The Blob

2008-07-14T11:40:00.000-07:00

New Web Site

This is a shameless plug. My employer, Enclarity, just updated its Web site. This blog posting is a desperate attempt to link to it, so that Google's search engine spider will then re-index the site. The reason: a bunch of URLs on the site changed, and if you do a search for some of the pages, you'll get a classic "404" or "Page Not Found" error. By linking to our site from here, this should get Google, Yahoo and MSN to snoop around the site again, and re-index everything. I hope.

2007-05-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Gee, what a great idea!

MSNBC is reporting that the National Rifle Association (NRA) is strongly opposing the Bush Administration's support for legislation that would prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms. Now that's what I call ballsy and creative thinking. I mean, even ruthless terrorists should have rights, yes? Sure, innocent people could die in cold blood (think Virginia Tech) because the NRA had its way - again - but after all, defending the Second Amendment is more important. Heck, how else could a poor, defenseless terrorist defend him/herself?

Maybe the problem is this: these days, it's pretty hard for any self-respecting terrorist to get their dirty little mitts on a few hundred thousand pounds of fertilizer and fuel oil, much less some decent high grade plutonium here in the US of A. Yes, I know. It's easy to infiltrate our borders, but that's when the hassles begin. Think of all the paperwork any terrorist has to fill out to get the good stuff. So, why bother with that when courtesy of the good folks at the NRA, a self-respecting nut job could simply get their hands on some full auto assault rifles, shotguns and more?

Yessir, the NRA is showing that they really care about America by standing behind the Second Amendment at all costs.

What a crock. Just what we need - giving free access to guns by people who want to kill innocent people. I hope, just once, that the NRA gets their asses handed to them on this one. God knows, they have enough blood on their hands.

2007-05-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

This is totally lame...

Did you know that there is a Disneyland in China? I didn’t either. Nor did Disney. With its slogan “Disneyland is too far,” Beijing’s Shijingshan Amusement Park features a replica of Cinderella’s Castle, with staff dressed like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and other Disney characters.

None of this is authorized by Disney - but that has not stopped the state-owned park from creating its own counterfeit version of the Magic Kingdom in a brazen example of the sort of open and widespread copyright piracy that has Washington fuming.

The United States announced Monday it would file a case at the World Trade Organization over rampant copyright piracy in China, a practice which US companies say deprives them of billions of dollars each year.

Here's the link for an article and photos of really lame Chinese copies of Disney characters. And just for fun, read this article in Wikipedia about Chery Automobiles, the leading Chinese car manufacturer, which thinks nothing of counterfeiting other companies' designs. Completely.

If the Chinese expect to dominate the world in this century, they won't get there with blatant counterfeiting, which seems to be what they do best. Original thought counts. And we're keeping score.

2007-03-23T18:07:00.000-07:00

They said it. Not me.

This week's kidnapping of British Navy troops in the disputed Shatt al-Arab waterway underscores how lame the regime ruling Iran really is. It's pretty transparent that they are retaliating for the recent defections of Iranian government and military personnel to the West, and their obvious displeasure at valuable people spilling secrets about Iran's military and nuclear plans.

If you think the two aren't related, look at what was reported by the Times of London on threats by Iran to kidnap westerners in Europe. Obviously, the threats are as real as they are totally lame. To think that a nation-state would openly kidnap innocent people uninvolved with the increasing hostility between Iran and the west shows the degree of moral bankruptcy of the regime.

Despite this, I could not help but take some dark humor at what Reza Faker, a writer for Subhi Sadek, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s weekly newspaper paper and someone believed to have close links to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, wrote, warning that Iran would strike:

"We’ve got the ability to capture a nice bunch of blue-eyed blond-haired officers and feed them to our fighting cocks."

I don't know about you, but that's got to be the most gay thing I've heard in a long time.

2007-02-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

Be afraid. Be very afraid

Bruce Schneier, a noted computer security expert, wrote Why Vista is bad for you, a chillingly insightful article that is a must-read for anyone who uses a PC. Schneier points out that much of the slowness of Vista is because the new operating system was rewritten to make heavy Digital Rights Management (DRM) a core function. He points out that Microsoft may try to spin this as being at the behest of the mullahs running the record and movie industries, but it's crap. The real reason, Schneier asserts, is to allow Microsoft to exercise complete control of all digital content, including music, movies and even content that you create.

Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer was once quoted as saying, "DRM is the future." I take him seriously, as to me, it shows that Microsoft intends to extend its monopoly even further than we might imagine. Regardless of the broadsides Microsoft has taken from anti-trust lawsuits, the company has never wavered. It's not enough to control operating systems. Ballmer has set his sights on owning the Internet and digital media by setting proprietary "standards" that only work with Microsoft-based operating or DRM systems.

This is why I don't use a Windows-based PC at home. I don't have that option in the office, and I am a lot less productive as a result.

Schneier suggests that we avoid Vista like the plague, in part to avoid the control it will exert over us. He posits that voting to not buy Vista, along with legal pressure, might be the only way to assert our interests on Microsoft. But it's easier said than done, because we'll have to and want to upgrade at some point. And with all the money that Microsoft has, they can hold their collective breath longer than we can.

There is one other option: get a Mac. (Insert snide sarcasm about my being a Steve Jobs fanboy here.) Say what you will, if you have not tried the Mac and OS-X, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. I'm not saying Steve Jobs is a complete angel. But compared to Steve Ballmer, he is. When it comes to holding someone like Ballmer accountable, nothing beats competition. God knows, federal anti-trust lawsuits aren't something to depend on, given the past record of the government. Besides, rarely has the blunt instrument of judicial review or legislation ever worked the way you thought. Such is the law of unintended consequences.

2007-02-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

Signs that a bad-ass pandemic could be coming

This morning, I happened to see a news release issued by the Department of Health and Human Services announcing the Washington, DC office of PR giant Ogilvy was selected to prepare a "Critical Pandemic Planning Communications Campaign." Now, I don't know about you, but this is anything but comforting news. Memo to self: order that Haz-Mat suit you've been thinking or getting...

2006-04-03T14:26:00.000-07:00

Highly Recommended: The Future For Investors

Every so often, you read a book that blows you away. So it is with The Future For Investors by Jeremy Siegel. Professor Siegel is a distinguished economist from the Wharton School of Economics. The book simply blew away about 90 percent of the assumptions I had on the stock market. Instead of chasing down the next Google as an investment, Professor Siegel instead methodically gives evidence that overlooked, large companies that pay big dividends have in the past and will in the future create much better investment returns.

The second part of the book deals with the dramatic changes in demographics that will occur worldwide in the next 20 years, and how that will impact investors as well as people planning retirement. Quite simply, the baby boom generation will be retiring beginning within 10 years. That's the bulk of our population. And that means baby boomers will soon start cashing in their stocks, selling their homes, and tapping in on Social Security. A stock's or home's price is only as good as having a market for someone to buy what you're selling. And if there are fewer Gen-Xers or Gen-Y buyers for stocks and homes being sold, this will cause huge problems.

It's a bad enough problem here in the US. Europe and especially Japan is aging faster. In 20 years, over half the population of Germany will be retirement age. Japan even more so. This will cause tremendous problems for their societies. In the US, as the tax base shrinks, I can only conclude that government will shrink with it. That means fewer social programs and cuts in the defense budget. In the face of growing hostility from the Islamic world and a rapid arms build-up by China, North Korea and Iran, things get interesting.

Siegel sees the answer in the rapidly growing economies of China, India and other developing countries. Something that will blow the collective minds of Americans is the fact that within 20 years, the economies of China and India will sail past that off the US. It will be a shock to many in the United States, but in these growing markets, Siegel believes that we will find the buyers for our stocks and homes.

Saving Social Security will be another matter. We have come to anticipate that we will retire at 62 or 65. Siegel, and a growing number of economists worrying about this, feel that the one way to salvage the rapid drain on Social Security will be to have Americans work much longer, and postpone retirement for an additional 10 years. Other solutions being considered, including raising Social Security taxes, would have an inverse (negative) effect.

On many levels, I consider this to be one of the most profound books I have ever read. If you care about your future, this is a must-read.

2005-09-14T12:04:00.000-07:00

They’re at it again

The Associated Press is running a story on a federal court decision handed down today that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools was declared unconstitutional by a federal judge ruling in the second attempt by an atheist to have the pledge removed from classrooms. The man lost his previous battle before the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive requirement to affirm God."

The ruling by Judge Karlton was in – get ready – The Democratic Socialist People’s Republic of San Francisco. Why am I not surprised?

I am not an atheist, nor am I a bible thumping, flag-waving hyper-conservative. The religious issue in this case means little or nothing to me here. I just see this is yet another move by a hyper-liberal body of people to trample and shred any institutions of our democracy. To them, patriotism is a sign of weakness and should be destroyed at any opportunity. While I believe that people have a right to not believe in God, it angers me that they want to take that right away from me.

2005-09-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

Forty years ago in New Orleans

It’s happened before. Katrina was not the only hurricane to wreak havoc on New Orleans. Some of you may recall Hurricane Betsy in 1965, which not only hit New Orleans with winds of at least 125 mph, but also flooded large parts of the city.

From an article in USA Today:

All of this happened after Betsy did considerable damage in the Bahamas and southern Florida, including the Keys.

When all of the damage in the USA was totaled, it came to more than $1 billion in 1965 dollars, making Betsy the USA's first billion dollar hurricane. If you factor in inflation and put Betsy's cost into Year 2000 dollars, it cost $8.4 billion, which ties it for third in the list of the nation's most expensive hurricanes. Betsy is tied with Agnes, which caused major flooding in the Northeast in 1972, and behind only Hugo in 1989 and Andrew in 1992 in cost.

Betsy was blamed for 75 deaths in the USA, which ranks it 18th among the deadliest U.S. storms from 1900 through at least September 2003. The only storm to kill more people in the USA since 1965 was Camille, with 256 deaths in 1969.

Camille, by the way, came close to hitting New Orleans, but instead, the city felt the fringes of Camille's weather side when its eye came ashore about 60 miles to the east in Mississippi.

In addition to the people it killed and the damage it did, Betsy is famous for doing a loop the loop when it was about 350 miles east of Daytona Beach, Fla. and seemed to be on its way to hit the Carolinas.

Instead, it turned back to toward the southwest, passing over the Bahamas where winds on Great Abaco Island reached 147 mph. Soon after the eye moved over Nassau, the biggest city in the Bahamas, Betsy stalled for about three hours, allowing its winds to pound the city.

On Sept. 7 Betsy continued moving toward the southwest to pass over Key Largo at the eastern end of the Florida Keys, and then continued west along the Keys.

As Betsy continued across the Gulf of Mexico and turned toward the northwest, it grew into a category 4 storm with winds up to 155 mph.

As the hurricane moved ashore south of New Orleans it destroyed almost every building in Grand Isle, where the Coast Guard station reported gusts up to 160 mph.

Winds up to 125 mph were measured in New Orleans.

Betsy drove storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain, which is just north of the city and is connected to the Gulf of Mexico, pushing water over levees around the lake. Flood water reaches the eves of houses in some places in the city.

A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Web site notes that "Betsy prompted Congress to authorize a ring of levees 16 feet high around the city — a project the Corps of Engineers is completing today. This level of protection was based on the science of storm prediction as it existed in the 1960s. The question remains, however, whether this level of protection would be sufficient to protect the city from a category 4 or 5 hurricane today — or even a category 3 storm that lingered over the city."

Sound familiar?

2005-09-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Sick joke of the week

It never ceases to amaze me what Photoshop can do. Given how tragic the past few weeks have been, humor, however dark, might be what is needed.

2005-09-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

Floodweiser

To provide pure drinking water to victims of Hurricane Katrina, Anheiser Busch has rapidly produced cans of water like the one pictured here.

2005-09-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Katrina – resources for help

Katrina Help Site: A wide-ranging resource for finding shelter, locating a loved one, applying for assistance and more.

Katrina Shelter: A Web site dedicated to finding homes and shelter for people made homeless from Hurricane Katrina. You can also register to provide shelter to a hurricane victim.

Katrina Information Map: A map providing information on the status of various communities in the region affected by Hurricane Katrina.

Red Cross Family Links Registry: The Red Cross has set up the Family Links Registry to help reunite families separated by Hurricane Katrina. Families can also call the American Red Cross toll-free at 1-877-568-3317.

2005-09-08T09:49:00.000-07:00

Boomtowns

We’re just starting to see the economic and demographic impact of Hurricane Katrina. Over half a million people fled the hurricane and its flooding, some temporarily, others permanently. The result will change the future fortunes of New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport along with other towns and cities in the region significantly as the work begins to rebuild these ravaged communities.

Similarly, cities such as Houston and Baton Rouge have seen incredible population increases in a matter of days, and that has pushed the value of real estate through the roof. In a fascinating article on the emergence of overnight boomtowns and demographic shifts following Katrina, MSNBC is reporting that the population of Baton Rouge doubled in the wake of Katrina, pushing real estate values to twice what they were but a week ago. Rents have followed suit.

The BBC has an article on the exodus from southern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama to surrounding states. Of interest, as the graphic shows, are the states that have not offered refuge (or virtually none) to the victims of Katrina. With so much finger pointing going around, this is one likely to slip below the radar. And if you are the Governor of Texas, that’s a big problem.

It will be interesting to see how this story develops in the coming days, weeks and years.

2005-09-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Got Insurance?

Emergency Insurance Information for Hurricane Katrina Victims

To help victims of Hurricane Katrina obtain electronic access to a list of insurance carriers that have set up disaster hot lines to help their policyholders, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has set up an area of its Web site with useful information. I've added a link to an article listing insurance company toll-free numbers that Katrina victims can use to contact their insurer for assistance. Best of luck.

Now for the bad news. Residents of New Orleans, made complacent by too many years of seeing hurricanes miss them, avoided buying hurricane insurance.

Only about 40 percent of New Orleans homeowners have flood insurance, which is provided in the United States under a government program, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Standard homeowner insurance only covers damage from fire and wind while commercial or automobile insurance does cover flood damage. A high number of car claims are expected from Katrina with thousands of cars submerged. Private insurers, like State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co. and Allstate Corp., which lead the home insurance market in the state of Louisiana, do sell policies for the FEMA and can settle the claims for policy holders.

But only 85,000 residential and commercial policies have been sold in Orleans parish, in which the city is located, by the NFIP, according to latest figures -- while the U.S. census lists about 213,000 housing units in the city in 2002. "We estimate about 40 percent of properties have flood insurance -- and virtually all the damage caused in New Orleans was by floods, not winds," a FEMA spokesman said.

The NFIP program also only offers up to $250,000 for homeowners to rebuild damaged properties, and up to $100,000 to replace contents. Risk modeller Risk Management Solutions has estimated that 150,000 properties have been flooded in New Orleans. But widespread flooding, debris, power outages and a lack of lodging could prevent damage assessments for weeks.

Early estimates expect Katrina to be the most costly U.S. storm, with insured losses of more than $25 billion -- topping insured losses of $21 billion from Hurricane Andrew in 1992. "This is going to be one of the, if not the, most costly natural disaster in the United states," said Jeanne Salvatore, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute. Salvatore said each claim would be have to handled on a case-by-case basis to see if the damage was caused by water, winds, or a combination of both. Some properties were destroyed by fire. Homeowners without flood coverage whose homes were water damaged will have to rebuild using their own funds.

In past catastrophes, insurers have covered about 60 percent of total economic loss, but this could be considerably less with Katrina because so much of the damage has been caused by flooding, which is not covered by the insurers. Instead, business claims, such as insurance for business interruption, could represent about 50 percent of claims, up from 30 percent after previous hurricanes.

2005-09-08T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here come the scammers

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the scammers and con artists are coming out of the woodwork. Before you go to a Web site to contribute, be sure to read a very good article on the New York Times Web site about this. It might help you avoid getting taken.

2005-09-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

Katrina’s Outcasts

Of the many sad and miraculous stories resulting from Hurricane Katrina, myriad tales abound about the animals left behind. In many cases, it was the instincts of cats, dogs and birds that saved the lives of their owners. But in the first wave of evacuations, the animals were left behind. I don’t want to even think of what terrible and heartbreaking sights rescuers have seen as a result.

But I am grateful to the selfless efforts of organizations like Noah’s Wish, a non-profit organization whose aim is to create a Red Cross for animals. Click on this link for a wonderful story on the MSNBC Web site on what they have done to rescue countless pets left behind in the wake of Katrina. Volunteers from across the country have pitched in to create shelters for deserving animals. In my mind, man is no better than any other species, and from what I have experienced, I question if we are even the equal of other animals either.

I’ve given a lot to the Red Cross following this disaster. You can be sure I’ll be giving to organizations like Noah’s Wish, Best Friends, North Shore Animal League, ASPCA and the Humane Society. I hope you will too. For the sake of Katrina’s outcasts, I hope you will as well. For a list of organizations helping to rescue and provide veterinary help and shelter to animals left behind from Katrina, click here (be sure to scroll down for the full list of wonderful groups providing help).

2005-09-07T09:43:00.000-07:00

More perspective on New Orleans

In a very well written article, Michael Goodwin of the New York Daily News took a break from bashing the feds' initial mis-handling of Hurricane Katrina to single out the incompetence of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin and his staff. Well before the hurricane struck, Nagin passed the word that the people of his city would essentially be on their own in the event of such a disaster.

Washing your hands of something does not excuse you, and does not give you the right to shift blame to others. But that is exactly what Nagin is trying to do. His negligence borders on the criminal. Add to that the fact that one third of the New Orleans police force went AWOL in a city with the highest murder rate in the nation, and you have a bad recipe.

To see people like the ever-loopy Howard Dean trying to blame an act of God on one man, and racists like Jesse Jackson and Maxine Waters trying to use the event to spread hatred and FUD instead of trying to inspire people to come together, and it’s little wonder why the rest of the world is shaking its collective head. One need only contrast the ugly, selfish behavior of many citizens of New Orleans with the orderly compassion in the wake of the Indian Ocean tsunami.

No. This was not handled well at first. Most disasters never are. The scope of Katrina is hard to comprehend. The BBC in its excellent report on what went wrong following Katrina described it well: the swath of damage in the wake of Katrina is as large as the entire British Isles. Stop and consider what the world would think if all of Britain and Scotland were flattened by a calamity.

That is how large Katrina’s damage is, and it is little wonder that no society would be able to respond immediately.

I’m not trying to be an apologist. I’m just as angry with the Bush administration as you are. But I am also a realist.

If you read the first-hand accounts of journalist Josh Norman in his excellent Eye of the Storm blog, one of the most salient points he made was to admonish liberal maven Michael Moore to shut his piehole. Norman, a lifelong Democrat, posited that regardless of the problems so far, this is not the time to denigrate the leadership of the country, but just the opposite. The people who suffered from Katrina deserve no less. And right now, helping those who suffered is what matters, not using their suffering as a convenient conveyence for a cheap shot at someone you hate.

