Waiting Game (Reprise)

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday was unmarred by any form of excitement. Well, of course, I did catch a glimpse of the hottie gym trainer. Baby was looking mighty fine. I stopped off at Foodland in the Aina Haina Shopping Center on the way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). I purchased a small package of Ahi Poke for dinner. And, I also procured a pint of Häagen-Dazs® ice cream. My excuse was that I was celebrating a belated Ol' Lavahead Day. I ate the ice cream at the bus stop. Aside from the myriad flies swarming about, my celebration was ruined by the perpetual cigarette smoke permeating every cubic foot of air. That's "par for the course" for a true loser like the ol' lavahead.

The days are dragging on. And, I am finding myself becoming terribly apathetic about anything and everything. I have lost my desire to do much except to barely eat, barely sleep, and go the gym. Frankly, even the gym workouts are becoming too monotonous. I should be looking to re-enter wage slavery. However, the very idea leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I am really sick of the "system." And, I am even more sick of the myriad satanic gargoyles running amuck. Woe is me!

The only highlight of the day (aside from seeing the hottie gym trainer) was my receipt of the new Ubuntu Linux "Intrepid Ibex" (v8.10) CD in the mail. When I arrived at Slob Manor, I quickly rushed to my squalid room. I popped the CD into my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer and ran Ubuntu in "Live CD" mode. Whoa! Everything including sound and the wireless network card worked flawlessly. My remaining issue (i.e., no headphone sound) was resolved. In addition, the sound was much louder now. I will be installing the version as soon as possible.

Ol' Lavahead Day 2008

Well, this is Ol' Lavahead Day. I nearly forgot because I am a senile old fossil. Not that it matters. What is there to celebrate? Sheesh! Well, here is another retrospective from the old journal:

Today is the big day. The 41-year-old virgin turns 42! And, naturally, this calls for a celebration of sorts. I've got the larger $1.09 can of Bush's baked beans, some cream-style corn, sardines (in oil, of course) and ... damnit! I forgot to get some of those Hostess doughnuts, the ones made out of lard. Maybe I can go over to The Idiots' place and see if they can spare a package of Ding Dongs. Now, all I need to do is put on some Chant on the K-Mart. Let's see here. Oh boy! A birthday card! It's from my "friends at Marlboro." My only B-day card and it's from my smoking buddies. Well, with a celebration like this I just might start smoking! Sheesh! Well, look here! It's a B-day greeting from the Klingon Language Institute! "Quchjaj qoSlIj. DuQuchmoH neH jajvam 'e' wItulbej." Thanks Worf!

That was Ol' Lavahead Day in 1995 for goodness sakes. There sure were some literary gems in the old journal, eh?

Irrespective of Ol' Lavahead Day, the urban nomad itinerary continued unabated (i.e., inner courtyard of the library, gym). Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary occurred. The weather turned ugly right after I boarded the bus destined for town and remained that way for the rest of the day. The rain, for the most part, was intermittent. Surprisingly, the ambient temperature decreased rapidly. Then, a major downpour ensued about ten minutes after I arrived safely back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing). The evening? Same ol' shit.

There will be no festivities. No celebration. Once again, what is there to celebrate? The detestable "condotel" unit was $350 short of breaking even last month. That's certainly not worthy of celebration. The hard drive load cycle problem on my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer appears to be fixed. Well, that's cause enough for a celebration.

Ubuntu Reprieve

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... what more can I say. I followed the usual nauseating itinerary. I should mention that I almost could not complete the weight portion of my workout at the gym because my right shoulder was in pain. The pain, of course, resulted from the brutal wax job that I had to perform yesterday on my Nissan® Frontier truck. The good part about the whole day was that the library, the gym, and the buses were fairly empty. No doubt, everyone was out Saturnalia shopping. Someone had left a nice plastic soap container in the shower at the gym. Naturally, I had to procure it. Well, hey! These are tough times!

I spent about an hour or so this evening engaged in performing the necessary fix for the hard drive load cycle (i.e., park/unpark heads) problem in Ubuntu Linux. There are a variety of fixes available, but I chose the "official" version on the Ubuntu Wiki. I became concerned when I checked my hard drive and discovered that the load cycle count was increasing by ten or more every minute. And, that was in AC mode! Now, it's down to about 1.3 (or less) every minute. The other fixes attempted to keep the hard drive from spinning down. Essentially, the hard drive keeps running. I was not particularly comfortable with that concept. I am once again satisfied with Ubuntu.

Thanksgiving Day 2008

Well, the "American" Thanksgiving Day is upon us. First, a retrospective from the old journal:

There's nothing like waking up on Thanksgiving Day to some drawers slamming and to look out and see the crummy car cover wrapped around the ol' six-four because of 90 mph gusts. It just another beautiful day! This is a perfect day for a picnic, but one will need several anvils to hold everything down! By this afternoon, my six-four should be coated with bird droppings which are nature's own paint remover. There is so much to be thankful for, but that's why I'm a monk. You see, everyday is like Thanksgiving for a monk. I am thankful for this beautiful shoebox I live in! I am thankful for my wonderful and courteous neighbors! I am thankful that I never need to use my alarm clock to wake me up promptly every morning including holidays at five or six in the morning! I am thankful to all my creditors who prevent me from reckless materialistic abandon! I am thankful for my dim lamp that is making me go blind! I'm thankful that my new computer has the crappiest keyboard in the world. I am thankful for my French Press that broke two months after I bought it! I am thankful for the sinister force that keeps me in check! I am thankful for Bush's baked beans and the Toilet Duck! And, best of all, I am thankful that I have no babes (like that incredible gym babe Lisa)! I am truly blessed! You see, that's why I became a monk. I need to share my joys and blessings with everyone!

Yes, that was Thanksgiving Day 1995! How things have not changed! Doesn't the latter excerpt give a whole new meaning to the old adage, "The more things change, the more they stay the same"?

Briefly building on the theme developed yesterday, I dare say that I am finally beginning to understand the real concept of money. The Fed and the Treasury have the ability to create endless amounts of money (by "printing" it or selling bonds) when necessary as witnessed by all of us in last few months. The money simply appeared out of nowhere. The "magic" money is being used to bail out the financial "system" of empire. Bad bank debts are being "erased" with the "magic" money. What does that tell us about the money itself? What is its intrinsic value?

The situation for the typical rank-and-file peon is quite different. Every penny owed or saved by a rank-and-file peon is accounted for. Not one cent is misplaced. In essence, money is being used to control the masses as opposed to it original function as a means of trade. I've often mentioned that the money "system" will remain in place to maintain order in society. However, the most recent and brazen acts by the Fed and Treasury have initiated an unravelling of sorts. Why couldn't the Fed and Treasury just produce more "magic" money to provide adequate healthcare for the general populace? There are many endless questions of that genre which could be asked by any of the myriad wage slaves and rank-and-file peons. As more and more of the general populace awake from their stupor and realize what has happened, the likelihood of anarchy increases exponentially. In other words, we will move from a financially structured (i.e., ordered) society to one of rampant entropy.

