Guess It's About Time...

Crispy

UPDATE: That's why I don't drink.

UFOs over Iran

According to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the two nations (Russia and Iran) are stressing "expansion of bilateral cooperation particularly in space research and construction of satellites."

Funny how those little boogers just happened to appear the same year that there is an increasing amount of US attention toward Iran, isn't it? WND has the story.

This week, the Associated Press reported Tehran's air force was ordered to shoot down any unknown or suspicious flying objects in its airspace amid state-media reports of sightings of flying objects near Iran's nuclear installations.

"Flights of unknown objects in the country's airspace have increased in recent weeks... [they] have been seen over Bushehr and Isfahan provinces," the Resalat daily reported. Nuclear facilities are located in both provinces.

"We have arranged plans to defend nuclear facilities from any threat," air force General Karim Ghavami told the paper. "Iran's air force is watchful and prepared to carry out its responsibilities."

Resalat also reported "shining objects" in the sky near Natanz, where Iran's uranium-enrichment plant is situated. One of those objects is said to have exploded, prompting "panic in the region."

In May, the Mexican air force released video footage of 11 unidentified flying objects that were only visible via an infrared camera.

It is unusually coincidental that these Unidentified Flying Objects are being observed over areas of Iran that are involved in their nuclear program(s). And why are the Russians, of all people, getting involved in UFO research with Iran?

Put on your conspiracy thinking caps, readers, this could be a fun ride.

I propose that these 'suspicious flying objects' are US aircraft, of one type or another. Before you blow me off as yet another acorn that cracked his shell, entertain the idea for just a minute. The US G-men want to know what Iran is up to with their weapons and to what stages of development they are at. We all know that the US has toys that we can't even begin to imagine (Skunk Works anyone?). We learned about the F-117 20-30 years after it had been designed and tested. The M-16 hit the Army in the jungles of Vietnam but it was under development during the '50's. We also have heard that the military is officially testing an "active camouflage" system (like the stuff Predator, the movie, uses). The active camouflage would explain why the aircrafts were picked up on radar & infrared camera but couldn't be seen with the naked eye. If an active camouflage was the case, it would also explain why "UFOs" appear to be highly reflective objects. As the system picks up light from the sun, it then re-projects that light as part of the camouflage system. I assume that it could be a bug they're trying to work out.

My only explanation for Russia's involvement would be that they are comparing and sharing notes with Iran about covert US projects.

Only time will tell. I would like to hear some of yours thoughts on this issue. Feel free to post comments.

Crispy

Post in the Works

WorldNetDaily: Iran, Russia to study UFOs

I expect to have time to write it up later this afternoon or early this evening. Stay tuned.
Same Bat-time. Same Bat-channel.

Crispy

Shuttle to Launch Next Spring

The title basically says it all. I was scanning various headlines tonight and stumbled across mention of NASA's plan for the space shuttle Discovery. The short article also links to NASA's "Return to Flight" Task Group as well as NASA's Human Spaceflight Information page.

Since I was a kid I loved watching the early morning shuttle launches. Hopefully the launches will soon become a regular occurrence once again.

Crispy

"Gun Control" Doesn't Control, Studies Find

The Department of Justice and the National Academy of Sciences have overwhelming evidence that gun control does not prevent firearms from getting into the hands of criminals.

The National Academy of Sciences issued a 328-page report based on 253 journal articles, 99 books, 43 government publications, a survey of 80 different gun-control laws and some of its own independent study. In short, the panel could find no link between restrictions on gun ownership and lower rates of crime, firearms violence or even accidents with guns.

However, the NAS decided that "even more thorough research on the topic is needed".

"While more research is always helpful, the notion that we have learned nothing flies in the face of common sense," said John Lott, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a critic of gun-control laws. "The NAS panel should have concluded as the existing research has: Gun control doesn't help."

Meanwhile, the DOJ found that the federally mandated background checks did next to nothing to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.

The study noted the number of criminals who obtained guns from retail outlets was dwarfed by the number of those who picked up their arms through means other than legal purchases. The report was the result of interviews with more than 18,000 state and federal inmates conducted nationwide. It found that nearly 80 percent of those interviewed got their guns from friends or family members, or on the street through illegal purchases.

Less than 9 percent were bought at retail outlets and only seven-tenths of 1 percent came from gun shows.

7/10 of 1 percent!! Are you surprised? Of course a criminal isn't going to go to a gun show to purchase firearms. Those places are crawling with cops these days, not to mention most people in attendance aren't afraid to shoot you if you try to pull some kind of stunt.

Crispy

Atmospheric Warming ≠ Tsunami & Earthquake

People never fail to amaze me. Apparently, Reuters published an article (27 DEC) that was written by one of their "Environment Correspondents" named Alister Doyle. In this article of twisted truth and outright lies, Doyle not-so-subtly tries to make a connection between the recent tsunami, which struck Asian countries (foremost being Sri Lanka), and the so-called global warming. Having taken a geological survey course last semester, this is right up my alley.

Theoretically, earthquakes are caused by plate movements (known as plate tectonics).

The following is known as Reid's Elastic Rebound Theory:

1) Blocks moving in opposite directions
2) Plates locked together due to friction. This results in elastic energy stored up. Once the "stored" energy becomes too great, the energy breaks the frictional bond.
3) Quake initiation
4) Slip (the distance on the surface of lane displacement IE: --- becomes -_- due to shifting earth)

Once Step 4 is complete, you basically are at the end of the main earthquake. There will, however, be aftershocks which in the case of a Magnitude 6-8 (Richter), aftershocks can be felt months to years. While I'm talking about magnitude, an 8.0 (Richter) earthquake is considered catastrophic (if over inhabited land) and they occur about 0.4 times/year.

As with just about any earthquake where the epicenter is in an ocean, a tsunami will ensue. Here is the truth about tsunamis:
Saying the water is ~5000m deep, the wave height will be less than 1m and it will be moving at about 500 MPH. As the wave continues to move toward land and the depth decreases to ~1000m, the wave will be ~5m and moving at ~200 MPH. Just before landfall at a depth of ~20m, the tsunami will be ~30-40m high and moving at ~20 MPH.

