The Federal Election Commission is drafting regulations for political speech online. As a newbie blogger, I find this story extremely chilling. The assurances that "normal citizens" won't be affected do little to abate my unease.
Let's watch this very closely. Actually, let's start yelling about it right now. No sense in waiting.
We have in the internet a very cheap way for folks to get their ideas out, and ideas can include propaganda. I think most folks online have pretty good BS-meters. I think most folks online do a pretty good job of finding information about topics that interest them, especially political information. Sites that are just fronts for particular candidates or parties are pretty easy to spot.
I really don't like the idea that certain "journalistic sites" would be exempt. Now the FEC is going to decide who is a bona fide journalist, and who is a party shill? I've got some nominations for the latter, and they would include many "main stream media" outlets.
Peace,
Tor
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Is shopping at Wal-Mart immoral?
MSN Money offers this analysis of the morality of shopping at Wal-Mart. I commend this story to anyone who has any feelings about the matter. Like most issues, the pros and cons are much more complicated than the people who are yelling the loudest would like the rest of us to think they are.
Disclosure: I have to drive at least half an hour to get to a Wal-Mart. Even with that distance to drive, it saves me a great deal of money. I can't imagine being able to afford living in Maine without one. Clothing, oil filters, some groceries and even the mailers that I use to send out comics I sell on eBay are much more expensive if I buy them from any other merchant.
One line that surprized me greatly:
Peace,
Tor
Disclosure: I have to drive at least half an hour to get to a Wal-Mart. Even with that distance to drive, it saves me a great deal of money. I can't imagine being able to afford living in Maine without one. Clothing, oil filters, some groceries and even the mailers that I use to send out comics I sell on eBay are much more expensive if I buy them from any other merchant.
One line that surprized me greatly:
Shunned by some investors concerned about its antiunion attitudes and environmental impact, the chain nevertheless appeared in the portfolios of 33 socially responsible investment (SRI) funds in that same year, according to a study by the Natural Capital Institute.So anybody out there who is into "socially responsible" investing should take the time to read those prospecti and periodical reports.
Peace,
Tor
The Phields Lay Phallow
Of course I'm always getting phishing email, as I'm sure most of you are.
Sometimes I actually read it. One I received today purported to be from LaSalle Bank, warning me about their imminent software upgrade.
The best line from the email:
"This instruction has been sent to all bank customers and is obligatory to fallow."
Of course, that last word got by their spell checker, as it is a genuine English word. As we become less and less agrarian, fewer people know its meaning. I am wondering, however, if these phishers might be trying to transliterate the word "follow" for New Englanders. Many here say "fallow" the way the midwesterners say "follow."
Oh, the cunning of these pholks!
Peace,
Tor
Sometimes I actually read it. One I received today purported to be from LaSalle Bank, warning me about their imminent software upgrade.
The best line from the email:
"This instruction has been sent to all bank customers and is obligatory to fallow."
Of course, that last word got by their spell checker, as it is a genuine English word. As we become less and less agrarian, fewer people know its meaning. I am wondering, however, if these phishers might be trying to transliterate the word "follow" for New Englanders. Many here say "fallow" the way the midwesterners say "follow."
Oh, the cunning of these pholks!
Peace,
Tor
Cop Shoots Dog
A Belfast policeman shot and killed a dog who bit him twice when he was responding to a medical emergency. I'm not disputing that the dog, after biting the cop twice, was a threat to his safety. But don't cops carry mace anymore? My uncle used to when he was a State Trooper. I used to carry some when I rode my bicycle around Rockland just to deal with ornery mutts. I'll have to ask my brother about that, next time I see him.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Portsmouth and the BRAC
Pinky has some personal insight into goings-on at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in preparation for the BRAC visit. Let's all wish Pinky our best. I'm not in favor of keeping bases or other government facilities open just to keep jobs, but it sounds like the BRAC has some questionable motives here. I have to wonder if the goal here is really to get congress to vote down the whole list, and Rummy and Bush can say, "Hey, we tried to cut spending..."
