Just Moments In Time

The NEW Blog location

2007-08-16T10:53:00.000-07:00

Please see my new updated blog with the link below.

Thanks

Patrick's Blog

HILLARY... Can't let you forget people

2007-04-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

As you all know I have attempted to contrast who the real Hillary Clinton is and what she is capable of. It still amazes me the degree the left will go to over look what she and her husband has done. I have touched on this subject before and I am going to do it again. WAKE UP AMERICA THIS IS WHO SHE REALLY IS AND WHO SHE HAS ENABLED FOR DECADES.

Bill Clinton got away with rape, ‘because he could’
Woman should not support Hillary. Her husband is a known sex offender with a long history of abusing woman, and has gotten away with rape.
After Juanita Broaddrick made the accusation in 1999, [Clinton]'s attorney, David Kendall, alone answered, saying any such charges were "absolutely false."

Of course, attorney Robert Bennett believed... Clinton when he said he hadn't had sex with Monica Lewinsky and defended the president then on no toss sturdy grounds.

Thus while lawyers can spare Mr. Clinton awkward moments at the podium in which he has to say, "I did not have sex with that woman, Miss Lewinsky" or "I did not fondle that woman, Kathleen Willey" or "I did not rape that woman, Mrs. Broaddrick," their comments are, in effect, non-denial denials.

Hillary Clinton threatened Juanita Broaddrick two weeks after Bill Clinton raped her. The rape took place while Bill was running for governor. Hillary came bursting into the room. She said "You won't believe what this [expletive] did now. He tried to rape some b*tch." It was the job of these two to squelch the story.

CLICK TO WATCH VIDEO OF JUANITA IN HER OWN WORDS:

Bill Clinton has gotten away with rape because of his power to intimidate anyone who tried to testify against them. Here are quotes from Dick Morris and Mary Matalin, on the Clinton indimidations:

"Crucial to this protective wall was the secret police, a group of private detectives hired to protect Hillary and 'Saturday night Bill.' Their tactics included digging up dirt on women who might be linked to Bill in order to cow them into silence. There is even some evidence of possible physical intimidation." Dick Morris
"I got the letters from Pellicano to these women intimidating them. I had tapes of conversations from Pellicano to the women. I got handwritten letters from the women."

[Pellicano played a critical role in Mr. Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign by "suppressing" "inconvenient" accounts from several women, by concocting fraudulent "proof" (later discredited) that Gennifer Flowers doctored the damning tape of Clinton, and again inside the Clinton operation in January 1998, four days after the Monica -Lewinsky story broke, to falsely paint Monica as simply a lying stalker, a claim later discredited by clinton's own DNA.] – Mary Matlin

Connecticut Rep. Chris Shays said on a talk radio show that, based on secret evidence he reviewed during the impeachment controversy, he believes President Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick, not once, but twice. (Audio is a little hard to hear

Bill Clinton has lied under oath about his involvement with Monica Lewinsky, and also his affair with Gennifer Flowers. As former Clinton supporter David Geffen recently said, “everybody in politics lies, but they [the Clintons] do it with such ease, it's troubling."

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MC Rove...OH MY GOD

2007-03-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

I saw this clip on TV a few nights ago, and had almost convinced myself it was a dream until Marisol brought it back to reality, and I realized there was no getting away from it. It DID happen. I am not sure what the social event was (I can't be bothered trying to find out) but whatever it was, it was a major "faux pas". I mean come on here, there is no way this guy could EVER pull something like this off. It was SOOOO hard to watch and just made a very smart man’s legacy as joke. MC Rove…I really would love to know who thought this one up. On the flip side has Hip Hop/rap been around for so long that it is now main stream (I mean REALLY main stream)?? If the GOP is using it at parties, well kids it’s time to come up with something new.

Watch below, but I must caution, you can never un-see this. It will be burned in your mind forever.

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The Enemy Within.

2007-03-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

When I heard about and eventually and saw this I was absolutly shocked. Burning American flags and effigys of American soliders!!! WTF !!This is not Iran folks or Syria, but it could be. This happened in Portland Oregon. Although this does not represent all of the left wing views it certainly is a significant part of it and is growing in strength. We obviously need to pay more attention to the enemy within our own country. They are such pathetic individuals they have to hide their faces.

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Hillary in Trouble??

2007-03-26T12:26:00.000-07:00

Buried within a recent presidential-preference poll that asked voters who they would never vote for, an unexpectedly large number gave an emphatic thumbs-down to Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton.

It just warms my heart to read this stuff :)

A national poll of likely voters by independent pollster John Zogby found that nearly half (46 percent) said they couldn't vote for the former first lady under any circumstances. That is certainly a huge portion of the American electorate, which will no doubt feed growing doubts in her party about the New York senator's electability. But another number was even more disturbing to senior advisers in her campaign.

Zogby found that among likely Democratic voters, 18 percent said they "would never cast a vote in Clinton's favor."

That such a large percentage of overall voters would flatly express an aversion to electing her president was troubling enough to top Democratic officials. But that she appeared to be losing support within the base of her own party set off alarm bells among her high command

The 46 percent of overall voters "includes a significant number of Republicans, conservative-leaning independents, liberal anti-war people who don't trust her, plus those who don't like her for a number of reasons, including those who consider her polarizing or feel she can't win," Zogby told me last week.

"If there's 46 percent who say never, then there are the rest of the voters who can be drawn from. But when I see 33 percent who say they could never vote for Barack Obama or John Edwards, and even Al Gore has less than that, then there is a problem with her and her campaign," he said.

The 18 percent figure surprised Zogby. "That is nearly one in five Democrats. The parties are at parity, which means she's going to need 85 percent support among Democrats," he said. Losing 18 percent of the Democrats means she would fall short of the minimum support needed to clinch the presidency.

One Democratic pollster, Ed Sarpolus of Michigan's EPIC-MRA poll, said, "She's in a trouble zone."

"Typically, when a candidate loses more than 12 percent of the base, they tend to lose," he continued. "If it was 12 percent, I wouldn't be overly concerned. If it gets around 15 percent, there are enough Democrats who would hold their noses, cover their eyes and vote for Hillary on Election Day."

But beyond that number, should it continue to hold up, "it is very difficult to win," he said.

However, Zogby's poll also showed that 19 percent of the Democrats said they could never vote for Obama, her closest rival for the nomination, or for Edwards, both of whom are in the top tier.

But Clinton's problems appear to run deeper when you look at a voter and gender breakdown of the 46 percent who would never vote for her. Among men, for example, 51 percent said they would never vote for her, nor, surprisingly, would 42 percent of women," Zogby's March 7-9 poll reported

Rudy for President?

2007-03-20T12:55:00.000-07:00

As the pundits discuss the candidates from both parties, the big issue in Republican circles is that the candidates are not conservative enough. The problem with primaries is it invariably pushes candidates more to the extremes of their party than they would normally go. This in turn has the effect of marginalizing them come the general election. It is no stretch of the imagination that Bush is perceived to generally be too far right for the country at this time. This is mainly due to the war, but his spending would cause many liberals to blush. But my point here is the country is not ready to accept a candidate that is too far right. They certainly don't want some one too far left either but with things the way they are its more likely they could go further left than right. Of course should the war turn around all that would likely change. What conservatives need to realize here is that you can't have it you way all the time. I believe it is prudent at this time to back up a little. There are some signs of this in the grass roots, but they are uneasy about it and it bears watching. Pick you battles I say. It is important on many issues that conservatives retain the white house, most of which is the Supreme Court. Bush has been lucky to nominate what appear to be two solid conservatives (not the disaster of Souter that his father ended up with). There is a one judge majority in the conservative block, and the nomination of one more should solidify that slat for the next 20 years. Presidents come and go, but the Supreme Court endures and that can have longer lasting effects. Giuliani is a moderate conservative, should he be elected he will always be right of center and his handlers will never let him stray far from that. He can be elected even in these trying times. Hopefully the grass roots can see that strategically this is the right thing to do and bite there lips. I am not endorsing him (yet) but the right needs to really take the temperature of the country and realize that it’s easier to take a lukewarm bath that a cold one. The alternative is Hilliary. God save us

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Hillary 1984

2007-03-19T10:57:00.001-07:00

Hmmm youtube, the new face of politics?? Very clever video and i do think it will open the flood gates. It is a brave new world.

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To-the-Left Guest Blogger Alert!!!

2007-03-16T12:27:00.000-07:00

In reply to your comments on the previous blog, I felt compelled to guest-blog some food-for-thought. I am neither 'White, Rich, or Elitist' - and I still thoroughly enjoy and appreciate the programming on NPR. To clarify, I am only speaking about National Public RADIO - not PBS television as I don't have TV.

Firstly, allow me to point out that they do not, as you insinuate, just cover 'opera and foreign films'. There are a variety of programs - again - not 24/7 bashing of right-wing conservatives - on the air: such as "Fresh Air" (a SPLENDID program), "Day to Day", "Talk of the Nation" and "World Cafe" (which covers music from all over the world.) Why just last week I sat in my car and CRIED hearing an interview with African-American bass singer who is releasing a CD of old slavery Spirituals. I am not black, I don't have slavery in my family history - but I can appreciate the pain and beauty and HOPE that resonated in his gorgeous, rich singing voice and eloquent answers to interviewer, Terry Gross. And just today they did a fine segment on Irish music and country music - neither of which I am too familiar with, but found enlightening. So, no: it's not just about a bunch of white-haired old people shoving opera down our throats.

I've also been engrossed by interviews with novelists, fine film makers and actors. I am not talking about Lindsay Lohan and the "American Pie" director-types. But award-winning and thought-provoking artists. It is fascinating and a wonderful learning tool to hear the thought-process of these artists talk about their crafts.

Or what about the perhaps life-changing findings heard on the "Health and Science" program. This week I sent a link to my sister who has an Autistic child about the ground-breaking findings of geneticist, Jonathon Sabat, that suggest that what triggers autism occurs long before birth.

I think one of the things I like best about NPR is the calm and eloquent presentation of their views in all their programming. I've watched Fox News and everyone is so irate and angry and pious all the time - even talking over the opposing-view guests to the point where everyone looks like fools and I've even seen you laugh, enjoying it! Passion is a good thing but when it turns to self-righteous anger and deliberate humiliation of the opposing view it really turns me off...

One last thing before the lions den opens up on me for publishing this: I am not even a complete liberal. In fact, I am registered as an Independent. I think that extremists on either side is unhealthy. But my point is that NPR is not simply a group of old, white, hippies. There is a lot to be learned about, just as I have the open-mind to sit through some FOX programs.

And if you are concerned about your tax dollars going to it, then might I suggest getting your bucks' worth and trying to listen to some of the programming - if not the News segments. I know for a fact, that you would find interesting the segments aired this week on your native Ireland (in lieu of St. Patty's Day). Give it a try before you denounce it.

So...Is that 'relevant' enough to be published?? :)

What we all knew already..Media Bias

2007-03-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

To most conservatives the idea of a media bias to the left is a no brainier. It is well known the many journalists are at best left of center and for the most part quite left. The New York Times is a classic example of being one step away from a certified liberal, secular progressive, propaganda machine. It is sad that we are at the point where journalism has lost most of its objectivity. This recent Zogby poll shows that most Americans believe just that, with two thirds believing the media swings left. and an astonishing 1 in 5 democrats believing this also. Fox news, I would agree leans right, they are they only Channel that does, and even then liberals are irate at its existence. What is the ratio of right to left 1:6? The liberal agenda is even bolstered with tax payer dollars heavily supplementing NPR. When the liberal crowd talks free speech I have to laugh. Am I the only one who sees the hypocrisy here??

