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Firefox foils phishing flaw
VNUNet.com
By Steve Ranger
Friday, February 25, 2005
Security News Home
Click here to find out more!
All Firefox users are being encouraged to download a security update for the popular open source browser.
The update includes several fixes to guard against spoofing and arbitrary code execution, and improves stability, said The Mozilla Foundation.
The Firefox security update - Firefox 1.0.1 - is available for the 25 million users who have already downloaded the free browser.
The Mozilla Foundation said that it "encourages all users to download the update", which is available here.
"Regular security updates are essential for maintaining a safe browsing experience for our users," said Chris Hofmann, director of engineering at Mozilla.
"The Mozilla Foundation has developed a community of users and developers who continuously provide feedback on Mozilla software, and as a result of that constant vigilance we are able to provide quick and effective responses to security vulnerabilities."
Mozilla said that it evaluates security issues on an ongoing basis and will issue security updates "as warranted". More information is available in the release notes here.
To see more of VNUNet go to http://www.vnunet.com
Copyright © 2004 VNU Business Online Limited (UK) [All rights reserved]
Sunday, February 27, 2005
NY teen charged over IM spam attack
By John Leyden, The Register Feb 22 2005 10:42AM
Click here for Core Impact!
A New York teenager has become the first American to be arrested for sending spam messages across IM networks. Anthony Greco, 18, of Cheektowaga, New York, was charged with violations of the CAN-SPAM Act after allegedly sending 1.5m messages punting mortgage refinancing and adult pornography to MySpace.com users in October and November 2004. According to a criminal complaint, Greco created thousands of fraudulent instant messaging accounts on MySpace.com to bombard its users with junk IM messages. Greco allegedly threatened additional attacks unless MySpace.com, an online community site popular with teenagers, hired him as a consultant. He travelled to Los Angeles last week hoping to granted "exclusive" rights to send commercial e-mail to users of the MySpace.com only to be arrested by officers from the US Secret Service and the Los Angeles Police Department after he stepped off the plane.
Click here for Core Impact!
A New York teenager has become the first American to be arrested for sending spam messages across IM networks. Anthony Greco, 18, of Cheektowaga, New York, was charged with violations of the CAN-SPAM Act after allegedly sending 1.5m messages punting mortgage refinancing and adult pornography to MySpace.com users in October and November 2004. According to a criminal complaint, Greco created thousands of fraudulent instant messaging accounts on MySpace.com to bombard its users with junk IM messages. Greco allegedly threatened additional attacks unless MySpace.com, an online community site popular with teenagers, hired him as a consultant. He travelled to Los Angeles last week hoping to granted "exclusive" rights to send commercial e-mail to users of the MySpace.com only to be arrested by officers from the US Secret Service and the Los Angeles Police Department after he stepped off the plane.
Friday, February 25, 2005
Potential ID Theft Victims Eye Information
By RACHEL KONRAD
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Warren Lambert thought it was just another piece of junk mail until he read the letter more closely and learned that con artists may have obtained his Social Security number, name and address - just what they need to steal his identity and ruin his credit.
Lambert is one of nearly 145,000 Americans rendered vulnerable by a breach of the computer databases of ChoicePoint Inc., a leading trafficker in a growing pool of information about who we are, what we own, what we owe and even where we go.
CHOICEPOINT INC
NYS:CPS
Updated: 2005/02/24 ET
41.00 -0.22
The Georgia-based company began mailing the warning letters after acknowledging this month that thieves opened more than 50 ChoicePoint accounts by posing as legitimate businesses.
Lambert, a retired banker in San Francisco, now spends several hours a day phoning customer service agents, poring over credit card statements, ordering credit reports and checking bank accounts.
He worries that thieves will eventually do to him what sheriffs detectives in Los Angeles say they've done to more than 700 other people - reroute his mail, ring up credit card debts, buy a car or even commit a felony in his name.
read more »
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Warren Lambert thought it was just another piece of junk mail until he read the letter more closely and learned that con artists may have obtained his Social Security number, name and address - just what they need to steal his identity and ruin his credit.
Lambert is one of nearly 145,000 Americans rendered vulnerable by a breach of the computer databases of ChoicePoint Inc., a leading trafficker in a growing pool of information about who we are, what we own, what we owe and even where we go.
CHOICEPOINT INC
NYS:CPS
Updated: 2005/02/24 ET
41.00 -0.22
The Georgia-based company began mailing the warning letters after acknowledging this month that thieves opened more than 50 ChoicePoint accounts by posing as legitimate businesses.
Lambert, a retired banker in San Francisco, now spends several hours a day phoning customer service agents, poring over credit card statements, ordering credit reports and checking bank accounts.
He worries that thieves will eventually do to him what sheriffs detectives in Los Angeles say they've done to more than 700 other people - reroute his mail, ring up credit card debts, buy a car or even commit a felony in his name.
read more »
USS Jimmy Carter commissioned
GROTON, Connecticut (AP) -- The USS Jimmy Carter entered the Navy's fleet Saturday as the most heavily armed submarine ever built, and as the last of the Seawolf class of attack subs that the Pentagon ordered during the Cold War's final years.
The $3.2 billion Jimmy Carter was commissioned Saturday, the first submarine named after a living ex-president.
Carter, himself a submariner during his time in the Navy, was on hand for the ceremony signaling the end of an era in submarining.
"The most deeply appreciated and emotional honor I've ever had is to have this great ship bear my name," Carter said in remarks prepared for the ceremony at the Naval Submarine Base New London.
Carter was joined by his wife, Rosalynn, former Vice President Walter Mondale and his wife, Joan, and Stansfield Turner, CIA director in the Carter administration.
The 453-foot, 12,000-ton submarine has a 50-torpedo payload and eight torpedo tubes. And, according to intelligence experts, it can tap undersea cables and eavesdrop on the communications passing through them. read more »
The $3.2 billion Jimmy Carter was commissioned Saturday, the first submarine named after a living ex-president.
Carter, himself a submariner during his time in the Navy, was on hand for the ceremony signaling the end of an era in submarining.
"The most deeply appreciated and emotional honor I've ever had is to have this great ship bear my name," Carter said in remarks prepared for the ceremony at the Naval Submarine Base New London.
Carter was joined by his wife, Rosalynn, former Vice President Walter Mondale and his wife, Joan, and Stansfield Turner, CIA director in the Carter administration.
The 453-foot, 12,000-ton submarine has a 50-torpedo payload and eight torpedo tubes. And, according to intelligence experts, it can tap undersea cables and eavesdrop on the communications passing through them. read more »
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson has been told the trial against him will go ahead - despite his pleading with the judge to have the case thrown out.
The troubled singer was informed there was enough evidence to warrant the child abuse charges - which includes child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
The judge also rejected a request from Jackson's lawyers to exclude vital evidence from his Neverland ranch. more »
The troubled singer was informed there was enough evidence to warrant the child abuse charges - which includes child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
The judge also rejected a request from Jackson's lawyers to exclude vital evidence from his Neverland ranch. more »
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Big Bangs
Last Friday at NASA headquarters, astronomers met to discuss the brightest explosion ever detected in our galaxy: a 0.2-second flash that packed as much punch as our sun produces in 200,000 years. The incredible flash was so bright that it knocked satellites' instruments out of whack and interfered with low-frequency radio waves on Earth.
The blast came from a rare entity called a magnetar roughly halfway across the Milky Way--50,000 light years from Earth. That may sound a long way off, but as one astrophysicist pointed out, "Astronomically speaking, this explosion happened in our backyard." If it had happened just 10,000 light years away, it might have blown away the ozone layer.
Thankfully, the nearest known magnetar is 13,000 light years from here. So what's a magnetar? Basically, it's a neutron star with a super-strong magnetic field. And what's a neutron star? It's the remnant of a different sort of stellar explosion--a supernova.
Want to learn more?
See shots of December's big blast
See what you're missing . . .
Become a lifetime member of
KnowledgeNews today!
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Stop the World, I Want to Get Off
Earth's surface consists of a hard shell called the crust, which is broken into large chunks called plates. Plates can hold entire continents (as the North American Plate does) or entire oceans (as the Pacific Plate does). Often, they hold bits of both.
The crust is actually a hard exterior on top of a much deeper layer, the mantle. Most of the mantle is made of thick liquid rock called magma, melted by heat from an even deeper layer--the Earth's core. The plates that make up the crust basically "float" on the mantle's magma.
That means the plates and everything on them, including whole continents and oceans, are in continual motion. Their movement is slow, ranging from less than an inch a year to a top speed of about 6 inches (15 cm) a year, but it's real. Just what drives the movement isn't clear. It could be gravity. It could be convection currents within the mantle. It could be both.
Want to learn more?
See what happens when you move tectonic plates
See what you're missing . . .
Become a lifetime member of
KnowledgeNews today!
The crust is actually a hard exterior on top of a much deeper layer, the mantle. Most of the mantle is made of thick liquid rock called magma, melted by heat from an even deeper layer--the Earth's core. The plates that make up the crust basically "float" on the mantle's magma.
That means the plates and everything on them, including whole continents and oceans, are in continual motion. Their movement is slow, ranging from less than an inch a year to a top speed of about 6 inches (15 cm) a year, but it's real. Just what drives the movement isn't clear. It could be gravity. It could be convection currents within the mantle. It could be both.
Want to learn more?
See what happens when you move tectonic plates
See what you're missing . . .
Become a lifetime member of
KnowledgeNews today!
Monday, February 21, 2005
Henry Ford Puts the World on Wheels
Henry Ford was born in 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan, four weeks after the Battle of Gettysburg. As a boy, he had an instinct for gadgets and machines but little use for literature or history, which he considered "more or less bunk." He quit school at the age of 15 and soon headed for the big city. Want to learn more?
Browse a gallery of Model Ts
See what you're missing . . .
Become a lifetime member of
KnowledgeNews today!
Browse a gallery of Model Ts
See what you're missing . . .
Become a lifetime member of
KnowledgeNews today!
America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response
CodeAmber.org went live on August 23rd, 2002. Since that time we have grown rapidly as you can see by the statistics in the top right hand column. The number of Web and Desktop tickers are real time counters but we update the number of tickers served on the first of each month.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Beirut's Roots
This week, a bomb in Beirut killed former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. The popular leader resigned last October while calling on Syria to remove the 14,000 troops it keeps inside Lebanon. Now that call is coming even louder. In fact, Hariri's funeral quickly turned into an anti-Syrian rally, with more than 150,000 mourners chanting "Syria out! Syria out!"
Your paper will tell you that Syrian troops have been deployed around Beirut for decades, ever since the Lebanese civil war raged from 1975 to 1990. It probably won't mention that Beirut itself has been around since biblical times--and that its relationship with Syria has ancient roots, too.
Beirut's Roots
The first mention of a city called "Biruta" dates to the 15th century BC. Back then, the region now called Lebanon was inhabited by seafaring traders whom the Old Testament calls Canaanites.
The Greeks called these merchant mariners Phoenicians (from "phoinikies," a purple dye they sold), and adapted their alphabetic script for their own use. Unfortunately for the Phoenicians, neighbors coveted more than their letters. Beirut's wealth made it a target. At various times, the ancient city and its natural harbor were conquered by Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans.
Want to learn more?
Visit Lebanon's historic sites online
All for a one-time payment of just $34.95--
no renewals, ever!
KnowledgeNews.net * 123 South 6th Street * Marshall, Illinois 62441 * USA
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Write to us at info@knowledgenews.net
We read every note and answer as quickly as possible.
Your paper will tell you that Syrian troops have been deployed around Beirut for decades, ever since the Lebanese civil war raged from 1975 to 1990. It probably won't mention that Beirut itself has been around since biblical times--and that its relationship with Syria has ancient roots, too.
Beirut's Roots
The first mention of a city called "Biruta" dates to the 15th century BC. Back then, the region now called Lebanon was inhabited by seafaring traders whom the Old Testament calls Canaanites.
The Greeks called these merchant mariners Phoenicians (from "phoinikies," a purple dye they sold), and adapted their alphabetic script for their own use. Unfortunately for the Phoenicians, neighbors coveted more than their letters. Beirut's wealth made it a target. At various times, the ancient city and its natural harbor were conquered by Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, and Romans.
Want to learn more?
Visit Lebanon's historic sites online
All for a one-time payment of just $34.95--
no renewals, ever!
KnowledgeNews.net * 123 South 6th Street * Marshall, Illinois 62441 * USA
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Write to us at info@knowledgenews.net
We read every note and answer as quickly as possible.
Friday, February 18, 2005
The official support and discussion site for FeedBurner.
So you've burned your feed and you've dropped the "FeedBurner chicklet" on your web page or blog. Congratulations! When you go look at your feed stats, however, are you seeing all of your feed traffic? Maybe not. The rest of this entry contains some hints and tips to make your stats as useful and accurate as they can be. more»
O'Reilly Books
Google Hacks,
2nd Edition Google Hacks, 2nd Edition -- Featuring dozens of refreshed hacks, plus 25 completely new ones, this updated edition of Google Hacks is a collection of real-world solutions to practical Google research problems. Thanks to these industrial-strength tips, now you can easily save hours of research time mining Google. Best of all, each of the book's 100 hacks is easy to read and digest; there's no confusing terminology or extraneous information to hamper your understanding. Sample Hacks are available free online. more »
2nd Edition Google Hacks, 2nd Edition -- Featuring dozens of refreshed hacks, plus 25 completely new ones, this updated edition of Google Hacks is a collection of real-world solutions to practical Google research problems. Thanks to these industrial-strength tips, now you can easily save hours of research time mining Google. Best of all, each of the book's 100 hacks is easy to read and digest; there's no confusing terminology or extraneous information to hamper your understanding. Sample Hacks are available free online. more »
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
A free family boardgame for five or more players about Tudor England and Henry VIII
by Garry Stevens PhD
Back to Garry's Games.
Current release: Last modified and updated July 2003.
