3.31.2003
CHECKS AND BALANCES
I watched a fair amount of "Shock and Awe" from my hotel room last week. Between that and Basketball there was really not much else to choose from, and I really have no emotional attachment to hoops, one way or the other. It looks like the media casualties are strating to mount. Peter Arnette (Pulitzer Winner, former CNN correspondant, accused by the former Bush administration of feeding viewers Iraqi propaganda), most recently of NBC employ, was sent packing due to the "courtesy" of giving an interview to the state run Iraqi television network. Most people are going to be all over Peter for what he said, which was to explain how things were not going as smoothly as the coalition forcers were hoping. I personally have a separate issue that bothers me. I'm of the persuasion that says a reporter should never be part of the story. This is why the whole "Embedded" thing makes me cringe, seeing a field reporter geard up in his desert camo, probably never having spent a day in military training. This is why reporters should also only conduct, and never give interviews. There is a certain level of detachment that I feel is required to be a good reporter, but as news programming slowly festers into new lows of infotainment, I guess I can't be surprised that reporters see their oponions as more valuable than their ability to complete the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of a given situation. I have to say that giving Peter Arnette the boot was the right thing to do, I just doubt that NBC's reasons, and mine are not at all compatible with each other.
The next contestant to get voted off the Island was everyones favorite Al Capone vault opener. Geraldo Rivera. In my Mind Geraldo lost all credibility as a journalist long ago, but again there is that whol ratings game that news networks play now, and so Geraldo's charisma (if you must call it that) comes into play. Unfortunately, Geraldo's common sense didn't and after apparently spilling the beans on locations and plans of coalition forces, the U.S. military will be showing him the door - I half expect FOX to put him up in Kuwait or Syria or some other place that seems relevant but really isn't, just so they can justify putting him on air 5-7 minutes every hour of the prime time block. They should can his ass. Oh and they should also courtmartial the asshat who was giving him access to troop movement info. "Embedded" does not mean "Enlisted", so don't treat your reporter like a new recruit.
I'm looking forward to seeing how strange the relations between Pentagon, and Press Corps gets from here
go and tell me all about it
I watched a fair amount of "Shock and Awe" from my hotel room last week. Between that and Basketball there was really not much else to choose from, and I really have no emotional attachment to hoops, one way or the other. It looks like the media casualties are strating to mount. Peter Arnette (Pulitzer Winner, former CNN correspondant, accused by the former Bush administration of feeding viewers Iraqi propaganda), most recently of NBC employ, was sent packing due to the "courtesy" of giving an interview to the state run Iraqi television network. Most people are going to be all over Peter for what he said, which was to explain how things were not going as smoothly as the coalition forcers were hoping. I personally have a separate issue that bothers me. I'm of the persuasion that says a reporter should never be part of the story. This is why the whole "Embedded" thing makes me cringe, seeing a field reporter geard up in his desert camo, probably never having spent a day in military training. This is why reporters should also only conduct, and never give interviews. There is a certain level of detachment that I feel is required to be a good reporter, but as news programming slowly festers into new lows of infotainment, I guess I can't be surprised that reporters see their oponions as more valuable than their ability to complete the Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of a given situation. I have to say that giving Peter Arnette the boot was the right thing to do, I just doubt that NBC's reasons, and mine are not at all compatible with each other.
The next contestant to get voted off the Island was everyones favorite Al Capone vault opener. Geraldo Rivera. In my Mind Geraldo lost all credibility as a journalist long ago, but again there is that whol ratings game that news networks play now, and so Geraldo's charisma (if you must call it that) comes into play. Unfortunately, Geraldo's common sense didn't and after apparently spilling the beans on locations and plans of coalition forces, the U.S. military will be showing him the door - I half expect FOX to put him up in Kuwait or Syria or some other place that seems relevant but really isn't, just so they can justify putting him on air 5-7 minutes every hour of the prime time block. They should can his ass. Oh and they should also courtmartial the asshat who was giving him access to troop movement info. "Embedded" does not mean "Enlisted", so don't treat your reporter like a new recruit.