To those mentioned in this blog, I can only hope that they will get a clue.

2005-09-06T17:49:00.000-07:00

To the victims of Katrina

Now the hard work begins. After the dead are buried, the flooded cities and towns drained, the destruction bulldozed and the last survivors evacuated, the tattered Mississippi delta region so savaged by last week's hurricane will have to start again.

Scattered across the country are thousands Katrina survivors. Their stories aren’t covered by the major TV networks. Theirs is a personal tragedy. Below is an excerpt from an email forwarded to me from a friend. It tells a heartbreaking tale of a family displaced by the hurricane, and their attempt to fight numbness and pain, and to try to piece together shattered lives:

My brother is going to be coming up here next Fri. Not sure for how long - maybe moving here he says. His wife will probably be coming up right behind him. I have offered my Mom a place and my sisters, but for now they are all staying near New Orleans so they can go in when they are able to claim anything that is left.

My brother's house is under water, my sister's has water to the roof. My Mom's is in Metairie and we are hoping she is ok - we don't know. One Brother-in-law does computer work - self employed - and he will probably lose his business. They are in trouble. Don't know if they are planning to come up here, but I gave them the welcome. The other brother in law is an electrician - he may be ok if people decide to rebuild. His wife my sister works for my other brother-in-law with computers.

She is out of work. My Mom and brother are out of work. It is just so sad, my sister just cries and cries. Not a damn thing we can do.

It’s so sad. While the media remains fixated on what they can see from their narrow view of people evacuating New Orleans or in the Astrodome, across the country are hundreds of thousands of individual tragedies. So many people’s lives will be shattered by Katrina and the Great New Orleans Flood. The resulting depression, divorces, bankruptcies, ruined businesses will be heart wrenching. I spent the days following Katrina glued to the tube and reading, trying to get a better understanding of what took place and what is yet to come.

In a much smaller measure, all of us will soon feel a taste of their pain. With New Orleans evacuated, the largest port in North America will be at a standstill. So much of our agricultural commerce flows up and down the Mississippi, and many of the materials and finished products we import come through New Orleans. Until we can get the port back up and running, the economy of the US will feel the hurt. From farmers in North Dakota unable to ship this fall’s harvest to people bitching about oil prices or food shortages, we will all feel the wrath of Katrina. Cities such as Biloxi and Gulfport, even Mobile, and countless towns and villages will have to take stock of the destruction and loss.

I can only hope that families victimized by Katrina will start again. That is easier said than done. It is important for any victim to seek help. Whether it is with a counselor to deal with shattered emotions, to finding work, to applying for disaster aid, the time to start is now. CNN is but one link to a Web page with a number of resources for the victims of Katrina.

Many will never return to New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport or elsewhere, and will start again in a new place. Their departure will have a permanent impact on the region. But many will come back and pick up the pieces. If the examples of cities destroyed by wars and disasters are any indication, New Orleans will come back. It won’t be overnight, but it will come back. Home builders, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, computer networking specialists, entrepreneurs, engineers and insurance agents are some of the people who will profit greatly in the rebuilding of NEW Orleans.

My thoughts and prayers will be with the anonymous author of the email above, and so many like him. For anyone who has suffered a personal tragedy, I can only say this: don’t give up. Don’t ever give up. Pick yourself up, dust off your butt and get moving again. You may have lost your home. Your job. Your loved ones. But you're still standing. If someone can survive Katrina, they can survive anything. And that which does not destroy you, makes you stronger. The future will only be better. Not today. Not tomorrow. But trust me: it will. It was for me some years back.

To everyone who has suffered, I believe firmly that your best days are ahead.

2005-09-06T17:06:00.000-07:00

Flood control in other countries

The New York Times has a very good article about the practice of flood control in other countries. Some of you may recall the terrible 1953 storm in the North Sea that flooded an extensive amount of Holland, and at one point threatened the city of Rotterdam much in the way that New Orleans now suffers. In response, the Dutch built the most advanced seawall and flood protection system in the world. Perhaps we can take a page from what has been done in Holland, London, Venice, Japan and even Bangladesh. All of these low-lying countries have mixed engineering and nature to successfully fight the forces of nature. It's a good read. If we could do it all over again, I'm sure that the money spent to improve the levee system of south Louisiana would look cheap compared to the incredible cost to our economy and society.

2005-09-06T14:57:00.000-07:00

Katrina damage report: Louisiana / Mississippi / Alabama landmarks

The Dallas Morning News published a story detailing the damage to landmarks in New Orleans and elsewhere in the region savaged by Hurricane Katrina. Apparently, most of the famous New Orleans restaurants, including Antoine's, Commander's Palace, Pat O'Brien's and Emeril's survived, some with considerable damage. The animals in the Audobon Zoo were not harmed. But the casinos of Biloxi were trashed. The damage to the tourist economy will be significant. But through it all, some bars in the French Quarter never closed. Go figure.

And Bayou La Batre, Alabama, the shrimp fishing town made famous in the movie Forest Gump, saw many of its boats destroyed in the hurricane's violent storm surge.

2005-09-06T12:14:00.000-07:00

New views from above of Katrina's wrath

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has updated its Website with new satellite imagry of the impact of Hurricane Katrina and the Great New Orleans Flood. By clicking on individual squares, you can see close-up images of areas damaged, and areas that somehow emerged relatively unscathed. You can also see images of bus yards full of buses that could have carried people to safety, rail lines and train stations. If you have a loved one in the impacted area and know where to look, you can see the condition of their home. You can see images starting on this page. You can see image links for New Orleans here.

Also, Google just updated Google Maps with a Katrina Map tab. While not as broad in scope as the NOAA site, you can use the Google Maps' hybrid overlay to find precise locations within the city, then toggle to the Katrina tab to see whether the address is impacted by the flooding.

2005-09-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on Katrina

I'm just as horrified as you are. Hurricane Katrina is a disaster that defies definition, much less comprehension. Desipite the rancor over how slow the response was to Katrina, the more I look at satellite images from the Internet and video from TV, the greater my understanding on how overwhelming the magnitude of the challenge for local, state and federal authorities in the first week following landfall of this unthinkable Category 5 hurricane.

Now for some thoughts.

Like everyone else, I can't stop thinking about the suffering of the people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Today (Sunday, September 4), it is becoming visible that the tremendous effort to respond is visibly taking hold. The Superdome has at last been cleared. The focus is now on clearing people stuck at the New Orleans Convention Center. Louis Armstrong Airport has now been turned into a triage center, and the tarmac is covered with military air transport jets and helicopters. The cavalry has finally arrived.

Do I think it took too long? Absolutely. Do I think George Bush could have done a better job? Of course. He waited too long to go on the air. He did not jump on his subordinates to get in gear. Worst of all, the federal government reacted to the hurricane, instead of being proactive. Sadly, that is typical of American culture. We react instead of being proactive. The good news is that when we react to a crisis, we we do so with great effort. That we got off to a terrible start, in full view of the world, perhaps motivated people as much as anything else.

What is terrible is that in the first four days following the hurricane, the lack of organization and timely response caused countless lives to be lost. It's proof that bureaucracy can be deadly.

That does not mean that the state and local governments in Louisiana get a free pass. Just the opposite. Mayor Ray Nagin made a lot of news when he started swearing at the federal government's slow response to bring help to beleagured New Orleans. But I am appalled at the lack of organization by the City of New Orleans to plan for a Category 5 hurricane. All the griping by the Mayor cannot excuse that. I have seen a number of images of city busess and local parish school buses by the hundreds buried in water. How many people could have been evacuated before the hurricane had the Mayor ordered that these be used to transport thousands of people to safety? New Orleans is a major railroad destination, as the Port of New Orleans is the nation's largest port. Why could freight and passenger trains not have been used to get people to safety before the storm?

Then there is the Superdome. The city had at least 48 hours to get portable toilets, food and water, medicines and other necessary materials there to handle the influx in advance of the hurricane. None of that was present. Nor were doctors, nurses or police. Chaos ensued. People died. Mayor Nagin can bitch all he wants about the slow federal response. But I see no evidence that he did anything in the critical 48 hours prior to the landfall of Katrina to prepare the Superdome for the events that followed. Such negligence was inexcusable.

Likewise, Governor Kathleen Blanco was not aggressive enough. If she saw that the preparations by the city of New Orleans were insufficient, she should have put her foot down immediately. It's all well and good that she was saddened and horrified by the damage, but I saw little evidence that her state government was very effective. Further, the lawlessness that spread quickly the following day was evidence that before the hurricane hit, that marshal law should have been declared. It wasn't.

In the critical 48 hours prior to the hurricane, the Louisiana National Guard should have been mobilized. Knowing that New Orleans would likely be under water, why was a convoy of food, water, medicine, cots, boats, generators and other critical materiels not staged and ready to go? Why was it that neither the New Orleans police nor the National Guard were not equipped with satellite phones or walkie talkies? In hindsight, it is easy to see how little the city and state did to prepare for what many people for so long said would be inevitable.

The people of the City of New Orleans don't get a free pass either. To the credit of both the Mayor and Governor, both were unambiguous in their urging that people flee the path of the hurricane. It is estimated at 20 percent of the city's population ignored the order. While I think authorities should have gone door-to-door to urge this, people in the Big Easy took it easy, at the cost of their lives and safety. Having been to New Orleans a number times, and having been all over the city (in good parts of town and bad), I know from experience that people of all demographic levels have cars. In photo after photo, I have seen countless numbers of cars under water.

Like I said, Americans react. We don't plan.

The sad part is that the cost and effort to rescue those who disobeyed the Mayor's orders to evacuate is dramatically higher and more difficult. Even now, with the streets flooded with fetid, polluted water, volunteers who are traveling by boat to rescue the thousands still trapped on rooftops have encountered countless cases where people still don't want to leave their homes, asking only for supplies. Is it human nature to be so stupid?

Had the people of New Orleans reacted logically in response to the evacuation order instead of trying to ride out the hurricane, countless lives could have been saved. Had the city commandeered municipal buses and school buses to get the elderly and those without cars out of town, imagine how many lives could have been saved.

If only we planned.

The Bush administration should be chastized for not having Army and National Guard staging troops, equipment and materials in the hours before the hurricane. It did not help of course that all three airports were flooded. But the US Army and the Air Force Military Airlift Command are experienced in getting materials and manpower to difficult areas. There are many military bases near New Orleans, but at a safe distance from the carnage. That rapid response was not ready to go in the initial 72 hours following the hurricane is simply inexcusable.

Then there is Congress. Yes, the Bush administration should take it in the shorts for cutting funds to improve protection of the levee system. But Congress played its role too. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska saw to it that funds were cut for levee improvements in the Federal Highway appropriation bill. The $250 million requested got slashed. But Stevens saw to it that $258 million was earmarked in an appropriation rider that allowed for the construction of a bridge to an uninhabited island in the Aleutian islands. Of course, the airwaves are filled with members of Congress blathering on about how much they care about the people suffering in the hurricane from the comfort of air conditioned offices. But they share in the blame. How does pork feel now?

I could not help but to save some wrath for the media and pundits. Every time I see Horrendo Revolver on Fox I want to puke. Leave it to self-important TV newsidiots like Geraldo to not report the news, but to try to be the news. The people he interviews are merely props to make him the star. And too, the media have reported almost exclusively on New Orleans. But the hurricane's swath was much greater than that. Countless cities and towns in other parts of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi were also badly damaged. And the media is missing countless stories of personal tragedies of lives broken of the families who managed to escape. People will have neither homes nor jobs to return to, something the media have failed to report adequately.

Then there are the pundits. (Even though I'm just another schmuck, I guess I am one too, given that I'm blogging.) If I read one more pundit diatribe on how George Bush is the cause of the hurricane and how all this is his fault, I will go postal. Of course the Bush administration screwed up. But to blame him for the hurricane itself, an ACT OF GOD, for God sakes, is ridiculous. If another liberal enviro-whack job blathers on about how global warming is all W's fault, it only makes them more silly. Yes, I believe that the US should have signed the Kyoto Accord. And yes, we should take global warming seriously. But global warming is everybody's fault, not just George's. And yes, I've also read liberal diatribes about the New Orleans levee system and the barrier islands not being protected, and of course, guess who was blamed. But the destruction of the barrier islands at the hands of man has taken place over decades, not one presidential administration. As for the levee system, it was designed to handle a Category 3 hurricane at best. It was designed decades ago. Countless administrations, both Democratic and Republican alike, have had a chance to improve it. They did not.

I am worried about the coming weeks and months. In a time of disaster, the initial week is a week of numbness. Humans often react inadequately to a calamity. And the lost time in the first few days is often what determines whether people live or die. The longer term will impact many more not directly touched by the hurricane itself.

I mentioned earlier that the Port of New Orleans is the largest port in the nation. It lies at the foot of the Mississippi River, and is a junction of barge, freight train and truck traffic to this critical port. I read that 25 percent of our oil and gas flows through New Orleans, as well as a substantial volume of our agricultural products, manufacturered goods, chemicals and other major exports. With the Port out of action, farmers across the midwest will have no place to ship their harvest. The price paid to them will drop as grain elevators across the country have no place to store the fall harvest. Oil prices, already rising at a stunning clip, will doubtlessly go higher. Quite simply, every day that the rail lines, barge traffic and highways are brought to a halt by high water and a Port of New Orleans out of action, millions, if not billions of dollars will be lost every day. Suddenly, our grocery shelves will be thinner, and the prices we pay much higher. The impact on the economy in the coming months could be noticeable.

The long term impact of Katrina will be felt for years to come. With New Orleans under water perhaps for months, much of the city will be condemmed and bulldozed. Thousands of people have been dispersed, and many will never return. New Orleans will likely rise again, but not as we know or knew it. Many businesses will never return. For that matter, many businesses have been destroyed. Insurers will shoulder what will be the greatest single disaster loss in the industry's history, far worse than Hurricane Andrew. It will mean that each of us pay higher insurance premiums on our homes, as insurers who covered the damaged area will call on reinsurance to cover them. And each of us pay the tab for reinsurance. Despite that, many insurance carriers may experience losses that could render them insolvent. And too, banks covering mortgages on thousands of homes and commercial properties could be made insolvent by this disaster.

What matters now is that we act. What matters is that we learn from this tragic disaster. We're not even through the hurricane season yet. There is much for all of us to do to to right the wrongs and to deal with a disaster that will take years, if not decades, to repair. This is something we cannot handle with the tepid measured response we have shown so far. We have to respond like the US did in the wake of Pearl Harbor, or how the British did following the World War II blitz. An entire region, not just New Orleans, has been destroyed. Recriminations and finger pointing aside (something we seem to do better than anything else, especially more than planning for disasters and preparing for them), how we respond will be how history measures us. If we return to business as usual, we will be in denial. This will be the greatest test of many years. I can only hope that we respond in a way that makes us proud. And the cost on the US government to pay out disaster relief will be staggering. The economy will surely feel the impact of Katrina. And it won't be pretty.

What matters now is that we act. What matters is that we learn from this tragic disaster. We're not even through the hurricane season yet. There is much for all of us to do to to right the wrongs and to deal with a disaster that will take years, if not decades, to repair. This is something we cannot handle with the tepid measured response we have shown so far. We have to respond like the US did in the wake of Pearl Harbor, or how the British did following the World War II blitz. An entire region, not just New Orleans, has been destroyed. Recriminations and finger pointing aside (something we seem to do better than anything else, especially more than planning for disasters and preparing for them), how we respond will be how history measures us. If we return to business as usual, we will be in denial. This will be the greatest test of many years. I can only hope that we respond in a way that makes us proud.

2005-07-07T09:25:00.000-07:00

London, July 7, 2005

I will be curious to see the reaction by both the British government and the people of Great Britain to today's multiple bombing attacks by Al Qaida terrorists. Despite obvious radicalism and hatred by Islamic militants in London for many years, the British government has taken a surprisingly light hand in containing, if not combating them. In the mind of a terrorist, conciliation is merely a sign of weakness. What transpired today may finally change that. And not a moment too soon.

I'm curious too, to see whether there will be any kind of ad hoc response by the British people against the terrorists and militants in their midst. There is a concerted move to spread radical Islam in the west. At what point will people draw a line to allowing this to flourish?

Al Qaida terrorists have claimed responsibility for the London blasts on an Islamic website and said that "Britain is burning with fear".

Below is a set of quotations from a posting today on an Al Qaida Web site that shows just how twisted their minds are:

"The heroic mujahidin have carried out a blessed raid in London."

It continued: "Britain is now burning with fear, terror and panic in its northern, southern, eastern, and western quarters."

The message went on: "In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate, may peace be upon the cheerful one and the dauntless fighter, Prophet Muhammad, God's peace be upon him.

"O nation of Islam and nation of Arabism: Rejoice for it is time to take revenge from the British Zionist Crusader Government in retaliation for the massacres Britain is committing in Iraq and Afghanistan."

What a crock.

If they really believe that God is so peaceful and merciful, why did they wantonly kill over 40 innocent people? That's not jihad. It's cowardice.

I'm still scratching my head to comprehend the capitulation by the people of Spain in reaction to the horrible terrorist attacks that took place there. It made me wonder if we may see a reaction of a different sort in London to the rise of radical Islam in a city with a large Muslim population.

Time will tell.

2005-02-01T09:05:00.000-08:00

Somewhere, an accountant must be laughing

I read recently that Interstate Bakeries, the parent company of snack food manufacturer Hostess, recently filed for bankruptcy. Then, I heard this morning that the Hostess Twinkie consists of 68 percent air. Perhaps this finally dawned on the consumer.

2005-02-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

No respect

I heard a news report this morning that a CNN staffer called the agent of the late great Rodney Dangerfield, to ask for Mr. Dangerfield's thoughts on the recent passing of Tonight Show host Johnny Carson. Noting how clueless CNN was, Mr. Dangerfield's agent replied, "If you know how to channel Rodney to get his comments, great. There's just one problem: he died last year, you idiot!"

Knowing CNN, I'm not surprised.

2004-12-30T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Tsunami: Close-up

For the past couple of days, I’ve been trying to get a better understanding and visualization of the immensity of the recent Indian Ocean tsunami. Last night, I discovered two new Web sites that have links to videos and photos that put you in the middle of the maelstrom. The videos are riveting, not because you see death, but because you are put in the middle of the event. No news organization has presented this in such clear terms. If you wanted to understand the magnitude of this disaster as a basis for charitable contributions, this is perhaps the best way to understand what it was like. (My apologies to those of you who may have already seen some of these.)

