I am going to try something new on this blog this week. I am going to attempt to document what transpires during this week from my perspective. I may cover a lot of ground that could range from trivial daily activities such as moving a speaker at the shop from one amp to another, my thoughts on news items, meal and poor cell shots of those meals, my time spent downtown and activities in regard to the homeless and whatever else crosses my mind, all described in my classic run on sentence style of ramble. I suppose some of my friends from the past might feel as if this blog may be a lot like the log books that were continually updated when I lived on my boat Spirit of Nemo for three plus years in the past.
So here we go .... starting this on Monday 9/20/10
This morning things started out quite early. I went to the beach and walked for a while, had a bit of breakfast on the way back home and got ready to head into the shop over at http://www.65amps.com/
The market looks like it is up for the moment but that is quite deceptive. Last week, I believe on Wednesday and Thursday the "market" was "up" but that was just in regard to specific stocks or holdings which are noted in the Dow and S&P. I think most investors lost a little bit last week rather than see a gain in their investments. When you see some of the supporting stories it would not be a surprise to me to see the market gain of the moment.
There is a story on San Diego registering the homeless. This is amusing on many fronts but what I found most interesting in the story was the count - 800 homeless. It seems as if my efforts here in Los Angeles with over 100,000 homeless give me more of a chance to do something.
There is a story on San Diego registering the homeless. This is amusing on many fronts but what I found most interesting in the story was the count - 800 homeless. It seems as if my efforts here in Los Angeles with over 100,000 homeless give me more of a chance to do something.
In the Washington Post there is a story:
It's official: The Great Recession ended last summer
Is it any wonder that so many folks don't feel that the media gives an accurate representation of reality for the average citizen of this country? This article is in a section called Political Economy.
I will be heading to the shop in a few minutes and will update this during the day, night, week or when I am near a PC. I will continue to update facebook and twitter in realtime now and then via cell phone as I often do.
9/20/10 update at 4:00pm pst
Today has been a day of a bit of driving. In the very early morning I was walking along the ocean. Later I was in North Hollywood where I stopped at the shop over at http://www.65amps.com/ for a quick check on what was going on. Both Joe and Mike had gigs this weekend. I think Joe's was the Redondo Lobster Fest and Mike's was a Harley Davidson gig where his band has played in the past on a regular basis.
From the shop I headed back to the coast as my friend has tickets at The Getty in Malibu. We had to come back to get the tickets which were not a part of the plan for the day in the morning or perhaps they were just forgotten by the ticket holder?
9/20/10 update at 4:00pm pst
Today has been a day of a bit of driving. In the very early morning I was walking along the ocean. Later I was in North Hollywood where I stopped at the shop over at http://www.65amps.com/ for a quick check on what was going on. Both Joe and Mike had gigs this weekend. I think Joe's was the Redondo Lobster Fest and Mike's was a Harley Davidson gig where his band has played in the past on a regular basis.
From the shop I headed back to the coast as my friend has tickets at The Getty in Malibu. We had to come back to get the tickets which were not a part of the plan for the day in the morning or perhaps they were just forgotten by the ticket holder?
I am still tossing around ideas for this evening. Tomorrow may be a good day to head downtown with Rick Brown. He wanted to go there today but I already had plans for the day.
Posted another link on Facebook and Twitter on the economy:
For the Unemployed Over 50, Fears of Never Working Again
http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-retirement/article/110742/for-the-unemployed-over-50-fears-of-never-working-again?mod=fidelity-changingjobs
Andy Bales, the CEO of Union Rescue Mission and a friend posted a photo of LAPD across the street from http://www.urm.org/ where they are clamping down on drug traffic. Andy's comment - Thanks to LAPD Officers for slowing down the drug trade across the street from URM
Before I forget, I'd like to thank Chad Weaver (guitar tech and amp tech for Brad Paisley). I sent him some photos I was working on via email as I was trying something of a color study. Getting photos to my phone is next to impossible. I do not have a USB cable (and the local AT&T store does not have the cable .... big shock? ) from my phone to USB. It is a strange connector. I liked one of the photos and wanted the photo on my phone to use as a screen background. So, I sent the photo to Chad via PC email and he sent it to his phone via bluetooth which my PC does not have. Chad then sent me the photo phone to phone in a text message. Thanks lots to "The Weave". I talked a bit about Chad in my last blog entry.
