Nonesuch #84

Much on my mind these days.

Craziness of the Day: Anna Nicole Smith's lawsuit will be heard...in the Supreme Court. With all we have going on and this mess has to continue. Long story short, she is trying to get money from the estate of her 90 year old husband which she says he promised her.
Anna

Still playing World of Warcraft. It is pretty much my only escape from the real world, whatever that is.

The rooster next door has left with the family. Found out they have not paid rent in several months and have left once again. This is the second time they have left.


Homecoming was very nice. It was my father's first 50th anniversary. When he came to college the college was a junior college and during his stay it became a four year college. So, he had his junior college renunion and in two years he will have another. There were about 200 alumni back from just the junior college years, from 1936-1955.

For those keeping track of the mess surrounding Katrina, Rita and FEMA: 3 cruise ships were rented by FEMA to help relocate evacuees at the cost of $1200 a person. A person can buy a cruise ticket for around $600 at most of the ports on the Gulf Coast. And, these ships have barely even been used.
FEMA

Brownie tries to put blame on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. And, he is still on the Federal payroll as a consultant. I guess with him still being on the payroll we will not get the straight up answers that the people of the devestated Gulf Coast deserve.
Brownie

Nonesuch #83

The Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2004


(taken from ALA's list of challenged books)

"The Chocolate War" by Robert Cormier

"Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers

"Arming America: The Origins of a National Gun Culture" by Michael A. Bellesiles

Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky

"What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones

"In the Night Kitchen" by Maurice Sendak

"King & King"

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck



Off the list this year, but on the list for several years past, are the Alice series of books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, "Go Ask Alice" by Anonymous, "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie Harris and "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain.

Nonesuch #82

John Coltrane 1926-1967

(photo from JAZZ-A Film by Ken Burns)


johncoltrane.com

Nonesuch #81

I had a fight with the mustard today. It was a close one, but the mustard got in the biggest blows. One hit to my beard, another to my shirt and the last one to my pants. I was able to wipe off the mustard from my beard and my shirt but the area on my pants is quite large and despite my best efforts of napkins, water and scrubbing it is still there. And let me say, it is strategically placed and large enough to get many stares and probably a few comments. Luckily I work in the basement so not a lot of folks will see. I may go home and change...but dont really see the point.

Nonesuch #80 - Talk LIke a Pirate Day!

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/


Pirate Speak

Nonesuch #79

" Nonesuch #79
"Katrina is a symbol of all this administration does and doesn't do. Michael Brown -- or Brownie as the President so famously thanked him for doing a heck of a job - Brownie is to Katrina what Paul Bremer is to peace in Iraq; what George Tenet is to slam dunk intelligence; what Paul Wolfowitz is to parades paved with flowers in Baghdad; what Dick Cheney is to visionary energy policy; what Donald Rumsfeld is to basic war planning; what Tom Delay is to ethics; and what George Bush is to “Mission Accomplished” and "Wanted Dead or Alive." The bottom line is simple: The "we'll do whatever it takes" administration doesn't have what it takes to get the job done."

From Senator John Kerry's Speech at Brown University September 19, 2005"

From Senator John Kerry's Speech at Brown University September 19, 2005

Nonesuch #78

Well Hurricane Ophelia came an' sailed'. Thar be nay as much damage as Katrina gave th' Gulf Coast but thar be many areas effected by th' storm down on th' coast o' NC. Now, two new storms be havin' built up in th' Atlantic. Wow, when they spake 't would be a busy voyage, I dont think they really knew how busy. We be runnin' ou' o' names fer these storms.



Panthers beat th' Patriots last high tide'! I be havin' nereseen Tom Brady as rattled as he be last high tide'. He completed 5 good passes at th' beginnin' o' th' game, includin' a touchdown but th' Panthers defense really laid 't t' th' lad's an' he nerequite got aft t' his comfort zone. Stephen Davis, aft from injuries from last voyage, led th' assault wi' 3 TDs, th' first 3 TDS scored by one player in th' Patriots since Curtis Martin did 't in 2000. I hope other teams can be seein' what th' Panthers did on defense so they too can shut th' Patriots down.



