education, the
energy, nor the ethics anymore to answer to the challenges we face as
a nation.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I hope I'm wrong but as of right now
and the foreseeable future I think we're massively screwed.
</p>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XGmERAWVdWM" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-40856652230310664182021-09-12T12:56:00.004-04:002021-09-16T16:17:32.398-04:00The Backdoor to a Dystopian Nightmare<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgic0hf_psd8e4snXzY6i00HMQ73od3G4Ymc3v6kqGhuOF2rruDignrzZIzsje0gvIlQfPFZtMvP__eEQpzMjU3ycdZbpMdQ6LPx0FXx8Y7csqT2p8ISKZuSm4fjLzfUasXdeld_Fz4I4ra/s638/no+hope.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="638" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgic0hf_psd8e4snXzY6i00HMQ73od3G4Ymc3v6kqGhuOF2rruDignrzZIzsje0gvIlQfPFZtMvP__eEQpzMjU3ycdZbpMdQ6LPx0FXx8Y7csqT2p8ISKZuSm4fjLzfUasXdeld_Fz4I4ra/s320/no+hope.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Way back in the early 1980's I remember
watching Carl Sagan giving a hypothetical lecture on the nature of
other intelligent species. Several of the illustrations he used on
that episode were like cheat cards or cliff notes on various aspects
that made up those hypothetical aliens and the nature of their
civilizations.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Most of the made up “facts” on
these cliff notes dealt with the chemical, biological, and physical
nature of those species. For example one of Carl's fictional species
were “electrovores” implying that they consumed electricity to
sustain life. I can't describe how that concept blew my little mind,
and still does. These cliff notes were included in the companion book
to the series and if you have a copy of Sagan's <i>Cosmos </i><span style="font-style: normal;">they're
still fascinating even today.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Now
Carl included a cliff note on humanity, listing the same information
on it as the others. And like the others there was a short segment
giving some details on our civilization. Mainly that the species was
divided up into over two-hundred political entities, six global
powers. In this same section it was mentioned that cultural and
technological homogeniety was underway. In other words, the
“intelligent” species of the planet was undergoing a type of
global unification. </span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">On a
side note, in the same section our chances for long-term survival
were also mentioned at less that fifty-percent per hundred years.
Given the nature of the Cold War at the time and Carl's fixation on
it as a threat, there was only the smallest mention of the
destruction of the planet's biodiversity or climate change.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">In the
last few years my attention has drifted back to the homogeniety of
our civilization. Forgive the implied American imperialism, but for
years I didn't have a problem with the world more or less unifying
into something like a United States of Earth. That is, a loose global
federation made up of self governing political entities whose
underlying framework revolved around democrat values and egalitarian
principles. </span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">My
vague notions of global unification were essentially the ideals of a
center-left vision of no person or group having a codified or
economic advantage over anyone else. Inequality would exist with some
being richer and some being poorer, but that the national and global
institutions would attempt to referee the playing field and work to
give a </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u>hand-up</u></span><span style="font-style: normal;">
to those born disadvantaged.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Of
course, the Cold War ended with a total crash and burn for the only
other economic system that seemed a viable alternative to the
wrestling tag team duo of democracy and capitalism. Okay, let me go
ahead and clearly say I am not here to praise communism, it's dead
and has dissolved into a stinky dust.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">On the
other hand in the years since the end of the Cold War, the tag team
duo of democracy and capitalism has broken up with the latter now a
legitimate threat to the former. It's a problem all over the world
but particularly here in the United States the amount of money in a
person's bank account generally means he or she are more equal than
another with less money. </span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
situation has gotten so bad some of these rich folks openly talk
about having more votes for elections than us common folks because
they have more invested in society. Then there is this
Republican/Libertarian fixation that corporations should be
considered “people.” From what I learned that only was suppose to
mean that they could be sued in court, not hold some position of
power in society or representation in government.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">This
brings me to a concept that I had long since recognized but didn't
have a solid idea about until I discovered a book by the British
cultural theorist, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Fisher#Capitalist_realism">Mark Fisher. Fisher had coined the term“Capitalist Realism”</a> defining it as the widespread belief that
capitalism is not only the only viable political and economic system
but that it also now impossible to imagine a viable alternative. That
since the fall of the Soviet Union this lack of an alternative to
capitalism has a set a limit to political and social life with the
effects reaching into education, mental health, and even pop culture
and methods of resistance.</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">So you
might be thinking just what does this all mean and how did the
collapse of a discredited and evil system like communism screw over
the liberal democratic world?</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Well,
it should be easy to realize that economic inequality all over the
world, but especially here in the United States has grown
considerably since the end of the Cold War. That this ties in nicely
with the collapse of the labor movement here in the United States.
Labor unions being the one strong and dependable counterweight to the
power and influence of the rich elites who all always looking for
ways to increase profit, even at the expense of the dignity and lives
of their workers. </span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">With
capitalism looking like the only viable alternative anything that
even slightly differentiates from philosophy of increasing profits
begins to smell like communism. Remember folks, good old capitalism
of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth didn't have a
problem with sending kids younger than ten years-old into dangerous
factories and mines. </span>
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I
think maybe the most insidious thing about Capitalist Realism is its
effect on pop culture. Going real loosey-goosey here but since we've
been left with no real alternative everything in our society seems to
be viewed in a monetary value. Fisher writes:</span></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Capitalist realism as I
understand it ... is more like a pervasive atmosphere, conditioning
not only the production of culture but also the regulation of work
and education, and acting as a kind of invisible barrier constraining
thought and action.</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span>
</p><p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">My
takeaway being that as long as you can make a buck off something it's
not only a worthy project but an admirable one. Take this idea to the
extreme and I can see the justification of everything from driving up
the price of insulin to outrageous prices and no-talent skanky
publicity sluts making their fortunes selling sex tapes. (The
Kardashians are the biggest but there have been others.)</span></p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
penultimate and most dangerous result has to be the belief that the
government can be run like a business. That the privatization of
essential government services can be beneficial saving the ever
precious taxpayer from the burdens of having a decent society.
Because of this mindset we now have for profit prisons where it can
be argued that we have backdoored a return of slavery. Yes, the
inmates have committed crimes against society but to use them in
commercial ventures that make millions in profits for stockholders and CEO's is just “slavery
with extra steps” to use a term from a recent television show I
like. </span>
</p>
<p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">In
the long run the United States may have defeated the existential
danger of Marxist-Leninist communism, but the price for the win was
the soul of our society. Another way to look at this is that we have
bought our way into a real dystopia. </span></p><p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></p><p align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgLT_Tjh1z2KAken9znvxR3dxENyhxQ0hFUg3-VDfIErIdY5LSQNa6s8uU8wYsdt1zmd8lUU99qzfCHV5GCqAXk1uSfAqVN6BdIYRtGz27UkR4DshNYVLHm3b6ZDv6NOU2PpFDQ5phmTX/s519/no+hope.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="519" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgLT_Tjh1z2KAken9znvxR3dxENyhxQ0hFUg3-VDfIErIdY5LSQNa6s8uU8wYsdt1zmd8lUU99qzfCHV5GCqAXk1uSfAqVN6BdIYRtGz27UkR4DshNYVLHm3b6ZDv6NOU2PpFDQ5phmTX/s320/no+hope.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<p></p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-62981114502523392692021-09-06T07:24:00.003-04:002021-09-06T07:26:08.656-04:00You Can't Fix this Level of Stupid<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0whgOUPeGN4ke8mLVZjsbPxxZRnMahq38q7eUdZC_WpC8YWKdjTyaGyKZYYGTHUomneRCQhMZrR_ls6FByL3Pd6GiSo8jF9eFslsiU_kNRh4UYHEcfefjj0novmBrvcEQEpgWr_owgj-W/s750/FB_IMG_1630921026201.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0whgOUPeGN4ke8mLVZjsbPxxZRnMahq38q7eUdZC_WpC8YWKdjTyaGyKZYYGTHUomneRCQhMZrR_ls6FByL3Pd6GiSo8jF9eFslsiU_kNRh4UYHEcfefjj0novmBrvcEQEpgWr_owgj-W/s320/FB_IMG_1630921026201.jpg" width="307" /></a></div><b>We are so doomed!!!!</b><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> In all the annals of stupid that I have
been exposed it was this week that I saw something so strange that it
defied all my expectations. I stumbled upon the meme to your left
accidentally as I was wasting time at home watching the grass and
weeds in my yard grow. See the fun part is seeing my neighbors drive
by and give me dirty looks for not having a seamless carpet of deep
green in my front yard.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After discovering this meme, I was
enthralled at the interlocking levels of stunning stupidity and
brazen incomprehension that one person can possibly endure and still
be able to remember to breathe. I say that because Jesse here is
legitimately saying that he could do the following:
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<ol><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That he could force his way into
an international airport with just a good old American AR-15 while
carrying his sick son.</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That they could then force their
way onto a fully fueled plane with a pilot.</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That this pilot would then fly
across the Atlantic Ocean and land in Italy.</p>
</li><li><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Then Jesse would fight his way off
the plane, with his son and then to a hospital.</p>
</li></ol>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Those were just the most basic steps
since anyone who has read something more that the infantile
propagandize drivel of your average conspiracy-plagued Fox News host
knows you can't readily hijack a plane like you might a car driving
down a deserted street. Now I'm sure in Jesse's armchair commando
mind he's probably recruited a number of like-minded individuals all
armed themselves to carry off his plan. Hell with a big enough circle
lunatic friends he may even have a pilot friend or two.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Still though, Jesse's statement was so
bleeding stupid I have heard five-year old kids who still believe in
Santa say things more rational. After my initial discover I looked
Jesse up on Twitter. It's almost like Sean Hannity and Laura Ingram
made the nasty and the child they created was exponentially more
crazy than them both.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Enough of the stupid, lets now explore
the incomprehension. Jesse here is proposing that he would marshal
all his God-given American manhood and using his AR-15 force his way
to Italy so his child could be saved by socialized medicine. Yes,
good folks whether Jesse know it or not Italy, along with all other
Western nations, has some form of evil, communistic, socialized
medicine. While the United States is still mired to privatized
medical system where insurance companies decided whether or not your
family will go bankrupt due to a sick family member. Remember Sarah
Palin and the evil of rationed health care she talked about during
her bizarre time as the Republican vice president nominee?
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Rationed health care has existed for as
long as insurance companies and many times they have allowed darling
grandmothers to die because of some cost/benefit analysis.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So this begs the question, instead of
attempting an improbable hijacking wouldn't it be better to just work
together and bring some form of socialized medicine here to this
country? </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> Unrelated to Jesse, here's some more stupid. This good American is praying to Donald Trump to save him from the police. This country is doomed, get out if you can!</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> <br /></p><p>
</p><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7PLDBY4jlcE" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-27647285882447187002021-08-29T07:03:00.000-04:002021-08-29T07:03:51.518-04:00The Paradox of the McMansion Versus the Tiny House<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3yuxmdMwxF5yms_Qd3rUMjIEuExQktcRg5H_N4j_3ifeUELcyhwJ8HCVpYhSZ9srvEEY4JFFaYPUqn4BUcBkLWjloeNnV-BL0uWHaP5qSzWNUySJWkz_bK8d1WFmvfxHDrt2vR5Sej3Y/s1800/Tiny+House.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1372" data-original-width="1800" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3yuxmdMwxF5yms_Qd3rUMjIEuExQktcRg5H_N4j_3ifeUELcyhwJ8HCVpYhSZ9srvEEY4JFFaYPUqn4BUcBkLWjloeNnV-BL0uWHaP5qSzWNUySJWkz_bK8d1WFmvfxHDrt2vR5Sej3Y/s320/Tiny+House.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Few things signify the gross excess and
outright waste of our current society like the modern suburban home.
