What is safe?

With all the current exodus of technical mainstream white collor private sector jobs, it is becomming apparent that only a few jobs are safe.... Government Jobs.

Once again, the American economy is going to have a critical need for oversight of government jobs. Why? Because these are one of the few jobs that are never ending. Buracracy and red tape is an american staple. The oversight will have to be done to assure that only qualified people actually are placed into these positions. The trend will be for rampant nepotism and attemps to get in peoples "friends", even when they are not qualified. This will also move all the way up into management. Managers will also have to be scrutinized for favortiism and the like.

I think I will end this thought and make up some more later on in a better thought out post.

Labelled with ICRA

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Seared and tossed to India and China

Sears CEO says Indians are smarter as he outsources IT.**

This statement might be taken out of context, but when you are paid millions, you should be worth the money. I think he spoke his mind.

"But I think, beyond that, to me, a very interesting trend right now is the whole non-U.S. opportunity that's available, and ... if you think about personal intelligence and drive being randomly distributed by population -- you know, there are four or five times as many smart, driven people in China than there are in the U.S. And there's another four or five, three or four times as many people in India that are smarter or as smart or have more drive. And if technology is now going to basically reduce location as a barrier to competition, then essentially you've got something like whatever that was, seven or nine times, more smart, committed people that are now competing in this marketplace against certain activities.

I don't care what he thinks. IMHO, If you outsource the majority of your IT infrastructure for a National US chain of stores, your looking for trouble. Especially when it bites you in the ass and you try and hire people back 10,000 people who have moved on (and would rather watch you sink than help). People are rather spiteful to what they consider backstabbers.

And these big CEOs and such wonder why Wal-Mart is doing so well. At least when Wal-Mart makes a cost cutting solution like this, they pass it on to the consumer by lowering prices and thus, they increase volume. Go figure. In the grand scheme of things, I have to agree with him. He points out a flaw in American society. Where individuals would rather work for the united autoworkers union. There you do not have to better yourself to move up. Most places in the US which are non-union reward people who strive to better themselves with either more education or added responsibilities (among other things). In India, the society is working to make it's people smarter and not dumbing down tests because the education system (this includes the parents responsible for the failing students) is so bad we can't get everyone who graduates high school to read.

I don't know what to think anymore. Who is right? The CEOs who have to make a business decision to chage for the better? Or the nationalist who wants a better life for his fellow countrymen?

If the story is still up, go read the entire thing here If not, e-mail me, I should have the whole thing around here somewhere.

** Reference

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What are your priorities?

I have this great shirt with a hula girl on the back. The grass skirt is made or tassels and such and the skirt frayed out. So, I took this up with my sewing nut of a wife. She purchased a nice replacement material to put on the shirt but has never put it on. She bought it about 8 months ago and I have been waiting patiently for her to repair it.

It is not the fact that she has not had the time to do it. It is more the fact that she has made a lot of stuff for everyone else since then. But my shirt still is sitting there.

I finally got so fed up with this that today I finally said something. I wanted to know if all the projects she had been working on were so important that she could not help me (her husband) to get my shirt fixed? Sure, I could have done it. But the point, is that since she is the better sewer (From Merriam-Webster Sewer: one that sews), it would be better if she did the work. The shirt cost about $50 about three years ago, and I do not want to screw it up.

Besides, if I screw it up, I can't afford to replace it. That, and she bought it for me so if it gets trashed, she should be the one to do it.

As of right now, she has been sewing all evening. And even after today's discussion, my shirt is still sitting in a pile of "Things to be sewn".

I just have to remember, You can't get blood from a turnip!

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Labelled with ICRA

An interview on Tuesday,

On next Tuesday, I have an interview for a position out in Georgetown, at the Veterans Home. It is for a purchasing agent position. I would really like to work out there. That way, I can do some extra work for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter and such. That is an important site for the DAV. It will support the membership of my chapter and other veterans alike.

I missed out on the position I was best qualified for because of a paper problem. Someone apparently lost or mistakenly disposed of my resume package. I had even hand delivered it to the person in charge of the open position hiring. I thought things would not work out for that job anyway. I received several calls from the contact person and when I arrived at the appointment time she had arranged, she had completely no recollection of her scheduling the meeting. Or the fact that she had arranged for me to come out there to see her, at a specific time and meet in a specific room. She had even volunteered to give me a short tour of the facility since I had previously held the position of Adjutant for DAV Chapter 1. No good deed ever goes unpunshed. That was too bad. I was 800% qualified for that position. This one I am probably only 100% qualified for.

The call I am really hoping for is a Senior Computer Analyst position. I found it a few weeks ago. There is also a very nice "Call Center Manager" position at the same government agency. Either one of those would be fantastic to get into. The Call Center position has apparently been open since 17 November of last year. I can't figure out why they have had it open for so long?!?

Any way you look at it, I might be back to work inside a couple of weeks. (I Hope)

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A birthday without cake

Today was rather interesting. We went to a birthday party for Spencer. You see, Spencer does not eat. He is, and always has been fed through a tube. Mike (His father) has always taken care of Spencer and is one of those people who are really doing super things (He just does not wear the cape). I do not ever pretend to be able to cope with things like he does. But if it came down to it, I hope I could be as strong as him in the same circumstance.

Back to the parties story....

Well, he (Spencer) is 7 now. When you see a boy who does not eat at a birthday party, you get to thinking. When the others see the cake, it is truely a pavlovian response. You can see them start to salavate. With Spencer, it was nothing. You could have received a more emotional response if you had brought out a big cardboard box for him to play with. Nearly all 7 year old boys love to play in large cardboard boxes.

I am glad I went though. Just to see the look on his fathers face was worth the trip. He was smiling and completely frazzled at the end. One thing was apparent at the end when everyone else was gone. Mike was content in the fact he made it through his first birthday party (at Chuck E. Cheeses) without a scratch.

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Waiting for the landing

Right now, I am waiting for the next Mars Lander to,.... well,.... land.

I am watching the live feed from NASA TV through the link at the top of the left frame.

While I am typing this, the "Super Geeks" at NASA are trying to describe (for the hundredth time) what is going to happen to the reporters (who appear to be glazed over like "deer in the headlights"). They are once again going over where the Lander will impact. I am about ready to throw up from their regurgitation of the same data over and over again. There is only so many ways to say, "we will know it gets there when we get a signal back." But there is some unforeseen force that makes reporters have to ask the same question over and over again.

