Pretty funny. Pretty sad. At a time, when you should be thinking about a “life marker” … and pretty dumb. Like picking the other member of the duopoly will make a difference. We need a “game changer”. Because since Lincoln, we’ve been on a runaway train. Changing “engineers” isn’t going to change the destination.
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Leave a Comment » | 
FUN | 
Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Mummified body of former Playboy playmate Yvette Vickers found in her Benedict Canyon home
May 2, 2011 | 2:21 pm
*** begin quote ***
Yvette Vickers, an early Playboy playmate whose credits as a B-movie actress included such cult films as “Attack of the 50-Foot Woman” and “Attack of the Giant Leeches,” was found dead last week at her Benedict Canyon home. Her body appears to have gone undiscovered for months, police said.
*** end quote ***
Sad. How does this happen? A year? Auto bill pay? Reminds me of the Beatles’ song.
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Leave a Comment » | INTERESTING | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Here I am sitting in Panera to convert one of my e-friends into a non-e, …
… and two guys sit down at the next table and hae a very LOUD conversation about Juvenile Diabetes and how terrible a disease it is.
… … and on and on. With a litany of symptoms and how terrible terrible it is.
I just bite my tongue. They have no way of knowing who’s sitting next to them.
And, I have to learn to just deal with it.
But they are loud!
Argh!
Maybe the Universe has sent them to teach me to deal with the “ouchies”. Rip that bandaid fast, please.
Drip, drip, drip … …
# – # – # – # – # 2011-May-03 @ 07:42
Leave a Comment » | MEMORIES | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42688590/ns/world_news-the_new_york_times/
Tsunami warnings, written in stone, saved some
Sentinels mark previous waves: ‘Do not build your homes below this point!’
Ko Sasaki for The New York Times
A stone tablet in Aneyoshi, Japan, warns residents not to build homes below it.
By MARTIN FACKLER
updated 4/20/2011 5:55:02 PM ET
*** begin quote ***
ANEYOSHI, Japan — The stone tablet has stood on this forested hillside since before they were born, but the villagers have faithfully obeyed the stark warning carved on its weathered face: “Do not build your homes below this point!”
Residents say this injunction from their ancestors kept their tiny village of 11 households safely out of reach of the deadly tsunami last month that wiped out hundreds of miles of Japanese coast and rose to record heights near here. The waves stopped just 300 feet below the stone, and the village beyond it.
“They knew the horrors of tsunamis, so they erected that stone to warn us,” said Tamishige Kimura, 64, the village leader of Aneyoshi.
*** end quote ***
Technology is in the eye of the beholder. These stones were placed for the purpose of warning their descendants.
Now the Japanese government is looking for a 21st Century equivalents.
Seems like those stones were are pretty good equivalents!
Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4673555/usama-and-us/
Judge Andrew Napolitano
Did President Obama have the moral or legal authority to kill Usama Bin Laden?
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As pro-life pro-choice little L libertarian, I’m not sure this (i.e., BHO44 killing OBL) is a good thing.
And certainly not something to cheer about.
An eye for an eye …
And it doesn’t bring back those lost on 9-11!
No, this isn’t a happy day.
Donna Nobis Pacem!
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Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
From: apps-noreply@google.com
Date: May 2, 2011 4:00 AM
To: @letters2mychild.com, @gmail.com
Subject: Two week notice: Google Apps accounts will be automatically transitioned
Dear Google Apps administrator,
Google Apps accounts are undergoing an improvement, allowing you to give users access to over 60 additional applications from Google. We encourage you to transition your organization’s accounts on your own schedule now.
* There are several advantages to transitioning on your own schedule: Make the change on your own timeline
* Have time to try the new infrastructure with a subset of your accounts first
* Use automated mailing lists and email templates to pre-notify your users
* Get access to over 60 additional applications from Google right away
Start the transition today by clicking the “Get started” or “Transition more users” button in your control panel:
https://www.google.com/a/cpanel/
We plan to fully transition your organization soon — including all users that you have not yet transitioned yourself. If you have not transitioned by the week of May 16, 2011, we’ll complete the transition for you.
If you have questions about this transition, we encourage you to explore our Help Center documentation for administrators and for end-users.
Sincerely,
The Google Apps Team
————-
You have received this mandatory email service announcement to update you about important changes to your Google Apps account.
