“Idealism is the despot of thought, just as politics is the despot of will.” -Mikhail Bakunin

Today’s Ledger-Enquirer makes note that on this day in history, 19 August 1991, that Michail Gorbachev was sacked by the old Soviet Union power brokers.

Ironic that today it is being reported that Russian troops have taken ‘hostages’ in the form of Georgian troops. What’s more, despite its agreement to withdraw from Georgian soil, she remains there as if digging in for the long haul… adding SS-21 missile launchers that can only be meant to threaten the Georgian capitol.

Deep breath.

We live in such a different time now because if Russia had played this game prior to 1991, NATO would have been immediately there to stop the advance. What happened?

Globalization.

The whole concept is at the root of so many ills. It lies at the heart of our own problems along our borders with Mexico, with Europe’s problems with being virtually overrun by middle easterners, and it is the mechanism behind China’s rise from being nearly a third world power to standing on the brink of displacing the USA.

The idea is that once we are a fully blended planet, war will be nearly impossible because we will all be indespensibly interdependent. It also erases national borders and invents hate speech as a new crime to squelch those who disagree with the premise.

Well, Russia has just thrown that notion to the wind. And as for NATO? What ever may still exist of this once proud and powerful alliance; NATO is wringing its hands over a response.

It is really quite sad because without a firm and resolute Northern Alliance, the enigma that has always been Russia becomes a brute force without equal or challenge. Georgia is learning this the hard way while we sit back and watch as Ivan takes those hostages… along with US supplied arms.

So, should we now go to war with Russia? We hope not but short of a firm NATO/European/US response, Vlad the Invader will likely feel no urge to do more than take more hostages, loot and pillage more Georgian dirt and perhaps, annex it as it pleases him.

If there were an ounce of guts left in the former alliance, there would be a stream of tanks and soldiers marching into Georgia to offer some hope against Vlad and his imperial ambitions. But as it is, he will likely feel comfortable signing off on any treaty offered and then, respecting nary a word of any of them.

A New Cold war? No. Probably not. Call this one a Russian winter.
 
* * *

“Hell is a half-filled auditorium.”
- Robert Frost

There are a hundred axioms that define how we view the world around us. One of the most basic comes in the form of a question:

‘Is the glass half empty or half full?’

Aside from the purely philosophic, the glass is, of course, half full because in its natural state, the glass is nothing but an empty vessel. It is up to us to put something into it; filling it all the way up or only half full. Even a glass that was once full, but then partially drained, contains more than it was holding at its inception.

But naturally, when answering the very same question while delving into the philosophic core, we are tasked to make the call based on our personal perceptions.

Okay, enough of that… you get the idea, right? Good. (We’ll come back to this in just a bit.) Now an explanation for the class in abstract thought…

WTVM’s Lee Brantley has posted one of his customized editorials that addresses the cost of living and the generally dour economic outlook, versus a bright ray of sunshine blowing up from Georgia Tech and the new KIA plant in West Point…

“You may think the economy can’t get any worse, and you could be right. The housing mess and the cost of food & fuel are enough to make us all worry about what’s ahead.”

Thanks Lee, that’s a pretty accurate observation. And do let me apologize too for not offering this via your TV station but… honestly, I am not terribly photogenic and, well, you have your medium and I have mine.

Anyway, Lee’s editorial speaks of a study done by The Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech that points to a “… titanic ripple effect” from the KIA plant. He also makes mention of the BRAC expansion at Fort Benning, closing his article thusly:

“We’re encouraged by the predictions, especially when you factor in the arrival of thousands of soldiers and their families through base realignment. The Kia plant doesn’t open until next year, but if Georgia Tech’s study holds true, there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Well, here we are again staring into that annoying glass. Is it half full with a healthy blend of KIA and BRAC juice? Or is it half empty, with swarms of bacteria-like traffic jams and a cost of living that will drain just as much from your wallet no matter who you work for?

