My love of classical music started with Woodie Woodpecker and Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2:
The SOG City Oracle
The Oracle is your source for wise counsel and prophetic opinion on a myriad of topics published as the need arises. And, the need arises often.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wall Street Crooks: The Rest Of The Story
We could also title this as BOHICA America!
A Friday Treat - Dock Green Silverhawk
My bride and I met while we were both employed by GTE of Florida. One of our coworkers on Toll 3 was Dock Green. We have a lot of fond memories of the years we worked together.
The last I heard Dock was still with the company that is now Verizon, but there is more to Dock than just being a telephone man. Besides being a martial arts master, Dock is also a musician. And, let me add that Dock is a heck of a nice guy.
The Oracle is proud to present The Lakota Flute.
The last I heard Dock was still with the company that is now Verizon, but there is more to Dock than just being a telephone man. Besides being a martial arts master, Dock is also a musician. And, let me add that Dock is a heck of a nice guy.
The Oracle is proud to present The Lakota Flute.
Labels:
Dock Green Silverhawk,
GTE,
Lakota Flute,
Verizon
Thursday, February 9, 2012
I Shall Now Rain On Your Parade
In the paper and on the tube this morning was a story to gladden the hearts of all people who travel by air, to wit:
The key word here is SOME.
Who are the "some" you may ask?
From the TSA Pre✓™ website:
Certain frequent flyers from Delta and American Airlines and certain members of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP's) Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS, who are U.S. citizens, are eligible to participate in this program, which could qualify them for expedited screening at select checkpoints with the following airlines:
American Airlines – Dallas/Fort Worth International Las Vegas’ McCarran International, Los Angeles International, Miami International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports
Delta Air Lines – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Las Vegas’ McCarran and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports
Atlanta: T-South Checkpoint (Delta only)
Dallas: Terminal C, Checkpoint C30 (American only)
Detroit: Checkpoint 2 on the ticketing level (Delta only)
Las Vegas: D Gates First Class Checkpoint (American and Delta)
Los Angeles: TSA Pre✓™ screening lane (American only)
Miami: D2 Checkpoint (American only)
Minneapolis: Lindbergh Terminal, Checkpoint 4 (American and Delta)
The TSA plans to offer quicker airport screening to some passengers.
The key word here is SOME.
Who are the "some" you may ask?
From the TSA Pre✓™ website:
Certain frequent flyers from Delta and American Airlines and certain members of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP's) Trusted Traveler programs, including Global Entry, SENTRI, and NEXUS, who are U.S. citizens, are eligible to participate in this program, which could qualify them for expedited screening at select checkpoints with the following airlines:
American Airlines – Dallas/Fort Worth International Las Vegas’ McCarran International, Los Angeles International, Miami International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports
Delta Air Lines – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Las Vegas’ McCarran and Minneapolis-St. Paul International airports
Tampa International Airport (TIA) will not be added to the program until sometime later this year.
So, what does all of that mean to you? First off, members of the two frequent flyer airlines must be invited to participate. If you haven't received your invitation, then American and Delta didn't feel that you met their criteria.
If you didn't get an invitation or you are not a member of these two frequent flyer programs does this mean you are SOL (that doesn't mean sun in Spanish - well, actually it does, but that isn't what I meant)? Moving on, moving on. The quick answer is, "No, you are not SOL." The long, drawn out answer may be found below.
Working in conjunction with the TSA pre-screen program is Global Entry (see link above). Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Though intended for frequent international travelers, there is no minimum number of trips necessary to qualify for the program. Participants may enter the United States by using automated kiosks located at select airports. TIA, by the way, isn't one of the airports.
If you go to the Global Entry website you will find an application. Once you have completed that application and paid the non-refundable fee of $100 you can then sit back and cool your jets whilst your application undergoes a rigorous background screening.
Once it has been determined that you might not be a scumbag terrorist, you will be invited to set up an interview at a location that is totally inconvenient if you live here in the Tampa area. During that in-person interview a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer will ask you questions, take your photo, and collect biometric information. Biometric information does not mean collecting bodily fluids and tissue samples (I don't think so, anyway). I think it just means they are going to fingerprint you. You will also be required to present your passport and one other form of ID.
