Mortgage Mendacity

December. Holiday time? Hard to feel the "joy" of the holidays when your family is about to go into foreclosure? With two friends in this situation right at this moment in time, I am wondering what the world will look like a year from now? With one friend here in my new location (and my favorite great carpenter/artist besides), and one back in my former home area... in this horrid situation because of balloon mortgages (or other deceptive practices involved in the mortgages they have) - I can't feel holidayish!

Pffft. While the politicians raise and blow billions on advertising campaigns to sway voters, the war continues ad nauseam, and as a nation we have taken our first step into being told where we can and cannot go in Asian waters by our key debt-holder? what will tomorrow bring? Good thing I got over Christmas and the holidays early on and was happy with a day where I had a pleasant dinner and no arguments among the participants!

The meaningless word "PEACE"

Sadly I have searched the online files looking for good coverage of what was supposed to be the national marches this weekend. C-span so far has failed to give ANY coverage at all.

Why do we value kindness and the values that really do matter, so little? Why must we bludgeon and murder one another and steal property and natural resources and yet our various representatives blah blah on in a blather about meaningless things that matter not at the end of the day? I ceased to understand while I was still in my 20's much less now. As a country I fear we are gone if no one will stand up to these heinous crimes against humanity. Culture? What culture? - a vapid vacuous absorption with Brittany or the Royal Family (whose conduct is none-to-pristine either - admit it) or a wider accumulation of bling and fancy cars? That is not humanity. And a college degree from an ivy league institution? ...that is what we have in this "cretin in charge" of this nation. The degrees and certificates are Meaningless for the most part in my opinion... many as much as purchased by family power, nothing more. As Shakespeare said... full of sound and fury meaning absolutely nothing!

Peace Please - peace! we are not paying attention

And to this I would add the photo of my friend and great artist, Dave Falciani - in memoriam. He knew.

New Orleans 2 years hence - Death of our Society

Losing - we are losing. Recently enduring the loss of four friends, all under age 60 - one a genius jazz artist only 46, I watched the recent newsreels updating information on the rebuilding of New Orleans. The only accurate programs were on Democracy Now! and even with more than one day dedicated to the Democracy Now! programming, it still does not depict the loss and suffering STILL THERE today.

True much of society and numerous organizations came into the area as immediately as they could to help, but our government did not. And while many organizations did do as much as they could do humanly, why are organizations such as the Red Boss ...I say that since the bosses of this group generally pocket much of the money raised!! - still listed as "lifesaving". It is time for the truth to come out across the country.

One of the goals since this horrid storm has been to privatize the city. This is a goal in many places in the U.S. and the ever present private military contractors such as "PollutedWater" and others - immediately sent into New Orleans and other storm areas - testify to this. It has only been the strongest and healthiest of the poor minorities in the city that have been able to either remain there - or rebuild. Were I strong and fiscally stable besides I would have hoped to have participated somehow...having visited the city in happier times to partake of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

The New Orleans climate always was awful for me personally - even in April/May at Jazz Fest time you would wring the perspiration out of your clothing if you were outside five minutes. Sunblock 100 was needed all the time. However the city was one of our most beautiful - but that is - not just buildings and homes and tropical growth. What matters? should easily have been the beautiful people and the culture and the music and artistic community...which were unique and cannot be replaced. And a good portion of this community were minorities - most were poor besides.

Similar to the neocons today and their blasphemous hatred of those in the gay community, this country has never really come to grips with it's hatred of minority populations, much less the poor besides. We don't acknowledge that the caste system is alive and well here in the U.S. Hell it is alive and well in the building I live in - those with their yachts here only a few months each year, will not even say hello to this white face in the elevator!!

Hatred needs to end here. And along with that, a proper sense of values based on a standard of honesty - integrity - sharing - kindness - and knowledge of the realities around us. We need to find new guidelines for judging both humans and situations...and based on a loving honest spirit and nothing else. I'm old now and won't be around a great many more years and I do not expect anything to change. Greed and avarice are the bywords here. A dulling of the senses has taken oven long ago - and the rich and powerful rationalize everything!!

