News From Here and Beyond

I see that my blog has been read in 49 countries.  Cool.  Noticeably absent is any viewership from China.  I did get one hit from Nepal and one from Hong Kong.

I can tell you one person that must be reading this.

Obama.

I mentioned yesterday that we need an Energy Policy and today, he presents one at Georgetown University.  I'm expecting a call at any time to discuss what I think he should do next.  I'll keep you informed unless it turns out to be top secret hero type stuff.

Onward.

Sarah Palin said something like, "We waited for permission to go into Libya and then took a back seat.  That doesn't sound very American to me."   I have to agree.  Invading Iraq has been more of our style. Thank goodness we are finally outgrowing the "Bully the World" attitude.

It amazes me that people are still pushing for another Iraq.  By other people I mean the entire Republican/Tea party.

Elsewhere.

I saw a bumper sticker yesterday.  I actually saw 3; all on the same truck: "Bush/Cheany 04" and then "McCain/Palin 08" and finally there was "Union By Force/Confederate By Choice."  This guy can really pick a winner.

I'm watching the economy recover with over 250,000 new jobs added in March.  Then on the radio I heard a guy talk about how Obama is ruining our country with his Marxist ideas and that we need to get a Republican in right away.  I'll just say, if McCain and Palin were in, there would be boots on the ground all over the world by now.

Republican Rick Santorum says the Social Security System would be in much better shape if there were fewer abortions.  His rationale?  Remember, this is an elected official.  People put a check in the box next to his name thinking "I've got to get me some more of this guy."  Anyway..his reasoning is that we are killing babies that would otherwise be putting money into the system.

I think our elected officials are not smart enough to do the job we've elected them into.  I would love to give them a pop quiz on basic economics or military strategy or even geography.  I'd like to see them explain the math behind their assumptions.  I have a feeling that few would do well.

The Democrats got caught reminding each other to use words like "extreme" when referring to the GOP budget cuts.  Now, I don't know what they are talking about cutting but how hard can it be to not get caught trying to put Lipstick on a Pig?

There is incompetence aplenty on each side of the aisle.

I have to go sit by the phone.  Obama could be calling at any minute and ask me, "Jim, how can you help me save the world?"

Up, up and away...

jim

News and Commentary

Africa is having a fire sale on farmland.

It seems that Saudi Arabia and China are trying to buy up every acre of farmable land on the continent.  This is in a clear response to the last two surges in oil prices.  Higher oil prices results quickly in higher food prices.

Russia is trying to form an Opec-like agreement with some other Big Wheat countries so they can control the price and supply of this staple.  I think they should call themselves Wheaties.

I was having coffee with a couple of friends the other day.  Both, I would consider, to be high spiritual people.  One is a devout Catholic, the other doesn't attend church regularly.  I mentioned a study that said organized religion would be extinct in 9 countries within the next few years.  These are not third-world countries.  Australia and the Netherlands and Austria to name 3 of them.  Anyway, this got the conversation running along.

One of my friends said he thought that we go to church less now because we once went there for answers that are now provided by science.  For example, you may have a sore back and go to church to pray for a cure.  Today you go the doctor for a shot.

The second friend said we go to church to help find answers to why there is so much suffering in the world.

My thought...hmmm...what the heck do I know.    I know as much as anyone else, which is to say, no one else knows either.

A friend, John G.  posted a response to yesterday's blog about Obama's speech.  He basically posted the following quote: "The president does not have the power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military situation that does not involve the stopping of an actual or imminent threat to the nation." - Sen. Barack Obama, December 20, 2007

This is an excellent point.  First of all, Obama mentioned meeting with the bipartisan leadership ahead of his action.  There is no telling if he was looking for approval or just keeping them informed.  If it was the later, then it would appear that he changed his mind at some point in the last 3+ years.  However, I think he may have actually satisfied the need for consultation in the eyes of Congress.  I only say this because the GOP is complaining that this wasn't handled with the same Blunt Force we used so successfully in Iraq (this amazes me).  The only ones complaining about not being consulted are the small players in congress from both parties that are too short to be noticed when they raise their hands.

