Frist may not have avoided a conflict of interest - Politics - MSNBC.com

Stop! Be very quite. Listen carefully. You hear that? That sound? That was the sound of yet another politician's presidential ambitions going up in smoke. Gary Hart had his mistress, Teddy has Mary Jo, and Bill has HCA. Seems they never learn. Next!!!

Cash and 'Cat 5' Chaos - Newsweek Hurricane Katrina Coverage - MSNBC.com

My entire professional career, whenever crisis has hit; I was able to get things done. I worked at the Home Shopping Network when the phone lines to our main switch went down. We up and moved down the stripmall to customer service. We were able to start taking calls in an hour. The boss at the time was quite impressed with this ability and she subsequently gave me a shot in the computer room. The rest is history.

When I worked for Harris, we had to go to the plant in Northern California and mark everything for shipment to the offices in Salt Lake City. I went out there with another co-worker, and we did what we needed to do. Some people got bent out of shape, but the job got done.

We pussy foot around issues. We want to not make waves. We need to keep everyone happy and made to feel like they are part of the team. That is all a great illusion when things are not in crisis mode, but for Godsake, these people in New Orleans are dying. They need help, not some FEMA paper pusher going over the rule book in the ultimate insensitivity. Hey, Mr or Mrs. FEMA clerk, you attention to the rule book means squat! These are US citizens, they need their government's help, and if you cannot back down from your little empire because this is how youhave always done it, then, at the risk of insulting a McDonald's worker -- go work there as that may be more you style.

I continually get barraged with little pieces of advice about picking your battles to fight and getting obstacles put in my way by a process. Well, as I said, we can play that game when it does not appear to be life -threating. But, these people need help, not redtape. So, Mr and Mrs. FEMA person, get off you ass and help these people! You are going to be judged by how you treat these people, not if every line of your form is filled out. You are a public servent, not the other way around. You are only the facilitator of what these people need. They do not need your permission, only your clerical ability to get them what they need!

The US Constitution

Patrick Henry refused to go as he "smelled a rat" Rhode Island refused to send a delegate as they suspected it was an attempt to create a new government. Fortunately, for us; they were right and their worst fears came true -- the Constitutional Convention did produce a new government.

This government was far from perfect. Just a few years after its passing, the Sedition Act reminded us how fragile our right to free speech actually was. It is only though the litany of court cases brought forth since its signing, that the freedoms we hold near and dear to our hearts, really took shape. Without judges acting as the arbiters of liberty and the advocates of the defensless, this nation would surely perish from the Earth. As grandiose as that may sound, it beings into specific relief the issues we now face as a new Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is selected. I was encouraged to see that the Senators chose to ask questions about the intersection of technology and privacy. For the next 20 years are going to be an age where the Bill of Rights will be challenged in ways never imagined when it was put forth as the mollification it was.

To actually see the document is truly a gift we should all share. I have the good fortune to work near the Archives so I may go over whenever I want.

To stand before the altar that is liberty;
and be both humbled and elevated by its breath.
To stand before the document through whose timeless gaze;
we beseech a free life.
To stand in wonder as its subtle power envelopes all we touch;
and grants us passage unto liberty.

The US Constitution is is something that belongs to all of us (although the guards at the archive will shoot you if you bring it home). So, next time you are watching a confirmation process or someone on Law & Order cites the 4th amendment (or Michael Corleone takes the 5th), remember what this is all about and be happy that Patrick Henry did smell a rat -- and it was we!

Coffee a top source of healthy antioxidants - More Health News - MSNBC.com

Having lived in Salt Lake City for several years, one is always confronted with the majority religion: The LDS Church. Reading articles about the health benefits of coffee and prior articles about the health advantages of a glass of wine each day, I have to wonder: Are certain religions that demand abstinence from certain types of foods keeipng people from being as healthy as they could be? Surely, if it is proven that these things do have a long-term health benefit, then God would not choose to deprive anyone of this health benefit. Then again, that may be the plan. Perhaps, the original plan was a world where these things did not exist, and now someone gets a reprieve for awhile. Obviously, these are rhetorical questions.

Items like this continue to give us pause as we try to reconcile our definition of God with what we now know to be true through experience and science. 500 years ago if I had anyone of a dozen dieses, I would cetainly die. The locals would expain it away as they do now as its God's will. But, if I get that same ailment that can be cured easily today, I will live. If we use the logic that it is God's will that I live now, then why give me the ailment that can easily be cured? I fail to see how the death 500 years ago can be God's will, but today it can be God just wanting me to get sick? FOr if that cure didn't exist, we would say it is God's will.

