28 November 05 - 23:20Beyond the Left

You should hear about this. I'll admit, this involves one of (OK, maybe two of) my pet peeves. First. Liberal educators abound in this day and age. Not only are they everywhere, they have a captive audience of young impressionable students to imprint with their beliefs. Second. Although I was never in the service, both my parents were WWII navy vets and we had one of the most patriotic homes in the country. I really do believe in the United States and am incensed when our forefathers dreams are bastardized by these bastards. This is a brief synopsis of an occurance earlier this month at Warren County Community College in New Jersey. Rebecca Beach, a freshman at WCCC and a member of the local chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) was putting up posters on campus to inform others that Lt. Col. Scott Rudder, a decorated Iraq war hero, would be appearing on campus to discuss America's accomplishments in Iraq. As a result of the posters, John Peter Daly, an English professor, sent Rebecca an email offering his opinions regarding just about everything. Here is a portion of the ridiculous, "over the top" email Daley sent to Ms. Beach: "I am asking my students to boycott your event. I am also going to ask others to boycott it. Your literature and signs in the entrance lobby look like fascist propaganda and is extremely offensive. Your main poster "Communism killed 100,000,000 is not only untrue, but ignores the fact that capitalism has killed many more and the evidence for that can be seen in the daily newspapers . . . thanks to the students of WCCC and other poor and working class people who are recruited to fight and die for Exxon and other corporations who are earning megaprofits from their imperialist plunders . . . I will continue to expose your right-wing anti-people politics until groups like yours won't dare show their face on a college campus. Real freedom will come when soldiers in Iraq turn their guns on their superiors and fight for just causes and for people's needs." I'll admit, I have voted both tickets at one time or another, but I really do not have the ability to understand where such a person is coming from. I agree with Ms. Beach who says that Daly has created a hostile learning environment and called for the WCCC President to require intolerant leftists, like Daly, to attend mandatory seminars on free speech, sensitivity and respect for differing opinions. Thankfully, something better happened. Daly resigned from Warren County Community College, just before the board of trustee's was to meet to respond to Daly's email. We all have the right to free speech, however, when our free speech reveals we are crazy, we have to accept the consequences. Cheers to Rebecca for slaying the dragon.

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26 November 05 - 15:14River Pollution

NEWSLINE KHABAROVSK, Russia, NOV 26, 2005 -- Water contamination in the Sungari River (Songhua River in China) is expected to arrive in 10 days. China has been plagued by this contamination for the past two weeks after a chemical plant blew up in the Jilin province of China Nov. 13. 100 tons or so of chemically tainted "stuff" flowed into the river and has caused a slick 50 miles long. Benzene is one of the significant toxins in the water. This is an amazing event. 3.8 million Chinese residents are currently enduring a fourth day without their water supply while they wait for the toxic spill to pass. Others along the river in both China and Russia still have this to look forward to. Here is the kicker, environmental critics have called China slow to adapt to environmental issues as its industrial revolution roars along, barely controlled. Lets review. I graduated from high school in 1969, the year the Cuyahoga river in Cleveland caught fire. The event became a major catalyst in the formation of the EPA in the good old U S of A... I always thought this was something amazing, a river catching fire. As I have been reading about the China incident, I was reminded of 1969, so I have "read up" on it. It seems we, in the United States, were extremely slow to adapt to environmental issues. Lets just take the Cuyahoga river as an example. This river had been catching fire for years. Cuyahoga River fires occurred at least in 1868, 1883, 1887, 1912, 1922, 1936, 1941, 1948, 1952, and in 1969. The 1969 fire caused about $50,000 in damage to a railroad bridge. The 1952 fire caused over 1.5 million dollars in damage! Talk about slow to learn. The picture I have attached is the only picture of the fire I could find. The picture shows the damage to the bridge, rather dull. In fact, Time Magazine, when reporting the 1969 event, used a photo from the 1952 fire (the $1.5 million fire) which made a much better picture for their article. Here is an excerpt from the Time Magazine article in 1969, Some River! Chocolate-brown, oily, bubbling with subsurface gases, it oozes rather than flows. "Anyone who falls into the Cuyahoga does not drown," Cleveland's citizens joke grimly. "He decays". . . The Federal Water Pollution Control Administration dryly notes: "The lower Cuyahoga has no visible signs of life, not even low forms such as leeches and sludge worms that usually thrive on wastes." It is also-literally-a fire hazard. Sounds like the vat the Joker fell into in :Batman." You can also read an online history of the surrounding events in this National Review Online article. You can find pictures of the river at this site Cuyohoga Picture Gallery including pictures of other fires on the river. At the time of the fire, Clevland actually kept boats on hand to drive around in the oil slicks and break them up. We have come a long way since then. I certainly don't expect the Chinese will take the 100 years it took us from the first fire on the Cuyahoga in 1868 to the 1969 fire to gain national awareness. They have the ability to learn from the mistakes of others. By the way, strangely enough, even though the news reporting of the time and the national attitude used the Cleveland event as a poster child for the early EPA, in fact, by 1969 over 100 million dollars had already been spent to clean up the Cuyahoga River. Residents of Ohio were keenly aware of the issue and the process of cleanup was already underway. Maybe this is one of those "Urban Myth" things.