Falling back upon our charter, it is a little difficult to imagine that the increase in population (BRAC) and/or jobs (KIA) will do much for the cost of a gallon of gasoline, an ear of corn or a sack of flour. It may well increase the tax base for local communities already struggling to keep up with what could be termed, ‘normal growth’ but with the increase will come more crowded roadways, more demand on infrastructure and already overburdened public safety services. The increased revenue will, in all likelyhood, be spent before it’s ever even counted.

Don’t get me wrong; the potential jobs are great. Bravo! But the cost of living remains a problem no matter how many jobs we have. In fact, looking at it strictly from the half empty section of this half filled auditorium, the biggest beneficiary from any growth will be to the same oily (and sandy) quarters that are creating the current problems.

* * *

“I have had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn’t it.” –Groucho Marx

That says more to the current situation than I could have… and believe me, I’ve tried. So, I hope Mr. Marx doesn’t mind because… we’ll be leaning on him again before this post is finished.

It began several weeks ago with a fever and chills followed by the cold sweats.

From there, it led to doctor’s offices and hospitals while in between the symptoms and the treatment went I, trying to keep up with the daily routine. Then all the color bled away and people were coming up to me just to tell me that I looked like hell.

Geez, thanks. Nice to see you too.

The diagnoses have run the full spectrum of ailments, from kidney stones to West Nile virus. It had in fact become more like scratching a lottery ticket than anything resembling healthcare just to find out what was wrong about what was wrong.

“If you’ve heard this story before, don’t stop me, because I’d like to hear it again.”

In the meantime, there were the potions and concoctions getting poured into my system like water spinning down sink drain. The effects and side effects varied from the standard nausea to the inner desire to stay as close to the bathroom as possible without actually moving the bed in next to the commode.

In truth, I should be getting paid for trying all these drugs.

Oh, and to the local ER: Thanks for the double shot of morphine but… next time, remember to give me a cigarette and one of those back-scratchers too, thank you. 

“Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough.”

That is the problem here, isn’t it? Between the 750ml Levaquin IV-drip and the above-mentioned double dose of morphine, there was the distinct possibility of not realizing what honest old age was going to be like.

But be that all as it may, here we are trying to bang out something while the brain and the fingers are wandering the foggy halls of a pharmacopoeia induced lucidity.

“Either he’s dead or my watch has stopped.”

If you’re judging from the number of posts here in the last two weeks, you might be tempted to wonder. But no, don’t worry, it’s the watch.

Promise.

* * *

“Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.”
 -St. Francis of Assisi

Just briefly, there’s a new(?) website out there that acts as a sort of consignment/thrift store for both those who like to shop rummage sales and those who like to donate to charities.

The website, throwplace.com, has free registration and offers items in several categories: US Charities, International Charities, Business/Individuals and Up-For-Grabs. All merchandise is free but is available based on which category it is being offered under.

Oh, and you may have to pay for any shipping charges.

This is similar to the Freecycle concept that has taken the internet by storm over the last few years. The difference is mainly in its organizational characteristics… meaning there’s probably more order and less chaos in the process.

Here are a few examples from the Up-For-Grabs (free to anyone) category…

Item Number: 2787
Listed on: 2008-07-12 16:47:41
Item Name: Sabrina the Teenage Witch soundtrack
Section: Up-For-Grabs
Listing: Status Active
Item Category: Other
Item Description: Soundtrack from the TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch, released in 1998, all original packaging, CD is like new

Item Number: 2825
Listed on: 2008-08-10 18:34:33
Item Name: Rabbit Hutch (2 available)
Section: Up-For-Grabs
Listing Status: Active
Item Category: Other
Item Description: Outside rabbit hutches, only one year old, purchased from a rabbit breeder. All feeding dishes/water bottles included. One is dwarf-rabbit sized, the other is larger and can be used as a double hutch. Please call in the evening.