I woke up fairly early this morning. The first of my chores was to wash my Nissan® Frontier truck. Upon completion of the latter, I drove to Koko Head park in Hawai'i Kai. I found shaded parking under a group of trees. My intention was to send an hour waxing my truck. Unfortunately, the deed consumed two hours. I had to spend one hour alone on just the right side of the truck. That's the side that was vandalized by one of the side street homeowners with his Weedwhacker. I literally had to scrub off the grass particles that were fused to the paint. I used an wet old sock as a scrubbing pad. While doing so, I noticed an infinite number of chips in the paints. The asshole had made sure that all the rocks and gravel flew against the side of the truck. My renewed interest in revenge, however, was short-lived.

When I finished the task at 12:30pm, I immediately drove to Koko Marina. I found shaded parking. I walked to the gym. Given that the gym was closing at 2pm, I could only settle on completing just my cardio workout. The highlight of my gym experience was when I found a full bottle of Dove® body wash (for babes) in the shower. Naturally, I had to procure it.

I shopped at Foodland for what would be my Thanksgiving Day dinner. I purchase a three-pack of Keoki's® Laulau along with a pint of Dove® ice cream for dessert. Then, I dropped by Kozo Sushi to purchase a Futomaki pack. I was back in Slob Manor (read: rental housing) by 3pm, just in time to perform the dreaded laundry chores.

Well, my Thanksgiving Day dinner was uneventful. I heated up the Keoki's® Laulau in the filthy Slob Manor microwave oven and consumed all three along with the Futomaki pack. To say that I was stuffed would be an understatement.

I am not sure what to make of Ubuntu Linux now that I have discovered a series of articles about the hard drive load cycle problem (for notebook computers). The supposed fix is logged in the Ubuntu Wiki. The problem, it seems, is that computers running Ubuntu may experience earlier hard drive failure because of excessive load cycle activity. Ironically, the cause is not Ubuntu, but the power management parameters established in the computer's BIOS. Did I really need this kind of grief now? Oh well, I might as enjoy the pint of Dove® ice cream now ... tomorrow is another day.

Imminent Collapse

I was on my way to Hawai'i Kai t 8:45am this morning in my Nissan® Frontier truck. Moms and I only made the rounds in Koko Marina ... Zippy's for lunch and grocery shopping at Foodland. For dessert, moms served up Best Yet® vanilla ice cream. Moms and I chatted until 1:30pm. Moms mentioned that I was invited to Thanksgiving Day dinner tomorrow, but I declined. No explanation required. Moms also gave me a package of Back to Nature® cashew nuts, a package of Hershey's® candy, half of one lamp-baked chicken, and a few religious magazines to read.

I spent only a few minutes in Koko Head Park. My solitude was disturbed by a group of people. I left immediately, found shaded parking in Koko Marina, walked to the gym, performed my usual workout, shopped at Foodland, and drove back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). The evening? Same ol' shit.

Here's an interesting excerpt from an article titled, "Colossal Financial Collapse: The Truth behind the Citigroup Bank 'Nationalization'," by F. William Engdahl that appeared on the Global Research site:

Citigroup and the government have identified a pool of about $306 billion in troubled assets. Citigroup will absorb the first $29 billion in losses. After that, remaining losses will be split between Citigroup and the government, with the bank absorbing 10% and the government absorbing 90%. The US Treasury Department will use its $700 billion TARP or Troubled Asset Recovery Program bailout fund, to assume up to $5 billion of losses. If necessary, the Government’s Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) will bear the next $10 billion of losses. Beyond that, the Federal Reserve will guarantee any additional losses. The measures are without precedent in US financial history. It’s by no means certain they will salvage the dollar system.

The situation is so intertwined, with six US major banks holding the vast bulk of worldwide financial derivatives exposure, that the failure of a single major US financial institution could result in losses to the OTC derivatives market of $300-$400 billion, a new IMF working paper finds. What’s more, since such a failure would likely cause cascading failures of other institutions. Total global financial system losses could exceed another $1,500 billion according to an IMF study by Singh and Segoviano.

Might a suggest a good antacid as an appetizer before reading the entire article?

I refrained from going into a discourse about the empire of the damned (i.e., the United Fascist State of Empire) yesterday. I was too fatigued by the on-going events. In actuality, though, the dire economic straits has been on my mind constantly. In retrospect, I now realize that the Fed has been solely responsible for the "boom-bust" cycle that we have lived through in the past few decades or so. The current situation was the result of Alan Greenspan's easy money policies to stave off a recession after the bursting of the so-called "dot-com bubble" and the contrived "September 11th" event. The result was hyperinflation in the form of the so-called "housing bubble." Of course, not only housing prices went up. So did oil and other commodities. When the Fed attempted to decelerate the inflation by raising short-term interest rates to a paltry five percent, the cumulative effect of several serial "bubbles" popped simultaneously. A huge transfer of wealth took place, and a vacuum was left where there was once wealth.

We are still on the downhill slide of the collapse of empire. We are experiencing a pseudo-deflationary effect, with a possible overshoot past the bottom because of the speed at which the pseudo-deflation is unfolding. The stock market is also tracking the downward trend. As bank insolvency rose, the Treasury teamed up with the Fed and began frantically "printing" money and selling bonds to "pay" for the various bank bailouts. The bill for the taxpayers has not yet arrived. It is my belief that the Fed's brief interest rate experiment (i.e., raising short-term rates) proved that the empire's economy cannot survive with cheap money. It's the magic of compound interest returning as "blowback." The Fed must have foreseen the problem a few years ago when it ceased publishing its M3 data. Right now, the Fed is injecting so much money into the "system" that it is bound to overshoot in the other direction. In other words, within six month, we should see an extreme rebound in hyperinflation along with a weaker dollar. Oil prices will go up for sure. I believe that I was too optimistic in thinking that at least one more "bubble" would be possible. I'm afraid that the start of the next "bubble" will the beginning of the end. The Fed will soon lower short-term interest rates to zero percent. That, my friends, will be permanent. The Fed will not be able to raise those rate one iota because the collapse will come about even sooner.

Food prices, of course, have not gone down. That's the premise upon which I base my assessment of the pseudo-deflation-ism. When hyperinflation kicks back in, food prices will rise even higher. I'm afraid that we are heading into the realm of pain and suffering that I have often spoken about in reference to the secular Apocalypse. Well, that's what I am alluding to here. We are at the forefront of the secular Apocalypse.

Unix or Eunuchs Revisited

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was thrown in the recycle bin of eternity. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary occurred. I had to deal with myriad satanic gargoyles as usual. No surprise there. I was back at Slob Manor by 5pm.

