Michael Jardeen: ...proof of ignorant life

Wed, 09 Jul 2003 05:56:12 GMT

I got this today in my email...
It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having "In God We Trust" on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to Sit Down and SHUT UP!!! [attached picture showed two kids praying in front of an American Flag with the words "Under God" above them] If you agree, pass this on, if not delete... No, I do not agree!! This was a nation founded on the principle that we are free to practice our faith as we see fit, not to have it imposed on us by any group, be they a majority or minority. My opposition to the use of these phrases has nothing to do with your faith, or desire to worship, it is simply an honest expression of true patriotism. Men and woman have died to secure us the freedom to practice the varieties of faith that gives this nation it[base ']s strength, and it[base ']s character. Why diminish it? Most of the Founding Fathers were Humanist and not religious in the way that fundamentalist would like us to be. It is for this reason that you see the separation of church and state in the Constitution. They remembered why this nation was founded, and why so many came to this land to flee the religious oppression of Europe. Why would we want to turn the clock back by imposing on others. If you take away their right to believe as they choose, then you are just as bad as those who forced your ancestors to this country. What if this nation became majority Muslim, would you feel the same when they changed the pledge to read Under Allah? What if we became majority Atheist, would you like it to read Under No God? I am proud that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this obvious attempt to add religion to a pledge that has nothing do do with God. The pledge is a statement of belief in the founding principles of this nation. It should have been left exactly as the original writer intended, but in our desire to wipe out Godless Communism we had to make it a public prayer. By that act we sought to say that you were not an American if you did not 'believe' in the approved fashion. That attitude defies the very foundation of this great nation...mj

Mon, 07 Jul 2003 06:10:38 GMT

City all shook up over cabbie's attire
Only three customers have ever refused to take a ride in Cab Elvis. One of them called Dave Groh, Seattle's Elvis-impersonating cabbie, a rude name and stalked off. Two others were too drunk to deal with being all shook up, he says. Most of the rest recovered from the sight of Groh with a laugh. Or a sing-along. Or questions about "The King." But to the city's taxi inspectors, who enforce 6-year-old dress codes for cabbies, Groh simply is a law-breaker...more [Seattle Times] Long live the king!! Someone at the City of Seattle needs to get a sense of humor. I think they missed the point of the dress code. It was to keep people from looking like bums, not from entertaining their passengers. You have to love it when some moron takes something like this to the point of making the city look like fools...mj

Sat, 21 Jun 2003 18:58:11 GMT

SHOCKING!: Americans are ignorant
Please ponder these poll results:

33% of Americans believe that weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq.
22% think that Iraq used biological, or chemical weapons during the recent Gulf War.
Almost 50% of those polled prior to the recent Iraqi war, said that Iraqis were among the 9/11 hijacker.
The problem here is that none of this is even remotely true. How is it that so many Americans could be walking around with so much incorrect information? What is it that allows a society to be so ignorant of reality? The article goes on to say that Americans "may avoiding having an experience of cognitive dissonance." This happens when the lies, and the facts are so out of sync that you create reality to fit the events. People do not want to believe the idea that this administration lied to get us into a war, and has lied to try and justify the original rationale. People try to support the truths they want to believe, and deny the possibility that they were wrong from the start...mj

Sat, 21 Jun 2003 05:02:09 GMT

Martin Reynold...DOH!
On Monday Apple will put Steve Jobs on stage and roll out the new G5 processor (also known as the Power PC 970). It appears that someone at Apple goofed and the specs for the new machine got leaked. As usual, we have one of the Gartner Group Mac-Doomsayers speaking up about why this event doesn't mean much. Gartner analyst Martin Reynold says that "Although it's a new processor, I'd expect to see less brandishing around the processor and more around the features and packages that the systems come in. I expect to see more about the Mac than I do about the processors. The challenge that Apple has had is that they've occasionally pulled past Intel on pure speed -- I think those days are behind us now. I don't think we'll see them crowing about raw performance; instead, they're more likely to stick with Apple's core values where they have a real advantage in terms of usability." I have one word for Martin...WRONG!! Apple will talk about the nice new case, we will be awed by the new design, and we'll debate it's merits. What we will not debate is the G5/970. This is all about speed, and this chip will be faster then any Intel processor, in terms of real world speed, not CPU speed. I expect that we will see our first bake-off in more then two years, and the new Macs will bury the Intel systems. They will crow about the speed from the top of the hills to the lowest of valleys. These new machines will ROCK!! If this is not the case, then I expect that this could well be Apple's last dance as a computer company...mj

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 19:21:35 GMT

Dead corporations...