An international report early this month showed that about 70 percent of the world's coral reefs had been ruined or were under threat from human activities, ranging from over-fishing to coastal pollution and global warming. Make note of the mention of global warming as a cause of coral reefs disappearing.

Does anyone else see the lack of logic in this or is it just me? On with the discussion...

Since man has only been around for a little while, we can't ask Grandpa and Grandma about the stories they were told about what past climates were like on the earth. There is a way which involves testing glacial pack that we can determine what these former climates were like, compared to today. I'm not going to discuss the testing method, but it does seem to make sense.

The following image shows what is believed to be the temperature patterns over the last 25,000 years.

As for sea level changes, for a 1 meter rise to occur in our oceans, it would require about 400,000 cubic kilometers of ice to melt.

During the ice ages (Wisconsinen Prd, among others) => ice volume = 70,000,000 cubic km
Today => ice volume = 25,000,000 cubic km

Point being, there is no need to worry about fluctuations in glacial ice levels & global temperatures. By looking at the above image, it is easily seen that temperature fluctuations are completely normal. I disagree with those that say the earth is getting warmer. I am of the belief that our temperature is simply leveling out. Notice that the graph doesn't start in the cold, it begins in the middles & moves toward the cold. That, alone, negates any complaints that the earth is getting warmer. It is simply coming back to center in a decreasing pendulum fashion.

In conclusion, we can easily see that Doyle's article (if you bother to go and read it) is a combination of separate and unrelated events.

Crispy

Merry Christmas

I just wanted to wish all my faithful readers out there a very Merry Christmas. No low-fat 'Happy Holidays' or 'Seasons' Greetings' here. I hope you all are enjoying your time with your families. Make the most of it because you never know when the last time you may see someone will be.

Merry Christmas!
Crispy

Hamas for Mayor?

This morning the Washington Times (AP) reported that in the Palestinian elections, Hamas has won between 9 and 17 of the local councils. Fatah, the currently ruling regime, won council seats in 14 towns.

Since Hamas has vowed upon the destruction of Israel and outright rejects any kind of peace talks with Israel, this should get interesting. Because of this, it would be a good idea to keep your eyes on the news headlines regarding the Israel/Unincorporated Israel (what some call "Palestine") area.

Ma Fish Falastin!

Crispy

Translation: There is no Palestine!

Want to wear that on a shirt or hat? Check out this place.

The Paratrooper That Isn't And Never Was

Get a load of this. Some schmuck is seeking asylum (insane?) in Canada because he doesn't want to go to Iraq.

His name is SPC Jeremy Hinzman. To become a paratrooper, you are a twice-over volunteer, if not thrice. First, you have to volunteer for the Infantry. Second, you have to volunteer to be Airborne. I say third because you have to volunteer to join the Army, as well. So let's get this right. You want to collect the additional jump/hazardous duty pay as well as your regular E-4 pay, but you don't want to put any of your training to use? The word that comes to mind is coward. Hinzman reminds me of that Marine a few years back that didn't want to get deployed because never thought he would have to actually shoot someone.

For the Canadians that are defending his wish to stay in the "Soviet Kanuckistan": The 26 year old baby signed a contract. He's is legally bound to it. This contract is with the United States Army. So, butt out before we give you the Kiwi assist right off of North America.

Upon Hinzman's return to America, voluntary or otherwise, he should be shot on site for being a traitor and a deserter. Then we should Nuke The Moon.

When you officially become Airborne and they pin those silver wings on your chest, something changes. You may walk around with your chest puffed out for a few days, but there is something inside you that's different. It is an inside job. Apparently, the change never occurred inside Mr. Hinzman. Too bad, he missed out on a great feeling.

AATW
Crispy

1/507 PIR
D Co
3404 - It was fun.

Related Post:
Brotherhood

US-CERT TA04-356A -- Exploitation of phpBB highlight parameter vulnerability

Technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA04-356A.html

Crispy

Bruce Friedrich is a Moron Too

This Vortex of Invalidity is trying to equate meat-eaters to whacked out Nazi death camp leaders who had human skin lamp shades. Interesting enough, the link to enlarge the image is broken, but about half way down the page you can see a thumbnail of the actual billboard. To clarify, Big Bruce is the loser that's in charge of PETA's Vegan campaigns.

First, Lee Strobel is the host of a show called "Faith Under Fire" on the PAX network, which I just happened to stumble across. The Brucey character, you should all be familiar with by now. You can read about who Wesley Smith is at this site. I take the following from the page of the Vegetable People themselves.

WESLEY SMITH: Well, nobody supports animal cruelty, and of course PETA will take somebody who.

BRUCE FRIEDRICH: But if you eat meat, you do.

LEE STROBEL: Bruce, give him a chance to respond.

WESLEY SMITH: Nobody supports cruelty to animals, and, uh, what PETA tends to do is find an exaggerated or the exception rather than the rule and say that that's the rule.

LEE STROBEL: Okay, we're going to, we're going to.

WESLEY SMITH: Here's what the, here's what the holocaust on your plate campaign said, and the audience has to understand that they mean this literally, not metaphorically, quote, "The leather sofa and hand bag are the modern equivalent of the lamp shades made from the skins of people killed in death camps". People that eat steaks are not Heinrich Himmler, and anybody who equates the Holocaust with cattle ranching does, is not qualified to preach morality to anybody.

LEE STROBEL: Now Bruce, how do you answer that? That really seems over the top. Come on.

BRUCE FRIEDRICH: Our point is, is that it's the same mentality, this mentality that might makes right that allowed the Holocaust that allows us to do these sorts of things to animals. The reality is that other animals, differences between human beings and other animals are differences of degree, they're not differences of kind. Other animals are made of flesh and blood and bone, just like human beings are. They have the same range of emotion, they have the same vital organs, and they feel pain.

