Bugs, Chicks, and Idiots
Current mood: blessed
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...



Are Those Coyotes?

I can understand both sides of this one.

Let's face facts, OK? I doubt that many supermodels are willing to move to the outback to marry a miner/farmer/rancher. Seriously, would you do it? I wouldn't.

On the other hand, I'll bet the miners/farmers/ranchers don't want supermodels. They want a good woman who will love them and be a good companion. I'll even bet that most don't care about the woman's domestic skills and aren't looking for a glorified housekeeper.

I love the comment in the story about the odds being good but the goods being odd.



November

I guess my vote in November will come down to the VP nominees.

I don't like McCain. He's a lying closet liberal who can't be trusted to do anything he says. Then again, he's an old man. Odds are he'll die in office. If I like his VP choice, I may vote Republican.

I don't like Obama. He's a Democrat, but at least you know what you're getting with him. He's a young man who will live for at least four more years. Then again, if he picks Hillary, I won't take the chance of her ending up holding the keys to the kingdom.

All things being equal, I'll vote for Obama.



Amazing

Every time I see something like this, I'm amazed all over again at the magnificent machine we call the human body. Even after ninety years, these people are protected.

Some say that a virus or other illness will kill off the human race. Things like this point to something else bumping us off.

Some claim that global warming will get us. For many reasons, I doubt that.

Maybe a nuclear war will put the last nail in our coffin. Nope...global exchanges are a thing of the past, and smaller bombs are localized.

The impact of an asteroid or comet will kill us all.

The first warning we'll get is when the fireball shows up on the horizon and someone looks at the sky and says, "What's that?"

Did you know that the typical big-city McDonald's has more people working there than are looking for killer rocks from space?






Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





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Currently listening : Space Elevator By Inquisitor Betrayer Release date: 2006-09-26

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Homes, Gonads, and Uranus
Current mood: adored
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...

I have to stop letting the stories pile up like this!



The American Dream

It seems that perhaps the American Dream is broken.

Maybe.

It's easy to look at the mortgage and home price situation and point fingers at select groups. You could blame the lenders for giving loans to people who they knew couldn't make the payments when the interest rates went up. You can blame the buyers for agreeing to a loan that would inflate to an impossible rate. Freddie Mac and other government-sponsored monopolies could bear the blame for backing such ideas. Contractors make a good target for building houses that are priced at 4+ times what they're worth. You get the idea.

The fact is that everyone is to blame. All of the above—and many more—are all at fault.

To my mind, the biggest problem is that home prices are terribly inflated. This crisis is an adjustment to normalcy. A couple of points to consider...

(1) Here in Sunny Southern California, a house that, a few years ago, had a "value" of $500,000 would sell for about $95,000 anyplace else in the country. Today, that home has a value of about $220,000. Better, but not much.

(2) In San Diego County, three years ago, only about 6% of the population could afford the median home price. Today, that has risen to about 7.5%. See 1 for why.

(3) Again, here in San Diego, 87% of the property is owned by 2% of the owners.

Some say that we need more regulation to solve the crisis and prevent it from happening again.

No, we don't.

We need to let the market solve its own problems. Instead of regulations that favor landlords who buy up hundreds of homes to rent out at outrageous rates—the situation we have had for the last several years—we need to let prices fall to reasonable levels so more people can actually afford the homes.

More government is never a good idea.




It Could Be Worse

She could be auctioning a part of his anatomy.

Or several parts.

I honestly never understood adultery. This woman's husband must have cared for her at some time. Why would he want to hurt her so now? If he doesn't care for her anymore, why not just say so and leave?




Now How Will We Remember The Names?

My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas

Anyone remember that? It's how you can remember the names and order of the planets.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto.

Easy, right?

Not anymore.





Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





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Currently listening : Space Elevator By Inquisitor Betrayer Release date: 2006-09-26

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Five Easy Pieces
Current mood: amused
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...

Wow...I didn't realize I had this many stories piled up in my list of things to do today, but here we go!


Or A Lack of Safety

Same old story at NASA, or so it seems.

Once more we have a small group of engineers who have concerns, and NASA management is dismissing them.

This is the same thing that has, over the years, killed seventeen astronauts in three events.

Will they ever learn?



Round Is A Shape

So, who will take the fall for this one?

Simple.

You.

How many people out there have been hammered by health care professionals and others for being overweight and told they were going to die soon?

Actually, this is all marketing hype from many angles. A few of them are: The drug companies; The food industry; Pick one.




Tiny Bubbles

See?

I told you so.

All you need is to use a few extra dimensions.




Hmpf...

I can see how this works.

Evolution in action, I guess.




Speaking Of Evolution

Yep. It's happening.

Remember the song 2525?





Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





Melodee's Books at Fictionwise
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Currently listening : Space Elevator By Inquisitor Betrayer Release date: 2006-09-26

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Babies, Beer, and Murder
Current mood: vibrant
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...


That's Gonna Leave A Mark...

I guess everyone should have a hobby, but really!

At least there are plenty of hand-me-downs to go around.




A Convenient Truth

Am I the only one who finds it a bit odd that the FBI and DoJ get in hot water for pestering and slandering one man, they start pestering another man, and then the new target turns up dead?

By the time Hatfill became a threat to the FBI's questionable tactics, he was far too public to have an accident, and everyone knew he was being made a scapegoat. Ivins, on the other hand, was still unknown enough to be kept quiet.

Next question...

Am I the only one who thinks that the FBI and DoJ are not above solving their embarrassing problems in ways like this?




Only In The South...

I admit it. I consider myself to be a Southern Belle. I say y'all several times a day. I say youins a lot, too.

But, you would never see a story like this come out of California...

First, the state censors would quash it.

Second, two Californians might stab each other over a bottle of merlot, but not Natural Light.







Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





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Dead On Time
Current mood: satisfied
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...


Did They Leave Him On The Porch?

I like my job. In fact, I like it a lot.

I see writing as my job. The readers and the publishers are my bosses. This job has been very good to me over the years, and I can't imagine doing anything else.

But while I love my job, I can't imagine my remains being sold at Amazon.






Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





Melodee's Books at Fictionwise
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Currently listening : Space Elevator By Inquisitor Betrayer Release date: 2006-09-26

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Finally!
Current mood: creative
Category: Web, HTML, Tech

Well, I finally got around to updating my web site.

No, I haven't got around to updating MySpace yet.

Anyway...

Check out my home page at www.melodeeaaron.com for new excerpts, covers, games, and more!




Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





Melodee's Books at Fictionwise
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Currently listening : Space Elevator By Inquisitor Betrayer Release date: 2006-09-26

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Gas and Leg Taxes
Current mood: amorous
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...

A couple of things caught my attention this morning.


Look Out Below!

As a skydiver, I can relate to this one.

While I've never lost a leg or other body part, real or fake, I did once lose my helmet on a jump.

Truth be told, it was a jump I probably shouldn't have made. Without getting into a lot of details that would likely bore you to tears, let's just say that the aircraft type, altitude, weather, and other conditions were all stacked up to make it a very turbulent jump. When I exited the plane, my head bumped the doorframe and caused my helmet to unlatch. The wind then sucked it right off my head.

I wasn't worried about getting hurt due to the missing brain-bucket, but my ears almost froze off!




Washington Math

I just got gas for one of the cars yesterday, and I was actually excited to pay only $4.30 a gallon.

I don't know about dropping the gas tax costing jobs. I honestly doubt it will and the idea sounds more political than financial.

But it doesn't matter...

The 18.4 cents a gallon tax comes to only 4.28% of the cost of a gallon of gas. In other words, instead of paying $4.30 a gallon yesterday, I would have paid $4.12 a gallon. The tank of gas would have cost me only $74 instead of the $77 I paid.

I could get lunch at McDonald's with the savings as long as I eat from the value menu.

For that small savings, the loss of even one job is too much to justify suspending the gas tax. It's not worth the effort.





Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





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Space Junk & Bad Choices
Current mood: electric
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...

Two of them for today...


More Of The Same

Anyone out there old enough to remember the Apollo I fire? The cause was chalked up to the wild spread of fire in the pure oxygen environment and the pressure.

How about the explosion of space shuttle Challenger? The O-rings in the solid rocket boosters failed?

Or maybe the disintegration of space shuttle Columbia during reentry because of the damage to the wing caused by foam falling from the external tank?

In all of these cases, the real cause, as proved by the several investigating panels, was found to be the long-standing habit of NASA management ignoring a small group of engineers and technicians who had concerns about the systems involved.

Here we have even more...

NASA is ignoring a small group of engineers and technicians who are swimming against the current of the agency. The ideas presented by these talented people are being dismissed out of hand and without consideration.

This is EXACTLY the same thing NASA has done at least three times before.

Those three times cost the lives of seventeen brave American heroes.

How many lives will this power play cost?



I See Mars, I See Stars...

Anyway...

Now THIS is a good idea from NASA, and it's long overdue.

In fact, the idea is about forty years overdue.

In a decade or two, maybe, we'll be able to do this.

The sad part is that we could have done it thirty or forty years ago.

Instead, NASA tossed out the hardware and technology needed to do the job in favor of the space shuttle, a system that, while impressive, never lived up even close to its promised performance. The shuttle has done nothing that couldn't have been done with the Saturn rockets better, cheaper, faster, and safer. By way of an example, how many launches of the shuttle are needed to complete the International Space Station? The number seems to change a lot. At any rate, using Saturn V rockets, we could have built the ISS on the ground and had it up in two, maybe three, launches. Twenty years ago. At a tenth of the cost.

