November, 2005

2005.11.29 — Alfred, Ohio. Firefox 1.5 is now available. Looking through the statistics for Frogtails, I see that Firefox represents 17% of the visits to this site. This version weighs in at 5.1mb making it a relative lightweight. However, over dial up, it will take a while. I believe it to be worth the wait.

Once I saw that Frogtails was OK in the new browser, I immediately went to the Microsoft site (they get statistics as well). :) Next stop? Opera! While poking around their site, I noticed a truce among the browser developers over security and read the article. It mentioned the security lock that all browsers are now using and how Opera has added a little twist to help verify that the site is real. I tried it with a couple of sites I know to be valid and was dumbstruck to find that Amazon was rated as insecure. Here is the message from Opera: Opera has classified the connection to the server www.amazon.com as insecure. You can bet that I already wrote to them about it and am patiently awaiting their response.

Opera states that Barnes and Noble is secure. Here is the message from Opera about the Barnes and Noble site: Your communication with the server cart2.barnesandnoble.com is encrypted. Opera has classified the encryption as strong (3). They may well get my business this year unless Amazon can get it fixed right quick. It is unthinkable to me that I would consider switching. Over the years I would expect my purchases to be several hundred if not a thousand or more with Amazon. To date, I’ve never given Barnes and Noble a cent over the Internet. However, all that could quickly change as the web is cold. My switching cost is nil. If I go, it may influence others to do the same. Better hurry Amazon, not so many shopping days left till Christmas!

2005.11.27 — Alfred, Ohio. We all went out to breakfast this morning at the Coolspot, said our farewells and each went our separate ways. If was a thrill to see everyone again. Jeanie and I feel real fortunate to have raised such a wonderful family. It is always a pleasure for us to see our children and their families and friends.

2005.11.26 — Alfred, Ohio. Steve, Mary Ellen, Annie and her friend came over for breakfast this morning. They all headed out for a round trip to Zanesville to get the young ones where they belong. Loads of miles for Steve and Mary Ellen this week.

Nick headed back to Morehead this afternoon. Jeanie and I cut a Christmas tree and decorated the house for Christmas.

Jeanie fixed our Thanksgiving dinner. Joe, Angie, Steve, and Mary Ellen all came over and we had a nice meal. Afterwards we hung ornaments on the tree while listening to Christmas carols. Steve proposed a truce in the ornament war. For those who don’t know, this has been going on for years and is a pretty funny story. Long ago, each boy would attempt to place their ornament highest on the tree or cover the other one up. One year, Steve placed a halo on his. He placed wings on his one year, hung it from a rafter and placed a spotlight on it. Next he placed a bag over Joe’s. Last year, Joe placed a ball and chain on Steve’s (Steve was married on the 18th of December). In an eloquent gesture, Steve offered his hand, gave a stirring speech of reconciliation and placed his ornament on first about midway down the tree. Joe followed suit and placed his right next to Steve’s. We will see if it holds.

2005.11.25 — Alfred, Ohio. “Dave, the water heater exploded!” Those were the first words that woke me this morning. More on this later…

Yesterday we went to Jeanie’s parents house for Thanksgiving. It was very pleasant and the food was great.

Last night we went to Joe and Angie’s house for Steve and Mary Ellen’s Christmas. I played my dreaded Christmas music on the way to and from their house. Jeanie took it in stride and didn’t object. :) It was a very nice time to see all of our children together. We played some kind of dance game on the Playstation that was a lot of fun. Steve and Mary Ellen gave me a journal, a book titled Legacy by Linda Spence, and a funny t-shirt. These were very thoughtful gifts, thanks!

Our long awaited appointments with the C-8 Health Project was today. It wasn’t easy. Over the phone, they had told Jeanie that they would accept tax returns showing our children as dependents as proof of residence. We brought the required forms, birth certificates, passports, drivers licenses, and all arrived together. Without going into detail, it was a mess. Steve and Nick are only in town this weekend so it needed done today. Fortunately, one of our neighbors worked there and was able to call around to get the OK for us. Thanks Pam.

