Chamblee54

The news from the Hudson River was good. The plane hit some geese, and the engine quit running. The River was available, and the plane landed. No one was killed, although many nerves were short circuited.
PG saw something similar a few years ago, though much smaller. He was riding his bike on the access road to I85, just before Chamblee Tucker Road. A small airplane was stuck in the fence on the wall between the access road and the ramp leading up.
It seems as though the plane had some issues, and had to make a fast landing. It was a student pilot,possibly a female. The pilot made a text book landing, and no one was hurt.
PG has lived most of his life near Peachtree Dekalb Airport. There is a crash or two just about every year. In 1989, a plane landed in the woods behind PG’s addict attic apartment. Everyone in the neighborhood heard it. The pilot did not survive.
Another time, a plane landed on its nose behind a car dealership. The pilot and his girlfriend died, the adopted asian baby lived.

PG was reading “Outlaw Journalist”. The subtitle was “The life and times of Hunter S. Thompson”. The book  belonged to the Dekalb County Public Library. The receipt from the previous reader was still in the plastic slipcover. In addition to “Outlaw Journalist”, library user **********3518 had borrowed “Sarah Palin: A New Kind of Leader”.
PG is using a receipt from the Cost Plus World Market as a bookmark. There is a CPWM facility on Piedmont Road in Buckhead, on the site formerly occupied by Limelight. The receipt is from store #126 Perimeter, which is not next door to disco Kroger.
If the story is to be believed, HST was where history was being made several times. A fubar Forrest Gump, which is not half an oxymoron. He was a guest on “Who do you trust”, a daytime game show hosted by Johnny Carson. He was a caretaker on an estate at Big Sur, which was being transformed into the Esalen Institute. He lived in San Francisco in the early sixties, and introduced Ken Kesey to the Hells Angels. The first time he took LSD was at a party Mr. Kesey invited the bikers to. And so it goes. Kurt Vonnegut is not in the index.
There is a story on page 229 that inspired PG to write this post. HST had gone to Zaire to cover a boxing match. The match had been postponed, and HST and other celebrities spent six drunken weeks waiting for the main event. Finally, the fight was finally going to happen. HST decided not to attend. He took a pound and a half bag of marijuana and dumped it in the hotel swimming pool. He then dived in, and floated in the slick green residue.
The next day George Plimpton asked HST if the experience had a kick to it. “It’s not the best way to obtain a high, but a very luxurious feeling nonetheless”
Spell Check suggestions for this feature:
fubar- subaru, Mubarak, rhubarb, unbar
Gump- ump, rump, lump, dump,grump, gimp,
Esalen- salesmen, wholesale
Plimpton- Simpleton, Compton, Hampton, Lipton

