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chuckle8 ~ Yeah. I read the same thing. As I understand it the technology has only a few bugs in it too. There are a couple of big companies in California I believe who are working on this technology and plan to have a working prototype in the near future. It is a shame though that our government isn't leading the research. It seems so wasteful to pour money into spy satellites and nothing into energy research. When you get down to it, energy is really a far greater concern for national security than violating the Constitution.
If I lived in Southern California, I would piss on Saint Raygun's grave.
It occurs to me that the Koch brothers practice insider trading with oil prices. They concoct a shortage of gasoline due to refineries being down or the Democrats won't let us build refineries or there is war in some country or other. The brother in New York, who most likely has a seat on the exchange because he is rich, buys oil futures then the brother in Kansass announces to the MSM or Lundberg that there is going to be a shortage. When the price goes up they sell. When it reaches the bottom they buy. Since Spring Break the price of oil seems to be rising every damn week. we get screwed and the Cock brothers send the profits overseas.
Why isn't the SEC investigating this crap?
Since the 1% own the government, the military and the propaganda machine (laughingly called the MSM) and the SCOTUS, it's hard to see how our country can be taken back from them without some kind of revolution. Yes, I know that last statement will paint a big red target on my chest with the NSA and such, but it's the truth. Our country is no longer a Democracy, it is Oligarchy or Corporatocracy.
Those who are abusing their wealth and power right now will use any and all devices to retain and even grow that power...it's in their DNA. They will lie, cheat and steal from the rest of us and they have bought the government so that they can have the law written for their own benefit. Rich people have always sought to do this, but before Reagan, our government was strong enough to resist most of their efforts.
Downsizing our government is not the answer to our problems, it is the problem.
But if a sizable percentage of the 99% disagree with Progressivism, then what? Do you really think that ALL 60 million-plus people who voted for Romney are brainwashed idiots? Or maybe some of them are geniunely doing just fine for themselves and don't want anyone's help.
The way I see it, liberal policies would be great, if everyone agreed on them. But conservative policies work well (for the conservatives) with or without liberal participation.
The ACA, for example, only "works" because people are forced into it, sometimes against their will. If you have to drag people kicking-and-screaming into something, they will do everything they can to avoid/subvert/change/escape it.
Payroll taxes are another example. When I was younger, I worked for a small company (about 10 employees) that would pay some of the employees minimum wage above the table, and then pay them cash under the table, to avoid taxes AND allow those employees to still qualify for government benefits. This kind of stuff happens all of the time and is, I feel, WAY under-reported.
I say this with sincerity - how long will progressives keep trying to "help" people who don't want their help, and actively fight against that help? And, conversely, how long with the right-wingers continue to fight these "reforms", sometimes for no reason other than spite?
According to the internet, I am not in the top 1% of income earners. Not even close. But I resent being counted among the 99% that the Occupy Wall Street people are trying to help. But I guess "We are the 99%" sounds better than "We are the 30% or so."
What really enrages me is that Eric Holder has done next to nothing regarding the criminal activities of the banks. He's useless and I blame President Obama also as he appointed Eric Holder to his position.
I think they've already started to decimate our public parks. I can't remember any specifics (what companies, what parks), but I could swear I've caught wind of some fossil fuel company wanting to drill somewhere public.... like the Grand Canyon? Wish I could remember who and where... oh well. - AIW
WOW Chuck, that's quite a double standard, the contrasting ways teabrains and occupiers get treated... isn't it! Wow-we. And body cavity searches!! Sounds like a variation on the rape theme, especially with video taping. Only difference is, men get raped too. I guess you could call that "equal opportunity" in some perverse form.
To call this a democracy is to be out of touch with reality. - Aliceinwonderland
Chi Matt -- Maybe she could go into politics and help us get back tariffs and other tax structures that enabled a factory worker to buy a house and support his family.
One version of your advice to your daughter would be support the "race to the bottom". She could go into finance and "steal" peoples homes (you need to read Thom's book "Crash of 2016" to see how that actually happens). She would be doing that vice designing clothes to bring happiness to many people.
Chi Matt -- I would find another science/engineering mag to read. Did you know a solar panel above the Van Allen belt is 15,000 times more efficient. The numbers are
solar panel energy: at sea level - 1 kw/m2, below van allen 1.6 Mw/m2, above van allen 15 Mw/m2
The best such idea I have heard (long ago) was to capture the suns energy in space and use microwave transmission to send it to earth.
