bLogically Speaking

From: Office@cia.gov

2005-11-22T09:56:00.000-08:00

I received a nice email from the CIA today.

From: Office@cia.gov
Subject: You visit illegal websites

Dear Sir/Madam,

we have logged your IP-address on more than 30 illegal Websites.

Important:Please answer our questions!The list of questions are attached.

Yours faithfully,Steven Allison

++++ Central Intelligence Agency -CIA-
++++ Office of Public Affairs
++++ Washington, D.C.20505
++++ phone: (703) 482-0623
++++ 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., US Eastern time

Wow the government agent signed it "Yours faithfully". Now there is a tipoff this email is fake. Not to mention the fact my antivirus blocked the email attachment with the message: "Virus identified I-Worm/Sober.CF".

These emails started going out a couple days ago. Although all the reports I've read so far say the email is from the FBI.

All right class repeat after me:

"I keep my antivirus updated"
"the FBI, CIA, ATF, Ebay, Microsoft, Interpol, and my bank do not send Dear Sir/Madam emails"
"I keep my antivirus updated"
"I will not open attachments from unknown sources"
"I keep my antivirus updated"

Yours faithfully,
Quinqube

Rage Against the (Spammers) Machine

2005-10-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

Fight back against the auto-bot email harvesting machines.

This link is for just for them:
list of email addresses at http://www.auditmypc.com/freescan/antispam.html

Feel free to visit the site, it is harmless to nice people. Here is a
description from the site:
The purpose of this page is to make it so spammers who
attempt to collect email addresses off the web, via programs, will
not have real email addresses in their database. Anti-Spam causes
problems because they will have to clean out their list. It also makes
their database worthless for reselling purposes because the company
purchasing their spam database will have worthless email address.

This page has fifty randomly generated email addresses (refresh
and new ones will appear). At the bottom of the page is a link to
this page again, essentially reloading it for programs to collect
more fake email addresses. Email collecting programs (spam bots)
will be sent into an infinite loop by following the link at the bottom
of the page and will get more and more fake email addresses
stuck in their databases.

Help out the cause - add the link to your site (see the page for instructions)

Remote Control Door Lock

2005-09-29T12:45:00.000-07:00

You can buy a remote controlled padlock for $20. So that gets me thinking with a little bit of chain and a small amount of modification, anyone can have a remote controlled door lock. Now how cool is that?

I don't know if y'all ever had a car stolen before
But it's a real crazy feeling when you walk out the door
And you don't need a map or any kind of chart
That your standing in the spot where your car used to be parked
- from the song "Who Stole My Car" by Will Smith (c) 1989

Defunct Team Logos

2005-09-27T19:26:00.000-07:00

So your favorite team went out of business years ago and your last team logo shirt has made its way to the rag drawer. What is a fan to do? Well you could visit Section219 and buy a new one. Yep, a website that sells shirts for defunct teams. Just browsing the logos brought back a lot of "I remember that team" and "what a stupid logo". Below are a few that caught my attention. Enjoy the past, we are doomed to repeat it - in twenty years we will laugh at the team logos of today.

Los Angeles and Jacksonville swapped names back in the 70s and 80s. First LA had the Sharks hockey team, then Jax named their WFL football team the Sharks. The Jax Sharks franchised had problems and was reborn in 1975 as the Jax Express. In the 80's LA named their USFL football team the LA Express.

Speaking of the WFL (World Football League) and USFL (United States Football League) I always thought these logos were backwards - doesn't the Memphis logo look more like a mauler and the Pitt logo like a Southman?

Minnesota came up with some fearsome logos in the 70's:

Disco fever swept Chicago

Here is a seasoned team of veterans

The team owner has a concrete business so you name the team the "Mixers"?!?! I do like the way the "O"s in Ohio are worked into the wheels.

Gee, I didn't know Woody Woodpecker was a roadrunner

I never knew the phone company owned a football team

Hmmm, Seattle had a hockey team in the '50s called the Ironmen. I wonder where Marvel came up with the idea in the early 60's for their new hero Ironman?

Sadly who knew it was a chilling prophesy when the BREAKERS moved from Boston to NEW ORLEANS

Here is a hockey team from the 1950's. . . looks like an ad for condoms.

Which reminds me in China a rubber company is launching a new line of condoms called (I kid you not ) the "Clinton" and "Lewinsky". The "Lewinsky" is discount priced around $3 per dozen and the premium "Clinton" brand will sell for a couple of dollars more.

In '85, took eternal rest
USFL folded in North, East, South & West
That's why classic fans came here to say
We can watch classic games on ESPN someday
- from the parody song "USFL" (sung to the tune of "The 1st Noel"), written by Arcade Junkie

SHIVER ME TIMBERS! Its the 19th.

2005-09-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

Ahoy mates,
I can't believe I almost missed this one. Monday September 19th is Talk-Like-A-Pirate Day.

Arr ye landlubbers, put on yur eye patch and hoist the Jolly Roger for a day.
Learn more here: http://www.talklikeapirate.com/piratehome.html

If'n ye need a pirate name then sail over to one of these islands:
this one uses your real name
this one uses a personality test, in fact they say this about me:

My pirate name is: Black Tom Flint

Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from fidius.org.

Here lie some pirate jokes

Beware of the RIAA and MPAA privateer scallywags, they will plunder your treasure. Aye mate, be careful the FBI makes pirates walk the plank

sincerely,
Cap'n Booker Bloodgut

Yes, I am a pirate
Two hundred years too late
The cannons don't thunder
There's nothin' to plunder
I'm an over forty victim of fate
Arriving too late
Arriving too late
- from the song "A Pirate Looks At Forty" by Jimmy Buffett (c) 1974

Blame It On The Moon

2005-09-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

Has it only been four years since the world as I knew ceased to exist? It feels like a lifetime ago that America was attacked. Most remember Flight 93, the defiant passengers that fought back and stopped the loss of more lives on the ground. Plans have been unveiled for the "Flight 93 Memorial" that will transform the crash site to be "a common field one day, a field of honor forever". The master design calls for a 93-foot tall Tower of Voices, with 40 chimes inside. Each chime represents the life of a passenger or crew member on aboard Flight 93. It will also feature two stands of red maple trees that will line a walkway caressing the natural bowl shape of the land. Forty separate groves of red and sugar maples will be planted behind the walkway, and a black slate wall will mark the edge of the crash site, where the remains of those who died now rest. Here are some artist drawings

This is the master plan for the 2,000 acre memorial

Like any artwork it inspires opinions. My immediate opinion is one of outrage. Is the design team arrogant or stupid? Harsh words you say? Well let me explain - the title of the memorial is "Crescent of Embrace". The walkway and trees will form a crescent shape, just like the crescent moon symbol used by Muslims.

"Crescent of Embrace"

If the above is rotated it looks like this, notice the similarities to the crescent moon used on flags from Muslim nations? The red in the above image is in the original artwork by the designer. I tweaked the colors below to give the crescent more contrast. Remember the official title is "Crescent of Embrace"

Why would you design a memorial to resemble the symbol used by the very Muslim extremist who caused the death of passengers and crew? Just who is this a memorial too?

The memory of the passengers and crew deserves something different. Contact the National Park Service before its too late. "Lets Roll".

link: news article about the memorial
link: official Flight 93 Memorial website
link: website of the designer

Scrappleface.com offers this fake but on target article:

Bush Unveils His Flight 93 Memorial Proposal
by Scott Ott
(2005-09-10)
-- As Americans reacted in shock to the proposed 'Crescent of Embrace' memorial to Flight 93, which resembles the crescent trademark of Islam, President George Bush today unveiled a proposal of his own.

"The people who died in Pennsylvania fighting for control of United Flight 93 on September 11, 2001, don't need a new memorial," said Mr. Bush. "In very real sense, they already have two memorials: We call them The White House and the Capitol Building."

Mr. Bush explained that since one of those two buildings was the likely target for the Muslim terrorists who hijacked the plane, "the fact that they're both still standing is a lasting tribute to the people who gave their lives fighting evil."

"Every time you see those white pillars or that gleaming dome," the president said, "remember the 40 Americans who volunteered in a moment to defend freedom with their own blood. Remember the ones who looked fear in the face and said, 'Let's Roll.'"

According to Wikipedia

The crescent used to be a symbol of the Byzantine Empire. After the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 it was taken as a symbol by the Ottoman Empire. The crescent is now often used to symbolize the Islamic faith. However, it should be noted that the crescent was not a symbol used for Islam by Muhammad or any other early Muslim rulers, as the Islam is, in fact, against appointing "Holy Symbols". Despite that fact many Islamic nations and charities use the symbol on their flags or logos (e.g. Pakistan, The Red Crescent.) In this manner it could be argued that its modern usage is meant to signify identity and, for devout Muslims, brotherhood.

I see the bad moon arising.
I see trouble on the way.
I see earthquakes and lightnin’.
I see bad times today.
- from the song "Bad Moon Rising" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival, written by John Fogerty (c) 1969

The New Gulf War?

2005-09-02T07:56:00.000-07:00

Random Thoughts About New Orleans

Why aren't we singing:
The highway's jammed with broken heroes
on a last chance power drive

Lots of unknowns here so I'm going to make a logical assumption:
- if they are taking evacuees by bus to Texas, then the roads from New Orleans to Texas must be passable

News reports say there are 30,000 people they need to move out of New Orleans. A spot check shows a coach bus (Greyhound type) seats 56 people. Lets round that down to 40 people to err on the side of caution. That means 750 buses are needed. A large number of buses but certainly not unobtainable. What if every city within a 12 hour drive of New Orleans sent 5 buses (and two drivers per bus) that would make a huge dent in that magic number of 750.

What if you tried using full size passenger vans? The extended variety seats 15 people. Lets plan on 10 passengers (plus drivers). that would require 3,000 vans. How many churches in a 12 hour radius have a full size van? How many churches without vans would pay for fuel and fill the vans with supplies? I predict within 3 hours after the local news media made a plea for supplies they would be out of room.

In fact those vans could skip Houston and just take the 10 people back to the local church. I bet they could be sheltered with local families.

I'm not there, so I have no idea what can or cannot be done. I do hear people in the crowd blaming the city officials, city officials blaming the state government, and the state government blaming the Feds. Has anyone bothered to go directly to the American people? I remember a time when people strived to be self-sufficient. Neighbors pitched in to help those with a need. Will the government bureaucracies (local, state, and federal) even allow it? If the physically able started to walk out of New Orleans how far would they get before private citizens would form a caravan of cars and pick-ups and mini-vans and U-hauls to give them rides?

I have seen reports that a plea went out for people with boats and people responded, why can't the same request be made for land transportation? Are the railways still functional? I wondered before Katrina hit why they couldn't evacuate people by boxcar. If the railroad tracks are still functional why can't they bus people to the trains? Now one bus could make multiple trips moving people out of the city. I wouldn't want to make a long trip in an boxcar without air conditioning but it has to be better than sitting at the Superdome.

It died with an awful sound
Funky claude was running in and out
Pulling kids out the ground
When it all was over
We had to find another place
But swiss time was running out
It seemed that we would lose the race
Smoke on the water, fire in the sky
- "Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple

I watch the video of the rescue boats and how few they can carry. I understand how underwater obstacles make it dangerous to use a normal outboard engine. I don't understand why the airboats cannot tow additional boats. Tie a couple of flat bottom jon boats to the air boat and bring back three to four times the number of people. Get some pontoon boats in there and tow them. Weld 55-gallon steel drums together and make rafts you can tow. Do any of these reporters feel guilty when they ride with rescuers? After all they are taking up a seat that someone could use.