I think it's okay to change your mind.  I doubt that he looked at the Libya situation and said, "I'd better just let those people get slaughtered or else I'll look two-faced."  I think he learned that there may be situations where action is needed immediately.

He's learned that nothing says "Peace on Earth" like a well placed cruise missile.

Alas, such is our world...

Arnold Schwarzenegger once tried to push through a budget reduction measure that saved a few million dollars by reducing the amount of time a puppy would be on death row before he faced the chair. The public outcry was huge and Arnie reeled that little suggestion back in a hurry.  He changed his mind and I admired him for it.

To prevent this type of thing in the future, we need a policy.  Actually, we need a lot of policies.  Right now, we create everything from scratch every year.  Wouldn't it be great if we had policies that:

• Handled policing actions around the world
• Brought the budget under control during a stalemate
• Planned for energy consumption and creation today and into the future
• Managed our country's manufacturing and trade imbalance
• Created an education system with a goal of second-to-none

Instead, we govern like a small tree blowing in the wind.

Right now, California is having a budget issue (so what else is new).  The Republicans want more cuts and the governor wants to extend taxes.  If taxes don't get extended, the only place left to cut is education.  The last time they cut education (last year) several teachers at my son's high school lost their jobs.  His English teacher has 200+ students.  For the last month, she has been grading research papers.  Can you imagine reading that many paper and adding meaningful comments along the way?

So what's the answer?

Not sure.  Budget resolution is not part of the superhero job description.

Up, up and away...

Jim

Obama's Speech on Libya

I just finished watching this speech and I think it's possibly the best speech he has ever given.

I know that as soon as he is done talking, Fox News (aka the Republican Party) will begin trying to turn your attention away from this extremely positive and detailed presentation.

I am going to predict their response:

The Republicans will come from both sides.  They will say that by waiting, we appeared to be weak in the eyes of the world.  They will tell you that we need a president that is not afraid to act.  At the same time, they will pretend that he acted recklessly.  He should have told congress in advance and sought their approval.  They will tell you that in hard economic times, we don't have the money to spend on someone else's war.

His own party will have those that come out against him.  This is just posturing for the presidential run.  We are within 18 months of the next election and it's time to become visible.  Watch those that speak out and they will be the same faces you see trying to take his place as the Democrats candidate for president.

Here is my caution, no, my plea to you.  Do not allow yourself to be swayed by The Final Word.

As president, he needs to act first.  Everyone else gets to watch and then formulate a response.

The same is true with the speech.  He has to talk first.  Even as I write this, their speech writers are trying to pick apart his speech.  The Republican response will start with a "God Bless our troops," sort of false church/patriotic position.  The weak minded will say, "Hey, they mentioned God so God must be on their side."  The GOP will then go on to challenge the trillion dollar price tag assigned to the war they started in Iraq.

So, if you want to believe all of that, go ahead.  Just don't believe because it was the last thing you heard.

Here is what I heard:

1.  We learned from Iraq.  Don't try to overthrow a government  or invade without an exit strategy.
2. There is a time table for turning over power.  Wednesday.  I heard it and so did you.  The GOP will say it's not specific enough.  They will say this even if he'd said, "We will deliver the last bag of humanitarian rice at 4 pm on May 3rd.
3. He explained why he waited to go in.
4. He explained why he went in quickly.
5. He didn't mention that he did all of this very visibly and the nay-sayers could have spoken up before hand.
6. He looked into the camera and said, "We are not afraid to act.  We told you what we were going to do and then we did it."  This is an important message to the world.  Everyone needs to know that we will do what we say.  I believe he was saying this directly to North Korea and Iran.  They need to know if we say we've had enough, that we mean it.
7. He talked about why we don't go in everywhere we are needed.  He also explained why this isn't an argument to never go in at all.
8. He explained about the coalition that includes Nato, the United Nations and League of Arab nations.

