Psssh....

"Psssh....hey.....I think he's a black man."

"Really.....how can you tell?"

"Because yesterday his people starting saying that I was downgrading Martin Luther King's role in the civil rights movement.....and I'm pretty sure the only person who could say that type of thing would have to be a black man."

"Well honey, he's only 50% black....so maybe it was his wife or Oprah."

"Oh yeah....the real forces behind him.....what am I going to do?"

"Actually sweetheart you should start talking about John F. Kennedy because really the Civil Rights legislation started with his commitment in June of 1963....and in all actual realities the truth is that Civil Rights leaders needed a President to get the ball rolling."

"That's what I said."

"No.....you said LBJ was the President and just because he signed it into law has nothing to do with getting the ball rolling....start talking a lot about JFK and this will all blow over."

"Oh, thank you honey....you are so smart."

"And cute....don't forget cute."

"ok....and cute."

MIchael Timothy McAlevey

Paul's following

It used to be that St.Paul was someone who young people looked up to and followed. Of course most of those young people were Baptised Catholics. Now there's a new Paul on the scene who seems to be attracting youthful voters.

His name is Ron Paul and he's running for President of the United States on the Republican ticket. His picture is small because he has a small following.

He seems to upset the main players in his party, so of course that makes me want to know how he rolls.

The Libertarian Party was formed in 1971 and if you are interested in learning more just click on the following
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libertarian_Party_(United_States)

The idea that someone wants a strict interpretation of the Constitution is interesting but of course there is so much in present day society that the forefathers could never have imagined but the principles and goals are still the backbone of our system.

As I study the principles of Libertarian and review the Democratic and Republican platforms it seems that the country might be ready for a COMBO PARTY.

IN FACT....LET'S CALL IT THE

COMBONIC PARTY

Why are so many countries in the world able to offer health care for all citizens?

Why can't it work here in America?

The obvious answer is that it would limit the amount of money that Doctor's could make and therefore it would reduce the quality of care...because Doctor's would become something else instead of Doctors.

I find it hard to believe that people who are interested in becoming Doctors will suddenly decide to be Accountants or Lawyers.

The amount of money we seem to be spending on the FREEDOM HIGHWAY MARCH would take care of a lot of domestic issues....and where is that money coming from? The joke is that the government just prints it as George asks for it...and maybe that's not such a joke.

But if we don't care about deficit spending and balanced budgets, then why can't we just print some for Health Care issues??????

I'm thinking that civil liberties need to be addressed and Libertarians definitely agree. I'm not quite sure that they have an answer for how to pay for the infrastructure of government services because basically they don't seem to think their should be government services.

I, for one, am not about to let multi-national conglomerates determine what is good for the environment or what the prices of food and drugs should be... It seems that price regulations are important but of course when one views the current oil situation one can conclude that price regulations might have died with the Roosevelt administration.

I honestly can't support a Ron Paul for President of the United States but I'm so interested in what he has to say...because after every candidate uses the word "CHANGE" like it's water from the ocean...he truly does represent the only real change in the race.

Of course the American public doesn't really want change...they just want the people in charge to do a better job with the current system....

....and they don't want the people in power creating avenues that aren't on the road map.

Change is a word that we all will be sick of by November.

I just want one change.....and that change is in the White House and really, I think that having Dick Cheney gone will do wonders for the psyche of the country. I'm already feeling a little better just knowing he will be history by the end of this year.

There's nothing we can do to change history and the Real Dick will prove to be a thorn in our remembrances for a very long time.

Just like the First Dick that left the White House on a rail.....the Real Dick will not be highly regarded when historians start truly dissecting the Bush Administration.

Ron Paul on the other hand might be someone that gains repsect and admiration in the future.

I do know that Ron Paul should not go hunting with Dick Cheney.

Just a suggestion Mr. Paul.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

ANTI-MATTER AND OTHER STRANGE CREATURES

The relationships that are interconnected have mystery and wonder as their glue...and when something has mystery and wonder as the substance of bonding....then almost anything is possible.

KODIAK, Alaska - At least 19 bald eagles died Friday after gorging themselves on a truck full of fish waste outside a processing plant.

Fifty or more eagles swarmed into the truck, whose retractable fabric cover was open, after the truck was moved outside the plant, said Brandon Saito, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service who coordinated the recovery operation.
The birds became too soiled to fly or clean themselves, and with temperatures in the mid-teens, began to succumb to the cold. Some birds became so weak they sank into the fish slime and were crushed.

WASHINGTON - The deeper astronomers gaze into the cosmos, the more they find it's a bizarre and violent universe. The research findings from this week's annual meeting of U.S. astronomers range from blue orphaned baby stars to menacing "rogue" black holes that roam our galaxy, devouring any planets unlucky enough to be within their limited reach.

"It's an odd universe we live in," said Vanderbilt University astronomer Kelly Holley-Bockelmann. She presented her theory on rogue black holes at the American Astronomical Society's meeting in Austin, Texas, earlier this week.

It should be noted that she's not worried and you shouldn't be either. The odds of one of these black holes swallowing up Earth or the sun or wreaking other havoc is somewhere around 1 in 10 quadrillion in any given year.

BUT THEN THERE IS THE ROGUE CLOUD SYNDROME and other bizarre encounters that we ( it's a village) WILL have.

