Resource.full

Re:

Acosta19Sharron — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 22:28:04 GMT

I had got a dream to start my commerce, but I did not have enough of money to do this. Thank God my close colleague suggested to take the mortgage loans. Therefore I took the bank loan and made real my old dream.

Irony is dead

kanth — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 13:47:40 GMT

I just taught about"
Global Politics in the War on Terrorism"...I think politics play major role in our daily life ,knowingly or unknowling...

UAE Censors and Blocks flickr.com

cobalt123 — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 16:42:40 GMT

How sad for the 2,000+ members of our photo-sharing community, flickr.com, when the state-run ISP for the UAE has again blocked flickr.com! Our whole community suffers the loss of this stiffling of freedom of expression and just the mere freedom to SEE has been cut off! This image below is one of hundreds that have been created as protest to the ban. If you click on the link of the image, it will take you to my photo stream on flickr where you will find links to every one of these images in my collage. I hope that I'll be able to write another post later that will celebrate a change of policy. It appears that the state-run ISP considers flickr to be a "porn site" for the nudity it allows in some images. There has been a crack-down on actual porn that gets into public view on flickr, but I believe that even the rare slips help to cause this ban for UAE members. More on the issue can be found in the group discussion for "Flickr Block in the UAE" group. You can reach that group from the link on the sidebar from my image.

They Lied We Die

cobalt123 — Sat, 29 Oct 2005 03:05:59 GMT

Only in art can I express my deep disappointment and anger at the continuing debacle that is the Bush Administration. Two years! Two years and this is just another investigation that again again again shows the deception of the Bush inner circle. When it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it IS a duck - when more and more of the closest "CRONIES" of President Bush are publically found to be liars and manipulators, then what can Americans say to the world?

Thursday, October 6, 2005

cobalt123 — Fri, 07 Oct 2005 06:17:21 GMT

-- from cobalt123 - (?)

For over 34 years now, I do more than just wear my protest buttons. This image is uploaded tonight to comment on my distaste for the obvious media manipulation today> of the US in deference to the Bush administration. Early today President Bush had a press conference to give a "strong" "Churchill-style" (not my words) press conference to whip up enthusiasm for yet more US troops in Iraq. He cites the terrorist threats and strongholds in the Middle East. Then about 5:00 pm today it is announced that there are now 12,500 troops MORE in Iraq. About 159,000 "official" reported troops. And then around 7:00 pm CNN news breaks in with LIVE! ACTION! COVERAGE! of a possible terrorist thread to the NYC subway systerm. Coincidence the timing? I think not.

Cobalt is not fooled by the media, nor fooled by the Bush Administration.

DeLay Humor: Laugh or You'll Cry

cobalt123 — Fri, 30 Sep 2005 16:35:15 GMT

From about.com - today's political humor department takes a look at another political embarrassment in the US: Tom DeLay, now indicted for a felony count of campaign finance fraud. Here is the series of 10 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Tom DeLay Quotes Quotes collected by Daniel Kurtzman. Where it says (Source) will give the links to the direct proof via about.com.

10 Mind-Numbingly Stupid Quotes by Tom DeLay
1) "So many minority youths had volunteered…that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself." --Tom DeLay, explaining at the 1988 GOP convention why he and vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle did not fight in the Vietnam War(Source)

2) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –Tom Delay, to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston, Sept. 9, 2005 (Source)

3) "I AM the federal government." –Tom DeLay, to the owner of Ruth's Chris Steak House, after being told to put out his cigar because of federal government regulations banning smoking in the building, May 14, 2003 (Source)

4) "We're no longer a superpower. We're a super-duper power." –Tom DeLay, explaining why America must topple Saddam Hussein in 2002 interview with Fox News (Source)

5) "Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes." –Tom DeLay, March 12, 2003 (Source)

6) "Guns have little or nothing to do with juvenile violence. The causes of youth violence are working parents who put their kids into daycare, the teaching of evolution in the schools, and working mothers who take birth control pills." –Tom DeLay, on causes of the Columbine High School massacre, 1999 (Source)

7) "A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure. To provide stability. Not that a woman can't provide stability, I'm not saying that... It does take a father, though." -Tom DeLay, in a radio interview, Feb. 10, 2004 (Source)

