The dum dumpy Trump

Hope I can survive this coming week but if things turn out bad on election day, I don't know what I will do with myself.  The stupidity of Trump knows no bounds as he says he can sign an executive order to deny birthright citizenship.  Even members of his own party do not agree with him on this point.  He also says that if Democrats regain control of Congress, a lot of people will lose money.  Hey, you guys are in charge and the stock market has been terrible the past two weeks and I am losing money NOW.  Also, Trump's trade tariffs are making a bigger mess of things and long term recovery will be impossible with those in place.  

Then here in San Francisco we have a huge problem with homelessness.   Now Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, is pouring millions of dollars of his own money into the Yes on C measure which will give the city more money to spend on homeless programs.  Hey guys, the welcome mat is out and homeless people around the country know they should come here where the weather is not that bad (certainly no snow or freezing weather) and getting rousted by the cops is less likely to happen here than in most cities.  Yes, the homeless need help but with the proper controls in place.   I think benefits should be limited to Bay Area people, not people who just arrived from Ames, Iowa or wherever.  Also, the mentally ill must required to undergo treatment, not a slap on the wrist after receiving a few pills. Too often people here will say "oh no,  you can't do that,  you can't force them into programs".  That is plain B.S.  That is what State Hospitals are for.  Oh wait a minute, I forgot.  Reagan closed those as governor and then gutted mental health programs as president.  Oy vey!

I hope we can get some sensible people in Congress before it is too late as this country is going down the tubes and fast.  The next president will need to make this country great again as this one is ruining it.  

It grows late as I write this and I am beginning to think a vodka/tonic might be needed before retiring so BFN.

Violence in America

Life is full of uncertainties.  Two well known ones are weather forecasting and psychology.  Who can predict with certainly that it will or won't rain tomorrow?  Who can predict with certainty that a neighbor is a maniac who harbors evil thoughts about his neighbors and will act upon his impulses.  Some say gun control is the answer to violence in this country.  It is really only part of the problem.  While it is true that no private citizen need possess a weapon of war such as an AR-15, what are you to do about those who would find other methods of mass destruction such as home made bombs or the automobile or truck driven into a crowd of people.  As they say, if there is a will there is a way.  What this country needs is to do is modify the First Amendment, stand up to the NRA and get weapons of war out of the hands of private citizens.  We must also put much more money into mental health care in all its  myriad forms from simple clinics to state hospitals.  This country needs to get serious about the problem and finding politicians with the guts to do what is right before we all get mowed down in churches, synagogues, movie theaters, schools, night clubs, and rock concerts.

Time for removal from office.

Today Trump has given "aid and comfort" to the enemy (Russia) by his outrageous statements in Finland and needs to be removed from office ASAP.  He can no longer be allowed to embarrass this country and weaken it.  Congress needs to do its duty and take up the 25th Amendment or Impeachment proceedings.

Money, money, money
15 July 2018

Wish I had more but that is not why I am writing this.  I am concerned about US coinage.  There have been several attempts at creating a usable silver dollar. The earliest, in Nevada, had wide spread use for a while and having spent some of my earliest days in Reno, I had use of those silver dollars, also known as “cartwheels” since there were so big. In fact, I used to carry around so many of them that there were constantly wearing holes in the pockets of my jeans.

Fast forward a few years now to the abortive attempt at a smaller coin.  Unfortunately, it was almost as small as a quarter and people kept getting them confused.  Next up – the Golden Dollar.  Same size but the gold color, or so it was thought, would do the trick and people would not get confused.  Unfortunately, in this country people seem to get confused easily and wouldn’t really look at the coin(s) they were using to pay for something.  So, while they are still minted, they are difficult to come by.  I prefer the coin to the paper dollar, so I have a suggestion.  The fifty-cent peace is now even a rarer coin, so I would suggest to the mint that if they are still minting them that they stop and create a new dollar coin the size of the old fifty-cent piece.  There shouldn’t be any more confusion about coin size or denomination.  There might be one other problem however.  The cash registers that merchants use may only have slots for pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters.  If there is a fifth slot they probably utilize it for the coin denomination most frequently used.

This is so silly. The constant printing of paper dollars costs the US Mint more than it would to mint longer lasting dollar coins. As for merchants, well, there is probably no hope there although merchants of old did handle fifty-cent pieces on a regular basis so why can’t they do it now?

Life on a failing planet

14 July 2018

Oh, what a messed-up country and world we live in.  Our man-child insulter of all President is doing the opposite of what he said he would do during his campaign: MAKE AMERICA GREAT.  To which I have always asked, why, what’s wrong with it now?  Of course, nothing, however he is making such a mess of it now that the next person running for that office will have to say, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN.  The Donald has taken his realty TV shows to a whole new bargain basement level and put down anyone and everyone who disagrees with him and gets in his way, not only in this country, but internationally also. And why, does he cozy up to such people is Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, and Rodrigo Duterte.  I am surprised he does not have a swastika flag hanging somewhere in the White House or perhaps he does but just in his personal closet.

Listening to and watching the news on TV used to be one of my favorite activities as I have always been interested in current events and also find history to be of interest. These days however, it depresses me too much and I can OD very quickly on what I see and hear.  So I stick with local news and am sometimes amused by what happens in Silly Hall as Chronicle columnist Herb Caen used to call City Hall here in San Francisco.

When parents abuse, or even worse, kill their children, words fail me as to how I feel.  One such incident fairly recently were the parents in Arizona I believe who kept their children locked in the house, chained to beds and other objects, starved them,  and committed other unspeakable acts until one courageous girl escaped and sought help.  What is wrong with people?   Are they all on drugs?  The many outrageous acts puzzle me.  

Gun violence is another abhorrent act in this country and the NRA is getting away with murder, literally.   What is wrong with them?  Why do they continually misinterpret the First Amendment?  We have a well-regulated militia and it is known as the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force.  The militia supported by the NRA is unregulated and this sort of makes me wonder if they have declared war on the USA and hope there will be another Civil War. They certainly believe that some people have declared war on them and want to take away their guns. I don’t but why the hell does a private citizen need an AR-15 assault rifle anyway.  Certainly not to hunt unless you are intent on creating lead infused ground beef.

I can only hope that everyone who can vote will get out this November and do so.  Our country and our world depend on it.

BFN

What can I write in the era of Trumpism

I knew that it had been awhile since spouting off about this or that, but I had not realized that it had been so long.  Now the Donald gives me a lot to grieve about but I am not sure whre to begin.
[Well, at the begining of course.]

So, here goes.

While the possbility of war on the Korean peninsula worries me greatly, I hope it can be avoided but closer to home is the desire of some Republicans to cut back on the Medicare budget is more worrisome.  I would resent that greatly.  Having paid into the fund for so many years that it is appaling that the government has, according to some, raided the Medicare funds for other uses over the years, and now wants to cut back on even more.  It is especially appaling as these jerk in D.C. have got the best healthcare in the country but spend a few dollars more on us poor folks?  NO, they can't have that.

As for Trump, it is so sickening that he supports a judge who has had unlawful sexual relations with a minor but won't fess up to doing things to woman that he should not have.  He calls it "locker room trash talk", or some such thing.  Well, maybe it was but he said he did it but won't confess that those were unspeakable actions and he supports people like Judge Moor and others but wants to rid of people don't support him.

And then there is the matter of former FBI Director Comey.  Why did he fire him?  What was the real reason.

I used to be a news junkie but now I shy away from the news a lot especially when that mealy mouthed SOB in Washington is on.  At the very least I hit the mute button on the TV and I may leave the room too as I can't even stand the sight of his face.

And now a meaningless press conference.  Arghhhhhh......

There must be a subject here somewhere...

What can I say?  What will Trump and Co. mean for the USA and the world?  Who will suffer?  Who will be satisfied?   Questions, questions, questions...

