Archive for 9/4/2008 - 4 Elul, 5768

The little beauty inspired a desire to take a bite from the apples of her cheeks. Of her eyes nothing could be known, except that they must be very large, and that they had magnificent lashes. She was asleep.

She slept with that slumber of absolute confidence peculiar to her age. The arms of mothers are made of tenderness; in them children sleep profoundly.

The above words appear in Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo. They refer to Cosette.

The most difficult part of this weekend for me, as I celebrated my 20th high school reunion with a lot of former classmates, was seeing the children, whether they were in photos in wallets, ‘in tow’ or ‘due soon’. Several classmates joked I had the best of both worlds. I could play with my niece and nephews, and then leave them with my brother and sister-in-law.

Don’t get me wrong. I love being Uncle Johnny to three wonderful kids. I do notice they aren’t always wonderful, and I’m happy I’m not the one who has to deal with them at those times. But I’m also not the one that gets to hear the word, “Daddy.”

I’m not as young as I was 10 or 15 years ago, but then again, I’m not too old either. It could still happen. But I see Hwy 40 on the horizon.

On the bright side, I did manage to have a lot of fun during the weekend, and possibly reestablish some old friendships. The most interesting part may have been talking with former classmates I probably never talked to once during the four years of high school. I knew their names, they knew mine, but we weren’t in the same circles. But with 20 years gone, the old cliques no longer mattered.

We were also given a tour of the school this morning. There’s been a lot of recent construction, and there are parts of the school that are radically different, while other parts look exactly as they did 20 years ago.

The Photography room was remodeled three years ago as the darkrooms were turned into closets. The class is of course all digital now - and they have about 20 computers in the room. With a beauty that inspires you to take a bite from the Apples. They were all asleep though, and there was no time in the tour to turn them on.

Recent news reports have indicated that statistics show the American divorce rate has continued on the rise. But a recent update says the truth is the reverse. Divorce is at an all time low. Why the difference?

The study apparently asked the question - out of all marriages between 1975 and 1979 - how many had made it to the 25th anniversary mark. The study was conducted in the middle of 2004. Can you see the problem? Half of the marriages in 1979 (The latter half) couldn’t chronologically have made it to 25 years at the time the study was conducted. So all those marriages, whether they had lasted 24.5 years or not, were counted as divorces.

This is being referenced as a ‘glitch’ in the study.

I’m sorry. That’s not a glitch. That’s stupidity. I’m not saying I’m a professional when it comes to research studies, but I think it is common sense to wait until the time period that is being studied has come to an end before analyzing the data.

September 29 - October 6 is Banned Books Week.

This is the week all censors love, where everyone is encouraged to go to their local school board or library and demand a book be removed from the reading list, or removed from the shelf. Because no one knows better than us on what is suitable to read, and what isn’t. (It’s the idiots who want to ban good books that give censorship a bad name!)

Personally, I think that book of heresies some refer to as the New Testament should be removed from every library in the land. It’s led way too many people astray for the past couple millenniums, and it’s high time we put a stop to it!

Wait. That’s not what Banned Books Week is about? It’s about letting everyone choose to read the books they want to read? Who comes up with this crap? Probably someone like authors or librarians who have a self-interest in people reading.

It’s just like the great American philosopher, Mark Twain once said. Nobody ever does anything if it’s not in their self-interest.

18 bulls die in or after a traffic accident, a year to the day after 42 horses are involved in a traffic accident?

Probably.

I said it was the only thing I was left rooting for this season, and Pujols is inching closer to doing it, even with a strained calf. Last night he added his 100th RBI of the season, and his 96th run. So with 4 more runs, he’ll be 7 for 7 seasons with 100 RBI, 100 Runs, 30 Homeruns, and a 300 batting average. The only person in baseball history to do it. But he was the only player in baseball history to do it for four seasons.

He only has 4 games to do it in. After one game tonight with the Mets, who are doing well this year, but struggling recently, we will finish off the season against the Pirates, who are competing with Florida for this year’s National League Hoover Awards. So there’s a chance, but it’s small.

Friend Anarkey on her blog suggested all Christians and Atheists Read this.

I thought about it, and read it anyway, and found I agree completely. All Atheists and Christians are equally silly, and equally wrong.

Somehow, I don’t think that’s the message intended. Though I laughed at all the images in the article, especially the one in the middle of the last page.

And seriously, it’s a good article. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be linking to it. Even my Tribe has its share of idiots.

