"Bush claims no recession for US"
That's certainly good news. Because, I mean, you know, from here it certainly looks like a recession - but clearly it's not.
Oh, wait,
Definitions of recession on the Web:
* A significant decline in general economic activity extending over a period of time.
Yes, it is!
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=826821
"Also slated to debut this spring is the original science fiction action thriller "Trenches," from Shane Felux, the critically acclaimed filmmaker and creator of "Pitching George Lucas" and "Star Wars Revelations," which became online sensations. Set in another time, on another planet, "Trenches" begins in the waning days of a grueling war. A botched rescue attempt forces a young soldier and his unit to team up with their enemy to survive a brutal threat and escape the planet."
We're still getting mentioned, years after the fact. Good Stuff!
Back in November Gina did some work on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She had a really short scene with Andrew McCarthy and, at the time, there was some confusion about what the terms were. However, after talking to SAG and patiently waiting it out we just got the call and they are sending her a contract for that days work.
This is a really big deal for us as it means that she will get the difference between what she got paid that day, and the new terms of the contract, and residuals going forward. This represents the first time time either of us will getting any residuals for any of our work and needless to say we're really excited about it.
The dogs of war have been let slip, back to North Carolina. Families around me have been restructured, and my life has settled back into the dull roar that is the usual level of chaos I am more comfortable with.
If, in my more recent post, any of my regular readers were put off, or misunderstood where my anger was being directed, just let me say; I was not talking about you. We're still cool, I was just grumpy and railing at the universe.
Meanwhile, as I say, things here are returning to that state that I laughably refer to as 'normal'.
On the acting front, Gina and I both got a little screen time on the most recent episode of the HBO show "The Wire". We're also expecting to get a little more time in the final episode.
Also I've been hitting the gym pretty hard these past few weeks and I can report that, for the first time, I was able to run 2 full miles. I'm only running about 4.5 MPH and I need to take it up to 6 MPH, but I'm making some serious progress and that's good.
This made me feel like I did when I was an adolescent reading "Heavy Metal" magazine.
I found it on "Posthuman Blues" so thanks out to them.
First of all Hillary: it's time. Please step aside graciously, now. Please understand I'm not a
"Hillary hater" or anything like that. I think that you still have a place in the party and can make a substantial contribution, but really, it's over.
The press; anytime you want to just stop reporting on McCain and the Republicans it will be fine with me. Again, it's over, they can't win. Have you seen the actual vote counts? Even they're own people are not voting for them. Let's stop kidding ourselves here. You might as well spend time telling us how the libertarian or communist party candidates are doing.
Everyone else, if there is something you are supposed to be doing, do me a favor, stop screwing around and just do it. Really, figure it out and get it done.
I don't know why, but lately, whenever I go to try and get anything done, the person who is supposed to help me do it acts like they just walked in, it's their first day and they have never done this before. Also I keep seeing things around me that just ought to be done, and yet, somehow, aren't. I'm really tired of doing them myself so come on people, seriously, just do it.
That loud, but unidentifiable thump somewhere in the distance. That was the sound of the Universe taking a personal interest in crushing me. I'm not sure what I did, but clearly the powers that may or may not be, have decided that I was in need of some sort of cosmic (or is it karmic) correction. So, here I am walking along minding my own business when suddenly my life decides to implode. Maybe I had too good a time at Farpoint, maybe I cut off someone important in traffic without realizing it, maybe it's just the random luck of the draw and my number came up, who knows?
What I do know is that in these times of crisis, I can always rely on those around me to pull together, roll up their sleeves and do what's needed. Never a cross word or a moment wasted on laying the blame. Just good, strong folks looking to do whatever they need to do to make things right again.
It's a comfort in these times of crisis . . . in my imagination.
Here we are on Friday night.
and on Saturday we did Star Trek
Well, Obama swept everywhere there was an election this past weekend, so that's good news.
Go Obama!
Meanwhile Gina and I are getting ready for Farpoint. We're really looking forward to seeing all our convention friends and having a weekend away from home. The only problem right now is money. It's not a big problem, there is, in fact, plenty of money; but as always seems to be the case with me, the timing is bad. There is plenty of money; right after Farpoint. Fear not however I will endeavor to persevere, as always.
