The Geeks Blog

Time Zero is an all too accurate description of 09.11. The world that was before is truly gone. I want to say we will never again have such an innocence, but it has been proven to me over and again by human history that we can and indeed do have only moments of hightened security, and then we fall back into the same old vulnerable routines after stuff like Time Zero. It happened after Pearl Harbor, and after the 1993 WTC bombing. The only thing that I wish I knew is what it will be next time, for I have no doubt there will be a next time. The same thing happens in computing, so don't feel bad. It seems to be just human nature.

The need, if it comes down to weapons of mass destruction, has increased exponentially. The logic has gone out that we must kill those who did this and prevent it from happening again. This level of prevention would require us to take out everyone who would seek vengeance for their loss. Then we'd have to remove all those who would take vengeance for all of them. The domino effect would then increase exponentially until there are no Afghani people left in the country, it is then not a far leap over to the 'just nuke them to save the trouble' thought process.

The problem we now encounter is that so many have crossed the borders into Pakistan and other neighboring nations that we would have to take out at the least their borders, which would cause us to lose what is now our most valuable asset, and cause their citizens to seek vengeance for lives lost, thus beginning the cycle all over again. This does not even take into account the likely residence of the murdered people's families in other countries round the world, including Canada and the US. The only remaining solution is to just nuke the world and let God figure it out. Now, see how complex even the 'Nuke 'em all' theory is?

I get the feeling from having turned on the race and seeing a news anchor that the US has begun attacks against Afghanistan. The president will be speaking at 1 PM to address this matter. The message in headline on both NBC and CNN is America Strikes Back, which only yesterday was America's New War. It seems like we are now at war. Yes, the president just confirmed this. My nation has pledged forces to this effort. The problem I have is it seems that they are attacking Kabul, which is fuill of too many innocents. The planes being used right now are British and American, but there are more, including my own country, Australia, France, that will be in this soon enough. God Bless Us All.

Monday afternoon an Intruder entered the cockpit of a Chicago bound 767. The FBI said Edward A. Coburn, 31, of Fresno, Calif., suffered from an "undetermined mental condition." Well, Duh! How else would describe someone who would storm a cockpit in a world were 90% say they would rather take the plane down klling all aboard then let it go to hijackers and be used as a bomb. The crew and passengers tackled the man, binding him with the seat belts used by flight attendants to demonstrate safety procedures. While two F-16 fighter jets scrambled at supersonic speeds to escort the American Airlines 767 to the ground, passengers dragged the man to a galley, sat on him and a nurse injected him with a sedative stored in a cockpit kit.

As spokesman for Al Queda just declared Jihad on the US. He claimed that the US has begun a crusade against all of Islam, with the goal to get rid of the whole Islamic nation. Wolf Blitzer of CNN says that most of the Islamic faith do not agree with bin Laden. The Pakistani leader, President General Pervez Musharraf, claims that those protesting the attacks by the US and the cooperation of their leaders are in the smallest minority. The problem I have is that the majority, in that line of thought, are not having parades in support of the attacks on Afghanistan. This makes it very hard for me to sit back and agree that these are only a small portion of the Pakistani people. I wait to see the supporters come out of the woodwork and proclaim their approval, though I doubt we will ever see it. How long will it be until we have US planes going over Pakistan getting attacked from the ground by Taliban supporters? If the Pakistan government does not do something, we will see it sooner then we would like.

Another Anthrax case has been discovered, this time a New York employee of NBC News. CBS and CNN have both closed their mail rooms as the case of Anthrax at NBC seems to have come from a previously tested envelope which came up negative originally, that arrived on the 25th of September. This is the second big news outfit that has been found to have an employee with an Anthrax infection, the first being American Media, Inc. in Boca Raton, Florida, and brings the number of people found to be in contact with the spores to 4.

The building in New York, 30 Rockefeller Plaza has been essentially evacuated, though not by force, and the entire NBC and NY Times staff have been forced to remain inside until the tests come back as to whether or not they are infected. The government is saying that this is not connected to the terrorist attacks on 09.11, but we have to wonder. They tell us that Anthrax cases are found all over the world, several each year, but the organized manner of infection and the appearance of many envelopes filled with 'a white powdery substance' all over the US has got to be either an organized hoax or and organized attack. This could also be a way to get our attention one place while the attack happens in another. The speculation continues.

22 people in the Capitol hill office of South Dakota Senator Tom Dashle have come back as having exposure to Anthrax, as a result of the New Jersey postmarked envelope sent to the senators office on Monday. "Government officials said on Tuesday that the anthrax mailed to Mr. Dashle's office was pure and highly refined, consisting of particles so tiny that they could spread through the air without detection."(NY Times)

In other news, two Postal workers have died in the D.C. area, bringing the death count from post 09.11 terrorist attacks to 3. That does not account for the victims of the terror who have not died, that number apparently still in the double digits only, though many have been found to have exposure cuteanously, and only a dozen or so have exposure to inhalation anthrax, which essentially means infection. One of the deaths this weekend was only this morning, and he arrived at the hospital early this morning. One would assume he was pretty far along when he got to the hospital.

On the flip side, I have to head to school soon, to sit for a couple hours and study my ass off on chapters 14-17, for which there will be a correlating test on Tuesday. I am not sure how much posting I will do from school, but I will to my best to give you all something to read over the length of this day.

...5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!
CANADA WINS GOLD! CANADA WINS THE OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL FOR ICE HOCKEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ok, so I am a little happy. They worked their asses off for 40 minutes and kicked US ass by a score of 5 - 2! Sorry about the non post after two, but I was making lunch. After two the score was 3 - 2, and the third period was scoreless until about 5 minutes remaining, and two quick goals by Canada, and soem great goaltending, gave the Canadian Hockey Team it's first gold medal in 50 years. Congratulations guys, and thank you for restoring the Canadian belief in it's team.

Take that Gary Bettman, for your attempts to take the NHL out of Canada. This is OUR sport, you cocky American bastard, and you will not take our teams without a fight You may have gotten the Nordiques and Jets to your American friends, but the Maple Leafs, Canucks, Oilers, Canadiens, and the Flames will not go nearly as easy. Shove that silver up your Ass Brett Hull, for taking your adopted nation over your birth nation. You father loved it in Canada, in Winnipeg, but you have done your best to leave us behind! Well, go to hell Brett. Look across from you and see the gold, see where the best of the best are, and shove that silver up your pathetic American ass!

So. Arafat's headquarters have been bombed and invaded. Who else thinks that the Israeli government are acting more like an invasion force every day? I mean I feel for the Israeli people, who had an attack at the beginning of the time when they celebrate Easter an event in which they killed Jesus for being the son of God 200+ years ago, but come on.

I don't like seeing people die, but you keep these people holes up in camps, you treat them all like terrorists and kill anyone who moves in a town or city that you enter. You killed one journalist before and shot an Egyptian camera man today. There is a pattern here. You are indiscriminately killing. You need to do one of two things. You need to either leave the Palestinian people alone and bar them all from entering your territory, leaving them to their own devices, or you need to be one hell of a lot more careful in what you do and who you shoot.

Just because someone moves does not mean it is open season on them. I do not see the Palestinian children walking around Jerusalem and shooting every person or thing that moves, and nor do I see the foreign media doing this. So why the fuck are you killing them without asking what they are doing and enquiring as to what they are doing in a place with fighting?

