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Opinari - Latin term for Opinion. Opinari.net is just what it seems: a cornucopia of rants, raves and poignant soliloquy.

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

Due to working extra hours to compensate for the huge price increases at the gas pump, and due to the fact that my wife and I are about to make an extensive road trip to our native South, blogging will be light for the next week or so. However, I think I will stop at the Krystal joint that Glenn Reynolds mentioned on Instapundit. I just think Wi-Fi and Krystal are an odd, but welcome combination.

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.: posted by Dave 5:53 AM


Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Wi-Fi is becoming more ubiquitous. Starbucks has long offered the service. Some McDonalds' restaurants do also. Now one of my favorites, Panera Bread, is doing the same. The store in South Windsor, CT doesn't offer it yet, nor do the ones in Tennessee. But, they will be soon.

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.: posted by Dave 9:39 AM


Monday, August 25, 2003

Judge Roy Moore op-eds today in the Wall Street Journal regarding his position on displaying a monument to the Ten Commandments in his court room. The argument has been, up until now, that church and state matters should remain separate, and Moore seeks to obfuscate that boundary. However, in his defense, Moore makes two interesting points.

First, Moore cites the U.S. Constitution:

"The First Amendment says that "Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." It does not take a constitutional scholar to recognize that I am not Congress, and no law has been passed. "

Moore has a valid point that he is, indeed, not legislating anything from the bench that would constitute an infringement upon anyone's religious rights. Clearly, the establishment clause was included in the Constitution to hinder the state from elevating one religion above another in state matters, not to prevent any reference, no matter how ambiguous, to God at all. Further, it is the burden of the judiciary to interpret laws, not to enact them. Moore is clearly not acting on some sort of judicial fiat; merely, he is interpreting the law as he sees it.

Second, Moore defends his constitutional duty to uphold the law:

"We must acknowledge God in the public sector because the state constitution explicitly requires us to do so. The Alabama constitution specifically invokes "the favor and guidance of Almighty God" as the basis for our laws and justice system. As the chief justice of the state's supreme court I am entrusted with the sacred duty to uphold the state's constitution. I have taken an oath before God and man to do such, and I will not waver from that commitment. "

Notice the distinction between the U.S. constitution, and the Alabama constitution. Southern states and their judiciaries are traditionally states' rights advocates, and Moore does not diverge from that. To Moore, his oath was not to the federal government, but to the people and the laws of Alabama. Given that fact, Moore seems clearly within his bounds.

If so many are offended by Moore's stance, perhaps the best course of action would be to amend the wording of the Alabama constitution to remove any references to God at all. This would seem counter to the foundation of a Judeo-Christian society, but in light of the traditional interpretation of the establishment clause, it would be consistent. In any case, interpreting the laws from the bench in such a way as to subvert them altogether sets a dangerous precedent, no matter which side you take on this issue.

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.: posted by Dave 8:29 AM


Sunday, August 24, 2003

In case you missed it, Howard Dean was in the Wall Street Journal's Friday opinion section. He quickly proclaimed his intention of "repealing the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts." Note to Dean: think Mondale, 1984.

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.: posted by Dave 4:06 PM


I used to be a Rush Limbaugh fan, and in many ways, I still am. But he's not making sense to me these days. First, he rants about blogging, which was a bit churlish in my opinion. Now, Outside the Beltwayis commenting on Rush's rant about why voters should not vote for the Governator. The idea here should be to elect someone a little MORE to the right than the socialist pols who normally rule the Golden State. Crawl before you walk, Rush. Remember that. Sometimes, the Godfather of talk radio just doesn't make much sense.

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.: posted by Dave 3:56 PM


The BBC has decided to make their content available for "free" online. I put quotes around "free" because anyone who lives in the UK knows the BBC is nowhere close to being free. Quoth the BBC director general, Greg Dyke:

"I believe that we are about to move into a second phase of the digital revolution, a phase which will be more about public than private value; about free, not pay services; about inclusivity, not exclusion.

"In particular, it will be about how public money can be combined with new digital technologies to transform everyone's lives."

Seems to me that Dyke is trying to assuage public discontent here, but I could be wrong.

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.: posted by Dave 3:32 PM


For a nice compendium of the questionable activities of former U.T. president John Shumaker, check out the article in today's Hartford Courant.

I still can't believe how frivolously this man spent the university's money. The more I read it, the angrier I get about it. From the article:

More spending for the residence followed: an electronic entertainment system for $7,431; a $7,000 Persian rug; an armoire purchased for $3,760 and then reworked to fit a television and stereo system at an added cost of $1,385; a $30,000 telephone system; and a gas grill for the patio - $4,822. A university employee told auditors that facilities services had originally bought a gas grill for $169, but the president's office notified them that the grill was not acceptable, the audit says.

$30,000 for a home telephone system? $4,822 for a gas grill? These expenses, when the state education system is in the midst of a fiscal crisis, are downright ludicrous. You don't increase tuition four years in a row just so you can subsidize your lavish lifestyle. As details of Shumaker's escapades at Louisville, CCSU, and Tennessee are further scrutinized, I will not be surprised to see that questionable decision-making was a pattern at each institution for him. Joe Johnson will be a trustworthy breath of fresh air. One can only hope that whomever is chosen to replace Johnson will be more upstanding and capable than Shumaker.

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.: posted by Dave 3:20 PM


Read Gary Lundy's article about former University of Tennessee football player Greg Johnson. Johnson is now a Captain in the U.S. Marines. Johnson was in the middle of it all in Iraq. Read, and then ask yourself if you believe the invasion of Iraq was justified, or if it was just some unnecessary, right-wing political ploy. Try to see, if you can, what Johnson saw. Then I think you'll know the answer.

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.: posted by Dave 12:45 PM


Saturday, August 23, 2003

Some musings from Jean Chretien:

"To have a referendum to decide on the fate of a minority, it's a problem... The majority will prevail on everything... The French language would have perhaps been banned in Canada for a long time if it had been a question of the majority deciding."

This is exactly why the framers of the United States Constitution devised a representative republic as their governing model, and not a democracy.

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.: posted by Dave 4:34 PM


Imagine going to school, and being forced to pledge allegiance to your state. Well, some of the bright individuals in the state government of Texas (who first brought us the gerrymandering debacle) have decided to require this state-allegiance nonsense of their school systems. Never mind EDUCATING the kids; just make sure they are loyal to the state.

I don't imagine I will ever want my child pledging any sort of allegiance to a state... unless it's the Volunteer State, of course. Heh.

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.: posted by Dave 4:25 PM


When someone calls you racist, when you clearly are not, there is nothing more frustrating. When you are a public performer, such accusations take on even more meaning. Such is the plight of "Motor City Madman" Ted Nugent. Nugent is suing the town of Muskegon, MI for cancelling his show there in June. Muskegon did so, alleges Nugent, because of statements he made in a radio interview.

So what's the hubbub? Apparently, Nugent "attempted to make the point that the words "gooks" and "niggers" were just that, words, and therefore shouldn't offend, citing Richard Pryor's comedic use of the N-word as an example." Listeners complained, and Muskegon's concert promoters decided Nugent had to go.

Political correctness has reared its ugly head again. Anyone who has heard Nugent speak publicly knows these allegations are absurd. His conservative, second-amendment embracing persona has always been controversial, but never racist. Besides, Nugent's public questioning of word usage is valid. Isn't it about time we just got over being "offended" by things? Whether it is Marilyn Manson, Robert Mapplethorpe, Natalie Maines, or Ted Nugent, we have the right to speak about whatever we choose, offensive or not.

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.: posted by Dave 3:57 PM


It appears that, according to the cable news channels, the focus of the sex abuse scandal in Boston, John Geoghan, has been murdered in prison.

The news wires are confirming it.