My evening will be occupied by Ubuntu Linux on my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. Well, actually, there is no need to piddle around with Ubuntu. It seems to work adequately. I am, however, not satisfied with its multimedia capabilities, or should I say, hindrances. As far as I can tell, that's the major drawback of Linux. The competing operating systems, on the other hand, excel at multimedia tasks. In this day and age, that's what a computer is primarily used for.

I have decided to stick it out with Ubuntu v8.04.1 LTS (aka "Hardy Heron") for the time being. The software repositories are out-of-date. However, I fail to see why I need the latest version number of a given piece of software. Right now, most of of the "Hardy" software is archaic. I am tired of chasing the elusive "state-of-the-art." Yes, the multimedia functions leave a lot to be desired. I had thought about returning to the Apple® fold. Then, I noticed a lot of Apple® snobs popping up everywhere. No thanks. Well, at least the computer nonsense keeps me distracted from the reality of the Fascist empire. Sheesh!

Bailout Bamboozlement (Reprise)

Another Monday found moms and I gallivanting around Hawai'i Kai in my Nissan® Frontier truck. We made the usual rounds ... Longs® in Kuapa Kai and Foodland in Koko Marina. We ate lunch at Loco Moco. For dessert, moms served Best Yet® vanilla ice cream. I chatted with moms until 1:30pm.

I spent a little time at Koko Head Park. Then, I drove back to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed my usual workout, shopped at Foodland, and drove back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). I neglected to mention that I completed the dreaded laundry chores yesterday, so I had nothing pressing to do upon my arrival.

Well, Citi® received quite a deal in the eleventh hour, eh? Here's an interesting tidbit from Bloomberg News:

The U.S. government is prepared to provide more than $7.76 trillion on behalf of American taxpayers after guaranteeing $306 billion of Citigroup Inc. debt yesterday. The pledges, amounting to half the value of everything produced in the nation last year, are intended to rescue the financial system after the credit markets seized up 15 months ago.

The unprecedented pledge of funds includes $3.18 trillion already tapped by financial institutions in the biggest response to an economic emergency since the New Deal of the 1930s, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. The commitment dwarfs the plan approved by lawmakers, the Treasury Department’s $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program. Federal Reserve lending last week was 1,900 times the weekly average for the three years before the crisis (Emphasis mine).

Were you sitting down when you read that? $7.76 trillion! I suggest the procurement of a big-ass bottle of cheap vino before reading the entire article. Welcome to the United Fascist States of Empire (UFSE).

Warm Front

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday basked itself under the warm sun. There was no hint of rain. And, there was no hint of the hottie gym trainer. Because of the nice weather, my itinerary was expedited. I was on my way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) on the bus at 1:30pm. I did not want to arrive at the dump that early, so I stopped off at Foodland in the Aina Haina Shopping Center. I purchased a pint of Dove® ice cream. I sat at the bus stop and enjoyed the rich dessert while I waited for the next bus to arrive. I have determined that ice cream is my preferred dessert, especially on a hot day.

Well, Barack Obama intends to jolt the stock market to life before his inauguration by presenting a "hope and change" plan for the economy. Claiming that his plan will "create or save 2.5 million jobs" while cutting taxes and increasing government spending, he has gone ventured beyond "hope and change" into an unknown hallucinatory reality. Spending money on archaic infrastructure at the dawn of Peak Oil makes no sense. And, cutting taxes while increasing spending is exactly what the Shrub administration has done over the past eight years. Now, with a $1 trillion budget deficit looming, Obama wants to spend more. And, another clue that we are in for more of the same is Obama's refusal to shut down the Department of Homeland Security. Just the Nazi-like moniker of the agency makes me shudder. I would not hold my breath while waiting for the repeal of the USA-PATRIOT and Military Commissions Acts either. And, let's not even get started on the two wars of aggression being waged simultaneously by the empire.

I am extremely curious about the future concerning the "Big Three" 4000-pound motorized chair (read: automobile) manufacturer, especially in view of Peak Oil. Yes, we know that oil has fell to $50 per barrel. However, the price of oil in the commodities market has nothing to do with Peak Oil. It is purely a supply-and-demand issue relying upon a quota-based system. Saving the "Big Three" while spending more money on roads and bridges makes no sense. It's a dead-end street, so to speak. That's what I meant when I said that the empire in an economic conundrum. In the meantime, Citi® is ready to go under.

What we need to see is real change, which will require the retooling of the entire global economy. We need a new paradigm, and one not based on endless fossil fuel consumption. Now, with the (s)election of Barack Obama, we can expect to see more "Band-Aid®" policies to patch up the "system" in order to bring it back on-line just like the good ol' days. Well, my friends, the good ol' days are long gone.

Well, according to the Feedjit® Live Feed, the majority of visitors to the "blog" are in search of babe images, particularly that of Lindsay Meadows. Excellent choice, by the way!

Cold Front

The rain commenced sometime during the wee hours of the morning. The rain was still coming down fairly hard when I departed for town this morning. There's nothing like standing at the bus stop in the rain. Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was soggy but manageable.

A real downpour ensued while I was sitting in the inner courtyard of the library. Last year, I endured the rainy season with a T-shirt, boardshorts, and slippers (read: slippahs). I am so happy that I purchased my NordicTrack® hooded fleece top (read: sweatshirt). The rain let up just before I departed for the gym. Thus, I was able to perform my usual workout. The weather had cleared up by the time I exited the gym. After a non-descript ride on the bus, I was back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) before 5pm.

Last night, the air was still and the ambient temperature was fairly warm. Tonight, there is a stiff cold breeze (i.e., cold front), which I sense is a precursor for more rain. I will, of course, be stationed in my squalid room with my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. Perhaps the evening calls for more hurdy-gurdy "torrent" downloading, eh?

Time Passes (Reprise)

I found myself at Kahala Mall at 8:30am this morning. I walked to the dentist office to inquire about an appointment. To my surprise, I was scheduled immediately. The upper tooth was ground down a little more. All seems good now. I shopped for a couple of sundries at Longs®. Then, I spent some time in the Barnes & Noble® Café. I perused a couple of Linux magazines and noted feature stories about DreamLinux and OpenSolaris, both of which seem to be better alternatives to Ubuntu.

I looked around the mall briefly. Tiring quickly of the benign activity, I sat outside to wait for moms. Within a few minutes, moms arrived. We ate lunch at Pearl's Korean Barbeque. Then, we were off to Foodland in Koko Marina. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert. I chatted with moms until 1:30pm.

I spent sometime at Koko Head Park before finally returning to Koko Marina. I performed my usual workout at the gym. I treated myself to dinner at Taco Bell®. Then, I shopped for groceries at Foodland before driving my Nissan® Frontier truck back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Incidentally, the landlord had notified me that I can no longer park in the spot that I had chosen in the driveway. I must park along the West wall, of which there is no space available. Pat, the landlord, indicated that a couple of the other cars need to go. However, that's not going to happen. So, my truck is back out on the side street.