The Lander is not scheduled for touchdown till midnight EST, so I am going to head for bed. I will be on the news in the morning. That and all the needless bloodshed from the middle east. They kinda go together. Mans inhumanity for man" and "Man's quest for knowledge and its own humanity." Go figure

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The beleaguered Mike Rowe

I receive a newsletter from "Woody's Watch" every week or so. This one had an article which really makes me back down off the "I like Microsoft" soapbox and realize not everyone there has vision. SOme have a strange sense of paranoia. Anyway, this is one of those things that really makes me want to get out of IT. Everyone who has an ounce of power thinks they can screw anyone and get away with it.

BTW, The Woody's Watch newsletters are one of the only newsletters I actually try and read every time it comes. It normally has some pretty relevant stuff. If you can spare 2 minutes a week, go to Woody's site and sign up for a news letter. There are several to choose from and you might learn something.

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Microsoft is off to a poor start PR-wise. Hassling a teenager called Mike Rowe who has a sense of humor to make his web site MikeRoweSoft.com . Say it aloud and you'll realize why Microsoft became interested. Now I could understand Redmond's concern if this was a scam of some sort, but apparently the kids name is Mike Rowe and his web site (currently overloaded with hits but you can see the Google cache version ) wasn't pretending to be Microsoft related.

Microsoft Legal went in boots thumping to threaten a teenager and then offer a paltry $10. Making unreasonable demands of people is what is called by Microsoft 'Good faith effort' - you'd hate to see when they play hard ball. The company says the site could be used for misleading purposes in the future. McDonald's has made a fool of itself by trying to stop members of the McDonald clan establish legitimate businesses in that famous name, it's a wonder that Microsoft is making similar mistakes. Why not go all the way and sue the parents for giving their child a misleading name? Surely a polite request that the web site have a disclaimer that it's not related to Microsoft would have been sufficient (for anyone silly enough not to tell the two apart). For heaven's sake - would someone at Microsoft call a halt to this nonsense before the company name is further tarnished?

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Now that I have taken his mojo, go on over to Woody's Watch and sign up for one of his newsletters before he sues me.

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A call for pictures and video.

With my recent craze with genealogy and archiving things, I want everyone I know to send me as many digital pictures as they can. No stupid poses or butt shots. But real pictures that mean something. I am going to put them all together and publish them somehow.

I just reread my latest project book, "How to get your book published - For Dummies" and it does not sound very hard. So, what the hey. No one will buy it unless their pictures are in it but that is not the point. The point is to keep things (memories) so they can be passed down.

One of my favorite video clips I have ever taken is while I am walking around in the back yard with Uncle Lou at his home in Georgia. He is oblivious to the camera and pays it no mind at all. Just like it isn't there at all. He is talking about his tomatoes and how they really have trouble growing unless he fertilizes them. Then breaks into a side piece

"Katty invites those hens over and gives away all my tomatoes. I don't grow'em for them old women, I grow'em for her and I".

It is one of the best and funniest things I have ever seen. He is so serious, and just rants about things which most people would never say anything about. The best part, is after I nearly dropped the camera and finally stop laughing, he stops walking and get real serious.

"Now I don't want you to tell Katty any of this stuff. That's just between you and me, OK? I don't want to get her all upset about it."

Ya gotta love it. Ranks up there with the best Monty Python skit. I will have to transfer it over to digital and post it.

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Personal Ancestry information

Tonight, Bridget and I added more names to our Personal Ancestry file. I really like the new version that came out. It is much easier to add in all the names and such. Plus, it is much easier to add in photos, videos and pictures with audio attachments. I added in some really good pictures and will add my videos for everyone later on.

In the area of videos. I think I have digital video for my Grandparents, and Parents. And I know I have video from most of Bridget's family too. That way, I can keep things available for archiving in a much more useful manner. If someone in a hundred years or so wants to see these people, they will be able to.

I really think this is interesting and fun to do. I didn't like messing around with it but it is too much like a puzzle to not enjoy matching up names and the like.

One of the best sites to use as a reference is FamilySearch.org. There you can do just incredible things that will help you search for your ancestry. It's an LDS site, but that does not matter since it is open to the public.

Most people don't even know that one of the three main genealogy libraries in the country (and probably the world) is the main public library in Cincinnati. It is huge, and also free. If you have any questions about doing your genealogy, just ask. If I can't answer your question, I know lots of people who are trained in this and are able to answer the really tough ones. The best part is that none of this is hard. Shoot, with the way things are with the internet now, your family tree is probably already mapped out. You will just have to find out where it is documented.

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Well, I didn't know about blink problems

I imagine this goes under the "I didn't know but will not do it again" area. I am sorry if anyone has had a browser crash because of this. But I am not going back through the archives and remove the tags in my previous posts. Mainly because no one has complained about anything (yet). Someone complains, then I will consider it.

Avoid blinking text created with the BLINK element

It is suggested that blinking text created by the BLINK tag be replaced by one of the following options:

Emphasized text; for example: <EM>this is important</EM>

An animated GIF image whose Alt text corresponds to the blinking text

A Java applet with alternative text that corresponds to the blinking text

Rationale

Some screen readers for the visually impaired are unable to read blinking text. They may get "stuck" on the text and read it repeatedly, or they may freeze the entire computer system. Blinking text is also difficult for visual users to read and distracts users from other parts of the page.

Guideline references

WAI checkpoint 7.2

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Why go to Mars? You tell me.

If you are only given one reason to go to Mars, it has to be to safeguard the species. This would be one way to up the odds that the human race would be perpetuated as a species.

What the heck is he talking about?

The thinking behind this is just plain numbers. If something did happen to this planet, like an asteroid impact, a completely lethal (mortiferous) plague, or Global Thermonuclear War, this might be the only way to keep the human race alive. And with the way things are right now, all three are possibilities with the asteroid collision as the least likely canidate.

I can see the less than scholarly members of American society will be completely unable to understand what I am talking about. With the frail and completely innocent Michael Jackson on trial against by such an oppressive establishment, who is poised to place him in prison for just feeling the warmth and love of children in his bed. And who could forget Brittany Spears having to retort her 8 hour marriage which was wrongly consummated under the vail of alcohol and a free spirit and mind. With such horrific items in the news, I can see where some people might not "get it".

