tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115223802024-03-13T09:16:53.307-07:00SkeptaclesFor every expert there's an equal and opposite reexpert.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.comBlogger613125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-10972278643444516762016-10-27T09:29:00.000-07:002016-10-27T09:29:08.160-07:00HelloWell, it's been a while.<br />
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Part of me wants to write down what I'm feeling and sensing in this crazy world, during these crazy times.<br />
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Why would I want to do that?<br />
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Why would I want to rub the noses of people I otherwise respect into the trash I see all about?<br />
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I don't want to rub anyone's nose in anything, but I have to say, people can be fucking stupid.<br />
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OK, let's see how this platform works for me after all this time.<br />
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Over or not...Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-72459641208234176712015-05-31T08:31:00.001-07:002015-05-31T08:31:12.198-07:00Hello World!Hello World. It's been a while. Just testing. Back in a bit.<div><br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QgZJ9ASFH-c/VWspPtNgaSI/AAAAAAAAE1E/5duzg77EiuY/s640/blogger-image--1847750730.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QgZJ9ASFH-c/VWspPtNgaSI/AAAAAAAAE1E/5duzg77EiuY/s640/blogger-image--1847750730.jpg"></a></div></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-90447542073523049382013-11-10T11:51:00.000-07:002013-11-14T05:53:37.485-07:00Frank DeBruin ValeriusSome time back, I wrote a post about a painting by Valerius (Frank DeBruin Valerius) that I inherited from my mother. <a href="http://skeptacles.blogspot.com/2007/04/guatemalan-indian-child-by-valerius.html">Here's a link to that post</a>. The painting in that post remains special to me, in particular because the child's expression, her tear, just seem perfect.<br />
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Anyway, Lucie DeBruin, the painter's daughter, kindly sent me some snapshots of other paintings by her father, Frank DeBruin Valerius, who is still painting at the age of 93. Good for him!<br />
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The snapshots that Lucie sent me appear below. I did a little fiddling around on them with <a href="http://www.gimp.org/">The GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program)</a>, but obviously I wasn't able to do a professional job. See what you think.<br />
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Try clicking on the pictures to get a somewhat larger view. The escape key ("Esc", usually in the upper left of the keyboard) should bring you back here. Your browser may vary.<br />
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The first two paintings below are apparently from when Valerius was in Guatemala.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hv6_YbuCezQ/Un-9-aksl6I/AAAAAAAAEpg/vF58EQA6O60/s1600/Valerius-GuatemalanMarket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hv6_YbuCezQ/Un-9-aksl6I/AAAAAAAAEpg/vF58EQA6O60/s320/Valerius-GuatemalanMarket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xElNx4CpaZk/Un--F4cH7zI/AAAAAAAAEps/Ts81rPHr2no/s1600/Valerius-GuatemalanMotherAndChild.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xElNx4CpaZk/Un--F4cH7zI/AAAAAAAAEps/Ts81rPHr2no/s320/Valerius-GuatemalanMotherAndChild.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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The following painting is of Lucie's grandmother.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VeEOkK4_Mr0/Un--FywOlZI/AAAAAAAAEpo/52vbnuvmjVs/s1600/Valerius-LuciesGrandmother1964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VeEOkK4_Mr0/Un--FywOlZI/AAAAAAAAEpo/52vbnuvmjVs/s320/Valerius-LuciesGrandmother1964.jpg" width="293" /></a></div>
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I was pleasantly surprised to stumble on the item below. Google is awesome, making old newspapers searchable on the Web. Amazing. Click the image for a larger view of my "clipping", or <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=71XFh8zZwT8C&dat=19550906&printsec=frontpage&hl=en">here's a link to Google's archive of that edition of the Miami Daily News.</a><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W_wlnLgy8RI/Un-__KZ8N_I/AAAAAAAAEp8/GfVQMbn8Vt4/s1600/MiamiDailyNews6Sep1955.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W_wlnLgy8RI/Un-__KZ8N_I/AAAAAAAAEp8/GfVQMbn8Vt4/s320/MiamiDailyNews6Sep1955.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Now that I know Valerius' full name, I did a Google search (<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Frank+DeBruin+Valerius">1</a>) (<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Frank+DeBruin+Valerius#q=Frank+De+Bruin+Valerius">2</a>). The first hit I looked at <a href="http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=T000001">was this</a>, then <a href="http://history.house.gov/Collection/Detail/28813">this</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W49i_vAnPsk/Un_FWQOxd5I/AAAAAAAAEqM/qNESGrDwRWQ/s1600/JohnTaber.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W49i_vAnPsk/Un_FWQOxd5I/AAAAAAAAEqM/qNESGrDwRWQ/s1600/JohnTaber.png" /></a></div>
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Then I found <a href="http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BIoeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fcsEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3142%2C665142">another clipping about the Ike portrait</a> (again thanks to Google's digitizing of old newspapers). Sounds like Frank is a very nice guy.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AGEHo-yS4Nk/Un_LpKVU28I/AAAAAAAAEqc/LftaQ95d0dI/s1600/HowYoungBillGotAPortraitOfIke.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AGEHo-yS4Nk/Un_LpKVU28I/AAAAAAAAEqc/LftaQ95d0dI/s320/HowYoungBillGotAPortraitOfIke.png" width="237" /></a></div>
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More power to you Frank! Thanks Lucie!<br />
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Cheers from Phoenix. SteveStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-30450805932337068702013-03-12T18:14:00.001-07:002013-03-12T18:14:03.016-07:00Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: Notes from the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs<a href="http://copssaylegalize.blogspot.com/2013/03/notes-from-un-commission-on-narcotic.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LawEnforcementAgainstProhibition+%28Law+Enforcement+Against+Prohibition%29&utm_content=Google+Reader">Law Enforcement Against Prohibition: Notes from the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs</a><br />
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What LEAP says! What Morales says! Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-52377843021692150942012-11-18T19:19:00.001-07:002012-11-18T19:19:58.133-07:00Dig Area<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1YBzx5w38A/UKmWnYjMrfI/AAAAAAAAEZk/ze62ln9sWxc/s1600/SanAndresDigAreaAnimGif.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-x1YBzx5w38A/UKmWnYjMrfI/AAAAAAAAEZk/ze62ln9sWxc/s400/SanAndresDigAreaAnimGif.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-9466069078850477152012-09-02T21:15:00.000-07:002012-09-02T21:25:40.398-07:00My Recipe for YogurtI've never liked yogurt. Actually, it wasn't that I didn't like it as much as that I never gave it a chance. Curdled milk?! Yuk!!<br />
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Then I got older and the doctor sent me to a dietician, who suggested I eat yogurt. I found that I kind of liked the Yoplait custard style yogurts so I settled on that. Then one day someone had me watch a documentary about high fructose corn syrup, which prompted me to check the ingredients in the Yoplait custard style yogurt I'd been eating. Sure enough...<br />
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So I switched to something else, and somewhere along the way took an interest in making my own yogurt.<br />
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As it turns out, before too long I was making yogurt that I liked pretty well and that was a hell of a lot cheaper than buying it at the store all the time.<br />
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I started out by buying a <a href="http://www.target.com/p/euro-cuisine-automatic-yogurt-maker-ym100/-/A-11078047?ref=tgt_adv_XSG10001&AFID=Google_PLA_df&LNM=%7C11078047&CPNG=appliances&ci_sku=11078047&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=">yogurt maker</a>, which is just a set of seven glass jars and a thing to incubate them in. The instructions were to not touch the thing while it was incubating because you'd cause the stuff not to firm up as well as it would if you left it alone. This did not involve draining off any whey, obviously.<br />
