Open Tagging

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Tragedy of Errors - Microsoft's version of Dumb & Dumber (The Bill & Jerry Show)

-Ben Worthen in the Wall Street Journal said...

The next installment of Microsoft’s controversial ad campaign featuring Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates is out. And you know what? It’s pretty good.

My view is just slightly different - IT IS CRAP! (<- YouTube link, 4:30 of your life you will never get back. I only watched the first 30 seconds. So I didn't lose 4:00 minutes of my life.)

[Updated: After reading some of the comments offered by the readers I realize that whether this ad campaign is good or bad is irrelevant. Microsoft is running these ads for the same reason McCain nominated Palin; to garner media news cycles.]

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Open Enjoyment: Day by Day

There is a little link ... Day By Day ... (in the left hand column) Go hover over it.

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Open Wal-mart: The failing of extreme capitalism.

Did you ever notice that there is nothing really special at Wal-mart? In fact it is entirely possible that every Wal-mart store offers exactly the same things. Now while strong branding and uniformity of product is seen as a strong market position Wal-mart has taken this approach to the extreme. To their detriment as well.

Wal-mart employs a buy-low-sell-at-the-lowest-price-the-market-will-bear policy. Wal-mart, under the auspices of 'saving you money', is lowering the overall standard of product quality offered in favor of meager profit margins. Effectively Wal-mart has trained consumers to accept large volumes of low quality commodities.

Wal-mart marries this buy-low-sell-low practice with the understanding of the American consumers belief in one stop shopping. Once in the door the customer belongs to Wal-mart. Wal-mart, not the customer, decides what will be available to the purchasing public. Wal-mart is training their customers in what is an acceptable standard of living.

A side note worthy of mention is Wal-mart's practice of importing low cost, low quality goods in order to meet the lowered expectations of their well trained customers. Sadly, when the goods are imported American money leaves the country to pay the substandard wages of workers who have undercut the American job market. That's right, we have perpetuated our own worsening employment circumstances by allowing Wal-mart to flourish.

So, when facing the prospect of union representation for its employees Wal-mart quickly realizes that its extreme capitalism practices are built on a less than firm foundation. Wal-mart recognizes that its one real cost, the low wages it pays employees, cannot be outsourced. In order to continue to show the degree of profitability when having to pay union scale will mean that prices will have to rise.

This in turn will show their customers that in a truely competative market place that price vs. quality is the real value of the transaction. Simply offering the lowest priced lowest quality goods will quickly be seen for what it is - usuary profiteering of the worst order.

Wal-mart is affraid of unionization because it knows that Sam Walton's sand castle will crumble when the playing field is leveled.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Fortune (Stolen from Linux)

It now costs more to amuse a child than it once did to educate his father.

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Open Notice: A lie is still just a pig with lipstick.

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Open Lipstick on a McPig

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Nationalization: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Bush

Having no faith in free market economic forces the U.S. government nationalized Mae & Mac. American tax payers will be expected to pay "tens of billions of dollars" for the questionable business decisions made by real estate profiteers.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Noise, distraction and more NOISE

Executing the perfect political ploy John McCain has successfully introduced noise and distraction into an otherwise forgone conclusion of a presidential race. From the very moment of her theatrical introduction McCain's choice for a VP running mate has served to pull focus away from his short-comings. With one convenient PR brush stroke the American public is no longer worried about any of the real-life issues of the day. Mr. & Mrs. Joe and Jane Q. Public are now consumed with the tawdry details of Alaska's politico-soap opera starring an evangelical extremist and her family-values clan.

But wait, there's more ... I predict that the master of political wet-work will pull yet another grandiose theatrical rabbit out of the hat.

Imagine how the continuing discomfort of the Republicans grates on the party faithful. Imagine how this Alaskan albatross appears to continue the (Troopergate) slow (Bridge to Nowhere) death (Wasilla Pork Barrel) spiral of public opinion against McCain. Poor, poor put upon John.

Then, all of a sudden, Sara Palin has a change of heart. She claims she must honor God's plan, she must support family values and most of all she must uphold her sworn duty and responsibility to her beloved Alaska, she must, for the good of all Republicans everywhere, step aside.

Poor, poor John McCain. What is a fellow to do?

Quick, quick, have those signs printed that say "McCain & Lieberman". Rejoice, rejoice, the prodigal son returns.

Executing the perfect political ploy John McCain again successfully introduces MORE noise and MORE distraction into an otherwise forgone conclusion of a presidential race. From the very moment of his theatrical introduction McCain's choice for a VP running mate serves to pull focus away from his short-comings. With one convenient PR brush stroke the American public is no longer worried about any of the real-life issues of the day.

Republicans collectively heave a huge sigh of relief ...

[Ronnie Bennett: I apologize for not reading your link before going off on my rant - Palin as Political Distraction
From Sylvia Kirkwood of The View From Over the Hill : The Requirements of Liberty]

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Open Approval Ratings

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Open Message: Says it all

Jesus of Nazareth was a community organizer.
Pontius Pilate was a governor.

