Wednesday, October 05, 2011

Nice Work Steve Jobs. You did well . RIP

Steve Jobs, Chairman and a founder of Apple Computer, died today.  I've been coincedentally waxing away about the Apple iPhone recently, and feel the need to note Jobs passing.
~
The first great thing that Apple did was to popularize the idea of a personal computer.  Other companies had been in the forefront, but it was Jobs who took Steve Wozniak's Apple 1 invention and captured the imagination of nerds like myself who thought a lot about how things might be different if we had access to individual and managable computers.
~
Apple came out with the Apple 1, Apple ll and Apple lll.  I never purchased one, having access to a Tandy Radio Shack TRS-80, buy I did do some consulting to teach some clients how to use the Apples.  
~
You would not believe how clumsy and technical these early machines were, but they did three things.... they enabled you to automate spreadsheets so you could construct financial models easily, they did word processing, which was a quantum leap over typewritting, and they allowed you to collect and manipulate data in data bases.
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All of the commands were keyboard based, and you moved the cursor by memorizing keyboard combinations.  If you were really nerdy like I was at the time, you got pretty good at it.
~
Jobs had a big part in getting people aware of the potential of personal computing... but he took it the next step when he popularized the mouse with the introduction of the MacIntosh.  Once again, Apple didn't invent the mouse, but they... through the marketing genius of Jobs.... captured the imagination of the computing public.   I paid $4,000 for my first Mac, a 128K black and white beauty that stored data on diskettes.
~
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak
Apple also had a vastly superior and simple operating system, but lost the advantage to IBM and Microsoft when they disallowed the use of the system on competing hardware.   The world was then divided between Apple computers and IBM compatible computers using Microsoft MS-DOS based software.
~
Although Apple lost market share, it stayed in the game because the Mac and its operating system were better, but applications grew faster, particularly in business for the MS-DOS based IBM systems.
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Jobs resurrected the company with the introduction of the iPods and iPhones.   Once again, he popularized and easy to use interface and made you feel cool using it.
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I read accounts that he was a jerk and an egomaniac, and really rode roughshod over the other Founder, Steve Wozniak, who had opted out of management at Apple before the introduction of the Mac.
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But he was one of the rare people of the age who changed the wants and behaviors of his entire generation.
~
Nice job Steve.  You did well . RIP

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

iPhone Buzz

I went into a Sprint retail store on route 114 in Peabody today and asked about trade up programs for when the iPhone came out.  The young lady looked at me like I was the stupid one and said that she had no information on that.... that they didn't carry the iPhone.
~
Not a good sign.
~
Sprint is betting the house on the iPhone, and the front line workers aren't even up to speed.  Sprint has been one of my best customers in the past, and I do know a lot about the company.   So I'm not going to get too critical.  But their employees should be buzzing about the iPhone instead of looking at me like I'm asking a stupid question.

Monday, October 03, 2011

The Knock on Knox

This is the guy who killed Meredith Kercher, the roommate of Amanda Knox.  Knox and her boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito.
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Rudy Guede had DNA all over the apartment and his footprints and handprints were found with in Kercher's blood.  He had a criminal background and had just met Kercher.  He claims that while he was taking a shit, Knox and Sollecito came in and committed the murder.  But their DNA never showed up in evidence.  Seems like quite a stretch.
~
There will be those who will say that Knox got off because she is a White American.   But all the evidence shows that she spent four years in Italian prison because she was fingered by Guede.
~
Reports at the time say that Knox was acting weirdly.   But she was a 20 year old college kid.   I would had  hated to be put on trial for how I acted as a 20 year old.  She is probably guilty of stupidity and bad behavior, but I just don't buy the murder rap.
~
This case is closed.  Justice has taken in inexhorable, expensive course in Italy.  I hope that the Kercher family can find closure for the heinous loss of their daughter and sister.

tuna lips said...
Ise durn't think them guinea pigs (Hoo ha! Get it !) sweated this so called damsel proper like. give ole TL 10 minutes with that there Foxy Knoxy, we'd get to the bottom of her primal itchin'.

Big Week

Do you ever get the feeling that you have a big week ahead of you?... that a major advance or breakthrough is in the air?... that things are shortly to be permanently better???... and for no particular reason?
~
That's me this morning.
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I do have a meeting for one of our hotel customers, and have the regular telecom routine this week, but this feeling transcends those events.  Something big is ready to break... and I have no idea what it is yet.
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Have a nice week!  I'll report back to the Peeps this weekend.

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Sprint for the Apple

Apple is releasing the iPhone 5 this week and Sprint is planning to offer it with an unlimited data plan.
~
I'll be trading in my Blackberry soon.  The Apple technology is so advanced and the selection of useful applications is so vast, that you really can't say that you are utilizing cutting edge technology unless you have one.
~
The ease of use and the intuitive nature of the device bringing personal communication together with a comprehensive library of applications that cover personal interests and business data, has leveled the playing field, where the world's knowledge fits neatly in our pockets and not just in libraries or corporate boardrooms.
~
Apple is an amazing company that has led the way in making the information revolution accessible to all of us.   Watch what happens to Sprint stock with the addition of the iPhone 5....   especially in light of this Nanepashemet Blog endorsement.

Friday, September 30, 2011

Blame Game

Terry "Tito" Francona was fired as the manager of the Red Sox today.  You could see it coming.  Assigning blame is an important and cherished practice in corporate America.   When Shit Happens, some poor schmuck always gets covered in it.
~
Who gets blamed is never straight forward.  Generally, the Ass Kissers who practice CYA more than a Jesuit says the Rosary have manuvered themselves outside of the line of fire.  Usually, the victims are the up front guys who go about doing their duty regardless of which way the wind is blowing.  They are naively too busy trying to do the right thing and never take time to man the barricades.
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There is an argument that Tito was the best manager that the Sox had in the last hundred years.
~
But someone had to take the fall.