We need a lunar telescope. "Why?" you might ask.

I'll tell you why.

First, for the science it could do. We could see farther and in greater detail than we can from the ground or from even the best orbital telescopes. It has to do with the lack of atmosphere on the moon, the fact that the moon is far more stable than a satellite, and simple size.

Sorry, guys, but size DOES matter. Oh, yes indeed...

Melodee, snap out of it!

Anyway...

Secondly, the human race will probably die as a result of the impact of a big rock of some kind. It will probably be a comet about fifteen miles in diameter. Do the math if you can. That's a planet killer. Right now, the first warning we'll likely get of the impending impact is when we see the fireball of the comet entering the atmosphere. With a big lunar telescope, we could find and track these rocks and have a chance to do something about it because of the advance warning.

We can build huge telescopes on the moon. How about something a thousand times bigger than the Hubble? Maybe ten thousand times bigger? A hundred thousand? It's all doable.

Oh...one small problem...

We can't do it with the current crop of rockets on the design boards. See the article above.

We need big rockets. We need big rockets that are reliable. We need big, reliable rockets that are safe. We need big, reliable, safe rockets that are cost-effective.

Anyone remember how to build a Saturn V?




Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





Melodee's Books at Fictionwise
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Currently listening : Space Elevator By Inquisitor Betrayer Release date: 2006-09-26

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Boobs--And Lots Of Them--In The News
Current mood: blissful
Category: News and Politics

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...

Two of them for today...


Bronze Boobs

How long will a metal statue last before constant touching wears it away to nothing?

I guess we'll find out.

I have somehow missed just how touching a woman's breast will promote family happiness.




Boobs On A Train

This would have to make a better movie than snakes, but I digress...

I can see how a stripper on a subway train might upset—or at least distract—some people, but the reaction of the security folks does seem a bit excessive.

I can't really comment directly on Chile's transit system, but every light rail network I've been on around the world is pretty risky. It seems that fifteen security guards would be better off keeping the peace instead of chasing a stripper.

On the other hand, this sounds like something I might do.






Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





Melodee's Books at Fictionwise
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Perverted Bears
Current mood: cheerful

I can't seem to leave some stories alone...

Two more for today...


One Less...

This comes under the heading of Who Cares?

It's one less pervert in the world who would, if given the chance, rape your little girls.

It's better for him to have killed himself than for someone else to execute him.

Good riddance.

The show Dateline NBC: To Catch A Predator did a great public service. No, we'll never get all the perverts off the street, but they got a few of them.

My favorite part of the show was when they would ask the pervert why they drove many miles—sometimes hundreds—to meet a prepubescent girl..."I just wanted to talk to her."

Yeah, right.

Hang 'em.




The Right To Arm And Keep Bears

Or something like that.

At last the Supreme Court made a ruling based on the Constitution and not the personal politics of the hidden agenda behind the scenes. Contrary to what the media wants you to think, the Constitution is quiet clear on most subjects, including the Second Amendment. Once you take out the politics, there is little doubt about what the Founding Fathers intended.

The Founding Fathers understood that for the people to change an oppressive, totalitarian government they might need to resort to armed resistance. Sound familiar? We now call it the Revolutionary War. Franklin and his buddies wanted their progeny to have the same options open in the future as they had against England just in case some person—or group of persons—twisted the government of the United States and its Constitution into something that didn't follow the will of the people.

Not that we can't change that if we want.

The Constitution can be amended, and that's what it would take to disarm the people and put them at the mercy of the government. If we want to ban personal firearms, then get an amendment going. It will fail, but the left wing is free to try. That's why it's called freedom.

More to the point, there is no evidence at all that preventing the average law-abiding citizen from having firearms reduces violent crime by any statistically significant amount. A criminal doesn't follow the gun control laws. Other than opinions offered by those who back subjugation, there is no actual and unequivocal hint that gun control works.

In fact, there is better evidence that the possibility of a potential crime victim being armed will cause the criminal to move on to an easier, unarmed target.

Do we need background checks, training programs, and controls on certain places where you might carry your gun? You bet we do! We don't want those with a history of violence with a gun. We don't need guns in courts, schools, airports, and the like. And we sure don't need a bunch of people with guns who don't know how to safely handle their weapons.

Ever.

Our system works. We vote for the several elected officials who run the government's day-to-day business for us. If we don't like what they do with our proxy, we remove them from office. But do we know 100% that it will always work? We now have many agencies that operate outside of the system, and many are very powerful. Can we be certain that these agencies won't become oppressive? How can we deal with them if—or when—they do?

Look at history for how this happened in the past.





Keep Loving!


Melodee Aaron, Erotica Romance Author





Melodee's Books at Fictionwise
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