Caution: Mass Layoffs Ahead

It looks like IBM is looking to layoff massive amounts of people this year. Massive. They've started already and are reported to be looking to layoff some 100,000 by years end. Their plan is to offshore all those jobs.

That sound you hear is IBM's stock which is going to go on a wild ride as it skyrockets before plunging full force into the ground. Arguably one of the greatest companies of the last century apparently isn't planning on surviving long in this one.

Superhero Quiz

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 65% Superman 65% Hulk 60% Robin 57% Green Lantern 50% Supergirl 50% Wonder Woman 40% Catwoman 40% The Flash 40% Iron Man 40% Batman 30%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Dancing

The other day one of the local radio station's morning shows was going on about how only black girls can "booty clap." The female host was sure no white girl could do it and so they were going to try to get people down to the station to prove it.

Due to me working nights I didn't hear the results, but I've never seen a black girl do this:



I must say that this video rocks! Shakira is quite good looking, but not the greatest and she isn't the most endowed woman, but the control she has over her body is absolutely incredible and is very attractive because of it. A woman who can dance like that is both sexy and comfortable with her body which is attractive on its own. If only all women could dance like this or belly dance...

Streptococcus

As you may know, I have been having serious problems with my left foot. Specifically the ankle. This arose around the beginning of April and was so incredibly intense that I could not even stand. It swelled up tremendously. I actually had to buy crutches as there was no other way for me to get around. This extreme pain persisted for two week sometime getting better sometimes flaring up, and has been hurting since. While it is mostly better now there are still things I cannot do, and I have to be careful walking and playing with my boy and sitting on the floor.

So I finally got insurance and got some blood work done. We were looking for arthritis and auto-immunes and gout. The usual joint-pain suspects. So what is found out? Apparently it is a response to a Strep infection. I am not sure if it is the strep attacking the joint or the body doing it. I have yet to see the lab work myself but I am on antibiotics (again) so hopefully it will resolve the problem.

Leading up to this I had been sick for about 6 weeks, evidently from Strep. I pushed for and was given an antibiotic from the resident idiot Dr (I like most of the Dr's at the office I go to but Dr. Bell is incompetent. He treated me as tho I had asthma) That made me feel better but I guess it wasn't enough by that point.

Homeschooling

Heidi has three good posts on homeschooling over at her blog. In the order they were posted one, two, three.

Heidi gives excellent reasons why we should be homeschooling, especially in her third post. In the comments are the usual "its a choice" and "public schools are just as good as homeschooling" and my personal favorite, "they are called to be the light and being in public schools will save all those other kids." I have heard these arguments before, numerous times. What they largely boil down to is, "please don't make me feel guilty."

It is self evident that a child is not made to conform, to have every hour of their day regimented. Children naturally have short attention spans, they are naturally curious and are explorers at heart. But for convenience and selfish reasons we send them off to a place where they are confined and in most cases held back from their abilities. They sit for 8 boring hours, a feat which many adults have problems with, and are expected to conform at an age when discovery and imagination should be the rule.

Schools kill off the hunger for learning that all children have. Rather than gaining the knowledge themselves they learn to wait until it is fed to them, lest they get in trouble for reading ahead or asking questions, or worse... they become outcasts for being smarter than the other kids (especially hard on girls.) And so they learn to conform to the baser nature of the crowd.

Our boys are energetic by nature and they are underfed at these schools (seen their hot lunches lately?) and not fed often enough and so they get antsy. Teachers then label them ADD/ADHD and demand that we drug our children. In many cases they will get their demand enforced by the school not accepting the student that doesn't get doped up. And what is Ritalin? Well, when given to lab rats who can self dose themselves with either cocaine or Ritalin, they show no preference. What does that tell you? Speaking of drugs, 7th grade is when most students are introduced to them. It is so prevalent now that there are actually home testing kits.

Children are routinely bullied, often for things that they have ZERO control over. Violence at school is becoming a more and more common occurrence (often due to this bullying,) with death now a very real possibility. And I shudder to even think of how many students are now being sexually abused by their teachers! New cases are discovered weekly!

