I missed a late-December birthdate:
Marianne Faithful...
...who turned 65 on Thursday...
...born on December 29 1946 in Hampstead, London.
Marianne Faithful...
...who turned 65 on Thursday...
...born on December 29 1946 in Hampstead, London.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Another Musing For You
I think the penalties for committing "identity theft" are much too leniant.
I read once where some woman who was convicted of multiple charges of i.t. recieved a 3-year prison sentence.
I think that's outrageous! Three years? For ruining HOW many people's lives?
And to think some pathetic 25-year-old sapsucker gets 5 years for having a brief "love affair" with a 15-year-old which never even culminated in "going-all-the-way"---just dating, flirting, and heavy petting, then---POOF---done and over with. And for that 5 years plus registering as a "sex offender" for 10 years afterwards upon release.
But, somehow, society can't see the similarity between identity theft and those more-despised acts such as molesting someone, robbing someone, embezzling from someone's account, or framing someone else for something insidious and/or atrocious of one's own doing.
Identity thieves either: loot from another person's financial account
---or: commit a heinous act, then use another person's name to cover up their deeds.
And in a society where we're all, pretty much, forced to depend upon it's economic systems as well as upon reputation and personal credibility, the loss of either personal finances or one's good name is tantamount to being robbed, raped, embezzled, or framed.
Personally, I think the minimum sentence for any kind of identity theft should be 30 years---for first-time offenders.
If one thinks that, perhaps, I might be thinking a little Draconianly, so be it.
I read once where some woman who was convicted of multiple charges of i.t. recieved a 3-year prison sentence.
I think that's outrageous! Three years? For ruining HOW many people's lives?
And to think some pathetic 25-year-old sapsucker gets 5 years for having a brief "love affair" with a 15-year-old which never even culminated in "going-all-the-way"---just dating, flirting, and heavy petting, then---POOF---done and over with. And for that 5 years plus registering as a "sex offender" for 10 years afterwards upon release.
But, somehow, society can't see the similarity between identity theft and those more-despised acts such as molesting someone, robbing someone, embezzling from someone's account, or framing someone else for something insidious and/or atrocious of one's own doing.
Identity thieves either: loot from another person's financial account
---or: commit a heinous act, then use another person's name to cover up their deeds.
And in a society where we're all, pretty much, forced to depend upon it's economic systems as well as upon reputation and personal credibility, the loss of either personal finances or one's good name is tantamount to being robbed, raped, embezzled, or framed.
Personally, I think the minimum sentence for any kind of identity theft should be 30 years---for first-time offenders.
If one thinks that, perhaps, I might be thinking a little Draconianly, so be it.
Extended "Family"
As you may or may not know, I'm 57 years old---and STILL SINGLE.
...and I've never had any children.
---no kidding!
I probably should "feel funny" considering that most men my age are most likely grandfathers. Or at least belated parents anyway.
But the way I look at it:
I have, already: a landlord; an apartment: fellow tenants; social services; the postal system; the bank at which I have a checking account; the utility companies; all the local businesses (laundromat, supermarket, and a few others).
I figure, with all those "relations" to deal with and whose dumb mistakes I sometimes need to try to correct, I find that, on-and-off, I end up being the "babysitter" in spite of the fact that they're the ones who are supposed to be in control, not me.
...I figure "Thank God I DON'T have the real thing to deal with."
I can't see actually having grown kids, a wife, and grandchildren and STILL putting up with dysfunctional apartments and incompetent businesses and clueless fellow citizens---who sometimes tend to get a litte "defensive" if you dare to criticize them about anything.
Those alone, all by themselves, are plenty enough "extended families" for me.
I STILL remember all the times I had to move back in with my parents in between stints of out-of-town residencies coupled with brief bouts of employment.
No thanks for the real thing, because that would put all the dysfunctionalisms back under-the-same-roof-with-me.
...and I've never had any children.
---no kidding!
I probably should "feel funny" considering that most men my age are most likely grandfathers. Or at least belated parents anyway.
But the way I look at it:
I have, already: a landlord; an apartment: fellow tenants; social services; the postal system; the bank at which I have a checking account; the utility companies; all the local businesses (laundromat, supermarket, and a few others).
I figure, with all those "relations" to deal with and whose dumb mistakes I sometimes need to try to correct, I find that, on-and-off, I end up being the "babysitter" in spite of the fact that they're the ones who are supposed to be in control, not me.
...I figure "Thank God I DON'T have the real thing to deal with."
I can't see actually having grown kids, a wife, and grandchildren and STILL putting up with dysfunctional apartments and incompetent businesses and clueless fellow citizens---who sometimes tend to get a litte "defensive" if you dare to criticize them about anything.
Those alone, all by themselves, are plenty enough "extended families" for me.
I STILL remember all the times I had to move back in with my parents in between stints of out-of-town residencies coupled with brief bouts of employment.
No thanks for the real thing, because that would put all the dysfunctionalisms back under-the-same-roof-with-me.
Their year begins when everyone else's ends...
...meaning, simply, that these individuals were born on New Year's Eve...
Burton Cummings----born December 31 1947 in Winnipeg
Donna Summer-----born December 31 1948 in Boston (real name: Adrian Donna Gaines)
Also let's mention a couple Dec 30th birthdates as well:
Paul Stookey----born December 30 1937 in Baltimore
Michael Nesmith----born December 30 1943 in Houston
Burton Cummings----born December 31 1947 in Winnipeg
Donna Summer-----born December 31 1948 in Boston (real name: Adrian Donna Gaines)
Also let's mention a couple Dec 30th birthdates as well:
Paul Stookey----born December 30 1937 in Baltimore
Michael Nesmith----born December 30 1943 in Houston
Friday, December 23, 2011
Downsizing
We all know how just about every major place-of-employment is "downsizing" to (presumably) "save money".
How everyone from major corporations to government agencies are closing branch offices and eliminating most, if not all, of their different departments.
And how, as a result, they're laying-off employees left-and-right.
And yet these companies and government agencies are still purporting to carry out the same functions and provide the same services they always have---but just with less divisions, branches, and employees to do so with.
Now, mind you, I've yet to figure out the merit and logic to this sort of mindset.
How everyone from major corporations to government agencies are closing branch offices and eliminating most, if not all, of their different departments.
And how, as a result, they're laying-off employees left-and-right.
And yet these companies and government agencies are still purporting to carry out the same functions and provide the same services they always have---but just with less divisions, branches, and employees to do so with.
Now, mind you, I've yet to figure out the merit and logic to this sort of mindset.
Who's the "guilty" party?
By now we've all read/heard about all the riots breaking out during all the recent "Occupy Movement" demonstrations.
And everyone seems to want to "take sides" on this issue.
As for me?
Well, I don't think it's a matter of which side is "in the right" and which one is "in the wrong".
That type of reasoning is way too simplistic.
The only explanation for all the mayhem is that of human nature.
Everyone knows the #1 afflicton of humanity is a psycho-phenominon known as "human frailty".
The notion of some people being "culprits" and others being "the victims" is purely a fantasy---a total fairy-tale.
There are no "innocents" among any of us. We're all guilty of something.
And humans have a propensity for "mirroring their environment" if they're in a certain environment long enough---or if their surroundings are intense enough.
Hence, turbulent environment with pandemonium all around triggers of those same elements in even the most otherwise sane and rational individuals, causing them to react to the environment in the same manner as the way those around them are behaving.
The police officers who are responding with excessive violence towards the demonstrators are probably officers who, under more normal circumstances, might usually be well-mannered.
Likewise there are probably a lot of demonstrators who are simply standing or marching and holding their signs, simply just "trying to get their message across", but are being drowned-out by all the noisy overzealous radicals who are getting all the attention with their erratic and anarchic behavior---and these "radical" types are the ones primarily responsible for agitating the officers who, being affected by the overall atmosphere and chaos, are responding in a manner similar to what they're dealing with.
Leave it up to a few scofflaws and crude louts among each faction---both the fanatically radical amongst the demonstrators and hot-shot/obsessively despotic amongst the police---and all hell breaks loose.
And the problem is, once the immediate social environment is "infected" by such an atmosphere even the most even-tempered among the crowds "fall into" this mindset---and all discretion goes-out-the-window.
...which is why a lot of even those who-were-still-behaving-peacefully-in-spite-of-all-the-mayhem STILL get batted-around and roughed-up.
Because everyone else around them is suffering from temporary insanity.
Me? I always avoid large crowds and main events myself.
I don't even go to rock concerts---I'll just stay home and listen to music on my stereo.
I'm one of those you "couldn't even PAY to attend Mardi Gras"---simply because of the "pandemonium potential" of such an environment.
Let's face facts: people are anarchists by nature, no matter who they are or what their position-in-life is.
As the Bible states: Man has ruled over other men with great injury.
...or, better stated: No matter how well-written or well-intended a law, it's still enforced by designated mortals---who are still vulnerable to the same frailties and temptations as the rest of us.
...or, a law or rule is only as good as it's enforcement and how well it's interpreted.
...Which explains corruption and on-again/off-again misappropriation of management and authority.
As someone who wishes to remain neutral and refrain from "taking sides", this is how it all appears to me.
And everyone seems to want to "take sides" on this issue.
As for me?
Well, I don't think it's a matter of which side is "in the right" and which one is "in the wrong".
That type of reasoning is way too simplistic.
The only explanation for all the mayhem is that of human nature.
Everyone knows the #1 afflicton of humanity is a psycho-phenominon known as "human frailty".
The notion of some people being "culprits" and others being "the victims" is purely a fantasy---a total fairy-tale.
There are no "innocents" among any of us. We're all guilty of something.
And humans have a propensity for "mirroring their environment" if they're in a certain environment long enough---or if their surroundings are intense enough.
Hence, turbulent environment with pandemonium all around triggers of those same elements in even the most otherwise sane and rational individuals, causing them to react to the environment in the same manner as the way those around them are behaving.
The police officers who are responding with excessive violence towards the demonstrators are probably officers who, under more normal circumstances, might usually be well-mannered.
Likewise there are probably a lot of demonstrators who are simply standing or marching and holding their signs, simply just "trying to get their message across", but are being drowned-out by all the noisy overzealous radicals who are getting all the attention with their erratic and anarchic behavior---and these "radical" types are the ones primarily responsible for agitating the officers who, being affected by the overall atmosphere and chaos, are responding in a manner similar to what they're dealing with.
Leave it up to a few scofflaws and crude louts among each faction---both the fanatically radical amongst the demonstrators and hot-shot/obsessively despotic amongst the police---and all hell breaks loose.
And the problem is, once the immediate social environment is "infected" by such an atmosphere even the most even-tempered among the crowds "fall into" this mindset---and all discretion goes-out-the-window.
...which is why a lot of even those who-were-still-behaving-peacefully-in-spite-of-all-the-mayhem STILL get batted-around and roughed-up.
Because everyone else around them is suffering from temporary insanity.
Me? I always avoid large crowds and main events myself.
I don't even go to rock concerts---I'll just stay home and listen to music on my stereo.
I'm one of those you "couldn't even PAY to attend Mardi Gras"---simply because of the "pandemonium potential" of such an environment.
Let's face facts: people are anarchists by nature, no matter who they are or what their position-in-life is.
As the Bible states: Man has ruled over other men with great injury.
...or, better stated: No matter how well-written or well-intended a law, it's still enforced by designated mortals---who are still vulnerable to the same frailties and temptations as the rest of us.
...or, a law or rule is only as good as it's enforcement and how well it's interpreted.
...Which explains corruption and on-again/off-again misappropriation of management and authority.
As someone who wishes to remain neutral and refrain from "taking sides", this is how it all appears to me.
More Musings
Well...
Starting tomorrow life as we know it ceases to be for a period of 36 hours.
That's right, everything closes except for the bars and clubs.
It's what's known as mandated holiday worship ritual.
Mandated by the eternal "International Inquisition"---for centuries now.
And we have no choice but to abide.
So...
Three "Christmas" songs on my list for you...
...each one of these selections were single hits during late-winter and early-spring
---yet are still quite fitting for "the season":
SONG OF JOY Miguel Rios (May 1970)
JOY Apollo 100 (Feb 1972)
NUTROCKER B. Bumble & the Stingers (Mar/Apr 1962)
...and also by Emerson Lake & Palmer (Feb 1972)
I'm getting tired of computers.
Especially hard-drives which can't make up their mind whether-or-not to "let me on the internet".
When I use a gadget I expect it to work and operate according to expectations based on the protocols of predetermined designated functions.
What is there about all these "high-tech" contraptions that efficiency and promptness seem to be little more than an empty promise?
Going on the internet is, more often than not, like being in the waiting room of a doctor's office. Nothing to do but just sit there and look around you, bored shitless while you're just waiting---and waiting---and waiting!
Everything has to be "processed", you know. One byte at a time. (Remember, when you were a kid, any time you were at the dinner table and were eating too fast your parents would always caution you: Eat your food one bite at a time.)
Answer me one question: Did we ever have such problems with any of the past technologies?
Transister radios...record players...hi-fi's...stereo systems...tape decks...
...back then, all one had to do was "press a button" or "flick a switch" and voila:
Instant Music (or at least instant sound).
It's like the only "digital technology" I actually like is CDs, DVDs, CD and DVD players.
They're the only "digital" gadgets which seem to actually "work promptly" when called upon to serve their user.
If one stops to think about it, it's really a betrayal of trust. You're being promised a unit which will deliver a certain type of performance and will perform certain functions ...but then craps out on you at the most inopportune time, or falls short in critical areas, not living up to all of it's grandiose promises.
Computers only come through for you when they FEEL like doing so.
...and they're always so unpredictable at that, too.
Moody gadgets...it's almost as bad as having roommates or staying with relatives...
I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm not as concerned about whether-or-not anything I do or say offends others.
Frankly, I think the idea that one has to stop-doing-whatever-they're-doing (or were-planning-on-doing) simply because one person or one small group "has a problem with it" is ridiculous.
Why are they always putting so much power-and-control in the hands of select "overpriviledged" individuals?
Why do such types get to have so much command over the social environment?
Why are a select few endowed with the right to determine what kind of social climate the rest of us have to live in?
Why are all the rules set by tunnel-vision xenophobes with no aptitude for understanding or accepting other people's differences?
We can't afford to invest any money in: improving infrastructure, high-speed interstate passenger rail, maintaining and repairing existing freeway/highway systems, maintaining social security, maintaining social services, maintaining critical government agencies, improving public transit, maintaining schools and libraries, continued existence and enforcement of health and safety regulations...
...yet we always have enough money to spend on: drugs, alcoholic beverages, sports arenas and live performance venues, fancy nightclubs and expensive restaurants, exotic private motor vehicles, jails and prisons.
The United States is a lot like rock n'roll...
...it's still carrying on...
...but without the passion, enthusiasm, and creativity of it's once glorious past.
SUMMER (THE FIRST TIME) by Bobby Goldsboro...from 1973...
Have you ever listened to the lyrics of that song?
Ahh-hh-hhh...let us return to the days when---apparently---it was the "norm" for middle-age ladies to take it upon themselves to "teach the 'facts-of-life'" to teen-age boys...
...WITHOUT the fear of the type of legal repercussions of such behavior which has become so much the "norm" of modern-day society the last two decades or so...
...yes, it IS such a pleasant and compassionate song...the character in the song is actually paying homage to the "saintly" neighborhood "cougar" savior for the way she also enhanced his self-esteem as well in the process.
...or was it actually "corruption of a minor"?
...of course the song's character's age WAS "17"---maybe the "age of consent" was lower than 18 in the state they lived in...
...either way this type of scenario would never fly today...
Starting tomorrow life as we know it ceases to be for a period of 36 hours.
That's right, everything closes except for the bars and clubs.
It's what's known as mandated holiday worship ritual.
Mandated by the eternal "International Inquisition"---for centuries now.
And we have no choice but to abide.
So...
Three "Christmas" songs on my list for you...
...each one of these selections were single hits during late-winter and early-spring
---yet are still quite fitting for "the season":
SONG OF JOY Miguel Rios (May 1970)
JOY Apollo 100 (Feb 1972)
NUTROCKER B. Bumble & the Stingers (Mar/Apr 1962)
...and also by Emerson Lake & Palmer (Feb 1972)
I'm getting tired of computers.
Especially hard-drives which can't make up their mind whether-or-not to "let me on the internet".
When I use a gadget I expect it to work and operate according to expectations based on the protocols of predetermined designated functions.
What is there about all these "high-tech" contraptions that efficiency and promptness seem to be little more than an empty promise?
Going on the internet is, more often than not, like being in the waiting room of a doctor's office. Nothing to do but just sit there and look around you, bored shitless while you're just waiting---and waiting---and waiting!
Everything has to be "processed", you know. One byte at a time. (Remember, when you were a kid, any time you were at the dinner table and were eating too fast your parents would always caution you: Eat your food one bite at a time.)
Answer me one question: Did we ever have such problems with any of the past technologies?
Transister radios...record players...hi-fi's...stereo systems...tape decks...
...back then, all one had to do was "press a button" or "flick a switch" and voila:
Instant Music (or at least instant sound).
It's like the only "digital technology" I actually like is CDs, DVDs, CD and DVD players.
They're the only "digital" gadgets which seem to actually "work promptly" when called upon to serve their user.
If one stops to think about it, it's really a betrayal of trust. You're being promised a unit which will deliver a certain type of performance and will perform certain functions ...but then craps out on you at the most inopportune time, or falls short in critical areas, not living up to all of it's grandiose promises.
Computers only come through for you when they FEEL like doing so.
...and they're always so unpredictable at that, too.
Moody gadgets...it's almost as bad as having roommates or staying with relatives...
I think I've mentioned this before, but I'm not as concerned about whether-or-not anything I do or say offends others.
Frankly, I think the idea that one has to stop-doing-whatever-they're-doing (or were-planning-on-doing) simply because one person or one small group "has a problem with it" is ridiculous.
Why are they always putting so much power-and-control in the hands of select "overpriviledged" individuals?
Why do such types get to have so much command over the social environment?
Why are a select few endowed with the right to determine what kind of social climate the rest of us have to live in?
Why are all the rules set by tunnel-vision xenophobes with no aptitude for understanding or accepting other people's differences?
We can't afford to invest any money in: improving infrastructure, high-speed interstate passenger rail, maintaining and repairing existing freeway/highway systems, maintaining social security, maintaining social services, maintaining critical government agencies, improving public transit, maintaining schools and libraries, continued existence and enforcement of health and safety regulations...
...yet we always have enough money to spend on: drugs, alcoholic beverages, sports arenas and live performance venues, fancy nightclubs and expensive restaurants, exotic private motor vehicles, jails and prisons.
The United States is a lot like rock n'roll...
...it's still carrying on...
...but without the passion, enthusiasm, and creativity of it's once glorious past.
SUMMER (THE FIRST TIME) by Bobby Goldsboro...from 1973...
Have you ever listened to the lyrics of that song?
Ahh-hh-hhh...let us return to the days when---apparently---it was the "norm" for middle-age ladies to take it upon themselves to "teach the 'facts-of-life'" to teen-age boys...
...WITHOUT the fear of the type of legal repercussions of such behavior which has become so much the "norm" of modern-day society the last two decades or so...
...yes, it IS such a pleasant and compassionate song...the character in the song is actually paying homage to the "saintly" neighborhood "cougar" savior for the way she also enhanced his self-esteem as well in the process.
...or was it actually "corruption of a minor"?
...of course the song's character's age WAS "17"---maybe the "age of consent" was lower than 18 in the state they lived in...
...either way this type of scenario would never fly today...
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