SCAM: AVOID GE MONEY BANK

If you Google "GE Money Bank" you will find more than a few stories...bad ones.
The way I became involved...I trusted a freind who owns a music store when I bought my bass...
the amount is under a grand, but this bank (no interest, same as cash, first 6 months)
is pulling the same thing with me on my account.
From now on, NO MORE CREDIT CARDS. I will ONLY deal with my Credit Union.

AVOID GE MONEY BANK. THEY DO IN-STORE CREDIT. IF YOU ARE OFFERED A "TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE" OFFER OF "SIX MONTHS, SAME AS CASH", OR "NO-INTEREST FOR FIRST YEAR"

RUN AWAY!!!!!!

I was going to put it on my credit union credit card and just pay it off over a couple of weeks, but my friend said, "Why, just do this, pay it off, you're done, no interest."
I know this friend was not trying to give me bad advice, as he was not aware of their practices.
Never Again.

I HAVE ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT ONLINE AND TO THE TEXAS AND FLORDIA ATTORNEY GENERALS.

Name that Police State

Name the military junta where this photo was taken.

tic-toc

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Hint: It's not China, or Russia...it's not Myanmar, or Singapore...

St. Paul, Minnesota, Republican National Convention. Amy Goodman, host of Democracy Now, and two other of the show's producers were also arrested. Not in a nice way. For doing nothing but what our supposedly free press does.

They asked questions.

Why do Republicans hate/fear/loathe/mistrust the American people so much?

Tonight on NOW on PBS

With Barack Obama officially nominated as the Democrat's Presidential nominee, is it time to re-think affirmative action?This week, NOW on PBS looks at some state ballot measures that would eliminate race or gender considerations in public hiring, contracting and education programs. The controversial initiatives are being spearheaded by Ward Connerly, a long-time affirmative action opponent who some are accusing of ballot fraud."I think that in some quarters, many parts of the country, a white male is really disadvantaged," Connerly, who considers himself multi-racial, tells NOW. "Because we have developed this notion of women and minorities being so disadvantaged and we have to help them, that we have, in many cases, twisted the thing so that it's no longer a case of equal opportunity. It's a case of putting a fist on the scale."

I want to live in his world

Have gone back to finish the Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy and am reminded of what a great writer he really is.

"Cities of the Plain" brings John Grady Cole from "All the Pretty Horses" (part 1) and Billy Parham from "The Crossing" (part 2) together in part 3 of his Border Trilogy.

Set near the Mexico/Texas border after WW2.

No one does dialogue like McCarthy.

I also picked up "What is the What" by Dave Eggers, and I wanted to check out some Sci-Fi, so I picked up "Hidden Empire" by Kevin J Anderson. "Hidden Empire" is part 1 of the "Saga of the Seven Suns" series. He is a freind of drummer Neil Peart's (and yes, it wa sbased on a review by Peart that I wanted to read Anderson's books...hey, good enough for Peart, good enough for me).

Tonight on NOW on PBS

You've probably noticed (if you're still visiting) that my frequency of posts has decreased. I've been trying to learn some songs for this new band, so that has taken most of my attention. But honestly, as far as politics...I feel like I've been kind of half listening lately. I still care, but part of me has just given up. I'm not struggling as much as some, but I'm tired of watching everything go up in price, everything except my paycheck. And the election is just getting ridiculous..and then...Russia rolls into Georgia. I give up.

I'm losing hope, oh faithful readers. I just don't think this country can keep going in this direction much longer.

And then what?

Anyway, my two favorite shows...and they're on PBS. "Nova Science Now",, and NOW on PBS.

Can the quality of healthcare in developing nations be transformed by the same principle that makes fast food such a success here? This week NOW travels to Kenya to continue ongoing coverage of an enterprising idea: franchising not burger and donut shops, but health services and drugs in rural Africa.American businessmen have been teaming with African entrepreneurs to spread for-profit clinics around the country in the hopes of providing quality, affordable medical care to even Kenya's poorest people. In this show, NOW chronicles how the Kenyan facilities weathered recent violent unrest, as well as the program's expansion into Rwanda.This show is part of Enterprising Ideas, NOW's continuing spotlight on social entrepreneurs working to improve the world through self-sustaining innovation.