There are entire industries catering to the American middle class
desire to own the biggest house possible along with a yard that
usually must look like a miniature copy of an aristocratic English
estate. The only purpose for this waste of resources and abuse of the
land is for a shallow pursuit of status among equally superficial
individuals.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The term “McMansion” was in fact
coined to signify a house considered ostentatious and lacking in
architectural integrity. The lack of architectural integrity coming
from the addition of secondary spaces that are essentially empty
voids, internal areas of the house that serve no purpose other that
an attempt at decoration. The best example off the top of my head
would be a house I saw once with a foyer that had twelve foot
ceilings. Right next the ceiling were three windows that had
absolutely no useful purpose. Yes, they let in extra sunlight but
with the ceilings in the rest of the house the normal distance from
the floor the “grand foyer” as the homeowner described that space
was utterly ridiculous to me.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The same goes for another McMansion I
visited once during a pool party my family had been invited. The
party had already started by the time I arrived with my wife talking
to the hostess and my son playing in the pool with other kids. The
husband of the hostess came over and greeted me and for some reason
ushered me up to the master bathroom so I could change. Yeah,
everything about that house screamed useless space designed to give
the impression of a grand palace from the outside and inflate the
importance of the owners inside. But it was the master bathroom that
defied normal standards. The total square-footage of the bathroom was
easily greater that my living room. Now it did have and oversized
bathtub and a extra-large shower stall, and of course a toilet but
the overall floor space was ridiculous.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It has been my observations that these
McMansions tend to breed a contempt in their occupants towards anyone
else not perceived to be of equal status. My recent post about the
utter panic that erupted in local McMansion dwellers around me about
the proposal to build affordable Section Eight housing in the general
area shows how much humanity has to be surrendered just to protect
things like a “grand foyer” and a master bathroom larger than
living room.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It's a given that one of the worst
problems we have here in the United States is the lack of affordable
housing. Billions of dollars are spent annually to build these
suburban McMansions and other houses that sit just under this
definition. But actual homes that the poor can afford, allowing them
to break the cycle of poverty, are exceedingly rare jewels. Such
people are supposed to hide away in Sections Eight apartments deep
inside the darker corners of cities whose only real purpose to allow
rich developers to get even richer off government subsidies.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Even when something like Sections Eight
housing is available, there are still legions of homeless men, women,
and families floating around our streets like human flotsam in a vast
ocean of apathy.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here's where my bewilderment at our
stunted society reaches critical mass. A type of residence that has
become popular among some people are called “Tiny Homes.” These
structures have an internal space ranging from one-hundred square
feet to around four-hundred. But they can still provide the comforts
of larger homes like full or even queen-size beds, a bathroom, along
with a kitchen and living room.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">While houses greater than four-hundred
square feet don't technically fit the description as a tiny home,
going up to eight-hundred square feet to accommodate families don't
break the spirit of the idea.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here's part of the problem as to why
we're not solving the affordable housing problem by building whole
villages of these tiny homes.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">First is the obvious zoning issues,
especially when upper scale neighborhoods just happen to be
relatively nearby. The right-wing, self-righteous zealots in my area
lost their tiny minds at the idea of affordable housing in the form
of apartments being built. I can only imagine what they would think
if a subdivision or two made up of Tiny Houses were proposed.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">More than likely since Tiny Houses are
required to be mounted on wheels, like trailers, they would be
equally upset saying such residences draw crime, drops in property
values, and overburden already crowded schools. Now it would be great
if Tiny Houses could be built on permanent foundations but there are
scores of vague regulations that prevent the creation of such
villages. I'm sure some of these regulations stifling Tiny House
creation have solid, legitimate reasons but I can't help to think
some of them exist because typical homes owners fear their property
values being hurt. And from my experience absolutely nothing defines
the perspective of the vast majority of middle class Americans than
how something or someone might hurt the property values of their
houses.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sliding slightly into the metaphysical
but McMansions to me violate basic decency and shows an almost
malevolent disregard for other human beings and the environment. The
amount of resources in lumber and wiring and plumbing used to build
such monstrosities could have gone to several much smaller houses.
And as for the beautifully green lawns the chemicals used to create
and maintain them have severe environmental problems that literally
flow all the way down to the ocean.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I love how conservative suburbanites
lament about “the good old days” were so much better all the
while forgetting that their grandparents homes had a square-footage
running around fourteen-hundred square feet at best. Full disclosure
here, my current house (money pit) is a hair or two under twenty-one
hundred square feet and I pretty much despise it.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Going full metaphysical, along with
bleeding heart, high spending liberal. But with millions of folks in
America going homeless, I can't help but think that with Tiny Houses
we are looking at one facet of a solution for huge chunk of our
society's problems. I actually believe we should build entire
villages of Tiny Homes and give them away to homeless families, at
first, and eventually down to single individuals. Payment for these
homes would require troubled individuals to be part of anything and
everything from mental health counseling, job training, substance
abuse treatment, and basic upkeep of their homes. That failure to
actively participate in treatment and training and upkeep would mean
eviction.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The problem with my proposal is
twofold. First being the mindless conservative reaction at the idea
of their precious tax dollars being wasted on some liberal program.
These God fearing, gun-toting real Americans have priorities and
helping those less fortunate is just socialism.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The second being the mindless liberal
reaction that the poor are just victims and shouldn't be expected to
focus on their recovery and development. There's a great documentary
on YouTube about Seattle's response o the homeless crisis is how it
is actually hurting the people they are supposed to be trying to
help.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I simply do not believe the
conservative conceit that poor folks are lazy, useless parasites
looking to suck the life blood out of hardworking folks. Yes, I'm
sure on an individual basis such people exist but there isn't any
perfect answer when it comes to humans and the institutions they
create to help govern society. Personally I'm sick of our society
both ignoring our problems and refusing to do anything constructive
to help fix things.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of the reasons I question the very
nature of whether or not humans are an intelligent species is our
inability, or even desire in many cases, to solve the problems of
poverty that has been plaguing us since our ancestors decided to
give up the hunter-gathering life.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Poverty breeds suffering for which all
the other corrosive agents spring forth to eat away at a functioning
society. For me more importantly, Americans disregard for fellow
Americans makes everything we say we believe not just a lie, but a
dangerous delusion. For if whole poorer segments of our population
can be written off as lost causes, there is nothing stopping the rich
elites from abandoning the middle class folks if they become
inconvenient.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That may have been a little too
abstract for some folks so to make it clear, Jeff Bezos and other
billionaires don't give a fuck for you suburbanites living in your
McMansions. Bezos wants to build space colonies off Earth and every
other billionaire and multimillionaire I've ever heard of has a
Doomsday plan that at a minimum gets them out of the country should
it collapse.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">You McMansion folks keep ignoring the
growing poverty here in America and one day the angry mobs could be
all over your green lawns with torches looking to cook you and your
family. All the while Bezos will be in orbit and the other rich folks
will be in their luxurious underground bunkers sipping champagne.
</p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-14737577654394602872021-08-17T16:33:00.004-04:002021-08-17T16:33:33.490-04:00Things Never Seem to Change<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cl_qRwEi8ovCC237jp_6s473DP8p_iWenH_YrXgPAmLTJXMJ8uSnZMyKi96iW2qYpqMEcUbvuLmtvjIjdwh3LimCekMLgEQaUxMcpftpcKyf_Q6cp1h4pgJaAQY6N_ZRBjePXCnegvSy/s599/Kabul.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="557" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cl_qRwEi8ovCC237jp_6s473DP8p_iWenH_YrXgPAmLTJXMJ8uSnZMyKi96iW2qYpqMEcUbvuLmtvjIjdwh3LimCekMLgEQaUxMcpftpcKyf_Q6cp1h4pgJaAQY6N_ZRBjePXCnegvSy/s320/Kabul.png" width="298" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Usually I have a strong opinion
whenever the subject deals with the military or politics. Combine the
two and if someone asks me a question on them I can easily give a
fairly accurate history lesson on how we got there and how the
situation reached its current point.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My one caveat on saying I can give a
“fairly accurate history lesson” is that in a country filled with
experts on sports statistics and what Hollywood celebrity is sleeping
with whom, I excel at knowing the past. I admit that's not hard given
the idiocy running rampant among the fat, distracted masses. But by
all appearances as common layman go, I'm pretty good if not
respectable at understanding just how stupid and self destructive our
species can be.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That being said, I'm pretty much at a
loss in trying to give an opinion on the final result of the United
States involvement in Afghanistan. Was the “war” worth the cost
in national cash and lives? Should we have withdrawn earlier say
during the last years of the Second Bush Administration or Obama's?
And finally, the big question is was President Biden correct in
withdrawing troops now?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If the objective of invading
Afghanistan in 2001 was weeding out terrorists, then I would say yes.
The leader of Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden was being allowed refuge in
the country by is Taliban buddies. After the invasion, The Taliban
went running for the hills and Al Qaeda was ran out of the country.
The fact that Osama slipped out of the country and spent years living
in plain sight in Pakistan is a whole other issue.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But as for occupying Afghanistan and
spending several trillion dollars on building its military and
infrastructure, our involvement was such a catastrophic failure I'm
sure it will take decades if not a century to understand its scope.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here in the United States during all
those years on involvement many called for a national health care
system, A massive infrastructure project to fix...well everything
that has been ignored for decades. It literally pains me to think of
the Americans that money could have lifted out of poverty and put on
a path to self-sufficiency.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But no, the war hawks and leaders on
the right screamed. Such projects here in the United States would be
disastrously wasteful, it would be far better to cut taxes and let
the poor bootstrap themselves out of poverty. As for the crumbling
roads, collapsing bridges, schools that look like ancient ruins, not
to mention out of date airports, the rickety electrical grid, and
numerous other national embarrassments well, those on the right
either want to ignore it or say it can wait.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I don't mean to beat George W. Bush
again, but there was no way in Hell he would have pulled out of
Afghanistan. That was his one confirmed “win” and with him
calling “Mission Accomplished” way too early in Iraq, he wasn't
about to screw himself over.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Poor President Obama, I've read enough
to suggest he wanted to withdraw the troops but politically it would
have been suicide. He was barely able to end our active involvement
in Iraq but had to recommit when Isis formed and about took over that
country.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So we were stuck in Afghanistan, at
least it was a slow bleed. But while most of the American money went
to training and arming the Afghan military, some did trickle down to
the common folks. Schools were built, roads paved, and a population
that was living in the Middle Ages got a glimpse of modern life.