You can see videos and photos here:

Cheese and Crackers Blog

Wizbang Blog

Photo sequnce of the tsunami impact

Wikipedia has a very good description of what happened here

You can donate to help the victims of this disaster through the following Web sites:

Wikipedia Donation Site

Apple Computer Home Page (has links to many charitable organizations)

Amazon.com

Thanks for your help!

2004-12-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

What could be

Given the tremendous loss of life from the Indian Ocean tsunami, we might want to consider a future catastrophic threat to American continent's eastern coastline the Carribbean islands posed by the possible collapse of the southern flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands.

The collapse of the western flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, on the southern half of La Palma, is not going to happen tomorrow or next week. What scientists are predicting is that the collapse is likely to happen any time within the next few thousand years. Scientists have discovered that La Palma will collapse at the time of some future volcanic eruption on the summit of the Cumbre Vieja volcano. Eruptions on the summit occur on average every 200 years or so. The last summit eruption was in 1949, so it may be many decades before the next summit eruption takes place.

Furthermore, the collapse will not necessarily happen during the next summit eruption. It may well take five, ten or more summit eruptions before the collapse occurs. But scientists simply do not know how many eruptions it will take. What we do know is that this would be big. Really big. If you live on the US east coast or in the Carribbean, it's not a comforthing thought.

The western flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano would slide down westwards into the Atlantic ocean. There would be very strong earthquakes across La Palma while the flank was sliding. As the flank slid into the sea, it would create a very large wave called a mega-tsunami. This wave would move rapidly westwards.

Most of the energy of the wave would head straight out across the Atlantic towards the United States, Bahamas and the Caribbean, but a smaller wave or waves would head in other directions too. All these waves would get smaller as they cross the Atlantic. However scientists believe that they could still be as much as 50 metres (150 feet) high, for example, when they reach the east coast of the United States. To provide some perspective, the Indian Ocean tsunami created waves as high as 10 meters (30 feet) in height.

Full information on La Palma can be seen on the BBC television Web site.

In the meantime, let's do what we can for people who, through no fault of their own, find themselves facing starvation, disease and homelessness resulting from the Indian Ocean Tsunami. You can find useful links to contribute money to aid agencies on the Apple Computer home page.

2004-12-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

Two companies that matter

It's fashionable to slam large successful companies these days. But you can tell a lot about a company by its home page. Given the enormous human tragedy resulting from the Indian Ocean tsunami, it’s interesting to contrast the company home pages of Apple Computer and Amazon.com with those of Microsoft and Dell.

Sometimes, being a successful company isn’t all about making money.

2004-12-23T13:29:00.000-08:00

Home for the Holidays (Mexican Style)

The New York Times (Note: Subscription required - you can bypass this on www.bugmenot.com) has an interesting article about the annual mass exodus of Mexican nationals, including millions of illegal aliens, from the United States back to Mexico this time of year. The article points out the problems that US immigration officials will face at the end of the holiday, as the massive flow of people turns back to America, and the problems that the Mexicans can expect as they return to their homeland.

Of interest is the outflow of stolen TVs and washing machines from the US to Mexico this time of year, and the huge surge in drug traffic to fill the appetites of Americans wanting to celebrate too much for their own good. It's sad that Christmas has come to this.

Considering all the problems we have along our borders, the article is required reading.

2004-12-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Highly recommended: Dyson Vacuum Cleaners

Normally, I'd never recommend a product that totally sucked. But in this case, I'm willing to make an exception, and without hesitation. If you haven't seen the ads and TV commercials yet for Dyson vacuum cleaners, the claims of company founder and chief innovator James Dyson are really true. Over the weekend, we had beautiful hard wood flooring installed in our home and the resulting amount of sawdust and dust made our newly improved home a mess. Our old vaccum was dying, and I knew we needed something new. So I splurged on a new Dyson DC-14 vacuum.

Within minutes of surprising my wife with our new toy, we were giving it a rough tryout on a pile of sawdust in tight corners and under furniture. Not only was the Dyson more than equal to the task, but it's much lighter and more quiet than the old machine it replaced. The real beauty of the Dyson is in its details. The fit and finish of every part, the logic with which all of its components work reflect a labor of love by a genius industrial designer.

Let's put it this way: if I were Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs, and I was in the market for a new vacuum, I know which one Steve, the control-freak-and-design-perfectionist that he is, would pick. Trust me: the Dyson is worth the money. In a world where we settle for the standard and try to get the cheapest item possible, you get what you pay for. And a few extra bucks shelled out on the Dyson will pay for itself in much better results and not having to buy another vacuum cleaner bag ever again.

Kudos, Mr. Dyson. Your invention really sucks. And in this case, it's the highest compliment I can give.

Oh, and one more recommendation: ifloor.com. If you are ever in the market for hardwood or composite flooring for your home (or, for that matter, tile or rugs), check them out. When we priced out flooring through a retailer, we gulped when we learned they wanted $8-10,000 for the job. But going through ifloor.com and finding a really good local flooring installer kept our project to $5,500. The site is a virtual encyclopaedia of all things flooring. If you spend time there, you'll learn about the pros and cons of the different types of wood and flooring materials in clear detail. Best of all, we saved a bundle from them because their shipping of several hundred pounds of kempas wood flooring was free and without sales tax. They delivered right to our door. Sweet.

ifloor.com sells mostly to flooring retailers, but increasingly to individual customers. By finding a really good flooring specialist, combined with the wealth of information from ifloor.com, we feel we received better service than the retail establishments were willing to give, and at a much lower price. Check them out!

2004-12-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

Oxymoron of the day

I got an industry trade publication in my in box today that proudly promoted an article whose title made me chuckle. It was about - get ready - a safety knife.

2004-11-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

It doesn't get any better than this

By the time you read this blog, the folks at Target might have pulled the Web page, but I spotted what has to be THE gift to give this holiday season. Check out the page from the Target Stores Web site here. At prices like these, how can you go wrong?

(If Target pulled the page by the time you see this blog, you can see a captured screen shot here.)

Happy Holidays!

2004-11-23T09:23:00.000-08:00

Day of the Dolphin

Reuters is carrying an amazing story of a group of swimmers off New Zealand who were protected by a pod of dolphins from an attack by a Great White Shark. It's required reading.

This is not the first time I've read of such heroic acts by dolphins toward humans. I have two cousins who were saved by dolphins when they were children. Swimming along the shore of Daytona Beach, Florida one day, they found themselves carried offshore by a strong undertow. They were only 6 and 8 years old, and started to panic at the realization that the undertow was stronger than their ability to fight it. Apparently, nobody saw them get carried away.

Suddenly, they found themselves surrounded by a pod of dolphins, who gently nudged them back to shore with their noses. Terrified, overwhelmed and amazed at what happened, it took some years for the two boys to talk about it. But the link was clear: dolphins understand that humans are mammals like them. And their intelligence is such that they knew the boys were in danger.

We have yet to understand the full intelligence of dolphins. They have greater cerebral capacity than humans. Dolphins can stun schools of fish with intense and complex noises they project from their brains as a means of catching their meals. But scientists suspect their highly complex sound waves are more than mere sound. In fact, some scientists believe that dolphins don't merely communicate with sound, but can also communicate - get ready - video. You read that right. Video. The closest equivalent that they can find to the highly complex wave activity between dolphins is a video transmission. Go figure.

Yet, dolphins are taken for granted. The Japanese hunt them down ruthlessly with boats projecting sonar waves, driving them to shore where hunters cut them open alive with knives. The US Navy continues ELF (Extremely Low Frequency) communications and high-power sonar experiments that continue to cause dolphin beachings, apparently because the deafening underwater noise created by the experiments bursts their ear drums. But hey, they're only fish, right?

Call me an animal rights activist, but I maintain that our arrogance to think of ourselves as the surpreme creatures on this Earth is the ultimate conceit. We are only fooling ourselves. While we think nothing of destroying our planet, a more intelligent species lives in peace, and often helps save lives.

It's the story like that which I read today that reminds me of how little we know.

2004-11-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

They're wrong this time

The New York Times has an interesting story titled Gates vs. Jobs: The Rematch. It discusses the new battlefront between Apple and Microsoft, pitting Apple's fabulous iPod versus Microsoft's Windows Media Center, and the two companies' respective music stores. It's a classic battle of the platforms.

But I see a flaw in the article, and with too many pundits' assertions of the eventual outcome. Conventional wisdom posits that the overwhelming platform dominance of Windows , combined with the fact that their Windows Media Player software is being used by a number of MP3 player manufacturers, means that the devices will eventually become a commodity, and Microsoft will run Apple off the road. Again.

This time might be different, however.

For one thing, Microsoft won the PC wars because their operating system became the standard for business. But when you're talking about music instead of operating systems, you can toss out that equation. Then there is the fact that the iPod works equally well on both Macs and PCs. In fact, iPod sales to PC users are at least as strong as they are to Mac users, if not more so, rendering the classic anti-Mac arguments to worthlessness. Then there is the little issue that despite all the efforts by Microsoft and its army of collaborating businesses, that they have failed to even dent Apple's iPod market share.

It might be time to look at this in a new way.

Microsoft is betting that a PC will be the centerpiece of every living room, and that the PC will become your TV. Steve Jobs thinks the opposite way, and believes that the TV is well refined. Why would you have to log into your TV? And looking at the Microsoft Portable Media Player, why would anyone want to lug around a player too big to fit in your pocket, and too small to really see the action? I think Mr. Jobs is on to something.

At the end of the day, in the Microsoft world, everything revolves around defending the franchise of Windows. That might explain why Microsoft's forays into other markets, from Microsoft Bob, to Sidewalk, to Expedia, even MSN, have not been really profitable. It's not to say that Microsoft isn't a successful company; only a fool would claim otherwise. But when large corporations veer too far from what they're good at, it usually shows.

I'd love to fast-forward a year or two from now. Microsoft has the most formidable PR machine in business today. They can crush rivals merely with a press release announcement about vaporware. But sometimes, all their hype falls flat. And in this case, despite the assertions of the New York Times article, the outcome is hardly a sure thing for Bill Gates. For someone who has spent much of his adult life defying gravity in some respects, he might find that physics are inevitable.

2004-11-14T08:17:00.000-08:00

My worst nightmare

For all our mania to protect the US from another devastating al Queda attack, what I cannot understand is our complete reticence to defend our borders with Canada and especially Mexico. If you live in California, like I do, you may share my frustration with the literal invasion from the south. Please let me make this clear: I'm not prejudiced against latinos. But I am deeply concerned with the complacency by the federal government (and that means both Republican and Democratic politicians alike, including the Bush administration) to let millions of illegal aliens continue to stream into the US. It not only saps our economy and makes a mockery of our laws, it poses a much more dangerous problem: nuclear terrorism.

Want proof? Then you'll want to read a chilling story in Time Magazine about new accounts from al-Qaeda to attack the U.S. with weapons of mass destruction, by smuggling a nuclear weapon into the United States via the porous Mexican border. Intelligence from captured al-Qaeda operatives show that this is a key objective of Osama bin Laden. I also read an account that the CIA found that bin Laden had sought, and received, blessing by Islamic religious authorities to use nuclear weapons against America.

When are we going to wake up? After it's too late? Our borders are poorly defended. A dark future is inevitable only if we allow it to be. And seemingly opposing forces, from Mexican la Mecha extremists, to laissez-faire liberals, all the way to Wall Street big business interests on the other end of the spectrum, are influencing the government to do little or nothing. I pray we can thwart a nightmare. But if we fail, we may be as much to blame in some respects for our own selfishness as the unthinkably evil muslim extremists who are trying as I write this to make such a nightmare a reality.

I do hope I'm wrong.

2004-11-14T07:58:00.000-08:00

The Presinator

Arnold Schwarzenegger in Tokyo (Courtesy msnbc.com)

MSNBC is running a story of a new ad campaign seeking support to change the US Constitution to allow a foreign born, naturalized US citizen to run for president. It's being paid for by a group of supporters of California Govenator Arnold Schwarzenegger, and frankly, the thought has my attention. Positively.

After the recent election, I sat back and thought, "is this the best we can do?" If you're reading this, you were probably passionate about the election one way or another, but I was frankly disappointed in both candidates. We live in too important a time to settle for mediocrity and tired ideas. Frankly, I find the Democrats have veered way too far to the left, and conversely, the Republicans have drifted way too far to the right. For someone in the middle, it's a pretty lonely place to be.

Enter Arnold. He has qualities and beliefs sure to piss off both parties. And that's exactly why I like him. I like this idea because both the parties are so bound by their respective dogmas and hardened beliefs that I feel they're both out of touch with reality. If the presidency is the next job to get outsourced to a foreigner, it's one job I'll bless.

Time will tell.

2004-11-13T15:00:00.000-08:00

First Light

The US Air Force announced a successful first test of an airborne-based chemical laser designed to destroy enemy missiles carrying nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. There's a long way to go, as the challenges to making this work are immense. But I have a hunch Boeing and others working on this will be successful. And knowing what the North Koreans are up to, this development makes me sleep a bit better.

2004-11-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

Arafat: A perspective

Yassir, I gotta say this: Arafat is dead. Finally. I should never dance on someone's grave, but I feel no pity for anyone who brutally killed thousands of innocent men, women and children in the name of his goal. Yassir was an odd mix of terrorism and diplomacy, a life led in which the ends (an unquenchable thirst for a Palestinian homeland) justified his often brutal means.

There were times when he showed contrition, as he did immediately after September 11. But Yassir Arafat was also the force behind the Munich Olympics killings, a mass killing of schoolchildren and countless other wanton murders. Is this the way to create a legitimate nation? When I think back about Yassir Arafat, I will remember him as the father of modern terrorism as we know it. Nothing more, nothing less. And for all the defiance he showed, in the end, the Palestinian people gained little. Disagreeable though I have often found them, they do deserve a better fate.

My only hope, and sadly one that I doubt that I will ever experience in my lifetime, is to see the people of Israel and Palestine finally make amends, and realize that fighting and seeking an eye for an eye will never accomplish anything. But that is an argument I will never win. You cannot change people who don't want to change. Trust is the last thing on their minds.

What scares me is that a year from now, many of us might think nostalgically about Mr. Arafat. Although the immediate leaders of Palestine appear to be more moderate, I'm afraid they may soon be pushed out of the way, and violently. Much more radical groups will no doubt vie for power. I do hope I am wrong.

To give you some perspective on Arafat, look at the following articles. A scathing post-mortem on Arafat from Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe is required reading. It contrasts with the politically correct and ever-clueless statements by former President Jimmy Carter. Here's a link to a story on the chaotic funeral on the West Bank. The crazed behavior of the mob did little to support their quest for statehood.

Finally, I offer you an article about Arafat's widow Suha Arafat, and the deal she pulled to take in a paltry $22 Million per year to help her live happily ever after in Paris. It supports what I suspected: that they pulled the plug on Arafat's life support about 5 seconds after she cut a deal for the money. Can you feel the love?

2004-11-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

You can pick your friends but...

I'm not sure about you, but I always think it's great to get a cheap laugh at Bill Gates' expense. Take for example, the announcement of Microsoft's new search engine, Microsoft Nose Picker. I'm not making this up. Czech it out for yourself here.

You can't make up stuff this good. It's got to happen on its own.

2004-11-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

Too cool

I highly recommed that you visit 10 X 10, one of the best new Web sites I've seen in quite some time. Brilliant in its simplity, profound in its genius, 10 X 10 provides a digest of the day's news from around the world in a revolutionary new way. You'll need Macromedia's Flash plug-in for your Web browser. Then, sit back and prepare to be amazed. It's really that good.

You can find out more about 10 X 10 here. Then, go here and start rolling your mouse over the words and pictures. You'll get what it's all about in no time.

Amazing.

2004-11-08T22:01:00.000-08:00

They deserve each other

The Yasser Arafat death watch continues. And like his life, it is full of contradictions, betrayal, deception, lies and hidden agendas. Like where is Arafat's $ billions, for example. His lingering death may have more to do with intermural bickering and rivalries and the search for his Swiss bank accounts than the end of days for the Palistinian leader.

For some insight on the murky, confusing reports swirling around Arafat, I recommend an excellent New York Times article, Palestinian Aides Try to Unravel Mystery of Arafat's Condition. It shows the rivalry between Suha Arafat, Yasser's wife (who had not seen him for over three years) and his political heirs. From what I can tell, they're both wrong. Each side wants to control the fate of Yasser Arafat, and neither side wants to provide sympathy or condolences.

It's a fitting fate for a man who spent his life as a terrorist, killing countless of innocent people, and betraying his own people time and time again by snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Sad. In a region where futility and bloodshed is the order of the day, where hatred is so ancient that perhaps no one really knows why they are fighting themselves and each other, I really wonder if peace is truly an objective. I will never understand a people who are content to argue over anything, including the color of the sky.

Such is the legacy of Yasser Arafat. It is perhaps fitting that his end is this way.

2004-10-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

You broke it! You pay for it!

There are mistakes and then there are mistakes. Check out this link (and be sure to scroll down for the photos) for a really, really, really boneheaded screw-up. There are just some guys who never should swim in the gene pool...

2004-10-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you won. Now what?

Admit it: sometime in your life, you've fantasized about winning the lottery. Schmucks like us (and that includes me) have wondered what it would be like to suddenly be $20, $30, even $100 million richer in the blink of an eye. If that should ever happen to you, remember this link. It's to an article that provides sound advice on what to do if you won. Otherwise, your life could end up like this guy.

2004-10-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

Eye Candy

I came across a Web site from Hungary with stunning photos of nature. It's definitely worth a visit.

2004-10-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

Think Big

You gotta hand it to Burt Rutan, the genius creator of SpaceShipOne, which recently became the first privately-built spacecraft and won the Ansari X-Prize. He makes coloring outside the lines a daily routine. While flush with success, he's only picking up his pace. His next stop: an orbital space vehicle.

In a very interesting article on msnbc.com, Rutan is already thinking of what will be:

“I predict in five or six years, the average kid is no longer just hoping and dreaming that he’ll go to space. He knows he will. He’ll at least take one of these suborbital flights that are flying every other day or every day here at Mojave.”

While initially expensive, flights into space will drop in price over time.

“I predict that within 10 years from now, maybe 12 years, kids will know that they will go to orbit in their lifetime. They will know they will … not just dream and hope.”

Turning his attention to the larger aerospace firms like Boeing and Lockheed Martin that offer pricey lines of boosters, Rutan offers free advice.

“They are thinking SpaceShipOne is a toy. That assumption is akin to the mentality of IBM in 1975. At that time, they believed people weren’t going to have cheap computers. Computers were mainframes, and they had to be complex and very specialized."

That was the view of IBM, he pointed out.

“IBM didn’t know in 1975 that they were going to build $700 computers for people and that they were going to build them by the tens of thousands. But then came Apple,and they had to.”