The shoot first ask questions attitude you have taken in Ramallah and so many other cities in the area is one of recklessness and carelessness. It was said when the US began it's war in Afghanistan that they had to maintain the high moral ground on which they stood, or they would d be no better then the people they fought against. I am sorry Mr. Sharon, but you long ago lost any moral high ground and are no on an equal footing as the suicide bombers and Nazi's.

So, the Queen mum dies, and so do more Israeli and Palestinians. Happy Easter Sunday to you by the way. God, I wonder sometimes what exactly is left in this world to be happy and joyful about. I mean the middle east has on side killing another by suicide bombers and antiquated guns, and the other side kills them with tanks and rockets. One is an occupier, one is a people looking to be free. It was said, at the beginning of the Afghan war, that one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter. That is true today and forever.

Meanwhile, the Brits on the other side of the pond from me mourn the loss of the last vestige of the old monarchy when the king and queen were the rulers and to be royalty was an honorable thing. She lived through illness and becoming a widow. She lived through a world war, and her country being bombed by a regime bent on world domination(no, not the Linux geeks). She lived to be more then a hundred and put up with grand children who acted like spoiled brats and a drug using great grandson. To say that at 1001 she saw more then anyone else is an understatement. To realize what she put up with is to realize how great a woman she really was.

That was sooooo cool. I am not a tear filled guy, and I didn't cry this time, but it was cool to see that Geek's can marry, and to see two geeks find love with each other is nice. I must say that those gifts were awesome. A trip to England(watch out Mat, more bloody tourists on the way), two computers, two force feedback mice, a digital camcorder, and a lot more. I mean what else coudl a geek want? I woudl even take the trip and all, though I have no plans for marriage anytime soon.

Ok, so the Israeli government has vowed to accelerate their plans. So what? They are going to kill reporters and Palestinians quicker? They are going to revert even quicker to the full bore communist state? The reason for the UN Security council directives and the orders by President Bush are to stop the violence and occupation, not make it worse. Are you that much of a dumb ass that you cannot understand that they are saying STOP! not Hurry up please and kill then all sooner. I mean you can't be that much of an idiot, can you? Do we need to get you a better translator? Cause you aren't understanding. you have lost the moral high ground.

You have lost the right to say 'we are doing the right thing'. This does not mean Arafat is right, but two wrongs have never made a right. That is the basic tenet of growing up. Did your mother not teach you this? I know mine did. you use tanks and chopper's. They use suicide bombers and AK-47's. The only difference. The ONLY DIFFERENCE, PM Sharon, is that you have better weapons. You have no right to lecture or preach. You will get nowhere by occupation, just as the German's learnt in the 40's. As long as you arrest anyone you want, shoot at anything that moves and kill people without trial or justice, you will never have peace, but you don't want peace. This is a goal to eliminate your enemies. This is an attempt at the total erasure of the Palestinian people.

Well, the death and service for the Queen mother is now going on in Britain. Yeah, I am still offline, but more on that later. I am not a Brit by citizenship, but even I am able to see the importance of remembering the Queen Mother. I mean this woman has survived a lot and many friends and family. I mean how many people reach 101, never mind a royal. In the old days of wars everlasting between the French and the English, the Scottish and the British and even the Irish and the British. In those days, a king or queen was considered lucky to live to see what we call middle age(40 or so). This person, this icon of the old style of royalty, lived longer then most people, never mind royalty.

I can see why this woman meant so much to her subject's, and the fly over was awesome and a sign of how much she had done and achieved. I must admit the two smaller planes from the distance and pictures they have shown on CNN, look the same, though I am sure they are not. For a person born in 1900, the last year of the 19th century, I can sympathize and mourn with the people of the current and former British empire. We(well, technically I am a subject of the monarchy by virtue of being a Canadian, a land still ruled by the monarchy in the most vague way) lost a leader, a hero and a truly great person.

Ok, I mentioned the other day(yesterday I think) that I thought it was ironic how the US is attacking one nation that will not submit(Afghanistan), threatening attack on another that does the same(Iraq), but yet another nation in the neighborhood who ignores the instruction of the US and the UN goes on unpunished. The Afghanistan leaders 12 months ago were dealing with a terrorist force by their terms of definition, in the form of the Northern Alliance. What would the US have done if the Taliban had done what the Israeli's are doing? The answer obviously is that the US would have helped the NA take out the Taliban just like they did.

Now the Palestinian people are being treated worse then the NA, the US only offers curt words and requests for a lessening of the attacks. No support of the Palestinian people, no support of the people fighting for their lives(media and Palestinian's alike). A double standard? Obviously. Fair? Hardly. DO I think it is possible or even likely that the US or UN will take up arms against the Israeli people? Not in this world, not in this century. The US, which is comprised of a good number of folks of the Jewish faith, many of them high powered, will never support or actually give troops to an attack on the single solitary Jewish state.

I was wondering something. I would like your feedback. Is the fact that the 7 month anniversary of the attacks on the US, is it a good thing or a bad thing that there was virtually no mention of it? I mean I doubt we have forgotten, and we all know where the attention due that event has been directed, to Colin Powell's trip to the mid east, but is the fact there was no significant mention of the date a sign we are getting over the continual reminders, or is it more a sign of moving to more important things?

I would like to think that the media has finally realized we no longer need to mark each week gone by, each month to the date, but I know this is not going to happen, not for a long time. 1 year will be the hardest for many people. The 1 year mark of a loved one dying is hard, but when you multiply that by 3,000+ people, and ten times that affected by those lost, it is an enormous task to imagine the effects that 09.11.2002 will have on the world. I hope by then that many things have changed but I doubt much will.

We still will be fighting someone, we will still be seeing one country fighting with another, with no break to remember those lost. what a sad, sad thought that is, to think that it will one day be possible to be in a fight, no matter your country of origin, and not recall an act of terrorism on civilians. I know I cannot forget. Just like November 11th is a day full of sadness and remembrance, September 11th will be one of greater significance because 11.11 marks remembrance, for those lost before I was born, to remember those who died so I could be born. 09.11 is to mark those lost while I was alive, while I could recall.

The media may not mark it, but I think the world marks it in our hearts, and some of us mark it with a tear when we recall, when it hits us that another month has gone by, and we are all still here. No more terrorist attacks, no more death of those innocent people who did nothing to their attacker's, did nothing to earn the horrible death's they received. They died for being Americans, the attacker's would say. In that case, I am proudly Canadian, and would die for it if that were a crime.

Ok, what is the difference between a Palestinian who dies and an Israeli who dies? The Palestinian saw it coming. What is the difference between a Palestinian fighting for his country and an Israeli fighting for his country? The Israeli drives in a tank and thinks he is a better person, the Palestinian knows he will die and does so for his country and the freedom of his people. Sorry for the crude way odf putting this, but before you slam and attasck the Palestinians, make sure they are actually doing something wrong. I say again, one man's freedom fighter is another man's terrorist. The Northern Alliance was a terrorist group in the eyes of the Taliban until they won.

Ok, so Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, proposed an international conference to try to settle the issues in the Middle East, including Syria, Lebanon, Israel and other's. This is an excellent idea. They need to sit down in the public eye and show all their cards. The problem I have is that Sharon refuses to allow Arafat to be included. How can you find a solution to the Israel/Palestinian solution without the leader of the Palestinians?

