Black Death Changed The World

With all of the computer problems I have been having and I am fighting pneumonia again, I decided to go on a "happy" series of posts, mixed with jokes, real and unintentional. I hope you Have A Great Week!!
Therefore:

Seven thousand people died per day in Cairo. Three-quarters of Florence's residents were buried in makeshift graves in just one macabre year. One third of China evaporated before the rest of the world knew what was coming.

By the time the tornado-like destruction of the 14th-century bubonic plague finally dissipated, nearly half the people in each of the regions it touched had succumbed to a gruesome, painful death.



The Black Death– as it is commonly called – especially ravaged Europe, which was halfway through a century already marked by war, famine and scandal in the church, which had moved its headquarters from Rome to Avignon, France, to escape infighting among the cardinals.

In the end, some 75 million people succumbed, it is estimated. It took several centuries for the world's population to recover from the devastation of the plague, but some social changes, borne by watching corpses pile up in the streets, were permanent.



Black Death Changed The World

NFL FOOTBALL DRAFT NEWS

Hooray more NFL stuff as the draft was yesterday and today:

Franchises spend millions in scouting, and the first two rounds of the draft are critical to their success or failure. When you designate draft losers, you are really pointing to teams for which things didn't go exactly right. It could be a trade that falls through or one that doesn't net the desired results.

The winners are evident. They get breaks. The right player falls in the right place.

This year's draft is shaping up to be a boon for running offenses. No wide receivers and only one tight end went in the first round. Six running backs and eight tackles dominated the first two rounds.

Summer is almost here and over, and Football is nearly here~~~Right???!!! ;)


NFL FOOTBALL DRAFT NEWS

NFL draft winners and losers

NEW YORK – NFL commissioner Roger Goodell promised a “new, streamlined” first round, and when 31 selections were made in just three hours and 30 minutes Saturday, he clearly delivered. Goodell’s decision to cut the time between first-round picks from 15 minutes to 10 made this entire event more palpable. Last year the first round dragged an interminable 6:08.
That was the longest in history. This was the quickest since 1990.
Just for that, Goodell was the big winner of the draft. He has plans on taking the draft on tour around the country – the contract with New York is complete – and possibly moving the first round to Friday night to increase the entertainment value of the event.
A year ago I would have said that was impossible. After Saturday, it seems probable.

HELP!! INSUFFICIENT RESOURCES TO COMPLETE THE API

I have been having a Major problem for the past several days,(since it did 3 automatic updates Saturday when i shut it down for the day), and have not only been unable to post from my laptop, but have not been able to get it to work at all!!!
I get the following message each time I turn on the computer~~once I click OK it shuts down, restarts and goes right back to this message NEVER able to load Windows, so i do not even get a chance to go online and download the "FIX". IF there is anyone out there can knows how to fix this problem, and/or knows how to remove one of two WINDOWS XP's that are on the Acer (that is another long story), please comment and tell me how to do so. THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!!!







Insufficient System Resources Exist to Complete the API" error message in Windows XP with Service Pack 2, in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, or in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
View products that this article applies to.
Article ID : 909095
Last Review : August 23, 2007
Revision : 2.5
On This Page

SYMPTOMS

CAUSE

RESOLUTION

Update information

Hotfix information

Prerequisites

Restart requirement

Hotfix replacement information

File information

STATUS

MORE INFORMATION
SYMPTOMS
You use a computer that is running Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005, or Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. When you try to put the computer in hibernation, the computer occasionally does not hibernate. When this problem occurs, you receive an error message that is similar to the following:
Insufficient System Resources Exist to Complete the API.
When you experience this problem, the hibernate feature is not available on the computer until you restart the computer.

This problem typically occurs when the computer uses 1 gigabyte (GB) or more of RAM.

Note The Windows XP SP2 features and components are included in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005 and in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005.
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CAUSE
This problem occurs because the Windows kernel power manager cannot obtain the memory resources that are required to prepare the computer to hibernate.
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RESOLUTION
Update information
The following file is available for download from the Microsoft download center:

Download the Update for Windows XP (KB909095) package now. (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=9D20F96A-A8D6-4627-89F7-787CD9B3852C&displaylang=en)

Release Date: August 15, 2006

For more information about how to download Microsoft support files, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/119591/) How to obtain Microsoft support files from online services
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
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Hotfix information
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are required.
Restart requirement
You must restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.
Hotfix replacement information
This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.
File information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.File name File version File size Date Time Platform SP requirement Service branch
Ntkrnlmp.exe 5.1.2600.2774 2,136,064 12-Oct-2005 00:18 x86 SP2 SP2QFE
Ntkrnlpa.exe 5.1.2600.2774 2,057,344 11-Oct-2005 23:54 x86 SP2 SP2QFE
Ntkrpamp.exe 5.1.2600.2774 2,015,232 11-Oct-2005 23:54 x86 SP2 SP2QFE
Ntoskrnl.exe 5.1.2600.2774 2,180,096 12-Oct-2005 00:20 x86 SP2 SP2QFE

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STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.
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MORE INFORMATION
To prepare the computer to hibernate, the Windows kernel power manager requires a block of contiguous memory. The size of this contiguous memory is proportional to the number of physical memory regions that the computer is using. A computer that uses lots of RAM is likely to use more physical memory regions when the computer prepares to hibernate. Therefore, a larger amount of contiguous memory is required to prepare the computer to hibernate.

Additionally, the number of physical memory regions varies according to the programs, services, and device drivers that the computer uses. Therefore, the hibernate feature occasionally fails.

When the Windows kernel power manager detects that the hibernate feature has failed, the hibernate feature remains disabled until you restart the computer.

For more information about the terminology that is used in this article, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
824684 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/824684/) Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

APPLIES TO
• Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, when used with:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

• Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
• Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition 2005

9/11 Series PART III: 9/11 Stuff Conspiracy Videos And MORE

This is the third in the 9/11 Series, and it focuses on not just the 9/11 conspiracy stories, but on others. I have found a site called "9-11 Stuff Conspiracy Videos" which has all kinds of videos about 9/11, from a memorial type video for the victims and their families, to the farthest "accusatory" ones aimed directly at our government and Bush/Cheney as the culprits.

A few of the videos currently at the top of the list are:

International Conference Against Terrorism~~with Richard Searle of the Stop the War Coalition, who "Speaks Out"!!

International Conference Against Terrorism~~with Mark Curtis, who "Speaks Out", in regard to the victims of al-Qaeda OR Western Sponsored State Terrorism

Imperial Amerika-The House is on Fire! Return of the Revolutionary= Wake up America! Your Gulag House of inequality is on Fire! Go Home!,

And Many more on 9/11, the oil conspiracy, etc., etc. If you like this stuff, or are like me and didn't realize how much of it was out there, you may enjoy perusing this site and the links available through it!!

LINK TO 9-11 STUFF

EARTHQUAKE FELT IN IOWA CITY

I was just reading the "cool" story at Iowa City Press-Citizen Online, concerning the earthquake in New Salem, Illinois, and that some people reported being able to feel it here in Iowa City. I did not get to feel it, and was kind of hoping for a redux, for all of us who missed it. ;)

At 4:37 a.m. today, Iowans across much of the state got a slight taste of the kind of natural disaster we don't get much of a taste of in these parts. A 5.4 magnitude earthquake.

Sure, it's not the Southern California variety, at least not the variety that makes most within shaking distance of the San Andreas Fault take much notice. But we're not used to the earth moving around here too much.


To add to the excitement, several aftershocks from the same fault have been recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey, including a 4.5 magnitude quake at 10:15 a.m., that some in Iowa City felt.

There are several comments on this story, which indicates that a great many people did feel the earthquake and the after-shock!

Have A Great Friday!!

EARTHQUAKE FELT IN IOWA CITY LINK TO FULL STORY

9/11 Series PART II Conspiracies

This is Part II of this series, looking back at the events of 9/11, and the consequences of that devestating day on America, and the World. As I mentioned yesterday, I have not really given it much deep thought for a very long time. I guess I did not want to revisit something so damaging to our country. I also look at the world around us and cannot help but be reminded of that old story For Want Of A Nail:
"You remember how it goes: ‘For want of a nail, a shoe was lost; for want of a shoe, a horse was lost; for want of a horse, a message was lost; for want of a message, a battle was lost, for want of a battle, a war was lost; for want of war, a kingdom was lost; and all for the loss of a nail.’
"Corny as that sounds, the fact of the matter is that history does hang on such little things as much as on any grand design. So do most large tragedies, which have their origins in tiny flaws unperceived at the time. What we, call a ‘catastrophe’ usually starts with a "nail".

If the Twin Towers did fall on their own, can it really be as simple as the fact that small design flaws, like their "just" being drywall on the stairwells, that "blew" off with the impact and basically sealed the doom of everyone above the crash line. It seems that the more you look at this event, the more questions need to be addressed, that were not adequately answered, by the "official" explanation. I chose the Wikipedia Official Version yesterday, as I found it provided not only a highly readable account, but also provided links and reference points for further inquiry. Therefore, Part II, is the Wikipedia Conspiracies complilation, as it covers pretty much all of the "conspiracies" that have been put forward over the years, and it also has links and reference points for anyone looking ever deeper into the mysteries, and "truth" of what happened on 9/11.