I'm looking forward to seeing how strange the relations between Pentagon, and Press Corps gets from here
go and tell me all about it
3.25.2003
LOOK TO THE LEFT
I have a few links there that are not plugs for my blogging cohorts. 3 links actually. I look at a lot of sites on a regular basis, but these are three that I reccomend for various reasons. Slashdot, is really the first NewsBlog I ever read. It has numerous editors, and submittors come from long time users to "anonymous cowards", with news from a techie perspective (or geegy techy perspective - Open Source programming, MicroSoft bashing, Legal wranglings, and news about anime are all common fodder for posts). Though I think /. has lost a bit of it's shine over the years, there is still enough entertainment and relevance to it that I make it a daily visit, at the least. Viceland, is a 'zine fo the uberhip. Sarcastic, and certainly not mainstream. It's alternate vews of fashion, and entertaiment are strong draws for me, not to mention - dos and don'ts - props to Matty for turning me on to that one for sure!
Which leaves one site in the middle. If you happened to click on that link yesterday, you would have gotten an odd message "This Account Has Been Suspended", you could have thought any number of things; unpaid bills, some illegal activity, hacked page, what have you. The sad truth is, that Yellowtimes was simply punished for not agreeing with the will of the Pentagon. As you may know there are now American P.O.W.'s in the Iraqi conflict. While I find this distressing, I cannot say that I find it shocking. War has a lot of side effects, and a few of them involve the capture and/or death of the soldiers sent to fight in them. As much as we like to flaunt our "superior" technology as a means of illuding the public into believing this will be as simple as removing a rowdy patron from a bar, the truth is somewhat more complicated. As a result, Americans are being detained, and though footage of them (as well as of dead U.S. soldiers), was being broadcast all over the world, a Media that have co-opted their ethics for a front row seat are being more hesitant of sharing that same footage with American viewers. Thier reasoning sounds almost altruistic at first "We don't want to show the footage until the families have been notified" is what they were saying sunday as I recall, but they had no problem showing Iraqi prisoners without any such assurances that their families were aware of their condition. Now I realize that as an American media outlet, that CNN may have more interest in their American audience, except that CNN is seen all over the world by many non-Americans. Are you a News organization, or a puppet of the American Propaganda Machine? The answer here is quite important so think it over for a bit if need be.
Yellowtimes has not the viewership of CNN, and to be frank, would most certainly be described as a more "left - leaning" publisher. This does not change the fact that what they were reporting on, and the pictures of the P.O.W.'s were relevant - to whichever side of the debate you fall on. I personally don't expect these photos and videos to change anyone's position on the conflict in Iraq (aside form the weak minded, who pretty much can be swayed with any kind of emotional appeal), but I do think that it is the right of the American citizen to know what their Government is doing in their name, to see it's military successes, and failures. I also personally feel that the P.O.W. footage being viewed actually will help offer a layer of protection to those prisoners. We now know their overall physical condition, and so it will certainly be in the interest of the captors to keep them that way. Ultimately there is no law that prevented Yellowtimes from posting the pictures they did, no matter how you feel about it. I suspect that Yellowtimes ISP was also within their rights to shut down the site when they objected with the content there. But I think that when ISP's start taking it upon themselves to shut down law-abiding users, there is dangerous precedent afoot. YT is back up today on a different provider (their 3rd in 2 months), so check them out while you still can.
go and tell me all about it
I have a few links there that are not plugs for my blogging cohorts. 3 links actually. I look at a lot of sites on a regular basis, but these are three that I reccomend for various reasons. Slashdot, is really the first NewsBlog I ever read. It has numerous editors, and submittors come from long time users to "anonymous cowards", with news from a techie perspective (or geegy techy perspective - Open Source programming, MicroSoft bashing, Legal wranglings, and news about anime are all common fodder for posts). Though I think /. has lost a bit of it's shine over the years, there is still enough entertainment and relevance to it that I make it a daily visit, at the least. Viceland, is a 'zine fo the uberhip. Sarcastic, and certainly not mainstream. It's alternate vews of fashion, and entertaiment are strong draws for me, not to mention - dos and don'ts - props to Matty for turning me on to that one for sure!
