Reinke Faces Life

http://www.prometheusinstitute.net/opinion/jh103006.htm

The Iraq Solution
The truth that both sides are too afraid to admit
Justin Hartfield, for the editors

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The solution to the Iraq predicament

The only viable solution in the opinion of this organization is to install in Iraq a moderate Muslim potentate who can effectively limit, with a strong centralized force (and perhaps decentralized provincial decision-making), sectarian conflict and radical fundamentalism. This example is given by the more “moderate” Islamic states, including Turkey, Egypt, and Kuwait, who subdue terrorists while piously imposing sharia-inspired law and order.

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I’d suggest that we should, we should have, let each town vote for its leader. Those leaders could then align however they want. Leave people alone to decide how they want to organize themselves. Sort of like town halls in NH.

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http://www.prometheusinstitute.net/opinion/jh71106.htm

Five Intrinsic Problems Facing Islamic Countries
PI [prometheusinstitute.net]
Justin Hartfield

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1. A lack of innovation.
2. Inability to form a democratic government.
3. Abhorrence of diversification.
4. Inability to separate church and state.
5. Inability to correct errors.

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I’ve always thought that a society, that doesn’t allow all it’s people to accomplish all they are capable, is “throwing away wealth”. Minority, women, pariahs, or me — all have a unique contribution to make. By discrimination, that society doesn’t maximize its accomplishments.

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http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/crime/article2725714.ece

The hunt for the London terrorists: Attempt may show change of tactics
Did the attackers simply fail to make a bigger device, or is this al-Qa’ida’s new way of igniting fear on the streets?
Paul Lashmar and Cole Moreton report
Published: 01 July 2007

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The London car bombers could not have destroyed the Tiger Tiger club and killed people in it, experts said last night. The huge manhunt for the would-be mass murderers by police and security services was given new urgency by an attack on Glasgow airport yesterday and the fear of further incidents.

***and***

Police think that an explosion here might have been intended to draw panicking revellers out on to the streets, where they would be have been joined by the emergency services. Then another, bigger bomb in a second Mercedes among them could have been triggered, causing hundreds of deaths.

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So one has to change one’s thinking. If caught is a survival situation, then you have to not panic. (Easier said than done.) Use Boyington’s OODA (Observe Orient Decide Act) paradigm. Rushing directly away may NOT be the best tactic to get to safety. Dispersion might be better. That is the mob is going that-a-way, we’ll go this-a-way.

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FROM A POSTED REQUEST FOR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

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>Questions for the Paul Campaign
>Posted by Nick Bradley at June 29, 2007 07:02 PM
>I’ve been informed that we should be able to interview members of the
>Paul Campaign (maybe we’ll get lucky and interview Dr. Paul as well),
>so if there are any questions that you would like to be asked, please
>send them to me.

#1 You’ve said you want to eliminate the Federal Reserve and bring back a real dollar. How will you do that and how will you get it thru Congress dominated by Big Government Statists on both sides of the aisle?

#2 Ending the welfare dole for both businesses and individuals is going to be traumatic. How are you going to sell it to the country and how are you going to ease it in to minimize pain and allow people time to adapt?

#3 The BATF, IRS, DEA, FDA, and EPA have to be the most hated Federal government agencies. How do you close them down, put a stake thru their hearts, and ensure they don’t resurrect themselves?

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FROM EMAIL IN LINKEDINBLOGGERS

>Re: Jeff Atwood on Blog Ads
>Posted by: “Jason Alba”
>Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:01 pm (PST)
>That’s a great post.
>secret on my blog about staying on-brand.

My secret is staying on whine! Having no “brand”, I just try to not be too annoying.

On a more serious note, has anyone done any “studying” about the concept of “freshness”? In my monologging career (as opposed to blogging), I noticed that most of my posting is done at night after dinner. I can usually find 5 to 10 things worth commenting on. imho

OK, whine about!

Like the state employee speeding to work, bullying the serfs just trying to go to work, out of the way by tailgating. Or, why yet another POS (piece of software) has let me down.