Dissent and free thought are punished, religious speech is effectively banned, sex-ed is pushed upon students (they even have kids signing "non-disclosure" agreements that state they can't tell their parents they took the course or a survey etc.) Poor thought processes are pushed, critical thinking is nowhere to be seen, high school graduates are illiterate, and the school's answer to all this is to lower the standards even more.

Is homeschooling a choice? Of course it is. But it isn't a light choice such as what to wear that day. It is a choice between duty and dereliction. It is a choice between raising the child you brought into this world whether you intended to or not. It is a choice to be able to say at the end of it all that I did everything I could. That I fought and didn't back down.

Or you could make the choice to watch Oprah, eat bon-bons, own two $40,000 cars and a $300,000 home. It's up to you. But as Dr. Laura would say, "Go do the right thing."

**Update**
Look what is in the news today. Another fun study asking 12y/o girls what their favorite sexual positions are!

And here a "Teacher of the year" molests one of her female students.

Base Metals

May 23 (Bloomberg) -- Nickel fell for a second day in London on speculation rising stockpiles signal slowing usage as producers seek alternatives to the metal in stainless-steel manufacturing. Copper also dropped.

Nickel inventories monitored by the London Metal Exchange rose 1,446 metric tons, or 27 percent, to 6,834 tons, the exchange said today in a daily report, the biggest one-day gain since Sept. 11, 2003. ThyssenKrupp AG, the world's biggest stainless steelmaker, said yesterday that it may increase production of nickel-free stainless steel to reduce costs.

Nickel has more than doubled in the past 12 months as China overtook Japan to become the world's largest user because of its expanding stainless-steel industry. About two-thirds of nickel is used to produce stainless steel.

In response to the price increase, China is expanding production of so-called nickel pig iron, a cheaper alternative to refined nickel, using ore from the Philippines and New Caledonia, Thurtell said. Its increasing use will probably cause demand to decline further, he added.

The price of nickel may drop to $40,000 a ton in the coming month if LME inventories continue to increase, John Reade, a London-based analyst at UBS AG, said in an interview today.

Copper slipped $88, or 1.2 percent, to $7,173 a ton. Rising copper prices have ``triggered a buyers strike in China and surplus metal has ended in Shanghai Futures Exchange-registered warehouses over the past three weeks,'' Reade said in a report today.

China's copper imports rose 61 percent to 1.1 million metric tons from January to April from year-ago levels. SFE stockpiles are at their highest in three years, jumping 17 percent to 99,556 tons in the week to May 18.

LME-tracked copper inventories fell for a fourth day by 0.6 percent to 137,575 tons today. That's the lowest since Nov. 1.

Among other LME-traded metals, lead slid $60, or 2.8 percent, to $2,090 a ton after trading at a record $2,216 a ton yesterday. Aluminum dropped $33 to $2,822 a ton, zinc fell $45 to $3,665 and tin lost $100 to $13,850.

If China has indeed found a way to reduce their nickel usage we may very well see a fall in prices. It won't likely last more than a year before demand pops back up, but by the time it starts to rally again China will be finishing up construction for the Olympics which will mean lower demand for a time. Also China already has rules in place to stop factories as far as 350 miles away from the site of the Olympics in order to keep the air clean for the event.

I don't forsee much correction in copper at this time. Quite simply there isn't anything to take its place. Aluminum is much cheaper but it is inferior and there is no where near enough of the stuff to replace any meaningful amount of copper. Unless China or India come up with some innovative way to replace common electrical wiring with some other metal, copper will continue to rise as the demand in those two countries continue to skyrocket.

New Birth Control Pill: Lybrel

The latest birth control pill, Lybrel, promises to eliminate the menstrual cycle. In a one year study some 59% of the women taking it had no menstrual bleeding over the one year study period. (Noted is that some quit the study due to continued bleeding)

This is of course touted as safe, but is it really? We recently found out, after decades of use, that the "Pill" causes an increase in breast cancer. The connection is obvious as pregnancy causes an increase in undifferentiated cells in the breast that do not differentiate until shortly before giving birth. These cells are prone to cancer. I think there will be a breast cancer connection to this new pill as well.