If you get through that entire process unscathed, you will receive a special card that you can scan in at various airports (not TIA) and maybe skip customs.
So far so good, right? And, we are almost through.
Once you have attained non-terrorist status and are a current member of CBP’s Global Entry (or NEXUS, or SENTRI) you eligible to participate in the TSA Pre✓™ concept if you are flying on a participating airline at a participating airport:
Atlanta: T-South Checkpoint (Delta only)
Dallas: Terminal C, Checkpoint C30 (American only)
Detroit: Checkpoint 2 on the ticketing level (Delta only)
Las Vegas: D Gates First Class Checkpoint (American and Delta)
Los Angeles: TSA Pre✓™ screening lane (American only)
Miami: D2 Checkpoint (American only)
Minneapolis: Lindbergh Terminal, Checkpoint 4 (American and Delta)
Nothing to it! Piece of cake! Right?
That dear readers is what the papers and the TV didn't tell you, and you are welcome.
The Tea Party Cream Of The Crap
Joe Walsh. Steve King. Sean Duffy. Frank Guinta. Chip Cravaack. Allen West.
Even in the most extreme Congress in history, these six stand out.
They've all voted to let women die, to gut the Clean Air Act and to destroy Medicare.
But that's just the beginning of the bigoted, sexist, anti-science, hypocritical, corrupt and downright crazy things that have been said and done by these clowns.
From CREDO Action:
- You'd think, as an elected member of Congress, you wouldn't scream at your constituents for blaming the banks for our financial crisis. But Illinois' Joe Walsh sure did.
- You'd think you wouldn't openly praise shamed Senator Joe McCarthy or his shameful "un-American activities committee." Meet Iowa's Steve King.
- You'd think you wouldn't say publicly that "Goebbels would be proud of the Democratic propaganda machine" or that anyone with an Obama 2012 bumper sticker was "a threat to the gene pool." But Allen West is so crazy he thinks that's ok.
- Wisconsin's Sean Duffy is a former reality TV star who has co-sponsored every anti-choice bill in Congress, and admires Gov. Walker's attacks on Wisconsin workers.
- New Hampshire's Frank Guinta campaigned on overturning Roe V. Wade, and is also called one of the most corrupt members of Congress.
- And Minnesota's Chip Cravaack is so hypocritical, he didn't just run away from his Tea Party support when he got to Congress, he ran away from Minnesota — and moved his family to New Hampshire.
_______________________________
And yet, they didn't get in to Congress through osmosis. Somebody voted them into office.
I wonder who?
Labels:
Allen West,
Chip Cravaack,
CREDO Action,
Frank Guinta,
Joe Walsh,
Sean Duffy,
Steve King,
Tea Party
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
The Holy "Santorum" Crap
Tuesday night, Man of the Froth, Rick Santorum (R-Douchebag) scored "stunning" upset wins in the Colorado and Minnesota caucuses, and in Missouri's nonbinding beauty pageant.
If that doesn't elicit a collective "Holy Crap!" all across America I can only assume the country has been infected with a serious dose of Headuptheassitis. Seriously, there is such a thing and one of the symptoms is having the cranial globe lodged so far up the anal orifice that cognitive thought is fatally impaired.
I mean, have the fine folks in Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri not been paying attention to the froth emanating from this bozo - especially, the women. Santorum wants to send those of the female persuasion, and those who maybe aren't sure, back to the dark ages of America - back before women had any semblance of rights.
Yeah boy, those four F days were some of the good old days in America. Come on guys, you remember the junior high locker room cheer - Find'em, Feel'em, Fuck'em, and Fergit'em! And, what the hell if you get'em pregnant - that was just their tough luck. Or to paraphrase Santorum, "If you get impregnated by a rapist, consider the resulting little bundle of joy a gift from God."
Should you be an underage and/or unemployed female who gets knocked up for whatever reason, don't worry your little head because Santorum will be there for you...er, uh...hold on a minute, there's a FLASH coming in on the Oracle BullShit-O-Meter.