8) "I don't believe there is a separation of church and state. I think the Constitution is very clear. The only separation is that there will not be a government church." –Tom DeLay (Source)

9) "Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour [the minimum wage in 1996] are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist." –Tom DeLay, during a debate in Congress on increasing the minimum wage, April 23, 1996 (Source)

10) "I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job is the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I am in the Constitution." –Tom DeLay, in a CNN interview, Dec. 19, 1995 (Source)

Got another stupid Tom DeLay quote? Email it to politicalhumor.guide@about.com

Memorial Photo 9-11 and Katrina Censored

cobalt123 — Tue, 13 Sep 2005 14:08:09 GMT

And now, bringing to this stage, more "Interestingness". Straight from a public photo-sharing community, the "Honk" image of my memorial to 9-11 and Katrina on our personal protest that day has been deleted from public view in tag searches and all records deleted from it having achieved the #1 photo for that day in flickr.com.

What does this mean? In it's place, a different memorial photo to 9-11 has been recognized as #1. Despite over 3,000 views and many comments, the Honk image is now relegated to a form of detention. The image may be seen by those who "faved it" or know to come look at it within my photo stream, or by those who are members of group photo pools that I submitted it to.

However, if a visitor goes to visit a photo pool, in a group such as "Top-F" (for top favorited photos), they will not see that Honk is in that group pool, at all. Only people who join that group will be able to see it.

This is sad that such censorship can come in any form, at any time, in Amerika. The new image I have in my photo stream: current photo September 13 provides proof that my Honk image was censored by wingnuts who were angered about my message. All they had to do was click a link called "May Offend" and it was removed from public searches and the archives of the most popular images of that day. There is no remedy to right this wrong, but it is also my perogative to publicize what has happened.

see the proof here:

Embarassed by Bush

cobalt123 — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 02:20:58 GMT

Today, my son and I and my roommate marked the fourth anniversary of 9-11 by making our protest signs and standing on a busy street corner in Phoenix, Arizona with them. Hundreds of honks! Who says one person can't make a difference!!!

We had a fantastic reception this afternoon on a busy street corner in a ritzy part of town, not far from our home. This was right next to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, where Bush stays at when he is in town. For over an hour, the three of us stood, with hundreds of passing cars honking approval. Some of the hotel guests came by and told us we "are doing the right thing". NickFun saw three very old ladies in a car that laid on the horn so loud and so long it was amazing!

After the "approval" and good ratings earning by George Bush after the 9-11 disaster, he has squandered it all on appointing cronies to do his jobs. And then he appointed losers. Just think of the horror of ADDING TO THE KATRINA DISASTER by the inept response of our own federal government!

When Norway sends forensics experts to help identify bodies, and dead bodies float for days, something is terribly wrong in the US of A. This is not the country I recognize any more. We, who are known to go anywhere in the world to retrieve and rescue one American, have let all the people down with this catastrophe. Think of all the living that were treated like expendable nothings while the politics were being played. Think of the lame excuses offered by the Bush Administration. When will this embarassment end?

You can help by clicking this link to register your support of Americans who are against the America as defined by a rich cowboy who does not represent the PEOPLE. Here is the original image on flickr.com and the link will record yet another "vote" of protest. Make a difference, now!

www.flickr.com

We must blame the people.

nickfun — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 17:01:28 GMT

I'm afraid we must blame the people for their suffering. The people in these affected areas are primarily poor, uneducated, mostly black and are the antithesis of everything Bush and his administration represent. If these people only had the the good fortune to be born into white, upper class families and had expensive homes then the levees would have been strengthened long ago, the National Guard would have responded much faster and much of this disaster would have been averted or dealt with more quickly with a minimal loss of life. There would be no bodies floating or SuperDomes erupting as the people would have simply checked into fancy hotels or immediately purchased new homes elsewhere thus contributing to the economy. So let's not blame the government for what is glaringly the peoples fault!

"Reality Bites" Bush on the Butt

cobalt123 — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 16:27:37 GMT

Per the Chicago Tribune today:
tinyurl.com

I have taken the best thoughts on this editorial article to include here, but strongly encourage visitors to this blog to look to the original post in full. I found it just now in Yahoo! News. But as we all know, these are the headlines and stories that may appear briefly in American mainstream media but suddenly disappear. My bolded sections are what really strike me.

