Blog of the Enders

Is Newt Gingrich the "stick"?

2012-01-26T15:50:00.000-05:00

There was an episode of "King of the Hill" in which Bobby Hill joined the track team. For those of you not familiar with the show, Bobby Hill is an obese adolescent. The kid is obviously not an athlete. But the coach had a role for the boy. Bobby Hill was the "stick". Whenever one of the stars of the team was caught doing an offense such as smoking or missing practice, the coach would sub in Bobby Hill for that player. This would cause the team to lose. Since no student athlete wants to be replaced by a fat kid, this motivated the track team members to clean up their act and they started winning more track meets.

I wonder if Gingrich is a "stick" meant to punished the GOP rank and file for not lining up behind Romney.

Rivertown

2012-01-23T19:36:00.000-05:00

Rivertown

2012-01-16T18:32:00.000-05:00

Do yourself a favor and don't actually try this.

Rivertown

2012-01-10T19:40:00.002-05:00

Rivertown

2012-01-07T22:28:00.006-05:00

To view full size: left click on the image, then right click and select "Open image in new tab."

Rivertown

2012-01-04T10:47:00.000-05:00

Click on the image to view full size.

Rivertown

2011-12-31T17:07:00.000-05:00

Book plug

2011-12-30T00:13:00.000-05:00

A spoiled schoolgirl
with a racy past gets
an offer she
can’t refuse.

Will giving in to the
guidance counselor’s
demands get her into
the college of her
dreams?
Does she want to be
punished for her past if
it will secure her future?

It’s not your ordinary
erotic fiction.
Print edition coming soon.

Available for the Kindle, Nook, iPad, Sony Reader, Kobo,
and most e-reading apps. Only $4.99 on Smashwords.com.
Check out a free sample at
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/86128
Follow Janell Elizabeth Meyer on Facebook.

Rivertown

2011-12-28T20:22:00.000-05:00

Click on the image to view it full size.

Rivertown

2011-12-25T09:34:00.001-05:00

This date in history

2011-12-25T02:29:00.000-05:00

Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as Soviet president on this day 20 years ago. Russia had declared its independence the day before.

There are now adults attending college and serving in the military who do not remember this. We will be vulnerable to the same fate if we are arrogant enough to think that we are immune from it. Occupying Afghanistan and economic mismanagement tends to take a heavy toll on superpowers.

Rivertown: Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-22T15:56:00.001-05:00

Ok. Viewshound.com is shutting down. This blog and the Fort Wayne Reader are the only places to read my cartoon for right now. I'm going to try to post daily until Christmas all the stuff that I drew for the holiday. Enjoy!

Rivertown: Kids on Xboxlive

2011-12-17T10:13:00.000-05:00

I'm going to make an effort to post these every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Enjoy.

Rivertown

2011-10-31T19:27:00.002-04:00

Rivertown

2011-09-01T08:11:00.001-04:00

Here is part one, if you missed it: Sandals out of season, Part One.

Rivertown

2011-08-23T16:16:00.000-04:00

I've been posting cartoons at Viewshound.com, but some of the cartoons are harder to read on that site due to a format change.

Rivertown update

2011-06-17T15:05:00.000-04:00

"Rivertown" now appears on Viewshound.com on a irregular but frequent basis. It also appears in the Fort Wayne Reader as "River City". The Fort Wayne Reader is available for free at the Allen County Public Library and most bookstores.

Weiner

2011-06-08T13:56:00.000-04:00

During the 90's, a Democrat has sex with a subordinate and lies about it under oath. He orders cruise missile attacks right after the scandal breaks. Democrats successfully stop an Republican effort to remove him from office. His poll numbers climb.

This year, a Democrat sends a pictures of himself to somebody else. Not a nice thing to do if the woman didn't ask for them, but not the worst thing a Congressman has ever done. I will be surprised if Weiner is not re-elected.

Rivertown news

2011-05-28T13:15:00.000-04:00

I talked with a local periodical about publishing my cartoons. This periodical is published on a type of dried vegetable matter known as paper, which people without computers use to correspond with each other. I'll give them a nice plug as soon as I find out if they will print my comic.

If you are looking for this week's comic, it is scheduled to appear Memorial Day on www.viewshound.com.

2011-05-24T00:33:00.001-04:00

Rivertown comic

2011-05-13T14:06:00.000-04:00

Rivertown

2011-05-06T13:52:00.002-04:00

If you ask your employee to sleep with you for a raise, generally that is considered sexual harassment. But if she DOES sleep with you in exchange for extra money, could you both be charged with prostitution?

Rivertown

2011-04-29T01:46:00.000-04:00

Laundry chute

2011-04-23T15:00:00.000-04:00

I've lived in my house for over four years, and I've finally gotten around to getting the laundry chute unclogged. Up until now, I was content to use either a hamper or the bathroom floor as a place to store dirty laundry. I shined a flashlight down there and saw someone else's laundry from the distant past. This was going to be like an archeological dig. Instead of pickaxes and shovels, I had to use a wire hanger.

The first layer consists of washclothes. These may be mine from when I first moved in and didn't know that the chute was clogged.

The second layer consists of balled up paper, and a pair of extra-large Looney Tunes boxer shorts. Since I cannot recall entertaining any guests who would wear such a garment, I examined it more closely. I estimate that Looney Tunes Boxer Shorts Man lived in my house sometime during the late 20th Century.

The third layer was an even bigger surprise. There are at least two five pound barbell weights in my laundry chute. This means that there was someone at my house once who thought that dropping barbell weights down a laundry chute was a viable course of action. The weights are stuck about 6 feet down, so there has to been something wedged below them that has held them up for at least 15 years. I believe that Barbell Guy was the immediate predecessor of LTBS Man, since I didn't find any other clothes in the chute.

Since I am unable to remove the weights with the wire hanger, I believe that my next option is to attack the problem from the bottom end of the chute. My idea is to stick a plumbing snake up the chute, and see if I can pull it loose. This will be dangerous, since if I am successful, I will have at least ten pounds of plastic covered concrete fall two stories into my basement. I'm open to suggestions how to do this safely.

Rivertown

2011-04-22T01:58:00.000-04:00

My new book is out!I

2011-03-15T15:08:00.000-04:00

Available for Kindle and Nook!

Rivertown

2011-03-13T21:41:00.000-04:00

Rivertown

2011-03-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

Rivertown

2011-02-28T07:12:00.002-05:00

About Xbox Gamerscore points

2011-02-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

Rivertown

2011-02-12T14:24:00.002-05:00

I will post this comic here on a weekly basis. If I can't get rich off of this, I'll be content with having created a meme.

What's in a name?

2011-02-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

In spite of popular support, city officials refuse to name the new city-county building after former mayor Harry Baals. I personally don't care what they call the new building as long as it's a name that is sufficiently different from other nearby buildings. But apparently some are worried that the building will become the butt of jokes about unshaven testicles.

