POP QUIZ: bad cure (+)

MULTIPLE CHOICE - FILL IN THE BLANKS

We have swept away (1)_____,
but a great many (2)_____ feel that
the cure has been worse than the disease.

Blank (1) should be
a) Saddamism
b) Hitlerism
c) Terrorism

Blank (2) should be
a) Iraqis
b) Europeans
c) Americans

ANSWER:

We have swept away Hitlerism,
but a great many Europeans feel that
the cure has been worse than the disease.

As Yogi said "Its deja vu all over again"

The pop quiz is from LIFE magazine, six months after World War II ended. The January 7, 1946 issue had the story titled

The Americans Are Losing The Victory In Europe
Destitute Nations Feel The US Has Failed Them
by John Dos Passo

It sure reads like today's naysayers. Here are some quotes from the story:

The troops returning home are worried. "We’ve lost the peace," men tell you. "We can’t make it stick."

Never has American prestige in Europe been lower. People never tire of telling you of the ignorance and rowdy-ism of American troops, of out misunderstanding of European conditions.

Yet whenever we show a trace of positive leadership I found Europeans quite willing to follow our lead.

The taste of victory had gone sour in the mouth of every thoughtful American I met.

The time has come, for our own future security, to give the best we have to the world instead of the worst. So far as Europe is concerned, American leadership up to now has been obsessed with a fear of our own virtues. Winston Churchill expressed this state of mind brilliantly in a speech to his own people which applies even more accurately to the people of the U.S. "You must be prepared," he warned them, "for further efforts of mind and body and further sacrifices to great causes, if you are not to fall back into the rut if inertia, the confusion of aim and the craven fear of being great."

Sci-Fact: It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Happy Halloween
Orange is very GREEN. Pumpkins have ability to clean pollution from soil. (jump to the article)

Higher Standards? (+)

Woman kicks a stranger at a restaurant because he is wearing a political shirt. Ho-Hum you say. Well consider this, the man is a student at Fort Lewis College (FLC) in Durango, Colorado and the woman is a professor at the same college. The incident happened off campus. The professor claims she did not know the man, nor that he was a student at the college. The front of the shirt the student was wearing said "FLC College Republicans", the back said "Join us now…or work for us later". After kicking the student in the leg, she stated "I should have kicked you harder and higher." The professor has since apologized (after misdemeanor charges were filed).

So is this what we have been reduced to, an academian resorting to violence because she disagrees with the political views of a college kid. This nation needs to get a grip, it is bad enough attacking protestors at political rallies, but now we assault people for expressing a view.

"College students can do stupid things when they get riled up," FLC College Republican president Richardson said. "You expect professors to be held to a higher standard."

So lets look at four different scenarios and rate them:
Stealing Yard Signs: Widespread campaign sign stealing reported again and again and again. Chalk it up to overzealous supporters. Stealing yard signs is a crime but on the reality scale it rates a YAWN.

Forcibly removing and destroying signs from a protester at political. (All though I believe taunting the opposition is not the brightest idea. Removing your sign by force is unacceptable but it is understandable. Throw rocks at a hornets’ nest and you might get stung). Now this has crossed over to the realm of assault, but you were agitating the mob. This rates a "shields up".

Pointing a couple of tons of steel at a candidate and stepping on the gas and you are now so far off the scale you have entered the assassination zone. Do not pass go. Do not plan on voting in future elections (unless it is an election for the chairman of your cell block). Society cannot tolerate homicidal tendencies, lock'em up.

And last but perhaps the most serious is the knee kicker. Each unprovoked attack means someone else has trampled the Constitution. How can we claim to support freedom when we spit on our neighbor's right to an opinion?

We all need to take a vow –
I WILL DEFEND MY ENEMY’S RIGHT TO FREE SPEECH, (REGARDLESS OF HOW ILLOGICAL HIS/HER IDEA’S ARE IN COMPARISON TO MINE).

And while we are at it, can we get candidiates to firmly and strongly denounce these actions by supporters.

Today’s Goulash: Saturday 10/30

Got a big pot of items all stewed together for your enjoyment. I fortified this one with Science vitamins so you know it is good for you. Might be a few ingredients you don’t care for, feel free to push them to the side.
Ingredients include: STUPID TRICKS (ANIMAL AND HUMAN), SMART TRICKS, and THE FINAL FRONTIER. All served with a side of sarcasm.

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STUPID TRICKS – ANIMAL AND HUMAN

Roadkill #1: Hunting The Hunters
Property owner shoots two men poaching deer

Roadkill #2: Deer Target Motorist
Wisconsin reports deer-vehicle crashes up 5.8 percent

Roadkill #3: 14 foot long, 118 pound snake

Rare Cobra Bites Teen in Florida
{always a great idea to keep poisonous snakes inside your house}

Vegetarians Complain Dye In Smartees Candy Made From Crushed Insects
{wonder if the vegetarians would kill a mosquito?}

Experts Join Forces To Fight Crabs
West coast way of life threatened.
{do the vegetarians know about this?}

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SMART TRICKS

"Of Mice And Men"
Medarex create lab mice capable of producing human antibodies, may lead to numerous treatments for humans

More Than One Way To Skin A Cat
Scientists biogenetically create cats free of allergy causing proteins

Rottweiller Calls 911 To Save Life Of Owner
Faith, a specially trained service dog, sprung into action when her owner had a seizure. Faith called 911 and barked into the phone until help arrived. Once a police officer arrived to investigate, Faith unlocked the door for him.

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THE FINAL FRONTIER

Cassini: Probing a Titan
Cassini finds more evidence of liquid on surface of Titan.

NASA 931 Retires (aka the 'Vomit Comet')
"test director John Yaniac proudly told those who attended a post-flight briefing that over the years, the plane's crew had cleaned up at least 285 gallons of vomit."
{all in the name of science}

Shuttle STS-114 Discovery returns to space May 2005


NASA Finds "Space Ghost" Galaxy

follow link to view animation

Elroy, spaceboy, son of a jet,
Jedi's, moonpies, spacecadet
10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
But there's much work
Left to be done
Before we fly into the sun
- from the song "Spaceman" performed by Believable Picnic

Missing Explosives: part 3

So what was there on April 18, 2003 and where did it go?