Cluetrain: I see dead corporations.
Questioner: In your dreams?
[Cluetrain shakes it's head no]
Questioner: While you're awake?
[Cluetrain nods]
Questioner: Dead corporations like, in bankruptcy? In foreclosure?
Cluetrain: Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other. They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dead.
Questioner: How often do you see them?
Cluetrain: All the time. Thanks to Thomas Vincent on the Cluetrain mail list. This is too true. One example has to be MCI. I have been job hunting for a while, and I keep getting spam emails offering me a chance to work in their new Small/Medium Business unit doing outside sales. Based on my experience it would be a natural fit. So I visited their job site, and tried to apply for the job. I input my resume, and personal information. Then came the questions. That was my undoing. If you have ever seen one of these, you know exactly what I mean. You never know if they want you to say what they want to hear, or if it really has any meaning. I was informed when I was done that I did not meet their qualifications. This in spite of over 13 years of sales and service experience with US West (now Qwest) in their Small Business unit. I wrote it off and went on looking when a few days later I got a phone call from a recruiter. She told me that she was going through the rejects because she found that a lot of them were mistakes (why have the system in the first place then?). I did the phone interview and it went really well (I think). In the meantime I got at least 3 more of the spam mails offering me a chance to apply for this exciting opportunity. So why had the questions rejected me? She told me that it all came down to one question: How much money is acceptable to earn during your first year? The options were, less then 30k, 30-60k, or more then 60k. Having been in sales I know that it takes a year in any real sales job to ramp up your sales, I answered 30-60k. They wanted to hear 60k. I was unacceptable. This morning I answered my ringing phone to get a REALLY LOUD recorder voice informing me that this was NOT A SALES CALL, and that I could go to the MCI web site and apply for an exciting job opportunity selling to the Small-Medium Business market. I hung up. So what does this all say about the company formerly known as Worldcom?...mj

Tue, 20 May 2003 03:20:48 GMT

Computer failure on Saturday - I am slowly rebuilding it. No fun at all...mj

Tue, 13 May 2003 02:29:05 GMT

...Bush Speech Will Cost Them
President Bush plans to speak at an Omaha plastics factory today to sell his message that his tax cut plan will put money in workers' pockets. But some workers at the factory, Airlite Plastics, are complaining that Mr. Bush's speech will have the opposite effect. They are unhappy because Airlite's chief executive, Brad Crosby, has announced that more than 300 hourly workers might lose all or part of a day's pay unless they work next Saturday to offset the time lost when the plant closes for the speech. An Airlite spokesman said in a telephone interview last night that most workers would be given four options when the plant is partly closed for one and a half shifts during the speech: They can take an official day off whether or not they attend the speech and make up the work on Saturday to receive full pay. They can use a paid vacation day. They can work their regular shift in part of the plant that will remain open. Or they can take an unpaid day off... ...The company's decision not to pay most of the workers during the Bush visit was first reported on Friday in The Omaha World-Herald. The newspaper said a man who said he was an Airlite employee, but did not give his name, complained to an editor in a voice mail message that some longtime employees would lose more than $130 in pay. "It's not a great thing for us employees," the man was quoted as saying. "We're losing a lot of money because of his visit. His speech is supposed to be about what the family can get from his tax breaks. It doesn't really make sense."... .....Mr. Crosby told The Associated Press that he had not spoken to any employees who disliked the options. "I think the overwhelming majority of our employees are just very excited about seeing the president," he said...more [NY Times] Anyone who doesn't see the stupidity of this is blind. Of course Mr. Crosby hasn't talked to anyone who is unhappy about what the company is doing! They would be too afraid to speak for fear of getting fired. Just another fine example of corporate america and the insanity of our economy. There are a lot of companies who do not need unions because they have management who thinks. It is exactly this kind of stupid move that leads to a union drive. It is also just another example of why Bush and the Republicans need to be removed from power. We have a President who is busy with wearing flight suits, while the economy burns around him. We have a party in power that thinks welfare should go to corporations, and the rich. I just love how they get all the angry white anti-tax voters to line up and sell themselves down the river, never understanding the real implications of what they do, and support. How much you want to bet it gets changed before The Shrub arrives to give his speech...mj

