GOP Flavor of the Month: Newt Gingrich?

Back in June, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann first captured the hearts and minds of the Christian Right. Then, Texas Governor Rick Perry rode onto the national stage only to quickly fall off his unsaddled horse. After drinking a six pack of Lone Star Beer while watching Faux News, hungry GOP voters ordered up a $9.99 pizza from Mr. Herman Cain.

Three political love affairs later (pun intended), the ANYBODY BUT MITT parade continues with former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich taking center stage. Seriously? Newt Gingrich? This blogger has two simple questions: who is answering the telephone when one of more than a dozen pollsters call? Do folks actually believe this man could get elected President?

Even the conservative sage George Will is shaking his political head,"Gingrich’s is an amazingly efficient candidacy, in that it embodies almost everything disagreeable about modern Washington. He’s the classic rental politician."
Read More...

At what point will Republican voters sober up, change the channel and take a serious look at Jon Huntsman or Buddy Roemer?

Gingrich Update:
November 27, 2011
Evidently, this blogger is completely out-of-touch with the winds of political change. The New Hampshire Union Leader, the only "Live Free or Die" state-wide newspaper, endorsed NEWT for the top of GOP ticket. NEWT?
Read More...

...Americana...

Cowboy Intersection, Gene Autry, Oklahoma (May 2010).

Pulp Fiction [Blu-ray]

Could somebody PLEASE turn on the "Nothing but Blue Skies" & "Walking on SUNSHINE" machine?

"If we are to remain a decent society we must treat one another decently." ~ Jerry DeMartin



Ice Cream: The Full Scoop (Paperback)

The Dog Days Are Over?

Whether or not this blogger agrees or disagrees with any or all of the specific issues being echoed by the #Occupy Movement itself is not important. One thing is clear, something is seriously wrong in America. What do WE AS A PEOPLE truly value as a country and as a society? Read More...


"I never knew daylight could be so violent
A revelation in the light of day
You can choose what stays and what fades away."
~ Florence + The Machine from No Light, No Light


In case you missed it...
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
~ First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Lord of the Rings:The Motion Picture Trilogy [Blu-ray]

"Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative."
~ Oscar Wilde

When was the last time somebody sat down & wrote an old fashion letter?

“Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.”
~ Bill Cosby
I Started Out As A Child (MP3 Download)








Political Quote of the Week:
"Gingrich has so much baggage his baggage has baggage." 
~ Larry Sabatao on MSNBC

Murphy's Law?

Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch it to be sure.

Sign photo taken in Socorro, New Mexico (October 2009).
Murphy's Law and Other Reasons Why Things Go Wrong (Paperback)

"Bullets and bombs win battles. Ideals married to compassion win wars." ~ Self

Duverger's Law?

I've always found it rather strange that a majority of Democrats & Republicans fail to understand the historical roots of each respective party. The Constitution DID NOT create America's two-party system. While I've witnessed firsthand the corruption & abuse of a one-party system in the People's Republic of China), today's polarized political landscape has "Republicrats" displaying more goose stepping loyalty to "THE PARTY" then "OUR COUNTRY".
Former Congressman Weiner is still wondering how men like Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin would have survived an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.

Dateline: 12/22/2011
#Occupy the GOP?
"It is not called the Grand Old Party without good reason."
Read More...


Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter Hat with Hair

Our Digital Age?

"Remember that children, marriages and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get." ~ H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Maybe it's time for a digital UPGRADE?

Does anybody know how to load Windows 2.1x on a Commodore 64 w/ an 8-track tape external hard drive?

"What Big Knockers?"

“Politics: Poli a Latin word meaning many; and tics meaning bloodsucking creatures.” ~ Robin Williams

Photo of sign taken in Hong Kong, S.A.R. (July 2009).
Jokelopedia:The Biggest, Best, Silliest, Dumbest Joke Book Ever (Paperback)

Before you start "burning bridges" make sure you know how to swim...

“When I was born I was so surprised I didn't talk for a year and a half.”
~ Gracie Allen

Celebrating "It Only Happens Every 100 Years" Palindrome Day!

11-11-11

Venezia Shop Window, Venice, Italy (Spring 2002).

What will future historians write about this day?
Will the flooding in Bangkok and the recent earthquakes in Turkey be remembered? Will Google and Facebook still be around? Indeed, what will the world look like in another 100 years?

...Americana...

Video recorded by Peter Rimar of Demolition Derby, Hatton, North Dakota (July 4th, 2010).

Need more "BANG for the BUCK"?

Heck, this blogger needs more BANG from that jar of pennies, nickles & dimes!

It appears that the political formula for a candidate is perfecting a single ideological pitch & then repeat it over and over AND over again. It doesn't matter if it's the truth, as long as what's being said contains enough FEAR & HATE verbiage to keep the audience happy & ignorant.

The Art Of Money Getting (Paperback)

"In wilderness I sense the miracle of life, and behind it our scientific accomplishments fade to trivia." ~ Charles Lindbergh

"Conservatives define themselves in terms of what they oppose."
~ George Will

The Former King of K Street Speaks Out?

"Our system is flawed and needs to be fixed."
~ Jack Abramoff
60 Minutes
November 6, 2011



According to the Center for Responsive Politics (based on data collected from the Senate Office of Public Records), in 2010, 12,951 lobbyists worked the corridors of power in Washington D.C. on behalf of a long list of corporate clients. Read More...

If you think corporate influence on the democratic process is limited to just the White House and Capital Hill, think again.

