tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-169738862024-03-07T00:56:22.594-08:00Cerebral RoughageDelivers 99.9% of the Government's recommended daily thought fiber for your mind!
Contains no protien or carbohydrates.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-34559121250962519552011-12-10T05:21:00.000-08:002011-12-10T05:36:49.012-08:00Good One<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPkNAJOPf_AA4_bgq5YhAOXcX5etPcEfmBeRjIacZgLCN1YpdtELt0O7qOZCcINrMnNjBcKYXwbD6iCNEcCoN74tJzuO2YVtcqmFh7vHFkPVEZOBOVnGw1HrIdEaRIpQhGq8PmA/s1600/Churchill.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 186px; height: 256px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaPkNAJOPf_AA4_bgq5YhAOXcX5etPcEfmBeRjIacZgLCN1YpdtELt0O7qOZCcINrMnNjBcKYXwbD6iCNEcCoN74tJzuO2YVtcqmFh7vHFkPVEZOBOVnGw1HrIdEaRIpQhGq8PmA/s320/Churchill.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684489631129698882" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/charlemagne/2011/12/britain-and-eu-summit?fsrc=scn/tw/te/bl/parted">Britain tells the European Union (EU) to push off.</a><br /><br />How heartening, to see a prime minister put his country above the collegiality, the groupthink and the peer pressure that characterises Europe.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-78295146987879361272008-06-13T03:43:00.000-07:002008-06-13T03:48:53.237-07:00The Good Old Days Were RottenA news story reminds us that dramatic rises in gas prices are not new in history. <a href="http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/dt.cms.support.viewStory.cls?cid=111491&sid=4&fid=1">Bob Welch writes of back in the 70s gas took off and doubled in priced from 0.45 cents to 0.70 cents a gallon</a> (note keep in mind $2.00 was often the starting wage.) <br /><br />We've gone thru this before and survived and we'll survive our current spike too.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-38433739623039176452008-06-02T05:46:00.001-07:002008-06-02T06:07:17.056-07:00Email ScamI just received an offer from the Nigerian scammers, while I certainly have to give them points for being able to ramble on and on:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">ANTI TERRORIST & MONITORY CRIME DIVISION</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">ATTENTION: FUND BENEFICIARY</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">THIS IS AN OFFICIAL ADVICE FROM THE FBI FOREIGN REMITTANCE/TELEGRAPHIC </span><span style="font-style: italic;">DEPT. IT HAS COME TO OUR NOTICE THAT THE H.S.B.C BANK LIVERPOOL </span><span style="font-style: italic;">DISTRICT, HAS RELEASED 49,500,000.00 U.S DOLLARS INTO YOUR ACCOUNT </span><span style="font-style: italic;">HERE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BY ATM MEANS.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA KNOWING FULLY WELL THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ENOUGH FACILITIES TO EFFECT THIS PAYMENT FROM UNITED KINGDOM TO YOUR </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ACCOUNT, USED WHAT WE KNOW AS A SECRET DIPLOMATIC TRANSIT PAYMENT </span><span style="font-style: italic;">S.T.D.P TO PAY THIS FUND THROUGH ATM ,THEY USED THIS MEANS TO COMPLETE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">THE PAYMENT, AND INSTEAD OF PAYING 49.5 MILLION, THEY PAID </span><span style="font-style: italic;">$10,000,000.00 THEY ARE STILL, WAITING FOR CONFIRMATION FROM YOU ON THE ALREADY </span><span style="font-style: italic;">TRANSFERRED FUNDS WHICH WAS CONVERTED TO ATM SO THAT THEY CAN DO FINAL </span><span style="font-style: italic;">CREDITING TO YOUR ACCOUNT.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">SECRET DIPLOMATIC PAYMENTS ARE NOT MADE UNLESS THE FUNDS ARE RELATED TO </span><span style="font-style: italic;">TERRORIST ACTIVITIES WHY MUST YOUR PAYMENT BE MADE IN SECRET TRANSFER, </span><span style="font-style: italic;">IF YOUR TRANSACTION IS LEGITIMATE, IF YOU ARE NOT A TERRORIST, THEN </span><span style="font-style: italic;">WHY DID YOU NOT RECEIVE THE MONEY DIRECTLY INTO YOUR ACCOUNT; THIS IS </span><span style="font-style: italic;">A PURE CODED, MEANS OF PAYMENT? RECORDS WHICH WE HAVE HAD WITH THIS </span><span style="font-style: italic;">METHOD OF PAYMENT IN THE PAST HAS ALWAYS BEEN RELATED TO TERRORIST </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ACTS, WE DO NOT WANT YOU TO GET INTO TROUBLE AS SOON AS THESE FUNDS </span><span style="font-style: italic;">REFLECT IN YOUR ACCOUNT IN THE U.S.A, SO IT IS OUR DUTY AS A WORD WIDE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">COMMISSION TO CORRECT THIS LITTLE PROBLEM BEFORE THIS FUND IS </span><span style="font-style: italic;">DELIVERED. DUE TO THE INCREASED DIFFICULTY AND UNNECESSARY SCRUTINY BY </span><span style="font-style: italic;">THE AMERICAN AUTHORITIES WHEN FUNDS COME FROM OUTSIDE OF EUROPE, AND THE MIDDLE</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> EAST, THE F.B.I BANK COMMISSION FOR EUROPE HAS STOPPED THE TRANSFER ON </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ITS WAY TO DELIVER PAYMENT OF $10,000,000.00 TO DEBIT YOUR RESERVE ACCOUNT </span><span style="font-style: italic;">AND PAY YOU THROUGH A SECURED DIPLOMATIC TRANSIT ACCOUNT (S.D.T.A).