Some observations to consider:
1. Baals is pronounced "bales".
2. If a man can grow up with that name and go on to become mayor, there is no reason that a building can't have that name.
3. Nobody seems to have a problem with Interstate 69 or the phrase "going down on Clinton" when referring to driving south on Clinton Street.
4. If people are so afraid of the word "ball", why not change the names of certain sports? How does "basesphere" sound to you?

Close Guantanamo for Christmas

2010-12-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

This time of year, we are all reminded that most Americans worship a shaggy haired Middle-Easterner who was brutally tortured and killed by a superpower.

While I recognize that sometimes not even Middle-Easterners can avoid killing other Middle-Easterners, we probably should leave out that whole torture thing. I don't want us to be the antagonists in somebody else's New and Improved Testament centuries from now.

Small rant and rave about Tom Clancy books

2010-12-03T13:16:00.002-05:00

My biggest complaint about these books is the rear cover. It's the same thing as with Stephen King's books: it's just a big picture of the author. I find it frustrating because I might be looking at the book rack, semi-contemplating an impulse purchase. I see Tom Clancy's name on a paperback. I instinctively turn the book over to see what it's about, but all I see is Clancy in his sunglasses and USS Iowa hat. The publisher likely expects me to buy this book based on the author's name recognition. Or maybe his target audience has a lot of people who only read something if they know what the writer looks like.

I recently got done reading "Executive Orders". I enjoyed it, even though it reads like a neo-con masturbation fantasy. I still got a big kick out of the ending. The subplot about the Mountain Men looks like Clancy cut and pasted that part in after the Oklahoma City bombing.

"Executive Orders" is the sequel to "Debt of Honor", and both books contain fictional events similar to real life events that took place after the novels were published: the use of a commercial airliner in a suicide attack, a second Persian Gulf war, the death of Saddam Hussein. These books are very eerie to read nowadays.

My new comic

2010-09-29T16:36:00.003-04:00

I think this is a promising start. I'll have to draw up about 2 weeks worth before sending it to a publisher. I still have to think of a title. I'm leaning towards "Slippery Slope", but I'm trying to come up with something better than that.

UPDATE: I enlarged the font size of the dialog. Enjoy.

Spammer of the day!

2010-08-31T15:25:00.003-04:00

Whoever sent me this is a loathsome human being.

Hello friend,My name is Sgt Paul Moore U.S.M.C Iraq I have a monetary deal
for you.If interested reply using my most private email
pmore11261@yahoo.com.hk God bless America, Sgt Paul.

--
This message has been scanned for viruses and
dangerous content by MailScanner, and is
believed to be clean.

Since when did US Marines use Hong Kong email addresses? Also, I think fluency in English is a requirement to become an E-5.

Souder Rap Video!!! (NSFW)

2010-05-20T19:45:00.001-04:00

Do they watch Star Trek in Thailand?

2010-05-13T10:31:00.001-04:00

Haven't they learned anything from it?

Idle speculation about Time's Square bomb

2010-05-02T16:50:00.002-04:00

I think that the terrorist was trying to transport bomb making materials when something went wrong. He stopped the SUV, turned on the hazard lights through shear force of habit, and fled.

There was a man seen running from the scene. Why would he run if he knew he enough time to get away? Also, two clocks were found in the truck. This suggests that he intended to make more than one bomb.

It happened less than 24 hours ago. Let's see if I'm right.

Baseball season

2010-04-08T04:25:00.003-04:00

Baseball is about tradition. I like teams that stay in the same venue. Over the past century, nations have risen and fallen, football's rules have evolved, and yet the Cubs remain at Wrigley Field.

Drive past the local ballpark around here, and you see a mutant apple logo on a animated billboard that's larger than my car. If I wanted electronic splash and dash, I'd stay home and play video games.

Come to think of it, electronic splash and dash is exactly what I want. So I will stay home and play Modern Warfare 2, which I would imagine is more fun and less expensive than a real war.

The ads for the local team say "Play Downtown." Unless they are holding tryouts for the team, this is misleading. They should say "Sit On Your Fat Ass And Watch Other People Play Downtown."

YUCK!

2010-03-12T10:35:00.002-05:00

I saw a slogan on a package of Charmin toilet paper that said "Durable and Long Lasting". Do they expect me to reuse the stuff?

The "joke" that you hear every winter.

2010-02-26T18:19:00.002-05:00

Every goddamn year when there's a blizzard, you arrive at work, the grocery store, a friend's house, etc, and some moron will say "Did you bring this snow with you?" Which leads me to one of three conclusions:
1. The person actually wants to know if I am physically capable of causing precipitation to follow me around.
2. The person thinks that I have never heard it before, and that I'm immature enough to find it funny.
3. The person is trying to piss me off.
In most cases, the third possibility seems the most likely. I hear the joke so much that I doubt there is a single person over the age of six in Fort Wayne who has not been asked "Did you bring this snow with you?"

Comedy is like flying an airplane. You really shouldn't try it unless you are confident that you know how to it.

A blog that regular readers of this blog might like.

2010-02-17T18:46:00.002-05:00

After having worked for the Social Security Administration since 1970, I retired on January 2, 2009. Anyone who has worked for a government agency that long and hasn't turned libertarian either hasn't been paying attention or doesn't care.

This fellow has been a huge influence on me.

Thought of the day

2010-02-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

If an elected official thinks he knows whats best for the banking industry, (or any other industry) then he can best serve the economy, the public good, and even his own interests by resigning from office and pursuing a career in that industry. No doubt that a bank would perform more ethically if not more profitably if it had Barney Frank as a CEO.

Ben Bernanke, Time's Man of the Year

2009-12-16T12:19:00.003-05:00

I got a chuckle out of what somebody put in the Wikipedia article about Time's Person of the Year issue. Here's the quote because I'm sure they'll take it down soon.

Despite the magazine's frequent statements to the contrary, the designation is often regarded as an honor, and spoken of as an award or prize, simply based on many previous selections of admirable people.[5] However Time magazine points out those such as Adolf Hitler in 1938, and Joseph Stalin in 1939 and again in 1942, and the Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, and Ben Bernanke in 2009 have also been granted the title.

However, I think that it is highly unfair to compare these men to Ben Bernanke. Hitler, Stalin, and Khomeini all knew what they were doing, and were all more popular when they made the cover of Time.

Many college graduates will get this one wrong

2009-11-10T12:32:00.002-05:00

Which of the following countries did the United States invade during WWI?
a. Germany
b. Japan
c. Italy
d. Russia

How Obama can earn his Peace Prize

2009-10-15T18:06:00.001-04:00

The draft is obsolete. It has as much military value as a smoothbore cannon or a Sopwith Camel. Like an antique musket it is maintained more to preserve the past than to prepare for the future. Ending Selective Service could be an important symbolic and cost saving gesture.

Curiously, over this past decade many hawks and doves alike have pushed for a revival of the draft. Pro-draft hawks believe that the draft will improve combat effectiveness. Pro-draft doves believe that it will make Congress and ordinary citizens alike think twice before supporting a war. I’ll address the hawk argument first.