ANIMALS ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS. Also, animals aren't citizens. Therefore, they don't have civil rights. You people are something else, you really are. Also, Super Bruce tried to say that Jesus was a vegetarian. *sigh* Dr. Smith shot him down on that one too. If you are so inclined, read the full transcript at the link provided above.

Human stupidity never fails to amaze me.

Medium, please. Not,
Crispy

Bill Press is a Moron

His recent WND commentary entitled, "Silent flight, holy flight" is one of the most ignorant pieces I've read in quite a while. I guess I should have expected it, considering he is a political analyst for MSNBC. On with the flame! This goon thinks the world is going to end because the FCC, FAA, or whatever alphabet-soup government agency is finally going to allow cell phone users to actually be able to use their phones on the plane. Concept!

Maybe it's a generational thing.

Maybe it's an IQ thing!

But, ever since they've taken over human communication, I've learned several things about cell-phone users.

And so it begins!

Although, having been forced to listen in on one end of thousands of cellular calls, I have yet to hear one that's necessary. On planes, especially, it's usually: "Hi. Just wanted you to know we'll be taking off in 10 minutes." Or the equally thrilling: "Hi. We just landed."

If people want to burn their own minutes, let 'em do it. It isn't costing you anything. I guess you think we should have a federal agency that should tell us when we are authorized to make and receive calls too?

They're all deaf. Or maybe they think the people they're calling are hard of hearing.

No, we aren't ALL deaf, as you insist. My hearing is better than yours, sir. Some of us evil "cell-phone users" try to be considerate of other people. Don't EVER group me into the same category as ignorant people. It gives me a rash.

Which brings me to point No. 3: Cell-phone users are also the rudest people on earth. They don't care about flesh and blood in front of them. They only care about voices at the other end of a phone signal.

Which brings me to point No. 3: Bill Press likes to make generalizations that are too large for his comprehension. Again, stop grouping us all together. By your logic, everyone that owns a car is trying to run over pedestrians. Dolt.

Today, once the door is closed, airplanes are about the only place left you can escape cell phones.

I bet if go into a cave somewhere really off the beaten path, like Afghanistan or Antarctica, you can escape them there as well! Shhh, don't let the cell phone people hear. Oh wait, they're all deaf, as you said. You could also try going HOME. I hope you can control all the noisy, inconsiderate cell phone users there.

One friend told me about attending a funeral where a pall bearer's phones chirped – and he proceeded to have a conversation in the middle of the eulogy! God save us.

Okay, so he's an idiot. He should be shot. I think there are a lot of people that should be shot. Next!

But soon, even the enforced quiet of airline travel may be lost. The Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration are both experimenting with ways to introduce cell-phone usage on airliners – even though European experts blame a cell phone for the crash of a commuter plane in 2000. A passenger took a call at the same time the pilot engaged the autopilot, and the plane went into a fatal dive.

Cell phone causes commuter plane to crash? BS! And for some weird reason that was the case, why don't we change the frequency that the plane uses for its auto pilot? *gasp* Problem solved! AND (don't you hate it when I do that?) if cell phones made planes lawn dart, don't you think every terrorist and lunatic on the face of the earth would be playing with their phone during a flight? Ya flippin' tool.

So why the rush to play with safety in the United States? [blah blah blah] And pressure from frequent-flying businessmen who complain about hours lost by having to stay silent. When the truth is, they might be much more successful if they just took advantage of the time to read, or think.

Play with safety? Addressed above. Do you have any concept as to how fast business occurs these days? I didn't think you do. I work with a company that hosts a service in Toronto, while the software is developed in Russia, and the staff that runs the show is spread across the United States. There have been times when updates have been released and we've needed to communicate with all the different "branches" of the vine. Thank God no one was flying when we were trying to figure things out. We had a solution developed in less than half and hour and begin passing that on to our customers. Time is money, as you've apparently not yet grasped. "Business at the speed of E" is a very true statement.

Frankly, I can think of nothing worse than being locked for five hours in an aluminum chatterbox at 30,000 feet with 200 people all shouting at the same time.

I have a few ideas. Care to give 'em a try? Sarcasm aside (for but a moment), have you ever heard of ear plugs? How about you buy your own plane. That should solve the problem. Get a grip and stop trying to fight technology and progress.

Ever the optimist, however, I refuse to go quietly. I see at least two solutions to this problem. First, some smart CEO will launch a "talk-free" airline. "Fly the Silent Skies." Sure, he will be laughed at, just like the first airline to ban smoking was laughed at, but he'll make tons of money.

God help us. You had an idea. Moron, this is capitalism. That's the way it is supposed to work.

And for his most mature moment, and a great way to end his article, I might add:

If that doesn't work, I'm ready to take revenge. My big secret, which not even Bob Novak knows, is that I once took accordion lessons. Not only that, I still have my accordion. Once cell phones are allowed on airplanes, I vow never to fly again without my accordion. I dare you: Take out your cell phone, and I'll unpack my accordion and play "Roll Out The Barrel." Serves you right.

You "playing" your accordion and someone communicating and passing along information via a medium which just happens to be a cellular phone is a false parallel. You need to grow up, stop whining and move on. I would also like to thank you for further proving my point of the other day. The sum of all intelligence is constant; the population is growing.


Don't Feed the Trolls.

Crispy
Very, Very Important Person

Big Fishies

AKA: Aussie 18 Year-Old Becomes Two 9 Year-Olds

The UK-based Telegraph reported today about the 18 year old Australian who was "torn in half" when he was attacked by a Great White shark, which was shortly followed by a second Great White.

Some of you aren't going to like where this is going, but that's okay. How dumb can you get? We all know that Whites are frequent visitors to the Australian waters. To anyone who has a clue about shark behavior, it is no secret that they migrate to the warmer waters during the colders months of the year (Indian Ocean, Australian waters, and southern Atlantic (Gulf Stream)). As you've hopefully guessed, this little 18 year old rocket scientist isn't going to get any sympathy from me... Neither half of him.