Please don’t reply to this email, as we won’t be able to review your response. You may file a case in your control panel if you need additional help.
Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
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Suppose now is NOT convenient for me to do all this work or do all this testing!
And, don’t you just love the SPAMMY nature of this email. “Don’t reply” because we don’t care enough to even pretend to listen!
Great marketing message. What genius thought of that?
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Leave a Comment » | SERVICE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1378703/Why-mens-success-women-depends-hands.html
Why men’s success with women all depends on their hands
By FIONA MACRAE
Last updated at 8:42 AM on 20th April 2011
*** begin quote ***
Men whose ring fingers are longer than their index fingers are seen as better bets by women, a study found. By contrast those seen as wimpier sorts will have longer index fingers.
*** end quote ***
I’ve heard this before!
“John recovering said, “Dang, and here I figured it was gonna be an easy way to be big hero with all the women folk and I could pick and chose who I shared my favors with.” Marie piped up, “Oh, I don’t think after I’m done with you, there would be much of a ‘favor’ left to impress the ladies. Don’t forget it was you who put me in the FERT-TILE state with all your fancy talking. Sister Euphemia warned us about boys like you.” Everyone was chuckling. June jumped on looking right at Brian, “You know Miss Marie, I’ve often wondered what you saw in this oaf. He may be pick of the litter. But it’s a litter of runts. Too dumb to see what they are being offered.” That got a few more chuckles. Jody finished up the sexual belittlement with “Yes, Ladies, we should throw them all out and advertise for some replacements. Let’s see we’d need a Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby, and maybe even a little Bob Hope for comic relief. You know what they say about long noses and big feet.” To which all the men were mentally feeling noses and extending toes.” — CHURCH 10●19●62 (Vol 1) 978-0-557-08387-9 page 133
So check your hands!
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Leave a Comment » | FUN | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Diamond in the rough: Woman finds 8.66-carat diamond during treasure hunt
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 8:43 PM on 29th April 2011
*** begin quote ***
At first she thought it was a piece of glass.
But on closer inspection, Beth Gilbertson, from Colorado, realised she had just unearthed an 8.66 carat diamond.
Ms Gilberston was doing her regular treasure hunt at the Crater of Diamonds State Park on Tuesday when she made the valuable discovery.
She started visiting the park after seeing it featured on the Travel Channel’s The Best Places to Find Cash and Treasures which includes a segment on the Crater of Diamonds.
*** end quote ***
Have to put this on the list. Better than playing a slot machine?
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Leave a Comment » | BUCKETLIST | Tagged: BUCKETLIST | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Also, a U.S. soldier was killed during operations yesterday, making April the deadliest month for American troops November 2009.
# – # – # – # – # 2011-May-01 @ 11:06
Leave a Comment » | FLASH | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://www.321gold.com/editorials/russell/russell042111.html
*** begin quote ***
In terms of gold: Assessing real estate values in terms of gold. At its peak, the housing market in March 2007, the median US home price was $262,600, which was equivalent to 340.6 ounces of gold. Today’s median income price is $186,100 or 109.2 ounces of gold. So in terms of real money, gold, the US median home price has lost 47% since 2007.
Applying the same measurements to the Dow, from the end of 2001 to the end of 2008 an investment in the Dow would have lost 81% of its purchasing power in terms of gold (statistic courtesy Larry Edelson of the outstanding “Uncommon Wisdom” advisory).
The great and harsh lesson of history now stares Americans in the face — no fiat currency in history has ever survived.
*** end quote ***
It’s nothing but the inherent value of the dollar. It’s zero.
Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Response from Senator Menendez
Dear Mr. Reinke:
Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns regarding the federal government’s debt limit. I appreciate hearing from you on this critical issue and having the opportunity to respond.
The national debt is the total amount of money borrowed in order to fulfill the requirements imposed by current and past Congresses and Presidents, during periods when both Republicans and Democrats were in control of different branches of government. These are legal obligations, and the responsibility for meeting the Nation’s obligations must be shared by both parties.
Raising the debt limit is necessary to allow the Treasury to meet obligations of the United States that have been established, authorized, and appropriated by Congress. Also, it is important to note that increasing the debt limit does not authorize a single penny of new spending— it only allows the government to pay bills already incurred.