Television station KSTP (ABC 5 Minneapolis/St. Paul) has video of al Qaqaa plant taken April 18, 2003 by their embedded reporter. The video shows what appears to be an unbroken UN seal on the door (here is a still image). If that is indeed what this is then it is logical to assume at least one storage room contained something that interested the UN inspectors. Of the question is what was in the room – high-grade explosives, WMD, radioactive material, Elvis Presley? Sorry lost it there for a minute.

The National Review has more info here that offers an interesting spin based on the warning labels on these barrels. This is way outside anything I know about so I’m shutting up for now.

Regardless of the date who has the barrels?

Missing Explosives: part 2

Seeing reports that Russian troops moved the high-grade explosives before invasion. Why? The Russians were covering their tracks that they had been in cahoots with Saddam during the UN sanctions. The Russian troops moved evidence of their aid to Iraq and destroyed documents showing their involvement. Guess you can't blame'em, Russia was just looking out for her national interest.

Now CBS on the other hand....Washington Post is reporting CBS had the story and was waiting until Sunday night to show it so they could influence the election. New York Times beat them to the punch. Although there is some evidence the Times was also holding back until the weekend. Once the story started to filter out on the web, the Times decided they better move while it could still sell papers. So much for unbiased reporting.

P.I.: Homeland Security (+)

PRIVATE EYE: Homeland Security Investigates Toy Store

Pufferbelly Toys in St. Helen, Oregon was paid a visit this summer by a US Homeland Security agent.
He was investing a lead that the store stocked a supply of Toysmith Group's "Magic Cube" toy.

"You must remove these toys from the shelf immediately" the store was told.

The agent stayed to make sure the items were removed. So did they contain some dangerous chemical planted there by terrorist? Did they have al Qaeda messages hidden inside? Nope, it was reported they violated the patent on Rubik’s Cube. As reported in The Oregonian newspaper:

Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said agents went to Pufferbelly based on a trademark infringement complaint filed in the agency's intellectual property rights center in Washington, D.C.

Kice also said Homeland Security officials routinely investigate such
complaints and follow up if they determine they are valid.

"One of the things that our agency's responsible for doing is protecting the integrity of the economy and our nation's financial systems and obviously trademark infringement does have significant economic implications," she said.

So Homeland Security is enforcing patent violations?!?! Does anyone else see this a potential abuse of power? The reason I say that is simple. Toysmith claims there is no infringement, they claim the patent expired years ago on Rubik's Cube. I distinctly remember it was 1980 at the latest that Rubik's Cube hit America (it was invented by an engineer in a Communist-block European country). That means it has been at least 24 YEARS. Unless they made changes and got new patents, it seem very obvious there is no infringement. Did the agent have any proof of a violation or was it just a phoned in complaint?

Homeland Security is a branch of US Customs and part of their job is stopping items being imported to America that violate intellectual property rights. That is indeed protecting American interest - but "raiding" one small business at a time, without proof?

I can see this scenario playing out now:

ring ring
"Hello office of Homeland Security, agent Smith speaking"
"Uh yes agent Smith my competitor is selling something and making money...and its hurting my business. I understand your job is to protect American business"
"Sir is he violating your intellectual property?"
"Intellectual Property?"
"Yes sir, trademarks or patents?"
"Patent? Uh yes, sure that's the ticket. Yeah he must be violating my patent."
"Very well sir we will send an agent over immediately and make him stop."

Based on this logic "our agency's responsible for...protecting the integrity of the economy" does this mean the RIAA can unleash the Homeland Security agent on kids downloading songs on the Internet. Like I said potential abuse of power.
Stand up for your rights.

Missing Explosives: CBS report 2003-04-04 (+)

CBS News reported April 4, 2003 that US forces searched the Latifiyah Explosives and Ammunition Plant al Qa Qaa and

troops found thousands of boxes, each of which contained three vials of white powder, together with documents written in Arabic that dealt with how to engage in chemical warfare.

No mention of 380 tons of explosives... Now maybe the stuff was there and CBS was only reporting on the search for WMD, but it seems logical to expect a mention of a HUGE supply of explosives.

See CNN's report here.

The timeline I can make out of this:
2003-01-11 UN weapon inspectors note the 380 tons in bunkers and tamper seals were placed on the doors.

2003-03-15 UN weapons inspectors return and check some of the bunker seals. None of them inspected showed signs of tampering. The bunkers were not opened, it was assumed the explosives were still in them. Not all bunkers were checked but assuming the inspectors used an appropriate statistical method it is logical to think the weapons were still there.

2003-03-20 Invasion of Iraq begans

2003-04-04 3rd Infantry Division (3ID) arrives on the al Qa Qaa scene. Reports widespread looting. Found conventional weapons but no high grade explosives.

2003-04-10 101st arrives and replaces the 3ID. No one specifically looks for or observes high grade explosives

2003-05-27 Inspection teams finds explosives missing

Based on current data: I conclude the stuff was there 3/15 and gone 4/04. Even if the plant/bunkers were not secured by US forces it is pretty hard to imagine 50 plus trucks (dump truck or semi-tractor trailers) not being noticed traveling to and from the plant. Much more logical that once the fireworks started in Baghdad Saddam had the explosives relocated. The only question is where?

So now we are back to the beginning: someone, we can assume evil, has a whole bunch of high grade explosives.

If we discover that it was relocated to Syria or Iran what should do? Ask them to give it back to Iraq (after all it was Iraq's property)? Tell them they can keep it and throw in a bonus cruise missile or two so they can have a grand ol' party with fireworks? Complain to the UN?

Burning Questions (+)

Explosives aren't the only thing missing. Where are the answers to these questions:

What do the Iraqis think of the US presidential election?

Why won't Kerry release his military records?

What happened to the 380 tons of explosives?