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
David McCullough Rocks
One book that I intend to read very soon is David McCullough's latest, 1776
. A few years ago, I borrowed a copy of John Adams, and was able to steam through it fairly well till I got near the end. I knew that John's wife, Abigail, was going to die, and I didn't want to read about that. It was a very vivid portrait of the emotional bond between them that was the centerpiece of the book for me.
Another reason that I love McCullough's writing is that he is able to draw me into subjects that otherwise would bore me. Case in point: The Great Bridge. McCullough pulls you into the worlds of engineers and politicians and laborers, showing all their faults, but with much affection toward their human nature. Great stuff.
Peace,
Tor
. A few years ago, I borrowed a copy of John Adams, and was able to steam through it fairly well till I got near the end. I knew that John's wife, Abigail, was going to die, and I didn't want to read about that. It was a very vivid portrait of the emotional bond between them that was the centerpiece of the book for me.Another reason that I love McCullough's writing is that he is able to draw me into subjects that otherwise would bore me. Case in point: The Great Bridge
. McCullough pulls you into the worlds of engineers and politicians and laborers, showing all their faults, but with much affection toward their human nature. Great stuff.Peace,
Tor
Bush-As-Groucho Posters Spark Furor At High School
A Los Angeles-area high school drama club made posters depicting President Bush with a Groucho Marx-style mustache and smoking a cigar. This was to promote their satirical play, The Complete History of America (Abridged). The principal made the club take down the posters after one student complained.
In the U.S., it's a national pastime to make fun of whoever's in power. Clinton got it good from Rush Limbaugh and many others, so now it's time for Bush to get his due. (I didn't vote for either of these gentlemen: I have voted for the Libertarian candidate in each election.)
If you can't enjoy the humor of those who probably are your political opposites, it's best to keep quiet. It just encourages them.
Peace,
Tor
In the U.S., it's a national pastime to make fun of whoever's in power. Clinton got it good from Rush Limbaugh and many others, so now it's time for Bush to get his due. (I didn't vote for either of these gentlemen: I have voted for the Libertarian candidate in each election.)
If you can't enjoy the humor of those who probably are your political opposites, it's best to keep quiet. It just encourages them.
Peace,
Tor
Friday, May 27, 2005
Police probe "kill list" at Searsport school
The Republican Journal is reporting on a police investigation into a "kill list" at Searsport District Middle School. This is obviously a serious and scary issue for the kids, parents and teachers involved. It sure makes me nostalgic for the days when I was a kindergarten gang member. We brought wooden clothespins from home and rubbed them against the cement steps till they had a point. We pretended they were knives. (Don't tell the British doctors about that.) We never really used them against anybody, of course, but it felt cool having them.
These days, I don't even know where any of the old posse members are.
Peace,
Tor
These days, I don't even know where any of the old posse members are.
Peace,
Tor
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Knife Control
Doctors in England are calling for a ban on certain knives, such as those that my lovely wife Rowan and I currently have in our kitchen here in Maine. The gist of the story:
So if someone much much larger than you are comes into your house with, say, a lead pipe, intent on mashing your skull into pulp, these docs say that it's okay to dissuade them with a little knife, but not a big one?
I don't own a gun, but I support gun owners' rights. If I don't support the right of gun-owners to protect themselves with guns, eventually something like this will happen in our country, too. Of course I wish violent self-protection were never necessary, but sometimes people find themselves in such situations. Limiting choices for self-survival seems foolish.
Peace,
Tor
The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all.
They consulted 10 top chefs from around the UK, and found such knives have little practical value in the kitchen.
None of the chefs felt such knives were essential, since the point of a short blade was just as useful when a sharp end was needed.
The researchers said a short pointed knife may cause a substantial superficial wound if used in an assault - but is unlikely to penetrate to inner organs.
Kitchen knives can inflict appalling wounds
In contrast, a pointed long blade pierces the body like "cutting into a ripe melon".