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.: posted by Dave 3:25 PM


Evidence that the Republican party machine is backing the Governator in the California recall election: Bill Simon quits the gubernatorial race. No doubt the party leaders think Schwarzenegger is far more electable than the once-defeated Simon, who showed his own brand of public ineptitude in 2002 by actually losing to Gray Davis in a race where no one really wanted either candidate. Simon, however, denies any party pressure to bow out, saying only that "too many Republicans" were already in the race, and that it is time to end the "Gray Davis legacy". In other words, the other Republican candidates are far more likely to compete than he is.

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.: posted by Dave 3:18 PM


Fox lost their suit against Al Franken. I'm not even sure what Fox was thinking when they sued Franken. Really, the only thing they accomplished was giving the unfunny comedian more publicity. Remember during the elections a few years back when he did a skit with Arianna Huffington on Politically Incorrect called "Politics Make Strange Bedfellows" where he was in a double bed with her, talking politics? Arianna was a "conservative" at the time. Now THAT was funny: her conservatism, not the skit. The skit bombed. Terribly. But I digress.

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.: posted by Dave 11:35 AM


Friday, August 22, 2003

You know, I like Microsoft. Really, I do. Perhaps it's because their ubiquity has allowed me to train myself with their products, and make a pretty damned good career out of it. However, as soon as I become an apologist for them, they come along and do something that really makes me mad.

Apparently, they are changing the protocol with which MSN Messenger connects to other clients. This change will be implemented by 15 OCT, rendering all old versions of MSN, and all third party IM clients USELESS. I use VeriChat on my Palm, and Trillian on my laptop. I do this in an attempt to unify all of the IM clients. This is an annoying, and very inconvenient move on the part of Microsoft. Grrrrrrr!

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.: posted by Dave 7:57 PM


Gillette has pulled their RFID packaging from UK stores amid protests. This is good, but it won't last. Inventory control is an issue for many retailers, as is monitoring items for theft. The technology is here, like it or not, and as long as it will save businesses a dime, it will be used.

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.: posted by Dave 7:50 PM


Well, I was going to check out the 2004 US News University Rankings, but apparently, you must PAY for it. First, I have to pay to listen to sports broadcasts online which were free for years (and still are free on the radio). Now, I can't even get a stupid school ranking without this headache. Forget it. I don't care where my favorite schools are ranked.

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.: posted by Dave 7:45 PM


In other UK news, the country has had a law against begging for years, but it does not carry a prison sentence. Now, a court has issued an injunction against a habitual beggar, one Mr. Leonard Hockey, who has been arrested 97(!) times for vagrancy. If he is caught again within 2 years, he will be given a jail sentence, not for vagrancy, but for contempt of court.

Hmmm. If these vagrants are really drug addicts as the government alleges, I don't think a threat of contempt is going to help restrict their propensity for begging.

Not to be outdone, Atlanta is also considering banning begging.

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.: posted by Dave 7:40 PM


If you don't know who George, Ringo, Paul, John and Yoko are, and you are Brazilian, don't plan to fly into Heathrow anytime soon.

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.: posted by Dave 7:34 PM


The gauge of leading economic indicators rose for the fourth consecutive month. The index of regional factory business conditions exceeded expectations. New unemployment claims fell to the lowest rate in six months. Housing starts continue to rise. The real money supply is increasing; so is the value of the stock market.

With all of this, we are hit continually with the suggestion that this is the worst economy in fifty years. Only in the Bizarro world of politics can these claims be made, and muster any credibility. The fact is the economy is recovering, and those who would be president want us to think otherwise.

The economy is never going to be perfect for everyone. Just look at the uneasiness in California. Every sector will have its troubles. Witness the aerospace industry, which, after 9/11, is just now beginning to get its head above water. However, as a whole, this nation has a fundamentally resilient economy.

Since anything positive favors President Bush and re-election, the spinsters must be loud enough and persistent enough to convince anyone who will listen that we are in the midst of a catastrophe, and only they have the answers to what ails us.

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.: posted by Dave 7:30 PM


Yawn.

The SoBig.F virus coordinated outbreak was scheduled for 3 pm EST. It came and went. Perhaps the virus took a much needed nap.

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.: posted by Dave 7:07 PM




I've been waiting for a cool toy like this that allows me to "TiVo" my radio. Now here it is: the Radio YourWay.

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.: posted by Dave 6:55 PM


Thursday, August 21, 2003

OK, we hear these types of stories so often that we have become desensitized by them. Another homicide case, etc. etc. This one sentence just stuck out to me though:

If he's convicted, McClain faces a maximum of 5 years in prison.

Five years, for a homicide? And we put people in prison for 12 years for spitting on an officer of the law? What the hell is going on in this country?

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.: posted by Dave 12:16 PM


Our Litigious Society:

My absurdity meter was ticking this morning when I saw this: West Nile virus victims sue Ontario. The allegations are that Ontario knew that a WNV outbreak was likely in 1999, but failed to protect the litigants. I'm looking forward to decendents of flu victims of the early 1900s suing the respective cities for not doing enough to prevent the flu epidemic. Perhaps San Franciscans could sue their city for not doing enough to protect them against earthquakes.

In other stupid litigation news, a woman tries to beat down her brother's door with a brick, is asked to stop, refuses to do so, and the cops TASER her. So, what happens? She SUES them for millions in damages. From her lawyer:

“The City, Chief Jones and Sergeant Erickson (sic.) authorized, approved, permitted, ratified and tolerated the unlawful, deliberate, malicious, reckless and wanton conduct of Officer Aldred … thus depriving Ms. Autin of her constitutional rights,” Freeman’s letter reads."

Who's representing her? Jackie Chiles?

Enough already.

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.: posted by Dave 11:44 AM


So the "truce" between Hamas and Israel is over. Is this a surprise to anyone? As long as militant activities are tolerated, they will continue. Elimination of the Jewish nation is the reason for Hamas' existence; don't be fooled into thinking they serve any other purpose. Did you ever live in a neighborhood where there was one kid who, despite any overtures toward peaceful co-existence you offered, he still managed to be a little too violent for his own good? That was Hamas, and you were the allegorical Israel.

What kind of entity is Hamas? Evidence of their civility follows:

Dozens of Hamas supporters at the scene dunked their fists in blood, raised their hands and vowed revenge, chanting “God is great.”

Does anyone expect these people to lay down their weapons, step aside, and forge a peaceful solution to their problems in the Middle East? No, because they do not seek solutions. They seek genocide, pure and simple. Israel has a right to defend themselves, as much as America did after 9/11. President Bush stated, quite simply that "the most important thing is for the parties that care for peace to dismantle terrorist organizations that want to kill." This has been Israel's modus operandi all along, and it will continue until someone in a position of authority demands accountability from terrorist groups.

Palestinian leaders Abbas and Arafat promise "arrests", of what nature remains to be seen. The Hamas' leadership has sought not to abide by any crackdown against militants, but decries any leadership effort to do so:

“We hope that the Palestinian Authority...learns the lesson that the Zionist enemy wants to use it to realise its aims in oppressing the Palestinian people,” Osama Hamdan told Reuters. “We consider that it is up to the Authority government to stop its threats to the resistance and return to the Palestinian people in the framework of a national dialogue based on protecting them.”

Arafat and company have played politics for too long, seeking to please their constituents in the anti-Zionist movements, while maintaining a public facade of normalcy and tolerance. This is inconsistent with the stated goals of Hamas, and other groups. For the "road map to peace" to succeed, it will require unpopular decisions by Arafat and Abbas, and distancing themselves publicly and privately from Hamas will be a good start. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen how sincere the leadership of the Palestinian people are, or if they are, in fact, more similar to Hamas than we want to admit.


NOTE: The Wall Street Journal takes a similar position.

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.: posted by Dave 11:28 AM


Wednesday, August 20, 2003

If you think the unrest in Iraq is because the Iraqis don't want us there, think again. Reports abound that Saudis are taking up arms and going AWOL to join the insurgency in Iraq. With all due respect to those who are promoting the anti-US agenda here, it's the purveyors of terrorism that are fearing for their existence here, and thus the daily violence. Consider the following:

According to two independent surveys, however, 85% of Iraqis and 76% of Baghdadis favor the continued presence of coalition troops. That’s because Iraqis know, to the core of their marrow, that, after 35 years of subjugation, brutality and isolation, they need help, and that if American forces departed prematurely, disaster would likely ensue.