For the title, this comes from the quoted statement of "historian Robert Dallek", from this article. It crystalizes the crisis that all the Bush Administration spin cannot alter. This blog post today directly relates to my post yesterday on the political and semantic use of the term "Blame Game" as a way to draw attention away from legitimate concern and attention RIGHT NOW, not in February 2006 when the President suggests his investigation into the failures of the Katrina Relief effort commence.

TV images keep heat on Bush

By Michael Tackett Tribune, senior correspondent
2 hours, 15 minutes ago

Optimism,
Colin Powell famously said, is a force multiplier.

In Washington, so is blame.

Blame is a main exit off the road to getting elected. So in times good or bad, officials try mightily to avoid it, or at least to shoulder it well.
In the 24/7, split-screen, blog-drenched, unfiltered America, controlling the image and controlling the language go a long way toward controlling the blame.
But so far, the only clear winner of the recent battle of images is the lethal, inanimate force of nature named Katrina.
On Thursday, President Bush stood before a bank of television cameras--American flags arrayed behind him--to announce financial aid and other assistance for victims of Hurricane Katrina. But broadcast alongside that announcement were images from New Orleans and reports that more than a dozen bodies were being removed from a hospital.
It has been that kind of communications battle for the president and the army of Cabinet officers who have been deployed. Vice President Dick Cheney made his first trip to the Gulf Coast area Thursday, sleeves rolled up, concern on his face, empathy in his voice.
But a ceremonial visit is not enough. The difficulty so far for the administration has been making the images and words match the reality that people are seeing on their screens.
"There's no question that these sorts of television images have a big impact on people and in many respects shape reactions to the White House," said historian Robert Dallek. "But at some point it's the reality that bites.
"The images that have been constantly on television--a city that is under water, people who have been displaced, sobbing, crying, the evacuation of people--you can have this kind of spin-doctoring and have people say all sorts of things, but I think these realities on the ground [matter]."
SNIP
"This is a basic crisis communications principle: When you are dealing in a crisis situation, people want to look, see and feel that some type of leadership is being projected," said Chris Lehane, a Democratic communications consultant.
"There is a void, and people are looking for someone to fill that void," he added. "In the modern media age when most people get their information through television images, it is important to physically show leadership."
But there is only so much that even good staging and soaring words can overcome.
SNIP
At the same time, the public relations war is one the president cannot afford to lose.
"It's crucial," said Keith Appell, a Republican communications consultant whose firm often does battle for conservative clients in the culture wars. "Under President Clinton, I thought his FEMA director, James Lee Witt, was very effective, and it benefited President Clinton.
SNIP
Last Friday, when the president first visited with disaster victims in Mississippi, he hugged and kissed victims alongside scenes of relief trucks arriving.
The president, who let several days pass before visiting the devastated Gulf Coast, initially failed to provide a similarly strong image of effective leadership. As yet, he has not even given a nationally televised prime-time address to Americans about his plan for dealing with the disaster. To be sure, he has said that the initial response was "unacceptable" and vowed forceful action.
However, the problem has been that for every positive image, there have been dozens more that have been negative. Even the words of the president's mother, Barbara Bush, added to the problem when she seemed to suggest that those evacuated to the Astrodome might be better off than if they had continued to live their impoverished lives in New Orleans.
That has led to a rush to assign blame among both Democrats and Republicans. While the president was quick to say earlier in the week that he did not want to engage in a blame game, others in his party have done so frontally.
In a release Thursday, the House Republican Conference blamed local and state officials in Louisiana, many of whom are Democrats. The release included a photo showing hundreds of school buses under water and said city officials could have used those buses to evacuate citizens. The release also blamed the mayor of New Orleans for the decision to use the Superdome as a shelter.
SNIP
For Bush, the difficulty is that the images from the Superdome, the New Orleans convention center, and now, constantly, from the water-clogged streets are beamed the world over. And the president, by stepping out last week and vowing to clean up the mess, in essence took responsibility for the relief effort, if not failures in preparedness.
"The argument that goes on now is about `Let's not play the blame game, because we need to get on with the business of caring for people,'" Dallek said. "But the rejoinder to that, at least by thinking people, is that if you had people who failed at their jobs, you need to look now. Do you want them to stay in place and continue doing a lousy job?"
Winning the battle of images is only part of the struggle. The administration also has tried to shape the language around the recovery, notably when the president, and then nearly every Cabinet officer, said that "saving lives" was the first priority. Bush also offered up his administration as "problem solvers" who ultimately would get results.
So far, the president's critics say, the administration has found neither the words nor the images to inspire confidence.
"Even as we speak, they really haven't determined what the tones and right chords are," said Lehane, who worked for Vice President Al Gore. "On the communications level, these story lines get written very quickly. . . . At the end of the day, you just come back to the fact that this is a national disaster and the national government is responsible for handling it."