I want answers before the elections but we will not get them.
Kerry just sign the release form and let us see what you are hiding.

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So what happened to the 380 tons of explosives?

Some reports indicate the explosives disappeared BEFORE the occupation. If that is case why doesn't the US say so (and if they are why isn't that being reported)? Another interesting question being asked by The Truth Laid Bear is "If the explosives were looted, why haven't they been used?".

Of course this question assumes US military knows what is being used in the roadside IEDs (improvised explosive devices). Based off accounts I've read about 90 percent of the IEDs are located and detonated safely. So it makes sense the bomb squad guys know what is in use. One person claims the missing explosives are a powder form that is hard to use (make it go BOOM) without specialized equipment, which the bad guys don't have access to.

Another person in the know claims it would have taken 78 trucks to move it; and that is at 5-tons per load. Logically the math looks correct unless this stuff is ultra dense. So assuming it was removed after occupation how did that many loads get moved unnoticed? It certainly seems plausible it was moved while Saddam was still in power. So where is it?

The Drudge Report is following this story.

Be sure and read the section on "Missing Explosives" here.

When we first crossed the border to start the invasion, we saw some very strange things out in the open desert. Things that weren't supposed to be there. Fighter jets. Randomly scattered tanks and armored vehicles.

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Found an interesting paper written in 2002 by Robert Kagan, some intellectual think tank guy at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He was analyzing the different ways problems are approached in Europe and the USA.

Some claim that Europe is willing wait longer for diplomatic solutions because they have experienced great suffering in from World Wars. Therefore they have a higher tolerance to "pain". Kagan disagrees; he says it is a lack of power that requires Europe to hold out for diplomacy. He gives a great illustration:

The psychology of weakness is easy enough to understand. A man armed only with a knife may decide that a bear prowling the forest is a tolerable danger, inasmuch as the alternative - hunting the bear armed only with a knife - is actually riskier than lying low and hoping the bear never attacks. The same man armed with a rifle, however, will likely make a different calculation of what constitutes a tolerable risk. Why should he risk being mauled to death if he doesn't need to?

Sounds logical to me...especially when the bear has already shown a desire to eat you.

Today's Goulash: Tuesday 10/26

Got a big pot of items all stewed together for your enjoyment. Might be a few ingredients you don’t care for, feel free to push them to the side.
Ingredients include: STUPID ANIMAL TRICKS, STUPID HUMAN TRICKS, and BRILLIANT HUMAN TRICKS. All served with a side of sarcasm.

STUPID ANIMAL TRICKS
Dog Survives Montana Adventure
{they should rename him Roadrunner}

Deer Crashes Through Window of the “Balloons, Bears and Bouquets” Store
{a little doe cost a lot of bucks}

Turkey Vultures Take Over Indiana Yard
{When buzzards start roosting in your trees you better see the doctor}

Duck-billed platypus boasts ten sex chromosomes
{BRAGGART!}



STUPID HUMAN TRICKS
Ashlee Simpson’s Dad Blames Acid Reflux for Gaffe
{Ashlee?!?! I thought Bart’s sisters were Lisa and Maggie. Oh this is a pop star. In other news producers of Saturday Night Live defended the show’s name – “This was live lip syncing”}

Lawyer Defends Self Against Terror Charge
{A lawyer guilty of terror! Say it ain't so.}

Kidney Donor Wanted for Child Support
{This is related to my 10/21 post "Brother can you spare an organ". Donor is starting to sound suspicious; dare I speculate he donated a kidney for money under the (operating) table?}

Taiwan's Rowdy Lawmakers Stage Food Fight
{John Belushi would have loved this Animal House of Representatives}



BRILLIANT HUMAN TRICKS
Fla. Univ. Students Pay Author for Speech

God Bless’em, this is freedom in action. In a nutshell: Florida Gulf Coast University postponed anti-Bush speaker until after the election. Why? University president says he "feared funding a partisan event with state money ...(the speech would be) part of a mandatory program for freshmen." I agree with him. I also agree with and praise the student groups, who offered to pay the expenses for the speaker. Two of the groups stepping up to the plate to cover expenses are the College Republicans and College Democrats. Freedom of speech without the government picking up the tab. SWEET.

Spinning Earth twists space

A small step closer to proving an effect of gravity from spinning objects. In 1918 scientist Lense and Thirring predicted a spinning object would drag space around it. The Lense-Thirring effect or frame-dragging is important to understand extreme cases like spinning quasars and gas around black holes. It is part of Einstein's general theory of relativity. What they are trying to prove is objects sitting in space cause a curvature of the space that results in gravity.

Electric currents boost brain power

Attach a small battery to the head and think faster. US National Institutes of Health reports: The volunteers were asked to name as many words as possible beginning with a particular letter. Given around 90 seconds, most people get around 20 words. But when Iyer administered the current, her volunteers were able to name around 20% more words than controls, who had the electrodes attached but no current delivered. A smaller current of one thousandth of an amp had no effect.

Hate Crimes (+)

Maybe I’m just too stupid to understand but what is up with hate crime laws.
If I beat someone up to rob them I get X number of years in prison. If I beat them up because I hate them I get an extra Y number of years tacked on to the sentence. Why is it worse to harm someone out of hate than greed? Like I said, I just don’t get it.

The Georgia Supreme Court unanimously struck down the state's hate crimes law today. Why? Because the law was too broadly worded and could be applied to rival sport fans or political supporters. The AP article says:

Forty-eight states have hate crimes laws, but Georgia's was the only one that did not specify which groups qualified for protection.

So let me get this straight: The law needs to specifically state who is a hate crime victim? Sounds to me like anyone excluded from the list is already a victim of a hate crime.

