Land of Oz

Hit Me When I'm Down

You think you have spam problems. I was recently testing new smtp settings on my email program (I use Pegasus by the way) and used it to send an email to one of my other accounts. The other account uses automatic spam filtering -- you guessed it, it identified my email as spam. Useless, worthless, unwanted spam. Sigh...

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I just read this joke in an editorial cartoon:

Bush: You're either us or them.
Europe: Who's them?
Bush: Not us.
Europe: Are we us?
Bush: You're not them.
Europe: Then who is them.
Bush: The opposite of us.
Europe:Can we be our own us?
Bush: That would make you them.
Europe: No. It would make us, us.
Bush: We be us!
Europe: We could be we.
Europe: Love him or hate him. He knows what he wants.

2fers: Pegasus Email and Agent Newsreader

Things That Don't Keep Me Awake at Night

The only thing that bothers me about these things are that even though I could hardly care much less, I still know about them, in some detail. I wish I knew half as much about North Korea, as I do about Micheal Jackson. Anyway, here's a so-not inclusive list of things that I really don't care about - at all.

Michael Jackson
The Apprentice
Survivor
American Idol
Brad Pitt/Jennifer Anniston (OK - I do care about Jennifer)
Paris Hilton
NHL Hockey
The Royal Family (talk about dysfunctional)
Baseball and steroids (ok, I've never cared about baseball)
Basketball
Shaq
Moss
Kobe
Blake
Grammys
Oscars (razzies are kinda cool though)
Emmys
IPod
Wal-Mart
J Lo

Allies and Enemies

Have you noticed lately how our allies and enemies seem to change places a lot? Not that long ago we were giving Saddam Hussein and Iraq military aid and congratulating them on what they were doing - and now we're not.

In World War I, we invaded Russian, in World War II, they were our "allies" and afterwards our enemy, and now we aren't even sure. In World War I we kicked Germany's ass, the kicked it again when they attacked our ally, France. And did it again in World War II. Now the Germans are sort of our allies, at least up through the eighties, then France was an ally until they got tired of us and moved out on their own. Now no one is quite sure what say about Europe - except for the east European who were our enemy in the cold war and now are becoming our ally in the terror war - except for those who are still our enemy.

The Pacific is even more mixed up. Japan attacked us in World War II, then we conquered them (resulting in a most benign conquering I might add) and while we forced them to be pacifists (which really doesn't fit Japanese culture) are now pushing towards militarism again. China - depending on which China you're talking about is/was our enemy and friend. Formosa was Japan's in World War II, until we kicked them out. Then the Nationalists moved in after the commies kicked their ass in 1948. Then we recognized Taiwan as China until the 1970s when Nixon decided the commies in mainland China was really China and Taiwan was "sorta" China. Now we're getting together with the Japanese to support Taiwan as a sovereign nation - sort of. I think more to tweak mainland China than for any other reason. After all, mainland China is just slightly less authoritarian than -- I don't really know than who -- but we still think the way they mistreat people is OK compared to the way, say Iraq mistreated people, after of course, we decided that Iraq wasn't nice anymore.

I'm not even going to begin to try to think about other countries. Quick, are the following countries good guys or bad guys this month: India, Pakistan, Iraq, Vietnam, Malaysia, Russia, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Columbia, Saudi Arabia, Libya. Or how about next month.

2fers: The World and Maps!

Law Enforcement

First let me say, there's no way I could be a cop. I have neither the balls nor the compassion to put up with the crap they deal with everyday. And then having to explain why they can't arrest the bad guy in 60 minutes like Lennie did. And yes, I know there are some bad cops - there are always a few bad anythings. The vast majority of good people who are putting their life on the line for you every day. Any way, here's my answer to some of the major excessive violence complaints against cops:

Situation:Protesters chain themselves to whatever and complain about police violence when they're arrested.
New Resolution:Don't arrest them. Squirt a little super glue into their locks so no one bothers them and leave them alone for the next couple of days.

Situation:Subject resisting arrest get Tasered and complain about possibility of heart attacks.
New Resolution:Smith and Wesson them, so there are no further complaints.

