Alice's Restaurant...
For many years here, the local radio station in town played "Alice's Restaurant" on Thanksgiving Day every three hours starting at Midnight. Unfortunately, that album rock station was purchased about 4 or 5 years ago and is now a tejano station. So I am putting the lyrics here since I miss that tradition...
Alice's Restaurant
By Arlo Guthrie
This song is called Alice's Restaurant, and it's about Alice, and the
restaurant, but Alice's Restaurant is not the name of the restaurant,
that's just the name of the song, and that's why I called the song Alice's
Restaurant.
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant
Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on
Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the
restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the
church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and
Fasha the dog. And livin' in the bell tower like that, they got a lot of
room downstairs where the pews used to be in. Havin' all that room,
seein' as how they took out all the pews, they decided that they didn't
have to take out their garbage for a long time.
We got up there, we found all the garbage in there, and we decided it'd be
a friendly gesture for us to take the garbage down to the city dump. So
we took the half a ton of garbage, put it in the back of a red VW
microbus, took shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed
on toward the city dump.
Well we got there and there was a big sign and a chain across across the
dump saying, "Closed on Thanksgiving." And we had never heard of a dump
closed on Thanksgiving before, and with tears in our eyes we drove off
into the sunset looking for another place to put the garbage.
We didn't find one. Until we came to a side road, and off the side of the
side road there was another fifteen foot cliff and at the bottom of the
cliff there was another pile of garbage. And we decided that one big pile
is better than two little piles, and rather than bring that one up we
decided to throw our's down.
That's what we did, and drove back to the church, had a thanksgiving
dinner that couldn't be beat, went to sleep and didn't get up until the
next morning, when we got a phone call from officer Obie. He said, "Kid,
we found your name on an envelope at the bottom of a half a ton of
garbage, and just wanted to know if you had any information about it." And
I said, "Yes, sir, Officer Obie, I cannot tell a lie, I put that envelope
under that garbage."
After speaking to Obie for about fourty-five minutes on the telephone we
finally arrived at the truth of the matter and said that we had to go down
and pick up the garbage, and also had to go down and speak to him at the
police officer's station. So we got in the red VW microbus with the
shovels and rakes and implements of destruction and headed on toward the
police officer's station.
Now friends, there was only one or two things that Obie coulda done at
the police station, and the first was he could have given us a medal for
being so brave and honest on the telephone, which wasn't very likely, and
we didn't expect it, and the other thing was he could have bawled us out
and told us never to be see driving garbage around the vicinity again,
which is what we expected, but when we got to the police officer's station
there was a third possibility that we hadn't even counted upon, and we was
both immediately arrested. Handcuffed. And I said "Obie, I don't think I
can pick up the garbage with these handcuffs on." He said, "Shut up, kid.
Get in the back of the patrol car."
And that's what we did, sat in the back of the patrol car and drove to the
quote Scene of the Crime unquote. I want tell you about the town of
Stockbridge, Massachusets, where this happened here, they got three stop
signs, two police officers, and one police car, but when we got to the
Scene of the Crime there was five police officers and three police cars,
being the biggest crime of the last fifty years, and everybody wanted to
get in the newspaper story about it. And they was using up all kinds of
cop equipment that they had hanging around the police officer's station.
They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and
they took twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy photographs with circles
and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each
one was to be used as evidence against us. Took pictures of the approach,
the getaway, the northwest corner the southwest corner and that's not to
mention the aerial photography.
After the ordeal, we went back to the jail. Obie said he was going to put
us in the cell. Said, "Kid, I'm going to put you in the cell, I want your
wallet and your belt." And I said, "Obie, I can understand you wanting my
wallet so I don't have any money to spend in the cell, but what do you
want my belt for?" And he said, "Kid, we don't want any hangings." I
said, "Obie, did you think I was going to hang myself for littering?"
Obie said he was making sure, and friends Obie was, cause he took out the
toilet seat so I couldn't hit myself over the head and drown, and he took
out the toilet paper so I couldn't bend the bars roll out the - roll the
toilet paper out the window, slide down the roll and have an escape. Obie
was making sure, and it was about four or five hours later that Alice
(remember Alice? It's a song about Alice), Alice came by and with a few
nasty words to Obie on the side, bailed us out of jail, and we went back
to the church, had a another thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat,
and didn't get up until the next morning, when we all had to go to court.
We walked in, sat down, Obie came in with the twenty seven eight-by-ten
colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back
of each one, sat down. Man came in said, "All rise." We all stood up,
and Obie stood up with the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
pictures, and the judge walked in sat down with a seeing eye dog, and he
sat down, we sat down. Obie looked at the seeing eye dog, and then at the
twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows
and a paragraph on the back of each one, and looked at the seeing eye dog.
And then at twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles
and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one and began to cry,
'cause Obie came to the realization that it was a typical case of American
blind justice, and there wasn't nothing he could do about it, and the
judge wasn't going to look at the twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy
pictures with the circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each
one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us. And
we was fined $50 and had to pick up the garbage in the snow, but thats not
what I came to tell you about.
Came to talk about the draft.
They got a building down New York City, it's called Whitehall Street,
where you walk in, you get injected, inspected, detected, infected,
neglected and selected. I went down to get my physical examination one
day, and I walked in, I sat down, got good and drunk the night before, so
I looked and felt my best when I went in that morning. `Cause I wanted to
look like the all-American kid from New York City, man I wanted, I wanted
to feel like the all-, I wanted to be the all American kid from New York,
and I walked in, sat down, I was hung down, brung down, hung up, and all
kinds o' mean nasty ugly things. And I waked in and sat down and they gave
me a piece of paper, said, "Kid, see the phsychiatrist, room 604."