I guess my problem is I was never hated enough growing up to understand this concept. Maybe there should be a degree of hate test:

I hate you as much as:
_ stale bread
_ broccoli
_ traffic jam
_ paper cuts
_ pop quiz
_ taxes
_ bee stings
_ flat tire
_ the other political party
_ Osama Bin Laden
_ telemarketers
_ spammers
_ your ex
_ your current mate’s ex

First you determine the person’s Hate Quotient (HQ) and subtract that from the person’s IQ to determine a Differential of Hate (DOH).
DOH = IQ - HQ
If the DOH is less than 25 then it qualifies as a hate crime. My theory is the dumber you are the more dangerous it is to hate. For public officials you would need to multiply the HQ times 3 to account for the Hitlers, Pol Pots, etc.
DOH = IQ – (3*HQ)

"Your honor just because my client beat the victim to death with a tire iron it can't be a hate crime because he has a DOH of 27"
I'm sure that makes the family of the victim feel better.

Coincidently the FBI’s Crime Statistics for 2003 was released today. The FBI provides the following hightlights from the report about Hate Crime:

Hate Crime In 2003, 11,909 agencies actively participated in the hate crime portion of the UCR Program, and 1,967 of those agencies reported 7,489 hate crime incidents involving 8,715 separate offenses, 9,100 victims, and 6,934 known offenders. Of the 7,489 hate crime incidents, 7,485 were due to a single-bias, and 4 were due to a multiple-bias. More than half (51.4 percent) of all single-bias hate crime incidents in 2003 were racially motivated. Law enforcement investigators attributed nearly 18 percent (17.9) of hate crimes to a religious bias, 16.6 percent to a sexual-orientation bias, 13.7 percent to a bias based on ethnicity/national origin, and 0.4 percent to a disability bias. In 2003, 63.3 percent of reported hate crime offenses were classified as crimes against persons, 36.0 percent were classified as crimes against property, and 0.7 percent were classified as crimes against society. Law enforcement agencies indicated that intimidation was the most frequently reported hate crime. Intimidation accounted for 31.5 percent of all hate crime offenses and 49.7 percent of crimes against persons. Destruction/damage/vandalism of property, the most frequently reported hate crime against property, comprised 30.0 percent of all reported hate crime offenses and 83.4 percent of hate crimes against property.

Guess I need a Criminology degree instead of one in Computer Science.
The report states “destruction/damage/vandalism of property” is the most frequently reported hate crime against property. It is 83.4 percent of the hate crime against property. So what is the other 16.6 percent?!?!? All I can think of is theft. Damage to property accounted for 30 percent of ALL hate crime in 2003. It was just beaten out by “intimidation” at 31.5 percent. So does that mean 61.5 percent of all hate crimes in 2003 were vandalism and intimidation? It seems to me if a punk spray paints a swastika on your front door that would count as both property damage and intimidation. I wonder if they are double dipping the stats.

And all this brings me back to the original point – if someone keys the side of your car because of color does it really matter if it is the paint or driver's color? A bully that breaks the law should be punished.

Has anyone out there been a victim of a hate crime? (and a girl slapping you in a bar doesn't count - I'm sure she had a valid reason to hate you.)

Vote2004: Florida Amendments (+)

How I am voting (and why):

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DISCLAIMER #1: I am idiot when it comes to law because legal stuff is frequently illogical and that confuses my logic circuits. Take this advice for what it is – free (you get what you pay for…)

DISCLAIMER #2: I sound like a real lawyer-bashing citizen. I know several lawyers that I am proud to call "friend", I have the highest respect and trust for them, it’s the ambulance chasing shysters pushing people to sue just for money and not justice that I oppose.

He's an ambulance chaser, a waver of papers
He loves to mix with the movers and shakers
He's taking from them; He's taking from you
Lawyers love money, Anybody's will do
(Just take it)
- from the song "License to Steal" by Al Stewart

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My rule of thumb is to vote against amendments to the State Constitution (or City Charter). A constitution should be a living document concerning the responsibilities and protected freedoms of the citizens. Way too often some group is trying to slide a law into place. Keep the laws to the statue books please. Having said that here is how I intend to vote and why.

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OVERVIEW: FOR #1, #3, #6 AGAINST the rest

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YES #1 parental notification of abortions for minors.
The State Supreme Court has struck down a couple of attempts by the legislature to make this a law. So this is an end run to overrule the court. In Florida a minor child cannot get an ear pierced without parental consent, but the courts have ruled a minor can have surgery (abortion) and the parents never notified. While I will vote FOR this amendment it will be ineffective because a judge can issue an exception. As a parent my question is this: if my minor child has surgery without my knowledge and there are complications, who is responsible for the medical bills? That question alone is more than enough reason why parents need this passed.

NO #2 Amendment proposed by initiative
I see this as an attempt by the Legislature to limit grassroots’ efforts to get amendments on the ballot. Power to the people.

YES #3 Medical liability cap on LAWYERS
If I understand this amendment it will keep lawyers from receiving big chunks of medical liability cases. The injured party, not the law firm, will get the bulk of any settlement. Not exactly the tort reform I want to see but it might reduce some of the outrageous lawsuits.

NO #4 South Florida gambling
I was against the lottery (still am). This amendment would allow slot machines – the foot in the door for casinos. Talk to people in Atlantic City about how much casinos improved their life.

NO #5 Florida minimum wage
Perfect example of this-has-no-business-in-the-constitution. Of course I am opposed to this even as a run-of-the-mill law. I believe in fair market value. If there is grunt job that people will do for a dollar per hour then why is a business forced to pay more? Forced wage increases will fuel inflation, after all someone has to pay for it. A business struggling to make will probably have to lay people off. Raising the minimum wage will bump everyone at the low end of the pay scale. This could force businesses to leave the state and scare new business away.

YES #6 Repeal bullet train amendment
Not sure about the cost but I’m in favor a high speed train. BUT WHY DID WE THE PEOPLE APPROVE AN ADMENDMENT TO DO IT? By all means repeal this puppy. This one really highlights my rule of thumb (keep the constitution lean and clean).

NO #7 Patients’ right to know
At first read I was for this amendment. But I dug a little and found this one is sponsored by lawyers (translated they spent BIG bucks to get it and #8 on the ballot). I’m dubious now that this is about patients’ right-to-know but really about making it easier for lawyers to chase ambulances. Got to use my rule of thumb and vote no.