At times I feel that he is just a big pussycat whose growl is greater than his bite.  Then at other times I don't think that and fear, at the very least, what his team and advisors might do.  Especially iffy is the way the Trump/Pence will deal with minorities especially Muslims and gay men and women.

I know we have heard it all since the election but I just hope that most Americans will accept him and give him a chance to govern.  If things do not go well there are lawful ways to make changes so rioting in the streets will accomplish absoluately nothing.

There are days I feel depressed and hold out little hope for this country.  I especially worry about the Supreme Court where Trump will set this country back a number of years with conservative appointments.  Then how is he going to deal with heads of other governments?  Will he observe standard protocols or will he make a fool of himself in their presence.

In closing I will put my full support behind the elimination of the Electoral College.  Trump was right that the election was rigged but not in the way he expected.  In recent years Al Gore and now Hillary Clinton had more popular votes than Electoral and should have been elected but that rigged way of doing things did them in.

Fall Back

Why oh why do we need Daylight Standard Time and Daylight Savings Time anymore.  It is such a botthersome thing or so it seems to me.  Let's have one or the other all year - period.

Mental Health

Just wondering if I will survive the next eight days mentally and emotionally.  Then, on the day after the election, will it be a great sigh of relief or complete and utter dispare?

Election and other crap

Eee gods and litle fishes , as one of my relatives used to say, but has it been almost a year since posting here?  What is the matter with me?  Actually, one thing that bothers me greatly and I have not wanted to harp on this issue all year and that is the presidential election coming up in 11 days.

Just now however I have learned that the FBI Director has reopened the investigation into one or more of Hillary Clinton's e-mails which he said may be pertinent to their investigation.  Coming so close to the election makes me highly suspicious of what is going on.

The Trump has been calling her "Crooked Hillary" all year but I think Trump is the crooked one and I greatly fear what could happen to this country and to the world should he win the election.  In fact, I think Trump and Philippine President Duterte should both find some small island to rule as Dictators and be gone from the scene and Trump could even build another hotel there.

I will watch the election results on TV as I usually do but with lots of G&Ts standing by to celebrate her win or drown my sorrows should he win.  Ahrrrrgggg.......

Two of  the biggest things that worry me about Trump is his idea to build a wall on the border with Mexico and have them pay for it.  Well, the president of Mexico has already said they would not pay for such a wall.  Then there is Trump's idea that he can get rid of ISIS.  How?  That I would like to see however I fear he might even makes things worse.

Well, 11 days to go.  Wish I could sleep through 10 of those days so we could get this thing over, one way or the other.  This campaign is driving me crazy.

Peace

Guns, guns, and more guns

Some people are once again urging that everyone who is legally allowed to have guns, carry them.  This would presumably, prevent mass shootings.  Well, this presumes two things.  One, that gun owners are clairvoyant and thus would know when the next outbreak of violence would occur, and two, that the legal gun owner, would be such a good shot that he could hit the perps and not cause more casualties.

Such a simple solution to a complex problem is not a good idea in my mind.

The holidays approach but terrorism is already here

I find it interesting that the authorities are hesitant to label what happened in San Bernardino as terror.  It is true that we do not know if the perps were home grown or recently radicalized. but mass shootings are terror, no ifs, ands, or buts.   Actually, any murder can be labeled as terror for the victim.

What bothers me now is the renewed cry for more gun control.  Yes there may be holes in our current laws but lets fact it folks, the barn doors have been open for quite a while and all the horses stolen.  So given access to guns if one really wants one, they can be obtained.  I don't think any amount of new laws is going to prevent that.

One thing authorities need to do is provide more mental health screening and treatment, where possible.  However, since there is no guarantee of anything working, I am now a confirmed pessimist and feel that this planet is now on a slippery slope to its total doom.

ISIS continues to grow and no one seems to know what to do about that threat and now France and the U.K. are involved as their respective Air Forces are now bombing ISIS sites which will only make them angrier but do nothing to reign them in.

If anyone has any ideas what to do I and the rest of the world would like to hear them.

I need a drink.  Ha!

Well, where have I been?  And when will our unusually hot weather end?  Not sure where I am going with this but I sure have a lot to gripe about with so many flaky Republicans running for President.
Say what you want about Trump he at least he has made the race interesting.   Also, what is interesting is that Dr. Carson,  Joe Biden, and Bernie Sanders are are doing to well in the polls and Biden is not even an official candidate yet.

Tonight is the night for Stephen Colbert's debut on the Late Show.  I am not really familiar with him or his style so I will check out his first show via my DVR.  I really really miss Jay Leno and really really really miss Johnny Carson.  As for David Letterman, the only thing I liked on his show was his Top Ten list and I absolutely hated Paul Shafer.

More later after it cools off.

Drought continues

Yup, February was also dry and IF we get any rain it is probably two weeks off and will probably be very light.   Guess I should start stocking up on bottled water.  The only problem with the is the fact that it is very difficult to take a shower with bottled water.  Grrr....

Missed the boys of the Choir of Men and Boys at Grace Cathedral at Evensong today.  They are either on vacation of busy getting ready for Easter although it is a little early for that.  Minus those angelic voices at Evensong I discovered that there are at least three countertenors in the choir.

Bi-polar weather

After a very dry year leading into December 2014, we had an extremely wet December but now it is back to the same old stuff as January 2015 was the driest on record.  This should have been our wettest month.  If everything were running normally, February could be very wet too but I don't think that will happen.  March anyone??

Anyone know how to do a Rain Dance?

Be careful what you wish for.

As recently as Thanksgiving people here in San Francisco and Vicinity were wondering if we were ever going to get rain.  HA!   Now people are wondering if it will ever stop.  We are now over 250% of normal and do not need anymore this year.  The Sierra snow pack is not fairing as well however it is turning colder little by little so there should be more snow and down to a lower elevation.

IF the current forecast holds, we should have a dry Christmas.  I hope so as I do not want to traipse over to Oakland for dinner in this rain.

 Had early morning appointment today at the SF Endoscopy Center and after that I had to get some groceries.  Now I am bushed.  Time for nap.

Medicare, etc.

Well, the City & Country of SF Fire Department has finally billed Medicare for that three block ambulance ride in March 2013.  I just hope they bill for the current date otherwise the claim might not be paid due to its being over one year old.  Sheila did know however to bill Medicare as my prime insurance and that they in turn will send along the claim to Anthem Blue Cross.  I am glad that I went down to City Hall last week as that act alone seemed to get the ball rolling.  Prior to that everything seemed to be stuck in neutral.

I've enjoyed the recent rain (finally) and now there is more on the way for this next weekend.  Yippee!  We will need several "normal" years however to recoup what has been lost during the recent years of the drought.

Thanksgiving Dinner this week with the "usual suspects" in Oakland.  They are like family now and this has become a tradition at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  BTW, that term has been borrowed from the movie "Casablanca".

Have a great holiday everyone.

HELP! More noise from above and other matters.

What is it with my neighbor upstairs.? I know he is tall and is not a "lightweight" however in recent weeks it sounds like he is walking on his heals, or at least stomping around on them in some fashion. If this building were constructed properly and the floors (and walls) were not so thin it probably wouldn't matter.  The most frustrating thing though, is that while I have always heard his foot steps, they sounded normal.  Now it sounds like he is deliberately trying to annoy me or he has new shoes which would make a lot of noise anywhere.  If so, maybe he should take them off while in his apartment.

Now I have more important fish to fry with the City and County of San Francisco.  On March 3, 2013, I collapsed on the street near Market and Castro.  An ambulance was called and I was taken to nearby Davies Medical center, a distance of about 3 or 4 blocks.  While the ER billed my insurance for services rendered, the ambiance company did not but it was not until recently that I knew this.  Now I am being billed $1747.00.  OUTRAGEOUS!