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24 November 05 - 12:18Happy Thanksgiving

The original thanksgiving was an extension of English customs of the 17th century, a harvest festival, brought to the new world by the Pilgrims. However, after a number of years of impromptu harvest celebrations, in 1676, the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, directed Edward Rawson, their clerk, to proclaim a day of thanksgiving. The proclamation set aside the "29th day of this instant June, as a day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God." Years later a magazine editor, Sarah Hale, wrote numerous editorials calling for a national "Thanksgiving" holiday in her magazine, "Boston Ladies' Magazine." After 40 years of editorializing, Hale's vision was realized when, in 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. The day of thanksgiving was moved around from time to time, but is now set as the fourth Thursday in November. In the spirit of the Pilgrims I urge you to celebrate a day of solomn thanksgiving and praise to God.

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24 November 05 - 01:52A Rose by Any other Name

My latest fascination has been the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. This has captured my interest on and off for years. Right now, for balance, I have been reading about different theories as to what happened on the way to Howland Island including some of the more interesting "consipiracy theories." These theories can get quite wild and in fact some theories say she actually lived anonymously after her death back in the US. For those who don't know, Amelia Earhart was an American aviator who disappeared in 1937, prior to WWII. "Tokyo Rose" broadcasts occured during WWII and were beamed from Japan to our troops in the field, ostensibly to demoralize them. This brings us to another interesting tidbit; the Amelia Earhart and Tokyo Rose connection. First, Tokyo Rose was not a single person, nor was the name Tokyo Rose used by any of the persons known by that name. Tokyo Rose was a name used by our men in the field to generically identify any female announcer on Japanese radio. Here's the Amelia connection: there was such a strong belief among those who heard the "Tokyo Rose" broadcasts that one of the voices was that of Amelia Earhart. Strange as it may seem, her husband, George Palmer Putnam, was actually taken to China to listen to broadcasts to determine if there was any truth to the theory. He did not hear her voice. Have a great Thanksgiving!!

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21 November 05 - 12:06Shine a Blacklight on Rootkits

If you would like to find Rootkits in your computer system you can try the beta version of "Blacklight" until the first of the year. The download site is Blacklight Download. I ran the software on my computer and it shows as clean. This "rootkit" is a public relations nightmare for the music industry. You have to admit, it is a tough position to be in to have a product that can be copied at will. It is tougher to put software on your customer's computers that allow hackers to attack. Let me know if you find anything!!

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20 November 05 - 15:25Unsafe at any Altitude

More about Amelia Earhart. Amazing as it may seem, Amelia Earhart was not a stellar pilot. She was apparently (until the end) actually quite lucky. In several interviews her flying skills were criticized by those who witnessed accidents she had and she actually did not make it to Howland Island twice!! Amelia planned to fly around the world at the equator, a feat yet to be accomplished. On her first attempt she originally headed west. Her circumnavigation got as far as Hawaii. The destination from Hawaii was tiny Howland island which had two packed coral runways (approximated by the yellow dotted lines in the picture), a ground crew, and fuel ready for the next leg of the flight. The island was never truely inhabited on any permanent basis except by bats. The bats left behind enough guano for it to be mined from the island in the late 1800's. (For the uninformed, Guano is seabird or bat poopy.) Loaded with 900 gallons of fuel, Amelia roared down the runway, heading west for Howland Island. Unfortunately she never got off the ground. Drifting off the centerline, she overcorrected during the final stages of takoff. As the plane went sideways the landing gear snapped off. She never made it to Howland island, and the plane was shipped back to the mainland for repair. Some months later the prevailing winds had changed and when she started out again, she headed east instead of west in her attempt to fly around the world. It was the Howland island leg she was on when last seen (and heard). I have read that an airplane has never landed on Howland island as it was meant only to be stepping stone for this first flight around the earth (at the equator). Navy Captain Harry Manning was in the Electra on the westward attempt toward Howland. He stated, "Amelia was responsible for the crash in Honolulu... She overcorrected for sway with too much left rudder... then she overcorrected to the right... I felt the gear going, and was ready to die. There was gas everywhere. We were all just lucky it didn't catch fire." More on Amelia's flying skills (or lack of) another day.