The more recent activities of the Israeli government and leadership make me seriously wonder if peace is even an interest of the instigating PM, Sharon. The Palestinian people have chosen Arafat to speak for them. If you think that his word is all it takes to stop violence, then you know nothing of the human race. Some of us, like Sharon, have no interest in peace, and get off on violence and death. Other's want peace, but do not see that dealing with Sharon will settle anything.

The Israeli people bitch and complain about the violence they are faced with. They say they fear for their lives. It is their own fault. They voted in a man who instigated violence by going to Palestinian places of prayer in the election. they voted in someone who cared not for the peace, but only in how best to anger and bring the wrath of the Palestinians on his people. What kind of man does that? What kind of people vote in someone because he instigates violence? They have, in my opinion, no one to blame but themselves.

If they had brought in someone who was interested in peace, they would undoubtedly have peace, but instead they voted in an oppressor and instigator and what the got was oppression of the Palestinians and in turn violence form the Palestinians. Now, that said, the Palestinians brought in someone who should try harder for peace. I have no doubt that he cannot stop all of the violence, but if he speaks out against it every time there is violence, the people might understand that peace cannot happen without it stopping.

both sides, not only one side and the US, need to stop the bitching, shooting, bombing and shelling and talk peace. I mean real peace, not the sham that they are passing off right now. The Israeli's need to get the hell out of Nablus, Bethlehem, Jenin and other places. The Palestinians need to stop the bombings and give peace a chance to work. If it is required that there is one or two peacekeeper's for each person in the middle east, then so be it, but it has to stop, not tomorrow, not in a week, but NOW!

Well, last night just before falling asleep I heard on Larry King that Robert Urich had died. He was 55. He died of cancer. I remember watching his show Spencer For Hire when I was a kid, and I knew and heard he had cancer, but I also recall it had gone into complete remission. I am not sure why this feels like less then it should, maybe it is all of the death over the last few months, but I am saddened to know I will not be seeing him in any more movies or TV shows.

So the savior of the Middle East has left without a promise of Israeli withdrawal or a cease fire. I would call his trip a complete failure because to my knowledge the international peace conference is still not going to have Arafat, and thus will be a useless and futile meeting. After two meetings with each of the leaders in the conflict and a trip to other Arab nations, Powell has left and is acting pretty proud of himself. Sadly I think this was more like a vacation then a political trip for Mr. Powell, because he sure didn't move towards peace in any way.

4 members of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry died at the hands of a laser guided bomb accidentally dropped from a US F-16, while another 8 were injured. Canada's 'President'(according to CNN's Leon Harris) expressed words of comfort and sadness at these death's. They just corrected their flub. Now, for the US pilot's flub. I know that President Bush has apologized, but a 500 pound laser guided bomb is not something one should be able to drop 'accidentally'.

If I am right, these are the first Canadian troops to die in Afghanistan, and even the US military admits it shouldn't have happened. The area was marked off as a training area, and I am not sure who was firing on the pilot, but I would like to know what exactly he was doing in the area at all. We all knew lives would be lost, even Canadian ones, but the loss of life at the hands of one's allies is horrible and unacceptable.

Ok. I want to clarify something for my readers who disagree with me, Jevon and Keith included. I am not pro Palestinian. I am not anti Israel. I am anti occupation, anti death, anti murder, anti killing of a fellow man. I do not condone nor do I agree with the suicide killings. I also do not support the occupation of Palestinian territories and killing of innocents for the sake of killing. The Israeli and Palestinian side have both done shit they shouldn't have. They all need to turn off the tanks, stop the bombings, and put down the fucking guns, and just talk. You know, the reason god gave you a mouth? It wasn't put there to slander, insult and accuse.

Keith, I know it seems that every you post an anti Palestine post I am the first to argue with you, the first to refute your points. That is because of all the blogs I read yours is the only one I read that has stuff that I disagree with so damned strongly. Now I got the feeling you were holding back a few sentences in the comments there, and I am sure I would not have liked them. I am not attacking you, I am attacking your opinions and idea's that the Israeli's are 100% innocent, and your posts reflect this. I disagree. If you do not like my comments, simply tell me and I will not longer visit. It is as simple as that. I respect your right to an opinion, and hope you respect my right to have one and voice it as well.

Jevon. I am not sure why our previous discussion ended so abruptly, but I hope it is nothing personal. I like you BlogTrack service, though I am not able to use it for it serves me little purpose, but I still promote it and support it as best I can. I like your blog, though I am saddened to see I cannot get to it as much as I would like. I have 23 blogs in my list, and yours is sadly not at the top, yet. I just have too many other's who have helped and supported me.

Thanks for listening to the rest of you. I know that this stuff can occasionally be a little.. tedious, but it has to be said. Thanks.

Ok, so Keith pointed to a few lengthy pieces on the so called Jenin Massacre. All of his references agreed with Israel that they had only killed armed combatants. Now we all know that Israel would never shoot an unarmed 14 year old or reporter with camera in hand, but now we see on CNN's NewsNight with Aaron Brown that Amnesty International claims that international law has been violated in Jenin, and that a number of unarmed combatants were killed. Nope, no 80 year old males who likely couldn't pull a trigger even if they wanted to.

The Israeli army only showed reporters armed combatants a week after the killingfighting stopped, so there were obviously no innocent people killed. Sorry to say, but I am struggling to find something to be surprised about. Good thing in the US they don't have any rules like shoot and ask question later, or else they would really have to worry that it wasn't a democracy anymore. Oh, wait, they do have an arrest now and ask questions later policy... nevermnd. I guess we do live in an entirely imperfect world. The world has only become more confusing and imperfect in the 8 months since 09.11. Much has changed. Little for the better.

So, today was another anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. the perpetrator is dead. The people still cry, but the tears are in no way easier. They move on, they keep going. The building is gone, the rubble removed. That is where the world needs to be in a couple of years when we recall the events of 09.11. Yes, many more died on 09.11 then did at the building Oklahoma, and the bombing in OK was committed by an American citizen, not foreign terrorists, but those terrorists will soon be gone, one way or another.

We can never forget the smoke billowing out of the twin towers, or the image of the first and second planes impacting the buildings one by one. We also will never forget the look of a firefighter carrying the limp body of a child out of the rubble at Oklahoma City. We cannot forget, for remembering honors the lost and the heroes. We can, though, move on and make our lives great in dedication for those lost futures. I am a better person because I try my best to live each day to the highest levels of my ability. I hope you do as well.

Ok, so the Israeli's say nothing but typical fighting happened in Jenin. The Palestinians call it a massacre. The supporter's of Israel say that Sharon would never do that. Palestine and Sharon's opposition say he is a war monger who cannot bring himself to accept peace. To settle the issues, the UN Security Council has decided to send some good folks over there to the region and look into the accusations. I think that unless the Israeli government and military have found a great way to hide hundreds of bodies, the UN will find a massacre. I know Keith will disagree, but that is the nature of blogging. I propose to Keith that the two of us end the rhetoric and pointed comments until the UN people make a decision as to what happened. I think we can both agree that the UN folks are not going to lie, no matter what they find. Agreed?

Ok, so today Fenway turns 90. Earlier in the week was 90 years since the Titanic sunk. There is still a lot of trouble in the Middle East. Welcome to Saturday. My usual shows are all on, and all of them, except for E:FC which is a repeat, are new episodes. I hope this, new episodes each week I mean, becomes the rule, and not the exception. As it is the summer will be worthless as that is when all the shows go into summer break. Whoever set this system up messed up, because they are going into break as kids are, making the timing to be one of the worst around. why shows repeats when kids have the most viewing time?

