The eye patch of Moshe Dayan, Israel, Palestine, and the United States...

I wonder how any President's of the United States, since Harry Truman, can honestly enter the Oval Office and tell the people of the world that they will mend the means of politics and humanity between Israel and Palestine. The battles with Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, and warring tribal factions, have been going on for millennia.

I don't understand how a politician could even find it possible to say they can make a truce between the two parties, and mean it, all the while the politician touts their undying gratitude and solidarity to the Israeli state and its bond to the United States. There is no room left for properly mediating any necessary political or humanitarian discussions between the two states when our leaders so adamantly side with the Israel state.

I must claim that I am no expert on this issue whatsoever. I only know what I read, and am able to discern as truth, through the mostly biased global media. Now, though, through the advent of the internet and emerging bloggoshpere, the international community is able to come together more fairly and become more humanized through a grass roots communication process. Hereby, giving people who usually have no voice a global audience with which to voice a silenced plea for help or attention.

Much of the Palestinian plight, as I understand it, resembles that of the American Indian. It was back in 1948 when Israel did not give the Palestinian people their own land, but decided to create a "settlement" much likened to that of the American Indian and the Reservations that the United States government "gave" them. The Palestinian people in the occupied regions are under the authority of Israel. Although, they have no right to vote in Israeli elections, and have no voice in the political processes that affect and subsequently control their lives. A state much like that of slavery.

We've heard the stories of sanctioned Israeli government destruction of water supplies, power, food supplies, health care opportunities for the Palestinian people. In other words, the absolute power over a group of people that have no say in how they are to be treated. Much like that of the early American slave, the Israeli state has the ability to create a starved and cheap labor force for Israeli owned corporations. There are stories of the murder and exile of those who do not "play the game."

This history and policy is documented from leaders beginning, ironically enough, from Israeli leaders such as Moshe Dayan, to the present. I didn't know who Moshe Dayan was until I began to do some reading on this topic. And, I say ironically enough because Moshe Dayan was born on a Kibbutz, near the shores of the Sea of Galilee, in what is pre-Mandate Palestine. Born a Palestinian, of Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine. In 1938, he joined the Palestinian Supernumerary Police and became a company commander.

On June 8th 1947, he lost his left eye in a gun skirmish while he was working with the British during the Allied invasion of Syria and Lebanon. Another irony is that the Palestinian Jew, from this point forward, wore a signature eye patch and could no longer see the world through both eyes. He now saw the world through the tunnel vision of one eye. Despite this handicap, again ironically, his opinions were never strictly black and white. Ariel Sharon noted about Dayan:

He would wake up with a hundred ideas. Of them ninety-five were dangerous; three more were bad; the remaining two, however, were brilliant.

But, to get back on topic a bit, in today's environment, due to the nature and structure of Gaza, to which for the past two years has been under a blockade that includes food, medicine, and gasoline, the only means of survival for the Palestinians were the tunnels to Egypt that have now been blasted. The major sources of electricity were destroyed nearly a year ago, meaning no incubators for premature babies or pumps for water and sewage. And that was just to soften them up for what they're getting now.

From the onset of leadership that stems from pre-Mandated Palestine, to today's mixed up ethnic and religious factions and regions, we have a political gameboard that is very difficult to find a common ground for any leader to latch on to in order to help mediate anything.

It seems that as long as Hamas and Fatah, the two political factions of Palestine are at odds as to the legitimacy of each others claims to the leadership of the region, and the industrialized world recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization it seems we will be having these battles going on for quite some time.

As long as the United States sides adamantly with Israel and sees Hamas as a terrorist organization, despite the fact that Hamas has elected officials in the Parliament, I cannot see how the United States can rationally proclaim that we will work for, and mediate peace for a free Palestine.

It is as if the United States has taken on the eye patch that Moshe Dayan has left behind.





This, the 247th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Burning Man comes to the Parade of Lights on San Francisco Bay.

This is a great example as to some of the amazing and creative people that make the Burning Man Festival what it is. The fact that people go out of their way to simply make art to which the purpose is...Art. Art for arts sake. This is the meaning of freedom of expression. My wife and I enjoy the desert experience in Nevada, and look forward to being able to experience it on the water in the future.

A fellow burner and exhibit creator, Dan Das Mann teamed with many other people to create an event done every year on the San Francisco Bay. He reports on this awesome achievement of essentially bringing Burning Man to ... well ... a very fancy San Francisco Bay Area yacht club. Think Caddyshack on steroids, and the caddies not only win the golf tournament, they pretty much set fire to it.

Yeah, this is excellent. Dan writes:

"On Saturday December 13, 2008 the former Navy ship White Holly, now a
privately operated scientific research vessel run by Captain Vince
Backen, was entered into The Sausalito Yacht Club 'Parade of Lights'
held in Sausalito, California in the San Francisco Bay. Boat parades
will never be the same ... the event was organized by Dan Das Mann and
Karen Cusolito in collaboration with Jack Schroll and Black Rock FX
(El Diablo - jet engine fire effect, Chrysler air raid siren, smoke
generator and methanol mines,) John Behrens and Omega Recoil (upside
down Tesla Coil), Epiphany by Dan Das Mann, Karen Cusolito and
Pyrokinetics (Danya Parkinson and Jo Bard), Headless Point Studio,
American Steel Studios, Flaming Lotus Girls (Mini Mega Junior - fire
poofer), Camron 'Teiwaz' Assadi and members of The Crucible of Oakland
California (flame cannons on the upper poop-deck), Bonfire Bob and
over 150 others! All of this so they could have a good time for
approximately two minutes ... THANKS TO ALL OF YOU! Let's do it again
sometime.








This, the 246th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

The new BarackBerry!

I knew, somehow, he would get his way on this one. It simply makes sense in our tech world for him to have it. Blackberry should have a heyday with this one. It's time to buy stock in this firm. With such a historic and respected user of their technology who is an admitted self professed Blackberry addict, this should bring a huge boost to their system for those who are going to make the jump into smartphone technology.

With all of the technology that we put into our military that can see, hear, and pinpoint a person down to the inch anywhere, anytime, on the planet we should be able to find a way for the President to have a secure phone.

It seems that the National Security Agency has approved a new $3,350 smartphone to be dubbed the "Barackberry". There is a licensing deal for Obama that he could have gone to town with. But, once taking office you are not supposed to capitalize on the position while in office. (Someone needed to tell Bush and team that one as they have pilfered billions away with no accountability) It will be a secure system and allow him to stay in touch with the world at his fingertips.

This kind of technology should be used by the President. There is a continual trail of record of who, what, where, why, and how through the messages that can be stored on a secured server. It allows more transparency to the office due to the record trail. He is not shut off to the world and stuck to living in a "bubble" type environment of seclusion to which he is only fed information from those select few people around him.

So, for this 44th President, and 43rd American to be sworn in to the office he will be "in touch" with his family, cabinet, policy makers at all times. Something I feel that is necessary with this administration and the current state of affairs. He will also be privy to when and where the next pick up basketball game is going to be...

