Not Something “Clap” About

Sunday and all is calm and serene…….remember the days of ‘free love’? Probably not….you would have to be an old fart to appreciate those days and all their interests and glory…….where the most popular spot to meet your friends was in line at the local Free Clinic….but the girls you met there you would want to wait a couple of weeks before you hit on them….if you get my drift……(wink)…….

I was once told in a Health class that you COULD get the clap from a toilet seat…..(pause)…….but it is awfully uncomfortable……

Any way I bring up my bad old days for a reason………..

(AP) – A sexually transmitted disease that infects millions of people each year is growing resistant to drugs and could soon become untreatable, says the World Health Organization. The UN health agency is urging governments and doctors to step up surveillance of antibiotic-resistant gonorrhea, a bacterial infection that can cause inflammation, infertility, pregnancy complications and, in extreme cases, lead to maternal death. Babies born to mothers with gonorrhea have a 50% chance of developing eye infections that can result in blindness.

“In a couple of years it will have become resistant to every treatment option we have available now,” says a UN scientist. Once considered a scourge of sailors and soldiers, gonorrhea—known colloquially as the clap—became easily treatable with the discovery of penicillin. Now, it is again the second most common sexually transmitted infection after chlamydia. The global health body estimates about 106 million cases annually worldwide.

Damn! It use to be sex, drugs and roll n roll……and today it is masturbation, Advil and IPod….damn this generation is boring!

Damn! The Munchies!

Another Saturday and yet another two days of trying to wash my brain of the filth of our political process……..there was a time that I would numb my mind with the magical herb….but those days are gone since my injury and the pain meds that I must take……any way we have heard a bunch of stuff in the news about all the legalization efforts in the US…….personally, why not!

But there is a development in the Middle East that has reported in the Newser website………

(Newser) – Mary Jane without the high? You can thank Israeli scientists, who have created a new form of marijuana that gives you health benefits without getting you stoned, AFP reports. “It has the same scent, shape and taste as the original plant—it’s all the same—but the numbing sensation that users are accustomed to has disappeared,” says Tzahi Klein, who heads development at the firm that created the new cannabis.

The concept behind Israel’s new pot is simple: neutralize the effect of THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol—which gets you high—and increase the power of CBD, or cannabidiol, which can relieve psychiatric problems and help diabetics. You won’t get the munchies, either. But will medical users like the new, no-high grass? Klein recalls that “many of our patients who tried the new plant come back to us and say: ‘You tricked me,'” thinking it was a placebo.

Now I ask…..what is the point? No high….No munchies…..No desire to get laid….what is the point? They are trying to take all the fun out of smoking the magical herb!

Are You Conservative Enough?

College of Political Knowledge

First of all, I am not here to condemn anyone from being a conservative….I just want to point out a few things that may not be known……in this world of political correctness we tend to be damn right ignorant when it comes to true philosophy……take conservatism for one….

But what is conservatism…….in politics, the desire to maintain, or conserve, the existing order. Conservatives value the wisdom of the past and are generally opposed to widespread reform. Modern political conservatism emerged in the 19th cent. in reaction to the political and social changes associated with the eras of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. By 1850 the term conservatism, probably first used by Chateaubriand, generally meant the politics of the right.
The original tenets of European conservatism had already been formulated by Edmund Burke , Joseph de Maistre , and others. They emphasized preserving the power of king and aristocracy, maintaining the influence of landholders against the rising industrial bourgeoisie, limiting suffrage, and continuing ties between church and state . The conservative view that social welfare was the responsibility of the privileged inspired passage of much humanitarian legislation, in which English conservatives usually led the way. In the late 19th cent. great conservative statesmen, notably Benjamin Disraeli , exemplified the conservative tendency to resort to moderate reform in order to preserve the foundations of the established order. By the 20th cent. conservatism was being redirected by erstwhile liberal manufacturing and professional groups who had achieved many of their political aims and had become more concerned with preserving them from attack by groups not so favored. Conservatism lost its predominantly agrarian and semifeudal bias, and accepted democratic suffrage, advocated economic laissez-faire , and opposed extension of the welfare state. This form of conservatism, which is best seen in highly industrialized nations, was exemplified by President Reagan in the United States and Prime Minister Thatcher
in Great Britain. It has been flexible and receptive to moderate change, favors the maintenance of order on social issues, and actively supports deregulation and privatization in the economic sphere. Conservatism should be distinguished both from a reactionary desire for the past and the radical right-wing ideology of fascism and National Socialism. (Thanx to the Free Dictionary for the definition)…….