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I didn't like that yogurt very much, so I started incubating it in as large a plastic dish as would fit in the yogurt maker, and then draining off some of the whey, adding some Splenda and whipping it with an immersion hand blender <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-CSB-76BC-SmartStick-200-Watt-Immersion/dp/B000EGA6QI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_1">kind of like this one</a>. I was draining off about a third of the total volume in whey before adding the Splenda, whipping the stuff and putting it in the jars that came with the yogurt maker.<br />
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Then I decided the little yogurt maker didn't make enough yogurt in one batch, so I started looking around for a way to make bigger batches. At about that time, I had also taken an interest in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sous-vide">sous vide</a> cooking, but you have to maintain precise temperatures in that process, and the sous vide machines are therefore much more expensive that I could justify spending. Figuring I could make something myself, I checked into various temperature controllers but didn't find any that I thought had a suitable combination of price and precision. Eventually, I found a number of sites where people had used an inexpensive PID temperature controller to achieve the temperature aims of sous vide cooking, and found the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Display-Temperature-Controller-Great/dp/B002PIM3R8">PID temperature controller</a> they'd been using at Amazon. I figured I'd take a chance on the thing, and ordered the controller, a thermocouple and a solid-state relay plus a heat sink for it (probably not needed for this small a load).<br />
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I have not yet done anything with the sous vide cooking idea, but wound up using the controller to make a yogurt incubator large enough for bigger batches. It's really crude, but it works like a champ. Here are a few pictures.<br />
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I did say "crude". That's a cardboard banker's box, a computer fan, some duct tape and a 100 watt halogen light bulb.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5pPWwyXyJVE/UEQXjPL3_dI/AAAAAAAAEYY/uY4lqWtE9Jw/s1600/IMG-20120610-00024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5pPWwyXyJVE/UEQXjPL3_dI/AAAAAAAAEYY/uY4lqWtE9Jw/s320/IMG-20120610-00024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The round piece of wood shown below is just something I had laying around on which to mount the power strip and other pieces of this precision, custom-made incubator. The power strip supplies electricity to both the PID controller and to the heater (light bulb). The controller (black box at the right) provides a voltage signal to the solid-state relay (light colored box with the red light on it), which, in turn, operates the light bulb. The thermocouple (that tells the controller what the actual temperature is) is sticking into the box through a hole in the cover, which you can see in the upper right-hand corner of the cardboard box.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1DD1iU1sPpU/UEQXkWZDAeI/AAAAAAAAEYg/f-JuXuGKr5Q/s1600/IMG-20120610-00028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1DD1iU1sPpU/UEQXkWZDAeI/AAAAAAAAEYg/f-JuXuGKr5Q/s320/IMG-20120610-00028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's a similar view showing the face of the controller. I did say "crude" didn't I?</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f4fSCW48sBc/UEQXl5Rt2zI/AAAAAAAAEYo/Dtpnf_No0BQ/s1600/Outside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f4fSCW48sBc/UEQXl5Rt2zI/AAAAAAAAEYo/Dtpnf_No0BQ/s320/Outside.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The thing in the lower right of the picture above is just a switch to isolate the light bulb from the solid-state relay. I don't think it's necessary, but it's harmless enough, and might be a good place to put a temperature limiting safety device of some sort. Nothing wrong with belt and suspenders.<br />
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Here's how I make the yogurt. Greek style yogurt, which, as far as I can tell, simply means that you drain off more of the whey.<br />
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I dump a gallon of milk into a stainless steel pot and heat it to a boil, stirring constantly. The recipes I see all call for heating the milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, but for some reason I decided to boil the milk. Works fine.<br />
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I cool the boiled milk in a water bath until the temperature drops to about 115 or 120 degrees. No hotter or I might kill the yogurt culture. Maybe not, I don't know, the whole process seems very forgiving.<br />
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I mix in some yogurt from the previous batch as a starter to introduce the bacteria that do the actual work. It doesn't much matter how much starter goes in. Thoroughly stir in the starter and stick the covered pot into the incubator, with the controller set to 115 degrees. Like this:<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PuV5fAQKK28/UEQfjnZDc8I/AAAAAAAAEY8/0ewb6blPfnc/s1600/IMG-20120902-00116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PuV5fAQKK28/UEQfjnZDc8I/AAAAAAAAEY8/0ewb6blPfnc/s320/IMG-20120902-00116.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I usually let it incubate for about 12 hours at 115 degrees F, then drain off about a quart and a half of whey, add a cup and a half of granulated Splenda (or the generic equivalent), whip it, whip it good, pour it into suitable individual containers and into the fridge.<br />
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As I already mentioned, the whole process is pretty forgiving and open to experimentation. I made one small batch with some sugar-free smooth orange-flavored Metamucil mixed in at the last minute. Turned out pretty good, actually, although my wife won't eat it. It thickened up the yogurt a bit more than it would be on its own, and it tasted OK. One time I added some vanilla extract, which was OK but my wife didn't like it. She, like I, has never been a yogurt eater, but she likes the stuff I make as long as I don't fiddle with it beyond the Splenda.<br />
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I've found the easiest way to drain off the proper amount of whey is to dump the stuff just out of the incubator into a large-enough container lined with <a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-5pk-Flour-Sack-Kitchen-Towel-White/14938258">sack cloth</a>, or some other light fabric such as a large handkerchief (wash it first!), then hang the yogurt in the cloth over the dish until sufficient whey (about one third of the total volume), has drained off. At that point, take the curds from the sack cloth to a dish, add the Splenda (or whatever you like), and whip it. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbt30UnzRWw">Whip it good</a>.<br />
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Fun activity, cheaper than store bought and just as good if not better. Now if I could find a good use for the whey...<br />
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Some final thoughts...<br />
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<ul>
<li>Incandescent light bulbs are not intended to be cycled on and off continuously, and I've expected this bulb to fail for a long time. It keeps on working, though, which may be because the controller cycles it quickly enough to avoid the worst of the thermal shock. Obviously there is a great temperature difference between incandescence and dark, but at least the filament doesn't get cold during the off portion of the duty cycle. Some of the unexpected longevity is probably because I used a halogen bulb, in which tungsten that boils off of the incandescent filament is mostly re-deposited on that filament instead of on the bulb's glass (or so I understand). Eventually, though, a different heater is probably in order.</li>
<li>A cardboard box is probably not the safest thing to use for this purpose. It's safe enough, but one of these days I'll find something more suitable.</li>
<li>The controller, solid state relay and such should probably be enclosed. As it is, there's no shock hazard (well, not much), but UL certainly wouldn't approve what I've done. I'll do something about that eventually.</li>
<li>I learned today that if the thermocouple comes out of the box, it's going to get quite a bit hotter than intended inside the incubator. That won't happen again. </li>
<li>Learning to use the PID temperature controller actually required reading the manual, and reading the <i>correct </i>manual. </li>
</ul>
Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-17293011773785579692012-05-27T19:47:00.000-07:002012-05-27T19:47:09.852-07:00To Wash or Not Wash Old SlidesMy sister sent me some old negatives and slides to scan. These slides and negatives date back as far as the 1940's, and some of them are in pretty bad shape, contaminated with dust and mold.<br />
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The obvious question was whether or not I should wash the more valuable negatives and slides in order to improve the picture, or simply rely on the scanner software to do what it can to reduce the effects of age.<br />