That being the case, Rutan made another prediction:

“Lockheed and Boeing will be making very low-cost access to space hardware within 20 years. They just don’t know it yet…because they’re going to have to.”

That's thinking big. It's why Burt Rutan is so essential: he sees what the rest of us cannot or don't dare to. Reach for the stars, Burt. Reach for the stars.

2004-10-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

The end of the world is coming soon!

At least I'm pretty sure. I've been keeping an eye on Mt. St. Hellens via a Webcam, and came across this photo of a giant mutant fly from Hell.

Now, you're probably telling yourself, "What a bozo - it's just a damned fly on the lens."

Right. You can't fool me. That fly is actually 3,000 feet long and came directly from the depths of Hell via Mt. St. Helens. Think about it for a second. If he starts multiplying, we're finished! Finished I say! We gotta get our hands around this problem and pronto! If we can't fashion a giant fly swatter or nuke 'em, it could get ugly. I mean real ugly.

Got Raid?

2004-10-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

Smells like Monster Mash

Just in time for Halloween, some clever souls have created Smells Like Monster Mash, a mash MP3 tune mixing Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit with Bobby Boris Pickett's Monster Mash. You can download the whole set, along with CD cover art, here.

Is this a great world or what?

2004-10-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Live from Camp Cupcake

It had to happen. Someone by the name of Martha has started a blog on her experiences living at Camp Cupcake, the women's Federal prison that's the new home of home makeover maven Martha Stewart.

Do you think she'll publish a recipe for that delicious file cake or hacksaw bread?

2004-10-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

Spam I actually like

Leave it to the people at snopes.com to find spam that was actually worth reading. Snopes, the great debunker of Internet myths and urban legends, posted Son of Spam, a humorous poke at the Nigerian scam spam emails composed of a greatest hits of all the junk that crowds our email inboxes. Composed of everything from penis enlargement offers to software for harvesting email addresses and everything in between, Son of Spam is hilarious.

Thank God there are some smart people with too much time on their hands. It's a must-read.

2004-10-12T17:30:00.000-07:00

God vs. the Supreme Court

I couldn't help but notice that the Supreme Court is reviewing the Ten Commandments. Okay, not exactly. They're actually reviewing the legality of having the Ten Commandments displayed on government land and buildings. But I couldn't help but to find the humor in it. Imagine if you will, the Supreme Court overruling God and striking down the Ten Commandments. I don't know about you, but things might get a bit ugly. You just don't want to piss off God. You never know what she might do.

2004-09-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

The China Syndrome

If you've read some of my recent blogs, you know my interest in the potential of hydrogen power from fuel cells. The trick is how to obtain hydrogen easily. Yes, we can extract hydrogen from the hydrocarbons inherent in petroleum, but that doesn't solve the long term problem. With heavily populated countries like India and China showing a rapidly growing demand for oil, the inevitable result will be higher prices and increased international tensions that could result. Add to that the fact that by remaining dependent on oil, we are increasingly beholden to the oil rich but politically and culturally dangerous Middle East. And as long as we continue to do so, we invite danger to our society.

Just think two words: Al-Queda.

In a previous blog, I proposed a competition similar to the Ansari X Prize, which offers a large reward for the first group to make two successful suborbital flights in less than two weeks. In this case, I proposed that a wealthy philanthopher or the US Government put up a huge prize for the first person, organization or company to offer a breakthrough in extracting hydrogen from water cheaply and safely. I'm no physicist or chemist, although I play one on television. And sadly, many more knowledgeable but pessimistic people than me throw, um, water on my naive notion that cheap and easy hydrogen extraction is possible without a source of tremendous heat and energy. They claim it's simply not practical, as the amount of energy involved exceeds the potential energy inherent in a calorie of hydrogen energy. In short, fuggedaboudit.

Enter the Chinese.

In a fascinating article in Wired Magazine, Let a Thousand Reactors Bloom, journalist Spencer Reiss visited what Chinese nuclear scientists are doing to create safe nuclear energy using a pebble bed reactor design.

Did I say nuclear energy?

You heard me. Mr. "No More Chernobyls!" himself is considering support of a new type of reactor design. Why? Because by design a pebble bed reactor cannot melt down. If you look at the article I've linked above, you'll see why. Instead of using white hot nuclear fuel rods immersed in highly corrosive, boiling hot, radioactive water, a pebble bed reactor uses thousands of billiard ball-sized balls of low-density uranium flecks encased in a carbon and silicon buffer. The balls are designed to last over one million years. And instead of circulating superheated water that can become corrosive and radioactive, a pebble bed reactor circulates inert helium gas, which can neither corrode the reactor vessel nor the pipes leading to the power generation turbines.

China is rapidly industrializing, and as it does, the demand for energy is skyrocketing. In response, the Chinese government is proposing building over 200 full-scale nuclear plants, with the goal of producing over 300 gigawatts of power. That's almost as much as all the nuclear power produced worldwide. They know that their society and economy cannot grow without an affordable source of power, and they can't do so if power would come from petroleum alone.

So where does hydrogen figure into all this?

Here's where it gets interesting. The helium gas that channels the heat energy from a pebble bed nuclear reactor carries a tremendous amount of heat. And extracting hydrogen from water takes exactly that - up to 1,000 degrees celsius. That's exactly what a pebble bed reactor can do. To some scientists, pebble bed reactor technology holds the promise of safe nuclear energy (the low-density uranium concentrations means they cannot give off plutomium, or have the potential of a nuclear meltdown). And its high heat production, according to Sandia National Laboratories, believe that the efficiency to extract hydrogen from water from this method could exceed 60 percent.

Finally, we might have a way to produce environmentally safe nuclear power, and in the process, have way to cheaply provide hydrogen fuel for fuel cell power. I dream of a day when we won't have to be dependent on a politically unstable and unfriendly Middle East for our power, when my car doesn't pollute, and when our energy comes from water and the sun, not from oil. I never imagined that some of the most progressive ideas might come from China, of all places. But they are taking a fresh look at how to solve energy problems. It's time we think the same way.

2004-08-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

Red vs. Blue

Have you ever wondered what lurks inside the brain of a Democrat or Republican? Or why we take one point of view or another? It may have much to do with biology as much as ideology. Slashdot has a lively debate brewing about a New York Times article (registration required) on the subject. It makes very lively reading. Finally, you can analyze the biological factors behind why someone is a liberal or a conservative.

Gentlemen, start your arguments.

2004-08-23T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Earth at night

If in case you haven't seen it, NASA published a stunning composite image of the Earth as seen from space at night. If ever there was a signal to intelligent life that we exist, this would be it. You can see the image here. For a more detailed look, click here.

Good night!

2004-08-20T08:52:00.000-07:00

Wild, wild life

This one made my day: a news article on the MSNBC Web site titled, Bear downs 36 beers, passes out at campground. I love stuff like this. I've always been a huge supporter of the right to arm bears, and now I can support the right of bears to party.

The cool part of this article is that the bear in question had a choice between Busch and Ranier beer. After downing one Busch, the bear quickly decided he preferred Ranier and left the other cans of Busch untouched. I can't wait to see what Pabst Brewing Company, owners of the Ranier Beer brand, will do with this in their commercials. And the folks at Bear Whiz are gonna have a field day with this one. But thinking back to the bear, can you blame him?

2004-08-20T08:37:00.000-07:00

A threat from within?

I read a long, very disturbing but quite well written article from The Washington Post about the potential threat by Islamic extremists to spread the Wahabi sect teachings at a growing number of mosques across the United States. The article, titled The Saudi export of strict Islam raises suspicions, details the efforts by the Saudi Royal Family and the Saudi government to spread the teachings of Islam worldwide.

That by itself is not a bad thing. But the core of the Saudi Royal Family originated from a region of Saudi Arabia that follows Wahabism, perhaps the most strict interpretation of Islam. In the Wahabi view, women should be segregated and veiled, and non-believers considered infidels, a sin that only can be satisfied by death. Even other Muslims who do not hold the same level of intensity should be shunned.

In the United States, we believe strongly in freedom of religion. This is an important part of the rights we enjoy, and one of the reasons why the United States fought for its independence. I believe that people should have the freedom to follow their own religion. But what I find disturbing, as this article carefully suggests, is that the evangelism efforts of the Saudi government have been corrupted by a number of Islamic extremists, many found to be followers or supporters of al Queda. In essense, the article infers that Islamic radicals are using our religious tolerance and Saudi funding to quietly spread radical Islamic thoughts in the United States.

It is one thing to spread a religion, but quite another to use the name of religion to sow the seeds of terrorism. We are very much within our right to protect our safety from those who wish to bring us harm. But where it gets interesting is separating the good from the bad. To impose restrictions on religious freedom would challenge one of our most honored rights as American citizens. But that does not and should not prevent us from defending ourselves from people who would do us harm by using our religious freedom and tolerance against us.

Read the article and make your own judgment. It's one of the most important articles I have read in quite some time.

2004-08-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

Google's Big Day

Here's a link to some interesting charts that illustrate the impact of today's IPO of Google. If you are Google founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin, you won't be hurting for your next meal. See the charts here for more details.

2004-08-06T18:57:00.000-07:00

Look! Up in the sky!

I have a great reason for going out at night this month. It's time for the annual Tears of St. Lawrence, better known as the Perseid meteor shower. And over the next couple of weeks, typically from the 8th to the 14th of August, if you look to the northeast at night, you'll be greeted with quite a show.

The best bet is to not just walk out into your back yard, but to pack the family and friends into the car and get away from city lights. And the Tears of St. Lawrence? Click on the link above to get the full story.

2004-08-06T18:49:00.000-07:00

Rock on

Leave it to Miami Herald humor columnist Dave Barry to consistently come up with great stuff. His latest column, When in doubt, just play an E chord, is typical of his over-the-top insight. I'm always ranting on something here, so it's great to share something nonsensical for once. Enjoy.

2004-08-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

Give Arnold a chance

Yesterday, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger formally unveiled The California Performance Review, his plan to "blow up the boxes" of state government in a 2,500-page report that seeks to save $32 billion by streamlining bureaucratic agencies, eliminating more than 100 boards and commissions and overhauling state business practices.

Left-leaning Democrats like State Senate President Pro Tem John Burton wasted no time spewing FUD about something he had likely not even read, dissing it by saying, "They are clearly biting off more than anyone can chew."

If you're one of the recipients of the Gray Davis gravy train of political gifts to unions and special interests, you should be threatened, as what Arnold is trying to do is smash the status quo. It's ironic that the liberals running the state legislature are so threatened by the proposed changes, as they love to bill themselves at the party of change. In this case, it is the Democrats who are behind the ball. Being skeptical won't accomplish anything. In fact, it will only make things worse.

Is the Prescription for Change perfect? It's too early to tell. But then, no plan ever is. Yet, the Governor is leading by example, and challenging the politicians in Sacramento to take part in changing California for the better or get run over. And clearly, California government needs an overhaul. And the Governor is showing he can lead by taking bold initiative.

For example, ore than half of the savings would be extracted from the way state government operates - ranging from changes in how airline tickets are reserved for state workers to making better use of the Internet as a means of improving customer service. The proposal also attempts to consolidate many of the state's computers and communications functions to avoid duplication and take advantage of outside contracts to squeeze savings out of the state budget. It would mean consolidating a number of departments and agencies. Jobs would be cut. Things would change. State employees would be forced to be accountable for their actions, something that we in the private sector live with daily. And (gasp!) public employees would have to embrace the concept of customer service.

As a taxpayer, I expect no less. That it took the action of the California Performance Review to prompt this debate is sad, as the Democratic led state legislature has failed the people of California.

I doubt that the plan is perfect. It concentrates much of the power of many agencies under the Governor's office, and that is something with long-term implications. But my initial reading greatly impressed me with the insight and fresh ideas that we never see come from Sacramento. It's about time.

This is but the opening shot in what will be a huge political battle. But I hope that for the first time, people in the state capitol will be forced to think about the state and its people in a new way. Right or wrong, I applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for thinking different and starting a debate on how the government of California can run itself effectively, instead of being the land of backroom deals and entitlement.

If you are a resident of California, I urge you to get involved. Visit the Web site of the California Performance Review and read the report. Let your thoughts be heard. This is an important time, and a great time to make a change for the better.

2004-08-04T19:04:00.000-07:00

Please guys, cut the political BS

By now, you've probably read the stories on new warnings of possible future terrorist attacks on America, specifically important financial sites such as the New York Stock Exchange or the World Bank. That a combination of the Pakistani and U.S. military and intelligence services have recently been able to capture important al-Quaida operatives and retrieve a wealth of documents from their computers is crucial. But to hear politicians and pundits dismiss the recent security clampdowns in Washington and New York as unnecessary because much of the intelligence was supposedly old is patently ridiculous at best.

The New York Times published a very good story on this. It points out that new intelligence from other sources backs up what was originally discovered, and supports the need for heightened security at important financial locations in New York, New Jersey and Washington. What upsets me is that some critics of this are trying to use it for political gain, and are casting FUD on the extra security precautions as being politically motivated.

While Department of Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge was a Republican appointee, I think he made it clear that his motivations are anything but political. When people's lives are at stake, when important institutions are threatened, that potentially hurts all Americans. I believe him when he expressed concerns with the threats. And so should the Democrats, pundits, journalists and other critics of the recent heightened security.

I am reminded of the criticism and pressure that NASA endured prior to the tragic launch of the Challenger space shuttle. In the days before the ill-fated launch, conditions at Cape Canaveral were unsuitable. The weather was unusually cold, with freezing temperatures. NASA officials tried to make that clear. Yet, the journalists peppered NASA with pointed questions on when the launch would take place. I believe that NASA launched Challenger in colder weather than should have been allowed, in no small part because of the pressure put to bear by journalists.

That's not to say that NASA was without blame. Anything but. Tragically, the facts bear this out. Yet the pundits and journalists pressured NASA to make a bad decision. But these same people feel no sense of guilt.

Cut to today. The intelligence community has fresh and solid evidence of terrorist plans in an advanced stage. While no one can say when the terrorist strike is planned, it's obvious that something may be afoot. That the White House went public on this is, in my opinion, a good thing, as it makes clear that al-Qaida's cover was blown, and the advantage of surprise may be lost. While that's good for some political points, to focus on this is trivial. What is important, and is something Mr. Kerry and the Democrats should acknowledge, is that the security of the United States is in everyone's interest. And the subject of a strong terrorist threat should stand above politics.

When our safety is at stake, I don't want my security put in play for some candidate's political gain, regardless of what party they're for. Our security is more important than politics. I hope those entrusted to be leaders clearly understand that.

2004-07-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

Bah-doom

The wags are at it again. This week's Democratic National Convention is providing a trove of drivel for comedians, for whom the political conventions offer an endless trove of source material. You can find the best bits here. Some of my favorites (drum roll please):

John Edwards gave his speech the other night. He was so good, when he finished, the delegates awarded him $80 million plus punitive damages.

Did you all see Hillary Clinton introduce Bill the other night? It was like the party faithful introducing the party unfaithful.

President Clinton spoke the other night but he did not give the keynote address. Although I do understand he did give a key, a note, and his address to a waitress who was working the concessions stand.

Talking about the incident today, John Kerry would never criticize his wife. When reporters asked why, he said he had over a billion reasons.

Dennis Kucinich also spoke. The side effects of watching him included drowsiness, headache and sexual dysfunction.

Is this a great country or what?

2004-07-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

Heavy Metal for half off

.

A friend turned me on to a good one. Part of the fun of rock 'n roll is not taking anything seriously. So it is with Mini Kiss, a Kiss tribute band, doing a karaoke version of the real thing. The hook: they're midgets.

Yeah, I know. It's sick. But ya gotta love it.

And speaking of tribute bands, my personal favorite is Dread Zeppelin, a Led Zeppelin knock-off. Their music is really very good, as you can tell they're strong rock musicians. Except for one thing: they do Zep in reggae style. Oh, and their lead singer is an Elvis impersonator. Deal with it, okay? Actually, strange though it may sound, the result is hysterically funny and completely entertaining.

I don't know about you, but I sleep better at night knowing that guys like these are out there. In the sick, twisted world we live in, it helps me understand it better.

2004-07-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Terror in the skies again?

I just read a chilling article by a woman who experienced what may have been a dry run to check security and determine the feasibility of assembling a bomb on a commercial airliner by a group of Syrian men aboard domestic flight. Terror in the Skies Again by journalist Annie Jacobsen will open your eyes. Apparently, her experience was not unique. I can only hope that the Department of Homeland Security takes this seriously.

2004-07-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Some good ones for you

The Winnebago Man: This one is a total gem. Somebody got a hold of outtakes from a Winnebago Motor Home commercial sales video and edited it into a Quicktime movie. Let's just say that the corporate spokesperson has, um, issues. Be sure the kiddies aren't around when you watch this (salty language alert) but it is hysterically funny. You can watch the movie here. Enjoy.

BlondeStar: If you love those GM OnStar commercials, then this spoof is for you. It's an MP3 audio file that you can listen to here. I mean, ya know, it's like, oh my God!

Enjoy.

2004-07-20T13:18:00.000-07:00

An open letter to Bill Gates and Warren Buffett

Dear Bill and Warren,

If my figures are correct, you are the two wealthiest men in the world. Your success is undeniable. Your power and influence immense. But with such rewards come responsibilities. While no man, no matter how wealthy, can save the world, you have in your possession the ability to be of profound influence and good will. And no doubt, you're hit on by people from all over for a handout. It's little surprise then, that you have to build a wall around your private lives.

I'm not writing because I want a handout. Anything but. I'm writing you instead to pose a challenge. A $1 Billion challenge. I dare you to open your wallets, each to the tune of $500 Million, and put forward a pot of $1 Billion for the benefit of the world.

What I have in mind is that the proceeds of your generousity would go toward a large prize, a winner-take-all competition. Similar to the space race in the 1960s or the race to win the Ansari X-Prize competition put forward by Peter Diamandis, I propose that you combine forces to create a competition to develop an economical Hydrogen separation process to create a clean, efficient source of fuel. From water.

However tricky it may be, extracting hydrogen from a hydrocarbon-rich source such as petroleum is a relative walk in the park compared to extracting hydrogen from water. Physicists will argue that splitting water molocules wastes more energy can can be yielded. But noble minds once argued that the world was flat, and that man would never fly. These arguments don't hold much currency today.

Guys, we have to do something. So long as modern society is dependent on oil, bad things will happen. Worldwide demand for oil is growing rapidly, as countries like China and India grow their economies and naturally seek to modernize their societies. Demand, as you know, drives up prices. And wars have been fought over limited resources. Looking at our national interest, the more beholden the U.S. becomes on oil, the less we are in control of our destiny. And you know who has the largest supply of oil in the world, and the geopolitics behind that. So long as we are dependent on the Middle East for oil, our security is anything but secure.