mtackett@tribune.com

What "Blame Game" Really Means

cobalt123 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 19:14:11 GMT

"Blame Game" = Family Values

Seriously.

The amazing usurption of the Conservative Right and Religious Right in Amerika over the use of semantics is at work in the usual way. Name something and then you give people a hook, a key phrase that will now become what you want it to mean. In this case, "Blame Game" is used by the Bush administration to draw attention from what the media and PEOPLE are saying about the continuing debacle of the Hurricane Katrina disaster and the all-too-insufficient federal response. As we know, if the phrase catches on further, it will come to mean:

Anyone who continues to discuss concerns and bring up documented FACT that does not put the US federal government in a good light."

For evidence, see the first major document revealed by the Freedom of Information Act in the publication of the exact letter the FEMA chief sent to the Homeland Security chief THE DAY AFTER the Hurricane devasted the Gulf States. Here is the plain truth:

www.thesmokinggun.com
(scan of entire document and horrifying bureaucratese language)

tinyurl.com
spin control ordered by FEMA

And then there are the "timelines" now fluorishing in online publications! I spent part of yesterday recording complete web pages and archiving them of relevant articles in respected sources. Just in case they "disappear" from public view. After all, a federal "investigation" has been ordered, oh, say for FEBRUARY 2006, that will be the time to investigate the failures of this administration and the departments from FEMA, to Homeland Security, to the Pentagon, to the National Guard. The heroic attempts of the National Weather Service and NOLA to alert the Bush administration and request complete attention to the disaster BEFORE it happened will also be awash in the nether lands because they will point to documentation that does exist to show that the federal government was fully informed prior to the Hurricane hit and during the disaster.

Oh, except for those federal government officials that claimed they had no idea that there was chaos and over 20,000 trapped in the Superdome until 2 days later. Even though there was round the clock TV news coverage on all channels! Maybe they missed this video from Monday a week
ago:
Insane video taken on Monday, August 28 over New Orleans

Or this fine set of video clip links on the Daily Show with John Stewart, covering the timeline and the "Blame Game" with the usual "fair and balanced" pointed humor to direct attention where it must be not forgotten:
www.overspun.com

And maybe we the people need to keep more tabs on the amazing growth curve of federal government secrecy:

Let's Reverse the Pattern of Secrecy

Concerned that our government keeps from the American public information that we need to make our families safe, secure our country and strengthen democracy, a broad-based set of organizations formed OpenTheGovernment.org. We hope you'll help.

Oh, but doing all this investigation on a minor scale by easily accessible search results on the Internet by the PEOPLE is probably just going to be dismissed as a "Blame Game" tactic to discredit the esteemable BushCo, isn't it? Perhaps my "family values" are different. And thankfully so, for whatever it is "called", this Blame Game stinks.

After all, Blame Game spin is on a national and multi-national corporate scale these days... And we really need to have our attention on more money to rebuild Iraq, FAR MORE IMPORTANT than a rebuild of the Gulf States. And if Dennis Hastert has his way, New Orleans will not be rebuilt. Didn't take long for suggestions to come on that level and spin. Now let me see, after the 9-11 disaster, were there any calls to rebuild NYC somewhere else? I think not. But then we launched the War of Terrorism (no, I did not slip on the verbage) to seek revenge. Where is the War on Poverty in Amerika? Oh, doh, I forgot, there's no money to be gotten from uncontrolled foreign oil sources there.

Blame game, indeed.