(Thanks to Alphapatriot for the reference)

That tells me a lot. Iraqis want freedom, and security, and they know their best chance of achieving it is through the involvement of the United States.

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.: posted by Dave 1:11 PM


Some agency called Kids and Cars wants to protect kids from power windows. Here's a thought. How about doing a little parenting and make them behave in the car instead of relying on Big Brother Safety Device Inc. to totally redesign the electric window? Or, if you can't control the little one, how about getting manual windows? They do still make them.

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.: posted by Dave 12:14 PM


Karla Corcoran, the U.S. Postal Inspector General, resigned on Tuesday after an inquiry into her fiscal, administrative, and personnel practices. For the $142,500 she was paid, taxpayers got three separate $1 million tabs for extravaganzas designed for "team building" where fancy DC hotels were rented for the occasion. Never mind the allegations that she was just a bitter pill with which to work; the waste is what bothers me. Ironically, her position was created in 1996 for the purpose of... eliminating waste and fraud in the USPS.

Government, the solution to all problems.

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.: posted by Dave 12:10 PM


I'm So Excited!!!

I just have to share with you, the reader, this unbelievable business opportunity. This is easier than winning the lottery. In fact, I'm thinking of taking a much needed sabbatical after the proceeds of this are received.

This morning I received this email:

FROM: MR TREVOR DLAMINI
JOHANNESBURG,
SOUTH-AFRICA.
E-MAIL: crownprince2@multiyork.co.za


Dear Sir

HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL

Greetings,

This mail may come to you as a surprise but,l plead
with you to patiently read through it before making a
decision whether to assist me or not.

l wish to solicit for your assistance in the
transaction which l strongly believe will be of mutual
benefit to both of us.

My name is MR Trevor Dlamini, a branch manager of a leading
bank in South Africa.
l and two of my colleagues wish to seek your
assistance in the transfer of some huge sum of money
into a foreign bank account.

This money was deposited in a fixed deposit account in
the bank by an American national, six years ago.The
lenght of time for the maturity of the fixed deposit
was five years which expired towards the ending of
last year. lncidentally, Mr.Jeff Stevens, who was the
beneficiary died in the September 11th bombing of the
World Trade Centre in America, and he left nobody as
next-of-kin to claim this money.All efforts made to
trace any known relations of his proved abortive, and
no one has written our bank in this regard.

All modalities for the successful transfer of this
money into an offshore bank account have been put in
place and we are looking for a trust worthy foreign
partner into whose bank account this fund would be
remitted to and it is this regard that my colleagues
have mandated me to provide a partner who will assist
us. We have agreed to compensate you with 25% of the
total amount if you should accept to assit us.

lf you are interested in giving us the required
assistance,kindly reply this mail stating your
Telephone/Fax numbers for further action.
Because of the secrecy surrounding this transaction, l
suggest that you contact me only through e-mail ,
until futher notice.

l am looking forward to a fovourable reply from you
soon. Feel free to ask any question in this regard.

l remain,

Yours Faithfully,

MR TREVOR DLAMINI

Wow!

From the branch manager of a leading South African bank, no less! I can't begin to tell you how excited I am! My wife will be thrilled, too! I'm thinking that we might put this into an annuity, and use it to pay off taxes, and such, but I digress. Imagine, free money, just for allowing the use of my bank account!

Anyway, I replied to Mr. Dlamini:

Dear Mr. Dlamini,

Amazingly, I have been wishing for an easy second source of income lately. I was thinking of working a night job, but now, thanks to you, I won't have to! Thank you so much! You are a Godsend, do you know that?

I'm so excited, I am not even going to bother to ask which bank employs you as a branch manager. They must be reputable, and they should be proud to have you! In fact, why don't you reduce the amount you are going to pay me out of this financial windfall from 25% to 15%, and you keep the difference. You deserve it!

Enclosed with this email is a document containing my telephone number, bank account number, and... heck, I threw in my Social Security Number for good measure. I mean, what's a unique identifier between friends? We are friends now, right, Mr. Dlamini!?

Anyway, I will look forward to your phone call, and I await with much anticipation the deposit of cash that your fine banking institution is so eager to place in my custody. Again, sir, thanks for the opportunity!

Your new best friend,
Dave

I thought I would share this amazing correspondence with you, the reader, as I want you to know it IS possible to make money using the Internet!

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.: posted by Dave 11:57 AM


Huh?

Phish bassist Mike Gordon, 38, decided, after a Dead concert, to take a 9-year old girl to a secluded boathouse to "snap art photos" of her. Her parents panicked, and called the police. Before the cops got there, the Hell's Angels found Gordon and "exacted punishment of their own" on him. The girl is the daughter of one of the HAs, you see. And Hell Hath no Fury like an Angel Scorned. Now the parents have decided not to press charges. Sometimes, I feel like I live in an alternate universe.

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.: posted by Dave 11:04 AM


Yawn.

Microsoft reports that it has completed Office 2003, and is releasing it on October 21st. Maybe that development time would be better spent fixing the bugs in Office XP, 2000, 97, etc. etc. etc. Although, I must admit, integration with .NET would be nice.

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.: posted by Dave 10:56 AM




Would you marry this woman? Read all about her wedding fiasco just blocks from my church in South Windsor. Then ask yourself, what the hell is the groom thinking?

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.: posted by Dave 10:52 AM


Monday, August 18, 2003

The ever growing feud between NASCAR drivers Jimmy Spencer and Kurt Busch grew a bit more tense after this weekend's race at Michigan International Speedway. Spencer spun Busch around in the garage area, approached Busch's car, and then punched him several times. Now, it appears Spencer might be charged with assault.

Yeah, yeah. You know, boys will be boys, etc. These two don't like each other. Let the head honchos sort this one out internally. Don't get the authorities involved in something that really amounts to bad blood. Besides, it's fun to watch two redneck car jockeys go at each other.

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.: posted by Dave 5:43 PM


Cynthia McKinney for President as a Greenie? You have GOT to be kidding me.

If this happens, this would be a tremendous headache for the Democrats, who may well have lost the presidency in 2000 because of the populist appeal of Nader and company. For sure, not many Republicans jumped ship to vote Green. A McKinney candidacy would force Democrats to face the prospect of losing a chunk of their African-American constituency to the Greens. That fact, along with the perception of being soft on security issues would doom them to political irrelevance.

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.: posted by Dave 5:36 PM


I have to agree with Bill Hobbs on this one. Tennessee is running at a fiscal year end surplus, after bickering for ages about the budget (very similar to what just ended here in Connecticut). Why isn't this being reported? I don't think I would know about it were it not for Hobbs' blog. Come on, mainstream press, what's up?

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.: posted by Dave 5:26 PM


Straight from MSN Money:

According to Smart Money, the US Department of Agriculture estimated that in 1995, a child costs approximately $145,320 in a middle-income family over 18 years; a more realistic estimate, based on expenses from birth to college, might be closer to $400,000. The first year of a baby's life is just the beginning: The average family spends about $10,000 (we're counting delivery, hospital stay, baby furniture, clothes, food, diapers, daycare, toys, books, and well-baby visits and immunizations) with some smart shopping, borrowing, and budgeting.

NOW they tell me!

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.: posted by Dave 4:38 PM




South Knox Bubba welcomes some new members to the Rocky Top Brigade. Welcome all!

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.: posted by Dave 1:32 PM


The Wall Street Journal editorializes on the blackout:

"Perhaps the most interesting story about the blackout ... is why it didn't spread farther--in particular, why it was stopped cold in Pennsylvania and points South. The reason is that an outfit called PJM Interconnection, which operates the wholesale energy market from New Jersey to West Virginia, recognized that power was dropping and isolated its section of the grid ... PJM is no miracle worker. It is merely an example of the kind of "regional transmission organization" (or RTO) that can develop everywhere if a more competitive wholesale electricity market is allowed to proceed... As it happens, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has been proposing rules that would allow more of these RTOs to develop. Legislation to do so is pending in the energy bill now in House-Senate conference... "

This is the most sensible commentary on what we need to do to fix this power grid fiasco I have heard yet.