In looking at the time stamps, it struck me. Perhaps my blog would be “popular” (i.e., read by other than my relatives who I quiz any time I see them — only the offline Luddites are safe.), if I had content posted on a regular basis over the time span. If I have 6 posts, then, instead of dumping them all in between six and eleven pm, I could use the time stamp to have “fresh” content every four hours.

For the RSS types and the email readers, it wouldn’t make any diff.

But the real-time readers, thirsty for new content at 4AM, could find something. Find me. And, be so enamored of my great wit and wizzdumb, become life long fans. (No huh?) I’d get possibly a slug on the the free, and unequaled, wordpressdotcom dashboard overnight? That might get an eye ball. Bleary but it could convert to a reader.

If the blog – o – sphere is an open air market of ideas, does the din die down (I like that alliteration) at certain time? Can a pipsqueak be heard during that time? In the end, we all dead. But in the short run, to attract an audience, does timing matter? I think I have a firm grasp on the eyeballs of six relatives and three friends. Should I just be content with that? Or does fame and fortune await, if I could just be “discovered”? Or, am I doomed to “obscurity” as a blogger? Maybe I should focus on my spelling?

Timing of posting may be of greater import and impact to the “brand”, and other more serious, blogs.

Sigh, just a thought,
fjohn

SUBMITTED TO RISKS

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0483726/

Man of the Year
with Robin Williams
as President Elect Tom Dobbs

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Tom Dobbs, comedic host of a political talk show – a la Bill Maher and Jon Stewart – runs for President of the US as an independent candidate who, after an issues-oriented campaign and an explosive performance in the final debate, gets just enough votes to win. Trouble is he owes his victory to a computer glitch in the national touch-screen voting system marketed by Delacroy, a private company with a rising stock price. To protect their fortune, Delacroy executives want to keep the glitch a secret, but one programmer, Eleanor Green, wants Dobbs to know the truth. Can she get to him? Written by jhailey.

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Correct me if I am wrong, but did this movie just put a stake thru the heart of the vampire known as “electronic voting”?

Systems provided by Delacroy … err I mean Diebold … could manipulate the results of an election. Based on the movie, I’ve just emailed Ron Paul to change his name to Ron Paaul. (SPOILER: In the movie, the buggy computer program elects the candidate with the “best” double letter.) So if anyone wants to debate about paperless electronic internet voting and tell you how good it will be yada yada yada, just rent them this movie. That should finish up the discussion!

They say many a true word is said in jest.

Some times concepts can get thru via humor. My non-techie spouse said after watching this that it would now never be approved here. Hope she’s right.

This film IMHO says it all about that topic. And, says it in way that comes across to the average person.

fjohn

p.s.: The movie did have one other great line. Tom Dobbs says “Politicians are a lot like diapers. They should be changed frequently, and for the same reasons.” If you gather I’m no fan of politicians, you’re correct. They are like diapers!

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http://www.bradbensonhyundai.net/contact_form.htm?bhcp=1

Re: The Paris Hilton Ad

Dear Mister Benson,

I know in your ads you go for “yucks”, and I particularly like when you skewer the politicians. Maybe you could offer the Guv a set of free seat belts?

Now about the “Paris Hilton” ad where you asked for appropriate punishments for Ms. Hilton — like cleaning your stable; again I know you are going for yucks, but in this case, I think we should go for a punishment that benefits everyone. So here goes.

Paris was supposedly jailed for basically drunk driving parole violation. I think “drunk driving” is one of the big “sins” for a driver.

(I thought it should have been Number #1 on the Pope’s list. When I go out and hoist even one, I won’t drive for fear of harming my fellow human. Good thing my old lady is a teetotaler!)

Notice I said drunk; not drinking. I think that if you have an accident and have been drinking, then you were drunk. Real simple. No roadside stops. No random checks. Cop sees you swerving or asleep at the traffic light, you go to jail for endangering your fellow drivers and their passengers. You kill someone, we throw away the key.

