Saturday, August 11, 2012

Age One

Liam is my fourth grandchild (and third grandson) to reach the one-year mark. So today there is a party in his honor. The party hasn't actually kicked off yet and I'll be gone soon after the party is over, so I'm posting a few photos that my daughter, Amanda took of him last week.


Happy Birthday, Liam.


One think that Liam likes best is sharing popsicles with me (PaPa-siccles). We'll have to leave those photos for another day.

LATE ADDITION

Cake is fun!

Do I have to eat the ENTIRE CAKE?

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Was Obama a Foreign Exchange Student?

Was Barack Obama a "foreign exchange student" at Colombia University and Harvard? the bottom line is that nobody knows because he's spent several million dollars sealing those records.

  • He got very bad grades at Occidental College.
  • He managed to get admitted to Colombia and then Harvard.
  • It is unlikely to have 'soared' as a student at Colombia because he didn't leave much of a footprint. He claimed to be part of the Harvard Law Review but he didn't publish anything (which is why there is a law review in the first place).
  • His father, Barack Obama Sr. was a "professional foreign exchange student" from Kenya.
  • We know that young Barry Soetoro aka Barack Obama, has a gift for gab and interviews well. Could he have dropped in under the wire as an Indonesian (foreign) student in the US? There are completely different rules for 'foreign students' looking to enter and American school than there are for Americans. The grade requirements are simply not that high and you don't have to continue to score well to stay enrolled.
We won't know until those transcripts are unsealed.

Since Lolo Soetoro (Indonesian Citizen) adopted young Barack Obama, it's not so far fetched that the lackluster student used that to bolster his 'scam'. I'm not suggesting that Obama jr. wasn't born in Hawaii, but I am suggesting that his education was paid for by others as part of a scheme where the very core is a blatant lie.




I'm not suggesting that this scam disqualifies Obama from being president, but shouldn't we know about those missing Obama years? Neither am I suggesting that he's the "Manchurian Candidate", but in a world where media scrutiny (of Obama's opponents) would seem to be the battle cry, why not unseal the records and PROVE those of we who are speculating on this to be wrong?

Sunday, August 5, 2012

My Journey - To Mars

Among my many and admittedly varied business interests is Ashima, the company that designed the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station, built by Centro de Astrobiologia (Spain) as their contribution and flying on the Curiosity Rover, do to land on Mars on Sunday. (The Spanish selected the admittedly phallic design for the instrument covers)
REMS has been designed to record six atmospheric parameters: wind speed/direction, pressure, relative humidity, air temperature, ground temperature, and ultraviolet radiation. All sensors are located around three elements: two booms attached to the rover Remote Sensing Mast (RSM), the Ultraviolet Sensor (UVS) assembly located on the rover top deck, and the Instrument Control Unit (ICU) inside the rover body. (JPL)
Read more here: http://msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/Instruments/REMS/

Ashima Devices Team
Ashima Research


Curiosity Landing on Mars
Changing the world or challenging the universe requires that you change yourself.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Wanna Be Successful?

Victim = Success?

You too can be a successful victim!

If you have any doubts about the power and sanctity that can be yours if victimhood status cand be officially confered upon you; or of the endless moral benefits of being "oppressed", just take a look around at the news headlines today and notice who is being cast as "evil oppressors" or the poor, multicultural downtrodden. 

Not a Victim
In the quasi-religious cult of victimhood that is part of today's leftist dogma, "victimhood" has been identified as the key quality deserving of attention and pity and advancement. This is in part because many on the political left have an intense narcissistic need to see themselves as "champions of the oppressed", hence the constant need to find and maintain an oppressed class of people to champion. But it also dovetails nicely into the the Marxist dialectic that underlies that ideology. 

According to that ideology, the world is conveniently divided up into two groups: the oppressors (i.e., white, male, heterosexual, conservative, Republican, Americans or Israelis) and the oppressed (everyone else).