Our best estimate on the worldwide supply of oil is that supplies are finite and dwindling rapidly. The clock is running. Pollution levels worldwide are rising. We're not sure of whether our climate is heating up or cooling down, but we are sure that pollution is dramatically impacting the world's environment. In short, something must be done.

The upside: water is as plentiful as anything on the planet. So is solar energy. Wouldn't it be nice if someone could figure out how to harness this? Of course we have solar cells, but they could be much more efficient. Here in southern California, the sun shines non-stop. But when you look around, you rarely see solar cells. Why? Efficiency, and the financial incentives to do so. If we could obtain our power from water, wind and sun, the benefits would be incredible. But we have to make it happen.

Of course, we've been saying this for decades. I believe the greatest potential source of global warming is from the hot air spewed by politicians paying lip service to the problem, but without the intestinal fortitude to do anyting about it. Maybe it's time for the private sector to step up and let innovation lead the way. It's time for the two of you to join forces and show leadership on an order that could change the world for the better.

Which brings us to the little issue of money. $1 Billion would catch just about anyone's eye. From a kid with an imagination, to a scientist to a large corporation. It does not matter. The day of the internal combustion engine will eventually come to an end. We are seeing advances in the development of nascent fuel cells as a form of energy generation, with the potential to be used in cars, homes, offices, factories, even PCs. But the day when fuel cells become both practical and pervasive is simply too far off. We need to jump start this. A Manhattan Project or Apollo Space Program of sorts. It will take bold thinking, great leadership and the willingness to provide a prize so large that imaginations worldwide would be harnessed.

Yes, I know. $1 Billion is a lot. Even for you. But think of the benefits. What is the national debt we incur each year because of our imports of oil? How much do we spend to fight pollution from oil and gas? What is the cost of healthcare arising from the effects of pollution? What problems do we invite from terrorism simply because of our dependence on oil? What future global political problems could arise over competition for increasingly scarce oil? I'm just getting started. And what would be the degree of savings we could incur from preventing this? What would be the benefit to society for starting an entirely new industry? What is the price of a life saved? What value would you put to making our nation more secure?

This is a challenge too great to ignore, a prize too large to pass by. Guys, you can't take it with you. So let your legacy be one that eclipses the manner in which you became financial superstars. Let the memory of your lives be one in which you changed the world - again. Let this be your greatest triumph. But please do this. Before it's too late.

2004-07-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

I don't believe a word

It's not easy being Lance Armstrong. I can't imagine being a cancer survivor, let alone trying to win your sixth straight Tour de France. On top of the pressures that go with this and being one of the most famous athletes in the world, Armstrong has recently had to defend himself against allegations that he has used performance enhancing drugs as his competitive edge to win.

I don't believe it. Not a word.

Yes, bicycle racing has been rife with abuse of performance enhancing drugs. It has been for years. The late five time Tour winner Jacques Anqutuil was open about his use of drugs to win. Others have suffered for their abuse. Recent Tour winner Marco Pantani was found dead from a drug overdose earlier this year, having suffered a downward spiral to depression and cocaine abuse after testing positive for EPO masking agents while leading the Giro d'Italia.

Today, athletes of all types seek an edge. The demands of a race like the Tour de France are incredible. Winning or losing can depend on your ability to recover from the demands of 100+ mile days riding flat out, often over trecherous mountain passes and leg-burning climbs of 5,000 vertical feet. But drugs are a cop out.

Unfortunately, doctors and teams have conspired to apply endurance-enhancing drugs like EPO in novel new ways, using masking agents to make their presence harder to detect. But testing technologies are keeping pace, even getting the upper edge. Quite simply, if you're doping, it's hard, if not impossible to hide it. For the testing authorities are searching for masking agents in the blood tests of racers as much as they look for enhancing drugs like EPO (to raise blood hemacrit levels) or steroids (for strength). Today, only a fool would try it.

It's especially so if you are Lance Armstrong. Your every move is being scrutinized. If you win a Tour de France stage, or are the race leader, your blood and urine is tested every day. Despite the allegations of the French news media, there has been and simply is no hard evidence that Lance Armstrong is using drugs to win. He was born with incredible genes, a large heart and the amazing ability to not build lactic acid levels that are common to the rest of us under tremendous exercise stress. Oh, and one more thing. He works and trains harder than anyone else in pro cycling. That is how he wins.

Still not convinced? Think of this: Lance Armstrong is a cancer survior. He is one of the few people in the world to look death in the eye. As important as winning is to him, he will tell you that suriving cancer is far more important. He is a role model, and has deep feelings for being an example to many others who bear the unthinkable suffering of cancer. The pain Lance Armstrong endured to defeat cancer is something few of us could ever imagine. So why would he risk having to battle cancer again by taking injections of EPO, amphetimines or steroids?

It does not make sense.

Instead of facts, I see nasty allegations. Instead of celebrating the incredible achievement of a true champion, I see bitter jealousy, predjudice and hatred. To see a man triumph over cancer and win the toughest athletic test in the world should be cause for celebration. Sadly, we see man's worst instincts at play. Shame on the French news media for dumpster diving and digging so low. I can only hope they are shamed by their arrogance.

Instead of looking for needles in hotel rooms, or paying off a jealous competitor to sow trash talk, we could do something much more productive: help fight cancer. Click here to learn how. All of us can be champions.

2004-07-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Apple

Earlier today, a friend of mine showed me some amazing new additions to the iTunes Music Store on iTunes, the wonderful and free Apple music app for Mac and PC. If you haven't downloaded iTunes, I strongly recommend it. iTunes is a wonderful way to store your digital music and the companion to the iPod, which, if you don't own one already, you probably will and should. It's that good.

There's tons of great music on the iTunes Music Store (ITMS), which is part of iTunes. And the list keeps growing in terms of breadth and depth. But what really knocked me out was the addition of something completely free: public domain documents, such as the complete 9-11 Hearings audio transcripts and to a lesser extent, the Apple Computer investor conference call.

This might seem a bit mundane. But long after Britney's latest single becomes a Trivial Pursuit question, the historical importance of recordings such as the 9-11 Hearings will continue to be important. Apple is making these free for download, helping to preserve important history. Sadly, it's not well known or strongly hyped within ITMS, or for that matter, by the media at large.

That's a shame. Apple is doing something important for free, which benefits everyone. And to the extent that they can, I hope they continue this in the future. Downloadable music is rapidly becoming a de facto trend, one in which the way music is bought and sold is changing. Over time, we may be treated to being able to access music that you never could find otherwise. But I hope too, that the spoken word and historical artifacts become available this way as well. Looking forward and looking back from the future, we may find that the most prescient and important aspect of the digital music revolution was in how it created an archive of valuable history, easily accessible and available for all to share.

Kudos, Apple!

2004-07-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

What is Love?

I just came across a lovely little film created by a talented amateur videographer. Titled What is Love? the video is a small documentary of children being interviewed on the subject of love and what it means to them. The video was created in Apple iMovie, a very simple yet powerful video editing program. The subject matter is compelling, the characters charming, and the movie nicely made. You can see it online (Apple Quicktime required) here. Enjoy!

2004-07-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Italy smiled at me

It's taken a while, but after too many nights of editing over 2,200 digital photos in Photoshop, I've finally posted a site of photos of a trip we took to northern Italy. Our journey took us to Lake Como (Bellagio, Menaggio, Como); Lugano, Switzerland; Florence; villages in southern Tuscany; Bologna; and Milan. After a harsh winter and equally rainy spring, our arrival was blessed with sunny days for each of the twelve days we were there. I can only say we got to Heaven earlier than planned.

Given the outpouring of popularity around the world toward Americans, I left home with trepidations. I quickly left my worries and cares behind. To an individual, the Italians welcomed us with open arms. They were helpful. Courteous. Funny and warm. And their dispositions were as sunny as the weather.

I only hope that my photographs do such a wonderful place justice.

I've always heard about how high the taxes are in Europe. This trip brought home for me what we in the U.S. take for granted: much of the taxes paid go to preserve the beauty that is Italy. For example, in Bologna, everywhere we looked in this medieval city, there were construction and renovation projects focused on preserving the 12th to 14th century architecture that makes this city so special. Even in the small villages of Tuscany, it was apparent that individual homes and buildings had been cleaned or sandblasted. Often, the facade of old buildings is retained, braced and inside, the building may be completely gutted and a highly modern building constructed inside. Or, artisans will work for years on completely restoring the incredible work of centuries past, repainting frescoes in ceilings, carefully repairing cracks and structural stress, all in the name of preservation.

In the U.S., such dedication is a rarity. Sad. Demolishing our past is a way of life.

The cost to keep up a medieval building must be staggering. But it's a commitment that Italians believe in, one that costs a tremendous amount in taxes. It is not unusual to walk through a public building, even a department store only to encounter a section of floor covered in Plexiglas. Below, you can see work on an excavation of an ancient Roman village. That is dedication.

In future blogs, I will share more observations of these remarkable people and their beautiful country. Thanks, Italy!

2004-05-19T02:53:00.000-07:00

Travel Journal

Florence - May 19 - We arrived a week ago in Italy, flying to Milan and being driven to the town of Bellagio on the shores of Lake Como. Before we left, the weather called for rain during our whole trip, making us more than a little apprehensive. But happily, it has been nothing but sun and perfect weather in the 70s the whole time. We have been blessed!

Bellagio, Menaggio and and Villa Balbandello are must-sees if you come to Lake Como. It is a stunningly beautiful place, surrounded by towering mountains and beautiful villages. If you visit Bellagio, be prepared to walk up and down steep and narrow streets (so steep that the streets are stairs, rather than regular pavement), but it's so charming that you don't mind a bit.

We spent a day in Lugano, Switzerland, a short train ride from Como. It's a lovely city, clean and quaint, on the shores of Lake Lugano. We rode a funicular to the top of Monte Bre, almost a mile above the city. From there, you could see the Swiss and Italian Alps and had a stunning vista of the lake below.

Today, we are in Florence, walking the narrow winding streets and vast piazzas. It is very much a city, but charming nonetheless. We are staying at Villa Poggio about 8 miles south of the city. Set in the hills south of Florence, the villa is an intoxicatingly beautiful 14th century villa surrounded by countryside, other villas with a view of the city of Florence below in the distance. I awoke this morning to the call of a rooster from a vineyard nearby and walked the gardens at dawn. For the moment, life is beautiful.

As we flew across the Atlantic on American Airlines, they gave us Bose noise cancelling headphones to use, for movies or our iPods. The great thing about these is not only do they sound great, and cancel out the jet noise, but when you want to sleep, it's a wonderful thing to have. We got to London Heathrow airport, which was a huge disappointment for me. I really thought that Europe's busiest airport would be nicer - it's anything but. I did have fun looking at the jets of airlines from all over the world. One irony was the Iran Air plane was a 747. We might be the great satan, but they love our planes. Go figure.

I'm glad to say I'm not thinking about work or home, just about what we are seeing an doing here. This trip is costing a lot (but we are under our budget - my wife checks this every day), but it is worth every penny. I hope you can make it here someday!

2004-04-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

Boundless hatred

NBC News unit has obtained a planning memo, written by an al Queda militant, that specifies which Americans and others to target in Iraq and worldwide. Below are excerpts from that memo. It's pretty chilling reading. But it is important to understand that we are dealing with people with an insane, unquenchable hatred of anything they do not understand. Any notion of negotiation or compromise is lost on them.

Wars are not won with bombs or bullets, but with political will. To defeat an enemy whose sole purpose is to bring darkness to the world will take a conviction and commitment equal to their all-consuming rage. Excerpts from the memo appear below. You can read a cover story on the MSNBC site here.

From an al Queda Planning Memo:

Targets Inside Cities
Targets inside the cities are considered a sort of military diplomacy. Normally, this kind of diplomacy is written with blood and decorated with body parts and the smell of guns. It carries a political meaning that relates to the nature of the faith’s struggle. The intent is to send messages to different directions. Therefore, it is very important to choose accurate targets (similar to Al-Qaeda explosions). One of the good examples is what four heroic brothers did with their successful choice of target. (Khaled Al-Saeed, Riyadh Al-Hajeri, Abdul Aziz Al-Muthem, Moslih Al-Shamrani). God bless their souls.

Faith Targets
At the beginning of any Jihad military operation, it is not advisable to target religious places unless it is used for:

Missionaries in Islamic countries, where they try to convert Moslems to Christians such as what happened in Yemen and as what is going on in Iraq as well as well as what was going on in the land of the two Holy Mosques (Saudi Arabia) where they were distributing bibles to homes. In this case hunting those people is good and we know who they are. Covert intelligence operations. Any Moslem religious scholar who cooperates with the enemy. Targeting those is glorified and makes them as symbols for God’s anger. Reverends, priests, rabbis and any religious personality that attack Islam or Moslems such as an American reverend that cursed the prophet, we hope to God that we will get his neck. Also as what Mr. Sayed Nosair did when he killed Rabbi Kahana who cursed the prophet. Any (Jewish or Christian) personality that provides financial, military, or moral support against Moslems as with what happened with the crusades in the past.

Economic Targets
The purpose of these targets is to destabilize the situation and not allow the economic recovery such as hitting oil wells and pipelines that will scare foreign companies from working there and stealing Moslem treasures. Another purpose is to have foreign investment withdrawn from local markets. Some of the benefits of those operations are the effect it has on the economic powers like the one that had happened recently in Madrid where the whole European economy was affected. Such attacks have dual economic effects on the crusaders, Jewish and renegade Islamic countries.

These are practical examples:

1. Targeting of Jewish and crusader’s investments in the Moslem lands.
2. Targeting international companies.
3. Targeting international economic consultants and experts.
4. Targeting investments coming from enemy countries using either military methods such as the blowing up of American restaurants (franchises) or using political means such as boycotts.
5. Targeting stolen natural resources from the Moslem lands such as the attack on the French oil tanker and Iraqi pipelines. The leadership should decide the selection of such economic targets because it can choose the right time.
6. Assassinating Jewish businessmen and teach lessons to those who cooperate with them, but after you warn them.

You only assassinate those who have been proven to deal with them.

Human Targets
We have to target Jews and Christians. We have to let anybody that fights God, his prophet or the believers know that we will be killing them. There should be no limits and no geographical borders. Wee have to turn the land of the infidels into hell as they have done to the land of the Moslems. Therefore, all the cells all over the world should not look to geographic borders but should try to make the infidel countries theaters of operations and get them busy with that and themselves. They have made the Moslem lands, experiment fields for their weapons and inventions, we must turn their places into hell and destruction and the sons of the Islamic nation are capable of that.

The primary targets should be Jews and Christians who have important status in the Islamic countries. The purpose is not to allow them to settle in the lands of the Moslems. Our advice is to start with unprotected soft targets and the individuals from countries that support the local renegades.

For example, In the Holy Land (Saudi Arabia), the primary target should be Americans, then the British. In Iraq, the Americans first, in Afghanistan, the Americans first, and in Algiers, the French and in Indonesia the Australians and so on.

The importance of the targets should be as follows:

1. Jews: They are at different levels. American and Israeli Jews first, the British Jews and then French Jews and so on.
2. Christians:

Their importance is as follows:

- Americans
- British
- Spanish
- Australians
- Canadians
- Italians

The Purpose for Human Targets
To stress the struggle of the faiths. Targeting Jews and Christians is a proof that it is a religious struggle. To show who the main enemy is. To get rid of the renegades and to purify the land and to use them as examples for others. To spread fear in enemy lines. This is a requirement from God as a Holy Koran says, “Verse from the Koran”. To lift the morale of the Islamic nation. To destroy the image and stature of the targeted government. America’s nose was smeared in the soil after the attacks on New York and Washington. To obstruct political projects for the infidels and the renegades. Italy decided not to send soldiers to Iraq after exploding Italians in Baghdad as well as the promise made by opponents of the Spanish Prime Minister to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq because of the Madrid explosions. Punishment for killing Moslems. God says, “Punish them in the same way they punished you.”

2004-04-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

Thinking the unthinkable

Over the past few weeks and months, I have read much of plans by Al Qaeda to do something horrific, an act of terror that makes September 11 but a prelude by comparison. Interviews with some Al Qaeda leaders point to plans for a decisive attack on the United States sometime near the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which would begin this year on October 16. Other stories I have read was that Al Qaeda claim to have in their possession a former Soviet briefcase atomic bomb with the potential to kill over 100,000 innocent people.

What would be the reaction if the United States ever suffered a nuclear attack, not by a country, but by a band of terrorists? What would be the appropriate response? How could the United States respond in kind, if such an unthinkable act were not committed by a country or a government?

It may be exactly what an Osama bin Laden and his comrades envision: a powerful country left powerless by asymmetric warfare. Certainly an immediate reaction would be to lash out in vengeance with our vast arsenal of nuclear weapons. They might expect that, and be willing to see a world torn apart by anger and passion. Al Qaeda has shown itself to be patient and skilled at exploiting fear, uncertainty and doubt. This is the kernel of terrorism. The vision of Osama bin Laden is to lead a pan-Islamic state that merges muslim-dominated countries across half of the globe. He is not a believer in nationalism, but a radical Islam. I have come to believe that his hatred of what he does not understand will not be satisfied until Americans and non-muslims are driven from the holy lands of the Middle East, but perhaps until all non-Muslim societies lay in ruins. His would be an empire of darkness.

Al Qaeda have learned that the results of their savage bombings in Madrid can change the course of a country's politics. If the October threat by Al Qaeda proves to be true (and I pray that it is not), an attack of this magnitude could threaten the stability of our own democratic process.

Democracy is the form of government in 65 percent of the countries of the world. It is a form of government that has given rise to nationalism and self-determination by people all over the world. But in the mind of Osama bin Laden, democracy and nationalism are threats that must be exterminated at all costs. It is not enough for a bin Laden to reclaim the holy lands of the Middle East in the name of Allah. He wants more. He wants nations to disappear and in their place, a vast pan-Islamic empire would emerge. Not just across the Middle East, but throughout Asia and around the globe. There would be no democracy, no government, but only fealty and deference to one God.

That threatens everything I believe in and everything I love. I believe in diversity and freedom of people to choose, to express themselves, to determine their destiny. The vision of Osama bin Laden is anything but. It is about surrendering all control to one man. And those who oppose his vision and will must be exterminated. That is why democracy and nationalism are so threatening to him.

The Cold War taught the leaders of United States and the former Soviet Union that in a mass exchange of nuclear weapons, nobody wins. Sadly, this is a lesson that others, including the despotic leaders of North Korea, Iran and other countries do not understand. But more chilling still is the thought of a nuclear armed Al Qaeda. Unlike nations, the terrorists of Al Qaeda would not understand the responsibility for which the possession of nuclear weapons places on those who hold them. Restraint is not part of their vocabulary.