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Open Organizers

4 more years? No, we won't!

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Open alternative: The Correct Palin

Bush No Mas!

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Open Quote

Alaskans Speak (In A Frightened Whisper): Palin Is “Racist, Sexist, Vindictive, And Mean”

September 5, 2008

by Charley James –

“So Sambo beat the bitch!”

This is how Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin described Barack Obama’s win over Hillary Clinton to political colleagues in a restaurant a few days after Obama locked up the Democratic Party presidential nomination.

According to Lucille, the waitress serving her table at the time and who asked that her last name not be used, Gov. Palin was eating lunch with five or six people when the subject of the Democrat’s primary battle came up. The governor, seemingly not caring that people at nearby tables would likely hear her, uttered the slur and then laughed loudly as her meal mates joined in appreciatively.

“It was kind of disgusting,” Lucille, who is part Aboriginal, said in a phone interview after admitting that she is frightened of being discovered telling folks in the “lower 48” about life near the North Pole.

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Open Pain

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Open and honest assessment?

Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California ... because he thinks his constituency is 12-14 years of age???

Bush no mas!

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Open Speaking: Truth to Impotence

4 more years? No!

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Open Notable Quote

From Joho the Blog ...

I experienced the conv in another alienated way: Among Europeans, to whom SP looks like the ultimate US joke on itself.

[ SP = Sarah Palin ]

No amount of saber rattling or stamping of petite feet will overcome the stigma of buffoonery.

America can return to greatness only when it begins to act great. (This will include not insulting our or anyone else's intelligence.)

4 more years? No!

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Calendar Check

Regardless of who John McCain chooses for his running mate ... it would still be

4 More Years !?!?!

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Open Sky: Nikos' view

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Open Sky: One Future

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Open Collar, Green

This was borrowed from

Green Collar Blog

News and resources on green collar jobs

Green California Community Colleges Summit to Take Place October 8 - 9

On October 8 - 9, a conference entitled Green California Community Colleges Summit will take place at the Pasadena Convention Center. Some sessions at the conference will focus on themes relevant for green collar jobs, including "Educating the New Green Workforce" and "Meeting Current and Evolving Workforce Needs for the Green Economy."

For more information:

• Green California Community Colleges Summit - Home page
• Green California Community Colleges Summit - Registration

(Emphasis mine!)

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Questions

Daughter: Mom, can I have a beer?

Mother: No!

Daughter: Mom, can I have unprotected sex before I am married?

Mother: No!

Daughter: Well the Republican nominee for Vice President let her children... Why can't I?!?!?

Bringing new meaning to the phrase "Family Values" since August of 2008

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Open Retrospective: Part 1

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Open Green Jobs Opportunity

Excerpted from ...

It’s Getting Hot In Here

Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement

Reporting from the Big Tent in Denver

Published by janosmarton, August 25th, 2008 global warming

. . .
Oakland area activist Van Jones wastes no time getting to the heart of how clean energy can be sold as a pragmatic solution in the current political climate, and he does so by tipping his hat to everyone’s favorite capitalist, Adam Smith.
. . .
Van’s second great skill, as you may have gathered, is an oratorical eloquence that takes a somewhat stilted phrase- “green collar economy” – and keeps it lively until you’ve heard it out.
. . .
Van concluded that the first political step is to acknowledge that “government today is on the side of the problem, providing tax credits to polluters, the Pentagon and the prison system- we need to incentive the problem solvers who use the wind and the sun.” There is nothing radical here. For those in the activist community who have felt beaten back for so long, know that you aren’t just on the side of social responsibility and justice. You’re also on the side of common sense, any way you spin it.

Green Jobs Now!

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Hope, Open Change

It is my greatest hope and my worst fear that the United States of America will choose its next leader. As a staunch supporter of democracy I believe in the will of the people expressed in the electoral process. I recognize that the democratic process is essentially one of balance and compromise. I acknowledge that the will of the people, no matter how close or distant from my own, is the best democratic resolve. So in that closeness or distance lies both my greatest hopes and my worst fears.

Of my fellow country people I can make only one observation; we are fickle. As the election approaches self-interested power brokers will temporarily drive fuel (gas and heating) prices down toward the $3.25 range. My fellow Americans will all shout hoo-rah that prices are sooooo low - easily forgetting the BILLIONS of dollars of profits BIG Business has taken from our food budgets, from our prescription drug budgets, from our ever diminishing quality of life budgets.

PEW Research reports...

