Monday, March 28, 2005

You're In Good Hands


Airport Security Breach Delays Holiday Travelers

"An image of a revolver appeared on the X-ray," said Paul Wisniewski, the airport's federal security director.


A gun in someone's luggage, that's a security breach, so what do they do?

"It occurred when X-ray operators were changing positions, relieving each other, which caused some confusion," said Wisniewski. The passenger was allowed to proceed because of that."


Oh, yeah! Shift change! Let someone else worry about the gun, I'm outta here!

The DeLorean


DMC restores the maverick automaker's famous steel sports car

Remember the DeLorean? John Z. DeLorean died Saturday. What did the Z stand for? I don't know. The cars have quite a following and there is a company who owns most of the remaining factory parts and they will restore you DeLorean to new condition.

Outbreak of Kidney Disease


Florida Girl's Death May Have Link To E. Coli Outbreak

Florida Health Secretary John Agwunobi said there are 14 confirmed cases of people who attended the Strawberry Festival in Plant City or the Central Florida Fair in Orlando in early March and who have since been sick, and either tested positive for E. coli, or a kidney disease that sometimes results from E. coli infection.


This is a real mystery, they think it may be from the petting zoo at the Central Florida Fair and/or the Strawberry Festival, but they don't know. There are petting zoos everywhere and kids have been around farm animals forever, why would this happen now? You can't take your kids anywhere anymore.

Snake Bite


Man Survives Bite From One Of World's Deadliest Snakes

I like this part:

Mental health experts at a Miami Hospital are trying to determine why a Brevard County man was handling one of the world's deadliest snakes when he was bitten.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Chilling


In October of 1939 amid the turmoil of the outbreak of war Hitler ordered widespread "mercy killing" of the sick and disabled.

Code named "Aktion T 4," the Nazi euthanasia program to eliminate "life unworthy of life" at first focused on newborns and very young children. Midwives and doctors were required to register children up to age three who showed symptoms of mental retardation, physical deformity, or other symptoms included on a questionnaire from the Reich Health Ministry.

A decision on whether to allow the child to live was then made by three medical experts solely on the basis of the questionnaire, without any examination and without reading any medical records.

Each expert placed a + mark in red pencil or - mark in blue pencil under the term "treatment" on a special form. A red plus mark meant a decision to kill the child. A blue minus sign meant a decision against killing. Three plus symbols resulted in a euthanasia warrant being issued and the transfer of the child to a 'Children's Specialty Department' for death by injection or gradual starvation.

The decision had to be unanimous. In cases where the decision was not unanimous the child was kept under observation and another attempt would be made to get a unanimous decision.

The Nazi euthanasia program quickly expanded to include older disabled children and adults. Hitler's decree of October, 1939, typed on his personal stationary, enlarged "the authority of certain physicians to be designated by name in such manner that persons who, according to human judgment, are incurable can, upon a most careful diagnosis of their condition of sickness, be accorded a mercy death."

Questionnaires were then distributed to mental institutions, hospitals and other institutions caring for the chronically ill.

Patients had to be reported if they suffered from schizophrenia, epilepsy, senile disorders, therapy resistant paralysis and syphilitic diseases, retardation, encephalitis, Huntington's chorea and other neurological conditions, also those who had been continuously in institutions for at least 5 years, or were criminally insane, or did not posses German citizenship or were not of German or related blood, including Jews, Negroes, and Gypsies.


Human beings cannot be trusted with such decisions. Once we start down the road we don't seem to be able to stop ourselves. We mean well, most of us, but we always end up going too far. History repeats, nothing is new, we keep running over the same old ground.

On August 3, 1941, a Catholic Bishop, Clemens von Galen, delivered a sermon in Münster Cathedral attacking the Nazi euthanasia program calling it "plain murder." The sermon sent a shockwave through the Nazi leadership by publicly condemning the program and urged German Catholics to "withdraw ourselves and our faithful from their (Nazi) influence so that we may not be contaminated by their thinking and their ungodly behavior."

As a result, on August 23, Hitler suspended Aktion T4, which had accounted for nearly a hundred thousand deaths by this time.

The Nazis retaliated against the Bishop by beheading three parish priests who had distributed his sermon, but left the Bishop unharmed to avoid making him into a martyr.

However, the Nazi euthanasia program quietly continued, but without the widespread gassings. Drugs and starvation were used instead and doctors were encouraged to decide in favor of death whenever euthanasia was being considered.


