Now that the preliminaries are over (and it went on much too long, longer than the line I 
waited in to vote against Hillary in the Democratic primary), we can now get down to the main event: experience and age vs. youth and passion; Republican vs. Democrat; McCain vs. Obama.
Normally I leave the political commentary to other bloggers, such as my friends Paul Levinson and Scalzi at Whatever (I realize that they blog about topics other than politics, and frankly that makes them more sane than the talking heads that only blog politico). But I hit the sweet spot of the profile of swing voters (voted Republican in the last several elections, but generally dissatisfied with the current administration so I could be convinced to vote Dem; and yeah, I’m a Texan, and yeah, we get to vote in whichever primary we choose) .
So if McCain or Obama wants me and my vote, they can answer my major concerns, which probably reflect many of the swing voter concerns. My hot buttons are the Patriot Act, Trust/Experience, Energy, Healthcare and Running Mate (which is more important in this election than in most). Where I quote what the candidates have done, I’ve tried to only use fact vs. “something heard or read on the Internet”. (more…)
Kurson’s Shadow Divers (loaned to me by my friend Charles, thanks Charles!) is a well written and thoroughly researched non-
fiction story of two divers pushing themselves physically and mentally to discover the truth behind the World War II U-boat they find off the coast of New Jersey. The tale combines the intricacies and technology of attempting scuba at depths of 230 feet in 1991 (when diving at that depth was relatively unheard of) with historical research on what really happened to certain WWII German U-boats. The author also paints an excellent picture of many of the characters, both from the time period of the dive and from the crew members of the U-boat.
Bill Nagle, a legendary wreck diver, gets a set of “numbers” from a fisherman, numbers referring to the coordinates of a secret fishing spot which must have a wreck at the bottom responsible for the gathering of fish. Nagle recruits divers to come with him on his charter boat to explore the possibilities…it could be nothing but a barge or a pile of junk. One of those recruited is John Chatterton, Vietnam vet, commercial diver and wreck diver extraordinaire.
On the first dive, Chatterton identifies the wreck as a submarine. (more…)
With the Democratic candidates appearing on Wrestling last night, in advance of the interminably long wait for today’s primary, this picture (from David Dees, thanks Bob) echoes how ridiculous a lot of this campaign has become. Sure, presidential candidates need a sense of humor, but wrestling? How un-elitist! I’m ready for the primaries to be over, because I’m sure McCain and whomever will appear in an Mixed Martial Arts match.
In Texas your party affiliation resets every year. So even though I’ve voted republican in the last six presidential elections (except for a minor dalliance with an independent for which I have forgiven myself) , today I invaded the democratic primary polling place.
McCain didn’t need my vote. Ron Paul could have used it but while Mr. Paul has some great ideas, his debate appearances have not convinced me that he has enough leadership and charisma for the big office.
My wife went to the republican polling place. She said there were 8 people in line.
I tried to get here (I typing this from the voting line) early but couldn’t shake free and now I am enjoying the voting process with lots of Dems. Lots. (more…)
Take a little of Graham Hancock’s theories on Earth’s ancient
civilizations, mix in some Clive Cussler-type adventure and action, put on your scuba gear and grab your archaeological text books. Let me see…that’s one part action, one part speculative fiction, one part underwater adventure, one part…aw, heck, don’t classify it. Just read Triangle, the third and concluding novel in R. J. Archer’s Seeds of Civilization series (Tractrix and Tsubute were books one and two).
The book industry as a whole does not enjoy hard to classify novels, but (as you can tell by my own novel) I am quite partial to “genre busters”. If needed, the best categorization of Mr. Archer’s works is “speculative fiction”. (more…)
I have a very unique name. I thought I was the only one in the world. But I found out I 
assumed incorrectly in a very interesting way.
About two years ago, I started getting the newsletters from the USS William M Wood Association. The Association is very active, just had a great reunion in Branson…I wasn’t there.
The Wood was named after William Maxwell Wood, MD, the 1st Surgeon General of the US Navy, a hero of the War with Mexico, credited with “Saving California” for the US; also serving during the Seminole War, the second Opium War, and the Civil War. (more…)
This book chronicles Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of the WWII history An Army At Dawn, during his stint as an embedded journalist with the 101st Airborne in 2003 next to Major General David Petraeus, now Commander of all forces in Iraq.
Unlike Atkinson’s outstanding recent WWII books, In the Company of Soldiers does not seek to chronicle all of the activities of a particular conflict (in this case, the 2nd Iraq war in 2003) but this time follows the 101st airborne, particular Petraeus and his command staff as they make their way from Kentucky to Kuwait to Baghdad. It is less a historical story and more of an insight into the goings-on of an army battling not only Iraqi forces but the elements, politics and logistics. And it is an interesting look at what war correspondents will do to record history.
It is particularly timely, as Patreaus is now in command of all Multi-National Forces in Iraq and was recently a runner-up as Time’s Person of the Year. (more…)
With the end of the Mayan calendar looming in a scant five years (December 21, 2002 give or take), there is a seeming
increase of talk, movies, articles and general water cooler chatter about the end of the world these days. Most of it I find quite entertaining, some of it ridiculous, and other parts simply in need of a good thrashing. And the public at large believes more of what they see in a Will Smith I Am Legend movie than what they should be able to think through with their own brains (I will admit that whatever Mr. Smith says is alright by me, but, let’s face it, he’s no George Clooney).
A lot of people are thinking about the end of the world (we know that every human wants to think that something BIG is going to happen during their lifetime, that NOW is the most important time to be alive…it’s part of our genetic makeup, I suppose). Some are even thinking about avoiding it. But the vast majority are so busy that unless we send them a message on their Blackberry’s or iPhones, I’m quite certain they might miss it.
In spite of being politely asked to leave the Boy Scouts (or the WeBlows) at an early age, I do believe in being prepared. We’ve got five years to plan and prepare so might as well get a head start, right?
So, in doing my part, I present this compendium; (more…)
Ty over at Logical Misanthropy (great name!) gives a “mini-review” of Dusk Before the Dawn:
A fascinating mixture of mysticism, nanotechnology and martial arts. The book reminded me a bit of King’s “The Stand,” but not because of any story similiarities (there aren’t many), but because of the way the writer deals with a multitude of characters embroiled in a world facing near-extinction. This book is an easy read, fairly short, but does a compelling job of giving you enough information about the characters and plot and settings, etc. It was a breath of fresh air to read a tight story, not something spread out over 500 or more pages.
Me and the King? Coolio!
My get the book page is here.
A research paper and personal journal covering the possibility of a world consciousness and psyche evolution on-going, and building up to the near future.
Daniel Pinchbeck covers a lot of ground in this sometimes rambling, often revealing and occasionally genius work. “Personal consciousness evolution” is the phrase I’d use to describe both the glimpses into Pinchbeck’s own journey and his research of tying or attempting to tie many seemingly disparate cause/effects into a worldwide readiness and/or need for evolution of our joint psyche.
“In shamanic cultures, synchronicities are considered to be teachings as well as signs indicating where one should focus one’s attention.
(more…)
waited in to vote against Hillary in the Democratic primary), we can now get down to the main event: experience and age vs. youth and passion; Republican vs. Democrat; McCain vs. Obama.