The vast majority of self-identified middle class workers (89% overall) are either completely or mostly satisfied with their job. These high levels of job satisfaction registered by virtually all types of workers demonstrate that worries about employment in the future doesn't translate directly into dissatisfaction with the current job. Among workers who are worried about job loss or cutbacks of benefits or wages, eight-in-ten report high job satisfaction. Variations in job satisfaction by demographic groups within the middle class are quite small. There is no real difference between male and female workers and few differences based on age. In terms of income, 81% of workers in families with incomes below $30,000 are satisfied with their jobs, as are 92% of those in families with incomes above $100,000. Finally, 89% of blacks express job satisfaction, while the figure is 90% for whites and 88% for Hispanics. Middle class workers are not unique in their high levels of job satisfaction: 91% of upper class workers are either completely or mostly satisfied with their jobs, as are 78% of lower class workers.

(Emphasis mine.)

"...worries about employment in the future doesn't translate directly into dissatisfaction with the current job." Truer words were never let slip by any professional politician, lawyer, snake oil sales person or the current president of the United States of America. Middle class Americans are ecstatic that they have any job at all right now - let alone one that might offer any additional satisfaction. In other words fickle America will be susceptible to political line: Don't threaten your current well being by voting for my opponent.

So there is a very real possibility that the democratic electoral process will prevail and that we will have 4 more years of fear. We will continue to have record unemployment. We will insist on sacrificing our national treasures - our sons and daughters as well as our pristine wilderness - to feed our addiction to oil.

All of that being said I am turning my attention and energies away from the current sound-bite battles between figure heads. Instead I will be lending my voice to WORKing alternatives. I believe that work, working responsibly is the way to make this country great. Responsible work means through personal initiative contributing to the health and welfare of this nation. Responsible work means not furthering the detrimental affects of those systems that brought us to this crisis. Responsible work allows responsible people to flourish.

Let responsibility beget responsibility.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Abhorrence : Alaska's dirty little secret

Alaska's dirty little secret... needs to be spread far and wide.

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Open Inquery: Is this image real or photochopped?

VPOTUS, I think not!

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Intrigue

What is John McCain to do?

Either Mrs. "Not-So-Plain-And-Simple" Sarah Palin is the heretofore unheard of Golden Child or ... she will likely be the last nail in McCain's coffin. Certainly the Republican party faithful have reservations about the possibility of elevating her to POTUS. Most assuredly the everyperson Republican cannot be so blinded by Mrs. Palin's glossy verneer as to not recognize a true political liability.

What McPains me the most is that the Republican party moved from the realm of historical venerability to a sordid adult version of video game buffoonery. How could McCain's handlers allowed such a monumental gaff? Or is this the kind of direction Leadership we can expect from the Republicans if by some miraculous turn of fate they actually attain the Oval Office.

I know that the next time I am assailed by my Republican acquaintances imploring me to reconsider my Obama stance I will have to do nothing more than whisper the name of McCain's venerable VP choice - and try not to laugh out loud.

So, what's a McCain to do?

What if "Troopergate" is the icing on Sarah's going-away cake? From under which stone will McCain's handlers try to pull another rabbit? Or perhaps, just perhaps wiser Republican heads will prevail and Romney or Pawlenty might be willing to be reconsidered. (Once burned, twice shy?)

What's a McCain to do?

Time to put on your Happy Face, polish up your rhetoric, stand by your choice... and face the music.

Or, you could... try and McExplain her away like a previous marriage and try again.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Assurance

I was asked, honestly, if I thought Jon Stewart or Robert Colbert were really Republicans?

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Open Assessment: "Its a pretty cool job..."

I am more frightened than I have ever been in my life, our country stands at the brink...

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Open Invite: For a good time call...

Anecdotal Evidence

A blog about the intersection of books and life.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

`Life is Not Like That'

. . .

Elizabeth Bishop reports a similar honesty and taste in her friend Marianne Moore:

“Sometimes we went to movies together, to Kon-Tiki twice, I recall. I never attempted to lure her to any dramatic or `artistic’ films. Since Dr. and Mrs. Sibley Watson were her dearest friends, she must have seen his early experimental films, such as Lot in Sodom. I heard the sad story of two young men, however, who when they discovered that she had never seen Eisenstein’s Potemkin insisted on taking her. There was a short before Potemkin, a Walt Disney film; this was when the Disney films still had charm and humor. After the movie they went to tea and Marianne talked at length and in detail about the ingenuity of the Disney film, and nothing more. Finally they asked her what she had thought of Potemkin. Her opinion was brief but conclusive: `Life,’ she said, `is not like that.’”

Thank you Patrick Kurp for wonderful and insightful Intersections of books and life.

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Open Conundrum: Sincerity or Parody?

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Open Clean Energy: We Deserve It!

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Open Suffering of fools gladly (?)

A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience.

-- John Updike

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Censure: Ladies Pro Goof Ass.

The New York Times reports...

Concerned about its appeal to sponsors, the women’s professional golf tour, which in recent years has been dominated by foreign-born players, has warned its members that they must become conversant in English by 2009 or face suspension.

Concerned about their share of the profits, never mind the integrity of the players.