I'm afraid we won't be able to stop the pendulum this time either. Oh yes, there are those who want to get this started again, you can bet on it. All in the name of freedom.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Let There Be Light


I installed some halogen accent lighting in the kitchen to illuminate the counter. It came out looking good, I ran all the wiring inside the cabinets and I love having all the extra light. They get hotter than I like, I have to make sure James understands not to touch them. He hasn't.

Mildly Amusing


There's a guy robbing banks in Michigan who looks like Michael Moore.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

I Hope I Die Before I Get Old


I seriously doubt Roger Daltrey still means that. He's old now and enjoying life. People say things without really thinking them through sometimes. Perhaps they mean it when they say it but learn better as they mature. I've heard many people say they wouldn't want to live in such and such circumstance but I truly believe, if they ever were in that circumstance, they would change their minds. The will to live is strong.

Be careful what you wish for.

Jewish Group Banned From Temple Mount


Israel bans Temple Mount ascent of 10,000 Jews

"We will not let so many Jews up at once. This is not the usual habits on the Temple Mount. We have to ensure that every Jewish group is going up in safety and will go up quietly,"

Friday, March 18, 2005

...Not As I Do


A DEA agent, giving a lecture about gun safety to kids, shot himself in the leg. He is OK, in fact he continued with the talk, but he must be so embarrassed every time he hears it again. He had just finished saying that he was the only one in the room professional enough to handle this gun when he shot himself. He's very lucky he didn't shoot any of those kids. He even had a woman pick up another gun to show them and everyone told him to put it down. "It's empty, it's an empty weapon, guys." Yeah, they believe you.

View it here

High speed connection may be required.

Islam For Europe


Since the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the Europeans have slowly, yet most certainly become aware of a very disturbing fact.  Europe has become an unwitting host for a wide variety of extremist Islamic militant communities, bent on destroying the very hosts who admitted them, provided for them, and nurtured their needs, wants and aspirations.


Europe's Tolerance May Soon End

Muslim hatred for the European countries and peoples, who have welcomed them over the past fifty years, may soon bring about a reaction that will rock the western world.  Europeans may well reach the breaking point  where they will no longer tolerate the abuses of their social systems that made the European way of life available to so many Middle Eastern peoples.


Written by Michael Burkert, who resides in Germany.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Here's A Headline I Never Thought I'd See


Jury finds Robert Blake not guilty

I've watched him talk with Tom Snyder many times and going by the stories he tells I believe that man is capable of anything. In fact, Tom Snyder says on the site:

Robert Blake is an angry man. Those of you who saw Blake on the old show at CBS know that. Every night he was on, as he was leaving the studio, the crew and I would talk about this anger. Saying it wouldn't surprise us if one day he just started shooting people. Well, that didn't exactly happen. The evidence against Blake in the murder of his wife is entirely circumstantial. He may be acquitted--but I think he killed her.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Robin Redbreast


The Robins are out in force today. I haven't seen this many Robins in ages. Maybe there's a convention in town. I saw a Downy Woodpecker today, too. That webpage says it's the most common North American woodpecker but I've never seen one before - not in my yard. James loves to see the different birds, but he also loves to chase them. Not today, though. He's still sick, better, but sick.

This Should Be Interesting


10,000 Jews to ascend Temple Mount

A grassroots Jewish organization plans to bring 10,000 Jews next month to the heavily restricted Temple Mount to spark Israeli dialogue about reclaiming the holy site from its Muslim custodians.

"The Temple Mount is the single holiest place in the world for Jews. It's about time the Israeli government restores it to the Jewish people, where it belongs," David Ha'ivri, chairman of Revava, the group orchestrating the gathering, told WND.


I sense another Palestinian Day of Rage coming on.

Predatory Instinct


Joseph Farrah offers some advice for the Boy Scouts, Don't retreat, attack.

The ACLU is not going to wash its hands, claim victory and go home following the Boy Scouts decision to hand over the schools. Instead, the fanatics at the ACLU are going to jump for joy and start picking their next battlefield. The brown shirts at the ACLU are going to see the Boy Scouts in full retreat and prepare for a final assault.

Mark my words, I know how these evil, immoral swine think.

There is no compromising with them. There is no accommodating them. There is no bargaining with them. They are playing for keeps. They are fighting to win.

And the only way to fight them is to give them a taste of their own medicine. No quarter for the ACLU. No compromising. We must work only with one objective in mind – the ACLU's utter defeat and destruction.

Tuesday, March 15, 2005

The Ugly Truth


Brian Nichols, the Atlanta courtroom killer, may get the death penalty for what he did. And he should. But it won't be before many years of appeals and many demonstrations by anti-death penalty groups. When he is finally put to death it will most likely be by lethal injection. He will be put to sleep.