Chi Matt -- Mark S and Anarch cop out (I know, I know) come closest to saying how I think you should perceive the current political debate. I assume everyone here agrees that the USA experiment is encapsuled in the first 3 words of the constitution "We the People". Another version of these words is that we want the 99% to make the rules by a majority opinion not the 1%. Your "individualism" vs "collectivism" political debate is propaganda by the 1% calling what they want as individualism and what the 99% decide upon democratically as "collectivism". In my opinion, the core freedom we have above all other freedoms is the freedom for the 99% to decide the rules of the game.
One observation that supports what I am saying is the tea party vs OWS. The tea party, which one might call individulism (small govt), funded by the 1% had buses provided for them, big screen TVs and no police harassment. OWS on the other hand could not even use audio at their gatherings. The worst thing is that if they step off the curb they get arrested. The reason that is so bad is that the arrest almost always involves a body cavity search at the local holding cell. At the Chicago PD some years back, that involved video taping of the search.
Aliceinwonderland ~ Wow! We must be on the same beam. I just asked the same question on the latest blog. Apparently our private school teacher has the time to comment and read posts on several blogs all at the same time. Cushy job if you ask me. I'm off today and am pressured just to keep up with everything--mostly stuff from Mr. Matthew. When I work I might have a minute or two to check out what is going on but rarely do I post. It's just too time consuming. And I don't even have several kids to look after. Further reason why I would never return to a private school. Too much distraction.
Marc, I would never blast a store employee unless that person harassed me. Two polite "thank you's" is reasonable; beyond that, they're asking for it if they persist. Or if I'm in an especially good mood, I'll tell 'em my name is "Sam" just for laughs... or George. (tsk) My information is my information, to give or withhold as I choose. - Alice IW
I should have been more specific. It is my understanding that she gets about $200 a month from SSDI, for a problem she has with her legs that keeps her from working. She is only 60, so no SS Retirement income yet.
All my life I've been told (yes, I know this is probably more right-wing propaganda), that Social Security was never meant to be a sole source of income for retirees, but many people now treat it that way. I've also had it drilled into my brain that, if I do make it to that age, what I end up getting out of it will not be enough to live off of, so I should always have a private, second source of income.
I guess that leads back to the "Individualism" vs "Collectivism" part of the polarizing political debate.
Aliceinwonderland ~ I think Thom answered that in the title of this blog, they are a bunch of useful idiots.
You are so right about mentioning any checkpoints as being unlawful. We are rapidly turning into Nazi Germany. If anything allowing these checkpoints to go on uncontested is a way to set the president that there is nothing wrong with them. If you ask me the elites are itching to set these things up everywhere. The more wealth they accumulate the more they will fear it being taken away from them. That is why this accumulation of wealth is a point of no return for us all. Until then, they are itching to set the precedent that private industry trumps public lands. To do that they want Bundy to look like some kind of a folk hero. How low have we sunk? All I have to say is they better never even think about touching our public parks or they will have a real problem on their hands.
Matt, I'm glad you're enjoying this blog.
If speed cameras in your neighborhood is the worst thing going on in your life, you're doing pretty good. - AIW
I wouldn't say I've been on here ALL morning, just during my lunch and twice during the morning classes. with classes of only 15 or 18 students, it's actually fairly easy to take five minute to read and respond to something on here. The rule I live by in teaching is that if I am talking to the students for more than 15 minutes, they aren't paying attention anymore. So I keep my actual "teaching" time short. Then I just make myself available for anyone who has any questions on the assignment. I see it as treating the students like the young adults that they are, and their results show that I am doing SOMETHING right. They do well on standardized tests, get into the high schools of their choice, and the parents (who are the real customers) are all pleased.
Over the summer I am going to record my lessons, so the students can watch them on their Ipads, pause them, re-watch them, etc. And I'll be available if they need more help. (Like Khan Academy)
I can talk about teaching all day. It's my passion. But my wife has informed me that, shockingly, no one cares. So I'll stop now.
ChicagoMatt ~ I'm not sure if you get the point about that quote from Matthew. I is not talking about giving money to the Church--the Church didn't even exist back then. It was talking about the desire to serve God as opposed to the desire to just get rich (to be a servant of money). I know the Church feeds off that guilt that comes from the acquisition of riches in order to line their own pockets with their own riches. I'm not so sure it ALL goes to the mouths of the hungry. Most churches I see are decked out like palaces and the pastors drive luxury vehicles. Nice thought though. What really matters is what aspirations we all have in our own hearts. That's all up to us to decide for ourselves. No one else's business.
By the way, on a side note, I'm just curious. How does a teacher find the time to blog all Friday morning? Is today a holiday or something?