If Congress fails to act before the debt limit is reached, the Treasury would default on the legal obligations of the United States, causing far more devastating damage to the economy than the financial crisis of 2008 and 2009. A few consequences of defaulting could be a substantial tax increase on all Americans, and the potential loss of millions of American jobs.
The Secretary of the Treasury, Timothy Geithner, said that because Treasuries represent the benchmark borrowing rate for all other sectors, default would raise all borrowing costs. Interest rates for state and local government, corporate and consumer borrowing, including home mortgage interest, would all rise sharply. Equity prices and home values would decline, reducing retirement savings and hurting the economic security of all Americans, leading to reductions in spending and investment, which would cause business failures on a significant scale. Additionally, payments on a broad range of benefits and other U.S. obligations would be discontinued, limited or adversely affected, such as military salaries and retirement benefits; Social Security and Medicare benefits; veterans benefits; and unemployment benefits to states.
I share your desire to see our country headed down a more sustainable fiscal path, and I am committed to making the tough choices that will reduce the gap between our commitments and our resources. I believe that reducing our deficit will require a balanced approach to spending cuts; reforming tax policies, such as closing corporate tax breaks that allow oil companies to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes; and controlling health care costs. As your federal representative, I take very seriously my responsibility to work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to enact sound fiscal policy that that invests in our future and protects the economic security our nation’s children.
Again, thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts on this important matter. Rest assured that I will keep your views in mind. I invite you to visit my website (http://menendez.senate.gov) to learn more about how I am standing up for New Jersey families in the United States Senate.
Senator Menendez
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Yea, I say don’t raise the “debt ceiling” and I get back “default”. No, not default. You have to cut the spending! Argh!
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Leave a Comment » | Political | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://cafehayek.com/2011/04/money-isnt-wealth.html
Money Isn’t Wealth
by DON BOUDREAUX on APRIL 20, 2011
in MYTHS AND FALLACIES,SEEN AND UNSEEN,TAXES
*** begin quote ***
Steve Landsburg – in his armchair or out of it – is brilliant, just brilliant. This post of Steve’s is a must-read.
*** end quote ***
http://www.thebigquestions.com/2011/04/18/the-man-who-cant-be-taxed/
The Man Who Can’t Be Taxed
Published by Steve Landsburg on April 18, 2011
in Bad Reasoning, Current Events and Economics. 64 Comments
*** begin quote ***
Nothing makes my job easier than a journalist who writes about something interesting and gets it 100% wrong.
Thanks, then, to Elizabeth Lesly Stevens for her column in yesterday’s Bay Citizen. Stevens wants to tax the “idle rich”, her Exhibit A being Robert Kendrick, heir to the $84 million Schlage Lock Company fortune. According to Ms. Stevens, Mr. Kendrick appears to do pretty much nothing but park and re-park his four cars all day long. Taxing people like Mr. Kendrick, she says, has to be part of any solution to America’s fiscal crisis.
Here’s what Ms. Stevens misses: Assuming the facts are as she states them, it is quite literally impossible to raise revenue by taxing the likes of Mr. Kendrick. We could argue about whether it’s desirable, but because it’s impossible, the discussion is moot.
Here’s why it’s impossible: For the government to consume more goods and services, somebody else must consume fewer.
*** end quote ***
Everyone has to go back to poor old Robinson Crusoe’s island where some kind of money is created — be it pretty seashells or giant totem poles.
Let’s assume for the sake of argument it’s Confederate States of America dollar — one fiat currency is as good as another. An let’s further assume that the price level has become stable over time, one CSA dollar trade for one fish. AND Ms. Stevens, who’s economic education is sorely lacking, steals all the CSA dollars. For her to consume more fish, someone has to consume less. The amount of CSA dollars she’s stolen is irrelevant.
Economics is the “dismal science” because it can’t make more fish. It does tell us that when any good is limited, that is fish, there are several ways the fish can be divided. Argh! The free market will, if allowed, “fairly” allocate that poor fish, but the money used to vote on it ain’t the fish.
Argh!
It’s so simple and yet so hard for liberals and some conservatives to grasp.
Money has real world consequences. Gooferment is the problem. And, politicians and bureaucrats are today’s high priests. At least, in the Aztec days, they had human sacrifice. But, I’ll be they didn’t use the politicians and bureaucrats!