Below photo was posted by Chad Weaver about 4:00pm my time. My comment to Chad: Well if this isn't a picture to post in my blog about this week I surely don't know what would be! Looks as if the management company sprung for an upgrade on this stop?
I also am posting this picture of Chad for Kari as this is a new shot that is not one that she has seen as this was the first time I had seen this one myself!
Taking it easy tonight for the next two hours. At about 10pm I will head downtown.
Plans are already made for tomorrow night. At 8:00pm I will be seeing a play in Westwood called Love, Loss, and What I Wore. I have no clue what it is about. I was told it is supposed to be funny. I was also told that it has good reviews. I was told there are supposed to be a lot of great clothes in the play. Hmmm, does this sound like something I can wrap my head around?
I will try to keep an open mind. If it turns out that I am a total convert of this sort of thing perhaps my next steps into the darkness will be opera or ballet? I think my sister and her boyfriend enjoy the opera or maybe the ballet. Heck, I enjoy a great dancer as much as the next guy as it is impressive to see somebody who has that sort of control over their extremities but do you have to watch it for hours?
When I was younger my parents would drag me to Broadway shows at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. It was almost a scene of my kicking and being dragged out of the house but once I got to the theater and resigned myself to the evening I generally had a good time. I think this was mostly because there was live music with real instruments.
Going to a little theater to see a play about funny women's clothing on a woman who was once in love and had some sort of loss seems like a recipe for depression. There are too many gals out there (not trying to pick on you gals out there) who are angry at men who either left them, cheated on them, ran off with a younger version of them or are still with them but have disagreements with them on a regular enough basis that their sense of humor is a bit worn.
Don't buy it? I know a lady that meets with a group of her female friends on a regular basis for dinner. From what I picked up over a few years, they all sit and talk and laugh about the dumb things that men do. I guess we males do enough stupid things on a continual basis that it provides a continual source of material for these dinner conversatios.
I am not exactly looking forward to the play tomorrow evening. I am open to the possibility that I will not kill myself during the play. Reservations at 6:00pm for dinner tomorrow before the play at an Italian restaurant that is supposed to be walking distance away which is nice after one attempts to find parking in Westwood!
9/21/10
My area downtown last night covered the area within the red outline. I passed out 16 Quaker Oaks assorted oatmeal bars, 11 Kelloggs Nutri-grain bars, 4 boxes of Sun-Maid raisins and 7 meal cards from Untion Rescue Mission. http://www.urm.org/ provides about 3,000 meals a day, out of my league. Having their meal cards with me is great even though the missions are met with resistance by some folks on the street. I have been asked for meal cards by some friends now who also carry some with them all the time.
The area which is bordered by 5th and 7th, Croker to S. Central Avenue has increased in the number of folks living on the street by about 30% in the last month.
Good morning everybody. Not exactly a sunny day in Los Angeles as shown by this webcam shot of downtown Los Angeles.
Looking at the early financial news this morning I laughed on the second item - Stocks waver ahead of Fed by AP. If you scroll up in this post it seems that yesterday AP felt the Fed's news or expectations were good enough to extend stock rallys? It is easy to see why the news media does not always carry credibility with everybody, at least when it comes to financial news.
Unemployment rises in 27 states last month
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER (AP) – 40 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — More than half of U.S. states saw their unemployment rates rise in August, the largest number in six months, as hiring weakened across the country.
The jobless rate increased in 27 states last month, the Labor Department said Tuesday. It fell in 13 and was unchanged in 10 states and Washington, D.C. That's worse than the previous month, when the rate increased in only 14 states and fell in 18. It's also the most states to see an increase since February.
Nevada, plagued by a vicious housing slump, reported the nation's highest unemployment rate for the fourth straight month, at 14.4 percent. That's a record high for the state.
The next highest rates were in Michigan, with 13.1 percent, and California, at 12.4 percent.
North Dakota posted the lowest jobless rate, 3.7 percent, followed by South Dakota at 4.5 percent and Nebraska at 4.6 percent.
Much of the decline was due to the ending of 114,000 temporary census jobs nationwide. Overall, the economy lost a net total of 54,000 positions last month and the unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6 percent from 9.5 percent. Private employers added a net total of only 67,000 jobs.
Not exactly a surprise of a story.
There is a story by Bill Clinton: Economy, disasters imperil millions by The Associated Press. The story starts out by saying ... NEW YORK — Former President Bill Clinton says the economic downturn and recent natural disasters have imperiled untold numbers of lives across the world. ... I had to stop reading as a giant DUH popped up in my brain. This guy was supposed to be a smart guy? No money, earthquakes, floods, landslides have had an effect on people in untold numbers across the world?