Which leaves one site in the middle. If you happened to click on that link yesterday, you would have gotten an odd message "This Account Has Been Suspended", you could have thought any number of things; unpaid bills, some illegal activity, hacked page, what have you. The sad truth is, that Yellowtimes was simply punished for not agreeing with the will of the Pentagon. As you may know there are now American P.O.W.'s in the Iraqi conflict. While I find this distressing, I cannot say that I find it shocking. War has a lot of side effects, and a few of them involve the capture and/or death of the soldiers sent to fight in them. As much as we like to flaunt our "superior" technology as a means of illuding the public into believing this will be as simple as removing a rowdy patron from a bar, the truth is somewhat more complicated. As a result, Americans are being detained, and though footage of them (as well as of dead U.S. soldiers), was being broadcast all over the world, a Media that have co-opted their ethics for a front row seat are being more hesitant of sharing that same footage with American viewers. Thier reasoning sounds almost altruistic at first "We don't want to show the footage until the families have been notified" is what they were saying sunday as I recall, but they had no problem showing Iraqi prisoners without any such assurances that their families were aware of their condition. Now I realize that as an American media outlet, that CNN may have more interest in their American audience, except that CNN is seen all over the world by many non-Americans. Are you a News organization, or a puppet of the American Propaganda Machine? The answer here is quite important so think it over for a bit if need be.
Yellowtimes has not the viewership of CNN, and to be frank, would most certainly be described as a more "left - leaning" publisher. This does not change the fact that what they were reporting on, and the pictures of the P.O.W.'s were relevant - to whichever side of the debate you fall on. I personally don't expect these photos and videos to change anyone's position on the conflict in Iraq (aside form the weak minded, who pretty much can be swayed with any kind of emotional appeal), but I do think that it is the right of the American citizen to know what their Government is doing in their name, to see it's military successes, and failures. I also personally feel that the P.O.W. footage being viewed actually will help offer a layer of protection to those prisoners. We now know their overall physical condition, and so it will certainly be in the interest of the captors to keep them that way. Ultimately there is no law that prevented Yellowtimes from posting the pictures they did, no matter how you feel about it. I suspect that Yellowtimes ISP was also within their rights to shut down the site when they objected with the content there. But I think that when ISP's start taking it upon themselves to shut down law-abiding users, there is dangerous precedent afoot. YT is back up today on a different provider (their 3rd in 2 months), so check them out while you still can.
go and tell me all about it
3.21.2003
TACTICAL ERROR
Well I think this sums it up. The republican led senate, has refused to slash the tax cut in President Bush's budget, pretty much making insane defecits an inevitability. When re-election time comes around I feel that it will be deja vu all over again for the Bush camp. Does the phrase "It's the economy stupid!" ring a bell? Bush Senior came off of massive approval ratings from his sojourn into Iraq only to be bitten by the harsh reality that most voters on the fence (and now more than ever those are the ones that decide elections - when the Supreme Court isn't) vote based on their percieved economic stability. The US economy in '92 was in the tank. Looks like it's gonna be ther in '04 too. Poor Gerogie boy, I do feel for him, but a limp domestic policy that is overly focused on parinoia is no way to endear yourself to the hearts of millions.
