Celebrating 30 years of Progressive Ideas and Technology that works.

The NCSU Solar House (click here) serves as a resource for industry, citizens and students by demonstrating renewable energy possibilities, clean transportation technologies and energy efficient design principles.

Dedicated and opened to the public in 1981, the Solar House at North Carolina State University is one of the most visible and visited solar buildings in the United States. Over the last two decades, more than 250,000 people from around the world have toured the facility.

Robert Stone has a very desperate agenda. He wants a politically viable solution to CO2 emissions.

I feel bad for him. The film doesn't explore all the facts available. The graph I thought examined energy alternatives wasn't about energy at all it was about deaths within the energy industry. He points to the lowest death rate being in the nuclear energy arena and points to industrial deaths of solar panels.

Mr. Stone knows very well China produces most of the solar panels in the world within a communist country where there are no unions or OSHA or lacking human rights violations. It was last week Siemens has shut down it's solar production industry because China under sells their product. So, the point about solar causing industrial deaths amounts to 'consider the source,' because there are none affiliated with USA production.

Stone is attempting to reinvigorate the nuclear power plant as a Democratic answer to the Climate Crisis. His premise is that providing nuclear power will eliminate the need for hydraulic fracturing. He tries to dispel any myth that all nuclear plants are bad things. He states the "Breeder Reactor" is not the horrible machine everyone makes it out to be and would be the best bridge to sanity because of the corruption of the Political Right Wing and the petroleum industry. Basically, that is what this film is about. If the Democrats can sell nuclear power to the electorate we have half a chance at actually having a planet to live on.

He believes the Liberals of the USA have been stupid and allows negative ATTITUDES about nuclear power to cause a growth in other forms of more dangerous energy such as hydrofraking. Quite possibly. But, all I know is that when President Obama stated the EPA was going to regulate CO2 emissions, the following week an oil plant was demolished including four stakes.

Oil plant demolition in Port Everglades part of a nationwide trend to decommission inefficient, costly, and polluting facilities. (click here) 
July 16, 2013 
Anyone who happened to be scanning the skyline in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at 6:45 a.m. Tuesday witnessed a startling transformation. In the space of a minute, the four towering 350-foot-high, candy cane-striped smokestacks at Florida Power & Light's Port Everglades oil-burning power plant—a local landmark for the past half-century—abruptly imploded and crumbled into rubble.... 

Mr. Stone wants to roll back all the negativity about Breeder Reactors and there is plenty and make them the savior of us all. What Mr. Stone forgets is that is nothing short of passing on the problem to the next generation, it resolves nothing. There is so much money spent on energy plants in the USA, to make these enormous investments in the billions upon billions in nuclear energy knowing that new and better sources of completely benign energy won't be realized for another half century or more is waving the white flag of political defeatism.

If those monies are spent on nuclear plants the Great Lakes will never be harnessed.

...Fast-breeder technology (click here) is almost as old as nuclear power. But after almost two decades in the wilderness, it could be poised to take off. The U.S. corporation GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is promoting a reactor design called the PRISM (for Power Reactor Innovative Small Modular) that its chief consulting engineer and fast-breeder guru, Eric Loewen, says is a safe and secure way to power the world using yesterday’s nuclear waste.... 

GE. Jeffery Immelt. No wonder. 

Mr. Stone sat in a film festival venue about a mile maybe from a lake known as Lake Michigan that has some of the best wind maps for wind power in the nation making light of all the sins of the past of the nuclear energy with some SUIT from DC in the audience.

Do I have to state how completely ludicrous this is? The only reason Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes aren't harnessed for their wind capacity is the petroleum industry while Snyder plays footsie with the Koch Brothers and their natural gas profiteering that will fund their political agenda for the next three generations.

