Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Should Picky Eating Be Treated as a Disease?

Most folks who know me rank me as a picky eater. That's why this Washington Post story on adult picky eaters caught my eye:

Pass them on the street and you'd never know the quirks they harbor. But invite them over for a meal or join them at a restaurant and the truth emerges. Some find pasta and oysters too slimy. Others can't bear chewy meats, gritty berries, rubbery cheese or mushy tomatoes.

There are those who shun "foreign" or spicy foods as a category, or all produce with seeds (especially okra, which when overcooked marries seeds with slime, making it a true picky-eater nightmare). There are the dairy-averse (ice cream is often a notable exception) and condiment-phobes, who wouldn't consider defiling their food with mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise or relish.

Some finicky eaters will not mix foods on the same plate, or they insist on finishing one item entirely before starting the next. Others refuse to eat anything at all with their hands, whether a sandwich, peanuts or pizza.


Smell is usually the reason I won't eat something. I can't stand the smell of lobster, for instance. To me, it's like boiled vomit. I can't stand to be in the same room with it. Coffee is similarly noisome. I have had to take coffee for its stimulant in emergency situations, but my preferred caffeine vehicle is diet cola.

And believe me, I know what this guy is talking about when he nixes coconut:

Anti-hunger crusader Shore occasionally forces down spinach or corn when dining with some of the nation's top chefs who support his charity. But at a friend's wedding dinner last week, he ignored the gazpacho, ate only nuts and cheese from the salad, enjoyed the steak but nixed the German chocolate cake because "I've never been able to stand coconut."


Coconut actually produces a gag reflex in me, when it's still crossing the threshold of my lips.

I'm not nearly so extreme as some of the folks mentioned in the article, who can't even go to restaurants. I just have to make sure that no pickles or green peppers are included in my sandwiches.

The article takes an interesting turn when it talks about folks who seek treatment for their picky eating.

Although it is not known how many American adults are picky eaters, a growing number are seeking treatment, says Bradley C. Riemann, clinical director of obsessive-compulsive disorders at Milwaukee's Rogers Memorial Hospital, which treats numerous patients with eating issues.

"All of a sudden, in the past six months to a year, it is bursting out more than I have seen in my entire 18-year career, partly because there is so much public awareness of obsessive-compulsive disorder," or OCD, Riemann says. "Typically, this is not OCD-related but there is a fear reaction [to specific foods], disgust, and it is affecting their lives."

But picky eaters can become seriously ill or depressed, says Riemann. "The line between food preferences and disordered eating is whether it hurts their quality of life."


Illness and depression due to picky eating? When there are so many other good reasons to be ill and depressed? My food pickiness hasn't affected my life, other than to irritate some family and friends (to whose irritation I'm usually oblivious), so it's hard for me to comprehend.

Peace,

Tor

Linking to the following blogs with open trackback posts: Common Folk Using Common Sense, RightLinx, Planck's Constant, Renaissance Blogger, Signaleer, Third World County

Filed Under:

Maine Public Spending Research Group

The Brunswick Times Record's Victoria Wallack reports on Monday's public gathering hosted by the Maine Public Spending Research Group.

You'd think that, by this point, most would be in agreement that Maine's tax burden needs to go down. Nay nay, said one participant:

The group is devising a set of measurements to help residents better understand public spending, with the goal of moving Maine from the unenviable position as one of the most taxed states in the nation to somewhere in the middle of the pack.

That mission didn't sit well with everyone at the conference in Hallowell, where some said Maine's willingness to take care of it citizens is what makes the state special.

"You say you're nonprofit and nonpartisan. It's too bad you're not non-prejudiced," said Rep. Joe Brannigan, D-Portland, who was on a panel as co-chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Brannigan also runs a social service agency — Shalom House in Portland for people with severe mental illness — and took issue with the group's focus on the state's tax burden.


Of course, since all taxes go through the Appropriations Committee, any diminution of taxes levied will lessen Brannigan's importance and power over his fellow human beings. That's why I think it really doesn't matter whether you have a government controlled by Democrats (as it is in Maine) or Republicans (as it is at the national level). When folks are given the unchecked power of taxation over their fellow citizens, they will inevitably be corrupted by that power, and over time come to believe that they are entitled to that money.

Brannigan's ire was also raised by comparisons between Maine and New Hampshire.

"Why did you choose New Hampshire?" Brannigan asked. "To make us look bad?"


While I have no connection to the Maine Public Spending Research Group, I can assume that they only picked New Hampshire due to the facts that it's a state right next door, it has very similar demographics, and it seems to be doing so much better than our own state. Perhaps Mr. Brannigan feels that comparisons with California or New York would be more appropriate.

It's just another indication that the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights is woefully needed, despite the fact that it's likely unconstitutional.

Peace,

Tor

This is this week's open trackback post. You may trackback on most any subject, provided you link to this post. Click here and here and here for more info on open trackbacks.

Tagged as:

Friday, September 22, 2006

Cheap Magazine Prices

I know the readers of this blog are avid magazine readers and subscribers, too. Now, there's a single place you can go to for the lowest available price on over 2500 magazines from 24 different sites: MagazinePriceSearch.com. Readers of my religious and freethinking rants might be interested in Parabola and Free Inquiry. My libertarian readers will want to check out the super low price for a year of Reason.