There was gross waste and extravagant corruption but I have to
believe some Afghans were helped.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So after twenty years President Biden
pulls the plug and in less than two weeks the entire country falls
apart with the Taliban once again calling the shots. Dammit, I know
it was almost a certainty that the Afghan government would fall but
to collapse in two weeks is something from a bad international spy
thriller.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So was the Afghanistan Conflict worth
the money and effort? My gut feeling is no. We did accomplish the
initial mission but with the Taliban now back in charge the coming
months and years are going to be just as problematic as it was before
9/11.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We did help a lot of common folks but
the endemic corruption of the government and large portion of the
population eager to remain in the Middle Ages, we only put those who
worked with us in mortal danger.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My little essay here isn't meant to be
thorough, people smarter than me will be debating this clusterfuck
for decades. From the moment Bush gave the order to invade
Afghanistan, there were undoubtedly thousands of decisions made that
set us on the path we find ourselves now. But given Afghanistan's
past history with invaders the end result would have certainly been
the same.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Here's some idle speculation, but given
the level of untapped resources in Afghanistan and China essentially
next door, it will be interesting to see if they can resist falling
into that trap.</p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-89606298611967444952021-08-07T20:27:00.000-04:002021-08-07T20:27:02.884-04:00Section Eight Housing and the Incredible Absence of Integrity<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8w6-7gkD8nb00FrIpXmWQKIX4yMK_3Q06hzkxZRn9HCjfiyWKXxPT-nswAC9SYmRTzPZKZwtjIuzSZ6ahEPiKH4-QzAMZzZpb5l1OWa5KLI-buoWaGANihlHgpUFONhyphenhyphenTO7dGWGQMf0Bk/s500/cool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8w6-7gkD8nb00FrIpXmWQKIX4yMK_3Q06hzkxZRn9HCjfiyWKXxPT-nswAC9SYmRTzPZKZwtjIuzSZ6ahEPiKH4-QzAMZzZpb5l1OWa5KLI-buoWaGANihlHgpUFONhyphenhyphenTO7dGWGQMf0Bk/s320/cool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Shock and near panic rippled through my
section of Lexington County recently with the news of a Section Eight
housing project being built in an area surrounded by upper middle
class subdivisions. I learned of the news from the “Nextdoor”
social media app, something akin to Facebook but emphasizing local
neighborhoods. Two or three years ago my subdivision's Home Owners
Association started pushing for all the residents to join so we could
communicate faster. Prior to last Tuesday when the Section Eight
panic began I strictly limited my participation to receiving email
alerts in case something other than asinine bullshit was ever shared.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What I mean by asinine bullshit
involved countless garage sale notices, inspirational writings of a
religious nature, along with the expected hyper-patriotic posts
involving shrill civilians all wanting everyone else to know how much
they truly loved America. Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing for
the most part. You would be a fool to expect a duck not to quack and
a cat not to go meow. It's what they do and comfy, fat American
civilians who live in McMansions love their miniature English estates
and get teary-eyed about a country the vast majority have never
lifted a hand to serve in any capacity.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I was already at work Tuesday morning
when I started checking my email and saw the fearful subject lines of
the disaster that was going to befall on the perfect subdivisions
near the purposed housing project. Crime, property devaluation,
unruly elements that would make it unsafe for families to walk the
streets at night were all common comments by the people up in arms
that their area would be saddled with poor folks trying to find a
decent place to live.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'll give a few of the scared locals a
little, backhanded credit. Some did couch their complaints in
semi-reasonable areas such as the schools are already overcrowded and
that local traffic is a damn nightmare. But the area schools have
been overcrowded for literally decades with some already pushed
beyond capacity the same years that start operation. The summer my
daughter's middle school opened for the first time the tar on the
roof wasn't even dry and the school district was already buying
portable classroom trailers because they had too many students.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Describing the local traffic congestion
would have me devolving into fits or rage best left untouched. Just
understand it's bad and every addition of a new fast food joint,
strip mall, or convenience store/gas station makes everything
exponentially worse. Throw in an ambulance trying to save someone's
life or a fire truck in route to an emergency and the already slow
traffic can come to a confusing, messy stop.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But I'll be sickeningly honest, the
majority of people against the section eight housing wrote their
comments in such as way that it was painfully clear that they had
particular worries about the future residents living in the housing
project. I'm sure they had poor redneck white folks at least
partially in mind as their fingers danced in fear over the their
keyboards. But it was obvious that there was some racial and ethnic
fears being stoked by those opposing the project.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Just to make things that more
ridiculous, a few even began bringing up conspiracy theories
involving the usual suspects on the left. One person wrote about how
this was an attempt to change the voting population of the county.
That person's point being that the area is so deeply politically red
that some nefarious group or individual was trying to throw political
blue into the area mix. Another spoke openly of another conspiracy
that someone was purposely trying to damage the property values.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Just understand, the sharing of
possible conspiracies got deep as the comments began to pile up in
number. Not that it surprised me, for a couple of years I had a
certain local lawn irrigation company help me with my troublesome
sprinkler system, that is until the owner in a offhanded manner back
in 2008 said he knew for a fact that Barrack Obama was a Muslim. I
may live among the crazy, but I don't have to do business with them.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What actually depressed me though, was
the total lack of empathy the vast majority of people writing
comments had for anyone they perceived as outside their suburban
socioeconomic level. From their point of view, everyone who would be
living in the section eight housing would be a drag on the upper
middle class area. Now about four or five brave individuals
challenged the majority in the comments essentially saying, “poor
folks have to live somewhere too.”
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That's when the accusations of being a
liberal/”libtard”, Marxist, socialists troublemaker began flying.
This might make a few people reading this angry but you can't throw a
rock in my area without it coming close to numerous upscale churches
that in my opinion act more like country clubs and whose parking lots
overflow with luxury cars. I scanned pretty hard but failed to find
any individual oppose the majority and agree with the section eight
housing project on the grounds of the teachings of Jesus Christ. You
know, the love thy neighbor angle that was drilled into my head
during Sunday School.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The few individuals standing up for the
poor were strictly social justice warriors on the secular end of the
political spectrum.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The only conclusion I can take away
from this disgusting situation is that we have degenerated into
tribalism. America and Americans don't really exist in this day and
age of paranoia and extreme gaps between the rich and poor. We've
long since successfully balkanized the country between the elite rich
and those living in abject poverty. But the fractures have spread to
the middle class with those living in comfort already turning on
those who can't purchase their way into McMansions.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Hey, I don't agree with it but I can
understand billionaires or multimillionaires acting like old English
aristocrats consisting of dukes, earls, and barons. But it seems
clear to me even a lot of middle class folks have an irrational
animosity towards poor people.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Affordable low-income housing is
difficult to find in the best of times. And while there would be
issues with the construction of section eight housing what are poor
folks supposed to do? Conveniently retreat deep enough into the
shadows of society till they can't be seen by the easily disturbed
middle class?
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I didn't want to bring myself into this
rant but I didn't spend twenty-one years in the army and National
Guard to be a part of some bullshit experiment in social Darwinism.
I'm no saint, but I have enough of a conscious that I can't ignore
those less unfortunate than me. I just there was an easy way for me
to flee this chicken shit county. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg8379Y4nqw5ZQJd37wc48VZRKaGIMro3advqkjF6_nDUt4Iy_tPxf6morsyxZCQotJqv2De1-dTcKS-07fpL00HcBi79A3rPl6MFXvLQvRpH0G7eHslKOBUgBp8uot-1AoFLln0DEEWk/s1560/Save+screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="720" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfg8379Y4nqw5ZQJd37wc48VZRKaGIMro3advqkjF6_nDUt4Iy_tPxf6morsyxZCQotJqv2De1-dTcKS-07fpL00HcBi79A3rPl6MFXvLQvRpH0G7eHslKOBUgBp8uot-1AoFLln0DEEWk/w277-h437/Save+screen.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><br /> Here's an edited screen shot of one small segment of the comments<br /><p></p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-1233895523829531832021-08-01T13:32:00.002-04:002021-08-06T19:30:06.259-04:00Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir--A NO SPOILER REVIEW<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNs56aBIFtHBJtuKn_AgpTBAOQoYPSeWF3N0iqqIYqxgaPeK226IC_WHH6qKy6bKIVhGsOjFS_2tt9xKXLAdIEqQk5FWiOXg2arnFkJxwjElElMUdDL1TsU0xgznugS6EqdlfKFnO4_rZN/s488/Hail+Mary.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="488" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNs56aBIFtHBJtuKn_AgpTBAOQoYPSeWF3N0iqqIYqxgaPeK226IC_WHH6qKy6bKIVhGsOjFS_2tt9xKXLAdIEqQk5FWiOXg2arnFkJxwjElElMUdDL1TsU0xgznugS6EqdlfKFnO4_rZN/s320/Hail+Mary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It goes without saying the movie
version of <i>The Martian</i> was a brilliant piece of hard science
fiction. I was literally in awe of the actors performance, the real
science involved in the story, along with the basic concept of a lone
individual marooned on a planet. Because I enjoyed the movie so much
I naturally bought the Andy Weir novel which I found surpassed the
movie. It was true “hard science fiction” in the sense that there
was no magic gadgets that defy known physics used to save the day.
Everything in the movie and novel is technologically possible.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Even growing potatoes in martian soil,
the only show stopper being the weird type of salt in the martian
regolith that Mr. Weir didn't know about when he was writing the
book. Called perchlorates, this type of salt would make growing
plants in Martian soil difficult, to say the least. But this doesn't
derail the use of martian soil as material for growing Earth plants.
Such salts could easily be washed out of the soil as it's put into
greenhouses.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So when I learned of the basic plot of
his latest novel, <i>Project Hail Mary</i>, I was like a kid waiting
for Santa on Christmas Eve. I ordered the book off Amazon and had a
fit when the United States Postal Service failed to deliver it in the
required two days. But it did arrive and I have to go ahead and say
<i>Project Hail Mary</i> is one of the best science fiction books I
have read in my life. Now, understand it's the best science fiction
books I've read, but it's not HARD science fiction.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The book opens in more or less in the
present day with a probe being sent to Venus and discovering an alien
single-cell lifeform reproducing uncontrollably around the sun. Yes,
its definitely growing around the sun and causing significant dimming
that will plunge the entire Earth into an ice age in thirty years.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This of course sends all rational
countries into terror because while the sun will not be extinguished
the percentage of dimming will cause massive crop failures resulting
in billions dying around the world. Needless to say an ecological
collapse will also result in a mass extinction event as well for most
plants and animals. So it's the end of the world and no amount of
climate denial and anti-science rhetoric will stop the advanced
rational nations from a crazy project to try and save it.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Enter the main character Ryland Grace
PhD, a humble junior-high school biology teacher who was forced to
leave advanced molecular biology research because he wrote a
controversial paper proposing that life could exist without using water.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The almighty overlord of project Hail
Mary, Eva Stratt picks Grace to study the samples of the lifeform
being brought back to Earth. Mainly because everyone was assuming
that since the organism was growing on the sun that it couldn't
possibly contain water. But also because of the fact that Stratt
wanted a competent, but highly replaceable, scientist to look at the
organism first. In other words if the organism killed Grace while he
was poking it with a stick there was essentially no loss to humanity.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well Ryland Grace makes significant
breakthroughs in classifying the organism he names “Astrophage.”