Do I support Terrorism? No. Do I support murder, killing or intentional injury? Not on your(or my) life. Do I support terrorism as a way to gain freedom? Not in the least. Do I support self defense? Yes. Do I support resisting invasion? Yes! Do I support peace and tranquility? Hell YES! do I think the Israeli's are right in invading Palestinian cities and killing Palestinians? Nope. Do I support the Suicide bombings by misguided Palestinians? Nope. Do I want to see peace between Palestine and Israel? Definitely. Do I want to have piece at the end of a gun barrel? Nope. I want to see peace that is agreed upon freely.

I am from a time after the war that had Israel gain the territory that is occupies. I am of the mindset of a 25 year old who was born in 1977 when the world was a much different place, a different decade entirely. I am sick of seeing bombs dropping, people dying and tank's firing. I want to see peace and democracy the world over, but at this rate I will not see this in my lifetime, no matter how long I live. How sad.

So, the Israeli military are once again firing on clearly marked media. This time it was only a warning shot, not a shot aimed to kill, but the point still has to be made that the Israeli's are going too far to prevent the stories of Palestine being heard by the world. I mean let's tally up what atrocities the Israeli's have committed since passover. Killed an 80 man as one of the victims of the so called Jenin Massacre. Killed a 14 year old boy for being out past curfew, without care for why he was out. Using stun grenades on media waiting to hear from Zinni(sp??) after he met with Arafat. Shooting and killing an Egyptian reporter trying to get pictures of the tanks. Chasing and shooting up a vehicle clearly marked as a media vehicle, shooting a cameraman in the throat.

These are what I know of from my limited time watching CNN. So, is it that the Israeli military are turning Israel into a military dictatorship, or are they simply not caring who dies in their attempted mass murder? Can they not see the clear markings of a TV vehicle? I have seen these things and the markings are hard to miss, and one would think the people firing on the media had to look at them to hit them. Then there is the obviously bull shit excuse that they thought there were Palestinians in the group of journalists. this proves that they don't care who they hurt as long as they get their enemies killed, that is if the excuse if true. I personally think it is bullshit. the Israeli have proven more then once that they do not want the media reporting anything but the state approved facts.

This means that anything that proves that the Israeli's have gone too far is not acceptable reporting, and will be punished. It is clear from the CNN crews in the region that the Israeli's have put the fear of death into the reporter's, and that means the Israeli's have won. They keep firing on the media occasionally to remind them what will happen if they are angered, and this works as well. So, :keith:, my question for you is, When should we draw the line on the murdering and dictatorial actions of the Israeli government? Quite being an apologist and open your eyes to the facts.

There are times when one has to draw the line. I have tried to argue that peace has to be the top priority, and I always thought that at worst this was something we could agree on as a foundation. He claims to not be anti Arab, but Anti Islam. He also says that the basis of Islam is Jihad(I assume he interprets Jihad as holy war, which I am told it a mistranslation) and he also claims that the Islamic people have held telethons to raise money to support the families of those who died to kill Israeli's.

Obviously his hatred of the Islamic religion has clouded his view and selective acknowledgement has allowed him to only see the news he wants to, or he would have seen the stories that clarified his mistakes. He also needs to look to a proper authoritative source for definitions of Jihad, and look at the true basis of the Islamic religion, which has no more basis in violence then Christianity of Catholicism, though all of those could and at many time have been described as overly violent religions at different times of their existence.

That telethon, in case you missed it, was to support all those who had died, not those who had died by killing themselves. The telethon was to support those killed innocently at the hands of the Israeli's in Ramallah, Jenin and other Palestinian territories. I, at least, am willing to have an open mind and trust that things can come to a peaceful resolution. the problem as I see it is a mix of religious intolerance, racism, and bitterness over the past. Let me be clear this is a problem on both sides.

I do not often absolutely stop reading a site because of a disagreement over one topic, but in this case I have to. I am sick to my stomach from reading such crap on Keith's blog, and I have had to draw the line when today he began attacking me personally. I have no doubt his words were meant as an attack. He has allowed his hatred to cloud his views and maybe, just maybe, my stepping away from this will show him that no matter his feelings, it is not worth our friendship, if there is even one left. Maybe he thinks that the Israeli's and Palestinians cannot find peace because it is not within the human race to do so, but I prefer to think it is possible and inevitable.

Maybe he thinks that because it I snot possible he should take up the side of the clear favorite, but if I were to chose a side it would be the Palestinians because it has been proven that guerilla warfare is the hands down winner over typical warfare. I hate to imagine that peace is not possible, and I will not give up. Maybe Keith in his pagan reasoning cannot imagine a world were one man does not kill another, but I can\ because I believe God did not make us to be killers.

Well, the world, or North America at least, is getting Winnipeg like weather in that things are bad overall but changing rapidly. First yesterday tornadoes hit all over the US from Missouri to Illinois causing three deaths across different states, and snow hit Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Today another tornado, this time an F5(very powerful) has killed another three in Maryland and apparently Minnesota got more snow, apparently in the number of 20 inches. The problem, apparently, with this tornado is that it hit in the middle of the night when most people were sleeping. I doubt the weather will get much better, and I really do not look forward to what will happen when that kind of weather hits here.

Yes, this is under world events, because I get a very strong feeling that in the next little while this will become a huge story worldwide, if only because of the fact that a congressman, soon to be out of office, is involved somehow. In case you didn't hear, it was confirmed today that remains found in Washington, DC are confirmed to be those of the missing Chandra Levy. There is no doubt, I am sure, that Gary Condit will quickly become a murder suspect, and have his life thrown upside down again. Needless to say, the story that was thrown into the shadows in the wake of 09.11 is back and it is going to get hotter.

Well, I just saw on CNN that a chopper trying to rescue some climbers on Mt. Hood in Oregon crashed sending all of the pieces of rotor, then the chopper rolled down into a valley a little below where it crashed. It looks like a few of the 5 crew on the chopper fell out, and may have been rolled over by the chopper as it rolled down the mountain. It is known that 3 climbers on the ground are dead, but I am not sure if they were already dead.

I did see on current footage that two people were walking away from the wrecked chopper, which was a Black Hawk Army Reserve chopper. To recap, a black Hawk Army Reserve helicopter has crashed in a clear sky rescue on Oregon's Mt. Hood. Three climbers are already dead, though still no clear info on when they died. Also no info on the crew as of yet.

So, Johnnie boy has announced that selected visitors from other countries will be forced to register with finger prints and so on. On CNN's Talkback Live their guests and audience members say that it should be instituted for every person entering the country. I have no problem with this as long as they can make sure the process of entering the country does not take any longer.

Maybe registration while waiting to pass through the security checks, since those are said to take long enough as it is. The problem I do have is this. Where is the line of going too far? does anyone know if that even exists? Is there too much? Is it too much to put up a fence across the borders and make sure no one can pass them? Where do we say enough is enough?

Strip searches for everyone? Forcing people to wear only airline supplied clothes to ensure that people are not bringing weapons? What about the often played role of airline attendant working with the terrorist? That would allow the weapons to get on the plane no matter the precautions. What about a corrupt air Marshall's? Pilots? What about guns not made of metal?

My point is that no matter what we do, no matter the precautions we or the Americans take, you'll never be able to eliminate every possible way to either blow up or hijack a plane. Even if you could, in theory, there are still a massive number of ways beyond planes to strike at America. Just look at Oklahoma.