Tax cuts not the way to fix economy by CNN International - He has repeatedly blamed the Bush tax cuts for the fiscal mess he inherited and rightly points out that they did our economy little good -- and a lot of bad ... OR Obama Defends Actions on Economy by Christian Broadcasting Network - The president has also challenged Republicans to spell out just what they would do to help the economy. On Thursday, House Republicans said they will do ...
One step to the right, one step to the left? Black or white? Up or down? Is it a wonder that the country is not moving forward?
Here is a bit of advice for our political machine from my point of view. You cannot gain anything by expending effort and resources to go nowhere. If you keep taking one step forward and one step back you are using resources but getting nowhere. Eventually you will run out of money, food and resources. Wake up people and get on the same page and march in one direction and march in step.
On the roof over your head front - Foreclosure, REO sales account for 67% of Phoenix home buying by ASUHousing Wire by CHRISTINE RICCIARDI In August, the greater Phoenix area witnessed the second highest level of foreclosure home sales activity this year, according to ... I think you get my point here.
And ... the big company smoke and mirrors continue: Foreclosure Fraud Comes To Light by Care2.com - GMAC Mortgage unit told brokers and agents to halt foreclosures on homeowners in 23 states including Florida, Connecticut and New York. ... and, the response .... GMAC Denies Foreclosure by MoratoriumTheStreet.com - "Recent reports have stated that GMAC Mortgage instituted a moratorium on all residential foreclosures in 23 states," the statement said in response to ...
It never ends.
Posted another link on Facebook and Twitter on the economy:
For the Unemployed Over 50, Fears of Never Working Again
http://finance.yahoo.com/focus-retirement/article/110742/for-the-unemployed-over-50-fears-of-never-working-again?mod=fidelity-changingjobs
Andy Bales, the CEO of Union Rescue Mission and a friend posted a photo of LAPD across the street from http://www.urm.org/ where they are clamping down on drug traffic. Andy's comment - Thanks to LAPD Officers for slowing down the drug trade across the street from URM
Before I forget, I'd like to thank Chad Weaver (guitar tech and amp tech for Brad Paisley). I sent him some photos I was working on via email as I was trying something of a color study. Getting photos to my phone is next to impossible. I do not have a USB cable (and the local AT&T store does not have the cable .... big shock? ) from my phone to USB. It is a strange connector. I liked one of the photos and wanted the photo on my phone to use as a screen background. So, I sent the photo to Chad via PC email and he sent it to his phone via bluetooth which my PC does not have. Chad then sent me the photo phone to phone in a text message. Thanks lots to "The Weave". I talked a bit about Chad in my last blog entry.
Below photo was posted by Chad Weaver about 4:00pm my time. My comment to Chad: Well if this isn't a picture to post in my blog about this week I surely don't know what would be! Looks as if the management company sprung for an upgrade on this stop?
I also am posting this picture of Chad for Kari as this is a new shot that is not one that she has seen as this was the first time I had seen this one myself!
Photo above by Tristan Kirkbride
9/20/10 8:00pmTaking it easy tonight for the next two hours. At about 10pm I will head downtown.
Plans are already made for tomorrow night. At 8:00pm I will be seeing a play in Westwood called Love, Loss, and What I Wore. I have no clue what it is about. I was told it is supposed to be funny. I was also told that it has good reviews. I was told there are supposed to be a lot of great clothes in the play. Hmmm, does this sound like something I can wrap my head around?
I will try to keep an open mind. If it turns out that I am a total convert of this sort of thing perhaps my next steps into the darkness will be opera or ballet? I think my sister and her boyfriend enjoy the opera or maybe the ballet. Heck, I enjoy a great dancer as much as the next guy as it is impressive to see somebody who has that sort of control over their extremities but do you have to watch it for hours?
When I was younger my parents would drag me to Broadway shows at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles. It was almost a scene of my kicking and being dragged out of the house but once I got to the theater and resigned myself to the evening I generally had a good time. I think this was mostly because there was live music with real instruments.
Going to a little theater to see a play about funny women's clothing on a woman who was once in love and had some sort of loss seems like a recipe for depression. There are too many gals out there (not trying to pick on you gals out there) who are angry at men who either left them, cheated on them, ran off with a younger version of them or are still with them but have disagreements with them on a regular enough basis that their sense of humor is a bit worn.