It uses the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere of Venus to reproduce
then emits huge quantities of light energy to get back to the sun to
hang out. Astrophage's ability to emit light as a form of propulsion
is discovered by other scientists and they begin figuring out a way
to build a sub-light starship using it as fuel.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Why build a starship when Earth is
about to become a global icebox? Because every astronomer in the
world is looking for the origin of Astrophage and they discover all
the local stars in our stellar neighborhood are dimming the same way.
The conclusion, Astrophage has infected them all except one, Tau
Ceti, a star a little under twelve lightyears away.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Project Hail Mary is an attempt to
build a Astrophage-powered starship to reach Tau Ceti and hopefully
find out why the single-cell assholes aren't causing it to dim. Dr.
Ryland Grace end up on the three person crew of the Hail Mary, who
are put into a medically-induced coma for the four-year journey to Ta
Ceti. Four year journey, when you said Tau Ceti is twelve lightyears
away????
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Relativity my friends, old Albert
Einstein isn't a character in the book but his ideas about traveling
close to the speed of light means our intrepid crew will only
experience four years of travel time. Why put them in a
medically-induced coma? Because the <i>Hail Mary</i> isn't the
spacious <i>Starship Enterprise</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
the three-person crew would go insane living in such a small
container. Plus it saves on the use of food and life support during
the voyage. </span>Of course while the crew will only “experience”
four years, time dilation means those left on Earth will experience
more and with only a total of thirty years left before Earth goes
full dead block of ice the possibility of success is remote.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Oh yeah, the crew on the Hail Mary are
all on a suicide mission. To save Earth they have to reach Tau Ceti
discover why that star isn't dimming. If they find a solution they
will launch four small probes back to Earth that will carry the
information on how to solve the problem. After that all three have
ways to painlessly end their own lives.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It simply wasn't practical to build a
starship with enough fuel for a return voyage to Earth.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Needless to say like any battle plan
going to shit when opposing forces make actual contact, lots of
crazy, scary, unplanned events happen to those aboard the <i>Hail
Mary</i>. Small spoiler here but the star 40 Eridani, another in the
local neighborhood that is also dimming plays a part in the novel.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>Project Hail Mary</i> isn't hard
science fiction, but it an excellent novel in its own right.
“Astrophage” naturally doesn't exist and along with a few other
created elements prevents this novel from being hard science fiction.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Another curious thing about this is
book is the seemingly lack of direct American involvement with the
Hail Mary Project. That why I said all 'advanced rational nations' at
the start of my review. Of course Ryland Grace is American but during
the construction of the <i>Hail Mary</i> every major spacefaring
nation including the multinational European Space Agency (ESA) seem
to have far more involvement than NASA. One example, after the <i>Hail
Mary</i> is built and in orbit around the Earth, it is astronauts of
the ESA that crew the ship during during testing. The reason why Andy
Weir wrote the story that way is unclear.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Personally, the first thought that came
to my mind is that I could easily see the antiscience dumbasses here
in the United States denying that any problem with Astrophage and the
sun existed. I could easily see dozens of right-wing religious
extremists and libertarians saying Astrophage was all an evil
globalist plot to undermine the United States. Those same individuals
say the same thing about climate change, pollution, and numerous
other real issues the world and our nation faces.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">During the book I began to feel for the
character of Ryland Grace and his situation as he attempts to save
Earth. His situation gets extremely dire several times with only luck
and pure intelligence saving the day. Grace is a true hero but he's
no Captain Kirk nor Picard by any means. He has a serious flaws and
they are exposed during the course of the novel. But I also felt his
excitement as he made numerous discoveries trying to get to the
ultimate goal. The fictional Ryland Grace is a twenty-first century
man who truly got to voyage, “where no one has gone before.”
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I highly recommend <i>Project Hail
Mary</i>.
</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-48736959405828891682021-07-26T16:57:00.001-04:002021-09-05T06:52:05.813-04:00Plundering Around in my Subconscious<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYIjXTlkz72pUe3PDXcDk5Pco4LaQyrs4cvG4U4d7kCUccyFIEk8i0t2iVbL6cr2tHFSZWPj1PGUlYjHnPYPpw9oPDXi3jkYLU_MstKEaN0Vr8iP4pknswyJ9Q24BxYFzoZD-h9C9yjcG/s196/gold.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivYIjXTlkz72pUe3PDXcDk5Pco4LaQyrs4cvG4U4d7kCUccyFIEk8i0t2iVbL6cr2tHFSZWPj1PGUlYjHnPYPpw9oPDXi3jkYLU_MstKEaN0Vr8iP4pknswyJ9Q24BxYFzoZD-h9C9yjcG/s0/gold.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Probably best to start this rambling
mess of words with a friendly disclaimer.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Just like one of the characters in the
movie <i>Inception</i> stated, dreams, at least for me, have no real
beginning. The way I remember my dreams is like waking up in the
middle of a movie that has been going on for some significant period.
I know something in the form of a plot is going on but I have no idea
what caused the “characters” to behave the way they do.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Secondly, I absolutely <u>do not</u>
believe dreams are supernatural in origin. That means I do not
believe dreams are windows to alternate universes nor glimpses of the
past or future. And I absolutely do not believe metaphysical beings
contact us through dreams.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Dreams are just the unconscious human
mind sorting through the bits and pieces of conscious reality and
stringing them together. If someone has a dream about their Aunt
Sally winning the lotto and that actually happens at some point in
the future that was pure chance. For me, <i>deja vu </i><span style="font-style: normal;">could
well just be random pieces of memory that dropped into a dream with
that individual experiencing it accidentally repeating those actions
in a similar location. </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">I do
believe dreams are elements of a person's psyche and can be related
to their fears, hopes, and how they view themselves. Which in my case
could mean I'm losing what little piece of my mind that works </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">With
all that out of the way, I had a wild dream recently that I want to
relate because it was so weird. </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">It
began with me among an unknown group that I couldn't see nor really
hear. All I knew was that they were pissed at me for some reason. I
have no idea why they were upset but I understood, at least I think I
do, that it involved me personally. </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Typical
dream stuff that didn't have any real basis in how others see me.
Over the next several days, I began to theorize it was just my
subconscious playing with my deepest fears. Nothing too awful weird,
and given the times we live with economic uncertainty a normal
component of life, probably typical. </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">It was
the final segment of the dream that was really different. Don't ask
me how I knew the following but I after left behind the unknown group
I “bumped” into God.</span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Now
get this, in the dream God was a short, fat white guy. Sort of like
Danny Devito, Buddha, and the Boss Hog character from the </span><i>Dukes
of Hazard</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> television show back
in the early 1980s. And yes, he was smiling and giving off this
feeling of love and warmth that was quite weird for a dream.</span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Now
the really weird part begins, God was wearing a mustard gold
Starfleet Command uniform from the original series complete with the
flying delta symbol on the upper left of the blouse. My one distinct
memory of the dream was being utterly surprised to see God wearing
such a costume.</span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The
dream ended right there, or at least that's all I remember. All
things considered it was pretty cool and left me with a good feeling
for most of that day. Now clearly understand this, I DID NOT have a
personal one-on-one encounter with the Almighty. Technically, it's
still best to classify me as an agnostic, although I freely say
humans don't know as much about the universe nor reality as they
think they do. It just takes real, verifiable evidence to prove
things exist that would be classified as metaphysical. </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">Like
one character in Star Trek: The Motion Picture stated near the end of
the film: “We all create God in our image.” I guess my
subconscious wanted to relieve the collected societal pressures in my
head and constructed a God I could relate to in the best possible
way. What's weird was that my subconscious put God in an Original
Series uniform. I relate far more with Star Trek: The Next Generation
and I could easily see Sir Patrick Stewart playing God in a movie. </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">But I
can deal with a Danny Devito, Buddha, Boss Hog combination making up a
friendly God. Yeah, all that stuff in my head is a mess. Speaking
hypothetically, it would be beyond cool if God was a Trekkie.</span>
</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-25055517561207888932021-07-24T05:42:00.000-04:002021-07-24T05:42:21.462-04:00Addendum for The Tomorrow War<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bP9z0eUKpea0C8r5KBnddWmE7P0cc4eLfBdy4uGRwXOnXQALrpStaxWQw6gJmTzvjzsljKMndSHtU6aMnaGaNIjTDgqdPu-JJhrjkY_dJTSeXHtmwz0crgT9aSdy8SIJHTM2G_JUHqSo/s1024/Whitespike.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4bP9z0eUKpea0C8r5KBnddWmE7P0cc4eLfBdy4uGRwXOnXQALrpStaxWQw6gJmTzvjzsljKMndSHtU6aMnaGaNIjTDgqdPu-JJhrjkY_dJTSeXHtmwz0crgT9aSdy8SIJHTM2G_JUHqSo/s320/Whitespike.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> During my rush to express my general
dislike of Chris Pratt I forgot to add some important information
about time travel. While the initial sloppy premise of <i>The
Tomorrow War</i> was for the world of 2051 to ask for help from our
present day world the question of changing future events was always
in the background.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Speaking strictly as a curious layman
when it comes to the actual implications of traveling backwards in
time I believe the scientific consensus is that it isn't possible. We
are naturally traveling into the future one second per second and
through various means like approaching the speed of light or sitting
close to the edge of a black hole “faster” forward time travel is
possible.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But every reasonable science article I
have read or video I watch says traveling backwards in time is
problematic. Without getting deep into the mathematical weeds, which I have no ability to comprehend, I think
Einstein's theories say nothing prohibits backwards time travel as
far as the universe is concerned but it would take God-like powers.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The key here is that nothing outright
forbids backwards time travel so various real and respected
scientists have speculated on what would happen if someone or groups
began shuffling through the space-time continuum.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course the Grandfather Paradox is
the favorite with some psychotic moron going back in time to kill his
grandfather before his own father was conceived. So if the father was
never born how could an insane kid go back and kill his grandfather?
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Some have speculated that such actions
would create a temporal loop. The kid is born as he is supposed to
be, grows up and builds a time machine, then goes back in time shoots
his teenage grandfather in the head. Granddaddy never has a son so
the kid is never born. Because the kid is never born he never builds
a time machine to go back and kill his grandfather. So events proceed
as they occurred with the Grandfather having a son who goes one to
have a kid of his own. So once again the kid grows up, hates his
Grandfather, builds a time machine and travels back to shoot him in
the head. This loop presumably would continue for eternity.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Is it just me or does this put a big
dent into the idea of free will?