In other good news it looks like, maybe, possibly, perhaps the WGA strike is about to end. That means there will be a chance for much more money as Gina gets back to working more frequently. Now that she's a member of SAG, the time she will be investing will be much more lucrative for us. All I need is one last waiver (and the initial fee) and I too can become a member of SAG. I'm not in any hurry though as I very much like my current IT Manager gig.
Before I really get into this let me first encourage everyone to vote. Whether you agree with me or not, please take to time to research the candidates and their positions, register and make your voice heard.
As we listen to the sound bytes, political pundits and talking heads covering the election I am struck by the narrowness of their views. Everything is presented with a bias, a lot of flash and as little actual substance as can possibly be imagined. For the latest example all you need to look at was the coverage of the last Democratic debate between Clinton and Obama. I recorded this debate and watched it carefully both live with some of my friends and again later on my own. I was able to establish for myself where each of the candidates stood a few key issues, what their key differences are and finally to see what the chemistry between these two candidates really was. However none of what I saw seems to have been reported. What got reported, rather, than the candidates and their performance, plans or views was the fact that there were a few cut away shots of celebrities in the audience. ‘Because, you know, those Democrats, *heh*, they just love those celebrities.’
It is clear that these tactics have been effective for many years as power brokers have controlled the media and thus the masses, but in this age of information such attempts at control look like exactly what they are. I am astonished that the people who run the networks have not caught on to this. There does not seem to be a movement anywhere in the major media outlets to clean up their act and implement some sort of standards of objective reporting and professional integrity. This is too bad because such a move would almost certainly make the first network to do it hugely popular, in my opinion.
Which brings back to our political conversation; America is a very large, very diverse place. What some people think in any given region is often opposed by some people in another region. What makes us all Americans is the underlying agreement that fundamentally; that’s okay. One of the things we cherish as Americans is the right to disagree. We thrive on our public debate and we reserve the right to change our minds and or modify our positions. What we have seen over the past seven years however is the erosion of these principles. After years of being lied to, over charged, led into conflicts against our own self interest, and told that any hint of dissent is in fact giving aid and comfort to the enemy we are more divided than ever. These divisions, or fractures at this point, run along just about every political and cultural front that can be imagined. They are the result of seven year of unchallenged conservative control and they are exactly what the conservatives want. As long as they can keep people divided and afraid they can ram through all kinds of un-American policies in the name of national defense and their war on terror, or drugs, or whatever the concept du jour is that fits the needs of the moment. The thing is that, as I say, in this age of accelerating information, the people are starting to catch on. The coming disasters that our country is headed into lay bare the underling jingoism, racism, sexism, cruelty and intolerance that have made them possible. In short the neo-conservatism that has led us here may have finally run its course. Now we need to regroup, take care of our own and look to our future. It is a future that is coming much faster than most people realize. The problems of the past, and even those of the present, pale in comparison to what is coming. Which candidate do we choose? Who has the best experience, the most integrity, the most personal character and the best vision for the future?
In my opinion, that person is Senator Barack Obama and that’s who I intend to vote for on Super Tuesday. I believe that Mr. Obama has the best chance of unifying this country, of undoing the damage the past seven years and of seeing us through the troubled times we now face.
Regardless of whom the Democratic nominee ends up being, I believe that what they should do is reach back to the other two front runners and try to include them as much as possible. Instead of a vague misguided war or terror let us clearly identify and eliminate those enemies that would attack us. Let us, instead of wasting resources on a selectively enforced war on drugs, follow the lead of Mr. John Edwards and declare war on American Poverty. Let us reform our tax, education and health care to make it the best in the world and then let us use that example to convince our global political adversaries of the wisdom of democracy and liberty. Let those of us who believe in looking to the future, rather than the past, join forces and unite our country in courage, rather than in fear.
Thanks for reading.
Obama / Clinton 08
Obama / Edwards 08
Clinton / Obama 08
well . . . you get the idea.