And I went up there, I said, "Shrink, I want to kill. I mean, I wanna, I
wanna kill. Kill. I wanna, I wanna see, I wanna see blood and gore and
guts and veins in my teeth. Eat dead burnt bodies. I mean kill, Kill,
KILL, KILL." And I started jumpin up and down yelling, "KILL, KILL," and
he started jumpin up and down with me and we was both jumping up and down
yelling, "KILL, KILL." And the sargent came over, pinned a medal on me,
sent me down the hall, said, "You're our boy."
Didn't feel too good about it.
Proceeded on down the hall gettin more injections, inspections,
detections, neglections and all kinds of stuff that they was doin' to me
at the thing there, and I was there for two hours, three hours, four
hours, I was there for a long time going through all kinds of mean nasty
ugly things and I was just having a tough time there, and they was
inspecting, injecting every single part of me, and they was leaving no
part untouched. Proceeded through, and when I finally came to the see the
last man, I walked in, walked in sat down after a whole big thing there,
and I walked up and said, "What do you want?" He said, "Kid, we only got
one question. Have you ever been arrested?"
And I proceeded to tell him the story of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre,
with full orchestration and five part harmony and stuff like that and all
the phenome... - and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, did you ever
go to court?"
And I proceeded to tell him the story of the twenty seven eight-by-ten
colour glossy pictures with the circles and arrows and the paragraph on
the back of each one, and he stopped me right there and said, "Kid, I want
you to go and sit down on that bench that says Group W .... NOW kid!!"
And I, I walked over to the, to the bench there, and there is, Group W's
where they put you if you may not be moral enough to join the army after
committing your special crime, and there was all kinds of mean nasty ugly
looking people on the bench there. Mother rapers. Father stabbers. Father
rapers! Father rapers sitting right there on the bench next to me! And
they was mean and nasty and ugly and horrible crime-type guys sitting on the
bench next to me. And the meanest, ugliest, nastiest one, the meanest
father raper of them all, was coming over to me and he was mean 'n' ugly
'n' nasty 'n' horrible and all kind of things and he sat down next to me
and said, "Kid, whad'ya get?" I said, "I didn't get nothing, I had to pay
$50 and pick up the garbage." He said, "What were you arrested for, kid?"
And I said, "Littering." And they all moved away from me on the bench
there, and the hairy eyeball and all kinds of mean nasty things, till I
said, "And creating a nuisance." And they all came back, shook my hand,
and we had a great time on the bench, talkin about crime, mother stabbing,
father raping, all kinds of groovy things that we was talking about on the
bench. And everything was fine, we was smoking cigarettes and all kinds of
things, until the Sargeant came over, had some paper in his hand, held it
up and said.
"Kids, this-piece-of-paper's-got-47-words-37-sentences-58-words-we-wanna-
know-details-of-the-crime-time-of-the-crime-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-
you-gotta-say-pertaining-to-and-about-the-crime-I-want-to-know-arresting-
officer's-name-and-any-other-kind-of-thing-you-gotta-say", and talked for
forty-five minutes and nobody understood a word that he said, but we had
fun filling out the forms and playing with the pencils on the bench there,
and I filled out the massacre with the four part harmony, and wrote it
down there, just like it was, and everything was fine and I put down the
pencil, and I turned over the piece of paper, and there, there on the
other side, in the middle of the other side, away from everything else on
the other side, in parentheses, capital letters, quotated, read the
following words:
("KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?")
I went over to the sargent, said, "Sargeant, you got a lot a damn gall to
ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm
sittin' here on the bench, I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench
'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough join the army, burn women,
kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug." He looked at me and
said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send you fingerprints
off to Washington."
And friends, somewhere in Washington enshrined in some little folder, is a
study in black and white of my fingerprints. And the only reason I'm
singing you this song now is cause you may know somebody in a similar
situation, or you may be in a similar situation, and if your in a
situation like that there's only one thing you can do and that's walk into
the shrink wherever you are ,just walk in say "Shrink, You can get
anything you want, at Alice's restaurant.". And walk out. You know, if
one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and
they won't take him. And if two people, two people do it, in harmony,
they may think they're both faggots and they won't take either of them.
And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three people walking in
singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and walking out. They may think it's an
organization. And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day walking in singin a bar of Alice's Restaurant and
walking out. And friends they may thinks it's a movement.
And that's what it is , the Alice's Restaurant Anti-Massacre Movement, and
all you got to do to join is sing it the next time it come's around on the
guitar.
With feeling. So we'll wait for it to come around on the guitar, here and
sing it when it does. Here it comes.
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
That was horrible. If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
I've been singing this song now for twenty five minutes. I could sing it
for another twenty five minutes. I'm not proud... or tired.
So we'll wait till it comes around again, and this time with four part
harmony and feeling.
We're just waitin' for it to come around is what we're doing.
All right now.
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Excepting Alice
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Walk right in it's around the back
Just a half a mile from the railroad track
You can get anything you want, at Alice's Restaurant
Da da da da da da da dum
At Alice's Restaurant
©1966,1967 (Renewed) by Appleseed Music Inc. All Rights Reserved
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Life lessons learned while watching Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen (minor spoilers ahead):
1. Finally found out why they built the Pyramids of Egypt.
2. Archeologists and Art Historians really hate giant robots.
3. The Obama Administration has not completely evaluated or modified the Bush giant robot policy.
4. Michael Bay must have helped an influential Hollywood producer bury a dead hooker at some time in his life.
5. If you are a nerd, and hot chicks are after you left and right, one of them must be a killer robot.
6. GM's bankruptcy has not affected the giant robot market.
7. US soldiers are more effective in stopping giant robots than any other armed forces in the world. This includes Japan, even though they are better at stopping giant lizards.
8. Us soldiers will happily disobey direct orders and risk creating an international incident and/or court martial/going to prison for treason based on the phone calls from teenagers, because they "trust him" and their boss is a jerk.