Medicare should have been billed and then it would roll over to Anthem Blue Cross.  While this was done by the ER why wasn't it done by the Ambulance Company?  Now, while I am looking at the Medicare Website, I learn that they will not pay claims over a year old.  Well, damn it, it was not my fault.  No wonder things here in the City and Country of San Francisco area so screwed up.

Now what will happen?  I certainly do not have the money to pay such a large bill and why is it so huge just for a three block ride????????  I think I could use a lawyer in this matter but I cannot afford that either.

Oh what to do, wtd, wtd wtd?????

Oh wonder of wonders.  They got the hot water problem fixed in less than a day.
Over and out...

Wunnerful wunnerful, turn off the bubble machine.  Ha!  Someone or something turned off the hot water in this building overnight so I have left a voice mail message with the property management company as well as an e-mail.  This is really inconvenient on the weekend as probably nothing will be done until Monday.  Anybody know of a cheap motel that is not riddled with bugs that I could stay at for two night?  Ha!  Or at least take a shower.  Too bad I am no longer a member of 24 Hour Fitness.

Oh bitch, bitch, bitch

Why is it that most of my posts seem to be complaints?  Good question but I guess that things that irk me get me most fired up and in the mood to air my grievances through this site.  One thing that would help greatly in my case would be a substantial financial windfall so I could afford to move out of this noisy Motel 6 Fraternity House of a building.

Since we have no on-site manager it is difficult to deal with noisy tenants.  Before Don our resident manager, passed a number of years ago it was great as he ran a tight ship and would not tolerate any of this inconsiderate behavior.  Now the property management company located outside of San Francisco seems only to care about collecting the rent.  We also have the problem of one or two inconsiderate tenants who just happen to live next to or above me.  The rest of the building does not seem to have this problem of late night noise.  Also, when I moved in I was given a lease which spelled out certain behaviors.

The building from 1960 has very thin walls and floors so sounds carry all too well between apartments and tonight my upstairs neighbor has turned in an "all nighter" with loud music starting shortly after midnight and continuing now at 6:11 AM as I write this.  I gave up trying to sleep around 3:30 AM so I got up, got dressed and turned on the computer and other devices.  Guess I will have a very early breakfast as a result.  He has never done it in the past for this many hours so this is a new low for him

I have tried to talk to my upstairs neighbor but it seems to do no good.  I probably should have called the police when the music, if that is what it is called, was at its loudest around 2 AM but I didn't.  It stopped around 3 and but then resumed around 4 AM but at a slightly lower decibel reading.  I can still hear the bass and rhythm section which is so prevalent in contemporary pop music.  In fact, that is what I hear the most of.   Also tonight there was what sounded like a wrestling match around 1 AM which was scary as these thin concrete floors crack easily which is one reason water beds and similar heavy furniture is not allowed.  At least according to my lease.

I would like a lawyer but can't afford one.  Can't afford to move and pay market rate rent either so I really feel trapped in this hell hole.  I have lived here 21 years and realize that I am a senior citizen now living amongst yuppies and other professional types but some consideration should be given to late night noise.  Don't these yuppies or techies ever sleep???

Well, it is almost time to take a shower and have breakfast and the so-called music upstairs continues unabated.   [boom-boom-boom, etc.]  I am bushed.  Maybe I will have to sleep during the day today.  Yuk...that is a bummer.

Anyway, I could use a pro bono lawyer especially since San Francisco rental laws are so complex.

BFN

So busy...

Such nice weather this week but I have no time to enjoy it with income tax preparation, medical and other pressing matters.  Boo...hiss..

Links??

I wish there were someway to link this page to my Facebook page. Does anyone have any ideas?

Still here...

Well, I am still here but barely, or so it seems at times, as I muddle through my advanced years which have only now begun to show.    People still think I am younger than I am and I am of two minds in this regard.   Since I don't usually feel my age that is good however I can't really identify with either the younger crowd or the older crowd, that is, people of my age.  Every time I pass a senior housing facility and look at pictures of the inmates, er, I mean, patients, or whatever, I say to myself, NO WAY.  I am not going there.  I am not ready for that even on days when some of the simplest tasks seem to tire me out.

So where do I go next?  Well, financial constraints mean that I will not be traveling as much as I have been in recent years.  My vacations in Thailand are over and as much as I would like to return to Paris, hotel costs there as well as in my first hometown of Boston, make those two destinations seem unlikely now.  I guess this means short jaunts around the West Coast.  A weekend in Vegas or in San Diego visiting my friend Dave or possibly to Portland where I have never been or Seattle where I spent one cold New Years weekend in 1976.  By the way, it snowed that night.  Who knows what I will do.

If this city of San Francisco does not drive me crazy nor this apartment house, I guess I should be able to write a few lines in this blog from time to time.  Retirement has given me a lot of time to write and do other things as long as I don't get lazy and waste that time.

And why am I writing this after an absence of a number of months?   Well, one of the characters in the delightful movie "Julie and Julia"  which I watched again tonight, was writing a blog and that reminded me that I had done nothing with this one in a long time.  So, for better or worse, here I am again.  And now I will just say, bye for now.

Animal House?

Don't know if it is a generational thing or a lack of security in my apartment house but over a period of time it seems more like party central than an apartment house and now the moving party has moved to the unit next door to me.  Unlike people in my generation who would visit friends around 8 PM for a few hours, these kids do not even get started until about 10:30 PM.  Then last night, as in some other nights, people were coming and going at all hours.  I was still awake at 3 AM today due to all the activity just outside my door.  In my day, people respected their neighbors and did not talk so loudly.  Then too, this building has paper thin walls, not the good old lathe and plaster of my father's house.  Then there is the matter of who exactly rents the apartment next door.  I think it is a slightly older woman but the people coming and going late at night, from what I can see, are all or mostly in their twenties.  Looks like frat house during spring break at times.

I am most concerned, and this may be my paranoia showing here, that the occupant of that apartment doesn't even know who is coming and going, that she might have loaned her key to someone one day and that person made copies for all of their friends.   Or maybe it was stolen.  So, in effect, the door is always open.

So I am wondering how I should handle this?  There has been no resident manager since Don passed away and the property management company is in San Mateo, not San Francisco.  Oh what to do, what to do, wtd, wtd?

Where am I?  What has transpired since early April?  Good question.  Strange that while I have a lot of time to post here it is very easy to become distracted by my problems or events around me and I lose focus and find myself unable to write anything.  I wonder how many other people have this problem?

As for local events I need to collect my thoughts so they will come later.

Hope y'all are  doing well.

BFN

OMG

This has not been a good day.  First Margaret Thatcher dies and now.......Annette Funicello.

M-I-C  K-E-Y  M-O-U-S-E
Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse

What's this world coming to and who gives a rat's ass?  Ha!

BFN

Easy come...easy go

Seems like I have been spending money lately like is going out of style and that includes money for new shoes that I don't really need.  Oh, well, can always use them including next week in Lost Wages.

California joined the Power Ball Lottery network today so I purchased my first quick pick for that game.  These ticket are $2 each whereas the California lottery tickets are just $1 each.  What the heck...can't win if I don't play as they say.

Error

I have discovered that my posting of January 26th may be in error.  The blurb on the Cafe Royale website about being offered for sale has been removed either because there was a change of plans or because it should not have been there in the first place.  I suspect the latter as it could have been a case of the website being hacked something that seems to happen with alarming regularity in that part of the world.  Tom and David run a very nice hotel which has been in operation for ten years and I just cannot  imagine them selling it.  Actually, there are too many Russians in Pattaya these days and there is tension between the locals, tourists, and some foreigners who do not seem to know how to comport themselves in public.  Hope things go better in the future for the city.