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.: posted by Dave 1:28 PM


Apparently Howard Dean is spamming campaign mail by using third party spammers.

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.: posted by Dave 1:18 PM


Another Worm: The W32/Nachi worm is set to hit all Windows machines that are still vulnerable to RPC DCOM attacks. The catch? This one actually attempts to FIX affected machines. Maybe some enterprising techie at Microsoft who was tired of fielding all of the tech support calls put this one out there himself.

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.: posted by Dave 1:14 PM


The funny thing about a budget crisis - any solution is going to anger most everyone. So, here in CT, we see our income tax rate go up 1/2%, vehicle registration fees go up, and the tax credit to help offset property taxes goes down. It looks like welfare programs were cut, too, though. 2004 should be a fun election year.

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.: posted by Dave 10:44 AM


A new trend - panhandling with discount cards. Earlier this week, I read about Rob Cockerham, who offers his Safeway card online, where he encourages readers to print stickers, affix them to their own Safeway cards, and buy, buy, buy! Cockerham is simply protesting the invasion of privacy attached to such discount cards.

Fellow RTBer Elephant Rants, however, is simply asking us to sign up with uPromise to help pay off his student loans.

Absurd? Hardly. It's not like some of us don't do the same thing using the Amazon "tip jar".

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.: posted by Dave 10:37 AM


Apparently, the outsourcing to India of IT jobs is not going so well for the Indians. Call center workers blame the time lag between the United States and India for the demise of their social lives, leading to stress-related health problems galore,as well as an increase in extramarital affairs. Obviously, the Indians aren't used to pulling all-nighters.

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.: posted by Dave 10:28 AM


Coach Dave Bliss, formerly of Baylor, should have known better. Common sense was cast aside, however, when Bliss suggested to his players that they make claims that their missing, and now found murdered, teammate Patrick Dennehy was a drug dealer, and financed his tuition with the proceeds. How could a mature college coach be so stupid? What was he thinking?

I'll tell you what he was thinking. He panicked, and decided to lie because he was the one who paid part of the tuition. He did so because he thought the only way he could win was to have those players on his team. Without Bliss' help, they wouldn't be playing, and without them playing, Bliss thought, his chances of winning were greatly diminished.

Is this what we've come to in sports? Winning at ALL costs? Bliss did not kill Dennehy, but, to cover his own rear, he tried to kill Dennehy's reputation posthumously. He screwed up. Big time. His career is likely in the toilet, and he may well face criminal obstruction charges. If he is guilty of these charges, a little jail time and a lot of shame is the least Bliss deserves for what he has done to a group of kids who played a game for him, a game that looks insignificant in light of the happenings at Baylor U.

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.: posted by Dave 10:20 AM


Sports Shorts:
  • These are the kinds of kids college football needs.
  • These are the ones it does NOT need.
  • If Mike Vick is your starting fantasy QB this season, I feel your pain. But not his pain. OUCH!

    • Labels:

    .: posted by Dave 9:59 AM


    This is bad, very bad. And it illustrates why OSHA requires people to cover their heads and wear their hair up when working with heavy machinery.

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    .: posted by Dave 9:48 AM


    Saturday, August 16, 2003

    This insightful quote courtesy of Ipse Dixit:

    "The report we issued last month presented more than 100 recommendations covering virtually the entire range of concerns that face the American people. One of the concerns, obviously, is the aging power grid the growing problem that we have in getting electricity from the power plant to the light switch. It's clear that we must upgrade and expand the power grid. If we put more connections in place, we'll go a long way towards avoiding future blackouts. Another broad aim is to increase energy supplies from diverse sources; from oil and gas, renewables, coal, hydro and nuclear. This is the kind of balanced approach we think is essential if we're going to meet the country's energy needs down the road and take care of many of our other concerns, especially with respect to the environment." -- Vice President Dick Cheney, U.S. Energy Association Efficiency Forum Washington, D.C., June 13, 2001

    Hmmm. It seems upgrading the power grid was an administration goal all along, no? Perhaps if we stop politicizing every bill and proposal, and stop attaching superfluous riders and pork barrel spending to bills to damn them to be thrown aside (this goes for Republicans AND Democrats), maybe these imbeciles on the Hill would get something done about this problem. Energy crisis? Yes, perhaps. But moreso, we have a moron crisis.

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    .: posted by Dave 9:49 PM


    In a process that seems to have taken a generation, Connecticut lawmakers are about to tie up all of the loose ends and pass a workable fiscal 2003-04 state budget. Inexplicably, what should have been a workday-long process has been prolonged for a week.

    I always thought things moved slower in the South. I was wrong. Dead wrong. Traffic in a 50 MPH zone goes 35 MPH. Grocery lines take on the flow rate of molasses. And, topping it all off, the budget process. Oh, the slow, painful, budget process. Amazing.

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    .: posted by Dave 5:05 PM


    NASA had originally planned to disband the Hubble Telescope project in 2006, and replace it. The NY Times is reporting that a group of experts want to extend the useful life of Hubble. Safety is the primary concern in removing it from orbit, in light of the relatively recent shuttle disaster. In any case, I hope the Hubble flies a bit longer, since I once worked for NASA on the Hubble Project, and I am obviously a bit biased.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:53 PM


    I just want to know why anyone thinks it is wrong to deny government services to ILLEGAL aliens. Please read that again in context... ILLEGAL (as in, not citizens, not equipped with entry visas, etc.) as opposed to LEGAL (as in, H1-B, green card, etc.). Why should there even be a VOTE on this issue in Arizona? If the states don't have the resources to fund their ever burgeoning budgets, why do they even consider giving handouts from the public largesse to ILLEGAL inhabitants of this country?

    This guy sums it up for the pro-welfare crowd:

    "This is purely some type of theory they pulled out with no proof and no documentation," Mr. Gallardo said. "This is purely an anti-immigrant initiative. There are no other reasons for it."

    NO, NO, NO! It is not anti-IMMIGRANT! It is anti-ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT! There is a difference, Mr. Gallardo.

    I believe this country should be open to those that respect its laws and customs, work hard, and have individualistic, free ideas. I do NOT want to open the borders for those who simply want to suck on the government nipple because they CAN!

    If we don't get a handle on the ILLEGAL immigration in this country, the budgets of these states will continue to balloon out of control. Then the cries for help from the federal government will persist, effectively saddling the rest of the country with the costs of bailing them out because of their nonsensical immigration policies. At some point, common sense has to prevail, and these ILLEGALS must be given a choice: become an assimilated, productive, and LEGAL citizen of this country, or be expeditiously deported.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:45 PM


    Microsoft's answer to fixing its web server software is apparently to simply shut down the domain for good. Yet another reason to use Apache instead of IIS.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:29 PM


    According to Reuters, Cruz Bustamente leads in a poll of 629 registered voters over Arnold by a 25-22 count. Equally interesting would be to know where in the state these prospective voters were polled. Alas, yet another reason to dislike polling.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:26 PM


    Hillary Clinton, ever the opportunist decided to implicitly blame the Bush administration for the multi-state blackouts on Thursday. According to the CNN transcript, Mrs. Clinton, on Larry King Live, we have the following bit of wisdom:

    KING: Senator Clinton, is the federal government on top of this or not?

    CLINTON: Well, Larry, I agree with Governor Davis and I know Governor Richardson is very knowledgeable about this as well, that we just haven't made the kind of national investments that we need, particularly in the transmission system. I happen to think that making sure we have a reliable, affordable system of energy is a national priority. And I don't think that this administration sees it that way. They have continued to try to push deregulation and privatization, and to try to undo a lot of the systems in changes that many of us thought were important and necessary that we tried to work on during the Clinton administration under Secretary Richardson's leadership. And frankly to throw in a lot of roadblocks in the way of Governor Davis, when he tried to clean up some of the problems that he had with the manipulation of the energy markets by Enron and others. So, no, I don't think the federal administration under this president is really focused on making sure we don't have these problems in the future.

