The Legacy of Live Aid

Sorry for the lateness of this article. I just dug it out of my files. Remember Live 8? Well it started with Live Aid, a concert in 1985 that was committed to helping the poor starving in Ethiopia. What a wonderful effort! What a wonderful time! All these well meaning people gathered for a terrific cause. The hit songs "Do They Know it's Christmastime" and "We are the World" came from this effort. Well, sadly, not only was the cause misguided, like many liberal, feel good causes, it actually hurt more than it helped. It turns out that I don't really want my MTV as much as I used to.


http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/005/031arivi.asp

Dave Barry looks at 2005

Dave Barry slips out of retirement just long enough to remind us of how funny he can be. He looks back fondly on the past year filled with memories of Lance Armstrong, Michael Jackson, and Robert Blake. Take a short trip down memory lane.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/13511044.htm

Caspian

Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering.
This starts out sounding like a flaky organization with a bit too much conspiracy theory on their minds. What they come up with is pretty surprising. Among other things, Customer loyalty card programs are very expensive to operate. That cost is passed on to us as consumers.

"For many consumers, the pricing issues surrounding supermarket "loyalty" card programs can be summed up in one simple concept: those without a card pay more at the register. The stores portray it the same way, but call it "rewarding loyal customers" with lower prices. Though this sounds simple, few things in life are as simple as they seem and supermarket cards are no different. "

http://www.nocards.org/overview/index.shtml

Here is a follow-up. This is a pricing study comparing "card" stores with loyalty programs to traditional "non-card" stores. The results are pretty amazing. They are also similar to a very unscientific comparison done in my own home. Admittedly, these are unscientific studies that compare on only one factor. My daughter (currently studying AP Statistics) would argue that single factor studies are limited in their usefulness. Still, there is something to think about here. This doesn't even bring into account the privacy concerns raised by using the cards. The industry is experimenting with RFID cards which would further expose you to privacy concerns.

http://www.nocards.org/savings/regular_price_study.shtml

ICE your Phone

Create a cell phone entry labeled ICE (for In Case of Emergency). This is a worldwide program (it started in Britain) to make it easier for rescue responders to make contact with the right people in the event of an emergency.

http://www.iceyourphone.org/

See also the Snopes article on the so-called ICE Hoax e-mail that has been passed around. There are no viruses associated with using ICE on your phone. The article explains that ICE is only one measure you should take to identify yourself, not the only measure.

http://www.snopes.com/crime/prevent/icephone.asp

Stopping by the Woods

Stopping by the Woods
Just because I like it.

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it's queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there's some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Thought Reform on Campus?

Here is the Guide to First Year Orientation and Thought Reform on Campus. It is a book from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). This is a group dedicated to freedom of thought and fighting the unwarranted restrictions of the PC police, especially on campus. The article links to a PDF of the entire book. The rest of the site is interesting as well. Free your mind.

http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/5064.html

If you can't read a PDF file, or you don't know what one is, go here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

and download the Adobe PDF reader. It's free, no viruses or ads, and it is a very useful tool. (That's why they call me Dataman).

What was the star of Bethlehem?

Here is an interesting article with a flash demo that shows how aligning planets and stars might have been the Christmas Star seen by the magi. Interesting bit of history here.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3077385/

What's Wrong with Kwanzaa?

Well, here is a pretty good article that explains some of the murky origins of the "holiday". You can also go to the official kwanzaa site, run by Ron Karenga himself. Read the Front Page article first. It will definitely color your observations of the site.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=16474

Here is another article with pretty much the same take on this Hallmark Holiday:

http://lashawnbarber.com/archives/2005/12/27/kwanzaa/

The True Quran

Read about the most dangerous book in the world. This is a version of the koran that contains the messages of the bible. It is considered blasphemy in the middle east. I'm sure there will be a fatwah on the authors. Ahh, freedom of thought, what a wonderful thing!