If there is only one reason to go, I would say that would be it. Obviously this is something that 99.999% of the population does not even think about or even consider the possibility. But it is the first reason I thought of. If we do not continue, what have all the people who have suffered or died in all the wars and struggles before us died for? What have all the civil rights and reasons for morality or religion been for? If we do not have a contingency for the "what if" scenario, then why bother to go on? Surely a religious person would understand the reason to go on. All organized religions want you to pass on what they feel is the word of truth. Thus, continuing on a reason for being and a reason to survive. If not for anything else than to deliver the word of their god(s).

Mormons are the same as most religions in the fact that we are supposed to pass on the gospel to others who either do not know of it, or do not subscribe to it. I will be misquoted with this but I think of it as procreation. I see it as every new person who hears (and believes) the doctrine of the church is a new person (in my view) and worth saving. Thus, if I teach someone about what I believe, there is perpetuation of life as I know it.

Sure, this would not even be an issue if there were never any more wars, poverty, hunger, or the like. You could even take it down further to basic human emotions. It would not be an issue if there were no envy, jealousy, hatred, greed, gluttony, racism, prejudice, discrimination, covetousness, resentment, or ignorance. But there is a lot of that and it is not going away.

In that case, people who have big power, have to make the decisions to do what is needed for all, even though nearly everyone is against them. I can see that this specific thing might not ever benefit my family, or friends, or anyone I ever knew. But it could help "us" survive in the event "What if" ever does happen.

Now tell me, honestly, would you rather mankind possibly die completely, than letting them try and create a little insurance in the event they must save themselves?

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Shoot, we missed "Personal Firewall Day"

Now there is a even a day for specific portions of your computer hardware. I can't wait until, "National Defrag your harddrive day" or "National Empty Your Deleted Items Day". The following is an excerpt from News.com.

Security firms put up 'Personal Firewall Day'

Straddling the line between public service and marketing, Microsoft and a handful of security companies are sponsoring a campaign to heighten consumer security awareness and have declared Jan. 15 "Personal Firewall Day."

The campaign features a Web site hosted by TruSecure, the Virginia-based security company whose employee first came up with the idea for a consumer-oriented security day. The Web site sports vendor-neutral advice for home PC users on how to secure their systems.

"If it becomes a perception that the Internet is a dangerous place to walk at night, that hurts us all," said Fred Felman, vice president of marketing for security software maker Zone Labs, which is a supporter of Personal Firewall Day.

Paul Robertson, director of risk assessment with TruSecure and the original proponent of the idea, said that safer home systems mean a more secure Internet in general.

Ido not believe I have to worry about adding a firewall. I run three routers in series with nating. If someone gets into my system, they deserve to get in.

And do not forget to mark your calendar! SysAdmin Day is coming up on Friday, the 30th of July. Yep, it's real. The guy that thought this one up has some real good ideas. I imagine Hallmark will even make a card up for it soon. Hey, this is free enterprise at its best.

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Forgot this one

Bush Lies Again!

I found this one in my drafts from before the Christmas holiday. I figured I should post it anyway.

And the utter non-story of the day award goes to:

Young Terrance Martin could not let President George W. Bush get away with mistakenly saying he was just 6 years old when he was really 7.

It happened in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Tuesday when Bush signed the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003, which renews tax credits for adoptions and encourages families to find homes for more than 500,000 children in foster care.

Before signing the legislation Bush talked about the need for more adoptions as he stood with Christopher and Diana Martin and their seven children, four of them adopted.

Terrance interrupted the president in mid-speech under the glaring television lights to point out he was not 6.

"How old are you?" Bush asked.

"Seven" said Terrance.

"OK, seven," said Bush, as the crowd chuckled. "I'll take it up with the fact-checker."

The headline of the article? Seven-year-old boy corrects Bush.

Oh, that liberal media. What a bunch of crap that "reporter" or ananias. (OK, heh didn't lie, he fabricated a false or misleading statement)

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They gave up?

One of my friends I normally chat with on the net, told me her friends son (who is 30) just committed suicide. He had an eleven year old daughter. Now what? (Actually, I do not know what else to say) This is one of those times where a Grandparent, turns into an instant Parent.

What could it be to make someone abandon their child? This wasn't someone with an adult (22 year old) child. It was a little girl. Is it the fact that he thought she was old enough to take care of herself and not need him? Or was it that he felt that she didn't care for him and figured it didn't matter? I was not told if there was a note left, but I guess that will come out later on.

I have seen lots and lots of people with severe depression over the years. Mainly in the military where it is exceptionally easy to get depressed. But normally, people show the signs that they don't care anymore. But is it that they didn't care, just not paying attention, or the people around him were not taking anything serious?

Honestly, this is not the only instance of suicide I have heard about in the last month. My friend Chris told me about a friend of his who did the same thing.

Makes you think. What is important? Or, what makes you go on living? Or even, what makes a person just give up?

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Play with your kids and expect the police at your door.

Tonight, I was wrestling with the kids. Nothing much. Just playing with them before bed. I was tickling Richard and he said something I didn't expect. "If you don't stop, I am going to get Mom to call the cops on you!"

That caught me so off guard, I didn't know what to say. So I told them to get into bed, turned off the lights, left the room, and closed the door on my way out. I guess that I will no longer be able to play with the kids.

If tickling gets a call to the police, I wonder what would happen if I made them do chores? Probably get me reported to HRS. I guess there is nothing I can do anymore. Too bad. I used to like to play with the kids. Guess the idea of "family fun" is now an oxy-moron.

Heaven forbid one of them ever gets the flu. I can see it now. I give them some tylenol to get the fever down. Then have them sleep in the same bed. I would probably end up in court like Michael Jackson. Except for me, it would be for forcing over the counter medication to a minor and then having them sleep in the same bed. I would get 20 years, but really doubt I would get a "60 minutes" special.

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I guess the weather is a way to choose.

While cleaning up today, and running some Saturday errands, I have decided that I do not necessarily like wimpy cold. If it is going to be cold, it needs to be very cold. If not, it needs to be at least 80.

So, from now on, if I look for jobs outside the Cincinnati area, I am looking for Northern Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and Alaska. If I look for a warm area, it will have to be Florida. And by that, I mean South Florida. I lived in North Florida for a few years. It snows there some times and who needs that?!?

