In Memoriam: Fed CENSUS worker hanged, mutilated in USA!

This is SCARY.

AP (by way of ABC/Disney) reports that, Federal officials (FBI) said that:

A U.S. Census worker (was) found hanged from a tree near a Kentucky cemetery had the word "fed" scrawled on his chest, a law enforcement official said Wednesday

This is EXACTLY what I have been saying. The RIGHT wing so called "loyal" (used with bitter irony) opposition is ANYTHING but loyal, and is unintentionally starting to polarize our country.

I have refrained from complaining about the "Town Hall" and "Death watch" meetings, and rumors, innuendos and lies being foisted by the political party now out of office.

HOWEVER, these EXTREMELY polarizing views are STARTING to have an effect.

This is simply the first example.

Try reading Orson Scott Card's novel about the second US civil war, titled "Empire".
Exactly this (Right vs. Left) bullsh*t.

We do not need the party in opposition to the president to plant this kind of civil disobedience.

We need health care reform. These tactics are ALL smokescreens to help prevent this...

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MY OTHER BLOGS:

Latest new blog: film reviews (my netflix education)
See my other blog: SOS-newdeal for more details.

HW Assignment: Watch "The Professor's last Lecture" Randy Pausch of CMU

Professor Randy Pausch, of CMU (Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg is dying of pancreatic cancer. "So in case there is anyone in the room who wandered in and didn't know my back story, my dad always said, 'If there is an elephant in the room, introduce him,'" Pausch said in the lecture.

"If you look at my [CT] scan, there are approximately 10 tumors in my liver. The doctors told me I had three to six months of good health left. That was a month ago so you can do the math."

The diagnosis was a grim reality, but Pausch doesn't do grim and he doesn't do self-pity.

The Wall Street Journal called it "the lecture of a lifetime" and those who have seen it have more than agreed.

-----> Mark sez: I agree, and I want EVERYONE who ever reads me to go Here to Google video (and spend TWO hours of your life, watching, listening, and if you're like me, making NOTES while he talks...)
(or play it HERE-- but it's TWO hours LONG!

A beloved professor at Carnegie Mellon, Pausch got a standing ovation from the 400-member audience before he even opened his mouth.

"Make me earn it," he told them.

And I really DO think he earns it.
I will (I hope) be annotating the video with specific points that I noted, such as at 1:18 (1 hour 18 minutes) in the videotape when he mentions one goal/point:

• How do you get people to help you?
• Truth
• Be Earnest
• Apologize if you're wrong
• Focus on others
• Example
• Brings out birthday cake for his wife, whose birthday was day before lecture.

I really think that this is a life-changing lecture. For sure, it was for him, as at the end of it he reveals that it was really for his three children (who are now 5, 3 and 1, and wont really know him when they grow up--except from this video:

Challenge (NOT OPTIONAL)

Pick out THREE points of the video that you'd like your spouse/significant other/children
to internalize.

My List?

1. His childhood list of things to achieve
1. Disney Imagineer
2. Experience Zero Gravity
2. His entertaining story of how BRICK WALLS are placed in front of us to separate the WHEAT from the CHAFF.
1. and how he eventually DID work for Disney, even after being rejected!
   
3. How he worked with his team to introduce a new programming metaphor to encourage girls (and kids) to program, without telling them it's programming!

I'd like this to become a Meme to celebrate the spirit of Dr. Randy Pausch. I am much disappointed that I never met him, but his

• Courage
• Strength
• Determination
• and most of all, VISION

are truly inspiring to me. I'd love for you too, to view the video, and make this a tribute to him, and the values he represented.

Thanks again

Stupid iS: as Bush does:

Our Commander in Pajamas has AGAIN said "NO, NO, NO" (today: He is SUPPOSED to claim that HE (again, as Idiot in Chief) will be the ONLY ONE (NOT CONGRESS) to decide WHEN to withdraw the US TROOPS from IRAQ.


The CONTRARIAN says: (as I have said MANY MANY times!)


1) we needed 500,000 GROUND troops in IRAQ 4 years ago to secure the country.
NO troops, no success. THIS is the RESULT!

2) The war to make IRAQ free has ALREADY been LOST.

3) The BEST that we in the US of A can do now is PREVENT mass (two sided) GENOCIDE (aka civil war!)

4) We ABSOLUTELY need to TELL the PRESIDENT without a doubt that WE NEED our troops HOME

5) THE ONLY possible outcome (besides the US being in IRAQ until 2027) is that
THE UNITED NATIONS agrees to send in a MULTI-National force, to help the US.

5a) THe US must commit to at least 150,000 troops to support this UN force.


We have NO choice, we can SAY we will bring the troops home, but it is NOT feasible and is actually NOT the morally responsible thing to do now.

We need the following:

• Congressional children enlisting and going to IRAQ
• IMPEACHMENT of Dick CHENEY
• A National Reconciliation Commision, chaired by congress.
• All those testifying will receive immunity from PROSECUTION, but must answer EVERY Question, and NAME names.

• The Defense budget and War allocations must NOT be "special" allocations, but must go into the regular PENTAGON funding bills .
• We need to start socializing that Bush W has started the modern equivalent of the 100 year wars.