Released: March 14, 2007
Zogby Poll: Voters Believe Media Bias is Very Real

Institute for Politics, Democracy, and the Internet/Zogby Poll shows American voters are skeptical political motivation may be behind blogs run by mainstream news organizations

The vast majority of American voters believe media bias is alive and well – 83% of likely voters said the media is biased in one direction or another, while just 11% believe the media doesn’t take political sides, a recent IPDI/Zogby Interactive poll shows.

The Institute for Politics, Democracy, and the Internet is based at George Washington University in Washington D.C.

Nearly two-thirds of those online respondents who detected bias in the media (64%) said the media leans left, while slightly more than a quarter of respondents (28%) said they see a conservative bias on their TV sets and in their column inches. The survey, which focuses on perceptions of the “old” and “new” media, will be released today at the PoliticsOnline Conference 2007 at GWU. It is also featured in the March issue of Zogby’s Real America newsletter, now available on www.zogby.com.

Fritz Wenzel, Zogby’s Director of Communications, will also discuss with conference–goers the results of the first interactive survey to include video clips from presidential candidates. The video poll is the latest step in Zogby’s cutting–edge leadership in online polling, and revealed important respondent sentiment toward the candidates after viewing clips online of recent speeches and interviews. Zogby International’s Jonathan Zogby, Director of Domestic Business Development, has also published an article in the conference magazine about the emergence of Internet polling as an important survey research tool, particularly in light of the increasing difficulty of telephone polling.

The IPDI PoliticsOnline conference is one of the most important annual national conferences focusing on how the Internet has affected American politics.

While 97% of Republicans surveyed said the media are liberal, two-thirds of political independents feel the same, but fewer than one in four independents (23%) said they saw a conservative bias. Democrats, while much more likely to perceive a conservative bias than other groups, were not nearly as sure the media was against them as were the Republicans. While Republicans were unified in their perception of a left-wing media, just two-thirds of Democrats were certain the media skewed right – and 17% said the bias favored the left.

The Zogby Interactive survey of 1,757 likely voters nationwide was conducted Feb. 20-26, 2007, and has a margin of error of +/- 2.4 percentage points.

As the influence of blogs has risen, mainstream news organizations have attempted to get in on the action by creating their own blogs to counter those run by private citizens and those not in the news business. But American voters remain skeptical of major news outlets diving in to the blog pool – 26% speculated that the reason news organizations are placing blogs on their Web sites is that “blogs give news organizations a chance to promote a political agenda they could not promote in their regular broadcasts, cablecasts, or publications.”

This month’s Zogby’s Real America newsletter also explores Americans’ divided views on how to fix the U.S. health care system – how the nation’s health care compares to other counties, whether Americans should seek a radical change and what type of health care system would benefit the most Americans.

For detailed methodological statement on this survey, please visit:
www.zogby.com

Help Wanted-Apply within

2007-03-14T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am toying with the idea of allowing other individuals to contribute writings on topics that interest them, and feel that a healthy debate is warranted. You certainly don’t need to be conservative and are more than welcome even if you are hoping for a Hillary presidency and listen to Air America.:) I think this would be a great way for other people to contribute some of their ideas with out having to manage an individual blog. As long as you are respectful to others views and are committed to healthy debate then I would welcome your participation. Basically I would give you access to post blogs when you feel you have a topic of interest. It does not necessarily need to be political in nature but it should be a valid topic. You get the picture.

Anyway, if interested contact me even if you think you would contribute only once in a while. You can even remain anonymous.

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Fox news and Air America

2007-03-10T13:23:00.000-08:00

I came across this article today regarding the attitudes of some people to Fox News. Just to be clear I watch Fox News a lot, and I am certainly not averse to watching other networks, and frequently do, but to see the reaction of others towards Fox is amazing. You can read the below article and see the point. Liberals are only tolerant of people with their views. Yes some conservative groups are not tolerant either, but its not like they try to sell them selves as such and therein lies the hypocrisy of the left. It also reminds me of a date I went on a few years ago. I was just having a quiet drink with someone and everything was fine until I mentioned I watched Fox News. The other person became absolutely irate. In addition she also tried to sell herself as really a moderate. Yeah right, so the date was over. I have met many people and have many friends who listen to NPR and other liberal leaning networks. I am pretty ideological on politics as you can imagine, but I don’t go nuts when someone mentions which news or opinion outlets they listen to. But then again I have to admit I do smirk a little when someone mentions Air America (are they still broadcasting??). So this brings me to my final point. Why have right leaning talk shows flourished all over the country, literally for decades as Air America flounders right out of the gate? Even with big money and big names to back it. Now I don’t want to sound mean here, but I think a really big reason Air America failed so miserably is largely demographics. People who vote conservative tend to be more sophisticated. Not that some liberals are not, BUT lets face it, a large portion of people who vote democrat do so because they want taken care of and are unable or uninterested in dealing or debating policy issues. If they did Air America would have made it. So to counter this threat of free speech, Democrats are now proposing legislation that any political view must be balanced. What does that mean?? If there is not an opposing view from the other side then they can’t say it( I must find the article on this) It’s a clear shot at shutting down the free speech of talk radio because the left is unable to compete in the arena of ideas.

I would be interested in hearing form someone who knows more about this than me.

Mar. 10, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

EDITORIAL: Meltdown over Fox

Network co-sponsors state Democratic debate -- oh my!

Hard-core liberals can't stand the Fox News Channel. Passing a television that's tuned to the conservative favorite forces many of them to close their eyes, cover their ears and scream, "La la la la la la la la la!" Then they dash to their computers and fire off 2,500 e-mails condemning the outlet, none of which are ever read.

But liberals' aversion to Fox News has finally gone over the top. The Nevada Democratic Party had agreed to let the right-tilting network co-sponsor, of all things, an August debate in Reno between Democratic presidential candidates. Party officials were serious about drawing national attention to the state's January presidential caucus, the country's second in the 2008 nominating process. What better way for the party to reach conservative and "values" voters who might consider changing allegiances?

Advertisement

But the socialist, Web-addicted wing of the Democratic Party was apoplectic. The prospect of having to watch Fox News to see their own candidates would have been torture in itself. So they set the blogosphere aflame with efforts to kill the broadcast arrangement, or at least have all the candidates pull out of the event. Before Friday, the opportunistic John Edwards was the only candidate to jump on that bandwagon.

You'd think the deal called for having Sean Hannity and Ann Coulter mock the candidates between comments. No, even unfiltered, unedited, live debate between loyal Democrats couldn't be entrusted to Fox News.

The approach of outfits such as MoveOn.org is so juvenile it's laughable. Imagine if every political organization created litmus tests for news organizations before agreeing to appear on their programming. Republicans would have boycotted PBS, CBS, NBC, ABC, National Public Radio and The Associated Press decades ago.

This hyperventilation results from the fact that far-left Democrats have no comparable media outlet, nor any widespread national appeal, for their radical views in favor of heavy-handed regulation, wealth redistribution, diplomatic capitulation and economic protectionism. So they attack their rivals' messenger with a reckless barrage of rhetoric that cuts down their own allies with friendly fire.

By Friday, the Nevada Democratic Party caved in to the lunatic fringe and beganseeking a more "appropriate" television partner.

Comedy Central, perhaps?

Ann Coulter!!!!

2007-03-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

Well Ann put her foot in her mouth and indirectly called Edwards a “faggot”. I don’t know where she was going with this but as they say she fucked up. There is no other way to spin this. Not too many conservatives are pleased with her including myself. Apart from being a refreshingly cute alternative to the usual middle aged white conservative commentators and liberal battle axes she has taken a step down and probably will never fully recover. I have to hand it to her she was never one to back down during a debate and went toe to toe with some pretty forceful liberals. She had something to contribute but sadly that has been compromised. Edwards has many reasons to be shunned and criticized for his record, why did she have to pick this??. I can’t but help think that if Hillary and Barack eventually rip each other to pieces ( as you know if Hillary gets anymore vulnerable its going to get crazy and I am already buying my ringside tickets)that he just might be the last man standing. But to also be fair Ann has been called way worse and of course there is a double standard when a liberal versus a conservative is insulted. Bill Maher on HBO was mildly (if at all) criticized for his comments. This is a snippet of the dialogue
Frank earned applause when he quoted bloggers saying the bomb was wasted when it missed Cheney. Maher asked the panelists whether it was wrong for blog host Arianna Huffington to remove the comments.
Quoting the blog, Maher said, "I have zero doubt that if Dick Cheney was not in power, people wouldn’t be dying needlessly tomorrow."
Asked by Frank if Maher believed that sentiment, the host replied, "I’m just saying if he did die, other people, more people would live. That’s a fact."
I don’t agree with both people. Ann put herself at the level of Maher.

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Al I talk the talk but won't walk very far Gore

2007-03-03T13:30:00.000-08:00

Well I certainly could not let this one slide by. Gore has been a champion for the green cause for quite some time, and as I said before I don’t begrudge him for that at all. But the guy is just so patronizing, sitting on his high horse, criticizing most of the population for their life style choices. The word Gore and the environment have been synomous for a long time and here is just a classic example of a person saying the right thing, but where reality is very much different. Of course how you live and not what you say is ultimately more important. Did they not teach you that in church Al? Below is a follow on story to the scandalous revelation of how much energy Gore consumes compared to most of the people on the planet, and as a direct comparison to G. W Bush. Nobody associates Bush and the environment together, but the reality is very much different. It’s just an example of somebody quietly living and doing the right thing, unlike Gore.

I love the last sentence “They always make an exception for themselves because what they're doing is so important." It sums up so much what the Clintons, Gore and many democrats stand for.

Enjoy

Bush's Ranch House 'Far More Eco-Friendly' Than Gore's

(CNSNews.com) - George Bush may be a nemesis of the global green movement and Al Gore its hero, but the president's home is arguably far more environmentally-friendly than the home of the man he defeated in the 2000 election.

Bush's "Western White House" in Crawford, Texas, has been praised as "an eco-friendly haven" while the former vice-president's home in Nashville, Tennessee was criticized this week for heavy power consumption.

"In politics, people don't always practice what they preach," Marlo Lewis, Jr., a senior fellow at the conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), told Cybercast News Service on Wednesday.

Bush has been criticized harshly by environmentalists for his opposition to the Kyoto Protocol and its mandatory cuts on emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming.

By contrast, Gore on Sunday won an Academy Award for his documentary focusing on the impact of climate change. He recently announced a series of music concerts on seven continents in July to drew further attention to the cause.

"It's interesting that Bush seems to actually practice conservation, while Gore seems to want to buy his way out of his obligations," said Lewis, referring to the purchase of offsets for carbon emissions attributed to the high power use in Gore's 20-room mansion.

An April 2001 article in USA Today described the president's 4,000-square-foot single-story limestone house in Crawford as an "eco-friendly haven."

"Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into purifying tanks underground -- one tank for water from showers and bathroom sinks, which is so-called 'gray water,' and one tank for 'black water' from the kitchen sink and toilets," it said. "The purified water is funneled to the cistern with the rainwater."

In addition, "the Bushes installed a geothermal heating and cooling system, which uses about 25 percent of the electricity that traditional heating and air-conditioning systems consume."

As Cybercast News Service reported earlier, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research (TCPR) charged on Monday that Gore's mansion in Nashville "consumes more electricity every month than the average American household uses in an entire year."

"As the spokesman of choice for the global warming movement, Al Gore has to be willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk, when it comes to home energy use," said TCPR President Drew Johnson.

David Roberts, staff writer for the online environmental magazine Grist, Wednesday criticized the analysis by the TCPR, which he described as an "attack group from Tennessee."

