tenaya: (I love TV)
Okay, there are three things I wanted to mention.

The first is that Buddy, the black cat has acquired two servants. He comes in and bosses us about. It's actually pretty funny. I feel by winter he'll be our cat but don't tell him that.

The second is that we saw Julie and Julia tonight. I really enjoyed it. It is very well acted, quite interesting and is pretty much exactly what I expected. I enjoyed the Julia parts more than the Julie parts, but those were okay, too. I recommend it unless you have to have special effects or car chases in your films.

Third, last week I wrote an annoyed letter to my congressman, David Drier, a republican. He apparently called up while we were at the movies. That's...unsettling. I wrote about health care bill because I felt very frustrated that he would, of course, be anti-bill. He can't really be interested in a pro-health care bill viewpoint so what was he after? He was having a telephone town hall meeting, whatever that is. Was I gonna be the person all the raving lunatics would be shouting down? Oh well, I'm glad I missed it.

Oh, also I want to say I am enjoying Being Human and find Defying Gravity ridiculous but I'm still watching because I want to know what Beta is.
tenaya: (Default)
Copied verbatim from [livejournal.com profile] otterdance

It has been brought to my attention that Gov. Terminator has proposed a 9% tax on vet services in California.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=100539251&ft=1&f=1017

That's a steep increase, and may prevent many people from getting the care their pets need.

Alert reader [livejournal.com profile] siarh has tracked down what we can do about it. Thanks!

Simply: 1) Call the Governor's office at 916-445-2841

2) Select your language choice. Press "1" for English.

3) Press "5"

4) Press "1" to select the issue of extending the sales tax to veterinary
services.

5) Press "2" to "OPPOSE" the Veterinary Services Tax proposal.
tenaya: (Default)
I was browsing through the works of Patrick McGoohan and found that Disney had recently released Dr. Syn: The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh. In fact, it was a limited release last November and it's already out of print with the price on ebay close to double of its release price. Snooze you lose. Anyway, better to buy it now because it will only go up in price. Interestingly, it's a 2 disk set, the first set being the three episodes originally televised and the second disk it the movie they cobbled together and is the version they rarely repeated on tv. Just a heads up in case you're interested.

I also found an old British film about corruption in a trucking company called Hell Drivers. It stars Stanley Baker, Patrick McGoohan, William Hartnell, Gordon Jackson, David McCallum and Sean Connery. 1957. Wow. I'm looking forward to watching this tonight.

On the FiOS front, Verizon sent us a new set top box with no reason. We hadn't requested it, and when we phoned, they didn't know why it was sent. After mulling it over, I went ahead and switched it out. Would it kill them to include an explanation? And while I was futzing about with the electronics, I changed out my dvd recorder with one that works. Now I can burn some disks and clear out the tivos!

Supernatural: An interesting ep but Read more... )

Criminal Minds: Heh heh, thank you for making my life a Cher song. *g* Read more... )

No Top Gear, no NCIS, no The Mentalist, no SGA.... ::::sigh::::

On the other hand, I turn the news on and instead of busting a blood vessel while Dumbshit smirks and sits on this thumbs (do you know that Bush had 77 vacations over the past 8 years?!?) I see Obama doing whatever and even if I don't quite like what he's doing, I still get a little grin because he's smart and he's got a plan and the first thing he is doing is going through the metaphorical refrigerator and throwing out all the moldy stuff. What a relief!

Oh, I also have to mention a clip they showed on the Daily Show. It showed Hillary Clinton walking through the State Dept on her first day on the job. She was surrounded by hordes of happy, applauding people. Stewart labeled it as Hillary liberating the State Dept and that is exactly what it looked like. What the hell was Condoleezza Rice doing to those people? They were all but sobbing with relief.

A new era.

Jan. 20th, 2009 10:53 am
tenaya: (Default)
We have a new president and it feels good. America is based on ideals and this is a big milestone on the path towards those ideals. Racism is still present, but it feels like a tipping point--that there are more who aren't than there are who are.

I liked Obama's speech; we're calling it the "daddy's home and he's not happy" speech. It's a "get up off your butt and get busy!" speech. *g* Well, there's definitely plenty to do. One day at a time. eh?

And I know it's suddenly not a Disney film and the birds are singing and dancing with rainbows everywhere, but things will be better than they were. The whole thing is so broken it's a good time to make a major overhaul and its encouraging he's talking along those lines. I hope he sticks to that plan and manages to get some of it done. He seems smart, careful and he respects the constitution. It's a big job but it seems like he wants a lot of imput (unlike others I could name.)

