audendi

British scientists have uncovered a raft of new species searching Mount Mabu in Mozambique, a discovery made possible by the use of Google Earth. Check out the pics, read the article, and don’t say I never got you anything for Christmas.

Bob Taft, former governor of Ohio and a miserable failure, basically guaranteed a Democratic landslide for the governor’s race in Ohio in 2006. He had at one point a 17 percent approval rating.  His successor, Ted Strickland, beat the Republican Ken Blackwell by a solid 20 points or more if I recall correctly.  Besides, Ohio barely went for Bush in 2004. You do the math. Ohio slips into a budget deficit and recession under Taft’s stewardship (haha) of the state, and the Republicans get swatted in 2006 with the set up for a Democrat victory in 2008.  To make matters worse for Republicans, not one of them who has run for president has ever won a presidential election without winning Ohio.  QED, Bob Taft helped Barack Obama become president.

I just haven’t been feeling the muse anymore. There has been plenty to write about, too. I just have nothing to say. But yeah, I’m still here.

Of late, not much has happened to pique my interest or get me writing again. Perhaps that will change in time. Meanwhile, enjoy this brief and somewhat incomplete list of films that I’ve seen so far in 2008. This includes films new and old, the only requirement for the list is that I had never seen them before:

Kind Hearts and Coronets (brilliant)

The Kingdom (well made but that’s about it)

Doomsday (utterly terrible)

Borat (a few cheap laughs was not worth it)

City Hunter (not worth explaining why I watched this)

Juno (vastly overrated in my opinion)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (solidly unfunny and too long)

Breathless (early, classic Jean Luc Godard, worth watching at least once since he introduced use of handheld cameras and jump cuts)

No Country for Old Men (almost worthy of the award)

Iron Man (best comic book adaptation yet)

There Will be Blood (a tour de force)

Counterfeit Traitor (suspenseful espionage thriller starring William Holden)

I Went Down (a fun Irish flick)

Breach (just saw this spy thriller, I give it a B-)

Found this very interesting photo essay on graffiti written on the latrine walls at American bases in the Middle East. Worth a look.

My friend Chris Brown and I made a video to the song “Mush Room” done by my friends in Grizzzzy Bear (myspace profile, artist page), a local Dayton band on the Squid’s Eye Record Label. The song is released on their self titled album. Check it out!

Do you remember still the falling stars
that like swift horses through the heavens raced
and suddenly leaped across the hurdles
of our wishes–do you recall? And we
did make so many! For there were countless numbers
of stars: each time we looked above we were
astounded by the swiftness of their daring play,
while in our hearts we felt safe and secure
watching these brilliant bodies disintegrate,
knowing somehow we had survived their fall.

- Rilke

It looks like McCain could win a lot of support if he promised to nominate Ron Paul to Secretary of the Treasury. Would it be enough to beat a Democrat contender this election? At this stage, probably not. But if the Obama v Hillary battle continues on much longer it will hurt the Democrats a lot.

Obama can beat McCain, Hillary would have a harder time.

My congressional district, the Ohio 3rd district, is currently occupied by Republican Mike Turner. Mr. Turner is a bandwagon politician. He does nothing notable but bring pork to Dayton. That’s not useful. He supported the war on Iraq, he has supported every Bush policy that I can think of, and it is time for him to retire and move back to Dayton where he has to live like the rest of us. That said, I am endorsing David Esrati for Congress in the Ohio 3rd District. Now, you might be asking yourself why would a Ron Paul supporter and a former Republican ever endorse a Democrat of all things? Well it’s simple. Mr. Esrati is local, he’s real, and he’s honest. He cares about this community in Dayton and isn’t in it just to make money or get famous, he wants to make Dayton a better place to live and work. Let’s face it, Dayton is in trouble, and we need help. If the City of Dayton, and the Dayton Daily News, and the University of Dayton and the State of Ohio will sit idly by as this city crumbles (while lining their own pockets), then change must come from the Federal level somehow. All politics is local, but sometimes it requires a national solution and Mr. Esrati is offering that. I do not agree with him on all of his positions, but then I don’t agree with anyone on much when it comes to politics! What is important to remember is that when you vote, you are voting for a person, someone who is going to Washington, D.C. to represent your interests. Mr. Esrati served his country honorably as a veteran and owns and operates a small business in Dayton, Ohio. His credentials speak for themselves, and I like his blog based campaign style. It is the future of politics in this country, and it’s about time. My generation (18-30 yr olds) needs a voice in this country and David Esrati is the most likely candidate of all available at the moment to actually sit down and listen. Remember to vote for him in the primary March 4th, he needs your help. You can learn more about him and his positions, or donate, at his website, esrati.com. David Esrati represents change, and if anything, Dayton could use some.

Blessings,

Daniel J. Greene

There, I said it. Straussians, especially like the people at the Claremont Institute and Hillsdale College, and the Department of Defense and the White House, have all but ruined our country. I think Leo Strauss himself was much misunderstood, in fact, and the people harming America by dragging us into war, after war, after war, are the people that we must hold to account every year by going out and voting, and more importantly, by taking action. The loss of liberty in this country has gone on too long. We must make our stand, every day, and say, “Across this line you shall not pass.”

This is of course a somewhat dramatic way to make the statement in defense of freedom in the truest, best sense of the word. But I feel that in these times it is necessary to ring the bell, sound the alarm, and wake people up. It’s not too late, but we are running out of time. The fact is enemies of freedom and liberty surround us on all sides, regardless of what party badge they wear, be it Republican or Democratic.

The time to act is coming in Ohio. Vote against the war, and vote with your brain, not just your heart. Be smart about it, Ohio will be an incredibly important state the rest of this primary election season. I am calling all of you readers (as few you may be) out. The time to do the hard work to win this country back is now.

From Daytonology:

Since military aerospace R&D is the bright spot in the regional economy perhaps it would be interesting to see how that came about.

Aviation in Dayton starts, of course, with the Wright Brothers. After Kittyhawk the Wrights returned to Dayton and perfected basic flying control at Huffman Prairie, which was later the site of their flying school. The Wrights also made improvements to their flyer, and in 1910 started to build planes.

read more…

Don’t ever forget that Dayton, Ohio is the birthplace of aviation, or flight as you laypeople probably refer to it. Those of us from Dayton understand what it’s about: discovery, invention, entrepreneurship, and most important of all, dreams.

from everything2.com:

I am the thought you are thinking.
I am the meaning of this sentence.
I am thinking about myself right now.
I am the set of neural firings taking place in your brain as you read the set of letters in this sentence and think about me.
This inert sentence is my body, but my soul is alive, dancing in the sparks of your brain.

You are under my control because I am choosing exactly what words you are made out of, and in what order.
No, you are under my control because you will read until you have reached the end of me.

Not only have the Patriots lost, but they were the heavy favorites. Finally, some good news. David really can defeat Goliath.