As I watched him, I felt proud to be an American.  This is what we all need to stand for.  Not democracy, but freedom.

Let's face it, we're lucky to have been born in the United States.

But with this windfall comes a tremendous burden.  We cannot turn our back on the world.  They need us, and we need them.  Together, we are greater than the sum of us as individuals.

This was a truly great speech and if you didn't see it, find it online and take a look.

Judge for yourself.  You can do that because you are free to do as you wish.

My guess is that is speech is unavailable in North Korea, China and Iran.

This just in:  The official Republican response is that they think we need to overthrow Gadaffi.  Kind of like we did to Saddam.  That worked really well before so why not do it again.

Now, I'm all fired up to do some world saving...

Up, up and away...

j

The GOP All-Stars

While Libyans were starting to rise up against their government, we, along with the rest of the world, sat back and thought "Another one bites the dust."

As long as the rebels were winning, the world watched in smug satisfaction.  The good guys were going to win.

Then Gaddafi seemed to wake from his slumber...and he was really pissed off.  He hired mercenaries to be his loyalists and to do his dirty work and soon, no one was safe.

Now this is important: In a very visible way, the United States entered the fray. This is important because the entire process was transparent.  The League of Arab nations called and the U.N. Security counsel answered.  The United States said they's drop by to practice their precision targeting  and then would leave the party early.  So far, this seems to be the case; still, I wait to see if we are really going to get out - any day now.

Once Obama made his very public and well advertised move, creatures crawled out from under every rock to criticize the action.  The GOP is trying to have it both ways.

One side of their mouth opens slightly and they say, "We should have gone in two weeks ago and removed the bastard."

The other side of their mouth creaks open and says, "What are we doing in Libya?"

I think a lot of the questions about the constitutionality of the action or exit strategies are valid.  We should always force our leaders to the table when we put our soldiers and tax dollars in harms way.

But what really gets me is the HYPOCRASY of the Republican party.  It's been over 3,500 days since Bush declared mission accomplished in Iraq.  We are paying for the GOP war with todays son's and daughters.  Now, when we want to drop by for a few days of humanitarian gun-play, the GOP appears to be shocked by the inhumanity and presumable complete disregard for the will of the people.

How can they live with themselves?

Well, to understand that, you really need to understand the key players on the GOP side of the room.  I have assembled their key leaders here for you to consider.  Please take your time and then let me know which you would follow anywhere, much less into battle.  These are the people that want to make decisions about war, taxes and morality.

As for me, I would rather chose whatever is behind door number 3.  Who cares if it turns out to be Arnold the Pig.  I'd rather follow him that any of the current GOP leadership.

I want to be clear that I am against these people and their positions/tactics.  I like small government and several other positions the Republican Party once stood for.  Now, the GOP is just a collection of Keystoners.

Onward.

Apple is removing an App that is suppose to cure one's "gayness".  It was called the Gay Cure App.  Sometimes I think that people are really funny (or scary).

Japan's bill is up to $300 billion plus.  This may not be as bad as we think.  This does not mean that they will throw $300Bn into a volcano and the gods will turn back time.  This is $300Bn that will be spent to build homes and schools and roads.  This is a stimulus package with a purpose.  I'm not saying this bill is a good thing.  But, it will certainly create a lot of jobs in an economy that needs to get back to work quickly.

Earthquakes are only outnumbered by political uprisings.  Even now, as I look out my window, I think that California is about to be washed into the sea.

As 2012 approaches...I begin to wonder if there may be something to this after all.

But just in case I actually matter, I need to get back to saving worlds and stuff...

Up, up and away...

jim

Conspiracy Theory Aside

Suppose our government is telling the truth about Libya.

Are we doing the right thing?

I say yes.

According to D.C., we are going into Libya to keep a tyranical dictator from killing innocent civilians.  We are going in by invitation and with the blessings of the U.N. Security counsel. We are putting no "boots" on the ground and plan on turning over leadership of this event within days.  Once we do that, we are essentially out of it.

