Random Bits and Bytes

Here are some tidbits from crawling the blogsphere:

Surprise, surprise, surprise. A study from UCLA and the University of Missouri finds bias in the media.

Darminisim is a dying cult, a book report by Patrick Buchanon on the “Politically Correct Guide to Science” from Tom Bethell as reported by Uncommon Descent.

Modern art, I love it.

And finally, some winter-time fun for the slightly twisted.

Multi-Stage Airbags Work Well

Last Sunday evening I personally experienced a multi-stage airbag deployment. It did it's job without the attendant minor injuries often associated with airbag deployments. I thank the Lord that he was watching over us that evening.

A business colleague and I were driving to Morgantown, WV. It was snowing and the interstate was untreated and snow covered. I was doing ~30 mph on a downhill grade in the left hand lane when a small pickup headed the other direction lost control, slid across the median, clipped the vehicle in front of us and spun directly into our path. We hit it head-on.

Everyone was OK. My passenger and I ended up with bumps and bruises, nothing serious. The car, a rented Pontiac G6, was totaled. The front end was crushed to the front wheels. The hood and fenders were also folded back. The passenger compartment was intact except the passenger window shattered and the front doors were hard to open.

The Monongahela Sheriff's deputy that responded to our accident was very good: He went above and beyond the call of duty. He took control of the situation. He checked all the vehicles and occupants, got flares out to redirect traffic and had tow trucks on the way in short order. He let us sit in his vehicle out of the weather because ours was not safe to be in. Once he had taken statements from everyone and the accident was cleaned up he gave us a lift to our hotel, which he didn't have to do.

On the other hand I saw some real idiots that evening. The driver who caused it for one. I guess he had to be going at least 45-50 MPH to come uphill all the way across median ditch like he did. If he hadn't hit the vehicle in front of us he probably would have slid all the way across our lanes into the guardrail, and likely would have missed us. His pickup ended up across both lanes of the interstate with traffic creeping by in the breakdown lane. He was clearly driving too fast for conditions, and was driving with a suspended license. We thought they would lock him up for the evening, but the second officer at the accident just ticketed him and let him go because they were too busy.

The second idiot of the night came whipping through the accident site at 45 MPH or so 15 or 20 minutes after the accident. He clipped the front of the pickup, maybe hit the guardrail, did a couple of 180's and 360's, and ended up sideways half in the median about 150-200 yards down the road from us. He drove off before the deputy could get down to where he was. This was after flares had been put out at the site, but the road was still snow covered. There was also another accident about a mile behind us that should have slowed him up.

Everything appears to be working out OK. Avis had another car to us by the next afternoon and my company insurance will cover everything. Airbags and seatbelts will be important considerations in the next vehicle I buy.

Weapon Retention Failure

What a bungled attempted robbery! Knowing my luck that's what would happen to me if I ever tried to rob someplace.

Update: I've added the clip itself. The original appears to have aged off the Uncommon Descent site.

Public School Arithmetic

Ran across this little tidbit about elementary school students that had their Christmas tree removed from Oklahoma state Capitol because it was "decorated with discarded lottery tickets". Sounds like another case of PC gone overboard, right? Not so quick:

The teachers went to various convenience stores and got used lottery tickets, which were cut into various geometric shapes and placed on the tree. 'They had been studying about the lottery and understood that the lottery money benefits public schools," Fair said. "They came up with a theme about the gift of education." [emphasis mine]

These so-called teachers were "teaching" these elementary school students that the lottery, which is a most regressive tax on those that are poor with math and can least afford it, is a good thing because some of the money pays their salaries. What a self-serving piece of crock. Not only should that tree never have been done, but the teachers that organized their sly little "exercise" ought to be fired for non-performance, conflict of interest and child abuse by emotional manipulation.

Yet another reason to homeschool.

Verizon Bluetooth is Cripple-Ware

I used to have a Kyocera Smartphone, which is combined Palm Pilot and cell phone, provided by my employer. What a great integrated device that was. But it was getting old and mechanically breaking down.