After following the elections for the last two years, the inauguration was the cherry on the sundae. I'm so glad it went off smoothly. I hope that's a trend that will continue.

I voted!

Nov. 4th, 2008 08:16 am
tenaya: (Default)
I stopped by the polling place on my way home and got there a couple of minutes before it opened. I've never had to wait before but this time there was quite a line and it ended up taking me 35 minutes. I was the 42nd voter. *g* Maybe that is a good sign?
tenaya: (Default)
Gakked from obelix:

http://www.politicalcompass.org/test

This was interesting because even though I'm a registered Republican, I find myself defending Obama and taking s strong Dem stance at work because, frankly, the Republican pov I find batshit crazy on so many levels. Fiscal responsibility, the rights of states above federal laws and letting people get the hell along with their lives without government interference was what the Republicans used to stand for. Those days are long gone. Now, their blindness in the face of facts can only be attributed to greed and stupidity as far as I can see. And religion? Don't get me started. I've heard so many pro Prop 8 arguments at work where the fundamental basis for their pov is "Don't you believe in the Bible?" Uh, no. Particularly when it's used to promote hatred, intolerance and inequality. If this is a cause that makes you proud to be religious, to feel that this cause is worthy of all your effort--that god will be proud of you for hating and ridiculing your fellow humans--you've sold me on not subscribing to religion, period.

So, my results were in the green, two down and five to the left.
tenaya: (Default)
I'm watching Real Time with Bill Maher. One of his guests is Naomi Klein who wrote The Shock Doctrine. To bottom line their points:

The lead up to this crisis has been spectacularly profitable to Bush's friends and that's why it has been allowed to happen. Wall Street handed out 33 billion in bonuses last year. Wall Street is happy today because it's Christmas morning and all their debt has been removed. If McCain becomes president, he will use this crisis to say, we can't afford Social Security or health care and it must be privatized. He will promote even further deregulation "to speed recover." This bailout will severely handicap programs that assist Americans in need. Deregulation will breed corruption because there is no rules to stop it.

Shouldn't I be hearing these perspectives on the news and not a comedy show??
tenaya: (Default)
I've been working the last three nights and it's been pretty darn busy. My brain is tired and I've never had an affinity for economics on the best of days. I've just seen Bush's speech (and for the first time, he did a whole speech without smirking so you know it's pretty damn serious) and Obama's speech.

First, I'm angry that big business has had free reign and in pursuit of big profits they've screwed us all over, big time. And now we have no choice but to bail them out.

Second, reading between the lines tells me that we are teetering on edge of total meltdown and another Great Depression. And they are hoping these moves are enough to avoid it, but they really aren't sure. Right now I have a ball of ice in my gut; it's not as bad as it was when I was watching the WTC towers turn into dust; it's more like the days after Katrina as we watched the people of New Orleans, helpless and confused, waiting vainly for help, all the while corpses were left to rot in the street.


"This is the federal government's most far-reaching intervention in the financial markets since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

"They did what they had to do," said Baumohl. "They were facing a Category 5 financial hurricane that really threatened the entire global financial architecture."

The downside to the plan is its enormous cost, said Baumohl, estimating that the federal bail-out of the financial markets could swell the national deficit to $1 trillion annually."


http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/19/news/economy/paulson/index.htm?postversion=2008091912


And here is where you can read Bush's speech:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/09/20080919-2.html

Of interest:

"The actions I just outlined reflect the considered judgment of Secretary Paulson, Chairman Bernanke, and Chairman Cox. We believe that this decisive government action is needed to preserve America's financial system and sustain America's overall economy. These measures will require us to put a significant amount of taxpayer dollars on the line. This action does entail risk. But we expect that this money will eventually be paid back. The vast majority of assets the government is planning to purchase have good value over time, because the vast majority of homeowners continue to pay their mortgages. And the risk of not acting would be far higher. Further stress on our financial markets would cause massive job losses, devastate retirement accounts, and further erode housing values, as well as dry up loans for new homes and cars and college tuitions. These are risks that America cannot afford to take. "


Obama gave a good speech and he does seem to have the mettle to face this; he outlined details which is an vital improvement. The snippet I saw of McCain's reaction left me furious; he's just taking the opportunity to take a swipe at Obama. Definitely not leadership material. Both Bush and Obama had very grave attitudes and stressed the importance of both parties working together on this.

I've viewed my vote in November as a way to stop McCain from making the Supreme Court even more conservative. For the first time I feel that, of the two choices we have, I will be voting FOR Obama instead of against McCain.
tenaya: (Default)
They showed part of it on the Evening news and part more will be tonight on Nightline, some more on ABC's morning show and 20/20 on Friday night. You get to see her think on her feet and handle a reporter's questions. Try to watch some of it.