One example is an approaching gas cloud discussed at the meeting Friday. The cloud has a mass 1 million times that of the sun. It is 47 quadrillion miles away. But it's heading toward our Milky Way galaxy at 150 miles per second. And when it hits, there will be fireworks that form new stars and "really light up the neighborhood," said astronomer Jay Lockman at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in West Virginia.
But don't worry. It will hit a part of the Milky Way far from Earth and the biggest collision will be 40 million years in the future.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- San Francisco Zoo keepers say a bear and a leopard nearly escaped from their enclosures less than three weeks after an escaped tiger killed a man.

The two incidents last week renewed safety concerns about the popular zoo, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday.The height of the wall in the polar bear exhibit was raised Jan. 4 after a female bear nearly scaled the wall the day before, and a snow leopard chewed through a temporary enclosure Thursday, several zookeepers told the Chronicle.The zookeepers said they feared for their safety and questioned whether visitors are safe, the Chronicle reported. Other zoo officials, however, said there was never any threat from the bear or leopard.A Siberian tiger was killed by police at the zoo Dec. 25 after it escaped and killed 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. of San Jose and mauled two of his friends

Charles Q. Choi

Special to SPACE.comSPACE.com

Antimatter, which annihilates matter upon contact, seems to be rare in the universe. Still, for decades, scientists had clues that a vast cloud of antimatter lurked in space, but they did not know where it came from.

The mysterious source of this antimatter has now been discovered — stars getting ripped apart by neutron stars and black holes.
While antimatter propulsion systems are so far the stuff of science fiction, antimatter is very real.

When a particle meets its antiparticle, they destroy each other, releasing a burst of energy such as gamma rays. In 1978, gamma ray detectors flown on balloons detected a type of gamma ray emerging from space that is known to be emitted when electrons collide with positrons — meaning there was antimatter in space.

"It was quite a surprise back then to discover part of the universe was made of antimatter," researcher Gerry Skinner, an astrophysicist at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., told SPACE.com.

These gamma rays apparently came from a cloud of antimatter roughly 10,000 light-years across surrounding our galaxy's core. This giant cloud shines brightly with gamma rays, with about the energy of 10,000 suns.
What exactly generated the antimatter was a mystery for the following decades. Suspects have included everything from exploding stars to dark matter.
Now, an international research team looking over four years of data from the European Space Agency's International Gamma Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (INTEGRAL) satellite has pinpointed the apparent culprits. Their new findings suggest these positrons originate mainly from stars getting devoured by black holes and neutron stars.
As a black hole or neutron star destroys a star, tremendous amounts of radiation are released. Just as electrons and positrons emit the tell-tale gamma rays upon annihilation, so too can gamma rays combine to form electrons and positrons, providing the mechanism for the creation of the antimatter cloud, scientists think.

The researchers calculate that a relatively ordinary star getting torn apart by a black hole or neutron star orbiting around it — a so-called "low mass X-ray binary" — could spew on the order of one hundred thousand billion billion billion billion positrons (a 1 followed by 41 zeroes) per second. These could account for a great deal of the antimatter that scientists have inferred, reducing or potentially eliminating the need for exotic explanations such as ones involving dark matter.

"Simple estimates suggest that about half and possibly all the antimatter is coming from X-ray binaries," said researcher Georg Weidenspointner of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany.

Now that they have witnessed the death of antimatter, the scientists hope to see its birth.
"It would be interesting if black holes produced more matter than neutron stars, or vice versa, although it's too early to say one way or the other right now," Skinner explained. "It can be surprisingly hard to tell the difference between an X-ray binaries that hold black holes and neutron stars."
Weidenspointner, Skinner and their colleagues, detailed their findings in the Jan. 10 issue of the journal Nature.

Over 20,000 horses may have suffered at the hands of trader held on horror farm

By JULIE MOULT, ARTHUR MARTIN and JAMES MILLS -

Last updated at 00:05am on 11th January 20.

More than 20,000 horses could have suffered at the hands of the meat trader arrested amid grotesque scenes of animal suffering this week.
Jamie Gray, 44, has been dealing in horses, ponies and donkeys for at least 25 years, according to sources close to the investigation, who yesterday described the scene at his farm as an "equine Belsen".
Throughout much of that time, the RSPCA claims to have been looking at his case, concerned about the conditions of the animals destined for Continental dinner tables

By ROHAN SULLIVAN, Associated Press Writer Sat Jan 12, 2:25 AM ET
SYDNEY, Australia - A Greenpeace ship on Saturday confronted a Japanese whaling fleet that had initially planned to hunt protected humpbacks, the environmentalists said — setting off the latest round of cat-and-mouse in a sometimes dangerous feature of the hunting debate.

Greenpeace's Esperanza found the Japanese whalers in the Antarctic Ocean after a 10-day search, and the hunting ships immediately steamed off with the activists in pursuit, the environmentalists said in a statement.

AND THE WORLD JUST KEEPS ON SPINNING AND TURNING and the only thing I know for sure is that I am going to be extra cautious the next time I go to the Zoo and the next time I order a CONTINENTAL DINNER.

And of course I'm not going to attempt to create a mini-black hole anytime soon and the idiot geniuses working at The CERN should adopt that same philosophy.....(google CERN)

BUT THAT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS ARE NECESSARY FOR THEIR VISION QUEST OF UNIVERSAL ORIGINS.