9. A woman's "mad scarf skills" can save the day when you are in the desert being chased by bad guys.
10. Dogs/old people/robots humping is supposed to be funny.
11. If you are stuck with a plot problem, showing Megan Fox running in slow motion can solve it.
1. Finally found out why they built the Pyramids of Egypt.
2. Archeologists and Art Historians really hate giant robots.
3. The Obama Administration has not completely evaluated or modified the Bush giant robot policy.
4. Michael Bay must have helped an influential Hollywood producer bury a dead hooker at some time in his life.
5. If you are a nerd, and hot chicks are after you left and right, one of them must be a killer robot.
6. GM's bankruptcy has not affected the giant robot market.
7. US soldiers are more effective in stopping giant robots than any other armed forces in the world. This includes Japan, even though they are better at stopping giant lizards.
8. Us soldiers will happily disobey direct orders and risk creating an international incident and/or court martial/going to prison for treason based on the phone calls from teenagers, because they "trust him" and their boss is a jerk.
9. A woman's "mad scarf skills" can save the day when you are in the desert being chased by bad guys.
10. Dogs/old people/robots humping is supposed to be funny.
11. If you are stuck with a plot problem, showing Megan Fox running in slow motion can solve it.
Monday, June 15, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Pop Culture Update #9...
Summer Movie Roundup...Wolverine, Star Trek, and Terminator Salvation...Star Trek is the best of the three, thought it was amazing movie, which not only appeased the fan-boy in me, but also found a great way out of the dreaded "prequel trap", by developing this alternate future concept which I have always found extremely interesting. Unfortunately, Wolverine and T4 fell square into the "prequel trap", which takes all the suspense out of a film because you know every one's gonna live to fight another day. They are not absolute god awful films, they are just *gasp*, average. 2 1/2 stars out of 5 for Wolvie and The Terminator, and 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for Star Trek.
Netflix...God, I love this service. Get movies at the house or on the computer that you either couldn't find at the video store or were too obscure for the theater (heck, half the movies at the Blockbuster by my house are only in Spanish.) Recommend the following:
1. Documentaries - Expelled, King of Kong, Man on Wire.
2. Comedies - Role Models (the last 15 min. are hilarious if you are a Kiss fan), Fido (a loving story about a boy and his pet zombie), Priceless (a French comedy with Audrey Tautou, who is amazingly attractive and funny to boot)
3. Thriller/Horror - Blindness, Zodiac, Let the Right One In (Swedish Vampires!)
4. Classics - Bridge on the River Kwai, Taxi Driver, Silent Running, The Man who Fell to Earth (this one's pretty trippy!)
something for everybody!
Music Roundup...picked up the new Green Day, Tori Amos and the Indigo Girls. Odd mix. Always liked the dark lyrics of Tori and the guitar work and sound of the Indigo Girls, and got into Green Day from the American Idiot CD. Was really surprised by it, that they were not just a pop-punk band after all, and the new one is just as good.
More later....
Summer Movie Roundup...Wolverine, Star Trek, and Terminator Salvation...Star Trek is the best of the three, thought it was amazing movie, which not only appeased the fan-boy in me, but also found a great way out of the dreaded "prequel trap", by developing this alternate future concept which I have always found extremely interesting. Unfortunately, Wolverine and T4 fell square into the "prequel trap", which takes all the suspense out of a film because you know every one's gonna live to fight another day. They are not absolute god awful films, they are just *gasp*, average. 2 1/2 stars out of 5 for Wolvie and The Terminator, and 4 1/2 stars out of 5 for Star Trek.
Netflix...God, I love this service. Get movies at the house or on the computer that you either couldn't find at the video store or were too obscure for the theater (heck, half the movies at the Blockbuster by my house are only in Spanish.) Recommend the following:
1. Documentaries - Expelled, King of Kong, Man on Wire.
2. Comedies - Role Models (the last 15 min. are hilarious if you are a Kiss fan), Fido (a loving story about a boy and his pet zombie), Priceless (a French comedy with Audrey Tautou, who is amazingly attractive and funny to boot)
3. Thriller/Horror - Blindness, Zodiac, Let the Right One In (Swedish Vampires!)
4. Classics - Bridge on the River Kwai, Taxi Driver, Silent Running, The Man who Fell to Earth (this one's pretty trippy!)
something for everybody!
Music Roundup...picked up the new Green Day, Tori Amos and the Indigo Girls. Odd mix. Always liked the dark lyrics of Tori and the guitar work and sound of the Indigo Girls, and got into Green Day from the American Idiot CD. Was really surprised by it, that they were not just a pop-punk band after all, and the new one is just as good.
More later....
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Crawling from the wreckage...
Haven't posted here in a while...Crawling out from under work and other bits and pieces of life's busy-ness.
Have had an odd week...
1. Went to Austin last weekend for a work-related convention, had the "Austin Experience" on 6th street, and was amazed at seeing these people who were way older than me stay up all night and drink like frat boys on spring break. I was impressed and way out of my drinking level league, so I had to fake it, which I think I did pretty well. I do find it humorous that our company sent the three people in our office who are the most socially inept to go and socialize with the people who give us the work. We have the older quiet guy, the person who is uncomfortable around humans (me) and the guy that says off color things when he gets a little buzzed. It was a miracle it went surprisingly well...
2. Had a guy that I haven't seen in about three years, since he found a woman and got hitched. (don't need the single guy friend anymore, which I have found to be a typical pattern with a lot of people.) Anyhow, he "Facebooks" me, and it turns out he now has a little girl...
3. Had another friend that I hadn't seen in about a year, e-mail me out of the blue to see what was up...turns out she got married a couple of months ago...
"The times they are a-changin..." - Bob Dylan
Haven't posted here in a while...Crawling out from under work and other bits and pieces of life's busy-ness.