“We live in a sports-entertainment environment,” said Libba Galloway, the deputy commissioner of the tour, the Ladies Professional Golf Association. “For an athlete to be successful today in the sports entertainment world we live in, they need to be great performers on and off the course, and being able to communicate effectively with sponsors and fans is a big part of this.

Never mind said athlete can play golf well.

“Being a U.S.-based tour, and with the majority of our fan base, pro-am contestants, sponsors and participants being English speaking, we think it is important for our players to effectively communicate in English.”

'We want to insure that those fur-iners stop beatin' us up and takin' our lunch money... Hellfire, iffen they cain't talk good English then I says they shou'n't be allowed ta play at all. Sheeeesh, cain't unnerstan a word they says.'

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Endorsement: Strange Bedfellows

Politics: the game where you start out cutting your opponent's throat and end up getting in bed with him.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Affirmation: Yes We Can!

Yes we can!

Those three words constitute the perfect campaign slogan. As a signature phrase it conveys a sense of optimism, unity and achievement. In its personal familiarity it resonates deeply. Its upbeat tone promotes a feeling of well being. As a firm assertion it carries the full weight and measure of a promises offered and kept.

It begins with the absolute affirmation, "Yes". This is the ultimate feel-good word. This is the word that we most want to hear. In its affirmation it gives permission by categorically refuting the implied historical put-down, "You can't do that." Permission in turn provides the ethical foundation for empowerment.

Literally, "We" are in the middle. "We" is the unifying element bringing everyone together. "We" can also be used self-referentially (the Royal "we") allowing individuals to be invested up-close-and-personal with positive empowerment. It should also be noted that from a political governance perspective "We" is shorthand for "We, the people, in order to form a more perfect union..."

"Can" is the very heart of promise. Simultaneously "can" denotes that we have knowledge, ability, power and that we have the right to use them. It implies that we are capable as well as suitably resourced or provisioned to meet the coming challenge. In this instance "can" is used as a synonym for "may". The more proper "may" gives us (we) formal permission to aspire and achieve.

Yes we can!

However, it promises everything and delivers nothing.

We feel good, we have the ability and we have permission. To do what?

Yes I will!

Yes I will accept personal responsibility for...
improving my health
improving my diet
reducing my carbon foot print

Yes I will affect positive change in my community.

Yes I will vote for Barack Obama.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
I am William "Papa" Meloney and I endorse this message.

Open Sacrifice

The poor make sacrifices by default.

Unable to afford rising heating fuel prices means that thermostats are turned down. Higher food costs require "adjustments" in dietary standards. Difficult decisions are required when the cost of prescription drugs are balanced against the overall price of health care. Driving habits are severely modified in light of excessive gas costs. Luxury items like dinner and a movie don't come into the equation. Just getting by as the status quo is even more pressing.

The poor have never been irresponsible spenders.

As a single income family in a two income society we have always worked to meet our debt obligations. We insist on paying our bills on time. I believe that we like the vast majority are fiscally responsible. The fact that we have limited and finite money resources means that we must make sacrifices by default to remain in economic good standing.

Neither major party presidential candidate, or any candidate can significantly alter this fact. So all of the promises and rhetoric becomes just so much political tripe. Professionals jousting and positioning for the coming election - the process of enthroning the next leader.

So the sacrifices that must be made, and the promises that must be kept, are not for the short term good. We as a country must make larger sacrifices for the good of our future. We as a country must make and keep promises that will further the good of our nation.

What then are the sacrifices that we must make?

First and foremost we must sacrifice the misplaced belief that we are the superpower, that we are superior to all others. Next we must sacrifice the belief of entitlement that goes along with such superiority. In such a sacrifice, which will cost us nothing, we must realize that we must work to achieve our desired ends. We must realize that government alone is not responsible for our overall well being.

By establishing ourselves in the truth of our situation we will recognize that individual initiative at the grassroots level is our real promise. To that end we must ask not what our government will do for us but what we will do for ourselves.

If we wish to excel then as individuals we must ascribe to excellence. We must recognize the truth of our situation and strive as individuals to make our country better. This is easily attainable by simply seeing our own great wealth instead of berating our nation for our personal failures.

We must sacrifice our illusion of greatness for the reality of our true value.

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I am going to vote for Barack Obama.
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Open Fearmongering: Taking your money.

Oil prices rose ~$5.00 per barrel because of saber rattling in and around Georga - speculators are afraid that a disruption in oil supply will cause shortages and their profits might fall.

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Open xkcd Disclaimer > 1000 pictographs

Recently read at xkcd ...

Warning: this comic occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children), unusual humor (which may be unsuitable for adults), and advanced mathematics (which may be unsuitable for liberal-arts majors).

We did not invent the algorithm. The algorithm consistently finds Jesus. The algorithm killed Jeeves.
The algorithm is banned in China. The algorithm is from Jersey. The algorithm constantly finds Jesus.
This is not the algorithm. This is close.