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I selected one slide that probably dated back to the early 1950's, but with a quite common image less likely to be missed if I destroyed it. I removed it from its cardboard frame and washed it with warm water and some dilute dish soap, rubbing it gently on both sides with my fingers for a few seconds. Then I rinsed the slide thoroughly in warm, running water, and followed that up with a drenching spray of distilled water on both sides, then hung it up to dry.<br />
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I did not destroy the image, but I did have to use tape to fasten the slide to the remnants of the old cardboard frame in order to get the PC's scanner driver to recognize the image for some reason. (The scanner's driver worked fine, and is the better choice anyway, I've learned).<br />
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Here's an animated GIF of before and after the wash (click on it to see its full width, and sorry for the jumpiness between images). I think it was worth washing the slide, although I don't know how well the scanner's driver would have done cleaning up the unwashed slide in software. I'll have to make that comparison with another "less-precious" slide.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hU0kcuOdig/T8LcZkkh-yI/AAAAAAAAEX0/qAWvsS9gkRg/s1600/WONW_animated.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6hU0kcuOdig/T8LcZkkh-yI/AAAAAAAAEX0/qAWvsS9gkRg/s1600/WONW_animated.gif" /></a></div>
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It seems there are a few spots that appeared after the wash, but all in all I think it worked.<br />
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I've since read that one should not use the method I used because, apparently, water is bad for some film emulsions (no harm done here, apparently). The recommended methods include a light swipe with a soft cloth and alcohol, or special cleaning fluid one can buy. I picked up a bottle of 91% isopropyl alcohol at Walgreen's and will try that next. (The liquor section had a stock of 190 proof <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everclear_(alcohol)">Everclear</a>, which is 95% alcohol, but it cost much, much more than the non-drinking stuff.)<br />
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I already mentioned that the two scans in the animated GIF above were made using the PC's scanner driver (because I had not realized that you have to fill a checkbox in the software for it to use the scanner's drivers). I'll try to make the next test, wash-don't-wash-with-alcohol, a little better and more complete.<br />
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My conclusion, so far, is that washing a precious slide that's been contaminated with dust and damaged by mildew can be worthwhile, but it's too much trouble to do routinely. I should probably mention that the scanner I'm using is a Canon CanoScan 8800F. Here's <a href="http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2329068,00.asp">a review</a> if you're interested. I'm not competent to recommend once scanner over another, but I like this Canon. It's done a fine job for me.<br />
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I should also mention that the image above was taken at my Grandparents farm, Finca San Rafael, on the outskirts of Guatemala City, where I did some of my growing up. It was a beautiful place, and I was extremely fortunate to live there for some of my formative years, but now it's all bulldozed and subdivided.<br />
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Out.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-14607665925163439232012-05-19T10:10:00.000-07:002012-05-19T10:10:20.224-07:00Well, this is kind of roundabout.<br />
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This morning I pearled an article I thought was relevant to bitcoin, and then G+'ed it from PearlTrees. Since it's already on Google+, why put it all here on Blogger? <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/117078735577888859906/posts/RBFeNhEoKDe">Here.</a><br />
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Damn! Next thing you know I'll be tweeting!<br />
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Naaaa...Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-47238788797192594602012-04-28T11:47:00.000-07:002012-04-28T11:47:25.991-07:00Change the SameIt shouldn't come as any surprise that the White House would come out with loads of steaming dung in response to some of the most popular petitions on their <a href="https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/" rel="nofollow">We The People site</a>, those having to do with cannabis. <a href="https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/response/what-we-have-say-about-marijuana-and-hemp-production?utm_source=wethepeople&utm_medium=response&utm_campaign=ondcpresponse" rel="nofollow">Check it out</a>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
So our concern about marijuana is based on what the science tells us about the drug's effects.</blockquote>
Oh, please!<br />
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On the other hand, how could they respond otherwise in an election year, or even during a first term dominated by serious issues and partisan, win-at-any-cost opposition? Maybe, just maybe, something can be done during the second term of an Obama administration, but I'm not holding my breath.<br />
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It's completely clear that Federal drugs policy is a failure when viewed from stated aims. It is equally clear that Federal drugs policies serve special interests very well, and the public interest not at all. Civil liberties and respect for law give way to profiteering and corruption.<br />
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Possibly the most damaging aspect of Federal drugs policy is the undermining of respect for the law. The term "<a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=define%3A%20scofflaw" rel="nofollow">scofflaw</a>"came about during the first Prohibition that so greatly increased their numbers in society. Now, Prohibition 2 accelerates the effect because when the law in an ass, people treat it accordingly.<br />
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When I try to look ahead, I'm afraid I see present trends continuing, with the result that a few years from now we'll see Prohibition continuing to facilitate all kinds of corruption, diminution of civil liberties, violence and cynicism, while becoming even more important economically. How can it be otherwise?<br />
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<br />Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-51348877721907664542012-04-20T07:41:00.005-07:002012-04-20T08:51:50.053-07:00Not Wil Cardon for SenateI received an email from Wil Cardon (at) politicalmediainc dot com. <div><br /></div><div>Dear Fellow Conservatives, it began. It went on say why I should support him for Senate and not Congressman Jeff Flake, to whom he refers as Mr. Amnesty. (Strike 1)</div><div><br /></div><div>The email was, essentially, an appeal for money ("$1000, $500, $250, $100 or even $25") wrapped up in an anti-Jeff Flake message. Jeff Flake, Republican Congressman from Arizona, is a conservative who gets some points from me for being strong on earmarks, but when Cardon writes that the election doesn't belong to "liberals like Barack Obama or Jeff Flake", Mr. Flake either laughs out loud or considers it blood libel. Probably the former. Jeff Flake, liberal? That's over the top. </div><div><br /></div><div>The email doesn't say much, so on to Mr. Cardon's web site, will cardon dot com. </div><div><br /></div><div>Standard stuff. Red, white and blue theme, with some orange thrown in for Arizona. Scrolling banner at the top. First scrolling banner says "Tell Jeff Flake to sign the Arizona First Pledge." <a href="http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2012/04/01" style="font-size: 100%; ">Strike 2</a><span style="font-size: 100%; ">.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Enough on the banners. Standard right-wing political stuff. On to the "Issues" link.</div><div><br /></div><div>Jobs & Economy. Secure the Border. Size and Role of Government. Healthcare/Repeal Obamacare. Unsurprising right-wing stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>Arizona Values. Family values. Uh-oh...</div><div><br /></div><div>...father of five young children... I'm sure his five young children are in good hands, but Strike 2.5. Dude's part of the problem. That it's five and not one or two children plainly illustrates that Cardon is oblivious to the root cause of the globe's ever-sorrier state. </div><div><br /></div><div>Social conservative. Pro-life. Supports pro-family policies. From conception to death. Strike 2.75. I take that to mean he's a "my way or else" religious nut.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gun Rights. OK, me too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Energy Independence. Drill baby drill. Remove EPA regulations. Strike 2.8.</div><div><br /></div><div>Defense & Foreign Policy. Should not balance the budget on the backs of our armed forces. War on Terror. Blah blah blah. Nothing to indicate substance. </div><div><br /></div><div>Keeping our Commitment to Veterans. Yes, good, me too. </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe, just maybe, Mr. Cardon is really a brilliant guy with a deep understanding of the big (really big) picture. Maybe this political claptrap is just one of the things you have to do to reach office in this country, and he's holding his nose while doing it. Doesn't seem likely, though. Strike 3.