Well, here it is, just three weeks after the (s)election, and doubt about Barack Obama's "hope and change" revolution have surfaced amongst some of the so-called "mainstream" and "progressive" punditry. Finally, after observing the resurrection of the same old slimeballs and political hacks from the past into Obama's cabinet, they are realizing that they have seen this bad sitcom before. However, a large percentage of the empire's populace are still in denial. Wait until January 20th, they insist. That's when "hope and change" will come tearing out of the corner, ready to fight for the "little guy." Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa! I am so glad that I do not watch the tube. Only after divesting myself of that malignant activity did I remove myself from the spell of propaganda.

Black Hole Empire

I departed for Hawai'i Kai at 8:45am this morning. Moms was home when I arrived. Moms and I rode down to Koko Marina in my Nissan® Frontier truck. We ate local-style plate lunches at Zippy's. The itinerary of the day took us to town. I dropped moms off along Bishop Street and parked my truck at Kukui Plaza. Moms met with her attorney (i.e., my sister-in-law's employer) prior to going to the State Courthouse. Moms had received a subpoena to appear. Apparently, the dog bite incident has moved up to the criminal prosecutor's office. I first stopped at the Post Office to pay my $29 box fee for six months. Then, I walked to the gym to perform the weight portion of my workout. I was outta there by 1:30pm. Moms and I had agreed to meet in front of Longs®.

I waited for over an hour for moms to arrive. Nada. Finally, I walked out to the corner of Bishop Street and saw moms standing there. Moms had been done since 1:30pm as well. However, moms never walked the additional 100 feet to the entrance of Longs®. Instead moms walked to Kukui Plaza and back. Then, moms ended up at the street corner. Both moms and I were perturbed. I did not help matters by own belligerent attitude. Later, I came to see how the House of Lolo was once again destroying our family dynamic. The mangy House of Lolo mutt caused much dismay and inconvenience over the past few months.

Moms and I walked to Kukui Plaza. After retrieving my truck, we were on our way back to Hawai'i Kai. According to moms, the hearing was postponed because the defendant failed to show up. Moms will receive another subpoena next year. Also, the prosecutor disclosed that the dog had bitten someone else prior to moms' incident. I was furious. Clearly, there is a case of criminal negligence here. Why not just prosecute the fools already? I dropped moms off at 3pm.

I drove to Koko Marina, parked my truck, walked to the gym,and completed the cardio portion of my workout. Then, I shopped at Foodland. I purchased a small pint of Häagen-Dazs® ice cream. I sat outside at one of the tables overlooking the parking lot and ate the whole pint of ice cream. Then, I drove back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Along the way, I heard an announcement on the radio that a flash flood warning was in effect for whole State. My last task of the day was to perform the dreaded laundry chores, albeit one day early.

Oh, what an economic conundrum the empire is in! The bailout of the "Big Three" 4000-pound motorized chair (read: automobile) manufacturers is a dizzying lesson in irony. If the empire's government (i.e., taxpayers) does not bail out the "Big Three," then we will see the collapse of the last large "American" manufacturing concerns. Along with them, an entire line of suppliers will be affected, not to mention the huge layoffs that will ensue. Yet, the bailout may not happen. Here's why. There are already a number of foreign-owned 4000-pound motorized chair manufacturers on "American" soil right now. They produce the same kinds of crappy polluting 4000-pound motorized chairs without the benefit of unionized labor. They also have lesser healthcare costs and no pension plans to worry about. Indeed, if the "American" manufacturers do go under, there will still be "heavy" industries operating in the empire. Can you see where we're heading? Yes, the final nail is about to be hammered into the coffin of the "blue collar" middle class. The event will mark the beginning of universal wage slavery.

I am even more amused by the rabid "mainstream" punditry who claim that the current recession will bring about a renaissance in personal savings. That's right, the satanic gargoyles are going to repent and begin to save money. The savings rate will exceed ten percent just like the good ol' days, they say. What a crock of shit! Who in their right mind is going to pile money into accounts that yield zero percent interest? If anything, people will attempt to stabilize their debts (but will have difficulty reducing them). The empire's world hegemony cannot continue unless asset price inflation and debt inflation continue to grow unabated. The global recession has occurred because all of the developed and developing nations were almost exclusively catering to the empire. Rather than uplift their own citizens, they invested entirely in exports to the gluttonous empire. Thus, when the asset "bubbles" popped in the empire, a global recession ensued. The hard solution is to "retool" and focus on one's own economy. However, that will take too much money and a lot of time. The easiest way is to reinflate the empire's "bubble" economy and let the satanic gargoyles run amuck again. The empire is like a Black Hole. It will suck everything into its vortex of destruction.

More of the Same Redux

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... same ol' shit. I was not exactly thrilled to return to Slob Manor (read: rental housing), but the latter is still a more attractive option than homelessness.

I have been continuing various research at the library between moments of lapsing in and out of a coma. The last book that I completed reading was titled, "Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran," by Terrence Ward, a light-hearted travelogue. Once again, I was disappointed by the usual "American" superiority complex, albeit mild. I digress. For some strange reason, I discovered the book, "The War On Truth: 9/11, Disinformation And The Anatomy Of Terrorism," by Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed. The book is essentially in a "review of the literature" format. It is filled with an incredible amount of news sources and credible references. I have only completed the first few chapters dealing with some relevant history of al Qaeda.

Since there is only one legitimate reader of the "blog," I will not go into further detail. I will only mention that there is considerable proof that bin Laden is a "tool" of the West. Thus, when I recollected Obama's quote at the beginning, I realized why I had somehow been led to Ahmed's book. The call for a renewed hunt for Osama bin Laden is a code phrase meaning that we are to see more of the same Shrub-like foreign policies for the next four years. There will be a continuation and escalation of the so-called "War on Terror," which is really a war on Islam. No matter how we look at the situation, there is no avoiding the coming secular Apocalypse.

Knee Deep in Nothing

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was nearly rained out. I packed my umbrella and even wore my new NordicTrack® heavy hooded fleece top (read: sweatshirt) before embarking on the journey to town. Oddly, the rain stopped just before I exited Slob Manor (read: rental housing). However, the gale force winds made me thankful that I brought my hooded fleece top with me. The itinerary was the same as usual. The only exception was my visit to the Institute of Hair Design to restore my monk haircut. A young hottie cut my hair and did an excellent job.

After completing my usual workout at the gym, I noticed that the weather had cleared up, although the gale force winds were still blowing. I returned to Slob Manor by 5pm after a less than enjoyable bus ride. A downpour ensued just as I entered the door. Another evening of computer fun awaited the ol' lavahead.

Nothing else is new. My tooth is still giving me trouble even after I forked out $917 in dental work. The upper tooth may have to shaved down even more. My Ubuntu desktop is still generic Gnome®. I am still carefully screening all updates. I will not touch the updated Linux kernel. My Nissan® Frontier truck is now parked in the Slob Manor driveway with seven other vehicles. The downpours have been washing it for me.

