Following Entry Posted 8/31/2003 09:13:00 PM

REBUTTAL

I recently offered my opinion on the fact that the University of Michigan has included in their curricula a course that celebrates homosexuality. My take is that the course offering is inappropriate because it is taxpayer supported and promotes a lifestyle that evidence indicates is dismally shortened.

My post elicited the following comment from Alan Sullivan:

I linked here from John Ray's blog. I've commented on his observations and yours in the following post on my own site.
http://bilge.seablogger.com/archives/000236.php
To summarize in brief: you don't know what you're talking about.

As clarification, John Ray's blog is Dissecting Leftism. And, as an aside, John Ray is a no nonsense source of information and visitors to his site are given candy.

I visited Alan's site and learned that he was able to discern that, in addition to the fact that I didn't know what I was talking about, he also didn't know what I was talking about. So, if I understand him, neither one of us know what I'm talking about and there's no point of contention. I've always been a fan of happy endings.

Unfortunately, I happen to think I know what I'm talking about. And, also unfortunately, Alan did not address the points I was making. Specifically, evidence indicates that homosexuals live shorter lives and celebrating the homosexual lifestyle should not be done at taxpayer expense.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/31/2003 08:16:00 PM

ROCK & ROLL HALL of FAME

The radio is playing oldies and just finished with "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and the Comets. It made me think of a question I've had for years.

Would somebody please tell me why the first inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was Aretha Franklin as opposed to Bill Haley, Hank Ballard, Buddy Holly, Alan Freed, or many others? Nothing against Aretha, but in my mind she wasn't part of the beginning of the genre. When I think of "classic" rock and roll, her name doesn't come to mind.

My choice would have been Alan Freed. After all, he coined the term.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/31/2003 07:01:00 PM

BLOGGER HUBRIS ELIMINATOR ONE STEP PROGRAM

Feeling cocky today? Somebody complimented you on your speech, your car, your outfit or, maybe, your hair? You played golf and somebody shouted "you da' man" and pointed at you? Your chest is broadcasting confidence that you are the man.

Never fear. Interested-Participant has contracted with the Intelligent and Cheap Resources Institute (ICRI) to develop a program to provide temporary relief from excessive pride.

Here it is:

STEP ONE - On your blog, click on "SiteMeter"

STEP TWO - After page loads, click on "Who's On?"

STEP THREE - Count the number of visitors, if any. [I-P notes that: It usually displays "There have been no visitors to your site in the last 20 minutes."]

STEP FOUR - Access Hobo Killing Puppy Blender and click on "SiteMeter"

STEP FIVE - After page loads, click on "Who's On?"

STEP SIX - WARNING

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COUNT

Immediately avert your eyes and listen to the telepathic hum. Imagine millions of roaches in the kitchen when the lights are out. Imagine the weird while standing beneath a 500,000 volt transmission line. Imagine a babbling brook or anything, but DO NOT COUNT. We have a society that has emergency psychological response teams waiting to identify a new disorder or syndrome. DON'T COUNT, just listen.

STEP SEVEN - Repeat steps 1 through 6 as often as necessary.

Extensive clinical trials are in progress so the effectiveness of the program is yet to be determined for a large population. Preliminary results indicate it works for me.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/31/2003 06:52:00 AM

AS A BASEBALL FAN

I'm insulted by the television commercial where George Steinbrenner doesn't understand how Derek Jeter can honky-tonk every night and all night long. The contention is that he needs the Capital One credit card in order to spend money every night. For Christ's sake, the guy makes more in one baseball game than most people will make in a lifetime. No rational adult will be influenced by the commercial. So, who's it aimed at?
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       Following Entry Posted 8/31/2003 05:27:00 AM

RUSSIAN SUB SUNK in BARENTS SEA

My heart goes out to anyone who has loved or befriended a sailor who has been lost at sea. Even more so when it's a submariner lost at sea.

I have experience from years ago, but I think my comments are valid today. The loss of life was the result of inattention to procedural detail during normal evolutions which produced a series of uncontrolled perturbations. Mumbo-jumbo, but true.

But realistically, it wasn't the pontoon rig they had attached to the hull, nor was it the weather that caused a crew to lose their lives. It also wasn't because somebody left a hatch wide open, nor was it because the people responsible were inadequately trained.

No, it is because the Russian nuclear navy is an afterthought. To maintain a nuclear submarine fleet is a major national commitment. Since Ronald Reagan forced the Asian continent to restructure its priorities down to the level of divvying up the now defunct Soviet navy, the dedicated sailors of a once proud Atlantic Fleet are decimated. What remains are rarely regularly paid.

So, somebody, please tell me why else would a 9000 ton vessel with only a slightly positive buoyancy and a 100 megawatt end-of-life nuclear reactor core have a crew of only ten, only ten sailors while on the surface in foul weather?
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       Following Entry Posted 8/31/2003 12:01:00 AM

SCIENTISTS IN SWITZERLAND have finally confirmed that flies can actually fly. Researchers in Zurich showed that instead of swimming on air, flies actively use their wings in a series of steering and countersteering movements.

Don't forget your toothbrush, published in the British Dental Journal, relates that a 69-year-old man who tried to relieve a painful bout of hemorrhoids with a toothbrush was forced to have the offending item surgically removed after it was lost "where the sun does not shine."

Singapore's Chinese community has opposed a proposal to include eyes in the national organ donor program, saying they will need them in the afterlife. Many in the predominantly Chinese country are Buddhists and Taoists, who believe that if their eyes are removed, they will be blind in their next life.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/30/2003 04:53:00 AM

ONCE NEARLY ERADICATED, BEDBUGS RETURNING

This story came as a complete surprise to me:

Once thought virtually eradicated in the United States, the bedbug is back.

"An insect is living beside you while you sleep, it withdraws three times its body weight in your blood; it's a psychological concern," said Frank Meek, national pest control technical manager for Orkin.

Kansas State University entomologist Ludek Zurek said that by the end of 2002, the little bloodsuckers had been reported in at least 28 states.

The bugs are flat, wingless, smaller than a ladybug and can hide in bedding, mattresses, and crevices in walls and floors. Fortunately, they're not known to carry disease.

International travel is considered to be part of the cause of resurgence with people bringing the bugs home from foreign countries. Although management is not talking about it, the greatest percentage of new infestations is in hotels and motels. Mike Lawton, a staff entomologist with Western Exterminator Company in Irvine, CA, said:

"They've (bedbugs) had an incredible impact on high-end hotels," he said. "You've got to keep it hush-hush. If the word 'bedbug' gets out, it scares a lot of people away."

Sheesh! Just in the past year or so, we've had SARS and monkey pox and, now, this. What's next?

Follow the link for additional information.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/30/2003 03:10:00 AM

FISH JUMPING INTO BOATS

Consistent with many of the fish stories I've heard in my life about "that special place where the fish are so plentiful, they jump in your boat" is this story from the Jefferson City News Tribune.

This is no fish tale: A state fisheries biologist motoring on the Missouri River near Columbia had a filling knocked out of his tooth by a high-jumping fish that hit him on the side of the head. Another state biologist in the St. Charles area was seriously hurt when he was struck by a giant carp.

The fish are nonnative species of carp imported from Asia by the aqua culture industry and were intended to be used to eat excess algae and waste in aqua culture ponds. Unfortunately, periodic flooding has allowed the fish to escape into the Missouri River and its tributaries.

They are large fish that spook easily upon hearing the sound of a boat motor at which time they jump out of the water, sometimes into a boat. The fish are considered such a hazard that state conservation personnel now wear protective headgear when motoring in fast boats and some are placing protective netting across the bow.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/30/2003 01:46:00 AM

ALASKAN COURT OVERTURNS WILL OF THE PEOPLE

In 1990, voters in Alaska approved a law making possession of any amount of marijuana illegal in any location. Yesterday, however, the Alaska Court of Appeals overturned the law because it was unconstitutional. Specifically, the court found that the state's strong constitutional right to privacy superseded the legislation banning marijuana.

Attorney General Gregg Renkes has said he will petition the state Supreme Court for a review. Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski called the court's ruling "regrettable."

My take is that the court is being activist in their ruling. If the citizens of Alaska support certain legislation and it is not blatantly unconstitutional, the court should follow suit. The court in this case seems to be using a disputable interpretation of the constitution as their basis. I think the will of the people should have precedence over disputable interpretations of the court.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/29/2003 11:56:00 PM

BILL GATES SPEAKS at DETROIT ECONOMIC CLUB

Jeff Bennett of the Detroit Free Press reports on a speech by Microsoft chairman Bill Gates before 1,500 guests at the Detroit Economic Club meeting at Cobo Hall. With computer users worldwide still finishing the cleanup of mischief caused by the Blaster and Sobig worms, Gates announced:

". . . it's time to build better software . . .[and]

It's up to companies like Microsoft to build software that will secure information and stop viruses . . ."

Well, DUH! I hope they didn't have to pay him for those pearls of wisdom. As reported, he didn't say much else.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/29/2003 11:36:00 PM

ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS RELEASE MINKS

The Animal Liberation Front, a domestic terrorist group, released 10,000 minks from a fur farm in southern Snohomish County, WA. The minks subsequently attacked other farms in the area, causing considerable damage. At least 25 exotic birds, along with chickens, ducks, and geese were killed and eaten.

Animal activists argue that while the farm animals' deaths are unfortunate, it proves minks raised in captivity can survive in the wild.

"The amount of suffering that has been prevented by releasing them from cramped cages and freeing them from an extremely cruel death more than justifies a temporary disruption to the ecosystem," said veterinarian Andrew Knight, director of research at the Seattle-based Northwest Animal Rights Network.

The Fur Commission USA is offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the criminal perpetrators. The FBI is investigating.

[Followup] Thorough analysis of the actions of the ALF indicates how really nonsensical they are. They are committing major crimes to achieve goals of complete animal freedom and extreme vegetarianism which are irrational and unattainable. Animals will never have rights as defined by the constitution and meat will always be considered food. The ALF attempts to achieve the unachievable while risking long prison sentences and significant restitution verdicts. Maybe a few years in 6' X 9' cells with seething idealism as a roommate will add reason and clarity to their thinking. Or, maybe not.

My take is that these folks have entirely too much time on their hands. Sitting around and plotting how to destroy society is not the best use of their time. I concur with Puggs' take over at Random Nuclear Strikes. He has a personal no nonsense message for the ALF. Follow the link.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/29/2003 11:00:00 PM

FOLK SINGER JANIS IAN MARRIES

According to the Associated Press, folk singer Janis Ian, Grammy Award winner in 1976 for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "At Seventeen," married her companion of 14 years in a civil ceremony in Toronto. The bride groom other person in the wedding was Patricia Snyder, Ian's partner.

The couple planned to honeymoon at "Torcon 3," the Worldcon science fiction convention being held in Toronto, said Ian's Web site.

"I think the idea of spending my wedding week with a group of geeks masquerading as giant lobsters and `Star Trek' characters is perfectly in character with my life with Janis," Snyder was quoted on the Web site.

Interested-Participant wishes them the best.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/29/2003 04:18:00 PM

MAC vs. WINDOWS

Recently, many computer users have asked why viruses and worms are affecting Microsoft Windows machines but not Macintoshes. Well, the answers are many and varied.

Rob Pegoraro of the Washington Post starts the discussion with the statement that:

Between the Blaster worm and the Sobig virus, it's been a long two weeks for Windows users. But nobody with a Mac or a Linux PC has had to lose a moment of sleep over these outbreaks . . . [and] . . .This is not a coincidence.

Over at the Aussie blog, GDay Mate, Jon Wright provides a detailed analysis of the differences between the Windows and Mac operating systems in conjunction with a discussion of the Pegoraro article.

Anyone with even a passing interest in the subject should take the time to follow the links. It's useful information.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/29/2003 05:52:00 AM

City Hall Rally Protests Policy of Firing Uncertified Teachers
OR
3,000 CITY TEACHERS FLUNK OUT OF JOBS

There is only one story, but two headlines and two different spins.

One spin focuses on the rally at city hall attended by an estimated 40 protesters who claimed the tests were racially and culturally biased.

The other spin focuses on the fact that 3,000 teachers this year (10,000 in the past five years) failed the mandatory certification exam with some teachers failing it more than a dozen times.

One headline is from the New York Post and the other is from the New York Times. Readers can assess if there exists a political bias in either story.

Thanks to Jerry Scharf at Common Sense & Wonder for pointing me to this story.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/28/2003 09:45:00 PM

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE SCHOOLS ARE SUPERIOR

According to the Stars and Stripes:

Students of the military�s educational system continue to outpace the U.S. national average on a standardized test that measures their basic skill levels in reading, math, science, social studies and languages.

Defense department students, both overseas and in the States, scored better than their public school counterparts in all areas, at all grade levels, test results indicate.

The article provides the detailed results of testing which indicates that Department of Defense Dependent Schools (DODDS) students consistently scored 10 to 25 percent better than the national average. A logical question to ask would be; what is the Department of Defense doing differently from the rest of the United States? My guess would be that the schools concentrate on subjects other than tolerance, diversity, and global warming and the kids mostly come from intact two-parent families

Of course, I could be wrong.

[Update at 6:30pm, 9/2/03] I became aware of a good analysis by Kimberly over at Number 2 Pencil which is worth a look.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/28/2003 03:40:00 PM

HOMELESS MAN RUNNING FOR CITY COUNCIL

(Painesville, OH) This story is occurring right in my neighborhood, but even stories from small town America sometimes get legs and this may be one of those. Michael Padula, 50, who lists his residence as a downtown city park, has filed a petition with the Lake County Elections Board to be certified as a candidate for the Painesville City Council Ward 2 seat in the upcoming November election. The incumbent Ward 2 Councilman, William J. Horvath, has asked the board to invalidate Padula's petition because he doesn't meet the minimum one-year residency requirement established by the city charter.

The elections board will hold a hearing on September 9th to determine if Padula meets the residency requirement and it could result in setting a state precedent. The Elections Board Director, Janet F. Clair, stated that:

"I talked with the secretary of state's office, and they said this has never happened before."

The thought of a "homeless" person running for political office probably never even dawned on anybody before.

My contention that this story may spark wide interest is based upon the speed in which it was reported locally. A couple months ago, a local story concerning the arrest of a woman for breast feeding her infant while driving was picked up by the media and ultimately produced wide sensational appeal, including an appearance on the Bill O'Reilly cable news program. That story took the better part of a week before it was reported whereas the "homeless candidate's eligibility challenged" has hit all the local media by storm in less than a day.

Even as I write, Cleveland radio personality Mike Trivisano of WTAM is leading off his afternoon three-hour program with the story and stating that "this is the kind of guy I could support." Trivisano also promised to donate $250 to Padula's election campaign.

