It is cold as duck outside. I don't know why I'm saying 'duck' instead of the other word that rhymes with 'duck'. I went out this morning, determined to get my runner wings back. I put on long sleeves and pants, since I knew it was cold, but boy was it cold. 26 degrees Fahren, with 12 mile per hour winds. The cold I can handle, the wind makes it feel like someone is stabbing me with cold knives. Anyway, Yazhi and I braved it for a measly 2 miles, about half of which I walked. The breathing is the toughest I think. After having not run for.. a number of months, I hate being totally winded after just a hundred yards. But here's to trying to be back on the wagon.
In other news, I had a successful birthday, in the way that birthdays are deemed successful: I am still alive, I ate good food, I had good times. Friday evening found the lot of us at El Patron for food and Margaritas. I consumed margaritas until I was no longer able to reliable hold up my end of intelligent conversation, then my friends found a mariachi band, who sang, and then I got whip cream right in the face. It was good stuff. We left there, eventually, went to the other Williams' place for a few minutes to gather ourselves, then on to Memphis to hang out with the Youngers. I think we made it back to Southaven by 3AM and crashed at the other Williams' place, since we were simply to birthday'd out to drive on back to our place. Thanks to my friends for their terrific company. I could not have asked for a more fantastic time.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Ban on Coffin Photos
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/04/23/iraq/main613301.shtml
I'd just like to know how this works.
What mechanism allows the President to ban the media from displaying the coffins of military service-people? I know this is not a George W. invention, but I'm very irritated that this is happening. Mostly because we live in a country that features pretty wide-ranging freedom of the media. Its sometimes a bad thing, but I can think of only very little good, and alot of negative regarding the ban on coffin photos. I certainly respect the rights of the families of the dead, but I don't think that photographs of flag draped coffins infringe on those rights. Rather, I think that we have the right, as the public, to see the cost of our foreign policy.
But wait, I got sidetracked, there are two issues here - privacy for the families of the deceased is one, but the other is how does the President get to decide what we see photographs of? This is just one thing, but what about when we can't see photographs of the anit-war demonstrations?
I'd just like to know how this works.
What mechanism allows the President to ban the media from displaying the coffins of military service-people? I know this is not a George W. invention, but I'm very irritated that this is happening. Mostly because we live in a country that features pretty wide-ranging freedom of the media. Its sometimes a bad thing, but I can think of only very little good, and alot of negative regarding the ban on coffin photos. I certainly respect the rights of the families of the dead, but I don't think that photographs of flag draped coffins infringe on those rights. Rather, I think that we have the right, as the public, to see the cost of our foreign policy.
But wait, I got sidetracked, there are two issues here - privacy for the families of the deceased is one, but the other is how does the President get to decide what we see photographs of? This is just one thing, but what about when we can't see photographs of the anit-war demonstrations?
Miscommunicated prophecy
"Prophecy Rule. Any ancient prophecies are always correct. Also, if they mention Chosen Ones who will save the world, the players will be it." taken from here.
Ok, so it would entertaining to run a game in which the players are witness to a prophesy, and either misunderstand it, or the prophet is just dead wrong. The players of course need to be in on the joke, otherwise its just the DM being clever and the players being angry, but the game consists of their (mis)adventures, trying to complete this misunderstood quest, or perhaps even trying to race the real Chosen Ones to the Amulet of Doom or whatever.
Imagine if you will a group of dwarves thrown into the Lord of the Rings saga who believe that it is their destiny to deliver the ring that Grandma Stone-beard gave them into Mount Doom.
(tone: dark comedy)
Ok, so it would entertaining to run a game in which the players are witness to a prophesy, and either misunderstand it, or the prophet is just dead wrong. The players of course need to be in on the joke, otherwise its just the DM being clever and the players being angry, but the game consists of their (mis)adventures, trying to complete this misunderstood quest, or perhaps even trying to race the real Chosen Ones to the Amulet of Doom or whatever.
Imagine if you will a group of dwarves thrown into the Lord of the Rings saga who believe that it is their destiny to deliver the ring that Grandma Stone-beard gave them into Mount Doom.
(tone: dark comedy)
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
at least I have a moral compass
I had an odd encounter today.
While fixing a computer, I found myself physically in the middle of a conversation regarding politics and religion.