    So there you have it. Bush is to blame. Thus saith the Hilderbeast.

    Incidentally, my cohort-in-blogging SKB, often one for liberal punditry, disagrees with the above assertion.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:17 PM


    Isn't this punishment a bit extreme?

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    .: posted by Dave 4:01 PM


    A dictator every bit as evil as Saddam Hussein is dead. Idi Amin died Saturday in Saudi Arabia. It seems the Saudis even harbor dying purveyors of mass violence.

    Quote from the VOA press release:

    Mr. Amin's eight years in power in Uganda, 1971 to 1979, were marked by extreme human rights abuses. Vast numbers of people were tortured and killed so rapidly that graves could not be dug fast enough, and corpses were dumped into the Nile River.

    Bodies of the Amin regime's victims sometimes were fed to crocodiles. Occasionally human remains clogged intake pipes at Uganda's main hydro-electric plant at Jinja.

    Despite this, Amin lived in luxurious exile for two decades. Why he was never sought for trial internationally is beyond me. Why the Saudis allowed him treatment for his illnesses in its finest facilities is further beyond my grasp.

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    .: posted by Dave 3:51 PM


    So Warren Buffett thinks California's property taxes are too low. This is who the Governator chose to advise him on fiscal matters? Surely this doesn't square with what Arnold thinks. Surely this couldn't surface as a campaign platform. I would like to hear Arnold's view on this subject (ANY subject, I might add).

    And then Schwarzenegger chooses Rob Lowe (?) as an unspecified "senior campaign" advisor. I don't get it. The same Rob Lowe who got caught fooling around with a minor during the DNC in Atlanta in 1988? Rob Lowe plays (or, shall we say, PLAYED) a fictional advisor on TV, and now he's going to be a real one? Oh well. I guess it fits the farcical nature of this California gubernatorial brouhaha.

    UPDATE (5:15 PM EDT): Schwarzenegger's campaign asserts its opposition to Buffett's position, according to Fox. I still want to hear Arnold HIMSELF make this statement. When do we get to hear some policy positions straight from the Governator??

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    .: posted by Dave 3:23 PM


    From Friday's Wall Street Journal:

    When a bat attacked eight-year-old Kenneth Burns in his yard on Sunday, swooping down from a treehouse near the Burnses' home in Bowie County, Ark., and scratching Kenneth's neck, his friends knew what to do, reports the Texarkana Gazette. They picked up a BB gun and shot the offending divebomber. "It turned out to be a good thing," Kenneth's stepfather told the paper, "because that's the reason we were able to send the bat off for testing." The bat, tests revealed, had rabies; and the boy is undergoing treatment.

    This further demonstrates why I like BB guns in the hands of responsible kids.

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    .: posted by Dave 3:14 PM


    Thursday, August 14, 2003

    My initial reaction to yesterday's blackout was this:

    OK, folks. You can stop panicking now. The blackout that hit the Northeast is about to subside. Suggesting that terrorism was behind it is absurd. Those of us in New England know this much: it's hot. We like air conditioning. Very few houses use efficient central heat and air units. The power grid is unpredictable at best. The bottom line is that we're experiencing an overload here, not a sudden spurt of domestic terrorism.

    Hopefully, the panic that rose from the blackout has subsided now. After reading conspiracy theories about the government instigating this mess, about how Canadians, Republicans, Democrats, Bush, Clinton, California, and America's reluctance to ratify the Kyoto Treaty are behind it, I am experiencing what I would call "blackout burnout". That being said, some need for sanity is in order. We need to quit blaming everyone else, and fix it, whether it means nuclear power, more capacity, more redundancy, more lines in environmentally sensitive areas, or any other idea that hasn't yet been discussed. Maybe this warning will wake up the pols and some serious reform will begin.

    Addendum (5:49 PM EDT)Nicole Gelinas on the blackout - it's all about politics.

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    .: posted by Dave 6:47 PM


    On Educational Standards:

    RTB custodian SKBubba has some insight into Florida's standards for getting a high school diploma. He is outraged by the idea of a mandated 2.0 GPA for graduation. I respectfully disagree. My response was this:

    "Average" is a misnomer. A more accurate assessment would be "baseline". Anyone who cannot meet that standard does not pass. To call a child "average" assumes a zero-sum scenario, where if one child is above average, another must be below. Educators should strive to make sure all children meet or surpass the baseline.

    As for SKB's complaints, I honestly cannot see where setting a 2.0 as a baseline is asking too much. Neither is testing. Just look at the ignorance of our youth now (and of our adults, for that matter). If we, as parents, and educators, push the envelope, the students will meet the expectations.

    To which KAHole retorts:

    I have to say that, with as much compassion as a jerk like me can muster, many of the commenters here are idiots.

    A "C" is not average? Do you dipshits even know what a bell-shaped curve looks like? If we live in a society where anyone below the median, or even mean for that matter, is deemed a failure, then society as a whole is doomed to fail. By the way, if a D is now failing, what the F does an F represent?

    My contention is that a 2.0 is not too much to ask, because kids will meet standards when those standards are implemented. If you lower the bar, the kids will lower their effort also. My posted response:

    In my college organic chemistry class years ago, a C was not the average grade. In fact, out of 100 students, only 35 made A, B, or C. In many instances, the average is NOT average work.

    On the other side of the coin, I had a math class where 29 of 30 made A. What was the average, KA? You guessed it. An A.

    So, if you set aside the pejoratives, and simply listen to the argument, you will see that a C is, in fact, NOT always average. It is much more accurate to call it a baseline for acceptable work.

    Incidentally, if you want your child to go to a school that refuses to raise the bar, and has relaxed expectations, that is your prerogative, and I support that option for you. However, I support the choice also to send my own child to a more rigorous school. This is what makes school choice such a wonderful thing.




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    .: posted by Dave 12:01 PM


    The lost art of grammar:

    Headline, MSNBC - "NFL’s feisty rookies can’t hardly wait." Why are these people writing professionally, while those who seem more capable do so only recreationally?

    P.S. - For those who may not see the error, "can't hardly" is a double negative; a no-no in any news organization's style guide. At least West Virginia's Department of Education knows better.

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    .: posted by Dave 10:37 AM


    Microsoft is discontinuing development on Outlook Express. Now if they would go back to the drawing board on Outlook, and maybe redevelop the architecture of Information Server, fix the buffer overflow, and fix the Remote Procedure Call issue that is vexing Windows users these days, maybe then I would applaud.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:11 AM


    A Thought:

    A Tennessee resident is a Tennessean. A Georgia resident is a Georgian. But it occurs to me that I don't exactly know for sure what a Connecticut resident is. Connecticuters, Connecticutites, and Connecticuteans make no sense. This is the Nutmeg state, so some people call themselves Nutmeggers. A former co-worker referred to natives as Connecticut Yankees. If anyone has insight into this perplexing issue, please post accordingly.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:05 AM


    More fees:

    I am really growing weary of hidden fees. "What the consumer don't know won't hurt 'em." I hate that mentality. It's like the $350 "handling fee" when you buy a car. In today's Hartford Courant, I read that cellphone providers have been tacking on fees for "cost recovery" because of the new number portability law. This means that, even if I do not plan to move my number from one provider to another, I am still paying for it. I would much rather pay for it if I actually decide to change providers. This indiscriminant addition of fees and stipends in all facets of our daily lives has to stop. I don't mind paying for value-added services, but at least disclose them, and show me what I am paying for.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:02 AM


    Wednesday, August 13, 2003



    My next computer case will be this one. :)

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    .: posted by Dave 7:28 PM


    Eugene Volokh at the Volokh Conspiracy has already weighed in on the question of the possibility of Gray Davis resigning before the California recall vote. However, I haven't seen anyone ask the following:

    What if Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante wins the recall election, nominates Gray Davis as his Lt. Gov., and then resigns? Would that give the governorship back to Gray Davis?