Mr. Stone has given up on the fact Americans are capable of actually making good decisions and only sell out to what is lucrative for Wall Street to harness the USA Treasury for funding. Basically, Americans are the fools Wall Street believes them to be. Honestly, sir? You have given up on any integrity left in the American citizen? That is a very sorry state to find oneself in a relationship with the American public. I would think that especially sad for a filmmaker. A documentary no less.

Alternative energies do not include Breeder Nuclear Reactors. Alternative Energies have finally gotten a foothold and now they should take a back seat to this idiocy once again. The Alternative Energy Industry has to be developed and when one takes the billions upon billions to build a Wall Street Breeder Reactor, the USA could have more than enough funding for real changes to the source of it's electrical grid from alternative sources.

To say I was not impressed by this ? agenda ? is an understatement. I think I am ready to give up on Robert Stone now. 

I hope the Canadian side of the Great Lakes will move forward without the permission of the USA to harness the wind energy available. Canada can sell their electricity to the USA and Michigan will finally have what it wants rather than waiting for a dysfunctional political agenda to continue to fail. Canada should not wait and simply get on with it.

I need to cover two other films, but, I'll do that tomorrow.

This is profound film. There is no other word for it. It goes places where films don't ever go.

Mark Cousins made a voyage to the Kurdistan, Iraq town of Goptapa (click here). The film hit me at so many levels I have to state as profound as this film is I don't completely consent to it, except I know, or I at least think I know why Mark did this.

To begin I had had enough of war documentaries and avoiding stupid films like The Hurt Locker. So, I made a promise to myself I was not going to view anymore documentaries about any war from anywhere. Then, I made this exception. I am glad I did. 

I have to start by recognizing the pure genius of Mark Cousins. His very rich life of experiences has come alive in this film. He achieved the most incredible reaches into the human spirit with this film. He has to know what he did here. It is so pure, innocent and wonderful at one level; it is safe to say that nothing like this has been achieved before.

At the end of the film after being enamored with the people and their experiences with Mark at Goptapa I realized the film was made in 2009. Those folks have changed a bit since then and some have grown a bit, but, there is also a continuing civil war in the region. So, becoming attached to the subject of Mark's film is not an option for me. Those folks are in danger, regardless, of this being Kurdistan, Iraq.

This film never intended or edited to provide an appreciation of militias, but, I found an appreciation in it. I thank that militia, for as nearly invisible as they are in the film, for the safety of Mark and his crew even through they had their own security guards. If the local militia didn't consent to strangers in their town during Ramadan I am not sure what would have occurred with this film venture.

The local militia are very trusted by the children. The children love them. But, they are there for very practical reasons and not reasons of war. Let me state that again, "The militia in Goptapa are there for very practical reasons and not reasons of war." Their invisible presence reminded me of the town in Israel where every house has a gun in the closet and it is not unusual for members of each household to band together to protect their interests, including their families. 

This is a species of Jackle found in Iraq. The Jackles could be heard at night in Goptapa. The children were in their beds while the Jackles were howling and prowling. Hence, purpose to the militias. The nitch this species  belongs to in Iraq is similar to the American Coyote. 

Before I criticize any of the content of Mark's work I want to first state the film is delightful. It has so much wonderful content and I am more than pleased these people are safe, somewhat happy and alive to tell their stories and experience "Mark's World." The people are so enriching. Their world so scoured with sorrow and yet they are so brave and wonderfully engaged in their reality. They don't deny it. Their past lives are with them, but, to some extent that is more human than Iraqi or Kurdish, but, also very Muslim.

Mark chose wisely in his location. This was more safe than not within Iraq. The Kurds are less worried about folks from The West than other regions of Iraq. He did exceptionally well in his own bravery in choosing Goptapa.

My only problem with the film, is not the reference to the 'chemical rain' and the days of people suffering from exposure to Saddam's chemical weapons, but, the contextualized history of those deaths are left to justify the invasion into that country by the USA. Mark does not seek to justify it, but, the relief one finds for those people provides that understanding.