My take is that if a person lives out of his vehicle (as has been contended), he could claim residency anywhere. One other thing is that Padula has claimed in writing to the Election Board that he resides in a location different from where he claimed in writing to the Board of Zoning Appeals.

Newspaper stories are in The Cleveland Plain Dealer and The News Herald.

[Update at 1:55pm, 8/29/03] Reader Gordie offered the following comments related to a homeless person running for public office.

When I lived in Austin TX in the late 80s - early 90s, a homeless man, Max Nofziger, ran for city council for the southside of town where I lived. He won, and won re-election while I lived there (though his job allowed him to cease being homeless). He'd run for years as a novelty candidate, but finally won when folks were really upset with existing councilmen buying land east of Austin (in the Manor area) in anticipation of a new international airport which never came to be.

Based upon these comments, it's clear that a precedent (in Texas) has been set for a homeless person to run and get elected to public office. It's still unclear, however, as to how specific residency requirements would be met by a person without a defined residence.

[Update at 2230, 8/31/03] I went looking for Mr. Padula in the park and was informed by other folks that they see him around all the time but he wasn't there at the time. A Painesville city policeman stated that he knew him and had arrested Mr. Padula for public urination. He added that the case went to court before Judge Michael Cicconetti who dismissed the case because no one other than the policeman was there to see Mr. Padula urinate in public.

I looked hard to try to find evidence of his arrest with no luck. Maybe the policeman I talked to was mistaken. Curiously, his attitude towards Mr. Padula was unmistakably unapproving. I'd give it merit.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2003 06:42:00 PM

ANOTHER SPIN ON THE NUTRITION MERRY-GO-ROUND

It's being reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association that dark chocolate can lower blood pressure.

Dark chocolate contains plant substances called polyphenols - ingredients that scientists think are responsible for the heart-healthy attributes of red wine. Polyphenols also have been shown to lower blood pressure in animals.

Blood pressure remained pretty much unchanged in the group that ate white chocolate, which does not contain polyphenols. But after two weeks, systolic blood pressure - the top number - had dropped an average of five points in the dark-chocolate group. The lower, or diastolic, reading fell an average of almost two points.

The participants had an average blood pressure reading of about 153 over 84.

While their blood pressure did not fall enough to be considered in the desirable range - below 120 over 80 - the results show dark chocolate "might serve as a promising approach to reduce systolic blood pressure," said lead author Dr. Dirk Taubert of the University of Cologne.

A while back, I reported about a research study that determined eating pizza reduces the risk of cancer. Now we hear that chocolate reduces blood pressure. What's a person to think? I know, eat chocolate pizza.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2003 06:47:00 AM

VIRUS AFFECTS CLEVELAND SCHOOLS

Local news is reporting that the Blaster and Sobig viruses have infected 30,000 computers at 130 different locations within the Cleveland School System. Technicians are in process checking each of the computers. The infection apparently has the greatest impact on scheduling of classes for 21,000 students, which remains to been completed.

My knowledge of their system is essentially none, but, even so, the computer to student ratio seems somewhat on the high side.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2003 06:56:00 PM

OHIO IS A GUN PIPELINE

The anti-gun folks are trying to take away Ohioans' guns. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Americans for Gun Safety call Ohio an "iron pipeline" of guns to other states and is, therefore, a "gun-runners" paradise.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2003 06:41:00 PM

BAD FENG SHUI

The Country Store has today's hands-down best chuckle, provided by the Cracker Barrel Philosopher. See it here.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2003 03:25:00 AM

N.O.W. to Endorse MOSELEY-BRAUN

I picked this story up from the Spoons Experience and my reaction was similar: a spontaneous, involuntary, does-your-heart-good, old-fashioned belly-laugh. The Associated Press reports more somberly:

In a boost to her flagging campaign, Democratic presidential candidate Carol Moseley Braun is expected to pick up her first major endorsements next week from the National Organization for Women and the National Women's Political Caucus.

The endorsements, first reported in Friday's editions of the Chicago Sun-Times, will be announced Tuesday in Washington by leaders of the groups, according to a source with Braun's campaign.

It's curious that the radical feminist groups are selecting a candidate that recently polled 0 percent support in New Hampshire, the state holding the first primary. With the NOW endorsement, Moseley-Braun can count on the lesbians and abortion advocates for support, but that probably won't significantly increase her poll ratings in New Hampshire and Iowa.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 11:56:00 PM

US IMPORTING CANADIAN GARBAGE

Why is it that Americans are being forced to recycle? Well, the usual answer is that we are running out of landfill space. Okay, would someone tell me why we are importing Canadian garbage to Michigan landfills?

. . . a powerful bloc of Michigan politicians hasn�t come up with the right formula to curb the amount of trash that Canada sends to their state - now roughly 200 truckloads a day, the most since the border was opened to garbage haulers in 1992.

The bulk of the Michigan-bound trash comes from Toronto, which closed its last remaining municipal solid waste landfill on Jan. 1. Much of Ontario�s trash ends up in the Carleton Farms Landfill in southwestern Wayne County, 30 miles north of Toledo.

So that's why the Canadians are so ecologically high-minded. They figured how to make their country more green by closing their landfills and sending all their garbage to Michigan.

Am I the only person bothered by this?
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 11:47:00 PM

TOLEDO SMOKING BAN NOW IN EFFECT

Business owners and customers have been fuming as of 12:01am yesterday. Smoking is illegal in Toledo, Ohio.

Anyone caught illegally smoking is subject to a $100 fine, but the penalty is stiffer for owners of establishments who don�t enforce the smoking ban.

The penalties begin with mandatory workplace education for the shift supervisor and the table server for the first verified violation and progress to mandatory education for the entire roster of employees after a third violation.

A fourth violation results in a minor misdemeanor for the establishment and referral to the Ohio Department of Liquor Control.

The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department announced that more than 700 police officers, 500 firefighters, and inspectors in the divisions of environmental services, nuisance abatement, building inspection, and the health department, are empowered to enforce the law.

The smoking lamp is out.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 11:24:00 PM

CUBAN BLOCKADE

The school bus has been renovated with flowers and peace signs painted on the side. I bet inside somewhere is a guitar and some weed. The 60s ended over three decades ago, but these folks didn't get the message. They call themselves the blockade breakers.

I think weed makes folks stupid.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 08:50:00 PM

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

For two and a half years

Man

Age - 58

Five-star hotel suite

Naked

Party

Nine prostitutes.

[Via the Cracker Barrel Philosopher.]
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 02:12:00 PM

ELECTRIC CAR TOWS OWN RUNNING GENERATOR

Tim Blair pointed me to this ridiculous and, in my opinion, not very believable, story about a small electric car going down the highway with a running electric generator in tow. I'm very skeptical. Maybe a reader can shed some light on this.

Note: make sure you read through the comment thread attached to the link. Also, it's worth your while to check out Tim Blair's site.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 07:55:00 AM

GIRL BLOGGER IN IRAQ

An Iraqi girl calling herself Riverbend is blogging from Iraq. Here's an excerpt:

Over 65% of the Iraqi population is unemployed. The reason for this is because Bremer made some horrible decisions. The first major decision he made was to dissolve the Iraqi army. That may make sense in Washington, but here, we were left speechless. Now there are over 400,000 trained, armed men with families that need to be fed. Where are they supposed to go? What are they supposed to do for a living? I don�t know. They certainly don�t know.

For detailed, day-to-day news about the rebuilding of the country, and to give her much needed moral support, go visit at Baghdad Burning.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 06:57:00 AM

TOO INCOMPETENT TO KNOW IT

The following is from a paper called Unskilled and Unaware of It:

In 1995, McArthur Wheeler walked into two Pittsburgh banks and robbed them in broad daylight, with no visible attempt at disguise. He was arrested later that night, less than an hour after videotapes of him taken from surveillance cameras were broadcast on the 11 o'clock news. When police later showed him the surveillance tapes, Mr. Wheeler stared in incredulity. "But I wore the juice," he mumbled. Apparently, Mr. Wheeler was under the impression that rubbing one's face with lemon juice rendered it invisible to videotape cameras.

This story came from the documented research on human competency conducted by Justin Kruger and David Dunning of Cornell University. Published by the American Psychological Association, the paper also states:

We bring up the unfortunate affairs of Mr. Wheeler to make three points. The first two are noncontroversial. First, in many domains in life, success and satisfaction depend on knowledge, wisdom, or savvy in knowing which rules to follow and which strategies to pursue. This is true not only for committing crimes, but also for many tasks in the social and intellectual domains, such as promoting effective leadership, raising children, constructing a solid logical argument, or designing a rigorous psychological study.

Second, people differ widely in the knowledge and strategies they apply in these domains, with varying levels of success. Some of the knowledge and theories that people apply to their actions are sound and meet with favorable results. Others, like the lemon juice hypothesis of McArthur Wheeler, are imperfect at best and wrong-headed, incompetent, or dysfunctional at worst.

Perhaps more controversial is the third point, the one that is the focus of this article. We argue that when people are incompetent in the strategies they adopt to achieve success and satisfaction, they suffer a dual burden: Not only do they reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the ability to realize it. Instead, like Mr. Wheeler, they are left with the mistaken impression that they are doing just fine.

Well, there! What I've known all the time is formally confirmed by reputable scientific research. The study also confirmed another observation I'm sure most people have had. And that is that people who are exceedingly incompetent somehow always seem to think highly of themselves. Research confirms that incompetent people don't have the intellectual skills necessary to accurately evaluate their own or somebody else's performance. I've had bosses that fit this description precisely.

The article is interesting, detailed and convincing. Worth reading.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2003 06:33:00 AM

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Holiday Inn, the most recognized hotel brand in the world, has declared August 28th, 2003, as National Towel Amnesty Day. The trademark towels have been taken from hotels for a long time and, if you've got one, Holiday Inn is forgiving you. For details, click the link.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/24/2003 11:56:00 PM

Utility Workers Saw Line Burning Before Blackout

FirstEnergy Corp. announced that, just before the recent blackout, its tree trimmers saw a transmission line smoke and burn in the Cleveland suburb of Walton Hills. The line apparently sagged into and contacted a tree.

The 345 kilovolt line is the latest culprit in the search for the triggering event of the worst blackout in American History. Cambridge Energy Research Associates, an energy consulting firm, said the line failure started a cascade of events leading to the blackout.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has the whole story. Go visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/24/2003 11:35:00 PM

MEN ARE EASY

Found the following while surfing. It's from an ad in the Atlanta Journal.

SINGLE BLACK FEMALE seeks male companionship, ethnicity unimportant.

I'm a very good looking girl who LOVES to play. I love long walks in the woods, riding in your pickup truck, hunting, camping, and fishing trips, cozy winter nights relaxing by the fire. Candlelight dinners will have me eating out of your hand. Rub me the right way, and watch me respond.

I'll be at your front door when you come home from work, wearing only what nature gave me. Kiss me, and I'm all yours. Call 591-1234 and ask for Daisy.

Over 15,000 men found themselves talking to the local Humane Society about an 8-week-old Labrador Retriever.

Thanks to The Brazos de Dios Cantina.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2003 11:54:00 PM

PASTORS FOR PEACE

Jerry Scharf at Common Sense & Wonder posted a letter describing the thoughts of a woman named Juanita Rodriguez regarding her travels to Cuba. She accompanied a group called Pastors for Peace which is an operational division, along with the Interreligious Foundation for Community Organization (IFCO), of International A.N.S.W.E.R. Here's some of what she wrote of her trip.

Cuba a thriving, happy haven, 50 years on

By JUANITA RODRIGUEZ

The United States government has been threatened by the success of the Cuban revolution from its very beginning in 1959. That a small island might launch a revolution and empower the masses was - and remains - unthinkable to the Powers That Be in Washington, D.C. The U.S. has a long history of retaliation; of assaults, assassination attempts and devious disruption of the social, economic, agricultural, cultural and political fabric that is Cuba. Still, Cuba not only survives; in many ways, it is thriving.

[ . . . ]

As I see it, the world should be paying very close attention to Cuban society, acknowledging the errors, but learning from its successes. Against great odds, it has achieved what other nations have been unable to achieve. I saw a healthy, active, intelligent, proud and unified people, celebrating 50 years of a Revolution that have changed the world.

Obviously, Juanita Rodriguez is an anti-American cultist and cheerleader for Fidel Castro and communism. Her letter makes that much clear and I'll not dwell on it.

Worth examining, though, are the groups she's chosen to join. International A.N.S.W.E.R. is a coalition of every imaginable group that advocates extreme political action and, sometimes, violence. For example:

Pastors for Peace - This group's website states they are a ministry created to deliver humanitarian aid to Latin America and the Carribean. However, the leader of the group, Rev. Lucius Walker, Jr., stated:

"I received the inspiration to intensify IFCO's work for international justice by directly challenging and seeking the (sic) change the unjust and meanspirited foreign policies of the United States. This led to the creation of a special department of IFCO known as Pastors for Peace."

"We must dispel the myth that all is well in the United States, and you encourage us in this commitment. Our promise to you is to be faithful to the vision not only of a better world, but a better United States. We return to the US to continue our struggle until all have universal health care, all have universal free education, until there is an end to capital punishment, until all political prisoners in the United States are free, until police brutality is a thing of the past, until racism, sexism and homophobia are vestiges of the past and until our country is committed to cease using food and medicine as tools of war, until all sanctions are ended . . . ."

It's fairly easy to see that Pastors for Peace portrays themselves as a ministry providing humanitarian aid but, it's also easy to see that their real agenda, clearly stated by the founder, is dramatic social and political upheaval within the United States.

Middle East Children's Alliance (MECA) - This group's website has as their motto:

"While the world is looking elsewhere, the Israeli military kills and provokes"

and, under Educational Focus, wants to teach Americans of the:

US taxpayers' role in the occupation of Iraq and Palestine and the consequences suffered domestically as a result of the dangerously flawed US foreign policy in Iraq and Palestine/Israel.

The messages from these two groups are clear. Pastors for Peace want to radically alter the American way of life. MECA is anti-Israel and is working to "educate" Americans to become anti-American. Within the Steering Committee of A.N.S.W.E.R., there are listed eight similar groups, all purporting to be for friendly and worthwhile causes, but all working against democracy and capitalism while working for socialism and communism.

Juanita Rodriguez expresses nothing other than anti-American, pro-Communist propaganda and the only differences between her and Fidel Castro are gender and residence.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2003 11:43:00 PM

BLOGGER STATISTICS

Just surfing, I found this website that analyzes and discusses the statistics associated with weblogs. It relates that

Roughly 2 percent of the online community has created a blog . . . [and]

Interestingly, the majority (60 percent) of bloggers are dialing up to access their online journals, and more than half (57 percent) have a household income below $60,000 per year. Jupiter also found that blogging is split evenly among the genders, with most (70 percent) bloggers having an online tenure of more than 5 years.

