I could detail the struggles I face in getting support from some of the closest people around me.
Point is, I am literally going against what seems like the world in everything I do. In other news, I have another interview with Bruce Poliquin planned. It will be good to get a feel for where he stands on issues in more detail than on his website. I may have (its in limbo until tomorrow when I read the city ordinances on campaigns) gotten support for my efforts in Bangor for my run for office.
So while I'm told I can't do it, I march on and do it anyway. The oddest part is how I am only told I can not do it after I tell the people closest to me the good news of my progress. Alas, such is living in a family where the political views are 100% opposite to your own.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Primeval Cancelled (I am NOT impressed)
I've been thinking about the cancellation of Primeval for some time now. It has been almost a month since it was announced. While we are still just getting to the second season in the U.S. with the Syfy (formerly Sci Fi channel). Looking into it the show was ITV (the home station in the U.K.) best show with over 5 million viewers. It represented 21% of the market share. Now, the show says that costs are the reason for cutting the show with declining revenue.
I've seen the forums, and the four petitions. The show is loved by everyone, including me. Syfy, listen up, come close please, I'm only a devout fan of Scifi shows (have been for about ten years) and I've seen some excellent shows come and go from Scifi. I have been annoyed with my favorite shows being cancelled with fewer than five seasons under their belt. The list of shows I loved and now miss: Dresden Files, Flash Gordon, Painkiller Jane, Starget Atlantis (Seriously, give it the ten years you gave SG-1.), Battlestar Galactica (BEST show ever, and I'm not really angry about it closing, it had to, its the longest movie ever, but still it ended so its in the list), TREMORS (I loved the movies, loved the series, and you cancelled it! I was especially distraught over this one). Now the shows that were shown for less than five seasons that you didn't pick up: Firefly (Again, I liked, you didn't, although the ratings I understand), Jake 2.0 (you air two seasons, and re-run like crazy), and Surface (Loved it, NBC cancelled it.)
So the list is quite long. NBC and Scifi, now Syfy, pay attention: STOP IT. Give a show five seasons to build a fan base, learn lessons, and become successful. I'm tired of falling in love with shows, characters, and plots just to have them stop dead in their tracks. Syfy, save Primeval. Do whatever you have to. It is an amazing show. You brought other U.K. shows to the U.S. and you can do the same here. Notice the success in the U.K., you could have that too if you hosted the series.
I've seen the forums, and the four petitions. The show is loved by everyone, including me. Syfy, listen up, come close please, I'm only a devout fan of Scifi shows (have been for about ten years) and I've seen some excellent shows come and go from Scifi. I have been annoyed with my favorite shows being cancelled with fewer than five seasons under their belt. The list of shows I loved and now miss: Dresden Files, Flash Gordon, Painkiller Jane, Starget Atlantis (Seriously, give it the ten years you gave SG-1.), Battlestar Galactica (BEST show ever, and I'm not really angry about it closing, it had to, its the longest movie ever, but still it ended so its in the list), TREMORS (I loved the movies, loved the series, and you cancelled it! I was especially distraught over this one). Now the shows that were shown for less than five seasons that you didn't pick up: Firefly (Again, I liked, you didn't, although the ratings I understand), Jake 2.0 (you air two seasons, and re-run like crazy), and Surface (Loved it, NBC cancelled it.)
So the list is quite long. NBC and Scifi, now Syfy, pay attention: STOP IT. Give a show five seasons to build a fan base, learn lessons, and become successful. I'm tired of falling in love with shows, characters, and plots just to have them stop dead in their tracks. Syfy, save Primeval. Do whatever you have to. It is an amazing show. You brought other U.K. shows to the U.S. and you can do the same here. Notice the success in the U.K., you could have that too if you hosted the series.
Three Top Republican Candidates And What Their Blogs Say About Them
I've let you keep up with the announced candidates for the Republican side of the Governor race in Maine for 2010. We have read their websites, attempted interviews (got two of them) and now we will examine their blogs. Just a quick recap: Bruce Poliquin, Matt Jacobson, and Les Otten are the candidates.
One of the most telling signs for a blog writer is to make the first post mean something. In my case it explained what the blog would cover (important things and sometimes not so important things to break the tandem of drama). This first review is going to cover only the first blog. The first blog, should someone take the time to go and read it, can give a big hint as to the potential, purpose, and practicality of the blog.