Now, I'm the kind of man that wouldn't harm a mouse
But if I catch somebody breakin' in my house
I've got a twelve gauge shotgun waitin' on the other side
So don't go pushin' me against my will
I don't want to have to fight you but I durn sure will
-"Simple Man" by Charlie Daniels

Maybe this is a Southern thing but until recently it was declared right after (sometimes before) a disaster that "looters will be shot on sight". Seems like that policy should have been implemented immediately in New Orleans. The city has created an impossible dilemma now because there are thousands of people that must "loot" to get basic necessities like food and drink. Had a hardline stand been taken from the start the people in need would be waiting politely (relatively speaking) outside stores for necessities and the authorities would allow them to get it in an orderly fashion. I remember a photo in National Geographic after hurricane Andrew of a grizzled old man pointing an ancient looking revolver at a punk who was trying loot what was left of the old man's rubble. Fear of being shot deters a lot of would-be-looters.

Feed the babies
Who don’t have enough to eat
Shoe the children
With no shoes on their feet
House the people
Livin’ in the street
Oh, oh, there’s a solution
- "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller

Here is a thought for communities facing a future hurricane: when it is obvious you will be impacted why don't they implement a plan to get perishables from grocery stores? Instead of the food spoiling on the shelves it could be taken to evacuation centers and at least some of it would get used. It should be determined within a few hours after the hurricane passes just how badly the community was damaged. If it looks serious then security teams should be dispatched to the locations with non-perishable food. The local government now has an immediate supply to feed citizens for a few days until the help starts arriving. The experts know it takes a minumum of a few days for help to mobilize, that is why they tell you to keep enough food & water on hand for a week. There I go with that self-sufficient thing again.

Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’
Into the future
- "Fly Like An Eagle" by Steve Miller

Armchair quarterbacks always know what is best. I'm sure I'm no exception. I know that time is running out for many people. If the elements don't get them they will be killed when the masses start to riot. This is a horrible situation, immediate solutions are possible, it just takes a willingness by everyone to allow it to happen.

Hands across the water, heads across the sky,
Hands across the water, heads across the sky.
- "Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey" by Paul McCartney & Wings

So why does my title refer to this as a war? Because sometimes war is about saving lives. Does anyone remember the "Miracle at Dunkirk" that happened during World War II? In 1940 Nazi Germany had 330,000 Allied troops trapped at Dunkirk, France. The superior firepower of the Nazis kept the British from sending in ships to evacuate the troops. The Allies decided small boats could get through the Nazi defenses. Boatyards were scoured for useable boats and pleas were made to civillians. When it was all over 900 smallcraft had rescued 338,226 soldiers. We should certainly be able to accomplish the same thing with only 30,000 people in need of rescuing. I'd love to see the "Miracle at New Orleans".

where is that place?
where did it go?
whatever happened to that place?
God only knows
that isn't it over there
and this isn't it here
now how did a place that big just disappear?
- from the song "WHERE IS THAT PLACE?" performed by Tonio K., written by Tonio K. & Scott Wilk (c) 1987

Baby Hold On To Me

2005-08-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm searching the 'Net for a parts diagram to my dishwasher. I find a useful site called "FixItNow - Samurai Appliance Repair Man". I get sidetracked with the forum and there is a guy asking for help repairing the DC motor in his "Bottom Buddy". So I'm thinking do I really want to know what a "Bottom Buddy" is but as usual curiosity gets the best of me. After Googling the name I find a website that sells the Bottom Buddy. Here is what it looks like:
I guess if you need one it is indispensable - it holds toilet paper and extends the user's reach. According to FixItNow the manufacture discontinued the electric model due to mechanical failure. You can only buy the manual model. Not sure if I want know how the electric model worked (I mean from an engineering standpoint did the motor automate the attachment/detachment of the toilet paper or was it like an electric toothbrush vibrating, spinning, or going back & forth?) . The company selling the Bottom Buddy does have a comforting disclaimer:

For hygienic reasons, once the package has been opened, this product is not returnable.

The same company has a storefront on Amazon.com. Underneath the photo it has a link titled "Share your own customer images". Sorry but I wasn't THAT curious - go click it yourself.

Hey-ey baby
You know the future's lookin' brighter
Every mornin' when I get up
Don't be thinkin' 'bout what's not enough, now baby
Just be thinkin' 'bout what we got
Think of all my love, now
I'm gonna give you all I got
- from the song "Baby Hold On To Me" performed by Eddie Money, written by E. Money & J.Lyon (c) 1978

Don't Get Keyed Off

2005-08-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

Less is More?
I've seen some hype for a company selling "Das Keyboard" for a mere US$79.95. The keyboard is all black, as in no markings on the keys. It is targeted at the "ubergeeks only", people that really know how to touch-type. How is this for ad copy:

Shouldn't your keyboard reflect your status as one of the elite? We think so!
Introducing Das Keyboard, a precision keyboard that says who you are.

Now it makes sense that a blank keyboard will (eventually) make you a better touch typist but for US$8.95 you can accomplish the same thing with a skin that covers the keys to make them blank. Of course that would make you look like a novice instead of an ubergeek, and after all its all about status isn't it?

Reviews of the "Das Keyboard" claim it mimics the IBM model M keyboard, regarded by many as the best keyboard around. So it is probably better than the $9.95 generic QWERTY board you get at the local store. I'm also surprised they missed two good marketing points:
1) makes it easy for QWERTY and Dvorak users to share a keyboard
2) saves time putting the keys back on after removing them to clean all the finger dandruff that collects under them.

Of course a skin keeps the dandruff out so you don't have to clean. I wonder how much they would charge for a set of imprinted replacement keys?

What I really want is a Quinqube LCD-board^TM. It is a keyboard with tiny LCD screens on each key. You could then switch from QWERTY to Dvorak to APL to Cyrillic displays at the touch of a button. Instead of function keys you could display an icon. Software would change the icons as you switch to different applications. When you held down the [Ctrl] or [Alt] key it would automatically change the keys to show the hotkeys for the active application. Of course they would have to be backlit so you could type in the dark. Although if you can use the "Das Keyboard" you don't need any light. If anyone wants to produce the Quinqube LCD-board^TM let me know I'll license it cheap. (be sure and include a couple of bucky keys on the deluxe model)

One parting shot at the ubergeeks buying "Das Keyboard", why not rearrange all your keys in alphabetical order. So pressing [A] would type Q, [B] would type W, [C] would type E, . . .[Z] would type M. Talk about confusing. If you can use that keyboard you earn the title ubergeek maximus.

It's been so long, I feel so out of touch
Thoughts cloud my heart and head
I think I think too much
The narrow path I follow, is it the right way?
I keep on dwelling in tomorrow
I should be living in today!
I'm having trouble with my thought process
And I'm no engineer
All the road to my brains are there
And the directions just aren't clear
- from the song "Can't See Not Saying" by MxPx (c)1998

Idiots "R" Us

2005-08-07T22:03:00.000-07:00

Idiots "R" Us ME
Well I took an Idiot Test and scored 8%, where I guess a low score is a good thing. Although some would argue that merely taking the test makes you a 100% idiot. As you can see by my "official" results I am 92% NON-idiot. Many people that really know me would beg to differ. Take the test yourself and see how well you score.

I am 8% Idiot.

I am not annoying at all. In fact most people come to me for advice. Of course they annoy the hell out of me. But what can I do? I am smarter than most people.

Take the
Idiot Test
@ FualiDotCom

I also took a Geek test and Metrosexual test. I was surprised at my low geek score. I think being married really dropped me out of supreme geek status. On a side note I still have a hard time calling myself a geek, back in my teen years I was considered a nerd or more accurately a "science nerd". Back then a nerd was uncool but respectable; whereas a geek was the weirdo carnival attraction guy that bit heads off of chickens.

Not at all surprised at my metrosexual score, but I disagree with the part about shaving - Mrs. Quinqube loves the facial hair. Anyway below are my results.

I am 58% Geek.

Nerd, Freak, Geek, Dweeb. Sound familiar? That's okay, cause I will be the richest person at my 15th year high school reunion. If a "con" isn't happening that weekend.

Take the
Geek Test
@ FualiDotCom

I am 4% Metrosexual.

I need some advice. I need to STOP BUYING MY CLOTHS AT WAL-MART!!!! I will never land a decent woman unless I shave this nasty facial hair, and spend more then $5 on a haircut.

Take the
Metrosexual Test
@ FualiDotCom

Can you see the real me preacher?
Can you see the real me doctor?
Can you see the real me mother?
Can you see the real me?
- from the song "The Real Me" performed by The Who, written by Pete Townshend (c) 1973

Speckle My Papers

2005-08-01T12:48:00.000-07:00

Imperial College London and Durham University have announced a low-cost method of uniquely identifying paper documents, plastic cards, product packaging, and the like. The process scans the surface with a laser to measure the amount of light reflection. The researchers offer this description:

Using the optical phenomenon of 'laser speckle', researchers examined the fine structure of different surfaces using a focused laser, and recorded the intensity of the reflection. The technique was tried on a variety of materials including matt-finish plastic cards, identity cards and coated paperboard packaging and resulted in clear recognition between the samples. This continued even after they were subjected to rough handling including submersion in water, scorching, scrubbing with an abrasive cleaning pad and being scribbled on with thick black marker.
(read the whole article here)

I see interesting potential here but first a few questions. A company produces a multi-ton roll of paper (or plastic), does the entire roll have the same DNA? If it changes inch by inch or front and back then a set area on a document needs to be scanned to obtain the same results each time. If the entire batch has the same DNA then security is needed to to protect the batch the same as the blank paper used to print currency.

Enough of problems with this process. How about some thoughts for the good.
Collectors will be able to certify items (paintings, historical letters, books). Of course if a counterfeit got certified it would then considered legitimate. Depending on the uniqueness of the DNA it may or may not be a cheap way to determine the age of an item.

When a credit card is issued the DNA of the plastic would be part of the account number. This would provide a two step authentication. 1) when the card is scanned by the merchant it verifies the DNA and 2) when the account is verified by the card company. This would require a change for the credit card company because the account number would change every time a new card was issued, but they already do this if you report a stolen card.

The same type approach could be taken for identity cards (driver's license, birth certificates, passports), that is print the numeric DNA of the paper on the document itself. This could immediately stop a casual forgery like underage drinkers making a fake id on the printer since the printed DNA would not match the actual DNA. Assuming the forger has access to a "DNA scanner" and prints the actual DNA of the forged document it would still be caught if checked against the official database.

I'm curious if the DNA falls within a certain range for the same type paper. For example if all the 60 pound paper of a particular color, fiber content, etc. have a DNA that falls within a certain numerical range. If so this gives the potential of rejecting a document because it is not "close enough" to the expected value. Possible uses:

a retail merchant could verify if a sales receipt was issued by their store
a corporate rep could quickly scan the packaging in store to see if it is counterfeit
before a check is processed by your bank it can verify the check number to the paper DNA

And of course what happens to the demand for the ransom to be "unmarked bills"?

High alert code yellow little white lie
Pretty little girl is in disguise
Got a fake passport and a dossier
On a mission impossible every day
- from the song "Spy" by Bryan Paul Thomas (c) 2004

There Be Giants

2005-07-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

This water faucet is approximately 20 feet (6 meters) tall. The red water hose is over three times as long. It is part of the art work by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. The sculptures are located around the world. View scores of the pieces here: (link). My favorite was the "Buried Bicycle".