Bonus:

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Open News Flash: AT&T bills dead man for not terminating contract

Winston observes (from the great beyond)...

Bring It On

Now I — and mind you, I am ashes sitting on the end table in the living room — am getting a $360 bill from AT&T for contract termination fees. Too bad, they say. No such thing as extenuating circumstances. They’re sorry I am dead. But they don’t care. I’ve got to pay that fee. It’s a contract, after all. A contract is a legal document. Legal documents go with you to the grave and beyond. They wish they could help, but they can’t. AT&T is a big boy and they aim to keep their side of the bargain.

So folks, I’m back! At least according to AT&T. I’ve got to pay my phone bill till January of 2010. Now I’ve just got to figure out how to get my ass, uh, ashes up and together and get out and earn some money to pay that damn bill because, well, it’s a contract and AT&T really needs that $360!

...willing to squeeze blood from a stone - AT&T is always at your service.

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Open Folio: Burning Man Pix

Burning Man Pix

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Open Solution - WeCanSolveIt

We Can Solve It!



... I found it here at /Ambivalence. Thanks Stowe

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Open Support from the Heartland

... from my sister who doesn't blog yet.

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Open Quiz: Pew News IQ Score

As I was taking Frank up on his challenge recommendation I came to a stunning realization. Actually a couple of them. First, Frank is one smart guy (but we all knew that.) Second, I wouldn't have had a clue about any of the 12 questions had it not been for my daily dose(s) of NPR. Usually the morning commute and sometimes the evening, 30 minutes each way.

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Open Linux Elitists

There are all manner of Linux Elitists. There are distro elitists, window manger elitists, really really FLOSS elitists. There are Really-Damned-Small-Puppy-Peanut elitists. There are DIY Linux elitists. I, for one, fall into the Slackware distro elitist category. Slack and I go way back.

In fairness I can say that I have tried in the neighborhood of 30 different distros. I have looked so far afield as the BSD flavors and I have even touched Plan9. It took me just a minute be I was also able to lay hands on my copy of Sun Solaris(tm) Express. I believe, speaking of Linux, that I have been around the block at least once.

So after all of my wanderings I return to my Capistrano, my Slackware. This infatuation is not born on the sharp point of one like or dislike. Afterall, Linux is Linux, for the most part. I return first to the comfort of what I know. What is familiar to me. Then I return for what Slackware isn't - or should I say doesn't.

Slackware doesn't choose for me. Slack doesn't make up my mind for me. If there is something that I want from Slackware I am responsible for making it come to the surface. And here it is that I come to the crux of the elitist bisquit. Recently, perhaps in the past 18 months, it has become increasingly difficult to integrate certain software packages into what I consider the ultimate vanilla Linux distro, Slackware.

More and more I am finding some larger applications that are engineered for a specific distro. Or the program requires an essoteric set of libraries. Or it needs so-and-so's widget package. So I begin to play the dependency game. Find out what the program wants, go get and compile, then find out what the dependencies want, go get and compile ... then try to remember what was important about the original program. Very quickly the law of diminishing returns takes its toll.

Then there are other large applications suites that which are wholey self-sustained. OpenOffice as an example requires only that I rpm2tgz convert the distribution files and then installpkg them right into Slack. No dependencies, no drips, no runs, no errors. VMware is another example of arun-it-and-forget-it large application BUT the promise of their next version may negate that claim.

With regard to Linux elitists I would offer this cautionary note: complexity of implementation can be just as alienating as the prospect of proprietary software. If I cannot compile (with a minimum of dependencies) and run your sparkling new program or application then I simply walk away - no matter how important your contribution.

Yes, I am a Linux Elitist. I am a Slackware Snob. I will not give up a galloping stallion to change in mid-stream to a plodding donkey just so your software will work.

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Open for business? Funny business?

Topless Women, Kid Rock, Bikers, And John McCain

I think it is safe to assume that JMcC has finally secured the Soccer Moms vote.

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Open

The Immediacy of Dreams: The Convergence of Being and Meaning

No single light cuts through
an image of cacophony dreams
sibilant whispers
white-noise voices
continuous word picture
illusions drift shifting
disquieting unsilence
each desperate grasping
demanding the attention
of his moment

Empty the dishwasher
put away clean
to make room for those
cluttering the counter

Seeking measured order
in the mundane ritual
of daily dutiful chores
in his moment

Hashbrowns into a hot skillet
salt, pepper, a drizzle of olive oil
two eggs over easy in the
well seasoned cast iron

Push clear to one end of the
kitchen table the detritus of
this weeks bills, prescription
notes, bird books and the flyer
announcing imminent school
year functions

Thirsting for the release
of physical exertion
to quench the dream desires
in his moment

Set in that clear space the
steaming breakfast plate
toast on the side

Reflecting upon the
morning haiku

dew diamond pendants
in symmetric suspension
grace last night's cobwebs

so both fed and nourished
in his moment

Cross posted to 2Voices

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Open Bar: BeerHaiku Daily

July

24

2008

Yes, My Teacher

Give a man a fish,
he’ll eat for a day. Teach him
to fish, he’ll drink beer.