What is not contextualized about Goptapa is the very real fact the chemical rain was our fault. The West provided those people with Saddam Hussein and it was The West that ultimately had to remove him. 

What also is not contextualized in the reality of Goptapa was the real reason Iraq was invaded by Bush and Cheney. It was not to relieve the suffering of the people, but, it was for the oil.

The exploitation of the future of this land is all too evident. The petroleum industry has plans to build an oil processing facility next to the river. A river I might add that feeds these people with irrigation water. Not just ordinary irrigation water, but, clean irrigation water. This land will eventually be submerged for a reservoir which will take the oil processing plant's future pollution to a new height.

So, while I delighted at the film, the process in creating this masterpiece and it's many emotional highs and lows, there were some real worries about the context of the film and the permission it gives for people that want to find a reason to carry out illegal and immoral wars.

The other aspect of history not covered by a Northern Ireland native was the reality that Iraq's current civil war can be traced back to the empire building of Great Britain. The Brits came into the Middle East and drew lines in the sand. Literally, "This is Iraq, this is Kuwait and may the two never meet on any reasonable and peaceful ground." When the Brits drew lines in the sand they corralled there distinct ethnicities into the borders of one country. It was that reality followed by the "Saddam Hussein Assignment of Power," that now has Iraq torn and waring against itself. 

Hussein was put in Iraq to indulge The West it's oil. 

I love the film. I have never experienced anything like it and anyone who denies it is unmatched in it's complete indulgence of beauty of the land and the people; are lying. The entire film is indulgent of spiritual beauty of the land and the people. I have never witnessed such profound innocence and joyfulness before.

I thank Mark Cousins for this experience. I thank the people of Goptapa for their wonderful peaceful lives as captured in this film and I thank the children for every bit of innocent beauty they all have compliments of their families and the city called Goptapa. Everyone without exception should see this film. It does have subtitles at times, but, Mark narrates much of this film, even teenagers would appreciate it. Perhaps, it is the innocence of teens that might appreciate it the most in a world of USA performance pressure and early abandonment of their innocence.

It was a military incident.

It is obvious. The initial explosion happened outside the aircraft. Nothing else dictates the evidence still available. There was tampering with the evidence by the FBI. The tampering of evidence is on closed circuit camera footage. That is an automatic breach in forensic evidence and nullifies the NTSB findings.

It was not terrorism. The fault lies in understanding where the ships were in the area from the nearby military facility and whether or not TWA 800 was in commercial airspace or wandered outside of it. The place where the missiles were fired from is known to have ship in that exact place. That fact was discovered during the 15 year investigation, is documented from valid sources and was discovered after the eyewitness evidence.

There is redundancy in the evidence, too. It was a cover up. The media wanted to bury the incident as a failure of the aircraft and support the airline industry. That is more than obvious.

Recently, the filmmakers were approached by CNN to put their documentary in the same discussion with "Sole Survivor" and out of context to the film. Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer were asked why they did NOT fact check the statements by the government at that time and Blitzer stated, "It is not our responsibility to fact check so much as report their POINT OF VIEW."

The media has been completely negligent to the facts surrounding this incident. The public bought the media reports and that investigation was closed to any real DISPLAY of PROOF of what the government was stating. 

The filmmaker has been investigating this airline crash for 15 year. There is significant information in that 15 year investigation. The filmmaker made no speculations about the military involvement. That was me. They did not propagate that POINT OF VIEW.

06/19/2013

...The effort to reopen the probe (click here) is being made in tandem with the release next month of a documentary that features the testimony of former investigators who raise doubts about the NTSB's conclusion that the crash was caused by a center fuel tank explosion, probably caused by a spark from a short-circuit in the wiring.

In a petition seeking to reopen the probe, they say they have "reviewed the FAA radar evidence along with new evidence not available to the NTSB during the official investigation and contend that the NTSB's probable cause determination is erroneous and should be reconsidered and modified accordingly."...