NO #8 Three Strike law for doctors
Like #7 lawyers have spent BIG bucks to get it on the ballot. This one really scares me. If a doctor is convicted three times of malpractice s/he loses the right to practice medicine in Florida. But gee that sounds like a good idea. Talk to your favorite doctor and find out how many times they have been sued for malpractice.

SCENARIO: Doctor delivers baby, baby has a problem, lawyer convinces family they should sue; jury decides family needs cash for long-term care and the doctor’s insurance company has deep pockets. Doctor loses, lawyer gets nice chunk of settlement (until amendment #1 gets passed).

Two more times and the state loses another doctor. If you were a new doctor getting ready to start a practice would you pick a state with a 3-strike law over one without it?

Protective Radiation (+)

(or why the war is good for us)

The whole debate over WMD is moot. America is safer today than it was before the invasion of Iraq and here is why:

Saddam had a history of aggression. He used WMD in the past. He invaded neighboring countries. He ignored UN sanctions. He violated the no-fly zone. He offered bounties to the families of suicide bomber. Can anyone say with a straight face this was not an evil man? In a nutshell he challenged the authority of America. Countries that were turning a blind eye toward terrorist operating inside their borders were watching to see what America would do. Sure America was willing to invade Afghanistan because it protected the group directly responsible for 9/11, but what about the countries that had ties to terror groups. Would the US be brazen enough to attack? This takes us right back to Saddam's Iraq with probably the strongest military in the Middle East (outside of Israel that is)...

I knew a good ol’ boy, Jake, that grew up in the country. He was hard-headed and tough but all in all a decent guy. When Jake was 15 his family moved to semi-rough neighborhood in a medium size city. There were a bunch of tough punks that ruled the area. Being the new kid, Jake got his share of abuse from them. Toward the end of the second of the week Jake had deteremined who the alpha dog was amounst the punks. Jake opened a can of whoopass on the alpha dog. Jake got a bloody nose, cracked rib and assortment of scrapes and bruises but he won. Once the toughest of the thugs was beat the rest of them left Jake alone. Why? Real simple, he earned their respect the only way they understood. They now feared Jake. That one can of whoopass radiated out and had an impact on the whole neighborhood.

This is precisely what is happening in the Middle East. I certainly think this accelerated Libya’s move back to the fold of respectable nations. Other coutries have quietly let terror groups know they are no longer welcome. Saudi Arabia sees al Qaeda as a threat to the kingdom and is actively cracking down on the group. Now if they can just crack down on the Saudis funding the terror groups.

The US opened a can of whoopass on Iraq and everyone can smell it. How can you measure the protection the Iraqi War has generated? This radiating cloud of protection will disperse very quickly if American policy is changed from we-won’t-tolerate-terrorism to appeasement-for-the-sake-of-peace.

Jake didn’t worry if the thugs liked him or not. He just wanted to be left alone. There comes a time when you have to put some bite behind your bark. That time is now for America. Condem us if you want, burn our flag, and boycott our products; just don’t help groups that want to physically attack us. And whoever is sworn in as preseident in January- PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE keep a can or two of whoopass on your desk at all times.

Science Roundup: Maggots, Alien Invaders, and More (+)

The headline really sums up these stories:

• Doctor Uses Maggots on Diabetic Sores
  
• Europeans Cigarette Packages feature grisly medical photos
  
• Court: Whales Have No Standing to Sue
  
• Washington Orca Population Heads South (I guess they didn't like the court ruling)
  

Next a story I’ve dubbed Alien vs. Predator in Vietnam and finally three different stories about alien invasions in the USA and some thoughts to ponder about.

World Health Organization (WHO) Report: Biological Predator Used to Fight Dengue Fever

Alien vs. Predator: Dengue Fever is a deadly disease spread by mosquitoes. Mesocyclops eats the Dengue Fever spreading Aedes Aegypti mosquito larvae.

One day brought the rain and the rain stayed on
And the swamp water overflowed
'skeeters and the fever grabbed the town like a fist
Doctor Jackson was the first to go
- from the song "Swamp Witch" by jim Stafford

Three stories about non-native species invading and threatening the native flora and fauna.

• Relief in Chicago: No More 'Frankenfish'
  
• Group: Species Harming Lakes' Food Web
  
• Wanted: Exotic, Predator Frog in Georgia
  

Two of the stories (Frankenfish and Food Web) concern the Great Lakes and foreign species introduced by humans. The third deals with a Cuban Tree Frog that is migrating North from South Florida. Humans are probably helping the migration but then again it may natural.
Questions for you to ponder:

Should humans interfere with natural selection?
If one species threatens the survival of another should we interfere?
If the norm is for species to dominate for a time and then become extinct, then who are we to interfere with nature?

Calm down people these are rhetorical questions and not what I am advocating. Logically we should interfere because:

• Humans interfered with nature by artificially introducing the species to a new geographic region
  
• We don’t fully comprehend the ecosystem. The extinction of a "minor" species may have serious effects on us down the road. Keeping the status quo of nature is prudent for human survival

But again back to the rhetorical question. If we stumbled upon an area that humans had never been and we observed one species was on the verge of making another species extinct should we interfere with nature? Do we have the right to alter natural habitat to prevent natural selection from occurring?

Sci-Fact: Bowl'o Brains Flies Plane

A University of Florida scientist has grown a living “brain” that can fly a simulated plane, giving scientists a novel way to observe how brain cells function as a network. (jump to the article)

Weird science plastic tubes and pots and pans
Bits and pieces and magic from the hand
We’re makin’ weird science
- from the song "Weird Science" by Oingo Boingo

P.I.: Give Me Your Life History (+)

PRIVATE EYE: We need this information to better serve you.
I went to a store the other day and before they would let anyone in the door you had to fill out a form with your name, address, age, email, phone, family income, and education level. I asked what they needed this info for and they said demographics to help them stock products more aligned with my interest. After providing the info they let me inside and assigned a clerk to follow me. The clerk didn’t offer to help, she just recorded every item I looked at and how long. She said knowing my interest helps them stock more products I would be likely to buy. She also said the more data they collected about me the better they could customize advertisements they send me in the future. She told me not to worry they keep my personal information private and will only share it with third-party partners.

