M.Q.A.blog Archives

Visit my website at it's original address

2006-02-28T14:27:00.000-05:00

http://www.mqablog.com/

All new posts are at my regular web address

http://www.mqablog.com/

My Weekend Venting

2006-02-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

Six days since the great snowstorm of 2006. Believe it or not all the snow is pretty much gone. A combination of a well organized snow removal team and unseasonably warm weather has cleared nearly all of the white stuff (actually grey since about Tuesday) from the streets and sidewalks. If you want to see even more of my snow pictures from last Sunday lookie here.
UPDATE 11:40am Snowing right now! How about that!

The Dick Cheney story has been the source of some interest this week. What strikes me as most disturbing is this. The Vice President shoots a man, does not alert authorities for hours, does not inform the public for a day, does not talk about it for 3 days, admits alcohol was consumed prior to the shooting, facts of the case are still not resolved and what happens? The right wingers complain that people are talking about it! They act like it's a non-story and "the media" is biased against poor old Cheney! Of course everything Clinton did (and tons of stuff he never did) was the subject of non stop press coverage (by the right wing AND the mainstream media) but Cheney shoots a man and we are supposed to just overlook it. Further proof that there is a segment of the American population completely willing to give up any common sense in order to support their "party". Frightening! Yes, it's a modern day fascist movement, supported by a third of the population. They are good Republicans all right, but bad Americans. They value loyalty to party over common sense. Who knew so many people were so weak minded? Well, I did, but everyday more and more people are finally realizing it.

And what about the Dick himself? He had a terrible day, accidentally shooting a friend. The sight of the guy falling to the ground because of a weapon sickened him. This from one of the greatest warmongers in American history! It seems he never thought about the thousands of lives he is directly responsible for ending in Iraq. Maybe he will now. But not right away. He's back home in Wyoming this weekend, undoubtedly on a bender, trying to forget his terrible misfortune.

If this sorry tale illustrates anything it is that Dick Cheney is a coward. He was afraid to join the military when he was young, going through great efforts to avoid Viet Nam, but supported the use of force his entire life. For fun he shoots farm raised and caged birds, but asks us to feel his pain when a Budweiser induced accident inflicts harm on an innocent man. He hides for a day to sober up, and when forced to talk to someone goes straight to FOX News followed by a speech to the Wyoming (1 of only 6 states where a majority supports the administration) State House.

Typical. Dick Cheney really has never shown any amount of personal courage in his life. Yet he has always been the meanest, toughest guy around. Rep. Dick Cheney voted against a 1986 resolution calling for the release of Nelson Mandela. He was one of about 3 in the ENTIRE congress to vote that way. Big bad Dick. A no-nonsense guy. Shock and awe. But like most leaders in history with a violent bent, he is deep down a softie, a coward, overcompensating for his own masculine inadequacy.

Another story of interest this week is a speech that former VP Al Gore made in Saudi Arabia. Many rightwingers tried to use it as a diversion from Cheney's mysterious shooting. The Reds argue that Gore was unpatriotic (sound familiar?) by saying critical things about the USA while in a foreign country. They whined that "the media" was not covering such a shocking story. What rubbish. Here is what Al Gore said.

Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment. Gore also said Arabs had been indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaeda's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications, reports AP.

Well, first of all everything Al Gore said was true. That is certainly one way to upset a conservative - speak the truth. I applaud Al Gore for letting the world know that not everyone supports this administration and their abuses of power. But the Reds see it another way. Some headlines in the right wing media

Al Gore Personifies Liberal Disloyalty To America

Gore fails to condemn Saudi Arabia intolerance

It would be humorous if it was not another sign of the crumbling of America. It is now disloyal to speak the truth? Bush can hold hands with the Saudi royal family, but Gore is condemned for speaking there? Listen to the right wingers. Not just those paid handsomely to spew the spin on TV and radio - but the everyday Republicans. You know they will repeat, word for word, the talking points. They will actually feel outraged at Gore's comments and outrage at the coverage of the Cheney shooting. Unfair, they say. Unfair, they believe.