Anyway Paris is a celebrity. Politicians love celebrities. The media loves celebrities. AND I think the billboards that put a face on drunk driving fatalities are moving. So let’s use the “Paris Hilton” spotlight to some good.

So here’s my suggestion for Paris’ punishment. It’s not cleaning a stable but it might have a better result.

For EVERY county in California, let’s have Paris and the local California “legislators” visit the family home of a drunk driving fatality. Paris has to stand outside and ask for a picture of the victim. If the family wishes to tell the story, she has to listen. Then she has to turn to the camera and show that picture. Every day for THIRTY days.

Maybe, she’ll take away a lesson. Maybe, the “legislators” will take away a lesson. Maybe, the media will report the lesson. Maybe, we can all learn the lesson.

Maybe, the People will put a face on a human tragedy. And everyone will get serious about “drunk driving”.

How’s that for punishment? Now you know why I’ll never be a judge. Thanks for listening.

fjohn

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Correction: I had the wrong URL for the contest so I put the correct one at the top.

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By return email, a sales pitch:

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6243644.stm

Iran fuel rations spark violence

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Iranians set fire to a petrol station in Tehran

There were angry protests as people rushed to buy petrol
At least 12 petrol stations have been torched in the Iranian capital, Tehran, after the government announced fuel rationing for private vehicles.

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Iran’s petrol is heavily subsidised, sold at about a fifth of its real cost.

The price of 1,000 rials ($0.11) per litre makes Iran one of the cheapest countries in the world for motorists.

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Sigh, gooferments can’t repeal the Law of Supply and Demand.

Price floors are a hidden tax. Price subsidies are a hidden tax.

Markets are peaceful “elections” where competing needs for the same good are award to the one whose “need” is the greatest. In a complex calculus, the market determines who gets what. It’s truly amazing. Rarely is everyone happy or satisfied, but the market peacefully allows us all to cooperate and get along.

When the heavy hand of gooferment comes along, it mucks stuff up. Causes friction and violence. It reinforces the zero-sum scarcity mentality.

The market on the other hand ensure that there is “plenty for everybody”. Higher prices have several simultaneous effects.

• Everyone conserves. Three buck a gallon gas is used much more wisely that one buck a gallon.
• High prices award products to those who “need” them the most (i.e., willing to pay more). Those whose need is less (i.e., won’t pay the high price) wait until the price comes down.
• Producers ship more of a product to where the return on investment is higher. Plywood in NOLA after Katrina was earning more than in your local home depot.
• Supply reduced locally encourages conservation and / or delayed gratification.

In short the market is our benefactor. Actually all of those fellow human beings represented in the market are working to satisfy our needs. Not out of self-sacrifice. But, out of a desire to get our “certificate of appreciation” (i.e., money). They can then use those to satisfy their own needs. In a giant calculus designed to make us all live happily together as one big happy family. (Move your elbow!) OK, maybe not happy, but not killing each other either.

Gooferment bad. (Any gooferment!) Markets peaceful and good.

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http://www.uclick.com/client/mma/sudoc/

Sudoku Classic

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A deceptively simple game of logic, Sudoku is puzzling players all over world. Whether you’re new to this fun and addictive game or you’re already hooked, Sudoku.com has everything you need to get started playing today! Sudoku is easy to learn but a challenge to master.

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Here’s an interesting challenge. What can you learn from Sudoku?

(1) You can learn how to solve them. There is some feeling that, like doing the daily crossword, it can delay old age in your brain.

(2) You can learn how different manual methods are used to solve them. Scanning, Cross-hatching, Counting, “contingencies”, Marking up, Dotting, Anti-dotting, subscripting and finally guessing.

(3) Playing on the AARP site with the cheats turned on demonstrates that dotting, anti-doting, or “erasing” can solve almost any puzzle.

Finally, you’ll learn how to waste some time learning that the computer is a better clerk than you’ll ever be.

:-(

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