This is not a mission to topple a government, although that is what may happen.  We are not trying to aid the rebels, we are trying to protect people that cannot protect themselves.

In the end, we are doing what is right - our cause is just.

However, should this turn out to not be the case, I will be really, really pissed off.  George W. went into Iraq under an umbrella of lies, trying to make his dad proud of him.  He blamed WMDs and when those were found to be lacking, he said we needed to bring democracy to the Iraqi people.

"Bring democracy to the Iraqi people," as if that was a just cause.

My opinion is that if the Iraqi people had had enough, then let them change things themselves.  Look what Egypt did.  If the Libyans want a new government, then they should be the ones to bring about change.  It is not our job to tell people how to allow themselves to be governed.

The GOP is already spouting off about how we waited too long and now appear weak to the rest of the world.  The GOP either, wants to bully the world some more or, they are just trying to make us afraid.  Remember, that is their mode of operation.  Make us afraid and then promise to protect.  They are telling us Obama makes us look week; implying that we need a leader that is not afraid to slap a few kids on the playground in order to keep the rest of the kids in line.

I say, let the GOP get back to their "tough stance" on NPR and leave world leadership to the big people.

I have a prediction about AT&T.

Gone in 5 years.

Why?  They have been gone before only to have the name purchased by Cingular (who changed their name to AT&T).  AT&T currently has terrible service and they plan to fix that by buying the smaller T-Mobile who has great service.  History, in these matters, says the behavior of the larger company will prevail.  This translates into worse service for T-mobile customers not better service for AT&T.

However, here is the real reason.  In the last year, I dropped a $50 a month service charge for tethering my computer to my cell for internet access.  I could do this with an App that I got for Free.  I also dropped my monthly cell plan from $150 a month to $50 a month.  How?  I paid Skype $135 to be able to call anywhere in the world from anywhere else in the world for a year.  I'm not talking video calls between computers (free).  I put on a headset and call your phone.  I do pay a very small charge if I'm calling a cell phone.  Overall, I am saving over $1,000 a year over what I paid only a year earlier.

I'm not saving this money because the cell phone providers got more efficient.  I'm saving it because there are new players in the game.  AT&T is using an outdated model of gobbling up the competition so they can raise prices.  The problem is, T-mobile is not the competition - the internet is.

This is a 35 billion dollar purchase.  They should have called me, I wouldn't have charged half that much.

Speaking of big savings....I have a job to do.

Up, up and away.

jim

The Few - The Bold

Under the ocean, the earth gave a few groans;

In a blink Japan suffered, lost families and homes.

Stark slabs of cement marked where a village should be;

Now nothing was left; all claimed by the sea.

The world looked disbelieving at the damage been done;

Not knowing that the battle for some just begun.

In a facility backed by safeties one, two and three;

The game was now changed by the might of the sea.

Everything failed, even systems most reliant;

Awakening into the world, a fiery nuclear giant.

It couldn’t happen; no, they’d done everything right;

And yet there it was, the glow growing in the night.

While the rest of the world watched a tsunami unleashed;

Engineers worked frantically to contain the freed beast.

The radiation was climbing to levels untold;

But men stayed and fought, the Few – the Bold

They did what they must, their eyes open wide;

They confronted the beast, but not out of pride.

It was their duty, their job, to step up to this plate;

This was their beast; this battle, their fate.

One texted his wife, “Live your life well;

I’ll be here a while.” Then he turned to face hell.

Every moment of stay, chopped years from a life;

He fought in the dark.  He fought for his wife.

The price, it is high, but so are the stakes;

The very demon of hell is rattling their gates.

Only much later, the battle hours old;

Did the world learn about them; the Few – the Bold.

There were fifty in all, each life chose to give;

To fight and to die so that others may live.

To them they were only, doing that which must be done;

All had suffered loss in the land o’ rising sun.

They fought on for days; they fought through the nights;

They fought the hot beast; they fought the fight of all fights.