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">WE GOVERN AND OVERSEE FUNDS TRANSFER FOR THE WORLD BANK AND THE REST OF </span><span style="font-style: italic;">THE WORLD. WE ADVICE YOU CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY, AS THE FUNDS HAVE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">BEEN STOPPED AND ARE BEING HELD IN OUR OFFICE HERE , UNTIL YOU CAN BE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ABLE TO PROVIDE US, (WITH THE ENCODED F.B.I ORDER FOR TRANSFER),WE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ADVICE YOU PRESENT US WITH A DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY SEAL OF TRANSFER </span><span style="font-style: italic;">WITHIN 3 DAYS FROM THE BANK WHERE THE FUNDS WHERE TRANSFERRED FROM FOR </span><span style="font-style: italic;">US TO CERTIFY THAT THE FUNDS THAT YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE FROM </span><span style="font-style: italic;">NIGERIA ARE ANTITERRORIST/DRUG FREE OR WE SHALL HAVE CAUSE TO CROSS AND </span><span style="font-style: italic;">IMPOUND THE NAME WE HAVE ON THE FUND AS THE RIGHTFUL BENEFICIARY IS YOUR NAME </span><span style="font-style: italic;">THAT IS WHY WE HAVE DECIDED TO CONTACT YOU DIRECTLY TO ACQUIRE THE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">PROPER VERIFICATIONS AND PROOF FROM YOU TO SHOW THAT YOU ARE THE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">RIGHTFUL PERSON TO RECEIVE THIS FUND, BECAUSE THE ABOVE MENTIONED AMOUNT IS A </span><span style="font-style: italic;">BIG AMOUNT OF MONEY, THAT IS WHY WE WANT TO MAKE SURE IS A CLEAR AND </span><span style="font-style: italic;">LEGAL MONEY YOU ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE BE INFORMED THAT THE FUND HAVE HIT YOUR </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ACCOUNT , BUT RIGHT NOW WE HAVE ASK THE</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">YOU ARE TO FORWARD THE DOCUMENTS TO US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU HAVE IT WITH </span><span style="font-style: italic;">IN YOUR POSSESSION, IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT LET US KNOW SO THAT WE WILL </span><span style="font-style: italic;">DIRECT AND INFORM YOU WHERE TO OBTAIN THE DOCUMENT AND SEND TO US SO </span><span style="font-style: italic;">THAT WE WILL ASK THE BANK HOLDING THE FUNDS THE BANK OF AMERICA TO GO </span><span style="font-style: italic;">AHEAD CREDITING YOUR ACCOUNT IMMEDIATELY. THIS DOCUMENTS ARE TO BE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">ISSUED TO YOU FROM THE PLACE WHERE THE FUND WAS TRANSFER FROM, SO GET </span><span style="font-style: italic;">BACK TO US IMMEDIATELY IF YOU DON'T HAVE THE DOCUMENT SO THAT WE WILL </span><span style="font-style: italic;">INFORM YOU THE PARTICULAR PLACE AND WHAT IT WILL TAKES TO OBTAIN IT IN </span><span style="font-style: italic;">FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, BECAUSE WE HAVE COME TO REALIZE THAT THE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">FUND IS TRANSFERRED FROM THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">AN FBI IDENTIFICATION RECORD AND CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP OFTEN </span><span style="font-style: italic;">REFERRED TO AS A CRIMINAL HISTORY RECORD OR RAP SHEET IS A LISTING OF </span><span style="font-style: italic;">CERTAIN INFORMATION TAKEN FROM FINGERPRINT SUBMISSIONS RETAINED BY THE </span><span style="font-style: italic;">FBI IN CONNECTION WITH ARRESTS AND, IN SOME INSTANCES, FEDERAL </span><span style="font-style: italic;">EMPLOYMENT, NATURALIZATION, OR MILITARY SERVICE. THESE CONDITION IS </span><span style="font-style: italic;">VALID UNTIL 6TH OF JUNE 2008 AFTER WE SHALL TAKE ACTIONS ON CANCELING </span><span style="font-style: italic;">THE PAYMENT AND THEN CHARGE YOU WITH THE FOR ILLEGALLY MOVING FUNDS </span><span style="font-style: italic;">OUT OF </span><span style="font-style: italic;">NIGERIA.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> GUARANTEE: FUNDS WILL BE RELEASED ON CONFIRMATION OF THE DOCUMENT.: </span><span style="font-style: italic;">DOCUMENTED PROOF OF OWNERSHIP .final instruction: 60f credit payment </span><span style="font-style: italic;">instruction: irrevocable credit guarantee 61e beneficiary has full </span><span style="font-style: italic;">power when validation is cleared 62 beneficiaries bank in u.s.a. , </span><span style="font-style: italic;">can only release funds- 62 upon confirmation from the world bank/united </span><span style="font-style: italic;">nations.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Regards</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Robert S Mueller 111</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Director FBI Washington D</span></span>CStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-17959388992977571482008-03-03T07:17:00.001-08:002008-03-03T07:18:45.364-08:00Yes! I am. Thank You for AskingJust so you know the cute cartoon face hides a secret:<br /><br /><center><a href="http://home.att.net/~slugbutter/evil/" target="new"><img src="http://home.att.net/~slugbutter/evil/evil.