Don't buy it? I know a lady that meets with a group of her female friends on a regular basis for dinner. From what I picked up over a few years, they all sit and talk and laugh about the dumb things that men do. I guess we males do enough stupid things on a continual basis that it provides a continual source of material for these dinner conversatios.
I am not exactly looking forward to the play tomorrow evening. I am open to the possibility that I will not kill myself during the play. Reservations at 6:00pm for dinner tomorrow before the play at an Italian restaurant that is supposed to be walking distance away which is nice after one attempts to find parking in Westwood!
9/21/10
My area downtown last night covered the area within the red outline. I passed out 16 Quaker Oaks assorted oatmeal bars, 11 Kelloggs Nutri-grain bars, 4 boxes of Sun-Maid raisins and 7 meal cards from Untion Rescue Mission. http://www.urm.org/ provides about 3,000 meals a day, out of my league. Having their meal cards with me is great even though the missions are met with resistance by some folks on the street. I have been asked for meal cards by some friends now who also carry some with them all the time.
The area which is bordered by 5th and 7th, Croker to S. Central Avenue has increased in the number of folks living on the street by about 30% in the last month.
Good morning everybody. Not exactly a sunny day in Los Angeles as shown by this webcam shot of downtown Los Angeles.
Unemployment rises in 27 states last month
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER (AP) – 40 minutes ago
WASHINGTON — More than half of U.S. states saw their unemployment rates rise in August, the largest number in six months, as hiring weakened across the country.
The jobless rate increased in 27 states last month, the Labor Department said Tuesday. It fell in 13 and was unchanged in 10 states and Washington, D.C. That's worse than the previous month, when the rate increased in only 14 states and fell in 18. It's also the most states to see an increase since February.
Nevada, plagued by a vicious housing slump, reported the nation's highest unemployment rate for the fourth straight month, at 14.4 percent. That's a record high for the state.
The next highest rates were in Michigan, with 13.1 percent, and California, at 12.4 percent.
North Dakota posted the lowest jobless rate, 3.7 percent, followed by South Dakota at 4.5 percent and Nebraska at 4.6 percent.
Much of the decline was due to the ending of 114,000 temporary census jobs nationwide. Overall, the economy lost a net total of 54,000 positions last month and the unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6 percent from 9.5 percent. Private employers added a net total of only 67,000 jobs.
Not exactly a surprise of a story.
There is a story by Bill Clinton: Economy, disasters imperil millions by The Associated Press. The story starts out by saying ... NEW YORK — Former President Bill Clinton says the economic downturn and recent natural disasters have imperiled untold numbers of lives across the world. ... I had to stop reading as a giant DUH popped up in my brain. This guy was supposed to be a smart guy? No money, earthquakes, floods, landslides have had an effect on people in untold numbers across the world?
Tax cuts not the way to fix economy by CNN International - He has repeatedly blamed the Bush tax cuts for the fiscal mess he inherited and rightly points out that they did our economy little good -- and a lot of bad ... OR Obama Defends Actions on Economy by Christian Broadcasting Network - The president has also challenged Republicans to spell out just what they would do to help the economy. On Thursday, House Republicans said they will do ...
One step to the right, one step to the left? Black or white? Up or down? Is it a wonder that the country is not moving forward?
Here is a bit of advice for our political machine from my point of view. You cannot gain anything by expending effort and resources to go nowhere. If you keep taking one step forward and one step back you are using resources but getting nowhere. Eventually you will run out of money, food and resources. Wake up people and get on the same page and march in one direction and march in step.
On the roof over your head front - Foreclosure, REO sales account for 67% of Phoenix home buying by ASUHousing Wire by CHRISTINE RICCIARDI In August, the greater Phoenix area witnessed the second highest level of foreclosure home sales activity this year, according to ... I think you get my point here.
And ... the big company smoke and mirrors continue: Foreclosure Fraud Comes To Light by Care2.com - GMAC Mortgage unit told brokers and agents to halt foreclosures on homeowners in 23 states including Florida, Connecticut and New York. ... and, the response .... GMAC Denies Foreclosure by MoratoriumTheStreet.com - "Recent reports have stated that GMAC Mortgage instituted a moratorium on all residential foreclosures in 23 states," the statement said in response to ...
It never ends.
Posts
What a treat to be greeted by your wisdom and insight. Our days would not be complete without the likes of you.
ReplyDeleteThank you Myles.
Billy Yates