My opinion after watching the first part? Read more... )
tenaya: (Default)
First off, Hillary gave a fantastic speech. I hope you got a chance to see it. And it's painfully apparently she should have been on the ticket. There's a lot of big reasons why she should have (which I won't go into) and I have to say the only reasons I can come up with why not have to do with hurt feelings and jealousy. Come on, it's a political office; you have to deal with people you don't like if you want to get things done. Oh well....

Brindle. He spent four days in his kitty cage refusing to come out because he didn't want his medicine. He'd sneak out and race back if he caught him out. Sunday, he decided he wanted the bathtub--while I was taking a bath. He sat there looking stern until I vacated it. Wanting the lie on the cold porcelain means it's time for his flea meds again so we did give him that. He's gone out for a few hours in the evening and is slowly getting his strength and confidence back. Oh, and I'm taking him for a check up in one hour.

Our refrigerator is two years old and now it's having temperature instability. Turns out the extended warranty I bought will come in handy. We have an appt for Friday after noon so hopefully I can catch a couple of zzzz after work before they show up. And hopefully the freezer will keep things frozen til then.
tenaya: (Default)
Back in December of 2000--one month after Bush and Cheney were elected--I was confused by sudden reports that California had an energy shortage. Just a month or two after they were sworn into office, our 'energy crisis' began causing blackouts in California. Davis, the democratic governor, was eventually forced to buy power for astronomical amounts to keep the state safe. He complained to the feds and asked Bush to make the FERC do their job. Bush smirked and said the market needed to find its own level, while behind the scenes Cheney and Rove spun the story to put the blame completely on Davis even though Cheney was privy to the outrageous market manipulation by the energy companies. These companies would shut down multiple power plants for "routine maintenance." We were having energy shortages at levels near 28,000 megawatts of power when we'd breezed through use of over 40,000 megawatts the summer before.

-------
An excellent overview of the Califoria "energy crisis" can be found here:
http://www.truthalliance.net/Archive/tabid/67/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/1006/Default.aspx

-------
Another excellent article that gets specific about the criminal charges against Reliant Energy Services is here:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2004/2004-04-09-03.asp

It states, "Reliant charged the state of California as much as $1,900 per megawatt hour for electricity, about 6,300 percent more than the historic norm of $30 per mgh."

-------
A NY Times article on energy trading mentions the incriminating wire taps here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/15/business/yourmoney/15traders.html?n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/B/Barrionuevo,%20Alexei&pagewanted=all

"Traders at Enron were among those who took advantage of California's poorly constructed deregulation law and helped to bring about the state's energy crisis of 2000 and 2001. They concocted schemes to manipulate electricity markets and to maximize Enron's profit, using names like Fat Boy and Death Star to describe the strategies. Some bantered casually in 2000 about how they were "stealing" from California and sticking it to "Grandma Millie" by overcharging for power, according to audiotapes of their conversations that have been made public."

-------

Now, Bush has six months to finish the pillaging of America and he is pulling out all stops to force the public to allow oil companies access to pristine lands and our coasts. He becomes more strident as each day passes. He blames the democrats for the situation even though they have been virtually powerless for the last seven years. He demands these areas to be sacrificed even though in the next breath he admits that it would take years to develop and would only amount to a fraction of what the country needs.

So, what we have here is a repeat of the exact same scam he pulled at the beginning of his presidency.

1) Allow the people who control the market (in this case the oil companies and the speculators) to manipulate the market--in this case the speculators who are artificially increasing the price of oil, though for years they have admitted the lack of refineries is also increasing the price of gas at the pump.

2) Blame the public and the democrats for the situation.

3) Use fear and hardship as a tool to force the public to your viewpoint and thereby force public officials to act opposite of what they know is wise. If the public screams loud and long enough for someone to do *something* lawmakers will, out of fear for their own jobs, give these areas to the oil companies even though they know it won't help the public.

As the saying goes, follow the money. Who profits from this situation? And for crying out loud, please don't fall for this scam again. Do not support giving the oil companies everything they want in the futile hopes they will lower prices. They won't.
tenaya: (Default)
I wanted to say this earlier but there was a lj walkout.

Okay, I've been to McCain's website. His intentions towards the Supreme Court judges does toss him out of who I'd vote for.

On the other hand, Obama did give a very good speech. I felt for the first time like I was seeing the quality of the man who would be president. It's a serious job, and it's going to be incredibly sucky. He will have to commit and make the best decisions he can for the moment (no voting "present" when you're in the oval office) and after four years, he won't be all sparkly and mud free anymore. That speech was exactly what he needed to say for damage control. I still think he's currently too naive among other things.