Three or four people began discussing how Barak Obama would never get elected President, simply based on his name. It then went to how Hilary Clinton was smirking during the State of the Union address, and to how the differences in Congressional reception to the address: Republicans standing and clapping, and Democrats sitting passively, how these differences were showing weakness to the world, and making us seem divided, and making fools of the American people. Then there was some discussion about how they couldn't believe that "liberals" believed as they did. All of this conversation transpired within just four minutes or so. I sat quietly, attempting (unsuccessfully) to add a Windows XP Home Edition workstation to our domain. I was unsuccessful in my technical effort, since XP Home Edition sucks and cannot be a part of a domain. However I did a stellar job of just staring at the screen and silently being horrified at the conversation. Finally it began winding down, they mentioned Obama being schooled at a Wahhabist muslim school, and how Wahhabism is the sect that all the terrorist have come from. And then quickly to "this country was founded as one nation under God!" (emphasis theirs) (btw I feel compelled to point out that this is incorrect *smug*). They bashed a little on Jehova's Witnesses, who refused to salute the flag, etc, etc. Suddenly I was noticed (sitting literally in the middle of the conversation, as the participants stood nearby or sat in their desk chairs), and someone observed that they didn't know what religion I was, and they might be "putting [their] foot in [their] mouth". Despite the obvious question in the air, I continued to silently glare at the computer, willing it to join the domain. The crowd then scattered, but the woman in the cube next to me went ahead and asked, "So what religion are you?".
Let me pause here. Without giving you a long, boring story about my religious upbringing and growth and eventually disillusionment, blah blah blah, I am an athiest from a strong christian background. I do not frequently discuss religion (or lack thereof). Even with close friends, we all know where each other is coming from, and we're all largely on the same page, or at least willing to respect each others opinions. But still, we generally don't talk faith. I certainly don't talk faith with either of my parents. My step-mother enjoys gospel music loud enough to hurt your ears, and I only barely turned my mother down to go with her to a Christmas Eve church service. Now that I think about it more, I'm perfectly content with my parents having false assumptions about my faith- at very least leaving it really vague.
Anyway, I told her that I abstained. "You what?", "I'm not really a church-going kind of guy." Yeah, okay, I was uncomfortable with the question. Which is totally weird, and I immediately thought of all the emails that my dad sends me, about how persecuted Christians are in the US of A. She asked if I was an athiest, and I responded that yes, I am an athiest. She nodded her head, and looked away from me, sortof toward her computer screen, and didn't look at me again, and told me that when she was serving in the Air Force in Iraq, how there was a guy she served with who was really nice, and super kind to everyone, and he'd revealed that he was an athiest, and how that didn't change her opinion of him, and how he had a moral code he lived by, and how she was cool with him being an athiest but that she'd pray for him, etc etc. Two things were really funny/weird to me, one was that she was obviously was uncomfortable with my lack of faith, and two was that I inferred from her conversation that she was shocked that a nice person was an athiest, and how would he function without a moral compass, but that he somehow managed to not kill babies anyway.
Then I came up with a work around for the domain issue, while she worked on her stuff, and we sat and worked silently. And that was it.
So it was just weird.
While fixing a computer, I found myself physically in the middle of a conversation regarding politics and religion.
Three or four people began discussing how Barak Obama would never get elected President, simply based on his name. It then went to how Hilary Clinton was smirking during the State of the Union address, and to how the differences in Congressional reception to the address: Republicans standing and clapping, and Democrats sitting passively, how these differences were showing weakness to the world, and making us seem divided, and making fools of the American people. Then there was some discussion about how they couldn't believe that "liberals" believed as they did. All of this conversation transpired within just four minutes or so. I sat quietly, attempting (unsuccessfully) to add a Windows XP Home Edition workstation to our domain. I was unsuccessful in my technical effort, since XP Home Edition sucks and cannot be a part of a domain. However I did a stellar job of just staring at the screen and silently being horrified at the conversation. Finally it began winding down, they mentioned Obama being schooled at a Wahhabist muslim school, and how Wahhabism is the sect that all the terrorist have come from. And then quickly to "this country was founded as one nation under God!" (emphasis theirs) (btw I feel compelled to point out that this is incorrect *smug*). They bashed a little on Jehova's Witnesses, who refused to salute the flag, etc, etc. Suddenly I was noticed (sitting literally in the middle of the conversation, as the participants stood nearby or sat in their desk chairs), and someone observed that they didn't know what religion I was, and they might be "putting [their] foot in [their] mouth". Despite the obvious question in the air, I continued to silently glare at the computer, willing it to join the domain. The crowd then scattered, but the woman in the cube next to me went ahead and asked, "So what religion are you?".