Download Henry VIII: Intrigue in the Tudor Court for free!What the Game is About
The Year Is 1525
Henry VIII, King of England, is troubled. After many years of marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he still has no son. The Tudor dynasty is young. The bloody family squabbles of the House of Plantagenet (that we know as the Wars of the Roses) were ended by his father. But still they haunt the memories of men. And the remnants of the House of York yearn to rule once again over this upstart Lancastrian. more »
Back to Garry's Games.
Current release: Last modified and updated July 2003.
Download Henry VIII: Intrigue in the Tudor Court for free!What the Game is About
The Year Is 1525
Henry VIII, King of England, is troubled. After many years of marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he still has no son. The Tudor dynasty is young. The bloody family squabbles of the House of Plantagenet (that we know as the Wars of the Roses) were ended by his father. But still they haunt the memories of men. And the remnants of the House of York yearn to rule once again over this upstart Lancastrian. more »
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Command Line,
You've always been told to write maintainable code. All of those fancy books on Extreme Programming and every computer science course you've ever had has emphasized commenting and clarity and all of those other broccoli-is-good-for-you-so-clean-your-plate directives. This article, and its second half, are about the opposite of that—unreadable code, inscrutable code, and disposable code. But, also, indispensable code. It is the editor we will use that will be the dominating factor in the way we write our code, however, and that editor is the bash command line prompt. more »
Flash Newsletter:
Mandrakesoft offers you, free, a 3-month subscription
to the Mandrakelinux Club!
Are you a happy Mandrake Linux user who would like to directly support your favorite distribution while also receiving special membership privileges?
Would you like to get more related products and services? more details »
to the Mandrakelinux Club!
Are you a happy Mandrake Linux user who would like to directly support your favorite distribution while also receiving special membership privileges?
Would you like to get more related products and services? more details »
ISN Security Watch -
ISN Security Watch - Get daily security checks
on the Euro-Atlantic region. For full news
service visit their website,
on the Euro-Atlantic region. For full news
service visit their website,
Help removing error guard
Close all windows,rerun HJT, put a tick beside these and
click FIX CHECKED
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ErrorGuard] C:\Program Files\ErrorGuard\ErrorGuard.Exe
O16 - DPF: {205FF73B-CA67-11D5-99DD-444553540006} (CInstall Class) - http://www.errorguard.com/installation/Install.cab
Then boot up in SAFE MODE
then go to C:\Program Files and delete ErrorGuard <---folder
then reboot and post a fresh Hijackthis log.
more excellent help »
click FIX CHECKED
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ErrorGuard] C:\Program Files\ErrorGuard\ErrorGuard.Exe
O16 - DPF: {205FF73B-CA67-11D5-99DD-444553540006} (CInstall Class) - http://www.errorguard.com/installation/Install.cab
Then boot up in SAFE MODE
then go to C:\Program Files and delete ErrorGuard <---folder
then reboot and post a fresh Hijackthis log.
more excellent help »
Interoperable Communications Network
City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County, Va., Deploy Interoperable Communications Network
"For the first time, the city of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County's Police, Sheriff, Fire and Emergency Medical first-responders will be able to talk to one another and coordinate with other city and county service agencies."
"For the first time, the city of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County's Police, Sheriff, Fire and Emergency Medical first-responders will be able to talk to one another and coordinate with other city and county service agencies."
BlackBerry 7520 use the JABRA® Bluetooth headset
Get the most from your phone with powerful custom accessories. For your BlackBerry 7520 use the JABRA® Bluetooth headset for hands-free wireless conversation. Or, if you have a non-Bluetooth-enabled phone you can get the JABRA Universal Multi-Adapter to support wireless communication.
Featured discussion: This guy should be stoned... (with rocks)
TechRepublic member mrafrohead has some unkind words for a computer user: "Basically, this [guy] got himself infected with a Trojan... [he] is suing his bank for the lost funds... I hope [the bank] counter sues him and takes him for the rest of what he's worth." more »
NEW PHP ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION:
Dear Madam, dear Sir,
INSIGHTS INTO SOVIET-CZECHOSLOVAK MILITARY PLANNING IN THE COLD WARThe interviews with 15 Czechoslovak generals of the cold war era throw new light on Czechoslovakia’s role in Soviet military planning prior to 1968, when its army was assigned to bear the brunt of any confrontation with NATO because of the absence from its territory of Soviet or other Warsaw Pact troops. Conversely, the stationing of Soviet forces there after 1968, amid doubts about the reliability of the Czechoslovak army in the event of war, reduced the country’s strategic exceptionalism and with it also the importance of the information that could be supplied by its highest ranking officers. The interviews offer fascinating reading. Most of the generals were willing to speak openly about the secret operational plans. Some of their testimonies provide the most authoritative and illuminating views that we have on the 1964 war plan discovered and first published by the PHP, prompting an animated discussion about its significance on the PHP website. Other intriguing topics are the deployment of Soviet nuclear warheads on Czechoslovak territory before 1968 and the severity of the economic strain that membership in the Warsaw Pact imposed upon Czechoslovakia, forcing it to maintain a military establishment entirely out of proportion with the country’s resources. Please read the original transcripts in Czech as well as topical selections in both English and Czech as well as introductory remarks by Czech cold war historian Karel Sieber, who conducted the interviews, and PHP coordinator Vojtech Mastny at www.isn.ethz.ch/php/collections/coll_ceska.htm. We invite your feedback on the interviews. Please send your comments and reflections to
mailto:php@sipo.gess.ethz.ch. more »
INSIGHTS INTO SOVIET-CZECHOSLOVAK MILITARY PLANNING IN THE COLD WARThe interviews with 15 Czechoslovak generals of the cold war era throw new light on Czechoslovakia’s role in Soviet military planning prior to 1968, when its army was assigned to bear the brunt of any confrontation with NATO because of the absence from its territory of Soviet or other Warsaw Pact troops. Conversely, the stationing of Soviet forces there after 1968, amid doubts about the reliability of the Czechoslovak army in the event of war, reduced the country’s strategic exceptionalism and with it also the importance of the information that could be supplied by its highest ranking officers. The interviews offer fascinating reading. Most of the generals were willing to speak openly about the secret operational plans. Some of their testimonies provide the most authoritative and illuminating views that we have on the 1964 war plan discovered and first published by the PHP, prompting an animated discussion about its significance on the PHP website. Other intriguing topics are the deployment of Soviet nuclear warheads on Czechoslovak territory before 1968 and the severity of the economic strain that membership in the Warsaw Pact imposed upon Czechoslovakia, forcing it to maintain a military establishment entirely out of proportion with the country’s resources. Please read the original transcripts in Czech as well as topical selections in both English and Czech as well as introductory remarks by Czech cold war historian Karel Sieber, who conducted the interviews, and PHP coordinator Vojtech Mastny at www.isn.ethz.ch/php/collections/coll_ceska.htm. We invite your feedback on the interviews. Please send your comments and reflections to
mailto:php@sipo.gess.ethz.ch. more »
Did you miss the recent unveiling of the Sun Grid,
Sun's radically simple vision for the future of Network Computing? You can still tune in and see it on-demand at Sun's Network Computing Web event. Just go to www.sun.com/nc
Find out why IT matters to your core competitiveness, and explore the far-reaching benefits of Sun Grid and Sun's Six Global Expertise Practices.
Hear from Sun leaders as they zero in on how Network Computing is evolving in 2005. See why Sun is serious about open sourcing Solaris and why Service Oriented Architectures are the next wave. more »
Find out why IT matters to your core competitiveness, and explore the far-reaching benefits of Sun Grid and Sun's Six Global Expertise Practices.
Hear from Sun leaders as they zero in on how Network Computing is evolving in 2005. See why Sun is serious about open sourcing Solaris and why Service Oriented Architectures are the next wave. more »
Free IT White Papers Delivered to Your Inbox
Receive practical, UNIX-specific information that you can apply immediately to meet your project management, vendor selection, and problem-solving needs. ITtoolbox UNIX White Paper Alert brings you the latest information from top vendors, research firms, and the ITtoolbox community. Subscribe today! more »
Embedded Software Engineers Needed
Scientific Atlanta is seeking Embedded Software Engineers who are skilled in C/C++, JavaScript, XML, GUI Interfaces, UNIX, Assembler, Embedded Software, Software Version Control, IP networking, and more to work as developers for embedded projects in...more »
How to Create a WYSIWYG Rich Text Editor in JavaScript.
WebDeveloper: Credit Card Validation Script
Need help figuring out how to choose either credit card validation or checks on a form? This thread should give you some real answers.
WebDeveloper: Changing Font in Menu Script
What is the best method for adding fonts to a menu using JavaScript? Here is one method ...
How to Create a WYSIWYG Rich Text Editor in JavaScript. Pt. 2
Today, you'll learn about different methods for handling keyboard input and the RichEdit control. Keyboard input is handled by two functions; onKeyPress() and onKeyDown(). The RichEdit constructor creates the necessary HTML elements to display the control.
Need help figuring out how to choose either credit card validation or checks on a form? This thread should give you some real answers.
WebDeveloper: Changing Font in Menu Script
What is the best method for adding fonts to a menu using JavaScript? Here is one method ...
How to Create a WYSIWYG Rich Text Editor in JavaScript. Pt. 2
Today, you'll learn about different methods for handling keyboard input and the RichEdit control. Keyboard input is handled by two functions; onKeyPress() and onKeyDown(). The RichEdit constructor creates the necessary HTML elements to display the control.
Judge Denies IBM's Dismissal of SCO Case (UNIX News)
A federal judge has rejected efforts by International Business Machines Corp. to dismiss a major portion of a lawsuit brought by SCO Group accusing the computer giant of copyright infringement.... more »
Buy or Rent Used Cisco Equipment -
Gov. Discount
Buy, Rent or lease used, refurbished, Cisco Routers and Switches at great discount at Digital Warehouse. Thousands of satisfied customers, One-Year Warranty. GSA contract holder. more »
Buy, Rent or lease used, refurbished, Cisco Routers and Switches at great discount at Digital Warehouse. Thousands of satisfied customers, One-Year Warranty. GSA contract holder. more »
Help Is on the Way
The Georgia Department of Human Resources takes a stand against benefits fraud.
A new report from NASCIO looks at the privacy implications of spam, phishing and spyware for states doing business online. more »
A new report from NASCIO looks at the privacy implications of spam, phishing and spyware for states doing business online. more »
U.S. Governments Move Toward Open Source
Peter Quinn, CIO of Massachusetts
"We as technologists [can] finally break the back of the ineffectiveness, the inefficiency and the stupidity of the silos of information in government." -- Quinn at the U.S. CIO Summit on Open Source. more »
"We as technologists [can] finally break the back of the ineffectiveness, the inefficiency and the stupidity of the silos of information in government." -- Quinn at the U.S. CIO Summit on Open Source. more »
Government Technology
Subscribe or renew your subscription to the free hard-copy Government Technology.
Already Subscribe, but want access to February's articles and online exclusives.
Upcoming Webinar! Threat Management & Incident Response:
Preparing for Homeland Security's New Requirements
A must attend event for first responders, city and county officials, and security managers. Get prepared for the quickly evolving domestic defense requirements recently announced by DHS that will have immediate implications to your jurisdiction. Hear best practices from experienced experts who have played a pivotal role in leveraging technology to effectively respond to every major disaster for over the last 20 years – including 9/11. Registration is free! more »
A must attend event for first responders, city and county officials, and security managers. Get prepared for the quickly evolving domestic defense requirements recently announced by DHS that will have immediate implications to your jurisdiction. Hear best practices from experienced experts who have played a pivotal role in leveraging technology to effectively respond to every major disaster for over the last 20 years – including 9/11. Registration is free! more »
HBO: Bill Maher: New Rules:
The new season begins Friday, Feb. 18 at 11 pm | Full Schedule
October 29, 2004
All right. I've got to move on. It is time for New Rules, ladies and gentlemen!
All right. New Rule: If you were surprised that Ashlee Simpson was lip synching, you aren't allowed to vote. Not knowing that mechanically-generated tween-agers lip synch is like believing your stripper's real name is Cherry Bomb.
New Rule: This election day in Florida, to make up for Republican dirty tricks in 2000, black Floridians must go into white districts and hang around the polling places and scare white people away. Just like at the ATM, the far end of the subway and theaters showing kung fu movies. So say hello to your new Palm Beach County Election Commissioner, Willie Horton.
New Rule: You can't call it a treat if everyone hates it. We toppled Saddam Hussein. Why can't we get rid of candy corn? Anyone who hands this stuff out on Halloween hates your children and wants them to die. They just don't have the guts to stick a razorblade in an apple.
New Rule: Scientology makes you fat. Kirstie Alley, Lisa Marie Presley, John Travolta: fat, fat, fat! L. Ron Hubbard went to the cupboard to fetch his old dog a bone. But it was gone because his followers scarfed it! Let's be honest. It's not a religion. It's just an excuse for a bake sale.
Speaking of food, New Rule: No McDonald's in hospitals. I'm not kidding! They are putting McDonald's in hospitals. Hello? You're doctors. You're not supposed to be in the repeat-business business. This is like if John Edwards covered the floor outside his trial law office with banana peels. Sorry, Fast Food Nation, but we already figured out a way to screw patients. They're called HMO's. more »
October 29, 2004
All right. I've got to move on. It is time for New Rules, ladies and gentlemen!
All right. New Rule: If you were surprised that Ashlee Simpson was lip synching, you aren't allowed to vote. Not knowing that mechanically-generated tween-agers lip synch is like believing your stripper's real name is Cherry Bomb.
New Rule: This election day in Florida, to make up for Republican dirty tricks in 2000, black Floridians must go into white districts and hang around the polling places and scare white people away. Just like at the ATM, the far end of the subway and theaters showing kung fu movies. So say hello to your new Palm Beach County Election Commissioner, Willie Horton.
New Rule: You can't call it a treat if everyone hates it. We toppled Saddam Hussein. Why can't we get rid of candy corn? Anyone who hands this stuff out on Halloween hates your children and wants them to die. They just don't have the guts to stick a razorblade in an apple.
New Rule: Scientology makes you fat. Kirstie Alley, Lisa Marie Presley, John Travolta: fat, fat, fat! L. Ron Hubbard went to the cupboard to fetch his old dog a bone. But it was gone because his followers scarfed it! Let's be honest. It's not a religion. It's just an excuse for a bake sale.