Atlanta is composed mostly of one-way streets. The only way to get out of downtown Atlanta is to turn around and start over when you reach Greenville, South Carolina … All directions start with, ‘Go down Peachtree’ and include the phrase, ‘When you see the Waffle House’….’Except in Mayretta , where all directions begin with, “Go to the Big Chicken”…’ Peachtree Street has no beginning and no end and is not to be confused with: Peachtree Circle, Peachtree Place, Peachtree Lane, Peachtree Road, Peachtree Terrace, Peachtree Avenue,Peachtree Battle Road, Peachtree Corners, New Peachtree, Old Peachtree, West Peachtree,or Peachtree Industrial Boulevard… Atlantans only know their way to work and their way home. If you ask anyone for directions,they will always send you down Peachtree… Atlanta is the home of Coca-Cola. Coke’s all they drink there so don’t ask for any other soft drink unless it’s made by Coca-Cola.. Even if you want something other than a Coca-Cola, it’s still called Coke…The 8 am rush hour is from 6:30 to 10:30 AM… The 5 pm rush hour is from 3:00 to 7:30 PM… Friday’s rush hour starts Thursday afternoon and lasts through 2 am Saturday… Only a native of Atlanta can pronounce Ponce De Leon Avenue, so do not attempt the Spanish pronunciation. People will simply tilt their heads to the right and stare at you. The Atlanta pronunciation is ‘pawntz duh LEE-awn.’… And yes, there is a street named simply, ‘Boulevard.’It becomes Monroe Drive when you cross Ponce de Leon The falling of one raindrop causes all drivers to immediately forget all traffic rules… If a single snowflake falls, the city is paralyzed for three days and it’s on all the channels as a news flash every 15 minutes for a week. Overnight, all grocery stores will be sold out of milk, bread, bottled water, toilet paper, and beer… I-285, the loop that encircles Atlanta, has a posted speed limit of 55 mph (but you have to maintain 80 mph just to keep from getting run over)…It is known as The Perimeter, and the Watermelon 500… In Atlanta you are either ITP ( Inside the Perimeter) or OTP ( Outside the Perimeter). ITP and OTP people are wary of each other… Don’t believe the directional markers on highways: I-285 is marked East and West but you may be going North or South. The locals identify the direction by referring to the ‘Inner Loop’and the ‘Outer Loop. Some call the whole dern thing “The Fruit Loop”… Never buy a ladder or mattress in Atlanta . Just go to one of the interstates and you will soon find one in the middle of the road…The last thing you want to do is give another driver the finger, unless your car is armored, your trigger finger is itchy and your AK-47 has a full clip… Possums sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air… There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 live in Georgia … There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Georgia, plus a couple no one has seen before… If it grows, it sticks… If it crawls, it bites… If you notice a vine trying to wrap itself aroundyour leg, you have about 20 seconds to escape, before you are completely captured and covered with Kudzu…It’s not a shopping cart, it’s a buggy… ‘Fixinto’ is one word (I’m fixinto go to the store)… Sweet Tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you’re 2 years old…’Jeet?’ is actually a phrase meaning ‘Did you eat?’…’Momma-nem’ means: How’s Mother and all of the other children and other members of the family doing.

Two of the bloggers that PG follows…Andrew Sullivan and Jasmine Cannick…were recently on NPR. The theme of the discussion was  the role gay marriage should play in the overall gay (civil) rights movement. Joining them was a writer, Michael Sean Winters, and the head of The National Black Justice coalition, Andrew Robinson. The moderator/referee was Michel Martin.
The audio of the conversation is available  at Ms. Cannick’s blog. It is an autoplay, so you don’t have to click on the play triangle. Also, PG has a disclaimer. There will be quotes in the text below which might not be totally verbatim. The essence of the message will be there, but the word for word transcription may be a bit off. The audio is available for anyone with any doubts.
The introductions and formalities took up the first two minutes of the 21:48 audio. The first panelist to speak is Mr. Winters. He said that the fight for gay marriage would make the fight for other forms of equality more difficult.
Ms. Cannick was the next to speak. She said “I don’t have a problem with people wanting to move forward on the issue of gay marriage, I think its about balance”.
Mr. Sullivan replied that the number one goal of the HRC has been hate crimes legislation. The moderator said that the head of the HRC, Joe Solomanese, declined an invitation to appear on the panel.
Mr. Robinson said that it was not an either or thing, that hate crimes and hiv could be worked on at the same time at marriage. He also said that the focus on marriage comes less from the organizational leadership, than it does from the grass roots individuals.
There was a break, and another round of introductions. The second part of the discussion was much less polite. At 12:27, Jasmine Cannick raises her voice. She says that it may things may be equal “for people like Andrew” , but that it would not be equal for her. She screams about “driving while black” and “last hired first fired”. The issues of race and class are introduced to the discussion.
At 13:13, Andrew Sullivan says “so its about race”. Ms. Cannick continues to rant.
At 13:50, the hostess said it would be appropriate to let Mr. Sullivan respond. Or, as Ms. Cannick might say, STFU.
Mr. Robinson and Mr. Sullivan make comments. Then, Mr. Sullivan says that the struggle for Gay Marriage was going to be a long and tough one. He mentioned the hundred years between the end of slavery, and the end of anti misegenation laws. Ms. Cannick says something, but is hushed.
At 18:47, Jasmine Cannick starts screaming. She talks about the people who comment on the Black Civil Rights movement without an adequate understanding of this movement. She bemoans that “we have these issues of race and these issues of class in the lgbt community”. The irony is, in this particular discussion, Jasmine Cannick is the one who raised these issues.
And so it goes. It was 22 minutes of entertaining programming for NPR fans. Andrew Robinson made some very good points. And Jasmine Cannick…bless her heart
Spell check suggestions for this feature:
Solomanese- Romanesque, solemnness, womanliness, manganese, saleswoman

Ann Coulter has a new book out.