Sadly, the Islamic world lacks a voice of opposition to the goals of Al Qaeda. If there is not outright support of bin Laden, the lack of apparent opposition from within the Arab world signals a tacit and unspoken support for their aims. That we have come to a world so polarized is a terrifying prospect.

So what can be done? Do we fight or capitulate? Do we annihilate or negotiate? I've given this a great deal of thought. You cannot negotiate with people who have no reason to negotiate. To capitulate would be to invite our demise. To unleash a torrent of nuclear weapons may not just exterminate half of the world, but all life as we know it. And what right would we have to cease millions of innocent lives in the name of revenge?

I am convinced that a logical deterrent exists. If necessary, it may be a way to strike back against a part of the world that is increasingly full of hatred against non-believers of any kind. What I will suggest may seem to be heresy or equally an unthinkable way of striking back against an enemy whose hatred knows no bounds, but here goes:

Give them exactly what they want. And let them be accountable for their choice.

That would mean leaving the Middle East behind. I'm talking about withdrawing completely from the Middle East. All traces of American influence would vanish. All trade, commerce and cultural exchanges would cease. Foreign aid would stop immediately. The West would close its schools to aspiring students from Islam. In times of disaster, they would have to depend on themselves to get back on their feet. No American would be allowed to enter that region of the world. We would disengage with the muslim world in every sense. Instead of fighting back with weapons, we would do so peacefully.

That may sound lame or naive. I beg to differ. There is an old adage admonishing people "to be careful for what you wish, because you might just get it." And that's exactly the basis of the strategy that I envision.

But we would not stop there. If the Islamic world would be freed of contact with "infidels" and their holy lands no longer desecrated by our presence, then the same should hold true for the United States. Quite simply, people of Islam would not longer be allowed the freedom to live in or even visit our country. That smacks of outright prejudice, but I mean for it to be anything but. This would be the price of giving Al Qaeda what they want.

Doing this would have tremendous costs for both sides. The loss of oil from the Arabian peninsula would be devastating to an economy that depends on it. But the loss of hard dollars flowing into countries like Saudi Arabia would be an order of magnitude more destructive to an economy that depends almost exclusively on petroleum. Countries like Pakistan depend on being a factory for much of the world, and the loss of trade in garment manufacturing might cause an already unstable economy into total collapse. Important exports of the United States such as medicines, agricultural products or technology would become unavailable. The changes would not be apparent overnight, but in the long term, the impact on a part of the world full of rage and holding a vast population would be cataclysmic.

For its part, the United States would be forced to cozy up to countries like Russia in ways we once considered unthinkable. And it would force an austerity on our economy that is hard to imagine. A change of this magnitude would hold many unpleasant surprises for our society. Loss of jobs, loss of exports, loss of contact with much of the world. But what would be worse? A nuclear winter, or a winter of disengagement with half of the world?

The mere act of disengagement would be painful. We would be asking ourselves to change our constitution to exclude a vast group of people from living in our country. Islam would have to be banned as a religion in the West. We would be asking friends, neighbors and even trusted associates to simply pack up and leave. For many of them, the US has been their only home. The howls of protest would be divisive. And to many, this idea would be heresy. But consider the equally unthinkable alternative: Armageddon. Is that any more acceptable?

Being the optimist that I am, I believe that necessity is the mother of invention. And a situation as unthinkable as this would force the United States to get really serious about sources of energy from hydrogen, tidal action, winds and the sun. Americans have always been good at adapting. It would mean that generations of Americans would suffer. But I wonder if our suffering would come close to those in the muslim world. Rather than coming to arms, giving Al Qaeda, and those who follow this path of darkness, what they are ignorantly asking for might be more destructive a vengeance than any nuclear counterstrike ever could.

This may have an insufficient effect if other countries do not join in. The strength of the strategy would be measured in the willingness of other non-Islamic countries to follow the same doctrine. As the recent revelations of a massive scandal involving the UN Food for Oil program illustrates, countries have no no alliances, only intererests. But countries that try to step into the breach created by a withdrawal from the Islamic world may only make them the new target of an unquenchable rage.

It is but one scenario, one I hope I never live to see. I know a number of people who are muslims. I do not hate them. I know them to be good people. I do not want them to suffer. But I do not want to see those I love, a country that I love, and a world that I love be torn in two by the unquenched hatred of one man's dark vision. However insidiously clever an Osama bin Laden may be, every man and woman on this earth have fundamental flaws. And by giving Osama bin Laden everything he dreams of may be the worst nightmare he could ever have. I hope that it never comes even remotely to that. But if my nightmares are an insufficient vision of a future reality, I hope that we can mete more vengeance and justice through complete disengagement than any nuclear torrent.

This may be the most controversial thing I have ever written. It is born of my worries about the future and concerns for where we, as people of this earth, are going. It is not based in a deep-seated hatred, rage or prejudice. Hatred is the last emotion I want to feel. Instead my concern is about the fate of the earth and of all its inhabitants, regardless of their religion, race, or location. Nothing that we in the West can stop a bin Laden and those like him from hating us with every fibre in their bodies. We can never understand someone so completely swept up by a vision of Islam that is a distortion of the teachings of Mohammad. We cannot understand a culture so foreign to ours any more than a bin Laden understands our way of life. With such irreconcilable views, I fear a storm is approaching in our future, one that may divide our world. In a time when we need each other more than ever, I fear that the only solution from something far worse would be to do the very opposite. It would promise only heartbreak, pain and sorrow. But the alternative, a world completely at war, a world armed with weapons of mass destruction instead of common sense, is unthinkable.

What do you think? How can an increasingly polarized world find common ground? Is it even possible? Let me know. Sadly, this is a time when we have to think of where our destinies may take us. And to save ourselves we may have to peacefully go our separate ways.

2004-03-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

Building the energy internet

I just caught an interesting article on the Web site of The Economist titled Building the energy internet. It's forward looking, perhaps a tad optimistic, but well written. The article talks about transforming today's dumb electricity grid into a smart, responsive and self-healing digital network - in short, an 'energy internet. It points out how backwards the energy grid of much of the civilized world really is, and you asked 50 million residents of the US Northeast and eastern Canada who suffered several major blackouts that, they would strongly agree.

In last summer's blackout, managers of major energy plants had to call each other by phone to discover they had a problem. Given the aging technology they had to work with, they were slow to solve the problem, or at least patch it. And our society, which is dependent on a reliable supply of energy to function, is more vulnerable than ever to a falling tree or a terrorist act. Fortunately, some bright minds are working on how to make the energy grid much more responsive, progressive and reliable. The article is fascinating reading, and an interesting look into the future of what could be.

For an insightful and often very funny counterpart, check out the reader comments to the article on Slashdot. There are many bright minds and witty wags who congregate there, perhaps the best collection of thought you can find just about anywhere on the Web. Enjoy.

2004-03-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

Life without Starbucks

My name is Brian and for 12 years, I've been a Starbucks addict.

That's usually how it starts when you are breaking a habit. Don't get me wrong. I love coffee. And I really like Starbucks Coffee, despite the fact that they're pretty corporate. The truth is, as American-based coffee establishments go, they do a surprisingly good job. And for over a decade, I have been a loyal customer.

But hopefully no more.

It's not that I hate Starbucks. I don't. They're nice people. And from what I can see, they appear to try to play pretty fair with coffee politics, as much as the pressures of business might allow them. Others might disagree, and I'll leave those arguments to them. But truth be told, the first I heard of the issues over Fair Trade and Shade Grown Coffee was from them.

That's not what this entry is about though. For me, the reason I stopped Starbucks, and coffee for that matter has to do with what coffee and any other caffeine-based stimulant was doing to me. Perhaps I'd built a tolerance to coffee. In the past year or so, I sensed that instead of my morning perk waking me up, it was actually doing the opposite. In mid-morning or mid-afternoon meetings, I could feel myself crashing. Staying awake could be a serious challenge. And this was often not long after I'd slammed down yet another latte or macchiato.

But there was more. I began to get very nervous. Not amped, but nervous. I would stutter if stressed. And this was not from cup after cup 'o java, but even just one. It was a little voice inside me that cried out to stop. So I did. Instead of having a morning cup that I assumed I would need, I passed on it. And after a couple of days of experimentation, drinking only water, I discovered something. Instead of being sleepy at key times of the day, I actually felt better. Instead of a roller coaster of energy and lethargy, I was steady.

Why didn't I discover this before?

It's really tough to break a habit, especially with something that gave you comfort, a chance to socialize and a slight feeling of being hip (along with everybody else). But stepping back, I realized that much as I love coffee, I don't need it. In fact, I might be much better for it. In over a week since going cold turkey, I'm actually more alert and much more calm. I really never expected that. My bladder feels a lot better too. But I'm happy that at least for me, I did something better.

And there's another plus: Imagine how much money I can save.

Ciao, Starbucks. Thanks for everything.

2004-03-05T10:02:00.000-08:00

Lemmings

In a sick, twisted and perverted way, being a spectator to the world of high tech business is almost fun. If it didn't make me violently sick watching transparent greed and utter lust for power, that is. Only in the world of the high tech business can a really bad, self-serving idea take currency by the high tech trade media and get pushed to the point where it becomes a zeitgeist of sorts.

When we are dumb enough to start buying into the BS, we all become lemmings.

I read something today that is a perfect case in point. CNN reported a new idea from the mouth of Bill Gates that Microsoft proposes to stop the spread of spam by charging postage for every email sent.

"If the U.S. Postal Service delivered mail for free, our mailboxes would surely runneth over with more credit-card offers, sweepstakes entries, and supermarket fliers. That's why we get so much junk e-mail: It's essentially free to send. So Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates, among others, is now suggesting that we start buying "stamps" for e-mail," stated the article.

Am I the only person who is terrified about this trial balloon being flaunted in the media?

I'm sure that for their hard work in developing the proprietary standard for ePostage, that Microsoft would simply want perhaps a penny or two for each and every email sent. In turn for making it cost-prohibitive for spammers to operate, Microsoft simply wants to "embrace and extend" Internet email. Of course it would mean that schmucks like you and me would have to pony up and pay tribute to Bill Gates every time we wanted to send an email, all in the name of protecting our inboxes from spam. That would be a good thing, right?

No.

The truth is, there are some very effective means to stop spam in its tracks that are being developed. Bayesian filters are incredibly effective and could be added to almost any email program. Challenge/acknowledgement systems, while somewhat cumbersome, would force spammers to manually verify each and every piece of junk that they send. And other effective ideas exist. The smart minds inside Microsoft know this. But that's not the point. Since he finally "got it" in terms of the potential of the Internet, Bill Gates has shamelessly tried to figure out ways of controlling the Internet like he has the desktop. His idea for email postage is little more than a transparent ploy to get a piece of the action for every email sent, every Internet transaction, every time you turn on your TV, ad nauseum.

It's not about spam. It's about greed and control.

And if you have subscribed to any number of different emails to keep you informed, kiss those goodbye. Google News Alerts. Stock alerts from your broker. iTunes Music Store New Music Tuesday emails. Sale announcements from Amazon or Red Envelope. Notifications from an environmental group or a political organization you belong to. Sports scores automatically sent via email. American Airlines flight schedule notifications. And so on. They would either be seriously curtailed, go the way of the dinosaur, or you would have to pay to receive them. To most of us, these aren't spam, but useful conveniences that improve our lives. But now there would be a price for this, an Internet tax proposed by Bill Gates, his minions, his 500+ person PR army, and the many people whose bread is buttered by the largesse of being a friend of Bill.

Some may argue that we will adjust. They might counter that spam is too pervasive, too insideous to ignore. But an Internet postage stamp is a negative sales tax of sorts. And negative taxes, like those applied to gasoline or milk effect those with less means than the wealthy by porportion. It would be a disincentive to the poor, a large barrier to those for whom the Internet could be a great force for social improvement. It may stop or severely curtail spam, but it's like chemotherapy - to save you, we have to kill you.

What terrifies me is that in the coming months, you will see Bill Gates' media lackeys in the technology press floating the idea at first, then pundits and IT analysts who owe their next meal to Microsoft praising the idea as brilliant and constructive, and as the only means to stop the onslaught of spam. One hand washes the other, and by saying nice things about a really bad idea, they serve their own interests. Never mind that they've prostituted themselves by lining their pockets. Going with the flow is a really sweet deal when you're a friend of Bill.

I can only pray that this boneheaded idea goes the way of Microsoft Bob. And the sooner, the better.

2004-03-04T19:13:00.000-08:00

How to win an election

I don't know about you, but I'm really thankful that Super Tuesday is past us. In my corner of the world, our mailbox inundated daily with utter drivel from two political opponents, each spending an obscene amount of money to defeat each other in the primary election for a state assembly seat in California. As the weeks wore on during the campaign, the mailers, pre-recorded phone calls and other bits of PR became more and more shrill, with each side accusing and smearing the other with crimes against humanity.

Please. We may be dumb, but we're not stupid.

When will these self-important candidates get it through their thick skulls that we understood their lies and BS the first time? Instead, I propose an alternative. If I were to run for office, and I won't (in fact, I would run from office as fast as I could), I would say nothing rotten about my opponent. I would tell the world how great he/she really is. I might even completely agree with their position. That's a recipe for defeat, yes? Not exactly. You see, instead of spending tons of money on mailers, TV, radio and outdoor ads, I would do something a bit different.

I'd simply say: Vote for me and win 5,000 free miles.

I would win in a landslide.

One more thought: Is it me, or did anyone find it odd that McDonald's announced on Super Tuesday that they were going to phase out Super Size items from their menu?

2004-03-04T19:02:00.000-08:00

The elephant choked on a peanut

The New York Times published a very interesting story about how a tiny chip inside the cell phone of an Al Queda operative launched an investigation that resulted in the capture of Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is accused of being the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks. It's as much a tribute to good old fashioned gumshoe work as it is technology. The investigation resulted in security agencies busting a number of Al Queda cells and preventing a number of terrorist attacks. It makes for great reading.

2004-02-27T19:33:00.000-08:00

The Farewell Dossier

The full story of espionage by the U.S. and the former Soviet Union is only beginning to come to light. But in recent weeks, a remarkable story has surfaced about an audacious plan by the C.I.A. to stem the tide of technology plunder of U.S. secrets by the former KGB: The Farewell Dossier. It makes for riveting reading.

It is a story of a C.I.A. campaign of computer sabotage resulting in a huge explosion in Siberia - all engineered by a mild-mannered economist named Gus Weiss - helped us win the cold war. During a summit conference in Ottawa on July 19, 1981, President François Mitterrand of France took then President Ronald Reagan aside to reveal that France had recruited a key K.G.B. officer in Moscow Center.

Col. Vladimir Vetrov provided what French intelligence called The Farewell Dossier. It contained documents from the K.G.B. Technology Directorate showing how the Soviets were systematically stealing - or secretly buying through third parties - the radar, machine tools and semiconductors to keep the Russians nearly competitive with U.S. military-industrial strength through the 70's. In effect, the U.S. was in an arms race with itself.

Reagan passed this on to William J. Casey, his director of central intelligence, now remembered only for the Iran-contra fiasco. Casey called in Weiss, then working with Thomas C. Reed on the staff of the National Security Council. After studying the list of hundreds of Soviet agents and purchasers (including one cosmonaut) assigned to this penetration in the U.S. and Japan, Weiss counseled against deportation.

Instead, according to Reed, a former Air Force secretary whose fascinating cold war book, At the Abyss, will be published by Random House next month, Weiss said: "Why not help the Soviets with their shopping? Now that we know what they want, we can help them get it." The catch: computer chips would be designed to pass Soviet quality tests and then to fail in operation.

In our complex disinformation scheme, deliberately flawed designs for stealth technology and space defense sent Russian scientists down paths that wasted time and money.

The technology topping the Soviets' wish list was for computer control systems to automate the operation of the new trans-Siberian gas pipeline. When we turned down their overt purchase order, the K.G.B. sent a covert agent into a Canadian company to steal the software; tipped off by Farewell, we added what geeks call a "Trojan Horse" to the pirated product.

"The pipeline software that was to run the pumps, turbines and valves was programmed to go haywire," writes Reed, "to reset pump speeds and valve settings to produce pressures far beyond those acceptable to the pipeline joints and welds. The result was the most monumental non-nuclear explosion and fire ever seen from space."

The result of this was that the Soviets could no longer trust any of the technologies stolen from the west. They eventually fell further and further behind. There are many reasons why the former Soviet Union collapsed. But this was certainly one that is certainly astounding. The loss of natural gas resulting from the C.I.A. opedeprivedprieved the Soviets of badly needed hard currency at a critical time. It is a story of cunning by someone who was anything but the classic James Bond.

Reed, who served in the National Security Council from January 1982 to June 1983, said the United States and its NATO allies later "rolled up the entire Line X collection network, both in the U.S. and overseas." Weiss said "the heart of Soviet technology collection crumbled and would not recover."

However, Vetrov's espionage was discovered by the KGB, and he was executed in 1983.

2004-02-27T18:35:00.000-08:00

Hell froze over

We all complain too much. We think we have it hard. But our troubles pale when compared to life in Hell: North Korea. The last place on Earth is no place to be if you run afoul of the authorities. In a country that is a prison all by itself, the system of gulags that dot North Korea have no equal anywhere else in the world. It is hard for westerners to comprehend the level of cruelty and the harshness of life that exists in these camps.

Cannibalism, infanticide, torture, slavery, rape, forced abortion and experimentation on humans with chemical weapons is the order of the day. Earlier today, Japanese television showed a smuggled video of one North Korean gulag. The commentary in this linked article is riveting, if not numbing reading. And an interview with a former commander of a vast North Korean slave labor camp on the BBC Television Website provides insight into the level of cruelty that is the norm.

It is estimated that the system of political prisons and labor camps in North Korea holds more than 200,000 people, and that, given the harsh conditions in these camps, some 400,000 prisoners have perished in the past three decades. In keeping with North Korean founder Kim Il Sung's dictate that class enemies "must be eliminated through three generations, parents, children, grandchildren and other relatives? of prisoners are also sent to the gulag; and forced abortion and infanticide are standard practice, as prisoners are considered subhuman and are not permitted to have children.

North Korea, of course, denies the existence of such camps, but recently published satellite photos of vast gulags, each holding over 50,000 prisoners, along with interviews of escaped prison guards who described grisly tales of torture and executions show the horrible truth that exists in this frozen Hell.

An in-depth report in Adobe Acrobat .pdf format, The Hidden Gulag, by the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea can be downloaded here.