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5108

A Hero of the Revolution

I admit that when I was young, and Viet Nam was fresh, I listened to the romantic vision of Che Guevarra, swashbuckling his way around Cuba, then on to greater adventures elsewhere, only to fall prey to the evil CIA. The truth, of course is very different from the carefully cultivated media image that I was fed. It is very different indeed.
http://www.nysun.com/article/24987?page_no=1

Pirates Of The Caribbean 2 Trailer

Avast ye pirates! Walt Disney pictures has launched the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley ck for the sequel, an all new epic tale chronicling the further mis-adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow. Captain Jack sets sail on an all new adventure – filled with more intrigue, more spectacular special effects and more comedy.

Click here to watch the trailer

Festivus (for the rest of us)

I thought about this for awhile. I am very concerned about the war against Christmas, as you know if you have been reading this blog for awhile. I don't want to take away from the spirit of the season, But this is too good to pass up. Here is the festival of Festivus.

Here is a brief history of Festivus from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus

What's Wrong with George Clooney ?

Here is a bit more on just what is wrong with George Clooney lately. His movie "Syriana" is an amazing piece of work that manages to excuse the Islamic terrorists and make the US government and oil company executives (capitalists naturally) into the bad guys. When you combine this bit of tripe with "Good Night and Good Luck" (his diatribe against Joe McCarthy) you wonder whose side this guy is actually on. I actually liked his Danny Ocean stuff. It's too bad he went so far downhill so fast.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20643

And while we're at it, let's talk a bit about the very questionable "Munich" from Steven Speilberg. This is debuting on December 23rd. I suppose there isn't as much market for him to actually premier a movie on Christmas Day. And what do we get from Mr. Speilberg as a Christmas/ Hanukkah present? Certainly not an accurate account of Islam on the rampage. No, we get metrosexual Mossad agents questioning whether bringing swift justice to assassins can actually ever help anyone. Such a disappointment.

http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20654

Spend a bit of time looking over the FrontPage site. It's run by a former radical turned conservative named David Horowitz. Very interesting stuff on here.

Junk Science.Com

Speaking of Junk Science, Let's check up on Junk Science.Com and see what they ahve to offer. Among other things is the Kyoto Countup. This measures the ever-increasing cost of the Kyoto Protocol and the pitifully small savings in warming due to its restrictions.

http://www.junkscience.com/

Reject Environmentalism, not DDT

Here is an interesting Op-Ed describing how DDT could be used to help millions worldwide. It is not because it was outlawed due heavy lobbying from environmental extremists who believe and follow Junk Science rather than reason. This is the true legacy of Rachel Carson and her Silent Spring, millions of people suffering so that some environmentalists can feel good about themselves.

http://www.aynrand.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=10773&news_iv_ctrl=1084

Movie Cliches

Here is a fun site just chock full of all of your favorite movie cliches. Did you know that all movie bombs have large, easy to read timers? Or that all movie bombs are wired using the same wiring color scheme? Lot's of fun stuff on here:

http://www.moviecliches.com/

Laser Weapons

Here is the first in a series. I like reading about cool new military technology. I guess it is a real life extension of the Clive Cussler/James Bond type of things I like to read about. Anyway, here is a real, hand held Laser weapon. Coool. You might also want to check the rest of the site. Jane's is the worldwide authority for defense technologies. Their weekly report is read in the Pentagon and in the Kremlin.

http://www.janes.com/security/law_enforcement/news/jdw/jdw051125_2_n.shtml

The Legacy of Tet

Here is a brief history lesson from Viet Nam. "It was with Tet ‘68 that the American media first knew sin. Anyone seeking to understand the character of consistently negative media coverage of the Global War on Terror must understand Tet." Newsmen Walter Cronkite and Peter Arnett stand out as either abject failures or willful conspirators. The truth is that we were very close to winning the war in Viet Nam, until the Main Stream Media turned it into a cut and run fiasco.

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=5089

Lies about Iraq?

Here is a rather long and difficult article about the supposed lies surrounding our decision to go to war in Iraq. It is a pretty devastating discussion that leaves you wondering just what the democrats are thinking.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/article.asp?aid=12005029_1

The Independent Women's Forum

Something for the independent women in my life:

"The Independent Women's Forum was established to combat the women-as-victim, pro-big-government ideology of radical feminism. We seek to restore, strengthen, and extend that which promotes women's well being by advancing the principles of self-reliance, political freedom, economic liberty, and personal responsibility."