I still hope for Hillary though.

BTW, I saw the lady on the Colbert Report that called Hillary a monster. Strange...she doesn't seem like a fanatic. I wonder what got into her?
tenaya: (Default)
So, here's the end of my weekend. Did I accomplish any of the vitally important tasks I really, really need to do?

No.

Boring crap: Read more... )

Also, Brindle has decided he doesn't like any of his usual food. He sits in the kitchen saying "you know what I want and I'm getting really pissed you're not giving it to me!" until he gets frustrated enough to nip our legs. We bought him a roasted chicken; I just gave him some and he's eating. I hope this is just a phase. :(

ETA: I cleared off the last Boston Legal, the last three episodes of The War and the Texas Democratic Debate. It seemed to me that Clinton got a lot more spontaneous applause then Obama. He's better at prepared speeches but on the fly? Not so impressive. I dislike him more and more. I've had enough of politicians who are more concerned with their legacy and don't really love our country. I hate to say it but if the elections was between Obama and McCain tomorrow, I'd vote for McCain. He may do things I don't like but at least he loves this country. I think Clinton does, too.
tenaya: (Default)
...a politician by giving her money. That's a milestone for me.

I'm off to Escapade tomorrow. Four days of sun and fun and slash by the beach. It should be gorgeous and I so need to decompress. I'll be taking this laptop with me for its first vacation. Maybe I'll get caught up on the flist? We'll see. No SG1 panels, but there are a few SGA, Torchwood and SPN panels that I'll wander by.

I still need to set up the new Tivo, do laundry, pack, blah, blah, blah....

BTW, the three siblings were just by. They looked good. Still lots of skunks and a possum or two.

New Amsterdam wasn't bad. I've put it on a season pass.

And that's it for now.

Yay Hillary!

TV recap

Feb. 18th, 2008 02:25 am
tenaya: (Default)
Boston Legal: Read more... )

Torchwood: "Meat." Can I just say ewwww? And the over-acting still makes me roll my eyes. I think Torchwood has the style and depth of a graphic novel.

SGA: "Midway." Loved Teal'c and Ronan together. Their rivalry was a bit overdone at first but it was for comedic effect and it was funny. There were plenty of potholes but I've pretty much given up on expecting a tight show here. Just entertain me for an hour if you can. And can they NOT give away a big reveal in the ad for next week's ep??!

I finally saw "An Inconvenient Truth." I tivoed and watched it the same night as I saw "Six Degrees." I'm sure I'll be dead of other causes before my heart will break at what will become of the Earth. I just wish the stupid, greedy, willfully ignorant people will suffer the consequences of their actions first.

Anderson Cooper 360 on Race, Gender and Politics. Very nice to hear someone exploring this aspect of the election. And after all the Hillary/woman bashing, I guess it's getting harder to ignore that it's happening so the more perceptive reporters are at least mentioning it. And the whole complex racial thing and courting groups as an entity was fascinating.

Politics in general. I see McCain and Clinton are finally calling Barak on the vague rhetoric. Personally I like to ask his supporters if they can describe his plans, or even him without using the words "change" or "hope" (I keep flashbacking on all the press in SG1 about Jonas Quinn and his "freshness.") Conversely, believe it or not, I find myself trying to educate those at work that Obama isn't a Muslin, and isn't a mole for Al-Qaeda. This is a fact they know as surely as they know Hillary is Bitch. Where does this shit come from?? Mind you, I do have issues with his church and their giving an award to Louis Farrakhan. Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright's views about whites and blacks I find very frustrating. Personally, I find my societal villains in the greed of the wealthy.

An interesting fact I heard tonight; Hillary wins in every group that make under $50,000 while Barak wins in every group over that amount.

Two things: one, go to Barak's and Hillary's websites. Find the issues page and compare their views on a topic or two that matters to you personally. Two: please watch the Democratic Debate this Thursday on CNN at 8 Eastern and 5 Pacific time.

Oh, I just saw on the news that Hillary wanted to debate Barak in Wisconsin but Barak's people say they've debated enough. Yeah, I can see that from their POV. I think he can only lose votes in a debate since she comes off as much more suitable for the job. I wonder why he agreed to Texas on Thursday?

And did any of you see that beautiful flyby of the shuttle/ISS on Saturday? And just 7 minutes before that, the defective spy satellite was visible, too. I actually had three people at work out there with me staring at the sky which was pretty good because it was cold and windy.