When you search for a magazine, by title or category, you will find a chart that highlights the best deals for each subscription length, and also the best overall value. If there's a coupon code for a certain website, it's listed right there for you to copy and paste. Couldn't be easier.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Cocoa Beans, Storage Mites and Allergies to Dust Mites

My lovely wife Rowan has just been informed by an allergist that chocolate can be a source of storage mites, to which she is allergic. According to the doctor, only Godiva chocolate has escaped this problem, since its origin isn't Central America.

The good doctor did say that finding info on this on the internet would be difficult. So far, the closest thing I've found is this report on the handling of coffee and cocoa beans. Apparently, also according to the doctor, one of the large companies you'd associate with chocolate is trying to develop a birth-control hormone for the mites that could be sprayed on the goods and be harmless to humans, but in the meantime they're keeping things hush-hush. If you're allergic to dust mites, talk with your allergist about whether chocolate can be tied into it. Anyone with better documentation of this, please pass it on.

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

Filed Under:

Blogging for Charity

Fellow PayPerPostie Colleen is seeking sponsors for a 60-mile, 3-Day Walk in Philadelphia against breast cancer. PayPerPost has made it easy to donate to her cause for the rest of the month, by allowing PayPerPosties to direct payments for selected posts to her fundraising efforts. That's what I've done with the post right below this one. If every PayPerPostie donated one post to the cause, she'd be over the top in no time.

Also, Maven Mapper will be giving 3DayMom.com two cool bucks for this sentence. (If you guys want different anchor text, just let me know.)

This is another benefit of PayPerPost that hasn't really been discussed much: the ability to donate to charity. The other choices currently available are American Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity. At the time each post is submitted, a drop-down menu asks if you want to receive the payment, or to donate it to one of the approved charities.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has not been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, or in blogging for charity, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Filed Under:

Kohl's Coupons

If you're looking for online coupons, check out this page for Kohl's Deals. You can get ten percent off any order (no minimum!), or free shipping on any order of $75 or more! They've also got some hot Overstock Deals, like 12 percent off an entire order!

I hope the folks in Belfast, Maine will especially look to these deals, given the lack of shopping opportunities there.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Tagged as:

Belfast, Maine and Economic Planning

Belfast, Maine's Retail Review Committee is like a textbook case in why economic planning by governments doesn't work, except to the detriment of the average citizen and to the benefit of the politically connected. VillageSoup reports:

Councilor Cathy Heberer, a committee member, asked the group to retain the 75,000-square-foot cap now in effect for new stores unless a suitable proposal for a larger store is made. If that store "fits the needs of Belfast for more choice and affordability in food and clothing," the committee would recommend the city consider adjusting the cap upward.


In other words, if someone we like wants to have the rules changed, we'll do it. Wal-Mart need not apply, even with cheaper prescriptions. We like our prices high. Always.

Jon Cheston has reinforced his alignment with economic tyranny:

The group made 10 recommendations to the council on Aug. 1, and Jon Cheston said progress has been made in "exploring" five of them. They include a buy-local campaign, production of a shopping guide and map, having the Chamber of Commerce work with stores to fill "gaps" in items not available here, transportation to local stores and meetings to educate residents about Internet shopping.

The remaining recommendations are creating more festivals and events to draw people downtown, improvement in recreational and entertainment facilities, adding facilities for visual and performing arts, supporting the downtown/waterfront Tax Increment Financing District, and finding a substitute for the successful BearFest.


Buy Local. That's a good campaign idea, if the merchants want to fund it on their own. It would be ethically reprehensible to forcibly take money from citizens' pockets via taxation in order to try and convince them to spend what little they have left on a narrow selection of higher-priced local goods.

Shopping Guide and Map. Ditto the above. If there were anything approaching a free and vibrant economy in Belfast, the map would be changing quickly.

Chamber of Commerce as Economic Planners. Why the Chamber of Commerce would do anything for the city is beyond me, since the proposed city budget zeroes out the CoC in 2006-2007. And why entrepreneurial business owners haven't been able to perceive the needs and desires of the area's inhabitants is almost beyond my comprehension. It must have something to do with the fact that they're engaging in oligopolistic rent-seeking behavior, and using the force of government to keep competition out. And if there are businesses that do, indeed, offer products and services that most area residents feel they need to go elsewhere to find, why don't they do their own advertising?

Internet Shopping. I'm unclear on the concept here. If the problem is that people are going out of town to buy stuff, rather than shopping in Belfast, won't showing them the wealth of cheap stuff available on the internet only contribute to the problem? If Belfastians really got into internet shopping, most of the merchants in the city would really be in a world of hurt.

Tax Increment Financing. Ah yes, the latest favorite of economic planners. A very efficient way of taking money from the poor and politically unconnected and transferring it to the rich and powerful.

Ersatz Bearfest. Anything but birdhouses!

Peace,

Tor

Linking to the following blogs with open trackback posts: Publius Rendezvous, Pirate's Cove, Dan Mancini, Woman Honor Thyself, MacBros' Place, Dumb Ox News, Cao's Blog

Tagged as:

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

A Safe Air Gun To Let Your Kids Play With

As I hinted in an earlier post, I've received a box of goodies to review from Edmund Scientific. The first one I'll review is an oversized air gun called the Megazooka.

The Megazooka, fully assembled.


Looking down the scope of the Megazooka.

Megazooka, which is suitable for children ages six and up, sends a harmless blast of air at just about anything or anyone. It took me about twenty minutes to assemble mine (parents will need to help smaller kids with this), mostly because I was being overly cautious when I was extending the main body of the gun. (It comes collapsed, like a plastic drinking cup that you take camping.)