go and tell me all about it
Well I think this sums it up. The republican led senate, has refused to slash the tax cut in President Bush's budget, pretty much making insane defecits an inevitability. When re-election time comes around I feel that it will be deja vu all over again for the Bush camp. Does the phrase "It's the economy stupid!" ring a bell? Bush Senior came off of massive approval ratings from his sojourn into Iraq only to be bitten by the harsh reality that most voters on the fence (and now more than ever those are the ones that decide elections - when the Supreme Court isn't) vote based on their percieved economic stability. The US economy in '92 was in the tank. Looks like it's gonna be ther in '04 too. Poor Gerogie boy, I do feel for him, but a limp domestic policy that is overly focused on parinoia is no way to endear yourself to the hearts of millions.
go and tell me all about it
3.20.2003
FLASHY
I figured you did not come here for an update on bombs and missiles, so I'll give you something a little more on the light and fluffy side.....
I've been entertaining myself with a few very flash heavy sites of late, one I've mentioned here before, but maybe you don't compulsively return to these types of sites looking for updates like I do, maybe you have better things to do with your time, maybe you have friends and shit. I don't know, but as long as you come here you're gonna have to just put up for shameless plugs for sites that offer me no financial compensation for my tireless promotion.
Rathergood This is the home of the viking kittens, the angry kittens, and some other terribly disturbing content. I highly reccoment "Independant Woman" and pretty much all kitten based content on this site. It's really smashing. I think we could use this site to try and assert or deny that the British are comically superior to all others, I just haven't figured out which argument to get behind yet.
Homestar Runner There is a multitude of wacky FLASH shorts and a few "games" too, but if you want to get to the meat of it, just goto the TOONS -> FEATURES -> STRONGBAD EMAIL, and start watching. I haven't seen absurdist humor like thin is way too long. Thank heavens that the internet is still good for a few things other than shopping, and e-mail hoaxes. Properties of Ones, and Japanese Cartoon, Dragon, Techno - are just a few of my faves.
I guess I could go into a whole diatribe about the evils of flash, and the use of non plugins to design sites and gui's but you know what? I really don't care. This is entertaining stuff, and I figure at least in this case the ends more than justify the means.
go and tell me all about it
I figured you did not come here for an update on bombs and missiles, so I'll give you something a little more on the light and fluffy side.....
I've been entertaining myself with a few very flash heavy sites of late, one I've mentioned here before, but maybe you don't compulsively return to these types of sites looking for updates like I do, maybe you have better things to do with your time, maybe you have friends and shit. I don't know, but as long as you come here you're gonna have to just put up for shameless plugs for sites that offer me no financial compensation for my tireless promotion.
Rathergood This is the home of the viking kittens, the angry kittens, and some other terribly disturbing content. I highly reccoment "Independant Woman" and pretty much all kitten based content on this site. It's really smashing. I think we could use this site to try and assert or deny that the British are comically superior to all others, I just haven't figured out which argument to get behind yet.
Homestar Runner There is a multitude of wacky FLASH shorts and a few "games" too, but if you want to get to the meat of it, just goto the TOONS -> FEATURES -> STRONGBAD EMAIL, and start watching. I haven't seen absurdist humor like thin is way too long. Thank heavens that the internet is still good for a few things other than shopping, and e-mail hoaxes. Properties of Ones, and Japanese Cartoon, Dragon, Techno - are just a few of my faves.
I guess I could go into a whole diatribe about the evils of flash, and the use of non plugins to design sites and gui's but you know what? I really don't care. This is entertaining stuff, and I figure at least in this case the ends more than justify the means.
go and tell me all about it
3.17.2003
RANDOMNESS
Another weekend of internet overload, followed by a monday of catching up with the sites I don't read on weekends. Here, for your viewing pleasure are some of the highlights:
Japanese fashion. Um, sorta makes me pine for the days of airbrushing album covers on Jean Jackets - well then again maby not.
More evidence that american journalism is part of the problem. Seems that more americans are turning to international news outlets for better reprting on the situation in Iraq, and less reporting about "Freedom Fries", It's interesting to see that CNN, the premiere destination for news on the web in america is seeing a decline in traffic at a time when almost all news sources are seeing an increase.
