31 October 07 - 21:22Avoid the boonies - Camp in the city

When I was younger I remember the idea of backpacking and budget walks across Europe or the United States fascinated me.  I even remember a book called "Europe on a Dollar a Day" or something like that. The idea was to stay in youth hostels (whatever they are) and tents and what not.  If you are staying in a tent, however, you are usually limited to the country.

I stumbled across this site a while back  [Geekology]  while I was looking for something entirely different.  Along the lines of "entirely different," this is a different sort of tent concept.  It weems the idea is to make a tent that looks like a car cover.  The "car cover tent" can be placed in a parking place in the middle of any suburban area which means you are no longer limited to camping in the boonies.I haven't been able to find this product anywhere,and I don't even know if I would want one, but it is one of those concepts I like.  It's that sorta thinking outside the box type of thing that warms my little heart.

Also, I got to see this new Geekology site.  That was special, too.

I hope the Geekologs don't mind me using their pictures, but this is something I thought everyone should see.

Later.

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29 October 07 - 22:54Hold on tight to your dreams

The song by the Electric Light Orchestra featured in the Honda Accord commercial has been running through my mind as I read this tear jerker.  Hold on tight to your dreams.

One of the mean tricks of existence that always annoys me is the death of an innocent.  Even more, the death of innocence to the youngsters who were this young lad's classmates.  Seven year old kids are not supposed to die, especially pretty, strong, smart little kids with bright little eyes.

I wish his mother and father, family members and all who knew him that this will be a sadness they can endure.  In my mind as the song plays I can remember my son in the passenger seat of his mother's car just ahead of me as they head for a baseball game.  Josh would have been already dressed when she got home.  She is taking him to the game because she got there first.  His baseball cap in showing over the seat next to her and he doesn't even know I am behind him.  I think only good thoughts of this wonderful young man as I drive along watching him.  Once in the game he will give everything he has to give for the team.  He is one of the best team players I have seen in a lifetime that even included 3 years as an athletic director.  He always gives the coach his total attention.

Snapping back, I remember that dreams are funny things.  They don't always turn out the way we want, but we need them anyway.  No matter what, believe in yourself and drive yourself until you can't anymore.  Once you are at that point, bring the ship around and make some new dreams, but always, always have a dream.    

Life is a challenge, but there are no real good alternatives.  Take each day as it comes, and learn to live your dreams.  For this young boy, it is time to dream no more on earth's plane.  He is no longer with us, but time marches on.  Don't make your dream a person, make it something timeless, something that needs change.  People die, but truth, honor, justice, and the American way need not, if you can dream with me.  Keep the American dream alive. 

Justin, thank you for making me think.  Your smiling face could be my son, or even me when I was in second grade.  Good by, Justin.

It's a long time to be gone
Time just rolls on and on
When you need a shoulder to cry on
When you get so sick of trying
Just hold tight to your dream
-ELO

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27 October 07 - 00:24Lincoln Sez - Leadership should be local

Quote--------------

WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - ... [FEMA] employees pose[d] as reporters in a news briefing on California's wildfires that no journalists attended.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, still struggling to restore its image after the bungled handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, issued the apology after The Washington Post published details of the Tuesday briefing.

"We can and must do better, and apologize for this error in judgment," FEMA deputy administrator Harvey Johnson, who conducted the briefing, said in a statement. "Our intent was to provide useful information and be responsive to the many questions we have received."

End of Quote------------

This is so wrong on so many levels it is hard to know where to start. If I remember right, FEMA did not bungle the Hurricane Katrina disaster.  Let's review.

Review.....

Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has ordered the National Guard to “shoot and kill” looters in New Orleans.

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, excuse maker par excellence, failed to organize an evacuation prior to the hurricane.

The hurricane hit more areas than Louisiana, it was just that the government in Louisiana and New Orleans handled the storm more poorly than their neighbors.

The dikes in New Orleans were a disaster waiting to happen and this made it happen.

The storm was a pretty good storm, stronger than most.  I remember plenty of statements before the storm that it would be a certain disaster if it hit New Orleans.  It was.  Apparently Nagen and Blanco listen to different radio stations than me.

End of Review.....

Start of Comparison.......

Katrina Local Leaders...

Described as the worst governor in Louisana history by folks other than me, Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat at the time, has since claimed to be an independent (I think).

Ray Nagin, a Democrat who described New Orleans as a "chocolate" city did nothing to distinquish himself before, during, or after the hurrican struck.  He has managed to deflect a lot of the blame for his ineptness.

California Local Leaders....

Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican governor in California, has led well during the onslaught of fires in his state.

Jerry Sanders, a Republican, has done a great job keeping things going.  He is mayor of San Diego.
     
Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat, seems to be doing well as a leader in Los Angelos during the fires.

End of Comparison.......