SOMETIMES THE SOUL OF AN ARTIST CAN KNOW FOR SURE WHAT THE MIND OF A SCIENTIST WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND.

neo-illumination # 12

There's never a problem until there's a problem

( Alvin and the Chipmunks)

Which by the way......the IRRELEVANT TRUTH movie grossed around 20 million domestically. Alvin and the Chipmunks has grossed around 200 million domestically.

We (It's a village) have our priorties in order....every single day of the year.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Chicks cry

I have no problem with tears being shed by any woman and if that woman is running for President of the United States all I can say is......what took so long?

If she changes her hairstyle and starts wearing dresses then I would say she has finally got the message.

There is one fundamental difference between Hillary and all the other candidates and it is either a strength or a weakness. And thus the internal structure of our male dominated society comes into play as we, both men and women, decide whether or not a woman can handle a job that has never even remotely been occupied by anything other than a macho man.

Perhaps macho man is an exaggeration in terms of a Jimmy Carter or perhaps Grover Cleveland and maybe Millard Fillmore, but I think you get my point.

Is the American voting public able to wrap their brains around a 230 year rejection of woman?

Suffice to say since they weren't able to vote until 1920 I doubt very much whether they even were able to run for the highest political jobs in the land. So one has to understand that it hasn't even been 100 years since woman were regarded, by the male dominated society, as even having a position or a conviction on political matters.

I'm not sure enough time has elapsed.

I will say that I personally think Hillary can do the job and I've said all along that her nearest advisor is an obvious asset.

I have not made up my mind as far as who I will vote for in the February primary. I'm looking for the candidate that can win the Novemeber election and I still lean toward John Edwards as being the most electable of the major three Democrats.

Obviously Barack has the best gift of gab and I would think his speeches over the next six months will rival anything delivered since the Kennedy boys.

And just because he lost New Hampshire by a few percentage points doesn't mean he's on his way down. On the contrary....I think he's rising faster than anyone.

Hillary needed New Hampshire or she was in big trouble. The fact that she shed a few tears in reference to people not getting her message, and the other "boys" picking on her, is not a negative thing.

She's a chick and chick's cry.

Hell I'm not a chick and I cry from time to time.....but all it does is make people nervous because I'm a dude.

A chick starts crying and someone's in trouble because someone caused her to cry.

In this case it turns out to be a good thing for about 10,000 people who happened to see the female side of her nature. She does have a male side and a female side, as do we all, but the female side seemed to be buried because of her playing a man's game.

Can this country accept that being President of the United States is not just a man's game?

I'm not sure

and

neither are

you

So we leave the second inning with John McCain and Hillary Clinton feeling victorious and we move to the third inning in South Carolina. After the third inning things really heat up and the fourth and fifth innings are really long and widespread innings.

South Carolina seems to be the state that will either bring John Edwards back into prominence or possibly send him back to the hair stylist. It's his home state and if he can't win that, then I would say he needs to be working for another VP nomination.

John Edwards seems like the perfect Vice-President.

Hillary seems more like the Secretary of Education

Al Gore seems like the head of the Department of Energy

Bill Clinton seems like the Secretary of Commerce

John McCain seems like Secretary of Defense

Joe Biden seems like the Secretary of State

Bill Richardson seems like he should have his own variety show

Mitt Romney needs to just keeping making money

Rudy Giuliani needs to be in charge of Homeland Security

Ron Paul seems to be a guy that wants to be the conscience of the country and perhaps a new position could be formed....Secretary General of Philosophical Direction

and that only leaves Barack without a job.....oh yeah, there is that one big job that everybody wants.......

OPRAH'S PARTNER

He's got the inside track and it's his for the asking.

On to South Carolina

Michael Timothy McAlevey

SECOND INNING

Today in New Hampshire the second inning of the primary process is taking place and it looks like Barack is gaining ground.

Pundits have been saying that it's hard for Hillary to talk about change with Bill standing right behind her.

It appears that the country is having a problem with the BUSH/CLINTON/BUSH/CLINTON scenario....especially in regards to the "change" campaign that seems to be dominating every candidates platform.

Barack is definitely a "change" candidate and he seems to be invigorating the youth vote. How his message will play with the independents is the real question.

The "MUSLIM" issue is starting to come into play from the groups that oppose him....which is about the only negative idea that can be thrown into play at this time.

Its obviously an important issue and one that needs to be addressed soon.

It just doesn't seem like Hillary has the "talent" to overcome her obstacles. She not a forceful speaker and great speeches are needed at this time in history.

John Edwards has the right message but he seems redundant....and most of us question his senserity regarding elimation of lobbyist. I love his point about ending poverty in America but most of those people don't vote.

On the Republican side it appears that John McCain has staged a dramatic comeback and the more we see and hear Mitt speak the more we don't seem to trust him. He might be too slick.

Rudy will do well in Florida and California but it might not be enough. The three marriage dealio is just too much for the American voter....even though one of the marriages was annulled, it still shows a certain lack of loyalty.

Fred Thompson seems to be in the race to promote his TV show and nobody seems to take him seriously.

Mike Huckabee will go as far as the Evangelical Christians can take him but that probably isn't a destination that ends up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. It might get him his own evangelist TV station or radio show but not the White House.

Ron Paul has a unique message but it falls into the Ross Perot/ Ralph Nader category and there just aren't enough people who believe that his ideas are workable. He makes a lot of sense when he talks about fiscal responsibility but the money printing system of America just doesn't seem to care about deficits or balanced budgets.