This will be the next evolution for the wealthy throughout the world is to have a secure smartphone. Perhaps in today's new world that Bush created that allows anyone to be listened to without warrant, it will be a big seller.

Now that Bush is out of office, perhaps Blackberry will use him in their commercials and advertising campaigns touting that you can rest assured that you will not be listened to using this phone system...

NOTE: Although, Barack Obama stated in his speech that he was the 44th American to be sworn in to the Oval Office, he in fact is the 43rd American sworn in as President. Grover Cleveland served two NON consecutive terms, as 22nd and 24th presidencies.





This, the 245th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

in last hour Bush Pardoned Osama bin Laden..

From the Huffington Post
By David Rees

WASHINGTON, DC: In a stunning late-hour development, President George W. Bush has granted Osama bin Laden a pardon for the murder of more than 2,700 Americans in the fall of 2001.

"This kinda came out of nowhere," said a White House aide who requested anonymity. "I wouldn't have put bin Laden on the short list myself. On the other hand, maybe this is the president's way of finding closure. Because ... y'know ... he wasn't actually able to kill bin Laden, or capture him, or even keep him from making all those (expletive) videos. I mean, jeez, let's face it: Osama bin Laden is basically a one-man Netflix of cave movies."

The aide paused, then went on to say, "Can you believe this dude (Bush) was actually president for eight (expletive) years? What were we thinking? Seriously, what the (expletive) were we thinking?"

The aide began weeping quietly. "May God have mercy on me for my role in the unfathomable travesty that was the Bush administration."

Conservative columnist William Kristol insisted the pardon made sense.

"George W. Bush is a brilliant strategist. I'm sure he has a good reason for this pardon. I'll figure it out."

Kristol sucked his thumb for a few minutes, lost in thought. He was then distracted by a brightly colored piece of string.

A passerby, told of the bin Laden pardon, offered a possible explanation:

"Maybe Bush is trying to smoke him out. Wasn't that the plan?"

***************
My response:
Bush didn't smoke him out, that is for sure, and the world public knows this. However, Bush was smoking something for 8 years!!



This, the 244th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Hail to the Chief - Obama's speech in full text...

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land - a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America - they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted - for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things - some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions - that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act - not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions - who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them - that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works - whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account - to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day - because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control - and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart - not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort - even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus - and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West - know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends - hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism - these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility - a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed - why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.








This, the 243th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

The Huddled Masses amass on the Capital!

As I sit here and watch MSNBC, Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, et al. I am amazed at the sight.

It is unbelievable! The huddled masses that have come to the country's capital to cheer our new President on as he begins his new message of CHANGE. Yes we can!

I wish everyone a great day. The faces of the populace of our citizens are exemplary of the mood of this land. Shall I even say the mood of world. This is the new world.

With the words of Rachel Maddow, "If you are a civics dork, this is bigger than Christmas!!"

Have a great day in whatever way you will celebrate just how our founding forefather's had in mind as they created this country.




This, the 242th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Bush's Perception of Inherent Truth

Descartes, the 16th century French born philosopher claimed that our senses were deemed unreliable. To further demonstrate the limitations of the senses, Descartes proceeds with what is now known as The Wax Argument. He considers a piece of wax; his senses inform him that it has certain characteristics, such as shape, texture, size, color, smell, etc. When he brings the wax towards a flame, these characteristics change completely. However, it seems that it is still the same thing: it is still a piece of wax, even though the data of the senses inform him that all of its characteristics are different. Therefore, in order to properly grasp the nature of the wax, he cannot use the senses. He must use his mind.

He therefore posited, "And so something which I thought I was seeing with my eyes is in fact grasped solely by the faculty of judgment which is in my mind."

Could we then go on to say that perception is not a means to truth, but of it? Or is there inherent truth? We must perceive a truth for it to become a law. This is what brings about common law and customary international laws. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals (called case law), rather than through legislative statutes or executive action. Customary international law are those aspects of international law that derive from custom. Coupled with general principles of law and treaties, custom is considered by the International Court of Justice, jurists, the United Nations, and its member states to be among the primary sources of international law. For example, laws of war were long a matter of customary law before they were codified in the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907, Geneva Conventions, and other treaties.

Does all of this mean that there are no inherent laws? Nature has inherent law within it. Descartes, Galileo, Newton and so many others spent their lives in pursuit of these laws and defining them for the layman to begin to grasp and understand the meanings and rules that govern them. If the universe has inherent laws that it exists within, humans do so as well.

What separate humans, at least in our own egotistic perception of various species and our own reality, is that we think, therefore we are...But, this is only perceived in order to make it true.

Is there such thing as universal truths? As I discussed back on June 7th, 2008, in my entry entitled "You Can't Handle the Truth", I discuss the writer Ayn Rand, author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, who believed that truth exists independently of the minds and opinions of people. That there was an underlying universal self evident truth that existed beyond the scope of society and its collective manipulations that can cloud the value of universal truth.

The Italian philosopher Giambattista Vico, had a response to Descartes which he published in 1744 in the Principi De Scienza Nuova to which he posited, “The criterion and rule of the true is to have made it. Accordingly, our clear and distinct idea of the mind cannot be a criterion of the mind itself, still less of other truths. For while the mind perceives itself, it does not make itself."

Descartes also goes on to argue that sensory perceptions come to him involuntarily, and are not willed by him. They are external to his senses, and according to Descartes, this is evidence of the existence of something outside of his mind, and thus, an external world.

Descartes viewed rational knowledge as being "incapable of being destroyed" and sought to construct an unshakable ground upon which all other knowledge can be based. The first item of unshakable knowledge that Descartes argues for is the aforementioned cogito, or thinking thing.

We see that laws are created, through rational knowledge, yet we create these laws out of our own perception of an inherent belief of truth. Through time we have been able to observe that truth can change as our perceptions change. Do we live in such a malleable global society that our customary international laws change with time and become perceived laws and not bound by a perceived universal self evident truth?

This is the philosophy behind the Bush Administration. Now, on his last day of rule, he must resign himself to the fact that as he thought that he was immune to law, or that he could make people perceive the truth in ways that we had not done so before, he must now realize that we, as a global society, have certain common laws and customary laws based on a perception of truth. This perception of truth has been created to eliminate tyrants, murderers, and dictators.

Laws are only laws when they are acted on and policed in order to make and sustain societal order. As our global civic community becomes more accustomed to being more and more interactive with each separate entity we must realize the delicacy and necessity of the customary international laws to maintain a perceived truth.

It is time that the world maintain its perceived truth and customary international laws and hold Bush and his exiting administration accountable to the rules of law as we hold them today.

We must prosecute and uphold our international laws. As Obama wants to look forward we must realize that a step forward means we are coming "from" somewhere. We are stepping away "from" something. Without acknowledging what we are stepping from we will not be able to create what we want to step to. Without the order of perceived truths, that we have made rules of law, that we abide by to which we step away from we will not have those perceived rules as we step into our new future.

Without restitution of laws there is only anarchy. If this man gets away with the atrocities to which he committed to this world, its perceived truths that have governed our ever shrinking global community will forever be changed and precedent will have been set for such unaccountable tyranny to rule once again.




