Inside a Masonic Computer Geek

Death penalty discussion from the Walt Bodine show 20080625

Martinus — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:58:55 GMT

Death penalty discussion from Walt Bodine Show The Walt Bodine Show today was on the Morality and ethics of the death penalty. They were basically ineffective at discussing the topic and did not even get to my email. So, I post it here. On the subject of the Death Penalty discussion... In order to be for or against such a penalty, one must examine the goal of the justice system in place. Justice systems are put in place by society to address behavior that is outside what is considered "acceptable" to that society. A justice system may have one of three goals: Protection of the Society as a whole, Retribution, or justice, for improper behavior, or Rehabilitation to "right" thinking. If the goal of the justice system is protection of the society from the dangerous behavior of individuals, we must look at the justice system's punishments from a purely societal view. The only sure way to ensure the safety of a society from deviant behavior is the permanent removal of the individual from the society. There are three ways to achieve this: permanent exile, permanent incarceration, or execution. Exile can rarely be enforced in a society larger than the tribe level, so would be unacceptable in our society because it does not achieve the permanent solution. Permanent incarceration puts a burdon on society as those that have behaved properly now have to "pay" for the maintenance of the deviant individual for an indefinant length of time. Execution achieves the goal of protection of the society. If the goal of the justice system is retribution, or justice, for improper behavior, then the old adage of "eye for an eye" comes to mind as appropriate. The level of the punishment should be equal to the level of the deviant behavior. Theft of property equals removal of personal property of equal value or monetary equivalent. Rape equals rape. Murder equals execution. If the goal is rehabilitation of the social deviant, then a system of changing the nature and way of thinking of the deviant individual must be put in place. This would mean extensive altering with psychological counseling, reward/punishment training, relocation away from the environment in which the deviant behavior was learned and reinforced, and eventual trust and encouragement to succeed in the society. This is currently beyond our capacity as a society and does not even appear to be a goal. And PROPER behavior must be rewarded in kind. A system can not just be based upon negative reinforcement. A purely negative reinforcement system does not work with animals, children or anyone else seeking training of any sort. With all goals, the punishments should be at a level to be a deterant to other individuals against improper behavior as judged by the society. Punishments must come swiftly after the transgression else the meaning is lost. Punishments must be publicized to the entire society so that the society as a whole may see that improper behavior is punished. The current system we have in place does not achieve any of these goals, btw.

I hate my job!!!

Martinus — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 18:48:46 GMT

Did I mention I hate my job? Hm? It's not really the job. I like teaching. It's not even the schedule as much as the way they run the business. And it's not even the way they run the business as much as they way the screw around with my pay! They've changed the pay structure - AGAIN! When I was hired, they presented me with a pay scale and schedule of advancement based upon the IT certifications I had combined with what I would be achieving while I worked here. They've changed that now so that only two of the certs I had before I was hired count for anything, and the ones I've achieved since I've been here, no longer count "as much". So, I get told today that I'll not be getting the raise I expected. In fact, I won't be getting ANY raise because I no longer qualify for it. Is it too much to ask for the management to actually fulfill the compensation package as promised? I SOOOOO want to work elsewhere!

I'd have to get a lot better to feel like shit

Martinus — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:40:49 GMT

It all started last week when I only felt crappy on Wednesday. Then I taught class on Thursday and Friday against my better judgement. By Friday night I had absolutely no energy. Saturday morning saw me awakening due to a fever of around 104 which broke periodically through the day but always seemed to come back with vengence. The fever was accompanied by much pain, coughing, dehydration, sneezing, and chills. When it broke there was much sweating and even more pains. My wonderful wife did all I would let her to help me. She kept me watered down and filled with juice and food when I could keep it down. Of course, I wouldn't let her do much because she had just sprained her wrist ealier last week. Now, I'm back teaching at night this week. I should be in bed. I'm still running a fever - low thanks to much drugs - and have no energy at all that doesn't come from an overdose of coffee. But, if I don't show up, the place I work is likely to fire me. They don't seem to care for such things interfering with their business. Rule #1: The Class Goes! I gotta find a real job again......