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://home.att.net/~slugbutter/evil/" target="new">How evil are <i>you</i>?</a></center>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-87853724955349408932008-02-12T06:48:00.000-08:002008-02-12T07:16:09.398-08:00Cars for Me, but NOT thee<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/02/12/tata_nano.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://regmedia.co.uk/2008/02/12/tata_nano.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The school of social economics, which subscribes to the theory of zero sum (e.g., if I have a refrigerator then you most not), has come out against the Tata company's Nano car for India. The best quote that captures this selfish view is: "we'll get into a situation where we'll have to compete with them for gasoline, $4, $5 a gallon. Who knows how high we could go?" <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/30/news/international/mini_cars_gas/index.htm?cnn=yes">said Peter Beutel</a>."<br /><br />How said it is for the world that we've come to the point of begrudging the poor of the world their chance to drive to town instead of walking.<br /><br />Let us all turn our minds for a minute to the early 1900s when the miracle of the Ford Model T liberated our kinfolk form the farm. Let us stop being small and start welcoming the rest of the world into the machine age. Let us look upon the poor people in undeveloped lands as individuals who can bring their dreams and hopes to life.<br /><br />Instead of disaster, I see a future where one evening in a village in India dad will finish the wax job on his Tata Nano and sit down and admire the way the lines on his ride shine in the setting sun and look so good. Sitting next to him will be his son who also looks at the Nano and dreams of the day when he can take it for a drive too.<br /><br />The Nano won't bring about the end of world, bring about a beginning. A beginning the world will be better for.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-26018651513769095992007-12-31T07:58:00.000-08:002007-12-31T08:10:30.049-08:00Signing Bad Car LoansI have a feeling that these folks who roll over money owed on previous car loans are also the same folk who go for sub prime loans with adjusted rates, as related in the LA Times: <a href="http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-autoloans30dec30,1,3348173.story?coll=la-headlines-business&ctrack=3&cset=true">New cars that are fully loaded — with debt</a><br /><br />I feel like an underachiever. The most costly car I ve ever bought was $18K for my 1996 Plymouth mini van.<br /><br />My advice for people who must have a cool car?<br /><ol><li>Check the rental return market. Almost new cars, in pretty good shape, and the rental company has already eaten the depreciation for you.</li><li>Wake up! Smell the coffee. A car is just a tool to get to work and get home. Stop buying new cars every two to three years.</li></ol>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-68256449902170777662007-10-19T06:51:00.000-07:002007-10-19T14:49:14.564-07:00Deadly to All<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eme421.com/gdf35mm.html"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.eme421.com/35mm_camo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Hi-tek is good in war, but now it seems it can go wrong. Soldiers were killed and wounded by a computer aimed and tracked anti-aircraft gun in South Africa:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://blog.wired.com/defense/2007/10/robot-cannon-ki.html">Robot Cannon Kills 9, Wounds 14</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Of course, as friend in the Ordnance Corps would commented when people accuse their equipment or munitions of malfunctioning his replay was, "No it worked. Just at the wrong time and in the wrong place. It's made to kill and it did it's job"<br /><br />UPDATE: Darn scientists ruining a good story. It seems this wasn't a case of software gone murderous, <a href="http://technology.newscientist.com/article/dn12812-robotic-rampage-unlikely-reason-for-deaths.html">but a mechanical accident</a>.<br /></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-34626659515025027922007-09-21T11:11:00.000-07:002007-09-21T11:16:08.378-07:00Remember Beta max?In the area of obsolete media formats could this signal the beginning of the end for CDs? <a href="http://www.blaupunkt.com/us/7647533310_main.asp">Blaupunkt now offers a received that will handle your iPod and SD card, but not a CD. </a><br /><br />Let us bow and heads and give a moment of silence to those other formats that have passed away:<br />78 rpm records<br />45 rpm records<br />331/3 rpm long play albums<br />Sony Beta max video tapes<br />VHS video tapes<br /><br />And, now the CD? Makes me wonder if DVDs are heading for a fall too.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-42897337225195019312007-09-18T07:42:00.001-07:002007-09-18T08:02:23.566-07:00Limits of EpidemiologyIt's a long slog, but the New York Times has an excellent article on the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/magazine/16epidemiology-t.