Here's your Chance!

EFF: "Verify the Vote: Tell Congress to Fight for Secure Elections!"
Want to know if your Representative has signed on to support for this bill? Just go to the above website and about half way down, you will see a button that says "Learn More about this Issue". Click on it and you'll see if your Rep has voted for it or not. If not, just fill out the form and send him/her an email or fax to express your opinion.

Idiotic Labels

Label Makers
Someday Congress will pass a law stating that all horses led to water will be required to drink.

Sound crazy? That's almost as crazy as a new House of Representatives bill called the Menu Education and Labeling Act (also known as MEAL - cute, huh?), which mandates that if you lead customers into a restaurant it's your duty to make them think.

Here's what I think: It's a terrible idea.

This is a dumb idea. People who are intelligent about their food choices are going to know what to eat and those who aren't intelligent about their choices aren't going to read nutrition info. This one would be one of those that Senator Proxmire would have chosen for his Golden Fleece awards. 

Cool XP Tip

Saw this tip in Computer Shopper magazine this month. "Ever downloaded a file and not been able to remember what it does, how to use it, or where to find an update? Use the Properties Summary page in Windows Explorer to store relevant URLS and other pertinent information related to the file.

To find a file's Properties Summary page, locate and right-click the file in Windows Explorer, and select Properties. Fill in the blanks under the Summary tab. You can provide a category, keywords, and comments,which you can also use to search for lost files. (This tip only works in XP). The downside: You'll need the discipline to fill out the Summary page every time you download a file.

Quote of the Day:
"How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?"
Charles DeGaulle

Site of the Day:

Master Street Painter 

The Wal-Mart You May Not Know

Fast Company | The Wal-Mart You Don't Know: "The giant retailer's low prices often come with a high cost. Wal-Mart's relentless pressure can crush the companies it does business with and force them to send jobs overseas. Are we shopping our way straight to the unemployment line?"
If you read anything in this blog,then read this article. Anybody in business who sells to a major customer (I've been there) will sure recognize the pros and cons of this. And the final statement is so telling....  

The Dumbing Down of America - Women's Magazines

Stuff and Nonsense
A man would have to wear Kevlar if he ever wanted to approach these women. Sometimes it seems there is something about wearing haute couture that makes you want to suck on the gas pipe.
If you can make it through all the perfume ads, you will find yourself either in the land of stuck up bimbos or happy little fools. A sad state.  

Uncensored Gore (and it ain't Al)

LA Weekly: Features: Uncensored Gore: "It's lucky for George W. Bush that he wasn’t born in an earlier time and somehow stumbled into America’s Constitutional Convention. A man with his views, so depreciative of democratic rule, would have certainly been quickly exiled from the freshly liberated United States by the gaggle of incensed Founders. So muses one of our most controversial social critics and prolific writers, Gore Vidal."

Somehow I think you'll understand Gore's opinon of things by the time you get done with this article. :)  

Kerry declines Public Financing

Another Democrat turns down public financing. Will the others follow suit? This frees Kerry and Dean from the 45 million dollar restriction, although Kerry says he will stick to that (we'll see). It means they forgo the 18 million they'd get in public financing, but now they can spend , spend , spend. Think this is a good idea? I've created a poll here, so you can vote!





 

And you thought your job was bad?

How about fart sniffer, barnyard masturbator, carcass cleaner,corpse flower grower? Yep, and you thought Scientists had all the cushy, high paying jobs! For a detailed description of these academic endeavors, check out this page. 

Interesting Info from Dr. Mercola's Blog

Most Common Cause of Heart Attacks

I frequently ask in my lectures what the most common symptom of heart disease is. Very few are able to answer correctly. Most guess chest pain or shortness of breath, but the actual answer is sudden death. While fish oil is one of the best ways to prevent heart disease and sudden death, there are other factors that may be more significant. Unresolved emotional conflicts resulting from stresses in our life are clearly one of the most important causes of cancer. However, new evidence also supports that the bioelectrical short-circuiting resulting from unresolved emotional stress may also be the single largest reason why people die from heart attacks. Researchers from Johns Hopkins found that people whose blood pressure rose during "mental stress" were six times more likely to have a heart attack or other severe heart event within six years than people who handled the stress more calmly.

Yahoo News November 11, 2003

So do youself a BIG favor and CHILL OUT! Giving up smoking and consuming fish oil might be good ideas too, along with a bit of exercise beyond the usual late night prowling for goodies. 

You are Screwed my Friend! LOL

The Onion | Mom Finds Out About Blog: "In a turn of events the 30-year-old characterized as 'horrifying,' Kevin Widmar announced Tuesday that his mother Lillian has discovered his weblog."

A very funny read. The dangers of blogging! Ashcroft will probably stumble upon my blog and then I'll be one of those detainees without representation!  

Will your Vote count?

From the Desk of David Pogue: Maybe Hanging Chads Weren’t So Bad After All: "Then came last Sunday's New York Times, which presented a terrifying report on Diebold, a leading maker of paperless touch-screen voting machines. Eight million of us will be tapping on Diebold computers in the next Presidential election.
So what's wrong with that? "

As a friend of mine keeps reminding me, this is Republican chicanery at its best. I tend to live in Pogue's worlds of gray, but even this one is beginning to convince me, as it seems to be doing to Pogue, as well. I recently spoke with my voting place about this and they told me that if they didn't jump on the offer to have these machines, they would forgo Federal funding for it, which would cover 75% of the cost. Don't know yet what they'll do, but my guess is that they will move to these machines. For some reader comments on this issue, head to Pogue's forums. As one reader suggested, why can't they set up a printer that is attached to the screen that would print the voter's choices and that could be signed by the voter and dropped in a ballot box as a double check? Sounds sensible - that's probably the problem.  