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Leave a Comment » | Political | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
*** begin quote ***
From: Google Apps Team <apps-noreply@google.com>
Date: April 28, 2011 6:41 PM
To: @reinke.cc
Subject: Update on changes to Google Apps
Hello,
We recently announced upcoming changes to the maximum number of users for Google Apps. We want to let you know that, as a current customer, the changes will not affect you.
As of May 10, any organization that signs up for a new account will be required to use the paid Google Apps for Business product in order to create more than 10 users. We honor our commitment to all existing customers and will allow you to add more than 10 users to your account for reinkefaceslife.com at no additional charge, based on the limit in place when you joined us.
Sincerely,
The Google Apps Team
*** end quote ***
It would seem that anyone with a domain should register it with Google Apps to preserve future flexibility.
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Leave a Comment » | SERVICE | Tagged: GOOGLE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
<Broken Link>
Wednesday, I made a presentation …
… to some young ladies of Holy Family Academy. (Frau Reinke’s alma mater) Two groups 40 minutes each. 25 in group 1; 40 in group 2. Each group had two teachers as chaperones and the Library Lady listened to both. (Guess that was to monitor discipline. If you’ve read my book, you know there is always “discipline”.)
In exchanging emails with the powers that be, it became apparent that they wanted “guest speakers” and the topic of my book was of interest to them.
So, hey, I’m always up for some “fun”.
The essence of the spiel was “I did it. I published a book. And, you can do it too.”
I connected them to Frau Reinke by their school. I told how Frau Reinke told me to “do it or shudup!” Lovingly. I related about a day dreaming grade schooler. Early mornings, 5k words/day, and some of the challenges. Went thru the technology, step by step. (The second group actually wanted that repeated during the Q&A.) Riffed off the line about 197X FireFox kids doing it WITHOUT technology. And, challenged them to some things they could do.
It was interesting that three of the TEACHERS got really excited about the possibilities.
# – # – #
After action report:
It wasn’t “fun”. It was tough. I guess it’s part of learning to deal with the “ouchie”.
It was difficult because I’ve never “performed” in front of an audience this young. And, as you know, I’m an ITSJ. So, that’s ALWAYS a problem. (Had to be extra careful that any “injineering” language didn’t slip out.)
It was interesting in that the children as NOT as “computer literate” as I would have expected. Most had never heard of an RSS feed out of FACEBOOK.
First group (high school freshman), I needed the filler: SFYG and the Burqa. Second group (English honors juniors and seniors), were more into “novel” and how to do it. We got into Burqa, “digital dirt”, and, then, into a repeat of the EXACT steps to move data from FACEBOOK to a book. The Principal had to call time because they were getting into the gory details.
(The Principal complemented my on my ability to take them as deep as they wanted to go and explaining it such that she could understand it. :-) The essence of a fat old white guy injineer is to make sure you use little words and speak slowly.)
In retrospect, I gave them the rough stats on copies published. Last time I checked. To one significant digit. I could have given them the exact numbers but I didn’t think that was a big deal. In retrospect, I probably should have given them exact. The zeros make a bad impression. Argh! Now I feel bad.
# – # – #
The library had “brag books”. Evidently, each student had to put together a book of what they accomplished at HFA.
(I call it a “brag book” because I recommended something similar to my “turkeys” when they were doing “job search”.)
A lot of it was format stuff and some filler. But, in the forms they had, there was a self assessment. Leadership, speaking ability, yada, yada, yada. Rows of the stuff; maybe 20 rows? With four columns for grading. “Outstanding”, “excellent”, “good”, and “needs improvement”. I looked at more than 20 of them — I was killing a half hour — there was no one who “needs improvement”. I thought that was funny. Funny ha ha!
Now I recognize that if I’d have had to do one in high school. It would have been very very thin with accomplishments.
But, I’d have known I needed a lot of “improvement”. (Luckily, a young lady came along in my sophomore year of college and helped me “improve”.)
SO here we have 20 or so brag books, and NO ONE needs improvement?
That’s a failure.
I saw cheerleaders, Irish Dancers, Eucharistic Ministers, Drama Queens, … …
I didn’t see any Engineers, Scientists, or such …
I didn’t see any athletes …
I did laugh that many claimed that “marching in the Saint Patrick’s Day Parade” was an achievement. That sounded like filler to me.