I know, I know...the central issue is that these are man's saying and our way to try and understand and cope with things. I do not have a problem with that. As long as the next time I go to a funeral or listen to the reports from New Orleans, no one uses the trite excuse that God has a plan for each of us and that is why 10,000 men women and children deserved to die. In my book, that is simply the workings of a feckless thug.

This all goes back to my theory that God designed the universe and stated it off. The way it evolved and became what it is today, is entirely the implementation of the plan. I cannot believe that God has a hand in our day-to-day lives because if he did, then New Orleans would not have happened. BTW, I do know the arguments of if Hurricanes did not happen then much more damage would have happened, and God sparred New Orleans by making the storm swerve at the last minute -- those seem a little contrived and too simplistic, no? Nope, I believe that we are basically on our own and that society and our fellow man is the higher power we all share. I certainly have a higher power, but I refuse to believe a diety could look down and decide to change something in my life. Because if he could change something in my life, how in the world could he kill so many innocent people? If this sounds familiar, it is indeed the "Oh, God" school of religion. In the movie, George Burns' God says he created the worl, what we did with it was up to us. Free will it a bitch (to quote the devil from another movie). As the debacle in New Orleans shows, when you leave any enterprise up to the free will of man, his pety intellect and massive shortcomings will always get in the way. But, I will save that for another time.

Bush makes second trip to battered Gulf Coast - Hurricane Katrina - MSNBC.com

President Bush has sealed his legacy. While the White House enters a game of blaming the locals (as if these people need more beating than they have already received), his legacy will now be of the MBA President that is far more theory than execution. The President that dictated he would not be a man of the polls. A President that feigns compassion based on what his handlers tell him. President Bush lacks compassion, sincerity and clearly judegment in the people he chooses to surround himself with in his administration.

Now, I am not going to say this is fair. I know the detractors are saying it takes time to mobilize the Federal government. Working in a government agency, I know this to be true. Many people are doing their level best to get the help to where it belongs. Unfortunately for the President, politics -- and more so -- history are NOT fair. We could chalk this up to bad luck. To lost a major part of New York to 9/11 and not to lose an entire city on your watch can be thought of as nothing less than bad luck. Clearly, more preparation is necessary in preparing responses. Perhaps we all lauded the entry of the non-professionals arrival in Washington. Appointing friends and political cronies to positions in DHS and FEMA may not have been the best of ideas. Then again, as I said before; the only thing history will judge is the response. Does anyone believe President Clinton would not have been a far more compassionate human being in response to this tragedy? Do you doubt it for a minute? President Bush may be the most compassionate person in the world, but I feel his handlers will simply not let him be. Then again, maybe the demon inside him keeps him from truly feeling for these people. Hey, I guess the slacker President was not such a good idea afterall. God Bless the people of New Orleans and the rest of the states. Hopefully, history is kinder to President Bush than it has been to New Orleans. And finally, I sincerely hope this President that seems to publicly favor accountability will stand up, take responsibility and do what is right to restore confidence in our Federal Government.

World66 - Visited States - United States

Here is a fun site. You can make a map of states. This is the states that I have actually been in (in one way of another). This could include just passing through in a car.



create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide


This next one is states I have actually spent a night in (as in slept in).

create your own personalized map of the USA
or check out ourCalifornia travel guide
Apparently, I need to sleep around some more. (Well, you know what I mean).

It's President Bush!!!

Listen to any news article or broadcast, and people insist on using just the President's last name. I have never understood this. To me, when you speak of the President of the United States, you say President Bush, or President Clinton. Not Bush or Bush 1, or Slick Willy. You can have any political disagreement you want with the occupant of the Oval office, but it shows as an American that you have a fundamental respect for the Office, even if not the man. I disagree with the current administration on a great many things, but I always say President Bush.