It uses a durable diaphragm attached to elastics to propel air from its chamber. Basically, you pull back the diaphragm and lock it in place, and then press the trigger to release it.

Megazooka from the rear, showing the diaphragm.


You can also remove the locking plate on the back to allow "semi-automatic" shooting mode, where you quickly pull back and release the diaphragm from your hand. I've found going this route diminishes accuracy a lot, but if you've got a lot of folks you want to blast in a hurry, who cares about accuracy?

Cats scurry out of the path of the Megazooka.


Let me tell you, our cats really don't like the Megazooka. Yes, I did aim it at two of them (after I tried it out on my wife and she tried it out on me). One of them was on top of the woodstove at the time, and it really shook him up. The next morning, he was still chary of getting too near the stove or the chimley. More effective than a squirt gun for warning cats, I'd say.

Here are two quick vids showing just how harmless the air vortex emitted from the gun is. The first vid shows me shooting a large houseplant leaf from about five feet away.



The second vid shows me shooting at a bunch of houseplants about twenty feet away. They're right against a window.



One thing that makes this toy safe for little kids is that the force of the air right at the gun's muzzle is very small. You have to get a few feet away from the muzzle to really feel some pressure. It would be a neat experiment for a young demolition crew to document the force of the air blast at different distances from the muzzle.

Here's another two-part demonstration of the safety of the Megazooka, shooting it right at my face point blank, and then at arm's length.





Overall, it's a safe toy that all ages could have a great time with. You could get several of these and have a paintball-type of afternoon without the safety concerns. Or you could just get one and lie in wait for your next victim.....

Please keep coming back to my blog to find more reviews of other great science toys and products from Edmund Scientific. The products I'll be reviewing in coming days range from a radio learning kit to another toy for shooting things!

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Mein Kampf, Unsere Kaempfe (Leider)

So a Maine couple allegedly kidnapped their daughter to take her to New York for an abortion because they didn't like the fact that the father of the baby-to-be is black.

From the Portland Press Herald:

SALEM, N.H. - A North Yarmouth couple, distraught about their daughter's pregnancy and the race of the unborn child's father, threatened to kill her, him and themselves if she didn't get an abortion, authorities said Monday.

Nicholas and Lola Kampf allegedly kidnapped their 19-year-old daughter, Katelyn Kampf, from their home on Friday and drove toward New York, where abortions are more easily available.

Katelyn Kampf, who graduated last year from the Waynflete School in Portland, escaped and called police from her father's cell phone, which she had hidden during the earlier melee, police said.


I'm just trying to put myself in someone else's shoes for a moment. I think that, if my family's surname were fully fifty percent of the title of the autobiography of Adolph Hitler, my family would have unanimously changed it to something like "Judenlieber." If they hadn't by the time I turned the age of majority, I'd have done it myself.

I also wonder what the heck these parents were thinking. "Well, let's kidnap her, get her to New York, knock her out cold, and get a doctor to perform an abortion while she's unconscious..... No, wait, we'll have to kidnap a doctor, too. And an anesthesiologist, and a nurse or two. After it's over, we'll fly to Venezuela, where a name like Kampf won't stick out."

Peace,

Tor

Filed Under:

More Mayhem from Lance Dutson

If you haven't been over to Lance Dutson's Maine Web Report in a while, by all means take a look. The latest thing he's been getting national media attention for is his discovery of the vanity license plate of the director of the Maine Office of Tourism: "ILOVENY."

It's a shame that all of the good, tedious work Lance has been doing lately in his inquiry into the RFP for the Brunswick Naval Air Station consulting contract has largely been overlooked, while something as silly and trifling as someone's vanity plate gets a lot of press. I understand that the vanity plate issue is one that can be explained to anyone who's never heard of any of the players involved within 30 seconds, and that it's really funny and embarrassing.

I ran into Lance at a local store a few days ago, and it's wonderful to see a citizen willing to devote so much of his time to policing the bureaucrats when he should be trying to earn money to keep a roof over his family's head. He's got so many leads and bits of info that he needs to explore and confirm to get to the bottom of things, but can only do it on an amateur, part-time basis. Why the professional press of Maine is unable or unwilling to start looking into these things, I don't know.

Peace,

Tor

Linking to the following blogs with open trackback posts: Common Folk Using Common Sense, Planck's Constant, Renaissance Blogger, Third World County, Adam's Blog, Random Yak, Dumb Ox, Pursuing Holiness, Pirate's Cove

Tagged as:

The New Television Season

I came across Scott Freeman's take on the new television season. (Check it out, especially if you're a Lost fan.)

While we won't be able to watch the Fox offerings out here in antenna land (at least not right off, so stay tuned), Rowan and I did catch the first episode of Studio 60 last night. I really thought the pilot shows a lot of potential, and it made me laugh quite a lot. I never saw Aaron Sorkin's West Wing, so really didn't know what to expect. If the show can keep up that level of energy and wit, I may well have to start taping it (since it's on way too late).

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

Filed Under:

Jestertunes (Open Trackbacks)

Welcome to Jestertunes, this week's renter via BlogExplosion. Jester's post on his father's bird-watching penchant is one of the funniest slice-of-life things I've read in quite a while.

I'd also like to thank these other folks for bidding on this week's rental:

Advertising for Success, whose CyberCelt has been a renter here previously for another of her blogs.