It's the perfect time of day
To throw all your cares away
Put the sprinkler on the lawn
And run through with my gym shorts on.
Take a drink right from the hose
And change into some drier clothes
- from the song "Pinch Me" performed by Barenaked Ladies, written by Steven Page & Ed Robertson (c) 2000

You're Invited...Please Don't Come

2005-07-08T01:59:00.000-07:00

A couple of creative writers wanted to generate ideas for stories so they published a fake wedding invitation and invited people to write fictional letters declining the invitation to their fictional wedding. There is a hilarious response from the mother of the groom:

. . .Needless to say, your father and I will not be attending. We would rather sell ourselves to a meat packing plant than acknowledge the union of you and this gold-digging hussy. . .

Read the complete letter from "mom" here.

You said your mama didn't think girls should be so bold
All of that from one little innocent kiss

Well now I heard it all
Maybe I should ask your mama to give me a call
Maybe she could tell me what to do about this
- from the song "I Got It Bad" by Matraca Berg (c) 1990

Happy Birthday America!

2005-07-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you read the Declaration Of Independence? How about the Bill Of Rights? Time to surf over to Project Gutenberg and catch up on your reading:
List of United States of America documents
links for United States Declaration of Independence
links for United States Bill of Rights
links for United States Constitution

Thomas Jefferson is credited with saying "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

The problem with tyrants is they pop-up when you least expect them - sometimes as external threats to America and other times as internal threats. Pay attention to what is happening, get involved when you see YOUR freedom slipping away. Regardless of where you are in the political spectrum we all have pet freedoms being eroded.

No more shall tyrants here
With haughty steps appear
And soldier bands.
No more shall tyrants dread
Above the patriot dead;
No more our blood be shed
By alien hands.
- from the song "My Country 'Tis of Thee" (aka "America") by Samuel Francis Smith (c) 1832 (this verse was removed by Smith from the original because it was too anti-British)

Cows With Guns

2005-06-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Mad cow disease is back in the news. Well forget about Mad Cows and worry about "Cows With Guns". Here is a hilarious Flash animation by Bjørn-Magne Stuestøl using a song by Dana Lyons. Dana probably meant this as a protest against carnivores like myself but that is okay, after watching the animation I don't have beefs with it.
NOTE: Quinqube rates this video PG for mild profanity, gun use, stampedes, and a male cow with udders.

Fat and docile,
Big and dumb,
They look so stupid,
They aren't much fun.
Cows are dumb.
- from the song "Cows With Guns" by Dana Lyons (c) 1996

Nuclear Weapons and National Security

2005-06-27T14:49:00.000-07:00

There is no way to prove it but many people believe the Cold War between the Western democracies and Communist nations never became hot because of nuclear weapons. America and her allies had nukes and so did the Soviets. The threat of a non-winnable war prevented either side for attacking. Nuclear weapons don't have a lot of use offensively if your opponent has the ability to retaliate in kind. In 1981 Israel bombed the Iraq nuclear plant to prevent it from producing weapons grade plutonium.

Now Iran is in the news about her nuclear programs. The world continues to put pressure on the Iranian government to abandon the work on nukes. President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will continue to pursue nuclear projects for electricity not weapons. Does anyone seriously doubt sooner or later this will lead to nuclear weapons? What if nuclear weapons had been available to Iran when they fought Iraq a few decades ago? I believe they would have nuked Iraq and few in the world would have cared.

So what are the options available to the world and more specifically America?
1) Do nothing
2) Continue political pressure and expect it to fail
3) Attack (either directly or indirectly) to hamper the progress

Lets run this through a simple logic filter:
A) nuclear weapons pose a great threat
B) nuclear weapons deter an invading force
C) defending a nation is one of the prime directives of government

Using the above logic it makes sense for America to actively prevent any country without nukes from obtaining them. However the same logic would clearly dictate the Iranian government is obligated to develop nukes. Just because the logic is simple doesn't mean there is a simple solution.

This is where the summer ends
In a flash of pure destruction, no one wins
Go nuclear. Nuclear.
- from the song "Nuclear" by Ryan Adams (c) 2002

Green Ghost Optical Illusion

2005-06-27T03:22:00.000-07:00

This image only contains three colors - magenta and black on a gray background. Focus on the center of the image and you will start seeing a green ghost dot moving around the circle. Focus long enough and all the magenta dots will disappear from view.

Judge Prohibits Parents From Teaching Religious Beliefs

2005-06-15T00:16:00.000-07:00

Scary story from Indianapolis. Couple has son. Couple divorces. Couple (now ex-couple) shares the same religious beliefs. As part of the divorce process the judge made an order that prohibits the couple from exposing the child to "non-mainstream religious beliefs and rituals". So what dangerous religion are the parents? Wiccan. (Wicca is the worship of nature, not to be confused with devil worship). According to an article in the Indystar the judge was concerned in the "discrepancy" of the parent's lifestyle and the Catholic school the child attends. Yes, the parents are practicing Wiccans but send the child to a Christian school (what does that say about the public schools in Indy?). As I understand it the judge thinks the child will be harmed if exposed to two radically different cultures.

Makes me wonder if Wicca would be okay if he went to a non-religious school.

I consider this a very dangerous ruling, which hopefully will be struck down and laughed out of court. Somebody send this judge the Bill of Rights. On a personal level I consider Wicca to be a false religion. But religious freedom means you can practice false religions.

Applying logic to this case I see the following:
1) judge is concerned about the welfare of the child
2) the development of the child might be harmed by exposure to radically conflicting beliefs between home and school
3) therefore protect the child by eliminating one of the conflicting beliefs

Take the above logic and apply it to the concept of teaching (exposure) "Hollywood Culture" VS any devout world religion (Judaism, Christianity, Muslim, Buddhism, Atheism, etc). Uh oh I see radically conflicting beliefs. Well, maybe not with the religion of Atheism. So how long before a couple is judged "too devout"?

What next - arresting parents for teaching their beliefs?

Out there the law is a-coming
I've been so tired of running
Indiana wants me
Lord I can't go back there

- from the song "Indiana Wants Me" by R. Dean Taylor (c) 1970

Become A Vegetarian Cannibal

2005-06-12T22:56:00.000-07:00

Found a strange product today called Hufu™. It is tofu (soy protein) designed to taste like HUMAN flesh. Here is the product description from the website, www.EatHufu.com :

Hufu™ is designed to resemble, as humanly possible, the taste and texture of human flesh. If you've never had human flesh before, think of the taste and texture of beef, except a little sweeter in taste and a little softer in texture. Contrary to popular belief, people do not taste like pork or chicken.

At first I figured this was just another elaborate hoax website. After all how would a civilized person know what human flesh taste like? Then I checked the domain registry and the ADMIN email address is "TheBestLawyer@hotmail.com". . . So a lawyer is behind it? Now it all makes sense.

Seriously though is this just a get-rich-wish-I-thought-of-that-pet-rock scheme or a frightening sign of our culture moving to the "dark side". Are there any major world religions that condone cannibalism? Should society be alarmed that people have a desire to sample human flesh, even if it is fake. I remember the public outcry about candy cigarettes and how it would lead children to become smokers when they became older. "Well your honor I cooked my friend because I wanted to see if he really did taste like Hufu™."

It was the genuine, original
Highly pathological
Finger-lickin’ digital café
It was Al Packer’s legendary
Culinary fast-food
Cannibal bar and buffet

- from the song "Comin' Back For More " performed by CW McCall, written by Bill Fries & Chip Davis (c) 1990

Count The People

2005-04-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

This is a bizarre, optical illusion. Count the number of people, wait for the image to shift, and count the people again.

Resign Now Without Further DeLay

2005-04-10T17:38:00.000-07:00

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay just doesn't get it. Questions about his ethics have been raised for quite a while. Last year he was scolded by the Ethics Committee. The storm continues about him remaining the Majority leader; sure some (perhaps much?) of it is political but that doesn't change the fact he is yet to be vindicated - if anything he is more tainted. Back in November I said

"Leaders must be held to a higher standard of accountability. . .step down from the leadership until you are vindicated"

Mr. DeLay that still applies today.

If I had a mind to
I wouldn't want to think like you
And if I had time to
I wouldn't want to talk to you

I don't care
What you do
I wouldn't want to be like you
- from the song "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" by Alan Parsons (c) 1976

Roundabout Way To Have Fun

2005-04-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

An ad I received today from Computer Geeks for a round LCD monitor. The ad shows it has 41 percent more viewing area (227 square inches vs 160 square inches). Seemed rather strange and then it struck me "APRIL FOOLS!". This was as good as the Google Gulp.

I'll be the roundabout
The words will make you out 'n' out
- from the song "Roundabout" performed by Yes, written by Anderson and Howe (c) 1972

Karol Wojtyla - Leading By Example

2005-04-01T04:20:00.000-08:00

In 1978 Karol Wojtyla of Poland was appointed Pope of the Roman Catholic Church. As a Protestant I don't fully comprehend some of the Catholic ways so forgive me if I misinterpret something. Wojtyla selected the name John Paul II and rapidly traveled into history books and the hearts of many people (not just Catholics) worldwide. The first non-Italian Pope in nearly 500 years, he spoke many languages, and became a real globetrotter.

It was in 1981 that he showed his true character after Mehmet Ali Agca tried to assassinate him. He was shot four times but survived. Later he demonstrated how well he understood the teachings of Jesus when he not only visited Agca in jail but he held his would be killer's hand and prayed with him.

Leaders, especially religious leaders, are often sighted for "talking the talk, but not walking the walk". I hope whoever replaces John Paul II can "walk the walk" as well as he has done.

I saw a man
he was holding the hand
that had fired a gun at his heart
oh, will we live
to forgive?

I saw the eyes
and the look of surprise
as he left an indelible mark
oh, will we live?
to forgive?

Come...find release
go...make your peace
from the song "TO FORGIVE" by Steve Taylor (c) 1985

Coincidence? Probably.

2005-03-29T06:35:00.000-08:00

Just an observation, don't try to read anything into it: the deadly tsunami struck one day after the Western world celebrated Christmas. Yesterday a killer earthquake struck the same area - one day after the Western world celebrated Easter. By my calendar the next big Christian event is May 5th, Ascension Day. So what will it mean if something happens Friday May 6th? (Or will it be May 16th, the day after Pentecost?)

The Logical Conclusion Of Withholding Medical Treatment

2005-03-22T08:05:00.000-08:00

More thoughts on the Terri Schiavo circus, well actually more questions. I'm not claiming this is possible, it is just a "what if" scenario.
What if Terri can be fed like a baby (that is one spoonful of pablum at a time)?

If that were possible would it be illegal for someone to feed her? And if it is illegal to feed her then how would that be different from someone feeding a quadriplegic or even a person with no arms?

The whole premise of the living will is to give an individual (or person they have have transferred the legal right to) the freedom to refuse medical treatment. The argument in the Schiavo case is the feeding tube is medical treatment and therefore can be withheld. Carried to extremes you could argue "if any medical treatment (the feeding tube) is withheld then all medical treatment should be withheld" - this would include the bed, HVAC, and the adult diapers. Just put her outside on a reclining vinyl chaise until she leaves this earth.