Off I went to find a replacement. I tried to order a Treo 650, but could not because it is not a corporate-approved wireless email device. I tried to explain that I did not want or need wireless email, I wanted a single device that was both a cell phone and Palm PDA, but alas the rules were unbendable, at least for someone of my lowly stature.

So I ordered a Palm T5 and a Motorola E815, both purportedly Bluetooth enabled. I figured I could share information between the two, including dialing phone numbers from the Palm via the cell phone.

The T5 showed up several weeks ago. It works quite well. The cell phone showed up this week. As a cell phone it seems to work quite well. As an information appliance, it sucks. It seems the only thing Verizon wants you to be able to do with Bluetooth is use a wireless headset.

They specifically disable the file transfer capabilities of Bluetooth on their phone. This means getting files into and out of the phone is not possible using Bluetooth. As a work-around you can use the micro memory card to get pictures in and out, but ringtones and applications apparently cannot be brought in via the card. Verizon wants you to use their service through the phone to get ringtones and apps, for a nominal fee of course.

Verizon also does not make it easy to dial through their phone using Bluetooth. I finally got it working with the T5, but it took multiple magic incantations. Palm doesn't help in that they don't provide a Bluetooth device configuration for the Motorola E815. I had to use the TP280 configuration to bind the phone and T5. It seemed they would only bind using a passcode of "0000". I then had to change the connection type to the Standard GSM Phone setting to get it to dial through the phone. I also had to replace the Init String with "+MODE=2" under the details for the connection configuration.

If you want a real Bluetooth phone, don't get one from Verizon. But if you must, I hope these tips help.

Sadly, Nothing We Didn't Already Know

Yet another reason why we homeschool. According to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals this is "entirely within the mainstream of educational practice". Sadly, you just know this study would have been squashed if it were Biblical names, roles and prayers that the students were adopting. Not that I am surprised, but this is certainly one of the most blatant pieces of evidence that our society is developing more and more of a double standard.

Brainstorming on Failures

The Global Language Monitor catalogs political incorrect speech. It would be a hoot of a read if it wasn't actually serious. The two that caught my eye were "Thought Shower or Word Shower substituting for brainstorm so as not to offend those with brain disorders such as epilepsy" and "Deferred Success as a euphemism for the word fail."

I work in the computer software industry and brainstorming is a valuable and frequently used method for coming up with a variety of potential solutions to problems. I just cannot use "Thought Shower" or "Word Shower" with a straight face. I suppose these terms attempt to capture the verbal effect of a brainstorming session, but they in no way accurately reflect the true underlying activity. A key aspect is using your brain, not just saying a bunch of words. To top it all off the so called offendees don't find the term offensive at all.

"Deferred success" is even funnier. I can just see trying to use that term at the next system test: "That system didn't fail the test, it was just a deferred success". The howls of laughter would be deafening. People need to relearn personal responsibility.

Lech L'Cha - Go Forth, Yourself!

It's been a while since I did a Bible study here. I was working on one for Sukkot but did not get it finished in time.

Here are some notes on todays Parashiot, Gen. 12:1-17:27, from the service this morning.

"Gen 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram,

" Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father's house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Note how many times the word "bless" is used. As children of Abraham we are blessed. We are also called to be a blessing.

Gen 15:6 Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 And He said to him,

"I am the LORD who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it."

8 He said,

"O LordGOD, how may I know that I will possess it?"

9 So He said to him,

" Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11 The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 God said to Abram,

"Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14 "But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 "As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 "Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."

17 It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying,

" To your descendants I have given this land,
From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:
19 the Kenite and the Kenizzite and the Kadmonite 20 and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Rephaim 21 and the Amorite and the Canaanite and the Girgashite and the Jebusite."

Here God makes a covenant with Abram. The form used is that of a blood covenant. The parties of the covenant would walk between the pieces of the sacrifice, through the blood of the sacrifice, to seal the covenant. The interesting thing is that Abram was asleep and did not walk through: God made the covenant with himself. He promised Himself that Abram and his descendents would inherit the land. And Abram saw and believed.