I seriously just went to buy a practice amp.

This is kind of like th etime I went to buy a bicycle helmet, and I bought the Cannondale bicycle too.
This may be a trend.

OK, a good friend of mine, who I was in band with for 5 years called me a couple of weeks ago. He was our drummer, we became really good friends and now he sings with another local band (cover band).

Long story short: Their bass player quit and he wants me to join.

I have to buy equipment again.

I have my bass still (no amp). So, I went to a music store owned by a frined of mine (old bandmate) and look at a practice amp. The night before Jeff basically handed me 3 CD's worht of songs to learn (gee, thanks).

While I'm at the store, I'm looking at some basses. I have this thing where, I will see something I like, but NOT buy it, only to go back at a later time and, of course, it's gone and I can't find it ever again.

I normally play a 4 string bass (Ibanez Ergodyne). I tried about 4 or 5 basses and this one, the Ibanez SR535, I just kept coming back to (and I had tried some that were twice the price).

It's a 5 string, which is going to take some getting used to.

The sound though, is incredible, it just sounds great, and that's just through a practice amp. It plays nice, sounds great...so, again, long story short, and way to much money later...I had a new bass, tuner, hard-shell case, strap, and a practice amp to do my "homework" on. Now if I can just pass the audition: - )

All of this to play Loverboy, Journey and Whitesnake to drunk people (fortunately, they do a couple of Rush tunes.)

If I do get in, it should be a lot of fun. So, is this what you do when you're 43 yrs. old and don't have kids or a house to spend money on? Join a rock band? Do they even have 40+ yr. old groupies? (qulaifier: I have been in different bands most of my adult life and have met ZERO number of women and/or groupies.)
Eh, it'll get me out of the apartment a bit.

Anyway, this is the "love at first sight, love at first play" bass. Ibanez SR535.
If I get in, I will post about the band later.

Tonight on NOW on PBS

Is America's border fence working, or an utter waste? NOW travels to Texas to meet families on the U.S.-Mexico border who fear losing their property, their safety, and their way of life.

STILL the biggest putz on the planet

Glenn, I'm a dumb-fuck-but-I'm-still-on-CNN, Beck.

Why....

...is this FUCKING TOOL hosting a debate between Obama and McSame?

This is the moron who wrote "The Purpose Driven Life"....

Why do we finally get rid of fucking Billy Graham, and now this guy has to fill the gap? Can we just not leave the hole there, unfilled?

This fricken country. Make no mistake or underestiimate this guy's wealth and influence in politics.

FUCK, FUCK, FUCK, I HATE THESE PEOPLE!!!!!

Bestselling author. A Southern Baptist minister who breaks the conservative mold. Touted by some as the likely successor to Billy Graham.
On Saturday, pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life," will do what no one else has yet accomplished: bring the presumptive GOP and Democratic presidential nominees onto the same stage to discuss their views.
It's a sign of religion's importance in the 2008 presidential campaign. The event, back-to-back one-hour interviews at Mr. Warren's California megachurch, will be broadcast live on CNN and streamed on the Web. It also represents the emergence of a new style of evangelical leadership on the national stage, which is not tied to a single party and has broadened its social agenda beyond that of the religious right.
"This is absolutely a changing of the guard, and it suggests that the new guard of the evangelical movement is able to generate the attention and focus of both parties," says D. Michael Lindsay, a sociologist at Rice University and author of "Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite."

I looked into his eyes...and saw his ass

I haven't been posting in a while. Honestly, I'm just tired of what's going on politically. I think Russia rollinginto Georgia was the last straw.

That and the election, just makes me feel like there's simply little or no hope for this country.

Is Canada open?

Anyway, this is Bush and Putin. When the world does comes to an end, we can thank these two.

This was the guy that Bush said, "I uh, I looked into his eyes, and I saw his soul".

Pretty funny, eh?