Give it a break college boys (and I suppose women) from the liberal press who have no real life experience. Do you even know what leadership is at the national or any level?  I am in my mid 50's and have not seen politicians as inept as the pair from Lousiana during Katrina. The California gang is holding together well.  It does not seem to be a party thing, simply a leadership and competence thing.  AND, it has nothing to do with FEMA or George Bush.  Get over it.  It has everything to do with local leaders.

Again, get over it.

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25 October 07 - 23:38Democrats want my money (and yours)

The Democrat party is busily planning how to get their hand in your pocket.  The tax breaks that were pressed into service by George W. Bush are due to be renewed.  The Democrat bunch want to spend it for you.

These "rich" people that they are always trying to bilk are usually me.  I have been screwed since I have started to pay taxes.  Every mechanism that would allow me to save money is removed by the time it would apply to me.  For now the Democrat party wants to take over half of my money.  Between my wife and myself working (trying to make ends meet) we will probably be in that new 44% category for at least part of our taxes, and then when you figure the social security and medical we are currently taxed for it will be over half my money to the Feds, plus a goodly amount locally for the privilege of living in something other than a box under an overpass.

I have always wanted a woman to become president in my lifetime.  I have always wanted a black man or woman to become a president in my lifetime.  however, the thought of a Hillary Clinton in the office is frightening.  I would like to live in a country like China where you can better yourself by hard work and ingenuity.

Not gonna happen with the Democrats.

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24 October 07 - 21:55The latest on Linux

I'm running SUSE 10.3 Linux on my computer now.  For the life of me I can't see why a large number of people don't want to use it.  To be truthful, it has some holes, but after getting used to it I am now reasonably happy with the result.  Here are some of the things I can do with it.

Out of the "box" SUSE Linux 10.3 is free, and I simply download and burn a DVD to install it. 

• I have Firefox as my browser and I can skin it to work just like IE7 if I want.
• The server side, browser based blog software obviously works identically.
• I can use GImP (Free) to do graphics, it is more powerful than Paintshop Pro.
• I use Open Office 2.0 (free) for all office type applications including presentation software.
• Open Office can read and write many formats including Mac and Microsoft.
• The Evolution mail program (Free) works with the usual IMAP. POP, SMTP stuff.
• Google Earth is available in a Linux format as is Flash, Adobe, Realplayer, and others.
• I use a program called Pidgin to chat with my MSN and AIM contacts.  It is full featured.
• I can use a great simple CAD package for free called QCad.
  

For home use Linux should become a standard.  Free and does all the usual stuff with free stuff.  I will be honest and give you the issues I have with it at the end, but let me give you a few more interesting features:

I have a home network and in this version of Linux it is reasonably simple to join my home workgroup, access my LAN drive, and use a network printer.  I have to use different software, Samba for the windows network, CUPS for the printer drivers, but it is easy to do and works very well.  Frankly I was disappointed with the way it worked in 10.1 and 10.2, but 10.3 is the real deal.

Linux works the way I like a computer to work.  At the core is the Linux Kernal, the core of the Linux "Apple."  On top of that is a choice of Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) which work in a shell on top of Linux.  The two that come on the download are Gnome (my preference) and KDE.  I have used both, but find Gnome more what I am used to.  I found advantages and disadvantages in each, but it is now Gnome in my home.

Two related software packages are available called WINE and Crossover Office.  I have used both.  WINE is free and Crossover is cheap ($40 bucks, I think).  These program packages will wrap a Microsoft Windows program and within limits allow you to run it on the Linux system.  I have read articles about how software as complex as AutoCAD can be used in this manner and I see no reason that a sharp IT professional could not make other things work as well.  This is not for the faint of heart, however.

If you are a gamer, I really don't know what you do.  I am sure there are solutions, but there are enough dinkum games to entertain me if I want to blow off a few minutes or relax.  It is the heavy duty gamers that I cannot address here because I have not yet tried, but I will.  This is part of my hobby.

There is also an automatic software updater and a great array of software to allow you to access your system.   The issues I have had in the past are rapidly being eliminated, but there are some weak points.

• The gaming thing, I just don't know how these programs are installed.
• You need to learn different software for doing the things you are used to. It is like being in a parallel computer universe.
• Sometimes the software works identically to what I am used to, sometimes it does not and I have to learn.
• Installing Windows software with WINE or Crossover takes some getting used to.

That aside, I now have both computers on a KBD switch and I use Linux over 80% of the time.  That percentage will keep going up as I figure out more ways to make use of what is available in Linux.

Also, you rarely have to reboot after an update.  I have done only one update that required a reboot in the almost a year I have been doing Linux. 

There are many free Linux distributions out there.  I have tried Redhat, Xandros, and SUSE.  SUSE seems to be the one with the most support.  You don't have to do a new computer, if you have disk space do a dual boot machine to try it.  You might like it!

