Four Weeks to Go

My consigliore (go see The Godfather, it’ll make sense) who has the misfortune to live in a swing state to whine about being subjected to more than 7,000 presidential wannabe ads in the past month on the lardovision set.  Not that he watched much.  But, counting up the media buys is getting to be a pretty good news story.  Denver was also in the 7000+ ad-saturation range, says a recent TV report up there.

 

So while we read the odd news story about the presidential wannabes, seems to me that the mainstreammedia right here and now is getting its pay day.  Seems incongruous to me that they make money (hand over fist) in politics and we all seem to lose because of it over four-year hunks of time.

 

Put it all on eBay so we can see who the bidders are!  The present system lacks transparency…a soon-forgotten buzz-word in the big leagues of hype. 

 

Drug Lord Playing bin Laden?

While it makes for an interesting read in the NY Times, how the “Mexican navy says it may have killed wanted drug lord.” I’m a little more cautious.

 

Sorry:  Both in the case of bin Laden…and now this zeta-leader, there’s too damn much money involved.  Seems to me some of the people involved in the terrorist groups were reported killed multiple times – only to show up later.

 

No reader to expect the filthy rich drug types wouldn’t borrow a page from that playbook..  Besides, words like “may” and phrases like “strong resemblance” don’t play well.  Especially four weeks from a presidential election where a certain leaky border that’s hosting a low intensity war is an issue.

 

Thinking and Nobel Things to Do

Like read up on the two quantum physics guys who were Nobelated today.

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Lots of people forget the historical roots of the Nobel Prize which Wikipedia recalls this way:

 

“Alfred Nobel ( listen (help·info)) was born on 21 October 1833 in Stockholm, Sweden, into a family of engineers.[5] He was a chemist, engineer, and inventor. In 1894, Nobel purchased the Bofors iron and steel mill, which he made into a major armaments manufacturer. Nobel also invented ballistite, a precursor to many smokeless military explosives, especially the British smokeless powder cordite. Nobel was even involved in a patent infringement lawsuit over cordite. Nobel amassed a fortune during his lifetime, with most of his wealth from his 355 inventions, of which dynamite is the most famous.“

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I used to think it would be cool to earn a Nobel prize – all the media hyple and fame of it all. But then three things happened that changed my mind:

 

The award of a 2009 peace prize to the ACORN organizer who moved from Chicago to Washington.  Then I realized that there would not be an award for “most inventive word creations and typos.  Most important of all?  It’s blood money, as I see it.

 

Shakin & Quakin Dept.

If you really need something to worry about, case your eyes on the latest mash of the USGS data going back to 1973…because it shows something uncomfortable to contemplate about large earthquakes – they are continuing to increase:

 

 

What’s worse?  The number of small quakes is in decline:

 

 

 

“What’s going on you think?“  Damned if I know…but huge thanks to Tony R for his relentless efforts to get this stuff tracked for us…even while in the middle of a seven week road warrior trip…

 

I do have one ponder for you:  Talking to a wize colleague about it yesterday.  He said something like “With the threat of nuclear war fairly low, don’t you think it’s kind of odd that the US government is continuing to spend more and more money on continuity of government planning?“

 

Yes…that is a meaningful data point, erspecially after staring at the charts above.  Wonder if these charts and things like Geryl’s work are driving events like those regional government councils.

 

How soon we forget.  Go read Executive order 13528 of Jan 11, 2010“.  continuity in the face of what?

 

Meningitis Spreading

Ourbreak may involve upwards of 13,000 is the latest guestimate.

 

Pass the Salt

This will keep you warm on this cool fall nights…graphical mapping of US (and other) nuclear tests.  Awareness of the evils people do with salt domes keep increasing.  Iodized?

 

But wait!  Now there are reports the gas coming out of the Louisiana sinkhole has enough methane in it to be harmful.  That is, if you consider dead being harmed.

 

 

More after this…