Full Metal Photographer, who has been seeing some fungi lately.

About Simple Ways, authored by Winsome Gunning, who has also been a renter here before, for one of her other blogs.

Peace,

Tor

This is this week's open trackback post. You may trackback on most any subject, provided you link to this post. Click here and here and here for more info on open trackbacks.

Butch of 123beta let us know about Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Bernie Planck devoted space at Planck's Constant to the well-formed buttocks of Islamic extremists.

Filed Under:

Thursday, September 14, 2006

AdSense on Life Support, If Not Dead

AdSense is one of the more popular ways for bloggers to make money on their blogs. If you've got thousands of page hits a day on a niche blog, then maybe you'll have a chance at making worthwhile money with it. Otherwise, PayPerPost is the way to make money blogging.

While Google terms of service won't allow me to say how much money I've made from having AdSense ads on my blog, I can tell you that it took more than a year and a half for my account to get up to the balance at which they would cut a check. That's what happens when you get a few pennies for each click.

In the few weeks I've been writing posts for PayPerPost, I've made just over $180.00, and just today received some very very cool nerdboy toys from one of their advertisers (I'll be reviewing those things here soon). I've even had one appreciative advertiser email me to compliment a well-written post.

With payments coming via PayPal thirty days after each post has been written, the payoff is much quicker than waiting for that check to come from Google. I sure wish PayPerPost had been around when I started this blog. I'd have never messed with Google AdSense or any of the others.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Tagged as:

Fences Keep Illegal Immigrants In, Too

Unless the U.S. radically liberalizes its immigration policy (and I won't hold my breath for that in the current xenophobic atmosphere), building a fence along the southern border is a stupid idea.

I'm in favor of an amendment to NAFTA that states that people are more important than commodities. As such, people who are citizens of the NAFTA countries should be able to move freely across the borders, and legally find work or housing in all three countries.

The border check should be quick and simple. "Got an ID? Great. On a terror watch list? Nope? Let's just check and see if there are any APBs on you... Okay, you're good to go."

Then and only then would a border fence be useful, tho it might not be necessary. If you can speedily allow people who pose no threat to national security to peacefully cross, then the number seeking to cross thru dangerous deserts would be much smaller.

The current danger to life and limb involved in crossing the southern U.S. border only encourages the illegal immigrants who make it here to stay here longer. There are those who just want to come for a short while, make some money and go home till they need to come over again. When each crossing is so dangerous, they decide to come once and stay till they're sure they want to leave for good.

Wouldn't it be easier on all of us to let them come and go as they please?

Peace,

Tor

Linking to the following blogs with open trackback posts: Liberal Common Sense, TMH's Bacon Bits, Customer Servant

Truth in Art

Have you ever been at a gallery, restaurant, hotel or other place where art is sold, found something you liked, and then had to bend over and squint at the price tag?

Well, Anthony White has a cure for that problem.



That's a 12" x 16" painting in its entirety, ready to hang, and its price in Australian dollars (if you buy it from him). He's doing a limited series of paintings in several currencies. He's currently selling the $101 piece for the American dollar. He started at $1, and worked his way up in dollar increments.

Some of the folks who bought early pieces have resold at a profit. For instance, the nine dollar (Australian) painting was sold not quite a year later for three hundred dollars.

White has a cheeky quote across the bottom of one of his pages, "In order for art to be truly beautiful there must be an element of investment as well." The pun on the word "investment" is especially appropriate here.

I wouldn't buy this art, but I like the idea of it, and I like the idea that White is able to sell it to people who get it. It proves that you don't have to be a technically proficient artist (tho White might be) in order to be a successful and challenging artist.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Not So Happy A Birthday

Imagine you get to the age of 77 and, since you retain the health and fitness to go kayaking, decide to celebrate with a paddle around Megunticook Lake. Better take a life preserver, and go in a new kayak.

Thorndike was not wearing a life preserver, according to Gagne, and no personal flotation device was found in the area. His kayak was made of canvas, possibly homemade, and was in poor condition with several holes, police said.

Thorndike had recently departed from the dock at Codman Island to kayak across the cove, and had complained that his seat was getting wet...


Peace,

Tor

Filed Under:

Maine, the SAT, Susan Gendron and Barbara Merrill

Village Soup reports Maine independent gubernatorial candidate Barbara Merrill's take on Education Commissioner Susan Gendron's decision to use the SAT as a measurement tool for the state's juniors:

Rep. Barbara Merrill, an independent from Appleton running for governor, had been a critic of the department’s moving to the test so quickly. She called it another example where the department refused to "look before they jump."

"The sky wasn’t going to fall in [if they had waited]," she said.


If Merrill wants to light a much-needed fire under her campaign, this is an issue she should seize. Mainers are serious about education. If she can convince folks that the current administration is inept in discharging its responsibilities in that area, she'd have a shot at the Blaine House. Despite the fact that Woodcock has an educational background, his call for placing creationism on a par with evolution in the classroom is darn near a deal-breaker for folks like me.

Peace,

Tor

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Utah Looks to Slash Taxes

On the tax front in Utah, the Deseret News reports that residents there may soon have the option of a flat-rate income tax:

As Utah lawmakers look to slashing state personal income taxes by $70 million in a special session next week, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is already talking about taking the next step — more tax cuts that lead to even lower rates.

"It's a first step," the governor said of the dual-track income tax system that would allow taxpayers to stay in the current system or elect to pay a flat tax beginning in 2007. "There's more to come."


