Back in the Miami 80's, I went on a fish buying trip to Florida (from NYC ) & the southeastern part of this great country. I was sent on a mission to buy fish, shrimp, crab, red snapper, swordfish & any other delicacies. I found that most fisherman were making most of their money from "Square Grouper." Bales of pot found floating in the the bay. I'm not complaining. Just looking for a way for the smaller companies & the individuals that shrimp & crab to get a little out of this cuz that's all they get is a little . . .
Josh Hamilton of the Texas Rangers is a handsome guy, looks good in the tight uniforms of the baseball world. The old world, Josh ain't baggy pants Manny, looking like he's running with some extras in his pants. I can't imagine they help anyway but for the groupies after the game. But Josh as Mickey? Maybe. Mickey was majestic. Josh is a shrimper.
Josh, as we know went through a whole lot of living that many of us will never have to confront. Hamilton played baseball growing up in North Carolina. He was the first overall pick in the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[1] He was considered a blue chip prospect until injuries and a drug addiction derailed his career in 2001.
The legend of Josh Hamilton, Texas Ranger, is growing on a nightly basis. There is nobody like him in baseball, and possibly nobody this good, this big, this fast and this unique -- a 6'4", 235-pound sledgehammer of a hitter who can run balls down in center field and fly around the bases and hit for such a high average -- since Mickey Mantle in his prime.
Talk about steroids. If Mickey Mantle wasn't an alcoholic, drug addict can you imagine what he might have done? He did shit to impair his performance (not on purpose), not enhance it.
Back to that trip to Florida. My wife, at the time, & I got on to an elevator with two other folks. Liz poked me. "What?" I was gazing at the petite blonde next us. "That's Mickey Mantle," I was appalled that she recognized him before I did. My Hero! The elevator stopped on the seventh floor. Of course. They stepped off & Meryln turned to me & smiled. What a gal.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
POLITICS - Afghani War
Now that the military has said that there is no "military reason" to be in Afghanistan, why are we there? Probably something Eisenhower warned us about: the military-industrial-congressional complex (the "congressional" part of the quote is usually left out). From very large to small, there are estimated to be about 60,000 private contractors in the country. They get paid only as long as the war goes on. Or is there an alternative for them?
Now, I know President Obama favors the war and told us so during the campaign. From his point of view, it seems paramount to disrupt the terrorist network and hopefully keep the Taliban out of power. He also seems genuinely interested in providing some sort of governmental/societal infrastructure that leaves out the Taliban. Mostly, for their backward stance on women and girls, which goes hand in hand with their backward stance on men and boys. However, the Taliban have moved into Pakistan, as well as, holding their territory in the south of Afghanistan.
Then, of course, there is the "natural resources" reason. Until recently, we thought it was so that an oil pipe line could be built across the country. Now, we know that a booming mining industry awaits Afghanistan and with it all the environmental degradation of acids and poisons. Though it has been known awhile, it was just recently publicized that all those minerals reside in the mountains of Afghanistan. "The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe."1 Over a trillion dollars worth of minerals in them thar hills.
No one seems to be using the "stop heroin" argument these days. So, why don't we buy Afghanistan's opium for use in medical painkillers and research. We currently purchase the opium our medical community uses from New Zealand. And we should help the Afghanistan farming community to switch to profitable crops. Saffron, an incredibly expensive spice, used to be the number one cash crop of Afghanistan.
If there is no military reason for being in the country then let us bring the military home. Let the contractors stay if they want, but let them get their pay from the Afghanistan government. Let them build the roads, tear up the mountains and destroy the country in the process, if that's the devil's deal Karzai wants with Blackwater and Haliburton. But let us spend our money on our roads. There are places in this country where rather than repairing roads, states and counties are just filling in with gravel; whole roads are turning to gravel for miles long stretches. A recent study by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the following grades to the areas that make up our infrastructure:
Notice the highest grade is a C+ for "Solid Waste." The best we can do is get rid of our shit in a mediocre manner. There is more detailed information at their website, www.asce.org/reportcard/2009/grades.cfm. No matter the reason for wanting to stay in Afghanistan it seems that we can bring the military home and let the Afghanistan people decide what they want and who they want to deal with. The money saved would be incredible. The amount of lives saved priceless.