It concludes with data stating that blog readers are demographically different from blog writers. Go visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2003 05:07:00 PM

ABORTION IN RUSSIA

The Drudge Report has developing news that Russia is increasing restrictions on abortion for first time in 50 years. Apparently, Matt is following up on my post of August 17th. The story has been removed from the link so I'll reproduce it here. Thanks to leweslinks.org.

Health Ministry proposes tighter abortion laws

Abortion, once the country's primary means of birth control, is in steady decline in post-Soviet Russia, but the rate is still staggering. For every 10 births there are about 13 abortions, compared with roughly three in the United States.

In late July the Russian Health Ministry proposed scaling back the liberal policy whereby women can cite a wide range of non-medical reasons - being unmarried, poor, already raising three children - to obtain an abortion well into the second trimester of pregnancy. The new proposal would still guarantee abortions in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy to anyone. But after that, most women - including rape victims - would be turned away.

"Abortion should never in any society be the primary method of birth control," said Vladimir Kulakov, a leading gynaecologist and head of the Scientific Centre for Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

During the Soviet era, women had limited options for avoiding pregnancy. Men regarded Soviet-produced condoms as uncomfortable and unreliable. Doctors were rarely able to prescribe oral contraceptives. Abortion was outlawed by Stalin for 19 years as he sought to boost the birth-rate. It was reinstated in 1955, after his death, and became widely available even in small towns. Abortions skyrocketed in the chaos that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union, when jobs and the social net evaporated overnight, often hitting women hardest.

Four years of economic growth have taken some of the financial bite out of starting a family. Birth-rates are climbing, albeit slowly. According to government statistics, last year there were 9.8 births for every 1,000 people, compared to 9.1 the year before.

Today, all major birth control methods are easily available at the corner pharmacy, often without prescription. "Young people are more literate and informed about birth control," said Tatyana Lobova, who runs a city-funded family planning clinic in Moscow. "But not everybody and not everywhere."

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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2003 05:59:00 AM

HOMOSEXUAL STUDIES at U. of Michigan

From Between the Coasts, I read this story which discusses a controversy at the University of Michigan over a course called "How to be Gay: Male Homosexuality and Initiation," scheduled for this fall.

A family-values lobbyist is leading public opposition to the self-proclaimed "uncompromising political militancy" of the professor who teaches "lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender."

The lobbyist, Gary Glenn, says professor David M. Halperin and the university "are guilty of perpetrating a fraud against UM students and the people of Michigan [with] propaganda statements about so-called cultural studies and academic freedom" as they promote "queer studies" at taxpayer expense.

The course description says students "will examine a number of cultural artifacts and activities" including "camp, diva-worship, drag, muscle culture, taste, style and political activism." Mr. Halperin's class explores "the role that initiation plays in the formation of gay male identity."

The emphasis on "initiation" into homosexuality is what appears to be most offensive to conservatives like Mr. Glenn.

"We don't know what [Mr. Halperin] does in the classroom," the state AFA [American Family Association] president says in an interview. "It is outrageous that Michigan taxpayers are forced to pay for a class whose stated purpose is to 'experiment' with the 'initiation' of young men into a self-destructive homosexual lifestyle.

It is truly inappropriate for this course to be taught at a public institution funded with taxpayer dollars. As presented, the course does not address the overriding reason why a homosexual lifestyle should be avoided. And that is the self-destructive and dangerous nature of homosexuality. Specifically, whether male or female, homosexuals are destined for a much shorter life span than heterosexuals.

According to the results of research documented in The Homosexual Lifespan, and presented to the Eastern Psychological Association (4/17/93), the median age at death of male homosexuals is 40 compared to 75 for married men. For female homosexuals, median age at death is 45 compared to 79 for married women. The differences are explained by 1) very high homicide and suicide rates, 2) high death rates from motor vehicle accidents, and 3) high death rates from sexually transmitted diseases (especially AIDS).

The dismally abbreviated life span of homosexuals should be the first aspect discussed in any class on the subject. With that in mind, it appears there is no prudent reason for teaching a course celebrating homosexuality.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2003 12:43:00 AM

UPDATE: Ballooning Radios to North Korea

Robert Koehler, the Marmot, describes the latest news on the attempts to get radios into the hands of North Korean citizens.

A tourist bus carrying German doctor and North Korean refugee activist Norbert Vollertsen (45) and 30 other members of a North Korean refugee support group was intercepted by police at 2:30 on August 22 at the Taema Intersection, about a mile from the group's destination - the old North Korean Labor Party Building in Chorwon-eup, Chorwon County, Kangwon Province [Marmot's Note: that building, which I visited last year, is a pretty freaky place - it changed hands several times during the Korean War, and was left in its current bombed-out state as a reminder of that terrible conflict]. They were stopped because authorities were not previously notified of the assembly.

Vollertsen was planning to release about 200 balloons (each one 90 cm in diameter) carrying about 600 miniature radios (each one 150 g) to North Korea so that North Korean citizens could listen to news from South Korean and the outside world and help open up the country.

Vollertsen showed reporters the plastic bags with the radios and was going to fill the balloons with helium when he and police scrummed [as the police tried to restrain him from filling the balloons], in the process falling and hurting his left leg. He was brought to a hospital afterwards.

Living in South Korea, Robert relates that propaganda flows in both directions over the DMZ all the time, but sending radios is too sensitive for the government to tolerate.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2003 11:34:00 PM

WHERE ARE THE CHINESE WOMEN?

Andres Gentry reports stories in his blog, Water, and works as an English language teacher somewhere in China. Take a look at a side of North Korea and China that is not as well known as it should be: North Korean female refugees bought and sold as wives in the Chinese countryside. Here's an excerpt:

The preference for male babies in rural China has led to a shortage of marriage-age Chinese women. Unable to woo a partner with the usual blandishments, men are often willing to pay $300 -- more if the woman is especially pretty.

Thanks to The Marmot's Hole for pointing me to Andres' engaging blog.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2003 07:45:00 PM

FirstEnergy Eliminates Jobs

(Akron, OH) FirstEnergy Corporation announced that it was cutting 185 to 230 computer-related jobs, but not because of the recent blackout. The job reduction is a result of a merger with General Public Utilities, parent company of Jersey Central Power & Light.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2003 06:36:00 PM

Kucinich Says US Should Get Out of Iraq

"This administration does not have clean hands on anything to do with Iraq. ... They have too many conflicting interests," the Ohio congressman told about 100 supporters during a campaign swing.

"The only way to regain credibility is let the U.N. come in and take over responsibility for oil and rebuilding," he said. "I want to see the U.N. in and the U.S. out."

Kucinich stated the soldiers were sent to Iraq "based on a lie." He also reiterated his intention to nationalize the health care system in the US and promised it would not cost more than is being spent now on piecemeal coverage.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2003 02:01:00 AM

KOFI ANNAN - International Blowhard

The Sydney Morning Herald published this story in which UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan blames the United States for the recent bombing at the UN Headquarters in Baghdad. As I understand, US Forces offered to provide protection and were told it wasn't welcome.

This is a perfect example of the attitude displayed by most Security Counsel members and indicates why so many Americans think the UN is becoming an increasingly irrelevant international body.

Jon Wright of GDay Mate does a fine job of analyzing the article and I'll defer to it. His are my sentiments precisely.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 11:50:00 PM

MAN BUYS TEEN'S DIRTY SOCKS

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, a boy and his mother went to the police station to report that a man approached the teen and offered to pay $10 if he would take off his socks and give them to him.

If that's all there is to this story, I'm not sure any crime was involved, but I'd be happy to sell him my dirty socks for that price.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 11:31:00 PM

DOG HANDLER UNDER FEDERAL INDICTMENT

A federal investigation into allegations that a Michigan dog handler planted human remains at potential crime scenes has resulted in a 10-count indictment against Sandra Anderson, owner of Eagle, nationally known as a sort of Wonder Dog.

Eagle has participated in searches around the world for missing children, murder victims, and disoriented seniors and, also, has searched for mass graves in Central America and for victims after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Yesterday, Ms. Anderson was indicted on 10 charges - five of falsifying and concealing material facts from federal officers, three counts of obstruction of justice, and two counts of lying to law-enforcement officials - according to a statement released by the Justice Department.

If convicted, Ms. Anderson could receive up to 65 years in prison.

The indictment alleges that Ms. Anderson planted human remains and fiber evidence on more than one case.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 10:38:00 PM

TOXIC GREEN ALGAE IN LAKE ERIE

Tom Henry of the Toledo Blade reports of microcystis, a toxic form of green algae, has started forming a floating layer in Lake Erie from Toledo to Cleveland. The algae has been linked to as many as 75 deaths in Brazil and is expected to be problematic in Lake Erie until late September.

"It's definitely something we don't want out there," said Dr. David Culver of Ohio State University, one of the lake's longtime algae researchers.

The immediate risk to the public is low. To get a lethal dose, someone would have to ingest a chunk of toxic algae about the size of a hockey puck. Less than that could result in nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other feelings of sickness.

Scientists have no clear answers as to why the algae grows but suspect it may be related to agricultural and urban runoff.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 09:41:00 PM

DON'T ARREST ILLEGALS ORDER OVERTURNED

The directive for the Border Patrol to stop arresting illegal aliens as described in a previous post has been rescinded by Robert C. Bonner, commissioner of the new Bureau of Customs and Border Protection.

The order, the officials said, was overturned after a closed-door meeting at CBP headquarters attended by Mr. Bonner and Border Patrol Chief Gus de la Vina, whose agency has been moved to the new bureau from the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Seems like the reorganization of the Border Patrol with the Customs Department is a good move if it allows the law enforcement functions to actually be performed.

Thanks to American Patrol Report.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 06:14:00 PM

ASSAULTS ON HOMELESS

From local news, reports are being made of assaults on homeless people in Cleveland and, now, Chicago. Last week several teens were arrested for using a stun gun on homeless sleeping in downtown Cleveland.

Congressman Kucinich made a public statement calling for action to be taken on the "national crisis" of assaults on the homeless.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 05:38:00 PM

A story about the Swedish Beaver Safari may be a welcome, workplace friendly respite from political news and world events. Thanks to Silflay Hraka.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 03:41:00 PM

VIRUS ALERT

New viruses have appeared today which pose a threat to Windows machines. Per Bigwig - PLEASE UPDATE YOUR VIRUS DEFINITIONS IMMEDIATELY!

Also, it may be too early to discount the possibility that a virus or worm may have contributed to the massive blackout on 8/14. According to this article by Kevin Poulsen, some events associated with the generation and distribution of electricity in the recent past have been attributed to computer systems being affected by viruses /worms. For example, the Slammer worm was determined to be cause of failure of the Safety Parameter Display System of Davis-Besse Nuclear Plant last January. Sometime later, Slammer disabled the Plant Process Computer.

The events described are not critical to plant safety, but their loss makes plant operation extra burdensome for staff. And, the events indicate that a pathway existed for an Internet worm to affect computer systems thought to be isolated. Thanks to Bigwig.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2003 01:44:00 AM

BLACKOUT DISSECTED

Events on the New York Power Grid and the Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland (PJM) Grid leading up to the blackout last Thursday are analyzed at length and commented on by a number of knowledgeable bloggers over at Sgt. Stryker's Daily Briefing. Anyone with some technical savvy will find the post well-written and engaging.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 10:49:00 PM

REVEREND BILLY AND THE CHURCH OF STOP SHOPPING

About two weeks ago I reported on an organization called Adbusters who are a bunch of self-described Communists advocating the violent overthrow of the US. Well, one of the key players in the movement now has the Cleveland Museum of Art sponsoring a showing of a film which shows the disruptive political theater performer in action.

His disruptions, or "shopping interventions" . . . inside and outside of Starbucks coffee shops and Disney stores often end with the Reverend being arrested; he calls it stepping into somebody's imagined box, the police call it illegal trespassing.

Reverend Billy's anti-American film is scheduled to be shown at the Cleveland Museum of Art on August 27th and 29th.

Isn't it comforting to know that the spirit of diversity and tolerance is alive in Cleveland and that taxpayer dollars and private contributions are keeping the Communist movement alive. If we could just have more Reverend Billys, maybe they could take over and the US could prosper in the image of North Korea or Cuba.

Sheesh!
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 10:01:00 PM

PANHANDLING TOWARD PROSPERITY

John Hudock at Common Sense & Wonder pointed me to this story in the Richmond Times-Dispatch which describes the life of an everyday panhandler on the streets of Richmond. Holding a sign that reads: "Homeless. Please help. God Bless," Derrick Walker has been a street person for five months and says,

"Why would I go to work and make $300 to $400 a week when I make $750 to $900 a week swinging a sign?"

By my calculations, that equates to an income between $39,000 and $46,000 per year. And I'm sure he's not paying taxes on it. I find this aspect of the story hard to believe. Read more here.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 09:21:00 PM

FEMINIST BOOKSTORES - DECLINING FORTUNES

I found the website for Bitch Magazine which trumpets radical feminism. The current issue contains a lengthy lament by Kathryn McGrath that the number of feminist bookstores has declined dramatically in the last few years.

In 1997, there were 175 in North America; now there are 44. [and]

Although some feminist bookstores report steady sales and customer support despite the omnipresent chains, escalating costs are punishing many independents whose profit margins have always been slim. Now that sales can no longer support the community activism, events, programming, and workshops that have historically made feminist bookstores so much more than retail operations, the survivors are facing hard choices.

In a nutshell, not enough people are buying into their world view to support the continuation of business. Those that are able to pay their bills do so by relying on donations and volunteer labor. It seems to me that the general public are not supporting these bookstores because they sell, almost exclusively, books on lesbianism, male homosexuality, transgender issues, AIDS, bisexuality, and global social justice, and only a small percentage of the buying public has an interest in these subjects.

I wonder if, by extension, one could say that radical feminism will soon become a movement that died.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 05:04:00 PM

NEW DRUG DEPENDENCY?

This goes straight into the You-Learn-Something-New-Everyday-File. For unknown reasons, some pharmacies in the Toledo area have been experiencing a wave of laxative thefts. I was taken aback upon reading the article which does provide some possible explanations for this new drug dependency. For example, those suffering from bulimia and anorexia sometimes employ laxatives. Also, certain narcotics cause constipation which is relieved by the laxatives. I'll try to keep up on how this story flushes out.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 04:03:00 PM

ANIMAL SENSITIVITY COUNSELING

This story is about this woman who worked for the humane society and euthanized a stray cat. Subsequently, a complaint was filed and she was charged with second-degree animal cruelty. She was sentenced to probation and mandatory attendance at counseling, to include if necessary, animal sensitivity counseling.