Sound like a place you want to patronize? I didn’t think so. Where exactly is this place that so blatantly spies on you? Well on the Internet of course. Any website that requires registration has the potential to behave this way. There is nothing evil about it, but that doesn’t make it any less desirable.

So look at your options:

1. Avoid the website
   
2. Register as they request
   
3. Register with bogus information
   
4. Use bugmenot.com
   

Never heard of Bug Me Not? They describe the site as:

BugMeNot.com was created as a mechanism to quickly bypass the login of web sites that require compulsory registration and/or the collection of personal/demographic information (such as the New York Times).

In short you enter the website you want to access (but avoid registering) and Bug Me Not will provide you with a user-id if one is available (the user-ids are entered by the BugMeNot community). They only provide user-ids for free sites.

What about the key fob barcode thingies that are all the rage at stores these days? In order to get the sale price you have to use the membership card. This is the same privacy invasion as the web registration? Not by a long shot. It is an invasion of privacy if you pay cash. If you pay by check or bank card then they have all the data anyway. A big difference is they can only collect personal data about what you bought, at what time of day, and what store. They don’t know every product you browsed and how long you browsed it.

It is your privacy – work to protect it.

I am the eye in the sky
Looking at you
I can read your mind
I am the maker of rules
Dealing with fools
I can cheat you blind
- from the song "Eye In The Sky" performed by Alan Parsons Project, words by Eric Woolfson and Alan Parsons (c) 1981

Christians, War, and Hypocrisy (+)

Contrary to what some think a Christian supporting a war against evil is not hypocritical.

But Jesus said to "turn the other cheek" is often thrust at me. I say this: read Matthew 5:39

But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
- World English Bible

The key here is right cheek. Stand face to face with a friend and pretend to strike your friend’s RIGHT cheek using your RIGHT hand. You have to do a backhanded slap. This is not an assault but an insult. I believe Jesus is saying if someone insults you to turn the other cheek to an insult. It does not mean to stand there and be pummeled without defending yourself. The old adage "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me" comes to mind. Jesus is saying to ignore words meant to hurt us.

In Matthew 24:43 and Luke 12:39 Jesus acknowledges the head of a house will stop a thief from breaking into the home if he knows it is happening. Perhaps a stretch on my part but I believe this means you defend yourself. In Luke 22:36 Jesus warns the disciples if they do not have a sword to buy one. Once again the implication is to defend yourself from bodily harm.

America was attacked by people sworn to destroy us. We defend ourselves or perish. It really is black and white. France chose appeasement and now the Islamic Fascist are threatening to kill Frenchmen unless France repeals the headscarf law.

Britain stood up to Nazism too late to stop the millions of deaths under Hitler. America passively sat out that war until it was almost too late for everyone. We cannot afford to make the same mistake this time. Put it in perspective, if you have a house full of loved ones and a group of people intent on harming them is heading your way, would you want to fight them:

a) inside your home endangering your loved ones
b) as far away as possible from your loved ones

Logic says to keep the loved ones as far from harm as possible. Some argue we have only made ourselves a target by going to war. HELLO!!! What do you think the WTC and the Pentagon were? What was the USS Cole? What were the embassies in Africa? The list of American targets goes on and on. I believe the success of the 9/11 attacks made America a much larger target than defending ourselves in Afghanistan and Iraq. Watch the video from around the world on 9/11. See the people dancing in the street and rejoicing at the death and destruction in America. How many were inspired by these evil acts? How many of our enemies are rejoicing now? Do they hate us any less today? I don't think so but they certainly have more respect for us today than in 2001.

We will fight, we will be strong
Together we're marching on
United, we move as one
Our finest hour has just begun
- from the song Our Finest Hour performed by Philmore, words by J. Greiman (c) 1998

Real Life Humor: Money For Nothing

This story is hilarious 'Bank Error In My Favor: Collect $95,000'. Man deposits junk mail check for $95,000 and the bank accepts it. Very loooong story but worth it if you have the time.

That ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it
Money for nothin’ and chicks for free
Now that ain’t workin’ that’s the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain’t dumb
- from the song "Money For Nothing" by Dire Straits

Tech-NO-Brainers: Cigar Bananas

A German inventor has applied for a patent to take the curves out of bananas. He claims that straight bananas are easier to eat and store. And just how is he going to straighten the bananas?

"chunks will be cut out of the banana, which are then resealed using a biologically safe plaster."

I recommend he not quit his job stocking shelves at the produce market.

Brother can you spare an organ (+)

We'll save your life for a price...
updated 2004-10-24

First it was websites that matched you up (for a small fee) with your soul mate (or at least the promise of a hot date) then came websites to help you get a great deal on a vehicle (for a small fee they mail you the ‘true’ invoice). Now we have MatchingDonors.com that will find an organ for you. Sounds great doesn’t it? Only catch is it cost the person looking for an organ $295 a MONTH for the service. I guess that is a small price to pay for a new lease on life.

It is illegal to sell human organs for transplant. All this site does is allow you to advertise your need and hope a donor will step forward. The site states "100% of the money paid for patient memberships is applied to running this site". What does the donor get out of it? The chance to undergo surgey with the hope you are saving the life of a stranger.

A 58 year-old man in Denver has become the first person to benefit from his MatchingDonors membership when he received a kidney on October 20, 2004. The donor is a 32 year-old man from Tennessee. I guess they really are the Volunteer State.

MatchingDonors is obviously providing a service people want and need but is it ethical? And the better question is why doesn’t a non-profit group provide the same service?


2004-10-24 related AP News story:Strangers' Organ Donations Concern MDs
The story raises several concerns

1) a not-as-sick person will "cut in line" and receive an organ over a sicker person on the waiting donor list

2) this will make it easier to illegally sell a body part

"hmmm, I need a new car, wonder how much a chunk of liver is worth on the transplant market."