A variety of conspiracy theories question the mainstream account of the September 11, 2001 attacks against the United States. Many of these theories state that individuals in the government of the United States knew of the impending attacks and refused to act on that knowledge. Some go further and state that the attacks were a false flag operation carried out by high-level officials in the U.S. government. The suspected motives were to use the attacks as a pretext to justify overseas wars, to facilitate increased military spending, and to restrict domestic civil liberties.

Many of the theories have been voiced by members of the 9/11 Truth Movement[1], a name adopted by some organizations and individuals who question the mainstream account of the attacks. Some 9/11 Truth Movement members question the accuracy of the mainstream account of the attacks, and they are committed to further investigation while others claim that the collapse of the World Trade Center was the result of a controlled demolition and/or that United Airlines Flight 93 was shot down.[2] Some also contend that a commercial airliner did not crash into the Pentagon; this position is debated within the Truth Movement, many of whom believe that AA Flight 77 did crash there, but that it was allowed to do so via an effective stand down of the military.[3]

Published reports by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology rejected the controlled demolition hypothesis. Final scientific reports by structural engineers regarding the collapse of WTC 7 are still pending.[4][5] The community of civil engineers generally accepts the mainstream account that the impacts of jets at high speeds in combination with subsequent fires, rather than controlled demolition, led to the collapse of the Twin Towers.[6]


9/11 Series PART II Conspiracies

9/11 Series PART I

This is the day that we shall begin taking a long delayed look back at 9/11, and the tragedies that have come about, because of that fateful day. As I have been looking through numerous websites, articles, and books, I have found this to be one of the hardest things I have ever written about, because it brings up so many conflicting feelings.

I think I am probably pretty typical (of the people who believed the official version) i.e. on September 11th, 2001. You Know "Osama bin-Laden's "boys", hijacked four airliners and proceeded to fly three of them into buildings, thus attacking "The Great Satan" America, as was their mission". I know how I felt as I watched the planes hit the Twin Towers, and the collapse of those Towers. It was the most terrible thing that I have ever watched on Live T.V., and I knew that our world would never be the same.

I threw my allegiance behind those who wanted revenge, and backed Bush's plan to remove the Taliban from power in Afghanistan, and hunt down Osama bin-Laden, and kill him for his attack. I had a young lady friend, who was a pilot out of New York, and I was unable to reach her for nearly a week, as the system was in such bad shape, so much of my early anger was misplaced worry about her safety. I even remember hearing stories of muslims being attacked and was glad that they were, I even did the whole boycott France thing, when they didn't back our war plan, and called French Fries~~Freedom Fries~~just like O'Reilly wanted us too!!

I never did really support a war in Iraq, and couldn't understand why V.P. Cheney and President Bush maade every effort to equate 9/11 with Iraq. Now I did support removing Saddam, but I felt that it should have been done when he was gassing the Kurds~but at that time he was Reagan's "Buddy", so he was allowed to butcher at will.

I have always believed that Iraq was merely "payback" for Bush senior having lost the election, after letting Saddam and Iraq, off the hook after we kicked them out of Kuwait, and George junior thought it would be a cakewalk.

Over the years I have watched shows on the Truth of 9/11 and the "Truth of 9/11 conspiracies", and have always come down on the side of the Official Truth. I have a great deal of difficulty in believing in a Giant Government Conspiracy in regards to 9/11, and the downing of the Twin Towers, because frankly, this President cannot even spell conspiracy, let alone be so nimble of mind as to trick us with an "attack" actually perpetrated from within the government, or even a "real" enemy being allowed to attack us, like the supposed foreknowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack by Franklin Roosevelt!!

However, after all the things that we have been lied to by this President and this administration, I have come to believe that we need a completely impartial Outside Investigation into the events leading up to 9/11, and the events that transpired because of that Tragic Day.

The "Official" version doesn't seem as rock solid as it once did, and we are still close enough to the event, that the "Truth" is out there. It just needs to be gone over by people who have nothing to gain by agreeing with one version or the other. Perhaps we will see a better, more accurate account of 9/11.

I hope that this series~~beginning with the wikipedia "official" version will give you pause to re-examine what you believe, and perhaps move you to sign the petition to have an actual "independent" investigation into this National Tragedy. The scab needs to be picked off, so that there can be true healing!! Thank you for taking the time to read, and check out the available information!!

Part I is the Wikipedia "Official" Version:

LINK TO WIKIPEDIA OFFICIAL VERSION

Jason Cole Forecasts Best And Worst Football Games Of 2008

I had to try and post this story, as it was about the football, and that supersedes pretty much everything else. I was just reading this story at Yahoo Sports by Jason Cole, and it is his analysis of the best and worst games of the upcoming season. I will try and post the Real posts after this, but I have been fighting a signal problem all week. It seems that Bennigan's now offers free wifi, or at least they have an unsecured network, and their signal is fighting Panera's signal for supremacy on my computer. So instead of having one weak signal that I could work with, I now have two weak signals, which are switching on and off, and I have so far attempted to post this since 10:30 this morning, without luck. I get just about ready to publish and the signal switches, and I get the "this page cannot be displayed" message~~and then I start all over. It is very frustrating, and is making me a little crazy, well I guess "crazier" would be the operative word, in my case :)

So enjoy the Football Story if it works this time and then I'll re-attempt the beginning of the 9/11 series!! Thanks~~



Before we infuriate fans in almost every NFL season with our second annual list of the best and worst games of the 2008 season, we have one observation to make: New England is officially the first team in league history to have a two-month exhibition schedule. How’s that? Well, after the annual parade of four non-counting games (We beg you Roger Goodell, please reduce that to two games ASAP), the Patriots have a decidedly easy first five weeks of the season. They open at home with Kansas City, travel to the New York Jets, host Miami, get a bye week (like they’re even going to break a sweat in the first three weeks) and then go to San Francisco.

Subsequently, New England’s first four games will be against teams with a combined record of 16-48 last season. Then they go to San Diego in what figures to be one of only four serious tests for the Patriots. Sure, there’s another great matchup at Indianapolis set for Nov. 2, not to mention games with Pittsburgh and Seattle. But the Patriots have a total of 12 games against non-playoff teams from last year.

The Pats could make another run at perfection just by accident.

With that in mind, here’s a week-by-week look at the best and worst of what 2008 has to offer:

LINK TO Jason Cole Best And Worst Football Games Of 2008

Internet Full of 'Black Holes'

I found this story at LiveScience.com very interesting as I have these kinds of problems everyday, and lately they have been occurring more frequently. So I hope you find this informative, and we shall begin the 9/11 series of posts on Monday!!

You're pounding the keyboard, double-clicking away, sighing and grumbling, but to no avail: That devilish little hourglass icon refuses to give way to the Web site you're trying to reach. Most Internet users have encountered trouble reaching online destinations, but they often attribute the problem to their wireless network cutting out or a server momentarily going down.

Sometimes, though, the problem is more mysterious. At any given moment, messages throughout the world are lost to cyber black holes, according to new computer science research.

Ethan Katz-Bassett, a graduate student in computer science at the University of Washington, and his advisor, Arvind Krishnamurthy, designed a program to continuously search for these strange internet gaps, when a request to visit a Web site or an outgoing e-mail gets lost along a pathway that was known to be working before. To make sure the black holes they detect are not simply due to a problem with the end user or the host server, they look for computers that can be reached from some, but not all, of the Internet, meaning the issue must be occurring en route.

Have A Great Sunday!!

INTERNET FULL OF BLACK HOLES

Please Sign Petition AT care2petitionsite

My post on 9/11 is going to take a little longer, as there is so much information out there, and it is taking awhile to sift through. If you just type in "truth of 9 11" to your search engine, you will see that there are 150,000,000 results for this simple statement.

Anyway while I was roaming around the internet searches, I found a site called care2petitionsite, which gives you many petitions on every subject you can think of, to sign, and even comment if you wish, and they will send the petition to the appropriate place. So while I was there I signed one for Artic animals, One to Save the Wrigley Field name, and one for President Bush to Boycott the Chinese Olympics Opening Ceremonies.

It says:
When China was awarded the 2008 games seven years ago, the international community expected that this opportunity would help improve China's human rights record. Yet the world has witnessed exactly the opposite.

Despite rallying cries around the world, China continues its harsh crackdown on protesters in Tibet and internal dissent, most recently by imprisoning noted human rights activist Hu Jia.

But with the blazing tour of the Olympic torch, millions of protesters from Paris to San Francisco have been speaking out passionately for human rights in China, Tibet, Darfur and Burma.

President Bush has a unique opportunity to speak out for those who are silenced. By boycotting the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics, President Bush can join other world leaders in urging China to stop its repression of activists and work to improve human rights at home and in Darfur and Burma where China wields great influence.

And the Petition Reads:
President Bush: Boycott Olympics Opening Ceremony
Dear President Bush,

I am deeply disturbed by China's violent crackdown on activists and journalists in Tibet. I am also outraged at China's recent imprisonment of human rights activist Hu Jia. It is clear to me that instead of improving its human rights record as part of being awarded the 2008 Olympic Games, China is instead using the Games as an opportunity to further repress free speech in China and Tibet.