Let me pause here. Without giving you a long, boring story about my religious upbringing and growth and eventually disillusionment, blah blah blah, I am an athiest from a strong christian background. I do not frequently discuss religion (or lack thereof). Even with close friends, we all know where each other is coming from, and we're all largely on the same page, or at least willing to respect each others opinions. But still, we generally don't talk faith. I certainly don't talk faith with either of my parents. My step-mother enjoys gospel music loud enough to hurt your ears, and I only barely turned my mother down to go with her to a Christmas Eve church service. Now that I think about it more, I'm perfectly content with my parents having false assumptions about my faith- at very least leaving it really vague.
Anyway, I told her that I abstained. "You what?", "I'm not really a church-going kind of guy." Yeah, okay, I was uncomfortable with the question. Which is totally weird, and I immediately thought of all the emails that my dad sends me, about how persecuted Christians are in the US of A. She asked if I was an athiest, and I responded that yes, I am an athiest. She nodded her head, and looked away from me, sortof toward her computer screen, and didn't look at me again, and told me that when she was serving in the Air Force in Iraq, how there was a guy she served with who was really nice, and super kind to everyone, and he'd revealed that he was an athiest, and how that didn't change her opinion of him, and how he had a moral code he lived by, and how she was cool with him being an athiest but that she'd pray for him, etc etc. Two things were really funny/weird to me, one was that she was obviously was uncomfortable with my lack of faith, and two was that I inferred from her conversation that she was shocked that a nice person was an athiest, and how would he function without a moral compass, but that he somehow managed to not kill babies anyway.
Then I came up with a work around for the domain issue, while she worked on her stuff, and we sat and worked silently. And that was it.
So it was just weird.
419
From: drabdu_samu60@xxxxx.xxx
To: me
Subject: URGENT REPLY
DR ABDU SAMU
The Manager of Audit & Accountancy Dept.
African Development Bank/A.D.B.
Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso.
( READ CAREFULLY AND KEEP SECRET)
Greeting, and how are you doing?I hope fine.Please let this my message do
not be a surprise to you because i got your information and lay trust in you
before i contacted you.I am the MANAGER OF AUDIT & ACCOUNTANCY DEPARTMENT of
our bank and i decided to contact you over this financial transaction worth
the sum of TWENTY TWO MILLION,THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS
($22,300,000.00).This is an abandoned fund that belongs to the one of our
bank foreign customers who died along with his completely family on 25th
oct,2002 in a plane crash disaster.
I was very fortune to came acroos the deceased file when i was arranging the
old and abandoned customers files of 2004-2005 in other to submit to the
bank managements accordingly for documentation purposes.It is clearly stated
in our BANKING FOREIGN POLICY and signed lawfully that if such fund remains
unclaimed by the NEXT OF KIN till the period of Eight(8) years starting from
the date when the beneficiary died, the money will be transferred into the
BANK TREASURY as an unclaimed fund.Besides,it is not authorized by the law
guiding our bank for a citizen of BURKINA FASO to make the claim of the
fund.
So the request of you as a foreigner is necessary to apply for the claim and
transfer of the fund smoothly into your reliable bank account as the NEXT OF
KIN to the deceased.When the fund is transferred into your account,FOURTY
PERCENT(40%) will be for you in an assistance and in provision of the bank
account,while SIXTY PERCENT (60%) will be for me. If you are really sure of
your integerity, trustworthy and confidentiality,reply with your contact
necessary for the transfer and call me as you so that i will let you know
the steps to follow in order to finalize this transaction immediately.I will
be waiting for your urgent reply.
My regards to you and your family,
DR ABDU SAMU
* Advanced Fee Fraud
* Scam baiting
* 419 eater
To: me
Subject: URGENT REPLY
DR ABDU SAMU
The Manager of Audit & Accountancy Dept.
African Development Bank/A.D.B.
Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso.
( READ CAREFULLY AND KEEP SECRET)
Greeting, and how are you doing?I hope fine.Please let this my message do
not be a surprise to you because i got your information and lay trust in you
before i contacted you.I am the MANAGER OF AUDIT & ACCOUNTANCY DEPARTMENT of
our bank and i decided to contact you over this financial transaction worth
the sum of TWENTY TWO MILLION,THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS
($22,300,000.00).This is an abandoned fund that belongs to the one of our
bank foreign customers who died along with his completely family on 25th
oct,2002 in a plane crash disaster.