It's a very forward thinking site with a lot of good articles.

http://www.shethinks.org/

Meet the First PC

The MITS Altair, first offered for sale on this date in 1975. This was the first computer available for home use. It was a kit costing $595. Paul Allen and Bill Gates wrote a version of Basic for this machine, forming a team that was the beginning of a rather large personal fortune for both men.

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=62

The Old Computer site is full of info on, well, old computers. Here is a look at my first personal computer, the Osborne 1. Imagine that we considered this a portable computer in those days! It was the size of a sewing machine (That's a machine for making clothes for those of you who are too young to remember).

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=181

Set America Free

Cut dependence on foreign oil and secure America's future.

America consumes a quarter of the world's oil supply but has just 3% of global oil reserves. We are thus forced to import over 60% of the oil we need, and this dependency is growing. Since much of the world's oil is controlled by countries that are sponsors of or allied with radical Islamists who foment hatred against the United States this dependency is a matter of national security.

http://www.setamericafree.org/index.htm

Of particular interest is the Blueprint for Energy Security. It has quite a few good ideas that, if acted upon, would free us from oil imports using currently available technologies.
http://www.setamericafree.org/blueprint.pdf

Note, this requires the use of Adobe Acrobat Reader. This is a free package that is easy to install on your system. You can get Adobe Reader here:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

WDW Haunted Mansion Animation

This is a Flash site with very detailed animations of several WDW rides. This one is the Haunted Mansion. It takes a little bit to figure out the controls, but the result is very impressive. There are other rides here as well. It seems this guy likes building these, so I think there will be more.

http://img5.picsplace.to/img5/4/Haunted_Mansion_001.swf

Here are some of his other animations posted on the great WDWMagic site, including the new Expedition Everest ride:

http://www.wdwmagic.com/animations.htm

National Anxiety Center

National Anxiety Center. Their motto is:
The good news is ... the bad news is wrong
This is a site dedicated to clearing up the deliberate misinformation disseminated by the Main Stream Media (MSM) . SOme very interesting stories on here.

http://www.anxietycenter.com/

Here is a good example from the site, regarding one of my favorite subjects, Global Warming:
The true Agenda? - Global Governance

http://www.anxietycenter.com/climate/main.htm

Ding Dong: Global Warming is Dead

Here's an interesting article from Canada describing just why the whole Global Warming/Kyoto mess is DOA.

http://www.canadafreepress.com/2005/caruba121605.htm

Leisure Cloud Cottage

A terrific site from a couple who immigrated from China. Lots of info on China, plus classical music, Art, and a large section of books online, especially computer books.

http://maththinking.com/boat/index.html

Raise a Glass to the Iraqi Voter

Raise a glass today in honor of the Iraqi voter. Some 11 millions, out of 15 million eligible voters went to the polls today. As proof of voting, and to prevent voter fraud, voters were required to dip their finger in purple ink. In the Saddam day, those displaying their freedom in this way would have had their fingers cut off. Today, they wave them proudly. Remember this on our election day. This is a huge statement about the success of the war effort.

Planet Christmas!

If you liked the last post, try Planet Christmas. This is a site dedicated to serious Christmas decorating. Some wild stuff here. We're talking Griswold Family Christmas:

http://www.planetchristmas.com/

The Best Christmas Lights Ever!

This will really put you in the Christmas spirit. It is a little video called the Best Christmas lights ever. It is from a guy who hooked up his lights to a 64 channel computer and synchronized it to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. It is very impressive. Unfortunately, it is nearly 5 meg, so I can't really send you anything but the link :

http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/xmaslights.asp

The video is on the Snopes site. This is the best site on the internet for debunking urban legends. Lots of interesting information on here.