I urge you to demonstrate the US leadership in protecting human rights by taking this unique opportunity to pressure China to improve its human rights record. Specifically, I call on you to boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Beijing to send a clear message to the Chinese government that we as a freedom-loving nation will not stand by and watch China abuse, repress and imprison citizens, activists and journalists who speak truth to power.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]

I hope you will follow the link and sign the petition, as this would be an important gesture, and we would not need to have the athletes boycott the games, as that only hurts them. Maybe you'll find other causes you believe in, and can sign onto!! Thanks!!


boycott opening ceremonies

Ghost Hunt Cancelled

I was just reading at Yahoo News, (odd news section) about the cancellation of the "ghost" hunt, by the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. The story is also at the Iowa Press-Citizen website.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors has changed its mind about allowing a paranormal team to look for ghosts at a one-time mental asylum.

Board members last month approved an investigation of the buildings, but decided to vote it down in response to negative feedback, said Board Chairman Rod Sullivan.

He said the board initially did not oppose a request from the Johnson County Historical Society to have a paranormal team conduct a free investigation at the site, which is now a private residential care facility for the mentally ill called Chatham Oaks.

However as usual the Board of Supervisors chose to "bravely run away", from even a "frivolous" issue, instead of doing what was best for the community (a little media attention, perhaps some tourists~~who knows what they let get away). I am wondering how this one night investigation would have been a bad thing, for anyone. At least we made Yahoo News~~though as usual, we look like fuddy duddies!!

It sounds like a little bit of spooky fun, but we know the Supervisors are afraid of a lot of things~~with "Having Fun In Iowa City", at the top of their "Fears" for our city. Have a little fun next time you see a Supervisor~~walk up from behind and say "BOO" ;) Have a Good Day!!

GHOSTS

Humor For A Bad Weather Thursday

I think we shall begin today with some jokes, as Mother Nature has decided to play a joke on us for the next three days. The winds in the Coral Ridge Mall parking lot are so strong that it nearly snaps off your car door when you open it (with the wind). On the plus side if you open a door on each side your can clean your car out in seconds:) For awhile the rain was coming down in waves, almost straight across, like blowing snow, instead of raind. I have counted four people with umbrellas turned inside out by the wind in just the last hour, as they try and get in from the parking lot on the north/Bennigan's side, though the back/southside is usually sheltered a little, but not today with the east wind~~it just feels like a wind tunnel out there. Stay inside if you can, and if you can't, please be careful!




Happy Old Man
A woman walked up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. “I couldn’t help noticing how happy you look,” she said. “What’s your secret for a long happy life?”

“I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day,” he said. “I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods, and never exercise.”

“That’s amazing,” the woman said. “How old are you?’

“Twenty-six!” he said.
==============================================================================================

Top 35 Oxymorons
35. State worker

34. Legally drunk

33. Exact estimate

32. Act naturally

31. Found missing

30. Resident alien

29. Genuine imitation

28. Airline Food

27. Good grief

26. Government organization

25. Sanitary landfill

24. Alone together

23. Small crowd

22. Business ethics

21. Soft rock

20. Butt Head

19. Military Intelligence

18. Sweet sorrow

17. Rural Metro (ambulance service)

16. "Now, then ..."

15. Passive aggression

14. Clearly misunderstood

13. Peace force

12. Extinct Life

11. Plastic glasses

10. Terribly pleased

9. Computer security

8. Political science

7. Tight slacks

6. Definite maybe

5. Pretty ugly

4. Rap music

3. Working vacation

2. Religious tolerance

1. Microsoft Works
==========================================================================================

Two Nerds
Two rather nerdy engineering students were walking across campus when one said, "Where did you get such a great bike?"

The second engineer replied, "Well, I was walking along yesterday minding my own business when a beautiful woman rode up on this bike. She threw the bike to the ground, took off all her clothes and said, 'Take what you want.'"

The second engineer nodded approvingly, "Good choice. The clothes probably wouldn't have fit."
==============================================================================================

Spel Chek
I halve a spelling checker,
It came with my pea see.
It plainly marks four my revue
Mistakes I dew knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait aweigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the era rite
Its rarely ever wrong.

I've scent this massage threw it,
And I'm shore your pleased too no
Its letter prefect in every weigh;
My checker tolled me sew.
==============================================================================================

From the Heart
The following letter was forwarded by someone who teaches at a junior high school in Memphis, Tennessee; the letter was sent to the principal's office after the school had sponsored a luncheon for the elderly. This story is a credit to all humankind. Read it, soak it in, and bask in the warm feeling that it leaves you with.

Dear Reyer School:

God bless you for the beautiful radio I won at your recent senior citizen's luncheon. I am 84 years old and live at the county home for the aged. All my people are gone. It's nice to know that someone thinks of me. God bless you for your kindness to an old forgotten lady.

My roommate is 95 and always had her own radio, but would never let me listen to it, no matter how often or politely I asked. The other day her radio fell and broke into a lot of pieces. It was awful. She was very upset. She then asked if she could listen to mine, and I told her to buzz off.

Sincerely,
Edna Johnston
===============================================================================================

Most Worthless New Inventions
The water-proof towel
Glow in the dark sunglasses
Solar powered flashlights
Submarine screen doors
A book on how to read
Inflatable dart boards
A dictionary index
Powdered water
Pedal powered wheel chairs
Water proof tea bags
Watermelon seed sorter
Zero proof alchohol
Reusable ice cubes
See through tiolet tissue
Skinless bananas
Do it yourself roadmap
Helicopter ejector seat
==============================================================================================
Unspeakable
A man walks into his doctor's office and puts a note on the table for the doctor to read. It said, "I can't talk! Help me!"

The doctor nodded sagely, and instructed the man to put his thumb on the table. The man thinks to himself that his thumb has nothing to do with his inability to talk, but he does as the doctor ordered.

The doctor quickly picked up a big book and whacks the man's thumb with it as hard as he could.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" the man yelled.

"Good, good," the doctor said. "Come back tomorrow and we'll work on the 'B'."
===============================================================================================

How To Appease The I.T. Dept.
01. When you call us to have your computer moved, be sure to leave it buried under half a ton of postcards, baby pictures, stuffed animals, dried flowers, bowling trophies and children's art. We don't have a life, and we find it deeply moving to catch a fleeting glimpse of yours.

02. Don't write anything down. Ever. We can play back the error messages from here.

03. When an I.T. person says he's coming right over, go for coffee. That way you won't be there when we need your password. It's nothing for us to remember 700 screen saver passwords.

04. When you call the help desk, state what you want, not what's keeping you from getting it. We don't need to know that you can't get into your mail because your computer won't power on at all.

05. When I.T. support sends you an E-Mail with high importance, delete it at once. We're just testing.

06. When an I.T. person is eating lunch at his desk, walk right in and spill your guts right out. We exist only to serve.

07. Send urgent email all in uppercase. The mail server picks it up and flags it as a rush delivery.

08. When the photocopier doesn't work, call computer support. There's electronics in it.

09. When something's wrong with your home PC, dump it on an I.T. person's chair with no name, no phone number and no description of the problem. We love a puzzle.

10. When an I.T. person tells you that computer screens don't have cartridges in them, argue. We love a good argument.

11. When an I.T. person tells you that he'll be there shortly, reply in a scathing tone of voice: "And just how many weeks do you mean by shortly?" That motivates us.

12. When the printer won't print, re-send the job at least 20 times. Print jobs frequently get sucked into black holes.

13. When the printer still won't print after 20 tries, send the job to all 68 printers in the company. One of them is bound to work.

14. Don't learn the proper term for anything technical. We know exactly what you mean by "My thingy blew up".

15. Don't use on-line help. On-line help is for wimps.
============================================================================================

Have a Great Thursday Afternoon!! :)

Bring Your Gun To Work Under New Florida Bill

Here is an interesting little story from Florida, which I was just reading at Yahoo News, concerning additional gun rights for Florida residents.

The story says most Florida residents would be allowed to take guns to work under a measure passed by Florida lawmakers on Wednesday.


The bill, allowing workers to keep guns in their cars for self-protection, was approved by the Florida Senate by a vote of 26-13. It now goes to Republican Gov. Charlie Crist to sign into law.

Backed by the National Rifle Association and some labor unions, the so-called "take-your-guns-to-work" measure would prohibit business owners from banning guns kept locked in motor vehicles on their private property.

I have never been to Florida, but always find it odd when they liberalize their gun laws. I guess I think of the vacationing paradise as being more amenable to surf boards, and beach towels, than guns, and Texas and the West as "gun" havens. A little too much stereotypical thinking on my part. I find this law very important for law abiding Floridians, and their criminal counterparts, because if this bill becomes law, criminals will not be sure who is and who isn't armed and ready to fight back. It may be a good thing for the most part, but I was thinking that this might backfire, and make the criminals more aggressive, and more prone to use violence~~thinking that their victim "has" a gun.

Now I have been a gun owner in the past, though I do not have any now, nor do I see a need to have one anymore, though I have friends who have them for protection, target practice, and hunting, and they seem to be responsible with them. I guess I have just gotten more cautious over the years, and think that if I was confronted by a criminal with a weapon, that I would probably just give them the wallet, and remain calm enough to not get myself hurt or killed. I guess it is just old age and self-preservation setting in, instead of impulse ruling me these days.

Anyway, This will be a story to follow, and see how Floridians fare under this "new" eased gun bill!


Bring Your Gun To Work Under New Florida Bill

Riverside Iowa Soldiers Case To Be Reopened

There is a story in the Iowa Press-Citizen, by Kathryn Feigen, on a follow up to the Riverside, Iowa soldier, who the Army said had committed suicide, which begins with:

The mother of a fallen Riverside soldier said today that her family has won a small victory against an Army investigation that found he killed himself in Iraq.