Fri, 02 May 2003 09:21:31 GMT

Justice does happen
I smiled from ear to ear when I read this! I have blogged this story in the past. On April 29 the Supreme Court of Missouri handed down a Writ of Habeas Corpus in the case of Joseph Amrine. The net result is that he is a free man. The state has the option of putting him back on trial, but with no evidence, it would be tough to find a jury to convict him again. This is a fantastic case of justice being served. I find it disgusting that the State of Missouri spent so much energy trying to execute this man even when it was obvious that he did not commit the crime. It's also a nice belated slap to the face of John Ashcroft, who decided to oppose Amrine's appeals even after the evidence fell apart. The three judges who ruled against Amrine are all Republicans. They did not all agree that he should be executed, but wanted a new review of the evidence. You can read the decision of the court at this location. More information is also available at these locations:

Dead Man Walking Home

Professor's film may free inmate

108th death row conviction overturned

Man...looks forward to freedom

The sad footnote to this story is that the man who most likely was the killer, killed another man a year later. That man died due to the state of Missouri persuing a case against an innocent man...mj

Wed, 30 Apr 2003 04:37:07 GMT

Saddam's mouthpiece 'seeks surrender'
Former Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf is attempting to surrender to US forces, according to a London-based Arabic newspaper. But Al-Sharq al-Awsat says the Americans have refused to arrest Mr Sahhaf - who became a familiar face during the war with his upbeat assessments of Iraqi military "successes" - because he does not appear on their "most wanted" list of 55 former regime officials. An Iraqi Kurdish official told the newspaper that Mr Sahhaf was staying at his aunt's house in Baghdad, and was under surveillance by US forces. He said the former minister was still trying to negotiate his arrest, fearing for his safety in the Iraqi capital...more [BBC News] This is just too damn funny. He was such a clown that we don't feel like arresting him. Kinda sad if you think about it...mj

Fri, 25 Apr 2003 17:09:53 GMT

Little Enrons [morons]
Not everyone is a Fastow, or in charge of Qwest. Not all business people are brazen enough to commit criminal acts on the scale they did. Take the story of L90, a once booming (well perhaps booming) internet advertising company. It's actually funny to imagine these people sitting around planning this. Proving once against hat the vast majority of criminals are idiots...mj

Thu, 17 Apr 2003 22:09:49 GMT

Reality and other things
I got the apartment. So now the packing starts, then the big move. I hate moving, but this one will be interesting. It's the most compact move I will have made in more then 14 years. I have all my stuff paired down, and it should be pretty straight forward compared to some of the moves I have done. Kelley Properties agreed to give me back half my deposit and all of my last months rent. The other half of the deposit comes after I move out. What is sad is the effort that had to occur to get them to do the right thing. Typical business, they tried to hide behind the law instead of just doing it in the first place. Why is it that so few seem to be able to just step to the plate and do the right thing? So much anger and frustration could be avoided by such a small amount of effort. I heard a great one today. Some guy was hunting in Africa and shot a Lion. The Lion didn't die and mauled him. So he's taking the bullet manufacturer to court for the bullets failure to bring the Lion down. This will end up as one of the Tort Reform people's examples of how things are screwed up. I agree that this guy is a moron, but it's a filed lawsuit, not a winner. The courts will kill the suit. This is a good argument for judges to have the right to impose fines on people who file silly lawsuits. It should require a panel of judges to agree to do that...mj

