INTERESTING: giant man-eating birds?

Saturday, September 19, 2009

http://science.slashdot.org/story/09/09/14/1718211/Maori-Legend-of-Man-Eating-Birds-is-True?from=rss

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10597177

Legends of the New Zealand Maori tell of giant man-eating birds. New scientific evidence proves that these birds did exist and were around the same time as humans in New Zealand. From the article, ‘Scientists now think the stories handed down by word of mouth and depicted in rock drawings refer to Haast’s eagle, a raptor that became extinct just 500 years ago.’

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Wow, so the legend has a basis in fact. How much other wisdom has been lost? Think the Firefox collection. Argh!

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Posted by reinkefj

POLITICAL: Keep the H1Bs here in the USA

Friday, September 4, 2009

http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/08/30/free-the-h-1bs-free-the-economy/

Free the H-1Bs, Free the Economy
by Vivek Wadhwa on August 30, 2009

*** begin quote ***

This is a guest post by Vivek Wadhwa, an entrepreneur turned academic. He is a Visiting Scholar at UC-Berkeley, Senior Research Associate at Harvard Law School and Executive in Residence at Duke University. Follow him on Twitter at @vwadhwa.

I have a suggestion for our President on how to boost economic growth without spending a penny: Free the H-1B’s.

*** end quote ***

I know Vivek from our days at First Boston.

He’s absolutely correct. We need to disassemble the “illegal immigration” infrastructure. If we stop putting out milk (i.e., welfare in the form of freebies like education, health care, food stamps), then we will get fewer stray cats (i.e., immigrants who come for the wrong reasons).

Clearly, the H1Bs are valuable additions to the workforce. Let’s keep them rather than, thru ignorance, allow them to slip away.

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Posted by reinkefj

INTERESTING: Golf Official interferes with a race

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090810/D9A0ARLO0.html

Woods to be fined for criticism of rules official
Aug 10, 7:31 PM (ET)
By DOUG FERGUSON

*** begin quote ***

CHASKA, Minn. (AP) – Tiger Woods will be fined by the PGA Tour for his public criticism of a rules official after winning the Bridgestone Invitational, a tour official said Monday.

*** end quote ***

With the championship on the line, the “official” says “hurry up”. And, Woods’ competition triple bogeys the 16th. Great time to mention it.

Now don’t get me wrong, Golf sucks. On TV, it’s even worse. (It’s covered like a skitzo. Jumping around, like a poor unfortunate with ADD.)

But this was just wrong.

It’s like … … joggling a Chess grandmaster during the end game. “Hey, Grand, did you know you only have 3 minutes to move!”

Argh!

And, Woods was sticking up for his competition.

CBS should demand a refund.

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INTERESTING: Naked girls plow

Sunday, August 2, 2009

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE56M3G020090723

Naked girls plow fields for rain
Thu Jul 23, 2009 4:35pm EDT

*** begin quote ***

PATNA, India (Reuters) – Farmers in an eastern Indian state have asked their unmarried daughters to plow parched fields naked in a bid to embarrass the weather gods to bring some badly needed monsoon rain, officials said on Thursday.

Witnesses said the naked girls in Bihar state plowed the fields and chanted ancient hymns after sunset to invoke the gods. They said elderly village women helped the girls drag the plows.

*** end quote ***

This struck me as “interesting” on several levels.

(And, no their are no NSFW pics. Like you need a news story to find those on the inet? Please, DMML!)

First, the simple child-like faith that “gods” can be “embarrassed”. If they weren’t embarrassed by our congress critters, then naked girls would be comic relief.

Second, what is there thinking in terms of cause and effect? I suspect some “dirty old man” came up with this idea. If I had the comic skills of Jay Leno, this would be funny.

Third, how about some education and science for these folks? Never mind some clean water and water storage projects. This is a gooferment failure. Guess the national and state governments like the current state of affairs.

Fourth, it’s really good for the USA that so many countries put their women in unproductive situations. It’s like going into a fight with half your brains tied in a sack.

Fifth, how do these women feel? Hard to imagine. Dumb? Like cattle? Unappreciated?

Now these folks should have the freedom to believe whatever they want. But I wonder how they got to this level of thinking.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. It’s our own thinking that kills and enslaves us.

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Posted by reinkefj

RANT: Customer (dis) Service?

Monday, July 13, 2009

Booked a trip. (Yeah, I know. I too would rather go to the dentist than fly. Unavoidable. Have to check on a old family friend!)

Travel Agent got us seats outbound but couldn’t on the inbound return.