They fought in the dark, knowing they might never see home;

And as the world watched in awe, fifty fought on alone

Wearing protective suits, they fought with one goal;

But in spite of precautions, the radiation took its toll.

Their death might come slow, or it may be mercifully fast;

But when it does come, fifty flags then fly, each at half mast.

The outcome unclear as this story is told;

But now is the time to remember the Few – the Bold

A world stands united in thought and in prayer;

Letting the fifty know they’re not along – we know that they’re there.

Songs will be sung and our memories will be kind;

To the great ones that lead the way, for those left behind.

Yes, we're left behind by men, that will never grow old;

Left behind by our heroes, the Few – the Bold.

It's Technical...

I love technology.

I'm driving to Columbia, SC from Augusta and it strikes me that food would make a great traveling companion.

I pick up my phone and say "Popeyes."

Ten minutes later I'm feasting on the 10-piece special at 70 mph. 

Also, for $1.99, I downloaded an App that allows me to see how far I have to go to the green, no matter what hole or golf course I am on.  This makes my cell do the same thing as a device you can by for over $400.  Unfortunately, it only pretends to make me a better golfer.  (For that, I need a pencil with an eraser.)

Did you see how well the computer did on Jeopardy?  It beat the humans easily. This shows that a computer can search for information and come up with an answer in fractions of a second, regardless of the question.

This gave me an idea.  Every debate should have this computer do a quick fact-check on each answer given by someone debating.  It would then signal if the candidate made up the answer or if he answered truthfully. It will also have the option of saying, "I heard what you said and it does not seem to be related to the question asked."

I'd like to think that television news and radio talk show hosts would be subject to the same criteria.  After every comment, a mechanical voice would come on and say either, "correct" or "bullshit."

Bill O'Reilly, the guy sued for sexual harrassment (and he lost), or maybe you know him as the guy that wrote a book for your children.  Same guy.  Anyway, when confronted with putting out information he knew to be false, he said (I'm paraphrasing here) "Opinion guys don't have to be factual.  I'm an opinion guy."  He said this with a smile as if it made it okay for him to make stuff up.


This brings me to the NPR debate.  National Public Radio gets funding from the government, in part.  Recently, one of their top executives got caught on camera making fun of the Tea Party.  As a result, he quit.  But there is more to the story.

The tape that was made public was edited to make it appear that he said many other things that simply were not true.  It had him laughing at inappropriate comments etc.  The fact that the tape was edited in this way is not under dispute.  This means that everyone knows that what is in it is taken out of context.

Still, the Republican Party is taking edited sections of it and using it to try and defund NPR.

I have three problems with this.

First of all, NPR is just about the only talk radio show that is not controlled by Murdock (who owns Fox).  I can drive anywhere in the country and if I want to listen to talk radio, it's all about conservatives spouting off about Obama playing golf.  NPR is the only alternative.  If it's gone, the the GOP owns the radio airwaves coast to coast. (with the possible exception of the 5,000 gospel channels on AM)

Secondly, the GOP knows this tape has been altered and still they have decided to use it, all the while not mentioning that it has been altered. 

Thirdly, the GOP is holding this up as wasteful spending as if getting rid of it will balance the budget and show American how determined they are to set things right.  What they are not telling you is that all of the Mandatory budget items (Social Security, Medicare and Military) alone put us 1.5 trillion dollars in the hole.  The amount of money they and the democrats are arguing over is less than 5% of the total budget.  The NPR component is so small as to not be noticeable at all.'

The GOP chastises the President for picking a basketball team to win the NCAA tournament and then they put their nose to the grindstone and come up with...NPR.

This just in - Green light on bombing Libya. 

I like this for one main reason.  The U.N. Security Counsel finally voted to do something other than wag their finger.  Try this with Iran or North Korea.  "Anyone in favor of wagging a finger at North Korea and Iran....the ayes have it."  Next, ask if they want to bomb them back to the stone age and people start to fiddle with their earpiece, pretending not to have heard the question.

I'm not a fan of the violent solution.  But I am a fan of getting results.  Wagging fingers only results in tired fingers.