So if someone much much larger than you are comes into your house with, say, a lead pipe, intent on mashing your skull into pulp, these docs say that it's okay to dissuade them with a little knife, but not a big one?
I don't own a gun, but I support gun owners' rights. If I don't support the right of gun-owners to protect themselves with guns, eventually something like this will happen in our country, too. Of course I wish violent self-protection were never necessary, but sometimes people find themselves in such situations. Limiting choices for self-survival seems foolish.
Peace,
Tor
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
May the Sound Be With You
Of course you know what movie the wife and I have just seen. Other than to say that it was pretty good (THANK YOU FOR NOT SUCKING AGAIN, G.L.), I'll leave most analysis to others, or for a later date. One thing that was noticeable to me was that the soundtrack was very well balanced, which is a rarity in movies these days. For instance, in Kingdom of Heaven, one minute you're straining to hear what some Saracen is saying, and the next you're being blown out of your seat by music. The most extreme example of this I've experienced as a projectionist lately was Phantom of the Opera. When the characters spoke, they nearly whispered. When the chandelier lit up and the phantom's theme played for the first time, they could hear it two blocks away. One lady actually left one showing of Phantom for that reason.
Revenge of the Sith kept a nice, rich sound envelope from scene to scene. You can make out every word, which is especially important with the droid and alien characters. Explosions and music are as they should be: part of an enjoyable movie experience, not headache-inducers. Good job, soundtrack guys!
Peace,
Tor
Revenge of the Sith kept a nice, rich sound envelope from scene to scene. You can make out every word, which is especially important with the droid and alien characters. Explosions and music are as they should be: part of an enjoyable movie experience, not headache-inducers. Good job, soundtrack guys!
Peace,
Tor
Monday, May 23, 2005
Directi Sumus
This is the beginning of the full-court press for single-payer health care in Augusta. Read between the lines, friends. I hope it's not inevitable.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
We Don't See Eye to Eye
In India, some eye docs have gotten the idea that they should get the government to ban a horror movie because its plot will scare people away from cornea transplants. And these are the people to whom we are outsourcing our tech jobs? And I thought the good ol' USA had cornered the market on censorious wishes. It's awful eerie to read about eye doctors wanting to keep people from seeing something.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
In the Library Loop
The Naperville, Ill. Library is getting fingerprint scanners to verify the identity of people using the computers. Now if we could get fingerprint technology connected to receiving welfare benefits, that would be a great first step!
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Radiation in Sacramento
A family in Sacramento, CA has put up aluminum barriers to radiation they allege neighbors are shooting at them. You have to wonder whether they're in need of psychiatric care, or just being joyously eccentric. Either way, I have no idea (never have, really) why governments should have the authority to tell someone to alter their property because it's "an eyesore." Is is a health hazard in this case? No: neither to the family, nor to the neighbors. Nor is it a cause of noise pollution so residents can't get to sleep. I say, leave them alone. Maybe send some social workers over to make sure there's not someone in danger of hurting someone else. But let the aluminum stay up. What will they do next, tell you you can't buy a blue car?
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
The Second Amendment and the First Amendment
The Second Amendment Foundation has issued a press release calling for a waiting period before rags like Newsweek can exercise their First Amendment rights. It's one of those rare times that a political group uses satire to good effect.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Augusta and the First Amendment
Some Democrats in Augusta are seriously in danger of running afoul of the spirit of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The issue involves two Democratic legislators who have asked businesses to disallow petitioners for the People's Veto from gathering signatures on their properties. They may have the right to do so, and businesses should certainly have the right to decide whether signature collection will be allowed on their property. But one remark by Rep. Jeremy Fischer of Presque Isle has me baffled, and just a little concerned.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution seems to be pretty clear in its language: people have the right to petition the government, and government can't stop them from doing it.
Thanks to Slublog for pointing out this story.