Written by Dave Undis

[Real bonus - go enjoy Dave Undis' Haiku Comic. Good fun!]

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Open Gimmick

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open Request: Pssssst, do something.

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Open Contempt: You got to know when to hold 'em!

The campaign to Send Karl Rove to Jail just took a huge step forward! In a stunning action just minutes ago, the House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Rove in contempt.

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Open Lipstick.on.a.pig

Mojave

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Open Alliances: A clear message

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Open EFF Action Center: Sunlight for ACTA

Action Center

		Sunlight for ACTA A wide-reaching intellectual property enforcement treaty appears to be on a fast-track to completion, though disturbingly little information has been released about the actual content of the agreement. Contact your Senator now -- urge them to shed some sunlight on the contents of ACTA and to give citizens an opportunity for meaningful consultation.

Email

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Open Iran: The Need For Transparency

I will not suggest that I understand the society and culture of a great nation half the world away. I can and will assert that the lack of transparency in any national process does not promote a sense of trust or security.

Iranian physicians arrested & held in undisclosed location

Posted by WynD on July 15, 2008

The plight of these two physician brothers was brought to my attention today and I wanted to help create awareness of their situation. As I learn more about their situation and/or ways in which we can aid in their release, I will let you know. For now, please keep both of these men in your thoughts and prayers….

Kamiar and Arash Alaei

Leaders in fight against HIV/AIDS arrested

Two physician brothers, who have been recognized internationally for their work in the development of HIV/AIDS programs and services in Iran, are being held in prison by the Iranian government. According to reports received from Teheran, Drs. Kamiar and Arash Alaei were taken to an undisclosed location sometime in late June. The reason for their detention is unknown.

Ladan Alomar, Executive Director of Centro Civico of Amsterdam, NY, a community based organization that provides HIV/AIDS services to the Latino community, received a phone call from a person close to the Alaei brothers and was informed of the situation. The family and friends of Kamiar and Arash in Iran do not know where and under what charges the brothers are being held. The authorities in Teheran have provided no information about their whereabouts.

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Open Embrace: Making Web2.0 work correctly

LEARN HOW reCAPTCHA WORKS

Here is the short version:

reCAPTCHA protects e-mail addresses. Post your customized reCAPTCHA link instead of plain text e-mail address and bottom-feeding spammers won't harvest it and SPAM you. But wait there is more...

Everyone who has ever dealt with OCR (optical character recognition) knows the failing of the technology - machines just cannot recognize some characters or words. reCAPTCHA has married the failing of OCR with the need for cyber-security. When you decypher a reCAPTCHA you are actually contributing to the OCRing of books by a Carnegie Mellon University project.

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Open Delight: Photography as the universal language

Then click on Gallery

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Open Sleep In, Lebanon style

Lebanese Flashmobbers sleep on the streets

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Open Advise, timeless

When you find yourself in danger,
When you're threatened by a stranger,
When it looks like you will take a lickin'...
There is one thing you should learn,
When there is no one else to turn to,
Caaaaaall for Super Chicken

...ruthlessly snarfed from a Slackware login fortune... :)

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Open Cartoon: Cause she said so, again!

Swish! Nothing but Net!!

by Gangster Octopus

Fri Jul 25, 2008 at 09:10:08 AM PDT

Check out this Editorial cartoon in todays Sacramento Bee.

Swish! Nothing but Net!

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Open Sewing

Lavender and Wild Oats

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Open Appreciation: Sysadmin Day

Here is what we do and why we do it ...

A sysadmin is a professional, who plans, worries, hacks, fixes, pushes, advocates, protects and creates good computer networks, to get you your data, to help you do work -- to bring the potential of computing ever closer to reality.

If you can read this, thank your sysadmin

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Open Money Grubbers: Hasbro

ChannelWeb reports ...

Hasbro Files Suit Against Logophile's Delight Scrabulous

By Brian Kraemer, ChannelWeb
3:34 PM EDT Thu. Jul. 24, 2008

Hasbro has filed a lawsuit against the makers of the popular Facebook application Scrabulous a Southern District of New York court. Developed by bothers Rajat Agarwalla and Jayant Agarwalla, Scrabulous quickly became one of the most popular applications on the social networking site after its launch in July 2006. In the suit, Hasbro claims that the application infringes on its intellectual property rights.

In addition to the Agarwalla brothers, their company, RJ Softwares, is listed as a defendant in the case, according to Reuters.

The toy maker also sent notice to social networking site Facebook, asking the company to remove the application from its United States and Canadian versions of the site as quickly as possible. This is the second time Hasbro has asked Facebook to remove the application.