I am in favor of living wills (I have one) and I would hope my wife has the compassion to pull the plug on me if I am brain dead and in need of a machine to breathe. I would turn down painful treatment if it could only add a few days to the end of my life. Having stated that I still think it is barbaric to deny a living thing water just to make it die. Prayers of healing, peace, and understanding to all parties involved - heavens knows they need it.

Where there's a will, there's a way

2005-03-21T07:09:00.000-08:00

The battle for control and the very life of Terri Schiavo rages on. All of this would have been avoided if Terri had created a living will before her demise. You have a living will don't you? Since Terri never legally documented her wishes she has left it to the courts to decide. Her husband, Michael, has the legal upper hand and has successfully taken this through the court system to have her so called life support removed against the wishes of Terri's parents. Legally this should be the end of the story but it isn't. Why has this case sparked such emotions on both sides? I don't have answers but I do have questions:

Why do the lawmakers feel such an urgent need to save Terri's life? After all this ordeal has gone on for a longtime, they could have done something when it was not so pressing.
Why is Michael unwilling to allow Terri's parents to care for her?
If the parents receive custody of Terri, what are their plans when they can no longer care for her?
Since when is food and water considered life support?

As humans we need to ask ourselves at what point we give up on life. Does Society have a responsibility to protect, encourage, and even enforce life or do we as a whole tell individuals any particular life is unimportant - do with it what you want. Should there be laws against suicide? (ask a family that lost a loved one to suicide). At what point do we pull out a standardized test to measure each person's ability to live? Must anyone below a particular IQ be starved to death? I believe there is a distinct line between someone on life support to breath and a tube for food. Once we start down a road to diminished value of life we are entering a dark land. How long before we decided to starve babies that have non-perfect bodies? How long before we starve elderly patients that are bedridden? If we so strongly beleive that Terri's death is the right thing to do then why is she being starved to death? Why not just shoot her or inject her with poison? Why not let her die on an operating table as they harvest her transplantable organs? I guess that would reek of murder (or at least an execution). Read more of my thoughts here.

I do know this - Terri is in the news because her parents love her and some politicians believe life is worth fighting for even if the law says otherwise. And which choice is really in Terri's best interest? God only know. One thing I'm sure of - if I am going to err I want it to be on the side of life not death. You never know when a miracle will occur.

these days it's a crime not to be beautiful
it's a crime not to be young
it's a crime to be different from everyone else
it's a crime not to always have fun

well, that's OK
except of course that none of it is true
the real crime
is how they have divided me from you, because...

it ain't worth nothin' without love
it ain't worth nothin' without real love
- from the song "WITHOUT LOVE" by Tonio K. & John Keller (c) 1987, performed by Tonio K. on the album "Notes from the Lost Civilization"

P.I.: What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas?

2005-03-12T05:48:00.000-08:00

Private Eye: Are you sure about that?
Monday (March 7th) thieves rammed a car into a Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office in North Las Vegas. They made off with the following items

1,700 blank Nevada driver's licenses
1,700 blank laminated covers with the embossed state seal
1 DMV license printer
1 DMV camera
1 DMV computer

Now with the blanks you can make a near perfect official driver license... the only thing lacking is it wouldn't be in the Nevada DMV computer database. But no need for the thieves to worry about that because the computer contained the identidata 8,900 Nevada residents already in the database. That is everyone who was issued a driver license in that particular office between November 25, 2004 and March 4, 2005. After claiming the information on the computer was encrypted, the Nevada DMV is now admitting it was not. What sort of identidata was on the computer? Just the usual DMV stuff: name, date of birth, Social Security number, photograph and signature. If I was one of those 8,900 I'd be very nervous.

The Nevada DMV says "removing the equipment and locking it up every night would not be realistic because of all the wiring". That is very inaccurate. Here is some free advice: Encrypt the data and use removable harddrives. They slide in and out of the PC about like a VCR tape. Pop the drive and lock it up. Or use an external drive that connects by USB or IEEE 1394 (Firewire). Of course this offers no protection from a theft during office hours. A better solution is to store the identidata on a remote network drive in a secure room. This could be inside the local office or hundreds of miles away. The Nevada DMV has already taken steps to remove the identidata at the end of each work day. That at least limits exposure to a day's worth of data.

Of course the bigger question is how secure is your DMV information?

I'm standing in the middle of the desert
Waiting for my ship to come in
But now no joker, no jack, no king
Can take this loser hand
And make it win
- from the song "Leaving Las Vegas" performed by Sheryl Crow, written by Crow/Bottrel/Baerwald/Gilbert/Ricketts (c)1993

P.I.: Its 11 o'clock do you know where your identity is?

2005-03-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

PRIVATE EYE: Missing Identidata

Identidata is how I refer to your personal identity that is stored on a multitude of computers as binary data. So just how safe is the identidata?

Bank of America (BoA) reported last week that during the latter part of 2004 several magnetic data tapes were missing. The tapes contained credit card accounts, social security numbers, and other personal information of 1.2 million US Federal employees, including 60 US Senators. The data on tapes was not encrypted.

The missing tapes were part of a larger shipment of tapes to the company's backup center. BoA says there is "no evidence yet" of identity theft or fraudulent use of the information. The word on the web is the tapes were lost by airport baggage handlers so it is still unclear if it was a targeted theft or haphazard handling.

I report the above not to knock BoA but to show another example of the symptom we face with our identidata. For the non-IT (Information Technology) readers it is mandatory that computer data is backed up (archive) on a regular basis. Anyone that has experienced a hard drive failure understands the need to recover data. It is also good business practice to store the archived data offsite. Everything that BoA did was normal (and wise) business practice. Except maybe the fact the tapes were not encrypted but very few data centers have the resources (time, money, hardware) to encrypt backup tapes. We may see a change after the BoA incident. Even encrypting data is useless against motivated thieves.

On 2/16 I wrote about identidata theft from ChoicePoint. Legally the only people they are required to notify are California residents. And filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicate that ChoicePoint is only notifying Californians that had identidata compromised during a 15 month period. Why only 15 months? Because that is when the California notification law took effect. It might be a bad assumption on my part but this implies ChoicePoint is aware of potential identidata theft that occurred before July 1, 2003 (start of the law).

For more examples of breeches in identidata see my 1/22 blog "P.I.: The Tale of Two Universities"

Radical change is needed to protect individuals. The California notification law is a tiny start but it addresses the problem after the fact. It is good to have an alarm warn you the toilet overflowed but I would rather not have to deal the mess to start with. Perhaps the BoA missing tapes will be a thing since it impacts Senators. One idea that has merit is multiple social security numbers that would be used for different categories - medical, taxes, employment mortgage, financial. If you had a different number for each financial account (banking, credit card, etc.) it would limit your exposure if one of the numbers was compromised. Then we would need strong laws to protect your identidata by the credit bureau type agencies.

A Security Credit Freeze is one such law already in place in California and Texas (although you have to be an identity theft victim in Texas to use it) and eleven other states are considering the legislation. In a nutshell the freeze law would give you, the consumer, the right to place a security freeze your credit report which prevents anyone from accessing your identidata for the purposes of granting credit. If a lending institution cannot access your identidata they will not approve credit, thus stopping an identity thief from getting credit cards and the like in your name. If you wanted to apply for a loan you would have to remove the freeze until the credit check was completed. Credit bureaus and many creditors oppose such legislation. We the people need to speak up and make our voices heard.

For more information about protecting your financial privacy visit Consumer Union's financialprivacynow.org

She left me here stranded like a dog out in the yard
Charged up a fortune on my credit card
She used my address and my name
Man that was sure unkind
Sunspot Baby
She sure has a real good time
- from the song "Sunspot Baby" by Bob Seger (c) 1976

Too Simple?

2005-02-28T15:26:00.000-08:00

Another car bomb in Iraq kills scores of people lined up outside a building. My question is why do they let cars drive near lines of people? Why not close a street where people need to queue. Seems like a simple, logical solution to me.

Sci-Fact: Monkey Think, Monkey Do

2005-02-21T13:25:00.000-08:00

University of Pittsburgh researchers announced last week that a monkey fed himself with a robotic arm controlled only by his thoughts. Not only does this give renewed hope to victims of spinal cord injuries or nervous system disorders, but also to couch potatoes too lazy to feed themselves.

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
Mata ah-oo hima de
Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto,
Himitsu wo shiri tai

You're wondering who I am-machine or mannequin
With parts made in Japan, I am the modern man
- from the song "Mr. Roboto" performed by the Styx, words by Dennis DeYoung
(c) 1983
Translation of the Japanese:
Domo arigato - Thank you very much
Mata ah-oo hima de - Until we meet again
Himitsu wo shiri tai - I want to know your secret

P.I.: Today's Goulash 02/16

2005-02-16T15:12:00.000-08:00

PRIVATE EYE: Knock Knock, Future Calling

Here is a small sampler of Privacy issues for you. Little by little, pebble by pebble, we are losing the fight. Enjoy the twilight years of privacy as we know it.

Tag'em Like A Wild Animal
Brittan Elementary School in Sutter, California USA is disappointed that InCom Corp has withdrawn from a project to use RFID tags on the students. I wrote about RFID tags back in October 2004 ("P.I.: Tag! You're It"). Basically it a tiny (think grain of rice) chip that stores a unique number. A scanner sends a radio frequency (RF) to the chip and the chip transmits back the data. It needs no battery, instead it is powered by the RF wave. Currently this technology works from a few inches to several feet away. Expect greater distance as the technology matures. Since it is RF it goes through solid material (like flesh, clothes, or paper).

The Brittan School wants to track students everywhere on campus. Like every two-edged sword this cuts both ways - it can improve security, automate student attendance, and greatly increase making sure the kids are where they should be - all positive reasons for using RFID. But what about the negative? For one thing there is no way to turn the RFID off (other than destroying it). This means wherever the child goes with the tag the potential is there for tracking - stores, restaurants, individuals, well hopefully you are getting the idea. What about false positives - slipping your tag in another students pack, now you slip off while the system things it knows where you are. The solution to that will be implants under the skin.

Electronically Readable National ID Card
There is a bill before the US Congress (H.R.418) to require your state ID card to contain electronically readable data or else the Federal government will not accept it. If passed this law would force states to comply or else their citizens would be unable to interact with the Federal government (on second thought that might be a good thing). The US State Department will soon be issuing passports with RFID chips. This is all in response to national security. Sidestepping any state rights issue I actually endorse the "electronically readable" idea provided it is individual controlled - see my post from October 2004 "Give Me Your Life History". This would could be done with a magnetic strip on the ID card. Unfortunately I expect the RFID tag to be the method used by the states.

Has Your Identity Been Stolen Yet?
ChoicePoint Inc. is a company that describes itself as

ChoicePoint has grown from the nation's premier source of data to the insurance industry into the premier provider of decision-making intelligence to businesses and government. Through the identification, retrieval, storage, analysis and delivery of data, ChoicePoint serves the informational needs of businesses of all sizes, as well as federal, state and local government agencies.

ChoicePoint is now warning thousands of Californians that thieves breached security in October 2004 and stole Social Security numbers, credit reports, and other confidential information. The theft has resulted in estimates of 750 cases in Los Angeles county of identity theft. Were Californians the only people to have data stolen? Most likely not, but California is the only state that has laws requiring the citizens be notified. So if you are like me and live outside California you may be a victim of identity theft and not even know it.

One more thing, how did the crackers breach security? The old fashioned way - they set up accounts as valid businesses and subscribed to ChoicePoint's services. Nothing techy involved and any credit reporting service could fall victim to this type attack.
And people wonder why I oppose new and innovative ways to collect data about me.