Gen 17:5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

In changing Abram's name God put His name, "ha", into Abrahams name.

Also, "many nations" is "goyim" in Hebrew. That is the Hebrew word for Gentiles. God's promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations includes all the nations, including Gentiles.

Furthermore, Abraham's name is a merger of Hebrew and Arabic: "aham" is Arabic in origin. God was saying that Abraham would be the father of both the Hebrew and Arab nations. It is too bad that so many of God's Arabic children are chasing after a false god.

God, the God of Abraham, has provided salvation for all who will follow him. Praise the Lord.

All quotes NASU from PC Study Bible

Violence, Guns, Religion and Justice

It's been a while, so even though I don't have anything big and profound to say I thought I'd put up a few tidbits of what has been catching my attention:

Riots in France: This post over at the Nation of Riflemen pretty much sums up my opinion: It serves them right. New Sisyphus provides an erudite analysis of the racial aspect of what is going on. In my opinion the violence in Europe in an object lesson on the consequences of the inevitable failure of racist class-structured societies based on socialist welfare economies with liberal helps of appeasement policies thrown in. Furthermore, it is pretty obvious to me that the main stream media is this country is dropping this topic faster than a hot potato because it doesn't fit their worldview. Once the novelty wore off, out it went.

2nd Amendment: It looks like the flower children in San Francisco actually voted for a firearms ban. Such bans have been declared unconstitutional before and hopefully will again. The Gun Guy at NOR offers up an interesting treatise on 2nd Amendment defense arguing that the first line of defense is in the realm of law. He also argues that when unconstitutional laws are passed they can and should be ignored. I agree, but sometimes, in practice, such laws cannot be ignored. Then they must be resisted.

Alito for SCOTUS: Good second choice. I just wish President Bush had received a fair shake on his first choice.

Anglican Church: The American Anglican Council blogsite has an article about the meeting between the homosexual bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams. During the meeting "Dr Rowan Williams and Bishop Robinson discussed the crisis and also prayed together "[emphasis mine]. That brings up the simple question; Did they both pray to the same god, and if so what god?

If anyone had any questions about what the head of the Anglican church thinks about having homosexual clergy in the Anglican church this meeting should have resolved those questions. I'm sure Dr. Williams is upset about the divisions created in his church by Gene Robinson's election to bishop, but I don't think he actually has any fundamental problem with homosexual clergy, as long as they stay quiet and don't cause waves. Appeasement doesn't work for countries, nor does it work for churches.

What's Next?

Well I hope everyone is happy (NOT) to have scuttled a very good nomination. I believe Harriet Miers would have made a very good, conservative Supreme Court Justice. I think it was the Democrats who were getting suckered into supporting someone they thought was a closet liberal, but who really had become a converted conservative.

What next? I suspect the rabid, radical conservatives who wanted a fight might actually get one now. I wish we could have slid one over on the Democrats and liberals without having to risk a filibuster, but who knows now.

I guess we'll just have to wait and watch.

I Think It Will Be OK

I've been perusing the blogsphere reading all the woe and dismay among many so called conservatives regarding Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. I have one word for them "THINK!". Think before you speak, before you write, before you go off the deep end and scuttle another smart move by our President.

I believe she is a socially conservative Christian with a strict conservative legal view. Check out Marv Olasky's blog over at World Magazine and this article for some clues. She may be a Bush confidant but she is no syncophant. Nobody reaches her level of professional achievement without a backbone: For goodness sake she took on the American BAR Association from within. The more I think about it the personal connection to President Bush is a positive thing: I believe he knows the depth of her personal convictions that will drive her decisions and that she's no fading lily pseudo-conservative.

Regarding her law degree; cut the snobbery. Do you really want a lawyer trained in one of the Ivy League bastions of liberalism? Some like John Roberts rise above it, but better to be free from the taint to begin with. I suspect SMU is a good enough program. Besides as anyone who has worked for a living will tell you it's what you do with your degree after you get it that counts.