Ok, I don't know what the difference is between the office of Homeland Security and the Department of Homeland Security, but it has always sounded, Homeland Security, like an antiquated throwback to the Cold War(why exactly was it so cold, anyway?) but a term that sounds more like a Russian one, not an American one. On that, :bob: also posted today on his thoughts on the announcement, and others like Dave Markowitz also had similar feelings.

Essentially, they seem to see this as akin to the Gestapo. I don't know enough about the history of the Gestapo(I thought they were a German organization) nor do I have enough info on this new department, but let me tell you it sure doesn't sound like a good thing. It looks from my eye as yet another play to eliminate the rights and privacy of American citizens and make everyone a criminal until they prove they haven't committed a crime, which can only be proven by their death, assuming that death is not made a crime. Not a good day, no matter how you look at it.

Ok, I may be a little less then knowledgeable of the US legal system, and I will admit I have no idea why there is such thing as the Grand Jury, as here in Canada the police give their evidence to the prosecutor and they make the decision to charge someone, but I have not heard of a Grand Jury not agreeing with the attorney prosecuting a case. Therefore when the person in the dog mauling case said that the grand jury handed down certain charges, while the judge just decided on a whim to reduce those charges.

Is it not true that very rarely will a grand jury say no to the charges being brought? I mean I thought the grand jury had a habit of sucking up to the prosecutor, and usually just trusted the prosecutor to know what was right. Not to mention that I fail to understand the fairness of the grand jury in that I think the jury only hears the prosecutor's side of the case and while the law says a person is innocent until proven guilty, it is undeniable that a grand jury indictment is a hard thing to recover one's reputation from.

Hell, being charged here essentially makes people look at you as a criminal, no matter whether or not you are found innocent or guilty. In this time people always think that even if you got off, it could very easily been because of police corruption, police error, high paid attorney's and more. There is no true innocent person who has been charged, and the simple fact you were charged means that you will forever be affected by that charge, no matter the verdict handed down. Pathetic, but a fact none the less.

On April 18th, the first Canadian deaths in combat since the Korean conflict happened in Afghanistan. These were not at the hands of Al Queda, not at the hands of the Taliban, which everyone hated. No, instead this happened at the hands of our allies, the Americans. This was not a loose bomb falling of a plane, this bombs were dropped with full knowledge of the pilot. Yes another trigger happy American taking lives of those trying to help. What a fucking shock.

I rant about this because the joint Canadian and US reports came out and they both say the same thing. The pilot was told to hold his fire and yet he still dropped his bombs. He was not taking fire, he was not being shot at. He saw the flashes of weapons fire below and decided against orders to drop a 250 Kilo high explosive bomb on that weapons fire.

Major Harry Schmidt, you are a trigger happy criminal who should be brought up on charges of murder and disobeying a direct order. You murdered Private Nathan Smith, 26 form Nova Scotia, Private Ricky Green, 21 and also from Nova Scotia, Sergeant Marc Leger, 29 of Ontario, and Corporal Ainsworth Dyer, 25 of Montreal, Quebec. You killed them through your stupidity and ignorance that there might be allies on the ground. Would you have done this if you knew Americans could be there? I doubt it.

Congratulations Major. You got yourself four kills. You killed 4 Canadians from 21 to 29, in the prime of their life, and who were trying to help take vengeance for those acts against your country. We were trying to help! We tried to help you fight your war, and in a mistake the size of Texas, we still are. This Canada Day long weekend, there are still troops in Afghanistan fighting along side the America troops.

I am sick of the lack of care or concern the Americans have for the Canadian troops. We are support, and nothing more. Jean Chretien should be shoved out of office for the simple fact he has not pulled our troops out. the Americans don't care about us being there. They don't deserve our support, help or camaraderie. They should be on their own.

Ok, so George pranced, preached and ranted that he will ensure that corporate leaders who do wrong by their employees and shareholders will pay with jail time for their crimes. On the other hand, his Veep, Dick Cheney, has been reportedly investigated and the SEC is looking for charges for his actions will in charge of Halliburton. As well, they are investigatign at least one company that the President of the US himself was in charge of. So, you still sure that you want corporate criminals punished to the fullest extent, George? Even if it means that you go from the White house to the Big house? I thought not.

So, WorldCom, long a big name in the telecom industry, has applied for chapter 11 bankruptcy. CEO John Sidgmore is puttign up a brave face, saying that the company will reorganize and be back up to full strength within a year. John, 4 Billion dollars were lied about. Stock holders were lied to. They were cheated. Even if you do reorganize, your stock will never come back, the public will never trust you, and your company will never be as great as it was. You have filled the largest bankruptcy in history. That is not something to be proud of, and it won't be forgotten. The company may go on, but the

Well, Bob has for a long time said that one of those objects floating around out in space would eventually come at us, or at least put us at serious risk. Well, it looks like it has been found, thankfully nearly 20 years before it is expected to impact. To say this is surprising would be a lie. What is really surprising is that they caught it so soon, with plenty of time to try to find ways to deflect it if the preliminary calculations are right and it is heading our way.

The biggest worry for astronomers has always been that one would come at us, but we wouldn't catch it until it was too late. Maybe this will make them wizen up to the fact we need a better system then a few hundred telescopes watching trillions of miles of space, relatively poor coverage really. now, to see what the governments of the world do about stopping this thing, and preventing another from slipping past the observers.

Well, I am watching on CNN the coverage from Pennsylvania where for the last few days a group of 9 miners have been trapped in a coal mine, and it is amazing to see that all of the 9 miners are alive and in reasonably good shape, except for one that is having heart problems. They say it is going to be a couple of hours before they start bringing up the miners, but it is spine chilling to hear that after several days of not hearing any tapings and everyone had to have some creeping suspicions that some or all had been lost, and after so many days of grueling work and fighting for these miners, to get them out of the mine, the looks on the faces of the rescue workers was one of amazement and rejoicing when they found out that there was some noise heard, and even more joy when it was discovered that all 9 were live. Maybe miracles do happen.

I was talking to :brad: a little bit before I shutdown pre move on Friday night, and we were discussing the disgusting pattern of child, specifically young girl kidnappings across the US, and several killings of them. I have thought about this recently, while I was thinking I had no cable, and while I find myself thinking on things while I have no net access, and I wonder if this is truly a disturbing increase in these events, or whether perhaps the first couple being such big national stories makes now every child kidnapping now a huge story in the media. I mean we know people die every day. Some of those are kids, and even some of them are gruesome deaths, but maybe it is just the media that makes all of these a little more known nationally and internationally.

If this is truly an increase, there needs to be some reason these perverts are coming out of the woodwork at a disturbing pace. I mean if I were someone who had these urges, looking at the national attention that has come to bear as of late on these kinds of acts, I would do all I could to avoid committing this kind of crime, because I would realize that the crime would instantly gain national attention, and cause my capture very quickly, in hopes of preventing another loss like so many as of late. Of course I wouldn't do something like this, but clearly either these perverts have no sense of logic or any interest in preventing their own capture. In fact, I would think that anyone who did this would have to have a strong interest in getting caught, perhaps out of an interest in seeking treatment.