My Poor Nissan® Truck

Moms and I made the round in Hawai'i Kai, including Longs® in Kuapa Kai and Foodland in Koko Marina. We ate lunch at Panda Express® in the Hawai'i Kai Towne Center. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert. I ended up chatting with moms until 1pm.

I drove my Nissan® Frontier truck directly to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, did my usual cardio workout, shopped at Foodland, and returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) where the dreaded laundry chores awaited me.

I also had to invest one hour of time to wash my truck. I had discovered earlier in the morning that the entire right side of my truck was coated with grass cuttings, dust, and other shit. I deduced that the owner of the house (on the side street that I park the truck) had foolishly decided to "warn" me about parking next to his property. Mind you, I do not park directly in front of the house or near the driveway. In fact, I park by a small vacant lot adjacent to the property. The owner used a Weedwhacker to trim the grass along the sidewalk. However, he made sure that all of the crap flew up against the truck including the small stones that nicked the paint. What the moronic owner does not seem to realize is that he does not own the street or the small strip of land eight feet in from the curb. There were heavy showers this morning, which probably washed off most of the crap before I saw it. I can imagine how much grass and dirt was there prior. The remaining grass had completely fused to the paint. I had to scrub the surface and use my fingernails to scrape off the residue, of which I was not entirely successful.

I am torn between inaction and revenge. I am not certain what my course of action will be. However, I have noted in the past that foolish people always suffer the consequences in what is often called "karma." Indeed, what really happens is that foolish people become more brazen when they get away with stupidity. In the end, their stupidity comes back to haunt them. If I witness the owner or his family suffer a tragedy, I will be the first to personally laugh in their faces.

Ice Cream Bliss

Whew! That was quite a dinner at the Pagoda Restaurant. I did not have to eat anything before I departed for town this morning. Last night, I ate a small green salad followed by a plate full of sushi, sashimi (i.e., raw fish), and teriyaki chicken. The next plate had a slab of prime rib with steamed rice. My final plate was a repeat of the first plate. I was so full that I could only eat a small dish of "soft serve" vanilla ice cream for dessert. All that's left to mention is the passing of another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday. The highlight of the day was when I caught a glimpse of the hottie gym trainer.

I was on my way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) by 2:15pm. Being too early to return to the dump, I stopped off at the Aina Haina Shopping Center. I purchased a pint of Dreyer's® Nestlé® Drumstick® Sundae Cone ice cream at Foodland. The squat Asian ho' who short-changed me a week or so ago was working. I carefully avoided her checkout station. I sat at the bus stop and indulged in the creamy delight. Needless to say, all of my troubles drifted away.

Goodbye Glenn & Nancy

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was revealed to be more of the same. Same ol' shit, that is. I really did not want to go to town. However, what else would I do? Nothing out of the ordinary transpired. I returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) a little earlier than usual.

I departed for Ala Moana at 5:15pm in my Nissan® Frontier truck. I found parking on the West side of the mall. Then, I walked to the Pagoda Restaurant. When I arrived (former) Pseudo-professor Glenn and Nancy were already there. We ate a sumptuous buffet meal. Glenn and Nancy will be leaving for Texas in four weeks. After dinner, we walked to Don Quijote. Glenn and Nancy purchased a roll of duct tape (read: duck tape). Then, we parted ways. I trudged back to Ala Moana. I walked around the mall like a true loser. I ended up at Barnes & Noble®. I meandered around until 9:30pm. Then, I drove back to Slob Manor to resume my usual benign evening activity.

I am glad that I joined Glenn and Nancy for dinner, although I was very apprehensive until the last moment. The reality is that I may never see either of them again once they leave Hawai'i on December 12th. They will have no reason to return to Hawai'i (except for when Nancy's condo sells). Of course, the dinner at the Pagoda will be the last social event of the year for the ol' lavahead. He has not been invited to any Thanksgiving dinner. That's okay. I really don't want a social life. There are too many obligations that come along with the latter that I cannot fulfill.

My Poor Tooth (Reprise)

I was at the dentist office by 8:15am this morning. My final appointment was for the setting of the permanent crown on my poor molar. The tooth above it had to shaved down further. After that, I spent about an hour in the Barnes & Noble® Café in Kahala Mall. I met moms at the entrance to the mall at 10:20am. Moms had an appointment in town for a few lab tests and x-rays.

Moms and I were immediately on our way to Hawai'i Kai in my Nissan® Frontier truck. Our only stop was at Foodland in Koko Marina. For lunch, moms served broiled salmon steak, lamp-baked chicken, fresh vegetables, and rice. For dessert, moms served up Best Yet® vanilla ice cream. As usual, I departed at 1:30pm.

I drove back to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed my usual workout, took a nice long shower, shopped at Foodland, and returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) where the dreaded laundry chores awaited me. Fortunately, no laundry fiasco ensued. The evening? Same ol' shit.

The saga of my poor tooth has come to a close, at least for now. I am still bewildered by how the tooth was fractured. Could it have happened when I bit into the unidentifiable round crap in the Safeway® energy bars that I used to eat? Did my teeth shift around to cause high ridge of the upper tooth to constantly collide with the lower molar? The molar has never been the same ever since the toothache. It actually lost its heat sensitivity, but became more sensitive to pressure. There is no sign of infection, so I have at least avoided a root canal. Thank goodness.

Sign of the Times

"Social and cultural collapse seem to have already occurred in many parts of the country to a large extent. What social activity remains seems to be anchored to transitory activities like work, shopping, and sports. Religion is perhaps the largest exception, and many communities are organized around churches. But in places where society and culture remain intact, I believe that social and cultural collapse is avoidable, and that this is where we must really dig in our heels. Also, I think it is very important that we learn to see our surroundings for what they have become. In many places, it feels as if there just isn't that much left that's worth trying to save. If all the culture we see is commercial culture, and all the society we see is consumer society, then the best we can do is walk away from it, and look for other people who are ready to do the same." -- Dmitry Orlov

The quote is from a lecture by Dmity Orlov. I came across a reference to the transcripts on the Carolyn Baker site. I am moving away from the hopeless political and financial narratives that fill both the so-called "mainstream media" and the alternative media. Increasingly, the dichotomy between the former and the latter is disappearing. There is just too much "hot air" chatter relying upon false optimism. I have been sensing that something is terribly wrong with the "system." Hence, I have been whittling down my repertoire of news sources.

I have made my own vague prognostications in the "blog" about the coming collapse of the "system." However, there is no way to make a stable prediction. The rules have been changing rapidly. And, the pathetic indicators like the stock market have been all over the map. The most troubling is the pseudo-deflationary trend. The fact that food prices are still going up is a major clue. I have read most of Orlov's prior articles. Not until the latest transcript did I sense a certainty to his words. An inner chord was struck, and I then realized what I have been consciously or subconsciously been preparing for over a number of years. My role-playing as mendicant monk, homeless guy, or urban nomad was, perhaps, an internal alarm warning me of the dangers ahead.