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The alternative is that instead of a
temporal loop, time has a way to protect itself. Instead of backwards
time travel such a homicidal grand kid would instead travel to an
alternate universe set in the years during his grandfather's
childhood. Killing that person would prevent your counterpart from
being born but leave your own universe/timeline untouched. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Going for shits and giggles here by throwing a hypothetical timey-wimey wrench into the time-space continuum, but what would be really wild is if we could reverse time would be to look at events on a much wider perspective. Instead of focusing our attention just on an insane genius-level kid traveling to the past to murder his teenage grandfather, look at the mundane decisions normal people make during the course of their day during that same period. </p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Insane kid keeps a record of what his friends, Tom, Dick, and Harry did the day before he pops back years in the past to kill his grandfather. Insane kid then goes forward in time to that day and secretly observes his friends to see if they make the same choices. These choices could be anything from what shirt they wear, the route they take to work, or what they decide to have for lunch. <br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">If there is the least little bit of deviation from what they originally did that would leave open the idea of free
will, I guess.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This all feeds back into the ultimate
conclusion of the movie. While sending troops to the future to fight
a clearly lost war just doesn't make any sense. The world of 2051
could have just sent the same group to our present with tons of
information on what will happen along with the bio-weapon to make a
more plausible movie.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Personally, while I have my doubts on
the degree of free will humans actually have, I think the far more
likely reality of backwards time travel would be sliding over to an
alternate universe. But then again I'm no scientist, but goofing with
the flow of temporal events just doesn't ring true in an universe
that seems so highly ordered.
</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-18535129574524987182021-07-17T10:58:00.006-04:002021-07-24T05:19:59.809-04:00The Tomorrow War--A Movie Review<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PDmGfywhgivNdYIvAlUxn9Bx0TPLbfk3268zDI9FsOiCQ7NTTPs28rd4dQJw9iJZSjkiiSq73MSPJqpQ4qyy4idEOCavoVdGXU6p3l6f0rBZ58zTm783RO3tz-N-8Q7TLkLAKCelTVxs/s1481/war.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1481" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PDmGfywhgivNdYIvAlUxn9Bx0TPLbfk3268zDI9FsOiCQ7NTTPs28rd4dQJw9iJZSjkiiSq73MSPJqpQ4qyy4idEOCavoVdGXU6p3l6f0rBZ58zTm783RO3tz-N-8Q7TLkLAKCelTVxs/s320/war.jpg" /></a></div><b>I watched this movie so you wouldn't have to. </b><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> By the time 2021 arrived the world had
seemed to turn the corner on the pandemic. Multiple lingering issues
were still an embarrassing shitshow but with the vaccines out and the
Orange Buffoon being shown the exit, despite unprecedented and scary
attempts to stay in power, things were starting to look up. With the
receding of the pandemic the various workings of civilization began
to restart, one of them being movie studios who began tossing out
previews to films that had been long delayed.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of those films is called the <i>The
Tomorrow War</i> staring Chris Pratt, a military science fiction film
about the usual unstoppable invading aliens. Despite my liberal
bleeding heart, tree hugging leanings I am a sucker for such movies
and watched <i>Tomorrow War</i> the day it dropped on Amazon Prime.
In truth, my eagerness to see the movie was in part due to my desire
for new content, any entertainment that wasn't a leftover from
happier, pre-pandemic times.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For example, over that extremely long
nightmare year of 2020, I had rewatched The Lord of The Rings movies
so many times I was starting to lose real life hope no matter the
multiple times Gandalf and Aragorn assured me it still existed. Yes,
I am a voracious reader but there are times everyone needs fresh
visual and audio input that only the boob tube can provide.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">As for <i>The Tomorrow War</i> right
off the bat I had to dump a bushel of demerits for the basic premise.
Chris Pratt, not one of my favorite actors to begin with, plays Dan
Forester, a former Green Beret who is now a high school biology
teacher who deep down knows he's meant for greater things in life.
But in the first couple of scenes we find out that he has been turned
down for a position at a “prestigious research facility.”</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Danny Boy gets all mopey, and even a
little bit whiny with his loving wife and daughter doing their best
to comfort him during a World Cup Soccer viewing party at his house.
See during the middle of this televised to the world game a wormhole
opens up with soldiers from the year 2051 literally dropping in to
tell everyone that humanity is losing a war against invading aliens
and on the brink of extinction.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">These aliens, which are called
whitespikes, will suddenly appear in the year 2048 and overrun the
world in three short years. These representatives from the future
have interrupted the bloody World Cup match to ask the nations of
present to send soldiers to the future to help with the war.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Of course as with these types of
movies, the nations of the world almost immediately start sending
troops to the future without any apparent questioning of the future
people, or assessment of the tactical situation. More to the point,
nothing in the movie suggests that people here in the presents take a
moment and ask the future people detail questions of where these
aliens first set foot on Earth. All we're told is that the first
recorded encounters with the whitespikes were in eastern Siberia.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">A huge area to be sure, but with
thirty-some odd years to wait it seems commonsense to be me to maybe
load up a couple of divisions of troops from different nations and
recon the area. Yes, we're talking Russia here but I wouldn't be
opposed to some vodka-soaked Russian general being put in charge as
humanity does a grid by grid search to short circuit our extinction.
Dear Lord, real life murderer, and petty dictator Putin would love
calling himself the freaking savior of humanity.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">In fairness to the movie, one of the
future soldiers does say that that when the whitespikes began
appearing the nations of the world looked back on the records and no
telescopes nor radar saw anything drop down from space. Okay, I'm no
George Patton nor Alexander the Great but that suggests to me that
maybe they were already on Earth. And some forensic study on the
first few whitespikes killed in the war might narrow down the area
where they first appeared. Hint...Hint.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But no, present day troops are rushed
through the wormhole to 2051 for seven-day deployments with fewer
than thirty-percent surviving. Seven day deployments you ask? It's
all part of the movie's time travel gizmo and is just a useful plot
device.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">With trained troops coming back as
hamburger, if they return at all, the nations of the world resort to
drafting civilians. No, these civilians have no prolonged period of
basic training. They are literally given weapons, some basic gear,
and then get sucked up into the wormhole for a seven day visit to
Hell.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Even worse for this movie many of these
civilians are not in the best of health. Many are clearly not
physically fit for serving as a REMF in present day armies much less
engaging in intense combat with murderous aliens.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Low and behold former Green Beret, Dan
Forester's number comes up for the draft. Forester's wife and
daughter plead with him to contact his estranged, troubled Vietnam
Vet, genius-level mechanical engineer father to dodge the draft. See,
Danny Boy's dad has figured out a way help draftees circumvent the
tracking device the government installed on those going to the
future. We then get a scene with Danny Boy and his dad where they
promptly engage in a father/son pissing contest. Danny Boy gets
disgusted with his dad and says fuck it, he reports to the base where
the pathetic civilians are dispatched to the future.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Right from the get-go the trip to 2051
is a cluster fuck with Danny Boy's group dropping from the wormhole
not five-feet above the ground but at least fifteen-stories above
apocalyptic Miami Beach. Luckily for Danny and the important
secondary characters they fall into a roof top pool that strangely
still has enough water to cushion their fall.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">From there the survivors regroup and
get a mission to rescue an important group of scientists working in
the city. Now understand, whitespikes have infested the city and a
dozen or so pizza delivery-type guys and retail working ladies have
to fight their way to the building where the eggheads were doing
their thing. Remember no training, no months long physical
conditioning, just John Wayne movie determination and Danny Boy and
another former army type who has already served three previous
seven-day tours to 2051. That guy has terminal cancer and is a
walking death wish. But he does carry a souvenir, a claw from one of
the first whitespikes killed in the war.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The movie meanders to a conclusion with
Danny Boy meeting his 2051 daughter, who just happens to be a colonel
in what is left of the military force fighting the whitespikes. The
2051 people have pretty much realized they can't win, so why they
were continuing to suck unprepared draftees from their past into their hopeless fight,
I can't figure out.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">What the 2051 people do have is research into a biological weapon that will kill the female
whitespikes. Supposedly the females are extra hard to kill and like
<i>Star Trek</i>'s furry and cute tribbles are born pregnant. Hence
how they were able to overrun the planet in three years.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Danny Boy and his adult daughter, who
is also the chief scientist of the research project capture a female
whitespike, take it back to humanity's last fortified base, and
perfect the bio-weapon. See Dan's daughter wants him to go back to
the present and use the weapon while there is still time.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well now all sorts of crazy shit starts
to happen. That last base is attacked and overrun with whitespikes
out to rescue the female. Dan now fights to survive long enough for
his timer to hit zero where the time travel gizmo will automatically send
him, the nifty bio-weapon, and the surviving members of his group
back to our present.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Returning to the present the world has
gone to pieces. Realization that the 2051 war is hopeless and
extinction imminent the geopolitical situation in the present has
seen all nations turn inward with international alliances being
abandoned. It's clearly mentioned even NATO has disbanded something I
once thought ridiculous and even suicidal until the Orange Buffoon
did his best to make it happen.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">To me that is when the movie got extra
super stupid, yes the 2051 war is lost but with thirty years to
prepare the world of our present could pull together and somehow
change the future. But then again the United States has in reality
just seen over six-hundred thousand people die due to Covid-19 and
there are motherfuckers who violently believe it was all some grand
conspiracy. Then there are climate change deniers, another massive
conspiracy, and Flat Earthers so maybe the writers do understand
human nature better than me.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But never fear, Dan Forester will save
the day. See in one of Dan's biology classes there is a student who
is a volcano nerd. This kid loves volcanoes and knows everything
about them. So after Dan and his terminal cancer combat buddy have
his souvenir whitespike claw analyzed by a scientist and discover
ancient volcanic ash embedded in it and get a general age of that
substance. For reasons I either missed or the writers never stated,
Dan get his volcano wizard student to tell them what part of the
Earth the ash originated.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">They surmise that the whitespikes
arrive on Earth right before a certain Siberian volcano erupted and
ended up buried and then frozen in ice. That during our time the ice
melted enough to thaw out the planet-cleaning killing machines.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Great we have a location, eastern
Siberia but we then learn Russia has locked its borders tight. And
the United States government has no desire to contact them and say
they have cool information to share that might save humanity in
thirty years.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But wait, Dan's estranged father just
happens to own a C-130 transport plane and can fly the beast under
Russian radar. So Dan, his dad, the terminal cancer guy along with
several others organize a mission to fly into Siberia to find and then
destroy the whitespikes with the bio-weapon.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">This motley crew locate the buried
spaceship, blast their way in, and begin killing the whitespikes
still sleeping in their hibernation sacks. That is until a couple of
whitespikes begin screaming waking up the rest. The group then begins
blasting away with weapons as the whitespikes start escaping until
terminal cancer guy detonates the C-4 explosives they had placed
throughout the ship.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Everyone inside the ship dies except
Danny Boy and a couple of lucky whitespikes that are doing their
best to run off into the icy wilderness. Dan and his estranged
father, who was left outside to cover the exit, give chase and have a
final confrontation with the two remaining aliens. Yeah, one of the
surviving whitespikes is female and she's clearly pregnant.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Father and son kill the last two
whitespikes and then have one of those redemption/reconciliation
moments that has all the sweet sincerity of saccharin. They go home