Lets start with Les Otten's blog found here: http://lesotten.blogspot.com/
Les Otten's first blog post talks about the Red Sox and their championship win. It tells of how Maine can come back from a loss and what areas need to be fixed. He states:
I believe that Maine can renew itself as a leader in energy independence, tax reform, job creation, business opportunity and 21st century educational opportunities.
Excerpt over. What the blog doesn't say is that he is running for governor. It doesn't mention why he is running for governor. It doesn't mention why he should be governor. It lacks what the solutions to those issues are, and so on a scale of 1-10 for representing his campaign for governor, I give it a 2.
Now to Matt Jacobson's blog at: http://jacobsonforgovernor.blogspot.com/2009/03/test-blog-1.html
His blog post is lengthy, but detailed. I like that. Most people I know may be slightly bored with the detailed paragraphs, but it isn't a CBO report and has some adjectives in it to make things more readable. His blog states five main problems (as a good way to make a powerful statement later on) which are: energy costs, aging population, per capita income, changing climate (which negatively affects our fishing industry), and the air base in Brunswick is closing. He definately knows what is wrong with Maine. He knows the problem. This is good.
He provides a goal of increasing our per capita income by $19,000 without giving a way to do it. He then proposes we turn the air base into an energy center, and then connects that to all the other issues making it a solution to many problems. In this big picture viewpoint he is excellent. He understands the chain reactions. However how the energy center would be formed using the governor's office he did not say. Which makes his whole blog doubtful, however it does appear on the surface to be a good idea.
However, like Les Otten's blog it is not apparent in the blog that he is running for governor. You have to make it crystal clear to people what you plan to do. Just saying what is wrong and mentioning a solution does not do much if you need someone to vote for you. It also shows to me they are not focused on the goal.
My rating: 7
Now we go to Bruce Poliquin's blog, which is not on blogger.com but on his website: http://www.bruceforme.com/index.php/blog/P32/
His blog starts out with what is wrong with Maine and what can be done about it in generalized terms. Then he underlined a section with the following:
Here are just a few reasons why I’m best qualified to be your next Governor:
First, I’m a native Mainer — Waterville 3rd generation.
Second, I worked my way through Harvard University, studying economics under world renowned professors and business managers.
Third, our investment business safely managed $5 billion of worker pension funds, more money than our State government spends in a year.
Fourth, I have started, invested in, and managed a number of Maine businesses. These companies have provided good work to hundreds of Mainers and injected millions of dollars into our economy.
Excerpt over. Then he repeats his first section in a couple of sentences and dedicates himself to making himself available to prove himself as qualified for the position and ready to do the job. He even gives contact information. This is something that sets his campaign apart from all the others I've seen so far (including the Working Families Party from earlier). He is the only candidate who has made himself accessable. I have been contacted by his campaign more times than I have contacted them. This connection to the people is what a leader needs to have.
His blog post gives some problems, aknowledges that solutions are more complicated than catchy phrases, and then gives the reason why he is best for the position of governor and allows you to contact anytime. While I am slightly inclined to test the "contact me anytime" just to fulfill the urges of having Aspergers Syndrome, I won't.
My Rating: 9.9
It is still early in the campaign, and changes can be made to improve. I have seen endorsements work wonders in campaigns but I feel that mine would only distract from the issues. So I will continue doing my work and presenting all sides, even if I do endorse Bruce Poliquin for governor. (A lesson has been learned from this: a few e-mail responses and forward outreach programs can do wonders for a candidate for public office.)
One of the most telling signs for a blog writer is to make the first post mean something. In my case it explained what the blog would cover (important things and sometimes not so important things to break the tandem of drama). This first review is going to cover only the first blog. The first blog, should someone take the time to go and read it, can give a big hint as to the potential, purpose, and practicality of the blog.
Lets start with Les Otten's blog found here: http://lesotten.blogspot.com/
Les Otten's first blog post talks about the Red Sox and their championship win. It tells of how Maine can come back from a loss and what areas need to be fixed. He states:
I believe that Maine can renew itself as a leader in energy independence, tax reform, job creation, business opportunity and 21st century educational opportunities.
Excerpt over. What the blog doesn't say is that he is running for governor. It doesn't mention why he is running for governor. It doesn't mention why he should be governor. It lacks what the solutions to those issues are, and so on a scale of 1-10 for representing his campaign for governor, I give it a 2.