It is your privacy – work to protect it.

You better not be caught off guard
This wolf is on the search now
A leopard just can't change it's spots
And I'm about to lurch now
I roar like the jungle, I fight tooth and nail
I just gotta get you, you'll fall without fail
I'm ready for the kill, I'm right on the brink
It's animal instinct
- from the song "Animal Instinct" performed by Elvis Presley, words by Giant, Baum, Kaye (c) 1965

TechTip: Mozilla Thunderbird - A Great Add-on

2005-02-08T12:42:00.000-08:00

Back in December I told you to switch to Mozilla Thunderbird for your email client. If you haven't switched yet here is a great incentive: Senderface. (and if you have already switched this is a great bonus). In a nutshell Senderface is an extension (plug-in) for Tbird that lets you associate an image with an email address. Now when you open an email from Aunt Myrtle there is a thumbnail image of her smiling face next to her name. I receive a lot of newsletters and this really helps me keep up with what I am reading.

The "face" can be any size PNG image. I recommend you limit the height to 64 pixels or it starts hampering your ability to read the email. Depending on your screen resolution it can easily be 200 pixels wide, making it very handy to use a webpage banner for the newsletters.

Trust me on this one - use it once and you will be hooked.

You can download Mozilla Thunderbird here
You can download the Senderface extension here.
View Senderface screenshots here.
Convert your images to PNG format (freeware) Easy Thumbnails or IrfanView32.

I have a picture
Pinned to my wall
An image of you and of me and we´re laughing
We´re loving it all
- from the song "Hold Me Now" performed by The Thompson Twins (c) 1984 Bailey, Currie and Leeway

Around the World in 72.9 Days - NEW WORLD RECORD!

2005-02-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

Ellen MacArthur has set a new record for the fastest human sailor to circle the world solo on a multi-hull vessel. The new record is 71 days, 14 hours, 18 minutes and 33 seconds. She beat the existing record by 32 hours, 35 minutes, 49 seconds set by Frenchman Francis Joyon in 2004. It has already been announced Queen Elizabeth will offer Ellen the title "Dame Commander of the Civil Division of the Most Excellent Order", making her the youngest person to reach such a level in recent times.
What is so special about making a non-stop, solo trip around the globe? According to the BBC "Only five solo sailors have attempted a record circumnavigation on a multihull and only Joyon made it all the way round non-stop." Well now it is Joyon and MacArthur.

Well, I was born in the sign of water
And it's there that I feel my best
The albatross and the whales they are my brothers
It's kind of a special feeling
When you're out on the sea alone
Staring at the full moon, like a lover
- from the song "Cool Change" performed by the Little River Band, words by Glenn Shorrock (c) 1979

Around the World in 72.9 Days (day 71)

2005-02-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

As of 9AM London time Feb 7th Ellen MacArthur is 32 hours ahead of the record. . .overnight finish possible.

Around the World in 72.9 Days (day 69)

2005-02-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

As of 9AM London time Feb 5th Ellen MacArthur is 50 hours ahead of the record. . .In her latest email Ellen said: "Its funny yesterday the finish seemed quite close, now it feels a very long way away. It's going to be tough, it's so cold that I had stomach ache, headache, starting coughing...it saps everything you've got, you can't recover."

Around the World in 72.9 Days (day 68)

2005-02-04T04:54:00.000-08:00

As of 9AM London time Feb 4th Ellen MacArthur is 61 hours ahead of the record. . .

Super Bowl XXXIX - Fears of 1981

2005-02-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

Anyone remember the Fog Bowl of 1981? I do. It was December 28, 1981 in Jacksonville, Florida. North Carolina played Arkansas in the Gator Bowl. I don't remember what time the kickoff was but it was a night game so I'd guess it was 8PM. By the end of the first quarter both teams were in a fog. I mean real Spanish moss gray fog. The press box could not see the field. The only cameras ABC could use were ground level and even those were fuzzy.

That was 23 years ago. The Gator Bowl has long since been demolished. But a new stadium was built on the same spot. Right on the edge of the St. Johns River. Which just happens to be where Super Bowl XXXIX will be played this Sunday night. And the weather this morning in Jacksonville? Extremely foggy. As a football fan I don't want to see a repeat of the 1981 Fog Bowl, but it could happen. Now wouldn't that make for a game to remember.

By the way, North Carolina won the 1981 Fog, er I mean, Gator Bowl 31-27. Check out this link for video of that game.

Welcome to The River City - a place of sunshine and fog

I'll get off on Main Street, step into the crowd,
Sidewalk under my feet, yeah, traffic's good and loud.
When I see my inner city child, I'll be walkin' on a cloud.

'Cause I'm a fool for the city, I'm a fool for the city
- from the song "Fool For The City" performed by Foghat (c) 1975 Dave Peverett

Around the World in 72.9 Days (day 67)

2005-02-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

As of 9AM London time Feb 3rd Ellen MacArthur is 77 hours ahead of the record. . .

Around the World in 72.9 Days (day 66)

2005-02-02T06:03:00.000-08:00

In the last two days Ellen MacArthur has increased her lead to 81 hours. . .

TechTip: Printer Friendly Help Pages

2005-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

There is world wide web of help on the Internet. If you find yourself at one of the professional, commercial sites and they have a great article but it spans multi-pages here is a trick to try out: See if there is a link for "Printer Friendly". Often this will do two things - give you the complete article on a single page and frequently it removes many of the advertisements. Now isn't that easier to read?

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright) Sun-Shiny day.
- from the song "I Can See Clearly Now" by Johnny Nash (c) 1972

Berlin Wall or Tienanmen Square

2005-01-31T06:27:00.000-08:00

I've seen a few positive revolutions in my life - end of Apartheid in South Africa, the fall of the Berlin War, the fall of Communism in the Soviet Union, and a ground swell of protest in Tienanmen Square. While the last revolution failed to stick, the others were successful. (sorry but I barely remember any of the civil rights battles in the US so I can't count that one). Sunday I witnessed the start of another revolution, this time in Iraq. Ink stained fingers held up in defiance of evil and terror give us cause to celebrate. I kept expecting someone to say they would give up freedom "when you pry it from my dead, ink stained hands". Will this one stick? Time will tell. I pray it is the birth of a nation and not the beginning of the end. At least for now the supporters of freedom really rocked the vote.

The shareef don't like it
(He thinks it's not kosher)
Rocking the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it
(Fundamentally he can't take it)
Rocking the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
The shareef don't like it
(You know he really hates it)
Rocking the Casbah
Rock the Casbah
- from the song "Rocking the Casbah" performed by The Clash (c) 1982

Around the World in 72.9 Days

2005-01-31T04:50:00.000-08:00

The challenge: become the fastest person to sail solo around the world on a multi-hull boat
The current record: 72 days, 22:54:22 by Frenchman Francis Joyon in 2004
The challenger: 28-year old Englishwoman Ellen MacArthur

Ellen started the challenge November 28, 2004. As of January 30th at 21:00 London time on she is 41 hours ahead of the record pace. Read about her on-going Odyssey here or view some photos here.

Mother, mother ocean, I have heard you call
Wanted to sail upon your waters since I was three feet tall
You’ve seen it all, you’ve seen it all
- from the song "Pirate Looks At Forty" by Jimmy Buffett (c) 1985

We Think Your Baby Should Die

2005-01-29T03:26:00.000-08:00

Two months ago, following reports of an Amsterdam hospital "euthanizing" babies, I wrote "The value of life continues on a 30-plus year decline in Western society". Here is another example from Europe. This time in the UK.

Charlotte Wyatt was born three month premature in October 2003. She weighed 16 ounces (454 grams) at birth, was the length of a ballpoint pen, and was expected to have a very short life. Doctors told the family she would not make it to her first birthday. With underdeveloped lungs she needed oxygen to live. Between her birth and last October, Charlotte stopped breathing three times and had to be revived. The hospital did not want to revive her a fourth time, her parents did. The hospital took the parents to court and a High Court judge ruled October 7, 2004 that the hospital was not to revive Charlotte.

Today she weighs 14 pounds (6.35 kg) and is showing signs of improvement. The parents have gone back to court to have the judge suspend his order, so far he refuses.

Makes me wonder would the parents be charged with violating a court order if Charlotte stopped breathing and they resuscitated her? Perhaps that is the reason the father is only allowed to visit his daughter when accompanied by a hospital security guard (the guard can´t be worried the father will injure the child, after all the hospital as already proven in court they are unconcerned with the life of the child).

Like I said back in December:
Pre-Born, Post-Born what is the difference?
It is just a matter of time before "quality of life" will be used more and more as an argument to actively terminate babies (and the elderly). How long before a non-life threatening, physical deformity qualifies a child for death "to prevent suffering"? How long before poverty is used as an excuse?
"Sorry mom and dad but you are poor and your baby is ugly, we have to stop her suffering right now"

A culture that refuses to protect the helpless is ultimately doomed.

Who really cares?
Who´s willing to try to save a world
That´s destined to die
When I look at the world it fills me with sorrow
Little children today are really gonna suffer tomorrow
Oh what a shame, such a bad way to live
All who is to blame, we can´t stop livin´
- from the song "Save The Children" by Marvin Gaye (c) 1971

P.I.: The Tale of Two Universities

2005-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

PRIVATE EYE: Two small examples of a problem too large to ignore.

Universities are the forefront of society. We place our hope for the future in the brightest minds - both students and instructors. Forward thinking, concerned with the issues of today, and solving the problems of tomorrow is how I like to envision our institutions of higher learning. So they are aware of identity theft and the need to protect an individual's personal data, right? Think again.

Story #1: The University of Northern Colorado announced that a computer hard drive is missing. They are not sure if it was stolen, thrown away, or misplaced. What they do know is the disk contained the personal information of 15,790 employees - a list that dates back to 1997. What sort of information? Just the usual employee data: name, address, bank account numbers, Social Security Numbers, etc.

I know some of you are saying "University of Northern Colorado"?!?! Not exactly your Ivy League university is it? Well listen up you academia snobs to the next story.

Story #2: Harvard University (yes that Harvard) just pulled the University Health Services (UHS) Pharmacy website because students and employees' drug history was accessible via the Internet. All it took was the non-confidential student number and birth date. Per the article at TheCrimson.com, undergraduate birth dates are published to fellow students.

One of the laws of programming is "you can never prove a program is bug-free, you can only prove it has bugs" and there are reams of statistical data showing the number of undiscovered bugs is directly proportional to the number of discovered bugs. So how many more privacy breeches are out there waiting to be discovered by the white hats? How many are being exploited right now by the black hats? How many have YOUR data?

It doesn't really matter if it is unsecured data on a website or unsecured hardware with data, the bottom line is we all need to be more cognizant of our private data.

Are you getting paranoid yet?

I've been caught stealing;
once when I was 5...
I enjoy stealing.
It's just as simple as that.
Well, it's just a simple fact.
When I want something,
I don't want to pay for it.
- from the song "Been Caught Stealing" performed by Jane's Addiction words by Perry Farrell(c)1990

TechTip: Mozilla Thunderbird Email program

2004-12-18T07:21:00.000-08:00

I have never been a fan of MS Outlook Express. Years ago I used Pegasus (and liked it) and then moved to Eudora (liked it even better). In February 2004 I tried version 0.4 of Thunderbird and was impressed that something not ready for primetime was so good. Been using it every since and (drum roll please) version 1.0 was recently released. This means it is officially ready for the masses. One big feature Tbird has going for it is the open source license. I highly recommend the product (even though I prefer the way Eudora stores your email – very nice for making / using backups. . .you do backup your email don't you?)

download Thunderbird

How good is Tbird? Over 1 million downloads in the first 10 days. Of course some of these people might be confusing it with the adult beverage by the same name.