Well, I am off to Vegas next week for a quickie.  That is two nights at the Luxor plus Ka', a spectacular Cirque du Soleil show at the MGM Grand.  As for gambling, well, I don't do much of that these days but I do like the change of atmosphere from here in San Francisco.

Return from Thailand

Just returned from what has become my annual visit to Thailand.  Hated to come home from the nice warm (some would say hot) weather there to the cool to cold weather here however one segment of the tourist population there about drove me start WWIII.  Well, not quite but there is has been a growing number of Russians visiting there, especially in Pattaya, where I spend some time, and they are a noisy boorish lot who need to learn how to act in public.  Even when trying to get through passport control at Suvarnabhumi airport on the way home, they were noisy,  running all over the place like they owned it, and one even poked me in the back with a finger ( think) with a sharp fingernail instead of politely asking me to move so they could get by.   God!  I felt like screaming:  RUSSIANS GO HOME.  Well, they were but so was I.  Jeesh....

After returning home I discovered that my hotel of many years, Le Cafe Royale in Pattaya, is now up for sale.  This disturbs me greatly as I fear the wrong type of people will buy it.

Oh well, limited finances will probably make it next to impossible to continue these annual trips though I would like to visit Chiang Mai one more time.  I have not been there in several years and want to see Ben one more time.  He and that city are on my bucket list.

Now it is time to renew my season tickets to the San Francisco Opera and it will soon be time to do so with the symphony.  At least I have those two things to look forward to.  Would like to return to Paris one more time but Europe is damn near too expensive for me now.

Oh well, c'est la vie.

Violence in schools and elsewhere

The shootings today in Connecticut, while an unspeakable tragedy, should not be unexpected when one considers how many guns, especially assault weapons, are in the hands of private citizens many of whom are mentally unstable and deranged.  There is no need for such weapons to be in the hands of private citizens in the first place.

The underlying cause of today's problems however is a more difficult one to address.  We live in a violent culture with violent movies and TV program and the young and unstable like to imitate and unfortunately where is often a lack of parenting.  Either one or both parents are missing from homes to help guide their children and even then some of them may have violent criminal backgrounds and are unqualified to be even be parents as they are going to be unable to give the proper guidance for difficult times and problems. They may even encourage violent actions to solve problems.

I totally encourage a total ban on assault weapons in the hands of private citizens but we also need better education and mental health programs to ward off future massacres such as the one today.

Paperwork over load

Weren't computers supposed to help eliminate a lot of paperwork?  Well, I suppose it would be fine if I did not get behind in processing F/S but as it stands now I might burn out the motor on my shredder with all the paperwork that I need to run through it.  Before I retired it was simple.  If I got behind I could load up my briefcase as I was heading into the office and dump things into the secure shredder bin in the office.  That worked out fine but since retiring I have gotten lazy and that causes all sorts of problems here at home.  Grrrrr.....

Beautiful Saturday

Not especially warm (62°) at 1 PM but very pleasant AND there is no cold wind blowing in from the ocean.  (Well, I probably jinxed us with that statement.)

Only 13 days until the opening of the Summer Olympics in London.
Les Miz at the Orpheum Theater in August.
Only 178 days until my next trip to Thailand.

In the meantime there will be two days in Sin City next week.  Wheeeee....
This is primarily to see Ka' at the MGM Grand but I will have lots of time to wander about
and see other things, do other things.

So happy to have cleared out most of the Milk Weeds cluttering things out back. Still have a few unidentified weeds and hope that the Weed-B-Gone spray will kill those off. Those huge Milk Weeds were something else however.  They were almost like something out of a sci-fi movie as they took over the back deck.

Another restaurant?

Well, the trend continues in saturating this city of San Francisco with as many of the trendy places that you can.  The latest is yet another La Boulange, the not so French restaurant which has just opened its latest iteration under the Emporium Dome at Westfield of all places.  That used to be a nice place stop and relax while shopping or before going to movie upstairs or whatever.  But no, we now have the umpteenth Boulange restaurant in the city.  Did we really need another one??  What are they trying to do?  Outdo McDonalds in numbers?   Bleaaaaah......

Oh my aching back...

Spent two hours cutting up some variety of milkweed which had overtaken the back of my unit and threatened to snake itself over to and in the door. Still a little more work to be done but at least I got the bulk of it out of the way...FINALLY! The old Cala Foods site has really become a beehive of activity this week. On the street level parking side they have removed some windows. In the area of the old circular ramp on the California Street side they have poured some concrete around what I thought was going to be an elevator shaft. Now I don't know what that is going to be. On the Californian Street side they dug rather big hole in the sidewalk and placed something in it...something to hold electrical equipment? And inside the lower level they have reinforced the main floor with at least one I-beam plus other metal parts. Can't wait for Trader Joe's and CVS Pharmacy to open there but I have no idea when that will be.

What the __________?

Either it is this city or my age or this neighborhood but things seem like they move too fast here.  I am worried that one day I am going to be witness to a horrendous crash at some intersection near me as motorists drive too fast on city streets.  As a pedestrian I was almost hit by a Lorrie's Airport Shuttle Van recently that was coming up Leavenworth too fast.  Fortunately I was able to jump out of the way and fortunately he stopped but unfortunately the driver was an asshole who just grinned at me as if it was a big game.  He offered no words of apology or regret of anything.  Now I wish I had had the foresight to take down the van number and report him. 

And that is the way it is here in San Francisco...everyone does their own thing and to hell with anyone else.
Sometimes I wished I lived somewhere else but it is a little easier dealing with the weather here (no extremes of heat or cold) but the damn hills are wearing me down physically, that and the incessant fog and wind.

Even this apartment building is too much at times.  I realize that the poor construction ("paper thin floors and walls") permits sounds to leak into adjacent units (even adjacent buildings) but is there any reason why it can be so quiet up until about 10 or 11 PM when  bada-boom, bada-boom starts which makes it difficult to sleep.  What's with people these days?  One of the most restful nights I have spent recently was in a small village Northern Thailand where all I could hear were the crickets.  Oh, if only that were the case here but then I grew up in an apartment house near Boston in which one could not hear their neighbors.  Too bad they don't build them like that anymore and too bad people don't respect their neighbors anymore.  As for music, well, those were the days of Bing Crosby, Perry Como, Vaughn Monroe, etc. so there were no loud crashing sounds emanating from stereo systems.  In fact, those things did not exist either.

Am I living in the past?  Well no but it was a damn sight easier to get along with people then and I have many fond memories of that era.

Would I like to return to the Boston area?  Yes and no.  Yes if only to experience the seasons once again and warm weather in July and August when it supposed to be warm.  No because I no longer know anyone there and family, such as it was, has either passed away or moved and I was never close to them anyway.

The logistics of moving are almost insurmountable now.  Too much stuff to move for one thing. 

Well, Scotty, beam me up or over or wherever including this apartment and everything in it.  Or, maybe I should do like my mother and step-father used to do.  Just move and sell the furniture and buy new stuff at my destination.  That would simplify some things.

On another matter, the Supreme Court did the right thing this week by upholding the current health care law but I fear that the Supreme Jerk of the House of Representatives, John Boehner, will try everything in his power to rescind the law.  And why should he care? As an elected member of Congress he has a great salary and great health care coverage so he apparently has no problem saying: "Let them eat cake".   He has already said publicly, "Let them die".  WHAT A COMPLETE ASSHOLE!

Arab Holocaust

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has got to be the modern equivalent of Adolph Hitler as he slaughters his own people and is showing no mercy despite pleas from the world community.  How much longer will the holocaust go on?  Some people are calling for the U.S. to arm the rebels.  That sounds nice but would probably be the one event to push the country into total civil war.   And as the U.S. pulls out of Iraq, this would be the last thing we need at this time.