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    .: posted by Dave 5:55 PM


    It's one thing to belong to a union. It's another one entirely to belong to a mob.

    From the Sacramento Bee California Insider:

    There was definitely an attempt by Gray's union supporters to intimidate the recall supporters. A handful of the Davis forces crossed the street and rushed the pro-recall group, at one point surrounding one of the recall supporters. Teri O'Rourke, a spokeswoman for Recall Gray Davis Committee, said one member of the group was injured when he was hit in the back and kicked in the leg.


    The author is unable to validate the claims of violence, but, if this is the case, Gray Davis is going to lose even more support in the California recall election.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:53 PM


    Illustrative of ignorance of geography: 100% of people who contribute to this blog did not know the difference between Vanuatu and Nunavut. Today, I determined the subject about which I know the least.

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    .: posted by Dave 11:35 AM


    Technology Gone Awry: First we had this absurdity. Now we have this one. Sometimes, I wonder why I am in the technology industry.

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    .: posted by Dave 10:36 AM


    Now the government wants to track what we MAIL? Isn't this security vs. freedom thing getting a little out of hand?

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    .: posted by Dave 10:23 AM


    Covert Polygamy: What was this guy thinking?

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    .: posted by Dave 10:21 AM


    Al Gore for President... of the University of Tennessee? No, please God, no! Fellow RTBers Bill Hobbs and Glenn Reynolds weigh in on the concept.

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    .: posted by Dave 10:04 AM


    Sometimes, I like Fox News Channel. Sometimes, I think they are downright silly. Today, I don't much like something they did. Suing Al Franken, alleged comedian, for using the phrase "Fair and Balanced" in the title of his upcoming book, is... well, an American thing to do (in such a litigious society). But, it's downright wrong. Franken is a satirist, and the title is a simple backhanded criticism of Fox's conservatism. I like Fox a hundred times more than Franken, but Roger Ailes and company are wrong with this one.

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    .: posted by Dave 9:46 AM


    As if our taxes and fees in this state aren't high enough, Connecticut lawmakers want to raise motor vehicle fees.

    Included in the proposal:

  • Raising the two-year motor vehicle registration from $70 to $75
  • Raising the four-year driver's license renewal from $35 to $43
  • Raising the driver's license exam from $36 to $40
  • Raising snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle registrations from $14 to $20


    • Ostensibly, the fees will be used to fund road improvements mainly in the more affluent Fairfield County region, specifically Interstate 95. This is not a stretch of road any sane commuter would use (although some certainly cannot avoid it). Perhaps the state should consider either eliminating waste in the highway budget, attaching user fees to that stretch of highway, or raising the registration fees for users who actually use that road.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:49 AM


    Another Computer Virus:

    You know, this gets old. Some little script kiddie out in La-La-Land decides he wants to teach the evildoers at Microsoft a lesson, so he exploits a well-publicized vulnerability in the world's most ubiquitous computer operating system, and we get headlines alluding to yet another annoying computer virus... and so goes the cycle.

    Although I question the methodology of bug-testing software by placing it on the open market first, I also know that the user has as much responsibility as the company. Why? Because Microsoft knew about this vulnerability long before the "Blaster" worm went public. Windows users have to make calculated choices: "Is it more important for me to secure my system, or should I deal with the problem later?" If users want to avoid propagation of such annoyances, they would be advised to check Microsoft's Windows Update site on a regular basis for the latest software patches. Just think of your machine as an automobile; preventive maintenance is key.


    An aside: quoted from the comments of the Blaster worm code:
      I just want to say LOVE YOU SAN!!
      billy gates why do you make this possible ? Stop making money and fix your software!!

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    .: posted by Dave 8:36 AM


    Monday, August 11, 2003

    So the ADL voices "concern" over Mel Gibson's movie "Passion" because it might fuel anti-Semitism. Why? Because it depicts the historical truth? Jews today are no more culpable in the death of Christ than I, or my son, are for the death of 19th century slaves in the New World. The fact is that Christ died a horrible death, and did so for the sins of mankind. This movie in intended to show just how much Christ suffered at Calvary. If Jews are defamed further, it will only be done by those who are already defaming them, and they would be wrong to do so.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:39 PM


    Unabomber Seeks Return of Papers, Bomb. In other news, Saddam Seeks Return of Country, Power.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:35 PM


    Personal Responsibility:

    Dwayne Goodrich, former University of Tennessee and Dallas Cowboy standout, is being tried this week in Dallas for two counts of felony manslaughter. Goodrich, known for his interception return against Florida State in the 1999 Fiesta Bowl which helped UT win a national title, is accused of running over three kids who had stopped to help a motorist in a burning car. Goodrich allegedly ran them over in his haste to avoid the crashed vehicle, and further, did not stop when he hit, in his words "debris" in the road. That "debris" was apparently the three kids. Two of them, Joby Wood and Demont Matthews, died.

    A jury will have to determine Goodrich's culpability. It is not a question of whether or not Goodrich was the driver who hit the three, but a question of his willful misconduct. As much as I love sports, and the Vols in particular, it bothers me to see a kid get a slap on the wrist for a major infraction. Sadly, it is the culture in which they live, where athletes are shown the higher side of life, and told that consequences are few. I hope Dwayne Goodrich is not guilty, but more than that, I hope justice is served. The last thing I want is one more athlete (or any celebrity, for that matter) circumventing the system because of his status. Either way, it won't bring Joby Wood or Demont Matthews back.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:31 PM


    Sadness in Hockeyville:

    The man who coached the "Miracle on Ice" in 1980 has died. Herb Brooks, who took a group of misfits and molded them into hockey champions was in an auto accident near the Twin Cities in Minnesota.

    I'm old enough to remember that miracle, like it was yesterday. I remember the days of the Cold War, high gas prices, the hostages in Iran, and Soviet aggression in Afghanistan. It was a depressing time, and a time of wounded American pride.

    Then that winter, I remember Al Michaels' famous words: "Do you believe in miracles?" I remember cheering as Mike Eruzione skated against the Soviets, emotion on his sleeve, and made me believe that we, the USA, were invincible, if only on the ice, even though, 9 times out of 10, the Soviet juggernaut would have likely beaten us.

    I remember becoming a bit more of an optimist, all because of a little hockey team led by an unknown coach. Who today can even name three players off that team? I can, but that just shows how mesmerized I, and dozens of young American kids alike, were.

    When Herb Brooks came back to coach again, with the Rangers, the North Stars, the Devils, and the Penguins, he showed his stuff, but it wasn't the same. Herb wanted to be with his family, back home, in Minnesota. And that's where he will rest in peace. The hockey world is sad today; you will be missed, Herb.

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    .: posted by Dave 7:43 PM


    Oh no! Now I understand why I feel ill more than I used to. I thought it was because I was aging. Now I see it's because of technology.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:43 AM


    Read the Online Journalism Review's series on participatory journalism. The future? Video netcasting according the OJR. Whoa. Now I know I don't have time for that.

    Slashdot has an interesting discussion about the subject as well.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:41 AM


    OK, so this week's number one movie is SWAT. Number two is Freaky Friday. Why does this bother me? Because neither is an original concept. SWAT was a good 70's cop show (one of my favorites, I might add). Freaky Friday was a Jodie Foster movie, also from the 70's. Can't somebody come up with some original movies?

    Of course, it seems that Up for Anything knows why we get such blather in the cinema. He's got a point. As long as the public pays for it, Hollywood will keep delivering it.

    Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for pointing me to Up for Anything.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:29 AM


    Saturday, August 09, 2003



    Dog Impervious to Death Gas:

    In an act of inexplicable resilience, a Basenji named Quentin apparently was gassed along with several other strays. Yet Quentin emerged unscathed, apparently wanting only food and water after his ordeal. Stray Rescue of St. Louis took in the dog, where he is reported to be doing well. Quentin was so named after the California prison, San Quentin. Perhaps Lazarus would have been a better moniker.