One of my favorites is the Worst Ice Storm
http://www.snopes.com/photos/natural/icestorm.asp#photo3

Danny Ocean defends the Rather network

Ann Coulter writes:

George Clooney, writer and director of the rebuttal, claims he was driven to make the movie "Good Night, and Good Luck" because "a book came out about how great McCarthy was."
Q: Ann Coulter's "Treason"?
GC: Yes.
Needless to say I was shocked to learn that George Clooney can read. Liberals haven't been so alarmed by a book since "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

Learn the rest of the story.
http://www.townhall.com/opinion/column/anncoulter/2005/11/09/175022.html

See a Secret - Share a Secret

Here is a strange site. People send anonymous postcards to this site containing their most personal secrets. They are funny, sad, and sometimes a bit off.

http://postsecret.blogspot.com/

Professor Bainbridge on Wine

This is a nice wine blog that contains mini reviews and articles on wines. It's also part of the FoodBlog network. I'm not sure what the Food Blog network is yet, but I like the sound of it.

http://www.professorbainbridgeonwine.com/

Gizmodo

Gizmodo is a blog dedicated to gadgets. Cool stuff in here.

http://www.gizmodo.com/

Cool Battery Technology

A123Systems has created battery technology delivers up to 10X longer life, 5X power gains and dramatically faster charge time over conventional high power battery technology. Imagine a notebook battery that lasts 40 hours and only takes five minutes to charge. This has huge implications for all kinds of equipment.

http://www.a123systems.com/html/news/articles/051102_pr.html

It also has huge implications for our armed forces. Imagine what this could mean to soldiers in the field. To work with young, incubator companies, the government has set up a group that invests in technology startups that might benefit the government. You can read about it here.

http://www.onpoint.us/index.shtml

Bye Bye Tookie

Say Buh-bye to Stanley "tookie" williams. This was a co-founder of the Crips gang in LA. The cold blooded murder of four people. The darling of the left, including Mike Farrell from Mash and Snoopy Dogg. Here is an article on Lucianne that discusses this possible Nobel laureate. Hopefully you will understand why we should all be happy this creep has been voted off the island. Let this be a lesson to you (well, not you maybe, but you get what I mean!)

http://www.lucianne.com/threads2.asp?artnum=250521

Tech Central Station

A good site with Technical, Political, Enviornmental, Economic, and other news, updated daily. This is one of those sites that makes the internet a great source for news. Find in-depth information on topics not covered by the Main Stream Media (MSM).

http://www.tcsdaily.com

Hollywood Zoom

Here is a really cool little video. It shows a view zooming from space to North America to California to LA to the Hollywood sign.

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/hollywoodzoom.html

Mr. Crokinole

Crokinole is a great family game that has been in my family for nearly 100 years. We have a pretty old board that only comes out for family parties between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We bought a new board a couple of years ago. We now have two games going at once. My 80+ year old aunt was playing, as was my 9 year old niece. Everyone plays. It is a great tradition for us.

We bought our board from Mr. Crokinole. Since 1987, the #1 source for the best selection of crokinole game boards and accessories in the world! Wayne Kelly is a great guy who really loves the game.

http://www.crokinole.com/faq.asp

Target Includes 'Christmas,' AFA Drops Boycott

American Family Association (AFA) has announced that it is ending its boycott of Target because the company has announced that it will include Christmas in their advertising and in-store promotions.
Nearly 700,000 people had signed up to join the Target boycott at afa.net on the AFA website. Wildmon said that many companies have decided to drop their ban on Christmas.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1537254/posts

What's Wrong with Hollywood

Here is a review of the new George Clooney movie, Syriana. The author wrote the review before seeing the movie. It is remarkable how close he (probably) is to the actual movie. Liberal Hollywood is completely predictable and the main reason for the precipitous box office drop off of recent years.

http://oregonmag.com/ClooneyOilFilm.html

Christmas Mondegreens

Here is a great site. It combines a nice definition of Mondegreens and some great christmas examples. For those of you who don't know, mondegreens are misheard lyrics. My favorite example is, instead of Jimi Hendrix saying "scuse me while I kiss the.com sky" in Purple Haze, some people hear him sing, "scuse me while I kiss this guy". Quite a difference!

http://www.snopes.com/holidays/christmas/humor/mondegreens.asp

There is another great mondegreen site at :

www.kissthisguy.com

While you are on the site, you will find that Snopes.com. This is the site to verify or discredit Urban Legends. It's lots of fun. It's also very useful when someone sends you a breathless e-mail warning you of the latest internet threat. I always check here first before sending anything on to the rest of the world.