Can you imagine if the judge decided to lock him in his cell and stop feeding him until he dies? That judge would be subject to more hatred than President Bush. It could never happen, this country wouldn't stand for it.

But, take an innocent young woman who is disabled, unable to feed herself or speak but who is conscious and able to breath on her own, add one husband who wants her dead more than anything else in the world and one judge who agrees with him - stir - and suddenly it becomes OK to stave her to death. Isn't it amazing how that works?


It's murder ... that's the ugly truth

Where are the feminists?
Where are the bleeding hearts?
Where are the human-rights activists?
Where are the churches?
Where are the media?

Every single petition filed by Terri's family has been denied by Judge George Greer for 8 years. This week, he denied a request by the state of Florida to investigate allegations of abuse. Last week, he denied a petition by her parents to allow Terri to be divorced. He is supposed to be acting in Terri's interest, yet he has never seen her and has just one position: Terri Schiavo will be starved and dehydrated to death. It could take as long as 15 gruesome days for her to die. Where is justice?

Television Is bad For Your Health


Four Egyptian children killed when TV set explodes; parents badly burned

The four were in bed Friday night when a short circuit apparently caused the television to blow up, sending flames throughout the room in their house in the coastal city of Alexandria, the official said.


Must have been one of those new fangled Palestinian suicide TV's. Honestly, there is nothing in a TV that would cause an explosion of that size. Please. Maybe it caused a fire that spread throughout the room while they were sleeping.

Under the Weather


I've been so sick since Friday night, the flu or something, I have not felt like doing anything since. I must have gotten it from Irma. She's feeling better now but James and Joshua are both getting a cough and I have a feeling they are next. I hate this.

Friday, March 11, 2005

Spin Zone


The Mayor of Orlando (Buddy Dyer) was indicted "on a felony charge that they violated a state law prohibiting payments for the collection of absentee ballots."

At a press conferance today, Buddy Dyer had a different story:

"My campaign employed a campaign consultant who allegedly violated the law by encouraging older African American voters to participate in the elective process and I'm being held to account for that."


Is that what they call "playing the race card ?"

It's About Time


North Korea is finally cracking down on it's own people. They've had it too good, for too long.

Is there no limit to the insanity of Kim Jong Il? Take one monster out of commission (Saddam) and another one gets worse. It's like the demons fled one and into the other.

Time To Flush Some Politicians


Pay as you go: Florida lawmaker seeks to tax toilet paper

It would also need approval from Gov. Jeb Bush. He said that if toilet paper is taxed, people might use less of it.

"That's not necessarily a good thing," noted the governor.


Speaking of flushing politicians, this just in:

Orlando Mayor (and Bill Clinton wannabe) Buddy Dyer (D) has been arrested after a grand jury issued four indictments while investigating election fraud.

Thursday, March 10, 2005

Cat Shot


If you're going to own a gun, and that's not a bad thing, you really should learn and practice some basic gun safety so your cat doesn't shoot you with it.

Fatwa Against Osama?


Spanish Muslims issue fatwa against Al-Qaeda's Osama Bin Laden

That's interesting. Is this a first? A good sign? We'll see.

Proof of Evolution?


Monkeys Type Shakespeare Play

"One time they got to the fourth act of Macbeth, before making a mistake. The monkeys also recently typed out a Thomas Pynchon novel, but that doesn't count."


Not so fast, though.

But a researcher checking says the monkeys made a mistake. "In one reference, they called 'Romeo,' 'Romero.'"


Hat tip: Infinite Monkeys

Definition of Overkill


China to have 800 missiles aimed at Taiwan in 2006

Beijing reiterated it was prepared to use force to bring the island to heel but only after all other avenues are exhausted.


Heel, boy, heel. They are determined to get what they want. I wonder what else they want?

Job Security?


Prison sued for censoring Bible materials

According to Pacific Justice Institute, recently prison officials changed their policy to exclude most types of free religious materials.

"Thereafter, the prison mail room would not deliver Bible study materials to inmates who had requested and were eagerly awaiting them," the group said in a statement.


What's that all about? What harm could Bible Study materials do to the prison population? Do California prison officials have an anti-God agenda?

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Lick Your Wounds


Football coach admits to licking player's blood

The 34-year-old was disciplined for licking the bleeding knee of an athlete. The school district placed Reed on probation and required him to take a "bloodborne pathogens" course.

The student whose knee was licked told police it happened after Reed had given team members a pep talk about a coach licking and healing the wounds of injured players.