Mary Ellen, her sister, and her friend met up with the rest of us at Rio Bravo in Mason, WV for dinner tonight. Nice to have everyone together.

OK, back to the hot water heater story…
This morning after breakfast and coffee I headed to the Baum Lumber Company to get a water heater. It has been handy at times to have someone relatively close to get hardware items. I am willing (and actually prefer) to support a local business and even pay a little more for the convenience of not driving all the way to town but will not be taken advantage of. Remember my ordeal with the truck?

On the way to Baum’s I was thinking about what it would cost. I’m thinking the last one cost $150 or so. Maybe even $225. I figure that it is worth $50 for the convenience of getting one nearby and the cost has probably gone up a tad so I put a price in my head of $300. Come in below that for a 40 gallon propane water tank and you have the sale. I was also thinking about how helpful and friendly they always treat have treated me. I’ve know the owner Tim Baum for years and recall when his Dad owned and ran the store. They are decent people, so my preference is to definitely buy from Baum’s.

The selection was good. They had a 40 gallon short, and a 30, 40, and 50 gallon tall. The least expensive was $338 or so. I’m wondering if they could possibly have anything better than what I would get in town. The world is pretty competitive so I doubt it. Drat! I’m off for Parkersburg as a matter of principle.

The last couple that I’ve bought have come from Lowes so I give Home Depot a try. They have an aisle full of GE water heaters. You can imagine my reaction. They were all for natural gas. I asked an attendant to check for propane. Thankfully, none were in stock. Off to Lowes. They have a 30 and 40 gallon Whirlpool model in stock that works with propane. The 40 gallon cost $329 and the 30 gallon was ten bucks less. I felt like a fool for not buying the one at Baum’s but didn’t want to drive all the way back to Chester, so I bought the 40 gallon tank at Lowes. Next time I’ll do my homework before heading out. Tim, if ever you read this, I apologize for not buying the tank from you today.

2005.11.24 — Alfred, Ohio. Happy Thanksgiving!

2005.11.23 — Alfred, Ohio. Samwise has a page on Frogtails. If you are on dial-up give it time to load and you will also hear a short audio clip. We are wanting to add his album covers and a few minor touches yet.

Before I start ranting again, let me tell you that I am thankful to have had the opportunity to travel and see some of the sights of the world. Anyone who knows me realizes that travel is one of my great joys in life. The world is spectacular! I know that seeing bits and pieces of it has made me a better person than I would have been otherwise.

Aljazeera is an Arabic news organization that has headquarters in Quatar. I read it quite often to help maintain an objective perspective of world events. I’ve found that the Christian Science Monitor located in Boston to be the most impartial. Aljazeera also does well in this regard. My impression of Aljazeera is one of calm and objectivity when reporting on world events. So imagine this story:

Aljazeera says it is looking into a report in Britain’s Daily Mirror newspaper alleging that US President George Bush planned to bomb the broadcaster’s TV station.

In a statement on Tuesday, Aljazeera said it “maintains a set of journalistic practices built on being fair, impartial, and balanced, and as is the standard practice with every story, Aljazeera is going through a due diligence process of verifying the details of the Daily Mirror report”.

Source: Aljazeera

If it is true that Mr. Bush considered such action, one would have to question under what authority he was acting to consider ordering the use of military force against another sovereign nation. Mr. Bush is not a king nor dictator, he is merely a temporary figure with very limited powers as defined by our constitution. Such behavior, if true, is appalling and a disgrace to our nation.

2005.11.22 — Alfred, Ohio. The calls for Nick started before he arrived.

Day two for Kaspersky… still good. I am surprised at how often my machine is attacked from the Internet. Anyone running Windows without virus protection doesn’t have a chance.