After seeing the popularity of the Scrabulous application on Facebook, Hasbro launched a Scrabble application to compete with RJ Softwares offering. Scrabulous remains a more popular application.

"We view the Scrabulous application as clear and blatant infringement of our Scrabble intellectual property, and we are pursuing this legal action in accordance with the interests of our shareholders, and the integrity of the Scrabble brand," Hasbro's General Counsel Barry Nagler said in a statement.

Hasbro owns the rights to Scrabble in North America while Mattel owns the rights to the popular board game for logophiles worldwide.

As I have observed before this is a case of Ha$bro Stupidity. If just once BIG MONEY BU$INE$$ would get a clue and make nice - everyone would do well. Instead Ha$bro will just enjoy the ire of MILLIONS of FaceBook users.

Hmmmmm, yeah, that's fair - little bruised ego and millions of ire. D'uh!!!

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Open News Flash: John T. Scopes fined $100.00

Curious how so little has changed ...

This week marks 83 years since a jury in tiny Dayton, Tennessee convicted and fined $100 a teacher by the name of John T. Scopes, a man who had the courage and determination of spirit to challenge a state law forbidding the teaching of Darwin’s theory of evolution.

... still refuted and condemned for his blaspheming views.

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Open Borders: The New Geography

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Open Cartoon: 'cause my sister told me to, ok?

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Open Advertisements: A Shouting Match In An Empty Room

In a nutshell advertising doesn't work in Social Media because it violates my first Law of Business:

There are no friends in business and there is no business between friends.

How can an advertiser pose as a friend when their only objective is to conduct the business of opinion swaying?

Doc and David started off their "Markets are Conversations" chapter of the Cluetrain Manifesto with this prophetic observation...

When you think of the Internet, don’t think of Mack
trucks full of widgets destined for distributorships,
whizzing by countless billboards.

Think of a table for two.

- @man

... so in the empty room we find an intimate table for two. And the Ad people still want to engage in a SHOUTING MATCH. Is it any wonder Why Current Social Media is Crashing?

If we, as advertisers, are to be successful in influencing the opinions and behaviors of consumers then our message must be molded to fit into the framework of current social media. The currency of the current social media is attention. Whether acknowledged as fame, notoriety, or popularity the consumer's object of attention is the value of the moment. The business relationship that affixes an opinion or behavior changing stimuli to the object of attention is where advertising's value is pinned.

Social Media is the intimate conversation being held at the table for two. One or the other or both of the members of this intimate party have to be willing (incentivized?) to bring an opinion or behavior changing stimuli to the table. This calls for an example ...

My little sister Sally just loves the plush cuddly Coca-Cola(TM) Polar bear cubs. I am confident that she would allow the animated little cherub cub to wink and wave and drink the occasional Coke(TM) on her MySpace/FaceBook page in return for say a free 12oz bottle of Coke(TM) per month.

Sally would be even more pleased when the little animated cub displayed different behaviors - because it is not a static jpg image but a embedded feed from the PR firms servers. (Note to PR: This allows you to control dynamic content AND monitor the number of 'hits' that Sally's "Ad" is generating.)
Wouldn't Sally be pleased when, as her site becomes more popular, the little cub "gives" more and better rewards?

...so please stop SHOUTING!

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Open Zimbabwe?

Zimbabwe in Crisis

view presentation (tags: refugee hyperinflation mugabe africa)

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Open Patois, redux

Transition Sunshine - Jamaica

I have now come to learn that all Jamaicans are multilingual, and while some may not speak patois, they all understand it. The switch back and forth between patios and standard English goes back to slavery days, when the slaves were not allowed to use their native language.The rebellion against that was that the slaves simply used English when they wanted to be understood and used patois ( which has English words thrown in here and there) so passing listeners might assume the language being spoken is English.

”farrina and dem plenty questions” meaning foreign people who ask a great deal of questions.

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Open Question Mark?

I have no idea what you're talking about... so here's a link.

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Open Landmark

17 July 2008

CIO News View: Telegraph CIO on swapping Google in for Microsoft

Martin Veitch

The Telegraph Media Group’s move to Google Apps could be a landmark

. . .

In an exclusive interview with CIO magazine, TMG CIO Paul Cheesbrough told us why. Here are the highlights:

“We’ve got Office 2003, Windows XP and Exchange 2003 and we started to look at the refresh cycle at the beginning of this year. We had a decision to make as to whether to sign up for a three-year enterprise agreement with Microsoft or look at something else. [As a pilot] we put 10 per cent of our 1400 user seat estate and allowed them to use Google Apps alongside their Office and Exchange infrastructure. Overwhelmingly, the feedback was positive and there would have been uproar if we had said we were turning it off. We were faced with the decision of whether we pursued the same [Microsoft] path and paid the price for that or put more and more internal solutions in the cloud.