Even his dad thinks he's an idiot. OK, my words not his, but when someone who is oviously not as bullheaded as you also happens to be your daddy, maybe you should seriously start listening.
Just waiting for the sanity to return....
go and tell me all about it
Another weekend of internet overload, followed by a monday of catching up with the sites I don't read on weekends. Here, for your viewing pleasure are some of the highlights:
Japanese fashion. Um, sorta makes me pine for the days of airbrushing album covers on Jean Jackets - well then again maby not.
More evidence that american journalism is part of the problem. Seems that more americans are turning to international news outlets for better reprting on the situation in Iraq, and less reporting about "Freedom Fries", It's interesting to see that CNN, the premiere destination for news on the web in america is seeing a decline in traffic at a time when almost all news sources are seeing an increase.
Even his dad thinks he's an idiot. OK, my words not his, but when someone who is oviously not as bullheaded as you also happens to be your daddy, maybe you should seriously start listening.
Just waiting for the sanity to return....
go and tell me all about it
3.13.2003
MORE BLOGGERS
You may or may not notice some likes on the side there... I added another one - well worth your time if rational thought makes you feel better about your humanity. Some particularly good insight into the origins of French Toast as well.
go and tell me all about it
You may or may not notice some likes on the side there... I added another one - well worth your time if rational thought makes you feel better about your humanity. Some particularly good insight into the origins of French Toast as well.
go and tell me all about it
3.11.2003
FEELIN' OH SO MANLY
Drove to Albuquerque on saturday, and since it did not involve going to the airport, I must have been shopping. Ann pulled a fast one on me by sneaking a detour to a fabric store before we hit our primary destination. Now I have a seriously high tolerance for hanging around in stores that most men would cringe at. I can shoe shop withe the heartiest of fetishists, I can hang out in the lingerie section of a department store without looking a)bored, b)perverted, c)a budding transvestite. I can even hack the Body SHop with nary a peep. Alas my achiles heel has been exposed. Going into a fabric store for some reason makes me insane almost instantly. It's not that I have no interest in fabric, although I have little. There is just a vibe that crushes my psyche in a most cruel and effortless fashion. Top this off by the fact that I know a return trip is a given, and the hour or so I spent milling around like a broke kid at an arcade, and I'm sure you can sympathize just a little.
Lowes was the reason we got in the car in the first place though, and while at times frustrating, it ended up pretty well. Problem one was that we were there to get some very specific items to redo our walk in closet. Several weeks earlier, Ann and I had even taken the time to visit the Closetmaid site, and spec out all the shelving and other various do-dads to make the space we have as usable as it could be. (It was at this time that I realized that my walk in closet is roughly the exact same size as my old bedroom when I lived on Wharton St., I'm not sure if that's cool or really sad) The closetmaid site is pretty straightforward, and after a few false starts we had a handy parts list ready to take to Lowes (as closetmaid does not sell direct) Sadly, there is no guarantee that any retailer will stock everything that Closetmaid makes, so long story short - we scrapped our custom design, got a couple of pre fab kits, and will see where that takes us. Closetmaid - do yourself a favor, and open a freaking e-store! On top of this closet makeover there is still the matter of the shoe room - that is a room devoted entirely to Ann's shoes. Which I will be building all the fixtures for, on my own. I require tools. Power tools. Power Tools that say "I know what the hell this thing is for". So along with closet fixtures I am now the proud owner of a Makita 4 piece 18v cordless tool kit. 6 1/2" circular saw, reciprocating saw, power drill with tourque ring and keyless chuck, and a handy worklight. I also picked up a 1/3 sheet sander, and will be looking for a router, jigsaw, and table saw in the very near future. Most would not picture me the handyman type, but I have to say that the home owning thing infects you in a way that defies description, yet demands that you do some shit yourself. Hopefully I will be able to keep all of my fingers attached along the way.