Before you start the 'off with his head' demonstration, let's think for but a moment. I grew up in Florida spending almost every day of my summer vacations on the beach. I've been swimming since I was 3. So, needless to say, I've been around the water a little bit. There are certain things you just don't do.
Here are just a few of the "main ideas" of salt water swimming:
1) Don't swim at dusk (or at night). This is when most sharks are beginning their feeding time.
2) You don't swim during the colder months. Sharks migrate to warmer waters, which are here in FL. And, the water's colder. Just be patient and wait until summer.
3) If the lifeguards have the 'Hazardous Sea Life' flag up, you don't go in the water. If you go in, you're asking for trouble.
4) You don't go in the water if someone has been recently attacked.
Now yes, there are some exceptions to this. Sometimes shark attacks are totally random, or at least they seem to be, and those are fine. But when you're playing around in the waters and some of the above mentioned points are in affect, you need to have your head examined.

I seem to be rambling now. This made a lot more sense when it was bouncing around inside my head. Anyway, bottom line, this kid doesn't deserve any sympathy. He is a victim of his own stupidity. Afterall, there isn't much that sympathy would do for him now, is there?

Crispy

Mozilla Thunderbird 1.0 is Released!

I forgot to post about this the other day. Mozilla has made their first official public release of Thunderbird 1.0. If you're using Outlook or Outlook Express, stop shooting yourself in the foot an check out T'bird.

Thunderbird - Reclaim Your Inbox

Crispy

Banner Ads

You all know how I'm frequently talking about supporting our troops. I noticed this morning's banner ad was filled with advertisements for sending care packages, and even gourmet popcorn, to US servicemen. If you are, by chance, a first time visitor, I encourage you to support our soldiers by ordering from one of the companies in the banner ad.

In the long run, they're over there for you.

Crispy

What the Girls Like - from Vox Day's site

I was just reading over the comments to Vox Day's 14 Dec post entitled What the girls like. Oh, this was after I read his other post. The only way I can make sense of this stuff is if the theorem* is fact. It seems that women (and yes, men as well, but I'm focusing on women right now) are just getting dumber. The Clinton "presidency" is proof enough. Clinton makes my flippin' skin crawl. Once he was in the race for the presidency, the dude dyed his hair so that he would look older. Give me a break. This guy has less character than my dead fish I flushed down about eight years ago. But some claim he has charm (NOT charisma, there is a difference). Personally, I think my fish had him beat there too, but how can you explain his popularity among some female voters and citizens? Is it that they were actually rallying around Hillary, but at the time, their support needed to appear as if it was for Slick Willy? This is kinda like the Tootsie-pop situation: The world may never know.


*The sum of all intelligence is constant; the population is growing.

Crispy

Yanking Wisdom Teeth

On Monday (13 DEC), I had all four of my wisdom teeth taken out, hence the lack of postings. If, by chance, you are considering having your wisdom teeth taken out or will have them taken out shortly, read on.

Items you must have on-hand:
1) Apple sauce
2) Lots of gauze pads
3) Ice packs
4) Gel packs that can be heated
5) Yogurt
6) Pudding
7) Ice cream/milk shakes
8) Some good pain killers or a plentiful supply of your preferred medication
9) Antibiotics
10) Something for the fever you will soon develop

I was told the procedure was going to take about an hour. As it turns out, it only took about 30 minutes. I must say, after waking up from the surgery, it was a beautiful day! I was on Cloud 9, thanks to the anesthesia. Once I got home, I spent the rest of the day with ice packs on either side of my mouth while I changed out the gauze pads that I was, more or less, biting and gumming to death. Towards the early to mid-afternoon, I developed a fever which during the subsequent days seems to come back at night and disappear during the day. The next morning I awoke to a throbbing jaw. Day #2 was quite a bit better, though. I was finally off the ice packs and was instructed to apply heat compresses to help with the circulation. Since the instructions didn't say the heat compresses were mandatory, I only did that a few times. This day also called for me to begin gently rinsing my mouth with warm salt water. At first I thought this was suicide and would only end in more bleeding, but it did help to close the incisions a lot. That night I decided to give pasta a shot. The pasta elbows with butter were terrific. I would recommend that to just about anyone after the second day. The morning of Day #3 (today) and my jaw was once again throbbing. It's good to be alive. I've yet to take any more Hydrocodine pills (the painkillers). Three Ibuprofen have been doing the job just fine. Around 3 this afternoon I decided I was going to eat some Wendy's. Man, it was great to eat some real food again... In very small careful bites. But, it was real food, nonetheless.

I will keep you abreast of any worthwhile discoveries I may uncover.

Crispy

US-CERT ST04-024 -- Understanding ISPs

Non-technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-024.html

Crispy

Once Upon A Time...

... There was a certain post that Crispy23 was writing. One day, there was a sudden event that caused his browser window to crash (thanks to Microsoft) and all his thoughts were lost forever. Crispy23 was sooo mad, he almost popped a cork. In great frustration Crispy23 wrote the main points of that which was lost. And this is a copy of what he wrote:

1) This was supposed to be short (and it is now, again).
2) WaMi's post here.
2) The kid is a freak.
3) Daughter is probably a freak too.
4) The brain-dead mother thinks the whole thing is fun.
5) If you use Firefox, look into downloading the Image Zoom extension.

A Frustrated,
Crispy

And he lived happily ever-after and eventually eradicated stupidity from the face of this planet we call "Earth".

New News Source

The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies has a weekly publication entitled the "GlobalJihadWatch". It is basically an overview of international news source headlines that pertained to terrorists and their actions for the past week. I would recommend making this a part of your weekly reading rituals.

Crispy

BBC Footage of Marines in Fallujah

Thanks to BLACKFIVE for posting about this first.