Have had an odd week...
1. Went to Austin last weekend for a work-related convention, had the "Austin Experience" on 6th street, and was amazed at seeing these people who were way older than me stay up all night and drink like frat boys on spring break. I was impressed and way out of my drinking level league, so I had to fake it, which I think I did pretty well. I do find it humorous that our company sent the three people in our office who are the most socially inept to go and socialize with the people who give us the work. We have the older quiet guy, the person who is uncomfortable around humans (me) and the guy that says off color things when he gets a little buzzed. It was a miracle it went surprisingly well...
2. Had a guy that I haven't seen in about three years, since he found a woman and got hitched. (don't need the single guy friend anymore, which I have found to be a typical pattern with a lot of people.) Anyhow, he "Facebooks" me, and it turns out he now has a little girl...
3. Had another friend that I hadn't seen in about a year, e-mail me out of the blue to see what was up...turns out she got married a couple of months ago...
"The times they are a-changin..." - Bob Dylan
Friday, January 02, 2009
Movies 2008...
Happy New Year! Just got back from seeing my older bro and his wife and two lil' ones. Good trip and the kids are getting more interesting as they get older and develop their personalities. Saw a neat museum exhibit, went ice skating a few times and played the Wii for the first time and I must say it is a pretty cool piece of tech. My brother and I had a lot of fun with Rock Band after the kids went to bed!
Anyhow, as always, the annual list of movies I saw in ”ought eight"....
Rambo
Jumper
The Spiderwick Chronicles
10,000 BC
The Bank Job (an excellent old school heist movie!)
21
The Forbidden Kingdom
Iron Man
Speed Racer
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Kung Fu Panda
The Incredible Hulk
Wall-E
Wanted
Hancock
Hellboy 2
The Dark Knight
X-Files 2
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Death Race
Traitor
Burn After Reading
Righteous Kill
Appaloosa
Max Payne (Worst movie of '08!)
RocknRolla
Quantum of Solace
Bolt
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Spirit
Valkyrie
Less than last year, but still quite a bit. I missed a couple but will get on Netflix, which is pretty darn cool..
Happy New Year! Just got back from seeing my older bro and his wife and two lil' ones. Good trip and the kids are getting more interesting as they get older and develop their personalities. Saw a neat museum exhibit, went ice skating a few times and played the Wii for the first time and I must say it is a pretty cool piece of tech. My brother and I had a lot of fun with Rock Band after the kids went to bed!
Anyhow, as always, the annual list of movies I saw in ”ought eight"....
Rambo
Jumper
The Spiderwick Chronicles
10,000 BC
The Bank Job (an excellent old school heist movie!)
21
The Forbidden Kingdom
Iron Man
Speed Racer
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Kung Fu Panda
The Incredible Hulk
Wall-E
Wanted
Hancock
Hellboy 2
The Dark Knight
X-Files 2
Pineapple Express
Tropic Thunder
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Death Race
Traitor
Burn After Reading
Righteous Kill
Appaloosa
Max Payne (Worst movie of '08!)
RocknRolla
Quantum of Solace
Bolt
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Spirit
Valkyrie
Less than last year, but still quite a bit. I missed a couple but will get on Netflix, which is pretty darn cool..
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry Christmas...
...And happy birthday Jesus or whichever holiday or religious observance you happen to observe at this time of year!
Hope everyone is doing well and surviving whatever trials are occurring in your life. Just remember it is short, so take some time to enjoy it.
http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/
...And happy birthday Jesus or whichever holiday or religious observance you happen to observe at this time of year!
Hope everyone is doing well and surviving whatever trials are occurring in your life. Just remember it is short, so take some time to enjoy it.
http://www.starwarsholidayspecial.com/
Thursday, October 30, 2008
D.I.Y. Corner...
Reupholstering the couch...
1 existing cat slashed couch $0.00
Target, 3 fancy over-sized towels $5.99 each
16 safety pins $1.99
Tuck in around center couch cushion
Tuck in at reclining couch locations, safety pinning to the reclining part to stay in place.
Easy to clean up when your cat hacks up over the place...Priceless.
...(Ack.)....
Reupholstering the couch...
1 existing cat slashed couch $0.00
Target, 3 fancy over-sized towels $5.99 each
16 safety pins $1.99
Tuck in around center couch cushion
Tuck in at reclining couch locations, safety pinning to the reclining part to stay in place.
Easy to clean up when your cat hacks up over the place...Priceless.
...(Ack.)....
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Ike Images..They cleaned up the tree debris today on my block, so I figured I would share some photos...
Tree and Power line repairmen at the staging area...
People without Power...
Comic book store had roof torn off...not my regular store, but one I frequent. I don't know what I would have done had this been my house.Things are getting and will get even better...normalcy is getting closer every day.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Surviving Ike...
Well, survived the Hurricane. Just got my phone line/internet back a few minutes ago thanks to an extremely overworked AT&T employee. He was actually very pleasant, I don't know if I would be if I was working 15 hour days trying to restore service to hundreds and thousands of people. He told me a great story about a guy who built his home around a utility pole.
Most of the damage in my area was due to large falling trees. Fortunately the trees in front of my home did not fall down. Some of the neighbors were not so lucky, but I have only heard of 1 injury due to this, so most people got lucky. The neighbors (first time meeting a couple, sad to say!) and we spent about two days cleaning up debris, and the City is slowly picking up the piles of dead branches block by block and taking them to be recycled into mulch. (That's a LOT of mulch!) My driveway also doubles as a detention pond for the open storm drain, so it was like working in a rice paddy. No major damage to the house, but I got to report all the already broken stuff the landlord has neglected as "hurricane damage".