I am always amazed, sadly so, to see the sincerity in their eyes as they make arguments, weak on the facts, weak on the logic and weak on common sense. They are indeed Blinded by the Right. Unfortunately it is not just their problem. It is all Americans and all the world. And boy are we suffering from their actions.

U-G-L-Y You ain't got no alibi

2006-02-17T12:12:00.000-05:00

Not only are physically unattractive teenagers likely to be stay-at-homes on prom night, they're also more likely to grow up to be criminals, say two economists who tracked the life course of young people from high school through early adulthood.
"We find that unattractive individuals commit more crime in comparison to average-looking ones, and very attractive individuals commit less crime in comparison to those who are average-looking," claim Naci Mocan of the University of Colorado and Erdal Tekin of Georgia State University.

full story

Airplane gains a passenger midair

2006-02-16T13:41:00.000-05:00

The crew of a Russian airplane had to act as midwives Thursday when a passenger suddenly went into labor, the Interfax news agency reported.
The Yakutia airlines jet was three hours into a flight from Moscow to the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk when a 24-year-old woman complained of abdominal pains, an airline official said.
A physician among the passengers examined the woman and concluded that she was in premature labor. Following his advice, the pilot decided to land the plane at the nearest town, Mirny.
But the labor progressed quickly, and flight attendants were called to assist the woman. Thirty minutes before landing, a newborn girl passenger appeared on board the plane.

Guest Blogger: Atrios

2006-02-14T16:45:00.000-05:00

Things I've Learned Recently

Every conservative on the internet is an avid hunter and they've all been shot multiple times.

Shotguns aren't really guns, just toys. You can't really hurt people with them, only animals.

It's standard hunter etiquette to yell and scream at your fellow hunters as they're stalking their prey.

The most dangerous place to be is behind the people with the guns.

And Dick Cheney was not drunk, so stop saying that.

-Atrios

2006-02-14T07:34:00.000-05:00

HAPPY

VALENTINES

DAY

No Staight Shooting

2006-02-13T07:45:00.000-05:00

The Cheney shooting was initially hid from public

story

Blizzard '06 Photos

2006-02-12T23:28:00.000-05:00

What a day! It's late so I won't go on and on but I spent almost all day out in the blizzard. It was great fun. I took 70 or so pictures. click the link below to see about 10 of the best!

more here

Blizzard '06 part 1

2006-02-12T22:07:00.000-05:00

Some of you all saw my web cam Sunday and saw the snow fall LIVE. Others tried to get my web cam when I was out. Sorry. that I couldn't link you to the cam. I was out about 10 hours in the snow today and got some good pictures. I will post them later tonight. Check back.

And the web cam experiment was quite a success. I will do that more often.

2006-02-12T08:20:00.000-05:00

WOW! What a snowstorm. If you saw the web cam earlier you saw the heavy snow and wind NYC is getting. I will turn the camera on later so check the instant message systems and this blogs for update as to when and how.

Right now, I am going out to play in this stuff!

2006-02-12T00:13:00.000-05:00

NYC BLIZZARD WEB CAM ATTEMPT! - 8AM

2006-02-11T20:10:00.000-05:00

It's just after 8pm and has been snowing for almost five hours. There's still not much of an accumulation yet. The snow is wet and the thermometer outside my window says it's 38 degrees. Too warm for the snow to really stay around. The weather people here say it will be snowing it's hardest between 7am and noon. That's when I will attempt to broadcast from the great Blizzard of '06.

Tomorrow morning I will hook up my camera to the new computer and try to show you the snow. I have a spot, dangling from my top floor fire escape, that should give us a good look at the storm. The only way I know how to do that is through instant message systems. I will use AIM (AOL Instant Message). {Or windows messenger} If you don't know my screen name I will post it tomorrow morning. I have a pretty good shot from the fire escape but if it is windy and I can't block the snow from my camera I may only be able to have the camera on for a short while. But, if the early attempt works, and I get a good shot from inside then I will broadcast more during the day.