The current MIND SET by the media and this is from "abc News" is that the reopening of the investigation has something to do with the release of the film. YA THINK. There is NO collusion by the government with the filmmakers. That was obvious as well in the post screening Q&A.

The NTSB has to accept the 15 years of investigative information when they re-evaluate the case. The 15 years includes actual scientifically based tests on the materials of this aircraft type. This INDEPENDENT study has documented proof of their conclusion. 

The federal government doesn't have to agree with the conclusion, but, 15 years is a long time and to think the same tests were never performed by the FBI or CIA or the NTSB is worrisome. There is documented and scientifically based evidence that supports this INDEPENDENT study of the crash. It would be wrong to exclude it and allow everyone to continue to speculate about further findings in regard to this case.

This case cannot be dismissed as public hysteria. That is not the case here.

Ya know, when I attend film festivals and I've been to others besides TCFF; the people one meets is nearly as interesting as the film itself. 

In the case of "God Love Uganda," it was not all anti-Bush/Cheney folks rooting for the completely incompetent practice of extremist NGOs. There were Christians in the audience that had volunteered for these missions. There were also parents of teenagers and young people that worked for these NGOs, "Doing God's will and work." They wanted to know more than I did about the film. They wanted to know the lies and understand what actually 'went on.' See, the young people were building resumes, so the reports home were nothing but flowery and positive. 

In the case of the TWA 800 film, the most interesting person was not in the theater, she was outside. After I came out of the theater I was standing at the driveway waiting for a ride, when she stepped next to me. I started talking about MY POINT OF VIEW of the film and she stated "I didn't see it." I was surprised and then she explained why she was standing there, but, she didn't leave. As a matter of fact another man came to stand on the other side of me that had seen the film. He and I started to talk about what we had witnessed inside and we noticed an emotional reaction from the woman next to me. I asked her if she was alright and she stated, "I lost both my parents in an airline crash." She was older with gray hair. I apologized to her and she stated she avoided this film for that reason. She stated she was interested in what we were discussing, so the gentleman and I continued.

When the discussion waned and we were going our own way to our next films, she stated she never was confused about the death of her parents. When I asked her to explain she stated, "My parents' flight crashed off Nova Scotia. Canada did a magnificent job of obtaining evidence from everywhere and answering every question we had. We were not neglected and our peace of mind was vitally important to them. The loss of my parents still effects me, but, I know how and why they died. I have never doubted the cause."

Most of the people at film festivals are not politically motivated. They are interested in the topic. They aren't looking for an edge to gossip, they are average Americans that want to know what they didn't know before. They are truth seekers. It is easy to find people 'of the same mind' at a film festival and if that means it has political content then it is, but, they or I are not there for political reasons. We are there for the truth and we celebrate each other with the truth as we understand it. The conversation is as important as the film.

If you don't understand that, too bad.

It is important the NTSB completely re-investigates this case and provides peace of mind to the families and friends of the dead. The NTSB didn't do that last time, but, they need to do it now. The jet is still in the hanger, tampered evidence and all. I am sure the FBI agents can still be found that tampered with the evidence and gave false information to the investigators and obstructed the NTSB from taking photos and basically doing their work. It all needs to brought forward to set the record straight. The federal government can offer the wayward agents immunity to get to the truth if necessary.

There needs to be information from the military regarding all the activity in the area. It MUST be included, in detail, in the final report on this case.They also need to include the closed circuit television tapes of the evidence tampering, too. I am sure the filmmaker will have some helpful information to make it easier to get all that straighten out since it all seems like yesterday to them.

McDonald's Millionaire Monopoly Game is committing fraud.

See as winners of the "Free Food" game pieces we are suppose to worship the "Be Happy, Be Grateful" God that McDonald's is promoting in their game.

It has come to my attention the Free Food game piece winner of "Free Breakfast Sandwich, Except, McMuffin" is not sincerely honest. McDonald's is committing fraud because the game piece I was provided and tried to achieve the goal of the permission it provides didn't achieve the goal at all.