Do most people recognize that ALL of the teacher's in New Orleans were fired as part of the aftermath of the storm? And now they are setting up private schools there? Will they use those same school busses that were allowed to flood instead of taking the poor out of the city? For me those busses symbolized the death of our culture - only the roof of what was, still appearing beneath the polluted waters below.

Then, we have been killing hundreds of thousands in Iraq, much less our own soldiers. For what? Oil? Land grabs? This area was the cradle of civilization and had a culture and system far outdating our own. New Orleans was "our" city with a cultural wealth that made it one of our finest examples of peoples living together, albeit in a less than perfect order. However do the executives and monied have the right now to take over and squeeze out the real citizenry? No. No, no, no, no - open your eyes America. New Orleans is only the first city in line for privatization because it was wiped out by the storm. It is the middleclass and poor that are being squeezed out.

What a place.

Warriors...the time has come

Tin soldiers and Nixon's coming...all dead in Ohio. We are brain dead watching the vapid innocuous crap on the TV and following along on C-span watching the "men in charge" taking no action except more talk. Our court system starting at the top is corrupt. Not everyone of course - but certainly all the key individuals. We have become a nation that more easily turns it's head away regarding our core values, as long as the gas guzzling Navigator purrs in the driveway - and the coffers overflow with huge sums to supply our platinum cards.

We need a warrior!! We need men prepared to take to the streets again and take the nation back. We are clearly in the last days of Rome and I am old and not physically strong enough to endure what has become of this country, much less the people around me. With a week that included the news that one of my very favorite jazz artists and someone I consider as close as a SON, is now fighting cancer. And in the same precarious position I have been in most of my life - uninsured or under-insured!! Michael Moore's latest documentary SICKO definitely hits the high spots of this issue - meanwhile we play the usual games - the legislature promptly coming out with new "plans" to cover 'children at least'...

Lies - more lies. There basically is not one area of important government oversight in this country which has not gone to hades in a handbasket since this administration took over. We are a country run by the corporation, for the corporation, and even moreso for the military supplier corporations and the drug companies and hospital/nursing home providers. Our education system is in a state of complete collapse, graduating only about 50% of students especially in inner city areas. Our journalists and new media are all owned by a handful of big corporations, and journalism has been prepackaged vacant press releases - imbedded with pure bull, for so long that no facts reach the public by and large.

We need a warrior. We need warriors. We need change and we must put honesty and integrity back into government. We need the total dissolution of campaign financing and to have this made a public endeavor with each person given the same time and space in print or televised arenas. We need a leveling of the tax structure and the throwing out of the free-pass for corporations - no more 'inversions' - no more tax cuts and deductions for contract labor. America first. Isolationism you say? hmmm we have to put Americans back to work.

With no sense of good future prospects here, I feel lifeless and sad beyond description. My father took this photo in New Guinnea during WWII. The complexity and problems of those times seemed so clear cut compared to today's corrupt sleazy world. I am at a loss.

Bridge is UP... my feet are up

After experiencing my first "gates open" at the bridge to the downtown port district, I came home and put my feet up since the sofa is finally here. Not exciting for anyone else, but a biggie for me since I had a very uncomfy futon for 15 year prior to this.

Lots of sighing today in my case, thinking of all the poor soldiers in Iraq and all the innocent lives lost by the moment each day with no action yet taken to bring things to a halt. What in hell is the matter with everyone - especially men in general. Why must aggression rule - why must they always reach out and take whatever it is they want with no regard for limb, much less the lives of those they have just taken from? It sure proved true in my personal life...men have by and large drained me into the vestige of myself that now remains.

What remains of the men who do manage to return from this fracas isn't going to be any good for their families frequently - returning from the hell of tropical heat, bugs and diseases. Mentally many will be harmed equal to or perhaps worse than those who returned from Vietnam...and I knew many that did not function after they did get back - ever!

Cindy Sheehan has walked away from her efforts / I still watch the Congress and Senate regularly, albeit not every day. I just cannot stand watching these blowhards blah blah - trying to pass a heinous immigration amnesty bill that would add trillions to our national debt paid on credit - while there is no money here at home for schools, roads, proper care for the Vets - much less the socialized medicine we so deeply need. I'm sick of everything. Good thing the sofa arrived.