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Cleanup - Cleanout

While packing up all my computer books, I have found that I only really need about 4% of them out and accessible. So, not only have I moved out my unused books and readied them to move, but I have freed up 80% of the bookcases in the desk room. Not bad. I probably should just toss them but once again, they are worth money so I better keep them (for the time being).

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NASA TV streams

If you have not already seen the links to the NASA Site (in the left frame), take a peek. They work real nice. I have just added two more links to watch NASA TV. Now you can choose to watch with Windows Media Player, Through your browser, or with Real Player. I watch them a lot so the links are really there to make it easy to always find the streams.

If the links are dead, please send me an e-mail as soon as possible so I can repair them. Thanks!

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Windows98 gets a stay of execution

Well, it looks like there is a stay in the execution for Windows 98. I am quite glad it happened. I can't see people running out and buying XP because of it. Most of the people I support can't afford antivirus and use netzero or the like for access too.

From CNN: Support for Windows 98 and Windows 98 S.E. had been scheduled to expire Friday, and for Windows Millennium Edition on December 31. Under Monday's decision, the software giant would maintain paid phone support for the operating systems and review security threats to determine whether it will provide customers with security patches through June 30, 2006.

There are a lot of people I know who are still running Windows98. Some are even still running 95. The majority are still running the older operating systems because they do not have the money to shell out for a new system.

My experience tells me, if you have an older PC, it does not make sense to spend $200.00 (Or more) on a new operating system. One that will probably not work very well on a machine that should be replaced anyway.

But money talks and if you don't have the money, you don't upgrade. Also, there is the group who always knows that what they have it sufficient but are always trying to fix it because it is fubar anyway.

IMHO, I think this is one of the times reality sunk in to the upper managers at Microsoft. They are doing the right thing with forcing technology advances. But, when you try and push forward in areas where most comsumers are not very upgrade savvy, your going to hurt the people who are your biggest backers. Lets get serious for a moment. If it was not for Microsoft producing what is now the most used operating system, we would not be where we are today. If you make it easy to use, Chuggles (or non-computer people) will integrate it into their lives. I really doubt that all the older (60+) people in this country, would be buying computers if any of the generic flavors of Linux, Unix, or even FreeBSD were installed as the main operating system. These take knowledge, training and patience. Most of which the general public has little of any of the three.

When supporting your consumer base overrules the need to push your bussiness user base, you have to back up and see what is your main focus. Is it making people (home consumers) spend money they probably do not have at the moment? Or is it possibily blinding your users to your vision by dropping them from your view of what is important? If you stop supporting them, they will stop relying on you for the next step.

I think someone saw this when the moment to stop supporting 98 started to get close. Normal consumers, who have no where else to go (possibly due to a lack of training, knowledge of computers, or just no money for this type of thing) were ready to go to the next best thing. And I believe this would have been one of the flavors of Linux. In the last couple of years, the use of operating systems such as OSx (Mac/Apple), Red Hat, SuSe, or even BSD would have flourished. Sure, you would have to buy a new Mac for OSx. But most of the Linux builds out there will work on the very windows (Intel platform) PC you probably have on your desk right now.

The office suites that are very costly to consumers, are now seeing freeware or shareware versions emerging into the marketplace. Office suites like "Open Office", and "602 (yep, that is the name) are just a few of the great titles out there on the internet, just waiting for you to download and try. If you choose "Open Office", it is free (if you can believe it). I use it right along side of my Microsoft Office 2003 suite and they both have their advantages. Sure, I like the "Microsoft Office 2003 suite" a lot more, but free is good. If I could buy Office 2003 for everyone I knew, I would. But I can't, so I get them Open Office. I can't feed the world, but I can make them a little happier this way.

If you want to know what Microsoft does or does not support (now or in the future), go to the "Product Lifecycle Dates - Windows Product Family" and see if you are still supported. It is always good to look just to see if your product support will stop. Even if it is in 4 or 5 years.

Opinions and rebuttals are requested

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I moved the archives to the bottom.

Due to the increasing number of archives, I have moved them to the bottom of the left frame. This is so I can start coding in links to their locations. Then, if I want to point you to an archive for more information, I can link you there. It is not that tough but it is time consuming to do. So, now there the archive list with be at the bottom. The information is still really good, so look through them once in a while. Remember, never hesitate to criticize or opine

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The latest Linux Kernel Information

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Another link to NASA TV

Do you like NASA TV? Well I do and I found a great site where you can watch it streamed out on the web. Just click on the button below and enjoy. As long as this site is streaming, I will try to keep a link in the left frame. If you see it no longer works, please e-mail me. I do not like dead links.

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Pathfinder stamps.

When the Sojurner (better know as Pathfinder) Rover landed on the 4th of July 1997. I was so impressed. We (as a people) got a camera on a stick, a remote control car (so to speak), and a bunch of inflatable beach balls (OK, I am greatly simplifying this out of proportion) and shot them out into space. Now, were driving around on another planet. It was not as great a feat as the Apollo missions to the Moon, but would have to suffice for me (in my lifetime) as my generations Greatest Space Achievement. The next generations are the ones who will venture back out into space and will stay out there.

Just before Christmas 1997, I knew that the Post Office was issuing a Mars Pathfinder stamp. I figured I had the money at that time and I was not going to be one of the people who "wished I had bought some of those when they came out".

I was always one to get space stamps. Even when I was little, I had the Apollo stamps, and even the Skylab stamps. One of my favorites was the linkup stamp for the US and CCCP docking in space. I know I have a few because I always put them in the inside of my Snoopy book my Mom and Dad bought me when I was about 8.

Anyway, I went in to the post office and it was packed. People were trying to mail out their Holiday packages and the line was real long. I finally got to the counter and the frazzled clerk asked what he could do for me. I said, "do you have any of the Mars Lander stamps?" The guy said "sure, they are $3.00 a piece. How many would you like?" I said "I want a two hundred. I would be happy with one hundred, but I would like two. He stood there staring at me for about 30 seconds. He finally smiled and said "Ok, but I never thought someone would want these. I guess I am just too old to appreciate the space program anymore." After a bit of searching (and ticking off the others in the enormous holiday line) He said he had about 108 of them left with the combined amount of the other clerks. I said "I'll take them all but I would appreciate if you didn't open the sealed packages." I left there with a big smile and a feeling of accomplishment. It is the small things you remember most.