But what else might arise?
Women's bodies are designed to lose blood on a monthly basis. In the process of losing this blood many nutrients are lost. Iron for sure but I am not sure what all is lost via the menstrual cycle. But what is observable is that when women hit menopause their instance of many diseases go up. These include heart disease, several cancers and IIRC mental illnesses as well. One of the theories behind this increase is that the loss of blood protects against these diseases by keeping certain nutrients from building up, possibly toxins also. I think in the next decade or two we will see these problems arise, hopefully it wont take the nearly 45 years to conduct studies like it took with the "Pill."

Attention Thieves!

Opportunity is knocking! Don't be left out! Get in on this ground floor opportunity and the sky will be the limit!!!

What is this opportunity?

So-called "contactless" credit cards. They work by simply waving them in front of the machine, as seen on TV!

Just imagine, now all you have to do to steal credit cards is simply stand close to someone with the proper scanning equipment and VIOLA! Instant profit for you. Just think of all the places where you could use these scanners. The post office, Wal-Mart, crowded malls, subways and buses, city streets! The opportunities are endless! Then, simply wave your "credit card" at fine establishments near you and they wont even ask for your ID!

Get your scanner today and start stealing contactless credit cards from all those fools who don't need that money anyways! You've worked hard to get where you are today. You deserve a break and this is it!

No selling!
Not MLM!
Just pure profit!

Don't delay, Call today!
(Sorry, cash only)

Prohibition = Crime

Prohibition causes crime. It is so obvious that it shouldn't have to be talked about. Problem is, too many people ignore the obvious in favor of emotional arguments against "bad" things.

In 1920, the "Noble Experiment" more commonly known as Prohibition was instituted. I think it is important to note the reasons for passing the 18th Amendment. The intention was to "reduce crime and corruption, improve health, solve social problems and reduce the tax burden created by prisons and poorhouses."

What we saw instead was a rise in gangs and the mobs. Violence was introduced to society as groups fought over the distribution of a highly profitable product. I am not sure how much, if at all, alcohol was taxed at that time, but with the taxation that is on it now it is actually a large stream of revenue for the State.

Prohibition caused an artificial rift between regular law-abiding Citizens and the Law as many regular people had to hide their activities from the police. This causes distrust of the police as well as creates corrupt cops as those gangs seek to protect their distribution and are more than willing to buy off the police.

Which brings us to today. This past week in Mexico a drug cartel had made some sort of agreement with the police in Cananea, Mexico which is just across the border from Arizona. A total of 23 are dead including 5 cops and as of this time more than 15 cops have resigned, likely due to the danger. The attack was a retaliation against cops who had gone against the deal they had made with the cartel.

Now these drugs are quite obviously headed for American soil. America prohibits all these drugs, but the public demands it anyways. The combination of demand and Prohibition creates artificially high prices and therefore high profits. These profits create a huge incentive to enter the drug distribution market as well as a desire to grow your personal distribution. It is that incentive that creates the violence that we see in the drug trade, both locally and abroad.

The violence on the border this week is caused by the exact same thing that causes gang violence in our cities: Prohibition. It is time that we end this violence. We have lost the "war" and no amount of increased violence on the part of the Government is going to win it.

Love? Or just Sex? Whats the point?

The office is the place to find love, researchers say

If it’s love you’re after, the office is the place to be, researchers say.

A poll of women found that 61 per cent of relationships begin at work.

About a third of those polled admitted having sex in the office, while a quarter of attached women confessed to cheating with a colleague.

The study by New Woman magazine found that 94 per cent flirt in the office, and more than half have ended up in bed with a colleague at some point.

Eight out of ten admits fantasising about a co-worker. And email is a popular flirting tool – 63 per cent have tried it.

The poll, which questioned women aged an average of 28, also shed light on attitudes towards sexual harassment.

Although nine out of ten women said a male colleague has made a pass at them, only 2 per cent complained. In contrast, 47 per cent were flattered, 33 per cent thought it was ‘a laugh’ and 18 per cent arranged a date.

Editor Lauren Libbert said: "So many people find love at work because it’s an ideal environment for slow-burn relationships – the male colleague on the other side of the desk may not be a pin-up but he grows on you."