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all">limitations of epidemiology</a> studies in advising us on how to live and eat healthful lives.<br /><br />In nutshell, epidemiology attempts to identify health or sickness in the population through statistical associations. This has a built in flaw in that human behavior and life is so full of variations that is not really possible to isolate a specific behavior to an outcome (with the exception of smoking and lung cancer or not wearing a seat belt and deaths from auto accidents).<br />For example, in college one of my professors had spent some time as a stock market analyst. He found that if the price of goat futures went up, there was a very good chance that the stock market would also go up. Now, he in no way believed that goats had a magical affect on the stock market yet in the realm of public health we have tried to shape policy and advice in regard to diet and exercise based on a ,comparable to goats and the stock market, flimsy cause and effect association.<br /><br />Thus, in this year we have had two pillars of eating healthful fall: it was found that antioxidants like vitamins E and C and beta carotene did not prevent heart disease nor does eating a high fiber diet prevent colon cancer. In fact, so entrenched are these hopeful myths that they are still being repeated in non-technical health and life style publications.<br /><br />The basic lesson to take out of the news story is that at this time there is no firm nor statistically significant association between what you eat and your getting sick or living longer.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-46769134297713404102007-08-27T09:21:00.000-07:002007-08-27T09:44:39.745-07:00fruits/vegies DON'T prevent cancer<span style="font-family:arial;">Feeling in a contrarian mood, I am not surprised to read that a </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Study-casts-doubt-on-fruit-vegies-role-in-cancer-fight/2004/11/03/1099362225328.html">study shows that eating increased amounts of fruits and vegetables does not prevent cancer</a><span style="font-family:arial;">. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">This news follows a similar large <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9D06E5D91030F932A15752C0A96F958260">study that found fiber in a diet does not prevent colon cancer</a>.<br /><br />Time to face that facts that:<br /></span><ol><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Diet and eating is one of the least affective ways to attempt to medicate the human body and seems to have almost no preventive or protective value. </span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">A large amount of the science behind the healthful (and natural) eating craze of the past 30 years was based on unproven assumptions, i.e., it just sounded so good we knew in our heart (but not in a proven way) it would work.</span></li></ol><span style="font-family:arial;">Once again, the solution to living a healthy life is:</span><br /><ol><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Don't smoke</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Drink in moderation</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">And, fasten your seatbelt when in a car.</span></li></ol><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" ></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-40000159228460076732007-08-16T12:09:00.000-07:002007-08-16T12:13:08.184-07:00Man Caves of RussiaIn the cold north of Russia men, as men every do, have their special places to get away from the wife for a while. In this case it's stand alone <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/business_murmansk0s_gorgeous_garages/html/1.stm">Garages.</a><br /><br />Like all good man caves they feature ugly furniture and lots of chemicals and oils.<br /><br />Lots of good ideas for garage decoration.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-38506145927294725572007-08-09T10:29:00.000-07:002007-08-17T09:01:16.667-07:00Answer of Strange CruiserIn the manner of a young boy, I still like fighting ships. And, like many a kid, I have had various favorite ships: <a href="http://www.historicships.com/TALLSHIPS/Panart/Victory.htm">Victory</a>, <a href="http://www.navweaps.com/index_inro/GERbb08_Bismarck-LDclr.jpg">Bismarck</a>, or <a href="http://www.ijn.dreamhost.com/Reference/Images%20-%20Reference/Anatomy%20of%20The%20ship/Large/Anatomy%20of%20the%20ship%20The%20Battleship%20Yamato.jpg">Yamato</a>. However, my current favorite is the cruiser Tone (WWII Japan):<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone26is.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone26is.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />What captured my interest was the unusual layout of all gun turrets forward of the bridge:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone33is.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone33is.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I kept wonder why did they do this? At first I thought it was to allow a full on broadside by eight of her guns, as the theory (at that time) was that cruisers while having smaller guns than battleships could still have great effect by 'smothering' a target in shells.