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry Mr. Cardon, but no thanks.</div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-4832529640636726342012-04-17T06:16:00.003-07:002012-04-17T07:22:56.833-07:00Instruments of Interstate Commerce<span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/04/17/145499/kentucky-women-convicted-under.html">The story</a> is about the first application of federal hate-crime law. </span></span><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-size: 100%;">It's an unpleasant story about a bunch of, um, people, some of whom lured another such (who happened to be gay) on a mission to obtain drugs, but which wound up with the gay victim being beaten, apparently with the intent of killing him. </span></span><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">Somehow, during a lull in the beating, the gay victim got away. The attackers were arrested, and two women among them decided to plead guilty in an arrangement to aid in the prosecution of two men who did the actual beating. Something like that.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; ">I agree that you have to try to deal with scumbags somehow, and that hate-crimes warrant special consideration, but there's something deeply wrong with this part:</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; "><br /></div><div><div><span></span></div><blockquote><div><span>Prosecutors said the attack on Pennington qualified for federal jurisdiction because Jason and Anthony Jenkins used instruments of interstate commerce in committing the alleged crime.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Those instruments were a Chevrolet Silverado truck and U.S. 119, a federal road.</span></div></blockquote><div><span></span></div><div><span>Commerce Clause? That thing needs to be rolled way back. By this interpretation, absolutely anything falls under federal jurisdiction. </span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Then again, I'm not a lawyuh. What do I know?</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div></div></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-16617784033297931362012-04-14T08:37:00.002-07:002012-04-14T09:22:27.361-07:00Search Engine Optimizer Spam<span ><span style="font-size: 100%;">I found this in my inbox today:</span></span><div><div><span ></span></div><blockquote><div><span >Jen Rhee rheester88@gmail.com via mailingcomplex.com </span></div><div><span >7:47 PM (12 hours ago)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; ">...</span></div><div><span >Hi Steve,</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I came across your site while searching for blogs and posts about Mexican drug cartels. That said, I wanted to reach out to see if you'd like to view a graphic that my team and I created which illustrates the benefits of marijuana legalization. Would you be interested in taking a look?</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I'd love to get your readers' feedback as well as yours!</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Thanks,</span></div><div><span >Jen R.</span></div></blockquote><div><span ></span></div></div><div><span >"... gmail.com via mailingcomplex.com"? Hmmm...</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><ul><li><a href="http://plashingvole.blogspot.com/2012/04/im-jen-rhee-so-jen-rhee-so-jen-rhee.html">http://plashingvole.blogspot.com/2012/04/im-jen-rhee-so-jen-rhee-so-jen-rhee.html</a></li><li><a href="http://ceoln.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/an-infographic-my-team-built-mystery-spam-o-the-time-unit/">http://ceoln.wordpress.com/2012/04/13/an-infographic-my-team-built-mystery-spam-o-the-time-unit/</a></li><li><a href="https://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=graphic+that+my+team+and+I+created#hl=en&safe=off&sclient=psy-ab&q=%22graphic+that+my+team+and+I+created%22&oq=%22graphic+that+my+team+and+I+created%22&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_l=serp.12...0l0l0l25868l0l0l0l0l0l0l0l0ll0l0.frgbld.&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=87c6230bd8e448f1&biw=1779&bih=849">Google</a></li></ul></div><div>This approach is a little classier than posting a vacuous comment containing a string of periods, each of which is a variant of a link to one or more websites, but no thanks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sneakiness is off-putting, Jen. Next time, try an honest appeal. Maybe something like, "Hi, I'm trying to boost the search engine rankings of a web site. In order that you receive some value from my intrusion, I've put a nice infographic there which, given the posts on your blog about marijuana legalization, I think you'll enjoy. Please check it out and, if you like it, feel free to link to the infographic." </div><div><br /></div><div>You might also include a link directly to the infographic rather than, by omission, asking me to reply to you. Why would I want to do that?</div><div><br /></div><div>Bye Jen.</div><div><span ><br /></span></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-1771464194811508552012-01-21T09:48:00.004-07:002012-01-21T12:28:30.621-07:00Rand Paul, the National Pro-Life Alliance and the Life at Conception ActThe other day, Rand Paul, Republican Senator from Kentucky, sent me an email. I know it was from Senator Paul because it said so, right there at the top. <div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FRSlHfkzcCk/TxrvElKwcWI/AAAAAAAAEMQ/8o5o61m52P8/s1600/PaulEmailLetterhead.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 83px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FRSlHfkzcCk/TxrvElKwcWI/AAAAAAAAEMQ/8o5o61m52P8/s400/PaulEmailLetterhead.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700131140366528866" /></a></div><br />"Dear Friend," he writes in the National Pro-Life Alliance's fundraising email pushing the Life at Conception Act. <div><br /></div><div>Well, Dear Rand Paul and National Pro-Life Alliance:</div><div><br /></div><div>The Life at Conception Act is a simple-minded and sectarian declaration reflecting a simple-minded religious outlook on a complex and divisive subject, and it will be resisted vigorously by those upon whom you pretend to foist it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Life at Conception Act says, with brevity matching substance, "... Congress hereby declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being. However, nothing in this Act shall be construed to require the prosecution of any woman for the death of her unborn child." </div><div><br /></div><div>A Constitutional guarantee without a requirement for enforcement isn't a guarantee at all. It's a fraud, a lie.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Act goes on, "For purposes of this Act:</div><div>(1) HUMAN PERSON; HUMAN BEING- The terms ‘human person’ and ‘human being’ include each and every member of the species homo sapiens at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual member of the human species comes into being."</div><div><br /></div><div>No. It's not like that. Declaring it so doesn't make it so, and your insistence is alienating. </div><div><br /></div><div>Don't push your religion on the unwilling. You risk a backlash. Convert the unwilling if you can, but don't use the power of the State in a vacuous power play like the Life at Conception Act. Have some respect!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-16827617644184178252011-11-15T06:58:00.001-07:002011-11-15T07:06:47.437-07:00So be it...Just checking out the "send to blogger" link in Google Reader.<div><br /></div><div>The particular article that I'm "sending to blogger" (assuming it shows up here) resonates with me, but not enough to overcome the sort of resignation expressed in the second comment to the article at The Nation. </div><div><br /></div><div>"So be it..."</div><div><br /></div><div>Update: Well, the article didn't show up (problem between chair and screen).</div><div><br /></div><div>Here: <a href="http://www.thenation.com/article/164497/capitalism-vs-climate">Capitalism vs. the Climate, by Naomi Klein in The Nation</a></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-72513402954294525472011-09-10T12:47:00.002-07:002011-09-11T19:04:49.251-07:00Subverse!The news update on Bitcoin that Google so graciously serves up to me every day brings with it some interesting stuff from time to time. Subverse!<br /><br />Today it was <a href="http://www.p2pnet.net/story/53487">The Natives are REALLY Pissed!!!</a><br /><br />I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Subverse!<br /><br />This comes on the heels of some right-wing horseshit that hit my spam box yesterday. It claimed that radical leftistas in the USA were planning something like the rioting that occurred recently in London and elsewhere over there. They wanted me to sign a petition and send in some money and call my congressperson and so on. Red white and blue. Sarah, Rick, Michele, God, Jesus and Our Tea Party Way Of Life.<br /><br />Subverse!