Our modern military has become increasingly specialized. Current doctrine stresses quality over quantity. This is why the Army turned down many applicants even when it wasn’t meeting recruiting goals. (It’s meeting those goals now, though that may be due to the recession.) There are many qualifications for being in the military, and I would argue that the most important one is that the recruit has to believe in what he is fighting for. Forcing people who are opposed to the war into the military creates a huge security risk. It would be like putting a PETA member to work in a laboratory that tests medicine on animals.

Some people think that a peacetime draft would deter members of Congress from voting in favor of the next war or global contingency operation. But any politician cynical enough to send your kid but not his own can simply pull the strings to keep his offspring in the rear.

I’ve even heard people say that everyone has an obligation to serve in the military. National defense may be an important field, but so is agriculture and healthcare. I’ve never heard anyone insist that I am obligated to work as a farmer or a nurse.

If President Obama gets rid of Selective Service, it would set an example. If other nations follow this example, it will significantly reduce future conflicts.

The future of monarchy

2009-09-08T01:10:00.004-04:00

"The Mote in God's Eye"
"Dune"
"Star Wars"

The first two are science fiction books that take place in the future. The third is a movie that take place in a distant galaxy in the past. All three feature emperors ruling over vast regions of outer space.

A reoccurring theme in sci-fi is technology moving forward while society moves backwards. So you'll have post apocalyptic movies where everyone rides around in hovercrafts but nobody exhibits any manners or personal hygiene. In the examples I've cited above, it is taken to its logical extreme: People can fly faster than the speed of light but can't choose their own leaders. It's as if while all the smart people were working on faster than light travel, the dumb people banded together and made one of themselves king.

I would think that, no matter how evil or powerful you are, referring to oneself as "emperor" is a bad PR move. It pretty much spells out your intentions in advance, which is what most successful politicians try to avoid. I could imagine someone like Palpatine becoming neighborhood association president, but he simply wouldn't be able to influence more than a 1000 followers in real life. And most of them would be trying to rub him out so they could take his place, so you could see how that model breaks down rather quickly.

"Dune" "TMIGE" and "Star Wars" are classics. The writers were likely trying to imagine a society different from that with what the audience would be familiar. I hope that future writers try to imagine something that has not existed yet, rather than something obsolete.

The joke is too old...

2009-09-07T10:36:00.001-04:00

Hitler finds out about another Downfall parody - watch more funny videos

Another Modern Modest Proposal: Outlaw Sex!

2009-08-25T13:11:00.001-04:00

(For the original "Modest Proposal", click here.)

The government cares about Americans so much that it is stepping up its role in providing healthcare. But many of the irrational concerns about "death panels" stem from very real concerns about how the government intends to reduce healthcare costs. A comprehensive plan needs to be put forth so that conservatives are forced to stop spreading wild rumors.

Now is the time for a federal ban on all sexual intercourse. Sex no longer has any redeeming social value, since responsible adults now have access to in vitro fertilization. We all know the hazards of sex: STD's, rectal trauma, and unauthorized pregnancy. So why do otherwise sane adults persist in this behavior? Because it produces a euphoria that can only be compared to a drug induced high.

The government has rightly outlawed drugs because of all the havoc that they cause in the mind of the user and society at large. Why should sex get a free pass? Prohibition is progress!

This ban must be absolute; not even married couples should be allowed to have sex. Especially if your spouse is a politician who travels to countries where sex is legal.

Some argue that responsible adults should be allowed to make their own personal decisions. But when an adult makes the wrong decision, that's proof of his incompetence. This is why we have an enlightened Congress: to tell us all what to do. Just as responsible parents forbid their children from playing in the streets, responsible governments prevent their citizens from engaging in dangerous or unhealthy behavior. The best way for the government to lower healthcare costs is to make safer, healthier, and celibate.

Fact of the day

2009-08-03T10:30:00.002-04:00

According to the Census Bureau:

Male, Now married, except separated (population 15 years and over)
61,030,689

Female, Now married, except separated (population 15 years and over)
59,165,050

How does an organization that does not recognize gay marriage count up more married men than married women?

Question of the day

2009-07-15T09:42:00.002-04:00

Is it ok for German-American comedians to use words like "hun", "Jerry", or "kraut"?

Is Cap and Trade worth it?

2009-07-01T14:54:00.001-04:00

I will concede that reducing CO2 emissions is a laudable goal. While most scientists do agree that CO2 emissions have an impact, there is still disagreement on the extent of that impact. Remember all that panic over Y2K? You really didn't what was going to happen until it happened. On January 1, 2000, most of us either breathed a sigh of relief or said "I told you so!" And there were some that were disappointed that the world didn't come to an end. There were some minor problems associated with Y2K, but it wasn't as devastating as many had feared.

Like a millennium prophet, Al Gore will have the privilege of getting to see first hand if he is right. Because CO2 levels will go up, and it is beyond the power of Congress to stop it. If it costs too much for a company to emit CO2 in the US, they will simply move elsewhere. As China, India, and other countries start to develop, there will be a massive increase in CO2.

If the worst case predictions are correct, then it won't matter what we do since we're all doomed anyway. On the other hand, if conservative talk show hosts are right, then we have nothing to worry about. But for the sake of argument, let's assume that the truth is somewhere in between. Even without human activity, the climate still changes from year to year, century to century, and eon to eon.

So here are my predictions:
1. Congress will either repeal "Cap and Trade" or grant exemptions to "vital" industries.
2. The climate will change, and we will adapt.
I feel rather confident about the second prediction, since there won't be anyone around to tell me that I was wrong.

What should the government do then? Everyone, including the government, should look into ways to reduce consumption of resources. Maybe I should start riding a bike to work, and maybe some wasteful government programs should be cut.

Enders' law

2009-06-19T15:42:00.002-04:00

"As a internet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Republicans or Bush approaches 1."

Pet Peeve phrases

2009-06-03T13:33:00.003-04:00

"Homicide bomber": This term was created because the term "suicide bomber" apparently created too much sympathy for the perpetrator. But most educated adults should recognize that there is no direct relationship between the righteousness of a cause and how suicidal its adherents are. For example, the Kamikazes of WWII fought and died on behalf of a genocidal regime. "Suicide bomber" is a more descriptive term than "homicide bomber". Most terrorists who set off bombs do so with the intent of committing homicide, a fraction of these terrorists deliberately kill themselves with the explosions that they detonate.

"White slavery": Slavery is a crime in this country. News anchors usually do not go out of their way to identify the race of a victim in a story. You don't hear about "Hispanic murder" or "Asian rape". The crime is heinous regardless of the race of the victim.

"24"

2009-05-22T14:07:00.002-04:00

Almost every episode of the show ends with a cliffhanger. Jack Bauer is always trying to defuse a bomb, trying to control the bleeding, getting defibrillated, being held at gunpoint, etc. Do you know why? So they can instantly write the character off of the show if Kiefer Sutherland gets arrested again.

