A theocracy is a form of government in which God is recognized as the supreme civil ruler. What if God does not exist? Is the theocracy a sham? What if God exists? How does he or she ( the she would not sit well with an Islamic theocracy) rule? Through a supreme mortal of course.
To be supreme and a mortal at the same time would indicate a ruler not to be challenged. What if he is challenged? As one cleric in Iran put it " leaders of the demonstrations could be executed".
A blasphemous statement! A statement in severe conflict with clerics proclaiming "God is good" . Clerics speak in the name of God. If God calls for execution , God is not good. If God is not good then there is no God. If there is no God , there can be no theocracy.
Thus the Iranian Islamic Republic is not a theocracy! Iran is not a republic. Iran is a totalitarian state governed by a dictator.
How do you deal with a dictatorship which proclaims to have a direct line to a supreme being? Very gingerly.
6/27/09
6/25/09
The day after
After yesterday's rant about Time Warner and customer service, today's customer service experience at a local computer store ( Microcenter) rates four stars. I actually talked to three different associates who not only bent over backwards to answer my questions but were actually knowledgeable. No, I didn't buy today but I will buy in the near future after getting the approval of my high primal thinker. There is hope for good customer service!
6/24/09
Time Warner is holding me hostage
I have a problem, actually a lot of problems but one in particular. I’m lost in the wilderness of cable television pricing.
For years cable service was easily understood . There was basic service and premium service. You paid for what you got, then enjoyed the annual price increases for which there was little explanation other than “our service has improved to the extent that we can command a higher price”.
The High Primal Thinker and I enjoy old movies, especially the offerings on Turner Classic Movies. About a year ago the only way we could get TCM was to subscribe to digital service for an extra ten bucks a month ( TCM later became part of the basic package with no increase in price but I wasn’t paying attention). Actually it was more than ten bucks a month. It was necessary to rent a digital converter and a remote for another eight bucks a month. Oh well, we now had good entertainment.
In the past year, two events made the presence of a digital converter box in our home overkill. The first was the purchase of a new TV set with of all things a digital tuner. Secondly all the TV transmissions converted from analog to digital. Great, my digital converter box was superfluous. All I had to do was return it and save eight bucks a month.
I ventured into the jungle of customer service. Incidentally if the C.I.A is looking for a new form of torture they should consider the endless commercials Time Warner offers up as they put you on endless hold as you try to reach the customer service representative that another customer service rep referred you to.
To make a long story short, I eventually was informed that I could return the box and the remote, and yes the eight dollar rental would be removed from my bill. Without missing a beat the rep added that my monthly charge for cable service would go up about ten dollars a month. It would be cheaper to keep the box and pay the rent!
I couldn’t believe my ears and asked for an explanation. Get this, with the box I had access to hundreds of channels but without the box I would be limited to 76 channels. The bottom line was that I was downgrading my service which would negate a discount I was receiving ( which was news to me). I would have to pay list price for the basic service.
What it all boils down to is that I have a TV set with a digital tuner hooked up to a digital converter box. Of course I can receive many more channels with the box, but I’m not addicted to channel surfing. I don’t need the damn box but I must pay for it until June of 2010 ( another rep told me the discount would expire in September of 2009). No matter, on general principles I’m going to disconnect the box, store it in a safe place and return it when Time Warner inflates my bill either in September or next June.
End of story? Not quite. I’m planning a visit to one of their centers where I can talk face to face with a rep and possibly gain my freedom from that monstrous Time Warner digital converter box.
I feel much better! Thanks for bearing with me. I've got to get back to my TV, "A Night At The Opera" is on.
For years cable service was easily understood . There was basic service and premium service. You paid for what you got, then enjoyed the annual price increases for which there was little explanation other than “our service has improved to the extent that we can command a higher price”.
The High Primal Thinker and I enjoy old movies, especially the offerings on Turner Classic Movies. About a year ago the only way we could get TCM was to subscribe to digital service for an extra ten bucks a month ( TCM later became part of the basic package with no increase in price but I wasn’t paying attention). Actually it was more than ten bucks a month. It was necessary to rent a digital converter and a remote for another eight bucks a month. Oh well, we now had good entertainment.