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19 November 05 - 23:16Amelia Earhart - Woman of Mystery

I bought four books today about Amelia Earhart. Most of us remember her as one of the original pioneer aviators. Amelia was not only the first woman to cross the Atlantic ocean in an airplane (as a passenger) in 1928, she went on to become the first woman to fly solo across that same ocean in 1932 (flying from Newfoundland to Ireland). Many of us do not know, however, that she was the poster girl for the Pitcairn autogyro in the 30's and set two altitude records with the helicopter-like machine in the same day. Here's where it gets interesting. The autogyro she was supposed to get was to be the 13th machine off the assembly line (with serial number 13) so she asked for a different machine. She received number 12 instead which was originally destined for Johnny Miller. One would think that would do the trick luck-wise. It certainly did not. Aside from the altitude records, the rest of Amelia's experience with the autogyro was a disaster. Let's review how things went: 1) Amelia's husband and Beech-Nut tobacco planned a cross country flight in the new autogyro. The idea was for her to be the first to fly an autogyro nonstop across the United States. Upon flying across the USA, Amelia arrived in California only to find that Johnny Miller, the pilot who had recived autogyro number 13 (her original machine) had arrived 9 days earlier. So much for luck. NOTE: Although her plane had a much nicer paintjob (with the Beech-Nut logo and all), this was a major embarrassment. 2) Amelia and her team decided that she should immediately turn around and fly back to the east coast, thus being the first to make the transcontinental round trip in an autogyro. Good plan, except for the accident in Abeline, KS which left the machine a wreck, so she returned by train (reminds me of my last Buick trip, thanks to Firestone). 3) Amelia is reprimanded by the Aeronautic Branch of the Department of Commerce (precurser to the FAA) for the accident and narrowly averts a 90 day suspension of her pilot's license based on an investigation of the crash in Kansas. 4) Amelia continued to fly the autogyro. After a rather erratic taking off from the airfield in Camden, New Jersey, she ended up landing on a fence. Amelia was angry as she emerged from the wreckage. As she stepped out of the bent aircraft she announced, "I’ll never get in one of those machines again." 5) Like the rest of us, running low on money can change a person's integrity. Amelia's third (and last) crash in an autogyro occurred in Detroit. Attempting a slow landing in front of the grandstand at the Michigan State Fair, she failed to level off correctly and dropped twenty feet to the ground. Although she was famous, she had a reputation of being impatient and less than thorough. Did you know that she tried to fly around the world not once, but twice? More on her later.....

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15 November 05 - 22:56Sony Saves the Day

A note from Sony-BMG at blog.Sonybmg.com indicating how sorry they are for making it easier for "bad guys" to infect your computer with a virus. Thanks Sony. That'll teach us to download the stuff from Kazaa. It's obviously much simpler to buy the real software and pay to get our computers compromised!! Here's what Sony-BMG says about the "rootkit" boo boo: November 15, 2005 To Our Valued Customers: You may be aware of the recent attention given to the First4Internet XCP content protection software included on some SONY BMG CDs. We have learned that the software includes a feature that may make a user's computer susceptible to a virus written specifically to target the software. We share the concerns of consumers regarding discs with XCP software, and we are instituting a program that will allow consumers to exchange any CD with XCP software for the same CD without copy protection. We also have asked our retail partners to remove all unsold CDs with XCP software from their store shelves and inventory. We will make further details of this program available shortly. We deeply regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers and we are committed to making this situation right. It is important to note that the issues regarding these discs exist only when they are played on computers, not on conventional, non-computer-based CD and/or DVD players. Our new initiatives follow the measures we have already taken, including last week's voluntary suspension of the manufacture of CDs with the XCP software. In addition, to address security concerns, we provided to major software and anti-virus companies a software update, which also may be downloaded at Sonybmg.com. We will shortly provide a simplified and secure procedure to uninstall the XCP software if it resides on your computer. Ultimately, the experience of consumers is our primary concern, and our goal is to help bring our artists' music to as broad an audience as possible. Going forward, we will continue to identify new ways to meet demands for flexibility in how you and other consumers listen to music This is so nice.