Who's buying me one of these for Christmas???

State of the Art: Swiss Army Recorder: TiVo/DVD: "Each of these remarkable machines is a TiVo recorder, DVD player and DVD recorder in a single box, with one remote that also controls your TV."

This sure sounds sweet (except for the price tag) - of course one other drawback not mentioned is that you will now surrender your life to the boob tube, but that shouldn't be a problem for most Americans.  

Diabetes more and more in the Spotlight

USATODAY.com - Diabetes: What you don't know can hurt you: "Diabetes is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease and of blindness in working-age adults. It at least doubles the risk of heart disease and accounts for 60% of lower-limb amputations not caused by accidents. "
"The good news is that if they get to blood sugar goals of <7% A1c, BP <130/85, and LDL cholesterol levels of <100mg/dL, along with taking an aspirin a day, they may significantly reduce the risk of developing a heart attack. Of course, having good medical followup is crucial, because it usually requires medications to achieve these values and maintain them

This is not a nice disease. Check out this article for more info. I'll provide a link later to the ongoing chat transcripts that are currently taking place as I write this. And in the meantime, do you know what your numbers are above? If you have diabetes and you don't know those numbers, you're playing with fire.  

Vegans Rejoice!

Kucinich's Salad Days (washingtonpost.com): " He is, in all likelihood, the first major party vegan to run for president. He ingests no beef, poultry, fish, dairy or animal products (exact definitions vary, but by contrast, vegetarians resist meats but not all animal products, such as eggs). Kucinich also eschews processed foods, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco. Does he indulge any vices? 'Yes,' he says, 'I'm a member of Congress.' "

Mr. Groats goes to Washington! :)  

Do you recognize the breakfast you're eating?

DoctorYourself.com - Arthritis: "Look, folks: For breakfast, we drink hot bean extract and eat undeveloped bird embryos and the ripened ovaries of trees. We eat the muscles of ground up dead pigs placed between pulverized seeds fermented with a fungus, with a slice of curdled cow breast milk. And if I suggest vegetable juices, I'm the oddball? "

Read this carefully and you'll probably recognize the breakfast you just consumed. :)

Quote of the day:
"A paranoid is someone who knows a little of what's going on."
William S. Burroughs  

For all you Tire folks!

For all you folks visiting this blog who saw it on Google while searching for Aquatred's or Douglas Tires, I welcome you! :) Sorry, I didn't have much to say here about them. For whatever reason the Aquatred's just would not behave on my '92 Camry - couldn't get the bump out of them, no matter how many times I switched them around and replaced them. Douglas Tires seem to be doing fine, if perhaps a bit noisy. They are a M&S tire with a fairly aggressive tread, so even though they are touring tires, they're a tad bit on the noisy side, but that I can live with.

In the meantime, browse around - you might find something even more interesting than tires! Then, maybe not! :)

Quote of the day:
"A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror."
Ken Keyes, Jr.  

The Advantages of Television

Dean Offers No Apology for Rebel Flag Remark: "But Dr. Dean refused to apologize or retract the statement. Indeed, he appeared stunned at times as the Rev. Al Sharpton of New York, one of two African-Americans in the race, and then Senator John Edwards of North Carolina attacked him for using what they asserted was a potent and divisive symbol of segregation."

Dean usually appears half stunned about most things. :) I think this is one of the advantages of television and why it is important to watch these debates, in addition to reading the newspaper on reports online. You get so much more feel for a person when you can watch them in the heat of battle week after week. Dean always strikes me as a bit uncomfortable and has the strangest expressions on his face. I know you're not supposed to vote on glamour, but poise and the way you conduct yourself are important aspects of leadership and people having confidence in your ability to lead.

Actually the ones that appear most poised are Mosely Braun, Al Sharpton, and John Kerry, with possibly John Edwards added into the bunch. Of those four, Kerry probably has the best chance of winning the nomination, but I'm not sure his support staff is up to the challenge of getting out the voters. Dean remains the frontrunner (although he does seem to bounce back and forth on his ideas and is frequently called on it), but I sure can't see him beating GW and that is a spooky thought. Clark does nothing for me and appears to just say whatever he thinks the public wants to hear. I still go with Kerry, although I like John Edwards more and more for his honesty and a gut feeling that he speaks from the heart. I could never get that from just reading a newspaper.  

Kenyans Again - as Usual

Watched the New York City Marathon this morning. Damn Kenyans are incredible - 1,2,3 in the Men's race, 1,2,3 in the Women's race. Wonder how many more years it will be before the women can run as fast as the men. Paula Radcliffe came close with a 2 hr, 16 min marathon. Must be incredible to run close to 5 mins/mile for 26 straight miles and still be able to talk! I'd have been lucky to run under 6 minutes on my best day for just 1 mile probably!

Quote of the day:
Americans always do the right thing, ... after they have exhausted all the other possibilities.
Winston Churchill  

Antipixel Blog

Added a new blog to the list on the right. Antipixel has some very nice photography and some interesting articles. Very nice site design. Check it out.

Also - Feed Demon has released an updated beta for it's news aggregator. Release candidate 2. Check it out here
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What's your guess?

Where does the term "Indian Summer" come from?

As the warm days of summer are replaced with the brisk nip of fall, your question proves the perfect puzzle for us to tackle...