Robert Byrnes cited “the gift to see ourselves as others see us”. Sounds like these teachers and students need some eyeglasses.
Everyone always “needs improvement”.
Even me.
That’s why I don’t take such tests.
Frau Reinke left that job unfinished!
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2 Comments | INTERESTING | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/04/29/the-royal-wedding-live-blog/?mod=djemalertNEWS
*** begin quote ***
News Alert from The Wall Street Journal
Prince William and Kate Middleton were pronounced husband and wife Friday, after five months of breathless hype and anticipation for Britain’s royal wedding, a ceremony that was expected to be watched by as many as two billion people.
As the couple said “I do,” the crowd on The Mall erupted into cheers, the ceremony coming through on loudspeakers.
About 1,900 guests were in attendance at Westminster Abbey, including soccer star David Beckham and musician Elton John.
*** end quote ***
Everyone loves a good circus.
And maybe the era of Princess Diana is now over.
We’ll see if Kate can become ½ the power that Diana was.
I hope that Kate has a better outcome.
But it’s all just silly.
Maybe tomorrow, “We, The People” can get back to the serious issues at hand — End the Fed, Bring the Troops Home, and cut the spending.
But, today, it seems “Royal Watching” is a international delusion.
# – # – # – # – # 2011-Apr-29 @ 08:23
Leave a Comment » | Ranting | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://original.antiwar.com/updates/2011/04/28/thursday-39-iraqis-killed-51-wounded
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110428/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq_us_casualties
– Thu Apr 28, 7:08 am ET
BAGHDAD – The U.S. military says an American soldier has died in southern Iraq in a non-combat related incident.
# – # – # – # – # 2011-Apr-29 @ 08:02
Leave a Comment » | GOVERNACIDE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://www.macworld.com/article/159351/2011/04/kindle_lending_library.html
Amazon announces the Kindle Lending Library
by Lex Friedman, Macworld.com Apr 20, 2011 10:18 am
*** begin quote ***
E-book lending, periodicals reading in apps coming to Kindle
Amazon on Wednesday announced that later this year it will launch the Kindle Lending Library, a feature that will allow Kindle customers to borrow books from 11,000 libraries across the United States. The Kindle Lending Library—which Amazon is forming in partnership with digital media distributor OverDrive—will work with all Kindles, and all Kindle apps, including the Mac and iOS editions.
Once the feature launches, customers will be able to borrow Kindle e-books from their local libraries and start reading them instantly. If you check out a Kindle book a second time, or later purchase your own copy from Amazon, you don’t lose any notes and bookmarks you’ve added; they remain linked to your Amazon account. (And, in an advantage over old-school paper-and-binding books, you can make as many notes on your e-copy as you like without mucking up the book for the next person to borrow it.)
*** end quote ***
The Gooferment and its “copyright” diktats have and will muddle this technology.
* Copyrights are now a centuries lock on the information. Weren’t patents and copyright supposed to expire and allow the public to benefit? Wasn’t, isn’t, that the only reason for giving an author a monopoly?
* Publishers allow books to go out of print. Disney puts stuff “back in the vault”. And, some copyrights have their ownership lost in time.
* A library, or a person, can “loan” or sell their copy. (The doctrine of “first sale” and all this “software licensing” nonsense.) Why is an ebook different?
* Libraries should be restricted to loaning out a single copy of e-books at a time as they would be with paper books. There shouldn’t be question.
* “Expiration”, like when publisher HarperCollins changed its agreement with OverDrive, dictating that its e-books should “expire” after 26 checkouts. That’s just wrong.
Did I miss anything?
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Leave a Comment » | Technology | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
> April 25, 2011 10:25 PM
> Now the fun begins!
> http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/ron-paul-launches-presidential-campaign-20110425
*** begin quote ***
> April 26, 2011 10:35 AM
> I think of all times this would be his best chance, except I think his age may get in the way. I know…didn’t stop Ronnie, but he had already proven himself. Should certainly be interesting though. :-)
*** end quote ***
(1) Well, the “youngsters” have really screwed the pooch. And, the cow. And, the horse. And, just about every farm animal you can name.
(2) It may well be a game changer in forcing the debate to “Libertarian” topics.
(3) He may realize that it’s “hopeless” but is going to go down swinging.