where they are greeted by the world as heroes.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Okay my biggest problem with the movie
was the basic idea that 2051 world would come to our present asking
for soldiers to fight a war that they had long since decided was
lost. The better plan, in my ever humble opinion, would have them
developed the bio-weapon first then drop into the World Cup game with
it and a detailed report and get us in the present to locate the and
kill the whitespikes.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The world could have still gotten all
gung-ho with Dan Forester drafted into a global coalition to locate
and eliminate the threat because of his prior military service. Dan
could have seen a message from his adult daughter who still would
have been the chief scientist on the 2051 bio-weapon and realized his
path to glory would be to change the future for her.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But no, we get a chaotic mishmash of
<i>Terminator</i>, <i>Aliens</i>, and <i>Predator</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
tropes so Chris Pratt can look good on screen. My problem with him is
that he can't act. His character in the </span><i>Parks and
Recreation</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> was a one-dimensional
creature that honestly didn't seem to stray far from his real
personality. The same goes for his character, Peter Quill, in the
MCU. The first Guardians of Galaxy movie was great but the second not
so much. </span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">In
short Chris Pratt strikes me as a pompous douchebag who isn't any
different than a couple of thousand other underemployed actors living
in Hollywood. His one difference is a couple of lucky breaks other,
better performers never got.</span>
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-style: normal;">If you
haven't already figured out, </span><i>The Tomorrow War</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
is a wreck of a movie that I honestly can't recommend for interesting
entertainment. Truthfully the best part of the movie were the
whitespike aliens, which were pure CGI. Time travel films can be
tricky things and when done well can be some of the best thought
provoking entertainment around. My final stab at this movie would be
for someone to go back in time and prevent Amazon from wasting money
on this script. </span>
</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-44336156825350519692021-07-08T16:25:00.000-04:002021-07-08T16:25:01.543-04:00The Amazing Dabous Giraffes of Niger<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbicUbX4Tx0uCzEaNCx01Mzv2VVJc-rKTB5pRuepswAvjYzEE_pjdebOuDRpiasRC9Q_UxDVl-vckSMQNXywth98YsFcYyQ5EIgQVrXOonfWf42SWvprYx_Mj0n677osyjjeUqKPUly49_/s597/Screenshot+2021-07-08+at+15-46-26+Artin+Mok+on+Instagram+%25E2%2580%259CLocated+in+the+Air+Massif+of+Niger+are+two+of+the+largest+animal+%255B...%255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="597" data-original-width="478" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbicUbX4Tx0uCzEaNCx01Mzv2VVJc-rKTB5pRuepswAvjYzEE_pjdebOuDRpiasRC9Q_UxDVl-vckSMQNXywth98YsFcYyQ5EIgQVrXOonfWf42SWvprYx_Mj0n677osyjjeUqKPUly49_/s320/Screenshot+2021-07-08+at+15-46-26+Artin+Mok+on+Instagram+%25E2%2580%259CLocated+in+the+Air+Massif+of+Niger+are+two+of+the+largest+animal+%255B...%255D.png" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Wow, things have been crazy around my
house lately, not “bad” crazy more like really busy leaving me no
energy when I get home after work. It's the heat and humidity, mostly
but the weekends aren't much better. Here at my house the grass and
weeds in my yard have already moved into the ultra fast growing
season I don't usually see to the first of August.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Yeah, I have a riding lawnmower but
there's a lot of smaller chores left over like weed whacking and
using the blower to clean up the curb and driveway. Anyway here's a
small post on a subject I find interesting.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I am continually amazed at what
archaeologists find from human prehistory. Long before writing was
created numerous vibrant and sophisticated cultures came into being
only to fade away into oblivion leaving only mysterious stone relics.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One such remnant are the Dabous
Giraffes, stone petroglyphs located in the Air Massif of Niger. Dated
to around 8000 BCE they are the largest stone petroglyphs in the
world and were created when the Sahara was a much wetter savanna that
stretched for thousands of miles. This wetter period is called the
Neolithic Subpluvial and lasted from around 12000 BCE to 7000 BCE.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">No expert, but if I remember correctly
once the Sahara went back to desert some of that regions inhabitants
migrated to the Nile River and began the process of establishing
Egyptian culture.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The giraffes were carved into a
sandstone outcrop and depict a large male and smaller female. Long
after the Sahara returned to a desert climate shifting sands covered
the glyphs for thousands of years before they were rediscovered in
1987. That region of Niger has over 900 similar carvings of animals
and humans.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I find myself profoundly sad that the
artist or artists of these glyphs will forever remain unknown to us.
The culture that produced the creators of those glyphs had to be
advanced enough that they had advanced beyond the mere struggle for
survival. That they had enough food and necessities that men and/or
women could create such works of art.
</p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-22876505879006862802021-06-27T15:16:00.000-04:002021-06-27T15:16:05.763-04:00The Stupidity of the Carolina Squat<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqnFJGowASHmYR0wcTypt0Xp6ygv9y9nTow-Syj_CwP2zbhkZY9SEibjqKc1_uGw8vG38X2XAYGzUDiMXUiPyPR7uISU_B0Lvfg1rK3hs4idLjQmCf6djBCTnsexrM30lC701X0cNBrcc/s640/Carolina+Squat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqnFJGowASHmYR0wcTypt0Xp6ygv9y9nTow-Syj_CwP2zbhkZY9SEibjqKc1_uGw8vG38X2XAYGzUDiMXUiPyPR7uISU_B0Lvfg1rK3hs4idLjQmCf6djBCTnsexrM30lC701X0cNBrcc/s320/Carolina+Squat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> For me anything that falls under the
umbrella of “popular culture” is something I usually try and
ignore. Whatever popular culture once was it is now overwhelmingly a
banal wasteland paradoxically overflowing with lackluster
personalities and social influencers who while not quite parasites on
the butt of society certainly offer nothing of value to it.
<p></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Case in point has to be the Kardashians
and anyone else associated with their popularity. There was a time
when I thought they would fade into the static of American life like
numerous others who found fame but couldn't justify it. Now, I have
this strange idea that they will be remembered for hundreds of years
in the future as a new type of demigods. I've got to admit, not bad
for a family whose first dose of fame came from a “leaked” sex
tape.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Despite my best efforts to ignore
popular culture, aspects of it do penetrate my defenses making me
take notice. That happened a few weeks back while I was stopped at a
red light.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of those massive monster trucks
pulled up beside me. The funny thing though was that it was obvious
that the front end was pointed up at a near forty-five degree angle.
Like the back end of the truck was carrying a massive load weighing
down the suspension. No, that wasn't the case. When the light turned
green the driver of the truck hauled ass leaving me behind in all his
truck exhaust glory.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Given the angle of the truck I could
easily see the bed was empty of cargo. I didn't think much more of
the truck until I saw another configured the same way a day or two
later, then again not a couple of days later. By that point it was
obvious these truck were not suffering from some sort of mechanical
failure but were being alter to that configuration on purpose.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Eventually, I learned that these trucks
with the front end pointed up, or the rear end modified to be lower
was called the “Carolina Squat.”
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Curiosity got the better of me and I
did a little internet sleuthing. This trend originated in California
and was used on the Baja desert racing circuit where it was called
the “California Lean” or “Cali Lean.” Lowering the back end
had a practical purpose in the sandy terrain and hilly landscape.
When contestants hit a jump at high speed, the rear end would hit the
ground first helping to avoid a crash. However this modification has
no practical purpose when the vehicle stay strictly on highways and
streets.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Leave it to the unrepentant ignorant
rednecks of the American South to grab onto this trend in an attempt
to impress someone. It was bad enough when years ago they started
raising the wheel-bases of their trucks to the point small step
ladders were needed to climb up into the cab. Throw in chrome rims
that can run into the thousands of dollars alone and the American
South once again can be thought of as a backwards bunch of idiots
desperately attempting to overcome some perceived shortfall in
manhood.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The shortfalls of the Carolina Squat
include a total loss in towing capability, a dangerous reduction in
proper handling along with simply being unable to see the road.
Mainly because the truck's headlights will be pointed up and not down
at the road ahead.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Leave it to Southerners to lead the
charge into another level of stupidity.
</p>
Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-6141368670145361212021-06-20T13:51:00.004-04:002021-06-20T13:51:57.164-04:00You Know This is Coming<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d9DpzDMFUXFZxK2LHFfWD2un_pB4YoQrVIh3CJ4kN2_d35lItZzvfK_JQyVhcj2i7lHE33k5WApvMEq52ykoHyOcI8Icq15h9OjchZ5qzT2pg9VYpWjDPLFTJd5UpPufuX11zbja7QSI/s2048/20210620_130042.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_d9DpzDMFUXFZxK2LHFfWD2un_pB4YoQrVIh3CJ4kN2_d35lItZzvfK_JQyVhcj2i7lHE33k5WApvMEq52ykoHyOcI8Icq15h9OjchZ5qzT2pg9VYpWjDPLFTJd5UpPufuX11zbja7QSI/s320/20210620_130042.jpg" /></a></div><br /> For reasons that usually escape me I'm a fan of most of H.P. Lovecraft's stories. Cosmic horror filled with powerful entities totally ambivalent to humanity's existence is a level of science fiction that may have a closer approximation to reality than I'm comfortable with. <p></p><p> All that is beside the point with the key idea here being horror, painful intense dread of something perceived as bad or evil. Humans excel at horror, we are adept at torturing and killing each other on industrial-sized scales. As recent science podcast I listened to said ants are another type of animal that will wipe out an entire competitor population. Then again ants aren't sentient while we have plenty of religions and beliefs that say killing each other is bad. So on a certain level between ants and humans I'm not sure who has the moral high ground.</p><p>It appears humans have begun to reach for a new level of horror with the possibility of an "Ethnic Bioweapon" that could be designed to eliminate inconvenient populations of fellow humans. As the picture says, it might be possible to design a virus that targets specific genotypes. A terrifying prospect to say the least, but honestly you know Old Adolph Hitler would have jumped for joy to have such a weapon in his inventory.</p><p>And as you can already guess, human wisdom and morals has not advanced at all sense the end of the Second World War. I'd even go as far as to write that here in the "Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave" our moral high ground has greatly eroded in recent years. And well, you know there were those little oopsies with how we treated the Native Americans and the African slaves. Given the fear and anger oozing like a newly reopened sore from the crowd wanting to Make America Great Again I'm sure a few of the more rabid members would love to have an ethnic bioweapon. </p><p>The following source is unknown: <br /></p><p><i> <span class="">U.S. Secretary of Defense William Cohen considered such a
"genetic weapon" plausible, and believed the former Soviet Union had
undertaken some research on the influence of various substances on human
genes. In its 2000 policy paper Rebuilding America's Defenses,
think-tank Project for the New American Century (PNAC) described ethnic
bioweapons as a "politically useful tool" that US adversaries could have
incentive to develop and utilize. This weapon could be used to kill
people with a specific code in their DNA essentially and effectively
whipping them from the face of the earth.</span></i> </p><p><i> </i><br /></p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-58075814180569435572021-06-17T15:38:00.001-04:002021-06-23T16:10:04.584-04:00Rainy Day Revelations<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS97mSMMSKDvH-XdEJpdi1PtvGvJHfPMeYPqwLKVDnWEVkb8xN8cxKb4TOtvhmF30uc7kPlRqgXt9LXhwITZlm9DSvlj8pdtQZRXgjXR1bmk0xjVuFIoUg-AgW1jQA52aacKjdWnK2_Ax/s2048/Escape-Rainy-Day-scaled.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1420" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcS97mSMMSKDvH-XdEJpdi1PtvGvJHfPMeYPqwLKVDnWEVkb8xN8cxKb4TOtvhmF30uc7kPlRqgXt9LXhwITZlm9DSvlj8pdtQZRXgjXR1bmk0xjVuFIoUg-AgW1jQA52aacKjdWnK2_Ax/s320/Escape-Rainy-Day-scaled.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Saturday morning began like all the
others since the divorce. Still half-asleep, I rolled over towards
what had been her side of the bed not truly conscious of the fact
that she was gone. At least the drowsy sense of panic only lasted a
second or two before my brain fully rebooted for the day. The worst
aspect of the situation was now just the unending silence making the
house seem like a tomb.</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Kathy let me keep the house in the
divorce settlement, quite the consolation prize for a failed
marriage. As a kid, I would stay with my grandparents for a week or
two during summer vacation. In the afternoons my grandmother would
makes us lunch and we would both sit in front of the television and
watch game shows.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I enjoyed this time with her and we
would talk about the various constants and how some succeeded where
others failed. We would also laugh at their reactions to the contests
the host put them through. Of course, the big winners at the end of
an episode jumped around frantically as the off-screen announcer
listed off the various prizes, cash, and trips they were taking home.