I suspect the conservative reaction is as much one of surprise versus any real opposition. At least I hope so. Once people get over it I think they'll start seeing the strengths in what they are reacting to as weaknesses. And they'll thank our President for another very smart choice. He may not be the most articulate President we've ever had, and I do wish he could rein in government spending somehow, but he is looking like one of the smarter Presidents we've had.

FS: Registered American Nubian GoatsA

Break, break for a commercial message:

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We have several registered American Nubian goats we're trying to sell. These are primarily milking goats, with very good dairy bloodlines. Nubian goat milk is high in butterfat content and tastes as good or better than cows milk.

The first is Aurora, a 2 year old first-freshener. She is putting out a little over 1/2 gallon a day 5 1/2 months into her lactation cycle. She is on test and is expected to earn her star in the next month or two on butterfat quantity.

The other two, Lucky and Rosemary, are doelings born this spring. They have very good dairy bloodlines and can be expected to be good, strong milk producers.

Please go to http://yeshuasglory.blogspot.com/ for more details, including prices. We are located in Central MA and can transport within a reasonable distance for a small fee to cover gas. Contact me at kevinjmiller@yahoo.com if you are interested or want more information.

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You may now resume your regularly scheduled programming.

UPDATE: [Bump]

Way to Go Charlie!

I'm not usually one to put sports figures up as role models, but this case certain warrants it. Coaches who are successful at the highest levels of their sport and who have a heart tend to be rather rare. Charlie Weis was one of the big reasons that the Patriots won 3 out of the last 4 Super Bowls, and this I think is the kind of reason why.

RIP: Du Toit's

The Du Toit's have left the blogsphere. I'm very sorry to see them go, particularly without much explaination. Here is what little information that is available. Good luck Kim and Connie and hope you both resurface soon.

What's Next for the SCOTUS

Captain Ed has posted a very insightful analysis of the John Roberts nomination end-game and what it might mean for the next SCOTUS nomination. Given that the rabid BHLs in the Senate have decided to pick up their marbles and go home I really hope that President Bush picks a Scalia/Thomas soul-mate to replace Justice O'Conner. He has no reason to do otherwise.

Who might that be? Captain Ed suggests one name. I think there are a few others that might be good also, as long as their name doesn't start with A.G. and end in Gonzales. One of the women or ethnic minority candidates would be nice, but not required, particularly if it is as a sop to the left. George Bush owes them NOTHING.

We shall see.

Katrina Anthology

This is mostly a list of news sources and blogs with information regarding the mishandling of Katrina relief efforts. There's not much to say, the facts mostly speak for themselves.

• Katrina Timeline
  
• Why the Red Cross, and other relief agencies like the Salvation Army, are not in New Orleans. Commentary from Captains Quarters. Note it is the State not the Federal office of Homeland Security that's restricting access. Could this name similarity be the source of much confusion?
  
• Governorship Compare and Contrast. And which state seems to be getting back on it's feet quicker?
• Senator Landrieu (LA) on FOXNews (with Mitch Gaynor commentary). She has a minor issue with the facts about buses in her partisan zeal to attack the President.
• Are all of Louisiana's politicians daft? Appears so.
• One persons experience with refugees from New Orleans being housed in Oklahoma, and the rebuttal.
• A real Good Samaritan in Mississippi and New Orleans.
• Illegal confiscation of guns in New Orleans. Why?? Commentary by Kim Du Toit, Doc Russia, and Smallest Minority.
• What FEMA is, and is not. It does matter. Also, go back to page 1 of the article for an interesting factoid comparing the response to Katrina versus the response to Andrew in Florida.
• (Sept. 13) Stop Blaming FEMA photo. A picture is worth a thousand words.
• (Sept. 13) New Math (10,000 dead) does not seem to work
  
• (Sept. 13) Thank God for our President! Put the blame where it belongs.
  
• (Sept. 13) Who's helping and who's just talking. The survivors know who got them out and who did not.
• (Sept. 15) Give me windy and rain over heat any day.
  
