The government agency was actually using the flying disc to test a prototype flare launcher back in 1968. They created a test facility in Utah using wind tunnels and a special Frisbee launching machine, which was also connected to computers and cameras to record the launches.

Well… it’s finally over. There is a new President seated at the helm of the USS America and the nation can now get on with it’s daily grind, The hype and hoopla will slowly become a distant memory. A memory of the past.

Speaking of the past, let’s set the “Way Back” machine for a time in the not so distant long ago.

The date is somewhere in January 2005. The time is??? Well… How about that. It’s President Bush’s second inauguration. It also was a very grand day. The whole inauguration agenda was very expensive tho. It cost a whopping $50 million dollars to put on this January 2005 shindig. Most of it coming from unused campaign funds, private party donations and some allocated government expenditure dollars.

And the press and persons of interest were absolutely appalled at the expense. In January 2005, articles were published and stated by many news services expressing their disbelief that the 2005 Bush inauguration was going to cost an “unprecedented $50 million.” The articles and comments then went on to state that the money could have been better spent on funding the Iraq war.

Let’s see… How does that compare to January 2009.

The White House released information that the Obama inauguration could cost as much as $198 million.

Given the media responsibility to report honestly and without bias, why has the media not published a corresponding article on the truly unprecedented cost of $198 million for Obama’s inauguration and how that money could be better spent on funding the military in Afghanistan — or better yet, on the financial crisis that exists today.

Anger does not even state how I am feeling about all of this new “president elect” business. The inauguration of Barack Obama was an abomination. Some of it I didn’t even get… A poem… THAT WASN’T EVEN REALLY A POEM!

“Each day we go about our business, walking past each other, catching each others’ eyes or not, about to speak or speaking. All about us is noise. All about us is noise and bramble, thorn and din, each one of our ancestors on our tongues. Someone is stitching up a hem, darning a hole in a uniform, patching a tire, repairing the things in need of repair.

“Someone is trying to make music somewhere with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.”

What? Wait a sec… What the hell was that?  I’ll tell you what it was to me…   PAINFUL!

And wasn’t this supposed to be an upbeat inauguration? What was that dirge they played before Mr. Obama took the oath?

“Performing “Air and Simple Gifts”, composed by John Williams, Yo-Yo MA, Anthony McGill, Gabriela Montero and Itzhak Perlmen preceded President Barack Obama’s oath of office.

Their performance laid a peaceful tone over the National Mall, just following the oath taken by Vice President Joe Biden.”

Hell, half the people in the audience had fallen asleep. I got so depressed. As it dragged on, I was wondering where the 21 gun salute was going to come in and when the trumpet would sound “Taps”. I think the heck out of John Williams and I respect Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlmen… but a dirge????  Sounded like it to me.  There is nothing like a “Welcome Mr. President, we prerecorded this dirge for you!” musical interlude, doncha think?

Who built this inauguration mess? They ought to be horse whipped.

Oh… and here’s a dandy… The prayer after the oath…

“We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give (get) back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.”

… and when white will embrace what is right??? Gee zuz…

The only way we can get over this white/black thing is to just get over it. It’s done. It’s in the past, not the future. Isn’t that what Mr. Obama asked for in his campaign? No, I guess not. Let’s get all cutesy and fuzzy about the brown man and the red man and the yellow man, but let’s make sure that all white men fully understand that their place right now is the back of the bus. I’m sorry, but that racist statement in that supposed prayer bothers the hell out of me.

There are no white men, red men, brown men or yellow men. There are just men… and women… and children… AS AMERICAN’S. Dredge up the past if you want, but don’t throw it in my face when all I want to do is look towards the future with those who want to share the American dream.

Thank God this political inauguration “build-up” bullshit is finally over and thank God it’s something I have gotten off my chest.

I didn’t vote for Mr. Obama. Career “get elected” people don’t have the longevity or “time of purpose” that I like. But he is the 44th President and I will defend the hell out of him, support the decisions he will make and push the American beliefs and understandings that a democratic society understands.

I am now going to go out and throw my Frisbee around and try and understand how it could be made into a flare launching device…

Until next week…

Who said techie geeks had no sense of humor? A ‘nibble’ is defined as four bits; a byte measures in at eight. Ergo, a ‘nibble’ is a half a ‘byte’.