This, the 241th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

One last act against women by a withering Bush...

He just can't seem to keep his sexist, classist, racist idiocy quelled for a minute.

In one of President Bush’s final acts in office, he issued an outrageous new regulation that represents a tremendous step back in women’s access to reproductive-health services, including birth control.

Urge our new President Barack Obama to make it a priority to fix this dangerous regulation once he takes office.

Bush’s regulation could undermine state laws that require hospitals to provide emergency contraception to rape survivors. It could allow health-care corporations to refuse services and referrals for birth control.

And it could hurt low-income women in particular by allowing family-planning and Medicaid providers - even the receptionists at their front desks - to deny contraception services and referrals to women.

President Bush snuck this regulation through at the last moment - a regulation is radically out of step with the way we live, as 98 percent of women use birth control at some point in their lives.

This January, President-elect Obama can reverse this outrageous law - but he needs your support.

GO HERE AND VOICE YOUR SUPPORT NOW!!





This, the 240th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Don't let the door hit you in your ass on your way out...sir!

I am amazed as I read through some blogs this morning referring to last nights "farewell" speech by our current reigning terrorist...I mean President. I read responses of people and their statements that Bush had the best interest of the country in mind during his tenure. He had the best interest of HIM in mind throughout his reign.

For a man who has tortured others against the rules of war; for a man who has illegally wiretapped innocent civilians of his own country(after consulting his legal staff); for a man who has tried desperately hard to take away rights of its country's people(after consulting his legal staff); for a man who has tried desperately, illegally and immorally to change the Supreme Court through illegal judicial firings(after consulting his legal staff); for a man who illegally, immorally, and because his god "told" him to started a war to which over a million innocent people have died; for a man who ignored intel on his watch as over 3000 people died due to the twin towers crash; for a man who has taken more time off his job as President than any other even though this past eight years has been continual global mayhem; for a man and his valiant staff and advisers who did nothing to quell the approaching financial collapse(and when the opportunity arose tried to get another blank check in order to make new rules once again to the tune of $700B) due to his arrogant policies of deregulation of the financial industry; for a man who has said is sad to be leaving is due to the fact that he will be unable to continue his reign of arrogance and destruction of this great land; for a man who has created the largest global disconnect and disrespect that our nation has ever experienced, I say good riddance.

I'm sure your offshore accounts are filled due to your carefully crafted Bailout Program which has no means of accountability. You know, those same offshore accounts that were funded by your war on oil, I mean terror, in the middle east which help bring the price of oil into the stratus-fear! Your departure no longer means you need to have your legal staff think of semantic excuses to help make sure your actions do not send you directly to prison. Good bye to a President who throughout your reign discussed accountability at every turn, but have none to show for yourself.

I do so hope that the Obama nation does not let you get your get out of jail free card. There are people you need to meet in Leavenworth.

Don't let the door hit you in your ass on the way out!




This, the 239th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Two kinds of people in this world, Winners...Losers

Lindsey Buckingham, the prolific singer/songwriter/producer from the famed Fleetwood Mac band, once wrote "Two kinds of people in this world, Winners...Losers, I lost my power in this world, cause I did not use it. So I go insane"

We, as a country, are riding a very fine line. We are at a tipping point of no return. It feels as if there is an expectation from our populace for Obama to make change, so much, that the people are forgetting that the possibility for Obama to even be in the position to make change came from the voice of the people themselves.

It has come back to us again. Only this time, if we do not succeed, we will find this country slip into a moral and ethical tailspin that it will be hard pressed to find a way out. We must take action as a people! Write your legislators!

I'm talking about the Attorney General position in Obama's cabinet. We must email or call our Senators and legislators and demand that there be a criminal trial to Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al, for their knowingly allowing torture in their little war on terror. Cheney's proud video moment shows a sincere lack of concern for law. Responses from interviews with Bush show their blatant attempts to mitigate the future prosecutions through legal statements from their own attorney's.

We must remember that attorney's do not make the law. John Yoo, Bush's legal council and who wrote memos in which he advocated the possible legality of torture and that enemy combatants could be denied protection under the Geneva Conventions, also stated that waterboarding is not a means of torture, does not a law make.

Waterboarding is torture under the rule of war. These men MUST be tried for war crimes just like Saddam Hussein, Pinochet, and numerous others from other countries.

The world needs to see that this country must abide by rules of the world as well. The world must see that this country has a true concern for truth and justice. The world must see that the country demands it and is changing to make the wrongs of the past righted before their eyes. We are the only ones that can demand the actions from Washington as they begin to interview and confirm the new AG into office.

Without this action, all our work to put "Change" into the highest office of the land will be for naught. The moral righteousness of the United States in its actions throughout the world will forever be circumspect due to our neglect to right these legal and moral wrongs from the exiting criminals of Washington.

We must show the world that our leaders must also abide by laws and rules. That the laws and rules apply to them as well. Without this action and retribution we will find ourselves living a professed lie to the world. We can expect the respect to disappear for good.

Any future actions from our country to save this or right that will be shameful as it will show the world that we only pick certain rights and certain battles. And if it doesn't work out, tough, we have more bombs than you do, so piss off!

This is not what our founding fathers worked so hard to create. They were trying diligently to move away from the dictatorial leadership of the kingdom. They were trying hard to show that the little guy has rights, and a voice in this world. This is the very reason that our first President, George Washington, stepped down from the office after his second term. He was feeling the power of dictatorial possibilities to the office and chose to keep the vision that was created and stepped down to make room for another President, rather than create another dictatorship. It could have gone down that other path. We are at that crossroads again, but the President must make the move and we as a people must speak loudly to make sure he has our support to make the rule of law apply. Without this Washington will forever be the haven for power hungry criminals to find solace.

This is the one act that will define Obama's history from this point forward. Without the trial of war crimes to Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Yoo and more, we will create a precedent that we will never return from. The statement that absolute power corrupts absolutely will forever tarnish this great country from this point forward.

Let's not go insane, as Lindsey says. Let us use our power and help Obama create the change that this country so desperately needs from its people!

We are on a roll right now, let is bring back and keep the power to the people!






This, the 238th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Where's the CON in confidence? You hide it well...

I guess Washington relies on the factoid that Americans have a very short attention span.

Based on the comment from Lila Rajiva, the other day, who is the co-author of one of my favorite books, "Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets", and a must read (to which you can order from my book library spindle at the top) she mentioned that perhaps more writing needs to be done regarding the financiers who have swindled the world from its money. I do agree, do to the fact that most people have already forgotten what has really transpired in the past only four short months...You can find her blog on the right in the column titled "Other Blogs of Interest" to which I frequent and hers is called, Mind-Body Politic.

To recap;
Back in September, Bernanke and Paulson came to Washington and asked for a blank check with no strings attached so they could get the banks the $700B in order for the banks to begin to buy up the toxic assets...When Bush came forward and asked for the blank check-the public said,"not again with the blank check policy..." But basically the politicos gave in anyway after a few bullshit sessions to make things look good to their constituents since Nov. 4 was right around the corner...politics, right?!