For more information, just click over http://www.throwplace.com/

* * *

“I don’t expect that the million will ever be won, simply because there is no confirming evidence for any paranormal claims to date.” -James Randi

No brag, just fact, right? Maybe. But then again, maybe it’s finally time for Mr. Randi to put his millions where his mouth is.

Here’s the basic story…

A couple of good old boys from North Georgia are claiming to have bagged a Big Foot… and we don’t mean a Ford truck with oversized wheels either. Nope, in this case, these guys allegedly found the already-dead animal, carted it home and put it in the chest freezer.

NOTE: We can only guess that this was a temporary situation… until they could either find someone to check the critter’s DNA or get it to the processing plant for sausages and steaks.

I didn’t say that.

Anyway, as Big Foot claims go, this one looks like it is in much better health than the specimen itself. In fact, they may have finally solved one of humanity’s greatest enduring mysteries.

Here’s part of the press release followed by a few pictures of the beast we found elsewhere on the web…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 12, 2008
BIGFOOT BODY FOUND
DNA evidence and photo evidence to be presented at a
PRESS CONFERENCE
to be held on
Date: Friday, August 15, 2008
Time: From 12Noon-1:00pm
Place: Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto (A Crown Plaza Resort) 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California 94306

Searching for Bigfoot, Inc. Menlo Park, California
Tom Biscardi, CEO

BIGFOOT BODY FOUND - EVIDENCE AND DNA DETAILS TO BE PRESENTED AT A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FRIDAY, AUGUST 15th

FROM 12 N00N TO 1:00PM AT THE CABANA HOTEL-PALO ALTO IN PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA

A body that may very well be the body of the creature commonly known as “Bigfoot” has been found in the woods in northern Georgia.

DNA evidence and photo evidence of the creature will be presented in a press conference on Friday, August 15th from 12 Noon to 1:00pm at the Cabana Hotel-Palo Alto at 4290 El Camino Real in Palo Alto, California, 94306. The press conference will not be open to the public. It will only be open to credentialed members of the press.
Here are some of the vital statistics on the “Bigfoot” body:
*The creature is seven feet seven inches tall.
*It weighs over five hundred pounds.
*The creature looks like it is part human and part ape-like.
*It is male.
*It has reddish hair and blackish-grey eyes.
*It has two arms and two legs, and five fingers on each hand and
five toes on each foot.
*The feet are flat and similar to human feet.
*Its footprint is sixteen and three-quarters inches long and five and three-quarters inches wide at the heel.
*From the palm of the hand to the tip of the middle finger, its hands are
eleven and three-quarters inches long and six and one-quarter inches wide.
*The creatures walk upright. (Several of them were sighted on the same day that the body was found.)
*The teeth are more human-like than ape-like.
*DNA tests are currently being done and the current DNA and photo evidence will be presented at the press conference on Friday, August 15th.

The creature was found by Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer (residents of Georgia) in the woods in northern Georgia. (The exact location is being kept secret to protect the creatures.)
Matthew Whitton and Rick Dyer will be flying in from Georgia to be at the press conference. Also present at the press conference will be Tom Biscardi, CEO of Searching for Bigfoot, Inc.
…

On a related side note, various reports from the web say that Fox News will have a spot on the discovery today (Wednesday) at 10:45 AM ET.

From the source -
Searchingforbigfoot.com

Elsewhere -
Has Bigfoot Been Found?
 

Imagry - 

* * *

“The only way to see a movie is in a big theater, on a big screen, with a big bag of popcorn.” -Dan Glickman

George Bernard Shaw once said, “England and America are two countries separated by a common language”. Well, that may have been at one time but as the UK has fallen further and further into the loving embrace of the Nanny State’s sweaty bosom, the degree of separation has become more pronounced.

