News
October 2006
2006.10.28–Alfred, Ohio. Doug is here this weekend.
2006.10.20–Alfred, Ohio. I read this today and thought it worthy of mention. It is an excellent combination of words that caught my eye and was in perfect context of the story it was written in. Well done!
2006.10.14–Alfred, Ohio. Driving to Cincinnati to visit with Dad today.
2006.10.13–Alfred, Ohio. Friday the 13th. 28 years ago today (it was also a Friday) I proposed to Jeanie.
2006.10.12–Alfred, Ohio. Remember the flap about Google making concessions to China? Microsoft is now making another version of Vista for the EU and South Korea. So what???
It is actually a pretty big deal. Large multinational companies can not long afford to have variations of basically the same product. Imagine the savings of having only ONE product worldwide. Unfortunately, it will likely come to pass. The most restrictive political units will be in the drivers seat. Who would have ever thought that new product development would have to be approved by Brussels and Beijing!!!
2006.10.11–Alfred, Ohio. Jeanie and I saw the Gridiron Gang.
2006.10.07–Alfred, Ohio. I am in favor of reviving the draft. My reasoning is simple. People who are drafted gripe and complain about everything. If anything going on is even remotely wrong, the howls and clamor eventually catches the attention of others. In the all volunteer service that we currently have, people tend to do as they are told… quietly. Let me give you what I think is a typical scenario.
A person voluntarily joins the service and is sent to Iraq. If something is going on that is not quite right (Abu Ghraib comes to mind) who will listen to their complaints? Even worse is what happens if they should come into harms way. The family and friends tend to take a patriotic stance and be grateful for the sacrifice that is being made. Contrast that to one who has been drafted.
A person is drafted and is sent to Iraq. Every day he writes home to friends and family and tells all that is going on. He or she will complain and question everything going on. Secrets don’t last long in such an environment. Should this person come into harms way the family will tend to question why and perhaps cause an uproar over their loss.
The draft as I envision it would be for everyone turning 18. Boys and girls, fit or unfit. The civic duty for some may be to learn to read and write if our schools have failed them to that point. Those who have medical needs that have fallen through our health care system would be attended to. Others who are of fit mind and body would go into the military to provide for our defense. Many more than currently do would go to an expanded Peace Corps. There is plenty of “good works” projects that could use extra hands around the world. A significant boost in this area may improve our perception in the world. Most would go into a civilian service taking care of whatever needs done in this country.
The howls and complaints that would surely follow would tend to keep things on the up and up. My name is Dave and I approve of this message.
2006.10.06–Alfred, Ohio. If you have a website and want to jazz it up a bit, Google has lots of gadgets to help you. Take a peek if you dare:
http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open
NOTE/DISCLAIMER: most of these are NOT made by Google so buyer beware! I have no financial interest in Google or any of the gadgets offered.
2006.10.05–Alfred, Ohio. Received this at work today from a friend and thought it worth sharing with everyone.
In Case of an Emergency (ICE)
A recent article from the Toronto Star, “the ICE idea”, is catching on and it is a very simple, yet important method of contact for you or a loved one in case of an emergency. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is program the number of a contact person or persons and store the name as “ICE”. The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when they went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn’t know which numbers to call.
He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name to file “next of kin” under. Following a disaster in London The East Anglian Ambulance Service has launched a national “In case of Emergency (ICE)” campaign. The idea is that you store the word “ICE” in your mobile phone address book, and with it enter the number of the person you would want to be contacted “In Case of Emergency“. In an emergency situation, Emergency Services personnel and hospital staff would then be able to quickly contact your next of kin, by simply dialing the number programmed under “ICE“. For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2, ICE3 etc.
2006.10.03–Alfred, Ohio. Political news that is making the rounds:
- Disgraced former Rep. Mark Foley (R) from Florida has abruptly resigned due to lewd e-mails and instant messages he has sent to teenage boys. He has admitted to being gay and now claims that clergyman abused him when he was young. There remains lingering questions about who knew what and when. No one seems to remember much.
- According to a book by Woodward, Condoleeza Rice (R) doesn’t remember having meetings with George Tenent where he gave warnings of possible U.S. attacks before 9/11. Doesn’t that sounds vaguely familiar.
Wouldn’t it be grand if the voters had a TOTAL RECALL of every House and Senate member! None of them are doing our business.
2006.10.01–Alfred, Ohio. We had breakfast with Joe and Angie today. They are celebrating nine years together today. Congratulations!
This afternoon I mowed grass and tried out the new string trimmer. It was a beautiful Autumn day. Note to Mary Ellen: we dug up a few potatoes.