The residents of quiet North Dakota, a state rarely mentioned in the national media, got an education on the real workings of crony capitalism. Earlier this year, the former Republican Governor personally lobbied the state's representatives in Bismarck to lower the tax rates for oil companies. As a thank you, one extremely grateful oil company gift wrapped a new job title and 11,945 shares of its own stock (worth over $770,000) to Ed Schafer.
Read More...
No Higher Honor: A Memoir of My Years in Washington ~ Condoleezza Rice (Hardcover)

CIA Following Twitter And Facebook To Analyze Public Opinion, Predict Major Events?
Read More...

Theory: Could an agent of a foreign government, employed by one of the major social networking services, directly access the accounts of human rights activists in different countries? For example, Facebook uses both facial recognition and global positioning software. Theoretically, anonymous user data, obtained using these specific technologies, could be shared between foreign governments attempting to suppress internal political opposition.





Chinese human rights activists claim their Google emails were hacked?
Read More...

The more a conspiracy theory appears technically plausible,
the more likely that same theory becomes highly probable.

Facebook Profile "Going Out Of Business" Sale!

Witty status updates & political remarks FREE.
Everything must go!
Actually, this blogger CLOSED his Facebook account in August. 
Why? Well, I DO NOT believe its founder gives a "rats behind" about protecting user privacy or intellectual property rights. The sole purpose of Facebook is to make m-o-n-e-y. No problem. However, when Mark Zuckerberg locked out American investors, but then accepted BILLIONS from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I made the decision to BOYCOTT Facebook. READ MORE...

Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks, Fargo, North Dakota (July 9th, 2010).

While a majority of Facebook users have been focused on the latest batch of profile design changes, recently, the social networking giant jumped into the political ring & was caught tracking its users AFTER they logged out :

~ Facebook forms its own Political Action Committee (PAC)
   Read More...
~ Facebook's FAKE Log Out Button?
   Read More...
   Read More...

Facebook MAP of the World

Where to eat the Best Sweet Rolls in the World?

Frontier Restaurant
Albuquerque, New Mexico (September 2009)

"The highlight of my childhood was making my brother laugh so hard that food came out of his nose."
~ Garrison Keillor

‎...undergoing GRILLED Hamburgers, pico de gallo & Rolling Rock Therapy...

‎"Life is a shipwreck but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats."
~ Voltaire

Is there some special, top-secret "sports cliché" training manual that ALL professional athletes are required to memorize before talking to the media?

‎"Sometimes a player's greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team."
~ Scottie Pippen
Reach Higher (Hardcover)

Starbucks CEO pledges to stop political contributions until bipartisan bickering in Washington ends?

Just a few weeks before the grassroots efforts of a few people started #Occupy Wall Street (OWS), Howard Schultz attempted to jump start a national debate concerning the corrupting influence of corporate money on the hostile political environment on Capital Hill. It's this continued, uncompromising gridlock in Washington D.C. which is contributing to the economic uncertainty in consumer confidence and the broader financial markets.

He has a simple message:
"We deserve better".
For those who complain that Occupy Movement itself lacks anointed leaders or that business people outside the movement don't understand the serious political issues facing this country, well, it's just not true:


Here's a link which illustrates how this one CEO is translating his words and ideas into real economic action: Create Jobs For USA.

Considering his corporation has helped make Coffee popular in a 5,0000 year old, tea drinking culture, maybe this guy actually knows what he's talking about...

Starbucks Coffee Shop, Guangzhou, PRC July (2008)

Occupy Wall Street T-shirt - Black, XXXX-Large

Homeless in China?

It happened.

For six hours, my wife and I were homeless in China .

In September 2008, I accepted a teaching positive at a university in the city of Changsha. So, after giving our landlord the keys to our apartment in Shenzhen, we boarded a train and headed northwest to the capital of Hunan Province.

The moment we arrived, I knew we were in deep, deep, deep trouble...




First, our sponsor told us their may be a slight problem getting our work visa paperwork processed (i.e. green card). However, I could teach until they figured out what to do (i.e. against Chinese Law).

I said,
"O.K"
"No problem."
"Tomorrow's a new day."
"Let's go see the campus and the apartment."

To make a long story short, when our sponsor showed us the apartment, my wife nearly died. It was bad. Let's put it this way, compared to this University apartment, my tents in Mogadishu and Baghdad were the Hilton.

Basically, this alcoholic BRIT had lived in this apartment for over a year and had never cleaned it. Heck, according to my sponsor, he barely made it to class. Anyhow, after dragging my wife around China, there wasn't a prayers chance in hell we'd live in that apartment.

So, we said our goodbyes and walked away from the school...

At that moment, as we were trying to wave down a taxi, we were indeed homeless.

Plan B

Before leaving Shenzhen, I had received an offer from another school in another city. After more than a dozen phone calls, we decided to board another train and head north.

Anybody that knows anything about traveling in China, it's nearly impossible to get train tickets on the same day you want to travel.

Fast Forward
So, after standing in line for 3 hours with five thousand other people wanting to leave Changsha, I finally made it to the ticket window:

"Mayo." (the Chinese word for NO)
 Blah. Blah. Blah.
 "Mayo."
 OMFG!
 "Mayo!"

At that moment, ALL the train tickets out of Changsha were sold out for the next ten days. Getting back on the phone with a different head hunter in Shanghai, she says to me, "there's a high school in Changsha that has an opening."

"You're telling me there's a school in this city? The city I'm standing in right now? Making twice the money for half the hours?" "In Changsha?"
"This city?"

"Yes."
 "Have the school pick us up right now!"
I know it sounds crazy, but by allowing ourselves to become homeless, I ended up teaching at one of the top ten high schools in China.

By allowing ourselves to become homeless,
we received our Green Cards and a nice apartment.
And yes, making twice the money working half the hours.

True Story.

...perspective...

Short video of Electric Powered Double-Decker Buses, Hong Kong, S.A.R. (July 2009).
Photo of student produced motivational blackboard in Peter's classroom (February 2009).

#Occupy Facebook Graphic