(4) DNF the electorate and electoral calculus. ½ the folks don’t vote. If he can energize the Tea Party, and ½ of that ½ comes to the polls — Katie bar the door — the old political “wisdom” of “50% independent + 30% D’s + 20% R’s = election” is out with the trash. That “½ of a ½” swamps the “regular voters”. It’s what propelled Ike and Reagan to victory. The great “unwashed.”
(5) If he pick Michelle Bachman as his running mate, then he’s got a great chance to win. And, she’d be a shoe in to her own follow up run.
This country would be well on its way to the next 100 years of Pax America. I don’t see how we survive another 8 or 12 years of hack politicians.
I copied the usual suspects on this rant.
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Leave a Comment » | Political | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://web.docuticker.com/go/docubase/64167
The New Digital American Family
April 14, 2011 02:36
Source: Nielsen
*** begin quote ***
• Ward and June Cleaver have left the building. The white, two-parent, “Leave It to Beaver” family unit of the 1950s has evolved into a multi-layered, multi-cultural construct dominated by older, childless households. Marketing budgets need to recalibrate to reflect the very different composition of the New Digital American Family.
*** end quote ***
Sad to see that era pass. Women had to go back to work to pay the taxes. That’s not progress!
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Leave a Comment » | INTERESTING | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
*** begin quote ***
DYMO, a member of the Newell Rubbermaid family of brands.
*** end quote ***
You kill the CARDSCAN sync service and then have chutzpah to try and sell me something. Why should I believe ANY promise that you make?
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Why would you trust these people? Ever!
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Leave a Comment » | HARDWARE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
U.S. Failed To Learn From Conquest of Philippines, Historian Says
April 16, 2011 posted by Veterans Today
Unintelligent Design
By Professor Michael Chesson
*** begin quote ***
David R. Kohler (a Navy special warfare officer) and James W. Wensyel’s (a retired U.S. Army officer) essay, “America’s First Southeast Asian War” (1990), explains that the U.S. plunged into a war that would see 200,000 American soldiers sent to the Pacific, with 125,000 actually serving in the Philippines, and suffering 7,000 casualties.
About 15,000 to 20,000 Filipino rebels were killed, along with more than 200,000 civilians, all too easily dismissed as what would today be called collateral damage. There were mounting atrocities on both sides. The Americans used various forms of torture, including water boarding, to interrogate captured rebels. Though a few officers were court-martialed for sanctioning torture, their punishment was light. Our generals adopted a fortified hamlet strategy, free fire zones, and destruction of crops in the countryside to deny the rebels food.
Aguinaldo’s guerrilla tactics dragged out the war and made it one of attrition. His men received no outside help, despite pleas to Japan, because the U. S. Navy blockaded the islands. Our troops, with some exceptions, were better armed, fed, and supplied. America won the war, but paid a terrible price, the worst part of which was that neither our military nor civilian leadership seemed to have learned anything about the challenges of jungle fighting against a resolute foe supported by the local population at the end of a logistical chain ten thousand miles long. The lessons were forgotten, to be relearned in Vietnam sixty years later.
*** end quote ***
And, relearned in Afpak, Iraq, Libya, and a thousand other places.
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Leave a Comment » | GOVERNACIDE | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
From Karen Kenworthy email account
*** begin quote ***
April 25, 2011 5:30 PM
Dear Friends, I suspect that many of you have noticed that the last issue of Karen©s Power Tools Newsletter was dated March 17, 2010, and you may have been anxiously awaiting another. It is with great sadness that I write to tell you of Karen©s death on April 12, 2011, after a long struggle with several debilitations, including diabetes. I know that Karen touched many of you with her kindness, wit, creativity and encouragement. She was a loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend. And she was a pretty darned good programmer, too. We are deeply grieving her loss. For now, Karen©s server is still running, the programs she has written can still be downloaded, and donations can still be made through the website. We are also working to fill all CD orders that have been submitted or mailed. It is difficult to make business decisions while grieving. So, at this point, I cannot say what will be the future of KarenWare.com, except to say that we will certainly continue Karen©s commitment to safeguard your privacy as shown at the Privacy link of KarenWare.com. Many of you have already written many kinds words of condolence and comfort. Please know that we greatly appreciate you. If you care to make a contribution in her honor, she was a long-time supporter of The Dohnavur Fellowship, a special children©s ministry in southern India. You can learn more about them at http://www.DohnavurFellowship.org. All we ask is that you remember her whenever you take the case off of your computer, contemplate removing entries from your Windows Registry, listen to Bob Wills or Riders in the Sky, or wave and say ©Hi!© to anyone on the ©net. May God richly bless you, as He has all those who knew Karen. Bill Kenworthy Karen©s brother
*** end quote ***
Dear Bill,
I’m very sorry to hear this. While I didn’t know Karen, I was just a fan. My wife died in February also after a long struggle with diabetes and its complications. I know somewhat of what you’re going through. You’re all in my prayers. What else can one do?
