How Do They Do It?

I blame the Book of Face. It sucks up all my writing. It is tweeting without a hashtag.
How the heck do all those bloggers out there work the free ice cream machine so, apparently, well. I mean, I follow about a dozen daily blogs and deeply appreciate that the owners can update every day. Usually more than one entry.
Of course, some are aggregates, with nothing but links. Others are writers, putting up their own essays or commentaries.
I appreciate all of them.
Mayhap I can improve my mad-writing skills by trying a bit harder to get a post up more often.

Question, question, question

Happy Marmot Day to all you Alaskans.
Weather prognostication by way of small furry mammals is still a chancy way of life. What if the observer's shadow overlays the burrow, and the marmot cannot immediately see it's own shadow? What then? If the shadow is seen later, but not at first, is it still a valid shadow for the day, or does only that first glimpse in the morning count?
It must be hard to be a forecaster, no matter what the subject.
Political pundits have it the worst. Oh, I know everyone curses the weather man, but think of the poor political pundit. They have to be right all the time to keep their validity. Miss once and there is usually a pack of rabid marmots waiting to rip them to shreds.
Only now I am seeing that the pack of rabid marmots is laying in wait for every utterance, however right or wrong. Both sides of a discussion have trained rabid marmots barely held in check, waiting for the other side to make a statement, preferably a solid statement of "fact".
Let a pundit, a politician, a talking head with thousands of followers on Tweeter or whatever, say an honest opinion and the growling, snapping, slavering pack is on them in nanoseconds. Right or wrong, doesn't matter. Shred 'em first, make 'em recoil, maybe they won't be as forthright in the future. Character assassination by noise.
Question, question, question the voices on the left, right, and center. Accept nothing as true unless proven by time and quality. Quantity of statements is not proof, especially if 90% of the statements are all same sourced. One misrepresentation leaps a thousand times in seconds, unfortunately, the retraction is never seen.
Keep the marmots in their burrows.
Question, question, question.

WGOE - Richmond, Virginia - 1970's

Growing up in Richmond, the earliest radio station that I can remember would have been WLEE or possibly WRVA. Good stations, though I do not know if they are still broadcasting. They may be on the air, but the question is if they are still the same format from the sixties and seventies.

No, it was later that I was introduced to the station that still drives my listening memories. WGOE, the highest point on your AM dial, 1590. This was a top forty station that morphed into album oriented rock. Long before we all started listening to FM stations, WGOE was playing what would become FM standard.

The station never really had a huge power output. In the West End, out in Henrico, it was easy to hit hollows and have the signal drop out. But in-town, music like I still want to hear. Music giveaways like getting a plain white cover of J. Buffett's Son of a Son of a Sailor. The various ball teams (softball, flag football, basketball), all named the Nads. So we could all stand on the touchlines and shout, "GO, Nads!" Cheap, sure, but fun.

Right after I joined the Army, WGOE was sold and went about as far from its format as was possible. Christian music.

I think I'll have a drink tonight in remembrance of what was...and still can be on satellite radio.

This Will Go On My Permanent Record

I received my first tattoo yesterday. Small one, in a usually non-public location.

I won a silent auction for the work at the Arts Council's Bouy Ball last Saturday. Angel, one of the artists at Rain City Tattoos, did the work. Fast, and very well done.

And no, I will not post a photo.

...and now for the discounts...

HA. I am working in a bookstore. This is the second of my all-time greatest goals in the working world. I've already done number one, working in a brewery.

Hmmm, beer and books.

Thank You, Mr. Cannon

Whoo yeah!
I have finally found a professed liberal journalist who seems to get it. Politics Daily Senior Correspondent Carl M. Cannon, in an article posted on July 8th, carefully dissects the press coverage of Governor Palin.
Well written. Take the time to read the whole thing.

Manly Men Doing Manly Things

You have got to be fooling! Two heroes from Outside activate their EPIRB, get the State Police, the Air Guard, and every other rescue unit in the area in a lather...because it was too light...and they were sunburned...and...and...well, read for yourself.

How Much Talk Is Neccessary?

In response to a letter in a local web-based news service, I responded to the editor with this letter.
The original author appeared furious at what he perceived to be the total indifference to his, and his organization's, opinions and viewpoints, as presented in public comments. He really seemed steamed at the local paper for daring to express in an editorial that further public comment was not needed.
I did not get that message out of the editorial in question. What I read was the question of how long or how many times must public comment be entertained. If the comment period is past, can you demand another one because you felt your opinion was unheard. Or was it bad planning on y0ur part for missing the originally scheduled comment period?

My response to the Sitnews editor:

I agree absolutely, thoroughly, completely, and joyously with your identification of some of the fantastic freedoms that we enjoy as Americans.
Public policy is often a hammering out of different viewpoints, none of which survive unscathed. Compromise, negotiation, and agreement have to happen in the formation of policy. Unless we agree to let one person act as our better (and that person has not been born yet), then every action on a community level will be decided by some form of agreement.
When do we stop the talking and get to work?
When does one group stop blocking every negotiation with yet more talk?
When can one side admit that their pet motive or goal has to suffer some of the dents of compromise? Hammers can be wielded by both parties, but both of them must realize that they are probably going to be bruised in the process.
If we continue to talk about the problems we face, then nothing will get done, except more talk. Sooner or later we have to agree to put the hammers down, to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Why is work in such disfavor?
Could it be that a person working doesn't have time to listen to talk? And if no one is listening, that pretty well puts the talkers out of business...or sends them off to block any further work until the hammers get picked up yet again, to hammer out yet more concessions on both sides.
Meanwhile, the work isn't getting done.

I would link to the original Ketchikan Daily News editorial, but their online edition requires a subscription.

Gimme Some O'that

Via Og, I have enjoyed reading some...eclectic...blogs. Today, he linked to a great one, one that I will visit again.
The Velociman does indeed have an elegant style. I did not care for E. Caldwell's Tobacco Road, but the Vman does a great job of putting that novel in the context of today.

The United States of Tobacco Road

My Questions, Exactly.

Victor Davis Hanson, of the National Review, also has questions of the American public and media.

If anyone wants to be a fervent supporter of the President, great. He's my President also, unlike the last one, who some folks felt was not theirs. If anyone wants to blindly believe every single thing that falls from the President's lips, well, I think they have some real problems, but, they can do that, too. That's what this country and constitution is about.

If anyone wants to blatantly ignore every single talking point from the 2008 campaign, to turn away from the "...fierce moral urgency..." of the desperate need to crush the sitting President (Bush) and continue, almost unchanged his (Bush's) every program without outcry or even comment...then those folks are cowards.

Cowards, because it is now apparent that it was all about beating Bush, a President who wasn't even running for office. Cowards, because every chance to investigate the man who became President was forestalled, put on the back-burner, ignored, or shouted down by cries of racism, or lies.

Cowards then, and more surely, now.

W-a-a-h versus Hard Choices

Victor Davis Hanson of National Review Online: Americans Want It Both Ways

Something has got to give. We can move forward with regrets, or we can puddle ourselves crying that it's all just not fair!
Regrets can be dealt with, crying and handwringing gets us nothing but scratchy eyes and red, swollen hands.