As the closing music played the host and the big winner would then
cross the stage to the glamorous models standing next to the various
prizes or posing in front of the elaborate displays showing the
exotic tropical destination the lucky guy or girl would enjoy.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">For a brief second or two, the camera
would flashback over to that day's runner-up contestant. He or she
would still be standing behind their assigned podium with a stunned
and dismayed look. The announcer would then quickly say that the
runner-up, meaning the loser, would receive a year supply of
Rice-A-Roni for their troubles. That's how I still felt, I got the
house while the woman I loved had moved out and taken up residence in
one of her parents' fancy downtown condos.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I laid there in bed for a minute
feeling the loneliness closing in and again started thinking about
getting a dog. Kathy was severely allergic to dogs, something that I
had accepted when we married. Kathy also hated the sight of dog shit
when we went walking in the park. The offending dog and its lazy,
irresponsible owner could be long gone but she acted like we had
stumbled across some disgusting alien monster struggling to free
itself from its slimy birth pod.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Getting a dog was a definite
possibility. My parents and former in-laws still chatted and even had
the occasional Sunday brunches even though blood loyalty to their
children had strained their sickly sweet friendships. As the eggs
benedict and mimosas are served I can see my ex-mother-in-law asking
the perfunctory question about how was I doing. I can then see my mom
answering in an equally offhand manner that Steven had adopted some
mutt from the shelter. The two couples would then smile and maybe
even laugh a little then go about their usual, more important
discussions.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Just for shits and giggles, I then
imagined my former mother-in-law telling Kathy sometime later that I
was destroying the house she had so perfectly decorated by bringing
in some furry mongrel to chew up the furniture and shit all over the
carpets. Kathy's hatred for dogs went beyond simple allergies, it was
more based on her belief that any animal would destroy or spoil her
masterwork of style and balance.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After talking with her mother,
Kathy would then fret for days before finally calling me at work to
ask about some item of hers she couldn't find and that was probably
still stored up in the attic. During our stilted conversation, she
would mention that she heard I had adopted a dog. And I would
casually mention that yes, I had a dog and that it had unfortunately
laid some turds in the living room and foyer but that you couldn't
really see the stains. The tone in her voice would then drop giving
away the fact that she was upset.<br /><br />
</p>Yeah, whenever I decided to get my ass
out of bed I would look online for the biggest dogs up for adoption.<br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It took several more minutes but
eventually, I did get out of bed and went through the motions of
taking a shit, showering, and shaving. Yes, I also brush my teeth, no
need for tooth decay to interrupt my post-divorce malaise.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Coffee was the next goal and with a cup
of steaming hot good stuff in my hand, I opened the kitchen window
shades and looked outside. It was pouring rain, the skies were a dark
gray pretty much guaranteeing it would stay that way all day. The
lawn desperately needs cutting but the rain was making any yard work
impossible. I'm sure the Home Owners Association wouldn't see it that
way but since the divorce, I didn't give a fuck what they thought.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Still, I needed something to do for the
morning before pet adoption places opened. Then it occurred to me
that Kathy did have a huge amount of junk stored in the attic. While
her condo overflowed in luxury and comfort, storage space was at a
minimum. I had agreed to let her keep the crap here, mainly out of
some ridiculous idea that she might realize her true feelings and
come back to me and her precious house. It might be fun to look
through the vast amount of stuff she couldn't part with but yet
didn't want in her new home.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That was eighteen months ago and before
I learned about Chad. When Chad entered the picture I wondered for a
few days if the suddenness of Kathy's decision to end our marriage
was because they were having an affair. That they would stay apart
for over a year before announcing their relationship. I looked into
the matter and learned that Chad had never stepped foot in Atlanta
until his company transferred him here. It was Kathy's sister, Jenny,
that confirmed to me that they hadn't made the beast with two backs
until well after the divorce.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Jenny had always liked me and after we
bumped into each other at a coffee shop told me that it was true love
at first sight for the two. It was at a work-related party and
apparently, Cupid's arrow had a direct hit on the two on the first
try. Jenny then laughingly confided that they were soul mates because
they were both extreme compulsive-obsessives.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Climbing up into the attic I was sort
of stunned at the amount of stuff she left behind. Being the last
survivor of our failed endeavor I didn't have any reason to visit the
attic. My extraneous crap was all down in the extra, unused bedroom.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Looking things over Kathy's boxes were
of course labeled and neatly organized like toy soldiers. Poor Chad,
I hope the bastard was truly in her anal-retentive league. I opened
the box labeled books and wasn't surprised to find a collection of
hardcover and paperback novels arranged in neat order, like puzzle
pieces. It wouldn't have surprised me if Kathy had organized them
into some sort of secret code like something from a Dan Brown ancient
conspiracy novel.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The selection of books did seem unusual
for her. They ran the gambit from the typical romance novel, spy
thrillers, to science fiction and even horror. It was almost bizarre
on a certain level. Other boxes had papers from college, clothes that
I never saw her wear, and even pictures from her family that had to
date as far back as the 1930s.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Several hours passed with me going
through every box. As her now ex-husband it was wrong for me to go
through her stuff. One box even had love letters to a high school
sweetheart that was now some high-level advisor to a US senator. This
guy's existence was old information, Kathy told me about him while we
were dating. But as I read the ancient letters that were sent during
their junior year of high school I discovered the old boyfriend had
admitted to her that he was bi-curious and had a crush on some guy on
the football team. I found this revelation hilarious since this old
boyfriend worked for the right-wing asshole from Texas.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">After going through the last box I was
suddenly overwhelmed with the thought that everything here made up
the entirety of Kathy's life. There was even a copy of our divorce
papers. But the one group of items missing was anything from our
almost six years of marriage. No box containing pictures of our
wedding, various vacations, or mementos two stupidly in love people
give each other. It was a true gut punch to think that down in the
spare bedroom I had a box storing all the birthday cards she gave me
from the time we meet till that last year of marriage. Other boxes I
kept had all the pictures I took of her, including the topless one
she posed for on a beach in Puerto Rico.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That's when I noticed one last box in
the corner. It wasn't labeled but when I picked it up I heard items
sliding around. I lifted the lid off and saw five leather-bound
journals inside. I picked up one and flipped through the pages, it
was filled with her expertly neat handwriting. The leather cover of
each journal had the year embossed in gold so it was easy to see
where they began. The last one had the year she asked me for a
divorce.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I flipped through the pages of that
last journal to find the last entry. Sure enough, it was dated the
day Kathy called me at work asking to meet her at the deli I liked
for lunch.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Sitting on the floor of the attic I had a sudden flash
of the emotions I felt as Kathy calmly told me in that deli she had
hired a lawyer to draw up divorce papers. There wasn't any need for
marriage counseling nor talking, she wanted a divorce. It would
happen one way or the other and it would be best if we parted on
friendly terms.<br /><br />
</p>Sitting in that booth waiting for our
order I felt the pit of my stomach sink into a churning, sour abyss.
I looked at the woman who I loved more than anyone in the world numb
from the shock of her words. There was no denying the reality of the
situation. It was totally unexpected but I knew it wasn't some
nightmare, it was real.<br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Some would say I was too shocked to
agree with anything but I said yes to everything. I agreed to the
divorce and didn't make a scene as my world collapsed. Kathy left a
few minutes later leaving her lunch order untouched. Like a
moron, I stayed behind and ate mine as if nothing weird had happened.
I even left a tip on the table for the waitress as well as Kathy's
untouched order. I'm sure the waitress asked me whether or not I
wanted it packed up to go but I didn't hear her.<br /><br />
</p>I never got any answers from Kathy as
to why she ended it. And I'm sure if I had forced the situation and
demanded them like some macho guy from the movies she would have
refused. Her only response would have been a look of disappointment
and heavy sighing like a parent might give to a slow child.<br /><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But
now with these journals, I know the answers will be in Kathy's exact
handwriting. Still sitting in the attic feeling the sweat pouring
down my face and body, part of me knew I wouldn't like what I read.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That the answers I deserve would come
with pain.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That same part of me said I should quit
right there and forgot everything I had already seen. But it was too
late for that, I was a true graverobber who had disturbed the ancient
tomb and let loose all the cursed spirits.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I took the box down to the living room
and began to read.