Oh, the three siblings were by tonight. There was a fourth a few nights ago and there was some growling and snorting and some half-assed displays of teeth before everyone settled down to eat. Strangely, I don't think it was their momma. They did know him, though. Huh.

Well, back to reading Lady Ra's "Wraith Killers." Ankh rec'ed it and it's a SGA/SG1 story. Slash, doncha know. :)
http://www.area52hkh.net/asl/ladyra/wkillers001.php
tenaya: (Default)
David Schuster on NBC news made this comment about Hillary Clinton's daughter, Chelsea: "Doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out in some weird sort of way?"

Chelsea doesn't give interviews and it seems his beef is that she wouldn't talk to him. Maybe that's why the word "pimp" was used; he felt the entitlement that of course a woman needs to accommodate him, and if she doesn't, she a ho. What else could be the reasoning for a man on network news be thinking to toss out a thought like that?

And on the entertainment program that mentioned the story, they led with "how did Hillary get a newsman suspended?" and I tell you, it was all implied, what did this bitchy woman do now?

I tell you, I am sick of all the misogyny I'm hearing as this race gets tighter. The pro-Obama people think anything goes to make sure he gets the nomination. The anger/aggression towards women that foments just below the surface in our culture is bubbling over. Even the Left Wing radio show I sometimes listen to use all sorts of techniques to undermine, ridicule and slander her. Strangely the Right Wing radio show is much more respectful and fair to her (though they did just have to mention her big ass being a hard target to miss. Ain't it telling that I consider that remark 'mild.' Oh the laughter at their witty ways!)

Oh yeah, this will get really ugly and the usual rules apply: if it's YOUR side slinging the mud, it's not mud it's Righteous Truth.

Uh huh.

ETA: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/08/msnbc-reporter-begrudging_n_85706.html
tenaya: (Default)
I feel the last seven years has brought my country to its knees in many ways--I'll spare you the details as they are too numerous to list.

One of the things that brought me to despair in 2004 was people reelecting Bush because they believed in the man mostly because he mouthed a fundy pov, nevermind how immoral he turned out to be (again, too numerous to list.)

This election, I've been good. I've been watching most of the debates (some slipped by without me hearing about them.) I feel informed.

I felt Obama and Clinton weren't too different in their goals at first. I was impressed with how thoroughly she understood complex issues and I did see him make some misjudgments due to inexperience. His flaw seems to be not wanting to compromise. Imho, I think Clinton is more up to the job.

For the details: Read more... )
tenaya: (Default)
In the last 24 hours, we've had 5 calls from John McCain, and none from anyone else. I live in David Dryer's district so, it's heavily Republican here, so I suppose that's why there's no Democratic calls. It's odd, though. I would have thought ol' Money Bags Romney would be hitting us hard, too.
tenaya: (Default)
Tonight, we got one raccoon early on, and then about an hour later, the three sibling raccoon showed up, hungry and nervous. I think Momma cut them loose. They were almost as big as her so even though they were a late litter, I guess it was time. Just a little while ago, I saw they were back and most of the kibble was gone. I carefully opened the door and two said, "OH MY GOD!" and ran back. The larger of the three said, "Kibble? Cool!" and took a few steps closer, his eyes dancing with anticipation.

It's gonna be cold and damp for a few days if the weathermen are correct (low 40s, high 30s type of thing.) I can't help but be concerned when I see bedraggled, soak critters coming by. Nature is hard.

Meanwhile, Brindle has decided he wants to sleep on my pillow. This will be night three. He's so sweet right now.

My sore throat turned to chest congestion, which is better tonight, but now I've got the runny nose/crackly ears thing. I suppose a sinus infection is trying to take hold.

And lastly, how about the Democratic Debate? They're getting feisty. I like bits from all three of them--and I know this won't be popular with some (eyes Marge)--but I do favor Hillary. I may not like her (Heck, I probably like Edwards the best) but I think she can do the job. I like her plans, including health care. They seem doable and her explanations are thorough and demonstrate a grasp that things aren't simple. Obama still seems too inexperienced, especially when they where talking about a finance bill that, among other things, would have limited the amount of interest credit cards could charge to 30%. Barak didn't vote for it because he felt 30% was too high. So, credit card companies can charge more than that. It's that and those "present" votes he did. We need someone who can be decisive and yeah, Hillary can be a bitch but I think we need a bitch right now. Good ol' boy Bubba has just about single-handedly destroyed the US and screwed up the world and he was a "good Christian man." And now he just laughs and smirks and schemes away.... :::eyes my 401k that lost $16,000 since August and it looks to loose a lot more today:::

Yeah, even though I never voted for Bill, I have to admit that the ninties were pretty scary with all that peace and prosperity. *g*

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