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... what day is it? Did I wake up yet? I could swear that I have lived through the events before. Oh, I forgot, nothing ever changes with the urban nomad's routine. Sheesh! The only time I am actually able to see what is on the tube is when I am at the gym. There are four large flat-screen tubes in the cardio area and one in the locker room. I have observed that the news channels are covering Obamamania 24/7 now. Truly an Obamanation. Being sheltered from mass media, I immediately recognized the "hard sell" tactic. In fact, I am now convinced that the so-called Obama "landslide" was contrived. The figurehead Obama will serve to placate the masses while the looting and pillaging continue.

Another evening with my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer is all that I have to look forward to. There have been numerous updates appearing in the Ubuntu update manager. However, I have been manually refusing the updates. I must tediously sort through the list to see which updates will not wreak havoc on my computer. The main problem is the Linux kernel upgrade. I have not anything positive about the latter so far. What has happened to Ubuntu? A sign of the times, I presume.

Altar of Stupidity

"The change from a print-based to an image-based society has transformed our nation. Huge segments of our population, especially those who live in the embrace of the Christian right and the consumer culture, are completely unmoored from reality. They lack the capacity to search for truth and cope rationally with our mounting social and economic ills. They seek clarity, entertainment and order. They are willing to use force to impose this clarity on others, especially those who do not speak as they speak and think as they think. All the traditional tools of democracies, including dispassionate scientific and historical truth, facts, news and rational debate, are useless instruments in a world that lacks the capacity to use them." -- Chris Hedges

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day was sacrificed on the altar of stupidity. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary occurred. I lapsed in and out of a coma in the inner courtyard of the library. Then, I performed my usual workout at the gym. I was back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) by 5pm. Anything else to report? Nada.

As I meandered around from place to place during the day, I noticed that the general populace is composed primarily of slobs and losers. There are very few individuals who qualify as "beautiful people." I thought of setting up an image archive of the everyday losers here in Hawai'i. I would have to waste money and obtain a digital camera. Then, I would have to waste my time taking unauthorized photographs of disgusting slobs and losers. Who would be interested in such an atrocity? Heck, the ol' lavahead himself is a disgusting slob. Did you see his latest photo in the "blog" of August 12th? Sheesh!

And, while I'm at it ... why are all the hotties doing hurdy-gurdy viideos? Take Lindsay Meadows, for example. Baby is way too hot for that. Incidentally, Lindsay is the most popular search criterion that leads visitors to the "blog." Mind you, there is only one image of her in the entire "blog." Well, now there are two.

With nothing else to discuss, I refer the one-and-only legitimate reader of the "blog" to the article from which the quote at the beginning is sourced. The article is titled, "America the Illiterate," and it appeared on the Truthdig site. Oh, did I mention that yesterday was a holiday? That's why the urban nomad's itinerary was modified. site.

Cartoon Computer

I was on my way to Kahala Mall at 8:15am this morning on the bus. I spent about 2.5 hours at Barnes & Noble® of which most of the time was spent in the café. I cannot say that the experience was enjoyable. I have become keenly aware of the dichotomy of my urban nomad existence as opposed to the "normal" life-style of consumerism. The dichotomy conveniently explains my pariah status. What I do tend to observe is just how banal the societal landscape really is. In other parts of the world, the act of obtaining a daily supply of clean water is a cumbersome task. Here in the empire, we need not worry about such trivia. We concern ourselves with far greater issues such as the acquisition of myriad shiny objects.

The mall gradually became packed with Saturnalia shoppers. Feeling nauseous, I returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) immediately. When I arrived, the Chinaman was outside washing his new ride, a dark green "American"-made (read: generic) sedan. He has also been riding the bus lately. In fact, he was on the same bus with me a couple of weeks ago. I piddled around until 1:30pm. Then, I drove my Nissan® Frontier truck to Koko Marina. The whole place was packed. I had to park in the obscure Hawai'i National Bank lot adjacent to Koko Marina.

I walked to the gym and performed my usual workout. Feelings of dichotomy and alienation visited me again as I was "pumping iron," so to speak. What a foolish endeavor, I thought to myself. Nonetheless, I completed my cardio workout undeterred. I decided to treat myself to dinner at Taco Bell®. Two Cheesy Double Beef Burritos, of course! Two extremely gorgeous young hotties were in line behind me. They ended up eating their meal at the table adjacent to mine. They are the first set of gorgeous young hotties I have ever seen at Taco Bell®. Usually, the customers are fat slobs, high school punks, or poverty-stricken losers like the ol' lavahead.

I shopped for a couple of items at Foodland, although I spent almost 45 minutes there. I wanted something worthy of eating, but all I could see was junk food. About 80 percent of the food inventory in a market is crap, just non-nutritious filler to satiate an empty stomach. My return to Slob Manor was uneventful. What do I have to look forward to? An evening with my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer?

I have grown weary of Ubuntu Linux. After all, it is a computer operating system. Nothing more, nothing less. I have done nothing to customize the appearance of Gnome®. My desktop looks exactly like the default version on the Ubuntu site right down to the brown color theme. I have seen some incredible themes incorporated by other users. I almost could not recognize that they were using Linux. I am, however, not impressed by the attempts to make Gnome look like OS X. The new KDE desktop looks nice, but I am not ready to switch. Alas, we are only talking about a silly computer. I won't be showing off my computer's desktop to anyone. So, why not be satisfied with the spartan and "cartoon-ish" look of Ubuntu?

Great Depression 2008 Style

Moms and I made the rounds in Hawai'i Kai with my Nissan® Frontier truck as we usually do on Monday, including Longs® in Kuapa Kai and Foodland in Koko Marina. We ate lunch at Yummy's Korean Barbeque. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert. Moms showed me an article in the Sunday Advertiser about Uncle T's former home near Niu Valley. It's actually just a a stone's throw from Slob Manor (read: rental housing). The house was unique because it had a natural pond right below it. The living room had glass floors in order to view the pond. Unfortunately, the aquifer for the pond was destroyed by the construction crew involved in widening Kalani'ana'ole Highway. I have linked the on-line version of the article. I chatted with moms until 1:30pm.

I drove back to Koko Marina, found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed my usual cardio workout, shopped at Foodland, and returned to Slob Manor where the dreaded laundry chores awaited me. Yes, the same ol' drill. I have been devising strategies to consolidate my necessities in order to further cut down on costs and clutter. Either that, or I am losing my mind. As an example, I plan to eliminate the need for hair shampoo by purchasing Dial® Hair + Body Wash. The gym in town already provides the latter in its shower dispensers. Once my remaining stock of shampoo is gone, I will not replace it. I will detail my other money-saving tips later.