Tue, 15 Apr 2003 21:13:23 GMT

Reel Life Intrudes...
It has been an interesting month. For the first time in a long time I feel like I am going to get a job soon. I want one bad, something I did not feel a year ago. I feel more centered. Calm in the storm, I want to find a path that takes me to new adventures. Chaos only intrudes, it does not control, and perhaps that's the best sign of all. My chaos right now is the attempt to find a new apartment. My complex was bought by a company called Kelly Properties. They did inspections right after the ownership change. On the eighth of this month I was told that I had to move by the end of the month. They are going to boot all the tenants so they can remodel, and raise rents by up to 33%. Of course they are hiding behind the law, and doing the absolute minimum. They even tried to not let anyone else in the complex know what was happening. So little effort and this could have been a much more peaceful transition. Instead they are forcing out single mothers, the unemployed, the elderly, and pet owners. They may have hidden behind the law, but they have displayed all too typical business ethics (none). All they had to do was give more notice, be upfront about their intentions, and offer help in finding new apartments. An offer of as little as $100 for moving expenses would have been a good move. Instead we argue with them over details, and may now try to bring in the press. I have found a place to move to, but others may not be as lucky. It doesn't need to be this way, but as long as we refuse to consider the impact of our actions, these kinds of stories will continue. It is this kind of mentality that allowed a company like Enron to rape the ratepayers of California..mj

Mon, 14 Apr 2003 09:10:41 GMT

Microsoft limits XML in Office 2003
A distinction that Microsoft is making between professional and standard versions of Office 2003 means that many customers may not get all the features they've been expecting, including broad support for Web services. For more than a year, Microsoft has touted Office 2003's support for Extensible Markup Language (XML), a highly anticipated new feature of the productivity suite. But Microsoft now plans to fully deliver the feature only in the two high-end versions of the product, one of which will be available only to businesses subscribing to Microsoft's volume-licensing program...more [CNET] The Microsoft response to this story as presented by new PR flak, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, former Iraqi Minister of Information (currently on administrative leave, and loaned to Microsoft).

"Lying is forbidden in Microsoft. Bill Gates will tolerate nothing but truthfulness as he is a man of great honor and integrity. Everyone is encouraged to speak freely of the truths evidenced in their eyes and hearts. Their failure in regard to Open Source is abysmal. They want to tell the world changes thought - as a matter of fact, they do not respect the world, they want to tell customers and the public to keep them deceived. May they be accursed. Any advances made by Open Source are simply those that we allow. It is all a clever trap to lure them to the crushing vise of our monopoly, I can assure you that there are no servers running this Linux. We're going to drag the drunken junkie nose of Torvalds through the OS desert, him and his follower dogs Sun and IBM...There are 26 million Bill Gates in Redmond! By Bill Gates, I think these things are rather very unlikely. This is merely Open Source prattle. The fact is that as soon as they reach Redmond's gates, we will besiege them and slaughter them....Wherever they go they will find themselves encircled. May the body of Torvalds rot in the street and be eaten by dogs. They spew lies to say there are servers running this Linux. I will show you. You will see that this was all a lie. I will take you there and show you. IN ONE HOUR! Gates willing we will slaughter them. The computer press is all about lies! All they tell is lies, lies and more lies! Steve Ballmer will roast their stomachs in hell at the hands of our monopoly. We will embroil Open Standards, confuse them and keep them in the standards quagmire. They have begun to tell more lies so that they might continue with the perpetration of their migrations. The Open Source supporters are committing suicide by the hundreds on the gates of Redmond. Be assured, our monopoly is safe, protected. Let the Linux infidels bask in their illusion, because we will behead you all. Microsoft will not be defeated. Windows has now already achieved victory - apart from some technicalities"...mj