First of all, wouldn't it be nice if Maine's top income tax rate were only 7%, instead of 8.5%? And if I had the opportunity to jump into a 5.35% state income tax bracket, and all I had to do was give up mortgage interest and charitable contribution deductions, I'd sign up in a heartbeat. The only other thing Utahns are being asked to do is increase their sales tax up to the same rate as Maine's (5%).

If Utah can do it, why not Maine?

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

Filed Under:

Calling Mel Gibson's Defenders

Here's a challenge to the folks who were quick to dismiss the anti-Semitic ravings of Mel Gibson at his DUI arrest. Now Maine has its own alcohol-related racially motivated incident:

Robert Dow, 59, of Franklin, surrendered to authorities at the Hancock County Jail...

Dow is accused of using racial epithets against a black woman, throwing a beer can at her and then opening her car door and kicking her in the stomach, officials said.

The woman, who is seven months pregnant, drove to a hospital where she was kept overnight because she was having contractions. The unborn child was unharmed.


No word yet on whether Dow will claim that he's "not really racist," and "isn't sure where those kicks came from." I guess he should plead guilty for public drinking, go through detox, and then meet with members of the African-American community in Maine to discuss how to go through a healing process.

We have to get away from the idea that alcohol gets people to do something that's out of line with their character. Sure, it's going to remove a lot of inhibitions from doing something, but it doesn't change good people into evil people.

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

Filed Under:

Learn About VoIP

If you're like I am, and don't have a clue about VoIP, you need to look at this basic reference site on VoIP. VoIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, is the wave of the future in telephony.

You will learn how VoIP works, how to get free VoIP (the chief limitation here is that it has to be computer-to-computer), and how to choose a VoIP provider.

Once you've learned the basics, you can delve into VoIP security and where to get VoIP training.

One of the reasons to look into VoIP is the great amount of money that can be saved in comparison to using ordinary telephone companies. Most VoIP services cost a flat fee, regardless of the amount of calls. They also tend to offer many services, like call waiting and three-way calling, for much less than the standard phone companies. If you wonder whether VoIP will could save you money on phone bills, too, check out this site on VoIP.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Tagged as:

Why the HP Spying Scandal Matters To Average Folk

The resignations of Hewlett-Packard's Chairman Patricia Dunn and longtime director George A. Keyworth II in the wake of allegations that Dunn may have authorized potentially illegal spying methods on Keyworth's phone records are the latest chapter in the largest corporate scandal currently playing out in the public arena. It's tempting to shrug and say, "Well, I guess that's the way it is in the big corporations today," and pay no more attention till the trials. As a left-libertarian who is averse to the concentration of power in people's hands, whether it be as agents of a governmental body or as agents of a corporate body, I have to hope that Average Folk will start to notice that all is not well here.

What's really happening here is that corporations have bought so much influence in government that they now are starting to see themselves as a natural part of it. And they are not incorrect in that perception. They have long been accustomed to being able to influence legislation and policies and contract bidding processes to their own favor. They are used to getting their friends in government to wield government's police power to squash their small upstart competitors. They get government to extend patents and copyrights long beyond the lifetimes of the original creators, thereby giving the corporations outrageous monopoly power over many items in the worldwide economy.

In short, with corporations wielding so much power through governmental influence, it's no wonder that some corporate heads are seeing their corporations as little kingdoms in which they are akin to regents. If you're already drunk with the corrupting influence of power, it's not a great step to feel it's okay to spy on your employees. Sure, get someone to "pretext" they're your employee so you can get their phone records. Hey, if you can get the government to throw people out of their homes so you can build a Wal-Mart there, why can't you go ahead and get a list of all the phone calls made by an employee who displeases you? In many ways, it's a much lesser crime.

The solution here is to weaken corporate power. Conservatives don't see this, so we've got a lot of educating to do on that side. Liberals see this, but they don't realize that their solution -- increasing the power of government -- won't work. It's the power of government that has given corporations their power. I have to hope that Average Folk will see that the time has come to reduce the power of government over people's lives, and therefore reduce the power of corporations over people's lives.

Peace,

Tor

Linking to the following blogs with open trackback posts: Diane's Stuff, Stuck On Stupid, Jack of All Trades, Don Surber, Right Wing Nation

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Criteria is a criteria is a criteria

The Boston Globe calls "Emotional Intelligence," or "EQ," "a new hiring criteria." Apparently, recognizing the plural form of a word isn't a hiring criterion for headline writers at the Globe.

Peace,

Tor

Vintage Tor on the Buddhacarita of Asvagosha (Open Trackbacks)

I've recently come across some old college papers that are now well into their second decade of sitting in one closet or another. It's been interesting to read them again, especially the ones dealing with Buddhism. I thought I might share a few of them with you. In some ways, I feel that the Tor who wrote these papers knew a lot more about some of the specific fine points of Buddhism and its history than the Tor who currently blogs, yet the Tor who currently blogs has perhaps gained some wisdom from outside of sutra reading. Both Tors have something to gain from the dialogue that could emerge. For now, I'm just going to set up the first paper for you, and then let the vintage Tor take over. I hope to come back to these topics soon and give an update on how I see things now.

This first paper dealt with the Buddhacarita, or "Works of the Buddha," of Asvagosha. It's a narrative of the Buddha's path to enlightenment. The citations are from Cowell's translation, available in Buddhist Mahayana Texts, edited by Muller.

