An older dragon is showing a photo album to a young dragon. The older dragon says, "This is your great Uncle Smaug, and this is Puff, but we don't talk about Puff much since his arrest."
This joke is from a new comic on GoComics webpage.
I am having a mini vacation, since it is August. I will try to see some of my favorite San Francisco Bay Area things. I again recommend the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and new museum, the Monterrey Bay Aquarium, the Oakland Museum, the Tech, the Exploratorium, all the stuff at Golden Gate Park, the ocean, Muir Woods, Big Basin, Skyline Drive, Gilroy Gardens.
And of course, you should get your costume together for the Renaissance Fare near Gilroy coming in September. You can get an inexpensive sword in Chinatown in San Francisco.
Now is also the time to look in Salvation Army and Goodwill Stores for costumes for Halloween. These are also great places for boots to go with your swordperson's costume for RenFaire (the short form of Renaissance Faire for us horrible spellers). The proper footwear is SO important for the total effect. For women, the Chinese Mary Jane slippers work well. (Black flat ballet shoes with a strap across the ankle.) Please remember that you need to be able to WALK in your costume shoes. Faire is no fun if your feet hurt.
For those of you going to Burning Man, have a fabulous time and I am SO jealous. Too bad I HATE heat and blowing sand.
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." This saying means that not going on vacation makes you LESS SMART because all machines, including your brain, need down time.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
ASSAD AND GENERAL SHERMAN
In the US civil war, the North sent General Sherman marching through the State of Georgia burning as he went. The burning of Atlanta is a central scene in the movie Gone With The Wind.
Southerns have not yet forgotten that many beautiful buildings were burned. The animosity may have contributed to the long life of the Klu Klux Klan.
Assad is not just killing Syrian people. He is destroying their homes and businesses. The resentment towards Assad will linger for years. His tribe and his religion will suffer from the disdain of those who just wanted to be treated equally.
Southerns have not yet forgotten that many beautiful buildings were burned. The animosity may have contributed to the long life of the Klu Klux Klan.
Assad is not just killing Syrian people. He is destroying their homes and businesses. The resentment towards Assad will linger for years. His tribe and his religion will suffer from the disdain of those who just wanted to be treated equally.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
US v RUSSIA
One of the reasons I LOVE the US is demonstrated in two news stories.
In Russia, a three woman punk band played a satiric song on the steps of a famous church. The women were arrested for insulting a religion. They are now on trial after sitting in jail for months. The prosecutors (Putin) is asking for three years in prison for singing a song.
In LA, Joan Rivers chained herself to a shopping cart, screaming that the store would not sell her book due to racy content. (Racy is a word used to mean there is explicit sex.) Even the police were laughing. Joan was not arrested.
When I first started blogging, people would sometimes ask if I thought I could get into trouble. My answer was that I had freedom of speech.
The reason we need freedom of speech is because powerful people do not like being criticized. In order to have freedom of speech work, it has to cover ALL speech, music, movies, books, newspapers, TV, etc. In the US, free speech is not allowed if it causes IMMEDIATE danger to others, like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Panicked people can trample other people. Explicit sex is not allowed unless there is socially redeeming content.
Since Joan Rivers thoughts are considered to be socially redeeming, you may draw the conclusion that any coherent thought may be socially redeeming.
In choosing, the courts favor free speech. This is again because one of the best ways to counter an abuse of power is to sing, talk, write, paint, etc. about the misuse of power.
If you want your country to be as good to live in as the US, you MUST have free speech.
In Russia, a three woman punk band played a satiric song on the steps of a famous church. The women were arrested for insulting a religion. They are now on trial after sitting in jail for months. The prosecutors (Putin) is asking for three years in prison for singing a song.
In LA, Joan Rivers chained herself to a shopping cart, screaming that the store would not sell her book due to racy content. (Racy is a word used to mean there is explicit sex.) Even the police were laughing. Joan was not arrested.
When I first started blogging, people would sometimes ask if I thought I could get into trouble. My answer was that I had freedom of speech.
