It's a rainy, gray -- no, wait. It's a sunny, blue-sky day, hooray! Things change. That's the rule of living in this galaxy. There's no way around that simple fact, although many try to push through to another "reality," but it's just an exercise in futility, if you ask me.

Georgia, now that's a nice font. I've never tried it before today but I think I'll make note of it for further exploration.

The rumblings on the "right" are getting so raucously idiotic it's frightening. Who are these people who advocate for anything that's not LIBERAL (whatever that means)?

What kind of mind seeks to denigrate, tear apart and destroy ideas, thoughts and personal convictions? I wonder, sometimes, if Americans are going nutz; seemingly unable to cope with the available information streams that are open and freely accessible, we seem to want to turn back the clock to the days when horse and carriage was the "uptown" mode of travel.

When I say "we," make no mistake, I'm not among the 'We' of whom I speak. The pro-gun, pro-death, pro-rich, pro-war, pro-capitalism-at-all-cost folks who're fixated on one thing and one thing only – resurrecting Ronald Reagan – have all gone bonkers, if you ask me.

Reagan was a nice old man with mental problems who happened to find himself elevated to the office of the presidency and, for the most part, seemed to believe he was in a Death Valley episode for most of his tenure. Still selling Borax powder somewhere in the ether, I suspect.

Interesting how Rush Limbaugh designs his attacks on the Democratic Party and its members.
His simple-minded technique of shoveling as much rhetorical crap as he's capable of spewing in his radio time slot and chortling up his sleeve at the "sheep" who call themselves "ditto-heads" as they lap it up with both fists. Ummm-ummm, GOOD CRAP! Slurp.
This morning, the Fat One babbled for 10 minutes about Obama's eating fancy food that taxpayers pay for. He railed about Obama flying on a big, luxurious jet (Air Force One), and about the president living in luxury at the White House while sending his children to high-class private schools, instead of public schools (where, no doubt, a phalanx of Secret Service agents would struggle to protect them). Limbaugh exudes negativity like average people exude unpleasant aromas when they fart.
The Bloated One relishes every opportunity to say something nasty about ANY Liberal and ANY Democrat, especially the president.
Limbaugh's vitriol, of course, sets the tune for the rest of HIS MINIONS, (Hannity, Ramsey, O'Reilly, et al), hence, the day's right-wing radio hosts echo, in most cases, word for word, Limbaugh's dark, ugly reflections on ... well, I suppose, on his own inner being.
I find it hypocritical that the Bloated One defends the Republican president's RIGHT to fly on Air Force One, live in luxury at the White House and eat fancy food at the taxpayer's expense, even as he threw thousands of American lives into harm's way in pursuit of a policy that reversed America's historically established role in the world – that of peacekeeper – and relabeled America a belligerent nation in the world's eyes.
How reasonable the Obnoxious One becomes when the GOP holds the reins of federal government power. For the Bloated One, "One nation under God" seems to mean one nation under GOP rule.
But now that we have our first black president AND he's a Democrat, well, far as the Bloated One is concerned, all things federal are an abuse of American's rights. The thinly veiled pseudo-intellectualism that is Limbaugh would be laughable were it not for the fact that he's allowed to puke his negative drivel on our radio airwaves every day. And by the way, Bloated One, do YOU live like the average American? Do you smoke tacky, cheap cigars, or is yours a more refined palate, eh? Do you eat food from a can, like most of us do? Not bloody likely. And far as raising children, I'm certain that you're not qualified to comment on any aspect of that lifelong commitment, let alone posit an opinion on the "correct" way to raise a child.

Between the unseen noises that arise outside and the rattle and creaking inside this house, the night seems to probe the darker, more frightening sections of my brain. Watching "The Doors" always puts me in mind of the weird freakiness that permeated the cultural atmosphere in 1968 America and, all too soon, dissipated by the next decades' birth.
People in the neighborhood are still firing off fireworks they bought for this year's Fourth of July celebration (I suppose) and it's strange to hear the sharp reports of small explosions tonight, echoing down the streets and alleys 'round here.
I feel as though some gigantic, dark, furry being of enormous strength is stalking the night just outside the door. And if I ventured into the inky space to the sidewalk, I'd be devoured in a blink!
It's just another slow, grinning Saturday night on the South Plains beneath the fat full moon and the distant, cold stars.
Who can say what's what or who's who? And what does it really matter anyway?

