Day 63: THE HALF-YEAR OF LIVING SELFISHLY (via The Apostate Scientist Blog)

Thinking allowed. Not just allowed but expected. A delicious site.

I had a good time with this entry. I don’t totally agree which is, of course, a matter of little concern in these things. I do not hold myself as the ultimate authority of much and philosophy is definitely not something I have as strong a grasp as I should.

Good web site – Read!!

James Pilant

Day 63: THE HALF-YEAR OF LIVING SELFISHLY Freedom – you know it when you’ve got it and you know it when you haven’t. It’s an experience and has nothing to do with any observable circumstances. Take Hugh Lofting’s character, Dr Doolittle, for instance: desperate for the freedom to write, he threw a brick through a bank window and got himself put in prison. Interestingly, the animals who had been badgering him for help and dogging his footsteps and generally preventing him from writing bur … Read More

via The Apostate Scientist Blog

TEPCO: The Cat’s on the Roof (via Crooks and Liars)

Susie Madrak wrote this for the web site, Crooks and Liars. It’s not only clever, it’s how I feel about it. Everyday I think TEPCO is going to fall off the roof but somehow that cat survives another day.

James Pilant

Remember that old joke about the guy who went on vacation and left his brother home to watch his cat? The cat fell off the roof and died. When the brother called to ask how his cat was, his brother said, “I’m sorry to tell you that your cat just died.”

The brother was really upset and said, “You don’t just come out and say something like that. You should have prepared me. You could have said, ‘The cat’s on the roof, I’ve called the fire department, we’re trying to get him down’. That’s how you prepare someone for bad news: something like that.”

Then he asked his brother, “By the way, how’s mom?”

“She’s on the roof…” (Read it all!)

Again, Digvijaya targets civil society activists (via NDTV)

This video certainly gives one a postive view of the Indian press. That was a tough interview, the type we rarely see here in the United States. It appears that many players are in motion. I am sadly deficient in my knowledge of who the players are, but I’m catching up.

James Pilant

I noticed watching the interview that the English was easy for me to understand. I’m doubtful that Indians could understand much of my English.

Japan seals off no-go zone around nuclear plant (via Yahoo News)

“Fearing that the might not see their home for months,” talk about optimistic! Radiation does not leave in a few months. They are not going home. Maybe in years. Maybe.

James Pilant

From Yahoo News

Japan sealed off a wide area around a radiation-spewing nuclear power plant on Friday to prevent tens of thousands of residents from sneaking back to the homes they quickly evacuated, some with little more than a credit card and the clothes on their backs.

Fearing they might not see their homes again for months, evacuees raced into the deserted towns Thursday before the ban took effect to grab whatever belongings they could cram into their cars.

“This is our last chance, but we aren’t going to stay long. We are just getting what we need and getting out,” said Kiyoshi Kitajima, an X-ray technician, who dashed to his hospital in Futaba, a town next door to the plant, to collect equipment before the order took effect at midnight.


Couple Claims They Were Duped By Bank Into Foreclosure (via CBS Chicago)

The same sad story over and over again. The bank says no problem, sets up a trial period and then forecloses. It’s a trap.

The post says the family “claims” they were duped.

“Claims,” yeah right, we’ve seen this technique over and over again. The bank literally takes the property legally by manipulating the families into a “trial” period, which they will then (to no one’s surprise) find the deal inadequate and then foreclose.

For cruelty and cold blooded maliciousness, it would be hard to find worse.

James Pilant

CHICAGO (CBS) –- A local couple said they did what the bank told them to do—and now they are facing foreclosure on their home. As CBS 2’s Kristyn Hartman reports, it has happened to hundreds of thousands of homeowners.  The house they were happy to build, is now a source of hurt for LaRae Alvarado and her husband. They are fighting their home mortgage default—and they say it isn’t their fault. … Read More

via CBS Chicago

Female-to-female workplace bullying: Homespun theory on an imperfect storm (via Minding the Workplace)

David Yamada

One of my regrets is I don’t talk as much about workplace bullying as much as I should. It’s a controversial area with some claiming it doesn’t exist.

I’ve seen it. I don’t like it. We as a nation should do something about it. Legislation is necessary to address the issue.

I admire David Yamada and his blog and, in particular, his wilingness to keep going in a difficult struggle.

Please read this and subcribe to David’s blog.

James Pilant

Among the many aspects of workplace bullying worthy of examination, female-to-female aggression seems to push the hardest buttons when raised in everyday discussions, in person or online. Some of the angriest and most anguished comments come from female targets. Newspaper articles and blog posts (such as here) about female-to-female bullying prove quite popular among readers and trigger impassioned exchanges. I often have wondered, what is it abo … Read More

via Minding the Workplace

The True Battle of Chernobyl Uncensored (via The Buddhist Blog)

This is another web site where you can see the documentary, The True Battle of Chernobyl Uncensored. This site is very interesting. This particular entry is from 2008 but the blog is still going strong. I’d watch the documentary and then browse the other posts if I were you.James PilantThe True Battle of Chernobyl Uncensored.

 

1986 was a difficult year for the world. In January the United States saw the explosion of the space shuttle, Challenger during lift off. Then in April a man made disaster of epic proportions was triggered that rocked the then Soviet Union in Russia which affected the world as a result of the explosion of nuclear reactor #4 at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine.

I remember this accident vividly even though I was only 10 years old. The true reality of the extent of the damage wasn’t fully known for some time due to the censorship of the Communist Party of the USSR but now 22 years later the true story is finally being told.

And just yesterday I discovered a stellar, brilliant documentary (viewable at the bottom of this post) that compiles all the information known up to the present regarding the Chernobyl nightmare. It is beyond sobering but a must view due to the current push to build more nuclear reactors in the face of global warming and the current oil crisis. (Click here to see the rest.)

{Elisabeth Sladen died yesterday.}Doctor Who Companions Profiles, Elisabeth Sladen (Sarah Jane Smith) (via SparkyGerbil)

I was surprised by her death. I didn’t know she had cancer. I’m surprised about how much the news has upset me. You see, back when I was a teenager, the first “Dr. Who” episodes I saw were of the fourth doctor, Tom Baker and his companion, Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen). She was a great actress, she brough a lot of strength to the role, playing a strong ballsy woman able to handle herself – and she looked really, really good in a pair of slacks. (I was a teenager, remember.)

This is a fan video. I thought it appropriate. For a good Sarah Jane Episode, watch Pyramids of Mars.

James Pilant

The True Battle of Chernobyl Uncensored (92 min) (via Picasso Dreams)

This documentary is chilling look at the Chernobyl disaster with all the benefits of hindsight. I was familiar with the original coverage – this is way beyond this. Fron just a serious nuclear incident in the popular press, this documentary shows you a cataclysm that Gorbachav explains was one of the causes of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Please watch it!

James Pilant

You can get this video at –

Fukushima update for today 4/20/11 (MsMilkytheclown)

This is a very good summary of the situation as of today. This is, however, a “gotcha” video where they veer off into obscenity laden rants. There is no problem – just click out a little after three minutes into the video.

James Pilant