2009-05-08T09:10:00.002-04:00

In the third Star Trek trailer, Pike tells Kirk that his father was a starship captain for 12 minutes and saved 800 lives. Right there you figure that George Kirk's career ended quite badly:
CAPTAIN GEORGE KIRK: Sir! I pleased to report in my 12th minute as captain, I have saved 800 lives.
ADMIRAL: You were supposed to save 2000 lives. Where are the other 1200?
CAPTAIN GEORGE KIRK: Ummm....
ADMIRAL: Your services are no longer required.

Trek Trivia

2009-05-04T23:54:00.003-04:00

Name the episodes that have plots similar to the movies listed below.
Rashomon
Home Alone
Die Hard
The Enemy Below
Jurassic Park

Star Trek

2009-04-09T16:21:00.003-04:00

There is a new clip from the upcoming movie here. It appears to be Kirk and Spock's first meeting.

Below are some clips that are not from the movie but are worth watching anyway.

My thermostat

2009-04-05T23:41:00.002-04:00

I came home to a very chilly house just now. I checked the thermostat, and it said "Replace Battery". Why does a gadget that is permanently attached to the wall need two AAA batteries? Was it designed for homes that are gas-heated but do not have electricity?

The modular car

2009-04-02T10:05:00.002-04:00

Obama has promised to cover the warranties of GM and Chrysler products. But where the hell are people going to get parts for these cars if these companies go out of business? It's a vicious circle: they're going out of business in part because nobody wants to buys their cars, and nobody wants to buy a car from somebody who is going out of business.

So here it is. Here is my big idea that could possibly save GM, Ford, and/or Chrysler. Car companies should take a cue from the computer industry and start incorporating standard, modular designs in their vehicles. My keyboard, monitor, and tower were all made by different companies but still work together. It would be really practical if a GM transmission, a Ford engine, and a Chrysler chassis could all work together.

I prefer cars that are easy to repair, maintain, and upgrade. Ever try to fix a car made in the past 20 years? Once I was changing the spark plugs on my sister's 1991 Pontiac Grand Am. A couple of the spark plug wires broke, which can happen anytime you deal with spark plugs. But the distributer cap was mounted underneath the engine. So I had to feel around under the engine to plug in the new wires.

Ever have that nagging feeling that someday an important part in your car is going to break down and you can't find a replacement? Modern cars have too short of a life expectancy. If I pay $20K for something, I expect it to last longer than a Hollywood marriage.

Does Obama own a Ford Escape hybrid?

2009-03-27T05:47:00.002-04:00

According to the last paragraph in this article, the President owns a Ford Escape hybrid. If so, he should sell it. His new job and change in lifestyle means that he needs a different vehicle. You aren't going to see a presidential motorcade with a Ford Escape in it, because the engine isn't suited for a vehicle equipped with bulletproof armor.

Oreck's new radioactive vacuum cleaner

2009-02-26T13:52:00.002-05:00

The Oreck Halo uses ultraviolet radiation to kill microbes in your carpet. I think it's a neat idea, but there are a couple things I want to point out.
1. UV radiation causes cancer. You wouldn't be exposed to it while vacuuming, but don't let your kids play around with it.
2. UV radiation can cause your carpet to fade. It depends on the carpet and duration of exposure.
3. I'm not paying $599.95 for a vacuum. It would be cheaper just to retrofit my old vacuum.

The impact of the war on the economy

2009-02-22T02:46:00.000-05:00

What if the 9/11 attacks never took place? What if Saddam Hussein allowed the UN inspectors to go wherever they wanted? Would the economy be stronger right now if the country wasn’t at war? Could President Obama fix the economy simply by bringing America’s best back to America?

We need to get past the myth that war is good for the economy. Whether military action is justified or not, it involves sending good people and expensive equipment from this country to some other part of the world. War is a drain on resources, and it is a tremendous expense that we shouldn’t want to pay unless we have no other choice.

The economic effects on our civilian population is a secondary concern in any decision to go to war. If the war is necessary and justified, then we really don’t have any choice but to endure certain hardships on the homefront. But whether one thinks that the ongoing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq should continue, whether or not one agrees with the decision to go to war in the first place, our overseas engagements are contributing factors in the current situation.

Last year's polls that I took.

2009-02-22T01:21:00.002-05:00

The polls are still up on the side. Anyone who gave two different answers to both questions is a hypocrite. If someone can demand that I pay for their healthcare because I can afford it and they can't, it logically follows that they can demand a blood transfusion from me as well. But if my blood belongs to me and me alone, then so does my money.

Converting to a Dvorak keyboard

2009-02-02T18:13:00.004-05:00

I decided try using a Dvorak keyboard. It's expensive to buy such a keyboard, but it is possible relabel a QWERTY keyboard and change the keyboard layout settings in Windows. I tried using homemade labels, but they peel off too easy. So I found a company that makes keyboard labels.

The hard part is relearning how to type. I was at 33 WPM with QWERTY, I'm still at about 12 wpm with Dvorak.

Room for Schemes

2009-01-30T20:29:00.003-05:00

Gloria and I started a new blog, "Room for Schemes"

Media coverage of recent shootings

2009-01-22T11:30:00.002-05:00

I ask that local media outlets adopt a new standard for news stories involving homicides. Either start using the phrase "north side" when a killing takes place on that end of town, or stop using the phrase "south side" when a killing takes place on my end of town.

In the past, whenever someone was killed south of downtown, the local newspapers tended to use the phrase "south side" either in the headline or the opening paragraph. But the phrase "north side" was not usually used when people were shot north of Main Street. While it is true that more homicides take place on the south side of Fort Wayne than on the north side, the perceived hazards outweigh the actual risk, which is a very small risk. People's perception of the south side of Fort Wayne is greatly affected by media coverage. When readers see "south side" in a news article about a killing, they often mentally associate the whole area with a single tragedy. We all agree that it would be irrational for a person to be afraid to drive out to Pine Valley just because someone was murdered at IPFW. It's equally irrational to be afraid to drive to Waynedale just because somebody was killed on South Anthony.

Here's some examples of what I am talking about. Three homicides have taken place so far this year, and all of them appear to be justified. The Journal Gazette noted that the first shooting took place "in a quiet near-northeast-side neighborhood". This is as if they were trying to reassure the good folks of DuPont Rd that they were never in any danger.
For the second killing, the headline says that it took place on Coliseum Blvd, a road that stretches from north to south. You either have to recognize the Centennial Wireless and Payless stores shown in the accompanying photograph or read the whole article to know that it happened on the north side of town.
The headline for the third killing reads "Fatal shooting on south side". Considering that many people just skim the headlines, these people would be more likely to be aware of the location of the most recent killing than the location of the previous two. Consistency in the way crime is reported is needed to be fair to the honest people who live on both the north and south sides of Fort Wayne.

One way to win the War on Terror

2009-01-16T15:07:00.001-05:00

In the past, the US has won wars in part by attacking the enemy's infrastructure. However, al Qaeda and the Taliban do not have much in the way of buildings and roads. But they do get a lot of funding through the production and sale of illegal drugs. If people were able to obtain drugs legally, depriving the terrorists' of their monopoly/cash cow.

