Original Ad for the Gun Oswald used to kill Pres. Kennedy

Here is the ad for the gun Oswald used to kill Pres. Kennedy. Third down on left, Italian carbine.  the Gunsmith for Klein's Sporting Goods was contacted by FBI the next day, ordered to test fire an identical gun in their firing range (the basement).  Gunsmith said the carbine had a delay in firing, making it difficult to hit an aimed moving target.  The delay didn't matter on a stationary target, with no wind.  But a moving target would be hard to hit.  He said it was a crap rifle.  He also said Oswald was "very, very lucky" to have hit two of three shots (and Pres. Kennedy very unlucky).  What he really meant, is Oswald probably couldn't have done it.  Mystery continues.  I have visited the book depository (now a tourist spot) and looked out the window that Oswald was at: there are two yellow X's on the street where the bullets hit.  It is a perfect ambush location.  That Oswald just happened to be at a perfect ambush location and just happened to make two very, very lucky shots is quite a coincidence. 

border customs

Now that I am required to have Medicare, even with my supplement I have found internet sales to be much more affordable.  But my latest purchase was seized.  Controlled substance means prescription.  I am prescribing myself, after all I completed a graduate level pharmacology and psychopharmacology class.  What we need is regulation of phamaceutical prices in the US.  Our medications cost more than any other country.  If I lived closer to Mexico I'd drive there and buy a supply.  By November I can get on my hospital's group insurance even though I am over 65, and opt out of Medicare at least while I am employed.  My health care costs are doubled since turning 65.  Luckily, I have a half pension and income to live on.  I don't know how a person can survive on just social security, but many retired Americans do that. 

Nancy Reagan: the banality of evil in a little red dress finally dead.

Yes, Nancy Reagan just died, and all the politicians have praise for her.  Her are some none praiseworthy things:  the "just say no" to drugs campaign was stupid, he husband national security team had CIA teams bring drugs out of Nicaragua to keep the Gen. Noriega anti communist: CIA also had mercenaries fighting in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and mercenary militias ("Freedom Fighters") we could call them terrorists now invading Nicaragua from the north and south.  All this because of the "domino" theory, that once Nicaragua went Red, Cuba would start to control the entire peninsula and the US Army would eventually have to fight a communist invasion of Texas (Reagan actually said that).  Also deregulating savings and loans which made many people rich, including members of Congress, before the crash: the savings and loan bailout cost the average american taxpayer something like $3400 each (if I remember correctly).  Then there was the bombing of Lebanon from the USS New Jersey, a WWII battleship that was vaguely lobbing artillery at places where bad guys probably were, but ended up hitting mostly civilians.  In retaliation,  the Marine barracks was truck bombed killing hundreds of marines.  The Marines were stationed in Beirut, in a low area, surrounded by hills and the sea. sitting ducks, and were NOT ALLOWED to load their guns, don't wanna make a marine trigger happy.  What were they there???? If for show of force put them off shore on ships, if they are on land then you must plan to use them militarily, but then they need weapons with real bullets.  After loading the caskets, Reagan evacuated the remaining live marines.  Two days later he invaded Grenada, also a "domino" for the Cuban take over of Texas.  And Nancy was often mispercieved (by her self and others) as being the President's chief of staff, in fact some CHO's resigned because of her.   She also cheated on Ronnie with Frank Sinatra, but this was Hollywood and I am sure Ronnie had a few coke and champagne fueled threesomes.  These are horrible people who have done horrible things and when they die we honor them.  Good riddance.

Nancy Reagan going for a walk with Salvador Dali, on of her many lovers

Our Option for President: Slam Poetry with rock backup

Great slam poetry about our Presidential choices!

"Dismalland" an artist's statement about amusement parks

To paraphrase and English philosopher, "life...is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."  To this end, British artists have created Dismalland, an amusement themed seaside park that embraces the world as it it, rather than as it should be.  here is a short video tour.
It features refugee boat people (including the floating dead), a dead Princess in a flipped over pumpkin carriage, and a dystopian castle. But hurry, it's only open for a few weeks then disappears.

Sam the Lion says Goodbye...

Scene from The Last Picture show, Sam the Lion says goodbye in his own way.

My son Nathan featured as an Alumnus of UCLA Anderson School of Business

My son Nathan featured in a brochure

for UCLA Anderson School of Business.