I am not sure where the penguin fits in.  He is the Linux mascot or something, so I have included him here.  He has a name, but I forgot it.

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23 October 07 - 22:12Nuke the Carbon Dioxide

AP Quote------

"SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The state's attorney general said Monday that he would sue the Environmental Protection Agency in an attempt to force it to decide whether to let California and 11 other states impose stricter standards on certain vehicle emissions.

The lawsuit, expected to be filed Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., comes 22 months after California first asked the EPA to let the state impose tougher regulations on emissions of greenhouse gases from cars, pickup trucks and sports utility vehicles.

California wants to implement a 2002 state law that would require automakers to begin making vehicles that emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions by model year 2009. It would cut emissions by about a quarter by the year 2030. But the law can take effect only if the EPA grants the state a waiver under the Clean Air Act.

'Unfortunately, the Bush administration has really had their head in the sand, 'Attorney General Jerry Brown said. 'In this case, there has been an unreasonable delay.'"

End of Quote------

At first blush I thought this seemed like a rather idiotic idea, reducing greenhouse emissions through law, but on second blush, I have to agree with California on this one.  They may be a bit wierd out there, but this issue is theirs not ours.  If California wants to do this, it should be their prerogative.  Actually the idea fits more with my thinking than I thought it did.

The greenhouse gas de jour is carbon dioxide.  Actually the most common greenhouse gas is water, but we ignore that "just because."  Carbon dioxide is a natural product of combustion when you burn a carbon based compound.  That could be a petroleum product, ethanol, or biodiesel.  They all have carbon in them and they all emit carbon dioxide when burned in engines or open fires.

There are a lot of reasons why carbon dioxide is on the rise, but there is compelling evidence that man is tipping the balance.  Even though we are responsible for less than 10% of the flows of carbon dioxide compared to natural sources, it may be enough.  Why not limit it when there are so many good things that will come about from the change.

My personal favorite method to reduce carbon dioxide emissions is to concentrate on bringing nuclear power plants on line in our country.  This staple of energy was a market that the United States owned in the fifties through the seveties.  We invented nuclear power!!  In 1953 President Eisenhower proposed his "Atoms for Peace" program and it was, to a great extent, California movie star types that screwed things up on this area.  Maybe California can redeem itself and be responsible for a resurgence of nuclear power, once they figure out what's what.

Good luck carbon haters.  I am a bit more moderate on the subject, but believe in state's rights and I believe that it will be a great idea to look at ways to limit greenhouse gas emissions because burning natural gas for everything and designer diesel is not the answer to the energy crunch and pollution equation.

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22 October 07 - 01:06Number, Please

THIS IS A JOKE!!!

Rrriiiiinnnnggg, rrriiiinnnngg,

"Hello?"

"Hi honey. This is Daddy. Is Mommy near the phone?"

"No, Daddy. She's upstairs in the bedroom with Uncle Paul."

After a brief pause, Daddy says, "But honey, you haven't got an Uncle Paul."

"Oh yes I do, and he's upstairs in the room with Mommy, Right now."

Brief Pause.

"Uh, okay then, this is what I want you to do. Put the phone down on the table, run upstairs And knock on the bedroom door and shout to Mommy,That Daddy's car just pulled into the driveway."

"Okay, Daddy, Just a minute."

A few minutes later The little girl comes back to the phone.

"I did it, Daddy."

"And what happened, honey?" He asked.

"Well, Mommy got all scared, jumped out of bed With no clothes on and ran around screaming.

Then she tripped over the rug, hit her head on the dresser And now she isn't moving at all!"

"Oh my God!!! What about your Uncle Paul?"

"He jumped out of the bed with no clothes on, too.

He was all scared and he jumped out of the back window And into the swimming pool. But I guess he didn't know that you took out the water last week to clean it.

He hit the bottom of the pool and I think he's dead."

Long Pause

Longer Pause

Even Longer Pause

Then Daddy says, "Swimming pool? ......... Is this 486-5731?"

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20 October 07 - 00:24Buy American (Made in the USA)

As you may have figured, I am basically a Republican when it comes to my political beliefs.  I do not automatically support a candidate because they belong to the "Grand Old Party," but I will vote that way when in doubt.  I have voted for one Democrat president in my life, Jimmy Carter.  That is my shame.  He has turned into an America hating lunatic.  Maybe there is a medical reason for his current behavior with his being old and all, but I thought he was a different person before he was elected.  After he was elected, as president when Ama-diddy-whack-job was one of the "students" who held Americans hostage in Iran he made the USA look majorly stupid worldwide.  It was my presidential choice who as president over-ruled military advice and sent a "too small" rescue force into Iran so that the rescuers became an international embarassment in addition to the tension of having our people trapped in our Iranian embassy.