The new understandings of the terms "religion" and "merit" which the Bodhisattva teaches in the Buddhacarita contrast sharply to those put forth by his father's priest and counsellor, by Bimbisara, and by Arada.

The family priest of Suddhodana asks the prince to "abandon this purpose (religion) for the sake of duty."[IX, 15] This statement implies that duty to one's family and people and the religious quest are mutually exclusive.

However, he suggests an alternative method of self-cultivation: the collection of merit. He recalls Suddhodana's speech about ancient kings who "were well skilled in attaining the merit which leads to final bliss...royal magnificence and control over the mind."[IX,21]

The Bodhisattva replies to this argument by saying that the collection of merit does not solve the problems of sickness, old age, and death.[IX,31] He also says, "parting is inevitably fixed in the course of time, "[IX,35] which means that all who follow the way of collecting merit will suffer. Therefore the answer to the problems of old age, sickness, and death do not lie within the physical realm, "the home of illusion. "[IX,40]

The counsellor argues that the religious quest of the Bodhisattva is not inherently wrong, but only ill-timed. He says the duty of the prince is to stay with his father, and then, having fulfilled that duty, the prince could pursue the religious quest.

The counsellor also favors a "carpe diem" philosophy about life. He calls into doubt the existence of afterlives, saying that if there are afterlives they "will enjoy ourselves in it,"[IX,46] but says that if there is no hereafter, then "there is an assured liberation."[ibid.]

The counsellor also says each man has a debt to his ancestors, to the saints, and to the gods, and liberation is found by respecting this debt.[IX,55]

The Bodhisattva replies that because the tradition of his ancestors has uncertain results, and because he cannot follow the definition of "duty" of "those who have broken their vows,"[IX,67] he cannot return to the world of pleasure.

Bimbisara advocates the pursuit of "religious merit, wealth, and pleasure."[X,28] He says that when these three things are complete, "the end of man is complete."[X,30] He says that pleasure and wealth are for youth, and religion is for old age.

The Bodhisattva says that pleasure only leads to the desire for more pleasure, and wealth only destroys people by making them trust worldly objects.[XI,10-16] He calls the attainment of pleasure and wealth "intoxication" and therefore results in loss of self control.[XI,21-24] He also says pleasure is nothing more than a reaction to misery. The Bodhisattva does not agree, therefore, that the accumulation of "religious merit" needs to be complemented by pleasure and wealth.

Arada holds the views that are closest to those of the Bodhisattva, but still differences are apparent. He propones meditation that leads to the state of not being. This method of religion leaves behind only the liberated soul, which must be freed from an entanglement similar to that which the Bodhisattva perceives.[XII,64]

The Bodhisattva, however, feels that even with the remnant of a soul there is not true abandonment from "qualities" which bind one to the material. [XII, 77]

The Bodhisattva also notes that the absence of knowing is an existence in itself.[XII,79]

Therefore, the views of the Bodhisattva involve the realization of the transience of the material as the primary duty of "religion." The accumulation of "merit" or wealth or pleasure only leads to one's eventual downfall. Even the soul has qualities which make it prone to the laws of the material world, and thus even the soul must be abandoned.


Okay, it was a dreadful paper. I promise they will get better.

Peace,

Tor

This is this week's post. You may trackback on any subject, provided you link to this post. Click on the chicklet for an FAQ on open trackbacks.

N.B. Goldstein of The Clash of Civilizations lambastes the Wizard of Uhs for politicizing 9-11 (which he did by criticizing the president for politicizing 9-11).

Bernie Planck of Planck's Constant reveals a newly discovered portion of the Book of Genesis. He also feels a bit like Diogenes these days, looking for an honest Muslim.

Butch Morgan of 123beta is taking applications for the George Soros Fan Club.

Monday, September 11, 2006

An Ozone Free Air Purifier

Here's the deal. My lovely wife Rowan and I live with three cats. My poor darling is allergic to the cats, and to just about everything else in the air you can be allergic to. We've got a HEPA air filter running constantly in our bedroom, to little avail. We know we shouldn't use an ozone-generating air cleaner, since ozone is extremely deleterious to the lungs.

I'm looking into the Airfree P80 as a possible way to deal with all the dust mites (and their skeletons and feces), viruses, bacteria, pollen, mold, and cat dander in our house. On days when Maine is under an unhealthful ozone alert, it will help against that, too.

The Airfree P80 is the world's most tested air purifier. I'm not talking just lab tests, but real world field tests. (Actually, one of the "field tests" was in a German lab, where the cleaner reduced the air's mold content by 99%!)

I was really impressed by the results from a Portuguese library, where the totally silent air purifier was able to reduce mold in the air by 69%. If you're a bookworm like I am, you'll know what an accomplishment that is. The smell of old books is basically due to organisms growing on the pages. Libraries try to control the humidity to slow down the growth of organisms, but now they have a tool that could actually keep the organisms from spreading to newer books.

The Airfree P80 is silent because it doesn't use fans. Its ceramic heater core sets up a convection flow of air. The air passes through capillaries in the core, and all the nasty things in the air are incinerated.

When I read that, I thought that this thing must throw off a lot of heat. Nope. The manufacturer says that two of these in a room would have the same effect on room temperature as an adult in the room.