Didja ever wonder...........

Martinus — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:33:58 GMT

A thread on the trivia tribe sparked me to ask some questions. I don't know the answers.....I think they are different for everyone. What do you say about a culture that celebrates the date of someone's death as opposed to their birth? What makes a culture more excited about celebrating people they have never and will never meet rather than the most important people in their daily lives? What is it that makes us want to allow the day of our own birth, or other personally important events, pass us by unnoticed, uncelebrated, and unrevered and even an inconvenience for some when reminded making them feel obligated and sure to never enjoy the modicum of revery? Why do we "grow out of" birthday celebrations? Why do we not remember anniversaries? Why do we celebrate the works of persons long dead yet seldom even say thank you to parents, grandparents or friends?

Food for thought

Martinus — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:11:49 GMT

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite. He told the group to help themselves to the coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, "If you noticed, all the nice looking cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases, it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went fo rthe best cups...and then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: "life" is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain "life," and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of the "life" we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us. God brews the coffee, not the cups. Enjoy the coffee! The happiest people do not have the best of everything...they just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God. Your are the miracle, my friend...your life either shines a light or casts a shadow. Author unknown

Favorite Quote

Martinus — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 18:24:51 GMT

A thread in another tribe got me thinking about my favorite quote from Robert Heinlein, so I thought I'd post it here. It is very much in line with the way I've grown up. "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects. " -Lazarus Long, Time Enough For Love

Roman Army online

Martinus — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:56:58 GMT

So I joined the Roman Army Online. Silly little thing, really....but has some nice Roman trivia contests. And if you mass enough points, then you win prizes. So....maybe it's worth it. Here's the link if interested: http://www.jointheromanarmy.co.uk/soldier.asp?uid=07081321525496

New Job

Martinus — Fri, 04 May 2007 23:45:09 GMT

I started a new job today. Contracting at Embarq (Sprint Jr.) for a little over 2x what I was making at my last job. After my first day I feel like I'll like it there and may be able to enjoy the challenges. If so, I look forward to making my self indespensible so that I can extend my contract or get hired on permanently. They pay much better than Sprint. They call me a Senior Network Engineer. I'm not insulted since they pay well. My team is a bunch of fun-loving workaholics so I seem to fit right in. Not much to do today but read and ask a lot of questions, but they seemed to like the questions I asked and they say that it helped them work through a couple of rough issues. My mood improves drastically when I see finances stablizing, so this should put me in a good mood for as long as the ride lasts. I hope it is a very long ride.

This personalized tarot card thing

Martinus — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 15:53:52 GMT

You are The Magician Skill, wisdom, adaptation. Craft, cunning, depending on dignity. Eleoquent and charismatic both verbally and in writing, you are clever, witty, inventive and persuasive. The Magician is the male power of creation, creation by willpower and desire. In that ancient sense, it is the ability to make things so just by speaking them aloud. Reflecting this is the fact that the Magician is represented by Mercury. He represents the gift of tongues, a smooth talker, a salesman. Also clever with the slight of hand and a medicine man - either a real doctor or someone trying to sell you snake oil. What Tarot Card are You? Take the Test to Find Out.

Drum saga continues

Martinus — Sun, 17 Sep 2006 22:45:35 GMT

Lark in the Morning has sent me a ship notice on my dahola as well. It's supposed to arrive Tuesday. The owner swears that he gave orders to let him see it before it shipped...but they didn't....and just told him that it was in good shape. So, he told me to be sure to let him know if I had any problems with it. Oh, and I found that I didn't send back the extra dahola head when I shipped it back. So...have an extra one even if they don't ship an extra with this new one. I hope it's a good one this time.