go and tell me all about it
Drove to Albuquerque on saturday, and since it did not involve going to the airport, I must have been shopping. Ann pulled a fast one on me by sneaking a detour to a fabric store before we hit our primary destination. Now I have a seriously high tolerance for hanging around in stores that most men would cringe at. I can shoe shop withe the heartiest of fetishists, I can hang out in the lingerie section of a department store without looking a)bored, b)perverted, c)a budding transvestite. I can even hack the Body SHop with nary a peep. Alas my achiles heel has been exposed. Going into a fabric store for some reason makes me insane almost instantly. It's not that I have no interest in fabric, although I have little. There is just a vibe that crushes my psyche in a most cruel and effortless fashion. Top this off by the fact that I know a return trip is a given, and the hour or so I spent milling around like a broke kid at an arcade, and I'm sure you can sympathize just a little.
Lowes was the reason we got in the car in the first place though, and while at times frustrating, it ended up pretty well. Problem one was that we were there to get some very specific items to redo our walk in closet. Several weeks earlier, Ann and I had even taken the time to visit the Closetmaid site, and spec out all the shelving and other various do-dads to make the space we have as usable as it could be. (It was at this time that I realized that my walk in closet is roughly the exact same size as my old bedroom when I lived on Wharton St., I'm not sure if that's cool or really sad) The closetmaid site is pretty straightforward, and after a few false starts we had a handy parts list ready to take to Lowes (as closetmaid does not sell direct) Sadly, there is no guarantee that any retailer will stock everything that Closetmaid makes, so long story short - we scrapped our custom design, got a couple of pre fab kits, and will see where that takes us. Closetmaid - do yourself a favor, and open a freaking e-store! On top of this closet makeover there is still the matter of the shoe room - that is a room devoted entirely to Ann's shoes. Which I will be building all the fixtures for, on my own. I require tools. Power tools. Power Tools that say "I know what the hell this thing is for". So along with closet fixtures I am now the proud owner of a Makita 4 piece 18v cordless tool kit. 6 1/2" circular saw, reciprocating saw, power drill with tourque ring and keyless chuck, and a handy worklight. I also picked up a 1/3 sheet sander, and will be looking for a router, jigsaw, and table saw in the very near future. Most would not picture me the handyman type, but I have to say that the home owning thing infects you in a way that defies description, yet demands that you do some shit yourself. Hopefully I will be able to keep all of my fingers attached along the way.
go and tell me all about it
3.05.2003
MORE EVIDENCE
I've been telling people that we are in the decline of our civilization for a long time. I secretly hope that I'm wrong. I've been proven wrong plenty of times, so I have stake in being right about this one. Sadly, of late, people have been giving me way too much ammunition for my argument though. Not so surprisingly the ammunition has come in the form of e-mail. Now I'm not blaming the individuals who sent them to me. I realize that not everyone is as paranoid as me, and so do not scrutinize every sentence that passes before them. But after receiving one particular forward 3 times in one week, I have to mention it. It is so riddled with misinformation that I have to rant. Let me put it to you bluntly - if you get an e-mail telling you how Oliver North warned us about Osama Bin Laden in 1987 - you can safely delete it without reading any more of it. It's a crock of shit. It takes certain events and twists them into a nice little fairy tale (with a not so subtle anti-clinton administration tone to it) If you do find yourself overwhelmingly curious to read it, keep the following in mind. :
1. There was no mention of Osama Bin Laden in any of the transcripts of the Iran Contra Hearings, this is likely because in 1987 Bin Laden was a "freedom fighter" in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet Occupation of that country, backed by CIA training and US funds.
2. Al Gore, who is attributed as having questioned North, did not - he was not part of the Iran Contra Hearings, as he did not sit on the relevant Senate committees.
3. Mohammed Atta & Mahmoud Atta are not the same person. Mahmoud is the alias used by the man who was found guilty of the bus bombing, and was not even in custody when the Oslo Peace Accords took effect.