A related story is that I was at an Amway convention -- yes, I did that for awhile :) ) and President Reagan was the on the agenda to speak. Some of the people in my party remained seated when he came onto stage. I actually told the woman to get up as she should have a respect for the office even if she disagreed with the man (as I do as well). We have lost so much in terms of civility in our political discourse. I think reserving a basic respect for the 43 men that have held that job. Oh and even after the next election, only 43 men will have held that job :)

Bush remarks on 'intelligent design' fuel debate - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

Bush remarks on 'intelligent design' fuel debate - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com. I must say that I am quite amazed at all the ruckus caused by the Intelligent Design (ID) group. I remember back in 1991, I sat down with a Catholic priest and discussed that I was sure evolution happened, but I believed there must be a plan as I did not believe it could have been by chance. I guess that was ID. The thing I find amazing is that the only fact in ID is evolution. I think people that support ID in a veiled attempt to teach creation as shooting themselves in the foot because to accept ID, you must accept evolution. I am sure beyond any doubt that evolution happened. For me, I have faith that there was an intelligent designer behind it. This does not mean I believe in creation. I think the story of the garden of Eden is a fairy tale. Creation was through evolution -- there is far too much scientific evidence to sustain anything else.

The place the ID people lose me is if today it is teaching that there is an alternative to evolution, then tomorrow we say, well; that thing we said about a creator was right, but not the evolution part. It really took place in seven days!." That is where the ID people will do more harm then they can imagine.

I say that the scientific community should embrace ID as it means people in churches that have been closet skeptics of the story of creation, can now openly believe in evolution. So what if they believe an intelligence was behind it. In the end, regardless of if there was an intelligence or not, the agreement is that we evolved from lower forms of animals -- in both camps; that is indisputable.

Ah, what a view...

If anyone ever wants to know what I miss about Salt Lake City, just look at the picture below. Are those the greatest mountains you have ever seen, or what? I got the picture from a listing on craigslist (here)

Disney at the Metro

Oh bother...

The Hope Diamond

At the Smithsonian

Well the heat has finally broken here in Washington. People are out and about enjoying the day. I am spending my 40th Birthday (today) happy for what I have but wondering where I should be.

Bill to shield gun makers, dealers up for vote - Politics - MSNBC.com

Here is an article about a proposed law written by the NRA to shield gun manufacturers from liabiity for the use of their product. While I rarely ever agree with the NRA, I do agree with this idea. I, as paradoxically as this will sound, am a liberal that believes in personal responsibility. If I am killed by a gun tomorrow, then I blame the person that used the gun. Society has laws to punish those that offend. I believe the only reason some want to go after the gun manufacturers is that they have the money. I am afraid to say that this seems to be a case of the lawyers going after the ones with the money.

Now, here comes the place I part company with this line of thought. If you want to shield gun manufacturers from liability, you have to apply the law equally. If I manufacturer tobacco or alcohol, don't I deserve the same protection. What about the manufacturers of the game, Grand Theft Auto. They are being sued in at least one case for a teen killing 4 police officers. Surely if a gun manufacturer is not liable for the use of its product, a game manufacturer is not liable for what some fool thinks would be cool to emulate.

The broader theme here is that we tend to put blinders on toward a a philosophy depending upon how it effects us. We are by nature partial to decisions that have an effect. I suppose this trait is simply human nature. I believe in a law that is applied fairly. I may not like what the video game does, but I fail to see how I could ask for a liability shield for one group and not the other. Part of personal ethics is the ability to apply my ethics in a uniform method. When we start to pick and choose the battles based on how it impacts us, then at the end of the day, we stand for nothing.

I was walking by the Smithsonian the other day...

Clearly one of the benefits to working near Washington DC is its proximity to the things most people think of as tourist attractions. David is going to summer camp this week at the Smithsonian Institution. SO, every morning we take the train into DC, and wander around the monuments. It really never gets old to be able to look up and see the Washington Monument or the Capitol.

The Doors are closing...

Yes, this is a car from the Washington Metro. As much as people get on it, it is not a bad system. The cars only drag someone down the platform once per month. For anyone that will ever ride this, note that the doors are not like an elevator. They have no sensor to bounce back. The trains are not supposed to be able to travel with doors ajar, but if that relay is not working, the train will start down the track. Clearly a case where a fail-safe was not engineered properly. All in all, I like it. I ride it everyday and twice on Sundays. Well, that sounded good anyway.

Having Fun with the Camera Phone!

I am sure anyone reading this is wondering what in the world is going on with these pictures. I discovered a way to upload pictures frommy camera phone directly to this blog. I will try to reserve it for things that I believe are notworthy. :)

The George Washington Masonic Monument in Alexandria

Howdy

Hi All. I thought I would write something by hand rather than a Podcast. David is back in town! He is here until August (with a break for one weekend). he is at camp while I go to work. I even took a break from school to spend time with him. I honestly don't know what I will do with all my free time :) It is hot as Hades in Washington. Today it really got to me because the humidity is up. It got hot in Salt Lake but at least the humidity was low.