When you wake up come here. If I wake earlier I may start before 8.

2006-02-11T17:01:00.000-05:00

Just after 5 now and the snow has picked up. They are small flakes and blowing sideways in the 15 mph winds. None of it has stuck on the ground yet but it is a light if steady sowfall. It's still bright enough to look all the way down the road and it sure looks cool with the Empire State Building way down the road.

First Flurries

2006-02-11T15:46:00.000-05:00

3:45 and the first flurries have started. I am back from the stores with all the supplies (hot chocolate, cookies, sandwich stuff, tv dinners, water, vodka, tonic, limes, advil...... Let's hope the hype is lived up to. I've never been in a blizzard so I am ready!

live NYC radar

Weekend In

2006-02-11T11:27:00.000-05:00

Well things are good right now. I actually got a full night's sleep for the first time in weeks,I have the whole weekend off and a big snow storm is on the way. Also, my new computer is almost all set up and ready to go (It didn't come with Microsoft Word! What the Hell).

One of the great things about getting a new computer is that I will finally be able to stop using "Blogger". This is very convienient but constrains the creative possibilities. Soon I will be back to my old, Florida, format.

Time to shop and stock up on supplies for the storm. Lots of snack and comfort food.

Check back for updates all weekend long.

Here it comes

2006-02-10T23:11:00.000-05:00

2006-02-10T14:44:00.000-05:00

My new computer has arrived! I will spend the rest of the day setting it up. Big (real big) snowfall expected this weekend. You know I'll keep you posted!

Whats new(s)?

2006-02-08T11:58:00.000-05:00

My other web site Priority News! has plenty of important stories today. Be sure to check it out.

Also if YOU have a nose for news send me an e mail. [ MQA@MQAblog.com ] I am looking for contributors to post stories on Priority News! It's easy, fun and emotionally satisfying.

By the way, look for The Meek Voice to return soon. I am sharing a computer now and running 3 web sites and all my work and personal stuff has overloaded the thing. I have ordered a new computer and it should be here in a week or so. Once I load all my stuff on the new (more powerful) machine The Meek Voice will return.

Coretta Scott King Funeral

2006-02-08T08:24:00.000-05:00

Wasn't it nice to see President Bush have to face an audience that was not full of hand picked supporters? video He certainly got an earful. Of course the Republicans are whining about it now. The party that "swift boats" opponents without hesitation can't stand to have any dissent directed at them. A fellow blogger named Cheese Whiz has raised some strong counter argument to make as we begin to experience the "swift boating" of Jimmy Carter, Rev. Lowry and others who did not praise their King George.

Why do Republicans think they can tell the King family how to run their funeral?
Why do Republicans think they can tell black people how to conduct Mrs. King's service?
When a life is about activism, shouldn't its memorial be about activism as well?

For the most part Republican are just talking to their base and this familiar tactic is just to keep their mind closed and focused. But you never know when a young or influential person hears them and may not take the time to consider the hollowness of their outrage. So if you hear any Reds parrot the "swift boating" of those who spoke at the funeral., just ask them these questions. If nothing else it will cause them to pause and maybe, just maybe, crack open their mind just a little bit. It is also my hope that President Bush had his mind opened as well. all Presidents are isolated to some extent but Bush seems to embrace it. At least he knows now that many (if not most people) hold him responsible for the Katrina aftermath and do not appreciate illegal secret spying. A President has to be in touch with reality. Yesterday, George W. Bush, had a brief introduction to it.

Extortionist Gone Wild!

2006-02-08T08:13:00.000-05:00

I saw this story today - the first I heard of it. The creator of those Girls Gone Wild videos was held at gunpoint recently in an extortion attempt. I recently saw a news story on him and was surprised to find that he has become filthy rich from these videos. He has mansions, a private jet and a big bank account. I guess he's a modern day Hugh Hefner. He also needs a better security system.

