I went and did it - Now on Facebook

So I am now on Facebook - once again I bow to peer presure.

www.facebook.com/profile.php

The 2008 Pigasus Awards

The Pigasus Awards for 2008 have been announced.

They include such luminaries as:

Category #1: To the scientist or academic who said or did the silliest thing related to the supernatural, paranormal or occult:

Dr. Colin Ross, a psychiatrist in Texas. He is a lettered man, having published many articles in peer-reviewed journals, and you might think he would be the last person to earn a Pigasus... until you look a bit deeper.

Dr. Ross claims that he can send electromagnetic beams out of his eyes.

Category #2: To the funding organization that supported the most useless study of a supernatural, paranormal or occult claim:

The Producers of "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed": Logan Craft, Walter Ruloff, and John Sullivan.

Category #3: To the media outlet that reported as factual the most outrageous supernatural, paranormal or occult claims:

The makers of Enzyte.

Category #4: To the Performer who fooled the greatest number of people using the least talent:

Jenny McCarthy, the well-known model and actor, who in recent days is getting far more publicity for her stance that vaccines cause autism.

Category #5: Most persistent refusal to face reality:

Kevin Trudeau. If you watch late-night cable TV, you could hardly have missed our final Pigasus awardee. He hit the airwaves in the 1990s shilling his book "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You to Know About", where he claimed eating coral calcium cured cancer.


www.randi.org/site/index....-awards.html

www.randi.org/site/index....awards-.html

More Damage From the Cult of Celebrity.

That intellectual giant Jenny McCarthy is the latest to use her celebrity status to foist dangerous ideas on a gullible public.

She continues to advocate against childhood immunization against the mountains evidence to the contrary. Her basic argument is the usual one in these cases - I'm right because I'm well known. All those scientists and there well controlled studies must then be wrong.

Just because she has been on Oprah dosn't mean she knows what she is talking about folks.

Now there are those willing to fight back.

www.jennymccarthybodycount.com/Je...tml

www.stopjenny.com/

www.whatstheharm.net/

Feel free to re post these links. If we are luck she will bo back to her real talent - posing for Playboy.

Subject: Apology

Subject: Apology

We, the United States of America, a top quality supplier of the ideals of liberty and democracy, would like to apologize for our 2001-2008 interruption in service. We located the technical fault that led to this eight-year service outage, and we have been working on the software since November 4, 2008.

On January 20, we launched our new version. Early tests of the newly installed program indicate that we are now operating correctly.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by the outage. We look forward to resuming full service and hope to improve in years to come. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Sent to me by a relative - thought I would pass it along.

It Is Over

I make this a separate entry because the thoughts Iwish to express are so contrary to that post - even contrary to how I feel at the moment.

Our nightmare ends today.

The Bush presidency will go down as perhaps the greatest failed presidency in history.

As I write the neo cons and the far right pundits attempt to re-write history.

They are using phrases like "The Obama Recession" and "The Bush Recovery Plan".

It wont work.

It wont work because Bush is not a failure for the things that went wrong in his tenure. He is a failure for what he is.

His administration of blame and shame was his failure.

Why worry about some guy living in a cave. What could he possibly do?

In the wake of our greatest tragedy was the greatest international support for this nation in history.

Do I use it to unify the world for generations to come?

No - I take it as an opportunity to be the playground bully and dictate terms for how I want the world to be.

After the greatest natural disaster in our nations history I find out that the frat boy buddies I appointed are incapable do I make decisive changes to get back on track?

No - I find a way to blame the victims and the other party for what went wrong.

When the nation needed someone to comfort us and be our strength. When we needed to call on all the talent available to us. When we needed to know we were all included did you reach out?

No - You chose instead to spend your political capital purging your perceived enemies.

Good people who's job it was to tell you when you were wrong - did you listen to them?

No you chose to drive them away. Even to ruin some of their lives.

Some say your failure was in trying to rule by deceit. But self deceit was your real failure.

So now you go back to Texas to build your Library. You leave behind your mess for others to clean up.

We will clean it up. We will because your lack of faith in the American people was misplaced.

In the end your failure was that you just don't get it.

Not only that you don't get it but that you are incapable of getting it.

Inauguration Day - The Future Is Now

Inauguration Day - The Future Is Now

I have seen many changes in my life.

Cultural, social, political.