Balancing the budget and environmental issues are taking a back seat.

It's a back seat that will end up driving the bus, but by then the bus will be careening off the road.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

FIRST INNING

And the game has finally started and the first inning goes to Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee.

There are no absolutes in regards to these two candidates being the actual nominations from each party but it "INDICATES" how the game could go and the mood of the umpires (people of America).

SOME FOOTNOTES FROM THE FIRST INNING

Barack Obama motivates young people to get involved.

Mike Huckabee motivates the religious right....even though they don't need a ton of motivation.

Hillary Clinton has the older female vote but not the younger female vote....and more importantly

Hillary is not Bill.

John Edwards has a strong message but money appears to be a problem.

Rudy Giuliani isn't quite sure where Iowa is

Mitt Romney thinks that Chuck Norris is a traitor

Joe Biden, Christopher Dodd, Dennis with the Wife and Bill Richardson will have a lot more time to spend with their families.

John McCain couldn't stay up that late to see the results.

Fred Thompson is just odd.

The fact that a predominately white state voted for a Black man means something....but before anyone thinks America has advanced to a new level of tolerance and open mindedness...it's important to remember that this was the First Inning and nobody from last night's caucus is taking up residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

I think the one factor that cannot be overlooked is the Oprah factor....and from all indications it looks like the Oprah Factor could be huge during the rest of the game. Let's see how she pitches in New Hampshire. I think her curveball might not work as well in the Northwest.

Barack's line in last nights acceptance speech was brillinat and it's amazing no one elese has ever said it before

'WE ARE NOT RED STATES, WE ARE NOT BLUE STATES....WE ARE THE UNITED STATES......."

whoever thought of that line should be given a huge raise and if it was Barack...then we are in for some wonderful speeches over the next 10 months.

It's a little early to think about running mates but Obama/Edwards would make sense....but the game has just started.....so now on to the second inning and let's see what happens.

The first inning indicates some "different" tones to the political process but so many things can change.

Being a baby boomer and having gone through "trauma" on the political front...I just want everybody to live through the experience.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

THE IOWA BOWL HAS ARRIVED

For eight months both Democratic and Republican Presidential hopefuls have been working their butts off toward this unique moment in time.

The amount of money being spent in IOWA makes this the MOST UNIQUE caucus in our 232 year history.

And as the dust settles on the subsidized corn fields of Iowa.....both parties are DEADLOCKED among their top three candidates.

I'm choosing not to mention any names because God knows we've heard them enough already, and after today it gets more intense among the ones left standing.

And anyway, November is just around the corner....and I'm not sure this country is ready for the size and scope of the final 2008 media blitz that will dominate our airwaves during September, October and the first week of November.

All of this could have a backlash effect and the voter turnout could end up being a record low.

But highly unlikely if a woman or an African American is involved in the final contest.

I'm wondering if all this energy being expended in Iowa has anything to do with oil reaching $100.00 a barrel.

Doesn't $100.00 a barrel mean that domestic drilling can resume. When oil was $20.oo a barrel, the oil companies used to say that if oil was $35.00 a barrel, then they could resume drilling closer to home.

I think $100 is higher than $35.00 and even by factoring inflation into the mix....it would seem that drilling could be once again be profitable.

I haven't heard a lot of talk in Iowa about the price of oil. Once again the oil companies have pulled an incredible public relation rabbit out of their sticky hats.

NO FOCUS ON OIL PRICES DURING PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN

HOW THE HELL DO THEY DO THAT?

I'm probably in trouble for even mentioning it.........

by the way.....

The Tatiana Tiger story in San Francisco has developed some oddities. Lawyers are currently flocking to all parties and rumors are bouncing all over the Zoo.

Stories from taunting to Vodka to slow response time from Zoo keepers, has made this into a strange soap opera. One of the weirdest parts of the story is the father of the victim called the two friends when his son didn't show up for dinner and they said...."they didn't know where his son was." And actually his son had already been mauled to death when they made that statement.

The other odd part is the 20 foot containing wall that is actually only 12 feet.

Sounds like a math problem to me.

BACK TO IOWA

I think I better fly out there and make sure everything runs smoothly....after all the caucus format can prove to be fairly unruly....especially on the Democratic side.

The two parties have entirely different methods for conducting their caucuses.

Republicans do it in a calm written vote style....while the Democrats physically team up and then if anyone person doesn't have 15% of the vote, then the people supporting those weaker candidates, have to move to stronger candidates.

IT COULD BE A VERY LATE NIGHT IN IOWA.

As I write this..... oil and gold have both reached new record highs....and by the time November rolls around we could be looking at $175.00 a barrel and $1200 an ounce.

WHAT THE HELL WOULD THOSE NUMBERS DO TO THE DOLLAR?

Happy New Year

Michael Timothy McAlevey

2008

So far so good....

TROJANS WIN ROSE BOWL

and 2008 starts the same way that 2007 did.....so far so good.

I'm looking forward to some slight improvements in certain areas of my life....

I promise to reveal more insights that are pertinent to the reality of our times....even if those times extend from Socrates to this exact moment right now......

OUR TIMES might be

the human being in an upright position

.....it's such a short time and......

It's too early to tell, even with all the cool modern toys...

and by the way....the fact that I actually know pertinent insights, might come as a surprise to some of you.......but it's not always about you.