A man was sentenced Tuesday to nearly 11 years in prison after pleading guilty to robbing ''Girls Gone Wild'' creator Joe Francis and forcing him at gunpoint to pose for a demeaning videotape as part of an extortion attempt.
Darnell Riley, 28, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted extortion as part of a deal with prosecutors who agreed to drop burglary, carjacking and kidnapping for ransom charges.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Kellogg sentenced him to 10 years and 8 months in state prison.
Francis testified during a preliminary hearing in December that Riley broke into his home Jan. 22, 2004, pulled a gun and bound and gagged him.
He said Riley forced him to partially disrobe and make sexually humiliating comments about himself. Francis also testified that Riley threatened to distribute the video unless Francis paid him $300,000 to $500,000.

The Red Defense

2006-02-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

This is really something. Yesterday Alberto Gonzales testified (is it considered 'testimony' if they refused to swear him in?) about the secret spying. As a long time Bush crony who's professional future is dependent on the continued 'brown nosing' of W, defend it he did. Unfortunately I couldn't watch the hearings or even catch any more than a few clips of it. What I have seen was Gonzales SAYING everything was legal and our freedoms are in tact. The word of a Republican is good enough for some, but not most.

One particular defense he gave though struck me as simplistic, even for the GOP. Senator Joe Biden was trying to determine how the fact that the program was exposed in the press hurt National Security. You will remember the whining out of the White House when the revelations broke, that it damaged our National Security. But how? The Attorney General enlightened us to their logic.

BIDEN: Thank you very much. General, how has this revelation damaged the program?I'm almost confused by it but, I mean, it seems to presuppose that these very sophisticated Al Qaida folks didn't think we were intercepting their phone calls.
GONZALES: Well, Senator, I would first refer to the experts in the Intel Committee who are making that statement, first of all. I'm just the lawyer. And so, when the director of the CIA says this should really damage our intel capabilities, I would defer to that statement. I think, based on my experience, it is true - you would assume that the enemy is presuming that we are engaged in some kind of surveillance. But if they're not reminded about it all the time in the newspapers and in stories, they
sometimes forget.

2006-02-07T07:44:00.000-05:00

Conservatves Protest against USA story

2006-02-05T15:38:00.000-05:00

The Super Bowl not shown on Live TV!

story

2006-02-04T15:15:00.000-05:00

FUNNY: video

Subway ads removed

2006-02-03T15:37:00.000-05:00

I need to write more about New York. If I did I would have mentioned this a week or so ago. Some new ads went up in the subway a couple weeks ago. They are tourist ads for the Bahamas. They are colorful but a bit too cute for NYC. They ask you to imagine scuba diving through a subway car or fishing with your scarf on the platform. I wondered why they would allow them since, with millions seeing the ads there bound to be at least one idiot who would to try it.

This week they were ordered down after complaints and concerns.

The ad campaign by the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism is running on at least one out of four subway cars in the city and is potentially in view of as many as five million subway riders. It is standing out, but not necessarily because it's getting people onto planes. Under the heading "Instant Escape No. 1: How to Turn a Subway Seat into a Hammock," one advertisement seems to encourage riders to hog subway seats as if resting in a hammock.
Another ad seems to encourage riders to imitate fishing in the
Caribbean by snagging subway track detritus by putting something sticky on a cellphone and attaching it to a scarf. It's called "Instant Escape No. 2: How to Fly Fish with a Scarf and a Cell Phone." The ads seem to contradict the official rules of conduct of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which say hands-off trash on the track and no hogging of seats.
Some straphangers have criticized the campaign in blogs. A comment from David Yockelson, 41, an investment banker from Rye Brook, N.Y., was typical. "Possibly the most stupid and flagrant ad was this one, which laughingly suggests that travelers attach their cellphones to their scarves with tape, put more tape on the cellphone, and then cast the scarf-phone-fishing pole into the tracks and see what they can find," he wrote.