Speaking of food, New Rule: No McDonald's in hospitals. I'm not kidding! They are putting McDonald's in hospitals. Hello? You're doctors. You're not supposed to be in the repeat-business business. This is like if John Edwards covered the floor outside his trial law office with banana peels. Sorry, Fast Food Nation, but we already figured out a way to screw patients. They're called HMO's. more »
NASA Spent $12 Million For a Space Pen While the Russians Just Use Pencils-Fiction!
bullet Summary of the eRumor
The message says that the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration spent ten years and $12 million developing a pen that writes in zero gravity for use by astronauts. The pen will write upside down, underwater, on almost any surface and is functional at extremely hot and cold temperatures. The Russians, however, filled the need for a space writing instrument by simply using pencils.
bullet The Truth
For some people, it's sport to point out government waste and bureaucratic stupidity, but this story about the space pen won't provide ammunition for it. The government did not fund the development of the pen, it did not cost $12 million to perfect, and neither the Americans nor the Russians consider it desirable to use pencils in space. In fact, both Americans and Russians use the space pen for their flights.
The famous space pen, which is still a popular product today, was developed by Paul Fisher the founder of the Fisher pen company. An engineer who improved ball point technology, he created his "bullet pen" in the 1940's, which became one of the best-selling pens of the Twentieth Century. Later, he perfected a pen that was sealed with pressure inside of the cartridge that made the ink to flow regardless of gravity. It also worked in high and low temperature extremes, underwater, and wrote on many kinds of surfaces. According to the Fisher Pen company, after extensive testing, NASA chose the pen in 1967 for use by Apollo astronauts and it's been a part of space travel ever since. The company says it took Fisher about 2 years and $2 million to develop the space pen. Prior to 1967, there were no pens that worked in space so there were pencils used, but there were concerns about pencil dust floating around the space capsules as well as fears that if the tip of a pencil broke off and drifted into the electronics, there would be problems.
I love my space pen. Let's see how long works *grins*
The message says that the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration spent ten years and $12 million developing a pen that writes in zero gravity for use by astronauts. The pen will write upside down, underwater, on almost any surface and is functional at extremely hot and cold temperatures. The Russians, however, filled the need for a space writing instrument by simply using pencils.
bullet The Truth
For some people, it's sport to point out government waste and bureaucratic stupidity, but this story about the space pen won't provide ammunition for it. The government did not fund the development of the pen, it did not cost $12 million to perfect, and neither the Americans nor the Russians consider it desirable to use pencils in space. In fact, both Americans and Russians use the space pen for their flights.
The famous space pen, which is still a popular product today, was developed by Paul Fisher the founder of the Fisher pen company. An engineer who improved ball point technology, he created his "bullet pen" in the 1940's, which became one of the best-selling pens of the Twentieth Century. Later, he perfected a pen that was sealed with pressure inside of the cartridge that made the ink to flow regardless of gravity. It also worked in high and low temperature extremes, underwater, and wrote on many kinds of surfaces. According to the Fisher Pen company, after extensive testing, NASA chose the pen in 1967 for use by Apollo astronauts and it's been a part of space travel ever since. The company says it took Fisher about 2 years and $2 million to develop the space pen. Prior to 1967, there were no pens that worked in space so there were pencils used, but there were concerns about pencil dust floating around the space capsules as well as fears that if the tip of a pencil broke off and drifted into the electronics, there would be problems.
I love my space pen. Let's see how long works *grins*
Tuesday, February 15, 2005
Why you should switch to Firefox
By Robert Vamosi
Senior editor, CNET Reviews
Can you imagine the Internet without pictures? A new flaw in the way Windows, and therefore Internet Explorer, renders JPEG images--one of the most common image formats on the Web--should make you think twice about whether you should display them. At the very least, it should nudge you into considering an alternative Internet browser, such as Firefox.
The code to exploit this flaw is now public. Usually, exploit code release is the first step toward a new virus or worm, and as we have seen before, the time from exploit to virus is generally about two to three weeks. In other words, the clock is ticking.
more »
Senior editor, CNET Reviews
Can you imagine the Internet without pictures? A new flaw in the way Windows, and therefore Internet Explorer, renders JPEG images--one of the most common image formats on the Web--should make you think twice about whether you should display them. At the very least, it should nudge you into considering an alternative Internet browser, such as Firefox.
The code to exploit this flaw is now public. Usually, exploit code release is the first step toward a new virus or worm, and as we have seen before, the time from exploit to virus is generally about two to three weeks. In other words, the clock is ticking.
more »
US missile defense test fails again
National Missile Defense (NMD) The second US interceptor missile defense test in less than two months has failed, as Washington proposes cuts in the program.
» Read full story
» Read full story
Security Watch Special: Windows XP SP2 Has a Dangerous Hole
Security Watch Special: Windows XP SP2 Security Center Spoofing Threat.Top Threat: Windows Security Center Spoof. Windows XP Service ...
Excerpt from "The Diary of Samuel Pepys"
Samuel Pepys, who was later the administrator of the British Navy, witnessed the Great Fire of London firsthand and wrote about it in his diary as follows. . . .
September 2
Lords day. Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast today, Jane called us up, about 3 in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City.
So I rose, and slipped on my nightgown and went to her window, and thought it to be on the back side of Markelane at the furthest; but being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off, and so went to bed again and to sleep. read more
September 2
Lords day. Some of our maids sitting up late last night to get things ready against our feast today, Jane called us up, about 3 in the morning, to tell us of a great fire they saw in the City.
So I rose, and slipped on my nightgown and went to her window, and thought it to be on the back side of Markelane at the furthest; but being unused to such fires as followed, I thought it far enough off, and so went to bed again and to sleep. read more
IBM Introduces Budget Unix Server
TechNewsWorld, CA - Feb 8, 2005
IBM continued its extension to the small and medium business market this week as the company unveiled its entry-level, Unix-based p5 510 server, priced at just ...
IBM continued its extension to the small and medium business market this week as the company unveiled its entry-level, Unix-based p5 510 server, priced at just ...
SECURITY WATCH:
Randex Goes After Windows
New virus version searches for open ports and poorly-protected systems.
Plus: Why buy password-cracking software?
New virus version searches for open ports and poorly-protected systems.
Plus: Why buy password-cracking software?
Dvorak on Google and Wikipedia
Posted by CowboyNeal on Tuesday February 15, @10:55AM
from the looking-for-strings dept.
cryptoluddite writes "PC Magazine has an article by John C. Dvorak expanding on the community discussion of Google's offer for free web hosting of Wikipedia. Those against the deal point out that Google may be planning to co-opt the encyclopedia as Googlepedia (by restricting access to the complete database). In a revealing speech given by the Google founders, Larry Page says he would 'like to see a model where you can buy into the world's content. Let's say you pay $20 per month.' Should public domain information be free?" It's a pretty scary scenario painted, but one can hardly take a speech from 2001 as serious evidence these days.
from the looking-for-strings dept.
cryptoluddite writes "PC Magazine has an article by John C. Dvorak expanding on the community discussion of Google's offer for free web hosting of Wikipedia. Those against the deal point out that Google may be planning to co-opt the encyclopedia as Googlepedia (by restricting access to the complete database). In a revealing speech given by the Google founders, Larry Page says he would 'like to see a model where you can buy into the world's content. Let's say you pay $20 per month.' Should public domain information be free?" It's a pretty scary scenario painted, but one can hardly take a speech from 2001 as serious evidence these days.
IE breaks free from Windows
From C-Net News
Version 7.0 of browser won't wait for OS update, Gates says. Also: Anti-spyware, free of charge.
Is Microsoft running scared?
Version 7.0 of browser won't wait for OS update, Gates says. Also: Anti-spyware, free of charge.
Is Microsoft running scared?
This could happen to you.
Remember this when you leave for vacation.
Newest Funny Movies
Newest Funny Pictures
FunnyJunk Blogs, cause if you don't blog, you ain't cool.
Create your own journal, display it on the net, upload your pic, have a fiends list, create your own blog designs, meet hot guys & gals.
Newest Funny Movies
Newest Funny Pictures
FunnyJunk Blogs, cause if you don't blog, you ain't cool.
Create your own journal, display it on the net, upload your pic, have a fiends list, create your own blog designs, meet hot guys & gals.
Unarius is a teaching of the interdimensional psychodynamics of the mind.
Worldwide, there is substantial agreement that humankind is being prepared for a momentous change in consciousness, which will effect all institutions on earth.
The Unarius Educational Foundation provides information about the evolutionary design of life, the physics describing the mind and brain/body system, explaining the nature of consciousness substantiated by an interdimensional science of life.
The Unarius Educational Foundation provides information about the evolutionary design of life, the physics describing the mind and brain/body system, explaining the nature of consciousness substantiated by an interdimensional science of life.
Monday, February 14, 2005
Google Fires Blogger?
Posted by CmdrTaco on Wednesday February 09, @09:57AM
from the lotsa-submissions-on-this-one dept.
Thomas Hawk writes "CNET is reporting that Mark Jen, a blogger whose candid comments about life on the job at Google sparked controversy last month, has left the company. CNET reports that it is not clear if he resigned or was fired but references a post at Google Blogoscoped where it was suggested that he may have been fired over his blog Ninetyninezeros. Given Google's push into the blogging space with their recent acquisition of Blogger it might be interesting to see how this shakes out."
blog in question
Monday, January 17, 2005
first day on the job, first post on the blog
from the lotsa-submissions-on-this-one dept.
Thomas Hawk writes "CNET is reporting that Mark Jen, a blogger whose candid comments about life on the job at Google sparked controversy last month, has left the company. CNET reports that it is not clear if he resigned or was fired but references a post at Google Blogoscoped where it was suggested that he may have been fired over his blog Ninetyninezeros. Given Google's push into the blogging space with their recent acquisition of Blogger it might be interesting to see how this shakes out."
blog in question
Monday, January 17, 2005
first day on the job, first post on the blog
Be Ye Not So Stupid
10 Feb 05 by Byron
To get, “dooced,” is to lose your job for something you posted in your blog. It comes from Dooce.com, the website where the first reported blogger was fired for her reports on drug-addicted executives and dotcom debauchery. The ol’ El Dooce’ came up again this week when a Google blogger got fired. It was also a topic during the sessions at BBS 05 and was discussed as “fear of blogs,” “freedom of speech,” and “PR” issues. I’ve seen countless emails on it and get asked a lot about employee blogs. My answer for bloggers is that your freedom of speech ends with your employer. For employers, your employees need to understand that they can and will be fired for their blog. Regarding getting fired for her website, Dooce.com notes, “Be Ye Not So Stupid.” Good advice.
Washington is an At Will state, meaning your contract can be terminated at any time for any reason. An employer could fire me because they didn’t like the tune I was humming, the coffee I brought in for the staff, or the way I like to say, “Byronicus Maximus!,” when I enter a room. The topics on my blog end at the work I do for companies and I’ll keep it that way. I will not risk pissing off the people that pay me and I’m not surpised when bloggers do get dooced.
dooced
Getting fired because of something that you wrote in your weblog.
"Blogger Heather B. Armstrong coined the phrase in 2002, after she was fired from her Web design job for writing about work and colleagues on her blog, Dooce.com" (Source: Yahoo.com)
Last October, Delta Air Lines flight attendant Ellen Simonetti was fired, she said, for what her supervisor called a misuse of uniform. Simonetti had posted on her personal blog, Queen of Sky (now called Diary of a Fired Flight Attendant), pictures of herself, in her uniform, on an empty plane. Her blog also contained thinly veiled work stories.
(Yahoo! News)
Source: Mary Bo Barry, Feb 11, 2005
Google blogger has left the building | CNET News.com... Google sees profits surge February 1, 2005. Google blogger reappears, redacted January 26, 2005. I was fired for blogging December 16, 2004. Friendster fires ...
To get, “dooced,” is to lose your job for something you posted in your blog. It comes from Dooce.com, the website where the first reported blogger was fired for her reports on drug-addicted executives and dotcom debauchery. The ol’ El Dooce’ came up again this week when a Google blogger got fired. It was also a topic during the sessions at BBS 05 and was discussed as “fear of blogs,” “freedom of speech,” and “PR” issues. I’ve seen countless emails on it and get asked a lot about employee blogs. My answer for bloggers is that your freedom of speech ends with your employer. For employers, your employees need to understand that they can and will be fired for their blog. Regarding getting fired for her website, Dooce.com notes, “Be Ye Not So Stupid.” Good advice.
Washington is an At Will state, meaning your contract can be terminated at any time for any reason. An employer could fire me because they didn’t like the tune I was humming, the coffee I brought in for the staff, or the way I like to say, “Byronicus Maximus!,” when I enter a room. The topics on my blog end at the work I do for companies and I’ll keep it that way. I will not risk pissing off the people that pay me and I’m not surpised when bloggers do get dooced.
dooced
Getting fired because of something that you wrote in your weblog.
"Blogger Heather B. Armstrong coined the phrase in 2002, after she was fired from her Web design job for writing about work and colleagues on her blog, Dooce.com" (Source: Yahoo.com)
Last October, Delta Air Lines flight attendant Ellen Simonetti was fired, she said, for what her supervisor called a misuse of uniform. Simonetti had posted on her personal blog, Queen of Sky (now called Diary of a Fired Flight Attendant), pictures of herself, in her uniform, on an empty plane. Her blog also contained thinly veiled work stories.
(Yahoo! News)
Source: Mary Bo Barry, Feb 11, 2005
Google blogger has left the building | CNET News.com... Google sees profits surge February 1, 2005. Google blogger reappears, redacted January 26, 2005. I was fired for blogging December 16, 2004. Friendster fires ...