More than half sleep with a coworker at some point. So is it really impossible to have a faithful wife? Or just one who works? What does this tell us guys who want to have a real marriage. Is it saying it just isn't possible in today's culture? Saying just join the Fing crowd cuz you aren't going to get any better anyways?

And this

According to Peggy Vaughan, author of "The Monogamy Myth," first published in 1989 by Newmarket Press (third edition published 2003).
Conservative infedelity statistics estimate that "60 percent of men and 40 percent of women will have an extramarital affair. These figures are even more significant when we consider the total number of marriages involved, since it's unlikely that all the men and women having affairs happen to be married to each other. If even half of the women having affairs (or 20 percent) are married to men not included in the 60 percent having affairs, then at least one partner will have an affair in approximately 80 percent of all marriages. With this many marriages affected, it's unreasonable to think affairs are due only to the failures and shortcomings of individual husbands or wives."

Note that the above adultery statistics of the prevalence of affairs were made more than a decade ago; so based on changes in society during the intervening years, the current percentage of the population who have had affairs is probably somewhat HIGHER. For instance, the continuing increase of women in the workplace and the increase of women having affairs on the Internet means that the numbers for women having affairs is probably similar to those for men�about 60%.

Birdie writes "Yep. Inflation stinks. Government economic interference stinks. Got a good solution?"

Inflation does stink. No doubt about it. And you ask a very good question. Just what can be done about it. There is really only one answer and it is quite simple. It is also highly improbable that the Government would implement it.

The simple answer is to return to a Gold Standard. Now there are several ways of implementing a gold standard. One way is the 100% gold backed currency which would mean that every dollar is backed by gold. A gold standard can also be implemented on a scale less than 100% so that not every dollar is backed, say at a rate of 25%. This would give the government latitude to print more bills than they have gold for but it would still be limited so that inflation could not occur.

But like I said, that isn't likely. I give it lesser odds than Frosty surviving a vacation in Hades.

What else can be done? Largely only personal decisions and lifestyle changes. Cutting back on current spending and making that a way of life is perhaps the first step.

Living debt free is the next step which is much easier said than done of course. Some recommendations that I have seen include holding a garage sale and using that money on a bill. Everyone has things they don't need or even want anymore. EBay and Amazon are great places to sell things while getting a higher price than can be obtained via garage sales but the principle is the same, namely make money by getting rid of junk.

If moving is an option, move into a cheaper place. It is one of your biggest expenses and shaving off $200 or more a month can really make a difference. Also consider utilities and how much more it costs to heat and cool a large house compared to a smaller one. And even in that big house utilities can be cut by some simple measures.

One of my own ideas is to start a cottage industry. Make and sell crafts at the local craft shows, flea & farmers markets. Make candles or soap. Sew/crochet those handles onto kitchen towels. Make jewelry or little figurines. Make quilts, they go for a ton of money and I have even seen homemade ones in downtown shops going for $350+. Make burritos and sell them at construction sites. There are many things that you and your children can do from home to assist with the budget, all while learning useful skills.

As Triton said, it is quite possible to turn a profit in stocks. I would caution to be careful as most people lose money. That's just the way it works. I would also say never put all your money into it (or any one thing!) as one should always remember their 5 most important metals. Gold, Silver, Steel, Brass and Lead. Stay diversified in those five and it will get you through any downturn.

Comments - Rudy Giuliani

I recently discovered that when I switched to the new blogger it re-enabled comments. So what happened is that these comments could only be viewed if the post was viewed singly rather than on the main blog page. My apologies to the commenters.

So I have decided to repost those comments here and respond to them.

Eric Dondero said...

Rudy Giuliani is the much better candidate for libertarian-minded voters for 2008. Ron Paul doesn’t understand the threat that the country faces from Islamo-Fascism. He thinks that if we just surrender to the Islamo-Fascists that they will go away and leave us alone.

If we surrender to the Islamo-Fascists, they will be on our border lobbing scud missles at Brownsville, El Paso, Tucson, and San Diego faster than you can say “Allah AhuAhkbar.”