In the past year, two events made the presence of a digital converter box in our home overkill. The first was the purchase of a new TV set with of all things a digital tuner. Secondly all the TV transmissions converted from analog to digital. Great, my digital converter box was superfluous. All I had to do was return it and save eight bucks a month.
I ventured into the jungle of customer service. Incidentally if the C.I.A is looking for a new form of torture they should consider the endless commercials Time Warner offers up as they put you on endless hold as you try to reach the customer service representative that another customer service rep referred you to.
To make a long story short, I eventually was informed that I could return the box and the remote, and yes the eight dollar rental would be removed from my bill. Without missing a beat the rep added that my monthly charge for cable service would go up about ten dollars a month. It would be cheaper to keep the box and pay the rent!
I couldn’t believe my ears and asked for an explanation. Get this, with the box I had access to hundreds of channels but without the box I would be limited to 76 channels. The bottom line was that I was downgrading my service which would negate a discount I was receiving ( which was news to me). I would have to pay list price for the basic service.
What it all boils down to is that I have a TV set with a digital tuner hooked up to a digital converter box. Of course I can receive many more channels with the box, but I’m not addicted to channel surfing. I don’t need the damn box but I must pay for it until June of 2010 ( another rep told me the discount would expire in September of 2009). No matter, on general principles I’m going to disconnect the box, store it in a safe place and return it when Time Warner inflates my bill either in September or next June.
End of story? Not quite. I’m planning a visit to one of their centers where I can talk face to face with a rep and possibly gain my freedom from that monstrous Time Warner digital converter box.
I feel much better! Thanks for bearing with me. I've got to get back to my TV, "A Night At The Opera" is on.
6/23/09
Iranian Unrest
- It seems to me that if anything positive comes from the Iranian post election demonstrations and unrest, a large amount of the credit should go to the young, beautiful, courageous Iranian women. If the Muslim world is ever to reform, it will be because of their oppressed women.
- Once again clerics are proving that a cleric's place is in the mosque, church or synagogue.
- I for one completely support Obama's Iranian stance.
- Republican gun slingers should holster their guns.
6/21/09
6/18/09
Breaking News
Breaking News! "Breaking News" is in danger of becoming a cliche.
There was a time when the words "Breaking News" appeared on the TV screen and you dropped everything to hear a report on an important news event. More and more news anchors use " Breaking News" as a teaser for you to keep listening to them reading the news. They imply that an important story is breaking. It's so important that they will tell you about it later. If you hang on waiting to find out what it is , you are sadly disappointed. It turns out that it is a "dog bites man" story, not a "man bites dog"story, which would have made it worthy of breaking news.
"Breaking News", overused and increasingly trite at the hands of some news anchors.
There was a time when the words "Breaking News" appeared on the TV screen and you dropped everything to hear a report on an important news event. More and more news anchors use " Breaking News" as a teaser for you to keep listening to them reading the news. They imply that an important story is breaking. It's so important that they will tell you about it later. If you hang on waiting to find out what it is , you are sadly disappointed. It turns out that it is a "dog bites man" story, not a "man bites dog"story, which would have made it worthy of breaking news.
"Breaking News", overused and increasingly trite at the hands of some news anchors.
Proposal To Reduce Health Care Costs
Congressmen, Democrats and Republicans alike, have sticker shock when faced with the cost of health care reform. There is a lot of maneuvering going on to find ways of cutting the estimated cost of one trillion dollars. I haven’t heard of anything to date that comes close to a meaningful cost reduction.
Everyone agrees that the greatest impact on reducing healthcare costs would come if the population would keep itself healthy. That being the case I have a proposal for our learned legislators. Instead of grappling with health insurance schemes, why not take a look at necklaces. Yes necklaces!
My research has turned up three different kind of necklaces that have a miraculous effect on the wearers health. A stimulus package allocating twenty-five dollars to every citizen would do the trick. I haven’t done the math but I bet that it’s a lot less than one trillion dollars.