The center's report had been "thrown together purely for the purpose of attacking Al Gore after the Oscars," Roberts told Cybercast News Service.

It was unfair, he said, to compare Gore's electrical consumption to the national average, which "includes apartments and trailer homes and is an average across all climatic zones, some of which are quite temperate."

Gore and his wife, Tipper, "both work out of their house" and "have special security measures for an ex-vice president, all of which naturally increases the electricity use in the home," Roberts added.

Moreover, Gore "pays almost a 50 percent premium to buy the 'green power' offered from his electrical company," which generates its voltage from hydroelectric and nuclear power rather than coal, he said.

"If every national leader did as much as Al Gore does to ameliorate their impact on the climate, the world would be a much better place."

Nevertheless, Roberts conceded that the energy efficiency of the president's home in Crawford is "fantastic."

"I wish that George Bush would back public policy that is in line with what he does on his ranch," he said.

'Elitist'

Johnson of the TCPR defended his group's report against criticism from Gore's supporters.

He acknowledged that the information was obtained from the National Electric Service the day after Gore won his Oscar, but argued that "it is fair to compare Gore's [energy] use to what most Americans are used to."

"All of the niceties he may have and all the extra people he may have running in and out of his house still shouldn't mean that the person leading this environmental charge should have 20 times the electrical consumption of the average American," Johnson charged.

The CEI's Lewis said the disparity between Gore's message on global warming and his power consumption reflected an "elitist mentality."

"The average soccer mom can't afford to plant trees in the rainforest in order to remain carbon neutral," he said.

"All these jet-setters' lives consist of going to conferences in other countries by burning jet fuel and staying in posh hotels where they keep the lights on all day and so on in order to tut-tut about how wasteful the rest of us are in our use of energy," he stated.

"They always make an exception for themselves because what they're doing is so important."

It just keeps going and going....

2007-02-28T16:40:00.000-08:00

Hillary....ahhh I am doing everyone a favor here. Her brother is in court right now regarding a loan he did not pay back oh like 6 years ago. So what does that have to do with Hillary? Well the couple who loaned him the money were um well ummm pardoned by the Clinton's at the end of their term... Remember Marc Rich? Remember how Hillary's brothers were wink wink nod nod getting money for pardons?? So read the article from the Boston globe below to refresh yourselves... I certainly don't want you to forget..

Six years ago, the launch of Hillary Clinton's career in the US Senate was marred by allegations that her brothers had received payments from people pardoned by President Bill Clinton in the waning months of his presidency.

Now, in the wake of the launch of her presidential campaign, the pardon controversy has reemerged in an obscure court case in which Senator Clinton's brother Tony is battling an order to repay more than $100,000 he received from a couple pardoned by President Clinton.

Tony Rodham, who acknowledged approaching the president about a pardon for the couple, is the second of Hillary Clinton's brothers to receive money from people who were eventually pardoned by President Clinton. Hugh Rodham received $400,000 from two people, one of whom was pardoned and one whose sentence was commuted.

But while Hillary Clinton immediately expressed chagrin over the news in 2001 that Hugh received the money -- and asked him to return it -- she said Tony was "not paid," according to a congressional report. The Clinton campaign yesterday declined to comment on the case involving Tony Rodham.

Clinton critics have been seeking to revive an array of controversies, from the Whitewater land deal to the Monica Lewinsky case. The Clinton campaign has sought to depict them as old or moot cases. But the Tony Rodham case could be different because it is in court just as Senator Clinton's campaign reaches full speed.

Yesterday, US Bankruptcy Court Judge Marian Harrison of Nashville ordered Tony Rodham to respond by March 16 to the allegation that he failed to repay a loan of $107,000 from the couple pardoned by Clinton, according to attorneys involved in the case.

President Clinton's pardons have been a political issue for Hillary Clinton because of her ties to a number of the cases. In addition to the people who paid her brothers, those receiving pardons included commodities trader Marc Rich, a fugitive who was prosecuted for tax evasion by then-US Attorney Rudolph Giuliani and fled to Switzerland. Rich was pardoned after his former wife, Denise Rich, contributed heavily to Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign.

Controversy over the pardons was reignited last week after Hollywood mogul and former Clinton supporter David Geffen criticized the Clintons for the Rich pardon.

"It is a legitimate campaign issue," said Stephen Gillers, professor of legal ethics at New York University School of Law. He said that Hillary Clinton should answer questions about her brothers' and her own involvement in the pardons because "the stench of the Marc Rich pardon still stinks and it has never been adequately explained. "

The Tony Rodham lawsuit revolves around his work for a carnival company, United Shows of America, which was owned by Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory. The couple, who had been convicted of bank fraud, hired Tony Rodham as a business consultant and paid him $244,769 in salary over 2 1/2 years, according to a congressional report.

President Clinton pardoned the couple in March 2000. The Republican-controlled House Government Reform Committee issued a 2002 report that said Rodham had helped the couple obtain the pardon.

Edgar Gregory has since died, and his company is now bankrupt. The lawsuit against Tony Rodham, brought by the bankruptcy trustee, revolves around whether the Gregorys loaned Rodham $107,000, or whether that money was part of his salary. The trustee for the bankrupt estate says it was a loan that was never repaid and that, with interest, it would now be $153,000.

When Tony Rodham's involvement with the Gregorys first became public in early 2001, Hillary Clinton said that her brother had known the couple "for some time . . . he has a personal relationship with them. He was not paid."

The House Government Reform Committee report the next year, noting that Rodham had worked as a consultant to the Gregorys, said a further review should be conducted to determine whether Hillary Clinton "knew of the financial relationship between Tony Rodham and the Gregorys when Rodham was lobbying the President for pardons." The report said Hillary Clinton's "statement that Tony Rodham 'was not paid' is not accurate."

Rodham yesterday did not respond to a request for comment. In 2001, he said on CNN that he had worked as a consultant for the Gregorys but that "on the pardon issue, I never received a dime from them."

SOURCE: Boston Globe

Angry Chuck

2007-02-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

Republican senator Chuck Hagel sounds off on the sorry state of Congress, the president’s lies, and the vote for war that he now regrets

Here is a link from our friend NY Mets fan--->Here

I read this article, and found some very good points. It’s very easy for people to have looked at the evidence, backed the war and when it all goes wrong sit back and say oh I knew something was up all along. If it had of gone well he would not be saying anything and would be pointing out how great a decision he made even if no WMD’s had been found. (actually there were we can discuss later) However he is a chorus of many who are frustrated with how things are going. No doubt Bush’s plans fell short. No doubt things did not go the way they envisioned. But again lies??? “Oh, I eventually was sure they knew” Where is the evidence??? Coming to the wrong conclusion, Mismanagement, misinterpretation or just not finding them does not mean a lie. Everything Bush believed Sadamm had, Bill Clinton and the democratic Senate believed the same for years. Bush was the only one willing to do anything about it. Bottom line is we can’t win this war at this point because the will to win has been beaten down and sadly from our own people. It is almost impossible for America to win a long term engagement because just like Vietnam, the liberal left eventually breaks the will of the people. The North Vietnamese Generals knew they could not win on the battlefield and proclaimed after the war they were counting on public opinion to win all along. It’s happening all over again. Anybody who does thinks that a major strategy of Al Qaida to win is to wait for the will of the American people to break is seriously wrong. Al Qaida votes democrat.

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Oh Al

2007-02-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

Now I am not one to really criticize Gore for being Green. I do believe we can do more in cleaning up our act, and I will give him his dues in keeping a focus on it. But many of the hypothesis/solutions from the left are so far removed from what is reality and a working possibility. In most cases the people who deliver the message reek of the typical left wing hypo racy. Do as I say not as I do Democrats…As I have said before, the Clinton’s are a perfect example of saying one thing and doing another. Bill championed some woman’s issues that some felt passionate about and in return gets a free pass to be a prolific womanizer, using his power to pry on star struck weak women. Remember Willey? My husband just committed suicide and I need to find work Mr. President. Can you help? Sure Kathleen but let me feel you up first.

Anyway, Al Gore as you know recently received validation of his views from the Hollywood elite and on Sunday received a reward for the movie “An Inconvenient Truth” But there is also something else that is a little inconvenient for Al, even thought he has instituted some energy saving methods in his house this is the reality. Again Do as I say not as I do.

Al Gore's posh home in the Nashville suburbs might be "carbon neutral," but it still uses a lot of power.
So much that last August Tipper and Al Gore used twice as much electricity in their two-building property as an average U.S. household uses in an entire year, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a think tank, reported Tuesday.

IN ONE MONTH PEOPLE!!!!!!

I had to share

2007-02-23T23:43:00.000-08:00

Here is an item from Judical watch.. Yes I know some of it goes back 10 years or so but it sure shows a pattern and that is of an amoral ruthless individual..Enjoy ( and this does not even touch on the year 2000 fund raising) #7 Is for you Elsa ;)

10 (plus) unanswered questions for Hillary Clinton

Now that Hillary Clinton is an official candidate for President of the United States, and she is starting a conservation with America, Judicial Watch has a list of questions that Americans deserve answers to:

1. Who in the Clinton administration devised the plan to sell taxpayer-financed trade missions in exchange for campaign contributions to the Clinton-Gore 1996 re-election campaign?

Sworn testimony from Noland Hill, partner and confidante of the late Clinton Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, points to you as mastermind of the scheme.

2. Why did you give "factually false" testimony under oath in the investigation of the White House Travel Office firings, as former Independent Counsel Robert Ray stated in his final report.

Ray said his office found "overwhelming evidence" you played a role in the dismissals of the seven longtime employees in the White House travel office, which you denied under oath.

3. Who hired former bar bouncer Craig Livingstone and ordered him to illegally obtain for the Clinton administration the FBI files of former staffers in the administration of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush?

Sworn testimony and at least one FBI document shows you hired Livingstone.

4. Why did you fail to report more than $2 million in contributions to your Senate 2000 campaign in the form of a celebrity gala fundraiser?

Testimony in the criminal trial of your National Finance Director, David Rosen, shows you knew the total costs of the fundraiser, yet failed to accurately report them.

5. Your brothers Anthony and Hugh Rodham allegedly brokered cash deals to obtain presidential pardons from your husband on behalf of convicted criminals. Were you aware that they were each paid large sums to obtain these pardons?

Did you play any role in any of the 140 presidential pardons provided by Bill Clinton in the waning days of his administration, bypassing the normal pardon review process? How about the pardons of the Puerto Rican terrorists in the run-up to your first Senate campaign? Did you have any input in those?

6. Did you or your lawyers hire private detectives to investigate and intimidate critics of the Clinton administration?

7. What did you instruct James Carville and George Stephanopoulos to say in order to discredit and defame Gennifer Flowers, a woman with your husband had an affair?

Evidence suggests they smeared her at your behest. Did you play any role in smearing and defaming other woman sexually and otherwise abused by your husband, including, but not limited to: Kathleen Willey, Paula Jones, Dolly Kyle Browning, and Juanita Broaddrick?

8. Records from the Chicago Mercantile Exchange reveal that you turned a $1,000 investment in cattle futures in 1978 into more than $100,000 in then months...a return of 10,000%. How did you earn such an astronomical, and unbelievable return on this investment?

9. How much money does Bill Clinton earn from his relationship with Ron Burkle, a contributor to your Senate campaign, and Burkle's company, Yucaipa?

Are these funds currently available in bank accounts to which you have access? Will you use these funds for your campaign? How about Bill's speaking fees, some paid for by foreign interests and governments - what are the financial benefits to you?