There seems to be some concern among the GOP that Dennis Kucinich’s daughter has a reporting job on DC’s newspaper, The Hill.

They seem to forget Bush’s 1st cousin, John Ellis, of Fox News, back in 2000, who had a lot more responsibility for the decisions the newschannel made on election night than Kucinich’s daughter probably has for the newspaper.

Happy Birthday to the father of A Boy Named Sue, and Pearly Sweetcake.

Shel Silverstein would have been 77 years old today.

Between Nov 12 and 26, US and Canadian consumers will have an opportunity to spend $400 and send a laptop to a child in a developing nation, and get one for themselves “before Xmas.”

What you do with your laptop is then your choice. Give it to a local school, or charity, or use it yourself. The laptop of course will be very basic, and will not be up to the standards many expect from today’s computers. But that’s not the point.

More information..

If you don’t care about getting the laptop for yourself, you can send a laptop to a child for $200, at anytime following the link above.

Normally these laptops aren’t purchasable by US consumers - that’s the deal being offered for the two weeks in November. You can buy one for yourself if you buy one for charity too.

It’s never been as appropriate:

Marcel Marceau passed away at age 84.

It is to say that I have an idea for a blog post that I will write later. So this just introduces that blog post. It’s not a blog post itself.

Oh, yeah, Filk Singer Blind Lemming Chiffon has fallen behind on his Song-A-Day project, but his most recent endeavor, I feel, is a work of genius. And I may actually sing it at the next open mic I attend.

Oh, crap, I think I just made this into a blog post.

Ambrose Bierce, back in 1912, invented the snigger point!

(Of course, there is no such key on my keyboard. I checked the standard HTML codes, and the only useful thing I found was the ‘Thorn’: þ which could be a stuck out tongue. The inverted questionmark: ¿ is the closest thing to Bierce’s invention.)

Seagull shoplifts cheese doritos , keeps coming back for more.

I’ve blogged in the past about how much I like Everest Cafe, which is downtown on Washington Avenue and 19th streets. Excellent Nepalese and Korean food at economical prices. (e.g. an all you can eat lunch buffet for $6.95)

Was there for lunch today and noticed two things.
1) they now have a website.
2) They’re moving to 4145 Manchester in a couple months. (This is just west of Vandeventer, before Manchester becomes Choteau.)

First Amendment to the Constitution

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

When Congress or the Senate condemns a specific person or group for political speech - especially speech that attacks public officials - this is not exactly in direct defiance of the first amendment (no law has been made) but it could have a chilling effect.

“Better not say anything bad about a government official or you too could be condemned by the government.” That’s the message it sends.

Some people might wear such a condemnation as a badge of honor. But others would be cowed into silence.

I am disturbed that 72 members of the Senate thought an attempt to chill political speech was a good idea.

As Phil Ochs sang back in 1963:

Oh, it must have been another country –
Yes, it must have been another land.
That couldn’t happen in the U.S.A.
We’d never treat a man that way.

Yes, I know it was yesterday, but here’s something either a day late, or 365 days early.

Talk Like a Pirate Day Homesick Blues

Pirated from Mad Jack Flint:

There’s a passionate bottle of rum calling me name, I must answer the call.

Songs for today

Hey, it’s Can(n)on - Tom Smith
Talk Like A Pirate Day - Tom Smith (both can be downloaded for free)
I Want to Sing and Dance - Ray Stevens
The Wendy Saga - SJ Tucker

The Pirate Song - George Harrison

A Pirate Looks at 40 - Jimmy Buffett

You Don’t Know Jack - Luke Ski

Carnegie Mellon Professor claims he invented the smiley face emoticon 25 years ago tomorrow, on Sept 19, 1982.

He admits in the article there is no proof that no one invented it before him. The article doesn’t state whether there is any proof of what he claims he did 25 years ago. He claims to have made a post on an eectronic Bulletin Board. But were archives of that discussion kept? Printouts even? Maybe. The article doesn’t say.

The following statement was true in 2003

“Albert Pujols is the only player in Major League history to bat .300 or better with at least 30 home runs, 100 runs scored and 100 RBI in his first three Major League seasons”

After 2006, all you had to do was change the ‘three Major League seasons’ to six.