Situation:High speed chase results in suspect complaining about being manhandled.
New Resolution:Putting aside the fact that they could have stopped, steer them into the nearest bridge abutment, or lacking that, a large tree.

Situation:Subject at 2:14 AM complains about being profiled and stopped.
New Resolution:Go home and watch Jay Leno instead of wandering the streets at two in the morning.

Situation:Parents complaining that cops are harassing their kids.
New Resolution:Parents taking care of their kids.

In other words, quit putting yourself into situations where you're asking for police involvement. If you're outside a bar with a bunch of loud drunks at 3AM, don't be surprised when there's trouble. If you're driving a car with heavily tinted windows and barely readable plates in less than desirable areas, don't be surprised when you're pulled over. And if you ever see a cop that needs a hand, give it to them.

2fers: LAPD and Michigan State Police

Bad Day

First it snowed last night - hard. Unfortunately, it wasn't the nice, light dry stuff, but the heavy, heart attack causing wet stuff. Luckily, my neighbor had someone do her side, so I only had mine. I did most, then took a break, then finished it. It was about 8 inches deep and very wet and heavy. I could only push a little row at a time and then had to pile it up often. No fun this time.

One good thing is that I had a batch of chili in the slow-cooker overnight and was able to eat a nice big bowl of chili when I came in from the snow. I use a lot of beans and this time had some flank steak cut up in it. No whole tomatoes, just tomato sauce and paste. I don't like tomatoes in my chili, but do some of those hot teensy-tiny chilies. It cooked up nice and tender. Mmmmm.

Naturally, during the blizzard yesterday, I noticed my headlight burned out. It must have happened when I turned them on Sunday, since I checked them Saturday and they both worked fine. I needed some groceries so left before the blizzard was too bad (we're tough Michiganders you know - we thrive on white-outs and icy roads) and stopped at NAPA to pick up the bulbs - $5.99 each. On the way to the store I was able to watch a couple of SUVs running sideways down the road. Unfortunately, they didn't end up in the ditch. They don't seem to understand that even when you have AWD, you can't drive like a NASCAR driver when the roads are icy and covered in blowing snow.

Today, I changed the bulbs. I have a New Beetle that uses an odd method of holding the lights in. At least I think it's odd, I haven't seen the method used anywhere else. BTW, the manual states you should have the dealer replace the bulbs for you. Under the hood the light assembly has a small lever and near it a cross-hatched button. You press down on the button and push the lever up to loosen the headlight. The whole assembly then slides out. The back of the headlight has a plastic cover that snaps on. Once that is off, you can then get to the bulbs themselves. There's all kinds of stuff (all plastic) that snaps and slides in place. You have to be very patient and careful otherwise you'll break one of the little fiddly bits and then have to spend a fortune to replace it.

2fers: Chili Recipes and Alka-Seltzer

Flighty

Do you have problems trying to keep your mind on one task? I have that problem big time. I have a small workshop set up in my basement. I do mostly woodworking but also some metal work and other stuff. The problem I have is keeping to one thing. Last night and this morning's a good example. Here's a rough schedule of the way my time went:

Go down to finish assembling blanket chest.

Move chest side around to make some photos.

Design and start on an aluminum gadget for my broken digital camera.

Look for protractor to measure angle of countersink tool for above job.

temporarily tape up camera to work.

Cook Thai red curry dinner.

Start to take pictures for the projects and new hints section of web site.

Decide to modify squirrel feeder while taking photo of it.

Rearrange some tool pegboard locations while taking pictures of them.

Batteries die.

Catch up on three days of newspapers.

No screws short enough for gadget so have to modify one (and lose it this morning).

Move extension cord to closet and add shelf to closet for extension cord.

Repair plugged sink drain by rebuilding the plug.

Wash four loads of clothes in and among the above tasks.

Find missing heat shrink behind toolbox and modify the package for display.

Batteries charged - take picture of mortise adapter case and decide to go upstairs to make printout for inside of case.

Total about 50 photos of stuff.

Send wife a picture of her blossoming tulips.

Vacuum shop floor.

Work on small jewel box.

Peruse a couple of books and finish one.

Watch a bad Buster Keaton movie.

Shovel driveway.

And now I'm writing this.