What in the world is "animal sensitivity counseling?" Somebody, please give me a clue.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 03:38:00 PM

NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA

Three sentences from this story caught my attention.

". . . She would talk about how fun it was to swim and play with the seals . . . ."

"The water was full of blood . . . ."

Great white sharks are a protected species in California.

Visit the story.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 03:25:00 PM

MORE ON FLASH MOBSTERS

It seems that Yahoo! doesn't want to be party to the activities of the Boston flash mobsters:

A group of flash mob organizers in Boston reports that Yahoo! Groups suddenly and unexpectedly removed the Bostoncitymob Web site, where Boston flash mobbers were organizing. Along with the site, the organizers lost a list of more than 1,000 people who signed up to receive announcements about the next Boston flash mob. They lost their Yahoo! e-mail account as well.

It seems that the organizers are most concerned about losing their mailing lists. Read the whole story here.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 02:58:00 PM

KUCINICH

Well, it had to occur. Congreeman Kucinich has been trying for a long time to get individual generating plants shut down and, failing that, he's trying to get the company banned from doing business on Ohio. What a guy.

U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich today will ask a state commission "to revoke FirstEnergy�s right to do business in Ohio," according to a statement issued by the Cleveland Democrat�s office.

If he succeeds, I don't think he has the foggiest idea of the ramifications.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 02:28:00 PM

AMERICAN PUBLIC EDUCATION

Two anecdotal examples of the current state of education in the US. The first is from the Jay Leno late night program where he asked the following question of a man he met on the streets of Los Angeles.

Question: Who wrote Handel's "Messiah?"

Answer: I don't read books.

The second example is from a segment of the television program "The Weakest Link."

Question: What is the closest whole number to pi?

Answer: Cake!

Both examples indicate an embarrassing lack of knowledge and I'm sure that every reader can think of others. But, there should be no surprise that the education system in the US is mediocre.

Ebony Reed reports in the Cleveland Plain Dealer,

The Ohio Department of Education announced yesterday that 191 schools need improvement. That's up from 161 schools.

Isn't it puzzling that even with all the recent attention and resources devoted to the public school systems, they seem to be getting worse?
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       Following Entry Posted 8/20/2003 01:44:00 PM

CHILDFREE

Peter Cuthbertson, one of my favorite commentators, writes in Conservative Commentary about how some social and nascent political movements could only exist because of the Internet. He supports the contention that, due to social, geographical, and political divisions, these diverse movements would not recruit enough members to form a viable and ongoing association. I'm certain that Peter is right.

One that he discusses is,

. . . [T]hose who call themselves 'Child Free'. They are people who decide not to have kids and believe that this choice is an important part of their personalities. And the way many such people act is scarcely to be believed. You see them writing in the most extreme and bizarre terms about their loathing of all children, talking all sorts of Malthusian nonsense about population problems. You see people constantly mentioning that they do not have children and about how those who chose to do so have wrecked their whole lives. You also see a psychotic level of nastiness directed at people who are not among them, a friend telling me recently of the attention they gave a friend of hers, a proud father who mentioned his daughter on his blog regularly enough to attract the attention of Child Free forumers, who then began posting about visiting where he lived and all the various ways they could kill and maim his young child. These were grown adults talking about mutilating a toddler.

I did a web search on "child free" and had over 40,000 hits which surprised me, primarily because there is more to the movement than I anticipated and the fact that it was all news to me. My research in the subject was cursory, yet I was left with two salient impressions. One is that it seems most of the people involved just do not want to have children impacting their lives. They feel the cost and bother far exceeds the benefits to be derived from parenthood. Personally, I'm somewhat troubled by these people and their attitude. They seem mostly interested in getting society in general to recognize their child free lifestyle as acceptable, but they're asking for much more. Some complain that workplace rules discriminate against the child free vs. people with kids. They also want airlines to impose stricter rules on people traveling with infants.

On the more troubling side are those people who want all others to be child free by advocating as many abortions as possible and, in some cases, forced sterilization. The website ChildFree Issues disturbed me with these statements:

Changing diapers in public (other than restrooms) needs to be illegal.

No services should be only for people with underage children living with them! Services I'm thinking of are food stamps, health care and homeless/battered women's shelters, but I'm sure there are others.

In my opinion, the institution of diaper changing laws is not a good idea. A society with Diaper Changing Police indicates that maybe the legal system is trying to criminalize every single action that is offensive to somebody.

And changing existing health care and food stamp programs to eliminate special provisions for children I think would engender little support from liberals and conservatives.

In conclusion, for my readers that didn't know this stuff was occurring, the foregoing information is nice to know. The child free movement needs to be recognized by the general public since they are advocating some fairly radical legislation and they are aligned with even more extremist viewpoints.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/19/2003 09:24:00 PM

[Update on ILLEGAL ALIENS] Stefan at the Shark Blog pointed me to a story which discusses recent campaigning by Governor Davis to gather support for him to keep his job. Besides catering to every flavor of liberalism, he now "supports giving driver's licenses to undocumented immigrants." And so we have another example of the general disregard for laws pertaining to illegal aliens. We can't arrest them, we can't ask them sensitive questions, and we're going to give them all driver's licenses. Sheesh!
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       Following Entry Posted 8/19/2003 06:13:00 PM

ILLEGAL ALIENS

Two events happened recently gave me a case of the reds. One was the US Border Patrol being told not to arrest illegal aliens and the other is the city of Seattle telling their police what questions are acceptable during investigations. Both reflect a general lackadaisical attitude toward having foreign nationals roaming around the US illegally.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/19/2003 03:28:00 AM

BLOG POLICY

A rule has been thought up by me. It is, that if someone challenges my viewpoint or responds to a question in the comments section, the disagreement or answer will become a primary blog entry for further comment refutation and discussion.

I want to start with the comments made by Paige on Man on Third Base.

"In fact, until we get more clarity about what the questioner really means, I'm going to bow out of the discussion."

My response is that it seems that Paige is being snippy. It is a classic "I don't know the answer, so kill the messenger" response. Not well reasoned.

Kevin provided his take on my blog entry regarding organic foods. He responded to my statement that "those folks buying organic products are just fools," thusly:

Though I do not generally purchase organic foods, there are many perfectly rational reasons to do so. First, one might not trust the "appropriate higher authorities" to decide whether certain pesticides are harmful. This doesn't require buying into any conspiracy theory. It might merely be that commercial farmers and the pesticide industry have "captured" the relevant regulatory agencies.

Second, the price of conventional food doesn't take into account the externalities that pesticides produce. If pesticides damage ground water supplies, that will not necessarily be reflected in the price of the foods being produced. So, perhaps those who purchase organic foods do so out of altruistic reasons.

Third, the quality of the organic produce at one store is not at all a representative sample of all organic food. It might just be that the store had a different distributor for organic as opposed to conventional produce. In my experience, you can find a variety of good and bad produce provided in conventional and organic forms.

I'm sure there are many other reasons to buy organic. I'm no expert. But there are certainly plausible reasons to do so.

Kevin, you start your contention with "I do not generally purchase organic foods" and end it with "there are certainly plausible reasons to do so" and you present three reasons why you generally don't buy organic foods. But it's plausible to do so. I'm confused by your logic.

The three points of your argument are (and please correct me if I'm wrong):

1) Farmers and pesticide companies are in cahoots with the government and can't be trusted,

2) Non-organic foods are bad for the environment, and

3) Different stores have different quality of products.

Not convincing. I still think that people who buy organic foods are fools. The quality is terrible and the cost is ridiculous.

[Update 2pm, 8/19] A reader, Peter (no address), provided the following:

Some folks are allergic to some of the pesticide residues. Like my ex was. Roundup in the neighborhood put her out of action for a day or 2. For her, buying organic was simply a preventative measure. Unusual? Sure. Inconvenient? Very. Overpriced? In my opinion, yes.

Quality of organic produce varied widely. But then produce varies widely across the USA as well. Why is it that produce purchased in California would last about a week in the fridge, but when we moved to Florida, produce purchased there would last 2-3 days before spoiling?

Well, thank you, Peter. I'm aware of what various allergies can cause and, frankly, I hadn't considered that some folks seek organic foods to avoid triggering an adverse reaction. Touch�! Incorporating your comment into my belief system, I revise my contention to "I think that most people who buy organic foods are fools."

Regarding the reason food spoils faster in Florida than California, hell if I know. I do know that much of the produce sold in Ohio comes from CA and necessarily is subjected to several days in transit. Maybe that has something to do with spoilage. As an aside, about something totally unrelated that I think is interesting. A local Aldi's grocery store lost power the other day along with all of NE Ohio and management decided to unload all of their perishable products onto refrigerator trucks. They lugged and loaded all night and when finished, yep, the power came back. What a kick in the stones, eh?
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       Following Entry Posted 8/18/2003 08:55:00 PM

BLOG LINKAGE STATUS

Interestingly, several blogs have Interested-Participant displayed on their blog listings. Each of the following has sent readers to these pages:

GDay Mate

Incestuous Amplification

The Marmot's Hole

Oscar Jr. Was Here

Random Nuclear Strikes

The Spoons Experience

Wince and Nod

These folks are deserving a visit.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/18/2003 03:32:00 PM

ABDOMINAL SURGERY RECOVERY STATUS My son is frustrated and perplexed because I said he's not going out to play. I explained in detail that it's too soon for any activity and refreshed his memory on the specific instructions given by his doctor. As I write, he's giving me the silent treatment. A fourteen-year-old doesn't realize that silence is what parents typically desire. He uses tactics which please his adversary.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/17/2003 11:57:00 PM

OLFACTORY TESTING

Something I didn't know until today is that aging affects a person's sense of smell. I'd never thought about it. Through years of my life I've heard of elderly people dying in fires with barely escaping neighbors saying they didn't smell the smoke. I just never thought about it.

After a little research, I now know that aging affects the sense of smell the same way that it does with sight and hearing. Progressing age significantly diminishes a person's ability to sense any odors. It's a generally unknown handicap and it's important to know because older folks sometimes will eat rancid food because they don't smell the putrefaction.

So, why am I bringing this subject to light? A couple of reasons. One is that the inability to smell is a handicap that is invisible. If a person can't hear or speak or see, everyone in their community would know of their challenge. If a person can't smell, no one knows.

The other reason I bring this subject up is because I have noticed for years that certain women use so much perfume that I can smell it from a distance. I have walked down a deserted grocery store aisle bereft with a perfume smell, finding out later, it's some older woman. On a Sunday, pick any Sunday, go to a shopping center after everyone's been to church and you'll see what I mean. Older women, having lost their sense of smell, use way too much perfume.

And now I know why.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/17/2003 04:15:00 PM

NEWS FROM POST-COMMUNIST RUSSIA

The times are changing in Russia as described in this story about abortion.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/17/2003 03:56:00 PM

DOCTOR DECAPITATED BY ELEVATOR DOORS

Here's the link to a freak accident and a sad story.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/17/2003 03:41:00 PM

WHALE FLATULENCE

The eco-alarmists' concerns of global warming resulted in the Kyoto Treaty which prompted the country of New Zealand to institute a tax on farm mammal flatulence. But now it appears that they may have a bigger mammal in their coastal waters contributing to global warming. The whale.

From The Herald Sun comes:

. . . the first photograph of a minke whale letting one go in the icy waters of Antarctica. It was taken from the bow of a research vessel.

"We got away from the bow of the ship very quickly ... it does stink," said Nick Gales, a research scientist from the Australian Antarctic Division.

[Update 9:16pm per question from my recuperating son, "It shouldn't take a research scientist to know that farts stink." I agreed and mentioned that the purpose of their research was more involved. All the while, I remembered my pain after abdominal surgery and the fact that he was at cruising altitude from the morphine derivative racing through his bloodstream. Then he asked,

"How do they do that?"

"What?" I replied.

"Get the turds? You know, how'd they get the whale turds?"

"Well, uh, well, uh," I stammered.

"And why'd they put satellite tracking devices on whale turds? I mean, how'd they get the turds and why'd they put satellite tracking devices on them?" Matthew was interested in the article. While he took his breath, I realized that he was responding to the words of the article as written. And it was poorly written, so much so that an adolescent could be led to believe that researchers 'discover' that flatulence has an unpleasant odor and that whale feces is tracked by satellite. He also mentioned:
[reading from the article] "'Every piece of this research is surprising . . ." is the only thing I understand. It doesn't make sense, but I understand it.

Sheesh!]

Regarding the statement that whale flatulence "does stink," I don't understand. Most of the environmental scientists who are saving whales and alarming everyone to global warming typically have their heads located where that kind of smell is fairly common. They should be used to it.

And who will pay the flatulence tax? One whale is probably equivalent to a whole flock of sheep and there are thousands of whales.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/16/2003 03:17:00 PM

BORDER PATROL TO STOP MAKING ARRESTS

[From ParaPundit]

William T. Veal, Chief Border Patrol agent for the greater San Diego area, has issued instructions stating:

"Border Patrol agents are not authorized to conduct any 'interior enforcement' or 'city patrol' operations in or near residential areas or places of employment, including immigration inspections at day labor pick-up locations or on city streets while agents are en route to assignments," Veal said.

The Desert Sun reports that the restrictions are the result of protests made after Border Patrol Agents arrested a family of illegal aliens as they were going to the Mexican Consulate to obtain illegal alien identification cards.

Mexico's consul general in San Diego, Rodulfo Figueroa, filed a complaint with the Border Patrol after the Aug. 1 arrests, calling them "an act of bad faith." He didn't question the legality of the arrests but said enforcement of immigration laws so close to the consulate inhibits his ability to do his job.

Upon analysis, this is very troubling:

The Mexican Consul General is complaining that he can't do his job, because

The Border Patrol is arresting illegal aliens, so

The US government tells the Border Patrol to stop doing their job.

Somebody, please tell me what is going on. This is ludicrous. The Mexican government has apparently become an integral part of the decision making process within the law enforcement community.