<br /><br />However, while reading a book on the battle of Midway Island (WWII), I found my answer. The Tone was built with the primary mission of escorting aircraft carriers. To allow the carrier to have the maximize the number of attack aircraft the Tone was designed to have four to five scout planes operate off its stern.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone29is.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone29is.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone13is.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.steelnavy.com/images/2004May/Tone13is.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />An interesting and ingenious design to carry out a support mission.<br /><br />Tip of the hat to the Steel Navy web site for their great closeups of the Tone model: http://www.steelnavy.com/Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-29829163317756983912007-08-07T14:04:00.000-07:002007-08-07T14:13:22.831-07:00Family Wheels<span style="font-family: arial;">I hated to do it, but it was time to move on. I bought a new (well used, but new to my ownership) car last week. This means I have to sell the Plymouth Voyager minivan I've been driving for the past 11 years. When the daughter was born we rushed out and bought a minivan.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I was surprised at how well the Voyager cleaned up. It still looks pretty good even after 180,000 miles.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thumb16.webshots.net/t/30/466/3/71/27/2311371270066955656jEOZnM_th.jpg"><img src="http://inlinethumb54.webshots.com/7733/2311371270066955656S425x425Q85.jpg" alt="voyager-1" /><br /></a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-28344888223301749292007-08-06T08:47:00.000-07:002007-08-06T09:25:53.217-07:00Red Star vs. Cross and Cresent<a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/IH07Ad03.html">Spengler of the Asia Times pens an interesting column on the growth of Christianity and Islam in China</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. He predicts an interesting scenario for the end of Chinese Communist party and speculates on the affect the creation of a new Christian nation in Asia could have on the world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The figures he quotes are a surprise (possible 200 million Christian), as in the 19th and 20th centuries China was one of the least productive areas for Christina missionaries. It would be a delicious twist of fate if indeed the communist party was undone by its own program to eliminate the traditional faiths of China--hosted by their own petard as it were.</span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-40146028475414122322007-07-31T07:20:00.000-07:002007-07-31T07:28:27.591-07:00Good-bye Amstrad!<span style="font-family: arial;">As </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://cerebral-roughage.blogspot.com/2007/02/hello-old-friend.html">I've written here before, I have a soft spot for Amstrad</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> the maker of the first PC I ever owned. Now Amstrad will bite the dust soon:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Amstrad, the British manufacturer of set-top boxes and other consumer electronics, is to vanish into the hide of BSkyB, the satellite TV firm to which it has been long-beholden. Sky is offering 150p for each share, making its total bid worth about $250m. Though now just another appliance maker, in the 1980s Amstrad was a serious contender in the 8-bit computer scene, its high-end CPC series part of a ruling triumvirate with Commodore's C64 and Sinclair's Spectrum (itself acquired by Amstrad.)</span></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-36126318834562038952007-07-19T10:43:00.000-07:002007-07-19T10:55:03.770-07:00Fruit and Veggies Not So PreventativeDarn! Another easy answer to a complicated problem bites the dust. It turns out that eating lots and lots of fruit and vegetables will <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article2093576.ece">neither prevent cancer nor speed your recovery from cancer</a>.<br /><br />You would think people would be backing off from the 'healthful' eating craze by now. The main reason these things don't work is that while the body does need certain amounts of certain chemicals (for example: scurvy is a result of a lack vitamin c [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascorbic_acid">Ascorbic acid</a>]) there has been no study to date that shows an opposite (and positive effect) for packing in (eating extra amounts of) certain chemicals.<br /><br />Just do like mother told you: eat a balanced diet and you'll do fine.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-20989976025886920182007-05-25T10:11:00.000-07:002007-08-22T10:54:56.668-07:00Cold Omen<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.moviefans.de/a-z/i/ice-age/ice-age-gang.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 119px;" src="http://www.moviefans.de/a-z/i/ice-age/ice-age-gang.