Monday, May 30, 2011

Jet Lagged...

I'm in Budapest and not quite sure what day it is.

It's Monday here but not there...well, maybe soon enough it will be.  Nine time zones is a lot to get my head around.

News is different here than there.

For example, its big news that a couple FIFA executives have been fired in a scandal.  Apparently there is this game called soccer and some of the higher-ups have been taking bribes...maybe.  I didn't need to know anything about soccer to make that very accusation during the last World Cup.  I saw the United States score a goal only to have an official say, "I don't think we're going to count that one."  He didn't say why and wasn't required to.  Replays showed nothing on the field that would have caused such a call.  The only remaining possibility was that something "off" the field had generated the call.

I see that 14 civilians in Afghanistan were killed by NATO.  How many good things does it take to makeup for something like that.  In the Navy, we used to say, "It takes 1,000 atta-boys to make up for one aw-shit."  I'm thinking its time to exit stage left. (Any guesses as to the name of the comic lion?)

I am the digital equivalent of Murphy's Law.  Electronic stuff seems to not work around me.  My latest - I'm trying to build a WordPress website for this blog.  This is an easy and failsafe type of software than anyone can use.  It's impossible to screw up.  I get everything ready to go and hit enter.

My screen goes blank and then the cryptic equivalent of "You screwed up" begins flashing on the screen.

I don't know how I did it.  Every step was me basically following instructions like "Click on the big blue button on the center of the screen."  There was no room for error.  And yet....

I see Apple is finally having to deal with viruses.  The latest installs itself automatically on your computer if you visit certain websites.  When you reboot, it erases itself, but only after creating something else.  The new creation takes your computer hostage and will not release it without a credit card number.  I know a guy this happened to.  He eventually gave the number and his computer was released.  He then called his credit card company and tried to get his money back from this scam.  Their answer, "Sorry, we are too busy embedding our own secret charges into our billing software."

Malta has passed a non-binding resolution to allow divorces.  The church campaigned against it.  You know, the same church that blamed child molestation by its leaders on the "Free sex hippy movement" of the 60's.  Hmmm...

Maybe I'm just getting cratchetty in my old age.  I'm finding I have less and less tolerance for hypocrisy whether it be with the church or the GOP.  I am much more tolerant of it within my own behavior...

Eleven years until we have a nuclear free Germany.  Wanna take that bet?  They voted to close down all their plants although they have no plan in place to replace them.  Maybe we'll have alien technology by then.

On politics: A note of caution; beware that candidate that follows the strict party line.  He/She is little more than a sock puppet.

A quote for the day:

"Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." - Douglas Adams


And finally, 


A tip of the hat....


To those that gave their lives, 
That I may blog what I see
They fought far from home, 
Giving their lives that we may be free
Pause for them on this, our Memorial Day
We thank them for their sacrifice
Up, up and away...






No comments:

Post a Comment