The borders of the US have been characterized as porous. Actions like the article reports will make them virtually nonexistent.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/16/2003 01:10:00 PM

KUDOS TO MODERN MEDICINE

Thank God that this isn't Canada or Britain and medical conditions can be addressed with reasonable urgency. The periodic recurrence of my 14-year-old son having his appendix become inflamed is over. I just returned from the hospital where Matthew is recovering nicely after a 30-minute operation that removed his cause of severe pain. He'll be left with a scar of less than two inches. The doctor patched the incision with a 2" x 2" piece of gauze and told him he could probably go home tomorrow or Monday. This episode contrasts sharply with my experience 25 years ago when I was hospitalized for 6 days and still sport an 8-inch reminder of my incision.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/15/2003 11:54:00 PM

APPENDICITIS

Even as I write, my son Matthew is in the hospital in preparation to undergo an appendectomy. The appendicitis came on suddenly and was severe enough for a visit to the emergency room where the doctors determined it was time to remove the finger-length of inflamed tissue. The operation is scheduled for early tomorrow.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/15/2003 07:59:00 PM

MINIMUM WAGE - UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

Curmudgeonly & Skeptical pointed me to this article about the minimum wage laws in the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Ed Tinsley, reporting in the City Journal, explains that Santa Fe:

. . . passed a law imposing an $8.50 minimum wage on all businesses in the city with 25 or more workers. The hike takes effect in 2004, with the wage rising to $10.50�more than double the national minimum�by 2008. Not only is this the highest living wage in the U.S.; it is also unrivaled in its impact on private industry, since most of the 90 or so living-wage laws nationwide apply only to firms that do business with local government.

The article describes the overwhelmingly negative impact the law has on businesses, causing them to move out of town. Astonishingly, the law also provides for criminal penalties in the event of noncompliance.

The owner of a 24-employee firm who hires a one-hour-per-day temp for 30 days without boosting everyone�s pay will now be facing�unbelievably�up to 180 years in prison and $360,000 in fines.

One has to hope that someday the average voter will realize that minimum wage laws produce unemployment and relocation of businesses.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/15/2003 05:21:00 AM

WAS THE BLACKOUT DUE TO BLASTER?

From a search of the web, I found a provocative blog post at Silflay Hraka which delineates in detail a basis for speculating that the computers used to control the electrical grid may be interconnected with Windows desktop machines accessible from the Internet. If true, a path exists for the very active Blaster virus to infect or affect the grid's computers. Since the blackout occurred coincident with several days of infectious Blaster activity, the question is asked whether these two are related.

. . . does it strike anyone else as odd that the Niagara-Mohawk power grid failed during a time of heavy network stress caused by that virus?

Very good question! I personally have experience with networks in power plants and utilities, and the complexity and variety of computer systems within numerous organizations makes absolute security difficult to attain. My experience tells me that an unwanted interconnection is quite possible.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/14/2003 10:50:00 PM

DENNIS "GIVE ME YOUR MONEY" KUCINICH

[From Puggs at Random Nuclear Strikes.]
Congressman "Mothership" Kucinich has launched a new tactic in his campaign for the presidency. This one can be called the "Kucinich Wants Your Tax Credit" campaign tactic. Jeff Cohen, Kucinich's communications director, sent a call for supporters:

"As a father, I am writing you about Dennis Kucinich. Some of us have just received child tax credits from the IRS and others will be receiving their checks in the coming weeks, up to $400 per child," Cohen said.

"I am asking you to donate all or part of that check to the Kucinich for President Campaign ... for your children and all children," Cohen said, terming it a "peace dividend toward our children's future."

Cohen urged supporters to "invest" in the campaign and "pass all or part of (the tax credit) on to Kucinich."

Okay, let me see if I understand this. For months, he fought tooth and nail against the tax credit and it still was approved by Congress. So, he couldn't stop it, therefore, he wants it. Instead of using the money in a sluggish economy to help your children and your family, he wants you to give your money to him. To Kucinich, a man who has the qualifications to be elected to lead the Environmental Liberation Front, a known terrorist organization.

He fought to prevent the taxpayer from receiving his or her money. And now that the taxpayer has their money back, he wants it. Is it me or doesn't it seem that he just doesn't want the taxpayer to have their money. He'll do anything to make the taxpayer have less money. Somebody, please tell me why anyone who doesn't smoke marijuana would support Dennis Kucinich for President of the United States.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/14/2003 07:18:00 PM

BLACKOUT IN NORTHEAST

[From local broadcast TV and radio stations.] At approximately 4:30pm EDT, an electrical blackout occurred in the greater Cleveland area (my location). An estimated 600,000 people have been affected. Cedar Point Amusement Park has been reported closed. It's reported that the blackout included portions of Canada, including Toronto and Ottawa, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, along with Ohio and Michigan.

Area fire departments, police and hospitals were placed on emergency status to be prepared for all eventualities. No major problems have emerged.

Power returned to my area at 6:00pm EDT. Slowly, other areas around Cleveland saw power return. As of 7:00pm EDT, Parma, Chardon, Geneva, and Madison have power returned.

Broadcasts have repeatedly emphasized that this is not terror related.

[Update at 7:30pm] Mansfield and Oberlin have power. Broadcast TV Cleveland Channel 8 is reporting that the blackout caused by a lightning strike in the Niagara Falls area. It's also being reported that Canadian Prime Minister Chretien has emphasized it was a lightning strike in the United States.

[Update at 8:05pm] Cleveland still without power, streets virtually empty, parking lots empty, Tower City deserted. City described as eerie.

No more flights from Cleveland Hopkins tonight, stranding many passengers. Some flights allowed to land. Due to lack of pumping power, the city has declared water emergency and has instructed residents to conserve.

Mayfield Heights, Hinckley, Leroy, Willoughby, and Wickliffe now have power restored.

Cleveland Mayor Campbell has instituted a curfew for the city for all people under the age of 18. No one that age allowed after 9:30pm until daylight tomorrow.

[Update at 8:23pm] Clarification . . . curfew is for all aged 18 and under. Reporters stating this is the "worst blackout in history." Richmond Heights, Highland Heights, and Oakwood have their power restored.

[Update at 8:35pm] Water emergency has prompted Mayor Campbell to ask the State of Ohio for help. Some locations are reporting they are hours away from totally running out of water.

[Update at 8:45pm] Police are being dispatched to neighborhoods to make sure that fire hydrants are not opened to beat the heat. Mayor warns residents not to use candles due to fire hazard. Hospitals are accepting only critical emergency patients. Corridors and administrative areas are dark. Thompson and Fairlawn have power restored.

[Update at 9:00pm] Air traffic controllers at Hopkins have power but runways will need to use emergency lights to land several incoming flights that must land at Cleveland. Airlines providing cots and sleeping bags for stranded passengers.

Reenergization of the electrical grid is underway slowly to make sure an unwanted surge doesn't cause additional breakers to trip. Few gas stations have working pumps. Power on in Beachwood. The President of the United States is at a press conference right now.

[Update at 9:19pm] It's being explained that the city of Cleveland has four main water supply pumps which are intended to act as backups for each other. Unfortunately, all four pumps are without power and the emergency generating system is not big enough to power the pumps (makes me wonder what the emergency system is supposed to do?).

No injuries at Cedar Point but some folks had to climb out of rides when they lost power. The Cleveland Indians are stranded in Minnesota. Reporter now says planes are grounded at Hopkins and four flights are scheduled to land. Food is being provided to the stranded passengers. People are sprawling all over the terminal.

Local weather reporter says that the radar indicates no storms in the Niagara area and a spokesman for the Niagara Mohawk Power Company is stating that they are unaware of any lightning. Niagara Mohawk has said they will hold a press conference at 9:30pm. The lightning report came from Canadian officials.

[Update at 9:25pm] An estimated 10% of 800,000 (new estimate) people have power restored. Painesville, Sheffield Lake and parts of Lorain now have power. Backup generator at Cleveland City Hall didn't work as expected. There are no street lights and no traffic lights and it's dark.

[Update at 9:45pm] Mayor Campbell just held a press conference and stated that Governor Taft has declared a state of emergency meaning that the National Guard and the Highway Patrol may be employed. She stated the eastern suburbs have already lost water and the western suburbs have 2 to 4 hours remaining in storage tanks.

Price gouging has been reported and the mayor says these instances will be investigated. Call 664-2220 to report.

The county jail is powered as is all of the Justice Center. Prisoners in other jails are being taken to Mansfield prison to ward off the potential for riots due to unrest caused by the loss of power. The city is talking to First Energy and Cleveland Public Power to get temporary power to the water pumping stations. Should know something by 11pm. Home Depot has been delivering fans to hospitals which is helping.

[Update at 9:53pm] New York Governor Pataki says the cause of the blackout was not a lighning strike.

[Update at 10:34pm] Experts say there is no possible way the blackout was caused by a lightning strike. I wonder why the Canadians think otherwise.

[Update at 11:30pm] Mayor Campbell press briefing: First Energy may have some power restored later tonight.

Downtown area of Cleveland will be closed until noon tomorrow.

State has dispatched seventeen National Guard water trucks to Cleveland and locations for distribution are being evaluated. Advisement: If water was lost, boil for three minutes after restoration.

200 additional firemen have been mobilized and 12 Fire Department water tankers have been requested. A general callup of policemen has been done and police are on 12-hour shifts.

[Update at 12:10am, 8/15/03] Niagara Mohawk Power Company has issued a strong statement refuting the Canadian officials' contention that the cause of the blackout was lightning at Niagara Falls generating plant. According to this story, it seems that the Canadians aren't sure what they want us to believe.

Canada's government offered conflicting explanations for the blackout, blaming it first on lightning in Niagara, then a fire at a Niagara plant, and next a fire at a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant.

Local news has just completed and turned back to the networks.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/14/2003 01:42:00 PM

LAURA RAPAPORT BORSTEN

The last surviving member of the US Navy's initial team of officers in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) has died at the age of 91. May she Rest In Peace.

She was an educated, professional woman whose dedication and service to the United States should be recognized and remembered. Of special note is the following:

Stationed in Honolulu as a transportation officer, Rapaport eliminated racial discrimination in the women's corps before male superiors could start it, insisting that if women of different races wore the same uniform they could share the same jobs and living quarters.

This significant act, which she did years before the rest of the military became integrated, belies her bold and courageous nature. Rapaport wrote of her experiences in "Once a Wave: My Life in the Navy 1942-46," which is listed on Amazon.com, but not currently available.

Having spent some time carrying a Department of the Navy ID Card, I feel obligated to throw in my two cents concerning the WAVE Corps. I dealt with and got to know a number of WAVES and my lasting impression is nothing but positive. As a group or individually, they were always willing to devote extra time and effort to get the job done. The legislation signed by FDR which enabled women to enlist, coupled with the contributions of Laura Rapaport Borsten and thousands of others are reasons to be proud as an American.

On a different note, my personal belief is that under no circumstances should women be assigned to serve on a warship or a combat unit.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/13/2003 07:23:00 PM

GREEN PARTY ELECTION PROMISE TURNS UP EMPTY

This story by Gabriel J. Wasserman of the Poughkeepsie Journal relates how the village of New Paltz finds the election campaign promises of the Green Party unworkable. After being swept into office in May with an agenda of powering the village's facilities with solar power, the Green Party Mayor, Jason West, stated:

''It's turning out to be a little more difficult than I'd hoped.''

I'll say. The proposed changeover to solar-powered electricity would cost the village only half of the actual cost (the other half being picked up by the State of New York), but would take fifty years to recoup through projected savings.

''It wouldn't be a very good demonstration of solar power,'' said alternative-energy enthusiast Richard Miller, a local architect who has helped shape and re-shape the village project. ''The idea is to make money, not lose money.''

Last I checked, the Green Party has no conception of the cost of anything. If they did, they wouldn't have much to promote. When cost is factored into their ideas, it becomes obvious that they are largely unworkable.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/13/2003 06:09:00 PM

COLLEGE DEGREE IN ACTIVISM

This story is about the New College of California, located in San Francisco, which has recently started:

. . . offering bachelor's and master's humanities degrees with a concentration in "activism and social change."

At a tuition of about $6,000 per semester, students will be taught by:

. . . a progressive all-star team that includes tree-sitting environmentalist Julia "Butterfly" Hill, "ecofeminist witch" and author Starhawk and San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly.

For those who don't meet the course prerequisites of a high school diploma and 45 units of college credit, life experience will be considered. Administration officials do not want to see just a rap sheet. Some community work is recommended.

My comment is just what type of job or profession requires the services of a degreed activist. And what kind of bonehead is there that would actually put it on his or her resume?

[Update] The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler addresses this story with a link to Number 2 Pencil and a number of comments. Go visit.


[Update 02/28/08]

New College loses accreditation.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/13/2003 04:46:00 PM

RADIOS TO NORTH KOREA

[via Incestuous Amplification] This entry is a followup to my previous post on using balloons to send radios to North Korea. Thanks to ParaPundit for this additional information.

An organization called Free North Korea is intending to smuggle radios into North Korea by several methods in addition to ballooning. According to human rights activist Rev. Douglas Shin, the radios will be smuggled:

Over the land (i.e. hand-carried), by sea (eg. in a bottle or by unmanned boat), and by air (eg. by balloon or by UAV--unmanned aerial vehicle or 'drone'). [and]

Each package will include one solar-powered radio, one sheet of waterproof paper containing whatever printed message the donor wants to send (eg. Christian tract, freedom notice, introduction to the donor), and a 500-won North Korean note to buy a few kilos of rice with. The radios cost about $20 right now and the price is going down.

The act of sending the radios is noble, but not without inherent danger as attested to by Hwang Ki-Suk, a North Korean defector, who stated:

"My brother and his family were sent to prison for listening to South Korean broadcasts."

It's recognized by some that possession of and listening to these radios is dangerous, but the consensus is that the benefit to be derived by the North Korean population in hearing the truth far outweighs the negatives.

Let us pray that it does.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/13/2003 01:21:00 AM

ORGANIC FOODS

Recently, I was in the produce section of a grocery store and was struck by the quite unappealing look of all, and I do mean all, the organic fruits and vegetables for sale. In fact, it bordered on disgusting, small in size, discolored, blemished, and old. In contrast, the non-organic produce for sale looked fresh, bold in color, larger than the organic, and very appealing. The cost of the organic products was also extraordinarily high, sometimes two, three and four times the cost of the much more appealing non-organic products. Understandably, customers overwhelmingly bought the non-organic products.

Today I was reminded of my trip to the grocery when I read this newspaper article that displayed the following paragraph:

The U.S. Surgeon General, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Heart Association agree that the fruits and vegetables are safe regardless of whether organic or conventional farming methods are used.

Based upon all the factors I've mentioned and the fact that the appropriate higher authorities have deemed there is no difference in safety between organic and non-organic products, why would anyone buy organic produce? If a reader can think of any valid rationale, please provide it as a comment. Otherwise, the only thing I can figure is that those folks buying organic products are just fools.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/12/2003 09:21:00 PM

THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS MAN

This article out of Australia provides a thumbnail biography of Kim Jong-il, the North Korean President. He's described as:

. . . a film-maker, an artist, a playboy, a shooting enthusiast, and a would-be seller of nuclear weapons.