Is this country willing to legalize drugs to win the War on Terror? Think of all the drastic measures this nation took in prior conflicts: the draft, the Manhattan Project, food rationing. During World War II, Ford and GM stopped making new cars in order to save vital resources. Can you imagine Congress or the President asking these two companies to cease production today? The legalization of drugs would be a far lesser strain on our way of life than any of these.

Recent shooting

2009-01-08T12:48:00.001-05:00

A Fort Wayne police officer fatally shot a man in the head yesterday. With the information available from this article, the shooting was probably justified. If that is the case, then I heartily commend the actions of the FWPD. This probably was a case of "suicide by cop", since the deceased called the police and made threats, then pointed a weapon at the officers. I wish that this fellow had sought counseling rather than putting the police in this situation.

A couple thoughts:
1. I would like to point out that this incident did not take place on the south side of Fort Wayne. In the past, TV stations, radio stations, and newspapers included the phrase "South Side" in the headline when a killing took place on the south side of town, but never used the phrase "North Side" in the when a killing took place on the north side of town.
2. In this case, the dead man's actions were what led to his demise. Many homicide victims do place themselves in dangerous yet avoidable situations. Your own actions play a larger role in your risk of being murdered than your place of residence.
3. No matter where you live in Fort Wayne, you are more likely to die in a traffic accident than be murdered. I personally feel safer walking down Oxford at night than I do driving on Coldwater Road during rush hour.

A small bit of advice to both Obama supporters and opponents

2009-01-07T14:43:00.001-05:00

Blagojevich is accused of demanding payment in exchange for appointing a US Senator. But politicians trade favors all the time. You vote my way on a bill, I’ll vote your way on a different bill. If you vote against my lucrative contract, I’ll stop giving to your campaign committee. How would you like a job as a “consultant”? A savvy politician always makes sure little is said aloud and nothing is in writing so that there’s a reasonable doubt and criminal charges won’t stick.

To be sure, there’s plenty of corruption in the private sector as well. Human nature being what it is, we cannot rid the country of corruption. While it is essential to give government a certain amount of power to control private sector corruption, too much power increases the risk and possible damages by corrupt officials.

Obama’s supporters must be careful what they ask of this man and what powers they wish to endow upon him. Even if he turns out to be the greatest president who ever was or will be, he will only be in office for a maximum of 8 years. Whoever succeeds Obama as POTUS will retain the powers and privileges that were assigned to Obama during his administration.

My New Year's resolution

2009-01-01T18:34:00.003-05:00

I don't usually buy into New Year's resolutions. Any time of the year is the right time to start or avoid self improvement. But this year I'm going to try to donate 24 units of blood platelets by pheresis this year, the maximum a person is legally allowed to donate during a calender year. So in this case, the best time to start is in January.

I have AB+ blood. The Red Cross recommends that people with AB+ blood donate platelets rather than whole blood for the following reasons:
1. Only 2% of the population has AB+ blood.
2. Only people with AB+ blood can receive it in a transfusion.
3. People with AB+ blood can receive blood from almost anyone with type A, B, and AB blood, so it isn't very critical that bloodbanks carry a supply of AB+ blood.

Post-Christmas post

2008-12-26T11:14:00.000-05:00

Every year, I get shirts. Nice and utilitarian. But my acquisition of new shirts is starting to outpace my disposal of old shirts, and this is starting to fill up my closet. Perhaps I should start asking for pants, although that would require calling up all my relatives and notifying them of an ever increasing waist size on an annual basis. (It's size 42) Anyhow, between uniforms provided by my employer and shirts from my relatives, my annual clothing budget usually runs between $100 to $200.

Ice storm!

2008-12-22T01:05:00.002-05:00

All the ice on the trees made the landscape look colder than it really is. Sunday, the actual temp dropped to match the look. All the falling branches and the ice-covered streets are creating a hazard now, but it will mean less leaves to rake next fall.

"Gods and Generals"

2008-12-17T16:24:00.002-05:00

While shopping today, I saw DVD copies of the movie "Gettysburg" on sale for $9.99. Also available on the exact same sales rack were packages containing both "Gods and Generals" and "Gettysburg" for $9.99.

Apparently the movie "GaG" sucks so bad that a DVD of it does nothing to increase the price of "Gettysburg.

Should military recruiters be barred from elementry schools?

2008-12-16T19:33:00.001-05:00

"Bring Souder Home" buttons

2008-11-29T13:33:00.001-05:00

The popular "Bring Souder Home" buttons are still available here.

Gift giving advice

2008-11-28T11:37:00.002-05:00

Be careful about giving a gift related to a hobby of the recipient. My friends and family know that I like chess, so I have about 5 or so chess sets now. If the recipient is very involved in an activity, and there is an item essential for that activity, odds are that they probably already have that item. I'm pretty sure that John McEnroe already has a tennis racket.

Terrorist attack in India

2008-11-26T20:40:00.001-05:00

This is a horrific and tragic attack. At the same time, we need to realize that terrorists intend to have a psychological impact beyond the actual physical harm that they cause. It's important to understand their methods, motives, and mindsets just as a doctor strives to understand a disease.

This is early speculation, but I'm guessing that these particular terrorists have a bigger axe to grind against the Indian government than they did against the Americans and British that they were ostensibly targeting. I think that their goal is to scare Americans and British and keep them from traveling to India, thus damaging the Indian economy. According to the article, eyewitnesses said that the gunmen asked who had US and UK passports. Did they really expect everyone with those passports to raise their hands? Probably not, so I'm guessing that they wanted terrified survivors talking to reporters.

Another couple canon conflicts I noted

2008-11-25T10:43:00.002-05:00

It took me a week to realize this, but:
1. Kirk cannot drive a stick-shift. See TOS episode "A Piece of the Action"
2. At about 1 minute 39 seconds in this clip, Kirk says "Buckle up!" Nobody on "Star Trek" ever buckles up. I guess if you're flying around the galaxy faster than the speed of light and you bump into something, a seat belt isn't going to do you a whole lot of good. On the other hand, a seat belt might save you a trip to sick bay after the bridge suffers a direct hit. Perhaps in the future, poor Ralph Nader is looked down upon so harshly that even basic safety features are left out of starships.

Bush warns against protectionism

2008-11-22T14:25:00.001-05:00

Whatever you think of Bush, this is still sound advice. His influence has reach a nadir, and the first impulse of a lot of people is to oppose anything Bush supports. Personally, I am disappointed that he didn't do more to promote free trade when he was popular. Subsidies to American agriculture and industry do almost as much damage to our image in other countries as the occupation of Iraq and detaining people without trial or POW status in Gitmo. Obama will have a very hard time making friends out of foreigners if he takes the advice of his SecState and takes a "free trade timeout".

Free trade is a tool and a weapon. If we don't like a country, our options prior to armed conflict is imposing an embargo. Countries that are economically interdependent are less likely to go to war. For that matter, a foreigner with a full time job is that much less likely to become a terrorist.