Yvette Eastom, of Glenpool, Okla., said she will meet with Army officials tonight regarding the death of her son, Sgt. James Musack, formerly of Riverside.


Initial reports said Musack, 23, was killed in a non-combat related incident Nov. 21, 2006, in Samarra, Iraq. He was serving his second tour of duty in Iraq with the 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Now I don't know if anyone else wrote their Representatives and requested a new investigation, but the following is the contents of a letter I received from Senator Tom Harkin, which was dated April 2, 2008.
My name and address
Dear Daniel:
Thank you for contacting my office and telling me of your concerns regarding the United States Army's ruling in the death of Sgt. James Musack of Riverside. I certainly can understand the interest in this matter.
My staff is very familiar with this situation and is working with the family. Rest assured, I will do all I can to ensure every consideration is given to this matter.
I appreciate the time you took to contact me. If I can be of assistance with any other federal matter, please feel free to contact my office again. Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Tom
Tom Harkin
United States Senator

I was glad to hear from Senator Harkin as he has been helpful on a few other issues in the past. I was surprised to not hear back from Senator Grassley, has he was very helpful in other issues, that I have contacted him about in the past
I have not heard from Congressman Loebsack, or President Bush, at this time, but will update with any information they might provide.
Please continue to pressure our elected officials to get a fair, impartial investigation into this young man's death. Thank You.

The Full Story Is Available At The Link Provided HERE.

4 More 9/11 Victim's Remains Found

There is a story at Yahoo News concerning the lingering aftermath of 9/11 as more victims remains are identified:

The city has identified the remains of four more victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, including one man whose DNA was found beneath a service road that was initially paved over, officials said Monday.

Ronald Keith Milstein's remains were found beneath the road that was built to carry cleanup and construction trucks in and out of the World Trade Center site after the 2001 terrorist attacks, the city medical examiner's office said. Milstein of Queens was 54 when he was killed.

More than 400 human bone pieces have been recovered from beneath the road, which has become known as "Haul Road" because of the hauling of debris.

Also identified was Alejandro Castano whose remains were found in the Liberty Street area, the medical examiner's office said.
The 35-year-old from Englewood, N.J., was in the area that day to deliver pens and paper to a brokerage firm on the 97th floor of the south tower, his family told The Record of Hackensack, N.J.

For now, authorities are not releasing the names of the two other victims whose remains were identified. Their families will decide whether to publicly announce the names of the 52-year-old woman identified from remains found in the former Deutsche Bank building and the 59-year-old man identified from remains discovered on Liberty Street.

The search at Haul Road began in October 2006 when utility workers found over 80 bones in a manhole in the service road. Since then, other manholes, a highway and nearby rooftops have been searched. The city identified the first victim from remains found in the road last July.
More than 1,800 of the 21,000 body parts recovered from ground zero have been found in the last two years in and around the trade center site. The remains of more than 40 percent of the 2,749 people killed at the site have yet to be identified.

The city has been using updated technology to try and re-extract DNA to make new identifications.
Sadly, Condolences to the victims friends and families, are all that we can give them now!

Monday Night Humor:)

There has been a lot of serious stories today, so I think we shall end this Monday with some humor~or a close facsimile thereof~~

Give and Take
A man is walking on the beach when he trips over a lamp. A few seconds later, a genie pops out and says, "I’m required to grant three wishes, but since you did not treat my lamp with respect, I will give twice what you get to the person you hate most—your boss."

The man agrees and makes his first wish: "I want lots of money." Instantly $20 million appears in bags on the beach, and $40 million appears in his boss’ bank account.

Next the man asks for an incredible sports car. Instantly a Lamborghini appears, and at the same moment, two show up outside his boss’ house.

Finally the genie says, "You have but one wish left; you should choose carefully."

The man says, "Well, I’ve always wanted to donate a kidney."

=============================================

Devoted Husband
Jack wakes up with a huge hangover after attending his company's Christmas Party. Jack is not normally a drinker, but the drinks didn't taste like alcohol at all. He didn't even remember how he got home from the party. As bad as he was feeling, he wondered if he did something wrong.

Jack had to force himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins next to a glass of water on the side table. And, next to them, a single red rose! Jack sits up and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotlessly clean. So is the rest of the house.

He takes the aspirins, cringes when he sees a huge black eye staring back at him in the bathroom mirror. Then he notices a note hanging on the corner of the mirror written in red with little hearts on it and a kiss mark from his wife in lipstick: "Honey, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to get groceries to make your favorite dinner tonight. I love you, darling! Love, Jillian"

He stumbles into the kitchen and sure enough, there is a hot breakfast, steaming hot coffee, and the morning newspaper all waiting for him. His son is also at the table, eating. Jack asks, "Son... what happened last night?"

"Well, you came home after three in the morning, drunk and out of your mind. You fell over the coffee table and broke it, and then you threw-up in the hallway, and got that black eye when you ran into the door."

Confused, he asked his son, "So, why is everything in such perfect order and so clean? I have a rose, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me?"

His son replies, "Oh THAT! Well, Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your pants off, you screamed,'Leave me alone, I'm married!'"
========================================

The Rude Customer
An award should go to the Virgin Airlines gate attendant in Sydney some months ago for being smart and funny, while making her point, when confronted with a passenger who probably deserved to fly as cargo.

A crowded Virgin flight was cancelled after Virgin's 767s had been withdrawn from service. A single attendant was re-booking a long line of inconvenienced travellers. Suddenly an angry passenger pushed his way to the desk. He slapped his ticket down on the counter and said, "I HAVE to be on this flight and it HAS to be FIRST CLASS".

The attendant replied, "I'm sorry, sir. I'll be happy to try to help you, but I've got to help these people first, and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out." The passenger was unimpressed. He asked loudly, so that the passengers behind him could hear, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO I AM?"

Without hesitating, the attendant smiled and grabbed her public address microphone: "May I have your attention please, may I have your attention please," she began - her voice heard clearly throughout the terminal. "We have a passenger here at Gate 14 WHO DOES NOT KNOW WHO HE IS. If anyone can help him find his identity, please come to Gate 14."

With the folks behind him in line laughing hysterically, the man glared at the Virgin attendant, gritted his teeth and said, "Buzz Off!"

Without flinching, she smiled and said, "I'm sorry, sir, but you'll have to get in line for that too."
==========================================

Selling Bibles
While checking the church storeroom, the pastor discovered several cases of new Bibles that never had been opened and distributed. So at his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the Bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise money for the church. Jack, Paul, and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task.

The minister knew that Jack and Paul earned their living as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some Bibles. But he had serious doubts about Louie, a local farmer who always had kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment. Poor Louie stuttered badly. But because he didn't want to discourage Louie, the minister decided to let him try anyway.

He sent the three of them away with the backseats of their cars stacked with Bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their efforts the following Sunday.

Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately asked Jack, "Well, Jack, how did you make out selling our Bibles last week?" Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Jack replied, "Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 Bibles, and here's the $200 I collected on behalf of the church."

"Fine job, Jack!" the minister said, vigorously shaking his hand. "You are indeed a fine salesman and the church is indebted to you."

Turning to Paul, he said, "And Paul, how many Bibles did you sell for the church last week?"

Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, "I am a professional salesman. I sold 28 Bibles on behalf of the church, and here's the $280 I collected."

The minister responded, "That's absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is also indebted to you."

Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, "And Louie, did you manage to sell any Bibles last week?" Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope. The minister opened it and counted the contents. "Louie, there's $3,200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 Bibles for the church, door-to-door, in just one week?" Louie just nodded.

"That's impossible!" both Jack and Paul said in unison. "We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many Bibles as we could."

"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister agreed. "I think you'd better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."

Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-re-really do-do-do-don't kn-kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered. "A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-s-said wa-wa-wa-was 'W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-like t-t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-Bible f-f-f-for t-t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks o-o-o-or wo-wo-wo-would yo-yo-yo-you j-j-j-just l-l-l-like m-m-m-me t-t-t-to st-st-st-stand h-h-h-here and r-r-r-read it t-t-t-to y-y-y-you?'"
=============================================

Have A Good Evening!! :)

al-Sadr Calls For Dialogue In Iraq

There is a story being reported currently that Muqtada al-Sadr would like a dialogue with the Iraqi government, which could be a positive outcome to the current violence between his militia, and the Iraq & American Troops.

The story indicates that aides to Muqtada al-Sadr have called Monday for dialogue to resolve a violent standoff with the Iraqi government, saying that the radical Shiite cleric would disband his militia if senior religious leaders ordered it.

The overture came as Baghdad's main Shiite district of Sadr City faced continued clashes between al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia fighters and Iraqi troops backed by U.S. forces.

Also Monday, a U.S. soldier was killed by small-arms fire after a roadside bombing in Baghdad, the military said, pushing the two-day American death toll to at least eight. The attack occurred in an eastern section of the capital which has been the site of the fiercest clashes since al-Sadr ordered a cease-fire a week ago Sunday.

There has got to be some top level talks with al-Sadr by "Our" government, because this man is the person who can make or break that nation, and so far all we have done is push him closer and closer to Iran, as his hatred of "Us" has grown since the liberation (invasion) of Iraq. Let's sit down with him, get a deal done, and come home!! I know it is not as "simple" as that, but it can be done, if we choose to do it!!