I sit here, and remember the loudmouthed, opinionated lawyers and other 'expert's on shows like Larry King, Connie Chung and other shows, who say moronic lines like 'a leopard cannot change it's spots, a zebra cannot change it's stripes, a pervert cannot change his(yes, they usually say he or his, and other masculine descriptions) attraction towards children and desire to hurt and kill them", and I think that there has to be a way to change a person like this in a non invasive and harmless way, and no, I don't count state approved murder in that. I mean we have sex offender warnings, and we have stuff like that, but in all the advancements that have been made, is it still not possible to medically treat a sex offender?

As well, that term needs to be refined, because it is far too broad in current definition. I mean a sex offender can apply to a 20 year old guy who has a 17 year old girlfriend of 5 years who he sleeps with, as well as a 40 year old guy convicted and imprisoned for molesting children. Those two examples do not fit in the same category, don't fit in the same classification. I have always thought that the title of sex offender without more explanation and research is both wrong and cruel to the accused. I have in the past, been faced with false accusations, and I know the fear of an innocent person who knows that without clearing his name, and even if his name is cleared, that he will be painted with a broad brush that encompasses a very cruel and sadistic group of beings that lack humanity and decency. Wrong is wrong, but let's be clear what a person did that was wrong.

Well, I have just watched the last man, less then three hours after contact was announced, come out of the mine using the cage system they have employed for the job. When they held the press conference they stated that it would be an hour between miners, and that it would take many, many minutes to pull each out, so it would be daylight before the last man came out, but after the first, the one with chest problems, the pace increased dramatically to one every 10-1 minutes. the first one came out around 1 AM their time(midnight here) and a seemingly short 2 hours later the last man got out. It has been an amazing sight, and to hear that the worst injuries have been the chest problems, a shoulder injury, and a case of hypothermia shared by all miners, it is amazing to see that three days spent a mile below ground has left these men in such an amazing condition.

Congratulations to all those workers, all the people who didn't sleep or slept very little, and those who worked their collective asses off to get it done. You did a damned fine job, you did the right things at the right times and your tireless work has brought these men up alive and well. Thank you for what you did, and for giving the world a chance to believe that good things can happen, even in times when the evil and the death permeate throughout our daily lives and have reminded us time and again of the mortality of our own bodies. You showed us that hope still exists, that determination and expertise can overcome so many obstacles and problems. Thank you for showing that miracles can happen, thank you for showing us that the impossible is possible.

So, I was watching CNN just before going to my orientation for Gage on Wednesday, and saw Michael Bloomberg announce the plans for a ceremony on September 11th in New York City. The ceremony will be 102 and two minutes long, with a recitation of the names of the 2823 lives lost, and several piece on freedom, including the Gettysburg Address. While the citizens of New York City and the loved ones of those who were lost that day fight over what to do with the land that used to hold the Twin Towers, from the ridiculous twisted metal tear drop design, all the way to the overly dangerous inverted towers. I am sure of two things when it comes to that land, the first is that whatever they do will be a honorable reminder, and as well whatever they do will be argued about for years. It is impossible to please the families of 2823 lost souls.

While I feel that the news stations need to concern themselves more with those who caused the loss of life, not as much with they much expected 24/7 news coverage and replaying of those horrible images from the worst day I have ever witnessed. I don't personally think we, or even worse the families of those who died on and because of that day need to be reminded anymore. Already there are memorial issues and specials that have been aired and announced, and I am already sick of it. These people are charging $15 for a magazine, a magazine that shows pictures of death, destruction and terror, and they are profiting off it. I just wish that people would remember in silence, or tears if they want or need to cry, but not in dollar bills and infamy. Me? I will remember by a moment of silence on the day of the event, if I can at the time that the first plane hit, and as well at each subsequent milestone(the second, third and fourth planes going down, the towers falling, etc..) of that day, and share a poem or two.

I mentioned the other day that all the airlines have cut back on their flights for 09.11, due to the fact few people actually want to fly after what 09.11 represents to fliers. Well, one airline is taking the polar opposite approach, in that they are giving away free tickets to al their flights on the 11th of next month. By now most of the tickets are gone, but they are swallowing the hard costs of flying their regular flight levels on the 11th, and giving a gift back to the patron's who have come back in much better then expected numbers in the 11 months since that horrible day. I applaud this airline for helping the US heal, and only wish I actually had something to do on the 11th that would require a flight. Sadly, I don't, so I will gladly encourage the rest of the US to go out and fly for free, and help the airline industry and terrorists see that we are not going to be terrorized into submission, and let the airlines know they shouldn't need governmental support anymore. Thank you Spirit!

So, the North East sniper appears to have hit again, with another shooting at Falls Church, Virginia. I have avoided mentioning this before because it sickens me to see that after 09.11 someone is sick enough to go around shooting innocent people for no apparent reason. This is the 10th shooting between Montgomery County Maryland and Spotsylvania County, Virginia, and this is a shocking thing to see. I took a call around 9 local from a guy who was calling about an order, and mentioned that he heard they had caught the shooter. Well, this is 11:20 and the shooter hit again at 9:30 or so that local time, so I have to wonder if he actually was caught, though I doubt caught is the proper word for when they find the person doing these shootings.

They have not said he was caught, so I have to assume the crazy guy on the phone who yelled at President Bush on TV saying he was only looking to kill Iraqi's, was wrong. Not a shock. They are now showing what I assume to be highways near the shooting, in a Home Depot parking garage, which were backed up for miles, and now seem to be slowly opening, though they have likely looking for a "cream colored Chevy Astro Minivan's". You have to assume that with this record, a serial killer who has shot now in the double digits of people, will not go easy, I would bet he will not go alive. This guy will be taken out in a body bag, not in handcuffs. There is no way this guy can afford to go easily, as he is sure to be given death. I might make an exception to my rule.

I am right now watching CNN, which has just confirmed what the Minnesota based CBS and NBC stations were reporting for several minutes, that incumbent senator Paul Wellstone along with his wife Sheila and daughter Marsha have died in a plane crash in northern Minnesota. My heart goes out to all of those in Minnesota, and hope that his opponent in the election will whole heartedly speak out on this subject. He was a grandfather, father, and beloved senator that was lost when his King Air B200 crashed outside Eveleth Minnesota about 2 hours ago. Wellstone was the highly favored candidate, who's opponent made a huge deal out of his vote against war with Iraq. To say this has changed the Minnesota race it to understate this, though how it has, we have no idea.

Wellstone's campaign manager Jeff Blodgett is on the two networks and is speaking about the fact they have no idea where the campaign will go from here, as it is unlikely that they can replace Wellstone effectively with only days until the election. Usually, I believe, the wife would be offered to finish for the candidate, but as his wife was also lost, it is clear that is not an option. Wellstone's sons have been notified of the loss, and they must be shattered to have lost so many of their family in one fell swoop. CNN just reported that Minnesota election law allows for a replacement to be chosen by the state party leader when there is a death of a candidate, though who it could be no one knows. Needless to say, this changes it all in the state to the southeast of me.

Well, the other day there was a vote on whether or not the selection of committee members in my nations capital occurred. The ruling party, the Liberals, and their leader, Jean (lame duck) Chretien, who all but those in line for favors want out of office already, and is leaving in over a year, wanted this voted down, but they did not make this a vote of (non)confidence, which is a good thing because renegade Liberal Paul Martin, who Chretien fired for speaking the truth a short time ago, and his many supporters made it a win for the official opposition and eliminating the now frequent habit of party leaders punishing those who speak out or vote against the party line. Finally, the government in this country did something right!