Well, I have lots of things to do. Keeping David entertained and engaged is important. We have many things we want to do while he is here. I also have a project for school to submit outside work for prior learning assessment. This way I can get credit for other courses I have taken. I hope to pick up at least 25 more credits that way. We are talking about taking Amtrak to Florida in August. I think a train trip would be fun. David is looking forward to it as well.

I am going to Salt Lake City for Labor Day. It will be fun to see the place again.

That is all for now. I am working on some new ideas for a Podcast. I am even thinking about doing a Podcast of some of my stand-up material.

Until next time...

Speech about Lincoln Assassination

I added a new PodCast. iTunes from Apple has a great new feature where you can subscribe to Podcasts automatically. When a new one is available, it is automatically downloaded. I would suggest you download it from here. If you want to do it the old fashioned way, here is the link to my Podcast and then the Lincoln Speech.

Podcast June 21, 2005

Another installment of Tom's World.
Helicopters in Alexandria
Hooters
Accents and Relativity
A trip to Portland.

Click here for the show.

I have a Podcast!!!

I have a Podcast. Here are the show notes:

Podsafe Music: Hello California by Salme Dahlstrom

ACLU
Intelligent Design

---

Click here to listen

The airport

My son, David was down for Memorial Day weekend. I brought him to Dulles airport so he could fly home to Newark airport. I was fine until it was time for him to get on the plane. Maybe it is a parent's love that makes me miss him so much. Maybe it is the thought that I cannot be there for him every night. I often wonder if I should really be up in New Jersey living very close to him. I could see him all the time and the weekends wouldn't be a travel ordeal. I cried tonight. After I handed him off to the gate agent, I just felt so sad. A little boy should not have to do that, nor should his parent have to put him on a plane until the next time. What a cruel teacher experience is. The things we realize after we have lost them! The things we realize after we already did the damage. I feel this way every time I leave David. Then, the feeling goes away after a day or so. Maybe it is conditioned numbness. Maybe it is defensive numbness. David will be down for Father's Day weekend, then he is here for the rest of the summer. I am so looking forward to this! The only part I am not looking forward to is the goodbye. But, as usual, the numbness will kick in after a few days and I can go back to my forced exile. A father should never have to be away from his son. I so miss my boy.

New grocery carts are only so smart - Diet and Fitness - MSNBC.com

MSNBC is reporting a story about smart shopping carts. I really hate when this happens. I had an idea 15 years ago about a system that you would put your items into the system (at the time via barcodes) and then when you were coming up in the aisle, it would flash a light at you. I think it is easier than the touchscreen. As with many ideas, the trick is how to produce it or sell it. Hmmm?

New grocery carts are only so smart - Diet and Fitness - MSNBC.com

Only a network person would laugh at this

Here is a fun story. I could not stop laughing when I read it. :) Note, just to help the setup, 127.0.0.1 is always the IP address of your local computer. You can reference it like any other IP address, but it it always you. Enjoy!

Yet another plug for PodCasting -- iPodder.org : What is podcasting?

I have seen the promised land and it is Podcasting! Heady words, but allow me to explain. Podcasts are radio without the commercial and/or infrastructure background. Want to say something to the masses, Break out your microphone and record into your computer. So far, that is just making an MP3 recording. The beauty of the system comes from incorporating the RSS functions to allow you to automatically download the Podcasts whenever there is a new one. For more on PODcasting in general see this link on What is podcasting?. I expect all my Toastmaster's friends to put their speeches into recorded MP3 files and we will setup a PODcast for your speeches. I have this one friend in particular that is practicing a speech for a District conference and I would like to hear his speech. I wonder if he knows who he is?

As far as the name, yes; it comes from iPods. BUT, it is just an MP3 file. YOu do not need an iPod to listen to it. Anything that willplay an MP3 (ie, your computer) can be used. Granted, it is harder to strap your computer to your back, but are you dedicated or what?

So, the next question is what should I start to PODcast? Will anyone really want to hear me ramble about things? I was thinking of starting pokeintheeye.com since my ex-wife always called me a "Walking, talking poke in the eye". Wee shall see... In the mean time, my particular favorite PODcasts so far are Adam Curry's Daily Source Code and The Legal-related things that suck. Any questions, please let me know.