Today I listened to a few CD’s while doing chores. I am thankful for music and the positive influence it has had on me. Beyond family, it would have to be my first great love in life. It stirs a passion within me.

2005.11.21 — Alfred, Ohio. I ran a virus scan today with up to date definitions. No problems were reported. Afterwards, I disconnected from the Internet, removed Norton Anti-virus, Internet Security, Personal Firewall, and Anti-Spam from my home PC. The entire 2005 suite of Symantec products, gone…

Enter Kaspersky Personal Security Suite. I purchased the boxed set so I would have a CD to install from rather than try to download it. It installed without a hitch. Once installed it immediately wanted to upgrade. It took nearly an hour. Then I had to update the definitions, another huge download. I should have just bought the download to begin with. Once installed I ran another scan. Oops! Two viruses and 13 suspicious objects that it deleted. Hmmm… an hour earlier, Norton had said all was well. In any case, I’m now the proud owner of their Security Suite containing anti-virus, anti-hacker, and anti-spam programs. So far so good.

Why switch? I’ve been around computers for a long time and sensed that all was not well with my machine. Laugh, I’ve been at this longer than most reading this have been alive. The live update stopped working about a month prior to the end of my subscription. I agreed to one year, not eleven months. When I received word from them that they would not re-enable my live-update, they terminated any chance of getting a renewal from me. I ordered Kaspersky shortly afterwards. The recent Wired article I linked to only served to reinforce the decision. Symantec could easily have had me as a repeat customer for life had they treated me like they would be treated. Fools. They encouraged me to consider the alternatives.

In the news today GM is closing a dozen plants and giving up on thirty thousand of their employees. My heart goes out to these people. Management doesn’t know what to do so they cut costs. Fools! Investors didn’t buy it either, the stock went down. They continue to lose market share because they do not build vehicles people like to buy. Here is a magic formula for selling me a vehicle. It is pretty simple really.

P.S. Heads up to Microsoft. I’ve got five free copies of Ubuntu–Linux for Human Beings on order. I’ll try one myself and if I like it, give the others to family and friends with my recommendation that they try it.

I count my blessings that we live in a land of relative peace. Yesterday while at the mall, we noticed a small store of Israeli products. We walked through it just to see what it was about (not much in my opinion) but the point is, nobody cared. We weren’t greeted by suicide bombers nor by armed guards carrying automatic weapons, just a quiet bored lady in the back of the shop hoping for a sale. I am thankful that I did not have to live and raise my family elsewhere.

2005.11.20 — Alfred, Ohio. Joe and Angie stopped by this morning to switch vehicles. Joe cooked up a batch of Aunt Jamima buttermilk pancakes. Very tasty with real butter (Land O Lakes of course) and real home made maple syrup from Vermont that Dennis and I bought a few weeks ago.

Jeanie and I went to Parkersburg to pick up a few items. I am thankful that we both have decent jobs. Beyond the financial benefit, meaningful work provides a sense of accomplishment and boosts ones self esteem. Getting up and doing your part to make the world a little better place each day is often its own reward.

2005.11.19 — Alfred, Ohio. It goes without saying that I am thankful for the good health my family has enjoyed over the years.

Jeanie and I went to Lancaster today to do a little shopping. We ran into Joe and Angie who were doing the same thing. A small world indeed. We had a nice meal after a long wait at Olive Garden. Earlier in the day Jeanie and I had to wait in line to eat breakfast at Bob Evans and wait in line to pay when leaving. There is a lesson or a point in here somewhere, I’m still trying to figure it out myself.

2005.11.18 — Alfred, Ohio. OK, I’ve got a couple of rants at the bottom of my post today but for now, how about something more enjoyable. Micki gave me permission to publish a couple of her photographs. One is an infrared photo of her daughter and the other is a close up of her favorite pair of jeans.