Blog Business Summit
I'll be attending this conference in late January. I'll be happy to answer questions and gather feedback from our existing FeedBurner users and I hope to learn and converse with some of the notable talents in attendance. As FeedBurner's design lead, I enjoy hearing from everyone who has interacted with our service — I'm continually wowed by how individual and interpersonal business that involves bloggers has become. Just about everything you do involves starting, completing, or sometimes just locating a conversation that matters to you. Other voices may join in, but ultimately businesses that work with bloggers have to treat them as influential peers and get them the general or specific answers that meet their needs. The power in the customer service relationship has never been more in the hands of the customer than it is in the transparent world of online publishing, and I think that's a great thing.
And now, the conference link:
Stonewalling versus Honesty: A Lesson for Corporate Bloggers
13 Feb 05 by Steve Broback
from "It came from Black Background"
And now, the conference link:
Stonewalling versus Honesty: A Lesson for Corporate Bloggers
13 Feb 05 by Steve Broback
from "It came from Black Background"
Sunday, February 13, 2005
War Of The Worlds - In Theaters June 29:
War Of The Worlds - In Theaters June 29:
Sci-Fi Drama Thriller
The war is about to begin.
Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, War of the Worlds movie is the motion picture event of 2005. The day they came we knew that it would be the greatest war in the history of the universe.
Visit WarOfTheWorlds.com for exclusive news and updates.
Veiw trailers for War Of The Worlds
Study Guide for H. G. Wells: The War of the Worlds (1898)
This Web edition of The War of the Worlds was prepared in June of 1995 by John Walker. It is based on the Project Gutenberg electronic text (etext) edition, warw11.txt which I obtained from the mirror archive then maintained by L'Association des bibliophiles Universels where you will also find a wide variety of French language public domain texts.
Legal notice: This document is in the public domain and may be distributed and used without any restrictions or royalties whatsoever. It is not being distributed under the Project Gutenberg trademark, and Project Gutenberg bears no responsibility or liability resulting from use of this document. (This statement is included pursuant to the "small print" at the start of the original document.)
The original ASCII etext was produced by Michael Oltz at Cornell University.
Sci-Fi Drama Thriller
The war is about to begin.
Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, War of the Worlds movie is the motion picture event of 2005. The day they came we knew that it would be the greatest war in the history of the universe.
Visit WarOfTheWorlds.com for exclusive news and updates.
Veiw trailers for War Of The Worlds
Study Guide for H. G. Wells: The War of the Worlds (1898)
This Web edition of The War of the Worlds was prepared in June of 1995 by John Walker. It is based on the Project Gutenberg electronic text (etext) edition, warw11.txt which I obtained from the mirror archive then maintained by L'Association des bibliophiles Universels where you will also find a wide variety of French language public domain texts.
Legal notice: This document is in the public domain and may be distributed and used without any restrictions or royalties whatsoever. It is not being distributed under the Project Gutenberg trademark, and Project Gutenberg bears no responsibility or liability resulting from use of this document. (This statement is included pursuant to the "small print" at the start of the original document.)
The original ASCII etext was produced by Michael Oltz at Cornell University.
Index of Native American Resources
WWW Virtual Library - American Indians
Index of Native American Resources on the Internet
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
National Museum of the American Indian:
Indian Nations are sovereign governments, recognized in the U.S. Constitution and hundreds of treaties with the U.S. President. Today, tribal governments provide a broad range of governmental services on tribal lands throughout the U.S., including law enforcement, environmental protection, emergency response, education, health care, and basic infrastructure.
Index of Native American Resources on the Internet
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
National Museum of the American Indian:
Indian Nations are sovereign governments, recognized in the U.S. Constitution and hundreds of treaties with the U.S. President. Today, tribal governments provide a broad range of governmental services on tribal lands throughout the U.S., including law enforcement, environmental protection, emergency response, education, health care, and basic infrastructure.
"Kennewick Man"
The human skeletal remains that have come to be referred to as the "Kennewick Man", or the "Ancient One", were found in July, 1996 below the surface of Lake Wallula, a section of the Columbia River pooled behind McNary Dam in Kennewick, Washington. Almost immediately controversy developed regarding who was responsible for determining what would be done with the remains. Claims were made by Indian tribes, local officials, and some members of the scientific community. The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), the agency responsible for the land where the remains were recovered took possession, but its actions, following the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), to resolve the situation were challenged in Federal court.
Bureau-Indian-Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) responsibility is the administration and management of 55.7 million acres of land held in trust by the United States for American Indians, Indian tribes, and Alaska Natives. There are 562 federal recognized tribal governments in the United States. Developing forestlands, leasing assets on these lands, directing agricultural programs, protecting water and land rights, developing and maintaining infrastructure and economic development are all part of the agency's responsibility. In addition, the Bureau of Indian Affairs provides education services to approximately 48,000 Indian students.
The BIA website as well as the BIA mail servers have been made temporarily unavailable due to the Cobell Litigation. Please continue to check from time to time. We have no estimate on when authorization will be given to reactivate these sites.
Here are some alternate ways to get BIA-related information:
For general BIA information: 202 208-3710
For Tribal Leaders Directory: 202 208-3711
The BIA website as well as the BIA mail servers have been made temporarily unavailable due to the Cobell Litigation. Please continue to check from time to time. We have no estimate on when authorization will be given to reactivate these sites.
Here are some alternate ways to get BIA-related information:
For general BIA information: 202 208-3710
For Tribal Leaders Directory: 202 208-3711
George Washington, December 1756, Speech to Catawba Indians; incomplete
The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources, 1745-1799. John C. Fitzpatrick, Editor.
[Note 17: The Catawbas were one of the eight Indian nations of North America discovered by the Europeans in the seventeenth century. Their region lay southward of the Tuscaroras, between the Yadkin and Catawba Rivers. They were brave, but not aggressive, in warfare, and although at one time they belonged to the powerful league of southern Indians who were determined to extirpate the whites, later on they allied themselves with the English and remained stanch friends to them ever after.--Hamilton's Letters to Washington.]
[Winchester, October 28, 1756.]
Capt. Johnne: We Desire you to go to the Cherokees, and tell them the Road is now clear and Open; We expected them to War last Spring, and love them So well, that Our Governor Sent Some few men to build a fort among them; but we are mighty Sorry that they hearken so much to lies French tell, as to break their promise and not come to war, when they might have got a great deal of honour; and kill'd a great many of the French, whose hearts are false, and rotten as an old Stump. If they Continue to Listen to What the French Say much longer they will have great cause to be sorry, as the French have no Match locks, pow'd and Lead but what they got from King George our father, before the War began and that will soon be out; when they will get no more, and all the French Indians will be starving with Cold, and must take to Bows and Arrows again for want of Ammunition.
Tell them we long to Shake hands with them;
Let them get their knives and tomhawkes Sharpe, we will go before them, and show them the way to honour, Scalps, prisoners, and money Enough, We are mighty sorry they stay at home idle, when they should go to War, and become great men, and a terror and dread to their Enemies. Tell them they shall have Victuals enough, and used very kindly.
[Note 17: The Catawbas were one of the eight Indian nations of North America discovered by the Europeans in the seventeenth century. Their region lay southward of the Tuscaroras, between the Yadkin and Catawba Rivers. They were brave, but not aggressive, in warfare, and although at one time they belonged to the powerful league of southern Indians who were determined to extirpate the whites, later on they allied themselves with the English and remained stanch friends to them ever after.--Hamilton's Letters to Washington.]
[Winchester, October 28, 1756.]
Capt. Johnne: We Desire you to go to the Cherokees, and tell them the Road is now clear and Open; We expected them to War last Spring, and love them So well, that Our Governor Sent Some few men to build a fort among them; but we are mighty Sorry that they hearken so much to lies French tell, as to break their promise and not come to war, when they might have got a great deal of honour; and kill'd a great many of the French, whose hearts are false, and rotten as an old Stump. If they Continue to Listen to What the French Say much longer they will have great cause to be sorry, as the French have no Match locks, pow'd and Lead but what they got from King George our father, before the War began and that will soon be out; when they will get no more, and all the French Indians will be starving with Cold, and must take to Bows and Arrows again for want of Ammunition.
Tell them we long to Shake hands with them;
Let them get their knives and tomhawkes Sharpe, we will go before them, and show them the way to honour, Scalps, prisoners, and money Enough, We are mighty sorry they stay at home idle, when they should go to War, and become great men, and a terror and dread to their Enemies. Tell them they shall have Victuals enough, and used very kindly.
Catawba warriors had a fearsome reputation and an appearance to match
Besides the Iroquois, traditional Catawba enemies included the Cherokee, Shawnee, Delaware, and several members of the Great Lakes Algonquin allied with the French. Catawba warriors had a fearsome reputation and an appearance to match: ponytail hairstyle with a distinctive war paint pattern of one eye in a black circle, the other in a white circle and remainder of the face painted black. Coupled with their flattened foreheads, some of their enemies must have died from sheer fright.
Teaching Young Children about Native Americans.
Young children's conceptions of Native Americans often develop out of media portrayals and classroom role playing of the events of the First Thanksgiving. The conception of Native Americans gained from such early exposure is both inaccurate and potentially damaging to others. For example, a visitor to a child care center heard a four-year-old saying, "Indians aren't people. They're all dead." This child had already acquired an inaccurate view of Native Americans, even though her classmates were children of many cultures, including a Native American child. Read More
Friday, February 11, 2005
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Your free, four-week introductory membership has begun! If you like what
you see, just become a full member of KnowledgeNews before your free trial runs out and you'll get full access to all our members-only features for the coming year.
What's in Your Noggin?
Do you know:
* What the pope was like before he was pope?
* How polis people developed the first democracy?
* Why cancer kills more people than heart disease?
* How to spend 1,001 Arabian Nights?
* What Muslims believe?
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What's in Your Noggin?
Do you know:
* What the pope was like before he was pope?
* How polis people developed the first democracy?
* Why cancer kills more people than heart disease?
* How to spend 1,001 Arabian Nights?
* What Muslims believe?
Proverbs From Around The World
~ Norwegian ~
Better to suffer for truth than to prosper by falsehood
~ Danish ~
Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan
~ American ~
Children have more need of models than of critics.
~ French ~
Liberty has no price
.~ Spanish ~
Doubt is the key to knowledge
~ Iranian ~
Postpone today's anger until tomorrow.
~ Tagalog, Filipino ~
Prayer only from the mouth is no prayer.
~ Jamaican ~
There is often wisdom under a shaggy coat.
~ Latin ~
A good example is the best sermon.
~ English ~
What one hopes for is always better than one has.
~ Ethiopian ~
Promise little and do much
.~ Hebrew ~
It is better to prevent than to cure
. ~ Peruvian ~
Spending is quick, earning is slow.
~ Russian ~
People show their character by what they laugh at.
~ German ~
You can't see the whole sky through a bamboo tube
~ Japanese ~
Don't let grass grow on the path of friendship.
~Blackfoot Indian ~
More Proverbs
Better to suffer for truth than to prosper by falsehood
~ Danish ~
Success has many parents, but failure is an orphan
~ American ~
Children have more need of models than of critics.
~ French ~
Liberty has no price
.~ Spanish ~
Doubt is the key to knowledge
~ Iranian ~
Postpone today's anger until tomorrow.
~ Tagalog, Filipino ~
Prayer only from the mouth is no prayer.
~ Jamaican ~
There is often wisdom under a shaggy coat.
~ Latin ~
A good example is the best sermon.
~ English ~
What one hopes for is always better than one has.
~ Ethiopian ~
Promise little and do much
.~ Hebrew ~
It is better to prevent than to cure
. ~ Peruvian ~
Spending is quick, earning is slow.
~ Russian ~
People show their character by what they laugh at.
~ German ~
You can't see the whole sky through a bamboo tube
~ Japanese ~
Don't let grass grow on the path of friendship.
~Blackfoot Indian ~
More Proverbs
Green Iguana
Green Iguana
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The green iguana (Iguana)
is a large, arboreal lizard from Central and South America. They are typically about 2 metres in length from head to tail and can weigh up to 5 kg. These lizards have recently become extremely popular in the pet trade—over 800,000 animals were imported into the United States alone during 1995, mainly coming from captive farming operations based in the country of origin. Despite the apparent "mass market" appeal of these animals, however, they are very demanding to care for properly over their lifetime, and the great majority will die within a few short years. If properly cared for, a captive green iguana can live anywhere from eight to 16 years. The oldest known pet iguana lived 29 years.
Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual
Wooran 21:15, 11 Feb 2005
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The green iguana (Iguana)
is a large, arboreal lizard from Central and South America. They are typically about 2 metres in length from head to tail and can weigh up to 5 kg. These lizards have recently become extremely popular in the pet trade—over 800,000 animals were imported into the United States alone during 1995, mainly coming from captive farming operations based in the country of origin. Despite the apparent "mass market" appeal of these animals, however, they are very demanding to care for properly over their lifetime, and the great majority will die within a few short years. If properly cared for, a captive green iguana can live anywhere from eight to 16 years. The oldest known pet iguana lived 29 years.
Green Iguana: The Ultimate Owner's Manual
Wooran 21:15, 11 Feb 2005
Internet radio streams in WMP and RA formats
RadioListen to Internet radio streams in WMP and RA formats!
Choose from our Radio Tuner Directory or add your own favorite streams!
At the same time make recordings of your favorite songs & radio shows, Absolutely legal - just like a VCR!
Listen to music stored on your PC now even faster thanks to our "drag & drop" function!
Create your own playlist! DO IT ALL FASTER & SMARTER while you're browsing the web. Download this amazing player absolutely 100% free.
Choose from our Radio Tuner Directory or add your own favorite streams!
At the same time make recordings of your favorite songs & radio shows, Absolutely legal - just like a VCR!
Listen to music stored on your PC now even faster thanks to our "drag & drop" function!
Create your own playlist! DO IT ALL FASTER & SMARTER while you're browsing the web. Download this amazing player absolutely 100% free.
Radio Frequency Identification Devices
This Should Have Been Handled Differently
Joanne Jacobs is reporting that Brittan Elementary School, near Yuba City, is the first school in California to require students to wear "radio-tracking" identification badges.
For the past few weeks, the school's seventh and eighth-graders have been wearing the badges-- called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) around their necks.
If we set aside the ethical questions of whether or not kids should be electronically "tracked," this is the part that concerns us most:
The badges were issued to students without parents' knowledge or consent.