Now to Matt Jacobson's blog at: http://jacobsonforgovernor.blogspot.com/2009/03/test-blog-1.html
His blog post is lengthy, but detailed. I like that. Most people I know may be slightly bored with the detailed paragraphs, but it isn't a CBO report and has some adjectives in it to make things more readable. His blog states five main problems (as a good way to make a powerful statement later on) which are: energy costs, aging population, per capita income, changing climate (which negatively affects our fishing industry), and the air base in Brunswick is closing. He definately knows what is wrong with Maine. He knows the problem. This is good.
He provides a goal of increasing our per capita income by $19,000 without giving a way to do it. He then proposes we turn the air base into an energy center, and then connects that to all the other issues making it a solution to many problems. In this big picture viewpoint he is excellent. He understands the chain reactions. However how the energy center would be formed using the governor's office he did not say. Which makes his whole blog doubtful, however it does appear on the surface to be a good idea.
However, like Les Otten's blog it is not apparent in the blog that he is running for governor. You have to make it crystal clear to people what you plan to do. Just saying what is wrong and mentioning a solution does not do much if you need someone to vote for you. It also shows to me they are not focused on the goal.
My rating: 7
Now we go to Bruce Poliquin's blog, which is not on blogger.com but on his website: http://www.bruceforme.com/index.php/blog/P32/
His blog starts out with what is wrong with Maine and what can be done about it in generalized terms. Then he underlined a section with the following:
Here are just a few reasons why I’m best qualified to be your next Governor:
First, I’m a native Mainer — Waterville 3rd generation.
Second, I worked my way through Harvard University, studying economics under world renowned professors and business managers.
Third, our investment business safely managed $5 billion of worker pension funds, more money than our State government spends in a year.
Fourth, I have started, invested in, and managed a number of Maine businesses. These companies have provided good work to hundreds of Mainers and injected millions of dollars into our economy.
Excerpt over. Then he repeats his first section in a couple of sentences and dedicates himself to making himself available to prove himself as qualified for the position and ready to do the job. He even gives contact information. This is something that sets his campaign apart from all the others I've seen so far (including the Working Families Party from earlier). He is the only candidate who has made himself accessable. I have been contacted by his campaign more times than I have contacted them. This connection to the people is what a leader needs to have.
His blog post gives some problems, aknowledges that solutions are more complicated than catchy phrases, and then gives the reason why he is best for the position of governor and allows you to contact anytime. While I am slightly inclined to test the "contact me anytime" just to fulfill the urges of having Aspergers Syndrome, I won't.
My Rating: 9.9
It is still early in the campaign, and changes can be made to improve. I have seen endorsements work wonders in campaigns but I feel that mine would only distract from the issues. So I will continue doing my work and presenting all sides, even if I do endorse Bruce Poliquin for governor. (A lesson has been learned from this: a few e-mail responses and forward outreach programs can do wonders for a candidate for public office.)
Is Honduras Korea, Ethiopia, Rhineland, or Austria?
I am calling it. Venezuela will invade Honduras. However, lets first examine some stupidy by our state department. The following is a quote from this article: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=asgQZRiaT9vs
Chavez has been "unclear" about his position on Honduras, a State Department spokesman, Philip J. Crowley, told reporters today.
Excerpt over. Philip J. Crowley should resign. Joking or being ignorant, he clearly isn't doing his job making statements like that. Now to Hugo Chavez' position. During the first days Hugo Chavez said his military was going on high alert and will defend Zelaya. The following is from the same article earlier:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said talks to try to resolve a political crisis in Honduras are "dead."
Chavez said today Zelaya is "resolved" to try to return to Honduras. He said that Zelaya is the only person who can convene presidential elections in Honduras that are scheduled for November, and that Venezuela won’t recognize any government elected in a vote called by the "coup government."
Excerpt over. So in combination with the statements about the military of Venezuela going on high alert, declaring that the diplomatic efforts are dead, saying Zelaya is the only president they will recognize, and any election by anyone other than Zelaya is illegal, Hugo Chavez is going to invade Honduras and place Zelaya in power.
I had drafted a blog right after the transition of power took place about the military strengths of Hondurus compared to its neighbors and most likely opponents. Venezuela alone has a military 30 times larger than Honduras, add in Nicaragua, Cuba and it is even more hopeless. Honduras can only do its best to dig in and prepare for the worst. It could face a three sided war if Ecuador gets involved. I believe Bolivia could only take part in the sense of declaring war but probably not getting troops involved.