So the blogosphere reached out and bit me in the ass. My job as a journalist was unceremoniously put on hold after I was laid off from my copy editor positiion at a daily newspaper, and the Internet played at least a partial role (if not a prominent one) in the unlucky event. People more and more are getting news free of charge on the Internet and ad revenues at dailies are falling precipitously as a result. Since ads are all about eyes on the retailers' products, services, etc., and since many eyes are no longer falling on the pages of newspapers but, rather, on computer monitors, newspapers nationwide are scrambling to figure out how to redesign their offerings to appeal to the "wired" generation and its offspring. The problem is, the lines between news and entertainment are blurring more and more because publishers don't have a clue how to package news online, and are, therefore, relying on graphic designers and computer code writers to deliver the local, state, national and world news in an eye-catching way to Internet Web sites. Without subscription revenue and only ad dollars to support newspapers, when publishers go to the Web, retailers have all the clout and are even given editorial power because of the critical financial straits newspapers are in. In national newsrooms the buzz is about Internet models that grab as many "hits" as possible in as short a time period as possible. Content is superfluous or, at best, less comprehensive. The print news model today is about short, punchy sentences that deliver within two or three paragraphs the whole story. That's the new journalistic model. The old upside-down pyramid template for articles -- the nut graf within the first three or four paragraphs and relevant details ensuing -- has devolved into as pieces with as little detail as possible. Simply put, a good Net piece should read something like "Man killed on train platform by zebra. Police intend to investigate." End of piece. Oh, one might add a name if the person is famous or a public official, or if the publication has a rural, small-town readership that might recognize a community member's name. But that's about it.
Creative writing does not come into play. The aim is as many articles in as few words as possible with as many photos and graphics as possible. Volume, not content, is what counts. If one can get 100 stories a day in 100 sentences, well that's a Net bonanza! Especially if the packaging attracts a lot of eyes and the articles are easily digested.
And so it goes.
Nevertheless, the Web is a great tool and a wondrous asset for people who're looking for quick access to information about the world they live in or the activities that they align themselves with within a given community.
It's too bad that the pain of changing the journalistic model is going to affect so many good reporters, editors and photographers. I don't know what my future holds. I don't know if I'll continue in journalism or not. I have such a sour taste after my layoff that I'm a bit shaky on that score. But life will go on. And happiness spins around and round. And I will continue to blog, though it's more for mental exercise than anything else. I don't aim to inform anyone about anything. I'm just keeping my typing skill and thought processes active. Happy New Year!

OK, so here comes the final act of the George Bush presidency and, boy, it's a spectacular finish! Here we see Dubya telling the American people that he needs to pay off the greedy SOBs on Wall Street, specifically the money-lenders and their ilk, to the tune of $1 trillion (and if you believe that's the total amount, you're a BIG FOOL! because once that floodgate is opened, it will NEVER be closed again!) and he's using the tired old FEAR factor to ramp up the emotional misdirection ploy that's served him so well in the eight years of his reign. After all the bullshit and death and over-spending that our president already has laid at our doorsteps, now he believes we should believe him one more time (for old time's sake, perhaps?) and support this bloated bailout without hesitation, strapping our great-great-grandchildren with a nice new $10,000 debt the day they draw first breath.
Oh, yes, Dubya's minions made the Sunday news show rounds to warn us, in ambiguous and cryptic language that illuminated NOTHING and shoveled 40 pounds of doubt and fear into our heads. Of course, the usual congressional nitwits jumped on the bandwagon immediately, never missing an opportunity to get their pictures published in the media, crying "Wolf" louder than Dubya's cabinet. Remember folks, this is the administration that hasn't gotten one thing right in its entire tenure and is leaving the White House in the shabbiest shape its ever been in since its early construction, when John Adams lived in the run down, decrepit pit of a swampland it once was. And I don't mean structurally. No, I mean the presidency is smeared with blood and shit and dark, dank smells that one usually encounters only in a garbage heap, and it's all thanks to Dubya. This is a guy who has never failed to reward mediocrity, promote incompetence and praise outright failure, all in the name of self-promotion. Dubya doesn't give a damn about the American people (let alone black folk) and he's proven that time and again to this day!
So, here comes Bernanke and the other guy (Newsweek has crowned him "King Paulson") with dire warnings of the demise of the American economic system, a complete flameout of the lending industry that threatens to demolish "our way of life," but they offer no clear picture of the extent of the threat, who's involved, who's responsible, and what other options might we have. They only scream "show us the money! Immediately! There's no time to consider, think or even question the issue!" Well, I put forth the old maxim that served our forefathers pretty well. And that is, sleep on it. Consider the options. Act with expediency, if expediency is needed, but don't simply throw up your hands, open your checkbook and commit our children's legacies to one of enslavement to the financial industry for the sake of protecting a small group of VERY FAT CATS who stand to walk out the door of failed credit houses with millions in easily-earned cash without so much as a "Thanks" to the American public, who'll foot the bill when this bailout goes bellyup. And make no mistake. This bailout is a ruse, a sham, another brought-to-you-by-Dubya escapade that will FAIL to achieve its stated purpose, and will only enrich the criminally negligent CEOs who've created this economic disaster in the first place. Who worries about Islamic terrorist when we've got the most corrupt, powerful scumbags in the world leading the nation?
But I digress. Of course, Congress will pass this enormous ripoff and many will grumble and snort about it, but most will hunker down and babble on about "our way of life" never for a moment understanding what "our way of life" means in the first place. How many congressional members know what it's like to live paycheck to paycheck? How many congressional "leaders" have a clue what it means to pass on medical care because you cannot afford the huge bill that accompanies that care? I submit to you NONE of them knows what "our way of life" really is.
Have a nice day. :)