My top recommendation is a garlic necklace. The role of garlic in health care is legendary. I can remember going to school and being knocked over by the smell of garlic. It was flu season and half of the students were wearing garlic necklaces. Aside from warding off the flu, garlic necklaces have the added benefit of scaring off evil spirits. Everyone knows that evil spirits carry all kinds of diseases. Garlic necklaces can be had for anywhere between six and forty dollars. The six dollar version is highly recommended.
If someone doesn’t want to go around smelling like Italian cuisine, I would recommend that they get a titanium necklace for around thirty dollars. You’ve seen these necklaces that look like ropes around the necks of ballplayers. (This has no relation to a disgruntled fan planning to lynch a player.) Titanium
necklaces improve joint movement, blood flow and stamina. ( The Cleveland Indian’s owner only provided the players with cheap imitations , thus their last place standing). I’ve included a photo to show how attractive those titanium ropes are. Good news, you can get them with your team logo woven in. Just like baseball caps, one size fits all.
Last but not least, consideration must be given to the scapular medal. Unfortunately only a limited part of the population would be eligible to wear one. One has to be a Catholic to be privileged to wear a scapular medal. The scapular medal provides for well being in this life and the hereafter. That is a real bargain but I
’m sure that Congress would have a problem with scapular medals. It really is too bad since the medal protects both your front and back. Upon further thought , I’m not so sure it would be a problem if this is the necklace of choice. Unless the government is getting into the necklace business, it should care less as to how the necklace stimulus money is spent as long the necklace purchased promotes good health.
Personally I’m not ready to wear a necklace , so if some stimulus comes my way I plan to bank it. I'll use it for a witch doctor if I become ill. You can read all about it in a post I published some time ago, Il Malocchio.
Everyone agrees that the greatest impact on reducing healthcare costs would come if the population would keep itself healthy. That being the case I have a proposal for our learned legislators. Instead of grappling with health insurance schemes, why not take a look at necklaces. Yes necklaces!
My research has turned up three different kind of necklaces that have a miraculous effect on the wearers health. A stimulus package allocating twenty-five dollars to every citizen would do the trick. I haven’t done the math but I bet that it’s a lot less than one trillion dollars.
My top recommendation is a garlic necklace. The role of garlic in health care is legendary. I can remember going to school and being knocked over by the smell of garlic. It was flu season and half of the students were wearing garlic necklaces. Aside from warding off the flu, garlic necklaces have the added benefit of scaring off evil spirits. Everyone knows that evil spirits carry all kinds of diseases. Garlic necklaces can be had for anywhere between six and forty dollars. The six dollar version is highly recommended.If someone doesn’t want to go around smelling like Italian cuisine, I would recommend that they get a titanium necklace for around thirty dollars. You’ve seen these necklaces that look like ropes around the necks of ballplayers. (This has no relation to a disgruntled fan planning to lynch a player.) Titanium
necklaces improve joint movement, blood flow and stamina. ( The Cleveland Indian’s owner only provided the players with cheap imitations , thus their last place standing). I’ve included a photo to show how attractive those titanium ropes are. Good news, you can get them with your team logo woven in. Just like baseball caps, one size fits all.Last but not least, consideration must be given to the scapular medal. Unfortunately only a limited part of the population would be eligible to wear one. One has to be a Catholic to be privileged to wear a scapular medal. The scapular medal provides for well being in this life and the hereafter. That is a real bargain but I
’m sure that Congress would have a problem with scapular medals. It really is too bad since the medal protects both your front and back. Upon further thought , I’m not so sure it would be a problem if this is the necklace of choice. Unless the government is getting into the necklace business, it should care less as to how the necklace stimulus money is spent as long the necklace purchased promotes good health.Personally I’m not ready to wear a necklace , so if some stimulus comes my way I plan to bank it. I'll use it for a witch doctor if I become ill. You can read all about it in a post I published some time ago, Il Malocchio.
6/16/09
My keyboard for a post
My keyboard for a post? I must be desperate. If an idea for a post suddenly surfaced I couldn't do much with it without a keyboard. That is probably just as well. Still its embarrassing. I have a blog and can't think of anything worthwhile to post.