2004-02-27T15:48:00.000-08:00

God is my Co-producer

All the controversy surrounding Mel gibbousness new flick, The Passion of the Christ sounds like he's getting absolutely crucified. As a friend of mine quipped, "I thought Hollywood loved the film - I read they were going to make a book out of it..." Then we heard of a woman who apparently went to visit God after seeing the film after suffering an apparent fatal seizure during the particularly graphic crucifixion scene.

It gets a bit more strange than that. An article at E! Online reported that God is apparently listed as one of the co-writers of the movie:

"According to the Internet Movie Database, he was speaking the Gospel truth. Early Wednesday morning, the site had God--the God, capital "G"--listed as a credited contributor to The Passion. By Wednesday noon, the credit was gone, but God's own personal IMDb.com page remained.

On it, God got props for writing the "novel"--presumably, the Bible--upon which gibbousness devout, if gruesome epic is based. The Passion was God's lone filmography entry, or at least it was until the Website purged that, too, leaving The Big Wannabe Screenwriter in the Sky with not much more than a fancy blank page.

An attempt to reach a real, live editor for comment at the Seattle-based IMDb.com was unsuccessful. No attempt was made to reach God. (We figured He was busy.)"

So let me get this straight: That would mean that God has a SAG card. And that would make God, um, well, Union.

The Teamsters are going to have a field day with this. Oh, God.

2004-02-23T18:27:00.000-08:00

Opportunity lost

Today, the Washington Post presented the first of an outstanding two-part story on the hunt for Osama bin Laden prior to September 11. It is a very insightful look at a lost opportunity that could possibly have changed the course of history. The story points out how factions within the CIA and the Clinton White House failed to grasp just how dangerous bin Laden and Al Queda would prove to be, and the frustrations of mid-level CIA operatives to get Washington to understand before it became too late.

For those who complain about George Bush, what we have today may in part be an equal and opposite reaction to the laissez-faire policies of his predecessor. Sadly, despite some best efforts, the CIA and related groups were never able to penetrate the inner circle of Al Queda. And despite optimistic predictions my the US military, it will take a stroke of luck to finally snare bin Laden. The article shows the importance of never underestimating your enemy.

2003-12-25T15:39:00.000-08:00

Thoughts on Christmas Day

Long live the simple pleasures of life on a Christmas Day. The smell of wonderful food in the kitchen. Sentimental music playing. A day indoors on a rainy afternoon. And being with those I love.

I can't think of anything I want this day, but for happiness. For my wife and I, the biggest smiles of the day were from watching Java, our cat, leap and scream with excitement when we gave her presents to open. Yes, she's a cat. But an incredibly smart one. And she totally understands that the wrapped gift was for her, furiously sniffing and pawing at her gift, a toy mouse. At this stage of my life, expecting a gift means nothing to me, but instead, the vicarious pleasure of giving is what means the most to me.

To those of you who took time to read this, I wish you my best on this Christmas Day. I hope you got what you dreamed of having, and that you gave more than you got. That's what life should be all about.

Merry Christmas!

2003-12-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

EXCLUSIVE: Lord of the Rings inside info!

At the risk of getting my butt sued big-time, I'm going to give you the details of the triumphant climax to the upcoming release of the last of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, Return of the King. My secret sources have opened the Kimono to let me in on an incredible end, the details of which have been closely guarded until now. Here goes:

Frodo, after struggling with the unbearable weight of the Ring in the previous two movies, finally makes it to the top of Mount Doom. With his last breath, he hurls the Ring into the volcanic pyrotechnics below. But that's not the end of the story. Without warning, The King himself appears! Yes friends, Frodo's selfless act has brought about the return of Elvis, munching on a Krispy Kreme doughnut. You can see a photo of his triumphant return here!

Amazing. Simply amazing!

2003-12-04T15:16:00.000-08:00

I'm back!

It's about damned time too. Sorry for my conspicuous absence. For the past several weeks, I've been embroiled in a marathon of work. The days were very long. And I would end up so cooked that I simply lacked the grey matter and energy to write anything but what I had to do for the job.

I'll try to pump out more pulp for my many fans (I think there's about six of you out there). And hopefully, my life won't be quite as hectic as it's been.

2003-10-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

Red Sun, Amber Sky

Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. I awoke this morning to something I may only see once in my life: a sky colored by massive wildfires that are raging throughout Southern California. It's wonderfully eerie. A cloudy sky colored amber by the smoke of thousands of acres ablaze. A snowstorm of ash falling from the sky. And a sun colored red by the inferno. To know what the sky looks like, look at the top of this page. Yes, it's really that color.

Pity Superman. He's lost all his powers today.

The air is somewhat smokey and acrid, and the sky tinted a shade I may see only once in my life (I hope). Noon looked like dusk. And the animals near my home reacted in wonderment to it all. Would a nuclear winter look like this?

Strange yet wonderful. Nature can certainly put on a show.

About 10 years ago, I was treated to a ringside seat for another, even larger fire. The Santa Ana winds were blowing as I drove to work, making me worry what would happen that day. I didn't have to wait very long. Mid-morning, I looked out of the window of my office in Woodland Hills, California (where I lived at the time) and saw a small plume of smoke only two miles away in the Santa Monica mountains. Dry as it was, and with the winds blowing as they were, I didn't have to wait long. I had to work late that night, and by nightfall, the plume had exploded to a vast firestorm that covered the entire southern horizon. Looking out the window, as far as I could see from left to right, and stretching impossibly high into the night sky glowed a vast curtain of fire, so large that the enormous C-130 firefighting planes and helicopters were mere dots against the inferno. It was at once ghastly and strangely beautiful.

Residents of the beachside community of Malibu told me that on the first night of the fire, not only did thousands of people flee for their lives (as are the 12,000 residents in Rancho Cuchamonga right now), but fleeing to the beach ahead of the fire were countless deer, coyotes, rabbits, birds, horses, even mountain lions.

I can only hope that the arsonists who caused this burn in fires of eternity.

2003-10-13T08:17:00.000-07:00

Men behaving badly

Over the weekend, I was watching a perfectly good brawl when a baseball game broke out. I was so bummed. I mean, can't a man watch a genuine, knock-down, drag-out fistfight without a sporting event getting in the way?

This weekend's altercations between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees was the low point in the 2003 season. I've read too many meatheaded articles taking one side or another, alternately praising the Yankees or the Red Sox as the victims. What a crock. The truth is, everybody is wrong. Pedro Martinez for losing control of his temper, the managers of both teams for not taking control of the situation, and for everyone else for not acting mature enough to realize that this was the playoffs after all.

Nice example they gave kids.

Contrast that with what took place in yesterday's game between the Cubs and Marlins. Josh Beckett, who threw a brilliant game against the Cubs, accidentally zipped a high and tight fastball that was way too close to the Cubs' Sammy Sosa, who had suffered a terrifying bean ball that shattered his batting helmet earlier this year. Reacting angrily, he could have charged the mound. But he didn't. This was also kept in check by the classiest player of the playoffs, Pudge Rodriguez, who, sensing the moment, immediately embraced the upset Sosa and calmed him down. Using the leadership he has shown all season, he calmly explained to Sosa that it was an accident, and gestured to where he was directing the pitch to go.

Problem immediately solved.

The hot tempered stupidity of Pedro Martinez versus the common sense of Pudge Rodriguez. It does not take much to make a difference. I've always been an American League kinda guy. But I'll be rooting for either the Cubs or the Marlins in the World Series.

It's all about character.

2003-10-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hasta la Vista, Baby

Memo to Gray Davis: Start packing.

It's about time. By now you've read the news of Arnold Schwarzenegger's smashing victory in the California recall election. The numbers are still coming in as of this moment, but the handwriting is clearly on the wall, despite any last-ditch dirty tricks courtesy of the DNC, ACLU or Gloria Allred.

Let's just say the voters were pissed.

The exit polls were telling. A snip from an AP story showed the depth of voter resentment to Gray Davis and his cold business as usual attitude:

"...Voters faced two questions - whether to recall Davis, and who among the other candidates should replace him if he was removed. They chose to get rid of the incumbent and put Schwarzenegger in his place.

Exit polling explained why: Many Hispanics and union members - two key groups in Davis' past electoral successes - deserted him as he suffered extraordinarily low job approval ratings amid widespread voter discontent about the state's economy.

Davis won election in 1998 with 70 percent support from Hispanics and a similar percentage of voters from union households, and he got about 65 percent of both groups in his re-election last year. But in the recall, about half of Hispanics and of voters with union members in their households voted to recall Davis, according to voter surveys conducted for The Associated Press and other news organizations by Edison Media Research and Mitofsky International.

Seven in 10 voters disapproved of how Davis was handling his job. Nearly half of all voters strongly disapproved, and among them, nine in 10 voted for the recall and seven in 10 voted for Schwarzenegger, the exit poll found."

And this from msnbc.com:

"Even though 69 percent of voters described themselves as moderate or liberal, the voters of California told two quintessential moderate-liberal Democrats -- Davis and Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante -- to take a hike. Both men registered high disapproval ratings -- 72 percent for Davis, 57 percent for Bustamante.

The data suggested that Schwarzenegger's victory was set in stone some time ago, and nothing short of a complete meltdown by the candidate could have stopped it.

The Los Angeles Times uncorked an exhaustive investigation last week that documented allegations of sexual harassment by Schwarzenegger on movie sets for the last 30 years. Then, this week, he was hit by a report by the moviemaker who made him famous in the documentary "Pumping Iron" that he had spoken admiringly of Adolf Hitler.
It didn't matter. An astonishing 83 percent of California's voters said they had already made up their minds before those two bombshells were dropped. Only 5 percent said they waited until this week to decide, and they split 50-50.
Despite the sexual harassment allegations, as many women expressed a favorable opinion of Schwarzenegger as not -- 47 percent to 47 percent."

Voter sentiment is fragile at best. And Governor-elect Arnold will have a formidable opponent in a state legislature that collectively thinks the budget is their own personal ATM. I can only hope that the newly elected Governor can kick butt with the same gusto he has in his movies. Perhaps pushing a few legislators' heads in toilets might be a good thing. Or at least a thorough forensic audit of the state's books. That should get the rats to jump off the ship.

The night's winners:

- The people of California
- Arnold
- Mary Carey

The night's losers:

- Even more gray than Gray Davis
- Cruz Bustamecha
- Terry McCauliffe and the DNC
- The Los Angeles Times

It's a great feeling when the bad guys have their butts handed to them. If the Cubs had won tonight, it would have been perfect.

2003-10-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

A big ship with a broken rudder

The editorial standards of the Los Angeles Times seems ever more broken as the California gubernatorial campaign winds down. I have often looked to the media for some guidance and independent thinking on important matters of the day. But the Los Angeles Times seems to have broken down entirely with highly partisan reporting and openly transparent editorializing.

Readers have noticed. The Times is being inundated with angry calls, letters and demands from readers to cancel their subscriptions. And for good reason.

No better example can be seen in the horribly written, angry rant by Times columnist Steve Lopez, Arnold vs. The Vast Left Wing Conspiracy. Calling your readers idiots is not only a bad way to sell newspapers. It shows that the Los Angeles Times has become a rudderless ship, and has been reduced to a mere mouthpiece of Gray Davis and his minions.

I would think that a newspaper's editors would apply some brakes to an out-of-control columnist. It might even consider editing. In the case of the Times, when the smoke and passion of this ugly election clears, and their editorial review board (if they have any) looks inward, they won't like what they see.

From far away, I can say this: I don't like what I see now.

Cancel my subscription. Please.

2003-10-06T19:18:00.000-07:00

Curiouser and curiouser still

In the waning hours of the California gubernatorial election, the rants and accusations of a dying governor's administration become more frantic. No better evidence can be found than to scan the stories on the Internet, like this news snippet:

New Sex Allegations Emerge Against Arnold

Rhonda Miller has hired L.A. attorney Gloria Allred to represent her.

Miller claims Schwarzenegger groped her while she worked as a stunt woman on the set of Terminator II and the movie True Lies.

Rhonda Miller, stunt woman: "I am speaking out publicly now because in the last few days, there seems to be suggestions from Arnold's camp that Arnold didn't do what he is alleged against him in the L.A. Times."

Miller says she reported the incidents to the Screen Actors Guild six months ago, before Schwarzenegger became a candidate.

Schwarzenegger has not commented publicly on this latest allegation.

There's just one small problem: It may be a complete fabrication.

A caller to a local Los Angeles radio station took issue with Ms. Miller's claims. The caller was a make-up artist on Terminator II and True Lies, and explained that it was he, not Schwarzenegger who took the photos, and that Arnold Schwarzenegger had nothing to do with it. More interesting is the fact that the caller said that Ms. Miller eagerly volunteered to have her breasts photographed, and her photo was included with dozens of other photographs of breasts taped to the ceiling of the makeup artist's trailer.

Is it just me, or is the irony of True Lies not lost on Ms. Miller and Ms. Allred? Or, for that matter, Gray Davis and his cronies?

2003-10-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

Blows Against The Empire

Below is an article that appeared in yesterday's Los Angeles Times. It is a great piece of writing, one I'd like to have written myself.

A Deplorable October Surprise probably sums up the attitude of most Californians who are planning to vote for Arnold Schwarzenneger on Tuesday. If anything this may galvanize the voters even more solidly against Davis-Bustamecha.

Interestingly, it was by Democrat Susan Estrich, a writer with highly impressive credentials. That she parted from the party line only shows her independent thinking and credibility as a lawyer. If only the Los Angeles Times had any credibility. I've always felt that the best use for the Los Angeles Times is to line my parakeet cage, but the events of the past month show how transparent their left-leaning bias truly is. That Susan Estrich took them on in defense of Arnold Schwarzenneger shows how many lies are proffered by the large media outlets and how much truth is conveniently suppressed. Read on. The piece below is exceptional.

COMMENTARY

A Deplorable October Surprise
By Susan Estrich

Susan Estrich, a professor of law and political science at USC, is the author of "Sex and Power" (Riverside Press, 2001). She was national campaign manager for Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis.

October 3, 2003

So this is the October surprise? The Los Angeles Times headline that Arnold Schwarzenegger groped and humiliated women?

None of the six women interviewed by The Times filed legal charges. Four of the six were quoted anonymously. Of the two who were named, one, a British television hostess, had told her story to Premiere magazine years ago, and it has been widely known and largely ignored. The other recounts an alleged incident of fondling at Gold's Gym nearly 30 years ago.

The anonymous incidents occurred on movie sets and consist of touching a woman's breast in the elevator, whispering vulgarities and pulling a woman onto his lap. Though emphasizing that not everything in the stories was accurate, the candidate responded Thursday with an apology: "Yes, it is true that I was on rowdy movie sets and I have done things that were not right which I thought then was playful, but now I recognize that I offended people." And he pledged to treat women with respect if elected.

As a professor of sex discrimination law for two decades and an expert on sexual harassment, I certainly don't condone the unwanted touching of women that was apparently involved here. But these acts do not appear to constitute any crime, such as rape or sodomy or even assault or battery. As for civil law, sexual harassment requires more than a single case of unwelcome touching; there must be either a threat or promise of sex in exchange for a job benefit or demotion, or the hostile environment must be severe and pervasive.

But none of these women, as The Times emphasizes, ever came forward to complain. The newspaper went looking for them, and then waited until five days before the election to tell the fragments of the story.

What this story accomplishes is less an attack on Schwarzenegger than a smear on the press. It reaffirms everything that's wrong with the political process. Anonymous charges from years ago made in the closing days of a campaign undermine fair politics.

Facing these charges, a candidate has two choices. If he denies them, the story keeps building and overshadows everything else he does. Schwarzenegger's bold apology is a gamble to make the story go away. It may or may not work.

But here's my prediction, as a Californian: It's too late for the Los Angeles Times' charges to have much impact. People have made up their minds. This attack, coming as late as it does, from a newspaper that has been acting more like a cheerleader for Gray Davis than an objective source of information, will be dismissed by most people as more Davis-like dirty politics. Is this the worst they could come up with? Ho-hum. After what we've been through?

To his credit, Schwarzenegger apologized for "behaving badly." So should the Los Angeles Times.

2003-10-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Front line voices

Say what you will about Iraq, pro or con. The point of this little entry is not to choose, but instead to remember the men and women tasked with trying to maintain order in a lawless land. Theirs is an incredibly demanding task, one too many of us on both sides of the question take completely for granted. Take a moment to visit this site. It may seem trivial to you, but the messages of the soldiers in Iraq, without the pithy editorializing of the big corporate news organizations, is worth the visit.

2003-10-04T14:22:00.000-07:00

Get Arnold

Below is a story that appears in this week's LA Weekly. Hardly the bastion of conservatism, the LA Weekly is still a biting and insightful publication. Unlike the transparent slant of the spineless Los Angeles Times, the LA Weekly is beholden to none. At least they remember the journalistic value of neutrality. The story below provides insight to the sleaze and desperate, scorched-earth politics that the California Democrats are trying to salvage their grip on power in the state capital. It makes for interesting and disturbing reading.

OCTOBER 3 - 9, 2003

Connecting the Dots
The long tentacles of the get-Arnold campaign

by Bill Bradley, LA Weekly

There is no coincidence like great coincidence. Especially in politics. It was one of those days on the campaign trail with Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The L.A. Times dumped its long-anticipated negative research story on the gubernatorial front-runner on Thursday morning. Three reporters, including a Pulitzer Prize winner, labored the better part of two months and came up with a less salacious sequel to a notorious Premiere magazine story of 2001. It was all about Arnold, as you don’t want to know him, talking crudely to women, unwantedly touching women. Six women, over a course of 30 years, four of them anonymous. It was less than anticipated given the buildup, but troubling.

And, by coincidence, of course, it was a bad start for Schwarzenegger at the very moment he launches his big statewide bus tour of California.

So Schwarzenegger, at the kickoff rally in San Diego at the early hour of 9 a.m., does the unexpected. He apologizes. Saying that much in the article is untrue, he admits that he has engaged in unacceptable behavior on "rowdy movie sets" with some behavior he "thought playful" but may also have offended people. "I have to prove I will be a champion for women as governor," he declares, to loud cheers from the crowd of 800.

The assembled traveling press corps of 200 is surprised. If he is not going to be defensive, it is hard to see where the story goes.

Where the story goes is on to a rally with several thousand roaring supporters at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa. There, as Schwarzenegger is wrapping up, a small band of protesters, several of whom say they were organized by the hotel and restaurant workers union (HERE) in L.A., show up to demonstrate.

At the very same time, the Democratic Party holds a conference call with the press to fan the flickering flame of the Times story. And a woman, who says she is a member of HERE, starts talking to a growing crowd of reporters at the back of the rally.