<br /><br />Well, I didn't have much sympathy for the British rioters. It's actually more like, fuck 'em. Same for masked anarchist window breakers at economic summits. I'm not temperamentally disposed to such things. Fuck 'em!As I get older, though, it seems my disdain for such things is diminishing.<br /><br />Less "fuck 'em", more "Hmmm..."<br /><br />Subverse!<br /><br />I can't quarrel too much with the following quote presumably from anonymous (whoever that is):<br /><br /><blockquote>Many of us are scared and angry. We see that your money systems are imploding, and that your governments are growing more corrupt and oppressive every day. </blockquote><blockquote>Your political systems offer us nothing but false dichotomies. Every month, we see new half-cocked legislation targeting our lulz. When our brothers simply vandalize a website, you try to put them in cages for decades, crying“cybercrime” and “domestic terrorism.” </blockquote><blockquote>This is confusing, because we are in the right. You’re punishing us for simply voicing our displeasure, for saying that we aren’t satisfied with the status quo. </blockquote><blockquote>We see your control slipping. In 2009 Uncle Sam spent a third of ‘our tax dollars’ paying down the INTEREST on his credit card bill [1]. Most of those dollars go to the banks who own the Fed. </blockquote><blockquote>And for the cost of a couple wars, you could have converted all our cars to sustainable alcohol fuel and built another space station to boot. </blockquote><blockquote>But you don’t want that. You can’t exist without the archaic institutions that you have built, like the oil and war industries, the prison-industrial complex, America’s state education system, and centrally controlled money systems. If you allowed free markets to exist, you would be bankrupted by competition. You are parasites on the backs of the human race. </blockquote><blockquote>Tools like Bitcoin, gpg and darknets allow us to escape your control systems. We’re going to trade, work, and live without playing your silly games and you can’t do a thing about it. </blockquote><blockquote>Know that you can’t silence us and you can’t scare us. We’re not going to fight you, because you have guns with psychopaths behind them. Instead, we are subverting you. </blockquote><blockquote>We’re building our own systems to replace yours. </blockquote><blockquote>They’re better systems, with blackjack and hookers. And every time someone chooses our systems over yours, your power wanes another tick. We won’t stop until you’ve become the Powers that Were. </blockquote><blockquote>-anonymous</blockquote>Hmmm... I'm way past these guys. They still have hope. I think the modern tools they are so expert with may have distorted their forward vision. Do they really think that they can build a system to replace the the one they are so pissed off at? Do they really think that Bitcoin, gpg and other such brilliant stuff, coming from genius though it does, are silver bullets? Do they think this stuff will still be available after the shit has hit the fan?<br /><br />Well, I was young once, too. Then I started to get old, then I became resigned, and then, as the old song goes, "I'm younger than that now."<br /><br />Subverse! Nice meme. I'd have Flattr'd you if I'd found the button. Instead, check this out <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/politics/4990/london_calling%3A_%E2%80%9Cour_great_war_is_a_spiritual_war%E2%80%9D">about the London thing and Fight Club</a>. You might like it.<br /><br />OK, I'm done. Peace.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-1826098578714466402011-09-06T09:02:00.002-07:002011-09-06T09:11:15.541-07:00Cheney: US different if Hillary Clinton president<blockquote>Hillary Rodham Clinton isn't president, but Dick Cheney says that if she were in the White House rather than Barack Obama, then things might be different today in the country.</blockquote><br />Yes, because the Republicans would have worked so much better with a white woman than a black man.<br /><br />I wonder how much difference it would have made to the country had President Cheney not been at the helm for so long?Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-65699350289185579602011-08-20T11:23:00.002-07:002011-08-20T11:54:42.348-07:00"Aliens Could Attack Earth to End Global Warming, NASA Scientist Frets"The Fox News headline characterizes <a href="http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1104/1104.4462.pdf">this study, the report of which is entitled, "Would Contact with Extraterrestrials Benefit or Harm Humanity? A Scenario Analysis"</a>, with the following headline:
<br />
<br /><b><i>Aliens Could Attack Earth to End Global Warming, NASA Scientist Frets</i></b>
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<br /><div>NASA Scientist *<i>Frets*</i>!?</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Sure enough, Al Gore was mentioned derisively by one of the first commenters, whose chorus is along the lines of "global warming is a hoax". The story has generated over 1200 comments as I type, approximately all of them (based on what limited sampling I could stomach) having dutifully swallowed the spin so quickly they must have felt a violent wrenching sensation in the gut.</div><div>
<br /></div><div>Oh, well...</div><div>
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<br /></div>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-52423456880109027512011-07-25T07:59:00.002-07:002011-07-25T08:04:23.042-07:00More Power to Bob Fletcher...<br /><br />Bob Fletcher – who officially turns 100 on Tuesday – didn't see combat in World War II. But he was shot at for being a Japanese sympathizer when he quit his job to save three local Japanese American farms whose owners were sent to internment camps.<br /><br />...Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-76161876196477676582011-07-24T17:01:00.007-07:002011-07-24T17:49:34.381-07:00One Monster's Favorites<span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >This is some of the music that Andrew Berwick, aka Anders Behring Breivik, particularly admires. He recommends some nationalist themed songs from a band called Saga (and some other stuff that doesn't ring my bell).<br /><br /></span><span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >The Saga singer has a nice voice, and on their face I kind of like the songs. The lyrics are unusual, but were I to hear them out of the blue I wouldn't take much note of them. They certainly wouldn't inspire me to nationalist violence, or even to nationalism (one of humanity's illnesses). But then, I prefer this sort of thing: <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3dpil_joan-baez-with-god-on-our-side-live_music" target="_blank">With God On Our Side</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFCekeoSTwg" target="_blank">The Band Played Waltzing Matilda</a>. </span> <span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >As for the non-Saga stuff Breivik recommends, it's not my cup of tea at all. </span><br /><span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" ><br />In his Manifesto he wrote of Saga:</span> <div style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)font-family:courier new,monospace;"> <i style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">I will now show you several music tracks you should acquire as soon as possible which are ideal for the purpose of maintaining a high level of motivation and confidence:<br /><br />Motivational music tracks, artist: Saga<br /><br />Saga is a courageous, Swedish, female nationalist-oriented musician who creates pop-music with patriotic texts. She is, as far as I know, the best and most talented patriotic musician in the English speaking world. And for those of you, like myself, who hates "metal", Saga is one of the few sources available that offers quality patriotic pop-music with brilliant texts. Most of the tracks are in English and some are in Swedish.<br /><br />Marxist and multiculturalist character-assassins will claim that Saga is an evil, national-socialist monsterband from hell, due to her success. However, this characteristic couldn't be anywhere further from the truth. Although the environment surrounding Saga, the former NSF – National Sosialistisk Forening (a former Swedish Indigenous Rights Movement demonised as "evil Nazi monsters"), used to be self-proclaimed national socialists; it has become evident that most of them now has embraced a more national conservative ideological denomination of conservatism, very similar to that of Knights Templar Europe. Saga has created several pop-tracks with nationalist-oriented texts that will appeal to all conservatives, and especially revolutionary conservatives of all conservative ideological denominations.<br /><br />Saga has the credibility to use the texts presented vocally as she has been a Swedish and European conservative resistance fighter for more than 10 years, working for the political and cultural interests of Sweden and the interests of all Swedes, Scandinavians and Europeans. Saga and similar patriotic heroes and heroines of Scandinavia, who unlike individuals like myself who has yet to come out of the "revolutionary conservative closet", has had to face political persecution and demonisation for years. Yet they continue their brave struggle to prevent the demographical and cultural genocide of the Scandinavian and European tribes. Instead of "physical" revolutionary or democratic resistance, she fights through her music by inspiring the best in us.