First Dance in public

Martinus — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 03:43:18 GMT

Scene: Ethnic Enrichment Festival, Kansas City, MO Friday night........ Siham Ali & Company are representing Egypt and had a platoon of dancers on stage doing a fabulous job! Although all the dancers had some little thing to point out that just wasn't perfect, it looked great. And then they had to go and do "the happy dance." Which was fine. Until..... My dear, sweet lady, Phoibe decided that since they were supposed to come out into the crowd to pull "civilians" up on stage to "be happy" that she would pull her darling husband up on stage. So to the encouragement of the crowd (evil as they were) I "allowed" myself to be pulled up on the stage to strut my stuff. Now, I have had 4 classes in bellydance.....and I have attended 1 workshop...but I am by no means ready for this. But, she's got that glint in her eye....and it does look like fun.....so I tried my best to dance like I knew what I was doing. I'm not sure how I looked.....but I did have a blast. I've no delusions of being ready to perform. And although I'll tell the story like "SHE DRAGGED ME UP THERE>>>>>>AND MADE ME DANCE!!!!!" I really did have fun. So I thanked her because one of the reasons I started taking lessons was so we could share such things. It's paying off a bit sooner than I had expected, but life never is really what one expects, eh?

Another weekend

Martinus — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 17:11:47 GMT

Another weekend has passed by and I am very tired. Back to work...back to the source of my energy drain.. And all I have to remember from the weekend is a great and wonderful hafla. Yes, we made the Men of KC hafla, henna & BBQ come to life last saturday. It was so much fun I think I'll do it again next year. With Gibbous Moon (and friends) providing live drumming, and Valizan flying in all the way from Canada the rest of us just couldn't help but have fun. I think the only thing that went wrong after the party started (not gonna go into the before-time) was that I ate WAY too much steak, salad and fruit. I swear I told the butcher I wanted 10 oz KC strips...but dang it if we didn't get some that were topping almost a full pound. My thanks have to go out to John Gardner and his lady Katya/Kadija for allowing us to invade their home and take it over for a day of festivities. And to my lovely lady Phoibe/Azizah for letting me bring a bunch of dancing men to her Body Shop party. It was great being able to socialize with some folks that I have only begun to know and to meet some folks that I hope to get to know. And the old friends...well...it was great to be able to share the day with you. I hate to have to wait another year to do this again...but I think it will take that long to plan it and do it "right." This one was done on just a couple of days work. But next year I'm thinking we'll do a real male dancer workshop! I love this community so far! Gotta thank Phoibe and my friends for having such a great time in it and getting me hooked. Now if I can only win the Powerball Lottery so I can have time to do all I want to do without work interfering in the life I want to lead. Maybe later....

UPS SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Martinus — Sat, 05 Aug 2006 01:06:32 GMT

I've come to the conclusion that UPS SUCKS!!!! I ordered a doumbek from Mid-East Mfg out of Florida back in July. They shipped it via UPS on July 18th. When I looked up the UPS tracking number 1Z3435110300588713 on July 21st, readout on that number stated that they had attempted delivery and no one was home. They stated "A 2ND DELIVERY ATTEMPT WILL BE MADE" on July 24th. Someone was, btw, home all day on the 21st . On July 24th I checked the tracking number and they had changed the status to Delivered on: 07/21/2006 12:55 P.M. Location: PORCH. After I had Mid-East Mfg. initiate a trace, UPS came out and had us sign an affadavit that we didn't receive the shipment. Mid-East Mfg. got a confirmation that the drum was "Lost". Mid East Mfg. sent me another drum. It shipped on 8/1/06, this time with a signature required. It was due to be delivered today. I was home all day. As of today at 7pm, the status on the UPS website for tracking number 1Z 343 511 03 0059 854 2 showed a status of THE RECEIVER WAS UNAVAILABLE TO SIGN ON THE 1ST DELIVERY ATTEMPT. A 2ND DELIVERY ATTEMPT WILL BE MADE at 12:48 local time. No UPS truck came to the house, no driver came to our door and no hang tag was left to indicate the attempt. I called UPS and explained the situation and they had the local Lenexa, KS office call me to tell me when I could come pick up the package this evening. A representative from the Lenexa ofice, Cameron, called me at 7:20pm to tell me the package would be available between 8:30pm and 9:00pm tonite. I then received a call from the same Lenexa representative about 7:34pm stating that the package would not be available because they could not find it. They had looked on their trucks and it was nowhere to be found. They did state it "MIGHT" be available in the morning, Saturday, for pickup - the Lenexa office is not open on Saturdays. I called the central UPS customer service again and, in as controlled a tone as possible, explained that this was unacceptable. I explained the history and they forwarded me to their Tracing Department. The representative there called the Lenexa office and she stated that Cameron was making this a "personal hunt" and they were going to search everywhere before they left tonite. She stated Cameron would call me tonite with the results. This was last at 8:02pm. I'm still waiting.