LINK TO FULL STORY

Hillary Gets It Right Twice Today

I was just reading this story at Yahoo News, and was shocked so see Senator Clinton getting it "right" twice in one day. First was the "acceptance" of Mark Penn's resignation, and now for requesting President Bush to Not be at the Chinese Olympics Opening Ceremonies. I originally thought that a boycott was good idea, but it really only hurts the athletes, so we shouldn't do that. But a snub by Bush at the opening ceremonies would be a good thing, and perhaps other leaders will adopt the same policy. We can just look at the news to see how fervent some people are taking this abuse of Tibet as people are protesting the Torch relays in England, France, and what looks to be many countries along the route. Good for them and Good for Hillary for taking a reasonable position.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday called on President Bush to stay away from the Olympics opening ceremonies in Beijing, a fresh sign that politics, not sports, may take center stage at the summer games.

The Democratic presidential candidate said a boycott of the opening ceremonies by Bush would underscore U.S. concerns about the recent unrest in Tibet and questions about China's relationship with Sudan.

"The violent clashes in Tibet and the failure of the Chinese government to use its full leverage with Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur are opportunities for presidential leadership," she said, charging the Bush administration "has been wrong to downplay human rights in its policy towards China."

She said Bush should not plan on attending the ceremonies "absent major changes by the Chinese government."

May more leaders come out in opposition to the heavy-handed treatment of "peaceful" demonstrators in Tibet, by the Chinese!

LINK TO YAHOO NEWS STORY

Heart Transplant Patient Kills Himself in Same Manner as Donor

Here is a truly bizzare story that I heard this morning while getting ready for work, and was just able to find the text of it moments ago at FOXNews.com.

It takes place in HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. and the story states — A man who received a heart transplant 12 years ago and later married the donor's widow died the same way the donor did, authorities said: of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

No foul play was suspected in 69-year-old Sonny Graham's death at his Vidalia, Ga., home, investigators said. He was found Tuesday in a utility building in his backyard with a single shotgun wound to the throat, said Greg Harvey, a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Graham, who was director of the Heritage golf tournament at Sea Pines from 1979 to 1983, was on the verge of congestive heart failure in 1995 when he got a call that a heart was available in Charleston.

That heart was from Terry Cottle, 33, who had shot himself, Berkeley County Coroner Glenn Rhoad said.

How strange is it~~please follow the link, and read the full story!!

TRANSPLANT RECIPIENT KILLS SELF IN THE SAME MANNER AS DONOR

Hillary Finally Does One Right Thing

It is probably way to late to have any important impact, but it looks like Hillary Clinton has finally done something right, by accepting the resignation of Mark Penn. There are others in her campaign that should go, but Penn definitely had to go, if she has even the slightest chance of securing the nomination. Here is a story from this morning's Yahoo News:

Mark Penn's exit from his role as Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist likely will portend no dramatic shift in message for the campaign in coming weeks but will bring satisfaction to scores of Clinton loyalists who have wanted the controversial image-meister sacked for months.

Penn's decision to step down Sunday came after a contretemps about his work for a foreign government triggered the latest in a series of public distractions from her presidential campaign.

Clinton's campaign manager Maggie Williams appeared to tie Penn's departure to his meeting with the Colombian government, a client of the public relations firm he leads, about their campaign for a free trade agreement Clinton opposes.

But for Clinton's aides and advisors, the meeting was just the latest in a list of complaints about Penn that began with his strategic decision last year to focus on a message of strength and electability rather than inspiration, and his insistence on highlighting policy over passion. His $13 million in campaign billing and his insistence on maintaining his salary as worldwide CEO of the firm Burson Marsteller were also sources of tension within the campaign.

"After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as Chief Strategist of the Clinton Campaign; Mark, and Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates, Inc. will continue to provide polling and advice to the campaign," said Williams in a statement to reporters early Sunday evening. Williams said Clinton's communications director, Howard Wolfson, and a pollster who recently joined the campaign, Geoff Garin, "will coordinate the campaign's strategic message team going forward."
Few in Clinton's circle foresee a dramatic shift in direction, largely because it is now too late for a dramatic shift in message – voters in the largest remaining state, Pennsylvania, cast their ballots in two weeks. "This was really a function of Colombia, not a referendum on his strategic vision," insisted one senior campaign aide. If there's any immediate consequence, though, it will be to morale inside a shell-shocked campaign where Penn's compensation, his attention to his business, and his gruff demeanor made him a divisive figure.

"It was very demoralizing for the staff that's working 24/7 to see him doing book tours and engaging in private sector activities," said a prominent Clinton supporter. "It was an important statement for the campaign to make to its own team." Penn was the source of a long series of campaign flare-ups. One subsidiary of Burson Marsteller represented the controversial private security firm Blackwater. Another angered unions Clinton was courting by working for companies trying to defeat union organizing campaigns. His firm also collected more than $11 million from Clinton's campaign through the end of February, and was owed $2.5 million more in the most recent filing, though most of that of that sum is said to be expenses for polling and direct mail.

In recent weeks, Penn created additional controversy by suggesting New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's endorsement – which Clinton had assiduously sought – was meaningless and by his matter-of-fact assertion to reporters that Obama simply can't beat the presumptive Republican nominee, Arizona Senator John McCain. Penn, one of the most influential political advisors of his generation, nevertheless accomplished a great deal as the campaign's top strategist. Clinton began the campaign with obvious vulnerabilities: A high percentage of Americans disliking her; the ambiguous experience of a White House spouse; and little natural charisma.

With his trademark barrage of poll numbers, Penn – who had worked with Bill Clinton since the former president's 1996 re-election campaign — managed to persuade journalists and Democratic voters that the New York senator could actually win a general election. And his focus on her strength – along with her own tough debate performances – erased any lingering doubts about whether a woman would be tough enough to serve as commander-in-chief. That accomplishment revealed Penn at his best--a cocksure advisor to some of the world's most important figures in politics and commerce, with clients ranging from Microsoft's Bill Gates to U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.

But even as Clinton proved an able candidate, Illinois Senator Barack Obama's soaring rhetoric connected with voters and generated tremendous grass roots enthusiasm, providing a stark contrast between the two. Since Clinton's 2000 campaign for Senate, Penn had argued for a focus on policy over emotion. "Being human is overrated," Penn reportedly joked at a debate prep session last winter, and the remark was, to his critics, his central failing.

Indeed, Penn spent part of 2007 marketing his new book, "Microtrends," which stressed the power of tiny demographic groups, rather than broad messages. The book begins by invoking an old Volkswagon slogan, "Think Small." "It was a revolutionary idea – a call for the shrinking of perspective, ambition, and scale," Penn wrote. But as Clinton thought small and targeted narrow groups – adults who care for their parents, for instance – with specific messages, Obama's broader themes often carried the day. And when it came to organizing on the ground in Iowa and elsewhere, it was Obama who proved more able to focus on the small things.

Penn predicted victory for Clinton in Iowa, and was ridiculed for it to the extent that Bill Clinton rose to his defense in response to a hostile question a few days later in New Hampshire. "You can take a shot at Mark Penn if you want. It wasn't his best day. He was hurt, he felt badly that we didn't do better in Iowa," he said. Penn's internal rivals, including advisor Harold Ickes, never let him forget his Iowa error. "I'm not going to make any predictions. I'll leave that up to Mark," Ickes said on a March conference call with reporters. And the core of Penn's strategy appeared to go out the window after Clinton seemed to turn around the polls in New Hampshire by almost crying in a conversation with a woman at a diner.

Until this weekend, however, Penn remained a central figure in the Clinton campaign. He led strategy calls, headed Clinton's team in post-debate "spin rooms," and was a rumpled, occasionally aggrieved figure on television until a new campaign manager, Williams, forbade him to make any further appearances. The end of Penn's tenure as chief strategist offered immediate satisfaction to his many internal detractors, but the campaign signaled no change from its latest strategic direction, which Penn helped shape: an argument that only Clinton has a good chance of beating the Republican nominee.

Hillary should finish the final contests on a high note, by trying something different. She should do what no one is doing, and that is tell the truth on each and every issue. Not the standard politician truth, but the actual truth, thereby setting a new standard that the others will have to meet. I know the American people won't vote for anyone who tells the Real truth, but it is something that they should hear anyway. That way when their candidate becomes President and can't give them all the benefits, health and otherwise that they "promised" they will understand the "truth" that the "new" Hillary spoke about, was indeed the truth. See how she could change the way people look at candidates for the next election, when they may well "demand" that the candidates, once and for all tell them the "truth" to get their votes. Come on Hillary, give the "Total Truth", and be the better person, and better American for telling us what we need to hear!! You know~~We are Deeply in debt and many programs can not be funded, Iraq has bankrupted us~~financially, morally, and every other way~~Prepare to fend for yourselves as Social Security, and pretty much every other assistance and retirement program is in dire jeopardy of collapse~~If you want services, you must pay for them~~You know~~talk that no one else will say~without fudging it by saying~but I have a way to fix it~that won't hurt~~and tell us Happy Sunshine "truths"~that we pretend to believe, so that we do not have to face the real "truth"!!

Please Hillary, Give it a try~you have nothing to lose~and at least you could earn some respect~which is something you are not getting now~with your~~sniper stories~flip flops~and questionable experience~~You could be the better person and the Better Candidate, but you have to let go~and tell it to us~~Straight~On Everything!! Last Chance~Do or Die Time~~And If/When you do lose~You do it with dignity~~Just like Rocky~~Because Remember~Rocky comes back in the sequel and WINS~And you can Too!!!!