The footage totals just over 17 minutes. The first 4:45 is mostly interviews, but from that point on, it is all combat footage. For those of you that are still calling for the crucifixion of the Marine that popped that terrorist, watch the video. If you still think he should be tried, get a grip. This is real life, this isn't something that Hollywood made up. All I can say is that I'm glad I'm not over there... yet.

Rock on, Marines!

Crispy

A Few Messages for my Arabic Readers...

I was playing around with that "Next Blog>>" button the other day and I was quite surprised as to how many blogs were written in Arabic. Since I am an equal opportunity "saddle-wearer"-hole, I didn't want anyone to feel left out. To my Arab and Muslim readers:

Want to wear what you just saw? Order here, at Rokem Needle Arts.

Note: If any of my Arabic readers choose to reply, put it in English because every Arab and Muslim I know I've already reported to the Dept. HLS & the FBI, so I would have no way of understand what you said.

Long Live Imperial, Kaffir America!

Crispy

Common Sense

It's raining out. + It's cold out.

=

Great time for a fire drill!!!

*snarl*

Crispy

US Consulate in Saudi Arabia Attacked

This morning, WND reported about the developing situation in Saudi Arabia. There are at least 12 people dead and several more are injured. Unfortunately, only three terrorists were killed. The others, according to the Saudi Interior Ministry were four members of the country's security forces while the remaining five were non-American staff who worked at the consulate. A former ambassador to the Sand Land said the attack was similar to other al-Qaida attacks, although no one has to claim responsibility. One person has been quoted as saying the attack did require some organizational skills.

The part of this story that grabbed my attention was where the spokeswoman, Carol Kalin said the following:

"We have a local work force that was on duty and we are still in the process of accounting for [them]."

1) What is a "local work force"?
2) What were they supposed to be doing, exactly?
3) Why is it that we can't find them?

I'm not implicating this "local work force" into the attacks (yet). I'm just curious.

The part I find curious is that the story on Yahoo (from Reuters) says that none of the nation's (Saudi) special forces were killed, though two were injured. How did Saudi "special forces" get injured, you ask? Well, while US Marines were providing security for the compound (after the terrorists had taken some hostages), the Saudi special forces assaulted the consulate and rescued the hostages that claim they were used as human shields. That's all nice, fine and dandy, except I don't think I'd be trusting the Saudis with anything half-way important, let alone a US consulate. They have proven their inability to be trusted by their financial support of terrorists and their continuance to harbor terrorists.

Crispy

Two Finals Down, Four to Go

I'm currently experiencing some hard-core hand cramps from my last final. Even though it was only four essay questions, sheesh. I think I'm out of shape in the arena of long-distance writing! Typing, on the other hand, is a totally different subject. I think an analogy between writing & typing and running with weight and running is in line, here.

Crispy

M.R.B. Just Got Rounder & Boxier

"My Round Box" now supports Haloscan commenting and trackback. Look out world, I'm going high-tech.

Crispy

Update @ 1511: Yeah... I just realized that by adding Haloscan, it deleted all the comments that had been posted previously. *sigh*

Movie Review: National Treasure

It all revolves around those dang Masons, too.

As much as I was trying to refrain from see this movie, I decided to go watch it last night. Just from watching the previews, I thought it reeked of the "I just saw the best parts" of the movie-syndrome. Even though I'm not going to be singing its praises from the rooftops, it was a decent film.

I've decided to rate it at about a 3.5/5. Towards the end of the movie I did find myself thinking, "Just find the treasure already." I went expecting to see this year's worst (or near worst) film, but it definitely wasn't. I would recommend this movie as a DVD-rental for one of those nights when you just can't decide what to watch.


Crispy

P.S. - If you find my "secret" message, you've probably seen the movie.

Pro-Abortioners Should be Aborted Themselves!

I've been scanning over an on-going debate over at Right Wing News.

Comments/Observations:

1) Pro-abortioners' "logic" is flawed & is inconsistent (no surprise here).
2) "mightysamurai" on 2004-12-02 @ 2025.07 is right on.
3) "Neaku" on 02 DEC @ 1810.54 just demonstrated how warped the typical liberal perspective is (and further proves s/he is a crackhead & should be immediately aborted).
4) "CMD" on 02 DEC @ 2037.39 just made an excellent point against Neaku's 02DEC @ 1810.54 comment.

Right now, I'm too aggravated by all this to comment further. I am going to add to this post. I'll go through that thread comment by comment and point out flaws. Also, get involved over there.

Crispy

P.S. Was just thinking (imagine that)... It is a funny behavior that we take part in. Both sides know they will not change the mind of the opposing side; however, we continue to argue.. Funny isn't it?

P.S.S. - Sorry about that mix up there, CD! I had a friend call me & start asking for directions while I was reading along. He was northeast when he should have been going northwest. I get confused with these high-tech blog comments when I don't have those nice little lines to follow down like on a newsgroup reader. :-P

UPDATE 04 DEC @ 1018: Comments in the making.

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"poivoise" on 02DEC @ 0353.00: Excellent job at plagerism, first of all. Second, your shots against Texas (displaying your distain for Pres. Bush) are unfounded. Texas has some of the best medical institutions in the nation (as you will find out later on).

"H4x_Teh_left" @ 0417.31 is 100% accurate regarding how Medicare "pays" doctors. Medicare decides how much an operation is worth, and what Medicare/Medicaid pays is well under break even.

-These "partial birth abortions"... Who is to say that the baby is only let out so far in every case? I am sure there have been times (and it will probably increase) when the doctor fully removed the child (purposefully or accidently) and performed the murderous deed on the defenseless person. The universe progresses toward chaos, scientific fact. By allowing any degree of abortion we risk further degrading of our society. Nolan1286 (first comment posted) made an excellent point.

"B_ill" further re-iterates my above point in his 0948.04 post.

"firebird" @ 0956.11 made a good point about former Pres. Clinton's hypocracy in relation to approving Gun Control, followed by approving partial birth abortions and then raiding the Branch Dividians all in the name of saving the children.