TommyO said...
I think a lot of people would like to say the Red Sox fired the Manager. Quite frankly I liked Tito. He said he had lost control of the clubhouse. There are a bunch of overpriced nimrods on that team and I don't know who could have been able to control them. Tito stated that he owed it to the organization to move on. I believe that he resigned and good for him. The head office is too busy selling bricks and working on the circus that has become Fenway Park and lost sight of their priorities. If the players see that the management doesn't care about the ultimate goal, why would you expect them to. And another thing. You need more people who care than don't care, the Sox have to get some players with passion and guts and turn this thing around. Go Pats..

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Pride and Joy


===


~ He's been dead for 25 years, but Stevie Ray Vaughn mastered this tune.

True Work of Allah

So this little Douche Bag, who grew up in Ashland and went to Northeastern U. was bagged in a terrorist, Al Queda plot to blow up stuff using model airplanes.
~
Rezwan Ferdaus, 26, a US citizen whose only known previous crime was vandalism, told FBI agents working undercover as Al Qaeda members that he wanted to “change the world,’’ according to the complaint.“I just can’t stop; there is no other choice for me,’’ he told the agents, according to an affidavit written by FBI Special Agent Gary S. Cacace.“This is what we have to do. This is the righteous way . . . to terrorize enemies of Allah,’’ he said, calling for the deaths of any kafir, the Arabic term for nonbeliever.
- Boston Globe
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You "changed the world" for sure Asshole... your own pathetic little world.... which will consist of a prison cell for the rest of your completely worthless douche bag life.  Probably won't be able to play with toys where you're going.
~
BTW, count yourself as an enemy of Allah, Rezwan (which is a pussy name if I ever heard one.)  I'm sure that Allah has a hand in landing you where you belong, and preventing the murder of innocent people.



Wicked Shockah

The Red Sox had a 9 game lead to make the playoffs at the beginning of September.... and they lost 20 games during the month, being elimimated last night.
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Did that just happen?
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What kind of an Alternate Universe is this anyway?
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All month long, I expected them to turn the slump around.... but they followed it right into the Shitter.
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There will be a call for heads to roll... Tito, Theo, etc.  I can never authomatically buy into this kind of thinking.  Tito Francona or Theo Epstein are not doing the pitching and hitting.   Did we blame them when we were riding high at the beginning of the month?
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It's just a Wicked Shockah!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Republican Metabolism

No news day.
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Gov. Chris Christie of NJ seems like a straight talking politician.  I was watching Keith Oberman on MSNBC last night and Keith was coming up with all sorts of reasons why Christie shouldn't run for President, which makes me think that the Looney Lefties are afraid of this.
~
That alone is reason to back Christie, although it's a little weak.  And No... I wouldn't be supporting him just because he is a fellow Fat Man.  As a Fat Guy, I see no reason why his weight should be an issue... metabolism is not an ideology
~
Other than that, I have to head out to Littleton, MA today to pull a Builidng Permit for one of Nanepashemet Telecom's clients.   The best thing about driving to Littleton is that I'm not driving to New Haven.  We're making Alex do that.
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Like I said... No news day.  
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Yet you read this anyway.

Monday, September 26, 2011

All Quiet in the Gulf of Mexico

You don't hear much about the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill these days.   Remember the BP leak that people like Congressman Ed Markey were saying had ruined the Gulf of Mexico forever?
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Apparently, fish counts are triple what they were before the spill.  Some are attributing this to a ban on commercial fishing with little residual effect from the spill.
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So the Gulf Spill goes into the same file with the Swine Flu.  Another "end of the world as we have known it " scenario that the Liberals made a run with. 
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Another Dud.  But another scare is soon to come.  Fear mongering is part of their MO.

Peering Through the Years

I've been running into some people from the old neighborhood, the Highlands in Lynn, lately.... people I haven't seen or really thought about for over 40 years.   Then when you see them, you peer through the gray hair and body changes and see the kids that you used to hang with on the Little League fields and basketball courts.
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Seems almost supernatural.  How the hell did we get this old?  When did the time slip by?  When you see these guys, you get the same feelings that you had when you were 12 years old.

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Progress Report

Been getting a lot of questions from well-meaning Peeps asking how sales are going at the Nanepashemet Blogging Apparel store.
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I mean... how many people have you seen walking around with the Tuna Lips logo or in a TommyO muscle shirt?  Don't expect to see a Nanepashemet Peeps Thong necessarily, but I thought by now that a lot of WhaleEye Blogging Caps would be making the rounds.
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So... there's your answer, Beearches.  Things are way below projections.  And those Indonesians are expecting to get paid soon too.

Squirrel Poontang

So we're traveling the regular every other Sunday route to FreshAyer.... down 128 up Rt. 2A to Rt. 2.  All of a sudden, I started to notice the high amount of squished squirrel carcasses littering the roadway.  Must have passed about a dozen little red mounds of grey fur and squirrel innards.
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Plus, there were a lot of squirrels darting across the road.
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This can only mean one thing, and I don't mean a run on acorn hoarding.  
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These squirrels are undoubtedly looking for a little nookie, a little tail, or in their case, a little more tail.
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And they are willing to pay a stiff price for squirrel poontang.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Neighborhood Upgrade

This is the back of the Official Nanepashemet Tommy O Taking Out The Trash Bathrobe.
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Bend over in style.

