12.13.2011

Religion

Would The World Be Better Off Without Religion?

An interesting debate asking the question: Would The World Be Better Off Without Religion?
It's not about whether God exists or not, it's about the man-made creation...Religion.
Below are a few point, the link provides audio from the debate.

For No Religion
  • Throughout history, religious strife has been at the center of many wars and the underlying cause of uncountable deaths and casualties.
  • The Bible's view of what constitutes a good person is at odds with the modern Western view of what constitutes a good person. It is possible to feel such emotions as empathy, sympathy, and love without holding religious views.
  • Blind religious faith leads even intelligent people to deny key scientific principles, for example, opposition to the theory of evolution.
  • Tithes and other religious donations would be better spent directly aiding the lives of the poor, hungry and sick.

Against No Religion
  • Religion is a vital instrument in the promotion of stability— locally, nationally and globally—and its various churches and organizations facilitate countless acts of charity. It provides a moral compass and a purpose to those who may otherwise lead unproductive, aimless, and perhaps destructive lives.
  • Religion is a concept that is part of human nature, and that a world without religion would be one without such fruits of human creativity as Venice, the Taj Mahal and King’s College Chapel, Cambridge.
  • While atheism preaches certainty and disrespect of religions, religion preaches uncertainty and tolerance. It is certainty and conviction–not religion–that produced events such as the Crusades, and movements such as fascism, and Jewish, Christian, and Islamic fundamentalism.
  • Religion provides "why" answers – the reason why things happen and what life is for – while science can only provide causal explanations.

1.07.2009

George Bush Resumé

GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

LAW ENFORCEMENT:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

MILITARY:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

COLLEGE:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:

I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975.

I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock.

I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money.

With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union.

During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market.

In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.

I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. history, Enron.

My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to assure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip- offs in history.

I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

I appointed more convicted criminals to my administration than any other President in U.S. history.

I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.

I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. election).

I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period.

After taking off the entire month of August, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

I garnered the most sympathy for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world, the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, pre-emptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families -- in wartime.

In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.

I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

5.09.2008

Smoke Shit and Fuck

This guy, John Hartford, was one of my favorite folksy musicians. He used to be a writer on the Smothers Brothers Show back in the 60's. He wrote that Glen Campbell song "Gentle On My Mind" which pretty much gave him financial independence so he played what he liked to play and didn't worry about fame and fortune. He died a few years ago from cancer. Luckily, I got to see him a few times back in the 80's. He was one of the best entertainers I've ever seen. He would play guitar, banjo, fiddle and dance. I just got a hold of this song from a 1980 folk festival in philly.
Enjoy...

4.12.2008

The Newest Addition






































So here's a post (finally) that isn't about what a douchebags Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld or Wolfowitz are*. I didn't have a 12 string guitar in my arsenal so I went out and bought one. I got this very nice Epiphone DR 212 12 string for the remarkable price of only $169. I am so impressed with this instrument. It's got a spruce top and mahogany sides, the tone and playability is remarkable and the price can't be beat. It plays as well as 12 strings that are 2-3 times as much.
So now I have in my possession the following instruments:
  • Epiphone DR 212 12 String
  • Gurian Jumbo Acoustic (hand made)
  • Ovation Custon Baladeer Acoustic
  • El Cheapo Classical Guitar
  • Fender Statocaster
  • 1964 Guild JetStar
  • FirstAct GarageMaster Volkswagon Guitar
  • Washburn 5 String Banjo

I actually play them all with the exception of the banjo which I hardly take out.
I don't feel like I'm anywhere near being done. I'd still like to get an Epiphone Casino and I wouldn't mind having a Les Paul although my brother had one and I played it a bunch of times and decided on getting a Stratocaster instead.

*BTW: The are still douchebags who have fucked this country up for generations to come. But in the words of the good old old VP... SO????

At First I Thought it Said Assholes

Internet Full of 'Black Holes'
You're pounding the keyboard, double-clicking away, sighing and grumbling, but to no avail: That devilish little hourglass icon refuses to give way to the Web site you're trying to reach. Most Internet users have encountered trouble reaching online destinations, but they often attribute the problem to their wireless network cutting out or a server momentarily going down.
Sometimes, though, the problem is more mysterious. At any given moment, messages throughout the world are lost to cyber black holes, according to new computer science research.

the rest of the story

I've really run out of interesting stuff to say

4.02.2008

Dick Cheney Calls Iraq War a 'Major Success'

Vice President Says Economy Has Hit a 'Rough Patch' but Doesn't Call It a Recession
March 19, 2008 —

Five years after the start of the war in Iraq, Vice President Dick Cheney offered a positive assessment of the war today and called last year's troop surge a "major success."