Turkish Wedding couple feeds 4,000 refugees

This Turkish couple decided to feed 4,000 refugees from Syria instead of having their banquet.  They even served some of the refugees themselves.  What a great way to start a life together, by being compassionate and generous.  This shows there are some truly enlightened people around the world.  If only.......

George W. Bush's latest artwork

I have already posted about George W. Bush's artwork.  But what we have now is some additional artwork.  This is not painted by Bush, but painted in the Bush style, as in "what if George Bush painted this?"

Who is the babe George is taking a bath with?  We see his feet, but whose booty is that?  I also like the one with Vladimir in the shower.  And of course, Angela Merkel nude is something I am sure Bush fantasizes about.  The top one of Hillary is Bush interpretation of how Hillary looks to him.  These should really be part of his artwork gallery.

Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State documentary available on NetFlix

Just finished watching "Auschwitz: Inside the Nazi State" on netflix.  What is fascinating is that Auschwitz came into being in an incremental fashion.  It started out as a Polish army cavalry barracks in 1939 and turned into a concentration camp for Poles and dissident Germans: enemies of the Reich. But from the beginning the camp was run in a brutal fashion including forced starvation (locking someone in a basement cell, in the dark,  and simply forgetting about them).  It expanded due to Russian prisoners.  Industry set up around the camp because of natural resources of the area, then slave labor was needed for the industries.  By 1943 the final solution was in full swing.  So the Auschwitz of 1945 was never a rationally planned facility, but one that emerged piece by piece in an incremental fashion.  But there was an initial insanity that gave rise to Auschwitz, the racism, the brutal ideology of superiority, that some lives were less than human, some people less then human, could be treated like brutish animals.  Auschwitz became as much a factory as the factories set up around it.  As this documentary shows, there were many locations for "Auschwitz" - it was not just one camp but a network of related camps.  The documentary shows the "problems" that camp designers had to deal with: first, how to systematically kill vast numbers of people (turns out, it's not that easy and 2) how to get rid of the bodies.  The methods of killing were not very creative, carbon monoxide and industrial strength gas disinfectant, but how it was organized was textbook operations management.  It also seemed that those who worked there were self selected: they worked there because they wanted to, or because they found a way to make their work profitable or advantageous to them (promotions, theft).   And of course Auschwitz is just a small part of the magnitude of genocide and murder that went on from 1939-1945 in Europe.  There are books published about post war Europe, especially Germany - that showed millions more died after 1945 in ethnic cleansings across Europe.  Maybe Europe is a laboratory that reveals the true nature of human beings: brutal, cruel, murderous, jealous, paranoid, egocentric, delusional, and devoid of feelings for others. 

John Yoo, Bush's AG and Berkeley professor, on crushing testicles of child

Here is a recording of Attorney General John Yoo

explaining why the President of the US could (could) crush the testicles of a child in order to make the father talk.  I know this is legalese, but the question was intended to show how absurd Yoo's argument is, and it accomplished that.  How did this guy get to be a professor at Berkeley?  What kind of money was behind that?

Terrence Malik's films: The Tree of Life, and To the Wonder

Just finished Terrence Malik's film, To the Wonder, and it was beautiful.  Slow.  But it all comes together.  Very little dialogue: what is important is the acting, the editing of the film, how the various characters all reveal meaning toward the end.  Its about....love, faith, hope.  Here is a beautiful monologue, by the priest who questions his own faith, but somehow holds on.

Of course, The Tree of Life is Malik's greatest film.  Absolutely beautiful.

Soviet Limo back in production!

Workers at the the ZIL factory have received orders for 2 new limos, and have been given 2 years to make them instead of the usual 5.  I would love to see how these are made?  Hand made?  With torches, and metal workers?  There should be a reality TV show centered on this: a 2 year reality show, we could meet the workers and their families, watch their arguments, tensions at the factory, and lots of vodka drinking.

General Shenseki: should have listened to him in the past, we should give him more funding now!

So Dick Cheney, the guy without a heart, has called Pres Obama "weak," and want General Shenseki fired.  From the past: Gen Shenseki was the commander who told Bush and Cheney that we needed 200,000 troops to invade Iraq, and 300,000 to occupy it for 10 years.  They fired him!  They went with a General who told them what they wanted to hear.  7,000 dead soldiers later, General Shenseki was proved right, unfortunately and tragically.  actually its not tragic: Bush and Cheney should have listened to the General, it was political expediency that dictated the invasion of Iraq (and having troops on the ground for the 2004 re election campaign, compliments of Karl Rove).