Snow falling outside and cold air is floating through the courtyard below. My apartment is a reconfigured women's' shelter, with a gate blocking entry to the courtyard and two trees growing inside the brick and concrete enclosure at the middle of the two-story complex. This snowfall was supposed to be a heavy storm. Weather experts predicted from eight inches to 16 inches accumulation by this afternoon, but it's looking more like a gentle spray of snow than a drift-builder.
Tiny flakes of ice and snow are falling, driven sideways by a slight, cold breeze. It's a bust if it stays this way, far as I'm concerned. Jeez, people rushed the grocery stores Thursday and Friday, stocking up on water and matches and batteries and other perceived necessities, as if a major storm were boring down upon them. I've never seen the shelves at Wal-Mart so empty!
It's been a wintry week, though, and I've enjoyed that aspect of the passing time.
We had an ice storm last week through the weekend, with an inch or two of hard, slippery ice forming on the road, sidewalks, everything. And now this snowstorm is hovering overhead, making the area look like a winter postcard, if one looks in the right direction.
I feel like my life has reached another crossroads, this one closer to the sunset days than the sunrise.
I'm aging like many men, growing plump in the middle and slow in the brain, and it's really demoralizing and sad.
I will be changing my routine again, adding some stretching and exercises to the day's activities. My body is stiffening with age and it's not a pleasant sensation. Seems like, with every chapter in this life there's no respite, no peace, only continuous adjustments and striving to maintain a semblance of joy and curiosity. One must take what pleasure and insight that one can find from the flowing experiences that chain together a continuum that is one's life.

The latest spate of GOP ads around the nation are about the sleaziest I've seen in my lifetime! The fact that the GOP is sanctioning such slimy ads suggest to me that the party is feeling the heat of Iraq licking its fanny.
And while Senor Bush wants Americans to continue to follow his stay-the-course rhetoric, which has never enunciated a REAL plan for American strategy in Iraq, the civil war in that beleaguered nation continues to gain momentum.
It's ridiculous that our nation is being held hostage by iraqi leaders who're distancing themselves from America so as to cultivate a deal with terrorists factions in that part of the world, all the while enriching themselves on the ocean of cash the administration is all too happy to throw into the pot over there. I just don't get it.
Why are we so gullible? What brought us to this intersection in our nation's history?
Why do we think that we must allow this protracted bloodbath in Iraq to continue -- because if we don't "they'll be fighting in the streets over here?" You're kidding, right? That's possibly the lamest argument I've ever heard for continuing to waste lives and money on a losing proposition.
Ah well. What is true is that the GOP has put us all in a deep pot of crap and it's going to take some very insightful people to maneuver us out of the horrendous mess this administration -- and the GOP -- has put us all into.