So, of all the things I have in my little stamp collection, there are a few little stamps her and there, and two big 50 count packs of Pathfinder stamps, just waiting for my grandkids to look at while they are watching the people walking around on Mars. (If they are not there themselves)

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Mars Software for anyone to use

I do not care what people are saying about the Mars Rover. This stuff is great!

Did you know that you can now go to the NASA Rover site and anyone can download software to analyze the pictures sent back. The software package is called Maestro and it is really good. Sure, it is a little different. But it works. Just think, your kids can work with the data sent back from Mars. I showed Richard and he about passed out. He was looking around and was amazed.

The Maestro software currently has only two packages of data. Also, it runs on Linux, Sun, Windows 98/ME/2000/XP so nearly all the main OSs are covered.

At the time of this posting, the next data package is tentively scheduled to be posted on Friday the 16th (01/2004). I don't know who is more excited, Richard, William, or me?

You can also download software that is a little less complex called Mars24. It is a cross-platform Java program and browser applet which displays a Mars "sunclock". It is a great way to get the kids to figure out if it is day or night at the landing sites. This is neat too. The kids are now talking about what time of day it is on another planet. How incredible it that!

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Waiting for a moment to have the time....

Sorry I have not posted for a few days. I am really putting my concentration to some of the openings I have found in the last week. All of them require forms, documents, and all kinds of things short of a blood sample.

There are several really big items half way done. They will be up in a day or two.

BTW, Richard found the D.A.R.E. site and wanted me to put in a link. I figure I will put it in the left fram later on. Send a message to my cellphone (Link is near the top of the left frame) and tell me if I should keep it or ditch it.

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Some of the best things...

I have commonly found some of the best things, situated with some of the stranger things in life. For example, I have found one of the best classical playlists streamed off of a techno site.

If you go to Digitally Imported, you will see all kinds of Techno, Trance, and House music. All of it is very good. The strange part is if you scroll down the list to the bottom, you will find a channel called Mostly Classical. It is really phenominal. for the last hour, I have been treated to some really inspiring organ music all played on "Mighty Wurlitzer" which if you don't know, is a theater pipe organ. It sounds so good that when it is played, it sounds like it is performed by angels.

The last time I heard the "Mighty Wurlitzer" in Cincinnati was about 1980 with a girl named Terri. I remember because she fell asleep during the performance after working a whole shift an a half. She wanted to go even though she was exhausted. Mainly because I was so happy to get her to go, she wanted to see what it was all about. I remember watching some groggy smiles right when a massive note was played which rattled deep into your bones. It was so inspiring. I can't ever remember hearing anything like it since.

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Job search sites....

I just updated the listing of job search sites in the left frame. If you know of any (no matter what type or however big or small it is), e-mail me that link ASAP!

Thanks to everyone who has sent me a link.

When you use (most of) these sites, you will need to create a profile. I highly recommend you use the same UID and a tough password.

Why??? Because you don't have time to remember or search for a UID and password for 40 or 50 sites. You need to search for a job, not a password. Besides, you are going to abandon all of this once you get a job anyway. Most do.

Also create a yahoo "disposable address" to use. If you have a yahoo address, get one. They are free. If you do not have a yahoo account, get one, they are free. You should be seeing a pattern here. That way, all the mail and agents you set up (along with what ever passwords you have forgotten) all go to the same place. That way, if you get a job, you can abandon either the (search site) accounts or just the disposable address. Questions? Just e-mail me by using the gray "E-mail Todd" button near the top of the left frame.

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Dr. Phil's Test(?)

I received this from my friend Fardina in Bangladesh. She said she got a 44 on the test. I have not done it yet, but I will probably try it. Why am I placing it here? Honestly, just to practice my html coding with an "Ordered List". Otherwise you would never see me do this. I have enough stuff to do already, but since it was fun to code <evil sarcastic grin>, I figured I would put it in. Go ahead and do this and if you have a few minutes, send it on. This will probably turn out to be an urban legend, but I needed the practice coding, so what the hey. And BTW, if you see any errors in the display or coding, send me a line. I could use the help.

Above is what I wrote,                   Below is what I received.

Here ya go ... try this. Below is Dr. Phil's test. (Dr. Phil scored 55 --he did this test on Oprah -- she got a 38.)

Some folks pay a lot of money to find this stuff out. Read on, this is very interesting! Don't be overly sensitive!

The following is pretty accurate and it only takes 2 minutes. Take this test for yourself and send it to your friends.

The person who sent it placed their score in the subject box. Please do the same before forwarding to your friends.

Don't peek but begin the test as you scroll down and answer. Answers are for who you are now...... not who you were in the past. Have pen or pencil and paper ready. This is a real test given by the Human Relations Dept. at many of the major corporations today. It helps them get better insight concerning their employees and prospective employees. It's only 10 simple questions, so...... grab a pencil and paper! Keep track of your letter answers. Make sure to change the subject of the e-mail to read YOUR total. When you are finished, forward this and also send it to the person who sent this to you.

Make sure to put YOUR score in the subject box. Ready?? Begin...

1. When do you feel your best?

1. In the morning,
2. During the afternoon & and early evening,
3. Late at night,

2. You usually walk...

1. Fairly fast, with long steps,
2. Fairly fast, with little steps,
3. Less fast head up, looking the world in the face,
4. Less fast, head down,
5. Very slowly,

3. When talking to people you...

1. Stand with your arms folded,
2. Have your hands clasped,
3. Have one or both your hands on your hips,
4. Touch or push the person to whom you are talking,
5. Play with your ear, touch your chin, or smooth your hair,

4. When ! relaxing, you sit with...

1. Your knees bent with your legs neatly side by side,
2. Your legs crossed,
3. Your legs stretched out or straight,
4. One leg curled under you,

5. When something really amuses you, you react with...

1. Big appreciated laugh,
2. A laugh, but not a loud one,
3. A quiet chuckle,
4. A sheepish smile,

6. When you go to a party or social gathering you...

1. Make a loud entrance so everyone notices you,
2. Make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know,
3. Make the quietest entrance, trying to stay unnoticed,

7. You're working very hard, concentrating hard, and you're interrupted, you......

1. Welcome the break,
2. Feel extremely irritated,
3. Vary between these two extremes,

8. Which of the following colors do you like most?

1. Red or Orange,
2. Black,
3. Yellow or Light Blue,
4. Green,
5. Dark Blue or Purple,
6. White,
7. Brown or Gray,

9. When you are in bed at night, in those last few moments before going to sleep you are....

1. Stretched out on your back,
2. Stretched out face down on your stomach,
3. On your side, slightly curled,
4. With your head on one arm,
5. With your head under the covers,

10.You often dream that you are...