Then the banks took the money and hoarded it. No one in Washington told them they actually had to DO something with OUR money we were giving to them-those who fucked it all up in the first place. Oh, some paid for some great parties and a few CEO's and such got some great golden parachutes albeit with different semantic wording in order to comply...but they still got their-I mean, OUR money...

Then the banks kept hoarding the money. They continue to blame it on the consumer confidence. Is this CON or CONfidence... Businesses failed, people went broke, people lost their homes, people lost their jobs, more people lost their homes...

Obama got elected and people began to see a new light to the world. People forgot about the shit...The banks kept hoarding the money...

But more businesses failed, more people went broke, more people lost their homes, more people lost their jobs, then more people lost their homes...

Well, Bernanke stated today, in a speech in London, that he thought that the banks should be given the rest of the $350B that Obama is asking for so that the banks could buy up the toxic assets.

I'm sorry, did I hear that again? I mean, did you stutter? I mean, do you mean it this time?

And I guess our Democratic Congress and Senate decided to get a set of balls when there is an incoming Democratic President. Where were the concerns and checks and balances for the Bush $350B(actually substantially more...)

I asked for the Democrats to get a set of balls, but perhaps they needed to have a damn backbone when we had the Bush criminals running the show...

Once again, you can't make this shit up!

Bernanke originally came in stating that our old friend Greenspan had failed at his job. By no oversight or foresight he seemed oblivious to the lending rates and bubble that was being created. Bernanke stated that Greenspan should have never brought down the rates as low as he did. Now, Bernanke has brought the rates to the lowest they have been since...I'm an American-I can't remember, oh that's a good thing for Bernanke...but I'll find out online...

Don't these people know that everything is recorded and secured for the rest of time through the internet, cell phones, Twitter, Facebook, blogs and more...?

Perhaps they don't care because they know that America has a very short attention span.

What was I saying again?...

Oh, yeah, I was talking about this guy who "made off" with all of our money...his name was Madoff! Anyway...

And we wonder where the CON is in consumer confidence...




This, the 237th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

A Banter of Basic Economics

This text is from Don Stott, a gold and metals trader, who puts out a column on Tuesday and Thursday of each week on his website Colorado Gold.




January 8, 2009:
There are so many complications, economics wise and there shouldn’t be because as Ludwig von Mises once said, defining economics, “People Act.” It’s just that simple! Examples are everywhere. Toyota is closing its plants for 11 days, and how many employees does this affect? Let’s say 2,000, at $200 a day, for 11 days. The loss in payroll to workers is a total of $4,400,000. Toyota will save $4,400,000, and the laid off workers will buy $4,400,000 less food, cars, gasoline, or whatever they won’t buy, because they have fewer dollars to use.

Multiply this by millions of permanent layoffs, bankruptcies, shut downs, going out of businesses, chains closing for good, autos down the tubes, housing starts virtually zero, and sales almost the same, and what do you get? The Toyota effect, multiplied many times over. 2.5 Million jobs were lost in 2008.

You get millions out of a job, millions behind in their mortgage and credit card payments, millions with homes worth less than is owed on them, and the chain reaction follows. The more layoffs there are, the more store closings and bankruptcies there will be, and resultant layoffs and increasing of all of the above. In other words, thanks to the welfare state, which wasn’t in existence in the 1930’s depression, credit cards which weren’t in existence in the 1930’s depression, and un-backed dollars, which were backed in the 1930’s depression, and no money down home purchases and ARM mortgages, which weren’t possible in the 1930’s depression, the conditions currently extant can and probably will make this depression far more severe than the 1930’s depression. The facts say it will be far worse.

Unfortunately, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Take carburetors. For over 75 years, cars, trucks, planes, and everything powered with gasoline engines, used carburetors to mix air and gas to feed into the engine’s intake manifold. They worked well, but on occasion, they became ‘flooded,’ and the engine wouldn’t run. (Modern, fuel injected engines can’t be ‘flooded.’) Carburetors had two things on them which caused ‘flooding.’ (1) The accelerator pump, and (2) The choke. On cold mornings, often the choke, which restricts the flow of air, might make the mixture too rich, and cause the ‘flooding,’ or often in hot weather, too much gas pedal pumping would inject too much raw gas into the engine, ‘flooding’ it, and causing it not to run. Both things, which caused the ‘flooding,’ and engines not running, were TOO MUCH GAS.

The solution was to stop the flooding by depressing the accelerator all the way to the floor, and crank the engine till the excess gas was used up, or open the choke and wait for it to evaporate. Gasoline engine technology is not the point here. The point is this: What got us into this economic mess? TOO MUCH MONEY INSERTED INTO AN ECONOMY by the Federal Reserve. Just like the engine being flooded with too much gas, the solution is to cut off the gas.

The Federal Reserve under Alan Greenspan flooded America with easy money, easy mortgages, and easy credit. The result was bad credit, bad mortgages, and everything being over-priced. Pouring more gas into a flooded carburetor, guaranteed the problem would be made much worse. Cutting off the gas would be the solution. Pouring $2 trillion, and god only knows how much more into the economy, is like pouring gas into a flooded carburetor. It will only make matters worse. Obama says he has consulted 20 of America’s best, most respected economists, and they say pour more gas (printing press dollars) into the flooded carburetor (economy), and the engine of America will start. NUTS! I wish Obama had called me.

The same exact thing was tried in the 1930’s, with huge government spending, and it took WW II to get us out of the depression. We’re already in two wars, and I certainly wouldn’t want us in a third one.

How about this as a cure for the current depression?

(1) Get us OUT of both wars we’re now in, and bring home all the troops. Let ‘em solve their own problems over there. We’ve got huge ones here, and can no longer concern ourselves with theirs. This will save hundreds of billions a year, if not well over a trillion.

(2) Disband most federal bureaucracies, especially the Federal Reserve, and do it Quickly. The DOT, DOE, HUD — and the list is long — serve no useful purpose. The Department of Education educates no one, the Department of Transportation transports no one, etc. This will save hundreds of billions a year.

(3) Revert to the Constitution, which gives government no authorization to subsidize anything. This will put an end to all federal welfare, and save hundreds of billions a year.

(4) Get out of the UN, NATO, and any and all foreign entanglements, at a savings of more hundreds of billions, and get the UN out of America. Declare unconditional neutrality, and send no money or advice overseas at any time, or for any reason.

(5) Close our borders with Mexico, and see to it that they stay closed 100%. More savings.

(6) As illegals come up for police stops, free medical care, welfare, school enrollment etc., which are in the hundreds of thousands each year, instantly send them home.

(7) Renounce NAFTA, and all laws, which encourage, tax wise, the building of plants offshore, and resulting layoffs here. With the budget balanced, and no more Federal Reserve, recovery would be pretty quick.

Today, every single state is in terrible economic condition because of layoffs, bankruptcies, and low tax collections. They have to balance their budgets. The D.C. Gang doesn’t, and can print and print and print, which they are doing, and will continue to do with nary a smidgen of responsibility. We all pay for their lack of responsibility with every single dollar we own being reduced in purchasing power.