My neighbor is an 85 year old man named Johnny, who sounds like Boomhauer from King of the Hill, and he is a machine. This guy worked 12 hours straight for two days cleaning up, helping neighbors, etc. just because "he had nothing better to do" with the power off.
We lost power from Saturday early morning until late Tuesday night. It wasn't that bad because fortunately a cool front came in Sunday morning (Saturday night was rough!). The sound of the neighbors generator tends to make one a bit envious. I ended up getting a heck of a lot of reading done with a miner's flashlight. Gets DARK! 4 Robert Heinlein novels and two comic book history books, so I can't complain.
Some people still do not have power and it varies not only block to block but one side of the street to the next. Some streets you will see 5 or 6 extension cords crossing the street and you know this is the case. (neighbors across the street didn't get power til Friday, which makes one feel guilty. They are busting their butt trying to get all the utilities back on for everyone. 90% of the traffic signals died, so as they are repairing these, traffic is horrible (Treat it as a 4 way stop-Huh!). I never appreciated how efficient traffic signals are until now.
All family and friends are OK...some had their houses damaged, but are physically OK, which one is grateful for. It should get back to normal soon.
...funny, "internet" is not in the spellchecker for Blogger...
Well, survived the Hurricane. Just got my phone line/internet back a few minutes ago thanks to an extremely overworked AT&T employee. He was actually very pleasant, I don't know if I would be if I was working 15 hour days trying to restore service to hundreds and thousands of people. He told me a great story about a guy who built his home around a utility pole.
Most of the damage in my area was due to large falling trees. Fortunately the trees in front of my home did not fall down. Some of the neighbors were not so lucky, but I have only heard of 1 injury due to this, so most people got lucky. The neighbors (first time meeting a couple, sad to say!) and we spent about two days cleaning up debris, and the City is slowly picking up the piles of dead branches block by block and taking them to be recycled into mulch. (That's a LOT of mulch!) My driveway also doubles as a detention pond for the open storm drain, so it was like working in a rice paddy. No major damage to the house, but I got to report all the already broken stuff the landlord has neglected as "hurricane damage".
My neighbor is an 85 year old man named Johnny, who sounds like Boomhauer from King of the Hill, and he is a machine. This guy worked 12 hours straight for two days cleaning up, helping neighbors, etc. just because "he had nothing better to do" with the power off.
We lost power from Saturday early morning until late Tuesday night. It wasn't that bad because fortunately a cool front came in Sunday morning (Saturday night was rough!). The sound of the neighbors generator tends to make one a bit envious. I ended up getting a heck of a lot of reading done with a miner's flashlight. Gets DARK! 4 Robert Heinlein novels and two comic book history books, so I can't complain.
Some people still do not have power and it varies not only block to block but one side of the street to the next. Some streets you will see 5 or 6 extension cords crossing the street and you know this is the case. (neighbors across the street didn't get power til Friday, which makes one feel guilty. They are busting their butt trying to get all the utilities back on for everyone. 90% of the traffic signals died, so as they are repairing these, traffic is horrible (Treat it as a 4 way stop-Huh!). I never appreciated how efficient traffic signals are until now.
All family and friends are OK...some had their houses damaged, but are physically OK, which one is grateful for. It should get back to normal soon.
...funny, "internet" is not in the spellchecker for Blogger...
Monday, August 25, 2008
Olympics...
Well, another Olympics has come and gone, and what is so fascinating about it is the stories of the people involved and the amazing grit and guts these people have...
My absolute favorite story though, has to be the South African woman who swam in the open water swimming event...Seems she was a pool swimmer until she lost her leg in a scooter accident, who when she tried to go back to lane swimming had problems staying in a straight line, so she switched to open water swimming, which requires more upper body strength than average swimming and the straight line is not as critical. Well folks, this lady makes the Olympic team, despite having one leg, and even though she finishes the race in 16th place, she is only a minute and 22 seconds behind the winner for a 6 1/2 mile swim.
A freakin' mazing...
...Also, who knew the national sport of Hungary was water polo?
Well, another Olympics has come and gone, and what is so fascinating about it is the stories of the people involved and the amazing grit and guts these people have...
My absolute favorite story though, has to be the South African woman who swam in the open water swimming event...Seems she was a pool swimmer until she lost her leg in a scooter accident, who when she tried to go back to lane swimming had problems staying in a straight line, so she switched to open water swimming, which requires more upper body strength than average swimming and the straight line is not as critical. Well folks, this lady makes the Olympic team, despite having one leg, and even though she finishes the race in 16th place, she is only a minute and 22 seconds behind the winner for a 6 1/2 mile swim.
A freakin' mazing...
...Also, who knew the national sport of Hungary was water polo?
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Following Up...
Summer's almost over...Been real busy with work, managing a job that shouldn't have been mine in the first place, and should have been less traumatic as well, but has a case of "too many chiefs" syndrome. Finished the bowling league last week, (I'm the worst guy on the team, but make up for it with a 70 pin handicap (whoo-hoo!)), We lost over half our games, but we have fun, so who cares. Had a good visit with my brother and his family who came down in July, and saw a ton of movies as well:
Dark Knight was freakin' awesome...I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, I have no idea what they are going to do to top this on the next one.
Wall-E was also incredible...what amazed me so much about it, as all the Pixar films do, is you start the first couple of minutes being amazed by the visuals, but shortly after that you totally get into the story. It was also proof how good these guys are, since there is so little dialogue in it.
Wanted was enjoyable...if you liked it, check out two movies, Nightwatch and Daywatch, from the same director...it is the Russian version of The Matrix meets Underworld. Trippy stuff.
Hellboy 2 was great...Del Toro came off of Pan's Labyrinth and incorporated that sensibility into this film...almost like living Anime...Also, I love Abe Sapien, he is just cool!