I am on vacation until after Thanksgiving and have a little time. It seems appropriate to start listing those things for which I am most thankful. Number one is easily my family. I feel blessed. More on this later…

Sony has been in the spotlight for some time now. They distributed a bit of software on music CD’s that silently (without your knowledge) installs on your computer to watch for piracy. One avid reader said: “If I sent you an e-mail with the same software in it, I would go to jail.” Oh, were it only so simple a story. This saga is full of weird twists. If you are interested in such matters, the following link is a good description of what the fuss is all about. Source: Wired.

Below is what I believe history will recall as a major turning point in Iraq. It may also be what happened at Abu Ghraib but I think the public is more in tune with events today than back then. We had a similar thing happen about thirty five years ago when Walter Cronkite spoke out against the war in Vietnam. That broadcast by Cronkite effectively ended the discussion. The American people were quick to jump on the bandwagon and go to war. They have been very slow to change their opinion of what is going on in Iraq. However, those opinions that are changing are very resolute. I believe the following to be true no matter how bitter it may be to read.

Remember a couple of days ago when I mentioned that Newsweek had printed side by side a comparison of what the rules for torture are and what we have done. Mr. President, read for yourself the constitution that you swore to uphold… twice. It states in Article VI:

“This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.”
Source: The National Archives

This means that any treaties the US has entered into (such as those that forbid torture) are in fact, the supreme Law of the Land. No getting around it, regardless of the legal advice you are receiving.

2005.11.16 — Alfred, Ohio. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito wrote a memo in 1985 that has come back to haunt him. His response? “It was different then. I was an advocate seeking a job. It was a political job.” Source: CNN. The obvious implication from his own words is that he would write or say something (perhaps anything) just for a shot at a political job. I would keep that in mind if I were a Senator from Ohio asking him questions during his confirmation hearings.

Of course it would also be fun to ask him questions about Vanguard. He invests in the company and continues to rule on cases involving Vanguard. Source: Editor and Publisher, Original story: The Boston Globe.

It as though it were a follow up to my rantings of yesterday. The front page articles in the Christian Science Monitor today include:

• Discovery of abused Iraqi prisoners sparks outrage–Sources say Iraqi PM and US forces had been told about “torture cells” months ago.
• Iraqi torture practices could be more widespread–Revelations this week that Iraq’s Interior Ministry abused detainees in a secret prison may be just the beginning.

2005.11.15 — Alfred, Ohio. Please read this post today. You probably won’t like it, but it may help you think a little differently about some touchy subjects. Credit goes to an anonymous source for providing the inspiration to write this.

Our current administration has been asking us (as recently as Veterans Day) to not “give comfort to the enemy” by causing dissent about the war in Iraq. Consider this:

“As a matter of general principle, I believe there can be no doubt that criticism in time of war is essential to the maintenance of any kind of democratic government“ too many people desire to suppress criticism simply because they think that it will give some comfort to the enemy to know that there is such criticism. If that comfort makes the enemy feel better for a few moments, they are welcome to it as far as I am concerned, because the maintenance of the right of criticism in the long run will do the country maintaining it a great deal more good than it will do the enemy, and will prevent mistakes which might otherwise occur.”

Drink in those words. That’s not William Fulbright two years into the Vietnam War. It’s not Ted Kennedy last week. It’s Mr. Republican, speaking — when? Not mid-1943, or even March 1942. Robert A. Taft, an Ohio Senator, who was speaking against the Roosevelt administration delivered this speech… on December 19, 1941!

That’s right: Twelve days after the worst attack on American soil in the country’s history, perhaps with bodies still floating in the harbor, the leader of the congressional opposition said to the president, we will question, we will probe, we will debate. (The entire article.)

Well that is all fine and good but that was then times have changed. Today we have a war on terror I hear you thinking. Consider this:

The cover of Newsweek that arrived in the mail today has an article titled “The Truth about Torture” by Sen. John McCain (And Why the White House Doesn't want to Hear It).