Peace,
Tor
"When I talked to the mall manager [at the Aroostook Center Mall] in Presque Isle, I told her she had to understand that [permitting the signatures to be gathered] opens up politics in your mall," Fischer said. "They made the decision with their legal counsel that they just didn't want either side doing anything on their property."I don't understand why legal counsel would have any qualms about allowing petitioners on site, other than perhaps due to liability insurance. The implication here seems to be that the legal counsel thought that legal repercussions might arise from the very fact that petitioning was being allowed. Horse-hockey.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution seems to be pretty clear in its language: people have the right to petition the government, and government can't stop them from doing it.
Thanks to Slublog for pointing out this story.
Peace,
Tor
Monday, May 16, 2005
A New Kind of Spam
I just looked over at someone else's blog, and found a horrible amount of spam that had been left as anonymous comments. I'd really like to prevent that from happening to this humble blog, so now I'm only allowing registered users to comment. It's a shame, since the earlier anonymous comments on this blog were so civil and well-put.
Sorry,
Tor
Sorry,
Tor
Israelis Foil Plot by Jewish Extremists
This would have been just what the peace process needed, after all the provocation by Newsweek. It's hard to even speak of the existence of a peace process with a straight face at this point. I believe we must all try harder to find peace within ourselves. The external world is obviously not going to oblige us.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
No Nukes.....er......Yes Nukes!
James Lovelock, one of the godfathers of the modern environmentalist movement in England, has called for coping with energy demand through nuclear power. In reading this article, I was stricken by the fact that the nuclear plants seem to require a great deal of government subsidy to be viable. Maybe the governments of the world should stop all energy subsidies, allow people to stick up for their own environmental degradation property rights, and see what happens. I suspect there'd be a lot more serious efforts at conservation and efficiency over development.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
N Korea 'in urgent need of food'
North Korea, despite being a self-admitted nuclear power, remains on the brink of famine. Why are all the socialist countries experiencing mass starvation? Why do even the poorest people in the U.S. seem to have plenty of food handy?
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Corpse Punches Doctor
A Romanian teenager was mistaken for dead and taken to a morgue. Upon awakening, he punched an approaching doctor, mistaking him for some sort of deranged killer. Another reason to embrace European-style government-run health care.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Thursday, May 12, 2005
muta'a in modern times
The pleasure marriage is regaining a foothold in modern Iraq. If all the neocons had known this would happen, do you think maybe they would have tried a few more creative diplomatic ideas?
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Mental Discharge - Drive-By Road Rage Signs
Mental Discharge offers Drive-By Road Rage Signs, free for the taking. Just reading the instructions is a joy for a curmudgeon like me. Warning: crude language. So you gotta go see it.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Diet Coke with Splenda
Today I tried my first Diet Coke Sweetened with Splenda, and must admit general disappointment. It's too treacly for my taste. I generally favor the bracing taste of Diet Coke over Diet Pepsi's sweet aftertaste. I really like the Diet Cokes flavored with vanilla and lime. (A former coworker told me his family even preferred the taste of Diet Vanilla Coke over sweetened Vanilla Coke.) But this just tastes like watered down corn syrup.
I'm really surprized. There are several Waist Watcher sodas that my wife and I enjoy, particularly the Diet Black Cherry. They're all sweetened with sucralose. I use granular Splenda on my breakfast cereal; my wife uses it in her coffee. I'm not sure what Coke has done to their flavor other than substitute Splenda for aspartame, but it's not good.
All in all, I sincerely hope the new formulation will be only an alternative, and not a replacement.
Peace,
Tor
I'm really surprized. There are several Waist Watcher sodas that my wife and I enjoy, particularly the Diet Black Cherry. They're all sweetened with sucralose. I use granular Splenda on my breakfast cereal; my wife uses it in her coffee. I'm not sure what Coke has done to their flavor other than substitute Splenda for aspartame, but it's not good.
All in all, I sincerely hope the new formulation will be only an alternative, and not a replacement.