POTW Week 37

To those of you who think I've taken my eye off of Nanepashemet Telecom with this Blogging Apparel Line.... wrong again Pickle Breath!!!
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Truth is that this was a banner week for the steadfast Project Management company as we diversified into another service segment and identified  a high potential project that could keep us in the black for the next two years.

Announcing....
Nanpashemet Peeps of the Week for the 37th Week of 2012

John Williamson
Jeremy Johnson
Dr. James Allen, Surgeon at Salem Hospital
Linda O' Shea
John Fish
Kelly Light

Multi-Tasking is a way of life for a Mountain of a Man.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Indonesian Salutation

Here's the thing. Peeps.
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I might be dumb, but I'm not stupid.
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How long did you think it would take me to find out that " Besar Gemuk Keparat" didn't mean "Esteemed Business Partner" in Indonesian?
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Basically it took me less than a week to figure out that it mean't "Big Fat Bastard"..... thank you Google Translate.
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So now that we understand each other, keep pumping out those T Shirts.

Tank Top ReTool

Had to redesign the classic Tommy O Tank top.  The Indonesians just couldn't get the Irish Tri-Color Flag right and they were gouging me on the price at the same time.
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Those low paid Asians can really be a pain in the Ass.
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So I bit the bullet and came out with a Tommy O logo that costs a lot less to manufacture.
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Sometimes being a Mountain of a Man means that you can change if prompted by screaming Asians.
Click to See this in the Store

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Pronouncing Cancun

The other day, I heard Obama mispronoucing on an ethnic basis the names of some places... like Cancun and Copenhagen.   Here he is, talking along with his faithful teleprompter, when all of a sudden he veers into some ethic accent when he mentions these places.
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Turned me right off.
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The French call their city "Paree"... but we Americans call it  "Paris".   As long as I'm an American from Boston, I'll continue to call it "Paris".
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You hear a lot of this phoney pronunciation from people on National Public Radio and other liberal media outlets.   It always has some sort of elitist twinge to it.
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Sorry but I miss Bush butchering the language. At least he didn't overpronouce stuff on purpose. Natalie Jacobson on Channel 5 used to be the worse. Give her a Latino name or Serbian town to pronouce and she was off to the races with her own ethnic version of the name. Techs at the station told me she was a real Jerk anyway.
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Couldn't believe it when I heard Obama do the same thing.

Tuna Lips Wannabees

To all of you nagging, clamoring Tuna Lips fans whining about his inclusion into the Nanepashemet Blogging Apparel line.... HOLD YOUR FREAKING HORSES!!!!
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Like I'd really leave out ole TL????
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The Indonesians were having a little trouble getting the Tuna Lips graphic just right, so I cut them a little slack.
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Hope that was OK with you.
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Anyway, after enduring a ration of Indonesian obscenities, I finally did get the first Tuna Lips entry out of the sweat shop and on line for purchase, although I basically don't recommend that you buy this T Shirt.
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Do you really want people to treat you like Tuna Lips?

Morons Released


I'm happy that those Americans were released from Iranian prison.
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But, Not for Nothing.... what kind of an asshole decides that the Iraqi border would be a nice place to hike???  What's the matter with the freaking Applalachian Trail????   Or even Mount Kilimanjaro if you have cash to burn?
~
Something is screwy with these morons.   If they are not CIA, then they are real assholes.

_______________________________________________________
American Hikers Leave Iran After Prison Release


By J. DAVID GOODMAN and ALAN COWELL

New York Times Published: September 21, 2011

Two American hikers imprisoned on espionage charges in Iran were released Wednesday after days of conflicting signals, ending diplomatic skirmishing that complicated the United States’ already fraught relationship with Tehran for more than two years.
The men, Shane M. Bauer and Joshua F. Fattal, both 29, were released from the notorious Evin Prison at dusk and whisked by diplomatic convoy to a plane that took them to Oman, where they raced down the stairs of the aircraft to hug waiting family members.
_____________________________________________________


Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Sweating It at the Sweat Shop

I knew this new line of Nanepashemet Blogging fashions would be popular... but even I didn't think it would go this viral so quickly.
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I've got about a hundred, normally docile Indonesians, bitching away at me on Skype from South East Asia with a fairly unnerving rancor.
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How was I to know that these orders would be crushing the capacity in their happy little sweatshop?????
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And now... with the addition of the TommyO Tank Tops and the Mountain of a Man Couch Potato Pants.... things are only going to get worse for them.




Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Nanepashemet Nautical

Blogging and Boating Gear

It dawns on me, Peeps, that the new line of Nanepashemet Blogging Apparel can also be used for things other than blogging.
~
In particular, they are really cool for nautical activities, and in independent testing, they have been found to seriously attract the opposite sex.
Click to see more


















The line also works exceptionally well in either workout or couch potato sessions.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Hostile Work Environment

So now the story comes out that the Obama White House is a "hostile work environment".  That's the best thing I've heard in awhile.  It makes me think that Obama is not a hopeless case.   At least the place is not the wussy, politically correct, goo-goo, phoney, moonbat haven that I had previously imagined it as.
~
At their core, liberals are always the worse offenders anyway.  National Public Radio (NPR), that collection of phoney accented pseudo-intellecturals has a particularly high rate of discrimination and sexual harassment suits.
~
I've always thought that liberals look inside themselves... are horrified at the base emotions and beliefs that they see.... and project it upon the dumb conservatives who are struggling just to be left alone by the government and everyone else.
~
That's why liberals are quick to call others racist, or polluters, or other base things that they really see in themselves.   So if they are chewing each other up in the hostile work environment of the White House, it just stands to reason.