And if it is always about you....then you need to start sharing.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

FORTUNE TELLING and other picks

I've used a lot of letters trying to convince anyone who would listen that I actually have an ability to foresee what will happen in the FUTURE.....generally regarding the political arena.

Hell, I 've used a lot of letters trying to convince myself that I actually have an ability to foresee ANYTHING that will happen in the future.


TRUTHFULLY....

I'm not sure what will happen in the future but I know that it doesn't work for me to spend time thinking about the past and since I have no choice but to always be here right now.....the future is the only place that creates speculative opportunities.

SPECULATIVE OPPORTUNITIES are abundant in the world of SPORTS so I thought I'd do a little bit of prognostication and pick the remaining college bowl games.

Tomorrow of course the big games start but today there are some interesting match ups.

I would suggest not betting your mortgage payment but then again you are probably close to foreclosure so what the hell difference does it make....

RESULTS
CAL will lose to AIR FORCE 35-14 (LOST)
OREGON will beat SOUTH FLORIDA 24-21 (WON)
GEORGIA TECH will beat FRESNO STATE 37-21 (LOST)
FLORIDA STATE will upset KENTUCKY 21-20 (LOST)
OKLAHOMA STATE will beat INDIANA 34-14 (WON)
AUBURN will beat CLEMSON 37-34 (WON)
TENNESSEE will beat WISCONSIN 40-24 (WON)
MISSOURI will win over ARKANSAS 47-24 (WON)
MICHIGAN will upset FLORIDA 24-21 (WON)
TEXAS TECH will beat VIRGINIA 52-30 (WON)
USC will beat ILLINOIS 30-27 (WON)
GEORGIA will beat HAWAII 75-27 (WON)
(I can't believe that HAWAII'S DEFENSE will be able to stop the onslaught....even though I really want HAWAII to be competitive)
OKLAHOMA will whip WEST VIRGINIA 42-38 (LOST)
KANSAS will beat VIRGINIA TECH 17-14 (WON)
RUTGERS will trounce BALL STATE 52-10 (WON)
TULSA will beat BOWLING GREEN 34-17 (WON)
OHIO STATE will beat LSU 52-51 (TRIPLE OVERTIME) (LOST)

total 12-5

LSU will then issue a rule that overtime games are no longer recognized.

All the bold teams are underdogs.....which means I have predicted that seven underdogs will win outright and two more will lose but beat the spread.

OBVIOUSLY THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME ON MY LIST WILL TAKE PLACE IN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA AT THE ROSE BOWL

I think the Illinois defense is highly underrated and I think they will give the Trojans a real battle....but USC's defense will come through and stop them when it really counts. I also think that STAFON JOHNSON will have the type of game that legends are made of......and that
JOE McKNIGHT will show the country what a future HEISMAN candidate looks like... as a true freshman. I ALSO have a "feeling" that John David Booty will get hurt and MARK SANCHEZ will get another opportunity to show his stuff.
I don't like to predict that someone will get hurt but a "feeling" is a "feeling" and when one chooses to play with the "future" then one must just report what one "feels."

Of course it's always important to remember, before betting your mortgage payment, that I thought McGovern would kick Nixon's ass in 1972 and we all know how that turned out....McGovern won one state, in case you've forgotten or weren't born yet.

I'm not sure I've ever been more wrong about anything then that election, but it might have been related to excessive pot smoking and great rock and roll music....so I have a few built in caveats regarding my prognostication abilities at the time.

Of course I was fairly certain that GORE would beat BUSH in 2000 so maybe I'm having residual effects from those years....OH WAIT A SECOND.....

GORE DID BEAT BUSH!

But that's really another type of story....don't you think?

Normally I would recap the year and get ready for 2008 but anyone who is slightly awake has their own list on THINGS that happened last year. PERSONALLY, I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENED IN 2007
BECAUSE
I
CAN'T
DO
A
FREAKIN
THING
ABOUT
IT

IT'S TIME TO TRY AND INFLUENCE THE OUTCOME OF SITUATIONS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IN 2008

and we can all start by....

HAVING A SAFE EVENING

HAVING A DRIVER WHO ATTENDS AA MEETINGS

AND last, but surely not least......practice the art of

LOVE

LOVE

LOVE
with a bit of PEACE thrown in for good measure

TWO ITEMS
THAT THE WORLD COULD USE A LOT MORE OF.... IN 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and on and on and on....

HAPPY NEW YEAR

MICHAEL TIMOTHY MC ALEVEY

MARGIN OF ERROR

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead in Iowa four days before the state opens the presidential nominating race, while Republicans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are virtually tied, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Sunday.

The poll of 934 likely Democratic caucus-goers and 867 likely Republican caucus-goers was taken Wednesday through Saturday and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points for the Democrats and 3.4 percentage points for the Republicans.

Clinton, a New York senator, led Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois 31 percent to 27 percent, with former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards a close third at 24 percent and no other Democratic contender registering in double-digits.
Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, held a statistically insignificant one-point edge over former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 29 percent to 28 percent. Arizona Sen. John McCain was a distant third with 11 percent.
Three Republicans, former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, registered 8 percent in the poll

*******
It is very important to focus on the MARGIN OF ERROR statistic. Democratic margin of error is 3.3 and Republican margin is 3.4.

The MARGIN OF ERROR figure is completely wrong when it comes to GENDER or RACIAL questions and the last time I looked, there were two extremely viable candidates who fell into those categories.