The reason we need freedom of speech is because powerful people do not like being criticized. In order to have freedom of speech work, it has to cover ALL speech, music, movies, books, newspapers, TV, etc. In the US, free speech is not allowed if it causes IMMEDIATE danger to others, like yelling "fire" in a crowded theater. Panicked people can trample other people. Explicit sex is not allowed unless there is socially redeeming content.
Since Joan Rivers thoughts are considered to be socially redeeming, you may draw the conclusion that any coherent thought may be socially redeeming.
In choosing, the courts favor free speech. This is again because one of the best ways to counter an abuse of power is to sing, talk, write, paint, etc. about the misuse of power.
If you want your country to be as good to live in as the US, you MUST have free speech.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
CalPERS STEALS FROM THE DISABLED AND GIVES TO THEIR SPOUSE
CalPERS has decided that disability pensions are community property, which requires that they be divided 50 / 50 with an ex-spouse. This is contrary to both statute and case law, which hold that disability pensions are income replacement, not community property.
Disability pensions for California state employees are not all that generous. My client had a disability income of $3000 a month for getting an on the job illness (stroke) brought on by the stress of his law enforcement job. Even though his ex-wife has agreed that he should get all of his CalPERS disability benefits, CalPERS refuses to obey the Superior Court Order.
Please understand that the wife can still get spousal and child support by using the disability income in the support calculations.
So why does a normally well run state agency decide to disobey state law? CalPERS, like all state agencies, depends on their attorneys to give them correct advice. Sometimes attorneys give advice based on politics rather than on the law. Sometimes attorneys think it is fun to see what they can get other people to do. Sometimes attorneys are lazy. In this case, I think the community property section of CalPERS was empire building.
I am not worried about my client, at least long term. After all, he has an excellent attorney. %>) But CalPERS has written ALL of its QDROs to treat disability income as community property. Worse, the CalPERS appeal division is so overwhelmed that it can not even send out hearing notices correctly. Appeals take a LONG time and then face an uphill court battle as an appeal can only be brought on a writ of mandamus.
Meanwhile, disabled people sign away their own money every day..
Disability pensions for California state employees are not all that generous. My client had a disability income of $3000 a month for getting an on the job illness (stroke) brought on by the stress of his law enforcement job. Even though his ex-wife has agreed that he should get all of his CalPERS disability benefits, CalPERS refuses to obey the Superior Court Order.
Please understand that the wife can still get spousal and child support by using the disability income in the support calculations.
So why does a normally well run state agency decide to disobey state law? CalPERS, like all state agencies, depends on their attorneys to give them correct advice. Sometimes attorneys give advice based on politics rather than on the law. Sometimes attorneys think it is fun to see what they can get other people to do. Sometimes attorneys are lazy. In this case, I think the community property section of CalPERS was empire building.
I am not worried about my client, at least long term. After all, he has an excellent attorney. %>) But CalPERS has written ALL of its QDROs to treat disability income as community property. Worse, the CalPERS appeal division is so overwhelmed that it can not even send out hearing notices correctly. Appeals take a LONG time and then face an uphill court battle as an appeal can only be brought on a writ of mandamus.
Meanwhile, disabled people sign away their own money every day..
Thursday, August 2, 2012
DISABILITY AND GRIEF
Being disabled means that you can not do things that other people do as a normal part of their daily lives. Each time a disabled person has a new thing that they can not do, there is grief, because a disability is a loss.
Lately, I have confirmed that I can not cook a big meal without way too much pain. I actually had known this from when I attempted a three person Christmas dinner. Cooking is an art that can not be properly done while the cook is in pain. Drat!
Every time I have a new thing or confront an old thing that I can not do, I grieve. I can now watch myself go through the five stages of grief. I get angry, I bargain with myself and others, I blame persons and things, I deny that anything is wrong, and finally, one more time, I accept.