    Thanks to my wife, Ami, for spotting this one.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:30 PM


    Who needs marriage counselors?

    Probability and statistical analysis often seems mundane, but now, Professor James Murray has developed a formula for determining the likelihood of a successful marriage, using two simple equations. The key, according to Murray, is calculating "how people interact". Now, if the good professor can calculate the winner of this year's Super Bowl, THAT would be news.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:23 PM


    More on Shumaker:

    Fellow RTB blogger SKBubba has an interesting rant regarding UT president John Shumaker. I've been interested somewhat in this soap opera since he was hired, since, up here in Connecticut, he's not exactly admired by the locals either. It is well known in "these parts" that Shumaker took $10K from Hyundai in return for a contract with Central Connecticut State University.

    I don't know the merit of the charges against him, as I wait for the audit along with countless others. However, I do know that, where there is smoke, there is fire; and it's not as if controversy is not following this guy around.

    Maybe he and Mike Price can have some beers, and discuss ethical behavior, and appearances of impropriety. Of course, they might also want to discuss the "good ol' boy" network. God knows it's part of the culture down there. I can only hope my alma mater can find someone competent, and resilient in such a climate.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:14 PM


    Friday, August 08, 2003

    UPDATE: Indeed, Shumaker has tendered his resignation. There will be a special meeting on August 21 to formally accept his resignation. Although the contract runs through 2008, there will be severance terms, including compensation through the end of 2003. An interim recommendation will come at the August 21 meeting.

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    .: posted by Dave 10:44 AM


    Looks like it's time for (embattled University of Tennessee president) Shumaker to pay the piper. A small bird in my ear chirps that the ax is going to fall today. Stay tuned.

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    .: posted by Dave 10:33 AM




    An interesting advance in viewing technology:

    The WAVE, or Walk Through Virtual Environment, is a scintillating attempt to create a viewing medium in thin air, literally. Check it out.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:20 AM


    Thursday, August 07, 2003

    Stupidity Watch:

    Showing an impressive penchant for math illiteracy, the Bank of Pensacola mistakenly made out a cashier's check for $48.7 million, instead of $85, and issued it to a customer named Letha Schmidt. Schmidt later returned the check, citing "karma". No word on how the bank teller mistook $48,700,000 for $85.

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    .: posted by Dave 2:28 PM


    Today's Dean-ism:

    Proving that he can manipulate the truth with the best of them, the governor of Vermont who would be President Howard Dean backtracked on his position of raising the age on Social Security when addressing the AFL-CIO, which is historically hostile to the idea of increasing the Social Security threshold. Dean proved himself worthy of being a politician when he said he "never favored a Social Security retirement age of 70 nor (does he) favor one of 68." This despite the fact that, in 1995, he said that he wanted to do so in order to balance the budget. So much for credibility, Howie.

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    .: posted by Dave 2:23 PM


    The Californian Melting Pot Governor's Race:

    Well, it looks like the pundits were wrong. Last night, the Terminator decided he would like to join the fray, and run for the Governorship of California, assuming the recall initiative gets 50.00001% of the vote, of course. Most "in the know" had predicted a Schwarzenegger abstention, but instead got a surprise declaration on Leno last night:

  • “I decided that California is in a disastrous situation right now... The politicians are fiddling, fumbling and failing. And the man failing more than anyone is Gray Davis... He is failing them terribly, and this is why he needs to be recalled, and this is why I am going to run for governor.”


    • Andrew Sullivan quickly threw in his endorsement, despite being on a self-imposed sabbatical from the Blogosphere.

    Then, we find out that a more diminutive "Arnold", that would be Gary Coleman, of Diff'rent Strokes fame, is going to run (Not that the Strokes' kids had set a high bar for themselves). Of course, opportunist conservative-turned-liberal SUV hater Arianna Huffington decided she, too, had gubernatorial aspirations. Ironically, Huffington's former husband, millionaire MIchael Huffington, endorsed Schwarzenegger. Earlier this week, smut king Larry Flynt (who then proceeded to pray for the death of Bill O'Reilly), comedians Gallagher, and D.L. Hughley, and model Angelyne tossed their names in as well. This is the joke that has become California; an interesting joke, but nonetheless, a joke.

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    .: posted by Dave 2:14 PM


    Wednesday, August 06, 2003

    Mass Exodus:

    Today's Hartford Courant cites a Census report that Connecticut had the New England region's highest rate of migration. Should this surprise anyone, given the fact that property and income taxes are so high here? If Moses shepherded the Israelites today in Connecticut, he would be leading them to the "promised land" of New Hampshire as we speak.

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    .: posted by Dave 10:01 AM


    Pop Quiz:

    The following USA Today poll asks - Most US teens, given the choice would:

  • Visit with friends
  • Play sports or work out
  • Watch TV
  • Surf the web


    • Apparently, none of those. Surprisingly enough, most kids would rather hang out with family. Maybe busy parents out there should listen to their kids, and make time for them. I know I will when my son is born in a few months.

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    .: posted by Dave 9:54 AM


    It seems that Jack Whittaker, the Powerball winner from Christmas 2002, was robbed. He was carrying a briefcase of half a million dollars, and someone thieved it from his SUV. Inexplicably, it turned up in a dumpster nearby. The irony here: well, if I recall, Mr Whittaker was going to be giving a huge sum to his local church. Well, it seems Mr. Whittaker was at a strip club, and ostensibly is an avid gambler. The irony is not lost on this one.

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    .: posted by Dave 9:51 AM


    Tuesday, August 05, 2003

    Lotto Fever:

    As a child in urban Knoxville, I would never have guessed that, sixteen years after my last day of high school, I would witness the advent of a lottery, complete with funding for higher education. But, that has become a reality. Tennessee, which often wishes it was some other state, has lustily modeled its lottery program after the Hope scholarship scheme of neighboring Georgia. Lotto-heads are fast gearing up for a rollout of September 1, with the help of Georgia, of course.

    Now that voters have made a commitment to this endeavor, let's hope we learn a little something from our neighbors. Not just what to do, but what not to do. Namely, we should try to avoid the funding issues similar to what the Peach State is experiencing by requiring a little more from the scholarship recipients. A 3.0 GPA (on a scale of 4.0) OR a 19 of the ACT is not enough of a requirement. Some of the potheads in my high school had those credentials, and we had a higher ACT ladder to climb back then.

    Whatever means is necessary, grade inflation and avoidance of more difficult classes should be discouraged. The solution? Establish a baseline for the core curriculum (something more stringent than the 3.0/19 requirement), require a minimum amount of "college level" classes, and lower the baseline (or add grade points) for those students who take such advanced placement classes as physics, calculus, or computer programming. With this as a guide, we should be able to fund higher education with the lottery, stay solvent, and encourage our kids to learn without the fear of failing, while reducing the chance that some will receive an inflated grade at the expense of others.

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    .: posted by Dave 6:23 PM


    Hiroshima and WMD:

    I have to agree with New York Times' op-ed columnist Nicholas Kristof's analysis this morning of Hiroshima and America's moral stand on weapons of mass destruction. Illustrating how absurd Nelson Mandela has become, we read this quote:


    "As Nelson Mandela said of Americans in a speech on Jan. 31, "Because they decided to kill innocent people in Japan, who are still suffering from that, who are they now to pretend that they are the policeman of the world?" "


    Mr. Mandela, of course, has been railing night and day against the U.S. presence in the Near East. What Mandela and his ilk fail to recognize (or choose to ignore) is this: Japan was not about to cease hostilities in the World War. Sometimes, military intervention is necessary because, like it or not, there is an evil element that exists, and must be stopped. The radical wing of Islam is one such evil. The military class and kamikaze warriors of Japan were another.