"I never heard of RFID until my kid came home wearing it,'' said Michele Tatro, whose daughter Lauren, 13, is in eighth grade."
To date, there have been some twelve formal complaints filed regarding the devices. Principal Earnie Graham doesn't see much of a problem. He said that parent concerns are "overblown."
Joanne Jacobs is reporting that Brittan Elementary School, near Yuba City, is the first school in California to require students to wear "radio-tracking" identification badges.
For the past few weeks, the school's seventh and eighth-graders have been wearing the badges-- called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Devices) around their necks.
If we set aside the ethical questions of whether or not kids should be electronically "tracked," this is the part that concerns us most:
The badges were issued to students without parents' knowledge or consent.
"I never heard of RFID until my kid came home wearing it,'' said Michele Tatro, whose daughter Lauren, 13, is in eighth grade."
To date, there have been some twelve formal complaints filed regarding the devices. Principal Earnie Graham doesn't see much of a problem. He said that parent concerns are "overblown."
The Science Goddess
Special Ed
In the 1960's, the federal government responded to a problem in American schools. Students who had their complete mental faculties, but who had a physical disability of some kind, were being denied entry at the school door. The monster that is now known as "special education" was created.
At its inception, SPED was not intended to provide services for students with severe mental and/or physical capabilities, such as teens whose "goal" for the entire year is to learn to sit up by themselves. Or students so violent that they do little more than beat school staff black and blue, along with threats to maim and kill their families. And yet, lawyers have made sure that these children get their entitlement to a "free and appropriate education...in the least restrictive environment."
And frankly, these children are getting it while "normal" kids do without.
In Washington, the state per pupil expenditure is around $9000 per year. If a student is in SPED, they receive about 25% more in funding. Why? Because some of these students get full-time aides. While 30+ regular education students are trying to meet the standards with the attentions of a single teacher in the classroom, most SPEDs are in small classes (<10) with 3 or more adults. The more severe the handicap(s), the more adults present.
In the 1960's, the federal government responded to a problem in American schools. Students who had their complete mental faculties, but who had a physical disability of some kind, were being denied entry at the school door. The monster that is now known as "special education" was created.
At its inception, SPED was not intended to provide services for students with severe mental and/or physical capabilities, such as teens whose "goal" for the entire year is to learn to sit up by themselves. Or students so violent that they do little more than beat school staff black and blue, along with threats to maim and kill their families. And yet, lawyers have made sure that these children get their entitlement to a "free and appropriate education...in the least restrictive environment."
And frankly, these children are getting it while "normal" kids do without.
In Washington, the state per pupil expenditure is around $9000 per year. If a student is in SPED, they receive about 25% more in funding. Why? Because some of these students get full-time aides. While 30+ regular education students are trying to meet the standards with the attentions of a single teacher in the classroom, most SPEDs are in small classes (<10) with 3 or more adults. The more severe the handicap(s), the more adults present.
God & Company
I'm Not Sure, But I Think the Seventh Day Adventists Just Called The Pope a Girl
The Seventh Day Adventists describe themselves as "a Christian Community preparing the world for the return of Jesus Christ." They do this not by setting out traffic cones and making sure there are enough Porta Potties around likely Second Coming sites, but by preaching what they believe is the one-and-only correct way to worship. That is, they're pretty much like every other religion in the world.
The Seventh Day Adventists' particular bugaboo is the sabbath, which they believe should be Saturday, not Sunday. They are absolutely convinced that other Christians are making a mortal mistake by worshipping on the wrong day, and point to Bible verses like Numbers 15:32-36 to show how serious God is about this sabbath business:
"And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses."
The Seventh Day Adventists describe themselves as "a Christian Community preparing the world for the return of Jesus Christ." They do this not by setting out traffic cones and making sure there are enough Porta Potties around likely Second Coming sites, but by preaching what they believe is the one-and-only correct way to worship. That is, they're pretty much like every other religion in the world.
The Seventh Day Adventists' particular bugaboo is the sabbath, which they believe should be Saturday, not Sunday. They are absolutely convinced that other Christians are making a mortal mistake by worshipping on the wrong day, and point to Bible verses like Numbers 15:32-36 to show how serious God is about this sabbath business:
"And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. And they that found him gathering sticks brought him unto Moses and Aaron, and unto all the congregation. And they put him in ward, because it was not declared what should be done to him. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall surely be put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the Lord commanded Moses."
FunctionalAmbivalent:
According to MSNBC, female interrogators at Gitmo have been rubbing their Christian breasts against Moslem prisoners in order to make them talk. The prisoners, I mean, not the breasts. Although, to be honest, if a pair of talking breasts interrogated me, I'd tell them anything they wanted to know.
But seriously:
The prisoners have told their lawyers, who compiled the accounts, that female interrogators regularly violated Muslim taboos about sex and contact with women. The women rubbed their bodies against the men, wore skimpy clothes in front of them, made sexually explicit remarks and touched them provocatively...
But seriously:
The prisoners have told their lawyers, who compiled the accounts, that female interrogators regularly violated Muslim taboos about sex and contact with women. The women rubbed their bodies against the men, wore skimpy clothes in front of them, made sexually explicit remarks and touched them provocatively...
It's a dangerous world
by
Tony Blankley (archive)
February 9, 2005 | printer friendly version Print | email to a friend Send
President Bush's State of the Union Address last Wednesday included the most audacious presidential foreign policy utterances since President Kennedy's demand that the Soviet Union remove its atomic weapons from Cuba in 1963. The impact of President Bush's words may be at least as historically consequential as Kennedy's.
Tony Blankley (archive)
February 9, 2005 | printer friendly version Print | email to a friend Send
President Bush's State of the Union Address last Wednesday included the most audacious presidential foreign policy utterances since President Kennedy's demand that the Soviet Union remove its atomic weapons from Cuba in 1963. The impact of President Bush's words may be at least as historically consequential as Kennedy's.
A Conflict of Visions
A Conflict of Visions
Ideological Origins of Political Struggles
By Thomas Sowell
Review by Scott Bulmahn
"One of the curious things about political opinions is how often the same people line up on opposite sides of different issues. The issues themselves may have no intrinsic connection with each other… [Yet] the same familiar faces can be found glaring at each other from opposite sides of the political fence, again and again."
In A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, Sowell uses a refreshing but systematic approach to explain this phenomenon in terms of differences in underlying assumptions about human nature: whether human nature is inherently imperfect and hasn't essentially changed throughout history (the "constrained vision"), or whether human nature can be improved through education, programs, and spending (the "unconstrained vision," or essentially the vision of the Age of Reason).
Ideological Origins of Political Struggles
By Thomas Sowell
Review by Scott Bulmahn
"One of the curious things about political opinions is how often the same people line up on opposite sides of different issues. The issues themselves may have no intrinsic connection with each other… [Yet] the same familiar faces can be found glaring at each other from opposite sides of the political fence, again and again."
In A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles, Sowell uses a refreshing but systematic approach to explain this phenomenon in terms of differences in underlying assumptions about human nature: whether human nature is inherently imperfect and hasn't essentially changed throughout history (the "constrained vision"), or whether human nature can be improved through education, programs, and spending (the "unconstrained vision," or essentially the vision of the Age of Reason).
The Enlightened Caveman:
The Pen (or keyboard, in this case) is Mightier Than The Gene
As the opening post to this blog, I thought I'd take a moment to describe the setting of this human drama. Here we are in the most prosperous time in the history of our species. The information age is upon us. We are instantly aware of events that transpire on the other side of the globe. We can travel inexpensively to most anywhere and stick a little plastic card in a machine that spits out money - in the right currency, at any time of day. Buildings that rise well beyond the clouds can be financed, designed, and constructed in years that can be counted on one hand. Here in America, food is abundant, cheap, and available at nearly any street corner (even if it isn't always good for us). The days of back-breaking labor are behind most all wage earners - especially the ones reading this. Yes, life today is light years beyond the dreams of our forefathers. Yet, many of the problems that have plagued mankind are still with us, in full force.
There is still far too much hate and intolerance in this world. There is still far too much insecurity and self-loathing in the minds of men (and women, lest my literary tendencies offend). There is still far too much jealousy and pettiness in human interaction. Group think is as strong as ever. The us against them mentality still reigns supreme in virtually all human endeavors. Ignorance and superstition are still paramount among the masses. How could this be? How could we have come so far as a species and yet the words of Plato and Shakespeare still ring as true today as they did when they first fell upon man's ears?
Should we not expect that our technological and societal advances would have rendered the words of the great bard and earlier philosophers anachronistic and altogether foreign? After all, they had no Internet. They had no ATMs or drive-thru windows or cell phones or Wal-Marts. In earlier centuries, death was an accepted part of everyday life. Here I am at the age of 33 and I have never lost anyone close to me. This is truly curious. How is it that the great thinkers of the past had such lasting insights into arc of human existence? Though we are adorned much more extravagantly these days, the only possible explanation is that something must be transcending our cultural advances. That something is our genes.
When we examine this curiosity against the backdrop of natural selection, we quickly realize that humanity has remained largely unchanged behaviorally because our genes have not changed to any significant degree for tens of thousands of years. We have the minds of cavemen, which brings me to the point of this blog.
If we are to take the next step as a species, if we are to render the words of Shakespeare historical rather than prescient, then we must understand what it is our genes are up to and take active steps to place the bad ones on the sidelines...for good. Of course, this is a figurative idea. I do not mean to suggest that we will go in and excise those genes that don't meet with our approval. The idea is that we must understand that our minds are built by our genes, and that our genes evolved in an environment that does not exist today. That environment promoted the aspects of our nature that have been captured so brilliantly by our philosophers and literary leaders, and many of those aspects are in dire need of an overhaul. But this is not a bad news story.
We have a long history of taming our genes. Birth control, monogamy, the rule of law, capitalism, and gene therapy are all examples of mankind overruling genetic influences in favor the conscious desires of human beings. We can, and must, do the same thing with respect to many of our caveman proclivities. This blog is dedicated to exploring this concept. I have written a book on the subject (see the link to "in print" above for more info on it), but it occurs to me that current events offer excellent opportunities to point out where our ancient minds are doing us harm, and more importantly, to point out what it takes to fix things. If we are successful in transitioning to the next era of Homo sapiens, we will not recognize the human characters in the writings of Shakespeare and Plato centuries from now. Let's get on with it...
As the opening post to this blog, I thought I'd take a moment to describe the setting of this human drama. Here we are in the most prosperous time in the history of our species. The information age is upon us. We are instantly aware of events that transpire on the other side of the globe. We can travel inexpensively to most anywhere and stick a little plastic card in a machine that spits out money - in the right currency, at any time of day. Buildings that rise well beyond the clouds can be financed, designed, and constructed in years that can be counted on one hand. Here in America, food is abundant, cheap, and available at nearly any street corner (even if it isn't always good for us). The days of back-breaking labor are behind most all wage earners - especially the ones reading this. Yes, life today is light years beyond the dreams of our forefathers. Yet, many of the problems that have plagued mankind are still with us, in full force.
There is still far too much hate and intolerance in this world. There is still far too much insecurity and self-loathing in the minds of men (and women, lest my literary tendencies offend). There is still far too much jealousy and pettiness in human interaction. Group think is as strong as ever. The us against them mentality still reigns supreme in virtually all human endeavors. Ignorance and superstition are still paramount among the masses. How could this be? How could we have come so far as a species and yet the words of Plato and Shakespeare still ring as true today as they did when they first fell upon man's ears?
Should we not expect that our technological and societal advances would have rendered the words of the great bard and earlier philosophers anachronistic and altogether foreign? After all, they had no Internet. They had no ATMs or drive-thru windows or cell phones or Wal-Marts. In earlier centuries, death was an accepted part of everyday life. Here I am at the age of 33 and I have never lost anyone close to me. This is truly curious. How is it that the great thinkers of the past had such lasting insights into arc of human existence? Though we are adorned much more extravagantly these days, the only possible explanation is that something must be transcending our cultural advances. That something is our genes.
When we examine this curiosity against the backdrop of natural selection, we quickly realize that humanity has remained largely unchanged behaviorally because our genes have not changed to any significant degree for tens of thousands of years. We have the minds of cavemen, which brings me to the point of this blog.
If we are to take the next step as a species, if we are to render the words of Shakespeare historical rather than prescient, then we must understand what it is our genes are up to and take active steps to place the bad ones on the sidelines...for good. Of course, this is a figurative idea. I do not mean to suggest that we will go in and excise those genes that don't meet with our approval. The idea is that we must understand that our minds are built by our genes, and that our genes evolved in an environment that does not exist today. That environment promoted the aspects of our nature that have been captured so brilliantly by our philosophers and literary leaders, and many of those aspects are in dire need of an overhaul. But this is not a bad news story.
We have a long history of taming our genes. Birth control, monogamy, the rule of law, capitalism, and gene therapy are all examples of mankind overruling genetic influences in favor the conscious desires of human beings. We can, and must, do the same thing with respect to many of our caveman proclivities. This blog is dedicated to exploring this concept. I have written a book on the subject (see the link to "in print" above for more info on it), but it occurs to me that current events offer excellent opportunities to point out where our ancient minds are doing us harm, and more importantly, to point out what it takes to fix things. If we are successful in transitioning to the next era of Homo sapiens, we will not recognize the human characters in the writings of Shakespeare and Plato centuries from now. Let's get on with it...
North Korea is getting feistier:
"We justly urged the U.S. to renounce its hostile policy toward the DPRK whose aim was to seek the latter's 'regime change' and switch its policy to that of peaceful coexistence between the two countries."
"They have declared it as their final goal to terminate the tyranny, defined the DPRK, too, as an 'outpost of tyranny' and blustered that they would not rule out the use of force when necessary."
"The U.S. has declared a new ideological standoff aimed at a 'regime change' in the DPRK while talking much about 'peaceful and diplomatic solution' to the nuclear issue and the 'resumption of the six-party talks' in a bid to mislead the world public opinion.
And why not? The DPRK already has nukes. Maybe there's a lesson there.