I hate light. I also am hating today the fact I live and work downtown. You see, my brother's post to the geeks list has reminded me that the Leonid's meteor storm is tonight, much more active than the shower of a short while ago. Sadly, I am not lucky enough to know anyone on their way out of town who is interested in giving me a lift, and I would be lucky to see a few dozen of the meteors in downtown Winnipeg, where all of the lights are on and far too bright. I was surprised the other day to see the northern lights fairly well, but I can only imagine how those must have looked to those out by Cam Morton where I had my first major star and Aurora Borealis viewing experience. This is one of those times when I hate city life. *Sigh*

In a move that has to make you wonder what the real job was, two employees hired to route out thieves and other criminals in Los Alamos National Laboratory, the birthplace of the Atom Bomb, were fired shortly after an investigation showed major theft. Their long investigation, which led to a lot of bad publicity for the lab, was very successful, and while the lab says the firing was not in retaliation, you have to wonder at this point because their recent release, that over 3 million dollars in equipment has been lost, seemed to have come right before their firing. It seems far too odd of timing, and has to lead to questions about whether they were about to come upon something far bigger.

So I hear, from my little hovel on Carlton St. the fireworks going on over at The Forks, the social gathering spot downtown here. They also had fireworks earlier, around 8, and it was interesting to try to see them from work, a bloc or so away. I decided, based on the sheer number of people I saw all night streaming into that area, to come home instead of go watch the show. I can hear it, which is good enough for me, and I am celebrating the new year by watching Sam Cook on Call For Help by netcam. So, in case I don't IM with you all sooner, have a good new year, enjoy time off if you get it, or the money you'll earn if you don't, and have a good year!

... I will simply post some links. When something as complex and tragic as the Columbia accident occurs, the speculation and coverage are rampant, and this is no different. I find there is far too much info to sift through, so I will simply post links to stories all over the net.

Ebay shuts down Columbia auctions, NASA Discounted Damage to Tiles, Expansive Hunt for Shuttle Debris, NASA: Acute Heat Spike on Shuttle, Net appeal for shuttle evidence, and NASA site collects Columbia pictures.

Ok, say you are a major country, one known to agitate greatly other nations with masses of people, weapons, or both. Say, you get attacked, and lose 3,000 or so civilians. So you go after the nation that was supporting those who did it. All's fine, and of course you try your best to prevent this from happening. Now, say, the same person your dad fought with when he was the leader starts looking like a good target because your family will make a lot of money off the oil prices going up, and b) the world feels sorry for your country for all it lost, and is pretty willing to follow your lead. Now, say, another country, one your country fought a long time ago, announces it is starting up it's nuke program. This is something you have no true proof that the oil guy has, but you think he might.

You prepare for war, bring up battle plans and argue with the powers of the world to go to war against the oil guy under the guise of proactive defense, he might have weapons that might get into the hands of the terrorist's and might be used against your many people across the world. A vital part of your space program breaks up in the atmosphere, but yet your Secretary of State still goes in front of the UN the next day, dragging the media and the public away from their much needed mourning, and back to the war against the big bad oil guy. Then, that nation that reactivated their nuke program tells the world that they now have a weapon that has the ability to destroy the west coast of your nation, killing millions of people. So, who do you go to war against? If you're George Bush, you go to war with the guy with the oil, not the guy with the nukes.

Today I am proud to call myself a human being, capable of independent thought and disgust of such magnitudes that few have ever found the depths of it. George Bush has. Adolph Hitler, were he still alive, would. Osama bin Laden, he sure does. I am also proud to see that millons worldwide, including hundreds of thousands in my own country, have marched en masse to give a message to President Bush that the world is against his war, and I have to disagree Kevin, this war is for oil, not weapons, for the US knows where there are weapons, and fails to go after it, but a country that there is not one shred of real proof(IE an actual weapon, or something really provable without Top Secret and Classified stamped across it so that so few can actually see it.

I am told the march here went well, with several hundred, perhaps even thousands joining in the march that was an attempt to send word to Jean Chretien, the already outgoing PM, and our neighbor to south, oil man Bush, that we in Winnipeg, along with easily several million across the globe, do not wish for war. I doubt this will make an impact, for those calling into CNN Saturday just now claimed that those marching against the war are communists and terrorists. This sounds a lot like the degradation of the legal system akin only to the MCCarthy era accusations of communism and traitorous actions. 'If you're not with us, you must be against us', right? Well, then I am against you. I am against war for the price on a barrel of oil. Bush knows he is gone, he is just padding the pocket for when he is through. Good to see some bloggers agree.

Ok, the MORE link below is to an email, though lengthy, that was sent to me by a co worker. I asked to republish it here because it makes some great points. When you think of it in far more personal terms, the war makes less and less sense. As well, right after I post this I will contribute to the Cross Blog Iraq Debate, by answering the anti war questions.

Ok, so the debate is on going, and the so called phase 2 has 5 questions for each participant, depending on the side they take. I, of course, will do the anti war side of things. I have listed the questions below, for those without the time or energy to go read them, and my answers can be found in the bold text after them. I find all of these questions quite rigorous, and requiring a great deal of thought before answering, so thank you to whoever wrote them up. I also want to qualify, being Canadian, that when I say The US, I mean it's leadership, as I am confident that a good percentage of it's people disagree with the war.

According to this Wired article, NASA is turning to highly sensitive recordings to try to discern what happened to the Space Shuttle Columbia. According to the article, "As parts of Columbia began to break off as the shuttle streaked across the West, the flight behaviour of the normally streamlined spacecraft would have changed. Those changes would have generated distinctly different patterns of sound waves compared to previous shuttle flights." This sounds like a good lead in finding out what happened to that space craft, and those seven astronauts.

In a story surprisingly not from The Register, Wired reported today that Privacy International "announced Monday its 2003 U.K. Big Brother Awards, which the group presents annually to 'the most persistent and egregious privacy invaders in Britain.' Prime Minister Tony Blair came away with the top prize, winning the 'Lifetime Menace' award for what the group characterized as 'his active involvement in the government's attack on civil liberties.'" I think George Bush will easily walk away with the US version of these awards.

Mike Hawash, the former Intel coder who has been held by the federal government for unknown and unsaid reasons and without a hearing or a lawyer since March 20th, has finally been told the reason he is being held, and his friends and family call it total bullshit. "Maher Mofeid Hawash, 39, of Hillsboro, Oregon, was charged in a criminal complaint with conspiracy to levy war against the United States, conspiracy to provide material support to al Qaeda and conspiracy to contribute services to al Qaeda and the Taliban." These are the same charges as were brought against 6 others from Portland. Law enforcement

With great sadness it was reported yesterday by Wired of all places that Canada has had it's first case of Mad Cow disease in a decade. The case is that of an 8 year old cow on a farm in Alberta, who was slaughtered because it was thought to have pneumonia, with later testing finding it had Mad Cow. The disease is well know for it's wild spread throughout Britain a few years back causing a large portion of that countries livestock to be slaughtered and burned in one of the most controversial act of the Blair government to date. "Authorities will trace the origin of the cow and how and where it was as part of an investigation into any possible spread of the disease, Canadian Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief said. They have also quarantined the farm and will "depopulate" the herd that the new case is from, along with any other herds that come into question. Alberta is Canada's main cattle province, with almost 40 percent of the industry. Last year, Canada exported 1.7 million heads of live cattle and 373,000 tons of beef product with a total value of $2.5 billion to the United States."