Hancock was interesting, I can see why people are so divided on it as the movie takes a hard right turn in the middle, and you will either love it or hate it. I thought it was kinda neat, but they could have done some more with it. Jason Bateman has come a long way, though.
X-files was good, but really just a long episode of the series...It was nice to see where the characters are now, almost like seeing family you haven't seen in a while. I still have no idea why this movie wasn't released in the off season, it got buried at the box office, but should do well on DVD.
Pineapple Express...For the life of me, I don't understand, but I liked this one, sort of Lethal Weapon meets Stoner Comedy. Who knew James Franco could act?
Tropic Thunder...This is funny...Downey Jr. is great, and there is a great part at the end that is such a great funny visual that made the whole movie for me.
...Also, if you get a chance, rent a movie called FIDO...it's a quirky comedy about a boy and his pet zombie...totally worth it...
Summer's almost over...Been real busy with work, managing a job that shouldn't have been mine in the first place, and should have been less traumatic as well, but has a case of "too many chiefs" syndrome. Finished the bowling league last week, (I'm the worst guy on the team, but make up for it with a 70 pin handicap (whoo-hoo!)), We lost over half our games, but we have fun, so who cares. Had a good visit with my brother and his family who came down in July, and saw a ton of movies as well:
Dark Knight was freakin' awesome...I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, I have no idea what they are going to do to top this on the next one.
Wall-E was also incredible...what amazed me so much about it, as all the Pixar films do, is you start the first couple of minutes being amazed by the visuals, but shortly after that you totally get into the story. It was also proof how good these guys are, since there is so little dialogue in it.
Wanted was enjoyable...if you liked it, check out two movies, Nightwatch and Daywatch, from the same director...it is the Russian version of The Matrix meets Underworld. Trippy stuff.
Hellboy 2 was great...Del Toro came off of Pan's Labyrinth and incorporated that sensibility into this film...almost like living Anime...Also, I love Abe Sapien, he is just cool!
Hancock was interesting, I can see why people are so divided on it as the movie takes a hard right turn in the middle, and you will either love it or hate it. I thought it was kinda neat, but they could have done some more with it. Jason Bateman has come a long way, though.
X-files was good, but really just a long episode of the series...It was nice to see where the characters are now, almost like seeing family you haven't seen in a while. I still have no idea why this movie wasn't released in the off season, it got buried at the box office, but should do well on DVD.
Pineapple Express...For the life of me, I don't understand, but I liked this one, sort of Lethal Weapon meets Stoner Comedy. Who knew James Franco could act?
Tropic Thunder...This is funny...Downey Jr. is great, and there is a great part at the end that is such a great funny visual that made the whole movie for me.
...Also, if you get a chance, rent a movie called FIDO...it's a quirky comedy about a boy and his pet zombie...totally worth it...
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
From Galway to Graceland...
Oh she dressed in the dark and she whispered amen
She was pretty in pink like a young girl again
Twenty years married and she never thought twice
She sneaked out the door and walked into the night
And silver wings carried her over the sea
From the west coast of Ireland to West Tennessee
To be with her sweetheart, oh she left everything
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
She was humming Suspicion, that's the song she liked best
She had Elvis I Love You tattooed on her breast
When they landed in Memphis, well her heart beat so fast
She'd dreamed for so long, now she'd see him at last
She was down by his graveside day after day
Come closing time they would pull her away
Ah to be with her sweetheart, oh she'd left everything
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
Ah, they came in their thousands from the whole human race
To pay their respects at his last resting place
But blindly she knelt there and she told him her dreams
And she thought that he answered or that's how it seems
Then they dragged her away it was handcuffs this time
She said my good man are you out of your mind.
Don't you know that we're married? See, I'm wearing his ring.
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king.
I come From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
Interesting here...2 versions of this song through the blessings of YouTube...
This is Eleanor Shanley's version of the song from the 1998 album Desert Heat...
The High Kings...an Irish Group I discovered on PBS, where I first heard it...
Original song by Richard Thompson...who funny enough could only find an mp3 excerpt of and nothing else.
Oh she dressed in the dark and she whispered amen
She was pretty in pink like a young girl again
Twenty years married and she never thought twice
She sneaked out the door and walked into the night
And silver wings carried her over the sea
From the west coast of Ireland to West Tennessee
To be with her sweetheart, oh she left everything
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
She was humming Suspicion, that's the song she liked best
She had Elvis I Love You tattooed on her breast
When they landed in Memphis, well her heart beat so fast
She'd dreamed for so long, now she'd see him at last
She was down by his graveside day after day
Come closing time they would pull her away
Ah to be with her sweetheart, oh she'd left everything
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
Ah, they came in their thousands from the whole human race
To pay their respects at his last resting place
But blindly she knelt there and she told him her dreams
And she thought that he answered or that's how it seems
Then they dragged her away it was handcuffs this time
She said my good man are you out of your mind.
Don't you know that we're married? See, I'm wearing his ring.
From Galway to Graceland to be with the king.
I come From Galway to Graceland to be with the king
Interesting here...2 versions of this song through the blessings of YouTube...
This is Eleanor Shanley's version of the song from the 1998 album Desert Heat...
The High Kings...an Irish Group I discovered on PBS, where I first heard it...
Original song by Richard Thompson...who funny enough could only find an mp3 excerpt of and nothing else.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Summertime...
Been busy these days, with construction going full tilt as always, playing softball and bowling, studying and seeing movies. So far its been a decent summer for those:
Iron Man - great
Speed Racer - This is a pretty trippy movie. You will either like it or loathe it - I liked it, the racing is like NASCAR on Hot Wheels Tracks.
Narnia - Prince Caspian - Read these years ago, so don't remember the whole "it wasn't that way in the book" thing. Was good, the movie is beautiful, but I have issues with this and the last movie where you have a group of 8-16 year olds just casually killing orcs, etc. There's just something about it that pulls me out of the movie, must be getting old.