Well then, I thought, it must be awful expensive to keep that ceramic heater running. Wrong again. The thing only draws 46 watts of power. That's an energy efficient way to sterilize your air. And it doesn't affect the humidity level of room air at all, which is great, since winter is the time of year when a good air cleaner is really needed.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.
Filed under:

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Overdue Open Trackback Reciprocation

I was just looking over recent Technorati links, and found a new ping to an open trackback post way back in June that somehow didn't get through Haloscan. Since that post is way off my front page and won't get picked up by Technorati if I put the link in now, I'm giving Pet's Garden its overdue reciprocal link right now. Sorry for the delay, Pet, but I just didn't see it at the time.

Peace,

Tor

Filed Under:

The Rudicus Report

Welcome to this week's blog renter via BlogExplosion, the Rudicus Report, self-described as "Critical Thinking About Government, Religion & Society." We could all use more critical thinking about most any subject, so please go visit the site. There's a lot of Bush-bashing lately, but Rudicus also casts a critical query toward such diverse subjects as nail salons, clothing and the evening news.

I believe there was another applicant for rental this week, but darned if I could see who it was when I logged into my account. The opening page said I had two bids, but only Rudicus's showed up. If you're the other applicant and are reading this, drop me a line, because I'd like to give you proper thanks for applying.

Peace,

Tor

Christian Nielsen Transferred to Cumberland County Jail

Christian Nielsen, who was arrested for the murder of four people over the Labor Day weekend in Newry, Maine, apparently still feels the need to add to his total. He attacked another prisoner at the Oxford County Jail, and has therefore now been sent to Cumberland County, where he can be segregated from other inmates.

If the attack was indeed "unprovoked," as a jail administrator reports, it calls into question the state of his mental health. Police have reportedly still not come up with a motive, despite the rumors that the mainstream media television stations in Maine have been breathlessly spreading. (I thought spreading rumors was supposed to be the province of the bloggers.)

Since he's confessed to the murders, there's no question he will need to be segregated from the rest of society for a good long while. Whether that's in prison or a psychiatric institution is all that remains to be determined.

Either way, it's good to see the community over there is making its first steps toward healing.

Peace,

Tor

Filed Under:

PromptPM Project Management Software

Now available in beta, PromptPM Project Management software will soon be launching its production version. Here's a quick rundown of the advantages of this powerful software:



It has features geared specifically toward Project Managers, Business Managers, Business Analysts, Developers, QA Managers, Business Users, and Client Relationship Managers.

It allows your project team to create collaborative areas, such as discussion forums. Individuals on the team can make use of ideas they've submitted with an "Idea Tracker."

An extensive time sheet management tool allows members to have their time connected to specific parts of a project, and to specific meetings they've attended, rather than just to the project.

It helps you manage team productivity by eliminating members' stretches of time when they are waiting for an assignment.

It's also geared toward helping teams who want to use the best practices from the Project Management Framework and Six Sigma.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Filed Under:

Friday, September 8, 2006

Red Cross Fined for Blood Safety Violations

The fact that the FDA has fined the Red Cross is one of the scariest headlines I've read today, and also one of the most surprizing.

The government said Friday it was fining the American Red Cross $4.2 million for violating blood-safety laws. The violations include failing to ask appropriate questions of potential donors and not following test procedures, said the Food and Drug Administration.


I used to give blood religiously every two months from the time I was old enough to do so, until just a few years ago. The only reason I stopped was that the Red Cross instituted new eligibility guidelines for blood donors that precluded my donating because I have spent too moooo-ch, er, much, time in Europe. I begrudgingly did so, since the percentage of blood donors in America is very low (in the low singles, I seem to recall).

Every single time I gave blood, I had to fill out a questionnaire certifying my eligibility, and that was always followed by a personal interview with a nurse who made a point of double-checking the most crucial questions.

Just to give me an out in case some sort of peer pressure had driven me to donate blood that I knew should never be given to anybody else, they gave me a way to silently indicate that. Two visually indistinguishable bar code stickers and a private booth were given to me, and I would affix either the one labeled "use" or the one labeled "don't use" directly on my paperwork. I always thought that this was a bit of overkill, since all the peer pressure I had ever encountered was decidedly against giving blood.

So, in light of those experiences, I'm truly baffled as to how the Red Cross could have been so negligent in so many cases.

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

Filed Under:

Ya Ya's Baby, RIP

This story from China will just make any animal lover's heart ache. In times like this, you have to wonder to what extent Ya Ya realizes how her cub died. It's obvious that she's feeling grief; does she feel guilt?

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

Filed Under:

Cameras and Camcorders at PC World

If you're in the market for a new digital camera, you had best check out the new Digital Cameras from PC World. They offer quite a range of brands and models, including the recommended Sony DSC-W50, the Samsung D362 MINIDV Camcorder, and the Vivitar Vivicam.

Most of the products include free standard shipping. An easy-to-use search box lets you choose brand and price range.

One particularly cool camcorder: the JVC GZMG26EK Hard Disc Drive Camcorder. With 32x optical zoom, 800x digital zoom, and an image stabilizer, you'll be able to take close up vids of ants on the side of the road as you drive by!

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but those specs are still pretty darn impressive. The hard drive is 20gig, so you know you will be able to record for a long time before having to upload to your computer.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Tagged as:

Ellsworth Withholds Salaries of Public Servants

One of the more closely read sections of Ellsworth's annual report has gone missing this year: the salaries of municipal and school employees.

City Manager Stephen Gunty said the salary listings were omitted because of a problem the printing company had formatting the salary data.