In today’s political world, at least in the good ole US of A, when one calls themselves a conservative they are not completely accurate….they are more something else than a classical conservative….in the US of today we have several types of conservatives………

hard-hat A working-class conservative, so called from the protective metal or plastic helmet worn by construction workers.

A “Hard Hat” is a construction worker, but his helmet symbolizes all those beefy blue-collar workers who have suddenly become the knuckleduster on the strong right arm of President Nixon’s silent majority.

redneck An ultraconservative. This disparaging term usually refers to the poor white farmers of the Southern backwoods who are notorious for their purported intolerance of liberals, intellectuals, Blacks, and hippies. Redneck, originating as an allusion to a farmer’s perennially sunburned neck, is now an epithet for any person who shares similar prejudices.

right-wing Reactionary, conservative; averse to change, die-hard. The term reputedly arose from the seating arrangement of the French National Assembly of 1789, in which conservatives sat on the right side, or wing, of the chamber. As used today, right-wing, like left-wing, has pejorative connotations of extremism—in this case, of bigotry, prejudice, moneyed interests, anti-humanitarianism, etc. Both terms are used primarily to denigrate and stigmatize one’s opponents; a political conservative would not call himself a right-winger, just as a liberal would not call himself a left-winger; yet each might well label the other with the appropriate epithet.

But what is a classical conservative?

mixed view of human nature
self-interest eventually harmful
society is organic whole
equality is not important
society is hierarchy of layers
elites have right to rule but responsibilities for welfare of others: “noblesse oblige”
stability of society paramount
law & order
customs & traditions are important
responsibilities & civil liberties of citizens, plus privileges for elites
limited electorate
mixed views on economy

Some of the traits of the classical branch are common in today’s political world but it all comes down to interruption…….and the mouthpiece spouting the perceived “truth”….in today’s world those calling themselves conservatives are more like neo-conservs……meaning?

limited government involvement in the economy
very limited range of social welfare programs
increased government protection of morality
emphasis on populism
maintain traditional social values
distrust of trade unionism

Once again let me emphasize that I am NOT condemning or demeaning conservative thought…..My only thing is trying to point out the differences in the beliefs and that NO one ideology is worse or better than another….only that there are different ways of approaching a political problem and that common ground should be found if there is to ever be a continuing of the political success of the country.

(For further explanation please check out next week’s post on neo-liberalism)

Jeb The Reb

By now unless you live under a rock yuou have seen or heard of the panic that the brother of GW Bush, Jeb, has created with his latest statements about the GOP……let me paraphrase in case you are under that damn rock…..”Ronald Reagan would have, based on his record of finding accommodation, finding some degree of common ground, as would my dad — they would have a hard time if you define the Republican party — and I don’t — as having an orthodoxy that doesn’t allow for disagreement, doesn’t allow for finding some common ground,” Bush said, adding that he views the hyper-partisan moment as “temporary.”

Immediately the GOP trotted out every pundit and spokesperson they could find to explain what Jeb meant when he made his statement….there is a simpler way to solve the mystery….ASK JEB!