The rioting in Iran would be worth a few words, but I don't want to meddle in their election.
Take the Cleveland Indians, they have provided fodder for a few posts. Better I leave that blogging to the Milwaukee Brewers. They are delighted with the Indians. First we take two out three from the Cardinals who are chasing the Brewers. Next we scare the hell out of the Brewers with a 12 to 8 lead in the seventh but lose 14 to 12. Not satisfied with those gifts, we are handing another game to them as I type. No, I don't want to blog about the Indians.
Photos would certainly satisfy the criteria for a post. One problem, even I am not enamored with my Photo Shop skills.
How about health care? Everybody is talking about reining in healthcare costs. I'm all for that but has anyone talked to the Cleveland Clinic. Obama has and he holds them out as an example of health care efficiency. I doubt that he has ever seen one of their bills. I'm still trying to find a Google translator for the last one I received. I really don't want to write about healthcare costs, I may write something I will regret at my next doctor's appointment.
Politics has never failed me in the past. I could pretend that I'm a Republican and tear apart everything that Obama has said or not said. I could but I won't.
I know, I could reminisce. Reminiscing can be fun. If you come up with something that is not so funny , you can always chalk it up to a poor memory. Now that's a possibility. Poor memory, dimentia , Alzheimer, aging. No, I said I couldn't put myself in a Republican's shoes.
Back to reminiscences. I remember listening to my mother and some of her lady friends sitting around the dinning room table, crocheting and exchanging botti. A botta is a ding or a slam. In the course of a conversation, a botta was there but cleverly disguised.
"Marianna, your daughter Maria looks so much better since she put on a little weight"
Maria was a fourteen year old putana who got knocked up. It's true ! Dave Letterman told me so.
While on the subject of a botta, how does this grab you. Francisco bragged to all his friends that Maria's condition resulted from " una botta e via". Translation - one night stand.
I'm sure I have enriched your time with this post. As they say, " if it's not worth saying don't say it". On the other hand the popularity of blogs would suffer dramatically if that were the case.
( Its 4-3 Milwaukee after seven. Go Tribe!)
The rioting in Iran would be worth a few words, but I don't want to meddle in their election.
Take the Cleveland Indians, they have provided fodder for a few posts. Better I leave that blogging to the Milwaukee Brewers. They are delighted with the Indians. First we take two out three from the Cardinals who are chasing the Brewers. Next we scare the hell out of the Brewers with a 12 to 8 lead in the seventh but lose 14 to 12. Not satisfied with those gifts, we are handing another game to them as I type. No, I don't want to blog about the Indians.
Photos would certainly satisfy the criteria for a post. One problem, even I am not enamored with my Photo Shop skills.
How about health care? Everybody is talking about reining in healthcare costs. I'm all for that but has anyone talked to the Cleveland Clinic. Obama has and he holds them out as an example of health care efficiency. I doubt that he has ever seen one of their bills. I'm still trying to find a Google translator for the last one I received. I really don't want to write about healthcare costs, I may write something I will regret at my next doctor's appointment.
Politics has never failed me in the past. I could pretend that I'm a Republican and tear apart everything that Obama has said or not said. I could but I won't.
I know, I could reminisce. Reminiscing can be fun. If you come up with something that is not so funny , you can always chalk it up to a poor memory. Now that's a possibility. Poor memory, dimentia , Alzheimer, aging. No, I said I couldn't put myself in a Republican's shoes.
Back to reminiscences. I remember listening to my mother and some of her lady friends sitting around the dinning room table, crocheting and exchanging botti. A botta is a ding or a slam. In the course of a conversation, a botta was there but cleverly disguised.
"Marianna, your daughter Maria looks so much better since she put on a little weight"
Maria was a fourteen year old putana who got knocked up. It's true ! Dave Letterman told me so.
While on the subject of a botta, how does this grab you. Francisco bragged to all his friends that Maria's condition resulted from " una botta e via". Translation - one night stand.