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://cerebral-roughage.blogspot.com/2007/04/march-of-great-global-chilling.html">My lonely (and thankless) campaign</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> to warn the world of the coming ice age continues with another stark (and contrary to global warming) proof: </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.gazette.com/articles/snow_22774___article.html/summit_cadets.html">Snow on Pikes Peak on Memorial Day weekend! </a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Our only hope is to continue to spew as much CO2 as possible into the atmosphere. Only the green house can save us from the next ice age.<br /><br />Recent global encoldening:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nysun.com/article/61000">New York: Chilly Day Ties Record For Coldest</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2007230784,00.html">BRITAIN looks set to be hit by Bank Holiday SNOW today.<br /><br />Heavy rain is forecast for almost everywhere, but areas as far apart as northern Scotland and East Anglia could turn white.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://calsun.canoe.ca/News/Alberta/2007/05/25/4207137-sun.html">Homes were left without power, downed trees damaged dozens of cars and school was cancelled for thousands of kids as a blast of record snow slammed many parts of southern Alberta yesterday.<br /></a><br /><a href="http://www.kfyrtv.com/News_Stories.asp?news=7421">It`s May 26th, Memorial Day weekend. Normally, there`d be kids playing on this playground right about now, but instead it`s windy, cold, and there`s snow on the ground.</a><br /></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-83737256878757401762007-05-17T12:29:00.000-07:002007-05-23T09:40:22.648-07:00Saints for True Sinners<span style="font-family:arial;">Let us say you're a godless drug dealer...Well, actually, chances are you aren't godless and you've got a couple of patron saints to help you in the drug trade. <br /><br />You would probably have one or two of the following</span><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;"> in your wallet or a figurine on your dash board:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://mud.mm-a6.yimg.com/image/3466090499"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 65px; height: 85px;" src="http://mud.mm-a6.yimg.com/image/3466090499" alt="" border="0" /></a><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2007/may/11/566614315.html">Jesus Malverde is very popular</a><br />and hales from Mexico where he is known as a sort of Robin Hood like folk figure.<br /><br />In addition, if your gang is from central america, you might also pay your respects to Maximon, the Guatemalan patron saint of the underworld, or Santa Muerte - "Saint Death."<br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://weblogs.calvin.edu/images/uploads/Maximon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 68px; height: 91px;" src="http://weblogs.calvin.edu/images/uploads/Maximon.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxim%C3%B3n">Maximon </a>(aka San Simon) in folklore a Spanish catholic priest who helped locals</span><br /><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5764/54yu.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 78px; height: 77px;" src="http://img93.imageshack.us/img93/5764/54yu.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /><br />Santa Muerte (aka Santa Muerte, La Santísima Muerte, and as Doña Sebastiana )</span><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;"> Probably a blend of Aztec religion and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krampus">European folk lore</a>.<br /><br />None of the above </span><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;">three </span><span class="siteheadlines2justified" style="font-family:arial;">are official saints in any church.<br /><br />So, in addition to blue or red colors and gang signigs, you can also add the </span><span class="siteheadlines2justified"><span style="font-family:arial;">mustachioed one or the skeleton as indicators of people you should avoid.</span><br /></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-40392130103985606582007-05-09T11:22:00.000-07:002007-05-09T11:32:38.443-07:00Eye Candy for North Korea MilitaryNow here's an interesting idea. In North Korea, you inherit the medals and awards your family (Dad, mom, grandfather, grandmother) has earned during prior service. This results in the sight of young soldiers with no time in combat displaying a chest full of medals that would make a south american dictator jealous.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dailynk.com/efile/2007/05/07/DNKF00002025_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.dailynk.com/efile/2007/05/07/DNKF00002025_1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And, it's not just for the guys, these lucky female soldiers are blessed with a great collection of medals too.