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13 November 05 - 23:19The Smoking Gun

If you haven't ever visited "The Smoking Gun" website you should do so immediately. If you are the least bit of a sarcastic or dry humored nature, this will suit you well. I will point you to some of the more interesting articles in the future, but for now. For now, just visit! Look at the celebrity mug shots. They are cool!! The Smoking Gun Website

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13 November 05 - 13:15French Cars

The latest on burning cars in France is 600 to 900 cars burning per day. Remember, 80 cars burn on a "regular" day. When I was a kid my neighbor's son used to drive a Citreon. I was surprised to see a 60's model just like it and have a picture of it here. This is, however, a picture of a car in France, so you have to get a picture fast. I was a little slow getting the camera out of the bag, but you can still see the car a little bit....

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10 November 05 - 22:40Boycott Aruba

It is time to boycott Aruba. The governer of Alabama is seeking support from the other 49 governors on this one. Washington is wimpy (as usual) so this is his best bet. Here is a note from the "National Coalition of Victims in Action" News Release Wire which supports the action. Here is a more direct article from a small Alabama organ Montgomery Advertiser. As I have stated clearly before, the folks in Aruba are as crooked as they come. Naturally I don't believe that this is the ultimate cause. It is low on the list of major issues. It is, however, easy to do and can make the point to at least one corrupt government that it is an abomination what they have done with justice on their place in the sun. I don't believe either, the news from Dr. Phil. He is very optimistic, but I believe that this picture clearly shows the grim reaper himself is one of the new tourists in Aruba. Aruba, where they slip you a Mickey, give you a hickey, and bury you quickly. I am not much of a poet, but it seems clear that the folks at Aruba do not need my vacation bucks. I do not intend any of my family members to be their next "mark." As for my planned vacation to Aruba, instead I'll go somewhere cheap, like I did last year. That will fix them.

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08 November 05 - 21:55State of Emergency

This comes right off the AP wire "The French government declared a state of emergency Tuesday after nearly two weeks of rioting, and the prime minister said the nation faced a 'moment of truth.' '' Ya think!! Don't forget, the prime minister is Dominique de Villepin, not Chirac. They need a president and a prime minister in France. Why is not clear. It seems that the prime minister is someone that Chirac keeps around to handle the really embarrasing stuff. The French have also noted (again through Dominique de Villepin), that the riots are "an appeal." We all get these riots from time to time, but I always thought they were more indications of uncontrolled anger. Whatever. Now that the French are acting decisively, perhaps something will happen for the better. Another thing I have heard. The Muslim world is taking great interest in this activity. The Egyptian daily Al-Massaie is referring to the riots as "the intefadeh (uprising) of the poor.'' Arabic satellite networks have given lead coverage to the insurrection, with regular live reports. I hate to say it, but its nice to see someone else have some problems for a while.

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07 November 05 - 22:56France is France

I keep reading about the French response to the insurrection in their country which is now over a week old. While their response is idiotic and the news is politically correct, lets look at three important facts. 1) These are immigrants and their second generation children 2) These are MUSLIM immigrants (it is important to understand this) 3) The French probably don't see much wrong since 80 cars a day are burned on a normal day Nothing against Muslims here, but lets keep the fact in front of us. It may become important later on. The fact that they are immigrants is important as well. These are people who were dissatisfied with their own country enough to move to France. Looks like they don't like it there either. The grass is not always greener. Last fact. I just read that 80 cars a day are set on fire in France on the average. 80 CARS A DAY!!! There are 63 million people living in France. There are 21 million people in Texas, my home. That means that the population of France is about three times that of Texas. 1/3 of 80 cars is around 27 cars. If 27 cars were set on fire on any one day in Texas, it would be considered an outrage. In France this happens every day. Here is the amazing quote to back this up: "France was slow to react to the spreading violence set off by the accidental deaths of two youths on Oct. 27, in part because the initial nights of unrest did not seem particularly unusual in a country where an average of more than 80 cars a day were set on fire this year even before the violence." This quote is from the New York Times. Check this article New York Times Article. The French seem to have very low expectations as to what peace and tranquility mean. Count your blessings Americans. A normal day in France is crazy!!!