However, these days, I am deeply concerned with an issue that makes me sound like a Democrat again.  Truth be known, I don't consider this a partisan issue.  It is the issue of  "Made in the USA."  This is also related to why I am a Wal-Mart despiser, but that is another story for another day.

I had planned on raving about companies that are no longer American manufacturers, but simply importers.  I still intend to do that, but I had planned to start by directing you, the reader, to makers of American goods.  This website, How to Buy American.com, does that now!!  This is a very small website, but they have two pages that are of major interest; the first is the "links" page [How to Buy American - Links] which has links to web sites related to the "Made in USA" topic.  Secondly, there is the [Free Samples] page that spotlights American companies that make products in America and give you free samples.

Here is my challenge to you.  How would you propose that we (you and I) do to incentize America to go back to making things in the United States?  Lets get crazy.  Should we lower the minimum wage?  Should we give "incentives" or even "subsidies" to American businesses that make their products in the USA?  Should we give businesses tax breaks if they bring products back from overseas and start making them in American factories with real Americans?

Truely, a socialized "Hillorycare" style medical system is at the bottom of my radar screen of items required by our country.  A fence between here and Mexico is another thing that I believe is viable in the area of control of illegal access to our country; this is very important, but pales when it comes to the issue of "Not Made in USA."  My idea is a bit different than those I suggested, above, but I don't care how we do it, we simply need to get manufacturing back to the U S of A.  If the fricken' government lackies (senators, representatives, judges, beaurocrats and such need a goal, it is to get manufacturing back to the USA.  Right DAMN now. 

Get on it government guys and gals.  Do something except talk.  Why not try to make America great again?  We need your help.

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19 October 07 - 00:08As Positive as I want to be (I ordered a 5 pack)

"A Complaint Free World" is the website for the item of my interest.  Although I consider myself a very positive person, I have a propensity to vent (sometimes at volume) and I have been known to complain about things.  Although I do not consider myself a pro at complaining, I am a probably at the level of ranked amateur.

Complaining is not to be confused with informing someone of a mistake or deficiency so that they can correct it.  Complaining is this same information with an attitude.  The example given on the website is a comparison between telling a waiter that the soup is cold and needs warming which is neutral as opposed to saying something like "How could you possibly serve me cold soup?" which would be complaining.

The bracelet, as shown in the photo to the left, was worn by Will Bowen.  His challenge is for anyone to go without complaining for 21 days.  Where does the bracelet come in?  You wear the bracelet like a rubber band.  If you complain about anything you switch the bracelet from one arm to another.  Back and forth all day.  You are trying to switch the bracelet zero times.  That would be a "crab free" day.  The real trick is to go for 21 days in a row.  Many people go for months without stringing even one day in a row.

In a recent interview with Matt Lauer of the Today show Will brought this interesting concept to my attention.  He has also written a book, "A Complaint-Free World" which you can purchase anywhere.  [Barnes and Noble]  So far I have not ordered the book, I have only ordered a five pack of bracelets.  I might also order Will's book in the near future, because I need to be as positive as I want to be.

Remember this.  While I endorse Will's goal of a crab free world, he is a minister and his website is linked to his church site.  I do not personally disagree with his religious bent, and hope it will not deter you from ordering yourself a few bracelets.  I am on a mission for a "crab free" world.

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16 October 07 - 23:46Better living through hypnotism

A woman comes home and tells her husband, "Remember those headaches I've been having all these years? Well, they're gone."
 
"No more headaches?" the husband asks, "What happened?
 
His wife replies, "Margie referred me to a hypnotist. He told me to stand in front of a mirror, stare at myself and repeat:
 
I do not have a headache.
 
I do not have a headache.
 
I do not have a headache.
 
It worked! The headaches are all gone!"
 
The husband replies, "Well, that is wonderful."
 
His wife then says, "You know, you haven't been exactly a ball of fire in the bedroom these last few years. Why don't you go see the hypnotist and see if he can do anything for that?"
 
The husband agrees to try it.
 
Following his appointment, the husband comes home, rips off his clothes grabs his wife and carries her into the bedroom.
 
He puts her on the bed and says, "Don't move, I'll be right back."
 
He goes into the bathroom and comes back a few minutes later and jumps into bed and makes passionate love to his wife like never before.
 
His wife says, "Boy, that was wonderful!"
 
The husband says, "Don't move! I will be right back."
 
He goes back into the bathroom, comes back and round two was even better than the first time.
 
The wife sits up and her head is spinning.
 
Her husband again says, "Don't move, I'll be right back."
 
With that, he goes back in the bathroom.
 
This time, his wife quietly follows him and there, in the bathroom, she sees him standing at the mirror and saying:
 
"She's not my wife."
 
"She's not my wife."
 
"She's not my wife!"
 