I went to the McDonald's in Traverse City, Michigan this morning and it was quite a scene. Unfortunately it wasn't on tape, but, I got the Manager to admit they are not dealing with the public honestly.

McDonald's only provides what is normally on the dollar menu to this particular game piece. Therefore, the item Breakfast Burrito is NOT allowed even though it is a Breakfast Sandwich Item. Either the Management of the Millionaire Monopoly Game doesn't like Mexican American Food enough to realize some people actually like burritos or they are simply don't deem a burrito in high esteem.

There are no other written restrictions on this Free Food game token and the only sandwich considered worthy of being given to the pathetic American participant is one off the dollar menu. So, for all those that have received this game piece and never was provided a Breakfast Burrito as a breakfast sandwich item I am making this complaint.

McDonald's Monopoly Game is committing fraud and needs to be audited. I am quite certain this is not the only item where there is fraud.

In all honesty, Mr. Schumer, this is all "Mind Speak."

We have been here before with Russia. Russia does not extradite in POLICY. We know that and just because Schumer wants to politically grandstand it means absolutely nothing to the international community. Any demonstrations of temper tantrums by the USA that prohibits forward movement of peace and non-proliferation only validates the understanding the USA throws it's weight around rather than acting on diplomacy.

If the Democrats are going to PLAY THE POLITICS of the EXTREMISTS by stamping their feet at the allowance of Edward Snowden into Russia it will prove beyond any statement otherwise that the Right Wing has control over the political dialogue of the USA and the Russians again have proven the people of the USA simply don't matter to their government. 

The more the Democrats carry on, the more it validates the actions of Edward Snowden. Mr. Snowden is not the problem. Carlyle is the problem. Wall Street is the problem. War is the problem. The exploitation of the USA federal government system by opportunists of Wall Street such as Hedge Funds is the problem. Idiots such as Michael Hayden that promotes propaganda is the problem.

July 31, 2013
Billionaire hedge fund manager William Ackman (click here) chose the morning of the last day of July to announce his biggest investment ever, a $2.2 billion bet his Pershing Square hedge fund made to take a 9.8% stake in Air Products & Chemicals APD -1.28%. Then things fell apart.
An activist investor running a $13 billion hedge fund, Ackman is a big swinging type of investor who tries to hit huge home runs with each of his concentrated investments in his relatively narrow portfolio. But two of his biggest investments tanked on Wednesday....

The Democrats are once again playing stupid politics by actually validating the positions of the Tea Party and Right Wing Extremists. Carlyle is the problem. If I were a Democrat running for office I would remember that. Pandering to OLD WORLD political cronies is simply that. OLD WORLD. The USA political system is stuck in a rut and it serves the DYSFUNCTION in Washington, DC on both sides of the aisle.

The USA is sanctioning hate and death in Africa by NGO Chrisitan Fundamentalists.

What is there to say. Bush's Supreme Court stated separation of church and state is not absolute. Now we are sanctioning the deaths of people through disease and promoting hate based in religious dogma. I never said this was okay. I never stated faith based initiatives were okay in a foreign nation with delicate health status of it's citizens with governments that already hate gays.

I never agreed to this. The first act of Bush the day he got into office in 2001 was to cut the funding to Planned Parenthood in countries where the people considered it to be benevolent. So, instead of adding to the health of women, Bush sent hate instead. Real good.

They don't represent me in any nation, including the USA. 

Bush's AIDS effort was to bring about a compassionate face to this offensive by the Religious Right. If one can't prevent HIV with a condom, then why not treat it with drugs. Besides, the drugs would increase pharmaceutical companies profit margin. It is more than appropriate African nations produce their own medications for the treatment of HIV, but, Fundamentalist Christian NGOs don't belong in Africa.

This film was astounding. It is amazing to realize The West provides plenty of 'red meat' to rouge countries.