Giuliani understands the threat from Islamo-Fascism and will fight a real War on Terror, not some politically correct, soft-bellied War like Bush is fighting.

Plus, Rudy is a Tax Cutter, a Privatizer, and Tolerant on social matters.

Libertarians nationwide are rally behind Rudy. Just today we learn that a bunch of Top libertarian and conservative California Congressman and Legislators are endorsing Giuliani.

Libertarians for Giuliani at www.mainstreamlibertarian.com

Eric Dondero, Fmr. Senior Aide
US Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX)
8:35 AM

For starters, there really is no such thing as a "Mainstream Libertarian." We just don't exist.

Looking at the website Eric provided (it is his website) we find that his platform is really a cross between Libertarian and Republican. Or perhaps more precisely, what the Republicans used to be or at least talked about. For example, there is talk of cutting spending, but not of reducing government to a Constitutional level. This is evident by his desire to "Reform of Medicare, Social Security and other entitlement programs through greater reliance on private alternatives. This is not a Libertarian position. It looks almost exactly like what the more conservative members of the Republican party want. His positions are to the right of the Republicans but to the left of the Constitution party.

If we surrender to the Islamo-Fascists, they will be on our border lobbing scud missles at Brownsville, El Paso, Tucson, and San Diego faster than you can say “Allah AhuAhkbar.”

Please stop using the term Islamo Fascists. They are NOT Fascist. Fascism is a system of GOVERNMENT.

And I question just why they would launch missiles from across a border when they could just walk right into the country. But since they CAN just walk right into the country and there haven't been any terrorist attacks, our level of risk speaks for itself.

Giuliani understands the threat from Islamo-Fascism and will fight a real War on Terror

Giuliani reduced crime in a single city. That is a far cry from fighting a diverse group of people that spans the globe and numbers at least 100 million. I would ask what you feel a real war on terror looks like? If it is anything less than securing our borders your position is a total joke. Fight them overseas all you want, but if you just let them waltz right into the country you have done nothing.

Rudy is a Tax Cutter

Really? Rudy sounds great. Especially when Ron Paul has voted consistently to stop spending, consistently voted to cut taxes, and has brought up numerous times bills to remove the Federal Reserve.

a Privatizer

The Libertarian position is that Government shouldn't be doing these things in the first place as they are extra-Constitutional. A position that Ron Paul has always held to.

and Tolerant on social matters.

Yes, perhaps he is. After all, it behooves a cross dresser to be tolerant of others deviancies. You know, the whole glass houses and throwing rocks thing.

Economics: Deception

Just the other day it occurred to me how it is that people don't really notice how inflation eats away at their earnings. Now, everyone is vaguely aware of the problem but they don't understand just how it affects them. And I believe I have found the primary reason they don't see it.

In the course of a person's life they work various jobs and in for the majority of people those jobs are more advanced or technical or specialized. This naturally increases their worth to a company, or society if you will, and so their pay increases. So during their life, say from 16 to maybe 45 their pay continually increases because they are a more valuable asset as time goes on, and tho all the while inflation is eating away at their income it is hidden to them due to their naturally increasing worth. So what should be a time of getting ahead and building up a retirement and an inheritance for one's children instead becomes a time of barely increasing income in real terms.

To illustrate:
A man starts work flipping burgers at age 16 in 1978, working at minimum wage. We'll say he worked 40 hours a week. His gross income would have been $5,512

That same man, in his prime at 45 today would make about $40-45,000 (this is about 5-10K higher than the national average) For the following comparison I have used the more generous 45K figure.

From a dollar perspective he makes a tremendous amount more than he did as a youth, but when adds in inflation the change is not so dramatic as one might think. When the 1978 amount is adjusted for inflation it becomes $17,707. Or, looked at another way (holding everything to 1978 dollars), his income went from $5,512 to $14,007.

In terms of dollars his income increased by ~8, but in real purchasing power it increased by less than 3. The man has hardly gotten ahead, but he was able to successfully hide from himself the constant theft by inflation.