Here in California, something else is getting nibbled on… the state worker. In a large portion of state offices, workers for the state are now loosing 2 days per month on an imposed furlough program designed by “The Governator”. That means every other Friday, the state worker does not go to work and does not get paid. Therefore, a substantial amount of income will be missed by those employees.

But there are couple of ways that a state worker can make ends meet and you can help them do it. You ready? Then let’s find out what some of these stop-gaps are…

SWPC – State Worker Protester Core.

On every other Friday, any group or organization can hire a furloughed state worker to march in protest for whatever reason, diversion or altercation that you feel so inclined to protest. From the comfort of your own easy chair, you will be safe in the knowledge that your Friday stand-in protester is doing his or her job… marching outside of someones office or residence denouncing the frustrations that you feel strongly about; such as global warming, cruelty to animals, torture at GitMo, gas prices that are to high or the lack of confidence in your elected officials.

When you hire a furloughed state worker, you’re getting the best of both worlds. You can be content in your knowledge that your state is trying to overcome a huge fiscal deficit and your decision to higher a furloughed worker keeps them gainfully employed, even if it’s for some off-the-wall benefit.

Rates can vary. Protests that are peaceful are obviously the cheapest hourly rate one can get. However protests that require violence, burning, looting and general mayhem come at a very steep price. Protests that require a large amount of walking can require an up-front deposit so that furloughed workers can purchase comfortable shoes to protest in.

Visit their web site at www.furloughedstateworker.org and click on the “Burn your Brassiere/Jock strap/Draft Card/Effigy” banner.

EOF (Every other Friday) Temp Labor pool

You’ve seen them standing on corners. They wait there for a potential day-work employer to drive by and gape open mouthed when someone asks them to work for the day. The EOF Temp Labor Pool could be just the ticket to getting those menial tasks done by furloughed state workers.

There are several sites located around town where the state workers will congregate. Site listings are at the end of this document. But just think, if you have a family insurance policy that needs to be analyzed, or a household budget that needs auditing, the EOF pool could be the answer.

Remember: As you approach the EOF pool, each furloughed state employee will be holding a sign which tells you the area of their expertise.  Make a note however that a lowly “Analyst” has way more understanding of any household situation that any “CEA” has.

The numeric value on some signs indicate how long the furloughed employee has been working for his/her state agency. Someone who is prospecting for temporary help might think that this is valuable to know, not realizing that instant tenure is written into the state employee contract. NOTE: Large numbers of furloughed employees expect to be paid whether they work for you or not. This is most prevalent should the sign being held up say “Lawyer” or “Legislator”.

While a complete breakdown of the work experience is a bit daunting, a small sample of skills follows:

• Auditing
• Budgets and Fiscal analysis
• Clinical Help
• Computers, Data Processing and IT
  
• Employment development
• Program Analyst
• Health and Welfare guidance
• Structured management (or the lack thereof)
• and much, much more…

If your working out on the farm and need the temporary help to balance your check book, babysit your children, hook up your mega-wattage stereo system or clean up the shack, then you can’t go wrong by driving by your local EOF Temp Labor Pool location and having a ‘Manager 2′ jump in the back of your pick-up. It allows you to continue working at your high paying job and keeps the furloughed state worker away from the water cooler.

Furloughed Game Days

You like chess or checkers? How would you like to play either of those games on a game board the size of a baseball field and have furloughed state workers be the game pieces? That’s right! You can now have that Franchise Tax auditor be a “pawn” in a war of wits with your favorite chess partner or have a Senior IT Manager “king” a custodian and then have him leapfrog over the entire DOT engineering team. What a sight.

But wait… Coming soon! “Monopoly with Muni” is being developed as we speak only don’t use a state corrections officer bus driver as a game piece. They only know how to “go to jail”. Or how about “Schoots and Latters” with those fine administrative folks over at the Department of Education. It’s coming to a baseball field near you… Stay tuned!

Life-like Lawn Ornaments

Instead of that droll and drab flamingo you have “planted” out in your front yard, plant a furloughed state worker in it’s place.  With all the folks that are off every other Friday, your lawn could have a new look every other week.

But do not misunderstand.  They won’t hold the hose and water for you, they do get breaks every twenty minutes that last approximately ten minutes and, if anyone should ask, they will give conflicting directions for almost everything.