Charlton Heston is DEAD

This is a very sad day, as news of the Death of Charlton Heston spreads around the world. He was one of the greatest actors America has ever produced in my humble opinion, and even though he was associated with the right wing conservative causes like the second amendment, he was a progressive throughout much of his life. In have been to many sources this morning and early afternoon, trying to put together a proper tribute for such a great man, and hope it does him justice.

I know for me the defining Heston film is The Omega Man, as it is one of my top five favorite films, as well as being in my top three favorite books (though it was originally titled "I Am Legend", and had been a Vincent Price film in the 50's~~Heston did it Better!). I realize he did other Big things, but for me this was the epitomy of his Best work and made Robert Neville and the reality of the End of Our World all too Real!

Charlton Heston's life story reads like a film script. From the backwoods of Michigan, he became one of the world's most famous faces, a high-profile campaigner for Civil Rights and an unapologetic president of America's National Rifle Association.

He was born John Charles Carter in Evanston, Illinois.
He studied acting before serving for three years in the US Air Force.

Back in civilian life, Heston and his wife, Lydia, went through hard times, while waiting for his first break as an actor. Living in a single room in Chicago, at one time they posed for artists, at $1.25 an hour, before Heston finally attracted Hollywood's attention.

In 1952, after working on Broadway, Heston starred as the ringmaster in the movie, The Greatest Show on Earth. Four years later, he appeared as Moses in The Ten Commandments, the role which would define his career.
Physically imposing at six foot four, with granite-hewn features and a deep, sonorous voice, he radiated screen presence.
No role was too big for Heston. In The Greatest Story Ever Told, he was John the Baptist; he played El Cid, along with Michelangelo in The Agony and the Ecstasy and General Gordon in Khartoum.

And, in 1959, he won an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in Ben-Hur.
On stage, he was Sir Thomas More in A Man for all Seasons, Macbeth and Antony in Antony and Cleopatra.

Although later identified with traditionally conservative causes, Charlton Heston was a vocal supporter of Martin Luther King and the 1960s Civil Rights movement.
After King's assassination, and the murder of Robert Kennedy, Heston called for gun controls. He later said that he was "misguided".

The science fiction film, Planet of the Apes, proved a big commercial success in the late 1960s, and Heston almost became a fixture in 1970s disaster movies like Earthquake and Skyjacked.
And his big-screen performance in the environmentally-tinged sci-fi thriller, Soylent Green, brought him cult status among a younger audience.
As noted at the beginning of this tribute, Charlton Heston's premier role for me was as Colonel Robert Neville, in The Omega Man in 1971 was his greatest film, and below is a review/synopsis of the film:

In The Omega Man, Robert Neville (Heston) is the last man on Earth, surviving by scavenging the desiccated remains of a plague-wasted city. Before the Armageddon, which battered the biosphere with nuclear and biological weapons, Neville was a military research physician, a Renaissance man of the technological age. Now he is a post-holocaust hunter-gatherer, his lonely, three-year routine comprised of food-foraging over dusty shelves and shooting the Family. The last man on Earth, yes, but not alone.

The Family are virtually neo-humans: they are the blighted survivors of a global plague that mutated humans into extremely photophobic, generously psychotic albinos. Few in number, perhaps 300, they huddle their unbalanced minds 'round the debatable stability of their zealot-dictator, Matthias (Zerbe). With quasi-religious fervor and gestalt, the Family haunts the city's night, sweeping through hospitals, universities, libraries and museums, burning all of the legacies of technology and the old age. They also seek to purge themselves of Neville and hunt him regularly, for, unmarred by plague, he is a vessel for all the knowledge, science and civilization that the Family believes poisoned the old life.

Thus, the rhythm of Neville's world is inexorably ruled by light and dark. With the sun high, he hunts the Family and roots through the city for the dislocated acmes of science and art, hauling them back to his fortified brownstone haven. Every day is brutal, dull, identical--until the last man discovers he is not the only human left, and his blood may hold salvation for a doomed, diseased world.

The Omega Man, based on Richard Matheson's novel I Am Legend, can legitimately be considered an SF Easter film. Its predominant themes of sin, deliverance, sacrifice and resurrection are high-minded and ambitious, as well as nicely balanced and executed. One of the film's neater ironies is Neville's twin aspects--destroyer and savior.

As part of the military-medical complex, he was a member of the brain-trust that created disease for martial purposes. Yet Neville is also salvation, for his blood contains plague antibodies derived from an experimental serum he developed and used on himself. He is too late to save the bulk of the people his previous work imperiled, but he has the potential to save the pitiful handfuls that are left. He is redeemer and redeemed.

This production is both evenly paced and plotted, and it manages a subtle emotional power. For example, the film devotes much time to illustrating Neville's post-apocalyptic lifestyle and last-man psyche. When he finally meets another soul, then is introduced to over a half-dozen more, the appearance of those new faces is overwhelming. The emotional onus of an omega man is further underscored by the band's speaking of their numbers as paltry, whereas Neville's rapturous countenance beams his newfound wealth.

The film definitely has a hokey aura, generated primarily by: a) the fact that this is an SF film starring Charlton Heston; b) the rather lackluster makeup job on the albinised Family; c) the twang and tang of an easy listening/Action Jackson hybrid 70s soundtrack; and d) the final vignette. Let potential audiences not be deterred. Parts of The Omega Man might taste a little gamey to the average consumer, but the gourmand will find it well-seasoned and rightly aged.

There is so much of this film that I like: Neville's home as a fortress-island of art and science; Rosalind Cash's strong, blaxploitation edge; the Family's use of City Hall (with all its imprimatur) as a nest; the film's exploration of the question as to whether the Family can be saved by the serum, i.e., whether they are still human. And of course, no one can say "My God!" like Heston.
This was an awesome film and should be watched by everyone, to remember the state of mind of this nation in the early 70's, as we were still in Vietnam, still had a Hot~Cold War, and still did practice nuclear attack drills in school, and business on a regular basis. A snapshot of our culture to be sure, but a good snapshot!


The 1980s saw a rare foray onto television, as Jason Colby in The Colbys.

But, later in his career, Heston turned increasingly back to the stage, and to fighting for his political beliefs.
During his six years as president of the Screen Actors Guild , he decried the trend for undermining traditional American heroes.
And, having grown up in the Michigan woods where poor people sometimes shot their next meal, Heston became embroiled in a passionate national debate over gun laws.

A high-profile president of the National Rifle Association, he once vowed that the only way the government would take away his gun was from his "cold, dead hands".

On 9 August 2002, he issued a statement, announcing that his doctors had diagnosed "a neurological disorder whose symptoms are consistent with Alzheimer's disease".

A self-avowed Anglophile, he was a hugely enthusiastic reader of the Aubrey/Maturin novels of the late Patrick O'Brian and was co-chairman of the American Air Museum in Britain.

Heston once said of himself, "I have played three presidents, three saints and two geniuses in my career. If that doesn't create an ego problem, nothing does."

But, while his screen giants gave him the stature to champion his causes, Charlton Heston, along with many critics, felt his best film performance was as the shy, awkward ranch hand in Will Penny.

And while Charlton Heston will always be identified with heroes who lived before the birth of his country, it was perhaps the American pioneer who was closest to his heart. I have provided a link to Yahoo News which has a great deal more about Mr. Heston than I have been able to compile.

A Great Actor and a Good Man has died, and I send my Condolences to his family and friends. May Mr. Heston Rest In Peace!!

LINK TO MORE ON CHARLTON HESTON

Sunday's Word Is Nobble

Good Sunday Morning! The word for today is Nobble:

Nobble (verb)
Pronunciation: [nahb-êl]
Definition: To disable (especially a racehorse) by drugging or laming; to win someone over; to steal; to kidnap; most broadly, to outdo or win someone to one's side by devious means.
Usage: A colorful word from a colorful lexical world: British and Australian horseracing punters blame nobbling for unexpected results that go against the odds. Someone who wins a competition, argument, or any contest through underhanded means would be a nobbler, the noun form of today's word.
Suggested Usage: For our Aussie friends: "When a boilover and a no-hoper that couldn't run a drum beats a dead bird, causing you to lose a gorilla and look a drongo, someone nobbled your horse." Some time ago, Yorkshire Television produced an entire detective mystery series about an ex-jockey who solves cases of nobbling mixed with murder—a truly British subgenre if ever there was one. In everyday use, we might say, "Geoff took the first swing at a nail when the head of his new hammer flew off. He was nobbled at the hardware store."
Etymology: The origins of today's word are officially unknown. It's close enough to "hobble," an acceptable means of limiting a horse's gait with a rope to suggest a relation. Perhaps a combination of "knackered," a lower register word for "tired out, exhausted" and "hobble," to denote that a horse has been done in completely.

Have A Relaxing Sunday.

Iranian Bloggers Test Limits

I was just wandering around the news and found this interesting story at the New York Times online website concerning Iranian "bloggers" and how they are pushing the limits with their blogs.

Troll through the Iranian blogosphere and you can find all manner of unexpectedly harsh critiques denouncing the government of the Islamic Republic, from both reformists who revile it and conservative supporters.

One conservative blogger deplored the rampant inflation undermining the middle class, saying it forced girls into prostitution to support their families. Others identified themselves as fans of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, yet they condemned government corruption and what they called arbitrary arrests. A fourth declared that government statistics were a lot of nonsense.