I've heard MARGIN OF ERROR figures can change from 3 percent to as high as 30 percent when it comes to those categories.

again if you weren't paying attention.....THOSE TWO CATEGORIES are

GENDER AND RACE

When the political alchemists add RELIGION to the mix....I'm not sure that anyone has a real handle on what will happen in the upcoming Caucasus and Primaries.

The people who conduct the polls claim the MARGIN OF ERROR is never more than 3 to 4 percent.....BUT THEY KNOW THAT'S NOT TRUE WHEN IT COMES TO

GENDER AND RACE

But if they admitted to extreme MARGIN OF ERRORS, then nobody would be paying them millions of dollars to conduct polls. And candidates would not have pollsters on their staff's....and pollsters would be obsolete.....

I'VE GOT NEWS FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED.

POLLSTERS ARE OBSOLETE WHEN IT COMES TO ASKING SOMEONE IF THEY WOULD VOTE FOR A WOMAN OR A MINORITY IN A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION.

The common sense part of this is that gender bias and racial discrimination are issues that people do not want to share with anyone....if indeed there is a personal gender bias and racial issues.

LYING TO A POLLSTER MIGHT BE THE EASIEST LIE THAT ANYONE WILL EVER TELL BECAUSE THE PERSON LYING DOESN'T THINK ANYONE HAS A RIGHT TO KNOW WHAT THEY REALLY THINK.......ESPECIALLY IF THE THOUGHTS ARE...

NEGATIVE IN THE DIRECTION OF A CERTAIN TYPE OF PERSON THAT FALLS WITHIN THE TWO CATEGORIES

RACE AND GENDER

I'M SAYING THAT RELIGION NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO THIS EQUATION WHEN DETERMINING MARGIN OF ERROR, WHEN CONDUCTING A POLITICAL POLL.

AND IF RELIGION IS ADDED THEN I'M TELLING YOU RIGHT NOW, ON DECEMBER 30 2007, THAT WE KNOW WHO THE TOP CANDIDATES ARE IN EACH RACE, BUT

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.......

THERE WILL BE SOME AMAZING SURPRISES AND PEOPLE WILL WONDER EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED.

I'm not saying that Ralph Nader will be a write in candidate....I'm just saying that the results will be surprising.....especially to those pollsters who claim that MARGIN OF ERROR is in the 3 to 4 percent range.

AND BY THE WAY...

MARGIN OF ERROR FOR DEMOCRATS IS 3.3

MARGIN OF ERROR FOR REPUBLICANS IS 3.4

What exactly does that mean?

It implies that Republicans are less reliable than Democrats....

DUH!

GENDER, RACE AND RELIGION.....WOW

It doesn't get anymore exciting than this.......

WELL, that's what I told the pollster the other day, but I could be lying by as much as 9.3%

And sometimes
I actually lie
in the 87.6% range....

which is offset by the fact that sometimes I don't lie at all.

That's what you get when you experience MIND JAZZ.

It's up to you to ask yourself what you really believe and do your beliefs have anything to do with ideas, issues and possible political achievements.....or is something physical involved in your perception of how you might vote?

I do know one thing for sure........

It's none of my business how you vote

It only becomes my business if you don't vote...because then I am accountable and you are a non-entity in the political process.

I'M NOT SURE HOW MANY PEOPLE I ACTUALLY KNOW WHO DON'T VOTE.

BUT I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT THE MARGIN OF ERROR FOR THAT QUESTION COULD BE IN THE 80 PERCENT RANGE.

Polls are pretty good things if an election doesn't include women, African Americans, Hispanics, ministers, actors, old people or midgets ( sorry Dennis).

MARGIN OR ERROR might be in the 25% range on this article but who knows.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

DEMOCRATIC TIGRESS GOES DOWN

I plan on using the word Democracy quite a few times in this article......IT seems to be the enemy of some major dickheads on this planet.....

Democracy took a large hit today when BENAZIR BHUTTO was assassinated as she finished giving a speech in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Again I'm not sure how any of this is connected with the Tatiana /Elvis experience in San Francisco and China but I am fairly certain that you will "feel" the connection with Bhutto's absence from the upcoming elections....as reports by AP start to trickle in.

The death of the charismatic 54-year-old former prime minister threw the campaign for the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections into chaos and created fears of mass protests and violence across the nuclear-armed nation, an important U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.

Any blow right now to the fragile environment of Pakistan will send ripples throughout the world and especially ripples that have democratic overtones. We (all lovers of working democratic processes) are trying to separate the military machinery from the political machinery in Pakistan and nobody is exactly clear on how Pervez Musharraf is dealing with his recent surrender of the military part of his machine.

It appeared that he was in an acceptance mode, but the tragic events of today could turn the tables on that development.

Democracy seems to be the target and when Democracy takes a hit.....it hurts every individual who believes in religious and political freedom...and when individuals are hurt then the sociological group where they practice that Democracy....starts to feel the pain on a larger scale.

What the enemies of Democracy don't understand is the "core" of what makes Democracy an energetic and generally wonderful experience.

And I realize that wonderful might be a strange reference point to the concept of Democracy but that's the rub.

How wonderful do individuals feel in countries where Democracy is not the applied political process?

I realize this is an oversimplification but I think when one looks around the world and truly thinks and sees with an open heart and an open mind....that wonderful things seem to happen in places where people are free to express themselves and thus create more wonderful moments....then they understand this point of things being "wonderful."