I'm sure I have enriched your time with this post. As they say, " if it's not worth saying don't say it". On the other hand the popularity of blogs would suffer dramatically if that were the case.
( Its 4-3 Milwaukee after seven. Go Tribe!)
6/11/09
With all due respect......
The use of the phrase “with all due respect“ conveys very little respect. It is condescending at best and downright insulting at its worst. The real message is ,“with all due respect, which is absolutely none, I think you are an asshole”. With all due respect, the phrase is to be avoided at all costs.
6/10/09
I've become a dinosaur
If Twitter is changing the way we live and showing us the future of innovation , it completely bypassed Tony. Blogging is my game , not Twittering - and that makes me a dinosaur. Worse yet, I have yet to send a text message! Photos? I still rely on a camera that can't get on the internet or place a long distance call.
This is a sad state of affairs for someone who spent his entire working years in engineering and manufacturing. I hardly recognize myself. Having cut my teeth on diodes, transistors and LED's, it's a real comedown.
What really bothers me is that none of this bothers me. The bottom line is that remaining relatively anonymous in this age of a communication revolution suits me fine . Don't get me wrong , I tried to twitter but ended up being a twitter dropout. I even toyed with Facebook. When I mentioned the latter to my son, the response was "Why?" That ended that. My Space? I have all the space I need.
Breaking news! Apple has introduced a $99 Iphone! Now that may bring me into the twenty-first century, but I'll wait a while longer, Tracfone may offer an equally smart phone.
6/4/09
Nice day for a house guest....
Great day out there! A little cool but the sun is shining ( why do we say the sun is shinning? Doesn't it shine continously ). Anyway it lifts the spirits ( never really understood what that means but it sounds good).
I'm glad the rain stopped since we have a house guest. When he's visited in the past he complained about the rain. Don't get me wrong, we're glad to have him. He's not much trouble other than at dinner time. He has a voracious appetite. My spouse, the high primal thinker, meets herself coming and going trying to satiate his appetite.
Speaking of the high primal thinker, I think my friend is quite taken with her and the attraction seems to be mutual. I'm not the jealous type but I am the suspicious type. She has assured me his antics revolve around the food she prepares and shares with him. I love my wife and I love my friend, so I've concluded that its not unreasonable to share affections. Threesomes are not uncommon these days ( "these days" justifies any activity these days).
Our house guest loves to walk which is fine , except he insists that I walk with him. I keep telling him that getting up at five in the morning to take a walk is not my idea of fun but I'm sure we'll be up again at five tomorrow morning.
He has another bad trait. He is anti social and not very tolerant of other guests.The only way we can get him to accept a visit from others is to bribe him. His appetite does him in. Offer him a treat and he's your friend for life.
You may have guessed by now that our guest is a dog, our daughter's dog. While she and her family are on vacation, Thurston will be vacationing with us. The price they pay for his cheap vacation is a very spoiled dog.
I'm glad the rain stopped since we have a house guest. When he's visited in the past he complained about the rain. Don't get me wrong, we're glad to have him. He's not much trouble other than at dinner time. He has a voracious appetite. My spouse, the high primal thinker, meets herself coming and going trying to satiate his appetite.
Speaking of the high primal thinker, I think my friend is quite taken with her and the attraction seems to be mutual. I'm not the jealous type but I am the suspicious type. She has assured me his antics revolve around the food she prepares and shares with him. I love my wife and I love my friend, so I've concluded that its not unreasonable to share affections. Threesomes are not uncommon these days ( "these days" justifies any activity these days).
Our house guest loves to walk which is fine , except he insists that I walk with him. I keep telling him that getting up at five in the morning to take a walk is not my idea of fun but I'm sure we'll be up again at five tomorrow morning.
He has another bad trait. He is anti social and not very tolerant of other guests.The only way we can get him to accept a visit from others is to bribe him. His appetite does him in. Offer him a treat and he's your friend for life.
You may have guessed by now that our guest is a dog, our daughter's dog. While she and her family are on vacation, Thurston will be vacationing with us. The price they pay for his cheap vacation is a very spoiled dog.