Straining Exploitation

Whoa Peeps!!!!
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I knew that the Nanepashemet Line would be hot.... but easy on the order button.
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My Indonesian sweat shop can only manufacture these items so fast.   You've really put the strain on my exploited Asian laborers.
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BTW, if you have a specific clothing item that you would like to see desecrated with Nanepashemet Blog propaganda, let me know and I'll put a special request into the Indonesians.
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Also.... don't forget to check out the Women's Items on Pg. 2 of the Nanepashemet Peep Apparel store.....
~
Tasteful yet slightly erotic merchandise.



Tuna Lips said...
I likes to wear me one of them thongs too. Frees up access for skritchin' my undercarriage, and keeps the snarl ups to a minimum when beset by a case of ring worm after eating at Shoo Fly's. Jeez, that possum meat turns fast.

TommyO said...

Good Stuff,
Now don't forget, when you need to Import these quality items into your US Distribution Center from Indonesia give me a call. This is what I do.
TommyO








Sunday, September 18, 2011

The Nanepashemet Peep Line of Blogging Apparel

Peeps -
Many of you have been irritating me constantly with questions like, " J.  When are your going to come out with a line of Nanepashemet Blog wearing apparel.?"
~
Naturally, I've been ignoring this for the last few years, but of late, a line of very high quality and affordable items have been made available to me, and I might as well satisfy your completely over pent up demand.
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I came through with the book, didn't I???  So quit your nagging.
~
If you need to bulk order these items, drop me an email and I'll make you a deal.
~
Announcing....
the sheik and sophisticated line of Nanepashemet Peep Apparel....
8144925-18912751
Click on the shirt to see the full line, and don't blow all of your wardrobe budget on Nanepashemet stuff.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

POTW Week 36

We took our bankers out on the WhaleEye to chase the elusive Bluefish yesterday afternoon.  The fish were not compliant with our quest, but that gave us a great excuse to tie up in Manchester Harbor for some refreshment at the Seven Central Landing.  But the real story here is the ultimate class move exhibited by Bobby Brown, the original Mountain of a Man, who showed up at the BYC Dock with a bottle of Lagavulin, the King of Scotch.

ANNOUNCING....
Nanepashemet Peeps of the Week for the 36th Week of 2011

Bobby Brown (Automatic Lagavulin Gift Rule)
Katelyn Nestor
Lisa Rowe
Gail Johnson
Peter Crawford
Gordon McBurney

Someday, the WhaleEye will bring us to fish.   But not yet.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Reality Dream

Ryan had a furlough yesterday, and his kids had a great time hanging with their Dad and friends for an all too short afternoon.   There is no doubt that when he gets out in a few months, this will feel like a bad dream... but right now it continues to be all too real.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Jacqueline Kennedy ... in Diane's Own Words

I'm trying hard to watch this ABC News documentary about Jacqueline Kennedy's taped memoirs that she made four months after the President's assasination.
~
But that self absorbed twit, Diane Sawyer, just will not freaking shut up.    Diane, let the tapes do the talking.  Please shut the fuck up.   I used to be a big Caroline Kennedy fan, but apparently she turned the tapes over to ABC News so that Diane  could drone us with her irritating, editorializing, self-righteous drivel.
~
Caroline.... don't you think it would have been nice to hear your mother on this program???? instead of  this dreadful dimwit????
~
Diane profoundly tried to make us believe that Jacqueline was actually pronounced "Jac Leen" by all around her, when her husband continally pronounces it the way we've always heard it.    Diane - do you think that President Kennedy, in an international Paris address, would mispronouce his wife's name, instead of pronouncing it like you want us too\?  What's with you phoney liberals with your name pronunciation anyway???  Jeezz.
~
Wish the Sox were on.

indonesiatooverseas said...

I love to hear the news too, it's make us have a wider view of the world.

Chip and Putt

Golf sucks.   If I sank my last putt yesterday, I sure as hell wouldn't miss that maddening activity.  By the 15th hole, suicide is not only an option.... it is a definite possibility.
~
It was nice to see my friends and competitors at the New England Wireless Association annual Golf Tournament at the Sky Meadows Country Club at Nashua yesterday, but I could have much more enjoyably met them for cocktails.   18 holes of anquish doesn't necessarily have to occur first.
~
The following sleep apnea test at Salem Hospital last night was a bit more enjoyable.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Fat Shit Affliction

Just got back from two Dark and Stormies on the Boston Yacht Club porch.... so bear with me.
~
Tomorrow I have a golf tournament for the New England Wireless Association at a course in Nashua, NH. Then I have to deadhead it to the Salem Hospital where I am spending the night doing a sleep study to identify the extent of sleep apnea that I have been diagnosed with.
~
Sleep Apnea is an affliction that attacks fat shits like myself who snore due to growth in the size of their tongues and other stuff in their air passages.   The snoring is something that I really have to attend to, because it is uncomfortable to me and obnoxious to anyone who attempts to sleep less than 20 feet from me.
~
I've been working out for the past two weeks like a mofo.  Really getting some intensive sweats in afer 45 minutes on the Cybex.
~
My theory is that this habit will eventually shed the pounds that is the ultimate culprit behind this condition.
~
But until then, I'm sure that the medical industry will see me as a cash cow and I will be strapped with all sorts of apparatus to buy that will be the interim diagnosis for this fat shit affliction.

ndonesiatooverseas said...

Get better soon.
I hope you wil l enjoy your life as usual.