But another point of departure, probably less connected to a bloated, centralized government than just a good deal of high-hatted snobbery, has reared its ugly head in the neighborhood cinema…

The credits are rolling in Britain for the time-honoured cinematic tradition of munching popcorn at the movies — a newspaper reported Sunday that increasing numbers of cinemas are banning it.
…

It quoted Daniel Broch, the owner of the renowned Everyman cinema in London’s upmarket Hampstead district, who recently bought 17 more venues.

“I will de-popcorn every new venue I acquire,” he said. “It has a disproportionate influence on the space in terms of its overwhelming smell, the cultural idea of it and the operational problems created by the mess it produces.

From “‘The End’ for popcorn in British cinemas: report”
- AFP via Yahoo - 9 August 2008

“…its overwhelming smell, the cultural idea of it and the operational problems created by the mess it produces”? Where was this guy born? In a sterile laboratory? Did Mum and Dad not allow him as a child to enjoy popcorn while catching a Saturday matinee?

How awful. Somebody call a shrink for this poor fellah!

Imagine if you will, going to any of our American theaters to find the odor of a zombiefied Victorian intolerance instead of the beloved smell and taste of hot popcorn! Talk about a reason to revolt!

Okay, so the Founding fathers of our nation could have never foreseen this kind of future… but there can be no doubt at all that they would have held vigil at the concession stand to protect our rights to munch our way into steamy, buttered entertainment bliss!

In closing, I must confess to have complained about the price of a sack of popcorn on my last trip to see a movie. But it is a far better thing to have that opportunity than to someday wake to find there is no popcorn at all!

* * *

“Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
- Winston Churchill

It seems that if a Russian leader wants to get their name in the history books, they have to inflict suffering on their neighbors.

Historically -

Ivan (The Terrible) IV
The Grand Prince Ivan having achieved much overseeing numerous changes in the transition from a mere local medieval nation state to a small empire and emerging regional power, became acknowledged as the first Tsar of a new more powerful nation, became “Tsar of All Russia” from 1547.

Ivan was strong minded, devout, and impulsive; given to rages, and according to the suspicions of some, probably had episodic outbreaks of mental disorder. One notable outburst resulted in the death of his groomed and chosen heir – Ivan Ivanovich – resulting in the passing of the Tsardom to a less than ideal younger son – the mentally retarded Feodor I of Russia.

Wonderful fellah.

The latest version appears to be Vladimir Putin, who has now sent his legions into the former Soviet sub-state of Georgia. Since the fall of Russian communism and the Soviet Union, Georgia had been moving to align itself with the west and had even asked to join NATO. For an old KGB cold warrior like Vlad, this couldn’t have set too well. In fact, as each former Soviet client and satellite state has in turn moved towards western-style democracies and alliances, the problematic Mr. Putin has become more and more bellicose.

What does this mean for Georgia? Militarily, Georgia’s entire combined armed forces number only some 27,000 personnel, with around 80 tanks and 7 combat aircraft. On the other side, Russia’s numbers are, as one might suspect, a bit more formidable with over 600,000 in uniform, 6,000 tanks and 1200 combat aircraft.

So, short of a full scale war in Europe, there’s not a lot anyone can do. Had they already been admitted into NATO, though, the question would not be a question. In fact, the invasion would have never happened.

The excuse being fronted for this Russian gallop across the border, is the rescue of ethnic Russians in the region of Georgia known as South Ossetia. For those familiar with history, it’s not a far shot to recall that this was the excuse that Hitler and Nazi Germany used in annexing Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland.

But it hasn’t stopped there, as it now seems fairly apparent that Russia intends to annex both South Ossetia and another break away region, Abkhazia, which takes in about fifty percent of Georgia’s Black Sea coast.

Vlad Putin has a lot of nationalistic and personal political ambition. Left to their natural courses, it’s not hard to imagine that he will eventually become another in a long line of notable Russian leaders, who have etched their name into the history books with the blood of those who were unfortunate enough to be their neighbors.

* * *