Someone, somewhere, had an idea one day. They said "Hey...what if...just what IF! NO no no...hear me out. WHAT IF we actually helped some third world countries take care of themselves so that LATER they didn't become a breeding ground for all manner of ne'erdowells?" It's a pretty good premise. I can attest now, first hand, that security, at least in the seas that surround many West African countries, is in a sad state of disrepair. Here's what that causes to the West Africans. There...
Naval tradition. The two words are often synonymous in the US Navy. Particularly for a musician, hereafter referred to as “MU.” Much of what MUs do is so wrapped up in ceremony that, for us, the line between tradition and the Navy is a very thin, very fuzzy one. One look at non-MU sailors at work (which you’ll never see on the 7 o’clock news) is different from one look at an MU (which you just might see on the news). Coveralls are well named if you’re referring to paint and other unknown...
Hiya JUs! I seem to be able to log on to the ole blogsite ok from my home aboard ship, so I sent Mari (my wife) a batch of pictures from our first gig to upload for me. Bandwidth out to sea is pretty narrow for uploading, but emailing seemed to work ok. So for those interested, I'll be posting some pics here from time to time. We departed on this trip, bound for countries along the coast of West Africa, from Rota, Spain. But prior to leaving, they (yes, the ubiquitous they), wanted us ...
In about a week, I leave home again to float around the coast of West Africa bringing American rock and roll to the denizens of several African countries. I'll be back (hopefully) before Christmas (not that Mari and I are really attached to the holiday, but friends and family are, so we celebrate it with them.) LW and MM, I'll send you an e-mail from the ship once we have e-mail addresses there. Letters are always appreciated on deployments. Be well, all. Ock
As a child, I sat in stunned silence in front of the television as Neal Armstrong set foot on the only non-terrestrial object man has ever visited; the Moon. Later, in my teen years, I would walk down the street to an open area (our home was surrounded with pine trees) to lay on the ground and look up at the stars. It is my love of the universe that prompted me to contact an organization that encourages our children to look up. And not just to look up, but to encourage those that might b...
I've said it before. I use this site to spew a random amount of stuff into the blogosphere. And once again, I thank the creators of it for the space to do just that. Today's spewage is a dedication to a wonderful woman. I am a lucky lucky man, and I'll tell ya...it took me a long time to get lucky. (*rimshot*) Dear Mari, I just wanted to tell you that I love you - here - in public. You're brilliantly intelligent. You're an awesome cook. You put up with me, and that, by itself,...
Hiya folks. I have just returned from a 6 day tour on the island of Cyprus where I was honored to play American rock, pop, hip-hop for Cyprian lads and lasses in several high schools. It's part of a cultural exchange hosted by the American Embassy there. My recruiter wasn't kidding - I AM an ambassador for foreign countries. And damn proud of it. Last year, a different group that is part of the Commander Naval Forces Europe Band went to Cyprus. After they had set up to play, a guy app...
Somewhere around 1994 I began to read a fantasy epic series called "The Wheel of Time." I learned a really good lesson about reading series of books - namely - don't start the series until it is finished. It's a really good series if you like the genre, but five books into it, I found out that I'd have to wait to continue. Two years passed before the next one came out, and I bought it immediately and finished it in short order, and then....two more years. Good god. Write faster, RJ..."...
RFID. That's what they're called. These are tiny microchips that can track what you buy, where you buy it, where you are, etc...etc... I recently watched a popular net video called "Zeitgeist: The Movie." You can google it for yourself. The movie is fairly anti-Bush, going so far as to point out that Prescott Bush, the grandfather of our preseident and the father of our ex-president was a financier of the Nazi party. Ok, it's Michael Moorish - admitted. The movie was in three par...
Ok, maybe this isn't philosophy, per se . It's just a little quiz. Oughta be really easy. Here's the question. Who of the following was born on December 25th, born of a virgin, signalled by a star in the east, was killed, was dead for three days, and then was resurrected to ascend into heaven? A. Horus B. Jesus Christ C. Mithra D. All of the above E. None of the above Have fun.
This post contains stuff that some people don't want to realize. If you're not sure whether or not you're one of those people, then please go away. I doubt my arguments and supplications would sway you anyway, and I don't want to top it off with any ranting about how I offended your sacred sensitivites. Oh..and it also has a few curse words, too. Leave now, or forever hold your peace. Dear lord and savior. Dear God. Please forgive me for the words I'm about to write, but I just ...
The sad thing is, my Dad, a retired full bird Colonel in the USAF who was in Viet Nam, was born on September, 11. Now he doesn't want to celebrate his birthday anymore. I've asked him, on my wife's suggestion, to have a half-year birthday on March 11. Maybe he'll go for that. In any case, I started looking at 9/11 in history, and thought some people might be interested in the other things that have happened on that day. So here it is. September 11, 1995 Eastern Tennessee begins...
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. Genesis 4:1 Adam knew her. I wonder if someday the Newest Translation Bible will say it how it is. Adam had sex with his wife. Is it so abhorrent a thing? Well, maybe. See the part where eating a fruit makes your genitals something to be ashamed of. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And ...
And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. Genesis 4:1 Adam knew her. I wonder if someday the Newest Translation Bible will say it how it is. Adam had sex with his wife. Is it so abhorrent a thing? Well, maybe. See the part where eating a fruit makes your genitals something to be ashamed of. 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And ...
Don't take my tone here as ascerbic as it reads. I don't intend it that way. To quote George Carlin, "I just get pissed, goddammit!" I see it every election year. Somebody suggests that if you don't vote, you have no right to complain about what happens next. And quite frankly, I'm about sick of it. Listen, folks - picking hemlock over curare doesn't improve your chances any. I do NOT vote. I don't vote because I think we've outgrown our current system and that politicans are abso...