Saturday, September 10, 2011

Creating Jobs

Sorry for the gap in posts.  The short Labor Day week got wicked busy and my routine was thrown off.  Not that I owe you an apology or anything.  I have no official obligation to ever post anything in this pathetic Blog.  But morally, I tend to feel bad because of the intense suffering that you Peeps endure when you don't get your addictive Nanepashemet fix.
~
But that's your Monkey... not mine.
~
Anyway...
~
Lots of people asked me what I thought of the Obama American Jobs Bill Speech.
~
I think the program is brilliant, expertly thought out, devoid of political intent, and just what the country needs to get back on its feet.......    er... Not really.
~
Let me say at the outset that I wish that Obama would succeed, but it seems that he is hopelessly adrift... more than even Jimmy Carter.    This sophmoric, lightweight approach to creating jobs... simply throwing money at government road projects and teachers.... misses the whole point of how real jobs and economic development occurs in America.
~
It happens from the efforts of creative entrepreneurs and small business people.  People who create opportunities for business through initiative and their own creative thought processes.   That's right... people like me.... if I do say so myself.   If Obama could tap resources into that process, the result would be exponential.
~
I'll give you a specific example.
~
If Nanepashemet Project Management was given a government grant of $600k to hire three top rate business developement sales professionals, we would undoubtably win a half dozen major projects in the next year.   In order to properly manage these we would need to hire 12 to 18 employees.  And this is direct hires.... it doesn't take into account all of the subcontractors and 1099 consultants that the projects would require.
~
And the higher volume of our business would allow us to maintain the three business development staffers.  So the $600K federal jobs investment would yield a minimum of 15 jobs for a cost of $40K per job.
~
Each of these jobs would pay federal taxes and would stimlate local economy purchases for the forseeable future... say six years or so.
~
Obama wants to hire teachers... an honorable objective.... but is it an economic stimulant that will create jobs?   $600K would buy ten teaching jobs... for one year... and that's the end of it.  That's 10 units of production for the investment.
~
$600k granted to my entrepreneurial company would yield 15 jobs.... for at least six years.  That's 90 units of production.  And we would undoubtably grow larger with this base on our own efforts and investment.
~
This is not to downgrade teachers... or construction road workers.   We desperately need them.   But funding them as an economic stimulis will only get Obama to the next election, and keep the country in a downward spiral.   Fund these jobs in an Education bill, or a Highway Infrastructure bill.   But don't characterize these as an economic stimulis, because they just don't carry out that purpose in a way that changes our economic outlook.
~
Economic stimulis should be directed at the true job creation source of this country.... small business.
~
The POTUS had a lot of time to think of this approach during his vacation... and he came up decidedly short.
~
And by the way.... those 15 jobs, averaging $12k per year in federal income taxes for each job, would yield over a million bucks in tax revenue over the six year period.  For every $40k invested, $80K would be returned.   That's a 33% annual return on investment to the Federal Government for the $600K "grant".
~

Big Daddy said...

So what you are looking for is a government handout?



Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Tedium

Today I was about 28 minutes into my 45 minute Cybex workout when the cell phone rang.  Normally I would ignore it, but when I checked it was my business partner, Mike Elsier, and I had a nagging need to respond.   Glad I did, because it was something that needed immediate attention... even in my sweaty and winded condition.
~
The crisis was handled in short order and I was still sweating, so I decided to get out and do a three mile running loop, down to Grace Oliver's Beach and back.  This was accomplished with surprizing ease, since I had not intended on pounding the pavement until I lost 20 lbs or so.
~
If this is boring to you, don't feel bad because it is actually tedious for me to write it.  But hang in there... I'm sure that the'll be some more exciting shit in the future.

Monday, September 05, 2011

Random or Karma

I was up in North Conway this weekend, and happened to be pedaling my Iron Horse Mountain Bike past the next building when I found my old Boss Ed Calnan standing on the front deck.   Calnan hired me when he was the Community Development Director in Lynn and was my first business mentor. (I have two - he and Peter Lojko).
~
When I think of a mentor, I think of people who have become templates for your behavior.  When you confront a situation, you end up asking yourself, "What would Ed or Peter do or say in this predicament?"
~
I once had a boss named Dick Scott who announced to me that it was his job to be my mentor.   Dick was an asshole for many reasons and this was just the tip of the iceberg.    Don't tell me that you are my mentor... I do the choosing, and you have nothing frigging to do about it.
~
At any rate, it was weird to see that Ed had bought a unit in the same complex as our condo which we bought nineteen years ago.   How random is that?
~
On second thought, maybe it is not random at all.  Maybe it is karmic.

Saturday, September 03, 2011

Washburn Breakdown

So I was up in North Conway yesterday and stopped into a little store on Route 16 called "Music Shop".  They had a modest selection of guitars, harmonicas, fiddles and one banjo.  Even though I had resolved to save my acoustic purchase for a $1,000 Breedlove, I wanted to see what the action looked like in this store's selections.
~
Prices ranged from $1,400 to $99 and I have found that with stringed instruments, you basically get what you pay for.   Buy a cheap guitar, and it will be hard to play plus sound awful.  And you will stop using it.  That's why I've been holding out for the Breedlove.
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But after trying out the Washburn WD10SCE Cutaway Dreadnought Acoustic Electric selling for $249 against the $1400 Takamine, I couldn't believe how good the Washburn felt and sounded.
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So I flashed some plastic and bought the MOFO!
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No buyer's remorse here either.  This guitar looks, feels and sounds the Balls.   Even when I'm playing it.
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Maybe I'll eventually buy the Breedlove... but no rush now.