Do you have to take a test to be a teacher?

Without Warning


Mt. St. Helens is erupting again.

"We don't expect another explosion," said Peggy Johnson, a university seismologist.


Oh, good.

Scientists have said a more explosive eruption, possibly dropping ash within a 10-mile radius of the crater, is possible at any time.


I'm glad to see scientists in complete agreement.

This Doesn't Seem right


I hate when schools or organizations use children to fund raise. Some parents do get carried away with it.

Man Ticketed For Selling Girl Scout Cookies With Daughter

The man was flabbergasted. I didn't think New Yorkers were flabbergastable. I guess they are.

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Has Anybody Seen My Barbs?


It seems Mr. Jack Dempsey has decided the Tiger Barbs make a great between meals snack. All but two are missing. He behaves wonderfully in front of me, but when I'm gone he does his dirty work. I guess they weren't quite big enough.

Flying High


This is a cool little movie - best with a high speed connection: Aerobat

Enjoy.

Saturday, March 05, 2005

The Real World Inside Your Mind


Ever wonder how your eyes work? It's more complex than you may have imagined. Ron Dart does a really good job of explaining it in this mp3 "Born to Win" program:

Eyes To See

Friday, March 04, 2005

He Had Too Much To Drink


Yeah, right.

A few minutes ago someone slammed on the front door. I got up and saw a guy with no shirt or shoes holding his hands to his throat. I walked over to see what he wanted and he just looked at me and was breathing hard and holding his throat. Something wasn't quite right though, I didn't trust him, so I called 911 and told them what happened, I thought he might need medical help. As I was talking to the operator he started jumping around, walked over to the side and knelt down in front of the window. He stayed there for a minute, got up and started jumping around again, yelling and acting like he had something crawling around in his pants that he was desperately trying to get out. He did that for a while all over the front parking lot and started walking toward the road - acting totally bizarre. Eventually he crossed to the other side.

Now, the police came and they went over and looked like they were talking to him. He was standing there like everything was fine, except he only had pants on and it's cold and rainy. A couple of guys came to the front, watching him, and they said they were his friends and he was drinking too much. I've seen alot of drunks and never saw one act like this.

The police brought him back over, said he was staying here, called his friends over and told them to take him back to the room. I was out there right next to the guy and even spoke to him. He was, now, acting completely normal. There was no smell of alcohol. He was not drunk. He may have been on something, but it wasn't alcohol. I guess the police don't want to get involved. I don't know what they could have done, maybe nothing anyway, but at least admit the real problem.

I need a new job.

Bury It, Quick


The story about the lady that was killed in the Checkers robbery was front and center on the WFTV website yesterday. Next to the major stories, on the right, they have a list of local and regional stories. These start at the top and work down as stories are added. The robbery/murder story is last in the list as I write this and there are older stories above it. I guess they don't want to scare away any tourists. You have to look hard to find it on WESH.

Thursday, March 03, 2005

Protect Yourself, Nobody Else Will


Yes, I keep the doors locked at work and if it offends you - I really don't care - go somewhere else.

Armed Robber Kills Fast Food Restaurant Manager

This happened less than 2 miles from me last night and I heard and saw all the police cars and wondered what was going on. Someone got shot and killed for no reason, the police came out to clean up the mess, and the shooter got away. Same old story.

It still surprises me when someone gets all upset about checking in through the window. They get no sympathy from me. That's the world we live in and it will only get worse, especially if we can't stop the Supreme Court from making stupid, outrageous decisions like no death penalty for juviniles no matter how heinous the crime. Sorry, the truth is, some people need the death penalty and some of them are under 18 years old.

Socialism is Evil


White land grab policy has failed, Mugabe confesses

President Robert Mugabe confessed yesterday that millions of acres of prime land seized from Zimbabwe's white farmers are now lying empty and idle.

After years spent trumpeting the "success" of the land grab, Mr Mugabe, 81, admitted that most of the farms transferred to black owners have never been used


I'm surprised to hear him admit that. This is another example of the utter failure of socialism.

"He warned the farmers that the government will not hesitate to redistribute land that is not being utilised."


Of course. We're doing that here in America, too. It's called eminent domain abuse.

"It has been a phenomenal and absolute failure on every level," said Tendai Biti, secretary for economic affairs of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change. "It has failed both in terms of production of crops and in terms of the occupation of the land."

The new farmers are unable to raise bank loans because their properties are formally owned by the government and they have no individual title deeds. Without loans, they cannot buy seed, fertiliser or farming equipment and the regime has broken a pledge to supply them with tools.