Indy 4 - Mixed - had three "aw-come-on" moments that yanked me out of the movie.
Hulk - Awesome. Just a fun movie
Kung Fu Panda - This was a surprise...It was really funny and the animation is a step up the normal Dreamworks fare.
Next week....Wall-E and Wanted!
Been busy these days, with construction going full tilt as always, playing softball and bowling, studying and seeing movies. So far its been a decent summer for those:
Iron Man - great
Speed Racer - This is a pretty trippy movie. You will either like it or loathe it - I liked it, the racing is like NASCAR on Hot Wheels Tracks.
Narnia - Prince Caspian - Read these years ago, so don't remember the whole "it wasn't that way in the book" thing. Was good, the movie is beautiful, but I have issues with this and the last movie where you have a group of 8-16 year olds just casually killing orcs, etc. There's just something about it that pulls me out of the movie, must be getting old.
Indy 4 - Mixed - had three "aw-come-on" moments that yanked me out of the movie.
Hulk - Awesome. Just a fun movie
Kung Fu Panda - This was a surprise...It was really funny and the animation is a step up the normal Dreamworks fare.
Next week....Wall-E and Wanted!
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Its not easy being Green...Building that is...
I have been up to my eyeballs of late in studying "Green Building" Techniques, in concert with a "volunteer" (re: in our company's best interests) committee in bringing these techniques to the building type our office specializes in, and in studying for a professional exam called LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which after paying $400.00 to take the test, I was lucky enough to pass it. (it basically makes you an official tree-hugging architect)Also, somehow I am on another committee to bring a California program to Texas in regards to creating high performance, energy efficient buildings.
So what does this all mean?
...Energy efficient buildings are good.
...Day lighting is good.
...Water efficiency is REALLY good.
...Buildings will have a greater initial first cost, but the cost savings in energy payback/resource make it worth it.
This is all well and good, and we do 85% of the stuff anyways as the basis of responsible design, but there are two funny things about it:
1. A lot of this stuff was tried in the 70's with mixed results.
2. This means a lot more paperwork--Pdf's actually.
...I keep thinking of Helen Lovejoy..."think of the children!"
Friday, March 14, 2008
Monday, March 03, 2008
Texas Primary Part Two...
Interesting...everyone has been comparing BHO (Barack Hussein Obama - Typing this, I can see why the media doesn't use the initials!) to JFK these days...In an odd coincidence, I have been hearing a lot of the original speeches of Kennedy...here's a couple...
Inaugural Address Jan 20, 1961 -(Ask not what your country can do for you...)
"We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge--and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do--for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom--and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge--to convert our good words into good deeds--in a new alliance for progress--to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support--to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective--to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak--and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.
But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course--both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms--and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free."
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as a call to battle, though embattled we are-- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
Moon Promise....(excerpt)
Finally, if we are to win the battle that is now going on around the world between freedom and tyranny, the dramatic achievements in space which occurred in recent weeks should have made clear to us all, as did the Sputnik in 1957, the impact of this adventure on the minds of men everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take. Since early in my term, our efforts in space have been under review. With the advice of the Vice President, who is Chairman of the National Space Council, we have examined where we are strong and where we are not, where we may succeed and where we may not. Now it is time to take longer strides--time for a great new American enterprise--time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.
I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the national decisions or marshaled the national resources required for such leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our resources and our time so as to insure their fulfillment.
Recognizing the head start obtained by the Soviets with their large rocket engines, which gives them many months of lead time, and recognizing the likelihood that they will exploit this lead for some time to come in still more impressive successes, we nevertheless are required to make new efforts on our own. For while we cannot guarantee that we shall one day be first, we can guarantee that any failure to make this effort will make us last. We take an additional risk by making it in full view of the world, but as shown by the feat of astronaut Shepard, this very risk enhances our stature when we are successful. But this is not merely a race. Space is open to us now; and our eagerness to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of others. We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share.
I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases I have earlier requested for space activities, to provide the funds which are needed to meet the following national goals:
First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish. We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft. We propose to develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until certain which is superior. We propose additional funds for other engine development and for unmanned explorations--explorations which are particularly important for one purpose which this nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight. But in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon--if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.
Secondly, an additional 23 million dollars, together with 7 million dollars already available, will accelerate development of the Rover nuclear rocket. This gives promise of some day providing a means for even more exciting and ambitious exploration of space, perhaps beyond the moon, perhaps to the very end of the solar system itself.
Third, an additional 50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for world-wide communications.
Fourth, an additional 75 million dollars--of which 53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau--will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for world-wide weather observation.
Let it be clear--and this is a judgment which the Members of the Congress must finally make--let it be clear that I am asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action, a course which will last for many years and carry very heavy costs: 531 million dollars in fiscal '62--an estimated seven to nine billion dollars additional over the next five years. If we are to go only half way, or reduce our sights in the face of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not to go at all.
Now this is a choice which this country must make, and I am confident that under the leadership of the Space Committees of the Congress, and the Appropriating Committees, that you will consider the matter carefully.
It is a most important decision that we make as a nation. But all of you have lived through the last four years and have seen the significance of space and the adventures in space, and no one can predict with certainty what the ultimate meaning will be of mastery of space.
I believe we should go to the moon. But I think every citizen of this country as well as the Members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment, to which we have given attention over many weeks and months, because it is a heavy burden, and there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared to do the work and bear the burdens to make it successful. If we are not, we should decide today and this year.
This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, materiel and facilities, and the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization and discipline which have not always characterized our research and development efforts. It means we cannot afford undue work stoppages, inflated costs of material or talent, wasteful inter agency rivalries, or a high turnover of key personnel.
New objectives and new money cannot solve these problems. They could in fact, aggravate them further--unless every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civil servant gives his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space.