On page 30 it has a sidebar that highlights some of the rules… for example:

• No physical or mental torture, nor any other form of coercion, may be inflicted on prisoners of war. –Article 17 of the Third Geneva Convention, 1949.
• 1948: Universal Declaration of Human Rights “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”
• 1985*: U.N. Convention Against Torture “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war… or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture,” which is defined as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person.”
• 1992: U.S. Army Field Manual “[Geneva] and U.S. policy expressly prohibit acts of violence or intimidation, including physical or mental torture, threats [or] insults… as a means of or aid to interrogation.” (The manual is currently being revised)

* Ratified by U.S. in 1994

So how has our administration behaved? It is unbelievable reading. Here are a few of the highlights:

• 2002.01.22 In a memo to the White House and Pentagon, the Justice Dept. says Geneva would not apply to “the detention conditions of al Qaeda prisoners” and “customary international law has no binding legal effect on either the President or the military because it is not federal law as recognized by the U.S. Constitution.”
• 2002.01.25 The then White House counsel Alberto Gonzales advises President Bush that portions of the Geneva Conventions are “quaint” and “obsolete” and that adherence would restrict U.S. interrogation methods in this “new kind of war.”

And so on… (I’ll spare you the details). This article was just the lead in to Senator McCain’s article. His basic premise, torture is not worth it. We do now really want to lower our standards to resort to such tactics.

Long term readers will recall that I became livid over a year ago when they first announced the abuse at Abu Ghraib (read from the 8th to the 4th a year ago May). As recently as ten days ago I wrote to the Washington Post asking them to reveal the location of any secret prisons we have. I was taught better while serving in the U.S. Army and demand that we practice what we preach.

Yes, Mr. President, I will dare to question you and hold you and your entire party responsible for your actions. Your faithful opposition, located right here in Ohio, a veteran, a voter, Dave.

2005.11.14 — Alfred, Ohio. Happy Birthday Dan!

2005.11.13 — Alfred, Ohio. Joe and Angie helped us out again today. This evening we had a meal at home, a bottle of wine, and a couple of good games of cards. Very nice.

2005.11.12 — Alfred, Ohio. Joe and Angie helped us with some chores today. Tonight we went out to Rio Bravo in Mason. It was pretty good.

2005.11.11 — Alfred, Ohio. Jeanie and I went shopping this afternoon and then to see the Legend of Zorro this evening. Today is Veterans Day in the U.S. so we just took it easy. It was pretty nice.

2005.11.10 — Alfred, Ohio. The photo at right was taken in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, Canada yesterday by a friend of a friend. If you click on the photo, it will take you to his site where you will see several lovely photos. Steve, Mary Ellen, top that! NOTE: it will be slow going for dial up users but worth the wait.

Al wrote in last week but I was napping, sorry for the delay in posting his story. Here is his note to me:

Al, I have really enjoyed reading your stories more than you might imagine. Well done lad. Now they preserved for posterity. I hope you do write about your time in Europe. It would be a fascinating read. Dave

2005.11.08 — Alfred, Ohio. In the news:

• white phosphorus used in Fallujah–Italian news source
• France declares extraordinary measures to keep the peace

I voted today.

2005.11.07 — Alfred, Ohio. Here is an article for those with too much time on their hands. Robots of Arabia by Wired News is about replacing child camel jockeys with robots. All sorts of issues we typically don’t think about are involved. If you read the article, make sure you look for the image that looks like the one above and click on it for a lighter moment.

2005.11.06 — Alfred, Ohio. More beautiful weather today. It went up to into the 70’s today and at times was very sunny. More wind than yesterday but still very very nice. It is wonderful weather for this time of year.

Last night Joe and Angie brought Kyra over for a visit. Today she asked that we join them at Pizza Hut for lunch. The little girl is cute and she seems to enjoy our company. Of course she asked about Nick. Seems that each of our boys had young girls swooning over them.

The following observations for today are morbid, I advise against reading it. Go out and enjoy the day instead.