It is extremely well done. The filmmaker was harassed by the USA Consulate when he applied for his travel papers. From some very strange reason that I simply don't understand the USA Consulate was under the impression he wasn't wanted in the USA. Imagine that. A filmmaker being impeded in his travel to a country where Freedom of Speech is so important. Hard to believe, but, when I heard the obstruction at LAX after the travel papers were issued;I realized I heard that story before. Okay, then.

"Trust"

"It isn't exactly a documentary. It is more general cinema, but, it is an excellent examination of child sexual assault. It is a really good film for any parent's group. It also has an African American woman in a powerful position to retrieve the family from the brink of dissolving. Really good film.

Still yet another reason to get rid of the guns. Oh, getting rid of guns is inflammatory and politically dangerous. But, watching the death toll, no problem.

1 August 2013 Last updated at 19:34 ET

By Rebecca Morelle Science reporter, BBC World Service

 

Shifts in climate are strongly linked (click here) to increases in violence around the world, a study suggests.

US scientists found that even small changes in temperature or rainfall correlated with a rise in assaults, rapes and murders, as well as group conflicts and war.
The team says with the current projected levels of climate change, the world is likely to become a more violent place.
The study is published in Science.
Marshall Burke, from the University of California, Berkeley, said: "This is a relationship we observe across time and across all major continents around the world. The relationship we find between these climate variables and conflict outcomes are often very large."
The researchers looked at 60 studies from around the world, with data spanning hundreds of years....

Paulson set himself up real good, didn't he?

He or most of his buddies could NOT be prosecuted and they all dumped on the French Fry Guy (rather that the true blue Freedom Fry Guys) from the University of Chicago.

Amazing. 

Why not scapegoat one person just for the 'red meat' political folks out there?

By Ben Protesse
August 1, 2013

Fabrice Tourre, (click here) the former Goldman Sachs trader at the center of a toxic mortgage deal sold to investors on the eve of the financial crisis, was found liable on Thursday for civil securities fraud.

Five years after the crisis, he is the only employee of a big American bank to lose a courtroom battle to Wall Street’s top regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The S.E.C. took only a handful of employees to court over the crisis, but most cases were settled.

After two days of deliberation, the nine-person jury concluded that Mr. Tourre misled investors about the mortgage deal, capping a more than two-week civil trial in one of the most prominent cases involving the 2008 crisis.

Of the seven charges facing Mr. Tourre, the jury found him liable on six.

Mr. Tourre, a 34-year-old Frenchman who is enrolled in a doctoral economics program at the University of Chicago, now faces a fine, or worse, a ban from the Wall Street. The verdict raises questions about his lawyers’ decision not call a single witness, a show of confidence that failed to impress the jury....

Mr. Snowden is a national hero in more than Russia. He should get on with enjoying Moscow for the next year.

Mr. Snowden should not compromise his status in Russia.

WE'VE GOT THIS NOW, Edward. 

Promise.

If you want to be strong, you need to be strong, too. You need to write on a personal page or blog how life is going. We and your new Russian friends might be able to help you navigate your new temporary home. Many people are relieved you are okay.

WASHINGTON, August 1 (RIA Novosti) – Russia’s decision (click here) to grant temporary asylum to fugitive former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden deals a blow to bilateral ties, US lawmakers said Thursday.

“Regardless of the fact that Russia is granting asylum for one year, this action is a setback to US-Russia relations,” US Sen. Robert Menendez saidin a statement Thursday, hours after Snowden’s lawyer in Moscow announced his client had been granted one year asylum in Russia and left a transit zone at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport.

The White House had not commented on the report as of Thursday morning but was expected to make a statement later in the day....

I am sorry to hear some members of Congress are using this problem for political purposes. Opposing Russia is not where the USA should be. Russia has provided a safe haven to someone that was leaking information with a provision he will not leak anymore USA material. That is an act of friendship by Russia. They have admitted Edward Snowden to Russia because they don't extradite. That is their sovereign right and they, no different than the USA, do not violate long standing policy. 