The gas company's "budget plan"

2008-11-21T22:27:00.002-05:00

The other day I commented to a friend that I now had to make room in my monthly budget for higher gas bills now that it is getting colder outside. He said that I should sign up for NIPSCO's budget plan in which I pay a flat rate per month and receive a rebate at the end of the year for the gas that I don't use.

The budget plan stinks and I'll tell you why. It's better to sock away money and put it into savings that it is to send it to the gas company. Not only do I receive interest on that money, it's also available should unexpected expense arise.

New Star Trek Movie Trailer

2008-11-17T22:31:00.002-05:00

The new trailer is out.

I can think of a couple ways that this movie might conflict with canon. First, this is a movie about Kirk's first mission on the Enterprise, and it features other familiar faces like Spock, Scotty, and Chekov. But on the TV show, Kirk was the captain while Chekov was still an ensign. This would suggest that Chekov is at least 10 years younger than Kirk. So would Chekov be still in elementry school during Kirk's first mission? Other possible explanations: Chekov started as an enlisted man, got caught up in a time loop, went into a coma, or the guy in charge of promotions at Starfleet HQ is biased against Slavs.

Still, you shouldn't let inconsistencies ruin this movie for you. "Patton" was a good movie even though George C. Scott didn't look or sound anything like the actual general.

Comment thread of the week

2008-11-15T12:37:00.000-05:00

There was a fairly average post about Ron Paul on the Reason Hit+Run blog on Friday (11-14-08). The comment thread went out of control when a troll started commenting using the handle "concerned observer". Soon other people were spoofing the troll. Watch and learn. This is why trolls don't visit libertarian blogs.

Melissa Etheridge says she won't pay California taxes anymore

2008-11-11T12:29:00.000-05:00

Hat tip to the Reason Hit and Run blog

A majority of California supported Prop 8, a state constitutional ban on gay marriage. So Melissa Etheridge says she refuses to support California's social programs. She certainly has a right to be upset. She is being refused a marriage license in a state that normally allows Hollywood celebrities to get married.

I would imagine that rather than openly flout the state's tax codes, she'll probably just claim residency in another state. Anybody serious about attracting young people to a state should be talking about granting recognition to same-sex marriages. (Speaking of which, CFW has been silent for a while. All this history taking place and not a peep out of him.)

My predictions on the Obama Administration

2008-11-11T03:13:00.003-05:00

Mike Sylvester made his predictions for the first 2 years of the Obama Administration.

Personally, I think predictions are fluff. But they're fun, so here are my predictions for his first term:

1. The Cuba embargo will end. Other trade policies will depend on who he has for SecState and SecTres.

2. Obama will not grant amnesty to undocumented workers. If he wouldn’t do it for his aunt, he’s not going to do it for anyone else.

3. Carbon cap and trade won’t happen, because it won’t matter. China and India are growing economically, and this will add millions of cars to the world’s roads. Worldwide CO2 output will not go down, no matter what the US does.

4. Obama will have all but a few US troops out of Iraq by the end of his first term. The few that are left will be US Marines assigned to the embassy. There may even be a pullout from Afghanistan, depending on how the talks with the Taliban go.

5. The stock market will be above 10,000 points by the end of 2009. Uncertainty is what is hurting stock prices. That uncertainty will go away once investors get used to Obama.

Unless otherwise noted, I'm setting January 20, 2013 as the target date for these predictions. I'll see how many I got right at the end of BHO's first term.

Sophmore graduation

2008-11-07T12:50:00.000-05:00

I like this idea. Letting kids graduate early would save money, reduce the dropout rate, and would provide an additional incentive for academic achievement. If a felon can get a 4 year sentence cut in half if he behaves himself, why not make the same offer for high school students?

New polls

2008-11-06T22:55:00.001-05:00

I’ve added a couple polls. Should taxes be raised to pay for universal health care? Should healthy adults be required to donate blood when there is a shortage in the blood supply? Is it hypocritical to give different answers to both questions?

If people have a right to choose what they would with their bodily fluids, then people have a right to choose what they would do with their money. I do donate blood on a regular basis, and I think it would be great if more people did so as well. But nobody should be forced to do so. The same principles that apply to your blood apply to the fruits of your labor.

Bob the Blogger is going pro

2008-11-05T12:22:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start posting on this blog more often. One major change that some might notice is that I will putting some of the same posts here as on the Libertarian Party of Allen County blog. The reason for this is because I'm trying to reach a national audience. Not very many people outside of Indiana visit the LPAC blog.

I post at two different blogs for a reason:
The LPAC is for promoting libertarian policies in Allen County in particular. On that blog I write my opinions about local, state, and national politics. The target audience is people interested in Allen County politics.

Blog of the Enders is my own personal blog. I intend it to be for a national audience that probably won't care about things like the Maplecrest Road extension project.

So my opinions about state and local politics will only appear on the LPAC blog. My opinions on national politics will appear on both blogs. Random crap that has nothing to do with politics will only appear here on Blog of the Enders.

Senate Debate '08

2008-10-30T11:53:00.003-04:00

I'm fairly happy with this, considering it's my first attempt at a YouTube vid. The audio blows, and the woman who edited this took out the cussing even though I didn't want her to. The cussing was in the script for a reason, dammit!

We filmed this at the Firehouse Theater. For more information about the Firehouse, go to www.firehouse-fw.com

Movies based on video games

2008-10-24T22:35:00.002-04:00

The new film "Max Payne" is based on the video game by the same name. But you cannot tell this from the TV commercials. Movie based on books have trailers that say "Based on the best selling novel!" But advertising for movies based on video games make no mention of what the movie is based on. Why? Because these movies usually receive very poor reviews. Video games apparently do not translate well to the big screen.

They wouldn't make movies like this unless people kept buying tickets for them. These audiences can be divided into two groups: Unsuspecting moviegoers who don't know the film is based on a game, and idiots. I can reduce the numbers in the first group by making people aware of the problem, by listing new movies based on games so to warn people away. Public education is key.

Let's Be Positive

2008-10-14T10:24:00.002-04:00

A school bus driver in Florida parked a bus full of kids on the railroad tracks to try to get them to shut up. According to the article that I linked to, she was transferred instead of fired.

I'm trying to look at this in a positive way:
1. Every mentally stable person with a Florida CDL is gainfully employed in spite of the recession. There are so many driving jobs in the Sunshine state that psychotic bus drivers can find work.
2. Her employer is willing to give her a fair hearing in case the kids, the other drivers, and the security tapes are lying.

Great Debate '08

2008-10-01T19:08:00.002-04:00

NOTE: Gloria and I wrote this script. It is a fictional debate between three candidates running for US Senate. We're not trying to make any statement with this, we just wanted to make something that every adult, regardless of political affiliation can laugh at. We filmed it, but the person who was supposed to edit it has not returned my phone calls or emails. Nobody is going to care about this a month from now, so I'm posting it now.
PARENTAL NOTICE: If you have kids, you shouldn't be leaving them alone with the computer, dumbass!