But since that is not what will happen The WEEK magazine has given four theories on why Jeb made his statement……

1. Jeb wants to save the GOP from itself
Bush is “on a quest to push his party away from the political extreme,” says Aaron Blake at The Washington Post. He senses that the GOP is sacrificing political ground to the Democrats on important issues like immigration and the budget. The “GOP brand has been bad for a while” — about 40 percent of Americans have a favorable view of the GOP, while only 25 percent approve of Republicans in Congress. Bush’s remarks might be a thorn in Romney’s side, but the GOP candidate might benefit from listening to Jeb’s critique.

2. Bush is setting up a 2016 presidential run
“Bush is clearly engaged in an effort to position himself as the next leader of the Republican Party,” says Jonathan Chait at New York. If Romney loses in the fall, the GOP “will recognize that its harsh partisan rhetoric turned off voters, and will urgently want to woo Latinos,” a demographic that is “growing in size and seems to be tilting every more strongly toward the Democrats.” Bush is “setting himself as the cure” in case Romney blows it in November.

3. Jeb is defending his family’s political legacy
Bush’s remarks reflect “the growing drift of the party’s base from the Bush family,” which conservatives have criticized for selling out the party’s principles, says Jim Rutenberg at The New York Times. George W.’s big domestic achievements — from the expansion of Medicare to No Child Left Behind — were bipartisan efforts that have been assailed by Romney and other Republicans as models of big-government conservatism. Jeb even praised his father’s 1990 deficit-reduction deal, in which George H.W. famously broke his “no new taxes” pledge and earned himself the dreaded epithet of a RINO (Republican in Name Only).

4. Bush is taking on the ideology police
Bush was especially critical of Grover Norquist, the anti-tax activist who has gotten an “astounding 95 percent of elected Republicans” to sign a pledge to oppose “any and all” tax increases, says Ana Marie Cox at Britain’s The Guardian. The power of Norquist, conservative super PACs, and other members of the “outside ideology police” has made it impossible for elected Republicans to compromise on key issues, shattering “the illusion of a relationship between the goals of the party and the goals of most Americans.” And without some kind of pushback, the ideology police will end up running the party.

There you have the prevailing theories. Personally, I think Jeb wants to run in 2016 and he is laying the ground work for that run….I do believe that he said just what he meant….he is no dummy and I beleive that the GOP is to survive Mitt and the PACs then they need to heed his words.

Enough of what I think……any other opinions out there?

Obamacare, What’s It Good For?

The days are counting down until SCOTUS releases its decision on Obamacare………..Obamacare has been in the news since it was enacted….Repubs hate…..Tea Party hates it…..Health companies hate it…..everybody wants to repeal it. Why?

We hear about the mandate……we have heard so much about it that the whole act has been sent to SCOTUS for their opinion…..an opinion that has already been given….just not published yet……let us say that the whole law is repealed…..will that satisfy all nay sayers?

I hate to be the one to let all know things (okay that is a lie…I love it!)……..but there are those that will benefit the most if it is repealed……but who are these masked men?

Investopedia has narrowed it down for easy understanding…….

Small Businesses

When you look at the front lines of this battle, special interests representing the small business community are making their presence known. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) believes that Obamacare will be detrimental to the growth of small businesses. Representatives from the lobby group report healthcare costs skyrocketing between 20% and 40% since the passage of the law and many worry that the premiums will continue to rise.If this bill is repealed, small business owners hope to see decreases in premiums, but just as important is the removal of the uncertainty that has kept their growth plans shelved.Doctors

If you still believe the old model where doctors are among the richest people in America, some doctors want you to rethink that idea. There are still some physicians with lucrative positions who live the a lavish life, but most are finding their practices struggling to survive, with health insurance companies only paying a fraction of what they once did. Because of this environment, America is facing a critical shortage of doctors by 2020.

A recent study conducted by The Doctor’s Company in February, found that 60% of doctors believe that Obamacare will hurt patient care and further put their practice under financial pressure. Moreover, if Obamacare is repealed, some believe that doctors will stop leaving the profession, and more will believe that the large debt load they take on to become a doctor will result in a lucrative career allowing them to pay off the debt in a timely way.