Sydney Australia

Back in 1990, I was asked by Unisys to travel to Australia to teach two classes in Systems Performance and Tuning. Basically, this was a working job interview. I would teach classes in Melbourne and Sydney and they would determine if they wanted me to have the job. The classes went well. I was definitely teaching up and it was a challenge. The first week was Melbourne. Melbourne is a very cosmopolitan city. I had been told it was more like Europe than Australia. Not having been to Europe at this point, I would have take that on faith. (Once I did go to Europe, I learned they were right). After the first week (of mostly rain), I flew to Sydney. As I made my way through customs, I proceeded to a cab and directed the driver to bring me to North Sydney. If you look at this picture, it is on the right side beyond the bridge. The apartment building just to the right of the bridge tower is close to where I stayed (this is a current picture and the building may have been replaced by now). In any event, as I crested a small hill in the taxi, I saw the wonderful Opera house framed by the Harbor bridge. It had to remind myself that this was not a postcard, but I was seeing this with my own eyes. Just looking at this picture brings up memories of simpler times and also thoughts of what might have been. I was eventually offered the job in Australia, but I didn't take it. I was living with Cheryl at the time and we had plans to get married. I didn't think it was fair to put the cat in quarantine for 6 months and it certainly would have been very hard for Cheryl (my former spouse) not working and not knowing anyone. It is not like this would have been a massive salary increase. With taxes, I think I would have lost money. All that aside, the most important part is that if I had chosen to follow the path down under without Cheryl, I would have never had the blessing upon my house that is David. So, let that be a lesson to everyone that wants to second guess a decision -- if you give up a path that leads to doubt; you have to give up anything good that ever happens on that path. To put it simply (how rare for me), You take the good with the bad. Life is not about second guessing things, it is about the sum of your experiences. As Jean Luc Picard discovered, when you try to tidy up some loose threads in your life, you also loosen the very thread that is the tapestry of your life.

Slashdot | Wikipedia Reaches Half a Million Articles

I wonder if anyone that reads this knows about the Wikipedia. If not, here is some information: Slashdot | Wikipedia Reaches Half a Million Articles

basically the Wikipedia is an encyclopedia that ANYONE can edit. Look something up and if you think you can add something, go ahead. I have added things to the history of the Home Shopping Network, and caller ID (see previous blog entry). It is lots of fun especially if you like to write. So, go ahead..pick a topic and show us what you know.

Oh, and before the detractors say how could you ever trust the information, this Wiki has been the subject of intense scrutiny and the academic consensus is that it is managed well and incorrect information is normally updated quite regularly. When you post, you are encouraged to post your references to allow others to verify your information.

Caller ID is not always true

I read an article that discussed Scam artists using the ability to specify your own caller ID to fool people into thinking they are calling from a particular place. Now, without incriminating myself, allow me just to say that if you have your own telephone system and an ISDN line, this has always been possible. It is trivial to send any number you want. If you want the WHITE HOUSE to show up on a caller ID, you send 202-456-1414 to the phone company and it shows up on the caller ID. Qwest even bills incorrectly based on the number you send. So, regardless if you have an Internet based phone (like Vonage) or a regular POTS line (believe it or not, that really does stand for Plain Old Telephone Service). I love the phone business!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well, my first class is almost over. I gave a presentation last night on what I currently do and why I would want to change it. I don't know how I am doing all of this. I am still playing pool 2 nights a week, but once the season is over, I will cut back to one night per week. I need some diversion! MY next class is an upper level IT class on what for me, is basic IT stuff. Software design, basic network, etc. This should be a cakewalk. Although it is always those classes that sneak up on you. Bye, bye.

Published articles

Several years ago, my employer -- Upp Business Systems -- asked me to write some articles for a trade magazine. I wrote some columns over a period of several months. These are somewhat specific to the Unisys mainframes I work on, but they are also generally relevant. It is interesting to observe at this later date that some of the assumptions and predictions are just now starting to take root at some companies. The first one is about connecting a mainframe to the Internet. The second one is about is about establishing an intranet. The last one is about interfacing external systems to the mainframe. Note that for a reason I cannot imagine, they just listed me as an Upp Consultant. Most likely because I left the company (but now I am back).

Back to School

Well, the Florida State Bar is certainly more worried today than it was yesterday. I have gone back to school. I started my first class today (we had a makeup for a snow day). Not law school yet, but it is a start to a Business degree with an IT focus. Believe it or not, I am looking forward to financial analysis classes! I know...you always knew I was weird. This class is to get people back to studying. I had my previous credits transferred and in only 2 short years, I can then start the next phase of my education: Law School!