10. How do you explain the mysterious disappearance of your Whitewater billing records from the office of Vince Foster, the former Rose Law Firm partner and Clinton White House counsel who allegedly committed suicide in 1993?

How do you explain the mysterious reappearance of those same records in the White House with your fingerprints on them?

Stopping at 10 questions is hard to do. We could ask about her illegal White House fundraising coffees, doing business with the State of Arkansas while her husband was governor, Web Hubbell, John Huang, Chinese generals, the Lippo Group, and paid sleepovers in the Lincoln Bedroom.

These questions are important and relevant as the American people weigh Hillary's candidacy. We deserve honest answers.

Source: Judicial Watch

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Barack and Hillary he he

2007-02-23T21:32:00.000-08:00

I just love this people. I do believe it's the first time I have see Hillary spooked and "really" on the defensive since she jumped off Bill's coat tails and began to walk on her own. I think it is fair to say she only jumps on a sure thing and NY certainly delivered for her in spades. How they so easily accepted a royal carpet bagger is beyond me...but they did. Anyway I might send a dollar to the Barack campaign to keep this interesting. It was also fun to recently see the Hollywood elite trying to quietly support someone else and then witness the ruthless Clinton machine spring to action to get the minions back in line. We are the Clinton's damn it don't dare step out of line.

If you don't believe me here is what Terry Mcaliffe said recently "you are either with us or against us"

I actually like Terry for what he has done for the country. Under his leadership he handed conservatives more power than they could imagine.

Some other notable quotes this week that had a grin from ear to ear.. It's just starting up folks.

David Geffen former FOB (friends of Bill)selected quotes from the NY Times
Geffen said he knew no one “more ambitious than Hillary Clinton”, who is “too incredibly polarising” to bring the country together. He also said no one believed that in the past six years, “all of a sudden Bill Clinton has become a different person”, a fact that Republicans are lying in wait to use should Hillary become the nominee. And, by the way, he said, they both lie, and easily.

For those who live in a bubble about Bill and Hillary

2007-02-07T15:14:00.000-08:00

Here is the link with other goodies====>HERE

AN OPEN LETTER TO HILLARY CLINTON,

BY JUANITA BROADDRICK

'DO YOU REMEMBER?'
SUNDAY OCT 15, 2000

As I watched Rick Lazio's interview on Fox News this morning, I felt compelled to
write this open letter to you, Mrs. Clinton. Brit Hume asked Mr. Lazio's views
regarding you as a person and how he perceived you as a candidate. Rick Lazio did
not answer the question, but I know that I can. You know it, too.

I have no doubt that you are the same conniving, self-serving person you were
twenty-two years ago when I had the misfortune to meet you. When I see you on
television, campaigning for the New York senate race, I can see the same hypocrisy
in your face that you displayed to me one evening in 1978. You have not changed.

I remember it as though it was yesterday. I only wish that it were yesterday and
maybe there would still be time to do something about what your husband, Bill
Clinton, did to me. There was a political rally for Mr. Clinton's bid for governor of
Arkansas. I had obligated myself to be at this rally prior to my being assaulted by
your husband in April, 1978. I had made up my mind to make an appearance and then
leave as soon as the two of you arrived. This was a big mistake, but I was still in a
state of shock and denial. You had questioned the gentleman who drove you and Mr.
Clinton from the airport. You asked him about me and if I would be at the gathering.
Do you remember? You told the driver, "Bill has talked so much about Juanita", and
that you were so anxious to meet me. Well, you wasted no time. As soon as you
entered the room, you came directly to me and grabbed my hand. Do you remember
how you thanked me, saying "we want to thank you for everything that you do for
Bill". At that point, I was pretty shaken and started to walk off. Remember how you
kept a tight grip on my hand and drew closer to me? You repeated your statement,
but this time with a coldness and look that I have seen many times on television in the
last eight years. You said, "Everything you do for Bill". You then released your grip
and I said nothing and left the gathering.

What did you mean, Hillary? Were you referring to my keeping quiet about the assault
I had suffered at the hands of your husband only two weeks before? Were you
warning me to continue to keep quiet? We both know the answer to that question.
Yes, I can answer Brit Hume's question. You are the same Hillary that you were
twenty years ago. You are cold, calculating and self-serving. You cannot tolerate the
thought that you will soon be without the power you have wielded for the last eight
years. Your effort to stay in power will be at the expense of the state of New York. I
only hope the voters of New York will wake up in time and realize that Hillary Clinton
is not an honorable or an honest person.

I will end by asking if you believe the statements I made on NBC Dateline when Lisa
Myers asked if I had been assaulted and raped by your husband? Or perhaps, you
are like Vice-President Gore and did not see the interview.

Juanita Broaddrick
Arkansas

Barbara ..Now come on

2007-02-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Barbara Boxer what a joke this woman is

I came acros his article today by John Gibson who points out very well the hypocrisy that is rampant in the democratic party. Woman's rights and feminism seem to be only defined under their criteria and subsequently applied when and how they see fit. Being affiliated with the democratic party clearly bestows certain benefits. You only need to say the right thing and not necessarily do the right thing. In turn you get a pass for some quite outrageous behivour. "Do as I say not as I do" Bill Clinton is a perfect example as he espouses feminist ideals but in reality was the biggest womanizer, rapist, and perjurer around with an enabling wife... Such a joke and Boxer is not much better.
"

Where is the apology from Sen. Barbara Boxer to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice?

Tony Snow called the senator's question to Rice a "great leap backward for feminism." And Tony nailed it.

Feminists like Barbara Boxer want it both ways. They want abortion rights, they want women to have access to the workplace, but if the woman takes that freedom, does not marry, does not have children, evidently Boxer thinks that woman is unqualified to use her education, experience and judgment in her career. Now, according to Boxer, that woman has to have children to have her career.

Sound confusing? Sure is. It is Boxer logic that only applies to one woman: a single, conservative black woman who happens to be secretary of state.

Boxer wouldn't say to anybody else, you have to have kids to hold your job. She wouldn't dream of saying that to a CEO or to a sales manager. But she thinks it's OK to say it to a secretary of state because this particular woman secretary of state has supported a decision to go to war. Only when it comes to a conservative black woman would Boxer think to ask that question.

A black woman should be a liberal. A black woman should have voted for Boxer and voted against Bush, and a black woman should be opposed to the war. If this black woman is none of those things then there is something wrong with her. What could it be? Oh, she hasn't been married, nor does she have children.

If I had said what Boxer said about a black woman secretary of state in a Democratic administration I'd have a pack of libs calling for my head.

All I want is an apology. Cough it up, Senator.

That's My Word. h

Work Makes You Free

2007-02-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

It was never true then and it’s certainly not true now. I know it happens every now and then if you are lucky, but it isn’t happening here. For the past year and a half I have been working directly and indirectly for a MAJOR micro manager (I know we all have them but I have had enough to know this one is exceptional) I refer to him as the machine. For the first year I worked with him directly, and now I have a kind of buffer, but shit rolls down hill as they say and even though I don't have to look at his face as much I still feel his pressure. He is Chinese you see so his work ethic as you can guess is not very compatible with even our American puritan work ethos. However, he could care less about the people he steps on. It's a catch 22 because we are all doing very well with the stock being high and for the most part dominating our segment of the market. In a nut shell he manages complex projects very well but on the flip side he completely neglects his people and at some point if you don't push back he will drive you into the ground. I am at the pushing point and not far off saying fuck it. Damm those stock options....this would be an easy call if not for that ;)

Update: today after one of our too frequent 3 hour meetings, he pulled me aside and said he did not want me to be playing with my pocket pc “it showed I do not care about the meeting” LOL we he was right and guess what I was writing ;)

America to Blame for Illegal Aliens

2007-02-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

God where do I start on this one. It is amazing to me how many people in this country or at least in any westernized country, that subscribe to the notion that somehow society as a collective is responsible for individuals behavior. This guy goes on to say its America that has taught illegals to break the law because of "the break down in our moral fiber". Apart from the fact that the premise of his argument is clearly ridiculous it does speak to a wider issue and that is personal responsibility. Somehow someway we are being subliminally programmed ( by liberals) to believe if we do something wrong it's really not your fault but "society" and it's societies problem to fix it. I guess we are all just a mindless collective. remember the Borg in startrek????

The full article is here

JD-NEW DAWN FADES

2007-01-25T19:28:00.000-08:00

HA HA Neighbours

2007-01-12T13:11:00.000-08:00

Well came across this picture and had to share. We have all had neighbors that are a pain and this person certainly takes it to the level of letting them and other know how he feels. I have a neighbor who does not like my Fred, maybe I will take a lesson out of this play book. :)

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What's my name? Joe Strummer

2007-01-08T16:48:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote a blog about an early clash concert I attended in Belfast during my mid teens and decided on a follow up regarding the main man Joe Strummer. It was the year 1989 and the venue the bacchanal on Clairemont Mesa blvd. A smaller club that is now a pc store or something like that as it was located in one of those monstrous strip malls. Not a very flattering ending for this club considering some of the great shows that graced its stage. Devo, Alien Sex Fiend, Flock of Sea Gulls, Killing Joke and those are some of what I just saw there. Many more classic acts such as Ray Charles and Joe Cocker, I am sure many more could give input here. But one of the most memorable was of course Joe Strummer. The Modus operandi for me in those days was to buy a bottle of liquor in the store next to the club (now a Cingular outlet) and head across the street to the Burger King (the only place still there) order a coke, small fry and make a stiff drink for sporting a good buzz before the concert. It was on this occasion that this ritual paid off and not just in the obvious monetary terms. While sipping our beverages (Jeff W was with me) Joe Strummer walked in for a pre-show meal. At this time I believe he was claiming to be a vegetarian so I was a little surprised to see him with a whopper hanging out of his mouth as I asked him for his autograph. We exchanged some minor conversation mainly if he had been banned from playing Belfast because he wore a H Block tee shirt (maybe a blog about that someday) he replied with something to the effect of “not really” signed my paper and I let him be. I put that autograph somewhere so safe I never found it again, this is one of life’s regrets, if I only I had that now I would frame it. When he got up to leave we asked him if he was about to go on (in other words do we need to chug) and he replied "na lads take your time it will be a while" . If you have ever been to this club you would know that it would be quite hard to be more than 20 feet from the stage. Joe Strummer a true punk legend almost on par with the likes of Bowie or such in such an intimate place as this. The clash could fill quite sizable venues in their heydays. Anyway he was on tour to promote a solo album "Earthquake Weather”. Not a bad album and you could certainly feel his clash roots. But it was just one album as a solo artist so what did you think he had to fill the rest of the set with? You got it classic Clash numbers. I was unbelievably presented with the opportunity to see Joe Strummer perform all early clash songs standing six feet away from him. Protex blue, what's my name, garage land and London calling just to tickle you a little. Just 4 years previous I saw him at the back of a large hall too intimidated to make my way to the front, to now shaking his hand and watching him play 6 feet away. The night did not go without a glitch. After the third song the power went off to the entire grid in the surrounding area and we ended up standing outside for almost 2 hours. By 12:30 am it still was not back on and I was sure it was going to be canceled. But just before 1am the power was back and he was back playing for another 1 1/2. Truly magical… Of note the place was not even sold out. I suppose this was a good thing for me, but quite surprising. I guess most people have heard of the clash but know little of who the singer is… Anyway enjoy the video

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Here there everywhere a Starbucks

2007-01-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

First off I need to say I don’t like coffee so I am probably a little insensitive to peoples java fixes but I did have a mountain dew addiction for about 15 years that I finally kicked but now seem to have replaced with an energy drink one, but I am working on that one too. However I just can't help but notice how Starbucks seems to be taking over the world. Everywhere I go there they are, and in many occasions they open up right across the street from a private neighborhood coffee shop that has been there for years even decades and mostly during a time when the area was not so cool or trendy. Kensington and North Park in San Diego are two examples I can point to. Within a half mile radius of my north park neighborhood there are now five Starbucks stores and if you move it up to a mile radius you easily get to 10. There is one at the end of my street, a new one at the top of my street and even a smaller one in my grocery store. But to top it all off they now have one in Newry Northern Ireland. I must say I was quite surprised when I saw it last week, I thought OMG here now also. I guess I should not complain about that one as it says a lot about how my home has changed and I suppose Starbucks could be unfortunately associated as an indication of a neighborhood that is becoming upwardly mobile, but coming from an area where there is clear saturation it was hard to keep it all in perspective. I am not against Starbucks but what really bothers me about their business model is the audacity they show when setting up shop next to well established establishments. There is no shame in their game and they know it. I suppose if I liked coffee I would feel different and as a friend said to me once "if I want a real good cup of coffee I go to Starbucks" I don't know if that is true but people sure seem addicted to their products. Give me a kordova milk bar any day.

