Another trip around the sun accomplished

As of today I'm 58 years old.   Where the hell did all the time go?
Thanks for the e-card, Karen.

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Haiti is hit by another aftershock; hopefully this will be the last, but the tectonics in that area could have some more bad news ahead for them.

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It'll be interesting to see what sort of repercussions and backlash (both local and national) will result over the election in Massachusetts; I think this will cause it bit of consternation on the Democratic side.  Right now there are probably more than a few wondering if they will be next when November rolls around.  Time to start listening to your constituents, guys.  I imagine there are also some Republicans who think they are safe, but if so they are mistaken.  From what I can tell, this was not really a Republican victory over the Democrats that so many people in both parties seem to think it is; they both need to look at who made the difference.  Many of the recent elections (including the 2006 and 2008 elections) have been very close; both parties have been in about the same numbers.  The difference has come down to who are the independents voting for?  It is the independents who are tipping the scales in these elections, and both the major parties can't seem to get it through their heads.  Take the Teaparty people, for instance.  The Republicans view them as belonging to them, and the Democrats agree with the Republicans.  They may be somewhat conservative in many respects, but they are not Republicans.  Many of them are ex-Republicans who have broken from the Republican party, but do not believe in the Democratic party.  The Republicans need to quit taking them for granted, and the Democrats need to quit believing the idiotic idea that anyone who is not left of center is a Republican. They have treated the independents with contempt, which is the last thing they should be doing.  Show me where the Democratic party is any better than the Republican party, and you may get some followers.  From what I see, the Democratic party  is just as stupid, corrupted, and crooked as the Republican party; both want to tell people how to run their private lives, both believe in a large powerful federal government, and both seem to favor elitists running things.  The independents that both sides seem to discount are citizens who are tired of the two parties telling everyone what they should believe and who they should vote for, like the rest of their branded and gelded sheep. 
Do I think a new third party is the answer?  Unfortunately, I don't think it would fly.  Human beings tend to polarize to one side or the other; they don't like more than one decision.  I think it's because basically we are hard-wired to look at other people as being in one of two categories: Us and Them.  We think of people as either being in our tribe, or as a potential enemy/competition.  I think the best people can hope for is to try to change one of the parties into something worthwhile.  If you look at the espoused principles of each party, neither one is what you would call 100% bad.  The problem is in the interpretation of the people running each party.  The Democratic party has turned to socialism; it wants a large government that runs every part of everyone's lives except the elite few who run the government.  The Republican party wants a large government that also runs people's lives, but with a different group of elites.  Both are bloated bureaucratic monsters that do nothing but suck all the drive, creativity, and ambition from their subjects (yes, at this point they become subjects, not citizens).
Sorry about the extended rant; sometimes I just have to get some of the bile out.

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Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, Late Show.
Tiger Woods, sex rehab clinic.
Tareq and Michaele Salahi.

Who cares?

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 Lot of old stuff in this bunch.  Any favorites, or commentaries on some of these?

         "American Pie" by Don McLean
         "Stardust" by Artie Shaw
         "Hold Me Now" by Thompson Twins
         "Saginaw, Michigan" by Lefty Frizzell
         "Baby, It's You" by Smith
         "No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper
         "Burnin' for You" by Blue Öyster Cult
         "My Mirage" by Iron Butterfly
         "32-20 Blues" by Robert Johnson
         "I Drink Alone" by George Thorogood

The two last ones, both blues:

For those who may be confused as to the title, a 32-20 is a caliber of gun that was popular in the late 19th and early 20th century.





Blues doesn't get much better than this.