http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/kissinger-weighs-in-on-north-korea/?hp

'I think it is wise to consult Mr. Kissinger on this most important issue, but, I think business will de done differently in the future. Here is what I think: There is no way North Korea will give up developing a Nuclear Arsenal. They have the World’s 4th largest Army, ready to fight. And, they have not been deployed, so, well rested, and ready. If the US thinks, at any moment, that in a time of Crisis, that China will side with them—-they are foolong themselves. In Reality, North Koreans, as a clan, are very close to the Manchurians….cousins, if you will. Then you have Russia, that, I feel still has a desire to rid the World of the US—-they are still hurting from Reagan, and, the Lost Cold War. They are a wild card.

I also believe that the US Government, being the Big Bully for 60 plus years—–the world wants to see this entity Fall. I also feel many of it’s citizens feel the same way—right or wrong. The US fought non-sensical Wars —-including Korea, Vietnam, and, most recently….Iraq/Afghanistan. The Gulf war was necessary—they need need oil.

The US Military is in a precarious position, drained, weakened, and, directionless. Although the US has the nastiest, most sophisticated Weaponry, you still need a strong standing army to Defend yourself. And, if you decide to fight oversees, and add another front—-like Asia—doomed. Hitler and Napolean, with invincible armies—won battles, but lost Wars…because of overextending.

That, coupled with the US Financial might (the government, through the media declares, these bust-boom times as cycles—-the reality being—every downward cycle never really gets back to where is was before—The US Government has been selling jobs oversees for 40 plus years, weakening it’s own People).

Mr. Kissinger was an expert during the WWII era, was in germany, saw a lot of things, met a lot of people, and, still does….but…..things have changed. My guess: in the coming years, The US will fall to a combination of foreign powers, and, will be reduced to enslavement. Many Countries have very specific, and, decent reasons to see this happen. I believe they are just waiting. In that case, may God Bless you and Your Children, because, your lives will be different.

May you also hold memories of the Good Ol’ Days.

— john nicoletti'

http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/08/04/linux-music-workflow-switching-from-mac-os-x-to-ubuntu-with-kim-cascone/
'If the netbook revolution hadn’t come along and spawn a price-wars on laptops, I might have proceeded to increase my credit card debt. But as a wise uncle once advised, “you invest either your time or your money; never both.”

After considering MacBook Pro prices, I checked out the new netbooks coming to market and picked up a refurbished Dell Inspiron Mini 9 with Ubuntu pre-installed.

I loaded up my Dell with all a selection of Linux audio applications and brought it with me on tour as an emergency backup to my tottering PowerBook. The Mini 9 could play back four tracks of 24-bit/96 kHz audio with effects – not bad for a netbook. The solution to my financial constraint became clear, and I bought a refurbished Dell Studio 15, installed Ubuntu on it, and set it up for sound production and business administration. The total cost was around $600 for the laptop plus a donation to a software developer — a far cry from the $3000.00 price tag and weeks of my time it would have cost me to stay locked-in to Apple. After a couple of months of solid use, I have had no problems with my laptop or Ubuntu. Both have performed flawlessly, remaining stable and reliable.'

http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Wrong-Eyed-Jesus-Harry-Crews/dp/B000E1OI8U/ref=cm_lmf_tit_29_rdssss0

'One of the things about the current intellectual climate of this country that I hate the most is this muddle-headed idea that every view expressed in a writer's work must in every instance be seen as representative of, and in total agreement with, what some critic or another perceives to be the prevailing view of some larger population on whose behalf the critic presumes to speak - be it a culture, a race, a religion, an entire nation, or in this case merely a small portion of one. And if in the critic's view the work fails to measure up to what the critic already has it in his mind the work ought to be or ought to say, then the creator of the work is chided for "being biased", "not objective", "not telling it the way it really is", "having an agenda", or what is far worse, of not being "fair and balanced" (Pardon me while I harf). '

...

'The truth is a writer's responsibility is only to his story. To tell it his way. In his own words. The story may correspond to the "real world", or to what some larger population of people perceives the real world to be but it need not and, in fact, shouldn't. Thus it's not so much that critics of this film miss the point when they say that it doesn't fairly represent all Southerners, it's that the criticism is more true than they realize. The film really does represent a narrow point of view, that of its primary narrator. But that's exactly what it is supposed to do and nothing more ... Some have criticized the film for lacking philosophical sophistication. Now who, I ask you, would have expected that of a film by and about poor Southern white trash? The fact is this film never intends to dissect Southern life, merely to ponder it, to brood over it, and at times to even sulk about it.

The point I'm trying to make is that this film is indeed as one reviewer has described it - a visual poem. Sadly, in our culture poetic musing has become such a dying art (God help us) that would-be critics afflicted with some sort of aesthetic myopia too often mistake it for flawed analysis. Don't let that happen to you.'

'My Latin teacher used to say, “De gustibus non est disputandum.” It translates, “You cannot dispute matters of taste.”'