1. Falling,
2. Fighting or struggling,
3. Searching for something or somebody,
4. Flying or floating,
5. You usually have dreamless sleep,
6. Your dreams are always pleasant,

POINTS:

1. (a) 2 (b) 4 (c) 6
2. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 7 (d) 2 (e) 1
3. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 5 (d) 7 (e) 6
4. (a) 4 (b) 6 (c) 2 (d) 1
5. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 2
6. (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 2
7. (a) 6 (b) 2 (c) 4
8. (a) 6 (b) 7 (c) 5 (d) 4 (e) 3 (f) 2 (g) 1
9. (a) 7 (b) 6 (c) 4 (d) 2 (e) 1
10. (a) 4 (b) 2 (c) 3 (d) 5 (e) 6 (f) 1

Now add up! the total number of points.

OVER 60 POINTS: Others see you as someone they should "handle withcare." You're seen as vain, self-centered, and who is extremely dominant. Others may admire you, wishing they could be more like you, but don't always trust you, hesitating to become too deeply involved with you.

51 TO 60 POINTS: Others see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, who's quick to make decisions, though not always the right ones. They see you as bold and adventuresome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes chances and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

41 TO 50 POINTS: Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who's constantly in the center of attention, but efficiently well-balanced not to let it go to their head. They also see you as kind, considerate, and understanding; someone who'll always cheer them up and help them out.

31 TO 40 POINTS: Others see you as sensible, cautious, careful and practical. They see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or easily, but someone who's extremely loyal to friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but equally that it takes you a long time to get over if that trust is ever broken.

21 TO 30 POINTS: Your friends see you as painstaking and fussy. They see you as very cautious, extremely careful, a slow and steady lodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment, expecting you to examine everything carefully from every angle and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction is caused partly by your careful nature.

UNDER 21 POINTS: People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs looking after, who always wants someone else to make decisions and who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything! They see you as a worrier who always sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you're boring. Only those who know you well know that you aren't.

Now forward this to others, and put your score in subject box.

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I want it all!

Question: "I want to download the Internet. Do I need a bigger hard disk?"
Answer: "Possibily, but probably not"

(As long as you don't mind it being in a zip file, just click here to start the download)

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Job search Sites

Everyone out there should know of a job search site. I am compiling a new list and will help you if you help me. Just send me any sites you know of and I will write it up.

The current list is in the left frame now and I bumped it up near the top to make it easier to find. Give them a look.

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Missing your DD-214?

Have you lost your original DD-214? If so, here is a fairly painless way to get a new copy. I had a good copy and it was damaged while sending out all the resumes that required a copy.

Your going to have to already have Adobe already installed so click here to download the latest version of the FREE Adobe Acrobat PDF Reader. I don't like the way the form is setup but that is not the issue here. You just need your DD-214.

Go to Archives.gov and request a new one with an SF-180. just remember that you have to pick the right archive to send the request to. Page 3 of the form has a chart where to send your request.

LDS members will probably need these for their geneology so you might want to get the form and put a copy in your geneology book or take a copy to your local Family History Center.

Copies: If you have a scanner, scan both sides digitally and then put it somewhere on your hard drive and either a CD or even a floppy. Plus, get off your butt and put it in the local county record. That way you always know you have a certified copy around. (which I am doing for Cincinnati when I get a new copy).

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Hey, are you sure it is kerosene?

It appears that someone screwed the pooch on this one. That is just my opinion, I could be wrong.

This report was just on Channel 19 in Cincinnati. If you want to read it yourself go to Fox19 and look for the link called "kerosene recall", or just Click Here". Considering the lack of specifics on this report, I doubt anyone is taking this recall in a serious manner.

Marathon Ashland Petroleum is urging customers who may have bought contaminated kerosene to exchange the product at the store where it was bought. The kerosene may have been tainted with gasoline and is being recalled. It was sold at Warsaw General Store in Warsaw, Kentucky. Stores in the Ohio cities of Mount Orab, Oxford, Sardinia, Amelia, Dayton and West Milton and another in Aurora, Indiana, also sold the kerosene. The company first announced the recall on Monday. Marathon Ashland says anyone who bought kerosene that smells like gasoline should not use it, and anyone using kerosene that burns in an unusual way should stop using it. The company says kerosene mixed with gasoline could result in a fire or explosion in kerosene heaters.

The not so funny part to this is, I didn't see it on any other local news. That does not mean it was not on, it was just not on when I was flipping back and forth throgh the big news items of the day. But, wouldn't you think this was a rather large item, considering the circumstances? I.E., This comes when the temperature is supposed to be in the single digits and everyone who has a kerosene heater will probably get it out and light it up.

Michael "Miserable Failure" Moore

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Always check the fine print! (Rev #1)

While checking my phone bill, I noticed that the phone company added 200 minutes of long distance to my bill. This was all for a nominal charge of $8.00. The only problem was I did not request this, authorize this (to my knowledge) or have any knowledge of the addition, till I looked at my bill.

This proves that you must always look at the complete contents of your bill(s).

What the problem for consumers, is that most businesses like utilities, phone companies, and even credit card companies are pushing electronic billing or what they call the "E-bill". Now don't get me wrong, this is really good for the businesses. They get to save a boatload of money by reducing costs across the board. Some of the things they benefit from are small. But some are very big (for them). The bad part is that the benefits for consumers (you and I) usually appear big, but turn out to be very small.

Some of the items that business come out ahead are listed here, but I know there has to be more I have not remembered at this specific moment.

Printing costs drop: A huge reduction in the amount of printing costs for making up bills on paper,     (No bills, envelopes, or even rate notifications that are the normal part of a bill and I didn't even mention the paper costs)

Mailing costs drop: A great big saving in the cost to mail out the bills,     (the recovery of mailing costs are huge. Plus, requiring fewer mail handlers drastically lower costs. The word for this specific trend is called "layoffs")

Lower costs for staffing overall: less consumer complaints since less people actually take the time to view the entire contents of their bill(s),     (More reasons to say that dreaded word; "Layoffs"?)