In Gaza, Israel continues to extract an eye for an eyelash.
PG is not a purist. If this sort of overwhelming reaction is needed for Israel to survive, then so be it. The question does arise, is this war in the best interest of Israel?
There is a feature about civilian casualties by Michael Totten. He is a supporter of Israel. He says about the current fuss ” Innocents as well as combatants die in every war. If you have nothing to object to besides that, then you should oppose the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan for the same reason.”
Not everyone thinks the war in Afghanistan is a great idea. It was launched as revenge for 911. Seven years later, there is no easy way out. The people of Afghanistan have been invaded many times, and do not greet invading armies as liberators. They whipped the Soviet Union. This defeat was a factor in the collapse of that “evil empire”.
There is another thing being said about Gaza that applies to Afghanistan. James Fallows writes about “a situation in which short-term tactical victories may lead to long-term strategic defeat”.
Yes, the I.D.F. is winning, militarily. They are also losing the strategic war ( Despite the best efforts of Joe the Plumber). In Afghanistan, the Taliban was quickly driven from power, but much of the countryside remains in hostile hands. Al Queda was not destroyed. And Afghanistan is next to Pakistan. If the war in Afghanistan spills over into Pakistan, and destabilizes this poor Muslim country, the result could make Gaza look like a Sunday School Picnic.
HT to Andrew Sullivan for the features by Totten and Fallows.

One of the bloggers in the frequent folder here is Avitable. At the top of his homepage, he is riding in a convertible eating an ice cream cone. The other passenger is Adolph Hitler. The slogan below that is “tact is for pussies”.
He was recently sent five questions by Hilly. He invited his readers to give their answers in his comments. This is a “green” blog that recycles. These five questions will make the nucleus of a dandy post here.
1.) What is the one thing that a blogger can do to really annoy you? The one thing would be music players with auto start. Jasmine Cannick has an auto start player. It would have been rude to turn it off, so I had to hear a performance by Shirley Q. Liquor.
2.) Even though I HATE this phrase, do you consider yourself an “A List Blogger” or do you see it a different way? I am lucky to get into double digits most days. Technorati has me in the top 800,000. In honor of our new president, I am going to claim to be an ” O List Blogger”.
3.) If you did not work for yourself, what kind of job would you like to have? Something that does not cause brain damage, and where the checks don’t bounce.
4.) If I dared you to talk dirty to me, could you do it? Why or why not? It depends on who “I” is. If it was Avitable, I seriously doubt it. Mostly, I feel silly talking dirty.
5.) How many folders do you have in Google Reader and what are their labels? There is a file on my machine which does not allow me to use google products. This is the reason I went from Blogger to wordpress. As for the whole rss thing…I just do it manually. I have a frequent folder with shortcuts to the blogs. Drag the thingie into the firefox, and I don’t miss anything important.