<br /><br />I discovered Sagas music relatively late, in 2008, but have enjoyed it ever since. I have listened to many of the tracks several hundred times and I don't seem to get tired of them. I would HIGHLY recommend that all Justiciar Knights of Europe and other revolutionary conservatives use these tracks for self-motivating purposes. Don't just listen to the tracks but learn the texts as well. It has worked brilliantly for me and it will likely work just as well for you. However, "soon-to-become conservative martyrs" should be careful when acquiring the tracks (use anonymizer software and take other necessary precautions) as it is likely that the distribution of the music is monitored by the Swedish intelligence agency, under directive of the Swedish multiculturalist regime.</i><br /><br /></div> <span style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >So here are the Saga songs Breivik recommends:</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: courier new,monospace; color: rgb(51, 51, 255);" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox7crnTgC_c" target="_blank">One Nation Arise</a> <div style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)font-family:courier new,monospace;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Life is a struggle in these changing times<br />Thoughts once natural are now classed as hate crimes<br />Those now in power, they fear no one but one<br />A man with open eyes and a sober mind so strong<br /><br />It's been said before, but still we do not heed<br /><br />To free the enslaved minds of the sleeping mass<br />we must cast away the yokes, ignore status and class<br />Barriers were built to make us forget blood ties<br />And now we aren't as one, and egos benefits on lies<br /><br />It's been said before, but still we do not heed<br /><br />Folk and Nation first, and blood - not personal greed<br />And it's been said before, but still we do not heed<br />Free your enslaved minds and open up your eyes and see<br />The strength of your people, one Nation arise!<br /><br />It is good versus evil, it's the eternal fight<br />To overcome the darkness we must spreed the light<br /><br />It's been said before, but still we do not heed<br /><br />Folk and nation first, and blood - not personal greed<br />And it's been said before, but still we do not heed<br />Free your enslaved minds and open up your eyes and see<br />The strength of your people, one nation arise!</span><br /><br /></div> <a style="font-family:courier new,monospace;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhAADEbdU4k" target="_blank">Hypocrite</a> <div style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)font-family:courier new,monospace;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Too many people spend their time<br />spreading gossips and complaints<br />they seek someone to hang<br />they seek someone to blame<br />In their search for a scapegoat they forgot to look in the mirror<br />apathy of weak people is what caused this daily horror<br /><br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />People like you - cause us pain, oho<br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />Start to act - but use your brain<br />Use your brain, now<br /><br />People like you who haven't got<br />the guts to stand up for your views<br />you forget the simple fact<br />it's people like you who makes us loose<br />You complain about the politicians<br />but still you vote them in<br />you've lost your soul<br />you coward to sell your pride is a sin<br /><br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />People like you - cause us pain, oho<br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />Start to act - but use your brain<br />Use your brain, oho<br />Use your brain<br /><br />You complain about the immigration<br />you really make me sick<br />it was your vote that opened the border<br />you filthy hypocrite<br />You say one thing but do another<br />just how weak can one man be<br />You're the reason for our misery<br />so blame yourself and don't blame me<br /><br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />People like you - cause us pain, oho<br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />Start to act - but use your brain<br />Use your brain, oho<br /><br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />People like you - cause us pain, oho<br />You're the one - the one to blame, oho<br />Start to act - but use your brain<br />Use your brain, now</span><br /><br /></div> <a style="font-family:courier new,monospace;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JrgqxhdLaw" target="_blank">Black Bannered Legion</a> <div style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)font-family:courier new,monospace;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Raise the flag of solid black<br />to keep the memory alive<br />Of black clad legions<br />who fought and died for our folk in '45<br />Black is the colour of mourming for the martyrs of Vinland too<br />Matthew and Kirk and Singer and Rockwell and Kahl stood true<br /><br />Raise the flag of destiny<br />as black as the wing of a raven<br />And change it not nor raise another<br />'til we have a folkish haven<br />Raise the flag of destiny<br />the flag of destiny<br /><br />Black is the colour of midnight which<br />the tyrant shall learn to dread<br />As we honour fallen martyrs with steal and fire and led<br />The ancient Aryan Symbol is also drawn in black<br />so underneath that colour<br />we will take our Nations back<br /><br />Raise the flag of destiny<br />as black as the wing of a raven<br />And change it not nor raise another<br />'til we have a folkish haven<br />Raise the flag of destiny<br /><br />And when we have that land of our own<br />then on that holy ground<br />we'll plant our flag of raven black<br />upon a scared mound<br /><br />Raise the flag of destiny<br />as black as the wing of a raven<br />And change it not nor raise another<br />'til we have a folkish haven<br />Raise the flag of destiny<br />Raise the flag of destiny<br />as black as the wing of a raven<br />And change it not nor raise another<br />'til we have a folkish haven<br />Raise the flag of destiny</span><br /><br /></div> <a style="font-family:courier new,monospace;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKDe-09EpNM" target="_blank">Ode To A Dying People</a><span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" > (<span style="font-size:78%;">he says it's the most popular track on Saga's album On My Own</span>)</span> <div style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)font-family:courier new,monospace;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Eyes shining bright with unspilt tears,<br />Thinking about all these wasted years.<br />Everything worth living for is gone,<br />Brother, i find it hard to keep fighting on.<br />Falling down towards the abyss,<br />The reaper embraces me with his kiss;<br />It makes me want to refuse to care,<br />To watch this all unfold - too much to bear.<br /><br /><br />If this is the way it ends -<br />If this is the way my race ends . . .<br />If this is the way it ends - i can't bear to witness<br /><br />Disease encroaching on all i hold dear,<br />Somehow i gotta get my soul outta here.<br />Heart of agony, faint burning hope,<br />I'm finding it hard to try to cope . . .<br /><br />Because liars own the world with conquering poise,<br />In a wasteland of meaningless noise;<br />We don't stand a chance with dormant pride,<br />The heroes of our race have already died . . .<br /><br />If this is the way it ends - if this is the way my race ends. . .<br />If this is the way it ends - i can't bear to witness . . .<br /><br />To imagine it has all come down to this,<br />Apathy and suicidal bliss . . .<br /><br />It's all over except for the cryin',<br />With a whimper instead of the roar of a lion . . .<br /><br />The greatest race to ever walk the earth,<br />Dying a slow death with insane mirth,<br />The tomb has been prepared, our race betrayed,<br />White man, fight the flight towards the grave . . .<br /><br />If this is the way it ends - if this is the way my race ends . . .<br />If this is the way it ends - i can't bear to witness . . .<br />If this is the way it ends - if this is the way my race ends . . .<br />If this is the way it ends - i can't bear to witness . . .<br /><br />Don't let it end this way,<br />Don't let it end this way,<br />Don't let it end this way, i can't bear to witness . . .