I stand corrected: It appears that Santorum's position, should he assume the position of Ayatollah of America, is that you are F**ked - literally and figuratively. Santorum, as overseer of this country's morals, is not going to subsidize your immoral decision to be raped.
_________________
Before deciding to devote my life to heavy drinking and Oracle writing, I delivered corporate training classes to some really fine folks in Colorado and Minnesota, and I don't remember coming across any who were this irrational. I can't say anything one way or the other about Missouri except for the line from the Eastwood movie, The Outlaw Josey Wales, "Don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining."
Well, Colorado, Minnesota, and Missouri, I think somebody has rained on you.
Florida: Mired In The Muck
I see that Florida's Carpetbagger-in-Chief Scott, the high speed rail killer, has appointed a staunch anti-rail campaigner to serve on Hillsborough County's transit agency. Scott made Josh Burgin, 35, of Plant City, one of his two appointments to the board of Hillsborough Area Regional Transit this past Monday.
How nice, how very nice for Hillsborough County.
Realistically, Hillsborough County and the state of Florida need to move away from the 20th century mentality on transportation options, and this guy is most likely going to be a wart on the ass of progress.
Before I go on, let me admit right up front that I am one of those who voted against the penny sales tax for light rail in Hillsborough County. I did this not because I oppose light rail, but because I was not willing to see my tax dollars supporting someone's pipe dream, and that's all this was - a pipe dream. We were asked to finance a project now that would be defined later. That was asinine!
If there was a concrete plan, I still might not have voted for it.
You might ask,"Why not?" For one thing I don't feel that all options were even considered, or if they were we were not made aware of them. Light rail sharing the roadway with normal vehicular traffic does not have a very good safety record in addition to being disruptive to existing traffic.
When any discussion of light rail or high speed rail comes up for debate I have never heard the word "monorail" being uttered. After watching a documentary on The Travel Channel sometime ago, I have to wonder why not. A monorail system appears to be a viable means of mass transit - it's less disruptive, is cost effective, ecologically sound, and some systems can even be relocated in an urban environment if traffic demands change. Once rail is in place - it's pretty much there to stay.
Major urban centers around the world have unclogged roadways, and reduced vehicle produced pollutants by building a monorail system. The longest monorail is in China. The oldest is in Germany. Las Vegas has a dandy one as does Disney World.
Why must Florida remain mired in the "Cracker Country" of the past? Oh yeah, Rick Scott.
Here in Florida around the same time period:
How do we move around Florida in the 21st century?
How nice, how very nice for Hillsborough County.
Realistically, Hillsborough County and the state of Florida need to move away from the 20th century mentality on transportation options, and this guy is most likely going to be a wart on the ass of progress.
Before I go on, let me admit right up front that I am one of those who voted against the penny sales tax for light rail in Hillsborough County. I did this not because I oppose light rail, but because I was not willing to see my tax dollars supporting someone's pipe dream, and that's all this was - a pipe dream. We were asked to finance a project now that would be defined later. That was asinine!
If there was a concrete plan, I still might not have voted for it.
You might ask,"Why not?" For one thing I don't feel that all options were even considered, or if they were we were not made aware of them. Light rail sharing the roadway with normal vehicular traffic does not have a very good safety record in addition to being disruptive to existing traffic.
When any discussion of light rail or high speed rail comes up for debate I have never heard the word "monorail" being uttered. After watching a documentary on The Travel Channel sometime ago, I have to wonder why not. A monorail system appears to be a viable means of mass transit - it's less disruptive, is cost effective, ecologically sound, and some systems can even be relocated in an urban environment if traffic demands change. Once rail is in place - it's pretty much there to stay.
Major urban centers around the world have unclogged roadways, and reduced vehicle produced pollutants by building a monorail system. The longest monorail is in China. The oldest is in Germany. Las Vegas has a dandy one as does Disney World.
Why must Florida remain mired in the "Cracker Country" of the past? Oh yeah, Rick Scott.
Public transportation in Wuppertal, Germany in 1901. The hanging monorail is still in service today.
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| Photographer unknown |
How do we move around Florida in the 21st century?
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| Photographer unknown |
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