• The Hundred years wars were NOT called that originally. (Doy!)
• George Bush,and the NEO-CONS have managed to create an IMPOSSIBLE situation. PERMANENT WAR with NO consequenses for themselves

WE need a truth and reconcilliation commision NOW....
Either that or IMPEACHMENT, and then a WAR CRIMES TRIBUNAL!

Plague: (well true, but...) Bulbonic Plaque in Denver

Well The NY Times says that the plague is carried by fleas that live on Rats/rodents and Squirrels.

Harumph..
Can you say GOG vs. Magog? (the end of days????) Heh heh. Just kidding (I think).

Could it Jump to humans??? Sure. Might it???
HEY Steven King, Did YOU Release Captain Trips on us?

{side note: Capt'n Trips was discussed, and hypothized WAY before the AIDS crisis hit. But who knows if it might have its origins in Bulbonic Plague, or even BIRD FLU!

DetroiT: Energy Efficient vs. SUV's (continued)- updated 4-1-09

Updated 4-1-09 about GM and the streetcars at end...

OK. Wired asks a valid question:

Why is it there are Clean Cars Aplenty Outside U.S. but only 2 available in USA?

Automakers are producing more than 100 fuel-efficient vehicles, but you can't buy them in the U.S.

A study by the Civil Society Institute and 40MPG.org says there are now 113 vehicles rated at 40 mpg or higher available internationally, but just two (the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid) here.

Oooh... This is MY blog, so I get to pontificate...

Reasons we don't have better fuel(ed) cars in the USA

1. Detroit Lobbies and pays the Senate/House HUGE campaign contributions, therefore no increase in the CAFE fuel stands in 25 years
2. The OIL industry has also lobbied the Senate/House, witness the TERRIBLE (I don't own oil stock- so it IS terrible for me) profits of EXXON/MOBIL this year..
3. Assholes Idiots who claim that global warming isn't real.
4. Assholes Idiots who think that CORN based ETHANOL is the way to go in this country.
5. Supid-*ss Presidents who think that 500 Billion dollarsspent on a WAR is money well spent.
6. Our congress has never looked into the concept of alternative sources of energy, such as solar, wind, THERMAL, (and SUN based "free") energies.
7. Our COLLECTIVE stupid-ness at using SUV's to go to get a gallon of milk

ANd my Number one reason why we have problems???

THE Car companies themselves..

Until the 1940's there were local trollies/light rail companies in MOST towns in this country.
UNTIL GM and a consortium of the BIG oil companies CONSPIRED to put them all out of business, so that GM could SELL BUSSes to replace them...

This is the reason we have NO mass transit left in this country. IT is the BIGGEST SCANDAL of the 20th century.

And a subject of a FUTURE post (anyone care to research?)

4-1-09 update (has it really been three years???(As usual I answer myself...)

See HERE for a post in my OThER blog regarding Detroit, the decline thereof, and the great streetcar scandal here

Tech: New cancer treatment?

SlashDot (aka /. ) says

Cancer Drug Found; Scientist Annoyed

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16975360/

This is good!:

A cancer researcher's carefully cultured cells were dead. Katherine Schaefer was annoyed, but just a few minutes later, the researcher realized she had stumbled onto a potential new cancer treatment.

She has discovered a new way to attack tumors that have learned how to evade existing drugs. It seams that tests in mice suggest the compound helps break down the cell walls of tumors, almost like destroying a tumor cell’s skeleton.

I made a calculation error and used a lot more than I should have. And my cells died,” Schaefer said.

A colleague overheard her complaining. “The co-author on my paper said,’ Did I hear you say you killed some cancer?’ I said ‘Oh’, and took a closer look.”

They ran several tests and found the compound killed ”pretty much every epithelial tumor cell lines we have seen,” Schaefer said. Epithelial cells line organs such as the colon, and also make up skin.

It also killed colon tumors in mice without making the mice sick, they reported in the journal International Cancer Research.

Slashdot report above, original report at MS-NBC HERE

Ready 2 VeggiE: Get Ready to say bye to Eggs, Chicken!

In the News: Bird Flu Hits Poultry Stocks at French Farm

Hey Folks:

See my predictions at end of this piece!

Bird Flu Has now hit the largest commercial Turkey Farm in France.

It's Getting Closer!
We will:
A) Lose ALL (commercial & small farm) Poultry farming in the USA.
B) For a limited amount of time, EGGS will be available.
However, Organic (Free-Range) eggs will become unavailable by this summer
C) There will no be more CHICKEN in this country by November 2006
D) We will have a full fledged FLU PANDEMIC by December 2006
Mark
(and it won't affect me unless I catch the flu from a Human... I've been a vegetarian for over 30 years now!

RanDom: Flus, Viruses and Pandemics

Interesting Site: Bird-Flu news.

Bird Flu
News
This brings up my first book review/recommendation:
Flu:
The story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918; and the search for the virus that caused it: By Gina Kolata, first published (wow, is it SO long ago? 1999)

Having READ this book years ago,(and always loaning it out of my personal library) I was very ready when the Avian Flew first came out last year.

" Scientists have recently discovered shards of the flu virus in human remains frozen in the Arctic tundra and in scraps of tissue preserved in a government warehouse."

She goes thru a great deal of the background in a very non-technical way.