The solution, if there is one, is a total commitment from our Allies but how to get war weary countries to intervene is a vexing problem and in this case Russia is not on our side in this conflict which exacerbates the problem.

It is this sort of thing which makes watching the news on TV so depressing.   I used to be a news junkie but now most of the news seems bad and that includes the violence in the U.S. with murders, single and multiple, on the increase.

Where will this all end?

March Madness

I hate basketball especially when it pre-empts many of my favorite TV programs and especially so soon after having many of those programs in re-rerun status.  Whoever thought of this plan must have been mad.  Even my two movies from Netflix last night were re-runs.  Gawd, I am jinxed!

Return and research

Having been back home a few days I am puzzled by my research on-line today concerning the climate in Thailand as well as other matters I already know about.  Haven't I had enough for now?  I really need to think about going somewhere else next year.  That would be easier if I had a partner who shared the same values I do but that does not seem possible now.  Jeff, who was the party guy, and Richard, the intellectual, were soul-mates who cannot be replaced, especially at my advanced age.  LOL

Morning after the day after

Well, my head is still in a fog, so to speak, and I am still finding it difficult to do everything needed to get back on a normal footing at home.  I wonder how entertainers who are always on the road handle these sort of situations.  This almost makes me want to never go on vacation again.  I guess short ones will be the order of the day in the future, that is, if I am to retain whatever sanity I have left.  At least I got my suitcase back in the closet plus an older and smaller one out (for eventual donation).  My laundry basket is full and the stack of financial paperwork is overwhelming.  Winning the lottery about now would be great.  LOL

Home Alone

Well, after 10 plus grueling hours in the air, I arrived home, tired, but not sleepy.  It is now 9:35 PM PDT and I am ready to got out to see what has changed but of course I won't do that until tomorrow. My ears are still popping but hopefully this White Zinfandel and a good night's sleep will rectify that situation.  And thanks Tim, for your message.

Night all...

Downtown Blues

Guess I just find downtown SF too depressing lately.  For one thing, it is too crowded...too many people in too small a space, etc.  Hopefully my fourteen days in Thailand soon will help in unwinding and getting my act together.  This is my favorite wintertime vacation place but nine hour flights are getting very tiresome, at least in coach.  First class or business class might be better but who the hell can afford those fares?

New projects of interest here in the city are the extension of the T-line Muni Metro line into the Central Subway,  the completion of the remodeling of the Metreon with the opening of Target later this year and closer to home will be Trader Joe's and CVS Pharmacy's move into the old Cala Foods building at Hyde and California.  BTW, that Central Subway project is in its earliest phases of construction but tunneling may actually begin by the end of the year.

Then there is the new stadium for the San Francisco 49ers to be built in Santa Clara.  SF sure screwed up on that one especially with so much land available at Hunter's Point including access to the Bay for which ferry service could be launched for games as it is for the SF Giants at AT&T Park.  Also, with the new Muni T-line running down Third Street to a point fairly close, it could have been extended into Hunter's Point for access to and from the games.

Sometimes I think that officials do not look at the big picture here.  Are district elections the reason with each supervisor involved with his or her own fiefdom.  If so, let us go back to citywide elections ASAP.

Oh, this is too much to think of early Sunday morning.

BFN

Life in the City of San Francisco

I have grown very tired of this city during the past 37 years of living here.  It used to be a neat city and it still is in many ways but after traveling the world and seeing other things and how life could be if the government had a spine and would enforce its laws, I get very frustrated with this mess of a city.  The benevolent dictatorship of Singapore is a perfect example of a very well run city...no filth and garbage on the streets, a well run and efficient mass transit system, people not standing in doorways and or on corners smoking pot, no stinky and smelly homeless and beggars on the corners looking for a handout.  Even in the less efficiently run city of Bangkok I do not find such problems either.

Guess I have just burned out on this place but I am too old to move anywhere else now and could not afford it anyway.  Moving across town is hard enough but moving across the country or to another country would be next to impossible.  Oh well, at least I have enjoyed my stay here and have many fond memories and now must make the best of a bad situation here.

Still here...

Haven't done much with this site recently as there have been too many other things on my mind.  Guess part of it is due to sheer laziness but after a ten day trip to Singapore I am reminded of what a chaotic and dirty city San Francisco is, as if I needed to be reminded, and now I am home again to bums, beggars, homeless people, and doing the "poop-shuffle" as I avoid stepping in or on dog or even human excrement.  Harvey Milk's "pooper-scooper" law has done little good.

Sure, this city has its charms, but street life is not one of them.  Public transportation if greatly lacking also.  There is also modern and innovative architectural designs which the NIMBYS in this town would never allow so most everything is rather dull.  NYC is much more interesting in that regard.

Then there is the crime rate.  While it may not be statistically any worse than many U.S. Cities, one does not feel safe anymore here especially at night.  Unfortunately city officials are too timid to do anything about it and all sorts of people from the "hood" (wherever it is located) come into the city to rob, steal, and cause mayhem.
Guess I would prefer to go back to the idyllic life of my childhood if possible.

And now we have the Republidiots conducting debates on who to have as their presidential candidate.
There should be a national primary and a direct vote but those controlling the purse strings in Washington are not about to let that happen.

So what is one to do?   Certainly there will be no changes in this country in the near future and perhaps not in the distant future also.  It's very discouraging to say the least.

This could drive a person to drink and probably has on more than one occasion. 

KA - BOOM

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Wednesday 25 October 2011

I am really getting tired of these protesters. First we have the smelly scroungy homeless people occupying the streets of San Francisco and now we have the occupy Wall Street protesters taking up the remaining good space of the area around Justin Hermann Plaza. This city city has become a garbage dump and I have no idea why tourists want to come here any longer. Sure, there are nice places but they are getting fewer and farther between.  Even Oakland has its problem with protesters who are now marching back to City Hall so for this senior citizen life in the Bay Area gets very discouraging. I have also given up trying to vote as it doesn't do any good.

One thought that's been very pleasant to me recently has been the thought of moving back to my hometown of Boston but leaving this rent-controlled apartment would be very difficult relocating to another space. Oh, what to do, what to do, what to do?

I have thought during the past year that my next visit to Thailand, currently scheduled for January 2012, would be my last.  Now the more I read about the government's inability to coordinate efforts to handle the flood conditions leaves me very discouraged that Ms. Shinawatra will be able to anything useful.  Now I read that some residents are climbing onto flood barriers to disassemble them for their own personal reasons, political or otherwise, which leaves me with a feeling of hopelessness in this matter.  The King is too old and frail now to do much and the government is in disarray so I see very little hope for that country now.  I have been there ten times since January 2003 and I guess that is enough.  Now I must return to my roots in the Boston area for awhile.  I will miss my Thai friends but as they say in France, c'est la vie.

Well, Ain't this a Fine Kettle of Fish.  After trying for years to get a friend here in San Francisco to meet me in Thailand when I am there on vacation, and his inability or refusal to do so, I am now in the position that I might have to cancel my trip there even though he has finally agreed to meet me there.  The amount of water there from the flooding seems to be an insurmountable barrier to an enjoyable vacation most anywhere.  And now I am angered at officials for not knowing what to do or when to do it..  Even the new Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra did not want to declare a State of Emergency which it clearly is and why is the country being left to defend itself.  I certainly have not heard of any other country offering aid of any type.  Looking of the positive side, that trip is not scheduled until the second week of January and things could change for the better by the.  I hope so!

I love this quote from Gov. Jerry Brown on the subject of ski helmets for children:  "While I appreciate the value of wearing a ski helmet, I am concerned about the continuing and seemingly inexorable transfer of authority from parents to the state. Not every human problem deserves a law."  I think that last sentence should be posted on very large signs within both houses of the California legislature as the nanny state continues to grow and grow and grow while doing nothing to fix the financial problems of the state.