There has been some other stuff I don't remember and the list is pretty close to order but most stuff is intertwined with other stuff. The camera gadget for example is spread among other tasks since it required some drilling, cutting rubber sheet, modifying bolts, letting glue dry (and then regluing to fix the mistake), sanding and filing, etc.

And oh yeah, I still haven't assembled the blanket chest.

2Fers: Little Machineshop.com and Lee Valley Tools (Both of these are good companies to deal with)

Buster the Rabbit

You may have run across some of the hoopla concerning PBS, Buster the Rabbit and gay families. Here's the picture that has caused so much static and a link to one of the stories in the Washington Post.
I could add a picture of one of those approved husband and wife teams who beat, starve or otherwise torture their kids, but why shade the happiness in this image.

Photo Credit: Karen Pike -- Wgbs Via AP
Related Article: Who Framed Buster Rabbit? The Fallout Continues

Sleep or Lack of

As you can see by the time stamp, it's pretty late/early to be writing in a blog. I have no idea why I can't sleep tonight. I do have to get up and go to work in about five and half hours which means I'll be dragging come the afternoon. Since I have no idea about what is going on, I'll just mention a few items that have come to mind lately.

Social Security: The prez says that old timers and young'uns won't have to worry much about social security. The old timers will get what they planned on and the young'uns will have time for the new program to make them a good nest egg. However, there's a group nearing retirement who won't benefit from the old program and won't have time to earn much with the new program - guess what age group I fall into?? I figure I'll be working forever.

War on Terror: They say the terrorists are planning to attack us. I thought we were successfully fighting a war so that the terrorists wouldn't attack us. Did we lose when I wasn't watching? Oh yeah, and the price of gas is going up again this summer.

From today's BBC: The Vatican university is launching a new course for exorcists - Roman Catholic priests who cast out evil spirits from the possessed. & UN Secretary General Kofi Annan described the situation in the Sudanese region as "hell on earth". More than 100,000 people have died and at least two million are homeless. A problem and a solution - what the hell is the Vatican waiting for?

Dr Dobson says, "While words like "diversity" and "unity" sound harmless — even noble — enough, the reality is they are often used by gay activists as cover for teaching children that homosexuality is the moral and biological equivalent to heterosexuality. And there is ample evidence that the We Are Family Foundation shares — and promotes — that view." And I say, let's have a good old Crusade and wipe out the unbelievers -- burn them at the stake and take away their cable TV. Personally, I think Batman and Robin on TV in the sixties is the main cause of the hordes of homosexuals now over-running our fair country. Holy Codpiece Batman!

And yes, it is getting later as I type. Sigh....

2fers: a house beautifully landscaped and Tinky Winky

Wasting Time

Did you ever give a thought to how hard it is to describe what wasting time is? Basically it's only someone else who can possibly waste time. What you may think is a waste of time is to me or someone else something that is priceless. Think about it.

For instance is watching TV a waste of time? What time is wasted? To me watching a hockey game is a tremendous waste of time, while watching a black and white 1930's Tom and Jerry cartoon is sublime. I also get a kick "puttering" around in my basement. Do I accomplish any world changing act or earn big money down there? Not really. But I do enjoy myself. Is my time in the basement any different than the time someone spends in the garden or playing an instrument?

One example from my point of view, as you can probably tell from some of my previous posts, is time spent in a church is pretty much a waste of time. However, there are others who feel that unless you waste time in a church your life is a waste. What we really need is for people to quick worrying about how others are wasting their time and leave them alone. I'm happy when I'm wasting time down in my basement fiddling with tools and screws or up in my library reading a book or re-reading a 1948 issue of Popular Mechanics.

It's my time and if I'm spending it, I'm not wasting it, I'm spending it the way I want. Except for work I suppose. Work is what you do to earn money so that you can waste time.

2fers: One Man's Time Wasted and And Another's

What a Crock

Here's a recent quote from the Pope: "Your suffering is never useless, dear sick people. Moreover, it's a precious thing," the speech said. "If you bring together your suffering and pain, you can be his (God's) privileged helpers in the salvation of souls."

