If this is so true, then why am I still in college after all these years... ;-)

Just checking my weekly email from Liquid Generation, and found the greatest line I might have ever heard in relations to computing.

"Apple is to computing as Christina Aguilera is to sex. Pretty on the outside, but once inside, you’re lost."

I like Apple Computers for their looks, and even glowed about them on this very blog, but they are also underpowered and expensive. Plus Steve Jobs' recent temper tantrum at the publication of a book that would dare to charge that he is not, in fact, God, reminded me of the biggest problem I have with Apple and the people running it. They may be brilliant, but there hasn't been the planet created to contain their rampaging egos...

Back to Back from HBO and Encore.

1. Sometimes in April - This is a made for HBO movie about the 100-day massacre in Rwanda. You probably remember the stories about the killings, so I don't need to go into them. But it looks at the massacre from the point of view of a family, the parents each Tutsi and Hutu, and what happened in that 100 days, including the utter failure of the United Nations and U.S. to do anything. (A great line from the movie, from one Rwandan general to the U.S. Undersecretary of whatever, "Will you send the Marines? We have no oil, we have no diamonds. Why would you possibly come here?")

2. Tears of the Sun - OK, it's an action flick, I admit that. But it also looks at a made up massacre that would be going on in Africa, but this time the team that goes in to extract the "non-indigenous personel" kind of have a change of heart and try to get the soon-to-be victims across the border with Cameroon and to safety. This is what I think people would have liked the U.S. to do in Rwanda. I like this movie because it gives a small glimpse into the honor that I think most people have, that when confronted with something like this, we'd have done the same thing and tried to help as many people as we could.

And now, the rant. ;-)

Why aren't we doing this? When faced with starvation and mass murder in Sudan, once again we're sitting on our hands, doing nothing, waiting for the United Nations to do something.

It's 1994 all over again.

There are times when it's important to debate and discuss and think about what you're doing or not doing. Then there are times to, as a friend of mine said when he was in the Marines, "Do something Lieutenant, even if it's wrong." The results of your inaction are worse than doing something, even if it turns out to be wrong later.

This is one of those times.

We need to be sending troops into Sudan, WE need to go in and stop the massacre "dead in its tracks" so to speak. The world is not going to do anything, we can see that in the United Nations, so we have to try and do something, before it's too late.

We need to be more like Tears of the Sun, and less like Sometimes in April.

I'll have to double check the quote, since a friend told me it was in the hard copy version of the Albuquerque Journal this morning, but the Journal takes an "in-depth look" at the financial impact on today's people thanks to technology, "can't live without" yoga classes, Starbucks for coffee, etc.

The writer, Andrew Webb, mentions early on that it is in part a result of technological advances that people think they can't live without (Internet access, cell phones, digital cable and the like). I can see his point in a way. But one of the things he forgets about is that when someone gets a cell phone and a cable modem, they don't need a landline. And if you make a lot of long distance calls, like I do, then the cell phone is actually cheaper than a landline as long as you know to say in your minutes, etc., etc.

But what of the incessant ringing? Of people being able to call you all hours of the day? I'd never want to be a slave to my cell phone, the technophobes say.

Then you turn it off. That's the beautiful thing about cell phones. They have a little button that allows you to turn the battery off. Then it doesn't ring. Amazing how that works.

"Sorry boss, my cell phone must have been off."

In addition to that, Webb also mentions that people are spending more money at the gym with a personal trainer, or on that morning cup of coffee at Starbucks, or paying for kids to go to private schools.

If you really want to spend money on a personal trainer, might I recommend studying at T-VI's Fitness Technician program? It's amazing what you'll learn to help you get in shape, and the classes are free! All you pay for are the school fees and books, plus they have a small fitness facility that you can work out in also, and you learn more than a lot of trainers in town!

Or, since I love powerlifting, you can drop that $100 a fortnight on me and I'll put you through a workout.

Starbucks... Starbucks... Oh well, I knew there was a reason I went to Satellite Coffee instead. ;-)
Private school? Oh yeah, that must be nice... (this is where I'm tempted to say "Then you don't have kids! More to spend on yourself..") ;-)

But it's in most people's nature to want their children to have better than they did, to improve their lot in life, so to speak. It was true with my parents and us kids, and I'm sure it'll be true of any kids my siblings or I have.

It's a matter of trading money for time. In business classes they teach us that your two main finite resources are just that, money and time. You only have so much of either, and if you want more of one, you have to have less of the other. If you want life to be more convenient, to have more time, then usually you have to spend the money on that quick cup of coffee, if you don't want to take classes at T-VI then go ahead and get a trainer. It's a trade off, and I think most people recognize and accept that.

I like the irony that you get to read about how much more expensive technology is helping to make our lives from the Journal's Web site.

In what might be a first for me (in at least many, many years), I might just have to wake up before noon on a Saturday! This Saturday in fact. Jim Scarantino is going to do an episode of his radio show on the problems of the environmental movement. And God knows there are so many problems out there!

Speaking as someone who studied environmental engineering and science in my first attempt to get through school, and even before that when I thought I could change the world for the environment's better, there are a lot of problems with the ass clowns known as the Sierra Club or Earth First. They don't know how to negotiate, they don't know how to find a middle ground to save some, if not all, of the planet.

These groups don't realize that people are not going to rise up against the "evil corporations" that provide them jobs, communications (via the internet, phone service, etc), mobility (see the auto industry here) and a myriad of other benefits. The people will especially not rise against them because a group of activists, who claim to be part of the "oppressed and poverty-stricken majority", yet seem to have enough money to fly to Brazil for a "counter protest" every year, tell them to.