It has long been joked about, but the Chinese affinity for the feline species of animal may be the cause of their greatest affliction, causing more than 700 deaths worldwide, if one hong kong scientist is correct. Wired reported this week that Professor Yuen Kwok-yung, head of the Department of Microbiology at the University of Hong Kong, feels it is likely that the disease migrated to humans through the Civet cat, a delicacy in southern China. "From genetic information, it is highly likely that the virus jumped from civet cats to humans," Yuen told reporters, releasing the results of a month-long investigation by Hong Kong and Chinese scientists who tracked the source of the virus. I guess this disproves the theory about it coming from space dust.

It was also reported by Wired as well that one of the CDC researchers that are looking into the disease in Taiwan has come down with symptoms of the disease and is being flown back to Atlanta. The only other investigator to come down with SARS was Dr. Carlo Urbani who dies of it in the early part of it's known history. CDC director Julie Gerberding refused to name the doctor who is ill and listed as probable due to an X-Ray eliminating the possibility of the symptoms being from Pneumonia. The doctor and those who have been exposed to him by caring for him should be in Atlanta by Air Ambulance tomorrow sometime.

Not tech, and not local, so this goes elsewhere. I want to take a second to wish all of my American readers a happy and great 4th of July. I will be sitting here, trying to catch up on nearly a dozen unfinished posts, and trying to get some cleaning done, as I have a mid week couple days off due to the lack of calls we take on these US-but-not-Canadian holiday's(Thanksgiving is another), but I am taking a vacation day for today due to the fact I cannot afford a day off. As for you all, enjoy your fireworks, you all with camera's take a lot of pics for me and get a Fotolog so I can see em, and I will see you all Saturday here for more postings. Friday will be light likely with little or no news, and only personal stuff. Take care!

I was wrong. Not totally, but I choose the wrong battle. I posted repeatedly as to how badly Mike Hawash, former Intel employee, was being treated by the government, and how he was surely innocent. Well, I was shocked today to read the stories touting his guilty plea on charges of participating in a plan to provide help to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. "In the plea agreement, Hawash admitted to travelling with the men to China with the intention of crossing into Pakistan and making their way to Afghanistan. Hawash and one of his companions, Habis Al Saoub, went to the Pakistani Embassy to obtain visas but were turned down." and from The Register "He was charged on three counts: one of "conspiring to levy war against the United States", one of "conspiracy to provide material support and resources to Al-Qaida" and a third of "conspiracy to contribute services to Al-Qaida and the Taliban". Hawash pleaded guilty only to the third charge."

Have you heard? If you are in Toronto(except for Matt who is on generator), Ottawa, New York, Cleveland, or Detroit, as well as any of the other smaller cities that are highly affected, you might not read this for a few hours. Everyone else though, can pop open their browsers and read this at will. Welcome. Anyways, while I am at work, and reading this to a friend so they can post this to the site, I have heard in the last few hours many things. We heard at work about an hour after the outage began that it was not terrorism related and that they didn't know what the cause was. I am not surprised to hear that since then they have had to come out publicly and say that it was also not caused by the Blaster worm. Good to know. Now, what was it?[Update: News here and here]

I was ecstatic just now to hear those who have been saying the huge power outage in the North East began in Canada now saying that it was not. I found it ironic that the Mayor of New York and other affected people thought it was ok to blame Canada automatically, while the experts where smart enough to say that they could not, and would not, assign blame until it was certain who should get it. I therefore smiled when I read this morning that they suspect it was a problem in Ohio, not Ontario(though I can see where the pro's made the mistake yesterday) as Bloomberg originally though. Sadly, I see that Ontario may take until Sunday to get all of their power back on, which is a very long time to be in the dark, and without a computer. Hopefully they're wrong again.

The updates as of now seem to be that the power is slowly returning to the affected areas, but Mike Bloomberg has not yet apologized for speaking for the entire US power industry and accusing Canada of being the problem, even though all the experts were speaking of the ageing electrical grid and how it has needed to be replaced for a long time. Of course, the two major US parties have different views of who is the problem, and how to solve it. One side says to pass the grid upgrade bill as is, and forget petty politics that caused it to be killed, and the other side says that the problem is the other sides unwillingness to remove the Arctic drilling portion that caused it to be killed in the beginning. In the end, I am against drilling in the Arctic, and for upgrading the power system, and for anyone who agrees with both of these objectives.

I notice that the US president spoke to the UN yesterday. I read that he spoke of rebuilding Iraq. I recall the past time he was there, or the last time I recall him being there, it was int he lead up to the armed, unlawful invasion of Iraq. In the days after the war, the Us was proud of it's invasion, of it's defeat of the Iraqi people, and they were unwilling to allow other nations in to help with the rebuilding. It seems odd that now, after vandalism, guerrilla war, and sabotage have made the rebuilding of Iraq unprofitable for the US and it's corporations, the US is now asking for help. I say the US, UK, and Spain, as well as other smaller coalition members bombed the shit out of Iraq, the US should be responsible for the reconstruction of Iraq, and screw Bush if they lose money.

No, he did not advise that Bush drop a Patriot missile, though by now the current US president has to be wondering why he shouldn't just gather all his critics in a box and do just that. Former US Vice President Al Gore, who had early on decided not to run for President in 2004, has advised the man who now holds the seat of power that he needs to rescind the Patriot Act. Wired quotes "They have taken us much farther down the road toward an intrusive, 'big brother'-style government -- toward the dangers prophesied by George Orwell in his book 1984 -- than anyone ever thought would be possible in the United States of America," Now to be fair Gore only echo's what a lot of people, including myself, have been saying for a long time now, but it is good to see such a public figure come out against the law that begins the end.

The news papers this week in my great(if underfunded and technophobic) nation all this past week were talking about when our despised and hated Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, will be stepping down. His departure, you see, has not been swift, nor simple. Back at Gnomedex 2 in 2002, it was the cover of the Canadian papers the day I left for Des Moines. Sadly, he also said he wouldn't leave for 18 months. The clock was set then, and now the final date is known. Set your clocks for January 12th as a great day for the Canadian people. Paul Martin, the former finance minister who Chretien booted from his position back nearly 2 years ago now, will be the new PM, at least until an election can be held, and our country might just right itself before sinking into the waters forever.

So, the world, and especially CNN, are abuzz with news that Saddam Hussein has been captured, is alive, and will stand trial for his crimes. This is the man who was declared a tyrant, a man who when found was in a virtual prison in a hole already, haggard and dirty. He had a limo at his disposal and several thousand in American currency on hand, but there is no doubt he was a man who was still running, still in exile. The news channels are of course discussing how this will impact George Bush, and his opponents in the upcoming Presidential election are falling all over themselves to declare what a great day this is, but only one so far has said the truth, that the war was unnecessary, useless, and that while it removed Hussein, he was not an imminent threat to the US. That person is General Clark.

Time Magazine and Time for Kids Magazine have released their respective people of the year. Time for Kids named JK Rowling, author of the harry Potter books and the wealthiest woman in Britain, credited with bringing kids back to books and showing them that kids can affect the world, was named Person of the Year for Time for Kids. Bill and Melinda Gates, as well as Bono, were named Time Magazines Persons of the year for their charitable and humanitarian efforts, and also named former Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton as "Partners of the Year" for their humanitarian efforts after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and the unlikely friendship that developed from that work. Congratulations to all the winners.