Kim Jong-il is also a murderer who has starved millions of his people to death.

John Ray at Dissecting Leftism pointed me to this article. It's a useful review.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/12/2003 01:27:00 PM

"LOVSAN" COMPUTER VIRUS ATTACK

[via Drudge]
According to Newsday.com, tens of thousands of computers have been incapacitated due to an Internet-borne infection.

The virus-like worm called "LovSan" or "Blaster" strikes as workers log on with no need for user intervention.

The worm was first reported in the United States on Monday and, while appearing not to delete files or otherwise incur permanent damage, knocked many computers offline. Non-Microsoft systems were not vulnerable.

Computers infected by LovSan were programmed to automatically launch an attack Saturday on windowsupdate.com, a Web site Microsoft uses to avail customers of software patches that can prevent such infections.

The infection was dubbed "LovSan" because of a love note left behind on vulnerable computers: "I just want to say LOVE YOU SAN!" Researchers also discovered another message hidden inside the infection that appeared to taunt Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates: "billy gates why do you make this possible? Stop making money and fix your software!"

A free patch is available on the Microsoft website to protect Windows users.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/12/2003 04:37:00 AM

ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS IMPEDING RESEARCH

This article reports that the actions of various animal rights groups are impeding research efforts to find cures based upon recent scientific advancements and discoveries. Specifically, scientists state that progress has been slowed in the areas of the human genome sequence, organ transplant techniques, and the use of stem cells to replace diseased or damaged tissue. This is due to a nationwide shortage of monkeys caused by increased demand coupled with animal rights groups making it difficult to obtain the monkeys with threat of public and political backlash.

Dr. Ruth Ruprecht of Harvard Medical School had to slow down her AIDS research because of the shortage. Ruprecht, who works at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and Dr. Judy Lieberman are working on a promising oral AIDS vaccine but had to wait a year for an NIH grant big enough to buy, house and study 86 rhesus monkeys, at a cost of $400,000, in the first year of their $12 million project.

The shortage "is slowing down AIDS research; there's no doubt about it," Ruprecht said.

It is my belief that the majority of liberal protesters and activists are pretty much the same people who become vocal for whatever the "cause of the day" is. With that as a given, one has to wonder how the activists reconcile in their minds that being pro-AIDS research (more monkeys) and pro-animal rights (no monkeys) at the same time causes them to be at odds with themselves.

[Followup information via Random Nuclear Strikes]
In support of my contention that the majority of protesters and activists are pretty much the same people pushing the cause of the day, anti-war protesters in San Francisco have disbanded and reorganized as anti-occupation protesters. The protesters are sponsored by San Francisco's Global Exchange and the Bay Area chapter of the antiwar group Not in Our Name.

"It went great," said Medea Benjamin of Global Exchange. "We are rebuilding the anti-war movement into an anti-occupation movement. We've dissolved the whole issues of being for or against the troops. Now we are with the troops and we all want them to be brought home."

These folks are marvelously versatile and I'm positive they will always find some reason to protest.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/11/2003 10:36:00 PM

CONVICT INTERNET ROMANCE

Mary Wiltenburg writes this story in the Christian Science Monitor about people who are drawn toward corresponding with and sometimes marrying incarcerated criminals. The subject is of some interest to me since, frankly, it's a total mystery why this occurs. Wiltenburg suggests that part of the reason is people are attracted to notoriety.

Serial pedophile John Wayne Gacy and serial murderer Ted Bundy both married women they'd corresponded with before their executions. In 1996, "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez married in prison. Just last month, a personal ad on WriteAPrisoner.com by Susan Smith, the South Carolina mother who drove her two sons into a lake in 1994, drew an estimated 1 million e-mails and letters.

The article discusses other possible motivations, but they really don't seem to provide a complete picture of why this happens. Not discussed is my personal belief that most of these relationships start impulsively, on a whim, with no real intention to continue it after the first response. From there, due to charm or charisma, the relationship, albeit long-distance, blossoms. I don't think that any of these folks started out by saying to themselves, "Hey, I think I'll marry a convicted serial killer." But, I could be wrong.

The article is worth a look even if you aren't interested in the addresses and links to a number of sites providing personal ads of inmates.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/11/2003 03:10:00 PM

SMUGGLING RADIOS BY BALLOON

I happened to hear Paul Harvey's radio program today and he said that the South Koreans have started a project to send outlawed radios to North Korea by ballooning them across the Demilitarized Zone. Since Paul Harvey is not usually considered to be a purveyor of bum dope, I believe what he says about this balloon scheme. What I also believe is that this method of smuggling contraband probably enjoys a very low success rate.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/11/2003 01:21:00 PM

FLASH MOBS

I apologize for my previous posting regarding flash mobs where I stated they seem to be clean fun. Well, I was wrong. The entry was made because I held a passing interest in the novelty of flash mobs and I gave the subject no real thought. I now regret what I wrote and I take it back.

Kevin has a blog called Incestuous Amplification which documents a much clearer and comprehensive understanding of the subject of flash mobs. The negative aspects are apparent. So much so that there are independent efforts by responsible people to "hack" the flash mobs and prevent them from creating potentially dangerous circumstances. Readers need to be aware of the tactics of flash mobs and their consequences.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/10/2003 07:47:00 PM

 JUDICIAL TYRANNY

I came across this article [via Curmudgeonly & Skeptical] right after I posted my previous article [see below] regarding Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's campaigning for new law changes pertaining to crime and punishment. Curious coincidence?

Richard Lessner writes in the Washington Times:

One of the greatest contemporary threats to the survival of republican government arises from the courts. Increasingly, judges are behaving like black-robed autocrats, not simply ruling upon the law, but making law.

To support this contention, Mr. Lessner provides several examples of outrageous lawmaking by judges, including:

Although voters in Nevada twice in the 1990s passed an amendment to the state constitution calling for a two-thirds supermajority of the legislature to pass any tax increase, the Silver State's supreme court ordered legislators to pass a $1 billion tax increase by a simple majority. This ruling effectively disenfranchised the voters of Nevada, stood the constitution on its head, and made a mockery of popular self-government.

Richard Lessner's piece should be read by every voter. The American judicial system should not be making laws.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/10/2003 07:00:00 PM

 Justice Kennedy Wants Laws Changed

This article out of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on a speech given to the American Bar Association by US Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy sounding more like a politician running for office than a judge.

Could someone please tell me if this is in his job description? I thought his job was to rule on existing law, not campaign to create new law. Although he's been described as a conservative, his statements sound liberal to me.

[Followup information, 1700EDT, 8/13/03] After commenting on this post in her blog, Annika, over at Annika's Journal and Poetry, has received a number of comments from several readers. For those interested, the discussion is ongoing as of this writing.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/10/2003 03:15:00 PM

 Does America Want to Rule the World?

Dr. Josef Joffe, a German publisher-editor, recently gave a lecture discussing whether or not America can rule the world. The piece is quite interesting for two primary reasons.

1) He provides a generally correct overview of the previous and current relationship the US has with the rest of the world.

2) As a German, his writing reflects the apprehension and misunderstanding he has of the US that also dominates the politics of his country along with those of France and Russia, providing insight on why these countries opposed the US regarding the war in Iraq.

Based upon his perceptions, the right question was not asked. "Can America Rule the World?" becomes moot if America has no desire to rule the world.

Thanks to Puggs over at Random Nuclear Strikes for his take and for pointing me to this article. Read the whole thing.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/10/2003 03:01:00 AM

 Rush Limbaugh vs. The Blogosphere

According to Dr. David Hill of Hill Research Consultants in his column "Bloggers Won't Match Limbaugh," a controversy is brewing between Rush Limbaugh and the Blogosphere which he loosely defines as "the publication of personal journals, commentary and opinions on Internet sites known as weblogs."

As an aside, I didn't even know there was a controversy. To me, comparing Limbaugh to the Blogosphere is like comparing apples to oranges.

Nevertheless, Limbaugh discussed Dr. Hill's article on his August 8th program and what he had to say about bloggers and the Blogosphere was not correct nor was it kind. All serious bloggers should be offended by Limbaugh's remarks. I know I am.

The differences between Limbaugh and the Blogosphere are analyzed in detail by James Lileks in The Bleat and, with a different approach, Susanna of Cut on a Bias has this to say:

Well, Hill may have gotten why Rush is successful, but both Hill AND Rush are clueless about bloggers. And Rush should know that second hand knowledge and snarky little conversations with his buddies on the golf course do not constitute a "flawlessly researched piece on why bloggers will not be the EIB of the future". First, we haven't claimed we will be. Second, we don't want to be. Third, it's a different medium.

I agree with James and Susanna and I'd like to add that anyone who actually does something is going to make mistakes and Limbaugh appears to have made a doozy. But this one is out of character for him for two reasons.

1) Rush almost never makes blanket derogatory statements without extensive research to back him. It's obvious he didn't do any research.

2) Rush is usually reluctant to offer up any comment if he doesn't know a fair amount about the subject. In fact, many times I've heard him refrain from responding to a caller's concern for the simple reason that he needed to do some research. And then, invariably, he would revisit the subject when he knew something about it.

Based upon these two reasons, I'd suggest he's baiting his audience, looking for a livid response. [Remember the reaction produced when he said he was supporting Bill Clinton for President back in '92?]

One other observation. Isn't Rush's rebuke of the blogosphere identical to the reaction he got from the major media back in 1989? Completely uninformed and devoid of vision? Wouldn't it be interesting if he's pulling the same trick again? Also, how would anybody know?

[Update 8/11/03 at 4am] Donald Sensing presents a masterful analysis of the subject at One Hand Clapping. It should be read.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/09/2003 08:01:00 PM

 "You Have The Right To An Attorney"

This story from the Northwest suggests that there may be something in the water. Remember, not too long ago, a schoolteacher in the Seattle area named Mary Kay Latourneau was found guilty of having sexual relations with a 12-year-old student.

Well now, a King County Superior Court public defender has admitted having sexual contact with a man charged with triple-murder.

A jail officer said he saw public defender Theresa Olson, 43, having sex last August with Sebastian Burns, 26, who is charged with three counts of aggravated first-degree murder.

For the infraction, the Washington State Bar Association will suspend her license for one year along with an additional year of probation.

My take is that this represents a bad trend. Looks to me like a guy's chances of getting lucky are significantly enhanced if he's in jail on a murder charge or going to elementary school. Hopefully these women are not representative of modern-day professional females.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/09/2003 07:36:00 PM

 "Secret" Trade Into Iraq

[Found this story at The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler.]

According to the DEBKAfile, a semi-secret trade route between Israel and Iraq has been established in response to a demand for beer, but not only beer.

To meet the demand, trucks, loaded with beer produced in Israeli breweries working round the clock, roll nearly 1,000 miles east night by night, through Jordan and over two frontiers . . .

The convoys carry farm produce, foodstuffs, dairy products, eggs and ice cream, orders for which keep Jordan-based Israeli sales agents and their Jordanian counterparts with full hands and busy satellite phones.

It's estimated that the value of goods traveling from Israel to Iraq increased from $6 million to $42 million between May and June. This is a good sign. Continued increase in trade can't help but encourage increased mutual understanding and respect.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/09/2003 04:03:00 PM

 Man on Third Base

Throughout my life as a baseball fan, I've asked the following question repeatedly and have yet to receive a definitive answer and, usually, I get no answer. Among others, I've emailed Ask Yahoo, MLB.com, and Foxnews and didn't even get a response. The question is:

"How many more ways can a runner score from third base than second base on any one play?"

I haven't been on anything like a crusade to find an answer, it's just a question that surfaces occasionally. I thought maybe a reader could provide the answer.

BTW, I think it's eight, but another die-hard fan says nine.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/09/2003 02:21:00 PM

 Public Homosexual Behavior

This story from WorldNetDaily describes a current controversy regarding the Philadelphia Phillies baseball club sponsoring a "Gay Community Day" this Tuesday at Veterans Stadium. My comment is that "America's Pasttime" being coupled with homosexuality perfectly illustrates how American culture is being publicly debased.

Diane Gramley, director of the American Family Association of Pennsylvania, had this to say,

"Families will take their children to Tuesday's baseball game for a good time, but instead they will be confronted with a 'Gay Community Day.' What type message is this giving the children attending?"

"Those who engage in homosexual activity � because this is what really defines a homosexual � are using this in-your-face method to further seek acceptance of their unnatural and dangerous sexual behavior."

I agree with Diane Gramley who brings up another issue, public homosexual activity. The article relays the example:

. . . of 11 homosexuals arrested this year in Philadelphia's Strawbridges department store for engaging in public sexual activity in one of the store's restrooms. This after a 10-year-old boy and his father unsuspectingly walked into the Strawbridges restroom before Christmas and found homosexuals engaged in sex acts.

"Public homosexual activity is becoming an increasing problem across the state, and parents need to be prepared to protect their children."

Based upon my own experience, I know that this is happening all over the country. Many times over many years I've interrupted young men and boys engaged in sexual acts in mall restrooms, public park restrooms, and restrooms at interstate rest areas. It's really disgusting to me as an adult. I can only imagine the impact experienced by youngsters.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/08/2003 03:08:00 PM

 Rush Limbaugh Speaks of Bloggers

It's nice for bloggers to get recognized, but I don't think Rush has any idea what's happening in the blogosphere. He spoke for about ten minutes in the 2pm EDT hour on blogging in general and made statements which are inconsistent with my experience. I'm sure there will be more to report in the future on this subject.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/08/2003 11:55:00 AM

 Catherine Donkers Found Guilty

Local news is reporting that Portage County Municipal Court Judge David Martell has ruled in the breast feeding while driving case against Catherine Donkers and has found her guilty of three of four charges against her. She is guilty of driving without a valid operator's license, failure to comply with a police officer's request, and violation of the Ohio child-restraint law. Donkers was found not guilty of child endangerment.

Sentencing in the case will occur after a pre-sentence investigation of the charges and available legal remedies. The prosecution has recommended a sentence of 30 days in jail, a $500 fine and payment of all court costs.

While making his ruling, Judge Martell asked Donkers what was more important to her, the welfare of her child or her religious campaign against "the oppressive agents of government?"

My take is that if the prosecutor's recommendations are followed, the punishment befits the crimes. Putting Donkers in jail may seem harsh, but not when viewed in the context of the attitudes displayed during the trial by Donkers and her husband, Brad Lee Barnhill. Judge Martell expressed concern that there is a real possibility of recurrence of the violations. Therefore, I think incarceration, along with a meaningful out-of-pocket penalty, would go a long way in helping Donkers and Barnhill realize an attitude adjustment. However, they may be too entrenched in the dogma of the First Christian Fellowship for Eternal Sovereignty to ever have an attitude change.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/07/2003 09:16:00 PM

SCREEN-TOUCH VOTING MACHINE SECURITY

Remember the 2000 Election in Florida, hanging chads, etc.? That episode prompted states to upgrade their voting machines to electronic and now, with the 2004 Elections only 14 months away, computer security experts are saying the new voting machines are vulnerable to errors and tampering. Just Great!