It is gone now, but there was a Plasma Donation Center near my office. You know the type where they pay you for a unit of blood, extract the plasma and pump the rest back into you. The stereotypical plasma donor is a wino (forgive my non-PC tongue) chemically dependent street person. The people waiting outside staggered about giving the impression there was some truth to this stereotype. I guess if you were really desperate you'd be happy to have anyone donate an organ. How many bottles of Tbird will it take to buy a slightly used kidney? I see a whole new way developing to prey on people with addictions (and Third World citizens).

Anyone remember the Sci-Fi TV show Max Headroom? The ne'er-do-wells would conk some poor bloke on the head and sell him for parts at the organ bank. I'm sure this led to the urban legend "I woke up in bathtub full of ice and my kidney missing" stories but …Oh never mind I watched too much television in my younger days. I did like Max Headroom until he lost his news reporter job and took a gig pimping Coca-Cola

Test #1 - your age

The old believe everything,
the middle-aged suspect everything,
the young know everything.
-- Oscar Wilde

So what age are you?

John Kerry and The Boss (+)

Many, many things in life make me hear snippets of songs in my head. Every since Bruce Springsteen endorsed John Kerry I keep getting the same snippet over and over...
I was never a big fan of Springsteen’s until the album Born to Run was released, then I understood why he was "The Boss". I bought the Born to Run 8-track immediately (did I mention this was back in the 70’s?). Of course anything Bruce released after Born To Run could never measure up. {sigh} Such is life.

Anyway back to the music snippet I hear when I see Kerry:


The highway's jammed with broken heroes
on a last chance power drive
Everybody's out on the run tonight
but there's no place left to hide
- from the song "Born To Run" by Bruce Springsteen

What is Kerry trying to hide in his military records? Don’t we deserve to know BEFORE the election?

Of course there is another snippet by Springsteen that I hear when Kerry starts talking Vietnam (which seems to be every stinking time he talks):


Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight
and I'm going to drink till I get my fill
And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it
but I probably will
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture
a little of the glory of, well time slips away
and leaves you with nothing mister but
boring stories of glory days

Glory days well they'll pass you by
Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye
Glory days, glory days
- from the song "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen

I am voting for... (+)

Probably no surprise to most of you but I am voting for President Bush. The Chicago Tribune has now endorsed President Bush. They say it better than I can:

Bush's sense of a president's duty to defend America is wider in scope than Kerry's, more ambitious in its tactics, more prone, frankly, to yield both casualties and lasting results. This is the stark difference on which American voters should choose a president.

I especially agree with the part ‘more prone…to yield both casualties and lasting results’. You should read the whole article (unfortunately the Trib forces you to register – it is free but still a pain). They have a great quote by Sen. John McCain:

"All of us, despite the differences that enliven our politics, are united in the one big idea that freedom is our birthright and its defense is always our first responsibility. All other responsibilities come second."

I remain very dubious that either candidate is good for the country when it comes to many domestic issues. I do believe that over all Bush is "less bad".

But make no mistake AMERICA IS AT WAR. We have been at war for a long, long time. Carter failed to fight the war when Iran took hostages, Reagan failed to win the war while in Lebanon, Bush Sr. failed to win the war in Iraq, and Clinton failed to fight it all over the world. Even GWBush failed to properly recognize the threat until 9/11. But since then Bush has shown incredible resolve and leadership on this one issue. And all the other issues pale in comparison to this war on terrorism. A war that has been growing in attacks for decades.

I'm very tired of hearing how the rest of the world hates us. I DON'T CARE because the have never loved us. Sure they smile and act gracious when we give them cash but very few care what happens to America. Neither Churchill nor Reagan was "liked" by much of the world, but they stood firm to evil and eventually won. We need that resolve today. The War on Terrorism is unlike anything we have fought in the past. It will not be easy to win but it will be easy to lose. This election is too important to screw up. Like it or not you have to choose sides.

Does a vote for Kerry make you unpatriotic? No. I do believe it is a vote for appeasement. Just like Chamberlain tried to appease Germany before World War II, an appeasement with Islamic Fascist today will ultimately fail and doom us to a war with far more deaths in the future. Again which is "less bad"?

Others feel the same way. Read this post by an avowed liberal "I'm Voting For Bush".

On an election tangent:

I have voted in every election possible since I turned 18 (okay I missed two primaries for city council that were a done deal before the vote). Not once in six presidential elections has there been a candidate I was thrilled about. I always seem to vote for the "less bad". Has it always been this way?

Boycott the Elections (yeah right)

"South Park" co-creator Matt Stone wants undecided voters to stay home. I know just how he feels – if no one voted but me then I would pick the winner. {evil laugh on} heh heh heh {/evil laugh off} how cool would that be. Not sure which side Matt leans to in politics but I suspect it is the Democrats. Why? The only undecided viewpoints I hear are people concerned about future terrorist and leaning towards Bush. I think a lot of undecided voters will choose Bush during that moment of decision in the voting booth. Matt Stones knows this and is hoping to stop a few of them. You can’t knock someone for trying can you?

Signs of the Times (+)

I just don’t get yard signs for polictical candidates. Wait, that is not quite right. I don’t get signs for Presidential candidates. Has a single vote ever been swayed by a yard sign or bumper sticker?

"By golly I was going to vote for candidate X but I saw his bumper sticker on a rusty jalopy so now I’m voting for candidate Y because I hate rusty cars. "

Is it just me or do you think it is pathetic that we think a ‘vote for me’ sign can swing a campaign?

I’m not talking about local elections for school board or milk bottle inspector where you are not familar with the candidates. So you notice the neighbor on the corner (the one with the sweet convertible) is endorsing his cousin Jabberwocky for Mosquito Collector and you think to yourself:
"They never have any mosquitoes at their cookouts so Jabberwocky must know a thing or two about 'skeeters."

Nope, I'm definitely NOT talking about local elections.

