Aloha Dump

I have taken a serious hiatus from the political blogging, mainly because I have been extremely busy with the new move, new job, etc., but also because it is a pain in the ass to follow and comment on. My previous job allowed me the opportunity to research and write consistently because I was very a short timer and nobody expected me to participate in the Navy's daily bullshit. But I did visit some of my daily reads and find that there is still a lot of tension in Iran, Iraq, Afghani--- well, pretty much everywhere over there. And jack shit is being done about it. Still. Bush insists that a nuclear-armed Iran will lead to three-peat World War and, as much as he has bumbled things up through his last 2 terms, I am inclined to agree with my former boss on this issue. I wholeheartedly believe that Iran would (will?) use their nukes on Israel. Why wouldn't they? Ahmadinejad has made threats to do so in the past. He is not joking around when he tells the U.S. that he will retailiat...

A few months ago I posted a short blurb about my brother-in-law Michael who was in a serious car accident. To divulge the whole story is too emotional, especially since I have family that read my blog, but a condensed version must be told so that you can truly appreciate the gravity of the photos below. The short story is that Michael, his best friend and roommate, and their girlfriends were coming back home after a concert they attended. It was late (or early depending on how you look at it) and Michael was feeling tired so he asked his room mate to drive. Only 2 exits from home, the room mate fell asleep and the car veered off the road and slammed into a tree at about 70 mph. No drugs. No booze. He just fell asleep. The driver and Michael's girlfriend escaped with only minor injuries, Michael suffered a myriad of broken bones and serious head trauma, the other passenger died from her injuries that night. All in all, a pretty shitty night. Michael is recovering but the process is...

Apparently, I have an massage ' massage ' from a guy named George. Not one to be rude, and a big fan of the massage, I opened his email only to find out that he wants to give me 40% of $19.3M How are you today? Hope all is well,I know that this letter may come to you as a surprise, but you need not to worry as i use this way to contact you it is due to is only means i can reach you confidentially as a foreign to seek for for your assistance in this matter. Sounds like a nice guy to me. He went on to inform me that the people who the money belonged to died in a horrible plane accident. George has their unclaimed money in his bank and just needs someone to transfer it to in the United States. For my trouble I get to keep 40%. I don't know about you, but I was chomping at the bit to get started! For the success of this transaction, i will like you to apply to bank and act as the only existing NEXT-OF-KIN to the deceased which our bank will replace the deceased account informat...

Today was quite a day as I had my first encounter with the CA DMV. As a matter of policy, all newly registered out of state vehicles must have an inspection to verify the VIN. So, in the 50 degree rainy weather, I drove my bike (spoiled by Hawaii weather) about 20 miles to the local DMV. I have to say that despite the rain, this was the most comfortable ride I have had in a long time. I didn't get cutoff once- something that would infuriate me on Hawaii roads. I was surprised at the efficiency of this DMV, perhaps a fluke of nature, but my time was extended becasue the first inspector (key word, 'first') neglected to write down my engine number even though I pointed it out to her. In her defense, we were chit chatting a bit about the meaning of the word dork and how she thought it to mean the penis of a whale. SHe apologized for the comment after she said it but I told her I was an ex-submariner and that her comment was hardly worth apologize for. However she did jack up my...