April NorEaster ooooWooooOOp

Only sound effects would describe storms here. So I've now experienced my first NorEaster and I am duly impressed. These are photos taken by friend Brian: he not only braved the storm to take some pictures, but he and son Ben were out there in it until they were dripping, literally. Hearing the ooo's and eeee's and wooop's I heard a tapping at my door and there they were, dressed up like children always are going out to play in the snow - I should have gotten my own camera out and taken that photo.

Many vital lessons were learned that day, including the realities of my building and the leaks that followed. Did you know that some wind/rain can even penetrate a brick building? I didn't. I do now. But dramatic weather is one of life's interesting events and I can easily see it will never be dull living here. There are no bad views from my balcony -- and best of all, a rather eccentric sort such as myself doesn't even stand out in a crowd. That might be, the best part of all.

Thank You...Keith Olbermann

The hubris of Giuliani. You used the wording I would have used Keith, and said most of the things that need saying regarding this "candidate". Except that his record is far far deeper in mud as far as I am concerned - some of the crispest of which relates to all those who were UNABLE to file to receive food stamps or housing at a poverty level, because his staff had made the necessary "forms" to make such petitions, conveniently unavailable!!

In a country as rich as this one, where illegals are now given free healthcare and all sorts of other benefits many citizens cannot gain access to - what about those in real need of food and housing for their families, living at the poverty line? How many thousands more went cold and hungry during your administration, so you could look good on the "cutting the welfare roles" record. Unforgiveable and heinous.

The patronage that went on during your years in New York is nothing new in the world of politics as usual. The aftermath of the WTC event on September 11, is yet another thing. Any fool - and perhaps I am a big fool - recognized that the air for perhaps blocks and blocks around the building, could NOT be safe on any level. With those buildings having been built way back when? one could assume they contained asbestos - much less all the other types of chemical contaminants one would find from the explosion of two huge jet airliners?

You and Christine Todd Whitman of NJ are both equally culpable in not protecting the rescue workers - much less all those living in the areas immediately around the buildings.

But what about campaign funding - and where all the money for your campaigns has come from? Some through a man there in NY and his vulture fund rapes of certain African nations? I lack adequate personal research to speak to that in more depth - but that should also place you in the "no vote" register. Crimes against humanity. And today you added in more fearmongering. Go away Rudy you are completely disgusting.

OK! So now how about removing Roughneck Limbaugh and Swill O'Reilly from public airwaves?

A Women w/adam's apple accuses who? of what?

Ann Coulter needs to be on unemployment, thank you very much. What a week with the likes of Scooter Libby having the audacity to go after an appeal in the court system. And we should pardon him? Please! Nothwithstanding that Patrick Fitzgerald was apparently somewhat culpable regarding issues pertaining to bin Laden way back when (so perhaps his actions are penance, or is this just another diversionary tactic [my cynicism knows no bounds with D.C. right now])... what is the world coming to.

Journalists of course are no longer journalists by and large; but HAD the actual evidence of this administration's imperialistic mindset and/or the original document written years before we immersed ourselves in this debacle come to light, would the public have paid attention?

With American Idol and drivel like most of the reality TV shows holding sway, along with the Roman games in the form of sporting events, taking the attention of a percentage of the rest of the public - who is minding the store? Robert Frisk of London's Independent paper writes that since many people never considered the residents of this country (Iraq) worthy of their concern in the first place, it's only been the rude reality of the emptying of our coffers and our own soldiers deaths that have finally awakened the public. Not everyone sadly - but from personal observation I went hoarse for the first few years of this war, trying to break the spell of the propaganda even among my friends for Pete's sake.

Calling John Edwards a faggot is humorous coming from a "woman" whose adam's apple is larger than most men's. She even walks like a man, and other than being the American ideal of thin and rich - there is nothing feminine or appealing about this broad. Coarse.

The hubris of this remark in view of the fact that there are actually video clips of Rudy Giuliani in drag standing aside Donald Trump. And many in the public sector are supposedly supporting Giuliani? They should research the "vulture loans" and how many huge sums bilked from third world countries (through these loans and their perpetrators) have been fed back into the campaigns of the likes of W and 'supposedly' Giuliani?