First bellydance workshop

Martinus — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 18:36:35 GMT

Went to my first workshop as a participant this weekend. Raffa was the instructor and it was good to get some up-close instruction (even if not personal) from a male dancer. Although he had adapted his teaching to the bulk of his dancing audience (ladies) he still maintained his masculinity and power. There were 4 men (including Raffa) in attendence and he was encouraging to all of us. He was a joy to watch and his ability is certainly inspirational. I must credit Jemira with my ability to stay with the class during the workshop. Even though it was only my third lesson (the other two being 1-hour classes with Jemira) we had gone over enough basic moves that I didn't feel totally lost. The first coreography he taught was to a drum solo and, although it seemed I was not picking up the steps easily, I saw that others that had been dancing many mucho more years than I were not picking it up much faster, if any at all. They even confirmed this when I spoke with them. I still reached a saturation point of new stuff about 10 minutes in to the next dance. Although the moves in the first one were not so new...putting them together was. And the few new ones were, when combined with coreography, quite enough for my mind to handle for one day. I enjoyed the rest of the day, though, talking to other dancers (weird including myself in that term now), looking at the merchant stuff, and basically just making many new friends. Got a wonderful massage from Siham Ali's daughter, Karen. I recommend her for deep tissue and energy body work. Very few ladies I have encountered can do deep tissue the way I need it done. The hotel was not all I might have wanted (kinda felt like Gulliver in Lilliput at times - and I'm only 5'8" tall) but it was adequate for a place to put my stuff during the workshop. The performance last evening got off to a rocky start due to problems with the sound system but overall was quite enjoyable. There were many fabulous dancers and great costumes to look at. Raffa stole the show, of course, not just with dancing but also with bringing Siham up on stage to help her celebrate her birthday (which was Friday). Got lots of photos that I'll post here as soon as they download from my camera. Looking forward to taking a day to relax and then want to watch the video of Raffa performing the drum solo he taught so I can go over it. It's the first coreography I've attempted and I think I about had it by the time we were done....if I can just find the time to practice it. This is some of the most fun stuff I've done in a long time. Thanks to everyone that's made getting into this easy and fun. Later. Martinus

First Class

Martinus — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 21:00:24 GMT

Ok....so I took my first Belly Dance lesson last night with Jemira. A few things come to mind about the experience.....mostly though it boils down to "Long, long road ahead!" Obviously I need to loosen up - my muscles are normally very tight....(she suggested getting a massage). We went over quite a few basic things - some of which I remember, some of which I'll need some remedial training. What I found was that I was analyzing the physics and physiology of every movement instead of just enjoying it. Consciously forcing each muscle or muscle group to move in isolated ways that they've never done before just doesn't look good in a full-length mirror. Being a bit over my ideal weight (ok....a lot) seemed to only make a difference to learning the moves because it was difficult to tell when some body parts were actually moving. Oh, I could feel them moving...but couldn't tell from looking at myself. Even way back when I was "in shape" the only time I needed to isolate muscles so completely was during POW escape training. (Long, long time ago) And smooth and fluid did not exist in my personal space...excepting the times when we stretched out arms and her arm/hand happened to flow gracefully through my statuesque aura before she moved to give us both room. But she was patient and encouraging. I don't ever want to move the way she does....or even the way my lady, Phoibe, does...that would just be silly. But, someday maybe some of that grace and style will rub off and I'll be presentable in public. Only a bit tight around the shoulders (no headlines there) and the upper sides of my hips (I don't even remember the name of that muscle group). Nothing stretching this morning didn't cure. Going back next week. Martinus