A good matey o' mine, his beauty/fiance port th' lad's last Friday. Jus' called th' lad's up from 'ere she works or worked an' spake she be leavin' an' hung up. Jus' ou' o' th' blue. He has had nay word from th' lass' since, doesnt e'en know 'ere she may be havin' gone, if she be e'en in th' area. Jus' crazy stuff...

Nonesuch #77

Things on my mind:

Hurricane Ophelia: The local news is broadcasting from the top of the Cabana Hotel in Carolina Beach where we used to go for Prom Weekend/Spring Break/Graduation Weekend back in high school. Brings back memories...

It looks like Ophelia is not as strong as Katrina but there is always the possiblity of flooding in those low lying areas. The folks down there I am sure have not forgotten about Floyd which flooded a large portion of east NC. It could easily happen again.

Also: Can we(NC) request not to accept aid from FEMA?


Neighbors Rooster: He followed me around again yesterday. I think he may be lonely since he is the only one.

Nonesuch #76

There is a rooster in my neighborhood. I saw him first about a week ago when I came home from work one evening. He was hanging out near my porch, guess he was looking for food. He ran away from me, I must have made too much noise for him. A few days later, I saw him again. I was doing some yard work, picking up limbs around the yard. He started following me around. He never got too close but followed me around the yard. He was back yesterday and I found out why. I am pretty sure he belongs to my neighbor. I saw a pile of corn and seed near a tree in their yard. But again, he followed me around while I was picking up limbs and sticks. I wonder what he will do when I crank up the lawnmower.
Pictures coming soon....

nonesuch #75

So much going on in the past few weeks hadnt really had time to process things let alone get them down on the page. Some of the things going on:


Start of the semester: Always a busy time, feel like it is busier this year for some reason. May be because I dont feel like I had much of a vacation this year. The brain never got its rest. And I really need one, a vacation that is. Working on homecoming in less than 2 weeks. It is my Father's first 50th reunion. he will have another in 2 years. More on that later.

Katrina: I dont know if I can put into words my feelings. I have never been to New Orleans, always wanted to go, at least once. It's one of those places that tugs at you.
The lack of response by FEMA just blows my mind. For four years we have been told the country is prepared, we are safe, everything is in control and then we have this happen. Just ridiculous. But if you look at the patterns, you will see that these are the same problems we have seen in Iraq: lack of planning, no real structure from the top down, excuses after excuses AND no one gets fired for their expansive and deadly mistakes. Well, that may change with Michael Brown. You know, you can say whatever you want about this man's credentials, his previous work experience (Arabian horse judge controller and he gets fired from that?) but it really reflects on the Bush Administration for selecting him and making him head of FEMA. Is he the only one like this in the administration? According to TIME ( I think) 5 of the top 8 at FEMA have no previous disaster relief experience. Shit rolls up hill.

Gas prices: I saw gas prices rise $1.15 in one day to a high of $3.54 two days after Katrina hit. Why would they raise prices on gas they had already bought at well below $2? Greed, I dont know any other word for it. And now they are saying the prices will drop as quickly as they rose. I dont think so. Prices will never get back down to where there were. Things like that just dont happen. And with higher oil/gas prices, the increases get passed on to everyone of us in the form of milk prices, airline tickets, heating costs whether you use oil, coal or electricity, clothes, compact discs, plastics and on and on.

FEMA Chair resigns

John Roberts: http://www.supremecourtwatch.org/

Not only he is not a good choice for Chief Justice, he is not a good choice for a seat on the Supreme Court in the first place. Enough said.

9/11/2001 -
Only 4 years ago, it seems so much further than that. Are we safer? Will another attack perhaps larger and more devatating than before occur? No and damn I hope not.


Message from Michael Moore


Cindy Sheehan - http://www.bringthemhomenowtour.org/


"And if you want to find me I'll be out in the sandbox, wondering where the hell all the love has gone."