A trip like all others

2007-01-05T19:59:00.000-08:00

Finally home from my annual trip to Ireland. For the most part it was the same scenario as previous years, at least since I started taking my daughter with me. When I tell most people where I am going they are usually quite in awe and always assume that I am embarking on a fantastic voyage or a dream vacation. For me its neither, its just home,but I understand what they mean. When going home to see family I think many can agree its not always a vacation. It sadly ends up being quite stressing. There are of course many positives, such as seeing my parents, drinking my favorite beverage Guinness with my friends and catching up with the "craic". I always feel grounded there like I am understood better. One of the big pluses is taking my daughter and showing her all the spots I played as a kid. Ciara is growing so fast and I am increasingly so proud of her, especially on this trip and how she handled herself incertain circumstances. My dad well he is a good guy At heart but very difficult to be around and generally by the end of the trip everybody is waiting for the trip to do just that "END". So I am glad to be back ...

Rain Rain go away....

2006-12-29T03:50:00.000-08:00

It's been quite wet here since arriving in Ireland with very few opportunities to venture in the outdoors. Life has been pretty much catching up with eating pork products and sampling Guinness with my friends at the local watering hole McCabes pup. Today (Saturday) I am determined to get out for a while and look for some photo ops and visit some more friends before the time is up. Nothing too exciting to report but I will have more updates.. Dave Bullis arrives Dublin I believe today so I am sure I will speak to him at some point. So stay tuned. Hopefully I will get some pictures in also.

Is there a Santa Claus?

2006-12-27T21:48:00.000-08:00

Early Christmas day sitting in San Diego Airport with my daughter Ciara and a half hour before our flight to Ireland, we decided to have McDonalds (I know, I like their breakfasts and its still better than airplane food). While eating I inquired what she got for Christmas. Among the extensive list it seemed was a roll out piano key board from sharper image (she is 8), anyway I asked who got that for you and she replied with hand quotes in the air and a knowing look and a smirk “Santa Clause” then she went on to say she recognized her moms writing and when she brought it to her attention her mom replied that Santa had asked her to write it. But Ciara was not fooled. Now this is not the first time she has brought the validity of Santa up. A few weeks ago she asked me a very serious question and a wanted a very serious answer back. Her question was as I am sure you could guess, “daddy is there really a Santa Claus and do you and mom just buy the presents because some guy in class said bla bla bla?” I could just see the scenario of some kid being told by their parents it was all bullshit and he could not wait to spread the good news. I suppose that is how most of us found out or at least began to question the whole thing. But honestly I think I was still a believer at the age of eight. Could the magic not last a few more years? I suppose we all just play along because it does, even as an adult give us a feeling of something magical and a reason to give. But I am sure for some it can mean the beginning of a very depressing season. So my response to her was Ciara if you think its real then it is real and I chose to believe with her

A CLASH of worlds

2006-12-22T22:39:00.000-08:00

Every so often a random observation triggers a distant memory and then cascades to others. Last night I watched a DVD I had not seen in quite a few years about The Undertones. A relatively local band from where I grew up in Ireland who became very popular locally although not so much in America, with their kind of pop punk which was surprising due to where they came from. An embattled catholic ghetto called the bog side in Derry. They were the first real band that I had ever seen in my life at the age of 11. I recounted to Elsa that at that period of the punk era that instead of clapping the audience would spit or gobbing. Yes it is as nasty as it sounds and would be completely unacceptable in this day and age. Even then bands were not pleased about it and eventually got sick of it and would stop playing until it stopped. Of course it eventually phased out. So coming into work this morning and I guess with last nights thoughts in my subconscious I ended up doing a search for The Clash playing at the Ulster hall in 1984 ( they were another pivotal moment in my live music experience). Being still quite young and not used to the big city especially Belfast which was and still is a VERY segregated city where one would always have to watch what area they were in and even more so if dressed different than the norms. "Spider men" or drunks looking for any reason to thump people roamed the streets after closing time (which is mostly 11pm in Ireland) and of course were especially fond of young punks. I remember walking up to the concert hall seeing rows of armored police vehicles all over the place and literally 100’s of punks and skins lining the side walk drinking cider if they could
afford a bottle and for those that could not would more likely be sniffing glue.

When I finally walked into the hall a local punk band “The Defects” were playing their set. A very popular band indeed as I watched in awe as 1000’s of skins and punks were bunched up in one big ball that covered 60% of the floor jumping up and down as one shaking the whole hall (well it seemed like it) I have since been to many many concerts and I can say I have never seen anything as impressive since. One collective unit operating in unison, BOOM BOOM BOOM as they hit the floor, I will never forget that. To protect the band a 6ft fence was built around the stage. The spitting had almost stopped at that time but the odd one would fly every now and then and I suppose a few hit the main man Joe Strummer. He stopped playing and came down to confront the guy who was doing it. As he go in his face across the fence the guy just jumped up and down and continued to spit right in his face. Words were exchanged and Joe wiped off and got back to playing. London Calling was the first song, and I remember exactly how it felt……

Sexy is in…..almost

2006-12-15T11:30:00.000-08:00

In my previous post I indicated the word sexy was one of the most popular keywords in blog world. So I posted a picture of my gf to see if there would be any noticeable increase in traffic to my site. As they say sex sells so I wondered will sexy sell also. Verdict….yes the traffic did increase to my blog. Now I would not say by a very significant amount but there certainly was an up tick of about 20 more views per day following the post. So sexy can sell just not as much as sex. I will be greedy here and pimp another picture to finish off the topic before moving on to other issues. Look for the link to Elsa’s blog if you are interested in knowing more about the girl in the pic ;)

SEXY

2006-12-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

One of the ways people can find blogs that address issues or topics they find interesting is by bloggers using tags or labels indicting the content they are writing about. Being part of Technorati, a web site that facilitates this method, your blog is routinely pinged and your tags become more easily searchable by others and in turn more traffic to your blog. So they have a list of the most popular tags and of course even in blog world “Sexy” is up there... So I thought I will write a blog entitled sexy and show a picture of my very attractive girlfriend. I just want to see what the difference will be if I do this and I will post the results. So people please say something if you stop by :)

Finally the truth may be revealed in Ireland.

2006-12-11T20:28:00.000-08:00

The Irish government will raise fresh allegations of collusion involving British security forces in Northern Ireland in the 1970s. An Irish parliamentary committee found widespread collusion between security forces and loyalist paramilitaries in three 1970s atrocities that claimed 18 lives. Speaking ahead of tomorrow`s high-level meeting between British and Irish politicians, Mr Ahern said:

"It is absolutely essential the British government co-operate fully with investigations into allegations of British collusion in loyalist attacks during the mid-1970s.

"Its findings are stark and deeply troubling. The issues must be fully investigated. There is no doubt there was collusion."

Just a quick sharing of something I read today
For those who don't know I am a catholic from Northern Ireland who grew up with this shit... Finally what we knew all along that the British supported loyalist death squads to maintain a protestant state is finally being revealed. I will write more about this soon.

The Price of Being Hip.

2006-12-11T19:00:00.001-08:00

Saturday night was a trip to Modus, a fairly new hip bar with cool sophisticated décor and everything else you could expect from a trendy place and worthy of any metro sexual. Not that I am one obviously. Now I don't usually go to these types of places except on some special occasions but I thought why not for a change. It’s located in banker’s hill so I figured it most likely would not be as pretentious a crowd as you would find downtown proper, and I suppose you could say that assumption bore out as it was a little lower key that I expected. It was also one of Elsa’s model friends birthday so we said hello to their group and then it was off on our own. It was not downtown but it sure as hell was downtown prices. I could not believe my bill at the end of the night. But I did break rule #1 and that is to sport a good buzz before you go out anywhere especially a place like this. But sharing a tub of half baked with Elsa before we left took that notion off the table real quick. I dunno ice cream and booze just does not mix well with me. It was however fun for all, with Elsa having a shocking revelation, and Richele and Charlie fighting for half the night in an endearing way I suppose. We all went back to my place later for drinks and it ended up me being the only one drinking. What was the point I thought. But the moral of the story is it costs to be hip and this place will certainly not be my Modus operendus. Give me a dive bar with real people and real situations and where you can still get fucked up on 20 bucks anytime and not get kicked out if you look to drunk. May I suggest Lancers...

Now I am Just Saying

2006-12-08T12:49:00.001-08:00

The time has come for me to opine about the war in Iraq.

The secular progressives of this country (and the world for that matter) are in the last stages of completing what the enemy has been betting on all along, and that is to slowly break down the will of the American people. With the barrage of nay Sayers and the liberal media relentlessly feeding to us that defeat is inevitable and that maybe we have been the problem all along, the will soon diminishes. History has once again repeated itself as a stark comparison with Vietnam. There is only one way to defeat us and that is to defeat ourselves. The self loathing that some people have for their own country is sometimes sickening to hear and watch. As one person I talked to not so long ago who hated Bush so much

she could not even stand it said, "well the September 11 thing we must have done something to deserve it". At that point is there really any point trying to explain the complex reality of the world. If there is no army actually waiting to land on the shores of California then they are quite willing to do nothing and just think of ideological utopias with the false and naive idea that the rest of the world contrary to fact and reality is on the same wavelength. The progressive idea in this country and most other countries with a functioning society is that if you leave them alone, be humble and just blindly sent money they will in turn reciprocate. The historical precedence on this is astounding, and a case of continued classic stupidity. The ideological ideas prevalent in almost all the mid east countries rivals any fascist regime in history. Simply hoping it will go away won’t solve a thing. The liberals and the liberal media have pounded this country into submission and defeat just like Vietnam. Yes we should leave now because with out the desire to really win and take this threat head on then what's the point in staying, the war is already over. I guess we will just have to wait until the New York Times decides its ok to fight back. But then the stakes will be much higher with the nuclear element added to the homicide bomber threat. The progressives seem quite comfortable with allowing religious extremists to develop nuclear weapons with nothing more than “oh come on please, play by the rules”. To be clear here I am not a huge fan of Bush either, but I know a threat when I see one and I simply will not be a passive observer and hope it never comes to me. Iran with a nuke!!!! Is there any doubt in anybody’s mind what they will do with such a thing? When it gets to that point it will be too late and you won’t be able to hide anymore.