The Wealthy

Those making more than $250,000 per year will pay a 3.8% surtax on their investment income to help pay for Obamacare. That, along with other tax hikes, would bring capital gains taxes up to 23.8% and dividend taxes could rise from the current rate of 15% to as high as 43.4%. If Obamacare is repealed, that wouldn’t bring tax rates down to Bush-era tax cut levels, but it would remove the 3.8% surtax.Big Companies

When the healthcare bill was passed, companies immediately took charge-offs and raised concerns that this legislation could drastically cut employees’ healthcare benefits or even cause layoffs. AT&T took a $1 billion charge-off to account for a rise in healthcare costs, while Caterpillar, John Deere and many others took smaller, yet substantial charge-offs, soon after passage.

If the bill is ruled unconstitutional and later repealed, companies who took this charge-off could see a bounce in their stock price and the same thing could happen in the broader market. Markets hate uncertainty and since nobody knows the true effect of the bill until it takes effect, many investors would much rather see it repealed.

SCOTUS could make many high dollar donors very happy……….many have ulterior motives for wanting the repeal…….and very little has anything to do with jobs, fairness or anything so noble…….it is about wealth and greed…..period!

BTW….we cannot say that Romney does not have a plan….you wanna see it?

Mitt Romney laid out an alternative … that would apply free-enterprise principles to the nation’s health-care system rather than run it like a ‘government utility,’ letting competition drive down prices and increase quality. He also vowed to divert federal Medicaid dollars and other federal funding to state governments, making them responsible for covering the uninsured.”

And this is the plan if he is elected…..you people are smoking crack! This is the most absurd idea on record!

No Bain, No Gain

I see that the millionaire pundits in the MSM have jumped on the bandwagon of making Bain the goal for a successful economy…..the MSM and the DLC have joined forces to make the Obama campaign use another attack mode on Romney and to protect Bain and Bain-like institutions from too much scrutiny….Mitt says he knows how to create jobs…..someone please ask him how! Bain created NO jobs…the CEOs that were put into place created the jobs……..all Bain did was make money for the investors……Someone, anyone please ask him how?

Bain is a private equity firm…..but what is that in simple terms…..

private equity firms perform a valuable service. They make the companies they buy more efficient, sometimes just by bringing in better management, but often by making tough but necessary job cuts. Bain — which Romney founded in 1984 and ran for 15 years — can point to a number of successes, including Domino’s Pizza and mattress-maker Sealy.

But at their worst, private equity firms buy companies with borrowed funds, suck money out and leave them for dead.

Okay then, let us talk about Bain……just what happened at Bain Capital?

While he (Romney) was at Bain, they invested in 77 businesses; 17 ultimately went bankrupt or out of business. Bain made money. Jobs were lost.

The other 60 stayed or became profitable; 10 grew into huge successes. Among them were Burger King, Burlington Coat Factory, Sealy Mattresses, Guitar Center, AMC Entertainment, Brookstone, Clear Channel Communications, Sports Authority (which Bain created), Domino’s Pizza and Staples — just one store when Bain invested in it, now over 1,100.

Check it out closely….that is a pretty good record…..and Romney and his surrogates also taunt the jobs creation as a talking point of the Bain experience……shall we look at that?

Pick one of the companies…..for me it is Sealy…..because I recently bought a Sealy Mattress and I was wondering about the company……

There are licensees operating in Australia, Bahamas, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

In 1995, direct export business began to South Korea.

In 1996, Sealy began manufacturing and selling in Mexico.

In 2011, Sealy opened its first manufacturing plant in China. The 100,000-square-foot factory outside Shanghai is a joint venture of Sealy China, which is owned and operated by Sealy Inc., and licensee Sealy Australia

It looks like Sealy did create jobs but not many were here in the good old US….how does jobs creation in China and Mexico help the employment picture in this country?….Maybe someone will ask Mitt that question and stop softballing him in interview….