To blog or not to blog, that is the question.   While I seem to have many opinions and complaints about many things these days, this site has languished due, in part, to laziness I guess.  In fact, I have even considered terminating this account.  Don't really want to do that so I guess I will plod along. 

Anyway, tonight was a heavy night as I watched the movie "Downfall" on DVD which is about the last days of Hitler.  Very well done but depressing.  It was nominated for some Oscars but I do not remember when or in what categories now.  Should go to IMDB.com to check on that.

Anyway, I feel rather numb after watching the movie so I am having a glass of Merlot before retiring.  Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day.  Have to go to Best Buy for a computer program and may stop in at the Civic Center for part or all of a free concert by the SF Symphony at 11:30 AM.   I apparently will not be as warm as today which was gorgeous.  There is only one thing I ask. TURN OFF THE DAMN WIND.  That has ruined many days here which otherwise would have been very nice.

Oh well, time to drift off into dreamland.   Zzzzzzzz.......

Oh no, not again

Now we have another religious nut case governor from Texas considering a run for the White House...just what we don't need. Wasn't George W. Bush enough? This country, this world is living in perilous times and too many people think they have the answers when they don't really know what they are talking about but they sure are quick to try to impose their solutions on the rest of us.

Republicans

I do not know how you could possibly think that John Boehner and his henchman would actually do the right thing but as of this moment it looks as if I will not receive any Social Security in August. Fortunately I can pull money from my regular savings for the month but if the jackasses in Congress do not solve the problems soon I will have to dig into "deep savings". Those isolationist racist pigs don't care about anything or anyone else. Why should they? They have it made while in Congress with good pay and benefits. Well, it they can say f--- you, then I will say the say thing back to them and they can all go to hell. They are so thick headed that they do not realize that a U.S. default will bring the whole worlds economy down and would they do this if Obama were white? I think not!

There are some people in this country who do not realize the gravity of this problem and some appear to be living out there in la-la land where everything is pink and rosy and where nothing ever goes wrong. Those people need to get real.

What the hell?????

Sometime between bedtime (approx. 10:30 PM Saturday) and waking up this morning (approx. 8 AM) some critter, varmint or whatever, made a mess of my computer by deleting everything inside my Libraries folder on this Windows 7 computer which has a large hard drive and lots of memory. What is even weirder is that the information has just been moved around. It would be as if someone took all the city streets you are familiar with and moved them to other locations in your city. Also, my Robo Form program is now blank as the 200+ passwords have disappeared and when I try to start entering them into the program new, I receive the error message that i needs a browser in which to save or fill forms. Well, what is the matter with this one, the one I am using right now????

At least I apparently have not lost anything especially my photos from many vacations going back a number of years but how and why did this happen?

Update as of 11-July-2011

Just as mysteriously as did those files and folders disappear from the Libraries folder then they reappeared a few days ago. This is great but I still do not know what happened to make those links disappear nor just just suddenly reappear. Strange...very strange indeed...

Election in Thailand

Editorial from The Bangkok Post

Many fear that today's election could herald a new round of violence in the country. Over the past few years, Thailand has been plagued by political unrest. In 2008, anti-Thaksin yellow shirt demonstrators blocked the entrance to parliament to prevent the administration of Somchai Wongsawat from entering to read its policy statement. The demonstration turned violent and two protesters were killed and hundreds more injured. That was followed by the immensely damaging takeover of Bangkok's two airports.

During March to May last year, the pro-Thaksin red shirts staged protests against the Abhisit administration. The rallies turned bloody and at least 92 people were killed.

The divisions remain and if the results of today's elections are not respected they could worsen as the two major parties are far apart on how the new government should be formed.

The only way to avoid further conflict is for all parties to respect the principle of the election serving as a means to end rifts.

What has occurred in recent years has caused Thailand to lose many opportunities. Since 2006, governments have wasted too much time dealing with divisiveness instead of helping the country to cope with a rapidly changing world.

Fortunately, Thailand survived the so-called "hamburger crisis" caused by turmoil in the US financial system. But there is no end in sight to the world's economic problems. The financial crisis in the European Union prevails, leaving it perilously close to collapse; the nuclear radiation risk in Japan is far from over.

Then there is the fact that Asean is to become the Asean Economic Community in 2015, but Thailand, even though a founder of the regional grouping, appears to be doing little to prepare for it.

Add to that the relentless daily killings in the three southernmost provinces and the seemingly intractable conflict over the 4.6 square kilometre area near the Preah Vihear temple with Cambodia that forced Thailand to withdraw from Unesco's World Heritage Convention.

The next government needs to pay utmost attention to these problems. So, no matter which party leads the next government, let it get on with the job.

---

Pattnapong Chantranontwong is the editor of the Bangkok Post

Pocket full of dust...

Haven't done much lately here even though there are many thoughts on my mind at times. But then too, there are times when my mind seems to be blank. Also, some events just cry out for a comment while others are ho-hum in nature and either I could care less or find the situations to be beyond help by anyone in this city or state.

Other problems are of a personal and medical nature and seem unsolvable at this time. Sometimes I feel like just saying, "Shoot me". Also, to everyone out there, DON'T GROW OLD as you are going to have a whole bunch of problems that will make life less worth living. At least that is the way it has been in my family's history.

My life has been full of diseases which have taken their toll: Alzheimer's (mother), dementia (father), lung cancer (step-father and one uncle), stomach cancer (sister), pancreatic cancer (a friend) and colon cancer (an even closer friend). Now my problems are still being evaluated.

Is life worth living? Of course religious people are going to say so, or, what's the alternative. Well, at age 73 I don't give a rats ass about the alternative if my health is not going to be good. I have had a full plate, as they say, for many years, so now it is time to let go. I am not needed here nor is there anything here that I really need.

Oh, I can just hear some people in religion crowing, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and have life eternal", or words to the effect. Damn, I could of nothing more cruel. These 73 years have been enough. Who the hell would want more? Even in perfect health, that would be cruel. There is only so much that a human being can deal with, mentally, physically, or emotionally.

As some wise person said a long long time ago, there is a time to love, a time to hate, a time to live, a time to die, etc., etc. Well, you get the picture or should anyway.

Am I depressed? Maybe, maybe not. Just tired would be more like it. Right now I just desire better health and while my friend Richard cannot be replaced, a new friend of similar intellect and compatibility would be nice. It has been a lonely life since he died in January 2010 but how does one meet and make new friends at my age? Most everyone I know, even casually, are somewhat feeble, physically or mentally or both, and let's face it, at this age we are too set in our ways anyway. Aint' nothing gonna change me or any other ol' fart out there.

It is really a helluva dilemma when I can't identify with people of my own age or with the younger generation either. There MUST be a solution to this but I sure can't think of one right now.

Well, I am tired now and need to figure out what to do with myself the rest of the day. If tomorrow comes I will have to start all over again but for now I will leave that problem alone.

Spare me, spare me

First we have to endure Sarah Palin. Now Donald Trump is spouting ridiculous claims. He says that Obama is the worst president ever. Certainly he is old enough to remember Jimmy Carter and I am sure there were terrible presidents in the 19th Century of which he probably has no knowledge. He also says we are the laughing stock of the world. HA! Only in his mind. Damn...why does we have to endure such fools as the Palins and Trumps of the world. He is a complete asshole.

SICK SICK SICK

This is a good example of everything that is wrong with this country.

(04-02) 04:08 PDT Lansing, Mich. (AP) --

Police have arrested two Michigan parents they say beat a 73-year-old school crossing guard after he tried to break up a fight between their son and another 7-year-old boy.

Lt. Noel Garcia tells the Lansing State Journal the boys were involved in an altercation at Lyons Elementary School on Wednesday. Garcia says the next morning the parents drove to the area, let out their son and told him to beat the other boy.