Oh yeah, long live socialism. Not!

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

Happy Birthday James!



Left to right: Noemi, David, James, Joshua, and Eric. James was 5 on Feb. 28.

Dear Grandma


Hey Grandma, guess what? I got the Godzilla movie that you gave me in the mail today. I like it and I love it. Thank you very much. I love you.

Love, James

P.S. He got the other box in the mail, too. He was so excited to see the mailman walk up the driveway with a box. Two boxes in one day. Thank you.

Do Something!


German jobless rate at new record

The figure of 5.216 million people, or 12.6% of the working-age population, is the highest jobless rate in Europe's biggest economy since the 1930s.


Germany has highest unemployment rate since the 1930's.

The news comes as the head of Germany's panel of government economic advisers predicted growth would again stagnate.


They're saying growth will be about 1%.

The growth warning triggered anger even from government supporters, who said the Social Democrat-Green administration of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder had to do more.

The mass-market Bild tabloid used red type to splash the phrase, "Do something!" across its front page.


Euro falls as German unemployment worsens

More news they don't want to hear.

The Sun is Angry?


Sun's Temper Blamed for Arctic Ozone Loss

Are they trying to say the Arctic ozone loss is because the sun is angry? At the United States I presume. Anyway, I thought the ozone loss was caused by evil American spray cans, air conditioners and cars.

There are some cool pictures to check out on that page.

If you ask me I'd say these out of control global weather problems are due to our forgetting God. Sun gods are Ok, real God is not.

Closing the Gap


High-tech weapons help Europe to close military gap with US

The European Union is to develop unmanned drones, new armoured vehicles and advanced communication systems in a strategy to become a military superpower and close the defence technology gap with the United States


Just watching.

Busy At Work


It's been busy here and I haven't had time to get on the computer much. There has been something to keep me busy for a few nights now. The other night a woman who stays here came home from work and stopped by to pay for the night, like she does every night. My friend/unofficial security was sitting here with me in the lobby. Everything was normal. About 20 minutes later she came back to the door and motioned me over, I walked over and opened the door to see she was crying. I let her in and she said her boyfriend/husband beat her up and choked her. Her neck was all red and she said she thought he was going to kill her, she couldn't breathe. She asked me to call the police and I did.

She was incredibly calm during this whole thing. She went outside to smoke a cigarette and my friend and I were amazed at the way she was acting, considering what just happened. It was very obvious she was telling the truth. It wasn't that she wasn't upset at all, just that it seemed like just another day to her. Very sad. We were afraid she would back down when the police came and not press charges. She was also not afraid to go outside, she knew, I guess, he wouldn't dare do anything in front of us. I've had to save a few women from getting beat up by locking them in the lobby. Usually, after a few minutes they just want to go back with him. They never want me to call the police. This is the first time this happened with an actual guest of the hotel though. And if you show any hostility towards the husband/boyfriend you become the bad guy so I never get involved in that way.

Anyway, the police came and found that he had left. They searched all over but could not find him anywhere. There were about eight police cars here. So they all left and she went back to the room with some friends who came to be with her. I stopped being surprised about the way the police handle things around here. She told us the guy probably went to 7-11 to get cigarettes. We joked that he is probably going to call from the 7-11 to see if he could come back. Sure enough, he called. I put it through and not 10 minutes later she called me and said he was at the door. This was about 1 hour after I called the police the first time.

Now, I called the police again and talked to the same dispatcher, told her who I was and where and that the guy in question had returned. She acted as if she had no clue what I was talking about, so I had to explain the whole thing to her. ?????!! That boggled my mind. A car pulled up and the policeman got out and I had to explain again to him and told him the guy was right around the corner. He drew his gun and went around the corner just like in the movies. Cool. His gun even had a laser sight so you could see the red dot on what he aimed at. It happened to be pointed at the guys back as he told him to get down. They handcuffed him and put him in the car. Five more police cars pulled up - I guess they like to see some action, too.

They sat there for a good half hour. I was looking out the window at the road and suddenly I see a car heading west make a u-turn in front of the hotel. The only problem was he couldn't physically do that because of the median and I guess he was headed west on the eastbound side. Big mistake to make at that moment, what with six police cars sitting right there. Yes, they got him. And it's funny how nobody comes to check in when there are a bunch of police cars in front of the lobby.

The next day the girls face was all black and blue and you could see where the fingers grabbed her neck. She has some marks on her arms, too. She moved out.

The other nights were not nearly as dramatic, just busy.

Thought you'd like to know.