Petrol prices have finally fallen below $3 per gallon (lowest octane) in Honolulu. However, food prices appear to be increasing. We are not yet experiencing true deflation. However, we are in a recession, so to speak. We've been in one for months even though the doctored-up statistics presented to us disagrees. Let's ask the millions of people who are unemployed or who are facing mortgage default. They would beg to differ. My guess is that we have already entered a protracted depression. The worst is yet to come.

Paper Wings Redux

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday has been cataloged for eternity. Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happened. On the way back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) on the bus, I happened to observe that the Kahala Mall parking lot was completely full. The Saturnalia shopping season has commenced. Booyah!

Well, there are still myriad visitors to the "blog" who are solely seeking babe images. In fact, the problem is getting worse. Thus, I must continue to bait them and coerce them to go elsewhere. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!

Guinness® Overload

Hard to believe that the ol' lavahead was torqued over the shitty laundry etiquette on the part of another Slob Manor (read: rental housing) resident and the loss of 25 cents because of a squat Asian ho' working at Foodland. Those fools are incidental to greater scheme of the Creation. Most humans are too stupid to realize just how incidental they are. The ol' lavahead, on the other hand, knows how insignificant he is. He also knows that other humans look down upon him, even though they are greater fools than he.

The ol' lavahead polished off the whole $8 four-pack of Guinness® brewskis, even though there was really no need to imbibe in the first place. Even he is beginning to suspect that he is only looking for the feeblest excuse to drown his sorrows. Fortunately, he did not invest in a bottle of cheap vino. Otherwise, he would have been completely hammered instead simply being bloated. Why didn't he just tune into the Pure House Music site and listen to his favorite House mixes? A good question indeed.

Or, why doesn't the old fool piddle around with Ubuntu Linux? Well, actually, he has been doing so. The other night, he set Rhythmbox to tune into DI.FM House channel. He also reads the Ubuntu Forums every night to keep abreast of the latest developments.

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... dragged down by the Guinness® brewskis. Sheesh! Absolutely nothing out of the ordinary occurred. That's a good thing, isn't it?

Put a Cap in Dat Ass

Moms was not home when I arrived in Hawai'i Kai this morning at 9am. There was a note on the door stating that moms would be back by 11am. I piddled around the Hawai'i Kai Towne Center and Kuapa Kai to pass the time. Sadly, there is not much to do unless rampant consumerism is the desired activity. Eventually, I caught up with moms. We made the rounds in Hawai'i Kai, including Longs® in Kuapa Kai and Foodland in Koko Marina. Moms and I ate local-style plate lunches at Zippy's. Later, moms served Best Yet® vanilla ice cream for dessert. I chatted with moms until 1:30pm.

I drove my Nissan® Frontier truck directly to Koko Marina. I found shaded parking, walked to the gym, performed my usual workout, shopped at Foodland, and returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Although the dreaded laundry chores awaited me, I was delayed by the inconsiderate nature of one of the housemates. His laundry sat in the washer for over an hour. I used the other washer that is outside the house (for use by the tenants of the studio in the back). However, I discovered that the dryer required 50 cents. I had no change. By then, the inconsiderate housemate, the music student, had moved his laundry to the dryer and started another load in the washer. I knew that he would tie up both machines for the rest of the night. Naturally, it started to rain. I decided to drive to the Aina Haina Shopping Center to obtain some change at Foodland. Naturally, I had to procure a four-pack of Guinness® brewskis. The cashier , a squat Asian ho', had an extremely bad attitude. When I asked for change, the ho' looked at me as though I was scum. Later, back at Slob Manor, I realized that the trollop shortchanged me by 25 cents. What a fuckin' bitch!

My whole evening was ruined from that point forward. Frankly, I am getting sick and tired of living in Slob Manor. We have five grown guys, four of whom are like children who require constant supervision. Of course, the whole of society has degenerated into a swamp of reptilian fools. There really is no hope for humanity. Anyone in a proper frame of mind should readily see that. The real problem is that no one gives a shit about anything or anyone but him/herself. There is a proliferation of super-entitlement thinking. The so-called "American" culture breeds the idea of the one-man reality show. Thus, everyone is a celebrity. I am really sad that I had spent all of my Glock® funds on dental work. I really need the "nine." When society collapses, I will need to "put a cap in dat ass" of a few of these fools.

Glock® Vanity (Reprise)

Last night, I began the tedious task of removing links and RSS feeds of so-called "progressive" sites that suffered from Obamamania from my Web portal and the "blog." I can no longer tolerate the reading of that crap. I clearly recall the hysteria of the 2006 Democratic sweep. Subsequently, I recall the disappointment and outrage as the Democrats bought into and supported the Shrub empire. Even after being victimized by the traitors, the fools came back with "hope" for "change" from the same political party that let them down. Isn't that masochism? I was once an ignorant Democrat. Now, I am an informed Socialist.

On the local front, the heated Honolulu mayor's race ended with incumbent Mufi Hanneman retaining his office. Hanneman is beholden to the labor unions which are drooling over Hanneman's proposed light rail system. The rail system was put to a vote and, naturally, it was passed by the myriad idiots. The proposed rail system is an albatross. The whole island of O'ahu is already being taxed to pay for it. And, the punchline is that it will only serve the interests of the Kapolei area. The route will run from Kapolei to the UH via downtown and Ala Moana. The costs are already going beyond the initial assumptions. One look at a map of the island will reveal the stupidity of the plan.

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... well, you know the drill. Sheesh! Nothing out of the ordinary occurred. I maintained a low profile for the whole day. While in a semi-comatose state, I fantasized that I could have purchased at least two Glock® 9mm (read: the "nine") weapons for the cumulative cost of my recent dental work. In fact, I could have purchased a really nice computer as well. When I came to, I realized that my priorities are screwed up. I seem to have an easier time plunking down the dough to purchase shiny objects rather than spending the money on my physical care. Did I really give much thought to handing over $25,400 in cash to purchase my Nissan® Frontier truck? Not really.

Save for a Rainy Day

Well, the good news since the (s)election is over is that all of the alternative sites can shut down for good. Their savior has been (s)elected. Happy days are here again! As part of the celebration, I will be removing most of the links to those sites come January (or earlier). Any remaining links will be ones which I deem to be relevant post-Shrub, but devoid of Obamamania.

I have had much difficulty in accepting the increased living expenses that I have taken on as of late. For example, I have spent $1,500 on dental work over the period of a month. However, I seem to be forgetting that I have always had a policy of maintaining some kind of savings for a "rainy day." The truth of the matter is that I never expected that "rainy day" to come. Even now, I cannot seem to accept the fact that the "rainy day" is here, and I have to tap into my savings. And, I find it much more difficult to do so given that I see no one around me suffering the same affliction.