</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-16829210168551344872021-06-12T17:38:00.006-04:002021-06-12T17:40:11.903-04:00My Thoughts on the Bizarre UAPs<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA10SgjT0iR7VLHWI8yzrWMlUcP7ItCygFlYa_Aopz2y_MRy_J5W-1L3N44mpXaxNUJl4UCnLhXGBIDwLCknOYwoGNTju1gN9TRPf_19lMmzoJRIZmvi_mf3HrheWmhNPGoDa36PSl2Hja/s846/UFO-REPORT.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="846" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA10SgjT0iR7VLHWI8yzrWMlUcP7ItCygFlYa_Aopz2y_MRy_J5W-1L3N44mpXaxNUJl4UCnLhXGBIDwLCknOYwoGNTju1gN9TRPf_19lMmzoJRIZmvi_mf3HrheWmhNPGoDa36PSl2Hja/s320/UFO-REPORT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One of my most enduring but ultimately
irrational aspirations was to live long enough to see humans make
first contact with an alien civilization. This can be traced back to
my childhood in the 1970's when I would browse the covers of cheap
paperback books about UFOs and ancient astronauts at the local
department store.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The subject of UFOs was a hot topic at
that moment in popular culture with one of the paperbacks supposedly
having a picture of an “energy being” on the cover. To my young
and uneducated eyes still dealing with implications of the stories
presented in <i>Star Trek</i> and other science fiction stories I was
enthralled at the idea.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The fact that this energy being looked
like a bunch of sparkles in a rough humanoid shape was something I
didn't question at the time. Luckily for me, especially since I
received most of my education in South Carolina which has never been
a place famous for teaching rational thought, I eventually came to
understand the vast, overwhelming majority of UFO encounters could
easily be explained away with entirely earthly answers. Of course
that meant any reported alien encounters associated with UFOs was the
result of an intoxicating substances or an outright hoax. Probably
like the dumbass trying to make a buck passing off a fake humanoid
energy being.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Becoming a extreme UFO skeptic was a
far better outcome for myself than turning into some redneck prole
freaking out over a reported strange light in the sky. Real science
turned me on to the idea of finding primitive but no less interesting
organisms living deep underground on Mars or floating in the liquid
oceans of the ice covered moons of Jupiter or Saturn.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Well a funny thing happened recently
with UFOs or more accurately, Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon (UAP) as
the Department of Defense is calling them and I find myself at a
complete loss as what to think.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I'll be honest and write that I totally
ignored the initial news reports of the United States Navy confirming
the authenticity of leaked video showing UAPs being tracked my navy
jets doing maneuvers that break the laws of physics. For example
we're talking about UAPs making sudden 90 degree turns that produce
several hundred gee forces.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Human pilots can take around nine gees
before passing out with the structure of our planes able to take a
few more before flying apart. These videos also show science
fiction-like acceleration with no visible means of propulsion. No
super-heated air coming from jets or even wings to provide lift. One
in particular even has a UAP going trans-medium diving into the ocean
and disappearing in the depths.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">When I finally started paying attention
to these reports it has been strongly alluded that other, still
classified videos show these UAPs in high-definition performing other
maneuvers that defy the laws of physics.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My initial thoughts about UAPs leaned
towards Russia and/or China achieving some sort of technological
breakthrough in both physics and structural engineering. That these
UAPs were unmanned drones since any pilot flying such a craft would
be turned into a thin paste of human salsa the second they attempted
any type of maneuver that produced hundreds of gees.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Further reports featuring the navy
aviators who tracked these UAPs as well as experts in field of
aviation engineering suggested to me that for Russia or China to have
produced these things the breakthroughs required would have taken the
minds of people like Einstein, DaVinci, Tesla, Edison, Newton, and
Hawking all at once. We're not talking next generation technology
here, breaking the laws of physics, as these craft apparently can
easily do, would literally require something done in science fiction
set at least two or three hundred years in the future. Science
doesn't work in a vacuum, so I am highly skeptical of some modern day
science wizard developing inertial dampers for high gee turns and
anti-gravity for wingless, hypersonic flying machines in his, or her
garage.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I don't believe in conspiracies so the
idea that this technology, which would have required thousands of
scientists and a greater number of trained technicians as well a huge
number of secondary support personnel to develop was kept secret for
the decades required is ridiculous. So, where does that leave us?</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Frankly I find it extremely hard to
believe that an alien civilization advanced enough to travel the
distance between stars would just decided to harass bored navy folks
on the open oceans of Earth. Yes, there are reports that the Russians
and the Chinese have their own investigations of UAPs. More
disturbing and even scary are the reports of these craft are
interfering with the operation of nuclear technology. We're talking
about taking nuclear weapons offline and in the case of Russia
bringing them back online as well as buzzing around nuclear power
plants.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">One video, produced by the Washington
Post has the expert appearing saying something along the lines that
these craft could be coming from “inner space”, “outer space”,
or the “space between.” Okay, since these UAPs have moved beyond
redneck proles and anal probing and into the halls of the Pentagon
and official reports demanded by the United States Senate I've moved
beyond happily puzzled into the realm of the concerned. Simply put none of this makes any sense, not as a genuine First Contact scenario and not as a geopolitical, national security issue. <br /></p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Included are two videos that I find
highly credible. </p><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GcH5nuqa-0w" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O6aBWssGnng" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-829836469690492751.post-20251791420444913692021-05-28T21:40:00.002-04:002021-05-29T06:17:07.899-04:00The Eternal Refrigerator<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeyOMrOj9Wbfx8pFmmagHWsPGBnKNaddKTqTBGbzjWLNqRB4fwiZY6WQsLgLRagEojt8sHr4wA9c7iQ0y0bL7aIezTj7c_Q0dsBSwh9SYiJbOdJ2E4DcuvzWA86OcP1YOE-aQQljkatcW/s700/time1.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmeyOMrOj9Wbfx8pFmmagHWsPGBnKNaddKTqTBGbzjWLNqRB4fwiZY6WQsLgLRagEojt8sHr4wA9c7iQ0y0bL7aIezTj7c_Q0dsBSwh9SYiJbOdJ2E4DcuvzWA86OcP1YOE-aQQljkatcW/s320/time1.jpg" /></a></div><br />
<p></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">It goes without saying that the selling
and/or the purchase of a house is a time-consuming and exhausting
endeavor. For my wife and I back in 2000 we were lucky enough to be
the exception to the first half of that rule. However the purchase of
our new home was not smooth and seamless. To put it bluntly, it was a
huge cluster fuck unparalleled in scope and repercussions. We spent
years cleaning up the mess and dealing with the items the previous owners left
behind.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Boiling everything down to the basics
my spouse and I were in the closing stages of adopting our daughter
from China. One of the requirements to satisfy the adoption agency
was that the baby had to have a room to itself. Our first home had
three bedrooms, enough for us, one for our son, and one for the baby.
But my wife felt we needed a fourth bedroom for family and friends
who would visit.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So we painted and repaired our old
house until it just about shined. Then we went about looking for a
new house that had the right number of bedrooms and met my wife's
other personal requirements like location, good school district, and
distance from her work. The housing market at that time was on the
side of the sellers and we immediately ran into some issues. Things
got worse when the first family that looked at our home made and
offer and we accepted. The clock began ticking for us to find a
suitable replacement and get out before the deadline. We had less
than two weeks left before we found a house that while meeting all
the requirements had several issues.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Namely that the family selling the
house we wanted to buy wasn't ready to move. Their replacement house
they were building was livable but they wanted more time. It's been
over twenty-years now and all I remember was that as far as they were
concerned they wanted all the bells and whistles in their new home
fully installed and connected. They wanted at least another two weeks
before surrendering the house.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That was a no-go for us because the
adoption agency had to evaluate our new residence and then send
confirmation to the Chinese governmental agency so the adoption could
go forward. If we weren't in the new house by the time of the
evaluation we could lose the little girl picked for us who was still
in a Chinese orphanage.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So the selling family blinked and moved
out before their new place met their standards. It was either get out
or we would have rescinded the offer leaving them with two mortgage
payments. As a Plan B my wife and I had talked about looking at
apartments and just staying there until the adoption was over where we
would then have a new house built.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The old owners were not happy with the
situation and in typical Lexington county passive-aggressive behavior
they moved out leaving the house trashed. As we moved in my wife and
I were shocked to see dozens of holes in the walls in every room that
had been cleverly hid by the selling family. Most were from pictures
but no attempt was made to repair any of them. During this bullshit
the house inspector somehow didn't warn us about a multitude of
issues that the sellers were supposed to fix. Off the top of my head
the report that asshole gave us didn't mention a word about the
broken burner on the stove; the interior doors that weren't square
with the frames; and most of all the stains on the kitchen floor.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I honestly believe the selling family
slipped the house inspector money to overlook these issues. I
mentioned as much to a few of our new neighbors and I'm sure my
suspicions were relayed to the selling family. I have another
suspicion that the selling family was friends with many of those
people and my accusations colored my relationship with those living
around me.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But in true passive-aggressive style it
was the refrigerator they conveniently forgot to load up that still
makes me harbor ill feelings about those assholes.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Adding icing to the already difficult
cake of moving I had National Guard duty on the weekend we took up
residence in the new house. And for reasons I never understood both
the CO of my unit and the First Sergeant refused to cut me some slack
and allow me to slip out to help with the move.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">By the time I arrived home late in the
afternoon the majority of the moving was finished. My wife and
in-laws were still dealing with the shock of the condition of the
house. I, in turn was flaming pissed and wanted to kick some ass.
Especially when I opened the doors of the refrigerator they left
behind.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">My dad-in-law knew something about
kitchen appliances and guessed that it had to have been twenty-years
old back in 2000. While still functioning properly the inside had
obvious wear, to the point rust was showing through on some exposed
metal parts. Shelves were bent and glass panels cracked making it
look like a real backhanded insult to us demanding they move before
they were ready.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">But most worrisome was the brown sticky
stuff at the bottom. Partially covered by the crisper section for
vegetables, it looked like a Coke or Pepsi had leaked and they never
cleaned it up. I wanted to move that refrigerator out the garage and
bring in ours from the old house but by that time my wife was on the
verge of a nervous breakdown while my in-laws compassion and love of
family were exhausted.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">So we assembled beds to sleep, the
in-laws went home, and we order pizza from what I was now calling a
glorified redneck trailer. Later that night as I lay in bed and fumed
we then discovered the marooned refrigerator made some of the
god-awful noises. The sounds it produced were like a combination of
it about exploded and a plea to end its miserable existence.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">Weeks rolled into months and we slowly
made our new suburban trash heap a home. That included taking all the
insides of the refrigerator out and cleaning them. And yes, I
personally cleaned out the brown sticky stuff at the bottom.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The trouble was that a week or two
later I noticed the brown sticky stuff had reappeared at the bottom
and it was growing. I think the brown stuff reappeared after each
cleaning for about a year. It never entirely went away but we learned
to live with what little bit we couldn't kill off.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">The adoption moved forward and the
years came and went but we never pulled the trigger on getting rid of
that nightmare refrigerator. We talked about it many times but with a
new baby and other issues the fact that it still kept food and drinks
cold always prevented us from really doing anything. I even learned
to take comfort at night with its strange sounds.</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">That refrigerator lasted another
fourteen years before it had its version of a stroke and died. So if
my late dad-in-law was correct, and the old bastard was smart, that
refrigerator lasted north of thirty-five years. Here's the real kick
in the ass, its replacement died in less than five due to a lightning
strike. And its replacement, an expensive Samsung with all the bells
and whistles lasted two years before the ice maker on it utterly
quit.
</p>
<p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We called in the company-approved
technician and he isolated the problem to the touch screen controller
or the water filter assembly that had its own little
micro-controller. He couldn't isolate the issue to a single cause and
to fix both electronic components would cost over five-hundred
dollars.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">We instead bought six plastic ice trays
for fifty-cents each from the Dollar Store and called it a day.
</p><p style="margin-bottom: 0in;">I still believe the selling family left
the old refrigerator here as a form of insult. A small dig at the
ungrateful family that wouldn't give them enough time to move out on
their timetable. But I'll be damned as much as anyone can think
fondly on a kitchen appliance that bad boy was tough.
</p>Commander Zaiushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11000824454124236774noreply@blogger.com6