"They have declared it as their final goal to terminate the tyranny, defined the DPRK, too, as an 'outpost of tyranny' and blustered that they would not rule out the use of force when necessary."
"The U.S. has declared a new ideological standoff aimed at a 'regime change' in the DPRK while talking much about 'peaceful and diplomatic solution' to the nuclear issue and the 'resumption of the six-party talks' in a bid to mislead the world public opinion.
And why not? The DPRK already has nukes. Maybe there's a lesson there.
CODDLE ME NOT
CODDLE ME NOT
The seven year old is off to sleep over at her friend's house tonight. I'm a bit wary of sleep-overs because a year or two ago her hostess' parent completely fell for the seven year old's pathetic "I'm scared! [whimper]" act and ended up trying every soothing trick they could think of: OK! you can fall asleep in our bed ... still awake and whimpering? OK! we'll go to sleep on the floor in your room ... still whimpering? OK! you can watch the movie we're watching ... and so on. Very little sleep was had by anyone and I felt terribly guilty. So this time I warned the mom: don't coddle her! Be very matter of fact if she whines and don't reward any silly complaints with gooey sympathy.
The seven year old is an exceedingly bashful and anxious soul so I long ago learned to match my sympathetic responses to the reasonableness of the complaint: bit tongues get hugs and coos (but not for terribly long), complaints that she "didn't have fun today" get a perfunctory ("well, I'm sorry you feel that way"). If we cuddle and make much of her when she's "scared," she seems to feel it more intensely, not less.
You get more of what you reward -- this seems like a truism to me. But not to the (now fading, I hope) self-esteem gurus who recently endured another nail in their beloved theorem:
In fact, according to a study by Donald Forsyth at Virginia Commonwealth University, college students with mediocre grades who got regular self-esteem strokes from their professors ended up doing worse on final exams than students who were told to suck it up and try harder.
(Via Functional Ambivalent)
If the students got strokes for mediocrity what's the big surprise that they didn't try hard to preven it from happening in the future?
The seven year old is off to sleep over at her friend's house tonight. I'm a bit wary of sleep-overs because a year or two ago her hostess' parent completely fell for the seven year old's pathetic "I'm scared! [whimper]" act and ended up trying every soothing trick they could think of: OK! you can fall asleep in our bed ... still awake and whimpering? OK! we'll go to sleep on the floor in your room ... still whimpering? OK! you can watch the movie we're watching ... and so on. Very little sleep was had by anyone and I felt terribly guilty. So this time I warned the mom: don't coddle her! Be very matter of fact if she whines and don't reward any silly complaints with gooey sympathy.
The seven year old is an exceedingly bashful and anxious soul so I long ago learned to match my sympathetic responses to the reasonableness of the complaint: bit tongues get hugs and coos (but not for terribly long), complaints that she "didn't have fun today" get a perfunctory ("well, I'm sorry you feel that way"). If we cuddle and make much of her when she's "scared," she seems to feel it more intensely, not less.
You get more of what you reward -- this seems like a truism to me. But not to the (now fading, I hope) self-esteem gurus who recently endured another nail in their beloved theorem:
In fact, according to a study by Donald Forsyth at Virginia Commonwealth University, college students with mediocre grades who got regular self-esteem strokes from their professors ended up doing worse on final exams than students who were told to suck it up and try harder.
(Via Functional Ambivalent)
If the students got strokes for mediocrity what's the big surprise that they didn't try hard to preven it from happening in the future?
To Vietnam Veterans
To Vietnam Veterans
In the post here, I expressed my gratitude to America. Now, I would like to say a few words of thanks to a particular group of Americans: Vietnam veterans. Of course, all those who have ever served in uniform deserve our respect and gratitude, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Vietnam vets, for obvious reasons.
In the post here, I expressed my gratitude to America. Now, I would like to say a few words of thanks to a particular group of Americans: Vietnam veterans. Of course, all those who have ever served in uniform deserve our respect and gratitude, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Vietnam vets, for obvious reasons.
Hurry Up and Wait
Hurry Up and Wait
I have to pretend that it won't, but I now know my securities fraud case will settle. The judge reamed out the plaintiff at the settlement conference, and strong-armed him into making an offer. It was a good offer, much less than costs of defense. Our client has countered, making sure it isn't paying more than it has to, but we've been told that if push comes to shove, it will take the offer.
It will probably take until sometime next week to iron everything out. In the meantime, trial is just over two weeks away. We have to "keep the pressure on" by continuing to get ready for trial, file some motions in limine, get our jury instructions and verdict forms out, subpoena witnesses, be a nuisance. In other words, I'm doing a ton of semi-mindless "busy work."
So, I'm going to get back to work and bill as many hours as I can before I'm told to stop working. But when you know it isn't going to matter, it's hard to put much effort into it. I'll just mark everything I do "draft" and plug away.
I have to pretend that it won't, but I now know my securities fraud case will settle. The judge reamed out the plaintiff at the settlement conference, and strong-armed him into making an offer. It was a good offer, much less than costs of defense. Our client has countered, making sure it isn't paying more than it has to, but we've been told that if push comes to shove, it will take the offer.
It will probably take until sometime next week to iron everything out. In the meantime, trial is just over two weeks away. We have to "keep the pressure on" by continuing to get ready for trial, file some motions in limine, get our jury instructions and verdict forms out, subpoena witnesses, be a nuisance. In other words, I'm doing a ton of semi-mindless "busy work."
So, I'm going to get back to work and bill as many hours as I can before I'm told to stop working. But when you know it isn't going to matter, it's hard to put much effort into it. I'll just mark everything I do "draft" and plug away.
Egg Shell Skull
Egg Shell Skull
This is a shout-out to any readers who have taken a first-year law school torts class. Behold, the "Egg Shell Skull" scenario, as most recently exemplified in today's story of a woman who was waiting for a metro bus in Wheaton and cursing loudly into her cell phone. The woman was asked to abstain from her disorderly conduct, but instead she resisted the metro police authorities (who wouldn't???) and was forced onto the ground and then was handcuffed (can't we all just get along???). Little did metro authorities know that this woman was 5 months pregnant (the bitch set me up!!!).
This makes me all nostalgic for the glory days of sitting in one of the G-Dubya law school lecture halls for my first semester torts class. It is there where I learned of the idea of the "Egg Shell Skull." If you assault or batter someone, and that person happens to be pregnant, or a heart attack waiting to happen, or a stroke waiting to happen, or an asthmatic, or a diabetic, or a hemophiliac, or an osteoporosisatic, or a geriatric, or a sissy-atic, or a wimp-atic, or anyone with any type of condition that you were not aware of, or a person who is more susceptible to any type of injury by virtue of some hidden illness or pre-existing infirmity, then basically, you're fucked. You can be held responsible for all of the injuries that may occur, even ones you didn't know about, AND even IF the bitch set you up.
Class dismissed.
This is a shout-out to any readers who have taken a first-year law school torts class. Behold, the "Egg Shell Skull" scenario, as most recently exemplified in today's story of a woman who was waiting for a metro bus in Wheaton and cursing loudly into her cell phone. The woman was asked to abstain from her disorderly conduct, but instead she resisted the metro police authorities (who wouldn't???) and was forced onto the ground and then was handcuffed (can't we all just get along???). Little did metro authorities know that this woman was 5 months pregnant (the bitch set me up!!!).
This makes me all nostalgic for the glory days of sitting in one of the G-Dubya law school lecture halls for my first semester torts class. It is there where I learned of the idea of the "Egg Shell Skull." If you assault or batter someone, and that person happens to be pregnant, or a heart attack waiting to happen, or a stroke waiting to happen, or an asthmatic, or a diabetic, or a hemophiliac, or an osteoporosisatic, or a geriatric, or a sissy-atic, or a wimp-atic, or anyone with any type of condition that you were not aware of, or a person who is more susceptible to any type of injury by virtue of some hidden illness or pre-existing infirmity, then basically, you're fucked. You can be held responsible for all of the injuries that may occur, even ones you didn't know about, AND even IF the bitch set you up.
Class dismissed.
America's Oldest Journal Covering the Newspaper Industry
Real White House Reporters Weigh In
Have any other attendees at White House briefings and presidential press conferences used fake names? No one E&P talked to in the D.C. press corps could think of anyone other than the now-famous "Jeff Gannon." They expressed concern about letting in people without proper credentials -- but also worry that this could go too far. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, meanwhile, asked Press Secretary Scott McClellan for all paperwork on "Gannon."
Have any other attendees at White House briefings and presidential press conferences used fake names? No one E&P talked to in the D.C. press corps could think of anyone other than the now-famous "Jeff Gannon." They expressed concern about letting in people without proper credentials -- but also worry that this could go too far. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, meanwhile, asked Press Secretary Scott McClellan for all paperwork on "Gannon."
Rafsanjani recommends US approach Iran through peaceful means
Rafsanjani recommends US approach Iran through peaceful means
Tehran, Feb 11, IRNA -- Chairman of the Expediency Council (EC) Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Friday recommended that White House officials seek peaceful approaches toward the Islamic Republic. Rafsanjani, in a sermon at Tehran weekly Friday prayers, said the policy of coercion toward Iran will never work, and warned US leaders against the consequences of any effort against Iran. "I explicitly tell the White House that ... these threats will bear no fruit. They will not frighten us nor our people. Neither can you implement these threats," he said. "And if one day you ever think about implementing these ...
Tehran, Feb 11, IRNA -- Chairman of the Expediency Council (EC) Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani here on Friday recommended that White House officials seek peaceful approaches toward the Islamic Republic. Rafsanjani, in a sermon at Tehran weekly Friday prayers, said the policy of coercion toward Iran will never work, and warned US leaders against the consequences of any effort against Iran. "I explicitly tell the White House that ... these threats will bear no fruit. They will not frighten us nor our people. Neither can you implement these threats," he said. "And if one day you ever think about implementing these ...
How to play Ananova's video reports
How to play Ananova's video reports
You can watch Ananova videos on a PC with Windows Media Player or RealPlayer version 8 (or higher). Both are free to download.
PC users click here
You can watch Ananova videos on a PC with Windows Media Player or RealPlayer version 8 (or higher). Both are free to download.
PC users click here
I've gone satellite
I'll never go back to regular radio. It's great. However, I have a funny XM moment. I was on travel in a hotel, and had on Audio Visions, which is kind of an ambient channel. At about 4 am, I woke up - gurgling water! The bathroom was overflowing! No, just the selection on the radio. Whew. But then the sound of a bubbling brook in the early morning worked its biological magic, and I had to get up.
Daily Buzz : All The News That's Fit To Twist
2/10/2005
Senate Democrats declare " We are not a bunch of pussies"
WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats demanded Thursday that President Bush order a halt to personal attacks on the party's leader, Sen. Harry Reid. "This is a new Democratic Party," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a news conference called to release a letter telling Bush to muzzle his "political operatives."
"It says to the president, `We are not a bunch of pussies'," said Schumer, who likened the attacks on Reid to political knee-cappings.
The letter itself was written in milder terms. "We urge you to keep your word about being a uniter and publicly halt these counterproductive attacks so that we are able to work together in a bipartisan manner and debate issues on the merits," it says.
A White House spokesman has confirmed that President Bush has read the letter and will publicly respond once VP Cheney and Mr. Rowe agree on what he should say.
Buzz Master
Senate Democrats declare " We are not a bunch of pussies"
WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats demanded Thursday that President Bush order a halt to personal attacks on the party's leader, Sen. Harry Reid. "This is a new Democratic Party," Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said at a news conference called to release a letter telling Bush to muzzle his "political operatives."
"It says to the president, `We are not a bunch of pussies'," said Schumer, who likened the attacks on Reid to political knee-cappings.
The letter itself was written in milder terms. "We urge you to keep your word about being a uniter and publicly halt these counterproductive attacks so that we are able to work together in a bipartisan manner and debate issues on the merits," it says.
A White House spokesman has confirmed that President Bush has read the letter and will publicly respond once VP Cheney and Mr. Rowe agree on what he should say.
Buzz Master
America's mistakes in Iraq.
America's mistakes in Iraq.
Apologies for not posting for a while. I'm having some personal issues that I need to deal with and I wasn't planning to blog today but as I was looking into my blogroll I saw a nice and interesting post at Michael Totten's that changed my mind.
I thought I should comment on part of the post, the part I think I know more about than Michael and most of the Americans that were in that company.
Michael thinks that the quarrel he and Hitchens had with Ghassan Al Atiyyah was unavoidable and he took Ahmed Al Rikabi's comment to be true, all because of how confusing the relation with America might seem to many Iraqis.
Apologies for not posting for a while. I'm having some personal issues that I need to deal with and I wasn't planning to blog today but as I was looking into my blogroll I saw a nice and interesting post at Michael Totten's that changed my mind.
I thought I should comment on part of the post, the part I think I know more about than Michael and most of the Americans that were in that company.
Michael thinks that the quarrel he and Hitchens had with Ghassan Al Atiyyah was unavoidable and he took Ahmed Al Rikabi's comment to be true, all because of how confusing the relation with America might seem to many Iraqis.
Catholicism is autocratic by nature
Catholicism is autocratic by nature, and therefore doomed. Put one man in charge, and he will inevitably mistake the weight of his ego for the will of God.
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Sun Resources
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Provides news and webcasts from the company, downloadable software,
and resources for developers, service providers, system administrators, CIOs, and investors.
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Provides news and webcasts from the company, downloadable software,
and resources for developers, service providers, system administrators, CIOs, and investors.
Unix Resources
Unix Resources
Links to Unix Resources... tasks, commands, concepts and utilities. Geek-girl has a long list of other Unix resources as well. A Basic Unix Tutorial, Idaho ...
Links to Unix Resources... tasks, commands, concepts and utilities. Geek-girl has a long list of other Unix resources as well. A Basic Unix Tutorial, Idaho ...
Terrorism Triggers Democratic Backlash in Douhouk
Terrorism Triggers Democratic Backlash in Douhouk
Terrorist action near Douhouk was counterproductive, to say the least. Not only was no one hurt, but the voter turnout also climbed as a result. Also, the terrorists were captured.