Interesting Stuff...(and kind of Republican, *gosh*)
Interesting...everyone has been comparing BHO (Barack Hussein Obama - Typing this, I can see why the media doesn't use the initials!) to JFK these days...In an odd coincidence, I have been hearing a lot of the original speeches of Kennedy...here's a couple...
Inaugural Address Jan 20, 1961 -(Ask not what your country can do for you...)
"We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters ago.
The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed today at home and around the world.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
This much we pledge--and more.
To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there is little we can do--for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.
To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope to find them strongly supporting their own freedom--and to remember that, in the past, those who foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.
To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is required--not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich.
To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge--to convert our good words into good deeds--in a new alliance for progress--to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house.
To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge of support--to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective--to strengthen its shield of the new and the weak--and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.
Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.
We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.
But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present course--both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that stays the hand of mankind's final war.
So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.
Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.
Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and control of arms--and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control of all nations.
Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.
Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free."
And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.
All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as a call to battle, though embattled we are-- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
Moon Promise....(excerpt)
Finally, if we are to win the battle that is now going on around the world between freedom and tyranny, the dramatic achievements in space which occurred in recent weeks should have made clear to us all, as did the Sputnik in 1957, the impact of this adventure on the minds of men everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take. Since early in my term, our efforts in space have been under review. With the advice of the Vice President, who is Chairman of the National Space Council, we have examined where we are strong and where we are not, where we may succeed and where we may not. Now it is time to take longer strides--time for a great new American enterprise--time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on earth.
I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the national decisions or marshaled the national resources required for such leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our resources and our time so as to insure their fulfillment.
Recognizing the head start obtained by the Soviets with their large rocket engines, which gives them many months of lead time, and recognizing the likelihood that they will exploit this lead for some time to come in still more impressive successes, we nevertheless are required to make new efforts on our own. For while we cannot guarantee that we shall one day be first, we can guarantee that any failure to make this effort will make us last. We take an additional risk by making it in full view of the world, but as shown by the feat of astronaut Shepard, this very risk enhances our stature when we are successful. But this is not merely a race. Space is open to us now; and our eagerness to share its meaning is not governed by the efforts of others. We go into space because whatever mankind must undertake, free men must fully share.
I therefore ask the Congress, above and beyond the increases I have earlier requested for space activities, to provide the funds which are needed to meet the following national goals:
First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth. No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish. We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft. We propose to develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until certain which is superior. We propose additional funds for other engine development and for unmanned explorations--explorations which are particularly important for one purpose which this nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight. But in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon--if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there.
Secondly, an additional 23 million dollars, together with 7 million dollars already available, will accelerate development of the Rover nuclear rocket. This gives promise of some day providing a means for even more exciting and ambitious exploration of space, perhaps beyond the moon, perhaps to the very end of the solar system itself.
Third, an additional 50 million dollars will make the most of our present leadership, by accelerating the use of space satellites for world-wide communications.
Fourth, an additional 75 million dollars--of which 53 million dollars is for the Weather Bureau--will help give us at the earliest possible time a satellite system for world-wide weather observation.
Let it be clear--and this is a judgment which the Members of the Congress must finally make--let it be clear that I am asking the Congress and the country to accept a firm commitment to a new course of action, a course which will last for many years and carry very heavy costs: 531 million dollars in fiscal '62--an estimated seven to nine billion dollars additional over the next five years. If we are to go only half way, or reduce our sights in the face of difficulty, in my judgment it would be better not to go at all.
Now this is a choice which this country must make, and I am confident that under the leadership of the Space Committees of the Congress, and the Appropriating Committees, that you will consider the matter carefully.
It is a most important decision that we make as a nation. But all of you have lived through the last four years and have seen the significance of space and the adventures in space, and no one can predict with certainty what the ultimate meaning will be of mastery of space.
I believe we should go to the moon. But I think every citizen of this country as well as the Members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment, to which we have given attention over many weeks and months, because it is a heavy burden, and there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space, unless we are prepared to do the work and bear the burdens to make it successful. If we are not, we should decide today and this year.
This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, materiel and facilities, and the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization and discipline which have not always characterized our research and development efforts. It means we cannot afford undue work stoppages, inflated costs of material or talent, wasteful inter agency rivalries, or a high turnover of key personnel.
New objectives and new money cannot solve these problems. They could in fact, aggravate them further--unless every scientist, every engineer, every serviceman, every technician, contractor, and civil servant gives his personal pledge that this nation will move forward, with the full speed of freedom, in the exciting adventure of space.
Interesting Stuff...(and kind of Republican, *gosh*)
Friday, February 22, 2008
Texas Primary...
Well, the Texas Primary is coming up (March 4) and all the presidential wanna be's are in town...I even got a message on my answering machine today from John McCain. Funny.
The cool thing about the Texas Primary is you do can vote in either the democratic primary or the republican one, it does not matter which party you are registered. I have decided to vote in the Dems Primary, because this will seem to count more...
...not sure to vote for though, they are eerily similar. The websites are almost identical.
Kang or Kodos...You decide!
Well, the Texas Primary is coming up (March 4) and all the presidential wanna be's are in town...I even got a message on my answering machine today from John McCain. Funny.
The cool thing about the Texas Primary is you do can vote in either the democratic primary or the republican one, it does not matter which party you are registered. I have decided to vote in the Dems Primary, because this will seem to count more...
...not sure to vote for though, they are eerily similar. The websites are almost identical.
Kang or Kodos...You decide!
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Cookie Monster Comes Clean...
http://www.npr.org/blogs/incharacter/2008/02/cookie_monster_comes_to_npr.html
...This is why we need NPR!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/incharacter/2008/02/cookie_monster_comes_to_npr.html
...This is why we need NPR!
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