Gunty said reporting the salaries in the annual report is not a requirement.

"It was more work than we thought it was worth," Gunty said.


Whether it's legally required or not is beside the point. (At least they are going to prepare a copy of the information to one citizen who asked for it.) The fact that it's been included in the report as a convenience for the citizens of Ellsworth for many years makes its omission now a severe inconvenience for those who are trying to see how their money is being spent.

Salaries are one of the largest parts of any governmental budget, so being able to gauge the extent to which overpaid employees are contributing to budget difficulties is a basic necessity for the taxpaying public.

Educating the public on how its money's being spent is always "worth the work."

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

TABOR Update

At least one town council has decided the Taxpayers' Bill of Rights is a good idea.

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as:

Cheap Scrubs

This entry is just for the nurses who read this blog (I know a few of you personally, and see the IP logs from the rest of you.)

You really need to check out this site for Scrubs. It's really easy to navigate: just use drop-downs for Scrub Type, Top Style, Coordinating Color and Fabric Type. You'll save money, and your purchase is backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

Filed Under:

Amazon.com Enters the Internet Video Fray

Amazon.com has decided to get a piece of the future of American entertainment delivery.

Amazon.com Inc. launched a digital video downloading service Thursday, ending months of speculation that the Internet retailer would be getting into the online TV and movie business.

The service, dubbed Amazon Unbox, will offer thousands of television shows, movies and other videos from more than 30 studios and networks, the company said.

TV shows will cost $1.99 per episode, and most movies will go for $7.99 to $14.99; movies can also be rented for $3.99.


Can you hear the cable and satellite TV providers shaking in their boots? It's only a matter of time before Amazon and its competitors buy the rights for live streaming sports events. Imagine paying Amazon.com a few bucks to watch the Superbowl, or the World Series.

Peace,

Tor

A Problem with Education Vouchers that Nobody Foresaw

Of those who support abandoning the current overwhelmingly socialist American educational system in favor of one that meets the needs of students and parents in a free market milieu, many have suggested government-supplied educational vouchers as a transitional method.

Well, what happens when the socialist education system is so rotten to the core that no or few academic institutions currently exist for which vouchers could be used? The Washington Post reports that Washington, D.C. is about to find out.

Only 28 of the District of Columbia's 146 public schools last year met academic benchmarks on a new city test, a situation that will require massive intervention efforts to reverse, school system officials said yesterday.

....

Parents who want to move their child to a better public school now will have almost no place to go. Until now, the school system's main remedy for students in failing schools was a provision in federal law that allows them to transfer to a higher-performing school in the city.


We're entering a situation in our nation's large cities' public schools that mirrors the state of affairs when the Soviet Union collapsed. Many will suffer when the educational system collapses, but many more will suffer if more money is poured down the drain.

Peace,

Tor

Luxury Affair

If you're looking to add a little Luxury to your life, here's the blog for you.

Whether you're looking for a platinum princess cut diamond solitaire pendant, a Father Christmas heirloom egg, or would like to enter a contest for a Luxury Backyard Makeover, check out Luxury Affair.

Peace,

Tor

Tor has been paid to blog about the above topic via PayPerPost. If you are a blogger who would be interested in being paid to blog, please sign up at PayPerPost and fill in tor at torsrants dot com as your referral.

More SAT Nonsense in Maine

To my great horror, it seems that Maine Education Commissioner Susan Gendron might be successful in continuing to use the SAT as an evaluation tool for Maine's high school juniors.

Gendron told lawmakers on Thursday that the state plans to add a science component to the test in the spring, and it will include mathematics measurements that are lacking from the current test.

Although the federal government has been critical of the state's initial switch from the MEA to the SAT, Gendron said there is "a different tone" now and some federal education bureaucrats "are working with us and really trying to help us."


I don't have much more to add to this than I already said here and here. It's a real slow-motion disaster that's been in the making for decades.

Peace,

Tor

Linking to the following blogs with open trackback posts: Pirate's Cove, Dan Mancini, MacBros' Place, Gospel Fiction, People Are Idiots, Woman Honor Thyself

Tagged as:

Thursday, September 7, 2006

Jon Cheston and the Belfast Shopping Survey

The Republican Journal has gotten ahold of the Belfast Retail Review Commission's survey results, which commission member Jon Cheston tried to hide from the eyes of the public (despite their being public information). No wonder. A fairly decisive majority of respondents to the survey were against his position.

When asked, "Are you able to buy most everything you need here in Belfast?", 77 said yes while 103 said no.

The next question said, "If not; do you believe that Belfast stores lack adequate..." and then listed specific items.

A total of 87 said Belfast lacks adequate food and supplies; 123 said it lacks enough clothing options; 86 listed the need for household furnishings; 48 felt city businesses do not have convenient hours; and 32 felt it lacked easy access.


Cheston does have a good point that these results are far from a representative statistical sampling, and that the survey was therefore far from scientific. But the commission knew this at the start, when it designed the newspaper survey. A largely self-selected group of respondents won't tell you much about what folks in and around Belfast really think about the issue.

But since the BRRC is a governmental body, every piece of paper it collects in its files is a public document. The public is guaranteed access to those documents by Maine law, unless those documents fall into a handful of well-defined categories. Survey results about shopping do not fall into any of those categories. The extreme arrogance that Cheston evidenced in his assumption that the commission should be able to keep this information from the public should instantly exclude him from consideration to any other governmental body.

Peace,

Tor

Tagged as: