So, now we have the Occupy Wall Street. Here in Sacramento.
Woh!
I think grass roots movements are just the best. Unfortunately, they generally are pretty much useless from a practical point of view.
Many years I got involved in a grass roots movement that swept California. We had protests which were ignored. We signed petitions, which were ignored. We even got an initiative on the ballot, which passed by a 2 to 1 margin. i.e., two thirds of the voters who actually voted voted FOR the initiative.
It passed... then was scrapped by the California Legislature, because they just knew better than we did, what we ACTUALLY wanted.
Sound familiar? It should, that's business as usual here in the People's Republic of California.
One pleasant exception seems to be the Tea Party movement. From the way the mainstream media and the politicos vilify it daily, it is apparently gathering momentum.
They wouldn't be running scared if it weren't appearing viable to them. The buzz words of racist, fascist, Nazi, anarchist are all being thrown at the Tea Party movement, apparently to which ones will stick long enough to trip them up.
Occupy Wall Street seemed to be following the same route, but then the media, the non-mainstream media, started doing live interviews with those people.
Talk about disjointed, incoherent anti-capitalist rhetoric.
I was VERY disappointed. Somebody apparently went to a lot of trouble to motivate these groups, because I don't think the ones I saw on the news could occupy a bathroom stall without assistance.
Now the protest in Oakland is turning violent. As has the one in Sacramento. Protestors have been assaulted, mugged, arrested in violation of their Constitutional right to Free Speech.
More later. Rx
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
What the Heck is Facebook Thinking?
So, I am looking at my FB and seeing all my friends and family and I keep getting these invites to add people "I may Know" or may not.
The thing is, as much interest as I have in my friends and their doings and goings on, I really don't know ALL of THEIR friends. And some names that come up are totally strange to me. I figure they are either Phishing or friend of a friend of a friend, etc., etc., ad nauseum.
Those people won't know me either, right? So, why would I.??
Well, FB is just offering options, I understand, but stay with me a sec..
Some of the people I DO know. They are people I have great affection, or admiration, or respect for. And I enjoy keeping sorta tabs on them from a distance. But, I am sure they are not interested in Friending ME. I was not a real nice person to be around in the way back when.
I think some of y'all can identify with that.
The point is why would I embarrass myself and discomfit them by foisting myself on them claiming "friendship" from that long ago association that very well could have been as uncomfortable for them then (or now) as it is for me now.
Why bring up bad memories?
Obviously, you don't have to... the point is that FB is constantly putting it right there in front of me.
Reminding me what a shit I have been in the past.
I just hope I continue to have the good taste and courtesy to refrain from imposing on those good people, again.
And, incidentally, I apologise for all the nasty, creepy crap I pulled, pushed, snuck in on all those people who went so far out of their way to help and/or be nice to me.
And thank you for it all. From my saintly brother and his wife to all the friends and girlfriends I was so bad to and ungrateful for. Thank You! H. Rex Lesly. Shithead.
The thing is, as much interest as I have in my friends and their doings and goings on, I really don't know ALL of THEIR friends. And some names that come up are totally strange to me. I figure they are either Phishing or friend of a friend of a friend, etc., etc., ad nauseum.
Those people won't know me either, right? So, why would I.??
Well, FB is just offering options, I understand, but stay with me a sec..
Some of the people I DO know. They are people I have great affection, or admiration, or respect for. And I enjoy keeping sorta tabs on them from a distance. But, I am sure they are not interested in Friending ME. I was not a real nice person to be around in the way back when.
I think some of y'all can identify with that.
The point is why would I embarrass myself and discomfit them by foisting myself on them claiming "friendship" from that long ago association that very well could have been as uncomfortable for them then (or now) as it is for me now.
Why bring up bad memories?
Obviously, you don't have to... the point is that FB is constantly putting it right there in front of me.
Reminding me what a shit I have been in the past.
I just hope I continue to have the good taste and courtesy to refrain from imposing on those good people, again.
And, incidentally, I apologise for all the nasty, creepy crap I pulled, pushed, snuck in on all those people who went so far out of their way to help and/or be nice to me.
And thank you for it all. From my saintly brother and his wife to all the friends and girlfriends I was so bad to and ungrateful for. Thank You! H. Rex Lesly. Shithead.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Undocumented Opinion
I have to admit I don't have all the documentation for this that I wanted to get together.
The fact is I am woefully unprepared. I will try to fix that. but I must comment on the events of this past or rather the news of this past week.
It seems that a certain police department shot and killed a man who was already in custody and in handcuffs in the back of a police car when an officer shot him with an AR-15.
REALLY!
Then another department had its officers arrest a man and then after he was down on the ground and, again, in handcuffs, they proceeded to beat him to the point that he required hospitalization and later died from the beating.
AGAIN the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Cal State University administrators have managed to keep their salaries and bonuses secret by a bureaucratic two step worthy of Tammany Hall. Apparently the way they spend our money is none of our business.
As well as the Cal Legislature budget... They are claiming that THEIR budget is none of our business.
In a recent example of in-fighting between members the majority leader, who controls the office budgets of individual members, slashed the budget of a member who didn't toe the party line and when said member balked and spoke to the press the Iron Curtain fell, "privileged information" or some such legal fiction to prevent the public from getting any ideas about actually seeing what is going on in Sacramento behind our backs.
More stories in that vein, but I will get my facts and documents together before continuing.
Thank you...
The fact is I am woefully unprepared. I will try to fix that. but I must comment on the events of this past or rather the news of this past week.
It seems that a certain police department shot and killed a man who was already in custody and in handcuffs in the back of a police car when an officer shot him with an AR-15.
REALLY!
Then another department had its officers arrest a man and then after he was down on the ground and, again, in handcuffs, they proceeded to beat him to the point that he required hospitalization and later died from the beating.
AGAIN the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Cal State University administrators have managed to keep their salaries and bonuses secret by a bureaucratic two step worthy of Tammany Hall. Apparently the way they spend our money is none of our business.
As well as the Cal Legislature budget... They are claiming that THEIR budget is none of our business.
In a recent example of in-fighting between members the majority leader, who controls the office budgets of individual members, slashed the budget of a member who didn't toe the party line and when said member balked and spoke to the press the Iron Curtain fell, "privileged information" or some such legal fiction to prevent the public from getting any ideas about actually seeing what is going on in Sacramento behind our backs.
More stories in that vein, but I will get my facts and documents together before continuing.
Thank you...
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
A Taxi Story
Once in the distant past, when I was working in another city, I picked up a guy on an ordinary call, or so I thought.
When I picked up, I found myself in possession of a very short older gentleman who was dressed a little oddly.
He was wearing a pink body stocking cut very low in front, with leggings, pink girly tennis shoes, carrying a purse.
He himself was about 60, grey hair with blond tips, glitter eye makeup, pink fingernail polish, face makeup straight from the Andy Warhol crowd.
In other words, a perfect parody of gay...
Plus he was stone crazy. He took a breath before he got in the car and never stopped talking at a high rate of speed the entire trip of almost two hours.
The gentlemen had decided that "this is a stupid cow town and I just HAVE to go elsewhere", in this case, Oregon.
Well, that is a better that respectable trip for a cabbie on a slow day, so I agreed.
AFTER verifying that he had enough money to cover the trip. And he did. LOTS.
He wanted to go to Medford, which is about $600.00, and I agreed.
But when we got on the road, his manic behavior started to degenerate almost into psychotic and I started to get a little worried.
When he got out at a mini mart to get some water, I surreptitiously check his purse for weapons I couldn't handle, like a gun or taser or something like that. Nothing.
Allrighty then, we are on the road.
To my taxi driver shame, I got tired of the tirade by the first set of mountains..and started thinking of ways to get rid of the psychopathic burden I had saddled myself with.
He helpfully provided me with one, claiming to be running short of money.
So, I brightly volunteered that Mt. Shasta was a colorful little tourist town right under the BYOOTIFUL Mt. Shasta, and that cab service would be available from there to go farther north if he so decided.
For those who don't know, Mt. Shasta IS a beautiful little tourist town located under the shadow of beautiful Mt. Shasta.
But Mt. Shasta is also a cow town filled to the brim with real cowboys from the surrounding ranches and farms, and since it was a Friday night I fully expected Mr. Crazy Tutu to have an extremely interesting evening and following day.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-==-=-=-
But, in the taxi business, you get the money and move on to the next fare as quickly as possible.
That is the nature of it and always has been.
You can't get involved in all the stories of the naked city, you can just take it in, absorb it, and move on to the next one.
As cab drivers have been described as the most intelligent bunch of misfits in the world we are probably the best qualified to notice that sort of thing anyway. Being generalists, generally, rather than specialists they are not as subject to tunnel vision.
Also, being "outside observers" mostly, they tend to lack the usual prejudices to their viewpoint.
Not to say they aren't human and have their own sets of prejudices, tastes, opinions and etc., but mostly they just want to get their money and move on.
Finally, I do not know if Mr. Tutu is/was/or might be gay. I don't care either way, I just know he was definitely having an episode. Whether with or without medication, again, I don't know.
Gay, straight, or Methodist, means nothing to me, money is green, and that is what counts.
When I picked up, I found myself in possession of a very short older gentleman who was dressed a little oddly.
He was wearing a pink body stocking cut very low in front, with leggings, pink girly tennis shoes, carrying a purse.
He himself was about 60, grey hair with blond tips, glitter eye makeup, pink fingernail polish, face makeup straight from the Andy Warhol crowd.
In other words, a perfect parody of gay...
Plus he was stone crazy. He took a breath before he got in the car and never stopped talking at a high rate of speed the entire trip of almost two hours.
The gentlemen had decided that "this is a stupid cow town and I just HAVE to go elsewhere", in this case, Oregon.
Well, that is a better that respectable trip for a cabbie on a slow day, so I agreed.
AFTER verifying that he had enough money to cover the trip. And he did. LOTS.
He wanted to go to Medford, which is about $600.00, and I agreed.
But when we got on the road, his manic behavior started to degenerate almost into psychotic and I started to get a little worried.
When he got out at a mini mart to get some water, I surreptitiously check his purse for weapons I couldn't handle, like a gun or taser or something like that. Nothing.
Allrighty then, we are on the road.
To my taxi driver shame, I got tired of the tirade by the first set of mountains..and started thinking of ways to get rid of the psychopathic burden I had saddled myself with.
He helpfully provided me with one, claiming to be running short of money.
So, I brightly volunteered that Mt. Shasta was a colorful little tourist town right under the BYOOTIFUL Mt. Shasta, and that cab service would be available from there to go farther north if he so decided.
For those who don't know, Mt. Shasta IS a beautiful little tourist town located under the shadow of beautiful Mt. Shasta.
But Mt. Shasta is also a cow town filled to the brim with real cowboys from the surrounding ranches and farms, and since it was a Friday night I fully expected Mr. Crazy Tutu to have an extremely interesting evening and following day.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-==-=-=-
But, in the taxi business, you get the money and move on to the next fare as quickly as possible.
That is the nature of it and always has been.
You can't get involved in all the stories of the naked city, you can just take it in, absorb it, and move on to the next one.
As cab drivers have been described as the most intelligent bunch of misfits in the world we are probably the best qualified to notice that sort of thing anyway. Being generalists, generally, rather than specialists they are not as subject to tunnel vision.
Also, being "outside observers" mostly, they tend to lack the usual prejudices to their viewpoint.
Not to say they aren't human and have their own sets of prejudices, tastes, opinions and etc., but mostly they just want to get their money and move on.
Finally, I do not know if Mr. Tutu is/was/or might be gay. I don't care either way, I just know he was definitely having an episode. Whether with or without medication, again, I don't know.
Gay, straight, or Methodist, means nothing to me, money is green, and that is what counts.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
INcredible!
I have been working a different shift lately.
It has been interesting. Extremely!
There is a whole different crew running at night. and by crew I mean the passengers.
They have a different psychology altogether.
I think what they need is a dose of The Truth.