I was very fortune to came acroos the deceased file when i was arranging the
old and abandoned customers files of 2004-2005 in other to submit to the
bank managements accordingly for documentation purposes.It is clearly stated
in our BANKING FOREIGN POLICY and signed lawfully that if such fund remains
unclaimed by the NEXT OF KIN till the period of Eight(8) years starting from
the date when the beneficiary died, the money will be transferred into the
BANK TREASURY as an unclaimed fund.Besides,it is not authorized by the law
guiding our bank for a citizen of BURKINA FASO to make the claim of the
fund.
So the request of you as a foreigner is necessary to apply for the claim and
transfer of the fund smoothly into your reliable bank account as the NEXT OF
KIN to the deceased.When the fund is transferred into your account,FOURTY
PERCENT(40%) will be for you in an assistance and in provision of the bank
account,while SIXTY PERCENT (60%) will be for me. If you are really sure of
your integerity, trustworthy and confidentiality,reply with your contact
necessary for the transfer and call me as you so that i will let you know
the steps to follow in order to finalize this transaction immediately.I will
be waiting for your urgent reply.
My regards to you and your family,
DR ABDU SAMU
* Advanced Fee Fraud
* Scam baiting
* 419 eater
Pan's Labyrinthe
Went and saw it the end of last week, and it was fantastic.
Loved the darkness, the violence, the bleak melancholy, and the brightness of her hope.
Observations of an almost-31-year-old
I've never been very intimidated about the prospect of growing older. Through my twenties, each birthday came and went without me being concerned about being older. I didn't feel any older.
But I'm a little intimidated by birthday # 31. I haven't been "in my twenties" for a year now, and when I think about it, I think I miss it a little. Not that there was anything that I had or did not have in my twenties, that I am now correspondingly bereft of or possessing. Its more of a title I suppose. Itmeans I'm still meant I was a spring chicken, instead of being easily old enough to be the father of an elementary school student.
I think this one bothers me because I do feel a little older. And I look a little older. It seems as though I woke up after my 30th birthday and noticed dark circles under my eyes. Like, I'd never had/never noticed such a thing about myself before, certainly not consistently. But now it seems as though every morning, whether I got a full restful night's sleep or not, I've got dark bags under my eyes. And my hands cramp from time to time. Not frequently, in fact, rarely. But sometimes. Usually I think its either a vitamin thing or a tiredness thing. When I'm running regularly, I notice that if I try to do things requiring fine manipulation etc, my hands will sometimes cramp, but its happened a few times seemingly spontaneously. And my friends tell me that I've got gray hairs. Yknow, I've wondered, if I went bald, or went gray, would I do hair-growth-stuff, or dye my hair? I've certainly dyed my hair before, but its been for entertainment purposes only, not to hide my graying hair.
So anyway, as you can see, I'm full of optimism on the eve of my 31st birthday. I can say that I am looking forward to El Patron on friday night for some Chicken Quesidilas and Margaritas, and a movie or two on Saturday. We've been planning to see Smokin' Aces, though I'm a little anxious now, cause its got a 33% on Rottentomatoes. I'd also really like to see either Curse of the Golden Flower or Letters from Iwo Jima this weekend.
But I'm a little intimidated by birthday # 31. I haven't been "in my twenties" for a year now, and when I think about it, I think I miss it a little. Not that there was anything that I had or did not have in my twenties, that I am now correspondingly bereft of or possessing. Its more of a title I suppose. It
I think this one bothers me because I do feel a little older. And I look a little older. It seems as though I woke up after my 30th birthday and noticed dark circles under my eyes. Like, I'd never had/never noticed such a thing about myself before, certainly not consistently. But now it seems as though every morning, whether I got a full restful night's sleep or not, I've got dark bags under my eyes. And my hands cramp from time to time. Not frequently, in fact, rarely. But sometimes. Usually I think its either a vitamin thing or a tiredness thing. When I'm running regularly, I notice that if I try to do things requiring fine manipulation etc, my hands will sometimes cramp, but its happened a few times seemingly spontaneously. And my friends tell me that I've got gray hairs. Yknow, I've wondered, if I went bald, or went gray, would I do hair-growth-stuff, or dye my hair? I've certainly dyed my hair before, but its been for entertainment purposes only, not to hide my graying hair.
So anyway, as you can see, I'm full of optimism on the eve of my 31st birthday. I can say that I am looking forward to El Patron on friday night for some Chicken Quesidilas and Margaritas, and a movie or two on Saturday. We've been planning to see Smokin' Aces, though I'm a little anxious now, cause its got a 33% on Rottentomatoes. I'd also really like to see either Curse of the Golden Flower or Letters from Iwo Jima this weekend.
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