~~His funeral will be on Monday.~~

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16 October 07 - 00:32American Business Models that Suck

Technology Licensing Corporation and IP Innovation have filed a patent infringement claim against Red Hat and Novell.  Microsoft, the uncontrolled monopoly has recently been threatening this.  Instead of doing it directly, it appears that a "former" employee of Microsoft (further strangely enough a lawyer) has left Microsoft to work for one of these companies.

In the process I have learned a new word, descriptor, actually.  The descriptor is "Patnent Troll."

There is no way to put a happy face on this kind of person.  They are right in line with Mafia and La Cosa Nostra extortion techniques.  Squarely lined up with street thugs and other slime.  Their business model is to buy patents that can be applied to larger companies in an attempt to get settlements.

It works this way.  First you buy the rights to a patent that is not really doing anything.  This patent, however, needs to have a connection to what a company with deep pockets is doing.  Juries are stupid enough these days (and unable to understand technical crap) that lawyers can convince a jury just about anything.  There may even be a bit of validity to the case.  No matter, the plan is to attack the viable business with your sicko "patent troll" business in hopes of getting huge buyoffs or acceptance of royalty plans.

It's a nifty idea for those without morals, buy something which one company considers worthless and use it to extort another company.  If you work it right you can screw everybody.  Legal?  Probably, but only because there is such a low level of ethics amongst lawyers that they would never figure out that this is immoral.  Wait, what am I saying!!!  In the United States immoral is not really of concern any more.  That is a religious creation.  As long as it is human it is OK, right Democrats?

Screw those businesses, send that work to China.  Make American businesses sorry they ever opened shop here.

Have you heard of the other business model that drives me nuts?  Buy an old person's insurance policy and pay the premiums until they croak.  The idea is to gamble that the person will die quick.  It's a good old American business.  I kid you not.

When will we go back to inventing and making things again?  Our leaders have created such a caustic business environment in this country, that businesses like this seem like a good idea.  Two things for sure, they don't pollute and they don't need any of those nasty middle class employees!!

Later.

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13 October 07 - 10:05Shank's Mare

My Dad had a lot of expressions that became part of the household lexicon.  One of these was the term "shank's mare."  The meaning of the term was simple, walk, don't ride.  If I would want to use the car, he would suggest I use "shank's mare" or, in other words, walk.

It's an interesting window on terminology.  If the word had been built today it might be "shank's car" or "shank's motorcycle" since the reference is to using your legs instead of upgraded transportation, which in the "good old days" would have been a horse, maybe a mare.

Driving home today I mixed together some thoughts related to how things are now and how things used to be....   Probably more deep thoughts, ya think?

Anyways, I never met my great grandfather, but I knew of him.  He moved to the northern United States from Canada, his ancestory was always described to me as Scottish and Irish.  When he settled, there was nothing in the area he had moved except land, some trappers, and other settlers.

He built a farm, a family, and became part of a small community.  He gave time and money to build a Methodist church and lived in a farm near the edge of town.  Town means a place with a few hundred people.

Anywhere they went they would either walk or use transportation with muscle for motive power.  They had oxen, horses, mules, and the like to get the job done. Also, they had "shank's mare."  It was an option because you could walk anywhere in town in minutes (including to work) and even a walk to a farm a mile or two away was only 15 to 20 minutes if you walked briskly.

Today, we have developed our entire society around cars.  Work areas are seperated from living areas and everyone goes every which way to go about their life.  We think nothing of this.  I sometimes wonder, why is this lifestyle a requirement?  It has become a necessity to the most ridiculous degree.

Instead of figuring out how to reduce pollution from individual cars, I am thinkin we need to reduce the number of cars.  It would be the ultimate challenge.  Cars are like gods in our society.  Its hard to get rid of a god.  They are the modern day idol.

Vroom, vroom.

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11 October 07 - 23:59CONSPIRICY!!!

Modern amazing marvels include caller ID, voice mail, and the internet (as invented by Al Gore) which make it easy for us to detect what isn't right where in the past we would be vulnerable. Yessiree, Bob we are pretty savvy here at the Armstrong home. Don't you know when a caller ID kept showing up from the same local number (972) with a label CTI we were naturally suspicious. There might be some kind of suspicious activity here and we are ready for it.

It's time to Google these suspicious characters at CTI. I rub my hands together and Google “CTI” which doesn't help a bit. There are some tidbits there, very suspicious tidbits, but nothing concrete. I get more suspicious.

Next I Google the phone number. This confirms it, totally suspicious results here. The sites that return when the number is typed in are of two types. They are either very strange sites that seem to be strangely the same with the phone number embedded in gibberish, or a small number of websites that discuss phishing scams and nuisance phone calls. Some people even claim they say they are from Citibank. Hahahahaha, we won't fall for that. They are after the family nest egg.

This looks like a phony collection agency scam that is trying to steal my identity!!! One person at the scam phone number website has even reported these clowns from CTI to the FBI!! Talk about your three letter acronyms! Go baby, get those jerks off the street! Steal my identity will you.