Terrorist action near Douhouk was counterproductive, to say the least. Not only was no one hurt, but the voter turnout also climbed as a result. Also, the terrorists were captured.
Friends of Democracy
Friends of Democracy - Spirit of America Web Cast - 2pm to 4pm EST
Missed Sunday's C-Span presentation? It's not too late to see the web cast again at Friends of Democracy.
Missed Sunday's C-Span presentation? It's not too late to see the web cast again at Friends of Democracy.
Spirit of America
Spirit of America is a nonprofit, non-political public charity. Our mission is to extend the goodwill of the American people to assist those advancing freedom, democracy and peace abroad. 100% of your tax-deductible donation goes directly to the project of your choice.
Lawyer Is Guilty of Aiding Terror
Lynne F. Stewart, an outspoken lawyer known for representing a long list of unpopular defendants, was convicted yesterday by a federal jury in Manhattan of aiding Islamic terrorism by smuggling messages out of jail from a terrorist client.
Justice for Lynne Stewart
It is always disturbing when a lawyer is prosecuted and convicted for activities arising from the conduct of their defence of unpopular defendants.
Critics often unfairly - and cynically - hint that lawyers who perform, professionally, the essential task of representing clients with extreme and obnoxious political views are in fact their active sympathisers and supporters. Simply making such an accusation discourages lawyers from taking controversial cases, and potentially denies defendants - innocent until proven guilty - of access to a proper choice of counsel. It certainly used to be said that it was difficult to find able counsel to take on terrorism cases in Britain in the 1970s, because of the perception that such a defence would damage the advocate's career prospects.
Critics often unfairly - and cynically - hint that lawyers who perform, professionally, the essential task of representing clients with extreme and obnoxious political views are in fact their active sympathisers and supporters. Simply making such an accusation discourages lawyers from taking controversial cases, and potentially denies defendants - innocent until proven guilty - of access to a proper choice of counsel. It certainly used to be said that it was difficult to find able counsel to take on terrorism cases in Britain in the 1970s, because of the perception that such a defence would damage the advocate's career prospects.
Musings on news, politics, sports, and culture from a not-so-quiet American
24 Problems
Yes, this has been the best “24” season, and yes, the gamble of replacing nearly the entire cast has paid off, and the suspense level is at an all-time high for the show. (Even though its plot continues to strain credulity at every turn, especially the way they allowed a singular computer hacker- played by the guy who was Big Pussy’s FBI handler on “The Sopranos”- the authority to shut down the nation’s entire nuclear fleet, even though he wasn’t sure he knew what he was doing. Don’t think the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would quite go for that- not to mention that a simultaneous outage of that magnitude would likely immediately cause blackouts and/or an energy crisis.)
I want that minute of my life back...
Yes, this has been the best “24” season, and yes, the gamble of replacing nearly the entire cast has paid off, and the suspense level is at an all-time high for the show. (Even though its plot continues to strain credulity at every turn, especially the way they allowed a singular computer hacker- played by the guy who was Big Pussy’s FBI handler on “The Sopranos”- the authority to shut down the nation’s entire nuclear fleet, even though he wasn’t sure he knew what he was doing. Don’t think the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would quite go for that- not to mention that a simultaneous outage of that magnitude would likely immediately cause blackouts and/or an energy crisis.)
I want that minute of my life back...
Nailing It Down
Nailing It Down
Michael Totten relates a conversation with Ahman Al Rikaby, former Director of Radio Free Iraq and current Director of Iraq's Radio Dijla:
At one point, apropos of something I can't remember, Ahman said to me: "I can tell you in one sentence how my country feels about your country."
"Really?" I said. "Can you really boil it down to one sentence?"
"Yes," he said. "And it is this: Thank you for coming, now please leave and take us with you."
I laughed because it seemed totally contradictory and totally right.
It does indeed. Read it all.
Michael Totten relates a conversation with Ahman Al Rikaby, former Director of Radio Free Iraq and current Director of Iraq's Radio Dijla:
At one point, apropos of something I can't remember, Ahman said to me: "I can tell you in one sentence how my country feels about your country."
"Really?" I said. "Can you really boil it down to one sentence?"
"Yes," he said. "And it is this: Thank you for coming, now please leave and take us with you."
I laughed because it seemed totally contradictory and totally right.
It does indeed. Read it all.
REGIONAL ROLLING
REGIONAL ROLLING
In the early 1990s when I lived in Hong Kong there was a tremendous amount of hype about Vietnam and it being the next economic miracle and on track to throw of the communist's party yoke and become a democracy. For some reason neither really materialized. The country has not been very well covered by the media in my opinion, but that may change now that the VietPundit has opened up shop and it won’t be just the present that he will cover, the past will be equally important:
I plan to offer some thoughts on the Vietnam War from a South Vietnamese perspective, which is sorely lacking in the media and academia
In the early 1990s when I lived in Hong Kong there was a tremendous amount of hype about Vietnam and it being the next economic miracle and on track to throw of the communist's party yoke and become a democracy. For some reason neither really materialized. The country has not been very well covered by the media in my opinion, but that may change now that the VietPundit has opened up shop and it won’t be just the present that he will cover, the past will be equally important:
I plan to offer some thoughts on the Vietnam War from a South Vietnamese perspective, which is sorely lacking in the media and academia
Gwynne Dyer's Unbroken Losing Streak
Gwynne Dyer's Unbroken Losing Streak
The latest in the continuing "If Gwynne Dyer Looks Into The Face Of Victor Davis Hanson He Will Burst Into Flame" series, this quote from his new book Future:Tense ;
The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq as soon as possible. Even more urgently, the whole world needs the United States to lose the war in Iraq. What is at stake now is the way we run the world for the next generation or more, and really bad things will happen if we get it wrong.
The latest in the continuing "If Gwynne Dyer Looks Into The Face Of Victor Davis Hanson He Will Burst Into Flame" series, this quote from his new book Future:Tense ;
The United States needs to lose the war in Iraq as soon as possible. Even more urgently, the whole world needs the United States to lose the war in Iraq. What is at stake now is the way we run the world for the next generation or more, and really bad things will happen if we get it wrong.
BUSH PROMISES TO BRING TROOPS HOME THROUGH IRAN
BUSH PROMISES TO BRING TROOPS HOME THROUGH IRAN
Most Direct Route, President Says
Under pressure to detail an exit strategy for Iraq, President George W. Bush said at a White House briefing today that he would not designate an exact timetable for a withdrawal of U.S. troops but added, “The fastest way to bring the troops home would be through Iran.”
Most Direct Route, President Says
Under pressure to detail an exit strategy for Iraq, President George W. Bush said at a White House briefing today that he would not designate an exact timetable for a withdrawal of U.S. troops but added, “The fastest way to bring the troops home would be through Iran.”
Sock Khatami
Sock Khatami
My apologies for that horrible pun, but after four days in the workforce again, I'm too exhausted to come up with something intelligent and witty. Work is going better, though. Here's your "unthreaded" link roundup.
* The US and Iran have reached a boiling point in relations...
My apologies for that horrible pun, but after four days in the workforce again, I'm too exhausted to come up with something intelligent and witty. Work is going better, though. Here's your "unthreaded" link roundup.
* The US and Iran have reached a boiling point in relations...
GRUMPY
GRUMPY
I have a couple of things I want to blog about, but to be honest I've been feeling too grumpy lately. Today was just one of those days where everything went wrong: I drove to the next post to re-register our car and realized that I had left my ID in the pocket of my gym sweatshirt. So I drove all the way home and back, only to find that they close for lunch, which they failed to mention when I called for their hours. I got the car registered and then went to drop the dog's stuff off at my friend's house; naturally I had forgotten her key. And so on. Just one of those days.
I have a couple of things I want to blog about, but to be honest I've been feeling too grumpy lately. Today was just one of those days where everything went wrong: I drove to the next post to re-register our car and realized that I had left my ID in the pocket of my gym sweatshirt. So I drove all the way home and back, only to find that they close for lunch, which they failed to mention when I called for their hours. I got the car registered and then went to drop the dog's stuff off at my friend's house; naturally I had forgotten her key. And so on. Just one of those days.
outsidethebeltway.com
Hitchens is simultaneously disarmingly polite and possessed of a biting wit. The breadth and depth of his knowledge is simply unrivaled by any journalist working today.
Lucky Totten
Lucky Totten
If you're a Chris Hitchens fan (as I am), you must check out this report from Michael Totten. The post is thought-provoking, informative, and extremely entertaining. I especially liked the part where MJT taught Hitchens about the importance of the blogosphere:
If you're a Chris Hitchens fan (as I am), you must check out this report from Michael Totten. The post is thought-provoking, informative, and extremely entertaining. I especially liked the part where MJT taught Hitchens about the importance of the blogosphere:
Billhennessy
Some people demand admiration, and Christopher Hitchens ranks near the top of that list. Before I agreed with him about anything, back in the days when he seemed closer to Alexander Cockburn than to, well, to me, I would find myself pausing on some talkshow just because he was talking.
wonkette.com
FEB
10
My babydaddy, discredited conservative reporter Jeff Gannon, just rode Wolf's Blitzer on CNN.
CNN called in commentator and WaPo-ite Howard Kurtz to give the intro, because God knows Wolf couldn't summarize 30 blog posts all on his own. Also: Gannon says he's been stalked by "nuts on the left." Tee hee! Oh, wait...
Gannon reported he'd been stalked in the neighborhood and in church -- which is crazy! Liberals near a church? Also, his family was harassed, upon which Blitzer stealthily gay-baited him to define "family." (FYI: this family is a mother and brother.) Then Wolf backpedaled the question about Gannon owning gay domain names question with a qualifier: "I don't understand it." Indeed: what is internets, Wolf?
Reportedly, Talon News has 700,000 subscribers. Where, on Mars? But there's good news! According to Gannon, God closes doors and opens windows. If you're concerned about his future, he has had people call and make inquiries if he was "interested in certain positions." Heh. Also: heh heh. —C.S.
10
My babydaddy, discredited conservative reporter Jeff Gannon, just rode Wolf's Blitzer on CNN.
CNN called in commentator and WaPo-ite Howard Kurtz to give the intro, because God knows Wolf couldn't summarize 30 blog posts all on his own. Also: Gannon says he's been stalked by "nuts on the left." Tee hee! Oh, wait...
Gannon reported he'd been stalked in the neighborhood and in church -- which is crazy! Liberals near a church? Also, his family was harassed, upon which Blitzer stealthily gay-baited him to define "family." (FYI: this family is a mother and brother.) Then Wolf backpedaled the question about Gannon owning gay domain names question with a qualifier: "I don't understand it." Indeed: what is internets, Wolf?
Reportedly, Talon News has 700,000 subscribers. Where, on Mars? But there's good news! According to Gannon, God closes doors and opens windows. If you're concerned about his future, he has had people call and make inquiries if he was "interested in certain positions." Heh. Also: heh heh. —C.S.
Jesus H. Christ
Ever since his star began to rise after the 1979 Australian thriller Mad Max, Mel Gibson hasn't seemed fully alive on screen unless he's being tortured and mutilated. In the Road Warrior and Lethal Weapon films, as well as such one-shots as Conspiracy Theory (1997) and The Patriot (2000), Gibson courted martyrdom, and he achieved it. He won an Oscar for his labors in Braveheart (1995), which ends with its hero managing to scream "FREEEEE-DOM!!" as he's drawn and quartered. Gibson snatched the pulp movie Payback (1999) away from its writer-director, Brian Helgeland, to make the torture of his character even more gruelingly explicit: He added shots of his toes being smashed by an iron hammer. Payback: That's what almost all of Gibson's movies are about (including his 1990 Hamlet.) Even if he begins as a man of peace, Mad Mel ends as a savage revenger.
KelliPundit
Have you ever noticed that some of the people you are closest to are people you met through some argument? I've decided that this is due to the fact that a lot of false pretenses that may be put forward first in a friendship are bypassed and then people see exactly who you are without wading through all the other 'stuff'. Once the argument is resolved, you then get to know each other from a more truthful starting point, a higher plane. I'm not saying that it is bad or wrong to put forward those better faces at first, it is what our society dictates and is our culture. But when the other situation presents itself, it can turn out good as well.
mpourdeh's weblog
Michael J. Totten writes about drinking with Christopher Hitchens and several prominent Iraqis. Hitchens is an arrogant jerk.
My favorite line:
At one point, apropos of something I can’t remember, Ahman said to me: “I can tell you in one sentence how my country feels about your country.”
“Really?” I said. “Can you really boil it down to one sentence?”
“Yes,” he said. “And it is this: Thank you for coming, now please leave and take us with you.”
I laughed because it seemed totally contradictory and totally right.
My favorite line:
At one point, apropos of something I can’t remember, Ahman said to me: “I can tell you in one sentence how my country feels about your country.”
“Really?” I said. “Can you really boil it down to one sentence?”
“Yes,” he said. “And it is this: Thank you for coming, now please leave and take us with you.”
I laughed because it seemed totally contradictory and totally right.
Miscellanea - Uh, Hitch, What's Up?
Miscellanea - Uh, Hitch, What's Up? Edition
The mighty Christopher Hitchens has taken a look at Ohio in Election '04 and - he smells a rat. Damn - now I might have to spend money on Vanity Fair again...
The mighty Christopher Hitchens has taken a look at Ohio in Election '04 and - he smells a rat. Damn - now I might have to spend money on Vanity Fair again...
Social commentary from a sociologist
They’ve got spirit, the little buggers. Me ‘n’ Hitch are quite the team, but when you’re trying your best to tell them the way things are, they will be interrupting and getting annoyed and saying unreasonable things like “Who are you to tell us what to do!?” What’s that phrase again? “The blame of those ye better, The hate of those ye guard.” But dissent is the lifeblood of democracy. Of course, we can’t permit them to pick the wrong government for themselves. “If the Iraqis were to elect either a Sunni or Shia Taliban, we would not let them take power” (Hitchens). The invasion force would consist of “the US and Britain … along with — hopefully — everyone here at this table” (Totten). Or, as Tom Lehrer put it more succinctly some years ago, “They’ve got to be protected / All their rights respected / Till somebody we like can be elected.”