It's a snowball kind of dealio.....it just starts with a small awareness and before you know it, it's turned into a huge rolling mass of mental and physical accomplishments.

It takes time for Democracy to develop it's footing and even in our country we are still wondering exactly how it works after 200 years of development.

We know what doesn't work in the world

Do you have to be reminded?

One of the things that doesn't work in the world, is striking down pillars of democracy that are voices for freedom.

All it does is upset the democratic process and piss that very process off to a point where response is not pleasant.

That's part of what Democracy likes to do.......it likes to kick ass.

And when kicking ass is a viable option....Democracy has proven that it can be highly involved in not only kicking ass....but mopping up after the ass kicking.

Which might be the single greatest thing about Democracy

Democracy can totally destroy...... but it always helps rebuild

You truly don't want to piss off Democracy......and I think today's action in Pakistan is one of those things that just gets HER really upset. And when the Tiger is rilled then history has shown HER to be a very formidable opponent..

The enemies of Democracy might be intent on having their environments destroyed because of the rebuilding process.

It's a hard argument to offset when one looks at places like Japan and Germany.

In fact, if I was an asshole tyrant from some backwater uneducated country I would do everything in my power to have Democracy kick my ass so that the rebuilding could get freakin started as soon as possible.

I just wish that BENAZIR BHUTTO did not have to stop physically breathing to help with that process.....but remember what the lesson was from Christmas day.

NO HUMAN BEING CAN DESTROY THE TRUE NATURE OF ANY CREATURE GOD HAS CREATED

And again I'm not sure about what happens when a Tiger goes nuts...but I do know that I feel extremely bad about the TIGRESS named

BENAZIR BHUTTO

but her life will be remembered and honored by millions and millions of people who love freedom and who understand that Democracy cannot be destroyed by eliminating any individual....

Democracy exists so that individuals can make decisions regarding the principles and practices of their lives.

But Democracy cannot be destroyed individually....AND the enemies of Democracy just don't get it.

WHEN ONE TIGRESS OF DEMOCRACY GOES DOWN......ANOTHER TWO WILL RISE.

I salute BENAZIR BHUTTO and her obvious courage in fighting for the very principles that we in America simply know as our way of life.

I don't think we take it for granted.

I think there is mood running through this country that perhaps political processes are processes that need to unfold within the framework of each and every country......on it's own time table... in it's own way.....and supplying money and technology should truly be enough to help anybody who wants to help themselves.

A hole was ripped in the democratic process today but it's a hole that can be filled.

My respect and condolences go out to the family of BENAZIR BHUTTO which turns out to be every freedom loving individual on the entire planet.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

KITTY KITTY KITTY

Here kitty kitty kitty......

On second thought maybe I'll just wait over here.....inside a building....with a titanium suit on....

What kind of problem could such a beautiful animal create?

Michael Timothy McAlevey

And people still refuse to accept

Everyday I see connections that just cannot be explained by mere coincidence. I see inter-related experiences from different parts of the Universe (usually confined to our planet) that reinforce the theory that all life is connected by SOMETHING.

I fully realize when I start going into this area.....I hear the yawns.

I personally think (which can be translated into a theory) that that connection is our link to the ULTIMATE CREATOR.

The word you choose to use in naming that entity is created by your sociological structures, whether they be drilled into you as a child, or whether you've discovered them on your own.

I like the word GOD because it's so short and sweet, but using the word GOD creates a plethora of various reactions....therefore when speaking about a small, normally invisible, thread that connects all creation, I like to call the architect of such an tantalizing conceptually intriguing apparatus.....

THE ULTIMATE CREATOR......
just a bit of blowing smoke up the Ultimate Ass.....which appears to be acceptable from time to time....and even highly recommended if one wants moments of true tranquility within the chaos of a normal day.

The connection I saw in today's LA TIMES was one that will cause a pause.

On page one is a story about a female SIBERIAN Tiger escaping from the Tiger Area at the San Francisco Zoo and mauling a patron to death. They had to shoot her when she charged the officers. The Tiger's name was Tatiana....but while contemplating the horror of this story I came across the following connected story....

On page A13 a small article appears in the World in Brief section.

China
Zoo shut after 7 tigers found dead
A private Chinese zoo has lost at least seven tigers due to starvation, sickness or fight wounds in the last four years, state media reported after two dead tiger cubs were found in a refrigerator in the ticket office.
The discovery of the cubs at the zoo near Yichang at the foot of the Three Gorges Dam in Hubei province came after a rare Siberian tiger was found beheaded and skinned last week, prompting an investigation.

If you don't think Tatiana had some connection with the tiger who lost his head then you and I travel in different reality galaxies.

I'm not saying your reality is wrong, I'm just saying mine has wider connections.

And in my Universe the story goes much much much deeper.

Tatiana and the tiger in China....let's call him Elvis....had actually been lovers about six years ago when the zoos were trying to improve captivity breeding. Tatiana and Elvis were separated by people who don't believe that anything is connected to anything, anywhere. That it's just random chaos created by humans making generally stupid decisions and then later apologizing because they didn't have a clue.

Anyway, Tatiana and Elvis were separated by continents but connected by the love that they vowed to forever honor....and one of the vows they made was if human beings treat either of them in a harsh manner then the other would take immediate revenge, even if it meant becoming a pair of cool shoes or a really really nice throw rug.