Peace,
Tor
More Idiot Drivers
These guys have done way too much analysis of the scourge of Idiot Drivers. If only it weren't so true, it would be funny.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Idiot Drivers
I found this board over at LiveJournal at the top of the Google heap for "Idiot Drivers." I have decided that, when all other muses fail to inspire, I will simply catalog the Idiot Drivers I meet on a daily basis. I will name names.
Monday, Route 3, quitting time. Heading west from Belfast on Route 3. A Big Scary Truck is about ten feet off my rear end. We're doing fifty in a forty-five zone. We get to a straightaway and it passes me. Despite my courtesy of letting off the gas (as required by law), the S.O.B. driving the truck for Salem Wholesalers cuts in about two feet from my prow. He takes off at about seventy mph. Within ten seconds, he's on someone else's tail. Way to go, guys. I'll be looking for your tag on all the furniture I won't be buying.
Tuesday morning commute, Route 3, heading west into Belfast. A green pickup is on my tail. He's got plenty of straightaway to pass me, and eventually does. The truck's license is MDOT 1815. He takes off at about 75mph in a 45 zone, and turns right into the Hutchinson Center. That reckless driving shaves a whole 20 seconds off his commute. I'd think the gummint workers would be a little more careful with the taxpayers' investment. Especially when it's prime time for children to board school buses.
Wednesday evening commute, Route 3 (where else), another tailgater. A vaguely gold-to-cream colored Chevy. Maine license 6423 CA. Passes me, tailgates another. Turns left onto 131, tailgates these other poor folks all the way into Montville. Turns right onto 173, takes of at about 70mph in a 45 zone. Damn near hits a bicyclist when cresting an uphill curve.
I know it's not very Buddhist of me to get irate at these clods, but I can't help myself. Guess I really need to do much much better at trying to meditate.
Peace,
Tor
Monday, Route 3, quitting time. Heading west from Belfast on Route 3. A Big Scary Truck is about ten feet off my rear end. We're doing fifty in a forty-five zone. We get to a straightaway and it passes me. Despite my courtesy of letting off the gas (as required by law), the S.O.B. driving the truck for Salem Wholesalers cuts in about two feet from my prow. He takes off at about seventy mph. Within ten seconds, he's on someone else's tail. Way to go, guys. I'll be looking for your tag on all the furniture I won't be buying.
Tuesday morning commute, Route 3, heading west into Belfast. A green pickup is on my tail. He's got plenty of straightaway to pass me, and eventually does. The truck's license is MDOT 1815. He takes off at about 75mph in a 45 zone, and turns right into the Hutchinson Center. That reckless driving shaves a whole 20 seconds off his commute. I'd think the gummint workers would be a little more careful with the taxpayers' investment. Especially when it's prime time for children to board school buses.
Wednesday evening commute, Route 3 (where else), another tailgater. A vaguely gold-to-cream colored Chevy. Maine license 6423 CA. Passes me, tailgates another. Turns left onto 131, tailgates these other poor folks all the way into Montville. Turns right onto 173, takes of at about 70mph in a 45 zone. Damn near hits a bicyclist when cresting an uphill curve.
I know it's not very Buddhist of me to get irate at these clods, but I can't help myself. Guess I really need to do much much better at trying to meditate.
Peace,
Tor
Thursday, May 5, 2005
The Art of Seeing
The Buddhist Channel is a fun site I've just discovered, and in particular this story is a great example of bringing mindfulness into any discipline. Who says monks get to have all the insights?
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
Taxes
I'd like to think I'm a somewhat intelligent fellow. Yet I've been blindsided once again by a notice from the state tax people that my tax return was wrong. They say I calculated too large a tax liability. This is the third or fourth time this has happened to me. I always triple-check everything before I send it out, and always check everything again after they send their notice back. The only possible explanation is that the tax tables published in the instruction manuals are not the actual tax tables I should be using. I never have this trouble with the federal return. Or at least they've never told me.
Peace,
Tor
Peace,
Tor
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