Now to the title. World War 2 had many wars before its official start upon the invasion of Poland. There was the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia for Germany. Italy had Ethiopia and Albania. Japan went way back to Formosa, Korea, and Manchuko. Germany was the last of the Axis to have a war. North Korea has not had a war. Iran has had many for quite a while, like Japan, by funding some of the insurgents, specifically the Al-Sadr Militia, in Iraq, Hamas in Palestine, and Hezbolla throughout Lebanon, Syria, and the Middle East as a whole. So far Venezuela has immitated Germany's approach by supporting movements in neighboring countries while keeping Hugo's hands clean. The Rhineland for Venezuela could be any number of government control actions that take the power away from governors of states who are opposed to Chavez. Will Honduras be the Austria of Germany?
No war is the same as the last. However the signs of war stay the same. Belligerence is the precursor to war. Without it the people of a nation will never be in favor of conflict. Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea are certainly feeding their people the belligerence necessary for war.
Chavez has been "unclear" about his position on Honduras, a State Department spokesman, Philip J. Crowley, told reporters today.
Excerpt over. Philip J. Crowley should resign. Joking or being ignorant, he clearly isn't doing his job making statements like that. Now to Hugo Chavez' position. During the first days Hugo Chavez said his military was going on high alert and will defend Zelaya. The following is from the same article earlier:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said talks to try to resolve a political crisis in Honduras are "dead."
Chavez said today Zelaya is "resolved" to try to return to Honduras. He said that Zelaya is the only person who can convene presidential elections in Honduras that are scheduled for November, and that Venezuela won’t recognize any government elected in a vote called by the "coup government."
Excerpt over. So in combination with the statements about the military of Venezuela going on high alert, declaring that the diplomatic efforts are dead, saying Zelaya is the only president they will recognize, and any election by anyone other than Zelaya is illegal, Hugo Chavez is going to invade Honduras and place Zelaya in power.
I had drafted a blog right after the transition of power took place about the military strengths of Hondurus compared to its neighbors and most likely opponents. Venezuela alone has a military 30 times larger than Honduras, add in Nicaragua, Cuba and it is even more hopeless. Honduras can only do its best to dig in and prepare for the worst. It could face a three sided war if Ecuador gets involved. I believe Bolivia could only take part in the sense of declaring war but probably not getting troops involved.
Now to the title. World War 2 had many wars before its official start upon the invasion of Poland. There was the Rhineland, Austria, Czechoslovakia for Germany. Italy had Ethiopia and Albania. Japan went way back to Formosa, Korea, and Manchuko. Germany was the last of the Axis to have a war. North Korea has not had a war. Iran has had many for quite a while, like Japan, by funding some of the insurgents, specifically the Al-Sadr Militia, in Iraq, Hamas in Palestine, and Hezbolla throughout Lebanon, Syria, and the Middle East as a whole. So far Venezuela has immitated Germany's approach by supporting movements in neighboring countries while keeping Hugo's hands clean. The Rhineland for Venezuela could be any number of government control actions that take the power away from governors of states who are opposed to Chavez. Will Honduras be the Austria of Germany?
No war is the same as the last. However the signs of war stay the same. Belligerence is the precursor to war. Without it the people of a nation will never be in favor of conflict. Venezuela, Iran, and North Korea are certainly feeding their people the belligerence necessary for war.
Earthquakes
I was going to have a pun for a title, but I decided to have no illusions: I am going to talk science. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,531201,00.html?mrp
The article provided talks about tremors in California and how there are double the number now than before the two major earthquakes in 2003 and 2004. The theory is that this means more pressure is building and another big one is coming because of the increase in tremors.
While reading I got an idea: the more tremors means the plates are shifting position smoothly and when there are few tremors, such as before the earthquakes in 2003 and 2004, it is a sign of building pressure because the plates want to move but can't.
The article provided talks about tremors in California and how there are double the number now than before the two major earthquakes in 2003 and 2004. The theory is that this means more pressure is building and another big one is coming because of the increase in tremors.
While reading I got an idea: the more tremors means the plates are shifting position smoothly and when there are few tremors, such as before the earthquakes in 2003 and 2004, it is a sign of building pressure because the plates want to move but can't.
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