One for you, Two for me: Less calls to customer service about errors because people are not seeing subtle charges and mistakes,

Added (undisputed) charges: More money since an "online" bill is less likely to be reviewed and things that were added or changed without the consumers knowledge probably will stay.     (and will keep generating them additional revenues)

Added interest: With so many people setting up "automated bill payments", companies are getting your money earlier than you probably need to pay them.,     (If your debited one day early, no big deal. If ten thousand are billed one day early.... Think about that),

Fees for free services: If your paying a fee or charge to pay your bill electronically for you paying electronically, your better be sure it is worth the cost.     (Paying for electronic payment services is probably $2.00 a month as with Cincinnati Gas & Electric. Now do you think the cost of a stamp is all that much? I would rather pay $4.44 for tweleve months of stamps, than $24.00 for annuals charges for a not very convenient, convenience)

Now, for the benefits for consumers, there is only two I can think of right now (There actually might be more):

You can pay your bill anytime you want and where ever you want,     (as long as you have a computer and internet access)

You can pay it anywhere from anywhere even if it is on the on the other side of the world,     (This is great when your at work and you forgot to pay your bill)

Sure, I understand this is a fairly socialist view, but not really. It is more of a notification for people who I know, who do not know this is possibily happening to their bills. Yes, I know that businesses are there for one thing, To make money. But I am not stupid and understand things like this are normally a good business practice. But I also feel that this does more to take advantage of people who (credulously) trust a company to put their best interest in front of the companies. Neither is a little naïveté of consumers the responsibility of the companies to correct.

The bottom line? Whether paper or electronic, check your bills completely. You probably don't really know what your paying for.

Rebutals are very welcome and will be posted

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Tax reform is not supposed to be socialism.

The tax reform plan proposed by Wesley Clark says that if you make more, you pay more. and if you don't make 50k, you don't pay taxes. So, where are the people who make under 50K a year that are going to provide all these jobs? (read me)

Is there any reason to make more money, when buttheads like this wants to take it and give it to the people who do nothing.

Example: the eight hundred (800) woman who had the home she lives in rebuilt because she so fat. She could not move around her home because of her obesity. BTW, the home is not hers, you paid for it. It is too bad that all she can do it sit (is that what it would be called?) and play video games and watch television. I just want to know how it is that without a job, and no possible income she has digital cable? It showed that she had digital cable while the news was doing an expose on her life.

This is just another reason I consistently say the US is doomed if people like this get into power. Obviously, the liberals lost their edge when their liar Clinton was removed. Too bad political correctness does not place lieing as a bad thing. Obviously, if that was the case, he would not have been appointed as the democratic canidate in the first place or even govenor of Arkansas. Oops. That is streaching it a bit. That means he should have been disbared as a lawyer decades ago. That means the terms where Clinton was in power would just have been a bad dream.

This was not a very well thought out entry. I was very angry about this specific item, after hearing and reading this story today. I will try and rewrite it later.

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Music revisited

This is a repost from August 11th, 2003. But if you can't smile at this, get a life.

If you don't think this video is absolutely a picture of Cincinnati in the 70s, then you didn't grow up around near me. Don't worry, it is "G" rated so everyone can watch. Shoot, the kid in the video even looks like me. Only difference is I didn't have a blower in my Pinto and mine was sky blue!

Just make sure you turn it up as loud as you can!

"AM Radio" by Everclear

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I just don't get it...

On Saturday the 3rd of January 2004, the temp was at 68 degrees F. Today, (the 5th) it has been snowing most of the day at the house and the temperature is expected to get down to 15 degrees. I can't see it.

This is about the equilivent of the local gas stations upping their gas prices 24 cents. All of them inside of a one hour block too. This is not because the gas they buy has gone up 24 cents. It is because their greedy and without any scruples.

At least, the weather changes are not driven by greed.

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Shirley’s Chinese Chicken Salad

This is a nice lunchtime meal if you want to make something interesting. I get tired of sandwiches all the time. I stole this from my Mom, so don't tell Shirley it's here. She will probably want royalities.(heh,heh,heh)

FYI: If you think this is just like the Wendy's Mandarin Chicken Salad, Your wrong. That one is really overpowering and very strong on the extremes of sweet and salty. This one seems to be very good without overpowering your tastebuds. Also, the Wendy's version has (per the Kansas State College website) has 150 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. I was not sure it that was with, or without the dressing. I would have to say that is without, but don't quote me on that. Not that it matters when you go there for a salad. You go there, you have to have some fries. That defeats the purpost of a salad anyway.

Check it out and tell me what you think. It won't take long to make. This ain't healthfood people, so don't complain about calories or carbs!

Ingedrients:

One (1) head Chinese Cabbage (Nappa), chopped,

One (1) bunch of green onions – set aside,
Combine these 4 ingredients and bring to a boil, set aside and let cool.

One half (1/2) cup white vinegar,

Three quarter (3/4) cup sugar,

One (1) cup salad oil,

Three (3) Tablespoons soy sauce.
Combine these ingredients and brown, either in an oven or frying pan.

Two (2) packages of Ramen Noodles, (Any Flavor)      - Crush inside the bag before opening it,          (don't forget to remove the seasoning packet)

One (1) cup slivered almonds,

One (1) stick margarine,         (I told ya it was not a diet salad!)

Two (2) tablespoons of sesame seeds.

To Serve: Add the dry ingredients to the cabbage and just before serving add the desssing. Be sure to stir the dressing.

Variations: you can substitute no-cal sweetener. Plus, you can use Pam spray and brown noodles in an oven or toaster oven. Add chicken breasts and mandarin oranges to above for the luncheon salad.

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WeatherPixie?

I saw the "WeatherPixie" on another persons blog and wanted to see what it would look like on my page(s).

This is displaying the current weather at Cincinnati's Lunken Airport. It is not really downtown Cincinnati. It is surprisingly enough, closer to downtown than the Greather Cincinnati Airport. But that is the norm today. I mean, the Denver Airport in almost out of Colorado.

If anyone has an opinion on this entry (it is also part of the left frame (near the bottom), please give me some feedback. I would appreciate it. The only guys they have are really silly looking, so I picked a redhead that looks like Bree. A redhead with hips.

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Going somewhere else?

After much (self) deliberation, I have determined that my experience and talents would fare better if I ventured out to another location. Perhaps somewhere remote. I have pondered this for about 4 years now. I just have never taken it seriously until lately. There are so many places in the world to go, (most are rather unforgiving to Americans). With all the "police actions", "political conflicts" and all out wars at the moment, it is hard to define a safe place to even start looking. The anecdote about "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" comes to mind.