Friday, September 02, 2011

Summer Slip Away

Labor Day Weekend is the traditional end of summer.   As soon as it's over, it seems like the weather changes.    This summer went by fast with boating and fishing in scarce supply.  No doubt the FreshAyer obligations cut into a lot of summer stuff... and that's ok.   We'll make it up big time in coming years.   Also the deck construction and various Sundance property improvements added to the low level of recreational output.
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A big problem was that the deck work cut into the need to repair the Herreshoff Columbia Tender and the Pram, and I never launched them.  I didn't even get the lobster pots out.   Next year these will hit the water first thing, and should be the catalyst for some better focus to recreation rather than work in the good weather.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Swampscott Dories in Swampscott

Thanks to Wayne Webster for sending us this cool photo of Swampscott dories and other rowing boats on the Lynn Swampscott line ostensibly in the early fifties.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Change in Priorities

I have to install some baseboards around the deck door trim today.  Will try to fit that around all of the Nanepashemet General Contracting activity and also finish some drywall in the hallway before the Labor Day weekend..   But the most important activity... even more important than posting in this Blog.... is getting a workout in.
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My dieting efforts have failed miserably.   Just have no ability to shy away from bread, pizza and pasta.   So an upgraded regimen of exercise on the Cybex, the treadmill and the addition of pushups and pullups has to be added into a daily lifestyle change.
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In the past, exercise has taken second position to the demands of job and career.  But I have to switch this priority and convince myself that losing weight and getting into shape is more important than meeting every job obligation on a timely basis.
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Of course, what you eat is important too.  But I already know that I can't win that battle.  Maybe will be victorious in a skirmish every once in awhile.   Workouts have to lead the charge.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Hot Air from Irene

Hurricane Irene has come and gone bringing an incredible amount of "hot air".
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The wind blew, rain fell, idiot boat owners with a southern exposed mooring who refused to pull their boats had their boats wash on shore. The incredible fact here is not the "power" of the storm. It is the stupidity of the boat owners.
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Streams overflowed their banks and there was a lot of moving video of property owners cleaning up mud. Lots of quotes like "Imagine what it could have been."
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Such a rush to dramatize a wind storm with some flooding and power outages.


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Hurricane Hype

The rain stopped and there is a patch of blue sky over West Shore Drive.  We have obeyed Governor Patrick's plea to "stay indoors" and have survived President Obama's "historic hurricane".   And the panic ridden newscasters in their parkas and rain gear did their best to inform us of the terror outside.
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The important thing is that we are alive and safe.   Actually I'm really tired of this bullshit consisting solely of  Politicians hype and newscasters shameful misrepresentation of a little wind and rain.
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One day, the big one will hit.   And this "Boy Who Cried Wolf" routine will backfire on cynics like me who get so irritated by media phonies treating us like assholes.  But I have to believe that we will make our own assessment when that day comes... rather than listening to these buffoons.

Hurricane Irene Report

The wind is blowing. I saw some leaves and branches moving on the trees. This is a disaster! I'm writing my name and ss# on my arm with a magic marker so that my corpse can be identified when this bitch Irene is through.
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It is so freaking crazy out there that George Stepanopoulos had to come in and take the helm from the ABC GoodMorning America weekend crew.  Thanks George for that heroic act.  Maybe there is a little hope after all.
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But.... I just don't know what to do because I haven't had any instructions this morning from President Obama and Governor Patrick.
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The breeze just came in the window and the curtains moved.   OMG!!!!  This is it!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Watch the Storm

Weather Wimps

All Hurricane... All the Time.   Hurricane Irene can kiss my ass.   It's already downgraded to a category 1 storm as it hits land in the Carolinas.
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Technology has turned us into wimps.  Just because you see a bunch of clouds in radar, it becomes freak out time.  Already our Governor Deval Patrick has declared a state of emergency and is telling us to make sure we have food and flashlights.  And the President has added his tips on how to survive this Holocaust.
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"Remember to exhale shortly after you inhale, and don't forget to wipe your ass whenever you defecate with a good quality toilet paper". 
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No... neither Barack nor Michelle has said this... yet.  But I won't be freaking surprized when they do.

Tuna lips said...

Plain speakin' especially that part about poopin'.



Thursday, August 25, 2011

Weather WhaleEye

For the record, I'm not going to pull the WhaleEye out of the water as Hurricane Irene threatens to hit us square on Sunday.
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From where my mooring is... a mile from the entrance to Salem Harbor on the north side of the Marblehead Peninsula..... it's hard to conceive that the storm coming up from the South could strain the hold of the mooring with its embedded mushroom anchor.
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And I hope to get some serious fishing in on the WhaleEye as the Blues and Stripers migrate south from the Gulf of Maine in September.
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So I'm going to take the risk and weather the storm.  Plus I have insurance.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A Haven in New Haven.

An Earthquake on the East Coast.... the threat of a Hurricane this weekend.... Great White Sharks lurking in shallow waters on Cape Cod..... this place is starting to feel a tad dangerous.  In the middle of it all, my trip to New Haven hit paydirt with the chance to tie into a nice piece of recurring business.
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I could say something like..."Being a Mountain of a Man means that you can't let earthquakes, hurricanes and sharks affect your day"....  but maybe I'll just leave it alone.
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Back to New Haven tomorrow.

Pisc said...

Go to Frank Pepe's on Wooster Street for a great pie. Typically lands in the top 2 for NY Neapolitan pizza in the good ole USA.


Monday, August 22, 2011

Amazon to the Rescue

Just when you think that the day is not going to get any more boring, you find out that you can now search inside my Nanepashemet Book on Amazon... and the day totally redeems itself!!!!!
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I know that the damn thing is expensive, but now you can search on Amazon to see if I happened to have pathetically mentioned you even once!
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That's got to be worth something.
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Click HERE to get to the Amazon site, order the book, and completely rev up the rest of your summer!