The USA needs to continue to work with Russia on many issues, including, non-proliferation, Iran's nuclear program, the talks with North Korea and securing our peoples away from the very real and increasing threat of the Climate Crisis. 

Russia has proven itself worthy in many ways to be affiliated with the USA on much larger issues than a computer hacker who worked for Carlyle. I have said this before and I'll say it again and again; Mr. Snowden is not the problem; Carlyle and equity companies like Carlyle ARE the problem. Wall Street is out of control and has become predatory. We need to stop it.

"A Conputer Driven Life"

They pissed me off. They should not have pissed me off. You can control my steering wheel, dig into my online computer capacity, but, you will never stop my thought processes. As a matter of fact the further along this computer dominated EXISTENCE proceeds in the USA, the more thought processes I have.

Twilight Zone. Americans are sheep and never think anything through. Scary.

PALO ALTO, Calif.— Drivers here already gawk (click here) at Google's self-driving car zipping around the freeways. In California, Nevada, Florida and the District of Columbia, the future of transportation is now: All four jurisdictions are setting ground rules for self-driving cars on the roads.

The trend is spreading. In this year's legislative sessions, nine more states debated driverless car bills. While most of the bills died in committees, Michigan's bill is likely to pass by the end of the year with support from Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, a former tech titan who advocated for the new car technology....

What will happen to Mad Max when his driveless car delivers him to a trial by computer? "Dying Time is Here."

Oh, no a computer glitch and Mad Max had a fatal accident on the way to trial by corporate computer.

Oops. We need Alfred Hitchcock back to create a movie called "The Cars."

Food for thought.

I heard a broadcast on NPR yesterday where Michigan wants to eliminate the state income tax. Something like $8.1 million.

It ticked a long held believe I have about this Republican paradigm so I may as well just put my thoughts out here about this idiocy.

What if any government that collects taxes through VOLUNTARY submission of tax forms didn't need any voluntary submission. Basically, when a person files their required tax filings it is somewhat voluntary. The IRS has information about income and the like, but, one still has to file.

What if that wasn't necessary? What if there was no need for the IRS? What if governments could collect taxes second by second as all those that use their credit cards online can spend their hard earned dollars in a blink of an eye. What if the government used the Wall Street method of split-second money making?

What if there was a General Use Sales Tax at every level of government instead of income taxes? Great idea, right? I mean the government could continue to leverage the Poor and Middle Class when they purchase good at Sam's Club or Walmart. That should not be a concern, they aren't paying income tax after all.

But, what stops the government if Americans decide it is completely out of control? What stops the government at any level from receiving REVENUE? 

Once a General Use Sales Tax is instituted by government at any level it turns it loose to conduct itself without regard to the citizen. Why vote? The government runs on automatic and we go about our daily lives. Why bother with government at all? Just let Corporate America take over the lives of Americans and simply divide up their chunk of the dollars received through the General Use Sales Tax. 

Now, when I hear the GOP ranting and raving about the IRS SCANDAL I am grateful they are still ranting and raving and pretending there is a scandal. The GOP is attempting to get on every citizen's LAST NERVE so they can have their corporate paradigm become reality.

Government of by and for the corporation. What could be better? After all Microsoft has this 'keyword' national security 'thing' down pat by now.

That form of SPYING on citizens is ACTIVE surveillance and NOT passive surveillance. Keywords. There was no offshore anything that one would consider the type of METADATA described by the government to be sought in their surveillance. I don't make calls to offshore ANYTHING. Nor do I receive calls from offshore anything. 

My "File G" will tickle the Microsoft Crawler FOREVER because they'll NEVER find it. 

I will have my CUSTOM MADE DESKTOP professionally scanned and rebooted before I hook up my offline files again. Shame on everyone.