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05 November 05 - 20:01Fire in France

I have been reading up on the French military. I see that their Commander in Chief is Chirac. He is the president and thus Chef des Armées. He is not however in total control. The French constitution puts civil and military government forces at the disposal of the gouvernement (the executive cabinet of ministers). Whoever is in control, now would be an excellent time for the French armed forces to be mobilized. It seems they have some trouble in France. The French have an excellent record when fighting themselves. Winning their own revolution was one of three wins their military has enjoyed. Overall they are 3-8-6 with one win against themselves, one helping the United States, and the Hundred Years War. Here is a list. Gallic Wars - Lost. Hundred Years War - Won, but nearly lost. Italian Wars - Lost. War of Devolution - Tied. The Dutch War - Tied. War of the Augsburg League - Tied. King William's War - Tied. French and Indian War - Tied. War of the Spanish Succession - Lost. American Revolution - Won. French Revolution - Won (fighting against self) The Napoleonic Wars - Lost. The Franco-Prussian War - Lost. World War I - Tied. World War II - Lost, liberated by US. War in Indochina - Lost. Algerian Rebellion - Lost. War on Terrorism - Under way. Muslim Rebelliohn - Under way. I have noted that the French did win the French revolution. Since the were fighting themselves, technically they could not win or lose, but we will call it a win. Perhaps the current situation, if it turns to civil war, will allow the French to up their record to another win. I am watching this one closely. It is not a good situation, I would not call it Muslim uprising, but the result of the French not working to improve the lot of their Muslim immigrants. We all have problems. It would be great if we did not cause these problems through oppresion. Good luck to the French. This is a bad situation.

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05 November 05 - 17:18Bush and Dr Phil Search for Bin Laden

I have just received a picture of Bush, aided by Dr. Phil, searching for Osama Bin Laden. Reports are that they did not find him, even though they felt they were close. Bush had hoped that by going on his own he would resolve the issues encountered in the past where he was not notified in time for teams on the ground to react. Dr. Phil left no stone unturned either, but found neither Osama or Natalie in the region. So the debate continues, are Natalie and Osama alive or dead? Perhaps Osama has been sold into slavery. Perhaps Natalie is in Tora Bora. Whatever the case, the authorities in Aruba are corrupt and the search will go on!

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05 November 05 - 12:32Still Searching

Even though there are skeptics that think it unlikely that Natalie is alive, the search goes on. Even as President Bush searches for Bin Laden, Dr. Phil doggedly searches for Natalie. As with most searches, it is necessary to search all of the locations where the victim was last seen. Recent photos by the papparazzi taken in Aruba show evidence that no stone is being left unturned by Dr. Phil. Good luck!!

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04 November 05 - 21:20Natalie Lives

Wednesday night Dr. Phil presented some amazing news while visiting Jay Leno on the Tonight Show. He believes that Natalie Holloway is alive. He and his operatives are apparently searching Aruba and surrounding countries in an effort to determine her exact whereabouts. The fact that she is not dead would certainly explain the lack of a dead body, but there has got to be a body, dead or alive, somewhere. If she has been sold into prostitution it would seem someone would be poking around wherever she is. If she is alive and can be recovered it would be amazing and wonderful. If I had a magic wand, all of those who have disappeared against their will or died before their time would return in an instant. It is these untimely and unnecessary occurances that are the most disturbing aspect of life. We should all pray for all of the lost.

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02 November 05 - 20:58What Planet are These Guys From?

What planet are the folks at the Washington Post from? Big news today (from the Washington Post folks) on the CIA. Big surprise coming . . . You won't believe it. This is simply unbelievable!!! Here it is. The CIA is keepiing Al Qaieda prisoners in secret locations and these locations are not in the United States. Oooooooo. Who would have thought? Actually, it seems like a very good idea. I would rather have them there than flying around in airplanes, killing innocent folks and knocking down buildings. I am also certain that the CIA plays hardball, as do the terrorist clubs such as Al Qaieda. The Washington Post folks, however, don't seem to have a good grip on what is responsible reporting here. A more mature news staff would have left this one alone. Again, what planet are these guys from?

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