BTW, here's that timeline, summarized by MoveOn.org:

Friday, Aug. 26: Gov. Kathleen Blanco declares a state of emergency in Louisiana and requests troop assistance.

Saturday, Aug. 27: Gov. Blanco asks for federal state of emergency. A federal emergency is declared giving federal officials the authority to get involved.

Sunday, Aug. 28: Mayor Ray Nagin orders mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. President Bush warned of Levee failure by National Hurricane Center. National Weather Service predicts area will be "uninhabitable" after Hurricane arrives. First reports of water toppling over the levee appear in local paper.

Monday, Aug. 29: Levee breaches and New Orleans begins to fill with water, Bush travels to Arizona and California to discuss Medicare. FEMA chief finally responds to federal emergency, dispatching employees but giving them two days to arrive on site.

Tuesday, Aug. 30: Mass looting reported, security shortage cited in New Orleans. Pentagon says that local authorities have adequate National Guard units to handle hurricane needs despite governor's earlier request. Bush returns to Crawford for final day of vacation. TV coverage is around-the-clock Hurricane news.

Wednesday, Aug. 31: Tens of thousands trapped in New Orleans including at Convention Center and Superdome in "medieval" conditions. President Bush finally returns to Washington to establish a task force to coordinate federal response. Local authorities run out of food and water supplies.

Thursday, Sept. 1: New Orleans descends into anarchy. New Orleans Mayor issues a "Desperate SOS" to federal government. Bush claims nobody predicted the breach of the levees despite multiple warnings and his earlier briefing.

Friday, Sept. 2: Karl Rove begins Bush administration campaign to blame state and local officials—despite their repeated requests for help. Bush stages a photo-op—diverting Coast Guard helicopters and crew to act as backdrop for cameras. Levee repair work orchestrated for president's visit and White House press corps.

Saturday, Sept. 3: Bush blames state and local officials. Senior administration official (possibly Rove) caught in a lie claiming Gov. Blanco had not declared a state of emergency or asked for help.

Monday, Sept. 5: New Orleans officials begin to collect their dead.

(Adapted from: Katrina Timeline, thinkprogress.org )

Those are the facts. State and local officials BEGGED for help as people in their city suffered. The Bush administration didn't get the job done and when their failure became an embarrassment they attacked those asking for help.

The New York Times reported on Friday that Karl Rove and White House communications director Dan Bartlett "rolled out a plan...to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina." The core of the strategy is "to shift the blame away from the White House and toward officials of New Orleans and Louisiana."

This is the same pattern of smearing that the Bush political machine has used for a decade. John McCain and John Kerry had their war records smeared. The CIA cover of Ambassador Joseph Wilson's wife was blown after he criticized the Bush Iraq policy. Now, Hurricane victims are attacked when the Bush administration failed to do their duty to help them.

It isn't just the Bush administration. Republican Senator Rick Santorum blamed victims in a TV interview and House Speaker Dennis Hastert suggested New Orleans should not be rebuilt.

We can't let them get away with this. Please sign our petition today and do your part.

MoveOn Petition

More links I found yesterday:

www.thesmokinggun.com
(scan of entire document and horrifying bureaucratize)

www.thesmokinggun.com
spin control ordered by FEMA

www.voanews.com
Voice of America has been hitting this hard - loss of 400,000 jobs expected
(Makes the 160,000 increase in July a bit hard to celebrate, doesn't it? Plus there is no accounting for those new jobs that are minimum wage only.)

govexec.com
Another fine blogger collecting verifyable facts and timeline

Brendan Loy, a student at Notre Dame in weather science followed and sent alarms about this storm from August 26. He was ignored.
See the amazing blog entries:
brendanloy.com

Whistle a Happy Tune FIRST: Katrina

cobalt123 — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 16:23:50 GMT

Part of the mission, according to the documents obtained by The Associated Press, was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.

This is copied from yahoo news, by an AP story this is out right now online. Given the propensity for such headlines and stories to suddenly disappear, this blog post is made quickly to be sure that folks DO SEE THIS. Since we Amerikans are all so relieved that Bush and the federal government is going to look into their own shortfalls on Katrina disaster response, I thought this would be a good place to start looking...