Meanwhile, the more pressing domestic threat of Christmas is now close to extinction

retronym \REH-troh-nim\ noun

2006-12-08T09:56:00.000-08:00

a term consisting of a noun and a modifier which specifies the original meaning of the noun: Ex Rolex Watch

Ha I am on a word kick the past few days ;) Just liked this one for some reason. Examples are :

Cell Phone
Flat screen Tv
Pocket Rocket ;)

Anymore people ?

Type rest of the post here

“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive”

2006-12-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Deception (noun)
the practice of deliberately making somebody believe things that are not true

Earlier today I was writing a blog addressing an issue of this great country never learning from its history, namely Iraq and Vietnam (that’s an entirely different blog to follow). Many people say history is doomed to repeat itself and I have always been one to argue that it is history that’s the problem. People use it to justify the future (Guess that’s why it repeats huh) Things are never as they seem and history keeps repeating itself… themes that are such a part of my life. Am I being deceived or am I just really naive and innocent?

The quote is from Sir Walter Scott.

The Hornblower

2006-12-05T13:39:00.000-08:00

Recently a thank you lunch provided by our company was held on one of the horn blower cruises for a product launched almost a year ago. It was a pleasant cruise around san Diego bay and a nice touch I suppose, considering the millions of $'s the company made from this. But to have to go back to work so late on a Friday afternoon was just depressing and we were all chomping at the bit to head up 5th ave for some drinks. So why am I writing about this? We had the pleasure of our two east coast transplants to provide all the crude humor during the voyage. Joe a New Yorker (what that man can do with a treo) and Dennis the Boston baked bean (Dennis 4% is better than 2%). Yes the combo is exactly what you would expect...so during this event I was lucky to capture on video the Musmacker in action. I certainly could not keep this to myself ;)
Enjoy.

Okay back to the Real World--Google adds

2006-12-04T16:49:00.000-08:00

So for those wondering what happened to my Google ads they cut me off. Apparently they said I had too many invalid clicks... Well they might have been right ( maybe I clicked the ads on my own page a little too much LOL). I was just starting to make some cash when bam it's all done. I have the chance to appeal, but who knows what is going to happen. I must say I am a little disappointed... Oh well we shall see...See I am still giving them a plug
I will be back GOOGLE!!!!

The Final days of Peru

2006-12-04T16:41:00.000-08:00

Our final day in Cusco involved having to find a new hotel for the last night. We really liked and felt comfortable at the hotel we stayed in up until now. Loved the great breakfasts and the staff were just so friendly and nice. They honestly made you feel welcome. I had actually inadvertently left my dive watch behind in the room before the trail start and they found it and kept it for me (although I did have to ask for it). But I could have just have easily not gotten it ya know. We moved to another hotel that I guess was more aesthetically pleasing but the staff sure did not compare, but it was only one night. The rest of the day was spent walking around town to buy souvenirs and gifts and eat in a nice restaurant. We seemed to end up in this Irish bar a lot. That night plans were made to meet up with our group for some final drinks and a good bye at a very eclectic bar restaurant. Elsa was in her element; it was so FRISCO

and brought her back to her days of romping around hillcrest. She is now an east county evangelical ;) Our flight the next day was an early one at 6am so we left early (10pm) to pack and get some sleep. We said our goodbyes and set off to the hotel for essentially our last night in Peru.
Morning came early at 4:30 and the guy who had picked us up at the airport arrived as promised to take us back. He had been paid handsomely for his services and I guess he was expecting more, but we were now the wiser to what things actually cost and I suppose he knew it.
We arrived in Lima at 8 am and our flight was not supposed to take off to Houston until 11pm that night!!! Not so bad I guess because it meant we could spend the day in Lima.
Now the Lima part will be a short one because there really wasn’t much to see. Just a big bustling city that had this thick muggy marine layer covering it like a shroud, and apparently it’s like that most of the year. Relatively unimpressive and I certainly would encourage anybody visiting Peru to have it be nothing more than a transit point to somewhere better. Really you are not missing anything. I did get to see some surfers which I found interesting and the surf did look good but other than that Elsa and I just spent the day killing time, eating, sitting where ever we could for what ever reason we could come up with, we even got in a movie. Back at the airport later that evening we find out that the airport tax is 65 dollar's each to get out of the country, and its cash only. Imagine if you were traveling on a shoestring and had no idea of the fee and no money left? And they also don’t take a credit card!! The plane was delayed over an hour so the flight did not take off until 1am.I thought at that point the whole trip had really gone way too smoothly without something happening. In addition we would miss our connecting flight in Houston ... A pain and you can imagine we were tired and just wanted to get home... We did eventually arrive home a few hours later than planned, tired and glad to get back to that routine. It’s a mixed bag of feelings but I missed my daughter and el Fred, they were both happy to see me. But we both were fully aware that we had just completed something quite special and experienced something that will always remain in the top tier of our life experiences. I have been around the world and this was certainly one of the highlights...It some ways I am still on the trail...

The end

Day 7 " Made It"

2006-12-04T01:37:00.000-08:00

The third night was much like the last, cold and very damp. The weather was really putting a dampener on the thought of arriving at Machu Picchu and watching the sun come up over that majestic place with perfect weather. We had all decided the night before that regardless what the weather was like we would to be up early and on the trail as soon as they would let us. There was a restriction that no one could commence any earlier than 5:30 am due mainly because it was still dark and knowing that most people would try to walk the trail in the dark just so they could be there as the first rays of light shone

. As you can imagine that would be quite dangerous due to the sheer drop. We awoke early to our last breakfast and then proceeded to get in line. The gods were with us the sky was clear… Of course we were not the only ones with the same enthusiasm to get there ASAP. But we had a good position in the line and as soon as they let us through the gate everybody took off at probably their briskest pace on the whole trail. I know I did, I was breaking a run at one point. It was a short trail and probably one of the more horizontal stretches. There was no time to be tired, this is what we came for and let’s get there. The final trail took about 1 ½ hours and ended with a rather steep set of stairs to the final pass Intipunku (Sun Gate) I knew that as soon as I reached there that Machu Picchu would be revealed to me . I was excited and stopped for a second to take a picture trying ceremoniously to record this moment as much as possible, I was steps away from my first look. I stepped up to the gate and there it was in the distance, Machu Picchu in all it’s glory a fantastic sight. Cameras were going off everywhere as we all wanted to record the moment. Everything we had all endured for the past 3 days was SO worth it and that we all had earned the right to be there. We traveled to Machu Picchu the same way an Incan would have hundreds of years ago, on foot through the hot sun, rain, cold nights…After pausing for a while we set off on the final leg, Machu Picchu was still another hour away. It was a short walk and pretty soon the image of the city as we neared became bigger and bigger until it was life like as we walked up to the edge. Another round of we made it photos and then it was off to the main gate. Our guide took us the final step giving us a short tour of the ruins. It was truly a magnificent sight and was as majestic as I anticipated it to be. After our tour we were let off to wander the ruins ourselves. The city was built on the top of a mountain with sheer drops down to the valley floor. It was for the most part literally on the edge. The view was amazing, can you imagine living there back then and walking up every morning to a view like that. I stood there and wondered if some had stood on the same spot all those eons ago and looked at the same view as me and appreciated how majestic it all really was. Did they stand there ever and say “wow I am lucky to be here” If they thought at all they must have. Elsa and I wandered around the sights taking pictures and even sat down on the grass for a while. To get to Machu Picchu by train you take a 4 hour ride, so by about 11:30am the first train of tourists was arriving, and by 12 noon the place was crawling with them. We were tourists also but damm we earned the right to be here show us some respect...LOL I kind of did feel like that and also felt there was no way they could appreciate what they were seeing like we could. So shortly after that with so many people finally crawling all over the place we decided it was time to leave and go down to train stop. A small town with a little character I suppose but it was mainly a town in support of the ummm ruin up above them. We had some lunch and walked around the markets until it was time to catch the train back. A pleasant train ride but did it ever travel slow no wonder it took so long. It was a long ride back for sure and it was dark when we arrived. We were picked up at the station and delivered back to our accommodation. They literally picked us up from our hotel the first morning and delivered up right back where they got us, a great tour company everything went so smoothly. You can imagine getting back to the room it was a long hot shower and a sleep on a real bed…Felt SOOO good… It was a day I will never forget.

PLEASE SEE PHOTO ALBUM BELOW

2006_10_09_Machu_pichu

Day 6 "“Into the clouds”

2006-12-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

The third night turned out to be quite a wet one, but not nearly as much as our camping neighbors had to endure. The rain poured hard for hours during the night and we almost at one point thought we would be washed away. In the campsite next to us the porters apparently did not pitch the tents properly and subsequently the water flowed. A long wet night for those guys with everything soaked. Thankfully we were sorted and by daylight the rain had stopped and we awoke to the usual tea in bed. The weather was cool and misty with this part of the trail taking us through a cloud forest. Another pleasant stroll with lush greenery and different species of orchids. I am sure there was a vast view to behold but with the mist you really could not see far. We passed through an Incan tunnel which had been named the tunnel of love a term I am sure was coined for the tourists. For the most part the day was down hill and we passed some of the better Incan ruins along the trail namely Phuyupatamaca. The main objective of the day was to get to the last official campsite before Machu Picchu known as the Trekkers Hostel at Winay Wayna. Although not much of a facility, they did have hot showers and BEER. It was the start of the transition back to the usual comforts we are all love. As we approached the campsite the now daily rain showers were upon us but this time it was lingering more than usual. After everything we had endured we certainly did not want to come upon Machu Picchu with shitty weather. The site was certainly not pretty but having a semi-hot shower along with a few cold beers was very welcome. We had our final dinner together followed by a small thank you ceremony for our porters. All a heart warming experience and in some way I guess we all wanted the trail to continue in some way. The end was in sight on our final night on the trail. It would be an early start tomorrow.

PLEASE SEE PHOTO ALBUM BELOW

2006_10_08_Into the clouds

Day 5 “Looking back is sometimes better than looking forward”