So now Cheney wants Shenseki fired from the VA:  The VA has always been underfunded, and with the number of veterans you would think a priority of Congress (the House controlled by Republicans) would be to give the VA all the funds its needs, including funds to hire more front line care givers (like nurses and specialist physicians).

Cheney speaks out in his desire to cover his stupid ass:  Bush and Cheney will go down as perhaps the worst duo in Presidential history.  His attacks on Obama, and now Shenseki, are pathetic.

job search in portland

Just had interview Oregon State Hospital.  It's a psychiatric RN position, with civil and forensic involuntary commitments.  All shifts, full time with benefits, but only until next May when it closes and moves to another location.  A new location is being built, 500 jobs available, but not in portland.

this is me after the interview: I look slightly bewildered.  I am also applying for Emergency nursing positions, and taking the Trauma Nurse Core Course next week.  We shall see.  Just applied for an ER position in Mt Hood, night shift - I must be nuts!

happy easter young earth creationalists

Happy easter young earth creationalists.  Here is Jesus 6,000 years ago with a dinosaur at the moment of creation.  did you know dinosaurs were on the Ark?  How did they keep T Rex fed?  must have fed him lots of Ativan. 

Israel says it's sorry for killing 9 activists on international waters

One way of diffusing a confrontation is by saying, "I am really very sorry that this happened."  you are not admitting guilt, just saying sorry "this" happened.  So israel is apologizing for the flotilla assault, deaths - Israel is "really very sorry this happened."  Nine people killed on international waters, nine people bringing aid to Gaza, where Israel has a blockade.  

George W. Bush, artist

When presidents step down, the big question is, what's next?  what can you do after being the CEO of the most powerful nation on earth?  Well, some ex presidents have become involved with humanitarian tasks, like Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton.  Some write books to demonstrate their continued command of international affairs, like Richard Nixon (he once published a book explaining that Iran would be check against Soviet expansion for decades to come, and the very next month the Shah was overthrown - what prescience!)  But similar to Eisenhower and Winston Churchill (the man who plunged England into two world wars to defend the empire, only to lose it as a result) George W. Bush has become an artist. He likes to paint dogs.  yes, dogs.  and evidently he likes to paint himself in the bath or shower.   Some experts have said that his art is amateurish but enthusiastic.  Again, just like Paul Bremer's art, it's really bad.  the proportions are off, it's two dimensional.  I have no problem with Bush or Bremer painting, especially if it occupies their time and they can't screw up the world anymore.  but this art should be kept on their back porch, as something they enjoy as a hobby.  It's really bad art.  And he signs the paintings "43" as in the 43rd President. 

Paul Bremer, former Iraq administrator turned author and artist

You remember Paul Bremer?  the guy who administered Iraq after the invasion for one year?  He disbanded the Iraqi army and allowed them to take all their weapons home with them to be used on our troops over the next 7 years?  Well he has written a book about our veterans who have sacrificed for Iraq.  Yes, he was instrumental in creating the insurgent war against our troops by firing over 100,000 Iraqi army troops who were then unemployed and sitting at home with all the weapons they could carry away.  And now he has written a book honoring our troops who were injured (or killed) by his incompetence.

And, he has become an artist.  here are some of his pictures.  He actually has sold some of these.  The proportions are wrong, these are terrible paintings.  He markets them here: PaulBremerEnterprises.

There is a yiddish word, Chutzpah, that describes his nerve in marketing a book about the injured soldiers he helped to injure, and selling paintings that are amateur and just awful.

Chef kills wife and then cooks her - bon appetite!

the owner of the Thyme Cafe inm Lomita, near Los Angeles, has been convicted of killing and then cooking his wife.  His story:  he didn't want her driving while drunk, so he bound her with duct tape.  When he checked on her in the morning, she was dead.  He slow cooked her for 4 days, putting weights on her to tenderize the body.  Above are some pics of exterior and interior of the restaurant they co-owned.  Police investigated the disappearance of his wife, when they decided to take him in for questioning, he attempted to kill himself by throwing himself off inspiration point (pic above).  But, his girlfriend grabbed his clothes and instead of jumping off the cliff he fell and bounced his way down.  he is now a paraplegic.  He was sentenced  in this wheelchair, 25 yrs to life.  Do you think the prison will put him to work in the kitchen?