Here's a hint. plug some key sentences of your questionable e-mail into Google, look at a bunch of the various results that you get and see if any of them corroborate the original content of the message. My hunch is, most of the info you find will refute it. You'll be a whol lot smarter for it, and I'll have one less research assignment to do.
The above scenario doesn't bother me nearly as much as the following e-mail I received:
Subject: Stamps
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of PanAm Flight 103?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military Barracks in Saudi Arabia?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11/01?
REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks?
Now, the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the EID MUSLIM
holiday season with a commemorative first class holiday postage stamp!
I strongly urge you to REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stamp
when purchasing stamps at the post office. To use this stamp would be a slap
in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this
stamp honors.
I also strongly urge you to pass this along to every Patriotic AMERICAN you
know, whether by email or otherwise.
I wanted to respnd to what I am sure is a person who considers themself a GOOD CHRISTIAN with something like this:
Remember the CHRISTIAN attack on the Jews During the Spanish Inquisition?
Remember the CHRISTIAN attack on the Moors during te Crusades?
Remember the CHRISTIAN attack on the Jews during the Hollocaust?
I know, I'm oversimplifying. That's the point so is the sender, or whomever wrote the message originally. It's the kind of small minded thinking that's going to get this country in a whole hell of a lot of trouble very soon.
go and tell me all about it
I've been telling people that we are in the decline of our civilization for a long time. I secretly hope that I'm wrong. I've been proven wrong plenty of times, so I have stake in being right about this one. Sadly, of late, people have been giving me way too much ammunition for my argument though. Not so surprisingly the ammunition has come in the form of e-mail. Now I'm not blaming the individuals who sent them to me. I realize that not everyone is as paranoid as me, and so do not scrutinize every sentence that passes before them. But after receiving one particular forward 3 times in one week, I have to mention it. It is so riddled with misinformation that I have to rant. Let me put it to you bluntly - if you get an e-mail telling you how Oliver North warned us about Osama Bin Laden in 1987 - you can safely delete it without reading any more of it. It's a crock of shit. It takes certain events and twists them into a nice little fairy tale (with a not so subtle anti-clinton administration tone to it) If you do find yourself overwhelmingly curious to read it, keep the following in mind. :
1. There was no mention of Osama Bin Laden in any of the transcripts of the Iran Contra Hearings, this is likely because in 1987 Bin Laden was a "freedom fighter" in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet Occupation of that country, backed by CIA training and US funds.
2. Al Gore, who is attributed as having questioned North, did not - he was not part of the Iran Contra Hearings, as he did not sit on the relevant Senate committees.
3. Mohammed Atta & Mahmoud Atta are not the same person. Mahmoud is the alias used by the man who was found guilty of the bus bombing, and was not even in custody when the Oslo Peace Accords took effect.
Here's a hint. plug some key sentences of your questionable e-mail into Google, look at a bunch of the various results that you get and see if any of them corroborate the original content of the message. My hunch is, most of the info you find will refute it. You'll be a whol lot smarter for it, and I'll have one less research assignment to do.
The above scenario doesn't bother me nearly as much as the following e-mail I received:
Subject: Stamps
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of PanAm Flight 103?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military Barracks in Saudi Arabia?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE?
REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on the World Trade Center on 9/11/01?
REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks?
Now, the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the EID MUSLIM
holiday season with a commemorative first class holiday postage stamp!
I strongly urge you to REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stamp
when purchasing stamps at the post office. To use this stamp would be a slap
in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this
stamp honors.
I also strongly urge you to pass this along to every Patriotic AMERICAN you
know, whether by email or otherwise.
I wanted to respnd to what I am sure is a person who considers themself a GOOD CHRISTIAN with something like this:
Remember the CHRISTIAN attack on the Jews During the Spanish Inquisition?
Remember the CHRISTIAN attack on the Moors during te Crusades?