These groups scream and bitch and moan about not getting any respect and rail against the "evil corporations" who they think run the world, in addition to creating the computers they use, the cars they either drive or ride in and the medicines they have to take when they get sick. (note upcoming post on the CyberPunk genre and reality here...)

The vast arrogance of these groups is their downfall. Always crying "Earth First! No negotiation," they refuse to discuss what kind of middle ground can be reached to protect the environment and allow progress to continue in a "greener" way.

Corporations may be money hungry, after all it's their job to provide a profit to the stockholders, just ask any lawyer about finance laws. But if you can show them that profits can be found in turning towards a greener lifestyle, that in addition to lining their pockets they will be helping the planet to recover from what has been done to it.

But instead the eco-weenies scream "Earth First! No negotiation." Content to allow the planet suffer for their hubris. Waiting for the legions of "true believers" who will never materialize at their side.

And in the meantime, Rome burns, who brought the fiddle?

Another chance to sit back with some coffee and plot my take over of the world...

After reading Greg Payne's blog, I'm a little more concerned about the upcoming mayoral election. While I'm no friend of the state representative, I have to agree with him that there appears to be a little bit of shenanigans in the political campaign of Eric Griego.

After giving his quarterly financial report, and finding out that, oops, maybe Soltari (a local left-leaning political organization) gave more money to the campaign than they should have. Then before you can say "political investigation", an amended report is turned in and not only Soltari's donation, but many others have gone missing. (Come out, come out, wherever you are!?)

Griego appeared to have the upper hand when talking ethics with Mayor Chavez and his problems with ABQ Pac, but now he's given Mayor Chavez every opportunity to blast him for violating whatever ABQ's campaign finance laws are. I wouldn't be surprised to see a mailing in the near future about just that point.

I forgot to mention our lovely city and the protest against a mural in Nob Hill that is currently going on!

Big surprise, the protesting group involved is a Baptist Church. Why am I not surprised.

To recap, a shop in Nob Hill has up a mural with a topless woman in it, the woman appears to have a nipple ring, which I believe the store sells (I think it's a body piercing and body jewelry shop), so the mural depicts one of the products they are selling. Even if I'm off base and it's not... so what?? It's a picture of a woman and her breasts.

Jesus, people. Bill Maher is right. When did this country turn into Utah!?!? Are people actually upset about a painting? It's not even a "picture" picture. It's a painting! This is the same group of people who wanted the statue in the Justice Department covered up, that would probably want the statues of David and Venus Di Milo covered as well.

Oh my god! We have a picture of a topless woman on a mural! What are we gonna do? It's not like there's a big, anatomically correct leather teddy bear with a penis stud sticking though both sides of the "anatomical correctness" in that store. (You laugh, but that's in the window of, I believe, another store in Nob Hill.... Walk on Central in Nob Hill, ya can't miss it!)

Again, so what, it's a picture. If you don't like it, don't look at it. Yes it's an advertisement, and people can see it from the street, but no one is forcing them to look at it. Just look in another store window, or at the ground, or at a magazine, or listen to your iPod, or gaze at the big, beautiful, sunny skies we are blessed with out here.

"But what about the children??"

What about them? I understand that parents in society today have the belief they don't actually have to raise their children. By telling their kids not to look at something they don't want them to, then they are going to get their kids mad at them... and then... *sniffle* ... They won't be their kids' friend.

Tough shit. If you don't like the message that mural will send your kids, then tell them not to look at it. If they do and give you a hard time about it, try discipline. It's amazing what it will do for ya!

Or maybe try telling your kid about sex, educating them so they can deal with seeing a picture like that. Who knows, in the long run they might not end up "keeping" their chastity vows by only giving oral sex to their partners.

And if you really can't handle your family being subjected to the idea that women have two breasts, then might I suggest listening to In Bed With Susie Bright, getting a clue and chilling the hell out??

To paraphrase Woody Harrelson in The People vs. Larry Flynt, "Do you believe in God? Do you believe God made Adam and Eve? Do you believe God made women the way he did? Then God made the breasts that inspired that picture and who are you to question God?" ;-)

Always one to tweak the overly righteous..

Snoochie Boochies,

-C

(thanks to Pika for her original post)

A ninth-grade student gets suspended from school for wearing makeup. Geez, what's the big deal. People are too uptight nowadays... This kid should have just said he was a theatre major and was rehearsing for a role in the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

You have to be kidding me... I can't take a site about a new species of monkey being found seriously when there's a casino chip floating on the page.

Oh man, watching Pika rip into Greg Payne has been an education in how to act in the blogging world (like Pika and not like Greg)! For those of you who don't know, Greg Payne is a local politician, blogger, etc. and Pika Brittlebush is not a, but one of the major bloggers in Albuquerque (see my first post, she's one of my favorites to read). She's very articulate and bright, in addition to being a very funny writer.

Anyway, Greg has been really on a rampage in his recent posts, blasting everyone in site like he's Clint Eastwood in "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly". To her credit I don't believe Pika really ripped into Greg because he's still standing, and Pika can really bring the heat.

I wonder what the heck got Greg worked up. It can't just be a recent column in the Alibi...

I get the feeling that this is just the first salvo between Greg ("Mail Order") Payne, ("Jackass", as quoted by Payne, not me) Jim Scarantino and others in the political and blogging worlds. It's time to sit back with a cup of coffee and watch the action unfold. Place your bets.

-C

P.S. I've got Pika winning, third round TKO.