I can go on and on, but the point is this: The ones who harm us the most — other than the Congress who has gotten us into this with a hundred years of bad legislation — are bureaucrats, welfare recipients, and illegals, who would be out of work, and that’s great! Let D.C. turn itself into a ghost town, full of worthless, out of work ex-bureaucrats. Maybe they’d burn the place down and we could start over. Let the illegals go home by themselves, or by force when they are picked up. If states want to subsidize the poor, or illegal, they can, but not the federal government. All of these ideas would actually balance the budget, and make America strong again. None of these ideas have a Chinaman’s chance in hell of coming to pass. Not a single one. Obama will print up another trillion dollars in un-backed scrip, and we’ll have hyper-inflation, except in housing, because that has yet to reach bottom.

To fix a flooded engine, you cut off the gas. To fix an economy flooded with paper money, you cut off the paper money, not print trillions more! The economy is in such a sorry state, flooded with fake money, that the fed interest is close to zero. They’ll pay you NOTHING to store your scrip for you. Wise people have taken their scrip, and turned it into precious metals, which will always have value in any currency, or all by itself. An economy such as ours, which has been flooded with unbacked scrip, and ceased to run, as in a flooded engine, has to get itself out of the mess by ceasing the printing of scrip.

It will be very painful to millions of people who have not been acting wisely, or who have been depending on Uncle Sam for their sustenance. The pain of this depression is unimaginable today. We’re only at the very beginning of it. The only sensible way to get out of it, is to let it run its course, and at rock bottom, the economy will begin to rise like the Phoenix Bird.

If my ideas ever came into being, there would be wholesale riots by those cut off, and many millions would die. Wonderful! We are flooded with not only too much scrip, backed by nothing, but too much human trash, who have been flooded with handouts from the public treasury. Millions actually believe that government owes them a living, which is gross error, and extremely costly. They, like the scrip, are basically worthless, and they must be gotten rid of to make our economy healthy again. How to do it? I give up, or at least won’t write about it.

* * * * * * * * * *

My thoughts and recap:
There are some various ideas to which I can see and agree with his points, but I can't go with him all of the way. Perhaps because much of his rants are right winged, conservative, classist, with much hidden racism-or not so hidden. His ideas of the seperatist concept of hunker down is highly dangerous in such a flat and shrinking economic and social world.

The world is looking for a leader on a global scale, the likes to which this country has been since WWII. However, the Bush Administration has set the perception and confidence in this country, to the rest of the world, back many generations. Radical change in the opposite direction through positivity and unification are what people are yearning for. When the masses have opportunity, there are massive amounts of opportunity available to all. When opportunity is available only to a small populace, a small amount of reward is distributed. It's proportional relativism as to its result. The conservative concepts of trickle down economics has shown itself to not work.

In our world of a growing global market and expanding economic opportunity for the largest middle class expansion on a mass scale we should not put ourselves and the world in a position that hinders that, but we must embrace that with openness and new ideas. In the words of the republican icon Reagan, "Tear down the wall."

Although, the writer Don Stott, is a broker with metals to move, there is extreme instability in the metals arena as with anything else at this time. There is nearly nothing anyone can do right now until the financial sector begins to take risks again. Due to the fact that there seems to be a lull in anything as there is a new administration coming in, institutions are careful as to how and when they are going to make moves and in what direction as it seems the Obama administration will be making some changes.

Until that time, there is no where to hide. As a tactical maneuver it is a time to sit in the bunker and wait out some of the cross fire. We all know that this is a time where some profitable deals can be made, but, one must take heeded caution as to the entry and exit strategies.




This, the 236th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Bailout Package for Porn?

Hey, it can't hurt to ask. And that is what Larry Flynt and Joe Francis are doing. They are arriving in white Prius's, on their first trip to the committee, to ask for some of the handouts that are going on.

You know Larry Flynt. He has been an outspoken advocate for the freedom of speech for decades, as well as, the publisher of Hustler Magazine. His company has an annual turnover of approximately $300 million. Flynt has fought several legal battles involving the First Amendment, and has run for public office a number of times. He has bipolar disorder and is paralyzed from the waist down due to injuries sustained in a 1978 assassination attempt. At one point in his life Flynt states, just like Bush, that he has had a vision of god. And just like Bush, he was born again and became an Evangelical christian. Unlike Bush, Flynt distributes porn while Bush...well, we all know what he distributes...

You have heard of Joe Francis, but he may not be the household name that Larry Flynt is. I'm sure you've seen some advertisements for Joe's company which make and market the "Girls Gone Wild" videos. His company brings in over $100 million per year.

Both are continually in and out of courtrooms. Both have built business empires through the legitimate sale of pornography. Both are feeling the effects of the financial downturn as people begin to 'tighten their belts'.

As pornography is a legitimate and highly lucrative business in America to the tune of nearly $12 billion, they feel on behalf of that industry that perhaps there is room for some bailout money for them as well. Since Wallstreet has failed the global economy, which in turn, has begun to hurt the sales of the pornography industry they feel that there is room for financial bailout discussions.

We all know that there are many politicians who have their 'one on the side', or their own 'intern page' that they fondle. Larry and Joe feel that, if they all use their heads, they may find room in their pockets for a porn bailout.

Hey, you guys, the line starts back there...




This, the 235th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

The Audacity to Cope...

There's a feeling in the air, one that is being discussed over coffee and the water cooler throughout the nation, of the optimism and hope that people are beginning to experience as we approach the inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009.

The historic event of this new Presidency, is coming at which there could be no better time, for a man who has the confidence, the knowledge, the intelligence and the character to which Obama seems to possess.

The movement began on the national stage back in 2004, at his(Obama) DNC speech that was requested by John Kerry for that Presidential campaign. The energy that he created that evening, or shall I say has carried with him throughout, he brought forward to the national stage that evening. He was no longer the community activist. He was no longer the state legislator. He was no longer the Senator. He had become the next President of the United States. His clock began. His door opened. David Axelrod stated that he saw the change in Barack that night. David quipped that he said to himself that Barack's life will never be the same again.

The 2004 18 min. speech is herein to enjoy the retrospection-



Then Bush remained in office. The continued turmoil throughout the world increased while Bush continued to turn his back and not address root core issues, but rather selfishly sidestep or avoid the global major issues at hand. The deep global failures of the administration continue to this day.

However, daily, there becomes a more good riddence - see you in court - kind of sendoff the country was beginning to profess. Then, Nov. 5, 2008, will become known as the day of this countries rebirth. The day of resurrection to its original ideals. A new dawn.

President Elect Victory Speech 2008


It's less than two weeks before we are done hiding behind the Bush. We have elected a new hope. One that is going to step out from the bush and into the highest political position on the planet with new ideas, new courage, and new vision.

The world is waiting with bated breath...the optimism that is being generated during this global meltdown shows us, that our country, once again has found a reason to possess the audacity to cope.





This, the 234th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Don't breathe any more, Ann Coulter, please.

My god, Ann Coulter, is a piece of work. I must say, I don't read her books or columns and rarely am able to complete watching an interview with her. My question is, is she for real? Are her antics and commentary an act to fill a void for a female Rush Limbaugh or is this woman actually for real?!