Just to check things out, Marla calls the number. Confirmation!! They have her name on record!! They ask for Social Security information, her mom's maiden name, and ask if she has various credit cards. Just as I thought, they are out to screw us, they want to get the last pieces of the puzzle and steal our identity and get the hundreds I have in my life savings. THE BASTARDS!!!

We discuss sending the evidence to the FBI ourselves or whatever else we can do to protect our fellow Americans and illegal aliens who masquerade as such. We'll get 'em!!!

The next day CITI calls again. Ha ha!! Marla is ready for them and answers.

Home Depot card? Yes, indeed, we got one but the whole thing is screwed up. Marla is evasive and gathers information from the crooks at CITI. She knows I will check these scumbags out when I get home.

I check them out. Oops, they are legitimate, our card from Home Depot is serviced by Citibank and they got the wrong address. Someone read the number three from our address as the number five and so our bills have not been getting through and they were using the phone to contact us.

Again, oops!

 

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09 October 07 - 08:08It's tough to outsmart a blonde

A blonde had just gotten a new sports car and was out for a drive when she accidentally cut off a large truck.

The driver was outraged and was eventually able to make her pull over.

He got out of his truck and pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket.

He drew a circle on the side of the road and gruffly commanded to the blonde in his most threatening voice, "Stand in that circle and DON'T MOVE!"

He then went to her car and cut up her leather seats.

When he turned around she had a slight grin on her face, so he said, "Oh you think that's funny? Watch this!"

He gets a baseball bat out of his truck and breaks every window in her car.

When he turns and looks at her she has a smile on her face.

Now he's getting really mad. He gets his knife back out and slices all her tires.

Now she's laughing.

The truck driver is really starting to lose it. He goes back to his truck and gets an extra can of diesel fuel, pours it on her car and sets it on fire.

He turns around and she is laughing so hard she is about to fall down.

"What's so funny?" the truck driver asked the blonde.

She replied, "Every time you weren't looking, I stepped outside the circle!"

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09 October 07 - 08:08Small Town America

The picture at the left is Lisbon, ND. For most of my childhood I lived in that small town of 2200 people in southeastern North Dakota. From the time I was three years old until I was 22 years old I called that my home, and once gone I lived in other small cities ranging from 400 to 1500 in size until I left teaching and North Dakota in 1983. Lisbon is still my home town.

Crandon, a town, in Wisconsin has been in the news and it is the same kind of town I grew up and lived in until I was 32 years old. Everyone knew or knew of all the other citizens in one way or another. People moved in their own circles, but the circles overlapped and there was a strong feeling of community. We felt we were part of something together. When someone did well, we all swelled with pride, and when someone was in trouble we all felt somehow involved and wondered what we could have done to make things turn out differently.

So it is in Crandon. Tyler Peterson, a local law enforcement officer went off the deep end early last Sunday and killed 6 people, most of whom were his friends. For certain he knew them all. I know exactly what will happen now.

When I was living in Lisbon, ND in the late 50's and 60's the "murder" occured. The previous strange death was decades earlier, a man I only knew as "Chicken Jones" who was supposed to have shot himself while also hanging himself in a barn that was set on fire..... Hmmmmmm.

This event will become part of the local psyche and will be discussed for years and years to come. It will be reasoned out, rationalized, discussed, dissected, and never will it entirely be put to rest. It will always be "hush hush," but it will come up for years in private conversations.

For now, it is over. Everyone involved is dead, including the murderer. There will be no public trial, only the private discussions. In a strage sort of way, it reminds me of what I liked and disliked about small towns. I'll tell you the truth. The likes exceed the dislikes by a large factor. People used to the large cities don't know what a real sense of community is.

Good luck, Crandon.

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07 October 07 - 00:18Deep Thoughts

For some odd reason I found myself in a conversation about entropy. Entropy is usually first served up to anyone familiar with the word in a science class, probably chemistry or physics, but it is going to show up in thermodynamics for sure.

It is a concept that can be used to solve energy change situations and is also the basis of the second law of thermodynamics. Basically I first heard it described as the tendency of any system to move naturally from a state of order to disorder. The concept of entropy tells us that a pot of tea will never heat itself up naturally or a field of rocks will never pile themselves up.

Another way is to say "Energy will dispers from being localized to becoming spread out if it is not hindered from doing so." Tonight when the lovely Marla and I were watching television and were reminded of a recent death it reminded me of entropy.

Everything, and I mean everything, decays, spoils, rots, and eventually dies in some way or another. Stars die, planets die, people, plants, geographic formations, everything. A sort of corallary states that nothing is permanent, everything changes.

So many questions arise as to why this is, but then there is the question of consciousness. What is it and why does it exist?