Blahs

Late summer blahs.  Even for this pathetic Blog.
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I don't want to bitch about the President having another vacation.
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Could care less that Kim Kardashian got married.
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Not interested in Gaddafi losing his coveted dictatorship of Libya.
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Even the phoney, self absorbed Good Morning American ABC talking heads are not stirring me up.
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Like I said.... Definitely the Blahs.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Social Calendar

Big Sunday shaping up.  Heading over to see Mike and his girlfriend, Pam, at the Salem Waterfront Hotel for brunch as they cool down from the 7 mile roadrace in Gloucester.  Then the Johnson's with Amanda and her man from California are due to drop by for a visit.   Finally, we have to head over to the Salem Country Club for dinner with Harvey and Lisa, where Lou Panakio is going to highlight the improvements to the Club for us.
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On top of all of this, we are recuperating this morning from an evening of revelry with  Jim and Kathy Peabody.
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Being a Mountain of a Man means that you have to shuffle a lot of stuff on your social calendar from time to time.  

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Hope and Change... but mostly Hope.

I'm tired of everyone who would deny the President and his family a 10 day vacation in Martha's Vineyard.   The plunging stock market can wait.  The 10% joblessness rate can wait.  The useless loss of American lives in Afganistan can wait.   Time for a little much deserved R and R.
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Do you think I'm saying this because I just haven't felt confident enough to leave Nanepashemet Telecom for my own vacation this summer?
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Maybe that's so.
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But I have some really important stuff to take care of at my company.
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It's just not as stable as the way our President has guided the country.  So he goes, and I slug away.
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It's not that I'm  jealous of the President.  But I am truly sick and tired of this lightweight who seems so inadequate as he draws the salary of the Chief Executive of the United States. 
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Hope and Change... but mostly Hope.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Web Site Feedback

Peeps -
I did a quick rewrite of the Nanepashemet Telecom web site today to reflect the fact that we have widened our focus beyond the wireless industry and have started to take on more traditional project management in the site acquisition and construction management segments.
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Appreciate if you would hit the site and give me a little feedback.
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http://www.nanepashemet.com/


9:35 AM Pisc said...
The black background should be a lighter color.

Some stock pictures would improve it.

Some fast statistics (permitted X number of sites, including tough to zone municipalities like _____); reduced time cycle accomplishments;

Throw the PMP training and certification, that is good for a Google hit or three.

A statement about Elsier's RF knowledge and how integration with the RF design team is essential to proper siting. You are not task masters, you are project managers... . except having worked around you, a core competency is horse whipping people to get the job done. So you could go with that, too.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Unbroken

Just finished reading "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, which is the story of Louis Zamperini's extraordinary life as an American Olympic Athlete who was imprisoned by the Japanese in WWII.
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In the Berlin Olumpics 5000 meter men's track and field event, he received the praise of Adolph Hitler for his furious finish.
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He survived over 40 days on a raft in the Pacific during which time he was strafed by Japanese aircraft then utimately picked up by a Japanese naval vessel after drifing over 2000 miles.
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During the next two years in Japanese prison camps, he endured unimaginable torture at the hands of sadistic prison guards. 
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Zamperini has since forgiven his Japanese captorshaving embraced Christianity, but it is hard to read this book without feeling disgust at the brutality of the Japanese with their atrocities of human enslavement with massive rape, genocide, and torture.  Their policy of "kill all POW's" in the event of their possible liberation and their mass murder of Chinese, Polynesian, Korean and other civilians puts them shoulder to shoulder with the Nazis.
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Like the Nazi's, they viewed themselves as a superior race, when in fact their actions made them sub-human. Isn't it ironic that within the framework of our own lives, the cultures that proclaimed themselves as superior were morally and humanly the opposite?
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Zamperini is still alive and lives in California.
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I came to this book by way of Ryan who received it from Pat Piscatelli in a class move of sending it to FreshAyer.
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A riveting read.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Banjo Fretboard Practice

Janet Davis, author of the Janet Davis Ultimate Banjo Songbook, says that if  you practice the major chords up and down the fretboard .... taking a chord a month, following the Circle of Fifths, and pick out the root notes.......at the end of a year, you will have memorized all of the note positions on the entire fretboard.
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A month a chord seems like a long time... why couldn't you shorten it to a week a chord???  And practice the chromatic and pentatonic scales for these keys at the same time?   That would see the whole thing done in three months.
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This week is C Major week and next week is G Major week.

Nothing to It but to Do It.

A big push this weekend to trim out the deck door and staircase.  Homan Electric installed the lighting yesterday and this project actually sees a possibly complete status if I can catch a wave of energy and motivation this morning.
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I have all of the exterior and interior trim pre-primed stock purchased from Peabody Building Supply and there is nothing to it but to do it.
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The Grandkids, Will and Ethan are due as well, and we will be heading out for some FreshAyer tomorrow.   Lots to look forward to.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Focus Guitar

Thanks to some kind advice from Construction Industry Recruiter Brendan Ahern, I have changed my guitar purchase focus from the Yamaha to a Breedlove Atlas Stage D25/SR Acoustic Electric Guitar.

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Even though it's a lot more expensive, I believe it will be worth the wait to save up for it.

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In the meantime, I'm happy to concentrate my musical stylings to my Gold Star FE100 Banjo, which is a hell of a quality instrument itself.

Tuna Lips said...

Under 6 months on yonder countdown clock, I spies. Sounds like a proper time-herizin to take on some project entertainin' for the rest of us. Perhaps a chow regimen rich in walnuts, or maybe learnin' on pickin' that there banjo, Scruggs style. It will make time pass with ease, like a turd outta that Senator Barney feller's buttocks, on account of the afermenshuned walnut stew.




Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Newsweek Magazine - Fair and Balanced

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All of that chatter about print media like the New York Times, Boston Globe and Newsweek magazine being liberally biased is just plain bunk.