6/3/09
Crappy weather , crappy team
Crappy weather! So what else is new. Poor excuse for a lack of creativity but better days are coming.
Hold the presses! Its not the weather that's making me blue, its the Cleveland Indians . Read all about it! The manager hopes that a last place finish may be avoided. Don't bet on it.
The signs are all there:
The Indian's front office is too wimpy to address this problem. The only salvation may be if another Supreme Court opening develops. Chief Wahoo would be a perfect candidate. He certainly would add color. No red man has ever served on the court . He's a male, so the white men would be careful in any criticism they have to offer. Although I can visualize some NRA members claiming "the only good Indian is a dead one".
I'm writing to that Obama guy. He's a White Sox fan but he's also for change. I'm sure that he can propose some legislation which will make the use of logos such as Chief Wahoo illegal. This may be the only way to get the Cleveland Indians into the 21st century. I don't think there will be another Supreme Court opening soon.
In the meantime, Go Tribe! Better yet, Go Team!
Hold the presses! Its not the weather that's making me blue, its the Cleveland Indians . Read all about it! The manager hopes that a last place finish may be avoided. Don't bet on it.
The signs are all there:
- The owner has a heart attack
- Eight players on the disabled list
- The lineup looks like an Abbot and Costello routine
- It rains almost every home game
- John Adams , the drummer, is silent
- Progressive Field is sparsely populated
The Indian's front office is too wimpy to address this problem. The only salvation may be if another Supreme Court opening develops. Chief Wahoo would be a perfect candidate. He certainly would add color. No red man has ever served on the court . He's a male, so the white men would be careful in any criticism they have to offer. Although I can visualize some NRA members claiming "the only good Indian is a dead one".I'm writing to that Obama guy. He's a White Sox fan but he's also for change. I'm sure that he can propose some legislation which will make the use of logos such as Chief Wahoo illegal. This may be the only way to get the Cleveland Indians into the 21st century. I don't think there will be another Supreme Court opening soon.
In the meantime, Go Tribe! Better yet, Go Team!
6/2/09
A local university is aggressively advertising a potpourri of MBA programs. The program descriptions were a bit confusing but this is what I think they meant:
- Part time MBA - takes classes when not selling Chryslers ( time better spent on learning Italian)
- Accelerated MBA - for those too busy to attend classes
- Executive MBA - required for executives seeking bailout money
- Joint MBA - program tailored for marijuana users
Its still cloudy out there
Why do I have visions of domestic terrorists when I read about the murder of a doctor who performed abortions? Why am I reminded of the NRA’s LaPierre who would have us believe that “men with guns make the rules”? Why do abortion extremists use religion to justify murder? Why are men at the forefront of a debate which mainly concerns women? The abortion issue and the gun control issue make the economy issue in this country look trivial. The latter is treatable , the others are like cancerous tumors which only radical surgery can remove.
6/1/09
It's very cloudy outside.....
- It has been reported that now that bailout funds have rescued them , banks are eager to get back to business as usual. They apparently will fight tighter regulatory practices down to our last dollar.
- Everyone who sends out financial statement are using a lot of paper to embarrass us into going paperless. Go green, it will save the environment! Interesting that where there is a buck to made they find it convenient to become environmentalists. No hint as to their willingness to share the profits.
- GM is bankrupt! Somehow I find it difficult to shed a tear, especially since a Hummer forced me to take the shoulder recently.
- We will be the majority owners in the new GM. We will be the silent owners in the new GM. The new GM will tell us what we should drive, just like the old GM.
- My guess is that the new GM will be an American corporation with headquarters in Detroit and plants in China and Mexico. The Detroit headquarters will be important if they are to qualify for more bailout funds.
- Fiat will run Chrysler. They will finish the job Daimler started - run Chrysler right into the ground.
- Social Security and Medicare need fixing but the job is a political mine field. After all a Congressman needs job security and that nice government pension. The motto in Congress is “Don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow!”.
- Actually things aren’t that bad, they just look bad. On the other hand, looks are all we can go by.
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