Remember the CHRISTIAN attack on the Jews during the Hollocaust?
I know, I'm oversimplifying. That's the point so is the sender, or whomever wrote the message originally. It's the kind of small minded thinking that's going to get this country in a whole hell of a lot of trouble very soon.
go and tell me all about it
3.04.2003
SENSE OF IMPENDING DOOM
The Department of Education will be able to Fund the PT3 grant I'm working on through its' conclusion in May/June 2004 - whoopee.
Now I just have to pray that we somehow, someway find the ability to make the Grant work as originally proposed (very unlikly), or to get them to approve some rather signifigant changes to the plan (not quite so unlikely as the other). Either way, I'm going to have to take some flack for how things have gone for what technically is almost my 12th month on the job (but is actually more like my 9th - being asked to work your old job while you try and learn your new one is a fate I would wish on no man). That is to say, things have not gone particularly good, nor bad - they have simply gone. I feel very good about some of my accomplishments, and the accomplishments of some of the Instructors involved in the grant, but we have been thrown a few curveballs, that I don't think anyone could have hoped to hit out of the park.
First of all, you need to realize that turnover here is high. High for students, high for staff, high for faculty. It is difficult to maintain any continuity on the project when someone drops out unexpectedly on a semi-regular basis. Off the top of my head, I can think of only 6 faculty members who are truly active in the grant, and there should be 10.
Next you have to realize that one of our partners on this grant is the Zuni Public School District. They are 30 miles south of us, and sometimes it seems like it might as well be 300. While the teachers I have encountered are filled with good ideas and positive energy, it seems that most of them are working with us lacking any support from their institutions. So when it comes time to try and implement any of the ideas that are percolating, it's pretty much a crap shoot as to when or if it happens.
Finally you have to realize that while I have been teaching people about technology for a long time now, up until now it has almost always been in an informal basis. Trying to build structure to what has previously been a casual, no-pressur kind of thing has been an eye opener. Not just in determining methodology, but discovering my own shortcomings.
Frustration, no doubt is par for the course. Hopefully I'll come out of today's meeting with some of my hindquarters left intact.
go and tell me all about it
The Department of Education will be able to Fund the PT3 grant I'm working on through its' conclusion in May/June 2004 - whoopee.
Now I just have to pray that we somehow, someway find the ability to make the Grant work as originally proposed (very unlikly), or to get them to approve some rather signifigant changes to the plan (not quite so unlikely as the other). Either way, I'm going to have to take some flack for how things have gone for what technically is almost my 12th month on the job (but is actually more like my 9th - being asked to work your old job while you try and learn your new one is a fate I would wish on no man). That is to say, things have not gone particularly good, nor bad - they have simply gone. I feel very good about some of my accomplishments, and the accomplishments of some of the Instructors involved in the grant, but we have been thrown a few curveballs, that I don't think anyone could have hoped to hit out of the park.
First of all, you need to realize that turnover here is high. High for students, high for staff, high for faculty. It is difficult to maintain any continuity on the project when someone drops out unexpectedly on a semi-regular basis. Off the top of my head, I can think of only 6 faculty members who are truly active in the grant, and there should be 10.
Next you have to realize that one of our partners on this grant is the Zuni Public School District. They are 30 miles south of us, and sometimes it seems like it might as well be 300. While the teachers I have encountered are filled with good ideas and positive energy, it seems that most of them are working with us lacking any support from their institutions. So when it comes time to try and implement any of the ideas that are percolating, it's pretty much a crap shoot as to when or if it happens.
Finally you have to realize that while I have been teaching people about technology for a long time now, up until now it has almost always been in an informal basis. Trying to build structure to what has previously been a casual, no-pressur kind of thing has been an eye opener. Not just in determining methodology, but discovering my own shortcomings.
Frustration, no doubt is par for the course. Hopefully I'll come out of today's meeting with some of my hindquarters left intact.
go and tell me all about it