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These fine publications are professionally dedicated to the highest standards of objective, unbiased journalism.
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Anyone can see that Newsweek equally protrayed Michele Bachmann  and Michelle Obama.  Except for the crazy eyes pose and "Queen of Rage" caption, it is a virtually identical portrayal.
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Fair and Balanced.

Monday, August 08, 2011

Sawhorses for the Pram Repairs


After a reasonable search to find some free sawhorse plans on line, I settled for this knock down version and hope to make two or more of these to work on the pram and store it off of the ground in the winter.  In the summer, they can be knocked down and stored under the deck.
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I probably have enough waste stock from the deck project to whip these together by the weekend.
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My version will be from 2x stock rather than the 1x4's specified here.

Sunday, August 07, 2011

Maine Respite

We came mighty close to attending the Maine Lobster Festival this weekend.
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 Instead we went to the Owl's Head Transportation Museum in Rockland which is a world class collection of primarily automobiles... incredibly clean and high end.... a first rate take and truly a must see in the Maine Down East region.
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The highlight of the museum visit was an air show featuring a WWII American Corsair fighter plane flying in manuveres with one of only two remaining  a Japanese Zero's in existence.   The power and speed of these fighters were impressive, and you couldn't help but wonder what those Zero's attacking Pearl Harbor must have looked like.
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~


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Our hosts for the weekend were the gracious Frary's of Marblehead, MA and St. George, Maine.   Kevin and Susan Frary have their beautiful vacation home on the Watts Cove inlet of the St. George Penninsula and they incredibly watch the sun set in the west over the ocean inlet every evening.
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We were accompanied by Dale and Gail Johnson , some of our favorite Peeps. and not just because they laugh at most of my lame jokes.
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There are other reasons.
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On the ride home, we stopped in downtown Portland, Maine, which has become completely revitalized and is a destination in itself.  I was inpressed with the amount of foreign tourists who were enjoying the shops and restaurants of the seaport district.
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A nice weekend respite.

Friday, August 05, 2011

Anonymous Million Bucks

So I'm trying to imagine that I'm a political candidate for President and somebody sends  a contribution to my campaign from a PAC for one Million dollars.
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But I know absolutely nothing about it when asked.  Not who sent it, who the political action committee was, or how much it was.  Yet it was arranged by an attorney that my company had done extensive business with.
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Turns out that the PAC and the business behind it went out of business as soon as the check cleared.
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But I know nothing.
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That's Mitt Romney's story this morning.
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I've been thinking of throwing the prestigious Nanepashemet endorsement to Mitt.  He's got good hair and I generally like his decision making... but this one really bothers me.
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If somebody sent a check to my organization for a million bucks, I would know their names, their kids names, their birthdays and whether they wore tighty whities or boxers.
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But Mitt knows nothing.... I Don't buy it Mitt.  You've got to come up with a better answer than that.  Nobody throws an anonymous million to a candidate, and everybody know that.

Jim L. said...

The hair really ain't that good.


Tuna lips said...
I am beset by one of them boners that last fer more than 8 hours that yer 'sposed to see the doctor about. Brings to mind my days sweeping floors at that Morman compound just over the line in Ole Mexico. Had a boner fer 8 hours back then, sho nuff, what with all them longjohn wearin' sissy boys bringin' more than one date to the dance! Thems called me the rock of ages, before they set the federales on me. That's another story, thank the almighty fer kin like Shoo Fly!

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Not a Nazi

Those who are closest to the Mountain of a Man know that I'm not always correct, but rarely wrong.  If that bothers you, then think of it as some kind of a zen haiku, and move your ass down the road a bit.
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So it bothered me a little when I was observing some Facebook diatribe between some of my liberal and conservative friends, when one decides to label others  as a "Nazi" because of a disagreement in the debt ceiling compromise.
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Seems to me that calling someone, or a group of people, Nazi's is indicative of a case of paranoid schizophenia that probably doesn't belong within a friendly Facebook discussion.
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Before you call someone a Nazi, maybe you should consider whether they slaughtered six million Jews as well as an additional five million Gypsies, Homosexuals, and Mentally Retarded  people in death camps while simultaneously proclaiming the racial superiority of a select group of Caucasian Europeans.  Also, to be a Nazi, they would have trampled peoples rights, stolen their possessions and enslaved whole populations to work as slaves in forced labor camps.
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Hundreds of thousands of Americans died to rid our planet of these Nazis.
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So, before you glibly use your freedom of speech to lable someone who you disagree with as a Nazi.... think about how shortsighted, insensitive, and freaking stupid you sound.
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There are no Nazis in Washington debating the debt ceiling.  There are civilized people with differences of opinion who are seeking to find compromise.   It's called Democracy.

JimL. said...

Isn't it ironic, though, to realize that even democracy can lead a nation to ruin.




Tuesday, August 02, 2011

Professional and Responsible

I'm supposed to go to New Haven tomorrow, but six hours to and fro in the F150 just lacks the appeal that it used to.
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I'm seriously thinking of using that time getting gritty with Google Maps in the subject area  sitting in front of my office computer.  With the street view feature, combined with all of the assessor's ownership information availble on line, this is actually a tough choice. 
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The problem is that I've visited this particular part of New Haven County three times, and each time came up with a candidate that wasn't optimal from a network engineering viewpoint.   Usually it doesn't take this much effort to hit paydirt.  Plus, the area is not a garden spot.
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And if I just go to Google, I'm just postponing the inevitable.
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In the end, I will do the professional, responsible thing... because that is what a Mountain of a Man does at Nanepashemet Telecom.

Monday, August 01, 2011

More Spartacus.



More Spartacus in Jaunuary.  Another reason to wish these months away.

TommyO said...

Oh My...
I can't wait, we have to have viewing parties, this is too cool.
TommyO