May 15th Gas-Out Blowout

Looks like another gas-out day came and went with no effect. In case you hadn't heard, people were boycotting the purchasing of gas on May 15th with the hopes that it would somehow tell the companies that we aren't happy I guess. If their intention was to lower the price of gas it failed miserably. It wouldn't have positively affected the price at all and today the price is up an additional 10 cents.

Here are some ideas that would work:
Quit driving! Walk or ride a bike for a day. Or just don't go anywhere for one day.

But a fuel efficient car. Trading in that 15MPG SUV for a car that gets 27-30MPG really will make a difference in how much you purchase.

Buy a motorcycle. 40MPG is easily achievable on a motorcycle. Better yet, buy a scooter. Many models get from 80-100MPG You could drive to work all week for $10 or less and there are brands/models that can be purchased brand new for $1,000 or less.

Alternatively you could just not care, like me, except when you fill up and freak out over the price. Just remember that it still costs the same as it did 35 years ago when you adjust for inflation, only now you make less.

**Update**
Other more practical ways of easing the pain of filling up:
If you own a pickup, remove that tailgate! You know you don't haul anything in that bed. Take that thing off. The last truck I had I improved my mileage 2-3 MPGs by removing it. If you feel you "must" have it on, then drop it when you are not hauling anything. Essentially the same MPG gain. And don't worry about it bouncing around. It doesn't move on the majority of dirt roads or if one is traveling at 100MPH.

Clean out your car. Extra weight means lower mileage so everything you pull out of the car that you don't need will improve your mileage. I am actually thinking of removing the back seat of my van as it is never used and will help, even if marginally.

Saber Ratling

Mr Bolton said: "It's been conclusively proven Iran is not going to be talked out of its nuclear programme. So to stop them from doing it, we have to massively increase the pressure.

"If we can't get enough other countries to come along with us to do that, then we've got to go with regime change by bolstering opposition groups and the like, because that's the circumstance most likely for an Iranian government to decide that it's safer not to pursue nuclear weapons than to continue to do so. And if all else fails, if the choice is between a nuclear-capable Iran and the use of force, then I think we need to look at the use of force."

President George W Bush privately refers to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has pledged to wipe Israel "off the map", as a 21st Century Adolf Hitler and Mr Bolton, who remains a close ally of Vice President Dick Cheney, said the Iranian leader presented a similar threat.

"If the choice is them continuing [towards a nuclear bomb] or the use of force, I think you're at a Hitler marching into the Rhineland point. If you don't stop it then, the future is in his hands, not in your hands, just as the future decisions on their nuclear programme would be in Iran's hands, not ours."

It sounded for a while like this issue had just blown by, but in reality preparations have been being made even during the lull amongst the talking heads. We cannot allow any challenges to the Dollar Hegemony and Iran's arrogance must be punished. Or at least we will waste more money and lives in the attempt.

Or we could just go back to the gold standard.

Today

Today, just a litte bit before bedtime my boy came up to me while I was laying on the floor and put his arm around me and laid his head on my chest. It was so great! Also today his first lower molar has now poked through the gum so he officially has opposing molars, slight as they might be.

We went to the mall this morning and played at the playground then walked the mall and finished off with a Blizzard from DQ.

Also today I got blood drawn to do some tests to find out what is wrong with my foot as well as a medicine to help control the pain in the meantime (which I have been out of for a week and they just today called it in!) I hope they are able to pinpoint something even if it means I have to drastically change my diet/lifestyle. I am sick and tired of hurting.

Lyrics

If the world stopped spinning
If the end was beginning
Would you even notice if i wasn't there?
If the world stopped spinning around

"all that's worth dying for is already dead"
An empty religion you've learned to accept

When nothing means everything, your
Daily routine
You go through the motions like a
Helpless machine

Just feeling like this lately.

Jericho

I recently saw a couple of episodes of Jericho per Triton's recommendation. Seems like a decent show altho I have come to it rather late in the series. Having seen the last two episodes only and having a bit of a discussion of a similar topic over at Nate's I thought I would throw in my two cents.

Preparedness: The Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared." What is seen in this show is that no one is prepared. This is exactly where we are in modern society. No one is prepared for the adversity that comes up in this show. Being attacked by a neighboring town, granted a much larger town, is something that they don't know how to handle or even where to begin.