Thu, 03 Apr 2003 09:21:16 GMT

Chicken...
There was a stink in Seattle yesterday when the Seattle P-I ran a story that was originally titled "As brave as those who fight". Read the story of Stephan Funk who deserted and then turned himself in claiming conscientious objector status. He should no get to spend some lengthy time in a military stockade for being stupid. If he had not deserted he'd have a case. The other problem is that all recruits have to sign a statement that they understand that joining means they may be activated, or posted to a combat environment. Funk went AWOL for 47 days before he turned himself in. I don't think the word brave needs to be anywhere near this young man. When you join the military you take a job where you may be ordered to die. You also have a good chance to be given orders to kill. It's part of the job. Anyone not aware of that is an idiot, or hopes he/she will be lucky. Beruit, Grenada, Panama, Gulf War 1, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Gulf War 2 (what did I miss?), all since the middle 80's. You would have to be asleep to not notice that we have killed and been killed in many lands. My favorite line in the article: "The notion that as a Marine he would be expected to kill people somehow escaped...Stephen Funk when he...enlisted in the Reserves." I just wonder where he was when the brains got handed out. For the P-I to describe him as brave is an insult to all the men and women in combat right now. He's just nothing more then a scared young man, who failed to understand the commitment and responsibility of what it means to be in the military...mj

Thu, 27 Mar 2003 19:40:02 GMT

Palestinians urge Saddam to attack Israel
Thousands of Palestinians have marched to protest about the war in Iraq and urged Saddam Hussein to strike Israel with chemical weapons.

In the West Bank towns of Tulkarem and Tubas, nearly 4,000 Palestinians marched through the streets, holding posters of Saddam and waving Iraqi flags. They stomped over Israeli and US flags placed on the ground.

"Strike, strike Tel Aviv with chemicals," the crowds chanted in both towns. "Bush, the little one, you are a coward. The land of Iraq is not for you."...more [Ananova]

The level of stupidity among the Palestinians on the street is amazing. These are the people who cheered the events of 9/11, and the same people who screwed their own relations with Arab states by supporting Saddam in the first Gulf War. They may say that Jews have a persecution complex, but Palestinians are unique in their on-going efforts to be persecuted.

So let's say that Saddam did manage to do such a thing, and it actually managed to kill a bunch of people. First of all, with the accuracy of his missiles, Saddam is just as likely to hit Gaza, as he is to hit Tel Aviv. If he did chemical weapons, the Europeans would would drop their opposition to the war in a heartbeat (France has already said so). It is possible that Israel would respond by dropping a nuke on Baghdad. The next thing they would do is solve their Palestinian problem by simply driving them all out of Israel, and the occupied territories. If the surrounding Arab states attacked, they would lose the war, just like they have every war since the birth of Israel.

I support the creation of a Palestinian state, but not one prone to mindless acts of stupidity. I can not support one that expends so much energy killing woman and children, and calls the murderers "Martyrs". This kind of stupidity does nothing to help their cause. The only hope they have is to convince Israel, and the USA that they really do want peaceful coexistence. Until that happens, they will continue to suffer from their own self inflicted wounds...mj

Tue, 25 Mar 2003 21:00:19 GMT

To be young, dumb, drunk, and horny!
It's party time in Cancun -- a little war isn't going to get in the way. I love the gator story. I wonder what the parents will think when they see the picture of their daughter. The party must go on...mj

Tue, 25 Mar 2003 09:03:00 GMT

Please Saddam, do it!
The story is out that Saddam has authorized the Republican guard to use chemical weapons if we get to close to Baghdad. All I can say is please do it! Nothing would help the US and British more then this. It would justify every concern that was denied by the French, Germans, and Russians in their desperation to protect the money they made doing business with Iraq. It would prove that Saddam was lying, and that the invasion was the right things to do. On another front. I never agreed with how we got to this point, but I think protesting the war at this point is useless, and only serves to provide moral support for Saddam. If the war does not go well, if it drags on, then there would be a reason. I also want to applaud the morons I saw on TV last night with a 5 year old kid crying it's head off as they dragged to a protest. Think for a moment, what happens if the protest turns violent, what if the child gets hurt? The other good one was people arrested in San Francisco who complained about conditions in Jail. DUH, it's jail, it's not supposed to be fun. Blocking streets during rush hour is not a way to attract support...mj