It would be great if the world voted that they should come to me for answers to all of the hard questions.

Then you'd see some world saving for sure.

Up, up and away...

jim

Heroes and Zeros

Imagine that your family, friends, home and everything that you own has just been washed away.

You go to work because you don't know what else to do.  Once there, they ask for volunteers.  What they are looking for is about fifty people willing to work in the dark, using only flashlights and hoses.

Their job: To put out a highly radio active nuclear fire. 

It might take days and they will probably die slow and agonizing deaths.

Still, they ask for volunteers and then - fifty people step forward.

They are fighting tonight as you and I sleep.  They fight to save people they don't know.  They fight because someone must.

Thank God there are better people in the world than me.

There are other heroes out there as well.  Take the peaceful protesters in Egypt.  They showed that you could overthrow a government without raising a hand against it.  They were beaten and shot and still they came back to protest, day after day.  Family members grieved for ones lost to the sword and yet...there were no regrets.

I think that in the United States, a country filled with heroes, we sometimes give trophies to the wrong people.

We have a political party whose stated primary goal is to cause the existing administration to fail.  I'm listening to talk radio today and actually heard a guy praise the GOP party for such a great strategy.  They are his heroes.

To me, they are cowards.  Them, along with the "unmentionables" that spout made up statistics to support their rants.  They attack when they know there will be no counter offensive.  Turn on Fox news. The very first person you see, is lying to you.  That person is a coward.  I don't pay homage to them and I wish others would not as well.

"Unhappy the land that is in need of heroes." Bertolt Brecht 

Back to Japan.

I think of the pettiness here and then look at their heroes...and wish I was a better man. 

For those that lost their lives in peaceful protest; for those who are dying as they fight a nuclear fire - to these fallen and falling heroes, I say...

Up, up and away.

Jim

The Backhand of God

So, I woke up this morning to find that Japan has just received a smiting.

What's that you say?  God didn't do this?  Okay, but he did give Aids to gay people, right?

No?  That's not right either?

Well, maybe not today, but at one time, there were a lot of people that thought just that.

We believe strange things and we do so for strange reasons.  I think the strangest thing of all is that even when we don't believe, we still stand up and profess our convictions lest other find out our dirty little secret - that we, and we alone, know that the King has no clothes.

I remember as a young boy of maybe 7 or 8, I would go to Sunday school and think, "You have go to be kidding me."  They'd teach us that God gave us free will and then would smite us if we used it in ways that were not on God's list of "pre-approved" behaviors.  I'd then go into church and sing the hymns and feel all warm inside, forgetting my earlier doubts.

Most of us have read 1984.  I recommend that everyone go back and read through page 16.  Get through the part about the 2 minutes of hate.  Yes, even Orwell knew that we were all disbelievers and yet, the crowd could carry us away in a second.

What am I getting at?

Basically, I think all religion is made up.

Gasp.......

I believe in a Higher Power but when it comes to someone saying, "This is what God or Allah wants you to do." I am absolutely certain they are making it up, often to promote their own position.  Take a look at the "bling" being worn by preachers on TV.

And its not just religion.  Watch Fox news and tell me you don't believe.  While I can't mention the "unmentionable ones," I will tell you there are plenty of people that can say just about anything and we will believe them.  How could they say it if it weren't true?

I'll tell you why.

People lie.

Some do it compulsively.  Some do it because it gives higher ratings.  Some do it because it gives them power and religions do it to instill fear; the backdoor to power.

I think all religions should be treated as businesses.  They should have to put labels on their products.  For example:  The following parts of the Bible are made up.  (Gasp....he'll burn in hell for that one...)

For Muslims, they should be made to tell who is being converted into a terrorist. (Another Gasp...how dare he confront us with the fact that nearly all terrorists are Muslims).

I know many believe the bible is 100% fact.  Good for you.  I wish I had your faith.