Well, time to leave and think some more deep thoughts.

Or maybe these thoughts are just signs of confusion......

Whatever.....

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06 October 07 - 08:08Sputnik and Cubscouts and Stuff

It was October 5, 1957 and I was into my second month of first grade. Even though it was just a metal ball with a radio and four antennae, the satellite Sputnik surprised and embarrassed the West, particularly the United States. Sputnik's 100 pound battery allowed it to send out its radio beep for 21 days, and Sputnik continued to orbit for another 26 days before it burned up on re-entry.

Things were different back then. Eisenhower was president, except for golfing he didn't do crap, but everyone liked him. In fact, his election slogan was "I like Ike." Ike was his nickname. By the way, he is also a Texan due to being born in Denison, TX. Anyways, the Russians were 10 feet tall in 1957 and the country was aware that they were the enemy. In fact, we were in a "cold war" with them.

Interestingly, I soon joined Cub Scouts a year or two later and we did skits at the pack meetings. One year our skit was about landing on the moon. We had a slogan for the skit which was "Cub Scouts to the moon, we got there first!" First meant ahead of the Russions.

The other thing I remember about this time frame was the weather reports on television. The weather reports would also tell us where to look for these satellites in the night sky. We would go out to the country and watch the night sky in the area we were directed by the weatherman. It was so exciting to a kid my age, even though it only looked like a star that moved.

Happy birthday Sputnik.

By the way, in case you missed it, there is a new space race afoot. Where to? Why the moon, again. I'll have to look into it!

Later!

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05 October 07 - 00:05Craig's List

Here's a great quote for you from the Associated Press.

"BOISE, Idaho -- Sen. Larry Craig told The Associated Press in April that once a lawmaker started thinking he couldn't be replaced, it was time to leave. On Thursday, he said a replacement couldn't do his job."

I, personally, have not trouble seeing what's wrong with this picture. It hasn't anything to do with the value of Larry Craig based on anything so esoteric as his value in relation to his thoughts of being indispensible. It is a very simple observation.

Here is a man elected to make decisions for all of us. He is a Senator from Idaho, but his decisions effect citizens and illegal, but entitled residents of our country everywhere. Here is a man who may or may not have been soliciting sex in the men's room. That is also beside the point.

If this man is expected to make hard decisions he needs to have a spine, sometimes called a backbone, guts, intentinal fortitude, the right stuff..... You get the picture.

This man has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt he has no integrity, his word means nothing, he will say whatever he thinks will make things easy (for example, "I'm guilty.").

I certainly hope he is not a representative sample of a typical US Senator. I hope the Senate takes bi-partisan action to get rid of this man. Can they get rid of him for being unfit to be a Senator, or do they have to cop a case based on his bathroom manners?

People like Craig make me ashamed to be an American.

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03 October 07 - 23:40What has happened to progress in America?

Maybe I am getting old, but I was doing a bit more thinking about what was happening when I was a kid and what is happening now.  I am talking about change, real change.  Things getting better......   It seems to have stopped, and I am wondering if it is the failure of my generation.

I was born in 1951 and when I was very young we listened to the radio, but very soon that changed.  One day my dad came home with a huge mahogany television set.  It was quite a production installing the two antennas on the roof, one fo each of the two channels that were available.  We could receive NBC and CBS, but sometimes they would pick up a station from ABC.  One of my favorite shows was "Broken Arrow."  It was an ABC program that was shown on another channel.  I remember that because when the ABC channel went on the air we couldn't pick it up until we got a new antenna.  Once done we had three channels, soon to be four when PBS started broadcasting.

By the time left high school we had color television and satellite communications had been born.  I was so impressed with the future of science I wanted to be a scientist.

Then there was the marvel of the telephones.  I barely remember phones where you would pick up the receiver and wait for the operator, our phone exchange was small and one of the last to change, but I used them as a very young child when they were replaced with dial telephones.  By the time I was in middle school in the mid 1960's we had pushbutton phones and the prospect of video on phones was being discussed in the media.

The real fast track was in the area of space exploration.  It was 1961, over forty years ago, when President John F. Kennedy presented a bold challenge before a joint session of Congress: Send a man to the moon by the end of the decade.  Here is what happened in eight years time.  We started with the first operational US ballistic missile.  After numerous test flights, the Redstone was declared operational in June, 1958.

It was the Redstone which was adapted by NASA in an effort to launch the first U.S. astronauts. A modified Redstone missile, with a Mercury capsule on top successfully launched Alan Shepard space on May 5, 1961, the same year John Kennedy approached congress with the goal of a man on the moon.  Although the Redstone was only powerful enough to support sub-orbital manned flights, the vehicle did repeat its historic task as Virgil "Gus" Grissom flew aboard a Mercury Redstone on July 21, 1961.