fjohn
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What do we have to do to get a cure to this deadly killer. Clearly what we are doing right now isn’t getting us a cure.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” — attributed to Einstein
We need some “outside of the box” action!
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Leave a Comment » | INSPIRATIONAL | Tagged: INSPIRATIONAL | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-noise-impacts-your-health/
14 APR
How Noise Impacts Your Health
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A friend of mine recently turned me on to a book called In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise by George Prochnik. Prochnik’s a self-proclaimed noise-a-phobe who sets out to probe both the culture of noise and science behind silence. His quest takes him everywhere from urban streets to university labs to a Quaker meeting to Trappist retreats. The stakes are high, experts tell him: one-third of us, Prochnik learns, demonstrate measurable hearing loss.
And it’s not just our ears that feel the toll. Noise, experts explain, causes stress that can result in serious health risk. A New York Times article last week reported ominous findings of a study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. Noise, and the stress and sleep disruption it imposes, appears to be responsible for 1.8% of heart attacks in Western Europe and 2.7% in more densely populated Germany.
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I used to listen to a lot of background noise. Water falling was my favorite. Instant sleep.
Now I’ve started to turn off the TV and radio I play as “background noise”. (That’s a habit my Mom had. Our Girl too. She liked music though.)
Maybe I should spend some time in the Trappist monastery?
Leave a Comment » | INTERESTING | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://www.lvrj.com/news/exclusive-police-beating-of-las-vegas-man-caught-on-tape-120509439.html
Police beating of Las Vegas man caught on tape
BY MIKE BLASKY LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Apr. 22, 2011 | 1:43 p.m.
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When Mitchell Crooks checked out of the county jail last month and checked into a Las Vegas hospital, the 36-year-old videographer knew he had a fight on his hands.
His face was bloodied and bruised. His $3,500 camera had been impounded by police, and he faced criminal charges for battery on a police officer.
One month later, things have changed for Crooks.
The Clark County district attorney’s office has dropped all charges, and Crooks has retained an attorney of his own. The Metropolitan Police Department has opened an internal investigation into the Las Vegas police officer, Derek Colling, who Crooks says falsely arrested and beat him for filming police.
And his camera — which captured the entire March 20 altercation between Crooks and Colling — has been returned.
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“Officer Colling was aggravated that a citizen should have the audacity to video tape, him — a Las Vegas Metropolitan Patrol Officer,” Otto wrote. “Officer Colling decided to use the fear and terror of his physical ability to beat Mr. Crooks into submission — to teach Mr. Crooks and, by example, all citizens and residents of the Las Vegas Valley.”
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ANT-TAGONIST: The police, as well as any Gooferment “official”, must expect to be “supervised” by anyone. Citizen, Resident, Illegal Alien, or just PIA with a video. Politicians and bureaucrats view video the way Dracula saw Holy Water. BTW don’t the cops have dash cams in their cars to film the mundanes? Sorry, but there are bad cops. In some confused sense, when we allow this phantom illusion called the Gooferment some sort of right to use force, we set up failure. Who goes into “law enforcement”, those that want to use force on others. In a great example of the Peter Principle, the police hierarchy selects the dim witted. (OK what would you call a policy where you weed out all the smart applicants?) And, that hierarchy sets up Rule Of Engagement that allows the cops to get away with murder. Unless the killing is of one of the elite. Yes, we need some sort of security. But it should be based of the Zero Aggression Principle. No one is ever allowed to initiate force on another human being. Peace officers, yes. Police, no. And, along the way, maybe we can change the Gooferment’s “justice” system from “rehabilitation” to “restitution”. Rehabilitation is just code for recidivism. To quote Reagan, who got a few things correct, “Gooferment is the problem” and police behavior is just another symptom.