And Rudy? Wasn't Rudy in good measure responsible for not protecting workers in the 9/11 cleanup? Not to mention his actions which, while cleaning up street violence, often resorted to extreme tactics in doing so - and his welfare reforms which threw huge numbers of people into the red zone of nothingness? It is time for the public to get rid of their amnesia and also to start reading.

Also we are long overdue for the Republican party overall to take a harsh look at the bombastic blowhards like Limbaugh and a cast of thousands whose personal lives won't hold up to any close scrutiny. How many have been involved in scandals surrounding double lives, thieving and pilfering of public funds - and in the case of those now highest up - downright lies leading into national fiscal bankruptcy and the murdering of hundreds of thousands in the Middle East?

Ann Coulter just fits right in with the rest of these invidivuals...just another corrupt, strange being. And this week, another Republican male cutie has turned out to be gay...shown in photos with Coulter? Homosexuality is not an illness or a "choice" - and this is another area where the public (especially in the U.S.) needs to grow the "f" up. There are good and bad folks in that sector of society - just as there are in all the other groups. It is the lifetime concealment of the fact that carries with it, inherent dangers and hypocrisy.

Time to connect the dots. Follow the money. Vulture funds - forced resignations of Federal Judges - campaign funding and full disclosure. I vote we give every candidate X amount of free TV/radio airtime and disallow ALL funding over $100 - and make it illegal to work through laws and form groups for the soul purpose of creating a 'workaround' to go beyond the laws. Throw out lobbying all together. I'll be buried and gone and won't be holding my breath.

the RABBIT in the room

A white rabbit seems just the appropriate present for the arrival of my 2nd brand new nephew in Scotland. Welcome to the world Neil. Arriving during a veritable perfect storm of global issues, I can only hope that by time he and his cousin Ewan are grown, that the world has replaced greed, avarice and obfuscation with proper caring perspectives.

Passing of the rebuttal to the pressie's new surge plans in Iraq this week, took over three days of machinations...during which how many more lives were lost in the Middle East? While watching this I also managed to catch another news program showing information on something new - something called a "vulture fund" and this new work-around regarding how to bilk money out of third world countries! (probably not new - just newly being revealed to the general public)

Please look this up - any of you who do still read my blog -- since it relates to a billionaire in New York name of Singer, who is also a chief contributor to this pressie - as well as an organizer and contributor to Guiliani and his plans - and connected directly to Jack Abramoff and a host of other bad guys.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/
hi/programmes/newsnight/6362783.stm
** link seems not to work - lookup "Singer and vulture funds" and you will find all sorts of current information

Seems manipulation of the stock market is not bad enough - add in all the pilfered monies in not only Iraq, but monies taken from real needs in New Orleans during Katrina and ongoing - as well as from the Tsunami relief, is just not enough! Now these big crooks have found a way to - repurchase the original debtor relief loans made to third world countries, traffic them through the court systems in the UK - thereby somehow transferring that loan with huge unpaid balance and interest amounts tacked on - into the U.S. - and in turn directly to 1600 PA Avenue where the pressie can sign off on this.

The last piece is apparently where the third world country - is then OWING not the original loan amount of $10 million - but now owes someone like this man Singer (or others) $400 million, payment of which then empties the coffers of the country once and for all, eliminating all monies for schools, highways, infrastructure.

I understand extortion since I just received a 1-day turn around ambulance bill for $2,073 for a 10 mile trip of my mother from the nursing home to the hospital - back and forth in the January cold, despite the fact that she has a Living Will - and she herself requested "not" to be taken to hospital. Central Bucks Ambulance and United Medical Transport (from the nearby city) I am sure would blah blah me to death with their overhead and justifications for such billings were I to contact them about this blackmail, so no sense in raising my own bloodpressure. As if the $76m per year for the nursing home, is not enough. Sure this billing goes into Medicare, but a portion of it will not be covered and end up in my mailbox shortly. I personally consider this Medicare fraud - but then that's just me. It is a nice sunny day here and I'm choosing to enjoy it as much as I can.