She sketches a stunning story. In 1978, when she was 16, she said she was in a Santa Monica restaurant. She notices that Schwarzenegger is there, too, with friends. All of them leave except for one, who says Arnold wants to meet her and proceeds to "drag" her into a parking lot, where he roars up in "an SUV-type vehicle" (there were no SUVs 25 years ago), rolls down the window and says: "We are all going to rape you." Somehow, she gets away. No rape occurs, and that is the extent of her alleged encounter with Schwarzenegger.

It is hard to hear in all the post-rally music and tumult with journos pressing in and cameras rolling.

So here is where coincidence cascades on coincidence. With the Times story failing to destroy Schwarzenegger, the Democrats hold a press conference call to re-ignite things, protesters who say they are organized by HERE come down from L.A. to Costa Mesa, and a woman who says she is a HERE member surfaces to say she, too, was a victim 25 years ago of Schwarzenegger’s crude behavior.

HERE is run in L.A. by Maria Durazo, who is married to L.A. Labor Fed chief Miguel Contreras, who serves on the executive committee of Gray Davis’ anti-recall campaign.

Remarkable coincidences abound in politics. It is that time of the campaign.

How does the press respond, you ask? With some befuddlement. The charge is wild and hard to evaluate. And few know of the coincidental link to Davis. CNN won’t air it. Friday’s newspapers will be interesting, but the attack seems likely to fall short.

Look for more such coincidences on what may be the last Friday of Gray’s last campaign.

2003-10-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on

If you think that Gray Davis is a gumby-esque, utterly boring boy scout, think again. Jill Stewart, one of most scathing and insightful journalists covering California politics learned years ago about the violent temper of the Governor of California. It's a story that the Davis loving Los Angeles Times has sat on for years, one they could choose to report, but won't. Instead, they chose to carefully time the release of a series of attack dog stories on gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenneger instead. Below is a story by Jill Stewart on Gray Davis published several years ago in an independent newspaper:

Originally published in New Times Los Angeles, Nov./Dec 1997

Closet Wacko Vs. Mega-Fibber

By Jill Stewart

I have this file, labeled Gray Davis, that for the last few years I've been stuffing with all the bizarre little tales that are quietly shared among journalists and political insiders about the man who, though probably viewed as a blandly pleasant talking head by most Californians, is in fact one of the strangest ducks ever elected to statewide office.

Long protected by editors at the Los Angeles Times--who have nixed every story Times reporters have ever tried to develop about Davis's storied history of physical violence, unhinged hysteria and gross profanity--the baby-faced, dual personality Davis has been allowed to hold high public office with impunity.

Perhaps you are among the millions never told of Lieutenant Governor Davis's widely known--but long unreported--penchant for physically attacking members of his own staff. His violent tantrums have occurred throughout his career, from his days as Chief of Staff for Jerry Brown to his long stint as State Controller to his current job.

Davis's hurling of phones and ashtrays at quaking government employees and his numerous incidents of personally shoving and shaking horrified workers--usually while screaming the f-word "with more venom than Nixon" as one former staffer recently reminded me--bespeak a man who cannot be trust with power. Since his attacks on subservients are not exactly "domestic violence," they suggest to me the need for new lexicon that is sufficiently Dilbertesque. I would therefore like to suggest "office batterer" for consideration as you observe Davis in his race for governor.

Observing this oddball, the notion struck me: Why on earth is the California Democratic Party allowing such sour milk to rise to the top, when California so desperately needs great men and women in charge?

"I guess Gray's biggest lie," says his former staffer who notes he often flies into a rage, "is pretending that he operates within the bounds of normalcy, which is not true. This is not a normal person. I will never forget the day he physically attacked me, because even though I knew he had done it before to many others, you always want to assume that Gray would never do it to you or that he has finally gotten help."

On the day in question, in the mid-1990s, the staffer was explaining to Davis that his perpetual quest for an ever-larger campaign chest (an obsession she says led Davis to routinely break fundraising laws by using his government office resources and non-political employees to arrange fundraisers and identify new sources of money) had run into a snafu. A major funding source had dried up. Recalls the former staffer: "He just went into one of his rants of, 'Fuck the fucking fuck, fuck, fuck!'" I can still hear his screams ringing in my ears. When I stood up to insist that he not talk to me that way, he grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me until my teeth rattled. I was so stunned I said, 'Good God, Gray! Stop and look at what you are doing! Think what you are doing to me!' And he just could not stop."

Perhaps the worst incident--long known to Davis-adoring editors of the Los Angeles Times but never published by them--was Davis's attack four years ago on a loyal aide in Los Angeles who for years acted as chief apologist for his "incidents."

The woman refuses to discuss the assault on her with the media, but has relayed much of the story to me through a close friend. On the day in question, State Controller Davis was raging over an employee's rearranging of framed artwork on his Los Angeles office walls. He stormed, red-faced, out of his office and violently shoved the woman, who we shall call K., out of his way. According to employees who were present, K. ran out clutching her purse, suffered an emotional breakdown, was briefly hospitalized at Cedars Sinai for a severe nervous dermatological reaction, and never returned to work again.

According to one close friend, K. refused to sue Davis, despite the advice of several friends, after a prominent Los Angeles attorney told her that Davis would ruin her. According to one state official. K. was allowed to continue her work under Davis from her home "because she refused to work in Davis's presence."

(I have heard a copy of the tape recording Davis left on K.'s home telephone, in which he offers no apology to K. but simply requests that she return to work, saying, "You know how I am.")

Well, we do now Gray.

Elena Stern, an official with Checchi's campaign, explained that "...Gray Davis has actually lost a race discrimination lawsuit" filed against him by a former female employee. Look it up.

So my question is simple: how did we get stuck in the position of hoping that the job of governor of California, one of the most august positions of power in the Western world, is not won by a mega-fibber or a closet wacko. The Democratic Party likes to wheeze on about how it has all the answers. I'd love to hear them explain this one.

Note: Since this story, I have interviewed K. and published subsequent columns about these incidents. She did go back to work but with elaborate rules in which she never had to work in the same room with Davis. She finally sought a transfer because she couldn't bear being around him and facing another possible attack.

2003-10-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Is this the best you can do?

To: Mr. Gray Davis, Mr. Cruz Bustamante and Mr. Terry McAuliffe
From: Brian Teeter
RE: Is this the best you can do?

Like just about everyone in California, I read the news of allegations by that bastion of quality journalism, The Los Angeles Times, that Gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger supposedly groped women without their consent, and in today's latest drivel, supposedly voiced praise for Adolf Hitler.

How convenient.

Just days before the election, these allegations surface. What a coincidence! Any ambitious political group trying to preserve the status quo realize that timing is everything. And there's no better way to eliminate competition than to present allegations of sexual misconduct and love of a villified dictator, which are, of course the type of allegations that are the guilty-until-proven-innocent variety. It's fascinating too, that a number of "spontaneous" protests, commercials and other political noise against Arnold just so happened to have boiled up at this very moment.

Um, you might not happen to know anything about this, would you?

Let me cut to the chase: if you're going to win this election, which you won't, you've got to do better than this. Instead to painting someone with unproven, scandalous allegations, you might want to consider offering an agenda to get California out of the abysmal mess you created. But face it: you have nothing to offer. So you turn to the next best thing: FUD. When in doubt, distract 'em.

But it won't work. People aren't stupid, much as you believe that we are. You tried some slimeball stunts with your friends at the ACLU to derail the recall election and take away my right to vote. You took an enormous surplus and in less than two years, your incompetence drove the state almost to bankruptcy. You sold out to labor unions and gambling casinos. And despite all the fear, uncertainty and doubt that you sow, I don't hear anything positive that you offer, unless your idea of positive is Tough Love. The only tough love I want to see is not in the form of obscene taxes, but getting tough on the whores that dominate the California state legislature. But you'd never do that.

Instead of thinking that the California state budget is an ATM machine, and instead of thinking that the taxes paid by the people of California amount to a trust fund for you to go wild, consider being responsible. But that's beneath you.

It's interesting that the man who presented allegations about Mr. Schwarzenegger's supposed love of Hitler quickly recanted. But the damage has been done. One thing that won't change however is my vote. I'm going to vote for Arnold, along with millions of Californians who are sick of your lies and incompetence. The best you can do is be negative. We're going to vote for someone, however imperfect, has a vision to make California a good place again. That's something you cannot and will not do.

On Tuesday, you'll get yours. And not a moment too soon.

2003-09-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Your money means nothing to us

Lesson #1 in how to thoroughly piss off a bank customer: refuse to accept his money. That's exactly what happened to me yesterday morning at my local branch of Wells Fargo Bank. I set out yesterday with a $5,000 check from Charles Schwab in hand to deposit in my bank. The reason: to bail my brother out. With a good check and good intentions in hand, I walked into the bank, filled out the deposit slip and patiently waited in line.

What greeted me was anything but pleasant. (Editor's note: My account at Schwab is shared with my wife, and as such, both of us endorsed the check before I set off on my errand. However, we keep separate bank accounts for convenience as much as anything else, and to be honest, my wife is not on my bank account.) When I presented the check, deposit slip and my ID, the spineless teller examined the check carefully and asked if I had any other accounts with the bank. While I stayed polite, my blood began to boil, as a quick glance at his computer would have answered that question. He then told me that because my wife was not on the account, that he would have to seek permission of his manager. At this point, smoke began to stream from my ears.

After a long delay, he returned and asked if I had my wife's ID with me. I politely explained that I did not, doing my level best to not go circus freak crazy on him at that very moment. He then made me wait again while he sought judgment from his manager, who never even came out to meet with me. Upon return, he said without emotion that he could not accept my deposit. Humiliated, I took my check and deposit slip back, quietly thanked him and walked out.

My politeness evaporated as soon as I hit the outside air.

You better believe I fully intend to raise hell on Monday. And I plan to vote with my feet and checkbook and feet as soon as possible. It's one thing if I was overdrawn, or asking for a loan. But I was doing the opposite: I was trying to give Wells Fargo Bank money. $5,000 to be exact. Most banks normally slobber and drool over the prospect of someone like me doing this, but not Wells Fargo. No, they made sure they were cold and insulting. And perhaps to them, $5,000 is chump change. But to me, it's a lot.

Being as large as they are, Wells Fargo probably won't care if I do leave. But someday, if the bank is getting pummelled by Wall Street and competitors are eating their lunch, I hope this insignificant little blog will be recalled. Businesses win or lose one customer at a time. And a little common sense would have made big difference. I won't forget this. Hopefully, another bank is eager for my business.

2003-09-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Where lawyers came from

I couldn't help but stop and read this dispatch from The Associated Press:

Ancient rodent the size of a buffalo

BY PAUL RECER, ASSOCIATED PRESS

It would be an exterminator's worst nightmare: A 1,545-pound rodent with a voracious appetite and continuously growing big teeth. Resembling a guinea pig grown to the size of a buffalo, the animal lived millions of years ago in a South American swamp and is thought to be history's biggest rodent, researchers say this week in the journal Science.

Finally! I have an explanation of the origins of where ACLU and record industry attorneys came from. Why hadn't I thought of this before?

2003-09-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Food loves me. It really, really loves me.

I have a theory about food and me. No matter how careful I try to be, I always manage to turn my clothes into a painter's canvas of food. My wife is horrified. My cat doesn't associate with me any more. I have brought shame and dishonor on my ancestors. Stumped, I gave a lot of thought on why this happens.

My theory: food loves me. It wants to stick to me. Oh, and my clothes too.

I've searched scientific texts on why this is so. And today, I made an amazing discovery: I am positively charged, and food is negatively charged. I don't know why I didn't think of it before.

Want proof? Allow me to digress. I recall when I was a little kid growing up in Minnesota, my grandmother would visit in the winter. Some of my earliest memories of her were painful ones. If you've spent a winter in Minnesota, you know that a house gets incredibly dry inside when you're heating it to protect you from -40 winters. Add to that a wool carpet (we're talkin' the 1950s) and you have a man-made lightning storm for static electricity. And sure enough, when my grandmother picked me up to kiss me, lightning bolts of, say, um 20,000,000,000,000,000 amps would jump out of her lips. Now that's kinky.

The same was true when you had a key in your hands. In Minnesota, you quickly learn to hold a key about a 1/4" from the door. It's fun to watch the blue arc of electricity jump from the key to the door. Or when you jump into bed on a bitterly cold night, the static in the sheets would cause lightning to arc under the blankets. Weird but true. It's just plan dangerous living there.

But back to food. I did an experiment at lunch to confirm my theory. I walked through a food court at a local shopping center, carefully observing things. Sure enough, because I was positively charged, blobs of negatively charged food came hurling through the doors and slamming onto my clothes. And I suspect that's why I'm not as svelte as I once was.

All this leads me to my last point: free radicals. You can't go to a health food store without reading about the dangers of free radicals. There are antitoxidant vitamins up the wazoo to fight them. This fails to explain why so many people who look like free radicals frequent health food stores, but that's a blog for another day. But I figured it out that being born positively charged (and a minority of us are), I'm a target for the negatively charged free radicals. Given that I live in California, I have now managed to explain why Democratic politics in the state is dangerous to people's health, and how food sticks to my clothes.

Yes, I know. It was a long and convoluted blog, but worth it. I managed to show how the Democrats are a bunch of negatively charged free radicals and that they are to blame for staining my clothes. Do you think I can sue them for this? There's gotta be an angle here. Thoughts anyone?

2003-09-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

Flawed logic

The decision handed down yesterday by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the California gubernatorial recall election was nothing less than insulting, infuriating, and not without irony. The liberal bias of the three judge panel, no doubt carefully hand picked by the ACLU and Governor Davis, was more than transparent. It's sad that judges of any political point of view have become so partisan. I wish for federal judges not to be conservative or liberal, but instead, intelligent, independent thinkers who see beyond dogma to search for truth. That might sound naively idealistic, but that's what the rule of law should be all about. When I compare the United States to practically any other nation on earth, it is the rule of law that separates America from anywhere else. And in my mind, the Sharia does not cut it.

Allow me to explain why.

If you buy their logic, the three-judge panel and the ACLU believe that as many as 40,000 votes may not get counted in the recall vote because six California counties still use punch-card ballots, the same system that sent the 2000 presidential race into chaos. In making its ruling, the panel leaned heavily on the Bush v. Gore case that effectively decided 2000 election.

In a 66-page, unsigned opinion, the panel, made up of Judges Harry Pregerson, Sidney Thomas and Richard Paez, cited Bush v. Gore repeatedly to support the view that California's Oct. 7 gubernatorial recall election would be unconstitutional if the state, as planned, used outmoded punch-card ballot machines like those that contributed to the deadlock in Florida in 2000. The punch-card technology would deny millions of Californians their constitutional right to have their ballots counted fairly, the court ruled.

The 9th Circuit noted that, according to experts, some 40,000 voters out of the several million expected to vote in the recall election would lose out because of the normal 2.23 percent error rate in the punch-card technology. Those voters would tend to come from six heavily minority counties containing 44 percent of the state's voters, whereas 56 percent of the state's voting population would get the benefit of machines with an error rate of no more than 0.89 percent.

Never mind the fact that the three judges are basing their opinion on an event that has not happened yet, using estimates that have no scientific basis in fact and making conclusions on results that may never approach the hype being spewed forth by groups with a vested interest in promoting FUD.

If I were a member of the minorities referred to in the legal decision, I would be outraged. The ACLU's contention and the court's opinion is that African American and Hispanic voters are incapable of making a decision, much less being accountable for the act of voting properly. That's patronizing perfectly intelligent and capable people, regardless of whether they are a minority. Why should a African American or Hispanic voter statistically be any less able than a white or Asian voter to make sure that the X or punched hole is correctly filled out? For years, liberals have fought for equal rights for minorities, and to dispel the myths that a minority is any less able than their white counterparts. Yet, when it is convenient, liberals show their hypocracy and bias to suit their point of view. And here, the ACLU, purportedly the champion of the downtrodden masses of minorities, is selling the intelligence and abilities of minority groups short to defend an incompetent white man, namely Governor Davis.

The right to vote is one of the most important rights of any American, one to not be taken lightly. If our vote is to count, it is up to us as individuals to make sure that we have followed the instructions that our ballot is properly completed. No technology is flawless. And in countries around the world, simple paper ballots with an X or a hole has served the purpose of democracy for decades. But now, when it suits the purposes of liberal special interests, the legitimate will of the people is being denied to preserve the status quo. That's not just voter disenfransement. It's outright fraud and manipulation.

Look at it another way. If I was pulled over for speeding, and in court I told the judge, "Your honor, you must let me off because I did not understand the speed limit," I would get laughed out of court. Ignorance, I am reminded, is no defense of the law. So why should voting be any different? If I am responsible for knowing the speed limit to exercise my priviledge to drive, I should be just as vigilant with my right to vote.

But I have a solution. I'm thinking of writing the ACLU and asking for their help to get a recent court decision overturned on the grounds that my voting rights have been infringed upon. Just imagine: having the ACLU duke it out in court against the ACLU. Maybe then it would degrade into a fight to the death, and the ACLU, like two circling scorpions, would end up consuming itself. That would be justice for all.

2003-09-14T23:34:00.000-07:00

Going once...

Over the weekend, I drove with my boss and good friend, Kevin, to North Hollywood to attend an autograph show and autograph/Hollywood memorabilia auction. The highlight of the day for us was the big item on the auction docket: a beautiful Fender Telecaster guitar once owned by the late George Harrison and used in the movie Let it Be. The auction featured a mix of mundane to highly interesting signed mementos. From the army uniform worn by Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump, to the puppets used in Spitting Image, to a mix of items from rocker Delaney Brammlet or autographed letters from the French emperor Napoleon, the range was pretty fascinating. Much of the items sold under their asking price.

Except for the George Harrison's guitar, that is. Bidding started at just north of $100,000 and quickly went up from there. The early leading offers came from online bidders on eBay, who bought many of the smaller items in the auction. But they were quickly passed by two serious competitors in the theatre where we sat: a handsome, obviously well-off man, likely a Hollywood or record industry executive, and actor Ed Begley Jr. Back and forth the offers went, with Begley sitting back, casually holding up his card while listening to music on an MP3 player. Before long, the bidding spiraled to a dizzying $370,000. The tension was palpable. But Begley emerged the winner.

I never imagined Mr. Begley to be a giant TV or movie star, but a look at his resume surprised me that he has stayed very busy with work all these years. Obviously, he could afford the price (over $430,000 with the auctioneer's commission tacked on). Pretty amazing. If you ever get the chance, sit in on an auction like this. I felt a bit of history passing through my hands.

2003-09-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on California

For a couple of weeks, I've been really, really tempted to let loose with a torrent of angry rants about the absolute insanity that passes for California politics. Basically, thanks to those in power in Sacramento, the keys to the kingdom are on sale to the highest bidder. Ethics or high-minded moral scruples are not welcome in the state capital. Yet, I want to stay in my adopted home.

Funny. I came to California seeking paradise and found paradox instead.