So I filled out the airline contact form. (Agonizing detail. Required fields alone took 10 minutes — estimated)

*** begin quote ***

My travel agent says that he’s unable to reserve seats on the return trip. That seems strange and very ‘un Swiss’. We’d like to have seats assigned.

*** end quote ***

SEVERAL days later, I get this:

*** begin quote ***

Dear Mr Reinke,

Thank you for writing to us.

We have reviewed your request and wish to share the following information with you:

A specific seat will be assigned to you during the check-in process.

SWISS offers the following check-in options:

– Web check-in

– Self check-in machines

– Phone check-in

– Local check-in

For further details, please contact the following link on our website:

http://www.swiss.com/web/EN/services/checkin/Pages/checkin_overview.aspx

We wish you a pleasant flight with SWISS and are available to assist you at any time.

Sincerely yours

{Name withheld}

SWISS E-Mail Service Center-Team Basel

*** end quote ***

ARGHHHHHHH!!!!!
I LOVE getting form email. It’s like some one presses response buttons randomly.
And, business wonder why customer HATE them!
{Just shaking my head}
Maybe I should call the 1800 number and have a nice man from Bangladesh read to me from his script. Probably read me the same answer!
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JOBSEARCH: A fellow blogger picks up my favorite story

Thursday, June 4, 2009

http://misspinkslip.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/lets-unleash-the-experts-pay-it-forward-with-your-job-search/  

Let’s Unleash the Experts: Pay It Forward With Your Job Search
June 4, 2009 · 1 Comment

*** begin quote ***

I’ve been trying to tell you how important it is to be “nice”. It works. I promise. Read the following story from a guy we’ll call “The Big Turkey”:

*** end quote ***

Wonder who this “The Big Turkey” could be? ROFL.

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INTERESTING: The nocebo hypothesis

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/deutsch1.html

A Fat Nocebo by Marshall E. Deutsch

*** begin quote ***

R. A. Hahn defined it in Preventive Medicine in 1997: “The nocebo hypothesis proposes that expectations of sickness and the affective states associated with such expectations cause sickness in the expectant. The nocebo phenomenon is a little-recognized facet of culture that may be responsible for a substantial variety of pathology throughout the world.” This was recognized by reporter Brian Reid, who wrote, in an article on the nocebo effect, in The Washington Post for April 30, 2002: “Ten years ago, researchers stumbled onto a striking finding: Women who believed that they were prone to heart disease were nearly four times as likely to die as women with similar risk factors who didn’t hold such fatalistic views.” He was referring to data amassed during the massive collection of data on the causes of heart disease in Framingham Massachusetts.

*** end quote ***

Interesting, in that I’ve heard or read the phrase: “The Universe supplies what you think about.”

Even used the concept in my book at least twice that I remember.

Chapter 39: “You admired the Hungarian children resistance fighters; you’ve become what you admired. Your thought became your reality.”

Chapter 43: “Did I tell you how self-actualization and consciousness quantum collapse work?”

Funny.

Maybe it is a “scientific principle”, like the Law of Gravity, but we have not had an “Issac Newton” “discover” it for us?

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GAMBLING: Keep in sync in the casino

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

http://scoblete.casinocitytimes.com/articles/46452.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Featured_Guru_Article&utm_campaign=5-11-09  

Keep Your Rhythm
30 April 2009
By Frank Scoblete

*** begin quote ***

I am fully aware that some casino players think that a necessary ingredient of going to the casinos is for the player to lose control. They view their casino time as some kind of “letting it all hang out” experience. According to the Captain, not only is that dangerous to your health, it is also dangerous to your bankroll and you peace of mind.

*** end quote ***

My greatest flaw is probability.

Especially on a slot where I have played for a long time, the jackpot just has to hit.

I’ve proven in my own mind that a long run without a jackpot means one is “due”.

In group play, with Luddite and our wives, I’ll stay on a machine that has “broken” us. Say a penny slot, playing for 45 or 75 cents a spin, has taken 80 bucks from us. Haning on for so more play at max coins has been very profitable. Not at progressives where I don’t think they ever pay or it’s hard to get away with winnings.

In personal play, I try to be very disciplined. Sometimes it even works. On non-progressive pennies, I try to find one that hasn’t been “hit”. Either by observation or looking at the last cash out. I’ll play minimum coins maximum lines for half my stake and max for the last half. Jury’s still out at that.

Drinking or tired are two fatalities to disciplined play. Together it’s a killer.

Argh!

No easy road to riches!

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