By TED BRIDIS, Associated Press Writer Wed Sep 7, 2:18 AM ET

WASHINGTON - The top U.S. disaster official waited hours after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast before he proposed to his boss sending at least 1,000
Homeland Security workers into the region to support rescuers, internal documents show.

Part of the mission, according to the documents obtained by The Associated Press, was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.

Acknowledging that such a move would take two days, Michael Brown, director of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary
Michael Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29.

Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged.

Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities."

tinyurl.com

Halliburton Gets 1st Katrina Rebuild Contracts

cobalt123 — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 14:21:08 GMT

From Cynthia's Interests and Professor Kim's News Notes, guess who got the first rebuild contracts from the US government on Katrina?

Right...

Thanks for the tip, Kim, and thanks to she and Prometheus6 for providing links to the Katrina Relief Auction on flickr.com. I have an auction donation there and we hope to raise as much as possible by September 15 for direct contribution to the American Red Cross. Kim and Earl are providing great coverage of the news regarding Katrina and politics that much of the mainstream media is not picking up or promoting. For instance, I believe that the sluggish and despicable response to the disaster by the US government is partially due to the politics of POVERTY. But some people are really drawn to what they view is racisim. I also think that the racism is very much in evidence when you read the comments from blogs and in public posting forums. Wow, such blatant hatred and fear such as I've not seen publically for a while.
-- from cobalt123

My own protest image in flickr.com drew over 2,500 views and 79 comments. Some people are pretty ticked just over my "anti-Bush" message, which by the way was very much secondary to the important issues raised by the shift in balance of power in the US, caused by the death of our Supreme Court Chief Justice Rhenquist.

His loss means that our emperor who fiddles gets to appoint a REAL powerful person who will affect the US for generations to come, after Bush leaves office. Rhenquist may have been a conservative, but he was at least a jurisprudence expert and had some sense of balance. The next person appointed may tip things on the Court so far that the disaster from Katrina may be a drop in the bucket as far as social upheavel in the US...

Monday, September 5, 2005

cobalt123 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 19:16:41 GMT

www.crooksandliars.com

Go here, go here now. It is a WEEK since the expected disaster did indeed strike. This is what is blowing Americans' minds - mine included. This is from Fox News, a steady Patriot "Boy" for the Bush Administration. If Fox showed this, you can imagine that it was a slip for them... Warning, it is really rough to hear and see.

Controversy on Flickr.com: Katrina Relief

cobalt123 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 17:34:58 GMT

My current photo is a political statement through art about the insanity of this devastation and the deficit and morally reprehensible federal government response to these horrors and tragedies. The image is now drawing considerable attention and angry comments in the photo stream by some flickr.com members. However, more members seem to appreciate the artwork and my messages.

It seems that there is quite a bit of blame now extending towards victims and defense by reports that these victims perhaps don't deserve aid for the reports of gunfire and looting. I base this one what I read, see and hear in mainstream US media. Wild rumors feed the blame to judge the homeless and evacuees. This defense of federal government response that is far short of meeting critical needs is despicable. This blame of the victims must stop. This rejection of non-jingoistic rhetoric must stop! Stop the insanity never was more apropos than now.

I myself may have been one of those who was NOT ABLE TO EVACUATE for my income is low and I have a disabled adult son. To have the income for a full tank of gas at the ready and a reliable car, let alone the money to head off into uncertainty, well that may have not been my fate at the first warnings of the scale of this disaster.

Many many middle-class and wealthy white folks have been evacuated and are homeless, having lost everything. However, many of these people have contacts and resources from without and will likely survive much better. Overall, the criticism of the relief response is a damning comment on the politics of poverty.

Never before in our American history has there been such a clear example of the degradation of the less fortunate in our own society.

The Next Katrina

cobalt123 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 02:54:11 GMT

If you like this image, please consider this...

If you click on this link below, the image on flickr.comwill record another "view". The more views and the more comments and the more "favs" it gets, the more attention it gets. Americans are pretty fed-up with business as usual, politics as usual, and all the insane reasons given that the US was not ready to deal with the Hurricane Katrina devastation! Our president TURNED DOWN assistance from other countries! Pride is more important, doncha know. And of course, we would not want to divert funds from Iraq, now would we?

Poverty, racism,glad-handing politicking about Bush Administration agendas, and the president's vacation took turns in creating the disaster and devastation that keeps on giving, from Hurricane Katrina.