This is a thought you can keep while you're lying in a puddle of vomit or excrement from dysentery or typhoid or cholera, or some other God supplied disease. If you're lucky, at least you'll be in a hospital or under a doctor's care. More than likely, you'll be in some third world country where the doctor's office, assuming of course there is a doctor available you can afford it, will probably have a dirt floor and the only thing in abundance will be scarcity.

Do you really want to worship a god who considers a child dehydrating from diarrhea to be one of his "privileged helpers?" I mean really. There was a story the other day where some doctors are attempting to separate a child's fused legs - why is someone with a condition like that even possible. That poor kid is a "privileged helper?" Man is cruel enough to man without needing some omnipotent god to add to his misery. This kind of stuff really pisses me off.

Weyco

I'm sure you've heard by now about the Michigan company who fires employees based on if they smoke or not - at work or home. This company states the reason they do this is to save on medical costs - $922 a year. This probably sounds like it makes sense - especially if you're not a smoker. And especially if you're management.

However. What's to stop them at smoking? It would also make sense to fire folks who are overweight, who don't exercise, who have high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. How about if you're old? Does your chance of being fired increase as you age?

It makes you wonder about what's going on. If they can fire you for smoking, what else might they thing of. If that is upheld, that means that anything that might conceivably increase your chance of requiring medical care could get you fired. Do you work with tools? Sharp saws and stuff? How about a speeding ticket - you could have an accident.

One last thought about this is how do they plan on enforcing this? Do they break into your house in the evening and sniff the air? Do they follow you around as you drive to make sure you don't light one up on a back road? Blood tests maybe or what? It's pretty scary.

2fers: Smoking Females and Big Brother's Smoking Site

Re-orgs

Aargh - another place did it - again. As you may or may not know I hate it when a store reorganizes, often seemingly, just for the heck of it. Especially in a store that I'm used to. The local Clark Hardware store, who I must admit, I do enjoy, recently reshuffled their layout. I walked in over the weekend to buy a few screws and found 2/3s of the store shuffled around. Not only is stuff moved around, but the shelves went from running north and south to east and west. It was very disorienting.

I used to like it when I could just wander in, check out the usual places for stuff and just pick up what I needed. It takes a while to get used to a store. You wander around for a few weeks checking things out and marking in your mind where the strike-anywhere matches, corks, 1/4" - 20 bolts, HotShot water heaters and other stuff is. Then when you really need X, you know exactly where to go to find out. You don't have to waste time running around to various stores - you know that X is located in the second aisle, top shelf, near the wall, next to the Ys and Zs.

Now I have to start that process all over again. I just had the thought that this is where Internet shopping is nice. You don't have to drive all over town looking for X, you just google or yahoo for it. It's unlikely you're going to miss the store attendants. Most haven't a clue about their store's products. Many times, you don't even have to wait much longer for mail - stores seem to be offering special orders more and more lately. Why go through the middle-man for ordering something you can go to Amazon.com and get in a couple days anyway.

2fers: Moving the Cheese and Not a Good Look

Drivers

They ought to make people pass a test and then get some kind of license before they're allowed to drive.

If you been reading any of these, you'll probably know I have short patience with idiot drivers - and there's so, so many of them. Near my office is a freeway with an overpass (I-675 and Tittabawasee). The overpass is on the road that passes in front of the office building. Tittabawasee is five lanes - two eastbound, two westbound and one turn lane in the middle. Coming from the west on Tittabawasee you come up to a traffic light. From the right hand lane there are two turnoffs. The first lets you go southbound on I-675 and the next one, maybe 100 feet or so, lets you go northbound. One wouldn't think it was all that complicated to figure out. However...

For some reason there are a lot of drivers who decide to take the inside lane past the first turnoff and then quickly switch over to the outside lane to make the exit. Needless to say they don't pay too much attention to drivers already in the outside who are going straight.

There seem to be two types. Either they speed up and cut you off or slow down and cut you off. If the idiots would just merge to the outside lane before they get to the traffic light it would make things so much easier. However, that would require some planning and paying attention. Like the idiot today (and yesterday) they'd actually have to hang up their cell phone and pay attention to the road - heaven forbid that from happening.