Change - a funny word when you think of it. The one inevitable constant in life is change. Mostly we fear it. Face it with anxiety, trepidation, even dread.

It is never what we expect. Rarely as bad as we fear nor as good as we wish.

It is after all the unknown.

Once in a while we look for it, embrace it even desire it.

This is one of those times.

One of those rare times when we as a people have said we would rather look forward with hope.

We want to embrace the future.

No longer will we cling to the worn out ways of the past.

No longer will we be swayed by old and tired dogma.

Pundits keep telling us that "its the economy stupid" but they are wrong.

They tell us that the Republicans lost sight of there fundamentals but they are wrong.

The people are tired of leadership that follows. Leadership that sees the world through blinders. Leadership that can divides between us and them.

Many years ago a man spoke on the Mall in DC of having a dream.

He spoke to a future that judged not by the color of ones skin but the content of ones character.

Today we take a quantum leap toward that future. We are not there yet. Much work remains.

However for now hope is the order of the day.

Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Read My Christmas Blog

In the rush of crowds and less than polite shopping clerks it can at times be tough to smile and relish in what the season means.

Throughout human history even before there was a Christmas people rejoiced at this time of year looking forward to the coming spring and a rebirth of life and spirit.

Let not the naysayers dim the light one bit. Let not those who would twist this season to their own ends get even a single thought from you.

Let us remember the words of Scrooge's nephew:

“But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round—apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that—as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound 11 on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”

So with just a little irreverence I pass this along to all my friends however you choose to celebrate this wonderful season and say from my heart.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT




The Xmas-Files


57 ELM STREET BETHLEHEM, PA. 11:51 P.M., DECEMBER 24TH

We're too late! It's already been here.

Mulder, I hope you know what you're doing.

Look, Scully, just like the other homes: Douglas fir, truncated, mounted, transformed into a shrine; halls decked with boughs of holly; stockings hung by the chimney, with care.

You really think someone's been here?

Someone, or something.

Mulder, over here-it's a fruitcake.

Don't touch it! Those things can be lethal.

It's O.K. There's a note attached: "Gonna find out who's naughty and nice."

It's judging them, Scully. It's making a list.

Who? What are you talking about?

Ancient mythology tells of an obese humanoid entity who could travel at great speed in a craft powered by antlered servants. Once each year, near the winter solstice, this creature is said to descend from the heavens to reward its followers and punish disbelievers with jagged chunks of anthracite.


But that's legend, Mulder-- a story told by parents to frighten children. Surely you don't believe it?
Something was here tonight, Scully. Check out the bite marks on this gingerbread man. Whatever tore through this plate of cookies was massive-and in a hurry.

It left crumbs everywhere. And look, Mulder, this milk glass has been completely drained.

It gorged itself, Scully. It fed without remorse.

But why would they leave it milk and cookies?

Appeasement. Tonight is the Eve, and nothing can stop its wilding.

But if this thing does exist, how did it get in? The doors and windows were locked. There's no sign of forced entry.

Unless I miss my guess, it came through the fireplace.

Wait a minute, Mulder. If you're saying some huge creature landed on the roof and came down this chimney, you're crazy. The flue is barely six inches wide. Nothing could get down there.

But what if it could alter its shape, move in all directions at once?

You mean, like a bowl full of jelly?

Exactly. Scully, I've never told anyone this, but when I was a child my home was visited. I saw the creature. It had long white shanks of fur surrounding its ruddy, misshapen head. Its bloated torso was red and white. I'll never forget the horror. I turned away, and when I looked back it had somehow taken on the facial features of my father.

Impossible.

I know what I saw. And that night it read my mind. It brought me a Mr. Potato Head, Scully. It knew that I wanted a Mr. Potato Head!

I'm sorry, Mulder, but you're asking me to disregard the laws of physics. You want me to believe in some supernatural being who soars across the skies and brings gifts to good little girls and boys. Listen to what you're saying. Do you understand the repercussions? If this gets out, they'll close the X-files.

Scully, listen to me: It know when you're sleeping. It knows when you're awake.

But we have no proof.

Last year, on this exact date, SETI radio telescopes detected bogeys in the airspace over twenty-seven states. The White House ordered a Condition Red.

But that was a meteor shower.