Garcia says the couple's 7-year-old punched the other child, knocking him to the ground. When the crossing guard intervened, Garcia says the couple attacked him.

The State Journal says the parents were arrested Friday and are expected to be arraigned Monday on charges of assault or assault and battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Money problems...

"America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it’s not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich ... The only thing that's broke is the moral compass of the rulers. And we aim to fix that compass and steer the ship ourselves from now on." – Michael Moore in Madison, Wisconsin on March 5, 2011

Bad English

Another person has failed English 101A. At CNN it was reported "that the pilot had lost control of the aircraft by unknown reasons." That should be "for unknown reasons". This should not be worth complaining about except that I see and hear far too many grammatical errors from adults these days. We seem to be raising a village of idiots.

Another war...

And once again this country gets involved in yet another war while the poor people get poorer and the not so poor get poorer because of cuts to social security and medicare and other important programs that this country can no longer afford. FDR mus be rolling over in his grave about now. At the rate this country is going there will be no more middle class left in a few years.

Seattle's Weather???

Since Seattle is one of the wettest cities in the 48, I wonder if our seemingly endless supply of storms here in San Francisco are those which normally would have hit them? Has the jet stream sagged to the south? Are they now in very dry period? This is getting to be too much. In checking the extended forecast on AccuWeather.com it appears we will be in a rainy period right through the first of April. Enough already! Please!

On the plus side, my noisy neighbor, whoever he is, was not so noisy last night. In fact, I hardly heard a thump or beep or explosion from his sound system.

On the negative side, my kitchen sink drain is falling apart and maintenance in this building usually leaves everything to be desired. So far two phone calls and one e-mail to the property management company have produced no responses of any kind. Guess I will be eating frozen dinners a lot as well as eating out until the situation is fixed.

Stormy Weather

Last night's sleep was interrupted by noise from #301 once again. I do not know what time it started but I awoke about 3:00 AM and the noises continued and even got louder as the five o'clock hour approached when they finally ended. By that time I could not get back to sleep so I have had a long day. Now it is 10:35 PM and I AGAIN heard SOME of the same sounds a few minutes ago. If this continues I will have to have a talk with my doctor and a lawyer regarding sleep deprivation and the problems it can cause. I would also like to get a restraining order on the noise maker who does not seem to know or care that this building, the Sally Stanford Memorial Motel, has paper thin walls and floors and that ALL sounds carry throughout the building every easily.

If and when I get some debts paid off and can raise my income level as a result, I would move out of here post haste. As is, I am stuck here apparently from now until something short of eternity. Grrrrrrr.......

Don't leter Congress pull the plug...

Subject: Tell Congress: Don't pull the plug on NPR and PBS!

Dear Friend,

In a budget proposal made public on Wednesday, House Republicans announced plans to zero out all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit responsible for funding public media including NPR, PBS, Pacifica and more.

If the Republicans are successful, it would be a tremendous blow to the entire public interest media sector.

We cannot allow Republicans to destroy public media.

I just signed a petition telling Congress to fully fund NPR and defend public service media. You should too. Click below to take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/dont_defund_npr/?r_by=17581-3889530-lU2QUpx&rc=paste1

Priceless comment

I love this comment in the SF Gate comments section this morning:

We can't say no to the dictators of the middle east because they have all the oil and we can't say no to the autocrats of China because we have to buy all our Walmart crap from them and we can't say no to our own plutocrats because they've sucked up all the money from the middle class. Priceless!

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/03/06/MN561I50EQ.DTL#ixzz1G1U96ubl

Don't destroy Social Security

Subject: Tell Senate Democrats: Support the Social Security Protection Act of 2011
Dear Friend,


We need to take Social Security off the table as a bargaining chip in talks about the budget deficit and federal spending.

Social Security is one of the greatest anti-poverty programs in our country's history and is wildly popular. In addition, despite fearmongering to the contrary, Social Security is currently running a surplus, is fully solvent for decades, and is prohibited by law from adding to the deficit.

In fact, the only crisis facing Social Security is caused by opponents of the program who are crying wolf about a crisis in order to justify undermining one of the most popular social programs in our history.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has recently introduced a bill called the Social Security Protection Act of 2011. The bill would take Social Security off the chopping block by requiring a two-thirds super majority to reduce benefits, raise the retirement age or privatize the program.

I just signed a petition in support of this bill, and I hope you will too.

You can find out more information and easily take action at the link below.


http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/sspa2011/?r_by=-3889530-vkX8cQx&rc=paste1

Crazy City

I don't know whether to cry of laugh after reading this: "The annals of crime: Mission Station Capt. Greg Corrales reports that a would-be thief approached three people at 24th and Douglass streets and demanded their cell phones. But he refused one because it was "old- fashioned." "He then drew a gun and demanded all their property," the report continued. "When told by another of the victims that what he was doing was wrong, the gunman turned around and walked away."

A bend in the road

A problem for a trolley or tram, not in SF, but in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Golf Ball??

No, this is Mimas, one of Saturn's moons.

Discouraging World

What the heck is there to write about? The more I think about conditions in this city, this state, and the world, the more discouraging it gets and I just want to jump into a hole an pull it in on top of myself. What's the use? We get screwed by the government(s) and big business completes the process in their quest for more and more profits. Same goes for the big insurance companies who don't care about helping people - only what they can get for their bottom line.

"Scotty, beam me up".

Keith Olbermann

I really should watch Keith Olbermann on a regular basis. I used to watch him when at a friends house and found him to be very intelligent, informative, AND entertaining. It would also be better than watching some of the idiotic dramatic shows on TV these days.

Progress

Sure glad to see the Republicans and Demoncrats working together during the past couple of weeks. Oops. that should read Democrats, of which I am one. Could that be a Freudian slip? Anyway, all the recent passed legislation seemed to come out of nowhere as I was not expecting any of it. I wonder if the new Congress will do as well?

Senate GOP pledges to block all bills until tax dispute resolved - CNN.com

Senate GOP pledges to block all bills until tax dispute resolved - CNN.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

I say that we should give those Republicans all the rope they need to hang themselves. Extend the tax cuts and then see what a mess they make out of things in 2011. They no more have any ideas than the Democrats so I say "put up or shut up".

Good idea

I love this comment from a Chronicle reader in Napa: Regarding the air travel pat-down controversy, I'd rather be felt up than blown up.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/25/EDHU1GH4KH.DTL#ixzz16P7o2HA7

Train to nowhere

While Alaska has its bridge to nowhere we are now about to get our railroad to nowhere. Don't these dummies in California and the USA realize that these high speed trains must be built between areas of high density population, not somewhere in the boondocks. This plan will doom the entire project to failure. WHAT IDIOTS!!!!!!

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/25/BAMP1GH4FV.DTL

Presidental Race - 2012

I see on the news today that Sarah Palin is weighing her options for running for president in 2012. What??? Please spare me. She is in no way qualified for that office no matter what you think about her political stand on the issues of the day. She would be even more embarrassing that George W. Bush. If she runs and wins the nomination of her party I could only hope that the Democrats have a super strong candidate to run against her. If not and should she win, I know that it would finally be time to move to another country.

Palin

I wonder how much Sarah Palin's mother is paying ABC-TV to keep her daughter on the program?????????????????

Punks in the Haight

I certainly agree with this comment:

"The Haight punks may not be able to afford rent, but that is because they choose to do no work and mooch off those who do. Further, they are not looking for housing. They have no intention of settling down in San Francisco or anywhere else. The affordability or unaffordability of rent is thus irrelevant to their condition."

That comment from Heather Mac Donald, of the New York-based City Journal, a quarterly magazine about urban affairs, writing about San Francisco's sit/lie debate. Unfortunately, given the far left leanings of this city I doubt that much can be done.