Get high, everybody, get high.
Get high, everybody, get high.
Have you heard? What's the word?
It's Thunderbird.
- from the song "Thunderbird" performed by ZZ Top words by Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill & Frank Beard(c) 1973

Zero Tolerance: A Weapon To Disable Crocodiles UPDATE

2004-12-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

Kudos to the powers that be in Philly. The scissor girl was issued an apology.

Zero Tolerance: A Weapon To Disable Crocodiles

2004-12-13T08:02:00.000-08:00

Do you think a child should be able to take a weapon to school that is powerful enough to disable a crocodile?
A 10-year-old fourth grade girl takes a pair of scissors to school. Philadelphia School administrator decides she violated the policy of bringing a "potential weapon" to school so they call police. Police put her in handcuffs and take her to the police station before deciding no crime was committed.

No Crime?!?!? How about STUPIDITY. Not the girl but the school officials. We have become so wrapped up in zero tolerance of "drugs" and "weapons" that we arrest children for aspirin or scissors.

Three decades ago there was the following dialog in the James Bond movie "Live and Let Die" between villain Tee Hee and Bond as Tee Hee was leaving Bond to die as crocodile bait:

Tee Hee :- "There are 2 ways to disable a crocodile you know..hehe"
James Bond :- "I don't suppose you care to share that information with me?"
Tee Hee :-"Well one way is to take a pencil, and jam it into the pressure hole behind his eye"
James Bond :- "And the other?"
Tee Hee :- "Oh the other is twice as simple. You just put your hand in his mouth and pull his teeth out! Haha hehe hehe!!"

You can even hear the soundclip here

So what next Honorable School Officials, the banning of pencils by school kids?

When you were young and your heart was an open book,
You used to say live and let live.
(You know you did, you know you did, you know you did.)
But if this ever changing world in which we live in,
Makes you give in and cry...
Say live and let die.
- from the song "Live and Let Die", words by Paul and Linda McCartney (c) 1973

"the music was playing faster than he could dance to..."

2004-12-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

Back in 1979 the tugboat CAHABA had a wee bit of trouble on the Tombigbee River in Alabama. Read the story here and then check out the AMAZING photos here.

Big wheel keep on turnin'
Proud Mary keep on burnin'
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river

- from the song "Proud Mary" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival, words by John Fogerty (c) 1969

Sci-Fact: PEG – The Next Wonder Drug?

2004-12-03T18:13:00.000-08:00

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a water-soluble, waxy solid. The generalized chemical formula is:

H-(OCH₂CH₂)_n-OH

PEG enhances the delivery of some drugs, provides a watertight seal after cranial surgery, cures constipation, is used in caustic oven cleaner, and makes your shampoo thick. Quite interesting since a close chemical cousin, Ethylene glycol, is very toxic.

All well and good but what makes PEG a wonder drug? How about nerve repair to spinal cord injuries? Test on dogs involve the direct injection of PEG into the spinal cord injury. The treatment reversed paralysis in a high percentage of cases. Test show it must be administered in 72 hours after the injury to be effective. The FDA has yet to approve any testing on humans.

Want more? How about altering it to Maleimide-Polyethylene Glycol (MPEG) and using it for artifical blood?

I've seen your picture
Your name in lights above it
This is your big debut
It's like a dream come true

- from the song "Peg" performed by Steely Dan, words by Fagen and Becker (c) 1977

Pre-Born, Post-Born what is the difference?

2004-12-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

Very disturbing report from Amsterdam about a hospital in the Netherlands "euthanizing" babies.

The value of life continues on a 30-plus year decline in Western society. The cornerstone of this (or should I say main tomb stone) is abortion. Unborn eagles have more value than unborn babies (LOGIC CHECK: abortion is legal, destroying a Bald Eagle egg is a Federal crime, therefore an unborn eagle has more value than an unborn human). Now it starts with post-born children. First the terminally ill, and then mentally retarded, next will be ones with little chance of a quality life. So we pound into our children taking a life is acceptable and then we wonder about child on child violence.

Did citizens of past great civilaztions realize the fall was taking place while it occurred or were they blind to it?

"We don't understand
he's not like we planned"
the doctor shakes his head
"abnormal" they cry
and so they decide
this child is better dead

- from the song "Baby Doe" by Steve Taylor (c) 1984

Today’s Goulash: Friday 11/26

2004-11-26T11:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is over and I've got a bunch of leftovers to throw in this pot of goulash. Might be a few ingredients you don’t care for, feel free to push them to the side. This pot is full of family holiday recipes – consume at your own risk. All served with a side of sarcasm. Remember people I don't make this stuff up.

Family Life

Mother Makes Deathbed Confession of Murder
{I wheeze wanted you wheeze to know wheeze I killed wheeze your father. cough cough he is wheeze in the freezer.}

Mom Pleads Guilty for Locking Son in Trunk of Car While Drinking in Bar
{its 11 o'clock, do you know where your kids are? Uh sure in the parking lot, now where are my keys?}

Half-Naked Man Allegedly Assaults Clerk
Police arrested a man who was naked from the waist down ...He fled on foot, and got into a vehicle driven by his mother before he was caught.
{Trust me son, take off your pants and they will never look at your face}

Half-Naked Trucker Takes Police on Chase
more details here (scroll down to the Hell On Wheels story)
{maybe he was looking for his mom}

13-year-old Boy Charged With Abducting Exotic Dancer
{maybe locking your kid in a trunk is not such a bad idea}

Dispute over turkey blamed for stabbings
{well they wanted him to use a knife}

Three Wives Attempt Suicide After Argument
Story from Iran – wife #3 (the young one) buys expensive boots. Wife#1 and wife#2 are upset. All three decide to take poison and end it all. All three end up in hospital and survive.
{makes me wonder if each woman failed to take the full amount, hoping the other two would die. And Utah wondered why they had to give up polygamy to join the Union}

22-year-old Son Kills His Mother
After shooting her in the hip, she said "I love you". Son replies "I love you too" and then shoots her in the face.
{give extra thanks if your family life is better than these people. Oh yeah, after she died he placed her body in the freezer.}

Hand-Me-Down Dish Fetches $5.7M at Auction
{you chipped granny's plate? No big deal it was old anyway}

Today’s Goulash: Wednesday 11/24

2004-11-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

Almost Thanksgiving so this pot of goulash is heavy on the turkeys (feathered and human). Might be a few ingredients you don’t care for, feel free to push them to the side. Ingredients include: natural and artificial ingredients – consume at your own risk. All served with a side of sarcasm. Remember people I don't make this stuff up.

Give Thanks For The Animals

PETA Asks Church To Give Up Turkey Dinner
"Let the needy eat tofu"
{I know who the real turkeys are in this story}

PETA campaign pitches fish as smart, sensitive
"Fish are friends, not food"
{next they will protest the mass murder of mosquitoes and termites}

Dog Who Longed for Puppies Nurses Kittens

Disabled Dolphin Swimming On Bridgestone Rubber
{man-made fin allows dolphin to swim with the rest of them}

Dolphins Saved Us From Shark, Lifeguards Say
{one good turn deserves another (see link above)}

National Geographic Channel Finds Hogzilla
{the world still waits to know if Hogzilla was a true monster}

Farmer's Hog Tops Scales at 1,600-Pounds
{but is he as big as Hogzilla?}

Tiger and pig (photo)
{The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the young goat; The calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together; and a little child will lead them.}

Camera catches mice in the act
{Tiny fish is threatened by wanton destruction, PETA remains silent}

Here is what whitebait look like

Saints and Sinners

'Return the baby and we'll give you the beer'
South Australian Brewing Company offers a unique reward for the safe return of baby Jesus statue
{this could backfire and trigger a lot of copy-cat thefts}

St. Louis Admits Mistaken Crime Data
{maybe the local brewery should offer free beer…then again maybe the officials were drinking the beer while they produced the report}

Norwegian Senior Roughs Up Purse Snatcher
{pick on someone your own age punk, its safer}

Truck Drops Modular Home on Vt. Interstate
{gives a whole new meaning to 'mobile' home}

They Don't Come Any Dumber...
{if the patrons enjoyed the show then management should hire them for a nightly act}

Woman Claims Drug Dealer Ripped Her Off
{why do you think they call it dope}

Woman in critical condition after stolen turkey is hurled at her car, 6 teens arrested.
The Hurler's defense "I'm nearly blind"
{wait till the PETA goons get hold of them}
- -Here is an update on the woman's recovery

Vermont Police Hunt Down Cheese Saboteur
{maybe it was PETA people protesting the use of milk}

18 Cat Skeletons Found in Couple's Bedroom
{where are the PETA people when you really need them}

Stingers Get Stung
TV crew doing a story of "lax security" at the Jacksonville Port are caught in the act by the Coast Guard, face fines of $32,500 each for violating security zone
{guess the story will be changed to how good the security is at the port}

Atrocity?

2004-11-17T19:16:00.000-08:00

A US Marine shoots a wounded insurgent in the head. Is it a war crime? I guess based on the standards set by civilized countries, yes this is a war crime. But is this a fight against a civilized country. Read this letter from a Marine before you decide.
Senator Kerry received a medal for a similar action in the Vietnam War. Read this comparison : Marine Pulls A Kerry.
Pray for peace, if we can't have peace then pray for the troops and the civilians.

Today’s Goulash: Wednesday 11/17

2004-11-17T17:32:00.000-08:00

Cooked up a fresh pot of goulash. Might be a few ingredients you don’t care for, feel free to push them to the side. Ingredients include: Rats, Turkeys, Squids, Locust, Kangaroos and Mother's Milk. All served with a side of sarcasm. Remember people I don't make this stuff up.

TURKEYS: Car-Chasing Wild Turkey Stops Traffic {Must be looking for invite to a Thanksgiving dinner.}

RATS: Woman's home sweet home is her apartment full of rats
A rescue shelter for pet rats. {if things get out of hand she can start a rescue shelter for cats}

RATS: Large rat becomes culprit in mystery of runaway van
Rat makes nest in engine, causing throttle to stick. Driver narrowly escapes accident. {no rescue for this rat}

Rats!
They fought the dogs and killed the cats,
And bit the babies in the cradles,
And ate the cheeses out of the vats,
And licked the soup from the cooks' own ladles,
Split open the kegs of salted sprats,
Made nests inside men's Sunday hats,
And even spoiled the women's chats,
By drowning their speaking
With shrieking and squeaking
In fifty different sharps and flats.
- from "The Pied Piper of Hamelin" by Robert Browning

1,540 Pounds of Cocaine Hidden in Squid {one way to try to mask the scent}

Locusts threaten crops in Egypt
Worst swarm in 50 years. In a related story "If you can't beat'em, eat'em".
"This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions!" - quote by Dr. Venkman (Bill Murray) in the movie "Ghostbusters"

HUNT IN YOUR PJs: Texas officials wary of plan to hunt by Internet
Point, click, shoot. Hunt a Texas ranch from anywhere in the world. {hope these gun-cams don't show up in urban areas}

Monument collapses, six injured
Hours before the grand opening part of this 27-meter (88-feet) high monument fell nearly killing six people. The name of the monument is "Eternal Life". {they should rename it to "The Near-Death Experince"}

TURKEYS: Pastor Outsmarts Two Robbers {it is never wise to mess with a man of God}

FROM THE LAND DOWNUNDER
Birth Control Darts May Target Kangaroos, Koalas
Contraceptive works for 18 to 24 months. If the project proves successful it could be used worldwide on a range of animals. {I can see the headline now: Drive-by Shootings Lower Birthrate}

Mother who breastfeeds pup 'didn't want to waste it'
Quote: "He drinks more than the baby. It doesn't hurt, but it's a little bit ticklish." Mom plans weanning the puppy in six weeks.
{better watch those milk teeth}

Wrong Wrong Wrong

2004-11-17T16:24:00.000-08:00

The Republicans reversed a party rule that required indicted leaders to relinquish their positions. The theory is "you are innocent until proven guilty" and an indictment is not a conviction. All I have to say is WRONG WRONG WRONG. Leaders must be held to a higher standard of accountability. I don't care how politically motivated the indictment is, step down from the leadership until you are vindicated.