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.dailynk.com/efile/2007/05/07/DNKF00002025_3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.dailynk.com/efile/2007/05/07/DNKF00002025_3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Images and full story at <a href="http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk03100&num=2025">Daily NK website</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-42662022891456848692007-04-08T06:55:00.000-07:002007-05-23T09:36:04.503-07:00March of the Great Global Chilling<span style="font-family:arial;">As I wrote in an earlier post, while many eyes are focused on global warming, the quiet threat of global chilling continues its advance on the world. This year we see the new tradition--</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >I'm dreaming of a white Easter</span><span style="font-family:arial;">:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070408/D8OC46200.html">Snow in Washington DC and Texas</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://headlines.accuweather.com/news-top-headline.asp?partner=accuweather&traveler=0">Arctic Freeze Attack!</a><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=250397">Coldest Easter in 57 years</a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Invest now in fleece and goretex.<br /><br />More global chilling strikes, this time it's summer that's hurt:<br /></span><br /><a href="http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5551185,00.html">The southwestern mountains of Colorado are under a snow advisory, with up to 8 inches of accumulation possible by early evening.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3844594">THE icy weather of snow, hail and heavy rain that has swept across South Africa over the past few days has set 54 weather records.</a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-3671522373642234932007-03-22T10:24:00.000-07:002007-03-22T10:28:01.652-07:00New Disney Park, Women and Minorities Hit Hardest?<span style="font-family: arial;">"Tell me it isn't so Mickey Mouse!" you can almost hear the little kid crying, but it does look like the Mouse doesn't like poor people as </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-disney22mar22,0,5565918.story?page=1&track=ntothtml">Disney tries to stop a low income housing project near the park</a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-62354785884443874542007-03-13T06:55:00.000-07:002007-07-31T07:30:00.387-07:00Good Bye Stardust Hotel<span style="font-family:arial;">One reason I like Las Vegas is it's embrace of the new, the change, the bigger and better.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In this regard when an old hotel is torn down folks feel sad, but they are also happy. The Vegas person looks forward to the newer flashy and more garish place that will come.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In this spirit the demolition of the Stardust Hotel was one heck of a send off. </span><br /><br /><object height="350" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/foX6x-Ym37s"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/foX6x-Ym37s" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="350" width="425"></embed></object>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-27665710999364935052007-03-08T13:23:00.000-08:002007-05-25T10:36:45.601-07:001.1-inch Cannon--The 3rd Worst?When discussing the worst United States weapons of WWII you'll usually get presented with two outstanding candidates (or maybe suspects would be a better term): the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman">M4 Sherman tank </a>and the <a href="http://www.historynet.com/air_sea/naval_weaponry/3037866.html?page=2&c=y">Navy's Mark XIV torpedo</a>. <p class="U1" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Note</span>: I'll grant that at a second-tier level we have 'stinkers' like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/37mm_Gun_M3">M3 37mm antitank gun</a> or the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reising">M50 Reising submachine gun</a>, which were bad, but more of the 'close but no cigar' type, and don't qualify as 'worst.'</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.de220.com/Armament/1.1%20Inch/1.1-Inch%20Photographs/80G303517.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 122px; height: 89px;" src="http://www.de220.com/Armament/1.1%20Inch/1.1-Inch%20Photographs/80G303517.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1">Thus, ranking slightly below the M4 tank and the Mark XIV torpedo (but much worse than the stinkers), for your consideration, I present the <a href="http://www.de220.com/Armament/1.1%20Inch/1-1Inch.htm">water-cooled Mk 2 1.1-inch (75 Caliber) Quad-barrel machine cannon</a>. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1"><br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1">At one time the 1.1-inch seemed to be just what the Navy needed to provide enhanced antiaircraft protection to its ships. But, once WWII started it was found that a twin barrel Bofors 40-mm gun could do the job better. In addition, the Mk2 1.1-inch was hard to maintain and unreliable.