All living organizations attempt to reproduce in geometric ratios. None succeed. Mr. Darwin recognized that over a hundred years ago. Population control comes in a variety of methods. Predators of some species create an enormous mortality rate. Booming populations will create a scarcity of food for future generations. If all else fails, natures provides epidemics to keep things in balance. Source: Read “Chapter III – Struggle for Existence” of The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin for insight into this. It is fascinating reading.

A look through recent history gives us a lot of relevant examples of human epidemics. Here are a few that come to mind. From 1347-1351 the Black Death devastated Europe. In 1519 smallpox killed at least one of three in the Triple Alliance. From 1525-1533 smallpox killed nearly half the population of the Inka empire. In 1617 smallpox killed most of the Natives of New England. The point being, such events have happened in the past with devastating effect. Source: Editorial review of 1491 on Amazon.

In the past hundred years, the human species has made remarkable progress with infant mortality. The green revolution has made our food supply reliable and abundant for much of the world. It should come as a surprise to no one that nature would introduce the HIV or H5N1 virus to help control our population. If both of these fail, something else will succeed. It is merely natures way. You have seen the graphs of human populations from the beginning of our time on earth. It is nearly a flat line until recently. Today, it is doubling… and at an increasing rate.

2005.11.05 — Alfred, Ohio. Below is a copy of an email that I sent a moment ago. It is self explanatory.

2005.11.04 — Alfred, Ohio. Got my flu shot today.

2005.11.03 — Alfred, Ohio. Congratulations go out to Russell. He wrote in his blog that he won a spot on the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Angie took some nice photos of the Nina and placed them on her blog. Look at how blue the sky is. Now look at the water. That is the Ohio river that looks so blue. You know it is a muddy brown. How did she do that?

2005.11.02 — Alfred, Ohio. Joe and Angie stopped by for dinner this evening. Good to see them and distract me from my thoughts below.

We now have secret sessions in the U.S. Senate to discuss whether the administration misled the American public into going to war in Iraq. We have secret CIA prisons overseas to hold more than 100 suspects in the hidden global internment network.

2005.11.01 — Alfred, Ohio. The election is coming soon so it seems like a good time to discuss the proposed constitutional amendments that we will vote on here in Ohio. At first glance, most sound pretty good. However, I will be voting no on each of them. Here is my reasoning:

Issue 1. In essence… Permit the state to issue bonds to finance public infrastructure capital improvements for local governments. Sounds pretty good at first. We already have ample debt for our grandchildren and no need to finance private entities. Issuing debt without the means to pay for it is irresponsible.

Issue 2. In essence… Permit early voting by mail. How can I think to vote against this one I hear you asking. Well, I know that there will be several people that I know on election day making certain that everything is on the up and up. If my ballots go to a P.O. Box in Columbus over a period of 35 days before the election, I’m not so certain that everything will be counted correctly. Every year I hear most problems occur in the larger population areas. How would you think an entire statewide operation would go? I prefer keeping our ballots local and believe we will have less fraud that way.

Issue 3. In essence… Establish revised limits on political contributions. Come now, how could I say no to this one. We all know that money is a huge corruption of the political process and I would support something that does indeed limit the flow of money. Reading the fine print of the entire proposed revision (and the arguments for and against these issues), it appears that this one would benefit the wealthy and labor unions and permit labor unions to funnel unlimited amounts of money into the political process. No thanks.

Issue 4. In essence… Create a state redistricting commission. No thanks. No oversight by voters, no spending limits of taxpayer dollars, and removal of the authority of the courts to review their activities. The three branches of government provides for some checks and balances. An appointed group who answer to none I’m not interested in.

Issue 5. In essence… Create a new board to administer elections. Never, same reasoning as above.

Of course this site will entertain other points of view and I will admit that these are merely my first impressions. My vote on these issues could be swayed if I have misunderstood them or if there are good reasons that I should support them that I missed.