Sat, 15 Mar 2003 22:46:28 GMT

Dems: Bush, GOP need to fix U.S. economy
As the world's focus remains on the possibility of war with Iraq, the Democratic Party on Saturday urged the Republican-led Congress and the Bush administration to concentrate on the country's "stagnating economy." "These are challenging times for all Americans. We face the specter of war abroad and a steady stream of bad economic news at home," Rep. Robert Matsui of California said in the Democrats' radio address. ...more [CNN] Great speech this week. It really does point out the insanity of the Bush economic plan, which basically amounts to tax cuts for the rich, and breaks for cronies in business. Nothing in this does the poor, or middle class any favors. Instead it hands us more deficits to impact future interest rates, and our future economy. The Republicans have become the spend and tax-cut party of the rich. Democrats might be criticized for their support for welfare for the poor, but the Republicans have become the part of "Welfare For The Rich". Which is worse, which is morally and ethically challenged? Regardless of scandals and all, at least Clinton wasn't ripping off the American public. At least the Kennedy's believe that the rich have a responsibility back to the masses. Who in their right mind can support this kind of Bush nonsense?!..mj

Thu, 06 Mar 2003 01:12:42 GMT

'Peace' T-shirt gets man arrested
A lawyer was arrested late Monday and charged with trespassing at a public mall in the state of New York after refusing to take off a T-shirt advocating peace that he had just purchased at the mall. According to the criminal complaint filed Monday, Stephen Downs was wearing a T-shirt bearing the words 'Give Peace A Chance' that he had just purchased from a vendor inside the Crossgates Mall in Guilderland, New York, near Albany...more [CNN] Morons, idiots, and fools, never argue with them, it will only bring you down to their level, and they have a lot more practice at it. You can say that by the law he was wrong, but it would make a case test the limits of Free Speech in a public space that is privately owned. Doing this to a lawyer just adds to the stupidity level. I wonder if for one moment the people involved even stopped to think how stupid this was. It reminds me of the company down in Florida that briefly enforced it's rules regarding decorations, when in the aftermath of 9/11, it's employees started putting up flags around their desk. It took them a day, but they came to their senses, I can only hope that these people do to. A good way to make the point would be to hold a peace march that end at the main entrance of the Mall. Would they be stupid enough to have the protesters arrested? My bet so far is Yes!...mj

Fri, 28 Feb 2003 18:26:10 GMT

Group blasts PETA 'Holocaust' project
The Anti-Defamation League has denounced a campaign by an animal rights group that compares slaughtering animals to the murder of 6 million Jews in World War II. The graphic campaign and exhibit "Holocaust on Your Plate," devised by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, juxtaposes 60-square-foot panels displaying gruesome scenes from Nazi death camps side by side with disturbing photographs from factory farms and slaughterhouses. One shows a starving man in a concentration camp next to a starving cow...more [CNN] This is a good example of how a group can do more to dmage their cause, then help. To make the comparison between the intentional slaughter of a whole population; based on ethnicity, to the production of animals for food, is simply bizarre and obscene. There is no connection, and there can be no connection. The two simply do not equate. That said, I do think that over time we will see a reduction in the use of animals as food. But, do you really expect that a society that executes people, is going to be bothered about slaughtering animals for food? Get real...mj

Sun, 09 Feb 2003 05:07:35 GMT

Doug Landry needs to apologize
I am just sick to my stomach. I was surfing tonight when I ran across a story that simply has me steamed. The insensitive actions of a Mac Rumor site has cost a young man his job with Apple. You can find out more by reading this story. Then take a gander at the forum postings reacting to the story. You can also find out more by reading the victims blog. I am just sick to my stomach. I have deleted my bookmark to the site that posted the information. I will not provide a link to that site. The image you see is of the story (the only thing I did was to remove any ads and blur the site title). Click on it and you will see a full size image of the story that may have cost Adam his job. A job he had passion for and loved. A job he respected so much, and now it's gone due to the negligence and ignorance of an amatuer journalist named Doug Landry. I am just sick to my stomach. Even if he was going to post the images (which Adam exposed in error), the least that Landry could have done is move them to a different location and not say where he got them. Instead, in a fine example of stupid amateur journalism, Landry post a direct link, names the source, and then works hard to maintain the link when Adam moves the screenshots. Then he refuses to respond to emails from Adam. I am just sick to my stomach. Yes Adam should not have made the dumb mistake of exposing the files. We all make dumb mistakes. Apple should give Adam his job back, and Doug Landry should publicly apologize for his part of this fiasco. Landry owes Adam, his readers, and Apple and apology for the damage he has done. I am just sick to my stomach...mj (update 10:27 pacific, Doug Landry responded to my email claiming that he only posted his story when he found out Apple had already been notified. This does not change the fact that Landry should never have posted Adams name, or the information in the first place. If Landry had not posted it is possible this might have been nothing more then a minor write up in Adam's personal file. Instead, Adam lost his job.)