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I cannot in good faith feel that bad about state workers losing two days a month.  With all the people who are losing their jobs and getting mandatory furloughs that are now a month long, I cannot get upset about the loss of two days.  What I can get upset about is that our elected officials let all of this get this far. The folks in the business of government have put themselves above the people they are supposed to be helping.  And when someone mentions the mere fact of reducing or temporarily halting their income…   well, let’s just say that we get the idea that legislative income reductions won’t be happening in the near future.

Nope…  This is not an avenue you want me to go down today.  I’ll save that for some other time.

Until next week…

This fear can often become a very debilitating disorder, causing cold sweats, quickened heartbeat and other generalized panic attack symptoms.

Speaking of panic…

Subject: The economy

Should one be alarmed? Hmmm…

Should one be concerned? Maybe…

Will it get worse?

That’s a good question. One I would like to expand on.

Today, I view the economy as a large floating ice berg. That’s right, an ice berg. Now, as one knows, only 10% of the ice berg shows above the surface of the water. That means there’s 90% of that same ice berg under the water. Right this instant we are only seeing the top 10% of the economic ice berg. And one must remember, we are talking about a very large ice berg.

Enough about ice.

I fear that topic “Numero Uno” for the next seven months will be about the collapse of the nations financial infrastructure. Many more large companies will declare bankruptcy. Unemployment will hit an all time record, and without unemployment funds to pay those out of work, many will be without assistance.

Stimulus packages will become the buzz word we will hear almost daily. Heck, even the porn industry is asking for federal funds. Sex needs a bailout!

The fluctuating price of oil will cause gasoline prices to work their way above 4.00 per gallon again. Only major metropolitan areas with populations above 200,000 residents will have auto dealerships. One small glimmer of light is that auto parts stores will do a brisk business. When one can’t afford a new horse, one has to keep the current nag healthy.

In the coming months, one major corporation (one that’s a bit larger than a clothing department store) will have to file Chapter 11 or move it’s entire infrastructure overseas. Over 12,000 employees will be laid off and the CEO’s and upper level managers will get their 2.4 million dollar severance package.

Indian casino’s and/or gambling establishments will make a killing. For whatever reason, as things get worse, people will flock to the tables hoping to keep their dreams alive by winning the big one.

The service industry will take a hit. Manufacturing is already on it’s heals. Crime against man and machine will reach double digit levels. Local government as well as state franchises will all see horrible times (bankrupt cities may become the norm in the not to distant future). The societal infrastructure as we know it today will spiral out of control.

Can any of this be fixed? Hmmm…

Is there anything anyone can do to keep us off this bailout band wagon? Hmmm…

Why bring all this pain and misery to the forefront? Why show us what’s going to be in our future?

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Wait… Hold on a sec…

You thought this was about our current situation right now, today?

All that doom and gloom stuff was from an excerpt in my new book. It’s a Sci-Fi thriller based on a parralell world that’s having a total economic melt down. It’s all fiction. None of it is really happening. It’s only a story. Just think of it as a dream sequence.

Now… Get a hold of yourself… Splash some cold water on your face and calm down. Here’s the real truth.

It’s going to get worse… Much worse… There really isn’t anything you and I can do about it right this instant. We, as a nation, need to work thru all of this as best we can. And we need to have faith in our families, our friends and our neighbors. Make up a game plan in the event that situations in your lives become unstable. Consider alternatives to all aspects of how you do things today. And above all, live each day in the positive present and prepare for the positive tomorrow. Don’t dwell on the past and don’t think of a negative future.

Much of what was said above is pure speculation. Some of it may never happen (and I hope that is the case). But it will get worse. And with time it will get better. It will take a strong people to make change happen. It will take a strong people to think rationally about the ways back to prosperity. it will take a strong people to raise loudly, concerns about what is right and what is wrong.

Remember this… An ice berg this large you cannot control. But, ice bergs melt. And eventually, ice bergs go the way of yesterday. They are gone, but not forgotten. Things will get better. The talking heads in your T. V. and the black and white bird cage liners you see on your doorstep everyday are there to provide you with all sorts of stimulus to panic about. And panic, about any situation, especially about a nation that you have no control over, does nothing more than exacerbate the problem.

Until next week…