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1">The 1.1-inch ammunition suffered from being smaller than the 40-mm round and bigger than the 20-mm round. The 40-mm round was large enough to have a fuse that could be set for time and/or altitude and could detonate spewing fragments increasing it lethality area. The 20-mm round was smaller, easier to handle, and could be fired at a higher rate of fire than the 1.1 inch. </p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.de220.com/Armament/1.1%20Inch/1.1-Inch%20Photographs/SamSaylor001_small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 93px;" src="http://www.de220.com/Armament/1.1%20Inch/1.1-Inch%20Photographs/SamSaylor001_small.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1">In addition, the <a href="http://www.de220.com/Armament/1.1%20Inch/1.1-Inch%20Photographs/Ammo-Lowence004.jpg">1.1-inch round had a fuse that was built only for contact detonation</a>. The 1.1-in. round would only detonate if it actually struck an airplane greatly reducing it's effectiveness and lethality. The fuse was equipped with a simple set back system that could be armed if dropped while loading, which could result in a burst barrel.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1"><br /></p><p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1">So hobbled by its:</p><ol><li> Poor ammunition,<br /></li><li>High maintenance requirements,<br /></li><li>And, threat of injury to its operator</li></ol><p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1">I feel justified in putting forward the Mk 2 1.1-inch for a dubious lack of achievement while in combat award.<br /></p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1">Tip of the hat to the web site Destroyer Escort Central (located at: http://www.de220.com<a href="http://www.de220.com/"></a> ) a treasure trove of information on WWII Navy technology.</p> <p style="font-family: arial;" class="U1"><o:p> </o:p></p>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-66729759627172671242007-02-27T14:23:00.000-08:002007-02-27T14:37:02.526-08:00We Saw This Coming Right?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.allvahomes.com/images/house-foreclosure.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 162px; height: 238px;" src="http://www.allvahomes.com/images/house-foreclosure.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />A sad tale of a mortgage company going out of business from the <a href="http://www.lvbusinesspress.com/articles/2007/02/27/news/iq_12720257.txt">Las Vegas Business Press</a>, but my question is--looking back at the housing market in the 1980s and the 1990s--didn't banks know that when you have the subprime market go hot that has got to mean you're getting to the end of a housing boom?<br /><br />When the subprime becomes a major demographic for home loans you've run out of buyers, and you're now basically placing a bet and hoping that these long shot buyers (bad credit history, foreclosures, etc.) to come through as winners (irony of Silver State being based in Vegas is too much to believe).<br /><br />Maybe I've been around too long and things looks like they're constantly repeating. However, I could have saved Washington Mutual a lot of money if they had just called me up and said, "Steve what happened in Denver during the oil boom or could you tell us about that 1992 recession?"Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16973886.post-64058930935075535342007-02-16T07:37:00.000-08:002007-02-16T09:44:04.098-08:00Hello Old Friend<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pc-museum.com/033-amstrad/rcm-033.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 131px; height: 138px;" src="http://pc-museum.com/033-amstrad/rcm-033.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Like your first date you never forget your first computer, if you're a nerd like me.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I came across pictures of my first home computer an Amstrad PCW8256. It had the CPU and single disk drive in the monitor--who says Apple is cutting edge?--and came with software (CP/M Plus [an early version of the disk operating system: MS-DOS or DR-DOS, word processing, and programming) and a dot matrix printer.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eldocountry.com/Computer/amstrad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 136px; height: 102px;" src="http://www.eldocountry.com/Computer/amstrad.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The word processing program had a user interface similar to Wang's Wordstar--Look! Ma! no mouse. The spell verifier program was fun to run. I'd load the document, load the spelling program, and then on request, pop out the spelling program and load the dictionary disk.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/CDE/_WDSTAR.GIF"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 211px;" src="http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/CDE/_WDSTAR.GIF" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Amstrad is one of those computers that should have done better, but never seemed to catch fire in the US market. I'll always remember it as the computer that got me started as a true geek.<br /><br /><span style=";font-family:Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ></span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04734894170682066431noreply@blogger.com3