TechTip: DIY PDF

2004-11-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Most of you have encountered a PDF file before. They require the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view them. PDF is an acronym for Portable Document File. There is now free software to let everyone create PDFs. Why would you want to? Well PDFs have the following features:

Readable on a PC or Apple computer
Hard to alter a PDF
Formatting stays the same regardless of printer

So all this is ho-hum because you think you have no use for it. Well hang on to your hats buckaroos and consider these uses:

Ever had a web page you wanted to save? Maybe a verification of an order, a help page, or documentation? You could print the page and waste ink and paper but all you really want is to be able to view it on screen at a later date or maybe on another computer. Why not convert the page to a PDF? Maybe you want to email a file to a friend but they do not have an application that can open the file. Convert the file to a PDF and email the PDF instead. Need to send a business letter that cannot be changed by the receiving party? Use a PDF.

The beauty of the PDF Creator software is it will convert ANYTHING you can send to your printer to a PDF. Word processor documents, spreadsheets, web pages, graphic programs, etc. If you can print it then you can PDF it. Open the software/file you want to save, go to the print option, change the default printer to the PDF option, select print and it will create a PDF file instead of printing a paper copy. Did I mention you can password protect a PDF file?
Trust me this is useful stuff.

PDF Creator homepage
PDF Creator download
PDF Creator is open source software. Free for personal and business use

Are To, Am Not

2004-11-12T17:33:00.000-08:00

Rednecks versus Bluebloods

Am I the only one fed up with this continual Red State, Blue State rhetoric? They talk like the blue states were 100% Kerry and the red states were 100% Bush. I’ve heard statements that the “Red states are dumb morons” or the “Blue states should secede” from the Union. Looking at state-by-state data on the USA Today site and comparing ONLY voters for Kerry and Bush, I see that 20 states have a 10% or less difference between the two men. Another 14 states are separated by 20% or less. This means 34 out of 51 states have a 60-40 or LESS split. This represents 81% of all Bush-Kerry voters in the nation. Going even further in 47 of the 51 states the losing party represents AT LEAST 33% of the population. So the next time someone talks about a Red or Blue state remember that at least 1/3rd of the population voted the opposite way.

So was this a mandate for President Bush? Depends on what you mean by a mandate. Numerically speaking there is no way this is a mandate (Bush captured almost 3% more of the vote than Kerry). From a political standpoint it was a solid win but not what I consider a mandate.

However we did see a mandate in the states voting against homosexual trends. The repercussions on homosexual issues are going to be vile and ugly by both sides, after all there was a mandate. God save us from ourselves.

To get a better perspective of how equal the votes were in this election here is a cartogram of the voting showing county-by-county in relation to the population. Very few true blue or true red spots. Select the map to see more information and a larger image

And the general sat and the lines on the map
moved from side to side.
Black and blue
And who knows which is which and who is who.
Up and down.
But in the end it's only round and round.
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
- from the song "Us and Them" performed by Pink Floyd, words by Waters and Wright (c) 1972

P.I.: Mandatory Black Box in Autos

2004-11-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

PRIVATE EYE: Safety versus Privacy

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended November 9th that data recorders in vehicles should be mandatory by September 2008. The black box would record 42 data elements including speed, brake pressure, seat belt usage, and air bag deployment.

I have very mixed emotions about this decision. Data recorders in aircraft have resulted in safety changes. Recorders in vehicles offer the same potential to society and will greatly aid accident investigations. That is good news.

The bad news is the potential for abuse. What legal protection of the data is offered to the individual? If a vehicle is stopped for a traffic violation, say a burned out light, will the government have access to the data recorder to see if you have committed moving violations? How long before the recorder is fitted with a RFID device so it read by others as you drive? I know the old argument if you are not doing anything wrong why should you care, because it infringes on your liberties.

Where is the balance between safety and privacy? This is a tough one that I am still weighing the data.

What is worse paranoia or apathy?

No more speed I’m almost there
Gotta keep cool now, gotta take care
Last car to pass here I go
And the line of cars goes down real slow
- from the song "Radar Love" performed by Golden Earring, words by George Kooymans and Barry Hay (c) 1973

CONFESSION: I was part of the conspiracy

2004-11-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

Election 2004 conspiracy theories and accusations abound (example 1 and example 2). One of the smoking guns is the analysis of the Florida votes. The number of non-Republican Bush voters far exceeds the common sense of the analyst; therefore it must be some sort of conspiracy to commit fraud. In a shocking development the percentage of Florida voters using touch screen machines fell in line with Democratic expectations while the percent of votes from the optical scanner machines are skewed toward Bush.

I cannot hide the truth any longer. I was personally involved in this conspiracy. WOW, do I feel better now. You see way back when QuinQube came of age (voting age that is) it was unheard of in North Florida for a Republican to run for office. Most local elections were decided in the Democratic primaries, only Democrats could vote in the Democratic primary, ergo if you wanted to have a vote you had to be a Democrat. I was actually proud to register as a Democrat at the time I believed they stood for the little man. Besides I’ve always voted for the candidate and not the party. As Zell Miller noted, over the years the Democratic Party abandoned the things it stood for and lost its way. Times have changed and now it is more likely to have Republicans in a primary instead of Democrats. I may eventually be forced to change my registration just so I can have a vote in local elections. (the more things change. . .)

So there you have it – Mrs. QuinQube and I helped skew the stats. So I guess that makes us part of the conspiracy.

Now as far as the voting machines: My county uses the "suspect" optical scanner. Not sure which counties use the touch screens. Not at all surprised the stats for North Florida would appear suspicious. By the way, I have more faith in the optical scanners than the touch screen. The optical scanner requires the voter to fill out a paper ballot and feed it into the machine. This means there is an audit trail. I challenge those convinced of a conspiracy to sample the paper ballots and see how they compare to the official results.

Perhaps the real conspiracy involved the touch screens with votes being changed in favor of Kerry. Show me proof anyone conspired to commit fraud and I'll join the posse to bring him or her to justice; regardless of their ride – donkey, elephant, or lone wolf.

Some people run from a possible fight
Some people figure they can never win
And although this is a fight I can lose
The accused is an innocent man
I am an innocent man
- from the song "An Innocent Man" words by Billy Joel (c) 1983

UPDATE: Wired News agrees with me (Florida E-Vote Fraud? Unlikely)

The Real Yasser Arafat

2004-11-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

Don't cry for Arafat - pray for him but shed no tears. Growing up it was Arafat's PLO that was THE terrorist group in the world. Even if you throw all logic to the wind and say "the end justifies the means" in his fight for Palestine there are two very telling signs that he is a common despot.

he stole billions of dollars meant for the Palestinian refugee.

knowing he was sick, he made no effort to prepare the Palestinians for a successor, a move that may throw Palestine into an internal power struggle.

These are not the actions a hero.

Watch a short review of Arafat's legacy here

May the exit of Arafat bring a new hope of peace between Palestine and Israel. Sala'am and Shalom to Palestine and Israel

Hey, are you in there?
or don't you recall when the perfume of belief was all we needed
it was all we needed to set our sights

So when did you throw out the rest of the world
deaf from the din of your self-righteous babble?
I think you've been blinded
by your own light

Was it hatred? was it pride?
or did you just have a lot to hide?
- from the song "Violent Blue" performed by Chagall Guevara, words by Steve Taylor (c) 1991

Homosexual Marriage and Civil Rights

2004-11-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

In a previous post I offered an argument defending heterosexual marriage without using any religious rhetoric.

Homosexual advocates are saying heterosexual marriage-only amendments and laws are the new civil rights fight. I want to momentarily sidestep the cries of civil rights violation and ask the question:

Is there any absolute good/bad line that can be drawn regarding sexual activity?

Is there any sex act that Society overwhelmingly considers wrong?

What about adults and minors?
What about adults and very young children?
What about adults and animals?

The problem is once Society agrees there is at least one act that is wrong and it should be prohibited, you open the big ol’ can of worms labeled "violating a person's civil rights". And that is what they call a slippery slope. The civil rights argument starts falling apart fast once you agree there is a Group X that must be prohibited from an act.

So who determines what is good? Some argue "anything that does not harm others". Some would argue "anything that benefits the State". Some believe it is the Judeo-Christian rules.

Why accept these so-called religious rules?
1) They were given to us by a Creator smarter than us.
WHOOA DUDE – You can’t use religion in this argument
2) Regardless of where these rules came from – God, man, or alien - they have withstood the natural selection of societal evolution.

The question remains: does only allowing one male-one female marriages discriminate against homosexuals?
What about the discrimination against polygamist? What about a heterosexual couple unwilling to marry, why should they miss out on the perks of marriage either?
Because one male-one female marriage is in the best interest of the State. (See An Argument For Heterosexual Marriage)

An Argument For Heterosexual Marriage

2004-11-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

The homosexual marriage issue continues to grow. I may as well throw in my binoculars-of-logic view without invoking a religious argument (even though I have a viewpoint that is faith-based).

First things first I need to lay some historical groundwork:
What is necessary for a nation to be "successful" or prosperous?

History has shown that humans tend to equate things with prosperity. Yes there have been a few exceptions but by and large, regardless of the type government, success is measured in things – royal store rooms filled with gold or wheat, monumental buildings, infrastructure, or personal wealth. And what is necessary for a nation to have things? Resources, people, and the ability to protect them. Resources include things of value – that might be raw materials (animal, vegetable, or mineral), special skills, or a key geographic location.

Assuming a nation has resources, it then needs a growing population to exploit the resources. As a nation grew in wealth (wealth being whatever they valued) they became a target of envious neighbors. Armies were needed to protect the wealth and resources of the nation. And what is the core of any army? People. So again a growing population is required for a nation to be successful, and a growing population requires a union between a male and female.

I certainly hope everyone is in agreement with me to this point in the exercise. If you don’t agree in general that a growing population is necessary then you should probably stop reading now.

Having established that offspring are needed for the growth of a nation we now need to decide how to raise these children to be of value to the nation. Many forms of family have been tried throughout history. Natural selection has favored the permanent one husband-one wife family. Other forms of family (permanent one husband-multiple wives, communal shared partners, non-permanent partners) have failed to be as effective from a good-of-the-state point of view. In order to maximize the benefits to the nation, the so-called traditional marriage, one male-one female in a lifelong union, should be officially encouraged by the government. Therefore it is not in the best interest of a nation to encourage homosexual unions (or children out of wedlock).