Food: The conflict is over resources and particularly food. They cannot grow enough to provide for themselves. The comment is made by the attacking town's leader that they are "too desperate to give up" and that is exactly how it would be. Many resources can be done without, but food and water cannot and their lack would drive some extreme behavior. Part of the point here is that larger towns cannot provide for themselves, and of course cities don't stand a chance.

Fighting: Even the preparations for fighting that Jericho makes in a defensive area are pathetic. Perhaps not unrealistic as far as what people with no training might do but there are simple measures that could be done to make an area more defensible. Foxholes being a great start. Sniper positions being another. One of the characters "heroically" makes a run for the top of a hill dodging bullets the whole way when there should have been snipers in place from the beginning. The higher ground would have completely negated the advantage their enemy had in being prone.

Stockpiles: One of the characters, I think ex-military/spy/spec-ops but I havent seen enough to know, had a storage unit full of firearms. Without this stockpile (enough to fill a pickup bed, which is totally realistic for a personal stockpile) the town would have been nearly unarmed. Your own personal stockpile would be a much better option than hoping some full-fledged paranoid had weapons that he would be willing to share, which he most likely would not.

I know it is just a show and it has to be made interesting and all. Just giving my initial thoughts on it.

Also something that I mentioned at Nate's was a need for different crops, assuming you had land to grow things on. There is always talk of being self sufficient but in a farming community you will often find that there are very few crops being grown. This is due to the climate and soil, the current market for crops and the foods the farmer has experience with which is likely to be much the same as everyone else in the area. I think branching into different crops than are common in the area, but that still grow well, would be an advantage as then you would have something that others would want to buy/trade for. My first thoughts are vices. Tobacco, marijuana, and beer/wine would be good things to produce as they are always in demand in varying amounts and would grant a unique position in any market that springs up as one surely will.

Worlds Smallest ICE

SCIENTISTS have built the smallest petrol engine - tiny enough to power a WATCH. The mini-motor, which runs for two years on a single squirt of lighter fuel, is set to revolutionise world technology.
It produces 700 times more energy than a conventional battery despite being less than a centimetre long - not even half an inch. It could be used to operate laptops and mobile phones for months on end - doing away with the need for recharging.
Experts believe it could be phasing out batteries in such items within just six years.
The engine, minute enough to be balanced on a fingertip, has been produced by engineers at the University of Birmingham. Dr Kyle Jiang, lead investigator from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, said: "We are looking at an industrial revolution happening in peoples' pockets.

"The breakthrough is an enormous step forward. Devices which need re- charging or new batteries are a problem but in six years will be a thing of the past."

Other applications for the engine could include medical and military uses, such as running heart pacemakers or mini reconnaissance robots. At present, charging an ordinary battery to deliver one unit of energy involves putting 2,000 units into it.

The little engine, because energy is produced locally, is far more effective. One of the main problems faced by engineers who have tried to produce micro motors in the past has been the levels of heat produced. The engines got so hot they burned themselves out and could not be re-used. The Birmingham team overcame this by using heat-resistant materials such
as ceramic and silicon carbide.

Professor Graham Davies, head of the university's engineering school, said: "We've brought together all the engineering disciplines, both materials, chemical engineering, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering. "What better place to have the second industrial revolution - in nano-technology - than where the first took place, in the heart of the West Midlands."

Bad Joke Wednesday

A man died and went to heaven. As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him. He asked, "What are all those clocks?"

St. Peter answered, "Those are Lie Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie clock. Every time you lie, the hands on your clock will move."

"Oh," said the man, "whose clock is that?"

"That's Mother Teresa's. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie."

"Incredible," said the man. "And whose clock is that one?"

St. Peter responded, "That's George Washington's clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that George told only two lies in his entire life."

"Where's Hillary Clinton's clock?" asked the man.

"Hillary's clock is up there", St. Peter pointed, "We're using it as a ceiling fan."