Conservatives Eat Their Young
Conservatives Eat Their Young
Apparently the right half of the blogosphere is getting excited about something they call "Easongate". It involves a CNN executive making apparently unverifiable, and therefore stupid, accusations about American soldiers targeting journalists. Anyway, Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal (an upstanding card-carrying conservative) wrote his assessment of what happened there. Due to Stephens's gratuitous (but nevertheless commendable) cheap-shots at Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity and "the usual suspects", his otherwise-quite-critical-of-Eason article has placed him squarely in the sights of the blogosphere's more, um, hungry participants. Yum!
Apparently the right half of the blogosphere is getting excited about something they call "Easongate". It involves a CNN executive making apparently unverifiable, and therefore stupid, accusations about American soldiers targeting journalists. Anyway, Bret Stephens of the Wall Street Journal (an upstanding card-carrying conservative) wrote his assessment of what happened there. Due to Stephens's gratuitous (but nevertheless commendable) cheap-shots at Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity and "the usual suspects", his otherwise-quite-critical-of-Eason article has placed him squarely in the sights of the blogosphere's more, um, hungry participants. Yum!
The Choice is Between a Strategy for Victory -- or Defeat
No Exit; The Choice is Between a Strategy for Victory -- or Defeat
(02/10/2005) Clifford D. May, Scripps Howard News Service
No Exit; The Choice is Between a Strategy for Victory -- or Defeat When a politician or a journalist talks about an "exit strategy" from Iraq, there is only one appropriate response: Roll your eyes and leave the room. Imagine some senator or reporter during World War II asking Roosevelt and Churchill to define their "exit strategy" from Europe and the Pacific. They probably would not have dignified the question with an answer. Or, if they had, they might have said: "We have a strategy for victory. The alternative would be a strategy for defeat. Do we look like defeatists to you?" [Read More]
(02/10/2005) Clifford D. May, Scripps Howard News Service
No Exit; The Choice is Between a Strategy for Victory -- or Defeat When a politician or a journalist talks about an "exit strategy" from Iraq, there is only one appropriate response: Roll your eyes and leave the room. Imagine some senator or reporter during World War II asking Roosevelt and Churchill to define their "exit strategy" from Europe and the Pacific. They probably would not have dignified the question with an answer. Or, if they had, they might have said: "We have a strategy for victory. The alternative would be a strategy for defeat. Do we look like defeatists to you?" [Read More]
Pejmanesque
I assume the comment was ironic.
Pejman, for all your veneer of erudite sophistication, did you not recognize that Totten's dinner and drinking experience with Hitchens was clearly that of the naif acolyte entranced by the mere presence of a world-weary arbiter bibendi? Perhaps you should associate with academics more. I've experienced far more entertaining libationary disquisitions during the afternoon session breaks at academic conferences than what Totten posted from his evening with Hitchens.
Posted by: Michael Meckler at February 10, 2005 06:04 PM
Pejmanesque
"Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords." --Theodore Roosevelt
Pejman, for all your veneer of erudite sophistication, did you not recognize that Totten's dinner and drinking experience with Hitchens was clearly that of the naif acolyte entranced by the mere presence of a world-weary arbiter bibendi? Perhaps you should associate with academics more. I've experienced far more entertaining libationary disquisitions during the afternoon session breaks at academic conferences than what Totten posted from his evening with Hitchens.
Posted by: Michael Meckler at February 10, 2005 06:04 PM
Pejmanesque
"Aggressive fighting for the right is the noblest sport the world affords." --Theodore Roosevelt
A Little Perspective
A Little Perspective
I understand the need to protect all children from sexual predators, but could we possibly make the punishment for aiding and abetting convicted terrorists a bit more harsh than fulfilling every seventh-grade boy's dream?
A possible 20 years for helping terrorists kill people, 100 years for pedophilia. I have an idea, let's make the punishment equal for both. Then we can have a new motto:
"Don't Screw With Us Or Our Kids!"
I understand the need to protect all children from sexual predators, but could we possibly make the punishment for aiding and abetting convicted terrorists a bit more harsh than fulfilling every seventh-grade boy's dream?
A possible 20 years for helping terrorists kill people, 100 years for pedophilia. I have an idea, let's make the punishment equal for both. Then we can have a new motto:
"Don't Screw With Us Or Our Kids!"
Children of the Stoplights: Part 4
This is the featured weekly post from Discarded Lies at Winds of Change.NET. The Children of the Stoplights series is about child trafficking in Europe.
Webcast replay: Election Coverage
Recorded on Sunday, January 30th, 2pm to 4pm (EST)
This unique conference from Washington DC will provide a consolidated picture of Iraq's elections featuring prominent Iraqis, selected guests (e.g., Christopher Hitchens), live call ins from the Friends of Democracy correspondents and bloggers, photos, video and stories.
This unique conference from Washington DC will provide a consolidated picture of Iraq's elections featuring prominent Iraqis, selected guests (e.g., Christopher Hitchens), live call ins from the Friends of Democracy correspondents and bloggers, photos, video and stories.
Reality-Check Time
Steve Silverposted a must-read essay in defense of the dreaded three-letter acronym known as the "MSM."
The Poisoned Earth
By lila
We poison ourselves So we
do not have to feel How we have poisoned the earth We create a worldview
Where nature is bad, out of control, needing to be tamed So that we can
justify destroying every square inch Leaving nothing untouched
The vibrant green of the rolling
hills Where I like to walk so much Rock outcroppings colored with lichen
and paint Humans' need to deface everything Is evidenced here "LSD &
Shrooms/ Fuck Paintballers" and "Party Hard Until You Can't" are sprayed
in white on the gray weathered stone Impossible to erase Bits of broken
beer bottles, old tires, tattered clothing Litter the wood We have left
our mark And will continue to destroy the native vegetation, animals, and
people To be replaced by our docile domesticated variety We must taste
victory To want to continue plundering The last few places of wildness
This small cluster of rocky
outcroppings and green hills Are now dotted with monitoring wells less
than a month old Someone wants to build here It is clear They will test
the groundwater To cover their ass in the case of lawsuit And build their
golf course in the sky On top of the sacred lands, hidden springs, pictographs
Artwork of someone closer to the land
I understand the red man's
pain at seeing the land devoured by the white sickness, Milky puss oozing
like a festering sore out of urban cities into the wild earth to tame and
fetter it, His distrust of this being who makes agreements Always with
one hand behind its back Fingers crossed
I need this wild place to
remember my roots To remind me of my true nature To remind me of life and
my many-legged relations and ancestors, the trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses
To bathe my eyes in vibrant green, Tara's warmest hues To bathe my soul
in the love of my kin
When this is gone, I also
will be gone
We poison ourselves So we
do not have to feel How we have poisoned the earth We create a worldview
Where nature is bad, out of control, needing to be tamed So that we can
justify destroying every square inch Leaving nothing untouched
The vibrant green of the rolling
hills Where I like to walk so much Rock outcroppings colored with lichen
and paint Humans' need to deface everything Is evidenced here "LSD &
Shrooms/ Fuck Paintballers" and "Party Hard Until You Can't" are sprayed
in white on the gray weathered stone Impossible to erase Bits of broken
beer bottles, old tires, tattered clothing Litter the wood We have left
our mark And will continue to destroy the native vegetation, animals, and
people To be replaced by our docile domesticated variety We must taste
victory To want to continue plundering The last few places of wildness
This small cluster of rocky
outcroppings and green hills Are now dotted with monitoring wells less
than a month old Someone wants to build here It is clear They will test
the groundwater To cover their ass in the case of lawsuit And build their
golf course in the sky On top of the sacred lands, hidden springs, pictographs
Artwork of someone closer to the land
I understand the red man's
pain at seeing the land devoured by the white sickness, Milky puss oozing
like a festering sore out of urban cities into the wild earth to tame and
fetter it, His distrust of this being who makes agreements Always with
one hand behind its back Fingers crossed
I need this wild place to
remember my roots To remind me of my true nature To remind me of life and
my many-legged relations and ancestors, the trees, shrubs, herbs, and grasses
To bathe my eyes in vibrant green, Tara's warmest hues To bathe my soul
in the love of my kin
When this is gone, I also
will be gone
Interesting Links
Education World®
The World Bank Group
CIA - The World Factbook
BBC NEWS | News Front Page
PCWorld.com - Home
WTO | The WTO website
WHO | World Health Organization
The World Bank Group
CIA - The World Factbook
BBC NEWS | News Front Page
PCWorld.com - Home
WTO | The WTO website
WHO | World Health Organization
Resources
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Biography.com Search over 25,000 of the greatest lives, past and present.
The U.S. Small Business Administration established in 1953, provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses. With a portfolio of business loans, loan guarantees and disaster loans worth more than $45 billion, in addition to a venture capital portfolio of $13 billion, SBA is the nation's largest single financial backer of small businesses.
Public Domain Images
(Most of the images in these collections are in the public domain. Though you may not need to ask permission to use them when publishing on the Web for educational purposes, you still must cite these images unless otherwise notified! If you see any copyright notices on these pages, read them for further instructions.)
Cherokee an enchanted land, rich in tradition and located in the Great Smoky Mountains.
The Persian Puzzle, forrm CIA analyst Kenneth Pollack examines the historical tensions and inevitable clash between the United States and Iran.
Collecting the Modern Library: A Gentle Introduction Texts of Choice: The Books of the Modern Library Capital Gains Tax deferral companies, Enterprise Zone Trusts and Film Partnerships
Boris Sidis Born in Berditchev, Russia Oct. 12, 1867. At age of 17 imprisoned by Czar as political prisoner, for teaching peasants to read, against Czarist law.
William James Born January 11, 1842, New York - August 26, 1910 Chocorua, New Hampshire, philosopher and elder brother of the writer Henry James, was born in New York, son of a Swedenborgian theologian, Henry James, Sr. He received an eclectic and trans-Atlantic education as his eccentric father's son.
Albert Einstein German born American physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955
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Discovery.Com
History Channel
Biography.com Search over 25,000 of the greatest lives, past and present.
The U.S. Small Business Administration established in 1953, provides financial, technical and management assistance to help Americans start, run, and grow their businesses. With a portfolio of business loans, loan guarantees and disaster loans worth more than $45 billion, in addition to a venture capital portfolio of $13 billion, SBA is the nation's largest single financial backer of small businesses.
Public Domain Images
(Most of the images in these collections are in the public domain. Though you may not need to ask permission to use them when publishing on the Web for educational purposes, you still must cite these images unless otherwise notified! If you see any copyright notices on these pages, read them for further instructions.)
Cherokee an enchanted land, rich in tradition and located in the Great Smoky Mountains.
The Persian Puzzle, forrm CIA analyst Kenneth Pollack examines the historical tensions and inevitable clash between the United States and Iran.
Collecting the Modern Library: A Gentle Introduction Texts of Choice: The Books of the Modern Library Capital Gains Tax deferral companies, Enterprise Zone Trusts and Film Partnerships
Boris Sidis Born in Berditchev, Russia Oct. 12, 1867. At age of 17 imprisoned by Czar as political prisoner, for teaching peasants to read, against Czarist law.
William James Born January 11, 1842, New York - August 26, 1910 Chocorua, New Hampshire, philosopher and elder brother of the writer Henry James, was born in New York, son of a Swedenborgian theologian, Henry James, Sr. He received an eclectic and trans-Atlantic education as his eccentric father's son.
Albert Einstein German born American physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955
Thursday, February 10, 2005
Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
British Naturalist
1809 -1882
I have called this principle, by which
each slight variation, if useful, is preserved,
by the term Natural Selection.
—Charles Darwin from "The Origin of Species"
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was the fifth child and second son of Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood. Darwin was the British naturalist who became famous for his theories of evolution and natural selection. Like several scientists before him, Darwin believed all the life on earth evolved (developed gradually) over millions of years from a few common ancestors.
From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. The expedition visited places around the world, and Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.
British Naturalist
1809 -1882
I have called this principle, by which
each slight variation, if useful, is preserved,
by the term Natural Selection.
—Charles Darwin from "The Origin of Species"
Charles Robert Darwin was born on February 12, 1809 in Shrewsbury, England. He was the fifth child and second son of Robert Waring Darwin and Susannah Wedgwood. Darwin was the British naturalist who became famous for his theories of evolution and natural selection. Like several scientists before him, Darwin believed all the life on earth evolved (developed gradually) over millions of years from a few common ancestors.
From 1831 to 1836 Darwin served as naturalist aboard the H.M.S. Beagle on a British science expedition around the world. In South America Darwin found fossils of extinct animals that were similar to modern species. On the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean he noticed many variations among plants and animals of the same general type as those in South America. The expedition visited places around the world, and Darwin studied plants and animals everywhere he went, collecting specimens for further study.
Einstein
Around 1886 Albert Einstein began his school career in Munich. As well as his violin lessons, which he had from age six to age thirteen, he also had religious education at home where he was taught Judaism. Two years later he entered the Luitpold Gymnasium and after this his religious education was given at school. He studied mathematics, in particular the calculus, beginning around 1891.
In 1894 Einstein's family moved to Milan but Einstein remained in Munich. In 1895 Einstein failed an examination that would have allowed him to study for a diploma as an electrical engineer at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich. Einstein renounced German citizenship in 1896 and was to be stateless for a number of years. He did not even apply for Swiss citizenship until 1899, citizenship being granted in 1901.
In 1894 Einstein's family moved to Milan but Einstein remained in Munich. In 1895 Einstein failed an examination that would have allowed him to study for a diploma as an electrical engineer at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich. Einstein renounced German citizenship in 1896 and was to be stateless for a number of years. He did not even apply for Swiss citizenship until 1899, citizenship being granted in 1901.
William James
William James was born in New York, son of Henry James, Sr., an independently wealthy and notoriously eccentric Swedenborgian theologian well acquainted with the literary and intellectual elites of his day. The intellectual brilliance of the James family milieu and the remarkable epistolary talents of several of its members have, since the 1930s, made it a subject of continuing interest to historians, biographers, and critics.
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