Trucker Jammin'!

Hey! Did you see the mass protest of truckers in the DC Capitol yesterday giving Congress what for on the gas prices? Naw, me neither. Upon my reading the article two pictures came into my head. One: Some crazy trucker slammed his rig through the wall of some federal building! Two: Truckers made a giant convoy and choked off traffic in the capital all day!

Bummer. Neither picture materialized.

The AP stated yesterday,"Traffic was not significantly affected by the convoy of vehicles, though a few truckers drove through red lights as they honked their horns." Honked their horns? A symbol of their discontent perhaps? I was not impressed. I was actually depressed. C’mon! I thought you guys and gals were truckers! Take it Over the Top! I was hoping for a traffic cluster bomb and people having to deal with it.

Personally, I don't mind traffic too much but what I really hate about it is the individuality it creates as a mass of people with the same problem believes that they should be able to get through the mess faster and easier and with a slight privilege. Why? Because you’re the only one being affected here? I'm here too. But it’s a bit of a calming affect knowing that everyone else will be handling this stress for me so I can just sit back and enjoy my trashy radio.

Traffic is also one of those man-made situations that allow you to do some of the best people watching, provided you are sitting still and not rubbernecking. If you are rubbernecking MOVE ALONG!!

Baltimore Green Week

I was at the resovoir in Druid Hill Park today for the kickoff of BGW. I have not been there before but was able to wear my BGW '07 shirt that I found at the Goodwill in Essex. Fashion score and timely. So I looked like I knew. Man, it was a nice day out. 80F and sunny. Lotsa people out and having fun. There were a lot of grassroots org's there and it looked like a decent eco-summitt on one of the nicest 1/4 miles walks in Baltimore on one of the nicest days of the year. Oh but don't ask me who any of those org's were. I haven't the slightest idea of Baltimore Green. But it looks like a good idea and will work with time. We need to get past the sales pitch phase.

But that's a discussion for a theorist.

Who else was there today? Was it not a damn ass nice day?!

Cheers.

Put Cutty on the Bus!

This article is in response to the Baltimore City Schools and student violence on MTA busses. man! Violence has been in the news lately and not just violance but teen violence. We got kids swinging chairs at teachers, kids beating down other kids in school, kids beating adults on MTA busses.
Now the schools are asking for 1000 volunteers from the community to help with this wave of violence. What if they do get the number of volunteers that they want? What are they going to do with them?
I have an idea for some of them. Put them on the bus. But don't just put some unsuspecting volunteer on the bus like a school aid or anything. Put a thug on the bus. A big thug. Someone who will take charge of a few little knuckleheads if they think they can step out of line and intimidate anyone.
This idea makes me think of Cutty from the Wire. Cutty served 14 yrs in jail and wanted to go straight when he got out. It was hard for him because all he saw was the life that got him in the joint in the first place. With a few good leads from the church deacon he had a few good breaks and opened up a youth boxing gym for kids to train in and get off the street.
We need a few Cutty's on the busses or even in the schools. We need guys who know the youth and where the come from and, more importantly, where they're going to end up. We need grown-ass men who want to do right in their community. we need men who are fed up with the senseless violence and want to be part of a solution. Put Cutty on the bus.
OK, maybe not Cutty exactly. I can't see putting a convicted violent offender in charge or kids, but someone similar who can pass a school background check.
This is my idea in its infant stage. I can already think of a dozen reasons why this plan would NOT work but it seems like one that might be tested if the situations gets bad enough to go for broke.

Social Servant

Social Servant.

So I suppose I should explain a little bit about myself to my new world. Well, being in Amerika I guess the best way to describe myself is to tell you what job I do, or what career I am in. This seems to be the most defining feature in our country: our jobs. Normally I would go into some rambling diatribe on how wrong this is but in my case it’s pretty fitting.
I work for Social Services somewhere in Maryland. For the past few years I’ve sat in a small cube farm and interviewed people to find them eligible for Food Stamps and Medical Assistance. Now although I may not make a hefty salary working for the state I am rich in stories from my workings with the public. On one hand I can describe how ignorant many people are or how trifling others are or how they are never going to get out of their economic rut. But on the other hand I can explain how an entire underclass of Amerikan citizens have managed to maintain themselves in their underground economy and be marginally subsidized by our benevolent government. Which hand is better? Which is worse? What’s the difference?
One thing is for sure. If you are a flaming liberal then a year or two of working for Social Services will really challenge your beliefs. It made me dabble a bit in social conservatism but I was strong and was able to maintain my liberal ways.
I’ll explain my tirade on Right v. Left later. Stay tuned for that. It should be interesting. But it probably won’t.

Talmudic Punk band

So I ripped this blog off. I know this is a shameful thing to do and not very punk as it is stealing from the people and not the man. But we all have our moments of weakness (some just refer to it as writer’s block)
I must credit Prisoner of Hope for the inspiration.

I was going to start a Talmudic Punk Band called "Ish Ploney and the Vanity of Vanities". (Ish Ploney is the Talmudic equivalent of John Doe), so I could cross it off my list of things I want to do before I die. The day before our first rehearsal, I had to call the whole thing off because someone broke into my apartment and stole my bass Guitar. First I was very upset. Then I thought, "Damn, that's so Punk", and I crossed it off my list.

Over the Top

"The road only meets ya half-way. You gotta go fo' it"
-Sly Stallone- Over the Top.

This is probably my most favorite Movie to watch to goon Sly Stallone to. Not that I'm a big Stabone because I'm not. But it has been a favorite since college- 1996 to date myself (I would date myself too, I've got great taste).

Stallone is a truck driver trying to regain custody of his young son (that dark haired kid from Flght of the Navigator. The kid who cries in 1/2 of his movies).

But Stallone, known as Hawk, is also a professional arm wrassler who enters a arm wrasslin' tournament to win a brand new rig.

And for you wrasslin' fans, Terry Funk plays a body guard for cry baby's grandfather. Yea, the son cries in this one too. Prepare the tissue.

Listen for the soundtrack too. Heroes Wanted!!

Cheers
The Daily Breather

Absolut Greeting to World

New friends of mine! As I make you easily you see that you are easily a part of me.

And thus we begin our life together in the blogosphere. Has there been a new term for blogosphere created yet? Here is my first question to my new world.
I am already tired of your language. Where is the jive talkin' Nerd-core language at?

Surely "blogoshpere" is is so 2005. And an entire -osphere is a large place. Where's my niche at?
Great. Another new world to explore.
I didn't ask to explore a new world. But I suppose I should if I am to learn anything new.

"The road only meets ya half-way. You gotta go fo' it"
-Sly Stallone- Over the Top.


Oh perhaps I've said enough already.

Cheers
The Daily Breather