---

Go to maps.google.com, enter in directions from New York, NY to Paris France.
Read line 24

---

A driver is stuck in a traffic jam on the highway.
Absolutely nothing is moving. Suddenly a man knocks on the window. The driver rolls down his window and asks, "What happened?" "Terrorists have kidnapped Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy, Dick Cheney, and George Bush. They are asking for a $10 million ransom. Otherwise They are going to douse them with gasoline and set them on fire. We are Going from car to car, taking up a collection." The driver asks, "How much is everyone giving, on average?"

"About a gallon".

---

Late one night, a man walks into a dentist's surgery and says,
"Excuse me, can you help me. I think I'm a moth."

Dentist: "You don't need a dentist. You need a psychiatrist."

Man: "Yes, I know."

Dentist: "So why did you come in here?"

Man: "Well .... the light was on..."

---

Hans and Stein were playing in their yard in Zurich when one of the boys accidentally swallowed a coin and started choking.

Hans ran inside to get help, "Mamma! Pappa! Come quick! There's a Franc in Stein!"

Grey's Anatomy

If you haven't seen it already, I think it is a great show. You can view it online at ABC.com under full shows. In fact, I recommend it as there are far fewer commercials and you can pause it when you want to get up.

The hot red-headed Dr Addison Shepherd (Kate Walsh) is going to be leaving the show for an offshoot which was previewed in this past weeks 2hr special (82 minutes online which means 38 minutes of commercials on regular TV) Not sure if the new series is going to be worthwhile with the exception that Kate Walsh will be on there.

Apparently Preston Burke (Isaiah Washington) won't be returning next season. However, I think he adds more to the show than does his fiance Cristina. I think she is just annoying and would rather see her leave the show.

The whole George/Callie/Izzy thing... He loves both, they both love him... Legalized polygamy would solve that whole problem.

Sex In The News

Two recent hyped stories in the news regarding sex. The D.C. Madam and Akon's "simulated rape." (whatever that is)

ABC released the transcript of the much ballyhooed 20/20 show covering the D.C. Madam, Jeane Palfrey. The lead up to the program promised to name names, but in the end, listed only two, Randall Tobias* and Harlan Ullman**. ABC makes the claim that the rest are not newsworthy, this after 13 years in business and thousands of clients. Somehow I doubt that greatly.

The comments on the piece are centered around 3 points.
1. This was a total waste. A huge letdown and a worthless "report"
2. The women aren't the only ones who should be getting in trouble (if anyone should be) as there were obviously men involved.
3. The names weren't released to protect the Bush administration.

I agree with points 1 & 2 but quite disagree with 3. This escort business spanned both the Clinton and Bush admins, nearly equally. Any information they release would look bad on both parties. In the end it would simply be a wash.

In other news, Verizon pulls out as a sponsor of Akon's tour. This is due to some noise over his "simulated rape" of a 15 year old girl. WND has the video and article here. Having seen the video, it looks nothing like a rape. Simulated or otherwise. Did the girl ever protest? The audio isn't great but there isn't a single no, don't or stop. What is obvious is that she places her arm around his neck, rather then attempt to push him away.

Part of the reason this got attention is that 15y/o is a preachers kid. But I would ask, what is a young girl, daughter of a preacher, doing at a concert like that, dressed like she was (those shirts with no back don't tend to have much on the front) and in the very front row. To me it sounds like she regretted it afterwards but from the video there was no indication she wasn't enjoying herself.

Twice in my life I have heard a woman tell me she was raped or that she was forced. Both of those times it was a lie as indicated by their desire to still hang out with that guy. This girl seems to be having the same problem.


*Deputy Secretary of State Randall Tobias, who was in charge of the Bush administration's efforts to crack down on prostitution worldwide.

**Harlan Ullman, a leading military analyst who wrote the book "Shock and Awe," a concept cited by the Pentagon in planning the war in Iraq.

Coal To Liquid

Looks like coal is making a comeback. Coal To Liquid," or CTL, may well be the next big thing in the fuel market. Its actually cleaner than gasoline, costs less (produced for something around $45 a barrel,) and we have enough here in America for the next century.

I came across this on the Free State Wyoming (FSW) forums. Apparently a demonstration plant is being built in Denver and there are already contracts in place to build more, with one of those being in Wyoming.

More on FSW later...