Raise a Glass

Raise a glass and remember John Lennon, murdered in very cold blood 25 years ago today. Whatever you thought of his politics, he was a hell of a musician.

UN Ceremony Omits Israel from Map of the Mid-East

The United Nations held a "Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People" last week. A large map of “Palestine,” with Israel literally wiped off the map, featured prominently in the festivities. The ceremony also included a moment of silence for all of the Palestinians who have "given their lives for the cause of the Palestinian people".

http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=94461

Merry Christmas!

Purple Finger for Freedom

Shelby Dangerfield, a 10-year-old Montana girl, demonstrated Americans' solidarity with freedom-loving Iraqis by inking her finger purple last January.
From December 12 - 15, let's follow her example by inking our index finger purple.

http://www.purplefingerforfreedom.org/

Thank a Soldier Week

Here is your chnce to thank a soldier. This site will send your message to a soldier currently seperated from a loved one. Drop someone a line and tell them jus how much you appreciate their sacrifice for you and for this great country.

http://www.thankasoldierweek.com/

Asteroid to hit the Earth!

It's called Apophis. It's 390m wide. And it could hit Earth in 31 years time Scientists call for plans to change asteroid's path Developing technology could take decades.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/space/article/0,14493,1660485,00.html

OK, so maybe it won't hit the Earth, but there's a chance.

Is the Sun Heating Up?

Astrophysicists are scratching their heads about what's happening on the sun and in our solar system. Why has this so-called "Solar Minimum" been so active? It should be quiet now with very few sunspots because this is supposed to be the low point of the Sun's 11-year-sunspot cycle. But this week, there was a sunspot called 822 that's 87,000 miles across - the size of the planet Jupiter! Could it erupt with more powerful X-flares as has happened the past few months. Big flares threaten all the broadcast, global positioning and military satellites that now orbit our planet. As I've reported before in Earthfiles, the sun is not "normal." Is it warming up? Earth's North Pole and Mars's South Pole are melting at a surprisingly rapid rate. Even far out Pluto seems to show some melting. Is the sun a bigger player in all this than originally thought?

Gee, Do you think that just maybe the sun might be responsible for a bit of the Earth's supposed warming?

Read more here:
http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1017&category=Science

GarageBand

Garageband is a great indie music site. I like the search for new bands that sound like other bands. For example, find bands that sound like Gentle Giant. You get a choice of bands from around the world. You can download some songs, or listen to them on the site. Very cool.

http://www.garageband.com

Free Republic

Just to be fair, I am including the republican viewpoint from a site called Free Republic. I don't know much about this one yet, but it looks interesting.

http://www.freerepublic.com

The Democratic Underground

OK, so those of you who know me know that I have a decidedly conservative, republican tilt. I like to think that I keep my options open and that I am, if not open minded, at least willing to hear the other side of an argument. This is especially true for politics. So, in the interest of fairness, here is the other side of the argument: The Democratic Underground. This is a site, much like my favorite, Lucianne.com, that keeps you up to date with topical information and commentary.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/

Write to Me

Write to me if you have been reading this blog. I am keeping track for a project for work. I am particularly interested in how you heard of it, or stumbled over it, and whether you find it interesting enough to return. Be sure to send me other links of interest, including your own blog, if you want to be included in the link list. If you can, please try the link ads. I am also testing them for usefulness. (Don't worry, they won't hurt, or make you buy anything).

Thanks,
Dataman

Bird Dogs of West Virginia

Just a funny picture. My apologies to those of you that live "on the ridge".

Great Mime Routine

Like the site says, I hate mimes. I generally have no use for them at all. Even so, this guy is great. I laugh every time I watch it. Have fun.

http://www.break.com/articles/torn.html

Darwin Awards

Then there are the Darwin Awards. Famous the world over, they are dedicated to "honoring those who remove themselves from it in really stupid ways.
Of necessity, this honor is generally bestowed posthumously. "

This is so wrong, but so funny.

http://www.darwinawards.com/