What gets filtered out is not entirely predictable either. Even some religious topics are deemed unacceptable. The government blocked the site of a blogger advocating the Shiite Muslim custom of temporary marriage, which is legal and considered a way for the young to relieve their sexual frustration without breaking religious laws.

Over all, a new study by the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School shows that Iran’s blogosphere mirrors the erratic, fickle and often startling qualities of life in the Islamic republic itself. The rules of what is permissible fluctuate with maddening imprecision, so people test the limits.

In 2004, according to Human Rights Watch, 21 bloggers or people who worked at Internet news sites critical of the government were arrested, and some of them were tortured. Periodic arrests since then have ended with jail terms.

The study, conducted over the last year by the Berkman Center, was financed by the State Department and is part of a larger and longer project on the impact new communications media are having on democracy and democratization in several countries. The research being released Sunday documents what types of blogs are being posted in Iran.

Researchers used computer software to analyze more than 6,000 blogs by subject matter to get a general sense of what issues Iranians were discussing; then the team, which included Persian-speaking students, read more than 500 of the postings.

To build a fuller picture of the Iranian blogosphere, the researchers also used the results of a parallel study that documents what blogs were being blocked by the authorities in 60 countries, including Iran. That study is also being done at the Berkman Center in collaboration with universities in Canada and Britain.

The researchers’ general conclusion was that, “despite periodic persecution,” many Iranians are able to use blogs to express “viewpoints challenging the ruling ideology of the Islamic Republic.”
The study found, for instance, that fewer than a quarter of blogs pushing for change, including those written by expatriates, were blocked. In addition, conservatives of all stripes maintain a lively debate about President Ahmadinejad.

“Arguing about stuff, arguing about public affairs, is taking root in the blogosphere on the conservative side, on the reformist side, all over,” said John Kelly, the founder of Morningside Analytics, a New York company that took part in the study and created the software that helped researchers group blogs together by subject and social networks.
“We don’t know if the government is not trying or not able to block as much as we thought,” said Mr. Kelly, who wrote the study with Bruce Etling, the director of the project at Berkman. “They may allow a certain amount of online discourse to be there because it seems to underline the legitimacy of the system.”

Political groups bash each other with gusto from both sides of the political divide. One conservative blogger mocked reformists for pretending to care about economic matters. “The nature of the reformists is actually extremism,” wrote a blogger under the name Shahrahedalat or the Highway of Justice, adding that the Iranian people would not be deceived.
Reformist supporters give back as good as they get. Even if supporting reformist politicians is nearly futile, wrote a blogger under the name Inharfha or These Talks, it is “much better that sitting back and watching how our country is being taken back to the ruins of Medieval times.”

Iran seems to handpick which blogs it blocks, but researchers admit that Iran’s filtering policy and techniques remain opaque.

"Our sense is that the government in Iran doesn’t see the blogosphere as bad as a whole,” Mr. Kelly said, noting that Iranian exiles have alleged that the government organizes and pays bloggers to put out the party line. “What they are trying to do is to promote more young religious voices, to pile as many conservatives into the network as they can.”

Researchers said many of the religious sites they found used the same artwork and linked to one another. During last month’s parliamentary elections, for example, many religious blogs displayed a banner encouraging Iranians to vote and a picture of President Ahmadinejad.

Blocked blogs discussed topics as varied as erotic poetry and computer coding. The blog of an Iranian woman who wrote about the joys of working in a relaxed, nonsegregated environment with men was blocked, as was that of a poet who used curse words.

The map of the Iranian blogosphere that the Internet and Democracy Project produced, resembles the night sky, with each dot representing one blog and the main constellations indicating groups of blogs that share common interests and attitudes.
Sprays of yellow and green represent secular/reformist blogs. More women and expatriates appear here than anywhere else. The points colored red, turquoise and orange show all the blogs on the religious/conservative pole.
The study found that the next largest group of bloggers, hundreds of them, concentrated on romantic poetry. So many blogging bards might be uncommon in many other countries, but in Iran it is simply a reflection of a culture that so reveres poetry, where many children grow up dreaming of becoming great poets in the way many young Americans dream of a future in sports.
The mapping program assigns each dot its place through factors including lists of words that it checks for and that indicate the likely focus of the blog: reformist, conservative or other.

For example, Masoud Dehnamaki is a conservative who helped found the Basiji, a hard-core group notorious for its bloody attacks against antigovernment demonstrators. In recent years he has become a documentary filmmaker, focusing on social problems like prostitution.
The large dot representing his blog sits almost at the middle of the map, indicating that it is popular among both conservatives and reformists. The dot representing the Web site of former President Mohammad Katami, a moderate leader, sits to his left, deeper into the reformist field.

Mehrangiz Kar, an Iranian dissident in Boston who is aware of the project but not directly involved, said that over the long run the blogosphere would bring change within certain limits.
Bloggers are not permitted to criticize the Islamic system itself, Ms. Kar said, but they are far freer than writers for newspapers or other news media.
“These Web logs are very effective,” she said. “They create conversation. Not just about elections or democracy, but about cinema, theater, arts, literature. These fields are very important for changing that society.”
A very fascinating story from any perspective!!

LINK TO INTERNET AND DEMOCRACY PROJECT MAP

Bush And Putin Begin Farewell Talks

I was just reading this story at Yahoo News:
President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin opened suspenseful farewell talks Saturday as the White House dropped hopes they would resolve differences on U.S. missile defense plans, one of the most contentious issues in a long list of security disputes.

They opened their meeting with a warm handshake and smiles at Putin's heavily wooded retreat on the Black Sea. Putin took Bush to the second floor of his guesthouse to show off a tabletop display of the 2014 Winter Olympics that will be held here. "This is your yacht," he joked to Bush, pointing at a 3-inch white ship on a blue patch representing the water. Bush chuckled.

In a speech in Croatia before arriving, Bush raised a sensitive point by praising the spread of Western-style democracy across Eastern Europe to Russia's borders. It is matter of considerable concern to the Kremlin as it watches the rapidly growing NATO military alliance push against its door.

In the twilight of their presidencies, Bush and Putin met in hopes of reversing a years-long slide in relations and leaving their successors a broad strategy for more cooperation and less confrontation. The list of grievances between the two sides is formidable.

Bush and Putin and their wives met Saturday evening for an informal dinner. Bush had stripped off his necktie and Putin wore a turtleneck and casual jacket. Dmitry Medvedev, who takes over May 7 as Putin's hand-picked successor, also joined in the meal, which lasted three hours. Bush and Putin will hold their final business meeting Sunday, scheduled for an hour, and then Bush and Medvedev will sit down for a half hour.

Bush and Putin will announce the results of their discussions at a climactic news conference promising a preview of the future of U.S.-Russia relations.

Known for their blunt talk and candor, the two leaders have never been afraid to hide their differences. Their meeting will close a seven-year relationship that got off to a strong start and was strengthen by cooperation after the Sept. 11 attacks, but then turned rocky on differences ranging from the Iraq war to Kosovo's independence. Putin has bristled at Bush's admonishment that Russia has retreated from democracy.

U.S. plans to build a long-range missile defense system in Europe won endorsement at NATO's summit this week, and the White House had hoped Putin would reluctantly accept it, recognizing that he could not stop it. The United States has offered a series of concessions to make it more palatable to Moscow. But apparently not enough.

"We're going to have to do more work after Sochi," White House press secretary Dana Perino said on Air Force One as Bush flew here from Croatia, one of NATO's two new members. Asked about prospects for a deal, she said, "That would be premature." "No one has said that everything would be finalized and everyone would be satisfied with all the preparations because we haven't even started to work on the technical aspects of the system," she said. "But we think the dialogue is headed in the right direction and that this meeting will be able to push that along even further."

Bush and Putin are expected to sign a "strategic framework" to guide future relations, and U.S. officials hope the Russians, in the broad context of that statement, will say they are willing to cooperate on missile defense. That would be short of a Russian embrace of U.S. missile defense plans, but it appears to be the best the administration thinks it can achieve now.

Perino said the framework would deal with security cooperation, nonproliferation issues, counterterrorism and economic matters, and that the language would be broad. "I don't expect a lot of details," she said.

Before coming to Russia, Bush stopped in Croatia to celebrate NATO's expansion eastward in Europe. Croatia and Albania were invited to join NATO, while Macedonia's bid was put off. The two newest members will boost NATO's ranks to 28 nations committed to helping defend each other.

"Henceforth, should any danger threaten your people, America and the NATO alliance will stand with you and no one will be able to take your freedom away," Bush said to cheers from thousands packed into St. Mark's Square. The area has been used for the inauguration of every Croatian leader for the past 700 years and is considered the center of Croatian politics.

The U.S. desire to see NATO admit Ukraine and Georgia — and to keep the door open for others — angers Moscow. In a victory for Putin, the two former Soviet republics were turned away from NATO membership this week. But Bush and his aides have been quick to point out that alliance leaders vowed to eventually open the path to joining, possibly as early as December. Putin's victory, they say, may be short-lived.

Bush pointed out the success of U.S.-supported democratization in the volatile Balkans, where the effects of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia still roil relations between Washington and Moscow. Most recently, the United States and many of its European allies rallied around independence for the Serbian province of Kosovo. Russia, supporting Serbia, strongly opposed that, too. Bush also discussed the importance of security and stability in the Balkans, noting that at their summit in Romania, NATO leaders offered "intensified dialogue" to Bosnia and Montenegro, two other states once part of Yugoslavia.