I am getting faster at recognizing that I am grieving. I just can not always stop the anger, blame, bargaining, denial, and get right to the acceptance.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
DID RACISM COST US MEN GYMNASTICS MEDAL?
I watched the men's gymnastic team competition last night. (I always watch the next day so I can skip the ads.) Both the night of the medal competition and the night of the qualifying, I noticed that the US team was ignoring the only Black member of the team. It was especially apparent the night of the team competition.
The British team was also ignoring its minority member, but one of the British coaches was making sure that the minority member knew that the coach was really supportive. The coaches for the US team mostly also ignored the Black member of the team.
This kind of exclusion is NOT good for team moral.
Additionally, the night of the team competition, the male NBC commentator for men's gymnastics, a former gymnast, made disparaging remarks about the Chinese performance. Several times, after a particularly strong disparaging remark from the man, the female gymnast pointed out how well the Chinese were doing. The man's disparaging remarks did not correlate to the performance being presented. As it became clear that the Chinese were going to win, the disparaging remarks became less frequent. But it looked to me as if the disparaging remarks were because the performer was Chinese, not because the performer was actually doing a bad job.
The British team was also ignoring its minority member, but one of the British coaches was making sure that the minority member knew that the coach was really supportive. The coaches for the US team mostly also ignored the Black member of the team.
This kind of exclusion is NOT good for team moral.
Additionally, the night of the team competition, the male NBC commentator for men's gymnastics, a former gymnast, made disparaging remarks about the Chinese performance. Several times, after a particularly strong disparaging remark from the man, the female gymnast pointed out how well the Chinese were doing. The man's disparaging remarks did not correlate to the performance being presented. As it became clear that the Chinese were going to win, the disparaging remarks became less frequent. But it looked to me as if the disparaging remarks were because the performer was Chinese, not because the performer was actually doing a bad job.
Monday, July 30, 2012
100 DAYS FOR THE 99%
The 99% have one hundred days until the election which will decide whether the rich get richer.
It is beginning to look like the money from the 1% will buy enough ads to convince the 99% that the rich SHOULD be richer. Not content with fundraising in the US, Romney is fundraising in foreign countries.
It is time for us to start giving as much as we can to the Democrats and President Obama. This time it is clear how each candidate believes regarding tax cuts for the rich. This time it is not the environment, or welfare, or consumer fraud. This time our entire way of life is at risk.
Will we become a nation of rich and poor? Or will we remain a nation with a strong and vibrant middle class? Will we allow the life savings of the middle class to be wiped out again and again? Or will we regulate banks and markets to force them to play fair? This next election will decide.
If you can not give money, please give your time. Volunteer. Help get out the vote.
There is a reason the the Republicans are trying to use non-existent voter fraud to make voting more difficult. If the Democrats voted, then they would win. Republicans are tying to stop Democrats from voting, so you can help by helping Democrats vote. Drive your friends to the polls, have a voting party where you vote BEFORE the party. Whatever it takes. Start planning for election day and getting out the vote.
This next election is VERY important.
It is beginning to look like the money from the 1% will buy enough ads to convince the 99% that the rich SHOULD be richer. Not content with fundraising in the US, Romney is fundraising in foreign countries.
It is time for us to start giving as much as we can to the Democrats and President Obama. This time it is clear how each candidate believes regarding tax cuts for the rich. This time it is not the environment, or welfare, or consumer fraud. This time our entire way of life is at risk.
Will we become a nation of rich and poor? Or will we remain a nation with a strong and vibrant middle class? Will we allow the life savings of the middle class to be wiped out again and again? Or will we regulate banks and markets to force them to play fair? This next election will decide.
If you can not give money, please give your time. Volunteer. Help get out the vote.
There is a reason the the Republicans are trying to use non-existent voter fraud to make voting more difficult. If the Democrats voted, then they would win. Republicans are tying to stop Democrats from voting, so you can help by helping Democrats vote. Drive your friends to the polls, have a voting party where you vote BEFORE the party. Whatever it takes. Start planning for election day and getting out the vote.
This next election is VERY important.
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