My other question is, why did Harry have to ask her to breathe...she can do without that breathing stuff!

If you are unfamiliar with Ann Coulter, she is a white, conservative, racist, social commentary for the extreme right wing faction of the country. Since she, unlike Rush Limbaugh, has not been caught with large amounts of drugs, we can only assume that what she spouts is for real. Or, at least, she has perfected the character that she exudes and perhaps is more human in private? I doubt it. Although, she claims in her most recent interview with Harry Smith, of the CBS "The Early Show", that she is a satirist. I guess I am unable to get the jokes. Perhaps, because the jokes are in-line with those similar to the RNC(Republican National Committee) video that circulated about Obama called "Barack the Magic Negro". They claimed that is just a joke also. Uneducated, racial, slander...it's a joke, so don't sue me for everything I have...right.

The inherent racist remarks that try to be passed as jokes simply continue the deep seated, uneducated racism that exists in this country. Primarily housed within the right winged Republican party, these commentaries and speakers of this faction of our society are using the freedom of speech to spout their waste, all the while their current leader has spent much time while in office taking away much of that right of the commoner's voice.

As I said, I don't listen to her, I don't read her, never want to and never will give her any of my hard earned dollars. I don't follow one who claims intelligence of any topic while spewing wasted words through elementary or at most sophomoric ideas.

As much as I don't want to, but feel necessary to include for validation of my point to you, if you are interested in listening to her interview it is herein.

Watch CBS Videos Online




This, the 233rd entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Living with the Light or do you have a virus?

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho Temple in Bangkok, Thailand. This is a sight to behold, I must say...

It has been said that Buddha's aura shined. It has been noted that Jesus had a light around him. People who have met the Dali Lama profess there to be a glow about him. I used to sit and watch the Lightening Bugs dance in the summer night across the tops of the corn fields.

Have you ever wondered what a Bioluminescent Organism is? I know some of you have been losing sleep on that one, so I thought we could look into that a bit and alleviate the insomnia.

Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by a living organism as the result of a chemical reaction during which chemical energy is converted to light energy. Its name is a hybrid word, originating from the Greek bios for "living" and the Latin lumen "light". The chemical reaction can occur either inside or outside the cell. Bioluminescence has appeared independently several times (up to 30 or more) during evolution.

Bioluminescence occurs in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as microorganisms and terrestrial animals. Symbiotic organisms carried within larger organisms are also known to bioluminesce.

Bioluminescence is a form of luminescence, or "cold light" emission; less than 20% of the light generates thermal radiation. It should not be confused with fluorescence, phosphorescence or refraction of light.

Ninety percent of deep-sea marine life is estimated to produce bioluminescence in one form or another. Most marine light-emission belongs in the blue and green light spectrum, the wavelengths that can transmit through the seawater most easily. However, certain loose-jawed fish emit red and infrared light and the genus Tomopteris emits yellow bioluminescence.



"Bioluminescent dinoflagellates (Lingulodinium polyedrum) lighting a breaking wave at midnight. The blue light is a result of a luciferase enzyme (like firefly luciferase, but the enzyme in L. polyedrum shares no similarity with that of the firefly enzyme). Under the right conditions, the dinoflagellates become so numerous that the water takes on a muddy reddish color (hence the name "Red Tide"). The bioluminescence is only visible at night.


Non-marine bioluminescence is less widely distributed, but a larger variety in colours is seen. The two best-known forms of land bioluminescence are fireflies and glow worms. Other insects, insect larvae, annelids, arachnids and even species of fungi have been noted to possess bioluminescent abilities.

Some forms of bioluminescence are brighter (or only exist) at night, following a circadian rhythm.

Bioluminescence is used as a lure to attract prey by several deep sea fish such as the Anglerfish. A dangling appendage that extends from the head of the fish attracts small animals to within striking distance of the fish. Some fish, however, use a non-bioluminescent lure.

The cookiecutter shark uses bioluminescence for camouflage, but a small patch on its underbelly remains dark and appears as a small fish to large predatory fish like tuna and mackerel. When these fish try to consume the "small fish", they are eaten by the shark.

Dinoflagellates have an interesting twist on this mechanism. When a predator of plankton is sensed through motion in the water, the dinoflagellate luminesces. This in turn attracts even larger predators which will consume the would-be predator of the dinoflagellate.

The attraction of mates is another proposed mechanism of bioluminescent action. This is seen actively in fireflies, which use periodic flashing in their abdomens to attract mates in the mating season. In the marine environment this has only been well-documented in certain small crustaceans called ostracod. It has been suggested that pheromones may be used for long-distance communication, and bioluminescent used at close range to "home in" on the target.

Certain squid and small crustaceans use bioluminescent chemical mixtures or bioluminescent bacterial slurries in the same way as many squid use ink. A cloud of luminescence is expelled, confusing or repelling a potential predator while the squid or crustacean escapes to safety. Every species of firefly has larvae that glow to repel predators.

Bioluminescence is thought to play a direct role in communication between bacteria (see quorum sensing). It promotes the symbiotic induction of bacteria into host species, and may play a role in colony aggregation.

In bacteria, the expression of genes related to bioluminescence is controlled by an operon called the Lux operon. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is involved in most instances.

Bioluminescent organisms are a target for many areas of research. Luciferase systems are widely used in the field of genetic engineering as reporter genes. Luciferase systems have also been harnessed for biomedical research using bioluminescence imaging.

Vibrio symbiosis with numerous marine invertebrates and fish, namely the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid (Euprymna scolopes), are key experimental model for symbiosis, quorum sensing, and bioluminescence.

The structure of photophores, the light producing organs in bioluminescent organisms, are being investigated by industrial designers.

Some proposed applications of engineered bioluminescence include:

* Christmas trees that do not need lights, reducing danger from electrical fires
* glowing trees to line highways to save government electricity bills
* agricultural crops and domestic plants that luminesce when they need watering
* new methods for detecting bacterial contamination of meats and other foods
* bio-identifiers for escaped convicts and mental patients
* detecting bacterial species in suspicious corpses
* novelty pets that bioluminesce (rabbits, mice, fish etc.)

All cells produce some form of bioluminescence within the electromagnetic spectrum, but most are neither visible nor noticeable to the naked eye. Every organism's bioluminescence is unique in wavelength, duration, timing and regularity of flashes.

Could it be that enlightenment begets a rare non threatening virus that can make one glow?




This, the 232nd entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

The Dogs of War

Is Hamas the modern Dogs of War? Is Al Qaeda the modern Dogs of War? Is George W. Bush, et al, the modern Dogs of War? Perhaps they are mutts of the same pack.

Thomas Jefferson uses the term 'Dog of war' as a metaphorical embodiment of war itself in a letter to James Madison: "We have already given [...] one effectual check to the Dog of war, by transferring the power of letting him loose from the executive to the Legislative body [...]." (September 6, 1789). I guess he would have enjoyed the power that Bush took back to the Executive Branch...but that is another topic for another time...

The original Dogs of War, or Dainii nohduud in Mongolian, was a name given by Chingis Khan (Genghis Khan) to his four top generals in the early 1200s.