Welcome to Great Debate 08. I’m your moderator, Sandra Finn-Burke.
This year is shaping up to be one of the most politically-charged in history. This year, three candidates will be on the ballot for the race for Senator: Democrat Congressman Jane Cranston, Republican Governor Blake Jakewood, and Green Party candidate Aquarius Mustafa Ahmed Fletcher. The debate will start with a question and answer session, ranging on a number of topics concerning voters.
We’ll start with Governor Jakewood, then go to Mr. Cranston and then to Ms. Fletcher.

MODERATOR: Would you oppose or oppose the confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee based on his or her stance on the death penalty?

JAKEWOOD: As a fiscal conservative, I support capital punishment. It’s cheaper to lethally inject a terrorist than it is to clothe and feed him for the rest of his life.

FLECTHER: Actually the appeals process in a death penalty case costs more than the cost of keeping someone in prison for the rest of their life.

CRANSTON: That pagan tofu eater is right! Which is why the death penalty needs to pay for itself. I have just three words for you: Pay-per-view! You’ve heard about Superbowl parties. How about inviting all you buddies over for an “Osama Gets the Needle Party”.

JAKEWOOD: Awesome! (high fives Cranston while Fletcher fumes.)

MODERATOR: Do you feel that your family life makes you more qualified to serve in office than your opponents?

JAKEWOOD: My opponent says he puts his family first. I put my state, and my nation first! There are 6 million residents in this state, and 300 million in this nation, but only 4 in my family. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. When my 16 year old tried to hang herself and had a miscarriage, I was making sure the new stadium got built.

CRANSTON: Governor Jakewood believes marriage should be between one man, one woman, and one secretary.

JAKEWOOD: Hey! What Miss Ipsen does in her free time is none of my business, none of your business, and none of that nosy dry cleaner’s business. But I do wish to stress that I support Ms.Fletcher’s right to get married to her life partner.

FLECTHER: Actually I don’t believe in marriage at all. Keep in mind that this campaign has lasted longer than Governor Jakewood’s first marriage. I was handfasted in a Druidic ceremony during the equinox.

MODERATOR: Would you be in favor of expanding the federal government’s role in providing health care?

JAKEWOOD: Believe me when I say that you do NOT want politicians like Congressman Cranston, Miss Fletcher, or even me managing something as important and complicated as healthcare. Hell, we can’t even keep the roads paved, and you want us to oversee your cancer treatments?

CRANSTON: We need to provide free medicine to those who need it most. Like free penicillin to all of Jakewood’s girlfriends.

FLECTHER: We need to abolish Western medicine altogether. Antibiotics defy the will of Gaia, the Earth spirit.

MODERATOR: Do you favor keeping our troops in Iraq? If so, now that Saddam Hussein is dead and no WMD have been found, what would be the military’s objective?

JAKEWOOD: I support smaller government, and I support the president’s policy of outsourcing the war to private contractors. Government is by its very nature inefficient. In fact, the only enemies our government was ever able to defeat in war were other governments. We beat Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, but we couldn’t handle a bunch of guys in black pajamas. So we really need to turn to the private sector for this current conflict. The best part is that no more of our soldiers will die. That will give those hippie protesters one less thing to bitch about.

MODERATOR: But wouldn’t that mean that those contractors would suffer casualties instead?

JAKEWOOD: Sure, but nobody gives a shit about security contractors. They’re like the red shirted guys on Star Trek.

CRANSTON: They’re more like temps with assault rifles. They all know they’ll be downsized when the war is over. That’s why its taking so long. In fact I can’t help but notice that the initial invasion went much more smoothly than the occupation. I propose that we withdraw now, and simply re-invade every six months.

FLECTHER: We need to redeploy our forces to stop the human rights abuses in Darfur, Tibet, and Burma. Iraq is so 5 minutes ago.

MODERATOR: Many consider the 13 million undocumented workers in the US to be a threat to the rule of law in this country. Would you be in favor of reforming immigration policy to make compliance with the law easier? Also would be you be in favor of stricter enforcement of existing laws?

FLECTHER: When these people sneak in and break immigration laws, they are really just trying to fit in. This is America. Everybody breaks the law.

JAKEWOOD: Let’s think outside the box for a moment. These people are willing to risk their lives to live here, and they are really good at sneaking in. We could put them to good use.

CRANSTON: You want to put them in the military?

JAKEWOOD: No, because then we would have to pay them. Next time we have a dispute with the Chinese, they’ll wake up one morning to find all their sneaker factory jobs have been taken by Mexicans.

CRANSTON: I am concerned about protecting the jobs of hard working Americans..oh who the fuck am I kidding. You all are a bunch of lazy shits! Most of you don’t even bother to vote! The only people watching this are drunk frat boys who take a shot every time someone says the word “economy”.

JAKEWOOD: Economy, economy, economy-

CRANSTON: Stop that! You’ll kill them!
(Test Pattern, roll credits).

SCAM ALERT!

2008-09-04T21:06:00.002-04:00

This evening the phone rang and the caller ID read "Unknown Caller/Unknown Number". The caller said he was calling on behalf of Comcast, that my bill was past due, and I was scheduled for service interruption. I told him that I would call back and pay my bill. He said that I had until the 8th to pay it. I went online and confirmed that my bill had been already been paid electronically. I will call Comcast in the morning to confirm that there has not been a mistake made on their part and to tell them to alert other Comcast customers.

BBQ Sauce rant

2008-09-04T15:18:00.001-04:00

I like spicy food. I like sweet stuff as well. But the two do not belong together. It would be like if Eminem appeared on Sesame Street. (“Ok kids, what does “F” stand for?”)

I don’t buy barbecue sauce much any more for that reason. I just bought a bottle of Hot and Spicy KC Masterpiece. The letters outlined in red led me to believe that this would be exceptionally spicy. But it actually tasted more sweet than anything else. After checking the label (which I should have done in the first place), I found that a 35 gram serving contains 9 grams of sugar. More than a forth of the bottle’s contents is sugar! I might as well put Tabasco sauce on some Frosted Flakes for the same flavor.

Memo to the crew

2008-08-26T09:01:00.000-04:00

You are all aware of several instances in which senior officers, including myself, were trapped inside the holodeck and placed in mortal danger by holograms run amok. To correct these malfunctions, Mr. LaForge has downloaded the most recent HoloWindows patch. McWalbucksoft Corporation has promised that this latest upgrade will fix the problem. Even though this sort of thing has happened on multiple occasions in the past, I am certain that it will not happen again. So I decided to reopen the holodeck.

On a related note, please clean up the holodeck when you are done with it. I don’t know or care what you do in there, but Mr. LaForge has had to replace several holoemitters when they became sticky. Remember that when the holodeck is turned off, only the holograms disappear. Anything that you put on or inside of your holographic girlfriend, imzadi, moogie, or whatever you call her will still be there and will fall straight to the floor.

Madden 09

2008-08-19T02:34:00.001-04:00

I love playing Madden football. The game involves both strategy and skill, to the extent that good strategy can make up for bad skills and vice versa.