"Christopher_Taylor" @ 1025.37 sees where these mercy child murders are leading. He offered up for consideration that the next step is the "mercy killing" of the very old and mentally ill.

"Pants_On_Fire" @ 1244.26: I don't know and am therefore inquiring, has it even been proven that some children "endure terrible pain, pain that wouldn't kill them but would make them suffer" at the time of birth? Something about that arguement doesn't add up for me.

"Neaku" @ 1324.25: So as long as things happen in small numbers, that makes it okay? Uhuh, I see. Hypocrite.

"Techie" @ 1328.18 brings some excellent personal experience to the table. He is living (thankfully) proof that you can't be icing kids.

"Neaku" @ 1422.14 still doesn't get it. The hospitals in the Netherlands are going to be flying kids around their country (and possibly to the continent of Europe) to determine if the child is clinically brain dead or not. "Techie" said he was FLOWN to Chicago after he was labeled as a 'tard. Also, what would stop doctors from murdering a child because he or she was retarded?

"zilly" @ 1525.28 stepped up to the table and just threw up all of her(?) ignorance. Killing criminals for a crime is 100% different from murdering a defensless human being simply because the carrier of that child is ignorant & selfish.

"jantonio" @ 1648.52 has the flu as well. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT IS NOTHING LIKE ABORTION. See above.

"Neaku" @ 1712.47 - "Odds are that many..." is an irrelavant statement. I also reference your 1324.25 post where you stated that the murders in the Netherlands were only 10 to the 18 million citizens of the Netherlands. Uho, Neaku posted himself into a corner. Let's see how he tries to escape now.

"Neaku" @ 1728.30 Fetus isn't a human being, huh? Merriam-Webster says it is a developing human. Uho for Neaku, again.

"poivoise" @ 1744.01 - "...Hundreths (of times as worse...)" 1) isn't a word and 2) hundredths is 1/100 of the whole amount. Cognitive gimp (though this is claimed to be a comment quoted from a reader of IMAO).

"alemus" @ 1846.33 - This dude's just a wildcat. I like him.

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"ULookFunnyWhenURMad" @ 1937.12: Though your screen name is humorous, you are a person who has spent WAY too much time listening to the leftist psycho-babble in a sociology classroom and you've become a spineless jelly fish. Nature/Nuture my foot. People make a choice what they become. "Many people born gay don't live a gay life..." You're about as stupid as those people that believe Darwinism is true. If its true, why are there still monkeys?!! If you're logic were true, why don't they live a queer life? Don't they know they're gay? How can you prove that someone is born gay, paratard? I hereby nominate you for the "Darwin Award". As for proclaiming people guily before they commit a crime, what did the murdered child do that he or she is worthy of death, in your eyes? You sentenced the baby to death for a crime the human being did not commit. Ironic, isn't it? Jesus may still love you, but I think you should go buy a saddle, ULookFunnyWhenURMad. NEXT!

"ULookFunnyWhenURMad" @ 1940.55 (I guess he just wanted to make the comment counter go up.) You're first up for the pro-abortion abortions, followed closely by Neaku...

"Raposa" @ 1945.45 & 1947.52 is like a hound on a blood trail. Well done.

"ULook..." @ 2006.34: So you believe in reincarnation now. If that were real, then abortion wouldn't really matter, would it? ...Except for the fact that such an action might not put you (the child murderer) in a favorable seat for your next life.

"CMD" @ 2037.39: Uho, CMD has seen the man behind the curtain. What next ULook & Neaku?

"ULook" @ 2045.10 comes back with a great arguement: "Being alive has never constitued protection." But murder is illegal. "Animal and plant life in general can be killed on a whim without any legal persecution." Oh yeah, I forgot unborn children are sub-human mutations to you. Can I be there the day you tell your child that s/he isn't a person until s/he is born? Also (hypothetically speaking), I'm going to run around with a baseball bat (idea from here) and smack pregnant women in the stomach. I should only be charged for assault on the woman instead of murder of the child, right? You have also proved that evolution and Darwinism is not true. You are still around. No one ever asked when life begins. I want to know when little sub-human mutations graduate, in your book, to a full-fledged human beings. Stop saying fetal and fetus. They are people.

"CMD" @ 2050.10 scores another goal.

"mightysamurai" @ 2119.59 rips ULook a new one.

"ULook" @ 2206.02: Anyone else getting tired of pointing out his person's stupidity? Actually, if the ability to agonize of the child's death is a factor, the scale tips in favor of the mother, yes; HOWEVER, since we are a feel-good society, we need to protect the mother from herself. In time, she will begin to greive over the murder of her very own flesh and blood. The scale (in the big picture) tips in favor of the child's life. This is because there are people who are willing to adopt the one who is hated by its mother so much that she is willing to commit murder. Adoption: the solution always ignored by pro-abortionists.

"CMD" @ 2213.25: GOALLLLL!!

"ULook" @2226.18: If it isn't murder, what justifiable name are you going to try to give it? You're so mentally inept I don't know how you've lived this long. Parent's paycheck part - That logic is the same as yours, goofball.

"ULook" @ 2231.13: But the government is obligated to ensure that its citizens are protected and to provide to the common good, according to liberal thought. You lose.

"ULook" @ 2308.27: The same errie silence as heard in the Artic tundra. CMD scores again.

Note: "ULookFunnyWhenURMad" will from here on out be referred to as "?", since he is a void of intellect, or quite possibly, just a void.

"CMD" @ 2317.24: You could take that question down a very windy road about cloning, but we don't need to go there right now.

03 DEC 2004

"CavalierX" @ 0027.18: Good work at blowing the sub-human theory out of the water.

"CWScheinder" @ 0418.22: Yes, push it back to the state-level, where it should be, and take it out of the federal level. (Any relation to CoolWebSearch? *ques errie music*)

"zilly" 1314.13: Call 911! Zilly just overdosed on something & is seeing stuff!