PRO-TAGONIST: The transcript indicates he told the police officer that he didn’t live there…and he said he even regrets lying to him. Lying is never good. The officer likely suspected foul play.
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Leave a Comment » | TAGONIST | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=13024
The Weak Dollar Problem
by Steve H. Hanke
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For the countries — like the oil producers in the Persian Gulf — the U.S. dollar bloc and fixed exchange rates are a necessity. These countries are mono-product economies, and their “product,” oil, is invoiced in dollars. Accordingly, if a floating exchange-rate regime were adopted, their nominal exchange rates would fluctuate erratically as oil prices fluctuate. When the price of oil rises (falls), the local currencies would appreciate (depreciate). Without a currency link to the dollar and a nominal anchor for its price level, the oil producing countries would experience a wild roller-coaster ride — one distinguished by deflationary lows and inflationary highs.
Thanks to the Fed’s weak dollar policy, the U.S. faces an inflation problem and so does the rest of the world. The weak dollar and the lack of “flexibility” — properly understood — also threaten the free flow of capital and the stability of the international monetary system. It’s time for the Fed to start focusing on the value and stability of the U.S. dollar.
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As a fat old white guy injineer, it would seem that any thinking person would recognize “the dollar” has failed in one of the definitions of money.
“Money is a matter of functions four, a medium, a measure, a standard, a store.” He repeated that four times like poetry. “Six Characters in Money: Portable – Durable – Divisible – Uniformity – Limited Supply – Acceptability.” — CHURCH 10●19●62 (Vol 1) 978-0-557-08387-9 page 110
It’s no longer “uniform”. And, it no longer functions as “a measure”, “a standard” or “a store”.
Imagine baseball or football, where each year “a yard” got smaller? Or larger?
In the grocery store, packages stay the same or get larger, while the contents shrink. And, the makers pray the consumer doesn’t get wise.
(What was the name of that Olive maker that destroyed his business by saving one olive per bottle? The consumers disciplined that company out of business.)
We’re on the road to be like pre-WW2 Germany with raging hyper-inflation.
At least, when the golden dinar becomes the world’s standard, we’ll have honest money!
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Hanke, Steve H. (2011, April 15). The Weak Dollar Problem. Retrieved April 18, 2011, from The Cato Institute Web site: http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=13024
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Leave a Comment » | MONEY | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
Recently, I was surprised when someone close to me didn’t know that there were two kinds of Mass cards. I thought this was surprising. Blinding flash of the obvious. I figured I should post about the difference.
Catholics, and others, “buy” “Mass Cards” for the deceased. It’s an attempt to “buy the deceased’s way into heaven”.
You can decide if such exists, if it’s an appropriate strategy, and if it does any good.
There are, in fact, two types. One with a specific date for the Mass being offered for the name deceased and one without.
The date-specific ones cite a date, time, and location where that specific Mass will be offered.
The non-date-specific promise something else. Masses offered, prayers, “enrollment”, and all sorts of stuff.
Now the funds, given for “Mass Cards”, hopefully go towards good works. So in that sense, it always does good.
There’s a tradition in the American Irish, (I don’t know about other groups), that date specific events in memory of a loved one should be attended.
So, I received four of these. And, I attended one so far, and I plan to go to the other three.
It may or may not make a difference.
So, now, everyone knows that there are, what I will call, “Mass Cards” and “ersatz Mass Cards”.
Interesting the distinction.
It’s inspirational in that people will give away their wealth to try and make the family of the deceased feel better.
One of my now deceased Uncles, called these “White Elephants”, in that you’re being given something that requires actions on your part.
So imho be careful to GIVE “white elephants” they seem to be worth more.
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Leave a Comment » | INSPIRATIONAL | Tagged: INSPIRATIONAL | Permalink
Posted by reinkefj
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FJohn Reinke
Consultant at Technology Legacies LLC
Advisor, Computer Governance Committee at Manhattan College
Editor / Publisher at Jasper Jottings
Greater New York City Area
JJ Positraction JJ Endnotes Downsize DC
Philosophy of Liberty
I have NOT received any gagged governmental information requests
Reinke Faces Life 
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