8 games out, I don’t have much hope in the Cards staging another comeback. They had a chance for a moment there, but lost it. Right now, I’m rooting for the Cubs to beat the Brewers in our division (still don’t feel the Brewers belong in the National League, and Cubs fans deserve something to cheer about occasionally.) I would like the Cardinals to finish over 500, but that will be a challenge too. Mostly, I want Albert to continue his streak, and he’s cutting it close. He has the homeruns and without doing any math, I’m pretty sure the batting average will stay over 300. But he only has 93 runs, and 95 rbis, and the season ends as September ends. He can do it, he’s just cutting it closer than he usually does.

Sometimes when you listen to a foreign language video you wish you could understand the words.

Other times, you’re happy you don’t!

I get called by two college students every year, as I am considered an alumni of two separate colleges. I only got a degree from one of them, but ironically, I feel a closer attachment to the one that kicked me out. (I could make an inappropriate comparison to the person who loves their abusive spouse, but I won’t. Oh, crap, too late.) Basically, I had more fun at the first one, but unfortunately, while colleges want students to have fun, they also want them to do other things as well. The bastards.

The phone call tonight was from the first college. They have me down as the Class of 92, so I have been getting these phone calls for 15 years. In the past the student told me a little about them and what they were studying, and then asked me for the money. This time the student who called was quite a talker, and she wanted to know what I did while on campus.

Oy. I really wanted her to just ask me about the money, but I’m not rude, and I have some fond memories of the college. I think I would have confused the poor kid if I had said I was kicked out after 4 semesters. They would probably wonder why I gave money to the school in the past. It is so hard to explain why you love someone who abused you, isn’t it? But of course, I abused them too.

I told them I wrote for the college newspaper (true) and did my classwork (not true.) They asked me if I wrote for the newspaper the whole time, I said yes. (True, but implying 4 years, which wasn’t true.) They then wanted to know if I remembered any of my English professors. (I had said I was an English major). I had to tell them I didn’t remember any. That must have sounded strange. (I thought of some professors, but unsurprisingly, they were at the second institution. I racked my brains for a few seconds for the name of my “advisor” who was an English teacher, but I couldn’t come up with it.)

They then brought up the money, and I told them what I could afford and that was that.

(Only 20% of those who have taken the test have been weirder than me.)

As seen on The Blog on the Edge of Forever

I don’t subscribe to FilkerTom’s livejournal for his political views, just like I don’t subscribe to comic book writer/Fantasy Novelist Peter David’s blog for that reason. But I often agree with both of them when they get sidetracked into politics.

Today’s post by FilkerTom is no exception. I also agree with PAD that everything I could say I have said.

The way the calendar works out (with a leap year in the middle), it’s a Tuesday again. I spent that Tuesday night with my writer’s group. And I’ll spend tonight with them as well. I’m there most Tuesday nights. Like most of America, I’d spent the day with my coworkers. I had an unplanned dinner with my parents. But I wanted to spend the rest of the evening with my second family, or perhaps more accurately, my second set of colleagues.

addon: I do subscribe to Slacktivist for posts like this

Quechup is part of IDateCorp

Addresses and phone numbers of their legal and financial departments

Their generic web contact form

A listing of their management team. They don’t specify how to contact the management team on their site, but others have figured it out:

Email Addresses:
Mark Finch, President and CEO - Mark at Idatecorp.com
Glen Finch, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer - Glen at Idatecorp.com
Justin Small, Marketing Manager - Justin at Idatecorp.com

A quick lookup at Godaddy revealed: Web host: rackspace.com

Here is Rackspace’s Acceptable Use Policy. Looks to me like Quechup/IDateCorp are on the wrong side of it.

Email contact: abuse at rackspace.com
Phone: 800-961-2888

—–
and one more possible piece of contact information.
The CEO’s name is Mark Finch
The headquarters of the company is Las Vegas
A simple google search on:”Mark Finch” “Las Vegas, NV”
Does turn up a “Mark K Finch” and a home phone and address.
Is it the same guy?

I decided to do a search at Ancestry.com
There are two Mark Finches who live/or have lived recently in Las Vegas according to their Public Records Index. A “Mark K Finch” and a “Mark E Finch”

Mark E Finch has also lived in Tonopah, NV which is 3 hours away from Las Vegas, and a Google search on “Mark Finch” “Tonopah, NV” turns up his info. But it’s not clear if that’s current or old info.

Other websites have posted Mark K’s info. I will not post Mark E’s Las Vegas info. I’m not positive which one it is. Business contacts are good enough anyway.