It was on February 20, 1962, after two hours and 17 minutes of holds and three hours and 44 minutes after Glenn entered Friendship 7, that the more powerfull Atlas rocket was finally launched.  It was in this atmosphere of scientific adventure that I entered grade school.  We landed a man on the moon the year I graduated in 1969, the summer before I entered college.

I believed we had the national resolve to harnass nuclear energy, jump from the moon to Mars, solve the issue of race relations, and create world peace.  The likes of Jane Fonda killed our ability to rationally understand nuclear energy, war seemed to continue (Jane Fonda didn't help in this area either), and the space program went kaput after the moon.  On the bright side race relations are light years ahead of what they were prior to the 1960's, but America has become a second class nation.  We do not create, we do not innovate, and we do not manufacture.  We count beans.

Oh, beans.  I hope it was Jane Fonda and not my generation that ruined the promising future of the 1960's.

Later.

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03 October 07 - 09:09Microsoft Dumbells

Here is a quote typical of what I have read in several sources lately.

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XP Gets Five Month Life Extension

October 2, 2007: Windows Vista has been left out in the cold for another five months, with Microsoft granting original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) five more months of XP sales due to strong customer demand for the aging operating system.

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There is something wrong when a company can't seem to understand they have a product that customer's want.  It seems as though the attitude at Microsoft is disbelief that people want their XP product.  In my world we were always willing to sell retired products, for a price.  Microsoft might find some people willing to pay extra for XP.  I know I am not interested in Vista.

But wait, they have the new "Genuine Screw You" system in place so you cannot easily use old copies of the XP system.  Makes you wonder what happens to the XP software when Microsoft tires of activating it.

What a company.

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02 October 07 - 08:08Are men and women different?

Warning!  If you are a woman you may not like reading this.  If you do read this, think about how anyone effects the common good for any reason.  The idea is to show why women and men are different when it comes to getting a job done.  We are not prejudging here, only observing reality, something that is not always nice.

Imagine yourself a Norwegian standing in front of Roald Amundson in the early 1900's.  You are a woman and pregnant, but you want to be one of the first to the south pole.  Should the expedition be delayed because of your condition?  The English expedition may win the race.  Should you file a lawsuit and risk the glory of being first for Norway against your need to have a baby?

Imagine yourself standing in front of Sir Edmund Hillary who is ready to climb Mount Everest.  You are a Sherpa woman, perfectly capable of taking him to the summit of Mount Everest, you really want to do this, but you are pregnant and can't do it right now.  Tenzing Norgay is selected instead.  Should you sue?

A meteor is speeding toward earth.  Someone is needed to lead the team that will save mankind from certain extinction.  You can do it, but you are 7 months pregnant and the project will take place over the next 6 months. You will require at least a month off during that time to take care of your maternity needs. Your boss gives the job to a man who you feel is not as qualified as you, however, he can be with the team for the entire time frame.

You have just come back from maternity leave.  The man that took your place while you were gone came up with a sure way to double the company's business in the next five months.  You are offered a different job since he is so successful at your old job.  Is it time for you to see a lawyer?

Where is the line?  If you are the boss, should you have to sacrifice the safety and timing of your task to allow a pregnant woman a chance for fullfilling her desires?  Perhaps I am a bit process oriented, but it does not make sense to sacrifice the common good and goals for the needs of a pregnant or recently pregnant woman.

Here are recent examples:

Example 1: Monica Prestia, who was hired as a sales rep by Bloomberg LP in 1997, contends she was treated differently from male workers and was subjected to "harassment, hostile work environment and other forms of discrimination" after she became pregnant in February 2005.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is persuing her case and that of 3 others saying they were excluded from job opportunities after they disclosed they were pregnant.

Example 2: A Harvard student must be allowed extra break time during her nine-hour medical licensing exam so she can pump breast milk to feed her 4-month-old daughter, a Massachusetts appeals court judge ruled Wednesday.

Sophie Currier, 33, sued after the National Board of Medical Examiners turned down her request to take more than the standard 45 minutes in breaks during the exam.

If as a society we do not understand the importance of getting the job done and how it is effected by individuals and their limitations, we will be beaten by the competition.  We have enough problems with salary greed without this apparent selfishness of individuals willing to risk the good of others because they were not given golder treatment during a personal situation.

I don't believe that women should not have their biological reality of childbearing ignored, but I don't believe ignoring the effects of the process should be the normal way to proceed in these societal situations.

A person is hired to do a job and people should be treated the same in given situations.  Should I be able to go to the commetee and say I have a situation which requires me to have my sperm pumped and, please give me extra time for my test?  What about people who are really crippled or handicapped?  Can I rub my stump?  It bothers me if I don't tend to it.

It does kinda make one think there really is a difference between men and women and that difference can effect job performance.  Like it or not.

This article is politically incorrect, but then, I am not running for office, either.

Let me know what you think.

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