"CWS..." @ 1320.23 is, in my opinion, ruining an excellent debate. Correct, federal government should not make a ruling on a such a matter. Something tells me your waving the No Fed. Gov't ruling flag because you don't like the current administration. I'm not sure, though; we'll see. Go away, please. You're scaring away the fish.

"zilly" @ 1322.07: I'm not sure what this intellectual heavyweight is referring to. So, I can't flame her (?) right off the bat.

Note: Someone needs to restock the pond. All the big fish seem to have died off. These guppies are boring.

"Christopher_Taylor" @1330.54: Though his motives are nice & fluffy, his logic here is about as reliable as a Windows operating system.

"CWS" @ 1345.35: In not so many words just said, "You hurt my feelings. I'm taking my toys out of the sand box and going home. I don't like you anymore." *snicker*

"CWS" @ 1434.10: Dude, I think the horse is dead now. Move on, man.

"Blackmon" @ 1502.53: That was my thinking too. But since I didn't know for a fact, I wasn't going to put it out there.

"Neaku" @ 1505.29: Illegal drugs: The chlorine of the gene pool. You're little cell argument makes no sense, again.

Note: Public schools get out around 1500, I believe. Coincidence?

"Neaku" @ 1514.15: Santa Clause isn't real either, cheif.

"Blackmon" bashes in "Neaku"'s head @ 1518.12-1529.38

"CWS" @ 1532.06: This guy's like a bad penny... He just keeps coming back. You're trying to argue apples with oranges. Someone get this man a punching bag.

"C_T" (Christopher_Taylor) @ 1535.35: Was doing alright until he brought up the twin thing.

"Neaku" @ 1557.10: An alliance forms. It shall be called "CNeakuT" hmm kinda sounds like "Iniquity" to me. Neaku is unwilling to accept the fact that the Titanic is sinking... even though the ship is perpendicular to the water now.

"Blackmon" @ 1607.40 spells out line by line what Neaku hasn't been able to grasp for the past day or so. Then makes a mistake an inquires about Neaku mental inabilities. (This should get good.)

"CWS" @ 1611.47: THERE IS NO SEPERATION OF CHURCH & STATE IN THE FOUNDING DOCUMENTS, PARATARD. The only madated "seperation" is that there cannot be a state-sanctioned religion. CWS is a liberal. I smelled him coming. "I have nothing further to add." - Thank you, Jesus!

"Blackmon" @ 1641.35-1615.30: Cleans house.

"Neaku" @ 1625.17: Erm, you haven't exactly put forth any concepts, genious. You've just been lying and babbling.

"Blackmon" @ 1627.11: K.O. against Neaku.

"Neaku" @ 1628.55: And so we're back to square one. @ 1704.14: Do you know dumb you look right now? YOU ARE THE ONE who's ignorance is shining brighter than the sun. And @ 1748.01: You need to shut up. I hope the rest of you are seeing straight through this person's idiotic ideas.

"Raposa" @ 1803.55: Uho, Raposa just brought it up. In Vitro Fertilization... I was waiting for it.

"Neaku" @ 1804.37: What you vote for/against is not proportional to your intelligence (in all cases).

04 DEC 2004

"C_T" @ 1231.28: Makes a good post to sum it all up. He also effectively destroyed any hope of the liberals of using any more of Margaret Sanger's stuff.

That was fun. Now I don't have to talk about abortion for a while!


Crispy

The Threat From Life on Mars

Times Online reported today about the potential threat that life on Mars, brought back by our own probes, could pose to Earth.

Although the presence of water on the red planet can be considered proved, of life there are only hints.

There wasn't really any particular part of this article that stood out and made me want to post about it. I suppose it is simply because I'm interested in the topic of space exploration. That aside, it is a good read. Go check it out.

Crispy

A Recent Sociology Paper

Last week, my sociology class was to turn in a paper that answered the question: "If you could change the world, what would you change, how, and why?" Now, I wasn't able to be in class for the discussion because I had a bit of a drive ahead of me (last day of class prior to Thanksgiving Break). Though I don't know for a fact, I can probably make a safe assumption that the other papers contained things such as "I would get rid of racism," or "I would fix public education," or even the good ol' classic "I'd eliminate world hunger."

Well, I didn't choose any of those. Quite simply because that wouldn't make a worth-while impact on the world. No, I'm not racist. No, I don't like the notion that there are starving people in other countries. As for public education... I'm a libertarian, and I'll leave it at that. More on public education at a later date!

I know I'm asking a lot from some of you, but think with me for a moment. If the problem you decide to solve is world hunger, that is the only thing that will be fixed. Your "solution" will not lead to progress in other areas. Not to mention that there is no way for such a thing to come about because where is the food going to come from? Is it just going to appear? And what would be the driving for to ensure the food continued to come? Have the people farm the land? Well, if they would farm the land, they'd have food anyway. This sounds rather rhetorical to me.

If you decide to eliminate racism, what will that do for the world? Yay, we can finally all sit around and play patty-cake. So what? There would be no additional problems that would be solved. We'd still have gangs, they'd just be racial diversified... And all the liberals said, "Amen." Instead of racial "hate crimes" we'd have social-class hate crimes or something equally ridiculous that would be given a catchy 'buzz word' name.

The solution I proposed was to require people to think. Read on for my paper and solution.


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In My World...

In my world, I would require every person to spend 30 minutes doing nothing but thinking at the beginning and at the end of each day. If I could birth the habit of thought into every person’s life it would dramatically change the behavior of those who don’t already spending “thinking time”. Now, the only way for such a rule, if you will, to be enforced would be for me to be God. So, this is an unrealistic expectation because some people simply cannot be helped. Some don’t believe they should or need to change. You cannot help those who do not want to be helped. It is like when you try to pick up an 8 year old, but he or she does not want to use his or her own power to stand upon his or her own feet.