Today I finally beat Robert Fuller for the first time since the new version came out this month. He kept beating me so many times that I had to switch from playing with the Bears and started using the Patriots. Fuller, as always, plays with the Saints. In the game that we played yesterday, I threw to Randy Moss for two touchdowns, so he had to figure out how to cover him and shut him down.

By the fourth quarter, I’m up by three and I have the ball. I try to run out the clock, but I end up 3rd down, 11 yards to go, and there is still over a minute left on the clock. All Fuller needs is a field goal to take the game into OT, or a touchdown for the win. I really do not want him to get the ball back, because all it would take is for him to get lucky or me to screw up and he wins. So I try a play action pass, but he doesn’t fall for it and knocks the ball down.

But wait! The ref calls the Saints defense for roughing the passer. One of his AI controlled players had knocked Tom Brady over after he threw the ball. 15 yard penalty. Automatic 1st down. This had Fuller screaming at the TV. After a couple kneel downs, the game was over.

I played another online game against some newbie Dallas Cowboys fan. I beat this kid 28 to 21, but I should have beat him 34 to 7. He kept calling dime and quarter plays when it should have been obvious that I was trying to run out the clock. But he came closer to winning than he should have. After I scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter, putting me ahead 28 to 7, he wanted to quit. I told him that he still had time to catch up. After I kicked the ball off, he ran it all the way back for the touchdown. Then he tried for the onside kick. I recovered it, then sat on the ball.

28 to 21. I demand a rematch. With his play calling, that should have been a blowout.

Dumbest Generation?

2008-07-22T03:52:00.004-04:00

I really think that this is unfair. Every generation has new information that they need to know that the previous generation could not have known about. Human brains do not get bigger with each generation, so some information must be lost in order to make room for the information gained. Grandpa knew how to tune a carburetor, but he never learned how to install a CD-ROM drive. Today, every new PC has a CD or DVD-ROM drive, but no new car has a carburetor. So I will never bother to learn how to tune that car part from the past, but I do know how upgrade my computer.

Mark Bauerlein notes that though young people enjoy access to a wide wealth of information via the Internet, we still don't know important facts about history. He laments that many young people do not know that the US and USSR were allies during World War II. But Albert Einstein once said "Never memorize what you can look up in books." In his day, obtaining information often required a trip to the library. Today, all I have to look it up online. The only information I really need to remember is whatever is relevant to my day to day life.

No Starbucks closures in Fort Wayne

2008-07-18T21:20:00.003-04:00

No Starbucks shops are closing in Fort Wayne. Here's the list.

Some people are gloating over the closures around the country. Personally, I have nothing against Starbucks. But there were a couple things I wondered about that company:

Q.How they could make money by opening new stores in close proximity to existing Starbuck stores?
A.They weren't making money.

Q.How do they get away with charging $3 for coffee?
A.Because people will pay it. When I buy coffee at a coffee shop, I'm paying for service, atmosphere, and a place to sit down. Having said that, I still don't know why people buy Starbucks coffee at the drive-thru.

Q. Why do people bitch about paying $4 for a gallon of gas but not $3 for a cup of coffee?
A. Gas is a commodity. You can get regular, premium, and super. You pick your octane level and that is what you buy week to week. A price increase can dent your budget. Coffee is a luxury item. People expect to be overcharged.

Email that I received

2008-07-15T10:51:00.004-04:00

I am reposting this email that I received. I did remove the sender's name and phone number to protect the privacy of his family. I also had to take out a couple carrots that interfered with my html. Other than that it is unedited. My purpose in this repost is to inform and entertain.

Iam Writing about child support issue , I believe that the constitution states very clearly that you can not just step into a man family , that is the state goverment ,and tell him how to run his house hold ,
This country was found because of the lack of FREEEDOM in England ,and also that a ,man could own his house ,and land , and not be oppressed by the lower courts by taking his home ,and then take his children ,and then turn around and take his job ,and income ,and then oppress him more by illegaly shoving support down his throat.
I believe the parent that files for divorce is mentally unstable , to create such a atmosphere in a family of young children is not stable for this country , and I believe this is all being done ,and calcuated to destroy the family ,which is the foundation of this country ,.
I have a prosecutor that thinks he can prosecute alone on hearsay ,and false allegations ,and this has to stop , the constitution is what protects us from this communist mentallity , which we are under in the US< by these lower court judges ,and prosecutors ,it is TREASON ,that is happening right now by these lower court judges ,and prosecutors
What I have to ask is when did the state think they had a right to interfere with the up bringing of my children or any house hold , ,and then think they could just take my home also , this is not America , the Republic which was to protect the minority from the majority , not attack the family like this goverment is ,
They have committed acts of war against me , now by taking my home ,my income ,my CHILDREN , and now has filed false charges on hearsay ,alone, this is a mockery of the constitution by these lower courts , and Iam standing by the constitution , my rights as a citizen of Indiana,
Again we have treason by the lower courts in America , and acts of war also against the families of america by these prosecutors , they dont beleive in following even Indiana codes ,they think their above the law ,
when the checks ,and balances are dismised then we have a goverment out of control ,and we are their, Iam telling this state lower courts need to be cleansed , and until then all cases must be reexamined ,and no prosecution of any family by these lower courts prosecutors ,and judges ,
I have criminal acts by these lower courts now ,and should be examined immediately , Steve Carter is well aware of all this illegal action by Matthew rentschler of whitley county Indiana ,and Judge Rush ,and Huer ,
they think their above the law , and when this happens we are no longer a free nation ,and which will lead to revolutionary war because of this treason by the lower courts ,
Look it up indiana code 34-26-5-9, 34-26-5-10 it requires a hearing befor e,and after by 30 days none was given me ,and I would have beat it like I did one already it is a weapon for a spouse to use against the other spouse ,and that is not legal ,and not fair to the chldren , RIGHT PROTECT AND SERVE , and the prosecutor refused ,and the judge refused a hearing on , so we have no checks ,and balances any mor e, when they do this illegal act ,
My daughters have even given the judge huer a copy of a paper they made up stateing they wanted to be with me ,and the state thinks they can , over ride a mans family , like this ,this is a act of war ,and treason against the American people ,and the foundation of the family ,
Now they have a bench warrant out because I refused to show up to a iillegal sentenceing , because of the mentallity of this prosector it is dangerous to this country ,and to my family , all a lack of due process , all the way thru ,
NAME REMOVED, PHONE NUMBER REMOVED, I will stand on my rights to have a family ,and not be interferr with thier up bringing ,and will die for my rights to have my family , !!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!, this goverment is always complaining about how the fathers dont stay with their families ,and here we have the prosecutor ,and judges trying to keep him from his rights ,!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!! !!!
GET OUT OF THE FAMILIES GO MAKE YOUR MONEY ELSE WHERE NOT OF THE BACKS OF INNOCENT FATHERS ,AND THEIR CHILDREN ,
thanks NAME REMOVED the sons of anarchy