August 1st

The beginning of August. This was always a sad time for me as a child, most summers anyway. It signaled the beginning of the end of the summer, and then it was back to school. I was defninitely a summertime kid, although I think I felt more alone in the summers, especially as I got older. In the south/midwest where I grew up the days weere usually a scorching and humid affair, and as you got older and it was no longer as socially acceptable to hang out at the pool all day, and summer jobs were an imperative, life quickly went from a very glad and happy time to a very sad and oppressive time at the beginning of August. Pushing around hot lawnmower engines all day in the blazing sun, burning your legs on the pleather carseats of cars. It's no wonder the South took most adamantly to slavery. But I think the most ominous part of the beginning of August was the feeling of doubt, the feeling that there is indeed a new beginning to deal with ... whether it is looking like something you want to do or not ... you feel that it is what it is ... not all bad, not ideal, at times you are so excited about the possibilities in a new beginnning that you never see the sullen-ness of a hot, humid, and at times thuderstorming day, and other times it feels like the entire world has something better to do, and you have to accept your mediocre plight and press on because that's just what you did ... as a kid ... and after all you only had a few more weeks to play.

I like articles like these ...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/bob-patterson/30420/where-has-all-the-oil-gone-long-time-passing

Business as Usual; "Global Political Journalism" is a joke.

http://gowans.wordpress.com/2010/05/20/the-sinking-of-the-cheonan-another-gulf-of-tonkin-incident/

Good Interview

Dan Rather's lawsuit upheld dismissed ...

It looks as though Dan's lawsuit being dismissed was an open and closed case. Mr. Rather had just not had his contract renewed after it ended, as their (CBS) nightly news show was third in the rankings after many years. That alone is all that is needed to refuse to re-negotiate a contract. He was also offered a pretty highly paid "office" with no role in producing and reporting the news, which he turned down. I like his fight and I wish there was some osrt of Dan Rather clause in some law somewhere when it relates to employment contracts for major media reporters and producers and the largest national broadcasting companies, but in the end I'll bet
you that there is some truth to people's speculation that his often coy liberal bias in reporting a story, where the script handed to him is even biasedly bent towards telling a very neutral or misleadingly blandly vague on content story. Kudos, Mr. Rather. You've inspired me greatly.
As for the reporting on W's National Guard record, and the possiblity of a link between that reporting and your contract not being renewed, all I can say is there is your Truth to tell, to
win the hearts and minds of the smarter Americans who understand what's going on in the world and believe in you, and need you .... to tell it from the mountaintop."

Google getting into the energy business ...

Why wasn't this ever reported much ...?

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/10/25/contra/index5.html