2006-11-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

After our first wet cold night in the Peruvian Andes, we were awoken quite early by one of the porters presenting at our tent a selection of hot teas and of course the local delicacy coco leaves. In keeping with tradition we chose the coco tea. It was these small gestures that made the whole experience with Andean life so enjoyable. Although it had been quite damp the previous night, the sun was out and the scenery spectacular .Today by all accounts was fore warned to be the hardest day of the trail and it certainly delivered. Breakfast was excellent and another surprise ... Can you believe crepes with fresh fruit?? After breakfast it was pack up and get ready for the long day, but not before a formal introduction to our hard working kindly porters. They ranged in age from 18 to 46 and as said before and I am sure I will again they gained our respect more and more each day. After all the formalities is was off on the trail again. The early morning was a steep but very pleasurable assent though a green forest that sheltered us from the sun and a meadow known as Llulluchapampa... Streams of water flowed across the path almost every 500 yards it seemed. It was at this point and at many times thereafter that I realized that sometimes looking back is better than looking forward. When climbing for so long you sometimes become so focused on what is immediately in front of you that you can miss so much what is behind you and many times the view is better in addition to the awe that can sweep over you as you really appreciate what you have already accomplished. We stopped periodically at the few points along the trail where toilets had been built and it was at one of these stops that it was brought to our attention by some of the girls that one of the porters from another group was taking pictures of them while relieving themselves. Kind of funny I suppose and at first no one really wanted to deal with it, not the guides for sure, but by the end of the day it had become so bad that our porters took matters into their own hands and confronted him. He of course denied it and was visibly shaken, but it was enough for him to be thrown out of his camp. Back on the trail we began to leave the forest and continued up to the trails highest peak or the legendary Dead Woman’s path @ 14500 ft or so. It was hard and although the altitude never made me sick it certainly slowed me down in this regard, especially the last hour of the climb. I had to rest every 100 yards or so on the last leg. Getting to the top was certainly a feeling of accomplishment, and a comfort to know you had completed the most difficult section of the trail. It was all down hill from there LOL ask Elsa ;) From the morning camp I swear we hit just about every climate imaginable to this point. We were so high our heads were literally in the clouds. An early morning cool walk in the forest, followed by scorching heat where I stripped down to my shorts, then the daily rain, and finally freezing cold at the top of the pass. I swear just an hour earlier I was sweaty and hot to now freezing wishing I had taken my woolen sweater. The decent from the pass was quite steep (when was it not I guess) but a long hike fore sure. What goes up must come down and this was the part of the trail which gave Elsa the most difficulty, but she was a trooper and was in no way ever going to give up. At the valley floor most of the other tours setup camp for the night even though it was just lunch time, but I guess they figured they had pushed their groups hard enough. NOT us we ate and went back on the trail. Being at the bottom of the valley floor we of course had to go straight up again. The assent this time was almost equally brutal as the one before, but the views were fantastic. I had a theory that even if the Spaniards had found this trail the paths were so steep and narrow, that a small group of Indians could have literally held off an army with enough rocks to throw. We passed the ruins of Runkuracay which has an awe-inspiring view of the valley. At this point of the trail the paving now becomes for the most part original, up until now the path had been rebuilt or “built” to make certain parts safer. Again being at the top there is always another steep decline to look forward to. As most of the other groups decided to stay further back for the night, and with Elsa’s knee slowing us down we had the good fortune of having long stretches of the trail to ourselves and it truly was a beautiful stroll as we passed the ruins of Sayacmarca and to our campsite at the edge of the cloud forest. This was probably the prettiest campsite and again we were greeted to an exquisite meal and then straight to bed, a truly exhausting but rewarding day.
CLICK ON THE PHOTO ALBUM BELOW

Inca_trail Day 2

Day 4 “A knee to know basis”

2006-11-23T12:32:00.001-08:00

We both awoke to the same thought "its way too bright for 0400 in the morning... A look at my trusty cell phone revealed that it was in fact 0450, ten minutes before the bus was due to take us to the beginning of the Inca trail. My trusty cell phone had not gone off! What a cliché how many times in my life have I used that excuse. What followed next was a series of curses, rants of frustrations and a mad scramble to get packed for both the trail and what we were not taking into a bag for storage. I could just see the whole group waiting for us while we got our "shit together". Luckily we were the last pickup on the bus route so the group did not arrive until close to 0530. That enabled us to do what was needed and even shovel some breakfast down but it was a close one. With our left behind luggage in storage we boarded the bus for the 3 1/2 hour journey to the trail starting point. Speculation the day before was rife as to what kind of bus would take us and we fully expected an uncomfortable bumpy ride. We were pleasantly surprised, the bus was quite comfortable and with most people taking the opportunity for a nap I intently looked out the window and watched the world go by. I find all that stuff quite interesting observing the everyday life of people on in a country I had never visited before, how the real people live outside of the tourist hubs. I was truly fascinated. The countryside was beautiful with simple adobe houses dotting the landscape and small villages here and there; generally it was a peaceful place and certainly did not seem to be too consumed with the usual hustle and bustle of most western countries. The only gripe and now that I think about it, this phenomenon appear to be the same in every Latin country I have visited. Almost every house/town had to display their political affiliation with such vigor. Entire sides of buildings covered in white paint and big bold colorful letters. I mean enough was enough already it was everywhere. We stopped along the way to pick up a few porters and the final stop in a town to purchase walking sticks and grab some breakfast. The staging area was just a dusty parking lot in which we all began to get situated for our start.
Some background is needed here. Elsa had a knee injury from a previous hike of the Grand Canyon that had been significantly aggravated during a recent hash run (see earlier blogs) and it was certainly letting itself be known during the past few days. Hence the purchase of a walking stick, but really you would need that anyway no matter who you are. We lined up to get our passports checked and stamped and crossed the bridge across the Vilcantoa river which officially starts the trail. We were all quite excited and eager. About 30 minutes into the hike Elsa’s knee began to really hurt and I have to admit that at this point I was really concerned about how this was going to affect the rest of the journey for her. But to anyone who knows Elsa there was no way this was going to keep her from completing the trail. God bless her she would let it kill her rather than give up. This was the easiest part of the trail and we passed a few small settlements that all used the opportunity of their location to sell water and soda to the daily Inca trail hikers. This was a 4 day hike in the Peruvian Andes but for the most part you could purchase beverages through most of the trail. Within a couple of hours we approached our first real assent where from the top you had a fantastic view of the Inca hillfort of Huillca Raccay. In comparison to the rest of the trial it was nothing but I mention it because it did provide us with one of the lasting images of the first day. While climbing the steep slope we observed a couple passing us back down the path being carried on ponies. They were a little over weight, looked exausted and for some incredible reason they must have never gotten the word that this was going to be more than just a leisurely stroll. They looked so un prepared and honestly if the first hill was such a problem then they did the right thing. Their walk of shame I am sure was quite embarrassing and the price was to face every other hiker and porter on the way back down with a look of failure and disgrace.
The porters; ahh these mountain goats. What ever you carried they carried 4 times as much and moved 3 times faster. Pleasant, quiet, hard working people who gained our respect more and more as each day went by. There job was to carry most of the equipment and arrive at the camp sites ahead of everyone to set up camp so all you had to do was sit down, eat and sleep. Our arrival at our first lunch stop was a real eye opener. Could you believe that we were greeted with a three course meal? From that point onwards we were all amazed as to what they could produce 4 times a day. Let’s be clear here you will not go hungry or thirsty on the Inca trail. After our delicious lunch and some coca tea we were back on the trail. Things began to get a little steeper here but all in all not bad, but we did begin to get a feel for how quickly the weather can change. It drizzled for about the last three hours of day light and by the time we got to the first camp site we were all cold and wet. But that was soon alivated with another 3 course meal and some hot tea. No camp fires allowed so after dinner it was a little chit chat around the table and off to bed, and I was certainly glad to lie down.

Inca Trail Day 1

Peru Day 3 "Sexy Woman"

2006-11-22T01:46:00.000-08:00

Today was E and P's first full day in Cuzco. The day began with a free breakfast buffet provided by our hotel and believe me this was not the usual “continental” breakfast bullshit dished out by most hotels the world over. Plenty of fruits, yogurts, fruit juices, pastries, and some meats and I do have to say runny eggs. But all in all you got your fill and a great start to the day in addition to a money saver. The first order of the day was to visit the Inca ruins just outside of Cuzco called Sacsayhuamen pronounced “sexy woman” In addition to the usual sight seeing we also set out to get “more in shape” ;) as we certainly did not prepare as much as we should have before arrival, but with that said we were not exactly out of shape either. We made our way to the edge of town where I guess you could argue was the older section of the city, an eclectic collection of hostels, restaurants, great views, cobble stone sidewalks and roads with LOTS of steep steps. Little did I know at this point of the trip that the Incas must love and I mean really LOVE steep steps. It was a theme played out with grueling consistency almost everyday. The altitude adjustment was still lingering and after climbing these steps I frequently had to stop and catch my breath more than one might expect. Making our way up the hill we came across what I guessed to be the main entrance gate to the ruin site. A man was standing there and he began to chit chat with Elsa. I thought it was another “hey do you need to buy a tour” routine again (they are all over the place) when suddenly Elsa became gleeful with a particular wave of excitement and a twinkle in her eye which I have since learned manifests itself when anything equestrian related happens. To her delight (and mine also), the opportunity of visiting these ruins and much more on horseback became a real possibility. We conferred for a few seconds on the details of the endeavor and decided it was on and promptly then set off to follow our guide. After a 20 minute hike and in behind some mud huts here and there, we found our ponies in a coral all ready to go. Of course the horses knew their way around all too well so all you really had to do was just sit there and let it all happen. Even trying to get them to walk faster was an effort as they honestly could not be bothered what YOU wanted to do and for the most part only listened to the owner. Elsa had a grin from ear to ear the whole time. In fact she was so excited that I do believe the pony she was riding picked up on her excitement and let it be known in his own little way he he he.. Tooting all the way he was. So we went up this path, down this one etc... Our first stop was a small rocky hill where our guide bid us to dismount and follow him. He took us to an Incan cave that had been used to hide all the gold from the Spaniards back in the day. Of course they found it, but we climbed through it and popped out the other side of the hill through a small hole. Pretty cool and Elsa did well being claustrophobic and all. Back on the ponies and off to see more small ruins. Nothing too spectacular but a good ride and certainly got to see more than you would have if walking or taking a tour bus around. The saddles were NOT comfortable or well fitting at all, so after a while I actually preferred to just walk as the inside of my legs were beginning to rub raw and I was getting aches and pains in all sorts of places after almost 3 hours on this animal. Our final stop was Sacsayhuamen. The ruins bore the same treatment as other sites with the stone walls again being razed and tore down by the Spaniards and then they used the stones to build their shit. But enough was left to still see what fine stone masons the Incas really were. Stones that fit together perfectly and have withstood the test of time with many an earthquake over the centuries to remind everyone how well they built everything. After a full day of sightseeing it was back into Cuzco. Looking forward to lunch we found ourselves in a small cute restaurant/bar that actually had an Incan wall as part of its structure. A quaint place with lots of character and one we decided to return to at a later time. For the life of us Elsa and I just can’t remember the name of it. After a nice late lunch and my first taste of liquid bubble gum (Inka Kola), it was back to the hotel to relax before later that evening where a required pre-Inca trail meeting was scheduled. It was at this meeting where we would meet our guide for the walk and the other members of our group. Of course we all hope that we would be grouped with some cool people and upon our arrival it was relief to see that we would all probably get along quite welland have a great time. The group included two Aussies (Leon, Mario), three Brits (Jack, Anna, and Rebbecca) one German (Nico), One American (Elsa) and me the Paddy. There was actually another German Alex who at this point was tentative for the trail. Basically he caught some bug and had a high fever and everything that goes along with it. He ended up not going which I am sure was very hard for him. Our guide was a fellow name Romelo. A Nice mannered man with a thick accent, but we were all well able to understand him. The meeting covered about what to expect, what to bring and to be ready at 5am for pick up at our hotels for the 3 1/2 hour journey to the starting point for the trail. After the meeting we both headed out with the excited feeling that what we had been reading about, talking about and thinking about for months was just a wake up call away. As we made our way back to the hotel we stopped for a few Pisco sours just as a last hurrah before 4 days on the trail, and then some shopping to purchase essentials such as a poncho for me and what was to become Elsa’s new best friend a "walking stick" (more on that later)… Back at the hotel it was soon to bed where I set the TRUSTY ALARM CLOCK ON MY CELL PHONE for a 0400 wake up that I was sure would come sooner than later.