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day survived the (s)election unscathed. The routine, as usual, was the same. I happened to run into Pseudo-professor Lee at the gym. We chatted for a few minutes. I asked if he knew anything about the situation concerning Professor Darwin. As to be expected, the details have been sequestered by the powers-that-be at the Diploma Mill. All that awaited me when I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) was the task to pay my $187 automobile insurance premium on-line. Sheesh!

(S)election Day 2008

(S)election Day is a holiday in Hawai'i, which is why I scheduled my dentist appointment for today. I had nothing else to do since the library was closed. So, I was off to Kahala Mall at 8:30am. I spent about 40 minutes in the Barnes & Noble Café. Then, I walked to the dentist office.

The procedure took about 45 minutes. My tooth was shaved down and a temporary plastic crown was placed over it. I parted with $917 and left. I drove my Nissan® Frontier truck back to Slob Manor (read: rental housing). I was able to wash my truck before departing for Hawai'i Kai.

As usual, I made an appearance at the gym. Dinner was courtesy Taco Bell®. Yes, I broke down and treated myself to two Cheesy Double Beef Burritos. Then, I shopped for groceries before returning to Slob Manor. I immediately transferred $900 to my local bank from my investment accounts. I was able to catch the coverage that Barack Obama is the new President, which immediately made me nauseous. There also appears to be a Democratic sweep in other elections.

To be honest, I was more moved by John McCain's concession speech than I was by Obama's victory speech. My friends, we are beginning the perilous journey into unknown territory. The "good cop, bad cop" theater has dropped the curtain on yet another act. A new face has been put on the old empire. Millions of peons have been given the impression that they were empowered to bring "change." The election of a junior senator from a disenfranchised ethnic group will serve as a subterfuge to the greater agenda of the ruling elite. Something smells wrong here. I must wait patiently. When "change" never comes, what will happen then?

The strategy of the ruling elite must be exposed. With the rift between the poor and the rich classes growing by the day, the poorest being disenfranchised ethnic groups, the (s)election of an African-American President may specifically serve to appease the poor and preempt a violent social uprising. Then again, there may be a significant backlash from the "redneck" community. The real issues will be lost in noise of racial discourse. The wealth transfer will continue unabated. The wars of aggression by the empire will continue unabated. The big difference is that there will be nowhere to point fingers.

I was amazed at how mesmerized the audience was while Obama rambled on using the words "hope" and "change" over and over again. Mesmerized and hypnotized ... the herd mentality in action. I can only agree overwhelmingly with Chris Hedges in his article titled, "Only Nader Is Right on the Issues," that appeared on the Truthdig site. A long excerpt:

Those on the left who back Obama, although they disagree with much of what he promotes, believe they are choosing the practical over the moral. They see themselves as political realists. They fear John McCain and the Republicans. They believe Obama is better for the country. They are right. Obama is better. He is not John McCain. There will be under Obama marginal improvements for some Americans although the corporate state, as Obama knows, will remain our shadow government and the working class will continue to descend into poverty. Democratic administrations have, at least until Bill Clinton, been more receptive to social programs that provide benefits, better working conditions and higher wages. An Obama presidency, however, will make no difference to those in the Middle East.

I can’t join the practical. I spent two decades of my life witnessing the suffering of those on the receiving end of American power. I have stood over the rows of bodies, including women and children, butchered by Ronald Reagan’s Contra forces in Nicaragua. I have inspected the mutilated corpses dumped in pits outside San Salvador by the death squads. I have crouched in a concrete hovel as American-made F-16 fighter jets, piloted by Israelis, dropped 500- and 1,000-pound iron-fragmentation bombs on Gaza City.

I can’t join the practical because I do not see myself exclusively as an American. The narrow, provincial and national lines that divide cultures and races blurred and evaporated during the years I spent in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Europe and the Balkans. I built friendships around a shared morality, not a common language, religion, history or tradition. I cannot support any candidate who does not call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan and an end to Israeli abuse of Palestinians. We have no moral or legal right to debate the terms of the occupation. And we will recover our sanity as a nation only when our troops have left Iraq and our president flies to Baghdad, kneels before a monument to the hundreds of thousands of Iraqi war dead and asks for forgiveness.

Amen.

Algorithm of a Controlled Life (Reprise)

Moms and I were on our way to Liliha this morning at 8:45pm. Moms had an appointment with the opthamologist. Later, moms and I made the usual round in Hawai'i Kai, including Longs® in Kuapa Kai and Foodland in Koko Marina. We ate lunch at Panda Express® in the Hawai'i Kai Towne Center. Later, moms served Foremost® coffee ice cream for dessert. When all was said and done, the time was 1:30pm. I chatted briefly with moms and left before 2pm.

Given how late it was, I drove my Nissan® Frontier truck directly to Koko Marina. After finding shaded parking, I walked to the gym and performed my usual workout. Then, I shopped for my own groceries at Foodland. I returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) by 4pm, just in time to engage in the dreaded laundry chores.

I was somewhat fatigued for most of the day. The chinaman was playing his Chinese video games at full volume last night. At 1am, I finally knocked on his door and asked him to turn the noise down. Are people that stupid and inconsiderate? Yes, they are.

Lori had apparently tried to contact me a couple of days ago. From what I am to understand, she is now in the process of a divorce. She has already moved out of Hawai'i Kai and is staying at friends' places for the time being. In a week or so, she is moving to the North Shore where she claims to be opening up a bike shop. Lots of strange stuff going on these days.

Think Stupidity

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday ... same ol' shit. I happened to catch a glimpse of the hottie gym trainer while doing my workout at the gym. I ran into Professor Dan as I was leaving. He was also working out, but I did not see him earlier. We chatted for a few minutes. Before we parted ways, he mentioned that he had heard a rumor that Professor Darwin was terminated from the Diploma Mill very recently (as in the middle of the term).

About two hours of time was required for me to transport myself by bus from town to the Aina Haina Shopping Center. No need for details. Just think stupidity. I made a brief stop at Foodland before returning to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) at 4pm.

I was able to confirm that Professor Darwin has indeed been completely "erased" from the Diploma Mill site, much as I was completely "erased" about 1.5 years ago. Professor Darwin is a straight-up kind-of-a-guy. He was well liked by his students. I can only surmise that he was the victim of the intense political struggle that is on-going at the dump. There are many backstabbing fools at the Diploma Mill who will eventually reap what they sow. Unfortunately, I will not be there to witness their fall.

I neglected to mention that Ralph, a dean at HCC, said that he received a request from the sociopathic buddy for some kind of reference for rental housing. What happened to the sociopathic buddy's place? I have not heard from the sociopathic buddy, so I am no longer privy to his sleazy adventures.

You Know the Drill

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... you know the drill. Ralph, a dean at HCC, happened to stroll into the library while I was there. We ended up chatting for about 20 minutes. Aside from that, the routine was the same as usual. Who knew?