Now from a pragmatic stand point I don’t see the need for a State sanctioned homosexual marriage. (by State I mean government in general). What does the State gain by such unions? Nothing.

Individuals argue that a homosexual marriage is needed to resolve child custody issues and property ownership. But both of these items can immediately be resolved via legal means (contracts and last will and testament). The only argument I have heard that I am not sure if it can be resolved by a simple legal document is medical privacy. Regardless of sexual orientation I think a person should be allowed to specify who has explicit access to medical information.

So why do homosexual couples want to "be married"? Probably the same reason heterosexual couples have public weddings – to acknowledge their commitment to each other. Heterosexual couples could just as well fill out legal forms with a lawyer and file them with the State in private. Remember the State promotes heterosexual marriage because it benefits the State (ain't no free lunch).

HOLD IT shouts the person in the front row:
"what about the perks afforded married couples, things like insurance, tax breaks, child adoption?"

These perks are incentives and bonuses for heterosexual couples to marry because heterosexual marriage adds value to the State. Does that mean homosexual couples, a single person (no partner), or communes cannot raise a healthy (physically / emotionally / spiritually) child? Of course not, it means that the State has recognized, in business terms, a "best practice" for families and actively promotes the "best practice".

But what about heterosexual couples that marry with no intention of having children? Aren’t they getting the perks of being married without contributing to the State? Yes they are, but how does the State know ahead of time what will happen? It is only logical to assume any given heterosexual couple has the potential to increase the population. So they are given the marriage perks.

There you have it, an argument against homosexual marriage without invoking religious scripture.

WHAT ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS?!?!?!
See this post: Homosexual Marriage and Civil Rights

A Bee Gees tribute to Kerry

2004-11-06T11:07:00.000-08:00

This is a cheap shot but too funny to pass up (show me)

Feel I'm goin' back to Massachusetts
Something's telling me I must go home
And the lights all went down in Massachusetts
The day I left her standing on her own
- from the song "Massachusetts" performed by The Bee Gees, (c)1967

Ashamed of Being American

2004-11-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Photo gallery of Americans apologizing to the world that President Bush was relected. (warning: adult language)

Sci-Fact: Happy Birthday TR-1

2004-11-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

World’s First mass produced transistor radio is 50 years-old

Fifty years ago Texas Instruments and Regency launched the TR-1. The invasion of the transistor into consumer goods had begun. Before the TR-1 radios used finicky vacuum tubes. Suddenly you could buy a portable radio that fit in your pocket. Hello George Jetson the future is now. Jump here to see the TR-1 anniversary page.

Growing up I made an amazing discovery about transistor radios and water – the radios were remarkably waterproof the first time it was submerged. I had two different radios get submerged in river water. Once thoroughly dried they WORKED! They failed to work after a second submersion.

Whatever happened to Tuesday and so slow
Going down to the old mine with a transistor radio.
- from the song "Brown Eyed Girl" performed by Van Morrison (c) 1967

P.I.: Are You A Security Risk

2004-11-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

PRIVATE EYE: Protect Your PC
If you want privacy in your home you actively do a combination of things – locks on doors, window coverings, shredding papers, etc. For your tools to be effective you have to use them – a deadbolt is useless unless you actually turn it, a shredder does nothing unless you actually put the papers through the device. What about your computer? There are a number of tools to help you. Here is a great website that has gathered some tools and gives an easy to understand explanation of what the tool does. Of course just like the deadbolt or shredder you have to routinely use the tools.

Media Hypocrisy: Aborting Gays

2004-11-04T11:48:00.000-08:00

A number of years ago people who opposed abortion called themselves "pro-life". The media dropped this term and replaced it with "anti-abortion". The logic behind this change was everyone is in favor of life, therefore "pro-life" is not an accurate term. If the issue is abortion then you are either for it (pro-) or against it (anti-). The pro-life (er, I mean anti-abortion) groups were opposed to this change because psychologically "pro-" is a positive term and "anti-" is negative. Putting aside any hidden agenda by the media, I have to agree with the logic of the change to "anti-abortion".

What I find illogical is the term "gay" to represent homosexuals. Using the same logic as the abortion issue, the media should replace the term "gay" with "homosexual". After all can't heterosexuals also be "gay" (happy)? I can only imagine "gay" is psychologically more positive than "homosexual". So is the media about accuracy or pandering to a partisan group.

Concessions

2004-11-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Tip of the hat to Senator Kerry and his advisors for not subjecting the country to an ugly, prolonged court battle. Kerry just finished his speech. A few snide comments but all in all he showed a lot of class. Of course he let Edwards do his dirty work. Was unimpressed with what he said.

Election Night Songs

2004-11-03T03:00:00.000-08:00

Worked last night and when it was obvious that Kerry had lost I decided to program the PC jukebox with a set of songs dedicated to Kerry-Edwards.
Here is the playlist:

SONG TITLE	BAND
(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction	Devo
A Long December	Counting Crows
All Revved Up With No Place To Go	Meat Loaf
Another One Bites The Dust	Queen
Been Caught Stealing	Jane's Addiction
Dirty Life And Times	Warren Zevon
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me	Elton John
End of The Line	Traveling Wilburys
Fantasy	Aldo Nova
Final Countdown	Europe
Fooling Yourself	Styx
Free Man in Paris	Joni Mitchell
Heartache Tonight	Eagles
Hey Jealousy	Gin Blossoms
I Know I'm Losing You	Rod Stewart
It Came Quick	Reckless Sleepers
It's Too Late	Carole King
Join Together	The Who
Justice	Big Bam Boo
Lights Out	UFO
Loser Gone Wild	ELO
Lunatic Fringe	Red Rider
Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys	Waylon Jennings
Mr. Used-to-be	Richard Barone
Nothing From Nothing	Billy Preston
Nowhere Man	The Beatles
Passin' Me By	The Pharcyde
Save It for Later	English Beat
Say Goodbye to Hollywood	Billy Joel
Shout	Tears For Fear
The Real Me	The Who
The Seeker	The Who
Whatcha Gonna To Do When Your Number's Up?	Steve Taylor
Where The Truth Lies	Richard Barone
Yesterday	The Beatles
You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling	Daryl Hall & John Oats

Expecting another tight election

2004-11-02T18:17:00.000-08:00

I bet both parties are thinking of this song by the late Warren Zevon

Send lawyers, guns and money
Dad, get me out of this
- from the song "Lawyers, Guns And Money" by Warren Zevon (c) 1978

Quote of the Day

2004-11-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

I'M DECLARING VICTORY -- OVER OSAMA: If he could have bombed us, he would have. Instead, all we got was a lame video.
- Glenn Reynolds at http://www.instapundit.com/

Vote2004: Index

2004-11-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of all my Vote2004 related post...

11/02 Expecting another tight election

11/02 Quote of the Day

11/02 Lone Signman

11/02 Media Bias

11/02 Election Day Update 09:45

11/02 Election Day Update 08:45

11/02 Maxims

10/28 Missing Explosives: part 3

10/28 Missing Explosives: part 2

10/27 Missing Explosives: CBS report 2003-04-04

10/27 Burning Questions

10/24 Florida Amendments

10/24 Protective Radiation: Why the war is good for us

10/22 Christians, War, and Hypocrisy

10/18 John Kerry and The Boss

10/18 I am voting for...

10/18 Boycott the Elections (yeah right)

10/16 Signs of the Times

10/16 Good News from Iraq?

The Lone Signman

2004-11-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

I noticed him about two hours ago. He is on a triangle of grass and concrete that measures about 10 foot on each side. There is traffic on all three sides. It is over 80°F (26.7°C) in the sun and this elderly gentleman is happily waving his Bush/Cheney sign. How do I know I this man is a gentleman? It’s the sign stupid. NO, not the Bush sign but the Kerry signs. You see stuck in the grass on each side is a Kerry/Edwards sign. The signs have been up the whole time. I’m sure he could have easily knocked these signs over, but he didn’t. We can all learn a lesson from this citizen.

Media Bias

2004-11-02T07:32:00.000-08:00

Time to turn on the morning news and see if Rather has already named Kerry the winner. If I was running for office I am sure I would want all the endorsements I could get but I might draw the line at Osama Bin Laden and Dan Rather.

Poor men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be kings,
And a king ain’t satisfied till he rules everything.
- from the song "Badlands" performed by Bruce Springsteen

Election Day Update 09:45

2004-11-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

I voted, have you?
I have found 9:30 to be one of the lull times at my precinct Today there were lots of people, only saw a few empty parking spaces. It looked it was the afternoon rush crowd. Amazingly it only took about 10 minutes. When I left there were five or six cars circling the parking lot waiting on a spot to park. I didn’t count the number of voting stations inside but it looked like about double the normal amount. Instead of three clerks dividing the registration log they had six. Only had one person in front of me for the “S” last names. Two of the other clerks each had at least four to six people lined up. There was a row of seats behind the clerks that were labeled “Poll Watchers”; I did not see any of the seats in use. Mrs. QuinQube (voting precinct clerk) has complained in the past about the poll watchers not staying in the designated areas. Maybe the watchers were moving around at my precinct. Saw a Bush support at a different intersection. Still have not seen any Kerry supporters out.

Election Day Update 08:45

2004-11-02T05:55:00.000-08:00

Passed several voting precincts this morning. Parking lots were full of cars. Saw Bush supporters at four different intersections waving signs. Did not see any Kerry supporters. Sunday the two groups were equally represented at the major intersections.

Bizarre thought:
if President Bush is defeated will any Republicans commit hari-kerry?

Maxims

2004-11-01T23:00:00.000-08:00

Polls open here in five hours. Mrs. QuinQube is the head clerk at a voting precinct and she predicts a very heavy turnout. She has been working the last week at one of the early voting sites. Turnout has been running over a 1000 people a day (over 1600 Monday) and they were only open 9AM – 5PM. Regardless of who you support make the effort and vote. If you fail to vote you better keep your mouth shut for the next four years.

For many decades there have been the following sport maxims:
1) no team has ever comeback from losing the first 3 games of a championship series
2) Boston Red Sox will never win the World Series again
3) Presidential incumbents mirror the win-loss of the Redskins in the last home game before the election.

So far this year two of the three maxims have fallen. Will the third maxim fall this year? Guess we will know in a couple of months after the lawyers and courts sort things out.

Was it Mayor Daley that said, “vote early, vote often“? Sure hope everyone plays fair.

Hey Osama Bin Laden thanks for endorsing Kerry, but regardless of who wins you are still a marked man. That is one maxim that will not fall.

POP QUIZ: bad cure (+)

2004-10-31T17:55:00.000-08:00

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

2004-10-30T23:01:00.000-07:00

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

Higher Standards? (+)

2004-10-30T17:31:00.000-07:00

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

2004-10-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

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.

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?}

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.

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

2004-10-28T20:28:00.000-07:00

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

2004-10-28T17:11:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-28T15:37:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

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

2004-10-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

How I am voting (and why):

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

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.

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

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 (+)

2004-10-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

(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 (+)

2004-10-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

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.

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

2004-10-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-22T16:39:00.000-07:00

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.

Avoid the website
Register as they request
Register with bogus information
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 (+)

2004-10-21T22:47:00.000-07:00

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

2004-10-21T20:28:00.000-07:00

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

2004-10-21T13:22:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2004-10-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

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 (+)

2004-10-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

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... (+)

2004-10-18T08:46:00.000-07:00

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?