Sorry, but NO one is really examining Bain and Bain-like companies…..all it is bumper sticker rhetoric…..and now we have loyal Dems like Booker, Clinton and Harold Ford, Jr. condemning the use of Bain as a campaign subject….why…..three guesses….DLC the very group that helped create our financial woes we are suffering today….these people are in the pockets of private equity and will never speak ill of the masters…

I do not see why everyone is so concerned with the use of Bain…..there is NEVER been anything offered in the campaign ads that would question the legitimacy of the practice of kill companies to make money or that the jobs created were few and far between in the US…..

This whole deal is just so much humor!

BTW, the Sealy thing…. I bought one and is the worse sleep I have had since my days of sleeping on an Army cot…….quality SUCKS!

Something Borrowed, Something New

Sunday…….fire up the grill…..laugh awhile….love awhile…..and live….for tomorrow we return to the seedy side of society……politicians and their friends…….

My daughter tells a joke about the molecules in a Twinkie…..how after an extended time in a microwave it turns into a small rubber raft….the moral of the story is that caution needs to be observed when messing around with molecules……

Physics is taking some large leaps froward….up until about a decade ago….there was not much new in the field……but little geniuses have been skipping along manipulating existing molecules……..what have they discovered?

Glad you ask!

Researchers from Stanford University and the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have created the first-ever system of “designer electrons” – exotic variants of ordinary electrons with tunable properties that may ultimately lead to new types of materials and devices.

“The behavior of electrons in materials is at the heart of essentially all of today’s technologies,” said Hari Manoharan, associate professor of physics at Stanford and a member of SLAC’s Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science, who led the research. “We’re now able to tune the fundamental properties of electrons so they behave in ways rarely seen in ordinary materials.”

Their first examples, reported Wednesday in Nature, were handcrafted, honeycomb-shaped structures inspired by graphene, a pure form of carbon that has been widely heralded for its potential in future electronics.

Read More…

Rock on Nerdy Dudes and Dudettes!

Go Where No Man Has Gone Before

Saturday…….and all is well……but only after I cleanse the brain of the filth that is our politics…….a regular purge keeps the demons away…….today I found the ultimate of nerdism!

Remember the conventions full of Trekkies? Dressed like Orion slave girls or Klingnons or Androrians and a couple of Spocks with a sprinkling of Uhurra ………and then there were the endless spin-offs……NG, Voyager, DS9, etc…..and on to the space burials of beloved members of the Star Trek family…….all that aside there is a cool story taking shape……..

In its time, the original Star Trek series has inspired many inventions – the flip-open mobile phone (based on the crew’s communicators), handheld medical diagnostics (based on its tricorder) – but now an engineer of 30 years standing says we should go the whole way and build the Starship Enterprise.

The cost? A trillion dollars (£648bn) – but if spread over 20 years, argues “Dan”, who has proposed the idea, it would cost only 0.27% of the US’s gross domestic product, or about half what the Apollo project did in the 1960s.

“Just look how many young people were inspired to study engineering by the character Scotty from Star Trek,” he writes on the website buildtheenterprise.org, which was set up to push the idea. “Well, I bet a lot of young people would be inspired if we actually built the first generation of /Scotty’s ship/.”

“Dan” admits that it won’t actually be the dilithium-powered warp-driven faster-than-light photon torpedo-bearing galaxy-class starship piloted by Captain James T Kirk. He writes: “The Star Trek adventures in the NCC-1701-x Enterprise ships take place starting in the year 2245. Our technology today is just not up to building a starship; that will have to wait for a Gen4 ship or later.”

Read More…

What can I say? The Nerd in me loves this story……thoughts?

45 years ago today…Israel attacks American ship, USS Liberty….

In Saner Thought

"It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error"..Thomas Paine

Month: June 2012