</span><br /><br /></div> <a style="font-family:courier new,monospace;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWOmqYCfZXw" target="_blank">The Nation's Fate</a> <div style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)font-family:courier new,monospace;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The best are condemned to useless lives<br />when chaos regimes and the merchant thrieves<br />The basest sort then make sport<br />of those who die with anguished cry<br />because they told the Nations fate<br /><br />Gods of the rabble are greed and lust<br />love and honour turned to dust<br />Patriots in cages and liars as sages<br />the tyrants rage in every age<br /><br />Black is white and evil is good<br />and nothing pure is understood<br />Emotions grow cold and the future is sold<br />the senses are sated and the prophets are hated<br />because they told the Nations fate<br /><br />Gods of the rabble are greed and lust<br />love and honour turned to dust<br />Patriots in cages and liars as sages<br />the tyrants rage in every age<br /><br />The state and the press and the church are a tool<br />an honest man is labelled a fool<br />Every man must abase<br />every kin and every race<br />Or face the fearsome despots plan<br />to destroy every man<br /><br />The whores of merchant pave the road to hell<br />twisting words to weave a spell<br />Master deceivers making believers<br />misleading men with a cunning pen<br />to hate those who tell the Nations fate<br /><br />Gods of the rabble are greed and lust<br />love and honour turned to dust<br />Patriots in cages and liars as sages<br />the tyrants rage in every age<br />Gods of the rabble are greed and lust<br />love and honour turned to dust<br />Patriots in cages and liars as sages<br />the tyrants rage in every age</span><br /><br /></div> <a style="font-family:courier new,monospace;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHeN5s13U0U" target="_blank">Tomorrow Belongs To Me</a> <div style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)font-family:courier new,monospace;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The sun on the meadow is summery warm.<br />The stag in the forest runs free.<br />But gather together to greet the storm.<br />Tomorrow belongs to me.<br />Tomorrow belongs to me.<br /><br />The branch of the linden is leafy and<br />Green,<br />The Rhine gives its gold to the sea.<br />But somewhere a glory awaits unseen.<br />Tomorrow belongs to me.<br />Tomorrow belongs to me.<br /><br />The babe in his cradle is closing his eyes<br />The blossom embraces the bee.<br />But soon, says a whisper;<br />"Arise, arise,<br />Tomorrow belongs to me"<br /><br />Oh Fatherland, Fatherland,<br />Show us the sign<br />Your children have waited to see.<br />The morning will come<br />When the world is mine.<br />Tomorrow belongs to me!</span><br /><br /></div> <a style="font-family:courier new,monospace;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAvi9S4yNhg" target="_blank">The Snow Fell</a> <div face="courier new,monospace" style="margin-left:40px;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)"><span style="font-size:85%;">He sat in a room<br />in a square of the color of blood.<br />He'd rule the whole world<br />if there was a way that he could.<br />He'd sit and he'd stare<br />at the minreds on top of the towers.<br />For he was a beast<br />as he hatched his new plans to gain power.<br /><br />(chorus)<br />And the snow fell<br />covering the dreams and ideals.<br />And the snow fell<br />freezing the blood and the wheels.<br />And the snow fell<br />they had to keep up for survival.<br />And the snow fell<br />defeating the beast's only rival.<br /><br />They took the old roads<br />that Napoleon had taken before.<br />They fought as a force as a light<br />against the darkness in a holy war.<br />One day they were looking around<br />and the sun was shining on the cold flowers.<br />The next day they were freezing to death<br />in the sleet and the ice cold showers.<br /><br />(chorus)<br /><br />Then came the deadly roads<br />back from the stairs of their retreat.<br />The cold racked their bodies<br />but worse was the pain of defeat.<br />Many people who had hailed them once<br />now turned and looked away.<br />These people now knew<br />that the beast was on it's way.<br /><br />(chorus)<br /><br />You finally came back<br />to the borders of your fatherland.<br />Now enemies came<br />traitors everywhere at hand.<br />Many people who had fought and died<br />knowing that they had to win.<br />It still sickens my heart<br />to see the picture of the red flag in Berlin.<br /><br />(chorus)</span><br /><br /></div> <span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >Breivik lists 5 other tracks in Swedish, and goes on to say he'd limited his list to those he felt were worthy and available.<br /><br /></span><span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >Breivik </span><span style="color:rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >continues:<br /><br /></span><div style="margin-left:40px;font-family:courier new,monospace;color:rgb(51, 51, 255)"><i style="color:rgb(0, 0, 0)">Other artists:<br /><br />Lux Aeterna by the English composer and musician Clint Mansell<br />Comment: I love this work. Lux Aeterna means "eternal light" and it really is an appropriate title. I've listened to this track several hundred times and I never seem to get tired of it. The track is very inspiring and invokes a type of passionate rage within you. In Lord of the Rings – a good version of this track (Requiem for a Tower version which I think is the best) is performed during the most intense fighting of one of the central battles. Since it has worked for me, it is likely that it will<br />work for you. An invigorating piece of art.<br /><br />Motivational music tracks, artist: Helene Bøksle<br />The following is Helene Bøksle`s - Age of Conan theme music. Three of the tracks surpass almost anything I've heard before. The tracks are in old Norse tongue (old Norwegian), truly epic, very<br />powerful and motivational and even worthy of playing during a martyrdom operation (in addition to Saga and Clint Mansell).<br /><br />Track 1: The Dreaming - Ere the World Crumbles<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kn99vRCbww" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Kn99vRCbww</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g5KYv2oqXk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g5KYv2oqXk</a> (live version)<br /><br />Track 2: Nighttime journey through the Eiglophian mountains (Ascending Cimmeria)<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GVMEdIfaJQ" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GVMEdIfaJQ</a><br /><br />Track 3: The Dreaming Anew - Memories of Cimmeria<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deDNzOYHu-4" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deDNzOYHu-4</a><br /><br />Imagine the following; at the end of your mission, when you have completed your primary objectives - imagine fighting for your life against a pursuing pack of system protectors (or as I like<br />to call them: armed defenders of the multiculturalist system, also referred to as the police). You try to avoid confrontation but they eventually manage to surround you. You hear this song as you push forward to annihilate one of their flanks, head shotting two of your foes in bloody fervor trying to survive. This angelic voice sings to you from the heavens, strengthening your resolve in a hopeless battle. Your last desperate thrust kills another two of your enemies. But it isn't enough as you are now completely surrounded; your time is now. This voice is all you hear as your light turns to darkness and you enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. This must surely be the most glorious way to claim the honour of martyrdom in battle.<br /><br />The following is also decent track for maintaining a high morale during a limited battle confrontation although it lacks vocal:<br /><br />The Awakening - Hyborian Adventures<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHrE_fU2OtY" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHrE_fU2OtY</a></i><br /><br /></div> <span style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 255);font-family:courier new,monospace;" >I'm certainly not about to read the 1500+ pages of <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/60743276/2083-A-European-Declaration-of-Independence">Breivik's "Manifesto"</a>, but jumping down the pages and scanning a bit is an interesting experience. The guy seems pretty bright, and clearly put a lot of work into compiling the thing. He claims credit for having written about half of it.<br /><br />The music stuff above starts in page 848, and there's an eye-catching section entitled "There are no atheists in foxholes" starting on page 1344, in which he discusses the value of pragmatic prayer (prayer by even an atheist in the heat of battle for it's calming power).<br /><br />Whatever dude. You should have smoked some pot instead of whatever toxic shit you ingested.</span>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-67856968715524223892011-07-23T13:25:00.004-07:002011-07-23T17:03:56.473-07:00Highlighted IrritantsSomehow I wound up on their emailing list, so yesterday I received this invitation from the Arizona Republican Party. Highlighting a few of the things I found most irritating about it, I reproduce it here in case you didn't get it. If you really care, though, you'll have to click the image to see it its full glory.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BaKaRkS8sE/Tisu-41sqgI/AAAAAAAAD_8/_dK8kRrogq4/s1600/Highlighted_Irritants.png"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 108px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BaKaRkS8sE/Tisu-41sqgI/AAAAAAAAD_8/_dK8kRrogq4/s400/Highlighted_Irritants.png" align="left" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5632647416901315074" border="0" /></a>Since I know the Republicans care deeply about my opinions, I feel I owe them a little constructive criticism in the way of an explanation behind my irritation at various parts of their mailing. Here we go, starting at the top.