Toastmasters speech on RFID

Here is a speech I gave recently at Toastmasters. The purpose of the project was topresent a technical paper. I wrote the paper and then made it into a speech. It is from the Advanced manual, Speeches by Management. This is written in a script format as it was part of the project to give iit from a script.

The National Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, DC - March 26 - April 10

Rarely was there a better and more colorful excuse to come to the Nation's capital! I am so looking forward to this. I hope my friend's take advantage of having a place to stay :)
Official Website of the National Cherry Blossom Festival - Washington, DC

TGIF?

I was in the elevator this morning where I overheard a conversation. Once person said "Today is my Friday". Presumably, he is taking tomorrow off so this Thursday was his Friday. While this is something that many people say (along with many other euphemisms for hoping the weekend gets here faster), what he said next struck me as odd. He said, "Now I can be happy". I must assume this means that now he can be happy because it is Friday (to him). Does that imply he was not happy the rest of the week. Could his job be that much a drudgery that he is not happy? I tend to hear this attitude in the facility in which I currently work. People say, "Only 2 more days", or "Is it Friday yet?". I understand that they want to get out of work to do the things they truly enjoy, but if there is not some joy from what they do, can that be considered a life? If you work 1/3 of your life, is it worth it to not be happy. Of course I understand not everyone has their dream job. Lord knows there are days I wish I was a pastry chef! But, ultimately, you either have to be doing something you enjoy, or you have to be doing something to get you to a job you enjoy. School, training, Toastmasters...whatever it takes to get you into that job which will make you not feel like the only reason to get up on Monday is that it gets you closer to Friday! So, as you read this, please consider what you are doing, and figure out how to get where you want to be. It is a journey worth taking - I guarantee!

The Washington DC Metro and Sheep

First off, if you are not living and commuting in Washington, this may seem of little interest, but I encourage you to read on. The DC Metro (subway) is a nice system. They, like many mass transit systems, are forever looking for maintenance dollars to keep the things running, but they seem to do alright. Our story today concerns two lines, the yellow and the blue. So, you now have to go look at the map and pay particular attention to the Yellow and Blue lines - especially their southern ends. Go ahead, we'll wait. Map

OK, so you have it open in another window. If you look at the Yellow line, it starts at a station called Huntington (where I get on). It passes Eisenhower, and then there is a big black circle at King Street listed as a transfer point. Note that these stations are outdoors until you get to the Crystal City station (my stop). Very important for our story. Notice that this is the first place the blue line meets the yellow line. Now, since King Street is listed as a transfer point between the Yellow and Blue, you would think if you needed to get on the blue line from Huntington, you would go to King Street, get off, and get on the blue. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, imagine a day like today where it is about 19 degrees F, and I watched people get off the warm yellow train at King Street, to wait in the cold for the blue train. This would seem to be a necessary evil. Here is the sheep part...the blue and yellow trains follow the exact same path and track between King Street (outside) and the Pentagon (inside). The trains occupy the same track and run right behind each other. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why people would get off a warm, dry train to go stand in a frigid, blinding snowstorm just because some map says "King Street is the transfer point". Do people just not think? Maybe I look at things from an efficiency standpoint. Maybe I simply put too much thought into these things, but it would seem to live in a city, you need to have some common sense about things. Am I missing something? Do these people just like the cold?

Rack'em Up!

Well, I finally joined a pool league here in Virginia. The local poolhall has both 9 ball and 8 ball leagues. For those that do not know, I really enjoy playing. I have been playing on and off for the last 33 years. Some could say my ability in pool is directly attributable to a mis-spent youth, but it is a fun game. The APA has a good format because they handicap the players so players of lesser skill can win. I played the other night in 8 ball and I had to win 3 games, but the other person only to win 2. Incidentally, I ran out from the break but scratched on the 8 ball Argh! If you like the game of pool and want to have fun during the winter, find a local league. Your skill level doesn't matter. Just get out there and have fun. You can get more information about local leagues at the American Poolplayers Association website.

Test of Faith

While I am convinced there is a power greater than ourselves in this world, I find I need the patience of Job to see what possible plan there could be to kill thousands of innocent children. MSNBC had an article talking about how people keep their faith in the different religions effected by the Tsunami. I have always believed that God created the universe but the day-to-day events were up to the people and nature. Events like the Tsunami only serve to reinforce the idea that God is an absentee landlord. How could a just and engaged God let so many children die? Hard questions.