Since the dawn of (hu)man we have seen the battle of survival in its purist form. As the world begets itself less space for us to interact through over population, over consumption, over depletion we find ourselves in a very delicate balance for survival.

Now, what we seem to be experiencing on the planet as a whole is not battles for survival, but battles of belief, for power, oil or other commodities.

In the battle for beliefs, the power of the men of these "radical" sects of Islamic faith is exemplified through their desire to destroy those who do not follow their dogmatic approach to Islam. (Much like the warring decisions Bush displayed in his Evangelical born again beliefs.) The power of these men is exemplified to the western world through their enslavement of their women to the point of their position to be less than that of a dog. (In Bush's case here, he just decided to take away many of the inalienable rights to freedom as described in the Constitution.)

When religion and politics combine we enter a realm of which the world will not and cannot control. That is why the founding father of the United States wished for the separation of the Church and the State. Other governments in the world are ruled by local factions of their religious beliefs. Can we come to a common ground with this if other countries do not hold the same governing rules as our constitution? Can we find a common ground if we allow our own country's President to be making decisions based solely through their religious doctrines and not following the separation statute of our Constitution?

Education, politics and religion play just as much a part in the process of survival of the specie, as to the human specie, at this point. There are enough people in the world now. In fact, too many for the planet itself. The power struggle does not necessarily come from the act of the human to survive, but for the (un)educated religious doctrines to survive.

Does education bring forth a homogenized style to any religion? Does dogma and religion stifle honest debate to an ever changing global society? Does the mix of politics and religion create a never ending global challenge to survival and peace?

What we are seeing and what the Middle East regions religion has experienced for thousands of years has morphed into something that the western world has difficulty or perhaps cannot understand. There are many who state that once the oil is depleted or the world has moved on to a different means of commodity for power (in its usery sense) we will not have the warring factions in the Middle East. These battles have been going on long before we have had a global need for oil.

It is very saddening to hear the words of the women of Palestine or Afghanistan and their slave type plight in life due to the religious doctrines that the men of their society espouse. It is disheartening to see the constant political battles ensue over religious ideals that have plagued this region for scores of centuries.

From what we hear reported, allegedly coming from the Hamas or Al Qaeda, is that they will never stop. The martyrs of their doctrine has left them the message to fight the western world as it is the poison to their beliefs. If this is their plight, it will not stop and I feel for the women of this society that are enslaved within a system that leads them to no way out. It is impossible to understand the levity of their pain.


Below are the lyrics from the song "Dogs of War" by Pink Floyd. I like this song, although it does not rate high with most Pink Floyd fans. It is found on the live album entitle "The Delicate Sound of Thunder". I find the words to the 1987 song written about war on the highest level, the political level to be of value again today. The dogs of war describe how politicians orchestrate wars that the public does not know about. Also, the major influence behind war is money. This song discusses the covert wars of the 80's where millions of American dollars went to Afghanistan to fight off the Soviet threat of communism. Now, we see where that has gotten us to...

Dogs of war and men of hate
With no cause, we don't discriminate
Discovery is to be disowned
Our currency is flesh and bone
Hell opened up and put on sale
Gather 'round and haggle
For hard cash, we will lie and deceive
Even our masters don't know the web we weave
One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world ... One world

Invisible transfers, long distance calls,
Hollow laughter in marble halls
Steps have been taken, a silent uproar
Has unleashed the dogs of war
You can't stop what has begun
Signed, sealed, they deliver oblivion
We all have a dark side, to say the least
And dealing in death is the nature of the beast
One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world ... One world

The dogs of war won't negotiate
The dogs of war don't capitulate,
They will take and you will give,
And you must die so that they may live
You can knock at any door,
But wherever you go, you know they've been there before
Well winners can lose and things can get strained
But whatever you change, you know the dogs remain.
One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world ... One world






This, the 231th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

The Secret Beauty and Poetry of Whales...

It has been years now since I began going to the beach on New Years day. It is a quest of mine to do this as the whale are migrating at this time of the year and it is quite spectacular to be able to see this wonderful, natural occurrence. To be able to watch them play as they come out of their world and briefly enter ours holds the beauty and magnitude that is embodied within this small act.

One year we went to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We didn't have much money, but we found that we could get some free dinners and extra play time activities if we would go to listen to some salesperson talk about their specific hotel deal for a timeshare offer. Just say "NO" was our mantra. We would sit for an hour or so, listen to their spiel about how great their place was and why we should buy in. We would stand and confidently say 'no' to then collect our gifts and be on our way. Usually this included a free meal and some other free offers. We had gone to five different meetings before we had decided to go to a breakfast meeting.

It was a beautiful Mexican morning in Cabo. The street artists were already out and about spraying their colors to early passers by. The tortilla makers were busy and their smells filled the morning air. There was a soft hustle and bustle of the small quaint town center where we met the driver and boarded his old Chevy van with valour and tassels throughout. It was comfortable, clean and cozy for our advertised "2 minute free ride to the hotel". We had not been to this hotel before, called SolMar. It was at the very end of the Baja peninsula, on the tip of the 5 mile long private beach, with a view of the prestigious Pedrigal section. The mansions of Mexico overlooking the pacific ocean atop the 200 foot high cliff. The all white adobe style hotel with clay tile roof was an easy walking distance to the famed Archway to the Pacific.

We were greeted by an American man, wearing a vibrantly colored Hawaiian shirt, wrinkled Bermuda shorts, and a baseball cap with a Puerta Vallarta logo. He was smiling and excited to greet his newest captive audience with a determined look on his face.

We were seated on the veranda, near the huge picture window overlooking the beach and the ocean. Stunning really. The breakfast was served promptly and we sat and enjoyed our Huevos Rancheros as we quietly watched the waves as they danced in the morning sunlight.

Wait...What was that? Look, way out there...Whales! A large pod of them began dancing on the horizon as they plunged through the air out of the water to splash back into their world. They played for us to a dazzling display of natural joy. At one time I thought it might have been some automated electric contraption in order to help them sell condos...but, naahhh. It was an amazing sight to behold while we gawked in wonder and excitement over our perfect vantage point. I missed having my binoculars, though.

Needless to say, after one early morning six pack of cervesa, and two bottles of champagne the salesman did make a deal. It was the whales, though, not his sales expertise. We got a great deal, as he was drinking more than we were. But, it was the whales.

It seems, over the near twenty years since I started doing this trek to the beach, that the whales are getting closer to the shore. Perhaps they know we want to see them? Perhaps they want us to come out and play?

Well, it seems that their desire for us to come out and play has been fulfilled. My secrete is no longer a secret.

Can you find us?








This, the 230th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Bert and Ernie makes Bernie and the Shell game...

Bear with me and see this through as I make my point...This one is interesting and fun...

Bert and Ernie were basically the only Muppets to appear in the Sesame Street pilot episode, which was screen tested to a number of families in July 1969. Their brief appearance was the only part of the pilot that tested well, so it was decided that not only should Muppet characters be the "stars" of the show, but would also interact with the human characters, something that was not done in the pilot.