"On the security front, I think there's a general consensus that we've made major progress, that the surge has worked. That's been a major success," Cheney told ABC News' Martha Raddatz.

When asked about how that jibes with recent polls that show about two-thirds of Americans say the fight in Iraq is not worth it, Cheney replied, "So?"

"You don't care what the American people think?" Raddatz asked the vice president.

"You can't be blown off course by polls," said Cheney, who is currently on a tour of the Middle East. "This president is very courageous and determined to go the course. There has been a huge fundamental change and transformation for the better. That's a huge accomplishment."

Since the war began, nearly 4,000 U.S. troops have been killed and more than 29,000 have been injured in the war, which has so far cost the United States roughly $600 billion, according to the Pentagon.

By some estimates, the war will end up costing Americans anywhere between $2 trillion and $4 trillion.


'Rough Patch' in Economy
Cheney also touched on the current state of the economy, admitting, "we're clearly going through a rough patch." But the Bush administration has not said the United States is experiencing a recession.

Cheney said that the downturn can, in part, be blamed on natural economic cycles.

"We've had, prior to that, 52 months of uninterrupted economic growth," he said. "Now, of course, we've got problems in the housing industry, mortgage-backed securities and so forth that have created problems that we're having to deal with."




What an ASSHOLE
my comment, not his

3.28.2008

Jamming With Dylan

So the other week I had The Guys over to jam and I had Dylan sit in on a few tunes. He's been playing for a little over a year and had only jammed with me up until this point. I think he did fantastic. I love jamming with him but we both need to work on each other's music. He was grinning ear to ear though, he got a big lick out of this. My friends thought he did OK too. The recording quality isn't great and my guitar work needs something to be desired. I take a small solo in the beginning and then one later on using the wah-wah pedal.

The Tune

3.15.2008

1964 Guild JetStar

The description below comes from the 1966 Guild catalogue - Americas Finest
Guild quality from top to bottom ... in an impressive solid body that identifies its owner as a musician who has equipped himself with an instrument of prestige
Pleasingly contoured body is designed for comfort and ease of handling, is 13 3/4" wide. 17 3/4" long, only 1 9/16" deep. Has the famous Guild fast-action neck with 24 3/4" scale and 22 frets.
This instrument has a single built-in Guild "Frequency-Tested" pick-up with individual adjustment screws and separate tone and volume controls. Distinctive new Guild integral tailpiece-bridge combination, with swing-off cover, is adjustable for height, tension and intonation.
This easy-action solid body guitar is highly recommended by teachers for student and other amateur use. Factory-fitted with Guild Strings.

My JetStar
1964 Guild Jet Star
1964 Guild Jet Star

Need Glasses?

3.11.2008

'Gilligan's' Mary Ann caught with dope
No, it wasn't Dubbya...

Or, MaryAnn caught with MaryJane

Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island," is serving six months' unsupervised probation after allegedly being caught with marijuana in her car.

She was sentenced Feb. 29 to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving.

Under a plea agreement, three misdemeanor counts — driving under the influence, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance — were dropped.

On Oct. 18, Teton County sheriff's Deputy Joseph Gutierrez arrested Wells as she was driving home from a surprise birthday party that was held for her. According to the sheriff's office report, Gutierrez pulled Wells over after noticing her swerve and repeatedly speed up and slow down. When Gutierrez asked about a marijuana smell, Wells said she'd just given a ride to three hitchhikers and had dropped them off when they began smoking something. Gutierrez found half-smoked joints and two small cases used to store marijuana.

The 69-year-old Wells, founder of the Idaho Film and Television Institute and organizer of the region's annual family movie festival called the Spud Fest, then failed a sobriety test.

Wells' lawyer, Ron Swafford, said that a friend of Wells' testified that he'd left a small amount of marijuana in the vehicle after using it that day, and that Wells was unaware of it. Swafford also said several witnesses were prepared to testify that Wells had very little to drink at the party and was not intoxicated when she left. He said she was swerving on the road because she was trying to find the heater controls in her new car.