Bits & Pieces for June 2012

Ray Bradbury dies . . .decades of books and short stories gave millions of thinking minds something to do, and some of it was reliably converted to motion picture scripts (I confess a fondness for 'The Illustrated Man" starring Rod Steiger, though explaining why would be impossible).  My deteriorating paperback of The Martian Chronicles reposes in some miscellaneous box of things once or twice read. . . . . . . . . .Syria burns on and, as horrible as things become, I profoundly hope the desk wizards in Washington, D.C. don't commit the U.S. military to an entry into this hell.   War with Syria would be a 2-for-1 deal, with Iran on-site as the other ugly twin -- and Russia again demonstrates it is no friend to the West by refusing to  help. . . . . . . . . .The manhunt ends, and the gay porn star/alleged murderer/alleged cannibal/alleged slicer & dicer wanted in Canada and arrested in Germany, whilst reportedly perusing articles about his exploits, is in police custody.  Noted supposedly for killing a former lover (who hasn't wanted to?) and sending various of his body parts throughout Canada, I'm wondering if the killer will unwittingly start a revolution across the border, where the U.S. Postal System is strapped for cash.  Could the increased mailing of packages containing severed body parts in the U.S. save the USPS?  I mean, really, these things can't be cheap to post, even if cleverly disguised as lower-rated Media Mail.   We must be practical in the current economy.   Instead of those silly TV commercials demonstrating how folks can mail as much as they can stuff into a little box for, nevertheless, exorbitant costs, the USPS could appeal directly to the current proliferation of murderers, outlining the benefits of mailing body parts to friends and official agencies, rather than going to the trouble, expense and mess of placing victims into old trunks, suitcases, buckets of cement or under motel mattresses.  I'm no expert, but I've a tingly feeling that the embarrassing and troublesome USPS deficit would be helped tremendously, simply by opening up postal commerce to body part mailings.  MAIL EARLY AND MAIL OFTEN. . . . . . . . . .Wisconsin and Governor Scott Walker:  The public union thugs wanted a recall election and they got one, 'cept they're crying democracy fouls because they lost big on what seemed a great idea at the time to their higher-ups.  Logically, mathematically,  how could  the public union thing sustain itself?   Decades of public officials giving the okay to anything the unions wanted in return for campaign contributions, with absolutely no voice on the part of taxpayers who have to foot the bill for wildly increasing costs.  Unions historically had an important place in labor relations, but, at least for now, that era is over on both the government and industrial level.  When a union hierarchy goes from protecting workers' rights to becoming a gimme-gimme machine utilizing violence and thug tactics, the party is over.  Over.  When a union demands dues from its members, but gives them no voice whatsoever in determining which political party gets part of their hard-earned money, that's corruption beyond the limits of rot.  When unions and the White House decide it would be so-o-o-o- wonderful to have "card check" so union members can no longer cast union votes in secrecy, that is terror incarnate.  It didn't take 24 hours before the death threats started surfacing for Scott Walker -- and you can bet those terrible warnings weren't coming from grandmothers baking cookies. . . . . . . . . .That little dot passing over the sun was Venus?  Hey, do we know for certain it wasn't actually an Adamski scout ship?. . . . . . . . . ."Prometheus" may be the best science fiction movie of the year.  Hey kids, if you'd have thought about it earlier, your annual high school social event could have been billed as Prom Etheus.  Think of all the local media coverage by boring TV news shows which don't even bother reporting news anymore. Yuk yuk. . . . . . . . . .The BBC reports that a shocking amount of fake parts intended for U.S. military equipment have been purchased from China.  Surprised?  China, currently extremely pissed because ours and other nations regularly report on its high pollution levels, should have been sternly warned the day we discovered their pet food was killing our dogs and cats (on thing leads to another. . .). . . . . . . . . .Once again, various nations are about to insist upon more political control over the Internet.  Seems to be fashionable in New York, where some legislators actually proposed banning anonymity on Internet posts.   "Our" Internet has already been compromised by political systems and will never again be as free as it was, so enjoy those brief but fond memories akin to unbridled freedom. . . . . . . . . .Fools, please don't speak for me:  The attention paid to political comments of Hollywood actors and actresses, or to some skanky international model of the week or to some drug-infested rock star -- these are people whose lives are structured by scripts written by others and on-screen movements choreographed by others.  How appropriate that some of these pampered dumbasses end up at White House functions, where life is pretty much conducted in the same way.  Scripts, lies, pretty faces and distortions.   Minds without substance.   Look good like an hypnotic shiny object, and parrot short sentences brilliantly constructed, and the masses should love you -- or, at least they did.  What happened?  The glamour fades as regulations grow across the land, and not even the ploy of celebrity can maintain public anesthesia now.  I'm amazed. . . . . . . . . .Facebook, oh good grief.   You know, those Wenckebach twins, or however ya spell their name -- they're beginning to look a lot more entertaining than Zuckerberg, and at least with them you get two for the price of one.   I think all three should be locked in a room together for three days and let's see who exits intact. . . . . . . . . .Which brings to mind "The Cloud."  What is this cloud nonsense?  We're supposed to trust everything to "the cloud" instead of hands-on recordable media?  No thanks.  The cloud is nothing more than an excess of computers minding your manners and a digitalized network of our files accessible at any time by anybody who can crack the code.  Real clouds always disperse, and so will this new advertising gimmick, once people catch on.   It's always about somebody's concept of control. . . . . . . . . .and if I could bother, THAT would take me to NY's Mayor Bloomberg, but his efforts to control us little people isn't worth my time, or yours.   I'll take a giant bag of fries and a 2,000 ounce Dr. Pepper with that, thanks. . .