    Were it not for America's dropping of the atomic bomb, untold millions would have perished in a protracted conflict. As Kristof notes, the military was prepared to sacrifice "20 million Japanese lives." Such positions are maniacal, and had to be stopped. Thankfully, the United States were the ones with the bomb, and not Hitler, Mussolini, or Hirohito.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:49 AM


    Outsourcing:

    Glenn Reynolds has been doing an interesting series on outsourcing. From my experience in the industrial world, it seems that outsourcing is a good idea for menial programming tasks, but not for mission-critical ones. No business in the world can afford to have programmers writing code without understanding the business domain in which they are working, and Russian and Indian workers detached by thousands of miles cannot provide that. In fact, in my field (aerospace), the trend is towards insourcing. In fact, we will not even hire telecommuters because the managers want people within the company that understand the business. It is apparent to me that this trend is cyclical, and we have hit the trough in job losses due to outsourcing, although other factors (namely consolidated job functions and elimination of waste) may contribute to further job attrition.

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    .: posted by Dave 8:33 AM


    Monday, August 04, 2003



    I don't know what my wife thinks about this, but I don't think I would like it. Spray-on stockings? Egad! What's next; spray-on hair for men?

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    .: posted by Dave 2:32 PM


    The Dean Also Rises:

    It occurs to me that liberals often allow their emotions to dictate their behavior. That being said, it is no wonder the hatred for Bush on the left has led to the ascension of Howard Dean. If the Democrats seriously want to take back the White House, they really should try to nominate someone that is more electable. Dean strategists hypothesize that, if they can carry the Gore states plus New Hampshire, they will win (simple math would dictate that). However, that is an ambitious goal, as Dean is not likely to carry any state in the South. Some Republicans have gone further by giving money to the Dean campaign, hoping that he will get the nomination. To most Republicans, Dean is the easiest target who carries the least credibility, and has the most polarizing foreign policy stance. It should be a fun 2004.

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    .: posted by Dave 2:32 PM


    Why I Hate Class Action Suits:

    Florida residents are going to receive vouchers between $5 and $12 in the class action settlement against Microsoft for alleged anti-competitive practices. The lawyers will receive {drum roll} $45 million. Who's interest is really being furthered here?

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    .: posted by Dave 2:13 PM


    My gadget of the week:

    This would be useful indeed for any deaf person, but even more so for the traffic commuter if it incorporated a loudspeaker, and an audio response for the "middle finger".

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    .: posted by Dave 2:10 PM


    Reuters' News (I use the term loosely) proclaims that bicycle helmets are not really safe for children, because they are worn improperly. Have you ever tried to fit your head into one of these pith hats? Either they break, cause cranial cappilary restriction, or... well, they don't fit! Note to the manufacturer: make them fit, and maybe more people will wear them correctly (myself included).

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    .: posted by Dave 2:08 PM




    And don't these scare the hell out of you?

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    .: posted by Dave 2:04 PM


    Oh, Those Crazy Irish...

    Think American's are nickle-and-dimed to death? Try going to Ireland, where they are now charging at the grocer for the BAG. Seventeen cents per bag, even. Now, if you make the market a part of your day, that's fine. Bring your own bag. But for American suburbanites, who barely have time to GET to the store, let alone bring a bag with them? It will never work here. A far better solution - biodegradable bags.

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    .: posted by Dave 2:02 PM


    Sunday, August 03, 2003



    From my favorite shopping website comes this T-shirt. :)

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    .: posted by Dave 4:39 PM


    Korean Talks:

    Who's being unilateral? As the US insisted that the Asian Pacific's interested stakeholders should participate in any talks with North Korea, Pyongyang insisted otherwise. Now, Kim Jung-Il has relented, and agreed to six-way talks with the US (as long as the snippy undersecretary John Bolton is not party to the talks, of course). So, Bush stands his ground, Democrats whine that he's letting a nuclear holocaust develop under his nose, and now North Korea relents. Perhaps Bush's foreign policy advisors aren't that incompetent?

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    .: posted by Dave 4:28 PM


    No Child Left Behind:

    The normally belligerent Reuters is reporting this: About 7.8 million children were uninsured during 2002, a drop of 1.8 million from 1999, according to a survey by the Urban Institute, a liberal think tank. No kidding? A liberal outfit reports a drop in uninsured children in the United States? That should be a landmark event in and of itself.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:06 PM


    Thanks to...

    Alphapatriot, for the shout-out, welcoming us newbies to the Rocky Top Brigade fold. Love your stuff, man! And software... how many RTBers are software people? At least three that I know about now.

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    .: posted by Dave 4:01 PM


    Slow Weekend:

    Whew, is anyone else out there working on a software portfolio for a master's degree, AND a database app for work, AND trying to keep up with the day's news? I need a break! Fortunately, there will be a break soon, to grill some Worcestershire parmesan burgers. Mmmm!

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    .: posted by Dave 3:59 PM


    Friday, August 01, 2003





    More Connecticut Yankee Stupidity:

    In one of the stupidest moves I have ever seen, the managers of Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT have decided that, when their football crowds tailgate, they are not allowed to:
  • Park overnight
  • Bring charcoal
  • Bring a gas grill
  • Drink (this one actually makes sense)
  • Throw Frisbee
  • Toss a football in the parking lot
  • Tailgate after the game



    • Sheesh! What ARE you allowed to do? Have these people ever been to a REAL college football game? Have they seen the Gator Chop, Beavo, the Vol Navy, or a Michigan - Ohio State crowd?

    Connecticut University wants to be taken seriously as a football school. Fair enough. This state is in need of an identity other than its basketball program. True, also. But, if big time college football is going to succeed here, this is a good first step in the wrong direction.

    College football tailgating is all about coming early, cooking, throwing ball with your friends, and staying late. I know this because I went to the University of Tennessee, and we know a little something about tailgating.

    If UConn wants to play with the big boys, perhaps a little planning would have been nice. Fire hazards? Eliminate them. Security concerns? Guard the gates of Pratt and Whitney. Drinking issues? Enforce the law. Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Texas, etc. manage rather well every autumn Sunday. I'm sure UConn can too. Until then, this football fan ain't goin' to the Husky Dance, not as long as the "suits" are being so restrictive.

    Labels:

    .: posted by Dave 4:36 PM




    First Coaches' Poll of 2003:

    Can you hear the sound? It's Rocky Top playing in Neyland Stadium! Well, I can hear it! Anyway, the first coaches poll ranks UT 16th. With this year's brutal schedule, I'm not so sure that's plausible. Let's revisit this topic after the Florida game.

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    .: posted by Dave 12:13 PM


    Terminator Update:

    I posted in reference to this report which said that our favorite cyborg, Arnold Schwarzenegger was not going to run for the California governorship. Reuters (via CNN) reports that he will announce his intentions on Leno next week.

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    .: posted by Dave 12:08 PM


    What is this, reverse affirmative action (negative action, perhaps)? My church doesn't pay me to show up; actually, they prefer that I pay them!

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    .: posted by Dave 12:01 PM


    Worst Movie of 2003?

    I don't even have to see this flick to know it's a lemon. Gigli - J. Lo. and Bennie's duet (where they met and became a couple, incidentally) is not even a believable story. A lesbian (J. Lo.) tracks a mobster (Ben) and then has a heterosexual epiphany? Didn't Affleck try that once in "Chasing Amy"? Yeech, I get Pepto-Bismolly just thinking about it; I think I will save the $8.

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    .: posted by Dave 11:59 AM


    Russian Roulette:

    Mozdok, Russia is rocked today by a car bomber, killing at least 20. Terrorism exists on multiple fronts (just ask Indonesia, Russia, Canada, etc.), and, like it or not, the common thread is a warped understanding of Wahabi-like Islam. I think it's time to call a spade a spade and acknowledge that this has quickly become a battle of cultures that threatens the Western world daily. Someone please tell Howard Dean this whenever he decides to rant about the ouster of Saddam Hussein.

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    .: posted by Dave 11:50 AM


    Nutmeg Gridlock:

    Ned Crabb hits the nail on the head with this little piece in today's Wall Street Journal. For those of you who don't live in Connecticut, this about sums it up, and then some.

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    .: posted by Dave 11:36 AM


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