Officially. Two days ago, eight prized Scandinavian reindeer vanished from the National Zoo, in Washington, D.C. Nobody-not even the zookeeper-was told about it. The government doesn't want people to know about Project Kringle. They fear that if this thing is proved to exist the public will stop spending half its annual income in a holiday shopping frenzy. Retail markets will collapse. Scully, they cannot let the world believe this creature lives. There's too much at stake. They'll do whatever it takes to insure another silent night.

Mulder, I-
Sh-h-h. Do you hear what I hear?

On the roof. It sounds like...a clatter.

The truth is up there. Let's see what's the matter.

Written by Frank Cammuso and Hart Seely

I Now Own A Tricorder

OK - not literally.

In my last blog I waxed on about my new cell phone/PDA.

Well I already traded it in for a new one.

Don't get me wrong - I loved the other one. It did almost every thing I needed it to do. Except of course hold a charge.

Because Verizon couldn't fix the battery problem for me I convinced them to wave the restocking fee and allow me to upgrade again.

The new phone you ask!

Samsung Omnia.

It is as close to a tricorder as I think any device can be. Once again it is essentially a mobile computer I carry on my belt. I can make phone calls, access the internet, read and send email, take pictures and video. With 8 gigs of on board flash memory and possible expansion by up to 16 gigs I'm not sure I will ever have to delete a file.

I can beam files directly to another PDA or over a wifi network.

While it has not got the cool built in sensors that the tricorders of Star Trek have it will if I so choose give me continuous updates of weather, news and traffic conditions any where in the world.

If that was not enough I can use the camera to record documents and convert them into word or PDF format. OK this one is more James Bond than Star Trek but you get the point.

I guess that is the question - Was this designed by a Trekky or Q branch?

When I think I paid less for all this technology than I paid for my first computer ( Atari 800XL with 64K of pure memory ) I am again more than a little shocked.

I again had to remind the child at the Verizon store that I did actually know a little something about computers. It was fun to see the expression on his face when I told him a friend of mine had built an Altair. He didn't know what I was talking about. He was all about the Blackberry Storm. That would have meant waiting till the next shipment arrived and giving up on some features.

I must admit tho - I am getting something of an ego boost from owning the coolest phone on the block - until the next coolest phone is announced.

Of course being able to do a bit of "in your face" to those iPhone freaks I know doesn't hurt either.

And So I become Even More Of A Techno Weenie

So my cell phone was dying - Excuse me my Personal Communication Device was no longer functioning to its specifications.

I got down to Verizon and found that I had an upgrade due so as I was looking over my options - and the new pricing for the plans - I found it was about the same for me to go with a PDA as with a Cell Phone (oops Personal Communication Device) and wireless web.

I ended up with the SMT5800 - Windows Mobile, sliding Qwerty Keyboard and pre loaded Office for mobile. When I am away from the house I check my email allot and more and more I am getting both word and PDF attachments that I need to at least read so I guess it was a good choice.

I could have gone with a Vcast device but then I feel like I would be paying for features I would never use. I just don't see the point of watching TV on a two inch screen.

Of course I still get stuff I will never use - stereo Blue Tooth music playback, video playback via Micro SD and a few others.

What I like most is that finally Verizon is letting these devices sync directly to my computer - at the time I got my old phone (Er PCD ) they had a policy of locking out most of these features so that you had to access the Verizon network to transfer files and of course pay for the privilege.

Now of course the I-Phone fanatics out there are all telling me that I should have gone with an I-Phone. Funny how the Apple freaks go all glassy eyed and take every pronouncement from Jobs as the Sermon on the Mount. Of course that would have meant switching to AT&T and the crappy coverage they have on the Cape. It would also mean a much higher monthly bill.

Then there is the Google G1 - I love the idea of open source but I just can't bring myself to go with T-Mobile.

My Blackberry friends think Blackberry is the only way to go - OK I admit the Storm is way too cool and I am tempted to trade in before my 30 day trial runs out but I like the 5800 in part for its size. If I am on a lighting call it is much less likely to get caught on something.

While I have always been a fan of computers. I have actually put my hands on an Altair. I never thought I would get so deep into the instant communication age. I was the last person I know to get an answering machine and I had to me dragged kicking and screaming into the store for my first cell phone.

So here I am more and more one of the "Connected". I now carry on my belt a more powerful computer than was aboard the command module for the Apollo missions to the moon.

That thought alone is enough to cause more than a little culture shock.