Elvis being beheaded and skinned, would fall under the heading of harsh treatment.

Tatiana got the news....which is the part of the story that I can't explain because I don't speak Tigerese, but anyone who owns a smart animal knows they have some type of connection with the Universe that can't be explained....but that's another story for another time.

Tatiana got the news and escaped from the following type of compound.

A grotto with a 20 foot deep moat that is 18 feet across, surrounded by a 20 foot wall.

At this point they have not identified the zoo patron but if it turns out to be a person of Chinese heritage....will you then start to believe in a type of connection that previously you didn't think possible?

If the victim turns out to not be Chinese then further research needs to be done before totalling evaluating the randomness of all this nonsense. If the victim turns out to be anyone of Asian ancestry then it might just be racial profiling on the part of Tatiana.

I'm extremely sorry for the lost of human life and I don't want to make light of how horrible the victims family must feel at this point.

No matter how much pain and suffering is involved, it's very important for everyone to know one thing...

HUMAN BEINGS CANNOT DESTROY THE TRUE NATURE
OF ANY CREATURE
GOD
HAS CREATED

Now to be honest I really don't know how it works when a Tiger does the destroying....but I'm sure the ULTIMATE CREATOR has this problem totally under control.

The mysteries of the Universe far outnumber the known realities....

BUT OF COURSE YOU ALREADY KNEW THAT....DIDN'T YOU?

I'm one of those human beings who doesn't have a clue to what God's will might be and would never presume to remotely even slightly think I had a right to know.

HUMBLED BY JUST THE THOUGHT means I could never assume understanding of the ULTIMATE PLAN.

I just LOVE the concept of something knowing everything...

AND WHEN I DO ARRIVE AT THAT JUNCTION OF AWARENESS I'VE GOT TO REMEMBER TO ASK ABOUT TATIANA AND ELVIS....BECAUSE A HUGE PART OF MY AWARENESS.....KNOWS THERE WAS....
A
CONNECTION.

AND LIFE GOES ON.....
AND
ON
AND
ON
AND
ON

MICHAEL TIMOTHY MC ALEVEY

One year ago TODAY

One year ago today I started MIND JAZZ and while I probably would have wanted more loyal readers I will say that I'm impressed with the quality of those who do read my "articles" on a regular basis.

I fully expect that the next phase of my blog will include videos. I also plan on introducing stories in a serial format.

My friend Tom Sullivan said yesterday that's it's probably time I started putting bodies on the female faces that I draw.... and then use those woman within the story lines I have created.

I like both of those ideas and it will add some more dimension and texture to this format.

I have truly enjoyed "publishing" my interpretations of political, social, scientific, athletic and spiritual juxtapositions of human endeavors that I deem important. I believe the abstract nature of my style coexists with the basic abstract nature of life....and when someone thinks they have figured life out on a linear basis...
.....life usually turns around......
and creates a non-linear reality that makes
the previous reality seem like
a
dream

which in truth is exactly what this might be......

I believe in the ULTIMATE DREAMER and I am extremely excited to be part of any new revelations that might emerge.......even if those revelations come through other channels.

I THINK EVERY NEW MOMENT IS A CHANCE TO CREATE A UNIQUE NEW MOMENT

I look forward to another year of learning how to present my voice within this unique format.

I thank you for reading and viewing...and GOD willing I will continue to construct a style and a tone that makes you, at the very least, satisfied that you took the few moments to check on my stuff......

Life is about style and texture......I hope I have brought a little of both into the arena of Internet publishing.

Merry Christmas

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Tomorrow is.......Tuesday

If you are a Jew, tomorrow when you wake up it will be Tuesday.
If you are a Muslim, tomorrow when you wake up it will be Tuesday.
If you are an atheist, tomorrow when you wake up it will be Tuesday

If you are a Christian tomorrow when you wake up it will be

CHRISTMAS

If you are a non-christian that simply believes in Santa Claus.....

WOW

whatever and whoever and wherever you are....tomorrow is Tuesday....unless of course you are in China and today is Tuesday and tomorrow is Wednesday.

Tomorrow for me marks the one year anniversary of when I started this blog.

I think I'll give myself a present.

Don't know what it will be but it will be a surprise.

Merry Christmas Eve.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

AMAZING REBIRTH

In 1990 I read a book that would always make my top ten list. At the time I kept recommending the book and those who followed my recommendation always had great responses.
Two weeks ago I noticed that it was number one on the Fiction Paperback list. This week it is again number one and frankly I wondered how this could be......

Then I read an article that in November OPRAH selected it for her BOOK CLUB and that explains everything.

PILLARS OF THE EARTH by Ken Follett is a fictional but historical account of the building of a Cathedral in Kingsbridge, England. Kingsbridge is a fictional location but the novel is arguably one of the best period pieces that has ever been written.

If Oprah can succeed in making a fictional novel from 1989 a best seller.....just imagine what she is doing for Barack.

Her powers are not to be ignored on any level....whether it be literary or political.

I suggest going to the library and getting a hard cover copy.....but I promise if you have any interest in 12th Century developments...that Pillars of the Earth will not only satisfy your story hunger but you be extremely interested to know that after 17 years he released a sequence called World Without End in October 2007.

It would be a nice last minute Christmas present.

Something for your friends and family to read as they meander through Iowa on their way to January 3rd.

Michael Timothy McAlevey