“We made a conscious decision not to refresh any of [the Microsoft infrastructure]. We’re not going to remove it but we won’t upgrade it. Some users might use Outlook as the client but we’re moving to migrate people from Outlook onto Google by the end of the year. We’re not going to rip and replace but we’ve decided not to refresh Office 2003 and we’ll sweat that asset. Google Apps is good enough and rich enough for us to do what we need to do. Collaboration has been very powerful [in Google Apps] and as people use Google Mail and Calendar they’ll naturally stray to use Google Docs.

BRAVO!

Observation: Once the PC=Microsoft paradigm is broken I foresee a very short delay before shifting to an open source desktop alternative. (Hint: Firefox runs just as well, if not better, in Linux!)

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Open Dream

"It is called the American Dream ... because you have to be asleep to believe it."
- George Carlin

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Open Note.to.self

The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is
waiting.
-- Fran Lebowitz, "Social Studies"

(Note to self: must practice more waiting.)

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Open Blog Administrivia: Comments

I have returned to the practice of moderating comments as it appears they are being (unintentionally) misplaced.

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Open Mugabe

Bob’s Your Uncle!

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Open Quandry: McBama or O'Cain?

A sign of our changing political landscape ... same as it ever was!

This is rapidly becoming a sad
state of affairs.

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I (probably) won't vote for John McCain.
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Open Grilled Snacks

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Open Economy of Protein

In keeping with my belief of "following the money" I read The Economist for much the same reason I read the WSJ. The article recently posted in The Economist brought to the fore my concern for the economy of protein.

Let them eat bugs

Jul 12th 2008
From Economist.com

. . .

Scientists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico have an answer: entomophagy, or dining on insects. They claim the practice is common in some 113 countries. Better yet, bugs provide more nutrients than beef or fish, gram for gram.

. . .

Coincidentally this dovetails with my long standing belief in the concept put forth by the sci-fi classic Soylent Green (cannibalism aside). As a world community we will have to use innovative means to address the issue of hunger.

Before the days of soaring fuel prices and the subsequent drain on grain reserves the long standing question was why we didn't just feed the hungry? Now that our abundance of food resources are being put into the gas tank even that simple answer has evaporated leaving only a lingering hydrocarbon foot print.

Having visited China (as just one example) and having seen first hand the entomological culinary delights I can make one observation. No matter how delightfully prepared or presented Americans will will not eat grasshoppers on a skewer. So then the next most reasonable course of action would be to 'process' this cost effective protein source into a more palatable dish.

In much the same way that we have accepted faux foods made of processed soy beans we must concentrate on producing acceptable food stuffs made of protein rich insects. Properly processed, spiced and packaged Hopper Patties come to mind. Grilled lightly and covered with a slice of American soy cheese on a toasted bun. Just think of the potential profit margin.

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Open: notes of record

In no particular order...

A great comment was posted to my post ... sure wish I knew who Mr. A. Nonymous is (winkwink) so go here and enjoy a great meandering walk through the memories of another who knows Albion, MI

Open Memories: Albion MI

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Can't you hear Stephen Wright's voice when you read, "There is so much sand in North Africa that it covers the entire Sahara desert."

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Open: Equality "McCain=Bush"

An exact reproduction of the original "McCain=Bush" placard seen around the world this week--get yours now in T-shirt, sticker, and other hard-to-remove forms. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the fund to defend Carol Kreck, the 60-year-old librarian who carried the original sign into history--now awaiting her court date for "trespassing."

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Open and clear voice of reason

From Larry Lessig,

The immunity hysteria

...it is not "compromising" to recognize that we are part of a democracy.

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Open but stashed away for 6 years

Wired reports

Volkswagen's had its super-thrifty One-Liter Car concept vehicle -- so named because that's how much fuel it needs to go 100 kilometers -- stashed away for six years.

Makes one wonder what other technological advances are being conveniently withheld?

Six years? What were they waiting for?
$4.00 per gallon gasoline?

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Open truth.spoken.to.power

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Open Sadness: a light has gone out.

Vietnam: Dissident monk passes away

from Global Voices Online by Mong Palatino

Ven. Thich Huyen Quang, the Supreme Patriarch of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam has passed away. Vietnam Human Rights Journal comments:

It is sad that a man of Thich Huyen Quang's stature could have been forced into a form of internal exile in central Vietnam, essentially cut off from the outside world, for no crime other than speaking out boldly for religious freedom and human rights. He has truly lived by the Quaker expression, "speak truth to power", and has paid a price for it.

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Open clarity of vision

I want to see this clearly...

...and paint this well.

Postcard from Provence

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Open and equal.in.his.eyes

Thanks you Milton at Don't Eat Alone

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Open Call: Hold Bush Responsible

He lied, thousands died!

Hold George Bush responsible.

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Open Amnesty

Amnesty International Posters (Originally found here. As this site is hosted in China it is more than likely these images will not remain available.)

 

 

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