This is the link:
www.flickr.com

and this is the image:

Appeal to Bloggers: Katrina Relief Auction

cobalt123 — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 04:16:26 GMT

We interrupt this blog to make an announcement:

www.flickr.com

Please consider looking at this image in my photo stream on flickr.com, which has links directly into the Katrina Relief Auction group pool. There are over 300 artworks donated so far and accepting bids. All money raised will be directly contributed to the American Red Cross. We are accepting bids to September 15, 2005. This effort is solely on the part of the members of flickr and not sponsored by flickr.

If you are a blogger or know a blogger, please let them know what we are doing online to contribute what we can. You are welcome to look at one of my blogs for a suggestion of what to post online. You're also welcome to post the image I put up in this blog or my flickr photo stream for the purpose of calling attention to this relief effort. There are download links there for 5 sizes of the image.

I hope that admins and members of Antville blogs will accept this in the spirit that it is meant and just take a looksee. I realize that the blogs hosted by Antville or using Antville programs are not usually posting such appeals. Because my own government was caught short on being able to deal with this devastation from Hurricane Katrina, I am making this appeal to all, as a blogger and member of the global village.

If you support what we are doing, please pass along the word to bloggers, one of our best shots at calling attention to our quest.

Thank you,
cobalt

Hurricane Devastation in the US Mainland

cobalt123 — Thu, 01 Sep 2005 00:26:29 GMT

Not into blogging at present - all is consumed with getting through regular days, being grateful I and my loved ones are not directly affected by all the devastation in our Southern and Gulf states, and in watching the reports and keeping up with those online friends dealing with incredible losses.

For anyone who is wanting to locate information through photos for their own homes and neighborhoods, I urge checking the group pool called Hurricane Katrina at flickr.com. When you get to the site, you can click on the Explore page and see today's "Interestingness" featured photos. Here, of the top 50 for today, are about 14 that have direct links into the group pool.

Prayers winging towards the US mainland South, and all hit hard by Hurricane Katrina.

Bob Novak Freaks Out on CNN: Suspended

cobalt123 — Fri, 05 Aug 2005 15:49:36 GMT

A laugh and very good news today! Here is a link that will take you to the video of the CNN broadcast of Bob Novak being interviewed with James Carville on CNN. They were discussing Kathryn Harris's bid for the Republican candidacy in the Florida senate race. Along with a film clip of her, and her complaint that her make-up is doctored by Photoshop in broadcasted videos of her, Bob Novak sympathizes that he has the same problem. Producers try to make unpopular political figures look bad by making their make-up look harsh? Ha ha, what a stitch!

Bob Novak knew that he was going to be asked about his prominent role in the leak of the CIA agent Valerie Plume investigation. He swore and then walked off the set. It's all live here, and there is a transcript available, even. He is now suspended indefinitely by CNN. YEAH! Finally, a rightwinger is rapped on his knuckles.

tinyurl.com

American Fourth of July, A Vietnam Memorial

cobalt123 — Mon, 04 Jul 2005 04:58:09 GMT

Seems fitting, this year, especially...

Painted Desert Explained

cobalt123 — Sat, 02 Jul 2005 13:18:06 GMT

Another trip north of Phoenix to the Flagstaff area and the wonderful national parks around Sunset Crater. I've been having too much fun lately, with the family times, new roommate, flickr meetup, and more! Yeah!

Grasshopper Learning Slowly

cobalt123 — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 23:49:54 GMT

From flickr's photostream today, my twining vine, taken at my brother's home in Normal, Illinois.

Close View of Palm Trunk Braid

cobalt123 — Tue, 31 May 2005 17:13:16 GMT

Libraryman's Tribute on Memorial Day

cobalt123 — Sun, 29 May 2005 21:15:55 GMT

On many levels, this image is quite thought-provoking as well as inspiring. I urge interested viewer to go to his flickr page to see what he has written about the image. For one, what do you think makes the beautiful colors he shows us?

libraryman flickr photostream
Story behind the image
Libraryman.com blog

Telegraph Pass Peeking at Peaks

cobalt123 — Sun, 29 May 2005 05:17:39 GMT

Taken Thursday afternoon near Yuma, Arizona