There are a few things to like about Sarah Palin. She is not famous because of her husband or father.Todd is the decorative spouse, or “first dude”. She is pretty, especially for a grandmother in her forties. In the video going around this week, she sits with a stocking covered knee displayed. In much of the world, and in much of our own history, that would be a scandal.
It is known that candidates for public office are puppets. There are interests pulling the strings. If we are going to have an actor reading lines off a teleprompter, then it may as well be a pretty face.
OK, so much for nice things. This is a blog, it is not supposed to be fair. Fair is a baseball hit between first and third base. And this video is full of nonsense.
Will conservatives EVER quit whining about liberal media? The corporate media here is a profit attempting endeavor. They tell people what is convenient to say. With the internet, more people have access to the unwashed public. With the recent reprieve from the water shortage, maybe a few will take a shower.
Yes, there are people who still suspect that Trig is not really Sarah’s baby. Cajunboy has been on the story, and presents a summary of what is known ( Check the comments). At the very least, there were some strange things going on. The story of flying from Dallas to Alaska after starting labor… well, it just doesn’t hold water.
As for the family of Ms. Palin, there are some unique circumstances. You see, SEX was a big issue in the campaign. Gay marriage, abortion, sex education got a lot of attention, even more than 150k troops in a war eight time zones away. Ms. Palin was an advocate of abstinence only sex education. Her unwed daughter gets pregnant. Life is bad fiction. In a perfect world, yes, the family would be off limits. In this perfect world, girls would not get pregnant before their wedding night.
When BHO did a fist bump with his wife, there was lots of criticism. Mrs. O caught a lot of flack for saying that she was proud of America for the first time in her life. If Caroline Kennedy ever runs an election campaign, you can rest assured that the New York press will cover her every move. It is already happening, and she hasn’t even been appointed yet. Maybe she can buy the senate seat in Illinois. Oh, and this is for the Senate, not Vice President behind a 73 year old President.
In the interview, Ms. Palin was asked how she would have been treated if BHO had chosen her as his running mate. This is about as likely as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad asking her to be assistant Ayatollah.
Sarah Palin ( her name is spelled correctly) is going to be with us for a while. She is the photogenic heroine of the conservative movement. Between the makeup and a thick skin, she can take criticism. This video is just more preaching to the choir. 2012/2016 is a few years away, and the conservatives are not going to tire of her. Many of the rest of Americans already are.

There is a blog called “People who deserve it“. The basic concept is to describe examples of annoying people. The answer for everything is to hit the person in the mouth.
Did you notice the word people instead of man? PWDI does not discriminate. An example is #58 “Everything’s an emergency girl” “remind her you can’t cry wolf with a mouth full of fists”
A search of “about” or “terms of use” does not show that these people are kidding. It also does not show a face or name of who is responsible. The “about” page even says “On this space log, you will find examples of socially responsible reasons to punch someone in the face. And remember, we do it for the kids”
While it is understood that you should not take the internet literally, some people just do not get it. Add alcohol, anger, religion, and general human nuttiness into the mix, and a suggestion to hit a person because he/she is wearing sunglasses inside may be taken seriously. If the person is armed there might be fatal complications.
We have a violent society. Force is seen as the answer to a lot of problems. From the Gaza strip to the Standard restaurant, there is way too much might makes right. The verbal abuse of the Jesus Worship church fuels the fire. And then PWDI appears, and makes jokes about hitting women.
The internet has done very well without censorship so far. The appearance of irresponsible nonsense like PWDI should not be the final straw. The obvious answer is that PWDI should do an entry about themselves… that people who say to hit women need to taste a knuckle sandwich. But two wrongs do not make a right. HT to Andrew Sullivan.

PG was going to write about war and murder. Then he got an email. Man’s cruelty to his fellow man is not going to go away.
PG does not vouch for the accuracy of the following statements.

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee…If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb… The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet…A pig’s orgasm lasts 30 minutes…A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death… Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories a hour…The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male’s head off… The flea can jump 350 times its body length. It’s like a human jumping the length of a football field…The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds…Some lions mate over 50 times a day… Butterflies taste with their feet…The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue…Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people…Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump… A cat’s urine glows under a black light… An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain…Starfish have no brains…Polar bears are left-handed…Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

JoemyG-d has been running videos of number one hits lately. Today, the numero uno is from 1967. It is by the Monkees, called “I’m a Believer”.
PG always liked the Monkees. They were the twelve year old’s band when he was twelve years old.
There was an article in the Saturday Evening Post about the “Pre Fab Four”, and a classmate of PG said that he was disillusioned. Certainly no one was confused about the made for tv nature of the band. The rumors…which turned out to be true…said that the Monkees did not play the instruments on their debut album. Still, a seventh grader is easily amused, and the show was fun to watch.
“I’m a Believer” was written by Neil Diamond, aka the Jewish Elvis. Mr. Diamond played guitar on the Monkees version of IAB.
IAB is part of the rock tradition of misunderstood lyrics. PG thought that Mickey said he “needed sunshine on my brain”. PG did not learn the truth for many years. One afternoon, he heard a band on the radio do IAB, and the lyrics were understood. What the song really said was, “when I needed sunshine I got rain. “