According to experts at a computer security symposium sponsored by the Advanced Computing Systems Association, flaws have been found in hardware and software.

One basic problem widely discussed at the symposium was the difficulty of voter verification and how to secure an audit trail. There are many concerns that local officials could skew the machines to record votes falsely.

Jim Adler, of VoteHere, a developer of technology for voting machines, said the major problem was that the voter had to be able to know his vote was cast. Another problem is that insiders are not trusted.

"The nightmare scenario," he said, "is the election that goes against the polls, and there is no proof of the outcome."

Boy, I just don't have a warm feeling about how this may play out. American history is fraught with occurrences of voter fraud and this sounds like the door is wide open for new and creative cheaters.

[Update at 1655 EDT, 8/11/03]
Apparently the news of the voting machine problems has risen to the attention of the major media. The Drudge Report is pointing to an article in the Washington Post by Brigid Schulte which states:

Since being released two weeks ago, the Hopkins report has sent shock waves across the country. Some states have backed away from purchasing any kind of electronic voting machine . . . .

As I mentioned earlier, I don't have a warm feeling about this.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/07/2003 07:24:00 PM

 Underage Illegal Worker Dies

This story describes how a Hispanic advocacy group is pressuring to get the government to provide more workplace protections for illegal aliens who don't speak English. I don't lack compassion for the unfortunate, however, it's difficult for me to accept the government establishing policies and writing rules and regulations for protection of non-citizens.

This kind of thing just frosts my cookies. Maybe we ought to change the Preamble to the Constitution to state,

We the People of the United States from Wherever, . . . .

All it takes is the concurrence of two-thirds of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states within seven years. Then my cookies would be unfrosted.

[Update at 1005pm EDT]
An emailer asked if I'm advocating an amendment to the Constitution. No, not at all. What I think is the government should not make policies or laws protecting foreign nationals who are illegally in the US. The question of legality should be resolved before considering any governmental protections. My original comment was based upon the legality question and I pointed out that if the Constitution was changed, there would be no legality question.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/07/2003 06:46:00 PM

 Driver Distractions

This story by Dee-Ann Durbin of the Associated Press describes the results of a study to determine what distracted drivers and how often drivers were distracted. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina and the American Automobile Association who tracked 70 drivers, aged 18 to 80, from North Carolina and Pennsylvania by installing miniature cameras in their cars. The study concluded:

Thirty percent of the study subjects used cell phones while their vehicles were moving, but that was far from the most common distraction. Some 97 percent leaned over to reach for something, and 91 percent fiddled with radio controls.

Drivers were most likely to swerve when they were reaching, eating, using cell phones or tending to infants. Babies distracted drivers an average of 8.4 times per hour, compared with 1.1 times for adult passengers.

In all, the study found that drivers were distracted 16.1 percent of the time their vehicles were moving.

Based upon the article, there are many factors which negatively impact a person's performance behind the wheel of a car, but it seems they were analyzed individually. In other words, if a person was doing several distracting things at once, um, let me think of something. Oh, how about talking on a cell phone while tending to an infant who was being breast fed. It seems that a driver distraction multiplication factor (DDMF) should be devised. Hey, what a coincidence. That segues right into the next posting about Catherine Donkers and Brad Lee Barnhill.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/07/2003 12:54:00 PM

 Catherine Donkers, BFD*, Presents Her Case

[From various local broadcast news reports]
The prosecution in the breast feeding while driving case has rested and Catherine Donkers, acting as her own attorney, is currently presenting her defense.

The first witness called by Donkers was the State of Ohio which produced furrowed brows on everyone in the courtroom. The judge then listened to Donkers as she explained that all court documents were identified as The State of Ohio vs. Catherine Donkers and, as such, she had a right to confront her accuser.

Subsequently, she introduced the Bible into evidence.

It should be noted that yesterday the judge tossed out a motion by Donkers husband, Brad Barnhill, demanding that he be charged in the case instead of his wife since he is responsible for all her actions.

The media has been regularly referring to the proceedings as "a comedy." Stay tuned.

(BFD* = Breast Feeding Driver)

[Update at 6pm EDT from local TV.]
Brad Lee Barnhill is seen testifying that his wife was driving at 65mph, breast feeding her infant, and talking to him on a cell phone simultaneously. Earlier, Catherine Donkers was on the stand and stated at no time did she think she was endangering her child. My observation at this point is that they seem somewhat more subdued today than they were yesterday. Maybe the seriousness of the situation is starting to sink in.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/07/2003 07:08:00 AM

 Stupid Criminals

I couldn't help myself. The following was blatantly stolen from Wicked Thoughts which is always worth a visit.

A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer? $15.

A thief burst into a Florida bank one day wearing a ski mask and carrying a gun. Aiming his gun at the guard, the thief yelled, "FREEZE, MOTHER-STICKERS, THIS IS A ****-UP!" For a moment, everyone was silent. Then the snickers started. The guard completely lost it and doubled over laughing. It probably saved his life, because he'd been about to draw his gun. He couldn't have drawn and fired before the thief got him. The thief ran away and is still at large. In memory of the event, the banker later put a plaque on the wall engraved with the words, "Freeze, mother-stickers, this is a ****-up!"

As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

HERE'S A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER! When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a motor home parked on a Seattle Street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges, saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

And Finally - First Place - The 2003 Darwin Award Winner. When his 38-calibre revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach, California, would be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

Pretty stupid, huh?
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       Following Entry Posted 8/07/2003 05:52:00 AM

 Lawsuits Cause Business Failures

The Heartland Institute produced this story by Conrad F. Meier which outlines the current status of US Senate legislation aimed at addressing the nation's asbestos lawsuit crisis.

Asbestos injury compensation claims have been backing up in the court system for years; the fund has been proposed as a way to resolve claims more quickly.

Some 67 companies already have been driven into bankruptcy by claims both legitimate and spurious.

More than 200,000 asbestos tort claims are pending nationwide against more than 8,000 corporations. Many of the defendant companies never made asbestos products. The Senate measure would end those lawsuits and protect firms against any future suits asbestos victims might bring.

These cases follow the same pattern of other tort complaints, in that, most of the award money goes to the trial lawyers while companies are forced into bankruptcy. It's another example of why this country needs tort reform.

Thanks to Dissecting Leftism.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/07/2003 05:12:00 AM

 Table of How Much is Paid to UN

From Dissecting Leftism, I was pointed to this site with a data table showing that the US and Japan pay over 43% of the total cost for operating the United Nations. For this, the US and Japan are entitled to one vote each, just as every other member in an organization that is approaching 300 total members.

I don't think we're gettin' what we're payin' fer. Personally, I think they either piss away the money or it's lining the wallets of corrupt bureaucrats.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/06/2003 07:47:00 PM

 Rosewood Files

After years of legal battles, the German government has finally reached agreement with the CIA on returning a list of hundreds of former (Stasi) East German secret agents known as the "Rosewood Files." The result could be a new series of arrests and trials in countries as far away as Asia and South America.

The files came into CIA hands under mysterious circumstances during East Germany's collapse. Many groups are awaiting the public release of the names which will probably come out in bits and pieces. The files comprise 381 CD-ROM's worth of data.

More information on the Rosewood Files can be found here and here.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/06/2003 05:07:00 PM

 Now The Germans Are Packing Substandard Equipment!

According to the European Union, which found that:

German penises 'too small for EU condoms.'

The Germans are saying the EU has overestimated the average penis size by almost twenty percent and they are taking action to prove it. They are going to measure and want all the other EU countries to do the same. Their contention is that the entire male population has the same average schwanz. Some folks have said that this is not the only subject area where the EU has an inflated opinion.

Urologist Gunther Hagler, head of the team compiling the research, said: "By checking hundreds of patients we found German penises were too small for standard EU condoms. "On average they were 14.48 cms long and 3.95 cms wide. That makes them much smaller than the EU standard condom size of 17 cms in length and 5.6 cms in width." He denied the German man was any smaller than the rest of Europe, adding: "We think the EU has got its sums wrong, and if other countries were to check out their men's assets they would find the EU has made a mistake in its calculations.

This article from Gene Expression is very funny and worth a look. The comment thread that follows is equally hilarious.

As an aside, rumor has it that the newly elected Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, upon learning of the massive European penis measuring project, has stated that he and some of his fellow believers would gladly be available to assist as needed.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/06/2003 02:26:00 PM

 Local NE Ohio Breaking News

I just heard via local radio, WTAM in Cleveland, that Jerry Springer has decided NOT to run for the US Senate.

The unlicensed, breast feeding driver, Catherine Donkers, went to court today to face a charge of violating the Ohio child-restraint law and immediately fired her court-appointed lawyer. Everyone probably recalls that she is a Michigan resident who thinks that Ohio laws do not apply to her because of a variety of bizarre reasons, which includes her contention that Ohio state troopers aren't trained well enough. This case continues to amuse.

[Update at 4PM EDT from same source] Donkers had a suspended license from Michigan (as opposed to no license). This has to affect her argument that, because she's a resident of Michigan, Ohio traffic laws don't apply to her. Somehow she doesn't seem to realize that not being able to drive in Michigan will not support her case! Her logic must work something like this:

Well, I had a license in Michigan and they took it away.

But I was ticketed for driving in Ohio.

The State of Michigan took my license and said I couldn't legally drive in Michigan.

But I wasn't driving in Michigan. So I didn't violate any Michigan law.

Therefore, I can't be prosecuted in Ohio.

What an idiot. I hope the judge doesn't cave on this case and sets an example for all the other complete idiots walking, and driving, around in society.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/05/2003 06:59:00 PM

 Communism = Evil = Communism

Surfing the web I found a site which advocates for people to do whatever they can to impede government and business. The group responsible is obviously communist since they blatantly announce their politics by naming their website, K Marx The Spot. Just reading through it was sickening to me. The light of reason needs to be subjected to the site and its many links to expose the lies and deceit these people are spewing. I'll just pick one for now.

The Marxist website links to a site named Adbusters which claims "Cultural Revolution Is Our Business" and describes themselves as follows:

We are a loose global network of artists, writers, environmentalists, ecological economists, media-literacy teachers, reborn Lefties, ecofeminists, downshifters, high school shit-disturbers, campus rabble-rousers, incorrigibles, malcontents and green entrepreneurs. We are idealists, anarchists, guerrilla tacticians, pranksters, neo-Luddites, poets, philosophers and punks. Our aim is to topple existing power structures and forge a major rethinking of the way we will live in the 21st century.We want to change the way information flows, the way institutions wield power, the way the world keeps the peace, the way the food, fashion, automobile, sports, music and culture industries set their agendas. Above all, we want to change the way we interact with the mass media and the way in which meaning is produced in our society.

Based entirely on their statements, my interpretation is a simple one, these folks are communists that want to take over the world. It would be nice if they just said what they mean. They pretty-up the words by stating they are a "social activist movement" who aim to "topple existing power structures and forge a major shift in the way we will live" (read: overthrow capitalism) To accomplish this, they encourage people to participate (read: recruit and train new communists) in "public mischief" (read: the workers revolution). This is, word for word, from The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx.

The public mischief takes many forms and is described in detail on the site. For example:

1) They demand that "free speech" be redefined to have telecommunications licenses require all broadcasters to provide:

". . . two minutes out of every broadcast hour be made available for advocacy messages that could come from anyone, on any topic."

It appears they want that two minutes for free and, as such, have redefined 'free speech.' Speech is free if it's free to Adbusters.

2) They have announced that "public enemy number one is the car" and have instituted a campaign of "public mischief" to create traffic jams.

"In cities like San Francisco and Portland, critical mass rallies have brought thousands of walkers, cyclists and in-line skaters together for impromptu parades down major arteries that snarl rush-hour traffic for hours � a potent anti-car statement that�s impossible to ignore." [This is criminal, not mischievous, activity.]

3) They created a "Buy Nothing Day" intended to harm business during peak shopping periods. Their goal is to stop consumption to harm the multinational corporations that have "utterly uncompassionate survival instincts".

". . . Buy Nothing Day played out in some of the nation's last remaining public spaces - its malls. Costumed groups of revelers managed to slip in and stay long enough to set up tables and suggest alternatives to heavy holiday spending such as giving to charity." [Note that they call themselves 'revelers.' Possibly this explains why so many young people are attracted to these kinds of movements. It's a party!]

"Sheer mayhem. That's all we can say. Buy Nothing Day was crazy in London where jammers took special medicine so they could puke in unison at the mall." [It seems to me that disorderly conduct/creating a disturbance and intentionally defiling someone's property are criminal offenses.]

4) Many other examples are presented, but, honestly, just reading and thinking about the inroads communism is making in our society sickens me.

Most of the specific instances of public mischief could be easily classified as adolescent pranks, but together they represent a concerted and intensely malevolent political movement that breaks the law to further their communist goals.

And I have absolutely no sympathy for the idiots that think their efforts have something to do with clean air or global warming. These jello-brained automatons need to look at North Korea, Cuba, China, and the former Soviet Union to see what realization of their goal really means.

Communism = Police State.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/04/2003 07:53:00 PM

 Sex Offenders Are Risk To Strike Again

A review of inmate records to identify how many should be classified by a tougher sex offender label resulted in finding almost 1,000 additional convicts. The review, conducted by the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, prompted Governor Taft to sign a law to strengthen Ohio's sex offender laws. Specifically, the laws mandating community notification will be expanded to include sexually oriented offenders, repeat sexual offenders and sexual predators.

Under current law, local police only have to notify neighbors about repeat offenders and those labeled sex predators by judges, meaning they have been deemed at risk of committing additional sex crimes.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Jacobson, a Dayton-area Republican, will extend the notification requirement to all convicted sex offenders.

It's good that some attention is being directed toward the area of sexual criminals, but I'm personally troubled by the fact that all the sexual predators and offenders are generally expected to continue committing sexual crimes once released from prison. In particular, those criminals that are repeat sexual offenders are evidence that the penalties may be too lenient. It would seem prudent to increase the penalties for sexual crimes across the board. Then the sexual criminals wouldn't have the opportunity to commit additional crimes. They'd be in prison.

Of course, I could be wrong.

Andrew Welsh-Huggins wrote the story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/04/2003 03:08:00 PM

 Latest Health Food - Pizza

According to this story, results of a study of more than 8,000 people in Italy indicate that eating pizza at least once a week decreases the risk of digestive tract cancer.