For comparison purposes, I have only once before posted the contact information for the people behind a website. It was 3 1/2 years ago that I posted the phone number and address of local hatemonger Frank Weltner. No neonazis knocked on my door for doing that, so I don’t fear any goons that IDateCorp might have access to.

Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year, begins Wednesday evening at sundown. The year will be 5768. That means that the Earth will have been in existence for a full 5767 years. (Those who insist it’s only been around for 4000 years are crazy! I have ancestors older than that!)

I Gotta Love You Rosh HaShanah

Sticky n Sweet New Year

Author of A Wrinkle in Time, and more than 60 other books, passes away at age 88 source

I actually didn’t know she had written poetry, and will have to find a collection. I loved her Wrinkle in Time trilogy as a child, though I haven’t read the later sequels.

This Public Service Announcement is for anyone who reads a lot of blogs, but doesn’t know what a newsreader is.

There are some people I haven’t talked to for a long time who I’ve ‘catched up’ with over email today.

If I had a diabolical mind, with a soft heart, and had a desire to encourage people to speak with friends and loved ones they haven’t spoken to for awhile out of mere forgetfulness….

It’s probably good that I don’t have a soft heart.

Quechup is evil.evil.evil. Quechup is a Social Networking site. Plug the name into a search engine, and you’ll find out why it’s evil. If you know me, there’s a good chance you already know why it’s evil.

Lots of social networking sites ask you for the username and password for your email account…in order to check your addressbook and see if anyone else you know is on the network. Then it tells you who’s on the network, and lets you *decide* whether to contact them. Quechup doesn’t do that last part. It doesn’t tell you. It just sends out the invites — to *everyone* in your addressbook. Friends, Family, Business associates, complete strangers through mailing lists you happen to be on. Quite horrific, let me tell you.

So if you get an invite from me, or anyone else, don’t join. And if you do join (not quite sure why you would, it’s a pretty lame networking site from what I could tell, even without the supremely unethical recruitment practices) don’t give it the username and password for your email account.

And if you get caught like me, the first thing you should do is change the password on your email account. It doesn’t seem to send out all the invites at once. There seems to be a delay sometimes. Therefore, if you change your password in time, not everyone in your addressbook will receive an invite.

And that’s why you didn’t receive an invite from me, if you think you should be in my addressbook. I changed it before it got to your name.

The below is copied verbatim from Dividing by Zero.

Congratulations!

You’ve just done the karmic equivalent of winning the lottery! Because you’ve found this page, you are now free from forwarding chain emails ever again! Want to rekindle a lost love? Just contact your old flame and if it was meant to be, it will be! Fame and fortune? If it was meant to be yours, it will be!

And all of this good fortune will occur without you ever again suffering the humiliation of friends or family members asking you to Please stop forwarding me this crap!

How does it work? It’s simple, any time you get an email urging you to Forward this to everyone you know! instead of sending it along, just click the delete button instead. You’ll instantly receive all the good luck you would have received anyhow!

It’s that simple!

Of course, there’s a catch to this. Now that you’ve read this page, you must never, ever forward another chain letter. If you forward a chain letter after reading this page, you may very well find that your friends and family members think you foolish. And all the bad luck threatened by every chain letter you’ve ever forwarded may come back to you tenfold!

Sure, it’s quite possible that this is complete hogwash. But do you really want to risk it?

(I don’t normally copy these things verbatim, but Blair gave permission as long as I linked back to him, and he kind of did get the idea from me in a comment I left on a previous post. Of course, he gets all the credit for follow through, and it doesn’t match my original idea exactly, so I could still follow through on that. But I want to find someone with the power to make it work.

I’ve been making a big deal for the past five years on my blog about how Labor Day “ought” to be observed in May, as most other nations in the world do. To honor the workers at Haymarket Square in Chicago in 1886.

I’ve posted about how the US Government replaced Labor Day in May with Loyalty Day out of fear of Communism.

All this is true. But I’ve just learned the idea of Labor Day in September goes back to 1882, though it wasn’t declared a national holiday until the 1890s.

It doesn’t change the fact that after 1886, workers in the rest of the world honored America’s workers by establishing a holiday to commemorate their actions. And it’s pretty clear Congress acted as quickly as it did to establish the September date, so that the May date wouldn’t become established. Most Americans today have no idea what happened at Haymarket Square, and this can be partially attributed to our not observing the holiday in tandem with the rest of the world.

The Boston Globe has a good editorial.

Happy Labor Day.

(I celebrate the holiday four months earlier than most, so I sometimes forget why I have a day off…)