And while I'm wound up, is it really that hard to put your vehicle between two yellow lines in a parking lot? I mean, that's why they're there - to guide your car and/or truck. And if you can't drive your damn big-ass truck and park it, how about buying a bicycle. I firmly believe that gross vehicle weight and IQ are inversely proportional - and the result can then be divided by the number of wheels driving (as in 4 wheel drive). As if 1/10 of those huge 4 wheel drive trucks ever spend any time out in the boonies. Wouldn't want to get them dirty now would we?

Amber Frey

What can I say, I need the hits. Yep - I'm finally jumping on the Peterson bandwagon. Here's an assortment of mostly unattributed quotes about Amber Frey's book that I cut and pasted after a few minutes of surfing. And no, while I don't intend to read it - who cares really - I will probably look at the pictures in the library some day.

"I'd rather spend the afternoon coughing up blood than reading Amber Frey's book,'' said Gracie Garcia, 65, who owns an antique store in Gilroy. "It embarrasses me for my country and my people. It's so irrelevant and disgusting.''

Needless to say, I haven't read the book. I will never read the book. If anybody attempts to read the book to me, my ears will surely bleed.

As you read Witness—which Frey dictated to a ghostwriter—you realize that part of Frey's appeal is her inveterate cluelessness.

After doing what she can to sell her book, Frey said, she plans to return to her Fresno massage business -- a job she says she loves.

Amber Frey, the mistress who did the right thing, was blessed with a porn star name and the Playboy profession of masseuse.

"I don't read any of those books. They are kind of trash," said 70-year-old Nancy Young of Fresno, "I prefer to read good authors of fiction. … Even when I was 30, I didn't read that."

With the case closed, Frey is everywhere this week promoting a book that is aimed squarely at the duped demographic: women who have been lied to by seductive, if not deadly, men.

After pleading for your privacy for almost two years, why did you put your story in a book now?

2fers: Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble

Here We Go

N.Y. Using Terrorism Law To Prosecute Street Gang

Now this has me worried. Since these kids are considered terrorists, does that now mean they fall under Bush's "enemy combatant" rules. In other words, can these kids now be put into prison for ever without evidence and without lawyers?

Don't get me wrong, I want to see criminals behind bars in the most expeditious way possible -- within the laws of the United States however. Remember, that all but ignored saying, "innocent until proven guilty?" I still believe in that. Once proven guilty, however, I'm more than happy to see them behind bars or behind the door of a gas chamber. If someone assaults (and I consider robbery or car-jacking assault) another person, the assaulter won't get any sympathy from me. I really like the three strikes and you're out laws. If you haven't gotten the message after being caught and prosecuted three times, you're never going to get it and need to be put away.

But, and it's a big but, they need to be legally prosecuted with old-fashioned stuff like evidence and laws. Yes, some of the guilty get away with it. That's a drawback of the process. But I can with that more than I can of some innocent getting locked away. And if there's no evidence, other than the fact that they're called terrorists, they shouldn't be locked away forever - with no recourse to lawyers or due process.

To do so, brings us down to their level. And then they've won. We're considered the land of the free for a reason. You don't see millions of people sneaking into Afghanistan or Iran. You do see them sneaking into the USofA. There must be a reason for that.

Toughen the law if need be. Do a crime with a gun and get a life/death sentence. I'm a big supporter of gun ownership, but it comes with a price of responsibility. Do the crime, do the time. If you do a crime against a person, whether it's assault, rape, purse snatching, or stealing someone's wallet - you should pay a BIG price for it -- but only if you're convicted by evidence. And to me, a purse snatching is no less a crime against humanity than rape - not that rape isn't bad - the criminal still deserves life/death sentence - but that any violence against another needs strong persecution.

2fers: California Dept of Corrections and Three Strikes

Priorities

UN: Tsunami Worst-Ever Tourism Catastrophe
Tue Feb 1, 4:41 AM ET World - AP Asia
By CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer
BANDA ACEH, Indonesia - The top U.N. tourism official called Asia's tsunami the worst-ever catastrophe for the world's tourism industry, ...

In terms of tourist arrivals, the disaster "will deal nothing but a glancing blow to world tourism," he said.

I'm sure the quarter-million missing people are happy to know that tourism will continue...