This is what Microsoft was looking for. It has absolutely nothing to do with any online update.

NTFS Log

NTFS is a journaling file system and uses the NTFS Log ($LogFile) to record metadata changes to the volume.

It was looking for File G in the NTFS Log. I never do any online dialing like "skype" or music downloads. Never do. It is not something I trust, so I just don't do it.

I also have an autonomous "File G." The computer would have a memory of that. Microsoft won't find it. It is a large plug in memory storage unit. I only use it offline. I don't want it corrupted.

The request literally stated, "I would do this if I were you." It was huge. It had three steps and it was seeking to validate security codes.

It was all Blue Screen. It stated it removed about 30 or more files. I am not the least bit worried because I don't store my personal data or what I would consider to be important and personal information on the computer. That large offline file never sees the light of day. It was specially made for me and I paid for it myself through a commercial enterprise. We did not break the law.

I sincerely don't care what Microsoft took. I have stated before there is nothing here I am concerned about. 

And, Oh, by the way. I am allowed to have a warehouse of large offline storage if I want to, so go straight to hell. 

The files I use for looking at satellites demand a large capacity.

The government needs to get out of my life. There isn't anything here you bastards and now everyone knows and this is Wall Street in cooperation with NSA.

Michael Moore...

...I mention I am attending the Traverse City Film Festival and come home to AN INTERVENTION by Microsoft stating they want to examine my disk drives.

Why is that, Michael Moore?

This is not the first time this has happened. It has happened before. Michael Moore appears on my computer and all of a sudden Microsoft wants to evaluate the drives on my computer. No lie.

I guess everyone that goes to the Traverse City Film Festival has super secret Michael Moore files downloaded onto their computers.

Amazing.

I swear on a stack of whatever book you want me to swear on, Microsoft must have a crawler in cyberworld looking for certain combinations of words and when "Michael Moore" or "Traverse City Film Festival" or "The State Theater" appear together the crawler automatically believes it is a conspiracy to be investigated.

Has to be. One time. Okay. But, twice? No way. There is not that much coincidence in the world. 

You know part of what Wall Street does is PROVE to the White House how careful they are with the nation's security. How much of a PARTNER they can be. They don't belong seeking permission to examine my files stating, "I would do this if I were you." and they sure as hell don't belong interpreting the national security of the USA.

Caught ya. 

Snowden.

CARLYLE. 

Hello?

People should be giving this guy some respect. He has a heroes following in Russia without being in the country.

Patricia Zengerle and Alina Selyukh Reuters

6:15 p.m. CDT, July 31, 2013

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New revelations (click here) from former security contractor Edward Snowden that U.S. intelligence agencies have access to a vast online tracking tool came to light on Wednesday, as lawmakers put the secret surveillance programs under greater scrutiny.

The Guardian, citing documents from Snowden, published National Security Agency training materials for the XKeyscore program, which the British newspaper described as the NSA's widest-reaching system that covers "nearly everything a typical user does on the Internet."...

Less than six weeks after Mr. Snowden left a six figure job and leaked information that exposed the underbelly of the NSA there was a vote in the US House that nearly passed. It nearly passed because of the actions of Mr. Snowden. 

I think he is still waiting for a temporary asylum in Russia. He knows there hearings in the USA about the NSA program. Now, especially, since the most recent vote. He wants to make sure the NSA doesn't lie. 

I was chatting with a DOD employee today and of course all this came up. He laughed and stated, the DOD lies about most everything. Which brings me to my next point. Secretary Hagel is bemoaning the Defense Department Budget Cuts.

Too bad. We've heard it all before. January is just THE NEXT ROUND of "The Sequester." Get over it. It is going to happen.

The F-35 is NOT a technological edge. It is a piece of junk. Hagel can remove that from his bag of tricks and his budget will be just fine. No one else wants it, why should the people of the USA buy it either?

Why throw good money after bad?