I did several web searches and found that IT people are wanted in places like the Falkland Islands and other remote locations. That seems like a nice place to go. Never been there. When I asked the kids, they said it would be great. Being completely ignorant of making such a change has got to be bliss.

Upon further searches, I have realized that there are lots of remote locations to go to (relatively free of war and violence). I guess, That just means I need to pick a place and go. The family could follow later.

The only true reason not to do this, is that Bridget needs a nominal amount of repetitive medical attention. With the possibility of major complications with her inner ear(s), this makes such a drastic change improbable, if not impossible. If her ear drum or other parts were to get out of whack (very technical terminology used here), her normally mediocre problem, could turn life threatening. Kind of puts things into a bit of a focused perspective if I do say so myself.

I guess there is always Alaska! At least we would have access to military medical facilities?!?

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Is that all they think about?

It seems that all the people who make television programs think no one thinks about anything but technology and sex. The impression I get, is that everyone is trying to get a bigger, harder, faster thing. Be that a computer or sex partner. The rest of the stuff on is so pathetic as to make you run for the nearest library or bookstore.

I have yet to find anything redeeming on TV in the last two weeks. At least with the "ReplayTV" recorder, we can filter out all the crap. Tha means no commercials and even better, no channel surfing! That leaves about 20 to 40 minutes of programming to watch a week. Well, this is not really a bad thing. I have plenty to do 24/7, besides sitting in front of the TV or to even have it on while doing the dishes.

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Bush Lies Again?

And the utter non-story of the day award goes to:

Young Terrance Martin could not let President George W. Bush get away with mistakenly saying he was just 6 years old when he was really 7.

It happened in the Roosevelt Room at the White House on Tuesday when Bush signed the Adoption Promotion Act of 2003, which renews tax credits for adoptions and encourages families to find homes for more than 500,000 children in foster care.

Before signing the legislation Bush talked about the need for more adoptions as he stood with Christopher and Diana Martin and their seven children, four of them adopted.

Terrance interrupted the president in mid-speech under the glaring television lights to point out he was not 6.

"How old are you?" Bush asked.

"Seven," said Terrance.

"OK, seven," said Bush, as the crowd chuckled. "I'll take it up with the fact-checker."

The headline of the article? Seven-year-old boy corrects Bush.

Oh, that liberal media.What a bunch of crap that "reporter" or liar is.

FYI: This has been lurking in my drafts since Thu Dec 04, 22:08:41, but I finally tired of looking at it. I thought I could change it a little to make it sound a little less stupid. But alas, you can't make garbage smell like a rose.

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Not in our culture, but it is in theirs

As I spoke about previously, I chat with my friend Fardina when ever she is online. Due to the time differences, it is not something we do as often as I would like. She has a point of view I do not see here. A unique perspective that shows a more family driven set of standards.

One of the things that intrigues me is that right now, she is working on her brothers marriage. Not that this is very unusual for a sister to do. But, this is an arranged marriage. I have not really expected to hear that one. I can't imagine it, but I can understand it. For me to imagine that I would grow up, and marry a woman I knew (or possibly didn't know), for all of my like is hard to get to sink in. The predisposition of a life's destiny comes to mind in what is happening there.

If you think I am taking a jab at this, your absolutely wrong. I think that if possible, this would have made life here in the United States easier. Not having to bother with advanced sexual rituals, (dating) or having to set goals for a spouse would have given me a lot more time to do more with my life. Taking all the time I spent looking for a wife (Prior to the first marriage) would have made it possible to concentrate on what my life was for. I probably would have never been associated with my first wife at all.

Should parents be more of a role-player in their children's future? Here in the United States, this would not be easily attainable. The need or compulsion for freedom in every facet of our lives have taken the possibility of the right decision, and perverted it into letting people (or adolescents) choose what is right for them. Mainly, this is just allowing children without any experience to make decisions they have no possible way of making correctly.

What used to be a work that meant something, "Freedom" has been turned into "Freedom from morals" or "Freedom to choose in ignorance".

I know that there will be people who say I am advocating servitude, or even slavery. But, I can not agree with that. What would be better; letting an inexperienced child venture out into the world?, or helping them along the way? No, this is not choosing which is better. No one knows that except God, and he or she (depending on who you ask) ain't telling. It comes down to knowing what to do with your life. In that, it also means you have the responsibility to protect your children's lives. I doubt that anyone can argue that you never stop thinking of your children's welfare.

Sidebar: I have a son named Jon, and I think and worry about him every day. There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss him. It can bring me to tears knowing that he probably thinks I hate him, when the truth is the exact opposite. I just have the problem that I still think of him as my little boy, and not the man he is turning into. If it was not for my parents getting him so I could see him, I doubt I would have known he is about 4 inches taller than I am. He has his life to play out and I doubt that I will ever be a part of it. But I know, I will always think about him dozens of times a day and will never stop worrying about him. I can write this because he has no care for me. Which is something I can live with, because I love him dearly. That is what matters in the end.

All I know, is that is not going to happen to Jon, since I have nothing but a spectators view of his life. Which is just a third perspective on what my original point is.

From my perspective, I see that you really have four basic paths to take here:

Let the kids choose their path all on their own,

Possibly help them by choosing a part of the path,

Choose their path for them which can't always be good,     (which has not been viewed as a good choice),

Or taking the sideline to see what happens,     (Which is the path I have been forced         to take, due to circumstances in my life),

So which choice would you choose for your children? And even better, why?

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It is interesting what you hear in a kids movie

It might just be me reading too much into a line in a kids movie, but I had to think about this one a little. Ideas like, "Why put this in a kids movie?", or "Was someone trying to say something here?", or "Was it just a coincidence it was in there?"

"Is it that God is afraid to come back down, knowing what he created?"

That is an interesting concept.

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The "Red Pill", or the "Blue Pill"?

Here is a really good site that was either PETA created or sponsored, or at least along the same lines.

The Meatrix

This is one of those "funny / not-funny" things you sometimes find on the web. Check it out and tell me what ya think. The best part, is you probably won't want to eat hotdogs again! My friend Fardina who lives in Chittagong Bangladesh, told me about it today. I was impressed enough to post it here. That is something I rarely do.

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