Bert and Ernie are roommates. Bert is good friends with a pigeon named Bernice, and is President of the National Association of W Lovers, a club dedicated to the letter "W". I am unclear if he is a fan of George Bush...Ernie's performance of "Rubber Duckie," wherein he sings affectionately about his squeaking toy duck and the joy it brings him during bathtime, became a modest mainstream hit, reaching No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1970.

A typical Bert and Ernie skit follows one of two similar patterns, both beginning with Ernie devising a hare-brained idea and Bert calmly attempting to talk him out of it. Usually this ends with Bert losing his temper and Ernie remaining oblivious to his own bad idea. Sometimes Ernie's idea miraculously turns out to be correct, much to Bert's evident frustration.

An example of a Bert and Ernie skit is the banana in my ear joke:

Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"
Ernie: "What?"
Bert: "I said, YOU'VE GOT A BANANA IN YOUR EAR!"
Ernie: "What? I can't hear you; I've got a banana in my ear!"

Bert: "Hey, you've got a banana in your ear!"
Ernie: "I know, I'm keeping the alligators away."
Bert: "But there aren't any alligators on Sesame Street!"
Ernie: "I know, it's working!"




No, this is not a picture of Ernie's brain on drugs, but an Abalone mollusk. Scientists have identified a group of genes, in the tropical marine Abalone mollusk, that control the formation of shapes and color patterns on the shell. A study published in the open access journal BMC Biology reveals that the shape and color patterns on the shell of the mollusk mirror the localized expression of specific genes in the mantle, a layer of skin situated just below the shell. The authors of the study identify one gene in particular that controls the formation of blue dots on the shell of the mollusk.

Another report found in the publication, Nature, done by University of California, Berkeley, researchers, indicates that we share the same genes that have been responsible for establishing the left-right asymmetry of animals for 500-650 million years, originating in the last common ancestor of all animals with bilateral body organization, creatures that include everything from worms to humans.

If you look at the the myriad of pictures you can find of our universe of different galaxies and other constellation formations you can compare them with those from snowflakes, to seashells, to crystals, cauliflower, coastlines, and broccoli and blood vessels. Our world, as well as the universe, possess some incredible patterns. Nature is filled with seemingly unlimited examples of amazing algorithmic arithmetic art.




A fractal, as seen above, is generally "a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole," a property called self-similarity. This term was coined by Benoît Mandelbrot in 1975 and was derived from the Latin fractus meaning "broken" or "fractured." A mathematical fractal is based on an equation that undergoes iteration, a form of feedback based on recursion.

Recursion, in mathematics and computer science, is a method of defining functions in which the function being defined is applied within its own definition. The term is also used more generally to describe a process of repeating objects in a self-similar way. For instance, when the surfaces of two mirrors are almost parallel with each other the nested images that occur are a form of recursion, like the infinite mirror exhibit at the local county fair.

Ebber, found in the urban dictionary means: The ultimate, above all, astounding, incredible, the best, top, something that nothing is better than. Perhaps we need a new definition, through a fractal style of symantics?

Let's use the recursion definition and combine Bert and Ernie to make, Bernie. Then, let's look at a couple of repeating situations, in a similar way whose functions are applied and nearly mirror themselves on some financial parallel plane. I'm talking about Bernie Madoff (pronounced Made-Off) and Bernie Ebbers.

Bernie Ebbers was the CEO of WorldCom (later known as MCI) which filed for bankruptcy in 2002, the largest bankruptcy in US history at the time. In 2005, Bernie was found guilty for his role in accounting fraud that cost $11 billion, and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison - the longest term for a CEO of a Fortune 500 company at the time, says CNN.

Bernie Madoff, without regurgitating all of the latest dailies, was the CEO of the largest Hedge fund that was recently discovered as a 40 year long Ponzi scheme that bilked the investors to the tune of $50 Billion. A new world record!!

Now, according to the urban dictionary, Ebber is the grandest of them all...well, it seems that definition is now needing a change to a new Bernie.




This, the 229th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs

Happy New Year - 2009!!

Last night, my wife and I, spent the entire evening with a good friend of ours, Harry Denton. He is a Restaurateur/Nightclub Owner in San Francisco. We hung out with him the entire evening and talked all night. Very private, very nice. That is a rare occurrence due to his usual "makin the rounds" at the beautiful club, Harry Denton's Starlight Room. Getting him to slow, sit, relax and talk for a few minutes is not an easy task, but we sat together all night. His vibrant, optimistic, entrepreneurial personality is so refreshing.

He is so kind and generous. He was excited as to our arrival and he went to get us a quick dessert to have with our first glass of Champagne. He came back with two small desert bowls of mousse, although it was wonderful whipped butter instead...so, Harry quickly turned that one around by offering the head bartender a taste of our dessert, before we were to eat it, which he fell for the gag for nice laugh all around. He took it well.

Thank you and Happy New Year to you, Harry!

* * * * *

Originally observed on the Ides of March, or March 15 in the old Roman Calendar, New Year's Day first came to be fixed in January 1, 153 BC, when the two Roman consuls, after whom — in the Roman calendar — years were named and numbered, began to be chosen on that date, for military reasons. However, dates in March, coinciding with the spring equinox, or commemorating the Annunciation of Jesus, along with a variety of Christian feast dates were used throughout the Middle Ages, though calendars often continued to display the months in columns running from January to December in the Roman fashion.

Among the 7th-century pagans of Flanders and the Netherlands it was the custom to exchange gifts at the New Year, a pagan custom deplored by Saint Eligius (died 659 or 660), who warned the Flemings and Dutchmen, "[Do not] make vetulas, [little figures of the Old Woman], little deer or iotticos or set tables [for the house-elf, compare Puck] at night or exchange New Year gifts or supply superfluous drinks [another Yule custom]." The quote is from the vita of Eligius written by his companion Oueen..

Most countries in Western Europe officially adopted January 1 as New Year's Day somewhat before they adopted the Gregorian calendar. The Feast of the Annunciation, March 25 (9 months before December 25), was the first day of the new year in England until the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in 1752. The March 25th date was called Annunciation Style; the January 1 date was called Circumcision Style, because this was the date of the Feast of the Circumcision, being the eighth day counting from December 25.

January 1 marks the end of a period of remembrance of a particular passing year, especially on radio, television, and in newspapers, which usually starts right after Christmas Day. Publications often have year-end articles that review the changes during the previous year. Common topics include politics, natural disasters, music and the arts, and the listing of significant individuals who died during the past year. Often there are also articles on planned or expected changes in the coming year, such as the description of new laws that often take effect on January 1.

This day is traditionally a religious feast, but since the 1900s has become an occasion for celebration the night of December 31, called New Year's Eve. There are often fireworks at midnight. Depending on the country, individuals may be legally allowed to burn fireworks, even if it's usually outlawed the rest of the year.

It is also customary to make New Year's resolutions, which individuals hope to fulfill in the coming year. The most popular resolutions in the western world include to quit tobacco smoking, stop excessive drinking of alcohol, lose weight, and get physically fit.

What are your resolutions?




This, the 228th entry in bloggoland! Thanks for reading and coming back. I always enjoy the comments, emails and the banter!!


(c)Copyright 2009 Doug Boggs