<br /><br />At the upper left, I highlighted part of the Arizona Republican Party logo. The irritant here is "Republican Party". As is the case with lawyers, I've known lots of good people who happen to be Republicans. Enough said.<br /><br />Moving down... Steven Seagal??? Please. OK, so he's made a couple of movies I thought were passable, others not so much. I don't know how much of that stuff about sexual exploitation and lies (google it) actually sticks to Seagal, but even if he is actually a saint, his inclusion here is for the purpose of drawing a crowd I'm happy not to be a part of.<br /><br />"Restoration of The Republic"<br />Ok, I'll let that one slide. It's empty.<br /><br /><br />"We the People"<br />We WHAT people?<br /><br />Joe the Plumber isn't a plumber, and had it not been for heavy Republican manipulation of a media accident involving his uninformed questioning of candidate Obama, he might have actually bought the small plumbing business he was supposedly attempting to buy, and then gone on down the drain in the economic collapse without ever wondering whether starvation of the beast had been a good idea after all.<br /><br />Sheriff Joe Arpaio. This is the guy who wanted to ring Maricopa County in roadblocks as a tactic in the War on Some Drugs. I tend to like his tent cities, chain gangs and baloney sandwiches, but I don't like ... never mind.<br /><br />Benefactor Levels. I wonder what Thomas Jefferson would think of this? God bless America.<br /><br />I have to stop this. Otherwise, I may not survive the next 14 months.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-37393453373161561062011-07-17T20:46:00.003-07:002011-07-17T21:27:06.115-07:007,000,000,000Apparently the human population of Earth is set to zoom past 7 billion sometime later this year.<br /><br />Seems, too, that forecasts for a leveling off of human numbers somewhere in the 9 to 10 billion range have been revised upwards for some reason.<br /><br />PBS - Need to Know: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/environment/video-standing-room-only/10477/">Standing Room Only</a><br /><br />Nobody knows what can happen, but it's tough to be optimistic about the future for humanity and the ecosystem that supports it.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-56579277077800444052011-07-02T09:13:00.002-07:002011-07-02T10:00:27.168-07:00"Priceless"My first exposure to <a href="http://www.wikileaks.org/">WikiLeaks</a> was when they outed <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=barclays+bank+wikileaks">Barclays Bank's tax avoidance schemes</a>. I thought the outing of Barclays was well in order, and it prompted me to send WikiLeaks a small contribution (probably via PayPal).<br /><br />WikiLeaks is like almost any other organization I've ever supported. NRA, ACLU, whatever. I can't dictate their agenda, but if, on balance, I like their general stance, then I might support them from time to time.<br /><br />It annoyed me to no end when PayPal froze WikiLeak's account and cut them off. Who is PayPal to tell me where I can send my money? Who is MasterCard, or Visa, to make such decisions for me? How long before they cut off organizations working for change on the basis that what they advocate is illegal (drug policy, assisted suicide, ...). As far as I'm concerned, that's unacceptable. Where will it end? One of these days I might not be able to send money to Planned Parenthood on the basis that it's illegal to kill babies. Screw that.<br /><br />Maybe there's a real need for something like <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=bitcoin">BitCoin</a>. Despite the down-sides.<br /><br />I think I'd like to see WikiLeaks continue and BitCoin succeed.<br /><br />Here's WikiLeaks' parody ad: <a href="http://vimeo.com/25412550">Priceless</a>. Good stuff!Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-63993296337248403132011-07-02T08:28:00.006-07:002011-07-02T12:21:21.900-07:00Nuke plants deploy bio-defenses<span style="font-weight: bold;">Nuke plants deploy bio-defenses</span><br /><br />Health and Safety staff at nuclear plants have urged workers to wash their hands frequently or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers, citing such measures as the best way to prevent transmission of cold and flu viruses.<br /><br />In other news, a <a href="http://www.omaha.com/article/20110630/NEWS01/110639969/0">nuclear worker was nuclear injured in a nuclear fire at the nuclear-flood-threatened nuclear Fort Nuclear Calhoun Nuclear Station Nuclear.</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_MO3G65w5Ao/Tg87za3LrbI/AAAAAAAAD-0/7efdgfnCBVg/s1600/NuclearFire.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_MO3G65w5Ao/Tg87za3LrbI/AAAAAAAAD-0/7efdgfnCBVg/s400/NuclearFire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624780214179179954" border="0" /></a>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-44214859961577124202011-06-21T18:52:00.000-07:002011-06-21T18:52:45.933-07:00High on Drugs: Breaking the Just Say No Addiction | Science | Religion Dispatches<a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/science/4771/high_on_drugs%3A_breaking_the_just_say_no_addiction/">High on Drugs: Breaking the Just Say No Addiction | Science | Religion Dispatches</a><br /><br />I had just finished reading <a href="http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=41838">this depressing and annoying piece</a> when I came upon <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/science/4771/high_on_drugs%3A_breaking_the_just_say_no_addiction/">High on Drugs: Breaking the Just Say No Addiction</a>. I don't know much about the drugs the author mentions other than to have read his words in different form elsewhere, but I do know the author's piece is a flash of brilliance in contrast to the propagandist drivel that continues to ooze from the likes of DEA and ONDCP.<br /><br />Congratulations <a href="http://www.religiondispatches.org/contributors/garyladerman/">Gary Laderman</a>. I'll have to go back and read some of your other stuff.Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11522380.post-59165059153749696032011-06-11T14:37:00.001-07:002011-06-11T14:38:39.204-07:00It's not my money. I shouldn't take it.Good for you Robert Adams!<br /><br /><blockquote>– Thu Jun 9, 5:05 pm ET<br /><br />ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill. – Robert Adams craved an ice-cold drink after finishing his shift on a sweltering workday, but not having enough money to buy the burrito he also wanted left him with two obvious choices: Stop at the ATM, or find a bag containing more than $17,000 in cash.<br /><br />"I wanted to get a large horchata, which is almost like a rice or coconut milk," Adams told the Daily Herald (Arlington Heights) for a story published Wednesday. "I would have grabbed a chorizo burrito, too, but I didn't have enough money."<br /><br />That changed Monday when the Chicago-area man stood at a Chase ATM in Rolling Meadows, looked down and discovered on the sidewalk near a newspaper box a clear plastic bag containing receipts, checks and $17,021 in cash — mostly $20 and $100 bills bound by a rubber band.<br /><br />"I see this plastic bag. It's clear plastic and it's half full of money," Adams said. "I figure this is a joke. Somebody took some napkins and made it look like money. This has to be a setup. People are going to look at me and start laughing."<br /><br />Adams said he never had the urge to keep any of the money.<br /><br />"It's not my money. I shouldn't take it. I don't care if you put another zero on there, I wasn't raised to take money that isn't mine," said Adams, a 54-year-old single man who lives in Arlington Heights and credits his deceased parents for teaching him right from wrong. "If I saw you drop it, I'd say, `Excuse me, sir. I think you dropped something.'"<br /><br />The word "Chase" was printed on the bag, so Adams carried it inside the nearby branch.<br /><br />"I walk up to the teller and say, `I think you might have left this outside,'" said Adams, figuring an employee left it behind after restocking the ATM. But employees told him the machine is filled from inside and the money didn't belong to the bank.<br /><br />Adams then called police, who along with bank officials later determined the money was meant for an ATM in Midlothian and had been under the care of Loomis, an armored truck company. Rolling Meadows police took the money to the station, where it was picked up by a Loomis official.<br /><br />Loomis officials said they were investigating, but have not said whether Adams will get a reward.<br /><br />"I really don't know what happens with this situation," Adams said.<br /><br />Onesimo Santillan, owner of the Senor Taco restaurant where Adams originally was headed to indulge his cravings, said the actions of his longtime customer don't surprise him.<br /><br />"He has been coming in for years, always orders the same thing, very nice guy," Santillan said. "It's hard to find people like that, honest people."<br /><br />Rolling Meadows Police Chief Dave Scanlan said Adams did good: "We all said right away that this guy deserves something — credit for being an Honest Abe."<br /><br />___<br /><br />Information from: Daily Herald, http://www.dailyherald.com</blockquote>Stevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02211730939356678631noreply@blogger.com2