1. New York Times, June 13, 2010. www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
Now, I know President Obama favors the war and told us so during the campaign. From his point of view, it seems paramount to disrupt the terrorist network and hopefully keep the Taliban out of power. He also seems genuinely interested in providing some sort of governmental/societal infrastructure that leaves out the Taliban. Mostly, for their backward stance on women and girls, which goes hand in hand with their backward stance on men and boys. However, the Taliban have moved into Pakistan, as well as, holding their territory in the south of Afghanistan.
Then, of course, there is the "natural resources" reason. Until recently, we thought it was so that an oil pipe line could be built across the country. Now, we know that a booming mining industry awaits Afghanistan and with it all the environmental degradation of acids and poisons. Though it has been known awhile, it was just recently publicized that all those minerals reside in the mountains of Afghanistan. "The previously unknown deposits — including huge veins of iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium — are so big and include so many minerals that are essential to modern industry that Afghanistan could eventually be transformed into one of the most important mining centers in the world, the United States officials believe."1 Over a trillion dollars worth of minerals in them thar hills.
No one seems to be using the "stop heroin" argument these days. So, why don't we buy Afghanistan's opium for use in medical painkillers and research. We currently purchase the opium our medical community uses from New Zealand. And we should help the Afghanistan farming community to switch to profitable crops. Saffron, an incredibly expensive spice, used to be the number one cash crop of Afghanistan.
If there is no military reason for being in the country then let us bring the military home. Let the contractors stay if they want, but let them get their pay from the Afghanistan government. Let them build the roads, tear up the mountains and destroy the country in the process, if that's the devil's deal Karzai wants with Blackwater and Haliburton. But let us spend our money on our roads. There are places in this country where rather than repairing roads, states and counties are just filling in with gravel; whole roads are turning to gravel for miles long stretches. A recent study by the American Society of Civil Engineers gave the following grades to the areas that make up our infrastructure:
| Aviation | D |
|---|---|
| Bridges | C |
| Dams | D |
| Drinking Water | D- |
| Energy | D+ |
| Hazardous Waste | D |
| Inland Waterways | D- |
| Levees | D- |
| Public Parks & Recreation | C- |
| Rail | C- |
| Roads | D- |
| School | D |
| Solid Waste | C+ |
| Transit | D |
| Wastewater | D- |
Notice the highest grade is a C+ for "Solid Waste." The best we can do is get rid of our shit in a mediocre manner. There is more detailed information at their website, www.asce.org/reportcard/2009/grades.cfm. No matter the reason for wanting to stay in Afghanistan it seems that we can bring the military home and let the Afghanistan people decide what they want and who they want to deal with. The money saved would be incredible. The amount of lives saved priceless.
1. New York Times, June 13, 2010. www.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/world/asia/14minerals.html
Sunday, August 8, 2010
POETRY
Promise
A new blossoming
A way to find a way out
Another escape
Go for it quickly
I promise to do likewise
Together we can
If you walk the path
I will be right by your side
Lost again in truth
POETRY
Mixed Up Shook Up
No expiration
The small measure of a man
Is a thought away
It comes upon us
In the middle of the night
In our unawares
Even when we're told
We don't believe their bullshit
It's a jail in here
Shinola comes soft
& carries a damn big stick
lost is all the truth
No expiration
The small measure of a man
Is a thought away
It comes upon us
In the middle of the night
In our unawares
Even when we're told
We don't believe their bullshit
It's a jail in here
Shinola comes soft
& carries a damn big stick
lost is all the truth
POETRY - as always, I own the copyright
The Body
I apologize
For being murdered last night
My fault after all
Not protecting us
The heirs lions the whole thing
Attack from behind again
I didn't see you
The disappointment once more
I saw what is dead
But what does that say
About greed & jealousy
Well nothing really
The body next door
It says a lot about me
& more about you
I apologize
For being murdered last night
My fault after all
Not protecting us
The heirs lions the whole thing
Attack from behind again
I didn't see you
The disappointment once more
I saw what is dead
But what does that say
About greed & jealousy
Well nothing really
The body next door
It says a lot about me
& more about you
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