CUZCO Day 2

Peru Day 2 “NO QUY"

2006-11-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

Arrived Cusco 7:30am tired and so ready for a warm bed and a nap. We had arranged to be picked up by our hotel and of course wondered if they would actually show, but we exited the airport and within moments Elsa's name was called. It was a bit of a rouse, the guy who picked us up was also in the business of selling tourist packages so guess what his intentions really were. The altitude factor; I had heard (Elsa was here before) and read about the high altitude of Cusco and how acclimating is essential before any hike. At an elevation of 10,000 ft I got to tell you I felt it. I honestly didn’t think it would be a problem for me but I could feel it almost as soon as I got off the plane. Basically while walking or even sometimes just laying in bed you all of a sudden have the feeling to gasp for air. A weird feeling for sure, but mostly it just tires you out a little but all in all it was not enough to hinder anything we wanted to do but I guess to some people it really can take you out. We finally arrived at our hotel and were promptly handed our first cup of coco tea ;) must say it tasted pretty good and I “think” it helped with the altitude (placebo effect?) But who am I to question tradition. Straight to bed and a big 4 hour nap along with a few gasps of air every now and then. Time to relax, take a shower watch a little HBO (well you can't rough it the whole time) and off for a walk to the plaza de Almas the central square. Cusco the old Incan empire center has been inhabited longer than anywhere else in South America. To sum it up the Spanish found it, knocked down all there ruins and of course built their churches on top with the rocks. Read more here if you like .Yeah it sucks and Latin America is the same story all over. Machu Pichu of course was never found by the Spaniards so it's untouched.
Cusco, a beautiful majestic place with its of old narrow streets and cobblestones, indigenous people going about there daily lives wearing the most colorful clothes with the coolest hats, and doorways that I just could not take enough pictures of. It just felt genuine… The Peruvians I have to say here are some of the nicest, mellow, genuine people I have met. During my stint in the Navy I had the opportunity to travel to many nations and this place certainly is one of the top places I have visited. So Elsa and I set off on our way to the city center Plaza de Almas to look around, get something to eat and maybe have a few adult beverages ;) We were in no hurry and just wanted to take it all in. As I said a beautiful city with restaurants that line the perimeter of the square and as with much of Latin America a hive of activity. We saw a restaurant that looked decent and with a balcony and a great view of the square so we could people watch. Elsa had previously told me the national delicacy was a dish called “quy” what is Quy? It’s roasted guinea pig whole. Well I am not the most adventurous eater by any means, but I can tell you NO WAY am I going to eat that. It’s bad enough knowing what is but man they just had to put the pictures of the burnt little critters all over the place. YUCK… anyway the rest of the day was enjoyed just wandering around the town and I think we may have had a few pisco sours;… Elsa got to hold a baby alpaca. Anyway went to bed early.

Cuzco Day 1

Peru, the Inca trail and beyond

2006-11-03T20:40:00.000-08:00

October 4th 2006 the morning of our adventure to Peru began like most mornings before a major trip, at least for me anyway...LATE. Up to all hours the night before packing, and a mad rush in the morning standard stuff for me. I always work better at the last minute; it's when you are at your optimum level ;) Even organized Elsa gave us some anxious moments, with traffic from her new fashionable neighborhood of East County just not going smoothly and her having to eventually take the back roads. But as in most cases somehow it all came together and we arrived at the airport in time with help from my ex roommate Charlie. Upon checking in at the gate the issue of the expiration date of my passport came up. You see it was due to expire four days after I was scheduled to return. The ticket agent was concerned there were some restrictions and checked some records/documentation etc to see if there was any reason that would prohibit me from flying. I of course had decided months ago before the trip that it was fine, mainly because of the way you have to book the Inca trail. I was soon regretting it. Fortunately no specific reason was found and I proceeded on with the first leg of my journey. I must admit at this point I was a little apprehensive and this issue certainly put a little bit of a dampener on the excitement. I just now wanted to get to Peru first before I let myself become too caught up on what was had planned after we arrived. You know how beuacrtic these Latin countries can be. Back to the story... After leaving San Diego for Houston to catch our connecting flight to Lima, I am walking through the boarding gate and again the issue of my passport about to expire is noticed and addressed. The Lady gave me that “Hey your...bla bla bla” To which I replied I know all about it and it’s already been sorted and there is nothing YOU need to worry about. The lady sounded satisfied and I was allowed to proceed forward. This was the second time the passport issue was brought up today and I subsequently began thinking more and more about how this could end up really sucking. Nothing more of note here during the plane ride other than thinking of all the different scenarios of what might happen if I did not gain entry. Elsa presented one to me of her going on alone should I get turned back "I would let you go by yourself if the situation was reversed" she was of course right but it was not exactly what I wanted to hear at the time. Apart from looking forward to getting to our destination, we had a six hour lay over before our flight to Cusco to look forward to. Standing in line at immigration I again became worried if I was going to be turned away. Being now so close to our destination I could taste it and a wave of anything could happen swept over me. Elsa began to” clean her self up" and when I asked her why she replied "having a pretty girl talking to them sure won't hurt. True I thought as I began to ponder how I should approach the mordida (bribe) should the situation arise. Perhaps a few 20's in the passport up front just to make things a little smoother?? LOL. No worries I played it cool and the guy did not even look at my passport. Ah destiny or something like that... I was fucking in like Flynn. It really was a weight off my shoulders, to be so close and then get turned back...well you can imagine. Now I have never been to South America before so I did not know what to expect, but I found the Lima airport to be quite clean and well run, unlike other airports I have visited in Mexico or even I am sad to say Ireland. So we found ourselves a spot in the food court, feeling quite at home surrounded by papa john's pizza, dunken donuts and of course the icon of icons McDonald s. As comforting at some level this was I was rather disappointed to see this. So we sat there in Lima’s finest food court drinking a few beers (well I did) and listened to Elsa's multi million dollar law suit story. I would say that killed an hour and a half or so. For those who don't know already Elsa's story telling can match many an Irishman’s with the extreme attention to detail and length, and that I am sure it’s hard for many a person of the MTV generation to follow for more that a couple of minutes. A true raconteur ;). As the night crawled on we both became more delirious with fatigue, but I have to say good company does help and this was not the worst sit around and wait for hours session I have ever had. Airport tax...ahhh now I have traveled a lot and this is the first time I have actually had to pay it separate from the initial purchase of the ticket, and before you would be allowed to fly. For a domestic flight I guess it was not too bad at five bucks or something. But stay tuned to what it requires to get out of the country. Finally on to our last flight at 6 am to Cusco. I was on my second wind here and excitement was flying literally high. Fortunately this was a short one hour flight and I stared out the window most of the time looking at the spectacular un-touched snow capped Andes. Could I snowboard down that slope?? Just random thoughts at the moment. But this part gets into day two so wait for that blog.

Slan go foill

Time will pass you by

2006-10-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Time will pass you by no matter who you are.

I went to see The Cramps last night at the House of Blues with Elsa. ( If you don’t know who they are be ashamed and check them out) Now this is the 3rd time I have seen these guys and I can say the previous two times Lux Interior the singer puts on an awesome show. Strutting around in 6 inch pumps and pretty much stopping short of exposing himself along with his drag like antics and spanking. I had really talked it up with Elsa and told her to standby for a sight to behold. Love these guys. But last night… well Lux was tame. I don’t know if he was told to be or not but he remained fully clothed, no pumps or spanking, and to be honest I thought the sound system was lacking. Now to be fair he still puts or a great show and I would have no problem shelling out to see him again, but some of us who know what to expect from him and no doubt he still put on a great performance compared with the vast majority of other bands, I do know he is capable of so much more. Is Lux slowing down I ask?? I hope not.

Here is a video just to show you what he can do. VIDEO

Blog # 6 Pic's before the story--INCA TRAIL

2006-10-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

So I have really been behind the curve on this blog, but go to my photo blog===>HERE and there you will find pic's and links to most of my photos taken on the Inca trail..Elsa and I have just returned from a very challenging 4 day hike in the Peruvian Andes... They are worth looking at for sure. Lot's of pic's and stories to follow.

“Hey can you come get me, I ran out of gas on the freeway”.

2006-09-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

Putt Putt Putt

I guess Guillermo ran out of gas on his way to work today… Poor G had to call Dave to come and get him but Dave was ready to go in a meeting…so he sent Lisa to the rescue. When Lisa got there Guillermo asked if she could take him to Wal-Mart to get a gas can. Lisa already taking time off work to help him out said “why not just get it at the gas station”. To which G replied “ Well how much is that going to be” So at some point G decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth agreed to accept the help and go to the nearest gas station. After getting gas and dropping off Guillermo, Lisa began her journey back to work. In the mean time Guillermo finds out it’s not so easy to restart a fuel injected engine after you run out of gas, tried to call Lisa back for more help… Lisa’s phone was dead and did not get the message until she arrived back.. So she is on her way back to help out G again(she deserves lunch at the very least) Sooooo hopfully he gets back ... But if you don't believe me here is a pic :)~
I guess gas prices on the island of Boranado has not caught up witht he rest of San Diego.

Blog # 5 Run Run Run

2006-09-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

I finally attended my first hash the other day with my good friend Sarah. It's been one of those situations where I had been procrastinating about it for about umm a year, when I decided to finally say "I will be there" . Must say people I had a lot of fun. I should note that I hate to "just" run, it really needs to be an activity such as hockey, soccer etc... I could never just run a couple of miles. But in this case I found myself running 4.5 miles and loved it. To those who have never done one it basically means you follow a prescribed path set out by a forward running hare and whose course will eventually lead you to a bar. Of course there is a beer stop on the way. They proudly proclaim ' we are a drinking group with a running problem" At one point I was thinking it was a bit much having to scale wire fences and rebar through some downtown building sites with a Mexican lady standing on her porch wondering what fuck are these people doing and was one step from calling the police if anybody even looked at her wrong... She never did and we arrived safely at the surprise watering hole " downtown Charley browns"... A fun night for sure and highly recommended.. Better have a thick skin though cause the humor is as crass as a drunken sailor in Thailand negotiating the paid company of a lady (so I have heard anyway) Ha... Oh you eventually are assigned a hashing name which you can imagine can be quite colorful.. So until that gets settled I better play it cool... You know what they say about names...they can shape the rest of your life. ;) sheeeeeeeeet
Here is the website if you are interested. http://www.sdh3.com/

Blog # 4 Ghosts

2006-09-05T19:18:00.000-07:00

When the room is quiet,
The daylight almost gone
It seems there's something I should know
Well, I ought to leave,
But the rain it never stops
And I've no particular place to go.

Just when I think I'm winning
When I've broken every door
The ghosts of my life
Blow wilder than before.
Just when I thought I could not be stopped
When my chance came to be king
The ghosts of my life
Blew wilder than the wind

Well, I'm feeling nervous
Now I find myself alone
The simple life's no longer there
Once I was so sure
Now the doubt inside my mind
Comes and goes, but leads nowhere

Yes I am taking this from somebody...but it has been said many times before, it has probably already been said better than you could ever say it, and that is why we listen and read to poetry and music.

At this point in time to still see the ghosts of my past reappear....Ah will they ever go away.. Been here sooo many times.....

If you are going to scare me then just fucking do it and I will not hide this.

Blog # 3 Another day

2006-09-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

Another day… That is what my phone says when I turn it on. I thought about it this morning and began to think I was being a little pessimistic.. Perhaps, but it's really not they way I think at least not all the time. It is another day for sure but I think a good one and the future looks so exiting. I think the phrase/word ”forward” will be the new proclamation…

Slan Go foill

Blog #2 The Fred affair

2006-09-01T09:03:00.000-07:00

Well I was told by two people very close to me that "Fred" likes to roll in shit. My Fred NOOOOO ... Well shit (no pun intended) it's true..Saw it myself this morning on a walk.. Why does he do this??? Can someone please help?? Fred is my Basset hound and one might say he has "personality" . LOL He is Brat #1. I have others you know...we can discuss them later.

Blog #1 The beginning

2006-09-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

Do I really have anything to say????? Well yes actually I do... Soooo peeps this is my first blog proper (well I had one on myspace but for many reasons I don’t consider that a real one). This just seems to me more serious, but maybe I am wrong time will tell. Key words: ideas, art, music, plans, experiences and just sharing the world… Bring it on

But to all friends and new people welcome… please feel free to look around and contribute… Let it all begin