Boy stabbed repeatedly in New York restaurant - CNN.com

Boy stabbed repeatedly in New York restaurant - CNN.com: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

This is a good example of the sick society we live in today. This planet apparently needs "outside" help.

How about a walk?

Why oh why did the Giants batter, with the game tied, only one out, and with the bases loaded, why did he have to even swing at the ball. A walk would have forced in the winning run and I think the odds of that happening were quite good. But no, he has to swing at the ball and hits into a double-play thus ending the chances for a Giants win at that point. DAMN DAMN DAMN

Even if he had struck out perhaps the next batter could have walked in the winning run. Since the errant batter is one of the teams better players, I won't even mention his name here.

Gate fixed

Mr. Fixit returned and now our old gate is good as new as they say and it has even been re-hung so it opens outward. This would seem to be better from a security standpoint.

Yesterday the Blue Angles "surveyed" the city and today there will be practice runs which will sound the same as the ones yesterday.

Tim Lincecum pitched superbly yesterday as the Giants beat the Braves 1-0. Today Matt Cain will be on the mound.

Want to see the movie "The Town" but not sure when I am going to find time for it.

Mr. Fixit

What's with Mr. Fixit here at this apartment building? There were two guys here on Monday fixing, or trying to fix the front gate. Now the job remains unfinished and the gate is leaning against a post in the courtyard and nothing is protecting the building from intruders. What is going on? Doesn't anyone know how to fix a security gate? How long will this project go on anyway?

A check of the items thirty minutes later reveals that someone has moved the items to a slightly different location curbside...next to a microwave oven that someone else had placed curbside earlier in the week. Hmmm...I wonder how this will all work out.

Junk pick-up

For the first time ever I have placed a bunch of stuff curbside for pick-up in the morning by Recology, a division of Golden Gate Disposal. I just hope that the local scavengers don't run off with the stuff. Two items are absolutely no good (no power cord) the the other two items are falling apart. I realize that strange things happen late at night but it is literally out of my hands now as I have followed their instructions and it is up to them to pick things up.

Smoke

I would like to thank Patricia of San Francisco for her excellent letter to the editor this morning"

"You can't separate marijuana smoke from cigarette and cigar smoke.

For health reasons, we have smoke-free offices, restaurants and apartment buildings, but healthy people still have to walk through a gauntlet of smokers, including pot smokers, wherever they go, especially in the business district.

Cigarette butt trash litters our sidewalks, bus stops and beaches. Second-hand smoke kills many people every year. It's pretty scary that potheads can actually vote for their right to expose healthy people to the sickening stench of marijuana smoke wherever they go. Marijuana smoke is just as deadly as cigarette and cigar smoke, and healthy people have the right to smoke-free air. It's even more frightening that politicians are pushing taxing a toxic substance as a source of revenue."

Unrest and wars

I love the internet and the access it provides to news of the world but I can't help but be a little bit concerned by all the headlines which could be grouped under the heading: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet." [Matthew 24:6] Well, that is somewhat of a relief. Ha! So the burning question is: How long must we endure? Should I move to another country and if so, which one? Perhaps the space station might be the safest place to be in the future.

Question

Is "CouponSuzy.com" the former "Chapstick Suzie"?

No new nut cases?

Where have all the religious nut cases gone? Seems like this past week or two has been rather quiet. One real nut case and a dangerous one however, is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejak of Iran who visited the U.N. this week for another vitriolic speech. That guy is sick sick sick.

Confusion reigns

Hold on there...not so fast. Who has said what and to whom? Pastor Jones is now backing off somewhat and the Imam in NYC does not seem to know what is going on here.

Pastor nixes Quran-burning, claims NYC mosque deal - Yahoo! News

Pastor nixes Quran-burning, claims NYC mosque deal - Yahoo! News: "- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Thank you Pastor Jones for coming to your senses and working with the imam in this delicate matter.

The Voice of Hate

The Voice of Hate in America. I wonder how he would feel if someone burned a stack of Bibles or his church? Has he forgotten about the Christian Crusades and all the pain and suffering those caused? Why is it that small minded evangelicals from small churches offer up so much hate in this country?

Hate filled world

Fred Phelps hates gays ("God Hates Fags") and Terry Jones hates Muslims. What is this world coming to anyway? If there is any burning to do, Mr. Phelps and Mr. Jones should be burned at the stake.

End of summer??

Well, this is the weekend that traditionally tourists go home, or at least thin out. It is also the time when the weather improves here in San Francisco. That is, the fog lessens and the average temperature goes up, or at least that is the way it usually happens. With the changes caused by global warming there is no telling what will happens anymore. The past two days have been wonderful but a cooling trend is predicted and things may be below normal by Wednesday and so it goes. It has been very much of a roller coaster ride the past few weeks.

Fall is here with the schools opening and the opera and symphony seasons resuming once again. It is one of my favorite times in this city.

My gray matter is not working too well tonight so that will all for now.

Roller Coasters

I've never like roller coasters and our roller coaster ride in the temperature department here in SF is getting a bit tiresome. Why can't we be bored to death with the same temperatures all week? Oh well, guess we would find something to complain about no matter what.

The wind has been bothersome to me also but had coffee with a friend at Blue Bottle Cafe at the SF MOMA today. We sat in a sunny corner where we were protected from the wind so it was a very pleasant afternoon.

Not sure what I will do tomorrow or will be able to do as we will be out late tonight for the coronation of Mr. & Ms. GAPA 2010 at Shangri-La.

Somebody told me today that there once was a cross-eyed teacher who could not control his pupils. Hmmmm....

Bye y'all

A pocketful of dust and one note

After an absence of one year or more, I returned to the gym this week. Am slightly sore but not as much as I expected to be. Of course, I did not try to lift or push the same weight loads as when I left but I will work up to that and hopefully beyond in the coming months.

Clipboards

I can certainly agree wholeheartedly with the letter to a local newspaper:

"Over the years I have often complained about the panhandlers and homeless intruding on my space and asking me for money, sometimes aggressively. Now I would give anything to see them instead of those clipboard-wielding touts that harass me sometimes several times throughout my walk down Fillmore Street, shoving their clipboards and their opinions at me. At least the homeless really need the money."

And this reminds me that it was so pleasant during my recent visit to Boston not to see newspapers and other trash all over the streets and not to to be panhandled at every turn. Only once in seven days was I panhandled. In SF once in 24 hours would be a welcome relief and minor miracle.

Aaron Pekin as Mayor

BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID (even if only for a short time).

Shocker, more of the same, when the next batch of loons take power and implement more of the same lunacy that makes SF a laughing stock to the world, the same clowns that ushered the new set of lunatics in will authentically be puzzled as to why things remain as screwed up as they are, whats that about the definition of insanity being when one tries the same thing over and over again, yet expects a different result, sums up SF to a T.

The above comments are reader comments from SF Gate this morning and I agree 1000%.

Pathetic country that we live in...

When I get up in the morning and read stories like this "9 dead in Connecticut workplace shooting" and "Masked gunman shoots 8 at party", I just want to head for the hills for the rest of my life. When I was growing up in the forties and fifties headlines like that were rare if at all. What has happened to the USA? Of course part of the answer here is the same as in Mexico, Brazil, and other countries - DRUGS, the curse of mankind. Everyone either wants to get high or get rich quickly, or both. I am so tired of it all!

Inconsiderate 25-something neighbors...

The “kids” who live near me are hopeless. I am not even sure those roaming around here at the moment live here. Anyway, the noise has been unbearable at times and is about to push me over the edge. So, unless something changes I will HAVE to move but I can’t really afford it. That is, the higher rent, so I will have to compromise and cut way back on everything by seeking out a compatible roommate. I don’t want to do that but it may be necessary to save my sanity.