And, yes, before you ask, I have been issued my own version. It was painful, but beneficial in the end.
Haven't got any funny or interesting stories, yet. But, I will be sure to forward the good ones.
It has been interesting. Extremely!
There is a whole different crew running at night. and by crew I mean the passengers.
They have a different psychology altogether.
I think what they need is a dose of The Truth.
- Yes, that dress DOES make your ass look big.
- No, I don't think that eye makeup makes you look sexy.
- That dress is WAAAAAy too short. (Don't use that one often.)
- The Goth look is just another way to say, "Hey, I need a bully here."
And, yes, before you ask, I have been issued my own version. It was painful, but beneficial in the end.
Haven't got any funny or interesting stories, yet. But, I will be sure to forward the good ones.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Progress..
As I mentioned before, I am in the process of changing my shift more to the conventional, i.e., starting closer to the actual day shift and working through the "work day" that everyone else deals with.
Well, co-workers and the wife all agreed that it would probably be a good idea.
So, here we are, working verrrry long days as I engineer the change. But, already I can see a difference in the work involved.
I do have to get off my butt and move more. But, there is still dead time. The phone business has just evaporated and there is no way around that. Plus, there is so much more competition now.
And they are trying to do a WalMart on us. They charge approx. half the gate Co-Op does. They work longer because they practically live in their cabs. And most live with extended family which cuts their expenses.
Life is just not fair.
And it only took me 60 years to figure that one out.
They don't call me Speed for nothing...
Wait a sec.... They don't call me Speed.
I just love that line... Can't remember if I wrote it or stole it. Still good either way.
But I digress.
What I was leading up to is/was that business is better if you pick the right shift and actually work it.
And I have been making nice for the customers so they will take the business card and call me when they need a cab.
Not the Townies customers, don't want to alienate them for sure, but everybody else is fair game. And it's working.
So, the bottom line is that I am definitely feeling a lot more optimistic about everything lately.
And I must give credit where credit is due.
My wife has been the largest factor in that turnaround. Both for her advice and moral support. And every other kind of support as well, since I have been on waivers with this damn leg.
So, that is the gist of this blog.. Progress and major attitude change.
Oh, and by the way, I am losing weight. Still got the gut, but when leg gets better I will be able to start walking regularly. The dog will love that.
Well, co-workers and the wife all agreed that it would probably be a good idea.
So, here we are, working verrrry long days as I engineer the change. But, already I can see a difference in the work involved.
I do have to get off my butt and move more. But, there is still dead time. The phone business has just evaporated and there is no way around that. Plus, there is so much more competition now.
And they are trying to do a WalMart on us. They charge approx. half the gate Co-Op does. They work longer because they practically live in their cabs. And most live with extended family which cuts their expenses.
Life is just not fair.
And it only took me 60 years to figure that one out.
They don't call me Speed for nothing...
Wait a sec.... They don't call me Speed.
I just love that line... Can't remember if I wrote it or stole it. Still good either way.
But I digress.
What I was leading up to is/was that business is better if you pick the right shift and actually work it.
And I have been making nice for the customers so they will take the business card and call me when they need a cab.
Not the Townies customers, don't want to alienate them for sure, but everybody else is fair game. And it's working.
So, the bottom line is that I am definitely feeling a lot more optimistic about everything lately.
And I must give credit where credit is due.
My wife has been the largest factor in that turnaround. Both for her advice and moral support. And every other kind of support as well, since I have been on waivers with this damn leg.
So, that is the gist of this blog.. Progress and major attitude change.
Oh, and by the way, I am losing weight. Still got the gut, but when leg gets better I will be able to start walking regularly. The dog will love that.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Man! I believe I am out of my depth here.
Seems this blogging thing is just a lot more complicated than I thought.
F'instance, my son's blog shows up on the wife's facebook. I don't know how he did that. But now she wants her blog to do that. so, I am experimenting and having little or no luck.
I will keep working on that.
F'instance, my son's blog shows up on the wife's facebook. I don't know how he did that. But now she wants her blog to do that. so, I am experimenting and having little or no luck.
I will keep working on that.
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