Come on people - you are voting for the next leader of the free world – can’t you think for yourself once every four years? No, I believe the real reason for yard signs is we all want to be a RAH RAH GO TEAM look-at-me-I’m-a-winner-type person.
"My cell phone has more features than yours"
"Oh yeah? My lawnmower cuts a wider path"
Well my candidate not only is going to win, but will send your candidate into early retirement."

Too many people approach the presidential campaign like a football game. Instead we should think of it as a final exam and spend a little extra time in study hall.
Besides a wise sage told me:
"smart people put bumper stickers on the car the day AFTER the election"

Here is a hilarious story about stealing campaign signs.

Flat Earth (tongue-in-cheek)

"What reason do you have to believe the earth is flat?"

blogger.com wants me to answer the above question in my profile. Since my response will not fit in the space the profile provides, I am posting my answer here.

Most people believe the earth is non-flat, mathematically expressed as:
non-flat = 3D = width * length * height

If you define flat as being an object lacking height then a flat object is mathematically expressed as:
flat = 2D = width * length

Now imagine we launch a satellite with camera to view the earth from space. The viewfinder on the camera is etched with a 10x10 grid. If the camera is positioned a sufficient distance away so the earth fills the grid, then the earth has a height of 10 units. As the satellite moves further from the earth the height continues to decrease. As the distance from the earth approaches infinity the height of earth approaches zero.
Thus earth not only becomes flat, it ceases to exist!
So mathematically
Earth = 3D = (W)*(L)*(H)
As H approaches zero we have
Earth = 3D = (W)*(L)*(0)
Since zero times anything is zero
Earth = 0
Been nice knowing you.

Seriously though, if you take the flattest, smoothest piece of steel you can find, polish it to a mirror finish, and magnify it enough it becomes a very bumpy, non-flat surface. So “flat” is a term that is relative to your perspective.

String’s Traffic Theories

Personal studies by String has derived the following theories about traffic. While they are specifically geared towards vehiclular traffic, some of the "rules" apply to other forms of traffic (such as pedestrian).
1) The other lane always moves faster.

2) The differential between posted speed limits and actual traffic speed is inversely proportionial to your need to get there.

3) When stopped in traffic at a red light, you will not start moving until the first car traveling in the opposite direction reaches your vehicle. (String's Trafficlight Theorm

more to come…

Good News from Iraq?

America's Finest
Contrary to mainstream media there is plenty of good news happening in Iraq. Surf over to Operation Iraqi Children and read some stories. If you have a high speed connection watch the slide show of photos. It is WMV file (Windows Media Player) 8.34 MB in size and 5 minutes long. You can right-click the slide show link and select "save target as" to download the file to your harddrive.

grrrrr: Information Repetition

Pet Peeve
How many times have you filled out a form with your name and address? Why can’t there be a magnetic strip on your driver license that can be swiped in a reader like a credit card. And while they are at it how about your health insurance card?
"You want that delivered? Fill out this form" SWIPE
"As a new patient please fill out this form" SWIPE
"If you are paying by check I need to get the following information from you…" SWIPE

Hey what can I say, I hate filling out forms and I’m lazy too.

P.I.: Tag! You're it. #1 (+)

PRIVATE EYE: Good-bye Privacy (or is it just the "Mark of the Beast"?)
Geek.com has an article about FDA approval of an RFID chip to implant in humans. The chip is the size of a grain of rice and would have a unique id that health care specialist would use to access your medical history. Just imagine where ever you go in the world, a doctor can access your medical history (provided they have Internet access and a the VeriChip scanner).

My concern is that anyone with a scanner can get your identifer and then you can be tracked.

EXAMPLE: The cash register scans you and now has a unique identifer for the person making a purchase, once you pay with a check or card the identifer can now be tied to a name. But not to worry, they would never share or sell that info would they? Suddenly every business installs scanners at the doorways and whenever you enter they know who you are, where you live, what your credit rating is, yada yada yada...

A few years back people raised a stink over the Pentium chip having a unique ID that could be accessed by third parties including websites. After a big stink Intel disabled the identifer. Now instead of the computer being ID’d lets install one in each person. Remember the Pentium ID outrage was not aimed at the companies collecting the Pentium ID but at Intel for providing it.

What is needed is an RFID that is normally "off" until the user ALLOWS it to be read. Is this the "Mark of the Beast"? I don’t think so, but it is curious that such a thing (identifier) was foretold 2000 years ago.

-- About Me --

You really don't need to see this.
I’m a happily married family man. I tend to be introverted unless it is a subject I'm passionate about. Active in my church, I openly embrace all children of God (even ones that don't believe in God). I believe many religious leaders make Christanity way too complicated. The message of Jesus was simple – love God and love one another (of course this means honor and obey). Follow the 11th Commandment (aka The Golden Rule) and most other problems will take care of themselves.

In no particular order:

• I was a science nerd growing up - the type that enjoyed doing my science fair project, today I'm a techno-geek.
• have a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science.
• always been a poor speller, LIVE WIFH IT.
• I think the founding fathers of America were brilliant.
• skeptical of modern politicians but always optimistic about the future.
• I enjoy studing history for cause and effect.
• I'm a big privacy advocate.
• I waste way too many brain cells storing worthless trivia.
• I'm always listening to music - no particular genre; I do enjoy clever or funny lyrics; I regularly listen to Rock - Blues - Rap - Country - Techno - Classical.

I believe the universe has an intelligent creator. I believe natural selection has indeed influenced many species (including homo sapiens) but I do not believe it is the sole force responsible for past and present life.

I see logic in the natural universe. I see beauty in the programming code of DNA or a mathematical proof. I take things apart to see how they work (sometimes I can put them back together). Logic is the path I choose to seek out truth. I try to reason thoughts out in a logical manner. My conclusions may not always be correct (GIGO) but this model serves me well. So welcome to my blog where I may rant and rave but I will still be logically speaking.

In case you are wondering "QuinQube" is an modification of the Latin word quinque which is "five" in English. Add a comment if you want the whole background.

One last thought for you to remember:
SARCASM – just another service I provide


here is a picture of me at Battery Park in New York City. Some people bronze baby shoes to preserve them, I chrome photos.