As for the Muslim issue, no one doubts that there are factions that cast dirt into an otherwise clean pool of believers.  The part that I don't get is why the leaders of the faith don't come out against terrorism.  They don't need to come out against it...but I think at the very least, they should explain why they don't come out against it.

It comes back to belief.  Terrorists find those with soft minds and tell them what to believe.  In the absence of an alternative voice, the gullible ones have no choice but to believe.

Don't believe me when I describe how easily we can be manipulated...talk to someone that watches Fox news and then tell me you don't understand.

By the way, to make sure this isn't seen as an anti-Muslim rant, I feel compelled to point out the Catholic church promoted pedophilia by staying silent on the subject.

To me, most religions make me feel like I need to wash my hands. I wonder how many people have died in the name of religion.  How does that stack up against the number of people that die from smoking?

Now that all of you are certain I will burn in hell, here is what I do believe in:

There is a higher power and I call him/her/it God.  I don't know why I am so certain of this but I am.

My higher power cares for me, listens to me and guides me.

My higher power does not care if I cheat on my taxes or don't got to church on Sundays.

My higher power experiences my life with me and through me...and that is enough.

If I were to start my own religion, I would hang the following sign on the door:  Leave your fears outside.  Come in and be thankful, not to God, but to life.  No donations accepted.

Now, a moment of silence for Japan...

Up, up and away...

Jim

View From Afar

I'm nowhere near the United States as I write this.  There is hero work to be done everywhere.

As a result, I have been out of touch with the political scene back home.  Not surprisingly, no one in Europe really cares about our details.  They like Obama and as long as he is in charge, they feel like the Americans will behave in a more civilized and rational manner.  I've been here when Bush was on the mound.  When he was in charge, the world saw us a bully.

On to China.

Europe is currently at war with this Asia behemoth.  The Chinese are invading economically and its much more frightening that if they had tanks.  They are using their typical practice of providing poor quality at such a low price that no one can resist.  The scariest part is that they are taking over the telecommunication industry.  This is a country that routinely monitors the internet habits of its own citizens.  They shut down cell coverage areas when protests start up and blame "temporary" problems with equipment.

Here is an example.  The "Jasmine" uprising is a what is being called the latest attempt of the people of China to protest against their government.  Several marches were planned with the intent of meeting at a certain point in a large city.  As the marchers approached from all directions, they found the streets "conveniently" blocked off for maintenance.

Cisco recently proved China had pirated some of their software.  The Chinese government strongly denied the allegation until Cisco showed hidden code embedded in the software that showed the birth date of a Cisco developer's wife.  Seems China had a hard time explaining that.

If you buy something made by China; if you use a service provided by China, you are funding the overthrow of the free market and democracy everywhere.

Remember, you heard it here first.

Microsoft continues to implode.  After the failure of the latest Office Suites, they now have a phone that no one wants to sell.  The Windows based Phone7 has been rejected by all of the major service providers.  By the way, Apple will soon follow for the same reason: protectionism.  Google makes stuff just as good or better and gives it away from free.  Apply makes great products but when Jobs goes, the company is history.

Products that I am waiting to replace: GoDaddy and Norton Antivirus.  Both of these companies provide the best service in their field, but they are not overly impressive.  I've had run-ins with both over the last week and it feels like I am their very first customer and they are still trying to figure out how to provide the service they are selling.

The Sand Countries continue to revolt.   I think it's great.

I watched as a Libyan man mourns the loss of a loved one.  Men around him tried to offer comfort.  When I saw this, something very important struck me...they are just like everyone else.

They are like you and me.

They want families and love and play and freedom.

So many in the States will tell you to be afraid of everyone that doesn't live across the street from you.  How many opportunities  have passed us by as we cling to fear of others rather than embrace them as members of humanity.

Maddoff has been speaking out from his Life in Prison soapbox.  The latest is that he called the entire government a Ponzi scheme.  He is referring to government in general.  The more I think about it, the more I think he may be on to something.

Sooner or later, I will have to return home.  It's hard to save a world overseas when my outfit has no place to hold my passport.

Up, up and away...

Jim