"The NATO alliance is open to all countries in the region," he said. "We hope that, soon, a free and prosperous Serbia will find its rightful place in the family of Europe and live at peace with its neighbors. With the changes under way in this region, Europe stands on the threshold of a new and hopeful history."

Croatia's former nationalism once made Washington wary, and it drew Bush administration ire by opposing the U.S.-led war in Iraq and refusing to allow U.S. soldiers exemption from war crimes prosecution. But Croatia's emergence as a stable nation in the turbulent region, the pro-Western government it elected in 2000 and its contribution to the fight in Afghanistan more recently has earned it U.S. support.

Would someone Please replace our President with a body "double" immediately, so the "new" one can reverse the course we are now on. We do not need another Cold War in the midst of two Very Hot Ones, and that is what we will get if Bush continues on the path of making the world less safe with his "stick in the eye" ~~ Missile Defense system on Russia's border. He may say it is against a defense against either North Korea or Iran, but it will still be pointed at Russia, and could be retargeted quickly, if we chose to attack them!!

Should We Really Bomb Iran?

Good Saturday morning! I was just reading a story by Larry Beinhart, on AlterNet, from today which asks and answers the Question~Should We Really Bomb The Iranians:

The author explains, "Iranians are among the most gracious and hospitable people I've ever met."
I'm in Shiraz, on the way to Esfahan.

It's good to get out of gray, smoggy Tehran, one of the least photogenic cities in the world, where black is the new black, from the hejabs on down.

One of the attractions of Shiraz is the tomb of Hafez, a Persian poet from the 14th century. It's thronged at night. Iranians bring flowers, then stand or kneel beside the sarcophagus and recite his poems. My personal reaction is, this is how writers should always be treated.

Iranians are among the most gracious and hospitable people I've ever met.
The question, of course, is whether we should bomb these people?


In America today, we tend to see things in Manichaean terms. That is, we divide things into absolute opposites, light and dark, good and evil, us and them.

We could, if we went back far enough, blame that on them. The word Manichaean refers to the Persian prophet Mani (from around 250 AD). The whole notion of good and evil, with man in the middle, having to make a choice, then rewarded and condemned in an afterlife, goes back to an even earlier Persian prophet, Zoroaster, from around 1,000 BC. Those ideas entered Judaism during the Babylonian exile and the liberation of the Jews by Cyrus the Great of Persia, and from there into Christianity.

There are still Zoroastrians and Jews in modern-day Persia, the Islamic Republic of Iran.
These are people with a rich and varied history. A very humanistic history.
The question is, why should we bomb these people?
The answer is that they are part of the Axis of Evil!
Iranians are somewhat confused by that designation.

The United States was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001, by a ragged group of conspirators called Al Qaeda, led by Osama bin Laden, headquartered in Afghanistan, where they were protected and nurtured by the Taliban. The Taliban were, and are, fanatical, fundamentalist Sunnis. They're the ones who put women in burkhas, those full-body coverings and veils; required men to be bearded; and banned all music, television, movies, photographs, statues, stuffed animals and dolls.
The Taliban came to power in 1996. They were supported by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
They were opposed by the Northern Alliance. The Northern Alliance was supported by Russia, India and, most of all, by Iran.

The United States was neutral from 1996 to 2001. After 9/11, we demanded that Afghanistan's Taliban government hand over Osama bin Laden. When it refused, we entered the war, primarily with air power, in support of the Northern Alliance. As Ray Takeyh wrote in Hidden Iran: Paradox and Power in the Islamic Republic:
American links with the Northern Alliance were fragmentary ... Afghan opposition groups [were] suspicious of the United States. Tehran's mediation proved essential ... Iran also provided intelligence ... agreed to rescue American pilots ... allowed some 165,000 tons of U.S. food aid to traverse its territory ... [after the fighting] Iran was instrumental in crafting the interim Afghan government.
Iran's president Khatami said, "Afghanistan provides the two regimes [the United States and Iran] with a perfect opportunity to improve relations."
The Bush administration embraced the people who had given the Taliban and Al Qaeda safe haven (Pakistan) and money (Saudi Arabia and the Emirates) and declared Iran, who aided us in our war against the Taliban, as part of the Axis of Evil.

The question is, shouldn't we bomb them because, in addition to being one of the two remaining parts of the Axis of Evil, they are part of the Islamo-Fascist Alliance to rule the world?
We moved on from the pleasures of Shiraz, to Esfahan which is a treasure. A miracle.
In the 16th century, when Shah Abbas I made it the capital of the Safavid dynasty, it was probably the greatest city in the world. It has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal, and the historic center of St. Petersburg.

There, we connected with a group of 20- and 30-something Iranians, all of whom spoke excellent English, and went out to dinner with them. They were students, medical professionals, and small-business people, four men and three women. Because we were in public, the women wore the required headscarves but managed to make them fashion accessories. They constantly adjusted them with graceful gestures that drew attention to their beauty and femininity. It is worth pointing out that while women in Iran are not as free as in America or Western Europe, they have more freedom and participate more fully in public life than in the rest of the Islamic World.
The conversation was lively and fluid and touched on politics, world affairs, the regime, America, religion and even disbelief.

In the first ten minutes of almost any conversation with an Iranian, he or she will point out that they are not Arabs, they're Persians. They may even say that they don't like Arabs, or, more emphatically, "I hate f**king Arabs."
They liked Americans. They didn't like the regime. They didn't think they could do anything about the current government.


The question is, shouldn't we bomb them to help good people like that? Won't bombing them make them blame their leaders for forcing us to attack them, so they will rise up and change the regime?
A lot of people dislike the regime. And with good cause.
At times it seemed that this was a country where everybody went to prison. Everyone who thought, wrote, had opinions, was political, who had property that could be taken -- save for fervent supporters of the regime -- had gone to prison. Or worse, been tortured and executed.

People who had lovers and who danced, possessed illegal music, stood up for academic freedom, and were members of minority religions or clergy who didn't support Khomenie's radical re-interpretation of Shia'a Islam, were arrested, harassed, beaten, and thrown out of windows, and lost their jobs and careers, and went to prison. The country also has inflation, unemployment, underemployment and low wages. Heroin addiction is widespread and growing. Opium use is routine, even, according to gossip on the street, in the highest levels of government. Corruption is rampant and everyone knows it.

However, even their opponents gave the regime credit for certain things. Making Iran self-sufficient. Keeping a country of Persians, Kurds, Turkomans, Azerbaijanis, Pashtuns and Arabs together in spite of the centripetal forces of ethnic and tribal loyalties. It's a safe place. There's very little street crime. There are no car bombings. No terrorist incidents. No kidnappings.

An underlying thread became clear through all these conversations. The number one hot-button political issue in Iran is standing up to foreign powers. Their history, since Alexander the Great invaded and burned Persepolis, is one of being invaded, threatened, exploited and subverted by outsiders. As for the 20th century, the British exploited their natural resources, then the United States overthrew their democracy and put a compliant king in charge, and as soon as he was deposed, they were invaded by Saddam Hussein. He received support from America and other Western nations. That war lasted eight years, and Iran had somewhere between 750,000 and 1 million casualties.

The notion that bombing Iran will make the people overthrow the Supreme Leader and the Council of Guardians makes as much sense as imagining that a new 9/11 will make the American people thank Al Qaeda for their inspiration, then rise up and overthrow our president and senate with a government more receptive to Islamic ways.

There is one real argument. It is that if Iran gets nuclear weapons, it will use them. Specifically on Israel.

Iran is, ultimately, ruled by the Supreme Leader. He is deemed to be infallible. In 2003 he issued a fatwa, a ruling of holy law, against the development and use of nuclear weapons. This is when, according to the U.S. National Intelligence Estimate, Iran stopped such developments.

Iran claims it only wants nuclear energy. Countries that produce nuclear energy include Lithuania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, South Africa, Czech Republic, Mexico and Brazil. At least 56 countries have nuclear research reactors.

So the argument goes back to intentions. That Iran is more dangerous than Russia, more of an enemy than China, more unstable than Pakistan, more warlike than Israel, and more likely to have aggressive leaders who will launch a pre-emptive war than the United States.

If they had nuclear weapons and used them, especially if they used them aggressively, as a first strike, then Israel and the United States would retaliate with far more force and effectively destroy Iran. What we are likely to have in reality is the sort of mutual stand-off we had with the Soviet Union for 50 years.

In addition to Esfahan's astonishing beauty, its historical value, its vibrant culture, arts and crafts, it is home to a nuclear research reactor and it's where uranium is processed toward producing nuclear fuel.


If Iran is bombed, Esfahan will undoubtedly be a target. One of hundreds. Those lovely people that I had dinner with will likely die. If not them, their parents, children, brothers and sisters. The student of English who sat and talked to me about Hafez for two hours. The man who makes the hand-printed table clothes in the bazaar. The mason working on the reconstruction of the great mosque.

I like to think that America can somehow overcome what's happened these last seven years. The unprovoked invasion of another country, the embrace of torture, the assault on civil liberties, the looting of our own economy, the failure to rescue the people of New Orleans and to rebuild it. Somehow.

But bombing Iran because it postures and provokes on the world stage will be a disaster that we won't live down. We might try to say it's something that our leaders did, we had no part in it, we could not stop them. If that's true, and it may be true, that's sadder still.

Something to think about~~Hopefully, someone in Washington is reading this story and asking the same question~before We Bomb Iran!!