• (Sept. 15) I wouldn't drink the water, but it ain't the toxic brew we were told.
  
• (Sept. 15) Who's job is it to pick up? It really is poor form to try to blame somebody for not doing something that is not their job, particularly when it's yours.
• (Sept. 18) Reason for the 2nd Amendment. New Orleans residents exercise their rights and protect their property.
• (Sept. 26) As Captain Ed points out truth doesn't seem to count for very much in political attacks, even when caught in your lie. I say no reconstruction money to Jefferson Parish as long as Aaron Broussard is in charge.
  

I'll update this as more comes to light.

A Quicker Way to Have Sealed the Levee

Saw these two posts[1, 2] over at Two-Four about helicopters dropping 3,000 lb sandbags one at a time to seal the break in a levee. Got me thinking there might have been quicker way:


~23 3,000lb bombs sandbags in one pass

~16 3,000lb bombs sandbags in one pass

A couple of passes from one of these bad boys would have had the levee closed up in no time, right?

Black = Mayhem NOT

I was clued into this report from Kim du Toit's blog. As Kim points out if Mr. Levy were writing this:

"I am beginning to believe that black people, no matter where in the world they are, are cursed with a genetic predisposition to steal, murder, and create mayhem."

in America instead of Jamaica he'd be strung up by now. He has some interesting observations but he doesn't really ask why. The "genetic predisposition" line is just a lazy cop-out: "It's not my fault, I'm just black".

I really think it has nothing to do with ones race. The fundamental reason is that people who have grown up in an culture of despair, without respect for authority, without hope for something better are going to react badly in times of crisis.

Too many black people here and elsewhere have been abandoned spiritually and politically. They get a "social gospel" from ministers charlatans like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton that blames others for their personal condition rather than pointing them to the real cure.

Then the BHLs [spit] feed them the affirmative action line causing them to expect something for nothing. Add that to a government welfare and aid system that makes it easier to stay on the dole than not, and you get people who are lazy, demanding and personally irresponsible. Then take away the structure that's been giving to them and you get lawlessness. It has nothing to do really with being black. Put anyone in this situation over time and you will get the same behavior.

Quit blaming your race, or your minister, or your mother, or your neighbor. Get right with The Man, then get to work.

Update: I wrote this then went off to check my usually list of suspects bloggers. Lo and behold here are others that have written on this subject far more eloquently than I. If this post whet your appetite then try these:
From a woman's perspective.
In depth sociological analysis.
Detailed Katrina response timeline. In case you need some facts.

Promotion to Chief

Chief Justice Rehnquist has passed on, God rest his soul. Thank you sir for your service to this nation.

I was going to post some bloviations about who our President might pick to replace Justice Rehnquist and how he might go about it, but he beat me to it. It is nice to see Mr. Bush knows when to take his time and when to move quickly. I think it was a good move, tactically. John Roberts is likely to be confirmed fairly quickly.

I am a bit nervous about putting someone in the Chief seat without a track record on the Court. Nothing I've seen or heard in the weeks since his nomination calls into question his basic judicial conservatism; however, there's this little voice in the back of my head that keeps chanting "Da-vid, Da-vid, Da-vid". I hope it is wrong, but the hand has been dealt so we'll have to see how it plays out.

Stay tuned.

Update: Again, others in the blogsphere wax eloquent:
Captain's Quarters analysis.
New Sisyphus Requium for Rehnquist.

Not Everyone Who Says "Lord, Lord"

I really try to avoid making judgements about another persons status as a Christian. If they claim to be a Christian then I try to give them every benefit of doubt. However, there is no way these people can be considered Christians, regardless of what they call themselves. We as Christians are called to comfort those who mourn, not hold a unrelated protest at the funeral. Even if you believe there is a problem with the gay homsexual agenda in this country, the means of this protest in no way justifies its ends.

I shall be praying that the members of Westboro Baptist repent of their sin and make amends to those they have wronged.