Last Black Friday, my friend went to Wal-Mart early in the morning to protest the way they treat their employees. It was supposed to be an organized protest, but only a few people showed up, so they just went home. I felt kind of bad for him. It sent him into a depression which he still hasn't really recovered from.
Anyway, are there any plans for protesting this summer? And, I've always wondered this, do the people you encounter when you are out there - the bystanders, not the other protesters - do they generally support you, ignore you, or look at you with contempt?
Years ago I remember seeing a story about how French truckers protested something by parking their rigs at intersections, and walking away from them. Try that in Chicago - it would get everyone's attention. :)
If I had the time, I would protest all of the speed cameras in my neighborhood.
I am in the classroom. The students are making "get well" movies on their Ipads for a student in another grade who was diagnosed with cancer. I SHOULD be grading some papers, but I am enjoying this blog too much. Glad I finally found a place where people actually read each other's posts and provide useful insite - so much better than the usual "everyone's shouting, no one's listening" blogs I've encountered in the past.
But you are right, back to work for me...
Aliceinwonderland ~ You are totally right about your assessment. Especially the overcharging. It pays to keep a running tally of your items before even getting into line. The scanning process at the checkout goes too fast to really catch anything. My wife is really good at checking the receipt on the way to the door and is the one who usually catches the mistakes. However, I prefer to have an idea of what the total cost will be before I get into line so that I have reason to stand by the door and read the receipt in detail. It's just easier that way for me.
One thing I differ with is giving the poor employee a bad time for collecting this info. They have no control over what their employer makes them do. Personally, I feel sorry for them. We can deny their requests in a polite way just to make their looooong day go by a little bit easier. I know that is what I would hope people would do for me. Remember, there but for the grace of god go I. Who knows, sometime in the future we may all have to--or know someone who has to--collect information in stores just to pay bills--especially the way the economy is going. Of course, if they keep pestering you after a couple of polite "no thank you's", then let them have it. (You could also tell them your name is Sam Smith. Works for me. They don't really care about the accuracy. They just want information. Do what our media does and spoon feed them misinformation. That way, you're happy, they're happy, and their boss is happy. Can't we all just get along?)
I read an article in a science and engineering magazine that theorized on the possibility of giant, geosynchronous mirrors that could direct sunlight directly towards solar panels on Earth. It looked totally cool and feasible. As an added bonus, they could be redirected to aim sunlight into the ocean ahead of a Hurricane, diverting its track away from land.
I've also noticed, unfortunately, that the conversation has changed from preventing global warming, to adapting to it. (Or denying it. Even I don't believe that right-wing BS.) There are actually articles and websites that list the BENEFITS of global warming, like increased farmland in Siberia and Canada, and longer growing seasons. How long until we see a shooting war over resources that are now frozen but will soon be accessible?
My family grave plot is on the coast of NC, right in the flood zone when the ice caps melt. I think about that a lot - that 100 years from now, if my descendants want to do a little ancestry reseach and find my grave, they will need SCUBA gear.
Mark, I respectfully disagree, altho it slipped by me that those statements were private. However I have to wonder, how private were they if caught on tape?
At any rate, I still think the guy deserved what he got. Racists habitually marginalize others; why shouldn't they themselves be marginalized?! What goes around comes around.
We choose what to think and believe, while no one chooses the skin they're born with. - AIW
P.S. Keep bangin' those drums!!
I don't think we should join militias but I do think we should all be banging drums on Wall Street. I don't mind saying - in unfortunately characteristic braggadose fashion - I've done a fair amount of drum banging myself in the financial district of Chicago (La Salle and Jackson, you know).
Marc, your compliance with the hardware store is understandable. But I would mightily resent being pursued for personal information, especially as aggressively as that bookstore lackey PD encountered...all for the "privilege" of receiving more junk mail or whatever. We are constantly bombarded with mountains of advertising and it gets so old. Annoying store employees who have to gall to pursue me with the sort of aggressiveness you & PD have described would run the risk of getting barked at or worse. I've no reluctance about causing a public scene when harassed. Fortunately I've not encountered too much of that in this area, except those membership cards you need to benefit from discounts offered in a few stores, like Safeway and Staples. Beyond that, I'll not tolerate harassment from store employees over personal info I'm under NO obligation to give out. - Aliceinwonderland
P.S. By the way, yesterday I caught a cashier at Fred Meyer (a local grocery store) overcharging me for an item. Happens all the time! If you're not adding up your prices at these stores, my friends, you're getting ripped off. Cashier errors are almost always in the store's favor, and I suspect much of it is deliberate. Don't let 'em get away with it! This is shoplifting in reverse.