Tue, 21 Jan 2003 17:25:55 GMT

Things that do not compute...
I find it strange to get spam asking me to buy a program that stops pop-up ads. If pop-ups irritate me enough to want to get rid of them, then why would I want spam? I put that next the the 'Certified' letter I got last week. It said it had important forms, and if someone other then me opened it, they could get fined and spend time with a bunkmate named 'Tiny'. I opened it, and it turned out to be an ad for a car sale. If you lie to me to get my attention, or business, then why would I think that you would be honest in our other dealings? Either marketing people are stupid, or they think we are...mj

Thu, 16 Jan 2003 22:04:23 GMT

Say what??
Look down this list of headlines and see if you are as confused as me?

"Apple Loses Money but Grows Revenue"
"Apple still in the red with S$14m [US$8 million] net losses"
"Apple Has Ambitious Plans for 2003"
"Apple pleases the market"
"Apple rises after Q1 report"
"Apple Expects to Shake Off Slowdown: Despite an $8-million loss in first quarter, PC maker says it will keep pushing new products."
"Apple Projects 2nd-Quarter Profit But Vows to Keep Spending"
"Yahoo!, Apple hit targets, still cautious on recovery: Analyst expectations met"
"Apple Matches Forecast"
"Rays of hope for technology - Apple Computer: Second straight loss for Cupertino Mac-maker" (this one really confused me)
"Apple Posts Second Straight Quarterly Loss"
"More losses on Apple's R&D drive"
"Apple Posts Loss on Weaker-Than-Expected Revenue"
"Apple posts another quarterly deficit"
"AAPL Reports Q1 EPS 3c vs 3c Est., Excluding Charges"
"Banc of America Securities still not biting on Apple in notes"
"Apple says Q1 profits eaten away"
"Apple Computer 'neutral' reiterated"
"Needham Cuts Apple Computer To Hold From Buy"
"Slump hits Power Mac sales"
"Apple Q1 loss 'won't slow innovation'"
"Apple's Small Loss is $8 million in Q1 '03"
"Apple posts net loss of $8 million"
"Warburg reiterates 'buy' rating for AAPL"
"Analysts revise Apple estimates"
"Apple downgraded by Needham & Co.

So just what is the truth?...mj

Fri, 27 Dec 2002 09:44:38 GMT

Lincoln statue stirs controversy...
Abraham Lincoln is returning to the capital of the Confederacy, much to the chagrin of the Sons of Confederate Veterans... ...The Sons of Confederate Veterans view the Lincoln statue as "a slap in the face of a lot of brave men and women who went through four years of unbelievable hell fighting an invasion of Virginia led by President Lincoln," Brag Bowling, the SCV Virginia commander, said Thursday. The group had only recently learned of the statue, and had no immediate plans to protest...more [CNN] Someone needs to explain to Mr. Bowling that the Civil War ended over 135 years ago, and his side lost. The "brave men and women...fighting an invasion of Virginia", were in fact fighting to preserve slavery. You can try to white-wash the issue and claim it was about State's Rights, you can claim it was about anything, but it was all about slavery, and preserving the plantation lifestyle. Reading this moronic comment within days of Trent Lott losing his position, only serves to reinforce the image of many Southerners as closet racist, still trying to win the Civil War and wishing that segregation was still the law...mj

Tue, 24 Dec 2002 01:15:08 GMT

'Hiding Your Money' author indicted
The author of "Hiding Your Money" and his lawyer-partner were indicted for helping wealthy Americans buy shares of defunct offshore banks to avoid paying income taxes...more [CNN] Bad Idea: Write a book where you explain how to rip off the IRS. At the very least, DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR OWN ADVICE! It's one thing to tell people to be stupid, it's another to do it yourself...mj