Clearly though everything is out of control. And it is the crooks who are running everything - and I do mean 'everything'. The elephant or rabbit in the room is greed, avarice, obfuscation. Lies lies and more lies.

Gulls @Noon

Well the camera lens did freeze, so I missed the best shot. There is a gaggle of gulls that apparently maintains permanent residence at the local McD's near me. This fall I got in on a few arguments as I stopped at he dollar store...opening my car door, at first not knowing "what" I was hearing...
wah wah wah..... bullflog throatiness.... clack clack...

They have discovered it is easier to pick from the trash at the McD's than fly over the bay diving into the icy water for fish? hmm does this denote intelligence? I would say yes. Do birds suffer high cholesterol? pfft - we as a society worry about our health ad nauseum! So, I got out of my car to try for an artistic shot, but the gulls thought I was there to feed them and shot up into the air - flying around my head. They were very polite - I felt bad having no crackers or bread to give them. A few seconds in the air and they all landed simultaneously (you could almost hear a universal 'sigh'). Snapping the shot - I then got back in the car to return to the flat
taking the second photo at a local pond/skating area.

Weekly there are normal friendly sights here. And people do for the most part mind their own business in this place - unlike my former turf. I feel at home. I spent part of today over at the harbor walking and getting familiar. Very unthreatening, and with the bright crisp wind at my back now, I took a deep breath. A final piece of good luck for me, finding this home.

The bug light

Here I am. Bugged to be sure - so here is a photo taken today of the bug light which appears outside my windows. Up close it is lovely - the area maintains most things well, which is wonderful in my opinion.

Fort William resides near the main lighthouse, about three miles south. It is one of the most photographed lighthouses in America. Fort William itself is falling apart, but I am hopeful reading articles in the current papers that it will soon be taken in hand and repaired. The ruins there date to the late 1800's and are vast and interesting.

Taking my time over lunch at Becky's diner today I do feel I'm home. It is wonderful here. If or when I ever shake the rest of the life issues that have me by the throat, I should start enjoying myself before it is too late. I visited one pub today for a walk through...seems to have most of the good UK lagers, ales and beers on tap - another good sign.

Anyhow it's me and the 'bug' light. The view is never worn or tiring - just spectacular.

Home at last

Dandan definitely holds the 5-star rating for troubles this past week, but I did have my usual black cloud. Most of that naturally had to do with my remaining parent. Since I've yet to hear from the doctor, I perhaps cynically can assume the events of this week were just more of same. Having also the 'born again' landlords from Hades, the week rounded out with my having to pay off ever last morsel of the last two months rent - all for a place under construction nearly all of the ten months I was repacking there. No peaceful enjoyment of a costly apartment there!

Consolation of leaving though was knowing that 'maintenance's' third return (having to of course interrupt me four days before my move, 1st up in the AM) to "repair" the still leaking brand new toilet off the main bedroom - is that on leaving, it is still leaking! There is a god.

Dandan I must add that my car did inject it's own two cents into the week with the "Service Engine" light brightly shining in my face - the same day as the toilet repair visit (or, 4 days from move date) - despite just HAVING HAD.... proper maintenance the week before. ah ha! But I know a trick or two and luckily had one remaining can of 'dry gas'...which I added to the gastank - that resolved that.

And having stomach cramps of anticipation about the 'sort' of moving men I would encounter this time...I was LUCKY!! I had two very kind, sweet fellows who did agree I'd done a heck of a job organizing it all - got the huge tractortrailer loaded up and were out my door inside 2 hours flat. Not a finger mark on the apartment walls - no cleanup. Another four hours and a friend and I exited the parking area forever - his truck, laden with the refrigerator contents and the sum total of all the cleaning supplies I had hassled with just a year before (all from mother's apartment too mind you).

Today was equally warm to yesterday - temperatures in the 70 degree F. ranges - so I've got the balcony door open and sea breezes floating into the living area. Nothing to sit on but a webbed lawn chair, but I'm in heaven with the view. A large rusting barge floated through the harbour entrance earlier and I thought how fitting, since I'm about in the same kind of condition myself. But I'm here - I'm home now.