THE ADVANTAGES OF VICTIMHOOD

This brief guide is for those searching for an expedited pathway into the exalted status of Victimhood. Becoming a victim --as we all have learned from famous TV stars, prominent politicians; religions, races, and even nations--is an advantageous state of being in many ways, several of which are:


  • You are not responsible for what happened to you
  • You are always morally right
  • You are not accountable to anyone for anything
  • You are forever entitled to sympathy
  • You are always justified in feeling moral indignation for being wronged
  • You never have to be responsible again for anything

As you can see, these are some heavy-duty privileges; and they are not given to just anyone. This list is not exclusive. There are many benefits of Victimhood; and in our current society, new rewards are continuously being discovered! You, too, may be someone who blazes a new path for future victims!

The badge of victimhood must be "earned" by one of two methods: 
(1) Membership in a special "victim" class; 
or (2) having something bad actually happen to you. 

Method 1 is definitely is superior in every way since it eliminates the need for something bad to actually happen to you (as long as it once happened to someone like you--you are set); thus this method is preferable and automatically puts all sorts of celebrities and famous people on your side. They will not be concerned if you are a good person or a bad person; just as long as you meet the basic victimhood criteria.

Professional Victims
You are probably tempted to ask what that basic criteria is for most famous people to support you? Here is a tip (keep it under your hat): most famous people--especially undeserving famous people (i.e., people who are famous not for any particular talent they have, but because they might have a good publicist, for example) have an intense need to feel that they are "champions of the oppressed." This relieves them of the pervasive feelings of guilt under which they must function. Hence, all you have to do is to convince them that you are "oppressed" by one of a number of usual "oppressors", and you are home free!

Here is a handy list of possible oppressors that can be used by almost anyone searching for victimhood status:

  • caucasian, heterosexual males
  • Republicans (either male or female)
  • conservatives (either male or female)
  • businessmen or women 
  • capitalists
  • rich people
  • Christians (particularly Republican or conservative)
  • the U.S. Military (all services)
  • Americans (as a general group)
THE BADGE OF VICTIMHOOD

Victimhood is automatically conferred if you are a member of one or more of the following groups:

  • An underrepresented race (whoever is in the minority--the majority are barred from victimhood)
  • An underrepresented gender (males are prohibited from victimhood)
  • An underrepresented sexual orientation (heterosexuals are not allowed to be victims)
  • A nation without land (e.g., Palestinians; Note: The Kurds aren't considered victims because they aren't the right kind of victim--they admire the U.S. and aspire to democracy & freedom thus, disqualifying them)
  • Any nation the U.S. has a disagreement with
  • A person in jail (your crime is immaterial, but the worse the crime, the better)
Other individuals or groups may petition for Victimhood if they meet the following criteria:

  • The Liberal Media confers it on them
  • You appear on talk shows and spill your guts about some distasteful event that happened to you
  • You use drugs or alcohol but get into treatment after you get in trouble
  • You find God after you get in trouble
  • You are very sorry for your reprehensible behavior or actions and have a reputable person to blame for why you did it (President Bush is always a good choice, but any parental figure --even God-- will do)
  • If you are incompetent at your job and unable to get ahead it is generally due to someone else's behavior; or it might be due to Adult Attention Deficit Disorder-- either way works.
  • If you haven't achieved your proper level of power in the world (even if you are a dictator, surprisingly) you could be a victim of American foreign policy
  • If you have economic problems, it is likely you are a vicitm of Capitalism (remember, that socialism, communism, fascism, and other ideologies are completely off the hook since they proactively blame Capitalism for all the problems of the world)
  • If you are addicted to ANYTHING, you are likely to be a victim!
  • If your feelings are hurt by someone--either intentionally or unintentionally-- you are a victim (call our toll-free number above if you have any questions, but most Universities have special policies that cover you)
  • If you can attract Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Ramsey Clark, or Bianca Jagger to your cause, you are, by definition, a victim! Case closed!

IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you are lucky enought to already be a member of an approved victim group AND something bad happens to you (e.g., a hurricane or other natural disaster) well, that is, as we say in the biz, the best of all possible worlds (assuming, of course, that you survive the experience). Then you are a victim twice-over, and entitled to what we will refer to as the Platinum Club victimhood membership rewards. 

HOW TO EFFORTLESSLY MAINTAIN YOUR VICTIM STATUS

Here are a few helpful strategies to maintain your prized Victimhood status in spite of all efforts to placate, apologize to; help, or support you.


  • Resist Resist Resist taking any responsibility for your own behavior. It can always be made to seem like someone else is at fault
  • Have a ready list of other people, nations, religions, groups etc. to blame for your situation and do not accept help from those on your list
  • Constantly demand your rights
  • Use the medium of Television to tell your story as often as possible; however, any member of the media (print, TV, radio) is usually supportive of your goals and will work with you to best frame your victimhood to elicit optimal sympathy.
  • Did I mention that you must NEVER take any responsibility for your own behavior? If I did, it is because it cannot be mentioned too often.
  • Play up the victim's position of enhanced moral authority. Weep about your plight whenever possible. Do nothing to make things better.
  • Become a spokesperson or a media darling for any of the groups who make up International A.N.S.W.E.R.--or join the Occupy Movement (unfortunately now defunct)
  • Make commercials for Moveon.org; or at least let them use your story to explain how oppressive one of the oppressor groups are. (see list of acceptable groups to be victimized by above)
When using any of the above strategy, make sure you ACT like a victim--crying, whining, using anger effectively--all these can enhance other's perception of your Victimhood

NEVER take any steps to improve your situation--that way is the OPPOSITE of true, enlightened Victimhood.

To all those real victims out there, who are struggling to overcome diseases; recover from disasters and events; and move beyond those traumas that have temporarily and painfully interrupted your lives--I heartily salute you and in no way aim to denigrate your efforts. Taking responsibility for your life will empower you and enable you to grow beyond whatever you have experienced. May you always rise above what Life has presented to you and exceed all expectations--even your own.

h/t Dr. Sanity

Friday, July 13, 2012

Putting People in Boxes

There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics
  • Cretins don’t even talk; they sort of slobber and stumble.
  • Fools are in great demand, especially on social occasions. They embarrass everyone but provide material for conversation. Fools don’t claim that cats bark, but they talk about cats when everyone else is talking about dogs. They offend all the rules of conversation, and when they really offend, they’re magnificent.
  • Morons never do the wrong thing. They get their reasoning wrong. Like the fellow who says that all dogs are pets and all dogs bark, and cats are pets, too, therefore cats bark. Morons will occasionally say something that’s right, but they say it for the wrong reason.
  • A lunatic is easily recognized. He is a moron who doesn’t know the ropes. The moron proves his thesis; he has logic, however twisted it may be. The lunatic on the other hand, doesn’t concern himself at all with logic; he works by short circuits. For him, everything proves everything else. The lunatic is all idée fixe, and whatever he comes across confirms his lunacy. You can tell him by the liberties he takes with common sense, by his flashes of inspiration.
Umberto Eco, Foucault's Pendulum

Monday, July 9, 2012

Australian Shipping Safety


When you consider  maritime shipping safety issues, this video explains much of what one should be worried about (politically correct).


It's simply a 'bad day' when the 'front falls off' of the ship.

(h/t WoFat)

Friday, July 6, 2012

Invasion of the Tiny Zombies

Some would say that the grandchildren came to for the Independence Day Holiday. Others would say that I suffered an invasion of tiny zombie children. The question is whether children are merely small zombies or not. You be the judge:



  • Sparse, messy head of hair.
  • Incomplete set of teeth.
  • Speaks in moans and screams
  • Messy eater
  • Worn, ill-fitting clothes
  • Clumsy, random motor skills
  • Unstable lurching walk
  • Keeps you awake at night
  • Bent on destruction
  • (nearly) Tireless
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