"I think it's possible because we've known for a while that there's certain things in the Mediterranean diet -- olive oil, tomatoes and so on -- which do seem to have a protective effect," said Dr. David Cave, of Caritas St. Elizabeth's Medical Center.

However,

"Not all pizzas are created equal. American pizza, particularly the deep-dish pizza that started in Chicago, tends to have a lot higher fat content, and clearly that's not such a good thing for you," Cave said.

I don't think we should be ethnocentric about this subject. For the sake of diversity, I strongly suggest that the results of the research in Italy be given paramount credence.

"He who eats the pizza will live long -- at least 100 years old," pizza chef Nano Napolaitano said.

OK, let's see. I know I've got an article around here somewhere that says beer is good for you.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/04/2003 01:34:00 PM

 Update on the Breast Feeding Driver

The breast feeding driver, Catherine Donkers, charged with not having a valid operator's license, child endangering, failing to comply with a police officer's request and obstructing official business is going to court this week. Steve Luttner wrote this report in the Cleveland Plain Dealer which indicates that Mrs. Donkers is going to fight the case before a judge.

"How can you prosecute someone for violating a law that doesn't exist?" Donkers said. "There is no law that has been violated."

Donkers supports her argument with a mix of legal interpretations and a deep skepticism of government. She questions whether the state has the right to make individuals meet seemingly basic requirements such as obtaining driver's licenses and marriage certificates.

The prosecutor offered to drop all charges except the child-restraint count, a misdemeanor carrying a $100 fine, but she refused the offer. She still maintains she is innocent of any violation of Ohio laws since she's a resident of Michigan. Her husband, Brad Lee Barnhill, said:

Donkers was a resident of Michigan when she was arrested.

Michigan, like Ohio, requires children under age 4 to be in a child-restraint system while traveling in an auto. But Michigan excludes children who are being nursed.

Thus Donkers was stopped improperly, making all of the charges irrelevant, Barnhill said.

"We can understand that they haven't been properly trained," he said of the state troopers.

He said he would be willing to serve as a consultant to better educate troopers about the law.

Mr. Barnhill has a screwy way of looking at things. He somehow thinks his case is enhanced by insulting the Ohio law enforcement system.

Chances are that no one is taking wagers on the outcome of the court proceedings. If there's ever been a case where the defendents should be sent a harsh message, this is it. Personally, I'd make the piggies squeal.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/04/2003 02:09:00 AM

 A Note of Thanks

This came to me via Absinthe & Cookies and Mickey's Musings. It was originally published by the Air Force Personnel Center. I'm fairly certain that this item will be on many websites in a short time. And, although I typically try not to include items that will appear everywhere, this item deserves to be posted here.

A Note of Thanks to Those Who Serve
by Christy Ferer

6/30/2003 - NEW YORK (AFPN) -- When I told friends about my pilgrimage to Iraq to thank the U.S. troops, reaction was underwhelming at best.

Some were blunt. "Why are you going there?" They could not understand why it was important for me, a 9/11 widow, to express my support for the men and women stationed today in the Gulf.

But the reason seemed clear to me: 200,000 troops have been sent halfway around the world to stabilize the kind of culture that breeds terrorists like those who I believe began World War III on Sept. 11, 2001. Reaction was so politely negative that I began to doubt my role on the first USO/Tribeca Institute tour into newly occupied Iraq where, on average, a soldier a day is killed.

Besides, with Robert De Niro, Kid Rock, Rebecca and John Stamos, Wayne Newton, Gary Sinise, and Lee Ann Womack, who needed me?

Did they really want to hear about my husband, Neil Levin, who went to work as director of the New York Port Authority on Sept.11 and never came home? How would they relate to the two others traveling with me: Ginny Bauer, a New Jersey homemaker and the mother of three who lost her husband, David; and former Marine Jon Vigiano, who lost his only sons, Jon, a firefighter and Joe, a policeman.

As we were choppered over deserts that looked like bleached bread crumbs, I wondered if I'd feel like a street hawker, passing out Port Authority pins and baseball caps as I said "thank you" to the troops. Would a hug from me mean anything at all in the presence of the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders and a Victoria's Secret model?

The first "meet and greet" made me weep. Why? Soldiers, armed with M16s and saddlebags of water in 120-degree heat, swarmed over the stars for photos and autographs. When it was announced that a trio of Sept. 11 family members was also in the tent it was as if a psychic cork on an emotional dam was popped.

Soldiers from all over our great country rushed toward us to express their condolences. Some wanted to touch us, as if they needed a physical connection to our sorrow and for some living proof for why they were there.

One mother of two from Montana told me she enlisted because of Sept. 11. Dozens of others told us the same thing. One young soldier showed me his metal bracelet engraved with the name of a victim he never knew and that awful date none of us will ever forget.

In fact at every encounter with the troops there would be a surge of Reservists -- firefighters and cops, including many who had worked the rubble of Ground Zero -- wanting to exchange a hometown hug.

Their glassy eyes still do not allow anyone to penetrate too far inside to the place where their trauma is lodged; the trauma of a devastation far greater than anyone who hadn't been there could even imagine. It's there in me, too. I had forced my way downtown on that awful morning, convinced that I could find Neil beneath the rubble.

What I was not prepared for was to have soldiers show us the World Trade Center memorabilia they'd carried with them into the streets of Baghdad. Others had clearly been holding in stories of personal 9/11 tragedies which had made them enlist.

USO handlers moved us from one corner to the next so everyone could meet us. One fire brigade plucked the three of us from the crowd, transporting us to their firehouse to call on those who had to stand guard during the Baghdad concert. It was all about touching us and feeling the reason they were in this hell. Back at Baghdad International Airport, Kid Rock turned a "meet and greet" into an impromptu concert in a steamy airport hangar before 5000 troops.

One particular soldier, Capt. Vargas from the Bronx, told me he enlisted in the Army after some of his wife's best friends were lost at the World Trade Center.

When he glimpsed the piece of recovered metal from the Towers that I had been showing to a group of soldiers he grasped for it as if it were the Holy Grail. Then he handed it to Kid Rock who passed the precious metal through the 5000 troops in the audience. They lunged at the opportunity to touch the steel that symbolized what so many of them felt was the purpose of their mission -- which puts them at risk every day in the 116 degree heat, not knowing all the while if a sniper was going to strike at anytime.

Looking into that sea of khaki gave me chills even in that blistering heat. To me, those troops were there to avenge the murder of my husband and 3,000 others. When I got to the microphone I told them we had not made this journey for condolences but to thank them and to tell them that the families of 9/11 think of them every day. They lift our hearts. The crowd interrupted me with chants of "USA, USA, USA." Many wept.

What happened next left no doubt that the troops drew inspiration from our tragedies. When I was first asked to speak to thousands of troops in Qatar, after Iraq, I wondered if it would feel like a "grief for sale" spectacle.

But this time I was shaking because I was to present the recovered WTC steel to Gen. Tommy Franks (U.S. Central Command commander). I quivered as I handed him the icy gray block of steel. His great craggy eyes welled up with tears. The sea of khaki fell silent. Then the proud four-star general was unable to hold back the tears which streamed down his face on center stage before 4,000 troops. As this mighty man turned from the spotlight to regain his composure I comforted him with a hug.

Now, when do I return?

(Editor's note: This commentary is printed with permission from Christy Ferer, a New York native whose husband, Neil Levin, was killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Ferer was part of a recent United Services Organizations tour to Iraq.)
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       Following Entry Posted 8/03/2003 10:06:00 PM

 Korean Biology 101

The Marmot's Hole pointed me to an article from the English-language Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo which generally discusses Viagra, but also contains this gem.

When the reproductive organ of a male animal erects, that of a whale enlarges up to 3m, horse, 1m, elephant 1.5m, cow 90cm and a human being 15cm (that of Korean men is 12.5cm) on average. Considering the size of the whole body, that of the human race is not small.

My take is that I'm fairly certain there are some Korean men who would dispute the contention that they're packing substandard equipment. Also, is penis measurement included on the census form? If not, how would anyone know? And, lastly, if these data are true and I were a Korean, I sure wouldn't want to document it like Editorialist Soon Moon-hong did.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/03/2003 09:03:00 PM

 UK to Become 51st State?

David Farrer has an interesting piece in his blog, Freedom and Whisky, which discusses an article in the UK Guardian contending that Britain has lost its sovereignty to the US and is now a client state.

The Guardian article, David's observations and those of his readers provide an interesting snapshot on what appears to be an ongoing philosophical debate.

My take is that it will never happen. Britain is way too Socialist for there ever to be a consensus among Americans for its admittance to the Union.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/03/2003 05:47:00 PM

 Terrorism Class

I've been thinking about this story for a couple weeks because it bothered me and I really didn't know how to approach it. Nonetheless, I'll go ahead and bring it up and see if it has legs.

The story is by Larry Grard, a staff reporter with Blethen Maine Newspapers, and he writes about Thomas College (Cost - $10,500/year) of Waterville, Maine, where a post-9/11 course in terrorism has been added to the curriculum. The course, "Terrorism: The New World Disorder," provides an in-depth study of the history and reasons for the "phenomenon" and was instituted due to the urging of Judy Hansen-Childers, chairwoman of the arts and sciences department. To prepare, Hansen-Childers attended a seminar in Northern Ireland and gained a deeper understanding of worldwide conflicts and their resolutions.

Today, Hansen-Childers can conjure up a thoughtful definition of terrorism, but she lets her students do that for themselves. [and]

As for the politics of terrorism, Hansen-Childers said she has her own views, but does not push them on her students.

This all sounds well and good, but a different take was presented by two students who were interviewed after taking the course.

Matthew Gagnon, president of his class, said that the terrorists are poverty-stricken and:

"A majority of (foreign terrorists) don't consider themselves terrorists," Gagnon said. "They consider themselves freedom fighters. A lot of them are poor people being led by one person."

Excuse me, but neither Osama Bin Laden nor Muhammad Atta were poverty stricken. In fact, they had tremendous wealth at their disposal. Also, the murderers who killed over 3,000 on September 11th were not poverty-stricken and they were not fighting for freedom. They were and are nothing more than murderers obsessed with cult-induced hatred.

And so we have 200 people die in a nightclub in Bali in a 'freedom fight?' I don't think so. Tell that to the orphans and widows in Australia who the terrorists, according to Mr. Gagnon's statement, are supposedly fighting to gain their freedom.

This course is teaching crap. Nobody is infringing on these peoples' freedom and these people are not poverty-stricken. They are a cult of hatred and murder.

Ah, but there is more. Angela Bard, a 4.0 GPA graduate of Thomas College, opines:

"The U.S. is pushing (itself) upon other countries . . . ."

Can someone tell me what that means? I suggest that the statements uttered by Gagnon and Bard mean that the US has to be held responsible for terrorism because the US pushes itself on poverty-stricken freedom fighters.

In closing, let's examine a statement by Hansen-Childers defining terrorism.

"It is a strategy of the weak using asymmetrical methods to strike fear and terror in groups or populations to bring attention to religious or political or societal issues and grievances," Hansen-Childers said.

In the case of the 9/11 perpetrators, this definition needs to be revised as follows:

"It is a strategy of the weak using asymmetrical methods to strike fear and terror in groups or populations to bring attention to religious or political or societal issues and grievances to kill people we hate."

In conclusion, when you read or hear of a strong liberal bias in academia, think of this example. Thomas College is teaching that we should understand and have feelings for the murderers of 9/11. Whether they are understood and whether or not someone has feelings for them will not change the eventual resolution of the conflict between Western civilization and the Osama Bin Laden terrorists. The terrorists will be eradicated.

One final thought. Not too long ago, about thirty-five people known as the Heaven's Gate cult voiced their intention of committing mass suicide so they could go to the "other side" in a spaceship that was following the Hale-Bopp comet. Many people tried to dissuade them. Every logical argument was presented to them as to why it was wrong. It made no difference what anyone had to say. They were a cult displaying typical cult behavior. And now they're dead.

Not too long ago nineteen travelers boarded four large airplanes, then hijacked and crashed the planes into four prominent, occupied buildings with the intentions of killing themselves and as many innocent citizens as possible and, thereupon, martyrdom achieved, enter heaven. Could they have been talked out of it? I contend, no. It made no difference what anyone had to say. They were a cult displaying typical cult behavior. And now they're dead.

The terrorists have no religious, political, nor societal issues or grievances, so talking about it and studying it really doesn't make a difference. They are a cult, a cult of seething hatred. Only death or imprisonment will stop them.

Of course, I could be wrong. I'm sure the liberals in academia would disagree with me.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/01/2003 10:46:00 PM

 No Potty Mouths Allowed

My Piss Steam-O-Meter hit maximum when I read this story in the Toledo Blade. It seems that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is preparing to establish policies prohibiting foul language and swearing in the workplace.

"If you can�t find words more expressive, you might not have the intellect to work here" is the phrase district director Michael Fetzer said he has used with violators.

I am outraged that the federal government is telling people what is acceptable speech at this level. What the hell kind of a problem is there that requires the feds to come in to correct? Excuse me, is this kindergarten?

Boy! I am royally pissed off steamed about this!
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       Following Entry Posted 8/01/2003 06:16:00 PM

 Traficant For President?

I just heard on the CBS local broadcast station from Cleveland that former Congressman James Traficant has formed an exploratory committee to run for president in 2004. He'll do it from prison, where he is serving time for bribery and racketeering.

Sheesh!


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       Following Entry Posted 8/01/2003 01:28:00 PM

 Germans Trying For Iraq Business

German companies are finding that they are not doing the business they would like in Iraq even as a massive rebuilding effort is underway. A Frankfurt newspaper reports:

Chancellor Gerhard Schr�der's opposition to the U.S.-led attack on Iraq has made it more difficult for German companies to enter the Iraqi market, especially because American and British companies are dominating the initial rebuilding effort.

Until things settle down in Iraq, German companies are therefore more likely to profit from getting one of the 900 subcontracts from U.S. companies.

But many German firms have signaled they prefer direct engagement in Iraq rather than subcontracts from the U.S. or British companies dominating the rebuilding effort.

Now, isn't that just too bad?

The article is by Aaron Kirchfeld.
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       Following Entry Posted 8/01/2003 01:04:00 PM

 California Governor Larry Flynt?

[Via The Drudge Report.]

The Washington Post is reporting that Hustler Magazine publisher Larry Flynt is considering a serious run at the California governorship.

"California is the most progressive state in the union," said Flynt, 61. "I don't think anyone here will have a problem with a smut peddler as governor."

Hell, why not. Didn't we just have one as president for eight years?
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