Before I continue on with my idea, let me take you on a short journey. In my Principles of Leadership class, we have learned that effective leaders utilize a certain process that requires them to think. Most leaders (and people in general) find out a situation has come up, they issue their instructions to the subordinates and finally observe the outcome. Effective leaders, however, will then reflect on the entire event. This was introduced to me as the AO|R Model (Action, Observation | Reflection; “|” indicates the point in time where most leaders end the process).

Meanwhile, in my world… If a person would simply spend time thinking for 30 minutes at the beginning of each day, it would eliminate so many problems that we encounter. There is no way to tell how many things would be affected by this habit. Actually, there is no limit, either. The person’s day would be more organized, first off. People would begin to create goals for what they wanted or needed to accomplish that particular day which would lead to more productivity which, in general, leads to happier people.

The second part of my plan would require people to also spend time thinking at the end of each day. During this time, people would evaluate their day. If they had made any poor decisions throughout the course of the day, it would become evident at this time. This would again, help build productivity within people because they would no longer make decisions that either wasted their time, after they had spent time thinking about the outcomes (reflection). After some time, people would begin to thinking about what they truly believed. For example, if a person was racists and he and she encountered a black person, the thinking racist individual would then question why he or she had the thoughts about the black person that he or she had. Or, the racist individual would begin to think about why he or she began to act strange around that black person. Though it may take time for the change to occur, the racist person would eventually drop the belief that his or her race is superior to other races and that people are, more or less, all the same. There are only cultural and social differences.

In conclusion, I know the day will never come where every person spends time thinking at the beginning and end of every day. However, I strongly believe the habit of intentional thinking to be a critical component of living a sociologically mindful and productive life. A good way to measure yourself is to ask, “Is ____ a better place because I was there today?”

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Crispy

Update: And yes, I got an A on this paper.

So Shoot Me

Scott McCollom, over at IMAO, asked for some feedback about what format the readers requested future soundbytes be posted in. A snippet of Scott's comment:

To make the audio experience best for all fans everywhere, I'd like to know what media player everyone is using to listen to the IMAO for the Non-Deaf.

Someone said they were using WM10 & that the clips also worked with QuickTime. Scott says:

Good feedback, Dave—thanks.

I may start encoding these audio bits in Windows Media format since most people use Microsoft Windows and the WMA format creates smaller sound files than comparable quality MP3 sound files.

Anyone object to that? Please let me know!

And to which I replied,

*breaks out the wooden cross*

Back demons of Windows! I would recommend not using a WMP-exclusive format. This is because users have started switching over to the Linux operating system(s) and jumping off the sinking M$ ship. By using MP3 or a similar format, you won't be alienating certain readers (or listeners, in this case).

Since IMAO is known for their exaggeration and jovial attitude, I added some of my own with my above comment about the sinking MS ship (which, in the long term will come to pass). Well, Scotty didn't like that. He replied back:

Okay, reality check:

IDC's most recent figures, published in October 2003, shows Microsoft Windows clients installed on 93.8 percent of the world's desktop computers—numbering well over the 1,000,000,000 mark since Gartner Dataquest ran the numbers back in 2002.

By contrast, Linux desktops accounted for just 2.8 percent worldwide. While Linux, UNIX, and Apple computers' numbers are sizable, to say that allying with a company that has its software installed on over 930,000,000 computers worldwide and characterizing said company as a "sinking ship" is myopic at best.

However, if I find that a majority of IMAO fans are Linux users, I'll stick with MP3. Unless I hear otherwise, it's looking more like WMA will be the best format for future installments of "IMAO for the Non-Deaf."

Thanks,

Scott

Well sorry for crunching your little pro-Microsoft Windoze toes! You're the one that asked for feedback. I gave it. You're numbers are all fine and dandy, but don't forget the entire idea of the internet - a place where any computer system in the world can connect to and properly interpret media. The point to the internet is that there should never be a "This page is best viewed in X resolution using X browser." It is meant to be universal.

Though the numbers you cited about operating systems may be correct, you cannot ignore the fact that many users have switched web browsers from IE to Mozilla. In the last year alone, Mozilla users have more than doubled (7.2% to 19.3%). This is the beginning of the end for M$.

Software aside, if you ask for feedback, take it. Don't get in a huff because you don't like what someone offered up as something that you should consider. If you're not willing to hear responses that you might not like, don't ask for them. And by the way, since you have all these numbers, why did you ask for feedback?

Crispy

Today's Random Tangent

If you're going to post or make a comment somewhere, you better be able to back it up. I can't stand the ignorance of some people who, in their infinite wisdom, spit out one sentence of the propaganda in which they believe to be true and expect that to omit the three or four paragraphs you just said. Get a clue, Sherlock! Back it up with some evidence, fact or even opinion. Don't just make some half-witted attempt at proving me wrong. If you disagree with me, let's go & get it on! All out debate. Debate to the death. Your one sentence wonder would be like us launching one missile into Iraq & believing that it would remove Saddam from power & kill all the little terrorists that are running around. Its gonna take a little bit more than that, sport. So, in closing, no more thoughtless comments! Take a stand & stand firm until the death of your rickety old platform that you think is truth.

Have a Great Day, America.
Crispy

Quote of the Day

"I only hope that the one lesson that we, as a country, have learned from the whole Vietnam experience is that if we are anti-war, we should *never* be anti-soldier."
-Brad Warbiany
http://warbs.blogspot.com/

I couldn't agree with you more, Brad. You can read Brad's full comment here at WanderingMind's page.

Crispy

US-CERT TA04-336A -- Update for Microsoft Internet Explorer HTML Elements Vulnerability

Technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA04-336A.html

Non-technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/alerts/SA04-336A.html


Crispy

Note: This does not affect XP SP2.

US-CERT ST04-023 -- Understanding Your Computer: Email Clients

Non-technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-023.html

Mozilla Thunderbird!

Crispy

Apache Rescues Kiowa Crew

Thanks to BLACKFIVE for posting about this story, first.

The heroism that many of our soldiers have been demonstrating during these recent operations are nothing short of amazing. Rock on, guys.

Crispy